Authors Books

As one who can personally relate to the stories told by Schaeffer, I just couldn't put the book down. He cycles from view to view of multiple characters, fully examining the situations and events throughout the book. The multiple viewpoints don't lend themselves to individual favor, aka good and bad people, but more to the thoughts and actions you commonly wouldn't assosiate with people put in these situations.

Great book, very detailed and descriptive of events you wouldn't associate with a military enlistment.

I loved this book. Mr. Schaeffer is not only a very, very good writer, he also captures the feelings of an unlikely military family. I highly recommend this book for military and non military. If you are a military family, you will cry, we always do. If you are not, read it anyway, it's a good read.

I have read Schaeffer's Calvin Becker trilogy plus the book (title escapes me) written jointly with his son. Baby Jack starts out sounding written in one voice (Frank's) which I was finding a little disappointing. The author surprised me as he introduced new voices to further the story a definite new twist. I hesitate to say more for giving away the story. A must read for all families with sons and daughters in the military. It is also a must read for those of us who oppose the war in the Middle East to remind us at what cost we have the freedoms we have today.

Baby Jack

Todd Ogden, an acclaimed painter with works in museums around the world and a supposedly successful thirty-year marriage is living in and painting his two hundred year old house when his youngest son, Jack joins the Marines instead of going to college. Jack goes to Iraq and is killed. Baby Jack is the story of how his baby son is coped with by the baby's grandfather.

Recommended for fans of Frank Schaeffer

Gunner December 2007

This is an extraordinary book about the meaning of service and sacrifice. Given that we are at war, it is a book that "must be read" if we are to understand that the war is being fought by a very few and their loved ones. It is not a political polemic. It is the story of a young man who chooses to become a Marine and the profound impact of that choice.

Highly recommended.

Bytes Of Poetry: A Lovestories.com Anthology features 155 poems by 80 poets, sampled from over 56,000 postings by people worldwide. The diversity of the poets showcased is reflected in short bios. For some their's was a remarkable first effort, for others the result of a lifetime of writing. These are poems to be read aloud, shared with family and friends, and even inspire their readers to take up the craft of lyric verse themselves. Unspoken Words: I should have told you darling.../That I love you/Should have made it very clear/My unspoken was so true/No I'm wishing you were here/If I could do it all over/And turn back the hands of time/I would tell you that I love you/And I'm grateful that you're mine/I always thought it was something that I said/But it was unspoken.../unspoken words instead. (Maurice Sherry)

It was a delight to read this book. Real poems by real people of all backgrounds. I really liked "Mirror". Pick up a copy and you'll be inspired to put your own feeling on paper.

I must confess I am one of the poets, but that aside, I love this book. It is such an honor to be among these poets in such a fine collection. The lack of commercialism is one of the finest attributes of this book. It warms the heart with its honesty, even though sometimes brutal. My favorites would have to be Love Unrequited, 10 Rules of Love, and of course my own Peanutbutter Kisses, He let me Hold His Hand, & A Butterfly. As I read and reread this book my list of favorites keep growing. I've watched Bytes of Poetry keep a 14 yr old, a 62 year old, and a 31 year old riveted. I recommend it to everyone.

I am not one to read poetry and I admit that I primarily bought this book simply because I am one of the authors. However, I found I loved reading every poem that was included. I have read some more than twice. This is truly an inspiration and Alanna did a tremendous job. I applaud her and also thank her for including my poem. I have bought several as gifts and since I am in danger of wearing one of my copies out I am thankful I have more than one! I feel that there is something in this book that can touch everyone. I recommend this to anyone who loves to just curl up and read words that will move you to so many emotions ranging from unrequited love to an everlasting love, from sorrow to pure happiness, from sad memories to memories of laughter. Now, not only do I love writing poetry, I also enjoy reading it.

I found the selection of poems in Bytes of Poetry to be as delectable and intriguing as the contents of a good candy sampler. The poems address experiences we have all had in the course of living, experiences of an emotional nature, particularly those involved in relating to loved ones. Topics such as loving, longing, mating, finding meaning together, and parting are tastefully explored. The poems manage, again and again, to strike home with insight and directness. They touch the heart as they should because they are sincere and heartfelt. Everything is within the range of empathy and rings true. I am pleased to see poetry "come home" again. The book is worth reading several times.

