Siobhan Fallon

Though I felt like the plot of this was one big buildup to nothing, this was a relatively solid book with some interesting details.

I've got to admit, one of the biggest reasons I picked up this book was because it was set in Jordan and I was curious to see how the author would handle this. I felt like the representation of Arab hospitality was well done, but the way that certain scenes went was honestly quite disappointing because ultimately all interactions kind of left me with a sickened taste and if I hadn't experienced this hospitality first hand I'd have some really negative attitudes. That was hugely disappointing.

I'm not Cassie's biggest fan. I think I'm supposed to feel more sympathetic towards her, but she doesn't try very hard for much. There are many other women that she could have befriended if she was lonely. Maybe I can't relate to her because her biggest desire is to have kids, but she really annoyed me with her self-absorbed attitude and the way that she wanted to have everyone snugly wound around her finger.

Though the blurb made it seem as though Cassie and Margaret had arrived in Amman at the same time, Margaret comes much later, leaving Cassie to play tour guide. It seems that, from reading Margaret's diary, the two had little in common from day one. I related much more to Margaret, and though she's portrayed as silly and lighthearted yet manipulative, I felt as though she were at least honest.

The plot did not contain as much suspense as I thought it would, and I found the ultimate ending to be quite disappointing. Most of the suspense is solely due to the way that Cassie had built the entire scenario up in her head.

Considering the lack of books similar to it, this novel is solid, but I hope that a more engaging book with a similar premise is released in the future.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)

Cassie Hugo and Margaret Brickshaw both find themselves living in Jordan after their soldier husbands were stationed at the U.S. embassy there. As Cassie has been there for two years already, she becomes a reluctant mentor to Margaret, who has just arrived. And much to Cassie's chagrin, Margaret is not as interested in making sure she follows all of the rules as she is allowing her restlessness and desire to explore to get the better of her. After Margaret is in a minor car accident, Cassie agrees to watch her infant son while she goes down to the police station to pay her fine and clear up the matter. But as more time begins to creep by, Cassie's concern grows. And when she finds Margaret's journal and begins to read it, the insights she gains into her neighbor's life not only helps her to better understand Margaret--it also helps her to understand herself and feeds her concern about Margaret's current whereabouts.

This is an interesting story that touches on a number of issues including friendship, cultural differences, marital relationships, motherhood/parenthood, jealousy, honesty, and so much more. The complexity of the relationships that comes through, by seeing things from Cassie's perspective and from Margaret's words in her journal, is fascinating as it comes together. My only complaint is that with jumping between Cassie's flashbacks, Margaret's journal entries, and the present moment, it wasn't always clear where we were at any moment. Sometimes this was a little confusing, but it was easy to recover within the first few paragraphs of each chapter.

[Disclaimer: This review is based on an advance review copy provided by the publisher via the First to Read program.]… (altro)