I promised myself not to write a review, but GR is so tempting. I'm currently sitting, waiting, waiting for the right time to stand. Imagining the high buildings, the towers and even the tallest skyscraper built in Dubai. I can't pronounce the word skyscraper, boo. A skyscraper is a tall, habitable building, no definite height as long as it gets higher and higher.One of the most iconic and popular skyscraper built in New York was the World Trade Center. Built on 1973 and stood for 23 years after the great suicide attack forcing it to collide in full height causing thousands of deaths and millions of mourners to pray for the soul and the survivors. It was one of the worst terrorist attack happened, when the news flashed a picture of Bin Laden informing the casualties that he died when American armies entered his territory last week my cousin said that she can't forget the days that the people mourned for the 3,000 deaths including Filipinos and some foreigners.On September 24, 2004, the tallest skyscraper was beginning to rise through the wide sky and in 2009 it was finished with great satisfaction and named as the tallest man-made skyscraper. The Burj Dubai designed by Adrian Smith and his team creating a marvelous, luxurious habitable building defeating the tallest pyramid in Asia, Great Pyramid of Giza. I'm not interested to buy a room in that building, remember the earthquakes. In 1992, Sidney Sheldon wrote his first attempt to build a skyscraper by his well-know protagonist, Lara Cameron, by writing an interesting yet claimable masterpiece as she journey through man's world, real estate.Lara Cameron, born in Nova Scotia, her mother died in childbirth with her twin and her hopeless dad took care of her, or maybe not. She was never given any attention, no money to buy new clothes, to own things, to go to school, and secluded from other children. When her father died, she realized she have to face the future, the strength that she needed must be zipped off from her so she face her greatest challenge, to dominate man's world, real estate.As she venture through years, meeting people, enemies and friends, losing them one by one, building skyscrapers, parks, condominiums and etc. She achieved far from what she imagined, a strong willed woman who wants to be the empress of her own kingdom as she built her structures higher and higher. But when a tragedy happened to her husband, she soon been accused causing herself to carry the weights. Can she survive in the end or another destiny that the Faiths destined to her to suffer like her father?A very interesting and commercially written for everyone to enjoyed, not only for female but to everyone who really interested in reading a fast-paced and informative book. The beginning until the end, the book was so boring keeping you to continue reading but the near end was so shockingly interesting. Sidney Sheldon cannot missed such great writing style, pulling the readers till the end and giving twisted lines. A must read! A Hymenocallis flower showing six spokes, as pattern for the three-lobed design - WikipediaRating - The Stars Shine Down by Sidney Sheldon, 4 Sweets and concrete jungle where dreams are made! (So far, I was impressed by how Sidney Sheldon wrote this book, although he doesn't have any idea and experience in playing the real estate. Kudos, and in the end friendship and love will always conquer everything. Spoiler! But still, I highly recommend his Master of the Game)Challenges:Book #72 for 2011Book #44 for Off the Shelf!
For an insight into property development, this novel is great. I read it years ago and always remembered it as the book that inspired me with regard to buying, building and renovating spaces for living in. It is a story of courage, success, struggle and survival which leaves the reader feeling motivated to be part of the refurbishment of cities.As light entertainment, Lara Cameron's story of rags to riches moves quickly and incorporates family drama, intrigue, romance and suspense. Sidney Sheldon is a master at capturing the essence of story, providing a plot that is well-formed and satisfying. However, character exploration is not of much interest to him and the reader who is accustomed to rich, complex characters should put aside this expectation in order to enjoy what this book has to offer. To me, his style is closer to that of a movie script than a work of fiction, which is understandable because he worked for so many years as a successful screenwriter. Incidentally, his autobiography, "The Other Side Of Me" is well worth a read.As I indicated at the start of this review, what I appreciated most about this book was its setting and content. The real estate boom in the seventies and eighties provides the perfect background for Lara Cameron's meteoric rise to fame and power, and the kinds of challenges she faces on a daily basis reflect the nature of the industry. Her long-term partnership with one-time baseball star Howard Keller, her affair with Mafia-linked Paul Martin and her romance with concert pianist Philip Adler all add variety and spice to the story. In the end, although the characters are minimally sketched and the business situations simply portrayed, the message itself is compelling; namely, that a woman with vision and courage can make a lasting difference, if not on the skyline of a city then most certainly in her intimate relationships.
What do You think about The Stars Shine Down (1995)?
I jst done with the book and the author made his first impression on me. The way how lara a girl with lack of everything was grown in to a woman who can handle any thing and acquired everything whatever it is whether a location/land or a man who she loves.Author was suceeded in showcasing the struggles of young lara cameron to get her first bussiness to work out by paying her virginity as a ransom and how she turned in to a one of the best real estate broker where the bussiness is meant for only men. She takes every move as granted to her and made the things to work out. As the story progress, the businness of lara too is being progressed and she got half part of his life ambition.ie lot of lands but the other half of her is still waiting for some comfortable hand which she can hold and go on without bothering the rest of world.Though, she met some men who are beautiful and even she made love many a times with one of the guy who helped her a lotta times, yet she was in search of her childhood hero and finally when she saw him, she decided to made him as her the other half.And finally at the end she will be with her better halfs.I would like to congratulate the author doing a lot of home work on planning of building and real estate stuff, so that he made the things easy about the stuff and he characterized lara in many dimensions and it was yes i can say, he was a winner in making lara cameron successful.And my verdict to readers was u can undoubtedly pick this one as your choice and i am for sure u will regret of ur idea.Thanks..
—Anil
Even if many people think that Sydney Sheldon has the most exciting plots and best twists...let's just say maybe your calculations and speculations aren't on the right track.Lara Cameron is a strong willed girl who is very much independent and doesn't hesitate to take a risky step. She hides her true face and her past to fight the competition where men rule.Even if I liked the character, I don't feel that it was anywhere near the books Sydney Sheldon has written.The ending didn't leave an indelible mark in my mind.And the commotion after the half book was finished didn't pay off at the end.I was starting to regret it reading.2.5 rating from my side in which 0.5 is for the other great work Sydney Sheldon has shown to us and respecting it.It seriously took me 4 days to complete it. :/
—Gauri Verma
Breathtaking and sensual.Sometimes you can't trust the people closest to you, when it involves the hearts and emotions.Lara Cameron aimed to be successful, to build her own empire, to owe many buildings, to go against The Fate.She proved to the world, it wasn't a fairytale when she migrated from rags to riches.She worked very closely with Howard Keller for all her projects, but she failed to acknowledge his feelings and designs on her.She got sexually involved with Paul Martin, being pampered and loved by him, but he was already married. She knew she couldn't give all her love to Paul Martin, and she knew something was missing in her life. She wanted true love, and someone she could come home to everyday. She had visualised and dreamt of one mystery man as a husband.Till she met the famous pianist, Phillip Adler. It was a hurried and short-noticed marriage ceremony between them. She knew it was him who had appeared in her visual.But things began to sour and life took a twist, when she started to complain of not being able to have Phillip Adler all to herself everyday and at some parties, when he had to be away on concert tours most times. That was when she started to lose her buildings, her empire started to face financial troubles, and her husband was robbed and crippled on his left hand.Revenge and jealousy seems to be un separated. Who were behind her downfall???
—Ririn Marina
