The characters’ concerns lead to some provocative ideas and discussions, which can get lost in the meandering narrative.
Michael, his companion Janet, their son, David, and their friends continue their adventures while searching for philosophical and scientific truth in the latest installment of Dimond’s (Return of the Light Prince, 2010, etc.) series.
Michael’s latest adventure begins at the ceremony marking the union of his close friend and confidant John Bran, better known as “Oats,” and his beloved Marmuron. The joyous occasion is also a time of curiosity and reflection as Oats is also exploring Isaac Newton’s theories of gravity and motion. Oats’ discoveries have significant implications for humanity, and he’s eager to share them with his friends. Oats and Marmuron aren’t the only ones enjoying a fulfilling union. Princess Urundayy, also known as Uri, is growing closer to her friend Herron, but she needs to be certain he’s the right one for her before she forms a union with him. Uri’s romantic dilemma coincides with an important new mission: She’s been asked to assist with the formation of a new sanctuary that will unite and protect the animal population. Michael also continues his analyses of the theories of Newton and Charles Darwin with his closest friends in an attempt to re-establish balance in the universe. Dimond’s fast-paced narrative thoughtfully explores a number of ideas and concepts. The strongest element of the novel is the concerns the characters share for understanding the universe and protecting the most vulnerable elements of society. Michael is a likable protagonist surrounded by an extensive supporting cast, including Janet and the young lovers, Uri and Herron. Dimond explores a plethora of ideas in the novel; however, many of the chapters feel truncated, ending just when it looks like a character is going to reveal a significant detail. Sharper editing could have helped refine the story’s focus and clear up confusion regarding some of the characters’ names; for example, one character is referred to as Megs, Meg and Meg’s.
The characters’ concerns lead to some provocative ideas and discussions, which can get lost in the meandering narrative.Pub Date: March 12, 2014
ISBN: 978-1493135653
Page Count: 266
Publisher: Xlibris
Review Posted Online: Nov. 14, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.
Life lessons.
Angie Malone, the youngest of a big, warm Italian-American family, returns to her Pacific Northwest hometown to wrestle with various midlife disappointments: her divorce, Papa’s death, a downturn in business at the family restaurant, and, above all, her childlessness. After several miscarriages, she, a successful ad exec, and husband Conlan, a reporter, befriended a pregnant young girl and planned to adopt her baby—and then the birth mother changed her mind. Angie and Conlan drifted apart and soon found they just didn’t love each other anymore. Metaphorically speaking, “her need for a child had been a high tide, an overwhelming force that drowned them. A year ago, she could have kicked to the surface but not now.” Sadder but wiser, Angie goes to work in the struggling family restaurant, bickering with Mama over updating the menu and replacing the ancient waitress. Soon, Angie befriends another young girl, Lauren Ribido, who’s eager to learn and desperately needs a job. Lauren’s family lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and her mother is a promiscuous alcoholic, but Angie knows nothing of this sad story and welcomes Lauren into the DeSaria family circle. The girl listens in, wide-eyed, as the sisters argue and make wisecracks and—gee-whiz—are actually nice to each other. Nothing at all like her relationship with her sluttish mother, who throws Lauren out when boyfriend David, en route to Stanford, gets her pregnant. Will Lauren, who’s just been accepted to USC, let Angie adopt her baby? Well, a bit of a twist at the end keeps things from becoming too predictable.
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-345-46750-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2004
More of the same: Sparks has his recipe, and not a bit of it is missing here. It’s the literary equivalent of high fructose...
Sparks (The Longest Ride, 2013, etc.) serves up another heaping helping of sentimental Southern bodice-rippage.
Gone are the blondes of yore, but otherwise the Sparks-ian formula is the same: a decent fellow from a good family who’s gone through some rough patches falls in love with a decent girl from a good family who’s gone through some rough patches—and is still suffering the consequences. The guy is innately intelligent but too quick to throw a punch, the girl beautiful and scary smart. If you hold a fatalistic worldview, then you’ll know that a love between them can end only in tears. If you hold a Sparks-ian one, then true love will prevail, though not without a fight. Voilà: plug in the character names, and off the story goes. In this case, Colin Hancock is the misunderstood lad who’s decided to reform his hard-knuckle ways but just can’t keep himself from connecting fist to face from time to time. Maria Sanchez is the dedicated lawyer in harm’s way—and not just because her boss is a masher. Simple enough. All Colin has to do is punch the partner’s lights out: “The sexual harassment was bad enough, but Ken was a bully as well, and Colin knew from his own experience that people like that didn’t stop abusing their power unless someone made them. Or put the fear of God into them.” No? No, because bound up in Maria’s story, wrinkled with the doings of an equally comely sister, there’s a stalker and a closet full of skeletons. Add Colin’s back story, and there’s a perfect couple in need of constant therapy, as well as a menacing cop. Get Colin and Maria to smooching, and the plot thickens as the storylines entangle. Forget about love—can they survive the evil that awaits them out in the kudzu-choked woods?
More of the same: Sparks has his recipe, and not a bit of it is missing here. It’s the literary equivalent of high fructose corn syrup, stickily sweet but irresistible.Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4555-2061-9
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
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