book_nut's Reviews (2.91k)

A bit hokey, and the writing style bugged me, but I needed to "hear" what he had to say at the moment of reading. Good advice -- to make your words impeccable, to not take anything personally, to not make assumptions, and to do one's best -- but in a slightly odd presentation.

I read this because I'm slowly working my way through Maureen Johnson's novels. I liked this one, for many of the same reasons I like other Johnson novels: I like her heroines (though in this case, I really liked the Guy, Parker), I like her plots, I like her storytelling. The plot itself is much less controversial than I expected it to be, and I actually liked the themes of friendship and figuring out who you are and what you want out of life. I thought she captured a slice of what Senior year in high school could bee quite well.

A good biography and overview of Austen's writing, from her juvenalia all the way through to the book she was writing when she died, and how it connects to her life. Fascinating, accessible and interesting.

I loved Albert. Loved him. He totally and completely made the book for me (I wanted to bean Mia over the head). That, and it's always nice to read a romance from the guy's perspective.

It's a romp. (As long as you don't expect much, you'll have fun!) Think: a cross between The Mummy, Raiders of the Lost Ark (though it's probably more The Last Crusade) and Dracula, set in Victorian England. Throw in a few 11- to 18-year-olds and some zombie vampires, and you've pretty much got a sense of the book. A whole lotta fun.

Honestly? I read this out loud to C, we got about halfway through, and we both lost interest. I could blame circumstances: we've been sick and busy, but the book was never enough to pull us back to reading out loud. So, we're abandoning it and trying something else.

Not to dis on the dead movie star, but this book was terrible. I blame the author.

Lush and descriptive, but not as much as I wanted it to be. Also, the pull between Vianne and the priest in the town was, while interesting, disconcerting. I ended up feeling like because they were so polarized that neither was reliable as a narrator. The "true" story was probably somewhere in between. Curious to see how it compares to the movie, though. (Yes, I've seen it, but it's been forever and I don't remember.)

Cute, but ultimately a bit hokey and unsatisfying. Needed less French food names and more food descriptions.

The one thing that completely and utterly sold me on this book (aside from my soft spot for Mark Twain) is Fleischman's tone in the book. Cracked me up.(Oh, and it's a pretty informative book, as well.