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The author effectively created an atmosphere of unease and suspicion. Like Kate and Fran, we wonder who the participants of the camp really are and what their intentions are. There are some interesting twists and turns, not only at the end of the book. The ending surprised me only to some extent, but it's more a matter of having read so many stories in this genre than anything else. I wasn't surprised by what happened to Jenna, but I didn't predict which people were involved and what their motives were. It was an interesting experience. Queen Latifah comfortably heads a cast who delivered solid, believable performances across the board (and some new faces to me). OK, the story was a bit contrived and some sequences were a bit far fetched (the snow board ride for instance) but it was a great deal of fun. This is my very first waltz with the author! Suspicious deaths, missing sister at a wellness retreat, mental gurus or charlatans with deep secrets, dysfunctional family members who are obsessed to know what really happened the daughter/ sister, narrated by three different vivid women characters, alternating between past and present: this formula truly worked for me!
The writing is terrible, it flip flops all over the place and there is so much detailed chatter it's driving me bonkers. Two years ago, Jenna went to a retreat in Malta organized by Tom Wade, the man behind SoulShrink. But she didn’t come home. She disappeared and the local authorities judged that she had committed suicide jumping from a cliff. One second ago, the grey-haired man had his right hand wrapped around a pole for balance and his left hand hanging loosely at his side. Now, that same left hand is gently stroking the bottom of the woman in front of him. Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. Clever twists and turns leave you guessing who’s genuine and who has something to hide.’ WOMAN & HOMESo, what does Fran’s mother do, when she learns that Tom Wade has been released after serving his two year prison sentence, and that he will be running another retreat? She books a spot for Fran, so she can go investigate her sister’s presumed death. So we have two main characters here, the sisters Jenna and Fran. A few years ago, Jenna took a wellness retreat on the Maltese island of Gozo and committed suicide under mysterious circumstances. Her mother cannot understand what happened to her ideal daughter and forces her much older sister, the rebellious Fran, to attend another retreat and find answers to the questions that haunt her. Once at the hotel, she sees the senator of Louisianna (who was supposed to attend her church service) and Congressman Kragen, the owner of the chain of shops that she works at. She also meets the hotel staff, ranging from a mean housekeeper to a kind chef she had wanted to meet. That is where the humor really starts. The movie was filmed on location and in the hotel, so audiences are treated to the beautiful ceilings-that, thanks to Queenie's suggestion, will make you want to cry-and the beautiful ski slopes and outdoor markets. There's nothing so glamorous as snow, and since this movie takes place over Christmas, it's even more gorgeous. As Queenie says when she looks at the view from her hotel window, "What world was I living in?" Also, since what remains of her life coincides with the end of the year, there's a poetic beauty about the scenery. Yes, it's the end of December, but everything's bright, beautiful, and full of life. The dangerous rafting experience was something no upstanding retreat would ever engage in with inexperienced people. They don't even know if these people can swim.
Queen Latifah play Georgina Byrd, a New Orleans saleswoman who learns that she only has a few weeks to live, so she decides to use her remaining time to take a dream vacation to a European resort. Once there, she starts taking on all sorts of risks and challenges because she really has nothing to lose.Don’t you dare, she thinks as the train slows, approaching the next station. Don’t you bloody dare. Queenie works in the cookware department of a department store. She loves to cook, follows recipes on cooking shows, and photographs her food, but she doesn't get to enjoy her creations. Instead, she eats Lean Cuisine. She has a crush on LL Cool J, one of her coworkers, but despite encouragement from her friend, Jane Adams, she barely has enough courage to say hello. She has an accident at work and gets a CAT-scan, which shows she has the very rare and incurable Lampington's disease. With only three weeks to live, she throws caution to the wind. She tells off her boss, cashes in all her investments, and plans a permanent vacation to the place she's always wanted to visit: Hotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia. I've also become a fan of LL Cool J who plays Sean Matthews , Georgia's co-worker who is destined to become her love interest. Here, the characters are fun to watch. Queen Latifah has that essential quality for a good comedian - she tugs at your heartstrings while the laughter is going on. She is great! LL Cool J is a wonderfully pleasant surprise. Tim Hutton is a good comedy villain: you loathe him - but not too much. (At the end, he seems to experience a change of heart, so I was slightly disappointed at his fate in the Epilogue.) Gerard Depardieu is especially good, and the rest of the cast is fine. My wife and I loved the setting, the cinematography and the fun script. This film made us laugh more than any film in recent memory. Fran is desperate to uncover the truth and books herself onto the retreat under a pseudonym so that she can come face to face with Tom Wade and find out what really happened to her sister. There is a lot of emotion surrounding the events of two years ago and a desire for the truth to remain hidden.
Two years ago, at a Soul Shrink retreat in Gozo, two guests died, and one guest went missing, presumed dead. I liked Fran and found her to be a realistic character- she was trying to investigate what happened to Jenna but is not a detective, thus she makes a lot of mistakes. There is also personal growth throughout the book, as she explores her relationship with Jenna and the rest of her family, as well as reflects on her current lifestyle. Some reviewers said there were plot lines left unresolved, but I actually think that was done purposely, allowing the reader to make their own decisions about the true motivations of some of the characters. The ending was tied up maybe a bit too cleanly, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. manages and organizes the retreats. Her husband Tom is the guru but she's the woman behind the man and she knows how to pull the strings.C. L. Taylor’s writing style is engaging and I have enjoyed her past work, so I look forward to reading what she releases next. But, this one was too OVER THE TOP, for me. 😕 EXCERPT: As Caroline continues to rant, Fran stares at her in awe. It's been a while since she met someone with such fervour and passion, such a powerful drive to vanquish injustice and reveal the truth. It's really quite inspiring, despite Caroline's dubious taste in knitwear. Fans of Taylor's writing will be happy to know she has a new novel coming soon - Her Last Holiday is about a woman named Fran who's determined to get to the bottom of her sister's disappearance, whatever it takes. The story, which looked at people's aspirations and dreams and the need to take every day as it comes, to enjoy life to the full (as we don't know what is round the corner) was played out with great passion and skill. Latifah's comedy acting (loved the raised eyebrow and sideways glances) was relaxed and easily won over the sympathy of the audience. Great, also, to see Gerard Depardieu again as I haven't seen him for a while.
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