Amanda Roberts's Blog, page 2
May 4, 2025
Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong
Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong is a stunning, high-stakes conclusion to Gong’s Secret Shanghai duology — a political thriller wrapped in romance, rebellion, and reckoning. Picking up where Foul Lady Fortune left off, this installment catapults Rosalind Lang and her allies into a whirlwind of espionage, heartbreak, and impossible choices, all against the backdrop of 1930s China on the brink of transformation.
As war creeps closer and conspiracies deepen, Rosalind must grapple not only with the enemies closing in, but with her own humanity — and the consequences of what she’s done in the name of country and survival. Her relationship with Orion Hong, strained by secrets and sacrifice, becomes the emotional core of the novel. Their chemistry crackles with tension, tenderness, and the ache of knowing that love alone may not be enough to save them.
Gong’s prose is razor-sharp, her pacing relentless. The political intrigue is dense but compelling, a web of betrayals, shifting allegiances, and moral gray zones that reflect the chaos of a nation in flux. Yet even amidst the grand-scale conflict, Gong never loses sight of the deeply personal stakes: grief, guilt, and the desperate hope for redemption.
What sets Foul Heart Huntsman apart is its emotional depth. Rosalind’s journey is as much about confronting her past and reclaiming her agency as it is about surviving the mission. Gong balances brutal action with lyrical introspection, weaving a conclusion that is both explosive and deeply human.
With this final installment, Chloe Gong cements her place as one of YA’s most ambitious and accomplished voices. Foul Heart Huntsman is fierce, fearless, and devastatingly beautiful — a fitting end to a series that refuses to look away from the cost of revolution, or the price of love.
Winter is drawing thick in 1932 Shanghai, as is the ever-nearing threat of a Japanese invasion.
Rosalind Lang has suffered the worst possible fate for a national spy: she’s been exposed. With the media storm camped outside her apartment for the infamous Lady Fortune, she’s barely left her bedroom in weeks, plotting her next course of action after Orion was taken and his memories of Rosalind wiped. Though their marriage might have been a sham, his absence hurts her more than any physical wound. She won’t rest until she gets him back.
But with her identity in the open, the task is near impossible. The only way to leave the city and rescue Orion is under the guise of a national tour. It’s easy to convince her superiors that the countryside needs unity more than ever, and who better than an immortal girl to stir pride and strength into the people?
When the tour goes wrong, however, everything Rosalind once knew is thrown up in the air. Taking refuge outside Shanghai, old ghosts come into the open and adversaries turn to allies. To save Orion, they must find a cure to his mother’s traitorous invention and take this dangerous chemical weapon away from impending foreign invasion—but the clock is ticking, and if Rosalind fails, it’s not only Orion she loses, but her nation itself.
The post Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.
Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong
Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong launches a bold and exhilarating spin-off to her These Violent Delights duology, expanding her fictional 1930s Shanghai into a richly layered world of spies, secrets, and simmering political unrest. Both a standalone and a continuation, this novel is a masterful blend of historical intrigue, speculative twists, and slow-burn romance that reaffirms Gong’s place as a powerful new voice in YA literature.
The story follows Rosalind Lang — cousin to Juliette Cai and a former assassin seeking redemption after the traumatic events of the previous series. Now functionally immortal due to an experimental serum, Rosalind works in the shadows as a government spy. When she’s assigned a mission to uncover the source of a string of mysterious murders, she must go undercover — posing as a married couple with Orion Hong, a charming but enigmatic fellow operative with secrets of his own.
Gong’s prose remains sharp and lyrical, steeped in atmospheric tension and laced with clever wit. The dynamic between Rosalind and Orion is magnetic — full of banter, distrust, and vulnerability. As their fake marriage slowly develops into something more real, the emotional stakes rise alongside the political ones.
What sets Foul Lady Fortune apart is its sophisticated handling of historical context. Gong brings 1931 Shanghai to life — a city simmering with revolution, foreign occupation, and ideological conflict. Her exploration of identity, nationalism, and the blurred lines between loyalty and manipulation gives the novel both depth and urgency.
This is a story of reinvention, resilience, and reluctant hope. Gong expertly balances action and introspection, politics and passion, history and imagination. Foul Lady Fortune is smart, stylish, and utterly addictive — a thrilling start to a new series that promises even more secrets to unravel.
It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.
Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption for her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.
