The first quarter of this novel...zzzzzzz. What a bad start. We meet Freddie. He has spent time in the looney bin and it's not surprising. When he wasThe first quarter of this novel...zzzzzzz. What a bad start. We meet Freddie. He has spent time in the looney bin and it's not surprising. When he was a young boy, his older brother went off to fight in the Great War and died. For some reason, ten years later, TEN YEARS.. Freddie can't get over it. He still sees George. He thinks about George constantly. Every other page has a George thought, witticism, or memory. Are you sick of hearing about George yet? I got sick of reading George this, George that. He's been dead ten years already!
Okay, the book finally gets interesting when Freddie wrecks his car. No, unfortunately, he didn't die. He goes to a village and meets a lady who has a very intriguing and sad tale to share. I liked that, but even then, what does Freddie do? Brings up George again.
A miss for me.
Oh.. did I mention that the book is fairly short, but about half of it is descriptive details..?
Merged review:
The first quarter of this novel...zzzzzzz. What a bad start. We meet Freddie. He has spent time in the looney bin and it's not surprising. When he was a young boy, his older brother went off to fight in the Great War and died. For some reason, ten years later, TEN YEARS.. Freddie can't get over it. He still sees George. He thinks about George constantly. Every other page has a George thought, witticism, or memory. Are you sick of hearing about George yet? I got sick of reading George this, George that. He's been dead ten years already!
Okay, the book finally gets interesting when Freddie wrecks his car. No, unfortunately, he didn't die. He goes to a village and meets a lady who has a very intriguing and sad tale to share. I liked that, but even then, what does Freddie do? Brings up George again.
A miss for me.
Oh.. did I mention that the book is fairly short, but about half of it is descriptive details..?...more
I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this novel. "The Nightingale meets Water for Elephants in this powerful novel of friendship and sacrificI didn't know what to expect when I picked up this novel. "The Nightingale meets Water for Elephants in this powerful novel of friendship and sacrifice, set in a traveling circus during World War II, by international bestselling author Pam Jenoff." First of all, I thought The Nightingale was just okay and I didn't like WfE at all, but except for one novel about two sisters, Pam Jenoff's novels have been winners for me. And that is somewhat funny. In The Winter Guest, Jenoff wrote of two biological sisters who didn't get along well. In this novel, we meet two women who are not sisters, who only know each other not even a year, yet are willing to sacrifice everything for each other. It's the sisterhood of choice... And it was thoroughly engrossing. I loved it. I loved meeting two strong-minded women determined to fight the Nazis in what little ways they can. Astrid, a Jew, chooses to hide in plain sight, on the trapeze! Right in front of their faces.. That's sticking it to them! Noa fights back in a not-so-in-your-face-way by rescuing a Jewish baby. In a time of war and terror, each woman finds love and lets their formerly-hurt selves love again.
The circus was interesting too. It didn't go crazy with details. I didn't learn about elephants and tigers, or even about the freak show, but I did learn about flying acrobats, the traveling town to town, the way they pitched the big top. (I'd love to see that)
I enjoyed the friendship and bond the girls developed. Even though distrust reared its ugly head at times, they bonded and looked out for each other and the rest of the circus.
What I didn't like was the sudden romance with Luc. It came abruptly and too fast to be believable. I also didn't like that in the last quarter, it's like both girls lose their blooming minds. Noa loses her marbles over Luc and Astrid loses it over Peter. Astrid and Peter, I could understand, but screaming that you're a Jew and letting yourself be kicked where it matters...really? What the heck is wrong with you? All of a sudden, two intelligent girls both lost their minds.
But the fact I got mad enough at them to scream and nearly throw the book shows how deeply I cared and that's the sign of good, engaging writing.
