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  <id>1234660</id>
  <title><![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]></title>
  <isbn><![CDATA[0452288495]]></isbn>
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  <description><![CDATA[ The Frayn family of Washington, D.C., is coping pretty well with twenty-first century realities of  life&#151;snipers, bomb threats, natural disasters, etc. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to  dig for her umbrella, her politically outspoken brother Steven is shot down right next to her on the  library steps. <br/><br/> Steven's murder shatters the tightly knit Frayn family, and his sister Claire becomes determined  to unravel the mystery of why her brother was killed. Searching for answers, Claire meets Victor,  an enigmatic stranger who claims to know who killed Steven. Claire begins an unusual  correspondence with the suspected assassin, but instead of uncovering the truth of her brother's  death, she finds herself drawn to this man, and increasingly apprehensive about cooperating with  Victor's plans to avenge Steven's death. <br/><br/> A gripping family drama with an unusual love story at its center, this is an intimate portrait of grief,  the futility of revenge, and the miracle of forgiveness.]]></description>
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    <author>
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        <name><![CDATA[Susan Richards Shreve]]></name>
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    <name><![CDATA[Dana]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Nov 25 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Nov 26 09:14:13 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Nov 26 09:14:13 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I got this book at a library book sale because I really enjoyed the cover. This is the first book I've read by Shreve, but not her first -- I'm surprised I haven't heard of her sooner, but I plan on reading more of her books. ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38693060]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38693060]]></link>
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      <review>
  <id>48943037</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Mel]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Greeley, CO]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Sun Mar 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Mar 11 12:30:22 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Mar 11 12:31:28 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A Student of Living things was nothing like I thought it would be.  But it was lovely.  Short, suspenseful, and ultimately heartbreaking in the most wonderful way, I loved it.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48943037]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48943037]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>51098804</id>
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    <id>2173046</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Jennifer]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Henderson, NV]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2173046-jennifer]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>58</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>0</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Mar 31 19:39:21 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Mar 31 19:39:38 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I worked with the daughter of the author. great book, nice woman.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/51098804]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/51098804]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>82112628</id>
    <user>
    <id>3070362</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Lindsey]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Davenport, FL]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3070362-lindsey]]></link>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182126111m/1234661.jpg</image_url>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1234661.A_Student_of_Living_Things</link>
  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>58</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Dec 26 16:43:52 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Dec 26 17:16:06 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Favorite quote: My biggest success? I hope it hasn't happened yet.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/82112628]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/82112628]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>54345481</id>
    <user>
    <id>1658861</id>
    <name><![CDATA[J]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Northfield, MN]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1658861-j]]></link>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182126111m/1234661.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>58</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Apr 29 06:22:54 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Apr 29 06:23:21 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Lots of DC references]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/54345481]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/54345481]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>30487311</id>
    <user>
    <id>924163</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Lori]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Salt Lake City, UT]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182126111m/1234661.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>58</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[EVERYONE!]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Aug 17 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Aug 18 15:50:21 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Aug 18 15:52:28 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book was SO RAD and I couldn't put it down. What a suspenseful mystery. I didn't read the summary very well when I checked it out and didn't realize it was a mystery. This is a story about a family in MD that has a son that was murdered/assassinated/accidentally shot and his sister's quest to f...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30487311">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30487311]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30487311]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>14434351</id>
    <user>
    <id>264359</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Natalie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Brooklyn, NY]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
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    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Sun Jan 25 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Feb 03 06:53:32 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Jan 25 08:37:57 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I did not really get into this book till the end.  I was expecting something much more cynical, not hoping, just expecting.  I was surprised by the conclusion. There is a nice tie in with 911, guilt, and forgiveness, which drags you through humanities ability to cope with tragedy.  As a whole, I tho...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14434351">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14434351]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14434351]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>22011565</id>
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  <isbn13>9780452288492</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">2</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>0.0</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[ The Frayn family of Washington, D.C., is coping pretty well with twenty-first century realities of  life&#151;snipers, bomb threats, natural disasters, etc. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to  dig for her umbrella, her politically outspoken brother Steven is shot down right next to her on the  library steps. <br/><br/> Steven's murder shatters the tightly knit Frayn family, and his sister Claire becomes determined  to unravel the mystery of why her brother was killed. Searching for answers, Claire meets Victor,  an enigmatic stranger who claims to know who killed Steven. Claire begins an unusual  correspondence with the suspected assassin, but instead of uncovering the truth of her brother's  death, she finds herself drawn to this man, and increasingly apprehensive about cooperating with  Victor's plans to avenge Steven's death. <br/><br/> A gripping family drama with an unusual love story at its center, this is an intimate portrait of grief,  the futility of revenge, and the miracle of forgiveness.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

