Coma Books

"Always listen to both sides of the story" was my motivation when I bought this book, after reading and favorably reviewing Mark Fuhrman's Silent Witness. Detective Fuhrman takes the position that Michael Schiavo spent 12 years working to free himself from being married to a woman who could never be a wife to him again. I'm not sure what I expected from Schiavo's own book about his long battle to allow his wife to die at last, 15 years after her lapse into a persistent vegetative state; but it certainly wasn't what I got, in reading his account of those years.

Schiavo's work, assisted by a professional co-author, is crisp and well organized. It's what nonfiction should be, and often is not: readable in a literary sense. It's also mesmerizing, as Schiavo takes the reader along on his journey. He comes across as honest, at times humorous, and always a man in love.

Yes, a man can love two women (Terri after her collapse, and long time partner Jodi) at the same time. I suspect that whether or not you believe this may have everything to do with how you'll react to his book. My own response? I didn't know that Michael Schiavo had become first an EMT, then a registered respiratory therapist, and finally a registered nurse who chose to work in emergency rooms, during the years Terri lay physically alive but brain dead (brain dead as "completely flat EEG"). I didn't know that in the course of the legal battle known as Schindler vs. Schiavo, money from the malpractice award that followed Terri's collapse became a moot point, because there was none left. After that, Schiavo's legal team worked pro bono. I didn't know a lot of things that I know now.

Once in awhile I run across a nonfiction work that is even more a "can't put this book down" proposition than the most engaging of novels. This is such a book. Highly recommended!

Michael Schiavo constantly repeats the line, "I kept my promise". What about his promise to love and cherish her, in sickness and in health... for as long as they both shall live???? How on earth did the Catholic church condone his extramarital affair with Jodi and even having two children with her? He should have divorced Terri if he wanted to date, marry, have children with someone else. Not perpetuate this pathetic lie that he loved her and was fighting for her.

The book is also badly written and very boring, expecially the parts about all the details in the courtroom. I'm glad I only paid $1 for it at my local Dollar Tree.

I was reading Faith and Politics by John Danforth, which had a chapter on the Terri Shiavo case, and just happened to run across this book a few days later. I decided to pick it up to learn more about the story.

It was a real eye-opener to learn about the history of this case. The headlines in 2005 gave the public no idea at all of years of medical and legal investigation into this matter before it became national headlines. I look forward to reading the Schindler book to get their perspective on it, though Michael's account is pretty compelling and it will be hard for me not to approach that book without bias.

The book is well written and a quick read. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in know more about the Shiavo case and the corrupt political process that resulted in it becoming a national issue.

Being 24 years old, I didn't even suspect in my lifetime that with a war (unnecessary in my opinion) going on, millions of people without health care AND food, and the educational system of America simply going down the tubes that we would be subjected to the Federal government sticking their noses where it didn't belong in such a big way. Michael Schiavo and the whole Schiavo team had to fight everyone and everything just so that his wife would be able to be put to rest. The ultimate word I can think of to describe the events that transpire in the case of Terri Schiavo is "insanity."

Now the real reason I'm reviewing this book is because it was such a wonderful read. I decided to take the book to work and finish the last 2 chapters on my lunch break. I had to close the door because I was in tears. The story of what the Schiavos went through arouses many emotions - happiness in the beginning, anger and rage throughout most of the middle, and peace and sadness at the end. Terri got what she wanted and while I didn't know Terri any more than Bill Frist or Jeb Bush did, any reasonable human being can come to the conclusion that in such a debilitated state, who would want to remain on a sole source of artificial sustinance and be a financial, emotional, and mental drain on the ones they love the most? If this book taught me anything, it was to have a written DNR order and convey that feeling to all members of my family.

I highly recommend this book. You won't be able to put it down and it will really bring some perspective to a small, but important part of living - death.

I just finshed the book, Terri.The Truth, it was such a sad story.
I can't see to many men sticking around to do what Michael did.
He fought for something that he belived, and may Terri rest in peace,
knowing he stood by her. Great read.

This book starts out promisingly enough. An affluent man in South Carolina has a daughter named Callie, ostensibly an only child. He adopts Bode Jessup, so Callie can have a brother. He also brings two young girls from disadvantaged and dysfunctional families, Brie and Sela, to be Callie's playmates, but they end up spending most of their time in the Parker household.

