Home sweet home: a place of love, refuge, and memories. For Helen Martin's it was also her life, her work and her Mecca. In the play "The Road to Mecca" Athol Fugard explores the question: Should we leave our Mecca, our spiritual fountainhead, when we can no longer take care of ourselves? The conflict between the three strong willed characters Helen, Elsa and Pastor Marius explores the question in the light of different religions, cultures, genders, ages and environments. Fugard said the play was suggested by the life and work of Helen Martins of New Bathesda, South Africa. The real Helen from age 50 to 75 transformed her house into a personal universe that enters the realm of archetype, symbol and metaphor. The house, furniture, windows and walls became a kaleidoscope of colored glass. In her garden she constructed over 200 figures: owls, Biblical figures, Buddhas, and ancient gods and goddesses. One South African scholar described her work as one of the most stirring experiences of his life and another called her one of South Africa's artistic geniuses. Fugard in his play shows Helen's creations as a glorious, makeshift oasis of creativity and life force and Elsa, his character, sees Helen as an example of freedom and transcendence. One powerful scene is when Helen, seated in her Mecca with dozens of candles playing off glittered walls and mirrors, tells Pastor Marius "I can't reduce my world to a few ornaments in a small room in an old-age home." The effect is stunning. The play is thought provoking and gives few answers. Helen is alive when it ends. Sadly, in 1975, the real Helen committed suicide. She drank caustic soda and died after three days I solitary agony. Her will included complex instructions listing in detail the ritual disposal of each of her sculptures. But today her home, known as "The Owl House" has been proclaimed a national monument and is a mecca for artists and tourists.

A reclusive elderly widow (based on the late Helen Martins, whose South African home is now a museum) has created her own "Mecca" by decorating the inside of her home with candles and mirrors and by surrounding the house with an assortment of personally-sculpted mermaids, wisemen, peacocks and pyramids. Although her neighbors view Miss Helen as a crazy old woman, she has made friends with Elsa Barlow, a young teacher who has returned for a surprise visit. On that same day, clergyman Marius Byleveld has come to help Helen apply to a nursing home. Marius is fond of Helen and fears for her safety. Elsa is in opposition to a move as it would take Helen away from her art.

I was originally concerned that a drama focusing on an old woman's artwork would not translate well to a listening experience. How could I care as deeply about Miss Helen if I was not able to see the oddball sculptures she had created? Surely the vision of "a city of light and color more splendid than anything I had ever imagined" could not be adequately transmitted through the speakers of my tape player. I need not have worried. One of my favorite parts of the entirely wonderful listen remains the moment when Helen lights her room with candles -- music comes up and there is absolutely no problem seeing a room aglow in a growing light of imagination and art. Adding to the experience is a superb cast performing a well-written examination of what it means to be an artist, what it means to be older, and what it means to be shunned. Fabulous!

Excellent recording quality, an interesting listen.

This is a wonderful collection of poetry readings by some of the best actors in the world. If you allow yourself only one tape of poetry, I would recommend this one. The rendition of Lawrence's "The Snake" is spellbining, and the reading of Macneil's "A Death in the Family" is quietlly gut-wrenching. And you will be surprised how well Bill Shatner recites about whales. Buy this tape, and you will listen to it again and again.

This live performance recorded at the Mencken Concert Hall in New York City is extraordinary.
Laurence Houseman (1865-1959), was a prolific writer and wrote several plays centered around Queen Victoria. This is an adaptation of two of them, "Victoria and Albert" (1933), and "Victoria Regina" (1934), and it also includes private and public writings of the queen and her prince consort.

Queen Victoria was a strong, temperamental character, and few men could have withstood being her consort with as much grace as Prince Albert. Being a sober and temperate man, he was a good balance for her, and of course, it was a rare and wonderful affection that flowed between them for 22 years.

The incredible wit in these readings will have you howling with laughter. One of the funnier parts concerns her dislike for small children. Albert was a much better "mother" to their nine offspring, and her descriptions of an infant are hilarious !

Julie Harris and Richard Kiley are totally brilliant. I can't imagine a more perfect performance, capturing all the love, humor, and strength of these two remarkable, complex people who changed the course of history.
I've always been fascinated by Victoria and Albert...I feel there is much more substance to them than what seems to be the current "fashionable" opinion, and for anyone who shares that interest, this tape is an absolute must to listen to.

The book, Little Women, written by Louisa May Alcott, is the most captivating book I have ever read. I watched, and fell in love with the movie, but I never realized how much more I would get out of it, by reading the book. The famous saying, "Money can't buy you happiness", really shows through in this book. Living in the 1800's, during the Civil War, and very little money, the March family shows what little things can make you happy.
At the beginning of the book, the four daughters are introduced, but as you continue reading, you become apart of their lives. Alcott really has a way of bringing out each character, and making them so strong and powerful. Meg, who is very mature and grown up, thinks about getting married and taking care of children. Jo, is the tomboy and doesn't seem to take anything seriously. Beth is the most selfless, and is always willing to do anything to help others. Young Amy tries so hard to be perfect and loved by society, but is spoilt and selfish. The March family is faced with many trials and tribulations, and fight so hard to overcome them, especially the death of a loved one. Through everything that they go through, they stay positive, and continue to follow their dreams.
Reading this book, helped me to find the importance of family. No matter what happened to this family, they were always able to turn to each other for love and support. This is how I want to be able to live my life. Not to be poor, but to have such a strong bond within my family.
I have read this book once, and I plan on reading it many times over, and hopefully passing it on to my daughter when she is old enough to read and understand it. I recommend this book to any women, whether they are young or old. I hope that whoever does choose this book, apreciates it as much as I did, and always will.

I can't imagine someone disliking this novel. That is impossible. This book has things for all tastes: romance, friendship, betrayal etc. I have read this book 3 or 4 times and everytime I can find something different, or, even, be surprised. I think it is a wonderful thing how long Louisa May Alcott's masterpiece has been delighing readers everywhere.

As everyone knows this is the story of four sisters and their love for each other , but above all, for life. Jo is the most impetuous and she wants to be a writer; Meg wants to get married and be a housewife; Beth, the most sweet, loves helping people; and, Amy wants to be an important person somehow. Through many years of their lives we learn how they succed --or fail-- in their ambition.

Alcott's novel became a paradigma of the condition of American Women during the civil war. Each girl can be seen as a possibility of what women had for their future by that time. Maybe this is why this novel is so timeless. The writer didn't want to make a sociological analysis of that period, but her work is very helpful, once it is quite reliable as a portrait of that society.

This novel deserves to be read over and over again, and not only by little women.

The book Little Women is a heart-warming story. It is one I would read more than once. I dont see how anyone could not like it,exept maybe boys. I chose it because I had seen the movie and i heard that the book was one you can't go your life without reading,so I went to my school library and checked it out.
This book is about four sisters growing up during the 1800's. They are faced with many challenges they must overcome. These things bring them closer and closer. During the war their father must leave for war as a chaplain. While he is there he gets injured and Marmee (the girls mother) has to go take care of him. The girls must help there mother out by taking care of themselves. The girls have to deal with many other things such as losing people they love, getting married,saying goodbye, and falling in love.
My favorite character was Marmee I liked her because she was so loving and hardworking. Through the many difficult trials in life she remained strong. When I grow up I hope I can be like that,
I don't want to tell you anymore i want to let you read the other things yourself. I hope you don't have anywhere to be because once you start reading this book you can't put it down. I recomend this book for girls of any age, young or old I am sure you will enjoy.

WARNING:THIS BOOK CAN MAKE YOU LATE!!!!!

Out of Africa is an literary accomplishment that will remain in history as portraying Africa as it really was in that era. Karen Blixen was so in touch with the native tribes of Kenya. Her deep respect for their customs and lives is obvious in this book, which wasn't common then among the new European settlers. The way that her fascinating stories unfold is remarkable, making long hours of the night spent trying to put the book down without success.

