Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put this one down...
Review: I've always liked Mary Jo Putney's historical romances. When I read her first contemporary romance, The Burning Point, I was a bit disappointed. Since the pacing and dialogue used in historicals and contemporarys are very different, I've found that authors who can write well in one genre can't necessarily easily jump into the other. It looked like Ms. Putney was going to fall into the category of a writer who can write great historicals but not very good contemporarys. However, I decided to give this latest entry a try, and I'm really glad I did.This is a very well-written book. The pacing is excellent and the dialogue is consistent with common spoken language (a common failing in poorly-written contemporarys). The story was interesting, and the story-within-a-story worked very well. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a well-written contemporary romance novel. But don't pick it up unless you have time to read the whole thing - otherwise you will find yourself staying up until all hours to finish it.
Rating:
Summary: Very well-written, emotional story
Review: I've long been a fan of Ms. Putney's historical novels. When she made the switch to contemporary, I skipped The Burning Point based on subject matter. With The Spiral Path, this author has given me a book to love as much as I had her earlier stories. Yes, there is still a controversial subject, but one the reader might be better able to get through. I won't reiterate the plot summaries given elsewhere on this page. What I will say is that I couldn't put this book down. A compelling page-turner, the book grabs you from the start and stays with you after you've closed the covers. The author expertly crafts multi-layered lead characters and puts them through an emotional & mental wringer. She augments them with a super cast of supporting characters that adds texture and depth to the story. Her rich descriptions of New Mexico bring the land and its people alive in the minds of the readers This book will easily make my list of best books of
2002. I give it two thumbs up. If Ms. Putney continues to write stories like The Spiral Path, I will continue to read them.
Rating: 
Summary: This book was [BAD]!
Review: I've read Mary Jo Putney's other books and they were very enjoyable. This one was not. Thank God I didn't buy it!! I found it highly unbelievable and long winded. The conversations between the characters were stilted and didn't ring true, the story dragged on and on, and it was just [bad]. She could take some lessons from Nora Roberts.
Rating:
Summary: Wow, wow and WOW!
Review: Loved this book, can't imagine anyone thinking it less than five stars or utterly great. Mary Jo Putney didn't just deliver, she knocked it out of the park. Books like this are why I love to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: Mary Jo Putney does not dissappoint. She delivers another great believable story.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Mary Jo Putney does not dissappoint. She delivers another great believable story.
Rating:
Summary: Read it in one night
Review: Mary Jo Putney is an excellent author, who writes emotionally wrenching scenes for both male and female characters with great sensitivity and a refreshing lack of stickiness. Her hero, Kenzie, is haunted and fragile, and it is a credit to the author that his emotional state makes him a more "manly" character than many contemporary heroes I have read. I was less interested in the heroine's traumas, but she was a strong and solid female, and having her direct the film in the book was a nice plotline.
Putney's previous contemporary was ground-breaking in dealing with a reconcilation after spousal abuse, and this novel doesn't have the same sense of gravity, but it was thoroughly enthralling. The Oscar ceremony was pretty hokey though!
Rating:
Summary: Spiralling around
Review: My mother recommended this book to me because of the author's use of the labyrinth to help the characters work through their individual crises. I'm originally from San Francisco and have walked the labyrinth at Grace Cathedral (mentioned in the book, I think). I found it to be an incredible way of narrowing down one's field of focus to allow one's thoughts to come into perspective. I was fascinated by the intensity of the reactions the characters had as a result of experiencing the labyrinth and I thought it very interesting the author would choose such an unusual plot device. I also enjoyed the flashes of wry humor that were sprinkled throughout the dialogue.
Rating:
Summary: Raw Emotions and Brutal Honesty
Review: Once again Ms. Putney crafts a novel that is like a fine tapestry of tightly woven threads, rich with raw emotion and brutal honesty. I've been a fan for a long time, and the quality of this book--written without blinders--assures I'll be a fan for a long time to come.
Rating:
Summary: A story of tortured heroes and faith
Review: One cannot help but agree with the old adage that says reel lives mimics real lives after they finished The Spiral Path. Bestselling author Mary Jo Putney weaves a plot of a celebrity couple - Kenzie Scott and Raine Marlowe while bordering on the verge of divorce finds themselves evaluating their options when Kenzie decides to take on the complex role of John Randall in Raine's directing debut - The Centurion. It is ironic when the role is a vicarious experience of Kenzie's battered childhood. Suffocating with the mounting paparazzi on his private life, Kenzie seeks solace in Raine's company - and finds themselves changed inexorably after the movie. Both are compelled to confront their personal demons and take a brave step towards commitment. Mary Jo Putney's romance could have been a melodramatic sludge if not for her honest and emotionally-charged characters who are surprisingly textured. While many developments of the plot were rendered gratuitous extras with its predictiblilty, her writing flows fluidly with flair. It is even more impressive when her style of flashbacks runs with ease and narrative grace. The spiral path meanders to unravel a love story with tortured heroes and ultimately faith to overcome our heart obstacles.
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