Literature Books

Finally able to visit London, the author leaves the states
and describes vividly her experiences there. Lively, fun
and brief. Quite satisfying.I felt I knew Helene....

Years ago I read 84 Charing Cross Road,as a Reader's Digest condensed book found in a flea market cheap...Later, loved the film with Anne Bancroft..then fairly recently saw there was a sequal... Hooray she got to England.. I enjoyed the adventure as much as she did..Lovely little book ~

for anyone who's read 84 charing cross road, this book is a delightful follow up to the original. you will come away loving helene hanff, and wishing you could have her as a friend.

A fabulous ending to over 20 years of letter writing. Penpals of sorts. A must read for anyone, but writers it can tear down any writers block you could possibly have. She is so articulate and real. I highly suggest this book!

For those readers panting to find out what happens to Helene after the publication of her wildly popular "84 Charing Cross Road", this book will satisfy you. HH's romp through London is rewarding, for those of us who are loyal fans know how desperatly she wanted to go there.

These stories set in Mr. Parkhill's classroom at the American Night Preparatory School for Adults ("English -- Americanization -- Civics -- Preparation for Naturalization") are wonderfully humorous and warm. They reflect a generous humanity and a keen ear for language in author Leo Rosten (1908-1997), who first wrote the stories for The New Yorker using the pen name Leonard Q. Ross.

When Rosten wrote the stories in the 1930s, the debate that had roiled American society over the high levels of immigration at the beginning of the century had ended with passage of the restrictive Johnson-Reed Immigration Act of 1924. Readers of The New Yorker could well remember the rancor and the stereotyping of the debate.

Rosten countered the prejudice against immigrants by portraying Mr. Parkhill's students, drawn from several national and ethnic groups, as earnest learners eager to know about and join American society by first learning the English language.

When people from different cultures meet, there are bound to be some collisions. A dark side take on those meetings is the ethnic joke. The bright side is this book, finding humor in the encounters that all can smile at.

I read The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N as a teenager in the early 1960s. Though I do not recall negative attitudes about immigration in my family, school, or suburban New Jersey neighborhood in that decade, the book surely shaped my attitudes and feelings about immigrants and immigration in a positive way. Hyman Kaplan taught me immigrants make America a better and richer society.

Each time I look through the book now, I worry whether Rosten crossed any of our modern "PC" redlines that would cause it to be crossed off reading lists. The book's humor ("comic dialect" is the scholar's term) depends on the rendering of accents, not much used at present. I found one use of the N-word (misspelled, in accent, not in anger) by a student character. On the whole, however, the book stands up well.

I give copies of this book to friends who are ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers. Leo Rosten's own nights as an ESL teacher, while he was working on his Ph.D., gave him the inspiration for the stories.

The shape of our nation's immigration policy is certainly a licit issue for debate and disagreement. Current immigration has some different countours than in the 1930s. Some voices, however, get carried away and tip over into negative stereotyping. They should take a break, have a cup of coffee, read this book, and meet Mr. Kaplan.

-30-

Think you can read an uproariously funny book without laughing out loud? Think again. Adventures of an English-as-a-second-language class for new immigrants in 1950's America.

Having just begun teaching English As A Second Language to a group of Asian adults, a relative thought I might enjoy "The Education of Hyman Kaplan". The novel takes place entirely at the American Night Preparatory School for Adults. There under the tutelage of Mr. Parkhill, Hyman Kaplan, Miss Mitnick, Miss Caravello, Mrs. Moskowitz and an assortment of Jewish and Italian immigrants struggle with the complexities of the English language, anxious to master the language and learn about the history and culture of their newly adopted home. The irrepressible Mr. Kaplan takes center stage in the classroom with his singular logic in using the English language. Abraham Lincoln becomes Abram Lincohen, King George III of England is an autocrap, and Valley Forge becomes Velly Fudges. Kaplan conjugates the tense to die as "die, dead, funeral", and when talking of the contents of a newpaper he can't understand why he must say "it said", instead of "he said", since the paper is decidedly of the masculine gender. It's the Harold Tribune after all. This is a hilarious yet touching book. We are never laughing at Hyman Kaplan's linguistic foibles but with him, as we appreciate the struggles of all immigrants, those seventy years ago, or those today to come to terms with becoming Americans and learning the language that binds us together.

As a new ESL teacher, my husband thought I'd enjoy this book. H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N* is an irrepressible immigrant to the US, struggling to master English, but that doesn't stop him from communicating at every opportunity. Waves of malapropisms spoken with a thick Eastern European accent don't get in the way of his enthusiasm. Set in the 30's, this is a world where teachers and students are Mr., Mrs. and Miss, immigrants worked in garment factories, and all still believe in the American Dream. Even Mr. Parkhill, the god-like teacher, can't help but be infected by Mr. Kaplan's unique interpretations of the great works of English literature--the Shakespeare story was a classic. Definitely dated, certainly politically incorrect, these stories hail from a simpler, but maybe tougher time--Leo Rosten originally wrote under the name Leonard Ross. A lovely little collection of stories!

This book, along with its sequel, "The Return of H*y*m*a*n K*a*p*l*a*n," (and don't be fooled, those stars are important) is a beautiful work and one that I'm surprised hasn't been rediscovered by critics and readers alike. Originally published as a series of stories in a magazine, these stories were finally collected into book form and later combined with its sequel in a grand form called O, K*a*p*l*a*n, My K*a*p*l*a*n (which is now out-of-print, but worth reading if you find it in a library or rare book store, since it was edited and improved by the author, with new characters and stories).

The stories all revolve around a group of immigrant adults attending the American Night Preparatory School for Adults in New York City in the 1930s. Under the tutelage of the fastidious, but patient and kind, Mr. Parkhill, the book chronicles their challenges in learning the English language. This is in and of itself a masterpiece: Leo Rosten (who had to publish the stories under a pseudonym since he wrote them while living off a fellowship and did not want to let his professors know that he was working on totally unrelated research) has found humor in GRAMMAR!! He not only shows how difficult English is to master, but how irrational and arbitrary the grammatical rules are that we all, as students, desperately try to commit to memory. Moreover, he writes with an expert ear, hearing the subtle differences in the accents and common foibles of English speakers from various language backgrounds. The fact that these passages are life-out-loud funny (and not at all in the sense of laughing at any character's mistakes but at the English language itself for torturing non-native speakers so) is astounding enough.

