Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather have dreamed of opening a catering business in Dublin since they attended cooking school together. Now they're on the brink of making their dream come true, but not without battling a host of personal issues and complications.

That's the premise behind Maeve Binchy's book, Scarlet Feather. Binchy is an Irish author with a breezy,casual writing style that makes you feel like you're having a conversation with a good friend. She doesn't dwell on lengthy descriptive or analytical narratives,letting her characters tell the story.

Those characters are the strength of Binchy's stories, and that's true of Scarlet Feather.

You find yourself caring about feisty,funny Cathy,who shocked everyone when she married the son of the rich couple her mother used to clean for. You hurt for her when her husband,an up-and-coming civil rights lawyer, seems to have time for everyone but her,and dismisses her catering business as a passing and unimportant hobby. His adamant desire not to have children also contributes to a major turning point for Cathy.

Tom Feather is also a very likable character,and Binchy makes you feel his pain when his incredibly beautiful girlfriend places a possible modeling career above their relationship.

Even peripheral characters, like Cathy's and Tom's parents and siblings, are endearing. And there's an absorbing subplot about two children,relatives of Cathy's husband, who she and her parents are forced to care for...at first grudgingly,but they ultimately win everyone's hearts.

Besides the personal crises faced by Cathy and Tom, there is a catastrophe that threatens to destroy their catering business just as it really begins to blossom.

If there's a weakness in this book,it's the ending. I won't spoil it for those who might want to read the book, but in my opinion,Binchey fails to really build a foundation for the way it turns out. Some readers my find it only fitting, but for me,it didn't quite ring true.

That's a minor beef,though. Maeve Binchy's books are warm and uplifting for the most part,and this book could be an enjoyable escape when the snowflakes are falling or you need to take a break from holiday craziness.

I am so glad a friend told me "you have to read this book".
The author weaves words like pearls in a necklace. It is written beautifully and the story pulled me in to that "far away time" to be a witness to each event. Brava!

I loved this story. It is not heavy duty, just a very sweet, poignant story about a girl and boy that made me feel sad it had to end. It's a very quick read, not the great work that "Winged Pharoah" is, but still worth reading. Joan Grant "remembered" this life and wrote it in the form of this novel. She is a very inspired human being and her goodness comes through in every sentence.

Truth is a Bright Star is about a Hopi boy who is kidnapped by Spanish soldiers. He is sold to a man whose life work is killing beavers. Once the boy meets him his life is changed forever and so is the trapper's. This book is good and bad. I don't really like Native American books. I liked it because it was full of action. I would recommend this book to fourth and fifth graders.

I THINK THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ ALTHOUGH I LOVE SLAVERY BOOKS BECAUSE I think it's sad that people did that and I like sad books.Joan Price is my favorite author since I read this book and I think you should to! So READ THIS BOOK!!!

Loma and other Hopi children were stolen by the Spanish soldiers and taken far away from their pueblo. Loma was sold to a mountain man named Big Jim who made his living trapping beaver. Loma does not believe in killing animals for money. He and Big Jim do not get along. Later they become friends. It is an exciting story.

I enjoyed this book, although I was frustrated enough to toss it several times. WHERE WAS THE EDITOR? When you pay $25 for a hardback book, you expect the author to know: that Tom and Jerry are cartoon characters, Ben and Jerry make ice cream (really, see for yourself at the end of chapter 7), the difference between role and roll when talking about film (she uses role)... I could go on and on. I hope these mistakes will be fixed before the paperback because they really take attention away from an otherwise good book. It's about three women in their "senior" years who, united at a less-than-pleasant boarding house, take an opportunity to renovate and move into a home in Covington, North Carolina. Together, they face demons that have been following them. One is afraid to face her fears and learns to have confidence in herself. One believes herself to be plain and simple and finds love, and one finds passion in the simple things, like growing fruits and vegetables. It's an inspiring story about three women at an age when they're expected to knit and "grow old gracefully" learning new lessons about life and themselves.

