Authors Books

concept is okay if you are family/procreating type.it doesn't explore different lifestyles.it is okay but not extraordinary.

Wonderful story with great humor, satire and imagination about a journey through a fantastic afterlife with all the creations that ever were and ever will be.

I was curious to discover what a book about afterlife would be like in the science fiction realm. THIS book is unique! IT is a GREAT story, about a man, actually, I suppose, a soul, who is in the process of discovering himself - who he is, and what life, the universe, and all creation is all about. He finds out in a cleverly written story if his journey through afterlife - his "afterworld." It is a reality filled with bizarre ceatures from all times and places that ever were, and will be, all of whom enter this incedibly enormous universe, perhaps billions of times larger and more complex than our own, and where travel is by unque vehicles which are divinely powered, as if by magic, and cover the enormous distances involved in afterworld reality. The creatures Gary Townsend (the main character) meets are unique, enjoyable, and satirize in often comic style all man's social customs, religions, and traditions - for here, in afterlife, there are none. Often thought-provoking and humourous, the drama is always enjoyable and fascinating, as we trek through the mind of an author with an incredibly inventive bent. I recommend it highly to anyone who loves sci-fi or fantasy, or who wants an enjoyable, creative read about a place we all have some idea about when we leave here.

A scintillating look at a man's afterlife, which begins as you open the book. It traces the "afterworld" experiences of an unbeliever as he tries to sort his way through his afterlife with a variety of humans, aliens, bizarre worlds and forms of transportation, and it delves into the MANY questions everyone has about what there is after this life. It does so with occasionally tongue-in-cheek humor, and a good amount of satire in poking fun at our religions, customs, and institutions, through the eyes of the many different life forms the main character encounters. It is about this man finding a purpose, even in afterlife, in finding himself, and finding out who else there might be to share it with. This is an extraordinary and imaginative look at a usually untouched subject, and told in an engaging, informative, and poignant fashion. It is an afterworld that we all might wish to attain someday, but if not, it certainly is fun and interesting to look at this one!

I was hesitant to buy this book, since a novel on one's afterlife, or Afterworld, as the author has it, seemed like it might not be too interesting; but I'd heard about it as decent sci-fi/Fantasy, and wanted to read it. BOY, was I surprised!! It is a very clever trek through one man's afterlife, which begins on page one, and takes you through a highly imaginative super universe far bigger and infinitely more complex than the one we now know. We meet a variety of strange characters, many of whom humorously satirize people and political or religious concepts we have, stranger places, and an intersting story of this "doubting-Thomas" main character, Gary. We onder how it will work out for him - after all, he has FOREVER in this place, and all the people to meet that you would ever want to. The author endeavors to pop many cultural and religious myths with tongue-in-cheek style, while uilding a story that grabs you, because, I guess, we all hope there is something positive to look forward to in everyone's afterworld. Gary's is interesting, and he becomes a major afterlife figure in "afterworld future history" by being exactly who he is. Ultimately he finds purpose, love, friendship, and a meaningful place in the universe! Very uplifting and enjoyable.

I truely wonderful book dealing with the sisterhood, The stardom and fall back to beliving that you are part of a family. I truely enjoyed this book and have added it to the reading list for my art students. I belive it doesnt matter what social group or what age you are, everyone can learn from this wonderful story.

I read this when it first came out and reread it last week. Great book, great writing. Waiting impatiently for her next!

Spent a late summer afternoon completely enchanted by this remarkable novel! The writing is poetic, so beautiful. . . Cammie McGovern is an extraordinarily talented writer. What is so remarkable is that this was her first novel! The story of these two sisters is told with great insight, the dialogue at times heart wrenching, and other times humorous. It all rings true. I will most definitely share this wonderful book with my sisters! Looking foward to more from Cammie!

I agree with one of the other reviewers: This is a book to buy for your sister. Cammie McGovern writes great dialogue, and she creates touching scenes; the book hooked me with its premise and kept me hooked with its subtle character development and evocative writing. The descriptions of Rozzie's blindness were particularly vivid. This is a fast-paced novel that will sear your heart...even if you don't have a sister. Can't wait for more from McGovern!

