Month: December 2014

Two Families that Were Never Meant to Stay Apart, “Pegasus”, by Danielle Steel

Blood MagickThe very popular author, Danielle Steel has delivered another very strong novel that is in keeping with her many other works. She is known for weaving some of her own family history into the subjects of her novels. One critic said, “never has the male been wealthier or more handsome, and the female has impeccable breeding with exquisite hair”. Her millions of readers have come to expect a certain theme, and she once again gives them what they expect.

As the novel begins, World War II is ramping up. It follows an aristocratic German family who is seeking refuge in America for themselves and their beautiful Lipizzaner horses. The horses become their ticket to a new life in America with a promised job with Ringling Brothers Circus. The story follows another family trying to survive in war torn Europe, while the previous family struggles to adjust to circus life.
The story spans several generations and countries; “giving a rich, involved tale of transformation, perseverance, fate, love, and loss, tied together by two families who were never meant to stay apart”. Ironically, it is a beautiful stallion that links them together forever.

Danielle Steel is one of the most popular authors of all time, with over 600 million copies of her novels in print. She has included some very personal subjects such as, His Bright Light, a story about her son’s life and death; A Gift of Hope, about her work with the homeless; and Pure Joy, about the dogs her family has loved.

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Good and Evil, Complete With Sorcerers and Black Magic…”Blood Magick”, by Nora Roberts

Blood MagickAuthor Nora Roberts has introduced her third novel in the Cousins O’Dwyer trilogy, Blood Magick. The main character Branna O’Dwyer, who works as proprietor of The Dark Witch Shop in County Mayo, creates her special soaps, lotions, and candles for tourists. She is a tower of strength, but is missing one element in her busy life, and that is love. She had it once upon a time, but with Finbar Burke, who was forbidden to her, both through history and blood. But, as in many of those situations, Branna and Fin could not resist being together. It is an age-old battle that ensues between the good that holds them together, and the evil that has plagued their families forever.

The novel joins the epic battle of good and evil, complete with sorcerers and black magic, and the completely opposite story of a Romeo and Juliet type of romance. Branna and Fin fight many battles to try to finally be able to be together……legally…..in the eyes of their friends and family. From Blood Magick comes an end to the trilogy about a land that draws the reader in, the family they learn to admire, and the two people who just desire to share their love.

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Small Towns…Big Secrets…”Gray Mountain”, by John Grisham

Winter StreetPopular author, John Grisham, introduced his latest novel, Gray Mountain, in October of this year. It is proving to be a very controversial work, since Grisham’s liberal ideology is not so subtly reflected in this novel. The storyline revolves around the main character, Samantha Kofer, who in 2008, has the fast track upward career on Wall Street with a high powered , prestigious law firm. Suddenly, the recession hits and her law firm downsizes, furloughing Samantha without notice, and escorts her out of the building. She is offered a position with no pay for one year as a legal aid, with a slight chance that after that period of time, she might get her Wall Street job back.

Samantha experiences a cultural shock when she moves from Manhattan to a very small town, Brady, Virginia. Being in the heart of Appalachia, the area is one that she had only read about. She is to work at the legal aid clinic where she is supposed to help “real people”. She must actually represent ordinary clients in the courtroom, where she quickly finds out that small towns can be hiding some big secrets.

The author’s liberal leaning political views comes through when he is describing Samantha’s journey “into the murky and dangerous world of coal mining, where laws are often broken, rules are ignored, regulations are flouted, communities are divided, and the land itself is under attack from Big Coal. Within just a few weeks, Samantha realizes that she is embroiled in litigation that could turn deadly.

Gray Mountain concentrates on Grisham’s relentless, negative case against what he calls Big Coal. This biased novel comes on the heels of his previous novel, Sycamore Row (2013), that takes a very critical look at racism in Mississippi (Grisham’s home state). There has been much controversy surrounding Gray Mountain with anti-coal people and those who believe coal mining has significantly improved into a safer, cleaner industry.

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