Spirit Willing, Flesh Weak

by Julie Cohen

Rosie Fox is a liar. A really, really good liar. But when you’re a stage psychic who’s not actually psychic, you have to be. Then one night, while pretending to commune with the dead relatives and pets of her audience, Rosie makes a startling prediction – which tragically comes true. Suddenly she’s trapped in a media frenzy, spearheaded by the impossibly handsome journalist Harry Blake, a man intent on kick-starting his stalled career by exposing Rosie as a fraud. Yet when his interest in her goes from professional to personal, she thinks she can trust him not to blow her cover – but maybe she’s making a huge mistake.

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

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Julie Cohen (also writing as Julie Mae Cohen) is an award-winning, bestselling author and a popular teacher of creative writing. She was born in Maine in the USA, and currently lives in the UK with her family and a terrier of dubious origin.

Reviews

[Sina & Ilona Glimmerfee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zum Glück hatte ich das englische Cover gesehen! Die Story handelt nämlich nicht von einem IT-Girl im Cabrio, sondern von ein Medium.
Rosie beteibt kaltes Wahrsagen, soll heißen, dass sie sich Menschen genau ansieht, ihre Formulierungen vage hält und dann immer wieder ihre Aussagen angleicht. Man könnte auch sagen, dass sie eine Betrügerin ist. Rosie hat dennoch einen Nutzen für die Menschen, denn sie lindert die Trauer und gibt Hoffnung. Ihre schönen Lügen lindern Schmerzen.
Alles ändert sich, als sie bei einer Veranstaltung wirklich ein Zugunglück vorhersieht. Jetzt kämpft sie mit Schuldgefühlen, weil sie die Menschen trotz Bemühungen nicht retten konnte und hat gleichzeitig den Karrierekick ihres Lebens. Jeder will ein Interview mit ihr und so hängt sich Harry an sie heran, der eigentlich bekannt dafür ist paranormale Betrüger zu entlarven.
Ich hatte sehr viel Spaß an der Geschichte. Sie ist kurzweilig, amüsant und interessant. Ab einem bestimmten Punkt funktionierte die Liebesgeschichte nicht mehr für mich und das Ende war etwas sehr rasant, aber trotzdem volle 5 Sterne, weil ich aus dem Buch einfach nicht mehr rauswollte und es an einem Tag gelesen habe.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm speechless. Wow! I picked up this book expecting the hilarious romantic comedy that the blurb promised. I got all of the above, but so very much more.

Julie Cohen is a very talented writer. But she is so much more than the 'freshest, funniest voice in romantic fiction'. This book was fresh, it was funny, and it was romantic. However, there was so much more to it than this. It was serious, it was heartbreaking, and it had so many different layers.

I can't imagine anyone feeling disappointed with what this book promises. Unless they're only looking for a light-hearted romantic comedy. This book offers so much more than that.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book, and ended up reading it so fast I finished within a day.
The main character 'Rosie' is a fake medium, who has a stage show. She is so real, and funny, and sincere, and loveable, and even though she makes a living from lying, she seems to do it for all the right reasons.
The story flows really well, the prose is easy to read, and at times the book is totally un-put-down-able and you just have to keep reading to find out what happens.
It's just such a lovely book to read, and will cheer you up when its miserable outside.
Loved it!

[Preet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book by Julie Cohen I've read and I loved it every bit as much as the first. Julie has a way of writing that makes you feel like you are a part of the story. It was very easy for me to connect to the emotions of the characters just by the way Julie had written their dialogues and allowed us access to their thoughts.

I am really looking forward to reading more by Julie Cohen!

[Ayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Genius" is how I would describe this book. The author is a genius I would say. I don't know how she did it, but I can't stop reading the book. I'm totally hooked reading it. I honestly think that the author is some sort of magician. Highly recommended.

[Jantina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit was het meest voorspelbare boekje van het jaar. Toch heeft dat geen moment gestoord. Vermakelijk, grappig, origineel en leest snel uit. Alleen het einde was wat overdreven dramatisch. Daarom een ster minder. 3,5 ster.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dopo un paio di chick-lit piuttosto deludenti finalmente posso parlarvi di un libro davvero carino. Forse non è uno dei migliori, non è certo un capolavoro, ma leggerlo è stato piacevole e divertente quindi ve lo consiglio fin da subito. La protagonista è Rosie, una donna piuttosto enigmatica e misteriosa che di mestiere fa la medium. Quel che fin da subito ci è chiaro è che non è davvero dotata di poteri paranormali, è semplicemente un'ottima osservatrice. Durante i suoi show fa credere al pubblico di entrare in contatto con gli spiriti dei loro cari defunti e grazie ad arguzia, prontezza, spirito di osservazione e una buona dose di esperienza in materia riesce a dir loro ciò che hanno bisogno di sentire per essere confortati. Un giorno però la finta medium ha una vera premonizione su un disastro ferroviario. Cerca con tutte le sue forze di impedirlo, ma purtroppo ciò che ha previsto si avvera e sei persone muoiono. Da quel momento Rosie diventa la medium più famosa del paese: servizi fotografici, interviste, spettacoli in diretta tv, inaugurazioni. Tutti la vogliono! Anche Harry Blake, cacciatore di impostori e millantatori dell'occulto, annusa lo scoop e inizia a seguire la tournée di Rosie nella speranza di coglierla in fallo. L'astio iniziale tra i due in poco tempo si trasforma in una pericolosa attrazione..Non è certo un libro a 5 stelle,ma finalmente abbiamo una protagonista originale con un lavoro fuori dall'ordinario, una protagonista complessa che non passa 24 ore su 24 a pensare a Prada e Dolce&Gabbana! Rosie è un personaggio molto interessante. Fin dall'inizio ci appare come una donna solitaria: non ha un fidanzato o amiche, a parte Gina,la sua manager, ha un rapporto piuttosto superficiale con la famiglia,di cui parla raramente, inoltre ha un trauma che si porta dietro dall'infanzia per via di suo padre,che aveva gravi problemi di alcolismo. Per gioco ha iniziato ad occuparsi di tarocchi da ragazza e poi ha finito per farlo diventare il suo lavoro. Non si può dire che abbia cattive intenzioni: da lei la gente non va a chiedere cure miracolose, numeri del lotto o formule magiche, vuole solo entrare in contatto con i propri cari defunti per essere rassicurati. Rosie cerca di aiutare chi ha subito una perdita con parole incoraggianti, poco importa che arrivino da lei stessa e non dall'aldilà. Il suo rapporto con Harry è molto altalenante e per questo intriga molto il lettore. I due non dovrebbero avere rapporti al di fuori del lavoro, visto che Harry sta cercando le prove per dimostrare a tutti che lei è una truffatrice, dovrebbero odiarsi e stare lontani, ma invece tra loro c'è un'incredibile attrazione a cui entrambi cercano di resistere con scarsi risultati. Anche Harry è un personaggio piuttosto complesso, difficile da capire. Cerca di smascherare i truffatori dell'occulto per riabilitare il suo nome dopo che in seguito ad uno scandalo era stato licenziato proprio perchè aveva pubblicato documenti falsificati su cui non si era informato a dovere. La sua reputazione è stata gravemente compromessa e l'unico lavoro che ha trovato è in un programma di quart'ordine in onda a notte fonda. Per lui la verità è la cosa più importante e per questo non esita a passare sopra a qualsiasi altra cosa,anche all'amore. Il libro ha alcuni punti deboli, per esempio si parla pochissimo della famiglia di Rosie e le poche volte che l'autrice dedica tempo a questo argomento il tutto è incentrato sul padre. Inoltre alla fine da un po' l'idea di essere stato concluso in fretta e furia in modo un po' grossolano, forse per mancanza di tempo o di idee. Con qualche piccolo ritocco in questo senso sarebbe stato forse migliore, ma nonostante questo il libro si legge molto velocemente, è carino e divertente e finalmente posso dire di essere di fronte ad un chick-lit originale e non scontato, anche se come sempre il lieto fine è d'obbligo ;) Consigliato alle romantiche e a chi cerca nel mare dei chick-lit qualcosa di carino e originale che non sia incentrato come sempre sulla moda e i vestiti! :)

[MasterSal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished this after an aborted start in 2021 and I am glad.

I've discovered that I am a fan of Ms. Cohen's writing and, despite the cutsey cover, this is a sardonic take on the premise. So much so that I feel that the cover represents false advertising because the tone of this book is pretty serious and kind of sad. Like with her other book I read, One Night Stand, this book veers more sharply into women's fiction lane than the cover led me to believe.

Now I happen to be a fan of that mix - and the British humour which is often more biting - but I can see this being an issue if readers legitimately picked this up for a zany rom-com.

In the book we follow our heroine, Rosie, who is a stage physic, and an admitted liar. She knows she is conning people into believing she can talk to the dead. She feels a modicum of guilt but continues because its her livelihood. Our hero is a reporter out to prove she is a fake - which sets stakes for the romance which are pretty serious.

The book is much more focused on Rosie and her life choices and how her choices are driven by her father. In this sense, this book is more women's fiction than rom-com romance (and I don't know why the editor thought "rom-com" was the right romance descriptor at all). However, since I liked Rosie, her drive and humour that I was ok with the time we spent with her.

