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Review Date: 4/26/2009
This is the story of Emily Stanton Elder who has made a hasty marriage to Georges Elder, participated in an act of adultery and finds herself in an unplanned pregnancy. It starts in Australia and moves to Paris and Tunisia during the 1920s.
Emilys father is an engineer with high hopes for his daughter, academically. Much to his chagrin, Emily agrees to marry Georges Elder, an engineer who dreams of designing the Sydney Harbor bridge rather than continuing her studies in history.
Emily leaves her family in Australia and travels to live in Paris with Georges. She lives a lonely life as Georges life is devoted to his bid for the Sydney Harbor bridge. Her only friend is Antoine Carpeaux, a friend of her husbands. He gives her a relic that was found at an excavation site in Tunisia.
While visiting her husbands mother Chartres, she has a tryst with a local priest. Shortly after that she finds out that she is pregnant. She is not certain that her husband is the father of this child and in the meantime, the priest she had her encounter with has inadvertently befriended her fathers mother and his sister in Chartres.
Concerned for her health, her husband insists that she travel with Antoine to Tunisia.
While there, she meets an American scholar and learns that there is an alternative story about St Perpetua, an early saint who was martyred in the area. This is the site where the relic Antoine has given her was found.
Upon her return to Paris, she begins to do research on Perpetua with the intent to write a paper on an alternative reason as to why she allowed herself to be martyred. These efforts of hers are frowned upon by her husband as well as most people who see the very pregnant Emily at the library on a daily basis.
In an effort to have a confrontation with the priest, she travels to Chartres during the eighth month of her pregnancy. When she arrives in Chartres, she goes into labor and delivers a daughter.
After the birth of her daughter, Emily realizes that she must make a definite decision about what she wants to do with her life.
While I enjoyed the book, I had a very difficult time understanding Emily. It is never clear why she chose to marry Georges rather than pursue her studies. There didnt seem to be any real reason why the characters behaved or believed as they did outside of an assumed this is how men and women of this age (the 1920s) would behave. It was difficult to feel for Emily when it seemed that she didnt really have any feeling herself.
Emilys father is an engineer with high hopes for his daughter, academically. Much to his chagrin, Emily agrees to marry Georges Elder, an engineer who dreams of designing the Sydney Harbor bridge rather than continuing her studies in history.
Emily leaves her family in Australia and travels to live in Paris with Georges. She lives a lonely life as Georges life is devoted to his bid for the Sydney Harbor bridge. Her only friend is Antoine Carpeaux, a friend of her husbands. He gives her a relic that was found at an excavation site in Tunisia.
While visiting her husbands mother Chartres, she has a tryst with a local priest. Shortly after that she finds out that she is pregnant. She is not certain that her husband is the father of this child and in the meantime, the priest she had her encounter with has inadvertently befriended her fathers mother and his sister in Chartres.
Concerned for her health, her husband insists that she travel with Antoine to Tunisia.
While there, she meets an American scholar and learns that there is an alternative story about St Perpetua, an early saint who was martyred in the area. This is the site where the relic Antoine has given her was found.
Upon her return to Paris, she begins to do research on Perpetua with the intent to write a paper on an alternative reason as to why she allowed herself to be martyred. These efforts of hers are frowned upon by her husband as well as most people who see the very pregnant Emily at the library on a daily basis.
In an effort to have a confrontation with the priest, she travels to Chartres during the eighth month of her pregnancy. When she arrives in Chartres, she goes into labor and delivers a daughter.
After the birth of her daughter, Emily realizes that she must make a definite decision about what she wants to do with her life.
While I enjoyed the book, I had a very difficult time understanding Emily. It is never clear why she chose to marry Georges rather than pursue her studies. There didnt seem to be any real reason why the characters behaved or believed as they did outside of an assumed this is how men and women of this age (the 1920s) would behave. It was difficult to feel for Emily when it seemed that she didnt really have any feeling herself.
Review Date: 12/7/2009
Ignatius J Reilly is thirty-years-old, considers himself a genius, writes constantly and lives with his mother. He can't live outside of New Orleans â he got deathly ill the one time he left for an overnight trip.
One day while waiting for his widowed mother to finish some shopping, he has an altercation with a local police officer who is sure that he is some sort of communist or other unsavory character. His green hunting cap and flannel shirt and tweed pants didn't do much to make him look savory.
His mother manages to get him released without charges, but as she's attempting to take him home, she runs into a building which causes significant damage to the building. Charges will not be brought if the Reillys pay for the damage. Mrs. Reilly decides that Ignatius must get a paying job to cover the cost. Of course, Ignatius feels that his mother should cover the cost â but is opposed to any of her means of getting the money (such as a mortgaged on the home) and she cannot come up with the money on her fixed retirement income.
Ignatius reluctantly gets a job at a pants manufacturer doing clerical work. He feels he is way over-qualified for this job and his boss and the company's owner doesn't pay much attention to him â mostly because he doesn't really want the company and spends most of his time fighting with his wife. His only co-worker is an elderly and pretty-much senile woman who desperately wants to retire, but for some reason, the owner's wife has decided that keeping this woman employed is what is keeping her alive.
Ignatius and his mother's encounters with the other people in the New Orleans area seem completely unrelated but eventually they all come together with absurd and hilarious results.
I really enjoyed this book. It's very different â especially since I found myself actually strongly disliking â I'd even be willing to say hating â the protagonist. I will say, that I tended to skip through the sections that were Ignatius' writings â which are really more like ranting. Finding out where the story was going to go was the most fun.
One day while waiting for his widowed mother to finish some shopping, he has an altercation with a local police officer who is sure that he is some sort of communist or other unsavory character. His green hunting cap and flannel shirt and tweed pants didn't do much to make him look savory.
His mother manages to get him released without charges, but as she's attempting to take him home, she runs into a building which causes significant damage to the building. Charges will not be brought if the Reillys pay for the damage. Mrs. Reilly decides that Ignatius must get a paying job to cover the cost. Of course, Ignatius feels that his mother should cover the cost â but is opposed to any of her means of getting the money (such as a mortgaged on the home) and she cannot come up with the money on her fixed retirement income.
Ignatius reluctantly gets a job at a pants manufacturer doing clerical work. He feels he is way over-qualified for this job and his boss and the company's owner doesn't pay much attention to him â mostly because he doesn't really want the company and spends most of his time fighting with his wife. His only co-worker is an elderly and pretty-much senile woman who desperately wants to retire, but for some reason, the owner's wife has decided that keeping this woman employed is what is keeping her alive.
Ignatius and his mother's encounters with the other people in the New Orleans area seem completely unrelated but eventually they all come together with absurd and hilarious results.
I really enjoyed this book. It's very different â especially since I found myself actually strongly disliking â I'd even be willing to say hating â the protagonist. I will say, that I tended to skip through the sections that were Ignatius' writings â which are really more like ranting. Finding out where the story was going to go was the most fun.
