Romance Books

The perfect holiday read and a wonderful escape

Advantages: Readable, compelling,
Disadvantages: None because it's perfect within its genre

...And it still retains the immediacy and readability which made it deservedly a best-seller. Since Rosamunde Pilcher, now in her eighties, achieved fame in 1987 after decades of wriitng romantic fiction, there have been many authors who have tried to cover similar ground in much the same way. Most of them are formula writers who I'd give a wide berth to as life is far too short to spend reading rubbish. But Pilcher's story deserves a re-read on many ...
...as easy-to-read literature. The cosy world she evokes is not some imagined fantasy but is based on her own ( very middle-class) life and values - decency, honesty , human failure - which are timeless. But most of all it's worth a go because of the story, which is beautifully told and utterly compelling . The book revolves around Penelope Keeling an her three very diferent children, humdrum housewife Nancy, successful journalist Olivia, and selfish ...

bookaddict 27.07.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of The Shell Seekers - Rosamunde Pilcher

Gripping and Emotional

Advantages: Wonderfully written, gripping and full of emotion and love
Disadvantages: Made me cry again!

After seeing the film of this book I really wanted to read this so I could see how well the film was adapted and if it missed anything out. I was very pleased when I received this as another birthday present as I though hubby had forgotten I was after it. I cannot believe though that I knew exactly what was coming at the end of the book but it still made me cry like a baby! The book starts with us being introduced to an elderly gentleman who is ...
...We are then taken to the story which he is reading from his notebook and find out that Allie and Noah at teenagers who meets and spend the summer together and fall deeply in love with each other but soon Allie is moving away so the pair end up separating and despite Noah constantly writing to her he never gets a reply. Noah never forgets Allie as he goes about his life and soon he is fighting in the war and working hard to save enough money to buy ...

sewbizzie 07.06.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks

Wise Children By Angela Carter

Advantages: Everything, all outstanding!
Disadvantages: Eventually, like everything else. It comes to an end.

One of the best books I have read! I still re-read it again and again when bored. I studied this book for my English literature AS levels with the majority of the class enjoying the book as much as I did. Yes I am a male and this book will be moreover seen to be targeted towards the women. However, personally as a student with many other males in the classroom it proved that the male's would enjoy this as much as the females. The novel starts of ...
...well... the rest is for you to find out out! I won't spoil the novel for you guys! Angela Carters' use of magic realism and carnivalesque really sets the tone and feel towards the reader and brings out the excitement within the novel by giving all her characters a uniquely 'magical spark'. Sometimes they say things are 'too good to be true', well read this. Highly recommended! ...

gbninet 10.06.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Wise Children - Angela Carter

Small Minded Small Island?

Advantages: Historical details, clever method of narration
Disadvantages: Poorly developed, can be patronising

Andrea Levy's "Small Island" uses the recollections of four central characters against the background of the first wave of immigration from the Caribbean in the years after the Second World War to tell a story of racism, prejudice and, ultimately, hope for the future. The story weaves between the four characters with each one telling their part of the story in the first person; if that sounds like a lot of narrators, don't worry, the characters are ...
...be easily confused and each adds a new dimension to our understanding of the story. BACKGROUND Thousands of men from the Caribbean - part of the British Commonwealth - volunteered for the British Armed Forces during the Second World War; most had never been to Britain and did not have any British blood but they referred to it as "the Motherland". Most did menial, but essential jobs in the British Isles, a few of the highly-educated men became pilots. ...

fizzytom 27.04.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Small Island - Andrea Levy

Body Language

Advantages: A real love story with a Winterson slant
Disadvantages: None to be honest

...and metaphorical biology , all written by Jeanette Winterson. The recipe of the above is Written on the Body, Winterson’s forth novel. A young Lothario (gender never revealed) hops from one bed to another, but without searching for anything in particular. Enter Louise, the wife of a Jewish doctor and our character’s life is turned upside down. Although Louise is dying. Winterson’s prose at this point in the narrative develops with ...
...but the white t-cells have turned bandit…Will you let me crawl inside you, stand guard over you, trap them as they come at you?”. Winterson effectively portrays the desperation and the uselessness of the leading character, and the reader is taken through a biology lesson, which not only represents the physical aspects but the emotional difficulty of illness. As with Winterson’s other novels, the leading character cannot be described ...

HappyBunny 29.06.2001 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Written on the Body - Jeanette Winterson