Charles Martin is an author in his own class. Chasing Fireflies is a heartwarming book, full of hope. As the story develops into many levels, the characters also develop fully, and you feel as though these are people you know. There is also surprising revelation at the end of the book!

Charles Martin is one of the best authors out there today. His wisdom, family values, and outstanding writing just makes you want to cry. A great read with a message as always.

Chasing Fireflies: A Novel of Discovery
I have read everything Charles Martin has written and I was certainly not disappointed to read Chasing Fireflies: A Novel of Discovery. Martin has a way of capturing the pace and personality of the South, which makes it as much a main character as any of the people mentioned.
History and understanding of people does not happen at the rapid-fire pace often protrayed in most novels. Martin takes you on a trip of discovery that shows that you never really know a person until you take time to just be with them and hear their stories.
Worth EVERY minute you spend reading this book!

Everything by Charles Martin is amazing, and Chasing Fireflies is no exception. He explores themes of love, healing, and belonging in relevant ways without preaching through his novel. Martin is an excellent descriptive writer, as he takes the time to set up the environment for the reader before he dives into the action. You will feel well grounded in the story as he weaves several lines together. An excellent read!

This was an AMAZING story. Full of mystery, emotions, tragedy and triumph. It was so descriptive that you will feel a part of the book from the beginning and be sad when it ends. You won't be able to put it down. I'm an avid reader of Christian fiction, and Chasing Fireflies really touched me deeply. Charles Martin is a very expressive writer.

This was a gift and replacement order. This is a fabulously interesting, inspirational, and readable book! I had loaned my original out so often that it needed to be replaced, plus I bought several for gifts. I will read this book many more times! Living the Catholic Faith: Rediscovering the Basics

I am a doctoral student in Theology, so I have read much deeper explanations of many truths of the faith and explorations of how to live it. I don't want to read heavy theology all of the time, though; sometimes I just want something light and entirely oriented towards my practice of the faith. This book hit the spot. My wife and I read it concomitantly and it has really energized us and given us a lot to talk about. We are both cradle Catholics and very informed, but everyone needs continual spiritual nourishment. While the book might not have taught us anything "new" per se, it provides a great vision of the faith overall and very helpful vignettes and action points to indicate how to live as a Catholic in the modern world. As the book unfolds, it enters into some of the typical stumbling blocks that Catholics have (e.g. why priest don't marry, why contraception and NFP are different). Again, not much new or different from the academic explanations I've heard, but the approach is much more engaging than most. Chaput simply unfolds the beauty of the Catholic faith in a convincing way.

I think the book is at its best in its emphasis upon mission/evangelization in the modern world. We often think that families are not capable of this--this is for crazies willing to take vows and give up everything. Taking the cue from Vatican II and recent Church teaching, Chaput insists that the family is the domestic Church capable of cultivating heroic holiness, and the laity are the primary interface between the Church and the world. We Catholics aren't as good as our separated Protestant brethren at inviting others to consider our faith, but I was challenged to do this in the ways recommended by the book.

Given my studies and goals, I am likely to find myself teaching introductory courses on Christianity or the Catholic Church. I will most likely try to use at least portions of this book to cover the basics of Christianity in a compact, informative, but attractive way. I would also recommend this as reading for engaged couples. Due to the family-oriented nature of the book, it might not be as useful for teenaged audiences, which might not care for this perspective as much.

I highly recommend this book--it will enrich you and challenge you to live Christ and be Christ to the world!

This book is completely out of touch with every day life. It's not worth your time.

Addressing both those Catholics who adhere to Church teaching and just need a refresher, and those Catholics are happy to be "cafeteria Catholics" accepting those tenets of the faith that comfortably fit their lifestyles while rejecting those they find challenging (or as one reviewer put it "out of touch") Archbishop Chaput presents a concise teaching of Catholic belief which is essential to these times. He explains what we believe, why we believe it and the negative repercussions of deviating from these parameters. He builds up belief from the theological to the practical. From what we believe about God to its significance in our daily dealings with our neighbor.

Contrary to his critics, Archbishop Chaput is not the least out of touch, in fact the book is peppered with annecdotes from popular culture as well as annecdotes from classical works. He very ably discusses current affairs, and he insightfully points out just where the world is going off-course.

