Hubertie Pruyn Hamlin was born into an influential Dutch family in Albany, New York near the turn of the century. Her first hand account both of her priviledged life and the dynamics of her family's influence in Upstate New York affairs is absorbing.

For homeschoolers using the Charlotte Mason method, this book offers an invaluable first hand glimpse into New York State history.

Highly recommended!

I truly loved this book. I am a twelve year old girl who on my way home from camp last summer stayed in a hotel called the Desmond in Albany, NY. In the gift shop, I picked it up and my mom bought it for me. I have read all 370 something pages and it is really hard to put down. It tells of "Bertie" and her childhood. She associates Lent with her cousin's birthday because her cousin is now older. I felt the grief she felt in losing her father, for last Spring, the same thing happened to me. She tells of being so happy that she finally got a dress that was red, and not mourning colors. You wish that you had a brother as nice and kind as to buy you treats for good report cards as Jack was. You see the influence Hattie and Jack had on her life. Gosh, it seems like your'e just there

I've read these three novels separately over the years and was happy to see them all neatly packaged in one volume. I couldn't resist the temptation. I hope a second volume which includes the next 3 novels will be out soon.

Kennedy is the Faulkner of Albany. His wonderful set of characters, rich language and compelling story line will endear most anyone to this family saga of growing up in Depression-era Albany. Kennedy focuses on those little items that give the city its richness, and his characters have that sense of noble purpose which carries them through such hard times.

Read these books and learn about life, love, and loss. Everything you need to know about everything is written right here. Read Kennedy and become enlightened. This is the best literature has to offer.

Billy Phelan, son of long gone Francis (Ironweed) has become a "man about town" on the streets of Albany. A snappy dresser, willing to participate in, or bet on, any game in town, has found himself caught up in a kidnapping. This isn't just another game and Billy must play the game of his life for his life.Again Kennedy has the talent to make his wide variety of characters true. My advice is to read this book before Flaming Corsage. The whole cast is there.

Billy Phelan is my fave of the great Kennedys' books. Billy is a fun guy to roam about with, listen to, learn from and even be inspired by. He is a great pool shooter, decent poker player, half-ass bookie and lovely raconteur.He takes the world as it comes and dives in to any and all of it with gusto and guts.Kennedy tosses in illustrative examples of the magic in daily life and the importance of being able to bounce back from those inevitable moments of (temporary!) defeat. All this told in Kennedys fine voice, a voice like that of a chain-smoking angel who can tell a snappy joke or a dazzling blue stretcher. What fun.

Collaboratively developed and written by Stella Green and Neil Zimmerman, 50 Hikes In The Lower Hudson Valley is a practical and thoroughly enjoyable guide for hikers and nature walkers with an interest in enjoying the very best and most scenic routes in the Lower Hudson Valley area. Maps, trail descriptions, and black-and-white photographs round out this effectively put-together, "user friendly", and very highly recommended reference.

An engaging narrative of the founding and growth of this town-turned-city in southwest Georgia. The authors captured the flavor and spirit of the area, enhanced by the intriguing photographs. A coffee table book that's "good to the last drop". --Brenda--

Albany's only gay P.I. takes on that city's political machine when he finds a murdered man planted in his car.

Smooth and funny, but with a definite kick, the third Strachey mystery never fails to entertain although the plot leans more toward the zany than suspenseful. As with fine scotch, you can soak up this book in one sitting and be giggling outloud before you know it.

The relationship between Strachey and his lover Timmy is featured more prominently here than in any of the other six novels, making this one of my favorites. The Timmy and Donald partnership is (for my money) the most intelligent, believable and entertaining in gay mysterydom. In almost any mysterydom, for that matter. By book three I feel I know these two, and I like them very much. Enough to keep coming back for more

Dr. Shannon has exploded a series of myths in this landmark study. His research is impeccable, his analysis bulletproof, and his writing elegant. Anyone interested in the collapse of the British Empire in North America should read this book and, I daresay, commit major parts of it to memory.

You may have seen Dr. Shannon on The History Channel commenting on the authenticity of popular movies like Dances with Wolves and The Patriot. This man is serious, smart, and incisive. Read this book and hope he is working on more.

