General Chat

Sorry did not get either Hislop or Pearse from the library - Lesley Pearse is a very popular writer and there is a waiting list.

I definitely will read Hislop when I can get a copy.

Jeffery Archer - he is a very clever bloke - and having read nearly all his books (won't be reading the one about Everest), I would say "To Cut a Long Story Short" is not one of his best efforts on short stories... Prefer Twelve Red Herrings - where the last story has three different endings.

In his story "The Endgame"in "To Cut a Long Story Short" he makes a couple of references to his book "All Things Being Equal"... this book also has two different endings - I read the British Version and in it Simon Kerslake becomes Prime Minister. I also picked up an American Edition when I owned my bookshop. I flipped over to the end of it and in this one Raymond Gould becomes Prime Minister. He has made other small changes in the two versions of the same book as in the make of cars they drove etc. So his choice of title is also a play upon words. Too clever!!

Persey

Stolen by Leslet Pearse

Not an impotrant or "must read" book but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
A good yarn with goodies and baddies, where the goodies prevail. Although it talked about the issue of babies for sale, it was generally a bit of escapism.
I loved the idea of winning the right to have your name in the book (all in the aid of charity), and David Mitchell turned out to be my favourite character (I wonder if it was 'the' David Mitchell, of Mitchell and Webb fame?)

So not a blockbuster, more of a made for t.v. film.

Stolen – by Lesley Pearse
This book held my interest right through to the end. An unusual plot, but one which is quite possible. Selling babies is still a lucrative business and some people will do anything to get the babies. This story had a twist in that Fern wanted to keep this baby for herself and yet she neglected it.
The story also showed how two people can tell the same story and make it sound totally different in the meaning. This made me feel apprehensive about Lotte being believed.

To Cut a Long Story Short – by Jeffrey Archer
A mixture of fourteen stories. Some were a classic example of life but others didn’t interest me. He is a good writer, and I was interested right to the end, but a little disappointed with a few of the stories.

I didn't read To Cut a Long Story Short, but chose to read "The Return" by Victoria Hislpo instead.
A gripping story about the Spanish Civil War - before I read this book I had heard of the War, but didn't understand snything about it - including who the protaganisits were.
This book enlightened and educated me, explaining the issues and delving into the horrors of the war while telling the story of a family - very moving and sad and well worth a read.

I will be back with review of "Stolen" on Thursday (day time).

To Cut a Long Story Short by Jeffrey Archer. I have read nearly all the book now.

I quite like short stories as they have a rapid pace - and these were no exception! I enjoyed the stories, although I would make the comment that despite being set in relatively modern situations, many of the names were terrifically old-fashioned and straight out of Agatha Christie!

The stories so far are all really different and as such the endings, I found, could not be predicted. I think this would be a great holiday read.

To Cut a Long Story Short by Jeffrey Archer

I loved the fact that many of these stories were based on true life and twist in the tail at the end of them (although you could see a few coming). Considering they were only short stories I felt he managed to paint the characters of the people in them remarkably deftly. I had to read 'Crime Pays' twice to be sure I had worked out the scam, but what a devious mind it shows!

Stolen by Lesley Pearse

I found this book quite lightweight (it reminded me of the serials I used to read in my Mum's Woman's Weekly magazine) but as I was reading it in the garden whilst trying to relax from the stress of helping my son to move into his first house that was no bad thing! I found it rather predictable, although, like Helen, I loved the fact that David had won a competition. I would love to be immortalized in a book but I would insist on the final say as to what my character was like not to mention my appearance (slim, young etc!!).

I ordered Jeffrey Archer's short stories from the library and they turned up today so my review of these will be a few days late!

Stolen By Lesley Pearse.

I read this book with a mounting sense of incredulity. The terrible misfortunes that happened to Lotte throughout her life marked her as such a victim that each time I turned the page I expected her to admit she had made up the whole sad story – as her parents originally thought. Towards the end of the book I felt there would be some sort of twist that made sense of the plot – but there wasn’t.

Each awful thing that happened to her would have been distressing by itself but as there were so many it began to feel unreal. A bit like a B-rate scary movie. I also felt that some of the main characters were not very convincing, although I loved the idea that the character David was based on a man who won a competition to be in the author’s book!

All in all I was disappointed and I have already given the book away.

Greaders Review Stolen by Lesley Pearse
She is such a good story teller that when I am reading her books I want to get to the end to know the outcome, yet I don’t because I don’t want to finish the book, I want it to go on for ever.

I loved this one. The flash back to life on the cruise ship and to Lotte’s life with her parents as a child drew you into the story. I enjoyed the quest to find out what had happened to her to get her into this state and the spine chilling abduction and incarceration of first one then two girls.
I wanted to give Lotte’s Mother a good shake, and her father too for being a spineless father. And as for Marisa!! Nasty piece of work! But the Ramsdens, I suspected right away that they were going to have an involvement that would not be expected, didn’t like them at all.
I also liked the way the other characters were developed, with Dale, Scott, David, Simon and Adam being well rounded out so I felt like I knew them all. A very good book.

I didn't read the short stories, I'm afraid I don't like short stories or Jeffrey Archer so opted out. I am reading Victoria Hislop The Return though and enjoying it.

Review from May

I did, however read Short Stories and would like to review this now, I was very disappointed, I have read many of his books in the past and liked them. I was looking forward to reading this but as I've said I was disappointed, felt some stories were nonsensicle and I couldn't wait to finish the book, not to find out the ending, but to be rid of it..

Please review Short stories and Stolen

I have put this up today because with going away friday there is so much going on I am afraid it will get forgotten.

If you read any of the other suggested books as well please also review them here.