Vermont Books

I bought this book sight-unseen, because I'd seen pictures of the artist's work. At this modest price, what could I lose? I wasn't disappointed. The book is lovely. You can get a good idea of her style by clicking on the book and looking at the front & back covers. Or go to her website. If you can't buy her original artwork, the book is a nice alternative.

I really wanted to like this book but just couldn't. All the incredients were there for a wonderful story, but it fell far short of the mark. I hung in there and read the entire thing (thinking it had to get better) but I was overly optimistic.

I LOVE Vermont and have spent time in the geographic locations described. The descriptions of the area were the one redeeming feature. Having been there, it was easy to picture the locale and was fairly well described. My main complaint was the stilted language used in the book when describing how the characters interact. Conversations between them were stiff or overly sugary and painful to read. I think had this been turned into a college comp class the best grade it would have received would have been a "C".

Any comparisons to Nicholas Sparks's work does Mr. Sparks a great disservice. While Mr. Sparks doesn't write great literature that will last through the ages, his books are enjoyable. This one was not.

Unbelievable. Come on... a love story? Hooey! I bought this book because of the great reviews here. What a disappointment. The characters are not believable and neither are the choices they made. The best part is the descriptive writing about the countryside and the seasons. It's nice that the author donates some proceedes to breast cancer.

I received this book as a Christmas gift from a friend whose child has been helped immensely by the author through his Celebrate!ADHD program for kids with learning disabilities.

I had heard wonderful things about his work with kids and charities. So I was so surprised to find that he was also able to write an incredibly touching and beautiful love story.

I guess now that I have kids, I really value the simplicity, innocence and purity of love that lasts a lifetime. Maybe that's what made this book so special to me.

It's not a literary classic and at times he is a bit overdescriptive, but he does understand the human heart. Now I can see why he's so good with kids. All in all, a simple, very beautiful love story that will stay with you for days after you put it down.

I met the author a couple weeks ago. He was speaking at our school about positive ways to encourage and teach children with ADHD. It was a truly fascinating approach, and after reading his book,Celebrate ADHD, I am amazed at the difference it has made already in my classroom.

He spoke a little bit about his novels and warned the audience that they were not to be confused with the works of Faulkner or Fitzgerald--rather, they are innocent, but very heartfelt love stories. One is about the love between a father and his son (which he said is autobiographical).

I read Gifted last week, and it it truly an amazing story about three unlikely friends who battle their demons and help each other overcome them. I really, really loved this story.

And last night, I picked up Shade of the Maple. I just put it down and have to admit that it took my breath away a bit. The love between the main characters is something I haven't experienced before--it is simple, which makes it all the more appealing to me.

The main difference I've seen in reviewers isn't about the quality of the writing. As an English teacher, I can say the author is right--he's no Falkner, but he's no slouch, either. These are well-constructed stories from beginning to end. He creates lovely pictures that make it easy to see the story in your head. The main difference seems to be that those who believe in the innocence of love, peoplewho generally have a hopeful or romantic notion of love, really enjoy this book. Those who are perhaps a bit more jaded or prefer reading stories of tragedy and heartache will not like this book.

I will always treasure this story.

I suggest that if you are buying this book based on these reviews, you take the time to actually read all of them (including the one star reviews). There is a consistent theme here of either "I LOVED it" or "this is simplistic nonsense."

I am fully in the simplistic nonsense camp. Maybe you should decide what type of reviewers you are more likely to agree with - romance novel readers or, shall we say, higher-level, quality fiction readers. This book will only satisfy the most immature reader out there. I hate to be mean about it, but it really reads like something an overly starry eyed and ambitious high school freshman girl would write. It's very, very whimpy, and worse than that, very amateurish.

`How do you make a book that anyone will read out of lives as quiet as these?' asks the author of his own characters, about two thirds through Crossing to Safety; that seems to be the challenge Stegner set himself.

