E Books

If you are a parent looking for a great series of books to engage your kids and inspire them to read, then look no further than the anybodies series.

THe Anybodies not only makes you want to read the the other books in the series, but it is filled with references to other children's classics, which are obviously meant to inspire your children to continue reading.

The Anybodies is my second favorite book. I love the story. I also like how it relates to the outside world. This story is about a girl named Fern who gets switched at birth, and now she has to live with the VERY BORING Mr. and Mrs. Drudger. Then some people that she has never seen before (or has she?) come to her house and she finds out from them that she is an Anybody. What is an Anybody? Well, you've got to read the book to find out!!!

The theme of this book (and its excellent sequels the Nobodies and the Somebodies) is that nothing is what it seems and that everything can change. This is such a powerful message for kids, who tend to look at the world so literally and so in the present. Very unusual. Very well-written. Great read.

This was a great book. I recommend it. I liked this book because it was full of adventure. I think it was one of my favorites and I would think other people would like this book. I am 10 years old I think people of all ages would like this book.

It's true! Everyday after lunch, I read to my 3rd graders. We have a short window of time before going to recess. One of my students bought the book "The Anybodies" for me from our school book fair (I had hinted for it).

Even in the first day of reading, they were hooked. Did I mention I only have a short time to read? Fifteen minutes to be exact. The class was hooked. By the end of the first week, the classroom clock would be pointing to 12:30...recess time, but none of my students budged. None reminded me of the time. I had to stop reading, but they wanted to hear more.

Ok, N.E. Bode, whoever you are, what kind of magical literary genius can spin a tale so mesmerizing that even 8 yr olds deny themselves the frivolity of recess in order to hear "what happens next"?

When the last day of reading "The Anybodies" rolled around, the kids were downtrodden to say the least. What to do now? So, on to trusty Amazon.com. What on earth is there to read following that addicting novel? AHA!

Yes, N.E. Bode, we're reading "The Nobodies" and, yes, we're hooked again. See a review for that book in a few short weeks. You have made fans and friends of us all! What does that old writing professor of yours know anyway?

I found this book to be extremely helpful in constructing an eCommerce site. It's a great book for an experienced VB developer to use to jump into developing an e-commerce site, even if you only go through the PayPal integration. It's also a great source of material on the construction of a shopping cart, and even if your "shopping cart" is only going to be used on a companie's intranet for product/supply request/issue, it's a great starting point. As a developer I can modify the business tier code to conform to my companies requirements and concentrate on the presentation layer.

This little book is chock-full of detailed explanations and examples of an e-commerce site built with ASP.net and an SQL database. It's simply the best and definitely most-used technical book on ASP.net I've picked up in the past 2 years! In addition to the detailed explanations, I especially like the lucid examples of creating and calling the SQL Stored Procedures. Learning by example seems to be the most effective way for this novice programmer to complete an e-commerce site, and this book has greatly reduced the amount of time it normally takes to scan through multiple sources of technical information when creating a complex application. Thanks to the authors, Christian Darie & Karli Watson, for providing a comprehensive resource!

I've used this book to construct my first e-commerce website, and I don't think I could have managed without it. The 3 tier design of the sample site is very well organised and easy to adapt to your own requirements. It also makes it simpler for a novice like me to understand how everything works. I found the second part of the book (dealing with the order pipeline and credit card transactions) harder to follow. However, when I contacted the authors about a problem I was having, I received a prompt and friendly reply that soon got me back on track. Thanks, Cristian and Karli!

This is an exeptionally well written book for the beginning webstore developer with

It walks you through a complete design of the side with the end result that you have a basic webstore that you could actually take operational. The only weakness in the credit processing section. It's written for a European credit card gateway. It would be nice if one of the more popular US gateways (e.g. authorize.net) was also included.

I also sent a couple of questions to the author and he was responded very quickly ... obviously he's interested in making sure everyone reading the book is successful. 5 stars for that alone.

This is primarily a book about constructing an ASP.NET web site using stored procedures, and less a book about e-commerce. There are a few sections, mostly at the end, which are specific to e-commerce. These include the order processing pipeline chapter and the credit card transactions chapter.

This is not to say the book is bad. It's very well written and the code is described step-by-step in detail. There could have been more emphasis on architecture, and a little more on e-commerce. I would also like to see some emphasis on the sticky legal issues like customer data management, password security, transaction security, and how and when to migrate the data off of the machines on the open Internet and back into safe storage on the Intranet.

Kent Nerburn's story of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce is that of one of histories great, proudest and yet truly humble men. Nerburn writes smoothly and convincingly as he traces the our government reversals and flight of the Nez Perce through bitter winter in an effort to reach and cross the Canadian border.

Chief Joseph's efforts to avoid conflict unless cornered, and how he still tried to lead his people to safety is a story of courage, betrayal and near extinction, written by an author who picks up on the soul and pain of this man--and his people--who must never be forgotten as a truly memorable part of indian courage and dignity. This is a book worth reading--and reading again.

author of THE SWAN: Tales of the Sacramento Valley

My ex-wife is of Chippewa descent and I have attended many pow-wows with her family. To see Native peoples drum, sing traditional songs and "fancy dance" is humbling and wonderful. A people united to reclaim a heritage stolen from them. Stolen by the pursuers of the Nez Perce, as told so purely in Kent Nerburn's book. Some of the examples of the elderly, pregnant and very young Nez Perce being terrified by the U.S. Cavalry's cannons are harrowing and hard to read. The idea of these people leaving their old, blind and mortally wounded alone on the trail to die by themselves with dignity, signing their death songs, is unimaginable. Joseph was never the "Chief" of the Nez Perce, as Nerburn clearly illustrates. That was a role fostered on him by the white press and politicians to create a cunning and evil adversary. Man, how things have not changed. Weapons of Mass Destruction anyone? And to my ex-wife, who inspired me to learn the real history of the Native American people, "I will fight no more forever."

Though I have read a significant amount about the Nez Perce, this was my firt introduction to kent Nerburn. The moment I held the book in my hands I felt the heart it was written with reach out to me and draw me into it. Kent, through his intense dedication and depth of soul brought the story alive. Most writings on the subject are accountings-here I felt the people involved and became part of the story. That depth of unity IS Native American.

This book so reached me I immediately ordered several other books by the same author, as well as more copies of this book to give to friends.

This book is divided into 3 parts: 1) background, 2) the war of 1877, 3) the post-war years. Nerburn doesn't get bogged down in details of troop movements and other minutiae, but does a pretty good job of recounting the war. If this is your introduction to the Nez Perce war of 1877, perhaps this will whet your appetite for more in-depth scholarly studies. The real strength of this book is found in part 3 where Nerburn recounts the sad post-war years which generally receive only passing mention in most books that deal with the Nez Perce war. One fact becomes crystal clear in the reading of this part: this was very much a war pitting native religious beliefs against Christianity. Of course the Christians win, but the reader should keep in mind that cultural might does not make right. As Nerburn illustrates, the Nez Perce were cruelly starved, terribly mistreated and lied to -- all in an effort to break their will, weaken them spiritually, with the ultimate goal being conversion to Christianity. I guess some people just need a little extra help "seeing the light." [Please note my sarcasm.] It is very interesting to note that not one of the 23 reviews before mine mentions this Christian aspect of the book. As for Nerburn, he never lets the reader know where he stands on this topic, though I suspect he was against it. In any event, their treatment was truly disgusting.

Continuing, I would like to point out three other details about this book: There is an error/typo on p. 358 (May 1878 should read May 1879) and on pp. 121-122 Nerburn claims a brotherly relationship between two Indians that was new information to me and I am unsure of its accuracy. The last thing I want to point out is that there are no footnotes in this book though he does include a "Notes on the Sources" section which is pretty good. But due to the lack of footnotes, I'm left wondering where he received some of his details. And he frequently states things like "there were numerous deaths on the reservation" but never gives numbers (this is too vague and left me with an empty feeling). All in all, this book is a very good read and satisfactory introduction to the Nez Perces and their tragic war of 1877.

This book is a great choice for those who never read anything about the Nez Perce, as well as for those who thought they already read everything there is to read. The book is written in an easy-to-read, unique narrative style. The last third of the book covers Chief Joseph and the exile of the Nez Perce after the famous surrender, much more thoroughly than any book I encountered previously. As the title indicates, the story of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce has not been told as completely or in the manner told in this book, to my knowledge.

When reading this book you will find yourself reticent to put it down and looking forward to your next chance to read it when you do. You will learn a great deal about this proud people and their undoing by Christian missionaries, white settlers and the government. You will probably also learn quite alot about yourself and your own beliefs. I highly recommend it.

Like many other reviewers, I first read this book and the other Williamsburg novels in my teens. I loved them, and read them repeatedly. That these books are so beloved of teen-age girls forty years ago should give a good idea of what they're like. This one is probably the best, but all are sweet love stories with an interesting historical setting--good plots, memorably noble and heroic characters, and happy endings, both on the personal and historical level. There's little real pain and suffering, no matter how horrible the historic event described was, and few really bad guys. If you want enjoyable, G-rated escape, these are your books.

Dawn's Early Light, the first book in the Elswyth Thane Williamsburg series, is a delightful read with memorable characters and an accurate rendering of Williamsburg's Colonial days leading up to and through the Revolution. Here we see the beginnings of two families: the Days and the Spragues as well as the beginning of our nation. From the first moment when Julian Day steps off the boat from England and is met on the wharf by St.John Sprague, Thane's story captured this reader who read it for the first time in the 60's and has just finished reading it again. The characters and their stories, their loves and heartaches in the midst of this tumultuous Revolutionary period have become a part of my own story. What better way to learn history than through the eyes of those who lived it. Kudos to Thane for a well-researched account and for the portrayal of flesh and blood characters who captured the heart. It is wonderful book. Enjoy! Ann Westerman

My grandmother passed the Williamsburg novels on to me when I was 16. I devoured all of them that summer. I always wanted to read them again, and yesterday on a whim I decided to do just that. It has been 16 years since I last read the series, and I'm enjoying Dawn's Early Light with a new appreciation.

Thanks to the Internet, I now know more about the author. Elswyth Thane (1900-1981, American) was a romance writer in her time. She wrote several books, but the Williamsburg series are her most popular.

I'd say while these novels have a healthy dose of history -- historical characters like Jefferson and Washington interact with our fictional characters in "Dawn's" -- they are first and foremost romance novels. Therefore, female readers might enjoy them more, which seems to be the case from the comments posted here!

This is the beginning book in a series of books called the Williamsburg novels. I have been reading and re-reading this series of 7 books for over 50 years. They are my all time favorite books. Each book deals with a war or pre-war action (except the war of 1812) in which the US has taken part from the Revolutionary War (Dawn's Early Light) to the Civil War (Yankee Stranger) to the Homing with is the last of the series and the 4th book which deals with WWI and WWII and the years in between. They are a great source of history. Ms Thane (widow of the explorer Dr. William Beebe) has done an excellent job of research for each of the books. I hope others find them as wonderful, and as entertaining as I do. I have read my old copies until they are falling apart. I was very excited to find they had been reprinted and purchased them immediately.

The advice is--- don't make the same mistake I did. Upon reading all the glowing reviews, this series of books sounded like just what I love to read--- long,interesting books, interesting characters. So- instead of buying them one at a time, I bought the whole darned Williamsburg Series, plus a few more by the same author, "Queen's Folly", the "Tudor Wench" and "Tryst". What a disappointment. Since this review is about "Dawn's Early Light", I won't mention how boring the other books were, but I've got to say-- "Dawn" was the best of the lot. However, I could hardly bring myself to finish it, but I did. The other books were just as boring--- if all the references to war had been left out, they would have been pamphlets, but much more interesting. Ladies, these are men's books-- unless you like to read of ambushes, guns, dead horses. I think Elswyth Thane had seen "Gone With The Wind" and was trying to emulate it in her work. She failed miserably. I should have bought one book to see her writing style, and I would have saved some cash, because I wouldn't have wasted my money on the rest.

Good book, I was expecting a more simple book. Comprehensive information. I prefer a simple book, easy to use, basic but helpful information on medications that help on different kind of diseases. Don't need to know on how to perform surgery on a fish and look under a microscope. This is helpful if you are a professional. Great pictures.

This is one of many books about goldfish that I have purchased during the past six months. It is by far the most outstanding. The details provided regarding healthcare, in particular, are very useful. Other books that I have recently read give glossed-over or simplified descriptions of health conditions, and brief (if any) suggestions about treatment. This book has proved to be quite satisfying in that the descriptions are thorough, and suggested treatments are detailed and specific. If you are considering keeping (or already keep) fancy goldfish, this is the only book that I would recommend, other than perhaps a basic aquarium keeper's guide. The photographs and drawings are original, unlike those found in other books (again and again and again). The author is a veterinarian, and he provides explicit instructions for microscopic slide preparation and viewing if you are so inclined. I purchased a microscope and have used it a couple of times to try to diagnose an ailment as discussed in the book. This, however, is not a necessity. Can't say it enough...this is a wonderful book. I highly recommend it.

I pretty much agree with everyone else, this is a very good resource for the experienced or newbie goldfish parent. There's probably more info here than I'll ever need (I don't plan on performing biopsies or even buying a microscope any time soon), but it's well-written and interesting stuff. The basics are covered just as thoroughly, and most of the questions I came up with were answered within a few paragraphs. The photography and production are amazing. An index would have been nice, but it's not necessary as the layout is straight-forward and everything is where you would expect it to be. I don't think I'll ever buy another goldfish book!

Not much to add to the title. The book is written by experts and has more information than any other book I've read on Goldfish. The author also has a website with even more information. The illustrations are beautiful. If you intend to raise or just have pet Goldfish, this is the only book you will need.

My Fiance and I have six goldfish in a 55gal tank and when we started out (with 2 goldfish in a 5.5gal tank) we knew nothing about goldfish. This book has been our lifesaver. It has taught us how to properly care for our fish and has enlightened us to breed differences, breeding processes, and other outside information. It is an excellent resource that most thoroughly encompases goldfish care and I highly recommended it to anyone who has goldfish and wishes to keep their beloved pet healthy and alive. Since owning this book, our fish have doubled or tripled in size and we have been able to cure them of their diseases, instead of having to flush them sadly away.

By looking at five different aspects of our personalities, we can see how our uniqueness in each of the areas combines to create an incredible potpourri of advantages and opportunities. Through an examination of spiritual gifts, passion, abilities, personality and life experiences, the author takes us on a journey to understanding our original divine design. With copious quotes, lists, and reflection questions, the author forces the reader into a very personal examination of the way that they are hard-wired. The The appendices are not superfluous but take the user on a journey that is exciting and filled with potential. It would be difficult to read this book and not emerge more confident and self-assured.

5 Reasons why this book is a MUST read. Here's my SHAPE acrostic.

Simple: Erik does an incredible job of making this stuff easy to use.

Helpful: The Spiritual profile that every participant leaves w/ helps the reader to succinctly understand what their next step for service is.

Authentic: if you're able to go through the small group curriculum ( video ) you'll seek Erik's authenticity. It's the real deal.

Passion: As you read the book you'll sense a desire to want to do something bigger than your normal everyday routine. You'll discover or rediscover your passion to impact lives or causes on a daily basis.

Experience: You must experience SHAPE either in book form or through the small group curriculum. Both are incredible resources!!

This book helped confirm the strengths I felt I had. The assessment really opened my eyes to the specific ways my spiritual strengths can be used to help others. I also appreciated the part of the book about having a board of advisors and a training partner. We can learn a lot from the people God has put in our life.

What an eye opener! After reading SHAPE and applying what I learned, I discovered where I truly am in my life, what I am good at, and where to spend my energy in daily living. Based on the content of SHAPE, I have made significant changes that have improved me, my marriage, and my other relationships. This is a must read if you want to get to know yourself on a deeper level, put your true talents to work on what matters most in life, and make a difference in the world you live in....

This book was a great follow up to the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. While Warren's book helped me understand that God created me for a purpose, SHAPE helped me discover how I am made to achieve this purpose and the practical steps to put this purpose into action!
Since reading both these books, God has revealed my purpose and shape to me and I am dedicating my life to becoming a marriage and family therapist. I am currently working in the field and going to school to get licensed as a therapist!

This was my 1st Thanksgiving and everything turned out wonderful! The receipes were very easy to follow. My mother in-law was a little worried how I was going to cook the turkey (she thought it would be dry) and it turned out to be PERFECT! What a great cookbook to have, I look foward to trying new receipes next year.

I have been using this book for Thanksgiving for 6 years and love it! I bought one for everyone I know and they all think it's great too. This year I made the Bread Rolls 101 and they were great. My turkey always comes out perfect using the writer's basic method. Everyone should own this book - I use it before and after the holidays and all thru the year!

If you judge a cookbook by how accurate the receipes are, how tasty or even how many times you reach for the book to get you out of a jam--than this is THE book for you. Although I work very hard to be organized during the holidays so I don't go completely bonkers(like keeping 3-hole binders of receipes and shopping lists). Without fail every year I need to go back and consult this book for some tip, technique or something essential I missed. Can't fail as a present to anyone from a newlywed (tucked inside a roaster pan) to a bachelor/bachelorette (attached to a cocktail shaker or hors'doerve plate)--every receipe works and taste great. Plus because they are all bound together, you won't misplace, lose, eat or toss these vital scraps of paper--like I did with that great sweet and savory butter head lettuce receipe....

I bought this cookbook 7 years ago when faced with the prospect of hosting my first big holiday meal after getting married. I appreciated all the step-by-step directions for cooking basics like turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc. Thanks in a large part to Rick Rodgers, I survived cooking for my in-laws!

It's still one of my most-used cookbooks for entertaining because it's got such great recipes. I always get compliments on the dishes I make from this book.

I am not a newbie to cooking for Thanksgiving and Christmas (around 15 years+), but this year's turkey was the best thanks to Rick. I have had this book for about 5 years, and it is the best resource for Thanksgiving and Christmas recipe ideas. This year I made the Chutney and Cranberry-Orange Relish that I used to buy, fairly pricey for a small amount. That will never happen again, now! He talks about the pitfalls of the great ideas that you hear of the different cooking methods for turkey and the problems with them. He kept me from making my turkey look like it had been in an accident (pg. 36). You will write in this book and stick your favorite holiday recipes in the pages like I did. Have fun with Rick!

My order arrived on time and the book was in pristine condition. This collection of books are great, meaningful gifts.

I bought this book for my husband in anticipation of our adopted daughter from China. For starters, I was thrilled that the photographs showed multicultural, multigenerational fathers and daughters including a photograph of a white father with an Asian daughter.

The sentiments inside are beautiful. If you're looking for a self-help book, this isn't it. If you're looking for short, single sentences of wisdom and encouragement accompanied by moving and beautiful photographs, this is your book.

I found this book in Target and must admit I was a little embarrassed by the tears streaming down my face when I read it. It reminded me of my own father, a true inspiration, and how my husband will be as a father once we bring our daughter home. This is a wonderful Father's Day, birthday, or Christmas present for any father from any daughter.

Like the author, I'm a divorced dad of daughters so his foreward struck close to home. As if the words and pictures in this book weren't sappy enough on their own, my daughters recently gave me a copy to which they'd added a sentence or a paragraph next to a dozen or so of the author's lines which resonated with them. I nearly cry every time I read it.

My daughters bought this book for my husband for Father's Day; he was so moved by each sentiment that when his friend's wife gave birth to their first child a few days later (a girl!), my husband asked me to get this book to give to the new parents. He felt that it was the most profound gift for the occasion, not just for now but for future years, to be read and re-read at all stages of their daughter's life. If these pages don't touch your heart as you read each one.....you need to visit a cardiologist to make sure you still have a beating, functional heart! And I recommend the companion book to be purchased with this one - a perfect set; "Why a Daughter Needs a Mom"

I purchased two copies of this book, one for my father and one for my husband. As I flipped through the pages I felt I could relate to every passage that was written. They are personal, yet universal........simple but descriptive. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to touch the heart of a dad with a little girl (or a grown little girl).

Wishing on Dandelions is a great follow up to Watching the Tree Limbs in the Maranatha Series. I'm glad DeMuth let readers see what happens to Maranatha. While this novel contains a love story, it's so natural and sweet that the book doesn't come across like a romance, but more of a journey where readers get to see Maranatha learn to let herself be loved.

Can you trust God once more after your life has been broken? It doesn't happen overnight, as 17-year-old Maranatha Winningham learns in this well-crafted story. WISHING ON DANDELIONS is a follow-up to WATCHING THE TREE LIMBS, in which Maranatha is abused by a young neighbor. In the opening pages of Mary DeMuth's latest novel, the reader learns that Natha's best friend Camille has left the small town of Burl, Texas, for college. Natha, meanwhile, plunges into her senior year of high school.

Because both her parents are dead, Natha lives with her father's brother. Since his stroke, Uncle Zane moves much slower and, while never much of a conversationalist, talks even less. Natha's home life is in turmoil when Uncle Zane marries Georgeanne, who has her own ideas about how the household should be run and in what part of town to live. Throughout the story, Georgeanne tries to build some sort of a relationship with Natha but often ends up crossing some imaginary barrier and offending the teen.

Then Violin Charlie, the son of a judge who lives in a better area in Burl, invites Natha to the Homecoming Dance. Georgeanne pitches in and takes Natha to purchase a new pink dress, building a bit of good will. Ultimately, Georgeanne has plans to move the entire family to this better part of town, which throws Natha into a panic as she wonders if she will be able to leave the protection of the house she has always known.

The abuse from the past comes roaring back into Natha's life. One day she rides her bicycle to a property where she likes to think. A man named Jake Gully confronts her about trespassing and then offers her a ride into town. When she gets into his truck, he takes off away from town and acts suggestively toward her. Natha manages to escape and reports the incident to the police. Miss Nichols, the assistant district attorney, pressures Natha to testify against Gully. After being convinced that he will be freed without her testimony, a reluctant Natha finally agrees to take that big step, as friends and family gather to support her throughout the trial.

WISHING ON DANDELIONS will keep the reader turning pages to see how Natha deals with the various obstacles that life throws in her direction. DeMuth has written an emotionally-charged novel that will help others grow in their own faith relationship.

--- Reviewed by W. Terry Whalin

If you are looking for a book that stirs your emotions and keeps you up until the wee hours of the morning, then I highly recommend Wishing on Dandelions by Mary DeMuth. WOD is the sequel to DeMuth's debut novel, Watching the Tree Limbs. Although it took me a little longer to be drawn into this second book, it surpasses the first. WTTL focuses on redemption, and as a natural progression, WOD focuses on learning how to accept God's love and growing deeper in understanding our redemption.

