Victims Books

Good, spot-on writing with a plot that takes off right from the beginning. Judith Rossner makes keen observations and phrases them just right: "...the look that was just becoming commonplace on the streets of New York - of having been someplace else which made them realize that Earth was just a two-bit town." As for the plot, I don't see this as a cautionary tale. (And Rossner's writing is dispassionate enough that she is observing only and definitely not judging.) For whatever reasons (which alone are worthy of debate) Terry chooses to exploit her vulnerability. She's quite self-centered and childish. She chooses to do exactly whatever she wants to do, at the expense of her students, at the expense of James' feelings, etc. Intellectually she realizes it, but she does it anyway, often enjoying it. At one point when she considers herself "so strapped down", I almost had to laugh out loud. And in the end, did you really think she was going to change? Just because she spruced up her apartment? If that were really true she would never have gone into Mr. Goodbar.

Judith Rossner, Looking for Mr. Goodbar (Washington Square Press, 1975)

Looking for Mr. Goodbar was an unconscionably shocking novel when it appeared in 1975. It was still shocking when Richard Brooks turned it into a devastating film featuring rising stars Richard Gere, Tom Berenger, and William Atherton as the three most important men in Diane Keaton's life. Now, here we are thirty years later. The scene Rossner set isn't shocking. But in some ways, her treatment of it is, and this is why Looking for Mr. Goodbar is still in print, three decades after its original release.

Theresa Dunn, we learn on the first page, is dead. She was killed by a guy she picked up in a bar a few hours beforehand (leading to Rex Reed's famous, and utterly inaccurate, statement "this is the story of what happens to Theresa in bars."). We go from police report to said guy's statement, which is equal parts amusing and chilling. Then the rest of the novel's three hundred ninety pages gives us Theresa's story as it leads up to her murder.

Despite Reed's tantalizing review, Theresa Dunn is not the kind of barhopper one might find in a bad seventies softcore movie. In fact, she spends not much time at all in bars themselves. (Mr. Goodbar, the name of the bar where she picks up the guy who kills her, is only mentioned by name twice in Theresa's portion of the story, if I recall correctly.) The novel actually focuses on Theresa's relationships, and how they contribute to the novel's outcome-- first with one of her college professors, and then conflicting, simultaneous relationships with two men, the macho and aggressive Tony and calm, staid James, as Theresa tries to figure out who she really is and what she wants from life.

Rossner approaches her subject matter in a frank, matter-of-fact tone. Thirty years on, it's not the sex that's shocking, nor the idea of having it casually; we've seen it all a thousand times before. It's small offhand comments about tangential topics, or terminology (none of which, of course, is capable of being used in an Amazon review), that are still a shock to the system. Reading it, you realize that not all of the boundaries we pushed in books in the seventies were eventually broken; some of them rebounded.

But all that aside, what's it like as a book? Well, it's readable, and a relatively quick novel; Rossner does know how to keep the pages turning. I'm not sure whether she had literary aspirations with this novel (and, to be honest, I'm not sure whether she achieved them, though being re-released by Washington Square Press in 1995 certainly lends the novel an air of credibility in that regard), but it's certainly two or three rungs above your garden-variety genre potboiler or Beeline novel. Rossner's characters are deep, rich constructions, even when they border on the stereotypical (Theresa's sister Katherine and her husband are clinging-to-the-sixties free love poster children, better for a laugh these days than anything else), and the situations in which they find themselves are grimly realistic. Rossner wrote herself a fine novel, and one that deserves to be rediscovered by a new generation. *** ½

This is definitely one of those novels that is like a car accident-- it's ugly, but you can't look away. Rossner's hypnotic writing style and pitch-perfect characterization will hook you from page one. What is perhaps most haunting about this work, however, is not being ushered into this dark, lonely way of life that Theresa Dunn leads but rather finding out just how many similarities you share with her. This book will definitely stay with you, which isn't the best feeling, frankly, but trust me, if you don't read it, you're missing out on a superb literary experience.