Code name: Fortune.
But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.
To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.
The post Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.
Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong delivers a breathtaking conclusion to her These Violent Delights duology — a sequel that is sharper, darker, and even more emotionally devastating than the first. Set against the backdrop of a fractured Shanghai descending into political chaos, the novel picks up the threads of love, loyalty, and revolution, and pulls them taut until they threaten to snap.
Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov are still caught in a bloody feud between their rival gangs, but their shared past — and the fragile, burning hope of something more — lingers beneath every betrayal. As Shanghai reels from foreign interference, internal revolution, and the resurgence of the deadly contagion, Juliette and Roma must make impossible choices: between family and truth, between survival and sacrifice, between vengeance and love.
Gong’s writing remains lush and cinematic, but there is a heightened urgency in this sequel. The pacing is relentless, the stakes even higher, and the emotional tension nearly unbearable. Juliette’s arc is especially powerful — she is fierce, tragic, and achingly human, navigating the weight of legacy and the cost of agency in a world that rarely allows women to be both tender and strong.
Our Violent Ends is more than a love story — it is a reckoning. Gong interrogates nationalism, identity, and the brutality of colonialism with remarkable insight. Her characters are flawed and conflicted, which makes their moments of connection all the more meaningful.
The novel builds to a heart-wrenching crescendo that is both inevitable and unforgettable. Chloe Gong doesn’t just end her story — she carves it into your heart.
Fierce, fearless, and utterly consuming, Our Violent Ends is a triumph. This duology has solidified Chloe Gong as one of the most exciting voices in YA literature today.
The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.
After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on a mission. One wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.
Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. Roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right—even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure.
Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.
The post Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong is a bold, imaginative reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, set in 1920s Shanghai — a city teetering on the edge of chaos, where politics, power, and a mysterious contagion collide. In her dazzling debut, Gong delivers a story that blends historical fiction, fantasy, and star-crossed romance into a hauntingly original tale of loyalty, betrayal, and identity.
At the heart of the novel are Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov, heirs to rival crime syndicates who were once in love and now find themselves on opposite sides of a bloody gang war. But when a strange madness begins to sweep through the city, leaving its victims tearing their own throats out, Juliette and Roma are forced into an uneasy alliance. Their shared past is fraught with pain, mistrust, and lingering desire, making every moment of cooperation as dangerous as the forces threatening to destroy their city.
Gong’s prose is lush and atmospheric, perfectly capturing the glamour and grit of 1920s Shanghai. The city is a living, breathing presence — vibrant, volatile, and teeming with danger. But it’s the emotional complexity of the characters that gives the novel its depth. Juliette is fierce, conflicted, and refreshingly ruthless, while Roma’s quiet vulnerability hides a deeply scarred heart. Their chemistry simmers with tension, history, and heartbreak.
These Violent Delights is more than a romance or a mystery — it’s a meditation on colonialism, generational trauma, and the price of survival. Chloe Gong doesn’t just retell a classic; she reinvents it for a new generation, with sharp insight and a fearless voice.
With this fierce, genre-blending debut, Gong proves she’s a literary force to watch. These Violent Delights is intoxicating, razor-sharp, and utterly unforgettable.
The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.
A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.
But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.
The post These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.
Night Angels by Weina Dai Randel
Night Angels by Weina Dai Randel is a gripping, poignant novel inspired by the true story of two remarkable individuals who defied terror with compassion during one of history’s darkest hours. Set in Nazi-occupied Vienna and war-torn Shanghai, the novel is a haunting testament to the power of courage, sacrifice, and unlikely friendship in the face of overwhelming evil.
The story follows two intertwined narratives: Anne, a Jewish woman desperate to escape the tightening grip of Nazi persecution in Austria, and Ho Fengshan, the Chinese consul in Vienna who issued thousands of unauthorized visas to Jewish refugees, offering a lifeline when most doors were closing. When Anne and her daughter arrive in Shanghai — a city beset by its own wartime chaos — they must navigate the brutal realities of displacement and survival while never giving up hope.
Randel’s storytelling is elegant and immersive, her prose steeped in emotional nuance and historical authenticity. She paints Vienna with a chilling beauty and renders Shanghai with raw, evocative detail — capturing both the city’s refuge and its peril. But it is the interior lives of the characters that leave the deepest mark. Anne’s quiet resilience and maternal strength, paired with Ho’s quiet heroism and moral clarity, anchor the novel in deep humanity.
Night Angels is more than a historical novel — it is a love letter to the forgotten heroes who risked everything to do what was right. Weina Dai Randel brings light to a little-known story of Chinese resistance to the Holocaust with grace and reverence. It’s a novel that stirs the conscience, breaks the heart, and reminds us that even in the darkest times, there are those who choose to be the light.
1938. Dr. Ho Fengshan, consul general of China, is posted in Vienna with his American wife, Grace. Shy and ill at ease with the societal obligations of diplomats’ wives, Grace is an outsider in a city beginning to feel the sweep of the Nazi dragnet. When Grace forms a friendship with her Jewish tutor, Lola Schnitzler, Dr. Ho requests that Grace keep her distance. His instructions are to maintain amicable relations with the Third Reich, and he and Grace are already under their vigilant eye.
But when Lola’s family is subjugated to a brutal pogrom, Dr. Ho decides to issue them visas to Shanghai. As violence against the Jews escalates after Kristallnacht and threats mount, Dr. Ho must issue thousands more to help Jews escape Vienna before World War II explodes.
Inspired by a remarkable true story, Night Angels explores the risks brave souls took and the love and friendship they built and lost while fighting against incalculable evil.
The post Night Angels by Weina Dai Randel first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.
The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel
The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel delivers a sweeping, evocative love story set in 1940s Shanghai — a city teetering on the brink of war, pulsing with danger, glamour, and political tension. With a deft hand and a lyrical voice, Randel explores themes of identity, sacrifice, and the redemptive power of love in the face of prejudice and violence.
The novel centers on Aiyi Shao, a wealthy Chinese heiress and nightclub owner determined to maintain her independence as the Japanese occupation looms. When she meets Ernest Reismann, a Jewish refugee and gifted pianist who has fled Nazi Germany, their connection is instant — and forbidden. As Ernest plays in her nightclub and Aiyi defies social conventions, their bond grows, even as the city — and their futures — unravel around them.
Randel’s portrait of wartime Shanghai is immersive and cinematic. She captures both the city’s cosmopolitan energy and the creeping terror that shadows its streets. The historical backdrop — the influx of Jewish refugees, the rise of Japanese control, and the fragile alliances between East and West — adds depth and urgency to the central romance.
What makes The Last Rose of Shanghai so compelling is its emotional complexity. Aiyi and Ernest are shaped by their past traumas and cultural divides, yet their love challenges them to reimagine who they can be — both to each other and to themselves. Randel does not shy away from the realities of war, racism, and betrayal, but she also offers moments of grace and hope.
This is a love story, yes, but also a story of courage — of defiance in the face of fear, of art as resistance, and of the enduring human desire to connect, even in the darkest times.
In Japanese-occupied Shanghai, two people from different cultures are drawn together by fate and the freedom of music…
1940. Aiyi Shao is a young heiress and the owner of a formerly popular and glamorous Shanghai nightclub. Ernest Reismann is a penniless Jewish refugee driven out of Germany, an outsider searching for shelter in a city wary of strangers. He loses nearly all hope until he crosses paths with Aiyi. When she hires Ernest to play piano at her club, her defiance of custom causes a sensation. His instant fame makes Aiyi’s club once again the hottest spot in Shanghai. Soon they realize they share more than a passion for jazz—but their differences seem insurmountable, and Aiyi is engaged to another man.
As the war escalates, Aiyi and Ernest find themselves torn apart, and their choices between love and survival grow more desperate. In the face of overwhelming odds, a chain of events is set in motion that will change both their lives forever.
From the electrifying jazz clubs to the impoverished streets of a city under siege, The Last Rose of Shanghai is a timeless, sweeping story of love and redemption.
The post The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.
The Empress of Bright Moon by Weina Dai Randel
In The Empress of Bright Moon by Weina Dai Randel, the powerful sequel to The Moon in the Palace, Randel continues the story of Mei, the concubine who would become Wu Zetian, China’s only female emperor. With lyrical prose and rich historical insight, Randel offers an intimate, emotionally complex portrait of a woman rising to power in a court where trust is dangerous and ambition can be fatal.
As the novel opens, Mei is reeling from personal loss and political uncertainty. The death of the Emperor throws the palace into turmoil, and Mei must navigate a dangerous new world of rival factions, shifting loyalties, and relentless scrutiny. Her intelligence and courage are her greatest weapons — but they also make her a target in a court ruled by men who fear women who think too much.
