Last Call

Rating:
Summary: Funny & Original
Review: Terrific characters, great dialogue, original story. I read this book in two days and didn't want it to end, though the last few chapters were excellent. It's rare that you come across a new plotline in fiction, but this definitely succeeds in originality. Could it happen in real life? Maybe, but probably not. However that's why I read fiction and go to movies. My guess is that this book will remain on the favorites shelf at the bookstore for a long time. If you're a staunch Catholic then some of it may seem offensive, but by the time you reach the end you realize it's not at all, just questioning our faith the way most people do in real life.

Rating:
Summary: Last Call, First Rate
Review: The thing I enjoyed most about both "Beginner's Luck" and "Last Call" is the way that the characters very subtly end up helping each other out. It reminds me of the way things were when I was growing up and neighbors looked out for each other and their families. Pedersen always includes one or two characters who are over-the-top and might not be found in real life (though I have heard some stories about a great Uncle Mike who sounds a lot like Hayden MacBride in "Last Call"), but they are always hilarious and cleverly used to provoke the characters who love them into even funnier scenes of exasperation. There is a constant return to how we struggle to love the people we care most about, the same ones who most often have the ability to drive us nuts!

Rating:
Summary: Last Call, First Rate
Review: The thing I enjoyed most about both "Beginner's Luck" and "Last Call" is the way that the characters very subtly end up helping each other out. It reminds me of the way things were when I was growing up and neighbors looked out for each other and their families. Pedersen always includes one or two characters who are over-the-top and might not be found in real life (though I have heard some stories about a great Uncle Mike who sounds a lot like Hayden MacBride in "Last Call"), but they are always hilarious and cleverly used to provoke the characters who love them into even funnier scenes of exasperation. There is a constant return to how we struggle to love the people we care most about, the same ones who most often have the ability to drive us nuts!

Rating:
Summary: An Average Read
Review: This book is mildly entertaining. The characters seem somewhat one-dimensional to me. I had a hard time believing Rosamond's character, and I thought the ending was terribly unsatisfying. This book is a light read, but if you are looking for a light read, with quirky characters, I like Fannie Flagg's offerings, especially Daisy Faye & the Miracle Man, much better. Overall, this book was about a B-, as graded by our book club. I give it 2.5 stars here. I would not have read it, had it not been our book club choice, and I would not reccommend it to anyone either.

Rating:
Summary: Rewarding Ending. . . If You Make It That Far!
Review: This story failed to engage me and sustain my interest. Written in the third person, it lacked enough insight into the characters for me to become genuinely interested and empathetic toward any of them with the exception of Rosamund, the nun. It could have been a coming-of-age story, a truer look at issues on death and dying, a portrait of why individuals do or do not choose a life devoted to God, insight into alcohol and self-medication or a well-developed background on Scottish immigrants. It held none of those literary themes. Many situations were implausible and required great stretches of the imagination. The first quarter of the story involved black humor (without being funny) as Grandpa took his grandson to hospitals, wakes, and cemeteries in preparation for death. Was this mother really that clueless, since she was also extremely overprotective? Most of the story line was similarly uninspiring. The next-to-last chapter tied many of the themes together, and I enjoyed how the last chapter was written in first person by Joey. The novel would have read more pleasantly if the author had followed that format of story telling thoughout the entire book.

Rating:
Summary: I am Rosamond
Review: This was the funniest book I have ever read. Who would believe a book about two people dying can be so funny. I would suggest everyone who needs to laugh to read this book. This story can really happen to anyone in real life.
When you get to page 275 you will read why I said I am Rosamond.
I almost fell off my chair laughing because the same thing happened to me. So read the book and laugh, laugh, laugh.
Barbara (Rosamond In Pa.)

Rating:
Summary: Old Fashioned Romance...
Review: With up-to-date humor and an indredible ending. This story was both entertaining and thoughtful. It was a terrific change from formula romance, chick lit, and How I Was Abused As A Child. Pedersen has a nice style that's easy to read, stimulates the mind, tickles the funny bone, and makes your heart go thump every once in a while.

Rating:
Summary: Old Fashioned Romance...
Review: With up-to-date humor and an indredible ending. This story was both entertaining and thoughtful. It was a terrific change from formula romance, chick lit, and How I Was Abused As A Child. Pedersen has a nice style that's easy to read, stimulates the mind, tickles the funny bone, and makes your heart go thump every once in a while.