Although fellow reviewers were put off by the lack of cell phones in the future, it really didn't bother me too much as I don't rely much on my own and I figure cell phones weren't as prevalent in the early 90s when this book was written. I did find the lack of medical technology a little disconcerting though. IV pumps were certainly prevalent in the early 90s so not having one in 2060 seemed a little odd but I'll forgive the author as many non-medical people probably aren't aware of that either.
Nonetheless, it was still a fun tale and once I got past being bogged down in that "scurrying" part in the middle I quite enjoyed the story. I look forward to seeing more of young Colin in "Blackout".
I just loved this story! The depth of characters and the topic of "the modern family" kept me reading through the night until it was done. The courage and compassion that comes across in this story is remarkable. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
A_G_D wrote:
I just loved this story! The depth of characters and the topic of "the modern family" kept me reading through the night until it was done. The courage and compassion that comes across in this story is remarkable. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Jodi Picoult tells very touching stories indeed. I find you have to be in a certain state to be able to read her books but I did enjoy the ones I read so far!
It it very true that you have to be in a certain state to read her, I would not recommend her to people who have trouble with depression as her novels are sometimes very disturbing. I read Change of Heart and it still haunts me when I think of it.
A_G_D wrote:
I just loved this story! The depth of characters and the topic of "the modern family" kept me reading through the night until it was done. The courage and compassion that comes across in this story is remarkable. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
It it very true that you have to be in a certain state to read her, I would not recommend her to people who have trouble with depression as her novels are sometimes very disturbing. I read Change of Heart and it still haunts me when I think of it.
The one that really touched me and it literally made me cry was "Handle with care". I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read it yet but there were some very unexpected turns in the story. Maybe the reason I found parts of it so disturbing is because I love children as much as I do and this story is about a little girl who was born was Osteogenesis Imperfecta ( a disease that makes your bones fracture very easily). The book deals with her challenges and her family's drama as they try to offer their two girls(one sick and one in the middle of her teenage crisis) a normal life but are faced with numerous obstacles and challenges. It's a touching story and it makes you reflect on the quality of life that most people tend to take for granted. I do recommend it but like Debbie said, if you already feel a little down and need something to cheer you up, this is not the right read for you!
A_G_D wrote:A_G_D wrote:
I just loved this story! The depth of characters and the topic of "the modern family" kept me reading through the night until it was done. The courage and compassion that comes across in this story is remarkable. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Jodi Picoult tells very touching stories indeed. I find you have to be in a certain state to be able to read her books but I did enjoy the ones I read so far!It it very true that you have to be in a certain state to read her, I would not recommend her to people who have trouble with depression as her novels are sometimes very disturbing. I read Change of Heart and it still haunts me when I think of it.
The one that really touched me and it literally made me cry was "Handle with care". I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read it yet but there were some very unexpected turns in the story. Maybe the reason I found parts of it so disturbing is because I love children as much as I do and this story is about a little girl who was born was Osteogenesis Imperfecta ( a disease that makes your bones fracture very easily). The book deals with her challenges and her family's drama as they try to offer their two girls(one sick and one in the middle of her teenage crisis) a normal life but are faced with numerous obstacles and challenges. It's a touching story and it makes you reflect on the quality of life that most people tend to take for granted. I do recommend it but like Debbie said, if you already feel a little down and need something to cheer you up, this is not the right read for you!
I normally do not read Jodi Picoult books but happened to listen to the audio of Handle with Care. Very interesting and educational re Osteogenesis Imperfecta. It's amazing with the right frame of mind, how you can live with tragic circumstances and make the most out of life.
I finished reading last night "Train to Trieste" and this is what I wrote for the review:
"This book caught my attention right away when I saw it mentioned on the Barnes and Noble Fictional General Discussion forum. Since I was born in Romania, the name of the author caught my attention right away since there are not that many books written by Romanian authors. At first, it took me a while to fully get engaged into the story. Domnica Radulescu has a very interesting writing style which I got to appreciate more towards the end. Her highly descriptive way of presenting things and her way of constantly summarizing what she had previously wrote, in developing the story, made it a little difficult to follow in the beginning but the more I read the more I got to appreciate it. The book follows the story of Mona, a girl born in Bucharest during the long period of Communism. She describes her childhood, her family's history as well as the hardships they have to go through to survive during that period of time in Romania when the majority of the population was experiencing rationed food,electricity shortages together with severe oppressions from the Securitate. People were given the impression that they were being watched night and day and no communication with outside nations was permissible. The slightest sign of misconduct would have caused them to arrest those charged with innapropriate behavior and throw them in jail or even kill them. In the midst of all this, Mona falls in love with Mihai, a Romanian man that lives in another city to which she travels every summer to spend time with him. Unfortunately, the general atmosphere in the country creates so much suspicion and confusion among the population that people don't know anymore who they are able to trust and who works for the Security Police. Her parents decide that her only way to freedom is to leave the country somehow and make a new life for herself in a democratic country. Throughout the book, Mona describes her life and her challenges and experiences as she travels to America in hope of a better life, without being able however to forget where she came from and what she left behind. I found it to be a very touching story and a very realistic presentation of the way things used to be during the last year of Communism in Romania. It also emphasizes strong family ties and the connection and joint responsability the Romanian population adopted in those hard years to ensure its survival. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get a better understanding of how things used to be in that part of the world during those times. This book provides a historical insight without losing its emotional touch."
