Australia Books

I've been working as a flower designer for a while and decided to get this book mostly because it looked pretty and comprehensive. I was not disappointed. The book is fabulous and it has a little bit of everything, including tools. I like it a lot and highly recommend it for anyone interested in Flower Design.

This book is simply a must have in your library. Malcolm Hillier is one of the most talented in the industry. beautiful book!

The plant directory was extensive, but I would have liked a little more information on the growth cycle of the plants or the zones in which they grow. The basics are all there and I would suggest to anyone buying the book that they do read the introductory chapters. The floral arrangements are absolutely beautiful and the author also gives alternatives to the arrangements to suit your taste. Very nice.

This is a very wonderful book, which the Floral Design Institute uses as a supplement "textbook" to their syllabus. It is rather heavy but well worth every page as the book is packed with beautiful arrangements and spilling with creative ideas. There aren't a lot of step-by-step instructions on mechanics, but the book gets the point of selecting different material colors and textures across - which, in my opinion, is a significant factor to consider when it comes to floral arranging.

This is a gorgeous book, with gorgeous flowers. However, it's less of a learning tool, then a recipe book. While it does grace upon a few floral design basics, it doesn't spend a great deal of time on it. The raw information it conveys is pretty light, having more to do with warm, neutral, and stark colors, as well as a few techniques on drying flowers and taping them (etc). The bulk of the book is taken up by pictures of arrangements, and little "recipes" on how to make them. A good book for someone who doesn't want to learn the mechanics of floral design, a good book for the coffee table -- but ultimately, not a good book for someone who wants to study design on a more advanced or technical level.

"There's an Alligator Under My Bed" was on my entering-kindergartner's summer reading list and I can certainly understand why. It is a wonderful story about a little boy who conquers his fears. In this case, a large alligator that has taken up residency under his bed.

Mercer Meyer's illustrations are very entertaining and not at all scary, and I am happy to say that the boy's problem is resolved by brains, not brawn.

My kids love it.

Storytime, as you can imaging, in a preschool can be a bit challenging to say the least. If we are have a crazy day, I just pull out "There's An Alligatior Under My Bed" and the classroom goes silent as a room full of preschoolers sit and listen quietly mesmerized by this story. What more can I say. I love this book!

Like so many of us when we were children, our young hero in _There's an Alligator Under My Bed_ has trouble getting into bed safely due to the dangers that lurk under his bed. Since his parents never see the creature, he decides he must deal with it himself.

With one or two sentences per page, this is a great book to read to your toddlers and preschoolers to start a discussion about bedtime fears.

Why didn't his parents ever see the alligator? Can alligators really live under beds?

My 3 year old son and 5 year old daughter love this book! It is a must read every night before bed. The illustration is wonderful and the story absolutely adorable!!!!

Alligator problems dont happen often, but when it did it just happen to be under a little kid's bed, he had no name in the story. I think this is a cute story about responsibility.
Instead of depending on his parent the little kid takes care of it on his own by thinking of a plan. The plan was wise enough, I thought it was humerous how it was some what possible. The little kid maid a trail to the garage and closed the door. What was really cute was the note he left, being concerned about his dad, saying: " Dear Dad There is an alligator in the garage if you need help wake me up."
Personally I thought the whole concept of the plan was lesson learning for a kid, ages maybe 4-8, about problem soving. In and all that was a interesting book.

I loved this book, and so did everyone know who has read it. The three sisters are hilarious, and their experiences/conflicts are unique and enticing. I'd recommend this book to anyone!!!

I discovered Liane Moriarty only by chance, but once I read THE LAST ANNIVERSARY, I had to find THREE WISHES as quickly as possible. My only regret is that there aren't a dozen more of her novels already on the shelf, waiting for me to devour them. Seldom does one find a modern women's fiction writer who tells a story with such humor, perception and literate grace. Liane Moriarty's appeal spans continents and generations of readers; my 28-year-old daughter loves them as much as I do. I am anxiously awaiting her next novel!

Loved this book! I eagerly await another title by this author!

This book starts with a scene where 3 triplets are eating birthday cake in a restaurant. One of the women is pregnant and the other throws a fork at her stomach. The scene is told from a bystander's point of view so we don't know the sisters by name yet. The novel then works backward so we can see how they got to this point.