If you're tired of the traditional WWII tales...do check this one out....more
I made through half of this and it's a long book. I think the writing is terrific. I'd def read more of this author. (This is actually my first one byI made through half of this and it's a long book. I think the writing is terrific. I'd def read more of this author. (This is actually my first one by her, and I'm impressed with her capabilities.) What I can't stand about this book is the characters themselves. The exception being the headstrong former nun/almost nun. Loretta irritates me. She comes across as dumb, constantly falling for the wrong men. By the time her and Clark share a kiss, I was sick of her pining for him and debating her relationship with him. And Clask is just a douchebag. I can't get into this leading man at all. This just wasn't for me....more
The blurb promises this is part gothic ghost-story, party psychological thriller... and I agree with that, but must say the ghostly stuff doesn't becoThe blurb promises this is part gothic ghost-story, party psychological thriller... and I agree with that, but must say the ghostly stuff doesn't become clear or show up until very late in the story. I do give this a full star just for a surprise ending. It shocked me. I didn't see it coming.
But until that point, it was a bit dull. It just follows this confused young woman as she goes about town, from her "boarding house" to her lover's to an ambulance she's coerced intro driving for two Red Cross girls.
The main theme is hatred and prejudice toward Germans in America during WWI and the flu that took many lives. I even learned a new fact, that young men too young for the draft enlisted by writing the number 18 on the bottom of their shoe so they could say they were "over it". Interesting.
It's first person, past tense and I found this narrative suited the story, but to be honest, I'd have preferred a tale told from May's perspective. Widowed wife receiving amorous visits from her dead husband every night at 3 a.m.? There's potential there! And I think I feel this way because this was a very confused heroine--understandable, but made a confusing and dull read for me at times. I also wish some things about the ghosts were better explained. If you don't grow facial hair, I presume you don't go to the bathroom either and at some point in a week's time, you'll realize you're drinking all this booze and not peeing and that's sure to raise some red flags. So the intricacies weren't explained.
I think this story had an excellent and heart-pounding start. Immediately, readers are immersed in a world of greed, bribes, rape, bullying, corrupt bI think this story had an excellent and heart-pounding start. Immediately, readers are immersed in a world of greed, bribes, rape, bullying, corrupt banks, and mafia hold ups, not to mention dirty police/security. We see the plight of women in Russia in the nineties, right after the fall of communism. It's educational. Enlightening. I had no idea women were dealing with these issues in what one does not consider a third-world country.
Women are not being encouraged to work. Anarchy reigns, opening the doors to the mafia. Every cent becomes protection money and even then, your business can be plundered in an instant, as well as your body.
It's frightening, really. And it made the book a bit ugly. This is not light reading.
I didn't like it though and bailed at the halfway point because I couldn't seem to come to care for the heroine at all. I became tired of hearing about her Holocaust parents and how she grew up in that shadow. Then a romance develops literally out of nowhere and put me off even more. I love a good romance, but it has to feel right, make sense. This one didn't. Not enough build up maybe?
The 1920s was not only about bootleggers and flappers; it was a time for barnstormers in their Jennies. Aviation was changing. Curtiss Wright was doinThe 1920s was not only about bootleggers and flappers; it was a time for barnstormers in their Jennies. Aviation was changing. Curtiss Wright was doing his thing, making better engines, planning for the future: commercial flight. Records were being made and broken.
I wanted to read this novel because of its heroine: Cora Rose Haviland, a socialite turned daredevil wing walker. As far as heroines go, she doesn't disappoint. She rides around on a motorcycle, jumps it through hoops of fire, gives men what for, and all this with a cute little dog in tow. Though fictional, she could be any number of women who really existed, like Mabel Cody, or Blanche Stuart Scott.
The story is really focused on a young man named Henry though, a German forced by a prejudiced society to deny his heritage. It's just after The Great War and emotions are still running high. Though in third person POV, it follows solely Henry. I disliked this method of narrative. I had expected that the story would follow all three of them equally, perhaps alternating POVs, giving equal page time.
Henry is on the run from the law for reasons not revealed to us fully until the end, so I will say no more about that. He's an insightful young man though who is an aircraft mechanic and pilot (after he meets Gil). I liked him, but for a main character, he's very subdued, rather "overcome" by the other two characters.
