Rating: 
Summary: A Very Slow Read
Review: I usually enjoy Oprah's picks, but I am having trouble staying with this one. I finally reached page 150--but I find myself backtracking quite a bit. I usually finish each book I start and I'll try to finish this one also. I just hope that things pick up.
Rating: 
Summary: Could not get threw the book! Boring!
Review: Very hard to follow book! A tough read! Boring
Rating:
Summary: a mishmash of themes with no central purpose.
Review: Because it was an oprah selection I looked forward to reading it. Even when I'd gotten through 2/3 of the book I didn't give up because I was sure it would make sense eventually. well it didn't. I understand the concept of people of different colors becoming caring of one another and I have no argument with that. It could have been done in a way that would have been meaningful instead of confusing and at times a mishmash of ideas, themes, circumstances, as though the author recalled every event she could conjur up and put them together in the pages of one book. The matter of the pigs was completely beyond my comphrehension and I believe anybody else's who read it.Come on Oprah, give us something better next time.
Rating: 
Summary: My First Oprah Book
Review: This was not an easy read! It took me 5-6 weeks to complete, but was glad I did. I enjoyed the characters. They were realistic, albeit a little strange (a condition which is not uncommon in real people). Several of them were shallow and weak, the majority were well developed with original voices. The complexity and intricacy of the various story lines was challenging and is what made the book interesting. On the down side, parts of the book were long and tedious. Too much time was spent on Jolebs rescue and recovery, as well as, the flood. Did anyone get the symbolism of the slit pig, Did I miss something or did Ms.Haynes fail to provide an explanation or reason? All in all, I did like the book. Ms Haynes did a good job projecting her view of race, culture and relationships in Mississippi during a very turbulent time.
Rating:
Summary: What's With The Pig? I Stopped Reading When It Took Over.
Review: I tried hard to get into this book and even started reading itagain from q the beginning to try to make sense of it. Too confusingand too wordy and it was a strain attempting to get into it so I stopped. I'm going to stop purchasing Oprah's book selections as they are all beginning to be about the same subject matter and oppressions suffered by the characters.
Rating: 
Summary: A literary accomplishment that deserves recognition.
Review: This book held a magnetic attraction to me because in it I found a variety of characters that touched my heart. The story is rich with "socially redeeming value". If you devote some time to it, it can help you be more aware of how different individuals respond to problems and situations that have captivated their lives. The writer provides you with vivid description and has devised means to help you walk with those who are suffering problematic situations including the plight of being a male or female unwed parent, surviving a natural disaster, living with mental health problems, being an aging male or female searching for happiness and many other situations that combine to portray humanity in the variety of cycles of living. The book takes a look at prejudice contrasted with genuine love. I highly recommend this book and could see it being reviewed in college classes who are studying authors who are new on the scene
Rating: 
Summary: challenged anyone
Review: I enjoyed reading this book even tho I had to back track a chapter or two. I felt like I had really finished a complete novel when I had finished.
Rating:
Summary: Complex, too many metaphores. Good dialog between character.
Review: I almost threw this book out after the first two chapter due to it's excruciating detailed descriptions. I would skim a page or two then get "whacked over the head" with an interesting discussion between characters or a skocking revelation (finding Joleb's brother). For all that detail, many characters were not well defined nor their motivations clearly addressed. The ending was truely unbelievable -- couldn't have happened today, let alone in the deep South in 1956.
Rating:
Summary: Mother of Pearl wasn't worth the $11.98 I paid.
Review: Mother of Pearl was a story set in the south, but were exactlydid some of the language come from? At times it was hard to figureout exactly who was doing the talking. Many times I grew confused and would have to reread pages. Don't get me wrong Melinda Haynes did a wonderful job with her descriptions of Petal and Hattisburg and Grand Bay. I felt as if I closed my eyes I could see everything. In the future I hope that she can bring the story together a little sooner than in this book. Tell Oprah I hope she does better with the next pick.
Rating:
Summary: Now I know why I don't like fiction.
Review: This was my first attempt at reading a Oprah book club selection...I thought I was going to go somewhere in this book but it only made me go around in circles...I wouldn't of purchased it in the first place if I had noticed that the brother was name "Even" cause a brother will never "break even" in a book with a white girl named, what else..."Valuable"...come on...its time for Black folks to tell our own "fiction" in creatively plain words that we can comprehend, understand and really "feel our spirit" ...now I know why Oprah is so rich...girlfriend is getting PAID to promote this pseudo-intellectual nonsense.
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