Other The Books

A must read for all young couples going through difficult times. This book saved my relationship and my family. My boyfriend (now husband) and I found ourselves expecting a baby when we were both far too young. We knew several other couples in the same situation at that time. All of them ended up giving up on their relationships within the first year (or before) of their babies lives. I wish they could have read this book. It gave me the strength to tough it out through the hardest days. I am so glad that I did, too (12 plus years now)!

When conflicts arise in a marriage, the promise of peace through divorce is a temptation that few can resist. Divorce has become an acceptable and frequently encouraged solution to marital problems. As the Prathers tell us, today's "separation psychology," with its myriad of support groups and counselors, promotes selfishness: "you have a right to the kind of life you want," "the right partner will share your interests, meet your needs, and grow at the same rate you grow," "what's best for you is best for the children." Then we have the lure of certain "new age" ideas, such as the concept of soul mates, which excuses us from fulfilling our commitment to our original "imperfect" partner while we search for our "perfect counterpart."
The Prathers contend that none of us "deserves" an "ideal primary relationship and the fulfillment of all our dreams. What we deserve is love, and we have it only when we give it." For more than 20 years, Hugh and Gayle Prather have counseled couples and encouraged them to give to one another, thus building permanent, satisfying, and spiritually based relationships - the kind that can "go through fire."
The Prathers found that couples who divorces in spite of counseling are rarely happier after separation, and the betrayal of abandonment is damaging to their children and the community, as well as to the soul of the betrayer. The Prathers see the rash of divorces in today's society as one of the symptoms of an epidemic of fear and hatred. Their hope is that I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU will serve as an emergency manual to deal with tis ongoing disaster.
Filled with wit and wisdom, this manual takes us through all the stages a couple typically experiences in a long-term relationship. It clearly outlines the exercises and sensitizing techniques that the Prathers and their clients have used to successfully heal the breaches in their faltering unions.
The Prathers hold up the real relationship as the ideal for all couples to strive toward. Their definition of a "real" relationship is "one in which two people love each other to fulfill themselves rather than withdraw from each other to fulfill themselves." It is "unquestionably a haven from fear... Once it becomes the goal of any two people, it not only lasts but grows stronger and lovelier with every effort." Any couple who sets this kind of relationship as a goal will find that the Prathers' book will serve as a guide through the storms of life until the two can say to each other: "I love you; I bless you; I want to walk home to God with you."

Emily VanLaeys, author of DREAM WEAVING: USING DREAM GUIDANCE TO CREATE LIFE'S TAPESTRY

My husband and I have been married 17 years this spring. Twelve years ago we went through a major marriage crisis, and I credit Hugh Prather with giving us the tools to not only survive, but thrive. We now have two beautiful children, work together as partners in the same business and love and respect each other more than ever. Whether you are already in a relationship or yearning to be in one - READ THIS BOOK. It is life changing.

This is without question the best book on relationships I've ever read. I am a huge fan of the Prathers, and this book is one of their best. It has saved my marriage on more than one occasion, and I have given it as a gift to many friends embarking on new relationships, marriages or at a difficult stage in the one they're in. The bottom line message is about treating one's partner with gentleness, and being their best friend in the world. This involves a good deal of soul searching, forgiveness, honesty and dialogue - but more than anything it's a mindset, a willingness to love unconditionally. It's BIG stuff, and not for the faint-hearted or those who prefer to be right than happy. If what you're after is the ever-deepening joy of a long-term commitment, this is the book for you.

I picked up this book at the recommendation of a friend right after my wife left. I gave her the book to try to work things out, and I feel if she would have just read it, things could have been different; it's that powerful. The points presented seem so easy, and so simple to implement, but most of us just do not for whatever reason.

I highly recommend this book to anyone in relationship crisis, as well as anyone attemping to avoid relationship issues in the future.

The "Introducing..." series is quite uneven: there are some great books in it, but also some very dull ones. In general, books about authors are good, since they can combine the life of the writers with part of their stories. I love the one about Proust and the one about Camus; those about Joyce and Tolkien weren't so good on the other hand. The one about Kafka is one of the best, and this is due in no small part to the drawings of author Robert Crumb, who was able to bring to life (sorry about the cliche) Kafka's perverted imagination (yes, perverted is the right word) as probably few other artists would. Strongly recommended.