But this is the story, however, of a true comic hero - Hyman Kaplan. Leo Rosten has created a character as complex and poignant as Shakespeare's Falstaff, or John Kennedy Toole's Ignatius J. Reilly. Hyman Kaplan is a force of nature, yet distinctly human -- irrascible, dogmatic, determined and yet sensitive, noble and joyous. He is a man who refuses to kow-tow to the rules and guidelines of the English language and who truly relishes the joys of wrestling with learning. Since his exuberance leads him into constant conflict with his fellow students, his character is one of the greatest literary devices ever devised by an author. The stars emblazoned in red, green and blue crayon that are part of his signature, only serve as the ultimate monogram, defining this character as one worthy of the ages.

While this book is about efforts by foreigners to assimilate as Americans, it also highlights the glories of America's immigrant, melting-pot past -- a heritage and tradition that is sadly rapidly being forgotten and lost in this modern globalized world. Moreover, with the advent of the politically correct era of hypersensitivity, it is likely that this book will never experience a renaissance of popular support that it richly deserves. This is a true treasure -- I discovered it as a teenager and have often enjoyed returning many times to visit with these charming, inspiring characters. I cannot recommend it enough!

Beautiful Book! My 4 year old daughter loves it since she saw it on "Between the Lions." Very educational and the illustrations are beautiful. I'd recommend it highly.

I purchased this book for my son and was amazed at the accuracy of the illustrations! It's gorgeous to look at, it has a wonderful story and it can be used as a reference book because the illustrator took the time to look up each aspect of the eggs! It's wonderful!! The story is great and I can't say enough about this book! If your child doesn't have this or any of this author's books in their budding library, I highly recommend it!

This book is a gem, the information it gives is wonderful, interesting to children, and most of all the illustrations are outstanding. Every page is truly a work of art.

Oh, what a lovely book this is for all ages. The luminous, highly detailed watercolors of many different kinds of eggs and what they hatch out to be belong in any nature-lover's art collection. Combine that with the delightfully descriptive poetry of eggs--gooey eggs, rubbery eggs, clever eggs, eggs that don't want to be eaten--and you have a sure winner.

This is a beautiful book. A little much for my 7-month-old; I would say minimum age is three. I bought this and the second book, A Seed is Sleepy. I would highly recommend both for their beautiful illustrations and verse.

This review mostly concerns the Enquiry. The Letter is primarily a defense of Hume's earlier Treatise of Human Nature, while his Abstract is an anonymous review of the Treatise. It strikes me as very funny, though not surprising, that Hume would review his own work. Funny because any author would give his right arm to get at least one favorable review when all the other critics are completely missing its point. Unsurprising because Hume was probably one of the only people alive at that time who could truly grasp all the facets of his radical philosophical claims.

The Enquiry was written after the Treatise. Hume, though he claimed the opposite, seems never to have really recovered from the blow he took from seeing his Treatise "fall dead born from the press." As a result, his Enquiry is far more cautious in the steps it takes. (For those of you who have read both, yes, I swear, Hume IS more cautious. Compare the claims.) A more robust philosophical stance is taken in his Treatise, while a more focused stance is taken in his Enquiry.

The Enquiry is mainly a work of epistemology and as such, scrutinizes our methods of acquiring knowledge. Making perhaps the most radical (and poignant) claim in all of modern philosophy, it posits, and supports, that there is NO causation, only conjunction. That, for example, when we see a glass drop and break, we cannot say we know gravity caused this (in the way we know two plus two equals four). All we see is constant conjunction. The connection is lacking, i.e., it is not inconceivable that the glass wouldn't bounce, turn to ash, or dissolve into sand (the way it is inconceivable that two plus two equals five). This, in effect, nullifies all the so called "laws" of nature that are formed by science. (Note that this does not state that there are no laws of nature, just that we really can never make the claim that we ever really know there are laws of nature.)

This could be thought of as the philosophical shot heard round the world. Agree or disagree, Hume must be answered. Hume has historically been charged with creating an intellectual and philosophical cul-de-sac with his skepticism. To paraphrase Bertrand Russell, Hume makes a claim which none can refute, but at the same time one which none can accept. In effect, Hume's philosophy seems to bind the human mind, stopping its journey of discovery and ultimately accomplishing what his predecessor, John Locke, set out to do, i.e., map the extent of human knowledge.

However, where one may see Hume's philosophy as shackles and fetters in the search for truth, one could also equally see his philosophy as liberation. Implicit in his philosophy is the idea that ANYTHING is possible. There are no shackles, no fetters, no limits; only those that we create for ourselves. Our limits are self-imposed, constructs of our observance (and inference) of connection. In this way Hume appears in the same light as the Eastern masters seeing that reality is not what we have (through experiential knowledge) believed it to be. It is something much more wondrous. In Zen, our causal thinking is the only barrier between the person and enlightenment. Hume could be seen as implying that when the idea of causality is removed, with only conjunction remaining in its place, the state of true knowledge and wisdom (true zen) is achieved.

This, of course, is only idle speculation. But it is stated so as to demonstrate the richness and immense possibility Hume's philosophy possesses when seen in the correct light. Instead of saying, "Nothing is certain," after reading Hume, one can say, with equal validity, "Anything is possible." The first statement approaches philosophy with despair. The second approaches it with a sense of childlike wonder and hope at the immense possibilities of reality. It approaches life as a beginning, not an ending. It approaches life as the philosopher approaches it.

If one accepts the methodology of Descartes in applying scepticism to reason and the senses, in effect denying the existence of all things but a "thinking thing," two entailments are logically consequent: Either Berkeley's idealism or Hume's scepticism. I don't accept Descartes' starting point, so I find the entailments confused and incoherent. But if one does accept Descartes' starting point, then the two extremes must be heeded. If for no other reason than observing the absurdity of either man's conclusions, it is valuable to read both entailments. But in their confused process, both men bring certain salient features to light.

Hume accepts Descartes starting point, making it his own. But to Descartes method, he adds Pyrrhonist scepticism: That all reason leads to infinite regress, and that all sensations (or impressions) can not be trusted.

