Amanda

Fielding, Joy: PUPPET, New York Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group 2005
0-7434-8800-8 New Condition

From the Publisher New York Times bestselling author Joy Fielding is the mistress of the "taut suburban thriller"(Kirkus Reviews). Now Fielding unnerves readers with a richly layered page-turner that swings from haunting intrigue to electrifying suspense in the space of a heartbeat. PUPPET Living a no-strings-attached life in glamorous Palm Beach, beautiful, steely-nerved criminal attorney Amanda Travis knows exactly what she likes: spinning classes, the color black, and one-night stands. Here's what she dislikes: the color pink, nicknames...and memories. Which is why she has shut the door on two ex-husbands, her estranged mother, and her hometown of Toronto. Then comes the news that will shatter Amanda's untouchable world: her mother, who has always held a strange power over everyone she encounters, has shot and killed a complete stranger. Forced to return to Toronto, Amanda must confront her demons and unravel the truth behind her mother's violent act -- while the taunting, teasing name from her past dances in her head...Puppet...telling her that someone else is orchestrating her fate. Includes an excerpt from Mad River Road, Joy Fielding's riveting new novel -- coming soon in hardcover from Atria Books Library Journal Amanda, a beautiful young Florida defense attorney, receives puzzling news from her ex-husband, Ben-her mother has shot and killed a stranger in the lobby of Toronto's Four Seasons Hotel. Although long estranged from her mother and embittered over a loveless childhood, Amanda flies to Toronto. Ben, also a lawyer and serving as her mother's counsel, informs Amanda that her mother has confessed to the murder but refuses to reveal her motive. Amanda then tracks down the victim's sister, who tells Amanda that the murdered man stole her real brother's identity 20 years ago. Amanda doggedly and testily pursues the truth, which emerges through Chinatown-like revelations of incest and shocking blood ties among the victim's widow, Amanda, and her mother. A crisp reading by Broadway and television actress Laura Hicks provides energy to a somewhat ponderous plot, which might benefit from abridgment. Recommended for fiction collections that expect healthy circulation of Fielding's novels.-Judith Robinson, Univ. at Buffalo, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. Synopsis New York Times bestselling author Joy Fielding is the mistress of the "taut suburban thriller"(Kirkus Reviews). Now Fielding unnerves readers with a richly layered page-turner that swings from haunting intrigue to electrifying suspense in the space of a heartbeat. PUPPET Living a no-strings-attached life in glamorous Palm Beach, beautiful, steely-nerved criminal attorney Amanda Travis knows exactly what she likes: spinning classes, the color black, and one-night stands. Here's what she dislikes: the color pink, nicknames...and memories. Which is why she has shut the door on two ex-husbands, her estranged mother, and her hometown of Toronto. Then comes the news that will shatter Amanda's untouchable world: her mother, who has always held a strange power over everyone she encounters, has shot and killed a complete stranger. Forced to return to Toronto, Amanda must confront her demons and unravel the truth behind her mother's violent act -- while the taunting, teasing name from her past dances in her head...Puppet...telling her that someone else is orchestrating her fate. Includes an excerpt from Mad River Road, Joy Fielding's riveting new novel -- coming soon in hardcover from Atria Books Library Journal Amanda, a beautiful young Florida defense attorney, receives puzzling news from her ex-husband, Ben-her mother has shot and killed a stranger in the lobby of Toronto's Four Seasons Hotel. Although long estranged from her mother and embittered over a loveless childhood, Amanda flies to Toronto. Ben, also a lawyer and serving as her mother's counsel, informs Amanda that her mother has confessed to the murder but refuses to reveal her motive. Amanda then tracks down the victim's sister, who tells Amanda that the murder.... New book Jacket Hardcover 7 x 9-1/2"

[SW: Women lawyers -- Fiction, Mothers and daughters -- Fiction, Palm Beach (Fla.) -- Fiction, Trials (Murder) -- Fiction]

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Levitin, Sonia: TAKING CHARGE, New York Scholastic 1999
ISBN: 0-531-30149-4 Very Good Condition

From Publishers Weekly Amanda, the plucky pioneer heroine of Levitin and Smith's Nine for California and Boom Town, learns that doing Mama's jobAminding the house, chores and childrenAis more than a handful in this energetic picture book. When Mama is called away to visit her ailing mother, Amanda volunteers to take charge. Amanda is determined to handle everything on her own and repeatedly declines offers of help. But who would have predicted that just taking care of her brother Baby Nathan was a full-time job in itself? The snappy text packs enough realistic sentiment to strike a chord with any young reader who has been eager to demonstrate his or her independence, and Baby Nathan's scrapes (from swaddling a pig with a just-made quilt to locking himself in a bank vault) put an amusing spin on Amanda's labors. Levitin fills the story with history, exploring the elements of life in the 1800s: scrubbing laundry on a washboard, churning butter, sewing with the neighbors. In her loose-lined, action-packed watercolors, Smith's lanky-limbed characters skillfully embody the humor in the text. Her cozy details (furniture, dress, telegraph office, stage coach) provide an entertaining glimpse of the Old West. Ages 5-9. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 4-Amanda, who traveled west with her family in Nine for California (1996) and helped them get settled in Boom Town (1997, both Orchard), once again demonstrates her pluckiness and charm. When her mother takes a trip back to Missouri, the girl is left to care for her father and brothers. Immediately, Baby Nathan takes his first step and is off and running. As the days go by, Amanda not only rescues the troublesome youngster from numerous mishaps, but also tries to run the house and prepare the meals. Finally, she recalls her mother's advice to ask for help when she needs it and supportive neighbors pitch in. After Miss Millie shows Amanda how to sew a doll and horse to keep the wandering baby busy, the girl is able to handle the housework with ease. When Mama returns at last, Amanda has not only learned a lesson, but has grown up a bit as well. <P> This delightful sequel combines history, humor, and great characterization. Smith's cheerful, busy watercolor cartoons are the perfect complement to the spirited story. The household furnishings and ethnically diverse neighbors add historical accuracy. Directions and patterns for making the toys mentioned are provided on the endpapers. For fans of the other Amanda stories or for plain, old-fashioned fun, this book is a surefire winner. Hardcover 10.3 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches

[SW: Children - Fiction & Literature, Children - Family & Growing Up, Phases of Life - Fiction]

Details

Fielding, Joy. Puppet. Pocket Books, 2005. ; weicher Einband / soft cover ISBN: 1-4165-0338-2
What Amanda Travis knows: Her mother has murdered a man she claims she's ne ver met. What Amanda needs to know: Why? New York Times bestselling author Joy Fielding returns with Puppet, a compe lling drama that explores how a woman's search for the truth behind her pre sent-day life leads her to discover the shocking reality that is her past. Puppet features the beautiful Amanda Travis, a successful twenty-eight-year -old criminal attorney who wins just about every case for her less than adm irable clientele. A Florida transplant, Amanda races through her glamorous life, her only concerns being herself, a good bottle of red, and her pristi ne Palm Beach condominium. Her estranged mother, dead father, two ex-husban ds, a love that once consumed her, and countless one-night stands have sinc e lagged far, far behind. But when ex #1 won't stop calling, Amanda finally gives in. He tells her th at her mother shot a man at point-blank range in the lobby of Toronto's Fou r Seasons hotel. Despite her best arguments, Amanda knows she must return t o her hometown to face her demons and uncover the hidden facts behind her m other's violent outburst. All too soon, she is drawn into the dark, strange power her mother seems to hold over everyone. Her childhood nickname, Pupp et, echoing in her ears, Amanda must finally confront the past in order to be free of the ties that bind and learn to stand on her own. Sinister, haunting, and cunningly crafted, Puppet is destined to be Joy Fielding's next blockbuster..

Paperback, Very Good+.

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Friedrich, Joachim: Amanda und die Detektive, THIENEMANN VERLAG, ISBN: 352217352X
Welcher Geist Sie auch betört, Amanda X hat ihn schon beschwört.Aufgepasst, 4 1/2 Freunde-Fans: neue Krimi-Reihe von Joachim Friedrich - die wundersamen Fälle einer unglaublichen Haushälterin. Ab 10.Kommissar Kaminski wird verhaftet. Er ist nicht gerade eine Leuchte unter den Kripobeamten, aber das geht zu weit. Seine Tochter Ricki und ihre Freundin Blümchen sind fest entschlossen ihn wieder rauszuboxen. Zum Glück haben sie Amanda X auf ihrer Seite. Amanda X ist nicht nur die Haushälterin der Kaminskis, sondern versteht sich auch aufs Hellsehen und Geisterbeschwören - dabei unterstützt sie Sister X, ein Schaf mit Sonnenbrille. Bei diesem Fall - das erkennt Amanda X sofort - muss sie zu außergewöhnlichen Mitteln greifen.Autorenporträt: Joachim Friedrich, Jahrgang 1953, promovierte in Volkswirtschaftslehre und war Professor für Beriebswirtschaft. Er arbeitete für die Lufthansa, andere Dienstleistungsunternehmen und war als Berater in vielen Ländern tätig. Heute lebt er mit seiner Familie in Bottrop.Leseprobe: Wenn wir nicht bald eine Haushälterin bekamen, würden wir im Dreck ersticken ... Sind Sie Amanda X fragte Papa schließlich. Ja, ich bin Amanda X, so wie es an der Tür steht. Und das ist Sister X, sagte sie und zeigte auf das Schaf an ihrer Seite. Sie sind sicher Kommissar Schimanski mit seiner Tochter Ricarda. Darf ich Ihnen ein Mandellikörchen anbieten Nein, danke. Woher wissen Sie - nein, mein Name ist nicht Schimanski, sondern Kaminski! Oh, entschuldigen Sie bitte, dann habe ich da wohl etwas verwechselt.

NEUBUCH! 2000. 220 S. m. Illustr. v. Edda Skibbe. 21 cm; Amanda X

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