Customer Reviews

QUEEN OF BROKEN HEARTS

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

 

 

I would imagine that Cassandra King is delicate but tough, kind yet strong, generous yet committed, and a beautiful person and a fine writer. This is not prescience. . .this is fact which exudes from the pages of her latest novel, Queen of Broken Hearts. As I write this I feel guilty since I haven't totally finished the book yet, but I couldn't wait to write this review either. For anyone wondering how to spend a weekend or a luscious few hours a night for the week, buy this book. I was an English professor for over twenty years, I am a professional writer myself, and I know good fiction; yet, I could not have anticipated the siren-call of this intoxicating book. It is hypnotic and alluring, clever and subtle, and totally captivating. I work too hard, as do many of us. I rarely take an entire weekend just to read fiction that is not work-related. This is a rare treat for me. Cassandra King has not let me down with this book.

I LOVE Queen of Broken Hearts. I cannot put it down, but I can't read it too fast, either, as the characters are now becoming entwined in the fabric of my own life, and I am not ready to release them. Yet, today, I sat with this book on my lap, coffee by my side, flannel nightie tucked down around my feet like a sleeping bag. . . husband at bay in his library, the dog at my feet, and I felt just like a Norman Rockwell painting; but then something happened. I dozed off and found that my dreams were populated with Cassandra King's characters. I dreamed of Lex and Clare and wondered if Dory were feeling better or if her husband Son had tormented her some more. I found myself dreaming about Clare's dead husband Mack and seeing him in front of me. When I awoke, I had a feeling of disorientation that has only ever happened to me two other times: when I read The Great Santini and Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy, King's real life husband.

I am completely enthralled by this book and find myself thinking about the characters when awake or asleep, obviously! Cassandra King can draw her characters with a richness of canvas that evokes the passion of Impressionistic painters and the precision of the Realistic genre: emotions, motivation, desires so clearly emerge from King's characters that the palette of their life experiences blazes onto each page in full living color, creating at times a stroke so strong that a bas relief occurs, indelibly etching into the heart of the reader the angst, pain, joy, and triumph of each "new friend."

King's style is generally not overly lush, but still dances more to the Fitzgerald side than to that of Hemingway; but it is a unique and lovely style of its own that enlivens the characters, the setting, and the plot with a special texture all Southern yet at the same time universal in its portrayal. Events spring from the pages until they are so real that the reader feels not as if she is following a fictitious story, but that, instead, the characters are standing, like Dory, all smiley and lovely, waving her in until she is invited to join that special inner circle created in the pages. I am most impressed.

Some of my favorite lines are: "Never, ever assume that things can't get worse" (18); "For one thing, it's beautiful, as he was. Not many pictures ever caught that dreamy, faraway look of his, a look that set him apart from any man I've ever known, before or since. It's a fairly dark photo, taken at night in a room lit by candles, and each of us is illuminated by the yellow flash of the camera in a strange sort of way. It makes us look ghostly, unreal, frozen in the moment. It's as though I'm looking at dead people who lived years ago, people I don't know, long dead. It's a ridiculous and fanciful notion. . ." (32); "'Issues,' Lex snorts. 'God, I hate that world. It's so self-indulgent'" (33); "It was that soft pearl-gray time when the sun has retired but dusk hasn't yet pulled up the covers of the night" (116); "Stunned, I moved toward him blindly and instinctively, my hands reaching for him like a drowning person might reach for a life preserver. Moving quickly, Mack pulled me closer against him and all he said was 'Clare. . .oh, my God.' With that, I was lost. The fears, the inhibitions, the uncertainties left me. Like the car top, they folded in on themselves, disappearing from my sight and allowing the crystal beauty of the night sky to shine down on us" (118).

WHEW! I would continue with this review, but I have to get back to Fairhope . . .
Cheryl Roberts, Ph.D.

Nobody writes quite like a Southerner...when at their best, as is Cassandra King in this lovely tale, their words flow like honey and molasses, and you can become transported to a slower way of life, the heat of a steaming Southern Day, and the lull of polite hospitality.

All of that is present in this wonderful tale of Alabama therapist Clare, mother of one adult daughter, grandmother of two, and, in her late 40s, early widow. Clare specialized in inter- and post-divorce private and group sessions, and has become somewhat renowned for her "asunder" ceremonies, which mark the end of a divorced person's successful healing.