Bravo, finally a superb book on the history of Albany and Albany County by the man who lives and breathes Albany, John(Jack) McEneny. Such insight and history into a city I grew up in. From the dutch settlements through the great Democratic political Machine, Jack captures the essence of what Albany was and is like to this day. Memorable photos take you back to a wonderful time gone by. It is truly our great city on the Hudson. I HIGHLY recomend to all.

This Book Tells About Albany's History. John McEneny Did A Great Job On This Book. It Has The College Of St. Rose In It. It Also Has Historic Areas Like Lark St. Albany's Village, The South End's South Preal St., State St., The New York State Capital And Education Building, The Empire State Plaza, N.Y.S. Museum, The Corning Tower, And It's Bus Company Known As C.D.T.A.

The book has many beautiful pictures and may easily be dismissed as just another pictorial Chamber of Commerce celebration of a city's history, a "coffee-table book." But instead, it is a great and accurate account of a city built by Deutsch (Dutch & German) and Irish ethnics, written by a historian and public man of breadth and character, who is intimately familiar, through his family, with the history of the city of Albany to the mid-19th century. I am myself a historian of 19th century New York State, and found the book not only to be very informative, but enjoyable to read as well.

A friend recommended we purchase this book for our 2 year old. We did and she loves it. I thought it might scare her, but it was quite the opposite. She points out the rabbits, owls and cats throughout the book and laughs when she sees the mouse at the end. A truly great book and a quick "read" too.

A wonderful choice for young children at Halloween or any time of year. Reading this aloud is lots of fun -- you can make it seem scary as you go through each page, then watch your child's reaction at the end. My son wanted me to read this over and over. We also have fun looking for all the little critters in the forest: owls, bats, tiny glowing eyes peeking out of the dark places, the cat, even a badger!

This book is rather cute and there is a cat that runs through the pages, making an appearance here and there. I loved the fact that this book presents itself as a "dark, dark" book and it really is funny that it is not a "dark" tale at all. The "darkness" is more about
the lack of light than it being about evil.

You start in a moor and walk through a woods. Then there is a dark castle and you walk up to the door. Once you enter the castle, you are in a dark hall and go up some dark stairs. You are in a fairy tale castle and then you see a dark passage. You are tempted to look behind a dark curtain and then the cat stands looking up at a dark cupboard.

The last page shows a mouse in a box with a rather frightened look on its face. So the only fear in this book is that the cat has found the mouse. Although it does seem the cat leaves the mouse sleeping happily in his little bed with his miniature candle and miniature slippers.

The beauty of this book is in the art. Ruth Brown studied art at the Birmingham College of Art and the Royal College of Art. She has worked on animated films for the BBC.

Meowingly Cute.

I have read Very Old Bones and thought that the theme is true to life. Many people look at their ancestors to discover something of themselves. I found the narration interesting using Orson Purcell, the illegimate child of Peter Phelan to portray the Phelan family. I have also read Ironweed and found that some of my questions about protagonist Francis Phelan (in Ironweed) answered or more informative anyway. Enjoyed both books. I love Kennedy's style.

One of my favorite books. Reads like an old friend. It is a thrill to read his Albany series, as the books relate to each other. Just like a family conversation, one sentance may relate to a person or event from a previous book in which you know the whole story. Read this one first, then any of the others.

William Kennedy is one of America's best living writers. This is far away his best book. Although it shares characters and events with other books in Kennedy's 'Albany Series', its not necessary to have read any of Kennedy's previous work to enjoy Very Old Bones. Kennedy's greatest skill is in his dialogue. He allows his characters to speak for themselves, rather than mouth his own intentions. As a result, his work gives wonderful insight into one family, one city, and one point in time. Despite the fact that his most recent work, The Flaming Corsage, was a waste of paper, Kennedy will one day be the deserving winner of a Nobel Prize. After reading Very Old Bones go back and read the jury's commentary on the Nobel Prize given to John Steinbeck. Their words could just as easily been written about Kennedy. His is a fine American voice.