unfinished woman

• Rated 2 stars

“Not my cup of tea at all. Some paranormal I enjoy, but I found this just too over the top with the plethora of vampires, werewolves, walkers... I also think that I would have had to begin with the first in the series, as previous events played into this story intensely.”

unfinished woman wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“After reading the last of the series, not realizing it was a series, I started at the beginning to continue what is a well written and complex dilemma...the lead character's position with confidentiality as it becomes clear that one of his patients is killing other patients. Alan Gregory is faced with accusations of sexual misconduct, and is facing all kinds of negative consequences, and well as danger to himself and others he loves. I enjoyed the pace and the handling of the characters. While somewhat dark in content and atmosphere it is a understandable study of the issue of confidentiality and all the ramifications that the issue presents. Not being able to defend oneself was a frustrating sense as I read the story.”

unfinished woman wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“This is beautiful representative of alphabet books, and the illustrations are delightful. ”

unfinished woman wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“I had not read this author before and thought this a very good crime/suspense. There is substantial legalize included and clearly much social commentary about our system today and the ability, if one has money, to circumvent that system using creative lawyers. The possible escape of the law for one individual hung in the balance throughout the story. The author has done a very credible job of developing the likable and complex character of Alan, and well with Lauren and a couple of others and combined that with a satisfying plot. I hate reading a series' installment out of sequence, and there is plenty of reference to earlier events that affect this story in minor ways. So I would highly recommend that one start at the beginning, though this book certainly can stand alone. As an excellent escape read, the eighteenth in the series, I am looking forward to starting at the beginning with many installments to go.”

unfinished woman wrote this review 8 days ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“This is a stunner. While it started off somewhat slow, it picked up speed and suspense quickly and the ending was edge-of-the-seat. As it seems so much of the Scandinavian crime and suspense writing is, this is dark and has a deeply, and at times, irritating protagonist in deputy detective superintendent Carl Morck, head of the newly created Department Q. This new department is really an attempt to get the annoying detective out of the main departments and into the basement, while bringing together all the unsolved cases from throughout Denmark to make it seem they are committed to solving them. Morck is the only officer, with an assistant who is initially intended to clean. Assad, however, is clearly an intelligent man, mysterious and exotic. Morck choses a file, clearly not intending to do any work, and Assad brilliantly insinuates himself into the investigation. Adler-Olsen portrays a depressed and sefl-pitying man in Morck, and a perfect foil in the exuberant Assad. As the story progresses she develops the plight of the missing/presumed dead politician Merete Lynggaard and her inner thoughts and fears at a painful level. The plot is complex, and provides multiple theories and suspects giving the reader a satisfying, highly creative and gruesome narrative. Further, there is a long way to go on the unfolding of these fascinating characters' lives which should provide plenty of fodder for subsequent stories. The only difficult factor in the book was that I found the political issues to be confusing, but less and less a factor as the the story built.

I am looking forward the the second installment. ”

unfinished woman wrote this review 12 days ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Barr goes back to the beginning of Pigeon's career as a National Parks Ranger, providing a harrowing tale of murder and threat. Pigeon certainly begins as she moves through the series, finding herself in jeopardy as she serves at Lake Powell on the Arizona/Utah border. In doing so, she becomes the strong and resourceful individual character we follow for the next multiple installments. Barr is at her finest with this story, building her character and setting the stage for what is to come. The story is again rich, suspenseful and well-plotted. I am always pulled into the setting as she beautifully described the vastness and awe-inspiring Lake Powell. I felt the heat, the cold, the loneliness and the mass of the lake and the surrounding cliffs. After all this time, I have not yet been disappointed with this series. ”

unfinished woman wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 3 stars

“I went to Albany High School in Albany, GA, from 1960 through 1963, my father stationed there with the Air Force, in the same time frame as this novel. I lived there four years. I went through integration in the school, my church and surreptitiously watched meetings of KKK in downtown. I was there for the Albany Movement when Dr. King marched and was jailed. I would not presume to know what any of these women went through, or how any of them acted. I can only reflect on the way that high school students talked about blacks. It was rude, nasty and scary. Nevertheless, there were other aspects of my life there that were very positive, one being I had two of the best teachers I have ever had, and I am grateful today for the love of language and Shakespeare that Billy Bragg and Mrs. Dobbins instilled in me.

From that time and experience I can opine that this novel portrays a very authentic picture of the South at this time. I am, however, disappointed in several of the intense issues that were only addressed in a minor way. First I am very aware of the sexual abuse that so many of the maids in white families experienced and that was only touched on in a very minor way. The strong violence that took place in and around Jackson is only, again, briefly described with the killing of Medger Evers, who lived so close to these women. And, the portrayal of the men both black and white in the book was skimmed over, presenting little of the white influence and involvement, and with the black men only as violent and not accountable. While I understand that the book is looking at the plight of the domestic help, these factors were strong in their lives as well.

I was also disappointed in Skeeter. She decides to write the book, in the face of danger and in tolerance if it leaks out. However, when she finally ostracized from her community, has lost her suitor, and is alone, she continues to let the nasty Hilly and her mother control her life. I was waiting for her to finally let the witch have it. To speak up to Hilly and her other friends. It was extremely frustrating that she needed the nudge of the "help" and the ridicule of Missus Stein to get her moving with her own life. She seemed to miss the meaning of the bravery and tenacity of the maid. The paradox was frustrating.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I think it would have been stronger with some added depth.”

unfinished woman wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | view 2 replies | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“I suspect that this is one of those books you either love or hate for the most part. I loved it, wept through my reading and mourned for past animals in my life to whom I didn't pay enough attention. I would consider it a must-read for those devoted to their animals. It certainly isn't one of more well written books, but it is brilliant in telling a very relevant, profound and sappy story.

Some time ago I participated in some seminars, for which a basic tenet was "It's all true". This book brought back to me my passion and thoughts about what we know and don't, that we cannot be certain of what is and what isn't, and we has come so far in our knowledge, that it seems ridiculous to argue against what could become known in the future.

There are obvious flaws in the telling, as with David's meteoric change in attitude, or the paradise-like final chapter that becomes almost fantasy. There is plenty of sadness and angst throughout the story. I liked Helena , a troubled ghost, as narrator, able to take the reader from one scene to the other quickly, especially as it moves toward it's climax, and however "out-there" it may seem.

Obviously this is not a read for everyone. It is a tear-jerker. It is sometimes too close to fantasy. The subject is fascinating, and the story is moving, and that makes for a very good book in my reading experience.”

unfinished woman wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Beautiful presentation and fabulous recipes. These multi-course breakfast menus and recipes are creative and luscious.”

unfinished woman wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“This spare novel is heavy with the disintegration of a mind into madness. The author's beautiful language, descriptions of setting and the inner dialogue of a psychoanalyst who gets lost in sex, betrayal, and the mental illness of his patients, portray a man who believes he has control of his life and choices, while clearly pushing the limits of acceptability. As he tells the story it is clear that he also knows that his contempt for boundaries and love of danger will be his undoing. The author has him compartmentalizing his life to mimic the divisions of his rare and erotic collection of netsuke, and into the reality of the "everyday world" and the interstices of darkness and fantasy. Finally things of beauty transform in the shadows of his perversion, fear, and growing confusion.

This is a story of striking and subtle events that are beautifully presented by Ducornet, with a brilliant unfolding of the character.”

unfinished woman wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )