Alison James

Advantages: Brilliant theology, writing and just about everything
Disadvantages: Possibly language

...Catholic, gay and priest...oxymoron? Well...no...James Alison...he is a Catholic theologian, and priest...who writes extensively on homosexual issues with the Catholic church and this is from that perspective a very daring book. My vicar first introduced me to this priest as a writer, but since then I have been hooked... Boring Stuff Title: Faith beyond Resentment: Fragments Catholic and Gay Author: James Alison ISBN: 0824519221 Price: £15.99 from Waterstones $12.89 from Amazon Publisher: Crossroad General Interest Pages: 239 pages Other: I have found that this isn't actually an English book, and hasn't been published in England, even though many other of his books are...I therefore got waterstones to order it in, which is a 6 weeks delivery. Background The background of this book, much like many other of James... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: a great read
Disadvantages: none

...I have read quite a few books by Rowan Coleman now and I class her as one of my preferred authors. All of her books are really enjoyable and this latest one - The Accidental Wife - is no exception although I would not class it as one of my favourites. I lie the way that all of her books are different and this one is a story about the importance of friendship but it's also ponders on a lot of 'what ifs!' which I guess that most people have been guilty of at some point in their lives! In the book we meet two thirty something women. They are Alison James and Catherine Ashley. The two of them used to be absolute best friends at school and were always inseparable. That was until Alison ran off with Catherine's boyfriend Marc and the pair have not seen each other for fifteen years. Looking for a fresh start though, Alison and Marc move... Read review

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Advantages: Wonderful story of relationships
Disadvantages: Scenes with Lily and Charlie

...it was written. Each chapter has the name of a character at the top which indicates who that chapter focuses on. Chapters for Lily are written in the first person, and chapters for all of the other characters are written in the third person, making it easy to distinguish which type of story we are reading about. The other characters are William and Beth, a middle-aged couple who have 2 children. William used to be a client of Alison's and now decided he wants Lily as well. James and Tamsin (James is another former client) are going through a struggle to have a baby and Alison's death means major changes for them. Richard (yes, another former client) and his model fiance Daisy are soon to be married but will Alison's death change Richard's perspective? And Dave and Marie seem to live separate lives, will Dave stay faithful to his wife after Alison... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Wonderful story of relationships
Disadvantages: Scenes with Lily and Charlie

...it was written. Each chapter has the name of a character at the top which indicates who that chapter focuses on. Chapters for Lily are written in the first person, and chapters for all of the other characters are written in the third person, making it easy to distinguish which type of story we are reading about. The other characters are William and Beth, a middle-aged couple who have 2 children. William used to be a client of Alison's and now decided he wants Lily as well. James and Tamsin (James is another former client) are going through a struggle to have a baby and Alison's death means major changes for them. Richard (yes, another former client) and his model fiance Daisy are soon to be married but will Alison's death change Richard's perspective? And Dave and Marie seem to live separate lives, will Dave stay faithful to his wife after Alison... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: a great read
Disadvantages: none

...I have read quite a few books by Rowan Coleman now and I class her as one of my preferred authors. All of her books are really enjoyable and this latest one - The Accidental Wife - is no exception although I would not class it as one of my favourites. I lie the way that all of her books are different and this one is a story about the importance of friendship but it's also ponders on a lot of 'what ifs!' which I guess that most people have been guilty of at some point in their lives! In the book we meet two thirty something women. They are Alison James and Catherine Ashley. The two of them used to be absolute best friends at school and were always inseparable. That was until Alison ran off with Catherine's boyfriend Marc and the pair have not seen each other for fifteen years. Looking for a fresh start though, Alison and Marc move... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: An unusual storyline and characters I cared about
Disadvantages: scary, controversial and offputting theme

...clearer. Tom Thorne is a complicated but intelligent detective, and is rather more realistic than many well known detective creations. Unlike P D James’ Adam Dalgliesh, he is not especially posh and he is not a poet in his spare time. He sometimes behaves rashly but this comes from his heart, and he is passionate about his work and cares deeply about justice for Alison. Perhaps in some ways he remains another kind of mythical police detective – he is possibly still a bit too good to be true - but I enjoyed reading about him. He does have faults - he is very stubborn, first in insisting on being allowed to pursue his line of enquiry but then in going after evidence to prove what he suspects for much of the book. If he was right, I wanted him to succeed but I was not too sure he was. One popular way for crime writers to put flesh... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful