Scan barcode
m4marya's review
I love her books and the renewal that women find in them. This book also incorporates aspects of life that I am familiar with, New Mexico, The San Juan islands and growing up in a non-traditional environment. [return][return]This books tells the tale of betrayal, and the path that is taken to recover from it. Her heroine is tested and we see how she survives, and how she moves on from her past. Hendricks teaches us lessons on life, on to to love again, on how to hate, on how to admit who we are. She does this through her characters, and their messed up lives. The stories are not ugly as some can be. Instead we go back and reread them, turning to the books as we would a friend for advice, and while not all of us end up as bakers or bookshop owners, we find in ourselves that bit of strength that she wanted us all to know was there.
mollyringle's review
3.0
As always, Judi Hendricks excels at evoking setting and mood with sensory details--food, plants, landscape, music, humble dwellings. Both sun-baked New Mexico and the moss-drenched Puget Sound island seemed totally real and were thus lovely to read about. Though I zipped along through the book with interest to see what happened with many of the various twists and turns, I felt ultimately a bit frustrated by the ending. I guess I'm more of a romance-novel fan after all, and had higher hopes for some of the men in her life, but they largely turned out unreliable and problematic. Realistic, perhaps--and perhaps what makes it a work of "women's fiction" instead of romance. For the lovely writing and the occasional bursts of humor, though, I'll be happy to keep reading Hendricks in future.
vhp's review
2.0
I liked the writing style but not the characters. The main character left me disappointed. I can't tell why or I'd give away part of the story, but I would be hard pressed to recommend this book.
inkstainedlife's review
3.0
I thoroughly enjoyed settling into the life of Sunny Cooper, unsettling though the events of her life are. Judith Ryan Hendricks creates fascinating characters with a variety of backgrounds, and learning about Sunny's past as the events of her present are unveiled made for quick, engrossing reading.
So why only three stars? As lovely as Hendricks' writing is, the plot fell apart several times. The first part of the book deals with Sunny's fiancee's mysterious business dealings that are only revealed to her after his death. When she decides she can't take it, Sunny moves across the country to a tiny island town--and the story all but abandons its previous plot. Her past resurfaces, of course, but I wasn't satisfied with the resolution. It felt like the author forgot the plot for a while, then came back to tie things up.
As much fun as Hendricks must have had getting to know these characters, I think the book would have been better served by a final revision and a tighter story. The Laws of Harmony was an enjoyable read, but not a book I'll rave about to my friends.
So why only three stars? As lovely as Hendricks' writing is, the plot fell apart several times. The first part of the book deals with Sunny's fiancee's mysterious business dealings that are only revealed to her after his death. When she decides she can't take it, Sunny moves across the country to a tiny island town--and the story all but abandons its previous plot. Her past resurfaces, of course, but I wasn't satisfied with the resolution. It felt like the author forgot the plot for a while, then came back to tie things up.
As much fun as Hendricks must have had getting to know these characters, I think the book would have been better served by a final revision and a tighter story. The Laws of Harmony was an enjoyable read, but not a book I'll rave about to my friends.
More...