Rating: 
Summary: Delightful Reading
Review: New Orleans Legacy was a true delight to read.
Rating:
Summary: Splendidly Written........Hat's off to Ripley!
Review: Ripley does a superb in re-creating the mood in this historical love story and tragedy. The main character never loses the innocence she started with. Nothing came easy to her, yet she had everything. Very well written......mon ami!
Rating:
Summary: A TREAT FOR SOUTHERN HISTORY BUFFS!
Review: Ripley doesn't just write about the South; she takes you there. Her descriptions of New Orleans, homes and even the shops are so vivid one can truly live in each moment along with Mary MacAlistair, the lively character the story evolves around. Her life takes so many twist and turns it's amazing to realize that it all happens in the space of a year. From the age of sixteen to seventeen she's experienced more then most would over the space of a lifetime. She jaunts through the adversity in her life with a very uplifting attitude until she briefly determines it's a dog-eat-dog world she resides in. However, events unfold and she again finds the 'chin up' frame of mind that has made her the delightful character that is Mary. I enjoyed this book as much or more as "Charleston" and "Leaving Charleston". I did feel that the ending unfurled a bit to quickly and lacked the build up that other important parts of the book offered. Overall, it was a most enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Ripley doesn't cut Mary any slack..
Review: The central character, Mary, never got off easy. Ripley satisfyingly made her life complicated. I'm ready to go back to New Orleans and imagine what Mary experienced.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling Story - Abrupt Ending
Review: The story of Mary and Val was fascinating and really pulled me in - I didn't want to put the book down. But after establishing these memorable characters and weaving this engaging narrative, the author suddenly drops the story and walks away. Come on Ms. Ripley, after living through Mary's trials and triumphs, don't your loyal readers deserve at least a one-page epilogue?
Rating:
Summary: What a Great Book!
Review: This book is really good. It's long, but I was so interested that I read it in about a week (while I took college courses as well). The main character, Mary, is a true heroine, she's not this silly love-starved, look-for-a-husband-type that's usually found in historical romance/fiction novels. You know it was a good book when a month later you think to yourself "now, who was it that..." and you realize it was a character from a book. Discriptions of N'arlings are great, too. Compleate with banquettes, coffee, and banyaes (sp?). Now I can understand why Ripley was chosen to write the sequal to "Gone With the Wind." If you like epic type historical romances, you'll like this book!
Rating:
Summary: It takes you there
Review: This book is so discriptive, you can smell the red beans and rice. It is in my top 2 of books, and I have read it three times. Anyone who reads this will want to go to New Orleans
Rating:
Summary: It takes you there
Review: This book is so discriptive, you can smell the red beans and rice. It is in my top 2 of books, and I have read it three times. Anyone who reads this will want to go to New Orleans
Rating:
Summary: This novel is a true gem
Review: This is one of my two favorite Alexandra Ripley books (the other is "Charleston", I can't decide which is better.) Set in the beautiful and exotic New Orleans, the novel tells us the story about a girl who after the death of her father is left alone in the world, learns to stand on her own, and while gets in touch with all the social classes of the city, she overcomes the difficulties and injustices she faces and finds her family and love. Although at first I didn't understand how could she love Valmont Saint-Brevin after all he had done to her, later it turned out that he is still worthy of loving (I won't post a spoiler here but he does a very brave thing that is unusual in the "southern romance" books which follow in the footsteps of "Gone With The Wind" in almost idolizing slavery.) Also, his suffering from yellow fever was a good example of poetic justice. :)Don't let the cover of the book deceive you, this is not the kind of stupid Jennifer Blake novels. This is a historical novel done on the scale of "Gone With The Wind" and "Charleston" but more realistic (it doesn't suggest that slaves were happy under their masters' rule). I loved this book the very moment I began to read it. I kept on getting bad grades in school that week :)
Rating:
Summary: This novel is a true gem
Review: This is one of my two favorite Alexandra Ripley books (the other is "Charleston", I can't decide which is better.) Set in the beautiful and exotic New Orleans, the novel tells us the story about a girl who after the death of her father is left alone in the world, learns to stand on her own, and while gets in touch with all the social classes of the city, she overcomes the difficulties and injustices she faces and finds her family and love. Although at first I didn't understand how could she love Valmont Saint-Brevin after all he had done to her, later it turned out that he is still worthy of loving (I won't post a spoiler here but he does a very brave thing that is unusual in the "southern romance" books which follow in the footsteps of "Gone With The Wind" in almost idolizing slavery.) Also, his suffering from yellow fever was a good example of poetic justice. :) Don't let the cover of the book deceive you, this is not the kind of stupid Jennifer Blake novels. This is a historical novel done on the scale of "Gone With The Wind" and "Charleston" but more realistic (it doesn't suggest that slaves were happy under their masters' rule). I loved this book the very moment I began to read it. I kept on getting bad grades in school that week :)
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