Firebird

Rating:
Summary: Flat characters, flat writing, very tardy plot.
Review: As a reader who grew up on the Kansas plains and found mystery and beauty in the Flint Hills, I wish this were a better book. I admire spare prose, but the writing here is flat, reading more like a long outline for a novel than a novel for the first 100 pages. Likewise, there is no story line until a third of the way into the book, and an odd one at that. [I will give points for originality in one plot twist, however.]

Until a third of the way into the book the characters never come to a flicker of life--we are told who and what they are, never shown, and kept at a distance from them.

The improbable convergence of a Fullbright scholar in literature turned lawyer who just wants to buy a herd of cows and a one-time concert violinist in a small rural town where neither of them grew up strains credibility. The take on the setting is superficial, and we never really get into the heads or hearts of the two main characters.

This is a novel that requires a very patient and sometimes forgiving reader.

I do think the author, if she can get inside her characters and get a story started much sooner, may do better in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Ms. Graham needs a new spellcheck and a better editor
Review: Forty pages and four typos into this book, I grew increasingly irritated with the sloppiness. There is no reason a book should make it past numerous revisions by an author USING SPELLCHECK, and his/her editors and be printed with this many errors.

Unfortunately, even if this book was error free, I'd still give it one star. I kept chuckling out loud in disbelief at how much the plot resembled a Lifetime Channel movie for women. Bleah! If I wanted to delve into such a trite and sappy storyline, I'd simply watch that drivel on tv.

The characters are unbelievable. Ethan has a PhD from Yale AND a teaching degree from Kansas University, but he's a lawyer who wants to ranch? WHY?

Annette is a pretentious snob who has lived most of her life in France, giving the author ample opportunity to toss around French phrases, showing off her prowess in the language (Ms. Graham has taught French, according to her book jacket bio.)

Worst of all is the author's depiction of small town Kansans as rude hicks with slow drawls. I'm from Kansas and I've been to the region where this story takes place and she's really done a discredit to the people.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT READ!
Review: I cried too, and that's what a book should do, move you! I came to Kansas 22 years ago from L.A. and I love it here. It's nice to see how someone else appreciates it, and lets other people know that KS isn't just a flat boring state. For her first novel she sure did do a great job, it's a great love story. When can we expect your next book Janice?

Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Romance
Review: I enjoyed reading Firebird. It is an interesting romance, with a interesting twist. It really is about a love that never dies. A great book for romance readers who enjoy a good story.

Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful and Provoking
Review: I finished this book in one day and loved it. I was wishing some of the other reviewers would have given their thoughts on what transpired with Annette, but I guess they didn't want to give anything away. This would be a good selection for a book club to read and discuss.

Rating:
Summary: Weak Characters and too Predictable
Review: I tried very hard to get into this book but I just wasn't able to. The Main reason for this is the characters which are written so weak that I just didn't care about any of them.
The story centers on a love triangle that is too predictable and belongs on Daytime Television. I do give the author credit for the unusual and unexpected plot twist in the middle but it arrives too late and unfortunetely is not enough to save the entire story.

Rating:
Summary: Audiotape vs. Book
Review: If you had asked me a year ago how I enjoyed audiotapes, I most likely would have answered not much. But becoming a distance walker forced me to evaluate what I coud be doing while walking miles and miles. While music seemed like one idea, knowing my love for books, listening to a tape seemed a more apporpriate choice. Today I finished Firebird, written by Janice Graham and read by Richard Poe. I must also tell you that previously to listening to this book, I also read the book several years ago.
And while I enjoyed the reader, Richard Poe, very much, I had the same feeling about the tape as I did about the book. I sensed in both cases that Janice Graham is a good writer but tends to over do things and tried a bit to hard to covey both emotions and descriptions. Some of her paragraphs and sentences were lengthy and at times bordered on pure sap. And while at times I really felt the emotions or could see the land, it became just too much to absorb them and then continue on to the next passage. I'm not sure I could also believe the love triangle and the outcome of both betrayal and tragedy but I wouldn't say the book didn't have some merit. I guess I just wanted fewer words or less adjectives to describe the land and feelings. All and all if we say some books are too sparsely written, this one really won an award for being too verbose.

On the plus side, though, I must have thought that Graham could do better and I recently also read her newest book, Sarah's Window, which I found to be a poignant and well written book.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, Romancing the Soul - Love Never Really Dies
Review: Its surprising that some readers hated this story. What's not to like? The beginning may slowly build up speed, but deep in the plot, the reader appreciates the character development. At first Firebird appears common to other romances- Man agrees to marry under pressure; A new face in town piques his interest AFTER the engagement is announced. Then watch out - a plot twist is about to blow your mind! I didn't see it coming and couldn't believe what I had just read. From there the hits just kept on coming. The plot winds through a labirynth of twists and turns like a serpentine roller coaster ride. The reader is swept along never knowing where the next drop or derailment may be. I have searched for years to find a book I simply could not put down. Firebird was worth the wait. I read it through the first night. I simply had to know how this story could possibly find resolution. Firebird courts the heart and soul. This is Miss Graham's debut novel, hopefully the first of many to come.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful love story from a new author
Review: Janice Graham is off to a great start with this enjoyable love story. If you're expecting a tale of heavy romance, deceit, murder and a multitude of convoluted sub-plots, you won't find much in this book. Instead, one man's love, almost like a prairie fire, starts in one place, is blown to another, and is rekindled in yet a third as relationships grow and transform over time.

This story shows how death can be a rebirth (remember that title), and how loving a daughter can be as profound as loving a woman. Love's complications lead to grave happenstance; then maturity, enlightenment, and ultimately a deeper love, are born from tragedy. Happens in real life, too.

I'm not the type to dwell on hidden meanings or decipher twists in the plot. So instead, I like to let myself be led wherever the story points. In that regard, this book was perfect for me. Yeah, maybe Ms. Graham isn't the world's best at epic storytelling and character development, but the people in this book are pretty strong nevertheless, with the drama really picking up toward the end. And, maybe the Kansas prairie is a little over-glamorized, but there's a great image there. These would be but minor criticisms rather than major detractors. The story flows well, is easy to read, and you'll identify with all the personalities right away. I enjoyed this book immensely, and finished it in only two days (a rare occurrence for me).

Start reading, get into the flow, and you will be moved by this story. I recommend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful love story from a new author
Review: Janice Graham is off to a great start with this enjoyable love story. If you're expecting a tale of heavy romance, deceit, murder and a multitude of convoluted sub-plots, you won't find much in this book. Instead, one man's love, almost like a prairie fire, starts in one place, is blown to another, and is rekindled in yet a third as relationships grow and transform over time.

This story shows how death can be a rebirth (remember that title), and how loving a daughter can be as profound as loving a woman. Love's complications lead to grave happenstance; then maturity, enlightenment, and ultimately a deeper love, are born from tragedy. Happens in real life, too.

I'm not the type to dwell on hidden meanings or decipher twists in the plot. So instead, I like to let myself be led wherever the story points. In that regard, this book was perfect for me. Yeah, maybe Ms. Graham isn't the world's best at epic storytelling and character development, but the people in this book are pretty strong nevertheless, with the drama really picking up toward the end. And, maybe the Kansas prairie is a little over-glamorized, but there's a great image there. These would be but minor criticisms rather than major detractors. The story flows well, is easy to read, and you'll identify with all the personalities right away. I enjoyed this book immensely, and finished it in only two days (a rare occurrence for me).

Start reading, get into the flow, and you will be moved by this story. I recommend it highly.