When I started reading this book, I did not realize what a treat I was getting into. It is about three elderly women living in an ugly boarding house, sort of waiting until their time is up but not interacting very much. But suddenly one of them is left a run down house and some money down south. They decide to go down to see it and decide to use that money to fix up the house and literally start new and more useful and energetic lives.... they literally come alive again. It was most heartening and not boring at all. I cannot wait for the author to write another book since this one was her first. I recommend to all women especially those of us in "the best years of our lives".

I thoroughly enjoyed The Ladies of Covington Send their Love, which is the story of three women over 65 who are redefining their lives, starting careers, and falling in love. These women--Hannah, Grace, and Amelia--offer a dynamic vision of growing older. When Amelia inherits a rundown farmhouse in rural North Carolina, the women pool their resourses and move from a dismal boarding house to the tiny hamlet of Covington. Consequently, friendships are tested, survive, and grow stronger. As each woman is confronted with possibilities, she must review the habits and limiting beliefs of a lifetime. Joan Medlicott makes no attempt to mitigate the challenges the women face as they strive to make a home together. A comforting sense of extended family comes into play as their tolerance and ability to accept one another is tested--by loneliness, anger, jealousy, joy, and satisfaction. Ultimately, the support system they provide one another is to be envied. I thank Ms. Medlicott for introducing me to these three wonderful and wise older women, all of whom I fell in love with. I look forward to reading more by this exciting author!

I found this book to be inspiring for anyone suffering from Parkinsons. Joan Grady-Fitchett the author has done an excellent job of relating to the reader the gamut of emotions involved in the diagnosis of Parkinsons. Her strong mental attitude and determination should inspire others to do the same.The book also gives important information on doctors to contact and the success and failure of her medications and treatments.

Fighting the challanges of Parkinson's Disease, sometimes winning, sometimes losing; along with general living experiences made this book an informative and enjoyable read for me. However, it ended too soon. Did she have the surgery and what were the results?

An amazing woman fights the little and big things that are no longer familiar. This disease, this invader, is slowing crashing her body. All she has left is spirit and persistence, but these are powerful. Joan's writing is tight and moving. It takes you along with her from the top of success in professional modeling. From anger. Through realization and fear. Through lovers and pain, and to rest of her life. The reader will come away a little smarter, a lot braver, and a little less a victim in their own life.

With the third offering in Joan Medlicott's popular Covington series her trio of silver haired ladies have grown older but apparently not incrementally wiser. Amelia is as credulous and wide-eyed as ever, competent, blustery Hannah still says the wrong thing, and kind hearted Grace with the ever present bandanna tucked into skirt waistband toils in the kitchen. Nonetheless, their irrepressible spirits suggest that life doesn't begin at 40 but rather at 65.

Since leaving Pennsylvania for a farm in Covington, North Carolina, the adventuresome triumvirate has survived fire, a duplicitous suitor, a failed business, greedy land developers, and annual invasions of ladybugs.

It is now 1999 and the Y2K scare is approaching. But, the greatest challenges facing the ladies involve their hearts as woes beset family and friends.

Hannah's estranged daughter, Laura, has been seriously injured in a hurricane, a storm that killed the man she loved. The young woman Hannah describes as "hard to handle, rebellious," is invited to recuperate at the farm. Covered with scars, her leg in a cast, sedated for the journey, Laura arrives. She is in physical pain, and emotionally bereft.

In addition, Laura finds much at the farm irritating; "...the creak of the porch floor under the ladies' rocking chairs, the minuscule bathroom that forced her to leave the door ajar with her toes out in the hall."

Surprisingly, it is Amelia who makes the first breakthrough. Recalling the depression she felt when her husband died, she is able to establish a fragile bond with the young woman, eventually forging a friendship over bowls of coffee ice cream.

However, Amelia soon finds more to occupy her mind. Her recently found talent for photography proves to be more than a hobby when her work is selected for showing at a New York gallery.

Hannah is filled with anticipation after she is asked to be director of the Bella Maxwell Park and Preserve, gardens, hiking trails, campsites, museums, and "a living Indian village" to be established on the 700 acres of land saved from developers' strip malls.

It would seem that the ladies' lives are taking different paths as Grace receives a call from a dear friend, Brenda, who has just learned that her husband is terminally ill. As always, Grace finds a way to help.

To compound this concern, Grace is diagnosed with diabetes, a fact she resolutely denies, and she is worried about Lucy, a young friend. Officials suspect that Lucy may be an abuse victim. Grace also fears that her son, Roger, will be unfaithful to his longtime companion.

Sound like a soap opera? At times it is. Yet, it is an opera filled with sustaining values - friendship, loyalty, kindness, and love. Granted, there are times when one would like Grace's indignation to be expressed a bit more forcefully than wanting to "snatch back a bandanna" she has given or one is tempted to push Hannah into communicating with her daughter.

Yet once again Medlicott portrays Southern characters with precision and fondness, while decorating her tale with expressive descriptions of seasonal foliage. Fans will welcome From The Heart Of Covington, another year in the life of the ladies and one more reminder of all that glitters in golden years.

The three sixty-something friends (Grace Singleton, Hannah Parrish and Amelia Declose) share a farmhouse in Covington, North Carolina. The trio also once shared the belief that life is over except for waiting to die for the geriatric set. However, the farm provides a cleansing and renewal of spirit for the threesome. Amelia turns to photography and shows plenty of talent. Hannah creates a thriving greenhouse. Grace turns to cooking.

However, not all is perfect. Hannah's daughter Laura barely survived a hurricane that destroyed her boat home and left her severely injured mentally and physically. She moves in with the three elderly women while she struggles to recover. Grace learns she suffers from diabetes, but cannot yet cope with that knowledge. Amelia knows her troubles pale in comparison, but her new thirst for life is in jeopardy as she frets that no one seems to want her photos beyond her immediate friends.

Fans of the Covington novels will enjoy the third tale though in many ways it is repetitious of the previous plots in which the three women confront age with its problems by renewing their lives with so-called youthful undertakings. The story line is fun while providing the message that no one is old if their young at heart, clearly encouraging the audience to do not act as spectators as someone else's life flashes by. FROM THE HEART OF COVINGTON is a well written modern day novel that showcases Joan Medlicott's ability to dramatize people's plights while inspiring readers to live life filled with zest and to the fullest.

Harriet Klausner

The Covington Ladies and their white farmhouse are back! When I saw this newest book I was overjoyed, and stepped back into the lives of Amelia, Grace, and Hannah, without missing a beat. From the Heart of Covington opens with Grace finding Hannah in tears. Hannah's daughter, Laura, was in a hospital in Puerto Rico with severe injuries. She had been living on a houseboat with her boyfriend, and a hurricane had dashed the boat to bits on a reef. The boyfriend was dead, and Laura was emotionally devastated with no place to go to recuperate.

The ladies took Laura in and surrounded her with love and warmth, teaching a lesson of triumph over the depths of despair following the death of a loved one. From The Ladies, Laura learned how to live again, even though she felt that her life was hopeless. She even became a vital part of Covington and the beautiful gardens being built by Hannah.

When Grace discovered that she was diabetic I felt her dismay, because she is a wonderful cook on whom everyone depends for social events. Then when Amelia had a New York display of her fabulous pictures, I was overjoyed for her. The characters in this book are so real that they become like old friends and I find myself worrying about them, laughing with them and anticipating their next adventure.

***** I have such happy times reading about the ongoing lives of Amelia, Hannah, and Grace, that I absolutely hated to finish this book. Many of the scenes are so descriptive and beautiful that this book not only entertains the reader with the adventures of The Ladies, but also pleases the senses with such beautiful visual images that I often read a passage twice just to picture the scene. Joan Medlicott is masterful with her use of personification and metaphors, and I can hardly wait for the next book about The Ladies. Please let there be another, because I miss them the minute I turn the last page. *****

Reviewed by Ruth Wilson.

The whaling industry today is a controversial practice that has become a very public battle as the numbers of whales decrease globally. Whales today are often the objects of public sympathy as the beach themselves and volunteers work to return them to a sea they have apparently abandoned. Joan Druett brings readers a story of 19th century whaling when a young author named Melville had yet to write his classic, when whaling was a deadly activity in the best circumstances, and when it was murderous in the case of the Whaleship Sharon.

The author introduces her story by explaining what the lives of those who took these multi-years round the world voyages were like. She recreates 19th century Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, New Bedford, and Fairhaven for her readers. You will read of the family's that would wait for up to 5 years for a family member to return, and also those who might return after 4 or 5 years to find they had new children or even their wife had remarried believing her husband had been lost as sea. Ms. Druett also shares the details of the crew manifest, why fugitive slaves often were found on these ships and why many who embarked on one ship would return on the second or even third ship they had crewed upon since leaving.

The story of the Sharon is brutal by any measure. Captain Howes Norris was unfit to captain a ship over 150 years ago, and would be a villain in any year since then. Sadistic behavior cannot take place without the active or passive consent of others in authority, and those who were complicit had every reason to hide what took place and are responsible for this story's remaining buried for so many years.

The author does not sensationalize the events of 1841-1845; she takes the reader from the earliest hunting of whales by Native Americans to the spectacular growth of international whaling that needed captains that could bring in ships loaded with whale oil. Their ability to bring in this cash crop was what ship owners were interested in, not the personality, civility or the humanity of the man at the helm. There were far more ships than qualified men to run them. This shortage also explained the willingness of captains to fill their ships' compliment of crew during the voyage with men who had deserted from other ships.

The last book about whaling I enjoyed this much was, "In The Heart Of The Sea", by Nathaniel Philbrick. In addition to telling this tale the writer provides wonderful notes that can direct the inquisitive reader as far as they would like to go in further reading. This book's drama is created by men and not a whale that brought about one of the great survival stories in History however, readers will be well rewarded by spending their time with Joan Druett, and if they enjoy what they have read, happily this lady has several other books she has written.

Joan Druett's "In the Wake of Madness" joins the glut of recently published worksks about historical nautical disasters and mutinies that are lining the bookshelves these days. The quality of these books varies widely, but fortunately Druett's is both well-researched and well-written. The story of the ill-fated 1841 voyage of the whaleship Sharon is fairly grusome in its details. The ships's captain, Howes Norris, a respected member of the Martha's Vineyard community, became increasingly mentally unhinged, turning on members of his crew with savage fury. Things came to a head when he literally beat his cabin steward to death in front of the crew. Not long after, Captain Norris was himself savagely murdered by several Pacific islander crew members that had been picked up as replacements for deserters from the original crew.

All of this Druett recounts with prose that is elegant and highly readable. Throughout, she intertwines the story of the Sharon with that of Herman Melville, the "Moby Dick" author who had sailed on a whaling ship and was starting his writing career at around the same time. She describes the awful conditions that the whaleship crews labored under and throws in enough historical backdrop to frame the story.

If the book has a drawback, its that there were no surviving firsthand accounts of Captain Morris's death. Most of the book draws on never-published journals kept by two of the crew members. Unfortunately, both journals have signifcant gaps in them, which Druett attempts to fill with other contemporary accounts of whaling vessles. For the most part, she succeeds, though the book could also have used an illustrations section. At 230 pages of narrative, it is a relatively fast read.

Overall, an excellent work of narrative nautical history that will appeal most strongly to those who love good sea adventure tales.

Joan Druett's "In the Wake of Madness" joins the glut of recently published worksks about historical nautical disasters and mutinies that are lining the bookshelves these days. The quality of these books varies widely, but fortunately Druett's is both well-researched and well-written. The story of the ill-fated 1841 voyage of the whaleship Sharon is fairly grusome in its details. The ships's captain, Howes Norris, a respected member of the Martha's Vineyard community, became increasingly mentally unhinged, turning on members of his crew with savage fury. Things came to a head when he literally beat his cabin steward to death in front of the crew. Not long after, Captain Norris was himself savagely murdered by several Pacific islander crew members that had been picked up as replacements for deserters from the original crew.

All of this Druett recounts with prose that is elegant and highly readable. Throughout, she intertwines the story of the Sharon with that of Herman Melville, the "Moby Dick" author who had sailed on a whaling ship and was starting his writing career at around the same time. She describes the awful conditions that the whaleship crews labored under and throws in enough historical backdrop to frame the story.

If the book has a drawback, its that there were no surviving firsthand accounts of Captain Morris's death. Most of the book draws on never-published journals kept by two of the crew members. Unfortunately, both journals have signifcant gaps in them, which Druett attempts to fill with other contemporary accounts of whaling vessles. For the most part, she succeeds, though the book could also have used an illustrations section. At 230 pages of narrative, it is a relatively fast read.

Overall, an excellent work of narrative nautical history that will appeal most strongly to those who love good sea adventure tales.

Gentle readers, and I do mean 'gentle' in the literal sense, here's a book for you. It is amiable, peaceful, and pleasant. "The Gardens of Covington," Joan Medlicott's sequel to her engaging "The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love" (2000 ) brings us up to date on the three widowed women who moved across country, refurbished an old farmhouse, and revitalized their lives.

Now nearing seventy and settled in Covington, North Carolina, the ladies are very much unchanged. Hannah remains formidable and no-nonsense; Grace is the quintessential caregiver, and Amelia is well, Amelia - fluttery, vain, unable to assert herself but nonetheless endearing.

They've settled into a comfortable routine with each one's tasks suiting the individual's desires and interests. Hannah repairs, easily unsticks windows, and tends the garden. Grocery shopping falls to Grace who happily cooks, bakes, and sings off-key. Flowers and music are the bailiwick of Amelia who also finds contentment in dusting and cleaning. It's an easy, satisfying existence.

Yet, all is not as serene as the trio might wish because their beloved land onCove Road is threatened by development. Hannah attempts to spearhead an effort to stop the interlopers, but neighbors don't rally behind her. Instead, some look upon her with jaundiced eye, view her as a newcomer, a foreigner who doesn't know the difference between "dinner" and "supper."

Evidencing her independence, Grace opens a tearoom. Her partner is Bob, a man for whom she has come to care. Both discover that running a tea room is not a piece of cake.

Grace also makes a new friend, Miss Lurina, a woman who "used to walk behind Pa's plow settin' potatoes." She is now a spinster octogenarian, seen guarding her cabin porch with a shotgun. No one is more surprised than Grace when Miss Lurina starts spending time with "Old Man." Who could have foreseen that the two would decide to be "married up"? Selecting a wedding gown, let alone planning the ceremony stretches Grace's imagination and patience.

When Amelia, an incurable romantic, is involved in a minor two-car accident, she finds the driver of the other car, Lance Lundquist, to be handsome, "larger than life." Claiming to be a retired architect, he soon becomes her ardent suitor.

However, Lance is secretive, prone to weeks long unexplained absences. Amelia believes he will tell her about himself when she has won his trust, while Hannah and Grace are wary of him. They see him as manipulative and possessive.

These scenarios are played out against evocative descriptions of North Carolina's verdant countryside. Ms. Medlicott's appreciation of nature is made evident by her thoughtful word paintings. For those who enjoy a leisurely paced tale with no more violence than an annual invasion of ladybugs, "The Gardens of Covington" is certainly their cup of tea which, by the way, the ladies often enjoy on their shaded veranda.

The Gardens of Covington finds the ladies back in fine form. Hannah is busy with the nursery and worriedly looks to the threat of development that looms over the valley. Amelia is as self-absorbed as ever, busy with her photography. (one wonderful thing about this book is the characters remain the same....no rapid character changes). Grace is busy with the tearoom her friend, Bob, and the youngster, Tyler who had captured her heart. This book once again captures the nuances, the joys and the strains of small town life. The three women are distinct, and there is the give and take of family life...even though the three aren't a conventional family. Familiar themes are explored, the risks taken when you grow beyond your boundries, the tug of family, the quest for love, recovering from betrayal and leaning on friends to recover. There are also some new people to meet and new challanges to attack. This book was a delight, I was so glad to have the ladies back and true to form. A wonderful summer read.

This newest book picks up the lives of our "Ladies" without missing a beat. It not only entertains us with their day to day activities and interests, but also adds some colorful new characters as well. There is eccentric, eighty-one-year-old Lurina Masterson who brings a grin to everyone's face when she dons a white satin wedding gown and marries "Old Man", her ninety-one-year-old boy friend. Then there is the frail yet unforgettable lady whom Hannah met and befriended who was to play a most important part in their lives and the lives of everyone in the Covington area. These new friends and neighbors are woven into the lives of our ladies in a masterful and entertaining way.

Precious, gentle Amelia, who carries burn scars on her neck from an automobile accident that claimed the life of her husband, finds herself swept up in an unexpected romance. My heart ached for her while she was under the spell of this charming yet demanding man, and at the same time I wanted to scream at her to WAKE UP! I found myself hoping that she would keep a firm hold on the independence that she had so recently found.

Grace, who makes cookies and mothers everyone, continues her loving relationship with her friend Bob and together they open the Cottage Tearoom on Elk Road. I was enchanted with the idea of their Cottage Tearoom, but it would prove to be quite an undertaking and too much hard work for the two of them. The awesome wedding reception for Bob's son and his new bride, planned and presented by Grace's son and his partner, was an event that kept Covington talking for months. WAY TO GO, GUYS!

Then there is our strong and steady Hannah, the boldest of the ladies. It was Hannah who became embroiled in attempting to save their valley from developers who would strip the land without regard for anything except profit. I cheered for her indomitable spirit as she persisted with her plans for stopping them before they wrecked her beautiful valley. Help for Hannah's cause finally came from an unexpected source.

Wow! I loved this book, and so will everyone else who got to know Amelia, Hannah and Grace in the Ladies of Covington Send Their Love. Please, please let there be a sequel to this book!

The book is, predictably, awash in Left Wing garbage. I would not waste my time with it if I were you. Linder simply made the choice to align himself with the wrong people, namely, Red Danny Ortega's Communist punks. Ortega was in bed with the USSR, and why anyone would support Ortega's regime is beyond comprehension. President Reagan came along just in the nick of time. Too bad Linder got in the way, but sometimes we make bad choices that are very costly.

Longtime pro-Sandinista activist Joan Kruckewit's apotheistic account of "red-diaper" baby, part-time clown and part-time Sandinista militia man (read the AP, LA Times and Dallas Morning News accounts at the time of Linder's killing) is a truly painful exercise in dreadful, warmed over "Sandalista" tripe. Tendentious, poorly written and dull, and playing fast and loose with the facts. The ultimate critique must be that the red and black mafia for which Ben Linder gave his life hasn't won an election since 1984 and is a totally discredited and corrupt political force. A really misleading and mediocre book about a controversial period in Latin American politics that polarized America.

If you are one of the many people who risked their lives when they traveled to Central America during the 1980's this book is for you! If you missed that experience but want to know what would motivate someone to risk their lives for peace and social justice by going to Nicaragua and participating in the revolution then, this book is for you!

During the 1980's U.S. foreign policy in Central America was driven by an obsessive effort to overthrow the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. The Sandinistas had overthrown a dictator and were developing a society that put people before profits. They set up free health care, carried out a massive literacy campaign, and gave land to small farmers.

This threat of "a good example" was countered by the U.S. which created a mercenary army (the Contras) who set out to overthrow the Nicaraguan government. Tactics included killing teachers, destroying health clinics, and forcing the Sandinistas to spend more and more of their resources on the military.

Ben Linder was an engineer from Portland who put his life on the line to support the people of Nicaragua. Ben was also a clown and often put on his red nose and clown make-up to juggle and unicycle in poor neighborhoods, where children had never seen a clown. He worked in a small rural village in Northern Nicaragua, maybe 30 miles from my communities sister city of Telpaneca, near the Honduran border. Like the Fresnan's who built a school in Telpaneca during the Contra War, Ben was working on a hydroelectric project trying in a positive way to support the revolution. THE DEATH OF BEN LINDER, THE STORY OF A NORTH AMERICAN IN SANDINISTA NICARAGUA is an insightful book that reminds us why people are willing to put their lives on the line for a cause they believe in. It shows the tragic results of U.S. foreign policy that seeks to make the world safe for corporations seeking to maximize profits.