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Book reviews for "Lechleidner,_Mary_L." sorted by average review score:
Babe - The Gallant Pig: The Gallant Pig
Published in Paperback by Random House (Juv) (1997)
Authors: Dick King-Smith, Mary Rayner, and Smith Dick King
Amazon base price: $4.99
Average review score:

Truly a classic animal tale
Babe captured my heart, as he was trying to save his own skin. This book is truly a classic animal tale, where the creatures take on believable and human emotions and personalities. We see intelligence, fear, hope, and love, in a heartwarming pig, and his other animal friends. The inter-species bond between Babe and his human farmer is delightful! I have read it several times, and each time, see another angle, in this Pig-Shepherd memoir. Should not be limited to any age group, because adults as well as children will be entertained.
Arlene Millman
author of BOOMERANG - A MIRACLE TRILOGY
(The tale of a remarkable Boston Terrier)

The Best Sheep-pig Ever
When I read the book I thought it was great. I think that Babe set a good example because he never gave up.Babe is a pig that wants to be a sheep-dog.But since he is a pig he can't.But he still tried and his owner entered him in the sheep dog trials.I dont want to spoil the ending for youso that is all I have to say.

Babe the best pig
I had to read Babe in school. I didn't think I'd like it but I really did. I think Babe is very nice. He was always kind to others and never tried to be mean in any way. He got people (sheep) to obey him by just being kind. I think people in the whole world should read Babe and try to be like him.

Captain Mary, Buccaneer
Published in Paperback by Beagle Bay Books (30 May, 2000)
Author: Jacqueline Church Simonds
Amazon base price: $13.56
List price: $16.95 (that's 20% off!)
Average review score:

Good show!
This story follows Captain Mary. She is already Captain of her ship, Fury, when the story began. I watched her have affairs, not all of them men, and witnessed her try to keep those she cared for safe from harm. She was hard when she needed to be and though tired of death, did not hesitate at killing when she had to. She killed not only when her life was in danger, but also to show her strength, such as keelhauling a crewmate when he stole booty from the others.

I was very pleased with the ending as well, which I will keep mute about. All-in-all, I will highly recommend this book to everyone. This is not a mushy romance book. Neither male nor female audience was targeted. It is one that I believe both sexes will enjoy thoroughly!

And they sailed the seas....
year: 1721
setting: Caribbean

Simonds leads readers on a realistic journey through the Caribbean with a female buccaneer commanding the brigantine "Fury." Inspired by the lives of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who were tried for piracy in the early 1700s, Mary's fictional tale presents an uncensored perspective of the lives of pirates.

We are introduced to Mary's dilemma, which navigated her into this dangerous existence. The situation was one of choice. Rather than allow her intended, Darius Manchester, to rape her before their wedding, she'd see him dead. To escape the law, she fled her father's South Carolina rice plantation. Time marched on. Now, rather than the hunting knife she used to kill Darius, a sword is her preferred weapon. Her education is not from a governess and selected text, but from "Silver Tooth," a pirate Captain she married.

The life she lives centers on commanding the pirates dedicated to serving her, for the right price. They sail the Guadeloupe passage in search of ships crossing their path. There is a tax to be paid and Mary will risk her and her men's lives to haul in the rewards.

There are those who penetrate Mary's protected heart and for a time they will love her. A prisoner aboard his Majesty's ship Le Chat d' Soleil, Doctor Alphonse Coulances is accused of being a traitor. This man she is drawn to. There is also her first mate and partner, Petronius. He should be Captain, but because of the times an African would not be respected. Then there's Elaine, a female prisoner who introduces Mary to a different type of love.

Athough Mary is not governed by her natural society's rules and regulations, there are laws among the pirates that must be followed by sailor and Captain. Failure to abide by them can lead to keel hauling and other painful deaths. Mary is also dependent on a Mr. Trimmer to manage her business affairs in a British Colony in St. John's Antigua.

Her life is filled with the rage of battle, the act of taking by force and just beyond the horizon lies someone determined to gain revenge. And in the middle of it all, she deals with a certain responsibility she has neglected.

CAPTAIN MARY, BUCCANEER is as real as they come in terms of historical perspective. Simonds presents detailed description of her characters from their hair to their belt buckles. You feel as if you are aboard her brigantine and watching your every step. You sway with the waves rocking the ship, see the blood and guts staining the time-worn planks. This isn't Hollywood's action hero keeping you entertained for 1 ½ hours. This is as close to a pirate's life that you will dare to explore.

4 sabers out of 4
--Denise Fleischer- GWN Book Reviewer

Captain Mary, Buccaneer, by Jacqueline C. Simonds
This is a zinger of a book! I read it in a couple of days plus one midnight to 3 a.m. stint, because I became so interested that I didn't want to pause. Captain Mary is a complex, believable character; true to her own personal code of honor, yet torn as well as triumphant over the difficulties of the bloody times in which she lived.

The power of the sea and its mystery are well portrayed as is the uncertainty of charts and actions of men and their governments.

The writer has brought history to life with all the sound, fury, blood and guts of the age she is representing. The action sings with the slash of the sword and the shouts of the boarding pirates; yet Mary, the buccaneer, is a woman shown in tender moments, foolish decisions, terrible consequences and bitter victory. No trite formulas spoil the reader' s suspense or anticipate the poinancy of Mary's joys and sorrows.

This book is as unpredictable and astonishing as history itself.

Get rid of the blues : everything you always wanted to know about varicose and spider veins but didn't know who to ask
Published in Unknown Binding by Book Bound Pub. ()
Author: Mary T. Johnson
Amazon base price: $
Average review score:

REMOVED AND BACK AGAIN!!
I HAD ALL, YES ALL, OF MY SPIDER VIENS REMOVED BY A BEVERLY HILLS COSMETIC DERMOTOLOGIST 5 YEARS AGO WITH THE NEEDLE/SALINE SOLUTION FOR MY LEGS AND LAZER FOR MY FACE. ALL OF THE VEINS ARE BACK!! IN THE SAME PLACE, JUST AS BAD. I THINK I WILL SAVE MY MONEY AND NOT TRY THAT AGAIN!!

I only wish I'd read this sooner...
For a tiny book, this packs a wallop of information. I work in the medical field and have been searching for answers to my questions about varicose and spider veins for a long time. I was pretty surprised to learn that the doctors and nurses I work with were as ignorant as I was! The next step was the medical library. I searched for a book--and all I came up with were medical texts the size of phone books and filled with medical jargon. Being in the medical field, I understand the jargon but I really didn't want to wade through it to get the information I needed. Then I found Get Rid of the Blues on the web. What I like most about it is that the author did tons of research (from those boring books I didn't want to read!) and boiled it down to a "cut-to-the-chase" primer. Thank you, Mary Johnson, for writing this book. I can't begin to tell you what a difference it's made for me.

A MUST READ if you have varicose veins!
I can't say enough about this book! It is so easy to understand, yet packed with solid, science-based information. Thanks for a great read!

How to Master Change in Your Life: 67 Ways to Handle Life's Toughest Moments
Published in Paperback by Eckankar (1997)
Author: Mary Carroll Moore
Amazon base price: $11.20
List price: $14.00 (that's 20% off!)
Average review score:

REFRESHING !
Do wish that things could always remain the same? Have you found that they don't? Are you afraid that you lack the strength and ability to cope with on-going change in your life? Ms. Moore offers the concept that changes are gifts from a loving God, and invites us to consider the benefits, the inherent blessings contained in these gifts. She shares her own personal experiences in surviving cancer, and bankruptcy, just to mention a few. She also includes refreshing, insightful exercises to help one surpass the "helpless victim consciousness", and re-gain mastery over any situation. The book is further enhanced by true experiences of many of Ms. Moore's friends. Each recognized their need to change, for personal and spiritual growth. I especially liked the "Daily Problem Solver" passage, and the "Asking God a Question" exercise on pages 117-118. They are among the many tips presented in this remarkable book to help anyone handle life's difficult moments.

A Winner!
I keep referring to this book because life is made of constant change. The author gives practical advice for going through change gracefully, gaining power as we go. She also gives examples from her own life to illustrate and inspire.

Facilitating Change
Through the honesty and courage expressed in this book, Mary Carroll Moore helped me facilitate change in my life! The exercises are simple, practical, and life-changing. It has become a handbook for me--every time I find myself facing a new level of change, I pull it out. Invariable, I put my hands on exactly what I need!

Hunts Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Published in Paperback by Midwestern Guides (1997)
Authors: Mary Hunt and Don Hunt
Amazon base price: $15.95
Average review score:

An unusual guide to an unusual destination!
I've just returned from a vacation to the U.P. and I can't imagine having taken the trip without this wonderful guide. Almost every town and village in the U.P. is covered with detailed, honest, useful information. This is literally the only guide you'll need.

All travel guides should be written like this.
Frommer's, Lonely Planet, Fodor's and Baedeker's take note:
This is one excellent travel guide! More than hotels, motels, watering holes and restaurants, "Hunts' Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula" goes where other guides don't: into the hidden crevices of a community to ferret out little-known facts.The Hunts help you find local color as well as food and lodging. This book is for the traveler who is tired of the usual- or for anyone who goes to the U.P. for day trips and getaway weekends.. This is not a standard guidebook. It's quirky and interesting - and reads like a good magazine feature story. How about we send the Hunts to San Francisco or New Orleans or Savannah - to get the real scoop on those wonderful destinations?

Excellent Resource!
This book is a "must-have" for anyone who wants to get the most out of any trip to the Upper Peninsula. After dozens of visits to the U.P., I had thought I'd pretty much covered it all... until I picked up this book. The Hunt's have apparently combed through every nook and cranny of the U.P. and present everything a visitor would need to know! Much reccommended!

Dark Horse (Tsr Books)
Published in Paperback by TSR Hobbies (1990)
Authors: Mary H. Herbert and Fred Fields
Amazon base price: $4.50
Average review score:

before this book i hated to read
I first read the book when I was 14. The only reason I read it was that I was bored out of my mind at summer camp. I know its cheesy but this book changed my life.. Not so much because of its content but because it was the first book I ever liked. Now I own a small used bookstore outside of Atlanta and Dark Horse was the book that got me started.

Amazing book
this si an amazing book. if you like a bit of war, an amazing storyline a just a tiny bit of romance, you'll liove it. Unforunetly it is out of print now, but perhaps it can be reprinted for the next generation, I know it's worth it.

A Future Classic!
Dark Horse is on par with early Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey stories, and contains many of the elemtnts that made both the Valdemar and Pern series popular. Magical black horses choose and accompany "good" mages, protecting them from evil magic and acting as advisor and friend.

Dark Horse is the story of a young girl who is orphaned when her entire tribe is killed by a rival tribe that is led by an evil mage. She rescues and is rescued by a Hunnuli, a giant protector-horse, and is adopted by another tribe. When she learns that she, too is a mage (though a good one) she risks losing her life and her love because of the gifts she was born with...

I am disappointed that after only five books that this series has come to an early and undeserved demise.

The Irish Wolfhound: Symbol of Celtic Splendor
Published in Hardcover by Hungry Minds, Inc (1998)
Authors: Mary McBryde and Sean Frawley
Amazon base price: $49.95
Average review score:

Worth Every Penny
This was a great investment. I took another's advice and spent the extra money to buy this book versus a smaller, cheaper Wolfhound book. I am so glad that I did. It has a great in depth history of the breed including the efforts of those who worked so hard to keep the Wolfhounds from becoming extinct. It covers puppyhood, breeding, health care, training feeding. It has it all. I went ahead and bought it new to avoid the waiting list. Definitely worth the money!!!

Excellent research on the most noblest of hounds
In my opinion, this is the best book ever produced on the Irish Wolfhound. In depth information which is easily understood by the novice as well as totally absorbing for the more experienced owner. Mary McBryde has done the Irish Wolfhound proud. A must for anyone with interest in this very special breed.

Book for all dog fanciers, breeders and non breeders
Bought this book yesterday and it's worth every penny that was spend. Since I dont own a Wolfhound and wanted to know more about them before I got one, this is the perfect book. It has everything you need to know. Not just all the boring Kennel, champion part were most other books go into great detail for those who are interested in showing and breeding. Since I'm not,other things are more important like the character,the history,the feeding of puppy's and adults and all the other things that dog owners find important for everyday life. Thank you very much for writing such a great and informitive book with so many great pictures.

The Food Journal of Lewis & Clark: Recipes for an Expedition
Published in Paperback by History Cooks (01 December, 2002)
Authors: Mary Gunderson and Dennis Dahlin
Amazon base price: $19.95
Average review score:

THE TRIP AND ITS SWANKY GRUB
The Food Journal of
LEWIS & CLARK FOOD:
Recipes for an Expedition

By Mary Gunderson

If you're a history buff and into food, this book's a "gotta have."

This Journal is not simply a cookbook. It's a chance to learn more about the people these explorers encountered, how they dealt with hardships, get to take a look at their provisioning and read actual quotes from Lewis and Clark, themselves.

Perhaps Gunderson's chapter titles tell the most about her careful research:

Jefferson's Vision, Washington, D.C.
Lewis Receives Instructions and Buys Provisions
Anticipation and Preparation, Down the Ohio to Camp Dubois
High Spirits, Up the Missouri
Buffalo! Diplomacy with the Yankton and Teton Sioux
Sacagawea, Charbonneau and Jean Baptiste Join the Expedition
Another Beginning, the Upper Missouri & Great Falls
The Journey Hangs in the Balance, Over the Mountains
Wild Roots, Elk and a Whale, Ft. Clatsop & the Pacific Coast
Down the Yellowstone - The Nez Perce Help Again

Return to St. Louis & The Long Welcome

The book is detailed account of their careful preparations, tools necessary, foods hunted, foods gathered and foods they traded for. A partial list of Philadelphia provisions spread the course from 32 tins, or 193 pounds of portable soup, assorted fish hooks, kettles, a corn mill, hatchets, a whetstone, gun powder and castile soap.

Thomas Jefferson, widely known for his food and agricultural expertise, not only wanted detailed maps and topographical reports about the Louisiana Purchase, he asked that the explorers extend every courtesy to people they met but to record how they grew crops, fishes and hunted. He asked them to observe their "food and domestic accommodations."

"As they made their way west, the pair and their trailmates sampled everything from Indian corn and buffalo tongues to camas roots and dried salmon," noted an author and filmmaker, Dayton Duncan. There is a good deal of information on Portable Soup or Pocket Soup, the fine at of making Hoe Cakes, building a special fire to cook a bear, making hominy with corn, lime and wood ashes and the making
of William Clark's Birthday Fruit Salad. Other crafts of the trail included Spoonbread, dishes like Roasted Buffalo, Turnip and Berry Ragout also Pemikan made with Juneberries and buffalo berries. Other hearty meals were Hazelnut Cornmeal Pancakes, Roasted Parsnips with Pine Nuts and Fort Clatsop Salmon Chowder with fennel and sourdough biscuits.

Named the Official Cookbook for the National Council of Lewis & Clark Bicentennial, the author states, "History is as close as a bite of buffalo jerky or a taste of hominy." This attractive, well-indexed book with deckle-edged pages, helpful maps and pleasing sketches, contains over 80 authentic recipes faithfully tested and re-created for today's kitchens. Gunderson includes a generous bibliography, suggested further reading suggestions and a handy, educational website list. In her Mail-Order Sources section, she lists mail order sources for preparing her updated recipes...

