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Home Schooling #1
The Fire Night Ball
This steamy, funny, spine-tingling debut for new adults blends erotic paranormal sex and an insightful view into contemporary women's issues. It's a spellbinder about the moral dilemma of a beautiful, successful siren who puts herself into mortal danger when her obsession with an alpha male awakens a ghost and an ancestral curse. Set in a small Western town in 1977, during the sexual revolution.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 2012
2 people are currently reading
207 people want to read
About the author
Anne Carlisle
3 books97 followersAnne Carlisle is an author and writing professor who lives in Key West, Florida, and Orting, WA. She has a Ph. D. in 19th Century British Literature from Case Western Reserve University, where she also served on the faculty. A former Dean at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, she currently is a Professor of Writing for the University of Maryland University College, where she teaches writing to servicemen and women throughout the world. She also teaches writing for American International University. As a fromer literary magazine editor, newspaper columnist, and platform speaker, she published a trade book on writing (Every Manager an Efffective Writer, Penton Press) and received awards for creative writing (novel manuscript, The National Writers Club) and journalistic writing (ANPA). She authored hundreds of feature articles. Anne Carlisle is the author of
BIRDWOMAN, Memoirs of a Lovesick Siren, published by Absolutely Amazing eBooks (2016) and two previous novels.
THE SIREN'S TALE (Lazy Day Publishing, 2013) and HOMESCHOOLING (BookLocker, 2012)
BIRDWOMAN, Memoirs of a Lovesick Siren, published by Absolutely Amazing eBooks (2016) and two previous novels.
THE SIREN'S TALE (Lazy Day Publishing, 2013) and HOMESCHOOLING (BookLocker, 2012)
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 2, 2013
I would define Home Schooling as chick lit with a hint of The Great Gatsby, which may have been the feel the author was going for since she quotes Fitzgerald at the beginning. Being the (stereo)typical guy, however, anything that focuses on relationships is chick lit to me.
So, it is from that perspective (and keeping in mind that I am not the author's target audience) that I write this review. First off, the plot - it moves, it captures one's attention and keeps one reading. Home Schooling foucses on Marlena Bellum/Marlena Dimmer an architect and marketing-type employed with her husband (Coddie Dimmer) and having a client (Harry Drake) who she services regularly in both professional and intimate capacities.
Okay, so it's the 70s. Everybody's &%&^ing everybody. I get it and may or may not wish I lived through it. Instead, I was born during it (gross - by this novel's standards, I may need a paternity test). Most of the author's male characters are cuckolds and philanderers, the women adulteresses and zealots. Free love is one thing, but Home Schooling is chock full of extramarital affairs. 90% of the characters, men and women, are whores. There, I said it.
No problem there, except it makes most of them rather unlikable. Even Marlena, the main protagonist who undergoes a moral transformation by the novel's end, doesn't inspire overwhelming support. I actually think this adds to the novel; the characters are more true-to-life than most. The story, too, seems well researched and authentic, like it could have happened just as it has been told. I particularly like the fact that the woman naming Marlena a witch placed a hex on Marlena and supposedly channeled a spirit, a pot calling the kettle black situation that is reminiscent of Salem 1692 (where people would use charms and the like to protect themselves from so-called witches).
Home Schooling is an intelligent read, evinced by the author's sharp dialogue, sometimes charming and sometimes biting wit, and crafty story telling. Her dialogue matches the plot perfectly. Anne Carlisle knows how to tell a story. The only points of her technique some readers might take issue with are point of view shifts and some author intrusion, but I wonder if I'd even notice these if I were just reading for enjoyment and had never taken a creative writing course.
Sex is power. Love is fragile. And a woman's virility can be, well, spellbinding. Carlisle exploits these concepts wonderfully in Home Schooling. I'd recommend the novel for fans of realistic romance without the fluff.
So, it is from that perspective (and keeping in mind that I am not the author's target audience) that I write this review. First off, the plot - it moves, it captures one's attention and keeps one reading. Home Schooling foucses on Marlena Bellum/Marlena Dimmer an architect and marketing-type employed with her husband (Coddie Dimmer) and having a client (Harry Drake) who she services regularly in both professional and intimate capacities.
Okay, so it's the 70s. Everybody's &%&^ing everybody. I get it and may or may not wish I lived through it. Instead, I was born during it (gross - by this novel's standards, I may need a paternity test). Most of the author's male characters are cuckolds and philanderers, the women adulteresses and zealots. Free love is one thing, but Home Schooling is chock full of extramarital affairs. 90% of the characters, men and women, are whores. There, I said it.
No problem there, except it makes most of them rather unlikable. Even Marlena, the main protagonist who undergoes a moral transformation by the novel's end, doesn't inspire overwhelming support. I actually think this adds to the novel; the characters are more true-to-life than most. The story, too, seems well researched and authentic, like it could have happened just as it has been told. I particularly like the fact that the woman naming Marlena a witch placed a hex on Marlena and supposedly channeled a spirit, a pot calling the kettle black situation that is reminiscent of Salem 1692 (where people would use charms and the like to protect themselves from so-called witches).
Home Schooling is an intelligent read, evinced by the author's sharp dialogue, sometimes charming and sometimes biting wit, and crafty story telling. Her dialogue matches the plot perfectly. Anne Carlisle knows how to tell a story. The only points of her technique some readers might take issue with are point of view shifts and some author intrusion, but I wonder if I'd even notice these if I were just reading for enjoyment and had never taken a creative writing course.
Sex is power. Love is fragile. And a woman's virility can be, well, spellbinding. Carlisle exploits these concepts wonderfully in Home Schooling. I'd recommend the novel for fans of realistic romance without the fluff.
December 8, 2012
I am not sure how to classify this book. It's like a grown-up, part-historical chick lit with supernatural elements. I admit I can be wary of books with paranormal elements, but here they are somehow plausible. This is quite a fast-paced novel, pushed along by a lot of dialogue. The plot keeps you reading and guessing and quickens even more towards the end. But it wasn't predictable and left enough loose ends to make you want to read the next book in the trilogy.
Though I would say this is a plot rather than character-driven book, the female characters are all strong. Occasionally the protagonist's obsession with Harry is galling given his obvious lack of interest but it convinced. Also convincing were the sections seen from Harry's point of view. Harry's wife, Lila, is another great creation that I would have liked to have seen more of.
I also liked the straight talking about sex which felt in keeping with some of the awareness around women's sexuality in the 70s when the novel is set. There is humour here too (the choice of character names or nicknames "Sarah Bellum," "Typhoid Ronnie" for example).
I would have given it four stars if it weren't for these things: the shifting points of view were sometimes hard to keep up with. Being fussy, I also wasn't keen on the intervention of the omniscient narrator with lines like "of course, as they say, opposites attract" and "On such small motions may one's fate depend" - I don't think these things need spelling out for the reader. I would also have edited out the cliches ("stepped up to the plate," "fast learning curve," "see eye to eye" etc.) and rethought a few metaphors like "Marlena's journey into sexual submission to Drake was as prominent in her life as a flying buttress on a Gothic cathedral" which felt a bit laboured.
I still really recommend this book if you want a fast-paced and unusual read.
Though I would say this is a plot rather than character-driven book, the female characters are all strong. Occasionally the protagonist's obsession with Harry is galling given his obvious lack of interest but it convinced. Also convincing were the sections seen from Harry's point of view. Harry's wife, Lila, is another great creation that I would have liked to have seen more of.
I also liked the straight talking about sex which felt in keeping with some of the awareness around women's sexuality in the 70s when the novel is set. There is humour here too (the choice of character names or nicknames "Sarah Bellum," "Typhoid Ronnie" for example).
I would have given it four stars if it weren't for these things: the shifting points of view were sometimes hard to keep up with. Being fussy, I also wasn't keen on the intervention of the omniscient narrator with lines like "of course, as they say, opposites attract" and "On such small motions may one's fate depend" - I don't think these things need spelling out for the reader. I would also have edited out the cliches ("stepped up to the plate," "fast learning curve," "see eye to eye" etc.) and rethought a few metaphors like "Marlena's journey into sexual submission to Drake was as prominent in her life as a flying buttress on a Gothic cathedral" which felt a bit laboured.
I still really recommend this book if you want a fast-paced and unusual read.
March 7, 2013
I read this book twice. The first time I was irritated by the errors which were detracting from a good story. The second time I thought what the heck, I’ll just switch off the critical faculties and read it as a good romp through the 1970s with several interesting female characters, the bad guy and the good guy: yes, it does very blatantly use the basic male character types to provide the tension and dilemmas the MC, Marlena, must face, but it’s not a problem in the context of this story. On that basis I enjoyed this novel.
The pace is quite slow in the first third of the book. Each chapter is headed with a specific day, some with a time, but then a good part of each of the early chapters is taken up telling back story for each character. This is not a big issue, apart from pace, as it is done entertainingly and I wouldn’t have had a clue what was going on without it. It should also be borne in mind that this is the start of trilogy so a bit more time setting things up is understandable. There are also some lovely descriptive phrases: ‘Her nostrils flared, full of the scent of jasmine vines breaching a fence. She found herself joyously overwhelmed...’
The pace really picks up when the characters interact more. The dialogue is excellent. I still had this niggling doubt about Marlena and Harry: why would a strong, intelligent woman let a womaniser like Harry, a man who is very much older than her, effectively enslave her to his desires?
My initial approach to the novel was somewhat hampered by the author’s claim that Marlena, and others in her family, had paranormal abilities. In the Prologue we are told about Marlena’s ancestor, Cassandra, and her relationship with other residents of Alta: ‘Goody Brown had put a hex on the witch with a soap doll... there was nothing she could do that was powerful enough to kill the witch herself. But there might be a way to scare her off with a curse.” Why was Cassandra called a witch? Because she was a sexy woman who led a man to follow his balls, not his head. Strange that Goody Brown is doing the hexing yet Cassandra is remembered as having the paranormal abilities. This anomalous situation continues with Marlena and Letty Brown. Marlena shows none of the paranormal abilities attributed to her by the author in the blurb. She has an eidetic memory: so do many other people. She can get men to do her bidding: ever watched men around a beautiful woman? She once made a horse she was riding stand still when someone else told it to go... Sorry, I just don’t buy it. What does come across very vividly is small town bigotry and self-importance.
There are many anachronisms. I lived through those years and on the first read I found it annoying that such basic errors should be made. On the ‘what the heck’ read, though, I found it easy to just gloss over them. The flow of the story was good enough that I didn’t care.
Other problems in the text include extremely inconsistent use of italics, inconsistent use of tense when the author is trying to use present tense (‘He turns at the door and said’), plus a few wrong words and missing words. However, the overall structure was good and there were fewer errors than in many other books I’ve read.
The pace is quite slow in the first third of the book. Each chapter is headed with a specific day, some with a time, but then a good part of each of the early chapters is taken up telling back story for each character. This is not a big issue, apart from pace, as it is done entertainingly and I wouldn’t have had a clue what was going on without it. It should also be borne in mind that this is the start of trilogy so a bit more time setting things up is understandable. There are also some lovely descriptive phrases: ‘Her nostrils flared, full of the scent of jasmine vines breaching a fence. She found herself joyously overwhelmed...’
The pace really picks up when the characters interact more. The dialogue is excellent. I still had this niggling doubt about Marlena and Harry: why would a strong, intelligent woman let a womaniser like Harry, a man who is very much older than her, effectively enslave her to his desires?
My initial approach to the novel was somewhat hampered by the author’s claim that Marlena, and others in her family, had paranormal abilities. In the Prologue we are told about Marlena’s ancestor, Cassandra, and her relationship with other residents of Alta: ‘Goody Brown had put a hex on the witch with a soap doll... there was nothing she could do that was powerful enough to kill the witch herself. But there might be a way to scare her off with a curse.” Why was Cassandra called a witch? Because she was a sexy woman who led a man to follow his balls, not his head. Strange that Goody Brown is doing the hexing yet Cassandra is remembered as having the paranormal abilities. This anomalous situation continues with Marlena and Letty Brown. Marlena shows none of the paranormal abilities attributed to her by the author in the blurb. She has an eidetic memory: so do many other people. She can get men to do her bidding: ever watched men around a beautiful woman? She once made a horse she was riding stand still when someone else told it to go... Sorry, I just don’t buy it. What does come across very vividly is small town bigotry and self-importance.
There are many anachronisms. I lived through those years and on the first read I found it annoying that such basic errors should be made. On the ‘what the heck’ read, though, I found it easy to just gloss over them. The flow of the story was good enough that I didn’t care.
Other problems in the text include extremely inconsistent use of italics, inconsistent use of tense when the author is trying to use present tense (‘He turns at the door and said’), plus a few wrong words and missing words. However, the overall structure was good and there were fewer errors than in many other books I’ve read.
December 28, 2012
This book is described on the jacket as "...the moral dilemma of a beautiful, successful architect blessed with exceptional gifts who puts herself into mortal danger when her obsession with a powerful married client awakens a ghost and an ancestral curse. Set in a small Western town during the sexual revolution" and is described by reviewers as difficult to categorize because the paranormal aspect is non-intrusive, and while it can be called historical as well, for those of us of a certain age, that history is in our lifetime, could be lifted from our own memoirs.
Carlisle's protagonist, Marlena Bellum is the gifted woman who puts herself in mortal danger by becoming obsessed with a slimy (in my opinion) married womanizer. Set in Alta, Wyoming in the 1970s with lots of realistic sexual dialogue, and a fast pace, this book is a page turner and builds to a climax at the appropriate time and place.
The author also delivers humor in her name choices, and with some of the dialogue and situations. I like humor in almost all genres, and appreciated it here.
Carlisle's protagonist, Marlena Bellum is the gifted woman who puts herself in mortal danger by becoming obsessed with a slimy (in my opinion) married womanizer. Set in Alta, Wyoming in the 1970s with lots of realistic sexual dialogue, and a fast pace, this book is a page turner and builds to a climax at the appropriate time and place.
The author also delivers humor in her name choices, and with some of the dialogue and situations. I like humor in almost all genres, and appreciated it here.
