Rating: 
Summary: Landvik is getting back on track
Review: "Patty Jane's House of Curl" is one of my favorite books and, when I first read it, I thought I had found one of the next great writers. I did enjoy "Your Oasis on Flame Lake" and, to a much lesser extent, "The Tall Pine Polka," but it was obvious that Landvik's skill seemed to be going down hill."Welcome to the Great Mysterious" does have its problems. The biggest one being that the character development is shallow. More minor are the holes in the story (Ann and Riley go to Italy so Riley can teach, but he never DOES teach; Geneva's mother isn't motherly, but we never see why Geneva feels this way). All that being said, I did enjoy this book and it did bring me to tears. While it wasn't as fulfilling as "Patty Jane's Houst of Curl," it was definitely worth the time it took to read it. If "Mysterious" is a sign of things to come, it looks like Landvik is back on track.
Rating:
Summary: Landvik is getting back on track
Review: "Patty Jane's House of Curl" is one of my favorite books and, when I first read it, I thought I had found one of the next great writers. I did enjoy "Your Oasis on Flame Lake" and, to a much lesser extent, "The Tall Pine Polka," but it was obvious that Landvik's skill seemed to be going down hill. "Welcome to the Great Mysterious" does have its problems. The biggest one being that the character development is shallow. More minor are the holes in the story (Ann and Riley go to Italy so Riley can teach, but he never DOES teach; Geneva's mother isn't motherly, but we never see why Geneva feels this way). All that being said, I did enjoy this book and it did bring me to tears. While it wasn't as fulfilling as "Patty Jane's Houst of Curl," it was definitely worth the time it took to read it. If "Mysterious" is a sign of things to come, it looks like Landvik is back on track.
Rating: 
Summary: Welcome to the Great Mysterious
Review: A wonderfully thoughtful story told with humor, with insight into what people think especially the relatives and handicapped children,an intriquing plot all told with a wonderful use of words to describe situations the reader can relate to. Hope Landvik has a fifth book coming soon!
Rating:
Summary: Another Lorna Landvik Gem
Review: Broadway star Geneva Jordan is at a crossroads in her life. She has recently completed a starring role in a hit musical and has recently broken-up with her former co-star after a long relationship. She receives an SOS from her twin sister Ann in Minnesota asking her if she will come and look after her sister's son, Rich, for a month as has the opportunity to accompany her teacher-husband Riley on a trip to Italy. Although Geneva has mixed feelings about caring for her Down-syndrome nephew, her loyalty to her sister finally wins out and she travels to Minnesota. She has no idea how dramatically her life will change. Geneva is an unusual heroine. Sometimes brash, sometimes child-like, she is an enigma to most who know her. But back at home in Minnesota she regains a part of her past that she thought she had lost during her life as a celebrity. And there's romance, too, as a recently-divorced father helps Geneva get over her recent break-up. Lorna Landvik has written another story full of the same wit and emotion that made her PATTY JANE'S HOUSE OF CURL such a favorite with readers. Landvik chronicles life in the Midwest beautifully in this book full of endearing characters. With laugh out loud moments as well as tears, readers won't be able to help but love this story complete with several surprises. I look forward to reading Landvik's other books as well and am glad I already own them.
Rating: 
Summary: Landvik's Great Mysterious, NOT mysrterious
Review: But predictable and like a bad soap opera. I love Landvik's books, and was surprised and dissapointed in this book. Gone were her wonderfuland loveable chatacters I found in Patty Jane's house of Curl,Your Oasis on Flame Lake and The Tall Pine Polka.Those 3 books made me laugh, cry and care. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen, especially in Patty Janes house of Curl. The Great Mysterious was almst trite, with your big New York star, having to go to a small town to help her sister with her down syndrom child..She falls in love, or is she ???? A friend of the childs becomes seriously ill...we didn't even know he had this problem...our main character goes back to New York, where a part just happens to be waiting for her, or is it....them back to the small town and I felt like going blah blah blah. I missed and longed for "the gang from the hairdressers, or the resteraunt, or the Oasis. I hope Lanvik goes back to thta style of writing...........
Rating:
Summary: I laughed; I cried
Review: Despite (or perhaps BECAUSE OF) her absurd vanity, Geneva Jordan is a great character. Try as she might, she can't quite give in to her inflated ego. She reluctantly agrees to do the right thing by journeying to Minnesota to baby-sit her 13 year old nephew who has Down's Syndrome, while her twin sister, Ann, and her husband go to Italy for a month for a much deserved vacation. Here's where some things become somewhat predictable. She learns her good intentions aren't enough to properly care for this child and they have all kinds of daily difficulties. She, as expected, comes to cherish their relationship and rises to the demands made on her, and, of course, she meets a great guy. What saves this book from predictability is Geneva's absolutely hilarious introspection and that the story unfolds against the discovery and rereading of The Great Mysterious. The Great Mysterious is a forgotten treasure of a scrapbook which is also a sort of game devised by Geneva and Ann one rainy pre-teen weekend. The answers to the big questions asked in The Great Mysterious, reach through the years to this menopausal diva and guide Geneva as she grapples with all the conflicts of her current life. This is a warm and funny book with just the right amount of tragedy.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than her last, but nowhere as fine as her first 2!
Review: I absolutely loved "Patty Jane's House of Curl" and "Your Oasis on Flame Lake". But what's happened to Lorna's writing? "The Tall Pine Polka" was like a car accident...you don't want to look, but you feel compelled to. The characters in that book were so unbelievable (only a Minnesotan could come up with a movie title like "Ike and Inga"), I had to finish the book to discover how much more conviluted the story would become. But enough of the Polka. "Welcome to the Great Mysterious" is a slight improvement. The relationship between Conrad and Rich was wonderful, but I just couldn't see this self-indulgent, self-centered "Toast of Broadway" becoming such fast friends with the woman down the street with the bad perm. I don't want to give the plot away, but unlike "Patty Jane" and "Oasis", the story line is predictable, and, like Lite Beer...less filling, but tastes, uh, okay.
Rating:
Summary: Less than expected...
Review: I am a big fan of Landvik. In her other books, she has written about difficult situations with a great sense of humor mixed in with poignant insights from the characters. Other reviewers in this list detail the story in The Great Mysterious and I found it to be pretentious and the main character to be quite shallow and unappealing. That is unlike her other characters. She typically writes of flawed people who have a number of redeeming qualities. It was hard to like Geneva, the main character in this book. She is self-serving and quite selfish and has little insight into how her behavior impacts others. It's only in the last few chapters of the book that she begins to find herself and yet, it was hard to see how she really was growing in her sense of herself or doing just what was the most convenient. I am a true fan of the author and having read all her other books, I found this one to be less than I expected-- and the least likable of them all. Try reading one of her others first. She is a great author and I'm still a fan....just won't rush to buy the hard cover next time!
Rating:
Summary: Compelling
Review: I became totally absorbed in the plot and characters of this book and finished it in one day. A beautifully written story.
Rating:
Summary: What a wonderful story!
Review: I have not enjoyed a story so much in a long time. I laughed and wept and felt emotions which are a delight to be given through a book. The characters have wonderful depth. Ms. Landvik's grasp of what it takes to be the parent or friend of a disabled child as well as the myriad gifts they bring to a family is perfectly on target. After finishing this book I went upstairs, kissed my daughter and thanked God once again for giving our family this wonderful gift which allows me to truly comprehend how lucky I am and how wonderful life can be. Thank you Lorna Landvik. I can't wait to read what you bring us next.
| 
