A Certain Smile

Rating:
Summary: AWFUL STORY
Review: I could not finish this book, let alone get past page 25. The story was too slow to develop, quite boring. I found it very disturbing that a Chinese man would befriend/stalk a stranger at the airport. Neither character was very interesting. It doesn't make sense that he would show so much interest in Miranda, to show her around the country. The fact that Li was being followed didn't add anything for me. I wish I could give it NO stars but I am forced to give it ONE star.

Rating:
Summary: A Certain Smile
Review: I was fascinated with this book! It was an interesting story with interesting characters who may not have always been predictible, but that was OK. If it weren't for the tragedy of the ending, I would probably have given this story 5 stars. I do prefer a happy ending, but occasionally life doesn't come out the way we hope or expect. Whether or not we agree with the decision the authors made for the lovers to go their separate ways without further contact, maybe it was looked at as the only way the couple could handle the absence of one another and get on with their lives.

Rating:
Summary: Blah ze ending to a somewhat interesting story
Review: Yes, I am hooked on the writing talents of Judith Barnard and Michael Fain. Yet as I make my way through their books I find Certain Smile to have left me hanging. I rather enjoyed becoming aquainted with the main characters, Li and Miranda. Theirs is a romance that springboards from a reality close to home: they are of seasoned ages, he a professional, she a budding professional, both having children, both at a point in thier lives where taking chances on the unusual (dating strangers in a foreign land) is not all too ridiculous. Mostly, I enjoy the pictures the authors drew for me of a land I've not had the privilage of visiting. It inspired me to be more inquisitive of the culture. However, beyond these few basics which kept me reading, I was disappointed in the outcome of the relationship. Miranda's character, in the end, showed lack of maturaty inconsistent with the tenor of the relationship as it was developed throughout the story. Additionally, a bit of the storyline was next to unbelievable... the wheelings and underhanded dealings of Li's son... but that along with the romance is what makes this all fanasy. And fantasy is the escape I enjoy in my free time reading!