I just could not finish this book. I don't know if it was me or the book, but it was a bit like scraping my brain on asphalt.

I picked this up in the bargain bin expecting to just be eh and sort of disapointed in it. But I was pleasantly surprised by it. Not exactly heartwarming, but an interesting take on some actual historical bits.

An outstanding novel set in early WWI, with detailed attention to the early days of craniofacial reconstructive surgery. A fascinating look at the attempts by the surgeons, artists, and craftsmen to reconstruct faces shattered by war.

Sounds really good, and I enjoyed 'The Fig Eater'. Haunting. Need to re-read, especially after having read Vera Brittain & others on WWI.

I kept waiting for this book to get better. Could have been made into a short story at best. Way too much description. Ending disappointing - nothing made sense - 30 pages new direction and then boom, it was over. Not my favorite.

"It's a mistake to believe we can have companions. We're alone in our work." (p. 265)

tMcCleary dismissed the joking conversation that reached him over their shoulders as frivolous and unnecessary. Why couldn't they enjoy silence, the enormous space of quiet? He increasingly craved solitude. (p. 267)

Ovid quoted:

"All things are always changing,
But nothing dies. The spirit comes and goes,
Is housed wherever it will, shifts residence
From beasts to men, from men to beasts, but always
It keeps on living. As the pliant wax
Is stamped with new designs, and is no longer
What it once was, but changes form, and still
Is pliant wax, so can I teach that spirit
Is evermore the same, though passing always
To ever-changing bodies." (p. 271)

This small novel is among the best I have read. The prose is spare, evocative & artful. The story is heartbreakingly beautiful & real. The characters elicited very strong responses from me for each & different as they were portrayed.
The World War I history is impeccably researched & narrated in such a fascinating way & embedded within the framework of the story. I came to think of the novel, as I read it, as a work of art & one of the truest studies of human nature that I have encountered in literature. This is a book that, for me, was a rich gift.

Simply put, I was just bored by this book. The characters weren't interesting enough. The story progressed painfully slowly, and it ultimately fell flat. I kept hoping it would get more colorful and I would feel some emotion for these people...but that moment never came. Don't waste your time on this one.

if you have nothing better to do - read this book - a woman looses her husband and sees his ghost everywhere on their estate, the war explodes and her residence is converted into a hospital where the most horribly injured soldiers are brought.
They all have terrible facial wounds......there is a doctor who tires to reconstruct their faces so they can assimilate back into society - great part of the book. but you have to ask - is this to help the soldiers look "normal" or will they still end up not being accepted? or is it an ego boost for the Dr?
What is disgusting is the woman makes the doctor reconstruct the face of a soldier that reminds her of her dead husband without his knowledge. so now he has husbands face but..... creepy! This book hints of the advancements of Craniofacial surgery and what was learned during the war to help future patients maimed by war, disease, accidents and birth defects. that is why it gets 2 stars!

So poetic, yet technical at the same time about various medical and artistic topics. Hardly has any plot but the quality of the writing was so high that it didn't matter for me.

This book was beautifully written. However, the ending was abrupt and unsatisfying. Maybe that was intentional. I will read her other books, just because I'm curious.

Ugh, this book was awful. I thought the premise was really interesting. This woman's husband dies and, according to the jacket cover, she has to decide if she wants to remake another man in her husbands image. Well, the jacket cover was probably the best part of the whole book. The characters were mind-numbingly boring and underexplored, the story didn't go anywhere, and I didn't really sympathize with anyone except McCleary, who was not developed to my satisfaction. I have never read anything by Jody Shields and I don't intend to pick up any of her books in the future.