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Literature Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Literature
Jane of Lantern Hill
Published in Hardcover by Amereon Ltd (1989-02-05)
Author: L. M. Montgomery
List price: $25.95
New price: $25.95
Used price: $499.97

Average review score:

Wonderful story, this publishing company needs to check the press or something
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-27
I really loved the story. It's a very real story. Any one who's parents have ever fought will probably be able to relate.
This is the $25 hardcover edition. The book is dark green cloth. The title is on the front cover and side in gold. Cover seems well made. The print is usually okay, but maybe three or four times in the book one paragraph gets slaughtered. It's like the old ink-jet printers when the page jammed and you see part of the sentence which runs over another sentence and you can't read either, but the page isn't folded. It only ruins three or four paragraphs and you can read most of if. It's pretty annoying though at first. Other then that it seems like a sturdy book.
Still a worthwhile book to own if you like L.M. Montgomery.
Five stars for the story, three for the printing.

Nobody Like LMM
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-13
I enjoyed the Anne of Green Gables series of books. But, if you haven't read LMM's other books, you are missing out. I especially like "Jane of Lantern Hill". And my favorite "The Blue Castle" which is perfect romance.

Read these 2 books and her others. You may have to dig a bit but it'll be worth the trouble.

Saving the Best for Last
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-11
This was L.M. Montgomery's very last book that she's ever written during her lifetime. I own all of Montgomery's books, and after reading them over and over again, I have to say that this book is the best of her writings (right after the Anne of Green Gables series, of course...). I highly recommend this book, and encourage you to read it, for it shows what kind of inner strength and courage one can possess. Additionally, I recommend all of Montgomery's books to read, for being an avid fan, her books can teach us many lessons that we ourselves can apply during our lifetime.

Good Work!
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-15
As someone who spent many hours alone as a child, I found I could really relate to this book. I first discovered it when I was eleven or twelve. I loved reading about how Jane'e grandmother dominated her and made her feel out of place and about how people at school regarded Jane, because I was treated in the same way. If you've ever been pushed around as a child, or as an adult, read this book. I'm 21 and have been forced to grow up rather quickly in my life, still I enjoy this wonderful novel. I thought the character of the mother could have been more developed, otherwise it was absolutely a stunning work of art. Go SUPERIOR JANE! I can also relate to the way Montgomery portrays Jane's dad, and Jane's relationship with her dad. It's interesting how when Jane sees her father's picture in a magazine, even though she does not know it is him she cuts it out and keeps it, and it is heart-breaking how her grandmother takes it away from her. It is touching how Jane helps her poor orphaned friend and neighbor, and her grandmother's disdain for this makes one exceedingly angry. I also thought Jane's mother did not defend her daughter enough. Montgomery's own father made himself scarce to her when she was young, moving out West and remarrying. Montgomery seems to have never gotten over this, so when she describes characters like Emily's father, and Jane's father, she does a wonderful job of speaking of how intimate they are with their daughters. As a child of divorce I loved reading of how Jane played a role in getting her parents back together. .......

LMM's most down to earth heroine
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2004-08-07
I read this in my early teens, after I had read most of the LMM books (the Anne series, the Emily series, etc.) I loved them all, especially the Emily series, but Jane of Lantern Hill is my favorite of them all. Jane Stuart is not, as many of LMM's other heroines are, obsessed with the idea of being a writer, storyteller, etc. There is no potential boyfriend/husband lurking in the story either. This book is more about the how understanding and love can transform an introverted, unhappy child into a confident, intelligent girl (the story ends when Jane is about age 14.) In that sense she's really one of the most understandable and likeable of LMM's heroines. She is also very modern. You can easily imagine her growing up to become a successful career woman, something you can't really say for many of LMM's other heroines, other than the at-home and time-flexible occupation of writing. If I had an early-teen daughter I would buy this book for her, especially if she has any self-confidence issues.

This is also one of the few books that deals with the subject of divorce or the separation of parents from the perspective of the child in an intelligent way. Given the time that it was written, divorce was a horrible taboo, and the resolution of the story is a bit unrealistic perhaps. That's the only quibble I have with the book.

Incidentally there was a television movie based on this book, by the same people who did the excellent Anne of Green Gables series (at least, the first two parts of that series were excellent). Don't bother with the Jane movie if you love the book..it only vaguely resembles it.

