Vermont Books

I have personally read all of Bernadette Pruitt's books, and have loved them all. I thought that this one would be just as good as the others, but I can honestly say that this book was a let down compared to the other stories.

The novel begins conflict between Erin and Wyatt. Wyatt, who was the lawyer of the opposing party, moves in next door to Erin. Erin grows doubtful of Wyatt's selfless reasons for moving in next door, but allows her niece, Lily to associate with the man none the less.

Between the constant black cloud that Erin lives under, and Lily, Erin learns to love Wyatt. Her vulnerablity increases as she grows to care for the man that tried to take Lily away. Wyatt, whom was recoving from a horrible past marriage, believes that a ready-made family is something he DOES NOT need. Yet, he learns to love Lily, as well as Erin. Needless to say, the ending proves to be a happy one. Yet, compared with other Pruitt novels, I found this novel to be less convincing than the others. BUT, I definitly recommend "The Christmas Wish" by Pruitt. It is worth the money.

Don't let my "3-star" rating fool you, this is an excellent book. But don't bother if you plan to hike the Deerfield Valley - there is really only two (maybe three) routes in what is known as southern Vermont's hikers' paradise.
But if you plan on hiking around the Connecticut River Valley, this guide may be just the thing for you. It includes detailed information on flora, fauna, and even some historical and archeological information. Well worth the price, no matter where you plan to hike.

I had read some of the Soup books before and I was thinking that this one would be good also. I think that this book is fun and seems to be real in some things in life. Even if parts of the book is bad, it gets beter.

The best part of the book is went they get in the wagon and the horse run away. They crash itto the water tower and it falls over.

I think that Soup was the best character in the story. He was the funniest person in the story and get in more truoble. The conflict is when the wagon was on fire.

This book presents a history of Vermont from pre-historic times until about 1930. Rather than focusing on names, dates, and chronologies, the author seeks to tell us the stories behind the major events in Vermont history. While some parts of the book are quite interesting, others drag on and the book could have used a heavier hand in editing. The strongest and most interesting feature today is that the author communicates to us the beliefs that Vermonters of her generation had about their state.

I'm a Vermonter, right? So, I got a laugh out of this book. Yup. Reminds me of the guy up the road. Do I think it would appeal to non-Vermonters or people without friends or relations in Vermont? Nope. Prob'ly not.

I thought this book was about Paris Hilton.

Paris Hilton wasn't mentioned in it AT ALL!!!

What a waste of time.

The pictures were nice though, I love pictures.

All through this book, I kept remembering that writer's workshop mantra, "Show, don't tell". Being constantly told what characters were feeling and why they were doing things was annoying. The author definitely needed the assistance of a good editor or a good writing coach, because this telling-us-everything habit seriously marred what might have been an interesting story.
I did love the photos of the Vermont countryside.

Although her descriptive writing is often marvellously picturous, I found it sometimes detailed to the point of being tedious. This story moves slower than the two prominently featured oxen. I really did try to read this, but by page #131 I was so bored it simply had become a chore and I gave up. Those with more patience than I may like it, but there are so many other books to read I couldn't waste anymore time on this one. Sorry, but what good is a review if it's not honest?

The Simple Life by Ruth Porter is an engaging tale depicting the reality of our human tendencies and inevitable, and the observation that those particular connections to our nature may be our most important and influential connections. Tactfully relating to its readers as the intimate tale of a rural tragedy, The Simple Life is an intuitive and intricate metaphor for the beauty and disposition which we as humans place ourselves into every day through out our lives, regardless of predetermined or understood truths. The Simple Life is very highly recommended to all readers of general fiction for its deftly presented message and an invaluable understanding of human nature and reality as a piece of modern American literature.

I read the other reviews and was shocked by what happened to those people. We spent two weeks in New England last summer and booked all our reservations from this wonderful resource. Every place we stayed was exactly like it was described in the book. An example of some of the inns we used were The Inns At Mill Fallls (wonderful and top knotch in every detail),The Dan'l Webster Inn (the dining room was excellent and service was also fabulous),Nauset House (a great value, interesting guests and a breakfast to remember), The Rangeley Inn (wonderful small communtiy, beautifully decorated and delicious food). We would use this resource again.

My husband used this book to plan a romantic getaway for our wedding anniversary in New England. From this book's description, a place named the 'Water's Edge Inn' sounded like the perfect option. However we arrived to find it a horrid place with tacky decor in the common buildings and were given a dark room with stained bedspread, a tiny window overlooking the parking lot, tacky old furniture, and decor last updated in about 1958.

As with any travel book, the author may only place ads for those that pay for them. However, I am deeply disappointed with how completely misleading the descriptions were.

This book also recommends The Vermont Inn in Killington, which was infested with fruit flies. When I tried to check out one day earlier, the innkeeper refused to credit my deposit, and I am taking it up with the credit card companies, as well as writing to all the guidebooks about the lousy service.

I am complaining to the guidebook to see if they will update their review.

Robert

I liked this book and used it for some paddling & camping in NH. It gave nice descriptions of the water conditions and paddling descriptions. I agree that it's not a 'how to' book on camping. It's a reference for people who know camping already and are looking for rivers to paddle & camp along.

This book's title is misleading, and provides next to no info about camping. Its information about water conditions and white water classifications is pathetic (and unsafe) as well. More information is available about the rivers the author chose to include in the DeLorme Vermont Gazeteer and Atlas. I wish I didn't order this book, it will become camping toilet paper or an emergency fire starter.

Frommer's guidebook provides an excellent overview of the sights to see, things to do, and places to stay in the three Northern New England states of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. The overviews are very accurate and provide a good description of the places, making the book an excellent way to decide where to go in the areas, and a good guidebook once you arrive.

The biggest problem with the book is that there is not enough individual descriptions of each area. Chances are most tourists are not visiting several regions in all three states, but are choosing one or two to explore in-depth. For example, I went to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park in Maine, an area that was given around 20 pages of coverage. Therefore, more research on the specific areas you plan to visit will probably be necessary to help you get the absolute most out of your trip!

What's worse than a guide that doesn't know his way? A guide that leads you far up the wrong path. Imagine buying a map where the streets and roads led you into all the wrong places.

According to the ad copy: "...avoid tourist traps. Frommer's Portable Guides help you make the right travel choices...Outspoken opinions on top attractions - what's worth your time and what's not...The best hotels and restaurants in every price range, with candid reviews...The expert guidance you need to take charge and travel with confidence."

The haughty tone of this particular edition would make you think the author(s) were steeped in expert knowledge about the history and traditions of the long-standing established hotels and attractions in the region. And this illusion is effective until you arrive at more than one location expecting to find a rural paradise only to discover that it has become a gated community/housing development. So what do the authors actually know other than what they seem to have compiled from the hotel brochure you find at McDonald's? Not a whole heck of a lot.

For several of the hotels reviewed in this "guide", the reviews were obviously at least two years out of date and completely unrepresentative, to the extent that there was an impression that the guide was protecting the interests of the establishment being described, or should I say, advertised. So, am I actually paying for a compendium of advertising?

Any guide can draw a fine line between objective "candid review", favoritism and deceptive promotion. Many aspects of this guide fall into the last category. Someone's not doing their research, which is why a reader may actually pay for a book, or perhaps, someone is getting some money under the table. This guide is inaccurate and deceptive. Check their reviews at their Frommer's site on the Internet. Then check what's actually going on at sites like Tripadvisor or other travel forums. In this aspect, print is dead.

It's disappointing to take home a book which is subtitled "Tales of a Country Doctor," and then read in the fine print of the prologue, "There will be some who ... will complain about the _fact_ of a particular matter [being] ... in need of correction.... You are in the minority. The sooner you learn ... that the greatness of Truth is that it transcends the lowly fact, the better off you will be."

In other words, not only is this another Palmer wannabe, but it's pure fiction masquerading as down-home fact.

A biting, witty, and satirical look at medicine in the U.S.