Precious and Fragile Things

Apr 28, 2011 Buggy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, not-so-hea, shelf-11

Opening Line: "This was the life she'd made."

I am rapidly reaching the point with Megan Hart that if she were to write a phone book I’m pretty sure I would read it because she’s just that good at making words beautiful. She also manages to put those words into exactly the emotions and private thoughts I assumed I was alone in having while weaving and layering together an achingly thoughtful story. And here with Precious And Fragile Things I’ve learned that she can hold my attention without the e...more Opening Line: "This was the life she'd made."

I am rapidly reaching the point with Megan Hart that if she were to write a phone book I’m pretty sure I would read it because she’s just that good at making words beautiful. She also manages to put those words into exactly the emotions and private thoughts I assumed I was alone in having while weaving and layering together an achingly thoughtful story. And here with Precious And Fragile Things I’ve learned that she can hold my attention without the erotica too. Because this was so not erotic, it wasn’t even in any way a romance, in fact it was kind of disturbing. Yet in the end I would have to say that it was also amazing, because its lingered with me for days now.

I’ve never read anything like this before, (which I seem to say with each of Hart’s books) 99% of this takes place within a secluded, snowed in, mountain cabin and its here within those 4 walls, in a simple character study that we watch two very different yet equally damaged souls bounce off each other. By all rights this should have been boring and tedious read yet because of Hart’s gifts as a writer I was left utterly entranced.

Gilly Solomon is exhausted. Mentally and physically burnt out from the endless cycle of looking after her house, her husband, and her two young children. All she dreams about is a couple of hour’s peace, a break from the constant crying children, menial tasks, and endless demands to her time, someone to look after her for a change. Gilly’s at a breaking point the night a man jumps into her Suburban, holds a knife to her throat and tells her to drive. She isn’t thinking clearly when she manages to get the children out and she’s definitely lost it when they stop for gas and Gilly doesn’t run….

Now she’s stranded in a remote cabin with a dangerous knife wielding stranger who can’t release her because he fears going back to prison and she’s only got herself to blame. Time however forges a bond of sorts between the captor and the captive and as the snow piles up around them and the days turn into months she learns that her kidnapper -Todd is not the lunatic she first believed. He’s but a man shaped by his horrific past much in the same way Gilly is.

The tension throughout this is palpable by the end though the suspense was killing me because I had absolutely no idea how this was going to play out, and I knew there couldn’t really be any kind of conventional HEA. All I will say about “that” is I was VERY surprised by what did happen and my only disappointment in this book lies here as well, as I would have liked more details on the …afterwards. Cheers people.(less)

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Jan 19, 2011 Monica rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

This was honestly one of the weirdest books I have read in awhile. I picked up 'Precious and Fragile Things' expecting what I usually read by Megan Hart, hot and steamy. Instead I got a crazy guy and a slightly-off mother who are unwillingly stuck together in the middle of the PA mountains.

I literally spent the entire book waiting for the sexy, it is my fault, I should have read the jacket I guess, I am slightly relieved after finishing the book there was no sex, that would have made this book...more

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Dec 23, 2010 Katie(babs) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gilly Soloman has a life most women would die for. She’s a stay at home mother married to a wonderful man, who has two adorable children, and even a dog. Gilly is truly living the American dream. But Gilly wants to run away from it all, this life she has made for herself with the stink of spilled milk in the backseat of her car because of her needy children, an always unfinished To Do List, and a husband who only helps out when he feels like it. Gilly can barely function anymore as she longs for...more Gilly Soloman has a life most women would die for. She’s a stay at home mother married to a wonderful man, who has two adorable children, and even a dog. Gilly is truly living the American dream. But Gilly wants to run away from it all, this life she has made for herself with the stink of spilled milk in the backseat of her car because of her needy children, an always unfinished To Do List, and a husband who only helps out when he feels like it. Gilly can barely function anymore as she longs for release from her personal hell.

As Gilly drives home from her latest time consuming errand, she stops at an ATM. When she gets back in the car, a man holding a knife climbs into the passenger seat. Gilly must stop this madman before he can hurt her or her babies. She crashes the car and helps her children flee, only to be held hostage by the man, who makes her drive without telling her where he plans to take her. Finally when the car needs gas, this gives Gilly the perfect opportunity to get away. But she doesn’t jump out of the car and scream for help. She realizes if she stays, she doesn’t have to return to the constant needing and never-ending demands placed upon her.

Her chain-smoking, knife holding kidnapper, Todd, takes her deep into the woods where he was left a cabin by his uncle. Todd never planned to take Gilly with him, he only wanted her car. But since they are miles from nowhere and a wicked winter storm has arrived, he has no choice but to keep Gilly with him. Gilly does try to escape, to no avail. She hates Todd and longs for her husband and children, but she also has a sense of tranquility, a time to reflect back on her life. Gillys thinks of her mentally unstable mother and how she met her husband Seth. Todd is lonely and afraid, just out of prison with nothing to live for, other than what his uncle has left him and now Gilly. He feels Gilly is a kindred soul, and soon he wonders if he and Gilly can stay in the woods together and build a happy family. Gilly begins to sympathize with Todd and the steps he has taken and why, but as the winter moves on, she longs to return to all she has left behind. She comes to the conclusion how special those precious things really are that once drove her crazy. But Todd refuses to let her go. Now she has another decision to make regarding Todd and how far she will go to get free.

Precious and Fragile Things is the first book I’ve ever by Megan Hart, and one that really opens your mind to those precious things that may drive you crazy sometimes. Told from the point of view of Gilly, this is a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She wants to escape her perfect life and her husband and two young children. She gets her wish when she is carjacked. Gilly comes to a few welcomed conclusions, and how her kidnapper Todd, is not what he seems. These are two very flawed people who come to rely on one another.

Some may view Gilly as selfish. But I saw her as a woman on the verge of despair and hopelessness. Even though her decision to stay with Todd may seem very strange, this gives her the chance to open her eyes to all that she has and how blessed she truly is.

Todd is a sympathetic character that reminds me very much of Bigger Smart, from the classic novel, Native Son by Richard Wright. As Bigger was a product of his environment, the same applies to Todd. He acts the way he does because he’s a desperate man with no hope, much like Gilly is in regards to the downward spiral of her own life. Whereas Gilly suffers mainly in silence, Todd is very vocal. When he tells Gilly what his mother did to him and his siblings as children, your heart will break. Megan slowly builds a shaky camaraderie between these two that can never go farther than the cabin. And the outcome with how Gilly finally ends her relationship with Todd is poetic in a sense.

The one major problem I had with Precious and Fragile Things is a sudden, out of left field shocking admittance on Todd’s part about his mother and uncle’s relationship. This outlandish reveal may stun the reader and would have been left unwritten. I really can’t understand why Megan would add it in the first place. Perhaps to shed light on why Todd turned out the way he did? Even with this issue concerning Todd, and the too pat, questionable ending, I still felt myself drawn in by these two characters and their histories.

Much like Emma Donoghue’s Room is about the power of love, Megan Hart’s Precious and Fragile Things shows how nothing should never be taken for granted. Life is precious in all its forms, and sometimes it takes a disturbing event or an unsettling person to place a mirror up to our faces, much like Todd does with Gilly.

Precious and Fragile Things is a poignant and reflective tale that I urge anyone read. Afterward, you may find yourself holding those you love close and thanking them for loving you in return. (less)

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Feb 09, 2011 Harlequin Books added it

Shelves: 2011, harlequin_mira

"Precious and Fragile Things is an emotional ride where every page delivers a new facet of the story." Quote from a review posted on nightowlreviews.com, to read more go here.

My personal thoughts for Pgs 1-85

I'm beginning to understand Gilly a bit by this point but I'm still puzzled by some of the choices she has made up to now. Weird thing is that I find myself liking Todd more than Gilly. Hmmm, maybe I should phrase that as I feel sorrier for Todd than Gilly. I think both have had a hard time...more "Precious and Fragile Things is an emotional ride where every page delivers a new facet of the story." Quote from a review posted on nightowlreviews.com, to read more go here.

My personal thoughts for Pgs 1-85

I'm beginning to understand Gilly a bit by this point but I'm still puzzled by some of the choices she has made up to now. Weird thing is that I find myself liking Todd more than Gilly. Hmmm, maybe I should phrase that as I feel sorrier for Todd than Gilly. I think both have had a hard time of things and it can only get worse in the situation that Ms. Hart has created for them. I can't wait to read what happens next.

What was your initial reaction to Gilly and Todd?

My personal thoughts for pgs 85-125

Ok, Gilly is beginning to react like I would expect and it is definitely helping me warm up to her. I am on her side completely now. I think the scene that did it for me was the one with her reaction to the few personal items Todd brought her from her truck. As her emotions escalated so did mine. Oh, and I know what a temptation sleeping in could be so I really sympathized with that scene as well. Can't wait to read what happens next. :)

Were you surprised by who won the cookie contest?

My personal thoughts for pgs. 125- the end

Wow, that was quite the journey of emotional turmoil and self discovery. Ms. Hart threw some surprises at me that really changed the way I perceived Gilly and Todd. Each time I thought I had it all figured out something new would come to light keeping me on edge. When I came to the last page I was still feeling slightly shocked from the way it ended. I knew it would end badly, it had to, but I didn't see the way it would go down at all. After all that happens, is it weird that I still have concerns for the effect all of it will have on the character's future? Yes, the last chapter does tie the story up but I got so emotionally attached that I want all the little details of life afterwards, not that it continues with the knowledge learned during the crime and is better because of the journey. With that in mind, I still am eager to share this story with my aunt. She is in her late 70's and loves the genre. I'm under strict orders not to bring her any "foolish" books, just the ones that are worth her time. LOL Gotta love my aunt.

Kim S.(less)

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Jan 22, 2012 Quinn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-book, fiction-drama, fiction-thriller

4.5 stars

I love Megan Hart’s writing - Broken is hands-down one of my all-time-favourite books. So, probably like other readers (and for sentimental reasons), I was a little perturbed to see her moving away from the erotica for which I know and love her.

But then I got to thinking. What is it that I love about this her books? The answer, most certainly, is not the sex scenes. In fact, though they undoubtedly well-written, that’s probably the very least of it. What I love about this author is that...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Barbara Elsborg rated it 3 of 5 stars

I picked this one up a little worried. Guy kidnaps woman and they are confined to a cabin out in the middle of nowhere and it's snowing. EEK - sounds a bit like my book Chosen. But there the similarity ends. Gilly has sort of put herself in the mess she's in and Todd never rapes her when he easily could have.
The story tended to be a bit repetitive - they were stuck, what was there to do, argue, set up a tentative truce and then argue again. Gradually we got to know some details about their char...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Amarilli73 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

da www.sognipensieriparole.com
Le cose più preziose sono anche le più fragili
Conoscevo già Megan Hart per vari suoi romanzi, più o meno erotici, e pure di discreto livello (Perfette geometrie, Fondente come il cioccolato), e quindi ero molto curiosa di leggere questa sua prova in versione “suspence”. A lettura finita, direi “ni”, perché decisamente preferisco il suo genere più classico.

Pur avendo anch’io a che fare continuamente con bimbi piccoli, non ho provato alcuna empatia-simpatia per la pro...more da www.sognipensieriparole.com
Le cose più preziose sono anche le più fragili
Conoscevo già Megan Hart per vari suoi romanzi, più o meno erotici, e pure di discreto livello (Perfette geometrie, Fondente come il cioccolato), e quindi ero molto curiosa di leggere questa sua prova in versione “suspence”. A lettura finita, direi “ni”, perché decisamente preferisco il suo genere più classico.

Pur avendo anch’io a che fare continuamente con bimbi piccoli, non ho provato alcuna empatia-simpatia per la protagonista Gilly, una moglie/madre/casalinga sfinita, che si è autocreata (per sua stessa ammissione) una vita piena di frustrazioni, dove l’unico rimedio è rifugiarsi negli enormi supermarket americani, a comparare prezzi e a fingere di fare una spesa lunghissima, per poter riprendere ossigeno.
Ho trovato Gilly addirittura fastidiosa, quando si sforza di trattare i suoi due bambini come se applicasse il manuale della madre perfetta: farsi sempre vedere allegra, mai farsi vedere irritata, cercare sempre di relazionarsi con i figli nel pieno controllo di sé (cioè una continua, estenuante finzione, perché dentro è sul punto di rottura, e non vede l’ora di scaricarli il più lontano possibile, su un divano, con la tv come baby-sitter). Magari sarebbe auspicabile un po’ più di disciplina e qualche sana scenata liberatoria in più, che evitare di andare in giro come una lattina di gassosa pronta a esplodere in gesti incontrollabili….

Una sera, mentre è ferma a prelevare al bancomat, uno sconosciuto le sale in macchina e per Gilly e i suoi bimbi il ritorno a casa si trasforma in un incubo. O meglio, in un semi-incubo, perché, dopo essere riuscita a liberare i figli, e messa di fronte alla possibilità di scappare (il tizio con il coltello non vuole lei, ma solo l’auto), Gilly “sceglie” di restare in macchina, per godersi ancora un po’ di quel silenzio irreale, tutto per sé, e senza marmocchi urlanti.
Già questo dovrebbe dirla lunga sullo stato mentale della protagonista: la prima sensazione di Gilly rimasta sola con l’uomo cattivo è: puro…“sollievo”.

A ciò si aggiunga che Todd il sequestratore non è neppure un vagabondo tossico e puzzolente, ma un giovane moro intrigante, che profuma di sapone, e che porta con sé Gilly in una fattoria sperduta e isolata, con chilometri di neve e ghiaccio tra loro e il mondo.

(* SPOILER) Passano i mesi e la coppia, infreddolita e ristretta in questa strana convivenza forzata, comincia a conoscersi: entrambi debbono fare i conti con un passato doloroso e una madre angosciante, di cui portano ancora il peso.E, quasi quasi, uno si affeziona all’uomo cattivo Todd, schizzato ma timido, e comunque educato nelle sue goffe premure, se si considera che ha a che fare con una sbalestrata che prima scappa, il giorno dopo prepara il pane, il giorno dopo si ammala e deve essere curata, il giorno dopo chiacchiera e gioca insieme, il giorno dopo riscappa e lo ignora, ecc., in un’altalena umorale che è logorante. E piuttosto noiosa (a dirla tutta, cominci a capire perché il marito di Gilly, certe mattine se ne andava al lavoro dimenticandosi di salutarla..).

Ora, forse, aspettarsi una svolta romantica, complice la sindrome di Stoccolma, era magari un mio azzardo del tutto fuori luogo. Però il finale mi ha lasciato proprio senza parole, e piuttosto incattivita. Non ci viene risparmiata neppure una sorta di implicita lezioncina morale: tutti quei (lunghi lunghissimi) mesi di allontanamento forzato, solo per far capire a Gilly che le vere cose importanti della vita l’aspettano a casa, e che le cose più preziose sono anche le più fragili.
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Jun 18, 2012 Bobbie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was really torn between a 3 and a 4 on this one. The writing was good, as was the concept, but holes in the plot prevented me from fully buying the story.

As a mother who has on occasion felt like hiding from--if not outright running away from--my kids, I found the book unsettling, which I'm sure was the intent. The main character is carjacked and kidnapped, but not *really* kidnapped. She stays during the precious few moments she can run away at the start of the ordeal, and she knows she's sta...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Kari Ayasha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow. I really, really loved this story.

