Charlotte Gray
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • Into the Underground
  • A good read, but...
  • Romance or Resistance?
  • Good stuff, but falters also
  • Enthralling... but takes effort.
Charlotte Gray
Sebastian Faulks
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
LiteraryLiterary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
HistoricalHistorical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
WarWar | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Popular FictionPopular Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Book Clubs | Specialty Stores | Books
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  1. Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War
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ASIN: 0375704558
Release Date: 2000-07-11

Amazon.com

In his 1996 novel, Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks showed himself to be a superb anatomist of men--and, just as importantly, women--at war. Indeed, his depiction of trench combat during World War I was almost painfully vivid: the equivalent of Wilfred Owen in prose, minus the lingering idealism. Now the author shifts his focus to the next global conflict in Charlotte Gray. This time the year is 1942, when "England was blacked out and afraid." The 25-year-old heroine has just traveled down from Edinburgh to London, hoping to make some contribution to the war effort. In short order she falls in love with a British pilot, mourns his disappearance and apparent death in France, and follows him across the Channel to assist the nascent French Resistance.

On the face of it, these are the ingredients of a historical potboiler. But Faulks is such a gifted storyteller that we seldom notice the threadbare nature of the raw material. Instead, all but the most churlish reader will be drawn into Charlotte's tribulations, which are not merely geopolitical but amorous: "The last thing she needed was some uncontrolled romance. She wanted to be helpful, she wanted to lead a serious life, not to lie sobbing in her bed for a disembodied yearning. Still less did she wish to see it embodied, with the complication and the fear that all that would entail." (Note: Charlotte is that rare thing, a virginal heroine, at least until page 61.) What's more, the author's evocation of Occupied France is a triumph of grimy, monochromatic realism. Here the small triumphs of Charlotte and her circle are expertly offset by the larger tragedies of what we've come to call, with only middling accuracy, the Good War. --William Davies

Book Description

From the bestselling author of Birdsong comes Charlotte Gray, the remarkable story of a young Scottish woman who becomes caught up in the effort to liberate Occupied France from the Nazis while pursuing a perilous mission of her own.

In blacked-out, wartime London, Charlotte Gray develops a dangerous passion for a battle-weary RAF pilot, and when he fails to return from a daring flight into France she is determined to find him. In the service of the Resistance, she travels to the village of Lavaurette, dyeing her hair and changing her name to conceal her identity. Here she will come face-to-face with the harrowing truth of what took place during Europe's darkest years, and will confront a terrifying secret that threatens to cast its shadow over the remainder of her days. Vividly rendered, tremendously moving, and with a narrative sweep and power reminiscent of his novel Birdsong, Charlotte Gray confirms Sebastian Faulks as one of the finest novelists working today.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Into the Underground.......2007-06-27

Mr. Faulks takes us on a spellbinding trip into the depths of the French underground in a totally beliveable, absobing tale. We follow an ordinary young woman caught up in extraordinary situation and live though it alonside her hour by hour day by day. If you are looking for other stories of common people finding courage watch for Night of Flames: A Novel of World War II by Douglas W Jacobson coming in October 2007.

4 out of 5 stars A good read, but..........2007-04-01

You can only go so wrong with Sebastian Faulks, as his books are always beautifully written, touching, intense and melancholy.

However, this one was just a little too epic for me i.e. it could have done with being a little bit shorter and a little less convoluted.

Maybe to some extent it was the setting (World War 2, Occupied France) that didn't do it for me, but I didn't really lose myself in, or find it impossible to tear myself away from, this novel as I had with some of Faulks' other work.

If you've read his other work, by all means do read this too, but if you're looking for an introduction to Faulks, I'd go with Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War or On Green Dolphin Street: A Novel first.

3 out of 5 stars Romance or Resistance?.......2006-09-27

I consider Sebastian Faulks' BIRDSONG the best novel I have ever read about World War I, so I had high hopes for this one set in WW2. Alas, they were only partially fulfilled, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless, and know I would have enjoyed it even more if it had not had that earlier masterpiece to live up to.

