It feels like an “only in America” story and was a fun read. Eventually, he owns banana farms in Guetamala and effectively operates a navy as well. He buys "ripes” - bananas too close to being ripe to sell - on the cheap from the banana companies and hustles to sell them before they go bad. The book tells the story of Sam Zemurray, a Jewish Russian immigrant who takes over the whole industry and becomes a millionaire. Selling bananas was a race against time - as soon as you plucked them, they’d start to ripen (and eventually go bad) Running a banana company well required vertical integration - growing the bananas in central America, owning the ships that brought them to the US, and marketing / selling them to consumers. This is because the companies that controlled the banana industry - “Big Banana” if you will - needed friendly governments to run profitably (e.g., get various tax breaks) All the bananas you eat are clones of the same original banana (called a “Cavendish”)īananas led to multiple governments being overthrown.
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This introductory novel in Archer's engrossing series The Clifton Chronicles includes a cast of colorful characters and takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford or join the navy and go to war with Hitler's Germany. But then an unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys' school, and his life will never be the same again.Īs he enters into adulthood, Harry finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question, was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who spent his whole life on the docks, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line? The epic tale of Harry Clifton's life begins in 1920, with the words "I was told that my father was killed in the war." A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle, who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once he's left school. From the internationally bestselling author Jeffrey Archer comes Only Time Will Tell, the first in the ambitious Clifton Chronicles series that tells the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph. I could not put it down! 5 stars!!"- Aesta's Book Blog "A heated and passionate novel, full of feeling and intensity that will appeal to the reader seeking an emotional rush."-, "As gripping as it was sexy! Witty dialogue, great chemistry and a great plot make Rival a book you don't want to end." #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Colleen Hoover "A gritty, racy new adult tale peppered with raw emotions. I could not put it down! 5 stars!!"- Aesta's Book Blog "A heated and passionate novel, full of feeling and intensity that will appeal to the reader seeking an emotional rush."-, "As gripping as it was sexy! Witty dialogue, great chemistry and a great plot make Rival a book you don't want to end." #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Colleen Hoover Praise for Bully: "Bully was a wonderfully addictive read that kept my heart racing from start to finish. Praise for Bully: "Bully was a wonderfully addictive read that kept my heart racing from start to finish. Select your institution from the list provided, which will take you to your institution's website to sign in. Click Sign in through your institution.Shibboleth / Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.Ĭhoose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways: Get help with access Institutional accessĪccess to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. Related Posts: The Dire King (Jackaby #4) Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, Paranormalįind it on the web: Buy from Amazon // Goodreads Date Completed: January 1, 2017 Reviews for each book/the series are a whole are generally spoiler-free for any major occurrences or twists but may contain info about plot points so I can properly discuss the plot. SERIES REVIEW: JACKABY, BEASTLY BONES, GHOSTLY ECHOES I found out that it was actually a four-book series and not a trilogy, so today’s series review will have to be for the first three books and then when the fourth one comes out, that’ll be on its own. Well, I had the best intentions of binge-reading this series but alas. Still, in spite of these reservations, Zafón-perhaps thanks to his translator-remains a good writer, even if he occasionally spends too much time on silly jokes. When things seem to be getting into motion the story ends which did lessen my overall enjoyment. While I was interested in Fermín’s backstory I did find the Bea side-story to be a bit of distraction, one that did not really contribute to the overall story. A figure from Fermín’s past will bring to light some old secrets and a not unsurprising connection between Fermín and David. The story follows once more Daniel who is now married to Bea and has become a father himself. The action in The Prisoner of Heaven begins in December 1957 in the Sempere & Sons Bookshop in Barcelona. While The Prisoner of Heaven was a bit too long for my liking, and its story ‘dragged’ a little, I had the opposite problem The Prisoner of Heaven as I found myself wanting the story to slow down a little. Read 7,561 reviews from the worlds largest community for readers. Tonally The Prisoner of Heaven is closer to the first book in this series, yet its short length and fast plot-line seemed more in a line with those of a short story or a novella. After finishing The Angel’s Game I was eager to start The Prisoner of Heaven as I was hoping that we could see how unreliable a narrator David was. This is classic Greg Iles territory, where the South’s past and present lie eternally entangled where the sins of the father pass from generation to generation and where a murder from yesteryear finds new life-and victims-in the present. The first in a two-part series, a new Penn Cage thriller set in the South-from the New York Times bestselling author “who puts the horror in a believable context” ( The Washington Post) and “who just keeps getting better” ( Booklist).įeaturing the return of popular hero Penn Cage ( Devil’s Punchbowl, Turning Angel, The Quiet Game), this suspenseful tale set in the deep south is filled with long-held secrets and unresolved mysteries and, perhaps most worrisome of all, a serious threat to the well-being of Tom Cage, Penn’s father, the respected doctor who is the moral center of the Penn Cage books. The images before him generated a love of detail, an admiration for the creative process, and a curiosity about the hand behind the drawings. When the everyday play stopped, he would follow his imaginary playmates into the pages of books, wandering among dinosaurs in the World Book Encyclopedia. His home and his neighborhood became anything from a faraway planet to a prehistoric jungle. Perhaps it was this decor which awakened his creativity and gave it the dreamlike, imaginative quality so often found in his work.Īs a child growing up in suburban New Jersey, Wiesner re-created his world daily in his imagination. During David Wiesner's formative years, the last images he saw before closing his eyes at night were the books, rockets, elephant heads, clocks, and magnifying glasses that decorated the wallpaper of his room. They are constantly doing stuff like calling each other boring, and not enjoying time they spend together, and also not really spending time together in general. I don't think Crystal (our protagonist, an Instagram influencer) and Scott (our love interest, a firefighter) ARE that compatible. I honestly loved these characters and their family (yes, family singular, their grandparents get married in what is a very normal and not at all uncomfortable and insane thing, apparently), and the body positivity plot, but I didn't care about the actual reason we all found ourselves gathered here like at all. My least favorite part of this romance novel was the romance. So, anyway, here it is, what has become basically my catchphrase: But then again, I don't really, because to know about exercise implies doing it, and that sounds horrible. I wish I knew anything about exercise, so that I could make a comparison that would be on theme. Prepare yourselves, because this is going to sound familiar. Reading books about working out counts as exercise, I'm pretty sure. Her joints may be stiff, her back may be sore and she may want a nap but, still, her actions carry the story with elegance, grace and a light touch of whimsy. Part of me wants to describe her to you but another part wants you to discover her for yourself, so I’ll say only that Ofelia is the entirely believable portrait of a conservative grandmother with hippie tendencies. You will not find her like anywhere else in sci-fi/fantasy. There is much to praise in this book, starting with the main character, Ofelia. LeGuin acting as midwife and you’ll get some idea as to what to expect from Remnant Population. Imagine the love-child of Robinson Crusoe and Enemy Mine with Ursula K. Remnant Population tells the story of a woman who stays behind on an alien world when all of her fellow humans abandon a failed colony. |