** spoiler alert **

This is not a romance, but you can really feel Todd falling in love with Gilly. And I think some part of her was falling in love with him too, but we gotta give her credit, she held her ground and didn't give in to whatever feelings she may have had for him, even though it obviously hurt him and made him mad. I really thought while reading this story that at some point, they were going to give in to passion and loneliness and I applaud th...more

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Jul 14, 2011 Kathy Davie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: homey, suspense

The Story
I don't think I've ever cried so hard at the end of a story. Hart is the most amazing writer. She looks into the heads of average people and brings them to life. In Precious and Fragile Things, we share Gillian Solomon's frustration with her kids as she's struggling to finish her errands and get home all with the chant of "mama, mama, mama" piercing her brain.

So it's understandable that she collapses into inertia once she has protected her children and it's only her at her kidnapper's m...more

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Feb 24, 2011 T. Greenwood rated it 3 of 5 stars

There was a lot that I liked about this book. The complexity of the abductor/abductee relationship is one I truly hadn't considered before, and Hart skillfully elucidates the humanity of this novel's "villain" while carefully and meticulously developing the narrator's conflicted feelings toward him. However, there were also many things that bothered me about this book. First, without spoiling anything, the initial decision Gilly makes (which sets the plot into motion) really rang ridiculous to m...more

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Nov 26, 2010 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 3-stars, fiction

One recipe for a compelling, character-driven plot is simple: give a character what they most want, but in the WORST way possible. Megan Hart employs this technique in her latest novel, Precious and Fragile Things. Protagonist Gilly wants a little breathing room in her life as an overworked stay-at-home-mother of two young children. She experiences snatches of mental freedom, at least, by counting in her head and by taking moments to herself in the kitchen pantry, but it's not enough. When a des...more One recipe for a compelling, character-driven plot is simple: give a character what they most want, but in the WORST way possible. Megan Hart employs this technique in her latest novel, Precious and Fragile Things. Protagonist Gilly wants a little breathing room in her life as an overworked stay-at-home-mother of two young children. She experiences snatches of mental freedom, at least, by counting in her head and by taking moments to herself in the kitchen pantry, but it's not enough. When a desperate carjacker unintentionally kidnaps her along with her truck, the two of them are snowbound for months in the carjacker's isolated hunting cabin. Gilly gets the breathing room and the escape she thought she craved, not to mention a hard look at her life and the life of her inadvertent captor.

I really love Megan Hart's writing, and I wanted to read Precious and Fragile Things because I was interested to see what she'd do with a non-romance/non-erotica story. For the most part, I wasn't disappointed. Megan Hart is a master storyteller, willing to delve into the uncomfortable and broken places in the human psyche with care and gentleness. Hearts break, and Hart doesn't shy away from that, but she doesn't exploit that pain, either.

The book's beginning, however, didn't work for me, and for a while I didn't think I'd want to finish the book. I couldn't put myself in Gilly's shoes at all; I'm not a mother and while I could intellectually understand her frustrations, I couldn't relate to them or understand them emotionally, and then when Gilly freezes--she passes up at least one golden opportunity to get herself out of the car and to not let herself be a victim--I had to put the book down. I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue with this kind of book where the protagonist makes such a frustrating choice to be a victim. Gilly remained a frustrating character for me, throughout the book. I wasn't sure if I found her sympathetic or not, and I couldn't follow her emotions as well as I would've liked. However, watching her try to untangle the puzzle of her captor, Todd, and figure out how to save herself and how to treat and relate to Todd, those were all very interesting components of the book to me.

The very ending chapter felt a bit trite to me. The book's climatic scene, the final scene between Gilly and Todd, had me crying and reading it over twice, and while I did want to know more about Gilly's life afterward, I might have liked the story to have ended there instead, because the actual last chapter felt "off" to me.

Overall, I was impressed as always by Megan Hart's imagination, writing, and storytelling, and I look forward to reading what she writes next. (I have so much of her backlist to read, too, which I'm still excited about!)

Note: I read a review copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley.(less)

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Feb 18, 2011 Kristy Allison rated it 3 of 5 stars

Despite a few slow parts, this book is worth reading. I found the main character's honesty about being a mother rather refreshing. She was willing to admit that there are times when a mother wishes to be free of the many daunting tasks that come along with caring for children. Although she loved her children dearly, she was wishing for a temporary escape and that is definitely what she got when she is held hostage and forced to accompany her captor to his cabin in the woods. Th relationship tha...more

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Dec 28, 2010 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Megan Hart is usually known for her romances, but you wont find that here. Hart brings you on an incredibly intense journey filled with some serious emotions.

At first I really wasn't sure what to think about this book, but as the story progresses I was more and more intrigued. I started asking myself some serious questions that I would never thought to ask myself. What would I do in this situation? Hart opens up a whole new world for me because this could actually happen. It's life. Somewhere in...more Megan Hart is usually known for her romances, but you wont find that here. Hart brings you on an incredibly intense journey filled with some serious emotions.

At first I really wasn't sure what to think about this book, but as the story progresses I was more and more intrigued. I started asking myself some serious questions that I would never thought to ask myself. What would I do in this situation? Hart opens up a whole new world for me because this could actually happen. It's life. Somewhere in the world this could actually happen.

Gilly Solomon is a stay at home mom with a husband and two kids. Sometimes wishing she could just run away. Although she loves her family her breaking point was coming fast and what she fears is becoming like her mother. While running errands with her two children, a stranger jumps in her car. Gilly isn't so much terrified for herself, but her children. Finally she finds a way to get them out of harms way, but now she is trapped with this stranger.

Todd didn't have an easy life, so that has left him in a broken state. He ends up taking Gilly to the cabin that was left to him by his uncle. Now that they are both isolated in the cabin and not to mention in the middle of a massive snowstorm the real trial between them begins. What does he want? How long will Todd keep her? Questions, questions, questions... that I can't answer because I want you to read this book.

I honestly couldn't put this down. It captures your interest in the very first couple of pages. Although the plot is heartbreaking and totally made me cry at the end, I loved every minute of it. I was actually stunned speechless on this whole story and even how it ended.

Precious and Fragile Things is a very unique and a very thought-provoking story. It will for sure will touch you in a different way. To me this is truly one of her best books and I cant wait to read what others will think about this book. Going outside your comfort zone for reading is never a bad thing, so I would like to thank Megan Hart for helping me move past it. Now I will be looking forward to see if she will writing more thought-provoking books in the future because it was a treat. This will always be a reread for me.(less)

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Jan 10, 2011 Alix Taylor rated it 3 of 5 stars

Gilly Soloman has been reduced to a mothering machine, taking care of everyone and everything except herself. But the machine has broken down. Burnt out by the endless days of crying children and menial tasks, and exhausted from always putting herself last, Gilly doesn't immediately consider the consequences when she's carjacked. With a knife to her throat, her first thought is that she'll finally get some rest. Someone can save her for a change.
But salvation isn't so forthcoming. Stranded in a...more Gilly Soloman has been reduced to a mothering machine, taking care of everyone and everything except herself. But the machine has broken down. Burnt out by the endless days of crying children and menial tasks, and exhausted from always putting herself last, Gilly doesn't immediately consider the consequences when she's carjacked. With a knife to her throat, her first thought is that she'll finally get some rest. Someone can save her for a change.
But salvation isn't so forthcoming. Stranded in a remote, snowbound cabin with this stranger, hours turn to days, days into weeks. As time forges a fragile bond between them, she learns her captor is not the lunatic she first believed, but a human being whose wasted life has been shaped by secrets and tragedy. Yet even as their connection begins to foster trust, Gilly knows she must never forget he's still a man teetering on the edge. One who just might take her with him.
I don't know what I was expecting when I picked. Up Megan harts precious and fragile things but suffice it to say, I did not expect this.
This book was a portrait of selfishness and an inability to take personal reaponsibility that rivaled anything else I have ever read and it was beyond frustrating and irritating on a basic level. Gilly is a mom who is frustrated with her life. She is tired of her work, tired of her kids, tired of being unnoticed and being, overlooked or forgotten. As the friend of several new mom's I can understand. HOWEVER my disinterest begins when she fails to take responsibility for her life or her unhappiness to change anything. So she gets carjacked after leaving her kids in the locked car to go to the ATM (Hint Hint) then she pushes the kids out of the car, to get them to safety, one of the best things she does in the book, but then she allows herself to be driven to this super remote cabin where she proceeds to be the Queen of Passive Aggressive behavior and she can't figure out what is going on with her life or in her head.
Todd, the carjacker, has one of the most tragic, yet believable backstories I have ever read. A misfit from birth, tragic situations and people who just couldn't give less of a damn lead him to the place where he is. He wavers from oddly happy to have a friend, to a co-dependnet emotional wreck, to almost violently angry, and yet as a character remains sympathetic and believable. He is one of the most detailed, complex, well written character's I've come across in a while. Combine Gilly's and todd's emotional instability and you have a book that reminded me of Girl Interrupted, but without the alpha heroine. This is a book about passive personalities and why they cannot be together. The passiveness of Gilly transforms itself into this weak willed, weak mined woman who you hate as a character but whom is written so well, she seems to be alive. The passiveness of Todd transforms itself into this man who is bent on his own destruction, literally, and who finally may get a chance at redemption, or a semi-normal life.
This is NOT the Megan Hart you have come to know, this is a complete departure from her other work. I honestly don't know if I liked the book. It was well written, its characters were defined, but it was like a Darren Arronofsky film, it didn't lead anywhere. It just kind of ended..... There was no lesson learned really it had a dramatic ending but I felt like it should have gone elsewhere. Like the movie Brothers, it ended hyper dramatically but it never really concluded.
Its hard to say whether or not this was a worth while risk for Megan Hart. She has proven that she can write a dark book, but is it one that people will want to read? This is the kind of book that gets critical acclaim but never gets super popular. And I certainly would not call it Romance, that is a mis-genre identifier that will prove fatal, in my humble opinion. I guess thats for you, the readers to decide.

Plot: B-
Characters: A
Cover Art: C
Writing: A

Overall Rating: B
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Jul 25, 2011 Margaret rated it 2 of 5 stars

So far, I hate the writing. I'm more than halfway finished. The author needs coaching on how to write dialogue and action that feels real. It's a bad sign when you're continually thinking to yourself, "No one would think that. Why would anyone do that? I don't understand why she's reacting that way."

Compared to say, Stephen King, who is a master of keeping the writing out of the way of the story, Megan Hart is a master of getting the writing in the way of the story.

It's too bad the writing suck...more

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Mar 14, 2011 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: EVERYONE!

Let me start off by saying that if you've ever read a Megan Hart book before, be warned; this is NOTHING like her erotic fiction novels. If you've had the extreme pleasure of reading one of her novels then you are aware at how extraordinary a writer this woman is. One of my absolute favorite things about Megan's books are that she writes raw, realistic emotions that people truly experience. Life is not always fluff, nice, and the feelings of falling inlove. Sex is not always graceful and earth s...more Let me start off by saying that if you've ever read a Megan Hart book before, be warned; this is NOTHING like her erotic fiction novels. If you've had the extreme pleasure of reading one of her novels then you are aware at how extraordinary a writer this woman is. One of my absolute favorite things about Megan's books are that she writes raw, realistic emotions that people truly experience. Life is not always fluff, nice, and the feelings of falling inlove. Sex is not always graceful and earth shattering as we read so often in all those delicious romance novels. Megan captures that and this book takes the cake, in my opinion, for capturing those real honest feelings.
Anyone who is a mother knows the joy that comes from having children. Having a child is like removing your heart from your body and letting it walk around outside all the time. Having said that, anyone who is a mother also knows the difficulties of being a mother. No privacy, no time for yourself, never being finished, always fixing things, feeding someone, the list goes on and on. In "Precious and Fragile Things", Gilly is a stay at home mom to two kids. She is the epitome of a selfless mother that never has anything for herself nor requires it. She loves her husband and her kids and makes sure their needs are met and taken care of above all else. When one lives a life like this 24/7, it begins to take its toll. Underneath everything, we are human, and selfish in the sense that we want things for ourselves too; and Gilly desperately wants something for her, someone to take care of her, to just have peace and quiet. One scene in particular could've been a line from my life personally. She goes to Wal-Mart food shopping after her husband gets home from work and spends as much time there as possible, just to have time for herself!! She takes the long way home and cranks the stereo to music she can't listen to with the kids in the car. This is so true! I live this life!!
Gilly is running errands with her two kids when a carjacker comes into her car and pulls a knife on her. Instantly the primal mother protector instinct kicks in and she takes action literally "dumping" her kids out the window infront of an old farmhouse. As scared as she is, as worried as she is for her kids, she can't help but enjoy the silence. No one asking her for anything, no one bothering her, just silence and peace. As she continues to drive with the man beside her, she pulls into a gas station and he gives her a perfect chance to make a run for it, and she doesn't.
As the story unfolds her kidnapper takes her to an old hunting cabin left to him by his uncle. Just as they are pulling in a huge snowstorm dumps a ton of snow onto the area they are, on top of a mountain, and strands them there together, with no way of getting out.
Three months they spend together and they develop a relationship. The kidnapper, Todd, comes from an absolutely horrifying past that explains a lot of reasons why he is the way he is. Gilly becomes a comforter to him and he to her in ways that her husband never could.
This book has ZERO romance or sex in it, but I didn't miss it. The incredible way these characters were written made them come to life right out of the page for me. It seems funny to say and possibly even a bit morbid, but I found myself actually "liking" Todd and wanting something good to happen to him.
I will not give away the rest of this story as I think it's probably one of the best books I've ever read and therefore, if you're reading this review, you should read it too. It will make you think and possibly even admit to having very similar feelings as those that Gilly has. It's not wrong to feel the way that we do, but sometimes it takes the unthinkable to really make us appreciate what's really good in our lives. FIVE STARS(less)

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Jan 09, 2011 TWIGGY17 rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 26, 2010 ~Tina~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-e-galley, arc, adults, read-2010

:Some Spoilers:

Precious and Fragile Things is about Gilly Soloman, a worn out mom who craves escape, who wants just a few precious moments that belong to herself. Salvation - oh how she'd wish someone would just take her away so she wouldn't have to stew in her own life.
Needless to say, I don't think getting kidnapped was her exact ideal, but that's exactly what happened. More or less. Only this isn't your standard crazy man takes women hostage story.
It's goes a whole lot deeper. This is a pow...more

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Dec 03, 2010 Christine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, galley

This was so different from anything I've read from Megan Hart that it's hard to put into words how I feel about it. The writing is compelling, as are the characters. Megan's natural flow is still in evidence. I couldn't put the book down until I had finished it.

My hang up is Gilly and Todd. They are both so flawed, but real that even a day after finishing the book, I can't decide if I like either character. I'm not a mother, so I couldn't get into Gilly's head or connect with her in any way. And...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Kolleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense, thought-provoking

Gilly, a devoted wife and mother of two, has finally had enough. She's at her wit's end and oftens just wants to disappear. One night, her car is highjacked and her wish comes true when the highjacker kidnaps her and takes her to his desolate cabin in the woods.

What I hated about this book:

1.) I find it hard to believe that a mother, no matter how exhausted she is, would be consistently wishing for a terminal illness so that she could escape her life.

2.) When given the chance to escape, Gilly ch...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Shad rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 27, 2011 Pam Silva rated it 5 of 5 stars

As I started to read this book, I made it to the 2nd or 3rd chapter and wanted to just put it down and not continue. There was just something about the direction this story was going in that hit WAY close to home with me. However, I was still intrigued and kept on going. Once I started reading it again, I could NOT PUT THIS DOWN! I am SO glad I kept going and didn't give up on it. This story turned out to be so much more than I hoped for. What seemed like a shallow, matter of fact story, turned...more

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May 04, 2011 Mahlet rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, audio, fiction, favorite-author, mystery-suspense

Despite the ignorant and/or stubborn booksellers that continue to place Precious and Fragile Things in the romance section, to the frustration of Megan Hart and her many fans, this is NOT a romance. Instead, this is one of my favorite erotic romance author’s first forays into general fiction.

