Birds Without Wings

Book Description

In his first novel since Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernières creates a world, populates it with characters as real as our best friends, and launches it into the maelstrom of twentieth-century history. The setting is a small village in southwestern Anatolia in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire. Everyone there speaks Turkish, though they write it in Greek letters. It’s a place that has room for a professional blasphemer; where a brokenhearted aga finds solace in the arms of a Circassian courtesan who isn’t Circassian at all; where a beautiful Christian girl named Philothei is engaged to a Muslim boy named Ibrahim. But all of this will change when Turkey enters the modern world. Epic in sweep, intoxicating in its sensual detail, Birds Without Wings is an enchantment.

Customer Reviews:

Classic books.......2007-10-01

An excellent book, but hard to stay with at times. I would recommend reading it though.

A new Top ten Author For Me.......2007-09-07

From page one the reader feels an Arabian Nights sort of storytelling is coming on, and is not disappointed. I picked this book up on a lark after reading the first few pages and being dazzled by the author's style; this is the first book I've read by him. There are tinges of magical realism and heapings of superstitions from Muslim and Christian tradition. This is a great story of people, their frailties, and their strengths.

I've seen some readers call this book anti-this group or pro-that group and it seems to me they just don't get it. This book is an extensive parable using a handful of real life personalities and some amazing embellishments. A parable of.... well, people can live together hether in a great city or a small town with a mixture of beliefs or national origins as long as they have respect for one another. Life may not be perfect, but it will be managable. Make no mistake; this is no simple-minded utopian novel. The book stresses that, no matter how stressed cross cultural ties may be, these ties are severed forever by the Three horned Beast of Nationalism, Fundamentalism, and Greed.

But I digress. I never read a story for its meaning. I look for talent of prose and inventive storytelling: It has not been since i first read Italo Calvino that i was so impressed. That's really all I have to say. An amazing, highly crafted prize.
T

A Book That Lingers.......2007-08-22

This is certainly one of the saddest books I've ever read. I mean sad in that it depicts all the barbarity, kindness, love, hate, absurdity and compassion of which humans are capable and leaves one with the still, sad music of humanity tolling in one's ears. It is a haunting read, if one perseveres to the end.

I add this conditional because I can easily see why a reader may want to give up, say, two hundred or so pages into it. Though De Bernieres is a masterful narrator, particularly at descriptive passages of everything from rolling landscapes to the details of almost unimaginable brutality, the writing itself is not particularly poetic or stylistic. And when one finishes reading a very detailed introduction and description of the manners and affect of a (supposedly) Circassian odalisque, it might not seem worth the effort

But please go on: Because, immediately after these languorous passages comes the most riveting writing of the book in the form of Karatavuk's accounts of Gallipoli. That this is the most captivating part of the book is hardly surprising. The Dedication mentions De Bernieres' maternal grandfather who was wounded at Gallipoli while serving with the Royal Naval Division (a detachment of Navy foot-soldiers created by Churchill because, at the time, there were simply more sailors than ships which they could man). I don't quite how to describe these passages except by saying that you won't be able to put the book down when reading them, and that they contain everything a soldier won't talk about when he comes home from a war.

The rest of the novel, to put it pointedly, becomes increasingly more dismal. If there is a music to this novel, it is akin to the long howl of a wolf in a desolate place. Loved ones become sundered, minds become deranged, peoples dislocated. Some find their quietus suddenly. Others linger sorrowfully.

I can't quite make out the historical accuracy fuss. De Bernieres repeatedly declaims the evils of nationalism from first to last here, and there is enough brutality and bloodshed for all. Those quibbling in the other reviews about this sort of thing remind one of some of the more petty characters described herein.

In the end, one is left with "that weariness of someone who knows that they have lived too long, and which can come upon a person at any age." For, "The present is confounded by the future, the future is confounded by the future beyond it, and the memories bubble up in disorder, and the heart is unpredictable."

Birds without Wings.......2007-08-09

Beautiful writing style and wonderful story. Set in the early 1900's in Turkey, De Bernieres describes the Fall of the Ottoman Empire. He has a wonderful way of making the characters come alive--you almost feel like you are there. Very descriptive.

Book of folly and sorrows . . ........2007-08-08

This book should come with a warning. It will sadden you beyond measure. Set in a coastal village at the end of the Ottoman empire in what is now Turkey, it follows the fortunes and misfortunes of a large cast of characters. As Christians and Muslims, they have lived together peaceably for generations, and would continue to have done so without the virulent rise of nationalism in the "great world" around them. So the author argues, as the entire village is swept up in the wars and civil wars erupting at the start of the last century, and the lawlessness and ethnic cleansing that accompanied them.

