Aphrodite loves her family deeply despite the fact they seem wild for society standards. She just doesn't understand why she is not like that. Although Warwick (Thomas) can see in the depths of her eyes that she has the same spirit as her family. When there is a house party thrown for her soon be fiance Fredrick that things begin to heat up and she watches as her many members of her family and herself change. It is a wonderful read and delightful surprise. It's one I intend to eventually add to my personal library.

Being the only sane member of a the Mad Herringtons isn't an easy job but Ditie accepts her role as the responsible sister gracefully. At least until she is engaged to Frederick and the family attends his house party. As the story unfolds, Ditie, short for Aphrodite, longs for the inner freedom to exhibit the wild abandon of her other family members; to have the courage to stand up and tell the whole world exactly what's in her heart.
The Mad Herringtons is absolutely delightful. If you haven't read it, you're missing a wonderful, entertaining read that will grab your heart and soul and keep them in its clutches until the very last word.

What a delightful story! I didn't want to put it down - even after I finished it. The heroine, Aphrodite, loves her family in spite of the fact they're ruled by their passions. In her experience, passion only leads to heartbreak and she's determined to not let it rule her life. That puts her in the position of being 'sensible' and as such, her family looks to Aphrodite to help them get out of trouble when one of their mad escapades blows up in their faces. Aphrodite doesn't mind helping her family--much--but she wants a family and home of her own and a nice 'sensible' man to share her life with. After staid Frederick asks for her hand, Aphrodite and her family attend a house party at his country estate--primarily to see if Freddie and she will be a good match. Unfortunately, his mother, a harridan if one ever existed, is there and soon Freddie's cousin, Viscount Thomas Warwick, arrives. Warwick is a rogue's rogue and Aphrodite finds herself more and more tempted by him in spite of all her good intentions.

If you've not read Jane Bowles, stop what you're doing and buy this book now. Everything in it will enrich you. Every sentence is an object of pleasure, every character a shrewdly observed or constructed being. Along with Jean Rhys, Bowles is one of the most important writers of the last century.

While the entire collection is notable, I have to say that "Two Serious Women" seems to me to be the real masterpiece here. I read it ten or so years ago for the first time and liked it but found it rather dark. I re-read it a few years ago and liked it much more than I had the first time, finding it hillarious, albeit darkly. I was happily surprised all over again by the unpredictable behavior of the characters. Unlike many novels, this one is almost immediately engaging, with its portrait of the young Christina Goering's religion-obsessed childhood games. Jane Bowles is often lumped in with her husband; but her writing, though less voluminous, is more unique, more inventive. This is writing well worth repeated reading.

Jane Bowles' prose is strange and beautiful. It's never quite clear why her characters act the way they do, but they leave such haunting impressions that her novel and stories beg to be read a second time. My Sister's Hand in Mine is a great companion piece to Paul Bowles' The Sheltering Sky, which shares the split cold/emotional nature of Jane's work, and also themes of Americans abroad. Jane's novel Two Serious Ladies, which opens this collection, is a stunner. A wonderful writer; I wish she'd written more.

I read this book in the early 90's and it still remains one of the best books I have read! It is a shame that this book is out of print and did not do better when first published. The story is so interesting and character development was done with such skill and finesse. Unlike a lot books I have read lately, my interest in the story and characters never waned. It took me a few months to finish the last few pages because I didn't want the story to end.

The book was very hard to put down, and more interesting than any tv show could ever be. It wasn't one of those types of books that was slow in the begining, interestings in the middle, but then ends in a way that doesn't make sense. This book is interesting from front to cover.

I found this book in a relatives book collection and now I refuse to return it. This is the first and only book that I have been able to read more than once and I can honestly say that I am anxious for a sequel.