Gil is a former WWI pilot who flew reconnaissance. He has no interest in doing a flying circus and both Henry and Cora rather force the whole thing on him. In my opinion, he's the most sympathetic character. Cora, while I loved her, got on my nerves at times. She goes from brave to stupid rather quickly. I wish the novel had had alternating POVs so that perhaps we could have gotten in her head and found out what exactly was motivating her to be this way. Her brief bits of explanation to Henry, I simply found unsatisfactory.
These three travel town to town, promoting, flying, coming up with stunts--and in Henry's case, safety features--drinking, saving lives, being hit by tornadoes, all kinds of things. And unavoidably, there is a love triangle, though I don't feel there's any real romance in this. The triangle is brief and feelings are never fully reciprocated at the same time, not until the very end. Cora seems to "love" the one who's there or more exciting at the moment. I don't feel this should be in the romance category (which is where Amazon Vine placed it).
I never gave much thought to helicopter flying on an aircraft carrier. When I think aircraft carrier and Navy, I think F-14s, F-35s. I think of tailhoI never gave much thought to helicopter flying on an aircraft carrier. When I think aircraft carrier and Navy, I think F-14s, F-35s. I think of tailhooks and arresting wires. But now I'll def give some thought to the helos. Having read this book, I gotta admit they're pretty bad ass. (This is coming from an F-16 mechanic so that's a compliment. We tend to be loyal to our birds.)
There's some incredible flying and emergency scenarios in this story. There's heart-pounding moments and lots of educational bits about the Navy and life on an at-sea deployment, from how the men behave on ship and leave, to the different attitudes toward women, to having/initiation, to small spaces. And I learned a lot about helicopters.
And I love how strong this woman is, and yet at times, I thought her weak..hold on... By the time I finished the story, I realized she wasn't weak; she was human. I appreciate that a strong heroine is presented to us in a realistic way. She's not perfect, not fearless. We're not talking about a comic book hero, but a woman with thoughts, feelings, desires, insecurities. And she overcomes them, from her fear of water to her fear of love.
And through her we see the constant battle a woman in a man's world--namely a Navy carrier in the middle of the ocean with only one other woman aboard--goes through. It's a constant tightrope--don't say the wrong thing, don't use the wrong tone, don't wear the wrong clothes...
I thought the heart-pounding situation was a tad implausible and the build-up to answers took too long, like why she was on every flight rotation and who the Aussie guy was. It took took long for her and us, the readers, to get answers, in my opinion. That's my only quibble.
When I first came across this blurb and title, I was somewhat afraid to read it. I was afraid it'd mostly be written through the hero and heroine's leWhen I first came across this blurb and title, I was somewhat afraid to read it. I was afraid it'd mostly be written through the hero and heroine's letters, with little to no dialogue.
I'm pleased to say that wasn't the case. There's plenty of dialogue, character interaction, and also a modern-day story following another couple who, each in their own ways, manage to tell us what happened so long ago to split Stella and Dan.
There are letters, from Dan to Stella, as the modern heroine finds them, but they don't take pages and pages of the book. Instead, the novel goes back and forth between 2011 and 1943. It's not jarring, but a smooth transition.
The writing is excellent. I was surprised to look her up on Goodreads and find no other titles to her name. I got the impression while reading that she is a very skilled, professional author.
I confess to growing bored at times though. If I can read just a few sentences on each page and not miss a beat for a few pages, I'd say it's a bit overwordy. It began to feel like a 600-some page book. However, this could be because I've read so many WWII stories by now that nothing was new to me, at all. Not Dan's aviation tales, not the rationing issues... Absolutely nothing was new or remarkable with the WWII story.
But what I really disliked in the end were the heroines. The modern one, I just never got invested in that story, not like I did the historical one. I didn't grow to care for that couple like I did Dan and Stella. DS came alive for me. And having became intrigued/wrapped up in Stella, she and her choices disappointed me most of all. I'd hoped she'd have developed a bit of backbone in the course of the tale. I wanted to slap what was left of her wits right out of her when I realized she'd stayed in an abusive relationship for all those years, denying herself happiness, because she "didn't deserve it".