At 550+ pages, it is a long novel, its many stories told in a variety of voices and at a leisurely pace. Richly detailed, it also fills a broad canvas as the specifics of village life alternate with accounts of political movements abroad, following in particular the career and ambitions of the man who became Atatürk, first leader of modern-day Turkey. Readers may contest de Bernière's accounts of historical events - for example, the Armenian genocide - but his overall argument remains consistent, that nationalism has been a scourge that brought misery and suffering to millions and continues to do so. While life for his Ottoman villagers is not without its cruelties and injustices, it was edenic by comparison with the horrors that befall them as the nation-state of Turkey is born - including the agonies of trench warfare, forced marches of whole populations, and unspeakable brutalities suffered by noncombatants caught in the firestorm of military conquest.

Finally, by the end of the novel, the reader is left with an almost unutterable sense of sadness, loss and waste. Its saving grace is surely de Bernière's rapturous use of language, a gift for storytelling, and an attitude toward his characters that envelops them with both a loving and ironic embrace. He gives them what the "great world" has been unable to - a respectful concern for their welfare and a wish that they be remembered and not utterly forgotten. Readers may also find Orhan Pamuk's novel "Snow" illuminating.

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Unforgettable
When and empire collapses all perish under it
Is Louis de Bernieres married?
your efforts will be rewarded
A subject not often written about

Birds Without Wings
Louis De Bernieres
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1400043417
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Book Description

Louis de Bernières’s last novel, Corelli’s Mandolin, was met with the highest praise: “Behind every page,” said Richard Russo, “we sense its author’s intelligence, wit, heart, imagination, and wisdom. This is a great book.” A. S. Byatt placed the author in “the direct line that runs through Dickens and Evelyn Waugh.” Now, de Bernières gives us his long-awaited new novel. Huge, resonant, lyrical, filled with humor and pathos, a novel about the political and personal costs of war, and of love–between men and women, between friends, between those who are driven to be enemies.

It is the story of a small coastal town in South West Anatolia in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire told in the richly varied voices of the people–Christians and Muslims of Turkish and Greek and Armenian descent–whose lives are rooted there, intertwined for untold years. There is Iskander, the potter and local font of proverbial wisdom; Karatavuk–Iskander’s son–and Mehmetçik, childhood friends whose playground stretches across the hills above the town, where Mehmetçik teaches the illiterate Karatavuk to write Turkish in Greek letters. There are Father Kristoforos and Abdulhamid Hodja, holy men of different faiths who greet each other as “Infidel Efendi”; Rustem Bey, the landlord and protector of the town, whose wife is stoned for the sin of adultery. There is a man known as “the Dog” because of his hideous aspect, who lives among the Lycian tombs; and another known as “the Blasphemer,” who wanders the town cursing God and all of his representatives of all faiths. And there is Philothei, the Christian girl of legendary beauty, courted from infancy by Ibrahim the goatherd–a great love that culminates in tragedy and madness. But Birds Without Wings is also the story of Mustafa Kemal, whose military genius will lead him to victory against the invading Western European forces of the Great War and a reshaping of the whole region.

When the young men of the town are conscripted, we follow Karatavuk to Gallipoli, where the intimate brutality of battle robs him of all innocence. And in the town he left behind, we see how the twin scourges of fanatical religion and nationalism unleashed by the war quickly, and irreversibly, destroy the fabric of centuries-old peace.

Epic in its narrative sweep–steeped in historical fact–yet profoundly humane and dazzlingly evocative in its emotional and sensual detail, Birds Without Wings is a triumph.

Customer Reviews:

Unforgettable.......2007-09-13

I have always been interested in modern history of Turkey and Greece, but never really had a chance to read up on it. This book is my first encounter with Turkey/Greece modern hystory, and I would say I learned a lot! Not just the history, but the religions and the relationships between Muslims and Christians in Turkey then, the cultures, etc. and how the wars affected them.

