The Gable Faces East: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: "Three cheers for Anita! Hip, hip! Hurray!"
Review: Despite what the YOLANDA wrote, I thought this book was excellent. It's fun to be able to escape into a fantasy world for a little while. And for your information YOLANDA, the very word FICTION implies fantasy and therefore, to answer your question, yes, you do have STUPID stamped on your forehead.

Rating:
Summary: What a waste of time
Review: How sad for those who feel this is one of the best books they've ever read. I shudder to think what they had been reading before. I only wish I could give it less than one star. The only thing I can rate this book high on is the non- occurance of pre-marital sex. However I must admit, one more long, drawn-out, passionate kiss would have made me lose my lunch. "Gable" is so predictable, I figured out the ending before I was half way through. And though this book is supposedly set in Australia, the author describes nothing of the country and customs, nor could I find a trace of Australia's unique vocabulary in her dialogue. I read historical fiction to learn something about other places and times in a fun and enjoyable way - this book scores low all around. Other than the half-dozen or so pages that cover two brief forays into Brisbane, the characters spend the entire book in one location - a ranch that could be set in the middle of Montana for all the information the author shares with us. It is obvious she knows nothing of Australia other that how to spell the word. She could have at least researched the area a little. This book is a real bore. I found it hard to like the one dimensional characters, let alone get emotionally involved in their lives. This is the first and last Anita Stansfield book I will ever read. For a no-premarital sex historical romance that is worth your time, try this little known gem, "These is My Words" by Nancy E. Turner. Find out what good historical romance is all about.

Rating:
Summary: A Timeless Romance!!
Review: I have wanted to read more about the Brynehouse-Davies and Hamilton family ever since I finished the First Love series. Reading tidbits in those books about Michael's ancestors only made me want to find out more. This book fulfilled all my expectations and more! The novel is realistic because things like arson, murder, and vengeance were commonplace in the world during that time period. It really shows the damage inflicted on many lives when anger and hatred is used to manuever lives.
Jess and Alexa's story is timeless and it goes to show that true love that is meant to be will always find a way!!

Rating:
Summary: Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z
Review: I really hate to leave a book unfinished but I was sorely tempted to with this bomb. I agree that the book showed an extreme lack of regional research on the part of the author. One of the first rules of good writing is to stick with what you know. Anita Stansfield obviously doesn't know anything about Australia. Hopefully the characters emigrate to a more familiar setting in her succeeding books but I don't intend to find this out for myself. Yes it detailed some characters with high morals and the high morals won out. But the message loses much in the sloppy delivery. I'm glad I borrowed it from a friend and didn't waste money buying it.

Rating:
Summary: Nobody's home in "The Gable"...
Review: I started this book as a book club selection and tried to both read it and listen to it on tape - I couldn't get through ten minutes of either. The lack of Stansfield's imagination and research is evident from the first pages of this book. I found the plot predictable and the writing utterly repetitive (in fact, a friend of mine who also tried to read the book for book club said she kept thinking she was re-reading pages she had already read, as Stansfield's writing was so repetitive). I agree with a former reviewer in recommending Nancy Turner's "These Is My Words" as a WONDERFUL, delicious alternative to this mundane book. Incidentally, the author overuses the names "Alexa" and "Jesse" so much that I couldn't bear the thought of reading the word one more time (we counted an average of 6-8 times per page).

Rating:
Summary: Australian Whiners
Review: Soap opera names, profuse whining, shallow characters...Reading my kids old Goosebump books would have been a better use of my time.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful as Always
Review: This book along with the rest of Anita Stansfield's creations is wonderful. I have read all of Anita's books and have never been disapointed. My sisters and I anxiously await each new story. I loved reading Anita's books and can never put them down. She has a way of making you fall in love with each character and story.

Rating:
Summary: The best of the BEST
Review: This is one of my favorite books. It is about Alexa Byrnehouse and Jess Davies and their long struggle to finally find happiness and be together. Jess is trying to figure out why Alexas brother hates him so much and why he is so bent on destroying Jess. Alexa is forced to leave her home and turned to her families worst enemy for work and a place to live. Their love is forced apart by deceptions of their parents many times. This is a wonderful love story for eveyone to enjoy. And don't forget to read "Gables against the Sky" which is the sequel to this book and actually a little bit better. These are Anitas best books.

Rating:
Summary: The best of the BEST
Review: This is one of my favorite books. It is about Alexa Byrnehouse and Jess Davies and their long struggle to finally find happiness and be together. Jess is trying to figure out why Alexas brother hates him so much and why he is so bent on destroying Jess. Alexa is forced to leave her home and turned to her families worst enemy for work and a place to live. Their love is forced apart by deceptions of their parents many times. This is a wonderful love story for eveyone to enjoy. And don't forget to read "Gables against the Sky" which is the sequel to this book and actually a little bit better. These are Anitas best books.

Rating:
Summary: one of the best books I have ever read
Review: This is one of the best books, i have read. the story is exiciting, and romantic, but at the same time i wasn't embarsed to have my little sister read it. Anita Stansfield is my favorite author, all of her books are wonderful, if you like this one, which i am sure you will, she has a sequel, and the sequel is even better than this first one. I'm telling you, if you read this book, you wont be able to put in down, you will be up all night reading.