I found this collection of poetry in the dusty corner of an old bookstore and was pleasantly surprised. Mary Oliver composes her poetry, conjuring nature at its best, both the human aspects of it and those moments of quiet audacity in the natural world that humanity can never touch. She examines how we relate to the animals around us, and in some of her "twelve moons," Oliver asks us to put ourselves in the place of singing frogs and a birthing black bear. At the same time, she recalls the suicide of a friend or her great-aunt which, along with the others, make for poems of ultimately biting truth.

A friend gave me this book suggesting that I would enjoy it, and I dutifully read it. I wish I'd spent my time differently. There are some good jokes in it, but all in all, it's not very enlightening.

Important work addressing the bloodmysteries that continue to shroud all women. An extremely helpful text for understanding how the role of menstruation and repoductive capability effects social structures and political equality movements. I highly recommend this read.

I have been reading numerous books on menstruation and menarche lately and without a doubt this book is one of the BEST resources I've encountered. I am amazed at the scope of research these ladies were able to compile, and am impressed with the even-handed and objective analysis they've shared. This is not light reading, and yet it is engrossing and insightful. I am especially impressed with the amount of attention they have paid to menarche (a girl's first period.) Nowhere else (and I've read nearly everything I can find) have I found this much honest, unbiased and straightforward information. My copy came through inter-library loan, but this is definitely a book I will purchase for my own library. Excellent work! My admiration and thanks to these women authors!

I can't remember the last time I read a book that began with a two-page list of characters! But, at 561 pages of prose, in small type, some readers might feel the need to refer back to that list, from time to time. I admit to being intimidated, at first, but as I got deeper into the multiple story lines, I just decided to relax and enjoy the delightful atmosphere Jane Smiley was creating.

Eileen is a dog that loves her mistress and deliberately makes life hellish for her master (urinating in his best shoes is only one of Eileen's little tricks). But the best characters in the book, I think, are the horses. From the viewpoint of Justa Bob, Froney's Sis, Limitless, Epic Steam, and the other Thoroughbreds, humans exist to keep them supplied with hay & oats. Many of the horses have genuine affection for their trainers and handlers, and some, like Mr. T., reward those humans they like best by passing on racing tips much more valuable than those found in the Daily Racing Form. By the end of the book, I was praying that Justa Bob would be rescued from the glue factory and Residual would recover and be put out to pasture. You'll fall in love with these animals, believe me.

Smiley's central human characters will hold your interest, too. For example, she made me genuinely care whether Al and Rozzy's marriage would recover from the strain of the separate lives they were leading. However, some of the peripheral ones could have been edited out with no loss to the book's coherence. Overall, this book gave me enormous pleasure.

This book was a great "read" and I had trouble putting it down -- I frequently found myself tempted to ride the subway past my stop, just so I could keep reading!

Books with a list of characters at the beginning usually worry me -- I hate stories with so many poorly-defined characters that such a list becomes necessary. Even with Horse Heaven's impressive length, however, I think I only referred to the list of characters once or twice. It was great to be able to follow the story from the points of view of the many characters, not the least of which were the horses, whom the author imbued with a wonderful mixture of self-determination, insight and even humor. Smiley's equine characters also exercised a surprising amount of control over their own destiny in an industry in which what's best for the horse often can be overlooked.

That said, I agree with another reviewer's comment that a bolder editor might have tightened Horse Heaven up. Occasionally while reading, I found myself wondering whether I would be turning the pages so quickly if the backdrop for the stories had been, say, stock car racing instead of horse racing. (I say this because I am a shameless "plot-hound," so long passages of description -- however well-written -- without a reasonable amount of plot development tend to bore me.) Without the inclusion of horses, I believe I would have been enjoyed reading the book somewhat less. For this reason, I am having a hard time recommending this book to my friends and family members who aren't as nutty about horses as I am.

All in all, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and was sorry to reach the last page.

admittedly, before i read this book, i was both a jane smiley fan AND a life-long horse owner/lover, so this book came out of the gate with pretty good odds. because of the numerous characters, human, equine, and canine, the start was a little tough, but once i'd found my rhythm and figured out who all the characters were, i didn't want to get to the finish line. the horses were far better developed as characters than were the people (--justa bob was my favourite!--), but i think even a non-horse lover could find this book to be quite entertaining. as it's making the rounds of barns in my "neigh"borhood, we're all applauding smiley's ability to capture a world that only those who live in it seem to know. i'd enthusiastically recommend this to horse lovers and to others who are interested in that world.

This book is all but useless to residents of the US looking for good information about moving to Italy. The book is mostly for residents of EU countries, England most specifically. Altho there are a few items of general interest, and some mention of things pertaining to US citizens, I think it would be a waste of money for anyone who needs serious, current advice. Please note the the 2 favorable reviews are from people who are not US citizens. Save your money!

A MUST-HAVE BOOK IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE PITFALLS AS WELL AS THE PLEASURES OF HAVING A HOME IN ITALY - THERE IS AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION, PRESENTED IN A PLEASANT AND ACCESSIBLE STYLE. WONDERFUL VALUE!

an informative book which unravels the mysteries of setting up home in italy. the book does not romanticise the aspects of venturing into the italian real estate market, nor does it dissuade the reader from pursuing the venture any farther. rather, the book provides an objective and practical guide to house buying in italy. it also has helpful information about everyday living in italy such as setting up a bank account. i have read several books on the subject and recommend this book thoroughly. (i also recommend victoria pybus's "living and working in italy".)

This is a cute story of Kelly and her two best friends Lisa and Rebecca. Their goal for junior high is to become more "popular". When Kelly sees that only Lisa and Rebecca are succeeding, she starts to feel sorry for herself. Its your typical junior high "tradgity"

I don't think this book is your typical "junior high tragedy," as another reviewer described it. While it's been one of my favorites for at least ten years, it's also taken on more meaning to me as I got older and had to deal with the issues between my mother, grandmother, and myself - much as Kelly does.

Glass Slippers Give You Blisters is told from the point of view of twelve-year-old Kelly MacDonald, who is just starting seventh grade with her two best friends Lisa and Rebecca. When her friends get cast in the school play, "Cinderella," and she doesn't, Kelly has to look first at what it means to do a good job and not just try to fake your way into a role, and then to explore who she can be on her own.

More than that, though, is the tension between her mother and grandmother. Gram, an artist, ran off to New York to "develop as an actress" when her mother was eight, and her mother has never forgiven her. As a result, she hates anything to do with the theater, and is less than pleased with the fact that Kelly wants to be involved with a play.

In some ways Kelly's work on the play brings her mother and grandmother closer together - and also creates an understanding between her mother and herself. But it's not perfect. When Gram suffers a stroke, Kelly feels responsible, and has to deal with that guilt. She is also the only child left at home, now that her perfect older sister has gone to college, and faces the fact that she's always gotten along better with Gram than her mother - which of course doesn't please Mom.

Kelly also has lots of flaws - her tendency to daydream, her temper, her guilt, and the way she has to learn to do a good job without faking someone out. One of the most realistic things is the way she gets angry when she hears the snobby set designer taking credit for her work with the lights. Gram tells her not to go needing approval from other people, which I think is hard for most people. All of Kelly's flaws make her a very real, and humorous, person.

Glass Slippers ... is no epic, but it ends happily, and hopefully, with the promise of a truce between her mother and Gram, and Kelly and Mom. Most girls spend their lives looking for that truce.

this book is about Kelly, she and her 2 friends Lisa and Rebecca try out for a school play, of "Cinderalla" Kelly makes a total fool of herself, and then find out what happens next in this book and how she gets in the play!

This book is exactly what you'd expect from a book purchased at a gift shop at the Grand Canyon, bland.

It is by no-means in-depth and spends more time describing the antiques that Colter decorated her buildings with than with her life. Colter was a fascinating woman and I would have liked to learn more about her than this book provided.

Being as how Colter isn't exactly someone you're likely to read more than one book about, I would recommend purchasing something with more pictures and information than this one, which is more just a basic outline.

"Builder upon the Red Earth" is not the slick tome of expensive color photographs and analytical drawings that Mary Colter's unique contribution to Twentieth Century American Architecture deserves. However, this essentially biographical book is the only one in print showing pictures and telling the history of Mary Colters extrodinary talent.It is not clear if Mary Colter's obscurity is due to the fact that she was a woman practicing architecture in a time when the field was dominated by men or if the remote Southwestern locations of her most interesting works kept them hidden form view, but it is high time more people took a serious look at her work. Colter's projects, which are "built ruins" foreshadow the work of Western deconstructionist architects like Antoine Predoc or Tom Maine. Showing the work of Colter which is almost 80 years ahead of its time "Builder upon the Red Earth" should be in every young architects library.

Although I agree with the reviewer who says that Mary Colter deserves a far better book, I still highly recommend this one, as at least it fills in a gap that's almost the same size as the canyon where Colter's buildings still stand today. More people should read it so that some will be inspired to write more!

This book looks to me just as an advertisement for the school run by the authors. If you want a really good and useful book on Applied Behavioral Analysis, read "Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism" by Catherine Maurice, G. Green and C. Luce. However, before reading it, read the wonderful book "Let me hear your voice", by C. Maurice. Those two books gave me enough knowledge of ABA, so that I was able myself to do the therapy and recover my 3 year-old son from PDD in less than a year.

I would have to agree that this book is not what its title presents itself as. I was expecting a little more on how "exactly" to help my son Steven who is just recently 3 and has been diagnosed with moderate Autism Disorder. It did give me the positive boost and the push I needed to go out and get the early Intense intervention that I feel "my son" will really benefit from. It helped me to focus on the problem at hand and gave me a starting place to start my search for improving Stevens future. A good read for people new to this life change, however definately not for people looking for answers on how to actively facilitate learning. I also agree that it was a big push by the authors to use their method, and it worked on me, but I wouldn't discount other possibilities.

BUT, if you know about ABA and have read "The Me Book" from Lovaas or "Let me hear your voice" from Maurice - this book is not for you.

So let me talk to you if you are a newbie to autism. This book is GREAT because it explains in ENGLISH the basics on ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) treatment for autism. It reviews case studies on choices, how to get started, funding, and other extremely important topics for newbies.

It is a great book that I give to new parents with children affected with autism ALL THE TIME.

But remember: if you are an advanced person been doing the autism and ABA journey for awhile, this book is NOT for you.

...

The Prince and the Pauper was a classic example of early literature. It was written like every other Mark Twain book, in old English dialect. I could understand it, but at times I had to read some areas over again to get what he was saying. I read this book for a literature assingment, and I did not enjoy it. Some areas of the book are funny and quite charming, but overall the story is really hard to get into. If you like fairy tales or stories from medievil times, this is the book for you. I really think I could have read a book better than this one with my time though. I also recommend: "Princess: A tale of life under the veil in Saudi Arabia" By: Jean Sasson

Mark Twain was a true American original and one of the true titanic figures of American literature. He was also, as anyone who bothers to dig beneath the "The-guy-who-wrote-Tom-Sawyer-and-Huck-Finn" surface knows, a man who held distinct and perhaps slightly provocative political opinions. One of the things Mark most detested was monarchy - once calling it "the grotesquest swindle ever invented by man." In his later highly controversial novel, A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court, he took on the concept in a viscious and fearless adult satire. In this, his earlier novel, The Prince and The Pauper, Twain did the same thing while aiming principally at younger readers. The story, while featuring a lot of dialect in Middle English, is written in fairly simple and straight-forward prose, which, thus, opens the book up to readers both young and old. The novel's oft-forgotten original subtitle, A Tale For Young People of All Ages, perfectly sums up the books' merits: while this novel may have been written, primarily, with a young target audience in mind, it can also be enjoyed and appreciated by adults. Though it is novel length, the style in which it is written reflects that of classic fairy tales, and will probably be appealing to any child who likes to read. Adults, on the other hand, will note and appreciate the books' deeper underlying meanings, as well as Twain's ever-present wit. This book is very well-written; Twain, a master writer, was, alas, sometimes prone to clumsy prose in his novels - but not here. The Prince and the Pauper is practically a tour-de-force of character development and suspense in plotting. Reccommended to younger readers looking to broaden their horizons, as well as Twain fans of any age.

As a final thing worth mentioning, many reviewers here have commented that, owing to its use of dialect (something which Mark Twain uses in every single one of his writings, which is part of the reason why he was such a great writer - not to mention why he is the true father of real American literature), it is hard to understand. If these assertions have bothered you, however, rest assured: they are mightly over-exaggerated. The dialogue, though prevalent, is minor, and the meanings of the words are usually obvious - even to children; after all, one must remember who Twain wrote this book for. Most children who would read this book would probably already be familar with these elementary colloquial phrases from the many King Arthur stories derived from Malory. And, even if not, Twain foresaw this - and was helpful enough to include a useful appendix.

