Elise
First of all I'd like to apologize for taking so long on commenting on this book and starting our next book. We have a good excuse though! The holidays sort of got in the way so we decided to wait until things slowed down. Which Im sure everyone else feels the same way. So now it's 2010 and in the words of Janell "Now anything can happen!"
Catch of Consequence was a really good book. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I love that the main character was a couragous woman at 24 years of age. Makepeace is a good role model because she was strong and had a healthy conscience to make sure she always did the right thing. Even when Makepeace lost her husband and everything else all in one night she still managed to do the right thing. She didn't give up or lose hope. Well maybe she did for a little bit but she came right back. I enjoyed all the relationships that she shared with those around her. Even her relationship with Catty. They didn't choose to have a relationship it was pushed on them because of Phillip Dapifer but I loved how Makepeace treated her because Phillip never stood up against her and was way too soft. So much that he ended up dying because of it. All in all I thought it was a great story of romance when she first fell in love with him despite him being a british aristocrat. She sacrificed everything for him including her tavern. I liked where the story took us as she moved to England and became Lady Dapifer. As the journey continued with her the hardships she faced, it showed how strong she really was. I didn't like how she treated her daughter though. I felt really bad for her, but I know it wasn't her fault. I will probably read the second book to learn more about the daughter and what she becomes.
Janell
Yes, in 2010 anything can happen! As for
Catch of Consequence, it is a five star book!
This was a very emotionally exhausting book to read. The author does an amazing job of making you feel like part of the story. The characters and their circumstances seem so real. I also love the time period in which the book was written. It is unbelievable that this is the same America we live in today. It frightens me to think what people will do for money and status. I am also appalled at the social snobbery that exists. Sadly, both are themes I think are still present today, but perhaps not as blaringly obvious. I agree with Elise on some points. Makepeace is a strong, intelligent woman especially for her time. She is also courageous in the sense that she takes on any challenge. However, I disagree that she never gave up. I think she gave up when Philip died. She put all her responsibilities on Betty, Susan, and her brother. She was not an active parent and acted as if she could waste to nothing and it would not matter. She was fortunate to be surrounded by people that loved her and her daughter. Makepeace seemed to lose the will to live until she discovered a way to get revenge. At this point, she became the intelligent, vivacious woman we know her to be. Again, however, what is lost because of her unyielding goal to wreak havoc on Catty’s life. Will Makepeace be able to make up for lost time with her daughter? Makepeace seemed to lose sight of everything and neglect maybe what was most important for the sake of revenge. Overall, I think Makepeace did the best she could and at the end she started to prove her decisions, in the end, were for the welfare of her family, friends and daughter. I also do not blame her for dying a little with Philip. She had built a new life and new dreams with this man and then lost it in an instant in a foreign land where money, power and status reigned. She is a survivor and I admire her for that. I do think this book offers a great lesson in being strong and also finding balance in our life. It also shows the importance of family and friends. Where would we be without them? One last comment, Makepeace’s strength and business savvy are her front and foremost character traits, but throughout the whole book, she shows compassion. She shows compassion for Philip, then considered an enemy and then at the end shows compassion for her true enemies. Makepeace’s ability to show compassion even in the most trying and difficult times is admirable.
Science Fiction gave a great review of this book. With a beginning and ending that pack hefty punches, this introduction to a dystopic future promises an exciting series. Tally is almost 16 and breathlessly eager: On her birthday, like everyone else, she'll undergo extensive surgery to become a Pretty. She's only known life as an Ugly (everyone's considered hideous before surgery), whereas after she "turns," she'll have the huge eyes, perfect skin, and new bone structure that biology and evolution have determined to be objectively beautiful. New Pretties party all day long. But when friend Shay escapes to join a possibly mythical band of outsiders avoiding surgery, Tally follows-not from choice but because the secret police force her. Tally inflicts betrayal after betrayal, which dominates the theme for the midsection; by the end, the nature of this dystopia is front and center and Tally-trying to set things right-takes a stunning leap of faith. Some heavy-handedness, but the awesome ending thrills with potential.
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