Review Date: 3/29/2011
Ms Hickmans book focuses on the lives of five English courtesans: Sophia Baddeley (1745-1786), Eliabeth Armistead (1750-1842), Harriette Wilson (1786-1845), Cora Pearl (1835-1886) and Catherine Walters (1839-1920.) During each of these stories she does spend some time on other courtesans of some name during the existing time frame, but the main focus of each section is the five courtesans she researched and the story of each ones life as a woman of the demi-monde.
The stories of each woman are well told and very interesting. Each ended up as a courtesan for a different reason but found the life of a courtesan one that gave them the independence that they desired. An independent life was one that a respectable woman couldnt have but as a courtesan, it was one that was allowed, although with some restrictions.
A few things were a bit annoying. Like terminology she would refer to the brothels as nunneries with no notes that this was a colloquial term for a brothel at the time. And, along the same lines, the madam of the brothel would be referred to as the abbess. There were some other terminology pieces and cultural norms that could have been better explained.
The thing the author did that I found the most annoying was to present entire conversations or descriptions in French with the English translation following in parenthesis. At one point, she wrote that the English translation was nowhere near as beautiful at the French. Well, I dont speak French and the authors apparent expectation that the readers of this book would speak French was annoying. The untranslatable part was obviously translatable and I understood the translation and found it to be beautifully written. In fact, I didnt read any of the French passages as I dont speak, read or understand French beyond please and thank you. Personally, I would have preferred she do footnotes with the original French for those who would desire to read the passages in their original form. The book is already filled with footnotes and couple more for the original French wouldnt have hurt.
I also think you could skip reading most of the introduction it didnt really add any valuable information to the stories and most of the information was just repeated once you started reading the stories of the courtesans.
Despite all my negatives, I really did enjoy the stories of the woman and what their lives were like.
The stories of each woman are well told and very interesting. Each ended up as a courtesan for a different reason but found the life of a courtesan one that gave them the independence that they desired. An independent life was one that a respectable woman couldnt have but as a courtesan, it was one that was allowed, although with some restrictions.
A few things were a bit annoying. Like terminology she would refer to the brothels as nunneries with no notes that this was a colloquial term for a brothel at the time. And, along the same lines, the madam of the brothel would be referred to as the abbess. There were some other terminology pieces and cultural norms that could have been better explained.
The thing the author did that I found the most annoying was to present entire conversations or descriptions in French with the English translation following in parenthesis. At one point, she wrote that the English translation was nowhere near as beautiful at the French. Well, I dont speak French and the authors apparent expectation that the readers of this book would speak French was annoying. The untranslatable part was obviously translatable and I understood the translation and found it to be beautifully written. In fact, I didnt read any of the French passages as I dont speak, read or understand French beyond please and thank you. Personally, I would have preferred she do footnotes with the original French for those who would desire to read the passages in their original form. The book is already filled with footnotes and couple more for the original French wouldnt have hurt.
I also think you could skip reading most of the introduction it didnt really add any valuable information to the stories and most of the information was just repeated once you started reading the stories of the courtesans.
Despite all my negatives, I really did enjoy the stories of the woman and what their lives were like.
Review Date: 8/3/2008
Helpful Score: 3
A fun read.
Quinn McKenzie breaks up with her long time boyfriend, Coach Bill Hilliard -- the town of Tibbett's championship coach, because she wants to keep the stray dog she has found and she wants something different and more exciting in her life.
Then things do get exciting -- she explores a new old love, buys a house and her ex turns into a stalker determined to win her back. And she's not the ony one in town causing excitement.
Quinn McKenzie breaks up with her long time boyfriend, Coach Bill Hilliard -- the town of Tibbett's championship coach, because she wants to keep the stray dog she has found and she wants something different and more exciting in her life.
Then things do get exciting -- she explores a new old love, buys a house and her ex turns into a stalker determined to win her back. And she's not the ony one in town causing excitement.
Review Date: 9/13/2010
The story opens with the murder of Jacques Sauniere, an elderly curator at the Louvre, who has left behind many clues that lead to who his murderer is. Of course, you have to be able to read the clues and the clues point to two people. One directly points to Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbologist in Paris, who is an expert on symbols. The other indirectly points to his estranged granddaughter Sophie Neveu, who he has essentially raised since the death of her parents when she was a child.
Robert Langdon was supposed to meet with Jacques Sauniere the evening before the discovery of Saunieres murder. That along with the cryptic and macabre message left by Sauniere leads the French police to believe Langdon is the killer. But, Saunieres granddaughter, Sophie, arrives at the Louvre and helps Langdon avoid arrest and together the two scour the city of Paris looking for the clues that will lead them to the real killer.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. Its very fast paced but I was surprised when I read the book to realize that the entire story takes place over the course of a roughly 24-hour period.
A few things kind of drove me nuts. One, if these two people can figure out obscure clues and hints you would think theyd know an armored vehicle has a tracking device. Especially when that armored vehicle is from a vault with the security levels the one they essentially stole it from did. Two, there is something that caused the estrangement between Sophie and her grandfather. Its constantly referred to but it takes forever for Brown to reveal what the thing is. And, what it turns out to be, doesnt seem to be that big of a deal especially since she just chose to not discuss the issue with her grandfather.
There are a lot of symbol references and I liked trying to figure them out. I did figure out one of the symbols before the characters in the book. Im pretty proud of myself for that.
Robert Langdon was supposed to meet with Jacques Sauniere the evening before the discovery of Saunieres murder. That along with the cryptic and macabre message left by Sauniere leads the French police to believe Langdon is the killer. But, Saunieres granddaughter, Sophie, arrives at the Louvre and helps Langdon avoid arrest and together the two scour the city of Paris looking for the clues that will lead them to the real killer.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. Its very fast paced but I was surprised when I read the book to realize that the entire story takes place over the course of a roughly 24-hour period.
A few things kind of drove me nuts. One, if these two people can figure out obscure clues and hints you would think theyd know an armored vehicle has a tracking device. Especially when that armored vehicle is from a vault with the security levels the one they essentially stole it from did. Two, there is something that caused the estrangement between Sophie and her grandfather. Its constantly referred to but it takes forever for Brown to reveal what the thing is. And, what it turns out to be, doesnt seem to be that big of a deal especially since she just chose to not discuss the issue with her grandfather.
There are a lot of symbol references and I liked trying to figure them out. I did figure out one of the symbols before the characters in the book. Im pretty proud of myself for that.
Review Date: 9/16/2010
The second book in the trilogy finds our six circle members continuing their training to battle Lilith, Queen of the Vampires. It is also the love story for Blair and Larkin.
The circle continues to train to defeat the vampires and has some run-ins with them in modern day Ireland. They also prepare for the trip through the Dance to Gaell and the battle with the vampires.
About half-way through the book, they travel through the Dance to Gaell. Here they continue their training and start to train the people of Gaell who will join them in their battle.
I did not enjoy this book as much as the first book. Its really the stepping stone book and while there are a few sporadic battles and we learn more about the evil that is Lilith, theres not much else to expect to happen. Being a traditional Nora Roberts trilogy, we know that somehow Blair and Larkin will marry and because there is a third book, we know the final battle isnt in this story.
