Customer Reviews

Flirting with Pete

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Everything you love about Barabara Delinsky's writing is here in her latest novel, plus some bonuses. This is the first time, well, since "A Woman Next Door," that she has written something you cannot put down. There is suspense, mystery, complex emotional issues, right to life issues, small towns, incest, child molestation, ghosts, suicide, aging parents, grief, etc.. plus much, much more. And, all these themes are tied together beautifully.

I rarely give Delinsky 5 stars, but I can see "Flirting With Pete" is a first-rate effort. It really is one of Delinsky's best, if not the best she has ever written.

Was there anything I didn't like? I think she gets a little too technical with the medical stuff. An author needs to make sure a novel isn't coming off like a textbook in explanation. However, I am interested in medical stuff, and nature/gardening, so it wasn't that boring for me. That's the problem: if the subject is maple syrup, or apple cider making, and you couldn't care in the least, then getting too technical is a problem.

But, here, the whole gardening/flowers aspect of this novel works because there is a sense of nature that parallels the gripping plot. I really got a strong sense of the sprawling three-tiered garden setting, and the multi-level Beacon Hill townhouse that much of this story takes place in. Delinsky's characterization and insight into her characters moods and feelings is so nuanced and precise, I felt like the characters were in the room with me.

I did, however, think the cover was a bit too much and gimmicky. But, so what? I don't rate based on a cover and I couldn't care less what's on the jacket. What matters is what's between the covers, and Delinsky has absolutely outdone herself on this novel.

One thing that Delinsky does right is to throw in her twists all throughout this novel--unlike some authors (Nicholas Sparks) who make you wait until the very end until the payoff. Delinsky throws in a series of payoffs all throughout her novel, giving the reader some immediate satisfaction, as well as hooking the reader early-on. I'm serious, once you get to the final eight chapters, you will absolutely not be able to put this one down, and I'm usually a slow reader and like to pace myself, but I easily had this done in less than a week.

Anyone who liked Delinsky's "Three Wishes" is sure to like "Flirting With Pete". Also Delinsky's writing is as good as Anita Shreve's and similar in tone to the writing in Anita Shreve's "The Last Time They Met" and Anita Shreve's "The Weight of Water". All of those novels had two parallel stories going on which rapidly careen, collide, and intersect in gripping plot twists. Delinsky brilliantly uses foreshadowing ala Anita Shreve, and creates a sense of urgency in the plots, all done through character, making this effort of Barbara Delinsky's so much more than a "romance". I think Delinsky has proven herself, with "Flirting With Pete," to be one of the most accomplished mainstream writers, right up there with the best of fiction writers such as Anita Shreve and Richard Russo(Empire Falls).

I've read at least 12 or 13 different novels by Barbara Delinsky, and this is unlike anything I've ever come across from her. Bravo!

I consider myself a 'book snob'. I demand a solid story, great writing, characters who hold my affection and attention, a plot that goes somewhere in a somewhat forward manner and a writer who keeps me entertained. Barbara Delinsky is that and more. I consider this a masterpiece.

"Flirting with Pete" sounded fun and somewhat interesting so I picked it up and was surprised when I found myself reading it at 3 am on three different mornings. I didn't want to go to sleep.

She weaves several stories together so flawlessly that you're able to live through all of the characters. She takes a subject that's been "done" and redoes it in a way that you can go through it without wanting to take Prozac and call in to work for a week.

This is not a book about victims or survivors, it's a story about life that is so beautifully told you will never forget it. I love the fact that she unfolds the story slowly and switches back and forth so that you're not overwhelmed by sorrow or that you feel badly throughout the book.

It's a wonderful story about "making it" through life and coming out the other side - no matter what obstacles are faced. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Popular voice artist Linda Emond gives an assured reading of Barbara Delinsky's latest heart-tugging tale in which the lives of two women seeking answers are interwoven.

Casey Ellis is a successful young professional woman who has always sought to know her father, famous psychologist Cornelius Unger. Her birth was the result of an almost passing relationship between her mother and the father she has never known. Now, her mother lies comatose, the result of an accident, and her father has died. Surprisingly, he generously remembers Casey in his will, leaving her an elegant townhouse on exclusive Beacon Hill. Not only is the townhouse luxurious, it also comes with a full staff.

Shortly after taking possession of her new home Casey comes across a puzzling journal among her father's papers. It was written by a young woman, Jenny Clyde, who detested her father, a man in prison for killing Jenny's mother. He will soon be released and Jenny fears further abuse from him.

The journal and the story it tells baffle Casey. Is it a true account or fiction? And, very importantly, what does it tell her about the father she would like to know?

Of course, there's romance mixed with the mystery, which is always an irresistible combination.

- Gail Cooke

Therapist Casey Ellis is attending the funeral of renowned psychologist Cornelius Unger, a respected person in his field. Casey feels melancholy because Cornelius is the father who never acknowledged her and never made any effort to talk to her even when she enrolled in one of his classes. At the end of the funeral, his lawyer tells Casey that her father left her his Beacon Hill townhouse with the request that she keep on the maid and the gardener.