Once again, the principal setting is wartime France, a country that Faulks knows well. And once again, the central plot device involves two lovers separated by the war. In BIRDSONG, that was mainly a background for the harrowing portrayal of the male character in the trenches; in CHARLOTTE GRAY, it is the female character of the title who occupies most of the attention, and the setting is rural France rather than the front. Dropped into a small village in the Massif Central, Charlotte liaises with the fledgeling local resistance while attempting to search for her lover, Peter Gregory, a pilot lost on a previous mission. The book offers a believable portrait of the early years of Vichy France, before the Resistance gained much momentum. According to Faulks, few saw the Allies as eventual liberators, but rather almost as enemies, disturbing their pragmatic accommodation with the occupying power. This gives an air of seeming normality to the portrayal of village life which may ring true but which slows the narrative by depriving it of sufficent sense of danger.

The Washington Post review quoted inside the book says "What begins as a conventional love story becomes an adventure of the spirit." It is a good description. The love story IS rather conventional and Charlotte at first seems naively romantic. The process by which she is recruited as a courier and sent to France seems altogether too casual, as though introduced as a narrative adjunct to the romance rather than as something that will become the main focus of the book. Various other subplots and characters are added, as for example a Machiavellian attempt by one secret agency to discredit another, but they are not followed through. After some time has passed, the focus of Charlotte's life in France seems to become almost entirely romantic, as she struggles to maintain her feelings for Peter against the complication of her differing relationships with other men whom she meets in the village.

But the "adventure of the spirit" does eventually come through, although rather late in the book. The Germans take over the Free Zone and slowly the true horror gathers momentum. By this time, Charlotte's quest for Peter is no longer the main narrative thread. Faulks increasingly pulls back, showing short episodes from many different points of view. These include a developing subplot involving a French collaborator, some harrowing scenes set in the Jewish transit camp at Drancy, and two father figures warped by traumatic memories of the first War (a recurrent theme with Faulks). But by now the novel has become too loosely structured to work completely, its final chapters seem almost an afterthought, and its endings too easily arrived at.

4 out of 5 stars Good stuff, but falters also.......2006-01-10

What I like about this novel is the same sort of thing I like about writers like Charles Frazier, Cormac McCarthy, David Anthony Durham and Maria Doria Russell. Namely, they're literary writers who aren't afraid to write a novel with a plot. With drama. With love stories and betrayals. With small people caught up in big moments in history. That's absolutely grand. I wish there were more novelists like them. I don't think Sebastian Faulks is quite as good a writer as any of the above, but he does deliver in a great many ways. The opening scene as Peter Gregory crash lands his plane is marvelous, full of danger and action straight away. I commend him for making a female character the focus of what's essentially a war novel, or, at least, a war/resistance novel. So that's the good part.

The book does falter, though, with many of Charlotte's improbable decisions. She's so determined and skilled and focused it's hard to believe. At the same time some of the love scene material is over the top and in general a bit maudlin. You could blame it on the character, but the author seems to want us to believe as Charlotte does.

So, it's not perfect. But it's not a bad read either. If the subject matter interests you do give it a try. It's entertaining, if not a masterpiece.

5 out of 5 stars Enthralling... but takes effort........2006-01-03

I found that this novel not only held my attention, but continued to reveal inself more and more as the story evolves. It is certainly not up front about the sybolism and themes, but once given the chance it becomes a story worth examining. Core issues such as WWII, the holocaust, racial and ethnic identification, and personal discovery, are addressed in a well intertwined manner. Through a story about self-discovery the reader gets to see these aspects of history through several peoples eyes. Certainly worth one's time, and the story picks up momentum as one reads! Couldn't put it down, one of the best ive read this year.
Reluctant Genius: Alexander Graham Bell and the Passion for Invention
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A complex individual emerges from these pages, making for a satisfying read indeed.
  • A Famous Man, of Whom Little is Really Known
Reluctant Genius: Alexander Graham Bell and the Passion for Invention
Charlotte Gray
Manufacturer: Arcade Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ScientistsScientists | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1559708093

Book Description

A major new biography of one of the giants of the golden age of invention whose innovations revolutionized the modern world. The popular image of Alexander Graham Bell shows an elderly American patriarch, memorable only for his paunch, his Santa Claus beard, and the invention of the telephone. In this magisterial reassessment, Charlotte Gray delves into the private life that supported his genius.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A complex individual emerges from these pages, making for a satisfying read indeed........2007-02-08

