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I don't cry when I read a lot of books, but I cried in reading this one. The characters live and breathe. Aguirre's writing is splendid and vivid, more moving than anything I've come across in a long time. She didn't sacrifice character for action, something you don't always see where people sometimes complain if there's not a sword fight or a care chase every other page.

If you want something light, this isn't for you. There are no easy in answers in this book. There's no villain, really, and that's what makes it all so sad. She paints everything in glorious shades, although the morality seems nothing but gray.

I don't think you'll be disappointed, though. I checked out the author's website and it appears that she will write Paddy's story too, along with six more! I can't wait!

I have to say I'm VERY impressed with the work of Aguire. The character develpoment is excellant, each character has a clear distinction and growth as you delve more and more into their minds and past. The struggles, joys, and twists their lifes take are superbly done, and rather than statisfy curiousity inspire further desire for knowledge.

The descriptions of the enviroments is breathtaking. The detail Aguire packs into this book is amazing, creating a rich view of the world in the book yet not being, to quote my English professor, 'to wordy and distracting from the main purpose.' At times I could feel the sun, or see the coast lines that the characters themselves were experiencing.

As for the plot, there is no true way for me to describe it. At the surface the events and actions taking place seem normal, part of every day life for the time. Yet Aguire manages to convery a feeling of mystery behind all that takes place, no specific facts to be learned, but a vague feeling that not all is known, and keeping you riveted to the book. The characters, with layers upon layers of depth both in persosnality and action, create an entrancing tale until the end.

And all I can say about the end is that with the events of this week (Week of September 11, 2001) I was surprised that something could still move me.
To sum it up, Great job Aguire.
To the rest of you, you're wasting your time reading the review, go buy the book.

Through Golden Light by A. A. Aguirre is a tragic tale of a man forced to do the bidding of his masters, and a woman unable to do the bidding of her heart. Told in an opulent, lyrical style, it's the story of Molly, an illiterate peasant girl, and Brother Lucian, a patrician Italian forced into the Society of Jesus to save his life. These two battle their forbidden passions for each other as they struggle to complete a foothold on an inhospitable foreign shore. Aguirre seizes our attention on page one with her pellucid prose and holds us breathless to the dramatic, heartbreaking finale. Aguirre is a writer to put on your 'must read' list.

I tend to go overboard when buying books on my favorite breed and have bought and read almost all the books listed here. This is my favorite of them all. It lists the great kennels in every aspect of the Golden community and has tons of pictures of specific individual dogs. This book will not leave my library. It has lots of information and great pictures. The price is high but it is worth spending the $.

Out of the 10+ books I currently have on GR's this is BY FAR the best one. The pictures are incredible along with all the wonderful chapters discussing the many facets of the GR. Incredibly well written and designed. This is one book you will want to keep forever as a reference book and as a collectors edition. It also makes a super coffee table book, a birthday present, a Christmas gift, etc.

I would rate this as an excellent book on golden retrievers. The thing that sets it apart from other breed books is it covers more then just conformation dogs. Field dogs, hunt test, obedience dogs and physical assistance dogs are given equal consideration. I use this as a guide and photo reference to many of the great dogs in the breed. There is ONE problem with this book. When I lend it to someone, I have a devil of a time getting it back.

My 18 month old son and I both love this book. I think he can really relate to the illustrations for several reasons. First of all, the characters, like his family and himself, are black people. Secondly, the book shows the family doing things that we do as a family such as reading, singing, giving the baby a bath, and giving the baby a good night kiss. This book reflects a normal, two parent family who have a lot of love for their child. What could be healthier?

Even though my daughter is only 15 months old, this is definitely one of her favorite books and has been since she was old enough to pick her own books out. The story is simple and short, teaching healthy family values. The pictures are bright, colorful and genuine. Each page has just a few lines which are all a young child can handle. And the book itself is constructed of sturdy hardboard, making it easy for her to turn the pages, just like in the story. She makes me read this story every night and appears to listen intently each time. I highly recommend it for even the youngest infants.

This is one of the sweetest little bedtime books for babies. It is short, with colorful pictures, and a nice rhythmical rhyme. It is one of a series featuring African-American families. But, like any good book, it is written for all colors! I applud the authors and publisher. If you cannot purchase it, find it in your library. This is a good book to introduce your baby to the world of reading!

wow! i often find myself gravitating toward the book, repeatedly pressing the same buttons over and over! this is what i would classify 'a real pageturner.' i couldn't put it down; i read it in one sitting! thank you, ms. hananan.

When I first picked up this book I was uncertain as to how I would like it. I'm normally a straight-sight girl so when I saw this book had sound I was a little hesitant. All my worries were soon dispelled however because when I started reading and pushing the sound buttons I was immediately drawn into the 'barnyard mystery.' The determination of Rose and Sally Dog in their search for Mommy's watch drew me right in. I particularily loved the character of Emma Chicken. I haven't seen such life in a chicken since I last watched 'Chicken Run.' Reliving all of these memories makes me want to go reread the book right now. You know, I think I will.

This is an absolutely fantastic book by a pair of wonderful authors. When we read it we had a whole group of young people gathered around, laughing, joking and enjoying the fabulous story. We couldn't wait to find out what had become of the watch. We couldn't put it down!