The circle continues to train to defeat the vampires and has some run-ins with them in modern day Ireland. They also prepare for the trip through the Dance to Gaell and the battle with the vampires.
About half-way through the book, they travel through the Dance to Gaell. Here they continue their training and start to train the people of Gaell who will join them in their battle.
I did not enjoy this book as much as the first book. Its really the stepping stone book and while there are a few sporadic battles and we learn more about the evil that is Lilith, theres not much else to expect to happen. Being a traditional Nora Roberts trilogy, we know that somehow Blair and Larkin will marry and because there is a third book, we know the final battle isnt in this story.
Review Date: 12/14/2009
This is the first book of the Three Sisters Island Trilogy.
Nell Channing (aka Helen Remington) is running from her rich and abusive husband. She's left their opulent home in California with practically nothing and driven her way across the US. Her final stop is the Three Sisters Island â a resort island a ferry-ride from the mainland of Massachusetts.
Upon her arrival, she is hired to work at the Café Book owned by Mia Devlin. Despite the protests from Lulu, the woman who practically raised her, Mia loans money to Nell and sets her up in a local cottage that she owns.
She also meets Zack Todd, the local sheriff, and his sister, Ripley, who is also the local sheriff's deputy.
Nell's arrival at the island brings the three descendants of the island's original witches.
Mia is an experienced and practicing witch and she begins to teach Nell, but Ripley has long abandoned her powers and despite the fact that she and Mia were once almost inseparable friends, they aren't now.
Plus, there's the fact that Nell is falling in love with Zack. But she is really still married to her abusive husband, Evan Remington, who thinks she died in a horrific car accident.
Once again, another good story by Nora Roberts.
Nell Channing (aka Helen Remington) is running from her rich and abusive husband. She's left their opulent home in California with practically nothing and driven her way across the US. Her final stop is the Three Sisters Island â a resort island a ferry-ride from the mainland of Massachusetts.
Upon her arrival, she is hired to work at the Café Book owned by Mia Devlin. Despite the protests from Lulu, the woman who practically raised her, Mia loans money to Nell and sets her up in a local cottage that she owns.
She also meets Zack Todd, the local sheriff, and his sister, Ripley, who is also the local sheriff's deputy.
Nell's arrival at the island brings the three descendants of the island's original witches.
Mia is an experienced and practicing witch and she begins to teach Nell, but Ripley has long abandoned her powers and despite the fact that she and Mia were once almost inseparable friends, they aren't now.
Plus, there's the fact that Nell is falling in love with Zack. But she is really still married to her abusive husband, Evan Remington, who thinks she died in a horrific car accident.
Once again, another good story by Nora Roberts.
Review Date: 6/25/2011
A friend of mine recommended this series to me about a year ago when I had read the Twilight series and was saying how poorly written the books were. Based on her recommendation, I started to collect the books in the series. It took a while to get a copy of book three, but I now have eight of the nine books, so I decided to get started.
Some background on the brotherhood first. There are seven member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, sworn to protect the vampire civilians from the Lessening Society (members of which are called lessers and can be recognized by their baby powder smell.) The members are Wrath, Darius, Tohrment, Vishous, Rhage, Phury and Zsadist.
This first book is about Wrath the Vampire king, how he came to be king and fell in love with Beth Randall.
The story opens with Darius and Tohrment (Tohr) at a bar waiting for Wrath to join them. Darius has told Tohr that he wants to ask Wrath to meet his daughter who is half-human and has never met him. She is about to turn 25 and he is sure she will go through a transition (as all vampires do at approximately age 25) and become a vampire. Unfortunately, she has been raised as an orphan by humans and knows nothing of her vampire background.
Wrath takes the information from Darius, but does not accept the responsibility immediately. He is not interested in his role as king and this is a responsibility hed rather put on someone else. They leave the bar Wrath to dematerialize back home and Darius to his sports car to drive home. As Wrath is leaving the bar, he is attacked by a lesser who he takes out with a throwing star. Then as he is about to dematerialize and go home, there is an explosion and he discovers that the lessers have blown up Darius and his car.
This action makes him change his mind about meeting Darius daughter, Beth. He decides he will help her through the transition and then be done with her.
Beth Randall has grown up in orphanages. Her mother died from hemorrhaging during her birth and she doesnt know anything about her father. She is now a reporter for the local newspaper. She mostly does editing on other reporters writing but occasionally covers the local crime scene, which has given her an in with two men on the local police force Jose de la Cruz, a police detective, and Brian Butch ONeal, a hard-asses homicide detective (who has a bit of a thing for Beth.)
On the evening that her father is murdered, Beth is sexually assaulted by a local, rich college kid. She manages to get away after throwing some punches of her own but doesnt report the crime until the next morning. In fact, she is somewhat reluctant to report it even though both Jose and Butch know something is up.
Shortly thereafter, Wrath shows up at Beths apartment and Beth thinks that he is one of the men Butch has sent to watch over her. And, instead of just getting to know Beth and helping her through the transition, Wrath falls in love with Beth.
Butch starts to watch Beths apartment and sees Wrath there. He thinks Wrath wants to harm Beth and tries to stop him by having him arrested. Beth is unable to stop him and before Butch can get Wrath into the station and booked, he beats up Butch and escapes with Beth. (And he fails to erase Butchs memory of events, so Butch is still trying to follow him.)
Butch is put on probation from the police force for excessive use of force on a suspect. The suspect in question, the rich kid who had assaulted Beth. Hed reported that hed been assaulted to the police and Butch figures out his story is a lie when Beth reports her assault.
Eventually, Butch follows Beth and ends up at the home where Wrath is living and the other brothers are staying. While there, he meets Marissa the Wraths current partner, although the two have never fully consummated their relationship. He falls in love with her and earns the respect of the rest of the Brothers.
In order for Wrath to get permission from the Scribe Virgin (a spiritual leader, of shorts) to break his relationship with Marissa and marry Beth, he must make a sacrifice that he has been thus far unwilling to take stop fighting and ascend to the throne as the king of the vampires.
Okay, now that Ive practically written the entire story for you, heres what I didnt like about the book. First, the spelling of the names and the need to slap hs in every name. Although, I dont understand why Darius isnt Dahrius or Darhius and Wrath is Rhath or Whrath for that matter. Also, Wrath is blind he can read without a monster magnifying glass but has no problem fighting blind.
The part I liked the least though were the segments about the lessers, who are led by a man named Mr X. Its not a very interesting part of the story other than you know what the enemy is planning and a bit about how the Lessening Society functions. Probably the most annoying thing is the authors apparent refusal to use pronouns for Mr X. So Mr X does this and then Mr X does that and then Mr X get this and Mr X gets that.
What I did like about the book definitely has outweighed the dislikes. The story line is very compelling and characters are called upon to make sacrifices to get the love they want. Wrath must become king if he wants to be able to marry Beth. Beth must leave the life shes known if she wants to live. In fact, in a twist at the end of the story, Darius is going to be allowed to come back so he can see his daughter, but he too will have to make a sacrifice for that to happen.
