Catherine Meyer's book really hit home. There were tears as I read every page. The tragedy of Mrs. Meyer's children and her relationship is becoming more and more evident in our society. All parents and childcare workers should read this book. I too, live in this terrible situation with Mrs. Meyer and can feel her pain. It has been four years and we see little or no results. Prayer has been the only answer to this. My heart goes out to all children, mothers, fathers, and

grandparents who are alienated from each other. Blessings to all of you.

If this horrible thing can happen to Catherine Meyer with little hope for resolution, think of how many others out there who are not as visible but are experiencing the same nightmare. The whole thing is tragic and wrong!

As soon as I finished reading this book, I knew that I had to include it as part of my library for reference. I found some familiar phrases, thoughts and ideas within the covers. I am also a left behind parent. My daughter was unlawfully abducted from the United States to Austria in 1995. I think it is important to communicate the harsh reality of International Parental Child Abuction and the responses of various countries involved in this matter. I thought that the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction was explained clearly in the book. It is most noteworthy to be made aware that there are countries which demonstrate a pattern of non-compliance to its obligations of the Hague Convention. I applaud Catherine Meyer and the publisher for bringing awareness to this tragic problem that affects thousands of children and parents worldwide.

I have a whole collection of cookbooks, many of which have only given me one or two good recipes. This book, however is in a class by itself: I can honestly say I've never made anything from this book that wasn't a total success, earning rave reviews from my dinner guests. It has provided me with half a dozen menus that have become standbys in my repertoire for entertaining. I simply can't praise it enough to do it justice.

I received this cookbook as a gift when I was unable to attend Nora's restaurant due to illness. I may have missed one excellent meal, but I have been rewarded with countless fabulous meals prepared in my own kitchen using the well-formulated, easy-to-follow recipes in this book.

Nora's recipes, her suggestions for variations, and her insistence upon fine ingredients make this one of the most frequently utilized cookbooks on my shelf.

My only complaint is that the index and cross-references were improperly compiled by the publisher, sometimes causing a minor nusiance.

I hope that they come out with a new (corrected) edition, because I would love to give it as a gift, and hope that others can enjoy the delicious recipes.

I don't know who this author paid in heaven for such immense talent, but if a fund has been set up I'll donate everything I can spare! This story was delightful. Sally Mandel has the most extraordinary incite. She writes things I have felt but never been able to explain, even to myself. Quinn is such a special character, full of life. Everyone goes through the period of Quinn's life portraid by this author. Last year of college, discovering love and yourself. This was immense.

Lavishly illustrated, this coffee table sized book is nicely structured by architectural eras from Federalist to Modern. Twenty-six homes are featured, mostly of private residents with a few museum-types.

My only complaints were a lack of exterior pictures. Since the book was organized by architectural eras, it left something to be desired that some of them just had interior shots. Also the captioning was a bit bizarre--pointing out objects of interest that were not in the picture and sometimes the wrong caps with the wrong picture.

Overall though, the book is a treat. I particularly liked some of the modern interior design done in older homes. The photography is magnificent. An excellent wish book!
-sweetmolly-Amazon.com Reviewer

What an outstanding piece of artwork! The text and the photographs blend beautifully to give the reader a wonderful behind the doors look at some of Washington's most captivating homes and their residents. This book is a must for a holiday gift for those who love architecture, Washington, Washington people, decorating, history, or those who just love a good book! Congratulations Jan Cigliano and Walter Smalling!

The book was enjoyable to read, but I think the authors must come from a much higher socioeconomic bracket than I do! I was hoping it could tell me how to ease my father's transition from his home to my home, but it concentrated only on moving to assisted living. And when I found that one of the items on their checklist for assisted living facilities was whether or not it offered horseback riding, I had to howl with laughter! Three meals a day and a place to hang your hat in assisted living costs $2500/month and up. I can't imagine what the places that offer horseback riding (and golf, etc.) charge. One thing I really appreciated about the book, however, was that the authors advised assisted living consumers to make sure that wheelchair users were not segregated from the rest of the assisted living community. I use a wheelchair, and was shocked and appalled at the news that some assisted living communities won't let wheelchair users into the dining room with the other residents because they feel it is "too depressing."

I am a professional that works in the healthcare world and found the knowledge presented by the authors to be quality. They know this area--seniors and the angst of moving from a home and habits of years. Reading this first and then making the choices will be a much easier path to take for many people. Our healthcare system is sometimes complex and confusing and to have a resource such as this can help clear things up. There were some excellent tools provided along with good advice. I enjoyed reading it and will keep it as a reference when my husband and I have to think about this for our own parents. I gave my mother the book for her birthday--she loved it!

Our book club, The Islanders, chose this book to read last month because so many of us are facing the problem of caring for our aging parents. The book is well written and humorous, and full of important information for anyone who is concerned about providing a safe home for their parents. We all agreed that we wished the book touched more on the specific problems of dealing with Alzheimers and dementia, since many of our parents will be faced with these problems eventually. Also, the authors mentioned nursing home insurance, but didn't recommend any particular policy or company. There are so many confusing come-ons in the marketplace, that it would have been a great help if there was some information on comparing and evaluating policies. We felt we learned a lot about what we will be facing in caring for our parents, but would love to read more about insurance policies to cover nursing home services.

