Helpful votes received on reviews:
100% (10 of 10)
Location: Annapolis, MD
In My Own Words:
I share my home with my cat, Bastet (or is it the other way around?), and enjoy gardening, cooking, and playing the flute. And, of course, reading: in books, I look for strong, believable characters who move me, plus fast-moving plots. And a little romance never hurts, either. I find that reviewing the books I truly enjoy gives me an opportunity to reflect upon them and extend the pleasure the… Read moreI share my home with my cat, Bastet (or is it the other way around?), and enjoy gardening, cooking, and playing the flute. And, of course, reading: in books, I look for strong, believable characters who move me, plus fast-moving plots. And a little romance never hurts, either. I find that reviewing the books I truly enjoy gives me an opportunity to reflect upon them and extend the pleasure they have given me. I have been very impressed - and sometimes touched - by the reviews written by others; what a great forum this is!
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Reviews
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In alternating chapters devoted to each character, six months in the life of Virginia ("Vinnie") Miner, an unmarried Ivy League college professor for whom the sweet bird of youth has long flown away, are contrasted with the same period in the life of Fred Turner - young and handsome, and a junior faculty member of the same Ivy League college. Although they barely know each other, they are both members of the English department and are both on sabbatical in London at the same time doing research. Their stories are studies in contrast and in similarities. Fred is lonely, having recently become estranged from his wife; Fred loathes England (at least, at first). Vinnie is beyond lonely -… Read more
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Just as I enjoyed Corelli's Mandolin, I adored The Mirror of Diana. The Mirror of Diana, like De Bernieres's fine book, takes place in a Mediterranean country (Italy in this case) and is rich in historical detail and redolent of its wartime setting. But what really propels the plot of The Mirror of Diana is the tender but injudicious love between Klaus, a German officer (it's OK - he's not a Nazi), and Rosanna, an Italian woman; since this takes place in 1943, a time when the two countries are no longer allies, their relationship is fraught with danger. But the Mirror of Diana is far from a clone of Corelli's Mandolin, or any other book for that matter. It involves the fascinating… Read more
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
I wasn't aware that Elizabeth Gaskell, who wrote "Wives and Daughters," was one of the giants of nineteenth century English literature, but this adaptation of her book is simply wonderful! Molly, the no-nonsense daughter of a widowed village doctor, is forced to cede the running of their household to her new stepmother, who is not quite as evil as Cinderella's but is a lot more supercilious. The stepmother's daughter, Cynthia, is another addition to the household, and Molly becomes her steadfast friend, even though Cynthia puts Molly in difficult situations and admits that she has never loved anyone in her entire life, including her mother. Everywhere, men fall swooning before the… Read more
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