These sacrifices redeem them and open them up to love.
(Oh, yeah, and theres lots of sex.)
Some background on the brotherhood first. There are seven member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, sworn to protect the vampire civilians from the Lessening Society (members of which are called lessers and can be recognized by their baby powder smell.) The members are Wrath, Darius, Tohrment, Vishous, Rhage, Phury and Zsadist.
This first book is about Wrath the Vampire king, how he came to be king and fell in love with Beth Randall.
The story opens with Darius and Tohrment (Tohr) at a bar waiting for Wrath to join them. Darius has told Tohr that he wants to ask Wrath to meet his daughter who is half-human and has never met him. She is about to turn 25 and he is sure she will go through a transition (as all vampires do at approximately age 25) and become a vampire. Unfortunately, she has been raised as an orphan by humans and knows nothing of her vampire background.
Wrath takes the information from Darius, but does not accept the responsibility immediately. He is not interested in his role as king and this is a responsibility hed rather put on someone else. They leave the bar Wrath to dematerialize back home and Darius to his sports car to drive home. As Wrath is leaving the bar, he is attacked by a lesser who he takes out with a throwing star. Then as he is about to dematerialize and go home, there is an explosion and he discovers that the lessers have blown up Darius and his car.
This action makes him change his mind about meeting Darius daughter, Beth. He decides he will help her through the transition and then be done with her.
Beth Randall has grown up in orphanages. Her mother died from hemorrhaging during her birth and she doesnt know anything about her father. She is now a reporter for the local newspaper. She mostly does editing on other reporters writing but occasionally covers the local crime scene, which has given her an in with two men on the local police force Jose de la Cruz, a police detective, and Brian Butch ONeal, a hard-asses homicide detective (who has a bit of a thing for Beth.)
On the evening that her father is murdered, Beth is sexually assaulted by a local, rich college kid. She manages to get away after throwing some punches of her own but doesnt report the crime until the next morning. In fact, she is somewhat reluctant to report it even though both Jose and Butch know something is up.
Shortly thereafter, Wrath shows up at Beths apartment and Beth thinks that he is one of the men Butch has sent to watch over her. And, instead of just getting to know Beth and helping her through the transition, Wrath falls in love with Beth.
Butch starts to watch Beths apartment and sees Wrath there. He thinks Wrath wants to harm Beth and tries to stop him by having him arrested. Beth is unable to stop him and before Butch can get Wrath into the station and booked, he beats up Butch and escapes with Beth. (And he fails to erase Butchs memory of events, so Butch is still trying to follow him.)
Butch is put on probation from the police force for excessive use of force on a suspect. The suspect in question, the rich kid who had assaulted Beth. Hed reported that hed been assaulted to the police and Butch figures out his story is a lie when Beth reports her assault.
Eventually, Butch follows Beth and ends up at the home where Wrath is living and the other brothers are staying. While there, he meets Marissa the Wraths current partner, although the two have never fully consummated their relationship. He falls in love with her and earns the respect of the rest of the Brothers.
In order for Wrath to get permission from the Scribe Virgin (a spiritual leader, of shorts) to break his relationship with Marissa and marry Beth, he must make a sacrifice that he has been thus far unwilling to take stop fighting and ascend to the throne as the king of the vampires.
Okay, now that Ive practically written the entire story for you, heres what I didnt like about the book. First, the spelling of the names and the need to slap hs in every name. Although, I dont understand why Darius isnt Dahrius or Darhius and Wrath is Rhath or Whrath for that matter. Also, Wrath is blind he can read without a monster magnifying glass but has no problem fighting blind.
The part I liked the least though were the segments about the lessers, who are led by a man named Mr X. Its not a very interesting part of the story other than you know what the enemy is planning and a bit about how the Lessening Society functions. Probably the most annoying thing is the authors apparent refusal to use pronouns for Mr X. So Mr X does this and then Mr X does that and then Mr X get this and Mr X gets that.
What I did like about the book definitely has outweighed the dislikes. The story line is very compelling and characters are called upon to make sacrifices to get the love they want. Wrath must become king if he wants to be able to marry Beth. Beth must leave the life shes known if she wants to live. In fact, in a twist at the end of the story, Darius is going to be allowed to come back so he can see his daughter, but he too will have to make a sacrifice for that to happen.
These sacrifices redeem them and open them up to love.
(Oh, yeah, and theres lots of sex.)
Review Date: 5/31/2009
This is the first book in a series that will follow the Canfield family and associated friends from Jefferson College (soon to be University) in St Louis, Missouri.
It opens with the 1904 Worlds Fair in St Louis and the graduation of the quad quad from Jefferson College. The quad quad is composed of Robert (Bob) Canfield, Terry Perkins, JP Winthrop and David Gelbman. Each of them is about to go their separate ways in the world.
Bob is returning to his familys land in the boot heel of Missouri with plans to drain the swamps that his family now owns. Swamps that used to be forest land that the Canfield family has harvested all the trees. After draining this land, Bob knows they will have the best farmland.
Bob takes on this challenge as well as winning the hand of Connie Bateman, the daughter of the chancellor of Jefferson College.
Terry Perkins is off to become a newspaper reporter. He lands a job with the newest and hottest paper in St Louis, the St Louis Chronicle and soon finds himself reporting on the building of the Panama Canal.
JP Wintrop returns to New York, and despite his mothers objections, takes a position as the art curator for JP Morgan (for whom he was named, as the Morgans are family friends.) His mother wanted him to take a job as a banker, not an art curator. While JP finds his dream job in New York, he is soon to lose his love.
David Gelbman, whose family runs a successful department store in St Louis, is asked by his father to go to Austria and help a cousin at her store of his father after the death of her husband. A husband who made some bad investment decision and has left the family and its business is bad shape.
We will also meet Loomis Booker. A black man who has taken advantage of his situation as the maintenance man at Jefferson College and taught himself nearly all there is to learn at the college by pulling discarding college textbooks and studying from them. e has done this in secret but a select few at the college know of his endeavors and do their best to help him.
Then there is Eric McKenzie. A cowboy at a Montana ranch who leaves with two of his buddies for the Worlds Fair. After the three loose all their money in a theft and his two buddies are killed in a botched train robbery, Eric changes his last name to Twainbough and continues on to St Louis by joining up with some hoboes. His experience as a cowboy makes him a hero when an act in the Wild Bill Western Show doesnt go as planned and Eric steps in to save the day. He is asked to join the show and goes on to become one of the stars of the show.
This is an enjoyable book and the different stories are tied together very well. The characters are well written and set up to carry the series forward.
It opens with the 1904 Worlds Fair in St Louis and the graduation of the quad quad from Jefferson College. The quad quad is composed of Robert (Bob) Canfield, Terry Perkins, JP Winthrop and David Gelbman. Each of them is about to go their separate ways in the world.
Bob is returning to his familys land in the boot heel of Missouri with plans to drain the swamps that his family now owns. Swamps that used to be forest land that the Canfield family has harvested all the trees. After draining this land, Bob knows they will have the best farmland.
