the done thing

A NICE idea, but haggling just isn't the done thing. I was quite pleasantly surprised about the way he proposed to her because he came to ask me for my permission, which I suppose isn't the done thing anymore. The marriage of a Sarah and William Hall. When we won we threw our hats into the air and we got into trouble for that because that isn't the done thing. Bowling girls' flash of genius. The only trouble is that Zubar is yet to realise that there's a time and a place for the F-word and dropping the curse into every other sentence isn't the done thing.

It's time to hand out the awards for 'stars' of season. The fans will blame the board, of course, because it isn't the done thing to question O'Neill but isn't it all a bit too easy as well as unfair to point a finger at the directors? And no sneaking off down the pub to see your mates, because that just isn't the done thing. Humbug or Happy holidays? At her level in business, it isn't the done thing to turn up to social gatherings alone.

Hunting Mr Right; Gerry is blonde, 34, has a high-powered job and drives a Mercedes. So why is she one of Britain's growing band of something singles who are desperate to find a partner?


  • the done ˈthing;
  • The Done Thing by Tracy Manaster.
  • Das Rätsel des Lebens bleibt ein Geheimnis: Wissenschaftsgeschichte (German Edition).
  • The done thing - Idioms by The Free Dictionary.
  • kakikae (Japanese Edition);
  • be not the done thing?

He might have taken advantage of his position as the heavyweight champion of the world, but she was out disco dancing the next day and that isn't the done thing for a rape victim. ANICE idea, but when it comes to car supermarkets, haggling just isn't the done thing. Polo's whole lot of trouble; HELP! Is the glass half empty or half full? She comes up with a plan. She discovers Clarence Lusk. Be a Candle to Those in Darkness. The Prison in Arizona. He wants a pen pal. She would change her name and set up a post office. She would be Maisie. Lida crosses a line and begins to write to Clarence.

Pretending to be a flirty twenty-three-year-old, in an effort to attain retribution. Will Clarence open up to her if he thinks she is someone else? Or will he be smart enough to catch her deception? Will she lose control of the situation? What is Pam thinking or feeling? Does Lida consider her actionsLida thinks she is always rushing to get married, hoping the baby would be born—before the needle.

The death of her father. The author captures every evil thought of this angry, manipulative, and lonely woman. The strained relationship between aunt and niece. Lida is so consumed by revenge has she forgotten the family in front of her. She dwells on everything bad in her life and chooses to believe this one man is at fault and to blame. The letters between Clarence and Lida delve deep into the human emotions, and how deep the scars run after a tragedy that will forever change lives. How after years it begins to consume her.

Scene Chapter 35 was well done and quite comical. The phone call and banter between the two. The claws come out. The internal war waging within. Human imperfections and family dynamics. Learning to let go and free oneself of anger. However, the writing is well-crafted as the author explores the complex minds of humans in the midst of tragedy and the overwhelming need for justice.

Something a bit lighter with humor is in order. All three family dramas are well-written books which teeter on literary fiction; however, they are deep, dark, and sad. This is the type of book you may want to mix in among a few upbeat ones. A special thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy. Oct 25, Xena! I found this book to be a page-turner, and finished it in a single reading. The major protagonist, Lida Stearl, is smart, pragmatic, and has just retired from a satisfying and respected career as an orthodontist. She has been a loving wife but is relatively recently widowed.

Lida unfortunately has a very human flaw of tending towards manipulative behavior, has reasons to be a bit soured on life, and finds herself mildly bored. Her streak of maliciousness is focussed on her brother-in-law Clarenc I found this book to be a page-turner, and finished it in a single reading. Her streak of maliciousness is focussed on her brother-in-law Clarence who is in the midst of his last appeal of his death sentence for the murder of his wife, Lida's younger sister.

Lida's manipulative tendency is awakened by a new encounter with the internet the story is set in and the protagonist is 63 years of age, so uncovering the internet's power is exciting , when she discovers that Clarence is seeking a pen-pal. Lida develops a secret correspondence with him, posing as a young naive woman, in which she delights in subtly magnifying his fear of his death sentence being carried out.

