A Hundred Years of Happiness by Nicole Seitz

A Hundred Years of Happiness Reviews

• 
  LAMONT D

  I tried with this author, but I give up. Too bad. The title is well played in the story and narrative but otherwise I just don't see the value of me continuing with this author at this time. Anytime you highlight a Vietnam vet and what they went through it is a worthy cause. But this fell short in making it a worthwhile read and I skimmed to get to the ending, which was a surprise, I give her that.
  
• 
  Erica

  I randomly picked this book out from the library and really enjoyed it. I loved learning more about the Vietnam war and the characters were great. I love when people's lives weave together and at the end, you are kind of shocked by their relationships.
• 
  Katie

  A lovely look at life.
• 
  Elizabeth

  Such an interesting book! This is becoming one of my new favorite authors.
• 
  Lynda Horrocks

  This is a new author to me. I liked the setting of Charleston and Georgetown. I was threaded into the story.Not sure whether to like John or not. The more I read, the more I understood him and his troubles. The after affects of the Vietnam war are still here.
  I enjoyed the Water Lilies swim group. This adds the amusement to an otherwise serious story line.
  Once one gets into the book you begin to understand and listen to each characters spoken words.
  I will keep on reading her books.
  .
• 
  Gaby

  A beautifully written story of past staring present in the eye and the secrets that connected two people in a remote village of wartorn Vietnam,
• 
  Erin Crowley

  I’m really hoping this book isn’t an indication of how my year of book reading will be. This one was terrible. The story line was so strange, one man was a fish literally 95% of the book. I cannot make this up. If you like books from the viewpoint of four characters and an ending that is not great, definitely pick this one up.
• 
  Charlotte

  This was an enjoyable book for many reasons. The setting is Charleston, SC, which is "local" for me. The author lives there as well, which makes me more curious about her. The setting is in modern times, but the storyline follows the past of several characters during the Vietnam War. The chapters are short and separated by character. I really liked this organization of the book to gain the different perspectives of each character. There are unknowns and questions that get answered in the end, but I felt the dumping of the explanations could have been done during the climax of the story rather than the almost narrative wrapup. But the explanation of what happened to Ernest certainly explained the fish character. I honestly thought the author was bringing in reincarnation, and this is a Christian authored book! So, that was confusing until the end. It all makes sense, and the fish was a great metaphor for that time in his life. I had originally thought I might give a weak 4 stars until I finished and concluded it was a solid 4 star rating for me.
• 
  Brandy

  I struggled with "A Hundred Years of Happiness" by Nicole Seitz. I loved the story of family and belating healing from the emotional wounds of the Vietnam War, and I love Ms. Seitz's writing, but one of the major characters grated on me for most of the middle half of the book. If Katherine Ann hadn't come around in the end... but she did. Thankfully. I mean, I actually have a half-sister who I first met when we were both adults, and never ever did I think, "Oh good, if I ever need a kidney..." That's how selfish Katherine Ann was at her worst. That part made me angry, but it was also the point where I realized that she would have her own moment of truth.
  
  I enjoyed Ernest and Lisa's perspectives and storyline the most. I had a theory about the ending, but it turned out I was surprised.
  
  Recommended for readers interested in stories of Vietnam vets and family secrets.
  
  
• 
  ~mad

  I wrote earlier on FB that I was frustrated in reading this book as I got nearly a third- to a half-way through nd desired to put the darn thng down - something I hate to do is give up on a book! Even at this stage of my reading life when I don't NEED to finish every book I pck up - what's the sense of punishing myself anyway?
  However, having read another of this author's books, I carried on - and the story GRABBED me! So much so that I cried at different points in the telling.
  
  i cannot give you a synopsis of the story or why it touched me so as it would give away so much....but I am glad I read this one all the way through.
  
  I don't know if I will read another of hers - it's tempting but why put myself through that unless the storyline is a real interesting and intriguing one.
  (This one was better than the other I read about Sweetgrass and spirits. This has one character who was a coi fish for awhile.....)
  
  You decide.
• 
  Amanda

  The book had too many cliches and forced metaphors for my liking. The storyline was just okay. Maybe I just didn't identify with the characters, or at least the main character, but her actions and thoughts didn't always seem to line up in a way that was believable. Once I got past all of that, the story was sort of interesting. A daughter steps into her father's life to help him deal with unresolved feelings about the Vietnam War. At the same time, another daughter finds a clue about her father, a deceased soldier from the war, as she also struggles with what it means to be an Vietnamese-American living in America with a mother who has pretty much shut down. Misunderstandings ensue and women act like conniving little brats, but the truth is all out in the end.
• 
  Regina

  I really liked this book...could not put it down. It is about time people started writing some books about the effects of the Vietnam war on the people who were involved in it. Our Vietnam vets deserve so much better than what they were given upon their return. The author says that 58,000 died in the war and 58,000 Vietnam vets have committed suicide since. I wonder how many others have been unable to hold a job or become an addict due to PTSD, and how many can't work because of loss of limbs in addition to the 58,000 who committed suicide. A good book to read.
• 
  Cheryl

  This book was highly rated on many book lists. Though the characters were easy to follow, and I appreciated the attention to the horrific treatment in our country of the Vietnam Vet, I found it lacking. As in the empty space you feel after you finish a novel that has just captivated you with the characters from the beginning - it wasn't there.
• 
  Nicole

  Just released! I was inspired to write this book after certain events in my own family made me realize that war never truly ends for those who were there, and that the effects of war are felt for generations to come. Hope you enjoy it.
• 
  Keri

  This was a good 3 stars. Very fast, easy read. Interesting topic. As I read the book one of the characters seemed a bit far fetched but as it turned out there was a reason that ended up making sense. Overall I liked the book but it probably won't be one I remember in a few more reads.
• 
  Laura

  Honestly, not the best writing, but a good story and I liked the ending a great deal. To be fair my concentration level is very lacking right now and I wasn't in the mood for a heavy subject matter.
• 
  Alicia

  Pro: Weaving the voice of the "dead man" into the story, showing his purgatory of being a fish, and creatively reintroducing the character into present time.
  Cons: The story lacked any more depth, nuance, or insight than that which is listed above.
  
  Fast read.
• 
  Megan

  Not my favorite of Nicole Seitz's but still finished it. The fish character and ending was a little too out there for me. I did enjoy the daughter's internal dialogue during her chapters - relateable.
• 
  Kris Stoner

  This was an interesting book but I had a hard time with it because it was so unrealistic. I did enjoy the syncronized swimmers (the water lilies) that were in the book since I was once a syncronized swimmer myself!
• 
  Martic

  This was yet another weird book I've read. Multiple story lines that I found distracting but which fortunately all came together at the end. That's a plus for this author, who, admittedly can weave a story together, but what got me the most was Ernest the fish. Too much.