Hume begins with the conclusion that all sense perception is either an impression or idea. Even memory and imagination, two other faculties of the mind, are conflated into these two species of perceptions, as impressions. Their difference is one of degree (vivacity), not of kind. Hence, Hume is the author of what is known as the "Copy Principle." Instead of unmediated, direct perception through the ordinary senses, all perception is mediated by the imagination into impressions and ideas. From this follows certain resemblances, contiguity, and causal associations between impressions or ideas, and from this association we develop a sense of self. But even the notion of causality here is one of implied inference, not of actual inductive reason. Hume denies there is any real causality that can be known, although we operate "as if" we infer cause from effect. Even probability is reduced to a mere association of ideas and/or impressions; because neither reason (which always leads to infinite regress) or senses (which can always be deceived) can actually be true. The Enquiry also treats of miracles and the testimony of others derisively; but don't we rely on the testimony of others who claim the earth is round rather than flat, just as we rely on others who testify to miracles in a byegone era? After all, few of us have direct experience with a spherical earth (Popper makes this observation).

Hume's method incorporates five kinds of scepticism: (i) methodological, (ii) conceptual, (ii) nomological, (iv) explanatory, and (v) reductive empiricism. His commitment to scepticism is not without some capitulation. While he denies absolute causality and inductive inference and probability in an actual senses, he relies on them for practical purposes. One can't remain a pyrrhonist for long; some elements of reason and some degree of confidence in impressions is necessary for ordinary life. But if one starts with Descartes' starting point, extreme scepticism is a necessary entailment. Which, after seeing Hume deny so much intuition, is it really worth starting with Descartes' scepticism? Answering that question is what makes Hume interesting.

David Hume was perhaps the leading light in the Empiricist movement in philosophy. Empiricism is seen in distinction from Rationalism, in that it doubts the viability of universal principles (rational or otherwise), and uses sense data as the basis of all knowledge - experience is the source of knowledge. Hume was a skeptic as well as empiricist, and had radical (for the time) atheist ideas that often got in the way of his professional advancement, but given his reliance on experience (and the kinds of experiences he had), his problem with much that was considered conventional was understandable.

Hume's major work, 'A Treatise of Human Nature', was not well received intially - according to Hume, 'it fell dead-born from the press'. Hume reworked the first part of this work in a more popular way for this text, which has become a standard, and perhaps the best introduction to Empiricism.

In a nutshell, the idea of empiricism is that experience teaches, and rules and understanding are derived from this. However, for Hume this wasn't sufficient. Just because billiard balls when striking always behave in a certain manner, or just because the sun always rose in the morning, there was no direct causal connection that could be automatically affirmed - we assume a necessary connection, but how can this be proved?

Hume's ideas impact not only metaphysics, but also epistemology and psychology. Hume develops empiricism to a point that empiricism is practically unsupportable (and it is in this regard that Kant sees this text as a very important piece, and works toward his synthesis of Empiricism and Rationalism). For Hume, empirical thought requires skepticism, but leaves it unresolved as far as what one then needs to accept with regard to reason and understanding. According to scholar Eric Steinberg, 'A view that pervades nearly all of Hume's philosophical writings is that both ancient and modern philosophers have been guilty of optimistic and exaggerated claims for the power of human reason.'

Some have seen Hume as presenting a fundamental mistrust of daily belief while recognising that we cannot escape from some sort of framework; others have seen Hume as working toward a more naturalist paradigm of human understanding. In fact, Hume is open to a number of different interpretations, and these different interpretations have been taken up by subsequent philosophers to develop areas of synthetic philosophical ideas, as well as further developments more directly out of Empiricism (such as Phenomenology).

This is in fact a rather short book, a mere 100 pages or so in many editions. As a primer for understanding Hume, the British Empiricists (who include Hobbes, Locke, and Berkeley), as well as the major philosphical concerns of the eighteenth century, this is a great text with which to start.

Hume, I and many others think, was the greatest philosopher to have written in English, and this is the book to pick up if you want to introduce yourself to Saint David's distinctive brand of classical empiricism. This is a must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in philosophy, and it's hard for me to see how anyone interested in the history of modern thought can avoid reading this book or the corresponding sections of Hume's Treatise.

As is well-known, the Enquiry concerning Human Understanding was intended as an encapsulation and popularization of the views Hume defended in Book I of his magnum opus, A Treatise of Human Nature. Hume assumed that book's commercial failure could be accounted for by its length, difficulty, and lack of accessibility, and so, being a man who desired literary fame, he hoped to acquire commercial success by presenting the same ideas in a more appealing and accessible manner. Unfortunately, it seems Hume misunderstood what the literati of his day were looking for in a philosophical treatise. For the Enquiry, like the Treatise before it, didn't bring him the fame he sought. Still, Hume did understand what goes into writing excellent philosophical prose, and consequently this book is a much easier read than Book I of the Treatise. Indeed, this book constitutes an excellent introduction to Hume's thought, and, except for maybe Berkeley's Three Dialogues, I can't think of another primary source that would serve as a better introduction to classical British empiricism.

Now, let's get to the ideas here. Hume, like the other classical empiricists, was primarily concerned with the psychological question of the origin of our concepts. About the answer to this question, the empiricists were all agreed--our concepts are furnished by experience, which includes both sensory experience and introspection (i.e., the experience of our own mental states). And the empiricists also agreed about the way we can justify our beliefs. Some beliefs are true (or false) in virtue of the ideas they contained, and we can know their truth (or falsity) simply by thinking about them; other beliefs are true (or false) in virtue of how the external world is, and we can know their truth (or falsity) only by drawing on our experiences of the world. According to Hume, all substantial conclusions about the world fall into this second category. That is, the truth (or falsity) of all substantial claims about the existence and nature of things in the external world can be discovered only by checking those claims against the evidence of our senses.

The traditional way of placing Hume within the story of empiricism goes something like this. Hume takes up the empiricism of Locke and Berkeley and pushes it to its logical conclusion. Whereas Locke and Berkeley hadn't been wholly consistent empiricists, Hume, the true believer, demonstrates that classical empiricism leads to a pretty thoroughgoing skepticism. Since he's wholly convinced of the truth of his empiricist premises, Hume is willing to accept the skepticism that goes along with them. However, those who aren't convinced of that his empiricism is obviously correct think that Hume has actually demonstrated the implausibility of his empiricism. If this is where empiricism leads, they think, then it's clear that we need to reject empiricism. Indeed, some, like Thomas Reid, view Hume's arguments as constituting a reductio ad absurdum of his sort of empiricism. On this interpretation, Hume's philosophy essentially presents a dilemma for all future thinkers: abandon empiricism, or accept empiricism along with Humean skepticism.

But a different view of Hume, one of Hume as proposing a wholly naturalistic account of the human mind, has recently emerged as a competitor to the general conception of Hume's place within philosophy sketched in the previous paragraph. This interpretation downplays Hume's skepticism and emphasizes his professed intentions to provide a positive account of the operation of the human mind that appealed to nothing beyond the evidence of our senses. According to proponents of this interpretation, Hume is most interested in a description of the operation of the human mind. He's describing what human nature allows us to know and what it doesn't allow us to know. Furthermore, he argues that our nature is such that, where it fails to provide us with the resources to acquire the knowledge we might want, it provides us with a natural habit of forming the right conclusions anyway. Even though our nature limits our knowledge of the world, it ensures that we possess the habits of mind needed to make our way in the world. Hume dubs all these habits of mind "custom."

If this view is correct, then Hume has abjured many of the normative aims of traditional epistemological inquiry. He isn't attempting to show how we can answer a skeptic or why we have good reason to believe what we think we know. Instead, he wants us to stand back from our everyday beliefs and think about the natural processes that result in them. How, exactly, do our minds operate? How do we come to think what we do about the world? Hume thinks that this sort of inquiry will lead us see that, at some point, the explanation of why we think what we think reaches certain brute facts about the operation of the human mind. When we reach these points, there is nothing more to be said. We simply can't help thinking in these ways, and we lack the resources to demonstrate that these ways of thinking constitute an accurate way to represent the operation of the external world. And, Hume claims, it turns out that many of the fundamental elements of our conception of the world--the belief that things stand in causal relations to one another, the belief that we can know that there is a world outside our minds, the belief the future will resemble the past--end up not being open to ratification by experience. With respect to beliefs of these sorts, we ultimately have to appeal to custom in order to explain their existence and popularity. Hume, then, can be seen as demolishing the pretensions of reason in order to make room for a wholly naturalistic account of human thinking.

First I would like to commend the excellent review of this book by CT Dreyer in which he correctly shows how Hume extended the empiricism of Locke and Berkeley to the point where skepticism seemed our only honest way of thinking about our knowledge of the world. Hume's questioning of induction, of how we can be sure tomorrow will be like today , his questioning of how we can trust our senses to know the outside world, his questioning of how we can hold our world logically together when analysis reveals that there is no necessary connection between ' cause' and 'effect' in everyday life action means he wakened not only Kant from his dogmatic slumber but Philosophy itself from the sense that it will provide absolute understanding.
Hume is a very clear writer. I remember reading the famous billiard ball account of causality in which our common sense view of ' before' and ' after' is questioned and taken apart. I believe Hume says after this account, something to the effect and ' still when we leave the room we leave by the door and not by the window'. A friend of mine in this class when the class ended opened the window ( on the ground floor ) and went out that way.
This is difficult and great philosophy. I do not pretend to understand it or its implications fully. A test of the mind and a necessary read for anyone who would know Western Philosophy.

My wife is doing this study with her women's group and she said the whole group agrees that the divisions of this book contain way too much content to cover in a week. The author is a very knowledgeable person, but the average women doesn't have the time read and dig through and research all that is required in the book each week. While the study is good, perhaps dividing each chapter in half or thirds might be better represented by a coffee cup series.

In Sandi Glahn's, "Espresso with Esther," the biblical character Esther comes alive. Through the detailing of historical facts and events, the cross-referencing of Scripture and the vivid imagery of the character, the reader is drawn into the heart of Esther, and the world around her. "Espresso with Esther," skips the surface of mere Scripture reading and goes straight to the heart of inductive Bible study. Never before have I experienced a Bible study "to-go." Having the convenience of enjoying Bible study during my lunch hour, without the pressure of remembering to bring my Bible. The text is included. I highly recommend Glahn's "Espresso with Esther" as a great way to jumpstart your day.

This 5-week study of the Book of Esther is just right for a summer Bible Study with a small group of ladies. Since it contains the scripture passages covered in each lesson, it is easy to take along during the week for study at breaks during one's day. The women find it interesting and stimulating for discussion and application. Not everyone will agree with all of the author's premises (ie. that Esther may have been a girl with a secular view point, and may have compromised some of her convictions) but even that adds to the liveliness of the discussions.

Last summer we used one of Sandra Glahn's other study guides, Java With the Judges, for a summer study. We enjoyed that study very much as well.

Sandra Glahn's "Espresso With Esther" is a delightful study that is truly portable! She has included all scripture referenced in the study, which makes it easy to carry your book with you and fill it out as you have time during the day. Her style of writing makes you feel as it you are sitting in the room with one of your best friends. Bravo for a great, in-depth, make-you-think study!

Sandra Glahn once again weaves theology and practicality together to give us a Bible study we can learn from and live out.

At the end of each session, I would record a Wow Factor, something that especially blew me away: (I'll share a few here)
God of great reversals. Glahn writes: "Only God can use our sins for good, and the Book of Esther is a book about such a reversal."
Choose the path of courage. Glahn writes: "When we walk in the Spirit...what's inside is so radiant that people see beyond us to Him. And if you feel weak, you're in the ideal situation for God to show His all-surpassing power through you."

Glahn reveals Esther beyond the whitewashed heroine we've come to accept her as. And we take the journey to God's great triumph over evil, as we see Esther's courage grow.

I can't wait to dig into Java with Judges!

The translator deserves a nobel prize for rendering the Russian into an English poetry which stands on its own as first class literature.

Long hailed as the Russian Shakespeare, Pushkin's novel in verse is a tantalizing combination of never comedic irony and agonizingly unrequited love. Full of many now-obsolete references to works of his day, some verses serve to interrupt the story line by making obscure indications to the poet's own explots and experiences. Interesting; but were it not for the notes in the back matter, they would have been lost on most readers, as they were on this one. That said, once the poet returns to his plot - which, by the way, is so good that it could be read in one sitting save the repeated departures - one finds oneself hooked. The verse is never delicate, never gentle. It rips the heart out and confiscates the senses. The young, naive, and love-struck Tatyana sends a letter to Onegin (pronounced on-ye-gen). He does not return her feelings, and tells her as much. But by a classic twist of fate, Onegin finds himself much changed in his opinion, and Tatyana, while not changed in her own, is in circumstances so changed, that her feelings are no longer given the sway they once were. It appears that Onegin was the naive one after all. For its universal value to Russian literature and its excellent translation, I recommend it fully. Eugene Onegin is a work full of reality, harsh and true; as such, a love story becomes believable.