I was expecting more of a historical tale to this. When I hear "midwife" I think of Call the Midwife or of women running from one log house to anotherI was expecting more of a historical tale to this. When I hear "midwife" I think of Call the Midwife or of women running from one log house to another in the last 1800s to assist with a birth. There's none of that in this book. It's about modern midwives, about how they are still doing their thing, while facing nursing boards threatening to provoke licenses and arguing with doctors who think they know it all. I found this read very insightful about the lives and careers of modern midwives and what they believe about mother and baby bonding and all that.
Despite it being different from what I expected, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the women I met within its pages. I zipped through this in two days, dying to know what was going to happen next. There's hospital drama, marital drama, and secrets from the past. There's spousal abuse--a kind I never thought of. There's mother/daughter relationships and above all a strong moral: love is love. Biology has nothing to do with it.
It's very well written too, not overly descriptive or boring or long winded. It is a very good first novel. I'm impressed.
A quick recap for those who need it: Floss was a midwife in the fifties. She has a big secret she's been keeping from her daughter and granddaughter and now partner. It's holding her back from really enjoying her life. Grace is too pushy with her daughter, Neva. This makes Neva steer clear. Grace's drama is about her license, the board. Through her we see some of the hostility between hospital doctors and midwives and the difference in their beliefs. Neva is a modern midwife who toes the line between both worlds by working in a birth center attached to a hospital. She's pregnant and refuses to name the father. Why?
As I said above, very suspenseful, but I confess I had Floss's story figured out around page 100. Yet, Neva, I couldn't quite get it. But this is also where my quibble comes in. While kept in suspense as to who the father of Neva's baby is...it also felt too Jerry Springish as Neva decided first one man then another must be the dad. I mean, just how many men are you bedding in the course of a month, lady? Dang.
That just sort of put me off. I'm all for women taking what they want, when they want, but a nurse should have some more smarts than this. So she doesn't think she's likely to get preggers, I get it, but there are diseases out there. Hello? I'm amazed a woman in the medical profession is that dumb. I really am. To bed miscellaneous men without protection.
I thought this was going to be about ladies boxing in 18th-century England. While it contains some boxing amongst females, only a very small amount ofI thought this was going to be about ladies boxing in 18th-century England. While it contains some boxing amongst females, only a very small amount of the story actually focuses on the subject. Most of the story seems to center around a theme of addiction and dependency. Gambling addiction. Alcohol addiction. Dependency on both the mentioned vices and on other people. Laziness--unwillingness to make do for oneself--seems to be another theme as it's common amongst almost all the characters.
Ruth is the toughest one, the one who despite the fact she comes from a house of ill repute, learns to make her fortune using her fists rather than her...well, you know. And I greatly admired her despite the fact she is mostly under Mr. Dryer's thumb until she's left to her own devices without food or water and then becomes a shell of herself. She can't look after herself at all, can't find help, look for work, gather stuff for burning. When not fighting she's useless and dependent. HOWEVER, in the end I was really impressed with her once again. She is by far my favorite character. Just like people in real life, the characters in this novel face set-backs.
Charlotte is raised to be a lady but had the pox and now lives with a man who doesn't care for her at all. She imprisons herself in an alcoholic haze of being miserable and picking at her scars. (What a gross and weird habit). She replaces one addiction (or two if you count the picking at herself) with another: fighting. As a matter of fact, when Ruth and Charlotte began training together--that's the best part of the book, in my opinion. But it isn't till the end. Regardless, Charlotte, too, impresses me in the end. Besides being about addictions and fighting, this is a story of women making the best of their situations in a male-dominated world.
George is a dandy with the gambling addiction, completely dependent on Perry, another dandy (and alcoholic dependent on a fortune left to him and unable to care for himself) and Charlotte's brother, for everything but the air he breathes. This is my number-one issue with the book. What is the point of George? While he nicely fills in the blanks between Charlotte and Ruth's bits, as to what's happening, I feel the book would have been a lot better had it just stuck to Ruth and Charlotte's POVs. I disliked George immensely and felt his POV did not add to the story at all but rather detracted.
Then there's Mr. Dryer, not a POV, just a character and a major one, dependent on the fists of others for his fortune and Tom dependent on Mr. Dryer and another lady, Ruth's sister, also dependent on Mr. Dryer. When you look at all the dependency here, it's like a circle of dependency, one person unable to live their life without the other and so on...
I feel like I'm missing something here, some moral, some food for thought. The theme of dependency just keeps striking out at me. Are any of us really "tough" whether we fight with our fists or words? Or are we all dependent in some manner on others? Are we all in some way or form using someone else?
And if I come off as complaining, I'm actually not. Though not what I expected, I found this book very engrossing and it completely transported me to another time and place. I took away new words I'd never read before--I now know what a catch-fart is! I had a few good chuckles despite the darkness of the stories.
Can you imagine going to school worrying about whether you'd be hung from the flag pole? Imagine not being able to join the cheerleader team because nCan you imagine going to school worrying about whether you'd be hung from the flag pole? Imagine not being able to join the cheerleader team because nobody would hear your cheers over the sounds of people calling you names. Imagine fearing for your life every day.
In 1959, five years after the federal courts said integration of school was the LAW, the state of Virginia still balked, protested, and even shut the schools down to avoid this. This was way after Little Rock. But imagine being the first African-American to enter this school, this place in which there was so much resistance to your presence. The heroine, Sarah, faces this nonsense along with 9 others. It's an angry mob of white kids day after day, hour after hour, yelling, screaming names and insults, throwing baseballs and spitting. Stories like this make me very ashamed to be American.
Sarah's parts were just painful to read. Sad. I cried, grew angry, and many times had to set the book aside as my emotions were just too much. Robin Talley did a superb job.
But the blurb doesn't mention that there's another battle here, another type of prejudice that Sarah must worry about on top of this. The hatred against gays. She's attracted to her own sex and is constantly trying to hide it, has been raised to feel ashamed of her feelings. It's unnatural. Sinful. And things get out of hand with a white girl named Linda, who is also confused.
And this is where the book lost me. I'm totally fine with the lesbian story line, but if you're going to make two girls attracted to each other, make something attractive about them! While Sarah was a sweet and strong soul and I could see why Linda would be attracted to her, I could not--not even for a second--see what Sarah saw in the racist, bigoted, evil Linda. Sarah's attraction to Linda was just completely unbelievable to me. I don't care that Linda changed in the end--too little too late. She was an ugly person still.
And I'm torn as to what I thought about Linda's parts. She was half the narrative. She's ugly and has ugly thoughts. I didn't care to read about her racist, nasty ways. BUT on the other hand, I admire the way the author tackled this: showing us both sides of the race issue. Did I agree with Linda? Not one little bit, but I came to understand that she was merely brainwashed and as she slowly learned to think for herself, she was confused. What she'd been told and what she was seeing were two entirely different things. Her story really goes to show how much our parents influence us.
I have two good things to say about this story. 1. The author can write. This is not one of those fifth-grade level writers. She has a strong, literarI have two good things to say about this story. 1. The author can write. This is not one of those fifth-grade level writers. She has a strong, literary voice. It was almost poetic in its telling at times. 2. It transports you to a place in a country with situation you most likely never imagined.
But. That being said, while I appreciated the author's voice and skill and imagine she's a very intelligent person, her characters are dumb and unlikable. I didn't like any of them, not even the heroine, who once she leaves her horrid, alcoholic, verbally-abusive mother, just does the stupidest stuff imaginable. I'm not going to say what as it all happens too late in the story. But I was sitting here going, "For real? Are you really that dumb?" Uneducated doesn't have to mean stupid.
