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yodamom's review against another edition
2.0
Audiobook-
1.7 stars-I should have quit- this was not my kind of book at all
Quick and dirty- a down on her luck ventriloquist returns to her recently passed mother's island cottage to recover from many woes where she runs into and old flame, a mute child and an island of misfit grannies. She talks to her dolls, acts weird, avoids honest conversations, bends over backwards to keep everyone OK, sleeps with someone she shouldn't and gets shot at.
I do not like talking dolls, and dolls that people converse with are just creepy. I know, that is what a ventriloquist does, dummy ! No, this was more, she talked with them when they weren't even there, when she was alone, as her confidants, her friends. In the beginning of the story it was so overpowering I was just shaking my head muttering "this chick is wacko". There could be arguments that the dolls did have a positive spin, therapy dolls. I can see that being a great thing but ARGUH ! it did not screen romantic, sweet, endearing, no it screamed crazy to these ears. Why was it so dominate in the story ?
Was there romance, sure a very predictable step by step one. Was it sweet and made my heart flutter ? No, I was hear Scamp or Leo or some other freaky voice while things where getting waned up which ruined it for me. She played games, she couldn't manage to speak her mind on matters of her heart, she was a bender, no solid back bone.
1.7 stars-I should have quit- this was not my kind of book at all
Quick and dirty- a down on her luck ventriloquist returns to her recently passed mother's island cottage to recover from many woes where she runs into and old flame, a mute child and an island of misfit grannies. She talks to her dolls, acts weird, avoids honest conversations, bends over backwards to keep everyone OK, sleeps with someone she shouldn't and gets shot at.
I do not like talking dolls, and dolls that people converse with are just creepy. I know, that is what a ventriloquist does, dummy ! No, this was more, she talked with them when they weren't even there, when she was alone, as her confidants, her friends. In the beginning of the story it was so overpowering I was just shaking my head muttering "this chick is wacko". There could be arguments that the dolls did have a positive spin, therapy dolls. I can see that being a great thing but ARGUH ! it did not screen romantic, sweet, endearing, no it screamed crazy to these ears. Why was it so dominate in the story ?
Was there romance, sure a very predictable step by step one. Was it sweet and made my heart flutter ? No, I was hear Scamp or Leo or some other freaky voice while things where getting waned up which ruined it for me. She played games, she couldn't manage to speak her mind on matters of her heart, she was a bender, no solid back bone.
fairiesdust's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
misspippireads's review against another edition
"Heroes" is very different from SEP's usual novels. This piece was a bit more gothic, mysterious, and dangerous. It reminded me a bit of Northanger Abbey.
Time Period: Modern
Location: Peregrine Island, Maine, USA
Reviewed from a library copy.
Time Period: Modern
Location: Peregrine Island, Maine, USA
Reviewed from a library copy.
amlibera's review against another edition
3.0
Good fun, playing off of gothic tropes although there's a bit of a split personality happening in this one. All the pieces are there but the gothic trope frame keeps slipping away to reveal two main characters who don't quite belong there. Still satisfying and definitely a "read read"
rebroxannape's review against another edition
3.0
First things first. I love the iridescent dust jacket and endpapers. I am glad that the publishers are doing Susan Elizabeth Phillip's books right. Heroes Are My Weakness is built on the tropes of a Gothic Romance novel. It folds in a little Rebecca, Jane Eyre, Mistress of Mellyn, and probably a good many others. The book is dedicated to Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart, and Phyllis Whitney among others. It was fun to figure out the many homages in this books to the various gothics I have read. The Hero (Theo) at first, seems dark and cruel, but of course we know the mystery of his past will be revealed and it will turn out that he is really a pussycat. I figured out the dark secret pretty quickly thanks to my familiarity with Rebecca. Annie, the Heroine, is all SEP: too quirky to live, and aided by, as in This Heart of Mine, some imaginary friends. In this case, not characters in a children book series, but puppets. I am glad to say the Puppets are actually fairly entertaining, and not annoying like Daphne and Benny in THOM. The typical Phillips humor is alive and well, much of it in the humorous way she plays on the cliches in a Gothic Novel. She could have wrapped it up a little sooner; the last few chapters kind of dragged a bit, but I guess she just couldn't resist inserting just one more scene common in many Gothics. I did love the setting on "Peregrine Island." It wasn't too hard to figure out that it was based on Monhegan Island, Maine. All in all, an entertaining read; Not her best, but well worth the time. I give it 3.5 stars, bumped up to 4 out of love and gratitude to the author for the many laughs and entertainment over the years.
