Marc Chagall's paintings are beautiful and intricate, and this book attempts to deliver both reproductions of his paintings and an abbreviated biography. There are a few photographs scattered throughout as well, mostly of Chagall's family. I would warn readers, however, that even though the book is listed as suitable for children ages 4-8, a 4-year-old is not likely to enjoy this book, except perhaps as a free-form discussion tool. The narrative is too dense (short as it is) to hold such a young child's attention. My daughter, 4, is very bright and social, but she still couldn't look at the book with me in a conventional way. Instead we talked about what we saw in the pictures and how the colors blended together and created a mood, sometimes sad, sometimes happy. The book is worth purchasing for an older child, however, and I would recommend it for children at least age 6 and up. It is rather thin, but is filled with wonderful things.

A beautifully written romance! Shows how women who were abused by their husbands got little support from the law and society during the period. The decriptions of the heroine and how she reacts to, and deals with her abused condition were moving as well. Credit must also be given Dunstan, whom Fairchild has made a wonderfully perceptive and caring character. This is Regency romance at its best!

Jonathan Edwards was "difficult" only because he was so single minded in his calling to be a preacher. Sarah Edwards was "uncommon" because to support him in his calling she took over the running of their home, their farm and the raising of their ten happy healthy children. Their union was tender and loving through good times and very bad times (for some years this founder of the first American Revival preached to Indians who didn't even understand him). I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a well researched, very readable history of Colonial times, Early American faith, or a beautiful and inspiring marriage.

This is the best biography of Chesnut to date. Muhlenfeld draws from all of Chesnut's writing, not just her famous Civil War diaries, to build a picture of a woman and a writer.

I read the 1903 edition of Vigee-LeBrun's memoirs (translated by Lionel Strachey), and had no idea how much had been left out. If you're interested in Vigee-LeBrun, this is the book to get! (Too bad it's out of print!) Her life was fascinating, and she tells it best. Travel with her from Revolutionary France to the court of Catherine the Great. Evans' translation is very fluid. Don't miss the "pen portraits" at the back of the book--they describe the artist's famous friends and acquaintances, such as Jacques-Louis David and Benjamin Franklin.

I initially read this book to provide me with information about Mme. Vigee-Lebrun, my favorite woman artist, for a paper I was writing about her. As I read the book, I began to find it painful to put it down to take notes because I had become so engrossed in its content. In addition to providing hours of fascination, this book will prove to be an asset to those interested in knowing more about Vigee-Lebrun.

Quite simply, there is no one with a better ear for women's voices in medieval texts than Elisabeth van Houts. This is a lovely little book that will cause many to redefine their whole idea of what constitutes "history." Highly recommended!

Elisabeth Behr-Sigel's "The Ministry of Women in the Church" must be read by all Christians interested in the role and status of women in the Church today. This important book - written by a female Orthodox theologian - brilliantly analyses the role and status of women today in the Orthodox Church - within the context of the feminist movement that has transformed western society. Behr-Sigel correctly states that in spite of the challenges feminism has posed to contemporary society, as well as many western churches, the woman's issue has yet to be raised in the Orthodox Church, partly due to the indifference many men and women show towards the issue. Certainly many aspects of the womens' movement must be criticized by Orthodox Christians, but to ignore it is absolute 'folly'.

The Orthodox Church, as Behr-Sigel points out, seems to believe that women are content with the role that both nature and Tradition has given them. But what nature is this, Behr-Sigel asks? Is it the broken and torn nature of the fall or the new creation in Christ? This question is at the heart of Behr-Sigels' argument.

Behr-Sigel explains that when she first came into the Orthodox Church from her Protestant traditon, she was shocked by the fact that the Church still held Old Testament taboos on women. She saw contradiction and tension between the freedom women have in Christ and a patriarchal and clerical institution that has condemned women into silence.Although the feminist movement has challenged the traditional and misogynist attitude towards women, the Orthodox Church still avoids the issue by hiding behind the Virgin Mary as an example of why the Orthodox Church is not anti-feminist.

Behr-Sigel courageously challenges and criticizes the Church's attempt to avoid the women's issue. She states that the veneration of Mary - as important as it is - has in fact been used to degrade women by associating women with Eve. Mary has become an almost 'goddess' like creature and is no longer a 'women' that Christian women can associate with.In spite of the priestly and prophetic role Mary had, the Church uses Mary to push women away and limit their role in the Church.

Overall, Behr-Sigel argues that the Church's attitude towards women is contradictory and against the Gospel of Christ. The Church's attitude towards women is rooted in Genesis 3 and the misogynist exegesis that has surrounded the second creation story. Behr-Sigel states that the creation is that of the creation of the 'total man' which contains both the masculine and feminine. Although the Church Fathers taught that women were created in the image of God, it was the Genesis 2-3 creation story that has dominated male Christian consciousness, that is, that man was created first and hence superior to woman. Behr-Sigel however correctly states that the misogynist interpretation of Gensis 2-3 - so harmful to women - is in fact evident of the rupture between male and female that characterises the fallen world and hence, must be rejected. It is the Gospel that proclaimed the fullness of the human person,yet the Church went back to the Old Testament to justify its warped and misogynist attitude towards women!

Behr-Sigel's book raises so many important issues that simply cannot be covered in this review. She raises some controversial issues - such as the ordination of women to the priesthood - that will be resisted by many within the Orthodox Church. Although Behr-Sigel correctly argues that there is no 'theological' argument against the ordination of women to the priesthood, her argument would be seen as too radical by many Orthodox and hence, her entire argument and the important issues she does raise will be avoided as 'unorthodox'. The issue of the ordination of women is in fact the least important issue for women in the Orthodox Church. What is needed is a visible presence of women in the Church - where the voice of women is heard and respected. For too long men have dominated exegesis, theology, writing, the intrepretation of history and of course, preaching and pastoral ministry. But of course, one can also state that this is because women have been denied ordained ministry - especially in an institution where the distinction between clergy and laity is very sharp.

Overall, it is the women's movement that has made the women's issue in the church unavoidable. The Orthodox Church sees the women's movement as a western movement and hence, irrelevant to the Church. But what is becoming increasingly irrelevant for women is a Church which justifies the subordination of women based on a couple of passages of Scripture interpreted by 'men' and which continues to condemn women into silence. Women no longer have the gifts of the Holy Spirit that St.Paul talks about in 1Corinthians 12 precisely because the church has become so hierarhical and male dominated. Women do not have the gift of apostleship, or teaching, or prophesying that women clearly once had in the primitive church. Thus, in spite of the transformation the women's movement has brought to the life of many Orthodox women today, the Orthodox Church continues to function as an institution based on out-dated attitudes towards women based more on 'culture' and a selective exegesis of Scripture than on the Gospel of the perfect Man Christ.

I thoroughly enjoyed Behr-Sigel's book because it raises issues that touch me personally as an Orthodox Christian woman frustrated by the Church's out-dated and offensive attitude towards women. Behr-Sigel has raised important issues that will hopefully be recognised by the male hierarchy in the Church.

Her name was Margaret Dornton. Evelyn Dade called her Pearl. He and Death were close friends ever since the War of Waterloo. The Ton called him the Captain of Death. Just for a woman to be seen with him was instant ruin. Thus, when Pearl and he were seen together, Pearl and her two sister were instantly outcasts in society. It made no difference that Dade had been rescuing Pearl from a mad dog.

Dade had horrible nightmares of the war and felt no other could possibly understand. Pearl, however, witnessed her little brother's death when she was but three. She understood horrible nightmares better than he could believe.

***Elisabeth Fairchild brings out the untold parts of war...the effects left on the ones who lived through it. Many people today still have these nightmares. Many historical facts are scattered throughout the story as well. The story is not only very romantic and lovely, but realistic as well.***

In this memoir, Ogilvie humorously writes about her life on Gay's Island off the coast of Maine living in a house aptly called "Tide's Way" which she shared with her married friends Roy and Dot. The book starts out with their move from another island to Gay's Island, adventurously transporting their furniture by boat. She writes about boat trips to Port Clyde to get groceries; rowing trip excursions; attempts at building different "writer's studios" in the woods, and more. She also writes about their humorous and loveable pets that you won't forget - Blackie the sheep with "black felt ears"; Tristan and Soldi the cats; and Smokey and Susan, the dogs. Anyone who likes reading about a simple life connected to nature will enjoy this book. If you like this book, I recommend reading Gladys Taber's books and also Louise Dickinson Rich's works.

Anthropologist Elisabeth Tooker has provided here an excellent understanding of Native North American spirituality with this book. Most of the focus is on the southeastern areas of the continent, but that does not manage to detract from the book's ability to convey understanding of what went on in traditional Native American life.

The language is very easy to read and logical, making this very good reading fo a beginner. Indeed, there is almost no technical terminology in thw whole book.

The early part of Tooker's book is devoted to a study of the cosmological viewpoint of the various tribes mentioned in the book. The book shows very clearly how, from the perspective of the Native American tribes, and how myth describe events in the "sky world" ie. the world above Earth. The Winnebago tribe do not base the existence of spirits on sight and hearing, but in terms of what is felt.

The last two-thirds of "Native North American Spirituality Of The Eastern Woodlands" deals with actual Native American rituals. In very clear language, stages of long ritual are described in a way that even a novice on this subject will always be able to understand. At the same time, the rituals are explained very well, with purpose of even such actions as the sluaghtering of deer being well-explained. There is a particularly moving description of what a Winnebago father will teach his child how to reach their "destination" on a spiritual quest via fasting and helping one's fellow men. There are also accounts of offerings of tobacco and other drugs.

On the whole, this work should be read by all interested in Native American spirituality, especially if you have little knowledge.