Bob takes on this challenge as well as winning the hand of Connie Bateman, the daughter of the chancellor of Jefferson College.
Terry Perkins is off to become a newspaper reporter. He lands a job with the newest and hottest paper in St Louis, the St Louis Chronicle and soon finds himself reporting on the building of the Panama Canal.
JP Wintrop returns to New York, and despite his mothers objections, takes a position as the art curator for JP Morgan (for whom he was named, as the Morgans are family friends.) His mother wanted him to take a job as a banker, not an art curator. While JP finds his dream job in New York, he is soon to lose his love.
David Gelbman, whose family runs a successful department store in St Louis, is asked by his father to go to Austria and help a cousin at her store of his father after the death of her husband. A husband who made some bad investment decision and has left the family and its business is bad shape.
We will also meet Loomis Booker. A black man who has taken advantage of his situation as the maintenance man at Jefferson College and taught himself nearly all there is to learn at the college by pulling discarding college textbooks and studying from them. e has done this in secret but a select few at the college know of his endeavors and do their best to help him.
Then there is Eric McKenzie. A cowboy at a Montana ranch who leaves with two of his buddies for the Worlds Fair. After the three loose all their money in a theft and his two buddies are killed in a botched train robbery, Eric changes his last name to Twainbough and continues on to St Louis by joining up with some hoboes. His experience as a cowboy makes him a hero when an act in the Wild Bill Western Show doesnt go as planned and Eric steps in to save the day. He is asked to join the show and goes on to become one of the stars of the show.
This is an enjoyable book and the different stories are tied together very well. The characters are well written and set up to carry the series forward.
Review Date: 2/13/2011
The fourth book of the Garnet Lacey series brings us to Garnets wedding to Sebastian.
Everything is set for Garnets wedding, well, everything except acceptance from Sebastians son, Matayas. Then everything starts to go wrong caters cancel, the wrong dresses are shipped, the band cancels and, to top it off, Sebastians former love (and Matayas mother), Tereza show up to fight for her man.
And, Garnets parents arrive to help her with the wedding. Of course, the introductions didnt go that well especially since Garnet blurted that Sebastian was a vampire during the introductions and then Tereza appeared to reclaim Sebastian at dinner.
Now, Garnet has to re-do all her wedding plans which is less than two weeks away and find a way to help Tereza. And, she finds herself questioning whether or not she really knows Sebastian well enough to marry him.
I really enjoy this series a lot of fun little twists and turns on the way to a wedding.
Everything is set for Garnets wedding, well, everything except acceptance from Sebastians son, Matayas. Then everything starts to go wrong caters cancel, the wrong dresses are shipped, the band cancels and, to top it off, Sebastians former love (and Matayas mother), Tereza show up to fight for her man.
And, Garnets parents arrive to help her with the wedding. Of course, the introductions didnt go that well especially since Garnet blurted that Sebastian was a vampire during the introductions and then Tereza appeared to reclaim Sebastian at dinner.
Now, Garnet has to re-do all her wedding plans which is less than two weeks away and find a way to help Tereza. And, she finds herself questioning whether or not she really knows Sebastian well enough to marry him.
I really enjoy this series a lot of fun little twists and turns on the way to a wedding.
Review Date: 5/31/2009
This is the second book in the series (Tall, Dark and Dead was the first) and Garnet is trying her best to develop her relationship with Sebastian Von Traum. But the others in her life like her vampire, ex-boyfriend, Daniel Parrish, and an FBI investigator looking for the killer of the Vatican agents back in Minneapolis are causing problems.
And, then there are the zombies that keep popping up around Madison.
Oh, yeah, and she still needs to keep the Goddess Lilith suppressed.
Once again, another fun and light read. Well written and entertaining.
I look forward to the next book in the series.
And, then there are the zombies that keep popping up around Madison.
Oh, yeah, and she still needs to keep the Goddess Lilith suppressed.
Once again, another fun and light read. Well written and entertaining.
I look forward to the next book in the series.
Review Date: 12/14/2009
Helpful Score: 1
In 1983, the three Hathaway brothers â Jed, 8, Matt, 6 and Andrew, 4 â disappeared along the banks of the Mississippi. Two of the boys baseball caps were found, but not other sign of the boys, including their bodies is every recovered. Authorities believe the boys drowned, but their mother never loses hope that they are still alive.
Anchorman Alex Collier's career as the top anchorman at a Twin Cities television station is being threatened and he is trying to re-exam what he really wants to do with his career. It's the 15th anniversary of the boys disappearance and a former news reporter encourages him to open the case and do some investigative reporting on the case.
Alex convinces the station to let him pursue the story and a reward is offered for information. His investigation leads him down paths that were previously not explored by the authorities and endanger not just him, but his girlfriend and the family of the boys, who now have two elementary school-age daughters.
I really enjoyed this book. It's very well written and is based on a true story that happened in Minnesota in 1951 when the three young sons of Betty and Kenneth Klein disappeared. They have yet to be found and their parents continue to hope that they might still be alive.
Anchorman Alex Collier's career as the top anchorman at a Twin Cities television station is being threatened and he is trying to re-exam what he really wants to do with his career. It's the 15th anniversary of the boys disappearance and a former news reporter encourages him to open the case and do some investigative reporting on the case.
Alex convinces the station to let him pursue the story and a reward is offered for information. His investigation leads him down paths that were previously not explored by the authorities and endanger not just him, but his girlfriend and the family of the boys, who now have two elementary school-age daughters.
I really enjoyed this book. It's very well written and is based on a true story that happened in Minnesota in 1951 when the three young sons of Betty and Kenneth Klein disappeared. They have yet to be found and their parents continue to hope that they might still be alive.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
1968
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
1968
Review Date: 2/17/2009
Helpful Score: 3
A very interesting look at the building and execution of 1992 World's Fair in Chicago and the life of a serial killer, HH Holmes, living in Chicago who took advantage of his proximity to the fair to feed his psychopathic desires.
I enjoyed the book, but it did take me some time to get into the book. Larson spends a great deal of time developing the background of the characters in the book (the architects for the World's Fair and HH Holmes.)
He moves back and forth between the two stories. The biggest problem for me was that the moves weren't always during the same time frame, as the early story of HH Holmes started before the World's Fair was even an idea. So you will find yourself reading about things from HH Holmes life in 1885 after reading about something with the World's Fair from 1890.
The most interesting thing to me was the fact that the view of "kids these days" enabled HH Holmes to really get away with murder. (And that we still think "kids these days.")
I enjoyed the book, but it did take me some time to get into the book. Larson spends a great deal of time developing the background of the characters in the book (the architects for the World's Fair and HH Holmes.)
He moves back and forth between the two stories. The biggest problem for me was that the moves weren't always during the same time frame, as the early story of HH Holmes started before the World's Fair was even an idea. So you will find yourself reading about things from HH Holmes life in 1885 after reading about something with the World's Fair from 1890.
The most interesting thing to me was the fact that the view of "kids these days" enabled HH Holmes to really get away with murder. (And that we still think "kids these days.")
