Nova Books

Shannon is a commercial artist in New York City. Her mother Amanda had a brief love affair with Tom, 28 years earlier. Tom lived in Ireland and was married at the time. He could not leave his wife and two daughters, Maggie and Brianna. Amanda returned to America, found out she was pregnant and met and married Colin. Shannon thought Colin was her father. Just before Amanda dies, she tells Shannon that Tom was her biological father. Brianna and Maggie also recently learned that Shannon existed when they found some old love letters. Brianna asks Shannon to come visit. Shannon does. While visiting Brianna and Maggie, Shannon meets Murphy, they fall in love.

The plot for Shannon and Murphy follows. Murphy owns the family farm in Ireland. There are some stones in a circle on his land that have a mystical quality. When Murphy was a boy, he had a dream of a knight and a woman meeting at the stones. The woman was Shannon. He continued to have dreams/visions of Shannon throughout his life. When Shannon arrives in Ireland, she begins having the same dreams. Murphy is the knight in the dream. Murphy knows immediately that she is the love of his life. He courts her and pursues her and wants to marry her. Most of the story is about her reluctance to give up her career in New York and be with him in Ireland.

The best part of this story was Murphy's love and total commitment to her. I kept wanting her to choose him. The main conflict in the story was her delay and hesitation. That was ok but not the best kind of plot for me. The group of characters were pleasant to read about.

Maggie's and Brianna's stories are told in books 1 and 2 in the series. I gave 5 stars to "Born in Fire" and 2 stars to "Born in Ice."

Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: six. Setting: current day Columbus, Ohio, the village of Kilmihil, County Clare, west coast of Ireland, and Dublin. Copyright: 1996. Genre: contemporary romance.

For a listing of my reviews of other Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb books, see my 4 star review of "Angels Fall" posted on 6/30/08.

This was the final book in the Born In Trilogy and it lived up to the excellence of the first two books. As with the first two books in this series, this one kept me as involved with the characters. You feel like you know them and became involved with their lives; laughing and crying with them as the story unfolds.
I enjoyed the audio version of all three books and will share them with friends. As with the second book, I loved revisiting the first two sisters and taking a look at what was happening with their lives. A great series, do not miss them!

This is a very good story. It is the last of a trilogy, so you should listen to the first two before this one.

The Story is another good one by Nora Roberts. I bought this book in Audio Form and I did enjoy it. I just wish the Narator, Fiacre Douglas, would have spoken a little slower and taken his time. I loved his Irish Accent, but I felt that he was "raceing" through the book.

Shannon Bodine lived a charmed life until she found out that her life was based on a lie. Her mother had an affair with a married man, and the man she had always loved as a father, wasn't her natural parent. Since her mothers last wish was for her to seek out the family she never knew, Shannon heads to Ireland.

When she meets Brianna and Maggie's neighbor Murphy Muldoon, they find an unexpected connection and immediate attraction. He had been dreaming of Shannon for as long as he could remember, and knew they were destined to be. Shannon was a painter, and Murphy loved his little piece of country life. He didn't know how they could intertwine their lives, but knew she was a part of him.

I wasn't impressed with the flashbacks and past life twists. Overall the characters lacked the development I expect.

The Bookcassette Adapter gives you balance control on your headphones and is so easy to use: Plug it into the stereo jack of your personal tapeplayer and then plug your headphones into the other side. The Bookcassette Adapter Works ONLY on Stereo Tapeplayers.

If you plan on listening to Bookcassette audio books on a stereo system where you can adjust the sound between the left and right speakers separately, such as a rack system with separate left and right speaker controls or a car stereo with a left and right balance dial, you will be able to listen to Bookcassette audio books without a problem. If you plan on listening to these audio books on a portable cassette player that does not have this capability, such as a Walkman with headphones, you will require an adapter.

As I said, it would be cheaper to buy it on the Internet, especially on eBay, instead of directly from the company (Brilliance Corporation) at 1-800-697-6797

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Ridley Peason's books until I read this overlong diatribe.

The book is way too long. If he cut it down by about 150 pages, it would have been much, much better. Examples of his excessive writing are:
1- The 5 sex scenes between LaMoia and Hill. Two would have achieved his intended objective.
2- The episode in the airport. This could have been halved and still maintained its intended effect.
3- The final 100 pages could have been halved as well.
4- Chicken ending... vague and sucked. Flemming should have been arrested for murder, plain and simple. And re LeMoia being reinstated, etc., that part was vague as well.

In this one Pearson lost the plot and was trying to be too detailed which ruined the book... How many movies have you seen that could have been cut down? The same applies here.

Pearson is a good writer and I hope his anal writing in PP is not carried over into future books.

I gave this one star based, not on other books, but on other Pearson books.

This was my first Ridley Pearson, and I am so thankful to my friend for suggesting him! It was everything I look for in a mystery. Clever plot, believable characters, building suspense, and a satisfying ending. This is one of the few mysteries that actually uses it's brains to catch the bad guy, instead of discovering him by accident. The evidence does its job here, and they use it in ingenious ways. A great book!

In New Orleans, there is a home for orphan boys. Where do they come from? There is a kidnapper who travels the cities along the West coast in search of prey; called the Pied Piler because he leaves his calling card, a pennywhistle flute, in the cribs of the babies he has taken. When the FBI enters the search for this criminal, Lou Boldt in Seattle decides to take matters in his own hands along with skilled accomplices John and Daphne.

Because the kidnapper seems to be receiving information from inside the task force, which enables him to keep one step ahead of apprehension, he knows what is going on. As a consequence, he takes the detective's baby girl as bait to get him off his trail. He was a master at snatching unattended babies (and some he targeted) and disappear as the traveled from city to city.

Things get complex as Lou tries to rescue his little girl. He'd taken his wife, a cancer victim, out to eat in an old train car, one of Seattle's fish-house restaurants with ambiance. When the Piper took his child that evening, he felt like "he had stolen his life." Tracing him from a low-rent district to a meth lab in Seattle, then on to Portland (where their old theater has a marquee like the Tennessee in Knoxville -- identical in design), where things gets fishy, and on to New Orleans.

This suspense story of deceit and betrayal will keep you alive with the spirit and determination of a father out to find his child alive. The Piper is tracked to the home for destitute orphans in New Orleans. There was an orphanage in Memphis, Tennessee, where the matron was selling children to childless couples. In the movie, 'The Island,' breeders were chosen to have full-term babies for adoption, then disposed of gloriously as she thought she had been chosen to move to the Island.

Ridley Pearson has written PROBABLE CAUSE, NEVER LOOK BACK, and BEYOND RECOGNITION. His characters are believable and true-to-life in that kind of world. He keeps the readers coming back for more in his continuing sagas of unsavory happenings in the underworld of Seattle.

Just to let you know, I heard this book on tape, rather than having read it. I will discuss specific issues about the book on tape aspect of it at the end.

This was a scary, sad thriller. Children are being abducted from their bedrooms across Seattle and, in reality, all across the country and Seattle's finest are out to stop the kidnappings. Obstacles in their path include very poor teamwork with the FBI and there's another kidnapping very close to home...but I won't spoil it for you by telling you who.

Good police work ensues and it is satisfying to go along with the police as they slowly amass their clues and get closer and closer. Once the reader finds out the truth, there's still quite a bit of work to do to wrap it all up - including a cross-country chase.

Its a good, good thriller and I would have given it 5 stars but I am reviewing the abridged book on tape and I have some complaints:
1. The reader does great dialogue but is poor at reading non-dialogue - everything sounds breathless and over-hyped. Very William Shatner-esque, if you catch my meaning.
2. The abridgement apparantly left out a part of the story concerning Idaho - it is barely referenced on the first tape and then the suspect has an injury on the face due to an accident suffered in Idaho that everyone seems to know about.
3. The tape is strangely edited. For example, side one - tape one ends in the middle of a sentence. The sentence starts over again on side 2 but still...