Both general-interest libraries strong in biographical representation and college-level science collections where inventor biographies are strong will want Reluctant Genius: Alexander Graham Bell and the Passion for Invention. It represents the first major biography on Bell in thirty years and probes the life of a man whose inventions changed the world. Born of a deaf mother, Bell developed a passion for sound at an early age, investigating the science of sound and joining the race to invent the first 'speaking telegraph'. While he's best known for inventing the telephone, he also participated in the race to develop the airplane, and invented the hydrofoil - as well as investigated a president's murder. A complex individual emerges from these pages, making for a satisfying read indeed.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

5 out of 5 stars A Famous Man, of Whom Little is Really Known.......2006-11-16

It is common knowledge that Bell invented the telephone. (Although as many times as I got called during this last election I'm not so sure it was a good idea.) But it was a time when great advances were being made in such devices. There were other inventors such as Meucci in Europe and Oki in Japan who were doing the same thing.

What is less known is that Bell was an inventor in many areas, rather like Edison or Tesla, he worked in many areas: sonar, ultra sound, iron lung, electric heating, and many more.

Perhaps as outstanding was his subsequent creation of The Bell Telephone Company. He had the ability to make the fundamental invention and then to capitalize on it to create a giant company where there had been nothing before, rather like Bill Gates was able to do in our time.

This is a major biography, it contains original research and understanding into his life combined with an excellent writing style that brings his life to life.
Charlotte Gray
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Charlotte Gray
    Sebastian Faulks
    Manufacturer: Vintage
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    ASIN: 0099394316

    Book Description

    IN 1942, Charlotte Gray, a young scottish woman, goes to Occupied France on a dual mission:to run an apparantly simple errand for a British special operations group and to search for her lover, an English airman called Peter Gregory, who has gone missing in action. In the small town of Lavaurette, Sebastian Faulks presents a microcosm of France and its agony in 'the black years', here is the full range of collaboration, from the tacit to the enthusiastic, as well as examples of extraordinary courage and altruism. Through the local resistance chief Julien, Charlotte meets his father a Jewish painter whose inspiration has failed him. In Charlotte's friendship with both men, Faulks opens up the theme of false memory and of paradises—both national and personal—that appear irredeemably lost. In a series of shocking narrative climaxes in which the full extent of French collusion in the Nazi holocaust is delineated, Faulks brings the story to a resolution of redemptive love. In the delicacy of its writing, the intimacy of its characterisation and its powerful narrative scenes of harrowing public events, Charlotte Gray is a worthy successor to Birdsong.
    The Battles of the War of 1812: Adventures in Canadian History (History for Young Canadians Series)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      The Battles of the War of 1812: Adventures in Canadian History (History for Young Canadians Series)
      Pierre Berton
      Manufacturer: Fifth House Books
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      CanadaCanada | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
      Military & WarsMilitary & Wars | Fiction | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
      Historical FictionHistorical Fiction | History & Historical Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books
      War of 1812War of 1812 | Military | History | Subjects | Books
      ASIN: 1897252013
      Release Date: 2006-08-15

      Book Description

      The third omnibus in the Pierre Berton's History for Young Canadians series.

      Pierre Berton, perhaps Canada's best known writer, recounts the compelling stories of the battles of the War of 1812 in this third omnibus in the Pierre Berton's History for Young Canadians series. These fast-paced narratives, written for pre-teen and teenage readers, recreate the battles that would shape Canada's future.

      Originally printed as separate volumes in the Adventures in Canadian History series, the titles in the third book in the series, Pierre Berton's History for Young Canadians, The Battles of the War of 1812, include: The Capture of Detroit, The Death of Isaac Brock, Revenge of the Tribes, Canada Under Siege, The Battle of Lake Erie, The Death of Tecumseh, and Attack on Montreal.

      Berton focuses on the most important battles of the War of 1812, relating the stories in accurate, lively detail. Facts and figures, historical characters, and battle strategies blend seamlessly into an exciting lesson in Canadian history.This is the story of the war that helped Canadians develop a sense of pride and community, setting the groundwork for a united Canadian nation.

      Focusing on major historical characters, Berton describes figures such as Tecumseh, Isaac Brock, Charles-Michel d'Irumberry de Salaberry, and Laura Secord. Less familiar characters, from minor officers to Loyalist informers, add depth and drama to the history.
      Conviction of Charlotte Gray
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Conviction of Charlotte Gray
        Jeanne Cheyney
        Manufacturer: Zondervan Publishing Company
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

        ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
        ASIN: 0310471826
        Sisters in the Wilderness
        Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
        • Canada's Unsung "Bronte" Sisters
        • Sisters in the Wilderness
        Sisters in the Wilderness
        Charlotte Gray
        Manufacturer: Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

        GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
        CanadianCanadian | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | 19th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
        Literary TheoryLiterary Theory | History & Criticism | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
        ASIN: 0715630644

        Customer Reviews:

        4 out of 5 stars Canada's Unsung "Bronte" Sisters.......2006-01-16

        I cannot believe that these women are not as well known in Canada as the Bronte's are in the UK and are not part of the high school curriculum's reading list. They are part of Canada's early "literati". These talented literary sister's story is an amazing, touching, even inspiring story of our early pioneering women who faced unbelivible hardship in an unforgiving enviorment of the backwoods with only the hap hazard support (at least in finacial terms) of their husbands. Their struggle gives testament to the early european immigrants who had none of the support enjoyed today and faced a much harsher enviorment. Their spirit is to be admired by any new Canadian immigrant and a eye opener for the rest of us.

        5 out of 5 stars Sisters in the Wilderness.......2002-12-08

        It is an excellent book. The lives of the two sisters and their husbands that migrated to Upper Canada. To live the life of a pioneer took great courage.
        House guests: The Grange 1817 to today
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          House guests: The Grange 1817 to today
          Charlotte Gray
          Manufacturer: Art Gallery of Ontario
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Unknown Binding
          ASIN: 1894243196
          Release Date: 2001-01-01
          The Adventure Book of Insects
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            The Adventure Book of Insects
            Alice Gray
            Manufacturer: Capitol Publishing Company, Inc.
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover
            ASIN: B000K1WJ8A
            Barbara Cartland Romances
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              Barbara Cartland Romances
              Charlotte Weaver , Gray Morrow , and Barbara Cartland
              Manufacturer: Putnam Pub Group (P)
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback

              GeneralGeneral | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
              GeneralGeneral | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
              ASIN: 0825632390
              Bob Geldof (Famous Lives)
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Bob Geldof (Famous Lives)
                Charlotte Gray
                Manufacturer: Longman ELT
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Paperback

                GeneralGeneral | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
                ReadingReading | English as a Foreign Language | Instruction | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
                ASIN: 0582057191

                Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? (Red Dress Ink)
                Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
                • Way out of the ordinary
                • Not bad, but certainly not great.....
                • How Star Jones's Wedding Should Have been.
                • Feathers, Leather, and the Chicken Dance?
                • Feathers and finery
                Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? (Red Dress Ink)
                Melissa Senate
                Manufacturer: Red Dress Ink
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Paperback

                ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                Domestic LifeDomestic Life | Women's Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                GeneralGeneral | Romance | Subjects | Books
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                ASIN: 0373250770

                Book Description

                Eloise Manfred just sold her soul to the wedding devil.

                In exchange for a free $100,000 dream wedding, she'll be featured in a trendy magazine as "Today's Modern Bride." So what if the advertisers dictate what she wears, eats, and registers for? From the gown (it has yellow feathers) to the reception hall (vampire chic) to the rings (what metal is that?) to the prime rib (tofu!), Eloise knows that what really matters is the groom (cold feet?). All she has to do is keep a wedding-planning diary (heavily edited) and have her friends and family ooh and ahh over her leather veil in photo shoots.

                Friends, Eloise has: bridesmaids Jane, Natasha, Amanda and oddball co-worker Philippa, the magazine's "traditional (ha!) Bride." Family, she doesn't have. Eloise's mother passed away, her father took off years ago, her too-cool-for-words brother is either climbing Mount Everest or scamming a rich older woman in Beverly Hills and her fiancé's family is certifiable. So between choosing rubber bridesmaid dresses and worrying about the photo shoots, Eloise finally asks the question: Hey--whose wedding is it anyway?

                Customer Reviews:

                4 out of 5 stars Way out of the ordinary.......2006-12-09

                Pros: Before I even start reviewing this book, I have to admit that I'm about as anti-commitment as anti-commitment can get. I don't want kids. I don't want to get married. I have the worst time staying in relationships. But halfway through this book, I started daydreaming about my OWN wedding and took a "Dream Wedding" quiz to put on my MySpace page. I felt like I sold out to Proudly Single Sistas everywhere, but hell, when a book is good, it's good and GREAT books make you think about things you usually don't pay attention to. Now on to the book...Melissa Senate uses her dry sense of humor, sarcastic jokes, and great dialogue sense to weave a hilarious story about two people who are being paid to have "free" weddings, although these weddings are planned beforehand and the exact opposite of what the two brides want. There's everything from feathers on a dress to copper rings to hired family members to replace those "less fortunate." "Acid" was entertaining with her strict stylistic view, but Devlin cracked me up. The "Modern Bride's" honeymoon location made me cringe, especially since I'm FROM this city and frozen in December! The story went smoothly throughout and I enjoyed the twists and turns of cold feet, pregnancy, marriage, family, and the identity crisis.

                Cons: What is up with Red Dress Ink books? Are the authors required to only make blonde people with blue eyes as the good-looking ones? Hitler would be proud, but what about everybody else? That is getting old. In mid-conversation, there were sections on someone having blonde hair. For no reason at all, the author said one of the ladies flipped her "blonde hair" and put it in a ponytail. Why does the color of hair need to be constantly remembered? Maybe it seems so insane to me because I come from a different culture where the color of hair does not make a woman pretty. I also got tired of Emmett's constant fits, but it's not like it wasn't realistic; just annoying.

                Regardless of the few cons I could think of, I really love this author's writing style. I thought Lynn Messina was going to be my favorite author from this publishing company, but she may have a run for her money.

                3 out of 5 stars Not bad, but certainly not great............2005-09-27

                "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?" has a promising premise, but poor writing and generic plots and characters fail to take the book anywhere special. It's an enjoyable enough airplane read, but disappointing because Senate's last two books were far better.

                The action centers on Eloise Manfred, who was a character in Senate's earlier book "See Jane Date." Eloise, who works at a wedding magazine, gets engaged to a great guy the same day her beautiful co-worker, Phillipa, gets engaged. Her boss (usually mean and nasty) decides to do a feature that will allow Eloise and Phillipa to get married for free. The catch? They have to be the magazine's "classic" bride and "modern" bride.

                Eloise hates everything that goes with being the modern bride- rubber bridesmaid dresses, a yellow feathered gown and yearns for classic elegance, while Phillipa hates her generic wedding and wants something more fresh and funky. If you can't see where this is going- brush up on your chick-lit!

                Either way, there are many side plots, which never get full attention. I agree with the other reader who says this books tries to be two things and doesn't manage to do either very well. The writing is like a 12-year old wrote it, and the book is so predictable, generic and poorly written. The corny "flirt night" scenes made me cringe.

                All in all, not bad, but there are much better books out there!

                4 out of 5 stars How Star Jones's Wedding Should Have been........2005-04-11

                When you sign up for a free wedding, it doesn't matter if it's what you want or not. It matters what the people who are paying for it want. Though the two characters who sign up for the free weddings are judged solely on what they wear to work by their boss, they don't like what has been picked out for them. How will one survive wearing a "Big Bird" dress when she much prefers Elmo and how will one wear a traditional dress when she really loves the "Big Bird" dress.

                Can these two girls really say no to a free wedding? No matter what it costs. (Even if it's their dignity?)

                3 out of 5 stars Feathers, Leather, and the Chicken Dance?.......2005-03-02

                I couldn't quite give this a higher rating because I knew the plot too early. It was very predictable, but it was enjoyable and fast paced.

                Eloise is a graphic designer for WOW Weddings Magazine, one day her and a co-worker were discussing their engagements, when the editor, Acid, ooops I mean Astrid over hears them and gets THE IDEA! to do a spread of a modern bride and a classic bride. Eloise is chosen as the modern bride because of her artsy background and non traditional haircut.

                What is she supposed to do when Astrid doesn't allow her to choose what she wants for her own wedding? Purple rubber dresses? Feathers? Leather? It's a debacle from beginning to end, will Eloise find her dream along the way?

                Also, Eloise goes on a journey of self discovery while looking for the father who left her and her brother when she was 5. This story has a little heart, a lot of OH MY GOD, and predictability, but also was a lot of fun to read.