Rarely has a bestseller had such a powerful yet upsetting impact on the psyche of contemporary American sexuality. Judith Rossner's novel brutally reflects the condition of today's swinging singles scene with the story of Theresa Dunn, a young 20-something grade school teacher living alone in Manhattan during the freewheeling 70's. On the surface, Theresa resembles the compassionate, down-to-earth All-American Girl that we can all identify with. Her ambition and desire for freedom and personal liberation transform her from a shy, insecure girl into an independent young woman living in the Lower East Side with a career teaching second graders. But as a result of a few traumatic events in her childhood and several debasing sexual relationships, this image is slowly deteriorated as we gain more insight into Theresa's troubled emotional and mental state. Add to that the unforgiving tide of the era's sexual revolution, Theresa becomes swept away in a pessimistic and alienated life of nameless sex and drug use.

Fearing genuine emotional intimacy and attachment with anyone, Theresa instead tries to fill the spiritual and emotional void inside of her by taking home various men from bars and clubs for sex, and then kicking them out afterward so that she won't have to face the emotional consequences. Not surprisingly, Theresa soon finds herself spiraling downward at an out-of-control rate, and just as she realizes that she is careening toward catastrophe, she takes the wrong man home with her, and thus seals her own tragic fate.

Rossner spends a considerable amount of the novel producing the background circumstances for Theresa's behavior, so that we can see why she unwittingly paid the ultimate price for the sake of misguided pleasure. What sets this novel miles ahead of similar psychological thrillers is the unsympathetic realism that is portrayed in the circumstances surrounding Theresa's self-destruction. The sex scenes are unpleasant and emotionally deadening and you'll never find more starkly realistic dialogue anywhere else. And then there's that notoriously graphic and bone-chilling ending which will haunt you for several weeks to follow....

Probably the biggest reason why such an overwhelmingly depressing novel like this was so widely popular and culturally influential is because Theresa is such an explicit reflection of the very worst in all of us. Not only do we see Theresa's insecurities and fears in our own thoughts, but her story is still told today again and again through the real-life tragic misjudgments of Natalie Holloway, Matthew Shepherd and others. This is not a crime novel or thriller. Rather, it is a psychological study of the tragic self-destruction of a human being. Overall, `Looking for Mr. Goodbar' is an essential must-read for those who are brave enough to acknowledge why we as individuals often cannot help but destroy ourselves.

When I saw this book I picked it up. I recognized it from its mention in "I Hate You-Don't Leave Me" which is a book about borderline personality disorder. I think the author wrote this book before there was even such a diagnosis, but even so, she gave the most realistic description I have ever seen.

From reading Nine Months in the Life of an Old Maid, I think Judith Rossner has a talent for creating characters that are neurotic- characters that you sometimes sympathize with, and sometimes want to slap in the face. This is especially true of Theresa after I have known someone like her in real life.

This book describes the main character from her childhood and on. Her childhood is not rife with melodramas such as abuse or molestation, but it is unhappy in a more subtle way. This shows how there are often problems under the surface within "normal" families. Medical problems and sibling rivalry are two things that have an ongoing effect in her life.

Her famous one-night-stand habit develops gradually after a long affair with a professor and meeting some other people she hoped would develop into a relationship. The scenes with these various people show the unpredictability and coldness of the bar scene, and people having obligatory sex with people they don't care about. Instead of describing fantasy sex laden with multiple orgasms, this book mainly deals with "realistic" sex, full of dysfunction and disappointment. I think since the characters all had unprotected sex, and plenty of other sexual problems were mentioned, it would have been an appropriate book to write about STDs (which are rarely mentioned outside of health books, but are a common result of all these sexual escapades so frequently written about).

She has 2 main relationships in the book. The one is an ambiguous ongoing sex-partner thing with Tony. He is unpredictable about when he shows up and when he ignores her, but she waits around for him and obsesses over him. The other is with a gentlemanly character named James Morrissey, someone who treats her respectfully and takes a lot of her abuse. I've seen this happen so much in real life: someone clinging to someone who treats her bad, and taking for granted someone who treats her well.

I love some of the conversations she has with Morrissey. Like most characters in the book, he is neither perfect nor completely vile. He does come off like a wuss, but in general I really do feel for him. Theresa tries to push his buttons sometimes, then other times she suddenly bursts into tears, and other times she suddenly hates him, only to cling to him a few minutes later. She doesn't know how to feel from one moment to the next.

There are some great descriptions of Theresa's thoughts as well. Her wondering what makes her so unappealing that no one calls her back. (This is early on in the book, when she does seem like a nice person.) Her resentfully thinking her sister is still closer to her parents even when she's across the world. Her not believing Morrissey is in love with her, and thinking he's either lying or has a distorted view of her. These and others are thoughts that a lot of people can deeply identify with. Some of her thoughts are pretty insightful, and some of them, even though they're petty, are honest.