I saw Out of Africa as a child, and read the book in college, which inspired me to go to Kenya when I graduated. I visited the land that Karen Blixen donated upon her departure from Kenya, which was turned into a town named "Karen", and her home and everything in it have been preserved, down to the lantern she would leave on for Finch-Hatton. Still today the town's people speak of Karen Blixen in great admiration, perhaps giving back what she unconditionally gave to them.

I would recommend this book to anyone who knows how to read!

Isak Dinesen, nee Karen Blixen, lived in East Africa for almost twenty years making a living as the proprietor of a coffee plantation. Out of Africa is a memoir of her experiences there. But the book is so much more.

The stories are interesting to be sure. They relate to the plantation or the people and events that one way or another impacted her life there. But it is Blixen's writing that I found so sublime. I have never read anything like it. The way Blixen turns a phrase is both lyrical and enchanting all at once - you become literally swept up in the words and imagery. It is obvilious that Blixen loved Africa - something about the continent got under her skin. In a similar fashion her words have gotten under mine. I have read Out of Africa several times; each time I marvel at the beautiful language she uses. Read this book and I am sure you will feel the same way.

A quintessential, lyrical love poem to East Africa. Karen Blixen's years of joy, discovery and struggle unfold beautifully in "Out of Africa"...which she wrote years later (under the pseudonym Isak Denesen) after returning to her native Denmark. What is absent from the book which one finds in the Oscar-winning film are the relationship struggles with her long-time companion Dennys Finch Hatton. Here she keeps her focus on the many friends, employees and characters she met along the way in the operation of her coffee plantation during the early 1900s...and avoids writing romantically about Finch Hatton. Her love affair with Africa though is beautifully and eloquently expressed throughout "Out Of Africa." Those readers who may be interested in reading more about her and Finch Hatton might be interested in reading her "Letters From Africa."

"Out Of Africa" is essential reading for those contemplating a journey to Kenya or Tanzania. It reads like a very colorful and sometimes haunting work of fiction, and is all the more fascinating because this remarkable woman and writer actually experienced it all.

Life and love, hardship and adventure, romance and history - all beautifully woven into a delightful autobiography of an unlikely heroine. The daughter of a poor white farmer trying to eke out a living in untamed and uncharted Africa, Beryl Markham rose from very humble beginnings to become a successful horse trainer, bush pilot, and the first person to fly east-to-west across the Atlantic from England. Her fantastic life seems to be one adventure after another, coincidentally commingled with the lives of Isak Dinesen (the author and heroine of "Out of Africa") and Denys Finch Hatton (played by Robert Redford in the movie, OOA). On this level alone, that of an adventure-packed historical tale, this book is compelling. But the absolute poetry of the narrative makes it inescapable.

Ms. Markham's inimitable flair for description and metaphor are enchantingly powerful. One could truly open the book to any random page and find a treasure. No previous knowledge of plot or precedence would be vital to the enjoyment. That such extraordinary prose also reveals an incredible life provides a rich dividend. Savor the following corsage randomly plucked from the bouquet:

"Arab Ruta... is of the tribe that observes with equal respect the soft voice and the hardened hand, the fullness of a flower, the quick finality of death. His is the laughter of a free man happy at his work, a strong man with lust for living. He is not black. His skin holds the sheen and warmth of used copper. His eyes are dark and wide-spaced, his nose is full-boned and capable of arrogance.

"He is arrogant now, swinging the propeller, laying his lean hands on the curved wood, feeling an exultant kinship in the coiled resistance to his thrust.

"He swings hard. A splutter, a strangled cough from the engine like the premature stirring of a sleep-slugged labourer. In the cockpit I push gently on the throttle, easing it forward, rousing the motor, feeding it, soothing it."

My first encounter with this charming book was accidental but fortuitous. I found the paperback in an airport bookstore, and stayed engrossed and enchanted by the lyrical meanderings for the entirety of my three-hour flight. A few years later I discovered the audio version which springs to an even greater life in the voice of Julie Harris. Her reading of the horse race that proved to be a watershed moment for Ms. Markham, still has the capacity to choke me to tears, though I have listened to it many times.

A few reviewers here have given less than laudatory reviews. This book is absolutely among the top five I have ever read, and I must pity those unfortunate souls who are tone-deaf to the rhapsodic music playing among its pages. Never mind my glowing endorsement. Never mind that Ernest Hemmingway said that Beryl Markham "has written so well, and marvelously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer." Just find this book and open it randomly to any page. You will quickly discover that this book is an extraordinary encounter. Don't miss it!

Mere moments have passed since I closed the back cover on "West with the Night", and already I am missing its world and its voice. It is one of those rare books that can, with the simple fluidity of its narrative, pull you in and engulf you entirely.

I am not a big fan of the memoir, but Markham's (or whoever wrote it) voice is neither bombastic nor humble; she feels less a narrator or subject than a fellow traveller, along with you for the ride. Although the life she lived was extraordinary and compelling, she refreshingly views it in clipped, casual, careful terms, as unimpressed with herself as if she'd been a midwestern housewife, not a pilot and horse trainer in Colonial Africa.

Many readers will approach "West with the Night" out of a pre-existing interest in and knowledge of its era and characters, and will no doubt experience it entirely differently than I did. While a few names rang vague bells, for the most it was an engaging introduction. But I read it as literature, not as history, and enjoyed it immensely as such. I found her small personal anecdotes far more interesting than the accounts of her grand feats. The Atlantic flight that made her famous rounds out the end of the book, but is rather dry and dull compared to her African tales. Stories such as her father's pompous parrot had me in spasms of public giggles.

It is little wonder that Hemmingway praised this book, as the sparse directness of its utilitarian prose makes even the Old Man of the Sea seem a flowery romantic. Its structure can be rather meandering, but in that regard it resembles the contours of memory, which makes me believe Markham did indeed write her own book.

Whoever wrote it, "West With the Night" is a lyrically beautiful story of an amazing life: Beryl Markham arrived in Africa in 1905 at the age of three, she spent her childhood on her father's farm, learning all about African people and wildlife; she became a horse-trainer (racing was surprisingly popular in colonial Kenya); she was the first woman in Africa to have a pilot's license, working as a freelance pilot in Kenya; she was the first person to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic East-to-West (hence the book's title). This book is an interesting and very readable documentation of Kenya in the era of Isak Dinesen, Bror Blixen, Denys Finch Hatton, et al (all of whom she knew). Hemingway praised this book lavishly, saying:

"Did you read Beryl Markham's book, "West with the Night"? I knew her fairly well in Africa and never would have suspected that she could and would put pen to paper except to write in her flyer's log book. As it is, she has written so well, and marvelously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer. .... But this girl who is, to my knowledge, very unpleasant,... can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves as writers. The only parts of it that I know about personally, on account of having been there at the time and heard the other people's stories, are absolutely true. So, you have to take as truth the early stuff about when she was a child which is absolutely superb. She omits some very fantastic stuff which I know about which would destroy much of the character of the heroine; but what is that anyhow in writing?"

As Hemingway may have suspected, Markham may not be the real author, and "West With the Night" does leave out major portions of her life; it would be a good idea to read it along with the biography of her life, "Straight On Till Morning: The Biography of Beryl Markham" by Mary Lovell (Lovell also wrote "A Rage to Live: A Biography of Richard and Isabel Burton").

In Anne Frank's Diary " The Diary of A Young Girl", she not only gives an account of two Jewish families in hiding during one of history's most horrific events, the holocaust, but also takes us into her true feelings and critical outlook on others around her. The most remarkable part of her diary is that she is only thirteen years old, who quickly matures because of the circumstances. This book may be written by an adolescent person but Anne Frank is much more capable of understanding her faults and strong characteristic than many adults today. She is able to touch many different subjects; politics, war, sexuality, religion and in every one she captures you with her deep philosophical thoughts, which are well expressed for a small child. On top of that she writes in her diary several movements against the Jewish people by Hitler. She also gives us her hypothetical scenarios like how the authority given to German soldiers by Hitler would be abused. For instance when soldiers had the authority to shoot his officer if he knew that the officer had anything to do with the conspiracy on the attempted assassination of Hitler's life, she wrote that this authority would be abused at this point by an angered soldier. Through all her ordeals she is still able to maintain her good nature. She wrote in her diary that she would like to become a journalist, which she accomplished with this book. This book gives us just a small sample of what she would have been capable of offering journalism would she have survived such turmoil in history.

