Rating: 
Summary: what a departure
Review: ...After reading OLDE HOLLYWOOD by Mr. Peters, I'm amazed that I would be comparing his literature to hers. OLDE HOLLYWOOD compares to a Harold Robbins and this novel compares to a James Michener novel. Mr. Peters is an excellent storyteller and shows a remarkable range of talent. The poetry in this novel is as exciting as the prose. I sat here reading the excerpt contained on this page and it makes me want to start the book over again. It is a quick read. I'm not an A.D.D type that measures books by length. I feel a novel should be no shorter or longer than it was meant to be. In the two Thorne Peters novels that I've read so far, he has shown the ability to understand where to end passages so as not to go over the limit....
Rating: 
Summary: A pleasant surprise
Review: Every now and then I will by an undiscovered author and see what they're about. The results have been mixed, but good enough to be intrigued. This was the first time that I found buried treasure. I really liked the ad that I saw in the LA Times and of what I read here on the reviews so I plunged in and it was a cool dip. This book has a wonderfully warm spirit and the love of Flare and Sunny is something special; we all wish that someone loved us the way they love each other---with all their heart and soul. Since they are so down to earth their starry romance is believeable and engrossing and you will be touched by the loving passages, especially the ones that detail how they die. So when the Clones struggle to find that love and it puts them at odds, you really feel for Flare and Sunny who had hoped for their eternal love to live on thru them and it brings up a whole new set of emotions for the reader. The book is set in 2060s and the author does a fabulous job of bringing the life and times of Flare and Sunny in the 1960s by using their past writings from her diary and a book he wrote while in prison in the '70s that became a best seller 20 years after it was written. The author does not wander back and forth, the storyline and the timeline only goes forward and it was done in a very clever way. I loved the hippy tales from Haight-Ashbury days of hanging around The Grateful Dead and the artwork on the cover and inside the book is a great touch, since Sunny's character is an artist. It gives it that good funky feel that authenticates the book. Finally, the poetry drips off of your tongue. Every chapter is starts off with a masterpiece of verse that is worthy of your tears. Also the way that Sunny's diary entries set the tone is exceptionally well done, and you'll get inside of her character and really care about her---at least I did.
Rating:
Summary: A book with an old soul.
Review: For this couple, a lifetime loving each other wasn't enough and they put their faith in science to remix their cells into a love potion and reincarnate them. Of course the book would be no fun if these two fell in love at first sight again and so through the process of cloning we have one couple living out two completely different lifetime relationships...... or does it just seem like one couple---that's what is fun to decide. If twins have such a strong mental tie to their sibling, imagine what it would be for a Clone and his gene donor. Shared memories through Telepathic connection from beyond the grave.....
I also enjoyed the life and times of the hippies; their adventure made for a great story and it was great to take a 150 year trip with the Grateful Dead.
Kudos for the fantastic poetry--- it was not only beautifully written, but it lent to their story by setting the mood for each chapter. The entries from Sunny's diaries is what gives this book a heartbeat; it is especially touching.
The author does a wonderful job telling the love story. He has made the characters down to earth enough to make the loftiness of their love believable and bearable for the reader. As you get caught up in the love the hippies share, you'll feel for the struggle the Clones--- particularly the male Clone--- goes thru. But they find their own way once they leave the old ways behind and by book's end there are new beginnings on the horizon for all..... Including a sequel.......
Like a fine piece of machinery, all the parts of this book work. The author has command of the direction of the story so you are always in the flow with the wind at your back.
Favorite Part- When Flare and Sunny get hitched on the pot farm while the State Troopers are raiding the place.
Why 4 Stars? Because Das Kapital is a 5 Star book....
Rating:
Summary: On second thought.
Review: I didn't realize it while I was reading it, but when I was listening to the people on the news talking about the birth of the first clone and I was listening to the protests and supporters, I realized just how powerful the social commentary in this novel is. It's an epic love story to be sure and that's what keeps your interest. The beautiful poetry and the fantastic characters almost obscure the political aspects surrounding the clones. It is a well developed subliminal backdrop that you're aware of but not focused on. That's why I abandoned my current book to re-read this book again, with the social and political tribulations in mind. What really gave me a chill was that the female clone in this book has the same birthday as the female clone just allegedly born. Does Mr. Peters have some inside info he'd like to share about the date of birth of the next clone?
Rating:
Summary: A rara avis novel
Review: I guess I have a different take on this book than those who believe it to be a light read or simply a lover's romp, because I think it could be considered for a Pulitzer Prize. "The Clone Act of 2038" detailed in this novel is the answer to the quandaries being dealt with on Capitol Hill at this time. We are about to witness the birth of a new race of people and there will undoubtedly be much backlash, particularly from religious groups that believe clones have no souls. These humans must be protected from being used for medical science or as spare parts for living humans. Also, as we've seen in the case of Ted Williams, the deceased's rights must be protected against being cloned against their will, or having their corpses dug up to have their cells reanimated unless they have spelled out this intent in their will. There will be many laws and issues surrounding these cloned humans and they must be addressed in the name of humanity. This novel speaks to all of that with great sapience, while telling a unique love story about two people meeting on the beach for the first time--twice-- and the story of their lives. As well, the poetry contained in this novel qualifies Mr. Peters to be regarded as a Laureate of the first magnitude. His style of writing both the verse and the prose has a down-to-earth richness that is epic and musical and I believe that we are witnessing the emergence of a brilliant novelist.
