Customer Reviews

Ten Big Ones (Stephanie Plum, No. 10) (Stephanie Plum Novels)

5 star:		(130)
4 star:		(93)
3 star:		(68)
2 star:		(44)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

This series has been consistently good. Some books are better than others. "Ten Big Ones" is not particularly inspired - but then "To The Nines" is a hard act to follow. The thing that is bothering me is that although Stephanie and Joe are growing characters - the rest of the cast is not. Ranger remains a one dimensional being. He is unable to share any part of himself. Janet continually creates opportunities for him to develop his relationship with Stephanie - and Stephanie is open to it but he is never able to be human. Lula is becoming cartoon character. I resent this very much. She began to grow when she stopped being a prostitute. She got a real job. Now, all she is - is bored - and I'm getting bored with her. She can be funny and outrageous and still become a person! Stephanie's mother is stiffled. When is she going to break-out of the rut? I want to see these people go somewhere. Not just Stephanie and Joe - but the whole cast. However, I like the way Joe and Stephanie are growing. As a couple, they are comfortable and Stephanie has time to continue finding herself. Joe is becoming a man, a partner. I agree with the other reviewers that the story line is becoming predictable. I think Janet needs to talk with people other than her fans and get some objective feedback. I will continue to read this series because I am fond of the characters but I hope that Janet will consider that there needs to be some substance within the slapstick.

I must say I don't agree with some of my fellow reviewers, I loved this. I get the Plum books on CD from my local library, sorry Amazon but, I do give you guys plenty of money already.

Back to Ten Big Ones. I may have to stop listening to these, I'm afraid of totaling my car because I'm laughing so hard, and this one had me going. True, there wasn't the usual high sexual tension between Stepahanie, Joe and "her mystery man" Ranger. But, it was more than made up for by a new character, Sally Sweet. You'll have to read or, listen, to learn more about Sally and his antics.

The ending is one in to die for, laughing that is.

I really like the Plum Books, especially the earlier ones, but I think it's time for the series to evolve a little (or at least bring the books back to the standard of the earlier ones, especially 1-5). The writing devices that make this series such a fun and satisfying read are overwraught in this one. Stephanie's independence comes across more like childish petulance, Joe and Ranger (as one reviewer stated) are terribly flat (What's up with Ranger punctuating every other sentence with "Babe?"), and the plot had the potential to be interesting but felt empty and underdeveloped. Even Grandma and Lula lacked their usual punch. Eveyone read like a caricature of themselves, even for what's considered a light read like this. Grandma gets sloshed at dinner, Mom Plum keeps makes the sign of the cross every time Stephanie leaves, and Lula's still a big woman and proud of it. Yes, all funny, but really been there, done that. There's so much more potential to mine with these characters that the author is selling them and herself short if she can't come up with new angles to make them interesting.

I was especially disappointed by Stephanie's character in this one. She started out the series as a smart, self-possessed, funny, adventuresome heroine and seems to have regressed to acting like a hormonal teenager (Can she stop whining about her family so much internally and speak up a bit more? Can she squeak less around Ranger? And even if she has decided to not settle down with Joe yet, can she act like an adult about it and not stomp out with a laundry basket full of clothes?) I like fun, but there's a difference between fun and the ridiculous and Ten Big Ones really leaned toward the latter.

Evanovich seems to be treading on the goodwill of her readers with this one. Perhaps it's an indication that it's time to wrap up the series in the next few books and go out while it's still on top. I'm only giving it 3 stars based on the fact that she has created some great characters and funny plots with this series overall and it was nice to revisit the world of the Burg. Hopefully she'll get back on track with the next one.

The plot is fun, as always. Stephanie's car is blown up, Lula shoots things she shouldn't, Valerie decides to marry her Kloughn, and a gang contract is put out on Stephanie's life. The humor is there, too, if a bit strained from time to time. Sally Sweet is back and trying very hard to stop swearing all the time: this makes for some fine Evanovich moments. But the plot is also strained and calls on racist stereotypes to depict its bad guys -- this was troublesome.

Also, the characters are no longer entirely themselves. Lula veers between Evanovich's version of "ghetto talk" and sounding entirely unlike herself. Stephanie is, as another reader put it, entirely too petulant. It's a little hard to believe she would be obsessing about Ranger's underwear when she knows she is next on a contract killer's list. Morelli tells Stephanie she should think about being a housewife. That doesn't seem like the edgy Morelli we all know and love. And Ranger? He seems to have lost his fun -- he was always a flat charcter who said "Babe" a lot and pulled Stephanie's pony tail more often than I cared for -- but he now exists only to react to Stephanie.

