Enjoyed this book the whole way through. I loved to see everyone’s different view point of the family system and their individual dynamics. How certain feelings can be misinterpreted and missed by those closest to you.

Set in the fashion world, primarily in the 1970s but also present day and early 1940s. This is historical fiction but definitely a blend of history and fiction, as the author details at the end. The main characters are fictional but real people abound. Beyond an entertaining story and a mystery, the book is a commentary on how people are portrayed in the media, how their stories and history in general can be shaped by the offhand comments when people don't look further. Good book.

I chose this book as part of the 2024 reading challenge for July, a book by an author born outside the Unites States, and it was also in the "New Fiction" area which I always peruse. This was an excellent read by the author who lives in Japan and who had this work translated. The chapters of the book were tales of life stories with life lessons and interconnections told in a very interesting, unique, and moving way. Every tale had a central figure, Mrs. Komachi. She was the local community center librarian with a penchant for felting and selecting just the right book for her patrons. Mrs. Komachi's felting materials were kept in a Honeydome cookie tin which was central to the book. I could continue to write more about how I liked this book, but suffice to say, it really made me think and reflect, and I will be looking for more books by this author if translated!

I have mixed impressions of and feelings about this novel. I found the plot intriguing, and enjoyed Serafina's narrative voice in her alternating chapters, as compared to Sara's, which disappointingly tended to fall more often into cliché turns of phrase. I understand the need to set the characters' "voices" apart and distinguish the eras in which they are living, but wonder if this could have been done with a bit more finesse for Sara's chapters. Some plot revelations were telegraphed and therefore more predictable, while others felt more satisfyingly surprising. At times, the events and interactions themselves seemed to draw on stereotypes, though I appreciate that the author appears to have researched the book quite thoroughly. There were also some unexpectedly graphic passages in the book, so readers who are especially sensitive to intimate and/or violent imagery may wish to be aware of this before reading. Overall, though it would be missing a meaningful modern dimension, I think I might have preferred this as a purely historical fiction novel, set entirely in Serafina's time period. All that said, I would still be interested to read other novels by this same author, in the hopes that they are more of the quality of Serafina's chapters than Sara's.

Jeanne Birdsall is a very talented writer in my opinion I just can’t stop reading. She made this book so interesting I think everyone should read it girls boys and even grown ups and it is an absolute masterpiece of awesomeness

I love how Jeanne Birdsall made a surprising twist

Harlem, 2019. Oliver shares a crumbling love letter with his fiancé Ardelia. Natchez, 1865. Harrison has been discharged from the Union army and has returned to Mississippi to search for his love, Tizrah. Meanwhile, in Louisiana, newly free Tizrah yearns for Harrison. What follows is a story of star-crossed lovers, with a story that spans 150 years. The choices made by Tizrah and Harrison reverberate across following generations, keeping some people together and others apart. It's a love story, thoroughly researched historical fiction, and a bit of a mystery as well, as Oliver and Ardelia try to answer the questions raised by the letter. Beautifully written, raw and poignant, complicated and powerful. A very good book.

Cute & funny read for my 4 year old!

I love the main character and the whole romance aspect. Great queer representation. Felt ending was slightly lacking but still loved the journey. Loved the magic, the humor, everything. Hard to put down.

Light and easy. Not my favorite in the series, but you can’t go wrong with the laundry club ladies. Always entertaining and cute!