Review: Charming and Fun!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 13, 2012
**I would give this 3 1/2 stars if allowed, but am rounding up to 4.**Wow. What an interesting story! The synopsis states the Z is a re-imaging of The Great Gatsby. I don't know about that, because I've never read that novel. But I will say that this book reminded me of Don Juan de Marco. You see, in that movie, Johnny Depp, in all his mid-90s glory, believes he is Don Juan, a great lover of women. His psychiatrist spend the movie trying to figure Don Juan out, to cure his delusion, all the while becoming more and more inspired by him. In Z: A NOVEL, we have Diego, who also dresses like and goes by the name Zorro. And while no one is trying to "fix" Diego, almost all who meet him fall under his enchanting spell.I will say, I couldn't stop reading Z. This is the second of Baratz-Logsted's books I've read and I find her style suits me. Nix, who's point of view tells the tale, was a fun character to see the story through. Her family, father Carmine and grandfather, were equally enjoyable. The were often the comic relief in the story. Diego was quite charming, of course. Anyone who could make people not only jokingly believe that he's Zorro, but also leave him be, is pretty much awesome. The storyline that focuses on Nix and Diego was great, I couldn't get enough. Their relationship was sweet, and a tad spicy. Very nice.There were parts, though, that I felt detracted from the story. The storyline that revolved around the neighbor, cheating spouses, and just basically annoyingly crazy jerks just didn't do it for me. I felt the story would have been more well-spent expanding on Diego and Nix's romance. And, I'm not crazy about the fact that the big question was never answered. Though perhaps, if I think about it, only adds to the endearing mystery of Diego.Z: A NOVEL was a fun story for me. Once I began, I didn't want to stop until I'd reached the conclusion. And while I didn't love everything about it, I did like it quite a bit.Favorite Quote:"I continued to study him sharply, particularly since he'd verbally cross-pollinated "whackjob" with "blowdryer", but all I could see was what I'd been seeing all along: a man with an amazing smile, formal speech pattern and intense gaze that looked at me as though he was looking straight into my best self and forgiving the worst, as though he'd known me all my strange life." (ebook, 26%)