Editorial Review

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Reviews

Moby Dick - Kindle Edition
A classic. Who am I to criticize a literary great? The Kindle certainly helps - the dictionary is invaluable when reading a book written in "olde english" - being able to look up words I'd not seen before, while in the flow of reading, was invaluable.

Excellent. And it worked on my iTouch.
Having spent my teens and twenties with a paperback in my hip pocket, I'm still amazed that I can carry hundreds of books--big books if I want to--on the iTouch in my front pocket--I didn't have the problem with clipped words. That said, I feel that Moby Dick is a book that was waiting for me to read it. I didn't know how funny many parts of it are; for me, it was not a slog through a thick tome, but an adventure shared with others who have also read it. It stands the test of time and is very readable. Has it been waiting for you to read it? Now's the time.

(P.S. The iTouch Kindle app is also good for middle-of-the-night reading without waking my wife.)

one of the best books, ever!
read this in school, and was the only person in the class who actually enjoyed it! Ahab's Wife: Or, The Star-gazer: A Novel (P.S.)came across my desk as an adult. it was interesting, but not as good as ahab stalking the great white whale!

Hubris and Whales
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RKRU9A/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_img

Saying that Moby Dick is about whales is like saying the Old Testament is about keeping kosher. Whales are a very tiny amount of a complex whole.

First, it is about obsession. We think first of Ahab's obsession about killing the whale, but careful study of the book shows that there are many obsessions present. Contained within the obsession is that kind of hubris which challenges gods to do their worst.

Second, it is about piety and impiety, about religious belief and sacrilegious beliefs--beliefs plural, because there are idolaters aboard the ship.

But most important, it is about human beings. Everybody is distinguishable from everybody else, unlike many novels in which it is virtually impossible to tell who has what relationship with whom. It is realism of the American, Andrew Jackson, line, not of the European line.

Deconstructionists say that there is at least a hint of homosexuality in the book. They may be right; certainly Queequeg's calling Ishmael his wife is such a suggestion, even though there is no evidence that even Queequeg, much less Ishmael, ever acted upon such a suggestion. However, temporary homosexual activity even among normally heterosexual men is known to be, if not common, certainly not unheard of in any situation in which a group of males are isolated together, without access of any kind to women. A whaling ship, which might not touch land for two or three years, certainly was such an environment.

I cringe when I hear it described as an adventure novel. It is not one, and the abridged editions which remove all of Ishmael's comments which seem extraneous to the book should be burned and replaced with unabridged editions. Those "irrelevancies" are part of the heart and core of the book.

My husband, when at UCLA, was told by friends that Moby Dick was an extremely difficult book, so he decided, for the only time in his life, to buy Cliff Notes. Halfway through the Cliff Notes he decided that Moby Dick was the best novel ever written in any language. He threw away the Cliff Notes and settled down with the book. At the beginning, before the celebrated line "Call me Ishmael," there is a long series of quotations about whales, none of which are really about whales. He is of the opinion that you could remove whales from the book and still have a good novel, but you could not remove Ahab.

Hollywood has made at least two movies about Moby Dick. Both are good movies, but it is clear that the screenwriters did not grok the book.

I recommend this novel not to children, not to undergrads, not even to graduate students unless they are willing and able to take the time to study Moby Dick, using their own contexts as well as the context in which the author was working, to attempt to get a whole on some of the meanings of the text. This assumes that the reader understands that in so complex a novel, and there are few novels more complex, there is not one right meaning. There are multiple meanings which interweave themselves inextricably, while other meanings seem to grow up not from context or subtext but from intertextuality, particularly intertextuality the Bible and specifically the Old Testament.

This is not an easy novel. But it is one worth reading by a reader willing to put in the work necessary to comprehend it in part, realizing that comprehending it in toto is impossible for anyone. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A delightful new collection oforiginal Southern stories set in the charming, fictitious down-home town of Mossy Creek, where there's a friendly face on every corner and a heartfelt story behind every door... ... Read more

Editorial Review

The higher the stakes, the harder they fall—in love.

Julia Savage’s weekly poker games are tearing her apart. She’s in love with two of her fellow card players, and much as she’d like to pick and confess her true feelings to one man, she won’t. Not if it means risking the love of the other.

Hunter Miles has wanted Julia for four months, and he’s about to deal a hand she couldn’t see coming. He’s determined to give her a New Year’s Eve celebration she never expected. He’s going to seduce her—in front of his friend and rival for her affections, Jay Baxter. But Jay’s not willing to lay down his cards. He’s going after Julia too, and he’s not above bluffing to get what he wants. Either way, one of them is going to win her over.

Unless they change the rules of the game. If they double up, there’s a chance they can split the pot…

Warning: This book contains two hunky heroes, a heroine worth betting on, sizzling hot three-way action (m/f/m and m/m/f), a whole lot of unexpected fireworks and a New Year’s Eve to remember.

Reviews

copy machine repair stories are more believable, December 16, 2010
Don't get me wrong--I like the steamy stuff, but this was garbage. Don't waste your time, even for free. Plus, it was super short--the last third of the download was nothing but excerpts and adverts for similar stories.

Hot and romantic, December 23, 2010
Even though it was a short story, it was one of few free books that was romantic, intriguing and lusty. I liked what character development the author was able to fit in there which brought me to look at her other books.

Wow- hot and romantic!, January 7, 2010
I've read and enjoyed Ms Dee's work before, and I've always appreciated the fact that while the stories are very hot and spicy, they are first and foremost love stories. People with real emotions and real brains in their heads populate her stories. This book is no exception.

While the trio is red hot together, they are more than simply bodies in the bedroom. Well done, Ms Dee, and I look forward to your next work eagerly.

5 Hearts from TRS!, August 24, 2010
Going All In was a quick and enjoyable story. I was cautious about the story as it was very short but I applaud Ms. Dee on an impressively well written and fully developed story despite the brevity. The characters were realistic, flawed and very inventive. The sex was intense and graphic. The reader should be aware that there are scenes of m�nage in which the male characters do not interact sexually and others where they do. There are issues that the characters have to overcome which were very unique and interesting. I enjoyed that Ms. Dees included a plot twist which allowed the characters to change and adapt in that suppressed amount of time. Nonetheless, the story is quickly paced with an excellent story line and well developed characters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and will have to try out another of Ms. Dee's novels. - Shalanda

Deal me in!, February 16, 2010
Wow, Jess Dee strikes again! Hunter and Jay are smoking hot heroes. This short but spicy read has ultra-hot love scenes paired with emotional depth. The interactions between the triad outside of the bedroom were touching and left me wanting more. Hurry up, Ms. Dee. Writer faster, please.

Not worthwhile!, December 24, 2010
While the plot seemed interesting enough, I was highly disappointed after the first 20 pages or so on my kindle. Initially the story wasn't bad. The m/m/f sex scenes were believable at first when the female was the center of attention but when it got to the part when the males began to uhh...interact with each other was a little awkward. I'm not opposed to guy on guy action, but the way it was done just did not appeal to me as a reader.

Just okay for me..., December 21, 2010
This book was okay, but I definitely won't be reading it again.. The sex scenes and hot, but the plot is not...

Some spark with little fire, December 20, 2010
The writing was pedestrian and the story had the emotional depth of a puddle.

If you want sex scenes, read it. Otherwise, pass.

Hot read, February 12, 2010
I love Jess Dee's books!! She never disappoints me.She is a auto buy.She makes the characters beleivable.I fall in love with them every time.I often find myself either cheering or yelling at the characters..lol.I await eagerly for her next book. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Oliver Stone and the Camel Club return in #1 bestselling author David Baldacci's most stunning adventure yet.

An attack on the heart of power . . .

In sight of the White House . . .

At a place known as . . .

HELL'S CORNER

John Carr, aka Oliver Stone-once the most skilled assassin his country ever had-stands in Lafayette Park in front of the White House, perhaps for the last time. The president has personally requested that Stone serve his country again on a high-risk, covert mission. Though he's fought for decades to leave his past career behind, Stone has no choice but to say yes.

Then Stone's mission changes drastically before it even begins. It's the night of a state dinner honoring the British prime minister. As he watches the prime minister's motorcade leave the White House that evening, a bomb is detonated in Lafayette Park, an apparent terrorist attack against both leaders. It's in the chaotic aftermath that Stone takes on a new, more urgent assignment: find those responsible for the bombing.