Archbishop Chaput is one of the stars among the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. He speaks clearly, concisely and without fear of offending people with the truth.

This book is well worth your time.

Anyone who follows any type of sports knows that the best teams or players, year in and year out are those that have most clearly mastered the fundamental basics of the sport. For years in American College football, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Alabama dominated the sport. These teams accomplished their goals, not by doing anything fancy or unusual but by simply lining up and running over their opponents. Put another way, they won by relying on the basics. Many Catholics, including myself could learn a valuable lesson from these football teams as we try to live our Catholic faith.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput has written a playbook to allow us as Catholics to get back to the basics of our faith and to more fully appreciate the scriptural authority behind these core teachings of the Church. He does this in a very appealing and straightforward way that is easy to understand and very easy to read. There is no heavy theological jargon nor are there any unexplained Latin terms in this book and even someone who is totally unfamiliar with the Catholic Church will have no trouble grasping the Archbishop's points.

To his great credit, the Most Reverend Chaput takes on the issues he discusses head on and never swerves to avoid hurting someone's feelings. Almost any Catholic who reads this book will find that at least some of the author's arguments hit mighty close to home. The author also takes on the hard issues like abortion, contraception and suicide, issues that may be controversial in some quarters but which are at the heart of the Church's teachings on the sanctity of human life. The learned author also takes the time to explain in very clear terms some of the most basic tenants of the Christian faith and I found his point by point discussion of the Ten Commandments to be very enlightening.

The Archbishop does all of this while relating it to the world that we live in today. I found his analogy of two twentieth century films to be particularly poignant and to be charged with unpopular truth. Sometimes the truth hurts but it does us a world of good in the long run.

This book is highly relevant to the world today and especially to Catholics facing the challenges of the twenty-first century. The good Archbishop has given us a wonderful blueprint to follow as we try to live our faith and spread the gospel to the whole world.

i gave this book as a gift once. to like a book enough to give it as a gift.. now that's something. if you appreciate being told the way it really is, you'll love bukowski.

The recording quality may not be absolutely perfect but the item captures Bukowski as he was, and adds significantly to the image one gets about his personality and his views from reading his, frequently repetitive books.

Some one gave this book to me to read highschool and the second I started reading it I was addicted. Now I'm in my late 20's and had to have it again.

Charles Bukowski takes you a trip that you soon won't forget. You will travel through a timeline that will have you anticipating what's next. The raw expression of life as depicted in his book made me want to become a writer.

Not only does he write a mean story he also has section filled with his poems, also amazing. You will not be dissapointed.

Bukowski is merciless. He can be quite cruel. He is a neutron bomb who destroys fantasy and make believe and leaves behind empty unadorned buildings. Like really rough scotch or bourbon, he can only be read in doses. In fact, his writing is an acquired taste. If don't want to see into the core reality of life, do not buy, let alone read his books. But if you are into honesty and courage and already know that no good deed ever goes unpunished, please enjoy. Bukowski's works are an affirmation of reality. Hobbes would love him. Ohm.

This double CD is a total joy! Quintessential Bukowski - there's nothing like hearing poems read by the author, I think, especially with him.
There's two CD's, poems interspersed with conversations with the people doing the recording. The only drawback could be that all of the recordings were done in a room with only a few people there, so there's an odd lack of feeling, the buzz you normally get in a live recording. Bukowski was also almost reluctant at times to read, but at the same time, the stillness in the background frames his voice and the work perfectly somehow. He warms up as it goes on, and as they have a few more drinks, and even reads a short story, which is brilliant.
There's some great photos of him in the booklet; no printed poems, but the sound quality is excellent, so you can hear every word.
If you're a fan, get it! If you want an introduction to Bukowski, get it!

Ellen Meister knows how to create lovable and interesting female characters! Maddie, Ruth, and Lisa were all wonderfully developed stay-at-home moms rather than than usual dull cliches used to describe housewives. I loved the plots and worries of these three women and couldn't put the book down--and that's saying something! Meister has a terrific writing style that flows easily.

However, I absolutely hated the movie production/George Clooney plot running through the book. I wish Meister had thought of a more realistic problem for the PTA, and I was happy when it wasn't mentioned and I could pretend it didn't exist. The PTA moms were also consulted about every tiny detail of the movie deal and held an enormous amount of power for ladies who only have control over which flavor of Juicy Juice is at the kids' Halloween party! It's too much of a stretch of the imagination for me. I also felt the ending needed work--in typical romance fashion, everyone comes to a happy resolution, but Meister's ending is rushed and sloppily thrown together in a brief 4 page epilogue. I also didn't appreciate pornographically described sex scenes such as, "Maddie looked...to Cora Ann, face slick from cunnilingus, and wondered if this was the kind of 'scene' she had in mind." (It's a scene I know I don't want in my mind, thanks.) Yuck. It is possible to write with some taste, even in a mindless beach read.

All in all, I would recommend reading the book just for the great characters, despite the other flaws. I think Ellen Meister has great potential and did a good job on her first novel!

Ellen Meister's Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA reveals that there is much more happening at PTA meetings than discussions of bake sales. Meister has excellent comic timing and revels in the exploits of her three compelling heroines, Maddie, Ruth, and Lisa, bringing a fresh look to seemingly familiar situations: the appearance of an old flame, caretaking of aging parents, and coping with alcoholic parents. Set in our culture of celebrity, George Clooney appears as a Christ-like figure, seemingly able to deliver redemption, forgiveness, and salvation to our heroines with simply his proposed presence in Applewood, Long Island.

"Confessions" is certainly no literary masterpiece, but Meister's writing style is fun and breezy, and her characters are a riot. No, they're not particularly believable, and the plot sometimes veers off into ridiculous sit-com territory, but you just won't care. You'll be having too much fun to care, and hoping for the best for these kooky women.

If you're in the moody for something light and fluffy with a healthy dose of middle-aged soccer-mom angst thrown in, this is the book for you. (Best if you've graduated from the chic lit geared toward "girls" in their 20's -- this is better for women who've attended a few PTA meetings themselves!!)

Have a glass -- or a bottle -- of wine and enjoy.

Yes, it's a cliché and it's also one of the two highest compliments you can give to any novelist. I'm a busy mom with plenty of my own writing deadlines to meet, but I MADE time to read this novel all the way to its satisfying conclusion. Ellen Meister is a wonderful storyteller--smart, witty and wise. I really did feel I'd made three new friends, sharing their problems and coming through it all with a better sense of what's important to me in my life. Fun, but not at all fluffy, I can honestly say this is a book worth reading (which is, by the way, the other compliment every writer longs to hear). Give yourself a treat and find out what really goes on behind those PTA smiles!

This is a perfect example of a work of fiction where I didn't like the characters but I loved the book. Good writing, a funny plot bordering on the absurd, and colorful, fully fleshed out character development, make the farcical and morally ambiguous ladies of the Applewood PTA surprisingly believable. The time spent reading these pages was for me, pure, self-indulgent entertainment. It was like watching Bravo television shows about The Real Housewives--or like watching the catfights between the Carrington wives back in the old days of Dynasty. Aside from juicy, gossipy `grown-up' sorority spats, this romp has a little of everything: Medical dramas, tennis matches, infidelities, ménage a trios, alcoholism, learning disabilities, fires . . . just about every kind of suburban drama known to a generation raised on a soap opera diet.

Meanwhile, if the actor George Clooney has ever entered your fantasies, or if you've ever spent time on a PTA committee and recognize the circle of self-important hags running the show like it's work as important as the UN, and if you don't mind a few predictable and contrived plot twists, pick up this book and give yourself a dose of literary masturbation. I don't ever want to meet these women, or serve on any committees with them, but reading about them was a hoot. Well done.

From the author of A Line Between Friends and The Things I Wish I'd Said.

Ms. Day and I have a few things in common. We both had our major crisis at age 32. We both had to fight for our child. I fought to keep mine alive. She fought to keep custody of hers. Both single mothers raising our child. She is correct when she says that crisis can be positive. However, over the many years, (I'm 66) I have seen women deny, deny, deny and end up, in a few cases, homeless.

I am not an intuitive, but am a sensitive. All my life I was able to 'see' things and have them turn into reality. I 'saw' some very strange events coming in my life that could not possibly, in a thousand years, occur. Yet they all did. Every one of them. Very few things surprise me now.

Trying to help people when you see their crisis coming is not always successful. Unlike Ms. Day, I do not work with rich clients, companies, etc. I have, over the years, warned my employers about events coming down the pike. Some listened, some didn't.

I have had clients over the years and still do, but I do not charge for my services. It is a pact I made with the Spirit World long ago. They will help me 100 percent if I do not collect money for their help. If I do, I chance losing my ability to see. It doesn't bother me that I am not wealthy or live the kind of lifestyle Ms. Day does. The Spirit World has kept me whole, healthy and happy all these years.

I would like to see her write a book that is current that speaks to what is happening now with regard to housing losses, job losses, gas prices, and what the future holds. She needs to take the gloves off and really lay it on the line. She doesn't sugarcoat things, but she needs to get down and dirty about people taking responsibility for their lives. Her stories are very interesting. I just wish we knew what happened to the father in San Francisco. Did his wife return and take their daughter back?

I did very much enjoy her book. I just wonder, if she was such a powerful intuitive, why she didn't save money over the years she was married to her millionaire husband. Why she didn't see the divorce and child custody battle coming.

I may have to break down and write my own book soon. Of course all proceeds from the book would go to charities. My clients, over the years, have begged me to do this. Maybe it's time.

When a disaster directly affects us--an earthquake, a hurricane, a car accident on the freeway--we respond in different ways. Writing as a widely consulted expert on adapting to change and crisis, author Laura Day explains four different reactions to crisis: denial, anxiety, rage and depression. Most of us experience one or more of these typical reactions as we respond to the sudden setbacks and unexpected difficulties of our lives.

Yet instead of these largely negative reactions, Day believes we can train ourselves to respond to a crisis with positive energy, transforming what might have seemed disastrous into a life-changing experience that fills us with hope, vision, and fresh energy. The difference is not the depth or difficulty of the experience, but rather our attitude as we encounter it.

Counselor to the star and guest on major TV shows, Day believes instead of fearing change, she believes, we should learn to expect change and be empowered by it. The worst of circumstances can be transformed if we are willing to adjust our perspective.

As Day writes on page 77, "To be effective in your life...you need to grow from your experiences, rather than being derailed by them." This is the primary thrust of Welcome to Your Crisis, as the author teaches us that even a major disaster can become a stepping-stone to personal growth.

Many of her ideas are not new, yet she explains them with a fresh voice. Readable and easy to understand, her prose keeps you moving forward, turning the pages and continuing to learn.

Decide who you want to be, Day insists, rather than letting the difficult moments of life define you and limit your future. Transform the negative thoughts, attitudes and feelings
that you encounter into warmer, more confident beliefs and values.

"Good lives are not easy," Day writes on page 219, "they require daily acts of adaptation, courage, and love." Clearly, the author supports the idea that all of us can learn to face our challenges in these ways--and by doing so we can improve our own lives and the lives of those we encounter.

Armchair Interviews says: Thought-provoking information.

I felt guided to this book by a higher power -- and boy, am I glad I listened to that voice. (Or rather, to those Voices!) For so long, I was burning my candle at both ends, to steal a line from Edna St. Vincent Millay. And nothing seemed good enough, until my own personal crisis arrived. Well, needless to say, this book was -- as you can tell from the cute little life preserver on the cover art -- a lifesaver! Many blessings to you, Laura.

Life Changing.

Crisis or not, this book will help you find a new path if you let it. Your true path. The simple tools and ideas in the book provide immediate direction. Hope. Energy. I'm a big fan of this author, I absolutely adore "The Circle" and "Crisis" takes her work to great new heights.

It is personal and practical and immeasurably powerful.

Thank you, Laura Day.

Laura Day narrates her own journey out of a crisis ... first through the tragic loss of her mother at 14 ... and then the devastating divorce that left her life in tatters ... to its gifts of healing and intuitive ability and career as a writer and speaker. Laura Day has been there herself ... a crisis ... and the stakes have been high ... but she pulled herself out of it ... and now shares the tools that became her lifeline. Day addresses the unique response styles and how you can make them work for you in a crisis. Best of all she has set up a website for this specific book with resources and group support so you need not go through this alone. I first met Laura Day at a Circle workshop on the East Coast in 2002 and returned to her work when she published the Crisis. More than any other self-help book on the market, this is stunning in its brilliant simplicity. No New Age blame game, no woo-woo, no magical thinking. A great tool to have in a self-help tool kit that keeps you empowered with YOURSELF.

Day emphasizes the gift of a crisis because you cannot go back to the past. This is the best advice in the book. It is like an old episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where Captain Jean-Luc Picard is given a chance to return to his youth and change destiny. Instead of having the trauma of a fight in a bar that lead to his receiving an artificial heart, Jean-Luc averts the disaster. Good? Not really because when he returns to the present he discovers that his life has been mediocre rather than stellar. In fact, he is a low-level ship mate who is not seen to have any leadership ability! The gift of his crisis was the development of impeccable judgment and calculated risk taking. Jean-Luc opts to go back and claim his sacred wound and returns again the Star Fleet legend and Captain of the Enterprise. This old storyline depicts Laura Day's wisdom on why the rock bottom of a crisis can actually be starting point of a brand new life that outshines the old.

I loved every word printed in the book. I am a big fan of Victoria Johnson's and I can not wait for her next book, I will buy that based on her love and appreciation of the romance field.

The author put her love of writing in this book It is obvious to me that Author Victoria Johnson did tremendous amounts of research and cares deeply about the romance genre and about human beings.

I laughed, I cried, I enjoyed this book. The research and the information that I recieved from this book was awesome.I am recommending the book to all of my friends. All I need to Know in Life I Learned from Romance Novels is a must read for Romance Lovers all over the World!

All I need to know in Life I learned from Romance Novels by Victoria Johnson was a pleasure and a thought provoking experience. The things that the author talks about are the things that interest me. I can not wait for her next Book!

I was amazed with all the positive comments from other readers regarding this book. I want to join in praise for Victoria Johnson's book All I learned in life I learned from Romance Novels.I loved the how to book on successful relationships.I loved the quotes from the famous Romance authors. Her advice is genuine and you can tell that the author knows her subject matter.Her book is positive and uplifting.

I just finished reading this book to my Nursing home residents. They were rapt in attention as we read the final two chapters quickly realizing this was not a "normal" Christmas tale. The ending is lovely, and considering WHEN it was written... true at this date.
A wonderful read for old and young alike....The tale will help you send your dreams to others for the holidays.

My interest in Richard Preston goes back to "The Hot Zone" and recently I was thinking about him and wondering if he had written any new books. I found this book listed in the card catalog and picked the worn out book from the stack and took it home to read. Like many of the lessons from God, this one was apparent only when I opened my heart to it and looked for the hidden message. If you are reading this review, then something has guided you to this book, and it will contain a lesson you are supposed to discover.

The Boat of Dreams by Richard Preston is a heart-warming tale of hope and love, which was originally written for his friend who was dying of breast cancer. This is a wonderful story to share with the entire family, especially during the holidays.

Preston brings Santa to life in a very `realistic" way, much to both the horror and delight of thirteen-year-old Will and his six-year-old sister, Lila. "Santa" teaches Will and Lila to dream their biggest dreams, allowing their love to flow for everyone, as they transverse the world on Christmas Eve in their departed father's beloved lobster boat. Magic and miracles are in the air as Will and Lila have the adventure of their life on this unforgettable night. They learn that things are not what they seem and that love does indeed create miracles.

This Christmas tale will fill one with hope and love, with several chuckles along the way and will leave the reader with a warm spot in his or her heart along with a tear or two!

I heartily recommend this book!

The Boat of Dreams is a simple Christmas tale of a brother and sister in 1969 whose dad is missing-in-action in Vietnam. Their mother works day and night to support them and sitting next to their trailer home is a shiny, beautiful boat, the Sarah Ann named after their mother - their dad's pride and joy. Not surprisingly, the children are saddened and angry by the apparent loss of their father.

In steps Santa Claus - an unkempt Santa Claus that reminds me of the sometimes drunk uncle played by Jim Belushi or Randy Quaid. Santa turns the Sarah Ann into a magical flying boat and takes the children on an adventure to brighten their spirits.

At times this book is fun; mostly during the interactions between the boy - getting to that defiant age - and his younger sister that he protects. But, unfortunately, it is also a bit predictable; especially, the ended - which I won't give away.

I bought this book when it was $15.00 - reasonable for a small, seasonal hardcover book, but now it appears to gone up to $27.00 for the 2006 Christmas season; what a shame - that is too much for such a thin book.

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

Contrary to other opinions posted here, which appear to me as flavors of a press release, not a very good book. An attempt to interleave fictional characters with everyday reality to construe an inspirational teaching fails because the foundation is not developed or more often because it is established on arbitrary sentimental perspectives. This book is a conglomeration of possessive infantile clichés that are prevalent throughout mass media in present day society.

after WWII. Hegi is one the most lyric fiction writers going today. This collection centers on the people and their stories in the small German town of Burgdorf in the years following WWII and how the towns people coped with loss, scandal, illness and dark secrets. This book is a suitable companion to the more ambitious Stones From The River. Recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this narrative of life as seen through the eyes of a young girl growing up in a village exhibiting the usual fanfare of deplorable, uplifting, and unremarkable events.

Hegi's writing style suits her subject perfectly. She can say more with three carefully chosen and placed words than most can in ten. Her grasp of human nature in all its facets gives the reader the option of simply enjoying the entertaining storytelling or to delve deeper and discover the more esoteric aspects of cause and effect that propel our lives.

When in the mood for an overall uplifting, realistic read I suggest picking up this book. I finished the last page with regret but a feeling of having expanded myself in a most positive way. This isn't a "gooey" feel good book, at times you will want to cry, laugh, shout in anger, and yell in frustration.

Wonderfully written but generally morbid. I loved Stones and immediately again appreciated Hegi's incredible writing ability. Like Stones, the environment in which the stories take place is grey and depressing. Some of the stories are very uplifting but most are about horrible things that happen to regular people. The only reason the repetition of this type of story makes sense to me is that at a certain age these are the types of things kids focus on.

The term "hard to describe" comes to mind after reading the final page and closing the book of these wondrous, sad, lovable, heroic set of stories.

As the main character, Hanna, plays out the highs and lows of her tragic life, Ursula Hegi writes from her heart of how difficult was the reconstruction of life for most Europeans after World War II.

I was totally hypnotized by the magic of this novel.

My mind wandered to stories I had heard.
The suffering and hardships which had been spoken of by "real" people lingered in my psyche until now and will do so forever.

I am totally mesmerized by the strength of those who have encountered a crisis of any kind.

Thank you, Ms Hegi, for this beautiful account of an all too common tale.

-Yvonne Bornstein, Author, Eleven Days Of Hell - My True Story Of Kidnapping, Terror, Torture and Historic FBI and KGB Rescue

Ursula Hegi uses her usual hypnotic prose in this book, which flows like the water in the rivers that she loves, even as fast as 8 kilometers per hour like the Rhein. The stories continue to flow seamlessly, through her whole book. Yes, "stories," as even though the book is a novel, it is composed of chapters, which are in fact free standing stories in and of themselves. All the stories are narrated by her protagonist, but each story could be lifted out of the book, and be self-contained.

Her subject of each story is unique, and yet it is all mixed with her wondrous elucidation of the struggles, feelings and progression of the German people in `reconstruction' after the World War II. The people left, in so many country towns of Germany, in the aftermath of the war. These people were only trying to live; before, during and after the war. They were not part of the political maelstrom we call National Socialism. Their lives were very much more simple than that, and they did suffer quite terribly, yet they stoically went on, as people have proved in every corner of the globe, that this is what human beings do. They pick up what is left and go on.

Hegi does not concentrate on the effects of the war, they are coincident with the life that is found in post-World War II Germany. Hegi concentrates upon the life of her protagonist, a very smart and very sensitive young lady, from age 7 through about 14, as she grows up in this environment. The problems that she encounters though are the normal problems that all people encounter in every environment. Only the backdrop has to do with where they are and what the landscape is like. Hegi pays attention to that, but not overly, it is the people that are her subject: from Love to Death, from teenage pregnancy to sexual child abuse, from amputation to neural disease, these are the things that Hegi speaks about, and how they affect her narrator as she grows up in the midst of it. As she grows up in life, perhaps wherever she might be.

Hegi writes modern day literature. It is worthy of the classification, and will endure the test of time. All readers who enjoy wonderfully written contemporary literature should not miss the opportunity to indulge themselves in Hegi's book.