James Falen's stunning translation of Eugene Onegin is a paragon of grace and subtlety. Despite the formidable challenge of converting Russian verse into English, this edition conveys Pushkin's fluidity of language, varied spirit and love for the human heart with precision and artistry. Indeed, as I breezed through this staggering work of genius, I kept marveling at the beauty of an English translation made possible, of course, only through Falen's understanding of the writer's intentions.

So the translation is a technical tour de force: the diction, style and tone are sublime. But the novel itself - through frequent transitions between bliss and morbidity, through lively dialogue, and through a devilish combination of action and wit - is also a fully-riveting tale. When encountering such Russian literature, some Americans will dismiss it as hoary or pessimistic, but this is facile. Pushkin holds darkness and sadness in relief to a soaring, more soulful encomium of life, and in doing so, presents us with humanity's casual, and often unintentional, profundity.

My Titles
Shadow Fields
Snooker Glen

Eugene Onegin of Alexander Pushkin, 19th century Russian author who often has been considered his country's greatest poet and the founder of modern Russian literature, presents different kinds of characters whose personal traits have a great relation with the period's social structure. Their different and remarkable personalities are worked up so profoundly that it is possible to see the reflections of the characters in the literary works which they read throughout their developing and changing lives. Therefore, this gives the reader an excellent insight into the thoughts and beliefs regarding their different behaviours which can also be associated with the deep effects of the time's social life. Throughout the novel, Pushkin illustrates his characters via the three main figures; Eugene Onegin, Vladimir Lensky and Tatyana.
Pushkin starts to portray his main character, Eugene Onegin, at the very beginning of the novel by describing him since his childhood. Even in his descriptions of Onegin's childhood, Pushkin tries to express how extraordinary and different Eugene is although he seems as if he is an ideal figure of 19th century Russian society even from the very beginning of his life. That's why Pushkin remarks; " He was sweet natured, and yet wild," (Chapter 1, III). Then Pushkin goes on describing his main character with his youth by suggesting that he starts to be in with the social requirements of his time by following the Romantic fashion, taking care oof his appearance in a delicate way in terms of his clothes an hair, learning to speak and write in French, and becoming more and more witty and sweet. The Russian society he is living in has such a context that everything is based on affectation, dishonesty, jealousy and ostentation. In such a social context, one has to be intellectual, educated, cunning and witty enough to maintain his/her existence among those kinds of people. The thing Onegin does is just to be one of the successful player of that game by knowing about every theme and learning affectation and to hide his feelings. Yet, he is still different form the others in his youth's readings. To point out this difference, Pushkin suggests that "He cursed Theocritus and Homer, in Adam Smith was his diploma;" ( Chapter 1, VII). Theocritus, who is Hellenistic Greek poet, and Homer are prominent figures of classical period. And as already known, there is a great interest in classical works and a great respect for the ancients in 18th and 19th centuries. It is an indispensable feature for a 19th century cultivated person to read and adore classical works. However, Onegin, different form the others, prefers to read works of Adam Smith, instead of Homer and Theocritus. Adam Smith is Scottish political economist and philosopher of 18th century. He shows how self-interest guides the most efficient use of resources in a nation's economy, with public welfare coming as a by-product (www.britannica.com). 18th century Europe is in favor of clarity, simplicity, science and rational thinking as opposed to sentimentality of 19th century Romantic period. Therefore, Onegin's interest in Adam Smith makes him quite different from 19th century Russian people. This shows us that Onegin, in his youth, is more interested in political and rational thinking than the fancies and emotions of the Romantic age. Although he has a different taste of reading, he definitely leads a fashionable, comfortable life which is in quite in harmony with the lifestyles the other people around him. He is flirting with married women and successfully manages to make friendships with their husbands; it is possible to see Parisian taste in the furnishings of his room; he never rejects to join balls; and thus he is a "child of luxury and delight" (Chapter 1, XXXVI) as Pushkin remarks. But this does not leave Onegin satisfied. Pushkin suggests it with these lines; "He was bored with social noise" and "infidelity proved cloying and friends and friendship, soul-destroying" (Chapter 1, XXXVII). While describing his characters' and the changes in their lives; Pushkin, as apparently seen, is constantly criticizing the social defects of the period such as fake friendships. Because of his boredom, Eugene retreats himself and starts to live in idleness. In this idleness, he look for satisfaction from reading. But he does not manage to get rid of his boredom. Therefore, he gives up reading just like the habits of his past life. Even during the time when he is living in his uncle's house in the countryside upon his uncle's death, he can't escape from being a slave of boredom and idleness. That he is not appealed to reading romances and poetry accounts for his disbelief in real love, marriage and happiness. It is possible to see this in his first meeting with Tatyana after her letter for him when he says to her; "...wedlock for us would be abhorrent./ I'd love you, but inside a day, with custom, love would fade away;" (Chapter 4, XIV). As can be seen apparently, there is a remarkable parallelism between his thoughts and his readings. His thoughts are far from sentimentality of the time's romances and poetry. His views about a universal feeling called love give an impression of excessive strictness, a clear-cut and so-called "rationality" that refuses its permanency too pessimistically, almost in a prejudiced way. It should be discussed whether his views stem from his readings or his readings lead him to think this way. But things are not always as it seems. After Onegin has left the country house upon Lensky's death, Tatyana visits the house and finds a few books by "Don Juan's and the Giaour's creator" (Chapter 7, XXII); that is by Lord George Gordon Byron (1788-1824). Lord Byron creates the concept of the "Byronic hero"- a defiant, melancholy young man, brooding on some unforgivable event in his past. In this sense, Onegin can be associated with a Byronic hero, burned out and unhappy with life. And his rejection of Tatyana's love can be accepted as the unforgivable event in his pastwhich condemns him to an unhappy life forever; just like Pushkin remarks almost in a criticizing tone; "Onegin...with no past, no work, no wife;/ had nothing to employ his life" (Chapter 8, XII). And when he realizes that he is in love with Tatyana after seeing her in a ball as a wife of a prince, he starts reading different kinds of authors such as Gibbon, Rousseau, Manzoni, Chamfort, Madame de Stael, Bichat, Tissot and Bayle. Pushkin describes the situation with these lines; "One more he turned to book, unchoosing,/ devouring Gibbon and Rousseau..." (Chapter 8, XXXV). When looked at the authors he has read, it is possible to see that each of them is from different literary fields. For example, Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) is an 18th century British historian; Manzoni (1785-1873) is an Italian poet and novelist; Bayle is a skeptic especially about human knowledge, Jean Jacques Rousseau is both a political thinker and the creator of the modern genre of autobiography (www.britannica.com). So it is not quite possible to determine the definite effects of those writers on his views and behaviours. But it is possible to infer that along with his love for Tatyana, the idleness and the boredom of his previous life leaves its place for love and at the same time pain and sorrow. Although he suffers from his love for Tatyana, now he has something that makes his life more meaningful. So he starts reading again as he finally manages to get rid of his boredom and idleness.
Vladimir Lensky is entirely different from Eugene although they are close friends. Pushkin describes their friendship with these lines; "So verse and prose, they came together,/ no ice an flame, no storm weather and granite, were so far apart." (Chapter 2, XIII). Lensky is portrayed as a young, stereotypical poet. He is still ambitious and hopeful about the future, quite different from Onegin's world view. Pushkin describes him with these words; "Vladimir Lensky, whose creator was Gottingen...He brought back all the fruits of learning from German realms of mist and steam" (Chapter 2, VI). So we see that his background comjes from German. He reads Goethe and Schiller. It is impossible not to see the effects of these writers on the personality of Lensky. Goethe is 18th century German poet, novelist, playwright, courtier and natural philosopher. In his first novel, Die Leiden des Jungen Werthers (The Sorrow of Young Werther), he creates the prototype pf the Romantic hero. Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) is a German poet, philosopher, historian and dramatist. He is greatly influenced by Rousseau and Goethe (www.britannica.com). It is possible to infer that there are remarkable traces of his readings and German cultural background in Lensky's world view. Like Goethe's romantic hero, Werther's love for beautiful Charlotte, he is in deep love with Olga. As Pushkin remarks, he brings back "freedom's enthusiastic dream, a spirit strange, a spirit burning, an eloquence of fevered strength" (Chapter 2, VI). He is completely a traditional young poet who is burning with the flames of youth and who is a stereotypical romantic lover that can dare to die for his beloved's honour , which is suddenly lost in a dance.
Pushkin portrays Tatyana starting from her childhood just like Onegin's portrait. In her childhood, Tatyana is shy as a savage, silent, tearful, and "wild as a forest deer". As Pushkin suggests, "Reflection was her friend and pleasure," (Chapter 2, XXVI). That's why she has nothing to do with dolls in her childhood and later with needles and fashion like typical country women of the times whose only interests are gossiping, fashion and invitations. In this sense, she is also different from the people around her just like Eugene Onegin. However, although they are different personalities in their own social environment, they are different from each other, too. Tatyana is a completely romantic character full of passion and youth. She likes waking up early and watch the dawn; therefore, we can infer that she loves nature, which is a typical quality of Romantic poets such as William Wordsworth. She likes reading Rousseau and Richardson, Sophie Cuttin, Madame de Krudener and Madame de Stael. Richardson (1689-1701) is an English novelist. He is a verbose and sentimental story teller. Moreover, he emphasizes, in his works, psychological insights into women. While she is in a passionate love for Onegin, she relates him with the main characters of Richardson's novels. One of them is, for example, Grandison, the hero of History of Sir Charles Grandison (1754). Sir Charles, in the novel, is designed to redefine the virtues of the hero as both Christian and sentimental. So, this gives an idea about Tatyana's ideal lover. The other writer she likes reading is Rousseau. He is the first writer to attend closely to childhood and to the formation of his own sexuality. Later, he is adopted by the French Revolution as the martyr of virtue and by Romanticism as the hero of feeling. The most personal, and initially a source of embarrassment, is his epistolary novel Julie or The New Eloisa (1761). This is a story of passion redeemed by virtue. It is possible to infer that Tatyana sees Julie de Wolmar's passion closer to hers. Sophie Cuttin and Madame de Krudener are the French writers once read in Russia as French influence is great on Russian culture at that period. While she is in a passionate love with Onegin, she reads these witers' works and associates herself with the characters of these literary works. This is a sign of her naivety an her innocent and honest feelings unlike the other women of the society who are described best with Pushkin's own words; "Our terror is their (those women's) consolation" (Chapter 3, XXII). Unlike Onegin's rational thinking, Tatyana has a much more romantic, spiritual and sentimental world view so much so that she believes in "olden days in dreams and cards and their prediction" (Chapter 5, V). So as to interpret her dreams, she even reads Martin Zedaka, an interpreter of dreams. After her marriage, she gradually becomes like the ladies around her whom once she has detested; and from then on, Pushkin does not give any information about the books she reads. Most probably, she gives up reading just like Onegin as her life becomes dull and idle.

