Reviews

Budnitz writes in magical realism intended often as social commentary. The first third of this novel is extraordinary. At one point, the main character, who was born in a East European village goes to a port city in Western Europe, hoping to find her lover. Instead she finds the city deserted. She runs to the docks, and the ocean is dry with the tall sailing ships resting lopsidedly on the ocean floor. She flees in terror, later finding her lover in a different city. She tells him of this place she went to and he dismisses it as a dream. The rest of the book does not quite live up to the atmospheric attraction of this first section, but is still intriguing in its own way as it follows the main character's daughter and granddaughter.

thebookwench's review against another edition

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5.0

Beautifully told and very interesting novel, full of myth and mystery. I am amazed.

markatong's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Not only is the storytelling fascinating but the writing is so engaging it is difficult to put it down.

I will be recommending this book to every woman who reads.

djrmelvin's review against another edition

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3.0

The story of four generations of women, starting with a the first daughter's emigration from a tiny eastern European village to America and ending with her great grand daughter's first attempts to do the very same thing that started the story - break away from her mother. The historical part has a great sense of time and place, while the contemporary part relies on characterization to draw the reader in. This makes for an uneven, but still quite readable story.

marjolein_goethals's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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