Kathrin is sent to America from Germany after the death of her mother. She eventually comes to work for a woman named Violet on Summit Avenue translating fairy tales from German. Violet has secrets, and over a space of time, she begins to tell the young woman her secrets and the two have one night of passion. The confused Kathrin flings herself into marriage with an ambitious young man who fathers her child. She eventually leaves her husband and searches for Violet. Like a modern adaption of a fairy tale, Sharratt's novel is lush and metaphoric in places, and is evocative of the early part of the 1900s, right before and during World War I. It reminded me of Emma Donoghue's "Kissing the Witch", which also used fairy tales in a sort of modern retelling. I was especially impressed with Sharratt's use of the maiden/mother/crone dynamic. If you enjoyed "Tipping the Velvet" by Sarah Waters, then you certainly love this book.

SUMMIT AVENUE is a great pick for book discussion groups, because different readers can find many different things in the book. It explores archetypal psychology, working class women in the early twentieth century, fairy tales and women's inner lives and dreams. It's also a love story and a spiritual quest. There's plenty there for both the mind and the heart and soul. Highly recommended.

From the first striking page ("How can you weave a life from fairy tales?") to the very last ("And you, like Persephone, will return") Mary Sharratt has created a book that is at once a work of art and an unexpected story of love and loss. You can read this book for the beauty of the words alone, but it offers much more -- real characters who reached out to grab me and a plot that pulled me forward almost against my will. I had no time to read the day I picked up Mary Sharratt's book. I planned to just read the first chapter. But once started, I found I couldn't put it down until I came to the end. Here's a piece of it: "Some people say your soul can leave your body, and not just when you die, but during life. Some people have special powers. They lie in bed perfectly still, their eyes closed, and you think they are sleeping. But they are flying. They can fly like witches in fairy tales. They can fly like wild geese. It's their souls that are flying. At that moment, part of me flew away, leaving that miserable girl behind, that creature bent double over the porch rail, weeping as if she had just lost her mother, that girl throwing up, polluting the fresh snow. I cut myself off from her. I was flying free. A dove bursting through a glass pane. Bursting through pain. The shattering, the shards and splinters. I flew through it all. Flew up through the dark snowy air to a warmer place. Full of light."

This strongly sensuous tale is full of striking images, and I look forward to Sharratt's next one.

Carry On Mr. Bowditch is an exciting historical fiction book that is filled with adventure and discovery. The story is about a boy who is the fourth child of six children who grows up to be a math genius. The names of the six children, oldest to youngest, are Mary, Hab, Lizza, Nat, William, and Sammy. They all live in Salem, MA with their mother, father, and grandmother. I think that the author, Mrs. Lathem, was trying to tell us that even a genius can have some emotional times too. What I liked about this book is that it seemed as if Nat took me aboard his ship to different lands and to adventure in learning. I recommend it!

This book was so well written! My boys ages 6 and 9 loved this book and so did their Dad. They read well past bedtime every night and talked about "Nat" during the day. When we finished the book my boys were interested in stars and navigation and had a keen interest in sailing ships. They even looked up Nathanial Bowditch on the interent and found the details fascinating. "Wow, it's a piece of living history," my 9 year old said of the story.

If you like great adventure and historical fiction get this book now! It is about a boy named Nat Bowditch. He is a boy whose family is poor with many kids to feed. Nat is interested in learning and school. He grows up to be a very smart mathematician. Also he is very good at navigation. Nat becomes a captain and he has to sail to very treacherous destinations. Along with his crew they have to face fog, no wind, and bad, bad weather. I would not recommend this to people who don't like when people die in the story. This book is an absolute good book to buy. Something exciting or sad is happening on every page. I'm not into reading much but this book made me want to read it.

This murder mystery book of only 130 pages, would seem to be a sound choice for 3rd to 5th graders,but it does have an adult nature to it. The two boys in the story are 12 years old, one is being raised in a single parent family (mother). She is involved with a man, the boys believe to be involved in the murder. She leaves him alone, repeatedly. There also is reference to teenage drug and alcohol parties at the quarry where the boys have a fort built. The murder is connected to cocaine drug dealing of which the mother is involved in. While these are themes we see every day on TV and in movies, probably best read with a parent or as a pre-adult.

