Patriotism, a love for the new land, the thrill of seeing The Statue of Liberty for the first time, etc. are all stirred in this warm tale. I thought of my own Irish ancestors who came here about 50 years before the author's mother and aunt came. Her family is Jewish. Mine is Christian. We are all Americans.
I highly recommend using this book in classrooms followed by singing songs such as "I'm Proud to be an American." In spite of our problems, at least we know we are free. Let's help children appreciate that freedom and understand the need for responsible behavior.

ANNUSHKA'S VOYAGE A Children's Picture Book, Ages 4 - 8 Written by Edith Tarbescu Illustrated by Lydia Dabcovich Clarion Books, 1998 ISBN No. 0-395-64366-X, 32 Pages, $15.00

Anya (Annushka) and her little sister Tanya live with their grandparents in Russia. Each day, they work with their grandparents on the farm and await news from their father in America.

Papa's letter was filled with funny pictures. There were drawingsof the doll factory where he worked and of the pigeons on his roof.

He wrote, "People say the streets here are paved with gold. I am saving money to buy steamship tickes for Anya and Tanya."

That's when Tanya started crying. "First Mama died and went to heaven. Then Papa left for America."

I put my arms around her and wiped away her tears. "He'll send for us soon, you'll see."

Early each morning, even before it was light, we worked around the farm. In the afternoons we helped Grandma make puddings and potato pancakes. Before bed we had Hebrew lessons with Grandpa. And we waited.

After more than a year, two steamship tickets came in the mail with a letter from Papa telling us he'd meet us in New York.

Anya and Tanya soon travel from the old country in Russia toward the promise of a new life in America. Although they must leave their Grandparents and the life they know behind, they carry with them the clothes on their back, a pair of candlesticks---family heirlooms, a book of Russian fairy tales and a ragdoll.

Custom and tradition are woven through this wonderful tale of two young Jewish emigrants who go off to America alone, first crossing Europe on a train to Holland and then sailing toward "the land of opportunity" in a gigantic steamship. Through Annushka, her hopes and fears, this heartwarming story offers amazing insight into emigrant passage to America.

"As soon as we got off the train, we were sent to a big building to be examined by doctors. There were so many people speaking so many different languages."

"We kept going down, down, down, until we reached the basement of the ship. It was dark and scary, especially with the engines running."

In ANNUSHKA'S VOYAGE, author Edie Tarbescu effectively relates to children the important story of American Immigration in the late 1800s. Mixed with both adventure and history, Annushka's story is a delightful read. Lydia Dabcovich's expressive illustrations and the author's historical note make this story come alive. Although this book stands on its own, I must point out that it is an essential read for anyone (adults and children, alike) who is fortunate enough to learn about or visit the Statue of Liberty and/or pass through the Ellis Island gates. Writers Moon reViews (WritersMoon@aol.com) P.O. Box 182, Nesconset, NY 11767-0182 Copyright (c) 2000 Lynne Remick (LynnRemick@aol.com) Reprinted with permission from Lynne Remick =============================================

I've enjoyed reading this warm story many times to students. It reflects family values of love, trust, faith (including religious faith) and it also shows girls a role model of sensitivity, caring, and true female strength. In these days of Barbie dolls and warrior princeses, girls need this experience with a young woman who has realistic strength and love.

This is yet another tale told in this writer's delightful style. I highly recommend this and all of her books. The reviewer from the American Library Association seems disappointed that the boy learns his lesson. Come on now!!! Helping adults and children learn from our mistakes is why folktales and fables have lasted for centuries. A lot of new stories do well to last a decade. This rendition should be around for quite some time. She gives the ending just the right touch in my opinion. I work in the public schools and I'm greatly concerned about the need to help children to learn civilized behavior. Children can learn from it but there is nothing preachy about it at all. It's like a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.

In The Boy Who Stuck Out His Tongue, Edith Tarbescu retells an old Yiddish folk tale about the son of a widow. When his mother asks him to light the fire He just sticks his tongue out at here. he would rather make snowballs than help with chores. But then sticking his tongue out gets him into a problematic situation. When this happens, all the folk of his little Hungarian village rally to his aid -- and our young man learns an invaluable lesson. Judith Mills' colorful artwork is a perfect enhancement to Edith Tarbescu's engaging and entertaining story that will have young readers gleefully turning the pages, one after another!

The son of the peddler's widow is a lazy and unhelpful boy. When his mother calls him in from playing in the snow to help her light a fire in the stove, he sticks out his tongue and runs away from her. As she chases him, he trips and falls in the deep snow and his tongue sticks to a cold iron fence. The poor boy is stuck and his mother doesn't know how to set him free. She runs into the village and enlists the help of first the cobbler, then the butcher, the baker and even the cook. As a crowd grows, no one in the village can figure out a way to free her son. The boy, stuck to the fence begins to feel a little guilty and starts to cry. All these good townspeople care about what happens to him and all he has ever done is refuse to help them when they've asked. Soon a traveling blacksmith comes along and solves the problem and the boy is free, promising to be helpful whenever the villagers need him..... Edith Tarbescu has written an amusing folk tale that will delight and charm youngsters with it's silly humor and subtle wisdom. Judith Christine Mills beautiful, expressive and detailed artwork adds just the right touch and compliments the story perfectly. Together they have produced a warm and wonderful story your kids will want to read again and again. Perfect for children 3-8, The Boy Who Stuck Out His Tongue is a great addition to all home libraries.

El manejo del absurdo en la novela es un arte bastante delicado pues se puede convertir en ridículo o tonto con solo pequeños errores. Estos están completamente ausentes en esta novela, en la cual la locura se explica a si misma a través de millones de pequeños sub cuentos que el autor logra enlazar una historia coherente, donde un cubano ex-veterano de la guerra de Angola en su desespero por escapar de un tigre alado imaginario ( o tal vez no) que lo persigue secuestra un grupo de muchachos que lo único que querían era un poco de sexo en su noche de graduación del colegio. Sin embargo esta trama es solo incidental para que el autor nos pueda presentar como en un mundo incoherente la "locura" es un medio tal válido para darle sentido como cualquier otro.

La novela es simplemente genial.

GANADOR DE UN PREMIO, ESTE LIBRO ES EXCELENTE POR SU TRATAMIENTO DE VARIOS TEMAS QUE SON PEREMNES Y QUE SON DE ACTUALIDAD, LA LOCURA, LA HOMOSEXUALIDAD, EL AMOR , EL DESAMOR, LA GUERRA, LA MUERTE , LA VIDA, EL INFORTUNIO. TODO SE UNE PARA FORMAR UNA TRAGEDIA DE UN SOLO DIA, PERO QUE TIENE SUS RAICES MUCHOS AÑOS ATRAS. ESTE LIBRO TAMBIEN TIENE SUS MOMENTOS DIVERTIDOS ( QUIEN HA DICHO QUE NO DEBE HABER HUMOR EN LA TRAGEDIA). EL INFORTUNIO QUE CAE SOBRE LOS PROTAGONISTAS ESTA LLENO DE FATALISMO Y CASUALIDADES, QUE HUBIERAN HECHO LA DIFERENCIA SI NO HUBIESEN PASASDO, PERO LA VIDA ES ASI , NO LA PODEMOS CAMBIAR Y TENEMOS QUE ACEPTARLA Y VIVIR CON NUESTROS ERRORES POR EL RESTO DE LA VIDA. FACILITO, AUNQUE HAYA MOSCARDONES QUE NOS NUBLEN LA VISTA Y TIGRES DE BENGALA QUE INVADAN NUESTRO SUEÑO, DEBEMOS SEGUIR ADELANTE Y NO DEJARNOS DOMINAR POR LA CAMISA DE FUERZA QUE ES EL MIEDO, SIEMPRE AMANDO A ALGUIEN , YA QUE NO AMAR A NADIE ES UNA INMORALIDAD. ES UN LIBRO EXCELENTE. SE LO RECOMIENDO A TODOS LOS QUE QUIERAN UNA TRAGEDIA MODERNA CON SABOR A CIUDAD.

LUIS MENDEZ

In this very good book Alberto writes of madness coexisting with the reality of separate cultures. Ghosts and people from beyond reach and caress the characters as they go about trying to fulfill the promise of a graduation which ends very badly for three of the seniors. Caracol beach starts with magic and realism but it gives way to tenderness and much humor. Very good.

I read this book when I was 13. I am now 14. I understood this book and its message, and did not find it unsettling. However, people older than me can appreciate it as well. It is a beautifully written book that does not hide the pain and hardship of this time in history.

Two thumbs up! This book was a positive influence on me, being Orhtodox Jewish. It was also a positive influence on my best friend who is Christian. The story is perfectly set following one girl through her troubles of WWII.

The reader is brought back to the terror filled days and months that engulfed the Jewish community as the full impact of Nazi power became apparent - a gradual, relentless process that escalates suddenly with Kristallnacht. As the day to day events unfold, the reader is swept up in the personal terror and loss that each of the characters feel. It is a wrenching, beautifully written story. Older teens and adult readers alike will be captured by this book.

El delicioso dominio del idioma y el profundo sentido poético de que Mutis hace gala con maestría sin igual, serían suficientes para motivar a los pocos que todavía no lo hayan leído. Si a esto le sumamos el encanto innegable del Gaviero y esa sensibilidad tan suya por todos aquellos que se mueven por los bordes esquivos de la fortuna y que nos pone la carne de gallina, cuando nos dejamos llevar de la mano sabia de Mutis por todos esos parajes de una salvaje belleza o de un sórdido atractivo, no nos quedará ninguna duda de que tenemos en nuestras manos el pensamiento, la poesía y la sensibilidad de un gigante de las letras latinoamericanas. Motivo de justificadísimo orgullo para todos aquellos que tenemos la fortuna de compartir, con él, la patria.

I discovered the Adventures of Maqroll on the discount table outside my neighborhood bookstore. After reading the first few pages I was hooked. Mutis is one of those rare authors who, in a few words, can take you inside the soul of a character. He creates men and women who desire and seek out the perfect something that they know is out there, somewhere, in the next port or just over the horizon. Mutis can make you feel their experience as he describes it. I find parallels with John Steinbeck in the work of Alvaro Mutis. Both writers created characters outside the mainstream who, nontheless, appeal to us as human beings. Both find beauty and excitement as clearly in rusty iron as in a pair of enticing eyes. The Adventures of Maqroll is a 20th century quest that will be appreciated by anyone who admires the self-directed life.

This book is in the top 10 of my lifetime reading list. A mix of Conrad and Don Quijote. the first paragraph of "Amirbar" is stunning.

Out of print already? Don't we read foreign authors or translations?

First published over twenty-five years ago and recently reissued by The Feminist Press of the City Univesity of New York, Edith Konecky's "Allegra Maud Goldman" soars with life, tingles with humanity and snaps with feminist tang. Its theme of self-discovery, a staple of coming-of-age novels, however has a distinct slant; "Allegra" insists that its protagonist, a precocious girl growing up in late Depression Brooklyn, hurl herself against familial and societal restraints imposed on her due to the simple reason of her sex. Konecky has created a masterwork; her novel is neither strident or didactic. Instead, her protagonist, Allegra Maud Goldman tells her own story -- directly, ironically and courageously. It is this unadorned, unaffected point of view and voice which enriches the novel and elevates it to mythical proportions.

Cursed with a memory which forbids her forgetting any sexist reduction of her self, Allegra's childhood unfolds as an unending conspiracy to eviscerate her unbridled enthusiasm for life and undermine her incredible intellectual talents. Unsaddled from the urban poverty afflicting most Americans during the 1930s, Allegra lacks little material comfort but suffers, at an early age, from existential oblivion. Her distant and chronically-absent mother, a social butterfly who has made peace with her marriage to a quietly tyrannical dress manufacturer, provides little to copy as a role model. Allegra must set out to develop, define and fortify her own sense of self in a world seemingly set to reduce her to docile femininity.

In a revealing conversation with her mother, Allegra expresses discontent that her family focuses attention on her older brother David, who suffers from his own lack of confidence. When she asks, "How come nobody around here is at all interested in whether I am finding myself?", her mother dismisses her by telling her that she will "grow up and marry some nice man and have children." Against this biology is destiny environment, Allegra launches her battle. As her childhood evolves, Allegra challenges the different ways boys and girls are indoctrinated to handle their emotions, does battle with a public school system that diligently attempts to socialize girls into subordinate domestic. Her sardonic friend Melanie has one of the best lines of the novel: "If they're prepring us to be housewives...why don't they teach us something useful like sexual intercourse?"

By the time Allegra has come to grips with her evolving body, she has developed a passion for writing and a talent for poetry. Her epiphany is hard-earned and promises a life of rebellion. After having one of her poems purchased for publication in a daily newspaper, her father chooses to take her letter of acceptance instead of her creation to work as a means of validation. Stunned and bewildered by how her family "managed, with nothing but good intentions, to make me feel so dismal," Allegra repeats her own mantra of self-validation, her own declaration of independence: "You're a person. You're a person."

We tend to forget how hard girls have had to work to obtain what boys perceive is their birthright: the need for self-definition, praise for ambition and affirmation for struggle. Strong women come from strong girls. Strong girls come from the crucible of their own experiences and the will to face the hurricane. Edith Konecky's "Allegra Maud Goldman" will be a treasured companion for girls and women who savor the creation of an independent, autonomus self and will be valued by the boys and men who cherish girls and women who are strong, vibrant and proud.

I loved this book with all my heart- it told the story of how Allegra travels from childhood to young adulthood, dealing with ideas we all must cope ith- death, sex, love, and friendship. And, as a plus, her name is Allegra, a rarely seen name in the modern world, considering most people think its a drug. This book is one I recomend to all, even the most cynical of people.

This is a wonderful coming-of-age novel. Allegra Maud Goldman sees past the limitations of her conventional family, her teachers and peers. Her father is only interested in his fashion business, her mother mostly too busy meeting friends. She notices, and usually points out, what they can't see, especially when they treat her differently from her brother because she's a girl. For the most part she remains bright and clever, and her frustration rarely turns inwards or outwards - she rises above everyone and everything with the help of a friend.

It's very funny, very easy to read and stands up to being re-read.

After finishing The Duke's Wager, I read a few other things and then returned to this 2-in-1 Layton volume to read Lord of Dishonour. I can't decide which book I preferred - both are so splendidly written with beautifully crafted prose and intricate stories. However, like the Duke's Wager, Lord of Dishonour is character-driven and the author is outstanding at giving us men and women who are believeable whilst being both difficult and loveable. The conflict in the story is really quite fundamental - are we what we make of ourselves in life or are we purely the result of how others see us, forever quantified by social strictures?

In this book, we have two people from less than "traditional" or "acceptable" backgrounds. The hero, Viscount ("Vice Count") North, and the heroine, Lady Amanda Amberley, come from that risque sector of Regency life made up of "legitimate" illegitimates, the product of husbands and wives going their separate ways following the birth of an unquestionable and unimpeachable heir. Lack of divorce meant that social leaders like the Duke of Devonshire and Lady Harley (The Harleian Miscellaney) got away with it but this book examines the effect on the innocent results - the offspring.

Viscount North is a many layered character, a man of immense talent, charm and innate goodwill who is close to squandering it all for what are, in the end, really quite honourable reasons. Lady Amanda is a young woman who feels she has been driven to the edges of acceptability and is so desperate for the veneer of respectability that she looks for love in the wrong places and very nearly misses out on the opportunity for a relationship of courage, honour, loyalty, love and mutual understanding. How these two overcome their personal circumstances makes for a rewarding story.

Only one criticism - it is not and never has been the case under English law that an adoptee can inherit a title; they can inherit unentailed lands and income but never a title which must descend through direct bloodlines. This error is unfortunate because the story is predicated on bending the rules but I forgive the author - she is such a delight to read that I overlooked it. Besides, no doubt more than a few aristocrats did get away with a scenario much like this book!

I've only just finished the first book in this 2 volume edition -"The Duke's Wager". I was deeply moved by this story - it was not the usual Regency novel - it was dark, deep and difficult - sometimes almost painful to read. Others have summarised the plot (and the very few faults which appear) and pointed out the main area of conflict betwen two seemingly similar but ultimately different men.

From the start I was attracted to the "Black Duke". Very recently I read an outstanding new biography published in the UK of the 2nd Earl of Rochester by Cephas Goldsworthy ("The Satyr"). Lord Rochester is best known as a Restoration Poet and is given a bit of coverage to high school students. However, what your teacher never told you was that he was not only a poet but a rake, debauchee (possibly bi-sexual), pornographer in chief to Charles II, sufferer of syphillis and a man bent on self-destruction who was redeemed on his deathbed (I think) by his love of life, the arts, women and the passions of friendship. The character of the Duke of Torquay in many facets of his personality, attitudes and experiences put me in mind of Rochester. However, Torquay is able to redeem himself before sinking into the abyss of total despair, self-loathing and possibly, even, a prolonged and ugly death from venereal disease. How he does this is the core of the novel. That the heroine was able to allow and encourage him to do it made me admire her when at first I despaired of her good qualities.

I have found a copy of "The Disdainful Marquis" and will now read that to see if the Marquis of Bessacarr is able to put his experiences in this story to his advantage.

A well written, passionate, deep and unusual story. I am so glad I read it - thank you, Edith Layton!

is coming your way from me. I could rave on and on, especially about the first book (which reminds me in some ways of another favorite, Balogh's THE PLUMED BONNET) but I will leave you to read the detailed and fine reviews by others before me.

If you love Regencies, and adore books with very strong character-driven stories (without any external fripperies such as spies, insane or villainous relatives, and the like), you will love both stories. I particularly recommend the first THE DUKE'S WAGER, where I started rooting for the less prepossessing candidate at some point in the story. Without any spoilers, let me just say I was so relieved when Regina made her choice. She didn't do badly for herself socially, but I think it was the better choice - both for her as a person (as she says at the end) and for the man involved.

A little note - if you ever wondered about the sexual peccadilloes and orgies in the Regency period, read the first and last scenes, at least. Quite eye-opening, I assure you.

Kristiana Gregory really brings out Edith Irvine as a devoted photographer. Even in the midst of all the turmoil, she snaps 60 photos, possibly more! In this true-to-life novel, the famous San Francisco earthquake takes place, however, the quake is not the worst that happens! The fire that the quake created was. It lasted three days and killed an estimated five to ten thousand people. The mayor exploded dynamite to try to get rid of the fire, but the dynamite only created more. This novel also illustrates the annoying floor length dresses that the ladies of 1906 had to wear and the automobiles of Daisy's time. In some books earthquakes are made up just for entertainment. Not this one! This earthquake was real. The first shock was on April 18, 1906 and was recorded at 5:12:05 a.m. and it lasted for 45 seconds. There were 27 earthquakes that were actually recorded that day. Mary Exa Atkins Campbell told the earthquake's story.

I really enjoyed the book Earthquake at Dawn. It's about the 1906 San Fransisco earthquake/fire that happened at dawn (hence the name Earthquake at Dawn). Even though it is historical fiction, it had a lot of true things that made it incredibly believable. Kristina Gregory definitely made the story good by adding some subplots that kept your interest. The subplots were real things too, like Edith and Daisy getting separated from their father, and Molly dying of lack of healthcare. This was a really good, captivating book which I think many people will cherish for years to come.

This was an excellent book. I choose to read it for my summer book reports that I have to do and most of the time I dread reading the books but not this. I also usually have no trouble putting books down but I couldn't put this one down. The book is about Edith and her assisant Daisy who are going to Europe but stop in San Francisco and they get stuck there because of an earthquake. They meet a lot of people and have some adventures while trying to find Edith's father

This exhaustive work is invaluable to anyone who wants to know the stories of Biblical women better. I'm doing research on Biblical widows, and this book is the most accessibly organized sourced I've found. It was written in 1955, so don't be surprised if it's a bit dated stylistically & theologically. Still, it's valuable as a reference tool that may lead to you to deepened encounter with women of faith.

Women in the bible are often not a topic discussed in church or elsewhere. This book is a wonderful look at the ignored parts of the bible, (and I don't mean every book after Exodus). Women did participate in the bible and this book celebrates their accomplishments and gives them long overdue praise.

I think I have the the only signed copy of "Family Living in the Bible" because she was my aunt on my Grandmothers side. I saw Edith most weekends in Ft. Worth until I moved away to Houston. Edith was the sweetist/dearest and most (innocent,intellegent,complex) 70-80 year old woman you could ever meet and talk to. Unfortunatly, I think the family took her for granted. But the Church did not! And she left a large library of her lifes works with Texas Christian University. As with every family, life is complex in nature. (personalities, divorces blah!!! she never had to deal with this stuff that i knew of!!) Reading her works for me now are amazing because of it's simplicity but at the same time it's reality. I will never forget Edith, her amazing library when I was too young to appreciate it, and the wonderment of just wandering around her estate.

do you remember, as a child, watching trains pass by? i'm guessing that you counted every car, reading the words on some; looking in the windows of others. this, to me, could stand as the definition for innocence and it feels as if the adult counter part of this process lies somewhere inside milos hrma, the narrator of hrabal's novella. milos is a young railroad apprentice who insulates himself against the reality of world war ii. he cowers when faced with authority and he fears that he is impotent. those fears are eventually silenced as he confronts a trainload of nazis and realizes the consequences of war. he lays bleeding and gripping the hand of a dead german soldier, who is both his victim and his murderer. hrabal has written an understated and poetic tale of german-occupied czechoslovakia that lives in your mind long after the eighty-five pages are read.

This is a tale about heroism of ordinary people, not about epic feats. You won't find here but common people, and that's what makes the tale so touching and realistic. The book is beautiful and is beautifully written, with a sober yet elegant and poetic style. The trains are an essential part of all the characters'lives in their jobs and their personal memories, and are related to the fight of Czechs partisans at the end of the II World War, which is the time the novel is placed. The novel is both dramatic and comic, and Hrabal's sense of humour is one of his most remarkable features, following the best tradition of Czech's Literature, particularly Jaroslav Hasek. The mixture of drama and comedy, as well as the human touch and tenderness which envelops the characters makes this novel very moving to every reader. This work is a little and brilliant jewel, definitely worth the trouble reading.

Bohumil Hrabal's novel (or novella, more precisely) Closely Watched Trains first hit the scene in 1965. It is the story of the curiously naive railwayman/kid Milos Hrma who overcomes his sexual impotence by succesfully consummating intercourse with an older woman. This intimate and seminal life event of Milos is beatifully and sensitively detailed amid occasional description of WWII, an event that was looming over Milos and his surroundings. This novella is a joy to read.