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| Plot Summary of Birthright |
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"
Putnam, April 2003, 25.95, 480 pp.
ISBN 0399149848
In an innocuous mall, a mother comforts her three-year-old son taking her eyes off her three-month-old daughter, when someone kidnaps the baby. Twenty-nine years later Suzanne Cullen watches a TV news clip about a Maryland archeological dig when she instantly recognizes her daughter, the site's archeologist Callie Dunbrook. When Suzanne makes contact with Callie, the forensic archeologist is sure the woman is lying because she knows she is not adopted.
Suzanne plants just enough doubt in Callie's mind for her to sneak into her father's private files where she is shocked to see the adoption papers. Her parents swear that they adopted her in good faith through a lawyer who specialized in private adoptions. Callie vows that she will find the people connected to the black market scheme and expose them. Her ex-husband Jake is backing her all the way. There are some people who want the past to stay buried and are perfectly willing to kill to make that happen.
Nora Roberts has written a very creative romantic suspense thriller where innocent bystanders having nothing to do with the black market adoption scam are killed; thus adding a touch of authenticity to the taut plot. The heroine and her ex-husband, who are slowly working their way back to each other, realize that some amoral person lacking any conscience is using misdirection to confuse and wear them down. Callie is a strong resilient woman who bends but never breaks even when the shocks and traumas keep happening. BIRTHRIGHT is a splendid drama that cannot be put down until the finale.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"On a hot July afternoon, a worker at an Antietam Creek construction site drives the blade of his backhoe into a layer of soil-and strikes a 5,000-year-old human skull. The discovery draws plenty of attention and a lot of controversy. It also changes the life of Callie Dunbrook in ways she never thought possible.
An an archaeologist, Callie knows a lot about the past. But her own past is about to be called into question. Recruited for her expertise on the Antietam Creek dig, she encounters danger-as a cloud of death and misfortune hangs over the project, and rumors fly that the site is cursed. She finds a passion that is equally dangerous, as she joins forces in her work with her with her irritating but irresistible ex-husband, Jake. And when a strange woman approaches her claiming to know a secret about Callie's privleged Boston childhood, some startling and unsettling questions are raised about her very identity. "
Boppy, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Birthright |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 15%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 35%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 45%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- escape/rescue from kidnappers
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- finding a known killer
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted...
- hunted by killer/stalker
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- scientist
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- student
- small businessman
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
- insanity
The antagonists are:
- rednecks
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
- Southeast
City?
Yes
Misc setting
- scientific labs
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
- rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- touching of anatomy
- licking
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
Nora Roberts Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Amy
SCHOLARS: Na Ng.
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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