Sunday, April 30, 2006

Three Fates by Nora Roberts


This is the first stand alone Nora Roberts book that I have read, and whilst it was enjoyable I didn't think it measured up to either the Chesapeake Bay books or the Born In trilogy that I read earlier.


When the Lusitania sank, more than one thousand people died. One passenger, however, survived to become a changed man, giving up his life as a petty thief but keeping a small silver statue that would become a family heirloom to future generations.

Now, nearly a century later, that heirloom, one of a priceless, long-separated set of three, has been snatched away from the Sullivans. And Malachi, Gideon, and Rebecca Sullivan are determined to recover their great-great-grandfather's treasure, reunite the Three Fates, and make their fortune.

The quest will take them from their home in Ireland to Helsinki, Prague, and New York and introduce them to a formidable female professor whose knowledge of Greek mythology will aid them in their quest; to a daring exotic dancer who sees the Fates as her chance at a new life; and to a seductive security expert who knows how to play high-tech cat-and-mouse. And it will pit them in a suspenseful fight against an ambitious woman who will stop at nothing to acquire the Fates.

Fast-paced and full of the romance and passion for which she's famous, Three Fates is Nora Roberts at her adventurous best-an unforgettable tale of luck, love, and the fateful decisions that shape
our lives.
Whilst this book was enjoyable I couldn't help feeling that the author had made a story too complex to be able to hold all the strings in hand and get a successful resolution in only 300 odd pages. First of all we have the three Sullivan children, Malachi, Gideon and Rebecca. As they pursue the three silver statues around the world they meet and fall in love with a nervous academic specialising in Greek mythology named Tia, a sexy exotic dancer named Cleo and a self made millionaire by the name of Jack. It was a big ask to combine three romances, and a suspense plot in only one book, and for the most part Nora Roberts is successful at it, although I have to say that I didn't feel the chemistry between Gideon and Cleo all that much. Interestingly for all the world travel, I didn't get much of a feel for many of the places that are featured in the book. Basically, you knew that they were in Prague or Helsinki or wherever and that was about it.

As the six characters fight to keep the Three Fates out of the hands of ruthless business woman Anita Gaye, they are united with bonds that will seem to hold for a lifetime. As they try to stay one step ahead of the double crossing Anita, the game turns deadly, and they all must remain aware at all times. By working together can they come up with a plan clever enough to beat Anita and stay alive.

The suspense element was quite well done with several twists along the way. The idea of lives, both past and current, being drawn together by these three little statues is a good one, and Roberts' execution isn't bad, but in the end I think it was too complex a story for the format, and the length of the book.

Rating 3.5/5

4 comments:

  1. haha, that's great. My mother JUST read that book, and she didn't like it because she thought it wasn't a stand alone book. She said the beginning was dull, it wasn't until she got to know the characters that she liked it. She bought the two books around it at the store yesterday, I think she was hoping they might relate and add to the novel.

    I bought her the "In the Garden" trilogy for Mother's Day.

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  2. WHat other books did you buy that go around it?

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  3. haha, good question. I will ask my mother for the titles. She said that there were the same people or something. I will get back to you.

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  4. I have the In the Garden trilogy on my list to get hold of. I did get the Key trilogy for $5 today for all three books which I thought was a pretty good deal!

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