Review: Moving, enchanting and passionate
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 5, 2014
Absolutely breathtaking. Speers' writing is gripping, the characters are well developed and grow throughout the novel, and the plot is well-done.  The story line focuses on love lost, love redeemed, different types of love, and the enduring power of love to heal. Themes explored include bad choices--by many of the characters--and the long-lasting effects of those choices on the lives of many around them, the inter-connectedness of relationships, the growth of character, and the strength to make the right choice when society or convention deems it the wrong choice. This book is a true winner--kept me up til the wee hours of the night--had to finish it in one fell swoop. Could not put it down.The book itself is a sweeping saga from pre-WWI to post-war.  Background and cultural aspects are well developed and interesting. Book is filled with memorable secondary characters. I loved the symbolism and allegories.There is a lot of pain, suffering , misunderstandings, etc. of which I am not usually a big fan. But this not a melodrama. Somehow, Speers pulls it all off and it seems realistic and necessary to the plot.