Books

Average customer rating:

what the HECK was that ?????
fantastic
"The Big Picture"
Profoundly human, insidiously honest...
very realisitc-extremely depressing

Hula: A Novel
Lisa Shea
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Ellen Foster (Oprah's Book Club)
The Glass Castle : A Memoir (Alex Awards (Awards))

ASIN: 0393321304

Book Description

For two young girls in the 1960s, the family backyard is both playground and prison. Among the bushes and brambles, it offers places to hide from the rages of their war-scarred father, places that also become secret gardens of the imagination. Told over the course of two hot Virginia summers, Hula presents a child's-eye view of a family drama played out to a chilling climax. The younger sister narrates, introducing us to her older sister's ritual taunts, her mother's dreamy distance, her father's escalating temper. Lisa Shea's haunting first novel probes the dark place where adolescent fantasies and real terrors collide.

Customer Reviews:

what the HECK was that ?????.......2006-09-30

I finished this book and said outloud "what the heck was that?" (well, for the purpose of this review I said "heck")
I'm just speechless and the book is pointless. TERRIBLE - Don't bother!

fantastic.......2006-06-05

just get it
it's short- goes by quickly so it's easy to read again and again

"The Big Picture".......2005-12-06

I found "Hula," by Lisa Shea, an extremely easy book to read; however I missed the "big picture." I felt that there was really no point to the story, other than outlining the life of two sisters during their intense, and somewhat chaotic childhood. One thing that I did like, was how Shea displays and deploys a very descriptive writing style that I had never seen before in a novel. The writing is similar to something like detailed poetry, that's to the point; however due to the depictive nature, some of this could be offensive or disturbing to the readers in certain scenes, such as the sexual ones and scenes with the girls' father. I can appreciate the book for the way and style it was written in. But overall, like I said, "Hula" was just to me, nothing more than an easy read that was definitely lacking substance.

Profoundly human, insidiously honest..........2004-12-10

This is a book I constantly buy and give to others, starting with my sisters. Sensitive and spot on, this is a tale of the modern family gone awry as seen through the eyes of two sister trying to grow up in spite of their circumstance. Their story unfolds as if accidentally. A truly brilliant book. Those of us from less than perfect childhoods will see our experiences here and will cringe with the recognition.

very realisitc-extremely depressing.......2003-08-23

this book is fabulously realistic and descriptive, only nothing good ever happens in it. i'm sorry to all those who adore this book, but i could hardly finish it. in this book there is an abusive father, an invisible mother, a handful of sexually abusive teenage boys, and a lot of serious sibling rivalry. (NOT the funny kind, either). even the DOG gets raped!
on the bright side, this book is so incredibly realistic that i thought it was non fiction. the way the author describes things is in a very poetic, adolecsent prose. i guess i kind of reccomend this book, for the way it was written, but otherwise, it is not a pleasure to read.

Sisterchicks Do the Hula!: A Sisterchick Novel (Walker Large Print Books)

Average customer rating:

Awesome read!
Sisterchicks Do the Hula
Sister Chucks Do The Hula
Laughter to tears
Lots of fun, beautiful descriptions of Hawaii

Sisterchicks Do the Hula!: A Sisterchick Novel (Walker Large Print Books)
Robin Jones Gunn
Manufacturer: Walker Large Print
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Literature & Fiction | Large Print | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

Sisterchicks on the Loose (Sisterchicks)
Sisterchicks in Sombreros (Sisterchicks)
Sisterchicks Down Under (Sisterchicks)
Sisterchicks Say Ooh La La! (Sisterchicks)
Sisterchicks in Gondolas (Sisterchicks)

ASIN: 1594150826

Book Description

Some dreams take a while before they come true. Best friends Hope and Laurie never made it to Hawaii during their college years. But when they're about to turn forty, the islands still beckon, and off they go - with an unexpected stowaway on board (Hope happens to be seven months pregnant). A little pineapple, a little sunshine, and a surprising little surfing lesson give these two sisterchicks all their crazy hearts could hope for - and more - as they enter the next season of their lives with a splash and with a beautiful vision of what God has dreamed up for them.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome read!.......2007-06-05

Robin Jones Gunn is such a talented writer! She takes you to places you've dreamed of going and after reading you feel like you have been there. Every chacter experiences feelings that almost every woman can relate to. The Sisterchicks are loving stories about special friendships.
She is my favorite christian fiction writer. I hope she continues writing. I love the setting of this one...being a beach lover. Try her Glenbrooke Series. I just finished book 7 of the 8. I almost hate to finish the last one....I want there to be a number 9 and continue on. The Glenbrooke series has romance and friendships that intertwine in each book. Gardinias for Breakfast is awesome too.

Sisterchicks Do the Hula.......2007-03-25

In 1960 I lived in Hawaii and so this brought me right back to that time and of course I will only reflect on the beauty of the Islands and the wonderful people that have lived there all their life. Great read!

Sister Chucks Do The Hula.......2007-01-09

I had read this book from the library. I wanted my sister in another state to read it so I sent it to her via Amazon. The two women and the plot reminded me of my sister and myself. Things I liked about it are it's spirituality, the growth of the characters,and descriptions of Hawaii and it's people. The cover does not represent what is inside.

Laughter to tears.......2006-07-17

I really enjoyed this book. I think it was more about the relationships, the angst of going on the trip being pregnant, the challenges pregnancy presented, the abandon of getting into that swim suit anyway. I thought it was great and truly enjoyed going from hilarious laughter to tears. RJ Gunn is a great writer and touches on some deep and sensitive issues for women in general.

Lots of fun, beautiful descriptions of Hawaii.......2006-06-21

Sisterchicks Do the Hula by Robin Jones Gunn is the second fun, moving book in the Sisterchick series. Hope and Laurie always wanted to travel to Hawaii together; it just takes them twenty years to get there! While there both women break out of their shells and start living for real in the Lord. Gunn does such an amazing job describing Hawaii, I wanted to call a travel agent as soon as I finished the book. The descriptions of sunrises and sunsets almost make it seem like there is no place on earth closer to God. The women's friendship is a graceful, beautiful thing, as much a part of the story as each woman's individual growth. This book seemed a little lighter spiritually than the first book, but it's still a true joy to read.

Average customer rating:

dissatisfaction
Lyrical, Poetic Neo-Noir
POW! now that's what i call a story!
A great surprise!
You should really read this book

How the Hula Girl Sings: A Novel
Joe Meno
Manufacturer: ReganBooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Tender As Hellfire

ASIN: 0060394331
Release Date: 2001-09-04

Customer Reviews:

dissatisfaction.......2006-05-17

I seem to be the lone voice on this, but I found this book to be a real disappointment. The dialogue was often too elaborate and misplaced, making the conversations unrealistic. Other parts, such as the sheriff "calling a doctor" and telling the characters to escape town, rather than take them to a hospital and try arresting the offenders, just got me plain mad because of the implausibility. However, the thing that really capped off my dislike for the book was Meno's constant repetition in description.

"No dainty gloom could make a body feel more lonesome than missing a tooth. It made me feel improper to smile. Losing that molar over a girl who wouldn't even spare me a kiss made me feel like the imperial king of all fools. Nothing else could make me feel so low."

After reading iterative writing like that, extended to 209 pages, I felt like taking a thesaurus and bashing the author in the head with it.

This book, every component of it, was a disgrace to the literary accomplishments Meno created in Hairstyles of the Damned.

Lyrical, Poetic Neo-Noir.......2005-10-09

HTHGS is a lyrical, poetic chronicle of a recently paroled felon's return to small town America. Mr. Meno writes with a dark, terse voice which captures the reader's attention. This trip inside a off-kilter, violent and sometimes insane world left me wanting more. A pure and thoughtful exploration of guilt and love in a world with little room for either.

POW! now that's what i call a story!.......2001-11-15

This book is the type that I find few and far between. Without so much as blinking i was already through the first hundred pages. Since i have a very short attention span, you can see why this is a big deal. This book made me not want to sleep, eat, or do anything to deter me from its pages. When it was over I was left sated but wishing there were a thousand more pages to come. Luce Lemay's auspicious heart, dealt a hard luck hand, kept me filled with hope, wonder and awe. Even after a month since I finished it, I still can't help but wonder what old Luce is doing now.

A great surprise!.......2001-11-08

This book was quite a surprise to me.
In college I became deeply infatuated with a
certain style of writing—that of such Southern
writers as William Faulkner, Flannery
O'Conner and especially Carson McCullers.
Joe Meno carries on this great Southern gothic
tradition in his new book How the Hula Girl
Sings.
Meno creates a claustrophobic
small town seething with sickness
and hate. He fills it with characters such as
an abusive father whose feet were eaten by
gangrene, a woman who kills small animals
and nails them to her walls in hand-crocheted
sweaters so that she can mourn them, and a
back stabbing ex-con who fashioned his fake
teeth out of gravel.
While this book is not a traditional
mystery I believe that it is well worth the read.
The story moves along at a good pace and is
extremely engaging. (The Librarian, 5 cats)

You should really read this book.......2001-11-02

What can I say? This is just an excellent read. Meno combines the quick, tight story movement of a pulp novel with a poet's view of the world. The language is simple but moving. Combine all that with some solid, fascinating, very human characters, finish it up with a powerhouse ending and you know what you got? One hell of a book.

Average customer rating:

Hula: A Novel
Lisa Shea
Manufacturer: W W Norton & Co Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OEDGIK

How the Hula Girl Sings : A Novel (Uncorrected Proof copy)

Average customer rating:

How the Hula Girl Sings : A Novel (Uncorrected Proof copy)
Joe Meno
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H01ZY8

Average customer rating:

How the Hula Girl Sings: A Novel
Joe Meno
Manufacturer: ReganBooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OA77C0

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