"Ugh!"
James Patterson has parlayed what used to be a great reputation as a good mystery writer into an industry to generate money based on his name. His legacy will be that of a writer who created a business based on a talent that never came to bloom. What a shame. I will not buy another one of his books because they are a watered down waste of time. His latest novels sound like they were written by college or high school students who have not yet learned their craft.
"This Woman Can Write!"
I don't usually rate books so late, but I had to add my two cents to the reviews about this book. It is not a easy read, but Rowling has great insight into the teenage psyche. That said, this book is for adults. Not an easy or fun read but worth the trauma for the beauty of a story well told.
"Women Beware!"
Consider if you could believe in a heroine who:
--married her first love's best friend and her best friend married the heroine's first love;
--along with her husband was best friends with couple number two for the courses of their marriages;
--in one week, almost gets raped by her husband and one of her husband's good friends from Harvard (whom she could not remember);
--attended a play based on her college life starring a woman based on her; and
--all the while, was preparing for a one woman show in an important gallery by putting the final touches on gigantic self portraits??
The show was called, "Belinda's Belinda" and featured a painting of her lips with brandy dripping down her chin. I kid you not!
Thomas Gifford does not have any understanding of women's fiction (I wouldn't presume to call it literature). He has no business trying to write under a female pseudonym in a woman's voice. This book is simply stupid and a waste of time and money.
"Difficult to Appreciate"
This book fails in a number of ways. It is difficult to really like the heroine. There are threads that are not developed--there is a problem between Heloise and her half sister that is introduced but never explained. The ending is very predictable, unrealistic and way too pat. I think that there was a reason that this book was put on hold for ten years.
"Yawn, snooze"
I really tried, but I could not get into this book. I wanted to like Annette Bening but I kept drifting off... I regret purchasing this book.
"Not So Great"
I wanted to give the narrator a break but I couldn't. There was no distinction for Harry & the characterization was flat. Also, the story was not particularly interesting. C- at best. Don't waste your money.
"Better than Other Recent Releases"
While I agree with some of the reviewers that the sound effects were irritating, don't let that stop you from listeneng to this book. There are some interesting twists and overall, I enjoyed the book. The sound effects are minor.
"Enough with the Wisecracks!!"
I saw an ad for the new DeMille novel and rushed to download it. It is broken down into three sections and the entire first part could be summarized, "John and Kate are sent to Yemen to kill the Panther." Very thin plot line, and even an excellent narrator could not save this disappointing book.
"Weak Ending"
This book sounds like Sandford had a quota to fill. We know some of the players but we don't learn anything more about them and the new players are thinly developed. Not much fun, easy to guess the ending, and not much of a story overall.
"Hated It!"
When authors enter an entirely new genre, there should be alerts for listeners. I did not expect this from Koontz--my fault for not doing more research before purchasing the book. It is a purchase that I regret.