Customer Reviews

I'll Be Watching You

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

 

 

You may say what you like about Victoria Gotti as a writer, I enjoy her books a great deal. Like millions of other Americans, I find cross country airplane trips to be an opportunity to lose myself in the kind of torrid pot boilers one's former English teacher or mother-in-law would tsk tsk over (in my case, she's both!), and to forget, for awhile, the rigors of modern literature (read, at least in part, so I'll be able to maintain my educated bourgeois status in conversation with my peers). A recent trip from Seattle to Baltimore and back was just such an occasion, and I was grateful to have Ms. Gotti's second book, "I'll Be Watching You," along as a companion on this flight. Okay, so she's not Jane Austin, or even Joan Didion. Victoria Gotti is, however, a great story-teller whose books are a welcome addition to the ranks of airport fiction. I mean, okay, I started "I'll Be Watching You," as I had her first book, "The Senator's Daughter," with some quibbles about the writing. The juxtaposition of the word "lovely" with the markedly unlovely word "flaccid" as in "her lovely, flaccid body" made me pause for a few seconds, for example. The repeated use of the word "shattered" seemed peculiar on occasion (some things just don't shatter when they break). But it was not far into the book that Gotti the story teller took over - I started hearing, and appreciating her voice, as if we were sitting together in her sun-lit study with its massive Ethan Allen oak desk, she in her Donna Karan loungewear, me in my casual Armani, sipping amareto from Damask cups.... she resumes her story as the late afternoon drifts on, her piercing hazel eyes growing distant as the story takes hold and I put my feet up and lean back into the luxury of the Eames padded leather chair , lost in her voice, the slowly setting sun now spreading a golden glow over the palatial grounds of the surrounding estate.... The world of the rich and powerful is an intriguing place when seen through Victoria Gotti's eyes, and I was delighted to place my advanced order for her new book, "Superstar," today - the plot description sounds great! I can't wait for the next time I fold my lanky six and a half foot frame into an airplane seat obviously designed for people about half my size, and, with my Diet Coke and my bag of Planter's peanuts arrayed on the plastic tray in front of me, I can dive into a totally different world, suffused with comfort, luxury, passion.... and terror!

...You'll Enjoy I'LL BE WATCHING YOU!

And if you read THE SENATOR'S DAUGHTER and wondered if Victoria Gotti was a one-book wonder, you'll be pleased to know that that first hit wasn't an accident. This savvy, articulate lady really CAN create interesting characters and tell a dynamic tale.

She has woven an intricate tale that, at one point, I was sure I had a figured out and then two chapters later changed my mind. Such mental gymnastics make for an intriguing read and, I hope, a sensational movie.

I also like the way she incorporates "real" New York into her story...and how she's left the Rose story open for the possibility of a sequel.

I tell ya, I got this book at B&N on their bargain book rack for [a good price] a couple years ago. I took it home seeing it was a stalker thriller and knowing I would love it. I was right!! This book had everything, suspense, fright, mystery, a twisted plot, and even romance (even though I am not fan of any kind of romance novels this worked!). Rose, Dimitri,.....you will just have to read it and find out for yourself. The ending is something great, which alot of books lack and are usually a letdown. I am going to go out and buy her first book "The Senator's Daughter" or maybe I can find it online for a good price!! Thank you Miss Gotti for giving me a great and entertaining book to read (since I LOVE to read!!). Buy it Buy it Buy it!

I recently checked I'll Be Watching You out at the library for a fun read, since I typically love thrillers. And the book is just that--a "fun read".
The storytelling itself is above average, I would say, without being spectacular. The story seems intricate just for the sake of being intricate, with an ending that is supposed to shock and alarm, when in reality I had it guessed halfway through, mainly for the reason that it would be an "out there" ending and the character was the last person one would suspect, given their description.
Let's face it, when every character in a stalker story is shown as shady and each have their own unique motive, it's almost always the only character that's made out to be wonderful and innocent that's the "bad guy". We've seen it time and time again in countless movies with "twist" endings.
However, IBWY is fun enough; the equivalent of a "popcorn movie" vs. an Academy Award winner.
Gotti does, however, have the gift of giving us detail and realism when setting up her scenes, if only in imagery alone.

I too read the Senators Daughter first which prompted me to purchase her second book. I have been amazingly suprised at how well she wrote. Although either book may never be a #1 seller, both books were very entertaining and very fast reading. A great "airplane" or "wasting a weekend" away reading book.

I found the book to be easy to read, and the ending was one that could be let to one's imagination. . I was not totally taken in by the book, but was still glad that I had read it. If you like captivating love stories that touch your heart, you might read stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. If you liked this book you will also love Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a manuscript more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful."

"Stolen Moments " which is reminiscent of "Love Story" is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. Like"Love Story" it is about a dying woman who has found true love. It is the love story of the nineties."