Rating: 
Summary: Weak Characters and too Predictable
Review: I tried very hard to get into this book but I just wasn't able to. The Main reason for this is the characters which are written so weak that I just didn't care about any of them.
The story centers on a love triangle that is too predictable and belongs on Daytime Television. I do give the author credit for the unusual and unexpected plot twist in the middle but it arrives too late and unfortunetely is not enough to save the entire story.
Rating: 
Summary: emotional
Review: I was very impressed with the mind-pictures created by the author. I don't care about weak small details as some have written about. I only care that the book swept me away in another time/place. I would find myself crying as I read and that is what amazed me the most. I will recomend this to my friends. Good job for the first novel, and I eagerly await the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Audiotape vs. Book
Review: If you had asked me a year ago how I enjoyed audiotapes, I most likely would have answered not much. But becoming a distance walker forced me to evaluate what I coud be doing while walking miles and miles. While music seemed like one idea, knowing my love for books, listening to a tape seemed a more apporpriate choice. Today I finished Firebird, written by Janice Graham and read by Richard Poe. I must also tell you that previously to listening to this book, I also read the book several years ago.
And while I enjoyed the reader, Richard Poe, very much, I had the same feeling about the tape as I did about the book. I sensed in both cases that Janice Graham is a good writer but tends to over do things and tried a bit to hard to covey both emotions and descriptions. Some of her paragraphs and sentences were lengthy and at times bordered on pure sap. And while at times I really felt the emotions or could see the land, it became just too much to absorb them and then continue on to the next passage. I'm not sure I could also believe the love triangle and the outcome of both betrayal and tragedy but I wouldn't say the book didn't have some merit. I guess I just wanted fewer words or less adjectives to describe the land and feelings. All and all if we say some books are too sparsely written, this one really won an award for being too verbose.On the plus side, though, I must have thought that Graham could do better and I recently also read her newest book, Sarah's Window, which I found to be a poignant and well written book.
Rating:
Summary: Ugh!
Review: It's painful to slog through this insipid story
Rating: 
Summary: Finally, Romancing the Soul - Love Never Really Dies
Review: Its surprising that some readers hated this story. What's not to like? The beginning may slowly build up speed, but deep in the plot, the reader appreciates the character development. At first Firebird appears common to other romances- Man agrees to marry under pressure; A new face in town piques his interest AFTER the engagement is announced. Then watch out - a plot twist is about to blow your mind! I didn't see it coming and couldn't believe what I had just read. From there the hits just kept on coming. The plot winds through a labirynth of twists and turns like a serpentine roller coaster ride. The reader is swept along never knowing where the next drop or derailment may be. I have searched for years to find a book I simply could not put down. Firebird was worth the wait. I read it through the first night. I simply had to know how this story could possibly find resolution. Firebird courts the heart and soul. This is Miss Graham's debut novel, hopefully the first of many to come.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, Romancing the Soul - Love Never Really Dies
Review: Its surprising that some readers hated this story. What's not to like? The beginning may slowly build up speed, but deep in the plot, the reader appreciates the character development. At first Firebird appears common to other romances- Man agrees to marry under pressure; A new face in town piques his interest AFTER the engagement is announced. Then watch out - a plot twist is about to blow your mind! I didn't see it coming and couldn't believe what I had just read. From there the hits just kept on coming. The plot winds through a labirynth of twists and turns like a serpentine roller coaster ride. The reader is swept along never knowing where the next drop or derailment may be. I have searched for years to find a book I simply could not put down. Firebird was worth the wait. I read it through the first night. I simply had to know how this story could possibly find resolution. Firebird courts the heart and soul. This is Miss Graham's debut novel, hopefully the first of many to come.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful love story from a new author
Review: Janice Graham is off to a great start with this enjoyable love story. If you're expecting a tale of heavy romance, deceit, murder and a multitude of convoluted sub-plots, you won't find much in this book. Instead, one man's love, almost like a prairie fire, starts in one place, is blown to another, and is rekindled in yet a third as relationships grow and transform over time. This story shows how death can be a rebirth (remember that title), and how loving a daughter can be as profound as loving a woman. Love's complications lead to grave happenstance; then maturity, enlightenment, and ultimately a deeper love, are born from tragedy. Happens in real life, too. I'm not the type to dwell on hidden meanings or decipher twists in the plot. So instead, I like to let myself be led wherever the story points. In that regard, this book was perfect for me. Yeah, maybe Ms. Graham isn't the world's best at epic storytelling and character development, but the people in this book are pretty strong nevertheless, with the drama really picking up toward the end. And, maybe the Kansas prairie is a little over-glamorized, but there's a great image there. These would be but minor criticisms rather than major detractors. The story flows well, is easy to read, and you'll identify with all the personalities right away. I enjoyed this book immensely, and finished it in only two days (a rare occurrence for me). Start reading, get into the flow, and you will be moved by this story. I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful love story from a new author
Review: Janice Graham is off to a great start with this enjoyable love story. If you're expecting a tale of heavy romance, deceit, murder and a multitude of convoluted sub-plots, you won't find much in this book. Instead, one man's love, almost like a prairie fire, starts in one place, is blown to another, and is rekindled in yet a third as relationships grow and transform over time. This story shows how death can be a rebirth (remember that title), and how loving a daughter can be as profound as loving a woman. Love's complications lead to grave happenstance; then maturity, enlightenment, and ultimately a deeper love, are born from tragedy. Happens in real life, too. I'm not the type to dwell on hidden meanings or decipher twists in the plot. So instead, I like to let myself be led wherever the story points. In that regard, this book was perfect for me. Yeah, maybe Ms. Graham isn't the world's best at epic storytelling and character development, but the people in this book are pretty strong nevertheless, with the drama really picking up toward the end. And, maybe the Kansas prairie is a little over-glamorized, but there's a great image there. These would be but minor criticisms rather than major detractors. The story flows well, is easy to read, and you'll identify with all the personalities right away. I enjoyed this book immensely, and finished it in only two days (a rare occurrence for me). Start reading, get into the flow, and you will be moved by this story. I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Totally engrossing
Review: Normally I will not buy a book by an author that is unknown to me, but something about this book reached out and grabbed me. When I received it in the mail, I almost sent it back and then I decided I'd give it a try. Once I started this book, nothing could make me put it down. I cried like I had lost a close relative, but when it was finished I felt like there was closure and redemption. I have read thousands of book over the years and no other book has touched me as this book did. I walked around in a daze for hours after reading it, because it was so powerful. I shared it with friends and they all agreed it was the best book that they had ever read. I am anxiously awaiting her next book.
Rating:
Summary: GIve me a BREAK!
Review: Publishing this book is an insult to the literate!
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