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The Schedule for July through Dec. 2025
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By Lynn · 1 post · 41 views
last updated Jun 20, 2025 08:37AM
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What I'm Reading - August
By Sherry , Doyenne · 420 posts · 183 views
last updated Sep 01, 2011 02:23PM
Schedule for January 2012 - June 2012
By Sherry , Doyenne · 8 posts · 208 views
By Sherry , Doyenne · 8 posts · 208 views
last updated May 25, 2012 09:37AM
What I'm Reading - February 2012
By Melissa · 319 posts · 125 views
last updated Mar 01, 2012 05:34AM
What I'm Reading - September 2012
By Mary Anne · 215 posts · 180 views
last updated Oct 02, 2012 05:08AM
What Members Thought
I found this book very hard going at first. Found the silences between the characters very hard to take. Felt Dr. Swenson was one-dimensional. Gradually got pulled in by the exotic setting...Amazon jungle...and found the characters and plot opening up and complicating and getting wildly unreal yet completely believable. How did Patchett do that?
Rushed through the ending because I needed to find out what happened. I ended up being completely pulled in and wrung out. It took me a long time to get ...more
Rushed through the ending because I needed to find out what happened. I ended up being completely pulled in and wrung out. It took me a long time to get ...more
Entertaining enough. Some loose ends could result in sequel.
3 stars, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder why? It was okay - exotic setting, some interesting characters, some moral dilemmas, and basically well-written prose, but on the whole I was really underwhelmed by this novel. Her depiction of Minnesota had me wondering what century she was writing about. She kept extolling the "prairie" as the characters drive from the Twin Cities airport to Eden Prairie. Huh? I drive there quite regularly and it is not even remotely rural. Her depictio
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I read this a long time ago for book club and can't figure out why I didn't add it to my list. Unless it was lost somehow. Anyway, since it is not fresh in my memory I can only go on impressions remaining. Kind of reminded me of The Heart of Darkness in the description of the river and the journey to find the missing man.
Never really got into the characters much. I didn't love this book but I also didn't hate it so it's 3 stars until I find a copy and refresh my memory. ...more
Never really got into the characters much. I didn't love this book but I also didn't hate it so it's 3 stars until I find a copy and refresh my memory. ...more
A superbly written story that got me to total suspension of disbelief. Its subject matter includes very real topics like big drug companies and their abuse of power through lust for money, child bearing at older ages and preservation of natural resources. The story itself is a sort of magical realism seldom seen in English. It is a fabulous, lush read.
This looks interesting.
Patchett always delivers an excellent story and keeps you guessing until the end.
Patchett writes beautifully, and while it starts a bit slowly it picks up steam after about page 40 or so. Poses a number of interesting questions about medical research and ethics as well as being a compelling human drama. My lone quibble is that I'm left wanting to understand Dr. Swenson better, which is both powerful and frustrating at the same time.
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Certainly a thriller and told in a deadpan voice which belies the terror underlying. Reminds me of Kingsolver's book about travels in the jungle. I'm not quite sure what I think yet, but Patchett's writing stands true. It's a page-turner for sure.
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Having read Bel Canto by the same author, I was anxious to read another by her, and was not disappointed with State of Wonder. Great story, great character development. I felt like I was in the Amazon!
Jul 18, 2011
Anna
marked it as to-read
Aug 17, 2011
Sheila
marked it as to-read
Jan 17, 2013
Dana Arbelaez
marked it as to-read
Mar 23, 2017
Tara
added it
Mar 24, 2021
Jenn
marked it as to-read
