Related Vacation Book Subjects: Massachusetts
More Pages: Northampton Page 1 2
Books to read if you're planning a vacation in "Northampton", sorted by average review score:
The Good Doctor: Philip Doddridge of Northampton, a Tercentenary Tribute
Published in Paperback by Charenton Reformed Publishing (10 February, 2002)
Author: Alan C. Clifford
Average review score:

A man you need to know about
As a pastor, preacher, theologian, educator, author, hymn writer, philanthropist and patriot, Philip Doddridge (1702-51) was a remarkable English Christian by any standard. His faithful, fragrant and far-reaching testimony to Christ made him unique in his day. This tribute introduces us to an attractive personality whose remarkable achievements merit renewed attention. At a time of confusion and uncertainty in church and society, the author believes that a rediscovery of Doddridge's contribution is long overdue.

'A deeply interesting work about a fascinating Christian. ... the book is excellently presented, lavishly illustrated and good value for money' (English Churchman).

'Among other biographers ... Alan Clifford's book is now clearly indispensable. It is also warm, readable and challenging' (News of Hymnody).

'Lovers of Doddridge, Northampton, hymns, revival and the history of English Dissent, cannot afford to ignore this book' (Evangelicals Now).

Dr Clifford has ... done us a real service with the publication of his book in the 300th anniversary of Doddridge's birth. The book is well written and attractively produced. The narrative is interesting and informative' (The Banner of Truth).

'Doddridge's life and ministry are set out in a very readable way, and Dr Clifford's enthusiasm for his subject comes through on every page. ... [a] most valuable and stimulating tribute to one of the greatest stars in the Congregational firmament' (Congregational Concern).

'A scholarly and well presented book ... comprising a very useful appendix ... This book will make a valuable addition to any library and comes highly recommended' (Our Inheritance).

'[In] this enlightening biography ... our hearts warm to a man whose consuming desire was to win souls for Christ and whose strength and life were devoted to the glorifying of God' (Peace & Truth).

GOOD ACCOUNT OF THE GOOD DOCTOR

REVIEW EXTRACTS OF 'THE GOOD DOCTOR':

'A deeply interesting work about a fascinating Christian. ... the book is excellently presented, lavishly illustrated and good value for money' (English Churchman).

'Among other biographers ... Alan Clifford's book is now clearly indispensable. It is also warm, readable and challenging' (News of Hymnody).

'Lovers of Doddridge, Northampton, hymns, revival and the history of English Dissent, cannot afford to ignore this book' (Evangelicals Now).

Dr Clifford has ... done us a real service with the publication of his book in the 300th anniversary of Doddridge's birth. The book is well written and attractively produced. The narrative is interesting and informative' (The Banner of Truth).

'Doddridge's life and ministry are set out in a very readable way, and Dr Clifford's enthusiasm for his subject comes through on every page. ... [a] most valuable and stimulating tribute to one of the greatest stars in the Congregational firmament' (Congregational Concern).

'A scholarly and well presented book ... comprising a very useful appendix ... This book will make a valuable addition to any library and comes highly recommended' (Our Inheritance).

'[In] this enlightening biography ... our hearts warm to a man whose consuming desire was to win souls for Christ and whose strength and life were devoted to the glorifying of God' (Peace & Truth).

Northampton, MA
Published in Paperback by Arcadia Tempus Publishing Group, Inc. (01 September, 1996)
Author: James M. Parsons
Average review score:

NORTHAMPTON IS THE BEST!
I love my town! we are the best!

Home Town
Published in Hardcover by Random House (May, 1999)
Author: Tracy Kidder
Average review score:

Snore Town?
The main character is the town of Northhampton, Massachusetts. The problem is, towns don't really do anything. The people who are born, live, or die in them add color and spice. In this town, as Mr. Kidder sees it, some of the main characters of this town include a bald hometown cop (who eventually departs for the FBI), a rich obsessive compulsive (whose therapy includes kinky photography), a Smith College student (who is 26 and suffers from a mid-life crisis), a police informant (who is a likable loser--big surprise), a mayor (who might be a lesbian). Kidder presents them respectfully. A thousand years from now sociologists may study the book with great curiousity. But in the here and now one is left with a huge so what? As a reader and fan of Kidder's earlier books, particularly SOUL OF A NEW MACHINE and HOUSE, I looked for something interesting to hold this book together. In the end, the town's main street is Kidder's only glue and is presented about as interestingly as Elmer's hardening on veneer. Elmer's hardening on veneer can be interesting, I suspect, but I know now there are more interesting subjects to study and more compelling ways to present the results.

Northhampton is a town. There are good people, bad people, indifferent people, well-intentioned people, crackheads, juvenile delinquents, liberal judges, graffiti, old buildings, a history, etc. There's nothing revealing or surprising here. Save your money. If you have to read HOME TOWN, borrow it from the library. Sorry, Mr. Kidder, but it may the last book of yours I read after the unevenness of SCHOOLCHILDREN and the perceptible decline and weariness of OLD FRIENDS.

my review
This book is a pot pourri of stories about people who live in a little town in western Massachusetts, called Northampton.

