2 of my cousins are coming to visit from ireland in april..i wanted to take them around to some of our pubs in boston. i'm going to use this book to plan an irish pub crawl.

Zagat's provides an easy-to-use directory for all different types of food in the Boston area. If you're craving sushi or anything else, it's easy to open the guide and find the nearest or cheapest or classiest restaurant. And they're 95% accurate!

As a long time viewer of Pasions, I have grown to love this show. Hidden Passions is a must read for all watchers of the show and those that want to learn about Passions. In it we learn some of the secrets that control the past of many of the Adults in Harmony. Answering many of the questions about what really happened between these people and why the anger and hatred amongst them. The book fills in only some of the gaps and leaves us wanting more.

Those that read the book and haven't seen the show will still enjoy it. It stands alone and would be a good introduction to the show for them. But even if you never watch the show, you should still enjoy the book.

As I said, this book only tells part of the story and leaves you wanting for more. I hope that "Hidden Passions" has a sequel that tells us even more about the past of this highly enjoyable show.

Oh, that Tabatha. What an awesome book she wrote. After watching PASSIONS for the last year or so, I was excited to hear about this book and couldn't wait to read it. But I never imagined HIDDEN PASSIONS could be THIS good. We learn all about Sam and Ivy's romance--and the way they were driven apart. (No wonder Ivy can't forget Sam--he was a hunk when he was a teenager, too!) We find out the secret of Eve's baby, and how bad Julian Crane really is! (Who knew Julian had a James Bond complex and a thing for Jazz singers? And the way he corrupted Eve is chilling!) The only thing wrong with HIDDEN PASSIONS is that I read it in one day--I never wanted this book to end. Let's have more HIDDEN PASSIONS! There are more secrets in Harmony. Let's have them all revealed.

When I first heard about this book I ordered it. Unfortunately I had to wait 2 months before it was available to be read. I say unfortunately since when I finally got to read it I had a hard time putting it down. I loved reading the background on Sam and Ivy's relationship and how it was destroyed by her father and Allistair Crane. Or Julian and Eve's relationship and how she turned her life around to meet a wonderful man in T.C. It was interesting to read bits and pieces of characters like Rebecca Osburn (Hodgekiss) and see how she manipulated the relationship of her now husband back then. It was good to finally meet Katherine Crane as well. (I wonder if Julian remembers the promise he made to his mother before he died??). I even enjoyed the little bit of information on Grace, Pilar, Martin, Luis, Sheridan, Antonio and the soulmate story on Luis and Sheridan in the past lifetime). I definately enjoyed Timmy's additions as well as the insights of Tabatha's diary entries. I just loved this book and will enjoy reading it again and again.

The book Little Women is truley a literature classic. This book reflects on the lives of the fictional March family as Yankees during the Civil War. While Mr. March is away fighting in the war, Mrs. March and her four daughters Margaret, 16, Josephine, 15, Elizabeth, 13, and Amy, 12 (Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy)must learn to cope while their nation is at war. The four girls must learn many lessons in life and grow up to be fine women even during hard times. The girls have many adventures and meet Laurie, a true friend for life,and share many good times together. The girls begin to marry when they face the loss of one of their sisters and their aunt. However, in true March fashion, they get through the difficult times and focus on the successes in life. This book is truley inspirational and makes you think about how you can become a better person through sharing the experiences of these girls. At times this book could run on, so that is why i rated it 4 stars, not 5. However, this book still is great and a timeless classic and Louisa May Alcott did a fine job with the book. I enjoyed the book alot.

Little Women, being one of the classics of American literature, is not surprising to be said one of the best books I have ever read. The story revolves around the home life of four close sisters and two strong, moral parents. As Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy grow up, their adventures and mishaps provide examples for any reader of all ages. As they grow up, they struggle with many ideas. First, they are constantly troubled by the necessity of being good, even when they want to be bad. Second, as they grow up, they confront different types of relationships with boys. Friendship turns into love and vice versa, making a strong theme of gender relations. The girls also struggle with the ideas of motherhood, sisterhood, pride, education, and marraige. Finally, two of the most important ideas in the novel are dreams and work. The girls spend their childhoods and adult lives trying to balance the two and fulfill both necessities. Also, throughout the book, society is explained, the harsh winters are described, and the profound work ethic of the people is portrayed to give the reader a strong sense of what it was like to be living during the 19th century. The book gives the reader some mportant guidance to people in similar circumstances in their adolescent years. The novel motivates positive decision making, looks past materialism, teaches morales, and shows us the importance of real happiness.

A timeless tale of four sisters struggling their way through life during the Civil War. I have read this book more times than I can count, and I still love it. Once I pick it up I can't put it down, lost in this seemingly fantasy world, which was actually quite true more than 100 years ago.

My favorite thing about Little Women has to be the characters. Jo, the day-dreaming tomboy, Meg, pretty and proper, Beth, the quiet sweetheart, and little Amy, our artist, who always tried to grow up too fast. Then of course there's Laurie, the tall fun-loving boy-next-door, and so many other fabulous personalities (Aunt March, Fredrick Bauer, Hannah, Marmie, etc.) that I couldn't possibly name them all.

This book is one that I think everyone absolutely MUST read some time in their life, for it teaches moral values that should be used by people of all ages. I also reccommend Little Men and Jo's Boys to follow it up.

This is a book about a family of many children and a resilient single mother who worked hard to do the best she could with the cards she was dealt. Truthfully, I picked it up thinking it might be a contempory and an American "Angela's Ashes" and because my Irish father was raised in poverty in Jersey City, NJ. On some level, it was. I had to wonder as I read it, does Southie contain any relatives of mine who may have migrated north? Clearly they were poor and Irish- the possibilty exists. Those of us who grew up Irish and Catholic can read and inherently know of what being Irish is all about. However, those of us who grew up in suburbia, as I did, can read this book and walk away a better person. We have never known true suffering- a broken heart, not having the exact dress we wanted for the prom, listening to our parents fighting, missing the bus for school: these were our issues. Michael MacDonald has done all of us a favor by so bravely sharing his family's story and exposing us to the real harsh realities of life. We should walk away from reading this grateful to have been born into the circumstances we were and committing ourselves to doing more for those who have so much less than we. Read the book- it is time well spent.

Michael McDonald's ability to tell a story - to observe the goings-on around him with the cold detachment of a brilliant narrator at the same time he was an actor in the drama that was unfolding between and among his family and friends - is simply breath-taking. His writing is so clear, so real and so immediate that you feel the heat, the energy and the pain of the streets of South Boston from beginning to end.

While I have lived in Massachusetts for most of my life and have some appreciation for the larger events that were unfolding throughout the course of Michael's book, he brings it all home with an eye for detail and an appreciation for what was happening on the ground that is astonishing. His observations about and real-life experiences with cops, forced busing, drugs, welfare, racism, classism, corruption and poverty are eye-opening, to say the least.

This book will move you no matter where you live or how old you are. It is heart-felt, beautifully constructed, and - in many ways - a tale for all times. It is a classic tale about one family's life in urban America during the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. I am sure it will become a "must-read" in high school and college classrooms across the country.

This piece of literature has it all: it's moving, riveting, gripping, and revealing; and it's very well written. The author's clearly a talented story teller, and he's very courageous to put this revealing story of his family's tragic experiences in the public domain. Michael MacDonald(and Ma) should be commended just for that courage, not even considering his literary talents. I can't imagine the level of pain he endured writing it because of the pain I felt just reading it. The book's emotional spectrum runs the whole gamut from sadness, grief, and despair to sheer hilartity...there's that Irish wit and humor throughout.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone and everyone in our American society. The story had to be told: it's poverty and class, folks, not race! Whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, etc., whatever ethnic or racial group there is, those at the poor end of the specrum will suffer until society changes."All Souls" teaches us that. Hopefully we'll learn from this marvelous work, and things will improve.

Like Michael, I'm someone born and brought up in a Southie housing project(The Old Harbor Village), albeit some 25 years earlier. I was luckier than Michael and his siblings because I had two parents, and drugs and guns were virtually nonexistent in Southie's projects in the 40's, 50's, and early 60's when I was there. However, I can identify with and testify to the existence of "Southie Pride", and the insular nature of "The Town", that "us versus the rest of the world" mentality. Combine that with the forced busing saga produced by a self-serving state legislature which passed laws to insure their lily-white towns wouldn't be affected by busing, and a judge from Wellesley who didn't have a clue, along with extreme poverty, organized crime controlling Southie ,an incompetent and/or corrupt police force, a similarly corrupt local FBI contingent, guns, drugs, and booze pouring in uninhibited by law enforcement, and lo and behold, you have the perfect formula for the disaster that ensued, the anger, hate, despair, misery, grief, the premature deaths, suicides, murders, ODs' etc, the exacerbation of Southie's natural introversion! Thanks to this wonderful book, the story is out there,and the healing process has begun.

I really hope all of America reads the book, especially those non-Southies who live in Boston and its environs. I guarantee you will all change your perspective of Southie afterwards. I would also recommend that "All Souls" be mandatory in the high school English courses of the Boston Public School system, as well as those across the country. There'a a major lesson to be learned here.

Michael MacDonald..Thank you for your story, and I'll be waiting for to write more!

The Dead Zone is an excellent book about Johnny Smith, a young man who wakes up from a four and a half year coma and has the ability to se the future, or know unknown things about people. There are many subplots in this book, some of them including a disturbing serial killer and a psychotic politician named Greg Stillson. Stephen King makes sure we hate this man, for in the prologue he brutally kills a dog, and does other evil things.

This book was very suspenseful and fast-paced, although it got overlongish in some spots, and when Johnny shakes the hand of Greg Stillson, it is not clear how Johnny comes to know about certain events, but overall The Dead Zone was an excellent book, and the characters are all likable enough: Sam Weizak, Sarah Hazlett, and Johnny's dad Herb. We of course hate the psychotic Stillson. Recommended

One of the most absorbing boks I've ever read, Stephen King's The Dead Zone is sure to please almost any reader. King keeps the reader turning the pages during this book. I read it in roughly two days, and for someone like me, who usually doesn't read unless it's required, that was quite a short time to read a book of this length. During most of my free time, I found myself picking up the book and continuing to read. King creates impressive characters to whom you soon feel yourself attached. The protagonist, Johnny Smith, was one of those characters that I began to appreciate and enjoy learning of his next action. The plot is most intriguing. Though it would be doubtful that the novel's events would occur in real life, I found it so interesting that I just had to keep reading. I spoke with my teacher about the book, and she decided to read it. Several days later, she said she finished it and said she believed it to be the best book Stephen King has written. I haven't read all of his books, nor have I read that many books, but I enjoyed this book and was able to actually finish it, unlike other books I've given a weak attempt at reading. I believe anyone would enjoy reading this book.

The Dead Zone is one of the best fictional novel ever written by Stephen King. The story grabs the reader's attention and sets a good imagery because of the suspense and descriptive details. John (Johnny) Smith the main character of the fictional novel is a psychic. As a psychic, John Smith uses his powers to help save people from catastrophes. For example; He had saved the life of a student who he was tutoring, Chuck Chatsworth, from attending a graduation party that was going to be struck down by lighting. Stephen King also wrote a book called It, a very powerful and scary story similar to The Dead Zone. For those of you who are a Stephen King lover, or who want to get a glimpse of a frightening and shocking thrill, then give The Dead Zone a try. I promise you that once you have picked up a copy and have read a few chapters of the book, you will not want to stop.

I read Jane Eyre for my AP Lit. Class in the 12th grade. I figured, oh just another boring book. WOW! was I completely mistaken. ALthough long, Jane Eyre could have been 1,000 pages and I still would have read every page, with joy. The growth Jane Eyre, the novels main character and Protagonist, goes through throughout the novel is amazing. Born into an unloving world, with rejection and anger at every corner, Jane is forced to keep herself company and therefore, her only friend is herself. Adopted by her uncle, who soon dies, Jane is forced to live with her aunt Reed. I dont want to summarize about all this stuff, I am going to get down to the nitty-gritty. The novel mainly centers around Jane and her love for Rochester. When Jane becomes eighteen, she is hired to govern at the mansion of Rochesters, and to guide and teach his daughter, Adele. The marvelous love story between Jane and Rochester is as intense as anything you will ever read. At times while reading the novel, I would have to put the novel down and take in what I was reading. The passion and heart exhibited by these two characters was at times unbearable. If you want to read a true novel, full of power and emotion, read Jane Eyre- the best novel ever written. :-)

When I first read Jane Eyre, I (and I think many others) was taken in by the odd combination of romance and ominous overtones that makes Jane Eyre such a unique book. Of course, the Victorian-era writing and social commentary also made an impression.

But upon reflection, underneath all of this is a story of people with difficult lives learning to find and accept each other and hopefully coming to peace and happiness despite long odds. Maybe my second reading just comes from a twenty-first century mind reading things into a nineteenth century book that just aren't there. But to me, the book does have the feel of a modern story of hardship as well as a Victorian story of people trying to overcome their backgrounds to find love.

Jane Eyre tells the life story of an orphaned girl sent away to a harsh boarding school by a cruel aunt. Despite the harsh nature of the school, Jane thrived at the school since she is finally out from her aunt's crushing dislike for her. She graduated and took a job as a governess for a girl in the care of a mysterious man who spent much of his time traveling abroad, Mr. Rochester.

At first, the two do not like each other. This is compounded by the fact that Jane thinks she is plain looking and not worthy of his company. But the two develop a peculiar friendship, and there are many signs that their feelings are deeper. But Mr. Rochester is busy courting other ladies at the time. Mr. Rochester also seems to have a secret that he will not divulge to Jane but may have serious consequences for her.

Jane's job as a governess and the friendship that develops make it seem that the book will quickly become a Jane Austen book (which of course, would not have been a bad thing) in which the man and woman from different classes find love with one another, but from the point of the friendship blooming, Jane Eyre takes a few remarkable twists and turns that I had not expected and that make for real page-turning.

But it is as much the quiet desperation of both Jane and Mr. Rochester and their struggle to find each other despite this that makes Jane Eyre a book truly worth reading and treasuring.

I read this book in junior high school and, like so many other girls, fell head over heels in love with Mr. Rochester; after all this time, the book is still a terrific read. The first part is classic Cinderella with an interesting twist. Jane is an orphan who is abused and mistreated by her rich and evil stepmother and her nasty cousins; unlike Cinderella, Jane stands up age age 10 and fights back. She is promptly shunted off to a school for girls from poor families, where she spends the next eight years. Needing a change of scene and environment, she answers an advertisement for a governess and enters the household of Mr. Rochester. Rochester, however, is no Prince Charming; he's 17 or 18 years older than Jane, hard, bitter, cynical, selfish, and, unknown to all but a few, encumbered with a wife who is the prototype of the "mad wife in the attic". Rochester is a romantic at heart, however; he is captivated by Jane's innocence and simplicity. We all know how the book comes out so there is no sense in rehashing the plot; suffice to say that Bronte is a marvelous storyteller. The one problem I have with Jane Eyre is the same that arises in Bronte's other books, and that is her stifling insularity; she seems unable to find value in anything that outside her own narrow, English Protestant frame of reference. However, this is a small caveat in this book. "Jane Eyre" is a classic romantic novel that has entranced generations of readers and looks good for generations to come.

Let's begin with Nabokov's "Lectures on Literature," where he introduces "Madame Bovary" as follows: "The book is concerned with adultery and contains situations and allusions that shocked the prudish philistine government of Napoleon III. Indeed, the novel was actually tried in a court of justice for obscenity. Just imagine that. As if the work of an artist could ever be obscene." Written over a five-year period, "Madame Bovary" was published serially in a magazine in 1856 where, despite editorial attempts to purge it of offensive material, it was cited for "offenses against morality and religion." Fortunately, Flaubert won his case and "Madame Bovary" remains to this day one of the masterpieces of French and world literature. Indeed, in Nabokov's view, the novel's influence is notable: "Without Flaubert, there would have been no Marcel Proust in France, no James Joyce in Ireland. Chekhov in Russia would not have been quite Chekhov."

The story of Emma Bovary is well known and uncomplicated. Set in the provincial towns of Tostes and Yonville (it is subtitled "Patterns of Provincial Life"), with adulterous interludes in Rouen, "Madame Bovary" narrates the life of Charles Bovary and Emma Rouault. Charles, an "officier de sante"--a licensed medical practitioner without a medical degree--meets Emma while tending to her injured father. Charles is married at that time to the first Madame Bovary, also called Madame Dubuc, a widow and thin, ugly woman who dominates the mild-mannered Charles from the very beginning. "It was his wife [Madame Dubuc] who ruled: in front of company he had to say certain things and not others, he had to eat fish on Friday, dress the way she wanted, obey her when she ordered him to dun nonpaying patients. She opened his mail, watched his every move, and listened through the thinness of the wall when there were women in his office."

When Madame Dubuc dies a few short years after their marriage, it appears that Charles is fortunate, for he is not only freed from the shrewish oppression of his wife, but enabled to court and marry the beautiful Emma. It is the eight-year marriage of Charles and Emma that embodies the tale of "Madame Bovary," a tale marked by Emma's ennui, her dissatisfaction with the unsatisfied yearnings of bourgeois marriage in a small provincial town, her steadily growing sensual insatiability, her adulteries with a series of men. It is this marriage, too, that gives us one of literature's great cuckolds, Charles Bovary.

"Madame Bovary" has often been described as a realistic novel and, insofar as it tells a seemingly ordinary tale of sensual longing and adultery while, at the same, time depicting characters and sensibilities typical of bourgeois, philistine rural France during the reign of Louis Phillipe, it is grimly realistic. It is also, however, a deeply psychological novel, one in which Flaubert brilliantly probes the feelings, the sensations, the romantic longings and dreamscapes of Emma Bovary. Above all, "Madame Bovary" is the apogee of the French novel prior to Proust's Parnassian achievement, a novel whose poetic language and artistic rendering transcend mere narrative and elevate Flaubert's work to that of high literary art, a novel for the ages. Read it in the original French if you can; if not, then read it in Frances Steegmuller's outstanding English translation.

It's amusing to read the few negative reviews of this book. One wonders what the readers would possibly consider GOOD literature!

As soon as I finished reading it the first time, I promptly started again from the beginning - something I've never done before. The bare plot is deliberately banal. It's Flaubert's execution, his insight into some of the more complex aspects of human nature and society, and the creation of Emma that mark this as one of the finest (and most engrossing) novels ever written.

What makes Emma tick is perhaps more relevant to our own culture and society - revolving, as it does, so entirely around consumerism, escapist entertainments and a credit-based economy - than it was even to Flaubert's. And I have to wonder about anyone who could get through this book and miss that point entirely.

To be sure, Emma is an extreme case - but there are plenty like her walking around. (I even saw myself in her, to some extent.) The syndrome is common, but seldom described as lucidly as here. I can see Emma, Mastercard in her hot little hand, fitting right into contemporary American society.

Flaubert's Bovary is perpetual, pervasive. Through her eyes, we see the world as it is: filled with universal virtues and vices that lead to either happiness or self- destruction. Madame Bovary captures the crystallized essence of the human spirit: unpredictable and changing, yet tangible and real. Her passions are those that move the soul, but not the mind; she never considers,she simply acts. Beautiful and uncanny, Emma Bovary's view of the world eventually becomes the harbinger of her own destiny, one that she always fails to accept. But, her own actions never deviate from reality; her character is the very re- presentation of human life. Immersed into a world that affects her own personality, Emma conquers a realism that is always perceptible, that reflects the nature of her own fortune. In effect, she becomes the product of Tolstoi's Anna Karenina and Shakespeare's Juliet, for her own destiny is controlled by passions that are never satisfied, never fulfilled. With Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert presents the strange reality of life. He moves through her his own vision, his own perception. In the process, he joins Dickens,Tolstoi, and Dostoyevski, thus becoming not a writer, but a window that enables us to see face to face what lies behind the apparencies of life,a gateway that connects us with all that moves us to and from our ambitions, our own desires.

