Rating: 
Summary: Surrender to this book
Review: In order to appreciate this book you have to surrender to it and let its poetry wash over you. It takes some time to build up, but if you let it, it will move you with its very unique images. The structure is rather unusual: for instance, you might be given a description of the banks of a river in Canada, strange in that artifacts of daily living such as knifes and spoons and dishes are imbedded in its banks. Only later does the reader understand the significance of this description when he or she reads about the flood that almost killed one of the main characters.No other book that I've read provides such a sense of the dead--all those who once lived on earth and now are deep within the bogs, at the bottoms of the sea, in mass graves, in archaeological sites--to be dug up and remembered by the archaeologists who are like priests of memory. This book is really about memory and how we owe it to the dead to remember them: Jacob remembers his beloved sister Bella who died in the Holocaust; Athos remembers the dead of the excavated city Biskupin in Polland where he rescued Jacob; Jacob finishes Athos' work as a way to honor his memory and the learning he imparted; Ben remembers Jacob and his poetry and finds in his poetry and journals answers to his profoundest dilemmas. We numb ourselves to atrocities such as the Holocaust because the horror is so great; but books like this help us remember and pay homage to those who suffered. It's a beautiful book even though the structure is flawed and the language not always perfection. Still, it's superior to 95% of what's on the market.
Rating: 
Summary: overrated and boring
Review: Please, please, no more badly researched books by authors who suddenly discover that they are very interested in parts of history they know nothing about! One of the worst books I have ever read. If you have to give someone a present you don't like, pick this one, it will surely bore this person to death.
Rating:
Summary: boring and full of stereotypes - better save your money
Review: When you are a German national, you know more about the Nazis and the 3rd Reich than most people in the world. Simlpy because you encounter this part of history everywhere in your life. This will not necessarily make every German a historian and specialist in the Nazi history, but the average non racist German knows quite a lot about it. When I read some articles about Fugitive Pieces, I immediately wanted to buy the book as it seemed very interesting. I should have saved my money. This book might be interesting and revealing, maybe even poetic or disturbing for those who do not know much about the Nazi regime and Jewish history, for those, however, who have already read a great deal about it, it is merely boring and full of stereotypes. The characters seem unreal and unprobable and women are portrayed in such a way that it is hard to believe that a woman wrote this book. Moreover, the novel is badly researched. There are better books on this subject. For those who are interested in this part of history and want to know more about it, I strongly recommend the diaries of Anne Frank, which are extremely moving and contain authentic feelings of a teenager.
Rating: 
Summary: a must
Review: I read this book twice from end to end ,it is wonderfull,for me it was better for the second reading.I will in the future at some stage read it again .It is wonderfull .
Rating:
Summary: Poetry for Novel Readers
Review: This book was tough to start because of its painful images, but it came together and then some. The book demonstrates how close a novel can come to poetry. In fact, the wide variety of reviews preceding mine reminds me of how differently people experience poetry. The book instructs without preaching. It finds beauty and feeling -- meaning -- in the most unlikely places. On almost every page there is a phrase or a paragraph worth rereading, savoring. (By the way, if you have the time to check out the audio version from the library, it's a great experience.) This is a lovely book, and one that lives up to the hype on the paperback's back cover: "...a book that should not so much be read as it should be surrendered to."
Rating:
Summary: Great piece of work
Review: I have to admit that I was compelled to discontinue reading the book a few times. It kind of had to grow on me, and after a while I got into the flow of things. I actually ended up loving the book... It was just so meaningful, full of symbolical messages and just a solemn feel to it. The beginning can be discouraging, but eventually everything weaves together (language, Geology, his sisters hair) into an amazing work of creative writing.
Rating:
Summary: Offensively cutesy
Review: C'mon people. It's time to expect a little more from the books we read than what's offered in this trite, limp, detestable piece of holocaust exploitation. Anne Michaels should be ashamed of herself. After finishing the book, I promptly threw it out. I urge the publisher and all booksellers to do the same. My only comfort lies in how soon Fugitive Pieces will be forgotten.
Rating: 
Summary: Bits are genius.
Review: I know what I loved about this book, but unfortunately I have never been a fan of poetry and could tell this work was written by a poet. The first quarter of the book (I believe it was a first addition from the library) had two serious type setting/lay out errors that I'm sure made Anne Michaels cringe. Content wise, I thought there were too many lovers, I lost track of the main characters women. I loved the haunting visuals and theory of Holocaust heros. But what brought me the most joy was the segments about the Scott expedition and the Inuit who found his fathers remains in a museum, both topics I have a passion for and was so shocked and thrilled to see them mentioned. No regrets in reading and I do look forward to reading more from Ms. Michaels.
Rating:
Summary: Words disappear right before me and her soul fills me.
Review: This is a rare piece of work. Every word, every thought feels so right it dissolves into instant love. A marvel of patient healing words reaching the deepest innerfeelings of the reader. Thank you, Ann Michaels.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Beautiful
Review: I found this book to be quite simply, beautiful. I passed this book on to friends who enjoy reading and all have concurred. What a treasure it was to find something well written with signifigance and style. I would like to thank the author for the enjoyment given.
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