About the book, this is my first time to read this author's book, and I had to get used to his style. Each chapter is dedicated to one specific character, in relation to the events and to the other characters. In other words, one chapter is about Iskander the potter, another chapter is about Philothei, etc. Some chapters are written in 3rd person, some in 1st person. So at first, it was like bits and pieces, patches put together, and not continuous story. But once I got used to the style, it went pretty quickly, and I was so absorbed. Using both 3rd person and 1st person gave glimmering colors to the characters. YOu can see and understand the people in different light, which leads you to get to know them so intimately. They are so vividly alive that you almost think you've grown up with them since childhood.

He writes with absolute confidence and assurance, in an as-a-matter-of-factly way, but it's not dry like some books written by some of the modern writers. Instead, it is rich and powerful, and it contains good humor too. Some scenes are very moving, but he doesn't linger or make them emotional more than he needs to. And that makes those scenes even more precious and unforgettable.
The history is so complicated, and I don't know how he sorted everything out and put it into a story such as this one.

In any case, it's one of the best books I've read this year so far, and I will remember the characters and the story for a very very long time.

When and empire collapses all perish under it.......2007-07-07

This is the best novel I have read so far by a non turkish author displaying the human drama during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
You will not be able to put down the book until you reach its end.

Is Louis de Bernieres married?.......2007-04-07

If not, do you think he would consider marrying me? Or, if he is already married, I'd be glad to be his concubine. His prose is so heart-stirringly beautiful that it hurts. I could almost not stand knowing that this book was going to end, which is no mean feat when you consider that the eventual death of the town beauty is revealed in the beginning of the story, removing any sort of dramatic suspense of the sort lesser writers employ to keep their readers turning the pages.

Which is not to say that this book is not completely engaging and entertaining in the conventional sense, because it certainly is. One of the most enchanting things about this book, in fact, is that you are so drawn in to the lives of so many different characters, some of whom appear only fleetingly, and many of whom lead particularly uneventful lives. What is so compelling is the way de Bernieres weaves their narratives together, and conveys how all his characters are caught up in the historical forces that are swirling around them.

It is sobering to read this book and realize that the same historical forces are actually wreaking havoc in the very real and non-fictional world today. Were it not for having discovered de Bernieres and his glorious prose, I am not sure that I would have the strength to go on. His presentation of the inexorable chaos born of indefatigable nationalism may be spot-on, but it does not make one feel at all optimistic about an amelioration of the current state of World Events.

However, as long this is a world where books such as this can be read, there is some solace in being, as de Bernieres says, a "bird without wings" rather than a "[person] without sorrows".

your efforts will be rewarded.......2006-12-07

This is the best book I have read in a long time. Having said that, this book is not for everyone. I had read 'Corelli's Mandolin" 10 years ago so I was familiar with the writing style of this author, which I believed helped.
This book takes patience and work but I feel is well worth the great amounts of both. I am of Greek descent and rarely have I heard the "Turkish side" of the events of 1921 between Greece and Turkey. De Bernieres has a great knack for interweaving historical events with both fictional and factual characters. In doing so, he creates a novel much like Hemingway did in his war novels. Stories that are both international and personal. And, with much heartache. As usual, stories such as these say as much about the period they are depicting as today unfortunately. (I'm curious if George w. could even get through the 1st chapter of this book.) I hope they make this into a movie and that it does not become the catastrophe that the film version of 'Corelli's Mandolin" ended-up being. I highly recommend this book to serious readers.

A subject not often written about.......2006-09-11

Another reviewer described reading this novel as a beverage - the first half a fine cognac - a sip at a time. The second half more like cold water that one gulps down. I have to agree. I read the first 2 chapters over twice to become acquainted and remember the characters. The story develops slowly but holds your interest. As the book continued more characters were introduced and the reader is drawn into the town & country. There are many characters each representing a bit of knowledge about the time & place. Theodorus the merchant who built the town pump, Drusella a Greek who must leave Turkey, the town intellectual who reads greek, the Armenian apothecary, Tamara who is stoned for being unfaithful and becomes a prostitute etc. The muslim leader, Abdulhamid Hodja, gives someone who is not familar with the religous laws some insight so they do not seem as oppressive as imagined. The muslim Turks are not taught to read a disadvantage when compared to the Greeks and Armenians.
I'm not sure the biography of Ataturk was as insightful.
But this is a book I would not have missed reading.

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Birds Without Wings
Louis De Bernieres
Manufacturer: Random House Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Average customer rating:

I really enjoyed this audiobook
Great atmospheric read, but...