As Callie's mother is a sick woman and her father is a busy man, the roost is ruled by Mamma Pearl, a larger than life African American woman. She becomes the center of the universe for these three children, who look to her as a mother figure and love her dearly. Mamma Pearl also loves and cherishes these children, sacrificing her life to their well being.

When they are all young adults, however, intrigue and turmoil bubble under the surface, as their true feelings for each other begin to emerge on the eve of Callie's wedding. The catalyst for a great emotional catharsis is the tragic accident that leaves Callie in a coma on her wedding day. As events unfold, shocking family secrets are revealed, ripping the blinders from their eyes, as all was not what it seemed.

The book, which started off promisingly enough, begins to head south, as a series of revelations, increasingly implausible, are divulged. Moreover, the personalities of the characters seem to change at the drop of a dime, depending upon the circumstances. This tends to render them two dimensional, as there is no real character development. This deficiency in the writing serves to further highlight the implausibility of the storyline. Moreover, some of the surprises in store for the reader are positively ridiculous. The secrets about Bode and Callie are especially ludicrous, making the book almost laughable.

Fern Michaels does it again and again, I've never been dissappointed with her books, She will get you hooked!

The premise of the novel is a promising one: Brie, Bode, Sela and Callie are four best friends brought up together to think of one another as siblings under the watchful eye of Mama Pearl. They all meet back up as Callie plans the wedding of the century to the affluent Wyn. The set up of the story goes off beautifully and drew me in... but then the story crashed and burned. There are far too many holes in this story and the stories that are completed are so unreal it cheapens the story even more. I would reccomend that one should borrow this novel, as I did, rather than pay for it.

Oh and why oh why does Fern switch from Bode to Bawdey? I don't know why but this was one thing that really bothered me the most!

I can't say this was the worst book ever written, but it was the worst book I've ever read. I can't imagine how it has gotten so many good reviews. I almost can't believe Fern Michael's wrote it. The characters are completely one dimensional, the plot makes no sense, and the whole thing is riddled with inconsistancies. The worst though, is the dialogue. Completely unrealistic. Very dissappointed. I kept holding out, hoping it would get better, but gave up about halfway through. This is first book that I was so fed up with, that I wasn't able to finish.

I found this to be a very muddly story..someone was considered to be black..I hadn't even realised that he was supposed to be black...then he wasn't! A little blonde girl was considered to be white and was really black...perhaps it's my ignorance of these matters, but how could these situations not be obvious? A small boy named Bode was fostered at the home of a wealthy old Southern family, with a view to him being adopted. Two small girls, Brie and Sela, from what were unkindly called "white trash" families, were taken to the big house every day as playmates to Callie, the spoiled rotten daughter of the house. They all grew up as friends, lovingly cared for by an old black lady, Pearl, who nurtured them through their adolescences and encouraged them in their chosen careers. When Callie was about to marry a wealthy local man, they were involved in a serious car crash which left other people dead and Callie in a coma. The groom-to-be lied to the police, claiming that Callie was the driver and, leaving Pearl, Bode, Brie and Sela to physically care for her, played the part of the grieving lover. I really feel that this book could have been shortened by a third and tightened up considerably.

Regardless of how you feel about the case, I read the book with an open mind. I could see how the Schindlers really felt and how they viewed their son-in-law Michael Schiavo. Of course, he could have divorced Terri and moved on with his life but he didn't. He stayed for 15 years plus the 6 married years of life. This book paints a complex portrait of the marriage and family relationships. Before the media stepped in, Terri's family fought hard to maintain their daughter's life even if it was in a state of almost wheelchair bound and hospitalized. According to Michael, Terri never wanted to live like that and I couldn't imagine anybody living the remainder of life like Terri did all those years. While her family was comforted by Terri's existence, we will never know what Terri might have wished for in the first place. There are no winners, neither Michael nor the Schindlers won anything here. Terri had a right to die just as she had a right to live. I don't know what happened that February night in 1990 that would cause her to live in such a state. According to the autopsy report which I read, she wasn't abused or neglected. She was treated and liked by the hospital staff. You wonder if Michael made the right decision in fighting for Terri. It would have been easier to let go and give her back to her parents and siblings. They would have cared for her regardless of the expenses but who would it be for the Schindlers or Terri's happiness. We'll never know the truth. I keep thinking about the family of Ron Goldman when I read this book. it was told from the Schindlers' points of view which made it confusing after a while. Still, I know that Terri is at peace somewhere which comforts the Schindlers to know that Terri is in heaven and that her life mattered to so many people. She had one miracle, she brought Jesse Jackson and Sean Hannity in a room together to pray for her joked Glenn Beck. Rest in peace, Terri and Ron, where-ever you may be right now.

