Rating: 
Summary: bad bad bad
Review: I expected this book to be enjoyable light reading, and light reading it was. The iconography was sort of interesting, but could not overcome the implausible plot twists and the completely stupid revelation at the end. Oh yeah, and the protagonists hook up. Who woulda thunk it.
Rating: 
Summary: interesting read
Review: This was hard to put down once I started. I do hope someone decides to write a screen play for it... It would make a terrific movie! There... short and sweet! ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: Completely and totally thrilling and intriguing
Review: I don't know how anyone could not be completely enthralled with this book. It helps to have an open mind, an adventuresome spirit, and a love for suspense. I simply could not put it down and have the feeling it will push me to many hours of reasearch about all the fascinating questions the book poses. It put so many things out there that I would have never thought of and sheds a different light on age old mysteries and faiths. This was by far one of the best books I have ever read. Amazing!
Rating: 
Summary: An Empty House on Mango Street
Review: In the House on Mango Street, the story of a struggling Mexican American family is told through the perspective of their eldest daughter Esperanza. Esperanza, a name which means hope in Spanish, narrates her life throughout the story as she comments on her growth into a woman and her struggles to break free from her culture's gender roles. Although author Susan Cisneros poetic style adds beauty to the story through rich imagery and style, the novel lacks such richness in plot and character development.
As the story begins, the family moves into a rundown house located on Mango Street. The house is not what Esperanza had expected. Unlike her dream of a large expensive house, she finds herself once again living in a poor house in the Barrio. It is at this point that Esperanza reveals that her greatest dream is to one day have a house of her own which is far different than the one on Mango Street. Unlike what Esperanza has ever know, she decides that one day she will have a nice house with a white fence and flowers in the yard.
Although the story does give perceptions into the people around Esperanza, we are more or less left questioning who these people are and what their relevance is to Esperanza's development. The characters in the novel are colorful and interesting yet often times lack depth and we as readers and not left with a clear sense of what it is that makes them tick. Instead we are given only a brief description of characters with Esperanza's comments as our only clue to understanding them. Without more knowledge or reference to these characters, we cannot understand the dynamic in which Esperanza has to interact with and we are left feeling like the only character we really know is Esperanza.
Unlike a plot with a distinct set of events or interactions with other characters, the story line seemed redundant and lacking excitement. I often founds that the novel would loose my attention in a vast sea of wording and imagery with little else. Although Cisneros style of writing greatly added to the story, there was little else that was substantial enough to keep the reader interested. Also, unlike a plot in which there is a distinct story line, the plot is vaguer and free floating due to the nature of the narration. Rather than following along with a story line, we are following along with the mind of a young child. This style of writing can make the story slow in areas and lacking greatly in others.
Although the story seems at time over simplistic and lacking depth, it is a well written book filled with a sense of poetic writing and strong imagery. The book is a light and easy read that can be finished in the course of the weekend. Although at times the novel seems vague and scattered, the overall messages were well conveyed. Throughout the story, the reader is left with a clear understanding of Esperanza's society and the radical division in gender roles.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!!!
Review: Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. This book was great - I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: The Da Vinci Code
Review: A spell binding novel packed with historical facts, tempered by intense intrigue. In this regard, Dan Brown weaves an exceptionally captivating, riveting tale, especially for those possessing a greater than passing interest in the evolution of Christianity and the legends surrounding it.
Rating:
Summary: Left me speechless...
Review: This has got to be one of the most amazing mysteries I have EVER read. I initially resisted this book becuase of all the initial hype (don't ask!) but finally decided to give it a shot- I'm so glad I did. This book grabbed me from the first few pages and I stayed up all night to read it. As a first time mom of a 3 month old, willing to give up precious hours of sleep is a BIG deal! I wish this book had been another 300 pages long, I did not want it to end. My only complaint is that I wish the publishers had included illustrations of the three paintings discussed in the novel, instead, I just hopped online to see if I could catch some of the things Dan Brown talked about. Loved the book and also "Angels and Demons" is very good too!
Rating:
Summary: Let's not read more into it than the author intended ....
Review: I mean after all it's an 'Indiana Jones' kind of adventure book in search of the ubiquitous 'Holy Grail' ..... I guess the teaser that the author puts in the front of the book about the fact that the artwork, the existence of secret Cathlic 'societies' is completely real and truthfull, is what may have put some people off .. but please give me a break, IT'S NOT A TEXTBOOK .... The fact that the book is based on reality which is then stretched and artistically massaged by the author makes this book stand out above the norm of today's fiction that usually have disclaimers abaout everything being a lie 'no matter what you want to believe or think you may believe' ..... Without getting into the meat of the story I found the book to be easy to read as the author spins tales of secret societies such as Opus Dei, The Templar Knights ... magical hidden treasures and messages hidding in the Louvre, underneath the palace of Herod and thi the top secret vaults of an unpenetrable Swiss Bank with the ever famous anonymous accounts, in Paris. It's such a pleasant relief in a fiction NOVEL of today to actually incite the reader to think and daydream of times past while enjoying a wonderfull well written mystery ......
Rating: 
Summary: Eco does it better
Review: This is a good beach read but that is about it. My main problem with it was that I had been lead to believe by the hype that it was intellectual. As far as I can see, Dan Brown has taken a mis-mash of tired old theories about the power of the Church and symbology and formed them into a pretty good thriller. There is very little new here in the way of ideas and the writing style is not particularly lyrical (two things that I personally like in novels.) Umberto Eco has done somewhat the same thing in Foucault's Pendulum and he did it infinitely better.
Rating:
Summary: It's a big ol' pageturner
Review: I have zero patience with conspiracy theories--and the whole grail search thing just bores me to tears BUT I started this book on Friday night and finished it Saturday at noon. I learned some things-- a nice extra--and I just kept turning page after page after page. And I WAS surprised at "whodunnit," which is the mark of a good mystery. It's a definite vacation read--and although it's a lot of fun, you won't feel bad about giving the too-heavy to-lug-home tome to a stranger on the beach.
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