There were also some things that really bugged me, sometimes like discrepancies, others just unanswered questions. The beginning of the book said they had to look like boys. Well, then, why are they wearing pink shorts and dresses at times? While walking to school or something, no less. And all the men are gone? What did they do, all sneak out at the same time and run away to America? ALL of them? And if it's a well-known fact all the men go to America and never come back, why let them go in the first place? I didn't buy this. At all. If this is based on a true story, I'd have to see it to believe it. I'd sooner believe in aliens, I think.
Lastly, why the heck do these women stay in H*ll? Why stay in a town in which you get sprayed with poison, in which your daughters are abducted (Another thing: Why aren't the women afraid of being abducted?) These women can take a bus to the next city and work for rich people, so why not just get apartments or something there?
I hate unanswered questions and this ruined a lot of the story for me. I began to get frustrated with these people.
And--oh!!! WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE THE QUOTATION MARKS? I know I received an ARC, but really? There are no quotation marks around dialogue at all. Very irritating.
The back of this book promises a "hauntingly beautiful story of love and survival in rural Mexico..."
Where's the love? It ain't coming from her mother who just sits there hating on men and drinking and saying insulting things. It ain't coming from the gardener whom Ladydi thinks she loves at first sight but abandons her at the first sign of trouble. It ain't coming from the drug-dealing "brother" or the men flying helicopters overhead dumping poison. Where's the love?
Extremely pleased with this book. It's 1001 Nights but with a woman responsible for the deaths of her lovers--a white Christian male nearly every nighExtremely pleased with this book. It's 1001 Nights but with a woman responsible for the deaths of her lovers--a white Christian male nearly every night. As the Sultan's favorite sister, any man who beds her is forbidden to live. Her drowning guard takes care of the dirty deed...and because of his knowledge, when struck with illness, he becomes her confessor.
It's a twisted and fascinating tale with dashes of feminism and female empowerment in an otherwise oppressed world. It's rich in history, of the Ottoman empire, Muslim beliefs and customs, brothers murdering brothers, and the revolt of the janissaries--a group of soldiers that before now I knew nothing about.
Though she's cruel, I loved Esma. She is ahead of her times. Having witnessed the oppression of women, she vows no man will control her and has her own harem of rescued slaves. She's very tough too.
"If you do not consent, I will speak to my brother who indulges me more than any wife, and he will have your head impaled upon my garden wall for insolence."
"An untouchable princess who ordered him from her bed, slapping and biting him on their wedding night. She bloodied his nose with a kick when he kissed the coverlet to approach her."
There are a few love stories entwined in all this. The Sultan and a long long, disfigured slave. The Sultane and her drowning guard/now confessor...but these aren't your traditional romance, but love in a place you don't expect it and you doubt it, and thus, it's suspenseful as the reader doesn't really see that usually easily obtain happily ever after in sight.
This isn't fluff, but real literature.
I think some liberties were taken, however. I was surprised that a harem allows outside men to come and party. That took me aback, but again, this particular harem is Esma's, not the Sultan's. Love these girls, too.
The story is also interspersed with surprise bursts of humor in the jokes among the harem women and just plain name-calling among the villagers.
I L.O.V.E.D. the first book so dang much.... It was past time we had a book that didn't have women as sex slaves or chattels for men. In the first booI L.O.V.E.D. the first book so dang much.... It was past time we had a book that didn't have women as sex slaves or chattels for men. In the first book, readers got to know Cassie, her strengths, her weaknesses, and watched her grow and become a tougher woman with each step. Each step had a purpose. It wasn't just sex. Each experience taught her something deep, about herself or something she needed to realize.
Though I will still champion this series, I find myself terribly disappointed with book two...and hey, we're going to compare them.
Pros: The superb, suck-you-in writing style is still there. The fantasies are very hot. I'm still dying to know what becomes of Cassie. It doesn't lack for drama. I also still appreciate that these women are getting what they want, on their terms...no shame.
Cons: I said above that with each step Cassie took, there was a purpose, a deep moment of awakening in her, and it was clear what that was. Readers learned with her. Each step had a revelation. Not so in this one. With Dauphine, it felt like...just sex. I wasn't sure what she was learning in the steps. Matter of fact, she got four charms immediately after an incident. She didn't even earn them. Not really. No more fantasies. (Did the author run out ideas??) And when her steps were complete, while I'll admit she was a more confident person, her choice had me thinking she perhaps just replaced her problems with sex and a man. No deep enlightenment this time.
And that whole ending was just....rushed and...I didn't buy it.
Cassie...I didn't much like her this time around. All the pining for Will I could understand. He was such a driving force and the hero of book one, but what she does to Jesse....makes her no better than Tricina. She's doing the same thing... I felt as though she was a user and already she has forgotten the meaning behind the charms she earned in book one. She's also supposed to be Dauphine's guide, but they rarely interact.
And then we were left hanging again. I hope book three doesn't have her pining for Will and using Jesse again. Please, let's move on.
So...although the writing style had me riveted, I felt this book was lacking. The deeper meanings weren't there. The entire story with Dauphine was rushed and left me going "What in the world? That's it?"
Something I appreciated: the discussions/theme of what makes women sluts. A woman should be entitled to enjoy her body, her sexuality, her freedom, without being slut-shamed.
I absolutely love this book. It's an incredible mixture of real life, drama, sexual harassment in the work place, the plight of women today, romance, I absolutely love this book. It's an incredible mixture of real life, drama, sexual harassment in the work place, the plight of women today, romance, and a woman torn between career and love.
Having recently watched a documentary that talked about how despite the fact the population of the U.S. is OVER 50% women, the percentage of women in politics is less than 17 and the number of women having a say in what goes on television is even smaller, I wasn't one bit surprised by the content in this novel. I mean, in a country over half women, who is representing them?
I thought the aviation industry was bad...In male-dominated professions, women are harassed and bombarded with inappropriate jokes and comments all day long. The television industry is even worse.
Alexis has been working her tail off and turning the other cheek at HBS industries for years. Suddenly, she's a victim of the Good Old Boys' System. She has to compete with the most appalling man and her former employer for a president's position...or risk working for him again--and little flashbacks show us just how bad it is to work for Jerry.
But then her job takes over her life...it seems it's okay for men to let this happen, but not women.
The story is heart breaking, insightful, humorous, frustrating...I went through every emotion imaginable in its 336 pages. I laughed, screamed, cussed, and cried.
Through her coworkers, we see the other forms of sexual harassment that go on. Men looking for affairs. Men ridiculing women. Men peeing and not closing the door. Behind the scenes drama regarding what's appropriate on TV. We see men who think they know what women want and don't have the first darn clue.
The romance was a really small part, but that story helped show us what happens when a job and/or a thirst for revenge consumes one to the point, they become incredibly selfish and self-absorbed...and lose it all.
I devoured this book in a day. It's so realistic. I think all parents should read this and get a better grasp of what their kids face when they go to I devoured this book in a day. It's so realistic. I think all parents should read this and get a better grasp of what their kids face when they go to school. I don't doubt a word of it, because I was placed in similar situations growing up.
This book tackles so many issues at once, all well done and all thought evoking.
Being Latina, but not "brown enough" or not fitting into the stereotype is one issue. People mold themselves into stereotypes to avoid conflict such as this, to fit in. Piddy doesn't mold herself that way. Piddy is Piddy. The result: the Latina gang wants to kick her a**. She doesn't "fit in" anywhere in her new school.
This wasn't what I expected. I was expecting--as the book promises on the back--a moving tale of exploration and love-human and canine--that dares to This wasn't what I expected. I was expecting--as the book promises on the back--a moving tale of exploration and love-human and canine--that dares to believe the impossible.
I felt the dog wasn't really in it often enough to warrant that. What I got was a moving tale of exploration and love between a brother and sister, a story that moved me to tears, even though the dog was in it very little.
It's the 1950s and Donna has raised her younger brother Will. She's been forced to be a mother way too soon. She lives in a small town, a judgmental type of place, where nobody minds their business and the slightest thing out of the norm is scandalous and this gets her in trouble. I'm not done. I have more to say about this incredible read. Read it on Book Babe: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2013/......more