<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: The Birth of Pilchuck, Washington
Review: Dear Reader: When I started the Once Upon a Dream series, the idea was to write three books based on classic fairy tales, updated and with some sort of comic twist. I had no idea that while three fairy tales would indeed provide a sort of "jumping-off place" for the stories, what would tie them together even more would be the little town of Pilchuck, Washington and the eccentric characters who inhabit it. There's sour old Olga Pfefferkuchen (a.k.a. "Mrs. Peppercookie"), who experiences such a dramatic and miraculous change of heart in my Snow White story, An Unlikely Prince, that rumor has it she was abducted by aliens and given a personality transplant. Biddy and Buster Barton, who run the funky Kitsch 'n' Caboodle Cafe on Main Street, play a major role in my Cinderella story, All That Glitters. Pilchuck wouldn't be Pilchuck without True Marie Weatherby, who owns the Belle o' the Ball Beauty Salon and knows everything that happens in town, plus who said what to whom about it, almost before it's said and done. Some people say she's psychic. Pastor Montgomery Bob, who shepherds the flock at the Pilchuck Church of Saints and Sinners, Ina Rafferty, head librarian at the Pilchuck Public library, and Simon Wyatt, principal of Pilchuck High School, continue to make appearances in each of the books. I love them all. To tell the truth, I've fallen head over heels in love with Pilchuck, Washington. All That Glitters--which features pretty Cindy Reilly embarking on a hilarious self-improvement campaign to win back her straying boyfriend's heart--started out in Seattle. But it just wouldn't stay there! And by the time I started my Beauty and the Beast story (Loves Me, Loves Me Not, February 2000), there was no question where it would take place. I'm pleased and flattered to have had readers compare Pilchuck to both Jan Karon's Mitford and Garrison Keillor's Lake Woebegon. Imagine a little town like theirs with a fairy tale romance thrown in, and you have Once Upon a Dream. If you like Karon's and Keillor's gentle humor and eccentric characters, I guarantee you'll like Pilchuck. Enjoy!Warmly, Barbara Jean P.S. You might also want to check out my Pilchuck novella, "Twice in a Blue Moon," in the 1999 anthology Porch Swings and Picket Fences. The Kitsch 'n' Caboodle Cafe and the Pilchuck Church of Saints and Sinners are reprised, and this time Cindy Reilly's mother Cait has a romance of her very own! You'll also meet Bonny Fairley, who's the heroine in Loves Me, Loves Me Not. Then there's "Cupid's Chase," which you'll find in the 1998 anthology Heart's Delight as well as in the 1999 anthology Unlikely Angels. I hadn't yet conceived of Pilchuck when I wrote "Cupid's Chase," but while I was working on All That Glitters and needed a scene in a Seattle restaurant, I decided to reprise Fortunato's Ristorante and the eccentric Fortunato family matriarch, Nonna Pippa. And if you enjoy Nonna Pippa, you'll probably want to meet Gran-Gabby Weatherspoon, my all-time favorite character, in "Tea for Two" (in the 1996 anthology Mistletoe). It's a Christmas story, but I believe in celebrating the spirit of Christmas all year round!
Rating: 
Summary: Which prince is charming?
Review: Fledgling dress designer Cindy Reilly hoped to design dresses that would be in major stores someday. She hoped to have a happy ending like Cinderella. Cindy already had her prince, or so she thought. Heir to Strawbridge & Fitz department stores, Franklin Cameron Fitz III, saw Cindy and knew she was the one he wanted. But what about the boyfriend? On the night of Cindy's greatest triumph to date, a sale to Fitz's store, she catches her fiance with another woman, a sophisticated city woman. Cindy asks Franklin to help her make herself over, giving him time to be with Cindy. A gentle tale of learning to separate fact from fiction, seeing what's real and not what you want to be real.
Rating:
Summary: Which prince is charming?
Review: Fledgling dress designer Cindy Reilly hoped to design dresses that would be in major stores someday. She hoped to have a happy ending like Cinderella. Cindy already had her prince, or so she thought. Heir to Strawbridge & Fitz department stores, Franklin Cameron Fitz III, saw Cindy and knew she was the one he wanted. But what about the boyfriend? On the night of Cindy's greatest triumph to date, a sale to Fitz's store, she catches her fiance with another woman, a sophisticated city woman. Cindy asks Franklin to help her make herself over, giving him time to be with Cindy. A gentle tale of learning to separate fact from fiction, seeing what's real and not what you want to be real.
Rating: 
Summary: Hooray for Barbara and Pilchuck!
Review: I love the Jan Karon-esque qualities of Barbara's books. I had already visited Pilchick and been introduced to Cindy in Barb's other hometown adventures and now we have become better aquainted. The love, caring, pettiness, quirks, foibles, heroes and crackpots of Smalltown, America are true to life and full of giggles. I plan to visit again and again. More, please!
Rating:
Summary: Love it as well
Review: I read the frist one in the series then this one I love it too and it checks up on the characters in the previous book! I hope Barbara writes a few more!
Rating:
Summary: A light hearted, entertaining, and uplifting book!
Review: This book is perfect for when you want to escape from the cares of the world. It makes you laugh and warms your heart. I also like how Ms. Hicks brings out important issues, like excepting yourself for who you are and how important it is to follow your dreams.
Rating:
Summary: Love it as well
Review: This book was a good enough book if you had little else to read. I liked Cindy very much, and her courage and vitality was heartening. The minor characters were so-so and Franklin's stepmother was definitely bad. Franklin was sweet, yes, but utterly spineless. I have a hard time cheering someone on who seems to have no backbone. The plot idea was good, and parts of it are funny, but it simply isn't that great.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting enough
Review: This book was a good enough book if you had little else to read. I liked Cindy very much, and her courage and vitality was heartening. The minor characters were so-so and Franklin's stepmother was definitely bad. Franklin was sweet, yes, but utterly spineless. I have a hard time cheering someone on who seems to have no backbone. The plot idea was good, and parts of it are funny, but it simply isn't that great.
<< 1 >>
|
