"Julia and Valentina Poole are normal American teenagers - normal, at least, for identical 'mirror' twins who have no interest in college or jobs or possibly anything outside their cozy suburban home. But everything changes when they receive notice that an aunt whom they didn't know existed has died and left them her flat in an apartment block overlooking Highgate Cemetery in London. They feel that at last their own lives can begin ...but have no idea that they've been summoned into a tangle of fraying lives, from the obsessive-compulsive crossword setter who lives above them to their aunt's mysterious and elusive lover who lives below them, and even to their aunt herself, who never got over her estrangement from the twins' mother - and who can't even seem to quite leave her flat."

An enjoyable read... I was unsure what I was getting myself in for as it is not a book I would have normally chosen to read. Once I got into it I quite enjoyed it. I was not a fan of how the book ended. But I did find the characters engaging and it had a good storyline.

This book is heading out on a ring now

Sardonyx (UK)
mafarrimond (UK) Ship Euro
blueblack (UK) Ship Euro
glitterbee (Germany) Ship Euro or In't(surface mail
Bjorg (Iceland) Ship Euro
LindyLouMac (Italy) Ship Euro
star69 (UK) Can post international.
JennyC1230 (US) Int'l if needed<--- Book on its way here (Waiting for an address)
ravencat (US) ship US/Can
debbie4osu (US) Int'l
Sfogs (NZ) Int'l
RebeccaToh (Malaysia) Int'l
AgdaAgulina (Finland) Ship EU
Kayellbee (UK) Ship Euro
Sardonyx (UK) Back home to me.

This was released on a bookring to mafarrimond ... but it seems last time I released it that is didn't work... So I am attempting it again.

I hope you got the book Mafarrimond. Enjoy

Oh my goodness. I have just finished the book and realised that I didn't register it when it arrived!! Sincere apologies!

I saw Audrey Niffenegger talk about the book at the Hay Festival and was very keen to read this. I was not disappointed. The book flowed easily. IThe characters were all well drawn even the lesser ones. I loved the snippets about the cemetry and am inspired to visit when next there.

Posted on to blueblack.

Came home from work and this was waiting for me! I'll start reading it this week :)

It took me a little while to get into this book, but I really enjoyed it once I did! The story was interesting, blending realism with the supernatural, with some devilish little plot twists.

This book will be travelling to glitterbee in Germany!

Perfect timing! Yesterday I handed in my last big term paper for the semester and when I got home, two books waited for me. I've been wanting to read this book ever since it was released and I am looking forward to starting today!

I really looked forward to reading this book, but I must say, I was disappointed. I didn't think the characters were well drawn, I felt like the they remained somewhat flat throughout the book. Highgate Cemetary on the other hand was written about in all detail, I got to know the Cemetary better than the main characters. For the last 100 pages or so I was sitting there, thinking "No, this isn't happening, this can't be happening."

It wasn't horrible, but not my cup of tea. I believe if it wasn't for the author (I really loved "the Time-Traveller's Wife") I would not have picked up this book in the first place, so maybe I was expecting too much. I did enjoy reading a book set in London, made me want to go back there again.

Sent the book on to bjorg on Friday.

The book arrived today:) thanks glitterbee:)

Well I don´t really know what to think about this book. I like how it started but then it got really weird and just too strange for me.
I will send it off as soon as I get LindyLouMac´s address!

The book is now off to LindyLouMac! Enjoy:)

Arrived safely from Iceland, thankyou Bjorg and also Sardonyx for letting me join your ring.
As The Time Travelers Wife is a favourite of mine I am expecting a lot from this, am I going to be disappointed I wonder as the reactions here are mixed?

Update October 17th : I am waiting to hear from the next reader so this can go travelling again.
Writing my review at the moment. Here it is at last. November 16th!

