Unfortunately her descriptions of their work feel so contrived, not to mention impenetrable, that the reader's attention soon begins to wander.

And yet somehow - don't ask me how - these characters and their situations rarely feel contrived or stereotypical.

With so many rules to follow for men's fashion, the whiplash games of change often feel contrived, as if fashion has become more a science than an art.

Without it, the meanings that can be found in this work feel contrived and sterile.

For all their thematic elaboration, Ms. Byatt's stories do not feel contrived or didactic.

He writes that "Nick's exit felt contrived and meaningless."

True, designers studiously seek out exhibitions or films that promise to inspire, but that search often feels contrived once it's translated into fashion.

The shows feel contrived and wrong.

Nothing in "Durango" feels particularly new, but nothing in it feels contrived or dishonest, either.