Literature
Little World of Don Camillo
Published in Hardcover by Amereon Limited (1950-01-01)
Author: Giovanni Guareschi
List price: $24.95
New price: $24.95
Used price: $10.00
Collectible price: $37.00

Average review score:

A little piece of the world . . .
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-15
This little book is filled with quick-reading short chapters which each impart a bit of wisdom and a moral or biblical lesson, and always with humor.

The story format is short tales in the ongoing feud between village priest Don Camillo and communist mayor Peppone. One of them often ends up bruised (literally or figuratively). At first blush it would seem like a good vs evil scenario, but really they are very much alike, and secretly sympathize with (even love)one another. Each struggles through life's choices from the perspective of his own situation.

One of the best parts, for me, is that each battle-du-jour includes Camillo's "consultation" with and reception of "advice" from the Christ image at the church altar. Rich stuff. Of course the image is not really speaking, and this technique is the author's metaphor for the working of the Holy Spirit in Camillo (or "his conscience", depending on your own theological perspective).

The theme runs throughout the book. Each chapter in pretty much a stand-alone story, although a few chapters are coupled, dealing with an ongoing incident. An entertaining little read that is a superior choice to those "thought-for-the-day" motivational/religious pamphlets. I read mine a chapter at a time when going to bed for the night. It gave me a truth to ponder as I dropped off . . . zzzzzzzz. Or maybe install a copy in your bathroom book rack. This book is very Italian and very Catholic . . . but you needn't be either to enjoy it (I'm not).

Love it!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-05
The book is great--a long-time favorite of mine. Funny and touching at the same time.

The only drawback to my book: it was the English translation; not the American one.

John

Don Camillo's Little World is Magical
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2004-01-15
I fell in love with both the priest Don Camillo and his faithful adversary, Peppone the Communist mayor, when I was only ten, and since then have read all of the books, several times. After my experiences of being in the USAF in Taiwan in the 1970s, and now a permanent resident in mainland China's Fujian Province, I can appreciate the kinds of clashes that can occur between Communists and Christians--serious, but at times quite humorous also. I appreciate the zany humor but most of all the down to earth warm portrayels of both Don Camillo and Peppone. The author shows good and bad sides of both, and Don Camillo's conversations with Christ, who speaks to him from the crucifix above the altar, are priceless. After a few stories, one realizes that neither Don Camillo nor Peppone are the good guy or the bad guy, but simple ordinary people--and though enemies, they each sometimes go out of their way to help the other (though secretly, to save face). The cast of supporting characters, like skinny Smilzo, is also a delight.
The line drawings of the angel Don Camillo and the devil Peppone are, of course, priceless. Simple and to the point, they are the icing on the Don Camillo cake, and probably the reason why I draw cartoons on everything from greeting cards to my books on China--Amoy Magic, Fujian Adventure, Mystic Quanzhou, deng deng (which is Chinese for "etcetera"). I highly recommend not only Little World but all of the Don Camillo books in print.

What a Find!!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-12
I was at a summer fair recently and browsing on the book stall when I found a very old copy of the Little World of Don Camillo dating from 1953. I had no idea what it was at the time as I'd never heard of it but i was intrigued by the blurb. this book is HILARIOUS! I kept laughing out loud and getting very strange looks! but it was worth it! I am now determined to find the rest of the books and read them although I am aware that they may cost me slightly more that my 25p find at the Fete! It's a brilliant book that transports you into another world with ease and lets you meet characters that you can believe in and love. A very well spent 25 pence!

A Masterpiece of Humor and Faith
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-13
Having first entered Don Camillo's little world at 10, I have returned innumerable times over the decades, and frequently given directions to friends, too. This little work is a masterpiece. There is more wisdom, faith, hope, and love, to be found in its pages than in many far more "serious" works of fiction. All of that is accomplished in a deceptively simple gem of literary style. Like any great work of fiction, it captivates the heart as well as the mind. It is impossible to spend time in this little world and not come away with a smile on one's face and hope in one's heart. The Little World of Don Camillo is ideal reading for anyone, of any age or condition, anywhere.

Literature
Men to Match My Mountains: The Opening of the Far West 1840-1900
Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (1956-08-26)
Author: Irving Stone
List price: $21.95
New price: $49.95
Used price: $0.64
Collectible price: $21.95

Average review score:

Western History sequence
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-26
Men To Match My Mountains is the perfect follow up to Chittenden's The American Fur Trade of The Far West. Since H. M. Chittenden covers 1800- 1840ish, this book gives you detailed history of California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado beginning with the Oregon Trail movement. It contains some very well studied hard to find details of historical events. It's sure to please the serious history buff.

