Lone Star audiobook

First up, it took until about the 20% mark for this book to grab me. Up until then was 'oh no, it's going to be a dud', and I was feeling very disappointed as I always look forward to novels by Paullina Simons. However, Lone Star ended up delivering the goods.Fans of previous works such as Tully and The Bronze Horseman Series will really enjoy Lone Star.I giggled, I got teary, I was shocked, I wanted to hit characters over the head due to sheer frustration and annoyance - all signs of a good novel.There is a surprise treat in Lone Star, but I can't say anymore than that as I don't want to give anything away. Just read it and you will see what I mean. Thankyou to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers Australia for the chance to read and review.

Lo increíble de los libros de Paullina Simons es que te destrozan y luego una frase o acción une los pedazos. Mientras la experiencia de lectura es única e inolvidable. La vida de Johnny no ha sido en vano. Ha dejado una huella permanente en todos aquellos que lo amaron. Incluso desgraciado, Johnny ha logrado encontrar la manera de llenar de sentido infinito la vida finita de Chloe. Le ha dejado a Blake. Llenó su vida hasta desbordarla y, al quedar vacía, le entrega a aquel que más la ama. Es que todavía no puedo creer el desenlace de la historia y no es que me enoje, pero tampoco evitó que me sintiera demasiado triste que hasta escribiendo estas palabras mis ojos se empañan. Eso es lo asombroso de esta autora y pesar de que gran parte del libro pensaba que era menos intenso si lo comparaba con El jinete de bronce y El sueño imposible -otros que ya he leído- pero ahora entiendo que todo me fue preparando para el final. El capítulo final fue arrebatador. Me duele pensar el sufrimiento de Tania y Shura y de Anthony. Aquí yo rumiando la angustia que habrán sentido personajes literarios, si has leído la trilogía El jinete de bronce y los quieres como yo, entenderás por qué. Y claro, me emocione muchísimo cuando aparecieron y cada que Johnny hablaba de sus abuelos yo estaba con una sonrisa inmensa debido a la devoción hacia ellos. Queriendo saber más. Más. Más. En gran parte estaba intentando (como Chloe) descifrar el enigma que representaba Jhonny y su pasado. Con su encanto, su melodiosa voz, su interminable conocimiento de la segunda guerra mundial (aportado y de primera mano por su abuelo), su incesante temeridad. Y al principio era Blake que llego a contagiarme su energía e hiperactividad, característica que me recordó un poco lo que soy. Y obvio, después que aparece Rainbow entendía su renuencia y enojo que hasta me parecía gracioso porque era fácil notar el porqué de esas emociones. Lo bueno es que fue desde el punto de vista de los cuatro, Chloe, Hannah, Blake y Mason, pude conocerlos un poquito más y hacer más ameno este viaje de sus vidas a través de las páginas.Lo he disfrutado mucho. Me alegra que -casi- todos de alguna manera tuvieron su final feliz. Incluida Hannah. Los personajes me parecieron simpáticos, sencillos, agradables de leer. Yo a ojos cerrados recomiendo los libros de esta escritora.

One reads Paullina Simons novels for many reasons: for the way she deftly weaves history into her stories; for the people she brings to life on the page and indeed into your life; for their existential angst; for the talent she has of making even the bland beautiful; for her breathtaking prose; and, above all else, for her love stories that you want to make your very own.While Lone Star was a slow build, Johnny Rainbow and Chloe Divine are two such lovers.Johnny has the promise of Paullina’s greatest male heroes: the incomparable, moralistic Shura, and the you-just-can’t-keep-a-good-man-down Spencer O’Malley. And on that note, this is the Paullina Simons book I most enjoyed since Girl in Times Square. Chloe is a 17 year old young woman, itching to leave home and spread her wings. She took me back to being 17, when my grandmother was still alive with her fervent hopes for me. She took me back to travelling alone by Eurail through Eastern Europe in my early twenties, through Zagreb and Prague and East Berlin just after the wall came down. There was a little bit of Tania in Chloe, a little bit of Lily, but mostly a whole lot of Chloe - sensible, sentient and sensuous.Johnny, Johnny, Johnny. What a package with his swagger and his voice, his bravura and his unmissable looks. In him I saw the youthful long-haired Bono’s unadulterated magnetism. He had Eurasian soccer star, David Silva’s striking features, Matt Corby’s raw talent and Art Garfunkel’s pureness of voice - all combined with the rebellion and mystery of Jimmy Morrison. On top of this, his European WWII historical knowledge nearly equalled that of Antony Beevor’s. As I said, quite a package.Lone Star is a whirlwind tour with five teenagers - two of them brothers dating two best friends, the fifth a tag-along troubadour - as they come to the first make-or-break turning point of their adult lives, except for the modern minstrel. Johnny seemed to have lived many lives already but was still caught in his own make or break spiral. We traverse through some of Europe’s least visited yet gilded cities, through the horror of Hitler and the treasures of Trieste it Italy.I found the characters in Lone Star to be complex and likeable, unlike Gina and Harry in Paullina's last book, Bellagrand, who, while complex, were at times unlikeable and infuriating, Harry in particular. For me Esther was the shining light in that book and while there are layers of heartache in Lone Star, it did not reduce me to tears the way Esther’s last agonising conversation with Alexander did in The Bronze Horseman prequel.The sadness has crept up on me now that I’ve finished. I’m torn over the ending, or, to be more precise, reeling by what came before. I wanted it to be otherwise. A good read and a good ride while it lasted. Not quite in the league of my all time favourite books of Paullina's but still full of many of the things I love about her writing. 4.5 stars.

Johnny Rainbow. I have no words, Paullina, I bow to you!!!

para muy fans de paullina simons ;) Por la edad de los personajes y la trama podía ser YA o NA, pero hay un guiño tan impresionante al jinete de bronce que me emocionó. Me ha gustado mucho!!!!

Este livro foi a minha estreia com esta autora.Gostei de acompanhar a viagem destes adolescentes e com eles viver os seus amores e desamores, amizades e zangas.Com este livro fiquei também a conhecer mais pormenores de fatos que se passaram durante a 2ª guerra mundial.Foi uma leitura muito interessante.