Birds Without Wings
Louis De Bernieres
Manufacturer: Random House Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 073931548X
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Book Description

Birds Without Wings traces the fortunes of one small community in southwest Turkey (Anatolia) in the early part of the last century — a quirky community in which Christian and Muslim lives and traditions have co-existed peacefully over the centuries and where friendship, even love, has transcended religious differences.

But with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire and the onset of the Great War, the sweep of history has a cataclysmic effect on this peaceful place: The great love of Philothei, a Christian girl of legendary beauty, and Ibrahim, a Muslim shepherd who courts her from near infancy, culminates in tragedy and madness; Two inseparable childhood friends who grow up playing in the hills above the town suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of the bloody struggle; and Rustem Bey, a wealthy landlord, who has an enchanting mistress who is not what she seems.

Far away from these small lives, a man of destiny who will come to be known as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is emerging to create a country from the ruins of an empire. Victory at Gallipoli fails to save the Ottomans from ultimate defeat and, as a new conflict arises, Muslims and Christians struggle to survive, let alone understand, their part in the great tragedy that will reshape the whole region forever.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

I really enjoyed this audiobook.......2007-07-06

I had never read anything by Louis de Bernieres as an author, but I was intrigued by the description on the back of this audiobook, so I decided to give it a try. I am really glad I did! This is a story that takes place in World War I and it is about the end of the Ottoman Empire. The characters you find in this story are so very intesting because they are not predictable stereotypes. Instead, they are complex human beings with feelings that you can really understand. For example, one might not relate to the character of Rustem Bey at first, because he stones his wife for adultery. But later as his character is later revealed to the reader, one sees the true remourse and shame he feels for what he did. We also follow Rustem Bey as he searches for love and finally finds it in the person of Layla, his mistress. The description of her first seduction of her lover was truly lovely and romantic. I might want to listen to that part again!

The characters in the story are come to life as they are beautifully read by Hugh Bonneville. He expresses both the characters and their emotions extremely well.

I know that I relate to the characters in a story really well when I find myself thinking about them when I am not listening to the book, but going about my daily life. Indeed, I found myself thinking not only about the characters, but about war and its horrors. I don't think I will soon forget the image that De Bernieres painted in my mind of soldiers suffering and dying from Dysentery. How awful. We should never forget that these things happen.

Listening to this book made me want to try perhaps reading more of Lois De Bernieres Books.

Great atmospheric read, but... .......2004-10-25

In terms of creating an athmosphere and establishing historic perspective, De Bernies is great. As in his previous book Captain Corelli's Mandoline(one of my favorites) he looks at how war distrupts otherwise peaceful, almost idyllic life. The characters are well drawn and deeply human--from the local pasha to the potter, they all have their dreams and foibles.

What irritated me very much is DeBernies conviction, which he does not really try to hide, taht life in the little village in the Ottoman empire was perfect until some hot heads decided to impose their nationalistic ideas. Politics in the Balkans has always been much more complex than that. If you look at the idilly he describes -- we have a village where people get along, but without references to historic events, you would think taht the action was taking place anywhere between 14th and 17th century, when indeed the story De Bernies is telling happens at the beginnign of the 20th century. Yes, the nationalist movements disrupted social peace, but such disruption was inevitable if the region was to catch up with progress. Add to that some historic inaccuracies and the novel declines significantly in value...

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Birds Without Wings
Louis De Bernieres
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Birds Without Wings

ASIN: 0099478986

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Birds Without Wings
Louis De Bernieres
Manufacturer: Secker & Warburg
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0436205491

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Birds Without Wings
Louis De Bernieres
Manufacturer: Vintage Canada
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0676976956
Release Date: 2005-06-28

Book Description

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Birds Without Wings
Louis De Bernieres
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OH3DYE

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Birds Without Wings
Reina Murray , and Sylvester I. Okoro
Manufacturer: Tate Publishing & Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Child Abuse | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1602470014

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Simply Phenomenal!!!

Birds Without Wings
Louis de Bernieres
Manufacturer: Books On Tape
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 1415903824

Customer Reviews:

Simply Phenomenal!!!.......2005-05-25

I cant convey me feelings enough for this book. I listened to it on CD and it sucked me in immediately. The narrator, John Lee, deserves so much praise for his role in my enjoyment of this novel.

This book drags you right in and you instantly feel like your part of the inhabitants in the little town Escabce. These people become your family and you have feelings for them. I finished today and feel a sense of loss knowing that the story is complete. I will definitely be revisiting this story throughout my life.

Book Description

Two exquisite cousins must exchange identities in a scandalous deception.