This is the Schiendler's recounting of the events that led to their daughter Terri Schiavo being removed from life support. It is a very highly emotional story. How could it be otherwise? However, the emotions get in the way of the facts of the case. Many of the alledged events they say happened before and after Terri's collaspe, never happened. Even at the end of the book, they discount the findings of her autopsy. I honestly believe this book was written for monetary gain. Sensationalism always sells better than the facts. To get the complete story I reccomend the book "Terri" by Mike Schiavo.

I first read Michael Shiavo's book and decided to read this to get "the other side" of the story. Michael Shiavos' account was pretty compelling and I wondered if I'd be able to give this viewpoint fair consideration.

In the end, reading this book reinforced to me that there is always more than one side to a story. The book is emotionally compelling and certainly brings a different perspective on Michael's personality and behavior. However, the book ignores and glosses over many things established as fact in court. Michael Shiavo, Judge Greer, George Felos, and everybody that disagreed with the Shindlers are judged to be either intellectually, emotionally, or morally dishonest. The Schindlers make many innuendos in footnotes throughout the book (the most significant that Michael strangled Terri which was the cause of her collapse), but they are based on no credible evidence. They completely ignore factual medical evidence that contradicts their claims that Terri was conscious and could intellectually react to her environment.

As I read the book, I felt compassion for Mary Schindler and her family, but I also got the impression that they were in severe denial and unwilling to look at any evidence that didn't support their hopes for Terri.

One interesting thing to note was that in Michael Schiavo's book he said that Terri was taken to the emergency room for what seems to have been food substance in Terri's lungs. He suspected that the Schindler family was trying to feed Terri by the mouth against the doctor's instructions (swallowing tests showed she could not swallow food). In the Schindler's book, they reveal that people were indeed trying to feed Terri by mouth. The timeline isn't clear, so this may or may not explain what happened to Terri in this regard.

Having read Michael's book, and having read other sources, I felt that the Schindler's book played pretty loose with the facts (or just ignored them). It is an emotionally compelling story, and if that is what you are looking for I can recommend the book. If you are looking for a discussion of the important facts of the case from the Schindlers' perspective, you will be disappointed.

It is difficult to review a book like this. It is a perspective piece and how can you give a low rating on someone's perspective? In the end, I think you have to take into account how broad, perceptive, and insightful the perspective seems to be. This book didn't provide much in that regard.

I hate trying to assign stars to a book like this. It's a very controversial topic, and one that I have strong opinions on. Still, I don't assume that everyone who disagrees with me is wrong, wrong, wrong. I have too much sympathy for all the combatants. I wish there had been a way to work it out peaceably.

There have been four books written by or with the cooperation of the principals in this case, and I have listed them in the productwiki. This came out at approximately the same time as Michael Schiavo's Terri: The Truth. It is interesting to see how the two books use the same witness, Cindi Shook, pp. 105-113 of this book and pp. 179-189 of Schiavo's. One might think that there were two different women.

The backbone of this narrative is by Mary Schindler, with other members of the family narrating specific events. This was a trifle confusing at first, but I rapidly got used to it. It reads pretty smoothly and has explanatory notes at the bottom of the page. It includes a section of color family photographs and four affadavits by doctors. Frustratingly enough, there is no index in any of the four books, so it is difficult to compare their handling of specific issues.

The Schindlers have three basic arguments: 1. Terri was not in a persistent vegetative state (PVS); 2. Even if she was in PVS, she left no instructions; 3. Even if she was was in PVS and left clear instructions "There is not now and never has been a 'right' to die" (p.221). That last statement not only makes the other two moot, and but I cannot help but wonder if to the Schindlers and their supporters, it justified saying just about anything in the first two arguments. With all the oversight that the case received, they simply don't convince me of the first two arguments. Michael Schiavo would have to have organized and sustained a large cabal of amoral doctors and judges, beginning before the case became famous and he became a poster-child for right-to-die issues, and continuing through a glare of publicity. Even assuming that they had no morals or professional ethics, Schiavo wasn't a politically powerful man, and the malpractice settlement simply wasn't that large, considering the expenses

The family strikes me as befuddled by grief. Despite their conviction that it really isn't relevant, the Schindlers still insist in the face of the autopsy that the doctors' diagnosis of PVS was wrong, the wild coincidence that it was confirmed is explained by the process of dying. Mary Schindler's description of her daughter as "healthy" is mind-boggling, even if she was at least minimally conscious. It strikes me as both delusional and heart-breaking. Bobby Schindler states: (p. 231): "Remember, most hospitals and many doctors WANT YOU TO DIE. It's convenient that way and much less expensive" [emphasis in the original]. I find that absolutely incredible! I can't imagine how so many people I know, including myself, have walked into those death traps and escaped!

I hope the Schindlers find consolation in their campaigns, but their agenda scares me. I believe that there should be a right-to-die, there is legally a right, I've left written instructions, and I certainly don't want the Schindlers and their ilk harassing my family. I wish the Schindlers all the luck in the world in creating their free hospital for those who want it, but I don't. I wonder which will take precendence: the political campaign or the hospital? I think it should be the latter: if the Schindlers can provide good care, then they might lovingly and gentle change people's minds in individual cases.

Certainly worth reading, but it doesn't convince me.

Anyone gushing over the "concerned and loving" parent's of Terri Shiavo really needs to read Michael Shiavo's book on the life and death of his wife. Unlike "Terri's Family," he uses real documents, court and hospital records to support his case. He also exposes the Shindler's (in particular, Bob), as being much less concerned with their their daughter's treatment and more more concerned with affording a bigger condo.

Terri is finally resting in peace.

I read all the reviews and wondered if I should bother with this one but took the chance and doggone it, I rather liked it. It kept my attention from start to finish. Guess it's different strokes for different folks. I liked the characters and I thought the story interesting especially from Ed's point of view struggling to come out of his coma and being able to view things he was thinking. Okay it's not an award winning type of book but to me it was just entertaining. I do enjoy one often that makes you think such as a book by "Charles Martin" but at times I just want a good entertaining book and this was it.

Elizabeth Adler and her editor need a quick review course in USA geography!!! This happens when the young Ed Vincent goes over the mountain from Tennessee to South Carolina. How did that happen?

Adler is par for the course here with "In A Heartbeat". A millionare with a shadowy past is gunned down by a mysterious hitman, and nearly dies. His girlfriend, Melba Merrydew and a determined NYPD homicide detective named Marco try to unearth the secrets of the man's past, and find the classic "Cain and Abel" story with a brother gone rotten killing for greed and for thrills. Of course, why the villain chooses to kill his brother after all these years escapes logic, as it would certainly mean his own death, and well..no surpises here. For a rainy weekend only.

Once again, Elizabeth Adler writes a super book. Life really can change in a hearbeat. I loved the plot, the storyline, and the charactors. I could see the ending a mile away, but I love a good love story mixed with murder and trouble, so this was a great read for me!

I'm only up to Chapter 22 -- came on Amazon to see if this book had any hope of getting better. I think I'll spare myself and give up now. I'm just thankful I didn't buy this piece of... The dialogue is [bad]; the characters are completely one-dimensional. First and last time I'll read anything by this author.

This is a wandering book of author Dr. Richard Selzer's own brush with death. His excellent writing shines in bits and pieces but on a whole this book is too vague and stilted for my preferences.

A WANDERING STORY
This vague and wandering story may very well have been a creation to illustrate the odd state of mind Dr. Selzer found himself in once he woke from his coma and 10 minute death episode. He at times thought he was in a monastery, on the Nile and in other exotic locales. At any point in time, also thinking that the nursing staff were conspiring to keep him from his freedom.

HIS SIDELINE STORY OF A FAMOUS AUTHOR'S BRUSH WITH BREAST REMOVAL SURGERY, PRIOR TO ANESTHESIA MAKES FOR TERRIFYING READING
Some reviewers suggested this was an artifice added to increase the page count. I'll be honest, this was an excellent portion of the book preparing the reader to realize that writing about your own illness is bound to portray you as a victim or a hero. Nothing in between. It is interesting that Dr. Selzer included this and adds to the book. I'm also happy to have been born after the use of anesthesia.

TOO MANY SHIFTS TO KEEP MY INTEREST
He does an excellent job of describing himself in the 3rd person, however, the switches of storyline from paragraph to paragraph, I found hard to keep my interest. Sometimes a artistic device gets in the way of the story. I found his forays into his imaginary worlds a bit to artful at time. It is one thing to be literary, it is another to outreach most of your audience. Either that or I'm not too bright. Both are possible.

HAS RICHARD SELZER'S SIGNATURE EXCELLENT CAPTURE OF DETAIL:
As usual each section is excellent in its attention to detail. (I don't think I will ever look at tulips the same). Also, he gives you a feel for the wandering mind grasping to make sense of all that has happened. He pieces together odd sections of facts and changes a broken pot into a horse in his reconstruction of events. These perceptions alone can make for an odd reality.

CAREGIVERS WERE WELL CHARACTERIZED AND WELL AFTER THE FACT APPRECIATED
His portrait of his caregivers is well done from the nurse from Troy to the lyrical Irishman that tended to him. He also portrays himself (Accurately I'm sure) as the crabby patient he was. Doctors make the worse patients.

An interesting book.

As a physician, I am always interested how my colleagues portray the various aspects of our profession. I believe the lay public is also fascinated by physician-authors in the hope that they will pull back the curtain and let us in on the secrets of medicine. I have read most of Selzer's works and found them disappointing, for the most part. This holds true for Raising the Dead. Selzer frequently overwrites and I would characterize his prose as florid. One senses that he enjoys talking about himself more than medicine or its effect on others. I find the works of Sherwin Nuland, Lewis Thomas, and the non-fiction works of Michael Crichton much more realistic, satisfying and written by physicians who have less to say about themselves and more about medicine-how it is and how it should be.

I was moved to tears and laughter. Two extremes which both brought comfort on this journey across the River of Death. Selzer takes the helm as Charon, the ferryman, and relays a superb tale of one man's travels into the Realm of Shades, what that man saw there, how those things affected him and what he brought back. That man was the author himself, telling the difficult story of his own 23 days of coma and three weeks of recovery. A brutal and poignant honesty is achieved through metaphor and imagery the like of which literally took my breath away several times. Selzer is a brilliant writer, a deep thinker and a philosopher for these modern times. In his intense need to chronicle his very intimate and personal experience of illness he decides against "going towards the light" and instead chooses to stage his own death and descend into a place of poetic vision and metaphorical insight. His version of the events are so beautifully rendered and when he is urged to forget all about his coma and the ravages incurred by his body he thinks "But they are mistaken who would squelch the longing to know. Man's greatest pleasure is remembering. It's what makes us godlike, distinguiishes us from the animals. Remembering is a way of reclaiming what was mine, what had been taken away from me."

I have been an avid reader my whole life and I would consider this one of my all-time favorite books. Although it is short, it will have you thinking about it long after you finish reading. I read this in college and after finishing it, immediately had 2 of my roommates read it so that I would have someone to discuss it with. They were equally blown away. It is hard to explain, but the book (both because of its subject matter and writing style) really does make you question the line between dream and reality. Since reading it, I have read both The Beach and Tesseract and although the are both impressive, this short book has stuck with me the most out of Alex Garland's work. If you enjoy existentially questioning the world around you, this is a very worthwhile read.

I intended to read a few pages before bed, but ended up reading the whole thing in one feverish 2 hour session. I was just so mesmerized that I couldn't stop until I had completed it. The eerie black and white illustrations add to the dreamy atmosphere. Garland is probably the most precise writer going today. Each word is deployed evocatively, for maximum effect. It is brilliant, and if you want to go on a head trip, ignore all the negative reviews and pick this up. Garland is such a great writer, I just wish he would write more novels. Alex, if you happen to read this, hook us up bro!

i was heavily disappointed with this book. i read the beach by him which was amazing but this was a waste of paper.

I've never been moved to write a review on Amazon before---shamefully, as many of my friend's novels languish here and Alex Garland hardly needs my help. However, I was so shocked by the negative editorial reviews of the book that I just felt moved to say something in the spirit of literary fairness. I'm trolling today for books for my Comp II research (multigenre) class and am considering using "The Coma" as one of my texts.

"The Coma" is a spare, elegantly written, suspenseful, sad, and disturbing novella. I bought it last year as a gift for someone else but decided to keep it as something to reference craft-wise for my own writing. I picked it up again last week, thinking to just check out the opening, and found myself reading the whole thing again in one sitting. In a way, "The Coma" reminds me of Kobo Abe's "Women in the Dunes" in it's ability to hook the reader and maintain tension even in a closed environment where the action is "small."

Do I see this as a "deeply layered, major work of earth shattering importance?"---no, but I do strongly suspect that this author will one day write something significant, and the reviews that suggest that this book has a "sluggish pace and plodding prose" are, in my opinion, absurd. You can't put the sucker down.

As many have pointed out, this is not exactly a bad book as much as a disappointing one. It seems to be set up as a slightly unsettling, mysterious story. It starts out that way before quickly ditching that idea to focus on more philosophical musings (this is the only time "the rug is pulled out from under the reader..." though we are promised many). Many others have trod similar philosophical musings in the past, but it has ample ground for further musings and Garland is obviously talented enough to go there. But he never really does, though, instead going about as deep as one of those douche bags in high school who reads philosophy and spouts it off...incessantly. I'd guess it has to do with the shortness of the book. Others have said the length ties into what the book is really about, blah blah blah. That may be so, but it also robs the book of being anything other than a Clif Notes read (an abbreviated Clif Notes, at that). Some more substance could have been added with more pages, I'd guess, and it would still be fairly short; there's nothing wrong with short novellas, as long as they're good. Now, there were some great moments in the book, up through the beginning of part two is fun and, later, the walk through the city is wonderful, but they can't hold the rest of the book from...wallowing and, while I may be thinking about it now, I just finished it. I doubt it'll be on my mind much through tomorrow.

It could have been just the unsettling, twisting, fun little ride, or just the philosophical journey. Or, with more length, it could have been both. As it stands, it's too weak. Still not bad, just...eh, which is disappointing.

This story was a thrilling medical drama, filled with intriguing details of ethical issues and the limitless power of the human mind. Very different than my usual reading material, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen.

I was on the edge of my seat through the whole book, waiting to see how it ended. I waded my way through the dream chapters to see what happend at the end. The end was terrible, you are built up for a big climax that never comes and leaves you with so many unanswered questions. How far does Frankie come back? What happend to Ben, Lizzie, Janet......

This book was soooo unrealistic. The only thing I enjoyed about it was "Lizzie" and Janet Catchpole". The story seemed to focus more on Ben and not enough on Frankie. The chapters of Ben's dreams were terrible. The only reason I finished the book was to see the outcome of Frankie. I was so disappointed that there was not much said about Frankie or Lizzie in the end.

I read The Lazarus Child by Robert Mawson. It is a fiction novel about the strength and love of a family. I had mixed feelings about the book, but I enjoyed it for the most part.
I liked the overall story and the plot. I enjoyed the ending. I would say more about why, but that would give it away. All of the characters were well developed and I think the author wrote them all well.
There were only two things that I didn't like about this book. One of them was that the author goes overboard with the descriptions. He went into such detail in some places that I skipped ahead to the next paragraph. The other thing that I didn't like about the book was that it jumped around. Within a chapter the plot would move from Frankie's hospital room to Dr. Elizabeth Chase's childhood, and then to Jack's office. It was hard for me to keep up with the plot and what had happened in the previous chapter. It was especially hard if I put the book down for more than a day. It would have been a lot easier to keep up if I had the time and the patience to sit down and read the book in one sitting.
Despite the two low points of the book I would have to say that the overall story and the concept of the book outweighed the low points. I would also have to say that I would recommend this book to anyone who is in need of a good book to read, but to be prepared and have your thinking cap on.

if you like strange things with a twist of love this might be a book for you.

this book was one of the worst books that I have ever read. I don't even know where to begin. First of all, it never seemed to be edited. There were several gramitcal errors within the text. But also, the characterizations were very poor. Mowl had no personality, and seemed like a great shambling child. His emotions made very little sense, and his actions made even less sense. No one is going to fall in love with a fox, no matter how extraordinary that fox might be. His reasons for befriending her made no sense either. Alright, he's fascinated by magical things and he's never seen an arl before, but there's no complex emotions involved. IT's like the writer knew that they had to end up together, so she put them together. Mowl wasn't even the slightest bit scared or awed by the fox, as he would be if he were more human. THink about it. If you met a fairy today, would you just calmly befriend it and fall in love with it, or would you be a little bit scared?
THe whole subplot with Tina and Billy was ludicrous. Tina goes and almost kills this poor girl, but then suddenly Grace, the girl's grandmother, is expected to forgive her, because TIna isn't all bad and she's suffering in side and Billy loves her. That part made no sense to me, and I don't understand how the author could try to justify a crime where a group of girls batter a girl into a coma and then just leave her. the given reason for the crime was also stupid. Boyfriend stealing. Who almost kills another person because they stole your boyfriend? Honestly!
Another thing, the quality of the writing was very poor. THe author spelled out the emotions of every character, when it's common knowlege to use Show don't Tell when in comes to writing. There were also several scenes that did not need to be there, like all the scenes where Karen Fox is hungry. She's starving. THere's a hole in her belly and she just wants to eat. OK, we get the point, and the author really didn't need to show all that. This book was in need of serious editing and revising. it reads like a draft. None of the characters were complicated or even the slightest bit human, and none of their actions made sense. This book was horrible. It was one of the worst fantasy books I have ever read, and I love fantasy.

