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| Tribute | 
 enlarge | Author: Nora Roberts
Publisher: Penguin Group
Category: Book
Buy Used: $20.74
Used (6) from $20.74
Avg. Customer Rating:  91 reviews
Sales Rank: 3006826
Format: Import
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Home Library Edition: LARGE PRINT
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.7
ISBN: 0749908602
EAN: 9780749908607
ASIN: 0749908602
Publication Date: 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 86 more reviews...
 Change Your Opinions, Keep Your Principles; Change Your Leaves, Keep In Tact Your Roots. - Victor Hugo July 10, 2008
55 out of 62 found this review helpful
Cilla McGowen was raised in the spotlight. Her Grandmother was the famous Janet Hardy; a child star turned Hollywood actress and famous singer. Her mother, Dilly, wasn't quite as famous as Janet but managed to stay in the Hollywood spotlight all her life. From a very young age Cilla was thrust in front of the cameras by her mom. She was part of a successful TV show, made a few records, but by the time she was an adult she was pretty much a has-been.
Happy to be out of the public life, Cilla now makes her money flipping houses; it is a labor of love. Finally getting her hands on her famous Grandmothers long neglected farm, Cilla is rehabbing to make herself a home. Questions surround her Grandmothers too early death and as Cilla repairs the house, she seeks answers. But someone doesn't want Cilla around and is making things very difficult for her, her friends and workers. Finding a friend and an unexpected love in her graphic novelist neighbor, Ford Sawyer, Cilla gets some much needed TLC.
This is a lengthy new novel by Nora Roberts, but amazingly enough I flew through 451 pages, easily, I absolutely loved it.
What Nora does better than anyone is create unforgettable and magnificent characters. This book is filled with people who are written so well, you can see them so clearly and you feel like you know them. Every character in this book added something to this story; love, sex, fear, annoyance, growth, laughter, and sadness. You get as invested with the side characters as you do with the main characters. I love that about her work
Cilla is a heroine not without flaws; she's both hard and soft and has been emotionally drained. She's personable and knows her strengths and weaknesses. I found her extremely relatable. Ford was funny, charming and sexy as hell. It took me all about a page to fall for him and his crazy dog.
The story is strong and takes the reader through past and present day at the farm with clever little visits from the Grandmother. Uncovering the secrets of the past and dealing with the danger of the present lead you through a suspenseful and gripping read. I admit I knew whodunit pretty much from the start, but Nora added a little something extra that threw me off and added plenty of surprise at the end.
This book has everything; a solid mystery, a love story, humor and healing. I really enjoyed it. I am also one of those HGTV junkies that enjoy house flipping and rehabbing and I got a total kick out of the demo and rehab of this house. It was fun to watch it change and I had no trouble picturing the results. This book showcases ever reason why I love Nora Roberts writing so much, enjoy!
Cherise Everhard, July 2008
 Getting Old and Stale July 19, 2008
37 out of 43 found this review helpful
Cilla McGowan is going back to her roots. As the grandchild of the famous Janet Hardy, Cilla had been exploited and used her entire life, and all she wants is to never see Hollywood again. Looking for a family connection, Cilla arrives at in the Blue Ridge Mountains at her grandmother, Janet's, farm. While Cilla is setting up housekeeping and renovating her grandmother's farm, she meets and falls in love with graphic artist, Ford Sawyer. Life is really looking good for Cilla if it isn't for the reoccuring incidents of vandalism and terror that become more and more frequent the longer Cilla lives in the valley. Apparently, not everyone is happy to see Janet's family come home, and as time goes by, the suspicion crosses Cilla's mind that maybe, just maybe, Janet didn't commit suicide as everyone believed. Maybe she was murdered...
Nora Robert's latest, Tribute, is just like every single other book Nora has put out lately. In fact, her writing - which use to thrill me - is just getting stale. Lately her plots have pretty much all been the same, but what really is driving me crazy are Nora's heroes. They are all just so damn perfect and understanding anymore. It used to be the Nora Robert's feature couple had a little spice in each of the characters, as well as conflicts to resolve. Now the heroine is full of angst and emotional disorder, and the hero is sweet, patient, understanding and just plain wonderful. Now don't get me wrong. I don't want to go back to the alpha males of the 80's in romance, where they were mean, cruel and creepy up to the last chapter, when all of a sudden they finally saw the heroine was wonderful and all lived happily ever after, but I don't want all my heroes to be such blandless wimps either. Instead of having all this suspense as a backdrop to the story, what happened with having suspense between the two characters as they work out their difference and unpeel the layers of each other. I truly don't believe Nora has wrote a really, really good book (except for her JDRobb series) for a long time. As for Tribute, it is just an average book. I would wait for the paperback.
Yes! Another great one from Roberts July 11, 2008
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
Cilla, child actress turned house flipper, and Ford, a graphic artist, at first glance make an odd pairing for a romantic couple. However, Nora Roberts has scored a success with this hardcover in making this unlikely pairing work on several levels. The mystery/romance also works as Cilla tries to untangle the mystery of her famous actress/grandmother's death as well as threats to her own life.
If you are a fan of Roberts you will also enjoy some glimpses into her hobby of gardening and the research she did on home restoration!
The book is crisp and tightly written, although with judicious editing, twenty to forty pages probably could have been trimmed. I did not care for Angel Falls (too far fetched), Birthright (felt the coincidences were too over the top) or my least favorite of all her books--Northern Lights. I waivered on whether to buy Tribute, but the 40 percent off combined with a sticker that said "Signed Copy" swayed me to purchase it. Glad I did.
The book is solid Roberts at her best.
 Very good. July 18, 2008
12 out of 15 found this review helpful
Cilla McGowan is a former child star. She has been flipping houses for the past couple of years. In the near future, Cilla plans to make a business out of doing what she likes best - rehabbing, remodeling homes, and flipping houses. First, she plans to make herself a home, a real home. From her own mother, Cilla purchases her grandmother's house and begins restoring (and a bit of remodeling) it. Her mother, Dilly, is currently married to Mario (husband number five) and in New York working on her latest show. There is no love lost between Cilla and Dilly. In fact, Dilly did not want her own mother's home, but refused to give or sell it to Cilla either. The only way Cilla got her hands on the "Little Farm" was by giving Dilly the money she desperately needed for her show. Used to Dilly's drama, drama, drama, Cilla is more than happy to ignore her and get on with her own life and career. That no longer involved acting.
Cilla's grandmother was the legendary Janet Hardy. She had been one of the best actresses/singers of her time. As legend goes, Janet escaped to the "Little Farm" between shows. But the legend does not stop there; an affair with a married man while on the farm is mentioned too. Thirty years ago Janet supposedly overdosed in the house, ending her life at the young age of thirty-nine. In Cilla's dreams, she visits with Janet and learns about life long ago. And as Cilla cleaned out the attic (in preparation for converting it into her home office) she comes across unsigned letters to Janet from a lover. It is in the letters that Cilla learns that Janet may have died while pregnant.
Across the street lives Ford Sawyer, a graphic novelist. He and his charmingly ugly dog, Spock, begin to wiggle their way into Cilla's daily life. So when threats on Cilla begins, Ford and Spock take interest. Unless they figure out who and why is targeting Cilla, she may end up being cut down in the prime of her life - just like her grandmother.
**** The novel does not begin with anything to capture the reader's attention immediately. Instead, it begins with the telling of (part of) Janet's legend. Most of the first part is setting up characters, the house, and nothing fantastic. But toward the end of part one things begin getting dangerous and everything begins to build. There is a lot of reminiscing with Janet, so expect some time hopping throughout the novel. The author manages to do this without the dreams/back flashes becoming tedious though. That is not easily done for an author, yet Roberts succeeded. This is not one of the author's best novels, but I found it to be very entertaining and gladly recommend it. ****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
 Nora's worst ever July 12, 2008
10 out of 27 found this review helpful
I have read every Nora Roberts ever written and I think she really was asleep writing this one. She had more info on the details of rehabbing a home rather than dealing with the main relationships. And it was so Agatha Christie in that you would never think of the people responsible for the awful deeds based on the development of the characters. It was also too much of her past books but not as good as the ones before.
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