The Glad Game

Published:  February 1st, 2002 (First published 1913)
Pollyanna (Pollyanna #1)
By: Eleanor H. Porter
Aladdin
ISBN-13:  9780689849107

When orphaned 11-year-old Pollyanna comes to live with austere and wealthy Aunt Polly, her philosophy of gladness brings happiness to her aunt and other members of the community, somewhat to their surprise.

Review

     I love reading classic children's books, for the simple fact of them drawing me into their stories in a way that adult, or even teen books can't seem to manage quite as well.  I can lose myself in my childhood again when I pick up an old friend, or a new one that is centered on the story of a child.  Children's books from a hundred or more years ago, like Pollyanna, are no exception to this particular feeling of enjoyment.  I never read this one as a child, but did see the Disney movie of the same name starring a young Hayley Mills (I found it a little saccharine to be honest).  The book isn't exactly the same as the film, thankfully.  It actually reminds me quite a bit of Anne of Green Gables, as it's the same style of writing.  The book is made up of what is could almost be classified as vignettes, but not quite since they are a coherent story thread with and obvious timeline.

     The plot is centered around young Pollyanna, whose minister father has just died and now that she's an orphan, she's being sent to live with her rich Aunt Polly across the country.  Polly of course is absolutely miserable, and lives by herself in a big house on the hill.  Polly likes things neat, orderly and quiet.  So of course young Pollyanna's presence, with her "glad game" and constant cheerfulness is a thorn in her side.  Pollyanna plays a game every day that she calls the "glad game," which she started with her father.  In everything that happens in her life, good or bad, she looks for something to be glad about.  Before she knows it, Pollyanna's encounters with the townsfolk while playing her game, have managed to transform the lives of a great many people.  But then tragedy strikes Pollyanna - can she find something to be glad about, even in her darkest hour?  I highly recommend this to adults and children alike.  It has a great moral to it, the individual stories are all rather funny (especially the one about young Jimmy Bean trying to be the "India boy" for Pollyanna's Ladies Aide back west), and the conclusion had me on the verge of tears.  I think fans of Anne will especially enjoy it, because as I said before it's definitely in the same literary vein.

VERDICT:  5/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

I Wish She Had Drowned

Expected Publication: July 31st, 2012
Pleasures of a Tempted Lady (Donovan Sisters # 3)
By: Jennifer Haymore
Forever
ISBN-13: 9780446573160

DANGEROUS DESIRE

Captain William Langley knows the ocean well, but nothing could prepare him for what he discovers adrift on the cold Irish Sea. The tiny boat carries two passengers: a child--and Meg Donovan, Will's long-lost love. Meg's disappearance at sea eight years ago was a devastating blow. Now she's back, as beautiful as ever, and with secrets as deep as Will's own . . .

After years held captive by a cold-blooded pirate, Meg has finally escaped with little Jake, the boy she's come to love as if he were her own. But the pirate wants his revenge--and Meg must do whatever it takes to shield Jake from the madman. Determined not to lose Meg again, Will vows to protect them both, yet Meg can't risk putting the only man she's ever loved in danger. With the threat to her safety growing, and her passion for Will burning brighter every day, surrendering herself to Will might be a pleasure too tempting to resist . . .

Review

   This review will be a little different from past ones, as I feel that I honestly have nothing to personally to add to the summary above.  I read the first two books in the series and truly liked Serena (who is masquerading as her twin Meg, who she believes to be dead), Olivia, Jessica and Phoebe.  I loved Serena and truly felt how torn she was about becoming Meg to save her family from ruin.  Phoebe's strength and presence of mind were awesome compare to most historical romance heroines.  I thought that the real Meg would at least be semi-relatable - she was not.  Meg was able to get out of her captor's clutches, be rescued by a handsome captain and returned to her family.  All she could do was complain!  She made ridiculous decisions that supposedly were for the best interests of everyone, trying to solve her problems ineffectually on her own to 'spare' her family.  You can tell that she despises Serena for stealing her identity and  doesn't even want to attempt to understand why she did it, or even that their Mother was the one who originally began the deception.  She is a whining, weak-spined, cold fish of a heroine.  Captain Will Langley was the hero of the story, having waited eight years against all odds for Meg even when she was believed to be dead.  Then when he got her back and she was an ungrateful brat, he still stuck with her and waited for her to wise up.  He's the Wentworth of the paperback, dime-a-dozen set.  I honestly did not really care for most of this book and felt like it was twice as long as it needed to be.  Really glad to be able to say that I finished the series, but I truly wish that Meg would have been worth waiting for.  The fact that I was able to finish and the glimpses of the other characters were the only things that made this book worth reading.  Only attempt if you're determined to finish the series.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is July 31st, 2012.*

Girl Interrupted, Trying to Cope

Published: February 14th, 2012
Interrupted
By: Rachel Coker
Zondervan
ISBN-13: 9780310729730


Can love really heal all things? If Sam Carroll hadn't shown up, she might have been able to get to her mother in time. Instead, Allie Everly finds herself at a funeral, mourning the loss of her beloved mother. She is dealt another blow when, a few hours later, she is sent from Tennessee to Maine to become the daughter of Miss Beatrice Lovell, a prim woman with a faith Allie cannot accept. Poetry and letters written to her mother become the only things keeping Allie's heart from hardening completely. But then Sam arrives for the summer, and with him comes many confusing emotions, both toward him and the people around her. As World War II looms, Allie will be forced to decide whether hanging on to the past is worth losing her chance to be loved.

Review

   Allie has had a hard life so far, but she is happy living with her Mother.  Things change suddenly though when her Mother becomes sick with a brain tumor, becoming progressively worse until she dies leaving Allie alone.  She thinks she can make it one her own, but Allie is forced to become foster daughter to a woman who seems to want to replace her Mother.  Determined to not forget her Mother and the opposition she had to religion, Allie distances herself from everyone in her new life, just biding time until she can leave.  Then a boy from her past shows up and throws her life into a tailspin, forcing her to reconsider her bitter and lonely approach to life.  Can she let go of past disappointments and allow herself to love again, even when it seems like war on the horizon might endanger everything Allie has left in her life?  This book was like looking in a mirror at times.  When I was younger, I was a lot like Allie - bitter, depressed, mad at the world and unwilling to recieve love from anyone with actual BELIEF in it being real.  That could have made this a hard book to read, but instead it made it hard to put down because Rachel Coker drew a portrait for a character that I could fully relate to.  My heart broke for Allie when she lost her Mother, the only person she'd ever really had in her life.  I understood her reluctance to 'replace' her Mother with a new family, even if a times Beatrice does break through her tough exterior.  This was a love story between Allie and her childhood friend Sam, with the anguishing backdrop of WWII but it's mostly a story of allowing oneself to find redemption and love wherever you can, letting it into your soul.  Also, although it's marketed as Christian fiction it didn't get overly preachy but managed to showcase what real Christian love looks like.  Rachel Coker is a talented author who managed to touch my spirit and the only complaint that I have really is the unrealisticness of Allie not recognizing Sam when they meet up after only four years apart.  Seriously?  This book is highly recommended for the beauty of its spirit.

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published February 14th, 2012.*