However well the author writes this book, it is very hard to get involved if there is no real story that holds the book together. I found it very hard to be able to follow everybody's comings and goings if there is no real central story and no central character. Of course the policeman, Tommy O'Connor if interesting, but there is absolutely no relation to Laura (the single mother) or to Alan, or even to his friend Rick because Tommy "does not want to be involved".

The writing is very good, and the descriptions of characters and places are also very good, but without a real plot to the book, it just feels as if you are reading a newspaper story.

Conveys accurate "shadow town" beyond the obvious
I enjoyed "Home Town" because it delved into the "shadow town" that underlies the physical town most people experience. The characters that Kidder chose to follow were interesting and eclectic. The realities of the dark side of Northampton were amply illustrated as were some of its historical and rebuilding facets.

Kidder's characteristically clear prose and ability to draw illustrative scenes is evident throughout the book. I've rated this book 4 out of 5 stars because it didn't reach a satisfactory sense of closure -- many loose ends dangle. While this is a characteristic of the life of Northampton - or any town - I would have felt closure if Kidder had provided more follow-up on the main characters.

This is a good read and portrays something that may be missing for much of our transient society - a true sense of place and belonging. The multi-generational history of some of the book's characters should be warmly familiar to long-time members of any small town.

Through the Lock
Published in Hardcover by Houghton Mifflin Co (23 April, 2001)
Authors: Carol Otis Hurst and Carol Hurst
Average review score:

Could have been better
I was anticipating a book full of vivid descriptions of life and scenes in the Pioneer Valley during the 1800's. Instead, this book is a series of unimaginative and uneven dialogues between woodenly uninteresting child-characters. Too bad, given that there are few stories written in that setting. The story begins in an abandoned foreman's house along a minor canal system. The lead female character, Etta, is in the house eating the nuts she has found there when the lead male character, Walter, a boy who is living in the house, finds her. Written in Etta's voice, we hear the flat dull thoughts as they go through her mind, or as she expresses them to Walter. She is an orphan with siblings. She needs a place to live. Walter, who has his own problems, tells her she must leave, but changes his mind without reason. A third child character enters, but the dialogue goes on in the same dumbed-down way, sprinkled with the odd modern idiom, as they plow through the story trying to find employment and stability. I found it difficult to sympathize with the plight of the characters, and reading the story became a chore rather than a pleasure. The best part of the book comes at the end: A few historical notes give us some background. This brief afterward reinforced the disappointment I felt in the story; given the lush and interesting setting, it could have been a much better story.

Through the Lock
Spunky Etta, 11, has had enough of the foster homes. She runs away from her last hoping to find a place that she and her brother and sister can be together. That dream of being a family once again keeps Etta's spirit going. She finds an old foreman's cabin that has been squatted by Walter, 12, who is hiding out from his father, the town drunk. Together, with their friend Jake, they make a home for themselves and Etta finds herself belonging to a different kind of family. Hurst drew me in from page one with Etta's humor and non-stop chatter. The dialogue was good, description great, and the plot interesting enough to keep me turning the pages. Although some parts were predictable and I thought there could be a bit more tension with her brother and sister and if they would be coming to live with her or not - it was an enjoyable read.

1860 census for Northampton County, Virginia
Published in Unknown Binding by Hickory House (1994)
Author: Frances Bibbins Latimer
Average review score:
No reviews found.
Abington Museum (formerly Abington Manor House) Northampton: a short history
Published in Unknown Binding by County Borough of Northampton (Central Museum & Art Gallery) ()
Author: Alan C. Cox
Average review score:
No reviews found.
Abstracts of the Wills and Administrations of Northampton County, Virginia 1632-1802
Published in Hardcover by New England History Pr (June, 1994)
Author: James Handley Marshall
Average review score:
No reviews found.
Administrations and inventories of the Archdeaconry of Northampton (now preserved in the County Record Office at Northampton)
Published in Unknown Binding by The British Record Society in conjunction with the Banbury Historical Society ()
Average review score:
No reviews found.
An alphabetized listing of those subscribers to the Oaths of Allegiance, Northampton County, Pa., 1777-1784 : (also Oaths of Office, 1789-1804)
Published in Unknown Binding by Closson Press ()
Author: Gaylord Griffiths
Average review score:
No reviews found.
America in archives at the Northamptonshire Record Office : a selection of letters, documents and engravings displayed in an exhibition at Delapre Abbey, Northampton, England in 1976 to commemorate the bi-centenary of the American Revolution and to show local archives as a potential source for historical studies of our common heritage
Published in Unknown Binding by The Record Office ()
Average review score:
No reviews found.

Related Vacation Book Subjects: Massachusetts
More Pages: Northampton Page 1 2