Choice Makers (The Wanamakers) (Volume 1) [Eleanor Cocreham] on Amazon. com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Charlotte Avery: Hopelessly in love.
Table of contents
I didn't find the world building too convincing. I feel like the story was too character and relationship driven, that the whole standpoint of the politics was unnecessary and redundant. I respected the castes derivative, it was unique and it mirrored so much our today's society, but she should have left it at that. She should have evolved the world more for it to be taken seriously, or slowed down on the teen drama factor. Which is the reason these books are so fun and lovable, the teen drama trashy YA aspect of them.
So, yes, I don't need world building here! I underestimated this book immensely. I truly thought the main character would be a shallow, superficial, dumb bitch, who only cared about the dresses and the fame and all that. A character like Celeste , you could say. But I was pleasantly taken aback. America is an incredible character. She is funny, sassy, independent, clever, uncompromising.
A true role model and I'm rooting for her. She really cares about her family and puts herself in a tough for her position which also brings danger in physical form.
Choice Makers by Eleanor Cocreham
I hope she sorts her shit out in her head, and chooses the best for her. I was delighted that she stood up for them, brought them to safety, fought for them. She showed how much of a Queen she can become. I feel like he's only with America for the physical stuff. Something is going on. Why was he only happy the last three months, like his mum said, when he's been with America for two years?
And, oh, so randomly, the girl fell and he caught her. By the waist, like couples hug intimately. We all saw how quick he was at picking out a lie when her maids entered the room. The boy is a natural breed liar. Something is gonna be revealed in the next books. And I'm ready for it! I kept picturing Max Irons as him. I don't know if I'm wrong. When I read books, I always picture actors or singers or whatever for the characters I like most. America was Bonnie Wright for me. And let's continue with Maxon. I love him so much. He's so precious and he deserves love and respect and all the cookies in the world.
I want to hug him. I want him to hug me with his gargantuan arms. The ones America likes. At the begging, it was all so awkward and everyone was at forks with everyone, because of the competition. Only Marlee was genuine with America. I love how the women hate was vanished and how after all, aside the competition, they were there for each other. I want them to be united and strong in the next book, all six of them.
I was sad to see the others go so suddenly, but you know they were too many to remember. I want the characters of these last remaining five girls to be explored more. I want to stan new people! Initially, I thought Marlee was sneaky. She was so nice and giving to America, it should have been a trap. With it all being a competition and everything. But I trusted her after a while, and now again I don't. She is hiding too much. I thought they would meet, you know, classic shit, they would fall in love, he would find something special to her, she would rethink her past reflection of his character and blah blah blah.
Which is how it happened but with an unorthodox way. I'm a fanfic person, shoot me. I want them to end up together. They bring out the best in each other. They're funny, snarky, honest with each other. That's why a romantic relationship should start from a strong friendship first. I'm all for it, in real life too.
The Selection
The point here is, ever since I joined Goodreads and watched lots of Bootube and basically joined the online book world, I'm very critical with books. I used to read exclusively for joy but now, it's almost gone. Ever since I started writing more serious reviews which included serious criticism, I started getting more picky. I would never rate a book with 2 stars a few months ago, but it happened.
I don't want to do that with this series, though. I don't want to nitpick things to rant about. I want to enjoy them, like I enjoy all the good trash reality shit on my tv. I live for that stuff. Come on, admit it. Some things are guilty pleasures. And they gives us glee. This book filled my stomach with euphoria. I will certainly continue with the next book. In addition, I found randomly the unaired "the CW" pilot version of this book series. I'm so so so so so happy beyond belief this wasn't picked up.
This book deserves a good movie or tv show adaptation.
See a Problem?
View all 20 comments. Feb 24, Gabrielle Carolina rated it it was ok Shelves: Did not finish; stopped at page I could not get behind America who is suffering from an affliction called TSTL syndrome too stupid to live. Her choices seem robotic and awkward, her dialogue and self-deprication feel desperate and forced. None of the other characters rise to the occasion of acting realistically, either. That is to say an apparent knock-off.