If you have read Rocket Boys, it's imperative you continue with Coalwood Ways and Sky of the Stone. All are wonderful reads with great life lessons. Sky of the Stone was my favorite of the three but they build on each other. I look forward to reading Red Helmet in February!

Just a great part 3 continuation of "The Rocket Boys", AKA: "October Sky". I could hardly put it down. I really enjoyed this book, too.

A wonderful book that was not only an engaging story, but offered a glimpse into the life of West Virginia coal miners. Following on the heels of the "Rocket Boys" ( the book that inspired the movie "October Sky"), this book carries on the story of Rocket Boy and author Homer Hickam. You won't be sorry you read this book.

I read October Sky a week ago and then grabbed this one. I haven't read The Coalwood Way but after starting Sky of Stone, don't think it's necessary. This book continues where October Sky left off, and in many ways people are introduced in this book that were never mentioned in the first book. In manyways this book seems to be derived from all the notes taken out of the first book. Sonny's father's character comes to light in this book and we see the continued tension between father and son, and the son's reluctant growth into adulthood when he accepts (or is forced into) adult decisions for the first time.

Homer is a year out of college and he's slowly learning that many of the naive things he experienced in boyhood are coming back to haunt him. Where we all read about the fame and success of the six Rocket Boys, we now find that they are scattered across the country in college. With Homer, the grades in the first year weren't anything out of this world, or anything indicative of an aspiring rocket scientist. Without reading October Sky this book may appear to be a mystery, and I recommend reading October Sky first before attempting this one.

It is unfair to compare one book to the other, although I am doing it right now. What the first book was in childish charm, this one is with mature awakening. The writing style is still superb, the narrative flowing. The built-up to the plot, however, takes longer. The rocket scientist is no longer a rocket scientist in this book, and we find Homer Jr more of his father's son as a summer miner, exactly what he never wanted to be while in high school.

There is much more sadness in this book. The focus is on the death of a miner at the mine that Sonny's father manages. This book is more of a country suspense than it is a happy-go-lucky story like October Sky is. I think that this change in tone was necessary because the first book was full of optimistic, youthful naivete.

The problem with sequels and trilogies is that to understand the whole picture, all books must be read. I have now read two of the three and don't plan on reading the second book.

Sky of Stone, by Homer "Sonny" Hickam, is the sequel to his famous memoir, Rocket Boys, (October Sky). The story takes place in 1961, a year after his graduation from high school. Sonny, now eighteen, has just finished his first year of college at VPI, and is hoping to spend his summer with his mother in Myrtle Beach, lying on the beach, watching the girls go by, and dreaming about building rockets with Wernher Von Braun, the world famous rocket engineer. Out of the blue, his mother calls and says that he can't go to South Carolina; he to go back to Coalwood, West Virginia, the place he thought he was free from, to keep his father company. Sonny, shocked out of his socks, at first argues, but he eventually gives up knowing that he would not want to get on his mom's bad side. So, he heads up to Coalwood, filled with confusion pounding at his head. His father is a pretty stubborn man who can hold is own. Why would he need his company?
Within the first few days of being in Coalwood, Sonny wrecks his father's car. In order to pay his father back for repairing the damages, Sonny has to do the one thing that he never dreamed he would do in this or any other life time: he joins the UMWA (United Mine Workers of America), which is the union for the Coalwood miners. He becomes a "track-laying man," one of the hardest jobs in the mining business. His father, completely enraged with this, as well as having the pressure of the Tuck Dillon case on his mind, threatens to cut off Sonny's college fund if Sonny doesn't stop working in the mines. Yet, Sonny, who is actually beginning to enjoy the hard work of being a miner, refuses.
As the story goes on, Sonny slowly begins to find more and more information about the Tuck Dillon accident, and starts to wonder if his father might have actually killed Tuck. Sonny also has many other adventures during this experience of being a miner. He makes many new friends, some of whom give him very important advice and teach him life lessons; he meets a girl engineer who is older than he, and he starts to have feelings for. He also participates in a heated track-laying race with the other mining group.
Sky of Stone, like Rocket Boys, is a beautifully well-written memoir, filled with such amazing images, you feel as though you are reading a novel. The fact that this is a true story about one man's experience is astonishing. Along with it being about Homer's life, it deals with the hardships of growing up, changing from a teenager into a young man, trying to find your place in the world, while dealing with reality and the new feeling of independence. Each page you read takes you further into this adventure, making you fall in love even more with the book. You feel as though you are with Sonny every step of the way, learning more and more from this new experience. Personally, having read October Sky, I love both books and think that Homer Hickam is great author. It is a wonderful book, for anyone, as it reflects on life and the many lessons it teaches us, "I knew then, as I faced the sky, that Coalwood would go on. Its buildings might be torn down, its mine closed, its people might even die, but Coalwood would persevere. There was something about this place that maybe, as the Reverend Richard maintained, God just liked. Coalwood had nothing to fear and I guessed I didn't, either. When I needed it, the old place of my boyhood would yet be there waiting for me with all its wisdom and purpose, if not in stone and wood and iron, then still in my memory and my heart. I closed my eyes and felt the rain against my face, and smelled the smoke of the defeated fire, and thought of Coalwood. Coalwood, as it was, and shall be. Coalwood my home. Coalwood forever." (354). As I got to the end of the book I felt as though I was looking back on memory, in awe and filled with respect. In conclusion, I think this is great book, and I highly recommend it to anyone.

