Can Someone Recommend A Good Book? I Like Books About Family Relationships, Or Overcoming A Tragedy. Recommendations?

[imanol]

It has been awhile since I read a really good book. I just finished a series of books about five generations of a Chinese family that immigrated to America in the 1800's. I just love those family sagas!

[Izaak]

Skylights and Screen Doors by Dean Smart. It is a memoir written by Dean about the murder of his brother. It is both tragic and inspirational as he is quoted as saying that he wanted to turn the darkness of the story into light. I think you will like it.   Tiffany976 32 months ago http://www.amazon.com/Skylights-Screen-Doors-Dean-Smart/dp/1936680025/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1306252481&sr=1-1

[Mordecai]

Here are some books to consider - If you?ve not read The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher you should. It is a family saga story which will keep you engrossed from beginning to end. Some other books to consider are -I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb A Painted House by John Grisham Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd The Glass Lake by Maeve Binchy I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb is probably my favorite book of all. It is a long book at over 900 pages but it is extremely well written. It is about twin brothers, their dysfunctional family and much more. Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchy would most likely have additional books which would interest you. Another favorite is The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd which tells the story of a young teenager girl and her search to get answers about her dead mother. the audio version of this book is exceptional. I hope this is helpful.   ~Lyn~'s Recommendations The Shell Seekers Amazon List Price: $11.99 Used from: $7.00 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5(based on 83 reviews) I Know This Much Is True(Oprah's Book Club) Amazon List Price: $16.95 Used from: $0.01 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5(based on 1430 reviews) The Secret Life of Bees Amazon List Price: $14.00 Used from: $0.01 Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5(based on 1358 reviews) A Painted House Amazon List Price: $13.00 Used from: $0.01 Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5(based on 1059 reviews) Standing in the Rainbow(Ballantine Reader's Circle) Amazon List Price: $14.95 Used from: $2.75 Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5(based on 164 reviews) The Glass Lake Amazon List Price: $7.99 Used from: $0.01 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5(based on 125 reviews) ~Lyn~ 68 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Jansen]

It's been around a while, and had a few imitators, but if you haven't read Wild Swans by Jung Chang then rush to the bookshop now!! It really is superb: three generations of Chinese women, starting with her grandmother who had bound feet and was given as a concubine; and she writes like an angel. When I bought it I opened it at half-past ten and was still sitting there at six o'clock. Amazing stuff.   It's not a family saga, but I've an intuition that you might like A Woman in Berlin, by Anonymous; the story of how one woman survived in Berlin when the Russians arrived at the end of World War II. It's not a pretty story - you may know that hardly any women survived without being raped, many times, and neither did she - but as I said, my intuition is telling me something.   Also, I'd recommend A Town Like Alice, by Neville Shute. It's certainly a book about overcoming tragedy; it's very well-written(he's a brilliant story-teller in the old school, no fancy tricks, just get on with it), and it divides into two parts - of which the second part is incredibly heart-warming. There's one hell of a courageous lady at the centre of it, and a bitter-sweet unfulfilled romantic dream that nonetheless doesn't hurt ...   I hope there's something here for you. Lots of love - enjoy!!

[Heber]

Wild Swans is essential reading ... have you tried A Woman in Berlin? It's been around a while, and had a few imitators, but if you haven't read Wild Swans by Jung Chang then rush to the bookshop now!! It really is superb: three generations of Chinese women, starting with her grandmother who had bound feet and was given as a concubine; and she writes like an angel. When I bought it I opened it at half-past ten and was still sitting there at six o'clock. Amazing stuff.   It's not a family saga, but I've an intuition that you might like A Woman in Berlin, by Anonymous; the story of how one woman survived in Berlin when the Russians arrived at the end of World War II. It's not a pretty story - you may know that hardly any women survived without being raped, many times, and neither did she - but as I said, my intuition is telling me something.   Also, I'd recommend A Town Like Alice, by Neville Shute. It's certainly a book about overcoming tragedy; it's very well-written(he's a brilliant story-teller in the old school, no fancy tricks, just get on with it), and it divides into two parts - of which the second part is incredibly heart-warming. There's one hell of a courageous lady at the centre of it, and a bitter-sweet unfulfilled romantic dream that nonetheless doesn't hurt ...   I hope there's something here for you. Lots of love - enjoy!! EnglishLady 68 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[zedekiah]

If you?ve not read The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher you should. It is a family saga story which will keep you engrossed from beginning to end. Some other books to consider are -I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb A Painted House by John Grisham Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd The Glass Lake by Maeve Binchy I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb is probably my favorite book of all. It is a long book at over 900 pages but it is extremely well written. It is about twin brothers, their dysfunctional family and much more. Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchy would most likely have additional books which would interest you. Another favorite is The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd which tells the story of a young teenager girl and her search to get answers about her dead mother. the audio version of this book is exceptional. I hope this is helpful.

[Loughlin]

The Prince of Tides "It's the memories that haunt us. The truth will set us free."       KingofSC's Recommendations The Prince of Tides Amazon List Price: $14.95 Used from: $0.42 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5(based on 215 reviews) KingofSC 68 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Gotthard]

STOLEN LIVES By Malika Oufkar The best book I've read in years --- True story - Here's a sample of one review:  A gripping memoir that reads like a political thriller ? the story of Malika Oufkir's turbulent and remarkable life. Born in 1953, Malika Oufkir was the eldest daughter of General Oufkir, the King of Morocco's closest aide. Adopted by the king at the age of five, Malika spent most of her childhood and adolescence in the seclusion of the court harem, one of the most eligible heiresses in the kingdom, surrounded by luxury and extraordinary privelige. Then, on August 16, 1972, her father was arrested and executed after an attempt to assassinate the king. Malika, her five younger brothers and sisters, and her mother were immediately imprisoned in a desert penal colony. After twenty years, the last ten of which they spent locked up in solitary cells, the Oufkir children managed to dig a tunnel with their bare hands and make an audacious escape. Recaptured after five days, Malika was finally able to leave Morocco and begin a new life in exile in 1996. A heartrending account in the face of extreme deprivation and the courage with which one family faced its fate, Stolen Lives is an unforgettable story of one woman's journey to freedom. Every person I've told about it -- read it --- and loved it --- She also wrote a follow-up called "Freedom" gandg22 68 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Cleirach]

The best book I've read in years --- True story - Here's a sample of one review:  A gripping memoir that reads like a political thriller ? the story of Malika Oufkir's turbulent and remarkable life. Born in 1953, Malika Oufkir was the eldest daughter of General Oufkir, the King of Morocco's closest aide. Adopted by the king at the age of five, Malika spent most of her childhood and adolescence in the seclusion of the court harem, one of the most eligible heiresses in the kingdom, surrounded by luxury and extraordinary privelige. Then, on August 16, 1972, her father was arrested and executed after an attempt to assassinate the king. Malika, her five younger brothers and sisters, and her mother were immediately imprisoned in a desert penal colony. After twenty years, the last ten of which they spent locked up in solitary cells, the Oufkir children managed to dig a tunnel with their bare hands and make an audacious escape. Recaptured after five days, Malika was finally able to leave Morocco and begin a new life in exile in 1996. A heartrending account in the face of extreme deprivation and the courage with which one family faced its fate, Stolen Lives is an unforgettable story of one woman's journey to freedom. Every person I've told about it -- read it --- and loved it --- She also wrote a follow-up called "Freedom"

[Hrypanleah]

are all authors I've enjoyed.   Ann Tyler's books are always about family relationships and very well-written.  The Accidental Tourist is one in which a couple is coping with overcoming a personal tragedy.  Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant is another I'd highly recommend; really all her books are good.   Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club is a family study of Chinese women who made their way to America; the trials and tribulations; the sacrifices they made for their families; a very well-regarded book.  She has written others as well but I have not personally read them.   John Irving's books are extremely well-written and readable but often have something disturbing in them(just feel the need to warn you); like incest or bad accidents that are graphically described and paint a very clear picture in your mind.  They are still very worth reading; just be forewarned.  He is a highly acclaimed writer.  The Cider House Rules and The Water Method Man do not contain any of these really disturbing "scenes".  The first was made into a very successful movie and the second is unusual for for Irving in that it is pretty much a comedy.   Alice Hoffman writes very human novels all about relationships and sometimes tragedies in families.  I find her a compelling writer.