Irish Thoroughbred

Rating:
Summary: A fun look at Irish temper!
Review: Adelia Cunnane comes to the States from Ireland, to live with her uncle Paddy who is a horse trainer at Royal Meadows. The owner of RM, Travis Grant, is a hunk that the high society women are trying to land. However, feisty Adelia is the one who captures his heart.

It was fun to read Nora's first novel, although I would've liked to have seen more detail at the horse races (even if it meant only attending one). I wonder if Nora had any clue when she wrote this how successful her writing career would be :)

Rating:
Summary: Only if you have *absolutely* nothing else to do...
Review: I've read most of Roberts' books, but this one wasn't quite up to par. The characters aren't as well developed as in her more recent novels, and in general the book is just much more conventional and clumsily written. I could see all plot developments from a mile away, and the all the cliches made me physically ill. This was, of course, her first (?) book, so all of the clumsiness is understandable. But I'd stick to more recent novels - if you like Irish themes, try Jewels of the Sun and Tears of the Moon. These are books in which Roberts' ability to create unique, entertaining, and sympathetic characters who interact in vivid settings really shines through.

Rating:
Summary: A look at Roberts' beginnings
Review: No, it's not Roberts' best -- but IRISH THOROUGHBRED is still enjoyable, and very worthwhile for a look at the evolution of a writer! Check this one out back-to-back with its sequel, IRISH ROSE (written some 7 years later), and you'll see how much Roberts grew in that time. IRISH THOROUGHBRED's main character Adelia is a plucky girl, but IRISH ROSE's Erin is more of a grown woman. Then sit back, hold on to your hat, and read steamy IRISH REBEL, published in 2000. It gives us Adelia's daughter and the man she falls in love with, going head-to-head as equals and as lovers. Adelia develops as a stronger character in the subsequent books as well. The reviewer who appears below me (Wendy Meade) is right when she calls IRISH THOROUGHBRED conventional, but it WAS Roberts' first published book, and those WERE the conventions of romance novels when it was written. (Check out those Harlequins of the '70s!) We've come a long way, baby, and Roberts is one of those who helped contemporary romances get to where they are now. IRISH THOROUGHBRED also began Roberts' tradition of lovable Gaelic characters, especially Adelia's Uncle Paddy. The polish may not be there yet, but the warmth is, and that's what keeps us coming back for more of her books 20 years later!