Pixie's perusals reviewed 2010

[Kylie]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it Pixie. I think the movie is an excellent adaptation of the book. I hope you get to see it soon.

[Ooshie]

I had read GWTW three times before I saw the film, and I loved it just as much

[Pixie]

My boyfriend says the movie is awesome as well. He has never read the book, but he calls the movie "epic".

[AbielleRose]

A boy who likes GwtW? You best hang onto him, Pixie! Men like that are a rare breed!

 

Glad you enjoyed the book.

[Pixie]

A boy who likes GwtW? You best hang onto him, Pixie! Men like that are a rare breed!

 

Glad you enjoyed the book.

You don't know how rare he is. Oh, he likes action flicks, too. He just told me the best two movies ever were The Terminator and The Wrath of Kahn.

But he also likes a lot of the classics like Rear Window and Casablanca. Anyway, I happen to like actions flicks myself, so it all works out.

 

Sorry you couldn't get into GWTW, Abby. But I can understand. It can get boring in spots.

[Kylie]

What is it with men and Terminator? I know several who list it as their favourite (or rather, Terminator 2).

 

I'm definitely due for another viewing of Rear Window. Your BF has great taste in movies Pixie.

[Pixie]

What is it with men and Terminator? I know several who list it as their favourite (or rather, Terminator 2).

 

I'm definitely due for another viewing of Rear Window. Your BF has great taste in movies Pixie.

That's what he told me, Kylie. That all men love The Terminator movies.

Yes, he does. Rear Window was awesome, and I never would have even thought of watching it if it hadn't been for him.

[Pixie]

Title: The Ghost Writer

Author: John Harwood

 

Synopsis:

 

From Publishers Weekly

Sly nods to spooky literary spinsters—Henry James's Miss Jessel and Dickens's Miss Havisham—set the tone for this confident debut, a gothic suspense novel with a metatextual spin. Gerard Freeman grows up on the windswept southern coast of Australia in the late 20th century with a controlling mother strangely silent about the details of her childhood in England. His only solace is steadfast English pen friend, Alice, to whom he confides everything. What was Gerard's mother, Phyllis, hoping to escape when she left England? The protagonist slowly pieces together his mother's past with the aid of short stories written by his great-grandmother, Viola. These cunning tales, filled with supernatural occurrences and séances, are seamlessly embedded in the main narrative, offering Gerard—and readers—enticing clues into his troubled family's history. After Phyllis's death, her newly liberated son travels to England, hoping to learn more and to pursue elusive Alice. As he searches through the country house his mother inhabited long ago, Gerard finds past and present fusing in horrifying fashion. In the hands of a lesser novelist, sustaining several plot lines might have been difficult. But the novel links textual investigation and sublimated passion, building to a satisfying, unexpected ending.

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

 

My thoughts:

I thought this book was brilliant. I love the creepy feel of a Victorian ghost story, and this delivered to my utmost satisfaction. I had an idea where things were going, but the ambiguous ending kept me guessing (although I do think I have the answer). Not telling. . I love stories like this, and I adored the writing style as well. It's one of those books that you can read again and find there is more to discover the second time around.

 

10/10

Edited July 28, 2010 by Pixie

[Pixie]

Title: The Forgotten Garden

Author: Kate Morton

 

Synopsis from Amazon:

From the #1 internationally bestselling author of The House at Riverton, a novel that takes the reader on an unforgettable journey through generations and across continents as two women try to uncover their family’s secret past

 

A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book—a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-fi rst birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, "Nell" sets out to trace her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell’s death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. A spellbinding tale of mystery and self-discovery, The Forgotten Garden will take hold of your imagination and never let go.

 

My Thoughts:

I picked this book up because I loved the title and the cover. Sometimes split second decisions turn out to be the best choices you make. The characters in this book are so well drawn I feel like I am one of them as I read. The settings and descriptions are breath-taking, and the author does not bog you down with the details. She leaves enough open for the readers to fill in with their own imagination. I could see, touch, taste, and smell everything at Blackhurst Manor. I wanted to live there. The mystery of the little girl's past unfolds, and as it does, you learn more and more about the difficult decisions parents and loved ones sometimes have to make. Are they the correct choices?. You decide. The book of fairy tales found with the little girl is not just a prop. It is incorporated into the story beautifully, and gives it an element of whimsicality as well.

 

My only negative is that the mystery was a little bit predictable for me. It did not detract from my love of the characters and their stories, though. Highly recommended.

 

9/10

Edited July 29, 2010 by Pixie

[Kidsmum]

Glad you enjoyed The Forgotten Garden, Pixie, i read it last year on holiday & i think it's a great holiday read not too taxing. I think you'll like the House at Riverton as well but like with FG the ending is predictable, out of the two books House at Riverton was my favourite though

[Pixie]

Hi, Kidsmum. Yes, I have The House at Riverton, and I definitely will read it. I really love Kate Morton's style of writing.

[Pixie]

Title: This Alien Shore

Author: C.S. Friedman

 

Synopsis from Amazon:

In the first age of Earth's colonization of space, the FTL drive that powered the starships caused severe genetic damage in the colonists. Generations later, a new mutant race arises, one which can safely conduct people between the stars. But since they use their ability to tightly control all interstellar commerce, rival interests soon seek to break the monopoly. An when a lab-raised young woman narrowly escapes kidnapping, even as a rogue computer virus wreaks havoc on the interstellar "Net," she must flee into "alien shores", evading her persuers while attempting to uncover the secrets of her own existence.

 

My thoughts:

It is most difficult for me to review a book when I didn't love it, but also didn't hate it. This is one of those books. It started off well, hooking me in with two very interesting plot lines. However, it seemed to stretch out too long and would have been better in short story format. I did enjoy the ending, which was thought-provoking in terms of identity and consciousness. Unfortunately, the characters never came alive for me. There was potential there, and if it had been reached, this could have been a far superior novel. It was disappointing, because I got a feeling from the author's writing that she can develop characters realistically, but sacrificed their development for a long-winded plot. I would like to check out more by C.S. Friedman.

 

My rating:

6/10 stars

[Pixie]

I would like to request that the mods lock and delete this thread. I am going to start a new one for next year, and do things a little differently.

 

Thank you so much.

[Chrissy]

Happy to close this thread Pixie. It will join our 'Past Book Log/List' section.