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| Plot Summary of Out of Hormone's Way |
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"
Avon, Sept 2002, 6.50, 272 pp.
ISBN 0380818876
Life gets really interesting following menopause, as Bel Barrett will tell anyone foolishly enough willing to listen to her. She's a fully tenured English professor at River Edge Community College while gaining a reputation in her area of New Jersey of solving any homicide that comes her way.
This semester is surprising to Bel as she takes on the leadership of the newly formed Kayak club when the founder had a family emergency. One of the members of the group is Belinda Judd who is also in Bel's English class. Bel has a fondness for her because she has dyslexia but is trying hard to learn even though the college has nobody on staff that is trained to help students with learning disabilities. When Belinda's body is found battered and beaten, Bel is determined to find out who the perpetrator is. She comes up with six viable suspects, all of whom have excellent motives.
A Bel Barrett mystery is a real treat because the protagonist is always involved in something most people wouldn't try. Jane Isenberg is a talented writer who always uses humor to defuse the tension of the taut story line. The problems Bel and her friends have to deal with on a daily bases are realistically portrayed and are ones the audience can identify with while appreciating OUT OF HORMONE'S WAY.
Harriet Klausner
"
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Out of Hormone's Way |
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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 - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Murder of certain profession?
- students/teachers
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards family/friends
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- teacher
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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