But Clare has deep problems of her own, which she refuses to acknowledge in her need to be strong for everyone around her: daughter Halley, whose marriage is becoming disturbingly rocky; dearest friend Dory, whose tempestuous on-again, off-again marriage with Son (now THERE'S a Southern name!) is taking its toll; cousin-by-marriage Rye, whose unrequited love for her Clare continues to ignore; sexy divorced Yankee Lex, who could easily become more than the dear friend he is; and her mother-in-law, the irrascible, one-of-a-kind Zoe Catherine, whose bird sanctuary is the talk of the town.

Can Clare continue to give, give give without anything coming back to nourish her own soul? And more importantly, will she ALLOW anybody to provide that nourishment?

That question remains at the heart of this achingly wonderful novel, which I highly recommend to anyone who loves Dorothea Benton Frank, Anne Rivers Siddons and so many other of our valued and special Southern women writers.

Characters are pretty numerous but not so many we can't keep up with them. Clare, the main character is a divorce therapist who lost her husband in a tragic accident. Dory (short for Isadore) is her best friend; Dory's husband Son Rogers is wealthy and is not Clare's best friend. Haley is Clare's daughter, whose husband Austin is a real jerk. Two men are romantically interested in Clare: Lex, a Yankee from Maine who owns a marina; and Rye, who is old Fairhope and a close friend of Clare's dead husband Mack. Add to this a few honest-to-goodness characters like the bird lady/mother-in-law and her strange old boyfriend Cooter and you have a colorful crowd of believable characters.

The plot of the novel belongs to the three women, Clare, Dory, and Haley--their actions, relationships (especially with each other), their reactions move the chain of events in very Southern ways. Ways, we may know something about: manipulation, mysteriousness, emotional highs and lows, and amazing courage and sensitivity.

This is a wonderful novel whose theme seems to be importance of seeing life as a journey with its crossroads; however, I prefer to think its biggest message is the strength of friendship between women.

QUEEN OF BROKEN HEARTS by Cassandra King is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It is poignant, uplifting, tear-jerking and insightful.

When I opened the book to the first page, my heart plummeted. First person point of view--not my favorite. I'd just finished another review book in first person that I most definitely did not like. Not only was this one in first person, but present tense--a double whammy. To say I started reading with a negative attitude in place would be a truism.

Then the story took over and I forgot about the point of view. While the present tense did occasionally intrude, the story was so well written that I couldn't count that against it. Like STEEL MAGNOLIAS and FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, this is a story of the deep South, but it touches on themes that affect us all.

The story is set in a small Alabama coastal town and centers around Clare, a therapist who has her own problems. Clare, a widow, runs group sessions and retreats for women going through divorce. Her work is everything to her, even taking precedence over the two men who want her as more than just a friend. She can dish out advice, but when it comes to taking it herself, Clare has more than a few problems.

Full of quirky characters, QUEEN OF BROKEN HEARTS will make you laugh and cry, cheer and boo, but most of all, it will make you keep reading to the very end. The story has a touch of romance and all the angst you can handle as you get a peek at the lives of the inhabitants of Fairhope. This one is definitely a keeper.

Reviewed by Vicky Burkholder
04/23/2007

4.5-Books on WUAT = 5-Stars on Amazon

There have been several interesting and colorful reviews on this book. I simply want to say that I recently finished reading QoBH and enjoyed it very much.

I discovered her book "The Sunday Wife" several months ago and after reading TSW, I soon "devoured" all of Cassandra's books. Needless to say, I lost many hours of sleep becauseI couldn't put them down; -- nor did I want them to end!!! Via her guestbook, I have requested she write sequels to her books; that's how involved and captivated you become with all her characters.

I'm a Northern lady who absolutely loves Cassandra's "Southern style" of writing. When I learned that author, Pat Conroy is her husband, I was pleasantly surprised since he is also one of my favorite authors.

QoBH may not be for "rocket scientists". Since some details about the storyline and characters have already been addressed by other reviewers, I will simply say: if you're looking for a good, entertaining, captivating, enjoyable, relaxing easy read, this book will do it for you, as will all of Cassandra's books. You will laugh with her characters, become emotionally involved in the situations and circumstances of their lives and you will shed some tears.

