I wish I could say this book is purely fictional but we all know that isn't true!
936425
"Wings Of Glass" by Gina Holmes gets 5 stars from me. It is about the abuse Penny gets from her husband Trent. It is a hard subject to deal with but one that is a common occurrence to often. While I was reading this novel I felt like I could have been hearing the story from Penny herself. This story is written as a letter to her son. This book needs to be given to someone that is being subjected to abuse and to people that know it is happening to someone they love! I wish I could say this book is purely fictional but we all know that isn't true!

  When Penny was seventeen, she ran off with Trent and her life was not easy. But when Trent is injured from a work accident and out of necessary he allowes Penny to take a job, Penny begins to see she has other options (she doesn't see these she at first) but she doesn't allow herself to really take them until it is almost too late. Finally she sees she has to change her in order to protect the most important thing in her life.
  I was intrigued by the title but that is explained in the story as well!
  I received this book from www.bookfun.org to read and post my honest opinion.
3444589
While I was expecting an historical work of fiction, this turned out to be a completely fictional yarn. Set in a time of extreme government protectionism, all foreign-made goods must be turned in, or they will be placed on a list to be confiscated by a specially created federal bureau. Given the author's background in security and law enforcement, you would want  the enforcement personnel to be accurately drawn; no disappointment there. The Nebraska farm family in posesion of the Volkswagen is also believable, especialy Adam, the patriarch of the clan. So, get the book an' get 'er done, eh?
1896800
There used to be a crime show on tv in the 1950s, the detective character on the show would state in a monotone voice "just the facts, mam." Too bad the authors didn't stick to just the facts, instead of left leaning statements such as "Rahimi wasn't a true terrorist", well he left cooker pressure bombs out to kill or maime innocent people, those people were darn sure terrorized weren't they! After 8 years of not vetting thousands of people, we can probably be assured of "not true terrorists"attacks in our country, like what just happened in London! Last book I read by these authors, luckily I got it on kindle unlimited!
2245141
I've never read Fact or Fiction though I hope to. But the Christian Community shouldn't have needed another book to prove that The Harbinger was just a made up story in some guy's mind. Sometimes Christians are the most gullible people on the planet when we are to be the most discerning.
1521511
I read this book before James Frey was recently exposed as the liar that he is.  So during my reading, I loved the book.  I could relate.  Yes - there were several times where I read something that he claimed happened to him and I thought, "no way would that have happened" (like the first part of the book where he is somehow allowed onto a commercial airline flight drunk &/or drugged out of his mind and with a broken & bleeding nose, broken front teeth, and a gaping & bleeding hole in his cheek), but I was taken in and I read the whole book in just a couple of evenings.

Then...  I came across the smoking gun's expose of the fact that James Frey is a big fat liar.  Although this doesn't change my enjoyment of the book, it pisses me off because the book was respresented & promoted as a true account of his life.  Instead, it is a work of fiction loosely based on Frey's life.  I'm not sure I would have even read the book if it had been promoted as a work of fiction.  A huge part of the reason I enjoyed it was because I BELIEVED.

Ok, so I'm partly pissed off because I've been duped.  But there is also an issue of principle here.

So Mr Frey, I believe you & your publisher should provide a means for refunding the money to any buyer of your book who wants their money back.

For those readers who don't care whether it was fiction or truth, that's totally your choice.  I can understand that for some people this won't matter at all.  But if you're reading these reviews to try to determine whether or not to buy/read this book, consider in advance that it's really just a work of fiction - perhaps that's what you're looking for, and perhaps it isn't.
714849
Anyone who believes Dan Brown's fiction thriller is based upon actual fact, should get a copy of "Cracking Da Vinci's Code," and then Dr. Darrell Bock's "Breaking the Code."
In "The Da Vinci Code," Brown asserts that all depictions of people, architecture, secret rituals, etc. are historically authentic, when in fact, such is simply not the case. In the novel, Brown shows us just how poorly informed he really is regarding ancient and medieval Christian history. The very fact that Brown relied heavily upon the 1982 work of spurious history entitled "Holy Blood, Holy Grail," by Baigent, Lincoln and Leigh (Brown's character Leigh Teabing is a nod to these authors; "Teabing" is an anagram for "Baigent")-a book not taken seriously by any scholar I'm familiar with, Christian or otherwise, tells one all one needs to know about his "scholarship," or lack thereof. As a student of both ancient and medieval Christian history, I can state categorically that the arguments made in "Holy Blood, Holy Grail," are based purely in the authors' fertile imaginations. Such claims as they make are laughable-or would be, if so many people weren't taking them seriously. The claims that the Knights Templar were some sort of secret occult magicians, or guardians of the Holy Grail, in particular, is a myth which refuses to die, in spite of the research of Templar experts Dr. Malcolm Barber and Peter Partner. In fact, few of the claims Brown makes through his fictional character Teabing, are based in actual fact.
In "Cracking Da Vinci's Code," the authiors explain how Brown's assertions through his fictional characters that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and the Church has been covering it up for centuries are hardly new arguments; then they give you the real history of people and places mentioned in "The Da Vinci Code." Further, the authors expose an agenda at work, one that is anti-thetical to traditional Christianity.
Why am I bothered by all this, you may ask. Well, the claims of this novel wouldn't be worth worrying about or answering but for the fact that too many people are taking this work of fiction as being based upon sound historical research.
"The Da Vinci Code" is FICTION, folks, as is its premise.
But, if you want fact and not fiction, "Cracking Da Vinci's Code" is a must-read. Read it and learn the secret behind the "mystery" in "The Da Vinci Code."
2343529
This was totally unbelievable,  I had a hard time enjoying the book because of the fictional character Gaylion.  At least I think he was fictional.  I can even believe that Henry VIII believed he was bewitched by Anne,  and that the people thought she was a witch because those were based on rumors that were spread at the time. Most of all I can not believe in the character Gaylion.  I think there has to be a feeling that you can think it is plausible,  I did not have that feeling.
4450235
This book is all about the super natural and should be listed as science fiction perhaps. It's all about a real life devil and evil spirits. The book isn't even about people, and not even being possessed. But instead, about the actual demonic possessions. And that Astor and Cody as now master serial killers at 6 and 10. Come on. God I hope the rest of the series isn't like this or I must stop reading them. It took all I had to make it thru this one.
710727
I enjoyed this book, and of course it portrayed a dark and disturbing review of North Korea's prison camps. Unfortunately, as the author reveals in the book's forward, much of the material of the book as it was presented in interviews from the main character later turned out to be false. It was difficult to enjoy the book, knowing that it had been published despite the fact that the author and his publisher knew that much of the material was falsified, exaggerated, or left out. Please don't misunderstand - I can't even begin to imagine how traumatized the main character must have been by his experience, and I'm sure I would have a very warped sense of right and wrong and be willing to lie to protect myself if I had experienced half of what he did. However, I feel that the fact that the account has later been partially rescinded should be made clear to anyone who wants to buy the book. I hope the author will publish an updated edition that can be "enjoyed" for the important piece of non-fiction it should be.
2219990
So I realize it's a novel and fictional, but the author claims it's based upon her real life experiences.  I made the mistake of going to her Author page on Facebook to share my criticisms and she lost her mind!  I felt her writing was too graphic and served as a "how to" for pedophiles, that she portrayed the boys she dated in her teens as sex-crazed predators and she never fully explained her later attack in the motel.  Boy!  Did she ever let me have it!  She was not only incapable of accepting criticism of her writing, she launched into a full fledged personal attack on me!  (And she made a homophobic remark that I can only believe was a response to the LGBT t-shirt I'm wearing in my FB profile photo.)  I'm glad I didn't pay for this book because it wasn't that good and I hate to think I'd have supported this woman.
4499798
I have been very much interested in the history of the Office of Strategic Services, the World War II-era forerunner of the CIA, so when I found a book purported to be the memoirs of the real-life exploits of an OSS operative, I jumped at the chance to read it. Soon into the book, I had reason to be skeptical. The Countess's description of her spy training were almost verbatim recitations of OSS training as described in Time-Life Books' "The Secret War" from their World War II series (published 1981, 6 years before "The Spy Wore Red"). We're not talking about "wow, her account agrees with the Time-Life account, so she must have really been there," we are talking "wow, she just copied whole sentences and paragraphs even from the Time-Life book." Such plageurism would be bad enough if she had published this as a fictional espionage novel and did the copying because she needed details for the training part, but to present Time-Life's historical research as her actual recollections is seriously dishonest.

It seems that I am not the only person who was skeptical. In 1991, Women's Wear Daily retrieved Romanones' OSS file from the National Archives and found that she had highly embellished her exploits as a spy. Then I found this:
"However, none of these authors could match Aline, the Countess of Romanones, who, between 1987 and 1994 published four books, The Spy Wore Red, The Spy Went Dancing, The Spy Wore Silk, and The Well-Mannered Spy, recording her involvement with espionage, beginning with Operation BULLFIGHT in Spain at the end of 1943. Although Alines (sic) had served as a cipher clerk in Madrid for the Office of Strategic Services, her supposedly factual accounts were completely fictional. "(West, Nigel. Historical Dictionary of Sexpionage. Scarecrow Press. 2009.

I think most of the favorable reviews of "The Spy Wore Red" here are based on the assumption that this is a true-life account. I think if the reviewers had known that her "memoir" was just a tall tale, they would not have given her as many stars, for, as a work of espionage fiction, this novel is very middle-of-the-road, very derivative, not even as good as the very similar book "Shining Through" by Susan Isaacs (and to Isaacs' credit, she honestly identifies her book as fiction.)
4620115
We are of the Suit family, the one's Pelham betrayed through her selfishness. This book is a work of fiction, and does not accurately recount the Suit's side of the family save for some of the things about S. T. Suit himself. My wife's grandmother, originally Betty Suit but carrying her married name (which I decline to give that the family may mourn in peace), is currently passing from this world in her home in MD, still broken hearted at the loss of the family wealth, the family castle, and the family history they were never able to reclaim, only visit in times past.  Although they made their own way and are by no means destitute, they are no where near as well off as those allied to the Pelham's who still make a living on the history and trash stories derived from it. Maybe it's time the family rise up, set the records straight, and reclaim their rights.
3308827
I can only corroborate what other 1-star reviewers have said.  Under no circumstances read this book as a historical account of Descartes' life or adventures.

The real problem here is that there is just enough truth to make the fiction seem real.  You read it, and two years later forget which tidbits about Descartes you've learned from academic resources and which pieces have attached to your memory from rubbish like this.

I hope one day the author re-writes this book replacing Descartes with a fictional character.  It's a great and intriguing read - but a terribly falsity with respect to history.

I also agree with others that exists at least one fake review here.
1891176
Just a warning - this book is based on a fictional character supposedly wandering through prehistory describing what he sees.  Chapter 3 begins, "Unable to sleep, John Lubbock sits by the lakeshore watching bats at work..."

Very annoying but worse it involves imaginative descriptions of supposed prehistoric scenes with little distinction between what is known and what is fiction.  Archaeologists will be enlightened to learn that the artist at Pech Merle worked in a drug induced state for many hours until exhausted.  All this time a small boy held a lamp for him.

Ah, the wonders of science.  Exhaustion dating, who knew?  What could I have learned if I had read on?

Apparently some like this approach.  I would think that those who want a speculatively fleshed out story would prefer the illustrated works from National Geographic, the Smithsonian and others. A lot has been done about fleshing out the appearance of our ancestors from their fossils.
3746051
I understand that this is a work of fiction and as such, it allows the author to take certain liberties with the historical facts and/or events in order to create the story.  However, this is not just a work of fiction.  It is supposed to be HISTORICAL fiction and that being the case, the author should at least have a certain regard to the historic facts.  Ms Kalogridis did an OK job describing Florence during the Renaissance times but did Leonardo da Vinci a disservice by creating him completely out of thin air!  There is not an ounce of factual truth in his character.  I felt completely let down and even slightly irritated that the author would deliberately make him up like that!

It is my opinion that if you want to tell a story about a renaissance painter and his sitter that is fine.  Go ahead and called them, Giovanni and Leticia or whatever.  Then, you are free to let you imagination run wild and create your tale.

Now, if you choose to write about Leonardo da Vinci and Lisa del Giocondo, there are expectations that come with that choice.  The writer have to at a minimum *consider* the historic facts about these people.  That is what historical fiction genre is all about.  Otherwise it is just pure fiction.  Sure, one would argue that not a lot is know about Lisa, so there is a lot of room to play.  However, enough is known about Leonardo to make this book laughable.  Sorry.
2199748
No way for me to know if all the "work arounds" were really possible or not; but the author made me believe! That is what a real story teller does.
1034450
When i thought there was some semblance of truth to his story it was more compelling - i bought this book after reading A Million Little Pcs.  I guess it's a decent book if you recognize it as fiction - personally I would not have read it knowing that's what it was