Journal Entry 1 by Molyneux from Oxford, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 25, 2005

From Amazon:

Book Description
A witty and romantic thirty-something novel about a woman who thinks she may have found her soulmate - via e-mail.

Synopsis
Fed up, frustrated and fast approaching 40, Charlie Simpson hasn't had many high points in her life. She finds solace, however, in her newly acquired modem, she stumbles upon a stranger who's a like-minded soul, but he has a wife.

 

Journal Entry 2 by Molyneux from Oxford, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Thursday, February 10, 2005

I did begin to read this - but then decided it would be ideal to send to a particular bookcrosser as part of her NSSV parcel...she'll know why! ;) 

Journal Entry 3 by Molyneux at on Thursday, February 10, 2005

Released 7 yrs ago (2/10/2005 UTC) at

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Sending it to a fellow BookCrosser as part of her NSSV parcel. 

Journal Entry 4 by chelseagirl from Faringdon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Brilliant!!! Thanks, Molyneux, for this wonderful not So Secret Valentine's present!! I met my fiancé online so it's particularly apt .... am looking forward to reading it! Thank you :0) 

Journal Entry 5 by chelseagirl from Faringdon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Thursday, February 24, 2005

This was an enjoyable easy read, nothing revolutionary but warm and funny with some laugh-out-loud moments.

Charlie is approaching forty and having to cope with her father moving in, her elder son leaving for university and her best friend Rose moving 200 miles away. She caves in to her younger son's requests for a modem for the computer and is soon busy emailing Rose with all the gossip. But before long, Charlie realises that her emails have been going to the wrong address, to a virtual stranger .... or maybe not such a stranger after all ...

I won't say any more as it would ruin the story but suffice to say that Charlie ends up happy!

Virtual Strangers is written in a rather odd style: much of it is in note form, as if Charlie were jotting things down in a diary. Most of the time it works okay, sometimes it feels a bit strained, but occasionally this technique works extremely well. The funniest bit is the description of putting up a Christmas tree, which is two pages long and just reminds me so much of the chaos in this house every year when we do the same thing! As an example:

"Spray tree with fake snow, have fifteen-minute coughing fit, realise not fake snow but tree saver, curse, find snow spray, spray tree copiously with snow spray, get lametta, stand on chair and thrown lametta artistically at tree, get down from chair, pick lametta up from floor, get on chair, throw lametta artistically at tree ..."

Journal Entry 6 by chelseagirl at on Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Released 6 yrs ago (3/15/2005 UTC) at

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RELEASE NOTES:

To be released at the BookCrossing meet at Pizza Express from 7pm tonight (Tues 15th March). See you there?? 

Journal Entry 7 by psychjo from Bristol, not specified not specified on Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Picked up at meet in Pizza Express in Winchester tonight, following Chelseagirl's positive review. 

Journal Entry 8 by purplerosebud from Petersfield, Hampshire United Kingdom on Saturday, February 11, 2006

Passed on to me at the meet-up at the Talisman. I'm going to give it to tiggerboing as I think it looks like a book she will enjoy.