Although I am well past the age this book is intended for, I must say this is one of the finest pieces of historical fiction I have ever read.

One of the favorite books of my youth was "Calico Captive" which was also written by Elizabeth George Speare. Recently, in a fit of nostalgia, I purchased "Calico Captive" and, on a whim, I also grabbed "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" simply because it was by the same author and also set in colonial times. I felt I could use some light, escapist reading material in order to take a break from my usual heavy fare of military history books.

Anyway I started to read "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" at around 9:30 in the evening. At 2AM, I finished it. I couldn't put it down! After the first few chapters the book becomes a real page turner. I had to find out what would happen next. Would Kit ever adapt to the austere life of the Puritans? How would the situation with Prudence Cruff pan out? Would Kit marry William? Would John marry the girl he truly loved? Would Uncle Matthew ever soften? And, of course, what would happen if the Puritans found out about Kit's friendship with a suspected witch? I was just blown away by this book- one of the enjoyable reading experiences I have had in a long time.

Have you ever read a book that was so good it made you feel you
were going back in time? That is how I felt while I was reading this book about a 16 year old girl who has to move to the unfamiliar Connecticut colony to live with her relatives because her father has died and she has nowhere else to go. Everything is so different from her sunny Carribean home where she has lived most of her life.

This book takes place in 1687 in a small town in Connecticut called Weathersfield, a stern puritan community. Kit Tyler, the 16 year old, comes to live with her Aunt and Uncle after her father's death. Even after she settles in to her new life, she starts to feel caged like a bird. She is unhappy and unliked by the townspeople because she acts so differently. For example, she wears expensive silk dresses, knows how to swim and becomes friends with the local witch. She meets the local witch, named Hanna, in the meadows, by the swamp, the only place Kit can feel completely free. Her association with Hanna and the fact that Kit is different form the townspeople cause her to be accused of witchcraft. Can she prove to them she is not guity of witchcraft before it is too late?

The reason I like the book was because of the strong, action-filled plot. I also liked reading this book because it had portrayed the time period in which it took place accurately. The book seemed very plausible that a town in those days could panic and accuse a stranger of being a witch. I also liked the book because I liked the main character. Kit is someone that I would like to have met because she is independent, and wants to be accepted for being different. One thing I didn't like was the town's atmosphere. The atmosphere was dark, and strict, and loaded with witch hysteria.

I would recommend this book to people who like the genre of historical fiction, and particularly the time period of witchcraft. This book would appeal to those in sixth to eighth grade who are studying this time in American history. This book is more for teenage girls than boys given it female main character and narrator. There is also a love story in the subplot that would appeal to those who like romance. If you have read and liked the novel "The Scarlet Letter", this is another good book to read.

The climax of the story is when the main character is tried for being a witch. This review is not going to give away the outcome of the trial, but it is a strong finish to a well told story that will not disappoint the reader. I guarantee it! The conclusion will leave you feeling that almost anyone could be found guilty of breaking strict traditions in this stern peritian community where this book takes place. Can Kit escape the town's accusations and find happiness in this cold region, so unlike her native home?

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spears was a great novel. I think it was very heart touching and reflects many peoples lives today. It has life morals and teaches about friendship, courage and love. The book also shows how people lived in Colonial times.

Spears did a wonderful job bringing her characters to life. They each had there own personalities and feelings. For instance, Kit was very wise but stubborn throughout the book. She came to America to live with her Aunt and Uncle and was at first rich. She had many fine clothes and could swim. A very different character from Kit would be Matthew Wood. He was very serious about everything and doesn't believe in nonsense such as witches or Hallows Eve. He was also very fierce and political man. He fights and tries to get everyone to do or believe what he does. He sticks to what he believes in and does not give up until he has proved everyone else wrong. For example, he will never change his religion and people against are forbidden from the house.

