In "Almost Home," thirteen year-old Mary Chilton longs for a permanent home. Being a Separatist has been difficult for Mary and her family. They left England because of persecution, now ten years later Mary hears rumors of another uprooting. Mary is unsure of leaving, and wonders, Am I the only one to feel like a dandelion puff about to be blown to the wind? The heartaches begin when Mary leaves family members behind. Living on the Mayflower is filled with hardships, beyond her worst imaginings. In time, this helps Mary to see that home is more than a place.

Wendy Lawton's words sing on the page and carried me back to Time and Place. Dialogue is easy and meaningful. The language grounded me in 1620. Possible unfamiliar words are italicized to look up in the glossary. Mrs. Lawton does an excellent job with documentation and an epilogue supporting the facts of Mary Chilton and her family, the Pilgrims, and the Mayflower voyage.

"Almost Home" will be a hit among young readers. The story will have them looking at maps to follow Mary Chilton's adventure on the Mayflower, and where she steps foot on land in the New World. The book entertains, satisfies the curiosity about our first American anscestors, and allows us to feel the cost paid for the Pilgrim's freedom to express their faith.

Between the romance of the Pilgrims' story with which I grew up and the story that our children hear today falls the truth, and I believe Wendy Lawton has shown quite a bit of that truth in her story, Almost Home.

In their quest to escape religious persecution in England and again in Holland, the Pilgrims put their faith in their God to carry them across the waters in a vessel that should have carried no more than half of the number that it brought to freedom. We see this trip through the eyes of Mary Chilton, a 13-year-old girl who must bear the pain of leaving her older siblings behind to go with her parents in order that they all might start a new life. Mary soon finds that that loss is just the beginning, and she struggles to find God's love through trials of sickness, loss, and starvation.

The book includes a glossary that explains the unfamiliar terms which Ms. Lawton uses to take the reader back into the early 17th century; also, an epilogue gives a glimpse of Mary's life as an adult in her new home.

A wonderful, challenging book for young ladies who are interested in history and in strong young female characters.

Wendy Lawton's Almost Home, the third in her Daughters of Faith series, belongs on the shelf of every girl you know and in every school/church library. The story of Mary Chilton grabs your imagination and holds it captive until you finish the book!

As other reviewers have mentioned, the details, dialogue, accuracy and content excel. I don't remember the Pilgrim's story riveting my attention like this when first I heard it.

The beauty of Wendy Lawton's books for me remains that her skills, research, and craft are invisible. The story and the characters steal my attention and snare me within the pages. A tale that transports me from my day-to-day routines into the world of another place and time deserves my highest praise, and Wendy's done it again!

Not only is this a rollicking good story, but it teaches as well.
I learned new tidbits of information about the Pilgrims and the Mayflower journey without feeling lectured. The glossary of new words is a boon to every mom and teacher. I found myself sneaking back there to confirm I did indeed know the meaning of some of the words--and then grinning when I did.

These books will stand the test of time like many of your favorite children's classics. Join the adventure!

This book is GREAT...As a mother of an 10 & 12 yr olds, this book makes me realize how thankful I am to have kids. Any Mom will understand & enjoy these stories. They made me laugh and they made me cry. This is my 1st Chicken Soup book, my daughter has one also, now we have started a " book collection " that our family will enjoy reading together for years to come. Take the time to enjoy a GREAT selection of books.

For years I have wanted to read the Chicken Soup series, but finances being limited, I had to wait until my mother bought me Chicken Soup for the Mothers Soul. What a tremendous delight.....I fully intended to only read a story a day so that it would last a while, but within 24 hours I had consumed every story in the book. My heart feels lighter and my thoughts began to look on my life as a mother and how my children percieve me. It makes you want to strive for the ultimate goal....to be a mother remembered with love and admiration. I am a fan of Chicken Soup for life.

I had heard about the books from a friend at work, and got three for Christmas (Woman's soul, Woman's soul II, and Mother's soul). I don't normally enjoy reading but could not put the books down, in a matter of a week, I read two of them. They are absolutely wonderful. The Chicken Soup for the Mother's soul, WOW, what a book! It's awesome, and the stories touch the heart. Some of them even bring tears to my eyes. I recommend these books to anyone and am forwarding the Mother's soul book onto my mother.

I Love You the Purplest is a wonderful read-aloud for everyone! The main theme of mothers and their sons is an important one, but the wonderful words Barbara Joosse uses in describing the mothers love for each of her boys should be experienced by all children. The children love discovering where the color purple comes in the story! Every mom and teacher should own this book.

Wow! Sometimes you read a book and think, "This was written just for me." That's how I felt when I read this one. I have four children who were born within six years of each other, and at times the sibling rivalry can be quite intense. My kids ask, "Who do you love the best?" The standard answer of "I love you all exactly the same" isn't exactly true. I love them all immensely just because they are mine, but I also love each of them differently because each one is unique. Barbara M. Joosse conveys this in her story of a summer evening that a mother and her two sons spend at a lakeside cabin. From the opening lines about hunting for bait, she makes it obvious that these two boys have distinct personalities: "Max exploded from the cabin, twirling the shovel in front of him. Mama came next, and then Julian. Julian shut the cabin door tightly to keep it safe from burglars and bears." Whenever the boys ask their mother who is the best, she gives them an answer that allows them both to be special. Max catches the liveliest worms, and Julian catches the juiciest; Julian is the rower with the deepest strokes, and Max is the rower with the fastest. When each boy asks, "Mama, who do you love the best?" She answers by giving them each a color of love that matches his personality. Julian is the bluest. Max is the reddest. Each boy is thrilled with her answer.

Mary Whyte's illustrations are a beautiful complement to the story. The pictures fill each two page spread with the soft colors of a summer evening. The mother and sons are strikingly real. I look at Max and Julian and see my own boys, one overflowing with exuberant energy, the other cooler and more reflective.

Two little boys competing for their mother's affection learn that their mother can love them both differently and jointly to make a love yet stronger and more beautiful. This book would be a wonderful shower gift for a mother having a second child. The clever answers of this loving mom offer inspiration for the questions our children ask us, "Who do you love best, Mom?"

Ordinary and Sacred as Blood makes me feel at home among writers--Alabama women writers who have shared their inmost thoughts from every cranny of the state. The variety of their experiences and the ways they have chosen to express them are appealing--poetry, memoir, essay, story. I'm still reading, and I've enjoyed every one--from our wonderful just-retired poet laureate Helen Blackshear to Helen Norris to Susan Murphy and Nabella Shunnarah, from Anne George to Natasha Tretheway to others whose voices are new to me. I look forward to the next chapter from this group.

Just completed the book and loved it all. Alabama women can be proud of such talent. The variety of writers was amazing. Just hope to read more of them all.

I have enjoyed this book several times. Every time I read it, I receive a different message from its contents. It is one of the best anthologies I have ever read. As a "product of Alabama women", I felt a particular closeness to the writers. Where's the sequel?

This book is, by far, the most "authentic" Cuban cuisine cookbook ever written! Not only are the recipes easy to follow, the charming stories and images of Ms. Urrutia-Randelman's family are delightful to read. The author's detailed description of her memories and of Cuban history associated with each recipe bring the Cuban experience of yesteryear alive for all to experience. A wonderful addition to anyone's cookbook library, for anyone with Cuban roots or not. A great gift for the holidays!!!

Being of Cuban American heritage and growing up with Cuban cuisine, I was looking for a book to bring back memories of my own childhood. This book did that! The recipes are easy to follow, and having tried quite a few, I can say that they are authentic, and encompass recipes for normal, everyday Cuban cuisine. If you are new to Cuban food, this is an excellent book to try. If you are an afecionado, this book will show you how to cook these traditional dishes. Very well done!

I was born in Cuba and was used to Cuban cooking with minimal ingredients. Once we moved to this country, my mother was able to cook our food the way it was intended to be cooked. I have re-discovered these wonderful flavors all over again by following the author's recipes. Although I am too young to have experienced the "real Cuba", as my mother called it, I was enthralled by the author's experiences in our homeland. This book has been a blessing. My not so Cuban husband has loved every recipe that I have taken the time to make.

I first read this book because it was mentioned in Bruce Bawer's "A Place at the Table". I never expected that it would impact me so startlingly! I identified very closely with Laurie Odell, the main character, and his struggles with experiencing love as a gay man. All of the characters in the book are well-developed, even ones we don't meet very often. Renault manages to put together a wonderful, sometimes heart-wrenching story that doesn't restrict itself to people with gay experiences. ANYONE could read this book and feel total empathy with Laurie. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who has the least interest in reading a love story--it won't disappoint. I only wish that the story could have continued, perhaps in a sequel. Still, a very touching and satisfying tale.

I read this book before ever indulging in Mary Renault's ancient Greek fiction, although this story is every bit as entertaining, even set in World War II.

The two main characters, Laurie and Ralph, struggle with their love for one another as well as their devotion and dedication to their relationship, and their friendship as well.

This book is every bit as timeless as the ancient Greece novels, yet a bit dated of a read amidst modern day views and sensibilities about homosexual relationships. It does, however, send readers back to a time where more value was placed upon the root of a relationship and of love. It transcends the need for graphic sexual display, yet does not hide the nature of the involvement between the two men.

Of all the homosexual themed novels I have read, this is far and away my favorite. Even though it was written over forty years ago, it stands the test of time in its message of understanding the value of love, regardless of gender.

Reading this book as a heterosexual female, I can't say that I identified with any of the characters; but Mary Renault has written a remarkable book that explores the issue of love from various sides and gives us an in-depth view of a people coming to terms with their own sexuality and what it will mean for them in the world at large.

The time is 1940 and the place is England just after the retreat from Dunkirk; in the memorable words of Winston Churchill, it was their finest hour. At the center of the book is Laurie Odell, wounded in action, waking up in a military hospital to the fact that he will be crippled for life. The problem for Laurie is that he fears being emotionally crippled as well. Laurie is a graduate of a rigid British prep school where the head boy, Ralph Lanyon, was the object of his hero worship; Ralph is kicked out in a sensational scandal involving a hysterical accusation of homosexual activity with another boy in the school. Laurie is sexually attracted to Ralph and when Ralph is expelled, he realizes that the attraction was mutual, but that Ralph never approached him because he knew better than Laurie himself did that Laurie hadn't awakened to his own sexual orientation yet, and Ralph was not about to take that responsibility for him. While recuperating in the hospital, Laurie meets Andrew, a young conscientious objector who looks up to him as Laurie had looked up to Ralph. Andrew, however, is a total innocent, and his uncompromising religious views would make him look upon homosexual love as an abomination, even while he is attracted to Laurie. While on leave from the hospital, Laurie runs into Ralph, whom he hadn't seen since he was expelled from prep school seven years earlier, and learns that it was Ralph who piloted the navy boat that rescued him from Dunkirk. Ralph has been wounded as well, however, having had half his hand shot off, so the two of them are basically free and unfettered to start a relationship.

Ralph has grown hard and cynical after seven years of searching for love with increasingly superficial partners, and he has hit rock bottom with his current partner, whose sole attraction is his dazzling good looks. The attraction between Ralph and Laurie is immediate and compelling, and throws Laurie into a dilemma: he can hook up with Ralph and face up to the fact of his homosexuality which he has been hiding from everyone, including himself; or he can remain on a platonic basis with Andrew and remain sexually frustrated. At the core of his problem is trying to resolve how one can be gay and maintain his integrity at the same time. After meeting some of Ralph's associates, he isn't so sure. Laurie doesn't want to be dragged into the gay milieu, and Ralph sees Laurie as his means of escape from that milieu, and the bottom line for them both is, are they homosexual men, or are they men who happen to be homosexual.

Things get complicated when Laurie tells Ralph about Andrew (one of the things that attracts Ralph to Laurie is his fundamental honesty) and although he understands Laurie's dilemma, Ralph isn't about to let him off the hook; he tells Laurie that he has a choice: he can continue to help Andrew tell lies to himself about himself, or he can help Andrew face up to what he is. Laurie doesn't want that responsibility with Andrew any more than Ralph wanted it with him seven years earlier, and he temporizes until someone intervenes and Andrew has to face his own nature up close and personal. The resulting explosion shakes everyone up; Laurie finally realizes that being human ultimately means being true to oneself. What that means for Laurie is resolved at the end of the book.

There are several interesting secondary characters in the story, including Alec, one of Ralph's previous partners, decent, honest, but unable to commit more than superfically, and Sandy, Alec's current partner, insecure, demanding, jealous, but also capable of love, and Bunny, Ralph's latest, despicable, devious, and totally amoral. But the three main characters are the most compelling: Andrew, whose rigid, unbending morality finally makes him snap; Ralph, hard, jaded, yet with a core of innocence and trust that still makes him believe that love is not a myth; and Laurie himself, trying to resolve who he is and what he stands for as a man and as a human being. For all its being a World War II story, the problems and issues are timeless and make the book as fresh today as it was 60 years ago when it was first issued. Mary Renault has shown with "The Charioteer" that she is not only a great historical novelist, she is one of the best writers of the 20th century.

I have read Death in Slow Motion, and found it a provocative insight not only into Alzheimer's but more so into its effects on the lives of the people bound by love and duty to their loved one. Ms. Cooney has every reason to dwell on who her mother was, it is after all the central tragedy of the illness. Alzheimer's does not just kill someone, it disintegrates, it degenerates the very essence of the persona you know and love. We do not grieve for the loss of a body, we grieve over the loss of a person and with Alzheimer's we lose the person long before the body they inhabit dies. It is not only Death in Slow Motion, it is also Grief in Slow Motion. I recommend this book to anyone who may be facing a loved one's descent into Alzheimer's or to anyone who thought they were alone with the experience Ms. Cooney so unsparingly reveals. I recommend a visit to the book's website for a more personal insight into the lives involved with this loss.

Eleanor Cooney has given us a very special book with Death in Slow Motion. The book has an almost "To Kill a Mockingbird" feel to it, innocence (believing her mom was invincible) shattered by facing the reality of her mother's illness. Her amazing descriptions of her thoughts, feelings and the telling of events (spiced just right with black humor) is compelling to say the least. Thought provoking, insightful, disturbing, heart wrenching, you are right there with her through it all as if it is your mother and not hers. I was very upset emotionally while reading this book, but it was all worth it. The lesson is well taken, don't take anything for granted, tomorrow Alzheimer's may come knocking on your door.

Death in Slow Motion

I'm Conquered. What a book. I listened to Eleanor Cooney speak at an author event and just finished her 'painterly' written chronicle/memoir regarding her mother's (Mary Durant's) descent into Alzheimer's. It's a Dali painting, with incredible composition and warped images, where perspective is askew, but the objects are recognizable.. Perhaps it's an Esher painting, where the spiral stairs leading upward never take one anywhere, or where the birds turn into fish, and then morph into frogs. Cooney herself is fascinating, a forthright and gifted author, hard as nails and weak as vapor. So also is,was, and in her own right, still is- her mother.

Frankly written, stark, and relentless are words which come to mind when considering Death in Slow Motion. The book is much more than a journalistic tale of an encroaching, insidious disease; it encompasses both the day to day frustrations and trials, as well as the codependency, the panic by all parties, the aching, manipulating guilt, the failed attempts to find "the" solution for placement, and the shattered lives. Cooney is her mother's biggest fan and dearest friend, and the admiration and respect for what was once a lively, loving, fastidious, and brilliant woman prevail, even while life is crumbling and frustrations threaten ruin and a catapult ride into the ether. She includes details and tableaus of past history, family dynamics, and setting clues so that the reader can appreciate and become fully involved in this non-fiction siege with an empathetic eye and ear. Imbedded in the narrative is an ongoing tribute to her mother's husband Mike, and a shared love story of great proportions. The book hurts, but it is also enlightening and redeeming. Once truly started, I could not put it down. Death in Slow Motion reads like compelling fiction, with suspenseful intensity, yet it is all too real.

From the dust cover: Carrie Knowles, author of The Last Childhood says,

"Close to bone and fearless, Cooney gives voice to the tumbling house of cards Alzheimer's deals out to the family. It is a voice that screams, cries, despairs, and loves. Listen."

And John Bayley, author of Elegy For Iris, writes about "the more difficult task of looking after a parent. Cooney's account of her mother, of love and despair and difficulty-but love above all-makes a most gripping, moving, and sensitive book. I hope it will be read."

And I hope so too.

Roe Wiles

As a sometime aspiring writer, I read the work of Justin Cronin with envy and awe. What a beautifully written study of family, love and tragedy. As another reviewer stated, I too am not typically a fan of the novel composed of "linked" short stories. This author however connects the characters in such subtle and clever ways that you will truly be left wanting more when it's over. Just a lovely little book, highly recommended.

While I have known Justin personally for several years [disclaimer], this is actually the first time I have experienced his writing in depth. I also tend to gravitate more toward escapist writing and don't seek out "realistic" fiction dealing with contemporary characters and situations, so I wasn't sure how I'd react to this book. I have to say that I found myself thoroughly immersed in the book. The characters are drawn in such a way that they seem vivid and familiar throughout the stories. The stories are told with a graceful and casual ease--as though they were being related to us through conversations with the characters (though the book is all in third person). As important as the characters themselves are the webs of relationships--primarily familial--in which they are enmeshed. I think this aspect of the book is its greatest success, revealing that the title characters, while seeming adrift, are held up (and sometimes back) by these webs of relationships. This book is an excellent collection of stories about loss, love and family. The prose sparkles throughout. Read and enjoy!

Ordinarily, I hate books of the "Novel in Stories" variety. I usually find them to be a confused jumble of pieces without any elastic to hold them together. I admit that I had low expectations of this work when I started it due to this prejudice. What a pleasant surprise!

Other reviewers have mentioned the beauty of the prose, so I will skip a description of it. Suffice to say that it is not only beautiful, but clever. If you happen to be a writer, you will find yourself WISHING that you could condense the essence of being into phrases like Cronin's. The weaving of the stories is extraordinary: how many times have you read about a character and wondered what his/her parents were like, or what his wife was like before she entered the plot at their first meeting? Here you get that depth of information, not only through the strength of the writing but also through the structure and selection of the moments Cronin chooses to reveal. I'm not sure when the last time a book moved me to tears was, but this was one that did.

I first read this book when I was 14 years old, just like Ellen Marlowe therefore I felt I could relate to what was happening in her life as a similar situation was occuring in mine. She is a strong protagonist and has great fighting spirit throughout the story and is very inspirational. I think many teenage girls look up to her as a role model and she gives out the message that we should NEVER lose hope no matter what anyone says or how bad things get. 3 years down the line I am still reading this book and it is just as good. A classic novel!

I remember first reading Summer Dreams,Winter Love(the published title in England)seven years ago,when I was 16.It was amazing for me,as everything about it was sweet,tender and loving.It represented everything I was looking for at the time,someone to like me,as much as I liked them,someone who cared for me so much,nothing else mattered.Reading it was like my dreams coming true.I haven't read it in years,until recently I discovered it in a box amongst other stuff I hadn't seen in years.I'm about to start reading it again,and reading all these other reviews praising this wonderful story reminds me why this book just has to be read by anyone,who is lonely,looking for love,or someone older,like me,who did find that someone special.

This is a very touching story about High School love. I am 23 years old and read this book when I was 15. I had a flashback memory of reading this book and was extremely happy to have found it here at Amazon. I will be purchasing a copy of this book as soon as I can get my hands on one and would recommend it to any age reader with a romantic heart. This book is not only sweet and touching but the main character is an extremely motivated girl who can inspire any High School age female. I can't wait to read it again!

The "word eater" in question turns out to be Fip, a worm who likes to eat words -- but once he eats a word, whatever that word signifies disappears from the world permanently. Lerner, the book's protagonist, has to learn how to deal with the amazing power she has acquired because of the worm, while she's also learning how to fit in to a new school.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Even though it's aimed at kids (our 11-year-old liked it, too), it has aspects adults will appreciate. It sure made me wonder how I would deal with that kind of absolute power -- possibly not as well as the heroine of this book.

The story is about a worm named Fip. Born with a love for eating words, he is abandoned by the Lumbricus Clan. An equally outcast girl named Lerner Chanse discovers the worm on a dare to join the MPOOE (Most Powerful Ones On Earth) Club. She soon learns that whatever words Fip eats will disappear. This is good for erasing the "attacka" out of the vicious Attackaterrier dogs and the meanness of Lerner's next-door neighbor's dad. But after her neighbor Bobby Nitz becomes her friend and helps her stop the MPOOE Club from deleting the school with Fip, the consequences of Fip's powers show through. There seems to be no way to delete his power...until he meets an unusual worm named Poly. This book is VERY, VERY funny. Especially when Fip nearly eats "oxygen" and Lerner searches the dictionary for "oxyg". One question: Is there really such a thing as a gurkengabel?

The Word Eater by Mary Amuto wrote a story about a Worm that had to do a dare before he could be in the Mpooe club.Mpooe stands for Most powerful ones on earth.The Worm gets on a window to escape from the other Worm.He gets saved by a Girl from the window seal from a bird when she walks in the room.In the story the Worms name is Fip.The Girls name is Lerner Chanse.If Fip eats something it will dissapears.Once he was eating oxygen off a Science book but he only ate oyxg when Lerner came in.At the end Fip eates.....Can't tell you because its going to be the best.I rated it five stars.This is a can't put down book.So read this book and relax reading it.