British MI-6 agent Mary Chapman becomes Stone's partner in the search for the unknown attackers. But their opponents are elusive, capable, and increasingly lethal; worst of all, it seems that the park bombing may just have been the opening salvo in their plan. With nowhere else to turn, Stone enlists the help of the only people he knows he can trust: the Camel Club. Yet that may be a big mistake.

In the shadowy worlds of politics and intelligence, there is no one you can really trust. Nothing is really what it seems to be. And Hell's Corner truly lives up to its name. This may be Oliver Stone's and the Camel Club's last stand. ... Read more

Reviews

Wild ride of politics and intrigue
I haven't read the other Camel Club books but this stand-alone thriller interested me after reading the highly recommended Gods of Ruin: A Political Thriller. Hell's Corner is the park accross from the white house that is guarded by DC police, Secret Service, and park police and is the hub for tourists and protesters. I wasn't sure why it was called that until all hell broke loose when the protagonist, Oliver Stone (a dig on the director?) was caught in gunfire and an explosion when meeting his band of patriots at the park.

When Stone awakes from getting knocked out, he's got a new mission: find out who was behind the attack at Hell's Corner. He teams up with a Brit and gets help from his Camel Club peeps as he investigates first a Mexican drug cartel, then the Russians. During the investigation, one government bureaucracy after another gets in the way.

If you like "Gods", which has a better premise, you'll like Hell's Corner. It's got political commentary, action, and it's well-written (better than Baldacci's earlier works).

You will not be able to put this book down
Oliver Stone has led so many lives he lost count. For all the losses he has suffered there has been the gain in his friends and cohorts known as the Camel Club. A group of people that are as different they come together and make one large, right group. They solve crimes, take care of each other and never fail to have one another's back. But this latest case is one Stone has to handle on his own and no one including him is happy about it even though the President of the United States is asking for his help.

But before Stone can do his work for the President a bomb goes off across the street from the White House creating the scenario where conclusions are drawn, angles are worked and assumptions made. While everyone is running to the right the masterminds are veering to the left and keeping everyone off balance including all the alphabet agencies in Washington, DC. Stone is drafted back into the service of the government with the promise that all past indiscretions would be erased yet the problem for Stone is that his sins have been of such huge proportion he is not sure this is a statement based in fact. But Stone finds himself partnered with an MI6 agent who is as cunning as he is and keeps up even while running after him. The Camel Club goes from upset at being turned away to forcing its way into the investigation and from that moment on the determination to capture the criminal and figure out what is really going on grows to a proportion even Stone can't control.

But the agency he is now working for is throwing him off with smoke and mirrors, bodies are piling up, misconceptions abound and everyone becomes a suspect. Stone wants the nightmare to stop but for every decision he makes that draws a resolution to the case another one shows up to prove to him the last one was way off base and leads blow away with the wind.

Without his group Stone knows he can't solve this case but in this particular situation is the gain of apprehension worth the answer to who did the deed?

This series blows me away every time because the characters have so much depth and they are written with such clarity that you feel they just passed you on the street and said Good Morning. Stone may lead this merry band of misfits but he is not their leader he is a member of a close knit, well thought out group of people that can easily carry any book on their own and have proven that in the past. Mr. Baldacci knows how to write a great story and this one stands out in that it will scare you to realize the fiction he is proposing is probably fact and I hope there is a retired Agent Stone out there protecting us.

Give the author a break
I have read all the Camel Club books, and I enjoyed all of the others more than this one. The club takes a back seat in this novel, and it is just Stone/Carr against the world as he plods through this overly complicated plot.

Missing is the personality development and the interactions between the various members of the club, which made Baldacci's other novels so entertaining.

If you are a fan of the Camel Club books, you will have to read this one, just so you will know where all of the characters are starting from in the next novel - but, rest assured, this will not turn out as one of your favorites.

Another great cutting edge novel from Baldacci
As a very loyal Fan of Mr Baldacci, I bought this book as soon as it came out, but it was very disappointing. The president himself begs an aging (60+ graveyard caretaker who doesn't even speak Russian) to stop the Russian Government from destroying America by flooding the country with drugs. Because NO ONE in the CIA, or any other organization has the special skills to Before he has a chance to do it, He is embroiled in determining who tried to kill the British Prime Minister, To do this he is paired with the Super Sexy British spy(who makes James bond look like a week girl scout, In any good spy thriller, the basic premise should at least be plausible but this goes way beyond the limits of believability. The dialog is boring. that action is boring, the whole book is boring!!!!

... Read more

Editorial Review

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Reviews

Some Points to Consider
Since I am a contributor to this volume, I will not offer a "review" in a conventional sense, but I will offer a list of contents, which this website otherwise does not offer. As there are a number of competing paperback editions of Stevenson's novella and the text of the story is essentially the same (allowing for minor editorial variants), readers should consider the issue of what else besides the main text they will be getting for their money, and this edition is unusually rich in supplementary features, so that the original story makes up only 55 of its 222 pages.

In addition to the text of Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," with explanatory notes by the editor, this volume also contains:

A preface by the editor, a "textual appendix" about textual variants in the manuscripts, a map of 19th century London marking places mentioned in the story, a timeline of the major events in the life of author Robert Louis Stevenson, and a bibliography. Plus...

An excerpt from a biography about Stevenson by Graham Balfour about the circumstances of the story's authorship...

A brief excerpt from Stevenson's "A Chapter on Dreams," which discusses the influence of his dreams on the story...

12 letters by Stevenson that discuss aspects of the "Dr. Jekyll" story...

10 contemporary reviews and comments about "Dr. Jekyll" that show how the story was originally received...

Another horror-oriented short story by Stevenson entitled "Markheim"...

A brief non-fiction piece by Stevenson, "How I Came to be such a student of our Penny Press," together with some examples of 19th century book advertising...

Three essays about the literary context of "Dr. Jekyll": Karl Miller, "The Modern Double": Jenni Calder, "Stevenson's Scottish Devil Tales"; and Judith Halberstam, "An Introduction to Gothic Monstrosity"...

Four essays about the scientific context of Stevenson's story: Stephen Jay Gould, "Post-Darwinist Theories of the Ape Within"; Frederic W. H. Myers, "Multiple Personality"; Norman Kerr, "Abject Slaves to the Narcotic"; John Addington Symonds, "This Aberrant Inclination in Myself"...

Two essays about the socio-historical context of Stevenson's story: Judith R. Walkowitz, "London in the 1880s"; and Walter Houghton, "Hypocrisy"...

Three essays and a filmography about theatrical and film adaptations of "Dr. Jekyll": C. Alex Pinkston, Jr., "The Stage Premiere of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"; Charles King, "Themes and Variations" (about film); Scott Allen Nollen, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Paramount, 1931)"; and Katherine Linehan, "A Checklist of Major Performance Adaptations"...

And five additional critical essays: G. K. Chesterton, "The Real Stab of the Story"; Vladimir Nabokov, "The Phenomenon of Style"; Peter K. Garrett, "Instabilities of Meaning, Morality, and Narration"; Patrick Brantlinger, "An Unconscious Allegory about the Masses and Mass Literacy"; and Katherine Linehan, "Sex, Secrecy and Self-Alienation in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".

For sheer range of commentary, I do not think that you could point to a comparable volume.

Do You Know the True Story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde??
+++++

I have seen many movie versions of this classic. So, I made the assumption that I knew the true story. Then I read this book. Was my assumption ever wrong!!!

This particular book (published by Signet Classics in Sept. 2003) of less than 150 pages has five parts:

(1) Opening Pages. They include a brief biography of Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 to 1894). (Takes up 4% of the book.)
(2) Introductory Essay. This was written by the late, famous Russian author Vladimir Nabokov. (Takes up 20%.)
(3) The Actual Story. Its original title is "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1886). (Takes up 65%.)
(4) Afterword to the Story. It is written by a modern writer. (Takes up 8%.)
(5) Selected Bibliography. Outlines great works by and about R.L. Stevenson. (Takes up 3%.)

