Abandoned half way through
You know, I might have really liked this book if it stood alone and didn't touch one of my favorite books of all time. SInce I really could not expect it too add to what the original brought and since, quite honestly, I am uninterested in Lizzie's 'courses' or the sweat ground into Jane's gown, and since the book was subtly, but relentlessly sapping the joy out of my vision of Pride & Prejudice, I bagged the thing.
For what it's worth, I thought the writing was decent and the fault probably mostly my own.
Damn purists.
4
3
Reading progress update: I've read 20 out of 100 percent.
Well written detailed account of life below the Bennet stairs, but not exactly a page turner. Not much has happened so far but an exhausting litany of tasks reminding us that the Bennet girls sweat, bleed and put their pantaloons on one leg at a time. There's a mysterious man it's hard to care much about [yet], some portentous whispering beyond our hearing and the occasional whiff of Jane Austen's story to keep us on track. A bit more joyless than I had hoped.
Will press on.
8
1
8
 - Joanna Trollope)
Far too much untraslated Italian dialog and yet another dull love interest for Lynley, but credit where credit is due. It was miles better than the last book and kind of fun to watch Barbara Havers fly off the rails.
2
 - Elizabeth George)
3.5Contrived and utterly unbelievable, right down to the creaky, sometimes unintentionally hilarious dialog. Forget the annoying bacchanal Greek-wank, what contemporary 20 year old talks about going "out of doors" and comports himself as if he walked with great purpose out of Brideshead Manor and off into the Lost Generation? Still, I can't remember when I've had so much fun loathing a full cast of thoroughly detestable characters. (I wish that Dorothy's house Bennington College had landed on the bunch of them.) I have to admit, though, I was so caught up in my outrage, I was sorry to see the whole thing end. The tsuris!
2.5Meh. Too much procedural minutiae and no surprises at all. The thing creaks along with the same unappealing partner and love interest as in the last book. Maybe it's time to move along to the Maddy Bosch series. ...and for God's sake, Harry, the kid is 16, bright, ambitious and a dead-eye shot. She can probably assemble a meal all by herself.
2.5Eh. Entertaining enough, but this a thoroughly conventional ghost story with dialog that seemed much too contemporary and inauthentic for the period. Also, a bit too much of a breathless bodice diaphanous nightgown ripper for my taste.
So, in a screwball comic novel we don't really care about outrageously implausible plot points, right? Good. Now that that's settled I can deep six my disbelief and cheerfully get behind the Capuchin.After two disappointing books, Carl Hiaasen is back!
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe: A Novel
3.5 for gumption, garrulousness and good INsurance.
I like Demille's John Corey books as much as the next gal, but this one was a cartoon of a phoned-in mess.
 - Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child)
Some interesting stuff, but I could have used a breadcrumb trail to connect all the memories. Scattered and rambling doesn't begin to describe it. But hey, it's Neil Young and I love Neil Young.
2.5, really. Too generic, too many uninteresting characters, dull reveal. I generally like these books, if only for Rutledge and his talking ghost, but this one was a tablespoon of plot in a gallon and a half of filler.
