Rating: 
Summary: Good holiday read!
Review: I was surprised to see so many poor reviews for this book. Although it's not the usual James Patterson style, I still found this book enjoyable and wanted to know the outcome.I read it in a day on holiday and would recommend it as a light, entertaining book.
Rating: 
Summary: Will the real James Patterson please stand up
Review: I was searching for the meaning of life, but stumbled upon the answer to reviewer Christopher Coleman's qustion (review dated May 10 2001) namely 'How could the author of those divinely terrific books 'Kiss the Girls' and 'Along Came a Spider' also be the writer of such infernal drivel as 'See How They Run' and 'Cradle and All'?'... So here's my theory. James Patterson IS the beast!Don't you see? He was born as two seperate babies to two seperate mothers and one of him wrote 'Kiss the Girls' and 'Along Came a Spider' while the other one wrote 'See How They Run' and 'Cradle and All'. You've just got to accept that 'Cradle and All' is an autobiography. There! Problem solved. But I have to say that I totally agree with Dr. Coleman's review. This book was like dining on lettuce. It filled you up but left you feeling empty. So why, you might ask, do I give it three stars compared to Christopher Coleman's two? Well, to be honest, I'm punishing myself because I read 'Virgin' back in 1980 and didn't like it much, so what was I doing buying a rework of the same book? My fault, so I award both the James Pattersons a star for being commercially aware (that's not one each, you notice. They'll have to fight over it.)
Rating:
Summary: Mildly entertaining summer novel
Review: Being a fan of James Patterson, I was pretty disappointed with Cradle and All. It was a well-written story, but that doesn't mean the plot and character development were good. They left a lot to be desired. The story was definitely gripping in the sense that you wanted to see what happened at the end, but so much background material was left out (purposefully?) that one could not help but wonder if Patterson was simply trying to "write a movie." This book could easily be made into a screenplay with a lavish budget, A-list stars, and ultimately, box office disaster. Still, if you have a few hours to kill, this is a mildly entertaining religious mystery novel.
Rating:
Summary: Supernatural fable heavenly with suspense
Review: CRADLE AND ALL is foremost a supernatural thriller - a genre in which James Patterson is a firsthand, but the twisting suspense and elements of hysteria still manifest in the book. The plot thickens with two girls Kathleen and Colleen, one in America and the other in Ireland both experiencing virgin birth and soon the hype is brewing stronger with questions of faith and religion - even to the point of the recairnation of Mary of Nazareth.Father Rosetti is sent from the Vatican City to pursue the incident and soon finds out one may be giving birth to the son of Satan. CRADLE AND ALL's concept is incredulous; but accept it - readers will be treated to a read with stupendous climax towards the end where the twist is unpredictible and the revelation - an ultimate surprise. The middle of the novel tends to hit a snag with Patterson rhethorically describing the fear in Kathleen over - but rescues it after the story takes flight again when the birth arrives. James Patterson's supernatural fable will please fans and enthrall with its fusion of religion, emotions and strong characters that stand by themselves.
Rating: 
Summary: Cradle And All
Review: This book was absolutely fabulous. James Patterson broke his mold, writing about a different sort of mystery. He is a fabulous writer regardless of which book he decides to write. I have never been dissapointed in a book by James Patterson, and now I am hooked for life...awaiting his new releases every month. What hooked me is the fact that he got away from his usual character plots and decided to go out on a limb and try something VERY different...well done...
Rating:
Summary: Did you read the same book as me?
Review: I have to say, this is a total page turner. I finished the book in three days! James Patterson really out did himself. It has a twist that will leave your moouth open. It took everything that was taught to me in church, and gave it a wonderful twist. It has horror, action, and suspence all in one book. It is a great book. Me and all my friends have read it and we all love it!
Rating: 
Summary: What a Waste of Time
Review: The "Cradle and All" is not the only thing that has fallen with this book. The standard of writing has tumbled down into new depths. This is easily the most poorly written book I have been unfortunate enough to read in many years. The writing makes Sidney Sheldon look like Shakespeare. The plot is not just unbelievable, but ridiculous. I had to finish reading this book to see if it would end as badly, but I was a bit disappointed. It ended worse than I could have even imagined.
Rating:
Summary: Pitiful and Tasteless
Review: This was a very contrived and manipulated plot. The sexual incidents bordered on soft porn, in addition to blaspheming sacred things. The style, vocabulary and literary features I long for in good reading were sorely missing. This is the first book I have read by the author and will be the last. When I finished the book, I tossed it in a trash can in front of my students. They were amazed. I simply said, "if I want a little piece of steak I don't go to the bottom of a garbage can to find it."
Rating:
Summary: I didn't know what I was getting into!
Review: I must admit that I had not heard of this book before I purchased it to read while on vacation. It sounded like I would like it. As it turned out, I was wrapped up in it! While my family was in the pool I was busy reading the thriller "Cradle and All". I could not put the book down. A few times I had "goose bumps" while reading. The ending was INCREDIBLE!!!! I had the pleasure of meeting James Patterson at Book Expo America in Chicago in June. He graciously signed his new book and gave me a T-shirt with all of his books listed. Besides being a great writer, he is a very kind and soft spoken man.
Rating: 
Summary: bizarre book
Review: Cradle and All was definitely not as good as some of Patterson's other works. This was by far the strangest of the ones I've read. I found it to be long and drawn out throughout much of the book. Towards the end of the book, the pace picked up and it became a little more interesting, but still not as good as his other books. It ended with quite an unexpted twist. If you have nothing else to read, go for it- but otherwise I'd try to find something more interesting to read.
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