I recently read a book titled Anne Frank: Diary of a young Girl. When I first started reading it I couldn't put it down I read it night and day, day and night. It is a perceptive journal that was written by a young girl during the time of the Holocaust. She received this journal on her thirteenth birthday; it was a gift from her father. This was about two weeks before her family went into hiding. The people that she lived with were her mother and father, her sister, another family of three, and a young dentist.
I absolutely fell in love with this book. It showed haw hared it was for a thirteen-year-old girl and her family (along with some others) hid from the Nazi's during the Nazi Occupation of Holland. Her personality really surprised me, because she had such a positive attitude through everything that she went through. In her diary she expressed her thoughts and insights about her environment. She described her feelings and all the occurrences that took place everyday on fears that she lived through.
I enjoyed this book because it taught me a great deal about myself. It showed me that I didn't have as hard of a life as I had thought I had. Anne Frank never had the chance to lead a normal adolescents life... The book brought me to tears, and I have a lot of respect for Anne Frank. After reading the Diary of Anne Frank I appreciate my life and what I have a lot more!

Anne Frank's diary has moved millions around the world, past and present, with it's honesty, depth, and poignancy. (Personally, it was Anne's diary that motivated me to write my own journal as a young girl and I continue to write faithfully, ever since. It is one of the few books that I've read which has had the greatest influence on my life.) Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl living in Amsterdam, along with her family, went into hiding along with her family during WWII, when Holland was annexed by the Nazis Regime. During the long years of secret captivity in the building's attic, Anne captured her hopes, loves, fears and thoughts on life in her diary, where she affectionately addressed her entries to an imaginary friend she named "Kitty".

Despite the horrible reality of war just outside her window, Anne was a person who could see beyond man's inhumanity to man, and perceive true beauty and the gift of life. Tragically, nearing the war's conclusion, the family's hiding place is mercilessly betrayed to the Nazis...which ultimately culminates in the final chapter of this lovely young girl's life, just prior to liberation. This is a true story...a diary of a young girl....and her voice from the past. It's a memoir of a brilliant and deep being who wasn't afraid to hope for something better, beyond the misery surrounding her. In my opinion, it is a book that every person should read.

It was an overcast day on Saturday, March 9, 2002. I stood just outside of Anne Frank's final dwelling place, the "Secret Annex," at Prinsengracht 263, Amsterdam. I was overcome with great sadness as I gazed up at the small attic window where she must have looked out...a tree-lined canal just across the way. Perhaps she watched the ducks in the water, swallows overhead, the steady sloping of the rain, or the cloud formations....day in and day out. I imagined what it would be like to be a young girl in confinement, yearning to enjoy life amidst the free, only to be shut up, and kept quiet for fear that an audible breath would betray my family's whereabouts and terminate our lives. I wept at the great waste of life, the cruelty, the plundering of innocent lives, and how this amazing young woman maintained the inner strength to endure those years...and had the courage to capture it all with such delicacy, calm candor and beauty.

Brian Kilcommons is one of my favorite trainers. He's amazing to watch and very practical in his training. What makes this book stand out is the collection of stories from his years of training dogs, and it's difficult to tell which is more entertaining; the dogs or their owners. Filled with touching stories and hilarious anecdotes, I was delighted with this book and sorry it wasn't longer. Anyone who has ever attempted to train a canine can understand, enjoy and even learn from this light read.

Tails From the Bark Side, by Sarah Wilson and Brian Kilcommons is a great look at the human animal bond, especially the funny parts! Tails from the Bark Side has laugh out loud funny stories of dogs and humans and the funny quirks about both. I rate this book among the top dog stories I've ever read. ...

