What do you think?
Rate this book
To Have and To Hold #36
Where The Heart Is
- GenresRomance
200 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
53 people want to read
About the author
Claudia Bishop
51 books117 followersClaudia Bishop is the nom de plume of mystery & fantasy author Mary Stanton.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 8, 2024
I remember in high school, I turned in a paper in history class that I thought was good, but when I got it back, the teacher had written "Incomplete" on top of the paper, and added the note that I had some good thoughts, but didn't express them fully, didn't finish what I started.
That's how I felt about this book. It's supposed to be about a kind of "odd couple" marriage, between free-spirited, haphazard artist Vicki and controlled, orderly business tycoon Max, how they work out their differences, discover if they can share a house (and life) without driving each other crazy, etc.
A good premise, but the book doesn't live up to it, as too many scenes of hot sex in the tub, kitchen table (with company in the other room, a YUCK factor there), floor, wherever, and while these scenes between married couples crazy about each other are great, they shouldn't be used as filler, because the author has nothing of substance to write about.
Too many opportunities are wasted. Vicki apparently thought marriage would curtail her artistic freedom to paint successfully, take away from being her true self, and this is reduced to silliness, like when she takes an impulse trip to Quebec to support Max in some business difficulties, and pays for her own coach ticket, rather than use the company jet and travel in style, since the trip was her idea, why should Max pick up the tab? Dumb!!!
More time should have been spent on the fact that Max expects Vicki to attend a lot of boring business get-togethers that she hates, and charm and flirt with the men he needs to impress, as well as make meaningless small talk with the women. Also, he picks out all her clothes to wear on special occasions, which (despite his good taste) is way over the top!
There's conflict over children: he's ready to have a baby, while she feels it's too soon, as they've only been married about a year. Then that's pushed aside. So are their anger issues, with her exploding in childish tantrums while he gives the cold, silent treatment. (Having him act more like her at the end is no answer; a grown man throwing plates is not a pretty picture!)
They each had serious family issues, yet that's brushed aside, too, and Vicky's taking off for Europe at 20 is turned from a somewhat selfish bid for independence to a noble sacrifice, as her three sisters-in-law resented the closeness between her and her older brothers, and she didn't want to cause trouble in their marriages. (They sound like possessive asses to me, not worth sacrificing for.)
Are we really supposed to believe that, coming from a wealthy background, Vicky would choose to travel to Europe on her own, to study art? What about art school? That's never mentioned. What about where she lived? Aside from a time in Paris sharing a place with her art critic BFF, that's never mentioned. She gets praise and acclaim with help from Dan, the agent and gallery owner, but how did that start? that's never mentioned.
Not to mention: how could someone who claims to dislike cities so much spend so much time living in Paris? Maybe she lied about Jean-Pierre being gay???
Most of all: she did three critically praised works with a Holocaust theme, apparently putting her heart and soul into works that depicted desolation, destruction, hopelessness, etc., that supposedly came from within her, but where did it come from? What happened to her to make those works so visually effective? The author never mentions that, either!!
See a pattern here? One of form, but no substance.
The cause of a major argument revolved on Vicky needing time to herself to work on a birthday present for Max, but do we ever find out what this major project was? Of course not!
There was a scandal in Max's company, when his trusted colleague and (supposed) friend, embezzled big bucks and took a powder, and Vicky found a clue as to how he managed it, but was that followed up on? No! Was the matter ever resolved and the creep caught? Again, no!! It was all left up in the air.
I think that's where this book should have stayed.
That's how I felt about this book. It's supposed to be about a kind of "odd couple" marriage, between free-spirited, haphazard artist Vicki and controlled, orderly business tycoon Max, how they work out their differences, discover if they can share a house (and life) without driving each other crazy, etc.
A good premise, but the book doesn't live up to it, as too many scenes of hot sex in the tub, kitchen table (with company in the other room, a YUCK factor there), floor, wherever, and while these scenes between married couples crazy about each other are great, they shouldn't be used as filler, because the author has nothing of substance to write about.
Too many opportunities are wasted. Vicki apparently thought marriage would curtail her artistic freedom to paint successfully, take away from being her true self, and this is reduced to silliness, like when she takes an impulse trip to Quebec to support Max in some business difficulties, and pays for her own coach ticket, rather than use the company jet and travel in style, since the trip was her idea, why should Max pick up the tab? Dumb!!!
More time should have been spent on the fact that Max expects Vicki to attend a lot of boring business get-togethers that she hates, and charm and flirt with the men he needs to impress, as well as make meaningless small talk with the women. Also, he picks out all her clothes to wear on special occasions, which (despite his good taste) is way over the top!
There's conflict over children: he's ready to have a baby, while she feels it's too soon, as they've only been married about a year. Then that's pushed aside. So are their anger issues, with her exploding in childish tantrums while he gives the cold, silent treatment. (Having him act more like her at the end is no answer; a grown man throwing plates is not a pretty picture!)
They each had serious family issues, yet that's brushed aside, too, and Vicky's taking off for Europe at 20 is turned from a somewhat selfish bid for independence to a noble sacrifice, as her three sisters-in-law resented the closeness between her and her older brothers, and she didn't want to cause trouble in their marriages. (They sound like possessive asses to me, not worth sacrificing for.)
Are we really supposed to believe that, coming from a wealthy background, Vicky would choose to travel to Europe on her own, to study art? What about art school? That's never mentioned. What about where she lived? Aside from a time in Paris sharing a place with her art critic BFF, that's never mentioned. She gets praise and acclaim with help from Dan, the agent and gallery owner, but how did that start? that's never mentioned.
Not to mention: how could someone who claims to dislike cities so much spend so much time living in Paris? Maybe she lied about Jean-Pierre being gay???
Most of all: she did three critically praised works with a Holocaust theme, apparently putting her heart and soul into works that depicted desolation, destruction, hopelessness, etc., that supposedly came from within her, but where did it come from? What happened to her to make those works so visually effective? The author never mentions that, either!!
See a pattern here? One of form, but no substance.
The cause of a major argument revolved on Vicky needing time to herself to work on a birthday present for Max, but do we ever find out what this major project was? Of course not!
There was a scandal in Max's company, when his trusted colleague and (supposed) friend, embezzled big bucks and took a powder, and Vicky found a clue as to how he managed it, but was that followed up on? No! Was the matter ever resolved and the creep caught? Again, no!! It was all left up in the air.
I think that's where this book should have stayed.
Displaying 1 of 1 review