INTRODUCING KAFKA is a great way to enjoy R. Crumb artwork without feeling slimed by his unfortunate obsessions with perversity, and you will learn a lot about the life of the very famous author named Kafka, too.

Most of the pages have more space given to the artwork than the body text, drawn in the typical R. Crumb style, cute with edgy content.

Overall, after reading this book, I realized that I no longer am interested in the type of work done by Kafka, which is story writing that is VERY depressive and dreary, though imaginative.

I used to be a much more involved reader of R. Crumb, but I have since lost interest in his pornography overloads, so this INTRODUCING KAFKA book is a nice little souvenir of R. Crumb that I can safely keep in the house, without fear of upsetting anybody if they should ever find it.

There is very mild "adult" content in R. Crumb's artwork, especially mild compared to R. Crumb's independent, anything goes, usual work.

This book is a perfect fit for a biography of oddball author Kafka, presented and illustrated with R. Crumb work, doing a rare, non-offense project, for most mainstream readers' sensibilities.

Crumb was definitely the perfect illustrator for this book. Wow! The stories are "broken down" and visually interpreted, which really enriches the reading experience of the actual stories later (if you choose to do so). Overall, a very interesting look inside the life of a mysterious, dark-minded writer that most people don't know too much about. I'm really glad I read this book, I learned a lot!

For those who came to look at/buy this book via Ian Buruma's passing mention in the New York Review of Books (4/6/06), in which he states the "the book does [Crumb and Kafka] both a disservice": Don't believe it. As another reviewer said, I found this book strangely moving; and the Illustrated Classics reference is unfortunate. The enforcement - sometimes passive - of the high-low cultural dichotomy is very boring, very 20th-century, and not of much use in reading a book like this.

I dug this book and I recommend it to everyone out there. Fans of Kafka and/or Crumb should really enjoy this.

I recall the first time I read Kafka's "The Metamorphosis", I was in my early twenties. I really hated it. I didn't really get it, nor did I desire to spend any time and mental energy trying to get it. Then again, what do you expect from a twenty-five year old bachelor? Enlightment? Nah, think again. Come to think of it, the only reason I read it in the first place was to impress some girl I was dating at the time. Needless to say it was a challenge for me trying to stay awake while reading it. I mean for one thing, how in the hell are we supposed to get excited, let alone even interested, about some guy who wakes up one day only to find that he's transformed into a giant bug. YAWN! Anyway, I did finally finish the book, however that was the first and last time I dared to pick up a novel by Franz Kafka again. The guy was just too damn doleful and morose for my taste. If I want to be depressed I'll start watching daytime television.

So anyway, about three weeks ago I was checking out this used book store in San Luis Obispo and just so happened to come across this little book. Now I have to tell you up front that I have never been a huge fan of Mr. Crumb's salacious sketches. No doubt about it, the man is one talented artist, incredibly original and a unique innovator. However, like I said, he just doesn't quite do it for me personally. So the million dollar question is - 'why would I purchase this book if I am not a fan of either artist?' The answer is simply because I have been promising myself for a while now that I need to try and tackle Kafka one more time (after all, I am so much more enlightened, open-minded, & mature now than I was fifteen plus years ago. At least that's what I keep trying to convince myself, others, like my wife for example, may beg to differ with me). Ergo, I was hoping that this short, breezy bio would educate me a bit on this rather unconventional writer. Also, I enjoyed the fact that this book was designed to be a bit humorous as well (hence Crumb's irreverent illustrations). God knows that Kafka is depressing enough, so this bit of humor (the author David Mairowitz also deserves credit for this as well) certainly helps.

All in all, this turned out to be an excellent little read. It's not going to blow your mind. It's not abstract or esoteric by any stretch. However, it is interesting. It is a tad educational as well. To sum it all up in one cliche line - it's a clever, pithy, picturesque little bio that is sure to assist anyone who is brave and intelligent enough to tackle Franz Kafka.

Well written by David Zane Mairowitz. And of course the illustrations by Crumb are absolutely amazing and for him, very, very tame. PG-13 tame in fact. This is the first book of this introductory series I've read so far, I am definitely interested in checking out the others in the series real soon.

Enjoy!

Excellent. With a very interesting plot, the author uses a plain language that becomes an adictive reading, and as a bonus...educative!

Excelente. Resulta un ejemplo perfecto de cómo una historia debe ser contada.
Con un argumento extraordinariamente interesante, el autor utiliza un lenguaje siempre claro que redunda en una lectura adictiva y como valor agregado resulta educativa.

From the first pages M. Druon takes you back into the history, centuries ago when France was devastated and nobels were gods, whilst people were treated as nothing. The dirt of relations between royal personas, conspiracy, accusations, treasons and love - all in The Accursed Kings.

M. Druon's language is so easy to understand and the way he buit all the volumes makes you feel living in France, in 14th century; when you close the book for a moment, you still feel the presence of that time...

Admirers of classic literature and world history will be addicted to reading The Accursed Kings over and over again.

Thumbs up! Six stars! Sure this series ranks as one of the best (perhaps the best) historical novels I have read. From the first book to the seventh one, it is impossible to stop reading. The books are historically accurate and M. Druon depicts the events in the most amazing and gripping way. Read the whole series (seven books).

This historical novel deals with the extermination of the Knights Templar and the curse that came upon the french monarchy as a result.

However interesting and easy to read, lacks a bit of character and plot depth. The author builds up a situation or conflict, only to resolve it in very few paragraphs, and to a certain extent in very predictable ways.

If I compare it to the Alexandros Trilogy (Manfredi), I'd have to say this one is not as good and left me with a certain sense of emptiness.

This is the first of 7 volumes and based on this one, I'll go as far as one more and see what happens.

This is probably the best historical novel (or series, as there are seven of them) ever written. Entrancing, vicious, beuatiful, innocent, short-sighted people get caught in this story of fate and destruction. Great, thumbs up!

Forty years of heterosexual living did not prepare me for the dilemma of discerning IS IT A DATE OR JUST COFFEE when I started dating women. Well, perhaps dating was too strong a word since it always seems to turn out to be coffee. When straight gals meet straight guys, they know what to expect. With gay-gal dating, they seem to be showering together before reaching a consensus as to whether or not they are friends or something more. Fortunately, Mo Brownsey takes some of the confusion out gay-gal dating with her wonderful book.

From being single, relationships, breakups and mourning, Brownsey covers it all. Need help identifying the dreaded lesbian bed death? Not sure if it's lust or love? Considering multiple partner relationships? Mo supplies the answers along with tongue-in-cheek comedy that will keep you howling with laughter no matter where you are concerning gay-gal relationships. I admit to suffering from STD myself (Sexually Transmitted Denial). For gals like me who find themselves in the midst of redefining their sexuality, and refuse to take the whole dating thing too seriously, Mo Brownsey's book is the definitive answer for the basics of gay-gal dating. Her comedic approach to relationships, breakups, recovery and sex is an indispensable guide for those new to this lifestyle as well as gay-gals who've always know that they weren't straight but love a good laugh. Indeed, straight or lesbian, all women will find themselves in this remarkably astute book. IS IT A DATE OR JUST COFFEE earns the WordWeaving Award for Excellence.

First of all, I would just like to say that the REAL cover of this book is much more appealing. Softer colors and an oh-so-hot photo of the author sipping coffee while gently tensing her gym biceps. That image alone should make you want to buy this book. However, there is much much more to be gleaned from actually reading it. Ms. Brownsey's advice is sage, her tone witty and her anecdotes are like a page from all our lives. A great X-mas gift for your single lesbian friends.

Mo has struck a chord with me in this deliriously funny take on lesbian dating, sex and romance! If you've gotten too serious about it all, be sure to buy this book and read it. Especially recommended for the newly single!

Barb Elgin, MSW, LCSW-C
http://www.coachsappho.com

A step by step guide to "gay girls" dating, sex and romance. Just broke up or got dumped? You need this book, because good advice is better served with a side dish of laughs.

Mo Brownsey, long time comedian and lesbian studies college professor writes a humor filled book, packed with information lesbian and bisexual women really need. Speaking from vast experience, she starts right out with sage `after-breakup' advice: Take her number off the speed dial! Then deftly covers: baby dykes (yes, they're too young for you), on-line dating (why it frequently doesn't work), the L-word (love), polyamory (not for Mo) and a host of other topics.

