This is the only book I have ever read that accurately depicted the inner life of the creative person. Is it hyperbolic? Yes - because the inner life is hyperbolic. Is it metaphoric? Yes - because psychological truth is best portrayed metaphorically. Is it uncomfortable? Damn straight. I felt as if I were watching Elaine Alphin, the author (and a personal friend; nothing less but total honesty will do in discussing this book) stand in Times Squre, douse herself in gasoline, and light a match. I have neither the courage nor the stamina to write a book like this.

Ironically, the reasons this extraordinarily honest book has been overlooked for awards and tepidly received by professional critics are clearly delineated in the book. Nobody wants to know. If you don't want it to be true, don't look at it and shoot the messenger. Heaven forfend that anyone take on the Rachel role and edit the world into something better! As the three previous reviews show, however, adolescents recognize their world. But will they do anything about it? Or will they grow up and convince themselve they were overreacting?

On bad days I'm Charles, feeling pressured to be Graeme. On amazingly excellent days I get to be Adrian. Most of the time I'm holding on, putting the inner Rachel in charge and hoping for the best.

Elaine's told us the truth. It's up to the rest of us to act on that truth.

This book is by far an excellent read. Elaine really describes the charectars so that you feel almost as if your part of the story. You can't stop thinking about the book until you've read it cover to cover, and then you still have it on your mind. When my mom got this book for me i was afraid it was just another "recommended" book for teens that was fake and was stripped of content. But from the moment i opened it I knew that this book was deffinetly anything but. I recommend this book to any teen that may be experiencing any feelings of reject or feeling they just don't fit in or belong. Also, of course, i recommend it to anyone that wants a good read. This book is full of surprises and you never totally figure it out until the bitter end.

I couldn't believe this book! It's so TRUE! I opened it Saturday morning and I couldn't stop reading until I finished it that afternoon. It just sucked me into Charles's world. I felt like I was part Charles and part Graeme, and like I wished I could be more like Adrian even though I didn't like him at all at first. But these guys were so REAL to me!

I thought I was the only guy who had these thoughts and these fears and was struggling with these issues. But this book says it all. It's okay to be different. It's okay to tell your parents you can't be the person they expect you to be - they might even accept you as you are. Or maybe they won't. The book doesn't promise any happy endings, but it's honest.

All I can say is that every teen, whether you're into painting or writing or music, or whether you're a jock or a geek or a Goth or WHOEVER you are, you have to read this book!! I feel different after reading it, and you will too.

This book is a find--a first hand account of two Rosie the Riveters. The contemporaneous memoir of two school teachers who spent the summer of '43 building B-24s in San Diego fascinates with details--getting hired, what was security like in wartime factories, how were these two educated women treated differently when they donned slacks and became factory workers? The writing is quick and humorous, like Betty MacDonald's The Egg and I which has remained popular since 1945. Constance Bowman Reid's epilogue, written in 1999, is a touching finale. You'll want to know what she's been up to in the intervening 50 years.

This Book evokes a unique time and experience for women in this country. It accurately depicts the rigors and effort that came as a surprise to all of the work force as women pitched in for the war effort. That it is cleverly done with good humor and the ability to poke fun at the situation, makes it even more of a jewel.

A great Read! Cleverly written and laugh out loud funny. An interesting primary source of history--a must read for WW II enthusiasts. My wife was intrigued by the women's history angle. We both loved the illustrations.

The Snow Queen and other Tales is the perfect companion to The Golden Book of Fairy Tale Classics. The illustrations by Arienne Segur are amazing. These are the sort of books one does'nt see anymore with a definate "old world" feel to them. Indeed both volumes were not available for many years. But now they are at such an amazingly low price (these are hardbacks and large ones) there is simply no excuse.
The tales: Andersen's The Snow Queen, Baba Yaga and several other Russian fairytales are wonderful to read aloud and alone. With the added treat of Hoffmann's The Nutcracker they have strong appeal for the Christmas season.
As a child I received The Fairy Tale volume and a schoolmate was given The Snow Queen. My mother tried in vain to find a copy for me but they were sold out. This was Christmas 1966 for years I tried to locate it, no luck...until a week ago I was poking around on Amazon and ther it was! I recieved by copy a few days.
Let me say that this is beautiful, beautiful book! I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you a small person in your life buy it for them, if you love folk and fairy tales or know someone that does purchase it by all means! Heck! get a copy for yourself!

This book is a "must have" for every child's personal library and should be in every public library and school media center. As a professional children's librarian I would recommend it as part of any child's home library because of its quality and content. The material contained within this book is difficult to find in America, especially so well written and so beautifully illustrated. It was a joy to see it finally reissued. I still have my own childhood copy, although it is dog-eared and pages are loose. A perfect gift for any adult to give a child they care about.

I also loved this book as a child in the 60's. I checked it out of the library until it finally disappeared from the stacks and I could no longer get it. As an adult, I searched for this book for years, finally finding it through an out of print book service and paying about $$$ for it. I was thrilled to have it, but unfortunately in the years since it had been printed, the lovely, dreamlike colors in the illustrations had faded, losing much of their emotional intensity. I am absolutely thrilled that this book has finally been reissued. It is a "must-have" for anyone who loves fairy tales or appreciates the art of illustration- in fact, as a working artist, I have to credit Adrienne Segur's work with inspiring me as a child to keep drawing. And if you are a ballet fan, this is a true representation of the rather creepy, very dark original tale of the Nutcracker, not the dumbed-down saccarine version fed to kids today. This is one of the best children's books, ever.

I read this book some time ago and I find myself frequently recalling the lessons and tales it offers. A beautiful, poignant piece of writing.

This truly extraordinary book will hold your attention for years to come. You will read this book from cover to cover once and re-open it hundreds of times for quick inspiration from a poem, a short story or a truth about yourself.

This book remains on the top of my pile because it is so full of daily reminders that help me maneuver through life - a constant reference. The poetry and stories are touching and relavant to people of all ages, from all walks of life. I highly recommend this book!

I just ate at Josselin's restaturant at Ceasar's in Las Vegas, 808 (Hawaii's area code). It bills itself as a Hawaiian/French fusion restaurant. It was the best food I've ever had. I did not realize that I had his cookbook until I went to the restaurant. The huli-huli chicken is great, as is the pineapple-maccadamia nut rice. The only problem with the book is that many of the ingredients are difficult/impossible to find outside of Hawaii.

When I lived in Maui, this was my favorite restaurant (A Pacific Café, on South Kihei Road, in Kihei.) This stunning cookbook, leaves me longing to be back, just so I can dine their once again.

Perhaps when I get a bigger apartment, I may try some of these adventurous recipes. Jean Marie Josselin is one of the founders of this kind of cuisine. Classically trained as a French chef, he was one of the first pioneers of "Hawaiian Regional Cuisine". He moved to Kauai and opened his first restaurant there. He used the fresh ingredients that the island provided. When he opened his first restaurant in Maui, it was an experience just to dine there. The architecture of the inside of the restaurant was rumored to cost around $250k. After a hot day out in the sun, you'd come in and sit at the bar, for a glass of wine and an appetizer while waiting for a table (since you were foolish and didn't make reservations.) The service was so good at the bar, that you decided to stay there and watch the surroundings. Across from the bar, was the line. The appetizers were being prepared, followed by the two or three chefs working on the main courses followed by the person making desserts.

Occasionally, you'd see Arnold Schwarrzennegger and his wife come in, or Helen Hunt, and maybe Dustin Hoffman would sit next to you at the bar. The food was so good, he knew you wouldn't talk to him because you'd be eating the entire time.

All of these memories come back, when flipping through this recipe book... Since I'm not in Maui anymore, I'll just have to settle for Roy's or Kaspars'. (Not a bad thing, just not quite Jean Marie's & George Gomes' masterpieces...)

Jean-Marie has created a comprehensive guide to better eating. His creations aren't for the faint of heart in the kitchen, but if you have the patience, it pays beautifully. I have always been more of a "presentation person" and found his recipies were easy to dress and enjoy equally.

S. Marie has crafted a delicate poetic journey through one of the most difficult tragedies the human race can fathom. A very sensitive issue to explore her sensitive insights into the untimely suicide of her family, the generational recreation of suicide in her family history, and the impact that this earthshaking event had on Ms. Hugo pulls the reader captive. Artfully done with photographs it becomes more than one families private pain. It is a universal cry for those who lose someone to the act of self destruction.

S. Marie Hugo displays imagery of a broken heart and the healing of a young woman. Her vision is compelling and thoughtful. Her words expressed deeply. She took something tragic in her life and made it a journey of learning and acceptance. Acceptance of life, death and of God. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with the world.

Tender Pain a poetic journey, is a well written book. The author S. Marie Hugo has taken adversity and turned it into something positive in her life. As a writer myself I appreciate the way she captured her feelings and expressed them so well on paper for the reader. An Author with feelings, ability and commitment to express her deepest thoughts with the reader. A lesson here we all should heed and remember. Well done and worth the time and money, an excellent choice.

