Official Review: Differences by Cristina Monro
Posted: 21 May 2015, 09:34
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Differences" by Cristina Monro.]
2 out of 4 stars
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Differences, by Cristina Monro, is a fictional story about Cara Marino, a young woman from the Philippines, who goes to the United States for a job at the U.N. Although her cousin is determined that Cara find a husband, Cara has no intentions of doing so. She is there simply to work. That is until she meets local television celebrity, Daniel Devereaux. While Daniel’s handsome good looks are enough to get Cara’s attention, it’s his kind personality that gets her to look past the rumors of him being a ladies man. Cara sees several obstacles in her way, however, when she considers a relationship between Daniel and herself. One is the woman Daniel works with who has already claimed Daniel as her own. Another is Cara’s belief that their racial differences are a barrier.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I like the storyline. I’m a sucker for romance, and that’s what this story is all about. I don’t necessarily like the way it was put together, though. First of all, the speech between characters was way too formal, as well as most of the narration. It wasn’t written in the way people in the U.S. generally speak. It’s more along the lines of how someone may speak who has learned English as a second language, who doesn’t actually live in the U.S. Now, this works for Cara’s character, seeing as she is from the Philippines, but the American characters do the same thing. Perhaps it is simply a result of the author not being from the U.S.; I’m not sure. Whatever the reason, it took away from my enjoyment of the book.
The other main thing that bothered me was the rampant racism by Americans toward any foreigner, starting with the rude treatment of a traveling Chinese mother by an American immigration officer at the airport in the very first scene, and continuing throughout the book. I understand that unfortunately there are racist people. They are everywhere, not just in the U.S. And I also understand that racial differences are what this book is about; the title is Differences. I knew that when I chose this book. It sounded like a good story; one I would enjoy. In fact, right on the title page, it says “It is not the shade of one’s skin that defines a person, but how he is as a human being.” Now that is a sentiment I completely agree with. I just did not care for the way it was shown in this story.
Now for what I Ioved about this story; Cara’s wholesome values and behavior in her relationship with Daniel. I’ve told people before that not all romance novels are trash. They are not all about people who meet and jump into bed together. They are not all pages filled with gratuitous sex, as some people would have you believe. And this story was a prime example.
Overall, I give this story 2 out of 4 stars. While I loved the clean nature of the book, the blatant racism and unnaturally formal language stopped me from enjoying the story enough to give it a higher rating.
******
Differences
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2 out of 4 stars
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Differences, by Cristina Monro, is a fictional story about Cara Marino, a young woman from the Philippines, who goes to the United States for a job at the U.N. Although her cousin is determined that Cara find a husband, Cara has no intentions of doing so. She is there simply to work. That is until she meets local television celebrity, Daniel Devereaux. While Daniel’s handsome good looks are enough to get Cara’s attention, it’s his kind personality that gets her to look past the rumors of him being a ladies man. Cara sees several obstacles in her way, however, when she considers a relationship between Daniel and herself. One is the woman Daniel works with who has already claimed Daniel as her own. Another is Cara’s belief that their racial differences are a barrier.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I like the storyline. I’m a sucker for romance, and that’s what this story is all about. I don’t necessarily like the way it was put together, though. First of all, the speech between characters was way too formal, as well as most of the narration. It wasn’t written in the way people in the U.S. generally speak. It’s more along the lines of how someone may speak who has learned English as a second language, who doesn’t actually live in the U.S. Now, this works for Cara’s character, seeing as she is from the Philippines, but the American characters do the same thing. Perhaps it is simply a result of the author not being from the U.S.; I’m not sure. Whatever the reason, it took away from my enjoyment of the book.
The other main thing that bothered me was the rampant racism by Americans toward any foreigner, starting with the rude treatment of a traveling Chinese mother by an American immigration officer at the airport in the very first scene, and continuing throughout the book. I understand that unfortunately there are racist people. They are everywhere, not just in the U.S. And I also understand that racial differences are what this book is about; the title is Differences. I knew that when I chose this book. It sounded like a good story; one I would enjoy. In fact, right on the title page, it says “It is not the shade of one’s skin that defines a person, but how he is as a human being.” Now that is a sentiment I completely agree with. I just did not care for the way it was shown in this story.
Now for what I Ioved about this story; Cara’s wholesome values and behavior in her relationship with Daniel. I’ve told people before that not all romance novels are trash. They are not all about people who meet and jump into bed together. They are not all pages filled with gratuitous sex, as some people would have you believe. And this story was a prime example.
Overall, I give this story 2 out of 4 stars. While I loved the clean nature of the book, the blatant racism and unnaturally formal language stopped me from enjoying the story enough to give it a higher rating.
******
Differences
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Barnes and Noble
Like Heather's review? Post a comment saying so!