Delightful journey
I found The Food Journal of Lewis & Clark: Recipes for an Expedition by Mary Gunderson to be a delightful read. I am not a history buff but none the less loved reading about the expedition and the food they prepared and consumed along the way. What a great way to learn about this remarkable journey. I highly recommend this handsome book to cooks and history aficionados alike.

Could History Be So Delicious?
On the 4th of July, while the rest of the nation grilled hot dogs, I sat down to finally read my copy of The Food Journal of Lewis and Clark. The saliva started to flow, from page after page of Ms. Gunderson's creative, while authentic, recipes for foods served during the expedition. The author has thoroughly researched the history of the expedition, the ingredients available in the 1800's in the regions of the journey,and the taste preferences of those who travelled together. I found the historical tidbits delightful enough to read out loud to my husband. Now I know why my niece, who homeschools in North Carolina, likes to use Ms. Gunderson's books to teach history to her children!

While reading the cookbook cover to cover (I couln't put it down!),I found a recipe for New Potatoes with Hazelnuts and Fennel. The simplicity and possibility of good taste in that dish compelled me off to the kitchen, on a holiday, to test it. It bailed out my 4th of July menu!

Carmen
Published in Paperback by Seconda Donna, Inc. (01 December, 1997)
Authors: Prosper Merimee and Mary Loyd
Amazon base price: $14.95
Average review score:

Rational Emotion
Bizet's CARMEN OVERTURE is well known and frequently used in the occasion that a champion comes out.In my opinion,Carmen is a champion,a champion of love,a champion of freedom.Mérimée,the author of CARMEM,describes Carmen as a sparkish and abandoned woman,searching for true love and sticking to freedom.In this book, Mérimée narrates how he ran across Don Jose' and the whole story between Don Jose' and Carmen.Don Jose',a soldier,falls in love with Carmen,a prisoner who kills a woman worker,when he is on his way to send her to prison.He gives her reins in spite of being punished.He becomes a bandit and killer so as to stay with her and please her.He kills her eventually for preventing her from loving someone else.It is a tragic ending.And I am deeply shocked.But if not for the death of Carmen,her spirit of chasing freedom can't be that striking.
There are two plots that make me consider a lot:
1.FOR OBTAINING CARMEN,DON JOSE' KILLS A SUBALTERN.
He was injured,and Carmen took good care of him until he recovered.I am moved for it.Someone may say Carmen has many lovers,and her love to Don Jose' is not true love.But I can't agree with it.From this part,we can see clearly that her love is of ligeance.Why she risked her life to save Don Jose',just for exploiting him sometime?Absolutely not.Don't forget Carmen can let any man do anything.Don Jose' is puny,but her love is significant.It can be confirmed in the latter part.When they were attacked by the army,Don Jose' was unfortunately shot,and Carmen looked after him patiently and attentively,without sleeping.She did love him with every beat of her heart.It must be noticed that only one time Carmen's crying was mentioned and this was the first time Don Jose' had seen her weep.Carmen stole Mérimée's watch but failed to get his ring for the prevention of Don Jose'.And then they quarrelled.Don Jose' beat her.A woman who is beat will cry,but a woman who cries is not certainly beat.Personaly I think Carmen cried for love,not for the beat.
2.FOR OCCUPYING CARMEN,DON JOSE' KILLS HER.
Here,the story comes to climax.Even when Don Jose' took out a knife to threaten her,Carmen did not quail a bit.she took off the ring he had given to her and threw it into the jungle.Finally,he thrust into her heart...She died for her freedom,and her freedom survived.I don't think one should give up freedom in order to love someone.Carmen is a classic example.She prefers being killed to staying with Don Jose'.Her love is for freedom,and her freedom is for love.She will love whom gives her freedom.Free love is unselfish.Don Jose' can't give her free love,and longs to occupy her on his own,so he is doomed to fail.
So,do remember that Real Love is a rational emotion!

An Introduction To Opera, A Monumental Recording
I have said it before and I will say it again. The Black Dog Opera Library series contains quality opera recordings, top-notch singers and orchestras, and as a bonus, liner notes and commentary on the opera, providing background information on the composer and the time period. In this remarkable book, we are treated to the greatest recording of Bizet's opera, Carmen. It was recorded 1969-70, and stars Jon Vickers, Grace Bumbry and Kostas Paskalis. The opera is timeless and has retained its popularity for more than a century. MTV has produced its own version, calling it a hip-hop-opera, there is talk of doing a musical-style rendition, and in the 50's, Carmen Jones with an all black cast did an incredible job of translating the songs into English with the help of Rogers and Hammestein. Carmen is based on the French writer Prosper Merimme's dark novella. It tells the story of a Spanish Gypsy woman who works undercover as a cigarette maker in Seville. In reality, she works for contraband smugglers who are constantly on the road. Don Jose is the soldier whose regiment is stationed by the factory. After arresting Carmen for a catfight, she seduces him and he falls madly in love with her, a love that later becomes consumed with obscession. Carmen convinces Don Jose to join her fellow smugglers and they travel across Spain. For love of her, Don Jose has abandoned his regiment and his fiancee, Micaela, the polar opposite of Carmen- she is a Christian-bred, homely woman. When Carmen tires of Don Jose, she abandons him for the more attractive champion bullfighter Escamillo. During a bullfight, Carmen confronts Don Jose and makes it clear she no longer loves him. In a jealous crime of passion, Don Jose stabs Carmen to death.

Rafael Burgos conducts a supremely effective orchestra who truly brings out the originality, drama, melody and intensity of Bizet's score. From the Overture, which concludes with its fatalistic theme, to each of the Spanish-style dances, among them Habanera, Seguidilla and Gypsy Song (all arias for Carmen), the soft melody of the Prelude to the final act and the concluding final scene, are all magnificent interpretation. The singers, individually, are fine actor/singers. Tenor Jon Vickers, who has a vast repertoire, including Wagner, brings a more realistic approach to Don Jose. He is passionate, he is obscessed and determined to have Carmen come what may. His Wagnerian intensity are self-evident in his arguments with Carmen and in the final scene of her murder, especially striking in his "Ainsi, le salut de mon ame" "And so I am to lose my heart". His Flower Song "La Fleur" is a fresh new rendition, not ending with a high, strong note as typical tenors do, but a soft high, B-flat, effectively producing the effect that he is genuinely in love, but obscessed and haunted by, Carmen.

Grace Bumbry's Carmen is her best role. She is assertive, she is seductive, flirtatious and dangerous. She is the original femme fatale. But it's clear that Bizet intended for Carmen to bring about her own fate. Her signature aria, "Habanera" compares her to a rebellious bird of freedom, a lawless Gypsy child and boasts that her love belongs to no one man. Her Gypsy Song is full of fire and mischief. But aside from these playful arias, Carmen has serious moments in the opera. Among them is the scene in which she reads the death card. "Toujours, Le Morte" (Always death) is the refrain and the lush lyricism and seriousness of her aria equals to any soprano aria that was in vogue even during Bizet's time. Her final scene, in which she is stabbed by the angry Don Jose, is her best moment. She confronts him with dignity and strength. If she is to die, she will die because she has willed it, in fact, she states it so expressively in the lines "Je sais bien que tu me tueras, mas que je vive ou que je muere, non, non, je ne tu cedarai pas ! (I know that you are going to kill me, but whether I live or I die, no, no, I will never give in to you!) Note her dramatic high register on the words "non, non,". She again asserts her free will when she says to Don Jose "Jamais Carmen ne cedera! Libre elle est nee et libre elle mourra ! ( Never will Carmen yield! She was born free and she will die free!). Kostas Paskalis, a Greek baritone, was overlooked as a fine singer during his time, for he was shadowed by baritones such as Sherril Milnes; but Paskalis is a fine interpretor of Escamillo, full of bravado and masculine energy. His crowning moment is not in "Toreador" but in the duel with Don Jose in the last act. This opera has it all. And I recommend this particular product to those interested in opera for the first time. For opera buffs this is also a treat.

The Greatet Carmen Of Them All
Carmen is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable operas in the world. There have been many fine recordings in the 20th century and even in the 19th century. Maria Callas (considered by many to be the greatest soprano ever sang the role), Teresa Berganza has sang the role, Tatiana Troyanos, Jessie Norman and various other sopranos who are drawn to the terrific role. Georges Bizet is remembered for this masterpiece, which he intended to be an opera-comique. It was not meant to be a comedy, for the intensity of the fatal tragedy of Prosper Merimee's short novel is superbly captured. Rather, it was meant to be taken as a form of drama, with spoken dialogue, song and dance, and no recitatives. Today, the leading opera houses accomodate this original intended version but many still keep the recitatives that later revisers added, making Carmen more in lines with Italian grand opera. Nevertheless, this fine recording is the best and the original Carmen. Grace Bumbry (mezzo-soprano), whose debut as Venus in the Salzburg Festival presentation of Wagner's Tannhauser made headlines, is the ultimate Carmen. Her voice is rich, dark, powerful, lyric and intense. She is Carmen, and I can think of no other singer who can better fit the role. John Vickers sings Don Jose with passion, elegance and intense emotions, although many will argue that Placido Domingo sings the role better. Vickers still pulls a superb performance. Kostas Paskalis, a Greek baritone, is a terrific bullfighter Escamillo. The conductor Raphael Burgos is wondrous in his orchestration of the score, intense in the fatalism of the fate theme, the dynamic overture, the tender moments between Don Jose and Micaela (Mirella Freni who does a passable performance). the choruses, and the Gypsy/Spanish folk melodies, among them Habanera and Seguidilla. This is a must have for avid Carmen lovers. The story will stay with us always. A seductive Gypsy in 19th century Spain seduces a gentleman soldier Don Jose, engaged to marry the good-hearted Micaela, but he abandons her, his regiment, and follows Carmen and her merry band of smugglers. Soon, Carmen tires of Don Jose and sets her eyes on the dashing bullfighter champion, Escamillo. At the bullfight, Carmen and Don Jose confront for a final scene, in which, against the background of the bullfight and a swirling score, Carmen declares her independence and tells Don Jose she wants nothing with him. The obscessed and mad Don Jose stabs her, appropriately enough when the bull in the arena is slaughtered. The opera comes to an end and we the audience are left with the first verisimo and realistic opera of intense tragedy, loving the music and worshipping the grandeur of the whole thing. Five Stars For this Black Dog Opera Library Recording. Also to be recommended in the series are La Boheme, Aida, The Flying Dutchman, The Magic Flute and La Traviata.

The Lady with the Alligator Purse
Published in School & Library Binding by Little Brown & Company (2003)
Authors: Mary Ann Hoberman and Nadine Bernard Westcott
Amazon base price: $11.17
List price: $15.95 (that's 30% off!)
Average review score:

Fun
This book is cute and fun to sing with my 17 month old. However, she really doesn't get to excited over it. The pictures are still a little boring to her and I sometimes have trouble keeping her attention with the book. I think she may still be a little young for it and hope she will become more interested in it as she gets a little older.

A pleasure to read
The sing-song rhythm of The Lady with the Alligator Purse makes it a blast to read to my four-month old daughter, and the pictures are adorable. Try also Miss Mary Mack from the same series of jumprope rhymes.

fun to sing
my 2 yr old loves this book. we have the words memorized and frequently act it out and sing it while in the car or shopping.

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