The introductory essay was an actual lecture Nabokov gave when he was associate professor at Cornell University from 1948 to 1959. It gives a thorough, detailed analysis of this "seldom read" classic.

The afterword consists of a shorter analysis of this classic by the modern writer Dan Chaon. I felt that this afterword provided valuable insight regarding the story of Jekyll and Hyde.

Chaon sums up the entire story: "The structure of ['Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'] follows a path as indirect and elusive as its multiple narrative voices. With its obliquely recorded incidents, its eyewitness accounts and sealed confessions, it resembles...a [police detective's] casebook--a collection of gathered clues, fragments, through which the clever detective may be able to...project a complete narrative. Perhaps one of the most compelling aspects of this novel [of ten chapters] is that, in fact, there's so much left here for [the reader] to fill in, so many scenes that [the reader] can only imagine. Such a structure creates fertile ground for allegory [a story with symbolic meaning] hunters, and there are indeed many convincing interpretations of this novel...The puzzle-like structure of the novel [which only has eight major male characters] creates a kind of Rorechach test, open to various interpretations." (A Rorechach test is where a person interprets inkblot designs.)

The inspiration of this short novel is said to have come from a dream (or, perhaps more accurately, a nightmare) Stevenson had. His actual writing is amazing and skillful in all chapters. The writing especially of the last two chapters, chapters nine and ten, stood out for me. Here, for example, is his actual description of what happened when somebody observed someone using Dr. Jekyll's concoction: "He put the glass to his lips and drank at one gulp. A cry followed; he reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and held on, staring with injected eyes, gasping with open mouth; as I looked there came, I thought, a change--he seemed to swell--his face became suddenly black and the features seemed to melt and alter--and the next moment, I had sprung to my feet and leaped back against the wall, my arm raised to shield me...[and] my mind submerged in terror."

Finally, the cover of this particular book is interesting. It shows the shadow of a man in a top hat behind a window shade. This can be taken to represent Hyde who is a shadowy character.

In conclusion, this particular book has it all: an introduction by a late, well-known author, an intriguing mystery/horror story by a late, famous nineteenth century author, and an afterword by a gifted, modern writer. Be sure to read this book to learn the true story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde!!!

+++++

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Hyde
We all know the term "Jekyl & Hyde" but I suspect many, like me, have never actually read the story. It was a surprising pleasure and I was able to try out the dictionary function on my Kindle several times (words no longer used in modern day writing).

A fine edition for scholars, students and the general reader
This is another first-rate critical edition from Norton. The text is cleanly printed with careful and accurate annotations. Both the critical and the backgrounds and contexts essays are well chosen. Sections on performance adaptations on stage and screen and on literary, scientific and sociohistorical contexts are particularly useful.One of the best critical essays is the editor's own. A detailed Stevenson chronology and an accurate selected bibliography conclude the volume.

Narrative Technique
Stevenson created Utterson to narrate the story. But large sections of it are composed of Lanyon's letter to Utterson and Henry Jekyll's diary. The advantage of this is that it allows Stevenson to prolong the readers' suspense. In a way, Utterson, Enfield, and, for a time, Lanyon, are in the same position as the readers: observers trying to understand the mystery surrounding Henry Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Stevenson allies readers with Utterson and Enfield. Then, after we learn Lanyon knows Jekyll's secret, we, like Utterson, read his letter eagerly. Lanyon's narrative reveals the secret that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person. But, because Lanyon is also an observer, his narrative cannot tell us anything about Jekyll's motive. We need Jekyll's own account for that.

Thus, the narrative method Stevenson chooses prolongs our suspense. Gradually revealing information about Jekyll just heightens our desire to know the full story. By the time we get to Jekyll's story, we are at a fever pitch. I doubt Stevenson could have kept the pace of suspense had he used third-person point of view, and he certainly wouldn't have been able to do it using Jekyll as a first-person narrator. The drive of Utterson's limited point of view matches our own.

Stevenson's reliance on a limited first-person point of view also contributes to the story's theme. Perhaps Stevenson uses Utterson, Enfield, and our own ignorance of Jekyll's actions as a metaphor for human ignorance generally. In his narrative, Jekyll repeatedly refers to his life as the result of one choice among many choices he could have made. He creates Hyde to experience life and the other aspects of his personality denied by that choice. Jekyll argues that the choice he has made in selecting one life over another is discriminatory and limiting. It excludes other forms of knowledge and experience.

Maybe Stevenson hoped to gain reader sympathy for Dr. Jekyll by associating our ignorance and desire to understand the Jekyll/Hyde mystery with Jekyll's desire to know more of the life he sacrificed to play the role of a respected doctor.

Thrilling mystery at its best!
Jekyll and Hyde is a chilling psychological thriller by Robert Louis Stevenson that immediatly pulls you in and keeps you intrigued. It's almost like a love story between a man's good side and his evil side. Jekyll is a mild mannered physician with a good heart and good intentions, whereas Hyde is an evil monster with a heart of stone and intentions of committing cruel, savage, animal like murders. Dr. Henry Jekyll first turned into Hyde when he consumed a drink he made himself in his laboratory, and changes back to Jekyll with another. It all seems to be working for him...until one day when he takes an overdose of his Hyde potion and can't change back to his normal form. This book taught me that there is an untamed animal hiding inside each and every one of us just waiting to break out, like when we get angry or just go crazy. This book was terrific, and I'm sure that I will read many other Robert Louis Stevenson books.

The Mr. Hyde inside us
Henry Jekyll is a renowned scientist and a respected man. But lately, his behavior has become strange, reclusive and mysterious. So his friend Utterson tries to find out what he's up to. In the meantime, terrible and strange things are happening by night in the streets of London. As the tale unfolds, we discover Jekyll's dangerous games with his own psyche. He discovers a drug that reveals his evil side, without any moral restraint, and gradually loses control of the drug. The narrative technique of Stevenson in this short masterpiece is simply perfect; its philosophical stand is frightening; its moral implications are relevant; and the construction of the story superb.

The onion-layer style serves very well its mission to reveal every event in a semi-slow but tense pace. The environment is insuperable: the dark, wet and gas-lighted streets of London, where Mr. Hyde's steps resonate frighteningly. The ending is horrifying and very well written and, overall, this is a gem of a book. It should be best read in loneliness, in the dark. It is much more than a simple horror novel, because it says something very real and very terrible: without moral restraints, our deeper self can be unbearably evil. It's true. ... Read more

Editorial Review

From the world's #1 bestselling crime writer comes the extraordinary new Kay Scarpetta novel.

Port Mortuary, the title of Patricia Cornwell's 18th Scarpetta novel, is literally a port for the dead. In this fast-paced story, a treacherous path from Scarpetta's past merges with the high tech highway she now finds herself on. We travel back to the beginning of her professional career, when she enlisted in the Air Force to pay off her medical school debt and found herself ensnared in a gruesome case of what seemed to be vicious, racially motivated hate crimes against two Americans in South Africa. Now, more than twenty years and many career successes later, her secret military ties have drawn her to Dover Air Force Base, where she has been immersed in a training fellowship to master the art of CT-assisted virtual autopsy--a procedure the White House has mandated that she introduce in the private sector.

As the chief of the new Cambridge Forensic Center in Massachusetts, a joint venture of the state and federal governments and MIT, Scarpetta is confronted with a case that could shut down her new facility and ruin her personally and professionally. A young man drops dead, apparently from a cardiac arrhythmia, eerily close to Scarpetta's new Cambridge home. But when his body is examined the next morning, there are stunning indications that he may have been alive when he was zipped inside a pouch and locked insider the Center's cooler. Various 3-D radiology scans reveal more shocking details about internal injuries unlike any Scarpetta has ever seen. These suggest the possibility of a conspiracy to cause mass casualties. She realizes that she is fighting a cunning and cruel enemy that is invisible as she races against time to discover who and why before more people die.

In Port Mortuary, Patricia Cornwell brings Scarpetta together with Marino, Benton, and Lucy in an intimate way that is reminiscent of the early novels, and we welcome a voice we haven't heard in years. The point of view is Scarpetta's, and this is her story. ... Read more

Reviews

Not her best effort
I am a long time fan of Patricia Cornwell and I wait each year for my book to be delivered so that I can delve back into the world of Scarpetta, Benton and Lucy. That being said, I was disappointed with this book. Disappointed in a way that I cannot quite find words for, which disturbs me greatly. I found it heavy, not in a good way, pedantic, bogged down by pointless material that was at many times inconsequential to the story line and the ending was in no way a resolution to the stress between Benton and Scarpetta.

