Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Date Published: 2002-07-02
ISBN-13:9780425185506ISBN:0425185508
Description: Fair. Spine uncreased but has slant. Cover has corner bumping, slight soiling and creasing. Text unmarked. *Ships Next Business day* read more
Description: Acceptable. Book is in good reading condition. Cover has wear at edges and corners, and may have creases. Spine has wear at edges and creases. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780425185506ISBN:0425185508
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Pages edges are stained at the foot; wraps have a little edge wear and staining to the backstrip. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 369 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780425185506ISBN:0425185508
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Back cover is scuffed. Writing in ink on inside cover. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 384 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. To the world, they had everything. Cassie Barrett was a renowned anthropologist. Alex Rivers was a respected actor. They met on the set of a motion picture in Africa...they declared their love in a fairy-tale wedding. But when they returned to Califronia, something altered the picture of their perfect marriage.. ... read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780425185506ISBN:0425185508
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 384 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
"I did enjoy this book. There were a few things that annoyed me about it, but I can't exactly remember what they were right now so I won't mention them. This book is very sad in so many ways. And it is hard to put yourself is Cassie's position and think what you would do. I was amazed with the love that they did have for each other, even though there were serious issues there. It almost makes me sad, like there are just some issues people can't overcome. I was rooting for them, hoping that they would be able to work through the problems and stay together. At the same time, clearly, abuse is not acceptable, at all. And in the end I think Cassie made the correct decision, probably one that should have been made sooner. A toughing story, I was in tears through the end, and I was on the verge of tears for about 30 minutes afterward. :) I wish they would have told a little more about what happened in the end. It left on a bit of a cliffhanger."
"Airplane read. Underwhelming treatment of domestic violence with a weak ending. I spent most of the book thinking that it was going to focus on how difficult it is to honestly connect with someone who is constantly acting, or even maybe something about how the romance novels Cassie read during her marriage had contributed to her putting up with abuse. But toward the end I realized that it was basically just a romance novel dressed up to look like something more serious. Disappointing (and a romance novel would have cost less, frankly).
I was especially bothered by how Cassie's decision to "out" her husband as abusive was framed as her realizing that she had to make him hate her, because she would always love him... or something like that.... so that it was STILL about what was best for him, rather than what was best for her. If it had been a better and more nuanced book, I could have accepted that, or taken it as a critique of the effects domestic violence can have (Stockholm syndrome, that kind of thing). But this really wasn't that book.
Also, after awhile all the rapturous descriptions of sex with Alex undermined the storyline. I just didn't believe that Cassie was living in constant fear of him... if she were, that would have showed up in her ability to relate to him sexually. Overall, I was disappointed and finally annoyed with this book."
"I do not subscribe to the notion that I should finish everything I start reading. Life is too short. So I don't have that excuse for finishing this book.
I kept going because the characters were semi-interesting, and I just wanted to know how the damn thing ended. But it just seemed like it was NEVER EVER going to end. More than once I found myself checking how many pages were left and rolling my eyes.
I'd never read anything by the author, but I had high expectations given how much praise has been heaped on Picoult's later work. But I can't say I thought this was anything other than average. The character of Will was ridiculously underdeveloped, and at certain points, the story seemed to be rambling. The entities of the media/tabloids and how they interact with the Hollywood elite seemed dated, given how that relationship has changed in the past decade, but I suppose that's to be expected given when this was written.
I hope other reviewers were right that, in her earlier work, like this novel, she was still finding her voice as a writer. Because this was...not great. OK, but not great."
"What I really enjoyed about this Picoult book is how it deviates from her normal 'formula', this novel surprised me! It is one of her earlier novels, so perhaps this is before she developed said formula. The story is about a Hollywood star and a "nobody" being in love, but with a troubled relationship. I liked how the novel portrayed their relationship because it shows the deep personal issues that affect every relationship. The story line interestingly showcases how/why many battered woman stay with their abuser. Sometimes we forget that in addition to the just plain violent men who don't appreciate their wives, there are also men who adore their partner, but due to some personal psychological issues they cannot stop themselves from taking their rage out on the one person they love. I also enjoyed the aspect of the novel that reminds us that no matter what, we never truly have a complete understanding of others' lives, be it our sibling, neighbor, or the stars in the tabloids, there is always more to the story than we know."
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