Mother of Pearl

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Summary: Mother of Pearl
Review: I tried to read this book. I've read other Oprah books and loved them. I felt this book was not worth my time. I put the book down and would try over again, but couldn't finish it. I stopped half through. There was no plot and it moved very slow. The characters didn't impress me. I felt it was a waste of my time.

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Summary: Boring!
Review: I originally wanted to read this book because it was one of Oprah's book picks and a real favorite of Oprah's. However, after reading the first chapter of this book, I had to put it down. Just because Oprah recommends something, doesn't mean the rest of us are going to like it (although I have to say that this is one of the few Oprah Book Club picks that I didn't enjoy). I just could not get into this story. The names of the characters, the way they talked, and the plot of this story totally turned me off. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, because I've talked to other people who also intensely disliked the book. It looks good, but once you open it up you'll be convinced otherwise. Don't blow your money on this one.

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Summary: What an amazing novel
Review: I have recently finished "Mother of Pearl" and found it absolutely hypnotic. Haynes' characters were both engaging and mysterious. The author has given a voice to the effects of racism, intolerance, ignorance and lack of understanding. I really feel that readers who have given this novel a negative review may have been touched a little to close to home by its themes than than they would like.

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Summary: A wonderful story full of interesting characters
Review: I really enjoyed this book. In most books there is one main character but in this book there were many interesting "main" characters. I thought the author did a great job intertwining the relationships of all of these people. I highly recomend this book.

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Summary: Worst book I've ever, ever read
Review: I bought this book on vacation and was on the beach in a secluded area unable to conveniently get to another bookstore - I would otherwise have tossed it early on. But, in view of my situation, I muddled through it and can honestly say I just hated this book. I just can't find words to describe how much I disliked the characters, the writing, the language, the ridiculous story line. I still shudder over this book!

And, really, was there Oil of Olay in the 50's? I didn't think so.

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Summary: WOW!
Review: I cannot put into words all of the things I liked about this book. The many poetic passages, the characters, and the story line moved me deeply. I look forward to reading many more titles by Melinda Haynes.

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Summary: I'm Giving Up Now
Review: I'm glad I read about 100 of the 169 reviews posted, though I wish I'd read them BEFORE I started the book. I'm on page 75 right now, and find myself avoiding picking up the book. It's extremely tedious, uninteresting, and I don't care at all about the characters. I'm an avid reader; in fact, I'm an attorney whose practice is 90% research, but I can't wade through this tome! Since I absolutely love reading southern fiction, I'm going to follow the advice of many of your reviewers and put it down now and move on to something else that I'll surely enjoy more. Thanks for the honest comments; you've saved me a lot of "valuable" time.

Rating:
Summary: beautifully written work with many digressions
Review: Melinda Hayne's poetic writing so captivated me that I kept with her many meandering digressions and subplots just to savor the writing. This is a book where the value is in the journey, not the destination.This is not a book for those who are looking for a tightly paced drama with a predictible formula. Nothing is at all predictible or formula in this novel- Haynes' voice is truly an original, and the characters are unforgettable. Despite its tragic themes, the novel is full of humor and humanity. In some ways the work reminded me a bit of "Life is Beautiful". If you like ambiance, original and rich characters that totally defy sterotypes, then you will appreciate Mother of Pearl.

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Summary: Five stars for that rare entity: a poetic novel
Review: Although I could not continue reading this book after awhile because lately I (sadly) don't have the time or patience to read convoluted, puzzle-style novels, I couldn't help but think this is a great book. I would recommend it especially to young readers in search of a unique "voice" in literature, as I was once. There's a lot of heart - humanity - love - and poetry in this book, and that's about as good as it gets.

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Summary: Character Driven
Review: I wrote a review last year, anonymously, and just felt compelled to come back and write one with my name on it. I've thought about this book often in the past year and look forward to reading the next book by Ms. Haynes. Other reviews here will provide a much better synopsis than I could, however, what I enjoyed the most about this novel were the characters. Ms. Haynes has created a cast of well-drawn, diverse, and eclectic people, interesting enough that you care about them long after the novel has ended. I highly recommend this book.