November 11, 2012
This is one of those books that’s hard to stick into a category. It’s part historical fiction (set 35 years ago in the late 1970s), part mystery, part romance, with a touch of the supernatural – but just a touch, so if you’re wary of paranormal stuff, don’t worry. This kind of supernatural could just be the imagination of the characters, or the suggestion of a memory of a long-gone-by curse.
I’ll skip summarizing the plot; you can read that yourself in the book description. I’ll mention that despite the romantic elements, there aren’t lengthy graphic sex scenes; it’s a very cerebral romance and very adult, trending more towards the literary fiction side. It spends its time in the often-conflicted minds of the main characters as much as in the physical world.
“Fire Night Ball” has a lot going for it. It’s well-written; incorporates funny character names (Sarah Bellum); employs lots of wit; presents good, distinct characters; and the conversation sounds reasonable, like what the characters would say – I can imagine them saying the words. There are good descriptions of interiors, and to cap it off, few typos (although some), good grammar & sentence structure, and good flow.
After a little scene-setting in the beginning, it begins to pick up pace, and I read the last third of it in pretty much one sitting. I’m not sure if the sequel is out yet (there’s a teaser at the back), but this is one I’ll most likely follow up on. The ending was a little disjointed, but had a couple surprises and twists and turns I didn’t anticipate.
My few gripes (and they’re minor): there are chunks where there’s a lot of description followed by chunks where there’s lots of narrative; it would be nice to intersperse it a little more. There are a few anachronisms (DNA testing in the 1960s - not available prior to 1970 at the earliest; possible reference to the fall of the Berlin Wall, which didn’t happen until 1989), and a few mistaken uses of terms (a scapula is a shoulder-blade, not located in the chest - that would be the sternum). There is quite a bit of head-hopping going on (sudden changes in point of view, without explanation), but oddly, this didn’t bother me as much as it often does. The frequent use of passive voice in action scenes detracted from the immediacy and forward motion of those scenes. And I was puzzled how several people could jump into and swim around in water in the middle of winter without suffering hypothermia or at least mentioning how gaspingly cold it must have been.
Overall, this is very well done and whatever the genre is, I enjoyed it. I care enough about the characters to want to know What Happens Next. This is one of very few books I’ve read recently where I’ll be looking up the sequel. Recommended.
I’ll skip summarizing the plot; you can read that yourself in the book description. I’ll mention that despite the romantic elements, there aren’t lengthy graphic sex scenes; it’s a very cerebral romance and very adult, trending more towards the literary fiction side. It spends its time in the often-conflicted minds of the main characters as much as in the physical world.
“Fire Night Ball” has a lot going for it. It’s well-written; incorporates funny character names (Sarah Bellum); employs lots of wit; presents good, distinct characters; and the conversation sounds reasonable, like what the characters would say – I can imagine them saying the words. There are good descriptions of interiors, and to cap it off, few typos (although some), good grammar & sentence structure, and good flow.
After a little scene-setting in the beginning, it begins to pick up pace, and I read the last third of it in pretty much one sitting. I’m not sure if the sequel is out yet (there’s a teaser at the back), but this is one I’ll most likely follow up on. The ending was a little disjointed, but had a couple surprises and twists and turns I didn’t anticipate.
My few gripes (and they’re minor): there are chunks where there’s a lot of description followed by chunks where there’s lots of narrative; it would be nice to intersperse it a little more. There are a few anachronisms (DNA testing in the 1960s - not available prior to 1970 at the earliest; possible reference to the fall of the Berlin Wall, which didn’t happen until 1989), and a few mistaken uses of terms (a scapula is a shoulder-blade, not located in the chest - that would be the sternum). There is quite a bit of head-hopping going on (sudden changes in point of view, without explanation), but oddly, this didn’t bother me as much as it often does. The frequent use of passive voice in action scenes detracted from the immediacy and forward motion of those scenes. And I was puzzled how several people could jump into and swim around in water in the middle of winter without suffering hypothermia or at least mentioning how gaspingly cold it must have been.
Overall, this is very well done and whatever the genre is, I enjoyed it. I care enough about the characters to want to know What Happens Next. This is one of very few books I’ve read recently where I’ll be looking up the sequel. Recommended.
February 15, 2013
When I became a writer a couple of years ago, I had decisions to make. Who were my characters to be? What time did the exist in? Where were they? The choices I made were important – for example, choosing a certain period of time for your novel allows you to present the morays of that era as a shorthand for your character.
That’s the path it appears the author, Anne Carlisle, has selected in the Novel Home schooling: The Fire Night Ball. It starts with a prologue set at the turn of the 20th Century, where a young woman named Cassandra Vye is publicly accused of being a witch and cursed by another townswoman in a frontier town in Wyoming. (Now why the other townswoman laying the curse isn’t herself named a witch is a mystery, but the author chooses never to explore that). She escapes, and we move forward to the 1970’s, when Marlena Bellum, the granddaughter of Cassandra, is back n that same Wyoming town, managing the special events at a high end bar named B.L.Zeebub’s at the posh Alta Resort. And while she tending to the Bar’s patron’s needs, she’s also servicing the owner of the resort – as in literally. She’s been carrying on an affair with him for years, and has romanticized the relationship.