                3 out of 5 stars Feathers and finery.......2005-02-26

                Weddings are a natural topic for chick-lit -- they involve love, chaos, annoying relatives, career fluctuation and loyal galpals. All the ingredients of successful chick-lit. So this spinoff of "See Jane Date," starring the lovable pal, sits solidly on safe territory as it tells the story of a woman dealing with her past.

                Eloise Manfred thinks she's hit the jackpot: she's engaged but poor, and her malevolent editor Astrid has just offered to foot the bill, if Eloise takes part in a special magazine article. But Eloise rapidly discovers that she is "Modern Bride," while oddball Philippa is the "Classic Bride." Meaning that Philippa gets every-little-girl's-dream wedding, and Eloise gets rubber Star Trek bridesmard dresses and a yellow feathered gown.

                Eloise is rapidly finding out that it may not be worth it, if she has to have a hideous wedding and hire fake family. To make things worse, a reunion with her little brother Emmett reveals that his girlfriend is pregnant -- and Emmett is seriously considering going AWOL, as their father did long ago. With her engagement in doubt and her wedding going down the tubes, Eloise sets out to find her father, and straighten out her issues.

                The only problem is that the novel seems to have a bit of an identity crisis -- it flips rapidly between being a tense, angsty story about a woman sorting out her issues, and a goofy tale about yellow feathered wedding dresses and toxic future in-laws. Each one would be an excellent book, but together they feel rather odd.

                While Melissa Senate relies on tried-and-true wedding disasters (evil mother-in-law, annoying sister-in-law, commitmentphobia), she also has fun with the "Modern Bride" trappings. It's the sort of thing most women -- aside from Philippa types -- have nightmares about. Most frightening of all is the fact that those trappings are probably real -- square wedding rings, Star Trek gowns and more.

                Senate is particularly to be commended for doing such a sensitive, enlightened look at Eloise's brother and father, and the way they have shaped her personality. Eloise gets plenty of depth here that wasn't even hinted at in "See Jane Date." And while Emmett's fiancee is a bit annoying, the will-he-or-won't-he-commit tale rings very true.

                Nothing too startling happens in "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?", but it's an interesting mix of family angst and pre-wedding disasters. Brides may need to lie down after reading it.
                Lot 2 novels Whose wedding is it anyway?,& Family Trust.
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  Lot 2 novels Whose wedding is it anyway?,& Family Trust.
                  Melissa senate Amanda Brown
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback
                  ASIN: B000VD6HIA

                  Product Description

                  Two novels
                  Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? (Acting Edition)
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? (Acting Edition)
                    Margaret Bower
                    Manufacturer: Samuel French Ltd
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Paperback

                    BritishBritish | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | Classics | Contemporary | General | Historical | Humor | Letters & Correspondence | Middle | Old | Poetry | Renaissance | Shakespeare | Short Stories
                    GeneralGeneral | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                    ASIN: 0573033897

                    StarCraft #2: Shadow of the Xel'Naga
                    Average customer rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
                    • Anderson dreck
                    • poor, sometimes interesting
                    • Not entirely bad
                    • PLEASE, AVOID THIS BOOK
                    • Garbage
                    StarCraft #2: Shadow of the Xel'Naga
                    Gabriel Mesta
                    Manufacturer: Star Trek
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Mass Market Paperback

                    Video & Electronic GamesVideo & Electronic Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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                    Video & Electronic GamesVideo & Electronic Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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                    1. Speed of Darkness (StarCraft #3) Speed of Darkness (StarCraft #3)
                    2. Liberty's Crusade (StarCraft, Book 1) Liberty's Crusade (StarCraft, Book 1)
                    3. Starcraft: Queen of Blades (Starcraft) Starcraft: Queen of Blades (Starcraft)
                    4. Nova (StarCraft Ghost) (Starcraft) Nova (StarCraft Ghost) (Starcraft)
                    5. Firstborn (StarCraft: Dark Templar, Book 1) Firstborn (StarCraft: Dark Templar, Book 1)

                    ASIN: 0671041495
                    Release Date: 2001-06-26

                    Book Description

                    Far in the future, 60,000 light-years from Earth, a loose confederacy of Terran exiles are locked in battle with the enigmatic Protoss and the ruthless Zerg Swarm. Each species struggles to ensure its own survival among the stars in a war that will herald the beginning of mankind's greatest chapter -- or foretell its violent, bloody end.