Sometimes (just like in real life) I'm thinking "big deal, your problems aren't that bad, you're spoiled", but then each person reacts differently to their situations in life. She doesn't really have friends (some people have a hard time relating to anyone who doesn't give them a hormone rush) and has few other stable relationships. She becomes more lost as the book goes on.

I can see how some reviewers haven't liked this book, and when I was younger I probably wouldn't have liked it either, but now that I am older and have seen so many people who are like the characters, I thought it was pretty amazing.

This is the 3rd book by Sarah Mccarty that I have read. I really like her style of writing. It is very hard to put down one of her books, after you have picked it up to start reading. Therefore I have to read them on my days off. I like the fact that there is a series, sort of, when you have the same people from each book, in the next book. I also like the endings, you don't just get dropped off.

OMG!! I can't say enough about this book. You have to read all the books in this series. It makes it that much better. This is the 2nd book in the series. This book is about a girl named Mara who is sold into prostitution. Cougar is a wild cowboy/lawman. He goes to the saloon to get his mind off his fiance dying a yr ago. While Mara is drugged she ends up with Cougar being her first customer and first lover. Cougar doesnt know she is drugged, but he finds her the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. He knows she is special. When he finds out, he feels horrible. He makes it his mission to protect her at all cost. He takes her away from the saloon, but Mara is shunned by the towns people. He wants to marry her and keep her under his protection. From all the drugs she doesn't remember a lot about her first and last night at the saloon. She doesn't remember the man who took her virginity. How is she going to feel when she realizes that it was Cougar, the man she has fallen in love with and the man she calls her husband? This is a HOT HOT HOT, romantic, erotic book. All the books so far in this series are excellent. All the characters are in all the books. The 4th book in this series comes out in Oct 08.YOU will NOT be disappointed!

Very steamy with intense passion. It is the romantic story about a young man named Cougar whom falls in love with a beautiful white woman whom he rescues from a saloon. It is far from boring with Ms. McCarty's vivid historical western setting. My only issue is Cougar is half Indian and I had hoped that there would be more culture involved. Myself, being American Indian, would really like to see more spicy books about American Indians. They are usually a "half breed" or are portrayed as a soft white man; Where are the warriors? They are just as hot and sensual as cowboys! But Promises Keep is still a great book that sizzles.

I read about this author and was looking forward to reading this book. It's hard to believe this book was written by a female, the sex scenes where from a male point of view.

I expected him to be kind and help her to recover, it felt like he was nasty during the sex scenes, physically abusive at times. And she loved it? The girl who was raped and so unsure of herself? And she keeps finding him in bed with someone else, but that's OK? Please!

I didn't buy the premise, I bought the entire series and this book arrived first, after the investment I paid I hope the other books are better.

Many have reviewed the story, so I am just going to tell you why I gave it one star.

********* SPOILERS ********

First of all, the story begins with our hero (Cougar) in a bordello trying to find help to his ... ehem... "problem". He cannot perform. The owner sends him to a new girl (our heroine) who is too drugged to know what is happening. So, I had a problem bying that even when she could not move a finger while the guy had sex with her, all of the sudden she was able to grab a lamp and hit him with it. C'mon. There are many other details like this one that does not add up and just threw me off.

For example, the hero asking advice to his cousin on sex??? I was like uh??? Cougar was like a master in the bedroom and he wanted to know more??? It made no sense to me AT ALL.

Another thing that TRULY ticked me off. Cougar hired a woman to clean up his house just for her reputation of being, well, generous with her body. She failed to make him feel like a man and at one point he fires her but she stays because "Cougar was her man". Our heroine found this woman doing her best to get our hero to..er... do the deed. NAKED. TWICE. Like one time wasn't enough. He TRIED but could not get rid of her??? A big guy like him? An ex-marshall???...I rolled my eyes so many times that I got a headache.

There are SO MANY other things that just ruined this book for me. I tried to like it but the story has way too many holes to make it believable or enjoyable. I know this is erotica, but does that equal brainless stoylines???

This book got 1 star because the sex scenes were hot. But the clumsy story was to much.

I'm only half way through the book but so far it has been a slow and boring ride.

This book had been on my books to read list for a couple of years. Finally I pulled it from my unread books, bookcase & started. This is not a book you will rush through. It stirs so many emotion that you want to savor each moment. I felt anger, pain, sadness & happiness. I have ordered the sequel & eagerly await it. I believe this is the first book I read by Mrs Ballard-Jones but it will not be my last. I read 45 book in 2007 & while I read some excellent well-written books this was by far the best. I not only recommended it but will be giving it as gifts. Thank- you Mrs Ballard-Jones for such a moving,well written book.

This book was an intriguing tale of what happens when lies infiltrate a family. This book literally brought tears to my eyes because I was so captivated by characters. Well written and a delight to read. You will fall in love with some characters and dispise others. The ending has a moral struggle for many readers I am sure but it was still a great story.

This was the best book I've read this year I laughed, cried, and felt joy. Eliabeth loved her father so much even though he rejected her for getting pregnant and having a baby at school.He just wouldn't except the fact that Reverend Owen Oliver raped his daughter. She wanted desperatly for her fater to accect her and johnny her son. As elizabeth grows up to become a beautiful young single mother she raises johnny alone. But has the help of a very kind and benevalent woman affectionatly called Madear. This woman take elizabeth and her baby into her home and help her raise johnny.After her father makes it clear that she can't come home ever again. She becomes a second mother to johnny and he comes to love her dearly. This story is about a young woman who was violated by a family friend and thrown away by her father. The turner and oliver famlies live with this secret for 36 years until one day the youngest daughter is told the whole story and who really raped elizabeth. So she deciedes to tell johnny who is a very successful businessman. Then reverend oliver has to pay for his sins that he believed god forgave him for years ago.

A great book I loved the southern dialect and the vivid descriptions of the South right down to the dirt roads and the Georgia Pines. I loved Ma Dear's strong role in this book. I wished that the story line was a little shorter why did we have to wait so long for the stuff to hit the fan? I don't even see the reason behind it coming out if it was going take over 30+ years. I did love the book and once you start you can't stop Great Read hands down.

I finally understand what was happening to me. This book helped me and my husband through this horrible ordeal. I am now able to communicate to him what I am feeling, he now undersands what I went through. I highly recommend to any survivor who is just beginning their journey of healing.

This book is an excellent guide towards discovering the innermost effects that sexual abuse can have on an individul over time. The information is so familiar that, at times, it can be overwhelming to read. Chapter 8 contains helpful suggestions to direct abused indivduals toward healing and healthy sexual behavior. I finally felt like all of my feelings and fears were being described in a way that I had never been able to communicate. This book has helped me to understand my actions and has changed the ways in which I view myself.

This book is a very practical easy to read step by step process to help recover from abuse. My partner is currently reading it and I have read "Allies in Healing" which is a great supplement for this book if you're in a relationship trying to cope with this type of recovery. I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to acknowledge the problem and improve their relationship.

This book was not easy to read.
However. Over and over again it phrased things in the perfect way. I can only read it a few pages at a time. I'm only halfway through, and I'm still inching along. When I'm ready to see, ready to learn, ready to be moved, I read this book.

It's wonderful accompanyment to "Courage to Heal" it takes a much more straightforward approach, and is more heartbreaking to read.

What I like about it is that there is a LOT of work that a single person can do in there. It's not dependent on being in a romantic relationship.

This book helps any survivor realize that they are not alone in this healing journey. There are plenty of actual accounts of survivors and their stories. Along with lists that help connect the dots with our current behaviors and the past. Eye opening and soul serching this book is a life saver.

I was very impressed with Dorothy Garlock and how she used the backdrop of Americana during the 1930s Depression in With Hope and had looked forward to reading the second installment of the series. With Song is another gem centered not only on the protagonists, but also on the colorful secondary characters and the events that occurred during that era. The year is 1935 in a small town of Kansas. Molly McKenzie's family has owned the McKenzie General Store for many generations and everything had always been fine. But then one day a couple of gangsters stop by the store and rob her parents, killing them and then taking off. All of that goes on while she is upstairs listening to the radio. Molly wants the men caught and, if possible, dead, which is why she agrees to serve as bait for the feds. Hod Dolan is the one in charge of protecting Molly while they wait for the culprits to show up at the store again after she tells a reporter that she saw the men and want them caught. But it is someone else who may cause Molly harm -- someone who is above suspicion. Molly and Hod fall in love while all of this happens, but fears and misunderstandings keep them at bay. There are various twists throughout the novel.

This is another wonderful offering. I love how Garlock develops the characters and the storylines. I especially love the small town feel and historical references. We meet a bunch of new characters here that you love right away, like Keith, Ruth, George, Aunt Bertha, the Howell children, and several smaller characters that you get familiarized with right away due to their quirks. There are a few villains here as well, like the wanted gangsters and the creepy preacher Archie Howell. The aforementioned man gave me the creeps from the very beginning. Martin Conroy is back in this installment, being as irritating as ever and causing mischief once again. There are some characterizations here that reminded me of With Hope and that I've gathered to be one of Garlock's signature styles. One character I was happy to read about again was Johnny Henry. I so can't wait to read With Heart, where he'll be the hero! And last but not least, I loved Molly and Hod. These two characters will steal your heart away. Molly's insecurities got on my nerves after a while, but Hod took charge and swept her off her feet in some rather romantic scenes that reminded me of old movies starring Clark Gable. Hod is as great to me as Tom Dolan. I love him! The plot here is as well woven and enthralling as the one in With Hope and you picture every scene in your head as though you were watching a movie. Garlock is wonderfully descriptive. She also brings the era to life. I love all of the references about the Depression, the dust storms and gangsters causing fear and committing crimes all over the country. With Song is another gem and I cannot wait to crack the next one open. I recommend everyone to give these books a whirl!

I Enjoyed With Song the most of the Dolan boys stories. Perhaps as a lawman Hod - sworn to protect and lay down his life for others - was the most protective of his Molly. Although he started off by putting her in danger, his character was the one who I felt who was most reflective of the words "love is patient..." i.e, the most unselfish.

With Song is the second in the series about the 1930's. While I was not crazy about "With Hope" I fell in love with "With Song".

Molly is eager to catch the two gunmen who killed her parents. She agrees to let Hod, a government agent, use her as bait to lure the outlaws back to the store. At first, Molly doesn't like Hod at all, he is gruff and at times, insulting. As they prepare for the gunmen to return for Molly, she begins to see another side of him and gradually falls in love. After losing her parents so violently, she is hesitant to open herself up to more hurt.

Once again, the secondary characters in this novel are outstanding. Molly's aunt, her best friend, and the sinister preacher help to bring the story along. Johnny Henry also makes an appearance and we learn how Henry Ann is doing.

I highly recommend this book. It is truly romantic and it is nice to see characters stuggle to with their feelings instead of just instantly falling in love.

This is a wonderful read and the characters are so wonderful and entertaining. The wonderful Johnny is seen again in the second of this series of stories.... and let me tell you, I'm anxious to get to the third and fourth book of this series, where he is the main hero!!!!

Ms. Garlock is a gifted storyteller, and never fails to provide us with the best clan of characters ever!! This is the second Dorothy Garlock book that I've read, and I'm anxious to read everything she has done now!!! You will too... enjoy!

Yes, this is a wonderful book. Ms. Garlock certainly knows how to put out a good book, in fact, an excellent series. Just keep them coming Ms. Garlock. You certainly won me over.

i am a big fan of the second world war periode so i was very exited about this book.
i think it's the first time where i hate a hero so much i wish the writer had killed him!
i do not understand what Kate saw in him !!!!! he was stupid and whiney .
if you love a good WW2 book try "the blue bicycle" from deforges
AVOID !

This turned out to be a suspense Historical Romance which I found refreshing. I enjoyed reading the book so much that I had a hard time putting it down to go into the doctor's office!
I believe that you could read this as a single book without having read the three prior books because I had read them months ago and forgotten the plots!!! It was a delightful read. My only reason for not giving it five stars was the use many times of bad words and God's name in vain. I don't usually oontinue reading books I find these words in but I did this one as it was good and overlooked those words. I hope Ms. Garwood realizes a good book can be written without use of such language.

Well, it was good that I was able to pick up a story that was the last of the series and go with it. Sometimes if you read a series out of sequence, you're lost and disheartened. But this was easy to step into.
Its the story between a half Cherokee war hero and his wife, a red headed writer of Westerns. Seems they were miscommunicating on the death of their child. He shipped off to war and she would never forgive him---or would she?
It seems a theme for Garlock to have an obsessed dude running around through the story. He provides the suspense in the end.
After reading several of her books, I can say that that part and the everpresent some-woman-is-getting-beat-by-her-man is starting to make me uninterested. I don't know how her faithfuls put up with it. Maybe this is teaching her readers that if you're abused and reading romances, its time to leave him.
Or maybe its to educate the readers on how much abuse is out there. Whatever the case, its present in all the stories I've read.
Back to Kathleen and Johnny--well, this romance seems to drag on through the book. Not much happens in the meantime until she gets kidnapped by the obsessed dude.
The highlight was the post-war stuff and the usual period detail prevalent in Garlocks stories. After reading "House on a Hill," which was so good, this was a bit of a let down. But go for it anyway!

We fell in love with Kathleen and Johnny Henry in With Heart. This story picks up seven years later. The war is over, but their battle for their love isn't. They've loved, and they've lost. It's time to discover if their love is strong enough to weather those losses and move on to discover something new...together.

Dorothy Garlock shines in this spectacular series! My only complaint...that it had to end.

I don't think Ms. Garlock could get enough of Johnny and Kathleen Henry either, as she created another masterpiece centered around this couple! I read this book in 2 days, and found it to be just as good or maybe better than the previous book, "With Heart." I don't know what I'll do without reading about the people in this family... It was really easy to grow to love these fictional characters, and I long for more!! I hope Ms. Garlock continues with some of the other characters in this book. READ THIS BOOK... YOU'LL BE IN LOVE WITH JOHNNY AND KATHLEEN HENRY, TOO!!!

How did this jewel of a book get lost in between the success of Wasted and Madness???? It's brilliant!!!

I just finished reading "The Center of Winter" by Marya Hornbacher, published in 2005. It takes place in 1969, 1970, in the north, and the story is told (without skipping a beat) from different loving character's points of view. The entire book, especially the last few pages, are freshly with me. It not only kept my attention, it made me cry, laugh, and smile.

Because so much transpired, was tender, and was easy reading, I suspect many readers wouldn't have noticed the word construction, but I did. However, despite (or because of) frequent and appropriate non-or-overly-long sentences, the words were warming. The dialog was sweet and/or to-the-point. The characters said what they needed to say, in the manner that was most comfortable for them. I liked their honestly (all of it, with/without clichés).

A paradox mentioned was that systems (eco-systems or human) are simultaneously very strong and very fragile. How true. Further, when one tries again and again [paraphrased], "ready to begin, one may place memory into its own frames and images. After all, memory is a story without plot. And yet, since you [we, them, all of us] were there, memory has its place" and can be cherished.

I highly recommend "The Center of Winter" and give it a four-star rating.

This novel is set in the Midwest and in the late 1960's. It was a time of change and turmoil politically in the country but this town seems to be suspended in time. Life and family cannot stay the same and events move the adult characters out of their comatose lives, leaving the children to react and deal with it all. Different chapters are given from the perspective of the family members and that made this book different and intriguing, especially when some were children six- and twelve-years old. The story is grim in parts and very inspiring in others, full of intensity and raw emotion. The ending was unexpected but touching in its simplicity. Well worth the read!

This was a great book! The author did a great job in bringing you into each characters individual personalities, thoughts and feelings. This is about a family struck with the tradgedy of the fathers suicide and each of the characters tell the story from their own point of view. Great plot and very well written.

I bought this book on a whim, as the title 'grabbed' me....Then I lost myself in the story. The characters became real. The depth of insight into human emotions and behavior is profound. As I read, I became both child and adult. I felt what it must be like to have and live with an emotionally challanged child.
I tell everyone I speak to, that they must read this book!
It is truly beautiful!

An entertaining tale that combines a warm relationship.
This book is a small masterpiece.
i would recommend everyone Share this journey with someone special
life is not a fairy tale, and this book is unforgettable.

This book is authors gift to those in need of inspiration to keep on going even during testing times and circumstances.
with its positive message of love, compassion and kindness it truly nurtures the body, mind and soul..
Thanks for a beautiful effort ..worth reading

It has been a long time since I have read a book from start to finish in just a couple of readings. But when I started reading your book, Dear Popples, I just couldn't put it down. Let me tell you what attracted me the most to this book of yours. It is the love, humanity and simplicity that is spread all around this book. The book has been laid out nicely too. The way you have put your love letters to Popples in between the real accounts of the incidents happened in Popple's life is a nice approach.

I don't know how would a person categorize your book. It is well crafted like a fiction, and the narratives of Popples in between makes it a real life account, at times it takes form of an autobiography, and then of a biography - I don't know where it falls, but the story does fall to one's heart. The book is well organized as it is in the form of short letters so it doesn't make a boring read. The short letters full of the warmth of your love for little Utpal is what glues the reader to this book.

It is no wonder how Popples drawn so much of love and affection from you. He is a brave kid. A true survivor as you wrote. I'm sure that he is special to Godji and his being has a mission which is to spread hope in people whom he met or even to people who read his story. He is a gifted child. Or else how would a child who had third degree burns in his body and was written off by the hospital authorities as "survival chances: nil" come back to life?

Your book instills my faith in people. And now I believe that no matter how much hatred exists in our world, we can still reach out to others and touch someone else's life. Like how Sam helped Popples and how Popples touched Sam.

Another thing I liked about this book is the way you explained things to Popples. About people, humanity, kindness, life, family etc. It makes a great read even to the grown ups because of the simplicity in the way you explain. Do you know, at times it made my eyes wet. And I was traveling in a crowded train and there were people sitting opposite to me and I had a hard time hiding my wet eyes from them while reading the book.

I also read about your Mother's life with great enthusiasm. Such a special person she was. Many of her characteristics that you have written about are similar to those of my Mother's. Like how she was worried about the future of her child because she had a suffering childhood. Or her habit of saving money even if it is little. We do understand our mothers and their concerns as we grow up, don't we?

But there were some parts which made me skip the pages fast though. Particularly after the narration of Kamala coming to Jodhpur to spend her vacation. The letters in those pages (also when you talked about Ram, your father) were full of your affection to your parents but did not put much interest in me as a reader. One reason could be that the letters in those parts are lengthy. Somehow I loved those short letters which was filled with your love for Popples and where you explained things to him in the simplest way.

I'm also glad that I've come to know the person behind Project Why through this book. I hope more people come to know about Project Why and come forward to help. I have no words to appreciate the work you are doing. You're an amazing person Anou. Godji is on work through you.

I think your book would make a perfect gift to give people whom you love. To children, friends or anyone. I, for one, want my future children to read this book as I don't think I can give them anything better to inspire. To fill them with hope, love and humanity. And I thank you for that.

This book will move the audience in so many ways and make them feel so many things.
A short read, likely it is meant as something to ponder over time and again, and not just read through
A must read.

Who says fairytales are athing of the past. This books tells a modern day fairytale. from the depths of despair, a burnt 11 month child recovers and reclaims his life. A true blue story of old fashioned compassion and courage where a bunch of people from around the world show what humanity can be when we so choose.

a must for all of us in these cynical times. makes you feel God is in heaven and will be for at least a while.

I was very pleased with my order. I received it within a few days of placing my order.

This was my first book by Staub and really got me hooked on the author. The author wrote in present tense, which was different than what I was used to, but have really grown to love. It makes the book so much more exciting and heart pounding. The storyline was believable and the characters were fully developed. I really enjoyed every page. The ending really caught me by surprise, as a great suspense novel should.

Famous actess, Mallory Eden thought she had gotten away with faking her own death to escape a stalker. Little did she know that her past would catch up with her in a small village on the other side of the continent. Someone knows who she is. Thinking the worst, Mallory, now going by the name Elizabeth Baxter fears that her stalker has finally found her after five years of being on the run, and there is no one she can trust with her secrets.

Fade to Black is suspenseful from start to finish, filled with twists and turns along the way. Unfortunately, the ending is a bit predictable, but then anyone who reads a great deal of mysteries would know how to pick the red herrings out of the real suspects. I have seen on the cover of most Wendy Corsi Staub novels how this author is being compared to Mary Higgins Clark. I don't see the comparison. MHC's style of writing is much different. (Less suspenseful, less twists of the plot, much more predictable ending) Wendy Corsi Staub also writes in a strange combination of both first person and present tense third person. Her sentences read much like first person, but without using any "I, me, mine,etc." It is a little difficult to get used to at first. All in all, this author has potential.

