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Review Date: 2/8/2012
"Fashionable New York in the 1870's." This book was, like many classics, a little hard to get into. Im usually not one to enjoy reading the classics as there are too many words and descriptive anecdotes that pass me by. And being a slow reader it is tedious, sometimes, to picture in my mind what the author is trying to convey, especially since I did not live during those times. However, once into the story I wanted to learn more; I wanted to see what was going to happen next and the prose didnt seem as cumbersome after that.
I cant say it was one of my most favorite books, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It was an interesting look into the society of the day and having lived in New England most of my life, visiting New York and Boston quite frequently, I can now see that money and society are still alive and well in the Big Apple, even though not as apparent unless you are looking for it. Perhaps the theater areas and around the mansions you might catch a glimpse now and then of old money society: limos, diamond-studded ladies wearing elegant furs, and every now and then someone like the Wellands and Archers with their protruding noses a little higher in the air than those around them. Ah, New York. There is no place like it. Visit sometime if you've never been there! It's a wonderful, fun look at Americana.
I cant say it was one of my most favorite books, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It was an interesting look into the society of the day and having lived in New England most of my life, visiting New York and Boston quite frequently, I can now see that money and society are still alive and well in the Big Apple, even though not as apparent unless you are looking for it. Perhaps the theater areas and around the mansions you might catch a glimpse now and then of old money society: limos, diamond-studded ladies wearing elegant furs, and every now and then someone like the Wellands and Archers with their protruding noses a little higher in the air than those around them. Ah, New York. There is no place like it. Visit sometime if you've never been there! It's a wonderful, fun look at Americana.
Review Date: 5/21/2009
Helpful Score: 1
I love how Austin pulled her characters together. Her thread through the years doesnt miss a beat. A wonderful example of how the choices of one generation impact subsequent generations. The saying Let it begin with me comes to mind as these three generations of women share a common thread. I truly enjoyed her style, her story and how redemption and forgiveness overcome the incredible obstacles faced by this family. Highly recommended.
Review Date: 12/1/2007
Another incredible Francine Rivers novel. A must-read. I couldn't put it down. "This Book is a powerful and almost prophetic statement of the church in America..."--Anne Graham Lotz
Review Date: 4/14/2007
Different, but very interesting. Heartwarming and touching to say the least. One woman fights against racial prejudice to raise an orphaned boy.
Review Date: 7/15/2012
Helpful Score: 3
This was an incredible read. I was hooked after the first page and read the first 100 pages without interruption I couldnt put it down! An up close look at the terrors of amnesia. Very real. A great read for anyone who is even the least bit curious about the workings of the mind when something goes wrong. We are all too ready to accept that the mind is always there for us. To think otherwise would cause us to investigate, and possibly try to imagine, what it would be like if it happened to us or to someone we loved. And we dont really want to know or do we?
Review Date: 12/11/2006
3rd book in the series. Good storyline, great characters. I enjoyed reading the entire Desert Roses series.
Review Date: 12/21/2009
Helpful Score: 1
One thing about real life is that there are many aspects of it that are unpredictable with twists and turns over which we have no control. Life does not always turn out the way we want. Some call it fate, others call it faith.
But an authorâ¦ah, authors hold the hands of fate and faith. Where one's life is controlled by destiny, in a book one's life takes on the whims and wishes of the storyteller, thereby making it possible for endings to be just as they should (or maybe as they shouldn't), predictable sometimes and tragic others.
I love books, I guess, because life doesn't always play out the way it was intended. It is many times predictable, but often times not so much. In Blessings, you can easily predict the âcorrectâ ending: Skip falls in love with Jennifer, they raise an abandoned baby as their own in a huge estate left to them by the softening heart of a gentle old lady (who, by the way, hasn't been gentle in decades), and they live happily ever after. Now it is up to you, the reader, to hear the loud whisper of life as the author redefines it to discover if that happily-ever-after actually occurs. Or does the author allow fate to determine the outcome. It's a compelling tale of how one young girl's decision so dramatically affects the lives of so many. You MUST read Blessings and give your heart a little exercise.
But an authorâ¦ah, authors hold the hands of fate and faith. Where one's life is controlled by destiny, in a book one's life takes on the whims and wishes of the storyteller, thereby making it possible for endings to be just as they should (or maybe as they shouldn't), predictable sometimes and tragic others.
I love books, I guess, because life doesn't always play out the way it was intended. It is many times predictable, but often times not so much. In Blessings, you can easily predict the âcorrectâ ending: Skip falls in love with Jennifer, they raise an abandoned baby as their own in a huge estate left to them by the softening heart of a gentle old lady (who, by the way, hasn't been gentle in decades), and they live happily ever after. Now it is up to you, the reader, to hear the loud whisper of life as the author redefines it to discover if that happily-ever-after actually occurs. Or does the author allow fate to determine the outcome. It's a compelling tale of how one young girl's decision so dramatically affects the lives of so many. You MUST read Blessings and give your heart a little exercise.