Near the end of her book, "The Party: A Guide to Adventurous Entertaining," Washington "hostess" and Southern belle Sally Quinn discloses for whom she has written this book. Ms. Quinn says that ". . . many newcomers to Washington, whether they are members of Congress or administration types or diplomats or journalists, do find the whole notion of Washington and Georgetown dinner parties terribly intimidating." Through her outspoken and irreverent memoir-guide, she hopes to demystify "what goes on here."

Ms. Quinn does mention "names"; she says she does so in order to level the playing field, to show that anyone can drop the ball when entertaining. Her book is filled with anecdotes as well as practical tips. She exhorts would-be hosts and hostesses to follow the Golden Rule: "Treat your guests the way you would like to be treated."

Much of the book repeats commonsensical rules that those of us who entertain already know. However, I did pick up some pointers, such as ". . . no matter how bad the food is or what disaster befalls you in the kitchen, when all else fails, make sure you have plenty of booze on hand, and the party won't be a total bomb," and "[e]veryone in your home must be treated like a celebrity, must be made to feel wanted and special."

"The Party" may not appeal much to experienced party-givers and party-goers. However, it is an amusing addition to more "serious" books on entertaining. For someone who is starting out as a host or hostess, I think he or she will find some good tips here. As Ms. Quinn says, "the point is to have a good time." If one cannot do so, then she says to "get over it."

If you don't know what a "P.R.F." is, then that is reason enough to get this book.

I entertain frequently, and Ms. Quinn has a most delightful way of discussing the angst (and disasters!) of every experienced hostess. "The Party" had me laughing out loud, and I have been giving this book as a gift to other friends who entertain. They love it!

On a more practical note, she has good suggestions about what really makes a party work. So whether your guests are 'famous' or not, her wisdom is true.

OK, so it's not an etiquette book, nor is it a step-by-step party guide. The lessons are given via examples -- and what examples! The rich and famous -- including Sally herself -- are all grist for the mill.

But the key factor is Sally's breezy writing style. It's good enough that I am back on Amazon looking for other books she has authored.

rating should actually be big fat zero.
Cliche ridden self-referenced, self-important puffery by an entitled, flippant, spoiled brat. Certainly not worth the trees sacrificed, much less any reader's time.

Did Sally Quinn or one of her sycophants write the first reader review? Let's face it--this dame can't write fiction worth a dirty nickle. Save your money and read Danielle Steel, or come to the Nation's Capital and draw your own conclusions.

A enjoyable read, with deft plot manipulations and moments of genuine heartbreak!

Former First Lady Sadie Grey has been devastated by tragedy. Allison Sterling is dynamic, sexy, and famous, a successful reporter who now finds herself yearning for motherhood. When these two extraordinary women cross paths, they must cope with the pain of unexpected change and the challenges of love.

This is a weak entry into the moist thighs genre by Sally Quinn, wife of former Washington Post Editor-in-Chief Ben Bradlee. She knows much about what she writes from personal experience (power, money, D.C. society), particularly about affairs with married men in positions of power (when she was a young reporter for the Post she used to leave flirtatious, bawdy notes in Bradlee's office, as an opening in a gambit to seduce him. He was a married man with a son).

After she was given a wide berth in the Post's fledgling Style section and achieved some notice, she attempted to transition to TV and CBS, falling flat on her face. Beating a hasty retreat, she raced back to the safe confines of the Post, marrying the now divorced Bradley in the late 70's.

She became a chronicler of the D.C. party-'n-power set, noted for a rather catty, petty, rapier style. Among other highlights (lowlights?) she claimed that President Carter's National Security advisor Zbignew Brazensky(SP?) had pulled down his fly in front of reporter, as a vulgar come-on, and that pictures existed of the incident (this was a COMPLETE LIE). The paper issued a mealy-mouthed apology, and Quinn kept her job (nice to have the editor as a husband).

She continued to write a lot of society pap and begin writing books such as this one, a rather forgettable effort. In 1998, she caused a stir in official Washington by writing an article claiming that many of the people in her social set, the kind of permanent government of folks in institutions like the press and think tanks and people like David Gergen who go between more than one of these worlds, and a set that doesn't change with elections, felt particularly disgusted about President Clinton (a particularly hilarious trick of projection considering her use of sex for career advancement, and her lying in print about things such as Zbignew's pants). The article was a classic piece of arrogant reporting, were she made copious mention of "our Washington" (it went without saying that this was a small slice of White Ward 3 West of Rock Creek Park) and what this interloper Clinton, who happened to be elected twice by the American people and enjoyed 60% approval ratings, had done to it.

In an appearence on C-SPAN'S Washington Journal shortly after the bunk came out she was rightfully pummeled with viewers phoning in from coast to coast calling her on her smug arrogance (call up C-SPAN viewer services and try to order it, it really is a choice piece of televsion). As the coup-de-grace, the entire country flipped her kind and their way of thinking the bird when the Democrats actually gained seats in Congress.

I guess this review isn't much about the book, as it is about Ms. Quinn, but her personage kind of rivals the book in it's unpleasantness.

Sally uses the Washington Glamour and Intrigue the way Jackie uses California and Vegas to lure in the reader. Her descriptive writings put you there, and her style keeps you reading.

A compelling novel of two passionate and talented women and the man they both loved. Great sex!