Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is her best novel to date (and I've read them all!), May 12, 2000
This review is from: Wild Oats (Paperback)
I'm amazed noone else has written a review of this book yet! I just got thru reading all of PM's books and this is my favorite of them all! (the rest are just as good but I must admit Cora and Jedwin are my 2 favorite characters. They are good, caring people, in heart and deed. They inspire each other and encourage each others dreams.(hint: this is a good thing) Nor do they play silly little mind games by teasing each other, hurting each other intentionally & other mean & nasty things. The beauty of PM's books are that they don't focus on anything bad, negative or evil. If you like positive stories, about good every day kind of people, then this is for you. If you need horror, murder, time travel, sci-fi added to your romance, this isn't the book. Nor is this about a Duke, a princess, an Earl, an heiress or a Lord. (gosh, aren't there enough of those kinds of books out there already?) But what it is, it is the best at. Romance. Sweet, warm, romance. (with enough spice to "kick it up a notch") The characters in this book aren't rich yet they are rich with feelings, caring and thoughtfulness. But what I love most of all is that he pursues her and declares his love for her first. Any reader who's read more than one romance novel knows what a rare situation that is. Even when she gives up on them, he doesn't. Sigh....isn't that romantic? Furthermore, you know what they are feeling. Why they feel the way they do. This part is what make a good writer a great writer. The ability to make me "feel" the mood of the book. Heck, I'm no angel but after I got thru reading the book, I wanted to be more virtuous, I wanted to think that the few uncaring, cold people in my life maybe had reasons for being that way, that maybe they aren't that bad after all. Yes, this is a feel good book. Last but certainly not least, you get a little more spice than you would from any Lavyrle Spencer novel.(Lavyrle is another favorite of mine and she has her strengths but I don't read her novels for spice) I mention her because both authors can write about the most simplest, poorest people living in the smallest, most desolate towns but at the end of the book, you're left feeling warm all over because you're left feeling richer in the heart than any Duke, prince, or heiress could in their pocketbooks. (Not to mention my libido)Heck, who am I kidding, I was feeling warm all over, PERIOD!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Cute Americana, unusual characters, October 13, 2002
This review is from: Wild Oats (Paperback)
Wild Oats is the story of divorcee Cora Briggs, and her love for Jedwin Sparrow (urk, what a horrible name, what was the author thinking?!) Don't be put off by the hero's name however! This story was excellent, and unusual. Cora , an orphan, married Luther Briggs, her first husband, little realizing he did not love her. After the marriage, Luther abandons her to live with his Cherokee wife. Rather than pine for him, Cora files for divorce, earning a bad reputation in the process. Enter Jedwin. Jedwin, who is an undertaker, is as unlikely a hero as can be. For one thing, he is kind, gentle and shy, for another thing, his mother has always hated Cora and made her life miserable. Jedwin enters her life, hoping a liaison with her will improve his `straight arrow' reputation. Believing she is a `fallen woman' he proposes to become her lover in exchange for doing chores and a monthly stipend. Cora is insulted and starts to show him the door, when she decides to allow him to court her... At first to spite his mother, but eventually, because she comes to care for him. This was a really unusual book. Jedwin is an unlikely, but loveable hero. Cora is a smart and practical heroine. I even came to like the secondary romance between Jedwin's mother and the undertaker. If I had to say I didn't like anything about this novel it would be, that the hero allowed his mother to dominate him a little too much for my comfort level. My second complaint about this novel is it is way too short! Otherwise an excellent Americana, well worth the investment.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The unwilling undertaker and the "wild divorced woman". My, my!, May 23, 2009
I don't know what is going on with Amazon but this review is for "Wild Oats" by Pamela Morsi.
I realize that this book is only available on Amazon in paperback for a ridiculous price, but, believe me, you CAN and SHOULD find it in a used paperback book store. Published in 1993, it is still a darn good read. Here is the back cover information:
"The last thing Cora Briggs expected was to see a fine young man like Jedwin Sparrow at her doorstep. After all, she'd been shunned by the citizens of Dead Dog, Oklahoma, for so long that she'd given up hope of having any respectable gentleman callers.
But the last thing Jed expected was romance. He was looking for a sophisticated woman to help him sow his wild oats. Instead, Cora made him a proposition of her own - one that would cause a fury in the town - and cause her to question her own heart..."
Every once in a while I have go get out one of these really sweet historical romances set in the Western Unites States just to prove to myself that an author who knows how to write can make a wonderful story of romance. Cora Briggs had been married to the son of Dead Dog's leading family only to find that she had been used as a pawn. She scandalized everyone by demanding a divorce, getting that divorce, and then having the temerity to live right there among the outraged citizens. And not only that, she rode a bicycle, yep, a bicycle. And as if that wasn't enough, she practiced physical exercises according to Daisy Millenbutter's book "A Ladies' Guide to Good Health, Fine Posture, and Spiritual Completeness". What WAS the world coming to?
Jedwin Sparrow inherited Sparrow Mortuary from his father. They were the only undertakers anywhere around so it was definitely a good business to be in. Jedwin's problem was that he absolutely could not stand to perform the functions needed to prepare a body for a funeral. His mother, Mrs. Amelia Pratt Sparrow, wasn't going to let a little thing like Jedwin's discomfort get in the way. She had a social position to maintain and a cause to push forward. She was going to make sure that the name of Dead Dog was changed to a more appropriate one so the town would be named as the capital of Oklahoma when it was granted statehood.
This story is so sweet, so warm, so gentle. When Jedwin goes to Cora Briggs' house with dishonorable intentions on his mind the way this author handles that meeting is funny but sad at the same time. Jedwin is so innocent but he doesn't want to be innocent. He fully expects Cora to help him get over that hurdle once and for all. Cora is surprised, then angry, then charmed by Jedwin. Her reputation is in tatters because she is divorced, but she certainly doesn't need to be the cause of more whispers around town. Being the citizens favorite source of gossip has worn very, very thin over the last nine years.
This book is highly recommended as a sweet novel that will make you smile and make you glad that you have read it. For those who are interested in content, there are sexual situations without benefit of marriage between Cora and Jedwin. Believe me, when judged by today's romance fiction standards, this book can be read by grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and older teenage daughters. Basic television sitcoms seem to be way more suggestive and explicit than this book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
|
