Charlotte Moore [Paperback]

Judith Bowen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2001

Book

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (December 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373710267
• ISBN-13: 978-0373710263
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 3.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,360,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Gothic than contemporary, December 13, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charlotte Moore (Paperback)

At last April's Jasper Park Lodge reunion, a challenge surfaced to learn what happened to your first crush. More like Lydia Lane than Zoey Phillips, CHARLOTTE MORE finds the idea intriguing. She remembers being in a Toronto fifth grade class pining with love for high school student Liam Connery, who did not know she existed.

On a business trip to Prince Edwards Island, Charlotte sees Liam. However, he is nothing like her dreams and memories portray him, as he acts very dark, remote, and misanthropic except with his dogs. Charlotte finds herself still attracted to her first love even if he acts distant towards her. As she begins to break down his barriers and fall in adult love, Liam cannot commit to the forever that Charlotte needs from him.

Judith Bowen's second "Girlfriends" novel feels more like a modern day gothic romance as opposed to the contemporary tale of its predecessor (see Zoey Phillips). The lead couple is an interesting pair struggling with deep feelings Liam does not want. Prince Edwards Island makes for a unique Canadian locale. After reading CHARLOTTE MOORE, fans will anxiously await next month's LYDIA LANE tale.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars A marvelous conundrum -- Very highly recommended, December 7, 2001

By 

C. Penn "WordWeaving" (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charlotte Moore (Paperback)

Zoey Phillips, Charlotte Moore, and Lydia Lane met just after high school while working at a wilderness resort in the Rocky Mountains. Ten years later at the reunion of the Jasper Park Lodger summer staff, someone speculates what fun it might be to look up the boy that led to their first heartbreak. Perhaps he's balding, paunchy, and boring. Then at the next year's reunion, they'd all report their results. Six months after their discussion, Charlotte gains her unexpected opportunity to find out what happened to Liam Connery, the boy she had a crush on in fifth grade.

Charlotte's sister Laurel offers to set her up with the opportunity to meet Liam again. Laurel supposedly made arrangements to breed her show Labrador retriever Maggie with one of Liam's dogs. While surprised to learn Liam gave up his dreams of flying to become a breeder, Charlotte happily agrees to drop Maggie off for breeding since she will be working nearby anyway. Charlotte has her own business as a decorative arts supplier, and had landed the opportunity to carry out a special estate appraisal on Prince Edward Island. The job should take three or four weeks, which should give enough time for Maggie's breeding. Unfortunately, Laurel neglects to mention that Liam had second thoughts about breeding one of his gun dogs with a show dog.

From the moment he first glimpses Charlotte, Liam doggedly holds himself in careful control. With a haunting dark secret, he doesn't want involvement with a woman. His life is limited to running his breeding and kennel service, and taking care of his marvelous aging mother. But his mother Ada has her own ideas about how things should be, offering to care for Maggie while Charlotte works. One thing leads to another, and soon Ada persuades her son to offer a room to Charlotte. Their house had been set up as bed and breakfast, so they obviously have the room and Ada can use the company. Even as the enigmatic Liam maintains his careful distance, Charlotte can't help regretting that the cheerful boy she knew years ago became such a taciturn man. Yet there's something incredibly attractive about him when he forgets his careful control long enough to smile.

Author Judith Bowen creates a delightful conundrum in CHARLOTTE MOORE. Liam falls in love while still struggling with the past. Granted, there are extreme circumstances that certainly justify his decision. However, because he has not told Charlotte the truth of the past, Liam's omission becomes not an ethical issue, but one of honesty. Bowen uses this plot to great effect, leaving the reader to contemplate Liam's dark secrets and question his motives before finally resolving the explanation. Contrasting the dark secrets of the past are several litters of puppies, a marvelous old house full of treasure, and terrific cast of characters. A novel of surprising depth and marvelous characterizations, CHARLOTTE MOORE comes very highly recommended.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Jane Eyre it is not!, February 16, 2004

By 

Anza Carrillo "heavenlyanza" (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charlotte Moore (Paperback)

Three best friends made a pact with one another - find their first loves, and see how they are doing. Charlotte Moore's first love was Liam Connery, a friend of her older sister's with an accent and dreams of being a pilot, someone she hadn't seen since she was a kid. She discovers he's not a pilot, though, and instead raises dogs in the rural town of Petty Cove. Liam is also very different from what she thought he would be - he's quiet, brooding, and really down-right rude at times. There seems to be an attraction between them, but he keeps pushing her away, leaving Charlotte confused.

Liam can't deny that he feels attraction for the real estate appraiser who threw herself into his life unexpectedly, but there are secrets in his past that force him to keep her at bay. His self-control doesn't seem to be a match for Charlotte, however, especially since she warms up quickly to his blind and lonely mother. Once his secrets come out, however, will Charlotte still want to be with this dark and mysterious man?

This book nearly bored me to tears. I am obsessive about finishing books, but this is one of the very few books I have ever not been able to finish. I got to page 170, got sick of the entire story, and put the book down. The back cover says that Charlotte is like Jane Eyre, and Liam is like Mr. Rochester, and yet that couldn't be farther from the truth. Sure, there are a few similarities, but not enough to warrant a favorable comparison to one of the best books ever written (Jane Eyre) in my humble opinion. Liam is definitely NO Mr. Rochester, and Charlotte is NO Jane Eyre. Charlotte Moore is an incredibly boring book, and a total waste of time to read.

I'd recommend you read Jane Eyre instead, it's much better :)