I do like the fact that the perspective switched back to a first person point of view through Scarpetta's eyes because I think everything should be viewed through her eyes the way they once were. I also thought it was good to shine a measure of light on topics that rarely get talked about in fiction. All of this said, I was still depressed by this book because I know how much better the Scarpetta books can be and I just had a hard time with this book as a whole. And as a final note, I know that hardcore Scarpetta fans will not be deterred just as I wouldn't have been because I just had to know myself, but that said, I found the humanity, the relationships and the basic foundation that makes the series so good to me lacking in this novel.

A winner as usual
Dr. Kay Scarpetta is the new director of the Cambridge Forensic Center in Massachusetts. Working with her at the Massachusetts facility is her niece Lucy and Pete Marino. Kay attends a training fellowship at Port Mortuary in Dover Air Force Base where she is learning the latest technology that she can apply at the CFC. While she is at the Delaware installation, her second in command Jack Fielding runs CFC until he freaks out when a corpse starts bleeding.

Knowing Jack cannot cope with the situation, Kay returns home having finished the course anyway. When she arrives at CFC, she finds the inmates running the asylum. Scarpetta takes 3-D virtual technology x-rays, which shows internal injuries unlike any she has seen before. She has no idea what weapon could have caused such damage. Benton is working a case in which a suspect swore he killed a child, but he believes the confession is false as he thinks the victim's death is connected to Scarpetta's odd case. Soon there are two more deaths seemingly separate cases but Scarpetta makes connections that tie her victim to Benton's case and feels all the deaths are linked but her husband is not talking about the cases as he usually does.

Ignoring that Scarpetta as the director would not have time for bench work and follow-up especially on a new Fed-State-MIT venture; her latest forensic inquiry is a fantastic thriller with the lab work as gripping if not more so as the foot work. Told in the first person by the heroine, readers obtain Scarpetta's perspective on the case, her marriage, her new job, Dover (past and present), and her feeling about Lucy and Marino. The story line retains throughout a fast pace and is action-packed even in the lab as Patricia Cornwell interweaves state of the art technology (we've come a long ways from the Body farm) into a strong whodunit.

Harriet Klausner

ABSOLUTELY MUST READ - GREAT BOOK!
Scarpetta fans, Ms Cornwell finally returns to the first-person perspective. That alone adds so much to the book. Port Mortuary may very well be Patricia's best. All of the usual characters are there, but this one seems to be all about Kay and Benton, and their relationship. I was really caught up into what was going on in Kay's mind with her seemingly left out of a lot of things and being behind the rest of the group. Plus, all of her questions about Benton and his motives. The amount of work, research, and detail that this author puts into her books is nothing short of amazing. She doesn't just sit in front of a computer and type words. Ms Cornwell devotes months and months to doing the research for each book and leaves no stone unturned or task untried to get the information she wants. Her books are exciting to read because you feel like you are there. As I have said, you can "feel" this book. Loved it. Could not put it down and didn't want it to end. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon. Orphaned by their mother’s death and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution.
 
Moving from Addis Ababa to New York City and back again, Cutting for Stone is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal, medicine and ordinary miracles—and two brothers whose fates are forever intertwined.


From the Trade Paperback edition. ... Read more

Editorial Review

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Reviews

Mildly old fashioned but concise and to the point guide to english
This seems to be a pretty comprehensive guide to English grammar which is to the point. There are plenty of useful examples and it covers common mistakes as well as how to write and speak clearly.

Best of all it's free. What's not to like?

Practical, Precise and Concise Grammar Book
This little book at under 150 pages is practical and precise.

If you've forgotten your grammar lessons, it begins by explaining the rudimentary parts of speech: noun, verb, pronoun, adjective, adverb.

Then it move on to the sentence. What makes a sentence a sentence and not a clause; and just what is the difference between a clause and a phrase. Do you know!? I do now! Joseph Devlin tells us, "Apart from their grammatical construction there can be no fixed rules for the formation of sentences. The best plan is to follow the best authors and these masters of language will guide you safely along the way."

The essential paragraph allows you to contain all the thoughts on a single idea in one area and then blessedly separate it from the next bit of writing. "A solid page of printed matter is distasteful to the reader, it taxes the eye and tends towards the weariness of monotony..."

There is a chapter devoted to figurative language: simile, metaphor, personification, allegory, synecdoche, metonymy, hyperbole... Really essential components to make writing interesting.

Then Devlin delves into puncutation.

You get the idea, a concise book that covers a truck load of good grammar taught well.

A bit dated but still pretty helpful and useful!
It's been probably over 20 years since I've had anything resembling a lesson on grammar or proper sentence construction, so I looked at this and thought, hey, a free book - why not?

The book shows a bit on the age - proper use of the word "thou," for example (however, I think we should bring it back.) However I did find it useful to read and review to make sure I didn't make the same mistakes for the last 20 years, and thus, feel like an idiot.

The best part is that the book's free, which makes it go from "I'd never buy this" to a "must have," even if it's for quick reference.

Beautiful Hard Cover
Very Slick Looking Book - Perfect Condition and Glossy Looking - Looking forward to reading it :) ... Read more

Editorial Review

Watchlist is a unique collaboration by twenty-one of the world’s greatest thriller writers including Lee Child, Joseph Finder, David Hewson, S.J. Rozan, Lisa Scottoline, and Jeffery Deaver, who conceived the characters and set the plot in motion; In turn, the other authors each wrote a chapter and Deaver then completed what he started, bringing each novel to its startling conclusion. ... Read more

Reviews

Not to be missed
I saw this book in the library and recognizing a few of the writers, thought I'd give it a try. I couldn't put it down. The novellas were written 2 years apart yet the story easily flowed. I loved the way each writer moved the story in another direction, leaving the following author to pick up the plot and add his/her own twist. Jeffery Deaver wrapped up both stories. Now I'll be looking for books by the authors I didn't recognize and I hope they'll do this again.

A Reminder Of Why I Stopped Reading Thrillers
I stopped reading mysteries and thrillers a few years ago because they weren't as good as this. Lately though, I've been stumbling on more and more books like Watchlist. Fast paced, catch your breath moments, can't put it down.
I downloaded this when it was free and feel like I've won the lottery.
I highly recommend to anyone.
If it can make a chick-lit lover happy, I suppose this book could make just about anyone happy.

An experience you do not want to miss
The idea behind the two short novels that comprise WATCHLIST --- THE CHOPIN MANUSCRIPT and THE COPPER BRACELET --- was truly groundbreaking. Take the concept of a somewhat shadowy organization called the Volunteers (headed up by a late middle-aged, ex-war crimes investigator named Harold Middleton), whose purpose is to hunt down war criminals and prevent new crimes from happening. Open and close a book with chapters written by Jeffery Deaver, the creator of the concept, then let the world's top thriller authors each contribute a chapter, taking the story in a never-ending set of twists and turns from beginning to end.

There have been similar projects --- though not quite of this scale --- done in the mystery, romance and science fiction genres, but what is truly groundbreaking here is the manner in which THE CHOPIN MANUSCRIPT was released. Not only was it an original audiobook (one that earned a 2008 Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year), it also released a chapter at a time on a weekly basis, thus truly earning classification as a "serial thriller." Not content to rest on those considerable laurels, Deaver, accompanied by a stellar cast of thriller authors, did it again in 2009 with THE COPPER BRACELET. WATCHLIST brings both works together for the first time in print, the result demonstrating that the experiment works as well, if not better, in the traditional book medium.

THE CHOPIN MANUSCRIPT, as one might guess from the title, is concerned with classical music, at least peripherally. Middleton is bequeathed with what appears to be an original handwritten score composed by Frederic Chopin that heretofore has never seen the light of day. The score is both more and less than it seems, however. Practically from the moment it passes into Middleton's possession, it begins to set off a chain reaction of events that puts Middleton --- as well as his pregnant daughter --- in terrible danger. He barely arrives in Washington, D.C. from Warsaw before he is on the run, accused of murdering two policemen even as he is pursued by a shadowy group of thugs who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the document in his possession.

