A touching, intelligent read filled with moments of wisdom.
A troubled teen gets a new outlook in Carinci’s (Defying Death in Hagerstown, 2014, etc.) uplifting novel about second chances.
After a run-in with the law, young Brian Sanchez is beginning to wonder where he’s headed. He worries that his occasional shoplifting is only the start of a life of crime. But when he meets a friendly homeless man in the park called Everett Quinn, things start to take a surprisingly different turn. Despite sleeping on a park bench in all kinds of weather and never knowing where his next meal is coming from, Everett is a content and happy man who’s full of gratitude. Dumbfounded, Brian eventually learns more about this peculiar man as they spend long afternoons deep in conversation. It turns out that Everett has what one might call an alter ego; the spirit of an Englishman from 1802 lives inside him, he says, who likes to sporadically voice his opinion. At first, Brian is skeptical about the man’s sanity, but he becomes humbled and even inspired by the wealth of life experience that he has to offer. Strangers often approach Everett for advice on their problems, and he’s always ready to offer new ideas or fresh insight. This makes him somewhat of a household name among the locals, and Brian’s proud to be his friend. As time passes, Brian’s life undergoes unanticipated changes. Carinci takes the story in an unexpectedly religious direction when it becomes clear that much of Everett’s resilience comes from his enduring Christian faith, and there are many instances of insightful dialogue: “We have no idea when our time will be up. So we must maximize our time and help others every chance we get. We are all brothers and sisters.” The transformation of narrator Brian from a troubled street kid into a kind and compassionate man gives the plot a satisfying emotional depth. Along the way, readers will enjoy a delightful, entertaining sense of camaraderie with the protagonist.
A touching, intelligent read filled with moments of wisdom.Pub Date: Feb. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64416-930-8
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A funny, frank, and refreshingly mature take on the familiar will-they-or-won’t-they romance template.
A college hockey player finds his vow of celibacy tested when he meets the campus beauty.
This final installment of Kennedy’s (Bad Apple, 2018, etc.) Briar U trilogy focuses on a supporting character from the earlier volumes: hockey star Hunter Davenport. He’s so bitterly disappointed that Briar’s hockey team “didn’t make it to the national championship” that he’s decided to take a vow of sexual abstinence until the end of the season. It’s tough on him (“I take out all my sexual frustration on the ice,” he thinks, but readers won’t believe him). And his pledge doesn’t stop him from appreciating all the lovely women at campus parties. But in a psychology class, he meets smart, gorgeous Demi Davis. Demi immediately notices how handsome he is (“too attractive for his own good”), and soon she and Hunter are paired in a psychology experiment in which she plays the doctor and he the patient. In short order, strong sexual tension builds between the two. Hunter doggedly maintains his “monk” status even as the chemistry between them heats up. Demi admires his stunning looks and is amused by his quick wit (When setting up their next class meeting, he texts her: “Make sure you’re wearing tight spandex pants so I can objectify you”). But she has mixed feelings about Hunter (“He is either the best or the worst. I still haven’t decided”). Kennedy unfolds the story with smooth confidence and a great deal of sure-footed humor. The book’s whole supporting cast is well developed. And both Hunter and Demi are sparkling, enjoyable fictional creations, often unpredictable but also entirely believable, dealing with each other in the sexually frank manner that characterizes notable contemporary romance titles. Hunter’s resolve about his love life feels overdone in the novel’s final third, but the author’s prose is so energetic that only the pickiest readers will find it distractingly unrealistic— in fact, they may love the character all the more for it.
A funny, frank, and refreshingly mature take on the familiar will-they-or-won’t-they romance template.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9995497-6-3
Page Count: 422
Publisher: Elle Kennedy Inc.
Review Posted Online: Oct. 22, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
SEEN & HEARD
Dated sermonizing on career versus motherhood, and conflict driven by characters’ willed helplessness, sap this tale of...
Lifelong, conflicted friendship of two women is the premise of Hannah’s maudlin latest (Magic Hour, 2006, etc.), again set in Washington State.
Tallulah “Tully” Hart, father unknown, is the daughter of a hippie, Cloud, who makes only intermittent appearances in her life. Tully takes refuge with the family of her “best friend forever,” Kate Mularkey, who compares herself unfavorably with Tully, in regards to looks and charisma. In college, “TullyandKate” pledge the same sorority and major in communications. Tully has a life goal for them both: They will become network TV anchorwomen. Tully lands an internship at KCPO-TV in Seattle and finagles a producing job for Kate. Kate no longer wishes to follow Tully into broadcasting and is more drawn to fiction writing, but she hesitates to tell her overbearing friend. Meanwhile a love triangle blooms at KCPO: Hard-bitten, irresistibly handsome, former war correspondent Johnny is clearly smitten with Tully. Expecting rejection, Kate keeps her infatuation with Johnny secret. When Tully lands a reporting job with a Today-like show, her career shifts into hyperdrive. Johnny and Kate had started an affair once Tully moved to Manhattan, and when Kate gets pregnant with daughter Marah, they marry. Kate is content as a stay-at-home mom, but frets about being Johnny’s second choice and about her unrealized writing ambitions. Tully becomes Seattle’s answer to Oprah. She hires Johnny, which spells riches for him and Kate. But Kate’s buttons are fully depressed by pitched battles over slutwear and curfews with teenaged Marah, who idolizes her godmother Tully. In an improbable twist, Tully invites Kate and Marah to resolve their differences on her show, only to blindside Kate by accusing her, on live TV, of overprotecting Marah. The BFFs are sundered. Tully’s latest attempt to salvage Cloud fails: The incorrigible, now geriatric hippie absconds once more. Just as Kate develops a spine, she’s given some devastating news. Will the friends reconcile before it’s too late?
Dated sermonizing on career versus motherhood, and conflict driven by characters’ willed helplessness, sap this tale of poignancy.Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-312-36408-3
Page Count: 496
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2007
BOOK TO SCREEN
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