Women Books

Country Girl is an awe-inspiring tale told powerfully with little words, and only nine pages. The impact of the story however, will last a lifetime. Molly P holds on to her family values, her courage and her beliefs and still manages to dream the dream, and go for it. Lana Ho-Shing
is a powerful wordsmith whose tale is almost sung as it plays out before your mind's eye. The contrast between the two worlds is something most of us can relate to, whether we are city people, or country folk. Impressive, encompassing the very soul of human nature.

Back in the mid nineties, we visited Jamaica on vacation and I found the whole island beautiful and the people a joy. We visited small villages and met people selling their wares as we traveled around the Island on day trips. This was an experience I shall never forget. Reading this wonderful story of love and hope with the dream of a better life has it all. Ms Lana M. Ho-Shing is a definite story teller. I would really love to see more stories from this author.

Reviewed by Vickie, ( Tory Lynn author of "My Charming Protector")

Who'd a thought a cow in ribbons could be such a pivotal character in a wonderful read such as Country Girl?

Lana M Ho-Shing brings her readers into the country and down to market so easily that you can just hear the Jamaican accents as you read this heart-warming, edifying tale from the country.

Thoroughly enjoyable, down to the very last word.

This story celebrates the courage [and imagination!] of a young woman of African and mixed cultural descent enduring the loneliness and heartache as she emigrates from her beloved Jamaica to what she no doubt hopes will be a life of better economic opportunity in the United States.

The story flows from scene to scene as she draws upon the rich family heritage of her people to get over those dark and lonely nights inevitably following days of struggle to get a foothold in this strange, fast and often unfriendly place that represents not only a better future economically for herself but also her people back home.

Ms. Ho-shing not only tells a free-standing tale of inspiration and guts, she effortlessly in the process educates us in the cultural strength possessed by the family of this Jamaican "country girl", with priceless glimpses into their religious and philosophical outlook, an outlook that gives her what she needs to take on New York City and win!

I also commend Ms. Ho-shing for introducing us in crisp, well-paced dialogue to the sonorous island patois of her people, making "Country Girl" a literary feast for the "ear" as well as the heart, soul and mind. I wish "Country Girl" a wide distribution and Ms. Ho-shing a long and successful career as a creative writer. In organization, content and style I would describe her talent as beyond promising. She is there!
Belladonna and How I Became A Godman come well recommended. ATH

Asa Hensley is a tenured Associate Professor of English in the Michigan University System.

What a fantastic piece penned by Lana M. Ho-Shing. I loved the dialect, though I have to confess it did slow my reading down as I tried to get into the Jamaican rhythms and patterns of speech. It often takes a while when I read Huckleberry Finn for the first time in a long time as well, so Ms. Lana shouldn't take this as criticism - it is not.

A simple story, yet one based on very basic humanities, Country Girl is heart-warming, faith-building, and I am absolutely taken by the line from the story I used as title for this review. Everyone should read this!

This book is not *just* about Hollywood Royalty from the 30's and 40's , although her whole family hails from that golden era. It's not *just* about love affairs with Rock and Roll Legends, but you will find kisses from the likes of Denny Laine( Moody Blues & Wings) & father of her son), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones),and Jackson Browne have graced her lips. She counts Roger Daltrey (The Who),Pamela DesBarres,Patti D'arbanville amoung her closest friends.

However..This is NOT a book of casual name dropping. This is a memoir of a turbulent childhood, a peek at the demons that she faced,and the many legions of angels who have come to her rescue.

Catherine James takes you on a journey that is simply amazing. For those who don't "like to read", this book is SUCH an easy read. It's like sitting down with her and listening to her chat with you.

Catherine comes full circle and I enjoyed every single minute of it.
I look forward to the sequel.. and Catherine? maybe Diane Keaton can play YOUR double in the film version? :)

Pattie xo

Catherine James is a inspiring,loving,inovative spirit. She over came all the obsticals that life tossed at her and came out a true winner. I wish her the best in what ever she does.

This is my first book review and I decided to write a little something because this book made me feel so happy, and I think it will make someone else happy too.I have been reading many books on LA rock early 1970's, and then I came upon this little TREASURE. It captured me immediately, and I really hope that Catherine will write another book, because she brought joy to me, and through the thick and thin she remained spiritual and asked and she received! I think this book gives more than just insight to the wonderful days of English rock stars and American poets (which is what intrigued me in the first place), it is inspiring and gives you courage to see the good in any situation.I hope you pick it up, you may just want to read it again and again.

Can you imagine a fictional story about a woman who marries a man who she knows is a closet transvestite, then discovers that her estranged father, who was a macho race car driver, has also turned into a closet transvestite and then into a transsexual? And how about the glamous but psychotic and perennially drugged wife of this race car driver who routinely feeds her children only rotting food laced with tabasco sauce and treats them sadistically in so many other ways, in her Beverly Hills home. Can you then imagine that the paternal aunt of this woman was a Miss American runner up and a Zeigfield girl who couldn't keep a string of husbands for more than 2 years each, and ends up making a dependent impotent alcoholic mama's boy of her son, as the only constant male in her life. An impossibly contrived plot, right? Well, once again, reality is more unbelievable than fiction, according to the author, Catherine James. This is quite a readible account of a bizarrely improbable life, with a very twisted start, but then with a series of mentors related to the pop music business, who gave her a shot at a more normal life.
I would have liked some thoughts on what might have caused her mother to be the extreme monster reported. Apparently, she had beauty as well as many talents, including being a compulsive cat burglar. But this was a wasted drugged life, in which she regularly dished out sadism and jealousy toward everyone. Was she probably just born to be such a monster, or were there events in her young life that soured her attitute toward others? Surely, Catherine could have absorbed some evidence from her grandmother. In a similar vein, perhaps she could have offered some explanation for her father's transformation from a macho race car driver into a transsexual. Nor does she offer(as I did above) a plausible explanation for her aunt Claire making a disfunctional mama's boy out of her son Blake.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I have not seen it in my local bookstore as of yet. It is an extremely moving book (especially the end).I had taken an interest in her story after I had read another book with an excerpt about her in it. I truly was not dissappointed with this read.

"Daughter of China" is a very realistic book about the persecution of Christians in China. Throughout this story, the main character, Kwan Mei Lin, goes through prisons and orphanages, seeing and feeling the horrors of each. The reader of this book will go along with her, cry when she cries, see what she seees, and be touched by what touches her. "Daughter of China" is a very powerful book; so don't think you can read it without thinking about it for weeks afterwards. Yet it is a book that every person who calls him/herself a Christian should read. This book will encourage you to live closer to God.

This was an excellent book and I recommend it to all who love to read. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

WONDERFUL BOOK, with a great true story, about what life is really like for Christians in China.

A GREAT reminder to pray for the believers in countries that are against Christianity!

I couldn't put Daughter of China down. It grabbed me from the first page. Miss Flinchbaugh has used fiction to bring to us the heartbreaking conditions that the Church endures in other countries. She also brings to light the distressing treatment of female children and Chinas one child mandate.
Daughter of China is a wonderful first novel and will by turns cause you to cry and also praise God for what He is doing. So grab a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy.

THIS IS A WONDERFULLY WRITTEN BOOK. I'M THE MOM OF 4 CHINESE DAUGHTERS AND ALTHOUGH THIS BOOK IS FICTION, IT IS BASED ON THE REALITIES OF REAL LIFE IN CHINA. THE BOOK TOUCHES ON THE ONE CHILD POLICY AND THE ONGOING CHINESE CULTURE THAT STILL REVERES THEIR BOYS OVER GIRLS. THE GOVERNMENT ALSO CONTINUES TO PERSECUTE THE CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS SO THEY MEET IN UNDERGROUND CHURCHS ALL OVER CHINA. THE AUTHOR PULLS IT ALL TOGETHER IN THE END FOR A MARVELOUS, MIRACLE ENDING! MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BOX OF TISSUES HANDY!

