The autobiographical account of an arachnophobe who ends up passionately raising a brood of baby spiders.
Depending upon readers’ perspectives, Swagerle’s debut can be read as a Christian testimony of faith, a great nature story, an inspirational guide to overcoming irrational fears or a manual for raising tarantulas. The author begins by questioning the origins of her fear: “The decision to usurp the control that arachnophobia had on my life led me to delve into an area I had never questioned. Where was the foundation of this out-of-control fear?” Before long, however, the author had to confront her fears directly when, in 2003, she received a Chilean rose tarantula as a 53rd-birthday present. She named it Annie Rose. Ownership finally enables Swagerle to face down her arachnophobia, but the following months present a new hurtle when Annie Rose lays a clutch of eggs. At this point, the tone and style of the book begin to shift away from a meditation on fear to a manual on pet maintenance. As the author raises her clutter of tarantulas from post-embryonic stage to maturity, readers are guided through the journey in step-by-step detail. The author’s nearly evangelical enthusiasm is infectious, and her observations and diary notes will enhance readers’ knowledge about this arachnid species. The book, however, is rather unpolished, featuring awkward prose and remedial page layout. The color photos—many of which depict Annie Rose perched on the limb of one human acquaintance or another—lack definition and are overabundant in number. That said, this unusual title has great potential to become a niche market classic. Readers not looking for tips on tarantulas may relate to Swagerle’s tale of overcoming an extreme fear. Despite technical shortcomings, essential reading for anyone considering a tarantula for a pet.
Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-1449014674
Page Count: 104
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Less bleak than the subject matter might warrant—Hannah’s default outlook is sunny—but still, a wrenching depiction of war’s...
The traumatic homecoming of a wounded warrior.
The daughter of alcoholics who left her orphaned at 17, Jolene “Jo” Zarkades found her first stable family in the military: She’s served over two decades, first in the army, later with the National Guard. A helicopter pilot stationed near Seattle, Jo copes as competently at home, raising two daughters, Betsy and Lulu, while trying to dismiss her husband Michael’s increasing emotional distance. Jo’s mettle is sorely tested when Michael informs her flatly that he no longer loves her. Four-year-old Lulu clamors for attention while preteen Betsy, mean-girl-in-training, dismisses as dweeby her former best friend, Seth, son of Jo’s confidante and fellow pilot, Tami. Amid these challenges comes the ultimate one: Jo and Tami are deployed to Iraq. Michael, with the help of his mother, has to take over the household duties, and he rapidly learns that parenting is much harder than his wife made it look. As Michael prepares to defend a PTSD-afflicted veteran charged with Murder I for killing his wife during a dissociative blackout, he begins to understand what Jolene is facing and to revisit his true feelings for her. When her helicopter is shot down under insurgent fire, Jo rescues Tami from the wreck, but a young crewman is killed. Tami remains in a coma and Jo, whose leg has been amputated, returns home to a difficult rehabilitation on several fronts. Her nightmares in which she relives the crash and other horrors she witnessed, and her pain, have turned Jo into a person her daughters now fear (which in the case of bratty Betsy may not be such a bad thing). Jo can't forgive Michael for his rash words. Worse, she is beginning to remind Michael more and more of his homicide client. Characterization can be cursory: Michael’s earlier callousness, left largely unexplained, undercuts the pathos of his later change of heart.
Less bleak than the subject matter might warrant—Hannah’s default outlook is sunny—but still, a wrenching depiction of war’s aftermath.Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-312-57720-9
Page Count: 400
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Dec. 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2012
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
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