This is a pretty standard romance novel. If that’s the genre you’re looking for, you���ll be satisfied. You have the foolish young heroine who, despite doing a lot of really, really, REALLY stupid stuff, is still portrayed by the author in loving, soft focus by the author at all times. The soon to be ex-husband who’s a drunken cuckold.? Check. The lover who turns out to be a manipulative bastard? Check. The country doctor with a heart of gold? Double check.. A little hint of the unexplained occult powers supposedly passed down? Check that too. Moral dilemma about whether or not to terminate a pregnancy, explicit sexual hijinks, and moments of peril for a central character? Check, check, check.
But there are structural problems. People who read my novels know I am a stickler for details. And I have a rule – if you are going to do a period novel, then you have to be true to that period. Well,, while I was in high school in 1977, that was 35 years ago. Congratulations, that qualifies as a period novel. So you have to do your research. But we live in an era where doing research is easier than it’s ever been for a writer. So when you have characters sailing on the Queen Mary in 1973, when it was permanently docked in Long Beach in 1967, that’s problematic. When you have a couple in 1971 celebrate by getting a bottle of Prosecco (first introduced into the US from Italy in 2000) and getting a video tape from Blockbuster (first store opened in 1986), it’s a speed bump. When all through the book people use mobile phones, even though they won’t be available to the public until 1983, it’s problematic for me. Frankly, there is no excuse for mistakes like that.
One pleasant surprise, though, was formatting. Like any indie writer’s book, there were formatting errors. But they were few and far between, and I didn’t catch any spelling errors.. One curiosity: Every chapter is named except one. Because it’s the only one, it does stick out like a raise in a bowl of rice pudding. Not sure if it is an artistic choice, or an error.
So in the end, what do I give it? Well, if I could only give half stars, I’d give it 3 and a half, because of all the factual errors when setting the stage for the period. And the book is a somewhat formulaic ”mommy-porn” type of romance. But it does what it sets out to do, it will hit its target demographic exactly where it wants to be hit and satisfy it. She’ll meet her audience’s expectation. So she get’s the rounding error. 4 stars.
That’s the path it appears the author, Anne Carlisle, has selected in the Novel Home schooling: The Fire Night Ball. It starts with a prologue set at the turn of the 20th Century, where a young woman named Cassandra Vye is publicly accused of being a witch and cursed by another townswoman in a frontier town in Wyoming. (Now why the other townswoman laying the curse isn’t herself named a witch is a mystery, but the author chooses never to explore that). She escapes, and we move forward to the 1970’s, when Marlena Bellum, the granddaughter of Cassandra, is back n that same Wyoming town, managing the special events at a high end bar named B.L.Zeebub’s at the posh Alta Resort. And while she tending to the Bar’s patron’s needs, she’s also servicing the owner of the resort – as in literally. She’s been carrying on an affair with him for years, and has romanticized the relationship.
This is a pretty standard romance novel. If that’s the genre you’re looking for, you���ll be satisfied. You have the foolish young heroine who, despite doing a lot of really, really, REALLY stupid stuff, is still portrayed by the author in loving, soft focus by the author at all times. The soon to be ex-husband who’s a drunken cuckold.? Check. The lover who turns out to be a manipulative bastard? Check. The country doctor with a heart of gold? Double check.. A little hint of the unexplained occult powers supposedly passed down? Check that too. Moral dilemma about whether or not to terminate a pregnancy, explicit sexual hijinks, and moments of peril for a central character? Check, check, check.
But there are structural problems. People who read my novels know I am a stickler for details. And I have a rule – if you are going to do a period novel, then you have to be true to that period. Well,, while I was in high school in 1977, that was 35 years ago. Congratulations, that qualifies as a period novel. So you have to do your research. But we live in an era where doing research is easier than it’s ever been for a writer. So when you have characters sailing on the Queen Mary in 1973, when it was permanently docked in Long Beach in 1967, that’s problematic. When you have a couple in 1971 celebrate by getting a bottle of Prosecco (first introduced into the US from Italy in 2000) and getting a video tape from Blockbuster (first store opened in 1986), it’s a speed bump. When all through the book people use mobile phones, even though they won’t be available to the public until 1983, it’s problematic for me. Frankly, there is no excuse for mistakes like that.
One pleasant surprise, though, was formatting. Like any indie writer’s book, there were formatting errors. But they were few and far between, and I didn’t catch any spelling errors.. One curiosity: Every chapter is named except one. Because it’s the only one, it does stick out like a raise in a bowl of rice pudding. Not sure if it is an artistic choice, or an error.
