Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury is about a heart-wrenching tale centered on a young boy's custody battle, whisked away from his beloved adoptive parents and placed in the turbulent world of his biological parents, with one parent displaying abusive tendencies. The story managed to retain my interest, yet certain elements left me yearning for more, 3.5 stars.

Having previously delved into Kingsbury's "9/11 series" and "Angels Walking series" - both of which I deeply cherished - I found this novel falling short of the same depth and emotional pull. While the premise was undeniably compelling, some parts seemed unrealistic or hastily crafted. The characters, for the most part, seemed to be too perfect, depriving the story of genuine emotional layers. Wendy's portrayal was the exception, offering more depth and complexity, though her conclusion was somewhat lackluster.

The novel did present poignant messages and touching moments, especially towards its conclusion. Knowing that a film adaptation exists, I am eager to explore that rendition as I think this story premise has the makings of a great movie. ( )

55683

Heartwrenching, fast-moving story. Read it in two days, mostly on a plane. ( )

This is not just a story about an adoption gone bad. It is the story of two women who loved the same child enough to sacrifice for his safety, as she stated in the author's note at the end. In this book she really draws out the emotions of the characters. Things sometimes seem to move in slow motion as she tries to get you to feel what they must be feeling. She has an engaging writing style. However, this was not a page turner. It became intense only in the last quarter of the story. ( )

I couldn't finish this book. I suffered through about 100 pages and just couldn't take it anymore. I did skim the last few pages because I wanted to see how it ended, but I couldn't even force myself to read them.

This was the most self-righteous, ridiculous crap I have ever read. I was really looking forward to this book, the plot behind it was very interesting. But I could not handle all the religious whining that went on. "Oh, it's so unfair that my sister has a fun life and happy family when they don't go to church or bible study every week. That's not fair, blah blah blah." What really, really got me and made me stop reading this book was this quote : "God, please give Molly a reason to need you. I won't bring it up... so give her a reason, God. Please." So because it wasn't fair for Molly to love life and have a happy one without having to devote herself to church and bible study, she wants something bad to happen to her so she will have a reason to pray? Clearly the author is trying to make a point here. Devote your life to Christ or you shall be punished.

The other major problem I had with this book was the writing style. the author could not complete a sentence or give a character the control over their own thoughts without having to validate it. I can write a book, right? I can make spaghetti for dinner, right? Some examples:

Their attitude towards church was ok, wasn't it?
What they had was fine, wasn't it?
She still had a few Camels, right?
He'd been sorry before, right?
That had to be better, right?

and so on, and so on...

I really wanted to enjoy this book, that is why I kept reading it after twenty pages. It just wasn't possible. ( )