Summer Darlings

Summer Darlings
by Brooke Lea Foster

1962. Summer on Martha's Vineyard.

Heddy is a girl working as a summer nanny for a wealthy family in Martha's Vineyard. She is a college scholarship student at Wellesly who was raised by a single mother barely scraping by. Heddy is a very naive girl, embarrassed by her background, needing and wanting validation from the people she believes are so much more than she is.

She arrives in Martha's Vineyard starry eyed, ready to step into a world of beautiful people living idyllic lives. What she discovers is the ugly underbelly of this picture perfect world, starting with the very family she is a nanny for.

Heddy falls for two men on the island, Sullivan, the son of a wealthy family, and Ash, a land developer selling homes in his new development in Florida. She is also befriended by Gigi, a movie star who takes her under her wing and tries to gently educate her as to what she is up against.

Eventually, Heddy begins to realize she can absolutely trust no one but herself.  As insecure and unimportant as she believes she is, she nevertheless is a pawn to be used or disparaged by those around her. As the reader/observer I wanted to stand and cheer for her at the point she arrives at knowing that only she can take care of herself and does just that.

A happy ending?  Maybe so, maybe no. I think you should decide for yourself when you read this novel. I can see the possibility of a sequel. I would definitely read it should it happen.

Summer Darlings gets 4 of 5 shots from me.

Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book for my reading pleasure & review.

The Thing About Alice

The Thing About Alice
by Jean-Luke Swanepoel

From the synopsis: "Brimming with heart and gentle humor, and not wasting a single word, The Thing About Alice is a study in character no reader will easily forget."

I guess a study in character is how I would describe this book, even though none of the characters is very deeply examined.  I found it difficult to follow and confusing. To be honest, that could simply be due to my poor memory while trying to keep track of the characters and their relationship or relevance to Alice.  But honestly, it was like sitting and listening to a friend recount all that has happened in her neighborhood, while not being overly interested in all these people I don't really know. Some of it is very sad and I feel empathetic, but like the empathy you might feel while watching a news story on TV.  Just pour me another glass of wine, please. 

And I may have become a bit concerned about my friend who is telling me these stories, especially when she comes to the end, telling one last anecdote which I suspect ends unpleasantly, yet I am not quite certain. 

"The thing About Alice" left me wanting a real story but happy that it was over. I give it just 2 of 5 shots.  I had really hoped to award it more.  

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to preview The Thing About Alice, to be published May 21, 2020.

First Frost

First Frost
by Sarah Addison Allen

I've loved SAA from the first time I read one of her books.  I don't know why this one has gone unread for so long, it may be because I didn't buy it right away.  I found it at an outlet mall a month or so ago and realized it was time. Past time.  Way overdue!

First Frost takes us back to Bascom, North Carolina and the people who we met in the book, Garden Spells.  It's ten years later when we meet up with them again. Magic is still part of the every day lives of the Waverly women, which is much of what I love about Sarah's stories.

Both Claire and Sydney are married to men that love them deeply, but that is not enough to quiet the niggly little fears that live inside their heads.  Sydney's daughter Bay is coming of age, which is to say that no one on earth could possibly understand her less than her mother.  Oh, my heart - been there done that!  And just who is that mysteriously strange older gentleman who lurks nearby? In short, can the Waverly women learn that the people they can depend on the most have always been right there in front of them?

This is not a book with a big suspenseful climax, nor huge mystery or big reveal.  It's a book about feelings and the need and want to belong or know that you are in your right place.  SAA works us through their stories and *spoiler alert* wraps it all up with a pretty bow.  This is a feel good novel and I don't mind in the least that it works out well for everyone.

That is not to say that the bow couldn't come loose or untied... I'm almost inspired to write some fan fiction starting with the next "Ten years later..."

I give this book a five shots of five just because it's the perfect book to read on a stormy day like to today to lift me out of the gray sky doldrums.

The Night Circus

The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern

Disclosure:  I should never read a review before I read the book or while I'm reading the book.  It tends to influence my own view and subsequent review. Such is the case with The Night Circus. I'm trying to forget what I've read and keep this review my own.

The Night Circus originally didn't call to me but learning that it was high on the list of some of my friends I added it to my list as well. One of those friends  sent me a copy which moved it to the top of my 'to read' list. (Thank you, Victoria!)

