If you would like to read a confusing and a all right book you should read the Pigman and Me by Paul Zindel. In the book the Pigman is a "Person who can see everything you can do and he will be there for you when you need him the most." The Pigman is like your guardian angel. Paul is another character in the story. He is a boy that has no father but has a mother that is a little disabled and moves around to different places a lot. He looks up to a person named Nonno Frankie. He is a person who lives with Paul and Paul's mother. Paul lives with his mom and Nonno Frankie at Victory Boulevard. It doesn't say exactly where he lives in the story. I gave this book 3 stars because the book got really boring during the last half of it.

hi my name is not bob and im here to tell you about the pig man and me. It is about the funnyest and coolest book i have ever read.It is an autobiography about young paul zindal.
one reson i liked this book is becouas its by my favirite autherp.anuther reson is becous it is funny and one more reson is becouse the moral is rellay cool i cant tell you or else i would tell you mommy.
in conclustion this book has 100 some pages.its by paul zindal.and this is not bob this is not arin this is not lorry this is not bobby and this is not me.goodbye ogha bugha boohahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha im still not bob

Readers of Paul Zindel's young adult novels, especially The Pigman, will enjoy reading about the difficulties he and his sister endured growing up with a single mother in New Jersey in the 40's and 50's. After his mother takes in a roommate with 2 young sons, Zindel is exposed to the boys' grandfather, who becomes a surrogate father, a grown-up playmate, an inspiration, and a support to him as he struggles with his coming of age, his mother's strange schemes, and his own insecurities. As he shares his adventures with his pigman, Nonno Frankie, and his best friend, Jennifer, Zindel reveals the source of his humor and the basis for many of his stories and characters. Younger readers will find his light touch and reslience in dealing with difficulty a source of strength. A great introduction to this author and to the memoir genre.

What a wonderful resource for young women. I found the book to be at the same time both practical and inspiring . It's full of contacts and connections, while breaking down stereotypes around what being a girl is all about. As a dad with all boys of my own, I often struggle when thinking about gifts for girls. Now I've got an answer.

How many young women do you meet that are full of questions relating to "how do I...?"or "where can I find...?" This is the book to which you can turn. It's a compendium of information organized by large subjects (e.g. sports, science, politics) to allow girls and/or their parents to access multiple sources (books, website addresses, camps)of support and information. I have given this book to many teenagers; their parents and schools have ordered copies after being introduced to it. (There's a website coming online in October or November that expands its utility.) Have this one on your shelf for the young women in your life!

i hink this was a great book loved it i gues

This book trivializes the devistation that occured in Nelson County in 1969. The author has used a real county with real circumstances, and has failed to use correct names for areas and businesses, and also has made it seem like the real story that happened here wasn't worth covering. We are not "hicks" as everyone might believe, and I think that instead of fictionalizing this account, it would have been much better to tell the real story, the one that survivors have to live with everyday in their minds and in their hearts. I feel that this has added insult to injury by taking a community that had been torn apart by something that was beyond human control, and again victimizing it and it's citizens by trivializing the whole event.

I'm not done reading the book but it was recomended by a teacher of mine. I am a junior high student who attends a writing class as my elective at an art school. I find this book appealing to most audiences over 13, it has very good transitions. I have met Charlotte Morgan myself she is very delightful, she came to our class and gave us a lecture and answered our questions about the book. I also enjoy her in-depth desrciptions of her charactures.

One August Day by Charlotte Morgan

On the 20th of August 1969 more than 25 inches of rain fell in Nelson County,Vitginia. The area was devastated. Many lives were lost and much physical damage occurred.Besides the homes washed away, the known dead and the missing, there were eight bodies never identified. Who were they?? Why didn't someone come forward to claim them? Where were their families-loved ones?

Thirty years later these questions are still unanswered. Now Charlotte Morgan with her skillful use of words has rescued them from obscurity. Each has been given a past life with events leading them to being on the mountain in the midst of this torrential rain.She has captured the depth of their emotions as they face the inevitable. Their place in the memory of all readers of this warm-caring novel will be a lasting one as well as the upheaval caused by Hurricane Camille in Nelson County on that fateful day.The many physical and mental scars remaining have been brought to forefront by the author in her readable memorial of August 20,1969.

