No comments about A Chance to Live (Charnwood Large Print Library Series).

No comments about Granny's Village (Reminiscence).

5 comments about Daisy Bates in the Desert (Ulverscroft Large Print Series).

1. If you have a burning desire to read some historical fiction, I'd recommend "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden as a shining example thereof.
   
   What are the problems?
   
   1. Lots of digression/ babbling/ fillers sections of prose. It seems like a lot of it was inserted to give the book length. If the point of this was to give us an idea of the life of Australian aboriginals, the author could have supplied details to that effect. Instead, we get the author's imagined internal dialogues of a central character that may well have been schizophrenic.
   
   2. Why would Blackburn choose an inveterate liar to characterize the experience of a white living amongst the Aborigines? Were there no other whites that lived among them during that time? One thing that was clear was that there were many different types of whites to be found in contact with the Aborigines at this time. Could we not have seen these Native Australians from the perspective of government officials? Or railroad workers?
   
   3. On the whole, the characters were very poorly developed and one dimensional-- and especially those of the Aborigines. This might have been another vehicle to show us the customs that a reader might be intersted to know, such as language/ customs/ family structure.
   
   4. If this work was supposed to have been historical fiction dedicated to understanding Daisy Bates, the author could have taken artistic license to develop the character of Daisy Bates as it might have been seen through the eyes of an Aborigine. Or several of the government officials with whom she came into contact.
   
   Again: If you are looking for good historical fiction, don't look for it in this book.



2. Daisy Bates appears to be delusional at times in recounting her adventures with the Aboriginese but this is still one of the most fascinating reads I've had in a long time! If you were to separate her tales from the fact that she lived on her own among the indigenous peoples of Australia during a time when it was shocking for a woman to do so, there would still be an incredible story of courage and perserverance. This is an account worth reading!



3. Daisy Bates, a controversial woman who has attained almost mythical status in Australia, was an inveterate liar, constitutionally incapable of seeing herself in the world as it really was. Instead, she created a better world in her own mind and assumed that everyone else recognized her world as real. As Julia Blackburn reconstructs what she believes to have been Daisy's life in Australia's western desert, and her seemingly futile efforts to protect and preserve the aborigines and their culture, she presents a plausible personality with whom the reader can, to a great extent, identify.
   
   Blackburn is successful in making Daisy's dream world seem like an understandable response to the privations and hardships she faced in her early life alone. In Part I, Blackburn describes what Daisy has said about her life, and follows it with what Blackburn has discovered to be the truth as a result of her documented research. In Part II, she allows Daisy, as she understands her, to speak to the reader herself, and we "live" with her in the desert for many years, watching as her original dedication becomes a mission and then a mania, and her insecurity grows into delusion and eventually paranoia. A woman who seems to have accomplished nothing of lasting significance, Daisy might have achieved some of her goals if she had only bent a little. Part III tells of Daisy's life after she leaves the desert.
   
   Blackburn brings Daisy's Australian desert camp to life--the blinding sun, the heat of day and cold of night, the ghostly arrivals and departures of the shy aborigines, the birds and animals who were often Daisy's only company, and the changes wrought by the railroads, settlement, missionaries, and unfeeling governmental bureaucrats. Though she presents Daisy sympathetically, she is not Daisy's apologist, offering no defense, other than Daisy's own personality, for her extreme and solitary viewpoint. Unlike other readers, I found this a very poignant story of a woman who, at the end of a life of the utmost privation and dedication to saving a culture, realizes with sadness that it has all been for naught. Clearly, she never had a clue that most of her failure was her own fault. Mary Whipple



4. The author is highly imaginative and tells a lot about her own life in this mish mash. We never learn much about Daisy Bates. the author writes " her body shudders like a dying rabbit and her new husband wakes and stares at his new wife..." But the author is really describing her own childhood dream of an old man with his legs wrapped around her neck!!! Blackburn's "very personal interpretation" of the life of Daisy Bates seems to include Blackburn trying to overcome some of her own childhood traumas and problems with men. If little is known about Daisy Bates' feelings towards her husband, I'd rather have that than a lot of silly conjecture and fantasy. The prose is very good, very flowery and high flown, but it doesn't help tell the story of Daisy Bates. Like other reviewers, I will have to research Daisy, yes even after reading her "biog". It didn't feel balanced at all.



5. Too much novelistic improvisation and repetition ruin this book. Julia Blackburn is clearly more interested in Julia Blackburn than in Daisy Bates. Julia Blackburn's ideas and dreams are constantly inserted just when you think you might get to read something about Daisy Bates! Julia Blackburn presents Julia Blackburn as a dreamy, visionary person, while describing Daisy Bates as a Liar over and over and over again, and then giving Daisy an "imaginary" life... It could have worked if Julia Blackburn weren't so in love with herself--- I bought this book because life among the Aborigines sounded interesting. But it's really too much about Julia Blackburn and she bores me. I read a lot of novels, biogs, poetry, and history, and this books tries to capture it all and while at times it is eloquent, it often feels false and flat.

5 comments about Fear of Fifty: A Midlife Memoir.

1. I read Fear of Flying many years ago, and it seems to me that this is just the same book rehashed.
   
   Ms. Jong spends way too much time trying to show us how clever she is, and dropping the names of every famous person she has ever met.
   
   The end result is that this book reads like a kind of blog. She makes many witty and very perceptive comments on the nature of relationships between the sexes, but comes across as a thoroughly obnoxious, self-absorbed individual whom one would NOT want to meet in real life.
   
   In the end one has to feel thoroughly sorry for the various men who have loved her and married her, and sympathize totally with those who have dumped her. It would be really interesting (though impossible) to get THEIR inputs on what they thought was going on.



2. Firstly, let me point out that I am 21 years old, and almost didn't buy the book because I was afraid it would be some paean to "mid-life" that I just wouldn't get. The Jongroupie in me won out, though - and I am SO glad she did.

   Anyone who has ever read an Erica novel, anyone who ever plans to, anyone who yearns to hear a profoundly female voice speak honestly yet comfortingly into her/his mind's ear - this is a must-have. Besides answering every "Where does Isadora end and Erica begin?" question, this book contains a good dozen touching poems, countless anecdotes, and the sweetly detailed account of how Erica met her current husband. Erica writes about being a writer, a Jew, a feminist, a scholar, a daughter, a mother, a wife - a WOMAN. It is a novel, I believe, about WOMANHOOD, first and foremost, from the pen of a woman who has seen hell and high water during her 50 years.

   Far from being a boring mid-life memoir, the book reads like a novel and a really fun one at that, with all the feminine feminism, the wry jokes, the clever commentary and the juicy sex scenes of Erica's other books. Unlike her novels, however, this book draws the bold authoress out from between the lines and places her right before the reader - beautifully unembellished, womanly, young enough to take another ride on the rollercoaster and old enough to truly appreciate it.




3. Fear of Fifty is Erica Jong's best book. Fans will recognize all the memorable episodes of her life as she revisits them, this time through the eyes of a wiser woman.

   It seems that Erica Jong has finally grown up. Gone is the obsession with sex and the dependence on men that characterized her earlier books. In this book, Ms. Jong comes to terms with the contradictions of her existence, and in so doing, very intelligently points out the wild contradictions of her generation and of our contemporary society.

   The best section comes at the end, where Ms. Jong lays out her own personal feminist treatise. This section, although highly theoretical, is endowed with a clarity and passion that should rally every single woman reader, regardless of age, to the cause.

   Ms. Jong quite rightly chastises women as well as men for causing and maintaining the feminist backlash. Encouraging harmony, comprehension and unity, she calls for a new feminism that would include all women regardless of class, race, age, sexual orientation or profession. She exalts the creativity and artistic or professional ability of women, as well as their capacity for motherhood and caretaking. In fact, she suggests that the two sides of a woman are complementary rather than imcompatible.

   This book really clarified for me the situation of women in our Western society. I highly recommend it to anyone of any age interested in art, culture, literature, history or feminism. Although the content is highly intellectual in some respects, Ms. Jong's entertaining, passionate and humorous voice is always present. And it is absolutely not a "woman's book"; it is vital that as many men as possible read Fear of Fifty.




4. I've been reading Erica Jong's books for ages...probably a compulsion of some sort!! I find myself turning & returning to these books from time to time, when I'm feeling strange / down / lonely, because I feel as if I'm reading what an acquaintance or a far-away friend has written. This though doesn't mean that I appreciate all of her books the same, & it also doesn't mean that I think Erica Jong is an excellent writer. I just feel comfortable with her writing for some reason, although god knows why..

   About "Fear of fifty": It seems to me that Erica Jong has written the same story, again & again. And again. And again, until frankly anyone, even the most well-intentioned person would get tired of it all. I was certainly enthusiastic about her writing at first. But what I think has happened is this-- beginning with "Fear of flying", & in all the books after that, what she has written really is her life story. As I said- really good & original to read the first time around (that's why "Fear of flying" is still Jong's best-selling book) but tedious after a while.

   The heroine of "Fear of flying" seems to be in no way different from the woman shown in "Fear of fifty", & I have no idea why Erica Jong thought she had to write an autobiography. In "Fear of fifty" she just re-wrote the same things she'd already written in other books. I'm sure I'm no exception when I say that I was already familiar with all the themes in the book, & I knew what was coming, all the way through. This is the reason that I found "Fear of fifty" unoriginal & repetitive, although I must say that there was some comfort to be had in returning to these familiar themes. My point is--Erica Jong's ideas are interesting & her writing is (sometimes) inspired. But reading her books has been like eating the same food again & again: the first time around it was tasty. After a while, it got boring.




5. Having been born and spent my entire life in the South and being a lower middle class WASP, I envy those brash, brave, bold yankees who have the "ovaries" to speak their mind and lay their souls bare for all the world to see! WHAT A BOOK! I already love Erica's poetry and now I love her, too! As I am a forty-something boomer, I read this in anticipation of some much needed road-trip advice and boy, did I get what I asked for! Live your life according to your own conscience, follow your dreams AND your heart and baby don't look back in regret. Thank you, Erica, for being the fabulous writer and woman that you are. You're an inspiration to us all. Keep on writing!

4 comments about Beyond the Chindwin.

1. "Beyond the Chindwin" is the account of the adventures of Number Five Column of the Wingate Expedition (otherwise known as the "Chindits") into Burma, 1943. For those that don't know a great deal about the Chindits, they were the largest of the allied Special Forces Units of WW2, formed and lead by Major-General Orde Wingate. In 1942, following the successful Japanese attack on Burma, the British War Office offered Wingate's services to General Wavell, Commander-in-Chief India. It was thought that there would be a role for Wingate in Burma with his proven guerrilla expertise having previously carried out guerrilla operations in Palestine and Abyssinia with great success. Wingate put forward his theory that formations of troops supplied from the air could operate for long periods in the jungle. The troops would be organised into columns, each large enough to inflict a heavy blow to the enemy but small enough to evade action if outnumbered. The columns would march into enemy territory to disrupt the Japanese army's communications and supply lines and to create havoc behind its lines.
   
   A brigade was formed from a number of different units who then trained themselves for two enemies, the jungle and the Japanese. Keep in mind that up until this time, the British had been singularly unsuccessful in jungle warfare against the Japanese - the jungle was a completely unfamiliar environment to the British soldier, one that was scary, completely foreign and in which they weren't trained to fight. One of the reasons why both Malaya and Burma had fallen to the Japanese so rapidly. Wingate set out to familiarize his soldiers with the jungle as well as using the jungle to advantage in fighting.
   
   The original plan was that the Chindits would be part of an offensive into north Burma but this offensive was cancelled. Wingate then proposed that the operation should still proceed, but now alone, to test the theory and gain vital experience of such jungle operations, and to test the Japanese and disrupt their planned offensives. General Wavell agreed to this and the Chindits were ordered into Burma from Imphal in early 1943. The campaign was given the code name Operation Longcloth and a force of 3,000 men operated deep behind enemy lines in North Burma, for two months living in and fighting the japanese in the jungles of occupied Burma, totally relying on airdrops for their supplies. In late March, Wingate was ordered to withdraw.
   
   By then the Chindits had penetrated to the extreme range of their air supply and the Japanese were moving larger numbers of troops to pin them down and cut them off. Despite the obstacles of both Japanese Army units and the terrain and climate, all Chindit units returned by one means or another. Of the 3,000 officers and men that went into Burma, 2,182 came back four months later. Wingate had proved that his theory worked, that allied troops could raid effectively behind enemy lines and that air supply could maintain such operations in the jungle. Additionally, the Chindits were the first troops to fight back after the defeat in Burma and the operation showed that British troops could take on the Japanese and win. The Japanese had been thought to be invincible jungle fighters, the Chindits proved that this was not so. The legend of the Japanese superman was dealt a savage blow. This had a tremendous effect on the morale of troops in India.
   
   Subsequently, a second and much larger expedition was launched in March 1944, with a a force of 20,000 soldiers with air support provided by the 1st Air Commando USAAF. The mission was successful and started the rot, which led to the Japanese surrender. That's the history lesson and what the military histories tell you. This book is the story of one Chindit column in the first expedition, Number Five, which was led by the author. It's an antidote to the military histories and tells you what it was really like. Ferguson's column lost half its men in casualties in the course of the expedition. Supply drops were missed, little in the way of military objectives were achieved, the column broke down into smaller and smaller groups. Despite this, the morale of the survivors was high, the boost to the British was far in excess of the military accomplishments at the time and the Japanese plans for the next offensive were disrupted. Casualties were high, but no higher than other units experienced on this front experienced in fighting the Japanese on this front.
   
   The book is a classic account of it's kind, well-written, readable and with many lessons which can still be learnt from. Not least of which is that the book was a best seller at the time it was published - a time when the survivors of the various Chindit operations were in a position to criticize the leadership of the author had they seen cause to. They didn't, which speaks volumes in itself for his leadership and personality. Ferguson led under fire and from the front, with his soldiers, taking the same risks that they did. He was from all accounts an inspiring leader and one with a certain amount of flamboyance whom his men respected and followed.
   
   I was a boy in New Zealand when Ferguson was Governer-General there and had the honor of meeting him - I still have the copy of this book that he autographed for me. He was well-respected in NZ at the time - a time when a high proportion of NZ men had served in the NZ Army overseas. NZ being a country with no respect for posers, Ferguson wouldn't have cut the grade if he'd been an upper-class British twit. His leadership and the strength of his personality were apparent to me as a youngster and come through strongly in both this book and in "The Wild Green Earth." Read, enjoy, and respect the efforts of those who did their best to fight for the freedoms that we enjoy today.



2. This book was first published in 1945 as `Beyond the Chindwin: Being An Account of the Adventures of Number Five Column of the Wingate Expedition into Burma, 1943' (Collins: London). The sub-title has been changed for later editions, but the term 'adventures' in the original has deep meaning and should not be forgotten.
   
   `Beyond the Chindwin' is a class-conscious, born-to-rule account of a military farce. Bernard Fergusson reminds me of those who `led' the disastrous Allied campaigns of the First World War. At least he does not say he did much damage to the Japanese in Burma; but he could not make such a claim, as it was no secret that the Japanese harassed the British, not vice versa. The occasional self-deprecation seems shallow, in particular his pangs of conscience about leaving half his force on a river sandbar, to be shot or captured because they couldn't swim and were too short to wade, while he made his own escape. A decent leader would have stayed on the sandbar or riverbank for at least a few more hours to encourage his men to cross. Some of his officers wanted to stay but were overruled. Why? Perhaps they were of good British stock and might be needed for another glorious campaign. Perhaps Fergusson knew he would look bad if other officers could induce the men to cross the river or were captured with them. In his Boys Own (see the book's subtitle) account of the mayhem he depicts himself as an aristocrat showing pluck under duress while the rabble succumbs. It would be interesting to read accounts of Fergusson's role by his officers and lower ranks. (Are there such records?)
   
   In what must be some of the most shameful writing in military history, Fergusson says:
   
   "Before pushing on, we counted heads. Our strength was reduced to nine officers and sixty-five men; in other words, forty-six men had either been drowned or left on the sandbank. Of these the latter were certainly the vast majority. It is a matter of fact that those who had crossed and were with the column included all the best men, and the men whose behaviour throughout the expedition had been the most praiseworthy. It does not absolve me from my responsibility for the others to say so, but it was and is a comfort to me that among those whom I thus abandoned were few to whom our debt, and the debt of their nation, was outstanding. There were two or three whom I particularly regretted... There were two more who, had they got out, would have had to face charges at a court-martial" (174-5).
   
   The last sentence in Note P at the end of the book says more about Fergusson than he intended: "Over 65 per cent of the force got out safely." Tally-ho! How about "35 per cent of the force did NOT get out safely"? Moreover, he is referring to the 1943 Wingate Expedition overall, but for his group (Number Five Column) the figures were more like 50-50.
   
   Would Fergusson himself have been court-martialled had it not been for his breeding and connections? For instance, he was protege of Field-Marshall (Viscount) Wavell, Viceroy of India, who wrote the foreword to `Beyond the Chindwin'. Fergusson was promoted, then knighted a few years later. Like Papa and Grandpapa, he became Governor-General of New Zealand; as a peer he called himself Lord Ballantrae of Auchairne and the Bay of Islands. Then there was the monocle: "His father, a First World War General, had refused to allow Bernard to go to Sandhurst [after Eton] wearing spectacles ... and insisted that he joined [sic] that august Academy wearing a monocle. That monocle probably ranks as the most famous of its kind and, when he was serving with the Chindits in Burma, it was necessary to have an air drop of monocles to make good his supply" (Geographical Journal, Vol. 47, Part 2, July 1981, p. 274). Spare me faux-eccentrics like Fergusson (and Wingate) who strive to create legends of themselves. If you want to see photographs of a monocled turkey, do an internet search for 'Photographs of Sir Bernard Edward Fergusson'. When you see the feathers in one shot, `pluck' will come to mind, Old Boy.



3. Indo-Burma Front 1942: After being tossed out of Burma the same year, riven internally by arguments with their allies the US and the Chinese on the best strategy to persue, the British opt for a strategy of supporting the American push in North Burma. But with resources lacking they opt for a strategy of Long Range Penetration. The British will carry the war to the enemy by supporting columns of up to 200 men in 6 seperate columns. They will march through plain and jungle (most of it at night) and launch a series of hit and run attacks hundreds of miles behind Japanese lines --- they will be called Chindits after a mythical beast of Burma.

   In theory this strategy seemed both efficient and strategically sound; small amounts of men getting a lot of bang for your buck. In reality the results were disasterous; columns first start to loose one or two people to the elements, then things get worse very quickly indeed; food drops from airplanes do not go as planned; encounters with the "Japs" lead to long marches to lose them; crossing rivers miles across leads to more loses for men who cannot swim. Columns split into ever smaller units until there are just 6-man units left. These then break into a free-for-all with all units told to do everything possible to survive.

   In Fergusson's column alone almost half died or ended up as POWs (almost as bad as dying). Those that survived came into allied lines over the course of months. Some even found it easier to hike to China than to cross back into India --- and all for the result of blowing a single small steel span railway bridge that the Japanese no doubt repaired so the next train could cross safely on time.

   All of this said the men who endured this trauma of marches in jungle, hidden ambushes, the possibility of a lonely deaths on a deserted trail next to the bones of others who went before them (many of their graves still unknown) is one of the more harrowing tales of bravery by men and a testimony to what men and women will endure when forced to endure. There was no evacuation for the wounded, one either coped or one was left behind on the trail for either unfreindly natives, the Japanese or both. The mere prospect makes one shiver.

   It is also a good testiment to the mettle of British and Commonwealth Forces and their ability to stick together under one command. The Chindits were made up of men from the English country regiments, the Ghurkas, African Regiments but most all the members of the latter stages of the English Empire were represented in some form or other on this front from Canadians to Pathans from present day Pakistan.

   The one bright thing that emerges is the mutual respect and admiration of the Chindits for the, mostly American pilots who braved every kind of weather to support the men on the ground. This feeling was reciprocal and as such represents one of the few examples of cooperation in a theatre that become notorious for irrascable incidents between the Americans and the British while fighting a common enemy.

   There are many of my veteran friends that would disagree with me (especially those who served with the Chindits) but the fact remains that the strategic lessons of the Chindits remains limited in the extreme. What they teach us in courage however is rich and as such one will find it hard to put this book down.




4. Indo-Burma Front 1942: After being tossed out of Burma the same year, riven internally by arguments with their allies the US and the Chinese on the best strategy to persue, the British opt for a strategy of supporting the American push in North Burma. But with resources lacking they opt for a strategy of Long Range Penetration. The British will carry the war to the enemy by supporting columns of up to 200 men in 6 seperate columns. They will march through plain and jungle (most of it at night) and launch a series of hit and run attacks hundreds of miles behind Japanese lines --- they will be called Chindits after a mythical beast of Burma.

   In theory this strategy seemed both efficient and strategically sound; small amounts of men getting a lot of bang for your buck. In reality the results were disasterous; columns first start to loose one or two people to the elements, then things get worse very quickly indeed; food drops from airplanes do not go as planned; encounters with the "Japs" lead to long marches to lose them; crossing rivers miles across leads to more loses for men who cannot swim. Columns split into ever smaller units until there are just 6-man units left. These then break into a free-for-all with all units told to do everything possible to survive.

   In Fergusson's column alone almost half died or ended up as POWs (almost as bad as dying). Those that survived came into allied lines over the course of months. Some even found it easier to hike to China than to cross back into India --- and all for the result of blowing a single small steel span railway bridge that the Japanese no doubt repaired so the next train could cross safely on time.

   All of this said the men who endured this trauma of marches in jungle, hidden ambushes, the possibility of a lonely deaths on a deserted trail next to the bones of others who went before them (many of their graves still unknown) is one of the more harrowing tales of bravery by men and a testimony to what men and women will endure when forced to endure. There was no evacuation for the wounded, one either coped or one was left behind on the trail for either unfreindly natives, the Japanese or both. The mere prospect makes one shiver.

   It is also a good testiment to the mettle of British and Commonwealth Forces and their ability to stick together under one command. The Chindits were made up of men from the English country regiments, the Ghurkas, African Regiments but most all the members of the latter stages of the English Empire were represented in some form or other on this front from Canadians to Pathans from present day Pakistan.

   The one bright thing that emerges is the mutual respect and admiration of the Chindits for the, mostly American pilots who braved every kind of weather to support the men on the ground. This feeling was reciprocal and as such represents one of the few examples of cooperation in a theatre that become notorious for irrascable incidents between the Americans and the British while fighting a common enemy.

   There are many of my veteran friends that would disagree with me (especially those who served with the Chindits) but the fact remains that the strategic lessons of the Chindits remains limited in the extreme. What they teach us in courage however is rich and as such one will find it hard to put this book down.

5 comments about The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings.

1. I didn't read The Joy Luck Club; I wasn't interested, it sounded like a chick book, and I don't play Mah Jong. This book is more like taking a peek inside Amy Tan. It was great.
   
   I hated literature in high school and college, because all the professors always talked about all the "hidden meaning" and symbolism in persons, objects and events happening in the book. I thought this was a bunch of BS. So thank you Amy for proving me right!
   
   It is a well written compilation of stories, observations and even commencement addresses. My favorite was her thoughts on waiting to be introduced for a talk and seeing the Cliff Notes of her book on display. Nice touch. I would probably appreciate Joy Luck Club after reading this book.



2. The book is wonderful, so interesting. It is rather like Eat,Pray,Love with a chinese twist.
   
   The AUDIO version of the book is a revelation: Amy Tan has a lively and lovely voice, she is a gifted mimic, and she does a fabulous job of reading this great book.
   
   There are some very sad parts, you will definitely be moved to think and consider wider concepts, but it is completely delightful and thick with insight.



3. I've always enjoyed her novels, and The Opposite of Fate gave me an even deeper understanding of the origins of her work. I really enjoyed the opportunity to hear, in her own words, the true history of her family, her thoughts on her childhood, young adulthood, and even current day. She's a fun, funky, formidable, & fascinating woman & someone you'd love to know & introduce to all your friends. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to get to know her better!



4. This book is a personal favorite, as it gives so much insight into Tan's writing and her views, but also because the essays are simply so enjoyable to read. The book is a collection of essays that spans her literary career and is filled with her own special brand of humor. Within the pages we find writing on her authorial intentions, her perspective on critics and scholars who interpret her writing and her intentions, and biographical essays. I can imagine using one or two of these essays as material for teaching a writing class. These essays are overall lovely, clever, and engaging. This book is not just for "fans only." If you weren't a fan before, you may become one after reading this collection.



5. I had no idea. I had no idea what a great writer she is, what an amazing person she is, how difficult her life has been. Now that I've read this book, I know. And I am inspired.
   
   I highly recommend this book to any daughter, any Asian, any writer, and any person with an open mind/heart who wants to know a little bit more about an intriguing, challenging life.

1 comments about The Huntress: The True Saga of Dottie and Brandi Thorson, Modern Day Bounty Hunters.

1. According to the foreword, author Christopher Keane got a call from Dottie Thorson one day. She said she had a story and she wanted him to tell it. Keane was familiar with Thorson, for he had written a book about her husband, legendary bounty hunter Ralph Thorson, back in the 70's ("The Hunter" which was later made into a movie). Keane heard Thorson out and this book is the result.

   Being a bounty hunter, Ralph Thorson had a dangerous life with many enemies. But one enemy couldn't let go. And as a result, Ralph Thorson lost his life. Thorson left his wife and daughter with nothing more than a stack of bills and no means to pay them. No means except one: bounty hunting. Though reluctant, Dottie and Brandi Thorson had no choice but to take up the family trade.

   After breaking into a business that isn't looking for women, the mother-daughter bounty hunting team makes quite a name for themselves. Along the way they struggle with Myrna Factor, a family friend dying of cancer caused by heroin addiction, and Robin, a bail jumper whom is placed in Dottie's custody. But the real struggle comes in the form of the elusive Q.D. Reese, who killed Ralph Thorson and is starting to kill others. And they know he won't stop until he finishes them off.

   "The Huntress" is a fairly gripping book that does justice to a "true story." There is action, suspense, love, friendship, hatred, hurt, and even humor. But some of what the book has, it could go without. Keane's over-dramatic writing of the enemy Q.D. Reese is both silly and unnecessary. And in an attempt to give the character an edge, he resorts to vulgar language which only turns you off as a reader. Despite this, it was still a good book. But it was way too intelligent to be brought down by these silly failings.

   Any negative things about the book are often forgotten during key moments. As Brandi and Dottie get closer to catching Ralph's killer, things really heat up. There is a very captivating scene full of suspense near the end. And often times the beautiful relationship of the mother and daughter is illustrated perfectly. However, negativity reappears in those parts where Keane rushes a scene or doesn't let the reader in on the meaning behind cryptic dialogue.

   All in all, "The Huntress" was quick, fun read. And the characters are incredibly likable. It is definitely worth a try. In fact, I find myself hoping that the TV series does well enough that they make a series of novels. I would like to read more exploits of the family bounty hunters.

No comments about Born Yesterday: Memories of a Scottish Childhood (Transaction Large Print Books).

No comments about Enjoy Your Best Years (ISIS Large Print).

1 comments about For All of Her Life.

1. I didn't like it. The murder mystery was okay, but not that great. I figured out who it was & why they did it long before the story ended. It really didn't seem worth it.

   The mystery was overshadowed by the main characters' relationship. That wouldn't have been a problem, but my main objection to the book IS the relationship between the exes: Jordan and Kathryn.

   The gist is: Kathryn seems to be pining after her ex-husband, but the ex-husband has no problem having sex with his present girlfriend and trying to have an affair with his ex-wife at the same time. Jordan lacks depth, morals, character, conscience, etc - all the things that would make a man attractive to a woman - unless, of course, she was only after casual sex. He is described as having a great body, but, in my opinion, it would take a brainless woman to want him for the long haul. Kathryn seems to be making all the compromises and doing all the giving - Jordan's a waste of time and space. There's macho and then there's worthless, obnoxious pigs - Jordan fits into the pig catagory. Kathryn is just a plain idiot.

   If this is representative of today's relationships, and authors have come to believe that this is what women want to read - then Heaven help us. This is a shallow man's fantasy. I prefer to read a story where there's at least the illusion of a caring relationship and the man treats the woman with RESPECT! and she demands it instead of rolling over and being a desperate-to-have-a-man doormat! I was so disappointed in this book that I haven't read a Heather Graham Pozzessere book since.