Right out the gate, it becomes clear that Gilly is a woman on the edge. She’s running errands with her 2 young children in the backseat and her inner dialogue is hilarious. What she says to her children and...more Despite the ignorant and/or stubborn booksellers that continue to place Precious and Fragile Things in the romance section, to the frustration of Megan Hart and her many fans, this is NOT a romance. Instead, this is one of my favorite erotic romance author’s first forays into general fiction.

Right out the gate, it becomes clear that Gilly is a woman on the edge. She’s running errands with her 2 young children in the backseat and her inner dialogue is hilarious. What she says to her children and what she wants to say to her children are vastly different. At home, she has a husband, Seth, who loves and desires her, but he doesn’t help enough with their children and he keeps Gilly on an extremely tight budget. And maybe that frustration is why sex with her husband, lately, has felt more like a chore. For Gilly, there’s no greater pleasure than a few solitary evening hours in her home, when her family is asleep.

After Gilly ushers her children to safety in the midst of a carjacking, but later remains in the car, even after her abductor, Todd, has clearly given her an opportunity to escape, you know you’ve never read about a woman quite like Gilly :) She is confident that someone will eventually come and rescue her, so she enjoys the quiet in the secluded hunting cabin with Todd. The sleeping in. The not taking care of kids & husband. Todd is even cooking for her. Taking care of her….They are playing board games…Todd wants Gilly to like him…and slowly, they begin to share information about their respective lives. It’s a nice change of pace, despite the fact that he’s dangerous and unpredictable and took her at knife point…

Once Gilly begins to miss her family and realizes that Todd has no intention of ever releasing her, she realizes the gravity of her mistake. Despite the ups and downs of Gilly and Todd – the hurting…and the being nice – going both ways, a tension remains because Todd wants her to stay, and Gilly wants to leave.

I found myself rooting for a good outcome for everyone. Especially after learning about Todd’s horrific, tragic upbringing. Another GR review gave an obvious hint, and sadly, that took away some of the impact of the “reveal” when I read this, so I will just conclude by saying this was a moving story I won’t soon forget. I will gladly follow author Megan Hart for any future general fiction releases.
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May 14, 2012 Taisha rated it 4 of 5 stars

The beginning of the story caught my attention. Gilly was a crazy character. Sometimes I'll be like " WHAT?!!" As Todd called her "crazy bitch" lol. I felt bad for Gilly cause trying to quiet your kids is difficult && was under alot of pressure. Too bad she didn't use violence because i think that would have shut them up. They were driving her && me nuts. I felt like slapping them. Anyways, the turn out of the book took me by surprise. I actually thought Todd and Gilly would have...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reads, dark, favorite, megan-hart

Have you ever wished for a break from it all; the kids, the dog, the husband, and day to day tasks that if you don't do them they wouldn't get done? I know I certainly have. Between the errands, the whining, the bickering and the husband who disregards her opinions and never listens to her or even makes the attempt to understand her, Gilly finds herself carjacked and kidnapped by a man who doesn't really have much to lose or really live for. Trapped in a cabin during a brutal winter Gilly refuse...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kobo-e-reader

I really liked this book. This book was all about being a mother and wife, the good and the bad. All mothers love their children, but all mothers also wish for just an hour of peace. The lure of having no responsibilities whatsoever is hard to resist. At one point in the book, Gilly even admits to wishing for an illness that requires hospitalization, just so someone can take care of her for once. I admit, when my children were small, I wished for the same thing. So, when someone jumps in Gilly's...more

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Aug 23, 2011 comfort rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 24, 2013 Kay rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm genuinely not certain what made me randomly pick up this book. I'd never heard of it or the author before. Maybe it was the Depeche Mode reference in the title (that is a Depeche Mode reference, isn't it?), I don't know. I understand that this is not the author's usual genre, but boy, does she create some absorbing, flawed characters. I'm very glad this didn't turn out to be a romance. Instead, we have a gripping tale of two completely different and complicated people in a very long, drawn-o...more I'm genuinely not certain what made me randomly pick up this book. I'd never heard of it or the author before. Maybe it was the Depeche Mode reference in the title (that is a Depeche Mode reference, isn't it?), I don't know. I understand that this is not the author's usual genre, but boy, does she create some absorbing, flawed characters. I'm very glad this didn't turn out to be a romance. Instead, we have a gripping tale of two completely different and complicated people in a very long, drawn-out power struggle.

Gilly, our heroine, can be kind of an unpleasant person. Uptight is how it's often phrased in the book. There are times when it's difficult to like her; the sentimental part of you goes "aw, come on, be nice to him". That said, she's just sympathetic enough for me to root for her--and looking at it objectively, her reactions are sympathetic. No one in this book is perfect, there are no glowing, effusive depictions here, and that's what makes them much more compelling; her husband doesn't listen to her, but that doesn't mean she doesn't want to get back to him. Her kids drive her up a wall, but they're her kids. It is not Gilly's job to fix Todd, the young man who has kidnapped her and is slowly falling in love with her during their time stuck in the Pennsylvania woods. It's because Gilly doesn't love Todd, even if she grows to care for him, that we get the best and most objective look at who he is.

