Please Remember This

Rating:
Summary: Different than the others
Review: I own all of Kathleen Gilles Seidel's books so you can consider me a fan. I don't read any other romance authors these days except Seidel, and I eagerly awaited her latest book. However, I did not find "Please Remember This" as enthralling as her previous ones. (I gave it to a friend without any editiorial comments and she felt the same way.) Usually Seidel's books have plots in them that I can relate to but this one was not one of them. I have yet to even re-read this book, and I've practically worn out her previous titles!
I keep trying to figure out why this book was not as satisfying as Seidel's usually excellent books (even the Harlequins were a cut above...). Perhaps it was the ghostly elements? Perhaps it was the tie-in with the actual Steamboat Arabia that I've recently visited in Kansas City? Perhaps it was just that this book was trying to mesh together too many threads to connect the past and present. I recommend ALL of Seidel's previous books; they are truly worth a visit to a new or used bookstore site. Save this one for last or wait for her next one, I bet it will be great.

Rating:
Summary: Women's fiction at its best!
Review: Once again, Seidel has delivered a beautifully written story filled with strong, likeable, believable characters. This one, like her others, is about family and healing and the importance of love--in all its permutations and complexities. The premise is immediately intriguing, and it continues to be fascinating as the plot unfolds, all the way to the end. I especially loved the setting and how real the small midwestern town and its inhabitants all seemed. My one problem with the book is in no way a criticism of it or of the author: I don't know why Seidel's publishers put "romance" on the spine of this book when it just isn't. Yes, there is a romance in it--and a good one, too--but the main point of the book is the heroine's inner search for resolution and meaning in her life. Along the way, she finds a new career, answers to mysteries that have colored her existence, friends, community, and love. The story is hers, and if readers know to expect that, they won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointingly Plain Fiction
Review: The basic story line of this book sounds exciting, but it never fulfills its promise. If you enjoy reading about all the details of who does what in a small town (and I mean lots of them) then you might enjoy this one as a casual read. I thought all the details detracted from the action to the point of becoming tedious at times. Worse, the novel was populated with characters that never came alive for me. All those who live outside the conventional American way of life are portrayed as irresponsible, selfish, wierdos in what I thought was a rather mean, small-minded way. Meanwhile, those who righteously pursue the usual American Dream accomplish the impossible with amazing industry, competence, and style. How can one really believe in such people? They have no depth to them, nothing one can identify with. Their thoughts and their struggles are superficial, and trivialize everything that happens in the book. The final revelations are like afterthoughts, and fail to excite.