The only people whom Middleton can truly trust are his fellow Volunteers, who themselves are hamstrung by government officials who seem to be operating at cross purposes to them. Events reach a climax when the work in Middleton's possession is scheduled to be performed by a young woman who is a virtuoso on the violin. Her performance of the long-lost work will herald either a new cultural era or provide the signal for the opening of an unthinkable disaster.

While THE CHOPIN MANUSCRIPT is more of a plot-driven work, THE COPPER BRACELET focuses more on Middleton and the personalities of the characters involved, without detriment to the pacing, which, as with its predecessor, moves along at breakneck speed. As indicated by the title, the Copper Bracelet is the focus of Middleton and the Volunteers as they race to prevent what appears to be the sabotage of a major construction project that is fraught with adverse political ramifications. The key to the plot seems to be contained in the drawings of a bracelet worn by an assassin, and its discovery sets off a chase that leads from Paris to Moscow to Kashmir.

Middleton, aided by the Volunteers --- one of whom is his former lover --- has few other allies, and betrayals and death are his constant companions. What he discovers is that the plot involves far more than he originally imagined, with ramifications that will extend beyond a disputed border and across the world.

A great deal of the fun involved in reading the novellas that comprise WATCHLIST is the experience of having your favorite thriller writers --- Lee Child, Gayle Lynds, P. J. Parrish, David Hewson, John Miller and Brett Battles, among many others --- treading far outside of their comfort zones and riffing in unfamiliar territory. It's kind of like walking into a small club and finding several of your favorite musicians taking successive solos around a common theme. The plots are fast-paced and the paragraphs fly by so fast that a seat belt should be included in the binding. It's an experience you do not want to miss, not only for the names with which you might be familiar, but also for the ones that you don't know.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub ... Read more

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

A Rough Riders free read.

Keely McKay Donohue is enduring the longest wedding reception of her life: her own. The only saving grace is that Jack Donohue is finally hers. Usually her hunky man gives her everything she wants, so why is her groom denying her the one thing she wants right now?

Jack thought his secretive wait-for-the-honeymoon plan was romantic, until he realizes he’s only put Keely in a fighting mood. If he wants to get back on his temperamental bride’s good side, he’d better find a way to sweep his cowgirl off her boots…fast.

Reviews

Short and Sweet
This short story was an unexpected treat. If you're a fan of Rough Riders then you will love this. I think Ms James did a wonderful job taking us into the beginning of Keeley and Jack's life together. If you haven't read any of the series then try this. I'm sure it will make you curious to learn more about the McKay clan. My favorite book was Cowgirl Up and Ride, so I really enjoyed reading more about those characters in this story too. Lorelei can you give us some more of this? Loved it!

SO GOOD I WOULDA PAID FOR IT!!
Keely has always been my favorite female character...What a treat to be able to read more about her wedding and Jack's plans for their honeymoon.

Slow Ride is funny, definitely SEXY and emotional...yes I cried while reading it. I also fell in LOVE with Jack all over again =)

Better and Better
Keely & Jack are 2 of my favorite characters in the McKay Family series. I was so happy to get a glimpse into their wedding. This story gives a taste of Lorelei James writing. Hot, funny and the family scenes are spot on.

The scene where Carson dances with his daughter, Keely, was both touching and telling. His wild-child only daughter has grown up into a beautiful, smart woman.

If you are not familiar with this series, try this story....you will be hooked

A Rough Rider Taste
Slow Ride is only supposed to be a taste of what the entire Rough Riders series is all about. It gives us another glimpse of the wonderful relationship between Jack and Keely that began in All Jacked Up. This is a treat for the Rough Rider fans! To get the full effect of the Rough Riders, read the series from book 1, Long Hard Ride, before dismissing this short tease!

Loved It
Ive enjoyed the entire series. This book is no exception.....
Cant wait till the next book :)

Just a little bit more...
What is there not to love about Keely and Jack? The answer nothing. Slow Ride is just a little bit more of one of the two most beloved Lorelei characters. And the fact that it was free just goes to show you how awesome Lorelei is. This is a great transition book between All Jacked up and Cowgirls don't cry. Which if you haven't read, you can't fairly judge this book. That goes the same for the rest of the Rough Riders books which happens to be just as awesome.

Sarah

A free treat for fans and an intro for the unintiated!
Slow Ride: A Rough Riders story Keely and Jack have different ideas about when their honeymoon should start. Keely wants it to begin now but Jack has another plan! This tells you about the couple and I think leaves you wanting more of their story. Which I think is the job of a free read! If you love hot cowboys, strong women, a family to root for and lots of good sex that is a part of the story, then the Rough Rider series is for you! If not, enjoy the free read that Lorelei states in the beginning takes place between the end of book 8, All Jacked Up All Jacked Up: Rough Riders, Book 8and book 10, Cowgirls Don't Cry.Cowgirls Don't Cry: Rough Riders, Book 10

Charming Short Story
What a nice surprise! Author Lorelei James gives us another look at life between wild child Keely and her now husband Jack. Readers looking for a free read to get them involved with her Rough Riders series may find the story a bit confusing as it really should be read, at the very least in conjunction, with All Jacked Up - HOWEVER - If this is your first foray into James's novels, don't judge! Her Rough Riders series is one of the best erotic western romance series out there. I can't recommend it enough.

Slow Ride
I was curious to know what would happen at Jack and Keely's wedding reception
and I was not disappointed! I was really touched by this short story, I laughed and cried.
Author Lorelei James Knows how to write a great story! Rough Riders has to be my all time favourite Series!!

... Read more

Editorial Review

Grade school teacher Carlie McDaniels trades in her frumpiness for the look of an exotic harem girl, at least for one costume party. So long, spinsterhood--and hello, tall, dark and handsome Tyler Ramsey....

Even after the best night of their lives, Tyler hasn't guessed the identity of his harem hottie...and Carlie plans on keeping him in the dark. After all, a gorgeous guy like Tyler would never fall for his smart-talking best friend. And Carlie's not sure she wants to know what would happen if he ever unveiled the naked truth!

... Read more

Editorial Review

Charlotte Fallon let her guarded virtue fall once--and she's paid dearly for it ever since. She swore she'd never succumb to men's desires again. But even a village spinster's life miles from temptation can't save her from a sister with no shame whatsoever. Or a heart that longs for more, whatever the cost...

Sir Michael Bayard found more than he expected in his bed when he finally joined his new mistress. He'd fantasized about her dewy skin and luscious curves, assured her understanding that what passed between them was mere dalliance. But he didn't expect the innocence and heat of her response in his arms. Nor her surprisingly sharp tongue once she was out of them...

A few days of abandon cannot undo the hard-learned lessons of a lifetime. Nor can an honest passion burn away the restraints of society's judgments. Unless, of course, one believes in nonsense like true love... ... Read more

Editorial Review

In order to save the world, a superhero-in-training must overcome not only her archenemy, but her fear of falling in love with the handsome detective who can help her. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Reviews

Beautifully written, exciting, and moving
Sir Henry Rider Haggard wrote many great works - "She," "King Solomon's Mines," and this underappreciated treasure, a beautifully written, exciting, and moving tale of adventure, love, sacrifice and a lost civilization in Africa. My favorite character is the African "Otter" who is both funny and heroic, he seems foolish but actually he is far wiser than his white English employers. I first read and loved "People of the Mist" at the age of 15 when is was reprinted as part of that great Ballantine Adult Fantasy series by Lin Carter (which also introduced a new generation of readers to all time fantasy greats like Dunsany, Lovecraft, Cabell, and Clark Ashton Smith). I've read about ten times in the last quarter century and it is still an excellent, sweeping spectacle. Read it, buy it, reprint it. Haggard was the granddaddy of them all, before Burroughs, Mundy and Lamb, before Robert E. Howard, before Buchan and Wilbur Smith, there was Sir Harry.

