Rating:  Summary: 5-star soap opera Review: It's funny that the people who criticize this book call it schlock, but good schlock. Schlock implies inferior writing. But if you agree that this book falls in the soap opera genre, just like romance novels fall in the romance genre, then you can make a judgment based on how it compares to other soap opera books. And this book compares very well. Who wants to read a soap opera story that's written like a serious novel? Soap opera, like musical opera, operates in melodramatic fantasy. There is plenty of schlock in all the genres, but this story is written very well for what it is. There is no bodice ripping and there are no cardboard stereotypes. It's a fun, exciting, emotional read. Relax and enjoy.
Rating:  Summary: Both sides are snazzy Review: OK, here's a book you'll like. I have just two complaints, and I'll get them out of the way quickly: 1. The sex scenes are hokey. And 2. At one point a horde of bats attack our heroine in a cave. Not likely. We don't need more bad publicity for our furry, little friends. Almost all of them mind their own business, and they are vital to the ecosystem. Even vampires sneak up on their sleeping victims. They do not attack en masse.But, I digress...our cast includes Catherine Alexander, a good, beautiful, naive woman; Noelle Page, a bad, beautiful woman, really dreadful; Bill Fraser, a great guy who deflowers young Catherine (but that's OK with her); Larry Douglas, a debonair flyboy with nary a scruple in his handsome head; and Constantin Demiris, a Greek billionaire with a definite taste for revenge! I'll say no more. Here's the deal: Catherine and Noelle are both born in 1919. Catherine, from Chicago, grows to young adulthood, somewhat naïve. Noelle, from Marseille, France, grows to young adulthood somewhat naïve too, but early on she falls in love with Douglas, who inadvertently twists her. He beds her and dumps her, and she never recovers. She turns into a cold-hearted Harpy...plotting revenge for years! Catherine, on the other hand, falls in love with an older man, Fraser, a stolid Washington bigwig, but she too later falls under the hypnotic spell of the devilishly passionate Douglas who, by the way, is an ace fighter pilot in WWII. How romantic for a tender, impressionable young woman! No wonder they can't resist: a fighter pilot with handsome, chiseled features and a devil-may-care attitude. A male fatale. OK, so we have parallel stories for a while. Caring Catherine and Fraser in Washington. Noxious Noelle, who becomes a famous actress with a string of influential lovers, in Europe. But remember this: Noelle is plotting revenge on Douglas, the cad. Noelle finally takes up with Demiris, and maneuvers Douglas into being hired as the Greek's personal pilot. At this point, the two stories move closer, ending in Greece, spiraling down a slippery slope of murder schemes, failed plots, romantic nights, successful plots, mountains in the clouds, rickety foot-bridges, bottomless volcanic lakes, terror in dark caves, hokey sex, stunning Mediterranean vistas...all that stuff. It's a well-crafted yarn, and it has a dilly of an ending. Certainly blindsided me. Probably will do the same for you, but maybe you're sharper than I am. It's possible. We have some good secondary characters, the best of whom is Colonel Mueller, a bald, albino, homosexual Gestapo officer. Unlike everybody else, he was not blinded by Noelle's charms. Of course not, he's gay. Did she escape his clutches? You'll just have to read the book and see. I recommend it to you. Trust me on this.
Rating:  Summary: story was going ok, but what happened to the ending? Review: Sheldon builds up the story in such a way you are really rooting for a different kind of ending, I was not prepared at all for the depressing ending...couldn't he have saved one of the characters, made him/her happy??? Very disappointed with the ending. Otherwise a good read.
Rating:  Summary: Sheldon strikes again! Review: Sheldon strikes again with a tale rich in eroticism, romance, violence and international conspiracy. Real fun!
Rating:  Summary: «THE» SHELDON TO READ by M. Boucher Review: Sheldon's classic. If you have never read one of his book, start with this one. You won't be disappointed. More than 5 stars!
Rating:  Summary: Trashy but fascinating Review: Sidney Sheldon focuses on the trashy as does authors such as Jackie Collins or Judith Krantz, however I must say that he has a grandiose, eloquent style of writing that neither of those two could ever match. The story is somewhat cliched--a scorned woman out to wreak havoc on the man who wronged her at any cost--but the angles and motivations injected into this tale make it above the norm. I have seen the movie and I have to say that the book is much better (as is usually always the case). One thing that struck me as I read it, and I'm sure it will strike others as well, is that Sheldon almost certainly based Noelle physically on Catherine Deneuve. I also found interesting the Mata Hari-like ending . . .In all, an engrossing rags-to-riches tale gone wrong about the destructiveness of unbridled vengefulness and all-consuming passion which would make an interesting read for anyone.
Rating:  Summary: One of the best books I have ever read Review: Sidney Sheldon is an excellent writer. This book was particularly engaging with illustrative descriptions and thought-provoking plots. Sheldon is one of my favorite authors.
Rating:  Summary: Master in storytelling Review: Sydney shows his talent again with this book about two women obsessed with a man. You have this sweet girl who is betrayed by his husband but still insists on his love, and the selfish and ambitious actress who ran across the man in dispute at an early age and, since that moment, centers her life in resuming their love story. Sheldon keeps the suspense during the whole book and you just can't stop reading the last chapter until the end. I gave it 4 stars because it is not a masterpiece, but I assure you it's pretty good entertaining.
Rating:  Summary: Dragged on too long Review: The book is almost 500 pages and it took about 250 to get to the intersting parts. The character development is incredible but the whole time you're like "well, when are they gonna be connected?" I previously read "Rage of Angels" by Sheldon and enjoyed that a thousand times more. I was a disgusted by Larry and especially Noelle. Adultury is a SIN!!!!!!!! I was disappointed to see Sheldon make it seem like it was no big deal. Not everyone has affairs and it is not normal. His book makes you believe it's OK to Sc**w the world. He's a great writer but I don't recommend this one.
Rating:  Summary: Dragged on too long Review: The book is almost 500 pages and it took about 250 to get to the intersting parts. The character development is incredible but the whole time you're like "well, when are they gonna be connected?" I previously read "Rage of Angels" by Sheldon and enjoyed that a thousand times more. I was a disgusted by Larry and especially Noelle. Adultury is a SIN!!!!!!!! I was disappointed to see Sheldon make it seem like it was no big deal. Not everyone has affairs and it is not normal. His book makes you believe it's OK to Sc**w the world. He's a great writer but I don't recommend this one.
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