Betsy Kuhn has shown herself to be a gifted writer with this delightful tale of two young girls with big dreams. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Not Exactly Nashville is about two pre-teen girls who live in a small Pennsylvania town and love country-western music. These girls could have come straight from a small Texas town, as well, where folks are known to enjoy that music. I call this book "refreshing" because it seems that so many books for this age group nowadays deal with difficult, painful subjects, subjects that most children seldom come into contact with. I don't mean to put such books down because they serve a purpose. Ellen and Valery, the girls in "Nashville" also have problems, but they're the kind that most kids are familiar with, such as siblings and teen-age romance. The whole tone of the book, however, is upbeat and charming, right up to the end when Ellen and Valery lie in their tent listening to the cars speeding through the night on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I got this book for our school library (Red Elementary, Houston, Texas) because I felt our girls would like it. They do!

This book harkened me back to my childhood of playing with friends in the backyard, pretending to put on shows. The book's conflict was resolved in a credible, positive manner, very appropriate for the readers for whom this was intended! Loved it!!! Read it!!!

I can't believe this is the same book that the editorial reviewers so rudely panned! The story was riveting and very well written. I can't remember the last time a book affected me so deeply. I picked it up off the new book shelf at the library on Saturday morning and finished it in tears Saturday night. The characters are still with me as I write this on Monday morning. I highly recommend it.

After reading some of the critics' comments (as opposed to customer reviews), I have to wonder if the same book was released to the public as was sent to the press. I found Carole Lawrence's novel far from 'stilted' and 'hackneyed' - I thought it a well-written story, one that is both entertaining on the surface and potentially eye-opening for those who have not had the experience of dealing with people affected by mental illnesses. Reading this book is an experience that could very well lead the reader to a greater understanding and empathy for those of us among us who are touched by mental disease and disability - and allow them to be treated more like human beings and less like freaks.

The cruelty perpetrated on Mary Gabriel in this novel - not only by the neighborhood children and her classmates, but by well-meaning but ignorant and prejudiced adults as well - is hard to watch, but it's unfortunately not too far-fetched. 'Kids can be cruel' is the excuse too often mouthed by those who would just as soon ignore the problem when it arises - but there is a lot of guilt bubbling under the surface of the Gabriel family, and it causes a lot of harm when it's ignored, or when it's dealt with in an inappropriate manner.

Dr. Gabriel is like many physicians of his day - suspicious of psychiatrists, seeing them as out to steal the patients of general practitioners and place the blame for the mental illness of children on the shoulders of the parents. Dr. Landry, the psychiatrist who lives across the street from the Gabriels, is firmly ensconced in the professional beliefs of the day (the 1950s), and holds firm that Mary's mental illness is a direct result of a lack of proper attention by her mother. Medical professionals today believe that schizophrenia and other mental disorders are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, some of which might be hereditary. Ironically, Dr. Landry's pronouncement that Mary's mother is to blame for her daughter's disease is - somewhat obliquely - pointing in the right direction. However, suggesting that Mrs. Gabriel's mothering skills - or lack thereof - are to blame for her daughter's condition placed an unbearable amount of guilt on the shoulders of the mother.

Dr. Gabriel himself is not much more help. Eager to keep Mary's problems 'within the family', he lays far too much of the burden of her care on the shoulders of Bonita, her older sister. The effect of this on Bonita is shattering - when something bad happens to Mary, she feels like it's her fault, that she's let both Mary and her family down. This guilt piles higher and higher within her until it wreaks its havoc on her own psyche - it's a sad but inevitable result of placing too much inappropriate responsibility on a child.

The author utilizes two time planes in relating the story. One of them is told in the first person by Bonita, and is set in the present day. The other is told in the third person, set in the 1950s, when Bonita and Mary were children. Even though the 1950s portion of the story is told in the third person, the author skillfully - and wisely - gives these chapters the voice and innocent outlook of a child. The time frames alternate from chapter to chapter very effectively, allowing the reader to follow events in the present day and understand what has happened in the past that shapes them. The characters are fully developed - and the author has treated the character of Mary Gabriel with incredible respect and love. She is believably depicted as a schizophrenic patient, and the scenes involving her as a child are heartbreaking - but she is never treated as a caricature, never ridiculed by the story (although she suffers several indignities from other characters). She comes across as her own 'whole' person - and it's easy for the reader to understand how much people like her deserve more dignity than they receive in this world.

The tension in the story - both parts of it - builds nicely. I thought I could see where the 1950s story was headed, but some clever (and completely plausible) twists by the author surprised me nicely. The part of the present-day story wherein Bonita comes to terms with her sister's condition at last, and recognizes the place they have in each other's lives, is particularly moving.

This is a book that could be valuable to mental health caregivers - maybe not the doctors themselves, but those who meet the day-to-day needs of mental patients. It's also a very entertaining read for the general consumer.

I LOVED this book!! I thought the author captured life as it really was in Baton Rouge, La. in the mid '50's!! And,yes, as your reveiwer said, it sounds like "Pleasantville", and it was, except for those who were trapped in mental illness!! Her contrasts of those who were allowed to "run free" and those who had "special needs" is really the heart of this compelling and heartwarming story!! She portrayed this loving, once happy family who was torn apart through ignorance and fear, and the GOD-AWFUL SOCIAL OUTCAST horror,in a loving and yet painful way!! And, yeh, folks, that's the WAY IT WAS in So. LA in the 1950's!!! NO ONE was mentally ill!! NO ONE committed suicide!! At least in "nice" families!! Thanks to Ms. Lawrence for helping us remember that maybe some of our "old thoughts" and values aren't quite so CORRECT anymore, and that those of us from this Faulkner-esque mentality from the South should re-think it. I have to give her many thanks for her portrayal of the mental institution and long-time care facility in Livingston Parish that I THINK she is speaking of in this book!! If not, then many thanks to her anyway for bringing a long-time problem to light!! A 60yr old reader from CT who grew up in Hammond, LA.

Okay mandie is totally cool I always have too get the new book in our school library before anyone does i have all her books and waiting for anothing exciting mystery can't wait too see what the next one is about....

This was one of the best Mandie books. I liked it. It made Mandie seem human. Sometimes she seems perfect, and sometimes she seems babyish. In this book, Mandie's little brother has just been born and she is jealous of him. She thinks he cries too much, and he takes too much of her Mother's time (attention). Mandie runs away to live with her Cherokee kinpeople, thinking it will solve her problems. It doesn't, of course. They won't let her stay. She learns a valuble lesson, and learns to love her little brother. This seems babyish, but you learn a good lesson about jealousy. I like this book very much and at the end Mandie gets to name her little brother! What she names him, I won't tell!...

Mandie is sick and tired of her new baby brother. He cries all the time and she feels like no one loves her any more. She ends running away, but in the end learns her lesson. All the Mandie books are very good. I'm 14 but that does not stop me from reading them. Lois, please keep writing them and never stop, even if you have to write about Mandie's daughter or even her grandmother as a little girl.

This book gives quite a bit of history as far as religious orders in the U.S. and the kind of work that they have done over the years. I also enjoyed the photos because I feel that they helped me to understand the history better. And it's interesting to see how the nuns and sisters have dressed over the years.

This book has excellent pictures on the nuns in the full traditional habit thru out the book, with quick accounts of the various religious orders. In the back of the book is a dateline of all the religious orders of Sisters and the institutions they founded in the United States such as catholic hospitals, and colleges. Its an wonderful resource on any person researching the history and traditions of the Catholic Sisters (nuns) who have served our country as educators and health care professionals.

A few years ago I took a college course on the history of health care in the US. I noticed that there was a strange neglect to mention all the work that sisters have done in hospital/nursing. It is good to see a book that gives us a good description of this and other work. It is amazing to see these women working against such adversity, and achieving so much. Our usual image of 19th century women does not include administrators and CEOs, but that is what these women were. They served God and their fellow humans in remarkable ways. It made me nastalgic for the days of plentiful vocations.

A great book for Max and Ruby fans! It's not too long with just a few sentences on each page and the illustrations are great! It holds my 3 year olds attention all the way through and even gives the parents a chuckle when Max comes back with his own answer of "Because!!" (I'm sure that's just payback for all the times our kids have to hear that answer!) I highly recommend this book!

