Magdalene London, United Kingdom

I like the title, quiet belief, sounds like something that has a long and lingering effect. It suits the book well. This is not an intense, exciting thriller, it's more of a gripping, heart breaking outline of a criminal case and the lasting painful effect it brings about.

The book is uncommonly beautifully written with very poetic sentences.

Nevertheless, the book is far too sad. Not that I am complaining, but I was sobbing through the second half, and was wondering where the angels were. And perhaps the most heartbreaking bit is how Joseph carries all the load, believing that he has to be the guardian angels to people around.

A good read on the whole. Wouldn't mind reading more of his work.

I have edited the rating for this book a zillion times. Two stars, or three stars? Two seems a bit too harsh, but three doesn't seem to be quite fair for other three-starred books. I stuck with two in the end, because I didn't actually enjoy the book.

The book is actually very well written (not a surprise for a booker prize winner). I like her diction, her exquisite sentences that managed to create an almost real-life atmosphere, her drifting mind which is so accurate and true to a real distressed person. As I was reading the book, I felt as though there was a grey cloud hovering above me, and at times, I felt like I was experiencing hallucination (following the very depressed mind of the main character).

The thing is, this book is far too gloomy, sad and disturbing. If it is meant to be that way, then of course it's very successful.

But then it goes back to the purpose of reading. I read to be inspired. I read to be entertained. I read in the hopes of improving my language skills and mind. The problem with this book is I was substantially disturbed without being enlightened.

I don't know. I plan to reread this some other time. May be a few years later. I hope I would see another side to this book. But then I hope I shall never identify with the main character.

This is a readable book. And it's bound to be. I mean, I have always taken an interest in history, and it's always interesting reading about other people's lives. I have to admit that I do find the book reasonably enjoyable.
But enjoying it is one thing, liking it and recommending it is another. I could almost call this "guilty pleasure". For it's no more than girls fight within the palace, gossips among the nobles, and actions on royal beds. Unfortunately, there is little intelligence in the plot, and the language is not exemplery.
Okay, I am being harsh here, it is clever of the book to choose to narrate from Mary Boleyn's point of view. In this way, it can getting away from telling as little politics as possible.
Oh no, don't get me wrong, the book is definitely decent. I just don't think it's a must-read.

Had it not been the impossibly low price at the charity, I wouldn't have read this book --- it's just not something that I tend to read. But I am glad I did because this turns out to be quite a good one.
First off, I am speaking from the point of view of a person who read this book simply out of curiosity. I have no intention to turn into a professional medium or reader. And I am quite open to New Age ideas and believe that everyone has psychic ability/ sixth sense.
This book, to me, provides a different approach onto how to take back the control (or in other words, responsibility) of your own life. Instead of being passive and letting circumstances leading your life, this book guides you (with practical exercises) on how to listen to your own inner voice and realise what you desire.
Avid New Age book readers might be a bit tired of all these "focus on what you want" ideas, and indeed the idea is not new. But what set this book different from the others is this book guide you through loads of visualisation exercises, and provides loads of methods in teaching you how to get in touch with your "higher self".
This is possibly the first self-help/ empowering book that I genuinely enjoyed.

It is always hard for an author to impress readers a second time if his debut was a great hit. A brief search on the web will tell you that "A Spot of Bother" did not win as many nods as "The Curious Incident.." did. So was it really a let down? Well it all depends on what you are looking for. If you loved "The Curious Incident.." for its unusual plot, you might be disappointed about "A Spot of Bother"'s more predictable plot. But I am actually easier to please, I looked for the humour, the funny way of looking at everyday lives occurings, the things that you could identify with and laugh and cry at the same time. I finished the book with a smile on my face.
"A Spot of Bother" is about how one single event turned a family upside down and how they all fell back into the right places in the end. The plot itself deserves little compliment really, but I like how the author portrays individual characters. In particular, George and Jamie. I really like how the author described Geroge's mind, it really touched me, I almost wanted to pull the character out to give him a hug.
I am not a person who is after plots, and since "The Curious Incident.." didn't really touch me, I personally prefer this one. And if you haven't read "The Curious Incident..." then all the better! Is this a 2007 must-read? No. But it's some light-hearted stuff that will lift ones mood.