Recently, I had the occasion to observe a stunning sculpture with a perceptive friend who commented on its graceful lines and delicate interplay between light and shadow. This sensitive, eloquent commentary bespoke an understanding not only of art, but of life itself. It it a gift of seeing, and it is exploring that gift which constitutes the challenge and triumph of Cammie McGovern's exquisite "The Art of Seeing." Her debut novel traces the evolution of the troubled and nuanced relationship between two talented and tormented sisters, equally troubled by the limits and possibilities of their own vision. McGovern's insights are subtle and quiet, their strength owing to the complexities of her character's personalities and the painful interplay betweem them. "Seeing" resonates with truths, not the least of which is that love often exists between people despite the mistakes they make with and for each other.

Jemma, the youngest of the sisters, labors suggestively in the shadow of her older sister Rozzie. Begrudingly acquiesing to subordinate status, Jemma, at five years of age, realizes that she is "a pathway to my sister's approval" and "as easy as breathing" determines to accept this role. Alienated and sensitive to her differences (both outside and inside her family), Rozzie exploits Jemma's willingness to do "whatever is required to ensure...she will never be truly seen again." The two develop a balance based on misgiving, silence and perceived acceptance of role; in reality, both envision themselves intertwined with the other in a complicated mathematics of expectation, subservience and dependence. Although as an actress Rozzie appears distanced and detached, Jemma's choice of photography as a means of artistic expression requires identical traits.

The metaphor of vision haunts both sisters. As Rozzie loses her sight, she fights the very invisibility she affected. Jemma's photography tends to focus on isolation and periphery, and as she begins to study the dynamics of her relationship with her sister, ruefully admits that in her own way, "I am missing too." If clarity sets humans free, both Jemma and Rozzie have built walls, shutting down their capacity to see themselves and each other as authentic people. Both women, talented in portrait and interpretation, lack the art of seeing their own hearts. This terrible irony lends a tragic tint to their relationship, but to McGovern's credit, the author does not exploit it for sentimental purposes. Instead, the author encourages her characters to use their deficiencies as the basis for renewal and change.

Consequently, Cammie McGovern elects to challenge readers to reflect on the limits of their own observations. Have we unfairly sided with either of the two sisters? Are we blinded by our own perceptions? What must people do to attain a sense of artistry in their own sight? Jemma and Rozzie quietly grapple with not only their own individual artistic imperatives; they use their talents to retrain their hearts. "The Art of Seeing" becomes its title, a work of art that permits us a clearer vision of ourselves.

The experience of reading Augusta Locke was for me a luxurious one. I was immediately drawn into the story by the specificity and quirkiness of the detail and the determination and feistiness of the main character. Henderson, a master of Western imagery, draws a complicated picture, more like a series of fast-moving, high-resolution close-ups placed against an expansive backdrop of the enormous world. Tiny, fragile people move within its tempests, striking out on their own, struggling to make it their own. Gussie is a puzzle--a delightful confusion of human frailties and virtues--courage and heartache and wit and longing. And in the vastness of the Wind River Valley, against the constraints of time and coincidence, she finds Walker Avary, a priceless and beloved character from Henderson's earlier novel, The Rest of the Earth. What a great sense of satisfaction to have the two of them meet and connect and travel together through the lonesome paths they've taken in life. For me, this was a book that needed reading twice, the first time to get lost in it, and the second to savor it.

This is a fictional chronicle of six generations of a western family. The west is always one of my favorite subjects. Gussie is a rare woman, both strong and tender. She is a character you will never forget. This raw and haunting tale is my pick for best book for the first half of 2006.

Best damn book I've read all year. Tough as fence post, bites like barbed-wire. Damned if Augusta Locke ain't real.

How does Henderson do it? --the characters and setting, the images and story. There's more style and substance on one of William Heywood Henderson's pages than between all of he covers on the New Release table at Barnes and Nobel put together.

"At night, when the weather allowed, Gussie and Mr. Foster laid out a tarpaulin on the ground, their bedrolls padding their bones, the sleeping box as breakwind, Anne (Gussie's child) had outgrown the box, and now she carefully laid out her own blankets, tugging at the corners to square and smooth the fabric. Beneath the stars, they all lay side by side, Anne in the middle. The stars filled the entire basin, no forests to catch the constellations, only famished cottonwoods. Gussie looked directly up into the night. The earth turned. The stars surrendered their positions.

Get this book new, you won't find many second-hand copies. It's the kind of novel people keep to read over and over again.

Augusta "Gussie" Locke is one of the most facinating and fully drawn female literary characters in recent memory. Her defiant, independent spirit is both inspiring and deeply moving. Henderson paints vivid and palpable landscapes of the West with some of the most beautiful prose I have ever read about the region. This book is not just for Westerners - although, I suspect that Westerners will particularly appreciate it. The book's great humanity, and staggering portrayal of the natural world, make it a must-read for everyone. I could not more highly recommend Augusta Locke.

Augusta Locke is one of the most compelling characters to emerge from the American West. The unbeautiful daughter of beautiful parents, a girl with a wandering habit who walks into Wyoming, she grows into a woman who reads the mind of the country around her -- the Wind River Range, the Great Divide Basin, the Big Sandy River, land where "the season can swing from heat to snow and back in the turn of a day." In Henderson's flat-out gorgeous prose, Gussie's life feels epic, not because the events that make it up are so big, but because we follow her so closely, watching her seasons change. She's a self-made orphan, a fierce mother, a lonely lover, a rough road worker, a woman in a man's world, sometimes a woman in a man's clothing. In the vast plains, such a small female figure might go unnoticed, her life leaving a shallow track like the roads "so barely scratched into the surface that a shift in the angle of the sun would erase them altogether," but Augusta Locke will live with you long after you finish the book and try to put her back on the shelf.

Appalachian people know how to tell a good story, and Bob Sloan is a wonderful storyteller. This slim volume packs a very large emotional punch with its honest prose and wistful and comical glimpses of an area Bob knows well. My favorite story (one that he read at the Harriet Simpson Arnow Conference at Somerset Community College in 2006) is "Finding the Gate," written from the perspective of an old woman. It's amazing to me how Bob can write so well in that voice. In his acknowledgments, he thanks a very special librarian who opened up the world of books to him and encouraged him to read anything that caught his interest, to question what he read, to write, and to think. Her name was Jeanne Burr. A thank you from me too, Jeanne, as Bob's stories are a wonderful addition to literature.

Bob Sloan is a master of the writing craft and a true voice of his roots. His stories are rooted firmly in the soil of working class Appalachia. The land and the people are brought vividly to life without one wasted or false word. It would be easy to get caught up in how technically proficient the author is in this very difficult art form, except the stories and characters are too engrossing to allow you to be analytical. No BS - just darn good yarns! Great stuff!!

Bob Sloan is in his true element when spinning a good yarn on the interpersonal dynamics of mountain Appalachia, either on paper or in person at the Blue Gator. He is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio, and has published numerous short stories in literary magazines.

Bob and his wife, Julie, live on the family farm near Morehead.

The book is Bearskin to Holly Fork, Stories from Appalachia (Wind Publications, 2003), comprises of 15 true stories about individuals, usually a wash in alcohol, coping with predicaments often of their own making - - coming to bad or good ends as things work out. The stories are poignant, wistful, yet tough, hard as nails.

Sloan spins his stories in efficient honest prose, crafted to say just enough. As one reviewer wrote, these stores "fall from the pen the way leaves fall from trees; some cosmic force helping them find their place." Their being rich with humor, irony, Sloan's yarns are fun to read. They are laced with the colorful vocabulary of the Appalachian culture - "hesitant, like a fat man descending a ladder." But they also have a serious dimension and are also very well crafted to illustrate humanity and dignity in characters we might think as losers in situations bordering on the criminal - assisted suicide, getting even, getting away with murder - sort of...

Being a product of Appalachia himself, Sloan knows these people well; his writing is not overdone or contrived. The reader will care about these people, warts and all.

Ted Foster, Newsletter Editor

"Bearskin to Holly Fork: Stories from Appalachia" is a collection of gritty stories populated by tough people, and author Bob Sloan exposes their faults and failures as well as sharing with us their merits and accomplishments. Murderers, bootleggers, pot-growers, crippled war veterans, ex-cons and drunks rub elbows with sheriffs, waitresses, clerks, farmers, carpenters and the like. Sometimes it is difficult to tell who is who, as they are quite often one and the same.

This meticulously edited medley is not only an enjoyable read but should be considered a textbook for writers. Throughout, the author has sprinkled his wonderful imagery in carefully worded and structured sentences and paragraphs. Bob Sloan paints with his words.

My favorite story in this anthology of fifteen tales is "A Ride Across Open Water" in which a man and a woman who have suffered a grave loss attempt to put their empty lives back together. In this seemingly simple paragraph, the author reveals volumes:

"Twice in the week before she left, he came home to find his wife sleeping on the sofa, an empty glass that smelled of bourbon on the floor. Both times a pink and blue baby book, purchased the afternoon a doctor confirmed Bea's pregnancy, was on her lap. Paul's memory still held whole paragraphs from pamphlets and articles about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome."

In the author's own words about his writing: "My wife gave me the phrase `blue collar fiction.' It suits me better than any other label. I write stories about Appalachian working class people, the `working poor,' because they're the people who raised me, the people I live with, the people who matter to me."

Don't be fooled by the author's modesty. This is some of the most sophisticated and carefully crafted fiction you will ever read.

Good short stories are hard to write. Those that resonate are coordinated combinations of authenticity, good dialogue that moves stories along, and an almost gifted ability to trust readers enough not to tell them everything -- only what they need to know. Bob Sloan, who is also a frequent contributor to National Public radio and lives near Morehead, is a master at the craft.

Sloan doles out 15 previously published stories over 135 pages and gives us a clinic in what good short stories are. One can get all senses activated -- can hear the sound of tires rolling on gravel, see Harlan Carter wheel himself up a redwood ramp built for elderly or disabled tourists, taste the freely flowing bourbon, touch Don Reynolds' partner "Troop" (whom others see as a ghost), and figuratively smell a rat when Bide goes for his commodities during the Great Depression.

The stories, often depressing and mostly laced with potent alcohol, nevertheless are told straight and with little contrived sentiment.
- Steve Flairty

I absolutely love this book! Lara Rios did a wonderful job in creating a very believable character, Marcela, that brings up true issues that sorround Latinas living in the United States. What does it really mean to be Mexicana/Latina? Is there such a thing to be a true Mexicana/Latina? What makes you a Mexicana/Latina? There are many different answers to these questions, but the correct answer is to be yourself. I found this book to be very funny, romantic, and most of all, inspirational. It has encouraged me to be who I really am without worrying to be too Mexican to please my family and not worrying in trying to fit in to American society. Marcela has become my mentor.

If you are latina or not you'll enjoy the book. This book was given to me as a joke because of the title. One day I picked it up and started reading....I was delightfully surprised at how much I enjoyed reading the book and the adventures of Marcela. A great summer or anytime read!

I was browsing through the book store, just looking for something to read and picked this up because the title intrigued me. After reading the brief description on the back cover and the first few paragraphs inside, I decided to give it a try. It turned out be a wonderful book. Marcela is a lovable, but flawed character, trying to figure out who she truly is - someone many of us can relate to. Definitely worth the read! I can't wait to read more of Lara Rios' work.

I bought this book becuase I read about the author in the local paper so I thought I would support the local talent. It turns out, I absolutely loved this book, and read it in two days. The main character is so real and believable, you just can't help but to cheer her on. She writes up this list and then goes full steam ahead trying to become this great latina, when the whole time she should just realize that being a great person is enough. I loved how much I disliked her political activist aunt and how much I wanted her to love George the guy from Accounting. I think this is a really good book and I can't wait to read the next one!!

"Becoming Latina......" is not just about being Latina; it's about learning who you are. And it's a delight to read. I so related with the primary character, which makes little sense given my ethnic background is Scottish, Irish and English. But Lara Rios has created a wonderful character who is much like, and angsts like, any other young woman. It's a must read for anyone, of any age, who enjoys a light hearted look at themselves in the mirror.
Charlotte Maclay

APC( Andre Coleman), I just finished reading your book BlackBirds Volume 1. I can tell you right now that I am about to be a loyal fan. When is Volume 2 coming out. Volume 1 was soooooooo goooood! I recommend this book to everyone. I don't want to give too much away about the book because I don't want to spoil it for other readers. But I will say that the story takes place in 1955 in a small southern town called Dernier, Louisiana, and takes you on a journey with the Mccray family. The family deals with all the horrible things that was a true experience for many blacks during those years. It was so good. This story is going to draw you in and for a minute, you're going to feel as if you are a fly on the wall in the Mccray's house. I could actually visualize all the scenes as I was reading it. My heart went out to Joshua. Anyone who reads this post, please get BlackBirds Volume 1 and you will see what I mean. APC, you have a new fan. Congratulations on a wonderful job. I can't wait to read the next book! I would like to also recommend two other books that are sooo good. Every Reasonable Doubt by Pamela Samuels Young, and This Can't Be Love by Patricia Goins. Get these books too. They were also page-turners. Follow my recommendations and you'll be stuck in a book all year long, and I promise that you will not be dissappointed!

Mister Coleman has a gift for people. It's the people in Blackbirds: Volume 1 that draw you into their small-town Louisiana world circa 1955.

The harsh realities encountered there, by the McCray family and those around them, are seen through the eyes of the characters as well as through their views of one another. As Robert and Leona McCray protect their children, and vice versa. As they take solace in and fiercely defend the innocence of their youngest daughter. As their sons, Lincoln and Joshua, find identity in a world where so little personhood is left to them.

Reading Volume 1, any reader will begin to hope that some, if not all of our Blackbirds will transcend their environment. And to the reader, it will most definitely matter.

When I think about Andre Coleman's Black Birds Volume I, great films like Roots, Rosewood and A Rasin in the Sun come to mind. I can easily see Black Birds on the big screen. With the start of the Black Birds series, Andre has embarked upon a work of literature that will definitely stand the test of time if he is able to bring the brilliance, skill and talent to subsequent Black Bird Volumes that he has poured into Volume I and I have no doubt that he will. Not only could Black Birds become an epic film but I could also see it on stage. It would be comparable to the late great August Wilson's ten play series, The Pittsburgh Cycle.

In Black Bird's Volume I, Andre Coleman has created an American Family that we all can relate to on one level or another. Yes, the McCray's are African American but their story is universal. Yes, they live in the Jim Crow South in the 50s' but just as much as things change, things stay the same. The dirty tactics and racial undertones of our current election speak to the aforementioned. Robert and Leona McCray, like every parent, want the best for their children. In spite of poverty and racism that permeates their small town, the McCray's work hard and try to live the best life that they can. They are raising their three children, Lincoln, Joshua and Reta to be upright and respectful.

Andre moves Black Birds along with imagery that taps into all of the senses. He makes you feel the rabid heat that smothers the small town of Dernier, Louisiana. You can't help but taste the eggs, biscuits and pancakes that Leona prepares for her family. Nor can you ignore the smell of the smoke that fills the black part of town after its burned down by an angry white mob or not hear the countless shouts of "boy and sunny" that are the thrown at the grown African American men of Dernier and sadly you won't be able to close your eyes to the injustice and brutality of that time.

It doesn't take us long to get to know the McCrays, each so beautifully written with idiosyncrasies and foibles that we often see in ourselves and others. Robert is a man who can defer to his wife but maintain his manhood. Leona is a strong woman who can be feisty one moment and tender the next. Lincoln, the oldest is a pretty boy and a dreamer who wants to be the next Elvis Presley. Joshua is an old soul whose very being detests the injustice that underpins his life and Rita is a daddy's girl who wants a TV.

Each character has their on objectives, Robert to protect his family, Leona to love her family, Lincoln to be a star and Rita to be a daddy's girl. However, it's Joshua's desire to court a young African-American girl and a subsequent deadly encounter with the Sherriff's white racist son that opens a Pandora's box creating an explosive series of events that bring out the life and death survivor instincts in Robert and his family that are depicted in ways by Coleman that will have you mesmerized, breathless and on the edge of your seat.

Black Birds is a must buy and a must read.

This novel by Andre Coleman begins in the the Jim Crow south and progresses through a series of life changing conflicts for the McCray family. It begins with the death of a young black teen at the hands of aggressive and relentless segregationists and follows the family's blight through the changes in America around this time. It's an interesting read for anyone intrigued by this period in African American history like me. I was very moved by the conflict that changed the character Joshua. His actions set off a fire storm of grief and havoc that left his home town forever changed and sent him fleeing for his life. I look forward to what will happen to bring him full circle in the books to come since this is just volume 1.

One of the most awe-inspiring books I have read in a long, long time. The emotion jumps off the page and reaches deep into your heart all the while ripping at your heartstrings. An emotional tale of racism and a look at the very similar parallels to the nation of race today. We have not come as far as we'd hoped. The McCray Family is one of love, strength, and the foundation found in a black family enduring heartache and struggle. The history that went into researching the true facts of what was going on in the rural south during the 30's and 50's made me sit back and reflect on where we have come from. I have shared this book with members of my family who also had a feeling of connection and understanding of who WE really are and the inner turmoil those who came before us went through. I can not wait for Volume #2 and the Revolution!
In the words of Joshua McCray - Freedom has no map.

Well done, Mr. Coleman, Well Done!

As a librarian, I am often approached by new, local authors touting the wonders of their new novel. In that light, I was a tad skeptical when I received Gamadin: Word of Honor. Skeptic, be gone! I loved this book! Tom Kirkbride brought surfer dudes and aliens together in a very entertaining and compelling read! I can't wait to follow the adventures of Harlowe Pylott and Matt Riverstone in space! (Although I must say that Mowgi was my favorite character - loved the undog!) My only complaint is that I must wait until 2010 to continue the adventure.

I LOVED it! I couldn't put it down. That says a lot for the author as I am not a big fan of science fiction reading. This is an incredible, fast paced ride of heroic yet real characters interacting with unimaginable alien creations that endear themselves to us both in locations that we know so well and galactic scenes that the author so intricately creates in our mind's eye. Give this new author a try - you won't be disappointed! I can't wait for the next book!!

Not being a huge sci-fi fan, but being a fellow surfer and Lakewood alum of Tom Kirkbride, I thought it might be interesting. It was and now I am anxiously waiting for book two to be released. The book's characters were depicted pretty closely to a few we knew and occasionally hung out with. The action was non-stop; sort of like going over the falls at the Wedge on an eighteen plus day. This is a very enjoyable read and I highly recommend it to anyone of the appropriate age and up.

What do you think of when you see the initials H. P.? Well, after you've read Word of Honor, the first in the Gamadin series, an image of Harlow Pylott will instantly spring to life. While, you won't catch Harlow and his buddy's blanketing the skies aboard broomsticks, when the surfs up, you're bound to catch a glimpse of these adventuresome young men as they mount their surfboards to catch the biggest waves to hit the coastline of Southern California.
Kirkbride has written a riveting tale, with characters who are well grounded here on earth. However, when you pick up this novel, expect the unexpected, and be prepared for an exciting ride into a new world with an intriguing cast characters you have never before encountered, but wish you had. Darlene Quinn (Author of Webs of Power)

I was given a copy of Gamadin: Word of Honor by my sister, to read while on a business trip to Florida. I felt obliged to to take it along and knew she would ask for my opinion later, since the author is her boyfriend. Being a budget analyst and not really wanting to plod through something technical while on the plane (and expecting that), I was pleasantly surprised to find a well-written, entertaining story, with characters that very quickly grow on you. I particularly enjoyed the General, and hope he shows up again in future novels of this series. This was a fun read, and I could see the story taking off in all kinds of directions. I highly recommend that you check this novel out. It was hard to set down, and you'll become a fan too.

As a lover of the french philosopher and his time i can only
recommand with passion his works and especially Candide together with the other stories issued by the so prestigious Oxford
world's Classics -its a genuine pleasure

Voltaire is a master saterist, not a comedian. As with all satire, it hslps if we understand the contemporary world in which the author writes, but Voltaire's skill raises Candide above this level of satirical writing. He is masterful in the use of comedy to poke fun at the customs, mores, and beliefs of his time and show us the silliness to shich theunenlightened mind can go in the pursuit of perfection in an imperfect world. As a commentator on human culture he is followed by Mark Twain. Not that Twain can match Voltaire in his skill, only in some of his perceptions. This is an "old" book by new world reckoning, but as a masterpiecce well worth the time and effort of exploaration it is a timeless masterpiece. I highly recommend it to both believer and non-believer.

A great selection of stories where Voltaire shows off his literary style and espouses his philosophy on different topics.
He is a great story teller and has a great sense of humour too.

This was a first source cited in "A Visit From Voltaire" which turned me on to the man with its lightly comic approach to a formidable subject, BUT I have to add that I only understood it bettert after knowing what role Candide played in the political mayhem of his life fighting "infame," and only after I knew more about his social/irreligious context, did I really "get" what he was doing in Candide. I'd send light readers to "Voltaire in Love," and wannabe scholars to the Portable Voltaire and whatever basic biographic texts they can find, as well as Visit from Voltaire, A which is hilarious fun.

Voltaire's Candide is a scathing satire on one of the more popular metaphysical theories of his day: that is, we live in the best of all possible worlds. In spite of the disasters and disappointments that befall mankind, Candide and an array of companions attempt to make sense of their personal tragedies while shoehorning it into the Leibniz theory.

Candide is well-written, and sprinkled with cute and clever irony. I also enjoyed the references Voltaire makes to his personal enemies in Candide. However, the optimistic theory that prompted this satire has been rejected, which leads me to believe there isn't much purpose for this book any longer. Really the only reason left to read Candide is to become 'culturally literate', I suppose. Don't get me wrong; the ultimate message of this book is a good one. However, I hope readers don't think Candide's lesson must preclude optimism all together, or love, or friends, or God. That fact is obscured to make a literary point.

The only interesting question that remains to be asked from this book is: why does such cyncism accompany 'enlightenment'? Both French and American societies are rife with it after all, so much that I doubt even Voltaire could manage much of a smirk. All he could do would be to join the choir and tend the garden he has sown.

This book was not only one I could not put down, it warmed my heart with its tales of life and love (between family, friends, lovers) and its naturally intertwined references to Panamanian culture. Henriquez describes the details of her characters' lives in such a way that anyone will be able to relate.. and, as an added bonus, if you have a personal relationship with Panama, it will touch your heart with references of the familiar.

This book is amazing. I loved reading it. The short stories were so wonderful. I read it in 3 days.

Cristina Henríquez's moving debut collection centers on contemporary Panama where Noriega's shadow offers a disconcerting backdrop as ordinary people struggle for love and meaning. With eight short stories and a novella, Henríquez demonstrates that such struggle doesn't always translate to defeat though sometimes it comes perilously close. In "Beautiful," one of the more disquieting and powerful pieces in this collection, the young protagonist begins her story mid-sentence: "And then that summer when the heart felt like wading through molasses and the streets hummed in a desperate sadness all day and all night, God came down from heaven and paid a visit to our family in two ways: My father returned home and my uncle got rich." A divine visit, however, does not guarantee happiness: the prodigal father eventually preys on his daughter. But ultimately, she imposes her own kind of justice on the abuser. "Chasing Birds" brings us tourists (a married couple) struggling with their relationship as they visit Panama. The husband is more interested in bird watching than romancing his disaffected wife. The result is not surprising but nonetheless heartbreaking on many levels. The title novella weaves together two strands of narrative: the U.S. invasion of Panama and a young boy's unrequited love for a girl who is more interested in his best friend. Henríquez's storytelling is at its most potent in this longer story where she seamlessly blends the political with the personal. Taken together, these stories from the young Henríquez demonstrate a fully-matured and well-honed artistic vision of the human condition. [This review first appeared in the MultiCultural Review.]

I'm a recreational reader who's always looking for an interesting book to read & I read about this novel in a newpaper review. It is comprised of short stores and they are extraordinary - so thought provoking. so incredibly well written. Kudos to this talented young author.

This book was absolutely wonderful. Through her understated prose and organic characters, Henriquez creates an incredibly poignant picture of Panama, in both its beauty and its turmoil. She is at her absolute best in the stories "Ashes" and "Mercury," but each piece is spellbinding.

I appreciated that the Panamanian setting is not overwrought, so that the reader isn't really presented a collection of stories about Panama. Henriquez writes about relationships. Her description of Panama is nevertheless clear and gripping, and makes for a truly enjoyable book.

I have read all of the Dearest Dorothy series and they are wonderful. It feels so good to read about small towns and people who care about each other!! Takes your mind off all the awful "wordly" things...

I was very pleased with the promptness of my order. I will not hesitate to order from them again.

I've read all the books in the Dearest Dorothy series and have to say, I found this one to be one of the most enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, I've loved them all but this one really just had an extra special something. Charlene does an excellent job in character development and great story lines. I am hoping that there will be another book out soon and that Dorothy is a bit more prominant in the next. As always, a great read and a book to make you think about life and all there is to appreciate about it!

Let me see if I can remember what I wrote about another one of these Partonville novels. They are simply wonderful; humorous, entertaining and inspirational. They cheer me up and make me feel as if I'm returning to a charming hometown each time. I hope Charlene finds time to pen many, many more sequels of these lovely families!!!

Having read each and every book in the series, I had a pretty good idea what to expect -- enjoyable, pleasant and worth the time. What I got was a surprise; it was terrific !!! While the book continues to have the small-town flavor which makes the series so appealing, it added new characters and twists to the plot that made it a bit more "current" and fast-paced.

The characters are well-developed and the story enchanting. If you have read the other books in the series, make sure you read this one. If you are just picking it up for the first time, enjoy and appreciate.