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What book did you just start?
By Stephanie · 3501 posts · 467 views
By Stephanie · 3501 posts · 467 views
last updated Feb 27, 2024 08:11PM
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While the horrors of war are never far from the surface, the love stories, as well as Helen's personal evolution, lie at the center of The Lotus Eaters. (A few critics compared Helen's wartime experience to the rush experienced by characters in the Academy Award–winning The Hurt Locker, and the title refers to the lotus eaters who, in Greek mythology, become addicted to the opiate.) Soli's visceral writing captures an alluring, dangerous country, and she excels at conveying the intricacies of wa
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I think this book about a female photographer in Vietnam during the war read like several movies all rolled into one. First Platoon, because it's a war movie, second Indiana Jones because it's adventurous and tells a lot about the surroundings, and third Out of Africa, because at the heart of the tale, it's about falling in love with someone you can't confine to a simple life, because he is bigger than quiet comfort.
The story of Helen fighting her way from photographing mundane things to eventua ...more
The story of Helen fighting her way from photographing mundane things to eventua ...more

This book was nothing like I had expected ... I'm not sure what I felt I was getting into but it certainly wasn't what I found in this book. This is a very good book. It's a very well written novel that put me directly into the shoes of a photojournalist during the Vietnam War. At moments, I felt as if I were walking through the streets and experiencing things myself. Tatjana Soli made the setting of the novel come alive. She has a gift for descriptive language. The way that she weaves the horro
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Jun 20, 2010
Karen
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
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Wish I could give this book six stars!!! Loved it! I felt I was in Vietnam along with Helen the main character. I could feel the humidity and heat! I felt like I was walking the muddy dirt roads around Saigon. I highly recommend this book. It was one of those books you want to finish, but you don't want it to end at the same time.
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Where to start?! Well, like the heroine Helen who did not want the war in Vietnam to end so she wouldn’t have to leave her life there I did not want this book to end.
To read the rest of my review please visit my blog http://planetbooks.wordpress.com ...more
To read the rest of my review please visit my blog http://planetbooks.wordpress.com ...more

I've read several historical fiction books about the Vietnam war; this is the first one I've read from a woman's perspective. Some of the minor characters were one dimensional but an overall quick read and interesting story.
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Mar 29, 2010
Vanessa
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Julie
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Sue
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May 25, 2010
Heidi
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Jul 20, 2010
Julie
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Nov 24, 2010
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Jan 01, 2011
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May 02, 2011
Glenn
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