Am often compelling mix of ancient history, modern life, and outer space adventure.
In this third book in Stott’s (Spirit Fire, 2019, etc.) Neandertals series, a young, passionate archaeologist pursuing an amazing find discovers far more than she expected.
In a change from the prehistoric tales in the first two series installments, this one takes place in a more modern milieu—the early 21st century, to be exact. There are also new characters with new dreams and aspirations. Sandi Hartwell is a hardworking young archaeologist who’s been searching for fossil evidence that would prove the Neandertals and Cro-Magnons produced offspring. When she finally does find such evidence in Pakistan—apparently guided in her quest by a dream—she almost can’t believe her luck. But after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, any hope of a flourishing career in Pakistan seems to disappear—at least in the short run. Luckily, Sandi eventually manages to return to the country and to the site of her discovery, but what she doesn’t know is that there are still a great many surprises in store for her—particularly after a sudden turn in the second half of the novel, which adds an SF twist, taking the tale of the Neandertals into truly alien territory. Still, as a romance begins to flourish between her and a handsome Neandertal expert, Garret Chambers, Sandi strives to fulfill what she believes is her destiny. Throughout this entry, the prose style—and most noticeably, the dialogue—are refreshingly modern, compared with that of the other books in the series. However, the sudden change in genre about halfway through the story may be a bit difficult for some readers to follow, as plot starts to get more complicated than readers may be prepared for. Nonetheless, the author does a good job of keeping events moving along steadily. The love story between Sandi and Garret also adds a much-needed sense of humanity to the spacey storyline, and it effectively serves to deepen its emotional stakes.
Am often compelling mix of ancient history, modern life, and outer space adventure.Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-692-38824-2
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Global Summit House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 27, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
APPRECIATIONS
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