Madeline de Lacy, the duchess of Magnus, prides herself on being one of the most sensible young women in England, which is why she can't believe that, in a turn of the cards, her noble father has lost his entire estate -- and her! -- to a stranger.

On a mission to salvage her family fortune, she changes places with her cousin and companion, sending the meeker Eleanor to confront the man who had won Madeline's hand. Now, Madeline is free to enter the home of a notorious gambler, and pretends to be meek, humble, and competent with an iron. She is, of course, none of those things; she simply is resolved to win her family's fortune back. Just when she thinks matters can't get worse, she meets Gabriel Ansell, the earl of Campion, and they do. Horribly worse.

Four years ago, Madeline was engaged to Gabriel, and worshipped his arrogant kisses. Now, being forced to marry a man she doesn't know pales in comparison to the ordeal of facing Gabriel again, the man who betrayed her -- Gabriel, the only man she ever loved.

Download Description

In a turn of the cards, Madeline's freedom and fortune are lost to mysterious blackguard Remington Knight. Now only her hated ex-fiance Gabriel can help salvage the family pride. But he has a mission of his own: to win back the only woman he could ever love.

Customer Reviews:

2 and a half stars.......2007-08-03

This was my first ever Christian Dodd book and it was kind of a disappointment. I love the regency period and try to read as many books from this period as I can (Mary Balogh, Stephanie Laurens, Julia Quinn, Liz Carlyle, Gaelen Foley, Jo Beverley etc etc). And I'll admit a few of the books are riddled with certain historical, anachronistic or plot failings, but I'm able to look over them... In this book however, calling the heroine: "Your Grace" was just annoyingly jarring... First of all, she wasn't even a Duchess yet...like what? Were they anticipating her father's death, seeking it even? Secondly, I was distracted by the fact that the heroine was a marchioness and a future duchess not by marriage, but by birth as in: in her family the title passes to the eldest child, male or female (which one might say is a giant leap for feminism in the regency era, not that I buy that- as far as I know this has only happened with the Countess of Mountbatten). It WAS sooooo jarring how they kept referring to this single girl as Your Grace the marchioness of... or the future duchess of as if she's going to marry her father, next thing you know, they'll stop calling her Madeline and start calling her by her title name, Sheridan or when she gets her dukedom, Magnus. And then she's in love with a (lowly) Earl so that when they get married she'd be what? A countess? and lose her dukedom? or her earl will be a duke? or she'll be a duchess, a marchioness AND a countess? or she'll no longer be a duchess/marchioness but her first child will be? or what???? I was sooooooo distracted by all this and it was really hard for me to get through the book which sucked because Christina Dodd does know how to tell a story, it moved quickly and was sexy and well-written... it's just all those jarring plot points...

Everybody called her "your Grace" but she wasn't a duchess yet.......2006-08-27

The heroine is the future duchess of Magnus, supposedly because Queen Elizabeth I decreed the firstborn child would inherit the title regardless of gender. Seems unlikely to me. Also she was always introduced to people as "the Marchioness of Sheridan and the future duchess of Magnus" - which doesn't seem proper, for the future title to be announced like that.

It looked to me like the author was so enamoured of the idea for her heroine to be a duchess that she made up this ridiculous story of Elizabeth I and also says that everybody called her "your Grace" even though she hadn't inherited the title yet (her father was still alive) - but there isn't any explanation of why they would do that.

Other than that, I enjoyed the story and the main characters. The constant mention of the heroine being a duchess (when she wasn't) was quite irritating and spoiled it for me though.

Two very unlikable lead characters made for an unpleasant read........2006-06-19

I was ambivalent about Madeline and actually found myself despising Gabriel.

Some major issues:

1. Very little is explained about how Gabriel and Madeline fell in love. It is described in very vague terms - Madeline saw him, danced with him, and fell in love. We don't even get that much information about how/why Gabriel fell in love with Madeline.

2. The break-up was based on, I thought, a decent premise. Madeline hated gambling, Gabriel knew that, and he gambled anyway. However, when Madeline confronted him at Almack's, why didn't Gabriel explain his actions? Why didn't he ever realize his mistake in gambling when he knew how Madeline felt about it? I think he owed her an apology - not the other way around.

3. Madeline leaves Gabriel, but he never goes after her. Yeah, he's busy with war-related stuff, but in 4 years I think he could have tracked her down and won her back. Especially considering he took her virginity before she left him. I absoluted HATED when he casually asked Maddie if she had had his baby. What a total jerk! If he cared at all for her or a possible baby, he would have stopped at nothing to get her back (or at least make sure she was all right).