Anne Cameron's account of Native Americans of early Vancouver Island is beautifully written and combines history of the area with Native American lore. Most of us are ignorant of that lovely island and it's history before the Europeans arrived.
I learned a lot and enjoyed the writing. I read Daughters of Copper Woman for a graduate religion class and was very impressed.

This is a story that will touch your heart and you will never be the same.

This is a story that will touch your heart and you will never be the same.

This is a story that will touch your heart and you will never be the same.

A great book, it has more than just mythology. The stories show how we are all one people of different tribes.

Essie Spreckelmeyer is the last woman anyone in Corsicana, Texas, expected to see with a man on her arm. Independent and outspoken, she's known more for riding bicycles in outrageous bloomers than for catching a man's eye.

And the last man who seems willing to give her a second glance is Tony Morgan, newly hired at Spreckelmeyer's oil company. The disinherited son of an oil baron, Tony wants most to restore his name and regain his lost fortune --- not lose his heart to this headstrong blonde. She confounds, contradicts, and confuses him. Sometimes he doesn't know if she's driving him toward the aisle or the end of his rope.

That's how life is... DEEP IN THE HEART OF TROUBLE.

Essie Spreckelmeyer, the town's spinster, has a reputation as a forward thinking woman; she's president of the Velocipede Club, has appeared in the newspaper, runs her father's oil company and has the audacity to wear bloomers. When Tony Morgan comes to town, he's not overjoyed about having a woman boss, yet she intrigues him on a personal level. Essie refuses to have a relationship with one of her employees, but Tony eventually wins her over. Each has a secret that could destroy their relationship. When a murder and a lynch mop are interjected, anything can happen in the small town of Corsicana, Texas.

I thought this book was a wonderful conclusion to Essie's story! While I didn't think there was as much humor in this book as there was in the last one (or in her first two novels), I did still find myself laughing in a few places. The other characters in the story were portrayed beautifully, especially Mrs. Lockhart with her romantic novels. :o) Also, there was a bit of a twist at the end that I did not see coming. Part of me almost wishes there was another book about this wonderful town in the works!! I'd love to read about Anna Morgan....but sadly, I think we've heard the last from the town of Corsicana.

This is the follow-up to "Courting Trouble" and it does an excellent job of taking us further into the lives of those living in Corsicana, Texas. I enjoy Deeanne's writing style as it is fun and swift and the settings are a hoot. The characters are so eccentric that you just want to move down to Corsicana and settle down with everyone. Of course, that is impossible as it is historical fiction and set back in time before cars freely roamed the streets. But still... you catch what I mean.

Deeanne is not afraid to push the envelope and I feel it necessary to let you know that. In a way I find that very admirable, but it will make some people uncomfortable. It is not as obvious in this book as it is in "Courting Trouble", but the consequences of what happened in that 1st book are dealt with in this book. I enjoyed it but I do want you to be aware that even in that day and time she touches on some heavy issues.

All in all I do like her writing style though and I would recommend this book.

I am a big fan of Deeanne Gist's writing, but I was sorely disappointed by her third book, "Courting Trouble." I still can't quite exactly put my finger on why; it had a wonderfully unique plot with vivid descriptions of the time period, and lively characters. I think my problem with the novel may have been that I wasn't wild about the main character, Essie. Despite her outgoing personality and her attitude that she can do most anything she wants even though she's a woman, I found her to be a bit too simpering and naïve and she just grated on my nerves. I could have just chalked it up to the time period Essie was set in, but I know that Gist has never let that stop her from creating beautifully multi-dimensional and memorable characters before.

I picked up "Deep in the Heart of Trouble", Gist's fourth novel and the sequel to "Courting Trouble" simply because I believe in Gist as an author, and I didn't want to let the little fact that I am not a fan of her character keep me from enjoying her latest work. I was so pleasantly surprised to find that in the four years that had passed in the storyline between the two books, Essie grew up and became a character that I quickly fell in love with! She had learned a few lessons from her past and became a better, more well-rounded woman for it. I also loved that Gist added a little mysterious twist to the book, which brought along excitement and adventure... I don't want to give away too much, so I won't say anything more about that.

"Deep in the Heart of Trouble" is another wonderful example of how Gist bucks the traditional storyline for Christian Fiction, thus making her novels enjoyable to all readers regardless of their faith. While her characters are still conveying good Christian morals and a redeeming message of God's constant love and benevolence, her works, this book included, fail to be sappy or preachy. They tell tales of love and heartache and humor and joy that just about everyone can relate to and enjoy. This is not your typical novel from a Christian publisher, and I think most of us can whole-heartedly agree that that is a GOOD thing!

Grade: A+

Always celebrated for its beautiful evocative setting in Portofino, THE ENCHANTED APRIL has also to some extent been dismissed as a sentimental trifle. It is not: for all its surface charm, it is also one of the most searching fictional works ever written on the nature of goodness, and its effects upon selfishness and acquisitiveness. Two Hampstead housewives, Rose Arbuthnot and Lottie Hawkins, advertise for two other women to share in the costs so that they may rent an Italian castle for the month of April and escape their loveless lives; when they and the other two women (the dazzling Lady Caroline Dester and the rigid bluestocking Mrs. Fisher) arrive at the spectacularly lovely castle, they begin to discover that not only have their spirits been refreshed but also that their value systems have changed through what amounts to the dispensation of the castle of a kind of secularized grace. Elizabeth von Arnim accomplishes this very probing study of modern British mores through the very subtle and unobtrusive psychological realist use of extended interior monologues. The result is a novel that is not only completely beguiling but actually quite thoughtful. A greatly underappreciated little gem.

In the spirit of the Bronte sisters, this novel delights and entrances. An enjoyable read.

Wonderful! I could read the book and watch the movie over and over! Treat yourself to a vacation in an Italian paradise with real characters and a physical beauty you could reach out and touch. Von Arnim makes this simple plot so magical and warm it makes you want to visit San Salvatore too!

Just got through watching the wonderful movie; not as wonderful as the book, but very good. Have now read this book at least three or four times, and still adore it every time. Has to rank as one of my all-time favorite books. Must rent an Italian castle on the western Mediterranean coast some day. The writing is so witty, and warm, the story so imaginative, the moral so wise. Love is all; just to love, not expecting anything in return. It opens people up. Lotty, Rose, Lady Caroline, and Mrs. Fisher all live in these pages. And the gardens, the flowers, the utter beauty of San Salvatore. The author quite obviously loves flowers. Even the servants are clearly drawn, Francesca and Domenico. Lotty becomes a truly original character. Love, love, love this book!

Well, you've already heard about the story. Just wanted to add that the characters were so real, it was as if I were really there with them. A wonderful turn of events at the end. Caught me off guard. Very enjoyable. Beautiful writing. Now I've got to rent the movie.

By page 8 I was laughing, by page 9 I was teary. By page 87 I was laughing so hard I was crying. This book has ideas and thoughts for everyone from the newlywed to the veterans of marriage. The message is as the author admits delivered very breezily but the message is one that anyone invloved with marriage or partnership should stop and think about. Hugely entertaining, and an eaasy read. Each chapter takes only 5 -10 minutes to read. Put a copy in your car, next time you have to wait somewhere 10 minutes you will be well entertained.

This is the most wise and honest look at love and long term relationships I've ever read. Not only did I give this book as a Valentine's gift to both my mother and my boyfriend's mother, but I've actually typed up essays in it to share with friends via email. I love this book. It is so beautifully written; it brought me to laughter and moved me to tears.

Bring out your tissue box, get ready to LOL. I loved, loved, loved this wonderful book about love lost and found. It is so funny and true, filled with marvelous stories.

I hate trying to accurately review a book like this because it is a very enjoyable read with some great advice for young couples, but should be read with caution. EVERY DAY I LOVE YOU MORE, JUST NOT TODAY, by Nancy Shulins is a very well written book and could serve as a great resource for couples, but could also cause a certain degree of damage.

I say that because, Shulins, for all her brilliance as a writer, allows her obvious somewhat angry feminist side to surface in her work. It seems every few chapters, Shulins is unable to contain herself and partakes in a good dose of "male bashing", that detracts greatly from an otherwise excellent book. Don't get me wrong, I'm the first to admit that we men have far more shortcomings than any our over-inflated egos will allow us to admit, and I'm sure Shulins transgressions upon the male gender was not written to cause harm, I'm afraid doey eyed young brides might mistake her assaults and use them to actually do harm to their otherwise unblemished view of their respective `knights in shining armor'.

These likely innocent assaults seem rather out of context for a book seeking to strengthen marriages. I have seen many an enamored young bride succumb to the peer pressure placed upon them by their friends who take solace in getting together for an occasional husband-bashing orgy. The young bride is easily influenced and soon finds herself damaging her marriage because she thinks public degradation of her spouse is not only appropriate, but also expected! This is the kind of coaching young brides don't need, and certainly not from a book designed to enhance the marriage.

I must emphasize, however, this is an otherwise great book. There is some wonderful advice here for young couples, just please try and overlook, or at least not take out of context, the damaging assaults.

"Every Day I Love You More (just not today)" is a collection of essays about Nancy Shulins' marriage (and those of her family and friends) that demonstrates lessons in loving one partner for life. Right away, you feel drawn in by the essays, as if you're reading the juicy diary of a friend. You're also aware you're learning something from this friend - a very wise one with secrets to share and advice that is enlightening - but never preachy. You're laughing and nodding your head in mute agreement and wondering if the author has been spying on your own marriage and you're thinking, "Why didn't I think of that?" when Shulins suggests ideas that strike you as profoundly life and marital changing.

Each vignette in this perfectly sized volume highlights a different aspect of married life, from first date to the ultimate, joyful realization that you and your partner will be together for life. I gleaned much from this book: how to call back that "first date" feeling, when to accept that which you cannot change about a partner, how to look for the special, unexpected moments that appear everyday in a marriage and how to deal with the force of incompatibility, happily.

I bought an extra copy of this book for a friend because my husband is now reading "Every Day I Love You More (just not today)". This is the first book my husband and I have ever shared; the book is working its magic already.

Are you curious about the life of Carrie Bradshaw before she became the successful columnist with a penchant for designer clothes and $450 shoes? If you answered "Yes!" then you need to read this book. The story of Reality Nirvana Tuttle is, without a doubt, an unintended pre-quel to Sex and the City.

Ignore what the woman from Library Journal has to say! I'm certain that she's the wrong demographic to understand the social relevance of this story. Fabulous Nobodies is funny, earnest, so very New York City in the late 1980s, and, for those of us who were in our 20s during that time, a wonderfully fun trip down memory lane. If you can remember when in was possible to rent an apartment in alphabet city for $350 month and have a tub in your kitchen then you'll appreciate this story. If you can remember scouring Goodwill, Sal's Boutique, and vintage clothing shops with your meager earnings from a club, record store, or underground publication then you'll appreciate this story. If you can remember life before the internet and came of age at a time when local fanzines and arts newspapers were the ruling social arbiters then you'll appreciate this story.

Lee Tulloch's book is a completely captivating snapshot of a place, time, and people who no longer exist except in our scrapbooks and collected memorabilia.

Twentyish Reality Nirvana Tuttle determines who can enter the Less is More Manhattan nightclub though no one, not even she, knows her conditions, which change almost on a whim, but that impulse is inside her brain. It might be an outfit that was in a half hour ago but seems so ancient at this moment. Reality is a pro at what she does as fool "doorwhores'' can match her skill at picking the trendy and tossing the has-beens and wanabees to the street.

However, Reality faces reality when it comes to her one ambition in life as so far she has failed to achieve her goal. She desperately wants to be featured in Hugo Falks' weekly gossip column in Frenzie as a hip woman of power on the move. She enlists her friends, Perfect Woman editor Phoebe, transvestite Geoffrey, and his dog Cristobal Balenciaga to cause a scandal that will turn her from almost famous to famous.

This reprint still retains its sharp acerbic lampoon of the jet set who needs to obtain fame even if it only for fifteen minutes. Reality is a terrific protagonist whose obsession becomes her reality, but never interferes with her selection of who's in and who's polar. Celebrity status takes a beating as Lee Tulloch's satire rips into the cost and inane need to become a known "personality".

Harriet Klausner

Hilarious homage to clothing and finding THE perfect outfit. Reality "Really" Tuttle was born in the late 60's, so if you are in the same genre as myself, you will definitely appreciate references to ghastly 80's attire that she despises as well as the detailed descriptions of her frocks. ...

The writing is masterful, the characters are alive, the story has a compelling mythical power, it should've won a pulitzer. It is wonderful and splendid and shall never perish. It has a deep, soulful message. It has an archetypal power, it shall become a classic. It could be the basis of a great Broadway musical, and we know they are not making great musicals nowadays. Just as My Fair Lady is a great musical, but still consider it now still a Pygmalion. I imagine a animated chorus line of frocks, inhabitated by many the great fashion icons. I would die to see that musical.

Before Bridget Jones, Sex and the City, or Shopaholic, there was Lee Tulloch's "Fabulous Nobodies."

Lee Tulloch was once the editor of Australian Vogue, and she puts her knowledge of fashion and the whole fashion glam scene to hysterically funny use in this little novel. The book opens with a hilarious narrative about the main character's nails of all things.

It's been years since I read Fabulous Nobodies, but it's a definite stand-out in a genre that didn't exist when the book was published in the early 90s. If you're in your 20s, a slave to fashion, any or all of the above, you've got to read this book. You can finish it in a day and you'll spend most of the time laughing at the antics of the main character and her crew. Our 20s are a great time of life (if only in retrospect), because we're no longer teenagers but not quite mature enough to be adults, so there's much goofing off, goofing around, and goofing up to learn from (or at least laugh about). Fabulous Nobodies is filled with all three. Don't miss this one.

From December 1947 until June 1951 while I was a student at SUNY - Albany, I worked and lived at the Albany Home for Children as one of several Assistant Activities Directors. A week ago while googling "Albany Home", I came across this book and started reading it to learn more about what has happened at the home since I left. It didn't take long for me to become absorbed in the major thrust of the book as described by previous reviewers - especially Virginia Mathers. "The heartfelt story she tells of her love for her mother is so poignant that at some points it is almost painful to read - her emotions are so raw and real. The other part of the story is Ms. Carswell's amazing candor as she describes her own problems and obsessions which haunted her throughout a majority of her life. The fact that she has perservered and become a major literary success is a tribute to her strength of character."

I actually couldn't put the book down.

Although it was a minor part of the book, Ms. Carswell's descriptions of life at the home, both from her own experiences and Bob Wygant's, was right on. In fact, I learned more about the purpose and mission of the home by reading the book than I did while I was there.

I'm glad that she got to meet my boss, friend, protector, and straight shooter - Coach Huddleston.

Read this book!

Sue's father is the Director of a home for disturbed children. It's interesting the expertise and wisdom that he can give to other troubled children, but when it comes to his own daughter, he's in denial. Very candid and extremely well written.

Sue Carswell's astonishing, spectacular book is, without a doubt, the most courageous book I have ever read. Carswell opens her heart, her psyche, and her soul to the reader and the world, and does so with monumental skill, humor, and candor. When you finish this book, you feel you know the author better than anyone, other than yourself, because she has revealed herself so generously. What a comfort her struggle with her demons will be to so many people.

I laughed out loud at points and cried (something I haven't done in years while reading a book). Her voice evolves over the course of the narrative and will be in my head for a very long time, maybe forever. So sweet, so sad, so resilient. Ms. Carswell invites readers in to her wirting process in the beginning of this book, and at the end, she brings you back to her flickering computer screen. Even though much of the book is painful to experience, I didn't want it to end and so I read the Acknowledgments as if they were a part of the story and, in a way, they are.

I tried to find one thing I didn't like about this book, but the only thing I was unsure about (the lack of quote marks), I ended up loving. Their absence is liberating.

I recommend this book to absolutely everyone. Put it on the top of your list for 2006.

The tender love emanating from the pages of this book touch the depths of one's soul. Whether she knows it or not, Ms. Carswell has attained spiritual greatness, although the book does not seem to be written to that end. The love she has for her mother and the empathy she holds for the orphans are the true essence of its beauty.

Reminiscent of the style in which Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, the author so poignantly captures the voice of a child trying to make sense of the sadness which is her backyard; while at the same time she interjects bouts of comic relief that can only come from pure childhood innocence. As she ages in the book her voice does also. It is brilliantly done.

I highly recommend this book. You will cry. You will laugh out loud. And, because Ms. Carswell reveals her heart so openly, you will love.

Carswell's book is a tremendous, insightful read. There are so many beautiful images and her writing just flows off the pages. The story is captivating and the characters -- her family members -- are honestly drawn and with great humor.

I literally could not put this book down. Not only is the writing fantastic, her changing voice as she matures and ages is something I don't think I've ever experienced as a reader before. The stories themselves are all intertwined and her observations of her mother and her own self-reflection are devastating, moving, hilarious, wrenching, and lovely. It's a wonderfully fascinating story and for anyone who grew up in a large family in the 60s, it is especially fun.

I AM A GREAT LOVER OF VICTORIAN-STYLE, FORMAL, PERFECTLY-RHYMED AND MUSICAL VERSE BY THE ROMANTICS, SUCH AS KEATS, GEORGE GORDON,LORD BYRON, CHARLES SWINBURNE, P. B. SHELLEY AND E. A. POE. IT IS EXTREMELY RARE NOW, IN AMERICA AT LEAST, TO FIND A POET WHO NOT ONLY COMPARES TO THESE GREAT POETIC GIANTS, BUT WHO, IN SOME CASES, ACTUALLY SURPASSES THEM IN HIS ABILITY TO SUSTAIN ATMOSPHERE, RHYTM, TENSION AND PERFECTION OF END AND INTERNAL RHYME. MR. KEVIN NICHOLAS ROBERTS HAS ACCOMPLISHED ALL OF THESE THINGS. I HAVE GIVEN COPIES OF BOTH HIS BOOKS, FATAL WOMEN & QUEST FOR THE BELOVED, TO ALL THE POETRY LOVERS I KNOW, AND AS A DOCTORAL CANDIDATE IN LITERATURE:POETRY, I KNOW QUITE A FEW. WITHOUT FAIL, HE HAS PLEASED AND AMAZED THEM ALL! THE ONLY COMPLAINTS I HAVE HEARD IS THAT THE BOOK IS TOO BRIEF--IT CONTAINS ONLY 21 POEMS (SOME VERY LONG, OTHERS SONNNETS, SHORT RONDELS AND THE LIKE, AVERAING ABOUT 3 PAGES PER POEM. THOUGH MY TWO FAVORITE POEMS, "OPHELIA" AND "ALLAYNE" ARE BOTH OVER 10 PAGES IN LENGTH, ACHIEVING WHAT POE ONCE SAID WAS IMPOSSIBLE: TO SUSTAIN PERFECTION AND ATMOSPHERIC TENSION FOR MORE THAN 40 STANZAS. ROBERTS DOES THIS AND MUCHMORE IN "ALLAYNE."

DUE TO SPACE LIMIATATIONS, I WOULD LIKE TO CONCKUDE BY SIMPLY SAYING THAT THIS IS THE BEST POETRY COLLECTION I HAVE READ FROM A POET WRITING AFTER 1909. IF YOU LIKE THE CONTEMPORARY, UNRHYMING, EXPERIMENTAL POETRY, YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH MY FEELING THAT THIS WORK IS EXCEPTIONALLY MOVING AND IMPOSSIBLE TO READ ONLY ONCE. I'VE HAD THE COLLECTION FOR 2 YEARS, AND I STILL READ IT ALMOT EVERY NIGHT BEFORE BED. IT GIVES ME NEAUTIFUL, WONDERFULLY ROMANTIC DREAMS WHEREIN I AM THE HEROINE, THE POET MY DARK KNIGHT, CARRYING ME AWAY TO A FAIRYLAND BEYOND MOST CONTEMPORARY IMAGINATIONS. OH! AND HE EVEN "COMPLETED" SAMUEL T. COLERIDGE'S POEM FRAGMENT "KUBLA KHAN!" AND IT'S BRILLIANT, WRITTEN PRECISELT 200 YEARS AFTER THE ORIGINAL AND SUSTAINING EXACTLY THE ORIGINAL POEM'S LANGUAGE, MOOD AND GENIUS. GET THIS BOOK, OR GIVE IT TO SOMEONE WHO MELTS UNDER THE OTUCH OF THE ROMANTICS. YOU WILL NEVER WANT TO PART WITH IT. AND IT EVEN LOOKS BEAUTIFUL--VERY HIGH-QUALITY PRODUCTION WITH J. WTERHOUSE'S GLORIOUS "OPHELIA" PAINTING ON THE FRONT AND BACK COVERS. GET IT, READ IT, CRY AND SIGH OVER IT, AND LET IT CARRY YOU INTO DREAMLAND. I COULD LOVE THIS MAN. :)

I highly recommend this book by poet Kevin Roberts. He has an eloquent way with words. From the beginning to the end of the book I found myself transported into the poems. This book is so beautifully written. This author is a master poet!

I just got this book yesterday and I have already read it through about 1ten times. How could this poetry collection exist since 2000 and I never heard of it. I love Romantic poetry, and NOBODY TOLD ME!!!!

The reviewer on the back cover describes Kevin N. Roberts as "Easily one of the ten greatest poets of past and present centuries." He is, without doubt, exactly correct.

The book focuses on the femme fatales of history and, apparently, of the poet's own life and experience. My faves are: OPHELIA, ALLAYNE (breathless!!!), HYACINTHE, MORTICHE AND, THE INCONSTANT CLAYRE.

ALLAYNE seems like an impossible poem to write. How did he do it? Poe says it could not be done, to sustain perfection beyond 40 stanzas. But this man did, and did it better than Poe or any of his contemporaries. Unbelieveable!

If he ever comes out with another poetry collection, SOMEONE BETTER TELL ME. I WANT IT!

I got Kevin Roberts's name and book title--FATAL WOMEN--from a well-respected amazon reviewer. I tried it, and I cannot beli9eve that this man is not the biggest poet working in America and Europe today! He needs advertising.

Oh, and Kevin, if you read this: I LOVE YOU! Will you marry me?

FATAL WOMEN is like an antibiotic for the sickly and weakened body of modern English poetry! Finally we can see that the emperors of what poetry is and is supposed to be, have no clothes, they, in fact, are naked, for FATAL WOMEN has made us see! The last sixty years have seen an amazing outpouring of the most banal and insipid poetry imaginable. A small army of professors, armed with cartloads of advanced degrees in various subgenres of literature, especially the notorious MFA, have reduced poetry to a troglodytic science devoid of all feeling. This handful of folks have written reams of poetry for each other which has been widely published but read only by a very few outside of the cloistered walls of academe. So it is with the greatest brilliance that Kevin Roberts' FATAL WOMEN has arrived in the nick of time to save poetry from total irrelevance in the current age. FATAL WOMEN is full of poetry of the profoundest human feelings elucidated in the most lapidary of styles. His poetry is beautiful! Each poem is like a bright, or dark, willowy sorceress with powers supernaturally benignant or malign. Have you read the great Victorian poet Algernon Charles Swinburne? If you have had the pleasure you will discover something marvelous. Mr. Roberts seems to have, and this most incredibly, fetched the poetic baton from the late Swinburne. Reading FATAL WOMEN is the rarest of treats. The poetry of Mr. Roberts soars on beautiful wings both angelic and demonian. Here is poetry to make the reader cry with joy!