This is a gorgeous, devastating book that you will be unable to keep to yourself--because, like a natural disaster, it is not the kind of phenomenon one can shoulder alone. I can't say that I've ever before had the experience of a book making me cry uncontrollably for more than an hour. Lili had this effect on me, yet I couldn't stop reading it. If you liked Fugitive Pieces or Suite Francaise, this book will leave you speechless. The last thing I want to say is that the book is ultimately so gen More...

Wow. Just wow. The language is stunning, and Lili's growth and self conciousness is extremely striking. Her blunt manner of speech and the ordeals she faces, and her childlike interpretations of everything... the way she dissects the things that happen to her... it all just makes Lili and real but surreal character all at once. Like a Remedios Varo painting, in words. I think this book is severely underrated, totally worth picking up and reading through to the end. The story seems slow, but it's More...