Making Waves

Rating:
Summary: Don't read this book if you like happy endings.
Review: I was disapointed in this book. I love southern writing and Cassandra King does have a knack for characterization and southern speech but I felt like this book ended too quickly. Actually, I hated the ending! It felt like there should have been more resolution and things could have been wrapped up better for all concerned. As it is, the character of Donnette is just desperate, immature and conniving and not very likeable. The reader does not want someone like that to hold all the cards and be the most powerful. Why do I want to read about someone like that if she doesn't change and grow? I was hoping she was going to mature at the end and act like a grown up. No one seems to win in the end and the story just felt sad to me. What a waste of all their lives is all I could think when I finished the book. Taylor's story is left unfinished. Is the author trying to leave room for a sequel? If so, I am so put off by the ending I won't waste my time reading it.

Rating:
Summary: I hated two of the characters in this book so much it hurt
Review: My hat is off to Cassandra King. It is hard to write characters that make you want to punch them in the face, but with Ellis and Donnette, mission achieved. I listened to this book on a long solitary road trip, and Taylor and Aunt Della (the more sympathetic characters) were engaging, as were the villans, but this is an unlikable, unhappy story. It does haunt you, and if you're looking for a tale of white trash revenge (where trash triumphs and solid morality is swept under the rug in exchange for immaturity, paranoia, and possessiveness), you've found it. Otherwise, I'd stay away.

A note about the audio book - the story is told from different perspectives, and it was wonderful to have the different actors reading the different parts. The voicing of Della and Donnette was especially strong.

Rating:
Summary: I hated two of the characters in this book so much it hurt
Review: My hat is off to Cassandra King. It is hard to write characters that make you want to punch them in the face, but with Ellis and Donnette, mission achieved. I listened to this book on a long solitary road trip, and Taylor and Aunt Della (the more sympathetic characters) were engaging, as were the villans, but this is an unlikable, unhappy story. It does haunt you, and if you're looking for a tale of white trash revenge (where trash triumphs and solid morality is swept under the rug in exchange for immaturity, paranoia, and possessiveness), you've found it. Otherwise, I'd stay away.

A note about the audio book - the story is told from different perspectives, and it was wonderful to have the different actors reading the different parts. The voicing of Della and Donnette was especially strong.

Rating:
Summary: a story that will stay with you.
Review: this book is short, easy to read, and funny in a real understated way, so i didn't expect to keep thinking about it (especially the ending) long after I finished reading it. my book club read and discussed it, and many of us felt the same way. the characters were colorful and interesting, especially aunt della. it's different than any of the books the book club has read lately, but we really enjoyed it.

Rating:
Summary: A story that stays with you....
Review: What hooked me was that the characters are so real, so small-southern-town that I could identify with each of them (although I would have loved to read Tim's account). What stayed with me though, was the ending. It was completely unexpected and I re-read the last section several times. I don't want to give anything away but if you read this story you won't be sorry.