A_G_D wrote:I finished reading last night "Train to Trieste" and this is what I wrote for the review:
"This book caught my attention right away when I saw it mentioned on the Barnes and Noble Fictional General Discussion forum. Since I was born in Romania, the name of the author caught my attention right away since there are not that many books written by Romanian authors. At first, it took me a while to fully get engaged into the story. Domnica Radulescu has a very interesting writing style which I got to appreciate more towards the end. Her highly descriptive way of presenting things and her way of constantly summarizing what she had previously wrote, in developing the story, made it a little difficult to follow in the beginning but the more I read the more I got to appreciate it. The book follows the story of Mona, a girl born in Bucharest during the long period of Communism. She describes her childhood, her family's history as well as the hardships they have to go through to survive during that period of time in Romania when the majority of the population was experiencing rationed food,electricity shortages together with severe oppressions from the Securitate. People were given the impression that they were being watched night and day and no communication with outside nations was permissible. The slightest sign of misconduct would have caused them to arrest those charged with innapropriate behavior and throw them in jail or even kill them. In the midst of all this, Mona falls in love with Mihai, a Romanian man that lives in another city to which she travels every summer to spend time with him. Unfortunately, the general atmosphere in the country creates so much suspicion and confusion among the population that people don't know anymore who they are able to trust and who works for the Security Police. Her parents decide that her only way to freedom is to leave the country somehow and make a new life for herself in a democratic country. Throughout the book, Mona describes her life and her challenges and experiences as she travels to America in hope of a better life, without being able however to forget where she came from and what she left behind. I found it to be a very touching story and a very realistic presentation of the way things used to be during the last year of Communism in Romania. It also emphasizes strong family ties and the connection and joint responsability the Romanian population adopted in those hard years to ensure its survival. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get a better understanding of how things used to be in that part of the world during those times. This book provides a historical insight without losing its emotional touch."
Thanks for the wonderful review Andrea.
dhaupt wrote:
A_G_D wrote:I finished reading last night "Train to Trieste" and this is what I wrote for the review:
"This book caught my attention right away when I saw it mentioned on the Barnes and Noble Fictional General Discussion forum. Since I was born in Romania, the name of the author caught my attention right away since there are not that many books written by Romanian authors. At first, it took me a while to fully get engaged into the story. Domnica Radulescu has a very interesting writing style which I got to appreciate more towards the end. Her highly descriptive way of presenting things and her way of constantly summarizing what she had previously wrote, in developing the story, made it a little difficult to follow in the beginning but the more I read the more I got to appreciate it. The book follows the story of Mona, a girl born in Bucharest during the long period of Communism. She describes her childhood, her family's history as well as the hardships they have to go through to survive during that period of time in Romania when the majority of the population was experiencing rationed food,electricity shortages together with severe oppressions from the Securitate. People were given the impression that they were being watched night and day and no communication with outside nations was permissible. The slightest sign of misconduct would have caused them to arrest those charged with innapropriate behavior and throw them in jail or even kill them. In the midst of all this, Mona falls in love with Mihai, a Romanian man that lives in another city to which she travels every summer to spend time with him. Unfortunately, the general atmosphere in the country creates so much suspicion and confusion among the population that people don't know anymore who they are able to trust and who works for the Security Police. Her parents decide that her only way to freedom is to leave the country somehow and make a new life for herself in a democratic country. Throughout the book, Mona describes her life and her challenges and experiences as she travels to America in hope of a better life, without being able however to forget where she came from and what she left behind. I found it to be a very touching story and a very realistic presentation of the way things used to be during the last year of Communism in Romania. It also emphasizes strong family ties and the connection and joint responsability the Romanian population adopted in those hard years to ensure its survival. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get a better understanding of how things used to be in that part of the world during those times. This book provides a historical insight without losing its emotional touch."
Thanks for the wonderful review Andrea.
Great review, Andrea! Glad you liked it.