Great Read
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-13
What a great book as an in depth introduction to the formation of modern day California.

Great writing. Fascinating Info
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-26
Everyone I know that has read this book has loved it. If you are interested in learning about settling of the west, take a chance on this book.

Men to Match My Mountains The Opening of the Far West, 1840-1900
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-12
A Great book, that really informs the reader. Hard to put down.

A Page Turner with More Adventure and History than in any Text Book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-03
First, this is not my normal genre, but came as a highly recommended book. If one wants to learn about the immigration and exploration of the west, then one can not go wrong by reading and enjoying this wonderful history lesson in story form. As the title of the book indicates, it took a special stock of men (and women) to overcome the many obstacles that the mountains (and desert) requires of one. The book takes you on this journey from the viewpoint of the true early explorers, and adventures, to just people trying to make a better life, or escaping religious persecution. Either group provides the struggles required of all and the high adventures to get where they eventually landed.

It is hard to imagine that prior to year of 1830, that there were probably less than 5,000 non-Native Indians living in the far west. Even more so that most Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, Russians, (and others) that thought the far west presented far too much danger to even attempt the crossing, and once there, not much to reward your effort. This was based on some facts as the story unfolds from the Donner Party tragedy, and Indian attacks, to continued religious persecution, and vigilante groups of early settlements. All told though, there is only greed or great opportunity that can overcome a rational repugnance of such hardships to justify the costs which to overcome man's avoidance of living in such extremes. That greed comes in the form of gold and silver for many that ultimately made the effort to expand the far west.

All in, this is a page turner with both drama, color, and interwoven events to keep the story (i.e. immigration) moving along to the far west that we know today. A wonderful and educational story indeed.

Literature
My First Word Board Book (My First Word Books)
Published in Board book by DK Preschool (1997-03-01)
Author: DK Publishing
List price: $6.99
New price: $11.99
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

My First Word Board Book (My First Word Books)
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-06-24
My son loves this book. He loves to turn each page & see which category is next & go through each thing on the page (of animals, foods, clothing, automobiles, etc).

A Great Book!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-28
This book was given to my one year old as a gift & she LOVES it! She looks at it all the time & has learned a great deal from it. She is currently 18mos. old & continues to enjoy the book. I have purchased multiple copies to give as gifts to friends. My only complaint is that the pages are paper rather than cardboard so the pages rip easily.

A great starter dictionary
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-06
This series of board books are fantastic.

I started collecting these for my daughter after she was given one at 6 months and this is what we started to read to her every night. She woud sit and demand it to be read over and over and over again. The board pages and are easy for baby and toddler to turn and the pictures (real photography not illustrations) are wonderful.

The word book has a little bit of everything - like a mini dictionary - of things that baby will come accross in their daily life - clothes, food, utensils. My toddler can now read and say the names of each thing herself while pointing to them. It has helped her give names (and learn to say things by us reading the book over and over) to things in her world.

If your looking for a great picture book to share with your baby this is the one (and the series of books) to buy. You can never have too many books to read with your children.

Babies Love It!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-06-11
Yeah, sure, it's educational ... but far more importantly, this book quickly became a favorite with my then-10-month-old -- and now, at almost a year, she still loves it. Older babies and toddlers are dying to know the names of things, and this book delivers. I expect it to keep its interest for quite a while, as we move on to color and "do you have one of these?", etc. She's fascinated by the brightly colored pictures and loves seeing familiar things, like the banana and the cat.

Love this book
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-09
I bought this book for my daughter when she was about 13 months old. I wish I'd gotten it sooner! Her interest in the book grows and grows as she learns more and more what things are. Her favorite pages by far are the front cover, the food page, and the animal pages. She even learned about the letter O from the front cover (she thought they were balls, and so we taught her about O's).

She even uses the foods page as a menu. Before she learned the signs for some of her food, she'd bring the book over to me and point at what she wanted to eat. It was very cute.

She is 17 months old now, and the book is still one of her favorites. As she learns more and more what things are, she likes to point at all of them and tell me as we turn the pages. I think this book will give us even a lot more use out of it because there's still a lot of things she doesn't know.