When Logan, my 22 month old grandson, stays the night, he says "book" and points to the bookshelf that holds this treasure. I love the rythm of the story, and the soft detail of the pictures. When my son was little I read this story to him. The pictures remind me of what he looked like as a little boy.The book is a favorite of mine and I am looking for a copy to give to my son for Fathers Day. I want to keep the one I have. (It has no cover and is missing the last few pages.)Nana Sherrie

This was my sons' favorite children's book during their formative years. Intended to be read as though playing a snare drum, it uses a variety of rhythms to stay fresh throughout and hold a child's interest. Two of my sons became percussionists later in life! It also introduces the youngster to a plethora of mostly domestic or farm animals, as well as the sounds they make. This is an excellent learning tool for the young mind, especially for boys since they seem to identify with the main character better.

This is a story that was read to me many times when I was little, and just a few days ago, I discovered it collecting dust at the top of a book shelf. The memories started flooding back as I read about the story of these animals taking matters into their own hands, and looking for a better life for themselves. I recommend this book for anyone with small children, and they're looking for something wholesome and entertaining for the nightly bedtime story. The illustrations go along wonderfully with each caption to help the child develop imagery skills for later on in life, which is another reason why I like this book. If you're lucky enough to find a copy of this book floating around somewhere, I strongly advise picking it up! Remember, it all starts with a boy and his drum....

A great book. All golfers will love it -- even mimes

This book is a must-have for golf travelers who want to find the best places to play in California. For less than the cost of 18-holes, you have all the information you need at your fingertips.

This is the best guide that I have ever used for finding golf courses. I like to play golf with all of my friends and faimly. They vary in handicaps from 4 to 36. This book helps me find just the right course for any level of player, no matter where I am in California. The geographical setup is particulary helpful. A Must have for all golfers.

I was skeptical that he'd like this book when he found it,
believing my 2 year old was a bit young for poetry beyond
Dr. Seuss. But he loves the sound and rhythm of the words
as well as the pictures in my old Golden Book edition,
and asks for it nearly every day now. For myself it's a
nice change from the usual kids books.

There is beauty in RLS's poetry, and the Provensons' illustrations are simply delightful. There are other versions of this book (or very similar), but no other combines the aforementioned elements so well.

Robert Lewis Stevenson has a way of making children smile, and adults follow right behind. The words so eloquently put together bring to life the thoughts of young children.

This book containing The Story Girl, its sequel The Golden Road (the Disney series "Road to Avonlea" is based on these two works), and the unrelated Kilmeny of the
Orchard is a nice edition of three Lucy Maud Montgomery classics.

Copious reviews of all three works are available under their individual titles here on Amazon so I will just say that I recommend all three and this book would be an excellent gift for a young reader who enjoys fiction with a historical setting, "Anne" lovers particularly, should enjoy the two Story Girl titles.

It does seem a bit odd to group the more mature Kilmeny of the Orchard with the other two titles but there is nothing in "Kilmeny" that is unsuitable for a modern day younger reader.

This volume is comprised of three of L. M. Montgomery's classic stories - The Story Girl, The Golden Road, and Kilmeny of the Orchard. In one way, I'm not quite sure what "Kilmeny" is doing in the set, if you wanted to keep with the "Avonlea" theme, but on the other hand, it does the other stories no harm in being there.

This book was published with the cover picture from the Disney Channel series "Avonlea". I love the volume, and am sorry to see that it is currently out of print. It would have been nice to see if they had other compliation volumes.

this book is really worth reading. I loved how she described all the characters, this book was very well written. i'd like to find more books by her soon.

I've just recently "discovered" Patricia Veryan and have enjoyed most of her books. I was intrigued by "Otton" in one of her previos books and had to get my hands on this one, no easy feet since it was out of print. I was not dissapointed however.

This wasn't one of those horrible books where the hero and the heroine spend most of the time hating each other and then magicaly fall in love. Instead you "watch" while their friendship and affection grows into love. There are no overly dramatic scenes, and you've got to love the reluctant hero. It was a great book and going into my keeper pile.

I love Veryans books because they're always funny and touching without being sentimental.But this book is the best yet because the heroine won't let anything get in her way not even the hero. While the hero, being far from perfect, thinks that he was made to be a villian because of something that happened in his past. Which creates a wonderful story that somehow brings everything that Roly does into focus. If you have never read Veryan than you are missing out on a wonderful world where the only thing that holds true is you'll love everyone of her books! Besides of course that you hope she lives forever.

This last installment of Veryan's wonderful Golden Chronicles makes me scream with envy. This book was wonderful and her best yet. Funny and heartwarming, this book gave us more insight into Roly's character who developed in all 6 books of the Golden Chronicles

Being a native Californian, I was immediately attracted to this book. Then I opened it. I fell in love with the wonderful little watercolor illustrations and personal journal format. I agree with a previous reviewer who made the comment that this is a nice little souvenir book. It's defitely a worthy addition to the bookshelf of a Californian or someone who just loves California.

I live in California and I am often asked how I can stand the crowds, traffic, smog, whatever? The fact is California is a very nice place to live and visit, and Ms Gessler catches the essence of this perfectly. You can easly read the book in about an hour, but will find yourself going back again and again to enjoy the little watercolors of plants and wildlife and special places that caught her fancy, it is a fun read.

A delightful read. Not a serious word in this little book of California - absolutely adorable. The illustrations are whimsical, the text is full of humor. I was right beside her experiencing everything and that which wasn't familiar I long to visit.