Kakaku：219 saved$2.19
Eurotica
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Awesome!!!) 『As good as the first. Really makes you want to meet and "Hook Up" with a Vampire.』
(Even more fun than the first one, though the translation is still iffy) 『Like the first volume of Kristina, Queen of Vampires, this is an erotic graphic novel from Dutch author Frank Mensink. The translations have the same problem in Volume 2 as in Volume 1: namely, an amateurish feel, lack of attention to tone, and some occasionally bizarre word choices. Like I said in my review of that volume, this is nothing you haven't experienced if you've ever read HEAVY METAL. If you can forgive that weakness, then read on.
Volume 2 picks up more than a year after Volume 1; Kristina, a medieval vampire who was accidentally resuscitated in the modern age, is just waking up from a long period of regeneration after her ill-fated encounter with police investigators Mark and Iris. (That's what you get for coming between a woman and her man, honey.) She quickly goes back to her kinder, gentler feeding routine -- she only goes after criminals, particularly murderers and rapists, figuring that nobody will care if they're gone. She also rekindles her charmingly affectionate affair with John and Veronica, the two humans whom she took as thralls in Volume 1. Things take a bit of a different turn, however, when she is approached by the leader of a large nest of vampires who want her to be their queen. It seems that they don't make vamps like they used to, and Kristina has the mystic mojo necessary to be the most powerful vamp around.
Again, this series is unusual because it's hard to find any real villains, other than the human scum who comprise Kristina's nightly entrées. Even the modern vampires treat their thralls kindly, though that seems to be more for their own comfort than out of genuine compassion for the thralls ("I hate it when they scream all the time," says the vamp leader). It would be easy to root for happy endings for all involved, if Kristina weren't still obsessed with snagging Mike as her immortal beloved.
Much like Volume 1, Volume 2 is obviously set up for a sequel. That's fine by me; these are fun, sexy stories with good art and much more interesting characters than most erotic comics. Hopefully it won't take another two years for Mensik to come out with Volume 3.』
(Great Chapter Two!) 『First off, let me say that the art seems to have improved since the first chapter. Which is not a put down of the first chapter it just points out how the artist, like many others, is always trying to improve on his work, trying to reach and go beyond his own standards. The story also makes some sense. While the other vampires are weaker than Kristina they have been living within modern society longer and understand how to survive within it. Of course she has no idea about silver bullets. As she SAID the best weapon they had in the old days were crossbows. I wonder how she will react to the Internet Chat Rooms and Blood Banks? She should get a sports car. Why should she fly all the time when she can pick up victims in style? Frankly, I can't wait to see Chapter Three. And it is nice to know Kristina, the real model used for the Queen's character, helped to develop this chapter of the story and it was a bonus to see a photo of her on the back cover. 』
(Chapter 1 was better...) 『The art was once again excellent. Mensink uses vibrant colors, the proportions were spot on and the people didn't look cartoonish. The sex was hot and explicitly rendered, as in the first installment. However, this "novel" is shorter and the story was a disappointing follow-up to chapter one.
Chapter one ended with another vampire Lord becoming aware of Kristina's presence and wanting her as their queen because she's so strong. She does visit them, and naturally an orgy ensues. But yet, she was quickly foiled again by the female DA and ended up wounded exactly as in chapter one! If she's so powerful why shouldn't she come out ahead this time? And how has the coven survived so long when they're supposedly so much weaker than her?