Randel skillfully deepens Mei’s character, showing the painful sacrifices behind her rise — the loss of love, the weight of leadership, and the ever-present threat of betrayal. Yet Mei never loses her heart. Her journey is not just one of political ascent but of emotional reckoning: reconciling duty with desire, identity with survival.
The novel excels at blending historical detail with emotional resonance. Randel’s portrayal of Tang Dynasty court life — its rituals, intrigues, and rigid hierarchies — is vivid and immersive. But it’s the inner life of Mei, her voice both vulnerable and fierce, that gives the book its power.
The Empress of Bright Moon is a fitting conclusion to Mei’s story — a tale of resilience, transformation, and the cost of defying expectations. Weina Dai Randel delivers a deeply moving, empowering narrative about one woman’s journey to reclaim her voice and shape her destiny in a world designed to silence her.
The time for taking hold of her destiny is now.
At the moment of the Emperor’s death, everything changes in the palace. Mei, his former concubine, is free, and Pheasant, the heir and Mei’s lover, is proclaimed as the new Emperor, heralding a new era in China. But just when Mei believes she’s closer to her dream, Pheasant’s chief wife, Lady Wang, powerful and unpredictable, turns against Mei and takes unthinkable measures to stop her. The power struggle that ensues will determine Mei’s fateand that of China.
Surrounded by enemies within the palace that she calls home, Mei continues her journey to the throne in The Empress of Bright Moon, the second book in Weina Dai Randel’s acclaimed duology. Only by fighting back against those who wish her harm will Mei be able to realize her destiny as the most powerful woman in China.
The post The Empress of Bright Moon by Weina Dai Randel first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.
The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel
The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel brings to life the lush, treacherous world of Imperial China with breathtaking detail and lyrical prose. This captivating historical novel follows Mei, a young woman of ambition and intelligence, who rises from relative obscurity to enter the inner chambers of the Emperor’s palace — and eventually, into history as the woman who would become China’s only female emperor.
At just thirteen, Mei is summoned to the palace to serve as one of the Emperor Taizong’s concubines. From the moment she enters this gilded world of beauty and danger, she must navigate court politics, shifting alliances, and the deadly jealousy of rivals — all while carefully concealing her own strength, intellect, and growing desire for a future shaped by her own hand.
Randel’s storytelling is rich with historical and cultural texture. She paints the palace with precision: a place of splendor and secrets, where every glance has consequence and every whisper can lead to ruin. Yet the heart of the novel lies in Mei herself — a heroine whose emotional depth, moral conflict, and fierce determination make her both admirable and achingly human.
More than a tale of royal intrigue, The Moon in the Palace is a powerful coming-of-age story. It explores the constraints placed on women, the hunger for knowledge and agency, and the quiet rebellion of a girl who refuses to accept the role society has assigned her.
With echoes of Empress Orchid and Memoirs of a Geisha, this novel is a dazzling beginning to Mei’s journey. Weina Dai Randel has crafted a deeply immersive and emotionally charged narrative that announces a powerful new voice in historical fiction.
There is no easy path for a woman aspiring to power
A concubine at the palace learns quickly that there are many ways to capture the Emperor’s attention. Many paint their faces white and style their hair attractively, hoping to lure in the One Above All with their beauty. Some present him with fantastic gifts, such as jade pendants and scrolls of calligraphy, while others rely on their knowledge of seduction to draw his interest. Young Mei knows nothing of these womanly arts, yet she will give the Emperor a gift he can never forget.
Mei’s intelligence and curiosity, the same traits that make her an outcast among the other concubines, impress the Emperor. But just as she is in a position to seduce the most powerful man in China, divided loyalties split the palace in two, culminating in a perilous battle that Mei can only hope to survive.
In the breakthrough first volume in the Empress of Bright Moon duology, Weina Dai Randel paints a vibrant portrait of ancient China–where love, ambition, and loyalty can spell life or death–and the woman who came to rule it all.
The post The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.
May 3, 2025
On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family by Lisa See
On Gold Mountain by Lisa See departs from fiction to tell the extraordinary true story of the author’s own family — a sweeping, multigenerational narrative that traces their journey from rural China to the heart of Los Angeles. With both historical precision and emotional intimacy, See explores themes of identity, immigration, belonging, and the resilience of the human spirit.
