Rating: 
Summary: An exquisite gem of a book that warms the soul.
Review: Though many have written about love and loss Anne Michaels book Fugitive Pieces touches the soul in a way that until now seemed possible only for music. The book grows from the terror of a seven year old boy, Jakob, who silently witnesses the murder of his parents and abduction of his sister Bella during the Holocaust. The meaning of this loss for Jacob and his subsequent life are slowly and lovingly crafted into a novel that is more a piece of art than a book. Poetry, geology, history and myth are carefully melded together but the beauty is forever in the detail. The writing is exquisite and it is a joy to read. I hope you like it too.
Rating: 
Summary: achingly beautiful prose
Review: Fugitive Pieces is nothing short of a gorgeous read. It manages to be both heartbreaking and uplifting without a hint of melodrama. I read this book a year and a half ago, and not one week goes by that I don't think about one line from the book. It is not a book for those who want a fast, fun read, but it is for lovers of fine writing and quietly heroic characters.
Rating: 
Summary: It's good to know that other people disliked this book...!
Review: At first I thought that the reason why I was finding this book astonishingly boring was that I am not mother tongue.. But then, When I read the opinion of the reader from London! Well, Now I feel better. This is indeed a boring, obscure, vague, and at times even pretentious novel. The plot is ludicrous. The message unclear. The only context where the book is worth reading is before going to bed. I will miss it, for this purpose only... If anyone does not share my opinion, please do write me and explain me while I missed the point...
Rating: 
Summary: It is beautifully written but so what????
Review: I feel somewhat churlish to say that this book left me very cold. I am in the minority, clearly! Lyrical writing does not of itself make a great book or a great work of art. I have read many books on the Holocaust, and dare I say it, I suspect Fugitive Pieces has garnered so much praise because it is a politically correct choice in this day and age. The story of Jakob is disjointed. Characters such as Michaela, who is such an integral part of Jakob's ability to reconcile himself with his past, hardly figure at all. Jakob's relationship with Alex was poorly drawn. I also found Jakob's obsession with Bella to be somewhat distasteful. Am I the only one who found this to be the case? And *why* the character and storyline of Ben? Did Michaels run out of ideas?? What does it add to the author's message? Clearly I must be missing something but I just found the whole storyline of Ben to be clumsy and trite. The only time the book really comes alive is at the beginning when Jakob is a child in Greece. I thought Michael's depiction of Athos and Jakob's life to be the best part of the novel and the dynamics of their relationship and how it unfolded were quite interesting to watch. This is a book for fans of Michael's poetry. If you are looking for a moving book on the Holocaust, however, there are many novels and histories which will convey these messages so much better than Michaels'. I would recommend, for example, Sophie's Choice by William Styron, Schindlers List by Thomas Kenneally and The Holocaust by Martin Gilbert for starters. As for Michaels, she could do with a few creative writing lessons on structure and plot before she writes her next novel.
Rating:
Summary: An inconsistent, boring, even terrible book
Review: The first third of this book is a series of confused images that are a struggle to get through. I kept having to re-read sections to find what point I must have missed, since the trail that the author was taking was too obscure. The last third of the book appeared to be sort of another novel tacked on in order to satisfy the publisher's requirement for a book of 300 pages. Some of the middle third are the only parts worth reading, and they are still not that good! There are huge logical inconsistencies throughout the story, and the sudden changes of time and place are so clumsy that they are confusing rather than clever. All the female characters are basically the same person, and are cardboard cutouts of people with no substance. If only the author could stop her literary self-indulgence, she might be capable of writing something of substance, since there is a little potential here. But I can't recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: A miracle of words
Review: This is a haunting magnetic novel that reads like prose poetry but sinks into every pore of your body and stays there for days, weeks. Although the theme is ostensibly depressing (the Holocaust, death, lost love, and displacement), it is magically optomistic. Jakob Beer, the protagonist, will take you on an unforgettble journey. Anne Michaels is astounding--it's mind boggling that this is her first novel. I can only imagine what the second, third, and fourth will reveal. This is what reading is about.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary - this book is absolute poetry!
Review: One of the more haunting and beautiful books written on the Holocaust
Rating: 
Summary: great images; poor fiction
Review: Yes, the writing is jewel-like, but so stunning that it often calls attention to itself rather than to the underlying ideas, thoughts, and characters. The images from the first section are stunning. the final section is simply shallow and bewildering. A suggestion: read the first section. And then use your time instead to read Charles T. Powers' In the Memory of the Forest for a much more fully realized and wonderful novel peeling off the layers of the present to find the hand of the past that still holds the present.
Rating:
Summary: for poetry lovers only
Review: Read this book only if you have a lot of time on your hands. As others have said, the imagery is beautiful, but the character development is seriously lacking. Plot does not move forward very often. If you read poetry for fun, you won't mind that Ms. Michaels sacrifices substance for style. If you don't read poetry, it will drive you insane. Stay away.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking
Review: The best book I have ever read. The words are like music to your soul and they haunt you for days on end. I had to buy another book, because I highlighted so many phrases, so I could capture them fast to email them to friends. If you like a fast read, this is not for you. I read this book through the pores of my soul....
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