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April 30
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Colleen
gave
 
to:
Peony in Love (Hardcover)
by Lisa See
bookshelves:
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my rating:
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read in April, 2008
Colleen said:
"I'll skip over the plot summary since so many other reviewers have already covered those details. I loved the character of Peony and watching her grow from this young girl chafing at the bonds of traditional familial responsibility to a woman who mo...more
I'll skip over the plot summary since so many other reviewers have already covered those details. I loved the character of Peony and watching her grow from this young girl chafing at the bonds of traditional familial responsibility to a woman who more fully understands the true nature of love and life. See's exploration of the nature of love from a schoolgirl crush to lust to companionship was very well illustrated and touching. I found the description of the female life in dynastic China and Chinese beliefs of the afterlife absolutely fascinating. See's description of the foot-binding process is horrifying, but the fact that mothers actually did this to their daughters is even more so. I also loved the underlying plotline of women during this era finding their own voice - the fact that it all revolves around The Peony Pavilion, which was actually written by a man (Xianzu Tang), didn't bother me. Instead, my interpretation of See's novel was that Peony and the other female poets were saying that Tang had it all wrong and was offering only the male perspective of tragic love and an idealized version of the lovesick maiden. Let's face it - Peony is a lovesick maiden. See's unusual storyline of following Peony's tragic romance through the eyes of her ghost serves to show the lovesick maiden at her most generous and beautiful, as well as at her most manipulative and malevolent - definitely a contrast to the lovesick maiden Du Liniang in The Peony Pavilion. Overall, I loved this book and will now go check out See's other work....less
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Colleen
gave
to:
Life of Pi (Mass Market Paperback)
by Yann Martel
bookshelves:
recent-reads
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my rating:
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read in April, 2008
Colleen said:
"This was a really enjoyable book. The characters were delightfully rich and the relationship between Pi and Richard Parker was absolutely fascinating. And I found the juxtaposition of the tenets and faith of three major religions against the human s...more
This was a really enjoyable book. The characters were delightfully rich and the relationship between Pi and Richard Parker was absolutely fascinating. And I found the juxtaposition of the tenets and faith of three major religions against the human survival instinct and subsequent actions very cleverly explored and well developed. Overall, a very thought-provoking read....less
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Colleen
gave
to:
The Other Boleyn Girl (Paperback)
by Philippa Gregory
bookshelves:
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my rating:
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read in March, 2008
Colleen said:
"If you're looking for historical accuracy about an intriguing family during a fascinating time of the English monarchy, this book is not for you. If however you like salacious fictional tales of power, greed, lust and corruption set against a non-fi...more
If you're looking for historical accuracy about an intriguing family during a fascinating time of the English monarchy, this book is not for you. If however you like salacious fictional tales of power, greed, lust and corruption set against a non-fictional time in history, then you will like this story. The plot unfolds at a good clip and definitely keeps the reader engaged. The characters, however, are so extreme that it's difficult to buy into the author's contention of accuracy -- Anne is portrayed as a completely manipulative witch yet all the while we are to believe that Mary is this totally naive innocent. The book is a decent bodice-buster and nothing more....less
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February 05
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Colleen
gave
to:
The Memory Keeper's Daughter (Paperback)
by Kim Edwards
bookshelves:
recent-reads
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in January, 2008
Colleen said:
"This was a good read. Very well developed characters and interesting subject matter. It didn't pull me in like other recent reads, I would have loved to hear more of Caroline and Phoebe's storyline but instead the book mostly centered on the doctor...more
This was a good read. Very well developed characters and interesting subject matter. It didn't pull me in like other recent reads, I would have loved to hear more of Caroline and Phoebe's storyline but instead the book mostly centered on the doctor and his wife. Still, a worthwhile read and I recommend it....less
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January 14
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Colleen
marked as to-read:
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time (Paperback)
by Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Colleen
marked as to-read:
The Alchemist (Plus)
by Paulo Coelho (Goodreads author!)
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Colleen
marked as to-read:
The Lovely Bones (Mass Market Paperback)
by Alice Sebold
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Colleen
gave
to:
The Hobbit (Paperback)
by J.R.R. Tolkien
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Colleen
gave
to:
Where the Sidewalk Ends (Hardcover)
by Shel Silverstein
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Colleen
gave
to:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
by J.K. Rowling
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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