So in the end, what do I give it? Well, if I could only give half stars, I’d give it 3 and a half, because of all the factual errors when setting the stage for the period. And the book is a somewhat formulaic ”mommy-porn” type of romance. But it does what it sets out to do, it will hit its target demographic exactly where it wants to be hit and satisfy it. She’ll meet her audience’s expectation. So she get’s the rounding error. 4 stars.
October 16, 2012
Packed with Vivid Characters
and Lively Humour
This story features a heroine I took to at once - it’s she who makes the jokes, she’s stunning, sensual, ambitious, charming, clever – it’s outrageous that she’s had the misfortune to be besotted by a prize philandering cad, the totally insensitive and sex obsessed Harry Drake for years, and she’s about to find out that her birth control has failed.
Never mind, Marlena Mae Bellum isn’t a woman given to despair or seeing herself as a victim – even though, or perhaps because – at times it seems as though she’s the late twentieth century reincarnation of her enchantress ancestor Cassandra Vye, the one time scourage of a small town in Wyoming, who was also the recipient of a curse supposedly to blight the lives of generations of descendants.
This book is a real page turner and through earthy humour and a cast of vivid and recognisable characters transforms a classic story – a curse destined to cut across and link the lives of generations of a family – into something new and intriguing.
Like many good stories, it isn’t one that is easy to define. Roughly it can be called a ‘Paranormal Romance with a Historical slant’ but that hardly does it justice.
The supernatural elements in this book are subtly depicted; though undoubtedly there, they are brought into play through a series of synchronicities. Prosaic corruption in corporate business over land use is subtly connected to a past resounding with a tragedy which draws in the characters, cutting across time, individual personalities, plans and desires with a tangled skein of peculiar co-incidences.
This, the first volume of the series, isn’t a simple story. Neither, as in real life, can the solutions which the characters use to try and resolve their problems wholly satisfactory; but I was constantly struck by how strong the female characters in this story are – whether it’s Marlena herself, her hidebound, strictly religious mother or her dispassionate, cerebral psychiatrist older cousin. Then , there are the machinations of that wonderful siren, Lila.
There are so many funny scenes and so much throwaway humour in this that I find it hard to make a choice for a quote. The put down given to the lecherous Harry Drake by gay woman Stretch, ‘Keep it in your pants, buster. I’m batting for the other side’ is my favourite.
Then there’s Chloe’s reflections on Harry Drake: ‘Poor Harry, always one day late and a dollar short in the when it came to emotional commitments’.
I was very impressed by this vivid writing and lively characterisation and shall look out for the rest of the series. I recommend it to anyone looking for a story which contains the spine chilling, the ridiculous and the moving all seamlessly combined.
and Lively Humour
This story features a heroine I took to at once - it’s she who makes the jokes, she’s stunning, sensual, ambitious, charming, clever – it’s outrageous that she’s had the misfortune to be besotted by a prize philandering cad, the totally insensitive and sex obsessed Harry Drake for years, and she’s about to find out that her birth control has failed.
Never mind, Marlena Mae Bellum isn’t a woman given to despair or seeing herself as a victim – even though, or perhaps because – at times it seems as though she’s the late twentieth century reincarnation of her enchantress ancestor Cassandra Vye, the one time scourage of a small town in Wyoming, who was also the recipient of a curse supposedly to blight the lives of generations of descendants.
This book is a real page turner and through earthy humour and a cast of vivid and recognisable characters transforms a classic story – a curse destined to cut across and link the lives of generations of a family – into something new and intriguing.
Like many good stories, it isn’t one that is easy to define. Roughly it can be called a ‘Paranormal Romance with a Historical slant’ but that hardly does it justice.
The supernatural elements in this book are subtly depicted; though undoubtedly there, they are brought into play through a series of synchronicities. Prosaic corruption in corporate business over land use is subtly connected to a past resounding with a tragedy which draws in the characters, cutting across time, individual personalities, plans and desires with a tangled skein of peculiar co-incidences.
This, the first volume of the series, isn’t a simple story. Neither, as in real life, can the solutions which the characters use to try and resolve their problems wholly satisfactory; but I was constantly struck by how strong the female characters in this story are – whether it’s Marlena herself, her hidebound, strictly religious mother or her dispassionate, cerebral psychiatrist older cousin. Then , there are the machinations of that wonderful siren, Lila.
There are so many funny scenes and so much throwaway humour in this that I find it hard to make a choice for a quote. The put down given to the lecherous Harry Drake by gay woman Stretch, ‘Keep it in your pants, buster. I’m batting for the other side’ is my favourite.
Then there’s Chloe’s reflections on Harry Drake: ‘Poor Harry, always one day late and a dollar short in the when it came to emotional commitments’.