These true stories are very entertainning. Hilariously funny at times, then seroius, and sad at others. Spell binding and very well written. Many nights it was hard to close the book after hours of reading. In addition they provide good tips on how to handle many of the problems we encounter daily with our own dogs. I saw myself and my dogs reflected in many of the situations.

I now see my dogs' behavior and mischiefs in a tottaly different light. This book has helped me understand them a lot better, andd enjoy trainning not only to attain well behaved dogs, but to make life more fun and enjoyable for my barking friends. Can't wait to read other books by this author.

I became engrossed in the fascinating culture of these people whom the main character ends up living with, and learning so much from.

This was one of those books you wish didn't end, or at least you wish you could follow the characters through the rest of their lives and find out what happens to them after you finish the last page.

This is one of the best books I ever read. It is a facinating story about a man living in our times, who suddenly finds himself living among Eskimos, according to THEIR ways and traditions. These Eskimos have little or no knowledge of the world outside of their frozen tundra and speak their own language. The author did a splendid job of telling the story, it was compelling. It is hard to imagine a culture so different from our own and was simply facinating reading about this man trying to adjust to their ways, as he had no choice, because he was stuck there. THIS book should be a movie, of this I have no doubt.

I am going to write a Book Review on a wonderful book I read in 6th grade. This book is Stuart Little by E. B. White Have you ever felt like an outcast before? You're always feeling different, looking different, acting different, and always knowing you're just different from the normal person. Until one normal day someone comes along and helps you out. They being anyone, just come and helps with your problems. Well, that is what Stuart a mouse feels like in the story-book Stuart Little by E. B. White. In this wonderful story a family, known as the Littles have a son who has always wanted a brother. So the mother and the father go and find their son a younger brother. They then come back home with a mouse named Stuart. I know it sounds weird to have a mouse as a little son, but the Littles just feel in love with Stuart. Stuart in the story goes through many problems being tiny, like the clothing, the ways of getting around, and many others. Stuart then thinks that he can go out into the big world and decides to go on a journey, almost taking his life many times. One of the most exciting parts in this book was, when Stuart goes off on his journey into the BIG WORLD. He is looking pretty good to other bigger animals as supper, so when he was walking in the park a big over head flying pigeon tries to eat Stuart. Stuart then has to quickly get away. Being in the BIG WORLD can be dangerous I kept thinking to myself and hoping Stuart wouldn't die. Read the book to find out what happens to Stuart Little. So, if you enjoy a book of fun reading, emotion, and action that keeps you reading and into the book, I really think your should try the novel Stuart Little by E. B White.

An adventurous, heroic little mouse is and has been living a normal human lifestyle with a human family. As being part of the family he does many things for it. For example, Mrs. Little drops her ring down the drain of the bathroom tub and can't get it out, Stuart goes in and gets it. When the Little's play ping pong and the ping pong ball goes somewhere off the table Stuart gets it. Even though he does a lot of work for the other Little's he is treated well and is very loved, not just for his work. Stuart has a problem. Margalo is missing and Stuart has to leave to go find this special friend. Margalo is Stuarts loving and caring bird friend. Read, as Stuart goes on his journey to find his good friend and to watch him stumble into more, new exciting adventures. I was interested throughout the whole entire story. From Rowing down streams, up in trees, to walking through the tall wet grasses. Adventure after adventure. You might even catch yourself laughing. I recommend this book to all readers interested. Well written and understandable.

Stuart Little
E.B. White
Stuart Little represents how people should get treated in life, equally. Stuart is a tiny mouse and an actual family adopts him. He starts out really scared because they are so much bigger than him and he has no idea what they are going to do with him. The Little family gave him a chance to live the life of a real person and Stuart had some wild adventures along the way. Sure there are some disadvantages of being a mouse, but he made every second worth while. Stuart is like an actual son to them because they loved him in every aspect of life. I loved this book because it showed how everyone should be treated in life. If everyone were treated equal throughout the world, I would be in heaven. I gave it a 5 star because it kept me in the reading mood. I don't really like to read that much, but Stuart Little made me give reading a second chance. Stuart Little is one of the most amazing books because it shows you how lucky you truly are to be living like a human being.