Writers Books

Sir Walter Scott's second novel GUY MANNERING; OR, THE ASTROLOGER is built around three sets of incidents spread out between +/- 1760 and +/- 1782.

--First incidents: around 1760 Guy Mannering, English, fresh out of Oxford University and on a walking and painting tour, finds shelter from the elements in a manor house called Ellangowan in Galloway in Southwestern Scotland. There he is hosted by its Laird, Godfrey Bertram, who is dining with his companion, the absent-minded, taciturn Presbyterian non-pulpited divine, Dominie Abel Sampson. The night of Mannering's arrival, Lady Bertram gives birth to her first child, a son, Henry, later usually styled Harry.

As a joke, Guy Mannering draws on now passe astrological lore he had picked up from an early mentor. Mannering casts young Harry's horoscope. He had once before cast a horoscope: his girl friend's, and foreseen that that 18 year old would either die or be imprisoned at age 38. He now foresees a similar negative rhythm for the infant Harry: big trouble or great danger at ages 4, 10 and 20. Mannering's horoscope is wrapped up and hung around the infant's neck. It is still there to identify him 20 or 21 years later.

On that birthing occasion we also meet a six-feet tall, broad Lowland Scots-speaking gypsy woman, Meg Merrilies. Meg is come to keep away evil spirits from the first-born son of a family that has allowed loyal Meg's tribe to squat on Bertram land for centuries. Her first words are a chant:

"Canny moment, lucky fit;
Is the lady lighter yet?
Be it lad, or be it lass,
Sign wi' cross, and sain wi' mass." (Book I. Ch. 3)

Meg foresees that young Harry will live a full 70 years but with three major breaks in his upward course, followed by three re-stitchings of his predestined path. We also overhear a meeting between the gypsy woman and a smuggling German sea captain, Dirk Hattaraick.

--Second set of incidents: four years later, around 1764, the ambitious but impoverished Laird Bertram was appointed a justice of the peace. His devious estate manager and lawyer Gilbert Glossin was made a minor justice official. Good natured Bertram's new self-image required him to crack down uncharacteristically both on smugglers from the nearby Isle of Man and on the gypsies whose presence both his ancestors for centuries and he had tolerated. The Laird became great chums with revenue agent Frank Kennedy. Months later Kennedy snatched away from the boy's tutor, Dominie Sampson, four-year old Harry Bertram to let the youngster enjoy watching the arrest of Captain Hattaraick and his crew of smugglers run aground by a British warship.

Witnesses who arrived later found evidence of a scuffle. Kennedy was dead, the boy Harry Bertram had disappeared. The County sheriff (not named) did a thorough investigation and ruled murder. Meg Merrilies was suspected and spent some time in prison before being released. The boy was never found. Shocked by the news, his mother gave birth prematurely to a girl (not named) and died. The murder remained unsolved 17 or more years later. And we have read through the tenth chapter of Volume One of this Three Volume novel.

--Third Set of incidents: 17 years later or so, toward the end of the American Revolution, say 1782, the story resumes. Guy Mannering had married his sweetheart and become Colonel of his regiment in India, winning military fame. His teenage daughter Julia Mannering was wooed in India by a young recruit from Holland named Vanbeest Brown. Guy Mannering erroneously suspected this subordinate of wooing his wife, not his daughter. They fight a duel in which Brown is wounded. But bandits fall upon them and the combatants are separated. Mrs Mannering dies. Colonel Mannering resigns his commission and returns to England, enriched by inheritances. But the injured Brown has survived and eventually returns with the regiment to England -- unknown to Guy Mannering.

Taking leave, love-stricken Vanbeest Brown traces Julia Mannering to Scotland where her father is keen to purchase the old estate of Ellangowan. But immoral lawyer Gilbert Glossin has dispossessed his onetime patron, the old laird, of his ancestral holdings.

Meg Merrilies and Captain Dirk Hattaraick reappear, the latter, it develops, long protected by Glossin. New characters also make their appearance, most notably, the amiable lowland farmer Dandie Dinmont (the terrier breed will be named for him after Scott's novel). Dinmont provides an even warmer reception to young Vanbeest Brown than the Laird had given Guy Mannering two decades earlier.

An austere, wealthy aunt of Miss Lucy Bertram dies in Edinburgh, having been persuaded by none other than Meg Merrilies that somehow her nephew Harry Bertram has survived and will soon return to claim his ancestral home. Guy Mannering, Lucy's host after the sudden death of her father, volunteers to go to Edinburgh for the reading of Lucy's aunt's will. The current sheriff of the shire, Mac-Morlan, gives Colonel Mannering letters of introduction to his predecessor as county sheriff, now a prominent lawyer in Edinburgh. We finally learn that lawyer's name: Paulus Pleydell, Esquire. Pleydell in turn gives Mannering letters of introduction to David Hume and a few other luminaries of the Edinburgh enlightenment. Pleydell also agrees to represent Dandie Dinmont in a property suit.

All of the major players are now linked, in place and the plot gathers speed.

The greatest family of the shire, the Hazelwoods, also come into play. The wealthy Laird of Hazelwood begins to think highly of the crooked lawyer Glossin. The laird's son, Charles, falls in love with Miss Lucy Bertram. It slowly seems likely that Vanbeest Brown is Lucy's missing older brother Harry Bertram, though this is first surmised only by lawyer Glossin and Harry's loyal old protectress, the gypsy Meg Merrilies.

In a scuffle Brown/Bertram accidentally wounds Lucy's admirer Charles Hazelwood. All players shortly come together in a fiery ending so complicated that I had best leave its fun and denouements entirely to you.

Themes embedded in GUY MANNERING occur in other Walter Scott works as well: gypsies, inter-generational tensions, a missing heir, the role of cities and lawyers in accelerating the sunset of the "auld ways" of feudal Scotland, the virtual impossibility of a poor untitled man marrying a rich titled girl -- or vice versa. Once encountered, some of the characters can never be forgotten, notably Meg Merrilies, Dandie Dinmont and taciturn Dominie Sampson with his repeated exclamation of "pro-di-gi-ous!"

And we see old superstitions still holding sway a hundred or so country miles west of contrasting Edinburgh, with its immortal 50 year ascendancy in art, learning and science comparable only to eras of Periclean Athens and Medici Florence. -OOO-

There are some appalling cliches here - the mysterious gypsy, a lost infant (who turns up as a strapping handsome adult, but who still has the identifying talisman tied around his neck) - but my guess is that these weren't such cliches back in 1805 (so this predates Il Trovatore by a few decades). Even so I was completely taken with this, and found the last 100 pages to be very compelling reading, put down very reluctantly.

Scott's second novel Guy Mannering begins in the 1760s and concludes "near the end of the American war" in the early 1780s. Scott is deliberately vague about dates, as his focus in this novel is not on historical events or persons. The story begins with Guy Mannering's chance visit to Ellangowan the home of the Bertrams a noble Scottish family somewhat in decline. It is the night when Henry Bertram is born and Mannering an amateur astrologer sets out to make a chart of the boy's future. He is disturbed by the result however, and declines to reveal what he has foreseen, asking the family to wait five years before reading the prediction. Mannering leaves only to return some twenty years later to find that the fate of the Bertram family has become intimately connected with that of his own and that somehow, despite his own scepticism about his abilities as an astrologer, his predictions in an uncanny way have mirrored events.

Scott's skill as a storyteller is shown well in this novel. The story has a fast pace with lots of action and suspense. The major characters are confronted with the dangers of a lawless time, including murder, smuggling and abduction. Moreover, they must carry out their romances despite the disapproval of their parents. As is so often the case with Scott, much of the pleasure from reading the tale comes from the various minor characters he describes. Dominie Sampson is an unforgettable character hilariously awkward of speech and manner, constantly exclaiming "prodigious", but fiercely loyal to the Bertram family. Meg Merrilies, an unusually tall, mysterious gypsy fortune-teller, is likewise fascinating with her apparently supernatural ability to influence events. These and other characters, both the virtuous and the villainous, make the story continually interesting.

The best edition of Guy Mannering is that edited by P.D. Garside. This edition, based on the first edition and manuscript, provides the best possible text, restoring for the first time a large number of lost readings and indeed some quite extensive passages. It also has a full glossary, essential for understanding the Scots dialect and archaic words in the novel, and an extensive set of notes. Guy Mannering is a really enjoyable novel and good fun to read. It is also relatively straightforward and so would provide a good introduction to Scott's Waverley novels.

I read Walter Scott for atmosphere, for mood, for humor and characterization and perhaps most of all, to listen to his voice. Scott has an endearingly present narrative persona--he's that chatty, knowledgeable, and even slightly eccentric uncle, the one with all the hobbies and interests and entirely too many books, who seems to be a kind of expert on every subject. The best Scott novels tap into this feeling of cozy kinship and exploit it, and in the end this is often more important than the story proper.

More than many other Waverley novels, more than Waverley itself certainly, Scott's second novel, Guy Mannering (1815), excels at producing this complicated, friendly, peculiar narrative hodge-podge. There's a bit of everything here, from romantic scenery to sharp satire, from a bookish name-dropping to curse-muttering gypsies. There's smugglers and kidnappers, astrologers and cranks, the Scottish lowlands and the English lake district. Like all Scott, there's old and new joyfully intermingled--a birth mystery worthy of Tom Jones yet a good deal of what would become Treasure Island. More Gothic and less historical than Waverley, more fun than Heart of Midlothian, less forced than Ivanhoe, this novel was an unexpected treat. It remains underrated and understudied.

