Rating: 
Summary: the real deal
Review: Swimming Sweet Arrow turned out to be an excellent book. It has some extremely rough material that is definately directed towards a mature audience, and some might find the raw sexual content and dramatic issues hard to swallow, but others might appreciate the gutwrenching honesty this book has. Maureen Gibbon did not try to candy coat anything about this young girl's coming of age story, she told it how it was. I like the fact that someone can write fiction that isn't so narrow minded even if it deals with telling a story that some might be too uptight to handle. It was VERY VERY well written.
Rating:
Summary: Truthful, and Right on the money.
Review: Take a erotic novel and a young adult story and put them together and Swimming Sweet Arrow is what you would have. A great book that crosses the lines at point but does it in such a good way.Vangie is 18 years old and thinks things are going great in her life. She has the love of her life Del and her best friend June and her love Ray. What could be better, she lives on her own, has a job and is getting close to finishing high school. Shorly after graduating from high school her friendship with June fades away and she moves in with Del and June moves in with Ray and his brother Luke. Vangie takes a job at the local diner as waitress and is making good money and living with Del. As time goes on she starts to see that things in her life and world aren't what she wants and she trys to change things. This book has a lot sexual parts to it, it isn't for the person who isn't use to a lot of sex in a book, but it really adds a lot to the story to see how Vangie for a while thinks that sex is all that is out there. This was a wonderful book and I enjoyed it a lot. A quick read. I hope this author will write more books.
Rating: 
Summary: stands on its own
Review: The writing in this book is absolutely clear and straightforward. Once you get involved with the lives of these people, there is no turning back, and you keep on reading until the whole story unfolds. Unlike other readers, I found the sex in the book to be moving and provocative -- real life stuff. There isn't anything coy or manipulative or boring about this book. Gibbon sets out to tell a story and tells it with no apologies.
Rating:
Summary: Honest and Daring
Review: This book goes by quickly; you sit down to read it and find yourself unable to put it down until you're finished. That is a good sign. The writing is stark and simple, and surprisingly descriptive. It is very sexually explicit, though, so it may not be to everyone's liking. At times, that became a bit tiresome, having to read on every other page about some sexual act or another. Otherwise, I would have given this book the highest mark. Vangie starts out at the end of her high school years, with a boyfriend Del that she thinks she loves. When she graduates, she works hard to make enough money to move in with him. Soon after, domestic life isn't all that it seems, and living with Del, who likes to drink and party as if he has no cares in the world, becomes a struggle. Vangie's best friend June is caught between two brothers and can't choose until it's almost too late. Vangie is an interesting character, and her life is quick to be brought into. Her sexual desires confound her, her inner thoughts undo her, and she has to find a way to make it in the life she has chosen. The ending twist is inevitable; you can see it coming a mile away. Yet it is satisfying and well-done. I enjoyed this book for the few hours I was absorbed in it. It will not disappoint you.
Rating:
Summary: So this is me?
Review: This book had me hooked from the second I read an excerpt. I finished it in one sitting. I loved how it was so candid and open, even about things that most authors shy away from. I had known ahead of time that this book could be considered "explicit" and it was, but not in a crude way. The protagonist, Vangie, is so easy to relate to, and the issues dealt with in the book aren't foreign concepts to most people. This book is very bold, and it has a gripping story. I know I'll read it again and again
Rating: 
Summary: Total Trash
Review: This book is basically hardcore porn in writing. There is no plot or story line just sex on every page. It is trashy and depicts sex in the most untasteful manner.
Rating:
Summary: beautiful
Review: This book is beautiful and truthful. The jacket copy really does have it right: the book is a story about passion and survival. The main character finds pleasure not just in sex but also in her crummy jobs. I really appreciated that. The way the pear orchard and the chicken farm were described made me see both places. I loved the character of Vangie, so honest and real. I loved the book.
Rating:
Summary: couldn't put it down... can't forget it
Review: This book is harrowing and true and fearless. And gorgeous. Buy it, read it, she's the real thing. Maureen... write another one soon, please.
Rating:
Summary: Most Amazing Book
Review: This book is the most amazing book i have ever read. my friends and i just can't put it down, we have a waiting list of people wanting to read it, i would suggest it to anyone
Rating:
Summary: Innocents
Review: This book was amazing!! I honestly could not put this book down.. I really got into this book and for anyone that is considering this book i strongly recommend it! Cathy Coote is truly a wonderful writer.. 2 thumbs up!
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