Connecticut Books

An award-winning author, radio essayist for National Public Radio, scholar (in the true sense of the word), retired professor, and humorist, David Bouchier has written yet another delightful book that offers the astute reader a rare gift. With his inimitable brand of dry wit and keen insight, Bouchier skillfully satirizes all things suburban. He takes a seemingly trivial topic and turns it into a hilarious "read." What's more, he makes us look at each topic or situation in a way we never have before.

In The Song of Suburbia, the author deftly handles topics as diverse as the cacophony of lawn machines in spring, the cornucopia of vegetables in summer, and the home-alone panic without a car. Like all outstanding humorists, Bouchier does not hesitate to satirize self, and in so doing, puts himself in the same seat as the reader. Song of Suburbia is a happy melody that resonates, a suburban world that entices, an anthology that delights. Its songs will echo long after the book is closed.

Other than the author's obvious traits: wry observations, wit and wisdom, and injection of humors here and there, I enjoy reading the book because of the fact that the author often speaks for many of us (for example, what he says about the mission statement - Mission Impossible) and his words made me think (for example, when he talks about how those glossy "Country" magazines seem to take it for granted that ordinary Americans dwell in antique-filled, historic houses on hundred acre estates, in the depths of the country - Suburban Life.) This book not only brings me smiles but also helps me shape my own thoughts.

Bouchier's short essays on suburban life hit just the right note. The topics are ones with which we are all familiar - sights encountered while we walk, American holidays, garage sales, sports, vacations and lawn care - to name a few. What keeps us reading is the author's fresh obsverations on cultural events and routines that suburbanites take for granted. Bouchier's writing resonates with dry humor. These well-tuned pieces are entertaining and insightful.

Once again in an effort to be humourous about the foibles of America, an author has dragged out the tired and predictable. It's not that this work isn't occasionaly amusing, it's simply that the writing is stale and formulaic. Perhaps it's a function of his radio persona, writing to fill a certain time slot, but each essay has precisely the same rhythm and pace. It's like repetitively humming the same tune; it's tiresome at best. As for substance, Bill Bryson and many others got there first in contemporary times, and Mr. Bouchier is certainly no H.L. Mencken. The former is a pale imitation of the latter with respect to incisive observation and is vastly Mencken's inferior regarding the bon mot. I'd borrow this and other works of the author's from the library; I certainly don't recommend owning them.

I finished this book in just a few hours. I couldn't put it down. It is the story of Leslie who had just had a miscarriage and begins to remember things from her past yet is forgetting present day names and feelings. Leslie finds a story about a little girl that was kidnapped when she was 5 years old and the more she delves into the story the more similarities she finds in her own vague life.

She visits the "Aunt" who raised her and gets some answers somewhat and ends up going to meet this family that she believes may be hers. She is now 30 years old with a life in Florida but travels to Conneticut to get answers and hopefully find out if this could be her family or if she just wants it so badly has imagined it so.

This is a haunting story of lies and maistakes made by every day people and discovering what love and family really represents.

Loved this book!

This book was marked as "suspense" by the library and several other places have also insinuated that this is a suspenseful story. I don't know why.

The book starts out shortly after Leslie has a miscarriage. A mishap with anesthesia causes her memory to be poor. She discovers an article about a little girl that was kidnapped 25 years ago and she's convinced it is her.

She finds the family and tries to make herself a part of their lives.

Okay, the storyline was interesting, but I'm not sure why some elements were thrown in. For instance, her miscarriage is fairly important, but her sudden memory problems were not at all relevant. At no point in time did I believe she even remotely had a memory problem and the fact was just thrown out at me time and time again only until it was no longer a convenient excuse for the author to explain Leslie's weirdness.

And suspense? Don't get me started. I figured out the ending after Part One. The plot was entirely too predictable and the characters completely lacked emotion or conviction.

I wouldn't classify this as a bad book, but there are too many flaws in it for me to say it was good.

Recovering from a miscarriage, Florida reporter Leslie Austin starts recalling people and places that seem so real yet has no seeming link to her. Feeling haunted by the strange fleeting memories, Leslie becomes shook to her core when she reads a wire story on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the unsolved Connecticut abduction of three years old Ruth Eden.

Leslie begins questioning why she remembers nothing before her fifth birthday and why she has no photos of her pre-school self or for that matter her parents whom her Aunt Flo and Uncle Mac insisted were dead. Leslie confronts her widowed aunt who reluctantly confesses that her mentally ill brother abducted a young child and gave the girl to them to raise. Believing she must be Ruth Eden, Leslie locates her biological father who explains that he believed her mother cheated on him so he sexually assaulted her. When Ruth was born, her mother went into a deep depression that turned worse when the child was kidnapped. Leslie wonders who is her dad?

Though the mystery of who is Leslie is well written and will hook the audience, the theme of VOICES is much deeper as the audience receives a powerful character study focusing on Leslie whose life is based on an initial lie. The prime protagonist knows that she was raised in love by her "aunt" and "uncle", but upon learning how the hiding of her past sent her down a different path, she forsakes her trust in people. Janice Law is at her best in this tale in which the first domino is ignored with the push starting at the second tile.

Harriet Klausner

Another excellent work by Janice Law that will surely delight her legion of fans. Oddly enough, this was Law's first book, written before The Big Payoff (Houghton Mifflin; now available through iuniverse) was published in 1976. It sat in the author's drawer until Forge Press got fine reviews for what may still stand as the author's best work, The Lost Diaries of Iris Weed (Forge), and as is with such things, all of a sudden Law had a buyer.

Continuing the author's fascination with memory and "quiet" cases -- such as the disappearance The Night Bus (Forge) was based upon -- this is a thriller that slowly builds to a tight crescendo. Don't look for bold thrills or techno-angst; this story, like many that take place in Law's novels, is one that delights in its subtlety and suckers the reader in until the awful truth is finally revealed.

Small details will delight knowing Law fans: As some know, she went to college in Syracuse, NY in the 1960s and of course makes her current home in rural Connecticut (she is a professor at the University of Connecticut, though Googlers should be told that "Janice Law" is something of a wry nom de plume) where a number of her books have been set.

After reading this book I was so greatful for the excellent care hospitals now give.I am also thankful for all this family has done.

It is an excellent resource which can help us all to deal with the difficulties of life and use them to create a better world where the wounded are cared for with heart, not just hands.

I read with intererst the story of the Del Buono family as they fought for services for their son/brother. Barbara obviously has tremendous faith courage and strength. Her husband and children, esp. Mary, are also amazing. As the mother of a brain injured son I also am caught in the maze of TBI--and it is not pretty. Barbara has done a good job describing nursing home situations. Even though Nick's nursing home experience was years ago conditions in these homes, at least in Indiana, for TBI survivors has not changed enough. Reading this book has helped give me the strength to continue to fight for services for my TBI son.

A book mixing a variety of topics on the hot subject of child labor, it combines all the right elements to attract the reader. Though the lengh of the book is a little long its great ideas and intriguing subject keep you reading. This is an enjoyable book to read on a lazy day.

This book contains information about numerous human rights concerns from all around the world. In addition, it contains numerous articles and many documents. It is a wonderful research took that can be used by persons first learning about human rights, as well as by those persons who are working on post-undergraduate degrees

This is a really good human rights textbook. It covers a wide range of human rights issues, and has a lot of interesting articles. However I found some of the chapters rather difficult because of the legal jargon. Some of the things you have to read over more than once. The questions in the text focus on your personal opinions, so doing homework from this book is not so bad once you understand the questions (which for my slow brain was a challenge.) It is also very useful as a doorstop. :)

I have the particular distinction of actually being <I>part</I> of this Congregation. I was here when Gary was with us, and knew him (still do) as a friend. I LOVED this book, and am re-reading it again as I type this. He not only portrayed the life of our congregation very truly, he wove in his own story, something I'm sure he didn't anticipate happening. It's fun to read again, as I remember things that happened back when he was here, and I wish he could write a follow-up. :-)

Thank you for a wonderful Book, Gary!!

Honest appraisal of historic Congregational church.
October 1, 2001
Pastor, George W. Fisk, St. Joseph, MI

Gary Dorsey, professional writer, seeking to write a "different book" chose to spend a year with a New England Congregational church whose history dates back to 1630. "How I wondered could Van (the senior pastor) lead an authentic spiritual journey in a place where the rehearsal and preparation for any event could no longer be separated, even by death or miracles, from the steady downpour of timebound courtesy and customs? How could he continue to promise growth if the congregation kept getting mired in the sucking mud of church politics and bad theology? Worship-making wore on and on like a particularly vile brand of Protestant water torture." Although too frequent committee meetings with time consuming discussions drained the pastor's spiritual resources, nevertheless at other times he would encounter unexpected moments of great depth. "Just a few weeks ago a devoted member, had fallen down a set of stairs and broken his hip. He was getting his affairs in order as he lay dying. Van stayed only for a short while, but before he left the bedside, the old fellow touched his hand and blessed him with the benediction. What had he done to deserve that?" The author provides abundant humorous relief with accounts such as: "Dick McCarthy filled in for Fran by playing solo piano at Sunday morning services. Unlike the formal, liturgically correct pieces chosen by Francis Angelo, Dick McCarthy's relaxed repertoire masked a capricious jazz style. Slowing rhythms to a meditative pulse and draping cloudy flourishes around melodic lines, he played "Old Man River," Mack the Knife," and "I Did It My Way" all summer without anyone noticing.'

From the signs in and about the church the congregation seemed to be more interested in their history than their religion. At the end of the year with the church the author concludes, though sometimes shallow, nevertheless heroic depth and heart can be found in the two pastors and congregation.

Stepping inside the cultural icon of an establishment congregation, Dorsey offers a clear-eyed, unsentimental story of clergy who practice faith as a profession and members whose lives are changed by their evolving faith. What begins as a documentary becomes a story that wraps the author into its own telling. If you've ever been a religious skeptic, Dorsey's careful journalistic discipline will comfort your appreciation of an objective accounting of the people in the congregation, their possible motives, their habits, decisions, attitudes, and the consequences of their thoughts. Likewise, if you have ever become aware of your own faith journey, Dorsey's keen-edged portrait of his own emerging search will drive the story in your direction. Skeptic or believer, the level of writing matches the complexity of story and the observer's growing relationship with the subjects. I kept holding my breat, waiting for Dorsey to take easy shots at the vulnerable or to become squishy about acting on one's faith. That never happened. But what is a breath of fresh air is Dorsey's willingness to drop an easy skepticism and do the hard work of real reporting. If you've ever been a member of a congregation of any denomination or faith, this book will ring true to you. Don't be surprised if you pass it on to friends!

Let's face it, Connecticut has probably more celebrities per capita than most states with their population of over 3 million. In this story, Peter Reilly is accused of the horrible crime of matricide and rape of his own mother, quirky and eccentric Barbara Gibbons. I knew right away from reading the book that Peter had nothing to do with this crime. The crime was having him go with the police for questioning which had him take a lie detector tests and answer questions that would implicate himself. Sadly, Peter never got an attorney or knew enough at such a young age to get assistance and representation. I believe the case remains unsolved after 34 years. The author does provide transcripts regarding the police's questioning of Peter who lost his mother who was the only parent that he had ever known and that they lived in a shack in small town Connecticut. There was never anything in his behavior to alleged that he committed this crime but yet was found guilty of murdering his mother who raised him with love even though their lifestyle represented the Beales of the Hamptons. they lived quite well together. the police never let him mourn his own mother's death. He thought she was just sick not dead and the house was not closed off as soon as possible. I would give the book five stars but there are no pictures of the people involved like the victim and her son, Peter Reilly. The author does her job in persuading the reader that the police were framing an innocent young man. In fact, she has William Styron to write the introduction and contacted celebrities like author/playwright Arthur Miller, Mike Nichols, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward and other famous residents of this state to help in Peter's defense. it was a case that should have never went to trial and somewhere there is a murderer who got away with killing Barbara and destroying the life of a young man.

Mr. Gartner has written an excellent review of this book and because of it, I HAD to read this book.

This was an amazing work by Ms. Barthel. It is very true about what the previous reviewer wrote about this book. The other thing that kept going through my mind was this, "It's really awful that DNA testing was not yet available during this time." This would have cleared up Peter's innocence as well as there was remnants of the killer on his mother's body.

I was impressed at the rally of support Peter had, including the famous playwright, Arthur Miller, and reknowned director Mike Nichols, among many other well known people.

What a terrible, horrific experience this must have been for Peter to live through! The author really lets you know the emotions and feelings of Peter, even though at times it doesn't seem like he doesn't have any, but he certainly did. The poor boy had to be in shock more than anything; not only of his mother's death but the first general outcome of his trial.

My heart goes out to Peter Reilly wherever he is today. Mr Reilly, you are to be commended for surviving through this ordeal!

On September 28, 1973, 51 year old Barbara Gibbons, the quirky and eccentric mother of 17 year old Peter Reilly, was murdered in Canaan (a.k.a. Falls Village), Connecticut. State troopers arrived on the scene and immediately seized on Peter as the suspect in the killing. What followed was a three year journey through the Connecticut judicial system finally ending in his exoneration. In between, however, in a show of grass roots support, friends and neighbors rallied to his defense and formed the Peter Reilly Defense fund.

Joan Barthel was a freelance writer who became intimately involved with the group trying to free Peter as well as attending virtually every day of the pre- and post-trial hearings as well as the trial itself. Her excellent book is less an investigative inquiry and more of a journalistic look into the day to day events in the Peter Reilly case yet this does not detract in any way from it. He may have been considered "a man" by the state of Connecticut, but Ms. Barthel clearly shows that he is caught in that area between adolescence and adulthood.

There are plenty of heroes and villains in this book and the heroes are clearly the people, the well-known and the ordinary, who came to Peter Reilly's aid. Among the villains are the three Connecticut State Troopers, Shay, Kelly and Mulhern, who took one look at Peter and decided he was `from the wrong side of the tracks' and assumed he must have killed his mother. Like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, they decided to make the case fit him. The most powerful part of Ms. Barthel's book is the actual transcripts of the twenty-five hours that Peter Reilly was kept in police custody. It has to be read to be believed. Although he was read his rights four times, he was clearly brainwashed into admitting his guilt even as he kept insisting he was not totally sure he did it. When he asked to have that statement placed in his written confession, the troopers agreed and then ignored his request. One of the most bizarre moments comes at the end of the questioning when State Trooper Kelly engages Peter in a macabre game of twenty questions because he is trying to elicit `one more detail.' Had the questioning continued, he could have gotten Peter to admit to raping his mother as well.

This book should serve as a cautionary tale to anyone who finds himself or herself in custody. All you need to utter is four little words that will send fear into the hearts of police and prosecutors alike: I WANT A LAWYER. If one of these police officers had had the good sense to see Peter Reilly as the all too trusting teenager that he was and advised him to contact a lawyer, everything here could have been avoided.

Huck Finn, I could take or leave. Conn Yankee is among my favorit e classics. Joan of Arc---better than other interpretations of
warrior women. I recommend this collection and "Damsel in the Rough" by Ann M. Tempesta.

This collection contains my 2 childhood and all-time Twain favorites - Prince & Pauper, and Connecticut Yankee - and added the magical ingredient of a historical romance I never knew Twain had written - Joan of Arc. Now that I have read this as well, I see that it may be even better than the other two!

The wry sense of humor characteristic of Twain definitely is most in evidence in CT Yankee. All 3 of these works deliver Twain's wide understanding of human nature in different times and sociological conditions, and his admiration of human nobility and greatness of heart in adversity. Joan of Arc unquestionably is the most inspiring of these tales, being the story of the greatest hero (or heroine). The Prince and the Pauper, however, remains a jewel of an adventure story, which any child can identify with, and learn from.

It is a collection to keep forever, and re-read frequently.

for fans who wish there were another Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer, you will find Mark Twain's 'joan of arc' just as beautifully written as his more famous 'prince an the pauper' and 'connecticut yankee'. for catholics, 'joan of arc' is even more of a must read, a stunning proof how this great saint has captured the hearts of so many, regardless of their skepticism or creed. Library of America editions are beautifully bound, lightweight, and readable. here they contain the two most famous of his non-mississippi writings with a gem most of us never knew existed. a keepsake for the decades.

This 26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE series is real crossover material. That is, I think it's great reading for children of ALL ages. Of the three, ON MY WAY may be my favorite. The first chapter is suspenseful and frightening and the last chapter is schoolboy triumphant. DePaola continues to create some extraordinary work. THE CLOWN OF GOD is a masterpiece. NANA UPSTAIRS & NANA DOWNSTAIRS touches the soul and heart. The 26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE series affirms that WE ALL have stories to tell. The BARKERS series is fresh and fun. DePaola may have published a few klinkers along the way but, he's mostly on target especially with ON MY WAY.

On My Way is another fun adventure in the 26 Fairmount Avenue series. The book starts out on a somber note when Tomie's sister becomes very ill, but the story becomes more upbeat from there. Once again Tomie has many adventures, including becoming an actor in a play (to rave reviews), going to the World's Fair in New York City, and paving the family's new driveway. Young Tomie is an insightful boy, and his thoughts and ideas are always enjoyable to the reader. Once again, Tomie dePaola's artwork fits the story perfectly. I would recommend this book to younger readers and adults, as both will be able to find similarities in their own lives to life of young Tomie dePaola. I am eagerly anticipating the next book in the 26 Fairmount Avenue series.

Tomie DePaola is back with the third book of his autobiographical series and this installment is just as warm and wonderful as his two previous books, 26 Fairmount Avenue and Here We All Are. This story takes a look at life for a few months in 1940 and is highlighted by baby sister Maureen's frightening bout of pneumonia, Tomie's first dance recital, a family visit to the 1939 New York World's Fair and the thrill of finally entering first grade, learning to read and getting his first library card. Told in a gentle conversational tone, On My Way lets youngsters go back in time and "spy" on the day to day ups and downs of the extended DePaolo family. Life may have been somewhat different and simpler sixty years ago, but what kids will really come to realize and understand is how much life, today, is the same as it was then. For Mr DePaolo, writing these, 26 Fairmount Avenue books is very much a labor of love and it shows on each and every inspired page. Perfect reading for youngsters 7-11, and even better as a family read aloud book, On My Way is a treasure, told with great insight, wisdom, humor and love.

This fine book held me in its grip from beginning to end. The writing is unobtrusive and I was lost in the lives of the characters, until I realised that something unexpected and subtle was being achieved: an examination of the fine line between love and decency, and the unacknowledged capacity for harm in us.

In the book The River Road by Karen Osborn, Kevin, a father says, "You think you know people, but when something like this happens, you really don't know anyone at all." Surely this new book by Karen Osborn clearly and unfortunately illustrates this point all too well.

The River Road, told from the point of view of the three main characters, immerses readers in the story of two brothers who are in love with their neighbor Kay. Friends since Kay moved into this rural Connecticut area, David and Kay become lovers during college leaving Michael out of their customary threesome. As younger children, the three of them played childhood games and survived the angst filled world of high school in part because of their strong ties to one another. But then a tragedy occurs leaving parents and these young adults to wonder what went wrong and what really happened. As the remainder of the book attempts to unravel the mystery and what led up to this tragedy, readers have a front row seat as family and friends become accusatory and introspective, The book, told partially through flashbacks culminates in an ending which depicts how individuals suffer after a tragedy and the indomitable spirit to survive and love again. Certainly for those who enjoyed The Pact by Jodi Picoult concerning teenage suicide, this book will serve as a comparison to the repercussions that can occur when young adults fall in love.

Previous to reading The River Road, I read Karen Osborn's second book, Between Earth and Sky, that was set in the late 1800's in New Mexico. Told in the form of letters by a woman pioneer to her family in Virginia, Osborn presents strong women characters and wonderful descriptions of the land. While she does an equally fine job in this book of describing the characters and description of rural Connecticut, The River Road is a much sadder and more intense book in comparison. One can only wonder how life can spiral so badly out of control for something like this to happen.

Kay Richards and brothers, David and Michael Sanderson have been friends since childhood. But one tragic night changes not only their lives, but the lives of their families and even the town they live in.

In one careless moment, a life is lost and nothing will ever be the same.

We get all sides of the story as it unfolds in alternating chapters told by Kay, Michael and Kevin (the boy's father). They all loved David and his death affects each in different ways. What first looks like an accident takes an unexpected turn and there's a police investigation and then a trial.

The verdict is riveting and so is this well written book.

In Crandall, Connecticut the Ehrlich family leads such a perfect American existence they even become featured in an issue of Southern Connecticut Life magazine. Libby owns and runs an antique business. Her spouse Peter is a highly regarded cardiac surgeon at Crandall General Hospital. They have two teenage daughters, sixteen years old Claudia and thirteen years old Ellery, who seem happy and are doing well.

However, their perfect lifestyle shatters when the parents return from a trip abroad to learn that their younger daughter is carrying the baby of the boyfriend of her older sister. All four Ehrlichs are forced to look closely at the relationships with one another and as a family because if Southern Connecticut Life magazine did a feature today they would find a shattered dysfunctional family leading the perfect American nightmare.

TWO DAUGHTERS is a look at how an event can destroy trust, commitment, and caring in what seemed like a devoted group. However, the problem with the story line is that Marlene Fanta Shyer tries to focus on too many major issues that could each stand on their own as the prime theme. Alcoholism or teenage pregnancy easily could have served as the key focus, but by using a shallow glance at each element, Ms. Shyer's novel fails to grip the audience. Libby's first hand account at times can be intriguing, but never quite pulls the audience into the deep emotional trench that the characters find almost impossible to escape.

Harriet Klausner

In this family saga we find the "perfect" family of Dr. Peter Ehrlich is the envy of everyone who knew them and as the unpredictable story unravels we find out that they have quite a few family secrets unknwown to outsiders.....Dr. Ehrlich is a prominent cardiologist and his wife, Libby has her own antique business in a small Connecticut town......The oldest daughter, 16 yr. old Claudia is a beautiful, bright girl, but does not always make the best choices in boyfriends. Her 13 yr. old sister, Ellery, not as pretty and not as bright, tries to grow up too fast because she envies her sister.....The secrets in this "perfect" family threatens to tear them apart and when the most outrages thing happens it throws them into turmoil....In the process of trying to correct things they lose friends, but Libby is the one, in the end, who pulls her family through, but not before the "secrets" are out in the open for everyone to know.... I belive that we are all human and do not always make the correct choices in our lives, but our families, in the end, can be great strengths to us and gives us the courage to change.......Good book.

This book really kept me turning the pages. I took it with me on vacation and it really enriched my trip. I couldn't wait to get back to my hotel room every night to read another chapter. I love books about contemporary family life and this one was not only well written, but it was unpredictable, full of twists and turns, and the characters really came to life. I absolutely loved it!