At the center of the book is Fong See, Lisa See’s great-grandfather, a Chinese immigrant who defied the odds — and exclusionary laws — to become a successful businessman in America. His marriage to Lettice Pruett, a white woman from Oregon, was not only socially defiant but also deeply complex, as their love story unfolds against a backdrop of racial tension and cultural collision.
Through the lens of her family’s experiences, See offers a richly detailed portrait of Chinese American life over the course of a century. She brings to life the struggles her ancestors faced — from discriminatory immigration laws and economic hardship to the emotional toll of cultural dislocation. But this is not just a chronicle of suffering; it is also a celebration of survival, adaptation, and the ways families carry their stories forward.
See’s research is meticulous, drawn from letters, photographs, interviews, and family lore. Her writing is both honest and lyrical, striking a perfect balance between historical fact and personal reflection. What emerges is a deeply human story — one that mirrors the broader narrative of Chinese immigration to the United States, but is rooted in the intimate details of love, sacrifice, and perseverance.
On Gold Mountain is not only a valuable contribution to the history of Chinese Americans — it is a tender tribute to the generations who came before, and the enduring strength of family.
In 1867, Lisa See’s great-great-grandfather arrived in America, where he prescribed herbal remedies to immigrant laborers who were treated little better than slaves. His son Fong See later built a mercantile empire and married a Caucasian woman, in spite of laws prohibiting interracial marriage. Lisa herself grew up playing in her family’s antiques store in Los Angeles’s Chinatown, listening to stories of missionaries and prostitutes, movie stars and Chinese baseball teams.
See’s family history encompasses secret marriages, entrepreneurial genius, romance, racism, and much more, as two distinctly different cultures meet in a new world in this “lovingly rendered…vivid tableau of a family and an era”
The post On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family by Lisa See first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.
May 2, 2025
The Red Princess Mysteries by Lisa See
The Red Princess Mysteries by Lisa See are a compelling fusion of political thriller, murder mystery, and cultural exploration, set against the backdrop of a rapidly transforming China. Featuring the unlikely investigative duo of Liu Hulan, a tough-minded Chinese Ministry of Public Security agent, and David Stark, an idealistic American attorney with deep ties to China, the series weaves together suspenseful storytelling with rich historical and cultural insight.
In Flower Net, the series begins with a brutal murder that draws Hulan and David into a web of corruption, smuggling, and long-buried secrets dating back to the Cultural Revolution. The second book, The Interior, explores the stark divide between China’s urban elite and its impoverished rural workers, as a factory girl’s suspicious death reveals a larger conspiracy tied to greed and power. Finally, Dragon Bones takes readers into the heart of cultural preservation and destruction, where an archaeological dig along the Yangtze River uncovers not only ancient artifacts, but a fresh murder — and political forces willing to bury the truth.
What makes the Red Princess series stand out is not just the intricate plotting or the crackling chemistry between Hulan and David, but See’s deep understanding of China’s legal systems, history, and the emotional costs of modernization. Through Hulan, a woman navigating duty, identity, and personal loss, See gives voice to the tensions between tradition and progress, nationalism and justice.
Each novel is gripping in its own right, but together they form a layered portrait of a country — and a woman — caught between worlds. The Red Princess Mysteries are thrilling, thoughtful, and ultimately, a fascinating meditation on love, loyalty, and the high price of truth.
A gripping, cross-cultural mystery series steeped in political intrigue, forbidden romance, and the turbulent transformation of modern China.
In this electrifying trilogy — Flower Net, The Interior, and Dragon Bones — Chinese Ministry of Public Security agent Liu Hulan and American attorney David Stark form a powerful investigative duo drawn together by shared history and divided loyalties. As they untangle murders that lead from Beijing’s elite circles to China’s rural heartlands, they must also confront the ghosts of the Cultural Revolution, the pressures of modernization, and their own complicated past.
From smuggling rings and factory corruption to archaeological secrets buried beneath the Yangtze River, each novel blends fast-paced suspense with deep cultural insight. At its heart, the Red Princess series is not just about solving crimes — it’s about navigating love, loss, and justice in a country where truth can be the most dangerous secret of all.
The post The Red Princess Mysteries by Lisa See first appeared on Amanda Roberts Writes.
