The Pepper in the Gumbo Cane River Romance Volume 1 Mary Jane Hathaway Books
Download As PDF : The Pepper in the Gumbo Cane River Romance Volume 1 Mary Jane Hathaway Books
Alice Augustine runs the oldest bookstore in the historic district of Natchitoches and believes technology is the root of most problems. If only more people would turn off the Tv and shut down the computer, the world wouldn't be in the mess it's in. If only she can get the teens she loves to step away from the screens and hold on to their Creole culture. The only person who seems to understand her passion for classic literature is the mysterious website owner, Browning Wordsworth Keats. Paul Olivier comes back to his home town determined to show the people of Cane River that he's not the poor, nerdy kid he once was. He's made a fortune designing video games and opening a giant electronics store right in the snooty historic district will be the crowning glory of his career. Unfortunately, one bookish anti-tech fanatic has decided to do everything she can to keep that from happening. Even worse, she doesn't know that in cyber space, they're kindred spirits. Alice and Paul clash from the start, but nothing is ever quite as it seems. When secrets are revealed, will there be a second chance- for both of them? A romance that brings the humor of You've Got Mail and the deep friendships of 84, Charring Cross Road, this romance will touch the classic literature lover in everyone.
The Pepper in the Gumbo Cane River Romance Volume 1 Mary Jane Hathaway Books
I really wish we were able to give half because this would be a three and a half one. A really enjoyable read that flowed well for the most part but at 3/4 of the way through Alice's conclusion jumping did become a bit tedious and you do find yourself wanting to shake her and tell her to just listen!! Also her continued resistance to anything tech related did seem a bit much (especially since she did have a laptop even begrudgingly) But it was a really cute read that combined two of my favorite things even if they are usually at odds -- books and technology. I loved the quotes, the references to other pop culture (as the theme itself has been done numerous times) and the resolution to everything. It makes me want to pick up more of her books and give those a try as well.Product details
|
Tags : Amazon.com: The Pepper in the Gumbo (Cane River Romance) (Volume 1) (9780990337713): Mary Jane Hathaway: Books,Mary Jane Hathaway,The Pepper in the Gumbo (Cane River Romance) (Volume 1),Gumbo Books,0990337715,FICTION Romance Romantic Comedy
People also read other books :
- Shot All to Hell Bad Ass Outlaws Gunfighters and Lawmen of the Old West eBook Nick Vulich
- Not Quite Dark A PostApocalyptic Adoption Story eBook Barry Pomeroy
- Behind Each Face Julia PennerZook 9780996487306 Books
- Amy Carmichael Rescuer of Precious Gems Christian Heroes Then Now eBook Janet Benge Geoff Benge
The Pepper in the Gumbo Cane River Romance Volume 1 Mary Jane Hathaway Books Reviews
I have to be honest ... spoiler Alert **** I was annoyed at how many times Alice was going to be so defensive and believe the worst of him and how many times he has to forgive her. But .... was the author making any reference with our relationship with God? How many times we have to say "I am sorry" When she talked about generosity and grace ... grace .. receiving something that we don't deserve. There are a lot of live lessons to be studied here but they are mixed with culture and other wonderful things making the book delightful. I learned about music and poetry and so much more. Also, I am a techie and loved the quotation at the beginning of every chapter. I could read it again.
As someone who has lived all my life in Louisiana and an hour south of Natchitoches, I'm not sure how I feel about a book about my state and a place I've visited all my life, being written by someone who hasn't been there. I know research can be done and was I'm sure, but when some things are slightly off, it kind of throws off the whole book. The gumbo recipe was strange. There are hundreds of ways to make it though, so I guess that's just one of them. I was excited to see a book about this area and couldn't wait to read it. Normally I just start reading, but this time I read the author's biography first and was surprised she wasn't from Louisiana nor was there any mention of ever visiting and liking the area so much that she wanted to write about it. But I gave the benefit of the doubt and read it any way. For the most part I enjoyed it and finished it. A couple of typos - Lafayette doesn't have a capital F. But I will give props to the way Holly tried to say Natchitoches! That's exactly how I hear it all the time lol. All in all the story was good.
Usually I don't give a review if I didn't like the book, but felt I needed to at least say that for the most part this was an OK book
The definition of gumbo is almost as slippery as that of Creole. Just as gumbo can contain pretty much any kind of meat or seafood, Creole is a vague and inclusive term for native New Orleanians, who may be black or white, depending on whom you're asking. - Jay McInerney
I'm Creole, and I'm down to earth. - Boozoo Chavis
Technology. . . is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and stabs you in the back with the other. – Carrie Snow
Alice Augustine lives the life she has always wanted. The owner of a rare book store willed to her by the elderly couple, the Perraults, who offered her peace after the death of her family, Alice is happy. Well, as happy as you can be when your bookstore runs in the red every month, and your boyfriend is a self-centred ass. But still, she is proud of her shop, proud of her Creole culture, and just as proud of the fact that she lives her life with as little technology as possible. Let’s face it – in this day and age, the art of conversation is dead, the paper book is a rarity, and nobody pays attention to anyone else – everyone runs around with their noses in their iPhones instead.