Consider that Scott dashed this novel out in six weeks, and you'll get some idea of both his own considerable talents and also the casualness, almost carelessness of its tone. Like all of his novels, Guy Mannering should be imbibed slowly, savored rather than gulped. Kudos to Penguin Classics for tapping into the Edinburgh Edition and providing us with a cheap, well-annotated text of this neglected classic!

Addendum: Someone asked me, so I thought I'd add: this is the novel featuring Dandy Dinmont, for whom the popular terrier is named.

This novel combines action, humor, unforgettable characters and intelligent writing. The author takes you into the landscape-you feel every bump in the road. A very accessible novel, considering Scott's other works. While I loved The Antiquarian, the Bride of Lammermoor, Waverly and Rob Roy, Guy Mannering is the best so far, with a plot that never falters and a few heroes that inspire admiration as well as inquiry. There is also little of the thick, unintelligible scot's dialect that can trip up the average reader. While Scott falls short on his female love interest,(she's only human) he excels in the character of the female lead, a brave gypsy filled with a sense of her own doom.
Please read Scott. He's good, and good for you.
Note to dog-lovers: the fun-loving Dandie Dinmont Terrier takes its name from this novel.

The author has a wonderful way of relating to teens but this is also a book about having a crush, meeting your favorite performer, and how it all relates to life in general. Staying your ground and looking for a good spiritual home as well as adjusting to new place. It is a pretty clean cut book but its also a little rock n'roll.

My teenage daughters read Hayley's Song before it was published and begged Mrs. Horton to write more...they couldn't wait to see how the relationships between the girls Hayley, Amanda, Trina, Sharon, and Crystal worked out with the boys in the Millennium band. The characters are wholesome. The girls interactions are typical of young teenage girls everywhere. The story line keeps you wanting more. In fact, you can hardly put the book down. When are we going to see volume 2? We can't wait!

I really enjoyed reading Hayley's Song. The characters were very "real" and the way that Hayley deals with meeting her Hero Shadow and then has to come to grips with him as a person and not just a persona. I can't wait to read the next one in the series (as soon as Wanda gets it finished). It would be a good book for girls who are having their first crush or for anyone who enjoys a good romance.

As I began to read Hayley's Song, I found it so interesting that it was very difficult to stop and not finish it in one sitting. The characters are so life-like and simple, everyday folk with normal ups and downs. The author develops the relationship between Hayley and Shadow (rock singer Steve Wilson) so uniquely, it keeps you hungry to see how it will end. The spiritual message is just as real about living in the world today and not being a part of it and holding on to your integrity and beliefs. I would definitely recommend Hayley's Song for teenagers and adults for enjoyable and spirtual reading.

I really loved HAYLEY'S SONG. It is a good book about a girl who moves from Denver to Bedford and meets her dream crush and falls in love. At first I didn't think it was going to be good, but after I got further into the book, it got better and better every paragraph. I would recommend it for people who love romance novels. I personally think that if you're in the middle of moving nearly one thousand miles away from your closest friends, you need to read this book. When I finished reading it, I kept telling myself, "I don't want this to end. This a great book!" I completely lost myself in the world of Hayley Rogers. I highly recommend it for eleven to seventeen year olds. Though all ages should read it, so they can see through the eyes of an everday teenager. I really fell in love with chapters sixteen to twenty-four. Those were the best chapters of the book. But don't take my word for it. Read it and find yourself lost in the world of Hayley's Song.

I couldn't put it down. This story kept me captive until I read it all. Ellis's style quickly captures the reader and keeps them hanging on until the finale. The setting in Eastern Ohio provided a touch of reality to the story line. (Especially "The Chair"!!)The spiritual emphasis provided me with with a sense of validation of God's promises amongst the trials of this life. Great writing. Looking forward for more!!!

Beautifully written - Joe Ellis is an artist who has been able to paint visual images with words throughout his story - with carefully drawn phrases, the reader is able to feel - the warmth of the sunshine - and an unexpected cobweb; smell - the sweet aroma of a spring flower garden - and the nauseating stench of decaying animals; and hear - the early morning Doxology of a choir of birds - and the terror only found in total silence in the dark

He draws the reader into Elijah Mulligan's soul before the end of the second paragraph of the book - and holds the entire story together as we follow/share in this gentle giant's wrestling with the forces of evil threatening his church and persons dear to him. Here is the blending of a love story, a tightly woven mystery, the pranks of three 12-year old friends, and the ever-present struggle of good and evil. All become a powerful vignette in the life of one small rural church, the Scotch Ridge Presbyterian Church, high on an Appalachian hill on the outskirts of a small Ohio town.

