I read this several years ago and enjoyed it. I found it at the library book store and picked it. I may get around to reading it again or may release it into the wild first.

I'll be mailing this one out to cliff1976 and MarahSulloy in a trade.

Update 8/17: This is en route to Germany!

Thanks Ri! Looking forward to it.

Wow, I really liked this book. I didn't know anything about it when I started it. I thought it might be similar to Oryx and Crake, which I very much enjoyed. Not so. Not by a long shot. My wife told me later that Oryx and Crake is a kind of a deviation from her usual subject matter and that Cat's Eye sounds more like what she would expect from her (although she hasn't read it).

My wife was surprised at how doggedly I kept at this book. I finished it in about 3 days. That's not that big of a deal if those days are over a weekend or while traveling or something, but to accomplish during a busy work week is significant, I guess.

Anyhoo — great book following a woman's life from childhood to grandmotherly age. Stereotypes, gender roles, hypocrisy, the evolution of urban areas and lots of other interesting topics are covered in this book. A very enjoyable read. Thanks so much for the trade, Ri! I really hope that Villa Incognito gets there soon. I am pretty sure we sent it out weeks ago.

This book is headed back to North America with a close friend visiting from home. Hopefully a new friend will have time in her busy schedule to let us know what she thinks of it.

I am said busy friend, except I'm not so busy right this minute. Caught via boyfriend in Regensburg, Germany. Transported home via plane. Hooray for Bavarian book crossings, indeed! (To be read directly after the book I'm currently reading...)

Truthfully, I decided to read this primarily due to Cliff1976's urging. I didn't think I would like it very much. The cover didn't speak well of the contents. But do you know what? Covers rarely do that. This was a fantastic read.

I appreciated the character development and the personal joys and struggles of the protagonist. "Elaine" is someone that you know, quite possibly she is you, or some form of who you were and will be as you age. It was easy to relate to her, like she was a sister or mother. The storyline was pieced oddly at times, but this fed back into the scattered thoughs of a reflective painter trying to make heads or tails of her life and how she ended up the particular way that she ended up. I don't often say this, but the book was a fast read and I wouldn't have minded if it were a bit longer. Overall: Bravo. If you catch this... read it!

RELEASE NOTES:

Released to a new BookCrosser through our BookCrossing Ferndale/Royal Oak MeetUp. Check the MeetUp out at: http://bookcrossing.meetup.com/712/

Enjoy Nicole!

I am a new bookcrosser and received the book through the Ferndale Bookcrossing Meetup, I shall release as soon as I have read it!