A great historical novel. Realistic charactures who seem to come alive while you are reading. Tells about the hardships of settling Kansas. A Must for all readers

COME SPRING transported this reader to the raw Kansas prairie of the nineteenth century. I was especially drawn to the female characters and their struggle to assist in the settlement of the land, as well as their determination, against heavy odds, that new townships would be a good place to raise a family. These complex women-some connected to the land, some disconnected from the land-brought incredible strength not only to the often traumatic conflict of this struggle, but also to the raising of families without the advantages enjoyed by contemporary society. Still, one senses that these same qualities live even today in modern women, who seek to maintain decent families and homes and communities the world over, regardless what obstacles might confront them. Excellent novel!- ...

A delicious romance, this story makes music as beautiful and true as main character, Aura Lee's, piano playing in St. Jo -- before her transforming life on the harsh plains with her rugged husband Daniel. Only in very good books does one find such depth of characterization, realistic plotting, and authentic historical detail. The novel is well-deserving of the excellent reviews received from both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus, and the Medicine Pipe Award from Western Writers Of America for Best First Novel. I LOVED this book, and loved it again as I read it more than once. Take us to Kansas again, Charlotte, in another book. You're one fine writer!

The story plot on this book was so shallow and predictable. Totally unbelievable. Does the author really expect us to believe that a high cost private high school would allow an accused murderer chaprone a school dance? A real disappointment when one expected a thriller to read on a rainy winter night!

I enjoyed the plot line and the mystery kept my attention. But I was very disappointed at the end when I felt like I was left holding the bag. Two people were implicated in the death of the sister and (give me a break) their involment was never explained but left for us to figure out. Instead we were handed a sugar coated fairy tale ending.

Who cares who did it as long as the love interest survives?

This is my first book by Ms. Hughes. I might give her a second look. But I didn't like the way this one ended.

Okay, so it was stupid that the "supposed killer" is chaperoning a high school dance, but I loved it anyways!! Ms. Hughes, give me more!

I thought this book was a little strange--not necessarily in how it was written, but that the lives of the women in this book seem so SILENT. Margaret & Davis don't talk to each other, Hilda goes through live pushing everyone away, and not saying the things that are important, Danielle & Osman drift along until Danielle gets sick, and then no one talks about her being sick. Sophie has to struggle through live without a mother and trying to bring her father back to life.

It's depressing because just when you think life is turning around for the characters, someone dies. Some of the deaths are romanticized, but it doesn't quite erase the fact that the person is dead.

THe writing on the book jacket sounded interesting--maybe they were trying to relate the title to the novel itself. I can understand why some people are drawn to stay in one place and others aren't, but that really only affects the first part of the book. Davis stays in Regina because he falls in love with Margaret, Hilda moves to Toronto to escape after her parents' death, Danielle is forced by her mom to move to Paris to protect her from men, and Sophie is forced to move to New York with her family to escape memories of her mom.

The book is good, and if you want something quick to read, then maybe this is it, but you probably got most of the plot from this review. It's a good book, just extremely dry.

At first this book reminded me of Carol Shields' "The Stone Diaries". The first section, the story of Davis and Margaret was written in a spare, even cold fashion. I never got a real feeling for their relationship. To me, it was detached and not terribly involving. The book gained emotional momentum as it continued, to the point where the last section was like a full-blown "women's weepie", the sort of book that has gold-embossed covers and is a blockbuster family saga.

I like this book, but wouldn't place it in my canon of 'great books' because I don't think it had anything particularly profound or even original to say. Its examination of grief in the final section, and the relationship between parent and children is territory familiar to readers of Anita Shreve's 'The Pilot's Wife'. Why does everyone die so young? This is one of those books where the 'tragedies' are signalled right from the beginning, and where if happiness and contentment is a character's lot, then it will be snatched away very soon via death.

I also do not think that the cover blurb asserting it has so much to say about migration is true. Migration in this book is wholly linked with a personal need to place distance between oneself as an emerging adult and one's parents, or the milieu of one's parent/s. That is but one motivation for migration, and certainly debatable whether it is a majority motivation. Economic and political circumstances are never a factor, whereas I would suggest they are in 'real life'.