However, despite believing herself to be very careful, she loses control of the situation, jeopardizing the most important aspects of her life. I found Lida, despite being flawed and indulging in extremely poor behavior at times, to be a sympathetic character. The premise of the story may seem melodramatic, but I assure you that it is not. The story does indeed have its dramatic moments which are well executed, but the strength of the book is in the unfolding of the characters.

The word-play is wonderful, family scenes often frustrating but endearing, and the conclusion masterfully written. It never descends to pathos, but rather achieves entirely human moments. You will be left with heavy thoughts, as the subject matter of this book is on the heavy side, emotionally charged and profound.

My only drawback is the narrative of the story. It was a little confusing and hard to keep up with. And everyone should read outside the box occasionally. Lida, in her 60's, is an empty nester. She prides herself for her ability to know the most appropriate thing to do in any given situation.

But now her niece has moved out and is starting her own life, her husband has passed, and she is retired. She is essentially alone. So, when Lida discovers that Clarence, her brother-in-law on death row for killing her sister, is seeking pen pals as his last appeal approaches, she crosses a line that should never be crossed in her obsession to find answers. As she moves forward with her quest for answers she finds it easier and easier to cross that line. Lida's internal war with herself, her emotions, her sanity, it all becomes so real and that it speaks to you in one way or another.

How little things can trigger emotions or memories, both good or bad. Learning how to let go and to forgive may take a long time, if it happens at all. All in all, I enjoyed this complex story and even though the narrative of this story was complex for me, I would still recommend as it is a great read. Apr 02, Lisa Aiello rated it really liked it Shelves: I was given a copy of this through NetGalley for my honest review. I really enjoyed the storytelling in this one. The author has quite a way with the turn of a phrase. The story itself was a tough one to read - a bit like watching the proverbial trainwreck.

You see the wreck coming, you want to warn everyone about it, but you can only sit back and watch helplessly. We join Lida's life at 63 years old. She is now retired and widowed - with a lot of time on her hands to look back and reflect on her I was given a copy of this through NetGalley for my honest review. She is now retired and widowed - with a lot of time on her hands to look back and reflect on her life. Her sister was killed 20 years earlier, the victim of her husband's rage when he finds out she was having an affair.

Lida is left to pick up the pieces of the family, and to raise her young niece - now left without a mother and essentially a father. Lida couldn't have children of her own, and she lovingly and carefully raised this young girl. Her niece's father, is still in prison, but is coming to the end of his appeals.

Lida becomes a bit obsessed, and befriends him though a prison pen pal program. Of course, she hides who she is in her letters, creating a somewhat flirtatious young personna, and it slowly becomes an out of control spiral with some unintended consequences. Dec 23, Gloria rated it it was amazing Shelves: Recently widowed Lida Stearl just retired from a satisfying career and finds herself at loose ends dealing with decades of unresolved guilt and anger.

Twenty years ago, her brother-in-law Clarence Lusk killed her sister, a lover, and a police officer. After numerous miscarriages, Lida and her husband had been given the gift of raising her niece as their own child, now a caring young woman married to a blind man with a large and rambunctious extended family. Clarence is on death row nearing the e Recently widowed Lida Stearl just retired from a satisfying career and finds herself at loose ends dealing with decades of unresolved guilt and anger.

Clarence is on death row nearing the end of his appeals when Lida discovers that Clarence is looking for someone to correspond with. Somewhat obsessive, mildly manipulative and definitely prickly, Lida begins a steadily intensifying path of deception that negatively touches each person as his execution approaches. Manaster writes a deeply human and morally saturated novel with captivating language. It is an utterly absorbing read which seems quiet at first, yet tension remains taut.

This sympathetic novel examines how a tragic incident can irrevocably change a life's course. This review was prepared for Library Journal. Dec 15, Jim Puskas rated it it was ok Shelves: Skillfully written, well researched, emotionally and morally challenging. But in the end, I have to consider this book to be a failure because I found it impossible to care much about Lida the protagonist or even to accept her motives as being understandable under the circumstances.

I don't consider her evil, but she is certainly selfish, vindictive, dishonest; and possibly psychotic. Exploring such a character in such depth says something about the author's mindset and what she wished to accomp Skillfully written, well researched, emotionally and morally challenging. Exploring such a character in such depth says something about the author's mindset and what she wished to accomplish. There are two villains here and neither stands on solid ground to defend their actions.

It doesn't help that there are a number of secondary characters who are hardly more appealing -- the semi-cognisant Marjorie, the cheating Barbra who started this whole mess, even the boisterous, annoying Claverie clan who gallop over everyone in their orbit. Finishing this book I found myself wanting to seek something sunny, honest and optimistic to cleanse my palate. Nov 04, Melissa Duclos rated it it was amazing. This book is a touching portrayal of a woman attempting to deal with the murder of her sister.

the done thing

The narrator, Lida, is a prickly character for sure. She's angry and lonely, and she wants to see justice served. In the hands of a lesser writer, such a character might be difficult to spend pages with. But Tracy Manaster is a master of voice and empathy. Lida comes to life in these pages, and her pain makes her real. I was swept away by the book, and couldn't put it down. Apr 23, Lynn rated it liked it. A man who brutally killed his wife and her lover, and a policeman, heads toward his last day in prison after 20 years of appeals.

He has recently acquired an anonymous pen-pal, and the two of them are quickly sharing information, personal and impersonal. As the last appeal and the date for his execution draw closer, the family of the victims gathers to witness this closure and to hopefully find answers. Dec 19, Fran rated it liked it. Aspects of this look at the aftermath of a murder were interesting from a psychological perspective. The characters were dark, difficult to like, but some of the emotions rang true. Oct 28, Sm rated it it was amazing. Most persons fully engaged in the world have, from time to time, experienced some injustice, felt resentment, desired revenge, and been affected by shame and guilt.

Isn't the done thing - Idioms by The Free Dictionary

For a great majority, these are transitory emotions that dissipate over time. For some, these passions create permanent wounds that leave scars and change personality. It is these scars and personality adjustments that, with some accommodation, allows people to continue their life's path overcoming what otherwise would be unsurmounta Most persons fully engaged in the world have, from time to time, experienced some injustice, felt resentment, desired revenge, and been affected by shame and guilt. It is these scars and personality adjustments that, with some accommodation, allows people to continue their life's path overcoming what otherwise would be unsurmountable emotional obstacles.

Sadly, a few go completely off the rails, become obsessive and engage in behaviors that would have been unthinkable prior to an event that triggered their difficult psychological journey. So it is with Lida Stearl.

She carries guilt from her mistreatment of her first love, she is burdened by miscarriages, and finally her sister is murdered. Lida carefully and selfishly arranges the care of her niece, but becomes obsessed with dark desires for revenge against the murderer, her own brother-in-law. The consequences of this obsession are at the heart of this book. The writing is outstanding. Every scene and each piece of dialogue is realistic. There is tension and suspense. Issues involving the frailty of human imperfection, the value of truth telling, civil and emotional justice, family and forgiveness are all explored in a page turner of a story that despite its deep themes remains thoroughly entertaining.

Sep 20, Sandia rated it it was ok. I just found this book so hard to get through for so many reasons. The main one being that the narrator was so annoying! She was irritating and creepy and really none of the characters felt like real developed humans and I just couldn't deal with how false everything felt. Even the writing, which was weirdly disjointed and fake. And on top of that, the main action in the story line feels trivial and undeveloped as well.

Things happen because the author wrote them as such, not because anything in I just found this book so hard to get through for so many reasons. Things happen because the author wrote them as such, not because anything in the world prompted them to be so. I just can't consider myself a fan. Everyone after Barbra, I cremated. The thought of another body in the ground. Still and wet, getting wetter. I should have willed myself to sleep. Pam is grown now and creating a life for herself with her beloved husband Blue and his adoring family, her work with dogs.