I have read most of this book and it is amazing! Before i read or even heard about this story i met otto and Betty. Their stories are truly amazing and i believe it is wonderful that they are sharing with the future.

An avid reader of historical fiction and non-fiction, especially pertaining to the Holocaust, I found Betty Schimmel's story to be a strong, engaging read. The story of her survival in a concentration camp as a teenager is nothing short of miraculous, as well as the way she rebuilt her life in the years following the war's end.

However, the one thing I *didn't* care for was Schimmel's romance with Richie Kovacs -- the key plot description on the back cover and the situation referenced by the title. Essentially, Richie is young Betty's first love. The two meet when she is only twelve, and their relationship intensifies by the time she is 14. When wartime relocation of Jews caused the couple to become separated, Richie is the only thing that keeps the traumatized Betty going. If only they could find one another, she believes, they'll have their storybook wedding and live happily ever after.

Soon after the war's end, Betty meets Otto Schimmel, another young Holocaust survivor who begs her to marry him. She agrees -- largely because her family adores him, and she believes Richie is dead.

As the years pass, Schimmel remains emotionally withdrawn from the marriage. Her husband slaves away, working endless hours trying to earn enough money to give her and the children a good life, but Schimmel seems to act like she's doing him some kind of favor by sticking around. Otto Schimmel is not Richie Kovacs and never could be, so obviously he's not worth any love or affection.

Eventually, Schimmel does realize that her relationship with Richie is in the past, and that she has a good man in Otto. But overall, her "reminiscing" about Richie tends to take on the feel of sappy teenager, not really looking at reality. Perhaps Richie Kovacs was indeed Betty's "one true love"; or, more realistically, she simply idealized him, because he symbolized the happy life that was so horribly snatched away from her.

Regardless, Schimmel's memoir *is* written in a strong, clear voice, and is truly a story readers are bound to remember for years to come. It would just be much better without focusing upon the Richie angle so much.

I have never ever read a book that touched my life like this one, I read this over 12 months ago now and it still has a place in my heart, I wanted the end to be different but I could understand why she did what she did, loved it that much, I am going to visit the area, to anyone thinking about reading this, don't think no more, it is the best book you'll ever read.

Love Amanda

What an amazing true story. Incredible, I could not believe how Betty's life has unfolded. I truly great story to read and I highly recommend it.

