Book Description
"Dear Daughter" is a fully illustrated mini-book celebrating that special bond parents have with daughters. Written by Marianne Richmond.
Customer Reviews:
A beautiful book and keepsake!.......2007-01-25
I just received this book yesterday and just reading through it brought tears to my eyes as I pictured my daughter in my mind. Our daughter was adopted when she was two from Eastern Europe and I am always looking for ways to deepen her feeling of belonging and solidify the fact that she was wanted by our family. I love the fact that you can personalize this book and tuck in letters in the two vellum pockets, add your own pictures, etc.... I have already recommended this book to my friends and let them see our copy. They intend to purchase as well. It is appropriate for a daughter still "growing" and a grown-up daughter as well. I only wish something like this had been available for MY mom to give me! It is absolutely precious and I plan to give it to parents of new baby daughters as well.
Book Description
Breaking nearly eight decades of silence, Essie Mae Washington–Williams comes forward with a story of unique historical magnitude and incredible human drama. Her father, the late Strom Thurmond, was once the nation's leading voice for racial segregation (one of his signature political achievements was his 24–hour filibuster against the Civil Rights Act of 1957, done in the name of saving the South from "mongrelization"). Her mother, however, was a black teenager named Carrie Butler who worked as a maid on the Thurmond family's South Carolina plantation.
Set against the explosively changing times of the civil rights movement, this poignant memoir recalls how she struggled with the discrepancy between the father she knew–one who was financially generous, supportive of her education, even affectionate–and the Old Southern politician, railing against greater racial equality, who refused to acknowledge her publicly. From her richly told narrative, as well as the letters she and Thurmond wrote to each other over the years, emerges a nuanced, fascinating portrait of a father who counseled his daughter about her dreams and goals, and supported her in reaching them–but who was unwilling to break with the values of his Dixiecrat constituents.
With elegance, dignity, and candor, Washington–Williams gives us a chapter of American history as it has never been written before–told in a voice that will be heard and cherished by future generations.
Customer Reviews:
A Very Classy Lady.......2007-08-15
Lots of people have had lots of things to say about Essie May Washington-Williams. Having read a decent amount about Strom Thurmond, I resisted reading this book thinking that I knew the story from the newspaper accounts. However, I started reading the last night and frankly could not put it down. Ms. Washington-Williams puts a whole new perspective on her illustrious father. Whether she should have revealed her existance earlier was a decision that only she could make. After reading her book I feel that Thurmond truly loved her mother. Surely, he could have treated his daughter better, but he was what he was. He provided for her in his own way and did much for her financially. For all those who had comments about what Ms. Washington-Williams should or should not have done, I feel that they are obligated to read her book before they voice an opinion. In my book, she is one classy lady!
American hypocrisy.......2007-03-30
In what is likely the worst example of hypocrisy in America since "The Scarlet Letter" -- with Thurmond playing the role of Arthur Dimmesdale -- leading segregationist proponent Senator Strom Thurmond fathered a daughter on the family's 15-year old black maid when he was a young man. The child, Essie Mae Washington, was raised by relatives in Pennsylvania and did not learn of her true parentage until she was 16 years old. She kept quiet about it until after Thurmond's death at age 100 when Essie Mae herself was a grandmother in her 70's. This book is her story.
Thurmond seemed to have some level of affection for Essie Mae's mother, Carrie, as their liaison continued sporadically for over two decades. Thurmond helped out with gifts of cash and saw to it that Essie Mae got a university education (in a "black" college) to enable her to support herself as a teacher. Thurmond did not marry until his mid-forties after he had broken off relations with Carrie. Meanwhile he built a political career in South Carolina on a platform of racial segregation, a stand from which he never wavered during his long life.
Thurmond's black mistress and daughter lived and worked as did other blacks in the pre-civil rights era, as second class citizens, relegated to the back of the bus. There were no special favours. Although occasionally Thurmond met with Essie Mae and treated her "kindly", it was as the daughter of an old family retainer, never as his own. Essie Mae was never acknowledged, publicly or privately. Essie Mae always addressed him as "Sir". They never shared a meal. (Carrie, meanwhile, died untimely at age 38 in the poverty ward of a charity hospital of renal failure.)