The story Dead Man On Indian Creek was a great book for people ages 10-14. I thought this was both funny and scary. And it actually shows what a son would actually do for his single, hard-working mother. This story was about two boys who love to go hiking and are best ffriend's. But Peter's mom goes out with a guy who looks and acts very supicious and when they find a guy dead on indian creek they think they know who did it.And when they go and tell Peter's mother she thinks there crazy. The setting was beautiful and perfect. It's great for a children's book. When you are reading to the description of the place you can paint a picture in your head of what they are doing. It also makes the story seem mmore realistic. I thinkthis is one of the best settings in a book I have ever read.

The Book ,The Dead Man In Indian Creek . The Author of my book is Mary Downing Hahn .The date this book was published in 1990. I like this book because you want to see what happens next example while there camp,and you stop rate there, it make you wonder what is going to happen next. My short summary was wile camping near Indian Creek. Matt and his best friend going to see a blue heron . Instead,they found a dead man floating.

Heroine: everywoman

Life can be difficult for an only child raised by strict religious parents, and this was certainly the case for Geillis Ramsey who had no friends (not even a pet) to call her own for most of her young life.

Fortunately what Jilly does have is a fairy Godmother of sorts; her mother's cousin who keeps an eye out for her interests even as she is traveling the globe. She makes certain that young Jilly is provided for when her parents leave her alone in the world as a young woman with no real prospects. She gives her Thornyhold, a beautiful old Georgian House that once belonged to a witch named Goody Gostelow, which becomes a refuge for the poor young Geillis.

But how truly safe is she at her new shelter? A disturbing dream, messages from the great beyond, and neighbors who send out mixed signals as to whether or not they want her there leave Geillis wondering about the sanctity of her new home and the sanity of her mind.

What worked for me:

For the most part this is a very gentle pastoral story filled with lovely descriptions of a time gone by in the countryside of England 50+ years ago when not all houses had phones, neighbors dropped in to clean your house with you, and herbal remedies were more trusted than doctor's prescriptions. But the first few chapters about Geillis as a child, which were necessary to show why she is the way she is and add depth to the story, were decidedly sad in several places.

Size-wise Geillis wasn't really described, but her neighbor was a fairly large woman.

What didn't work for me:

Because of its idyllic pace it didn't have me on the edge of my seat the way I expect a gothic romance should. In fact the romance and even the suspense in "Thornyhold" were very mild, almost secondary even, so that I think the book seems more like a light paranormal fiction than a gothic.

Overall:

A very sweet story worth indulging in, especially if you are a fan of witches and/or gardening.

Warning: There are a few references to the occult in this novel.

If you liked "Thornyhold" you might also enjoy "The Dancing Floor".

I generally prefer Mary Stewart's less ambiguous romantic suspense novels. Thornyhold was a dower house inhabited by the upright wife of a wicked rake of the Victorian era. Sybil was succeeded by our heroine's mother's cousin, Geillis, and, in turn, by our heroine, another Geillis. The three "witches" are not quite the same, but share a taste for healing, and a love of animals. As our Geillis' talent is nurtured in the house in the woods, she finds herself in need of more than herbal wards to protect herself from the unwanted attentions of another woman in the area who considers herself something of a witch -- and not precisely a white one at that.

Stewart does a nice job of preserving ambiguity, allowing dual explanations for nearly every event in the book, without it becoming mechanical or some sort of apology. The characters are pleasant, especially the animals. On the whole, an enjoyable read.

I've been reading Mary Stewart since high school, which was a long time ago. I've always been taken with her ability to evoke a sense of place and atmosphere. In THORNYHOLD she does this superbly. In STORMY PETRAL and ROSE COTTAGE I, very sadly, felt her advanced age was affecting her writing. I was afraid I'd read my last really good Mary Stewart book. However, THORNYHOLD is wonderful; a lovely place to escape to when you need a break from this hectic modern world, and feel the need to spend some time in a romantic cottage full of magic. I recommend you visit soon and often.