I am a high-school student in Arizona. We had to read this book for school, and the Schimmels came to our class to talk about their experiences as Holocaust survivors.
I didn't really care that much about the Richie love story once I met them in person. Mr. & Mrs. Schimmel are people devoted to each other and, no matter how it happened, found an incredible love story of their own. I hope someday to have a relationship like theirs is now.
Their survival really made a difference to the world, since they are here to tell their story. There are a lot of people my age that think the Holocaust never happened. I know it did because I met people who lived through it and spend all their time telling students about the war. It was really touching, and a lot of us were crying hearing about all the terrible things that happened to them and we were all thinking about how we might have been in the same situation.
I guess the best part of the book is what people will do to survive, but the really cool thing is that Betty took the time to write it and tell everyone about her story.

Kelsey Byden didn't quite know what she wanted to do with her life, but that was before her mother came back from the dead. Soon Kelsey is voluntarily moved from her high end Georgetown apartment and into the new world of Virigina horse farms and the racing elite to be with the mother she never knew -- a mother who spent ten years in prison for a crime she may or may not have been justified in committing. In Virginia Kelsey meets Gabe, a high rolling horse owner with just enough luck on his side to escape a horrible past. Then there's Kelsey's grandmother, who is not pleased with recent developments....

The story is entertaining, if not exactly logical in terms of the horse racing details. Kelsey certainly finds herself in the horse world, becoming a spokesperson and budding assistant trainer in the course of several short months. In short, it's a guilty pleasure. If the mother-daughter relationship won't hook readers at the beginning, the developing romance will. After all, it's horses and romance. What better combination is there?

It arrived timely. I didn't listen to it as I gave it to my mother. She didn't complain so guess it was okay.

Thanks, Jean Baber

There's just nothing that I don't like about Nora Robert's writing. She's descriptive without being boring. She pulls you into her stories before you get past the first page. Her plots grab you and her characters hold you.

True Betrayals is no exception. The idea of receiving a letter from someone you thought was dead intrigues me. Especially, if it's a parent. And from there the intricate interweaving of family, friend, and enemy relationships leads the reader into a story that you'll remember for a long time.

But, of course, the romance between Kelsey and Gabe was the glue that held the story together and kept me reading.

This is one special book! Not only has Ms Roberts written a beautiful romance, but what makes this book outstanding is the portrayal of a mother's love and the sacrifices she makes and has made for her daughter. While many, like myself, would have wanted to see the real villain punished for the many misdeeds at the end, the fact that this does not happen only gives the book more strength. Wonderful, Ms Roberts, and thank you for writing this beautiful book.

Kelsey Byden thought she knew her life, but was devastated when she received a letter from the mother that she thought was dead. Naomi thought it best since she was in jail for murder, but now that she is out and found a life of her own, she wants to see her daughter. When Kelsey visits her mother at her horse farm, her life changes forever. It is there that she has to come to terms with Naomi, and meets her future in Gabe.

This was a well-written book with a lot of information about horses and horse racing. The interaction between Naomi and Kelsey was very intense, but I found the character Gabe lacking.

I think W.E.B Griffin(his real name is William E. Butterworth)is the best current day writer. I highly recommend this and all of his other books. This book is number 7 of 10 in the Corps series

BEHIND THE LINES is a fast read, gripping most of the time. I wish there were clarification on this story. It's listed as a novel, yet the author's ENDNOTE describes what happened to "General" Fertig after the war. I guess it's an historical novel.

BE WARN !! These books are like peanuts, you pick one up and you just can't stop. I got hooked on these back in the 80's and I am hard core adict to them! These series are well written, researched and the characters will reach out and grab you. So if you don't want to get addicted then go no further.

The Corp series is my first W.E.B. Griffin series, but it definitely won't be my last. This author is a storyteller extraordinaire, and this series is wonderful. Griffin's characterizations are incredibly good, and I will be sorry to reach the end of the series and see the end of General Pickering, Killer McCoy, Pick Pickering and all the other wonderful characters in these books. In this book, we have Ken (Killer) McCoy being sent behind enemy lines in the Phillipines to lend aid and supplies to a guerrilla army led by General Fertig. It is an incredibly dangerous mission, and we need to wait until the very end of the book to see whether or not Ken McCoy can get out. The time is sent around the end of the year in 1942, and the beginning of 1943. At that time the War in the Pacific was going full steam, and the Americans were running into some surprising difficulties with the Japanese. As far as I'm concerned, this series gets better and better, and I have two books left to read before I'm done.

This book got me back into reading books after a being severely burned out post college (it took four years to pick-up a book and actually read it and it would have been longer had I not listened to this book on tape.)

I can't say enough about "Behind the Lines." After listening to this book I read straight through the series and could not put one of them down while I was reading. In fact, like one of the other posters stated, finishing them nearly brought me to tears. I will morn when "The Corps" series ends.

If you are a military history buff and like action-adventure novels, then this would also be the most entertaining novel you have ever read. I promise.

Thank you for the experience W.E.B.

This is the first book of a trilogy, none of them are worth reading. I bought all three for a dollar at a charity used book sale and feel like I paid too much. But read all three because they were on hand, I'd already paid for them and I needed some brain dead diversion between more difficult tasks.

The plot line is hackneyed, the execution by the numbers, and the resolution completely unsatisfying. These books may be entertaining for a young person just getting into action scifi, but most adults or science fiction veterans will have instant deja vu for any number of works that have covered this territory better.

I just finished this one, and am looking forward to getting the others in the series. Zahn creates great characters: flawed and lovable, and believable. The Science Fiction (note the capitalization) is good; not a lot of details, but enough made-up buzzwords and close-to-current technology to let your brain deal with the gap.

The Commonwealth (an association of spacefaring races, including Earth) is being threatened by a new race, called The Conquerors. At the center of the book is the Cavanaghs: Stewart, the father, a former high-ranking politician; two sons, Pheylan, the physical one, and Aric, the thinker; and Melinda, the daughter, a surgeon and pretty middle-of-the-road between the brothers. I'll not spoil the fun, but there are no Star Trek-like, miraculous inventions to save the day. Some lucky breaks, and lots of times when you think, Yeah, I saw that coming -- but enough surprises to make it fun also.

An easy read; if you are looking for an Asimov-weight book, or a Niven-like explanation of a really cool technology, you've come to the wrong place. Zahn is more about characters, politics, and subterfuge; his stories just happen to occur in the future, so you can warp around the universe looking for your loved ones.

Highly recommended; 5 out of 5 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series, the read is fast, and the approach to the story makes it very fun

The first in the three part Conqueror's Trilogy, Conqueror's Pride introduces a rich new universe of characters, locations and technology for the reader to explore.

This is definitely one of my all time favourite science fiction stories...It has everything you come to expect from Timothy Zahn, complex and intriguing characters, a fast paced, twisting plot and fantastic action and suspense...For those who have yet to read anything by Timothy Zahn, you will find him and his absolute best here...

The plot of this book is adequate. As you may have read in other reviews, an alien species attacks. Our protagonists are all human, the race that is first among equals of the space federation which keeps the peace. The federation has a doomsday weapon it hasn't used for decades, some species of the federation don't like the way the humans run the show, the new aliens are truly alien. It's a pretty good setup.

But the execution is wooden. The characters are cardboard-like, the few aliens we meet get a page of dialogue each and are then gone, and there are three parallel stories which all get too little treatment to be interesting. Characters are either good or evil and their motives are simplistic and along the lines of "find my son", "dislike main character", "be loyal bodyguard", etc.

BEGIN, SPOILERS: And the author even makes characters this thin behave in unnatural ways. For example, a career soldier and politician who spent 20 years containing the threat from one warlike alien species lands on their planet. After two pages of dialogue, he has been convinced that they aren't warlike at all. A page or two later, he commits high treason against the federation to help them. In another passage, the good guys (who are civilians) somehow forge orders to get a squadron of space fighters sent to them. They then explain to the fighter pilots how they are looking for a relative in hostile territory and need help. Half the pilots agree to ignore the impending war and go AWOL to help out. Come on.
END, SPOILERS

Wooden characters are nothing new in sci-fi. Think about Asimov's or Clarke's work. The difference is that their stories had interesting science in them (the Foundation, laws of robotics, century-long space travel, etc). "Conqueror's Pride" doesn't. So I found myself not caring what happened to these simplistic characters with weird behavior as the flitted by half a dozen uninteresting worlds.