Our hero, Harry, is more of a supporting character but some interesting plot threads with him too. Non of it was rom-com flavoured but I was ok with that as well. However, it did leave the romance piece a little unbalanced as we dont spend a lot of time with the couple together.

In the end I am going with 4 lovely stars - but more as women's fiction than genre romance. The romance was definately the b-plot here but strong writing, some really fun characters and a book with a POV thematically carried the day for me.

----
Sept 4 2021

I am putting this back onto the TBR list as I have to re-read the first five chapters I got through but there are a number of other books I want to get through before.

[Elisa Vangelisti · Rating 4 out of 5]

non è il mio genere, ma tre stelle sono poche. mi ispirava pochissimo, lo avevo preso pensando di mollarlo dopo un paio di pagine perchè i romanzi di questo tipo li trovo insulsi. ma la copertina inganna. il tubino nero c'entra come i cavoli a merenda. persino il titolo originale è davvero fiacco, nonostante la cover qualche indizio lo dia. julie è acuta e divertente, ma anche di una solenne profondità. è una storia leggera, molto ironica, ma sensibile e reale. insomma, libero, ma con un gran bel giudizio.

[Ailis Regin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wenn du zwischen der unschönen Wahrheit und einer schönen Lüge entscheiden könntest, was würdest du wählen ...
Die Geschichte von Rosie Fox, die auf ganz besondere Weise anderen Menschen hilft, und dem Journalisten Harry, der hinter ihre Fassade schauen will, ist locker flockig und doch tiefgründig. Das Buch ist eine nette Lektüre, leicht zu lesen und macht nachdenklich.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abbandonato

[Cath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik had al veel positieve dingen gehoord over Julie Cohen en toen ik dit boek tegenkwam op het boekenfestijn besloot ik het meteen in mijn karretje te leggen.
Nu ik na zoveel tijd nog eens zin had in een chicklit leek dit het ideale boek…

Ik genoot vooral van het aspect dat dit boek gemakkelijk te lezen was en je het op elk moment kon oppikken.
Ook het thema sprak me wel aan. Ik hou van een beetje mysterie en ik was nieuwsgierig naar hoe Rosie het aanpakte. Ik stelde me ook wel vragen - hoe is het nu toch mogelijk dat iedereen haar gelooft? Maar dan dacht ik: waarschijnlijk komen er alleen mensen naar die show die in waarzeggerij geloven.
Ook Harry is een leuke kerel, maar meer naar het einde toe doet hij iets waartoe ik hem niet in staat achtte. Het verhaal neemt er een iets te drastische wending.

Het verhaal heeft me dus niet helemaal overtuigd. Zoals ik al schreef vond ik de personages leuk, maar het was vooral het plot waar ik me aan stoorde.
Bepaalde elementen hingen voor mij te los aaneen en Rosie geloofde quasi alles wat haar gezegd werd.
Bij het einde stelde ik me ook vragen. Alles lukte zomaar, zonder dat er verdere uitleg aan werd gegeven. Op deze manier boette het boek in aan geloofwaardigheid. Ik denk dat het een veel sterker verhaal had kunnen zijn als verschillende voorvallen waren gestaafd met meer achtergrondinformatie.

Dit is een leuk boek als je het niet te nauw neemt met waarheden en goed gestaafde argumenten. Goed om eens in weg te zinken in een drukke periode

[Lobo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kedves könnyeden szórakoztató regény volt, ami ugyanakkor teljesen hihető is. Főleg Rosie, a főszereplő, aki egyes szám első személyben meséli el a történetet volt nagyon jól eltalálva. S igazából a szerelmi szál hozzá és a válságához képest még nem is sikerült elég hihetőre és , de szerencsére az egész médium körítés, betekintés kicsit a színfalak mögé sok mindenért kárpótolt.

Részletek: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/20...

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have read more recent Julie Cohen offerings and these are better. I couldn't empathise with the characters at all. Probably just not meaty enough for my taste. I like chick lit to be a bit longer, which is what you get with the later work. I'm still a fan of Julie's work though and will read anything new.

[Nefret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wieder musste ich feststellen, dass Julie Cohen viel mehr als eine normale Liebesgeschichte schreibt. Es geht meist um ernstere Themen, die hier wieder wunderbar angepackt wurden ohne kitschig zu wirken. Leider leidet hier die Liebesgeschichte etwas darunter.

[Angela Vaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the story. It had a surprising turn of events and I was pleasantly surprised with how the story turned out. I really enjoyed reading this story and I was able to finish it in hours. I enjoyed the witty conversations between the protagonist and the other characters. It was charming!