Disappointment with Subject Matter and Writing
927006
I suppose my expectations were the quality of writing would be equal to her mother's. I also expected honesty which I did feel the author provided. While yes the memoir was to be about being Daphne du Maurier's daughter, it paints the picture of the mother as a saint with few character flaws. It brushes over many of the realities we know of a very distant mother as well as a father, and a set of parents very disconnected from their children. The favoritism shown to the son and the du Maurier's lack of caring or interest in the daughter who was an unwelcome 'accident' is appalling. But that was the British way at the time. The author only covers her growing up in a 'hit or miss' style with details that do not add to the storyline.
4880928
When I had the opportunity to grab a collection of essays by a woman with such impressive publishing credentials, I was delighted and fully expected to enjoy every last word of the book. This was an entirely bad presumption on my part. The author's writing style, at least in this volume, seems to rely on the use of excess verbiage in an attempt to demonstrate the superiority of the opinions presented.

I love a large vocabulary and appreciate books, essays, and articles that use large words to great effect. Unfortunately, in this book, the author seems to have sat down with a vocabulary list and a very basic slate of ideas. These ideas were then dressed up by removing more conversational language and inserting weighty synonyms and obtuse similes and metaphors.

Even after getting past the pretentious tone of the essays, the actual content of them is greatly lacking as well. The author makes a habit out of presuming that people, particularly a certain subset of women, who are not like her are somehow faking it. Of course, several caricatures of self-doubting appear in the book to attempt to humanize the writing, but they largely fail because these moments and commentaries feel even more pretentious.

I couldn't recommend this book to anyone. Perhaps if it had attempted to talk TO readers and not AT them, the collection could have veered to two or three stars, but, as it is, this book is not worth the paper it is printed on.
1126961
I had high hopes for this book based solely on the cover, but I was disappointed. The writing is poor and relies far too much on long passages of mediocre rhymes that are both trite and overwrought. And the art is simply not strong enough to make up for it (of course even the best art cannot compensate for bad writing, but it can sometimes help gloss over minor flaws).

The real problem here is the plot. Even the simplest of children's books must at least make sense. The premise is that a puppy named Fred discovers one day that both his bed and his father (also a dog) are missing. He spends the day searching for them only to discover that his father was out getting a new bed for Fred, as he had apparently outgrown the old one. This doesn't make any sense for a number of reasons. First of all, Fred is depicted as more dog-like than person-like (he sleeps on the floor in a house, he doesn't wear clothes) so he should have dog-like problems. Dogs don't have their beds taken away by their fathers. It makes no sense.

It's obviously meant to be an allegory for toddlers outgoing their baby beds and getting new ones, but it's a clumsy allegory. It would have been better if Fred were a "person-like animal" throughout, like Franklin or Arthur. Then at least it would have made sense.

Of course even if we accepted that this book was meant to help toddlers through the transition or getting a big kid bed, I'd still question how helpful it would be. I hardly think the notion of having your dad go missing for a whole day only to find out he threw your bed away without telling you would be one that most children would find comforting.
3731367
I want to like this book. I really, really do. I love the concept behind the story. It captured my attention and made me long to see where it would lead. However, the way it's written leaves very much to be desired. The author's writing style is amateurish at best. There are scenes in the book that are tedious and, as near as I can tell, unnecessary. There are places in the book that are flat-out incorrect, one character's actions being attributed to another; this is crystal clear to anyone paying the smallest amount of attention to what's going on.

Rave reviews on Facebook made me seek out this title, and after reading it I can only assume those reviewers are suffering from some sort of mass delusion. These people wouldn't know good writing if it came up and smacked them in the face.

Sorely disappointed. Rated two starts only because I loved the idea behind it.
2288789
There were several story lines that could have been interesting if the author would have explored any of them in a bit more detail.  Alas, the writing jumped from subject to subject, with exasperating detail and issues that had nothing to do with the story.  I purchased the book because of the hype around it being written by JK Rowling.  Won't make that mistake again.
740562
While I applaud the author's stated intention of injecting personal insight and empathy into a discipline that has long been characterized by often falsely objective posturing, this collection left me highly  dissatisfied. The effect of her essays was to make anthropology just  another of the many contemporary genres that inflate "personal  experience," rendering it melodramatic and marketable. If I were more  interested in the individual doing the telling, perhaps the book would be  more compelling, and I found myself reading on in the hope that at some  point the author would succeed in making herself an interesting subject.  Unfortunately, the finale left me with the suspicion that she is not a  particularly good writer, though she may be a very good academic, one who  sells books to boot.
2306200
I did not read the first two books so I had nothing to base my opinion on but this one. I found the writing to be somewhat childish. I expected better, especially with the subject matter.  There were many levels of emotions to explore but I felt the author just grazed over them. In most cases the book is better than the movie, but not in this case.
3516611
This was the worst written book I have ever read. The subject matter is interesting or I would have given it one star.
1418059
The best thing about this book is its subject matter.  Unfortunately, the writing is so amateurish it made me wince at times.  Also, contrary to what some of the reviews say, the authors do not always "get the details right."  Furthermore, they should have worked harder at making the narrator a little more three-dimensional, a little less high-minded and admirable (likewise her oh-so-lovable yet totally faceless parents and grandmother).  I found excruciating the sections in which the narrator encounters nannies from less privileged backgrounds and lets us know that -- wait! you'll never guess! -- they are people, too.  This revelation seems very self-congratulatory on the part of the authors.  It may be news for some, but not for the rest of us.
2995924
I made it about a quarter of the way through the book and I just had to stop. While the writing was great, this book goes deep into subjects like rape, child molestation, suicidal thoughts, child neglect, depression, and eating disorders. I loved the author's story telling style, but the subject matter was way too much for me.
3842188
What I'm about to say is NOT a spoiler.  I recently started this book, since I enjoyed "Before I Go To Sleep" (also by S.J. Watson), but found I couldn't complete it.  I couldn't even get past page 100.  Without giving away anything that I read, or the ending, which I'll admit I cheated and looked at, a MAJOR theme of this book is alcoholism/addiction.  For many reasons, I always avoid books where these are central plot points or themes, as in "Second Life".  I wish I hadn't wasted my time or money.  I wish someone had written this review and told me before purchasing.  Also, the writing just wasn't good enough or compelling enough to make me finish.  I have read that the author's first book, "Before I Go To Sleep", was the product of a write-and-get-published class.  This book could have used the feedback from that class, as well.
1562524
I generally enjoy period pieces, particularly because the good writers will find a way to insert historically accurate information into the fiction and yet make the fiction work. This book, on the other hand, was just the opposite. It had the plot, and the sentence structure, of a comic book.  No, I take that back. Comic book texts are sometimes enjoyable.  Every sentence in this book is subject, verb, object - without variation.  The characters do physical feats in circumstances that defy belief; the heroine, serendipitously had noticed a coil of rope in a supply cabinet previously. She was able to find that rope and then expected to use it to rappel out the rear window of a zeppelin, landing in Hitler's Germany, unnoticed by the ground crew, afer dropping her luggage. And her 10 year old son does the same.

I quit after the first two chapters, totally put off by the ignorance of real issues, the silly and unbelievable coincidences and the just plain terrible writing. A book for adolescents - maybe.
1757869
I was disappointed with this book.  In hindsight two things might have clued me in; the title (a birthmother's 'journey', not search) and the fact that the author teaches creative writing.  The jacket says "McElmurray's own troubled upbringing and her quest after a now-fully-grown son are the heart of her story."  The details of her 'quest' do not begin until the last twenty or so pages before the book ends on page 248.  Her backround story is meandering and non-linear.  She includes 'memories' that she isn't sure happened.  At many times it seemed, to create fodder for her to show her creative writing ability; not to move the story along.  This book is recommended on the Perspectives on Youth Website under 'adoption', and that is why I got it.  I gave it one star because reading about her mother's illness did help me understand how her situation was created (I don't believe she was coerced into giving her child up however).  But I understood that fairly early in the book and yet read about it over and over again as the book went on.  I only finished the book out of curiosity as to when she would actually start talking about her active search for her son, and as I indicated, she does not mention it until the book is almost over.  The body of the book deals with her impressions and memories of her circumstances that although beautifully written, do not portray her as anyone that was trying to raise her consciousness or knowledge about those circumstances, or as someone who uses her own power to rise above them.
288838
I am disappointed in this latest addition to the Leandros saga. Although Rob Thurman is one of the best writers of urban fantasy, she may have too many worlds and books on her hands, and in the attempt to write too much, is not writing well. There is an axiom to great writing, and that is, "Show, don't tell." Normally, Ms Thurman's books are great at letting us learn about a world such as the one that the Leandros brothers inhabit, via the actions and interactions of characters with one another and within their world. In "Doubletake," Ms. Thurman took the easy way out and introduced us to Grimm mostly by providing us with his internal dialogs. I would have rather learned about Grimm by reading about his interactions with his collected succubae and resultant children. I can recall only one conversation between Grimm and one of his offspring, and that was late in the book. I think Grimm's world would have been more real and more horrific if readers had to grapple with monsters being monstrous with one another, and seeing if there was any empathy for the imprisoned and abused succubae. I find this interesting as the story of Niko and Kalakos was all show, which made the final expose all the better. I also feel that Grimm is a disappointment in that he brings back the Auphe, which provides Ms Thurman with an easy device through which Cal to battle his split persona. I think Cal could have faced this battle with a more interesting storyline than the already told story of Auphe vs. Auphe, to which Ms. Thurman had already brought to a satisfying end. Finally, I am disappointed in that Ms Thurman, in her Acknowledgement stated, "to my personal hero and artist, Chris McGrath. This time you gave me a cover so amazing that it knocked me on my ass at first glance. I had to edit the book ferociously simply because I didn't think it lived up to the cover....An artist that talented is rare. All hail Chris--the one true Art God." (Thurman, Rob (2012-03-06). Doubletake: A Cal Leandros Novel (Kindle Locations 124-126). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.) Yet, there is no cover art for the Kindle edition. If the author felt such strong emotions for the cover art, I find it inexplicable that this part of the book's experience was withheld from many of her troops. And, it must be said, that Cal would scoff at anyone not in the know, so I don't like having some of the book's totality withheld from me. This is similar to someone cutting a slogan out of one of Cal's t-shirts then expecting him to still wear it, and expect others to get what the t-shirt said. Overall, if you enjoy the Leandros series, you will like this book, but I can't say with confidence you will enjoy the portions that are all talk and no action.
1039402
I didn't like the subject matter and didn't like the writing style.  Not what I would expect from an amazon 4-star review.
2553280
I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, was extremely disappointed.  Two things really lept out at me.  First, one of the major characters is a child, however, like many authors, Mr. Wakely has trouble writing a child.  His child is really more of a short adult, rather than a child.  He talks like an adult, and mostly reacts like an adult.  Kids are hard to write, but this isn't one.  Secondly, the "mind transplant", or whatever it's called, doesn't behave in a believable manner on the child.  Instead of merging in and gradually taking over the child, it's pretty much binary.  The kid goes back and forth between being the old professor in a short body, or being the kid.  No blurring of the personalities, no merging of memories, nothing that would really make this an interesting tale of one mind taking over, simply a binary exchange of the two.
494154
I've read Jodi Picoult; I've enjoyed much of what I've read, but I did not enjoy this book. Not because she is not a good writer -- we all know she's a good writer -- but this story felt like a YA tragedy attempting, unsuccessfully, to appeal to adults. Not sure. I am sure I found it problematic.

First of all, "a love story" it is not (fyi: on some copies that is the subtitle). It is the story of suicide, mental illness and emotional compulsion; misguided thinking and extremely poor parenting, and given that the ending did not offer answers or a moral to make this horrific journey have appropriate meaning or make any particular statement, I was left disappointed and annoyed. Teen suicide is a big issue and certainly any exploration of it is meritorious; this was not that.

In fact, why, exactly, a beautiful young girl from a seemingly happy family would so desperately want to kill herself was left unexplored, as was why the boy who loved her (written as very bright and mature) didn't have the sense or even a modicum of wisdom to turn to either set of parents or any adult mentor to help him guide this "love of his life" to a different conclusion. Instead, the writer seems to make the point that they were destined for love, and their love was so deep, so great, that BECAUSE of that deep love, he'd painfully and reluctantly, but nonetheless factually, go ahead and help her kill herself. OH FOR GOD'S SAKE... PLEASE!!!

Unless I missed it somewhere, the inciting incident that purportedly drove this young woman crazy was not explained. There was some implication of a sexual abuse event or ongoing event (who knew? it was never explained!), so perhaps that was it, but the entire book devotes itself to her deep, deep NEED to kill herself, to engage her young lover to HELP her kill herself (without any thought to the impact on his life, mind you), without ever making clear, either through logical, obvious questioning by her lover, some confessional dialogue from her, or simply within the narrative voice, why this child was so profoundly and deathly depressed. Seemed a critically important element to leave out or gloss over.

On top of this YA mess, we then have the adults in the room, two couples who I think we're supposed to like or sorta like, who, from the minute these children are born, one for each family, act as though it is a foregone conclusion that they are irrevocably wed for life. Given the absoluteness with which the adults express that conviction, I found myself feeling literally suffocated by the presumption (what if they'd fallen in love with, say, DIFFERENT teenagers??). And, certainly, if the writer had chosen to make THAT the core of the children's dysfunctions, she might have had a decent story. She did not choose that path.

So the book begins with the suicide, spends much time on backstory, painting a golden picture of two golden families and their golden children, to lead us to the trial of the boy (who is accused of homicide), and within all that, we're supposed to come away with some impression of... what? That suicide is bad/good/unstoppable? That 'true love' transcends fighting for someone's life? That these two marriages were really so dysfunctional that life was too depressing to live for one child and too tunnel-visioned on being "the good boyfriend" to actually save life of the one he loves? WHAT?

Sigh. I don't know. Maybe the writers' fans will love this book regardless of these many issues, I did not. I found the suicide through line to be not credible and almost irresponsible. The only message I would want to leave any potential (and especially younger) readers is: even the most dreadful of lives can turn for the better with personal and professional help, so seek that help; reach out to adults and mentors; additionally, don't HELP someone kill themselves out of "love" or any other misguided notions of affection; realize just how precious life is and how strongly even the suicidal person will believe that once past the crisis.