Another reviewer suggested that someone else has written parts of the book and I think this reviewer is on to something. There is a visible inconsistency in writing style within different parts of the book. Perhaps this would also explain the characters' devolution. It might also explain why plot elements from the past books are ignored. Wasn't Ranger supposed to be trying to get Stephanie back for sending the annoying matron after him in book ten?

The verb "angled" is used frequently -- another sign of sloppy, rushed writing. Snappy writing has been Evanovich's trademark. I mourn its loss in this book.

Oddly, the book focuses quite a bit on weight. Many charcters are defined in terms of their relationships to food. Stephanie becomes "fat" and begins a crash diet. Lula eats too much. Valerie is losing some weight but is still big. And so forth.. I wondered what was going on with this!

I would hope that Ms. Evanovich would take longer than a year for the next one so that she can work out the plot more fully and give her wonderful characters the time to round out. Stephanie needs to make some choices which may change the series quite a bit -- but ultimately make it more satisfying.

Buying recommendation: wait for the paperback or check out from the library. You aren't missing anything!

I generally enjoy Evanovich's books. This one tries too hard to be too cute, too humorous and too entertaining. Lula and Grandma characters add to a book if used in small doses-tiresome when used in big doses as in this book.

Sorry, I don't recommend "Ten Big Ones."

Deja Vu! I think I've read this book before. Everything in this book felt familiar; maybe because Janet Evanovich found her best-selling Stephanie Plum madcap romp formula. And she's laughing herself all the way to the bank. Ever since the books started going straight to the top ten lists, it feels like originality is sacrificed for "safe" humor. Follow a plotline or situation that has worked once before - just put a tiny new twist on it.

I love the books about Stephanie Plum. This one is no exception. My problem with the book was that I expected so much more from an author as creative and talented as Janet Evanovich. The books were different from the norm, and highly amusing. Now, they feel like a rerun of the Nanny - enjoyable, but you can always predict what is going to happen next, and with the lack of anticipation, some of the humor fades away to annoyance.

Several times I wanted to shake Stephanie for being so stupid. Since she remembers so much from her younger years, you think that she would remember things that happened recently (ie: from other books). I couldn't understand what motivated her behavior for most of the story: she should know better by now, learning from experience.

The book has WAY too much Lula and Grandma. I love these characters, but we see them so much that they're wearing themselves out. I've heard the fat and funeral parlor jokes one too many times for them to be as funny as they once were.

Unfortunatly, I don't see many of the legitimate fans opinions doing too much to change the direction of the series. The author merely has to slap her name on the book to sell a ton of copies, why change what is working?

Save your money, buy in paperback. You won't be as disappointed.

While this book had some funny scenes and some sexual tension, it was disappointing. I agree with the reviewer who said Ranger and Joe were flat. I also didn't get the feeling that either relationship had moved or changed.

There was only one car fire and even Grandma Mazur and Lula were boring in this one.

I got a strong feeling that someone else had a large part in writing this book; it just didn't feel like Janet's work and the writer seemed to have forgotten several important interactions between Ranger and Stephanie.

The book definitely has some good spots that make it worth reading, but if this had been the first in the series, I would not have bought the next one.

Hopefully, Janet's true writing will reappear in number 11. It's just too bad we have to wait another year to find out.

I've been a fan of Stephanie Plum and Janet Evanovich for years and I eagerly await each new book...Ten Big Ones is the first one I've been disappointed in.

I bought the book at 10pm the day after it came out and finished it around 3am the same night. The suspense of the book didn't keep me up reading though, I am just naturally a night owl and often stay up reading this late. Ten Big Ones seemed very rushed me...hurry, hurry to the next funny scene, hurry, hurry to the next encounter with Joe or Ranger. It never seemed to all gel together, the plot itself seemed like an afterthought, something to mix in with all the repeated family and Joe issues and the business with Ranger's shower gel! How many pages were devoted to that shower gel? I was thinking "Ok, Ok, I GET IT already!"

I love the characters of this series and I'm sure I will be reading #11, but not with the same anticiaption as the others. I don't want to say it's time to wrap up the series, but I will say it's definitely time to give it a facelift. The back and forth between Joe and Ranger is getting old. Pick one or dump them both already.

There seemed to be too much repetition of trivial facts but not much actual interaction of Stephanie with any of the other main characters. Seemed more like fluff to me than the first books she wrote. I probably won't reread this one as I have the others. Would like to see more Joe or Ranger.

I really like the series and enjoy Stephanie's typical little mishaps - but this one just didn't "feel right". As some reviewers have already remarked, the love triangle gets boring and her ditzy-ness in this installment really is more annoying then funny... I hope book 11 will return to its former class and charm.
It is still a decent read, especially if you are a Stephanie Plum fan - but it's far from the charm and quality of the first few books in the series.