THREE FATES
Nora Roberts
G.P. Putnam
Romance
ISBN: 039914840X
<br /> The Fates were a triad, "each with a specific task. Clotho, who spins the thread of life, Lachesis, who measures it, and Atropus, who cuts that thread and ends it. None could function alone. A thread might be spun, but endlessly and without purpose or its natural course. [For] without the spinning, there's nothing to measure, nothing to cut...three parts...one purpose." <!--more--> Since her writing debut 22 years ago, Nora Roberts has been credited with creating complex characters and strong, independent heroines. Her female characters in her new book, THREE FATES, are no exception. Roberts weaves the mystique right from the start, explaining that, "Alone they would be nothing but ordinary if interesting women. Together, the most powerful and honored of gods."<br /> <br /> The story revolves around three siblings --- Malachi, Gideon, and Rebecca Sullivan --- and a family heirloom left by their great-great-grandfather, a petty thief named Felix Greenfield. The family heirloom is in fact one of three sculptures comprising the Three Fates from Greek mythology, which Greenfield stole just moments before the <em>Lusitania</em> sank after being attacked by a German torpedo.<br /> <br /> The statue, previous to being stolen by Greenfield, had been in the possession of a rich collector who wanted to reunite the Three Fates. A century later, the Sullivans go on a quest that takes them from Ireland to Helsinki, Prague, and New York in order to reunite the three statues and make their fortune. In the process, they are tricked out of their family heirloom and must pit their wits against an unscrupulous and completely evil antiquities dealer, but they never give up on their goal of getting it back.<br /> <br /> "To control any of the Fates is a powerful temptation...Three beautiful silver statuettes of the Fates were made long ago, designed to link together. Legend says that to possess any of them brings good fortune --- and to possess them all brings power beyond imagining."<br /> <br /> The love stories contained within the pages employ the cliches of romance --- opposites attract, instant chemistry, and predictable moves --- but they work for Roberts in this novel. Thrown into the mix is love, luck, fate, suspense, legend, destiny, suspense, and even a murder. The book ends with the sisters living happily ever after in idyllic Ireland where the three statues are also housed temporarily. It's a fast paced, quick read; ideal for airports, long road trips, and short breaks.<br /> <br />    --- Reviewed by Sonia Chopra