Review Date: 7/29/2008
When I first started this book, I thought there was no way I was going to be able to read it. Way too much detail about a two hour drive through NYC.
Luckily, I plugged on and found the book to be a very interesting look at what is considered great experience and resume building work at a NY magazine company -- the ability to buy coffee and donuts and colate piles of paper.
The end of the book was great. Something tells me all of us have had a boos we would have liked to just tell off and walk away from.
Luckily, I plugged on and found the book to be a very interesting look at what is considered great experience and resume building work at a NY magazine company -- the ability to buy coffee and donuts and colate piles of paper.
The end of the book was great. Something tells me all of us have had a boos we would have liked to just tell off and walk away from.
Review Date: 3/8/2011
Helpful Score: 1
I broke one my rules about reading books that are part of a series with this book I havent read book one and this is book two. As with most series, the book does stand alone, but I think there are some things that may have made more sense if Id read book #1 first.
That said, I enjoyed the story. Alexis Peterson has recently joined a new soap cast. She left her last soap because her cast mates thought she had killed a co-star and she couldnt continue to work with people who thought she was capable of murder. (Apparently, shes not one to be believe that under the right circumstances, anyone could kill someone.) She is about to do an award presentation at the Daytime Emmy Awards with her co-star, Jackson Masters, the first presentation of the show. But hes missing, until he suddenly shows up dangling and bleeding on her from above the stage at the award show.
The same detective that she met in the first story, Detective Frank Jakes, and his partner are investigating this murder. This time, Alexis is not a suspect. But Alexis has gotten the detective bug and her strong feelings for Detective Frank Jakes lead her to help with the murder investigation. Her assistance is wanted by Jakes, but his partner and supervisor want her to have nothing to do with the investigation.
Her ex, Randy, has also come back and is demanding to see their daughter. Alexis wants him to have nothing to do with her. Afterall, he walked out on them with her money three years ago and she hasnt seen him since.
Overall, its a great little cozy mystery and fun to read. The one thing that bothered me was that she kept referring to her daughter as her sweet little girl. I think her overall actions and interactions with her daughter made me know she loved her daughter it was like she had to beat it over my head that she loves her daughter.
That said, I enjoyed the story. Alexis Peterson has recently joined a new soap cast. She left her last soap because her cast mates thought she had killed a co-star and she couldnt continue to work with people who thought she was capable of murder. (Apparently, shes not one to be believe that under the right circumstances, anyone could kill someone.) She is about to do an award presentation at the Daytime Emmy Awards with her co-star, Jackson Masters, the first presentation of the show. But hes missing, until he suddenly shows up dangling and bleeding on her from above the stage at the award show.
The same detective that she met in the first story, Detective Frank Jakes, and his partner are investigating this murder. This time, Alexis is not a suspect. But Alexis has gotten the detective bug and her strong feelings for Detective Frank Jakes lead her to help with the murder investigation. Her assistance is wanted by Jakes, but his partner and supervisor want her to have nothing to do with the investigation.
Her ex, Randy, has also come back and is demanding to see their daughter. Alexis wants him to have nothing to do with her. Afterall, he walked out on them with her money three years ago and she hasnt seen him since.
Overall, its a great little cozy mystery and fun to read. The one thing that bothered me was that she kept referring to her daughter as her sweet little girl. I think her overall actions and interactions with her daughter made me know she loved her daughter it was like she had to beat it over my head that she loves her daughter.
Review Date: 12/30/2009
Helpful Score: 1
Marta Nederman, a Nazi resistance fighter from Krakow, Poland, has survived being captured and tortured by the Nazis, been rescued by some American soldiers and is recovering at a refugee camp in Austria. Her family and friends, as far as she knows are all casualties of the war and she needs to restart her life again.
She develops a friendship with Rose, another concentration camp survivor, and Dava, her nurse, at the refugee camp. She spends most of her days with Rose, who is struggling to recover so that she can move to London to live with her Aunt Delia.
One day, Paul Mattison, one of the American soldiers who rescued her from the Nazi concentration camp, showed up at the refugee camp. She convinces Dava to let her break curfew to spend a late evening with Paul and a storm forces them to spend the evening together.
When she gets back, she learns that her friend Rose has died and Dava convinces her that she needs to travel as Rose and use her visa to go to London. She can tell Rose's Aunt about Rose's death and then decide what to do with the rest of her life. The fact that she has no family left in Europe or relatives in the United States convinces her to do this. The problem is that Rose's visa expires in the next days and she must leave immediately for London, via Paris.
Her train is late to Paris and she is unable to use the visa before it expires. While in Paris she runs into Paul Mattison again. He entertains her and helps her to get an extension on the visa so that she can go to London. Before she leaves, Paul proposes marriage and agrees to meet her in London in a few weeks.
On the crossing to London, she meets Simon Gold, a diplomat with the British Embassy. When he learns that she speaks fluent Polish, he offers her a job at the British consulate and gives her his card.
She gets to Rose's Aunt Delia's home and gives her the bad news. Delia offers to let Marta stay with her until she can be reunited with Paul. But Paul's plane crashes on the way to London from Paris and now Marta is alone and pregnant.
She goes to work for Simon at the embassy and soon Simon courts her and she decides to accept his marriage proposal. She continues to work after their daughter is born. One day, the name of a former colleague of hers in the resistance is named as a contact that they need to find to get information to stop the communist threat in Eastern Europe.
Against Simon's wishes, she agrees to take on this assignment. This decision turns her world upside down and she has to play a role in finding the mole in the embassy as well as getting in contact with her former Resistance colleague.
I really enjoyed this book and felt the story was very well told. There are a number twists to the story and what happens, although I was a bit disappointed that I knew who the mole was almost immediately when it was brought up. The revelation in the story of who the mole is and why was not exactly what I'd expected. But the main theme of this story seems to be one of trust â who can you trust and how do you know who that person is?
She develops a friendship with Rose, another concentration camp survivor, and Dava, her nurse, at the refugee camp. She spends most of her days with Rose, who is struggling to recover so that she can move to London to live with her Aunt Delia.
One day, Paul Mattison, one of the American soldiers who rescued her from the Nazi concentration camp, showed up at the refugee camp. She convinces Dava to let her break curfew to spend a late evening with Paul and a storm forces them to spend the evening together.
When she gets back, she learns that her friend Rose has died and Dava convinces her that she needs to travel as Rose and use her visa to go to London. She can tell Rose's Aunt about Rose's death and then decide what to do with the rest of her life. The fact that she has no family left in Europe or relatives in the United States convinces her to do this. The problem is that Rose's visa expires in the next days and she must leave immediately for London, via Paris.
Her train is late to Paris and she is unable to use the visa before it expires. While in Paris she runs into Paul Mattison again. He entertains her and helps her to get an extension on the visa so that she can go to London. Before she leaves, Paul proposes marriage and agrees to meet her in London in a few weeks.
On the crossing to London, she meets Simon Gold, a diplomat with the British Embassy. When he learns that she speaks fluent Polish, he offers her a job at the British consulate and gives her his card.