I picked this book up because of its great cover (I have a different edition) and the story on the back sounded good.
And it is.
"Hunted" lives off it's highly original storyline. N.M. Browne creates a dark and mysterious setting for the unusual sight of Karen, a girls soul trapped in a fox as she lies in a coma, dying.
Some passages following the parallel hospital-story are deeply sad, especially when her ex boyfriends visits her a last time or her grandma watches her faraway sleep. And many scenes in the actual adventure are filled with excitement but also despair, for Karens strength is growing weaker - in reality and her adventure.
This book is very emotional and to be recommended for readers about 14 years old.

When a young firl (Karen) gets beaten up into a coma, she enters a world she never knew could exist. There, Karen becomes an arl; a creature visiting from another place with the appearence of an animal but the intelligence of a human. Hunted is original like nothing I've ever read before. The ending has quite a twist.

This is the worst book I ever watsed my money on. I read the back of the book, the story seemed original and fresh. I read the first chapter, compelling and action filled and made you wonder what happened next. But then right after the second chapter it just spirals down hill like a plane caught in a death spiral until it crashes and burns. Karen turns into a fox, waking up in this new world that seems to be the medeival era to us. But she seems more like a robot, she does things as a fox, never thinks and hangs around a strange man. I found the plot incredibly slow, borring and lame. In the end she dies, leaping infront of a sword to save the man she loves( a man and a fox?. It could have been a LOT more original and fresh then just junk stringed togather. The writing style is slow, the action is as instense as watching snails,and the charcters are weak and plastic. Do not waste good money9or effort) on purchasing this book.

I ORDERED THIS BOOK ON JULY 25, 2008 AND RECEIVED IT ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2008. I wonder what took so long. This is not acceptable.

The best part about this book is the clear, large removable patterns. Making and designing pillows from these templates was fun and easy. The book has a spiral format which is very durable. I recommend this book over others I have seen and purchased.

The book doesn't actually come with 25 patterns. There are 6 patterns tucked into a pocket. The rest of the book is written out instructions for various pillow projects, supported by one picture per project. No step by step photos or illustrations in this book.

Very good directions, simple and easy to follow. The pillows on the cover of the book are sitting on a wicker-back chair, which makes the pillows appear to have "handles" in them. Not the case. Nice photographs inside the book. Good value for a "how to" book.

I am begging you now to put this book down, and run as fast as you can in the opposite direction. If you are outside of bushfire danger zones you might even like to burn it. I know I would have liked to.

Tim Winton is perhaps the most over rated author in the history of mankind, and if it was at all possible I would sue him for publishing this drivel because I believe I died a little inside whilst reading it.

Honestly, I found it convoluted, boring and in several parts, quite disturbing. If you can read it and enjoy it, then more power to you. But if you are not being forced by the Western Australian education system, I would recommend you stay far far away.

Oh and Mr Winton? A hair cut never hurt anyone.

I agree with the reviewer in April of 2003. I really enjoyed the book. You fall in love with Ort. Seeing things through his eyes are very touching and funny at times. The end is definately what you make of it - a good book for discussion - book club.

That Eye, the Sky is a novel about a family in the outback of Australia. Life goes wrong when the father is in a car accident and in a coma afterwards. It is narrated by twelve year old Ort Flack. Through his eyes we meet his Dad, his Mum, the helpless hippy, Tegwyn, his angry sister, Fat his only friend and Henry, the missionary that saves them.

Through the eyes of Ort, the story of the Flack family unfolds, in simple, but beautifully written language. The novel jumps from reality to surreality, from living on the dole in the outback to miracles and mystical lights. It end on a strange surreal note and the reader is left to make of it what he/she chooses.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although I don't quite know what to make of the end of this book. I would love to discuss it with someone that read it.