4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another stellar piece!!!, August 30, 2004
This review is from: Like the First Time (Paperback)
Wow - I just couldn't put it down. What a storyline. Ray is exploring twists and turns never before explored (at least in my reading world). :) I thoroughly enjoy Ray as a writer.
She does such a great job giving us just enough (and sometimes on the edge of not just enough) before switching back to the other characters.
I will say the ending, after 33 chapters (or less) came and ended too quickly - leaving me wanting more, more, more. I strongly recommend reading "Like the First Time".
My favorite character/couple was Claire and Gray - what romantics. John makes it extra special though. Brooke's materialistic sound though, comes a dime a dozen. She proved herself later on in the story...and gained some kudos with me when it came to Mark and Amy.
Even though fiction - it sounds very close to the world in which I live. The setting is very real - professional women out there trying to "make it happen"/succeed against the odds and here comes a layoff - if that's not a very familiar occurance in today's times - I don't know what is.
As well, we all have a passion/craft/hobby that we never thought could actually make us big money; Enough to turn into a primary source of income. If it were not for Lorraine's persistence and vision (as well as dear Margaret too) - Bliss would never have evolved and succeeded.
Ahhhhhh - what a refreshing and romantic novel. And, perfect to have read it during the summer. A great summertime read.
Read it for yoruself - to fill in all the blanks I left. :)
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A story of three women and their problems with men . . ., August 1, 2004
This review is from: Like the First Time (Paperback)
No, it's not Rona Jaffe's "The Best of Everything." It's not Jacqueline Susann's "Valley of the Dolls." It *is* Francis Ray's "Like the First Time."
Ms. Ray puts her own spin on the time-honored, popular theme in women's fiction. "Like the First Time" is actually more of a mainstream romance, which means none of the women gets so distraught over the actions of a man that she hangs herself or swallows a bottle of pills (like the aforementioned titles.)
Clare, a lonely 39-year-old virgin, gets close to Gray while conducting business, and the attraction grows. But Gray holds back because He's Been Hurt. A typical romance plot, but to her credit, Ms. Ray paints a valid picture of Clare that doesn't make her status seem as incredulous as it sounds. She also throws in a family complication in the form of a character you'll love to hate. Ms. Ray also skillfully gives Clare more confidence in herself, a little at a time, where by the end of the story she's barely recognizable from the meek little milquetoast at the beginning.
More interesting to me was Brooke and John. Brooke has no problem with confidence. She's also somewhat of a gold digger, but she's always likeable. John is a working stiff, a widower with two young children, including a very solemn son who was touchingly but subtly portrayed as being very deeply affected by the death of his mother. The outcome of these characters, like the first set, is never in doubt, but it's nice to see Brooke become a more caring person in the process.
Most interesting to me was Lorraine, mainly because her outcome wasn't so clear. Ms. Ray also manages to give the reader insight into her unsupportive husband's (Hamilton) psyche and make him less unsympathetic. I still didn't like him, but at least I understood him better.
As I write this review I realize this book's strength is its rich character development. There are a few secondary characters tossed in, your standard villians and bad guys, but Ms. Ray ties it all in beautifully in the book's closing chapters.
Because no book is perfect, I must mention the typos, particularly in first third of the book. Misplaced commas confused some of the dialogue, making me unsure if the name mentioned was the person being addressed or the person being discussed. This threw me out of the story as I tried to figure it out. I found this annoying because I was so into the story. Fortunately, after a few times it stopped. I did find it amusing that when given ten minutes to change, Clare took "a quick bath." I also wondered how Clare, who never had much money to spend on clothes, could tell with one glance that her nemesis was wearing an Armani suit. Was the label sewn on the outside? I notice these things because I savor a good story like this one, and whenever I read something improbable it stands out like someone wearing a kente cloth outfit to a funeral.
Anyway, minor quibbles aside, this was a great book. Read it and enjoy!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shirley Person, May 18, 2004
This review is from: Like the First Time (Paperback)
This was a phenomenal novel. As always I am never disappointed with a Francis Ray novel. My heart went out Claire who was forever trying to help everyone; even her brother who did not deserve her help and especially her love. If anyone in the story deserved love and happiness, it was Claire. She was the most profound character in the entire novel. I adored the maturity of the three heroines and the way they banded together to build their business and the strong bond they developed for each other. The children of John's were beautiful and adorable. This was a poignant and compelling novel which I could not put down until I had completed reading it. Excellent novel!!
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