The premise behind the story is that magic is real and only real magicians know that it's more than an illusion. Two ancient magicians challenge each other's talent by pitting their proteges against one another in an unnamed, unspecified duel. The winner is the survivor, the loser deceased. 

The platform for the duel in this story is the Night Circus, an incredible traveling circus that arrives and departs without notice and is only open during the hours of darkness. 

The book is full of wonderful characters set in the late 1800's early 1900's.  The circus is not scary and foreboding as one might expect but delightful and very imaginative.  I would truly love the Night Circus to come to my town!

I was drawn back to the story each time I had to put it down, which is something we really want in our books, right? But I found that when I got to the end of the story I was still looking for the great duel between the two proteges. It was clear that they had beat their mentors by both surviving, but for me the climax of the story was a little less than climatic. 

Read this book for some great imaginative settings and the characters we are introduced to.  But know you will be kept in the dark just as much as the two young magicians regarding their challenge. 

I give this book 3 of 5 shots. 

Nine Perfect Strangers

Nine Perfect Strangers
by Liane Moriarty

Liane Moriarty is one of my favorite authors. I'd been eagerly looking forward to starting this book. It did not disappoint.  

Much of this story is a character study of nine different people at a health spa. An author, a lawyer, a family of three, a wealthy young couple, and so on. Their different stories unfold during their time at the spa while the spa "experience" becomes even more unusual.  Nothing is what they expected or bargained for up to a point where their collective situation becomes unbearable. 

And I had to wonder all along, just who is this owner of the spa? Is she who/what she says she is? Is her desire to help sincere? Or is she someone very sinister? 

I give Nine Perfect Strangers four of five shots. 

A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace
by John Knowles

I really wanted to love this book, or at the very least like it. It's been on my bucket list forever as a classic I wanted to, needed to read. 

I was simply bored to tears. I could not find enough to make me care about the characters or their lives. Perhaps they just didn't come to life for me, I don't know. I was more than halfway through the book before I gave it up.  And I hate giving up on books!

Before giving it up, I began flipping through 5-10 pages at a time to stop and read and hopefully find something that would make me want to keep going, something that said, "Keep reading - this is what you're waiting for!" 

Sadly, I never found it. 

Just one of five shots. 

The Woman in the Window

The Woman in the Window (Audio Version)
by A. J. Finn

As the title suggests this book in reminiscent of Hitchcock's Rear Window.  A woman living alone with agoraphobia spends her days spying on her neighbors and counseling others online. Of course she witnesses a crime and tries to convince the authorities that what she saw was real, despite all the evidence against it. There are other factors at play here which include her tenant who rents out the lower portion of her house, her husband and daughter who have apparently moved away, and her online clients. 

I found this story to be suspenseful and as with any suspenseful book, tried to work out what was "really" happening.  

The narrator did a good job with this book but I think I would have enjoyed the
"climatic ending" more as a reader than a listener. It's one of the drawbacks of audio books in my opinion. Either I really connect with the narrator or I don't. 

I liked this book. I give it three of five shots. 

The Unseen World

The Unseen World 

by Liz Moore

WOW!  I can't believe it's been three years since I've written a book review. It's not like I haven't been reading.... I guess I just haven't been writing. I'm not going to try to fill in what I've missed, my memory is too bad for that.  

Truth. 

The Unseen World is a story that spans the life of Ada, a young girl, into adulthood and beyond.  She is a child being raised in unconventional ways by a single father.  There comes a time when her father begins experiencing early onset Alzheimer's and her young life begins to change.  

Along with Ada's struggles to try to cure or control her father's Alzheimer's and then to fit into a world she doesn't feel she is a part of, we share her anger and hopelessness.  And worse is discovering that her father isn't who she (or anyone else) believes he is.  But that knowledge doesn't provide the answer to who he actually is.

We time jump between her present, her father's past and along into her future as she works out the puzzle of who her father is and ultimately who she is.  

This story also includes the progress of our digital/electronic/cyber world from it's infancy to beyond what we know today.  Although it is integral to the story it also upsets me in a way that the movie IA upset me.  That artificial intelligence could take on human attributes and ultimately find itself alone.  In some obscure way that disturbs me. 

I listened to this book as a audio download from Downpour.  I give it four of five shots. 