Review Date: 9/28/2008
Helpful Score: 4
I need to start with a few quotes: "Powerful and unsettling...As memorable an introduction to the subject as The Diary of Anne Frank." -- USA Today. "Deeply affecting...Beautiful and sparely written." -- The Wall Street Journal. "Sure to take readers' breath away." -- Publishers Weekly. I couldn't put it down. Bruno will win your heart with his 9-year-old innocence during a time of upheaval in Nazi Germany. "Soon to be a Major Motion Picture" - I wanted to read the book first. Quick read, but the author captured the day in a most effective way: life outside and inside a concentration camp seen through the eyes of a child. It's a must read before the movie comes out in the Fall of 2008.
Review Date: 4/28/2006
Helpful Score: 3
Intriguing - true Grisham. 3 judges in a medium-security federal prison call themselves the Brethren. Together they fine-tune a mail scam, but their little scam goes awry. Fast read - holds your interest.
Review Date: 12/11/2006
Good novella. It reflects a realistic view of early love and marriage and the struggles young couples face today. Very fast read.
Review Date: 6/1/2012
Helpful Score: 2
Excellent started the third book the minute I finished this one! You just can't put it down.
Review Date: 7/27/2012
Helpful Score: 2
My preference is a novel written in the first person, but once into this story I enjoyed the authors script. The story itself was fascinating. It is difficult to tell at the beginning where the story is going, but I found the characters fun and mysterious so I was able to stick with it. I was surprised at the turn the story took, tying everything together. But it wasnt until the end that it all made sense, or most of it anyway. Told by the man that was once a young boy, flash forwards, I guess you would call them, to the present time made an interesting point of view and perspective. I would recommend this book to others, but it may not be the type of prose for everyone.
Review Date: 4/28/2006
My favorite. A powerful story of a man facing the death penalty. Can his young, liberal Chicago lawyer grandson save Sam Cayhall's life? Compelling and moving story as these two find each other. You definitely won't put this one down!
Review Date: 5/27/2006
Your heart will be torn as you read this true life story of one child's dramatic struggle to survive severe abuse. Dave Pelzer tells this heart-wrenching story of his early childhood. This book is not for everyone. It could be too difficult for some to read.
Review Date: 3/27/2007
Helpful Score: 1
Wonderful follow up to The Christmas Shoes. Watch young Nathan as he goes to college and battles his loss all over again as he studies to be a doctor. Very well written.
Review Date: 3/27/2007
Interesting spin. The author introduces us to a different family whose lives cross the path of Dr. Nathan Andrews. Heartwarming and inspiring ending to the trilogy.
Review Date: 3/27/2007
I bawled my eyes out! Great story inspired by the song. Inspiring stories, all 3. This is the story of the Love that came down from Heaven on Christmas Day and the never ending hope He brings for tomorrow.
Review Date: 4/28/2006
Legal thriller. 11-year old Mark Sway and his younger brother chance upon a suicide lawyer and Mark witnesses a gruesome scene. He is left knowing a "bloody and explosive secret." The mob will stop at nothing to keep him quiet. Complex crime adventure.
Review Date: 10/13/2012
I didnt think I was going to like this book at first. It was slow going with lots of medical jargon. I will say, however, that the author made the medical terms easily understandable, so that was a plus. Once the story took off, however, I was eager to continue reading. Toward the end I couldnt put the book down. In essence, for me reading this story was like starting an old car on a cold winter day. You have to let it run a few minutes before you take off, then it gradually picks up speed until it is cruising along at 45 mph. And no matter how much you put the pedal to the metal you cant get it to go any faster. The ending of this book was like that, and I was turning those pages as fast as I could. Kudos to Robin Cook for a suspense thriller that even I enjoyed to the fullest.
Review Date: 1/5/2010
Very cute; another humorous look at life that most of us can identify with on some level. A back story of hurt and insecurity, based on a past Jackie had no control over, defines who she is; can she change it?
I loved the format. I'm not a blogger, but I found that even I was looking forward to the blogs. The author's blogging characters have personalities of their own and after a while I could even tell who they were by their comments! How cool was that!
A very fun read. Fast and furious, with a grandmother and her friends who will take some of us back a few years; nostalgia at its comedic best.
I loved the format. I'm not a blogger, but I found that even I was looking forward to the blogs. The author's blogging characters have personalities of their own and after a while I could even tell who they were by their comments! How cool was that!
A very fun read. Fast and furious, with a grandmother and her friends who will take some of us back a few years; nostalgia at its comedic best.
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