thescold40

Enjoyed

Reviewed: 10-11-21

It's not the most thrilling of mysteries, but the characterizations are excellent and every scene well set. It made me feel like I had spent a weekend with old friends enjoying drinks and discussing old tragedies

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perfect for a car trip

Reviewed: 02-24-15

I didn't hate it and the kids loved it. I wish it were twice as long!

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Disapointing

Reviewed: 12-29-13

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This book reads like an insurance report, so dry that the horrific events described seem dull. The book is well researched, but in an effort to be thorough, the author is repetitive, and either she is not interested in providing emotional perspective to the events described or purposely avoided doing so.

Would you recommend Five Days at Memorial to your friends? Why or why not?

I was the only one in my book club able to finish this book, probably because I work in medicine and have myself been in a similar (though less intense) situation and I was interested in understanding how other professionals felt during a true emergency. Sadly, this account didn't really contain much insight into how anyone felt, it is completely factual. Now if you are in market for an emotionless analysis of a frightening tragedy, this is the book for you and I recommend it as such.

Have you listened to any of Kirsten Potter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any other performances by Kirsten Potter, she did the best she could have done with the material.

Did Five Days at Memorial inspire you to do anything?

I did have an interesting discussion with my husband (a physician) about what training medical schools offer in ethics, and about triage in military situations versus inner city settings, and during drills for natural disasters. It would have made a nice essay, far more interesting than this book.

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1 person found this helpful

Lots of Memories, Plenty of Pleasant

Reviewed: 10-28-12

What did you love best about Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake?

It may be just my age, as Quindlen is just a little older than I, but I felt like I was having coffee with my best read and most articulate friend.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Her husband seems like a lovely man, there aren't that many kind, supportive men in the literature I seem to choose.

Which character – as performed by Anna Quindlen – was your favorite?

Anna herself!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

She discusses how much she resented leaving college to care for her dying mother, and how her mother tried to give it a positive spin as something to write about later. i found that very moving, It reminded me so much of my own mother, and how much more comfortable mothers are giving than taking.

Any additional comments?

Realistically, this memoir will not appeal to everyone, but if you are of an age to have experienced the early years of the feminist movement, you will really enjoy this entertaining, happy read.

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