Persuading Annie: Melissa Nathans least known book!

Advantages: Likeable characters, funny, easy to read!
Disadvantages: Can't put it down!

...I have just finished reading this book, and as always thought I'd write a quick review on it! Persuading Annie is one of 5 well-known books by Melissa Nathan, a young writer, who sadly died in April 2006 of cancer at the age of 37. Her previous books have been: Pride, Prejudice and Jasmine fields; The Nanny; The Waitress; The Learning Curve. I have read all bar the first one, which is on my list of to-reads! I first heard of Melissa Nathan in a magazine I was reading, her book The Nanny was on the top 10 list, and the blurb sounded good, and so I went off out and bought it. I was encaptured by the story, and ever since, whenever I have seen a book by Nathan, I have bought it straight away!! Persuading Annie is the newest of all her books (and quite possibly her last, unless there are more which have already been written awaiting...

stephbond89 31.05.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Melissa Nathan

Brick Lane

Advantages: Good ending
Disadvantages: quite boring and a bit hard going in places

...and an English mother. At the age of 3 her family moved to Bolton, England where she lived until she went to college in Oxford. Monica Ali now lives in South London with her husband and 2 children. Brick Lane is Monica Ali's debut novel, when the novel was first published some Bengali Muslims did not like the way they were portrayed in the novel and planned a demonstration where they intended to burn copies of the book, although the demonstration went ahead no copies of the book were actually burned. Brick Lane was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2003. Since the Ali has had her second book, Alentejo Blue published which is a collection of stories set in Portugal. The Story The story begins in 1967 with Nazneen's birth in East Pakistan, she was born dead but by some miracle she began to breathe, after this Nazneen refused to suckle at her...

hollywoodmum 18.03.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Brick Lane - Monica Ali

FREE DVDs

Advantages: Free trial, large choice, post included,new realeases
Disadvantages: see review

...I like movies and I like freebies, so when you get offered both in one swoop you?re bound to accept! I used my two week free trial with this company and remained with them for a couple of monthsbefore moving on to try many other companies free trials (and winning a new DVD player on Tesco DVD rental site on their free trial offer). I then had an email from DVDs 365 asking me to go back, and offering me a free DVD if I did so. I had just left Tesco (with my new DVD player) so I chose to go back with them. ∆◊◊ THE SERVICE THEY OFFER ∆◊◊ Basically it?s like going to a video shop and hiring films on DVD, except you don?t pay for each film you chose ? rather a monthly fee for which you can watch as many movies as you can fit in, for us this is usually around 8 a month (2 a week usually weekends...

dabmim 15.11.2004 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of dvds365.com

Brick Lane, the book

Advantages: Funny, thought-provoking
Disadvantages: None for me

...accept her Fate, to 'endure', yet this she struggled to do herself, often in tears & eventually heading for a tragic end. Nazneen is left confused by her mother's strange ways, possibly damaged by the very way she entered the world herself & having to accept that her mother could not endure her Fate. Still, she does her best when she leaves behind her family & the life she knew & is sent to London to marry a man much older than her. Before she leaves Bangladesh, she has nothing but a photograph of the man she will marry, Chanu, to tell her what her husband & new life will be like. We follow Nazneen's life as she enters this new world, gradually learning more about Chanu & also about the place that is now her home, Brick Lane. To begin with, she seems like the typical village girl kind of wife, who will obey her husband & stay home...

Ayesha- 26.11.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Brick Lane - Monica Ali

Nathan, Michael, Shawn, Wanya 2000

Advantages: Great vocals, Superb
Disadvantages: None

...**Introduction** Boyz II Men released this album in 2000 and it was their fourth studio release. This album is produced by Boyz II Men themselves along with Kevin "Shekspeare" Briggs. This album was led by singles Pass you by and Thank You In Advance. This album was the first album where they had the most creative control in their career. The Reason for the title of the album is because it shows all their names. Nathan Morris, Michael McCary, Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris. **Nathan, Michael, Shawn, Wanya 1.) Beautiful Women This is a great uptempo track to open the album with, From the opening chords you know it is going to be a great track to dance to and the vocals are on top form as they move through the song efforlessly. This track is about the beautiful women of the world and is such a catchy song. 2.) Step On Up...

jcneil 03.07.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya [ECD] - Boyz II Men

Languishing in the lovely Lanes

Advantages: friendly service, great location
Disadvantages: wee bit overpriced for level of facilities

