Rating: 
Summary: Breathtaking, and very real!
Review: First of all this book is very well written. So good in fact you feel like you are actually there observing this story take place.
This book had a lot of differnt um...lets say qualities to it. It immersed you into the book so much, and it kept you interested without being sort of a tie down.
Another thing, I never forgot what happened if I read a chapter and then came back a few hours later. Its like the author imprinted everything that was going on in the book in your mind, instantly!
The Family in this book have a few (if not many) secrets that will be come uncovered as you read this book. Some are shocking and some don't come as a suprise to most. The author gives so much detail, it feels like real life(as I said before). And she has this way of really getting to you, so if one character cries you will too!
It has a lot of characters and you usually get there view of everything going on. It only took me 2 in a half days to read this, even though its a fairly thick book! I couldn't pull myself away from it.
All in all a very good read!
Rating: 
Summary: One Heck of a Page Turner
Review: This book, about 4 sisters in an impoverished family on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, is one heck of a page turner.I brought this one back from Scotland in 1998 and read right through it. Recently, I sent it in a large shipment of used paperbacks to my daughter, who is working in Germany and was starved for English language reading. She enjoyed it as much as I did. Her statement was "I couldn't stop reading it." You won't be able to stop reading it either. I am not a fan of Oprah's TV show (I have NEVER watched it) but she has done a great thing for quality female authors with her book club. Whether or not you buy this book because Oprah has endorsed it, I defy you not to like it. Did I say it was a great book?
Rating: 
Summary: Help ! I have 3 questions....
Review: 1.) Who is the father of Kathleens' babies?
2.) Is Rose a man or a woman?
3.) What is Kathleen=Rose supposed to mean? (on the family tree)
I did not think the book was clear at the ending as to the answer to these questions.
Rating:
Summary: confusing
Review: I loved the book could hardly put it down altho parts of it were confusing , like why did FRANCES WANT TO GET PREGNANT BY A BLACK PERSON ?
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent
Review: This book took me on a wonderful emotional journey. The characters were fascinating; when Macdonald switched from one to another I would briefly lament the parting, and then think WOW..this just gets better and better. Its a book I could hardly wait to get back to, one I held for awhile after I finished. I want more!
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read Masterpiece of Hope and Despair
Review: The Piper family is so deeply enmeshed in secrets, lies, and illness, but beneath it all, there has to be some small kernel of truth and goodness. Doesn't there? This is a multi-generational saga of 4 sisters and the things in life that drive them, both to greatness and to great despair. And at the root of all the secrets and lies is one horrible secret that could destroy the fragile bond that holds this troubled family together. Sins of the heart. Sins of the mind. Sins of the body. Sins of the family. There simply aren't enough Hail Mary's to be said to set things right in the Piper family. From disowned Materia and her Gaelic husband James come the disillusionment, despair, depression, and deeply rooted mental illness that is a hill too steep to climb. Then, there is Kathleen, the daughter gifted with the voice of angels. Sadly, Kathleen's heart isn't as pure as her voice and so begins the sisters' stories. Sent to New York to study voice with a highly regarded teacher, Kathleen finds that life with a distant relative has it's advantages - and prices too high to pay for her actions. Mercedes is, perhaps, the one sister who is truly pure of heart and mind, but seems unable, through no fault of her own, to focus and find the place she is most meant to be. Virtually invisible, although always striving to be seen as "the good sister", Mercedes becomes a slave to her family, constantly striving for their acceptance, never realizing that the only acceptance she truly needs in this life is her own. Regrets and lost hopes and dreams cloud Mercedes' daily activities, holding her back like quicksand from the greatness she was intended for. Frances, deeply troubled victim of incest, is perhaps the most perplexing and complex of the characters in this unforgettable novel. Frances lives her life in toughness, that hard outer shell protecting the soft, vulnerability that lies deep in her heart. She lives a life of lies and deception, misleading both herself and those who could most help her succeed in life. She simply cannot accept the truth - and the truth could either kill her or set her heart free. Then comes Lily, of unknown parentage. This sweet, unassuming character struggles with a physical handicap while internally a storm brews that no one can see. A victim of Frances and her lies - does she even realize the lies aren't the truth? - Lily struggles to find her place in the Piper family. Through all the heartbreak, mental illness, incest, mental, emotional and physical violence, and heartbreaking despair, this family gets to the reader. Speaks to you in their own individual voices. Begs for forgiveness and understanding. A second chance. Comfort and warmth. A soft place to fall. Love and acceptance for who they truly are. This unforgettable novel races to its loop-the-loop conclusion, leaving the reader gasping for breath, drained physically and emotionally, and needing to sit down a while and get reoriented. There are simply not enough Hail Mary's to save this family from self-destruction. But this is one of the rare literary masterpieces that almost REQUIRES a re-read, just to find all the essential details you may have missed the first time around. Simply spectacular and a highly recommended keeper.
Rating: 
Summary: promising...and then plain boring
Review: on advice of a good friend i picked up this book, it was a promising start and then the book lost it's pace..this turned out to be a waste of money and before it became a waste of my time i throwed it out.....
Rating:
Summary: Lovely
Review: I was really impressed with this novel. I am recommending it to a number of friends who appreciate great storytelling.
Rating:
Summary: A book you won't want to put down!
Review: As with all of Oprah's selections, some people will read this book simply because she has recommended it. Others will refuse to read it simply because she has recommended it. Whichever camp you fall into, read this book for its own merits: expert storytelling, gorgeous prose, complex characters and plot, and a literary sensibility that elevates it above the tawdriness of its particulars. The Pipers of Cape Breton Island are haunted by secrets,forgotten memories, and sexual desires that carry them along like the waters of the creek next to their house. Although Kathleen's diary near the end weakens the magic of the rest, MacDonald's skill makes this a spectacular accomplishment. Like most of Oprah's selections, this one has a strong literary side without sacrificing accessibility, making it both a good read and an artistic journey. This is the kind of book you hold to your chest for a few moments before you put it down. Read it, and you won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: be prepared when readin this novel
Review: it is written in a very different way, past, present, fragments and extreme "rambling". It does keep the reader wondering and contiuing to read to see why but the subject matter of "insest and child abuse" makes it very disturbing. Many have mentioned that it keeps you thinking about it for weeks but that is only because you cannot believe the whole story or the ending and the "subject" haunts you.
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