Is it worth buying?
The paperback price is still a bit higher priced than most in its class at $6.99, but this was a fairly decent mystery, so I would say yes.

Screen icon Mallory Eden fakes her own death after succumbing to the pressures of celebrity and the actions of a stalker. Armed with a new identity, she hides out in a small Rhode Island town for five years, never getting close to anyone, always with the curtains drawn, fearful that her stalker might find her again.

When a card arrives in the mail with the words "I know who you are..." her imagination goes into overdrive. When her house is broken into, she has the locks changed and captures the attention of locksmith Harper, who also has a past he would like to forget. As he pursues her, she finally takes the first step to put her past behind her. When she is attacked and her stalker is arrested, bringing about tons of media attention, she flees back to LA to return to her old life. But was that really her stalker?? Or is it someone closer to her?

With plenty of hints tossed in, discovering the identity of the stalker is pretty easy, which in turns makes the story lacking int he suspense department. Not a good sign for a "suspense" novel.

Hate to be in the minority but I found this book boring. There was so much detail on stupid things. Two paragraphs on how a woman changes her baby's diaper. Three on exactly what someone puts on their sandwich. And Elizabeth/Mallory/Cindi was constantly questioning herself: Should I do this or should I do that. I understand that she would be paranoid after what she's been through but she kept going over the same things, again, and again, and again. Not to mention the fact that she seemed to suspect everyone of being the stalker, except the real stalker! I really believe that if this book had been cut back to 230 or 240 pages it would have been a big improvement!

Tom is your typical middle-school boy. He is just a little rough around the edges, has a crush on the prettiest girl in class, and hangs out with a friend talking about cool cars and gross stuff. Then, a new girl comes to class for two weeks - two weeks that change who Tom is deep inside.

The new girl has been disfigured in a fire and has come to Tom's town for treatments. In this brief little story, Tom's inward character comes rising out of himself - often to his own surprise - as he resists the crowd's reactions to this poor girl.

The author doesn't create an overly heroic response. Instead he allows the reader to view a very realistic struggle...to want to be better than you are...yet still wrestle with a desire to be relieved of caring so much.

What an EXCELLENT novel! Everything isn't tidily resolved at the end. It's just a glimpse at the life-changing moments we face that shape our character.

Delivery of this product was prompt. The story is a little slow getting started, and it contains some unneeded off-color language, which is disappointing as I purchased this for my children. The story line is fine, however.

I liked the book Firegirl. It was about a girl named Jessica who was burned in a car fire. Jessica is visiting a hospital while going to school. She is getting treatment there. Tom is the kid who goes to the school and no one is nice to Jessica. I would recommend this book to people who like sad stories. The ending was not satisfying and sudden.

Fire Girl is a serious, good book about a boy named Tom. It takes place in New York in a private middle school. I liked the part where Mrs. Tracy mentions Jessica Feeney. She said that Jessica is a new student who had been badly burned over her whole body, and may look different from them. I thought what it would be like to be burned over my whole body. That was the spine chilling part! The part where Jessica moves away forever was so sad. For my opinion I gave it 5 stars. If you want a thrilling book get Fire Girl!

This book starts out very slow, four chapters full of Tom's meandering daydreams of his favorite sportscar and detailed imagined adventures of rescuing a pretty classmate, as well as plain old everyday thoughts. It is fun to see the inner workings of a middle-school boy's mind, but on and on it goes, often coming across as chatter. Then Jessica Feeney shows up--the new girl--and the real story begins.

Everyone is horrified by Jessica's disfigurement and no one knows quite how to relate to her, and so she is ignored or made fun of behind her back. Tom, however, is fascinated with her (some would say he develops a preoccupation with her) that leads to empathy and the courage to be her friend.

The story takes an admirable path as an average boy becomes aware of what's really important in life, but it really drags in places because of way too much commentary. I believe a good editor could have done wonders with this book. And is a 7th grade boy's preoccupation and high degree of emotional sensitivity concerning a burned girl realistic? It was a good idea for a story, and my fifth-grader and I didn't want to put it down once things got underway, but there was just too much extranneous material to wade through and we did think it somewhat unrealistic. One aspect I really liked, though, was that the story was from a boy's point of view, so hopefully boys as well as girls will want to read the book, which drives home the point that we are all the same in our need to be loved and accepted and that small caring gestures can make a world of difference.