3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Genre-blending perfection!, March 9, 2005
This review is from: Collecting Candace (Paperback)
Sadly, what's going to make this book "not for everyone" is the fact that it boldly breaks away from the tired, architypical pattern followed by current drivel labeled "popular fiction". First off, the writing is beautiful--literature caliber. Tired of thin, cardboard characters and colorless narratives? Ms. Brooks deliveres a character driven story so vivid and so descriptive, the reader can't help but feel sandwiched between these two lovers as they embark on thier murderous crusade for perfect love. Never have I felt so intimately connected to a character in a novel, or so emotionally invested in a cause. And when the couple commits their unspeakably violent acts, I couldn't help but feel as if I stood beside them. Brooks' writing is that effective. This is the type of novel you pick up and don't put down until you've finished the very last page.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Impossible to put down, February 9, 2005
This review is from: Collecting Candace (Paperback)
This book had me up until 3 am (on a work night!) and completely pulled me in. To say that the author paints a vivid picture would be an understatement, I could "see" every scene clearly from start to finish.
The scarest part of this dark novel was after I finished and realized that I cared about the characters so much that I actually overlooked their extreme violence while reading. The characters depraved behavior seems like the natural course of events while immersed in their world. Imagine that, a novel that actually warps your morals, if only for a little while.
There are many different aspects to this story and it will certainly have you thinking long after you put it down. I am very much looking forward to seeing another book from this author.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tainted Love, February 7, 2005
This review is from: Collecting Candace (Paperback)
Collecting Candace is one of the most powerful books I've read in a long time. The emotions conveyed from the inner thoughts of a man, willing to do anything for a woman he just met, is as real and raw as one can get. Susan M. Brooks has written a brilliant novel, showing us the gritty side of human nature.
At the Hi-N-Dri 24-Hour Liquor and Market, on an average night, She walks in. Candace. A woman who moves him in a way that is beyond all his comprehension. From a single conversation, she talks about her life; the people who have left her, and the things that make up the woman she is. The others, the men responsible for taking away pieces of her, become the enemy. His mission becomes quite clear, to make her whole and complete again, and to give back what was taken, by any measure possible. His drive becomes more than a proof of love, but instead a justifiable means to an end, the end of her pain and missing pieces.
With Candace by his side, he is unstoppable, and views himself as her protector, the one "man" who stays with her, and wouldn't dare leave. He battles his nightmares, guilt, and the constant nagging voices. Everything in his life is on the line and yet, it's all worth it, because of Candace. She is more than a woman; she becomes his religion, his goal, and a state of being.
This isn't a story about love gone wrong or the breakdown of one man's mind, but rather it is many elements all in one. If you look closely, you will view their addictions to one another, the pain they suffer alone and together, and the intense highs and lows of the never-ending cycle of events that take place. The reader is given an astute inside look at what makes a person do things they generally know are wrong. Nothing else exists except for the reality they make as their own.
Collecting Candace is disturbing, bittersweet, beautiful, and haunting. This isn't a story where you applaud or even try to understand, but one that educates, satisfies, and begs you to finish. The author has an unrelenting way of describing a scene to perfection; you can see and taste everything so clearly. Susan M. Brooks is a rising star in the writing field as far as I'm concerned. Collecting Candace is a trip into a blissful insanity, and will linger on your mind for a long time. To find out more about this book, please give this link a look: http://www.smalldogspress.com/books/candace.html.
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