Rating:
Summary: I'm saved in the nick of time!
Review: I love to read, so I read all the time. More often than not I am disappointed by the style and content of what I read and my mind wanders. I find myself skipping around to get past the digression and end up losing the plot looking for something to sink my teeth into. Today's authors can best be described as formulaic. They knock off themselves and everyone else in their genre. I've read it all and have no where to go.
But this novel really took me places and touched me. An original concept for a love story; a new wrinkle--imagine that. I'm as surprised as I am elated. I'm also surprised to see the reviews of his other books harp on the perverted erotica that he writes of, but there was none in this book---just lovemaking amd romance between two people--or four people (that's what you have to decide.) I'm in love with my man for 8 years and I know we'll make it and I would definitely want to be cloned so we could try again in 100 years. When you read this book, you'll want to try it with someone you love too. Maybe 5 stars is exuberant for a fiction romance novel, but I love it too much to take away a star. I didn't see anything wrong with this book and the edit was great, so I voted with my heart. The parts about what it will be like for clones was relevant, so this wasn't just tripe. The poetry is so loving and so romantic and I was deeply moved by the passages and impressed by the talent of this writer. It has to be pretty difficult to write great poetry and write great prose, because I'm not aware of many who do it this well. Since this book will make my next book that much tougher to read,I'll read this book cover to cover again before I move on. It's really that good.
Rating:
Summary: 100 years of love and they've only just begun
Review: If you're a reader that enjoys literature that speaks to your heart then you will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Is Thorne Peters Nostradamus?
Review: In the novel you will take note that the cloned female is born on Dec. 27 just like the hippy girl Sunny was and now here on Dec. 27 the news tells of the alleged birth of EVE. Maybe Thorne Peters is the Clone of Nostradamus and this whole novel is an elaborate quatrain.... Overview of the reviews...
I agree with the recurring word used to describe this book- UNIQUE. Even though it's hard to believe that there is still a unique love story left to tell. I agree that the poems in the novel are all gems; they are not fill ins used to create the illusion of a poetic character. They are Bona Fide masterpieces all, which can be enjoyed and shared frequently. The love story is tender not sappy and that makes a big difference, but I enjoyed the tug of love war that the clones go thru even more. The trip thru the 60s was great and I enjoyed the Grateful Dead connection they had. Flare & Sunny's theme song is "Sunshine Daydream" and the many references to the Dead tunes add a musical quality to the book. I believe the author added in just enough social commentary on the future and current plight of cloning to make it interesting as well as entertaining. He used it in a way to tell the story of the clones and not cloning. I thought the artwork was special and further brought the characters to life. It was clever to make Sunny an artist and have drawings throughout the book as if to verify the assertion. It was great to see the pictures of these fictional characters. The poems, pictures, declarative oaths of love, impassioned pleas for love, the script font for Sunny's diary entries and the bold italicized font for the entries from Flare's book makes the novel very artistically expressive. Finally, I also agree that the novel is a re-read staple for your collection that you will go back to over the years just for a revist with these old friends. Stay tuned for the sequel CLONED LEGACY that sounds like it will be an adventure/thriller more than it will be a love story....
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read.
Review: It was a real treat to read this book, because it was a big surprise. I got this with mild interest and anxiously awaited THE LOVELY BONES by Ann Sebold. Well TLB turned out to be a great big disappointment for me. This book was so much better. I really got into these characters and the way that the story is told. It's written from a great perspective and you just flow thru it with them. The poetry is really something special and so is the poetic way the book is written. It is a book with a great spirit.
Rating:
Summary: vast depth
Review: There is so much to this book that you could extrapolate several different short stories that could stand on their own. It all begins with Flare& Sunny, the teen runaways that live thru an endless summer of love for forty years. They're total Dead Heads and commune workers that drift around the scene and engage the Avant-Gard masters of the late '60s Haight Ashbury crowd and attend the great concerts and protests of their time. The author does a terrific job creating the scenery of that time and place so it's authentic. You have their us against the world love story expressed by gushing diary entries from the girl and declarative poetry by the guy. Then there is the issue of cloning and what it will mean individually and societally told from the perspective of the reanimated cells that Flare & Sunny hoped to live and love thru again. You see the book takes place in the last half of the 21st century and focuses on the life of the clones. Rather than jump back and forth across two timelines, Peters resurrects the dead hippies thru the words of love they wrote in the previous century and weaves it in so that it is relevant. There's great human interest stuff and emotional upheavals, but at 250 pages the author doesn't bog the story down in its telling. The book does an excellent job keeping the timeline straight and has a clever method for using fonts to let you know who is speaking, so the dialogue flows and gets to the point without preamble or postscript. Style-Content-Execution-Characters and Resolution all 5***** stuff. The poetry is absolutely off the scale and out of this world.
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