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  <read_at>Sun May 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun May 11 02:35:48 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun May 11 02:41:54 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[it took a month to read first 120 pages, always having the feeling its time to drop the book and forget about it but there was still smth about it not allowing to drop. Having read it this morning, am not regretting. a good read in the end..and am now looking for someone who plays piano, to play the...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22011565">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <isbn13>9780670037582</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Fri Feb 22 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Feb 27 06:01:40 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Feb 27 06:03:52 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I finished this book on 2/25. It is a short but engaging read which sweeps you in. The protagonist attempts to distance herself from her life, but her actions have devastating consequences, and by the last three chapters I found myself completely unable to put the book down. <br/><br/>I have an ex...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16497022">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16497022]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>21467517</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Megan]]></name>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182126111m/1234661.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>58</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Wed Jan 28 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri May 02 11:24:38 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jan 28 09:07:05 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The book follows the story of a family after their son is murdered on the steps of his university library. It takes place in the DC metro area and I enjoyed reading about places that I'm familiar with. The book drags in some places but the end is very good and puts everything together.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/21467517]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>10832759</id>
    <user>
    <id>27240</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Dre]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Charlotte, NC]]></location>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182126111m/1234661.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>58</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Dec 21 13:13:54 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jan 17 18:37:18 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This was a quick story for me with a somewhat predictable ending but it still kept my interest nonetheless.  Not exactly an upbeat book.  It was a reminder of the fact that even when you think you know someone, you really don't.  ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10832759]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10832759]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>32933142</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Lindsey]]></name>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>58</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Sep 15 11:49:38 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Sep 15 11:50:43 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I really enjoyed the twist when the mystery was resolved, but I had a hard time getting into the characters or story line of the novel.  It was nice to read an adult novel for a change; it's been a while.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32933142]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>25820445</id>
    <user>
    <id>731295</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Susan]]></name>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jun 29 08:44:56 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jul 03 05:44:35 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[While not a book about 9/11, this story of a fascinating family could only happen post 9/11.  Loved the quirky characters and how they each work their way through tragedy.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/25820445]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
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    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

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    <body><![CDATA[Took me weeks to get through this, not sure why. I couldn't just give up on it, not sure of why not. ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35773504]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35773504]]></link>
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      <review>
  <id>19050354</id>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
  </title>
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    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[A story of a murder and it's aftermath. I was entertained reading it, but I wouldn't read it again. ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19050354]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19050354]]></link>
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
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    <![CDATA[ The Frayn family of Washington, D.C., is coping pretty well with twenty-first century realities of  life&#151;snipers, bomb threats, natural disasters, etc. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to  dig for her umbrella, her politically outspoken brother Steven is shot down right next to her on the  library steps. <br/><br/> Steven's murder shatters the tightly knit Frayn family, and his sister Claire becomes determined  to unravel the mystery of why her brother was killed. Searching for answers, Claire meets Victor,  an enigmatic stranger who claims to know who killed Steven. Claire begins an unusual  correspondence with the suspected assassin, but instead of uncovering the truth of her brother's  death, she finds herself drawn to this man, and increasingly apprehensive about cooperating with  Victor's plans to avenge Steven's death. <br/><br/> A gripping family drama with an unusual love story at its center, this is an intimate portrait of grief,  the futility of revenge, and the miracle of forgiveness.]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[Took me a long time to get through this b/c I don't usually read mystery-type books. But it was interesting.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2763956]]></url>
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    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
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    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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    <body><![CDATA[Great character development, intense mystery.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3415548]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
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    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
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  <published>2006</published>
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  <date_updated>Sun Nov 15 13:36:01 -0800 2009</date_updated>
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    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
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    <![CDATA[A Student of Living Things]]>
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    <![CDATA[<strong>As haunting and enigmatic as a thriller, Shreve's tale of a near future evolves into a glorious meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness</strong> <br/><br/> In the Washington, D.C., of a near future, a city of floods and frequent terrorist bombings, the tightly knit Frayn family has carved out its own comfortable, if eccentric, existence. Then, in the moment it takes Claire Frayn to dig into her book bag for her umbrella, her brother Steven is shot down next to her on the library steps. <p> His murder hits the family like a hurricane. Set adrift, Claire easily falls under the influence of Victor Duarte, an enigmatic stranger who claims to know her brother's killer. But as she corresponds with the supposed criminal mastermind, a composer at a conservatory in Michigan, she finds herself increasingly apprehensive about Victor and his plans for revenge, while she is ever more drawn to the musician. <p> Plotted like a thriller with a startling love story at its center, this is a pitch-perfect and painful rendering of the way a family grieves and of the way public violence seeps into every part of our lives. Much like Ian McEwan's <em>Saturday, A Student of Living Things</em> takes on the moral, political, and philosophical questions of our time with a very intimate story about the futility of revenge and the sheer miracle of forgiveness.</p></p>]]>
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