Not my cup of tea, but I see others liked it. If you like straight-forward action and spy stories in a sci-fi setting and you don't care much about character development, this may be for you.

THIS A VERY GOOD BOOK. SHOWS HOW HARD WE ITALAIANS HAD IT IN THOSE DAY WHEN OUR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS HAD TO COME OVER HERE. VERY GOOD ENDING!

It is a very good book, and although that its not as good as The Godfather or The Last Don, it is a very intertaining book.

Although it doesn't have the most compelling start, it doesn't take long to warm up to the family in 'The Fortunate Pilgrim'. This is a sad account of early 1900s America, when being an immigrant was noble instead of criminal. Mario Puzo truly brings their suffering and hardships to life. If you've read 'The Godfather' you could be forgiven for thinking this will be a story of a family's fierce loyalty to each other, despite their shared poverty. Not so. Relationships are strained, affections grow and wither, bonds are strengthened and severed. Like animals, they have to keep fighting the cruel uncertainty of poverty. Puzo dispenses with all sentiment; in order to be sentimental, there has to be some good times along the way. And time is not kind to many of these characters. I've read a couple of entertaining but ultimately shallow Mario Puzo novels ('The Fourth K' and 'Fools Die'), but I won't soon forget the sadness of 'The Fortunate Pilgrim'.

Enjoyed THE FORTUNATE PILGRIM by Mario Puzo, written before
THE GODFATHER . . . this one also looks at the Italian-American
experience, but from the perspective of a family where the woman
holds the power.

I was moved by the story of Lucia Santa and her journey from the
mountain farms of Italy to the streets of New York . . . she hoped
for a better life, but instead found herself living in Hell's Kitchen
and in a bad marriage where she had to raise six children
on her own.

Their lives also fascinated me, as did Puzzo's description of
what like was life in the twenties, thirties and forties . . . it made
me feel like I was actually there--right with the characters.

After the novel was over, I wondered how come it never was
made into a major movie . . . I did found out that THE FORTUNATE
PILGRIM was instead made into a TV mini-series in 1988, starring
Sophia Loren and Edward James Olmos . . . so I now know what
I'll be watching when I rent my next DVD!

I suppose like a lot of other people I started reading Mario Puzo book the Godfather and just loved the story. I wasn't happy with "The Silician", but I was surprised by this book: "The Fortunate Pilgrim". For a brief summary, this is the story of Lucia Santa an immigrant from Italy living in New York City during the 1930's. Lucia has six children and a bad marriage. Mario Puzo descriptions of the section known as Hells Kitchen are amazing and his detail of the city and hardships that Lucia must endure is awesome. Overall, this book turned out to be one of my favorite Mario Puzo novels and I would highly recommend it.

I have enjoyed his books for a while, and I couldn't wait till the next book came out! Too bad it ended after only four volumes. A fun, light read if you enjoy witty fantasy/sci-fi.

This is the third book in the "Virtual Mode" series and although I loved the first two, I really didn't like this one as much. Others might though.

Anthony spends too much time in this book setting up scenery and action and although the characters interact, I don't get the sense that they care too much either way. Colene's science teacher introduction was good, but I can't understand why AFTER she was [forced to make love] she got a crush and started flirting with the teacher. And it was INCREDIBLY convenient that the one thing she remembers in biology has to do with Burgess. An ok read, but didn't make me jump out of my seat.