What seems to me most strange about this tale is that neither mother nor daughter thought there was anything iniquitous about their arrangement and did not want to rock the boat. They knew if the truth were to get out, it would destroy Thurmond's political career, a career which benefited neither of them and, had he been successful in his presidential bid in 1948, would have ensured his black descendants remain locked in servitude, grateful for the crumbs he threw to them. Although Essie Mae has had the utmost regard for her father -- her long silence bespeaks her own generosity of spirit ("coming out", because she felt she owed her children the acknowledgement of their ancestry) -- Strom Thurmond appears a stiff calculating figure, forever imprisoned in the white supremacist persona he had created for himself.
This is a most absorbing true story which proves, once again, that fact is stranger than fiction.
sad autobiography.......2007-03-08
I thought that there were some parts of this book that could have been omitted. The story was well written but a bit excessive. It was even dry at times, lacking emotion.
Was he really a racist?.......2007-01-26
Dear Senator is an exceptional memoir, important not only because of the courage it took to write, but also because it reveals so much about the complexity of Strom Thurmond's double-sided character. Some skeptics have said that he "raped a black maid" and took care of the resulting offspring financially like a "massa" to a slave, but I beg to differ. Thurmond didn't have to do any of the things he chose to do for his mulatto daughter and he risked a lot by making special trips to see Essie Mae and giving her cash. He also can't be blamed for his daughter's long silence. He never told her to not tell anyone. That was Essie Mae's choice alone.
I am a loyal Democrat and supporter of civil rights, so before reading this book, I thought that Strom Thurmond was one of the most evil legislators America has ever elected. However, after finishing Washington-William's page turner, I believe that at heart, Thurmond was actually a very good man. A part of him obviously believed the racist rhetoric he preached as governor and as a U.S. senator (or else he wouldn't have preached it), but I believe that at heart, he was a decent person. He had two opposing forces fighting for resolution inside his head and he ultimately gave credence to the one that would propel his career-- not the most noble choice, but understandable.
Is She Serious?.......2006-08-30
The day I believe that Strom Thurmond loved Washington Williams' mother is the day that pigs fly while drinking Starbucks lattes. Such is the way I begin this review to indicate my feelings about the book.
I fully agree that the book is an important document. Essie Mae Washington Williams finally decided to go ahead and write a book about information that most of the black people in this country already knew: Strom Thurmond had a black daughter. I found that out about ten years ago and so I was glad that she finally "outed" him in a sense.
What concerns me is that Washington Williams seems to have a naive, almost warped view of Strom Thurmond. To say that the union between her mother and Strom that produced her was borne out of love is appalling. The bottom line was that Strom raped a black maid in his household. Washington Williams does an obvious dance around actually letting the reader in on her true feelings about Strom. Even as I was reading I felt I was reading a memoir written by someone at gunpoint, or rather Klanpoint. Klanpoint meaning I feel that Washington Williams sugarcoated her account to protect herself and her family. So basically, while the book is good for your basic, surface information, you aren't going to find much depth besides the obvious issue of a black woman admitting to the world that her father was really a racist white senator.
You travel with Essie through time as she tells about life growing up, how she eventually found out her parents weren't really the people who raised her. There is a sad overtone to the book as you realize that Essie and her mother never really have a loving relationship. There is always a palpable distance between the two women. overall I would only recommend this book for sheer entertainment. If you are looking to find out how Essie REALLY feels, you would do better actually calling her up and talking to her than reading this book.
Average customer rating:
- Romantic Comedy
- Dear Lady is Endearing
- English Woman, Montana Man and some busybodies to boot
- Wonderful read!
