J

Always males me laugh

Revisado: 10-07-24

I wish I could have known Patrick McManus. He seems like he was such a fun person.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Charming characters— if not logical, at least whimsical

Revisado: 03-28-24

I really enjoyed this book despite the fact that half the time the characters acted like they had no rational thoughts. I don’t want to give away too many spoilers, but one example of this is the initial murder. A character is found dead after being bludgeoned in the back of the head with a candle stick. One of the characters convinces the constable, that it was a suicide, and nobody seems to realize that’s impossible. Except for the main character, and if she was smart, she would assume the main character who was claiming it was suicide was the murder. 

But she doesn’t do that either. Instead of assuming that since she knows the truth, she’ll be the next one on the murder list, she wants to see the man in question alone to ask him why he told everyone it was suicide. 

So yeah. Not exactly logical. But it was such a fun book and the characters were so funny that I am going to buy the next book.

I do wish the two main characters were together at the end of the story, but I am assuming that they’ll be together in the next book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Everyone is miserable. Then life gets harder. The end.

Revisado: 02-28-24

First off, the good stuff. The writing was beautiful. And of the 16 hours of story there was one interesting plot twist. Unfortunately, it was never really explained. Pretty much this book was the story of four different people, maybe five. I lost track. All of them living at different times, all of the miserable. Bad things continue to happen to them.

We are supposed to feel that their lives have meaning because they have saved a ancient book with a mediocre story. Think a different version of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. The hero of this ancient story wants to find a magical place with no problems only to find that happiness is really found in his backyard. It’s not like the story was something that humanity couldn’t re-create, so I didn’t feel like it was really all that important.

The sad thing was that this could have been a really great story. If the author cut it in half, only put in the pertinent parts, and didn’t let his characters wallow in misery.

Also, we never found out how Rex escaped from Korea, or the state of the Earth when Constance escaped. Or really why she was captive in the first place. You would have thought that with 16 hours of rambling often pointless story that the author would have told us those two things. But no.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Interesting history

Revisado: 01-14-23

This wasn’t really the story I was expecting but was still very interesting. Now I’d like to learn more about the man who fought these 1930s gangs.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A really short book for the price

Revisado: 11-16-22

The information here was good but I wish the author had flushed out each of the points she was making. I would’ve liked more examples of each of her beats. As it is I am still not sure I understand her system.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Good except for a few things

Revisado: 10-28-22

Perhaps it’s asking too much for the main character to not willingly do stupid things to put themselves in danger. Maybe that would make for an uneventful book. But I was sort of banging my head against the wall when Jules goes back to the building by herself and unarmed when she knows that people there are trying to kill her.
I mean, would anybody really do that?
Also, there was a lot of swearing in this book that could’ve been cut. I hear enough swearing in my real life and don’t need to hear it in my fiction as well.
But besides that it was a good book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Beautifully written story. Ok plot

Revisado: 09-28-21

I enjoy Mary Stewart’s writing style when I am looking for elegant prose. I was a little disappointed in the story because it used coincidence at the climax to basically solve the mystery of what was going on. Seemed a little like cheating to me. But overall I enjoyed the story.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Such a disappointment

Revisado: 08-27-21

I cannot believe that this book has so many good reviews or that a writer as seasoned as John Grisham would come up with this story. He breaks the most basic rule of writing and didn’t deliver on the story question. We are reading this book to see if Sooley will fulfill his dream of playing for the NBA and will thus be able to save his family from the refugee camp.
SPOILER ALERT. After following the main character for 57 chapters, count them 57, the author has the main character go to a party and even though he’s not a drug user, he decides to do ecstasy and dies.

Yes, that’s right. The main character dies in chapter 57. Not a noble or meaningful death which would have at least been poignant. No, he just makes a stupid decision and pointlessly dies.

Perhaps some people will say, but that sort of thing happens in real life. Right. Pointless deaths from drug use do happen in real life. Fiction is supposed to be better than real life. If I wanted real life I would watch the news. If I pay money for a book I want it to be an interesting and fulfilling story.

This one didn’t deliver.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Insulting to the actual plague victims and Christianity in general.

Revisado: 08-20-21

I don’t even know where to start with this novel. Should I mention the fact that there was no discernible plot? Should I mention the many times the characters did things that made me go “What the heck?!”
By all accounts the people in the town of Enon were good and self-sacrificing people. They gave their lives in order to not spread the plague to others. In this book the author has turned them all into stupid, superstitious, sometimes crazy and hypocritical people.

As I was listening to it, I thought wow, this author doesn’t seem to know a lot about Christian beliefs but I won’t call it anti-Christian because at least she’s balancing all of the crazy people with the good characters of Anna and the Rector.

But then towards the end we find out that the rector is indeed one of the crazy hypocritical people. Have to say, I didn’t see that coming. It was like his personality took a sudden and unnecessarily dark turn.
Anna sleeps with her deceased best friend’s husband without any thought, without discussing it to see if she actually means anything to him. Not in character at all.

And then after losing belief, the plot takes this weird turn where Anna takes a baby, get some of the ship, and then chess decides to get off in Iran. I am not kidding, she ends up in a harem. Sorry to spoil it but that’s the epilogue. By this time she has two daughters and apparently gives no thought to what their lives are going to end up.

All in all this was an anti-Christian, anti-England book. I will be returning it immediately and won’t read any other books by the author, which is too bad because she had a nice writing style.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Stalker guy. They lie to everyone for no reason

Revisado: 07-27-21

I couldn’t get through this. The guy is kind of a jerk and hits on the girl continually even though she makes it clear she’s not interested in him. Then they decide to lie to their parents about being boyfriend and girlfriend for no other reason then it might be fun to lie to their family.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña