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Luisa D. (Lukadu) - Reviews

1 to 20 of 26 - Page:
Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon, Bk 1)
Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon, Bk 1)
Author: Dan Brown
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 287
Review Date: 7/13/2006


Interesting and well written. Predictable but thrilling and at times gory. But I enjoyed it anyway.


Be Cool
Be Cool
Author: Elmore Leonard
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 9
Review Date: 10/16/2007


From the author of "Get Shorty" and "Mr. Paradise". You know you will like this book since Hollywwood bought the rights and made a movie out of it. I found the book quite funny and much better than the movie.


Bel Canto
Bel Canto
Author: Ann Patchett
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 7
Review Date: 8/16/2006


Quick read. Interesting setting and range of characters about a terrorist group who takes over a set of hostages at ane embassy. Plot develops inside the embassy and tells the story of the interaction between complete opposites and cultural levels.


Charming Billy
Charming Billy
Author: Alice McDermott
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 178
Review Date: 10/16/2007
Helpful Score: 3


I couldn't get into this book at all. I found it a little strange and boring. The characters were lame, the topic was weird, the setting was boring and the story didn't seem to grab me. I strated the book about 4 times and honestly couldn't finish the book.


The Distance Between
The Distance Between
Author: Eliza Osborne
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 4/11/2010


A woman's journey as she struggles to accept her mother's mortality and unfinished business; at the same time sad, funny, and will strike a core with some mothers and daughters.


Earthly Joys (Earthly Joys, Bk 1)
Earthly Joys (Earthly Joys, Bk 1)
Author: Philippa Gregory
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 214
Review Date: 7/16/2009


In my opinion it was not her best work. My favorite of hers would be "The Other Boleyn Girl". However, the theme was very interesting. The book is based on the story of a head gardener for the king Charles I of England and previously to several other important historical figures such as the Duke of Buckingham and Sir Robert Cecil. He was a most respected gardener who was also a botanist and traveller and who introduced many species of plants, trees and flowers from all over the world to the famous English Gardens that we know and love. What impressed me was the fact that Mrs. Gregory based her novel on a figure of such humble importance and made the book so believable and interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the genre of historical fiction, gardening, English royal history or has read other Philippa Gregory books.


Evensong
Evensong
Author: Gail Godwin
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 38
Review Date: 10/16/2007


I couldn't get into this book either. I think it took too long for something to happen, so the story didn't capture me as a reader.


Fall on Your Knees
Fall on Your Knees
Author: Ann-Marie MacDonald
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 505
Review Date: 9/19/2007
Helpful Score: 1


My mother recommended this book to me and I have to say, I found it very disturbing. Tell me about disfuntional families! We know they exist but this one tops them all. I've never thought things like this would happen, where were social services? Why didn't anyone do anything about this? I don't know if this is fiction or real, but it is heartbreaking to say the least.


Good in Bed (Cannie Shapiro, Bk 1)
Good in Bed (Cannie Shapiro, Bk 1)
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 10
Review Date: 1/12/2009
Helpful Score: 2


This book was a super fast read. Very sweet story about a fat girl coming to terms with her body, her family, her career, her relationships, herself. Well written and inspiring, characters were relatable and funny. It is not rocket science, more like a beach read but good book overall.


Goodnight Nobody
Goodnight Nobody
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 797
Review Date: 8/10/2011


This is my least favorite of Jennifer Weiner's books. Her characters in this novel are left undeveloped throughout the story and are not even really likeable. It starts out good, with a relatable theme: "Suburban housewife (Kate) finds another one dead in her gourmet kitchen" but then the main character for not particular reason other than boredom goes into a Nancy Drew mode to try to find out who was the killer. It is hard to empathize with Kate, she doesn't really love her husband or being a mom, has not interesting voice or past and is frumpy and not even funny. The only saving grace is Kate's friend Janie, who is likable and funny. The twist and resolution on the story leaves a lot to be desired and leaves the reader with more questions than answers. Especially about the husband... and past boyfriend. Why did they play such an important part if nothing was going to link them to the story at all? I didn't get that. I wish Jennifer will go back to writing her funny witty easy read books that are great for the beach! Mystery not her forte.


House of Sand and Fog
House of Sand and Fog
Author: Andre Dubus III
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 818
Review Date: 9/19/2007
Helpful Score: 1


I loved this book. The inter-relations of the characters is well formulated and interesting. It is a sad story and there are no heroes, but the story is unforgettable and compelling. Great Read!


Jackdaws
Jackdaws
Author: Ken Follett
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 219
Review Date: 10/16/2007
Helpful Score: 1


This book copuld easily be turned into a movie. Verry fast paced, entertaining, thrilling, well written. The characters are awesome and the interactions between them seem real. I really enjoyed this book and I don't like everything that Ken Follett writes. I highly recommend this book.


The Memoirs of Cleopatra
The Memoirs of Cleopatra
Author: Margaret George
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 137
Review Date: 7/27/2011
Helpful Score: 1


Margaret George showed an impressive portrait of Egypt and the Roman Empire in the times of Cleopatra. The research was thorough and well documented, but I think some of the descriptions of the events, landscape and feelings were lenghty and repetitive and the book could have been written in 600+ pages instead of 900+ pages. The part that annoyed me the most were the descriptions of the fleet and the army so many times. I think these parts could have been a bit more concise and not so detailed, especially since they are mentioned so many times throughout the book.


Middlesex
Middlesex
Author: Jeffrey Eugenides
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 938
Review Date: 7/16/2009


I had the impresion that this book was written with the intention of being a screenplay for a movie and not a novel. The reason I think that is becasue I felt the writing becomes an afterthought of the scene. The author makes strange/ sometimes impossible choices of perspective and lighting and even describes what he is seeing and from what angle or describing a move on a dolly or a crane rather than let the story flow. I think in this sense the writing style lacks luster and I didn't care for it. Having said that, I enjoyed the third part of the book and it engaged me to finish it. The first two parts are painfully slow, filled with a long list of episodes and details of the family history that at the end of the story didn't have much to do with the main chararacter'r ordeal. However, I did find the theme interesting enough, I just wished someone other than this author had written it.


My Sister's Keeper
My Sister's Keeper
Author: Jodi Picoult
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 4059
Review Date: 7/13/2006


As much as I liked the theme of the novel, and the emotional roller-coaster that its reading provides; I was not impressed with the writing style or the lack of artistry of the writer. It was however, an interesting read because of the questions it raises.


On Wings of Eagles
On Wings of Eagles
Author: Ken Follett
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 48
Review Date: 2/21/2007


If you love Ken Follett's fiction books, you are not going to believe this book. Is is a true story with chararcters that you may still remember, written in the fast paced, heart stopping, Follett's way. Great Read!


One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, Bk 1)
One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, Bk 1)
Author: Janet Evanovich
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 960
Review Date: 10/16/2007


One for the Money starts the Stephanie Plum series. Very funny. Fast paced and easy to read, a little trashy but well written it definetely has a certain charm.


A Place Called Freedom
A Place Called Freedom
Author: Ken Follett
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 156
Review Date: 9/19/2007


Not one of my favorite stories by Ken Follett. Even thought the theme is good and interesting, it lacks in detail and character depht. It was a quick read but easily forgettable.


Sarah's Key
Sarah's Key
Author: Tatiana de Rosnay
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 1496
Review Date: 7/16/2009
Helpful Score: 1


I just finished reading this short novel. It is another sad story about a girl who lost her family during the Holocaust and a journalist who finds out about her and her family while doing research for a piece to be published in a magazine. What is interesting is the fact that the author found out about an unknown day in French history when many French Jewish families were captured by the French police and sent to the concentration camps in Poland in 1942. That is something I didn't know. It is a quick and easy read, non elaborate descriptions or beautiful prose. Just short and to the point. The author doesn't waste a line in any literary license to make the story more poignant or lyric. She focuses on the story and that's it. If you like stories about the Holocaust, then this one is for you. However, it is not a survivor's story, and IMO it doesn't have a happy ending.


She's Come Undone
She's Come Undone
Author: Wally Lamb
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 1457
Review Date: 2/5/2009
Helpful Score: 1


I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this book. The book is a coming-of-age story of a girl, who through many numerous ordeals doesn't seem to get it together. She keeps on going on a downward spiral of bad judgment, bad luck, and worse self esteem and no support system to get her through it. At first I felt it was slow or maybe I kept missing where the story was going, but halfway through it got better and by the end I couldn't stop reading and rooting for the character. I enjoyed reading this book, but it is not necessarily a story that will stay with you.


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