The book narrates beautifully the tragic love story between Tatyana and the cold, indifferent Eugene Onegin. It portrays the disenchantments, pain and suffering often caused by a one-way love, here represented by Tatyana's devotion and care for Onegin. Through Pushkin's rich descriptions, the intensity of the girl's passion is conveyed to the reader, as well as the pain and misery of his rejection and indifference to her confessions.

I purchased this book from you (Cynthia) at Carroll Community College and I am so glad I did. I don't know where it is at the moment because I am Jewish and it is being passed around my family right now!!! What a beautiful, inspiring story. I read it in I think 2-3 hours. I couldn't put it down. How amazing was this woman. I thank you for writing something that I could read and really feel. This is something my children will read when they are older...

5.0 out of 5 stars Far Above Rubies, May 12, 2008

Just finished 'Far Above Rubies'. Oh my! What an incredible (as in not untrue but amazing) tale and what a wonderful way to bring history alive. Beautifully and tactfully and impressively written. Thank you so much for writing Sofie's story. This book should be in every library and every school all over the world. Can we learn from history? One would hope. But it appears not. This book might be just the tonic to make a difference.
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The novel Far Above Rubies is more than amazing because it's based on a true story that transcends expectations. Straight forwardly written by Cynthia Polansky, the character of Tante Soof comes alive because of the simplicity of the narrative. This courageous Dutch woman who chose to accompany her six step-daughters to Auschwitz will haunt you in an uplifting way. It's the little moments that surprise and keep you reading. When Mirjam, one of the daughters, writes: "I believe in the sun even when it is not shining,/I believe in love even when not feeling it,/I believe in God even when God is silent." God may be silent but Sofie Rijnfeld isn't. She speaks to our hearts. That has to be God. Thank you forever for writing this horrifically uplifting story about the human spirit. Rosalind Lacy MacLennan, a theater reviewer, mother and author as well.