Mark Twain's, The Prince and the Pauper is a classic look back into sixteenth-century English society. Tom Canty is a young boy who is born into poverty and is forced to beg in the streets of London by his father. Edward Tudor is the Prince of Wales, heir to the throne. Both of these boys were born on the same day but grew up in opposite ways of life. One day Tom is dreaming about being a prince and starts walking towards the royal palace. When he reaches the palace the guards try to stop him but Prince Edward sees Tom's condition and invites him to his quarters to hear what Tom has to say. While they sit there they begin to realize what strong resemblance there is between them and decide to switch clothes to fulfill Tom's dream of looking Princely. All of a sudden Edward storms out of the room to denounce the guards who did harm to Tom, only to be mistaken as the poor pauper and locked out of the royal palace. From here on out the two boys experience what life is like in the other's shoes. Mark Twain does an outstanding job of developing each character and showing how each must learn new ideas to deal with their latest way of life. Unfortunately I did find myself losing my concentration while reading this book. This easily could have been due to the fact that the way Twain wrote The Prince and the Pauper was actually on a very easy reading level, which would lead me to recommend this book to readers of middle school age who enjoy adventurous tales like The Boxcar Children or The Hardy Boys.

Anyone who heard the Mary Janes cover "I'm Not Ready Yet" on the Tom T. Hall tribute album are going to be very disappointed by this unoriginal, boring and over-produced record that gives one the feeling of a genuine waste of talent. As one who enjoys the "alt.country" scene, I'm bothered by yet another Joe Henry-esque group of posers who might as well just sample other people's songs instead of imitating them. As T.S. said: "real artists steal". Methinks the Mary Janes may be an overglorified cover band.

The Mary Janes have produced collection of haunting melodic tunes on their first effort with the apt title of "Record No.1." A listen evokes thoughts of what the Cowboy Junkies would do if they had a cup or two of coffee and a little more creativity.

The opening song, "Shooting Star," begins as a somber reflection on the search for love and builds stealthily to a forceful climax. Janas Hoyt, who wrote the songs for the record, shows off her soft, sultry voice here, yet manages to come off as not just some whimpering, morose girl longing for love, but a strong, independent woman capable of taking charge of her fortunes.

The catchy "I Wish I Could Fly" offers a happier, more upbeat outlook on life.

Another noteworthy number is the haunting "Part of Me Now." From the whispered "Don't go..." in the intro, Hoyt proceeds to make the case for the continuation of a relationship with the relentless, but understated argument, "you're part of me now." With the string-laden background slowly building tension throughout the song, she exclaims "If it takes all night/ If it takes all morning/ If it takes the rest of my life/ I'll show it to you."

Don't take all night, don't take all morning. Go out and give this record a listen.

Tired of records that sound like other bands? Then check out this really strong debut. With both edge and beauty, The Mary Janes take you on a journey of rock, pop and alt. country. Record #1 ranges from sparse to incredibly full-sounding - a lot of times in the same song.

Imagine Mazzy Star if they had grown up in the midwest and hung out with the Vulgar Boatmen - or the Velvet Underground if they had grown up in Memphis. It's hard to classify this band.

Centered around Janas Hoyt's songwriting and rich vocals, the guitar, bass, violin and drums are combined to create a sum much greater than its parts - making this cd a worthy addition to your collection.

I love the book. Don't cheat yourself out of reading the fantastic book by just reading the Cliff's Notes. But I do disagree with one point in the Notes. In the commentary on Chapter 19 it reads: "Note his words, uttered as if he were Jane, just prior to this point when he can no longer continue playacting: '. . . my harvest must be in smiles, in endearments, in sweet- . . ." I believe that if you read the book you'll agree that Rochester is talking of his 'harvest' of love from Jane, not talking as if he were Jane. He wants her to love him and he says that he's acted as he inwardly swore but farther might try him beyond his strength. Meaning that he pretended to be the fortune teller in order to learn how Jane felt about him and to hint to her that he wishes a less formal relationship with her, hinting at his growing love for Jane. The Notes are good though especially at translating the French which in some cases knowing what it means is crucial to the story. All in all it's a good summary but read the book.

This is an excelent book. I am not in high school...I am in 7th grade and I consider this to be one of the most beautifully written pieces of literature that I have ever read. I have read such pieces as A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectaions, and none seem to measure up to the descriptions of Jane Eyre.

I read Jane Eyre for a class assignment and research paper. After 32 years, this is the first book that I read in it's entirety. It was a bit slow at first. Once I got through the first few chapters it grabbed me. This is wonderfully written and has continued my interest in reading books.