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Summary: What a sweet, tender book
Review: Okay, so you might think you've got your standard pamperedheiress/rough savage thing going on here, but that's not the truth andyou'll find unforgettable characters in Wiggs's latest offering.Deborah is an heiress, but one who truly grows as she finds herself out of her turf, taken hostage by a man bent on revenge. Tom Silver, a huge "Paul Bunyan" of a man, has waited long for this opportunity, but is surprised to find love in the most unlikely person. Read this if you don't mind a bit of a slow start, it's worth it.
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Summary: Another great historical romance by Susan Wiggs!
Review: Susan Wiggs begins another one of her beautiful romance trilogies with "The Hostage". The book opens against the exciting backdrop of the 1871 great fire of Chicago and continues into the the outskirts of the Michigan frontier. Amid wonderful writing and accurate historical detail the book builds wonderful tension between the hero and the heroine. Secondary characters are great, too. (Especially Smokey the dog. <g>) This book should not disappoint fans of Susan Wiggs or fans of great historical romance.
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Summary: Incredible!
Review: THE HOSTAGE is the perfect blending of history and fiction. This is storytelling at its finest. The heroine, Deborah, was particularly well drawn, and I found myself so enthralled with her dilemma that I thought about her even when away from the book. Brava, Ms. Wiggs!
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Summary: A wonderful sense of place
Review: The Hostage, the first of a planned trio of stories about a group of girlfriends in 1870's Chicago, tells the story of Deborah Sinclair, a pampered, yet wounded, financier's daughter who is taken hostage by Tom Silver, a man bent on revenge against her father for a mining disaster. Tom forces Deborah away from her home on the night of the great Chicago fire, taking her to beautiful, yet primitive and remote Isle Royale, a large island off the spectacular Lake Superior coast of upper Michigan. Having grown up in Michigan, with several trips a year to Chicago, I was able to enjoy this book on several levels. First off, it is a wonderful character study: we get to see two wounded people, narrowed to one-dimensionality by environment and circumstance, blossom into fully aware, realized people who not only discover romance and conquer their fears of intimacy, but also who discover themselves, and learn to resolve their personal tragedies. Secondly, I thoroughly enjoyed the "minor players" - namely, Chicago and Isle Royale/Lake Superior. Each place is, in its own way, stunning, majestic, powerful, and sometimes cruel. It made me homesick, and reminded me of my own families' stories of "the great fire." This story is not for those looking for a quick read with instant gratification--we are there for each small step on Tom and Deborah's roads to recovery. The romance, and the healing, grows slowly, and the ending is perhaps a little too swift given such a long buildup. But this is a minor flaw in a tale that is both grand and also intimate. The book does, definitely, reward a patient reading.
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Summary: Can't believe how much I loved this book
Review: The setup of this story was so unusual, I went "hmm..." but suddenly I was so pulled into the entire situation. The danger, the drama, those sexy encounters that Deborah kept shying away from. I couldn't stop reading until I found how these two could ever come together, and at that point I just lost it, crying and in the end, smiling through my tears. And the best news of all, this book has a sequel! Can't wait for the next story.
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Summary: How a tradegy can change ones life
Review: This is a great story about how a tragedy and the things that come after it can change your way of life. This story has the main character kidnapped on the night of the great Chicago Fire. She was already wondering what she was going to do with her life do to another personal tragedy, she figured she was only trained to be "pretty" and not to even dress herself. This kidnapping teaches her a lot about herself. It is really fun to read about her change in attitude etc... and laugh as she learns things the hard way. At the same time it teaches her kidnapper a bit about himself, as well as a distant town learns not everyone with the same name is "evil". In the climax of the book you also learn alot about survival in the later 1800's and how things differ today. An excellent read. Not too much emphasis on the sensuality.
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Summary: How a tradegy can change ones life
Review: This is a great story about how a tragedy and the things that come after it can change your way of life. This story has the main character kidnapped on the night of the great Chicago Fire. She was already wondering what she was going to do with her life do to another personal tragedy, she figured she was only trained to be "pretty" and not to even dress herself. This kidnapping teaches her a lot about herself. It is really fun to read about her change in attitude etc... and laugh as she learns things the hard way. At the same time it teaches her kidnapper a bit about himself, as well as a distant town learns not everyone with the same name is "evil". In the climax of the book you also learn alot about survival in the later 1800's and how things differ today. An excellent read. Not too much emphasis on the sensuality.
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Summary: Not an easy book to read, but rewarding and well written!
Review: This is my first Susan Wiggs book, and I am in awe of her talent. _The Hostage_ was a wonderful, emotional roller coaster ride. I was extremly involved in it. Let me say that the begining is a little hard to get through, but if you stick out it, _The Hostage_ is a very rewarding book to read, and you will be left with a silly grin on your face. If you don't like hard core romance, then this book may not be for you, but if you enjoy complex plots and interesting characters, I'd highly recomend you try this one out. On October 8, 1871, disaster struck Chicago. Amidst the chaos, four friends have their lives drastically changed. They are Phoebe, Lucy, Kathleen and Deborah. How they change and what happens to them is the basis of Susan Wiggs Chicago fire trilogy. _The Hostage_ is the first book followed by _The Mistress_ and then _The Firebrand_. Deborah Beaton Sinclair is the focus of _The Hostage_ One night at the opera... who knew it could change your whole life? Deborah had a very traumatic experience there and realizes that she can not marry her fiance. She decides that she must ride into town and tell her father. Little does she know that her life is about to change forever. Tom Silver is a man bent on revenge. Aurther Sinclair, Deborah's father, is a murderer in his mind, and Tom comes into town from the remote Isle Royale with murder on his mind. While Deborah is confronting her father and the fire is raging outside, Tom bursts into their lives. By a mis-hap, Aurther is not killed, and Tom takes Deborah as his hostage for compensation. They travel to Isle Royale and Deborah sees first hand the disaster that her father's greed has caused. And, she and Tom are drawn towards each other as love spins it's complicated web. Will these two star crossed lovers ever end up together for their happily ever after? Will the devestated families of Isle Royale ever get some compensation for their loss? And what really did happen that fateful night of the opera? Oh, I just loved this book! The characters, the setting, the plot... everything. Let me clear the air and tell you that the first half of the book is really dedicated to letting you get to know the characters and their problems. But, when the romance does come into play at the second half, you feel that you know the characters so well that their love seems very realistic. Both Tom and Deborah are wounded souls, but they can help heal each other, and it is lovely to watch. It is so cool to watch Deborah awaken from the naive debutant she once was. I found myself cheering her on and hoping she would find her voice and her place in the world. Tom was very much the same. He too is wounded, but Deborah helps him see that life goes on and she teaches him how to love again. Susan Wiggs has just boosted herself up to one of my favorite authors. The way she develops her stories is amazing. Her characters are very well fleshed out and her settings come alive. Chicago has always been a place I've wanted to visit, and now I want to even more. The way she described Isle Royale made me feel like I was there. That takes real talent. I can't wait to read _The Mistress_.
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Summary: Not an easy book to read, but rewarding and well written!
Review: This is my first Susan Wiggs book, and I am in awe of her talent. _The Hostage_ was a wonderful, emotional roller coaster ride. I was extremly involved in it. Let me say that the begining is a little hard to get through, but if you stick out it, _The Hostage_ is a very rewarding book to read, and you will be left with a silly grin on your face. If you don't like hard core romance, then this book may not be for you, but if you enjoy complex plots and interesting characters, I'd highly recomend you try this one out. On October 8, 1871, disaster struck Chicago. Amidst the chaos, four friends have their lives drastically changed. They are Phoebe, Lucy, Kathleen and Deborah. How they change and what happens to them is the basis of Susan Wiggs Chicago fire trilogy. _The Hostage_ is the first book followed by _The Mistress_ and then _The Firebrand_. Deborah Beaton Sinclair is the focus of _The Hostage_ One night at the opera... who knew it could change your whole life? Deborah had a very traumatic experience there and realizes that she can not marry her fiance. She decides that she must ride into town and tell her father. Little does she know that her life is about to change forever. Tom Silver is a man bent on revenge. Aurther Sinclair, Deborah's father, is a murderer in his mind, and Tom comes into town from the remote Isle Royale with murder on his mind. While Deborah is confronting her father and the fire is raging outside, Tom bursts into their lives. By a mis-hap, Aurther is not killed, and Tom takes Deborah as his hostage for compensation. They travel to Isle Royale and Deborah sees first hand the disaster that her father's greed has caused. And, she and Tom are drawn towards each other as love spins it's complicated web. Will these two star crossed lovers ever end up together for their happily ever after? Will the devestated families of Isle Royale ever get some compensation for their loss? And what really did happen that fateful night of the opera? Oh, I just loved this book! The characters, the setting, the plot... everything. Let me clear the air and tell you that the first half of the book is really dedicated to letting you get to know the characters and their problems. But, when the romance does come into play at the second half, you feel that you know the characters so well that their love seems very realistic. Both Tom and Deborah are wounded souls, but they can help heal each other, and it is lovely to watch. It is so cool to watch Deborah awaken from the naive debutant she once was. I found myself cheering her on and hoping she would find her voice and her place in the world. Tom was very much the same. He too is wounded, but Deborah helps him see that life goes on and she teaches him how to love again. Susan Wiggs has just boosted herself up to one of my favorite authors. The way she develops her stories is amazing. Her characters are very well fleshed out and her settings come alive. Chicago has always been a place I've wanted to visit, and now I want to even more. The way she described Isle Royale made me feel like I was there. That takes real talent. I can't wait to read _The Mistress_.
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Summary: The first in a fantastic trilogy!!
Review: This is my first Susan Wiggs' novel and she got herself another fan! This is a fantastic book, a book that sizzles. (Pun intended!) Deborah Sinclair is the heroine of "The Hostage", who isn't much a heroine in the beginning. She was raised as a proper high-society young lady that was thought not to be independent and no thought of her own. She was to become an ornament to her future rich and prestigeous husband. And she was okay with this, too... Until the fateful night of the Great Fire when Tom Silver charged into their mansion home to kill her father. A revenge that called for "an eye for an eye". In the pursuing chaos following the fire, instead of killing Arthur Sinclair, Tom ends up kidnapping Deborah to the remote Isle Royale. I loved this book right away because of the lyrical writing of Ms. Wiggs' style. Her haunting and vivid writing of the Great Fire of 1871, made me feel that I was write there in the heat of things. The symbolic images of the fire and the ashes were reminiscent of Deborah's now "ruined" life, which made her plight even more powerful. She was now a hostage who lost everything and the world as she knew it was all gone. In a strange and new place, she had to learn to cope and survive. To become a woman that she was capable of. The reinvention of Deborah Sinclair is triumphant and poignant. And although she becomes Tom's hostage, it was inevitable that these two soul mates found each other. Helping each other heal and deal with their tragedies. And Ms. Wiggs shows in Deborah and Tom's story that even in the worst situations, love can find it's way to the coldest places. Her next book, "The Mistress" (the second in the Chicago fire trilogy), promises to be just as exquisite (if not more!!)! The excerpt in the back of "The Hostage" got me hooked!
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