An absolute MUST READ
A beautiful masterpiece, truly Haggard at his best. It depicts an English youth, who lost his fortune and his fiancee's hand. Swearing with his brother to win back their home, he ends up in Africa, trying to make a fortune. It is only afterwards that he rescues a maid from a slave-dealer (for payment, of course!) falls in love with her, and ends up in a place no one has ever heard of. Narrow escape, love, intrigue, and more make this book great! It's worth every penny!

Why don't people write like this anymore?
What a great story! Haggard wrote adventure fiction like no one else. His pace is slow but it feels right. He isn't in any hurry. He sometimes spends a paragraph or two with stunning descriptions, painting a picture in the mind. But the unfolding plot is totally gripping, and I don't mind the time it takes to make it through.

Haggard's characters are lovable. It is what makes his stories so effective. If you don't genuinely care about the characters, then you won't care about all the dangers they encounter. Watching Leonard, Juanna, and Otter face death over and over is gripping because you like them.

Haggard's settings are fantastic! He really knew how to create a vivid fantasy world. His descriptions are carefully integrated into the plot too. At one point in the novel, Leonard (a "guest" of the People of the Mist) is led by natives through a dark tunnel to a wide-open space in pitch blackness. Leonard can hear the sound of water rushing as if far below. He can hear the murmuring of crowds of natives as though from afar. Leonard waits the coming dawn when the natives will perform a ritual. How Haggard slowly doles out information as the dawn slowly breaks is amazing. While it is still dark, Leonard probes around with his foot. He discovers that about 2 feet in front of him is a drop-off. Then as the light begins to dawn, he can see that he is suspended far above the ground with snow capped mountains all around. Then as the light increases, he realizes he is standing on the outstretched palm of a huge monstrous idol he had seen from far off. The palm isn't nearly large enough for comfort, and a hundred feet below him is a river and a crowd of natives. He looks up to discover that his love, Juanna, whom the natives think is a goddess, has been placed a hundred feet above him, on the head of the idol. Once this weird stage is set, the action is ready to begin, and its action you'll never forget.

Haggard was also a thoughtful man. He often has poignant insights into the human condition: desire for love, the nobility of sacrificing yourself for a friend, loyalty, and the impossibility of complete happiness in this life, to name a few.

I have read 5 or 6 Haggard novels now, and People of the Mist may be the best yet. If you like adventure, fantasy, romance, with a touch of philosophy and humor thrown in, you'll love Haggard. My question is, why don't people write like this anymore? And another question, Why hasn't anyone done a film of this story? It would beat out "Indiana Jones" any day of the week.

A Lucky Find
This was a lucky find for me. I had never heard of Henry Rider Haggard until I read THE PEOPLE OF THE MIST! It is a beautifully written masterpiece. My favorite character has to be Otter a native of Africa. He is uneducated but has great insight into the problems the group is faced with. The four main characters are so completely developed that you feel like you know them. They confront African slavers and defeat them to rescue and free the slaves from the slave compound. This is the final step that takes the group the the land of The People of The Mist and possibly the treasures of King Solomon's mines!

The descriptions of Africa are beautifully done. The suspense is high and keeps you turning the pages. This is a book worth reading more than once. To think, I may not have bought it not having heard of the book or Henry Rider Haggard, but it was free on Kindle. Thank you, Amazon.

One of my favorite books of all time
This is a brilliantly conceived book. It is amazing that it is still such a fun read after 120 years. The most remarkable thing about the book is that there are several very interesting plot twists that are wonderfully constructed, and completely outside the realm of what I would have guessed would happen.

Enjoy!!

A great book, but hard to find
If you like Tolkien, you will like this book. Haggard was one of Tolkien's favorite authors, and this book is Haggard's best, in my estimation.

Was "Tattoo" of "Fantasy Island" based on the character "Otter?" They both say "baas" in reference to their employer.

Sweeps you away to strange lands, and rivets you there!
This is an incredible adventure, complete with terror, tears and laughs! After a brief introduction into the scenario, the pace and mystery picks-up to a 'can't-put-it-down' pace! After lending my tattered copy to someone years ago, forgetting who, and searching for a copy ever since, I've FINALLY FOUND IT!!! Thanks,AMAZON!!!!!!!!

Wonderfully written
This book, while written in the late 1800's, is beautifully written, and a steal (free for Kindle). Very entertaining despite the ethnocentrism of the era, of which the author cannot escape. Who of us can escape our culture?? Highly recommended. ... Read more

Editorial Review

2010 Christy Award winner!
Jessilyn Lassiter never knew that hatred could lurk in the human heart until the summer of 1932 when she turned 13. When her best friend, Gemma, loses her parents in a tragic fire, Jessilyn's father vows to care for her as one of his own, despite the fact that Gemma is black and prejudice is prevalent in their southern Virginia town. Violence springs up as a ragtag band of Ku Klux Klan members unite and decide to take matters into their own hands. As tensions mount in the small community, loyalties are tested and Jessilyn is forced to say good-bye to the carefree days of her youth. Fireflies in December is the 2007 winner of the Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest, and a 2010 Christy Award winner. ... Read more

Reviews

...a tight, finely crafted novel
"The summer I turned thirteen, I thought I'd killed a man."

In these first eleven words of Fireflies in December we realize Jessilyn Lassiter's world is pregnant with change. Not only is she walking that tenuous line between childhood and womanhood, but during the summer of 1932 Jessilyn finds herself in the crosshairs of man's hatred for his fellow man.

When her best friend Gemma's parents are tragically killed in a fire, Jessilyn's father takes the girl in. No matter that she's as dark as coffee and sticks out in their white family like a sheep in a cow field. Harley Lassiter sees people for their hearts, not their skin color. If only the rest of Calloway County felt the same way. Soon Jessilyn is ostracized by whites and blacks alike. This racial mingling "just ain't done", and it isn't long before the Lassiter family becomes a target for something much more sinister, and deadly. The Klu Klux Klan.

In Fireflies in December Valent has skillfully dropped us into the middle of southern Virginia during a turbulent time in our country's history. Less than seventy years had passed since the Civil War, and unfortunately not everyone embraced its outcome. The Great Depression's talons still clung to many families. "Things were poor, especially in our parts, and for having a working farm and a good truck, we were fortunate. We even had some conveniences that other people envied, like a fancy icebox and a telephone..."

Fear has a way of bringing out the worst in folks, and perhaps that's why racism was still so prevalent in the south of 1932. As I read this novel, I found myself amazed that such hatred existed. Certainly racism still shows up in today's America, but during the year we've elected our first African-American President it's striking how far we've come.

Valent knows how to involve us in the setting. We feel the oppressive humidity of summer and hear the cicadas buzzing. We lie on our backs in bed all day with Jessilyn and Gemma because moving feels like wading through a furnace. And without bogging us down in pages of narrative we understand the anguish Jessilyn suffers when she thinks she killed a man. In fact, Valent could've used more exposition and it wouldn't have detracted. Perhaps it would've added even more depth to this coming-of-age story.

Fireflies In December brings to mind the themes and characters of To Kill A Mockingbird. Jessilyn is older than Scout, but just as stubborn. Their fathers stand by what they believe is right, even when everyone else is against them. Jessilyn and Scout both find their lives in danger. However, Valent has a voice and nack for description all her own. Her scenes move quickly, and even if you're not a historical fiction fan you'll find yourself drawn in. People are people, whether it be 1932 or 2003. We all feel pain; we're all searching for meaning. And this becomes clearer as you turn the pages.

The spirituality is never heavy-handed, being shown rather than told, for the most part. The Lassiters are practicing Christians, and they talk about that aspect of their lives like they would anything else. But even when Jessilyn's parents do share a spiritual insight with her or talk about Jesus it doesn't feel like a sermon. We're listening, too, and we glean their nuggets of wisdom.

Fireflies in December is a tight, finely crafted novel that challenges us to root out any hint of prejudice in our own hearts, whether we're black or white, male or female, rich or poor. That's a message that'll stand the test of time.

--Reviewed by C.J. Darlington for TitleTrakk

Fireflies in December
I just finished one of the most delightful novels I have read in a long time. Jessilyn Lassister is a captivating 13 year old girl in the South in the early 1930's. Although this book is suited for all age groups I found as a woman in my sixties I had the joy of reliving that summer I turned 13 along with Jessie. Jennifer Valent invited the reader into the pages of the novel and as each page turned one could feel what Jessie felt, the heat, the emotions, etc. As other reviewers have mentioned it will cause you to search your own heart to check your prejudice level. It raised the question would you respond to Jessie's family decision the same way as the town or would you be more like Miss Cleta? I will be keeping my eye out for new books from Jennifer who has a real story telling gift.