I read Niffenegger's first novel The Time Traveler’s Wife before I started LindyLouMac’s Book Reviews and although it became one of my favourite novels, I never wrote more than a paragraph about it for my Bookcrossing Journal Entry. I was not used to writing reviews then and found it impossible to write anything worthwhile without it containing spoilers. However I did comment that you need to read it with an open mind and it is the same case with Her Fearful Symmetry.
Lets hope that I can do better this time. This is another very imaginative storyline but surrounded by reality and I think I enjoyed it. An odd thing to say but I did find some of the story difficult to cope with, due to the unethical behaviour of one of the characters which I found disturbing! I obviously cannot say more, if you have read this you will probably guess what I am referring to, if you haven’t well read the book to find out. Let me know what your thoughts were, I am interested, would you behave like that given the unlikely opportunity?
A haunting love story centred around two sets of Noblin family twins, Edie and Elspeth and the younger generation Julia and Valentina. Elspeth is estranged from her twin so when she dies she leaves her estate to the young girls. The main condition of the will is that they leave there home the other side of the Atlantic and live in the London flat for a year. Julia and Valentina much to their parents dismay were keen to take up this opportunity. The move to the apartment in Vautravers a house with direct access to Highgate Cemetery brings them into contact with not only Elspeth’s neighbours, Robert and Martin but the ‘afterlife’. Robert was Elspeth’s lover and he at first finds the twins resemblance to her very difficult to cope with. The other resident is Martin who suffers so badly from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that he no longer leaves his flat. The girls learn to find their way around London, explore Highgate Cemetery and both befriend one of the neighbours each as one of them starts to want independence from the other one. Highgate Cemetery features strongly in the novel and the facts you learn about it are very interesting, so I guess this has increased tourist visits there.

The afterlife aspect of the story is the central theme as we discover the history of this family of twin identities and it is dealt with by the author in the same matter of fact way that she wrote about ‘time travel’. Unfortunately like so many other reviewers I was rather disappointed with the ending, but I suppose it was difficult to end it other way when you think about it.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not I recommend you read this, if you can cope with the ‘afterlife’ aspect as Audrey Niffenegger has once again produced a novel that is unique (I think, unless you know differently) in its storyline.
Also did anyone else appreciate where the title comes from? The novel's title is inspired by The Tyger by William Blake which begins "Tiger, tiger, burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry?". The poem is mentioned along with a full synopsis of the novel on Wikipedia.

Please visit LindyLouMac's Book Reviews to watch a video interview with the author in which she explains how the theme of loss and making the most of what we have appears in her novels.

En route to the next reader, star 69 in the UK.

Happy reading

LindyLouMac

Got this today will get round to reading it when I have finished the one i am reading at the moment.
Thanks

Have PMed JennyC1230 and waiting to hear back from her.

Sorry it has taken so long. Finally got hold of JennyC1230 for her address book is now on the way to her.

The book is here! I loved The Time Traveler's Wife, so I am excited to read this book by the same author. I will read soon and pass on to the next person.

Thanks for sharing!

I'm reading this one now and I have the address for ravencat, so this one will be moving along soon. I will post again with my review.

My Review: I liked this book more for the interesting and eccentric characters. The ending didn't really work for me, so that left a bad taste. The only way this one compares to The Time Traveler's Wife is the whole idea of love and loss.

The ghost/afterlife concept didn't bother me, I have had my own experiences so I know that people you love can "come back" to comfort you, because it has happened to me.

I'm glad I had a chance to read this, but I'm not sure if I would recommend it to someone else. If I hadn't been curious about what would happen to the characters, I don't think I would have finished reading this book.

I plan to mail this book to ravencat in a couple of days.

Mailing to ravencat tomorrow via Media Mail.
Delivery Confirmation #03100480000228212724

Book arrived today and will be starting on it within the next few days. I am anxious to see if I enjoy this book as I was not a fan of The Time Travelers Wife. Alot of mixed reviews on this one so we shall see......

I have to say that I was skeptical at first about reading another book by this author as I am the minority in saying that I hated Time Travelers Wife. I was pleasantly surprised with this book as I enjoyed it very much.. Maybe it was the concept of ghosts and cemeteries which I find very interesting (must get to Highgate someday!) so I guess I am safe in saying that this book was for me. The ending was a touch disappointing but in my mind I have a good idea of where Robert went off to. Thank-you very much Sardonyx for including me in this ring. Now off to the next participant (Debbie4OSU).

Caught this today, in my mailbox. Thanks, ravencat, for sending this along. Also, thanks Sardonyx for letting me be a part of this bookring. I have a book to finish first, then will get to this one. Don't worry, I will keep this ring moving.

To continue the bookring, it is now off to RebeccaToh, and Malaysia, since SFogs had read the book already. I hope you enjoy the book. :)