A_G_D wrote:I finished reading last night "Train to Trieste" and this is what I wrote for the review:
"This book caught my attention right away when I saw it mentioned on the Barnes and Noble Fictional General Discussion forum. Since I was born in Romania, the name of the author caught my attention right away since there are not that many books written by Romanian authors. At first, it took me a while to fully get engaged into the story. Domnica Radulescu has a very interesting writing style which I got to appreciate more towards the end. Her highly descriptive way of presenting things and her way of constantly summarizing what she had previously wrote, in developing the story, made it a little difficult to follow in the beginning but the more I read the more I got to appreciate it. The book follows the story of Mona, a girl born in Bucharest during the long period of Communism. She describes her childhood, her family's history as well as the hardships they have to go through to survive during that period of time in Romania when the majority of the population was experiencing rationed food,electricity shortages together with severe oppressions from the Securitate. People were given the impression that they were being watched night and day and no communication with outside nations was permissible. The slightest sign of misconduct would have caused them to arrest those charged with innapropriate behavior and throw them in jail or even kill them. In the midst of all this, Mona falls in love with Mihai, a Romanian man that lives in another city to which she travels every summer to spend time with him. Unfortunately, the general atmosphere in the country creates so much suspicion and confusion among the population that people don't know anymore who they are able to trust and who works for the Security Police. Her parents decide that her only way to freedom is to leave the country somehow and make a new life for herself in a democratic country. Throughout the book, Mona describes her life and her challenges and experiences as she travels to America in hope of a better life, without being able however to forget where she came from and what she left behind. I found it to be a very touching story and a very realistic presentation of the way things used to be during the last year of Communism in Romania. It also emphasizes strong family ties and the connection and joint responsability the Romanian population adopted in those hard years to ensure its survival. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get a better understanding of how things used to be in that part of the world during those times. This book provides a historical insight without losing its emotional touch."
A very beautifully written review. I will make sure to read it.
There's a really good book series called Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan. It's about a young man who living in a kingdom that at your fifteen birthday the craft masters pick you to be the Apprentice. No one wanted Will. He's too small, he's too weak, he's too this and that the other craft masters bashed him. But, Halt the Ranger saw potential and he decides to get Will to be his Apprentice and Will becomes a great ranger over time. There's ten books at the moment.
The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice Series #1)
A_G_D wrote:pjpick wrote:
Great review, Andrea! Glad you liked it.
Thanks for the recommending it Pj! I did like it a lot!
Wish I had more from Romania to give you, but I don't.
Maybe the author will punch out a new book sometime soon. I've seen some about Yougoslavia and Czechoslovakia but this is the first about Romania (unlelss it's about vampires or gymnasts, of course).
Wish I had more from Romania to give you, but I don't.Maybe the author will punch out a new book sometime soon. I've seen some about Yougoslavia and Czechoslovakia but this is the first about Romania (unlelss it's about vampires or gymnasts, of course).
Aaaaww...No sad face please! 
I am happy with this litle so far. But I will look for more Romanian authors out of curiosity. I know what you mean about vampires and gymnasts. Remember that part in the book where Mona says that everyone she meets in America asks her the same questions over and over again and that most of them don't even know much about Romania and that the only thing they know is Dracula and Nadia Comaneci?! I found it funny because I've only been in this country for 6 years but I lost count how many times I've been told about Dracula or the gymnast And I even had people asking me if Romania is in Asia!!LOL So I was able to relate to that very very well..
A_G_D wrote:Wish I had more from Romania to give you, but I don't.
Aaaaww...No sad face please!
LOL! I bet it did it home with you! This is probably nothing new for you but here's a link I've found.
LOL! I bet it did it home with you! This is probably nothing new for you but here's a link I've found.
http://www.romanianwriters.ro/books.php
Actually Pj, I've never heard of any of those authors so thank you for giving me that link. To be honest with you "Train to Trieste" was the first book I read that was written by a Romanian author in English. And I am definetely not up to date with contemporary romanian authors so that link is something I will explore more. Out of curiosity I checked to see if Barnes & Noble carries one of them and it does so I am curious to see what are they all about. Thanks!
A_G_D wrote:LOL! I bet it did it home with you! This is probably nothing new for you but here's a link I've found.
http://www.romanianwriters.ro/books.php
Actually Pj, I've never heard of any of those authors so thank you for giving me that link. To be honest with you "Train to Trieste" was the first book I read that was written by a Romanian author in English. And I am definetely not up to date with contemporary romanian authors so that link is something I will explore more. Out of curiosity I checked to see if Barnes & Noble carries one of them and it does
I love it when members help each other out, it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling.
