Comments for Reading Between The Wines

Comment on Schedule by Ginney

Ginney — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 19:45:26 +0000

To all,
I like the schedule, past and future, to see what’s next and to remind us of what we’ve already read.
I also like the “favorites” lists, even though I haven’t added any of my own.
It seems we’re not good at keeping up any comments or posts. How much trouble is it to keep them? Jackie, do what you can to simplify things for you. If you have to work at it, it’s probably not worth it and we can use email and Dropbox.

Comment on Reviews of “The Language of Flowers” by Ginney

Ginney — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 20:49:23 +0000

Alternating chapters (changing the protagonist’s age) make this a fairly well-paced book. But I had trouble figuring out whether it was character-driven or plot-driven, as neither were completely satisfying. I found the characters’ actions credible, for the most part, and interesting. I think the author got too wrapped up, though, in the suffering (infant-care, for example) and missed an opportunity to give readers real awareness of emotional dysfunctions.

Comment on Reviews of “The Language of Flowers” by Jackie

Jackie — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 17:41:48 +0000

I found this book a chore to read because I found the main character so unlikable. She was just plain nasty. I’m not sure why any other character in the book put up with her. Had she shone a glimmer of warmth, humor, sympathy, or other positive attribute, I might have rooted for her to find some happiness.

Comment on Reviews of “The Language of Flowers” by Maureen

Maureen — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 19:05:51 +0000

A wonderful book, I liked it very much. I loved the S.F. setting, and reading about the world and business of flowers. The characters were richly drawn. They were real, not especially likable and they were definitely flawed. But I liked that they suffered, learned, grew and moved on.

For me it was an introduction to the foster care world, and what a miserable situation that is. In our discussion we didn’t talk much about Meredith, the social worker, but I found her very interesting also. I can understand someone doing this kind of work for a while, but what does it take to stay and keep trying? She seemed fully committed and did her best in spite of the miserable system and what must be a serious lack of any reward or job satisfaction.

I enjoyed the language of flowers aspect, it was a nice additional layer of interest throughout the book. I will look forward to Diffenbaugh’s next book.

Comment on Reviews of “Room” by Maureen

Maureen — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 22:50:39 +0000

Superb writing – I couldn’t put the book down. Intelligent, courageous characters in a horrific situation presented interesting and unique perspectives on normal and “not normal”. I was especially pleased that so much of the book was about the victims after their escape.
There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about the book, but it is the very rare case in which I was happy when I finished it. Typically with a book this well written, with characters that I like, I want it to go on and on.

Comment on Reviews of “Room” by Jackie Orsi

Jackie Orsi — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 20:19:50 +0000

Since this was my choice, I obviously thought the book was a worthy read. Reading it a second time for the meeting, I found it even more compelling than I had recalled. I think the character of “Ma” is a most fascinating portrayals of a strong woman who exhibited hope, foresight, courage, and resilience. I also admired the author’s ability to get seamlessly into the head and voice of a five-year-old boy. There was nothing about the book that I didn’t like.