Daphne's Book was an awesome book!! One of the main characters are Jessica which is eleven, Hope ( Daphne's sister) that is eight, and Hopes sister Daphne was eleven also. Jessica had been assigned to be with Daphne for the Write a Book Contest. Jessica was hoping she would be with Tracy, one of her best friends. But Tracy was assigned with Michelle, one of Tracy's best friend. I like the book alot. It was probably one of the best books I read! I like the part when they found the mouse and Hope (Daphne's sister) started to play with the mouse in the doll house.

Daphne's Book is a wonderful story dealing with friendship. When Jessica, an average accepted student, is paired with Daphne, a social outcast, for a project, she is less than thrilled. However as the two girls work on the project they build a strong, lasting friendship. Jessica soon finds out about a secret that Daphne is having to live through that could be hurting her. Jessica tries to help the best she can without spilling the secret. When the secret is told, Daphne gets upset and the two get into an argument. Will their friendship last despite this? Read this book to find out! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone. It is a wonderful tale that makes me wish for as lasting a friendship as they had. This is definately a story you should add to your reading list!

"Daphne's Book" really hit home for me: It's about a girl named Jessica, who has trouble with peer pressure and untrue friends. When she is forced to work with the "class outcast", however, she begins to learn about herself, and what friendship really means. Most people have gone through something similar to Jessica's problems of peer pressure. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever though that friends should be friends for life.

I've been on a Tudor reading binge lately, and this teen novel about Mary Queen of Scots is part of it. It is the story of the tumultuous reign and disastrous marriages of the young Queen, as told by her female jester, La Jardiniere--born Nicola Ambruzzi, orphan and traveling player.

Nicola is given her position as fool just before Mary's husband, the king of France, dies. Having no reason to stay in France, Mary goes back to her native Scotland and sets herself up as queen. Nicola goes with her, serving as a courtier, and also as a friend, during the years between Mary's return to Scotland and her exile in England.

The book starts slowly, and is almost but not quite boring until the murder of David Riccio, a close friend of Mary and Nicola. Then it picks up, starting with a touching scene of Nicola visiting David's grave. After this beautiful interlude, the real action begins. Nicola must keep Darnley, Mary's frat-boy husband, from usurping the throne, and later has to help Mary escape from imprisonment on a remote island. The second half of the book is much more interesting than the first, but I suppose it would have made no sense without the background of the first half. *shrug*

Overall, a decent novel about Queen Mary for middle-schoolers or thereabouts. It might even encourage you to read more about the Tudor/Stuart period.

Nicola Ambruzzi's parents died when she was young and she was adopted into her uncle's travelng performances. Her Uncle was cruel to all of his children, but most cruel to Nicola, for she was adopted into the perfomance crew. One day, at the most important event for the traveling crew, at the Palace in Rheims, where the crew was to entertain Queen Mary and King Francis, Nicola had a few run-ins with the Queen Mary herself. Queen Mary found Nicola witty and entertaining, so she bought her from Uncle as her own fool. For the first few months as fool, everything went perfect for Nicola, but the turning point was when King Francis died, and it was decided for Queen Mary to leave France and live in Scotland. From then on, the story became more and more depressing for the Queen and for Nicola, who was always behind the Queen. From the awful husband, Darnley, who was murdered, to the Queen's imprisonment...This book was true to history and was fun to read, but I don't think Queen Mary would have been such a kind soul.

I've read historical fictions before, and Queen's Own Fool ranks on the top of the list. However biased or twisted some of the points in the novel are (Darnley's actions might be questionable), Ms. Yolen is able to create a great novel with these ingredients- a fascinating plot, vivid characterization, and a talent for creating atmosphere and foreshadowing.

Nicola Ambruzzi, the narrator in the story, is an orphan who's been part of her abusing uncle's Troupe Brufort (a traveling circus). When Troupe Brufort was summoned to the French court, Nicola was discovered by Queen Mary (Queen of France) with her wit, truthfulness, and bold humor. Suddenly, Nicola is Queen Mary's personal fool- someone to open her eyes among lies and brighten her life. Nicola is also the Queen's advisor-guiding her through her first husband's death, Mary's decision in ruling Scotland, etc. Even when event take a very wrong turn, Nicola was always beside her Queen.

Though I thought the ending rather left everything hanging, the rest of the story was well-written enough to keep me reading day in and day out.