At first Casey doesn't want anything to do with the home out of loyalty to her mother who has been in a coma for the last three years and is not expected to wake up. When one of her partners in her group practice absconds with the rent money, Casey decides to open a solo practice at her father's townhouse. There she meets the handsome gardener Jordan; they start a relationship. She also becomes involved with a manuscript her father left for her about a woman who he treated as an outcast by the town she lives in and is afraid of the father who is coming home from prison after six years for killing her mother.

Barbara Delinsky has written a moving tale of two women having to cope with severe traumas, one fighting her demons alone and the therapist having a support system that carries her through each crisis. One of this author's greatest talents is to write about people who immediately establish rapport with the audience so that readers care what happens to them. FLIRTING WITH PETE is a memorable work of women's fiction.

Harriet Klausner

Casey Ellis is a young woman whose father, a renowned psychiatrist, never acknowledged her (Casey was the result of a one-night stand). Until his death, that is. Casey's taken off balance when he leaves her a very valuable piece of property and is reluctant to accept anything that was a part of him. Casey is a likable, hard working character whose only living family is her mom who lies in a coma.

When Casey finds a journal among her dad's things with a note that says something along the lines of "must help her - she's kin" she begins to read "Flirting With Pete" hoping that maybe she's found a relative. The journal details the life of an abused young woman named Jenny who Casey is desperate to locate.

The remainder of the book alternates between Jenny's painful story of abuse and Casey's search for the real Jenny and her growing relationship with her gardener who isn't exactly who he appears to be.

The title to this one is deceiving. This is not a light and flirty book but a slower paced, character based drama with a little mystery. It was an involving read with characters who are sympathetically drawn.

I hadn't read a Barbara Delinsky novel before, and this one showed up at my house unexpectedly. I hadn't ordered it, but it came anyways, so I decided to check it out. It's one of the best "book" decisions I've made in a long time.

The novel centers around Casey Ellis. Raised by her mother and not acknowledged by her father, she was constantly searching for approval from her father. She followed in his career path and strived to be as good as him in the field of psychology. It isn't until he passes away and leaves her his townhouse that she really learns about what made him tick and why he chose not to acknowledge her as his daughter.

Casey finds a journal about a young girl named Jenny. Her mother was killed and her father is in prison. Jenny is an outcast and terrified of her father coming home...until she meets Pete. He is everything she ever wanted in a man and makes her feel loved. He is perfect! But is he too good to be true?

Casey can't help but want to know more about Jenny and find this girl. It seems as though her father left her a mystery to solve. This book is the discovery of two girls and their father-daughter relationships..what they need from these men and what they don't. It will make you laugh, cry, want to scream! I recommend this book.

Just loved this latest Delinsky novel - it ranks with my all time favorite Coast Road! Her literary style - a fragmented journal within the main story made for an interesting scenario. Characters in both were essentially trying to conquer their own demons and the author delved into their minds and souls. Jenny and Pete, Casey and Jordan and the other relatives and friends added to the emotional environment. The added touch of mystery was equally enjoying. Several tears were shed over the relationship of Casey and her mother which resonated personally. To see how the journal and the story complemented and evolved and came full circle was satisfying. If I had one complaint it would be about the descriptions of the abundant flowers in the gardens. I am a budding gardener and did pick up some tips but thought the story would have been fine without the excessive descriptions of the flowers.

Flirting with Peter was a quick read, entertaining and interesting as the reader starts to fill in the blanks with the subtle clues. A character study is one of my favorite genre to read and Barbara Delinsky did a superb job in this one.

I'd sure like to meet a Pete or a Jordan!

Another Barbara Delinsky jewel. This book is one of her best. It keeps you interested and cheering for the characters. Her writing is timeless and beautiful. This book shows the very essence of the human spirit, and our need for love and compassion. The characters are so real, you feel yourself getting very involved in their lives.

The main character, Casey, is so real and believable you feel you know her personally by the end of the book. I couldn't wait to get to the end to see what happened, but then I was so upset because it was over.

Give yourself a treat and read this book!!

I enjoyed this book very well, and thought it was well written. Casey always yearned for a father that would pay attention to her, unlike her own. Even after she followed in her father's footsteps in the field of pschology, he still remained distant. So when Connie Unger dies suddenly, and leaves Casey his big townhouse worth a few million, she doesn't figure it out. Why would he, when he seemed to not want her around?

Casey decides then, after her Dad's funeral, that she would move in. In her search through the house, she finds a transcript her dad left entitled, "Flirting With Pete." Is this story real or fictional as told by the late Connie Unger. The book takes us back and forth into the story of Jenny, and her very abusive father. Jenny finds solace in her relationship with Pete, and he is her protector. She doesn't meet Pete however, until her Dad is getting ready to get out of prison on parole. He had committed murder, and the town will have nothing to do with him of course, when he gets out. And Jenny, feeling scared with her Dad's arrival, finds escape with Pete.

Did she die?, Casey wondered as she read her Dad's transcript, or is Jenny alive somewhere? You'll need to read and find out.

I could not put this book down. Between the mystery, romance and excitement of it all, "Flirting with Pete", is a definite read. I found the ending to be very surprising and I did not pick up on it until I was reading it. Great read :)