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The Magnificent Mary Ann
Be careful about the advice you someone just might take it. On a two-hour airplane flight, road warrior Hal Dormund, half-delirious from jet-lag and meetings in eight countries, gave a rambling monologue of advice to a teary-eyed teenager - she would turn out to be a runaway -- who had sat down beside him. "Find what you like best and work like hell at it," he said. It is now seven years later, and she has finally found him to thank him and say that she took his advice to heart. All of to Hal's amazement, Mary Ann recites whole passages of his monologue word for word. What Mary Ann liked best was dance, and from the moment she got off the airplane, that is all she has train and train and train. And it has paid she is now the star of a Broadway dance production. It debuts just weeks after her reunion with Hal, and love and success embrace her for the first time in her life. And what a strange life. Having dedicated herself to dance, she is utterly innocent, knows nothing of the world, can scarcely distinguish between an ocean and a lake. Until she joined the dance company, nobody has ever treated her as more than a hired hand. Her family of Arkansas farmers didn't even search for her when she ran away. Until now. Now she is an PR embarrassment to her father, a TV preacher whose ministry is about to go national. And she is the leverage that a vile CEO is using in order to get out of paying Hal's company for a completed contract. "You want to get cooperation?" he tells Hal. "Don't put your prisoner on the rack. Put his mother or his brother - or his girl." But the central figure, shining amidst the circling black clouds of ambition, greed and jealousy, is Mary beautiful, robust, joyful, loving - in a word, magnificent. She is a jewel that the reader, like Hal, will never stop turning one way and another, delighting in every facet.
178 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 5, 2011
HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS AUTHOR AND BOOK!
Though not my usual genre, I found this book to be one of the most fascinating stories I've read in a while. Who has not sat next to someone on a plane and just about heard all their life story before reaching your destination? Well, in Hal Dormund's case, this happens to him frequently. So when a flight attendant, who had been searching for a 'Hal' for her friend Mary Ann came to tell him someone from his past wanted to talk to him, he could not remember who or why someone wanted to talk to him.
Enter Mary Ann who's story is a sad one, she runs away from home at 11yrs old due to abuse from her Father and brothers. Hers' is a story of searching for a home. On one leg of her journey, she finds Hal on a plane. He is in rare form this night and offers her advice to live by and tells her how to make her mark. Being so young, no one has ever taken the time to talk to her and give her direction. Hal's words hit home. She does exactly what he advises and she succeeds. Flash foreword, she is forever indebted to Hal for her success and needs to tell him how much he impacted her life.
In the meantime, we find Hal who is working hard on his business, traveling constantly and keeping sharp in his business. It is a totally different world Hal and Mary Ann travel in, but nonetheless their worlds collide in ways the reader would never suspect..there are twists and turns.
Author Philip Kraske takes us on a ride in two different worlds simultaneously and brings them together in the most unusual way! This book is a page turner and keeps the reader involved. The characters are real and down to earth. They keep in character and do not sway..Mary Ann an Arkansas born, naive, innocent girl who ends up in the bright lights of a Broadway production and Hal, the businessman who has been there, done that, a little narcistic, but what the heck..he's earned it! A really good read that will keep you turning the pages... I look forward to more books by this author to see where he brings us next!
Though not my usual genre, I found this book to be one of the most fascinating stories I've read in a while. Who has not sat next to someone on a plane and just about heard all their life story before reaching your destination? Well, in Hal Dormund's case, this happens to him frequently. So when a flight attendant, who had been searching for a 'Hal' for her friend Mary Ann came to tell him someone from his past wanted to talk to him, he could not remember who or why someone wanted to talk to him.
Enter Mary Ann who's story is a sad one, she runs away from home at 11yrs old due to abuse from her Father and brothers. Hers' is a story of searching for a home. On one leg of her journey, she finds Hal on a plane. He is in rare form this night and offers her advice to live by and tells her how to make her mark. Being so young, no one has ever taken the time to talk to her and give her direction. Hal's words hit home. She does exactly what he advises and she succeeds. Flash foreword, she is forever indebted to Hal for her success and needs to tell him how much he impacted her life.
In the meantime, we find Hal who is working hard on his business, traveling constantly and keeping sharp in his business. It is a totally different world Hal and Mary Ann travel in, but nonetheless their worlds collide in ways the reader would never suspect..there are twists and turns.
Author Philip Kraske takes us on a ride in two different worlds simultaneously and brings them together in the most unusual way! This book is a page turner and keeps the reader involved. The characters are real and down to earth. They keep in character and do not sway..Mary Ann an Arkansas born, naive, innocent girl who ends up in the bright lights of a Broadway production and Hal, the businessman who has been there, done that, a little narcistic, but what the heck..he's earned it! A really good read that will keep you turning the pages... I look forward to more books by this author to see where he brings us next!
