This is a very early Kelly, first published in 1989 and, clearly, it reflects her efforts to establish herself in the Regency sub-genre. It reminded me very much of some of Georgette Heyer's more lighthearted romances as it does not, as others have said, have the angst and poignancy of some of Kelly's other works. Nonetheless, in the hero, The Earl of Collinwood, she has given us a wonderful character with whom the reader will most certainly fall in love. Marian herself is irrepressible, sweet and loving. The two of them complement each other perfectly.

There are some errors here with respect to titles (even the Divine Kelly gets it wrong!) and some sloppy editorial errors. However, this story is wonderful, as summed up elsewhere, and moves along at a cracking pace with a wonderful climax where Marian finally takes the lead in her relationship with Collinwood.

The secondary characters are, as always with Kelly, delightful and all of them add pertinence to the narrative.

Excellent; I truly enjoyed reading this one!

The old Carla Kellys are really among the best Regency romances around. In this one, which I managed to acquire second-hand, she writes a wonderful, heartwarming story which gripped me so completely that I even found myself thinking and wondering about the characters during the day, when I'd had to put the book down.

Marian, aged not quite seventeen and not out yet, is nevertheless the only 'sensible' person in her family household. It's a year after her father's death, which occurred just before Christmas the previous year, and this year she's determined to have a *happy* Christmas. After all, her family is practically bankrupt and they may have to move out of their home in the New Year.

Then her elder brother, Percy, arrives home for Christmas with two strange gentlemen in tow. One is intended as a suitor for Marian's sister Ariadne; he's wealthy, despite being obnoxious. The other is Lord Ingraham, an earl, badly scarred from a burn and clearly hiding from friends and family as a result.

Marian, with her penchant for healing sick and injured creatures, is immediately drawn to Ingraham and wants to help him; she provides him with a salve to lessen the pain of his burn, and in doing so sees the man whom she'd been warned by her brother was stiff and top-lofty actually *smile*.

Gil, as she comes to call him and think of him, joins in her amusement and seeks ways to rid the house of Ariadne's suitor. He defends her to Percy when her brother disapproves of her often unladylike behaviour. Marian is, of course, still strictly speaking, in the schoolroom, and - as other characters later remind her and Gil - is 'of the infantry'. Gil treats her sometimes as an equal, finding himself confiding in her, and sometimes as an amusing child; his most common nickname for her is 'brat'.

The story is told only from Marian's point of view, which is a fascinating device, because Gil's interest in her - not as a child, but as a woman he is falling in love with - is clearly apparent to the reader, but not to Marian. Charmingly naive as she is with regard to relationships, she misses his hints and doesn't understand his references to changing his mind about marriage and needing to speak to her brother. To the reader, Gil's intentions towards Marian are clear, and it's also clear that, in a scene we aren't privy to, he must have asked her brother's permission to court her.

It does take Marian some time - both aided and hampered by the goings-on of her family, and in particular the escapades of her younger brother Alastair - to understand what she feels for Gil, even though, right at the very start of their acquaintance, she ignored the Christmas wishes she'd intended to make for her family, and only wished instead that Gil should have the 'best Christmas ever'. By her efforts, she makes that come true for him...

...and in return, he makes all her wishes come true, and more.

A charmingly romantic book you won't forget in a hurry. One of Kelly's best, though - in the spirit of Christmas - without the heartwrenching angst of Mrs Drew Plays Her Hand or Reforming Lord Ragsdale, two of my other Kelly favourites.

I love regency romances, and Carla Kelly's wit and heart make her one of my favorite authors. Marion's Christmas Wish is charming and full of the Christmas Spirit.

Beyond good, this book is important. A book from the voices of parents who have lesbian and/or gay children. We have "heard" plenty from lesbians and gays, pleading for understanding and acceptance, so this book gives the readers a voice from "the other" side.

With frank interviews and conversations, we are let in on the angst, the suffering, the fears and disappointments from parents. It covers many aspects of our lives. Most often, the burning question from parents is "what did I do wrong?" Religion, health, acceptance etc....all the way to "should the neighbours know?

This book is honestly written from the hearts of the writers, parents who have been through all of that and more. We learn of how they cope or didn't. The journeys they have taken and what the effects are with a lesbian/gay in the family unit. A must read, not just for parents, but also for lesbians and gays, and their siblings. And for everyone else too - I recommend this book. It creates understanding, not answers, through the conversations with various people. In all, it is almost like sitting in a crowd and listening in on an interesting discussion or conversation and gleaning knowledge and understanding!!

