Rating: 
Summary: Good Job
Review: A whopping good read. You have to admit that this ghostly (not ghastly) affair was a great plot idea. Very original. Ironically, the book's strength is also its weakness. Ms Ansa has a gift for local color and scenic description, with a tendency to go a little bit overboard, which makes for slow, but interesting reading. I bought the book in the spring and could not get past page 10. I started and stopped, started and stopped. But the lush writing was so skillful that I vowed to finish it. Then when summer came and I had a little vacation time, I zipped right through it. Lena is an intriguing character. I must go back and read Baby of the Family now to get the rest of her story.
Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat Disappointing...
Review: I found this book to be really disappointing. I'd read so many positive reviews about Ansa and in fairness, I read Baby of the Family and Ugly Ways prior to this title and must conclude that I'm not into her writing style. She has a very descriptive, detailed writing style that consumes pages upon pages of text that describe the environment but is so very weak on plot and story line. I know this was the sequel to Baby of the Family, but I felt she retold the same story within this one. Like in Baby of the Family, I kept waiting for something to happen to/with Lena, the main character. Sure, she summons up a ghost and has lots of sex and love..but basically, that's it. I kept waiting for a dramatic climax, but there was none. The problem is, every time the story started to move forward and show a little conflict (a female ghost rival, an angry town that feels forgotten by Lena), the conflict is resolved far too easily. The book encourages us to stop concentrating on the material and enjoy life as Lena learned to do..but her transformation was dull and truly uneventful for me. It took a lot for me to finish this book..and I had to skim/speed read to make it through it. I'm still trying to figure out what all the hype was about.....I'd agree with another reviewer and put this one at the bottom of the three Ansa books. In my opinion, this book could have been written in half the text and had the same impact.
Rating: 
Summary: Hated it!
Review: This book was so boring that I couldn't even finish it. There was way too much description and wordiness. Everytime I though it was going to get interesting and get into "Herman the ghost", it popped right back to the boring stuff about the town of Mulberry. I haven't read any of Ansa's other books, and this one makes me not want to. This book could of easily been 200 pages less than what it was and had a chance to be interesting. If your're looking for drama, mystery and suspense this book has none of that.
Rating:
Summary: Hated it!
Review: This book was so boring that I couldn't even finish it. There was way too much description and wordiness. Everytime I though it was going to get interesting and get into "Herman the ghost", it popped right back to the boring stuff about the town of Mulberry. I haven't read any of Ansa's other books, and this one makes me not want to. This book could of easily been 200 pages less than what it was and had a chance to be interesting. If your're looking for drama, mystery and suspense this book has none of that.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Book, read it!
Review: Excellent book, enjoyable read. Great characters and very visional. Also, very interesting story and love interest!
Rating:
Summary: Incredible!
Review: I first started this book over a year ago, and I put it down because I wasn't ready to engage the "complete" story in the way it was written. I just finished it yesterday, and it was a wonderful work. I t gave everything that a Pseudo Country Girl, like me, could ask for: nature, spirituality, sex, history, and gossip. I would place this book right along side "The Color Purple" and "Beloved" any day. The characters are real, Herman (the ghost) is even real... I haven't read any of McElroy's other works, but know I guess I have too.
Rating:
Summary: A must read!!
Review: I am a huge fan of Mrs. McElroy Ansa's works. She is very desprictive and mixes real-life and the paranormal excellently.
Read Baby of the Family before you read this.
Rating:
Summary: A Sensually Stimulating Read
Review: The Hand I Fan With belongs in your library so it can be read repeatedly. The story weaved by Ansa is a dream-like love affair between Lena and her lover - the type of love every woman wishes she could experience. Ansa keeps you enraptured from the beginning of the novel through the end with surprising twists and turns. Curl up with a warm and cozy blanket, a cup of cocoa and experience the love. Note, this is not your traditional love story.
Rating:
Summary: A real page turner
Review: Although I agree with some other reviewers that it took far too long to get to the story of Herman and Lena, this is still one of the best books I have ever read. I got the point early on that Lena was beautiful, wealthy, talented, business minded, etc. I didn't need 150 pages to explain it though. But once the story came to life with Herman the book moved rather quickly. Their spiritual and physical love for each other was so overpowering sometimes, I had to put the book down for a day to savor the chapter I had just read. Tina I usually can't stand to see the "f" word in a love scene, but your use of the word was very fitting and made the characters love-life jump off the page. I cried my way through the final chapters because like Lena I couldn't stand the thought of Herman not being with her. A powerful read indeed.
Rating:
Summary: MUST READ
Review: THIS IS A GREAT BOOK BUT STARTS OFF A LITTLE SLOW. EVER HEARD THE SAYING " THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEAN?" JUST GIVE ANSA A MINUTE TO GET INTO THE FLOW OF THE BOOK AND SHE WILL HAVE YOU BEGGING FOR MORE.
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