One Amazing Thing

Interesting.

Did not like the ending; leaves you dangling. Had the ending been thought out well, this would have been a great book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

waste of time!

very hard to follow,not very interesting,very very bad ending!! It felt like the author forgot to write the last chapter! I am an avid reader and I hated it!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Find your one amazing thing!

I bumped this book up to the top of my list after recent news of the 7.0 to hit Haiti. Definitely relevant.

Following a devastating earthquake, nine strangers find themselves buried in an underground room in the Indian visa office they are in when the earthquake hits. As things go from bad to progressively worse, each member takes a turn telling a story from their life. What starts as a simple distraction for them turns into a way for each to confront their past and find the one amazing thing that has made them who they are today.

ONE AMAZING THING is written from rotating points of view; any other way would not have provided as much story for the reader to become invested in. However, I always feel that a common problem with having stories within stories is that one always comes out the stronger one, making the others feel more like an interruption of the main plot. The individual stories are each engaging in their own right, but I only wanted to go back to the present moment and see what would happen next as they try to survive the earthquake disaster. Chitra Divakaruni excels at character building, and it glows even brighter in ONE AMAZING THING.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I just finished One Amazing Thing and truly enjoyed this book. T

I just finished One Amazing Thing and truly enjoyed this book. The setting is realistic and the author portrays the ensuing events appropriately. The stories each character shares are intriguing and provide insight into the response each has to the earthquake. I'm glad I read the book and hope to attend the library event in September. :)

This book is terrible. Don't read it. The ending was depressing

This book is terrible. Don't read it. The ending was depressing and such a disappointment.

GREAT STORY

I DID LIKE THIS BOOK, IT KEPT ME INTERESTED IN WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO EACH OF THESE PEOPLE. YOU NEVER CAN TELL HOW PEOPLE ARE GOING TO REACT WHEN TRAPPED!

recommened

Good description about the book and ship on time.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Truly Inspiring

Beautifully written and absorbing plot.

nice

vffsb

0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Beautiful Read!!

After an earthquake traps nine strangers in the basement office of the passport administration, fear and uncertainty begin to take their toll. They begin to panic once the reality of their situation begins to close in on them. Without knowing if rescue is a hope they have, one of the strangers suggests that they each tell "One Amazing Thing" that has happened in their lives. What follows is both a harrowing tale of survival and how people can come together in the face of insurmountable odds. Chitra Divakaruni brings together nine individuals from completely different backgrounds. Seven of the nine are attempting to get to India, all for different reasons, but all for an attempt at atonement for past failures or shortcomings. The two remaining work in the passport office and have come to be there after their own amazing turns in India. Divakaruni's prose is entrancing. It was so completely wonderful, I couldn't put it down. I read the entire book in one sitting, waiting for the next moment to both learn about each of the characters and his/her "thing," as well as how the book would end. Divakaruni writes an amazing tale and makes each person's story unforgettable. She details the amazing determination in the human spirit; our ability to love, desire, hate, forgive, create and break down our stereotypes, and our innate caring for one another. This is a story that I could read again and again. The only negative I can really post is that I was left wanting more. The ending is surprising. It may not settle well with some, but I personally find it preferable in a book to have unanswered questions. I want to be left desiring to read more about characters I like. Divakaruni does that well. Her characters are fantastic and the story is beautiful. No reader could ask for more. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

One Amazing Thing

I loved the way this book was written and the touching stories, stories anyone could say apply to them in some way. It is a compelling novel with a haunting ending.

Interesting Concept

One Amazing Thing is about a group of 9 people who are trapped in an Indian passport and visa office somewhere in the U.S. To pass the time and comfort themselves they take turn telling one amazing thing that happened in their lives. Some are good things and some not so good. We also learn a bit about each character and why they were in the office seeking a passport/visa to India. Some characters were more likable than others. I like the author's writing style. It almost felt like a book of short stories intertwined with the main story which was being trapped in the earthquake. After reading their amazing stories, I concluded that each character was trapped in other ways in their lives not just trapped in a building after an earthquake. It was very different from the books I have read lately. I have read the last page and a half over several times and I'm not sure how I felt about the ending. I felt left hanging. I guess I like my endings cut and dry. Other than the ending I enjoyed the book.

Satisfying, well-crafted and a beautiful read

One Amazing Thing drew me in from the start. The book opens from the point of view of the graduate student as she surveys the Indian Embassy and its occupants during the start of the earthquake. Her voice is accessible, witty, and sympathetic.

The perspective shifts seamlessly from one character to another, partly through each person's sharing of the "one amazing thing" from his or her life. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has woven together nine fascinating and brave stories from seemingly nondescript people. Their shared storytelling helps the captives survive their harrowing experience and it gifts us with a satisfying, well-crafted, and beautiful read.

ISBN-10: 1401340997 - Hardcover $23.00
Publisher: Voice; 1 edition (February 2, 2010), 240 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

I love the premise of this story.

I love the premise of this story - nine people trapped by an earthquake trying to survive and keep each others spirits up. Situations like that can engender amazing things from very different people and can change lives. That they would sit down and tell the stories of their lives as they are waiting for their fate makes sense to me and I was anxious to hear what they would tell.

Unfortunately I felt the stories themselves fell a little flat. What I normally love about Chitra Divakaruni's stories is her distinct, powerful, enchanting characters and somehow none of the people in One Amazing Thing came across that way. The stories are told in a voice that doesn't ring true. They are told like an author writing a story, not the way a person would tell their own story to another person. In addition all the stories are told in one voice, they don't come across as being individual. I ended up enjoying the parts of the book that focus on the present group struggling to survive the earthquake the most.
One Amazing Thing is an interesting book but lacks the distinct character voices and emotion I expected.

Review of One Amazing Thing

Uma, a graduate student, is waiting impatiently at an Indian visa office with strangers of several ethnicities and backgrounds, all intending to visit or move to India. Suddenly an earthquake strikes, and they are stranded in the office with no electricity and with a hole in the ceiling. Tension rises in the crisis, and Uma stops a fight when she proposes that each of them tell a significant story about their lives. As they each tell a personal tale, they find interconnectedness through this storytelling, for each one of them has experienced suffering, love, wishes, and loss. This is an intensely psychological and compelling novel.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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