I REALLY loved this book! It's just one of those big epic books that you can really sink your teeth into. I admit that it was kind of tough going at the first, but once I got into it I couldn't put it down. It's about the generations of a family, and it's just very good.

Mailed today to Ealisad. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!

Received in the mail this afternoon. Thanks so much ScrappyCat!

Update 5/21/05: I almost put "Fall on Your Knees" aside after reading the first 150 pages. I felt that I wasn't connecting with any of the characters and the pace seemed slow.

Then the book suddenly took a turn and became bizarre, dark, and disturbing. And much more interesting. I practically flew through the rest of the story.

I still had some unanswered questions when I finally finished the book. I didn't entirely understand the characters' motivations all the time, but that is, I suppose, much like life.

Description from the back cover:

"They are the Pipers of Cape Breton Island -- a family steeped in lies and unspoken truths that reach out from the past, forever mindful of the tragic secret that could shatter the family to its foundations.

Chronicling five generations of this eccentric clan, "Fall on Your Knees" follows four remarkable sisters whose lives are filled with driving ambition, inescapable family bonds, and forbidden love. Their experiences will take them from their stormswept homeland, across battlefields of World War I, to the freedom and independence of Jazz-era New York City.

Compellingly written, running the literary gamut from menacingly dark to hilariously funny, this is an epic saga of one family's trials and triumphs in a world of sin, guilt, and redemption."

Placing in Judester's "20 Books I Loved" book box.

Happy reading!

arrived in 20 Books I Loved Book Box .. I have my own copy TBR so I am making this copy available to someone who'd like to read it

sending to IN by request .. enjoy!

Received today from Judester as a RABCK. (Thanks!) I've heard good things...anxious to get to it! Going on the TBR pile!

Just finished this book. I'm reading it for my book club (my choice), which meets later this month, and I'm anxious to hear what the others have to say. I suspect some may find it disturbing. I was just reading another reader's review on Amazon, and I think a lot of what that person said is exactly how I feel about this book. It IS somewhat slow going at first, but the last 1/2 to last 1/3 gets better, and then you have to keep reading to discover if what you think might have happened really did. As the other reviewer said, "Some things are written like riddles, that leave you wondering if what you read means what you think it means." I thought the exact same thing. The book is dark and yes, I think disturbing as well, but also very well written. I loved the way the author utilized foreshadowing in this book, and I found myself flipping backwards several times to previous sections that I'd read. The characters are also intriguing and you're left thinking about them long after you've finished the book. (Even though I just put the book down, I can picture myself thinking about it for the next few weeks....). I'm in line for a bookring for MacDonald's "The Way the Crow Flies", so am now especially anxious to delve into that one when it's my turn.

Placing in bluedevils' Bestseller Bookbox.

I hope this isn't cheating. A friend of mine snagged this and gave me a book to hold it's place. Maybe I will borrow it from her.