Gavril Did not finish; stopped at page Gavril and Caesar are the same personality to a T. I tried to finish this one, but not finishing a novel speaks loudly to its readability and I do not knock any reviewer who still presents their opinions without first finishing the book. Not finishing a book says to me, I-Didn't-Like-It. A well written review tells me why. View all 26 comments. Dec 17, Lauren Suero rated it it was amazing. Here's how this book should be marketed: Dystopian world meets 'The Bachelor' There's no fight to the death here..
Personally, I've been excited to read this book from day one of it's announcement. Say what you will about the cover, but holy heck is it gorgeous. If I wasn't so damn short, I'd totally rock that dress. The chance to become a princess? I loved th Here's how this book should be marketed: I loved the whole premise of the book.
It was simple, clean and just an over all great book. America, the female lead, is strong but has her faults, as she tends to be a bit whiny. No character is ever perfect, which I am sure we will see further development of all 'The Selection' characters as the series progresses. The CW has put together a pilot for 'The Selection' and I can't wait to see how they will translate this from book onto our TV screens.
Ethan Peck as Prince Maxon View all 24 comments. But, I can't help it, I just enjoy them so much. The Selection is a bit like that. It's cheap, nasty and has everything I could possibly hate in literature, yet I found myself addicted and it was so much fun. I still stand by my opinion that the controversy surrounding this a few years ago as a result of a couple of individuals was weak and really fucking poor on their behalf Aside from my disgust at certain people involved, this book was so fluffy and fun to read.
The first pages were an absolute drag, but after the initial slog, I couldn't put it down at all and just enjoyed the ride, although it's not without flaws. As I expected, the characterization in The Selection was weak. America Singer I will never get used to that name - ever. However, she's also kind of a special snowflake She is portrayed as better than the other girls because she goes "light on the makeup" and likes to wear jeans instead of dresses.
The way America is written as a special snowflake would normally annoy the ever loving fuck out of me, but I actually really enjoyed her as a character and loved her banter, wit and her overall personality. The other girls in the competition are portrayed as vapid, shallow bitches and America calls them "fake" etc. Essentially, this is just another tool used to make America stand out as a special snowflake among a sea of other women.
They don't have a lot of personality as it's clear the reader is supposed to hate other characters, particularly Celeste, because they're the stereotypical nasty, pretty girl in a YA novel. The worldbuilding isn't that great either, in fact it's pretty shit. All of the world building and history is given to the reader in the form of "History lessons" in classes at the castle which are really just a disguise for lots of gigantic infodumps in which we may as well be given a page of dot points instead of it being mushed together with dialogue.
The actual caste system itself is sketchy and disorganised, and I still don't understand why we're meant to feel sorry for America and her family for being Fives. Oh, you're middle class musicians and can "only" afford to eat pasta and chicken for dinner and can "only" afford the bare minimum of makeup? The writing is unremarkable, and at times just straight up bad. The dialogue is stilted and at times cringey, but I suppose it was easy to read. Also, let's get one thing straight. While this book is marketed as a dystopia, it should not be considered a dystopia at all.
The competition in which the girls do not have to participate in sure, there is monetary gain for the families, but they're not exactly being forced against their will , has no negative outcomes, in fact the outcomes of losing the competition are still pretty positive. As I said before, the caste system is sketchy and the only thing that could possibly point to this being a dystopia is the poverty, which even then, is not explored in enough depth to even be considered a huge deal compared to the extravagant risk-free competition to win the heart of the hot, kind, caring Prince Maxon.
Oh wait, there is also a minor threat of rebels who attack the castle every now and again, but they're kind of just a tacked on thing to add a little bit of drama that isn't fuelled by the bitchiness of the competition. This is pure fluff, but that's okay and I love it. Just don't fucking call something like this a dystopia, please - there is no social commentary in this, when there was so much opportunity for it and dystopia is typically used as a platform to discuss serious world issues. This could have been so much more than it was, however I can't deny that I had fun reading it.
I read pages of this in one sitting and I enjoyed it, dammit. View all 12 comments. Jan 11, Sophie rated it did not like it Shelves: I have only one question, and that question is: Last time I checked it was in the 3's. Something fishy is going on here This review also appears on The Dreaming Reader. May I present to everyone The Hunger Games Despite the fact that I am drawing comparisons between the two, there is no way that this sad little novel if it can even be called that will ever match up to The Hunger Games.
A "cutthroat" competition in which only one winner will be left standing. Instead of engaging in bloody struggles to the death, the girls instead compete by wearing prettier dresses, better makeup, and having etiquette. The closest they get to violence is when one bitch-slaps the other which lasted one sentence. Then, I guess they just gossip each other to the death.
A poor heroine who seems like an unfeeling douche in the beginning but somehow manages to endear herself to the public with her antics. America Singer this name. She does multiple things that would be considered horrible if others had done them, such as badmouthing the prince and throwing tantrums, but somehow the prince loves her and even wants to be her best friend, because he's as stupid as she is, probably , and the public adores her.
This quote basically sum up her dazzling personality: His black T-shirt was worn to threads in several places, just like the shabby pair of jeans he wore almost every day. If only I could sit and patch them up for him. That was my great ambition. First selling off virginity, then this. This book is doing leaps and bounds for femininity, let me tell ya. The love triangle between the boy back home and the new boy whose personality the MC comes to know and adore. I can't make a decision between Aspen and Maxon. Because I would rather make no decision at all. Neither of them have desirable qualities besides their broad shoulders and strong fingers.
Cass needs to learn that just because the guys are hot doesn't mean they won't act like sticks of wood. He ripped back my blankets in a move both graceful and violent. I was internally screaming RAPE at this part. Love of my life or no, I don't want him ripping my sheets off me after I hesitated over answering whether or not I loved someone else. He had his own smell, a mix of chemicals that burned out from him. Do any of you find the fact that Maxon is toxic attractive? Basically, what I'm saying is that this book has obvious aspects that come from The Hunger Games.
However, it is also so girlified, teenybopperified, and altogether stupidified that these features have become almost unrecognizable. The writing is clumsy. It goes sort of like this: Yesterday I brushed my teeth. I looked out my window and saw my boyfriend with his arms around another girl. Tears welled in my eyes. I whisper-yelled at him. It took a while for me to rest, since I was so tired. It's so painfully elementary that I wanted to slam my head against a tile. Please don't be like me, in that others' countless negative reviews weren't enough to convince you this book is utter crap.
Even the ending is crap. I might have been a bit more lenient if Cass had finished what she'd started this book for. I don't even get what the conflict was. And there was no anticlimactic finale. The plot is just a straight, boring line to nowhere. Oh, and he claims to know nothing about girls and to be afraid of their crying, but he manages to say all the right things and bring them all into giggly puddles of goo? This is disgusting and unflattering. I'm sure I speak for most women when I say that not all of us are reduced into pathetic tear-streaked damsels because of some guy.
I tried to read this like a chick lit. But I doubt even my swoony, easily convinced self would've liked this sappy bundle of badly written cliche. View all 37 comments. Sep 11, Natalie Monroe rated it did not like it Shelves: And I didn't want to be a One. I didn't even want to try. Once upon a time, a girl who doesn't think she's pretty and has jackshit ambition is suddenly elevated to a Chosen One status. She gets to live a palace where she's waited on hand and foot as well as gets a makeover and pretty dresses.
During her time, she slowly finds herself falling for a handsome boy in a position of power, but her heart is still with her scruffy low-cla 1. During her time, she slowly finds herself falling for a handsome boy in a position of power, but her heart is still with her scruffy low-class boyfriend back home. Just when she's resigned herself to the knowledge that she'll never see him again, he suddenly crashes back into her shiny new life due military reasons.
She finds herself torn between the two boys, torn between her old life and her new. Yup, it's Shadow and Bone. To be fair, the whole rags-to-special-snowflake plot is commonplace in literature. But whereas Shadow and Bone had creative fantasy elements and the ending going for it, The Selection has precious few redeeming qualifies. Our protagonist America Singer is dull, bordering on unbearable. Looking past the fact that she's named after her career like a Smurf, she's your typical YA heroine who doesn't think she's pretty even though she totes is and doesn't want to be special even though she totes is.
I never got over the way she body-shamed her mother: She wasn't a glutton, and it's not like we had anything to overeat anyways. Perhaps that's just the way a body looks after five children. If it is though, it's a piss-poor way of showing it. What about something like, "The weight of birthing five children had taken a toll on my mother. She was heavier than most members in our caste, who looked perpetually starved from inadequate food.
The writing's largely to blame because it's shit. It's not awful, but it's too far from the neutral line to praise. Too many sentences start with "I", and it's overly simplistic and dotted with tells instead of shows i. I knew she felt embarrassed for me, I knew she was sad, etc. While there's thankfully less girl-hating than I expected, the Selection still features the typical Mean Popular Girl and has unnecessary commentary on cleavage and too much makeup.
It emphasizes the "natural" look, which, when put together with the slut-shaming, inclines towards exclusion rather than celebration of self-love. America's belief in a support system among her female competitors as opposed to war is a stroke of feminism I didn't anticipate, but it's overshadowed by the book's lack of other prominent female characters.
When you really think about it, it's just another way to show off how sweet and special she is. And I never thought I'd encounter a literary love interest I hated more than Jeb from Splintered , but here he is in all his "me man, you woman" caveman glory. Aspen is a flaming dickwad and can fall into a volcano for all I care. He literally says a man's job is to provide and then blows up at America because she dared to do something nice for him using her own earnings. There's also the whole leery domestic framework surrounding their relationship, like how she's the good wife in the kitchen and he's the breadwinner going out to bring home the bacon.
Because The Selection was published during YA's dystopian wave, it has to be a dystopian, with rebels and poverty and class differences. Aspen is basically Gale 2. Yet it's heavily romance-focused. I personally think the series would have worked better in a fantasy setting. To quote another review , dystopian is a genre that doesn't need to be fluffed up.
The rebels have no impact on the plot at all. They pop up every now and then to remind readers that they exist, add some pointless tension, and then scuttle off without doing any real damage. The Hunger Games has its own "Selection" storyline, but managed to convey a thoughtful message on celebrity culture. The Selection has no such nuance.
World-building is non-existent, so maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to make The Selection a fantasy novel. In the end, Gale 2. Ultimately, The Selection is like reality TV. Inane, gossipy, and profoundly pointless. But what did I expect from a book inspired by The Bachelor? My review of The Elite View all 28 comments. Heavens above, why are you smiting me?
I was doing fine, and then I had an emergencylevelsuperbusybeyondstressfulconstantlyanxious garbage smoothie of a day. Two of the adjectives I Heavens above, why are you smiting me? Two of the adjectives I would have used were semi-accurate. I had two major problems with this book that just would not, could not go away. Would not, could not write people as gay. Seuss of negative reviews. Except did you guys know that he cheated on his wife who had cancer and she committed suicide when she found out?
Nice Fox in Socks. I guess I actually had three major problems with this. One, there is straight up no diversity. And I also I have three whole other problems. I believe there are two Asian characters, one of whom is named Tiny Lee - so just make up your own minds on that. And I think it woulda livened up the plot a little to have at least one gay girl.
Love triangles are so unrealistic and boring and uncomfy. The Big Three of me hating something. I still looked like me when I was done. Of course, so did Celeste, since she insisted upon piling it on. I love a list. There are eight simple types, now available for men to order in one easy step! What do they want!!! Why are they crying!!! Ugh how do we decode them women!!! So maybe we should just never do anything for fear of being interrupted. Did this come off as uncertain as it feels? Maybe The One will be good.
I gave that one five stars a mere two years ago. But then again, I gave Isla and the Happily Ever After five stars in and look how that turned out. View all 33 comments. Jan 20, Natverse rated it did not like it Recommends it for: Non-feminists, people with little dignity. Recommended to Natverse by: Goodreads failed me again. I want to remind readers that it is important to give all books a fair chance despite negative reviews and the author or their agent opening their mouth when they shouldn't.
That being said, I have nothing personal against Kiera Cass and she seems like a lovely human being, but I really did not like this book. See linked article for agent's involvement in unpaid reviewer controversy. I sentence Kiera Cass to a season of The Bachelor in which everyone is selected to be dropped off on a deserted island and are made to fight to the death until there is only one left. But then, as a prize, the survivor has to marry some asshole she may or may not like. It'd probably go down like this though: But really, I was excited for this bizarre twist on dystopian caste systems and competing with each other yet again.
I wasn't sure whether to be pissed I had wasted my time or just relieved I had found something else to read to cleanse my mind afterward. I settled on being productively angry at the world, through a chart, which I made to compare The Hunger Games to The Selection. See this awesome chart. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of things different between the two books. Mostly how America is a total fucking pushover see idiot and signed up to change her life for her boyfriend's piece of mind.
Then when he wanted her back she realized she had to see the Selection through because she is doing it for herself. Unless she's a gold digger, which might just be her reasoning. I do know she's a fucking narc though. I have determined that America clearly doesn't know what the hell she wants, and needs to realize that if she is oh-so-good at giving the prince political advice, and is just as pretty as everyone claims she is, she needs to consider becoming a goddamn symbol of rebellion.
Maybe even, heaven forbid, become a better person. Because that's where this is headed, isn't it? Now why does that sound familiar? Everything was so frakking predictable in this book. Puh-lease, I saw that even before Cass wrote this book. Oldest freaking romantic-triangle-coincidence in the playbook.
Barney Stinson was so on that "oh, I happen to be stationed at your bedroom door" B. What really bothers me though, is that America lets herself continue this competition and to be pressured into falling in love with Maxon, who she seems to like as a friend. Oh wait, I forgot, it's impossible to be just friends when it's the prince, right? And I'm not saying she should go back to Aspen because, let's get real, his ego is bigger than Keira Cass' agent's ego.
- Epic: Britains Heroic Muse 1790-1910.
- New Age Poetry;
- The Next Little Mermaid.
- JSTOR: Access Check;
- Post-Polio Syndrome: A Guide for Polio Survivors and Their Families.
- Mathematics and Art: Mathematical Visualization in Art and Education (Mathematics and Visualization);
In any case, Aspen's pride comes before his need for food, which totally blows Maslow's hierarchy of needs out of the water. Speaking of inaccuracies, the caste system is totally contradictory. On the one hand, I'm imagining a real life caste system, but then you hear of a five and a six watching frakking television and having enough money for popcorn , at the end of the day. And even the eights seem to find a way to live and not be considered complete untouchables. What is this, a Disney version of caste divisions? I think the worst part of all of this was finding out, upon finishing the last paragraph, that this was only the first volume in what was promising to be one of the worst teen series' I'm assuming trilogy I have ever read out of seriousness not reading for the lulz.
I won't stand for such tomfuckery. This series is seriously over in my head and I won't hear of it again, much like Kelly Keaton's Darkness Becomes Her that one made me physically vomit. View all 13 comments. May 14, Miranda Reads rated it liked it Shelves: And I hope you never have to know what it's like to have to try and live without them. North America was destroyed wars, financial crisis, etc. This new country came with a strict caste system with Ones being the royal family all the way down to Eights - poor, starving untouchables. America Singer , a Five, 3.
America Singer , a Five, is among the artist caste. Hungry but not starving. Poor but not destitute. She has a secret love , Aspen, a Six the laborers and cleaners and she knows nothing could be worse than their discovery. In her country, only the harshest of punishments go towards the unpure girls. Life seems rather hopeless.. Prince Maxon is ready to find his bride and the royals crowd-sourced 35 eligible healthy, virgins for the task. America signs up for the Selection under duress of her family and surprise, surprise our heroine is selected.
Every week she remains in the prince's pool of suitable companions, her family gets much needed money. Every week she remains, she's one step closer to becoming a One. As much as her family is rooting with her, she decides to cut a deal with Maxon. She'll be his friend, his eyes-and-ears in exchange for keeping her in the competition and her family will keep getting that sweet paycheck.
I enjoyed the rather sweet romance that developed between our mains. Thank goodness it wasn't an insta-love sort of deal. Plus, who doesn't love it when there's solid banter between the leads? Audiobook Comments Read by Amy Rubinate - not bad at all I don't think the folks really planned out this audiobook series at all. Book 1 - Queen Amberly no accent , her sister southern twang. Although most of this book was quiet predictable, that didn't even matter because all the other amazing qualities of this book outshone that!
Kiera Cass seems like such a cute and lovely person, so I'm so happy I loved her book! I cannot wait to continue on with this series, I'm totally Team Maxon people!! Hahaha, I loved the setting, characters, plot, romance, just awesome! I shall be forever grateful Another side note: It was such a fun experience reading this alongside my cousin! Buddy reading actually worked for me for once, woo! View all 4 comments. Aug 04, Christine Delilah Maramochabooks rated it it was ok. Hey, look here, it's the Bachelor, featuring of course, obnoxious and indecisive people.
This review is not serious, so try not to get offended. All it includes is sarcasm and my sometimes very odd sense of humor. The store officially reopened in with the only department store dedication overseen by a US President. Speaking to a crowd of 35,, President William Howard Taft did the honors as an act of thanks for Wanamaker supporting his previous campaign.
Extra steel girders beneath the floor support the 2, pound statue. He saw the store as incomplete without quality music. Like the eagle, the organ was acquired from the St. Manufactured by the Los Angeles Art Organ Company, the instrument contained 10, pipes and stops.
Choice Makers
Thirteen railroad cars were required to transport the organ to Philadelphia, and installation took two years. Dissatisfied with its sound, Rodman had the instrument enlarged with 8, pipes. All work was done in a store workshop in a 12th floor attic by a staff of The organ as seen and heard today was finished in with an astounding ranks and 28, pipes. Organists from around the world travel to Philadelphia just to hear and play the worlds largest functioning pipe organ. Two smaller organs also inhabited the building at one time. A rank pipe organ occupied the second floor Greek Hall until the s when it was replaced by a Hammond Electric organ.
During the holiday season, the organ took center stage as part of a light show held in the center court. Starting in , elaborate displays formed what was called the Christmas Cathedral. Carols were accompanied by the Enchanted Fountains in front of the organ. Based on the fountains of St. The Pageant of Lights changed each year under the direction of store event promoter Fredrick Yost.
Rapid suburbanization in the s led to the development of branch stores and later shopping malls. A plan was hatched in the late s for an ambitious redevelopment of Market East including hotels, offices, a train station to replace the Reading Terminal at Twelfth and Market as well as parking garages for suburbanites and tourists. It was not until the late s and early 80s that the plan was somewhat realized in the form of the Gallery and related developments. By then Lit Brothers, another Philadelphia retail stalwart, had gone out of business.
Penney opened as well. However the Wanamaker family had little desire to make significant investment, and they sold their interest in the store to Carter Hawley Hale on October 8, Detailed mosaics on the walls and ceiling of the entryways still bear the initials of John Wanamaker, despite many changes over the years Photo: At over 1 million square feet spanning 14 floors, the Center City location was considered too big for the market.
John Kusmiersky, head of U. An atrium was carved out starting at the ninth floor allowing daylight to penetrate the large floorplates and make the space appealing to high paying tenants. A conference center with two seat auditoriums was added as well. Return to Book Page. Preview — Choice Makers by Eleanor Cocreham. Choice Makers by Eleanor Cocreham. Hopelessly in love with her married boss abandons a successful career and endearing friendships to seek happiness elsewhere.
Publisher playboy Marc Holloman: Avoids commitment until lovely Charlotte bursts into his life and forces him to confront self-erected barriers. Straight-laced father of six never cheats on his soul mate until an Charlotte Avery: Straight-laced father of six never cheats on his soul mate until an irresistible temptation reveals his family is not enough. Paperback , pages. Published February 1st by Wings Epress, Incorporated first published To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Choice Makers , please sign up.