May 3, 2011
This book when it was titled “The Magnificent Mary Ann” was perfect when the author, Philip Kraske chose it. It is a book directed toward the happenings of a young girl that listened to the words of an older man on an airplane ride. Only when he spoke them he was so used to saying things like this to strangers he never understood the impact they could have on someone so impressionable.
They turned out to be words she lived by and worked toward. You see, in reality she had one of the worst upbringings and the best things she did for herself was to run away at the age of eleven. She did not run from a good home. Her mom died or so she was told and she was lead to believe she had three brothers who thought nothing of her except the cook and cleaner of the home.
They took advantage of her in other ways too, but you would have to read the book to see how it all flows and then how she really does pull herself from the pit. At every turn when she thought she was putting herself in a better position someone was of course taking advantage of her. After all, how much education can you have at eleven if no one introduces you to the concept of school?
Hal, the man on the plane so many years ago got her through life until she was twenty when their paths would meet again. Hal was a businessman and was tired of the corporation bureaucratic run around and decided to fight for his company as small as it was. He knew he was worth the fair price he was asking for the work he had performed and the bigger corporation thought in the end he would fold.
The way they meet is endearing and the relationship they grow into is well worth the reading of the book. If you believe there is still goodness and that the kinds words of someone can get you through life, get this book. You will not be sorry and you may even read it twice before you decide to put it down. The ending caught me by surprise.
They turned out to be words she lived by and worked toward. You see, in reality she had one of the worst upbringings and the best things she did for herself was to run away at the age of eleven. She did not run from a good home. Her mom died or so she was told and she was lead to believe she had three brothers who thought nothing of her except the cook and cleaner of the home.
They took advantage of her in other ways too, but you would have to read the book to see how it all flows and then how she really does pull herself from the pit. At every turn when she thought she was putting herself in a better position someone was of course taking advantage of her. After all, how much education can you have at eleven if no one introduces you to the concept of school?
Hal, the man on the plane so many years ago got her through life until she was twenty when their paths would meet again. Hal was a businessman and was tired of the corporation bureaucratic run around and decided to fight for his company as small as it was. He knew he was worth the fair price he was asking for the work he had performed and the bigger corporation thought in the end he would fold.
The way they meet is endearing and the relationship they grow into is well worth the reading of the book. If you believe there is still goodness and that the kinds words of someone can get you through life, get this book. You will not be sorry and you may even read it twice before you decide to put it down. The ending caught me by surprise.
March 27, 2013
This story has good characters and many good points at the same time, The tale starts with a series of what, where, and when questions which appears to be a good place to start. The main character is an educated businessman and his dialogue is well presented, although sometimes it became a bit too much information to be given all at once.
Hall, the CEO of AllPoint Engineering, gets into a weird conversation initiated by Ruth, the flight attendant on his flight to Taipei. He has never seen her before, so how can she know who he is? She tells him of a woman named Mary Ann, who he had talked to seven years before during a trip to Chicago. Hall can’t remember the women, and the thought that this could originate with a huge Company that wants to bribe him to give some of his nuclear knowledge creeps into his mind. He wonders, and wonder about Mary Ann that he can’t help but call the woman’s number that Ruth gave him.
Weirder yet is the fact that Marry Ann is a dancer on her twenties that has a crush on him. She has told everyone that he is her boyfriend. She also has many other mysteries about her. Her education is quite lacking and she beats about the bush every time she opens her mouth, which makes it hard to follow what she says. To top it all off, she keeps repeating that “she doesn’t know much but she is learning” and that she is dyslexic. Pretty soon life gets very interesting when kidnappers and a company that doesn’t want to pay AllPoint Engineering, seem to be trying to squeeze Hall hard in different ways.
This is a very interesting tale, and twists hit the reader throughout the story. It is for adults only because of the hard swearing in it. It has adult jokes and it isn’t a fast read. It is a bit slow because of all the mannerisms portrayed by the diverse characters.
Hall, the CEO of AllPoint Engineering, gets into a weird conversation initiated by Ruth, the flight attendant on his flight to Taipei. He has never seen her before, so how can she know who he is? She tells him of a woman named Mary Ann, who he had talked to seven years before during a trip to Chicago. Hall can’t remember the women, and the thought that this could originate with a huge Company that wants to bribe him to give some of his nuclear knowledge creeps into his mind. He wonders, and wonder about Mary Ann that he can’t help but call the woman’s number that Ruth gave him.