This book is unchallenging and undemanding, a 'good read' for a quiet weekend or a plane journey (unless you are prone to tears when characters die and don't want to cry in public!).

Lost Geography is a story about the search for each character's place in the world. Each character is uprooted from the familiar and must find a place that 'fits' in a new and strange landscape in which they are in many ways an outsider. And as they find a place in which they 'fit', they find that each choice closes off channels of possibility, of adventure, and that in settling into their place, they must face up to the joy and pain of real (though sometimes mundane) life. These common threads of exploration, adaptation, choice, these tie four very different generations together. Margaret and Davis find on their wedding night that they really do fit. Hilda finds Armand, then devotes herself to her daughter. Danielle is both the light and the anchor for Osman's roving soul. And Death is, inevitably, part of life. In this story the separation of children from their parents severs them from familiar modes of understanding, from their history, and this forces them, with varying degrees of success, to forge new ways of understanding their place in the world.

I found the last scene quite moving. Osman's carpets, thick with dust from their previous owners, are a piece of history that he cannot let go of, just as he cannot let go of his memories of Danielle. Lost Geography is an easy read, but I believe the 'morals' may be deeper than it seems at first glance. Osman's story as he tells it to his children during Danielle's illness may be much like Bacon's intention for her novel. Sasha and Sophie are disappointed with the story because they did not expect such an abrupt ending. "What's the moral?" they ask. And avoiding cliche, Bacon also seems to answer casually, "I don't know," leaving the pondering to the reader.

Bacon has a talent for carving out unique characters in simple, spare terms. With love stories that resonate with deep romance, subtle shades of understanding, sharp observations about people's intentions, Lost Geography is a very moving account of four generations of 'migrants', in the literal and metaphorical sense of the word.

If you're looking for a pamphlet's worth of dull, sketchy anecdotes padded with the author's shallow, self-absorbed musings and lots of blank white paper, trying to pass itself off as a "book" at inflated expense, then this is for you. If you're looking for worthwhile information (whichever way you stand on the topic) told with humor, then pass this ripoff item by and try Wirsch & Milot's "Gotcha!" instead.

This book was a truly enjoyable read for me. I especially loved the historical, religious and scientific references which I found to be delighfully humorous. However, I can see where individuals who are insecure in their relationships, are religious, or, who themselves have been a victim of infidelity, would not appreciate the contents of this clever book. So I don't advise the read unless you are open-minded enough to relish its brazen viewpoints. This book is a great read for those who have had an affair, are thinking of having one, or are one of those rare individuals who at least have the capacity to understand why people become unfaithful. I am happily married and loved the read. So did my wife. If nothing else, you do learn the pitfalls of infidelity from other experiences, so this book might just keep you faithful after all.

Very funny look at the moral pitfalls of our human nature, with plenty of reasons not to have an affair from those who have been caught! I liked the historical and scientific perspectives and how the author is compelled to speak out about what most people think, but are afraid to say. A delight to read and educational too!

I have read many Charlotte MacLeod books in the past however this one was my least favorite. It took you forever to get into it. I was already half way through the book before any thing happened. It was long and boring at times. In the end it was okay but not one of her best. If you like Charlotte MacLeod, I reccomend The Family Vault.

I've read the entire series and I haven't missed Alexander. Until this book I had no idea that Max still wondered about how he compared to Sara's first husband. I don't understand why Ms. MacLeod felt it necessary to demean Alexander. It was particularly difficult to understand how Sara could have been so unfair about Alexander because she had to work so hard to overcome her strict upbringing in the earlier books. Had she forgotten that? Shouldn't that have given her some sympathy, some insight into Alexander's soul? Alexander's mother was a domineering, EVIL woman. She was undoubtedly crushing any sign of independence from the time he was a child. I can tell you from personal experience how difficult it is to assert yourself if you were abused as a child. It took years of therapy for me to realize that I wasn't worthless and undeserving of happiness -- and my father was a fluffy kitten compared to Alexander's mother. I think Ms. MacLeod needs to bone up on adults who were abused as children. Perhaps then she'll realize why I say that the end of THE BALLOON MAN was a slap in our faces. Otherwise, this was another good entry in a delightful series.