4. We never know why these two people should be together. Aside from their amazing sexual chemistry, I never felt like Gabriel and Madeline really knew or loved each other. In fact, I don't remember if Gabriel even said "I love you" before the very end. It just seemed like these two had a love/hate relationship that had no chance of lasting. They were both too immature and selfish.

The sex scenes were explicit and very passionate (the only reason for 2 stars instead of 1). Unfortunately, they couldn't make up for the unlikable characters and rather insipid plot.

The Parent Trap...Regency edition!.......2005-09-02

Madeline de Lacy, the Marchioness of Sheridan and future Duchess of Magnus, has barely set foot back in England after four years when she is blithely told by her disaster-prone papa that he has wagered her in a game of piquet...and lost. Composed and practical -- she's had to be to deal with her father's fiascos for the last seventeen years since her mama's death -- Madeline sets out for London with her companion and cousin, Eleanor, to deal with this would-be fiancé.

However, the two cousins' plans change course when they find out that "the Game of the Century" is about to commence at a country estate. Knowing this is just the sort of rig her father would love to participate in, Madeline is convinced he will show up with a prized family heirloom in tow. Unable to be in two places at the same time, Madeline convinces her cousin Eleanor to switch places with her. Eleanor will go on to London and keep the fiancé at bay, while Madeline will head for the country estate where the Game is being held. Hiring on as a companion to a family heading to the event, Madeline prepares herself for her father's arrival. Unfortunately, all the preparation in the world does not prepare her when she encounters Gabriel Ansell, the Earl of Campion. The man she jilted very publicly four years ago.

Gabriel Ansell has waited four long years for Madeline de Lacy to return to England. Instantly recognizing his former fiancée in her "disguise," Gabriel is determined to find out her reasons for the charade and get her back in his arms where she belongs. Unfortunately, his beloved is as headstrong and stubborn as ever so the Earl decides the best way to keep an eye on her is to help her. Soon the two are up to their ears in intrigue, villains and kisses.

The first in Christina Dodd's Changing Places duet, SCANDALOUS AGAIN is an exhilarating romantic battle of wills. Imagine the best of the classic Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn movies with a dash of The Parent Trap and a dose of Jane Austen (for the historical setting, of course), and you'll get a sense of what a delicious romp this story is. Shaped by her family history, pragmatic Madeline is a woman afraid to let her guard down even to the man she loves. Gabriel is a special hero. Patient and stubborn in his own way, he is a perfect match for Madeline and their unforgettable encounters run the gamut from amusing to poignant.

Note: Eleanor's story is told in ONE KISS FROM YOU.

TheSchemer

Scandalously dull.......2005-05-27

REAL Synopsis.
Madeline de Lacy, Marchioness and future duchess disguises herself as a companion of a wealthy family in order to go to a gambling weekend party, to stop her dad from betting a family heirloom. There she meets with her past in the form of the Lord Campion, the only man she has loved. The entire story takes place in this big gambling event, the romance between the main characters happened during the past, so we are just introduced to it by memories. There is a villain also and some non-memorable characters too.
What is wrong with it: The entire story is insipid; the main characters have no charm. The heroine is one of those "very independent" women that tend to be stubborn and stupid and the lead male is mostly annoying with no quality. It is very difficult to care for them because it feels like the nice love story happened in a part of the book that is missing and now the characters just have contempt for each other.
The dialogues have no wit or wisdom, which makes this novel a very boring and uninteresting reading.

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Scandalous Again

Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0739434152

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Fiction; Historical Romance

Switching Places Series: Scandalous Again, One Kiss from You (Set of 2)

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Switching Places Series: Scandalous Again, One Kiss from You (Set of 2)
Christina Dodd
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000P66S82

6 Titles By Dodd - Lost in Your Arms - Close to You - Scandalous Again - One Kiss From You - In My Wildest Dreams - Some Enchanted Evening

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6 Titles By Dodd - Lost in Your Arms - Close to You - Scandalous Again - One Kiss From You - In My Wildest Dreams - Some Enchanted Evening
Christina Dodd
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Product Description

6 massmarket paperback Titles By Dodd - Lost in Your Arms - Close to You - Scandalous Again - One Kiss From You - In My Wildest Dreams - Some Enchanted Evening

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