The novel, running from the 1930s to the 70s, revolves around the friendship between two couples, the Langs and the Morgans, in which the men are both literature professors. The Langs are rich and endowed with extended families and the Morgans are self-made and orphans. They all lead full lives in which they remain by-and-large happily married.

Stegner is erudite, and he obviously loves the places he describes, from Madison, Wisconsin to Florence and including the secluded lakeside spot in New England where much of the book is set. But it is difficult to identify with characters whose lives are so uneventful. From the beginning, one of the protagonists is dying, but because the story is told from the perspective of the old Larry Morgan, that only comes out as looking back on a life well spent. The characters barely struggle, and when they do, Stegner chooses to skirt around their conflicts. The reader is left to enjoy his detailed and moody descriptions, his poetic quotes, and the contrasts between the depression and post-war eras: pleasant because the book is well written, but not very exciting.

`You don't,' would be my answer to Stegner's question. Judging from other reviews, obviously, I've come to the wrong conclusion.

Beautifully written, provocative, and enduring. Hated for it to end. Wanted to reread it immediately.

Wallace Stegner is simply one of our finest writers and this book is great on so many levels. Remarkably little happens in the story, and yet he brings you so close to the characters that you can't take your eyes off of them. He won the Pulitzer for "Angle of Repose," which is also great, but I found Safety a far speedier, enjoyable read. If you have an intellectual bone in your head, you cannot go wrong with this.

I thought this book was an affirmation of life and the joys it offers, all around us and within us. This writing has a quality that is very rare today, naturea and its changing landscapes also has a life of its own in the prose. The friendships between the two couples are beautifully mapped and the shifts between past and present are smooth and seamless, not confusing in the slightest. Aunt Emily was a fabulous character and I could happily read a whole book just about her life!
I'm so glad this is only my first Wallace Stegner book!

I couldn't put this book down. However, my complaint is the self-indulgent writing of Stegner's - he always seems to be winking at himself as he describes certain scenarios, attitudes of characters, etc..

It gets to be tiring... and the writing style is totally outdated! Not timeless!

The witness is irresistible it is packed with action. It is about a little black girl and a jewish girl that are in this little town in Vermont when the KKK come to town. As the bystanders of the town watch as their town crumbles. But in the end the bystanders become the heroes. The witness is a great book to do a book report on. Karen Hesse won the New berry Award for her book "Out of the dust." The witness was written for Jean Feiwel . I recommend this book to students in 6th, 7th, and [...] because it is perfect for a book report. This book is historical fiction. I strongly recommend this book!

The witness is irresistible it is packed with action. It is about a little black girl and a jewish girl that are in this little town in Vermont when the KKK come to town. As the bystanders of the town watch as their town crumbles. But in the end the bystanders become the heroes. The witness is a great book to do a book report on. Karen Hesse won the New berry Award for her book "Out of the dust." The witness was written for Jean Feiwel . I recommend this book to students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade because it is perfect for a book report. This book is historical fiction. I strongly recommend this book!

[...]
How would you like to live in where the KKK is like Leona and Ester had to when they were young? That was in 1924.In the book Witness by Karen Hesse, the blacks and Jews were aware of the KKK and watching there backs closely. Mr. Harish gets shot by KKKmember and dies. Ester, Mr. Harish' daughter could have got killed to if she was leaning back a little because she was sitting on her fathers lap. I can't tell you if any one else dies because of the KKK. If you're in to historical fiction you would like this book.
[...]

This is a really good book.As I was reading this book I felt as if I was in the Vermont town. It showed me that not everyone agreed with the ku klux klan and that they sometimes they had to had to join even though they really didn't agree.

In discussing the subject of Hate with my eighth grade students, I use WITNESS as an introduction to this difficult topic because of its brilliant subtleties that infuse the subject with multiple perspectives that tells a complete story. Highly reminiscent of the adult play THE LARAMIE PROJECT (which tells the story of Matthew Shepherd -- the young gay man who died after being beaten to death tied to a fence post in Wyoming), the two stories work together to weave a portrait of America that is harsh, cruel, hateful, sad and ugly, but lead to a greater Hope, where justice, clear-headedness and a deep sense of humanity will prevail.

WITNESS wisely puts the voice of the story into different characters: the innocent, the wise, the evil, the confused, the bystander, the individual whose feelings and opinions are affected by the events and people around him/her -- an individual who is tested, and passes.

Do not hesitate in introducing this book to middle- and high-school students. Discuss it with them and let them see the pain and disgusting nature of humankind. Let them discover that humankind can come to its senses and redeem itself from the terrible injustices it serves up. High school students who can handle some pretty harsh language can then move onto THE LARAMIE PROJECT and experience a similar feeling dealing with an real-life incident of Hate and its repercussions, but in modern terms.

The book (perfect as reader's theatre in the classroom) is recommended at the highest level. Excellent storytelling in a pitch perfect form.

This love story was very enjoyable to ride along and enjoy--yet, realists as many of us are believe it's almost too good to be real. I felt Ms. Delinsky hints she believes she felt the same way. The ending didn't ruin the "too good to be real" love story, it imitated love stories that are few, but all too true, around the world. As someone mentioned in another review, "it was a daring story line!"

This story is comforting--yet disconcerting too (for someone like me whose marriage was wrong from the start)--because Tom and Bree had what we all seek and yet few find. Would living through grief of utter devastation be worth a love described as theirs? Given the choice, seriously, I would say yes. I have never come close to feeling or receiving anything close. To love another and be loved in entirety is a life worth having lived, no matter the length. I think this was the point of the book. Ms. Delinsky's story line might have developed from a philosophical discussion like this one one night with her friends.

Finally, when the father returned to the son, although I expected and awaited it, I did not expect it exactly where Ms. Delinsky placed it. I plotted along with her, and in my dreams I conjured up Bree's last wish too. It must have been exciting to know where you placed that climatic one line, "...standing a short distance across the newly tamped snow was his father" created a storm of emotions for your friends and editor, knowing it would do the same to us, your readers. Did you cry as you typed that one line, Ms. Delinsky? Did you suck in a gasp of breath and stop typing and hold your hands together? Right then, Oh! I was sucked in. I suffered more tears in empathy for all those living there at that moment, knowing what was in each heart! I anguished with relish. I may not forget this story. Ever.
Another great book of hers and one closer to home for me is "Coast Road."

This tearjerker will draw you in and make you feel connected to the characters. You'll need the Kleenex while reading this book!

I loved this book very much. The story was grabbing and intriguing and I felt drawn and connected to the characters. While the ending is very sad and I didn't understand why it happened was affected really deeply, even though it was just a book, I felt that it was a really powerful ending. I understand how many people could dislike the book because of this, but I enjoyed the book so much. Any book that can make me cry that much obviously is well written.

And I think it's not very cool that B. Allen told everyone reading the reviews the ending. It was one of the biggest plot turns, and what is the point of anyone reading it now? You should at least write SPOILER on it.

Also, this was my first Barbara Delinksy book, and it did NOT turn me away from her. I'd love to read more.

I must agree with B. Allen, I was very disappointed with the ending of this book. I would be very careful who I gave this book to. The ending is very sad (and might depress anyone, especially if they are pregnant or in the hospital). And not only sad, but I felt very cheated by it. I would like to think that if a "being of light" gave anyone three wishes, the outcome of those gifts from something so wonderful would turn out a lot better. But they were a rip off, and frankly, so is the book. Shame on you, Ms. Delinsky. You could have done a lot better with this book's premise.

I went into this book wondering if the tragedies hinted at on the summary would be physical disabilities or something she would encounter after her accident. I was pleasantly surprised to find her doing so well and returning to a "normal" life. The interaction between her and Tom was really great and the descriptions of her near death experience were very interesting. Part of me had a feeling that this book would end in a bad way, but after she had the baby things seemed to be okay.