She gets to Rose's Aunt Delia's home and gives her the bad news. Delia offers to let Marta stay with her until she can be reunited with Paul. But Paul's plane crashes on the way to London from Paris and now Marta is alone and pregnant.
She goes to work for Simon at the embassy and soon Simon courts her and she decides to accept his marriage proposal. She continues to work after their daughter is born. One day, the name of a former colleague of hers in the resistance is named as a contact that they need to find to get information to stop the communist threat in Eastern Europe.
Against Simon's wishes, she agrees to take on this assignment. This decision turns her world upside down and she has to play a role in finding the mole in the embassy as well as getting in contact with her former Resistance colleague.
I really enjoyed this book and felt the story was very well told. There are a number twists to the story and what happens, although I was a bit disappointed that I knew who the mole was almost immediately when it was brought up. The revelation in the story of who the mole is and why was not exactly what I'd expected. But the main theme of this story seems to be one of trust â who can you trust and how do you know who that person is?
Review Date: 1/5/2011
In the US today, most do not dream of leaving their homes unless they have first showered and perfumed their bodies. But this hasnt always been the case and its not necessarily because the bathing facilities arent available. Believe it or not, there was actually a time when water was to be avoided and that the best way to clean oneself was by wearing linen.
Ms Ashenburg takes us through the history of bathing from Roman times where is was a daily and social ritual to the Dark Ages when water was thought to cause ill-helath to the modern times where if you go out smelling like yourself you have finished your grooming.
A well written book with several side stories about washing methods and beliefs about cleanliness.
Ms Ashenburg takes us through the history of bathing from Roman times where is was a daily and social ritual to the Dark Ages when water was thought to cause ill-helath to the modern times where if you go out smelling like yourself you have finished your grooming.
A well written book with several side stories about washing methods and beliefs about cleanliness.
Review Date: 7/26/2009
Helpful Score: 7
Mark Doty is a professor and has published books of poetry and non-fiction prose. This is a memoir of his life with Beau, a golden retriever he adopted from an animal shelter to be a companion for his dying partner, Wally. The two already owned another dog, Arden.
He writes about how the dogs helped him through his darkest days after the death of Wally and as he moved on to a new relationship with Paul, as well as the lessons he learned from them.
This was a book for my book club, so it's definitely something I wouldn't have chosen to read on my own. I enjoyed parts of the book but I felt like he kind of bounced around in time. He would be talking about what was happening at that point and bring up something that would happen in the future. For me, that made parts of the story rather jerky.
He also incorporated a lot of Emily Dickinson's poetry. I'm not a poetry fan and have very little knowledge of the genre. Maybe I would have enjoyed these segments more if I was more familiar with Dickson and other poets or just enjoyed poetry more.
There were a couple points in the story where I just found the author to be annoying. One was when he, Paul, their two cats and the two dogs move to live in Iowa City while he works for a semester (or two) at the University of Iowa. The University helps him to find temporary housing and in doing so, tells him he needs to lie to the person he will be renting the home from and say he has a small dog. He's not comfortable with this, but the person at the University assures him this is the only way she will be able to secure him housing that will allow all the pets.
The owner is living someone else during this time, so they are moving into a furnished home and the owner has some fairly explicit directions about how she would like things maintained so the animal doesn't (or should we say "animals don't") damage anything. The author belittles the owners desire to maintain and care for her furnishings because they aren't all that valuable and says they are lower quality that Ikea. As if only high-end and expensive furnishings should be maintained. At this point, he's already written about how he's felt suicidal at times and wants the reader to feel some empathy for him, but he can't come up with empathy for someone who may have purchased the best furnishings for their home that they can and understand why they would want to return home to find these items still in good condition.
The other incident that sticks out takes place in New York. Another dog is waiting outside a store for its owner and comes up to Beau and the two are doing the doggy get-to-know-you routine when the female owner comes out and, in a tone that the author interprets, as snippy, orders her dog to come along. He attributes this to the woman thinking that he (a gay man) is looking to hit on her or that she doesn't want her dog to socialize. It never crosses his mind that the women knows he's gay so doesn't see this as him hitting on her and that she's just in a hurry to get home. Maybe she has a deathly ill parent at home or a sick child. Perhaps she was just diagnosed with a terminal illness. Maybe she's just having a bad day and wants to get home and take a bath. But those options aren't presented -- it's purely about the person not wanting to be around him or his dog.
It's not a bad book. Perhaps a dog owner would like it better.
He writes about how the dogs helped him through his darkest days after the death of Wally and as he moved on to a new relationship with Paul, as well as the lessons he learned from them.
This was a book for my book club, so it's definitely something I wouldn't have chosen to read on my own. I enjoyed parts of the book but I felt like he kind of bounced around in time. He would be talking about what was happening at that point and bring up something that would happen in the future. For me, that made parts of the story rather jerky.
He also incorporated a lot of Emily Dickinson's poetry. I'm not a poetry fan and have very little knowledge of the genre. Maybe I would have enjoyed these segments more if I was more familiar with Dickson and other poets or just enjoyed poetry more.
There were a couple points in the story where I just found the author to be annoying. One was when he, Paul, their two cats and the two dogs move to live in Iowa City while he works for a semester (or two) at the University of Iowa. The University helps him to find temporary housing and in doing so, tells him he needs to lie to the person he will be renting the home from and say he has a small dog. He's not comfortable with this, but the person at the University assures him this is the only way she will be able to secure him housing that will allow all the pets.
The owner is living someone else during this time, so they are moving into a furnished home and the owner has some fairly explicit directions about how she would like things maintained so the animal doesn't (or should we say "animals don't") damage anything. The author belittles the owners desire to maintain and care for her furnishings because they aren't all that valuable and says they are lower quality that Ikea. As if only high-end and expensive furnishings should be maintained. At this point, he's already written about how he's felt suicidal at times and wants the reader to feel some empathy for him, but he can't come up with empathy for someone who may have purchased the best furnishings for their home that they can and understand why they would want to return home to find these items still in good condition.
The other incident that sticks out takes place in New York. Another dog is waiting outside a store for its owner and comes up to Beau and the two are doing the doggy get-to-know-you routine when the female owner comes out and, in a tone that the author interprets, as snippy, orders her dog to come along. He attributes this to the woman thinking that he (a gay man) is looking to hit on her or that she doesn't want her dog to socialize. It never crosses his mind that the women knows he's gay so doesn't see this as him hitting on her and that she's just in a hurry to get home. Maybe she has a deathly ill parent at home or a sick child. Perhaps she was just diagnosed with a terminal illness. Maybe she's just having a bad day and wants to get home and take a bath. But those options aren't presented -- it's purely about the person not wanting to be around him or his dog.
It's not a bad book. Perhaps a dog owner would like it better.
