153rd out of 637 books
—
241 voters
Sign of the Times
by
Susan Buchanan (Goodreads Author)
Twelve people. Twelve star signs.
Sagittarius - Holly, a travel writer, visits Tuscany to research her next book. Seeking help when her car breaks down, she gets more than assistance when Dario, a vineyard owner, puts temptation in her path. Disappearing without explanation, he proves elusive. Bruised, Holly tries to put it behind her until a chance encounter brings her fe...more
Sagittarius - Holly, a travel writer, visits Tuscany to research her next book. Seeking help when her car breaks down, she gets more than assistance when Dario, a vineyard owner, puts temptation in her path. Disappearing without explanation, he proves elusive. Bruised, Holly tries to put it behind her until a chance encounter brings her fe...more
Kindle Edition, 373 pages
Published
March 16th 2012
by Susan Buchanan
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The concept of multiple characters, presented from multiple view points, is not a new one. However, Susan Buchanan gives it an unusual twist by assigning each person to a different star sign and then developing their characterisation accordingly in four or five consecutive chapters. The central thread is the story of travel writer Holly and her latest book, about Tuscany. Each character is connected in some way to Holly and many are also connected to each other. Occasionally, we see the same inc...more
What a cool idea for a book! I'm not an expert on these things, but it's clear that Susan Buchanan studied the astrological signs inside and out because as I was reading I would think "oh, that sounds exactly like what (insert Cancer friend) would do" or "that sounds just like what (insert Aries relative) would say." Not only that, she obviously studied a whole lot more than astrological signs - developing 12 different people with 12 different careers in 12 different industries is no small feat....more
This story wraps and intertwines the lives of twelve very different characters. Holly is an accomplished author, who finds herself in a love tough of war between, Tom, her long-time Beau and Dario, the sexy, dark, and rich Italian. Tom, feeling lonely without Holly considers the unthinkable. Maggie, a courageous philanthropist, giggles when she discovered Jen budding romance with electric Ben, but will Ben tell Jen his secret. Oscar and Gaby hit a bump or should I say a baby bump? Sex craze Luc...more
Taken from my blog @ http://rosiereview.wordpress.com/2012...
This book starts off with a fast pace which continues throughout the book. I love how a series of chapters are for each characters each woven into each other; quite intricately done. Cleverly written; Sign Of The Times has everything - happily married couple, not so happy married couple, a couple having second thoughts about getting married, a woman lonely having given up everything to look after her mum, cheaters, some faithful, some...more
This book starts off with a fast pace which continues throughout the book. I love how a series of chapters are for each characters each woven into each other; quite intricately done. Cleverly written; Sign Of The Times has everything - happily married couple, not so happy married couple, a couple having second thoughts about getting married, a woman lonely having given up everything to look after her mum, cheaters, some faithful, some...more
Unique in a very creative way, Sign of the Times by Susan Buchanan, brings twelve people together, all of them different signs of the zodiac, each with their own personalities and differing opinions. Holly, a Sagittarius, is a travel writer who begins our book with a journey to Italy to do research for her new book. During her trip she finds a love interest ... but that makes things complicated considering she has Tom, her fiance, back home. Tom, a Capricorn, isn't so innocent either while she i...more
As a big Chick Lit fan, I'm so glad to have discovered Susan Buchanan and her book Sign of the Times!
The story introduces a character with the characteristics of different zodiac signs, they all have something to do with each other either directly or indirectly. One thing I liked was the fact that none of the characters were evil, even the ones that were making mistakes were likable and I didn't want anything bad to happen to them.
What got me hooked was how the story was told. Each character was...more
The story introduces a character with the characteristics of different zodiac signs, they all have something to do with each other either directly or indirectly. One thing I liked was the fact that none of the characters were evil, even the ones that were making mistakes were likable and I didn't want anything bad to happen to them.
What got me hooked was how the story was told. Each character was...more
I really didn't like this book... I don't normally write reviews, but found this book extremely annoying and I am surprised there are so many great reviews? I must have missed something. To me it is written very abruptly with very short sentences and each chapter being a different person telling a different aspect of the same story. The stories came in pairs but characters "bled" across. It was if it was trying to be clever. Each story finished at a critical point so I had to continue reading to...more
Susan Buchanan is a genius! This novel was not only clever, witty and hilarious, but absolutely amazing! I couldn't put it down! The intricate characters and plot keep are absolutely stunning and perfectly executed. Each of the twelve characters are developed in such a way that the reader knows each one by the end. Normally I don't feel that a person is a certain *type* because of their *star sign*, but Susan wove the characteristics/beliefs into the story in a way that was very believable.
If yo...more
If yo...more
I have to admit, I had a false start with this one. I only read a few chapters and took it at face value as being a story about Holly and her visit to Italy. For me, Holly was one of the less interesting characters. I certainly couldn't have read a whole book about her.
I came back to it after reading the reviews and realising the story ran a bit deeper. It's actually more of a series of short stories, each running over a few chapters each and all linked at the end. Each character is a different...more
I came back to it after reading the reviews and realising the story ran a bit deeper. It's actually more of a series of short stories, each running over a few chapters each and all linked at the end. Each character is a different...more
As soon as I read the synopsis I had a feeling this would be my kind of story and I was right because it grabbed my attention within the first chapter. It is based in Scotland and Italy and I enjoyed reading the vivid descriptions of these places, also the way the author described the food and meals really got my mouth-watering.
Each main character has a different star sign and a personality to match, these personalities are described at the beginning of each of their individual stories. I loved...more
Each main character has a different star sign and a personality to match, these personalities are described at the beginning of each of their individual stories. I loved...more
This was very different book than the others, in a positive way. Twelve people, twelve signs of the zodiac, twelve different stories gathered in one. Twelve different characters, every single one with different thoughts and opinions.
Holly, Sagittarius, is a travel writer. She travels to Italy to do a research for her new book. Ahhhh, Italy, Bel Paese, my favorite country. I enjoyed being with Holly on her journey in Tuscany, eating Italian food, speaking Italian, meeting Dario, gorgeous Italian....more
Holly, Sagittarius, is a travel writer. She travels to Italy to do a research for her new book. Ahhhh, Italy, Bel Paese, my favorite country. I enjoyed being with Holly on her journey in Tuscany, eating Italian food, speaking Italian, meeting Dario, gorgeous Italian....more
Sign Of The Times is a novel based around twelve people who all have different star signs who, over the course of the book, turn out to be linked to each other in some way. Susan has created her characters in a beautiful way and I felt myself feeling an affinity with many of them, especially Holly, Toni and Jennifer. There were points when reading that I started to get confused as to how the plot would end, but I was pleasantly surprised by the conclusion and was one that I didn't see coming. Th...more
The lovely Susan Buchanan kindly asked me if I wanted to review her book and I of course was up for it. Even though, I have never read a book similar to this one I was intrigued on how the plot would be developed and whether or not I would enjoy reading it.
But I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed it and was extremely curious as to how the story would unfold.
Even though there were many characters, only twelve were the main ones as each one of them had a different star sign. Their lives and deci...more
But I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed it and was extremely curious as to how the story would unfold.
Even though there were many characters, only twelve were the main ones as each one of them had a different star sign. Their lives and deci...more
As background to an interview the author recently reviewed my novel Project Overkill. The present review is not a reciprocal gesture; I just fancied reading hers because I was so impressed with the energy and care she put into the interview questions. Having said that we do not share favourite genres and it is unlikely I would normally have chosen Sign of the Times. That would have been my loss.