                    Bhekar Ro: a bleak, backwater world on the fringe of the Terran Dominion, where every day is a struggle to survive for its handful of human colonists. It is a veritable wasteland -- one speck of dust among many in the vast, dark sea of space. But when the most violent storm in recent memory unearths an unfathomable alien artifact, Bhekar Ro becomes the greatest prize in the Terran Sector -- the Holy Grail of the Zerg, the Protoss, and Humanity alike -- as forces from the three great powers converge to claim the lost secrets of the most powerful species the universe has ever known.

                    shadow of the xel'naga

                    An original tale of space warfare novels set in the world of the bestselling computer game!

                    Customer Reviews:

                    1 out of 5 stars Anderson dreck.......2007-05-21

                    I've read the first and second (this) StarCraft novels and I wish Blizzard would stop hiring lousy writers, as they do such good stories for the games that it's a great pity to waste the novels. Granted, I don't like Kevin J. Anderson ("Gabriel Mesta") anyway, but I didn't know it was his pseudonym at the time I read this book. It's even worse than his Young Jedi Knights stuff.

                    2 out of 5 stars poor, sometimes interesting.......2006-06-25

                    A number of other reviewers seemed rather worried about how this book explored a plot that wasn't part of the game. That didn't bother me much, whilst I shouldn't have minded if it had done so the original content was appreciated.

                    However, most of the battle sequences, which make up a fair amount of the book, are incredably dull to read. The most interesting battle scene was the villagers Vs the Zerg, although completly unrealistic it used a variety of people with interesting and new weapons innovating, it at least started to feel like a real battle.

                    Most of the other battle scenes didn't seem any more lifelike than the computer game. They were just as if I was describing what had happened in a game I had played recently rather than coming to life in thier own right. Long repeated descriptions of the units of Starcraft and thier armenants, with 'that shot this, then this shot that, than that shot this' does not make for good reading at all! Rather than inspiring me to think of a real three dimensional battle, as might go on a film, my mind ended up thinking of the battle as if I was watching it on my computer.

                    I've played the computer game already, I've been in those battles first hand, if I'm reading a novel I need something more than that. You need to outdo the expierence of battles on the computer screen, and to be honest, if a book fails to do that (given that Starcraft is just a gods eye view strategy game at the end of the day, its not as if the visuals are that outstanding), then that's pretty poor going.

                    The most enjoyable parts are the characters and thier interactions, but these appear to be the most undevoloped parts of the book.

                    3 out of 5 stars Not entirely bad.......2006-02-04

                    I think the biggest problem with this novel is that there are too much detailed descriptions on the things that any devoted Starcraft player would know too well already. One thing is the author spent too many words describing how a Zerg colony was developed and how the units of three races operate. I don't think those detailed are necessary because we are able to learn them from the game's manual. If the author has cut down those details, then this story could be better and enjoyable. However, I think this book could be good for the people that have not yet have experienced the Starcraft universe or anyone that is just beginning in playing the game.

                    I was able to enjoy the story more after getting past all those descriptions. Also, I have not played Starcraft for a year or two, and it made me to want to play the game again. The battles in the book were exciting enough for me, and it's not all that unbearable, I believe.

                    1 out of 5 stars PLEASE, AVOID THIS BOOK.......2005-11-28

                    Look, If you value your money, you will avoid this book. I wanted to love this book! I really did! But as I kept reading it became more of a chore to read than anything else. I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt, but please, really if you dont want to waste seven bucks: AVOID THIS BOOK. I would much rather recommend the warcraft series rather than this one, or better yet, play the game!!

                    1 out of 5 stars Garbage.......2005-10-18

                    I loved the first book. This book was probably the worst Novel I have ever read, I love starcraft I am a Fu***** bookworm! the plot was retarted the characters sucked. when I was done I was like.... what? don't buy this horrible garbage.

                    Floating Takes Faith: Ancient Wisdom For A Modern World
                    Average customer rating: Not rated
                      Floating Takes Faith: Ancient Wisdom For A Modern World
                      David J. Wolpe
                      Manufacturer: Behrman House Publishing
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Hardcover

                      GeneralGeneral | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                      GeneralGeneral | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                      PrayerbooksPrayerbooks | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                      InspirationalInspirational | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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                      ASIN: 0874417333

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