Freaky Friday is a story about a girl, Annabel that got into a fight with her mom one day about how parents didn't have to do anything, but the kids had to go to school, do their homework, do their chores, etc. The next day, she wakes up to find that she switched bodies with her mother. They have a day or two at this and the whole story is about the way their days went. Annabel's day as her mother went pretty rough. She had to take care of Ape Face, her annoying little brother, and herself, or her mom in her body. She finds out that her mom's life is really hard so both her and her mom's life were actually both similarly hard.
This is one of my better books. I liked the story and the whole idea of switching bodies from the mom to the daughter. I also liked how the book was really kind of meant for girls. This book has some really funny parts in it too. Annabel's life is also pretty cool. She used to have braces but her mom went to the dentist and took it off for her and now the guy she had a crush on likes her back.(Or at least thinks she's pretty.)
My favorite part of this book was the end part of it. I really liked it because it's the part where Annabel makes up some scenarios of what she wished had happened or how she didn't want it to happen. This part was the funniest part. I liked how she had a very creative mind and made up all the scenarios. This part is the best part of the book.

This book was a very,well written book. To me it was a book that was easy to read and was a little about everyday life and a little fiction! It was a this girl name,Annabel and her mother, who switch places.Meaning, that Annabel is inside her mother and her mother is inside of her daughter,Annabel. None knows about this because they switch back eventrally! I would recommend this book to other people because of all the fun I had reading this book. It is a great book which I would like to share with others.

This book has to be one of the wittiest stories written for the YA{Young Adult reader}crowd ever. I first read it when I was in 6th grade and could`nt put it down. My interest was sparked by the Disney film, but I quickly found out that the novel is infinitely superior! I read it again when I was in 10th grade. Not only did I laugh all over again, I could now identify with heroine Annabel`s adolescent angst a lot better. She`s what gives the book its edge: although she has a barbed& sardonic sense of humor, she also is riddled with feelings of low self-esteem and is trying to find out who she really is, instead of what people expect her to be. She really does grow and change as a character, too: although initially angry with her mother for magically changing them around, she comes to realize that it was done in order to give her a learning experience. This is truly a female coming-of-age tale with a female protagonist. It gives young women someone that they can relate to. Much has been made of what great adolescent writers Judy Blume and Norma Klein are, of how their work features strong young girl characters. I love these authors too, but they`ve got nothing on Mary Rodgers! Not many adults can take you back to those feelings of teen inadequacy and also feelings of joy and triumph the way Rodgers can.
Another great feature of the story is the way that the mechanics of the body switch between Annabel and her mom are left ambiguous until the story`s conclusion. Even then, Rodgers leaves it mysterious. She creates a very ordinary everyday world in which the weird happenings appear all the more other-worldly! Her style gets the reader turning pages in an effort to find out what scrapes Annabel will get into next. Other realistically drawn characters in the story include neat freak Ape Face,Annabel`s younger brother; her sometimes annoying but ultimately loving and fun Mom; and appealing boy next door Boris. In conclusion, I also must give 5 stars to the sequel, A Billion for Boris. If only Rodgers had just kept grinding these out and made a whole series! I`m glad to see that today`s girls are still reading Friday, judging from some of the other reviews. Hollywood, how about a hip new remake?

THE ANASTASIA SYNDROME - One Star - This story is very un-Mary Higgins Clark. It might be a good story if you believe in supernatural powers. I don't, therefore it left me disappointed. It is well-written, she created a very dark and eerie atmosphere but the whole theory of the Anastasia Syndrome seems pretty silly to me. TERROR STALKS THE CLASS REUNION - Five Stars - This is a stupid title but a great story. It makes you feel as helpless as the victim. I had a nightmare about this story the night after I finished it - and I read a lot of suspense stories but almost never dream about them! LUCKY DAY - Three Stars - A nice story about trust but not outstanding. I liked the ending, it is very good - and surprising. DOUBLE VISION - Four Stars - A very creepy story about acting and revenge. It includes another supernatural appearance but this one is easier to tolerate than "The Anastasia Syndrome". THE LOST ANGEL - Three Stars - A Christmas story with a very predictable ending. Not much suspense but okay to read.

