The Monopoly Factor (Book) - 12/18/2010 11:44:28 AM
This is a Real People, from the heart Mystery!
...
Sorry, no stuffed swordfish being stabbed through the heart in this book. This story is completely realistic. The characters, the scenes, the plot resemble the real world in which we live. I found myself actually rooting for Barry and Susan just about the entire time I read The Monopoly Factor.
In my opinion, The Monopoly Factor was well-written and the author's descriptions of the relationship between Barry and his brother Noah were touching and heart-felt. I could visualize the scenes with these two characters so easily and the author left little doubt that they adored one another. Then there were the files, in which the story is centered around. About mid way I was reading page after page trying to find out if Barry was going to protect Susan from Rudd. In my opinion, the image of Barry and Susan is the most captivating. Barry is such a down to earth person that you forget sometimes that he is a successful lawyer with 20 associates working for him.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to my friends.
Gathering of Cans (Book) - 12/18/2010 11:42:13 AM
I couldn't believe Aluminum Cans could make a great story. I was wrong. Sharon Sommers
I like to be educated when I read and I was not disappointed in Saunders's ability to weave such subjects as the musicians involved in the Jazz world, the horrors of combat during World War II, and even the craftsmanship of cheese making and wood carving.
Aluminum cans tell the 40-year story of Zoie Baker's memories that revolve around the main characters: Nat, the young Marine; Della, the serious Jazz singer/composer; Jerry, the wood sculptor; and Birdie, the attorney. Zoie has a goal that no one can shake her lose from. A humble woman with very little income, she decides to gather aluminum cans to raise the money to build a swimming pool for the local children, regardless of their social status. With no regard for her safety or the hardships that she will encounter, and the pleas for her to quit, she plods alone for the next 7 years gathering cans.
During her mission, Zoie relives the stories connected to special cans that she stumbles on: the gold Budweiser can, the green Mountain Dew can, the Santa Claus Coca-Cola can, and the orange NEHI can.
Saunders takes each can and draws the reader into its story. Before I knew it I found that there was something captivating about these cans, as these unique cans sent me on an incredible journey with Zoie; from the 1940's, through the turbulent time of the 1960's; and ending with 56-year-old, Zoie gathering cans during the 1980's
The story is so incredibly awesome! Especially when you get to the last 3 chapters. It is here that Saunders exiles as a writer. He delivers an ending that will astonish you, cause you to root and to appreciate this woman's devotion to her dream and her adoration for her husband, sister and friends. Highly recommend.
The Monopoly Factor (Book) - 12/8/2010 12:54:50 PM
This book had a Great plot and a Superb climax! ..Lilly Parks.
There were so many things about this book that made it so good. After the introduction of the main character, Barry Foreman, I couldn’t stop reading page after page. The author had a way of holding my attention even if something suspenseful is not going on. That's what makes this book an excellent read.
The Monopoly Factor starts out with Susan, a senior marketing analyst employed by the Rudd Corporation, stumbling onto top secret files that described the ruthless methods her company had used to obtain a monopoly on the bar code scanner market. Every method had been approved by the CEO, Carl Rudd. The files revealed that he didn’t care what method his corporate security manager, Buzz Brunner, used as long as Rudd’s competitor sold out, or closed up shop. It was all there in the files; intimation, sabotage, and even murder.
Once Susan learned that Brunner had found out that she had seen the files, she knew her life was in jeopardy. She took her mother’s advice and went to see Barry Foreman, an attorney specializing in corporate crime.
Barry, at 34, lives and breathes for his 35 member law firm, Foreman Associates, that he built from the ground up. At this stage in his life he has no desire for romance, love or any entanglements. That is until he meets Susan. Suddenly, he finds himself acting like a complete fool around her. After he takes Susan on as a client he struggles to keep the growing feelings he has for her at a distance. Eventually, he relents to his deep affection for her, but fate intercedes and Susan is kidnapped by Brunner’s henchmen. Barry knew the situation had moved to a higher, more dangerous level, so he brings in his brother, Noah a private security specialist, to help. What happens next in the final six chapters is a nail biter, with action and plenty of twists and turns.
I thought that Barry’s character was great. All throughout the book, you feel sorry for him, that he had to lose the woman he truly loved. But, he kept his cool during the ordeal. When Barry comes up with a plan, a crazy plan that will surely get them killed, in Noah's opinion, Barry knows it's their only hope to get Susan back alive.
The way the author wrote the scenes makes you wonder that if you were in that same situation, could you think, and act as quickly, and as cleverly as Barry did.
This book was excellent, with its good plot and good climax. The characters were very real. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody. For anyone who wants to read a good thriller, the author has mixed equal parts of humor and warmth to truly expand the boundaries of the legal thriller. I am going to read it again soon.
John Paul Jones: Finding the Forgotton Patriot (Book) - 12/8/2010 12:46:40 PM
Great story from the beginning to the end!…..L. Parks
This book gave a riveting tale of John Paul Jones's bravery on the high seas, captivating battles of frigates, tragedy, and the early death of a great revolutionary figure. Using real events and real characters that John Paul Jones encountered or had sailed with; the author put the story in the tone of the times.
The writing style, was so informative and well written that one could almost feel JPJ's disappointments, suffering and elation. It was a great story from the beginning to the end. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down.
Tommytown (Book) - 12/8/2010 9:41:52 AM
Heartbreaking and humorous, A remarkable Story of Motherhood……Lilly Parks
A remarkable story set in a small hamlet of Tommytown, Maryland in the 1950’s. Saunders uses descriptions of the background of Tommytown and its inhabitants to have the reader feel the times. A time when there was no welfare system and the people were far more self-reliant than they are today. You can really feel the emotions of being a youngster growing up in poverty; feeling the disappointments as the girls try to fit in at their high school; the young boys, 11 year old Barry and his 10 year old brother, Noah, as they try to rationalize why they didn’t get anything for Christmas. If you grew up poor or your parents came from an age when people were extremely thrifty you could easily relate to this story. If you were blessed with a comfortable environment you’ll get a peek at how the other half lives.
"Tommytown” gave me mixed emotions. I felt sad at times and other times I couldn't help to smile, or let out a little laugh. Saunders has a way of pulling at your heart strings and I really like the way he connects with the reader.
Throughout the novel I kept wondering what escapades Barry and Noah were going to get into next. They reminded me of two Dennis the Menaces running around in this little village. They were mischievous but never malicious. And the mother, Helen, the novel ensured that you understood that she was rock of this family. Idolized by her children she played a balancing act as she tried to figure out where the money for next meal was coming from.
The book covers heartaches, love, disappointment, humor, motherhood, sibling rivalry, and it was still extremely interesting. It hard to believe the author wrote this story about his childhood, but I believe that after you finished this book you’ll love the characters and you will want to read more books by Saunders.
Tommytown 2: Helen's Song (Book) - 12/8/2010 9:33:31 AM
A Book that Lifts Our Big Human Soul! Lilly Parks
Tommytown2:Helen’s Song is a story about everlasting hope and compassion, despite the persistent hardship of living in poverty. The Foreman family, with the mother, Helen, at the helm, tries to make a decent living for her seven children, and retain a tenuous sliver of human dignity.
Even though there is strife with her husband Richard, and exhaustion from working a ten hour shift as a waitress, Helen still maintains her faith and commitment to ensure that her children will learn their manners, be proud of themselves, and keep her goal that they will never live their lives in sheer poverty.
Richard makes a decent salary as an engineer, but chooses to ignore his sons and daughters and rewards himself with the peace and quiet by staying in town Monday thru Sat evening. Here he can forget all about his family and their troubles. Only on Sunday does he spend with his family. Why? Because all the taverns are closed, else he surely would spend the entire week in town, snuggled up in his so-called appliance repair shop.
In Helen's Song, the author does an extraordinary job of painting an accurate picture of what it's like and what it means for a mother living in poverty with no public assistance. He'll educate you to the challenges that Helen faced each day, and you'll get some understanding of how different her world is from yours. He tears down the misunderstood and influencing social definition that 'poor folks won't amount to anything!.