I found this story heavier that the first book, despite the fact that the main traumatic events occur to Maranatha in WTTL. For me, I identified on a deeper level with the struggle to fully grasp and accept that God loves me despite all my faults. While I enjoyed the first book, I connected more with the second. I appreciated the new characters Mary introduced as well. Some of them I liked immediately, and only wished to know them more. Some of them had to grow on me, but the more glimpses I got into their hearts, the more I wanted to know about their back stories. Still others I appreciated for the reality of their humanity. One character in particular I really thought was going to have a change of heart after he heard Maranatha's story, but he didn't. In fact, the depth of the judgment in his soul only became more evident. At first I was appalled, but then quickly realized that people like that do exist and therefore have an appropriate - even necessary - place in a novel like this.

One of the many things I enjoy about Mary's writing is that while she is a Christian author who discusses Christian values and issues, her books do not feel "Christian." Do you follow me here? Writing a great story is what comes first for Mary, not writing a Christian story that she hopes is great. Of course, Jesus pours out onto her page, but that's because He's so pervasive in her life, not because she has an agenda to write about Him. I applaud her for writing reality, writing authentically and writing with excellence. It's no wonder she's nominated for a Christy Award.

In a style and setting similar to Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird", "Wishing on Dandelions" is the story of a girl sprouting into womanhood in a lazy town where everyone knows everyone else's business.
Maranatha Winningham, a seventeen-year-old orphan, is one of the most charming and endearing characters you'll come across. Well-mannered and respectful, she's everything you'd hope for in a teenager, but frequent glimpses into her thought life reveal a load of secrets and fears that she shares with no one--not even Charlie.
Charlie is everything a boyfriend should be--loyal, protective, forgiving. There's only one problem. He's black, and in Burl, it's simply not done. A mere blip on the sun-scored Texas map, 1980's Burl applauds young love, unless it comes in package of a different color.
His complete opposite, Georgeanne is loud, obnoxious, bossy, and irreversibly engaged to Maranatha's Uncle Zane. Maranatha pleads with God for her uncle to wake up and realize what he's about to get himself into, but God doesn't seem to be listening. Maybe the saying is right. Maybe hurt people hurt people. Maybe Maranatha needs to love Georgeanne anyway... Nah. It's easier to hate her.
A delightful encore to the celebrated "Watching the Tree Limbs," DeMuth's story tackles some serious issues while downplaying them with wit, humor, and a passel of quirky characters.
DeMuth has done a superb job of reviving 1980's Texas, complete with big hair, big trucks, and big attitudes. Who would have thought a Texas drawl could be written with such grace?
"Wishing on Dandelions" is worth sticking it out through the slow start. The heart of the book is worth waiting for. It's fun yet impacting, nostalgic and delightfully familiar.

Wishing On Dandelions by Mary E. DeMuth couldn't come soon enough for me. I had devoured the first in the Maranatha series (Watching Tree Limbs) and was left wanting more. Part of the appeal for me was the raw Texas setting, since I lived several years in East Texas.
In Wishing On Dandelions, the main character, Maranatha Winningham is now a teenager trying to find her place in the world. Her history of sexual abuse taints the many events teenagers usually enjoy. She has more than teenage angst to blame for her struggles.
Maranatha also has to learn to deal with a new woman in her life. Uncle Zane married shallow Georganne Peach and brought her home amid many changes. While wedding drama is going on, Maranatha grapples with her feelings for Charlie. Was it wrong for her to love him as more than a friend? Nothing was black and white.
Reading this book will possibly be like rubbing salt in a wound. The same salt that stings, heals. As Wishing On Dandelions comes to a close, you will find issues resolved in your own life-issues you didn't even realize you were still struggling with. Go ahead, blow away the dandelion seeds and make a wish. It just might come true!

South African fiction is generally political, but this book, from Nigeria perhaps, goes way beyond that. There is a civil war that impacts the story, but much of it concerns chimpanzees, who have names just like humans and are studied carefully by the main character, a British woman who has left her husband, a brilliant but troubled mathematician, to start a new life. As Hope Clearwater uncovers riveting new info about the chimps, that they are warlike and cannibalistic, like humans, she reminisces about her relationship with her husband, John and her new relationship with an Egyptian MIG flier who dreamed of being an astronaut. The events of her life combine with the philosophical and intellectual musings of her characters (mathematical theorums and more)to accentuate a story that is full of interesting characters and an authentic African setting from the 1960s.

