ISBN: 0-7887-8851-5 Order from: Recorded Books
A romance with predictable plot, this short novel suffers from melodrama, wordiness, and only midly interesting characters.
Reviewed by David on November 29, 2002
Genre: Romance
Synopsis: This is an unabridged recording of Bootlegger's Daughter.
The Mallory twins, Harper and Liz, have never been close. Harper, rebellious and brilliant, has left home early and became a famous, extravagant artist. Liz has studied well, and continued to live in her home town, eventually becoming the head librarian.
Barely keeping in touch until their mid-thirties, the sisters come together when a tragedy strikes. A tangled web of old resentments and fresh pain is futher complicated by a chance for passion.
Full Review: The plot in this romantic novel is fairly predictable. Liz, the protanist of the book is the only well-developed character, and she is certainly realistic. Alas, she is not particularly likable—while flaws in character are plausible, they do not automatically fascinate the reader. The character growth does occur in the course of the novel, but it is so slow as to be painful.
Another issue is the melodramatic phrasing. While some is expected in a romance novel, it adds little value when used frequently—as it is here. Added to wordy descriptions that add little to the previously conveyed facts, the melodrama leaches excitement from the slow-moving plot.
The narrator in this audio book appears to have a limited range and plays to the melodrama, which does little but emphasize the flaws in this plodding romance.
Overall: 4; Plot: 4.5; Characters: 4.5; Style: 4; World-building: 4.5; Originality: 4;
Copyright date 2000, Recorded Books, 2001, Audio cassette, 4 cassettes
ISBN: 0-7887-8851-5 Order from: Recorded Books