- Fast and Enjoyable Read
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Dear Lady (Coming to America #1)
Robin Lee Hatcher
Manufacturer: Zondervan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 United States
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Similar Items:
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Patterns of Love (Coming to America #2)
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In His Arms (Coming to America #3)
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Promised to Me (Coming to America #4)
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Catching Katie (HeartQuest)
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Loving Libby
ASIN: 0310230837 |
Book Description
Dear Mary,
New Prospects, Montana, is nothing like England—so terrifying and beautiful at the same time, and much larger than I dared imagine when you and I first embarked on our adventures in the New World.
I have had the good fortune of becoming the town’s schoolmistress. Young Janie Steele is as precious as I imagined from her letters. As for her father, Garret Steele . . .
Oh, I feel like such a fool! I’ve run halfway around the world to escape a man I loathed, only to discover I’m losing my heart to a man still in love with the wife he buried.
The mayor, kind man, has been most attentive. But I wish he were someone else. I wish he were Garret.
With affection,
Your friend Beth Wellington
In the big-sky country of Montana, the past doesn’t always stay buried. Circumstances have a way of forcing secrets into the open, sometimes bringing hearts together in unlikely ways, and sometimes tearing them apart.
Dear Lady is Book One in the Coming to America series about women who come to America to start new lives. Set in the late 1800s and early 1900s, these novels by best-selling author Robin Lee Hatcher craft intense chemistry and conflict between the characters, lit by a glowing faith and humanity that will win your heart. Look for other books in the series at your favorite Christian bookstore.
Customer Reviews:
Romantic Comedy.......2007-05-09
Dear Lady, could be identified as a romantic comedy. Miss Bunny and Miss Patsy the busy bodies, Miss Beth the lonely English woman, Garret Steele the rancher, Owen Simpson the mayer in love with Miss Beth, and little Janie who needs a mom are the characters who bring the story to life. Dear Lady is a perfectaly believable story filled with characters you can't help but fall in love with. Dear Lady is full of inspiration and unintended love.
Dear Lady is Endearing.......2006-07-01
Dear Lady is a charming story of Lady Elizabeth Wellington of Langford House, Buckinghamshire, England, who arrives to a small town in Montana to inquire about a teaching position. Her motivation to leave a life of luxury is to escape from marrying a very unlovable man. She ends up finding unexpected love in this small town. It's an endearing story and a fun read for summertime vacation, or any time.
English Woman, Montana Man and some busybodies to boot.......2006-04-03
This could be a comedy of errors. People being caught in all sorts of not-good-lookin' situations. Strong characters, near misses, wrong impressions, righteous looking trouble makers, ohhh all the right ingredients for a lovely romance novel!!
Wonderful read!.......2004-05-06
Determined not to marry a man she didn't love, Lady Elizabeth Wellington jumps a ship to America to run away from a marriage which her recently deceased father had arranged. Her lone friend in America is her young pen pal, Janie Garrett, in New Prospects, Montana. Remembering that Janie had recently said the town needed a new school teacher, Lady Elizabeth travels to New Prospects and applies for the job. The town's wealthy banker, Owen Simpson, immediately falls in love with Lady Elizabeth. She, however, has her eye on the widowed father of young Janie. Fast and enjoyable read. Get all your chores done, sit out on the swing, and lose yourself in New Prospects, Montana and love.
Fast and Enjoyable Read.......2003-07-14
Set in 1897, Lady Elizabeth Wellington leaves her native England for New Prospects, Montana, home of her ten-year old pen pal, Janie Steele. In one of her letters, Janie mentioned the town needed a schoolteacher. To avoid an arranged marriage, Beth arrives on the doorstep of Janie and her widowed father, Garret Steele. Garret loves his daughter, but is determined not to become emotionally involved with Beth because of unresolved feelings for his deceased wife. Parts of the book are letters to her friends, Mary Malone and Inga Linberg, with whom she traveled to America (Hatcher tells Mary's story in In His Arms and Inga's story in Patterns of Love.) The letters provide insight to Beth's feelings for handsome, but emotionally aloof, Garret Steele, and the persistent mayor, Owen Simpson.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. It was a fast, and enjoyable read. I especially found Beth's letters to her friends a creative substitute for "girl talk." Because Beth is new in town, and English to boot, she is lacking female companionship throughout the story. Some events in the story were not given proper attention; for example, a marriage in the story felt underdeveloped and rushed. Despite this, I enjoyed reading Dear Lady enough to investigate the other books in the series. 4.25/5
Average customer rating:
- A Wonderful Concept
- The book is truly wonderful.
