Ramsey HootmanBesprekingen

In the play, Cyrano de Bergerac (portrayed by Jose Ferrer and Steve Martin in film adaptations) has such a large unsightly nose that it prevents him from wooing the woman he loves. We ache for him to admit his true feelings to her. But what if Cyrano’s nose was fine—only he is a foul-mouthed obese ex-con? Would you still root for him then? Ramsey Hootman knows how to make unlikeable characters who are so hapless, funny, and determined that you find yourself eagerly turning the pages and hoping they succeed. In this sequel to Surviving Cyril, Cyril is out of jail after five years. Soon he is trying to teach a fatherless boy how to create Dungeons and Dragons characters, playing piano, lying through his teeth when necessary, and pining for Robin always. The novel is structured around stages of grief: anger, denial, bargaining, depression, and finally, a surprising and glorious acceptance.

What is more delicious than staying up all hours to finish reading a captivating novel? The morning bleariness is utterly worth it when the book is as good as Courting Greta by Ramsey Hootman. I was intrigued and pleased to read a romantic story that has no flowing locks of hair, no milky skin or brimming eyes, no heaving bosoms, no impossibly attractive characters. Instead, there are pimply teenagers, self-absorbed teachers, damaged (but not broken) souls, and passages that had me laughing out loud. A delightful read, highly recommended.

The tale is told from Samuel's point of view: a small, "crippled" computer scientist who has left his Silicon Valley company to teach high school keyboarding and computer skills in a small northern California town. There, he meets Greta, the girls' basketball coach--who is taciturn, ten years older and a hundred pounds heavier than he is--who is the most unlikely object of his affection. But somehow he is attracted to her beyond reason, and Samuel bravely and tenaciously pursues Greta despite the fact that she refuses to call him anything other than "Mr. Cooke," seems to have no social skills and appears not to need him--or anyone else.

The blurb on the back cover says: "He teachers computers. She coaches gym. All they need is chemistry." No, what these quirky, shy, scarred characters need is to learn that trust allows us to share our vulnerability--but sometimes you have to show the vulnerabilities first in order to earn the trust. They need each other--and readers need more characters like Samuel and Greta.

The characters are so selfish and private that it was hard for me to bond with them. The story has a lot of twists and turns though, and I like the way it ended.

The book looks at the life of a physically challenged man who leaves highly paid tech job to teach high school computers. This puts him out of his comfort zone. While teaching he begins dating the socially outcast and fearsome gym teacher. the characters were funny and the story moved at a good pace.

The book looks at the life of a physically challenged man who leaves highly paid tech job to teach high school computers. This puts him out of his comfort zone. While teaching he begins dating the socially outcast and fearsome gym teacher. the characters were funny and the story moved at a good pace.

I loved this book. The characters are real and flawed and perfect for each other. Samuel Cooke and Greta Cassamajor are an unlikely couple but fit in that way that real people do. This was beautiful and romantic in a real life way not in a romance novel all flaws and problems disappear when they realize they are in love way.

I don't usually read romantic fiction and I don't remember where I heard about this book but something about the premise caught my attention and made me put a hold on it at my library. I'm not sure it would be something I would recommend but it does give a unique perspective on love.

Samuel Cooke is a whizkid programmer who has decided to try something different. So he moves from LA to a small town to take a job as a computer teacher in the local highschool. Samuel wears leg braces and is small in stature due to a congenital problem with his spine. On his very first day at the school he encounters Greta, the phys ed teacher. Greta is a large, no-nonsense woman who is at least 10 years older than Samuel but he is smitten with her. He asks her to dinner and, to his surprise, she says yes. Although this is one of the most unlikely pairings ever they do seem to get along but each of them has emotional baggage that makes it hard for them to sustain any relationship, let alone a romantic one. And yet, something works and might keep on working if Samuel can accept that this proud, independent woman really does love him.

It's nice to read a romance that doesn't have perfect people and blissful passionate embraces and I guess that's why I kept on reading it.

BTW, Ramsey Hootman is female and this is her first book.

Courting Greta was a pleasant surprise. I've been tired of the average love story for a while and this was anything but average. Two individuals, with obvious physical abnormalities (in societies eyes) come together with intriguing chemistry. Samuel's disability was up close and personal, giving a healthy biped an idea of the torment and frustration that goes with a handicap. Greta's issues were kept close to the chest and seemed obvious but the way they were drawn out and reveled was compelling. This is a title where you should not read the dust cover and just delve into the contents, plumbing their depths for the hidden treasures that are revealed throughout the entire story. Well done!

I enjoyed this book. The characters were pretty realistic and I feel that Samuel's disability was handled well. Occasionally I found the writing a little clunky and cumbersome and had to reread passages to figure out what it was trying to communicate.½