Eternal on the water

i hated this book. it was sooooo sentimental and contrived. although meant to be a romance, it was very plot-driven. the author had to keep trotting out new characters to keep the story moving (cause he had no talent to sustain the romance) - including a smart black kid from the projects. oh god. here comes the great white hope to make it all better... vomit.

everyone liked everyone immediately. no actual depth to people's relationships with each other. the author did exactly what a bad writer does: tells you what a great person that guy is, or how important this girl is, or how deep their relationship goes... tells you, instead of shows you through actual plot.

at the end, all these supposedly important people gather to see mary off, and everyone tears up (again!)

ok (full disclosure), i cried when i was supposed to... but you'd had to be a machine not to! that doesn't automatically mean it was a good book. why is her tragedy one that draws everyone in? if she comes from a foundation that helps sick and dying children, why didn't we witness her participating in someone else's farewell?

and lastly, who still buys into the romanticism of a slow, graceful death? pale ladies swooning with the consumption. lord, give me a break. and someone write a REAL story of watching someone you love die. of course, that would never sell.