ýI was a bad man once. I hate to think about the terrible things I did. It makes me sick. But you gave me another chance. Dear Father, use me to offer another chance to this strange fellow.ý (The Healing Place, pg. 1, Joe C. Ellis).

Even in the most unlikely places, evil can lurk. But where ground is sacred and consecrated as holy, God is present. When doubts arise and it seems there is no hope, when our past sins rise up to haunt us, there is always a place we can go. This is The Healing Place, Elijah Mulliganýs place of refuge, where he goes to meet with God.

The Healing Place is set in the beautiful Appalachian hills of Eastern Ohio in the town of Martins Ferry. Scotch Ridge Church and the legendary monument known as The Chair, in its adjoining graveyard, are factual sites in this community.

Ellis weaves the eerie superstitions of three twelve year-olds and The Chair with the diabolical notions of a young man, Nathan Kyler. Kylerýs own life is corrupted by a past that haunts him and the only one who recognizes the truth of his warped mind is Elijah Mulligan.

Elijah has experienced Godýs healing power numerous times, but nothing prepares him for the ultimate evil encounter that brings to surface uncertainties about love, past sins and a life he just canýt seem to let go of. His friendship with the three kids mixed with the love he is reluctant to accept from a widow named Annie, offer a balance to the thrills of eerie suspense. The Healing Place is a must for the person who enjoys sitting on the edge of their seat, only to be eased back with a touch of romance, then to be completely thrown as tales of love, evil and everlasting healing unfold in a most unpredictable way.

The Healing Place is an engaging story, that is attractive for readers of any genre. It has a hint of horror, a well-conceived mystery and an inspirational message that makes you feel good about the characters. It is impossible to put down once you start reading. If you read it you will enjoy it.

THE HEALING PLACE by Joe Ellis

I had the privilege of editing Joe's book in the summer of 2000. I became well acquainted with Elijah Mulligan, the larger-than-life hero and his antagonist, Nathan Kyler. Characters drawn with strong, almost visual brush strokes, draw the reader into a story that is both very real while at times almost surrealistic. A sleepy town in Ohio is being stalked by a man obsessed with death and killing. Will his fantasies and his torture of animals lead inexorably to murder? What has brought him to the point of such rage at the people around him? What clues does Elijah Mulligan piece together as suspicion of the young man increases? The mystery of THE HEALING PLACE weaves through the fabric of small town life contrasting with the bright summer, irrepressible teenagers, a faithful minister and his congregation, the village cynic and a love story between Elijah and a pretty widow. Ellis has created a novel of suspense with a storyteller's grasp of detail. You can find the Ohio town described in his novel, and there is still an annual celebration of the Betty Zane Days mentioned in the story. As a first novel, THE HEALING PLACE lives up to it's name as faith in God and the possibility of redemption even of the most violent person holds together a beautifully written work. Hopefully it will be only the first of many for this author. Donna Swanson: Artist, Teacher and author of MIND SONG, RACHEL'S DAUGHTERS and ANGEL WORLD TRILOGY

With the upcoming movie release of the Walden Media/Walt Disney production of "Prince Caspian" I began searching for a book which would teach both literary analysis and apologetics to my junior-senior high students. After looking at several books I selected Thomas William's "The Heart of the Chroniciles of Narnia."
The book is divided into three themes: The Story of Narnia, Living Like a Narnian and The End and the Beginning, with an introduction, afterward and discussion questions. Williams explores the Chronicles of Narnia utilizing three principles:
1. Letting C.S. Lewis explain the stories himself, using references from his other writings that illuminate the meaning of the Narnian passages and confirm his thought on given concepts.
2. Confirming the many Narnian principles with biblical references.
3. Drawing on resources from other authors.
This is an excellant resource for those who want to "dig deeper" into the Chronicles of Narnia to discover the biblical meaning within the context of Lewis' celebrated stories.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to use it and a copy of the movie on DVD for gift baskets this Christmas. Offers some insight on attributes of God that we are rarely exposed to. It has deepened my attraction to the Chronicles of Narnia and to C. S. Lewis. The book is intelligent without being difficult to read. Highly recommend!

Instead of giving us another "encyclopedia of Narnia," Thomas Williams presents a complete way of life based on all of C. S. Lewis's works. If you read one book about Narnia this season, make it this one!

This is a great book delving into the deeper truths of God that are nestled into the pages of The Chronicles of Narnia. This authur is very indepth in his explanations of topics such as providence, prayer, creation, life after death, being created for pleasure, temptation, church, and faith...just to name a few. But he does it in a clear and easily understandable way that makes for an easy and enjoyable read.
I believe one of my favorite parts was the Chapter "Romping With The Lion". We are created for pleasure, for joy, for happiness. God made us to enjoy life and take pleasure in all things good! This chapter resonated with me and made me want to be a better "celebrator" and be able to express my joy, rather than just being stoic and pious.
Williams says the Chronicles are to be read for enjoyment, but this book really made me want to reread them while looking for the truths he brings out. This book gave me a thirst for more of Narnia!
You can tell the author has a love of all things Lewis and knows what he is talking about! I have been recommending this book to everyone!

I read the work of Thomas Williams with a highlighter in hand. His skill with words and deep understanding of spiritual truths combine to provide the reader with an in-depth, thought provoking,and satisfying reading experience. In "The Heart of Narnia", he shares his passion for the world of "Narnia" in a way that makes us all want to reread the entire Chronicles through "new eyes." This is a must-read for all!

Heaven on Earth should be read by everyone! This may be an entertaining novel, but more importantly it is an introduction (or a reminder, depending upon where we are) as to how the universe works.

The author uses the story of a fictional island going through a civil war to show us how love (or lack of fear!) can cure the world. She creates interesting characters for whom we care. She also uses fine examples in not only war torn Eluria, but also in the modern day United States. These lessons tell us how our lives can be so much better by using our mind and our intuition in a way that most people don't know is possible, to create a reality that we deserve.

There are times when the story gets a little mushy for me (especially some of the sex scenes), but I don't hesitate to give this book 5 stars because of the lessons and messages it offers. Oh if only EVERYONE would read this book, our world would be a much more special place in which to live while we learn the lessons of this lifetime.

Kudos to Donna N. Murphy! Thank you for writing this very important novel.

Heaven on Earth is a wonderful novel. There are interesting characters, lots of action, and clever intersecting plots. It comes to life through the realistic, multi-dimensional characters and strikingly vivid descriptions. Having recently read Poisonwood Bible and King Leopold's Ghost, I found an especially strong connection with the island of Eluria. The deeper messages of Heaven on Earth were thoughtfully woven throughout and kept this reader both engaged in a fascinating novel and in reflection of how the messages apply to myself and to the broader universe. I recommend it as an engaging read for anyone.

Amazing book that reads like a novel but yet has deep spiritual content, with love and intrigue, and a happy ending!
A message of hope for humanity, perhaps we are growing up and recognizing that war is not a solution to any problem.
Fun, interesting, surprises, uplifting story

Heaven on Earth is a wonderful novel. There are interesting characters, lots of action, and clever intersecting plots. It comes to life through the realistic, multi-dimensional characters and strikingly vivid descriptions. Having recently read Poisonwood Bible and King Leopold's Ghost, I found an especially strong connection with the island of Eluria. The deeper messages of Heaven on Earth were thoughtfully woven throughout and kept this reader both engaged in a fascinating novel and in reflection of how the messages apply to myself and to the broader universe. I recommend it as an engaging read for anyone.

Heaven on Earth is an entertaining and lively story of an island nation in the midst of a civil war due to racial strife. The fast-paced narrative has romance and suspense, with clever plot twists you'll never see coming. I couldn't put it down; I had no idea what might happen next. In addition, the book has a thought provoking spiritual dimension. Donna presents the unique alternative of a spiritual intervention as a way to end the war and resolve the conflicts without a winning or losing side. Her unique alternative to the "business as usual" of going to war presents ideas for us all to live in peaceful harmony.

THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL BOOK. It is a great gift for any interested in authors or mixing drinks ... or both. Small but packs a powerful punch.

Combine one shot of booze, four ounces of Great American Writers, and garnish heavily with several tales of drunken exploits. What you get is a tidy little book that'll knock your socks off.

This isn't exactly a cocktail recipe book. It's not really a literature anthology, either. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but I do know that it's one of the most enjoyable books I've bought in the past year or two.

In a nutshell, Bailey and Hemingway were sitting in a bar one night, remembering the good old days when authors found their ideas at the bottom of a bottle. So as a tribute to the great author-drinkers 20th Century, they mixed up this book. They picked out about 70 writers and paired them each with a real, no-fooling-around kind of drink. Then they selected a short excerpt from each author's work, and to round it out (and here's where the book gets really entertaining), there's a story of some drunken feat.

As far as the drink recipes in this book go, I like every one of them that I've tried. No, it's not nearly a complete compilation of cocktails, but there's something for everybody here, whether you're a fan of the quick and harsh Boilermaker or the dainty French 75, the sophisticated Gimlet, or the casual Planter's Punch. Bottoms up!

I always wondered what Jack Kerouac's favorite drink was...and now I know thanks to Hemingway & Bailey's guide---and I even know how to mix it. A great idea and great execution!

I absolutely love this book. Not only do I love great writers, especially the crazy ones, but I love booze too. When I pick up this book it not only shows some of the writers character by the drink they choose but it makes me want to make a drink for myself. Great coffee table book/conversation piece.

Christmas. Greenwich Village. Mark Bailey was sitting at a bar with his friend Edward Hemingway, an artist, illustrator and grandson of the hard-drinking writer. They were sipping beers. The writers standing around them were nursing club sodas.

This seemed wrong. America has many traditions, but few it actually honors. One is the tradition of drinking among American writers --- and drinking to extreme, at that. As Truman Capote once said (astutely quoting Brendan Behan), "We are drinkers with writing problems."

Bailey and Hemingway could have dealt with their distress as many of us do --- strap on their Nikes, fire up their iPods, and rush off to the gym to pound down a few miles on the elliptical trainer. But one of then bore a great name, the other a large thirst.

In short, they had a...duty.

So they set out on a patriotic quest.

Their mission: make the case for classic cocktails by sharing great drink recipes and outlandish literary anecdotes of the kind generated whenever men and women of talent knock back two or three too many. And, just for good measure, they found excerpts from each writer's fiction that deals with the results of liquor.

If you are firmly seated on a bar stool and promise not to chug your Perrier, I will share some of their findings.

"Don't you know that drinking is slow death?" F. Scott Fitzgerald asked. Robert Benchley took a sip and replied: "So who's in a hurry?"

Charles Bukowski could drink 30 beers at one sitting.

Raymond Carver invited friends to a party, but failed to attend as he got drunk in another city.

Unable to pay a bar bill in Paris, Hart Crane started a brawl so he could get arrested.

Lillian Hellman was in New York. Dashiell Hammett, her paramour, was in Los Angeles. In the middle of the night, she telephoned him --- and got his secretary. She was too drunk to realize he had no secretary, but when she sobered up, she flew to LA, went to Hammett's house, smashed his bar and immediately returned to New York. Bailey's comment: "Hellman knew where to kick a man."

Ring Lardner once drank for 60 hours straight (though "straight" seems inexact).

H.L. Mencken: "I'll drink as much as I want, and one drink more."

A doctor told Dorothy Parker she had to stop drinking --- or she'd be dead within a month. Parker: "Promises, promises."

[Let me state for the record: I do not endorse this behavior, I merely note it.]

Holding the Ladder shows us in a captivating way how holding on to the ones we love inevitably relies on our ability to let them go. I laughed and cried through Holding the Ladder and I recommend it to anyone who wants reassurance that overcoming lifes setbacks is possible.

When I first sat down with Holding the Ladder, I had no idea of the emotional journey I was about to undertake. Nancy Bailey is an excellent tour guide. She reaches into the heart and soul of Avery, and presents her journey of grief and resolution with uncommon empathy, compassion, realism, and even humor. By the end of this book, I was avowed Nancy Bailey fan. I look forward to future books by this author. Holding the Ladder is a wonderful novel!!

Avery resembles an ephiphany everyone should experience when suffering abuse and neglect. This wonderful book elicits the gammet of emotions, from concern and anger over the abuse Avery suffers at the hands of her boyfriend, to laughter and tears as her path is woven into a tight knit group of women who cannot appreciate a unique approach to life, save for the irrepressible Marie. This is a true story of defeat and victory, loss and grief, of broken hearts, healing and renewed strength. One sets this book down only after realizing their own mortality, the impact one life can have on another, and the thankfulness that we have this moment to love and be loved. Well done, Nancy. May you continue to grow in love and beauty. Thank you for the gift of your book, and for being the most AWESOME sister.

This account of the evolution of friendships among four ordinary women and how a tragic event forever alters their relationships reminds the reader of how fragile and unpredictable life can be. The convincing character development and compelling story line are quite readable. The surprising ending made me want to know what happens to the characters, above all the main character, after this story ends. I particularly enjoyed the low-keyed presence of pets and other animals in the characters' activities. I look forward to reading future works by author Nancy Bailey.

Nancy Bailey does a marvelous job in this short novel describing a heartbreaking loss of life, love and friendship as well as the joy of each. Based upon events that she is all too farmiliar with, the book walks one through the crushing loss of love and reestablishment of relationships which must withstand, or not, the trials of tragedy. Nancy has an uncanny sense of symbolism and is not unpoetic in her rendering of this episode taken from her own experience. It is well worth the investment of time and attention to share these moments with her.

A fairly common and not unreasonable approach to the great emotional pain of loss ( in all its myriad forms-death, madness, betrayal, Alzheimers) is to hide, recoil, think of something else, adopt an acceptance - life goes on and all will be well. Barbara Flaherty draws an inner strength up from her toes, and with a slight smile and soft voice, looks with sincerity and great interest into the eyes of horror and loss, anger and sadness, strength and redemption and invites them to sit down at her table for a cup of tea and a chat. I will read Holy Madness again and again.

Holy Madness came to me during a time of great darkness. The raw reality ministered to my soul and lent guidance to my spirit that I might find my way again to the light.
In my journey through the poems I revisited the street, the nut house, Southie, and found my way home to hope.
Ms. Flaherty's poems can be enjoyed by anyone who has ever loved, who has ever had a family, has ever experienced loss. Just as The Fourth Order of Francis and Clare is a holy order for Madmen and Fools, Holy Madness ministers to the everyman in us all.
I breathlessly await Ms. Flaherty's next collection.

Barbara Flaherty's Holy Madness explores those impersonal inner places where madness and the sacred intermingle. Her poems give form to that experience. Their genuineness is beyond doubt, their music palpable. They speak not just to what the mind thinks, but what the body knows. For those who have experienced these regions recognition can be sudden and breathtaking. From "Ancient Wisdom".

It is not personal. Never say "mine".
It looks like a mirror, but it is really like a deep lake.
It feels like water, but it is actually fire.
Some sit in the flames. Others swim.
There are some who drown.

Bluntly, many of us have friends and relatives who drown. Without flinching, and at times with humor, Holy Madness addresses that experience at the level of the sacred.

I cried. I laughed. I sang. I prayed. This poetry "lifts me from the dung heap" and carries me high as Ms.Flaherty shows how the hand of God is present in the most painful circumstances, the awful Madness of life. She does not gloss the realities as she skillfully reveals the holiness within them. I suggest this as a thoughtful gift especially for anyone coping with the pain of mental illness.

"Holy Madness" is poetry that is both personal and moves beyond the personal. Juxtaposing the stories of her own mad brother with that of the divinely mad Saint Francis of Assissi, O'Flaherty challenges us to consider the awful gifts that the wounded among us give. The poems are both lyrical and, as a group, narrative, and that narrative thread draws us along through the book's many voices and visions. A profoundly moving book that asks us, as Rilke said all great art must, to change our lives.

Achebe's work was informative, thought provocing, and at times amusing. His work is another example of how important it is for all people to tell their own story/history, especially people who were once disposessed. This little book inspired me to write a few ideas to prevent my experiences from being misinterpreted.

Long live the proud son of Africa and our respected statesman.
Achebe the honest and truthful dispenser of both sides of the story. Colonial griots (to borrow Achebe's words) such as Elspeth Huxley and other apologists have for too long been left alone to justify the dispossession of precious lands and cultures. Until the proud son of Africa made them eat their own words and exposed them for what they are. Dishonest griots deftly laying the groundwork for self-enrichment at the expense of peace loving and decent Human Beings.
Chinua Achebe as exemplified by his few but precious books writes not to make money but only when he must say something useful. Unlike modern day "authors" who are more about money than substance. I have no doubt Achebe can write profound and moving accounts of African and world issues at the rate of one book a day but he chose only to spend his time teaching.
It is obvious why the Nobel Prize went to Wole Soyinka instead of Chinua Achebe. Achebe refuses to write for a "foreign" audience and does not take his marching orders from anybody. He is his own man. Africans and honest people all over the world have in their own ways given Achebe the best prize in the world.
Continuous interest in his worthwhile classics such as Things Fall Apart,The Man of the People,No longer at Ease,Anthills of the Savannah, Morning Yet on Creation Day,Hopes and Impediments and many others.

Home and Exile may be a small book but has enough three pence (from Achebes "somebody knock me down and have three pence!") to liberate nations and individuals from the grip and stench of colonial and racist apologia masquerading as literature.

Long live Achebe, proud son of Africa and citizen of the world.
To know Achebe (by reading his books) is to know how to be an unassuming and proud Human Being who quitely and calmly states his truth for the benefit of us all.

Excellent! Achebe has done it again. This is a must read!

Since the book is already well-summarized above, I'll just give my own reaction.

I've read a number of Achebe's novels and one essay (the excellent critique of Heart of Darkness) and really enjoyed the "backstage" feeling of hearing the author's first person voice - an insightful and kindly voice. For me, the effect of Achebe's strong positions is heightened by the dignified presentation, and of course by the poignant and funny stories from his own life that he uses to illustrate those positions. As compared to one of my other favorite authors, James Baldwin, Achebe's writing includes less calls to action, and more explanation. For instance, even in his sharp critique of Vidiadhar Naipaul's novels, Achebe's first priority is to shine light on the processes that led to Naipul's failures of vision. I think people who have read Achebe's fiction or essays and liked it, or generally care about literature from an indigenous or "Third World" perspective will really enjoy this short text. Definitely worth the cost, and may be available from the library.

The physical brevity of Achebe's "autobiography" truly belies the intrisic wisdom he so effortlessly spews upon his listeners. Mr. Achebe sets out to deconstruct the manifold, post-colonial ills (endemic to the dispossessed of African diasopora) with the assistance of historical literature, creation fables, and his own personal memories. Indeed, a thought provoking manifesto for any fan of the great Achebe; one which will aid the reader to pursue further literature with a new sense of enlightenment.

I am Felice Picano, or certainly am living his life. Well, sort of. When I read straight through this book--a library copy, I am going to buy it now--I said to myself and to my friends that I loved the book so much because of how much I see of him in me, including that he was also born on February 22nd, that we are both gay, and that I am struggling, as he was, to write. If any book can give me inspiration to live my dream, it is "A House on the Ocean, A House on the Bay." Bravo to Picano for writing a book that was written for me.

Being the rabid Picano fan that I am, it's not always easy to consider myself unbiased. However, since I thoroughly disliked his Like People in History, I feel I can be more objective now.

That said, A House on the Ocean, a House on the Bay: A Memoir is amazing. It is a thoroughly engaging book that takes us on an interesting journey of one man's life that is terribly full and robust. However, like many a Southern author (which Mr. Picano is NOT), Picano manages to make this book feel like a leisurely wander, allowing us to discover the nuances he wants us to realize at his pace and not at the pace of our reading.

It's a trick not easily done.

This is a fine book about Picano's time spent on Fire Island and the people he knew and loved during that time.

I highly recommend this book.

Checking as to when the next novel by Felice Picano is due out, I realized that though I have read all his books I have never written about them in this forum. Strange, but understandable when I look back over all the experiences of reading his work. Picano writes in the manner of long nighttime walks with a close friend: he shares quips and bedazzling escapades and memories of lost friends like few others. His stories are at once funny, tender, bitchy (in a way that few can imitate), and just plain good stories. In A HOUSE ON THE OCEAN, A HOUSE ON THE BAY he seems to have paused in the midst of memories very special to him...or at least his characters are so acutely drawn that they seem like pages from a diary. If you've ever wondered what Fire Island was like at its peak, here it is. Wonderful tales populated by people you'd like to know....or at least have observed! Felice Picano keeps treating us to fine writing and I eagerly await ONYX!

Although I have read most all of Felice Picano's books, I find myself returning to A HOUSE ON THE OCEAN, A HOUSE ON THE BAY most frequently - sometimes just for recalling his atmospheric descriptions of places with and without people, sometimes just to re-visit Fire Island - a place I've never been but that has become for me a solid symbol of East Coast escape. Picano's memoirs at times are overwhelming: how could one man have experienced life so richly and tranposed it to words for us, the voyeur readers? Perhaps the places and people he so succinctly describes are bathed in poetic license, but that only makes the moments in between interpersonal encounters pregnant pauses. Picano has managed to keep us entertained book after book and I eagerly await the release of ONYX.

Frankly, when I got to the final 100 pages, on Gay Pride Night, no less, I was so compelled to finish the book that I stayed up all night to finish it and then pack for a business trip to London.

Picking up his life in the mid-1970s, Picano gives an account of post-liberation, book store jobs, love affairs, friendships, and the wisdom of time and difference.

Once again, it is split in parts. The first details a tortured menage a trois in which Felice is the one wanted "for his mind." He works as a book store manager and plans a career as a writer.

In the second part, he discusses the Fire Island scene, the "Gay 2000" who influenced gay culture and the broader culture at large, and his job at a fancier bookstore--unnamed by recognizable as Rizzoli.

Picano, more here than elsewhere, comes into contact with more recognizable celebrities--wide-ranging from Rose Kennedy to Bette Midler (in her bathhouse singer days).

Picano also reflects on his position as a survivor--the remaining 2% left after the AIDS crisis devestates the Gay 2000, and his role now as a witness.

Also apparent is Picano's fine education, cultural appreciation, love of writing, determined confidence, and perceptive mind. This is the book that sent me into a summer of reading whatever Picano books I could find. It's hard to imagine anyone--gay or straight--not getting something out of this memoir. Truly a voice of his generation, and for future ones as well

Yeah, I liked the book. :-))