I was very impressed by this vivid writing and lively characterisation and shall look out for the rest of the series. I recommend it to anyone looking for a story which contains the spine chilling, the ridiculous and the moving all seamlessly combined.
October 15, 2012
Packed with Vivid Characters
and Lively Humour
This story features a heroine I took to at once - it’s she who makes the jokes, she’s stunning, sensual, ambitious, charming, clever – it’s outrageous that she’s had the misfortune to be besotted by a prize philandering cad, the totally insensitive and sex obsessed Harry Drake for years, and she’s about to find out that her birth control has failed.
Never mind, Marlena Mae Bellum isn’t a woman given to despair or seeing herself as a victim – even though, or perhaps because – at times it seems as though she’s the late twentieth century reincarnation of her enchantress ancestor Cassandra Vye, the one time scourage of a small town in Wyoming, who was also the recipient of a curse supposedly to blight the lives of generations of descendants.
This book is a real page turner and through earthy humour and a cast of vivid and recognisable characters transforms a classic story – a curse destined to cut across and link the lives of generations of a family – into something new and intriguing.
Like many good stories, it isn’t one that is easy to define. Roughly it can be called a ‘Paranormal Romance with a Historical slant’ but that hardly does it justice.
The supernatural elements in this book are subtly depicted; though undoubtedly there, they are brought into play through a series of synchronicities. Prosaic corruption in corporate business over land use is subtly connected to a past resounding with a tragedy which draws in the characters, cutting across time, individual personalities, plans and desires with a tangled skein of peculiar co-incidences.
This, the first volume of the series, isn’t a simple story. Neither, as in real life, can the solutions which the characters use to try and resolve their problems wholly satisfactory; but I was constantly struck by how strong the female characters in this story are – whether it’s Marlena herself, her hidebound, strictly religious mother or her dispassionate, cerebral psychiatrist older cousin. Then , there are the machinations of that wonderful siren, Lila.
There are so many funny scenes and so much throwaway humour in this that I find it hard to make a choice for a quote. The put down given to the lecherous Harry Drake by gay woman Stretch, ‘Keep it in your pants, buster. I’m batting for the other side’ is my favourite.
Then there’s Chloe’s reflections on Harry Drake: ‘Poor Harry, always one day late and a dollar short in the when it came to emotional commitments’.
I was very impressed by this vivid writing and lively characterisation and shall look out for the rest of the series. I recommend it to anyone looking for a story which contains the spine chilling, the ridiculous and the moving all seamlessly combined.
and Lively Humour
This story features a heroine I took to at once - it’s she who makes the jokes, she’s stunning, sensual, ambitious, charming, clever – it’s outrageous that she’s had the misfortune to be besotted by a prize philandering cad, the totally insensitive and sex obsessed Harry Drake for years, and she’s about to find out that her birth control has failed.
Never mind, Marlena Mae Bellum isn’t a woman given to despair or seeing herself as a victim – even though, or perhaps because – at times it seems as though she’s the late twentieth century reincarnation of her enchantress ancestor Cassandra Vye, the one time scourage of a small town in Wyoming, who was also the recipient of a curse supposedly to blight the lives of generations of descendants.
This book is a real page turner and through earthy humour and a cast of vivid and recognisable characters transforms a classic story – a curse destined to cut across and link the lives of generations of a family – into something new and intriguing.
Like many good stories, it isn’t one that is easy to define. Roughly it can be called a ‘Paranormal Romance with a Historical slant’ but that hardly does it justice.
The supernatural elements in this book are subtly depicted; though undoubtedly there, they are brought into play through a series of synchronicities. Prosaic corruption in corporate business over land use is subtly connected to a past resounding with a tragedy which draws in the characters, cutting across time, individual personalities, plans and desires with a tangled skein of peculiar co-incidences.
This, the first volume of the series, isn’t a simple story. Neither, as in real life, can the solutions which the characters use to try and resolve their problems wholly satisfactory; but I was constantly struck by how strong the female characters in this story are – whether it’s Marlena herself, her hidebound, strictly religious mother or her dispassionate, cerebral psychiatrist older cousin. Then , there are the machinations of that wonderful siren, Lila.
There are so many funny scenes and so much throwaway humour in this that I find it hard to make a choice for a quote. The put down given to the lecherous Harry Drake by gay woman Stretch, ‘Keep it in your pants, buster. I’m batting for the other side’ is my favourite.
Then there’s Chloe’s reflections on Harry Drake: ‘Poor Harry, always one day late and a dollar short in the when it came to emotional commitments’.
I was very impressed by this vivid writing and lively characterisation and shall look out for the rest of the series. I recommend it to anyone looking for a story which contains the spine chilling, the ridiculous and the moving all seamlessly combined.