I was absolutely appalled to turn the page and read that she'd died - it was all I could do to finish it with the hope that somewhere it'd be a mistake and she'd come back. The book and not to mention my several days after reading it were ruined for me. I still can't get over this. It just feels like a cop out to end it that way - the wishes could have been worded better and it had the potential to be this really amazing uplifting story, but instead it failed miserably and I am still so bothered by the whole thing. I have 2 other Delinsky books that I am now avoiding because I can't take anything else of hers if I am going to feel this same way.

While I would give this 1 star to represent the anger and upset I am feeling towards this book, I only give it an additional star for the fact that the rest of the book was enjoyable.

The book pulled me in quickly, and I did enjoy the character development. In fact, I almost wished there were more on some of the characters, especially the home life of Del and her father and brothers.

And the middle was good too. The plot and suspense kept building and building, and I couldn't wait to get to the end and find out who and what was behind all of this.

But sadly, it ended with a pop rather than a boom. I knew who the killer was for a long time, but the killer's motivations were disappointingly weak! What? The killings happened *why*?? Blah, humbug.

The supernatural aspect of the ending was completely out of character with the rest of the book. It almost felt like the author couldn't figure out a reasonable way to end it, so she resorted to supernatural explanations. I really felt let down after the very good beginning and middle.

PROMISE NOT TO TELL

We meet Kate Cypher who has returned to her childhood home in Vermont. Her mom is suffering from Alzheimer's and decisions need to be made regarding her care.

Kate has not been home in years. Home has bad memories for Kate and she is about to add more to that particular load of luggage. Shortly after Kate has returned to New Canaan, a young teenaged girl, Tori Miller, is murdered in the woods. Everything about the murder is almost identical to the murder some thirty years earlier of Kate's friend, Del Griswold.

Much to her dismay, Kate gets totally involved and sometimes almost accused of the murder of Tori Miller. As Kate is drawn into this web, people from her past come back to haunt her -- literally! Yes, Del's ghost is involved, but people from her past are dredged up, some of them Kate is happy to see; others, she can do without.

Loved the characters -- poor, picked-on Del Griswold, who has a rotten life and meets a rotten end, Nicky, her brother who has his own secrets, Kate, of course, and the other residents of this small Vermont town.

The writing format of the book jumps from the present to the past and back again. This was not confusing. Mystery is mingled with ghosts, possessions, things that go bump in the night. Kate is smack dab in the middle of all of this mess -- and on top of all the mystery, she is dealing with her mom's illness, trying to cope with that. Mystery and the super-natural are involved and the story is always interesting and keeps the reader guessing.

I love how the author, Jennifer McMahon, writes. The dialogue flowed easily and swiftly, it was almost as if the reader was having a conversation with the characters. The writing is very true to life and actual.

Thank you and enjoy!
Pam

The story is even more interesting when you consider the two meanings of cipher and the two Cyphers in the story.

"Promise Not to Tell" is a real page turner.
The story flows nicely, not one boring part.

I had to read this book for my book club summer pick. The title, and the cover both looked like it would be a good read. And it was...only I was looking for a little more. Maybe a little more character development?? It was such a dark book. Could anything more happen to the potato girl? She's beaten, bullied, burned, molested, and finally murdered. ( I'm not taking anything away, you learn this in the first few pages) Why would I want to read about such horrors that happen to a young girl?
The rest of the characters are very different, and at times a bit strange. The book does have a supernatural, ghostly appeal if you're into that. I found it too far fetched to be real.

Howard Frank Mosher did a great job of setting his book in New England. The characters were well rounded, the reader was given a lot of details on the area and the town was a small New England town. However with such great work on the back ground the book needed a little more umph. The book didnt actually start till about chapter 14. There was a lot of detail that the reader could have done without. Once it became a murder mystery in a small town it became quite good. It had a lot of twist and turns. People were betrayed and others learned the meaning of life. If you have a long weekend stuck in doors this is a great book. If you plan on a fast read think again.

