I thoroughly enjoyed this second installment of Susan Ryeland's investigations, involving books within the book. Alan Conway once again proves to be aI thoroughly enjoyed this second installment of Susan Ryeland's investigations, involving books within the book. Alan Conway once again proves to be a brilliant jerk from beyond the grave. I could comment on many details, but will say only this--'Bedside Manor' is the perfect name for a doctor's home. I applaud this. I hope there will be further explorations of how the Atticus Pund books relate to real events in Susan's world....more
Note: I was given a copy of the e-book version of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. I’ve read Barbara Venkataraman’s work beforNote: I was given a copy of the e-book version of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. I’ve read Barbara Venkataraman’s work before, in the form of the Jamie Quinn mystery series, which I’ve enjoyed. This book is very different—it’s a short novel about five teenage girls whose close-knit friend group experiences turmoil over the course of a few days due to drama surrounding life changes and misunderstandings among them. It’s an engaging story and a quick read which I enjoyed, and I wouldn’t mind reading more about the characters. In fact, I felt the story ended a bit abruptly, and although by the end the friends all essentially get past their angst, I felt like there could have been more resolution at the end. While the girls’ attitudes all ended in a positive place, there were still questions in my mind about how they would deal with the change in life situation or perspective they each experienced, and it just felt like more should be said about how the characters dealt with various lessons learned. I’ll also say that although I liked all the main characters, they felt a little flat, perhaps a bit too stereotypical, and in the beginning of the story, as I laid the book aside and came back to it after a time, I had a hard time remembering who was who and what their niche was in the friend group. I guess that means each individual was not as memorable or well fleshed out as they could be, and that probably is due to the brevity of the story. By the end of the story, most of them felt more fleshed out, but I don’t think I ever really connected with Lori, probably because her dramas seemed the least dramatic to me and the most like a typical teen attitude about responsibilities and how those conflict with social life. In some ways, this short novel felt like a first draft that could have benefited from further attention to fleshing out each individual’s story. That said, I did enjoy the brief glimpse into each of their lives and personalities, although I think my favorite characters were not main characters. For example, I found Summer and Raven interesting, as well as Rhianna’s aunt, and while I wanted to know more of the back story of the central girls, I wanted even more to learn more about those three supporting characters. Also, though the title of the book is “Five Fortunes,” and the beginning of the overall story, and each individual’s story, focuses on what fortune they all received, I don’t think it’s clear as it could be how or why each of the main characters found their fortune disturbing or hard to believe. I know the point was that the fortune prompted each girl to think differently or be open to a new experience or perspective that unfolded over the next few days, but I feel like the fortunes weren’t necessary to the story. Each girl could have encountered the various other events in the story and things would have played out pretty much the same way even if they had never gotten the fortunes and had their initial disagreement about whether they should be taken seriously or not. Plus, it’s hard to imagine modern teens taking such things very seriously or feeling put out if someone else thought fortunes were nonsense. The idea of fortunes probably sparked the idea of this story for the author, but their presence in the finished tale didn’t seem crucial for the events, and thus their presence gave me a sense of something being slightly out of place while I read. They became a bit of a distraction, especially in the beginning as I tried to keep track of each girl’s fortune. Overall, this was a light, entertaining read, and I wouldn’t mind reading more about this universe, but I also didn’t feel this was the author’s best work....more
I read the print version of this years ago and just "re-read" by listening to the audio version read by Christopher Timothy, the actor who played JameI read the print version of this years ago and just "re-read" by listening to the audio version read by Christopher Timothy, the actor who played James Herriot in the classic British TV show that I grew up watching on PBS. What literary comfort food! These stories are always a delight and I'll always enjoy revisiting James and the Farnons. A wonderful mixture of human-animal interactions and nostalgia....more
I love Holly, and have thoroughly enjoyed every story featuring her. She might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for me, she's like the spritely mint I love Holly, and have thoroughly enjoyed every story featuring her. She might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for me, she's like the spritely mint tea Olivia served Barbara in this story, contrasted against the bitter, nasty cup served by Emily Harris. Refreshing and bright. She's interesting among King's characters because she has battled evil of both the supernatural and the sadly everyday varieties. In this book, the monsters she faces are just people--crazy people, wearing veneers of respectability, and that's what makes them so frightening. They could be people you know--older, a little eccentric, maybe a bit abrasive, but probably decent enough, you might think. King explores the depths of what we don't know about our acquaintances, and just how far beyond reason people can go in their desires for power and immortality. Despite the darkness, it is always nice to spend time with Holly, Jerome, and Barbara, and among the terrible events, there are also moments of triumph for these genuinely decent people. I can only hope there are more adventures featuring Holly in the future. ...more
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