All of Charlotte MacLeod's books are zany and frequently require the reader to leap in joyful, but strange directions. The characters are charming if rarely life-like and that is part of the attraction. If you haven't read the books in both major series, please do. We will have no more. Ms. MacLeod is tragically "retired from writing" as a result of Alzheimer's.

This fast-moving yet thoughtful mystery is refreshing on a number of levels, in particular because the crime solver isn't a middle-aged white guy who cracks wise about the same topics as every other detective in American crime fiction. Other plusses are the Paris setting and the interesting peek into the world of black musicians over the past several decades. Give this one a whirl; it's worth your time.

Here is a book that is quick on a good evening and won't totally bog the reader with a lot of filler. Nanette Hayes, on request of her mother, goes in search for her idol, Aunt Vivian, who seem to have left a couple of cryptic messages with mom. On route of searching, she is derailed by playing sax on street corners, meeting her male antagonist, who will be her lover, dirty dives, and a hotel room where her aunt resided. A duffel bag, one hundred dollars in a jacket pocket, and a picture of a old jazz musician puts her and her new conquest on the search, and somehow leads her to the missing relative, along with the drama and danger that comes along. Straight to the point and humerous, Nanette is a heroine that will charm you and a story that will keep you turning the pages.

Charlotte Carter's absorbing Coq au Vin is a witty, erotic and moving love song to Paris and its "glamorous black past" of jazz musicians, singers, and artists. Sax-playing New Yorker Nanette Hayes is on a mission in her beloved Paris to find her missing free-spirited aunt. Nanette finds hot sex and romance first, and big trouble second, confirming her fear that she brings doom to those she cares about. While the mystery is slight, Coq au Vin's romantic comedy is the real deal, and so is the serious heartbreak.

This book was very informative, but there was not enough information about the less well known authors and almost too much about Dickens and Bronte.

Pool's book is a well-paced survey of the industry that produced the greater (well-known) Victorian novels. By "industry" is meant process. He covers the development of publishing houses, writers, lending libraries, serials, trans-atlantic markets, and the innovative way that enterprising book distributors managed to bring their product to the public. It all combines for a fascinating story, and Pool does it well.
It could be said that he focuses on three writers, these being Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, and William Makepeace Thackeray. These three (along with Marian Evans a.k.a. George Eliot) played a vital role in the development of the Victorian novel, and they comprise the bulk of Pool's discussion.
The interaction and intrigues between the main three authors make for National Enquirer-like fodder... with the difference that this stuff is TRUE! Truly, there were "rows and romances" as the subtitle suggests.
The Victorian era was an exciting, but very demanding (downright scary) time to be an author. There were the restraints of format (the serial novel had to be written in self-contained installments; the "triple-decker" had to be able to be neatly split in three), there was the gender prejudice (one ought not to be a woman writer), and there was the ubiquitous spirit of cut-throat competition and jealousy in this burgeoning literary world. Only the strong survived, and only the versatile were recognized at all.
The latter third of the book covers the rise of great writers like Wilkie Collins, Anthony Trollope, Thomas Hardy, and Henry James.
The author takes a subject having the potential of being dry as crackers and presents it as a sprawling and wonderfully connected story. Good work. Reading this book made me realize that there is a HISTORY to the easy access to good literature we enjoy in our day and age, and made me appreciate those many pioneers who cut the swath to it.

Let's get this straight right off the bat: Daniel Pool's book is purposefully mistitled to make you think that it would be a sequel of sorts to his extremely useful and popular compendium of facts important to Victorian fiction WHAT CHARLES DICKENS ATE AND JANE AUSTEN KNEW. This book is very different: it reads like a straightforward narrative, and it's an enjoyable, gossipy, and onformative account of the demands of the publishing market in the mid-Victorian world of the novel, and how it created the careers of Dickens, the Brontës, Trollope, Thackeray, George Eliot, etc. The mistitling (undoubtedly to make the book sell better) is thus quite appropriate, in that the novel helpfully etails the ways in which publishing conventions of the time (the rise of Mudie's lending library, the convention of the three-decker) made and shaped literary careers.