xennicole's Reviews (2.27k)

I really wanted to enjoy this book and I didn't. I like John Cleese in the things he have done mostly Fawlty Towers and Monty Python but his writing left me bored. I didn't like that lots of sketches because they distracted me and much like Shakespeare - you need to see, not read. There were moments and a few quotes I wrote down, but over all I will be looking forward to the next (out of three, I have read) biography on Monty Phyton years.

The title is misleading. While all these stories are stories of Women coming to terms with their faith either by staying in their current religion but don't believe and stay anyway because of the community not the belief that keeps them there. There were no "extreme" religions, all are here, none of the writers were held at gunpoint for their beliefs. I cannot fault the writers of their own stories, each of us that have left a religion or had seriously doubts whether that particular religion is extreme and perhaps they are by their rules, dogma and societal pressures within that community. While to an outsider it could be seen not an extreme move to leave, but for those on the inside it really is life or death. Leaving the life that you know, some religions/denominations will excommunicate (even Friends will) you and some you have to choose to take your family with your or just the clothes on your back. While the stories don't scream CNN/FoxNews worthy of "extreme religions," they do share the moments of doubt.


I liked this book, I related to some stories but not others and that is too be expected. I just wish the title was different."Religion wasn't worth it if solitude, divorces, and decimated self-worth were the fruits of trying to so hard to do the right thing. (page 241)."

I Loved The Paris Wife and I struggled to get through this novel without completely disliking Beryl Markham. While I understand the reason for her constant selfishness to doing what she wanted in her life even if it ruins relationships and people, but I didn't find any redeeming characteristics for me to feel sympathy or to like her even a little. I never read about her before or have I read Out of Africa (Karen Blixen/Isak Dinesen). I am interested in reading her own work West In the Night in hopes that the author read/wrote her wrong.

Granted there are some beautiful passages in the novel and the writing is well done, with a few rough spots (I was reading an ARC from Netgalley), but I couldn't get past the main character with no redeeming qualities other than her accomplishments, for which she did anything to achieve.

I would give this 2.5 Stars.

Cute, quaint and chaste. Great starter book for the Romance Genre.

Too Long. Too many characters. Simmons attempted many different literary devices which made the story confusing. End was lackluster. Boring. I read it all, but halfway through I was waiting for something to happen. Originally, I like the idea of playing with the fictional characters of Sherlock Holmes and placing him/them as a real characters next to literary ones, but it fell flat.