Songs without Words

Songs Without Words
by Ann Packer

This book took me about six months, maybe longer to read.  It's definitely not a "can't-put-it-down" book.  But I did want to finish it so I can't say I hated it, either. 

The story centers around two women who have been friends since childhood.  Their adult lives are very different from each other, but they have remained friends.  An event in one of their lives stresses the friendship to the point of breaking. 

The story is more of a psychological portrait of the two women and their relationships. I kept waiting for the big bang to come but it never really did.  Even the resolution of the story was captured within the last five (or less) pages and brought the book to a fizzle of an ending. Not my favorite read. 

I give this book a two of five shots rating.  

 

Calling Me Home

Calling Me Home
by Julie Kibler

In Texas, an elderly Caucasian woman, Isabelle, asks her much younger African-American hair dresser to drive her to Cincinnati for a funeral.  It appears to be a rather odd request but Dorrie agrees to take some time off and do it.  

During their time on the road the story weaves through Isabelle's past and Dorrie's present. Isabelle grew up in Northern Kentucky just across the river from Cincinnati.  She and a local black boy fell in love and planned to share their lives together.  While Isabelle's story unfolds we also learn about Dorrie's life as a single mom and her issues learning to trust.  

I was fascinated with the story of the "illicit" love in the early 1900's. While the black boy was so aware of all the horrible things that could only come of their love, Isabelle was so naive and could only imagine they'd have a wonderful life together no matter how far they had to run from the world to have it. 

All throughout the trip to Cincinnati, Isabelle withholds who's funeral she is attending. From the stories Isabelle is telling it's easy to make a guess, but don't be surprised if it's not who you think. 

I really enjoyed this story and give it 5 of 5 shots.

11/22/63

11/22/63
by Stephen King

I listened to this story as an audio book on a cross country trip from Kentucky to Oregon.  I have to say I absolutely loved it and the time flew by in the car. 

As the "King" of horror stories I was pleasantly surprised that this fantasy story wasn't full of horror.  In truth is had a little bit of everything from fantasy to mystery to romance.  I was happy to have so much time to listen because I did not want to "put it down." 

*It's been a few months since I listened to the book so please forgive me for any vagueness here.   

The "hero" of the story is told of a gap in time where he can return to the late 50's early 60's. No matter how long he is gone he will always return to the same time he steps through that gap.  He is persuaded to return in time and save Kennedy, although it will mean spending several years in the past.  The bulk of the story is about those years and when things go right and when things go wrong.  

I was expecting a story all about how Kennedy was saved and what the world was like as a result. Instead the story is about the years our hero lives in the past marking time until the assassination.  Then ultimately what the assassination means to him personally and what is most important.  

King tells an awesome story of time travel and the implications of time in years that flash by in micro seconds. This book is high on my must read list. So high that I am considering reading it now that I've listened to it.  I hope you agree. 

Any surprise that I give this five of five shots? 

Body Double

Body Double
by Tess Gerritsen

I've been grabbing audio books to listen to in my car recently.  I get rather addicted to them once I start.  Maybe even to the point that I try to think of someplace I need to drive just so I can listen some more. 

Body Double is a Crime/Mystery/Thriller.  Little did I know that it's one of the Rizzoli and Isles stories that the TV series is based on.  I think I may have been expecting another thriller that would have been the basis for the 1984 movie with the same name, Body Double.  

This book starts with a murder in which the victim is a spot on look-a-like for Dr. Isles.  So much so that the investigative team is pretty shocked when she shows up wondering what is going on.  

Dr. Isles discovers she had a twin sister. They were separated at birth and adopted by different sets of parents.  (What a way to make such a discovery!)  Since the victim is killed right outside Dr. Isles' home, the question becomes who is/was the real target?  

The twists and turns in this story and satisfying and unexpected. I give it 3 of 5 shots.  I enjoyed the story a lot but it's not my usual genre. 

 

The Husband's Secret

The Husband's Secret
by Liane Moriarty

Liane Moriarty is quickly rising to the top of my pool of favorite authors.  The Husband's Secret is the third of her novels I've read and it looks like I have three more to go before I run out.  I hope she can write faster than I can read. 

The Husband's Secret follows the lives of three women at different places in their lives. Cecilia is the busy mom who is involved in everything and does everything seemingly perfectly.  Little does she know that her husband has a secret, until one day she stumbles upon an envelope addressed to her from her husband. The instructions on the envelope indicated it should only be opened upon his death. 