What a fabulous book to have at the holidays and all year long. It reminds us of all the treasures there are in life. There are things big and small that happen and everything that happens is to be treasured.

This is one of the best Christmas gifts I received last year. This book is sweet, has great ideas, and is full of warm, happy sentiments. I liked it so much that I could not stand to put it away with our other Christmas things, so it will be out on the bookshelf year-round!

This book is one of my absolute favorites for the Christmas seasons. Not only does it have beautiful poems, and sayings, but it also has special recipes for the family, and wonderful crafts and memory making ideas. I will never go another Christmas without this wonderful book.

This is a must have book, and a perfect stocking stuffer for anyone.

A wonderful cooking experience was had by all for myself and family. For some extra fun, my family and I sometimes decide to pick out a cookbook and make a meal entirely from that book. Using this cookbook we all picked out one recipe apiece to try out to make a full dinner. Our experence ranged from fairly competent and experienced to the true novice in the kitchen. We made our different courses and the at the end we were very happy with the results. We all agreed that the recipes were well thought out and easy to follow with excellent intstructions and sidebars to answer just about all of our questions. They were practical and informative with the net result being a pleasureable cooking experience for us. Being from the San Francisco area, we are exposed to many wonderful foods and restaurants which I think have increased our appreciation of well prepared foods. We think this cookbook will be enjoyable for all who use it. Chin chin!

I bought this cookbook on a caterer's recommendation as a high school gift for a young man who is living with my family and hopes to become a chef. It was perfecto! I'm grateful he leaves it in my kitchen so I can make use of it, too. I've been cooking for 40 years, but I learned many new tricks and absorbed into my DNA several new recipes from just leafing thru these pages while sipping a latte in the morning.
A must-buy for the serious but casual cook.

A solid, well written book that I will be reaching for a lot faster than some of the current well known authors.

For someone not having much time to de-code recipes, the techniques and content of the book are easy to read and very well done.

These are the passionate poems of a woman on fire, breathlessly telling her story. "I'm losing parts of me daily,/like the sparkle of the eye,/my hunger for hyperbole, and a slow/dance on stilts, oh I've changed/since you cut down my trees" she begins, in the first poem, and goes on to "When they come for me/I'll be ready, I'll be lighting green candles in the folds/of the red and white tents on the streets of Venice/where at night the dampness chills the teeth . . . and I am the bonfires on/corners of Calle Racchetta. I am a woman ready.//I am burning. Let them come." Most poems here are deeply personal without being "poems of mere self." This is the voice of a woman who has lived deeply, loved and suffered, and is in love with life and the world's sensual detail. There's humor here too, and harsh touches of reality. I'd cut several poems here, leaving only the best. Those are a feast of vitality and imagistic language.

Jordan is a chameleon in her ability to express an array of emotions on paper so completely. Her poems wield emotional rescue to the stoic and tender heart alike. A must-read!

When I first began reading this book, I considered the imagery and thought, "Wow, who is this woman?" I read on and thought, "Oh, she's my sister." And still on. Then, "Oh, she's my reflection. She is me."

I think that the non-religious who reads the things that Therese said and did with her sisters in community at the Lisieux Carmel may occasionally be intimidated. I know I am from time to time. Sometimes I am even confused, for there are some pieces of advice and counsel that would not do for a secular woman such as myself. But I thoroughly enjoyed this work, and the translation was superb. Through the compilation of the reminiscences, I was able to better see what it might have been like to follow Therese around, listen to her, go to her in tears, question my vocation. I am grateful for this glimpse and I believe I have a better understanding of the way Therese taught. Thanks for reading.

This is a lovely book giving us yet more details about the daily life of Therese and those with whom she lived. Her teaching of the novices is an inspiration to all of us, even though, obviously, their situation in life (nuns in 19th century France vs. lay folks in 21st century) is quite different from ours. I loved this little book.

The appearance of this book in English is a gift to all of Therese's English-speaking friends. Marie of the Trinity tells many stories about Therese not recorded elsewhere, and the study of her relationship with Therese is itself endlessly fascinating. Insights into daily life at Lisieux Carmel; interesting account of life at Carmel from 1897-1944. Read about the dream Therese had about 1896 which she confided to Marie of the Trinity; she dreamt of a celebration for her in a field, like a cemetery, yet festive, and told Marie that sooner or later they would find out what the dream meant. In March 1923, the solemn translation of Therese's relics from Lisieux cemetery to the Carmel took place, and Marie realized the dream had foreshadowed that event, in which 50,000 pilgrims followed the body of Sister Therese in its return to Carmel. It is easy to see why the testimony of Marie of the Trinity was important at the Process. Enjoy.