Sure, I realize this is "just" an adult comic, but that doesn't mean the story can't be as good as in part 1. Another thing I didn't care for was the increased amount of F/F action than in the first book. I will definitely buy chapter 3 when it's finally released, but I hope it follows through on the promise of chapter 1.』
(Kristina) 『While this is a spin off of the Vampy series, I found the two books in the series well writen and very well drawn. As someone who likes a working plot with the graphics I was quite pleased with the results.Kristina, Queen of VampiresKristina Queen of Vampires Chapter 2 (Kristina, Queen of Vampires)』
Kakaku：750 saved$7.50
Bantam
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Great series keeps getting better.) 『If you are a fan of Diana Gabaldon and her Outlander series, you will really enjoy Sara Donati's series that begins with Dawn on the Distant Shore. Queen of Swords is the fifth book in the series, detailing the lives of the Bonner family in 1814, in the midst of the British/American war of 1812 and it's complications to their family. Highly enjoyable and very hard to put down!』
(5th Book Delivers) 『Sara Donati's series just gets better with every new book. I wish I could pre-order the next book. Outstanding series of books.』
(Strong women everywhere, and not at the men's expense, either!) 『During the War of 1812, Montreal merchant Luke Bonner searches the Caribbean for his abducted wife-to-be, Lady Jennet of Carryk. Jennet, daughter and sister of Scottish earls, is also Luke's cousin; and as the story begins, she becomes the mother of his son. Joining Luke in his quest are his Mohawk half-sister, Hannah, and a British military officer who is interested in Jennet's abductor for reasons far less personal. Jennet is rescued, and Luke learns of his son's existence. This book's opening chapters could be a novel all by themselves, as they pick up a tale that ended in another book's cliffhanger.
Jennet has turned her infant over to one of her abductor's visitors, in hope of keeping the baby safe - something she thought impossible, had she kept him with her. So Luke, Hannah, and Jennet head for Florida in pursuit of that visitor, New Orleans planter Honore Poiterin. Soon they're separated and on their way to New Orleans, where Poiterin and his grandmother - a harpy worthy of a Bronte's pen - have taken the baby, after Poiterin passes it off to his grandmother as his own child.
Now we've got the setup for the rest of the book, which in paperback reaches over 700 pages. It's a fat, delicious historical thriller, distinguished from most other works in its genre by its incredibly strong and satisfying women. Jennet and Hannah, Quaker nurse Julia Savard, Julia's giddy yet solidly grounded adolescent daughter Rachel - that list takes in just the novel's major female players. There are plenty more, and the men are equally well realized. Want a bodice-ripper? Don't bother picking this one up. Want a good, long, satisfying read, with even the villians (and they also abound!) skillfully drawn? Then this is the book for you. I'm happy to say that it works just fine as a standalone, since I read it without having heard of its author before - much less having read the previous books in this series. My one criticism is my own inability to quite believe in the Bonner and Savard families both being so utterly untouched by the prejudices of their time and place.
』
(Queen of Swords) 『This is an excellent read. This is the latest in a series of great books by Sara Donati. READ THEM ALL!』
(what?) 『This regards the quality of the book itself... Several of the pages near the beginning were cut off at the ends -- the book had been bound poorly. It was a gift for my mother and we were very disappointed.』 『It is the late summer of 1814, and Hannah Bonner and her half brother Luke have spent more than a year searching the islands of the Caribbean for Luke’s wife and the man who abducted her. But Jennet’s rescue, so long in coming, is not the resolution they’d hoped for. In the spring she had given birth to Luke’s son, and in the summer Jennet had found herself compelled to surrender the infant to a stranger in the hope of keeping him safe.
To claim the child, Hannah, Luke, and Jennet must journey first to Pensacola. There they learn a great deal about the family that has the baby. The Poiterins are a very rich, very powerful Creole family, totally without scruple. The matriarch of the family has left Pensacola for New Orleans and taken the child she now claims as her great-grandson with her.
New Orleans is a city on the brink of war, a city where prejudice thrives and where Hannah, half Mohawk, must tread softly. Careful plans are made as the Bonners set out to find and reclaim young Nathaniel Bonner. Plans that go terribly awry, isolating them from each other in a dangerous city at the worst of times.
Sure that all is lost, and sick unto death, Hannah finds herself in the care of a family and a friend from her past, Dr. Paul de Guise Savard dit Saint-d’Uzet. It is Dr. Savard and his wife who save Hannah’s life, but Dr. Savard’s half brother who offers her real hope. Jean-Benoit Savard, the great-grandson of French settlers, slaves, and Choctaw and Seminole Indians, is the one man who knows the city well enough to engineer the miracle that will reunite the Bonners and send them home to Lake in the Clouds. With Ben Savard’s guidance, allies are drawn from every segment of New Orleans’s population and from Andrew Jackson’s army, now pouring into the city in preparation for what will be the last major battle of the War of 1812.
Kakaku：699 saved$6.99
Bantam
Not yet published IPhone 3G used's review (TOO MUCH DESCRIPTION OF EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE STORY!!) 『I will start saying I love this series, and the story in this book was not so bad. The problem with this book is that it is very hard to read and very hard to follow the sequence of events. There is too much description of EVERYTHING from the plastered walls, to the rooms, the paintings in the walls, in the ceiling, the chairs. Why does Ms Abe spend 3 pages describing a room. At the end of the description you forgot who was in the room and doing what. She does the same with the clothes and the hair and the wigs. And what is this obsession with the smell of everyone and every piece of furniture, please, there was too much pages wasted in that...I wish there were more dialogue and more interaction between the characters.』
(boring) 『this book is a sequal, I can say that the first two was boring just like this one was some what boring. at least it was to me. and I read alot of books. It had a hard time keeping my interest to want to keep reading it.』
(The best in Shana Abe's drakon series yet!) 『Loved it, loved it, LOVED IT..! I think this book is the best of the Drakon series yet. After putting down the rules&groundwork of her fantastical Drakon world in books 1 and 2, Shana Abe finally threw in some serious conflicts (both internal and external), to reflect some of the changes that were happening in Europe at that time period.
I actually think Kimber Langford, the hero in this book, is tbe best hero yet in the Drakon series, and he's the one who made the book. The high-handed, harsh, and arrogant manner of the English Drakon Council didn't bother me much. Shana Abe already made it clear how high-handed and harsh their rules can be in book 1. Yet Kim took me by surprise by his interactions with Mari. Right from the start, he understands Mari is different. She's strong-willed, independent, has her own ways of doing things, and a King in her own right. He respects her opinions (as King to King), and although he feels frustrated at times with many of Mari's daring acts, he admires her too and realizes he can learn a few things from her. That's a big jump from the typical cave man Alpha mentality. He courts Mari with gentleness, subtlety, and kindness. You can tell from his actions how much he truly loves her. Mari never stands a chance from him.
And Mari? I loved her too. She's the one who finally brings some needed changes to Kim's world and his council. The council simply don't know what to do with her and she enjoys keeping them on their toes. She's the perfect partner for Kim.
I can't wait for book 4, which I heard is going to feature Rhys Langford as the hero and Zoe Lane as the heroine (she's mentioned briefly in book 3). To those who have never read the Drakon series before, I would strongly suggest you read from Book 1. They're all inter-connected and can't be read as stand alone (well, you can, but you won't enjoy and understand the story as much).』
(Okay, But...) 『QUEEN OF DRAGONS reads like a middle book in the series. Many of the storylines are developed further, while not much is concluded. The reader is definitely left hanging, ready for the next story to see how things develop. I didn't like this story as much as the first two books in the series. I suppose my opinion mainly stems from my lack of "connection" with both the hero and heroine. I spent most of the book, thinking "huh?", wondering what was going on. Anyone reading the Drakon series will have to read this one to know what is going on with the entire storyline, but don't bother if you haven't read THE SMOKE THIEF and THE DREAM THIEF. Without the prior two books as background knowledge, the reader would be totally lost』
(Not as good as the first two, but still good) 『Overall, I thought that this was a good book, although parts of it were slow. I definitely enjoyed the first two books in this series better. This book seemed as if it were setting up the background for the next one, with good character development and a very open ending. It was still a good book, however, and I am looking forward to reading the next installment in this series, which I feel with be more action packed. Note: Before reading this book, I would recommend reading the first two in the series (The Smoke Thief and The Dream Thief).』 『They are the stuff of glittering legend, supersensual creatures able to shape-shift from human to smoke to dragon. Now they face an enemy determined to destroy their dazzling world of magic and passion.Queen of DragonsIt’s a stunning claim: the existence of a lostdrákontribe. And it comes from an intriguing source: a woman calling herself Princess Maricara of Transylvania. Alpha lord Kimber Langford, Earl of Chasen, can’t ignore the possibility. For whoever this unknown princess may be, she’s dangerous enough to know abouthisexistence—and where to find him. And indeed, it isn’t long before Maricara breaches the defenses of Darkfrith and the walls around Kimber’s heart. Yet the princess arrives with urgent news: a mysterious serial killer is targeting the entiredrákonrace. To save their kind, Kimber and Mari must ally themselves body and soul in a battle that can spell their salvation, their extinction…or both.』
Kakaku：574 saved$5.74
One World/Ballantine
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (a perfect rites of passage for women into African Spirituality) 『Every young adult becoming a woman and African American fully grown women for that matter, who do not know a hill of beans about their afican culture/spirituality should have this book. It is an amazing step by step manual on how to connect and experience the god energy forces and all of the guardians that lives within and without.
There are so many black women who do not know anything but american culture or another race's culture but not their own and has totally abandoned the culture of their true origin of who they really are. well it's never too late to return and this is the book that will take you there.
For bi racial young adults and women it is imperitive that you reach out to this book if you truly want to know and love your true African side of you. You will find it amazingly mysterieous and beautiful. A life style once discovered you would never want to turn away from ever again.
We are not taught the truth about ourselves no where in the world. There isn't even a subject on us in our schools. Even the Africans in Africa has lost the true history, their own history in exchange for others. So grab it now for one day it will be lost for ever if we as parents and a black society do not reawaken our true selves, our true african spirituality.
for the men I suggest metu neter and the tree of life by ra un nefer. May I also suggest men to get this book for thier daughters and wives if you want an african spiritual woman or want to educate your little black or bi racial daughters to the history of herself, this would be a wonderful delightful beginning to start that process with.
To all races feel free to explore the correct black spiritual experience with this book, we've experienced others religions all our lives and what terrible condition we are in, so won't you take a glimpse inside of ours where all others derived but some butchered drastically(especially the ones Africans and African Americans are in a trance over) and our condition is the effect. This African spiritual cultivation manual is life changing and the first civilizations of the world were great ones. This guide to healing ourselves and returning back from whence we come (sankofa)have those elements within it.』
(Excellent work!) 『This book includes excellent spiritual and physical healing properties. A 'must read' for young African-American women (and others). 』
(Great book.) 『It was an easy read. Very informative. Great for women looking to transform their lives and mentality as well as improve spirituality.』
(Uplifting) 『Queen Afua?s book provides great insight into women self-healing. I feel inspired reading her words and influenced to take better care of my body, my womb, spirit. It is a great book for Black women and women of color to read also. I am also inspired to search for a woman author from my ethnic background after reading this book. I highly recommend this if you are interested in metaphysics.』
(Great Read!) 『This is a very good book, enlightening and I refer to it often. I haven't tried everything, but love the book nonetheless.』 『Queen Afua is a nationally renowned herbalist, natural health expert, and dedicated healer of women’s bodies and women’s souls who practices a uniquely Afrocentric spirituality. Her classic bestseller,Heal Thyself, forever changed the way African Americans practice holistic health. Now, withSacred Woman, she takes us on a transforming journey of physical and ancestral healing that will restore the magnificence of our spirits through sacred initiation.
Queen Afua begins by helping us to discover our unique“womb-an-ness”–and to honor the womb as the center of our consciousness and creativity, giving us a twenty-one-day program for womb purification and spirit rejuvenation. Then Queen Afua summons us to enter the Nine Gateways of Initiation, where she blesses us with the exact tools we need to bring our beings into true harmony with the earth and the cosmos. Through extraordinary meditations, affirmations, and rituals rooted in ncient Egyptian temple teachings, Queen Afua teaches us how to love and rejoice in our bodies by spiritualizing the words we speak; the foods we eat; the spaces we live and work in; the beauty we create in our lives; the healing energy we transmit to self and others; the relationships we nurture; the service we offer; and the transcendent woman spirit we manifest.
With love, wisdom, and passion, Queen Afua guides us to accept our mission and our mantle as Sacred Women–to heal ourselves, the generations of women in our families, our communities, and our world. 』
Kakaku：259 saved$2.59
Random House Trade Paperbacks
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Their Own Special Genre of Unconventional Behavior) 『For those of us who are fascinated by the women of the South and the unique lives they lead, Julia Reed's Queen of the Turtle Derby is the ideal book. A senior writer at Vogue and a contributing editor at Newsweek, Reed grew up in Greenville, Mississippi, and still spends half her year in New Orleans. She knows the South, its women and its men, as well as I know the back of my hand. And she isn't shy about telling it like it is.
I laughed on almost every page. At times, I thought I was reading about a foreign country. The manners and mores of the characters are so different than my own. Yet at times, I could imagine myself living there because I love the friendship of women. The women Reed writes about are utterly loyal and devoted to one another, no matter how diverse their personalities or how much they gossip about one another.
Many years ago, I was a guest in the home of a friend from Jackson, Mississippi, for only a week. I was reminded of my time there when I read the notion of the author's columnist friend who says that to successfully adjust to living in the South, just "Don't think you know what is going on." That was a feeling I had frequently during my week with my friend. I was there. I was showered with gracious attention; yet I couldn't help but feel very much the outsider.
Reed reminds us that the rules and regulations in the daily life of every young Southern woman are entrenched traditions which must be followed to the letter of the law. However one might feel about them. For example, "Memphis girls don't wear a lot of black and they wouldn't be caught dead in public without their makeup." At the same time, she tells us that Southern belles are tough as nails and hold every bit of power over their spouses...that all their "softness" (of which they are so proud and go to such lengths to maintain) is little more than a veneer...a veneer to let the fellows feel they are the ones in charge. Talk to any Southern belle, Reed says, and she will tell you it works.
Another fact I read with interest is that the FBI has released statistics which show Southerners to be the most violent people in the country. Apparently, they own the most guns and will shoot one another at the drop of a hat. One example we are given is the stabbing of a husband by his wife on Thanksgiving Day. "They had been fighting over the last piece of turkey, some dark meat, and the victim had made the mistake of taking it."
The author provides many other examples of their trigger happiness, which, henceforth, might make me think twice before disagreeing with anyone from the South. "The South leads the nation in murders of lovers, spouses, and other relatives (though we don't kill our children any more than most people do)," her source assures us. "But really, we'll shoot just about anything." At the same time, Southern women are the most church-going people in the country.
Another fun subject is Southern food. A homecooked dinner might consist of fried catfish, okra, turnip greens, lima beans, green onions, potatoes, cornbread, sliced tomatoes, corn on the cob and tea. Not just some of these, but all. Reed also explains which foods "must" be served at funeral receptions--hams, roasts and, of course, tenderloins, not to mention dozens of casseroles topped with crushed Ritz crackers, crushed potato chips or canned Durkee's fried onions." She is appalled when families resort to Chinese takeout or deli sandwich platters on plastic trays. I doubt that my daughter, who insists that her children eat only organic and wouldn't dare touch anything resembling a potato chip or anything out of a can, would last even a day in that part of the country.
Then there is the matter of drinking. Reed once asked a friend why he thought Southerners drink so much. "Because we lost the War," he said. But the author insists that Southerners drink less than the national average, and she points out that their rate of suicides and mental illness are lower. Though she readily admits that the definition of mental illness in the South is given a great deal more lattitude than in the North.
These are only a few examples of this author's heartfelt appreciation of what makes her countrymen/women different from the rest of us. Indeed, they have their own special genre of unconventional behavior--a love of food and partying, a zest and passion for life that is as endearing as it is often "over the top." I suspect that if I lived in the South, I would be watching from the sidelines with great pleasure.
by Duffie Bart for Story Circle Book Reviews reviewing books by, for, and about women 』
(Gosh durn, ain't I a clever girl...) 『By now, is there anyone alive who doesn't know Southern men like their guns, while their women like big hair and wear lots of makeup? Judging by this mundane ( the nth Scarlett O'Hara deconstruction), repetitious collection of vignettes (see the German model story), there is truly nothing new under the southern sun. The recipes ( except for the frozen tomato - and who would really serve that?) are familiar. Sure, it is a comfort to know that in the South losing one's mind isn't all that big a deal. It also helps to have housemen, plus maids and cooks to fry up all that great chicken, raise up the kids and allow that steel magnolia (what else?) grandma to keep looking so immaculate while doing yearsof exhaustive note-taking at the "closed" Belle Meade Country Club - and Julia and friends attend a "racist" boarding school.
We know there really are wonderful cooks and writers to experience in the female South. For fun and style in writing, Florence King was there first. Her books are much more satisfying.』
(Color me ambivalent) 『There's plenty of laugh-out-loud fodder in this little book of short essays. Nothing is quite as funny as the human condition, observed and considered. At this, the author excells.
What astonished me was that I turned the last page of the book with the realization that race seemed to be completely omitted from the narrative, except where one could infer the presence of a non-white in the kitchen or as a maid. For a book of the 21st century, this is beyond startling to me. A subtitle of "Other (White) Southern Phenomena" might have been more on point.
Consider some of the topics. I know that debutantes, for instance, are not only white girls, but the writing about debs and their parties and their season is about a particular kind of girl whose lineage goes back to before -- well, you know. Think about the ubiquity of queens in places like Mississippi and Alabama and the picture that will come to your mind is not one of diversity. If the author's country club experience includes a racially integrated membership, this certainly would have happened not only in her lifetime, but probably since she has become an adult. But there's no mention of that reality, only of a particular kind of food available to those privileged few -- though I suppose that the included recipes purport to allow us to elevate our experience.
The essay about Scarlett O'Hara goes some distance toward explaining what it is so many white women find so endearing about Scarlett: her pluck, her determination, her sauciness. It overlooks entirely that Scarlett, even in Margaret Mitchell's rarified imagination, did not save herself without a "mammy". I don't get Gone With the Wind and probably never will. What I got from the essay was a point of view blessedly or infuriatingly disconnected from decades of social criticism.
The adage that people who like this sort of thing will probably like this seems quite apt. If you are interested in a funny, fairly unnuanced view of the upper-middle class white experience of a Southern woman born in 1960, here's your book.』
(So real I kept thinking I was reading about my own life) 『Wow, where do I start? I read this book in one sitting and laughed and cried while I was at it. Being from Arkansas myself, I cannot tell you how many times I have heard, "What would people think?" It was a mantra in my household, particularly when I was trying to do something as outrageous as leaving the house without lipstick. I turned about every other page over to show my husband later, so he would understand me better!
I felt Ms. Reed presented both sides of the South well... the backward (and oft times embarrassing) ways, and the strong traditions and attitudes that make a real (positive) difference in a person's life. I bought it for my mom and her three sisters, as I knew they would laugh as hard as I did at how she nailed so many aspects of Southerners. I've also given this book to several young women, as I think it portrays the strength of Southern women. Ms. Reed finally gave me a way of explaining to blue-state Northerners (where I live now) why I'm so proud of being Southern.』
(Not so funny...) 『Well, having recently finished Celia Rivenbark's 'We're Just Like You Only Prettier', which was very amusing, I figured this book would be similar to that one. The reviews said it was very humorous, and entertaining. I'm sorry, but I do not agree. Julia Reed is a Vogue writer living in New York City, but she's from Mississippi. Now, I felt that at times when describing the silly ways of the southern women's traditions, it was almost like she was making fun of them. But then when she would bash the Yankees (which I happen to be, and am darn proud of it) she was all for her southern heritage.
I love southern books, and I've always had this fascination with the south. I truly hope one day to live there when my husband retires. I have always admired southern women, their traditions, their tight family bonds, and the land itself. Ms. Reed made these women sound ditsy, and shallow, while making us Yankees sound like ignorant, clueless slobs. And she made the area (the south) sound like pure hell to live in.
I gave this 2 stars because there were some interesting facts in it, and some of the events that go on down there were really neat to learn about, and all the food she talked about, sounds delicious! But overall I'd just like to forget this book. It has in no way changed my opinion of southern men and women, or the south itself, and I can only hope they don't look at the Yankees the same way Julia Reed does. If you're looking for a funny book on the 'ways of the south', pick up Ms. Rivenbarks book, that one won't disappoint.』 『In classic Dixie storytelling fashion, with a rare blend of literary elegance and plainspoken humor, the inimitably charming, staunchly Southern Julia Reed wends her way below the Mason-Dixon line and observes many phenomena– from politics, religion, and women to weather, guns, and what she calls “drinking and other Southern pursuits.” To hear Reed tell it, the South is another country. She builds an entertaining and persuasive case, using as examples everything from its unfathomable codes of conduct to its disciplined fashion sense. And then there is Southern food, which is an entire world apart: Gumbo, grits, greens, and, of course, fried chicken make memorable appearances in Reed’s essays, which will amuse, delight, and even explain a thing or two to baffled Yankees everywhere.』
Kakaku：279 saved$2.79
Ballantine Books
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Heartwarming story) 『Really enjoyed this book, went by too fast. Very heartwarming, with the ups and downs of life as it was long ago and family closeness. I can't wait to read more!! Also loved Lucia, Lucia, and will read all the rest as soon as I get my hands on them. Also includes recipes that I enjoy!If you enjoy going back to the days that were simpler in a way but harder also, you will enjoy this wonderful story.』
(Incredibly Heartwarming) 『This is a wonderfully, breezy, fast read that takes your heart on a warm, soft and poignant journey. As a child I lived near Roseto, PA. This incredibly delightful book took me to a wonderful trip down memory lane, made me smile, cry and laugh right out loud at the accuracy of small town warmth and, conversely small town gossipy pettiness.
If you are looking for a heartwarming book, this is a must read.
The end is tied up a little too quickly and neatly, but this is the only criticism I have.
』
(Betty Smith Meets Laura Ingalls Wilder! BRAVISSIMO!) 『This is the heart-tugging tale of Nella, a young teen of Italian parentage, who aspires to be a teacher but when her father is injured, she must leave school and work at the local clothing factory to help support her family. Not what she would have chosen, but she makes the best of things, a la Francie Nolan. I cheered at her pluck and grit! Nella falls for Renato, a handsome, poetic, sophisticated young gentleman of twenty one -- seven years her senior. Shades of Laura and Almanzo. But not quite. Where Laura got to marry Almanzo, all our poor heroine Nella gets from her Renato is a letter explaining that he is an adult, and she is practically a little girl, and it's best if she forget him and seek out friends and company in her own age group. I cried at that part and cheered when Nella found love again, of a more accessible sort, with the handsome and polite Francesco Zollerano, and both Nella and the reader come to grips with the fact that Renato was a temporary acquaintance, while Francesco was her Heart's True Hero -- and there's an element of surprise at the pathway Renato chose for his life, which was the main cause of their parting. This is a story to make you laugh, cry, and cheer, and if I could give it 10 stars, I would. BRAVO! Recommended for all humans, but especially the female ones, from teens to seniors, for like the works of Betty Smith and Laura Wilder, this is a tale that transcends age brackets and age labels and can appeal to any number of people. I repeat, BRAVO!!!!!』
(Least favorite Adriana Trigiani book) 『I know that I am in the minority, but I thought Queen of the Big Time was Trigiani's weakest book to date (I haven't read the latest Big Stone Gap book). I loved the first three Big Stone Gap books and I also enjoyed Lucia, Lucia, and Rococo. I expected to love this one as well and was instead disappointed. Trigiani tried to cover too many years in too few pages. If you are new to Trigiani's writing, start with Big Stone Gap (in my opinion it is still the very best). Read Queen of the Big Time only if you are desperate for a Trigiani fix and this is the only one you haven't read.』
(With Only Five Pages Left I Thought I Couldn't Cry Anymore. I Was Wrong.) 『This is just simply an amazingly wonderful story. Nella, born the middle of five daughters wants very badly, in October of 1924, to be allowed to go on to high school. It's a three mile walk from the simple farm where she has been raised, but she'll do anything and it seems as if her dream comes true. She spends a glorious year learning, then in the summer her father suffers an accident at the quarry where he was working to make extra money. Nella has to quit school and go to work in the local blouse factory to help out. Then her older sister dies in childbirth and Nella knows she's never going to be able to go back to school
To make matters worse, the man she falls in love with -- the man she gives herself to, when in that day and age, especially for Italian American women, was something that was just not done -- leaves town, leaving nothing behind except a note telling Nella to find another, that he was not for her.
How Nella copes with this tragidy will warm your heart. How she deals with heartbreak will lift your spirits. I cried and cried throughout this book, then finally, with only five pages left, I thought the story couldn't get any sadder, that I wouldn't cry anymore over it. I was wrong.
I don't know how I missed this book, why I didn't read it ages ago. I'm going to read it again, starting tonight. Ms. Trigiani is a powerful storyteller. She takes you right in, grabs you by the heart and holds it in a tight fist through all the pages of her tale of love, love lost and love found. If you ever wanted to know what family is all about, you'll find out here, when Nella's niece becomes Queen of the Big Time.』 『Known and loved around the world for her sweeping Big Stone Gap trilogy and the instantNew York TimesbestsellerLucia, Lucia,Adriana Trigiani returns to the charm and drama of small-town life withQueens of the Big Time.This heartfelt story of the limits and power of love chronicles the remarkable lives of the Castellucas, an Italian-American family, over the course of three generations.
In the late 1800s, the residents of a small village in the Bari region of Italy, on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, made a mass migration to the promised land of America. They settled in Roseto, Pennsylvania, and re-created their former lives in their new home–down to the very last detail of who lived next door to whom. The village’s annual celebration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel–or “the Big Time,” as the occasion is called by the young women who compete to be the pageant’s Queen–is the centerpiece of Roseto’s colorful old-world tradition.
The industrious Castellucas farm the land outside Roseto. Nella, the middle daughter of five, aspires to a genteel life“in town,” far from the rigors of farm life, which have taken a toll on her mother and forced her father to take extra work in the slate quarries to make ends meet. But Nella’s dreams of making her own fortune shift when she meets Renato Lanzara, the son of a prominent Roseto family. Renato isa worldly, handsome, devil-may-care poet who has a way with words that makes him irresistible. Their friendship ignites into a fiery romance that Nella is certain will lead to marriage. But Nella is not alone in her pursuit: every girl in town seems to want Renato. When he disappears without explanation, Nella is left with a shattered heart. Four years later, Renato’s sudden return to Roseto the night before Nella’s wedding to the steadfast Franco Zollerano leaves her and the Castelluca family shaken. For although Renato has chosen a path very different from Nella’s, they are fated to live and work in Roseto, where the past hangs over them like a brewing storm.
An epic of small-town life, etched in glorious detail in the trademark Trigiani style,The Queen of the Big Timeis the story of a determined, passionate woman who can never forget her first love.
Kakaku：478 saved$4.78
Urban Books
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Queen Bee....In the END was She really????) 『Essence, Destiny and Brazil were all buddies/business participants at the hot strip club "Promiscuous Girl". Essence was the hot headed owner whom as long as she was getting what she wanted: she was straight. She didn't like to be crossed but yet she didn't mind crossing ANY and EVERYONE that got in her way. Destiny was the some what bleak type who listened to others instead of following her own instincts. Then you had Brazil who in my opinion was the mildest of the three, mother and also the one who got the dirty deck of cards dealt to her in which she didn't deserve.
Brazil and Destiny had dreams of opening their own club and of course Essence with her cocky attitude wouldn't stand for the competition. She starts a war, making enemy after enemy. Destiny holds a secret that she leaves with everyone she comes in contact with.
I did have a questions about the title being "Queen Bee". The name of the club on the synopsis was "Queen Bee" (also title of the book) but yet in the book it was "Promiscuous Girl"??? That was confusing but the story's PLOT was on point!
Kudos Mark! for a excellent plot for this story...
****3.0 stars****』
(Entertaining) 『I am giving this book 4 stars because it was fast past, entertaining and funny. It made for a quick read and it had all the sex, murder, fashion and general over the topness of a soap opera drama.』
(3.5 stars) 『Queen Bee was an okay read. It followed Essence, Destiney, and Brazil through their drama but the author never really gave me a chance to get to know the characters before putting them into these crazy situations. The book didn't flow for me and I did not enjoy this as much as I thought I would. Also Queen Bee was the title of the strip club on the back cover but in the book it was called Promiscuous Girl? I was confused and I felt like the synopsis and cover did not reveal what the real story was about. I would not recommend this book. Borrow it don't buy! Or if you want to try something from this author try Reasonable Doubt. That book was much better.』
Kakaku：699 saved$6.99
Laurel Leaf
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (umm) 『this is not a book for all ages... i would say 13 or older... it has some STUFF in it... yeah』
(Aly is the kind of friend you always want in your corner.)