Rachel is a secretary at the small Catholic school Cecilia's children attend. She is a widow who's daughter was murdered years earlier. When she's not working or caring for her grandson she is grieving for her daughter and searching for the proof she needs to have the 'boy' who murdered her put away. 

Tess has just arrived in Sydney with her young son to stay with her mother.  Her husband and cousin/best friend have just announced to her that they have fallen in love.  She needs time to digest this news and decide what she must do.  Unexpectedly meeting up with an old boyfriend seems to make the adjustment easier. 

The husband's secret is not revealed until far into the book.  It's a secret that could be devastating to their lives, and indeed creates a disastrous situation. I don't know what surprised me more; the secret or the results of the secret coming to light. 

I easily give this story five of five shots. 

A Family Affair (Truth in Lies #1)

A Family Affair (Truth in Lies #1)
by Mary Campisi

I picked up this book from the Apple Store as a free book I could read on my phone.  Probably 'free' because it's part of a four part series.  I doubt I'll read parts two through four. 

The story revolves around the heroine, Christine Blackstone, an ambitious young woman who works tirelessly to earn her place in her father's world of finance.  Her father is killed in an auto accident while away on a monthly retreat at his cabin. Thus the scene is set for Christine to discover the woman and child her father spends four days a month with; his "other" family.

She sets out to find who this other family is and what they meant to her father.  She discovers that her father was not entirely the successful business oriented man she knew and adored, but rather a man who loved a simpler life with another woman and their daughter. She tries to make sense of this "new" side to the man she worshiped and reconcile it with the side of the father she knew. 

It was an entertaining read, easy and uncomplicated.  I give it three of five stars.  A book that I liked but will probably not remember in the future or rave over.

Duma Key

Duma Key
by Stephen King

I am the only one who has issues marking an audio book as "read?" I listened to Duma Key on a cross country car trip in December.  I had lots of miles and plenty of time to hear the story in just a few days. 

I have no doubt that Mr. King is an amazing, top story teller.  He's written some excellent stories that are not horror stories that have stuck with me for a long long time.  I sort of wish he would write more of those.  The one that comes to mind is a short story that inspired The Shawshank Redemption.  I remember when the movie came out - I was so confused why I already knew what was going to happen. Inevitably, I watch that movie every time it's on, to me it's the story is that good. The movie Stand by Me was also based on a story from that same short story collection: "Different Seasons." It's been a long long time, but if by any twist of fate I still have my copy of that book, I'm thinking I may have to go back and re-read it.  

But I am far off topic here, this was to be a review of Duma Key.  I'm not sure if it's a result of it being an audio version, or my age, or the story, but I didn't get as creeped out by Duma Key as I have in the past by King's novels.  But I did love the story, the otherworldy influences that make the story possible and the heart breaking effects they have on relationships we are rooting for. 

At the center of the story is Edgar Freemantle, who is trying to rebuild his life after a terrible construction accident leaves him disabled and angry.  He should have died but instead he survives, dealing with a missing arm and a brain injury that spurs his anger and ultimately destroys his marriage and the life he's built.  On his doctor's suggestion he moves to Duma Key in Florida, a remote, mostly unoccupied beautiful island (key) to hopefully promote his recovery and rehabilitation.   

He begins drawing and then painting in his new life. Eventually the demand for his talent puts him in the public spot light and it appears may even have a calming effect on the strained relationship with his family.  But there are evil forces at work and his art is actually the vessel for this evil to be released into the world. Edgar can stop painting, but can he stop the evil?

I remember the book being released while I was working for Barnes & Noble in Utah.  It's a hefty story and the audio version was many hours long.  Being as I am not a huge fan of horror stories, picking them up only occasionally, I felt the story could have been easily told in an abridged version.  For this reason I am only giving the book three of five stars. The story was good but the length would have daunted me had I not had a long drive or had picked up the printed version. 

I maintain King is truly one of our best story tellers.  How can a man who makes normally inanimate objects become so terrifying, not be?  

Where There's Smoke by Jodi Picoult

Where There's Smoke
by Jodi Picoult
Free ebook

I went to my iPhone to look for something quick and easy to read while waiting for/getting a pedicure. This came up as a free download and being a Picoult fan, I downloaded it without even reading the synopsis.