My only complaints are:
1. How in the world is a baby going to figure out what a "combine tractor" and some of the really off-the-wall things are. We always skip things like that. Even the tools page has very little interest in it.

2. Some of the pictures are difficult to discern to a young child what they are. The bag of flour, the coffee, and the ice cream, to name a few.

3. I would have liked to see more animals. How about a mouse or a bunny?

Aside from those, I think this book is a must-have in any baby's board book collection.

Literature
None So Blind
Published in Paperback by Yellow Rose Books (2002-07)
Author: L. J. Maas
List price: $15.95
Used price: $14.99

Average review score:

Some of life's lessons realistically presented
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-13
Well-written and well-told story about the unconditional love between the two main characters, Torrey and Taylor, showing their painful transition between "best friends forever" and significant others. The roadblocks both women set up during this transition are so real and so typical of the roadblocks we as human beings set up in our own relationships. I just loved this story from beginning to end; it was a real page turner. The beginning, with the women first meeting as sorority sisters, was a great "hook" for this reader. I especially liked the character development of Jessica, their daughter, and the role she played in the story, and also the way that the author weaved recovery and recovery principles into the framework. Some of life's huge lessons well taught by this very talented author.

there are none so blind, as those who would not see...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-18
I've read this book, even before it went to print. I fell in love with it at first reading, and even now, after so many years, I can still remember the emotions I felt while reading this story. I felt like I was along for the ride, being a silent witness to Taylor Kent's and Torrey Gray's love for each other.

This is a definite keeper.

Read it, and enjoy!
---------------------------------

Trivia:
in the internet version, the song Taylor was listening to in the radio was while driving was Savage Garden's "I Knew I Loved You". Its different in the book.

Yin and Yang
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-12
This book I will keep to my library. Two college friends who become inseperable but untimately do part ways because they that is what is best for them.
A teenager in rebellion and out of control bring them back into contact with each other 15 yrs. later.
Take the journey with them to find out why they left each other when they loved each other so much. See if they can make the jump back to each others arms.

DONT HESISTATE TO READ
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-24
I loved this book! every word was perfect and LJ Mass Is the best at what she does.

The Best of Maas - Hands Down
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-27
I have always loved everything written by the late, great L. J. Maas. In fact, `None So Blind' was the first of her books I read. Of course that was several years ago, but when I recently read it again I was once again completely drawn in to the story.

Torrey Gray and Taylor Kent meet in college. The two seemingly opposite women become fast friends. So close that they are blind to the love they feel for each other. Torrey gets pregnant by her college boyfriend and is disowned by her parents. The recently graduated Taylor offers her home to Torrey and her daughter. Taylor thinks Torrey is straight and keeps her own feelings hidden. Torrey thinks Taylor has never made a pass because she isn't interested in anything more than friendship. Eventually they part ways, but keep in touch.

Almost 14 years later, Torrey's daughter Jessica has become an unruly, drug-addicted teenager and Torrey is at her wit's end. As a last resort, she sends Jessica to spend the summer with Taylor. This reconnection takes them all in directions none of them ever imagined.

I don't believe any reader can help but fall in love with all three of these characters. They are multi-dimensional, confrontational, and completely intriguing. Each has her own issues, but together they have great synergy and passion.

I freely admit I'd recommend any book by Maas. However, this is definitely one of her best. In fact, if you were only planning to read one book by this wonderful author, this would be the one I'd suggest.

Literature
Passing Strange: True Tales of New England Hauntings and Horrors
Published in Hardcover by Chapters Pub Ltd (1996-10)
Author: Joseph A. Citro
List price: $19.95
New price: $18.30
Used price: $1.94
Collectible price: $22.50

Average review score:

Ghosties, ghoulies, and a mystery or two
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-11
From the title of this book, I was expecting mostly ghost stories. However, this book is unique in its genre, and I was very pleasantly surprised! Although this book is mostly legend and lore, of which I am not usually a fan, this author's ability as a raconteur quickly overcomes the boundaries of time. These tales are superbly told by a master at his game. Joseph Citro, in his own words, claims to be an "anthologizer." That is exactly what he does here, and he does it well.

