Der Anfang aller Dinge

by Nora Roberts

Der Anfang aller Dinge - bk102; Heyne Verlag; Nora Roberts; pocket_book; 2006

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Roman, Collections, Chick Lit

Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

Reviews

[SnooRegrets · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Another one of Roberts old romances. I decided to stay away from re-reads of her 80‘s and early 90‘s books, because they are hard to stomach for me and mostly I don‘t like them.

This one has been different. I remember that I really liked it when I read it as a teen and I am still enjoying it. Although the problem I normally have with her old stories : a way too pushy Hero - reared it’s ugly head yet again, I didn‘t find it too annoying.

Perhaps because other for his megalomaniac behaviour he sometimes showed, I really liked Thorpe. He was daring and rakish and although he didn‘t know what the word no means, a very likeable character. I even enjoyed how persistent he was and that he fell in love with her before she even really thought about seriously meeting him.

The other big plus was Olivia. Although she was at times a little pushover for Thorpe, she also was a driven and strong heroine, that really moved me with the tragic story of her past.

And no damsel in distress scenes, that was another plus.

All in all I just really enjoyed the flow and feel of the story - it may not be one of her best works, but it moved me and kept my eyes on the screen - so mission accomplished.

[Lyndi W.]

Ten sentences in and I read "he was a 35 year old black with"... Oh, he's not even a man, just a black. *sigh* Okay, so you guys know I'm very forgiving of these older books because I understand times were different and what was acceptable in the 80s is not acceptable over three decades later. However... I'm forgiving of the arrogant and pushy heroes, not the dehumanization of black people. Which wasn't even acceptable in the 80s, so what the fuck, Nora? And while this story might be great, I'm so turned off by this stupid sentence on page one that I have no desire to continue and actually give this book a chance.

[Francesca ❆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so delightful and I’m so sad it was so short because the story could’ve easily been stretched out into a full length novel.
Liv and Thorpe were such an intriguing pair: she has been carrying some heavy emotional baggage and once her story is told, you understand why she’s so reluctant to give herself to love so completely; Thorpe remained a bit of a mystery in my opinion: the few tidbits we learn hints of as much of a complicated past as Liv’s, it it’s not explored as it deserved to be.
The background being D.C. and the political scene viewed through the journalism’s eye added a certain contrasting tone to the romance which was quite fine.

[Elaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book hasn’t aged well, Thorpe is pushy, lacks understanding of consent and pushes Liv into doing things she is verbally saying no to over and over again. He badgers her until she gives into him and that is not consent. Liv is emotionally damaged by events earlier in her life and has forged a career for herself aside from her love life, Thorpe seems to “love” her without even knowing her, other than how beautiful she was and how she presented herself on the media.

[Ruby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Nora Roberts usually but this is not one of her best. I think it's pretty shallow and not my favourite story...

[Bojana Petrova · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's nothing more to the characters than what's given in the description above. In my opinion they are very shallow and badly developed (just like in most of her books) and you cannot really connect with them. I didn't like it, nor enjoyed reading it because of its predictability, but I suppose it's not bad for a teenage romance novel.

[Penny Blake · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the worst piece of garbage I’ve read in a long time. “Strong woman” meets strong bullying man who consistently forces himself upon her, whilst she breathlessly allows herself to succumb to his charms. OK it was written in 1984, but this was a bodice ripper of the worst kind. I sincerely hope the author is embarrassed by this.

[MissKitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Nora's older books, I read it and loved it even then. The Hero is in pursuit of the heroine who is a strong independent woman and resisting him fiercely. She is a bit stubborn, but then she has a heartbreaking back story that the Hero eventually uncovers.

Loved this book.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm beginning to think my plan to read all of Nora Roberts' books wasn't the best plan. Her early works haven't dated well with men who have a sense of entitlement to the women they want and a sense of pressure towards the woman.

[Alycia Bouëdron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jusqu’à présent, je n’avais lu que des trilogies de Nora Roberts et toutes avaient une part de fantastique dans leur intrigue. Ayant beaucoup aimé les deux univers dépeints dans ces sagas, j’avais envie de me plonger dans une autre histoire de l’auteure, mais en choisissant un roman unique cette fois-ci. Parmi ceux que j’avais dans ma bibliothèque, j’ai opté pour La Rivale. J’avais besoin d’une lecture légère, mais aussi de découvrir autrement la plume de Nora Roberts.
Je dois reconnaître que j’ai été un peu déçue par ce roman. Certes, je savais déjà que les romances de Nora Roberts étaient prévisibles, comme ce fut le cas dans les deux trilogies que j’ai lues, mais je m’attendais tout de même à quelques rebondissements ou événements inattendus. Malheureusement, cela n’a pas été le cas. Dès les premières pages, le lecteur peut savoir comment La Rivale va se terminer, et je trouve cela vraiment dommage. Cela est accentué par le fait qu’il n’y a pas du tout d’action, on ne fait que suivre les deux personnages principaux dans leur quotidien, rythmé par un « suis-moi, je te fuis, fuis-moi, je te suis ». C’est assez redondant et finalement peu convaincant. Ajoutez à cela un protagoniste macho, insistant et parfois irrespectueux, on a le combo parfait pour une romance peu éthique. Je conçois parfaitement que le livre ait été publié en 1984 et que les choses aient évolué en 35 ans, mais cela s’apparente trop à une relation toxique sur certains points pour que ce soit acceptable.
Concernant le titre, je ne suis pas sûre qu’il soit véritablement adapté à l’histoire. J’avais plutôt imaginé un triangle amoureux ou une rivalité professionnelle plus prononcée. Or, cet aspect de l’intrigue est secondaire et pas suffisamment développé, à mes yeux, pour qu’il fasse l’objet du titre. C’est peu révélateur, finalement, de l’ensemble du roman.
En définitive, je reste sur ma faim suite à la lecture de La Rivale de Nora Roberts. Ayant été davantage emportée par ses autres romans, j’avais certainement de grandes attentes concernant celui-ci. Ces dernières n’ont malheureusement pas été comblées. Je garde néanmoins l’espoir de retrouver le plaisir de mes lectures précédentes avec les autres titres qui attendent dans ma bibliothèque.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as part of the Every Nora Roberts Book in Publishing Order book club. Notes pasted below exactly as written while reading.

Endings and Beginnings
- Hope that 1984 is better than 1982/83!
- Starting off strong with a murder
- Finely boned ughhhhh
- 28! Not exactly an ingenue. Okay, okay.
- Reporters. Huh.
- So he’s been… stalking her for over a year? Icky.
- He’s a bully.
- She’s been very clear she doesn’t like him so he just kisses her. Lovely. Back on your same bullshit, eh, nora?
- She says no. He grabs and pulls and throws a fit.
- I’m calling dead baby.
- Thorpe gets all butthurt because Liv has a past and a man who cares about her and treats her with kindness and respect.
- ‘“I’ll have to learn about the other men you let hold you so I can dispose of them. … I’m going to marry you.”’ HOW DEVASTATINGLY ROMANTIC OF YOU
- Honestly if it wasn’t for that display of aggression in the face of sexual rejection earlier I would like Thorpe, but I just can’t forgive being rapey.
- Aahhhhh the IRA is mentioned, reaffirming we are indeed in the 80s
- Man running into a hail of bullets while doing his job berates woman for doing literally the same thing. NEWS AT 11! (Because they’re reporters, get it?)
- THE FIRST ITALIAN HOMEMADE DINNER OF THE NOVELS!!! Hurray! I was wondering when they’d show up!!
- Fucking DOUG
- Definitely Doug’s fault. They make baby swings for a reason.
- I’m getting more Nora and less 1980s romance from the last part of this novel and I appreciate it
- Ooooo we have some violence. A hostage situation. Tension. The first real drama of the novels.
- He just watched a man kill himself and he’s… cracking a joke? He needs therapy.
- Three stars rounded up.

[Agu wSieci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Autorka nie opisuje scen erotycznych w sposób sztampowy czy tani. Przedstawia je jako wyjątkowo głębokie, emocjonalne doświadczenia bohaterów. Język książki jest prosty, nawet fabuła niezbyt skomplikowana. Może to dlatego, że Nora napisała to na początku swojej kariery (książka napisana została w 1984 roku). Jednak powiem, że nie mogłam się od niej oderwać. Wciągnęła mnie całkowicie i z zapartym tchem czytałam kolejne strony. Nat, żebyś Ty widziała jak się ekscytowałam! Wielokrotnie miałam w głowie myśl, że, tak jak Liv, stoję gdzieś w pracy i podchodzi do mnie ON, facet, przy którym miękną mi nogi, i całuje mnie namiętnie. Chyba mam zbyt wybujałą wyobraźnię... Ale wracając do historii, to muszę przyznać, że zaczynam podziwiać autorkę. Niby tylko romans, niby żadnej akcji ani tajemnicy, niby nic ciekawego, ale naprawdę wciąga!

Całość recenzji tutaj:
https://agu-w-sieci.blogspot.com/2015...

[L.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading some of Roberts' old books and I have to say this is the first one that shows a glimmer of the writer she would eventually become. There was still a lot of "you're going to marry me whether you like it or not" macho BS and everyone smoking cigarettes and wearing shoulder pads, but she fleshed out a pretty likeable female main character. Instead of just pretending to be a strong woman, while letting the man boss her around and force her to do whatever he wanted, this main character actually seemed to have a little spine (just a vertebrae or two but infinitely better than the willing victims in earlier books). It makes me want to read some of her later books that are still in my TBR pile because there really is no one who can write a romance novel like Roberts in her prime.

[Katie Kaste · Rating 3 out of 5]

News flash… love is in the air

Liv is a no nonsense reporter for a local D.C. station. T.C. is everything Liv wants to become. He is a national reporter with many connections. These two rivals start crossing paths and go out to get drinks. The beginning of this was hard for me to like T.C. He was arrogant and really had a hard time with no. It was a little too aggressive with a woman who clearly was traumatized and needed more time. I wish their emotional chat would have happened before they got together, but that is why this is a three-star read. I love Nora’s writing which is what pulled me through this guy I didn’t like. I’m of course going to keep working my way through Nora’s backlist.

[Ashton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love most of the Nora Roberts books that I've read and am slowly reading through her whole bibliography. Absolutely adore her newest ones Inheritance and the Mirror for example. This one... Isn't one of those. Page one turned me off right out of the gate by describing one of the MC's coworkers as a "35 year old black" and that's it. That's the entire character depth and description they gave him. Then the male lead is a creepy stalker. This one just didn't age well at all and is very much written for the year it was published. Her writing style definitely sounds more like her later books here and not so generic, but that's about all this book had going for me. It ended up in the didn't finish pile if I'm honest.

[RomanceIsMyJam]

I can’t rate this as I only made it to page 26 and DNF’d. I couldn’t possibly fathom reading a whole story of Liv and Thorpe’s hostile, charged banter and tension. The underlying story setting of a world of politics isn’t my jam either typically. Suppose it could be with the write plot, but this isn’t it. Even the mystery of Liv’s past didn’t hold my interest. Couldn’t relate to either character and nothing made me care.
From what I read I give it a 1.5 star rating. This is someone’s great story, but not mine. Wouldn’t recommend.
And as others have noted the comment/description of Brian is really offensive and a shallow. Shameful.

[Trista Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this one was Private Scandals before Private Scandals. Liv is a tough, top notch reporter for a local Washington affiliate who puts men into two categories - Safe and Dangerous. T.C. is definitely in the dangerous column. Like PS the the heroine has some serious emotional baggage and like PS the hero is already in love with her before the story begins. Since PS is one of my favorite Nora books, this one makes the grade with me. It was actually fun reading a story that reminds me so much of one of my favorite books.

[A G A VAN DEN BOS · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that reeks of abuse. We have a female who has clearly suffered some trauma in her past stalked by a male who has an obsessive need to dominate her, despite her protestations. From the outset, it is a story of the male determined to have his way, and when he finally does, convinces her that violent sex is the best form of therapy she could receive.
There is also a part of the story that very closely resembles 9/11 and while the story preceded the actual event, one wonders if the violence and terrorism notable in this book may have unintentionally also acted as a stimulant.

[Ashley Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here she is!
I really loved this story. Definitely more like Nora now.

I really loved Liv, I think her character especially had depth, and her "secret" really threw me and had me very emotional. I definitely felt for her, in that moment.

And TC? Here is a man that I could fall in love with, and the kind of men that Nora writes now.

This gives me hope that the rest of the 80s won't be too terrible.

[Cheryl Ruhman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Nora Roberts best

Loved both characters, he was strong and good and brave. She was hurt, vulnerable and trying to bury the pain, but also trying to hide from herself what she had lost, so she could cope with life while trying to escape the memories, to me she was also very brave

[Kshydog · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit better plot with a strong woman and strong man. Liv has a promising career and stays on task with it. Hers is local DC news but national reporting by Thorpe takes precedence and that bugs her. Since Liv has a past that causes her to be insecure in love she becomes a challenge to Thorpe when he falls for her. Exciting but predictable story ending.

[CorrieGM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik zie overal, dat het boek niet eerder vertaald is, maar ik heb hier toch wel vage herinneringen aan. En ik kan me niet herinneren het eerder in het Engels te hebben gelezen.

Verder uiteraard een echte Roberts: het zit goed in elkaar. Wel heel duidelijk jaren tachtig, ik ben gewoon opgelucht als hij even wat onzeker is.

[Jennifer Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can definitely tell that this book was written awhile ago! The story isn't bad, but it's not something I would recommend to readers unless they like ones that aren't up to date. Glad I got this from the library and didn't buy it.

[Cheryl Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful combination of love and suspence

This book is exactly what I expect from. Nora Roberts. The characters were believable and real. The story was engrossing. Very well written.

[Jim Lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing read can transport you to another world where romance reign supreme than the bland mundaneness of routines.

I especially like the way how Nora Roberts invoked lust and passion and interspersed them with intriguing events that eventually swept the characters into romance and marriage.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good. No suspense and no mystery to me anyway. It was obvious from the beginning what her emotional stickler was. Again this is one of her beginning books so the story is not as involved as her later books.

[Cathie McManus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olivia thinks T.C. is always jumping in front. He wants her to loosen up. He loves her. She is concealing something. Eventually she tells him the whole secret. I was shocked to hear what it was.

An exciting ending.

[Pamela Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endings and Beginnings

A pleasant read for a couple of days enjoyment.
A great novelist creates a great romance story with the right mix of imagination and reality of life in a mix.
So read and enjoy.

[Dawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

80s romances portray stalking and rape culture really well. Unfortunately it's under the guise of romance and true love, that the guy just knows the woman loves him and ignores her protests, and the woman of course melts in his hands. That ruined it for me.

[OutofContextRomance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book a truly uncountable number of times, and if it isn‘t really a five-star romance, it doesn‘t matter, because something about these two imprinted on me a very long time ago, and there‘s no way to have any objectivity about such a thing.