It turned out to be an short story expanding the past of one of the characters in her latest novel, "Leaving Time."  As I am a real fan of Leaving Time and will tell everyone I meet to read it, I was thrilled to have found this short story. 

Where There's Smoke is a quick story about Serenity Jones' rise and fall from stardom as a psychic. It fleshes out her character a bit more and explains the beginning of her downfall.  The moral of this short story is simply, "be careful of what you wish for."

For Picoult fans and those that have read or plan to read Leaving Time, I wholeheartedly recommend this story.  

I give this short story five of five shots.

Gone Girl

Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn

I'm about a 14 months late in reviewing this one. It seemed to be on everyone's must read list for a long time and then a movie made of it...  It wasn't until I saw the movie trailers that I really wanted to read it. The movie looked really good and of course we all know that the book is almost always better than the movie.  

I really enjoyed this book.  Like so many that I know have a twist or two in them, I suspected the ending before I was through, but it seemed so unlikely.  I was still anxious to know the how and why. 

Gone Girl is a murder mystery in which a man is accused of killing his missing wife. All the evidence is there except for her body.  Easy to get swept away with the story, you'll want to finish the book before you put it down. 

4 of 5 shots from me.  But just to let you know, I didn't make it all the way through the movie. 

Saving Grace

Saving Grace
by Jane Green

I've really been enjoying reading pre-release books my daughter brings home for me.  It makes me almost feel like I am a legit book reviewer.  Yes, it is appropriate to laugh here.  I'm writing a blog with only 8 (or is it less?) followers and only had five hits on my last review.  This has always been for myself.  

Saving Grace is another ARC that is scheduled to release on December 30th of this year.  It's the third or fourth book I've read by Jane Green and I've become a fan of her writing. 

Grace is the beautiful compassionate half of a literary power couple, married to Ted, a popular and in-demand author. She comes from a background she is ashamed of and has kept secret: a mentally ill mother who mentally abused and terrified her. Although she is happy in her marriage and loves her life, it takes no time at all for the reader to see that in her marriage she is repeating her past.  

The couple hire Beth, an assistant for Ted who quickly makes herself indispensable to both of them.  She is better than perfect.  But soon Grace finds herself becoming forgetful and things happen that make her feel she's not quite right.  Ted urges her to see a psychiatrist who begins pharmaceutical therapies and Grace continues to spiral downwards.  As this is happening, Beth is there to step in for her and keep things running smoothly.  Or so it seems.  

I was running out of pages to read as I thought the story was coming to the ending that seemed certain.  How was Jane going to pull this off?  There was a bit of a twist at the end, a different happy ending than what I was expecting.  Even so, there was no justice in the end, only another beginning. 

Jane Green writes about women my age with similar issues.  Although I am far from the glamorous Grace, I see that she just another woman with friends that could be mine and concerns that I also find in my life.  The stories are not about young assistants or shop-a-holics.  Maybe I'll call it senior chic-lit? I'll continue to seek out her stories.  For me, this was a good book that kept me entertained and wanting to know more.  Four of five shots!

A Sudden Light

A Sudden Light
by Garth Stein

I've read three books by Garth Stein now and The Art of Racing in the Rain remains my favorite.  He is a northwest author who lives in Seattle.  Being a Seattlite transplanted to the Bluegrass Commonwealth of Kentucky, I really enjoy the snippets I come across in his books that take me right back to my old neighborhoods.  

In the very beginning of the book he drives us past Las Margaritas... oh, what yummy Mexican food we used to get there... on our way to the Riddell House, the dilapidated mansion from Seattle's glory days of logging, where the story takes place.  

Riddell House sits on 200 acres of undeveloped land overlooking Puget Sound.  How hard my brain worked to locate the probable but fictitious site.  Was it Carkeek Park?  I decided the park's location is too southern, but it's size of 220 acres is about right.  Since the Seattle Golf club abruptly stops the flow of 3rd Ave NW where 145th comes into it, I've made that my final guess.  This is, of course,based on the location of Las Margaritas at 145th & Aurora.  This location is also much closer to the "Old Sears Store" mentioned later in the book. Was it ever known as the "New Sears Store"?  Not in my lifetime, but I did chuckle at the reference. As well as references to Ernst Hardware and Pay N Pack (both long defunct), Aurora Rents and the #5 bus into Seattle along Phinney Ridge.  Please forgive my transgressions - I do miss my 'hometown.' 