Incredible First Novel
Color me "amazed." But I knew from the first word of this novel that I would be hooked until I read the last. I knew that my own writing would somehow take second place to the reading of someone else's. I knew I'd found a part of the South -- my own heritage -- that I stand proud in the shadow of and that causes me to hang my head in shame.

I had a few questions along the way, however. For one, even though Gemma had no biological family left, why wouldn't someone of "color" come forward to take her in? While I understand why the "whites" in town were upset with the Lassiter's decision to raise Gemma, why weren't the "coloreds?" (Remember, I grew up in the South, too, and I know both sides of this card.)

But even with the questions, I was reminded of my family heritage, rich in reaching across race lines. Many, many years ago my great uncle and great aunt "took in" a black child who was severely burned (my great-uncle was the physician who treated him) and whose family had rejected him because of his "pink" skin. NFL great George Rogers was practically a member of my 2nd cousins family. For those memories alone, this book was valuable to me.

One other issue I had was that I was not fully aware of the era until about 1/3 way through the book. I may have missed the clues before that ... I began this book on an airplane with lots of little kids anxious to get to Disney! So, take that issue with a grain of salt.

Bottom line: do I recommend this to other readers??? Only those I really, really like!!! :) I LOVE THIS BOOK! And I cannot wait to see what comes next from Jennifer Erin Valent!

Eva Marie Everson
Author: Things Left Unspoken: A Novel

I can't believe I got this book for free!
Summers were always difficult as Jessilyn Lassiter tells us. The summer of 1932 would be no exception for her. She was thirteen that year when she ran head on into the Ku Klux Klan. To her horror, she discovered some were her friends and neighbors.

Jessilyn and her family took in little black Gemma as her parents died in a fire that was caused by lightning. No one thought that such problems could arise by an act of kindness as the Klan attempts to drive the family and adopted child out of their small Virginia community.

Jessilyn was convinced she killed one of the members one night as she stood on the family front porch defending the family with her father's shotgun. She knew she hit at least one member as she fired several shots in the air to try to scare them away.

That summer became terrible for her as she lived with mixed feelings of guilt. She become even more confused with her thirteen year old mind as it threw jealousy and puppy love into the mix. She was falling in love with the hired farm hand who was not much older than herself.

As with many thirteen year olds, Jessilyn found it difficult to express herself to her parents as she worked on becoming mature in her own ideas about life in the south in 1932.

Jennifer has done an excellent job of putting the reader back into time and allowing us a taste of what the country felt like. I loved the way that she wrote in the deep southern language used then. The dialogue was fascinating to me. She consistently wrote this book well.

I gave her five stars and would recommend it to many people for a variety of reasons. All age groups would enjoy it in my humble opinion.

Good job Jennifer!

Excellent!
Jennifer Erin Valent's debut novel is excellent. Her finely crafted characters and storyline made this a hard one to put down. Young adults as well as grown women and men will enjoy this historical fiction journey to the depression era and the deep prejudice that marked it. Her hook grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the final page. Looking forward to her next novel. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Torn - the second book of the Trylle Trilogy...

Wendy thought she finally understood who she was and what she wanted, but everything changes when the rival Vittra come after her.

She's caught between two worlds, torn between love and duty, and she must decide whatlife she is going to lead. ... Read more

Reviews

Torn - Trylle Trilogy # 2
Amanda Hocking did it again! Another page turner that I simply couldn't put down. Beautifully written, engaging characters and a story-line that didn't stop.

When we leave Wendy at the ending of Switched, she and Rhys are just starting a reunion with a very worried Matt. It's a short reunion though; the Vittra show up, kidnapping Wendy along with Rhys and Matt. They are, of course, rescued and off to Forening they go. Only this time, Wendy has a bit more information under her belt and what she does with it is interesting, to say the least. While at the Vittra Kingdom a new character is introduced, Loki, a devastatingly handsome Vittra with a devil-may-care attitude who seems to care a little too much for Wendy.

Back at Forening, Wendy begins to hone her power under the tutelage of Tove Kroner; her odd and loyal friend. Willa remains a loyal friend, helping Wendy dodge one Faux pas after another, not to mention keeping her hair under control and Finn, SIGH, Finn, Finn, Finn... Finn is duty bound to protect Wendy, and that he does. He will protect her from anyone & everyone including theirselves.

Danger and suspense lurks, the Vittra are dangerous and powerful and they want Wendy...BAD. There are some Trylle who think its Wendy's fault that the Vittra are targeting them and a quick fix would be to turn her over and there are others who feel that Wendy is the one who will save them all. She is the one Trylle who is special; with special powers that will make her the best leader in Trylle history.

Wendy's character develops beautifully; she takes on her responsibilities Wendy style. The people in her life become more developed as the story moves along and there is a closer look into the interpersonal relationship between herself and Elora that is both touching and heart-breaking.

Loved it!
Amanda has done it again. She grabs you in the first few paragraphs and you cannot put the book down until you are finished.

The book had all of the characters you loved from Switched plus a new addition - Loki. He is a wonderful character and you instantly want to know more about him and the relationship between him and Wendy.

The book really showed Wendy having to grow up and put her wants and desires aside for the good of the people of the kingdom. Wendy has to show that she is strong and will be able to be a great leader with so much at stake.

I can't wait for the final installment of this trilogy.

Warning - the book ends on Kindle at 94% as Amanda has included a preview of Hollowland. Don't be fooled into thinking you still have 6% to go. When it hit the 94% and I saw the ending, I wanted to say, "Not yet! I'm not ready for this to be over."

Loved it!
I was so looking forward to this book and it did not disappoint. I could not put it down! I liked the new characters, especially Loki. I am glad I only have to wait 2 months for the next book to come out! What makes Amanda's books so good for me is that there is more dialogue between the characters than in most books and no filler! Amanda is quickly becoming my favorite author. If you have not checked out her other books (My Blood Approves series, and Hollowland), I highly recommend them! I have only one complaint...they are sooo good, when I am reading them, I get absolutely nothing else done! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Heartbreaking and inspiring, with unforgettable plot twists and credible characters
Barack Obama went to Martha's Vineyard and there obtained, a week before its release, a copy of Jonathan Franzen's novel. That same week, my family was heading to the Bahamas, and because we'd be isolated on a island three miles long and half a mile wide, with spotty internet access and even more problematic electricity, I was able to convince the publisher to give me an embargoed copy of the book.

I doubt that the President has made his way through all 562 pages of "Freedom." My wife and I have made it to the end. It required no effort of will, just a little negotiation ("I'll take the kid to the beach if you'll use the time to read"). That is how, on our final morning overlooking the pink sands where Corona makes its wish-you-were-there beer commercials, I staggered to the end, sobbing as I read the last ten pages. My wife finished the book while we waited for our baggage in New York, and then couldn't speak for most of the cab ride home.

What's the big deal?

The people.

Not the characters. The people. Men and women we come to know and care about, not because they're so admirable but because they're so real.

Like Patty Berglund, a former college basketball star, now a stay-at-home mom. In her slowly gentrifying neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota, she was, Franzen writes, "already fully the thing that was just starting to happen to the rest of the street." That is: "a morning of baby-encumbered errands, an afternoon of public radio, the Silver Palate Cookbook, cloth diapers, drywall compound and latex paint, and then Goodnight Moon, then zinfandel." The questions that plagued her: "Where to recycle batteries? ... How elaborate did a kitchen water filter need to be? ...Could coffee beans be ground the night before you used them, or did this have to be done in the morning?"

Like Walter Berglund, her husband. Son of a man who owned a small motel in Hibbing --- yes, that Hibbing, where Bob Zimmerman grew up and dreamed himself into Bob Dylan --- he was the very nice guy you never really knew in college because he was studying so hard and working his way through school. He'd met Patty there and knew she was The One, and waited for her to know it. And when she said yes, and shared that her dream was motherhood, he shelved every exalted ambition to get a job in Corporate Communications at 3M. When we meet him, he's the executive director of Minnesota's Nature Conservancy, having trouble with his teen-aged son, about to move to Washington for a new job --- he'll sell his St. Paul house "near the bottom of the post-9/11 slump."