When she learns her brother-in-law is looking to connect with pen pals from his prison cell, the rot of an idea begins to take form. She will see to it that his last days are torture to his mind, for he deserves no peace! Who is to blame for the terrible action Clarence chose, who suffers more than the survivors? Lida disgusts the reader just as much as the violent crime her brother in law committed.

The reason is flimsy at best, but the reasoning behind most murders committed are. How is the violence her heart harbors different that the anger Clarence was fueled by when he killed? We hate to think of comparisons to those who have committed the most heinous of acts. She loved her sister, but Barbara had her flaws, her deceptions, her cunning and flippant ways.

Lida slowly begins to shrivel inside, her hurt turns mean, getting in the way of the love she and her niece share. She is hungry to be the star in her heart, and is selfish of any lingering desire Pam has to know the father who has been locked away for much of her life. How do you allow a relationship to grow between a child you love and care for and the parent who murdered your loved one?

I suppose many people would deny said parent the right, but how does that effect the child? Lida never wanted Pam to think for a moment she is anything like that man! Which will likely make a child compare herself even more, and inspire curiosity. Lida creates a fake persona in letters between she and Clarence. Just what is her end goal?


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She plays at more than that when she begins to visit his mother. Oh how ugly she becomes, how closely she resembles hatred, the sort of hatred that spawns murderous ideas, that makes Lida a person as rotten as Clarence. It begs the question, just how low can any of us go if the circumstances push and pull on us?

I think it beautifully represents how insidious anger is. Justice costs every family member, victims like dominoes. What will her plan teach her about herself? December 5, Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books I received this book for free through a Goodreads' giveaway. I'm on the fence about whether or not I really like this book, or if it's just okay. For the first half of the novel, I sided entirely with Lida about pretty much everything.

I was irritated with Pamela's behavior, and un Disclaimer: I was irritated with Pamela's behavior, and understood the decisions Lida made, no matter how strange or poorly thought out.

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However, as the story commenced, I began to view Lida in a different light. Rather than a martyr, who sacrificed her own life goals in order to raise her younger sister's daughter, I began to see her as someone who wanted to be viewed as a martyr and acted in whatever way necessary to make it so. Instead of her actions being altruistic overall, and for love of her niece and family, Lida starts to come across as a cold person herself. I had to remind myself to feel sorry for Pamela, since she was a young kid when her mother was killed and her father was sent to jail.

But she's not always easy to like of course, this is based on how Lida reacts to and views her. This would add more depth to the story, as something of this nature is bound to be complicated. I liked the writing, as it kept me engaged, moved quickly and smoothly, and was descriptive without being too wordy like me, I know I'm too wordy.

The author does a good job of tackling a difficult topic, and shows how many different viewpoints there can be of the same situation, and how one act can change the lives of everyone connected no matter how remotely. The reader is forced to consider what's moral and what is not, and which deceits are acceptable, if ever particularly with some secrets that Lida and Pamela keep from one another, and blatant lies and manipulation on the part of Lida. Jan 20, Deseret News rated it really liked it. See full review here: He was apprehended the following day with his 5-year-old daughter buckled into the back seat, but not before he hit and killed a police officer attempting to bring him into custody.

be not the done thing

For Clarence's wife's sister, Lida, life was never the same. Lida took in Clarence's daughter See full review here: Lida took in Clarence's daughter and mourned her sister as best she could. Clarence was sentenced to die, but the lingering appeals process meant two decades of torturous waiting for both Clarence and Lida. Neither could let go until justice was done. The writing is sharp and evocative, tenderly depicting a sister's grief-born obsession.

Clarence is an unrepentant villain, so different from typical death penalty-themed novels. Lida is wounded and bitter, tender and loving, and completely lost in the past. But justice, compassion and forgiveness are the real main characters of this book, and readers will know them better by the story's end. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and twin daughters.

Some sexuality is discussed after the fact but not described.