Shiver: A Novel [Paperback]

In all honesty, I disagree with the previous reviewer, as I found Shiver to be a well written, lyrical book set in an unconventional location. The descriptions of the settings and the characters gave the reader a feeling of the starkness of Antarctica and the people who survive there, allowed for insights into the mindsets of people who are forced to get along for the sake of the entire community, and provided some beautiful descriptions of the wildlife of the region seen through the eyes of someone to whom it is all so new.

I understand that Shiver is autobiographical, and that the author herself experienced many, if not all, of the events in this tale first-hand, which lends further poignancy to the tale.

I found it a rewarding, introspective read that is deeper than it appears.

Really well written, engaging and very hard to put down - was gonna gonna gonna mow the lawn but couldn't get away from this tale until it was finished - and so the grass grows on unmolested. A rewarding read that satisfies on so many levels - character development, plot, and amazing setting Have to read more of this author, congratulations northerly biassed Kindle for picking up this author from the south.

I'm an Aussie, so would usually pump a good Australian author, but Nikki Gemmell has wasted my eyes and reading space. After reading, Lovesong, the bride stripped bare and shiver, all I can say is, "you've read one, you've read 'em all". How boring. How did this person get published over better writers?

The running theme through all 3 novels above, is a confused angst ridden twitty voiceless female, who ends up, with a bun in the oven, but thought it was nice to keep it a secret .... in SHIVER and LOVESONG, the pregnancy is a big secret as both daddies die without really giving a toss about mommy, nor knowing she was preggers.

Gemmell's female character's seem to think and dwell, ponder more on men that really don't give a rats about the "ponderer".

Yet the female host of this babe is so happy she has this private "gift".

In the bridesmaid stripped bare, she did give birth at the end of the book to her hubby's kid. The other two books, the main female was impregnated .... and carried the "seed" with joy even though the daddy was dead.

Such boring repetitive themes. Why buy Gemmell;s novels, when you can read one, and you've read 'em all?

Also, as a reader, you develop no empathy or compassion for the characters, male and female, they're just so dull! Any real person may have a coffee with this person and choose to never make contact again, they're too boring and shallow.

Gemmell does try to make her lead make and female characters have some personality, but its compromised with so much "wordiness" that its rubbish.

By the way, wordness is the word I use to authors that are so excited over their knowledge of prose, that they sugar coat every 5 word sentence, in that many old descriptive adjectives (only to be found in a dictionary) and turn each sentence into a meandering ten paragraph description of how they like their coffee.

It's like the author says, "woweeeeee, I'm in print, let me crap onto you, fair reader, for 20 pages about the color of the sun at dawn. YAWN. Waste of time and oxygen. Who the heck did this author have sex with to get her scribbles in print?

Again, read one of her books, and you've read them all. Don't waste your money on repetitive books, that are droll, set to an old formula and are timewasting trivia.