Todd is a particularly striking character. He's an adult, but part of him seems to have never progressed completely from a traumatic event in his childhood, and his affections for Gillian are sometimes like an adolescent crush. Then he'll do something bold and dangerous, and you'll remember that he's no easily-manipulated adolescent at all, he's a grown man, and a volatile one, at that. Rural PA is a really great choice for his origins.

And like Gillian, most people would feel sorry for him, but they wouldn't really want spend the rest of their lives cooped up in a cabin with him, either. That's reality. It's all very sad, and not without compassion, but ultimately this man abducted her and had done some things there could be no coming back from.

The writing is a bit spare, never flowery, which is what kept things so bittersweet. I had a hunch about what the ending would be, but the way things were phrased--so simply!--made it all more effective. The whole book was definitely a pleasant surprise.(less)

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Nov 08, 2012 Francy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Da http://leggerefantastico.blogspot.com
Fragili e Preziose è il romanzo attorno al quale viene raccontata la prigionia, se così vogliamo chiamarla, di Gilly e del suo sequestratore Todd. Gilly chi è? Gilly è una donna all' apparenza forte, risoluta ma incredibilmente stressata causa mille impegni, obblighi, incombenze dovute al suo ruolo in primis di madre e poi di moglie. Ha due bambini molto piccoli, Arwen di cinque anni e Gandy di due ed è sposata con Seth. La sua vita è quella di una normale...more Da http://leggerefantastico.blogspot.com
Fragili e Preziose è il romanzo attorno al quale viene raccontata la prigionia, se così vogliamo chiamarla, di Gilly e del suo sequestratore Todd. Gilly chi è? Gilly è una donna all' apparenza forte, risoluta ma incredibilmente stressata causa mille impegni, obblighi, incombenze dovute al suo ruolo in primis di madre e poi di moglie. Ha due bambini molto piccoli, Arwen di cinque anni e Gandy di due ed è sposata con Seth. La sua vita è quella di una normale casalinga, sommersa di compiti, pulizie e con la totale assenza di un minuto di riposo. Ed è proprio questo che, spesso e volentieri, costringe Gilly ad ingoiare rabbia repressa, stress e stanchezza. Il suo ruolo di madre e moglie lentamente la sta sommergendo, la sta portando alla deriva. Così quando un perfetto sconosciuto sale sulla sua macchina, le punta un coltello e la costringe a dirigersi chissà dove, Gilly non ha paura. Anzi, nella sua mente si sente quasi sollevata, finalmente svincolata da tutti i suoi doveri. Todd, il nome del suo rapitore la porta in una piccola baita in montagna e stranamente sembra comportarsi gentilmente nei suoi confronti. Un rapitore abbastanza inusuale pensa Gilly. Todd nasconde un passato tumultuoso, immensamente straziante ed angosciante. Un passato che, col passare del tempo, verrà inesorabilmente fuori. Così come fluiranno le angosce, pensieri, timori e stanchezza della giovane donna. Sarà un periodo quasi terapeutico per lei, perchè nonostante si imponga sempre di tenere le distanze con lui, Gilly non potrà fare a meno di pensare, riflettere su ciò che di sbagliato c'è stato nel suo passato e nel suo presente. Entrambi affronteranno momenti drammatici, ma probabilmente senza accorgersene si daranno forza l' uno con l' altro. Per quanto abbia un ruolo più importante Gilly, la protagonista, ho ampiamente apprezzato la figura di Todd il rapitore gentile e problematico. Todd racchiude in sè diversi aspetti, ma quello che si manifesta maggiormente è la sua fragilità. Il suo terribile passato ha quasi distrutto il suo animo ha portato con sè degli strascichi pesanti. Insicuro, quasi indifeso, ora Todd vive nella delinquenza più assoluta, ma solo perchè in realtà non ha mai conosciuto la bontà vera. Lui è rimasto quel bambino terrorizzato di tanti anni prima e Gilly non può che provare compassione per lui. Nonostante sia costretta a vivere con lui ma cerchi anche di trovare il giusto equilibrio per convivere umanamente, il rapporto che si instaura tra i due è piuttosto complicato e altalenante. Sono tanti i dolorosi segreti che entrambi custodiscono nel loro passato e molti di questi riemergeranno nella narrazione con alcuni flash back di Gilly. Tutto il tempo trascorso senza avere nulla da fare servirà a Gilly a comprendere meglio il suo passato, tornando alla dura infanzia con sua madre e agli errori del presente. Gilly non si sente una donna appagata e questo emergerà per tutta la narrazione. Ma emergerà anche la sua voglia tormentata di tornare a casa ed abbracciare i figli. Fragili e Preziose è un romanzo scorrevole, che si legge abbastanza velocemente e contiene pochissimi punti morti. Tuttavia nella seconda parte della narrazione ci saranno nuovi sviluppi che risveglieranno l' interesse del lettore. Questo è un romanzo che racconta due storie e due personaggi estremamente complessi. Racconta la forza distruttrice e rinvigorente dell' amore. Racconta la speranza e il coraggio delle donne, disposte a tutto pur di proteggere la propria famiglia.(less)

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