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Caravan

Caravan

List Price: $6.99
Your Price: $6.29
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Take this trip; it's a stunner!
Review: Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax mysteries have delighted me. I am late in coming to them. They have been out for years. But I love the pattern of suspense and the new cultural treats that are in store for her readers. I always learn in a Gilman book. And her sense of respect for other ways of living, of relating to God and one another, enrich the tales she gives us.

I recently gleaned the shelves of Half-Price Books and found a few of her titles I had not read, among them was Caravan. And it is a true jewel of a tale.

One feels a bit like this character, a carny child sent to finishing school, is historical, a veritable Unsinkable Molly Brown, and yet the story, as told in retrospect by Lady Teal, encompasses only a small part of a very rich life. And what a vibrant small part that is!

Caressa's survival in the stark desert life of the early 1900's is impressive, and Gilman's finesse in presenting a foreign world and its pecularities make for suspenseful reading beyond the norm. One thing that Gilman never does is shy away from the brutal and the violent realities of her character's situations.

In the primitive 1914 imprisonment that Caressa faces among the conquering Tuareg tribesmen, there are an amazing set of obstacles that just shouldn't have been lived through. No Indiana Jones character could out do Caressa's challenges.

Most beautiful of all are the endearing friendships that she makes with the unusual likes of a fellow slave, a black boy, Bakuli, and earlier with Mohammed, her Arab host in Tripoli.

Delightful endings wrap up Gilman's books with happily ever after as their due. But one is not disappointed with Lady Teal's surprise to readers. In fact, one should have guessed such an ending would be in store.

Typical Gilman in some ways, but very nice escapist reading overall. Brava!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Dorothy Gilman's best
Review: I have read all of the Mrs. Pollifax books at least twice, but Caravan remains my very favorite of all Mrs. Gilman's books, even though it is not one of the series. If you haven't read it, and you enjoy the Mrs. Pollifax series and the exotic locations, I'm sure you will really like this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A fabulous ride
Review: I LOVE this book. If I could rate it with more than 5 stars, I would! It is a wonderfully engrossing tale of a girl who has the adventures of a lifetime in the African dessert. You can read plot summaries in the other reviews, but I must say that Dorothy Gilman's characterizations and scenery descriptions are written with amazing clarity. There are so many "fluffy" and insipid novels out there in the "cozy" mystery/suspense genre, but this isn't one of them. Ms. Gilman is an excellent writer and her characters are intelligent and sympathetic. If you've read this book and liked it, I would also recommend "The Eight" by Katherine Neville. It's much more involved than "Caravan", but it's also a great adventure with a noteworthy heroine.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A great adventure!
Review: I LOVE this book. If I could rate it with more than 5 stars, I would! It is a wonderfully engrossing tale of a girl who has the adventures of a lifetime in the African dessert. You can read plot summaries in the other reviews, but I must say that Dorothy Gilman's characterizations and scenery descriptions are written with amazing clarity. There are so many "fluffy" and insipid novels out there in the "cozy" mystery/suspense genre, but this isn't one of them. Ms. Gilman is an excellent writer and her characters are intelligent and sympathetic. If you've read this book and liked it, I would also recommend "The Eight" by Katherine Neville. It's much more involved than "Caravan", but it's also a great adventure with a noteworthy heroine.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Disappointing for Mrs. Pollifax fans
Review: If you are thinking of reading this because you like the Mrs. Pollifax books, forget it. It has plenty of description from North African countries, like some Pollifax mysteries, but the plot is so full of holes, it's laughable. I don't mind the slightly mystical parts but I do mind the ones that make no sense, i.e., why the widow of a wealthy man is penniless; why an ivory trader doesn't recognize an emerald; why the main character makes no effort to see her family again; and more towards the end that I won't mention.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Disappointing for Mrs. Pollifax fans
Review: If you are thinking of reading this because you like the Mrs. Pollifax books, forget it. It has plenty of description from North African countries, like some Pollifax mysteries, but the plot is so full of holes, it's laughable. I don't mind the slightly mystical parts but I do mind the ones that make no sense, i.e., why the widow of a wealthy man is penniless; why an ivory trader doesn't recognize an emerald; why the main character makes no effort to see her family again; and more towards the end that I won't mention.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: When adventures were real, and the world unexplored
Review: Love story. Epic. Adventure. Travel essay. There are many aspects and genres Gilman's novel "Caravan" can be attributed to. Perhaps it is its emotional and physical range that makes the novel so appealing to so many readers. I myself had never read a Dorothy Gilman novel before, but knew of her series of books, such as "The Nun In The Closet" which I began to read shortly after finishing this book.

The number of books I read every year has slowly been dwindling due to unseen circumstances, but of the books I have read this year, I am most grateful that I chose to read Caravan over the rest. Gilman's style and prose, though well researched and pleasant to read, might lack a certain degree of complexity, but she makes up for it with a plot and cast of characters that is unrivaled, say that of the classic epics.

Yet, what I found so alluring and intoxicating of Caravan, was the scenery and montage she depicts so aptly and vividly, that I too crossed the frigid desert at night; I was there in Tripoli, smothered by the smells and masses of people; I shared the campfire of Tauregs beneath a sea of a million stars. Gilman is able to transport the reader in a way that is magical, allowing you and I to feel the sorrow, joy, adventure, and love felt by Lady Treal.

My greatest dissapointment ... finding The Nun In The Closet, my 2nd Gilman novel, mediocre in comparison to the wonderful story of Caravan.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: When adventures were real, and the world unexplored
Review: Love story. Epic. Adventure. Travel essay. There are many aspects and genres Gilman's novel "Caravan" can be attributed to. Perhaps it is its emotional and physical range that makes the novel so appealing to so many readers. I myself had never read a Dorothy Gilman novel but knew of her series of books, such as "Nun In The Closet" which I began to read shortly after finishing this book.

The number of books I read every year has slowly been dwindling due to unseen circumstances, but of the books I have read this year, I am most grateful that I chose to read Caravan over them all. Gilman's style and prose, though well researched and pleasant to read, might lack a certain degree of complexity, but she makes up for it with a plot and cast of interesting characters that is unrivaled, say that of the classic epics.

Yet, what I found so alluring and intoxicating of Caravan, was the scenery and montage she depicts so aptly, that I too crossed the desert at night. I was there in Tripoli, smothered by the smells and masses of people. And I finally returned to England, to reminisce the adventures, places, and people from my life in Northern Africa.

Gilman is able to transport the reader in a way that is magical, allowing you and I to feel the sorrow, joy, adventure, and love felt by Lady Treal.

My greatest dissapointment ... finding The Nun In The Closet mediocre in comparison to the wonderful story of Caravan.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good enough to be read again and again!
Review: This book is a departure from Dorothy Gilman's typical Mrs. Polifax stories, but if you've enoyed those, you're sure to love this novel. I believe that this book is one of Gilman's finest. She writes on a higher level than in most of the Polifax mysteries: this tale is more in-depth, and builds the main character to such detail that we can hear what she hears, know what she thinks, and feel what she feels. Here Gilman reveals to us the character, rather than just telling us a story. This extraordinary character plunges into her life memories and takes us with her, and her recollections, which come alive again, are intriguing and touching.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Set aside the afternoon for this one
Review: This was an amazing book that kept my interest and intrique through this one woman's journey. Gilman wrote with such clarity that I believed that this woman lived and loved. The ending was surprising and enjoyable.


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