Spears also had a good plot and kept the novel full of suspense and action. It was also very adventurous. In one event, a plague gets the village people angry, causing chaos and a witch-hunt. They go and finding the witch not there burn down her house. Where was the so-called witch? Was she really a nice old lady like Kit made her seem? Who saved her from the village and brought her to a safe place? Read the book and you will know the answers to these suspenseful questions. Another great event was in the courtroom. While burning the house a lady finds a hornbook belonging to Kit with her daughter's name, Prudence on it! In the courtroom, they decide the punishment and if Kit is really a witch. Does her Uncle stick up for her? Will Prudence come help Kit? Did Kit really write the name?

I hope that after reading my review on The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spear you will read the novel. It taught me lessons on friendship, and bravery. It was filled with happiness, sorrow, and love shared by all of the characters and the reader. Thus, read the novel and prepare to be taken into the novel yourself!

A female friend suggested I read a new book by Joan Anderson if I wanted to get a notion of the female psyche going through a sort of mid-life crisis. Admittedly, there may be a general con- sensus that only males, and then only some of us, experience this life phenomenon, that women some- how don't or, worse, shouldn't. They, in fact, have their own rite of passage...menopause. So, without a lot of enthusiasm, I got my hands on a copy of this autobiographical book and began reading. A Year by the Sea is another in the long line of twentienth century self-help books which present themselves with modern answers to modern dilemmas. The problem with Anderson's book, like so many of its type, is that it presupposes a problem, in fact, creates a problem so that it has something to solve. Anderson makes no sound case in describing a married life that demanded rescuing. She alludes to one or two instances of insensitivity on her husband's part, but even these are not of a magnitude to justify in most people's minds the compelling need to abandon the nest and strike out on one's own. If anything, her marriage may have become stale, or predictable, at least as she briefly describes it. It would seem then that her motivation was questionable, even if her intentions were sincere. The conclusion in the twelve month chronicle comes quickly and is more than a bit unsatisfying. Whether the newly reborn couple will live happily ever after we will never know, at least not based on the 195th page. Anderson's solution to her marital dissatisfaction is to escape to the sea...a primal drive to return to one's roots. What she fails to acknowledge, however, is that in seeking to uncover herself, she cannot bury her past.

This little book is a simple tale of self-discovery by a versatile and talented writer who certainly can turn a phrase. The subject is classic -- a woman going through a mid-life crisis and seeking to "find" herself. The middle-aged woman, of course, has a much better chance at finding someone when she searches herself than a younger one. We create ourselves, day-by-day, whether we are aware of it or not, and a search too soon is a fruitless one.

That said, Anderson "finds" what she's searching for and she expresses both the search and the discovery (which, actually, takes her back where she started in the first place)in delightfully descriptive and easy prose.

The reader won't find any earthshaking "truths" here. Indeed, it's doubtful that such "truths" even exists -- but he or she will find a charming and delightful experience of a year by the sea in Cape Cod. Reading this little volume turned out to be a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Living on a small island, I can appreciate Joan Anderson' story and her affinity for the sea. There is something about being at one with the sea that causes a person to reflect deeply on life's purpose and who they are really are. This kind of solitude is often difficult to find, especially for those living in a concrete jungle. For all my travels, I would not choose to live anywhere but by the ocean, and if you have never had the opportunity to do so, it may be a difficult way of life to understand. While there are disadvantages, especially if you enjoy a fast-paced life style, the splendor and beauty of a morning mist, or the colour and magestic wonder of an evening sunset totally makes one realize how at one with the universe we are capable of being. You do a lot of soul-searching and from that you become the best person you can possibly be.

I love this book because the author tells her story and reveals her feelings in a down-to-Earth, realistic approach to family and life, the challenges and opportunities. The book is well-written, and the author has the ability to make you feel as if you are walking in her shoes, or that she is in a place, emotionally, that most women have been at one time or another. Life is all about choices, decisions and change, choices that can forever affect those around us. As she tells her story, you can almost hear the waves beating against a peaceful distant shore and hear a seagull's lonely cry.