...I visited Brighton for the first time recently to celebrate Duskman's 30th birthday and I can report I had a fabulous time. Many factors contributed to it being brilliant but a large part of the experience can be attributed to our stay at The Lanes Hotel , a lovely little family run hotel located not in the historic Lanes area of the town as the name implies but on Marine Parade facing the seafront at Brighton. I must confess the Lanes Hotel was not our first nor second choice for accommodation whilst in Brighton. We initially had planned to spend only one night in Brighton and stay in a trendy boutique hotel or somewhere that had luxurious facilities such as a pool and sauna. . However we did not realise that most decent hotels only took two night bookings at the weekend in spring and summer. It was time for a rethink and to...

duskmaiden 27.04.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of The Lanes Hotel, Brighton

The Learning Curve by Melissa Nathan

Advantages: Easy to read, great story, easy to pick up,
Disadvantages: can't put it down and do other jobs.

...If you have already read some of the other books by Melissa Nathan then this is definitely one you should read. I found it in the local book shop, and bought it without even reading the back cover, as I knew I would enjoy it. When I got home I read the inside cover and found that whilst Melissa was writing 'The Nanny' she discovered she has breast cancer. She finished writing this Book 'The Learning Curve' in February 2006, but unfortunately died two months later. Aged 37 I got emotional and wanted to start reading the book straight away, and wanted to enjoy reading it as much as I could. The story is mainly based on two people, ( According to back cover ) "Nicky Hobbs; a girl who loves teaching at the local primary school. She's idolised by her class - in particular ten-year-old Oscar Samuels - but she's starting to find she...

nicolaks1 09.08.2007 (04.09.2007) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of The Learning Curve - Melissa Nathan

Surprising Picture Quality - Panasonic DVD-S54

Advantages: Incredible picture quality when compared to my old non-upscaling player with a scart lead
Disadvantages: Sometimes disc drive can be really noisy when DVD's initially load.

...At first I wasn't convinced by up-scaling DVD player technology but was persuaded after reading an article in "What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision" magazine. Unable to afford a Blu-Ray player my sister and I bought the Panasonic DVD-S54 to match our parents brand new Panasonic TX-32LZD80 LCD television as their Christmas 2008 present. Admittedly it was a slightly selfish purchase as we both live at home and wanted to watch DVDs on the big new TV ourselves! We bought the player from the electrical retailer Comet for about £100 just before Christmas so there were no discounts applied. On Christmas day when opened we found a relatively small box tightly packed with the player in polystyrene packaging. All the components such as cables, remote and manuals were well presented in their own protective plastic bags, to keep them protected. The player...

bobbacon985 12.02.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Panasonic DVD-S54

Breakfast bagels at Brick Lane

Advantages: Great fun, good food and good shopping
Disadvantages: Many of the goods are fake or knocked off

...Brick Lane is situated in the Spitalfields area. It is well known all over East London for its huge Sunday morning market. This colourful event takes place on Brick Lane and some of the surrounding streets, and is the focus of many local peoples’ activities, legal or otherwise. This area has an interesting, sometimes sleazy past and it is worth taking a quick look round if you do go shopping at the market. ~~ A potted history of the Brick Lane area ~~ In medieval times this area was full of kilns used by brick and tile manufacturers. This gave Brick Lane its name that survives to this day. In the 16th century French Huguenot silk weavers moved into the area and bought some wealth into this poverty stricken neighbourhood. Ben Truman established the old Black Eagle Brewery at the junction of Hanbury Street in 1724...

spankygoodtime 19.08.2001 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Brick Lane (London)

ode to brick lane

Advantages: curry, bagels, markets
Disadvantages: grubby, scary 10 year olds

...you can buy anything and everything. Foods, Cosmetics, DVDs and videos, tools, cigarettes, clothes, books, shoes... you get the idea. If you want it, chances are you'll find it. If you're visiting on a Sunday you must find your way a few streets north to Columbia road, which until about 2/3pm hosts a flower market, great just to wander through for the colours and the atmosphere. Or I guess you could buy flowers and plants. Or venture into some of the unique little shops that line it. And since you're here, pop into Spitalsfields Market too for all sorts of clothing, jewellery, textiles, food etc etc If you want to see a different side to the capital, this part of East London really delivers. And if you need anymore convincing, there's a 24 bagel shop on the north end of Brick Lane. How perfect is that? Travel: Shoreditch...

melee679 25.04.2003 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Brick Lane (London)