This book was extremely boring to be honest with everyone who reads this review. It took FOREVER to pick up. It picked up after Chapter 14 which was basically TORTURE!! The trial though was great. The author did a well done job when he wrote the trial and all that. After that the book ended up drawing you in and you wanted to know more. The only thing is that it picked up in chapter 14 as I already said and there were only 21 chapters. But the little I enjoyed I loved. I believe most people would like this book due to the trial but they will suffer until they reach there. I think the author just wrote about a bunch of stuff that was irrelevant to us the readers. Prejudice though is one of the main topics of the book and it was greatly portrait and described by the author which I do give him 5 STARS on it. Just how he wrote about the racism I picture most of the New England states being racist back in the day and a little bit still today even though not to the point of killing. I name this novel a New England Novel because of the setting and the characters and the happenings. A+ on that Mosher, but sorry I will have to Give you a D+ for making me fall asleep!

I gave this book three stars because I found it was a dramatic tail taking place in a small upstate Vermont town. However the first half of the book seemed to drag and was spent on unnecessary character development. This is definetly a good book, just do your self a favor and start reading it from the middle.

I thought this book was a bit like getting on a roller coaster and taking the long slow clime and then suenlly you are set flying. For anyone who likes thrills such as a roller coaster I recomend this New England novel.

A very To Kill a Mockingbird-esque story about a small town in 1950s Vermont that is suddenly shaken by murder. The suspect is the town's new black preacher, Rev. Andrews. While traditionally pre-Civil War New England was a haven for escaped slaves, abolitionists, and of course advocates of freedom and equal rights (going all the way back to colonial America, which was New England), modern small New England towns, even today, tend to have a very minimal black population. Kingdom is no exception. So while most New Englanders pride themselves on their racial-tolerance and acceptance, it is very rarely tested.
Though be fore-warned it can be a slow-read.

I cannot stop thinking about Martha Horgan, Morris' protagonist in this novel.

"A Dangerous Woman" is not only well-written, it's complex in a way that readers cannot quite figure out why they are both drawn to and repelled by Martha Horgan and the people whose lives are altered by her.

The story is gripping, the characters well developed, and Morris' novel touches on some important social issues. I loved this book, and look forward to reading more by this author. Hopefully, they will be as compelling.

A Dangerous Woman is a rich characterization of a woman in need of love, support, understanding, security and warmth. This novel is one of the most brilliant that I've read so far this year and it's now the tenth month. The extra-ordinary depth of it's author, Mary McGarry Morris in her understanding of the heroine is outstanding and she delivers her punches with passion and tenacity. We follow Martha through her ordeals, from teenage insecurity through to early thirties bewilderment. We grope blindly along, knowing that there is a tragedy coming and wishing that we could avert it, but it's impending doom is fate and Martha must face hers alone. While Martha can be annoying, gratingly stubborn and insensitive, most of the time she is written about in such a way that you just want to wrap her in your arms and protect her to save her from herself. The novel left me with the huge provocation of how we are in control of our destinies and how we affect those that witness our lives around us. I can't rate this novel high enough. It's compelling, absorbing and brilliantly written and can teach you things about yourself that you may not already know. A must read on anyone's list. I loved it!

Within the first fifty pages or so, I was totally aggravated by Martha. She has suffered a traumatic childhood and adolescence, sure - but could she be any more annoying? It was easy to understand how the people around her react as they do, and why children still taunt her in the street now that she's a woman of thirty. It's as if there is some socially-deficient fog clouding her brain, making her honest to the point of incurring violence. She remains, to the end, an unlikable character.

That, however, is part of what makes her story a fascinating read. I resisted the urge to toss this book aside in favor of the Ramsey Campbell paperback sitting on my nightstand, and by the hundredth page I was still annoyed by Martha - but I had to know what would become of her. From the opening paragraph, we know that she's going to kill someone . . . but who? and why? and will she lose her painful sense of honesty?

Morris does a fine job of getting the reader inside Martha's head, (much in the same way that Mr. Campbell does), though very unobtrusively. It was only toward the end of the book that I found myself, while still disliking Martha, at least understanding her. I even felt a passing moment of triumph when she held to her grating sense of truth in the final pages.

This is not one of those books I would keep on my shelf for future re-readings - I honestly couldn't bear Martha for another 300 pages - but it makes me wish I hadn't sold Ms. Morris' VANISHED to the used book-store without ever reading it.

Compelling and heartbreaking, Morris weaves a haunting tale of a lonely young woman's losing battle to gain social acceptance, love, respect, and a healthy life of her own. Alienated and ridiculed by her small community, the origins of what make Martha Horgan so strange and different from those around her are unknown. The "dangerous" qualities referred to in the title put off those around her and ultimately lead to her undoing: her belief that the truth must always be known, under all cirumstances, her inability to function around others in society, her tempermental outbursts, and her undying fixations on people. Martha is richly drawn in three-dimensions as a character both frustrating and sympathetic, unlikable yet lovable, exasperating yet endearing, and ultimately, all too human. Morris does a superb job of painting those inhabit Martha's world as equally complex and contradictive, particuarly Frances and Mac. These two judge Martha for her abnormalities, yet their own distorted belief systems and foilables are all too abundent, and their own behavior quite questionable at times. In many ways, they see reflected in Martha the qualities they fear the most about themselves. Morris does an elegent job of depicting the culture of their community and the adverse reactions of "normal" society to those who are different. I liked that Martha's mental illness remained undefined....it was an interesting way of highlighting that people are afraid of what they can't label, not all diverse people can be placed in a tight category, and it raised questions of whether or not the base of the problem was biological or the result of her life experience. Overall, a worthy read: thought-provoking and well-written, sensitive yet brutal, yet not a difficult or lenghty read by any means.

I couldn't put it down, I was so enormously enthralled by the lives of these people! This was an amazing character sketch of an entire town and their denial of the truth and how that changed everything.
Martha is a sad creature who needed someone to believe her, love her and show patience with her. Perhaps she came close - but, not until it was too late.
Maybe this book will make you lean over your neighbor's fence and say hello. Maybe it will help you open your heart to someone you don't understand.
I always rate books and movies in my mind by this question, "Am I a better person for having read this book or seen this movie?" The answer in this case is YES!

I didn't really have any expectations for this book when I started reading it. It was just a book I picked up that looked different than the books I'd been typically reading; you know, try new things. I was very pleasantly surprised.

I was hooked, almost from the first pages, by the immediacy of the narration. The writing style is really very engaging, stream-of-consciousness-esque... I found it very compelling to read such a convincingly written portrait of a young girl raised by such very different people.

At any rate, I found this to be an extremely fascinating and unsettling novel that was more than definitely worth my time. I have recommended it to several people; I now recommend it to you (imagine my finger pointing at you).

I found this book a joy to read. I had been looking for a beautiful book and I found one. I loved the narative from the eys of a child. Offill has found the childlike innocence we all once had, and from this comes the trusting and beautifully gullible nature of Grace. A personal recommendation if you liked this one... look for Suzanne Cleminshaw's, The Great Ideas.

i loved this book. the writing was incredible. also, i thought the narrator, a young girl, was very believable, and telling the story from her perspective makes the story all the more moving. there is a lot of creativity here, especially in the character of the mother. read it!

Another bittersweet book about a child in unusual circumstances. Grace is an eight-year-old girl whose mother, Anna is both a dream (for Grace) and a nightmare (for Anna herself). The mother and the father, Robert seem an interesting pair, she creative, bold, irrational and he patient, mainstream and rational. This is the tale of Anna who eventually goes mad, of Grace who doesn't understand that her mother is out of the norm, and Robert who loves but doesn't understand his wife and who eventually must be the stabilizing force for his daughter. The story is a sweet one as Grace is introduced to wild scientific, anthropological, linguistic, and mysterious theories by her mother (and her geeky teenaged babysitter). In fact, much of what Anna teaches Grace is that science can explain one side of an argument as often as it can explain the other side. I loved the various scientific puzzles, the imaginary language that Anna makes up for them, and the tales of hyena-men, gazelle-boys, and living dinosaurs. What is sad about it all is that as Anna's behavior becomes more manic and unstable, it all seems reasonable to Grace (who would not know better) who is blindly loyal to her mother. The family begins to dissolve when Grace's father begins to focus too intensely on his science (to the neglect of the family) and Anna takes Grace on a road-trip. The fact that this novel is written in Grace's voice is beautiful and is a hard feat that the author accomplishes admirably. The fact that the author manages to weave in themes of (animal) extinction, mental collapse, and the disintegration of a family is brilliant. It was so refreshing to read a book involving a child that was truly loving (even though it involved troubled souls, they clearly loved their little girl) and did not involve any hostility.

The reader gets a definite sense of the narrator's age in Jenny Offill's debut novel, LAST THINGS. She views everything she relates to us openly and unflinchingly, as a child would do -- and the things she doesn't completely understand are naturally colored with the myths and stories told to her by her increasingly deranged mother, combined with extrapolations produced by her own imagination.

Grace's parents are incredibly mismatched. Her father is a complete realist, grounded in science and fact. He works as a teacher in the small Vermont town in which they live, until his objections to a prayer circle held within earshot of his office draw the disfavor of the administration. At one point, we are told that he proposed to her mother with the words 'You're the only woman I've met that will never bore me'. That's certainly proven to be true. Her mother -- who is an ornithologist working at a nearby raptor center -- is given to spouting native myths and beliefs from the far corners of the earth, sometimes obviously inventing stories on the spot to validate her increasingly odd actions. She sometimes speaks and writes in a language invented for her by her father, and attempts to teach it to Grace. When her pronouncements and beliefs begin to seep into her daughter's behavior at school, she vows to home-school young Grace, and the girl is pulled further into her mother's fantasy world.

Children usually remember events clearly but in a spotty way -- when speaking of memories, they tend to bounce from one to the next, not concerned (as an adult narrator might be) with beginnings and endings, with smoothing out the rough edges of memory. They remember the parts that have the greatest emotional effect on them, either directly or obliquely. Offill has reproduced this tendency by giving her young storyteller an accurate voice -- it's not a stretch for us to imagine that we're listening to the story through Grace's own words. That being said, the writing is very polished and effective -- as the book spirals through scene after scene to its climax, the effect is very much like a wild dream that comes with the fever of an illness. It's a powerful current that draws the reader in, making the book difficult to put down.

It's an interesting ride -- but there's an aching sadness left at the thought of what the shenanigans of Grace's parents are doing to her, to what sort of long-term effects they might have on the impressionable psyche of an 8-year-old girl. It makes me wonder if the two of them gave any thought to how they would raise a child once they had one. Her mother is hopeless, and her father, although he's a bit more grounded in reality, seems completely clueless in relating to his daughter. I can't imagine her emerging from this ordeal without having a fairly skewed view of the world.

It's an odd little book -- but very skillfully written, interesting and entertaining. Sometimes it's pretty scary to look as an adult through the eyes of a child -- it makes for a compelling read.

Although the sleep-away camp that I went to was rather different than the one Michael Eisner attended and lovingly described in this book (the rustic Keewaydin located in Vermont), nevertheless, I definitely related to Eisner's remarks on how summer camp can simultaneously foster in children independence, interdependence and constructive competition. I liked the way the book jumped around from generation to generation, to show how the benefits of the camp experience are timeless. His ode to the camp owner (forever known to campers and staff as "Waboos") is quite touching, especially his depiction of present day, close to 90 year old, Waboos, who's almost blind. My enjoyment of the book was certainly enhanced because one of my favorite activities as a camper was canoeing, which is a cornerstone of Keewaydin. I'm very curious as to how the two boys known as Q and Pepe, who were able to attend the camp as a result of a charity that the author finacially supports, are doing these days.

"Camp" is a charming little book, especially for someone like me who was also, to some extent, shaped by summer camp.

Eisner's descriptions of his experiences as a camper really hit home for me, I would recommend this book heartily. Coincidentally I also was a Beaverbod (attended Camp Beaverbrook) run by Amee and Niha and Mr Mahnke's Brother. The experience described in Eisner's book is much more "East Coast" than my own experience but still rings true if you ever went to summer camp. His descriptions of the aging Camp Director and the emotions he evokes are great. Good read!

Eisner's book is a wonderful reflection of his experiences over many summers at a prominent northeastern "sleepaway camp." Being a northern Californian, I was not exposed to this particular genre of camp experience, but my brothers and I were fortunate to attend a wonderfully similar enclave three hours north of us called Camp Beaverbrook, which featured most of the same experiences (save for the wonderful natural lakes) that Mr. Eisner recounts. Our camp directors, "Amee and Niha" (Bob and Marion Brown from Orinda, California) built the place by hand and created a wonderful place for young people ("Beaverbods," we called them) to grow up and learn to live with others. Mrs. Brown even wrote her own reflective book called "Past Tents," which is unfortunately out of print. If you enjoyed Mr. Eisner's book, you should also see the movie "Indian Summer," which never ceases to bring a tear to my eyes.

I went to camp too. Camp Hawthorne in Raymond, Maine. This book is the best and a worthwhile read for any parent with a kid at camp or any parent considering sending their kid to camp. It's likely even better for kids like me who went to camp because no matter what experience Eisner describes, the same memories come rushing back in all their fun and splendor. One of my camp friends always used to say he was going to write a book about camp called "Camp Camp." (A generic book he had in mind.) He always said no one would believe what great fun and experiences we had. He never wrote the book but I am extremely happy that Michael Eisner has. It is no samll wonder he has been so successful (say what you might about his last few difficult years - those years were difficult for anyone in business.) He actually came through them in good shape and there's a reason he did. Nothing is as tough as that first canoe trip that you lead. If you forget any one of a number of items it can turn three days into ten. Kudos to Eisner for writing about camp in all its splendor, honoring those who gave kids like us the time of our lives, and carrying on the tradition through generosity usually reserved for only the finest of America's institutions. He's got his heart and him money in the right place!

One of the most powerful men in Hollywood says that much of all he needed to learn he learned at camp. He cites examples and weaves them with the present day experiences of two Orange County boys. Seldom has changed within the boundaries of Keewaydin over the last 80 years.

I liked the way that the two men blended their voice...it helps to make one not focus so much on who said what and stay with the story. Having attened a summer camp (Camp Beaverbrook in California) from 1977-1985 (until it's closing) I, too, can say that much of who I am today is derived from those experiences which give a child a parallel universe to school/home.

His retellings of the pivotal experiences that made him "part of the club" of adults and his realization that at 18 he was IN CHARGE of other people's kids just emphazises how "help the other fellow" is so ingrained in everything that this camp does.

Mr Eisner/Mr McPhee were "helped" into that sometimes horrifying revelation by experienced staffers who I KNOW kept an eye out all summer for transitional teens such as these.

I loved the fact that so many folks return each summer to be "staffmen"; a vision I had for myself regarding "my" summer camp. I was happy to see that people did indeed get that chance because my noncamp friends just didn't "get it" when I would say that had my camp remained open, my vacation would have been spent there.

Thank you, Mr Eisner and Mr McPhee for adding some oomph and credibility behind a general summer camp that focuses more on individual growth in a team environment than on competitive "brackets and ladders" ranking children far too early in their lives.

Individual accomplishment for the good of the team so that everyone can "win". (please do NOT confuse this comment with the silly "self-esteem" movement)

America's shareholders would be far better served by this same approach in Corporate America.