These Dreams

Rating:
Summary: a powerful book
Review: As a mother whose child died through violence rather similar to what happened to Grace, I was fascinated and amazed at how the author understood and was able to put into words so many of the emotions and feelings and truths. It was so good that she could describe all that and also write about the strength and growth that pain requires. This book has understanding and hope and a whole lot of wisdom.

Rating:
Summary: heart-wrenching beautiful human drama
Review: Cricket Thompson lives a contented ordinary life in the small upstate New York town of Dansville. It is a place where neighbors know each other and crime is relatively low. Cricket has two daughters, Janis and Grace, who she adores, and her husband Jim who she is comfortable with although the passion left their marriage a long time ago. Although she is attracted to coworker Pass, she believes she would never be unfaithful to her husband.

Her snug and secure world crumbles when an unknown gunman starts firing in a video arcade killing many students and injuring some, including Cricket's daughter Claire. She is taken to the hospital where she lies in a coma until she dies three months later. Cricket's world falls apart and she runs away from all that she holds dear hoping that one day that she will find herself again.

THESE DREAMS is a heart-wrenching beautiful human drama that portrays what can happen to a family when a bad thing happens to a good person. The heroine is a very special woman, resilient and determined in the face of adversity and willing to do whatever it takes to find a purpose in life after fate shatters it. Barbara Chepaitis is a fantastic writer whose works can break your heart.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Soap Opera in Plot
Review: I absolutely loved this book. It gives the reader a realistic look at how tragedy can affect a person. How "normal" people can just fall apart. Not one person can positively identify how they would react when put into a tragic situation. This book makes you realize that. You feel empathy and sympathy and disgust and pitty and love and truth and understanding and pride and humility all at once with this book.

Rating:
Summary: great book!
Review: I absolutely loved this book. It gives the reader a realistic look at how tragedy can affect a person. How "normal" people can just fall apart. Not one person can positively identify how they would react when put into a tragic situation. This book makes you realize that. You feel empathy and sympathy and disgust and pitty and love and truth and understanding and pride and humility all at once with this book.

Rating:
Summary: Soap Opera in Plot
Review: I wanted to like this book, it sounded like an interesting premise but there was just too much muddying the waters. It had a soap opera feel to it - right down to the main character's
name. The beginning of the book started out well enough but it became quite convoluted towards the middle with a rather weak ending.