We absolutely love the Max & Ruby books. Max's Christmas was one of last year's gifts to my toddler munchkins. They love it and they just can't get enough of Max and his bossy-but-loving sister, Ruby. Max's Christmas takes Max through the Christmas Eve bedtime preparations, with Ruby helping him brush his teeth and put on pajamas. "Why?" asks Max. "Because," says Ruby. Max wants to know why he can't stay up to see Santa and, after Ruby puts him to bed, he decides to take his blanket downstairs and just see for himself. Max falls asleep, Santa comes down the chimney (Santa is a bunny, of course), and Max wakes up. Santa tells Max to go back to sleep. Max asks, "Why?" Santa replies, "Because!"

Kids love this book because they identify so completely with Max, even kids who don't have bossy big sisters. Max's adventures mirror those of all little children who are trying to figure out their often confusing world. ... A full Max & Ruby library is one of the best ongoing gifts for pre-school children.

Rosemary Wells' Max and Ruby books are the best books for small children of all time, and Max's Christmas is the best of the best. The focus of the book is Max asking his older sister Ruby a thousand questions about Santa Claus that she can not answer (until, an exasperated Ruby finally screams BECAUSE! and refuses to answer any more questions). If you've dealt with any 2 to 4 year old at Christmas time, this will seem so real you won't be able to keep a straight face. It's just a pure delight.

The illustrations are more detailed, and the colors more interesting than in the Max board books. It's done in a way that the pictures all look bathed in candlelight, which creates a perfect atmosphere for the book. That's one of the things that makes this book even better than the other books in the series.

The recommendations for this book say it is for toddlers to pre-school children, but my kids continued to love it and want to hear it every year until they were about eight. My son loved it so much that I have him on tape reciting it by heart at age three.

If you have little ones to read to at Christmas, this is a must-have!

Join Max and Ruby on a ride through UP, DOWN, and in BETWEEN. Max, the playful little bunny and his big sister Ruby are at it again in this charming little board book titled "MAX's Ride." Older sister Ruby stands on top of a hill holding the handle of a baby carriage (or shall I say "bunny" carriage) while little brother Max is seated inside primed for the ride of his life. "GO! said Max. DOWN went Max. STOP said Ruby." Max flies OVER a bump, OUT of the carriage, and UP into the air. Ruby runs UNDER a clothesline in an attempt to catch him. Max sails BETWEEN two trees, slides back INTO the carriage, and crashes into a pile of newly fallen leaves, "STOP said Max." This is a delightful little tale about two mischievous bunnies, that teaches verbs and prepositions.

The text is very short, it is only ten pages long, and Ruby's expression when she prepares to let go of the carriage is priceless. "MAX's Ride," is a board book that measures 7" x 7" x ¼". The illustrations are bright, colorful and expressive, however, the wording is a little awkward to read aloud, but not as difficult as some of the author's other books. Birth and up.

My fourteen month old daughter loves this book. She carries it around with her wanting it to be read to her all of the time. When you open the first page she shouts GO! (the first word on the first page). The pages have only a few words on them keeping my daughter's attention. The words are very descriptive and make this book very easy to animate. You can take your child along with Max on his ride as you go up, down, over and between-- all the while she is bouncing on your knee.

I love this book. My five-month-old daughter seems to love it too, and wants me to read it to her over and over. Maybe it's because I get such enjoyment out of it and it's contagious. The final spread, with Max's dopey, happy expression is gorgeous, and I can imagine him saying STOP with a satisfied, exhilirated sigh.

Max wants Ruby's doll, Emily, but Ruby will not part with her. Max has a house with 2 chimneys, 3 soldiers, 4 bears, etc. but all he wants is Emily.

This is a cute counting book, especially for fans of this charming brother-sister bunny duo. But the ending is rather abrupt and always leaves my child wondering what happens next.

This a good book for any child of all ages to read. I am only 15 and I love Max. I watch the show whenever I can. I am proof that you can never be too old for things that are considered to be only for children. Parents or relatives that have or know a child, this is a very good book that is funny and has good pictures.

My 13-month-old son has loved the pictures in this book since he was a tiny infant. He still loves the book. The story is very sweet, and it quite stands alone - unlike some other counting books, which have no "plot" aside from the numbers. I also appreciate that the boy-rabbit Max is shown to want a doll and that his sister (ultimately) thinks Max's trucks, soldiers, etc. are desirable toys.

I love to give this book as a new-baby gift. It is a delight!