One more character drives this novel, Walter's college roommate and unlikely best friend. Richard Katz is the leader of nihilistic rock bands, and he's made for the part: talk, dark and arrogant, deadly attractive to women and eager to exploit that attraction. You don't want the truth served up with nasty spin? Keep away from Richard.

Patty keeps away. Not because she dislikes Richard --- she craves him. But she's made her choice: a man who will do anything to create a home with her. Hot sex? It passes. It has to. Except that....

This is Fiction 101: Building Characters, and if you're surprised how hard it grabs you, it's because today's most acclaimed fiction is too "literary" to care more about people than language or structure or the next definition of fiction. Franzen, like Balzac and Dickens, is a journalist at heart --- what he's created in "Freedom" is this generation's "Bonfire of the Vanities."

The mark of this kind of novel is not only that it feels true but that it becomes true. There's a sequence here about American profiteering during the early days of the Iraq War that's excruciating in its account of American officials who didn't give a damn. Now, as the war "ends, recent articles remind us of billions lost and unaccounted for. These crimes, for the government, are consigned to a memory hole. But there's no lack of accountability here. Not on Franzen's watch.

Look anywhere in this novel, and you'll see how it defines our time. Like that bird on the cover. It's not decorative. It's going to have its own preserve in West Virginia, courtesy of a billionaire who will, in exchange for a few protected acres, get to blow up mountains and harvest coal. And just as we're reading this, here is Jane Mayer's revelatory New Yorker profile of David and Charles Koch, the billionaires whose companies pollute and despoil while David gives hundreds of millions to Lincoln Center, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Let's consider the title. Franzen's characters are not like the Koch brothers or the coal magnate or the Iraq fraudsters. They are their victims, living in an America where we make our biggest choices as shoppers. It's a dreary, ugly culture. Even Walter --- staid Walter --- comes to make a surprising indictment: "As long as you've got your six-foot-wide-plasma TV and the electricity to run it, you don't have to think about any of the ugly consequences. You can watch 'Survivor: Indonesia' till there's no more Indonesia!"

The personal quarrels? Just as lacerating. I can't imagine having a fight with my wife as ugly as the ones in these pages. But they're not set-pieces. They're the intimate moments of people whose conflicts, though maybe not ours, are recognizable to us. And when those fights end, sometimes there is clarity, even beauty:

"She cried then, torrentially, and he lay down with her. Fighting had become their portal to sex, almost the only way it ever happened anymore. While the rain lashed and the sky flashed, he tried to fill her with self-worth and desire, tried to convey how much he needed her to be the person he could bury his cares in. It never quite worked, and yet, when they were done, there came a stretch of minutes in which they lay in the quiet majesty of long marriage, forgot themselves in shared sadness and forgiveness for everything they'd inflicted on each other, and rested."

"The quiet majesty of long marriage" --- that phrase stopped me cold and led me back to the ultimate subject of this book, which is, I think, the challenge of building a functional romantic partnership when you're carrying the legacy of your flawed family and your country's dishonest and exploitative culture. Again, I suspect this challenge isn't unique to Patty and Walter Berglund. It's mine, for sure. And, just maybe, yours.

And that is why the end is so devastating. It's richly symbolic --- and, for once, the symbol works. It sets our fond hopes against our hard realities. It reminds us of the limits of our personal power. It redefines what "freedom" is for people like us, in a time like this. And it suggests, after our big dreams have been crushed, that we may still make smaller dreams come true.

I wish I could be more specific, but that would spoil your experience of "Freedom." Let me just say that the end is everything you want from a great book --- it's not rushed or tacked on or phony or commercial or cynical. It's at once heartbreaking and inspiring, and it makes you both elated and very, very sad. But, most of all, it immortalizes Patty and Walter and confirms what you are, by then, already feeling --- these imaginary people are in your heart, the way your closest friends are.

Love Grows
"Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved." -- Matthew 24:11-13 (NKJV)

Freedom is the best new work of fiction I've read so far in 2010.

Freedom looks at the pain, responsibility, and potential involved in doing what appeals to you . . . regardless of the cost to anyone else. It's a worthwhile trip that manages to touch on a wide variety of ways that freedom pulls us in some directions and away from others. There's plenty of food for thought here, parceled out in bite-sized nuggets that you can chew on for weeks to come.

I was particularly impressed by the story's narrative structure. As the book opens, you see the Berglund family from the outside-in, the neighbors' view. Very quickly, one set of patterns are disrupted into a totally unexpected direction, drawing you irresistibly into wanting to know what happened.

In part the answer is that no one who isn't in a family really knows what goes on in a family. In another part, it's that people keep secrets from one another . . . particularly what they see as their own dark sides that they don't want others to know about.

From there, the story richly expands into four narratives, by narrators whose connections to others are rich and hard to grasp . . . even for themselves. It's only by overlaying the narratives that the whole picture begins to emerge. At times, you'll want to shake one character or another into doing something different, but of course you cannot do that with a fictional character any more easily than you can with most real persons.

Jonathan Franzen is a well-read author and a talented writer so his narrations dig deep into a variety of literary sources and methods to establish mood, color, imagery, emotion, psychology, physical sensations, and experiences that you'll find seem more than vaguely familiar . . . even when you cannot exactly place them. It's all subtly and humorously done, by an author who loves people and wants the best for them. There's a warm heart underneath all the Sturm und Drang that is what ultimately sets the book apart.

I was pleased to see that the book takes seriously such important subjects as marital love, friendship, sexual attraction, depression, sibling rivalries, parental mistakes, social responsibility, and serving one's fellow human. Rather than treating each topic as a single point of light, Mr. Franzen steps back to give you a globe's eye view from both without and from within. It's at once both terrifically subjective and wonderfully objective.

Be careful that you don't read any reviews that get into much of the story. You need to be surprised in places for this book to work its full magic on you.

Bravo, Mr. Franzen!

Loved The Book
I purchased Freedom: A Novel the day it was released and meant to write a review. Just got an email from Amazon, announcing that Freedom is the newest Oprah pick, so decided to review it here.

As a non-fiction author, I have always been awed at the ability of (good) fiction writers because they take characters and bring them to life! To do this successfully is a true gift--a gift that Jonathan Franzen possesses.

There are few things more satisfying than a great novel...and a long great novel is even better! Jonathan Franzen managed to keep me riveted for almost 600 pages. You know the feeling...when you are reading a terrific book, all you want to do is read it!

Now, Freedom is just the type of novel I love, as he depicts characters from a sociological point of view. While I also enjoy sociological books from a historical perspective (Sinclair Lewis, Steinbeck, Dostoevsky, etc) I also love a novel set in our current times.

Without giving away the plot, suffice to say this novel deals with life in the 21st century and that Franzen does an excellent job of portraying both the minutia and the bigger picture.

I found myself nodding throughout;as in, I get this. But I also laughed...and, warning--do not read ending in public if you don't like crying in front of people! Ultimately, this book will have you reflect on your own life and the choices you ultimately make.

Highly recommend.

Non-fiction author, reader, reviewer ... Read more

Editorial Review

T. Greenwood’s new novel is a powerful, haunting tale of enduring love, destructive secrets, and opportunities that arrive in disguise . . .In Two Rivers, Vermont, Harper Montgomery is living a life overshadowed by grief and guilt. Since the death of his wife, Betsy, twelve years earlier, Harper has narrowed his world to working at the local railroad and raising his daughter, Shelly, the best way he knows how. Still wracked with sorrow over the loss of his life-long love and plagued by his role in a brutal, long-ago crime, he wants only to make amends for his past mistakes.Then one fall day, a train derails in Two Rivers, and amid the wreckage Harper finds an unexpected chance at atonement. One of the survivors, a pregnant fifteen-year-old girl with mismatched eyes and skin the color of blackberries, needs a place to stay. Though filled with misgivings, Harper offers to take Maggie in. But it isn’t long before he begins to suspect that Maggie’s appearance in Two Rivers is not the simple case of happenstance it first appeared to be. ... Read more