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| Tribute | 
 enlarge | Author: Nora Roberts
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $5.90
You Save: $21.05 (78%)
New (67) Used (78) Collectible (4) from $4.45
Avg. Customer Rating:  82 reviews
Sales Rank: 754
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.7
ISBN: 0399154914
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780399154911
ASIN: 0399154914
Publication Date: July 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New bce
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Product Description
Virginias Shenandoah Valley is a long way from Hollywood. And thats exactly how Cilla McGowan wants it. Cilla, a former child star who has found more satisfying work as a restorer of old houses, has come to her grandmothers farmhouse, tools at her side, to rescue it from ruin. Sadly, no one was able to save her grandmother, the legendary Janet Hardy. An actress with a tumultuous life, Janet entertained glamorous guests and engaged in decadent affairsbut died of an overdose in this very house more than thirty years earlier. To this day, Janet haunts Cillas dreams. And during waking hours, Cilla is haunted by her melodramatic, five-times-married mother, who carried on in the public spotlight and never gave her a chance at a normal childhood. By coming east, rolling up her sleeves, and rehabbing this wreck of a house, Cilla intends to find some kind of normalcy for herself.
Plunging into the project with gusto, shes almost too busy to notice her neighbor, graphic novelist Ford Sawyerbut his lanky form, green eyes, and easy, unflappable humor (not to mention his delightfully ugly dog, Spock) are hard to ignore. Determined not to perpetuate the family tradition of ill-fated romances, Cilla steels herself against Fords quirky charm, but she cant help indulging in a little fantasy.
But love and a peaceful life may not be in the cards for Cilla. In the attic, she has found a cache of unsigned letters suggesting that Janet Hardy was pregnant when she diedand that the father was a local married man. Cilla cant help but wonder what really happened all those years ago. The mystery only deepens with a series of intimidating acts and a frightening, violent assault. And if Cilla and Ford are unable to sort out who is targeting her and why, she maylike her world-famous grandmother be cut down in the prime of her life.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 77 more reviews...
 Change Your Opinions, Keep Your Principles; Change Your Leaves, Keep In Tact Your Roots. - Victor Hugo July 10, 2008
61 out of 68 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
31 out of 36 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
13 out of 14 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
13 out of 16 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.
fascinating tale July 12, 2008
11 out of 39 found this review helpful
She was a child star, but when her television show was cancelled Cilla McGowan's Hollywood career was terminated too although as a teen she scored parts in slasher flicks, made CD's, and performed in public. She realized this was not what she wanted to do with her life although her mother, a failed wannabe actress, kept pushing her in that direction. Finally Cilla persuades her mom to sell her, in exchange for money to put on a show in Las Vegas, her late grandmother's farm which she always wanted.
Cilla's renowned grandma Hollywood legend Janet Hardy had her hideaway in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Janet died there under suspicious circumstances. Cilla is determined to restore the place to its former glory. She finds Janet's letters that she was having an affair and the married man wanted to end it. Someone in town wants Cilla to leave and that person tries to intimidate her into fleeing back to the other coast. Cilla refuses to be driven off, but her adversary keeps raising the stakes until her life is in jeopardy.
As always Nora Roberts writes a fascinating tale that her audience will read in one wonderful sitting. Cilla is an obstinate strong person who gained strength with her determination to withstand her mother's pressure and her own fight with stage fright; so is prepared for the most part to deal with the stalker's dangerous intent. This is a strong TRIBUTE to a great storyteller.
Harriet Klausner
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