In my opinion, Cassandra King (and her husband Pat) is a tremendously gifted writer and I hope she (and he) will be writing books for many, many years to come.

Queen of Broken Hearts by Cassandra King is a combination chick-lit and Southern tale. This delightfully charming novel takes place in Fairhope, Alabama.

Clare Ballenger is a psychologist who specializes in helping people (mostly women) put their lives back together as they navigate through a divorce. She is in the process of building a retreat on land given to her by her mother-in-law, Zoe Catherine. Unfortunately for Clare, her own marriage ended with the death of her husband in a tragic accident. While Clare's specialty is helping others, she seems unable to help herself. Although she has two possible romantic interests, she keeps both at arms length, refusing to trust her heart to love again. She also wears blinders when it comes to the marriage of her daughter.

King excels in her characters, and Broken Hearts is filled with a number of quirky individuals. There is Lex (sturdy marine owner from Maine), Rye (the pretty local society boy) and Zoe (who lives in a bird sanctuary and has shunned society). There is also daughter Haley and best friend Dory. King writes of strong relationships between Clare and the women in her life. Their friendships are a driving force in helping all the women deal with adversity.

While I enjoyed Queen of Broken Hearts, I thought the plot was a bit predictable. But only a Southern author can write a good Southern tale, and I look forward to each book that Cassandra King writes.

I really enjoyed this book...in fact have loaned it to friends .

The book started really slow for me and didn't grab me to read on at all. I stuck to it though and am glad I did. I can relate to the "letting your husband go" aspect of the main character (since I loss my husband just 2 yrs ago)and learning to let yourself be loved again. At times, it felt like 'past' information was withheld from the reader for too long (how her husband died for instance). I loved the book though in the end.

Clare Ballenger is an extraordinary woman who has finally come into her own after many years of being in the shadows. Since her marriage ended in tragedy, Clare has focused exclusively on her lucrative career as a divorce therapist. While helping hundreds of men and women mend their broken hearts, Claire chooses not to follow the sound advice she dishes out to her clients. Falling in love again is the last thing she wants.

Clare is furious when her best friend, Dory, decides to reconcile with estranged husband Son. After all, Son doesn't really deserve Dory...or so Clare thinks. Finally realizing that Son and Dory will be staying together, her attention shifts to her own situation. Although fully aware of how lonely her life has become, she constantly beats herself up about her husband Mack's shocking death. Was it her fault?

As if her demons couldn't haunt her any more, Clare has her hands full with her daughter. Haley, the product of a fling her husband had before they were together, experienced a horrible childhood, but Clare found it in her heart to welcome the girl with open arms. Mack never liked Haley's spouse, Austin. Always the one to spot things, Clare drops the ball on Austin and is blind-sided when he leaves Haley and her grandchildren for another woman. Wanting to be there for her daughter, Clare is unconsciously forced into confronting her own mishaps and skeletons. It's amazing what you see when you take the time to look in the mirror.

Wanting to be loved, but trapped in the comfortable position of shutting herself out, Clare has some difficult decisions to make. Should she open up and confront her past, move on and live somewhat happily ever after? Or should she wallow in self-pity, guilt and a psychotic need to constantly relive the not-so-perfect life she had with her deceased husband? It's bad enough that Rye, Mack's cousin, has been chasing Clare since his death. But then there's also Lex, a retired sea captain and new owner of the marina, who's very interested in her --- though Lex's ex-wife is hell-bent on rekindling their relationship. When does the madness end?

Cassandra King pens a novel full of self-reflection, truth and honesty that will compel readers to think about their own lives as well. Witty and light-hearted with some grim and poignant moments, the storyline shows how very hard it is to face your demons, whatever they may be. King does an excellent job of portraying how life has its own way, whether we like it or not. But what we choose to do with it is an entirely different story.

If you're looking for an inspiring read, QUEEN OF BROKEN HEARTS certainly does the trick. One thing is for sure: When traveling on the road to self-discovery, it can be a long ride home.

--- Reviewed by Belinda Williams

This heartwarming story had a great setting & interesting characters that became as real as can be. I hated to leave them when I got to the end of the book. ( To me, this is the mark of a great book.) I highly recommend this book and can only hope that Cassandra King will consider a sequel so that we can pick up where the story ended.