Remnants of Glory is so beautifully written. I read the book several months ago and the characters are still active in my thoughts. It is a compelling novel, written by a gifted story teller.

As a rule, I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction because too often the history is the star of the story. This book is an exception, however. While Oklahoma at statehood and during the depression is a fascinating backdrop, Teresa Miller has kept the history in the background (where it belongs) and allows her characters to shine. Kate Dexter and her family are richly and fully drawn, with quirks, flaws, and strengths you will immediately identify with. Though their day-to-day battles are different from ours, their larger struggles remain with us: racism, betrayal, sexism, our treatment of the mentally handicapped and the aged. The details are just right, too -- you can feel the sun beating on your back as you watch Kate's mother tugging the wild asters around the veranda, and your heart aches when a careless roommate breaks Kate's watch, a last gift from her long-deceased husband. By the time you finish the 90-year journey with Kate, she will feel as familiar to you as family: someone you know, warts and all, but love anyway.

Remnants of Glory is one book you shouldn't pass up. This novel spans a huge portion of Kate Dexter's life, from age 18 to age 90. Many roadblocks are thrown in her path, but she triumphs with grace and glory. As a mother to a mentally challenged daughter, she does what most of us would do, much to the chagrin of others around her. As a wife, she deals with her marriage and it's traumas with dignity. And as a human being, she admits her weaknesses and flaws in spite of her perfect reputation. Kate lives her life throughout this novel with a mad determination. It is truly a beautiful and powerful piece of work. Teresa Miller deserves a big round of applause for this one. Those who love reading about a character from life until death, fully-formed and 3-dimensional will most likely appreciate this masterpiece.

I was telling my sister-in-law about a friend's child who just started a new school and is having a hard time. My sister-in-law knew about this book and suggested I get it for my friend. She loved it! After she read it to her son, it opened up a whole discussion on what would be the same and different at his new school, and how the differences don't have to be bad. He really responded well. I read it, too, and I have to say, after just starting a new job, I found myself laughing at how appropriate this children's book is to my life. You may miss friends and things from the past, but you can learn a lot from new experiences. Ms. Miller's students are lucky to have her as a teacher.

An excellent book teaching students and children differences and similarities of culture. My students love it! Fun and well written. The ending is touching.

Just Like Home is unlike any other book I've ever encountered for ESL and Bilingual curriculum. It's patterned, alternating format is perfectly designed for English and Spanish language learners alike.

It is moving, engaging, and an honest account of the challenges and joys faced by every child who is faced with two cultures or two languages.

It is a must read!

This is a must for all storytellers who want to move beyond book stories. To get the audience involved in storytelling is an art that calls for more than enthusiasm on the part of both storyteller and audience. This book explains to the storyteller just how to manage this, and gives hope to even the neophyte storyteller, who - like me - had storytelling thrust upon them because they were idiot enough to mention to their librarian that 'I like children'. While not all the stories in the anthology work for me, I have found several that are just perfect for my style of telling. The stories also cross age boundaries, so there is something for everyone. What I appreciated most, however, was the 'and how to tell them' part. Any tip helps, and these are examples from experts!

No simple anthology, this. It's a collection of tales, each choreographed with the storyteller's actions. These are participation stories, as they're called by professional storytellers. JOINING IN is dedicated primarily to stories that engage the audience in the telling. You have the stories as well as directions on how to tell them.

Each story contains instructions for illustration and encouraging audience participation. Fran Stallings, for example, whose story is titled "Paper Flower," shares an original tale which she crafted from several different turn-of-the-century collections of Chinese folk and fairy tales. Since she uses mime and crafts paper items as she tells the story, those instructions are included. in a format similar to a television script, along with author's tips for telling.

This is a unique and fascinating book -- dazzling, extraordinary. It's very different from any other book I've seen and every person who loves telling stories will also love this book.

This second novel by Teresa Miller captured my attention right from the beginning. She draws a very poignant portrait of young Marie, 15 years old in the 1950s, who goes through the torment of her mother's early death as well as the joy of young love. There are complications to that love, serious complications. The reader doesn't realize quite how serious until the book suddenly jumps a full 45 years later and the rest of the story is lived through the eyes of Marie's older daughter, Nora. There's a mystery here and several surprises along the way as the reader learns the truth along with Nora.

Once I started this book I couldn't put it down, staying up long into the night to finish it. It's full of insights and yet it never bogs down to over-explain anything. In fact, the author's strength is in the carefully controlled understatements. It's up to the reader to fill in all the little pieces that remain unsaid. Swept along with the fast paced tale, I felt satisfied with the conclusion. It was only days afterward that some doubts surfaced about whether or not it really could have happened that way. The characters were wonderful, especially the young Marie. For a short time I was drawn right into her world, sharing all her emotions. In between the chapters there are various pieces of correspondence adding further depth. It's a good story, well told. Recommended.

Teresa Miller's Family Correspondence opens with a chain letter which promises, true to the form, to bring bad luck upon anyone breaking its chain. At first, this seems like a puzzling beginning, until we discover that the recipient, Marie, is a teenage girl who is trying to cope with her mother's grave illness. And so begins this novel that weaves tragedy with quirkiness, lives with written correspondence. While at times the narrative can be confusing and somewhat awkward(perhaps a better editing job was needed?), this book ultimately succeeds on its own terms as a emotional collage of a family. Miller shows real talent with her characterization, and this skill carries the novel forward with conviction, gathering strength with every chapter.

I recommend this novel to readers of women's fiction, as well as those interested in discovering new talents in literary fiction.

Although hard to get started, Teresa Miller has penned a novel that exceeds in quality the majority of mass market writing. So many books today portray a prize winner on the cover only to fail in entertaining or captivating the reader. In Family Correspondence, Ms. Miller matches the cover comments and tells a convincing story with emotion.

The first few pages may confuse the reader. It seems that the writer knows something the reader does not know. But stick with it. It is Tersa's writing style. It all makes sense in the end so just surge forward.

The characters are well developed. You relate to them whether you are male or female. This is not a 'girly' book but a good tale of relationships that we all can identify with.

I am really bad with my family tree. I need a flow chart to understand who my cousins are. Perhaps that is the reason I was confused at times with who was who. Don't let that stop you from buying Family Correspondence. The important part is not how they are related but how they relate.

If you have ever had a relative with cancer. If you have ever had a relative that has had health problems that they handled stoically. If you have ever known anyone who has struggled through illness with honor make sure you have some Kleenex handy as you read. Much as Pat Conroy did in Beach Music, Teresa Miller has captured the devastation of family health problems in a heartfelt and appropriate manner and written them expertly for us to share. And just to keep us interested she has added a bit of a mystery to the plot. Great reading.