zia_t's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
judithdcollins's review against another edition
2.0
Romance writer, Susan Elizabeth Phillips turns to puppets and horror gothic style, in her latest novel, Heroes Are My Weakness.
When Annie, a thirty-three year old ventriloquist returns to an isolated Maine Cottage (in February), in the heart of winter, where she spent her teenage years, as she is now homeless— She wants to get away to unwind and search for a legacy left by her mother. She is left with her puppets, (Dillie and Leo) in her suitcase and carries on a silly conversation with them?
What she finds when she arrives— a widower, sexy Theo Harp (teen who tried to kill her years ago), in the Gothic mansion manor house next door, on the hill, now a best- selling horror author, and Jaycie Mills, a quiet woman who once saved her life, working as his injured housekeeper and raising a mute four-year-old daughter, Livia with a tragic past.
After Annie’s illness with pneumonia and her present financial situation, she is looking forward to her stay at Moonraker Cottage, which her narcissistic mother left her along with a deathbed promise of a valuable treasure hidden there. She has not been back since her crush on Theo (the psychopathic boy who played with her emotions) year ago, or perhaps my reading style has greawr.
She finds herself drawn to the lives of the people at the Harp House, and the longer she stays the more apparent it is, someone does not want her there, but she wants to stay and see it through as she fights her way through the secrets and the truth.
I have not read Phillips in years, so thought I would give it a whirl. I listened to the audiobook, and thought the narrator, a bit silly, and even though it may appeal to those who like this gothic type genre—found it not my cup of tea. In addition, my reading style has changed over the years, so unfortunately, did not find this novel very appealing.
When Annie, a thirty-three year old ventriloquist returns to an isolated Maine Cottage (in February), in the heart of winter, where she spent her teenage years, as she is now homeless— She wants to get away to unwind and search for a legacy left by her mother. She is left with her puppets, (Dillie and Leo) in her suitcase and carries on a silly conversation with them?
What she finds when she arrives— a widower, sexy Theo Harp (teen who tried to kill her years ago), in the Gothic mansion manor house next door, on the hill, now a best- selling horror author, and Jaycie Mills, a quiet woman who once saved her life, working as his injured housekeeper and raising a mute four-year-old daughter, Livia with a tragic past.
After Annie’s illness with pneumonia and her present financial situation, she is looking forward to her stay at Moonraker Cottage, which her narcissistic mother left her along with a deathbed promise of a valuable treasure hidden there. She has not been back since her crush on Theo (the psychopathic boy who played with her emotions) year ago, or perhaps my reading style has greawr.
She finds herself drawn to the lives of the people at the Harp House, and the longer she stays the more apparent it is, someone does not want her there, but she wants to stay and see it through as she fights her way through the secrets and the truth.
I have not read Phillips in years, so thought I would give it a whirl. I listened to the audiobook, and thought the narrator, a bit silly, and even though it may appeal to those who like this gothic type genre—found it not my cup of tea. In addition, my reading style has changed over the years, so unfortunately, did not find this novel very appealing.
lylllukas's review against another edition
5.0
Alguses oli väga raske vedama saada, aga mida lõpupoole jõudsin, seda raskem oli pidama saada.
Väga hea raamat, soovitan!
Väga hea raamat, soovitan!
seagirl8907's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25