This story centers around the Riddell family in the 1990's and their ancestors who built the mansion several generations back.  A promise had been made to return the land to it's natural state, but to date the property had only been passed down. The second generation's hands were tied by a trust and the third generation just not willing to move on.  This would be the elderly Samuel Riddell, suffering from dementia and unwilling to leave the estate where his beloved wife died, yet still dances for him during his sleepless nights.

Samuel's son and daughter reunite after more than 20 years to declare the old man incompetent and move him off the estate so they can cash in on it.  With them is his teenage grandson whom he'd never met. 

Samuel's daughter Serena, is an odd character.  She speaks oddly and I had a difficult time trying to figure her out.  This is, of course, by design.  She has lived with and cared for her father since her mother's passing, 23 years earlier. Her older brother, Jones, was sent away to school immediately after their mother's death and had never returned.  He's a sad, somewhat pathetic figure, dealing with his own bankruptcy and failing marriage. His son, Trevor comes to Seattle with him hoping somehow he can fix his parents' broken marriage by fixing his dad.  The answer to everyone's problems seems to be in selling the estate and cashing in. 

The history of Riddell House and it's many mysteries is told through journals, letters, some memories and of course the ghosts who live there, wanting the land returned to nature.  But what of the ghosts?  Are they real or not?  

A sudden light is a ghost story and sometimes I felt it was a bit of a cliche as far as ghost stories go.  One realizes from the beginning that the story is being told in present day by Samuel's grandson, Trevor, but at times I wondered if he was now the ghost that haunts the mansion.  The answer to that question remains within the book.  No spoilers from me.  

This book is released to the public tomorrow, September 30, 2014.  I was delighted to read it before publication. I give it four of five shots. 

Leaving Time

Leaving Time
by Jodi Picoult

When your mother "disappears" and leaves you behind at age three, your entire life is a mystery.  The obvious one is, "where did she go?" followed by, "why didn't she take me with her?" and, "didn't she love me?"

These are the questions that haunt Jenna, the child left behind after a terrible "accident" at the elephant sanctuary her parents ran.  Her father fell from reality and was institutionalized at that same time. Jenna pretty much faces her future alone, living with her grandmother who is somewhat emotionally detached. By the age of 13 she has acquired the skills and ability to attempt searching for her mother on her own.

In the Jodi Picoult fashion this story is told by several voices.  First, the voice of Jenna which drives the search for her mother. Only three when her mother left, she relies on dim memories and her mother's journals to connect with her.  She desparately needs to find the truth of her disappearance. 

Next is the voice of Serenity, a has-been "psychic" that Jenna finds and enlists her help.  Serenity had once been very good at what she does, working with police departments to find missing individuals or elusive leads on stalled cases, putting her in the public eye and garnering her some fame.  Unfortunately, she hit hard times when her spirit guides leave her and she fails without their help. She is careful not to reveal that she is now a hack. 

Another voice is that of Virgil, the once police detective, now private investigator, that worked on the original case. What he believed to be murder was eventually ruled an accidental death and no attention was given to the missing person, Jenna's mother.  He blames himself for the poor investigation and is haunted by the disappearance of Jenna's mother.  When Jenna comes to him, his demons convince him to help her, although reluctantly.  

I was a bit surprised to have narrative by Alice, the mother who has gone missing.  An elephant researcher, much of her narrative involves elephant behavior, particularly grieving.  The research for this part of the book is very good and fascinating.  

Having just finished The Storyteller by Picoult before picking up this book, I was primed to look for the twist.  Jodi did not disappoint, and she caught me totally off guard.  This mystery doesn't slowly unfold as we investigate it.  There are some moments when I thought, "Oh.My.God - how did that happen?!?"  but the real mystery is solved very near the end of the book.  Despite where I was looking, it snuck up on me and slapped me across the back of the head.  

So satisfying!  

I wholeheartedly give this book a five shot rating! It called me back each time I had to put it down. Around 50 pages from the end I could not put it down.  And, very unexpectedly, tears rolled down my face.  The only disappointment was one tiny little section near the end, maybe a page or two in length.  I just didn't quite buy it.  But I will not tell you more than that, no spoilers from me today.