Everything is good, though, in historical old town Natchitoches, Louisiana. Alice is on the board, so nobody can damage the culture of the city, right? Well. Not so much. For something terrible has happened – without going through any proper channels whatsoever, the Mayor and his cronies have allowed the building of a ScreenStop right in the middle of Historical Old Town – a glass and steel monstrosity that fits in the neighborhood like mud on the Mona Lisa. ScreenStop is everything that Alice abhors about modern life. A haven for people who live their lives in front of screens, fighting orcs and monsters instead of visiting with friends, having conversations, and generally being real live human beings. Oh, and reading books.
The billionaire wizard of ScreenStop, Paul Olivier is the penultimate “Creole boy makes good” story. Raised by a single mother in a shack on the wrong side of the tracks in Natchitoches, he is determined to rub the town’s nose in his success. He lives in his world of game design, public appearances and growing his gaming empire. Nevertheless, there is something different about him. For Paul Olivier has a second identity – an identity which draws him to Alice, a persona of poetry and books, kindness and charity, that could help both of them – or destroy everything.
The Pepper In The Gumbo honestly tore me apart. Don’t get me wrong – I loved the book. The writing, the characters, the French Creole history that is so important to Alice. Alice isn’t perfect by any means, but she is real and likable, even if you want to smack her and tell her to wake up a few times. That is what makes her character honest and interesting. And Paul is an enigma that I enjoyed deciphering. He pissed me off just as often as he made me appreciate his more positive qualities. All things that make him interesting.
There were some things that weren’t logically presented in the book – like why Alice didn’t explain to Paul that his building’s paperwork wasn’t legal, even though his lawyers told him there was no problem, even though the building definitely didn’t follow codes. Be that as it may, what drove me nuts about the book is exactly what makes it a wonderful piece, in its own way, for a contemporary audience. The effects of technology upon humanity – upon what makes us humans. In Alice’s eyes, Paul and his kind are, “luring a whole generation into willful ignorance. She felt like the world was in love with Paul Oliver and she was the only sane person left."
In a lot of ways, I have to agree with Alice. Humanity is so busy running around with their noses in the aforementioned iPads, they no longer raise their heads long enough to say “hello” much less have a conversation. The idea of what constitutes “achievement” is dropped to the level of winning another level in a game, something that means her young friend Charlie, who helps out in the bookshop, “was wasting her life on false achievements that meant nothing in real life.”
Mary Jane Hathaway has done a good job of pointing out the good and the bad on both sides of the story. The loss of intellect brought on by a life consumed by video games, a world where players have been known to die from sitting so long in play mode that they literally die in their chairs, to the other side of the coin, where Bix, Alice’s nearly blind friend can make the type on an e-reader large enough that he can actually read his beloved books he hasn’t been able to read in years.
As Max Frisch said, “Technology is the knack of so arranging the world that we don’t have to experience it.” But then again, the very technology that has turned us into a nation of mindless screen-gazers, where Nobody ever talks to each other anymore. Has also given us access to the classic words of those authors and poets who are no longer grist for the publishing mill. I just downloaded of the books mentioned in the story, The Seraphim, and Other Poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (original publication date January 1, 1838) off of the Google project. I hope you read The Pepper In The Gumbo. And I would love to hear what you think about it. As I said, parts of me rant about the loss of civilization (and good book stores!) to technology. Another feels guilty because, yep, I read everything on e-reader these days – can’t help it when I suffer a bit of what Bix suffers – I just can’t read as long in paper as I can on an e-reader screen where I can make the type larger, change the background colour, and raise and lower the brightness. Sigh. So, Pot/Kettle much?
I downloaded The Pepper In The Gumbo though my Unlimited account. When KU first came out I didn’t think it would be worth the monthly fee. Boy, was I ever wrong!
I really enjoyed this story. There are loads of reviews giving lots of details so I'll just say that the author put a lot of work into her story and I loved all of the literary quotes and references. I totally enjoyed the H and although I understood the h, she was a bit irritating at times. It was a clean read too just to further recommend it.
I really wish we were able to give half because this would be a three and a half one. A really enjoyable read that flowed well for the most part but at 3/4 of the way through Alice's conclusion jumping did become a bit tedious and you do find yourself wanting to shake her and tell her to just listen!! Also her continued resistance to anything tech related did seem a bit much (especially since she did have a laptop even begrudgingly) But it was a really cute read that combined two of my favorite things even if they are usually at odds -- books and technology. I loved the quotes, the references to other pop culture (as the theme itself has been done numerous times) and the resolution to everything. It makes me want to pick up more of her books and give those a try as well.
0 Response to "[PMZ]⋙ [PDF] Free The Pepper in the Gumbo Cane River Romance Volume 1 Mary Jane Hathaway Books"
Post a Comment