BOOK REVIEW :"THE SKY IS FALLING" by "SIDNEY SHELDON

Review by:- Shabnoor Mukadam Std:- F.Y.B.M.M 2nd Semester Roll No :- 24 / Div :- A

About The Author

Sidney Sheldon (February 11, 1917 January 30, 2007) was an Academy Awardwinning American writer. What I like most about him is the way he builds up the thrills in his story and how he paves his way towards an unexpected suspense. In most of his novels the main protagonists are strong, confident, capable, talented, high-held, modern, sophisticated yet extremely femininely beautiful women. The way he describes his leading women automatically makes way to a beautifully heart enticing surrounding plot of the novel. He always had a flair for writing so much as he earned 5 $ for a poem he had written at the age of ten. Most of his readers were women. Asked why this was the case he said: "I like to write about women, who are talented and capable, but most important, retain their femininity. Women have tremendous power - their femininity, because men can't do without it. His first novel The Naked Face was published in 1970 which won him many accolades all over the world. Some of his other extremely famous novels were Tell Me Your Dreams (1998), Bloodline (1977), The Other Side Of

Midnight (1973), Are You Afraid Of The Dark (2004), The Sands Of Time (1988), If Tomorrow Comes (1985) and many many more. Not only this he has also written an autobiography called The Other Side of Me, written many Broadway plays as well as written scripts for many television soaps and films. Coming to the novel which I will be discussing The Sky Is Falling, deals with an anchorwoman called Dana Evans from Washington D.C whose destiny makes her travel the world to prove that brutal a series of murders which are interlinked according to her instincts. As a reader when you are led through the story be prepared to expect the unexpected from this particular Sidney Sheldons novel. The Sky is falling - Sidney Sheldon..........unravels the story of a philanthropist who has an ugly side in his life by a news reporter Dana Evans. Dana Evans - a star news reporter who is a hit among all kinds of audience for she believes in reporting the news speaking from the heart instead of just talking to a screen. Shes a celebrity in her own style. She has a little son, a boy whom she saved and picked up from the war stricken Sarajevo. The adoration for the little boy Kemal who has one of his hands blown off by a bomb and Dana is immense. She takes complete care of Kemal and struggles to make him feel secure and wanted always. Dana is very protective of Kemal and always supports him whenever shes called to his school to talk about his misbehaviour. The story starts with Dana Evans hurrying up along a Pennsylvania Avenue in the month of December when suddenly she hears ear piercing screams of siren, bomber planes etc. She stands there frozen when suddenly everything around her was seriously haywire with the sounds of weapons, planes and deadly mortar shells. When she suddenly opens her eyes she finds herself in Pennsylvania Avenue as the ambulance siren had triggered her memories. Dana Evans was used to flocking of fans everywhere she goes. She had just returned from Yugoslavia and her memories were still too fresh. She believed in what happens to one happens to us all, for we are all made of clay and stardust and we share the same moments of time. She was twenty seven, with good looks, slim figure, black hair, warm personality, an army brat, adventurous, fearless and everywhere she went people were spellbound with her. She used to broadcast in the middle of the battles, risking her life to report on the deadly events occurring around her. Dana had met Jeff Connors who was an on-air sports reporter for W.T.N. He was in his thirties, tall, lean and easy let back charm with boyish looks that attracted people to him. Jeff and Dana were in love and they had also talked about marriage. The TV Channel WTN is owned by an International movie tycoon Elliot Cromwell . Dana's Interview and newscast on the channel was different from others and it was a great hit with the viewers. A chance meeting with the young , handsome and successful Gary Winthrop, a prince charming of America and a member of one of the country's most prominent families gave an opportunity for Dana to interview him. If America had a Royal family the Charismatic Winthrops would easily wear the crown. But in less than a year all five members of the Winthrop family , including Gary are killed in a series of Freak accidents. Gary is supposedly killed by thieves who were after his prized possession of paintings. Dana sees something sinister behind their deaths and begins an investigation with the approval of her News channel, that yields evidence she could hardly believe. She realises that Taylor Winthrop, Gary's father and head of the Winthrop family , who had an impeccable reputation, having done everything that he could do to make the society a better place had some dark secrets. Dana's search results in a cat and mouse chase that leads her through half a dozen countries in search of a remorseless killer. As she closes

in on her suspects the shocking secrets Dana unearths about the Winthrop family , puts her and her son Kemal in danger and Dana becomes the hunted..

My views on this Book

This is another very interesting plot by Sydney Sheldon. It has all the ingredients to make it a super suspenseful and super hit novel like his previous books. It starts off very well with a lot of promise with the suspense building up page by page. Dana's investigations which keep her busy and her boyfriend Jeff kept busy by his exwife Rachel because of her life threatening illness. The two plots run side by side with Dana feeling low and wondering as to what is happening to her relationship with Jeff? Dana is forced to face the calamity all by herself, and this with the added problem and responsibility of taking care of Kemal. I think it was a nice touch, having this child in the plot . There is a deviation from the plot at the beginning as we read accounts of Kemal's horrifying tale in Sarajevo.. The suspense is well kept right until the last pages, as Dana laboriously collects her evidence bit by bit. But the most disappointing part of the book is its climax which falls somewhat flat after all that build up. The trips Dana makes and how technology helps her enemies to follow her, the magic and the love between Dana and Jeff is all brought out excellently by Sheldon. I personally feel that Sydney Sheldon's book is gripping and extremely sophisticated. The plot is strong and holds on to the reader well. Sheldons ability to entertain the audience is definitely well illustrated in this piece. I have always been a Sheldon fan and have never missed out on even a single book of his.......but The Sky is falling is certainly a master piece and an action packed thriller and can certainly be rated as one of Sheldons best.