- A must read for all daughters
- Exploring The Compexities of Mother-Daughter Relationships
- Heartfelt Thanks
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Dear Mom, I've Always Wanted You to Know: Daughters Share Letters from the Heart(TM)
Lisa Delman
Manufacturer: Heartfelt Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
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Accessories:
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Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
ASIN: 0399530797 |
Product Description
Every woman is a daughter. For the support we've been given,f or the challenges we've been made to face, for teh love we want to share right now, DEAR MOM offers us a chance to reflect, to find peace, and to honor the most important relationship of our lives.
Customer Reviews:
A Wonderful Concept.......2006-01-25
There are a lot of unsaid words and feelings bottled inside most of us. With my mother now in her eighties, I need to learn to let these out and to share them with her.
Discovering this book may help me break through the silence. I hope so.
Here's the author's words from the Letters From The Heart website: "I hope you take the women's insights in the book, Dear Mom, as a guide to explore your own relationship with your mother, and most important, with yourself.
May you make it a priority to tend to unresolved matters and discover the purpose of compassion, peace, and love throughout your life."
Wouldn't it be wonderful if all daughters could take this inspiration and achieve an improved relationship?
The book is truly wonderful........2005-05-26
Lisa did a brilliant job of creating the concept and then weaving the selected letters into a masterpiece of human emotion. I was able to look inside of so many incredibly expressive women's worlds to be captivated by their heartfelt feelings of gratitude, sorrow, shame, anger, guilt, abandonment, forgiveness, grief, love and in so many situations there was resolution, peace and wholeness. I found it refreshing to be able to leave my fast paced hectic day and slip away for some precious time to experience the journey of Dear Mom, I've Always Wanted You to Know as the Letters from the Heart truly touched my heart. As a daughter of a wonderful mother that is finer than a priceless gem and as a mother of two teenage daughters, I laughed, cried and wanted more when I reached the end. Life can take people in so many directions and the process of finding your home can sometimes be a letter away. I highly recommend this book!!!
A must read for all daughters.......2005-05-18
This book is an amazing look at daghters relationships with their moms. The letters go beyond all cultural barriers to connect the hearts of women everywhere. If you are a women...then you are a daughter. Read this book and be inspired by the heartfelt letters of women from around the globe.
Exploring The Compexities of Mother-Daughter Relationships.......2005-04-23
It goes without saying that the relationship between mothers and daughters is a complex one. Not only that, but it changes over time, so that neither mothers or daughters are ever quite the same from year to year, or even month to month. The result is an unpredictable relationship that is often difficult, but also rewarding. Lisa Delman's anthology began when she wrote her own letters to her mother. But it has moved from the personal to the many, and in doing so this book of letters touches on the universal. There are so many good letters in this volume, and they run the scale of emotions. I was particular impressed by the work of Judy Brand, who writes so movingly about making a momentous decision to save her mother's life following an aneurysm. I was also touched by Cynthia Jean Heidercker's story about being deaf, and how her mother labored to make life easier for her. These letters are all from the heart, some hurt and others made healthy again, by the primary relationships in their lives. The book offers life lessons for us all.
Heartfelt Thanks.......2005-04-18
It is with heartfelt thanks that I review "Dear Mom, I've Always Wanted You to Know: Daughters Share Letters from the Heart".
Lisa has entered a world that few have been brave enough to explore, the inner workings of the mother-daughter relationship. The full gamete of emotions is captured in this truly realistic and genuine book, offering glimpses into real mother-daughter relationships from women around the world. Her contributors have provided an opportunity for others to heal through their letters of forgiveness and thanks.