The author's ability to narrate a captivating tale is the epitome of the classic New England story-teller, wry humor included. His prose breathes invigorating life into these stories, most of which are "off the beaten path." He will at times make you shiver, and at other times scratch your head. Gathered for your inspection are some of the most creepy, bizarre, and, in some cases, well-documented strange happenings from across the region. Joseph Citro has set himself apart as a top-notch investigator of odd history and unsolved mysteries. I am especially a fan of the stories about the sightings of the "Yankee Bigfoot." There were some pages I couldn't turn fast enough.

This collection peeks into lots of New England's nooks and crannies, and should be included in any ghost story, folklore, or mystery-filled library. These strange tales are engrossing, well varied, and unique. I would love to sit down with the author over a roaring campfire, late at night, with only the forest winds howling . . .

will scare the bejesus out of you, but you won't be able to put it down. tales so wierd they have to be true.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-16
Another collection of the incredibly bizarre and truly creepifying true tales of New England from Joe Citro. Not only are these tales so weird, so full of the Yankee spirit, so very scary, but Citro imbues them with the clever, dry-wit of the twinkle-eyed New England storyteller. This book was fantastic. Part of it might be that these places are very familiar to me and it isn't hard to imagine these weird, magical, creepy things occurring in the depths of old New England. Also, these tales are so absolutely bizarre that not even New England's best storytellers (from Nathaniel Hawthorne to Steven King) could have imagined them. I couldn't put this book down, and yet, I couldn't read it at night. Wonderful, scary, and fascinating collection. Grade: A+

true tales of new england hauntings and horrors
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-25
the book was interesting,not the type of book to read on a cold
dark rainy night.some of the tales were dated,but still of interest to me since i have lived in new england all my life

Thoughts You've Never Thunk Before
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-14
What you'll love about this book is that Citro spins a good yarn. His storytelling style reads well, and your eyes effotlessly flow over the words. As for whether these stories are true, he includes some fantastically compelling reasons why they could possible be more than simple legend or folklore. Documentation, methodical investigations by qualified skeptics, law enforcement sightings, journalists, and witness-upon-witnesses, all shared in a non-overbearing fashion. He's not trying to prove anything, he's just tickling our thoughts -- and it works!

The stories themselves are either interesting, quirky, terrifying (or all of the above), and all of them -- I mean all of them -- are utterly unique. Just stuff you couldn't have made up on your own even if you were using hallucinogens!

If you're a skeptic it will challenge you. If you're a person of faith it will make you rethink your pre-assumed theologies. But ultimately this book succeeds because at its heart they're just well-told stories that will chill you to the bone and make you think at the same time.

Scary!
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-19
A great, scary read. I had read none of these stories before and enjoyed every one of them. Very well written and quite entertaining. Read this alone on a stormy autumn night! Guaranteed to give you chills.

Literature
Richard Scarry's Biggest Word Book Ever!
Published in Board book by Random House Books for Young Readers (1985-08-12)
Author: Richard Scarry
List price: $39.95
New price: $25.28
Used price: $25.28

Average review score:

my baby loves her biggest book- it's strong and covered
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-18
my baby loves her biggest book- it's strong and covered with the pictures and words she loves, and for me, I grew up with Scarry, so I feel good about what she is learning.

My kids love it!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-26
We've had to buy another copy of this book as the first one had to be given away when we moved overseas. Our kids begged us to buy another one so our youngest child would not grow up without it!

Best GIFT ever!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-23
I give this book about twice a year to little children learning to talk! I hear from their parents that it immediately becomes one of the favorites - and I find adults enjoy creative use of the book as well (eg:telling stories about the pictures, promoting imagination and self directed play) It's a sure winner, and Amazon price absolutely the best!

Daughter LOVES books but not this one...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-01
I was excited to get her this BIG book because she loves to look at books and point to the pictures and I name them for her...she is 12 months old. I thought she would sit on the book and look at everything but I think there is too much going on and it keeps her attention for about 1 minute and then she goes and gets one of her other books. The other thing that I don't really care about with the book is that things have "weird different names" to identify them (pumpkin car, etc). Maybe she'll grow into it...time will tell!

a big hit
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-13
This is my gift of choice for new babies, especially since I tend to be many months late with the present. Everyone always loves this book. It is so big and sturdy, and filled with the wonderful, imaginative, word-loving world of Richard Scarry.

