Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The Witness by Nora Roberts

This is an honest to goodness true copy of an IM conversation between the farts. All references to penises and Spaniards were edited out.


So, did you finish reading The Witness?

Lori says:
 I started it on Wednesday and finished it on Friday

Carolyn says:
 i wouldn't call it a quick read so you must have liked it, 

Lori says:
 I could have read it in one big gulp if there was no child

Carolyn says:
 i did my best to do that, but I have a rather large child
 i'm married to him

Lori says:
 Well, he's just as bad as the 11 year old.

Carolyn says:
 yes, he is sometimes
 So, did Nora fool you?
 She did me

Lori says:
 Gads yes. It's weird that the most recent books I've read bothered me not because of what the writer did but because of what I was afraid might happen

Carolyn says:
 that's what a good book does

Lori says:
 you know, you invest yourself in the book and you think you know what's going to happen and your gut twists planning for it. A good author can do that. A great author takes you to an unexpected place.

Carolyn says:
 I agree. And I fell in love with both the hero and heroine, but especially Abigail, so I was extra worried about her. She was such a combination of toughness and naivety.

Lori says:
 I think one of the most brilliant aspects to Abigail is that she was what most of us were afraid of being. She was unloved, she was outcast, she was other. And she was on her own.

Carolyn says:
 And yet she wasn't defeated, she never said 'why me?

Lori says:
 What I appreciated also was that she understood logically why things happened to her. Although ultimately understanding wasn't enough. She needed to grow away from it.

Carolyn says:
 She needed to learn to trust - I was going to say 'again', but I don't know that she ever did trust anyone, except maybe John, not even her mother

Lori says:
 Her mother was more evil a character than those who wanted to kill her.

Carolyn says:
 I SO agree!!

Lori says:
 There was a lot of subtext about parents.

Carolyn says:
 Didn't I tell you?
 Cruella De Ville!!

Lori says:
 You called her Cruella....

Carolyn says:
 she was
 byatch

Lori says:
 But you had her, you had Sunny (Brooke's mom), you had the hotelier's parents and the Dad with the violent young son.

Carolyn says:
 a cross section

Lori says:
 Even the Russian mob father and Ilya.

Carolyn says:
 omg, the juxtaposition of their relationship struck me even as I was reading
 the sense of 'family' between them
 and the contrast with their jobs

Lori says:
 And why not? I think La Nora really stressed the family relationships in this. But she showed how some people grow into becoming their parents, some don't. And some rise way beyond.

Carolyn says:
 with Abigail, it was certainly nature, not nurture, with the hotel parents too.
 Don't know about Brooks, probably both, 
 He's almost the perfect beta
 a good example of why I love beta heroes

Lori says:
 Brooke was the only character I had an issue with and that was that he lacked motivation.

Carolyn says:
 motivation for what? he was a small town sheriff

Lori says:
 Yes but why did he push himself into Abigail's life? Why did he fall in love so fast?

Carolyn says:
maybe he was bored? it was a small town.
 heh
 he was curious at first, i think
 she'd made herself a mystery

Lori says:
 well it isn't a huge stickling point and it was just Brooke. But it was the only thing that I saw as a sticking point. A small sticking point.

Carolyn says:
 he was like a horse whisperer with her. he saw things in her that puzzled him, he wanted to solve the puzzle and in the process he fell in love

Lori says:
 An Abigail whisperer....LOL!!!!  Thats a brilliant analogy.

Carolyn says:
 he was so careful with her
 and btw
 I hate his name, don't care how famous it it is

Lori says:
 I don't like it much either since I think of it as a girl's name.

Carolyn says:
 omg, 
 could go either way, huh?

Lori says:
 yeah

Carolyn says:
 don't know how to say this well without giving away the goodies, but I loved how the heroine kept control of everything. Nothing resolved the way I thought it would

Lori says:
 I agree. I was so scared of the dog getting killed or the town getting shot up. I thought there was no way to resolve this without people's lives being shattered.

Carolyn says:
 I just couldn't see how it could resolve happily. which is why I’m not a best seller,  .,

Lori says:
 I agree. But there was this other layer to the book that I adored and that was the 'what if it was me?'
 I think that all girls had stresses with their mothers and had a lot of similar angst that 'Liz' did but you couldn't help but read what happened and wonder what would you have done at that age?

Carolyn says:
 I believe at that age, I would have caved
 and ended up a nothing
 She was so strong, so young

Lori says:
 I think many people would have chosen death as the easier way out. She was so admirable.

Carolyn says:
 she was so admirable
 she was so strong
 and I wanted to hug her and tell her she was loved

Lori says:
 But she wasn't and that's what made her so special.
 Because when she finally was loved, it was a wonderful/horrible experience.

Carolyn says:
 I loved her, from the first conversation she had with her new 'friend', in which she took everything so literally and just generally sounded like an Einstein, I loved her
 That's what I meant, I loved her, wanted to tell her that she wasn't alone, I was rooting for her

Lori says:
 I know what you mean. And Nora crafted it so brilliantly at the beginning too with showing a young woman expressing her opinions, not even rebelling, yet having the over the top reaction from her mother that truly created the entire problem.

Carolyn says:
 yes
 I'll never understand women like that mother. evidently she wanted a child only to serve her ego

Lori says:
 Well even Liz understood and said that her mother was incapable of bonding.
 It broke my heart.

Carolyn says:
 her mother was barely human
 more like a machine
 made me wonder about her upbringing
 and yet Liz overcame her upbringing, that to me was miraculous and marvelous and just plain wonderful
 strength - can one acquire it, or are you born with it?

Lori says:
 I think circumstances can bring out amazing things in people.
 And truly, I loved the way that Brookes could hear Abigail, not just what she said but what she meant behind the words.

Carolyn says:
 yes

Lori says:
 He annoyed me sometimes though because he heard her but knew better. Sometimes he heard but he acted in his own best interests.

Carolyn says:
 well, he is a man, they always think they know best

Lori says:
 She needed control and he kept taking it away.

Carolyn says:
 not in the important things tho, Lori

Lori says:
 It was what she needed but maybe done too quickly.

Carolyn says:
 he gave her control of her salvation
 she was in charge of saving herself

Lori says:
 I agree. And the places he respected her the most was in knowing that she knew better with those things. He barreled through with the relationship and although I wished he'd pussy footed a little bit, he did do right by her.

Carolyn says:
 he was what she needed.
 Really.

Lori says:
 Agreed. It was such a satisfying read.

Carolyn says:
 no one would have gotten past her defenses unless they were sneaky, 
 I'm so glad you liked it as well as I did. I put it right up there with Public Secrets.
 Maybe better

Lori says:
 Well I don't have an advanced degree in Nora like you do but this was a great book. I think anyone who loves a well crafted romantic suspense would put it on their 10 best list.

Carolyn says:
 I don't read as much romantic suspense as some, so I have a top 5,  . And yes, it's up there.
 Need to retire

Lori says:
 Ok, well thank you for putting this in our Kindles. I'm going to read the MacKade brothers next. I've a hankering for some Nora alphas.

Carolyn says:
 omg!
 alphas, betas, she does them both well
 I envy you, reading them for the first time.
 read in order

Lori says:
 damn Carol, I really am not a Nora fan girl but when she does it well, she does it amazingly well

Carolyn says:
 i totally agree. This book, well, i can't praise it enough.
 If I were reviewing
 and if I gave grades
 this would be a definite A

Lori says:
 Me too.

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