Review Date: 12/7/2009
Lucy Armstrong directs television commercials and she's just been recruited to finish an action movie shoot. Despite the fact that she actually likes doing commercials and living in New York, everyone keeps calling this her âbig break.â
The stunt director for the film is her ex-husband and the lead actor has just brought on a Green Beret, JT Wilder, as an advisor â and is paying for the Green Beret out of his own pocket. Plus, her sister, Daisy, and young niece, Pepper, are the real reason she accepted the job â they called her and Pepper was in tears asking for her.
When she arrives, pretty much everyone on the movie set has quit and she's getting strange phone calls from the producer demanding that she finish the filming on schedule or he will sue her. Plus, the scene that's being filmed doesn't match with the rest of the storyline â which is a romantic comedy and has no other action scenes. And, a leading man who has inexplicably become a spy.
Lucy and JT start trying to figure out why the filming has changed so much and why someone is sabotaging the shot and causing major catastrophies on the set.
I've enjoyed all the other Jennifer Crusie stories that I've read and this my first Crusie/Mayer collaboration. The story is well written and I did like the story, but it got a bit confusing as to what was going on with the who's trying to do what.
The stunt director for the film is her ex-husband and the lead actor has just brought on a Green Beret, JT Wilder, as an advisor â and is paying for the Green Beret out of his own pocket. Plus, her sister, Daisy, and young niece, Pepper, are the real reason she accepted the job â they called her and Pepper was in tears asking for her.
When she arrives, pretty much everyone on the movie set has quit and she's getting strange phone calls from the producer demanding that she finish the filming on schedule or he will sue her. Plus, the scene that's being filmed doesn't match with the rest of the storyline â which is a romantic comedy and has no other action scenes. And, a leading man who has inexplicably become a spy.
Lucy and JT start trying to figure out why the filming has changed so much and why someone is sabotaging the shot and causing major catastrophies on the set.
I've enjoyed all the other Jennifer Crusie stories that I've read and this my first Crusie/Mayer collaboration. The story is well written and I did like the story, but it got a bit confusing as to what was going on with the who's trying to do what.
Review Date: 8/3/2010
After three not-so-good books in a row, Ive gone back to reading the Twilight series. Well, that, and I borrowed this book from a friends daughter and Id like to get it back to her quickly. She obviously likes the book and has read it often the spine is broken in at least two places and there are several torn pages. (Or should I say, she likes the story she doesnt seem to care as much about the book itself.)
The third installment of the Twilight series and its Bella and Edwards senior year of high school. Most teens are excited about their senior year and happily applying for admission to college, but not our little Bella. No, shes enduring being grounded (for her little romp to Italy) and being forced to apply for many colleges -- besides the one in Alaska that she believes she and Edward should attend. Edward even gets her to apply to Ivy League schools like Dartmouth.
This sounds like a great idea to someone who doesnt know the story, but its not. Bella doesnt want to go to college no she still wants to be killed and made a vampire. Bellas only reason for going to college is so she can be away from her family for the transformation from human to vampire. Since this transition that will take some time, Bella really has no intention of actually attending college. Strangely, this makes Bellas point that attending the less expensive college in Alaska is the better choice. Of course, Edward wont do allow the transformation unless she marries him.
Plus, theres Jacob Black the werewolf that is in love with her. Of course, Bella, umph, loves Jacob, too. But Jacob being a werewolf is the mortal enemy of Edward because hes a vampire. Edward doesnt want Bella to spend any time with Jacob which annoys Bella and becomes an issue when one of the conditions for the ending of her grounding by her father is that she spend more time with other people, such as Jacob. And, of course, Jacob is going to fight to get Bella to pick him. (Why he wants the whiney twit is just beyond me.)
Then there is the serial killer, or is it killers, that are loose in Seattle. Eventually we learn that the killings are being committed by newborn vampires who are out of control and being led by Victoria who still wants to avenge the death of James by killing Bella.
This bring the Cullen vampire family to amend their pact with the Quileute werewolves and join forces to battle the newborn vampires and Victoria when they come to Forks to kill Bella.
This is the basic storyline its not a bad story, really. But by now, we know how beautiful Edward and all the other Cullens are and if we missed it one of the other 5,436 times that Ms Meyers told us in the previous books, she makes sure that we get at least 2,356 more mentions of their beauty. (I wonder what the binding on Ms Meyers looks like? Is it broken in multiple places or just by beautiful?)
The real disappointment is that the authors writing has shown absolutely no signs of improving. The story drags through an inordinate amount of dialog involve Bellas angst over her love for Jacob vs her love for Edward. And her angst over becoming a vampire. And her aversion to marrying Edward. And her desire to not attend any college except that one in Alaska. All this just delays getting to the battle at the end of the story. A good chunk of rain forest could have been saved if this book were 100-pages shorter, which it could easily have been with some decent editing.
The good news theres only one book left.
The third installment of the Twilight series and its Bella and Edwards senior year of high school. Most teens are excited about their senior year and happily applying for admission to college, but not our little Bella. No, shes enduring being grounded (for her little romp to Italy) and being forced to apply for many colleges -- besides the one in Alaska that she believes she and Edward should attend. Edward even gets her to apply to Ivy League schools like Dartmouth.
This sounds like a great idea to someone who doesnt know the story, but its not. Bella doesnt want to go to college no she still wants to be killed and made a vampire. Bellas only reason for going to college is so she can be away from her family for the transformation from human to vampire. Since this transition that will take some time, Bella really has no intention of actually attending college. Strangely, this makes Bellas point that attending the less expensive college in Alaska is the better choice. Of course, Edward wont do allow the transformation unless she marries him.
Plus, theres Jacob Black the werewolf that is in love with her. Of course, Bella, umph, loves Jacob, too. But Jacob being a werewolf is the mortal enemy of Edward because hes a vampire. Edward doesnt want Bella to spend any time with Jacob which annoys Bella and becomes an issue when one of the conditions for the ending of her grounding by her father is that she spend more time with other people, such as Jacob. And, of course, Jacob is going to fight to get Bella to pick him. (Why he wants the whiney twit is just beyond me.)
Then there is the serial killer, or is it killers, that are loose in Seattle. Eventually we learn that the killings are being committed by newborn vampires who are out of control and being led by Victoria who still wants to avenge the death of James by killing Bella.
This bring the Cullen vampire family to amend their pact with the Quileute werewolves and join forces to battle the newborn vampires and Victoria when they come to Forks to kill Bella.
This is the basic storyline its not a bad story, really. But by now, we know how beautiful Edward and all the other Cullens are and if we missed it one of the other 5,436 times that Ms Meyers told us in the previous books, she makes sure that we get at least 2,356 more mentions of their beauty. (I wonder what the binding on Ms Meyers looks like? Is it broken in multiple places or just by beautiful?)
The real disappointment is that the authors writing has shown absolutely no signs of improving. The story drags through an inordinate amount of dialog involve Bellas angst over her love for Jacob vs her love for Edward. And her angst over becoming a vampire. And her aversion to marrying Edward. And her desire to not attend any college except that one in Alaska. All this just delays getting to the battle at the end of the story. A good chunk of rain forest could have been saved if this book were 100-pages shorter, which it could easily have been with some decent editing.
The good news theres only one book left.
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