Possibilities [Paperback]

Janet Sue Terry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 2002

Possibilities, is set in the turbulent 1960's, and is the story of a young woman named Nora Steele. She must face her worst fears, when she is dragged into a dark alley late at night, by abusive, would be rapist, Jason Merk. Despite the fact that she was raised in an orphanage, Nora lands a decent job just before she has to move out on her own. Her hard work and dedication pays off however, when she wins the respect of her employer, powerful Detroit Michigan defense attorney Houston Ripley, and he volunteers to pay for her college education, and then gives her an impressive promotion. Ultimately, masquerading as a newspaper reporter Nora locates her maternal grandparents, in historic Mariemont Ohio, and through them finds her mother, famous author, Amy Snider. Her life is almost perfect until Blake Baxter, on leave from the Navy, anticipating a tour in Vietnam, shows up at Jeff's party. Although he is accustomed to having his way with women, he can't get to first base with Nora Steele. Every time he turns on the charm, she insults him. The fact that she hates him, and sees him as a clumsy, annoying jerk, only intensifies his desire to win her over. Memorable characters include, Jeff Foster, an impressive and smart attorney with a perky personality, Rose, the Italian bookstore owner in Cincinnati, who works around the clock to keep her business open, Roy Rollick, the big redheaded farmer from London Kentucky who loves fat women, Laura, the orphan who dreams of becoming a doctor, Jane Goodbee, the compassionate head mistress of the Seventh Street Orphanage, Mindy Wilson, an aging heiress who is alone in the world, Samantha Tabor, the woman Blake Baxter expected to marry, and Susan, the beautiful negro paralegal that falls in love with a white man, even though her parents are over zealous in the civil rights movement.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: The Realm of Vandora (October 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972034412
• ISBN-13: 978-0972034418
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,429,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOOKING FOR A UNIQUE LOVE STORY? THIS IS IT!!!, March 9, 2005

By 

Betty L. Dravis "BETTY DRAVIS, author/reviewer" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Possibilities (Paperback)

Janet Sue Terry really knows how to bring her characters alive, especially her main characters, Nora and Blake. I felt I wasn't simply reading a book, I was dwelling in it ... living side-by-side with these magnificent characters.

The heroine, Nora, is my kind of woman: lovely, strong and independent, while at the same time being vulnerable. There were times I wanted to reach out and hug her, to encourage her ... while at other times I wanted to "slap" her and tell her to keep her mouth shut, to quit being "mean" and so "unfeeling" with Blake. That was early in their relationship, and before I learned that Nora had some underlying issues to settle before she could enter into a relationship with any man.

The hero, Blake, is my kind of man: handsome, strong, passionate, yet caring and kind, especially in the beginning of the relationship. I could readily have embraced him as the man of MY dreams. But later on, I often wanted to "throttle" him for his insensitivity to Nora's pain, especially when an ex-girlfriend entered the picture.

And Blake's snobby, domineering mother certainly didn't help the situation.

The orphans from Nora's past have grown into intriguing young adults. They're simply delightful, and fun to be around.
Nora's co-workers are wonderful, down-to-earth people who come more alive with each stroke of Terry's keyboard. Each character is different from the others and they make up for the indifference and "mean-spiritedness" on the part of some of the people surrounding Blake.

Another interesting element for me is that this story takes place in my home state of Ohio, and in Kentucky where my ancestors were born. It was fun "stomping around" Cincinnati and hearing a bit about London, Kentucky where my mother was born. I avidly pursued the accounts of Blake's visits to his Navy buddy who lived in Kentucky.

This book kept me up well past the hour of midnight, nights on end. I couldn't wait to see what happened to this charming, endearing, yet frustrating couple.

Actually, the ending left me wanting more. It screamed for a sequel, so I'm pleased that Terry has written more about them in Resolutions. I can't wait to read it and learn what Nora and Blake do with the rest of their lives.

Reviewer: BETTY DRAVIS, author of THE TOONIES INVADE SILICON VALLEY and MILLENNIUM BABE: THE PROPHECY

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars save your time and money, November 22, 2006

By 

Sandy Eggo (California USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Possibilities (Paperback)

I finally got fed up and skipped to the end only to find a self serving cliff hanger, meant to induce you to buy the next book. A good editing would have made it a little easier to read since the grammar would have been improved but the plot and characters are irritatingly thin.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great take along (anywhere) read!, May 4, 2005

By 

Linda James "Major Reader" (Winnipeg) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Possibilities (Paperback)

I purchased both of Ms. Terry's books, (as requested by a friend) to take along with me on my travels abroad and boy was I glad I did! I got so involved with reading them that before I blinked twice my 15 hour flight had come to an end. Too bad I didn't buy more of her books to read on my flight home!