There is an earlier editon from 1990. Try to get the lastest one, I think 1996/7, with updates on issues like AIDS etc...

Buy or borrow this book, read it again and again. Pass it on. For everyone.

I told my parents I'm gay this past weekend. It went much better than expected. Friends said that there were books on the market that could help. I checked out Amazon's selection and found _Beyond Acceptance: Parents of Lesbians and Gays Talk About Their Experiences_ to be the extremely helpful in the coming-out-to-your-parents experience. The book was, for me, accurate in "predicting" my parents' reactions, down to the questions they would ask, the emotions they would go through, etc. It was touching, and inspiring as it brings you from the initial coming out event all the way through to parents who have taken action in their communities against homophobia. The book doesn't pretend that all parents will change so drastically, but it shows what's possible.

Note: While the book draws from the experiences of predominantly caucasian, middle-class families, the parents were from all across the country and from various religious backgrounds, i.e. Jewish, Christian, Catholic, agnostic, etc.

The book covers an amazing array of subjects including: Issues regarding your partner and the difficulties and triumphs in bringing partners into the family, the grandparents and extended family, the church, the sense of loss experienced by parents when their expectations for their gay child changes, the paradox of the general acceptance of married heterosexuals who don't have children versus gay committed, monogamous relationships, the fact gays can lead happy and full lives, gays in the military, about whether gayness is caused by nature or nurture or both, about whether being gay is a mental illness, about the removal of homosexuality from the APA's list of mental illnesses, about the failure of all forms of "treatment," and the list goes on . . .

I also enjoyed and drew wisdom from the Bernstein book, _Straight Parents, Gay Children: Inspiring Families to Live Honestly and With Greater Understanding_, but found _Beyond Acceptance_ to be better organized.

This book is written as a resource for parents. I bought and read it before coming out to my parents. Insightful and careful writing to help you understand what your parents might feel when you tell them. Then give them a copy when you have the big discussion. The authors use loads of real-life examples from many different people and situations to help parents understand and relate.

People who learned to diagram sentences and outline thoughts when they were in school might be interested in how this book is organized around, in, and through an outline. Picking any particular topic, it is often surprising how well Karl Jaspers has placed it within a scheme of things. Normally, there wouldn't be much reason to consider how a history of thinking as bombing might find a place in a book like General Psychotherapy, but at the moment, it is interesting that the following ideas in this book can be assigned to a particular place on a thread that runs through it, largely about the "worlds of obsessional patients." On page 390, in Chapter VI, MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS AND THEIR SPECIFIC MECHANISMS, SECTION TWO, ABNORMAL MECHANISMS, 1. Pathological Psychogenic Reactions, ( c ) Classifications of reactive states, 2. According to the type of the reactive states: "(b) There may be an explosion in the form of fits, tantrums, rages, disjointed movements, blind acts of violence, threats and abuse. There is a working up of the self into a state of narrowed consciousness (prison-outbreaks, frenzies, short-circuit reactions, are some of the terms used)."

There is much more in this book than the average patient is ever going to learn in personal visits to a shrink. A thorough knowledge of the point of view presented by Jaspers goes a long way in support of the view that modern drug treatments of psychiatric problems attempt to mask symptoms, which are much easier to define and classify than the problems of existence that attempt to surface in situations where people would like an infinite solution to individual problems. In Jaspers's examination of the relationship between the doctor and the patient, any doctor who approaches a fixed view of the best remedy is in danger of failing to understand the nature of the individual patient. It helps to have some background in the personal issues which are most meaningful to the reader. In our own time, there is a controversy about the use of ancient remedies like marijuana, and I found it useful to compare therapeutic suggestions in this book with the federal government's position that smoking such stuff isn't medicine, "it's more like a Cheech and Chong show." If you want to live through reading this book, you will have to inhale while you read. Best of all, there is no point in this book at which the doctor says, "Your time is up."

This is a classic work on the observation of psychopathology without the theoretical overlay of other works. This author also founded phenomenology, a type of existential philosophy. This book is a must for mental health diagnosticians but might be a bit dense for the general public.

I couldn't put it down!Coe's voice rings absolutely true as she uses journal, letters, narrative to draw her character. Coe is a superb storyteller in her prime!

If you like a book that leaves you wanting to spend more time with its characters, who've become comfortable friends in the parallel universe of your imagination, put Marvelous Secrets on your immediate reading list! Each story reveals another recognizable yet obscured layer of the human experience, so that by the end of the last chapter, you feel that you know and like yourself better for having read the book.

An enchanting book. Each story left me eager to for the next. Local Color proved to be a nostalgic visit through a shop of treasures. It brought back memories of past week-end trips. Marvelous Secrets takes you into a Boston bookshop where there are walls of "marvelous secrets," and a very insightful story that illustrates "fate forces choice and choice becomes fate."

Gifts to be Delivered makes you regret all the times you have jumped to a conclusion without checking the facts.

Every story had a different theme and charm. The illustrations were beautiful and I found this book very enjoyable. It is the perfect present for a mother, aunt, close friend, or any woman who enjoys curling up with a cup of tea and good book.

Once in a while a book is discovered that is the perfect gift for those wonderful folks called caregivers. With Love, A Caregiver's Journal is such a book. Recently, I gave the book to a friend who has been caring for her Mother for ten years. She told me she sat down and read it the day it arrived. "It had been a particularly bad week with Mom and Marian Wright's book helped me in so many ways. First, I knew I wasn't alone. Then, I found myself feeling, somehow, less guilty. Finally, I dug out my long forgotten journal and began to write. I hope it doesn't sound too melodramatic to say this book may have saved my life. Thank you." This was not the first time I have given this book to friends in need and it certainly won't be the last. I highly recommend it for others.

I have done my review on this good book twice in the last few months, yet it still is not shown here. What is the matter? Each time you say it wil be online within 5 to 7 days, yet nothing! Please either put it online or let me know why. Ruth L. Dunstone, rlslone@fiber-net.com.

This is a helpful and compelling book for any caregiver to read at any stage in the caregiving process--before, during, or after. The author prepares for her mother's death in a loving and spiritual way. By writing a day-by-day journal account, we are also able to share her frustration, anger, and aloneness as her mother's sole caregiver. Her honest sharing of emotions gave me great comfort in knowing that the gamut of feelings I experienced as a caregiver were perfectly normal.

The author accomplished her primary goal of being able to care for her mother until the end of her life without putting her in a nursing home. We are privileged to see how she made it through the experience with unusual openess, insight, and inspiration.

I've never read anything better on this subject. I found it honest and uplifting. This book should be in the hands of all caregivers and anyone who works with them.

This wonderfully written, heartfelt story, is directed to caregivers who may be struggling as they care for a family member or friend. Caregiving is such a heartwretching experience, and the role of giving, giving, giving can be mentally and physically exhausting. This book gives perspective, permission to care for yourself, and a "how to achieve caring for yourself" direction. It validates the feelings caregivers have -- it acknowledges the hassles and the stressors, the morals and the ethics, the values and the beliefs. It supplies direction with a sense of humor and compassion using professional and personal experiences. I found this book an excellent resource in my professional and person lives in supporting other caregivers. Cathy Thomas, R.N., O.C.N., Stephen Ministries Leader.

I am impressed by your book--by its alluring title its wide ranging scope covering so many aspects of caregivers' experiences and needs, its clarity and style and helpful wisdom on many topics. Many will find it a most valuable source to which to turn for encouragement and advice in the complex, often diffiult, always taxing responsibities of caring for others. Many people, more all the time, have such roles. They do their work with remarkable patience and skill, but it helps them to have good support from others. Robert Esbjornsonm, retired college ethics prof., St. Peter, Mn.

The focus of this book is on the caregivers's self care and survival while performing the arduous and endless tasks of giving service to other. In writing this book authors Brammer and Bingea have created a lifeline based on their professional and person experiences, drawing upon psychology, social work, philosophy, religion, medicine, cross-cultural studies and education, as well as personal involvement in caring ministries in church and broader service in Red Cross and Hospice.

In "High Doses of Wisdom, Low Doses of Advice" Dr. Chiesa provides a concise series of essays on living an ethical life as well as dealing with some of life's problems in a mature, ethical and positive way. For example, she has an excellent essay on dealing with the death of a child. How would you feel? How can you be truly helpful and understanding if it happens to a friend. Digging deep into the reality of the situation, she offers positive, effective wisdom. How long should it take for the person to recover and get back to a normal life? There are no rules, some may not take but a few months, others may not recover for years, some may not recover at all. The chapter defines how to be a real friend.

Other essay subjects include solitude, friendship, listening, generosity, alcohol, betrayal, psychologists and other mental health providers, etc. Throughout the text her values come shining through - commitment to family and friends as well as responsibility for your behavior.

Strong, effective and yet sensitive reading, it is highly recommended to anyone interested in improving themselves or their relationships with friends and family.

High Doses Of Wisdom, Low Doses Of Advice: A Collection Of Essays About Doing The Right Thing by Marian Chiesa (Director of Behavioral Science at a Residency program for Family Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), is a fascinating selection of candid essays presenting the author's reflections on the crucial virtues of thoughtfulness and ethics. Filled with honest, sensitive, candid and often humorously conveyed advice for taking other people's feelings into account during day-to-day ethical dilemmas, High Doses of Wisdom, Low Doses of Advice is a solid read and a highly recommended compendium of essays for students of ethics and contemporary values.

Marian Chiesa's High Doses Of Wisdom, Low Doses Of Advice is a fascinating, informative, occasionally inspiring collection of highly readable essays about "doing the right thing". She draws upon her many years of experience as a practicing psychologist to comment on the practical skills that hone one's ability to make consistently better decisions in every aspect of life and relationships. These characteristics, skills, and relationship maintenance necessities include listening, generosity, friendship, ethical actions, commitment to marriage and children, and solitude. High Doses Of Wisdom, Low Doses Of Advice is enthusiastically recommended reading for anyone seeking to improve themselves, their relationships, and the emotional qualities and rewards of their daily life.

I LOVE this book! This is the first cookbook I've seen that goes through the whole meal from main dish to side dish to dessert and even gives you the game plan on what to do first so all is ready at the SAME TIME! Imagine that? Coupled with the book Quick Meals for Healthy Kids and Busy Parents, it's all you need to feed your family healthy and even more important TASTY homecooked meals everyday! I definately recommend this one! Great as a gift for anyone with kids or who just don't like hanging out in the kitchen cooking all day!

This is the cook book for everyone who is too busy or too tired to plan meals and cook. All the work has been done for you. This book has everything you need to have on hand, what to buy at the store and an easy to follow work plan. Also, the recipes in this book are low in fat, with little or no salt added. I have tried almost everything in this book and have come to enjoy even some things I didn't think I was going to like. The only thing missing is the nutritional breakdown, (calories, carbohydrates, etc.) I have now bought almost every book that Marian Burros has written. This one is the best. I'm on my second copy, I wore out the first one!

I am guilty as charged. I do not like to be in the kitchen a long time. WHO does? Good meals shouldn't have to take so long, right? Absolutely right...with the help of this book. I have tried many of the recipes to date and they were all great. My hubby and I tried the Maryland Crab Cakes recently and yum-yum were they delicious. Burros helps the novice cook understand the importance of planning and organization without making it too complicated to follow. Recipes are also very well-organized in this cookbook. I like how there is a Game Plan for cooks, as well as, a pantry and shopping list with each menu. The Pantry list suggestions in this book have worked very well for me in my kitchen. I would recommend this cookbook for beginners who want to cook great whole meals without having to be sequestered to the kitchen all day.

It is very hard to find a good clean book that you can really enjoy these days. This was a great book that brought the characters to life. When you read about the people and the mountains, you can actually feel like you are there with them. I was so excited when I heard that "It Happened On Kendell Mountain" had a sequel. When I read "A Very Wealthy Man" I felt the same closeness to the characters as I did in the first. I would recommend this book to everyone.

It is so refreshing to read books that are good clean entertainment! I am an avid reader and very much enjoyed this sequel to "It Happened on Kendall Mountain". The characters are so real and become like family to you by the time you finish the book. The great descriptions of the countryside and all the things of that era are very vivid and if you close your eyes you can really picture yourself in the North Georgia Mountains. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read books without all the "ugly" things of the world written in every other page.....overall, very good clean interesting reading.

We enjoyed the continuation of plot development in this sequel to the previous book, "IT HAPPENED ON KENDALL MOUNTAIN". The characters appear in believable real life situations, centered around the North Georgia mountain area, with actions extending far and wide. The complex story contains much intrigue, folklore, historical development, and excitement. Readers, both young and old, will enjoy this well written book.

This was a very well researched book, though at times was a little too drawn out and stuffed with facts. I really enjoyed the story and learned alot in regards to how these women felt and how some could feel trapped in a time and religion where there was often no choice.

I found this book in my school library and thought it looked really good. So, I checked it out, went home, and started to read. I read that thing in 3 days and my mom had to pry me away from this book every night just so I would do my homework. It was the best book I have ever read. I recommended this book to all my friends and after I just told them the story line they all wanted to borrow it! So, I would definitely recommend it to you.

This book is great for anyone trying to sort out spiritual questions. It is exciting and well-written, and has a factual historical base. I am glad the author was willing to investigate this topic with historical accuracy, instead of popular opinion.