Combining true facts with the harrowing experiences of one family brings the horror of the holocaust alive. Because we see how the family lived and loved before their world collapsed, made vivid by detailed story-telling, the often-asked question about why the Jews didn't fight back is skillfully answered. We read each incident with disbelief, wishing it could be undone, wishing it could be untrue, as certainly as those who suffered in the camps must have. Bringing the gruesome experience into our minds and hearts is the real gift of this book. The voice is honest and heartfelt and makes reading the unbearable compelling, because we keep hoping until the last page. This small book should be recommended reading in all high schools where Holocaust units are taught and read by anyone who is learning about what happened for the first time, but that does not exclude those who already know. Anyone can benefit from the story of hope and love so compassionately told here.

Far Above Rubies is based on the authentic story of Tante Soof, a Dutch Jew who at a late age marries into a family with six stepdaughters. When the occupation comes in 1941 and Hitler orders all Jewish teenagers to be sent to work camps, Soof (or Sofie) refuses to let her daughters be sent away on their own, and insists on accompanying them to the work camp they are sent to. Once there she does her best to keep up their spirits and health--often going without herself, in order to give them a bit more water or food. Unfortunately she can only do so much, and when they are sent to Auschwitz, it is all she can do to keep herself alive.

I hope this book will eventually become as well-known as "The Hiding Place" and "The Diary of Anne Frank," when describing the lives of Dutch Jews during World War II. It paints a vivid picture of their daily lives, and of the atrocities performed by the German soldiers, expressed very eloquently in the words of one of the guards at Auschwitz, "Nobody will help you. Even if you do survive [Auschwitz], who's ever going to believe you?" Fortunately word got out, and we do believe her.

"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." (Proverbs 31:10) When reading Far Above Rubies, it is obvious why the author decided to tie this verse together with the story of Tante Soof. A woman more compassionate and loving would indeed be very difficult to find--a woman willing to give up her life for that of her stepdaughters, leaving behind the love of her life, in order to take care of his daughters to give him the peace of mind that at least the seven of them are together.

Armchair Interviews says: Powerful story with a powerful telling.

This book had me captured from the first page!! It's a must-read! I can't wait for the sequel!!

I can't remember when I have read a more engrossing book. The author brings her fascinating characters to life in such a way that one cannot help but connect with them from the very first page, rooting for them as they travel on their life's path, anxious when they turn an unknown corner, sympathetic when they stumble, sad when they fall, and happy and excited when you pick themselves up again. Ah, was it my destiny to discover Patricia Sheehy and Field of Destiny or was it a happy accident? Whatever it was, I am the richer for it.

Field of Destiny immediately peaks your interest and keeps it with twists, turns and delightful surprises. Great bookclub item too as it sparks a curiosity of life's purpose. Loved it!

This is a wonderfully written, thought-provoking novel. It makes you think about the chances we take, the choices we make, and the path we follow. Does our free will really change our destiny? All the while, you will become engrossed in the lives of each one of these characters. They have such depth and such personality. You can actually feel the turmoil within their human spirit and the difficult decisions they must make throughout their lifetime. As a reader, you become the "fly on the wall" taking in the all of the surroundings, urging Natalie to make another decision, yet you still understand why she chooses the path she decides to follow. I loved every minute of this book - it is intriguing, filled with hope, filled with reality and it certainly has a destiny of its own!! ENJOY!!!

Imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered that the lead character of Patricia Sheehy's novel, "Field of Destiny" shares my fascination with one of the world's most multi-faceted fragrances, Aime Guerlain's olfactory wonder-of-the-world, `Jicky'--created in 1889 and touted as one of the first modern perfumes, one of the first to blend the natural animal note of civet with synthetic elements. A less oriental `Shalimar', `Jicky' imbues the wearer with a classic freshness that hints of the past yet can fully compete and reign victorious with more contemporary fragrance. As someone who uses both `Jicky' and `Shalimar' as her signature scents, immediately, I felt a connection with the author of this book and the inimitable soul, Nunki, both of which obviously share my sensual obsession.

On another, more spiritual level, the subject of reincarnation of which Ms Sheehy very definitely explores within the pages of this 274 page quest for character assessment and development, also enthralls this reviewer as a potential explanation for many happenstances in life that seem otherwise difficult to explain. After all, how do we elucidate on instances where we come across someone we have never before met and immediately sense a kinship and an unmistakable familiarity that is uncanny in its thorough knowing?

In "Field of Destiny," Patricia Sheehy illustrates her definition of the concept of reincarnation and all its cyclical implications by centering her plotline around the life of Natalie Davenport and heralding this journey of a troubled woman born in 1947 with the short unhappy life of Noelle Robidoux, a woman who, in the opening chapter, dies violently at the hands of her husband Charles in France circa 1898. What could these two women living in two different centuries have in common? Much it seems--they share an eternal soul named Nunki complete with a guardian angel, a soulmate and a raft of life lessons to learn. According to the Masters, Nunki's past life motivation has consisted of only selfishness that has propelled her helter-skelter through countless irresponsible acts none of which have helped her soul to achieve any semblance of enlightenment. As Natalie, she will again come into contact with other souls from the past all of which will afford her the chance for spiritual growth if she so chooses.

Ms Sheehy, it seems believes, not so much in the power of fate, but in the element of free will and how this comes into play with a soul's ultimate development. We see this over and over again as the character of Natalie stumbles through both good and bad choices. We cringe when she lies and cheer when she makes a decision that will move her up a rung on the ladder of personal enrichment.

From the moment of her birth in 1947, Natalie's life is chronicled with a constant eye on her reencountering the other souls that have influenced her development. Sheehy accomplishes this effect with simplicity---her story line follows the soul Nunki from the Noelle incarnation to that of the newer Natalie embodiment, even offering a stage where the soul is actually identified in transition phase--this portion of the story being unfortunately the most difficult for her to render without suspending the belief of the reader.

Although not great literature, Sheehy has the ability to tell a story that keeps the pages turning. I, for one, read the entire book in a two-day period and admit to thoroughly enjoying the more romantic aspects of this tale, especially the very credible relationship between soul mates Nunki and Jabbah as incarnated as Natalie and Johnny. Their reunion although expected elicited a few well deserved tears, so intense is Sheehy's skill in recreating that feeling one gets from a gift of mutually shared love. The predictable as with many other novels adds to that sense of satisfaction that a reader receives when their plot forecast comes a fulfilling climax. The reader nods with adamant "I knew it" and allows emotions to overflow with a shameless unsophisticated abandon that refreshes rather than frustrates.

As I was a bit surprised by the novel's ending, I do look forward to encountering all characters again in Sheehy's sequel entitled "A Thousand Whispers." Hopefully, in this one, she will not use the rather hackneyed technique of hawking another of her works by having the main character act as a surrogate author. In a similar sense some of her secondary characters although indicative of the time period being rendered seem superfluous to the overall action and pace of the tale.


Bottom line? Patricia Sheehy does a fine job of depicting the concept of reincarnation as she sees it in her very readable novel, "Field of Destiny." From one page to the next, as the reader, you will move through each phase of main character Natalie's existence, wonder what she will learn in terms of her own enlightenment and clamor for more when the story ends. Like a whiff of `Jicky,' "Field of Destiny" creates a world built of molecules that restructure themselves to formulate elements of greater depth when experienced by those willing to explore that which seems familiar from the perspective of a novice on the ladder of life and its epiphanies. Recommended for its ability to entertain with the caveat that the soul transition portion of the tale may be a bit hard to swallow.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"

These books were favorites of mine as a child and I'm so blessed to be able to share these classics with my own child.

I first came across the Frog and Toad books when I was working in a second grade classroom. There was one boy in the class who was reading below grade level and was a very reluctant reader until he was introduced to the Frog and Toad books. He loved them. He liked the fact that with several stories in one book he felt as though he was reading a chapter book. He liked that although the books were easy to read they were not babyish.

This year my pre-school son has discovered the same books after seeing the DVD of the Frog and Toad musical. He is delighted that he can read the books with just a little help.

Recently my father dragged out our old Frog and Toad books and started reading them to my daughter (26 months) when she was over. She LOVES Frog and Toad!

I suspect half the story goes over her head but she loves them anyhow, and I'm sure she'll love them more when she actually "gets" the whole story. She'll drag out the books all by herself some days and sit on the floor flipping through them saying, '"Frog, Frog!' cried Toad' and telling me what's in the pictures.

I bought a our first Arnold Lobel book based on the drawings and the layout. It looked appropriate for my son who is 5. It became a favourite on the first reading and we have bought and read many more since. This collection is full of playful, original stories that bring to mind television shows like Little Bear and Franklin.

These stories have fueled hours of laughter and delight. I recommend them highly along with other Lobel books like Mouse Tales and Mouse soup; they are the perfect length for bed time. The topics and themes about everyday conundrums, serendipity and friendship are entertaining, thought provoking, and a gentle and amusing way to suggest to young minds what it means to be a good friend.

The collection consists of 3 books - Frog and Toad All Year, Frog and Toad Are Friends, and Frog and Toad Together. My 8 year old nephew who has reading difficulties loves these books. He now shows an interest in reading. Please keep up with the stories Mr. Lobel!

I loved all of these stories. They're so well-plotted and written, and Karin does such a great job of conveying laughter and tears. There was tenderness and anguish and just the whole range of emotions.

As a woman of increasing years, my favorite was "Hot Flash." Hate them during, but after...things can be good.

This wonderful book contains follow-up stories to Karin Kallmaker's first 10 novels and reads like a labor of love for all her readers, and probably the author too.

This book is worth the price of admission if only for one beautifully written story that I re-read on a regular basis. `Wild Things Are Free' is a jewel. It is the most perfect short story I have ever read (and I minored in English is college and have been reading for 30 years). Not to give any of the story away it takes place 5 years after the last page of `Wild Things'. Each paragraph and each sentence is perfect. The emotions are so strong it is as if the reader were in the bodies of the characters.

In Every Port's story starts 23 years after the novel ended and is a real delight, I picked up so many special moments when reading it a second time.

Touchwood is my favorite Kallmaker novel and the story takes up 5 months in Louisa and Rayann's most happy future.

Paperback Romance picks up 9 years after the novel ended , I enjoyed the short story more the second time I read it. I think I needed more Carolyn and Alison when I first read it.

Car Pool takes place 10 years later and gives a nice dose of the humor and love that is shared by Shay & Anthea.

Painted Moon picks up 8 years after the last page and gives the reader a nice POV from Lee.

Embrace in Motion takes place 3 months after that story closed and gives us all the payoff (laughs and all) that we knew these characters deserved.

Making Up for Lost Time's story I enjoyed reading more the second time, I don't know what my expectations were but the story was a surprise and I liked it tremendously when I read it again.

Watermark's story was terrific - a real WOW. It picks up one year after the close of the book and really packs a punch.

We get a double story for Unforgettable. Cinny and Natalie were very strong in my mind at the end of the novel. Their story is picked up from Natalie's POV and had tremendous impact for me. We also have Angel & Rett 2 years later showing how perfect they are for each other.

Sigh ... just a wonderful collection that can easily be read without re-reading the novels.

The stories are a delight and the prose wonderfully fulfilling, no surprise there, it had been like this at the first.

karin kallmaker could not have picked a more appropriate title. as a huge fan of hers this book just made me want to reread all her other wonderful books. if you are a fan of hers this book is a must have or must read.

For those of you out there who are fans of Kallmaker's, you MUST read this book. It's so much fun to see where your favorite characters end up. If you haven't read any of Kallmaker's books yet, read the other ones first and then get this one.

These stories are not really sequels, but continuations of and additions to all of Kallmaker's novels published to this point.

Most of them give more information about what happened to the lead characters in the novels. The first exception is Come Here
which expands on the characters of Judy and Dedric who are adjunct characters in Touchwood and Watermark. An excellent piece of erotica. The other is Unforgettable, That's What You Are which fills in and continues the stories of Cinny and Natalie from Unforgettable.

All of the stories give us information about events that follow the end of the novels.

A second piece of erotica (different from the well written sex scenes in most of the pieces) is Smudges which helps us explore the continuing physicality of the relationship between Lee and Jackie.

If you've ever wanted to know "What's next?" after you've finished a novel, this is a book for you.