Weirder yet is the fact that Marry Ann is a dancer on her twenties that has a crush on him. She has told everyone that he is her boyfriend. She also has many other mysteries about her. Her education is quite lacking and she beats about the bush every time she opens her mouth, which makes it hard to follow what she says. To top it all off, she keeps repeating that “she doesn’t know much but she is learning” and that she is dyslexic. Pretty soon life gets very interesting when kidnappers and a company that doesn’t want to pay AllPoint Engineering, seem to be trying to squeeze Hall hard in different ways.
This is a very interesting tale, and twists hit the reader throughout the story. It is for adults only because of the hard swearing in it. It has adult jokes and it isn’t a fast read. It is a bit slow because of all the mannerisms portrayed by the diverse characters.
April 29, 2011
I love this concept....to me when I read this story I felt I was looking in on one particular event and the effects there after....much like a butterfly affect. This story is an interesting journey spurred by an idea....and how strongly a stranger can impact another's life. Meet Mary Ann, a runaway whose love is dance, she just needs to push to follow her dreams, one she was not receiving at home. Now have Mary Ann take a seat next to Hal, who unbeknown to him will change her life. Hal tells Mary Ann that to find what she loves to do, and do it with all that she has. For Mary Ann this is just the push she needs to follow her dream, support from a stranger. That scene reminds me of Jerry Maguire when he writes his "memo" one he truly believes in and presses send without thinking, the consequences of that one action were unknown and changed the lives of others. In THE MAGNICENT MARY ANN the same concept is the catalyst of the book. This is the first book I have read by Kraske, but I can affirm that it will not be my last. The adventure I took with Mary Ann was both thrilling and inspiring. Anyone looking for a good read, or who needs to be told to follow their dreams should read this book, you will definitely hear to follow your dreams, but you will also encounter the destruction and corruption. This is by far one of the best books I have read in a long time, encompassing so many facets that you will be unable to resist from turning the page and continuing as a voyer of Mary Ann's life.
April 15, 2011
Life as we live it has Its Brief Moments
When I first picked up this book, I had no idea what to expect and I so glad to read this fresh off the presses, so to speak. It was delightful; it has the mixtures of youth and maturity, corruption and stubbornness. You’ll read about stage performances of dancers and the other side of the entertainment business. In this book titled “The Magnificent Mary Ann” by Philip Kraske, you read of the reality and dark side of corporate business and drastic measures taken not to pay a debt. Throughout you hear of the tales of innocence and liberties taken through her childhood and how growing up quickly takes on a new meaning.
Mary Ann is the bright star with an eclipse. Hal is the truth. Years later when they first meet up after a brief encounter you realize Hal was much more to her. You cannot help but turn the page to read because between her and Hal they keep your interest and at some point you want to give them privacy. This is credit to the author to pull you into the story that deeply for the emotions to become real for you as you are reading. You will not be disappointed with this book at all. It is a cross between business, romance and life. The ending was not expected, but a nice way to tie it together for the reader. This is not the author’s first. I believe I just found myself a new author.
When I first picked up this book, I had no idea what to expect and I so glad to read this fresh off the presses, so to speak. It was delightful; it has the mixtures of youth and maturity, corruption and stubbornness. You’ll read about stage performances of dancers and the other side of the entertainment business. In this book titled “The Magnificent Mary Ann” by Philip Kraske, you read of the reality and dark side of corporate business and drastic measures taken not to pay a debt. Throughout you hear of the tales of innocence and liberties taken through her childhood and how growing up quickly takes on a new meaning.
Mary Ann is the bright star with an eclipse. Hal is the truth. Years later when they first meet up after a brief encounter you realize Hal was much more to her. You cannot help but turn the page to read because between her and Hal they keep your interest and at some point you want to give them privacy. This is credit to the author to pull you into the story that deeply for the emotions to become real for you as you are reading. You will not be disappointed with this book at all. It is a cross between business, romance and life. The ending was not expected, but a nice way to tie it together for the reader. This is not the author’s first. I believe I just found myself a new author.
April 19, 2011
I love to read! I enjoy trying new authors and ths is how I discovered, "The Magnificent Mary Ann." Philip Kraske is a very talented author with an amazing ability to create characters. Though this book is about Mary Ann and she is a complex, intriguing and very endearing character, I found myself enjoying how the author developed another character, Hal. From when I met him in the early chapters, sitting on a plane, questioned by a flight attendant, I was drawn in. Who would Hal become? What did he say to become such an important role in Mary Ann's life? I couldn't wait to find out more. The author did the same with Mary Ann, only offering bits of information at first, making the reader curious, interested and eagerly turning pages. These two main characters off the reader much entertainment as the author weaves their lives together and you learn about them and their individual life journeys. The book sheds light on the corruptness of the business world, the loss of innocence and even eludes to the problems and perks of being well known. Mary Ann really is "magnificent" as the title implies and her innocence and inner beauty shine in this book. It is an extrememly well written novel that will appeal to anyone who enjoys a good story.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews