Had this on my wish list - then in moment of weakness in WHsmith the other day..... well you can guess the rest.

What a fantastic book! Such memorable charcters, written with great realism. What stood out for me, and what will haunt me from this book, are the dreams and aspirations of people brought so cruely crashing down around them. When Hortense goes to get a teaching job ....


I think I might make a bookring of this.

Bookring started.

List
Mirp (ROI)
Snowy652 (USA)
PJmom8025 (USA)
Nolatari (USA
Doveilibri (USA)
Juicy-Comrade (canada)
Beloved49 (USA)
Cocobarks (USA)
Maupi (Uruguay)
Yowlyy - (UK)
Mallary (France)

Back to me Heaven-Ali (UK)






Releasing by post to Mirp.

Received today. I'm looking forward to reading this book.

Loved this book. It made me both laugh out loud and become very saddened by the attitude and treatment towards others.

I was so sad that the book had to end.

Sent off in the post today.

will be reading -- commenting -- sending to next in-line -- I have 2 to read before this one but will get to it asap

I very much enjoyed this book and am hoping to read more from this author. I found the beginning a bit slow and at times I was tempted to give up on it -- but I plugged along and I am very glad that I did. Andrea Levy writes with such clarity and realism -- After I got into it, I didn't want to put it down. It is a book that made me laugh as well as shed some tears -- it also made me realize yet again -- how blessed I am.

I will be sending it off to the next in line on Mon the 15th

I just received this book all the way from Canada. I have one book ahead of it and will hopefully get to start it by the end of this week.

Thanks for sharing, it's been on my wishlist for awhile.

I am starting this book today. I can't wait to read it as I have heard great things about it. I will post with my thoughts when I am done.

This was a great book. The story line was a little confusing at the beginning until I realized that there were different voices. Highly enjoyed it and would recommend it.

It will be sent off probably tomorrow to the next participant.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to Nolatari

It has arrived in Sherman, Texas, and I will begin today. Thanks, Heaven-Ali, for the chance to read this book from my Wish List!

RELEASE NOTES:

Mailed to Doveilibri. Much as I tried, my life just never allowed me time to put into this book. Thanks for the opportunity, Heaven-Ali. I hope to find more time in the future to give this one another try.

Received this book in the mail today! I've started reading it already! Enjoying it so far!!!

Thanks for sending the ray along! Looking forward to finishing this book! Thanks again, Nolatari, for sending it, and Heaven-Ali for organizing the ring!

Making headway and enjoying the book! I'm up to page 250 of 529! OK, just about halfway! I hope the second half is as good as the first half was!

Please, Heaven-Ali, let me know who I have to send it to next, so things can go smoothly when I'm done!

Jan. 29, 2006: Received the address from "Juicy-Comrade" in Canada, so I can send the book off as soon as I'm finished reading!

Feb. 2, 2006: I finished today! I LOVED it! I really enjoyed ALL of the characterizations, all of the separate stories. It added a lot of interest to read about the war in each character's voice, from their point of view!

I have Juicy-Comrade's mailing address, and I'll send the book out to her on Saturday. I have to go to the post office to mail to Canada, so it will have to wait until I have off from work. It will be traveling via surface mail.

The book came in the mail this morning. I read the prologue over lunch just now and it looks like the book should be a good read.

This is a fantastic book. Although I think it's possible that I drove a couple of my friends crazy with it over the past week, as I have a bad habit of distracting them from their own reading/school work to tell them every funny/interesting/neat thing that I read. Somehow I'm sure that if you gathered the three other university students who live in my house they could retell the whole story between them. And seriously, it's not my fault that there was something interesting happening on every page. I'm going to have to track down more books from this author.

I'll send the book off to Beloved49 tomorrow afternoon.

Recived this Bookring from juicy-comrade. Have one book to read first then this. Much thanks

Dear Heaven -Ali, I am next on the list to read this book but due to illness I wondered if I might be put on the next to last person to read this book. If you do not want yo to this I will understand. Just let me know. Much thanks, Beloved

Book on it's way to cocobarks.

I received this a few weeks ago. Sorry I am late journaling it. It looks great.

Great story! Thanks so much for letting me read this. I hope I didn't keep it too long. I'll send it out ASAP.

RELEASE NOTES:

Book ring continues.

Obviously I forgot to journal this book. My sincere apologies. It arrived safe and sound, I actually do not remember when. I will move it on asap.

My humble apologies for holding on to this book for so long. Too many personal troubles, which is not an excuse, just an explanation.
I started reading the book a while ago, though I found it well-written, it couldn't hold my attention. My guess, I was just too preoccupied with life's worries. Maybe some other time.

pikkewyn asked to be skipped. Waiting for YowlYY's address now.

Just to let you all know the list has changed so the book should be on its way back to Beloved49 soon.

here is the updated list copied from above

Mirp (ROI)
Snowy652 (USA)
PJmom8025 (USA)
Nolatari (USA
Zugenia (USA)- has asked to be skipped
Doveilibri (USA)
Juicy-Comrade (canada)
Cocobarks (USA)
Maupi (Netherlands)
yowlyy - (Uk)
Beloved49(US) - asked to be skipped
Mallary (France)- it's here
Laura0141 (UK)

Back to me Heaven-Ali (UK)

Finally arrived on a gloomy rainy day...and there's me who was thinking the book got lost in the mail!
I am starting it today - no rings or rays in progress right now - and hopefully will be on its way to the US in a short while.

Thanks for shipping it!

I finished this book a while ago, but did not rush to do a JE as I was trying to get an address for passing on the book, and at the same time gathering all my thoughts together. It is indeed a great read, and the characters are so well researched and human, it does seem really more like a true story told than a work of fiction.
I was particularly moved by the hostility with which the Jamaicans were confronted, once that, especially for the men, the work of war was done. A hero today, a person of second (or third!) class tomorrow. It is particularly moving to see how Hortense, full of her dreams of becoming a teacher in England, is confronted with the bitter reality, and how the love story between Michael and Queenie plays a role for Hortense and Gilbert finally coming closer.
The way the voice is given to the single protagonists, the changes in dialect, the description of what goes in their minds, all of it creates a picture that is at times funny, sad, melancholic and so alive - I've never had a minute in which I felt the story getting too long, it kept my interest all the time, and even the chapters in which Bernard describes his war experience, although I loathed that character, were interesting and revealing.
I have already bought a copy of this book for my very good friend in Italy to read, and recommended it to other friends in Germany. So far, it is one of the best reads of this year, and look forward to reading more by Andrea Levy.

I contacted Beloved49, who unfortunately is still unwell and asked to be skipped at this time, so I've got hold of Mallary's address and the book will leave today towards France.

Thanks again to Heaven-Ali for this ring, happy reading to Mallary, a get-well soon wish to Beloved49, and greetings to all who participated to this ring :)

Arrived today in France!
Many thanks, I will start reading this in a couple of days; in the meantime I will pm Laura0141 so I can post it off as soon as I have finished.

This was easily one of the best books I have ever read! I hope one day to find a copy of my own and read it again. Thanks for sharing; Laura0141 has already read it so I am posting it back to Heaven-Ali.

Wow after twenty two months my first ever bookring finally comes home - this one was a plodder - several others went out and came back during this time - it has done some miles too. Thank you everyone for taking part, passing the book on, and for your journal entries. It will now rest a while in my PC.

If you have found this book, thank you for taking the time to look it up on the internet. Now please tell us what you thought of the book and what your plans for it are.

Picked this up at the Unconvention (last year!) to release elsewhere.

Taking to the Towcester meetup. Will be lovely to see people, and to bring Birmingham books a little further south.

Welcome to Bookcrossing! You are about to lose a whole chunk of your life, but I assure you it will be worthwhile. Do let us know your thoughts about this book, and your plans for its next move.

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