Literature
Seaward
Published in Hardcover by London The Bodley Head 1983. (1983)
Author: Susan Cooper
List price:
Used price: $35.00

Average review score:

Thought Provoking
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-30
The first time I read "Seaward" I was in middle school. I found it to be an easy fantasy read by the genius behind "The Dark Is Rising", but even at the age of 12 I could see that there was a deeper level to the story than I was - at the time - capable of understanding. Over the years I have re-read "Seaward" over and over, and each time am amazed at the depth and profundity of her final concepts. While it is a children's book on the surface, many adults can appreciate the moral dilemma of the Peter Pan type, and the dichotomy of sorrows and joys that come with death, life, and most importantly, love.

Magical, often unnerving
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-01
In the first chapter of "Seaward," we find a young man hurrying over wild moorland from possible distant, unidentified pursuers. He pauses to catch a small fish from a stream for his supper, and afterwards:

"...he took the glistening white skeleton, tipped still with head and tail-fin, and laid it across the blackened twigs pointing back the way he had come. He took out his knife and raised it high, stabbing the blade down into the ground behind the white bone-arrow's tail, and hesitantly, trying to remember, he said some words under his breath.
And the skeleton of the fish called out, in a thin high scream shrilling like a cicada, and Westerly knew that there was danger, that he must go on."

If the first chapter does not draw you irresistibly in, you have no magic in your soul. Well, OK, maybe that's too strong - but certainly every created "presence" in the book is a wonder of imagination, from the two-sided Life and Death images of the ice-cold Lady Taranis, to scary Stonecutter and his huge, ominous boulders that come heavily alive and mobile in a ray of sunlight, "...suddenly there was no boulder at all but two huge figures, standing, turning to her."

Is it a myth? a fantasy? a parable? outside the world of logic? a meditation on accepting Death? Yes to all of the above, and more. I see it is not to everyone's taste, but if you fall under its spell you will not escape.

Brilliant Love
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-20
I am not sure what it is about this book; I cannot stop reading it. Every so often, it beckons to me from the shelf. I drop everything that I am currently involved in and devour it, front to back.

Perhaps it is the simplicity and complexity of the story, the dreamlike quality of the writing, the characterizations that arise from only the barest sketch. I feel like I have known West and Cally all my life; I have been waiting for another book like this one for all my life. If I have a favorite book, this is it. But I can't articulate the reason. Seaward must be experienced for itself.

Childhood Favorite!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-28
I loved this book as a child and continue to enjoy it as an adult. It is haunting and full of rich imaginative detail. It spurs many daydreams. Like all her books, it deals with the struggle between good and evil, in a very unique way.

Moving seaward
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-27
Susan Cooper is best known for her epic "Dark is Rising Sequence," with all its Celtic legends and sense of mystery. But she tries a different tack in "Seaward," an atmospheric little story that is just a little darker, more complex, and full of symbols and hints.

West's mother was killed by some armed thugs, just as he escaped through a door into a strange land. Cally watched her parents waste away with a strange illness, before slipping through a mirror to the same land. When she encounters West, he's trying to escape from the ruthless, cold-hearted Lady Taranis.

A kindly stranger named Lugan seems to be their best hope for escaping Taranis. As the two travellers cross the world that is an echo of our own, they encounter strange creatures such as the selkies, a talking insect that guides them over a desert, creatures made of stone, and the haunting specters of their own pasts and destinies...

"Seaward" seems like a pretty simple story at first -- two kids travelling across a bleak land. But in that simple storyline Cooper tackles questions about death and life, about grief, loss, love, about good and evil and how sometimes you can't easily classify anyone.

Probably the biggest stumbling block in "Seaward" is the slightly dreamy tone of it all. Unlike Cooper's other books, there is no grounded "homey" base -- it's all like a legend right from the beginning. As a result, it takes awhile for the story to really get going, and there are long stretches where the characters are just walking.

Though the setting is another world, it has hints of Celtic myth. The mysterious Lugan and Taranis aren't fully identifiable until the ending, but they seem like characters out of a legend. And mythic creatures like selkies are linked to the characters, by virtue of the thickened skin on Cally's hands.

Cally and West are very richly drawn, confused and saddled with grief over their parents. It makes it all the more poignant as West overcomes his guilt, and Cally is tempted to find a new family. The only problem is that their romantic feelings seem to come out of left field.

After the mass appeal of the "Dark is Rising" books, Susan Cooper tackles a more oblique, fantastical approach in "Seaward." Deceptively simple, and richly evocative.

Literature
The Silent Storm
Published in Hardcover by Harcourt (1993-04)
Author: Sherry Garland
List price: $24.00
New price: $1.98
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

One of my favorite books
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-09
I first read this book many years ago when I was a young girl and I adored it. The story is very captivating and most of the time I could barely put the book down. A couple of years ago I lost the book and have always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to read it again. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery stories.

The Silent Storm
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-16
I really liked this book, because it had alot of adventure!It also was very hard to guess what was going to happen next. I thought it was really great that Alyssa got over her fears that quickly.

I thought the best part of the book was when Alyssa finally had to talk in order to save her grandfather's life. And then she kept have flashbacks of when she was on her father's boat. I also liked the part where Alyssa and Dylan finally bond together, ever since before their parents death.

The character were amazing. Alyssa was one that had been through so much, and was mute, but she over came it. I also liked Ty because he became friend with Alyssa even though she was mute. I thought that the climax was really interesting because I would have never thought that Alyssa would of gotten over her muteness, especially to save her grandfather.

Applause
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-15
This is an excellent novel. I don't usually real teenage type novels anymore but from a surface judgement I can see how wonderfully Sherry Garland writes. The text reads like flowing water, so appropriate for the hurricane and sea themes she explores. It's also a rather unique story about a 13 year old girl who was struck mute after the fateful day her father was lost at sea. I would highly recommend this novel.

The Silent Storm Inside
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-04-30
Silent Storm is about a mute girl who is 13 who lives with her grandfather after her parents died in a hurricane. It tells about the struggles she has with trying to communicate with other people and the challenges she has in life. At the end she has to remember what happened to her mother and father so she can begin to speak again to save her grandfather's life as he has given up hope. It was a very heart warming story just like Sherry Garland's other books. I give it two thumbs way up.

very good book!!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-11
This is the fisrt time that I read this book and is't a very good book, I m on the last chapter and so far I love it. Sherry Garland did a great job on this book! I love the way she had Alyssa not talking and her plot!

Literature
Sit, walk, stand
Published in Unknown Binding by Gospel Literature Service (1957)
Author: Watchman Nee
List price:

Average review score:

Excellent and very revealing view of Ephesians
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-21
I really enjoy this book. It's coverage of Ephesians was indepth and very revealing. I will re-read this book many more times.

a very thought provoking work
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-14
Watchman Nee has done a fantastic job with this book. This work is such a nice balance between an exegetical verse by verse analysis of Ephesians and truly devotional fleshing out the implications of that study in a very applicable way. He has real insight into how we must first understand our position in Christ and how we rest in His salvation in order to work it out in our lives. I think he really nails what Paul is getting at, and yet leaves you with his own deep understanding of the implications of that worked out in our lives. I wish we had more modern day Christian thinkers like him, who expressed themselves so well. His work is truly theological but does not come off a dry or purely rational work. It is a real example of how our reflections should lead to our obedience.

Don't judge a book by its cover...or size in this case
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-17
While the book is only 78 pages long, the content is deep and the principles are life changing. It's amazing that such a small book can hold so many "Big Ideas" about living as a Christian. This is not your typical Christian book, that sounds great, but leaves you wondering how to actually apply its principles in every day life. This is not your typical author who takes their time getting to the point. He's to the point and every point is profound from page to page. Nee's discussion of this expression, these three little words, provides a great framework to live by - Sit, Walk, Stand. I'll leave it to you to read and see exactly what that phrase means and how it might be applicable to your life. I hope you enjoy it as much I did.

Eternal Truths
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-15
I had this years ago, and enjoyed it very much again.
A ** MUST HAVE ** in the library.
Eternal Truths for first steps into the inner-court.

One of his very best
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-12
This study on Ephesians was apparently based on a series of lectures Nee gave in Europe during a trip there. Unlike the later, plain cover books written in his name during recent years, this book is authentic Nee. His teaching is clear, balanced, practical, and DEEP. But unlike the spurious Nee books of recent years, the teaching is also balanced and biblical. Gone are the super-spiritual speculations. This is pure grace lived out in radical obedience. The last chapter tells a story so cool it makes the whole book worthwhile. Great book to read with young Christians.
- Dennis McCallum, author Organic Disciplemaking: How to promote Christian leadership development through personal relationships, biblical discipleship, mentoring, and Christian community


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