another great story by this author ( )

Sharon Owens second book is as lovely as her first. This tale centers around a dance hall in Belfast, the people who frequent the business, and the owner and his life. Intriguing and nicely written. ( )

Finished last night.

What can i say. I did enjoy the book, mainly because it was so different than most books i read. Did not see where things were going. This is not a chick lit book, also not really a romance so I put it in the non genre category.
I might try another book by this author just cause it was a relaxing read. 3.5 stars. ( )

This is perhaps my least favorite of Sharon Owen's work. The Ballroom on Magnolia Street starts off very slow, in fact, the first half of the book I consider largely useless. Luckily, I stuck through and was rewarded with a decent second half of the book.

Unlike her other works a great portion of this novel actually doesn't involve the ballroom. While the characters are sometimes there or mention it, it isn't the main focus like the Tea Room or Pub were in her other novels.

At the beginning we're introduced to Johnny "Hollywood" Hogan, the owner of the ballroom. He has a penchant for Blue Suede shoes and Marion, another character's (Declan) mother. He's famous for having stopped a crime years before in the ballroom and also for being the only survivor of a bombing in the neighborhood where the ballroom is when he was born.

The most prominent characters are sisters Kate and Shirley. In the first half of the novel I couldn't stand either of them. They were both very superficial and written to be quite annoying. While Shirley improves midways through the novel, it isn't until almost the end when Kate redeems herself. Both of the sisters are in a perpetual hunt for love (or in Kate's case) a good time. Shirley, especially has a thing for Declan.

After the first half of the book is done the story really gets going. Shirley gets involved with Declan finally (even though in one paragraph of the first book he liked Kate, which is never explained away). Kate starts dating a mechanic out of jealousy of her sister's relationship. These relationships shape out the second half of the book and evolve into a double wedding that causes numerous sorts of grief.

Also featured is a kidnapping that seemed somewhat out of place and a transference of the ownership of the ballroom, which is quickly and conveniently reversed at the end of the novel. Like her other novels, the last chapter consists of different paragraphs explaining what happens to each of the characters, even the lowliest of side characters.

Her writing is still cheery in this book and it wouldn't be a bad read with a bubble bath and a glass of wine (the wine is very important for getting through the first half). It just didn't seem to have the charm that her other novels did and I didn't connect to the characters as much.

The Ballroom on Magnolia Street
Published in 2004
356 pages ( )

Shirley and Kate Winters may be sisters, but they are about as alike as chalk and cheese. Shirley loves vintage outfits and dreams about falling in love (with the divine Declan Greenwood), and she wants to make the world a better place. Kate is glamorous and flirtatious, never able to stick with any relationship for long. She's a designer label addict and selfish in the extreme. Both girls are hoping the make their way in the world, and certain men feature heavily in their plans, although for Shirley true love is all that matters, whereas in Kate's case, she just wants to find a rich husband.

Meanwhile, Johnny Hogan, the owner of the Ballroom on Magnolia Street - the only nightspot in the area - is rethinking his life and planning to move to America - temporarily at first, but maybe permanently. After all, he lost the love his life to another man many years before, and having given most of his life to making the ballroom a success, he now feels ready to move on.

But secrets from the past are about to resurface and it won't be long before circumstances cause everyone's life to irrevocably change...will anything ever be the same again?

While chick-lit is not a favourite genre of mine, when it's done well, it can be very enjoyable. Unfortunately, I did not think it was done well here. The characters are cliched (Shirley might as well wear a halo, and Kate should have little horns coming out of the side of her head) and hard to care about. Declan Greenwood - the object of Shirley's affection - is just too good to be true and in the case of Johnny Hogan, I ended up confused about whether the author was trying to portray him as someone we should like, dislike or just feel plain sorry for.

The storylines were also just not believeable, with unrealistic turns of events happening all the time, and certain characters seeming to have unexplained personality transplants for the sake of plot. The plot itself also seemed to promote the idea that all any woman really wants is a man to take care of her. Any single or independent women in the book are portrayed particularly unfavourably.

Finally, there were some very long stretches of dialogue which served no purpose for the plot. The chapter where the two sisters are introduced into the storyline features a heavily drawn out exchange between the two of them, which was boring and unnecessary.

Are there any good parts? Well - a couple of the stories had potential and certainly a book which concentrated on Shirley and Declan - leaving out many of the peripheral characters - might have been more enjoyable. There are also some amusing parts when describing the actions of certain characters - in particular, Shirley and Kate's parents.

It was also an undemanding read, and I finished it quite quickly (although I only finished it at all because I hate to give up on any book once I've started it).

Unfortunately, not one I'd recommend. ( )