10/10/10 Reviews: #6 – A Perfect Place to Pray

Book Review 6: A Perfect Place to Pray by I.L. Goodwin

Mae Spencer is married to a revered homicide detective who has been beating her for years. Finally, an incident with their child convinces Mae to leave and hide from him.

I picked this one up as our library’s book club read a few months back. Goodwin does a nice job with atmosphere and pulling the reader in to the scene. Her characters are well drawn, engaging, and deep enough to need to figure out as you read. It’s a fast-paced novel, marked as romance but more women’s fiction.

Deborah, Mae’s best friend (or so she claims) is the most intriguing character. Mae herself came off to me as too weak: not because she was a victim of abuse but because she never took matters in her own hands. Deborah and Mae’s  husband made her decisions for her. At times, she showed possibilities of growth and taking control, but then it slipped again. I found no real character growth in her. She simply was pushed by others into better circumstances.

While there was plenty to consider within the book and enjoy about it, I felt like it needed more; it needed the heroine to take charge of her own life. Without that, it felt unfinished.

Yes, I’m a stickler about character growth/change. Otherwise, it’s not a full story, it’s only a scene out of a story.  I believe the same is true with real life.
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Music Review: Cradlesong by Rob Thomas

I’ve been a Rob Thomas fan since Matchbook 20’s first CD. I love his lyricism, his grit, and the deep meanings behind his songs, along with his gorgeous voice. I love that he writes his own music and that the art concept for the liner was his and that he credited his wife for song inspiration.

I also love the growth I see in each new album. Cradlesong shows a young man growing up, mixing personal issues with world issues, and depicting dark and light intermingled. Thomas is a moody artist, and it shows, but he’s also very deep and that shows, as well.

From:
“Hey yeah/ welcome to the real world/
Nobody told you it was gonna be hard you said/
Hey yeah/ I can’t believe it/ I barely started/
Now I’m falling apart…”

To:
" ‘Cause I didn’t mean to be mean/ when I said/
All the things I said to you/
But maybe the worst is the best I can do/ with you…”

This is personal and musical growth at its finest.
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Movie Review: Undiscovered (2005)

Brier is an aspiring model on the move. Luke is an aspiring musician. When Brier decides to pull strings with help of her agent and get Luke’s career moving faster, we watch their parallel rises and the results on their budding relationship.

This indie film is everything a romantic comedy should be: fun, light, charming, with bits of passion and emotional back and forth. No, it’s not a deep-thinking movie. It’s a kick your feet up at the end of a long day and be entertained kind of movie, oh, with some nice music thrown in.
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Legal Note: No review was compensated or requested.
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