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| Plot Summary of Improper English |
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"
Love Spell, Mar 2003, 6.99, 369 pp.
ISBN: 0505525178
American Alexandra “Alix” Freemar travels to England to get away from distractions in order to write a steamy romance novel. She has two months to succeed or her mother will add this on to the list of basic screw-ups that Alix has caused. She sublets a friend's London flat.
She meets her upstairs neighbor in her borrowed digs when Alix struggles to open the apartment door. Scotland Yard Inspector Alexander Black catches Alix “breaking and entering' when her key fails to open the lock and so she uses an awl to “teach” the bloody lock a lesson. Sparks fly from the start, but she wants a summer spree and he wants a lifetime fling.
This is an amusing Anglo-American contemporary romance that never takes itself seriously. Alex is a delightful somewhat stereotypical English stiff upper lip character. Readers will feel schizoid towards Alix. On the one hand one laughs at her antics and reactions; on the other hand one wants to scream at her to grow up, which she does at the end. Though profanity is used, but properly interwoven into the plot, IMPROPER ENGLISH is a genial romantic romp.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"Alexandra Freemar is a Yank on a two month stay in London to write her first romance book. Told in first person, it's a little jarring for first few pages. Years ago, Gothics were mostly in first person, but that style faded and first person is an oddity in today's market. However, Katie wields first person with a razor sharp wit, and you will soon be in the flow. Alix is a bit of a failure at life. 29, divorced and with the mother from hell reminding her of all her failures, so she views her writing this book as a make or break point in her life. She does not have time for romance, though she is not against a quick summer fling. Her landlady says she has MR. PERFECT for Alix, but he won't be interested in a quick fling.
The next day she meets Detective Inspector Alexander Black, a Scotland Yard detective in the Internet Squad who closes down porn sites on the net. He lives in the apartment just above Alix's and just happens to be "Mr Right" that her landlady wanted to introduce her to, sure they are a perfect match. They are instantly attracted to each other, but having been hurt so many times in the past, Alix is scared of how strongly she is falling in love with Alex. Their romance is funny, steamy sexy and dead on. Katie sprinkles the mix with warm and loving, strong supporting character, that are as vivid as the leads, and you end up wishing you could live in this zany apartment building.
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DeborahAnne MacGillivray, Resident Scholar
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"Alexandra Freemar (Alix) goes to London with one main goal: she must write a romance novel in two months or care for an elderly relative, by order of her mother. Unfortunately, she can be a truly awful writer, as the snippets of her novel prove. Then she meets Alexander Black (Alex) and life gets more complicated. Deep down, Alix doesn't believe in her own worth, and it has negative consequences in her writing and her relationship with Alex. She needs to learn to deal with all that, but it's not easy.
If you don't do well with annoying heroines, this may not be the book for you. I often found myself wanting to scream at Alix for the way she behaved. Alex is basically perfect. He has a job that takes up a lot of his time, but he takes the time to call Alix, just to see how she's doing. Alix, unfortunately, is not nearly so giving and spends a great deal of time swimming in self-pity. If you can get past all that, however, the humor in this book is top-notch, and the hero is a joy to read about."
Melissa Cookson, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Improper English |
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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
Time/era of story
- Present (2000-2010)
Struggling with whom?
- Mom
Inner struggle subplot
Yes
Struggle with...
- feels s/he's not worthy
If one lover chases another...
- they alternate
Main Male Character
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
How sexual is this person?
- very picky
Sex has good effect on him
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Female Character
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- writer
Eccentric/Mental:
Yes
Eccentric:
- eccentric
How sexual is this person?
- a few sexual encounters
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- touching of anatomy
- licking
- actual description of sex
- descript. of female anatomy (the big B's)
- descript. of male nudity (the big P)
Focus of story
- equally on him and her
How much dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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