I do admire an ambitious novel. Here there are twelve main characters and several second leads. The ma...more
I do admire an ambitious novel. Here there are twelve main characters and several second leads. The ma...more
For her debut novel, Susan Buchanan took on a brave and ambitious task to weave so many different characters together across a several countries. Using the signs of the zodiac to underpin the structure would probably work well for a reader who believes in astrology - the sort of person who regularly says things like "Oh, you're so Capricon!" in the middle of a conversation. But the subtleties of this device went over my head as I never read horoscopes and don't believe for a moment that when you...more
This took me awhile to get through. It was journey in more ways than one. At first I thought it was just a simple story about Holly and her relationships, but it really grew on me as the chapters flew by. I seemed to identify with each one. I took care of my mom when she was I'll, so that chapter was so touching for me, it brought up some memories that I had forgotten for a long time.
Then there were other chapters that became even more personal and spoke to me on a level that I wasn't prepared...more
Then there were other chapters that became even more personal and spoke to me on a level that I wasn't prepared...more
The idea of 12 star signs and 12 characters grabbed me immediately. Sign of the Times appeared to be a chicklit novel and I was stepping off my normal reading track; however Susan covers some very powerful issues. Issues we have either faced or are likely to. She presents them in an every day way which brings home the stark reality rather than romanticising; closer to real life. Her characters are whole, palpable and we can recognise them in ourselves and amongst our friends. It would make a gre...more
I loved the premise for this novel before I even started it; the idea of twelve characters based around the twelve signs of the zodiac. It's an original idea and one that Susan Buchanan manages to pull off with aplomb. The twelve characters are all interconnected but their stories are almost like short stories in their own right. Each chapter left me wanting to know what was going to happen next to such an extent that I couldn't put it down. Sign Of The Times is an easy read and I raced through...more
This is an outstanding debut novel. Most first novels read like first novels, but Sign of the Times is obviously a labour of love that the author has worked on with passion. It is very well written, as if the author had been writing for years. I am interested in Astrology so was naturally curious to read this book. I wanted to see whether the Piscean character would be anything like me. However, once I got into reading the book, the matter of the Star Signs took a back seat for me; yes, it is a...more
I received this book from the author for which I'm very grateful. I started reading it straight away and was immediately drawn in to the story.
I liked the concept a lot, loved the different strands and the way that they were drawn together.
If there were improvements I could suggest I would say not so many character sub plots next time and continue their individual stories a little more. I really wanted to know more about the people and what happened to them because they were well described and g...more
I liked the concept a lot, loved the different strands and the way that they were drawn together.
If there were improvements I could suggest I would say not so many character sub plots next time and continue their individual stories a little more. I really wanted to know more about the people and what happened to them because they were well described and g...more
I loved this book and the original idea of basing each of the characters' personalities around a different sign of the zodiac.
The story starts off with Holly, a travel book writer, on her way to research her latest book in Italy. We then meet 11 other characters along the way, all with their own link to Holly, and their own problems.
I thought the characters were all well written and the situations they found themselves in were believable. I really enjoyed the writing style and found it easy to r...more
The story starts off with Holly, a travel book writer, on her way to research her latest book in Italy. We then meet 11 other characters along the way, all with their own link to Holly, and their own problems.
I thought the characters were all well written and the situations they found themselves in were believable. I really enjoyed the writing style and found it easy to r...more
I downloaded this book as I was intrigued by the concept of twelve characters representing the twelve signs of the zodiac. The concept worked well and I enjoyed how the twelve characters came in and out of each others lives, sometimes unexpectedly. I'm not usually a fan of 'chick-lit' as the female characters usually annoy me but I found the characters to be very real so built up a real emotional attachment to them. I particularly liked the Polish family. My only moan about this book is I would...more
Brilliant read
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http://specsandginger.wordpress.com
Pop over to our blog to read full review -
http://specsandginger.wordpress.com
I picked this up on Kindle as Sooz, the author, tweeted me along with a few others when she had a day that she was giving it away free on Amazon. (It’s now only £1.98 so wont break the bank!)
As it was free, I downloaded it without really looking at it, thinking that if it wasn’t my kind of thing, I could always delete it.
I’m not really one for chick-lit, and I’m definitely not into star-signs (but then that’s typical of Aquarians), but to be honest, I started reading it without even checking the...more
As it was free, I downloaded it without really looking at it, thinking that if it wasn’t my kind of thing, I could always delete it.
I’m not really one for chick-lit, and I’m definitely not into star-signs (but then that’s typical of Aquarians), but to be honest, I started reading it without even checking the...more
The sign of the Times is a very well written book and a lot of thought has been given to each of the characters.
This book has a lot of characters with a story of their own to tell. Just when you are getting into the story and WANTING to know what happens next, the story starts on to the next characters story. How frustrating.... But only because I found myself sitting up half of the night to read on to find out what happens.
Susan Buchanan could have written a separate book for each character in...more
This book has a lot of characters with a story of their own to tell. Just when you are getting into the story and WANTING to know what happens next, the story starts on to the next characters story. How frustrating.... But only because I found myself sitting up half of the night to read on to find out what happens.
Susan Buchanan could have written a separate book for each character in...more
Very neat idea to use zodiac signs to make characters and I do like the switching POV so the reader can see different aspects of the story. The only things I wish were done differently is the book actually be made into a series so I could know more about the characters and what happened! Also, keeping up with all 12 characters was hard by the end, though I loved trying to figure out how everyone was connected before it was told to me.
Overall I loved and definitely would recommend reading it. Ca...more
Overall I loved and definitely would recommend reading it. Ca...more
Twelve individuals with twelve different Zodiac signs form the core of "Sign of the Times." Holly Jameson's story launches the tale as she flies to Pisa, where she will be doing research for a new travel book.
Her fiance Tom stays behind, dealing with his business.
Almost as though the book is comprised of numerous vignettes, we learn bits and pieces about each of the characters as they are introduced. Several chapters spotlight each individual and the intricacies of his or her life, along with th...more
Her fiance Tom stays behind, dealing with his business.
Almost as though the book is comprised of numerous vignettes, we learn bits and pieces about each of the characters as they are introduced. Several chapters spotlight each individual and the intricacies of his or her life, along with th...more
SERENA'S REVIEW
3.5 Stars
As a romance writer, I love to read romances. I've been hooked on them for the last few years and having followed Susan on twitter for a while, I thought it would be pretty cool to review her book and see her writing style. I've given Susan's debut novel three and a half stars. There were aspects of the story construction that didn't gel well for me, repeated phrases and words which drove me around the bend and really short sentences too, which make it a three. But I enjo...more
3.5 Stars
As a romance writer, I love to read romances. I've been hooked on them for the last few years and having followed Susan on twitter for a while, I thought it would be pretty cool to review her book and see her writing style. I've given Susan's debut novel three and a half stars. There were aspects of the story construction that didn't gel well for me, repeated phrases and words which drove me around the bend and really short sentences too, which make it a three. But I enjo...more
The moment I started reading "Sign of the Times," I knew I was going to love it. To create 12 characters, cleverly based on their astrological signs, and keep the reader hooked on each one is incredibly difficult. I have the utmost admiration for Susan Buchanan and the amount of work that went into writing this novel. The intertwining of characters' lives reminded me of the beloved Maeve Binchy, and I was sad when I turned the last page. I cannot wait for "The Dating Game" to come out.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Chaos Reading: Sign of the Times | 5 | 61 | Jun 01, 2012 03:36am |
I always loved creative writing from about the age of seven. I started writing Sign of the Times 10 years ago, mainly whilst I was on holiday. After 5 years, I took a year off work to finish it and redraft and edit it. Finally in March 2012, I took the step of putting it on Amazon for the ebook market. It's been a long journey!
The Dating Game I wrote pretty relentlessly over six months full-time a...more
More about Susan Buchanan...
The Dating Game I wrote pretty relentlessly over six months full-time a...more
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