It was a wonderful story, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes humorous, but always a page turner. Highly recommend it.
Oh yes, if you are a Kindle fan (like me) this book is available for $4.00
John Paul Jones: Finding the Forgotton Patriot (Book) - 12/7/2010 1:35:16 PM
It’s a Great Sea story and I highly recommend it. Tom Long
The author kept a fine balance between John Paul Jones the real person; flesh and blood with all the frailties of a human; love, hate, kindness, cruelty, etc., and Jones the sea warrior who is given to bravery, persistence, all cultivated to make Jones the master tactician and seaman. This is not a glorification of Jones, but an honest portrayal of a complex man. Social climber, war hero, patriot that establishes that Jones deserves the title “Father of the United States Navy”.
Midway through the book it gets interesting when Elijah Hull narrates the battle between the USS Ranger and the HMS Drake. This is soon followed by the tale of the sea battle between the Bon Homme Richard and the HMS Serapis. One could tell that the scenes of these battles were meticulously researched, but written in such a way that the reader didn’t get lost in the detail of the naval armaments and maneuvers. Actually, I felt as if I was standing there beside Jones on the Bon Homme Richard, as he directed his officers to fight on even though his wooden ship was sinking. It's the author’s style of writing that really brings this the story to life.
Mr. Saunders goes deep into the profile of his characters; Jones, Elijah Hull, Lt. Simpson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Marie Antoinette, etc., and that’s why this story is an ideal book for the John Paul Jones fan or casual historian, or for anyone who just wants a story of sea battles with a brave captain standing on the foredeck of a frigate.
When I finished the book I did just what the title challenged me. I found the forgotten patriot: John Paul Jones. It’s a great story and I highly recommend it.
Tommytown (Book) - 12/7/2010 1:05:52 PM
A book I couldn’t put down….Sharon
A moving true story of a mother trying desperately to hold onto her family; while at the same time allowing the reader to understand the mother’s struggles as seen through the eyes of her 11-year-old son, Barry. After I started reading the book I couldn’t put it down. And when I did there was a lump in my throat, a tear in my eye, thinking what a sad yet delightful story. Saunders excelled in conveying the human emotions of: love, hope, fear, and frustration in such a way that made sense in the story. Every chapter was not all gloom and doom because the author had a knack of inserting humor and joy throughout the story.
Saunders tells their tale with much affection and, if you can still read through your tears, you will believe that human persistence does exist in the real world. It's a wonderful story. Hope everyone gets the chance to read it.
Tommytown (Book) - 3/24/2005 5:10:59 AM
Tommytown is a wonderful book with imagery that is as visually sharp as a movie; sensitive characterization; and a plot that keeps the reader enthralled right from the start. You just don’t want to put the book down; and you don’t want to leave the characters at the end of the story either. They are developed with an astute grasp of what inner conflicts they had to overcome as well as the tensions between characters that the author played out credibly in dialogue that reflects the time and historical setting as well as in narration. The author has a wonderful ability. He is able to transport his reader back to another time. Tommytown by Robert Saunders is a well-plotted historical adventure. Barry Foreman, the young boy in the story, escapes poverty when he is transported into his “dream world” of Cowboys and Indians; where he becomes the hero on the horse with the tin star on his vest. Thus begins the story which is a combination of drama and romance. The 1950’s are times of turmoil in Washington County when there was no public assistance for the poor. The author’s talent and diligent research have resulted in an exciting first novel. Robert’s ability to combine history with an intriguing story is first rate. Mr. Saunders offers his readers a picture of life in Washington County “as it was” for the poor in the rural countryside. Barry endures one adventure after another, refusing to give in to despair. These adventures draw him closer to his brothers and sisters and together their lives are changed for the better. Saunders’ narrative is a definite page-turner. The author moves his story forward with action and authentic dialogue. His characters are multi-dimensional and his writing is best seller quality.
