Modern Fiction Books > Gary Indiana Modern Fiction Books

The 'Perks' of reading this book.

Advantages: Makes you feel all fuzzy.
Disadvantages: You'll forget to feed the dog because you won't put the book down.

I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower my 10th grade year in High School. But at any age, at any time, under any circumstances, in my opinion, would this book be wonderful to read. Chbosky captured a young boys troubles with school, love, friends, enemies, and family crisis wonderfully. In this book you follow a young boys letters to an unknown 'friend' as he tells us about every detail of his experiences. So wonderfully captured that you want what ...

candycane91 21.12.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

Never Plead Guilty, but do read this novel

Advantages: Good believable plot
Disadvantages: Toomuch swearing

HE'S NOT SUCH A WALLY! Paul Genney weaves a good tale with this patchwork legal quilt of ‘fly on the wall’ vignettes linked to his character, ‘Wally’ Wallace of Whitebait Chambers, up north. We met Paul recently and he outlined his book, which took our attention so we read it with interest after the defining Mortimer years with Rumpole and Sir John’s concerns over ‘New’ Labour changes to our profession which seem to have set the current precedent ...
...the Fifties, (which was controversial enough in its time.) Most practising barristers will identify very quickly with the issues confronting our flawed hero, Henry Wallace. We’re not giving the plot away, but let us just say that Genney falls nicely into the Somerset Maugham concept of the novel which should end with a death or a marriage, or so Willie said in his most esoteric work ‘The Razor’s Edge’ (which didn’t). Read ‘Pleading Guilty’ and you ...

PhillipTaylor 21.12.2009 · Read full review

Review of Pleading Guilty - Paul Genney

Someone Like You

Advantages: A brilliant read.
Disadvantages: Hard to put down.

Cathy Kelly is a brilliant writer and I have read other books of hers, including 'What She Wants', and 'Always and Forever'. This book has not let me down - it is just as good, if not better, than some of her other work. This book consists of three main characters - Emma, Hannah and Leonie. Emma is married to Pete, and has a domineering father who she finds it hard to stand up to. Hannah is determined to be a career woman and not make the same mistakes ...
...and her mother would not leave him. Leonie is a born romantic and is divorced from the father of her three children as she felt that romance is missing from her marriage. The three women go to Egypt for a holiday - Emma with her parents and Hannah and Leonie on their own. They all meet in Egypt and become firm friends. Their friendship becomes an enduring one and survives ups and downs. Like Cathy Kelly's other books, the main characters were heart ...

jules.34 20.12.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Someone Like You - Cathy Kelly

The Mistress of Mahabhararta

Advantages: Excellent insight ...
Disadvantages: None ..

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, the writer of this novel , earlier wrote the bestselling novel ' The Mistress of Spices ' which was made into a film starring actress Aishwariya Rai in the leading role.. Chitra teaches creative writing at the university of Houston and divides her time between Houston and San Francisco.. The Palace of Illusions is a simple tale Narrated by Panchaali or Draupadi the wife of the five Panadava brothers . The Palace of Illusions ...
...the great Indian epic ' The Mahabharata'. The book traces Panchaali's life from her birth, lonely childhood , marriage, motherhood and her own role in the Kurukshetra war. It is the story of a woman born into a man's world , and her struggle to maintain her dignity and self respect. At the core of the epic Mahabharata lies the fierce rivalry between Kauravas and Panadavas both belonging to the Kuru dynasty. The life long struggle between the 2 rivals ...

kiran8 19.12.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Palace of Illusions - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

No secret - I loved this!

Advantages: Engaging read, positive feel-good chick lit with excellent characters
Disadvantages: Not an accurate acount of mystery shopping

...good novel. Chick lit is the ideal for me; something that's easy to read but has engaging characters and a storyline that really keeps your interest right up until the end. Having read a few novels that have disappointed somewhat recently, I was delighted to pick up 'The Secret Shopper's Revenge' from the library and spend a few nights lost in the world of three women who become mystery shopppers for a living. Rather than having one principal female ...
...equal role to play in the story as well as their individual storylines and personalities. Each chapter is written in the first person, in the voice of one of the three women each time. At first, I found this a little distracting as I did have to go back to the top of a chapter a couple of times to check who was 'talking.' As I got engrossed in the story, I really didn't need to even read the header of each chapter which shows who is speaking, as ...

jo-1976 19.12.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Secret Shopper's Revenge - Kate Harrison