I wish the author had used a assumed name
923258
I compliment the author on writing an entertaining, at times funny, generally easy-to-read book.  It was a quick read, a nice break from the more serious, denser books that I read.  I can respect when writers engage in odder activities, because they are doing it for a book, and you have to view the behaviors in the viewpoint of "they are entertainers, they are looking to provide an insight by eating something we would never do, going on trips we would always avoid, engaging in activities that are at the limits of the norm."  But this writer uses a real name, and simple Google searches show she is a well-known participant in the municipal finance markets.  A writer who has the experiences she has, I can understand.  But someone in a position of enormous book and judgment intelligence is not someone who I can understand  choosing to engage in the public explanation of such behaviors.  Maturity is beyond just degrees or work experience- it is, in my personal opinion, the ability of others to feel a level of confidence and comfort in someone else handling a serious-minded endeavor, and to be able to make that decision based on the individual's past behaviors and past judgment.  This writer's experiences, though entertaining, do not invoke -to me- a level of personal maturity and does not provide me a level of confidence to have her in the position of making decisions on serious minded public financial matters, such as bonds, restructurings, and public infrastructure activities.  I wish she had used an assumed name, so that she can say she is a well educated financial professional, without letting everyone know about her other activities.
1587193
If this woman's life was written about by another author, I think it could have been an awesome book. However, it was kinda "naaaahhh." She had a crazy exciting life, but it could have been written better. I know the author done tons of research, but the events could have went for some more feeling.
2179145
Although Carole's story is inspiring, I am disturbed that she would choose to depict a friend of mine as a "gold digger".  First of all, the house in NH was not a rental (my friend had her name put on the deed - which is public record and can be researched). Secondly, he neither arranged nor attended the welcoming party on the newly built deck, or, hired a bluegrass band from Boston (he hates bluegrass music). Thirdly, he never proposed to her. Fourthly, he is the most generous person I know.  There are other discrepancies in the book as well.  I am glad Carole was "healed by horses", but am saddened that my friend was "hurt by Carole's memoirs" in her references to him (by full name, nonetheless) as a "gold digger".

I hope she will do the right thing and amend her misrepresentations.
4417794
OK, I admit it.  I did not finish the book. I usually do read everything to the last page.  I started into and found myself annoyed that the author makes assumptions about the thoughts and attitudes of the characters-- a no-no in a biography and a habit that suggests it is fiction, not fact.  This is a man who should have a sensational biography but this book is not it.
2474365
A book that would have been better titled as something along the lines of 'I'm Jeanine Pirro, And This Is Why I'm The Best'.
The title, subject and jacket description were intriguing enough that I purchased the book. The first warning sign that I failed to notice was the fact that the photo section had 4 pictures of the subject, 4 pictures of the subject's victims, and 6 pictures of the author - seven, if you count the jacket. Reading the book, which is written in casual, conversational, unsophisticated style, it becomes increasingly clear that the author considers herself a gift to humanity, and everyone who disagrees with her is an idiot. The original investigator is 'incompetent', 'corrupt', and/or 'stupid'. The judge on the first trial is just not as good as the author would have been on the same bench. The jurors on the first trial (that returned a not guilty verdict), were 'morons', 'idiots', 'enamored', 'publicity seeking', or corrupt. On, and on, and on. The meat on the subject matter would have filled 2 chapters, the rest is icing on the author's cake. Every chapter has a reference to a television program that involved the author.  As for the writing and editing: A good author can weave suspense even when writing about a tale with a known outcome. Not here- this volume is plodding prose, with nary a page without self promotion. I suspect a lot of the promotional material is inflated or fabricated. But I am neither interested nor intrigued enough to investigate. I stopped reading after chapter 11, and returned the book.
There are much better ways to read up on a contemporary murder investigation. If you want to read up on a contemporary celebrity, then by all means pick up this book.
416490
A perfect setting for what could have been a perfect fantasy story but the author missed the mark by adding needless information that did not move the story forward and redundant conversations.  At times i thought Tengo was missing a few marbles and was incapable of normal conversations.  Example in point,  Ari:  "more than I can count on my fingers."  Tengo:  "but, more than one?" And another gem, Doctor:  "your father is in a coma. " Tengo:  "You mean he is unconscious?" This last one caused me to laugh out loud.

I do admire the authors character development and his ability to describe to the reader his world of Air Chrysalis.  I could be persuaded to read another of his books for this fact alone.  Time will tell because I need a little time to heal so I myself will quit repeating people's statements and questions to me in my head. The author should have taken heed from his leading mans rewrite of Air Chrysalis...concise and to the point but chose to take a laborious route.

Dear reader take heed and do not listen to this book, read it so you can skip the unneeded content. But do in fact read it for the authors imagination and rich characters.
2466841
The author should have written this as a Novel. No one ever called Mozart "Wolfie", not even his older
sister. However, she had a nickname (Nannerl) which Mozart tagged her with when they were
children. I'm sorry, Ms. Ferguson, Inanna deserves better than this.
4618715
I  was disappointed in the book; The author has missed
so much she could have said to reinforce the title.
336276
Really enjoyed the story but the author mixes up the names in several parts and is distracting to have to stop and make sure which character he actually means. Other than that, I thought it was a good read!
4911841
One more Chinese name that sounded like all the rest and I would have quit reading the book.  Otherwise very good.
3676690
Author has a tremendous imagination. He should regret having claimed that the entire account was true.
230438
I understand that another author's biography was more psychological and I understand that Frederick Brown wanted to examine Flaubert in a more social, historical context. I just wish Brown had come up with a slightly different title for his biography of my all-time favorite writer. Titling the biography *Flaubert* lent me to think the biography would be more psychological, rather than historical. Perhaps Brown should have considered something like *Flaubert and Normandy* or *Flaubert's Normandy.* The historical passages are well done, but I wonder if they could have been trimmed a bit. Though I have been trained in European history, I gritted my teeth while reading every word. I wonder if Brown thought to himself, "Now let me get through this so that we can get back to Flaubert's literary tribulations and relationships." Flaubert's literary struggles and relationships are the most fascinating part of this biography.

My gripes aside, this biography is densely (in the best sense of the word) and beautifully written. Flaubert's best and not so great moments are limned gorgeously. The most touching aspect of the man is how good he was to his niece Caroline and how she honored his memory. I wished I had been Willa Cather when she encountered Caroline to talk about "les ouevres de mon oncle."
139748
The content of the book is okay (there is some good information, but nothing ground breaking or earth shattering).  However, when one author spells another author's name incorrectly it is a pet peeve of mine. Iyanla Vanzant is all over Amazon, Google, etc., so to me there's really no excuse to not check her name. (Currently spelled Ayanla). To me it discredits Ms. Cantarella as an author, because as a reader I think, "what else is the author getting wrong?". I don't mind an occasional typo here and there in a book (sometimes it's inevitable), but misspelling another author's name could be a credibility issue. By quoting this person you're announcing to the world that this is someone who you admire, but you don't respect them enough to spell their name correctly? It would be like getting an invitation to the White House and eating dinner with the President and then sending a thank-you note with the President's name spelled incorrectly. Embarrassing! Would you get invited to dinner there again? If you're a commoner, I don't think so.
3426
I found this facinating reading, probably because I would love to find the real ME.  Duplicated description of theunder storm dissapointed me.  If I were offered the oppertunity, I would follow his footsteps, assuming he told the absolute truth.
934981
This book is compelling and well written, but I sometimes found myself doubting the author's honesty. Benjamin Anastas portrays his wife as a total psychopath with no redeeming qualities aside from physical beauty. Her decision to abandon him hardly seems related to his premarital betrayal, and nothing in the book shows that their relationship was ever anything but superficial. Unless the mother of this man's son really is insane, I think the book would be better if it presented a fuller description of her, and maybe a clue about her side of the story. For me it was also hard to muster too much sympathy for someone with this guy's Wikipedia entry, especially since he has so far managed to maintain a good standard of living despite suffering the abject humiliation of borrowing from significant others and scrounging for loose change to contribute to the grocery budget and Coinstar's profits. Maybe I'm sentimental, but he moved me most with his last chapter--a letter to his young son who can't yet read.

As someone else pointed out, the Kindle edition is kind of a mess. Someone seems to have screwed up the e-book with a global search-and-replace that removed the second f in all instances of "off". Instead of immediately undoing this operation, the editor apparently then attempted an automated fix that only botched things further.

Mr. Anastas, your Coinstar days may be over, because I think I will be buying your novels. I wish you a speedy return to a charmed life, albeit not the one you expected.
3476217
I didn't like the way it was written. The author was more like the main character than the victim.
531313
It would have been a better book if it hadn't used Gods name in vain.i don't like to read books with cuss words in it