By: Barbara Vine
Usually I review only books I really like, but this week I had two books on my night stand I just couldn't get through. Barbara Vine introduces us to Ivor Tesham, a single man who is a member of the English Parliament. We don't meet him directly, but learn about him and his life through the eyes of others. Ivor is having an affair with a married woman and decides to give her a special surprise gift for her birthday - he has her kidnapped. I never got much further. (Well that is not quite true . . . I did read the last chapter of the book.) Ivor was not painted as a very sympathetic character and I had no desire to learn anything more about him. Now you may ask, if I didn't like the lead character, why did I read the last chapter? Many times after reading the first chapter, I will go to the end to see if the journey of reading the middle might be worth it. For me, The Birthday Present wasn't a journey I was going to take. Vine has a great following, so I am curious what others have to say. Review by Terrie. (Fiction) 07/18/09
