W. Powell
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 Carnival of Lost Souls,
This
review is from: The
Snake Pit (Paperback)
Going down into the Snake Pit with Virginia
Cunningham, an amateur novelist with plenty imagination, is an exercise in being
trapped. The events that take place and the people encountered drive Virginia
sideways, backwards and diagonal before allowing her any forward progress. The
writing gives the feel of participation, as if you the reader are a patient
inside the mental institution with Virginia. You experience her feelings of
agitation, vulnerableness and instability. Snake Pit is not a feel good book as
the voices both real and imagined get into your head.The Snake Pit is an exercise in finding one's way out of a dark place full nightmarish treatments and untrustworthy fellow passengers. The fear, uncertainty and longing to get out and return home to normalcy with a loving spouse, away from the institution's carnival of lost souls, starts to become a distant, hopeless fantasy. V. Cunningham, the patient, holds the key to not only her release but yours. The closer she gets to unlocking the door, the more fearful she becomes of pleasing her husband and the world outside. Meanwhile, you the reader are ready to leave immediately upon arrival. Like I said, not a feel good story, but one that's very unique in its telling and hard to stay away from. Because of the difficulty and confusion in reading the early parts where Virginia is not sure where or who she is, it takes extra effort on the reader's part to stick with her through the disoriented episodes. After reading Snake Pit I agree with this statement in the book: You wanted to get well. You never had a conscious moment in which you were not aware of being sick. You could no more, while conscious, forget your sickness than you could forget to breathe. Asked your greatest wish in life you would have replied at once - sanity. While people in the outside world longed to be millionaires, movie actors, club presidents and even novelists, nowhere, but nowhere save in a madhouse, did mental health get its share of prayers. "Long ago they lowered insane persons into snake pits; they thought that an experience that might drive a sane person out of his wits might send an insane person back into sanity." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 A Shepherd's Secret,
Amazon Verified
Purchase(What's this?)
This
review is from: The
Way (Hardcover)
Such a thought-provoking book by a gifted story
teller. I enjoyed this book primarily because I've often thought of the
nourishing strength women possess as being in tune with God's life-giving
blessing. The story is told in such convincing style that anyone who's ever had
such thoughts will be mesmerized by it.Some might mistake the simplistic writing style as below their level of reading, but I beg you to see the forest beyond the trees. There's a whole new landscape waiting for your discovery if you step away from yourself and journey onward without pride or prejudice. I consider the story a bible unto itself. It has all the teachings of Christianity told from a different perspective. Truth and wisdom shine throughout this book; however, those focused only on one path "Way" might miss the directions for discovering the hidden treasure. One thing is certain for any reader of this unique story; upon finishing "The Way" he/she will never view Jesus in quite the same way. Author Kristen Wolf has honored Christianity, Women and Jesus teachings all in one breadth. For that Kristen I congratulate you and I thank you. I too was born of a strong and courageous woman, in tune with God's blessings here on earth. And as a boy I crushed butterflies before being taught their miraculous magical existence and my cowardly destructive acts. Mother saw to that. I'm proud to say I purchased this book as a gift for my mother-in-law. She is also a teacher of "The Way." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Great Performances,
This
review is from: The
Gathering Storm (DVD)
I enjoyed The Gathering Storm for it's
depiction of Winston Churchill the man. You're shown the leader in all his
arrogance and vulnerableness. To see him in the comforts of his scenic
countryside home with his loyal wife and household staff gives proof to the
saying that behind every great man is a strong woman. This is as much Clementine
Churchill's story as it is Winston's, though her role is downplayed. He being a
renaissance man was a perfect match to her stoic stand-by-your man mentality.
Without Clemmie I shudder to think that Winston Churchill could ever have found
the courage to stand by his principals and lead England in it's darkest hour.
Excellent movie! It could have been longer.
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| Unintelligent Economic Design,
This
review is from: One
World Ready or Not: The Manic Logic of Global Capitalism (Paperback)
(Imagine A Wondrous new machine, strong and supple, a machine that reaps
as it destroys. It is huge and mobile, something like the machines of modern
agriculture but vastly more complicated and powerful. Think of this awesome
machine running over open terrain and ignoring familiar boundaries. It plows
across fields and fencerows with a fierce momentum that is exhilarating to
behold and also frightening. As it goes, the machine throws off enormous mows of
wealth and bounty while it leaves behind great furrows of wreckage.Now imagine that there are skillful hands on board, but no one is at the wheel. In fact, this machine has no wheel nor any internal governor to control the speed and direction. It is sustained by its own forward motion, guided mainly by its own appetites. And it is accelerating. The Machine is the subject of this book: modern capitalism driven by the imperatives of global industrial revolution.) Above are the first paragraphs in chapter one titled "The Storm Upon Us." The imagined scenario the author gave us in 1997 is easily imaginable today simply because just about every being on the planet has been affected one way or another by "the machine." I immediately thought of the first Terminator movie (1984) after reading some of this book. You remember don't you - Kyle Reese: Listen, and understand. That terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead. A prophetic book that probably makes more sense to us today than it did when first written fifteen years ago. Unless of course you were one of those skillful hands on board reaping the wealth and bounty of the machine's mows without a care for the global future. For you I give the book's last paragraph: (When this god fails, as I think it must, people around the world may at last be free to see things more clearly again, and to reclaim responsibility for their own lives and begin organizing the future in its more promising terms.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Rises Above Being Just Another Movie About
Ballet,
This
review is from: Mao's
Last Dancer (DVD)
Bravo! Bravo! The art of dancing mixed with the
revolutions of life. The story, the music and the performance is enough to spoil
any moviegoer. I'm sure others have commented on the beauty of this passionate
movie. I just finished watching "Mao's Last Dancer" and feel as if I'd just
watched an opera.A true story set in an all too real era. For all the attention and awards given "Black Swan," this movie triumphed over it in leaps and bounds. A very good movie that gives the novice ballet admirer something to relate to and appreciate in dance. The power of dance can definitely unite peoples and possibly nations. Bravo! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Getting Justice For All,
This
review is from: 10,000
Black Men Named George (DVD)
An incredibly well acted true to life
historical event telling the struggles of the first predominantly black labor
union granted in America. Led by A. Philip Randolph, who would later become a
legendary figure for civil and labor rights, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car
Porters would endure hardship and opposition to become a recognized union in
1937.This Showtime Presentation is a must see for today's dwindling labor force in the United States. It's a throwback to a time in our country when big business caused an economic depression and a new President with new ideas helped energize the country back to work. Sound sort of familiar? The sleeping car porters began their struggle during a time of excessive corporate profits and greed. They managed to continue to organize and fight for fair employment after the historic stock market crash of 1929 and the great depression that followed. Remember, this was considered one of the better jobs available to young black men. Imagine some of the other jobs and the treatment blacks had to tolerate. The 1930's saw many unions challenge big business, but this was the first black led organization that would eventually receive the backing of the American Federation of Labor union (AFL). The AFL at the time was the largest union grouping in the United States, and I assume it was predominantly white. Who knew that this early stroke of success for labor and equal rights would someday lead to a great man in 1963 making a stunning speech about a dream he had, in front of millions in Washington D.C.? Not surprisingly, A Philip Randolph was one of the men who proposed that march on Washington in 1941 and was there to head the march in 1963 with Martin Luther King, jr.
1 of 1 people found the following review
helpful
A Fast, Furious and For Real Story,
This
review is from: The
Final Four (Hardcover)
Excellent book and very exciting read Mr.
Volponi. The story works on so many levels that anyone should feel at home in
between its pages. It's not only a book for young adults, as I, an older battle
scarred warrior, gained much pleasure and insight from the story.All the excitement of watching a classic basketball tournament game is injected into this story. You'll catch yourself cheering for or against a team or player as if you've placed a bet down in Vegas. Though the primary focus is on four of the young players and their challenges on and off the basketball court, it's the inspiring people who've touched their lives that make this story go. If it were a movie the Oscar for supporting actor would be split between the two head coaches. The pace of the story is not unlike a basketball game full of intense drama; up tempo fast breaks, slowed down game planning, exciting offense, pressuring defense and a heart pounding climax. Very creative idea using the historic Trojans vs Spartans battle as a theme for the competitors and their showdown. While one team must win and the other has their tournament bubble burst, the life lessons learned from a team experience is worth more than any trophy. Who, besides those playing the game, knew that basketball is a game of communication? Author Paul Volponi does! I suppose the release date of this book was meant to coincide with the college March Madness schedule. It sure works for me as I will be tuned in to hopefully see yet another Cinderella team make a run at the championship. 5+ Stars "I've failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed." Michael Jordan
Triumphant Casting,
This
review is from: Triumph
of the Spirit (VHS Tape)
Enjoyed this movie very much. The
concentration camp situation has been seen in film many times (The Grey Zone),
but this movie throws in the "boxing for survival" piece, and thanks to Willem
Dafoe's incredible acting the movie becomes distinctive. With boxing being more
a sport of survival than one of competition, I thought the story a perfect
metaphor for the overall jewish holocaust survivors. Not only does a boxer fight
against a crafty and often cruel opponent, but he must fight the urge of his own
body and soul crying out to him to quit and give up the fight.Triumph of the Spirit strips back the flesh to reveal that crying soul doing whatever he or she has to in a situation where only the strong and enduring survive. Great performances by veteran actors Edward James Olmos and Robert Loggia. There are hidden moments in this film where the all-seeing human spirit is silently captured in the eye contact between the actors. It is in these exchanges that I felt the truest impact and challenge the holocaust had on these victims and their oppressors. Faith, hope and compassion have taken a holiday off and left humanity with its primal instincts of survival.
 Reveals the Beauty of Italy and the Ugliness of
War,
This
review is from: The
End of It (Hardcover)
I enjoyed the writing in this novel in
spurts. Sometimes the places and situations Lt. Freeman shares has a poetic ring
to it while at other times it seems to bog down in repetitious sarcasms about
war. The parts with soldier Bowen preaching christrian doctrine also seemed to
bog down the story.The book reads more as a world war II memoir than a novel. The descriptions of Italy with it's mountainous landscape and villages are very realistic and picturesque. Overall not a bad read, but I was expecting more of a war story and less of a artillery lieutenant's relationship with his men and their big guns. The opening paragraphs describing the troopship full of young green soldiers shipping out from New York harbor and being greeted by the violent hurling of the Mid-Atlantic sea is captivating. What this book does do well, besides giving an ugly snapshot of war and it's corpses, is to show the difference in the native soldier fighting for his country's freedom versus an invading or occupying army fighting for profits. In war all soldiers are killing for a cause, but there are some who kill with the thought of protecting their families from evil. (1961 Horizon Press edition) 3.5 stars pg.54 from both sides of the line artillery fire kept the war going - chewing roads, eating villages, biting men in half pg.131 one thousand guns.(One of these guns can deafen a man, two of them can drive him insane) pg.200 at first you do not know how to kill, but you learn. (18 year old italian girl partisan/rebel)
Mickey, You All Right?,
This
review is from: Night
at the Golden Eagle (DVD)
A very dark and gritty slice of cinema.
Loved it! Has the flavor and feel of one of my favorite B movie dark comedy's,
"Just Your Luck."The dialogue between the authentically accented oldtime crooks is enough to earn "Night at the Golden Eagle" an audio sound award. It moves at a decent pace and smoothly shifts viewer attention from one dark character to the next. It's a movie that begs you to look between the lines to see the humanity in a hellacious hotel. I took away one star for the darkness of my VHS copy. I'm sure it was meant to be dark to give it that desolate, rockbottom, end of the road feel, but a few times I wanted to see more. Felt like I was viewing an underexposed photograph. Great camera work, questionable lighting. This movie should come with a warning. The realness of seeing the "in your face" seedier side of life can be hazardous to a sheltered upbringing. This is not your primetime Reality TV show. How can it be with Ron Jeremy and Kitten Nativdad making appearances.
1 of 1 people found the following review
helpful
What's Not To Like About This Film?,
This
review is from: Character
(DVD)
The flawed characters give this mysterious movie its
brilliant flavor. A silent mother, a cold, unfeeling father and a son trying
desperately to win their love and approval. The movie "Character" marches its
viewing audience along a grief stricken, no thrills scenic route. The booming
musical score gives the feeling of a quickening downhill death march where you
know you must soon face the powerful enemy, to the death. But what if the enemy
is you?It's a movie that captures your attention with a questionable circumstance, then whisks you along toward the climaxing conclusion that may hold the answers. It thrives on unfulfiilled ambitions, desires, loves and needs. The lead actors play their roles to perfection, but I must point out two of the supporting cast members who bring out the flavor of the story with their unique seasonings. Look for Lorna and De Gankelaar to add a few dashes of colorful spice to what might otherwise be a bland and tiresome stew. Though the main struggle appears to be between father and son, you can't help but see the struggles many characters have with themselves and their choices. I highly recommend this epic foreign language movie.
Black Is Powerful,
This
review is from: It's
Good to be Black (Arcturus paperbacks ; AB133) (Paperback)
Why is
Black so powerful? Because it endures hardship and can thrive when placed in
rich, nourishing soil to grow freely. Author Ruby Berkley Goodwin has written a
wonderful book of stories not only about the black community, but also European
immigrants finding a place alongside working blacks in America.The connected stories make for a wonderful and enlightening look at the black family values that have been passed down through generations to this early twentieth century family of Braxton Berkley, the author's proud and powerful father. The blessing of having the racially tolerant small mining town of DuQuoin, Illinois as their home gives the place a sense of protection and security from the racially prejudiced world outside DuQuoin. The racially mixed town of miners were more skeptical toward non-miners than they were toward any foreigner or race. So much of Ruby's story carries what I believe are the roots of many an African-Americans' family history today, myself included. I found so many of the folktales, characters, sayings and situations as things and people I'd either heard of or actually experienced while growing up in a black community in the north populated with black families with roots in the south. This book is a reminder to everyone that black communities full of good black men have existed before, during and after slavery and continue to exist till this day. It has survived terrorism, urban relocations, crime and drug infestations that a people of lesser strength (physical, spiritual & psychological) might perish from. And as long as black people know it is a privilege and not a pity to be born black, they'll continue to be the wise, loving and forgiving people showing others that with God all is possible. I hope to give a copy of this book as a gift to my aunt. She remembers! Interesting the author had an acting career playing mostly maids. Here's a very telling article I found from the 1953 Jet magazine publication: Jet Magazine Week of April 16, 1953 Mrs. Ruby Goodwin, former secretary to the late Hattie McDaniel and actress Ethel Waters, has written a book based on the life of her miner father in the southern Illinois coal fields. A Los Angeles housewife and mother of five, Mrs. Goodwin tentatively named her book "It's Fun To Be Black," but Doubleday and company, her publishers, said the title was "too undignified." They may change it to "I Looked Over Jordan." The book is scheduled for release in October.
0 of 1 people found the following review
helpful
A Captivating Chronicle of Love & Hate,
This
review is from: The
Taker (Hardcover)
What a story. The plot, the people and the
writing are all worthy of a standing ovation. I liked "The Taker," and I'd like
to thank author Alma Katsu for such a fresh, fearful and furious journey she
provides. I came out of my comfort zone to enjoy this story.I believe that this author had personal insight into suffering to have written so ferociously with revenge and so passionately with love. Alma Katsu maintained a level style of writing while altering my emotions with each revealing sentence. I was hungering for what would happen next. I welcomed Lanny and Luke's present day activities. The past and present stories interrelate well with one another. This really is a story of humanity's attempt to overcome the temptations of evil. One of the most evil monsters of men I've come across in my reading is found within these pages. I liked this book of fiction better than any I've read in some time. It really captured my imagination and gracefully carted me to places I may never have ventured. So many cycles of life and death in relationships, as well as, in one's self. I'm still clapping loudly! "How we hated ourselves, each in our own way!" "The devil's hand is there, surely." note: I revised my review in order to give readers more insight into why I liked it so much. It's deserving of a 5 star review.
 Wandering,
This
review is from: The
Wandering Falcon (Hardcover)
I wanted to like this book, but found
myself caring less and less for the stories being told. Just as I got a taste
for one story, a new story would begin and so would my task of understanding who
was talking, how they fit in to the last story if at all and why should I
continue reading. So I closed the book and put it in my donations stack, hoping
that some wandering soul will find in it what I was either too impatient or too
distracted to discover. After reading all the positive reviews here on Amazon,
I'm convinced It must be me and not the book.
1 of 1 people found the following review
helpful
Escape With Mozart,
This
review is from: A
Man Escaped (DVD)
"A Man Escaped" is the type of movie that needs
little dialogue. For it is the tension in carrying out the plan that holds a
viewer spellbound. With Mozart's Great Mass in C minor accompanying scenes, you
feel as if your watching a masterpiece. The score really sets the tone in the
opening scene.Take away all the disturbing events and occurrences that mormally go into a prison movie. Instead, have the events take place mostly in the narrating mind of one prisoner bent on escape. This is "A Man Escaped." The film features a cool, calculated and courageous man using ingenuity and determination to escape from a nazi prison in occupied France. As you watch this man struggle with himself through the emotional ups and downs of attempting to beat death, you find yourself sharing everything he feels along the journey; distrust, hope, fear, defiance, despair, comraderie, hesitation, determination. It is the stillness and silence this movie depicts that gives it strength and courage. I liked it a lot. Great review excerpt from IMDB: Narrative stripped down of all melodramatic trappings, the film manages to reveal a larger truth about man's struggle against unknowable odds, his struggle with himself, and his resolve to move forward. A couple of the side-characters are from the church, or pastors, which give the ongoing conversations in the common areas an added resonance to "grace" and a possibility of transcendental deliverance. Even though the lead character doesn't seem to truck much with religious faith. He has his own - in his resolve to escape.
Imitation is the highest form of flattery,
This
review is from: The
Highwaymen Florida's Outsider Artists [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Treat
yourself to a little known slice of Americana Art and history. "The Highwaymen"
is a fascinating documentary about an impressionistic style of art that
blossomed from a famed white artist across economic and racial barriers to
define a group of African-American painters out of the small central Florida
town of Fort Pierce.This true story entertains you with its accumulation of historical facts coming from the mouths of the men and one woman who survive to tell the Highwaymen painter's tale. They took their mostly landscape painting style from Albert E. "Bean" Bachus, a white Fort Pierce artist famous for his floral landscapes and palette knife painting. I feel so lucky to own a copy of this documentary narrated by news weatherman Spencer Christian. So much makes up their story that It's a wonder anyone was able to put together the pieces and tell it so accurately. Their story is amazing from beginning to end, but what makes this a keeper is seeing the many pieces of Highwaymen paintings collected, preserved, and honored as creative pieces of American art. Thanks go out to Mr. Jack Hambrick who did the research and writing that led to this production.
A Must See,
This
review is from: Center
Stage (Remastered) Director's Cut DVD (DVD)
"Center Stage," the
true story of Chinese silent movie superstar Ruan Ling-yu, is a work of art. The
movie not only reenacts the mastery of early Chinese filmaking, but also
showcases preserved footage of an actress who's performances have become
legendary.I've only seen one of Ruan Ling-yu's movies (The Goddess), but seeing her performance in that one movie convinced me she had that special thing that's looked for in actors and actressess. Ruan was not the prettiest of women, but her performance would hypnotize you into believing you were watching a "Goddess" glide onto the set. She definitely commands your attention. Her face could reflect any and every human emotion, and remember this was before sound came to movies. My one pet peeve with Center Stage is the lead actress who played Ruan. For as unpretentious as Ruan was said to be, the young actress playing her seemed to be in a starlet swoon throughout much of the movie. Maybe she was too pretty. Or maybe the film makers wanted to make a modern day starlet of a legendary Chinese movie figure. It began to feel like I was watching this beautiful China doll being positioned for still print ads. Beautiful ads, but ads no less. The actress had the grace of Ruan, but lacked any real vibrant intensity. Then again, what actress at such a young age could match the versatility of Ruan? This movie deserves to go into the all-time great movie archives for it's perservation and exposure of an early Actress who's talents might've been unequaled in her time. The story was put together well and told wonderfully with some of the era's political upheavel thrown in. A foreign movie treat!
Are All Occupied Lands This Intense?,
This
review is from: Devils
on the Doorstep (DVD)
A simple Chinese village occupied by
Japanese forces toward the end of world war II. A not so simple situation lands
on the doorstep of one of the chinese villagers where family and friends get
into a stir determining how best to handle the situation. As the intensity
builds so to the dangerous threat of discovery and death.The movie is brilliantly shot and perfect in its characterization of a proud sumurai class occupying the land of humble superstitious peasants. There's irony, humor, honor and cruelty wrapped inside this wonderful movie. It seemed to me that the movie was a bit drawn out, but I caught it while home sick in bed with a stomach flu. The ending is well worth the drawn out intensity. "Devils on the door step" takes place during a time of war. I'm always moved by seeing how war and marching armies throughout history effect the plain and humble citizens of the world. This is one such story. 4.5 stars
1 of 1 people found the following review
helpful
I Met A Man Who Wasn't There,
This
review is from: Identity
(DVD)
My second time watching this movie and the creepiness really
sunk in. It's a movie you must give your undivided attention to in order to
appreciate the whole of its parts. You will watch it a second time either
because you stepped away, answered a phone call or did something that distracted
you. Or you'll watch again just because it really is that good.If you see this movie and decide it wasn't that great, please watch it again. I did and now consider it a top notch psycho-suspense thriller set in a very dark and disturbing place. "I wish I wish he'd go away"
2 of 2 people found the following review
helpful
When Mars And Venus Meet,
This
review is from: My
Cousin Rachel (Paperback)
First and foremost, the haunting mystery
and suspense of this novel grabs readers from the start. "My Cousin Rachel" is a
well plotted story with its main theme focused on a beautiful worldly woman and
a conservative young man, your narrator, inexperienced in the many ways of
women. It is a love story, but with the love comes the dissection of thoughts
that give the story it's alternating moods of hot and cold. As a reader you find
yourself wondering about and attempting to forecast the outcome, only to have
your theory sprout limbs and offer multiple possibilities. You'll enjoy watching
the novel grow.I believe what is so amazing about this novel is how it triggers reader's thoughts of trust in relationships, both past and present. The power of a woman's charm over an unsuspecting man, as well as a man's need to claim ownership over a woman he desires is laid out to perfection. As with all new relationships, communication, or lack thereof, drives Rachel and Philip's relationship forward, backward and sideways. Being inside the head of each as they try figuring out and understanding the other is a treat. I took away one star, maybe unjustly, simply because as a man I still cannot fully say I understood Cousin Rachel's Venetian ways. If narration had alternated more into her thoughts and words, my Martian intellect might better understand her actions. But then it wouldn't be such a wonderful mystery would it Venus? Classic Literature! Quote from My Cousin Rachel: I thought about it for a moment. Then I let it all come with a rush of words. Why hold back anything to rot?
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