The Feisty Curmudgeon

A "movie of the week" subject, told in a different style., Jun 17 2004

The way the story is presented in "Strange Fits of Passion" is unusual and interesting. Shreve writes of Maureen English, alias Mary Amesbury, who is a victim of domestic violence, in an almost detached manner. Maureen/Mary has finally had enough, takes her 6-month-old daughter and a few hundred dollars in cash, and flees to a small town in northern Maine, where she lives for 6-7 weeks, until her abusive husband finds her. Each chapter is told from a different point-of-view, usually Mary's, but also that of the reporter who is writing an article on Mary, as well as that of the townspeople who live in Maine. The tale starts when Mary first meets her husband and ends after he finds… Read more

Interesting, but sometimes confusing., Jun 17 2004

Exiting Nirvana" is a mother's account of her autistic daughter, Jessy, and Jessy's life from her teens until the time the book was was published, when Jessy was in her early 40s. I found that the way the chapters of the book were presented was a little bit odd. Instead of starting with Jessy's teens and moving forward, showing her progress that way, the author divides the chapters into aspects of Jessy's behavior and life: i.e., the way Jessy talks and the ways she thinks. I found that some of the chapters seemed to be haphazardly written. Ideas didn't seem to flow easily from one paragraph to the next and were hard to follow. The author spent a lot of time discussing Jessy's… Read more

Write faster, Lynn!, Jun 17 2004

This is one of the best "I picked it up in the grocery store" books I've ever read. After finishing, I immediately ordered all of Lynn Flewelling's books.

As the years go by, I've found that it's become more and more difficult for a book or a movie to scare me. This one did. Not the "I'm frightened out of my wits and will never be able to sleep" sort of scare, but more of a delicious chill that sends goosebumps up my spine and leaves me feeling delighted at the same time.

One of the nice things about "The Bone Dolls' Twin" is that so much of it is told in shades of gray. There is no absolute right or wrong here, and in addition to being entertaining, it's a… Read more