Wishes [Import] [Hardcover]

Jude Deveraux (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Century
• ISBN-10: 0712651896
• ISBN-13: 978-0712651899
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,684,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jude Deveraux was once a fifth-grade teacher who loved to read. When her imagination began to be filled with her own stories to tell, her career as a writer began. Jude's novels have been set in both contemporary and historical periods. Her strong, lyrical writing style and ability to write stories with memorable characters, rich detail, and believable dialogue has garnered her many devoted readers.

Jude has had over thirty books on the New York Times bestsellers list, has over 60 million copies in print, and has been translated into 18 languages. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading murder mysteries, working in her garden, and in boxing class she likes to show much younger males that she can throw a mean right cross.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Near Perfect 10 *..., May 28, 2003

By 

Lealing (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wishes (Mass Market Paperback)

A cinderella like story for all of you out there who are not a perfect size 10!

Nellie Grayson is a "fat" 28 year old spinster who lives in Colorado 1896 and her life is devoted to caring for her penny pinching father and beautiful spoilt younger sister, Terel. Her life is turned upside down one day when Jace Montgomery, a handsome stranger arrives at their home in the town of Chandler. Jace is immediately struck by the kind, compassionate character of Nellie and confides in her of the grief he has been carrying for the past 4 years since the death of his wife in childbirth. Thus begins the courting of Nellie Grayson by Chandler's newly arrived most eligible bachelor.

A wonderful tale of true love and not lust, for a change. Nellie is the most selfless heroine you will meet and Jace a most kind and considerate man who sees Nellie as the true beauty she is. Terel is the most wicked nasty ... sister you could ever meet in a story. What more could you ask for? ...

Lealing

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet Story, April 7, 2006

By 

msbooklady "msbooklady" (Biloxi, MS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wishes (Mass Market Paperback)

This book begins with the death of Berni, a woman who made a living of marrying rich men, spending money to look young at other's expense and was basically a self centered selfish person. Berni dies and goes to the "Kitchen" a kind of half way place between heaven and earth where she must do a good deed for someone on earth to earn a place in heaven. Berni is assigned Nellie an overweight woman who is used by a servant by her selfish sister and father. Berni is turned off by Nellie because she is fat and thinks she wants to help Terel instead. Berni gives Nellie three wishes to use thinking it will show she is really a selfish person and will use them to get even with her family.

Nellie's sister Terel has the same kind of personality that Berni had while alive and Terel is very jealous of Nellie. Even though Terel has always been the popular sister, she is jealous that Nellie always draws people to love her because she is such a good person and is actually very beautiful. Terel keeps sweets around to feed Nellie when she is feeling depressed because she wants Nellie to stay fat so she never marries and always is there to take care of her. Nellie secretly wishes her family will always be comfortable, Terel will be popular and her father will be successful. She unknowingly uses her three wishes on other people.

Jace Montgomery, a wealthy associate of Nellie and Terel's father comes to dinner one night and instantly falls in love with Nellie. Nellie can't believe he actually likes her and Terel is extremely jealous. Terel plots to keep the two apart and spreads rumors that Jace is seeing women all over town and is actually dating Nellie to get to their father's money. What Terel knows and Nellie doesn't is that Jace is several times wealthier than their father. When Berni sees Nellie didn't use her wishes for herself she finally realizes that Nellie is a good person who deserves to be happy. Berni wishes Nellie to be thin thinking that will make her happy. Of course, that doesn't work.

After Terel plots and schemes, Nellie and Jace never get together. Berni comes to earth to straighten things out.

This story is a kind of cinderella and her fairy god mother story and is very sweet. The only disappointment I had was Nellie was a little too much of a victim. Enoughs enough already, give the girl a backbone. Still a very good story.

37 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A "fat" woman's perspective., November 6, 2005

By 

Anna Kelly (Woodinville, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wishes (Mass Market Paperback)

When I finished this book today I wanted to scream. As an obese woman I find it impossible to tolerate calling a woman of 160 something pounds of Nellie's stature overweight But what irritates me even more is that sweet Nellie wasn't found attractive by anyone except Jace, until she magically lost weight with the help of her Fairy Godmother. Then of course she becomes the most sought after woman in the entire town. Even in fiction can an entire town be that bigoted?

FYI even an obese woman can NOT sit down and devore 4 pounds of fudge without going into glucose shock, or scarf two entire bags full of pastries, cakes and donuts in one sitting without retching, or even move, after she has inhaled a roast that was intended to feed an entire family. These grotesque descriptions were wholly unrealistic unless Nellie is bulimic as well.

The inevitable sex scene in this book was ungratifying for me. There was little sexual tension or tender foreplay before Nellie and Chase consummated their relationship. Their behaviour was uncharacteristic of these two. I am weary of characters who fall into bed before marriage for the sake of 20th century book buyers.

There is one sentence in this book to treasure. When Nellie in her beautiful full figure descends the stairs to Chase, who is waiting to take her to a Harvest Ball she is overwhelmed by Jace's speechless adoration of her beauty. She finally truly feels beautiful when "For the first time in her life Nellie experienced how beautiful a woman can feel when her beauty is reflected in a man's eyes."

For this insightful sentence and the authors imaginative story line I gave it 2 stars instead of one star.