Lisa moves beyond her own pain through sharing the story of her relationship with her mother at a time most crucial in their journey together. Her contributors share a very personal letter written to their mothers with the audience and the result is a book that will make you laugh and cry.
This is a must read for women of all ages! Don't stop there, have your fathers, brothers and sons read it to gain some understanding of the bond that is shared between mother and daughter.
Thank you again Lisa!
Average customer rating:
- a good book to learn English by Yahav
- DEAR DADDY, who is away on a ship for a year...
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Dear Daddy...
Philippe Dupasquier
Manufacturer: Bradbury Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
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ASIN: 0027331709 |
Customer Reviews:
a good book to learn English by Yahav.......2006-06-01
[...] I read this book and it helped me to learn English. This book is about one girl named Sophie who wrote a letter to her father when he was away on a ship.
She writes to her father about what she is doing in the house. This book is special because it has two stories-the story of Sophie and story of her father. One story is about Sophie which you can read, but her father's story you can see in the pictures. Sophie wants her father to come back. I like the book because it has a happy end.
I like to read others' letters. I think people or kids should read the book because it is a good book to learn English, and if you don't know how to read you can understand if you look at the pictures. If you want to learn how to write a letter you need to read the book
I liked the book very, very much!
Yahav
DEAR DADDY, who is away on a ship for a year..........2002-01-11
This book is a letter from a young daughter to her dad, who is away on a ship, traveling to Asia, for a whole year. The illustrations show what is happening at home and what is happening where Daddy is. It is excellent for children whose parents are away for long periods of time. It could also be an excellent springboard geography discussions. My second graders enjoyed it.
Average customer rating:
- A Movie Buff's Thoughts
- the conection
- A Fun and Absorbing Read
- Bends, but Doesn't Break, like the Protagonist's Famous Role
- A Quick, Decent Read
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Dear Mouse: A Tale of Love, Murder and Movie-Making in the Carolina Mountains
Schuyler Kaufman
Manufacturer: High Country Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary
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| Literature & Fiction
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General
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
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Suspense
| Thrillers
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General
| Mystery & Thrillers
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ASIN: 0971304521 |
Book Description
Fallen movie idol Matt Logan writes his journal as secret letters to Michaella, the child he has lost. Ruthless Starlett Crystal Beller sells them to the tabloids. Crystal turns up dead in Matt's dressing room closet, dressed for the shower scene. Is Matt the only victim of the blackmailing actress?
Customer Reviews:
A Movie Buff's Thoughts.......2004-04-08
If you are a movie buff as I am, and if you have ever wondered about what really happens on one of those out-of-Hollywood shoots, then you are going to enjoy reading "Dear Mouse" by Schuyler Kaufman, a mystery writer who has experienced being "on location," and who has had the opportunity to be an "extra" in an actual film.
"Dear Mouse" has it all: A location in the Mountains of North Carolina; the townspeople's reaction to a filming and to these strange film folk; the glamour of Hollywood actors and a peek behind their facades; a genuine look at a make-believe world from behind the cameras; and, to keep you on your toes, a murder.
I don't want to give away the plot of this very readable novel, but I can tell you there are twists and counter-twists that will keep your mind in high gear as you try to stay one step ahead of the storyteller--and Ms. Kaufman is a first-class storyteller.
As a movie buff, I was delighted; as an avid reader of today's new writers, I felt--in this age of high gasoline prices--that I had discovered oil in my back forty.
I'm waiting for your next novel, Ms. Kaufman. How soon?
the conection.......2003-12-27
This book was amazing. Lately I haven't been reading that much on the fiction scale, but it caught my attention. Dear Mouse, has special meaning to me. Not only was it a so-called Christmas present, but one of the caractors takes on my name. I was able to connect with this book. Recently I lost my son so the emotions were there that were triggered by this mans loss. It was always my feelings that I could still write notes to him even though he couldnt read. I was also enchanted by the way Schuyler was able to give each caractor their own personality. It made the book that much more interesting. Usually I guess what is going to happen in a book, then when I find out I was right,I dont want to read anymore. Towards the end when I find out what is going on, I couldnt put it down. I HAD to find out what happened to that adorable little girl. It was a great book. There are now about four people waiting in line to read my copy. They are all itching to find out what happens. I would recomend this book to anyone looking for a little mystery that isnt too gory. Great reading material. Ms. Kaufman keep up the good work, and stop by our TA any time.
shannon
A Fun and Absorbing Read.......2003-03-02
Schuyler Kaufman writes in a way that makes me feel like I was a part of each scene. I felt as if I was actually there, watching and listening to everything that was happening (from being on the movie set with everyone to being alone with only his letters to his daughter for company). Many of the scenes seemed quite familiar to me. For example, in the hospital room when the three women trash one of Matt's old movies and Matt walks in on it, I laughed and laughed as this is the type of thing I love to do with my best friend.
In addition, the way she writes dialogue, I could easily hear the differences between different people's speech. For instance, when Pike, who is retired from NYPD, works with Quin, a local inspector, the clash of dialects makes their conversations that much more interesting and fun to read. Not to mention Kaufman's dry sense of humor, which worms its way even into the darkest scenes.
When I read the book, I felt as if I were in Matt's head. Kaufman gives him his own individual expressions and ways of speaking. I love the way he exaggerates. For example, in the police interrogation scene he says, "The questions went on for several millennia;" or when the director complains that Matt doesn't act enough like a star, Matt replies, "Geez. I thought you wanted an actor, not a media event."
Another thing that I really like about the book is its realism. Coming from a family that has suffered divorces, I found the way Kaufman portrayed the children to be right on target. In addition, it was refreshing to become familiar with a caring and loving father who is not a "deadbeat dad."
The events and circumstances kept the mysteries lively, and kept me guessing throughout the book. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who likes a good mystery with terrific characters. Enjoy!
Bends, but Doesn't Break, like the Protagonist's Famous Role.......2002-06-18
Had the tag trailing the title for this mystery novel indicated moviemaking in glitzy Hollywood rather than in the Carolina mountains, I would have had no interest. But the contributions of an Appalachian environment on actors and actresses is another matter. Put another way, the industry there is not so big that it can keep out unwanted influences. And so the Bellers, a familiar family name, are everywhere; and although they could show up in many forms, in this story they appear frequently as "trash-Bellers." One of these, Crystal Beller, is the first to be murdered, and she is of immediate interest because others say of her that she can become anyone in her desire to be a starlet. Of course, such a statement is really doubly interesting, in addition to being a nice device to spread the mystery, because it suggests that those saying it may be capable of the same subterfuge. Written in the form of an epistolary novel, letters from a recovering alcoholic father/leading man to his young daughter, this novel introduces numerous characters in order to confound the deductive reader, and each succeeds in the mission if the reader lends to it his or her own contribution of subtle thinking. At the same time, the form often denies the extended description of a character here or there-you wouldn't expect Matt Logan to fully detail someone to his little girl. It also denies the more evocative descriptions of the beautiful Carolina mountains and that, perhaps, is a fault. But overall, the story runs true from beginning to end and was an enjoyable read.
A Quick, Decent Read.......2002-06-10
Matt Logan, a famous movie actor, has just been released from the hospital after surgery to reconstruct his face after a drunk-driving accident. His 7-year-old daughter was sitting alongside him. He is about to begin a year of community service and rehab, and he wants to see his daughter, who was unhurt in the crash, even though his estranged wife has attained a restraining order against him. As he waits outside her school, his wife's lawyer comes up behind him and reminds him that he is in contempt of court. He only gets to watch her from 500 feet away.
As the novel progresses, Matt begins to put his life back together, going to AA meetings and working on a new movie in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains. It is here that a whole new set of problems arises for him.
For fans of the genre, Schuyler Kaufman's first novel, Dear Mouse... will satisfy more than just the desire for a "whodunit." Besides being a murder-mystery, Ms. Kaufman's novel, written from Matt's perspective as a series of journal entries in the form of letters to his daughter, who he refers to as Mouse, is about a recovering alcoholic father trying to reconstruct his life and reunite with his daughter, while both working on a movie and being suspected for the murder of a young wannabe starlet who once tried to seduce him.
Ms. Kaufman provides an unsentimental view of a recovering alcoholic while weaving a subtle mystery into an interlocking tale of love, lies, and redemption. In developing her characters, she allows them to be seen as real people with vulnerabilities and fears, who don't always speak in polished sentences or behave in the most elegant manner. For this she is to be praised, and for the sarcastic wit that sometimes shines through in her prose.
For example, there is a scene in which the seductive starlet tries to blackmail Matt and the movie's director into giving her a role by threatening them with accusations of rape. The director calmly points toward a video camera in the corner of the room with the red light blinking that recorded the whole affair. After she storms off, embarrassed and angry, Matt worries that she will sell her story to the tabloids, but the director says to him, "She won't go near it. Stupid people can't stand being laughed at."
In another scene of equally sarcastic ridicule, Matt approaches a receptionist at the tabloid newspaper office to diffuse an embarrassing story about himself that has just been printed. Ms. Kaufman's receptionist ignores his request completely and begins to rattle off her favorite things about his previous movies, "with a true fan's disregard for time or convenience."
There is one other instance where Ms. Kaufman's dry humor particularly stands out. In two sentences she caricaturizes the five major American news channels and their typical tongue-in-cheek positions. As Matt hears the news from the front desk clerk at the hotel where the cast is staying, we read, "NBC says you did it, CBS says you'll get off because you're famous, ABC says you'll get nailed because you're famous. Fox says you're innocent. CNN won't say." At points like this Ms. Kaufman is at her most entertaining.
However, such scenes are sometimes interspersed with awkward phrases like "Ah, geez" and convoluted constructions with questionable word choices like "Coffee was created, " which even in context is difficult to read. These slips hinder the reader's concentration. Ms. Kaufman's attempts at making her characters seem real often fails when she uses such terms and constructions. Also, there is a sublte desire for the novel to seem deep when it really isn't.
There is a darker side to this novel, one that reveals a shadowy undertone in Ms. Kaufman's storytelling. We learn of a young girl, about the same age as Matt Logan's daughter, who, having heard about his separation from his own daughter, writes letters to him and sort of adopts him as a surrogate father. Her own father molests her, and she uses her letters to Matt as a mental escape. Matt comes to look on her letters as an inlet into his own daughter's life, which he is not allowed to be a part of. His sympathy and sense of helplessness to rescue her is as genuine and wrenching as if she were his own.
In all, Ms. Kaufman has written a subtly dark mystery with a disturbing yet hopeful surprise ending. The local flavor she supplies with her references to known landmarks and her use of colloquialisms makes this book a fairly enjoyable and quick read for mystery enthusiasts.
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- First Book of Sushi (World Snacks)
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- For Young Women Only: What You Need to Know About How Guys Think
- Frommer's 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up (500 Places)
- Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children
- Guess How Much I Love You
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Recommended Books
- The Landmarks of New York: An Illustrated Record of the City's Historic Buildings
- Learning Python, Second Edition
- CEO Capital: A Guide to Building CEO Reputation and Company Success
- Collecting Simpsons! An Unofficial Guide to Merchandise from The Simpsons
- Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism
- Just Your Type: Create the Relationship You've Always Wanted Using the Secrets of Personality Type
- John & Edward Rutledge of South Carolina
- Advanced Accounting
- Creative Action in Organizations: Ivory Tower Visions and Real World Voices
- Okapi Passion
Dear Son: A Message of Love
I Love You So...
Hooray for You! A Celebration of You-ness
The Gift of an Angel: For Parents Welcoming a New Child
The Gifts of Being Grand