If someone had given me a basic description of what this novel was about, I probably would not have read it. I don't really have any interest in reading about the life of a scientist studying primates in Africa. But William Gibson is a masterful storyteller and I became enthralled with this book. It's truly moving and exciting and yes, even thrilling and hilarious sometimes. I read this book shortly after it was published and it's with me all these years later. They don't come much better than this.

I just read Boyd's latest, "Restless," and went back to re-read Brazzaville Beach which I first discovered 15 years ago. (Whoever recommended that, thanks!) Brazzaville still retains an intriguing set of themes, and somehow sets the scene to the troubles that west and central Africa have suffered in the past decade and today.
I won't go over the plot, but would suggest that Boyd's use of language is something that other reviewers have not stressed. It is very economical, and very rich; sometimes you have to read a sentence over to find the nuances of comedy, despair, cynicisms, and then go back to the purely narrative description that pulls his stories along.
Kudos to Boyd, and Brazzaville remains my favorite of the many novels of his that I've read. Will Hollywood wake up and make a film of this?

Since many readers have reviewed this book before me, I will not summarize its plot, or plots. I found both interconnected stories quite interesting. The account of the central character's life among the chimpanzees and in an African civil war was clearly based on first-hand experience as other readers have noted, and the tale of her troubled marriage to a mathematician in the John Nash mould (A BEAUTIFUL MIND) had personal resonance for me as the son and father of mathematicians. Although I found the methods by which these two stories are interlinked to be cumbersome or even pretentious at times, there is an extensive tissue of ideas knitting the book together into a whole. Among these are the values and limitations inherent in the pursuit of knowledge, and the dynamics of comradeship and friendship in closed societies. But the stories are connected most of all in the character of Hope Clearwater, who emerges as a strong but fallible woman, and entirely human.

The book also makes an interesting comparison with Russell Banks' more recent THE DARLING, whose female central character also works with chimps in a country torn by civil war. In that book, too, sections set in Africa are set off against a portrayal of the heroine on her own ground. I happen to prefer the Banks, but this may only be because I read it first.

Is there are trend to construct contemporary novels out of separate stories which are only loosely connected? Within a six-week period, I have also read David Mitchell's CLOUD ATLAS (billed as a novel) and Joan Silber's IDEAS OF HEAVEN (billed as a "ring of stories," but with at least as much interconnectedness as the Mitchell). Also Anne Michaels' FUGITIVE PIECES, which introduces an entirely new life-story in the last quarter of the book in order to cast oblique light on the subject of the first three-quarters. The multiple story is also a favorite technique of W. G. Sebald (THE EMIGRANTS and VERTIGO), whose novels are closer to memoirs anyway. But you also see it in more popular works, such as Jennifer Haigh's MRS KIMBLE and the opening at least of Kate Atkinson's CASE HISTORIES. It is an interesting and potentially powerful trend -- provided only that the various tales ARE connected in significant ways. The test, I think, is whether any one of the stories would lose by being told on its own; in this particular case, I think it would lose something, but not much; hence my reluctant reduction of my vote from 5 stars to only 4.

Man vs chimpanzee: Boyd takes the wonderfully named Hope Clearwater's experience as a chimp-sanctuary research scientist in Africa and interleaves it with her crumbling marriage to a failed mathematical genius/lunatic, John.

Hope suffers from an unerring scientific passion to tell the truth about her empirical observations, a quality not always shared by her colleagues or bosses, whose agendas and motives grow darker as the book progresses.

Boyd jumps seamlessly across time and place to make this an easy one-day read and a very rewarding one. Brazzaville Beach blends a depth of detail, well-juxtaposed mathematical theories and the realisation that chimps can be just as brutal as human beings.

This is an intelligent, quality novel from an intelligent, world-class novelist.