I just finished reading this book last night. I love the Xanth series and I enjoyed the first two books in this series. However, this book is not as good in my mind as the first two. The author spends quite a bit of time repeating what happened in the first two books. It is a series, it would be expected that people would have read them in order and know what was going on. Perhaps there was a long time between the 2nd and 3rd? I didn't check on this so am not sure. There were some very good parts and I did enjoy the interactions between the characters but it did get annoying to keep seeing Colene referred to as a "vessel of dolor". At least use different words once in a while. And it seemed like Colene's parents gave in to her relationship with Darius very easily. I know they were afraid of losing her again and Seqiro helped mentally, but she is only 14 and he is much older. All in all, it was good but seemed rushed. I would still recommend the series and am eagerly waiting to see what happens in DoOon Mode.

I have a version of Chaos Mode in which Mr. Anthony describes his reasons for discontinuing the mode series. Apparently, he got a lot of letters of complaint from parents stating that the relationship between Colene and Darius was innapropriate and too graphic. This may have caused the publisher to decide not to continue the series or maybe (and from the letter it sounds this way) Mr. Anthony was offended by all the criticism and decided to discontinue his work as a result of it. In any case, if you're interested I can scan and post the letter somewhere. Just thought you all might like to know.

I absolutely loved all three books of the Dream Trilogy! All in all, I was sorry when the last book came to an end. I felt like Margo, Kate, and Laura were my friends and I hated to leave them. I would have liked to have read a fourth book incorporating Laura and Michael's marriage and the arrival of their children; Tommy and Susie's story; and more of Annie's story.

When an author writes a story that makes you want more, you can say that he/she is a great success. Needless to say, Nora Roberts is one of my favorite authors.

As a die-hard book luver and Nora Roberts fan, I can't say enough about this book-I loved it and so will you!

This book was amazing Laura Templeton finding true love at the age of thirty. She's a divorced mother of two daughters whom she has been raising all alone for the past two years.
At the age of eighteen she thought she had found the perfect man but that ended all tragically.Despondent about the way the course of love has been flowing lately she doesn't believe in true love or soulmates she has been left with a bruised and battered heart.
As her brother Josh T askes her for a favour concerning his old friend Micheal Fury the rugged handsome 'trouble maker'.
Who's house was ruined in a mudslide.Coming from the wrong kinda family he always wanted to belong to mean something. Having been all over doing all kinds of jobs he finally ends up owning horses and looking after them his only passion. He may look all dangerous but beneath that veneer there's a lost boy whom only wants to find his way home.
Catching Laura as she is scrubbing his bath he is her tenant as her husband took all her money and her childrens funds she could use the money sho she agreed to let him stay above the stables.
From way back Laura always felt uneasy at the way he looked at her. Making polite conversations with him he shows a soft spot and asks her about her kids whom he seems to fall in love with the misguided Alison adorable 8 year old Kayla.
I don't wanna ruin the whole story so in short Serphina's dowry is what's keeping Laura T focused hopefull as sexy Micheal Fury awakens her body from a long slumber. She will keep going on. Micheal Fury though still believes she's a spoilt and snobbish woman from money & power but she soon proves him wrong she doesn't live of her families money she makes her own wages. Afraid of getting hurt because he fell in love with her, he doesn't believe that someone like her could want someone like him so he hurts her not knowing that she has also fallen in love with him. Read the book to find out the rest!!!!!!!!!*******




Nora Roberts is a genius at Romance this book should definetly be read i loved it finished within hours. I'm fourteen years old and appreciate the way she has endes her books but the seem to go on forever. There is true love out there for everyone.

I enjoyed these series, although Nora can sometimes rehash the same characters at times...her stories are what keep me coming back. I enjoyed Daring to Dream, I didn't like Holding the Dream as much but I loved this one! I really wanted something good to happen to Laura and I liked Michael's character and how he was so crazy about Laura and so nice to the girls.

Another reviewer mentioned Michael hitting Peter, I don't know how I missed that part because I would have loved to read that one.

Check this one out!!!

Great End of the trilogy
I loved that book as I loved the other two about Margo and Kate. They are all so great peronalities. I read this book agagin and again and it is as good as the first time I read it. Great!!
Also recommended: Daring To Dream