August 13, 2015
Home Schooling is an intellectual chic lit read that takes place in the 1970s. The author, Anne Carlisle, does an excellent job of keeping the feel of the time period through dialogue and descriptive scenes. Themes include the supernatural, sexual power, transformation of character and a little of redemption.
Immediately, the reader is drawn into a mystery as the first chapter of the book focuses on the past. A story of the paranormal, it begins in the early 1900s with Cassandra Vye, a woman branded a witch and despised by religious fanatics. Moving the reader several decades later, we are introduced to Marlena, the main character.
Marlena is one of several strong female characters presented in this tale. She is described as attractive and confident. It seemed odd that a woman like Marlena would go after a man that hardly seemed interested in her. But, upon reflection, even the fiercest of women must have some chinks in their armor. Such is the case with Marlena, as she vies for the love and attention of Harry Drake, a self absorbed egotistical man.
It would have been nice to have even more of the supernatural element. Perhaps in the following books?
Admittedly, this isn't typically the genre I would read, but it was a well written story.
Two things that come to mind of note:
For those who do not care for sexually descriptive scenes or slang: Considering the time period, the story includes sexual themes. The situations aren't extremely long and don't take away from the story, but they are present.
For those that might be offended by the characterizations of religions and religious "fanatics": By far the most vile character in the book, Letty is an overweight and sweaty individual with spittle flying from the mouth, which helped to further guide the reader to despise the character.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Immediately, the reader is drawn into a mystery as the first chapter of the book focuses on the past. A story of the paranormal, it begins in the early 1900s with Cassandra Vye, a woman branded a witch and despised by religious fanatics. Moving the reader several decades later, we are introduced to Marlena, the main character.
Marlena is one of several strong female characters presented in this tale. She is described as attractive and confident. It seemed odd that a woman like Marlena would go after a man that hardly seemed interested in her. But, upon reflection, even the fiercest of women must have some chinks in their armor. Such is the case with Marlena, as she vies for the love and attention of Harry Drake, a self absorbed egotistical man.
It would have been nice to have even more of the supernatural element. Perhaps in the following books?
Admittedly, this isn't typically the genre I would read, but it was a well written story.
Two things that come to mind of note:
For those who do not care for sexually descriptive scenes or slang: Considering the time period, the story includes sexual themes. The situations aren't extremely long and don't take away from the story, but they are present.
For those that might be offended by the characterizations of religions and religious "fanatics": By far the most vile character in the book, Letty is an overweight and sweaty individual with spittle flying from the mouth, which helped to further guide the reader to despise the character.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
October 24, 2012
Marlena Bellum’s family history of being cursed real or imagine in the mind of Letty Brown-Hawker, was a questionable distraction to the young woman.
Marlena finds strength and comfort from her family and friends, when she is faced with a life changing decision.
She finds the there is a difference between genuine love and obsessive love; one is true and the other striving after the wind.
Marlena Bellum also learns the responsibility of her actions and uncovering sometimes love comes from unsuspecting alliances.
Her courage serves her faithfully as she encounters a setback only to come out stronger with better insight into the nature of the people in her life.
The climax to the story boils to fever pitch as everyone in town anticipates Chloe Vye's annual Christmas Fire Night Ball, and it doesn't disappoint. The many twist and turns will leave you gasping and laughing.
Home Schooling: The Fire Night Ball, kudos to the author on a fine job.
Marlena finds strength and comfort from her family and friends, when she is faced with a life changing decision.
She finds the there is a difference between genuine love and obsessive love; one is true and the other striving after the wind.
Marlena Bellum also learns the responsibility of her actions and uncovering sometimes love comes from unsuspecting alliances.
Her courage serves her faithfully as she encounters a setback only to come out stronger with better insight into the nature of the people in her life.
The climax to the story boils to fever pitch as everyone in town anticipates Chloe Vye's annual Christmas Fire Night Ball, and it doesn't disappoint. The many twist and turns will leave you gasping and laughing.
Home Schooling: The Fire Night Ball, kudos to the author on a fine job.
December 2, 2012
I received this through Goodread First Reads. Homeschooling: The First Night Ball is one of those unique reads that isn't going to be for everyone, but I think I'm one of those people that can appreciate it. I loved the cast of characters; I could definitely relate to Marlena the most. The supernatural touch to the story line was almost subtle yet worked. It also made me laugh out loud in some places and when a book can do that, I usually automatically love it! It's definitely a great debut novel by Anne Carlisle, and I look forward to the rest in the series.
May 26, 2013
An adult tale of bed hopping, infidelity, and unexpected pregnancies with a little bit of the supernatural set in the 1970s.
Incorrect use of italics, word tense, diction, and missing words.
Incorrect use of italics, word tense, diction, and missing words.
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October 2, 2012From Linda in Columbus: "I'm love, love, loving this book. Anne is a great writer!"
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews