As the daughter of a true Torchbearer, I deeply appreciate the candor, humor, and professionalism with which this book analyzes these women's lives. So many books have been written in the "spirit" of celebrating all women and their achievements, but they seem to be long on sentiment and theory and short on real research. Evans and Avis carefully structured their research to include women's persepctives about all areas of their lives but also leave the reader a great deal of room to understand and infer what s/he will. I also agree that most Torchbearers do not take enough credit for their culture-changing actions and attitudes, and I truly look forward to the day when (hopefully) my daughter and I can watch a "History of Women's Empowerment" program, and I can say to her that her grandmother was a woman who broke all the rules. More than any other I have ever read (and, as a psych major, I have read many), this book explains my mother as a member of this generation in a way I never could understand before. Plus, I now know that she really was part of a movement that, not unlike the civil rights movement, was part personal and part political. It brought Bell Hook home to me for the first time, without quoting her once.

I think this book is a must-read for all daughters AND SONS of Torchbearer mothers.

Just a hint, though, to those TB's rushing immediately to Amazon.com: You raised these kids, you know they won't read it if YOU suggest it : ) ha ha

One final note: I came to Amazon.com today for the first time ever (although I have previously used many e-commerce sites) expressly to buy 10 copies of this book to mail to my other 20-something girlfriends. Hey gen-x'ers: it's really THAT good!

Instead of characterizing women born in the 1940s and 50s as selfish, anti-male, unappealing and unattractive, the authors portray them as questioning and adventurous, with an incredible enÝhusiasm for learning and life. In my own doctoral reseach, when I asked middle-age women if their lives were better than that of their "silent" mothers (the post-Depression, post World War II housewives), they replied, "Different, not better." They admitted that they have many more alternatives than their mothers had, which makes their lives more complicated. To guide women through this multitude of lifestyle choices, the authors offer "New Truths" and advice for young women. Their positive portrayal of midlife women inspires women who read the book to have confidence in the often rocky road of their own career and personal development.

Evans and Avis have started to reconstruct the last chapters of Simone DeBeauvoir's book "The Second Sex." When I first read DeBeauvoir's book in 1973 I was dazzled by her essays, particularly 'Situation and Character' and the 'Formative Years.' Still, I recall being disappointed by the chapter on the 'Independent Woman.' It puzzled me that she didn't seem to have much to say that was new, fresh or interesting, and I was hungry for that examination. Perhaps too, my American sensibility expected a kind of formula on how to proceed. In retrospect, I have reconciled that women had neither succeeded nor failed on a public stage long enough for DeBeauvoir to have invoked a deeper analysis. This book makes an important contribution in beginning to record and analyze stories from this transitional group that the authors so accurately call the torchbearer generation. I think other readers would enjoy this book as much as I did.

It's rather more interested in post-Renaissance jewelry than anything else, devoting quite a bit of its pages to the super ornate stuff. There's a perfectly good reason for this, namely that pre-Renaissance jewelry frequently got melted down and recast. I still wish it'd devoted more time to that earlier stuff, since my interest is particularly in Renaissance-era jewelry. Still, it's a great introduction to the subject.

Well-written, with lots of good tidbits, and one of the few resources for the study of the history of jewelry. Lavish illustrations and portraits, some of which I'd never seen anywhere else before.

This is an excellent reference book for any jeweler, historian, or SCA participant. There are over 400 photos in the book, which say it all. Great information!

From the back cover: "This book is a fascinating account of the belief in the magical powers of gems and jewels in Great Britain up to the end of the 18th century. The author has examined nearly every lapidary of importance from the ancient world through the renaissance and beyond..."

I also have enjoyed this cookbook. It includes a tasty variety of foods and more-often-than-not pretty simple preparations that are perfect to make for your own family and especially when you have weekend guests. You don't need to run a B&B to appreciate this book, but it may have you planning a stay in one when you read these hand-picked innkeepers' recipes. My favourite: Hacienda del Sol's Old Fashioned Porridge. It's not too sweet, but good enough for dessert! The little personal notes attached to each recipe make it seem like a treasured hand-me-down book with kitchen comments already scribbled in the margins.

This is an excellent group of recipes, most with Southwestern flair, but also a good combination of European and Midwestern American traditions.

It is well-organized with two tables of contents so that you can search by establishment or by course type.

My favorites include: Easy Garlic & Feta Cheese Appetizer, Chicken & Blueberry Pasta, Breakfast Apple Pie and for the most outstanding appetizer at a dinner party try the Cranberry Glazed Brie.