Brownsey is the kind of friend who'd not only grab you by the lapels and exclaim, "Snap out of it!" But she'd explain how over pizza until you felt better. If don't have a friend like that, get this book.

"Is It A Date Or Just Coffee" was a hilarious trip through the confusing and sometimes neurotic gay girl dating scene. Mo uses her singular gift of humor to make the lesbian dating game less awkward and daunting. With chapters like "Blind Date: Think Hunters and Ducks" you know your in for a comic treat! I laughed and cried with Mo over the dating disasters and triumphs. An absoulte must for the newly "out" - it will help calm your nerves.

I've read almost every "new mom" text - being the author of a few I have to keep up on the competition. This one was terrific, fun and helpful info for the woman who is new to the scary world of motherhood. Wolk brings her personal experience to each "new Mom" topic along with her humor to let new moms know they are not alone. What's more, Wolk provides the new mom with actual ideas she can try to make life with a newborn a bit easier - something I didn't bother to do in my book. I can't imagine any mom of an infant not getting something great out of reading this book.

I loved loved loved this book. I just had a baby in May 2008 and it was very helpful being a first time mother. Especially regarding the birping issue. I learned from the book not to lay down your infant until you get that birp out or they will wake right up. I reference the book after I had to the baby as well. So I recommend reading it before and after you have the baby.

I like to be prepared. Although everyone tells me you can't prepare for Motherhood, it has not deterred me from reading every book on the topic I can find. Wolk's book was an easy read with real examples, humorous "it happened to me" tales, and serious advice fused together with wit and obvious love for her husband, children and the job of Motherhood. I have often felt that women hold back and don't tell everything about pregnancy, birth and Motherhood but after reading Wolk's descriptions I feel like I've been given a behind-the-scenes glimpse. There are so many gems of wisdom that I have not found anywhere else that this book of "lies" will be on my nightstand throughout my pregnancy and into the changed life that comes with the new baby. I have already given two of my expecting girlfriends copies and I'm sure it will be a staple gift for years to come. Thank you Claudine for sharing these secrets! It may not get easier, but it sure sounds like fun.

This book is one of the best I've seen on this subject. Part personal chronicle, part self-help, part baby book - it hits every mark. I wish books like this existed when my kids were born. One terrific thing about this book is how Wolk shares details of her own child-bearing and child-rearing experiences throughout, making it very clear that she's not some expert on high. She's in the trenches, engaged in the daily balancing act that being a woman and a mother entails. So she can relate -- and relate she does!

The first part of the book accurately covers the early days of motherhood, from labor to the first weeks at home. I can imagine many new mothers reading the book post-birth will wish they had the book before going into labor, because Wolk's tips on dealing with labor and delivery issues (pain management, breast feeding, nurses) are great.

The book then delves into the early days when mother and child are home, out of the cocoon of the hospital. Wolk's suggestions for getting baby on schedule and getting Mom back on her feet are excellent, but unlike some books of this type, she always digs deeper. She touches on the emotions (exhaustion, isolation and confusion) that women may experience and offers ideas for taking care of oneself physically and mentally. And it's not all sweetness and light. There are discussions on coping with challenging feelings, like being bored at home or wanting back pre-baby freedom and hating housework. I thought her discussions about how a baby can affect marital relationships were particularly insightful. And as she always does, she combines theory with practice. Her suggestions for co-parenting and marital issues (teamwork, scheduling, romance) are useful, witty, and wise.

In the latter parts of the book, when Wolk steps back to deal with the big picture, she really bats the ball out of the park. This section of the book offers the most accessible discussion of the psychological dimensions of motherhood that I have ever read. Wolk very astutely describes the conflicts many women experience when they become mothers. She handles sensitive topics, such as the shifting sense of identity and uncomfortable resentments over money, sex, and housework, with frankness and compassion. I loved it.

This is a great book for anyone interested in child-care, self-help, parenting, and women's issues.

Finally...FINALLY...women are letting down their ponytails and talking OUT LOUD about the reality of new motherhood. It's so refreshing to hear stories that you can actually relate to, and Claudine Wolk takes it one step further, offering advice for surviving those early months. If only she'd been living next door to me when I was going through it all.

I remember reading this book almost 13 or so years ago, and I remember how much it meant to me then. This is a wonderful story of a boy with a hard life who begins to understand the bad path he is heading down, and his life is turned around by caring for a cat who needs his help.

I first experienced this story as a television film around 1969. It stunned me then, as a child, and I kept it in my heart for decades. Recently I came across a dog-eared copy of the novelization in a used bookstore and was stunned by the grip it still had on me. I am now a teacher and have presented the book to my students. They were similarly enthralled. It transcends generations, ethnicities, and economic barriers. It is a sublimely human story. I am so grateful to Jane Wagner for creating such a fine piece. It teaches so many things in so many ways.

"He's just gone bad, that's all...Stealin' and lyin' and I don't know what all." That's how J.T.'s mother felt. Yet this same J.T. secretly cared for a one-eyed, scrawny, junkyard cat full of cuts, scratches, nicks, and bruises from a recent battle. How could he be both good and bad? Why was he these two types of persons? Find out J.T.'s feelings--they're not too unusual. (A film was made of this book.)

A Non-Workbook, Non-Textbook Approach to Teaching Language Arts: Grades 4 Through 8 and Up

This book is a must read for all NYC students. As an educator I introduce it to grades second and up. I would like to purchase a copy of this on film. Amazon can you help locate a copy.

I loved this book as a child and I even remember having a little crush on the boy in the book and film (Kevin Hooks who went on to become a famous actor and director). My parents somehow got a hold of the film (on a reel!) to show at one of my birthday slumber parties in the late 70s. I'm now expecting my first child and can't wait until she's old enough to enjoy the story as well.

This book arrived in top condition and in time. In a college book store this book cost a lot more, so I am very pleased to be able to buy it from this seller.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the descriptive way the author wrote. I have been through Colorado and have seen the beauty she described. Also enjoyed the story because there wasn't a lot of violence and if there was any sex, it was only in our imagination which is the greatest kind. I was amazed at how the lady rode for miles in rugged wilderness without seeming to get lost. The fact that she could subsist on meager food was also interesting.

For many years I saw this book in National Park bookstores and passed it by thinking it would be an example of the overwritten, rather tedious journals of other Victorian travelers. When I finally found it at a used bookstore and rather reluctantly bought it, I was surprised to find out how exciting and relevant her story was.

Because I live in Colorado, I recoginize and travel through many of the places she describes. Just this weekend as we traveled along Highway 67, my husband and I remarked on the likelihood, that this was the same route she'd taken out of Colorado Springs.

Her accounts lend life to the grey, weatherbeaten cabins, abandoned roads and rusting rails that we see. Even though many parts of Europe and the US were relatively modern at the time of her adventures, it is surprising to read just how primitive and precarious was the life of many Colorado settlers.

Even if you aren't from Colorado, read this book to become aquainted with a Victorian woman who found a way to live life fully. Read it to learn about life in the west. Read it just because it's a good read.

I bought this book while visiting Estes Park, CO...hungry for books about life in the West that may not be so readily available here in NJ. I found it to be one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read! Isabella's descriptions of the Rocky Mountains and the climate through which she travelled are vivid and gripping. But more than that, she gives a detailed and honest account of what life was like for settlers on the frontier. How she managed to ride thru the mountains where the only "trails" were tracks of wagons or animals, when often those were covered with the seemingly constant snow, boggles the mind. Her love for Colorado sings out in every word she writes. I too was deeply touched by its beauty, and hope to return again, this time with an enriched appreciation due to this wonderful recounting of Isabella Bird's journey.

Did you ever read any of the BEANY MALONE novels by Lenora Mattingly Weber? In them I first read about Isabella Bird and her remarkable life in the American West. Beany's older brother, Johnny Malone, is a teenager when the series begins, a young Denver boy with a remarkable passion for unearthing the memoirs and daguerrotypes of Colorado pioneers and taking notes on the old-timers who settled the state. Their colorful lives make his ordinary life seem rather pastel, so he often sinks into a nostalgia of the past, while his family members tease him about the dreamy look in his eyes. He helps a veteran journalist, Emerson Worth, complete his magnum opus, OUR CITY HAS DEEP ROOTS. And among the pioneers Johnny obsessed about was none other than Isabella Bird, so when I found this book on a recent trip to Boulder, I added it to my rucksack.

If you are reading on horseback, as Isabella Bird did, this is perhaps the ideal book to carry with you. She was a woman used to the English-style horse with its Ascot breeding and high carriage. What she found in Colorado were, naturally, the horses of the West, more perfectly adapted to the mile-high atmospheres, but slung somewhat lower than anything she's been used to and slightly swaybacked. Bird adapted quickly, and the fun of her autobiography is to see her taking in her stride a series of calamities and hardships that would have Job complaining bitterly! No matter if it's an insect infestation or tumbling right through a sheet of ice into zero degree river chills, for Isabella Bird it's all part of a day's fun. Travel writing in the 19th century was, of course, the leading genre of prose. From no other source were English-speaking readers able to find out more about other people's lives, and the curiosity was immense.

You'll like Isabella, and her crazy love affair with Colorado. She remains very much a lady, but will challenge your preconceived notions of what a lady is and isn't. Most of all you will thrill to follow the course of her journeys up and down the mountains through which, now, there are some better trails but still the same amazing sunrises which she describes with the thrill of one for whom every day's an adventure.

The is an all around Finely crafted bible. Vastly superior to Nelson's "Signature Series" for one reason. Although Nelson claims the signature series bibles use the "best bible paper" available it is simply not true. They use the same cheap paper in all the bibles they publish causing very distracting bleed through. Not so with Foundation's high end bibles, the paper, leather, binding are all top quality, and all for a better price than most other bibles in this class. So if you like the NASB you won't find a better crafted, very readable bible anywhere.

I was in need of a large print Bible and wanted a New American Standard Version, so I went online to see what was out there. I discovered this Bible at a very reduced price at Amamzon.com and took advantage of their offer. I am very happy with my purchase and I use this Bible to preach out of every Sunday morning at my church. Thanks Amamzon.com for your help!

Foundation has really outdone themselves with this beautiful publication of God's Holy Word. Everything in this Bible is produced with excellence, from the deluxe calfskin binding to the high quality paper. Best of all, it comes with a lifetime guarantee. I cannot express enough superlatives about this Bible. If you are a NASB user and are in the market for a high quality reference Bible which should last a lifetime, I don't believe this will in any way disappoint you.

I simply cannot believe the quality of this bible!

The binding, leather, choice of paper, print clarity easily deserves 10 stars. I recently purchased an ESV Heirloom Reference Edition in calfskin that I was EXTREMELY pleased with, but this bible even out-does that one.

A few things to note:

1. The bible is not an ultrathin as the name states. It is exactly the same size as my leather NIV Scofield and about 25% thinner than my MacArthur Study Bible in size and thickness. It feels like a study bible, not like a thin reference bible.

2. The calfskin leather is absolutely of top quality. It is soooo soft.

3. The paper is not shiny, nor is it too thin where you can see the text from the opposite side of the page. It is a very smooth paper that makes the print very crisp and well defined. This is probably the best bible paper I've seen used in a bible.

4. The print is extremely crisp & dark. It is slightly bigger than my Scofield and is VERY easy to read.

5. The binding is Smith sewn and is very well done. The bible comes with a lifetime guarantee, so even if something should happen, they will replace it with a new one.

This bible is worth every penny paid for it!

Foundations Publications, in my opinion, can make a Bible like no-one else. Whether it be Leather-Like, Bonded Leather, genuine Leather, or Calfskin, they all are sewn bindings, and excellent quality leathers. None of this gar-bage that most other publishers make. No glue-bound dreck. However: this calfskin edition, as all Foundations calfskin editions, is not like the leather on the Cambridge Bibles(which, I feel, are declining in quality, by the way.) This is like a soft shoe, with no particular odour. I do find the ribbon-marker to be substandard, only because it is too short. The print is good, maybe 10-11 point. There are no added helps like Book Intros, or a Harmony of the Gospels. I wouldn't call this a Thinline edition, either. However, if this is going to be your main Bible, go ahead and spring the extra bucks for it. It is definitely worth it. No Bible is physically perfect, but this one certainly is in the running for it!

This was the first Romain Gary book I've ever read - he doesn't seem to be very well known in the US, which is too bad. This book is so very well written. It's beautiful and kind and funny.

I could easily say this is one of the best books I've ever read. Roamin Gary is briliant. He make you laugh and cry at the same time. I would definitely recommend this book.

My favorite book. So endearing and sweet, it will undoubtedly touch your heart. This story is incredibly poignant yet light and funny at the same time. A must read. I would be surprised if anyone did not absolutely adore this book!!

This is by far the best book that I have read in a very long time. I wasn't familiar with Romain Gary until I read a little book called "Darkness Visible - A Memoir of Madness" by the great author William Styron. In "Darkness Visible" Styron describes his crippling depression and near suicide and speaks of Camus and Romain Gary with great affection. He knew Gary and his wife Jean Seberg. (Styron almost met Camus - he had a dinner engagement with him when he learned he was killed in an auto accident.) Styron saw Romain Gary in his deepest state of depression only to experience serious depression himself later. Styron was deeply affected when he found out that Jean had committed suicide and later so did Romain Gary. It is disturbing how we often lose so many of our great artists by their own hand. And Romain Gary was certainly one of the greatest.

In "The Life Before Us" Romain Gary tells the story of Madame Rosa from the viewpoint of little "Momo". This was the first time I had ever read a novel where I was literally laughing from humour and crying from sadness at the same time. It is amazing how the same exact sentence can inspire both humour and sadness. But Gary accomplished this and much more with this very touching novel. There are many tender Truths in this work. A touching quote: "'Monsieur Hamil, can somebody live without love?''Yes', he said, and bowed his head in shame. I burst into tears." Another is: "'It's where I hide when I'm afraid.' 'Afraid of what, Madame Rosa?' 'You don't need reasons to be afraid, Momo.' I've never forgotten those words, because they were the truest words I've ever heard."

This novel is about life and what it means to be human. It is profoundly touching, disturbing, sad, funny, and honest. You will look at the world differently after reading this novel. It is sad that Romain Gary is gone from our world, but my how he enriched it.

...like life, and like death, defies review. Some of its best thoughts are not even written; they surface between the pages, or months, even years, after the last page is read. In The Life Before Us, Gary touches places in the mind that went unnoticed before, but were always waiting to be found. It is as though one were watching a video of all the dreams that were dreamt too long before waking to be remembered, but, now seen, entirely familiar.

I fell in love with Clark and Marty in the traggic but sweet Love Comes Softly movie, so I had to order the series, eight books in all. The plot thickened with each child born to Marty and Clark. I connected with Marty the wife, Marty the mother, and Marty the grandmother. Then when Belinda [Marty's baby girl] gave her inheritance away and went back home without one thing to assist her aging Mom and Dad, I was appauled. I just finished Like Refined Gold, the last novel in the saga of Marty and Clark's family, The Prairie Legacy, starring Virginia, their granddaughter, Belinda's daughter. I love the rock solid faith portrayed in this inspirational fiction and how true to life Janette Oke portrays the hearts of wives, daughters, and grandmothers. You don't want to miss Marty's granddaughter, Virginia, Belinda's daughter, and her search for Mr. Right,and the toughest battle of "true motherhood". I treasure all twelve of these novels.

I have enjoyed the whole series of books by Janette OKE. They are wonderful family reading and can be shared with all ages.

The last book in this series is by far the best of them all. It is sweet and sad. I think it is really cool that Mindy is willing to go see the mother who left her. Everyone should read this book.

Many fans of Janette Oke have asked her to bring back Clark and Marty Davis and she does so in this series. This series is about their granddaughter Virginia, Belinda's daughter.

Virginia lives on a farm with her husband, Jonathan, and their children. Jonathan works with his brother breeding and raising horses. Lots of changes happen for Virginia in a few short years.

Their daughter, Mindy, was left with them by her mother when she was very young. Mindy knows about her "real" mother because she still has some memories of her. But since she has lived with Virginia and Jonathan she's called them mother and father because they are the only real family she's known.

Mindy hopes her mother will soon come to Christ. She prays for her as often as possible.

Mindy's mother comes for a visit and requests something that Jonathan and Virginia won't agree to.

I really liked this book! I like the Love Comes Softly series better so far but maybe I need to finish this series before I compare them. But I do suggest this series, it does a great job of continuing the story of the Davis Family.

this book is so great. i loved it. i hope Janette oke
does write another series. or is there already ?