This book is written in a style that jumps back and forth, from present to past to in-between...sometimes you have to get your bearings first when you start a chapter but this book is worth the effort. From the very beginning, I wanted to know what was the ending going to be. Would it all 'work out'? Would you get your Hollywood happy ending? You won't but it's good. The ending is fitting. It has a 'feel-good moral of the story is'. I liked it a lot! I don't think it's a guy kind of book although my husband is reading it. I did keep me hooked. I kept looking forward to reading it, even if it was only ten minutes that I had to myself. The characters are well-rounded; solid characters; real characters. It is a book that leaves you with questions and if you don't like that, you might not like it. The main character is lovable, you could give her a big squeeze.

What would you do when you lost all and were running to survive with the enemy hot on your tail? Now in a new land and to be married to man who leaves his bride at the train station. Follow Lily (or who she is pretending to be) and her daughter's life journey to find themselves and how they deal with the lies in their lives. Intriguing read.

From the opening pages, this book connected me to my parents in a way no other book has. My parents, while not Jewish, did experience the horrors of the Second World War. The circumstances surrounding The Imposter Bride's journey to Canada are all too familiar with anyone who has relatives that survived the war. Nancy Richler weaves a wonderful story that left this reader with a sense of nostalgia for the war stories of my parents. A beautifully written story with just enough secrets and lies to satisfy most readers The Imposter Bride focuses around the title character's daughter and the family she was born into. The story gets off to a slow start but builds on the relationships and binds you to the story. In the end, it comes to a nicely crafted conclusion. This reader would highly recommend reading it. It was a wonderful journey.

Nancy Richler's paternal grandmother immigrated to Canada expecting to marry upon her arrival. When she disembarked, however, the prospective groom rejected her. Richler's grandmother's story inspired The Imposter Bride. A woman travelling under the name Lily Azerov arrives in Canada. At the train station she watches as the people around her meet loved ones and then disappear into the city of Montreal. One by one the travellers dissipate until Lily stands alone. Her husband-to-be has seen her, and doesn't want her. The novel begins with the powerful emotions unearthed by rejection, strangeness in a strange land, and courage in the face of abandonment. As the novel unfolds, Richler explores how identity and origins, or lack of knowledge about them, affect us. Richler expertly manages her characters' journeys through loss and re-discovery. Richler does jump points of view—occasionally we have to remind ourselves who is doing the thinking, or wonder why we know what someone is thinking—but it doesn't disrupt the flow of the story. Set in Jewish Montreal, this is a Canadian novel without the oppressive bleakness to which so many Canadian authors are prone. It explores the horrific repercussions of the Holocaust without heavy-handedness. It features heartbreak without despair and hope without sappiness. The sympathetic characters live a compelling story. An enjoyable read.

Picked this up in an airport to kill time. Turned out to be a great read that I had a hard time putting down after the firs few chapters.

I have really become a fan of Canadian Literature lately, and this book was amazing and just what I needed to add to my pile! Just reading the synopsis got me really excited, I love mystery type books and this one sounded really interesting to me, a story about a woman who isn't really who she says she is, right up my alley! I have to admit that it took me awhile to figure out the book because each chapter jumps back and forth between the character of Lily before she leaves and then her daughter growing up without the mother. It was a little difficult to figure out who I was following but after awhile I did get the hang of it. Once I figured out where I was in the story I found I enjoyed the differing stories because I found you got more of a sense of all the characters in the story. Throughout the story you see Ruth ('Lily's' daughter) grow up. And it's interesting to see how Ruth handles living without her mother and how she as she grows she searches for the answers to all her questions. I really enjoyed seeing how Ruth deals with losing her mother twice (first being when she walked out and the second time when Ruth is finally told that Lily was not her mother's real name). Nancy Richler does a great job bringing this mystery about, especially trying to figure out who the woman really is and how she came about with the name of Lily Azerov. The story was intriguing and when you find out how she came about with Lily's name it was an interesting story to hear. I really enjoyed the addition of family members of the real Lily to add to the story. The family dynamic written in this was well done as well. It`s nice to see the differing family situations of the characters and how they all come together to help one another. I could really connect with this family dynamic because I grew up with a very close family, always getting together with uncles and aunts whenever possible. And this is the kind of family that Ruth grows up with, everyone bands together to help raise this little girl that has lost her mother. I definitely recommend this book! Great Canadian literature, hope to see more from Nancy soon.