No Regrets: The Forgiving Heart of Allyson Porteus

Rating:
Summary: Finally!
Review: For anyone out there that is looking for a great new book to read, pick this up. Its not just for us cape cod locals.
Im not sure if the last reviewer has any idea what it means to read a fictional love story?? but heres my take on this book. YAHOO! for once there is an author out there that isnt so worried about listing exact details of places (like THE HEIGHT OF A BULDING based on local business code as the last review suggested?), that your not bogged down with petty little details. instead the pages are filled with a story that could have happened to any one of us in the 80's. It is my opinion that we have come a long way in how we handle gay relationships now vs. 20 years ago, but this author brings us back to how it used to be, and she does it without being ANTI gay.
You will climb into the heart and mind of Allyson and get involved in her decisions. (usually i was yelling NO NO NO, dont let him do this to you again)!
This book made me smile and it made me mad, and it made me cry. Not something i get from every book I pick up. And all of this from a first time author! Never would have known if i hadnt read it in black and white right here on these pages!! I too wish you the best of luck on your next book!!

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Summary: Wonderful Book
Review: From wife: I adored the book from page one. I couldn't wait to go from one chapter to another. I found it a better read than any of the bestsellers I have read. Allyson stood by the father of her child during his illness. From day one, I would have dumped him. I hope this will become a movie with Julia Roberts in the lead. Another Oscar for Julia for sure. As for another review about fictionalized Cape Cod, No Regrets is fiction, pure fiction, with a riveting, true-to-life plot.

Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the world of writers!
Review: I recently read this book, no regrets. As a modern contempory romance novel, "Regrets" has it all!! warm and caring characters, family history, that effects Allyson as an adult... The self-centered man in her life an how his actions ultimately damage all that love him.... the child, you love more than yourself... sub plot after subplot... leaving the reader searching for" what happens next"..as the reader this story transported me to Cape Cod,. the sea and for once,,, a happy ending........unprententious romance novel, looking forward to next book

Rating:
Summary: to all romantic's
Review: I recently read this book, no regrets. As a modern contempory romance novel, "Regrets" has it all!! warm and caring characters, family history, that effects Allyson as an adult... The self-centered man in her life an how his actions ultimately damage all that love him.... the child, you love more than yourself... sub plot after subplot... leaving the reader searching for" what happens next"..as the reader this story transported me to Cape Cod,. the sea and for once,,, a happy ending........unprententious romance novel, looking forward to next book

Rating:
Summary: to all romantic's
Review: I recently read this book, no regrets. As a modern contempory romance novel, "Regrets" has it all!! warm and caring characters, family history, that effects Allyson as an adult... The self-centered man in her life an how his actions ultimately damage all that love him.... the child, you love more than yourself... sub plot after subplot... leaving the reader searching for" what happens next"..as the reader this story transported me to Cape Cod,. the sea and for once,,, a happy ending........unprententious romance novel, looking forward to next book

Rating:
Summary: My Regrets
Review: I, too, live on Cape Cod and so I picked up this book in hopes of reading something entertaining. I have to agree with the first person; this book was awful. Cape Cod was over-fictionalized. A penthouse in Harwichport? Unless that top floor graced the second story of some flashy apartment complex, there's no way it could exist. There are building ordinances on Cape that don't allow buildings to exceed certain heights. There are also many other things I found disconcerting about this book. Not until the middle of the book when Felicia makes an off-handed comment of, "This is the eighties" does the reader even know the full setting of the novel. The book jumps ahead down the timeline so inconsistently that some times you don't even know what year they're in, much less the season or month. Without so much as a reference to Ben's age, he is cooing and gurgling as all infants do one minute and running and picking flowers in a wide-open field the next. I honestly turned back chapters at a time and reread them to see what I had missed. Aside from what I've pointed out and some serious grammatical errors I found lingering throughout the book, I was very disturbed by other things I had found. ALL of the hired help in this book was non-white and Ms. Lynch went out of her way to point this out. I believe that Nathan, the chauffeur to the Caldwells, was a "black man", the butler was "a short, middle-aged Chinese man", a "stocky dark maid" delivered tea and crumpets to one of their meetings in the Caldwell mansion, there was Jarod the "tall, thin, dark man" that serviced the Kelseys, and we can't forget Carmen, the "heavy-set Jamaican woman" whose dialect was so far removed from reality I was surprised there was any attempt to imitate it in the first place. Not only did I find this book to be racist, but also very anti-gay. I do believe one of the quotes from the "forgiving heart" of the protagonist was "How can you love your son and disgrace him like that? How do you think he's going to feel when he's in school and the kids make fun of him because his daddy's gay -- or bisexual? (p.166)" The third-person, singular narrator then goes on to say 'Somehow, she would have to save Ben from this repulsiveness. (p.172)' Lastly, Stuart the homo makes a eulogy at his former lover's funeral and states "AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease, usually found in homosexuals, like myself." As if gays and lesbians didn't already have a stigma attached to them regarding sexually transmitted diseases, namely HIV and AIDS, 'No Regrets' serves to perpetuate the myth that only a small percentage of AIDS cases occur in heterosexuals. Frankly, I was offended by this book, and I regret having read it in its entirety. Hopefully Ms. Lynch researches her topics a little more thoroughly next time, as well, and writes about what she truly knows, not just what can be found on the cover of a travel brochure or a website outlining the obvious facts of a disease.

Rating:
Summary: Regretful
Review: Since I live on Cape Cod, I picked up this book. What a mistake. I knew what was going to happen three pages before it happened. Also, there seems to be a continuity problem. None of the locations in this book corresponded to the real Cape Cod. Why fictionalize Cape Cod? Also, I don't think Delta Airlines ever owned a 747 (the one they took to California). I could go on. I wish this author better luck on her next book.

Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the world of writers!
Review: This book I would recommend to my family and friends! Once you dive into this book it seemed impossible to put it down. Romance, a kind of love that seems to be lost these days, has gotten a new life threw your writing and imagination. As I looked at a review written by a women in Brewster I saw that this poor lady must have fallen into the realm of lost romance and needs to open the shades in her life and let the sun shine through! Keep up the good work Donna and don't let negative comments mislead you, use these comments to help you. I can't wait to read your next novel! Good Luck