Virtue

by Serena Mackesy | Women's Fiction |
ISBN: 0099414759 Global Overview for this book
Registered by TramGirl of Ballarat, Victoria Australia on 6/6/2003
Buy from one of these Booksellers:
Amazon.com | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Bol.com
6 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by TramGirl from Ballarat, Victoria Australia on Friday, June 6, 2003
New book...

Journal Entry 2 by TramGirl from Ballarat, Victoria Australia on Thursday, August 7, 2003
I really enjoyed this book, it is Chick Lit and an easy read but it got me in! It deals with friendships and compares them to family relationships, specifically mother/daughter, and how friends are often more important or more relied upon, depending on your family of course!

From the back cover:
What do you need to be a saint these days? Ambition, determiniation and good PR. But what do you do if your mother's a saint and you just want to be human?
Anna & Harriet share a burden: hellishly saintly mothers. So armed with a wicked sense of humour, they set out to paint the town red. And for a while life goes swimmingly. But when they tread on one toe too many, they find that they have only their worst instincts - and each other - to rely on.
Be good. And if you can't be good, be careful...

Am going to make this my first ray!

Journal Entry 3 by TramGirl from Ballarat, Victoria Australia on Sunday, August 10, 2003
This book is heading out on its travels...postage order (updated 06/01/05) is:

Theresa-A :UK
Kayters :GA, USA
Booknhand :CA, USA
Melissaparcel :WA, USA
Tootshelling :AZ, USA - no answer to PM's
Kymberlie :TX, USA - no answer to PM's
--> Back to me in Melbourne, Australia!

Please journal the book on receiving it, PM the person next in line and journal the book again when you send it on.

Journal Entry 4 by TramGirl from Ballarat, Victoria Australia on Friday, August 15, 2003
15/8/03 - Sent out to Theresa-A in the UK. The bookray is underway. Has been sent economy air so may take up to a month to arrive!!

Journal Entry 5 by Theresa-A on Tuesday, August 26, 2003
Thanks TramGirl, 'Virtue' has arrived - it didn't take as long to get here as I thought!! I'm looking forward to reading it soon :-)

Journal Entry 6 by Theresa-A on Saturday, September 27, 2003
I REALLY enjoyed this book!! I thought it was going to be typical 'chick lit', but was surprised to find it had elements of mystery and depth too. This was an easy read, which had me gripped from very early on. I did love this book, and would highly recomend it. I'll have to look out for more by Serena Mackesy now :-) Thank You TramGirl!!!

'Virtue' will be on its way to Kayters soon.

Journal Entry 7 by Theresa-A on Wednesday, October 8, 2003
'Virtue' has been sent to Kayters via surface mail. Hope you like it too :-)

Journal Entry 8 by kayters from Lawrenceville, Georgia USA on Saturday, November 29, 2003
Hey! Got the book - hope to get to it soon!

Journal Entry 9 by kayters from Lawrenceville, Georgia USA on Monday, January 19, 2004
I'm nearly done with the book, but I HAD to copy in this quote - I love it!

It takes a very rare man to understand that the thing between women and their cats is nothing to do with babies. Yes, we like to baby them, to pick them up and turn them over and cradle them, to talk nonsense and coo at them while they fix us with placid stares of patronising contentment, but it's not a baby thing. It's an admiration thing...

Cats are everything we aspire to be. Look at them: they're long and slinky and elegant, with no awkward lumps that get in the way when they're running. They never get bedhair, and if they do, all they have to do is run a paw over it and it's perfect. The perfect slashes of eyeliner beneath their lashes never streak when they get overexcited. They have cheekbones to die for. They never let themselves be pushed around. They sleep eighteen hours a day and no one ever tells them that there can be such a thing as sleeping too much, you know. When they curl up and try to look cute, they actually look cute instead of looking mad and blobby... instead of being called egotistical, everyone admires them for it. They can stay up all night and still look great the next day. But most of all, we love them because they accept love as it is not how they think it should be: never lie awake obsessing about imagined slights, never complain that someone's not there for them, never sit up stuffing their faces with chocolate and playing Wonderwall over and over on the record player."

Journal Entry 10 by kayters from Lawrenceville, Georgia USA on Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Okay - definitely not chick-lit, despite the cover (don't judge a book by its cover). Part mystery, part twenty-something parental angst, part I-don't-know-what, this is actually a deeper book than it would first appear.

Get through the prologue - it's important!

By the way, SPOILER SPACE, HIGHLIGHT TO READ did anyone else just totally roll on the floor when reading Gerald's list of deer entrees? Hello Forrest Gump! Scrimp souffle, boiled scrimp, scrimp etouffe... And he couldn't even come up with bangers (aka sausages) for "long things with herbs in". Hey, neither could I, but then again, I didn't have the picture in my head, either! Gerald was hilarious.

Very good book - I have "The Temp" already, so I am totally looking forward to reading it now!

Journal Entry 11 by kayters at on Monday, January 26, 2004
Released on Monday, January 26, 2004 at Booknhand in San Jose, California Controlled Releases.

Journal Entry 12 by booknhand from San Jose, California USA on Sunday, February 29, 2004
OOPPSS!!! I forgot to journal the arrival of this book - It arrived early February. Sorry :(

Although the reviews I have read of this book piqued my interests and I joined this bookray, once I received the book and begin to read it, I realized it wasn't my cup of tea. As sometimes it takes me few chapters to warm up to a book, I skimmed the first few chapters to get a feel for the remainder of the book past the prologue. Unfortunately, it just didn't catch my attention or appeal to me. To be fair to the overall book rating average I did not rate this book, as I really didn't read it.

I will PM Melissaparcel for an address so the book can continue it's travels soon.

Journal Entry 13 by booknhand from San Jose, California USA on Sunday, February 29, 2004
Just heard back from melissaparcel and she wants to be skipped, so I will contact tootshelling, but just a couple of weeks back I was told tootshelling was swamped with bookrays and didn't want any more at that time. I will try again with this book.

Since these are the last two participants if tootshelling says skip then I will send it to one of them to be added to one of their TBR piles - Unless of course the originator of the ring wants the book back - just let me know. I'll keep everyone posted. :)

Released on Saturday, April 17, 2004 at US Mail in San Jose, California USA.

Wow - not only did I forget to make release notes when I attempted to release it earlier, but in fact it never actually got released. It was one of several I was mailing and apparently slipped under the seat of the car, so I didn't grab it with the others when I was at the post office. I was cleaning out the car today and guess what I found - yes this book!!! It was put in the mailbox an hour or so ago. Should be arriving at Melissaparcel's place soon.

Sorry for the delay :(

Journal Entry 15 by melissaparcel from Kelso, Washington USA on Monday, April 26, 2004
Book arrived today. Will attempt to read as quick as possible...if I am taking too long please, please let me know and I will send it along.

Journal Entry 16 by melissaparcel from Kelso, Washington USA on Tuesday, June 14, 2005
I have had this book practically forever, and have never been able to contact anyone else to send it along its journey. Finally got a chance to read it and I actually liked it a lot. I love mysteries, and this was a really good story. I am sending it back home to tramgirl!

Journal Entry 17 by TramGirl from Ballarat, Victoria Australia on Friday, August 12, 2005
This book has made it all the way around the ring and is now back in my hands, wow!! I will advertise it on BCAUS (the Aussie bxing group) and see if anyone else is interested.

Thanks everyone for passing the book on and your opinions/reviews of the book.

Journal Entry 18 by TramGirl from Ballarat, Victoria Australia on Friday, August 12, 2005
Ok I'm going to advertise this as an Aussie/NZ ring to see if anyone else is interested.

Catsalive- Sydney, Australia

No other interest so it was posted to Catsalive on the weekend (10/9/05).

Journal Entry 19 by catsalive from Rooty Hill, New South Wales Australia on Wednesday, September 14, 2005
I received this today, thanks TramGirl.

Journal Entry 20 by catsalive from Rooty Hill, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Well, this wasn't what I expected at all. I guess I thought it would be more like the standard chick lit fare. It has a bit more substance than a lot of the ones I have read.

At first I couldn't get into it at all but I forged on through the first 150 pages & things started moving along & getting more interesting, if a little disjointed with all the jumping around in time. Around page 400 it got really annoying again - Anna really is a pain in the arse - but you can't give up after getting that far. In the end I'd have to say that I enjoyed it but I wouldn't bother rushing out to try another Serena Mackesy book.

The part that kayters quoted in here was significant for me too. Men really don't understand the relationship between women and their cats. Wasn't Henry lovely?

Thanks, Tramgirl. Now, I can't remember whether this is a bookring or a bookray, so please send me your address if you're expecting it back. catsalive.

Journal Entry 21 by catsalive from Rooty Hill, New South Wales Australia on Friday, September 30, 2005
On it's way back to you today, Tramgirl.

Journal Entry 22 by TramGirl from Ballarat, Victoria Australia on Sunday, October 16, 2005
Catsalive sent this back to me a couple of weeks ago and stuff got in my way of making it to the computer!

I now intend to re-read it myself, pass it around my family and non-bc friends and then it will no doubt make its way to meetup.

Thanks everyone who participated, I hope you enjoyed it!

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