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109 of 116 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging for Its Quirky Characters, Plot Twists and Humor, October 12, 2004
My wife read this book in one gulp, so to speak, and said, 'You must read this. You may find it a little too "girly," but I think you'll really like it anyhow.' Well, she was certainly right about my liking it. And it wasn't too 'girly,' either; although the main characters are women, the interactions, the plot twists, the quirkiness of all the characters, and the unexpectedness of their inner lives made it all fascinating to me. Stephanie Kallos, a first-time novelist, has a delightful sense of humor and a real facility with words. Although the main arc of the plot winds up being fairly predictable (and, I might add, extremely satisfying), there are enough unexpected incidents and revelations along the way to make this trip very enjoyable. And her characters are all credible people with vivid inner lives, past histories, present desires and hesitations. All are wounded in some way, but none is a victim in the usual sense. And underlying all this is a strong current of the will to survive and even triumph, especially in the context of a purpose-created community of eccentrics. It would be a shame if this book is overlooked because it is by a new novelist whose name doesn't ring a bell. If Kallos keeps writing, her name WILL become much better known. Recommended. Scott Morrison
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64 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Smashingly good?, September 12, 2005
I wanted to like this book. I intended to like it. But something rang false about the whole premise. It felt like I was watching a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, where all the sensitive, artistic -- yet damaged -- people come together in a nice supportive commune, eating off of mismatched china (a metaphor to clobber you over the head) to heal each other. Ick. There's Margaret, a terribly lonely, dying woman with a tragic past, rattling around her Seattle mansion, talking to all the precious objets d'art. She's also a woman of unlimited financial resources, and it is hard to believe a dame this loaded would be left all by her lonesome with no friends at all (or any domestic staff). Unless they go bonkers, like Howard Hughes, the very wealthy people of this world are subjected to the constant demands of clinging human sponges. Oh, wait -- the clinging human sponges show up in this book eventually, in the guise of caring friends. Caring friends who are Sensitive and Artistic and Damaged. Ick. They all move into the mansion, 'cause they care about Margaret so much, and because she's unbelievably wealthy. Don't get me started on Wanda the Basket Case. I couldn't make myself like her at all. And finally, my pet peeve of this book: WHY do they have to smash all the incredibly valuable pieces of china and porcelain? If Margaret is so consumed with guilt over her father's thievery, couldn't she just SELL all of the pieces and donate the proceeds to the National Holocaust Museum or to some other worthy cause that would have annoyed her father? Why do all these carefully crafted antique objects have to be smashed to bits and made over into Wanda's idea of art? Hmmm... No, it just didn't work for me. The only character I really loved was Margaret's dead mother, and I have the impression that I wasn't supposed to like her. Well, gee. I tried. I seem to be the only person unable to appreciate this novel!
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85 of 98 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well Written But Disappointing, December 28, 2004
I would give the first half of this book 5 stars. Stephanie Kallos is a talented writer, and I found myself caught up the story to the point that I didn't want to put the book down. And then I got past Part One. And that's when my troubles with this novel began. Summary, no spoilers: Margaret is a wealthy woman and she lives alone in a huge house with many valuable antiques. She seems to have an almost unnatural attachment and devotion to them. Wanda is a 30+ single woman with a mysterious past who comes and rents a room from Margaret, after Margaret discovers that she has brain tumor and decides to take in tenants. The story goes back and forth between the lives and the pasts of these two interesting women. As I said, up until the midway point of this book, I thought this was a terrific tale. But then many incredible coincidences start to pile up, and the story became too manipulative for my taste. By book's end, I found myself wanting to fling this book away. Even though I found it so disappointing, I gave it 4 stars, because there is some beautiful writing, and because it started off so well. Well written, but ultimately a frustrating read.
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