For me, the middle of the book was best, because it focused on Gemma's story. Gemma is the flaky, endearing, yet smart sister who is scarred by a past relationship. Her fiance died, but no one in her family knew that he was abusive. Because of his behavior, she finds herself bowing out of relationships if the new boyfriend reminds her of the fiance even slightly. For example, one of them asks her to wash the sand from her feet at the beach before getting in the car, and this reminds her of her fiance's wrath when she got sand in his car, so she breaks up with the boyfriend. Gemma is a charming, troubled person and you root for her to conquer her troubles.

One of the other sisters, Cat, is harder to care about. Cat is one of the glass-half-empty people with an enormous sense of entitlement and an equally marked lack of empathy. She feels like she deserves everything in life and takes it out on others when things go wrong. Unfortunately, the last part of the book focuses on Cat.

The third sister, Lyn, is not as well-drawn as the other two. She's a workaholic who has trouble delegating, and her husband presses her to get an assistant to help her with her on-the-go breakfast business (Brekkie Bus).

I also had trouble with something that happened to the girls' grandmother near the end. It seemed completely unnecessary and irrelevant to the plot, on top of being disturbing.

Overall, Moriarty's breezy and clever style, as well as her way with dialogue, makes this book worth reading. But I do wish she had chosen to keep the focus on Gemma and given the grandmother a break.

The Kettle family is quite a trip. There's Nana Kettle, mother of Frank Kettle, ex-husband of Maxine (Max) Kettle, mother of the wackiest triplets on the planet, Lynnette (Lyn), Catriona (Cat), and Gemma Kettle. The girls are long-legged and beautiful, but that's where the similarity ends. Author Moriarty grew up in a family with six children, she being the eldest, so she probably has an excellent concept of what chaos in a family means.

The scene is Sydney, Australia, and the story is about the triplets as they approach their thirty-fourth birthday. There are snippets of their lives from birth, including the divorce of their parents when they were six, the death of the fiancé of one of the girls; marriages, childbirth, miscarriage, unfaithful husbands, etc. There's a good mix of happy/sad/mundane events, but mostly these three girls and their family members try, like most of us, to survive one another. It's quite a hoot. However, there is one aspect of this story I found very disturbing. Since art imitates life, we all know of situations like the one portrayed in the book. All I can say is "Get out!"

Ms. Moriarty not only used prose to tell her story, she included emails between these very modern sisters, which I thought was very clever. In addition, she included vignettes by people who had been "exposed" to the sisters over the course of their lives. These vignettes were presented in italicized text. I liked the feature as it gave the unusual view of the story's characters from people outside the story line.

Carolyn Rowe Hill

A wonderful book from a man that knows, that has been there, and is still there watching the people of Bikini cope and recover from the terrible atomic/nuclear bomb blasts. He has the facts of history, the insight into how it affected the island people, all combined with personal stories and the local culture and legends. I've lived in Micronesia for about twelve years and learned so much new about the Republic of the Marshall Islands. If one has an interest about how our country deals with other peoples, this book will give an idea about how sometimes we play the international game. Very nice work, with facts and figures. I liked it. Buy it!

The book is fine but you sent it to my cousin in Los Angeles and I haven't received it from him yet! I had previously sent him a book ordered through Amazon. I am sure you will think this is my fault, but I do not agree. I said to send it to the same address as the card holder who is me. I give Amazon an F for this one. Jack Derby

It is generally accepted that the dropping of two Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought WW2 to and end. Had the Japanese not surrendered, however, there was no third bomb to be dropped. Whilst the explosions happened just as they were supposed to happen, this new dreadful science was very new and, in a post war-torn world had to be tested and refined. No western power, however, was prepared to have such weaponry tested anywhere near their own country - not even within range of distant fall-out.

For this reason, one of the world's remotest islands in the southern Pacific was eventually chosen. In the summer of 1946 the United States detonated two 21 kiloton bombs code-named Able and Baker. These were the fourth and fifth such bombs ever exploded. Another bomb was also set to be detonated but this was cancelled after the fallout from Baker created far more radiological contamination than had been expected.

In order to conduct such tests, the United States had, in the first instance, to forcibly remove the indigenous population of the Bikini Islands. How powerful is one nation that it is able (apparently quite legally) to remove another nation from it's land so that it can practise with it's big bombs.

This book is the story of those Bikini Islanders and their life-long struggle to regain their homeland. Yes, many have now come home, but it will be a long time before they can even hope to resume a traditional existence. It is more likely that that will never happen.

The Bikini islanders were removed from their homes "for the good of mankind," personally, I think this book should be read for the same reason.

NM

This book was an eye opener. It makes you wonder why this event that happened so many years ago in the middle of the Pacific has been buried for so long. This is not a cut and dry history, this book is a very readable journey through a culture that is unique. The author lets us know who he is, so it enables the reader to understand the person who is doing the interviews. That was a nice and unexpected touch. I found the book to be thought provoking and would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in studying the history of the Pacific.

I found my teenaged daughter reading this book one day, so when she was finished I picked it up...

This is a story so worth reading. The author's life at first seemed hopelessly entangled with his subject's to a point that I thought the book would eventually read like a one-sided diatribe. I was very, very pleased with how he presented the Bikinian's story, however, and would highly recommend this small but important piece of Pacific history to anyone who wants to know how an indigenous people can be so horribly abused by a super power.

Astounding material.

Our book study just completed Miracles Do Happen. It was incredible to see God open hearts and minds to Jesus' healing power. It's written in a simple style but it packs a punch in terms of presenting the Gospel. The son of a friend of our group was diagnosed with a recurrence of a brain tumor, and just like in the book, Sister Briege showed up in our town and was able to pray with him and his family. His prognosis is now quite favorable, praise God. If you want to hear the story of how Jesus still cares about His people, how Jesus is still in the healing business and you need a reason to have hope in Christ, this book is the best choice I've ever seen.

This is a great inspiration to me, though I am not catholic.
Her words are uplifting and healing.

"Miracles Do Happen" is an excellent testimony to the power of faith. Briege Mckenna developed sever arthritis as a young adult, which confined her to a wheel chair. When attending a Catholic Charismatic prayer services, she was miraculously healed. Allegedly, she received a private revelation, in which God asked her to be a healer to others. She debated whether the message was really from God, as she was a member of a contemplative community, but after a period of discernment and a series of signs, she lost all doubt.

"Miracles do Happen" is an autobiography of Sr. Briege's healing ministry. She prays for people and many have been healed of spiritual and physical pains and diseases. The book is full of stories and photos of people, whom she has encountered during her journey and many of whom were healed by prayers. It is easy to be skeptical of spiritual healers today, but unlike many charlatans in the field, Sr. Briege does not accept money or promote products or methodology for financial gains. The book is great for renewing faith in prayer, and offers much guidance and learning to discern God's voice in your life through prayer. Sr.Briege herself spends an estimated two-three hours in prayer each day, and write about the types of Christian spiritual practices which have been spiritually edifying for her.

This is a simple book about the role that prayer and faith has played in her life, and in the lives of others whom she has had the fortune to know, during her religious life and is not bogged down in theological explanations or issues related to debatable doctrines. It is written simply as an intimate conversation, as often is the case of works from saints, and when one reads it one has to wonder if they are living in a very special life time of a woman who might be recognized as a saint in the future.

This is a wonderful book. We often need to remind ourselves about the present of our Lord Jesus Christ in our daily lives, and Sr. McKenna has done a wonderful job of doing so. Buy, read and believe...

This is the story of how Sister Breige McKenna became a healer of human bodies and human souls. She herself had a instantaneous healing from Rhematoid Arthritis. Because of this book I sought out her phone number and upon hearing a healing prayer over the phone, I was healed spiritually. I have never been the same and I thank God for it! Buy this, you won't regret it!!!

I was disappointed only in that this was a vegan cookbook and not vegetarian as the title implies. There are some good recipes, but not enough to hold my interest. I sent it back.

I am a serious home cook who has made this book her kitchen bible. The recipes contained in this book are scrumptious and remarkably free of all animal products (including eggs and dairy). As vegan cookbooks go, this book is unique. The culinary results are delicious and visually appealing. The author is a professional chef who knows how to layer in complex, yet pleasing flavors into dishes for spectacular results. Ken Bergeron really knows how to stimulate taste buds that have grown weary of the same-old, same-old. Truly innovative cuisine like this doesn't come around every day. I've made dozens of recipes presented within these pages with incredible success. Over the holidays, I followed the author's menu suggestions. I made the festive holiday menu for Christmas dinner and the hors d-oeuvres menu for an elegant cocktail party. Most of the invited guests were non-vegetarians with sophisticated taste-buds--definitely not the dry lentil loaf and brown rice crowd. I was delighted to receive enthusiastic raves and dozens of requests for the recipes. The fried oyster mushrooms, vegetable walnut and pecan pate, baby bella mushroom risotto and maple nut tart were especially big hits, but everything was devoured with gusto. This book is truly avant garde--I believe vegan cuisine will be the everyday norm for most American tables by the end of the next century. Even Time Magazine--hardly a granola rag by any stretch of the imagination-has recently predicted this dietary megatrend will happen in the near future. Undoubtedly, this book will help lead the way. No home should be without it. And, anyone making a profession out of feeding the public--pay attention, please! Customers will continue to want to live large into the next century, but that doesn't necessarily mean they want big slabs of dead animals oozing blood on their plates. Exotic fruits and vegetables, prepared with all the care and attention given to flesh-centered cuisine, will fit the bill just fine. Many trendsetters are looking for this now, but millions will follow.

All of the recipes in this book are not only vegetarian they are vegan. They are also scrumptious. I have tried several and it is well worth the trouble of having to scale down the recipes (since this is really created for restauranteurs everything serves 10).

Truly great example of why the question --don't you get bored eating vegetables all the time--is so funny!

Steph

Wow, chef Bergeron is a genius. Yes, a genius. This book contains dozens and dozens of sophisticated and inventive recipes using vegetables. Wow, and Wow again. A treasure trove!!!! Hey, home cooks out there, you will amaze your friends with any of these recipes. I only wish I had purchased a copy of this book sooner.

A little bias because Ken is a friend of mine, Ken is a modest down to earth guy---No pun intended. I am not a vegetarian by any means but every recipe that I have used is awesome. You really have to try the Oyster Fried Mushrooms, Watermelon Catsup or The Sea Czar Dressing. I have worked side by side with Ken, who is an incredible wealth of knowledge and expierience as a Vegan. Ken is the 1st World Vegan Gold Medalist at The Culinary Olympics in 92. I am very proud to be considered his friend and very proud of this book.

All I can say is it's simple, easy to read and healthy! Don't let the "Professional" in the title fool the average person because it is for everyone.The knowledge and eye opening this will give you to the vegetarian/vegan world is priceless.

I read this wonderful book when it was first released, but something--summmer weather, I thought--made me pick it up again. Quickly I realized the book had been with me the whole time, and within a few pages, Pierce's voice had lulled me again into a state of high suggestibility where landscape, history and dream comingle. At first the novel seems fragmented, but soon you realize that Pierce's characters, especially Sam Browne, move according to their own timelines. Trauma, uncertainty and loss guide this book on a scavenger hunt of meaning that lead to the Blue Mountains of Australia, a setting that, like an astrological chart, casts its fortune on three generations of soon-to-be wanderers. Todd Pierce's The Australia Stories is just as timeless and influential.

"The Australia Stories" is a beautifully written, captivating novel. Pierce's amazingly clean, crisp writing creates wonderful images that transport the reader to the time and place of each story. The stories would appeal to anyone, young, old, male or female. Each individual story is masterfully woven as a part of the larger story, and the end pulls them all together in an unexpected, but perfect, way. I could not put the book down and, when I finished, I wished there was more!

This five-star debut uber-novel, a sequence of short stories, takes the reader across oceans of time to Sydney and the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Pierce risks sentimentality on his poignant journey - and comes up with something like a prose poem I could not put away until I reached its last intense page. Other readers have praised the novel's plot and characters. I'd like to extol its powerful nostalgia, its longing for what Proust called les temps perdu. The Australia Stories creates an almost mythical aura about its setting and characters; it is exponentially more radiant than any travel guide. The wonder of the author of this book is that, rather than living like an aesthete in a cork-lined room, Pierce has performed an enormous service to all writers by maintaining a stellar Web site about literary agents. He is both at home in the fictive world he creates in The Australia Stories - and alive and well in his generosity and tirelessness as a member of the workaday literary community. Cozy up to Pierce's pocket-sized The Australia Stories and let it take you to a magical Down Under!

I picked this up because a friend told me about it. Took me about two evenings to read. Fabulous story. Stunningly written. Seriously, each paragraph was dazzling. I'm only saddened because (at least on Amazon) this is the author's only work. Hopefully, there'll be more.

The mythology of Australia is central to this novel. Both Sam Browne's grandmother and mother have vanished into the wilds of the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, his grandmother to myth and his mother in search of her own mother's memory. These disappearances (his mother's body is found, his grandmother's never found) have a profound influence on Sam as he remembers the year he spent with his mother in Australia before she was lost forever.

Pierce combines the unfathomable territory of memory with myth-saturated Australia, where the Aboriginal population has produced such ethereal tales from spectacular geography. Pierce also adds a strong feminist content to Sam's identification with his maternal relatives. His mother has had a positive effect on the young boy and the grandmother's journals offer him even more understanding of their unique bond with the land.

After returning to the United States, Sam finishes school, marries and divorces. Yet he remains fascinated by the stories of his mother and grandmother. Sam is able to recover most of his grandmother's original documents and spends his time pouring over their contents. His grandmother's voice speaks to him over the years, seducing him back into the land of myth that plays such an important role in his life. He cannot help but heed the siren call of his mother's native country.

In The Australia Stories, Todd James Pierce perfectly captures female sensitivities and the power of familial ties, reading Sam's mother's emotions with acuity in that short year spent with her in Katoomba, before returning to California. While the maturing Sam Browne feels Australia in the marrow of his bones, the lives of his mother and grandmother are ever more an intrinsic element of his spirit. He begins an intimate journey toward understanding the true nature of intergenerational connections, evolving one into another, spiraling through time. At peace with the past, finally, Sam steps easily into his future, where limitations are allowed no purchase, offering only promise and possibility. Luan Gaines/2003.

This book is the follow up to "So, You are going to be a Dad?" from the same Author. ANd the first book was awesome, this b second one is also really funny and the sometimes sarcastic humor is just great !!
Enjoy !!

A great book! Mr. Downey entertains while delivering important, every-day advice to new dads. Dad's will laugh out loud and feel re-assured that they're not total failures at fatherhood. With his unpretentious writing style and unique brand of wit, Mr. Downey covers everything from baby's first steps to "permanent" birth control options, and he never fails to entertain. Dad's can only hope that Mr. Downey continues to share his thoughts and experiences through his children's pre-pubescent and teen years.

Finally, a down-to-Earth, no-holes-barred reference book for new Dads. No fancy terminology - just creative terminology. No detailed psychological analysis from a group of doctors who pride themselves on using 10-syllable words - just the blunt facts from an everyday-Dad's point of view. An extremely humorous, yet insightful view into Dadism.

A perfect follow-up to Downey's "So You're Gonna Be A Dad". I could only hope he continues his wizardry of words addressing prepubescent teenagers!!

As a 46 year old father of 2 young children, I have found this book to be very informative and very humorous(actually at times horrifying for fathers to be). The book could be classified as humorous horror for fathers. Peter Downey touches on all important aspects of childrearing in a down-to-earth, easy to read, practical, "lets get our hands dirty on this" fashion. Fathers with children will really identify with the problems discussed in this book. He doesn't shy away from touchy topics like sex, nudity in front of the children or physical discipline. He's obviously read the "professionals" on childrearing and his advice on how to deal with the many problems we dads encounter reflects this, but is also heavily flavoured with his own personal strategies developed on the frontlines of being a dad to 3 children himself. Of course, if you're a perfect dad, doing everything right or if you're not a dad you may want to read the book for it's humour, with which Peter is not stingy.

Downey's book is a must read for all dads, old and new to this game of parenting. I was the fortunate recipient of this book, and having read Downey's earlier book, "So You're Gonna Be A Dad," I knew immediately that Downey would deliver with hilarious material that would make a difference in raising my two daughters. I have not been disappointed.
One significant diifference between Downey's book and others is that his approach diminishes the anxiety that comes with being a dad. He lets you know that there's a lot of other guys going through the same things, and they're all doing just fine.
Perfect holiday gift--better yet, the PERFECT gift to give Dad when his son or daughter turns two. I give Downey's book, "Dads, Toddlers, and the Chicken Dance" the highest rating possible: *****.

Oh my God- this book is wonderful! This ranks right up there with my favorite Victoria Holt titles. I will not summarize the story- other reviewers have done this. The story is told in first person narrative, by our heroine Mitji/Meg. It is poignant, wonderful and romantic. The guilt Luke feels in his attraction to Meg, her bewilderment at his mood swings, their growing love for each other (*sigh*), just fantastic. No graphic sex, just a lovely story well told. How refreshing in todays era of paranormal romance. You will not regret purchasing this book, it epitomizes the meaning of romance.

I loved this story and the adventure was top rate. Brent writes the best heroines and this girl was tops. You also get the tortured but honorable hero in this story. Every character is written exquisitely! I have rarely read such a charming tale.

I couldn't put this book down. It had everything I love: shipwreck, romance, and danger.

I was totally involved in this wonderful story. I've never been disappointed by Madeleine Brent, but this must surely be her best work ever.

The somewhat slow beginning is probably not for everyone, but it helped me get into the story. By the time Mitji found Luke and rescued him, I already felt that I knew her. Her life and adventures as Meg were never completely free of the Mitji period, and when Mitji was needed again, she was up to the task.

I bought this book used, which apparently is the only way to get it, but I would have paid the cover price just to have it.

I have discovered Madeleine Brent's novels recently and liked those so much that I have tried to read all of them. Two of these novels I have not managed to find yet (for a reasonable price), but so far Golden Urchin is my favorite of Brent's novels. Mitji is a white girl which has been raised by aborigenes and as the novel starts she is leaving her tribe to go search for the tribes of more white people. And Mitji's personality is fascinating, she looks at things very differently than expected because of the way she was raised and it is touching to watch her adapt to Western civilization. The love story is also believable and touching. Excellent novel, very recommended.

I won't get into the book's premise; you can read all about that in the description above.

Keep in mind that this is a British author and the story takes place in Scotland and Northern England--if locale is a deciding factor for you. It may also require a bit of patience from readers who are used to shorter novels; this is a 600-pager, not meant for those who like a "quick read." But let me tell you, the rewards are definitely worth it. It's one of those books where the characters are very special and therefore you do not want the book to end, even though you're dying to find out what happens next.

For those who enjoy supernatural fiction they can sink their teeth into, look no further. Rickman provides the detailed characterization and spooky atmosphere that many chill-seekers are craving. It takes a lot of skill to pull off a book this involved, but no worries; Rickman has the necessary talent.

A book to treasure. Highly recommended.

I just made it around to this Rickman novel after reading all of the Watkins series so far and 'Chalice' and 'Curfew.' This novel is classic Rickman. It has humor and spookiness and all the great details I love in these novels along with complex characterization and keen psychological insight. Though some of the more recent Watkins' novels have been a bit off, this one is a great read.

There's nothing wrong with fast food, or a fairly speedy trip to Outback, but nothing beats putting a roast in a slow cooker and letting the aromas and flavors seep into your consciousness all day long. Your patience wears thin and when the meal is finally ready to eat, you wolf it down like a starving person.

Okay, strange analogy, but this book had the same effect on me. It started cold, then warmed up gradually, until all my senses were captivated. My patience was starting to wear thin, then BOOM! the flavors all combined and it was every person for himself.

Did I like the book? Absolutely yes. Can I describe it to you? Um, nope. Luckily, there are other reviews here that have taken on that responsibility, and have done so very admirably. I did, in fact, pick up this book based on their recommendations. As a vague overview, you could say this is a mystery, a paranormal, a horror story, a religious confrontation, a small town mentality gone amuck, modern civilization overflowing its boundaries. A love story. A story of good and evil, pride and prejudice, charity and greed, science vs faith. Or... none/all of the above. Take your pick, all the spices are here, savor what you like, and push what you don't enjoy to the side of your plate (Yes, I'll stop, the analogy is starting to wear thin for me, too).

In short, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those who have time to appreciate the nuances of the plot. Those who can give little time to a book might want to wait until they can.

Anyone picking up this book looking for something like Stephen King or Dean Koontz will likely be disappointed. While the novel does involve supernatural elements, they are muted for much of its length - suggestive rather than in-your-face. Reading it, I was continually reminded of the work of John Cowper Powys - particularly A GLASTONBURY ROMANCE. The characters and setting are beautifully realized, and Rickman's writing is fluid without ever descending to the pap that constitutes most popular writing. It's been awhile since I've enjoyed a novel as much as I did this one, and I immediately purchased more of his work. Just don't expect Clive Barker.

Story: Bridelow is a (fictional) small town in central England, situated between the moors on one side, and an enormous peat-bog on the other side. Bridelow has been widely known for its beer (Bridelow Black) and more quietly known as the village in England that has stayed closest to its Celtic roots. Two religions co-exist there: the inhabitants openly worship in a Christian church, but there are other, quieter religious services, focused on the Goddess, and the Mother in Bridelow is not Mary, mother of Christ. The older, more "pagan" religion is overseen by the Mothers Union, a group of matriarchs who carry on the old ways and hold to the old lore.

But, things are about to change. First, the brewery gets bought out by a big corporate brewery, with many people losing their jobs. Second, the preacher at the Christian church falls ill, and is replaced, at least temporarily. Old Reverend Hans Gruber was originally an outsider, had but he had learned to peaceably co-exist with the Mothers Union and their beliefs. His replacement, Reverend Joel Beard, is a charismatic, let's-clean-house type, who takes it as his mission to "purify" Bridelow and drive out the evil pagan practices.

Is that all there is to it, though? Ma Wagstaff, the leader of the Mothers Union, distrusts coincidence, and suspects a connection between Reverend Beard and the selling of the brewery. Even Ma hasn't guessed at how big this really is, though!

The two central characters, amidst a large supporting cast, are Moira Cairns and Mungo MacBeth. Moira is a Celtic singer descended from a line of women who are not at all ordinary. She played in a band with two Bridelow residents, Matt Castle and Willie Wagstaff. Moira is not from Bridelow, but ends up being a crucial player in the battle that has been quietly, surreptitiously begun there. Mungo MacBeth is an American filmmaker of Scottish ancestry, who has been sent by his family to discover his heritage. He does, and it is much bigger, darker, and scarier than he expected. Will he and Moira survive? Will they end up together?

You might be wondering, about now, where the book's title comes from. While the local pub, connected to the brewery, is called The Man i' the Moss, that is not it. What starts all the wheels turning, toward disaster, salvation, or a bit of both, is the discovery, by a road construction crew, of a body buried in the peat-bog adjacent to Bridelow. An old body. Very old. The Man in the Moss turns out to have been an outsider, who was ritually sacrificed about a millenium before, to become the town's guardian against evil. When his peatmoss-preserved body is discovered, the government whisks it away to a museum for study. That's not good for Bridelow, who has lost its Guardian! Lo and behold, the body gets stolen and cannot be found by the authorities. But he will be found. And that's when things get really strange.

My take: This book is for patient readers only. There is a large cast of characters, all of whom are well-developed. The setting is also developed well, as is the theme of how pagan and Christian beliefs can mesh, or clash. All of that detail makes for a long story with a pace that is far from quick. The writing is impeccable, though, and the development of setting and cast combines with a complex plot to yield a very rich tale. The further you read, the more the story unfolds, and gets more intense, bizarre, and riveting. There are deaths, both predictable and not. Some big characters fade as the story progresses, to be replaced by others emerging into prominence. This story is as much about the town, its history, and its future, as it is about the people. The ending is, to some extent, what I expected, but is also very surprising, in other ways.

Now that I've read this book, I'd like to visit (fictional) Bridelow and meet (some) of these (fictional) people. But, I'd make it be on a sunny day, and I'd go with a friend, and I would be very careful to offend no one! Come to think of it, I did just go there.

Strengths: I know this town and these people. That's how well this tale is told.

Weaknesses: It is long (594 pages) and detailed; patient readers needed. Not for the squeamish, either!

Conclusion: This is a dark, complex horror story, rooted in Celtic beliefs and their meshing, or clashing, with Christianity. A long book, but well worth the effort!

Recommended: For those who love Celtic horror stories, and who are patient readers.