The sories in this book are great reading. This is the 2nd book by Mary Higgins Clark that I have read and I loved it. Having 5 short stories in one book was great for my short attention span. If you do not have a lot of time to sit down and read a whole book at one time, this would deffinatly be a good to read. You could read one story at a time.

My favortie story was the first one, The Anastasia Syndrome. A womans mind is taken over by an evil womans mind from the past. You will never guess how it ends.

The other four stories were very enjoyable reads as well. Terror Stalks the Class Reunion will keep you guessing through the whole story.

Lucky Day starts out as a lucky day for one man and turns out to be unlucky for him and two other people.

Double Vision is a bit of a stretch for the title. You have to read it to find out why.

The Lost Angel is my least favorite but an enjoyable read any way.

I've read other books of Mary Higgins Clark before, but I've enjoyed this book of Anastasia and other short stories the most.

In the main story, Anastasia, an historical writer Judith Chase, is engaged to the future prime minister, Stephen Hallet. She is working on a novel though, and is caught up in a lot of other issues along with it. The evil mind of Margaret Carew, dominates Judith, and it is a true mystery as to what is happening within her mind. You really have to read into it to know what I am referring to here, but it becomes very frightening in many places as Judith experiences strange events. The psychiatrist, Dr. Patel, puts her under hypnosis, giving her a drug that makes her regress further into her confusing past.

The other stories in the book, were even scarier yet, than Anastasia. If you feel like a good thrill, read on!

There's one basic word you can say about this book: WOW. I began this book on a warm summer night, and didn't put it down since. I was utterly amazed at the character development, and I enjoyed the personalities of the animals greatly. There were some amazing plot twists and turns, that took me completely by surprise that I actually had to close the book, and gape at the cover for several minutes.

I'll admit, some parts of the book were slow, and tedious, but the style and writing of the book make up for all that.

If you want a great fantasy read, take this out of your local public library (as I did) or buy it. Truly Great.

this is the only book by Mary Brown that i have read..but it was a good one...lol..i've read it over about 3 times..i liked it that much..itsa must read

I read this book first when i was in 7th grade. i liked it then i love it now..just a month or so ago i stumbled onto The Unexpected Dragon which has Pigs Don't Fly, Master of Many Treasure and Dragonne's Eg in it.. i was really happy..cause id liked the first book so much...i think everyone should read it if they like it or not

Pat Traymore, a reporter doing a special program glorifying Senator Jennings, is a young women whose leg was shattered when she was thrown against the fireplace the night her father killed her mother, then committed suicide. She moves back to the house where the murder-suicide occurred to try to uncover her past. While trying to complete the special, a series of odd events endanger Pat's life. The only way she can survive is if she can remember exactly what happened the night her parents died. Who murdered whom? Was it her distant father? Or was it her talented mother? This book is best suited for women ages 12-60. I enjoyed this book greatly because it was a suspenseful murder-mystery. I would give this book a five star rating.

I have read practically all of Mary Higgins Clark's novels, but "Stillwatch" is, by far, my favorite. I love the imagery and the character development. The weaving of the characters into each other's lives emphasizes the cliche, "It's a Small World." I actually own this novel as a part of the three-novel collection including "Weep No More My Lady," and "A Cry in the Night." I find myself pulling this book of the shelf time after time, and skipping the other two novels because I think that "Stillwatch" truly displays Clark's mastery as an excellent storyteller. To all who read the reviews before picking up the book, "Stillwatch" is a definite must, to past, present, and future Mary Higgins Clark fans. BRAVO!

Patricia Traymore is wealthy, young, and beautiful. She has a stable career in television doing programs on famous American women. Her first subject: Abigail Jennings, senoir senator from Virginia. When Pat moves to her family house in Washington DC, to research Abigail, she has breakthrough memories about her own childhood, which her sub concence has hidden from her. Her mother and father were both murdered when she was 3, and she was slammed against the fireplace and shattered her right leg. With the help of the man she loves, Sam, she digs into Abigail's past, only to find it more troubling than her own. Will her own past be revealed to her? Who killed her parents, her mother or her father? Will Abigail become vice president? What about Abigail's past, was her husband's death an accident? Find out all the answers in "Stillwatch", one of Mary H. Clark's best books. If you like mystery and suspense, you'll love this one!