Authors Books

A highly detailed account of the entire family of this great writer/painter. Very complete and entertaining.

I have never read any of Beatrix Potters books and never really knew anything about her. One day I discovered the movie Miss Potter with my favourite actress and I felt I wanted to know more about Beatrix Potter. I bought this book and it was quite boring! I think to relly enjoy it you have to have a true interest in B.Potter. This book bored me. Personally I thought it was a 3-star but give it 4 since it written extremly well.

I'll have to admit that it took the movie Miss Potter to stir my interest in Beatrix Potter; once stirred however, I discovered that Miss Potter was truly a remarkable women. This book displays in a very well written manner the many facets of a life that went far beyond Peter Rabbit. My wife read it first, raved about it, and then turned it over to me. It didn't take long to see the source of her enthusiasm. The book gives a carefully documented look into the life of a young women in England during the first part of the 20th century.

Miss Potter was a most extraordinary young woman to say the least. The obstacles she had to overcome proved her to be a woman of great imagination and courage; her determination to be her own person, in spite of the societal challenges she faced shaped her into a woman of depth and devotion to her dreams and visions.

Over the course of her life, Beatrix Potter lived two greatly different lifestyles. First as an author and finally as a farmer; fortunately for her, her first life as an author helped her accomplish the dream of her second life, as Mrs. William Heelis, in the gift of thousands of acres of land in the English Lake District to the National Trust to be preserved for the people of England.

I would encourage all who have enjoyed Peter Rabbit to find out more about the exceptional woman who started it all.

This book is a worthy addition to anyone's library.

DEAR AMAZON
PURCHASED TWO COPIES OF BEATRIX POTTER: A LIFE IN NATURE, BOOKS BOTH IN FANTASTIC CONDITION, NICE CONTAINER. Seemed like the waiting was about 5-6 days longer than the orders I send out -- But well worth the brief waiting. Am always thrilled with the Fast and Efficient Service I GIVE and RECEIVE on Amazon. Rarely disappointed. THERE IS A HIGH STANDARD OF QUALITY AT A VERY REASONABLE PRICE. Forget the others, we've tried them all.

I'm a writer and illustrator of children's books. After reading Linda Lear's masterful biography of Beatrix Potter, I have a new role model, Beatrix Potter.I'm inspired by her devotion to her art, her spunky determination against many obstacles, and of course, her exceptional talent. Her interaction with her publisher was very familiar to me, and encouraging.
I'll read this book again soon. Thank you, Ms. Lear. You, too, are an exceptional craftsman of your art.

I absolutely love this book! Lara Rios did a wonderful job in creating a very believable character, Marcela, that brings up true issues that sorround Latinas living in the United States. What does it really mean to be Mexicana/Latina? Is there such a thing to be a true Mexicana/Latina? What makes you a Mexicana/Latina? There are many different answers to these questions, but the correct answer is to be yourself. I found this book to be very funny, romantic, and most of all, inspirational. It has encouraged me to be who I really am without worrying to be too Mexican to please my family and not worrying in trying to fit in to American society. Marcela has become my mentor.

If you are latina or not you'll enjoy the book. This book was given to me as a joke because of the title. One day I picked it up and started reading....I was delightfully surprised at how much I enjoyed reading the book and the adventures of Marcela. A great summer or anytime read!

I was browsing through the book store, just looking for something to read and picked this up because the title intrigued me. After reading the brief description on the back cover and the first few paragraphs inside, I decided to give it a try. It turned out be a wonderful book. Marcela is a lovable, but flawed character, trying to figure out who she truly is - someone many of us can relate to. Definitely worth the read! I can't wait to read more of Lara Rios' work.

I bought this book becuase I read about the author in the local paper so I thought I would support the local talent. It turns out, I absolutely loved this book, and read it in two days. The main character is so real and believable, you just can't help but to cheer her on. She writes up this list and then goes full steam ahead trying to become this great latina, when the whole time she should just realize that being a great person is enough. I loved how much I disliked her political activist aunt and how much I wanted her to love George the guy from Accounting. I think this is a really good book and I can't wait to read the next one!!

"Becoming Latina......" is not just about being Latina; it's about learning who you are. And it's a delight to read. I so related with the primary character, which makes little sense given my ethnic background is Scottish, Irish and English. But Lara Rios has created a wonderful character who is much like, and angsts like, any other young woman. It's a must read for anyone, of any age, who enjoys a light hearted look at themselves in the mirror.
Charlotte Maclay

This book was not only one I could not put down, it warmed my heart with its tales of life and love (between family, friends, lovers) and its naturally intertwined references to Panamanian culture. Henriquez describes the details of her characters' lives in such a way that anyone will be able to relate.. and, as an added bonus, if you have a personal relationship with Panama, it will touch your heart with references of the familiar.

This book is amazing. I loved reading it. The short stories were so wonderful. I read it in 3 days.

Cristina Henríquez's moving debut collection centers on contemporary Panama where Noriega's shadow offers a disconcerting backdrop as ordinary people struggle for love and meaning. With eight short stories and a novella, Henríquez demonstrates that such struggle doesn't always translate to defeat though sometimes it comes perilously close. In "Beautiful," one of the more disquieting and powerful pieces in this collection, the young protagonist begins her story mid-sentence: "And then that summer when the heart felt like wading through molasses and the streets hummed in a desperate sadness all day and all night, God came down from heaven and paid a visit to our family in two ways: My father returned home and my uncle got rich." A divine visit, however, does not guarantee happiness: the prodigal father eventually preys on his daughter. But ultimately, she imposes her own kind of justice on the abuser. "Chasing Birds" brings us tourists (a married couple) struggling with their relationship as they visit Panama. The husband is more interested in bird watching than romancing his disaffected wife. The result is not surprising but nonetheless heartbreaking on many levels. The title novella weaves together two strands of narrative: the U.S. invasion of Panama and a young boy's unrequited love for a girl who is more interested in his best friend. Henríquez's storytelling is at its most potent in this longer story where she seamlessly blends the political with the personal. Taken together, these stories from the young Henríquez demonstrate a fully-matured and well-honed artistic vision of the human condition. [This review first appeared in the MultiCultural Review.]

I'm a recreational reader who's always looking for an interesting book to read & I read about this novel in a newpaper review. It is comprised of short stores and they are extraordinary - so thought provoking. so incredibly well written. Kudos to this talented young author.

This book was absolutely wonderful. Through her understated prose and organic characters, Henriquez creates an incredibly poignant picture of Panama, in both its beauty and its turmoil. She is at her absolute best in the stories "Ashes" and "Mercury," but each piece is spellbinding.

I appreciated that the Panamanian setting is not overwrought, so that the reader isn't really presented a collection of stories about Panama. Henriquez writes about relationships. Her description of Panama is nevertheless clear and gripping, and makes for a truly enjoyable book.