Author: Sebastian Faulks

This seemed an appropriate story for my Remembrance Day weekend on Texada.

The story takes place just before and during the First World War, with some gaps filled in during the late 70’s by the main character’s granddaughter. The main character, Stephen, had a bleak upbringing in an English orphanage. Prior to the start of the war he was sent to France to learn about the cloth manufacturing business. While there he falls in love and has an affair with the wife of his host. The two run off together but when his lover realizes she is pregnant, she leaves the relationship without saying anything to Stephen.

Although I have read about trench warfare in the past, the descriptions in this book took my admiration for those soldiers to a higher level.

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Author: Elizabeth Brundage

Right from the beginning you know there has been a murder. The rest of the book tells the background story and, in the end, leaps ahead several years. Although you always know who the killer is there is no proof. It was disappointing that there were no consequences to the murderer.

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Author: Fannie Flagg

I really liked this, but maybe I was just ready for something light and cheery.

Imagine growing up with an over-powering mother who made everything about her. And then imagine as a 59-year old finding out you were adopted. The story flips back and forth between the life of the real mother (or is she?) and  the adopted daughter. There is nothing confusing about the switches though and you always know what era you are in. Lots of laughs and a good story.

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Author: Khaled Hosseini

I really wanted to like this book! The story is great but it is told in chapters that skip years and characters who are children in one chapter and in other chapters are either grown or serve as back-up characters to someone new. I would have enjoyed a more lineal storyline and the ending, when it came, made me very sad for the brother and sister.

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