Ratings21
Average rating3.8
New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels has captivated readers worldwide with her heart-stirring stories of love and family, friendship and renewal. With Listen to Your Heart, she spins the unforgettable tale of a young woman who might be falling for a match made in heaven... Listen To Your Heart With her beloved mother gone, her twin sister about to be married, and no hint of Mr. Right on the horizon, Josie Dupr is lonesome. Luckily, she has her booming New Orleans catering business to keep her busy, and her fluffy white dog, Rosie, to keep her company...until an obnoxious Boxer brazenly captures Rosie's undying devotion. Even worse, the budding romance puts Josie in close proximity to the dog's owner--sexy, love 'em and leave 'em Cajun playboy, Paul Brouillette. Paul's all for l'amour, but ever since he came into Josie's life, strange things have been happening. She hears music that isn't there, and she smells her mother's favorite cologne in an empty room. Maybe her mom's trying to send her a message...something about finding love where you least expect it...and listening to your heart.
Reviews with the most likes.
As always, the movie is different than the book. I was surprised by how different this book was from the movie. I was surprised to not find Bond until about a third of the way into the book. This made for an interesting approach, taking time to setup the scene for the story. There are times descriptions feel a bit overdone, but the story moved along with a good pace.
What I liked:
- That Fleming takes time to create the setting for the story rather than just running away with action scene after action scene.
- The Cold War era espionage setting.
- The Bond character is an interesting character and I like the way Fleming explores the nuances of his psyche, thoughts, and feelings.
- The attention to detail, and the way Fleming keeps it from getting in the way of telling the story.
What I didn't like:
- The woman who seems mostly helpless. It feels like all she's good for is sex and that's because she's physically attractive.
- The detail in love scenes have too much description for my taste. Definitely stuff that was too racy for filming in the 60s.
I would give this book 4 stars if the story had a stronger heroine. It does feel like Bond wants a woman to rescue who won't challenge him. Also, while the love scenes leave much to the imagination, a little less detail wouldn't hurt.
I may read this again in the future, but I wouldn't buy it.
The one where Fleming finally got it right. Well written, pacey and with a satisfying climax, this is one of the best Bond novels. Even though Fleming had decided to kill off his hero with this book, the public reaction forced him to bring Bond back and he went on to write Dr. No, Goldfinger and the rest.
The first four novels are good, but here Bond becomes great.
Recommended.
Series
14 primary booksJames Bond (Original Series) is a 14-book series with 14 primary works first released in 1953 with contributions by Ian Fleming and Robert Whitfield.
Series
49 primary books50 released booksJames Bond - Extended Series is a 67-book series with 50 primary works first released in 1953 with contributions by Ian Fleming, Robert Whitfield, and 14 others.