Andrew Roberts

Advantages: good characters
Disadvantages: too short

...I was bought this book by a friend and being a fan of Virginia Andrews, I decided to give it a try. Compared to her other works this book was tame. It contained the usual traits of an Andrews novel, romance, secrets, hidden pasts, but it was obvious that this novel was written for young teenagers and I suppose is a fitting read to introduce them into Andrews' work. I enjoyed the book, finding it hard to put down, but my personal opinion is that compared to Virginia Andrews' other novels, "Crystal" isn't as absorbing or as eventful. The story follows the life of Crystal, an orphan adopted by the Morrisses. In their home she lives a life shes always dreamed, but unfortunately the Morrisses have a skeleton in their closet and Crystals ideal world is soon shattered. Like in all Andrews' work, the heroine is both likeable and interesting... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Easy to read and incredibly absorbing
Disadvantages: Far too short

...I read an awful lot and this is honestly one of the handful of books I absolutely could put down. True, it’s very simply written which may put some of you off, but I think that’s where much of it’s beauty lies. The bulk of the book is based on Andrew, his perception what is going on round him and how he reacts to events. Everyone should be able to relate to his many experiences and feel for what the character is going through, it definitely generated some strong emotions. I thought the story was fairly original even though it’s very much in the manner of the much older sci-fi books from the 60’s and 70’s. The story kicks off with Ender being castigated from birth for being a ‘second’, essentially couples are restricted to a single offspring as a population control measure. This weighs on Ender throughout his early childhood... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: The chance of a lifetime.
Disadvantages: none whatsoever.

.... Thank you for taking the time to read my experience of a true masterpiece xx I am updating this review on the advice of several members, which was well-placed, as this is my first review. The cast of characters were as follows. Frodo Baggins : Ian Holm Gandalf : Micael Hordern Aragorn : Robert Stephens Gollum : Peter Woodthorpe Bilbo Baggins : John Le Mesurier Samwise Gamgee : William Nighy Merry : Richard o'Callaghan Pippin : John McAndrew Legolas : David Collings Gimli : Douglas Livingstone Boromir : Michael Graham Cox Denethor : Peter Vaughan Faramir : Andrew Seear Theoden : Jack May Eomer : Anthony Hyde Eowyn : Elin Jenkins Saruman : Peter Howell Grima Wormtongue : Paul Brooke Elrond : Hugh Dickson Galadriel : Marian Diamond Celeborn : Simon Cadell Treebeard : Stephen Thorne Barleyman Butterbur : James Grout Farmer Maggot : John Bott Lord... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful