Jeffrey Lent's writing style is unique. I, personally, find it difficult to read. His syntax is not common and his descriptive sentences and passages are often over-written. This was particularly true for the first third to half of this book. I felt the second half was much more clearnly written and less cumbersome - fewer times did I have to go back and reread a sentence to figure its meaning.

Mr. Lent's characters in this book are far stronger than in In the Fall. Blood and Sally, the two main characters are strong, unique and haunting. Lent draws the reader into their growing relationship using their pasts effectively to explain their present personalities. These characters were the best part of the book. My major criticism of Lent's main characters is they are prescient beyond believability.

The plot line is very good until the end when it gets a bit hokey to fit with the rest of the hard-bitten story-line. The epilogue is useless and I could not figure out why it was included. It did nothing to add to the book.

This is not a book to read if you are looking for a sunshine view of humanity or the world. It does paint a good picture of an area in the wilds where people settled because they had a past they were not to be asked about - a seedy side of America's wilderness where people settled for reasons other than arable land or good climate. The characters in this book will stay with me for a long time. Unfortunately, I found it a task to plod through too many parts of it to rate it higher.

I read this author's other book, "In the Fall" and loved it. I think this author writes very well and keeps my interest to the end....This story takes place in the 1800's and is not alway pleasant, but I guess life back then was difficult at best.......To escape his life and humanity, after the drowning of his wife and son, Blood leaves New Bedford, Ma. for New York. He then leaves there by foot with a hand drawn peddlar's cart to wander the western hills of Connecticut and Massachusetts backwoods for 17 yrs. selling goods to poor farm wives....One day he wins the 16 yr. old prostitute daughter of a prostitute in a card game. He travels with Sally and settles in Indian Stream which is a country in dispute between Canada and New Hampshire. Blood opens a tavern/store and also sells the services of Sally to any man who has money to spend.....This is a very wild and dangerous country where there is no real authority and people have to struggle just to stay alive.....This is a violent, raw land with little pity for human life.....This wonderfully written story takes us from hardship to hope and love and brings out all sorts of feelings in the reader. Worth reading.

I read LOST NATION and was completely hypnotized by Mr. Lent's true talent as a literary artist. Just finished his debut novel, IN THE FALL, and I must concur with most of the reviewers that Mr. Lent is an extraordinary writer that will not be flying under the radar for long if he keeps writing beautiful, heart-wrenching stories such as these. DO NOT BE MISLEAD by those reviewers who did not have the patience to fully absorb the rich characters and their environments. Never have I read such amazing characterization that explores the true nature of the human condition. These are the most multi-dimensional characters to grace the pages of a novel in awhile. Some of the passages are so expertly and beautifully constructed that they will take your breath away. Excellent plot structure, narrative pacing, and a truly gifted appraoch to writing. A wholly enriching literary experience. Highest recommendation.

This book was...interesting. I didn't really think this was a great book, but it's an easy read. Take a day or less to read it. The book itself didn't really strike me as a good. I think this story is more for kids from kindergarten to around 3rd grade [at most]. I got bored with it quickly [I mean, I don't see why people would want to read about ther adventures of a stick with an nut head!]. This is just my opinion though.

This was one of my favorite books as a child! I read this many times in the attic of our summer home, looking out the window at our apple tree. I was recounting the story to my children the other day and we stopped in at Borders and I ordered the book. I'm so glad it's still in print. It's truly a great family-oriented read-aloud story - perfect for the younger set! My emergent-reader 1st Grader was able to read this with me!

Most dolls live a comfortable but unadventurous life. This was true of Miss Hickory, a little New England twig doll until the fall day that her owner, Ann, moved from her New Hampshire home to attend school in Boston - leaving poor Miss Hickory behind! For a doll who's body is an apple wood twig and whose head is a hickory nut the prospect of spending the winter alone is frightening indeed...The story has no true plot, but rather moves though the winter and onto the spring through a series of vinegettes, involving Miss Hickory and the problems her (literal!) hardheadedness can get her into, or of the animals of the woods and farmyard. All the stories are told with warm humor and an appreciation of the countryside and the seasons. Miss Hickory and the various animal characters are all appealing characters, and the illustrations are beautiful!

This book is NOT just for those with an interest in the Shakers. I picked it from the library shelf at random while looking for something else, and I am so glad I did. Those who enjoy learning from their elders, those who are trying to make sense of religion, and those who love a good memoir may want to give this book a try. I loved the author's positive outlook. She treats her subject with great sensitivity, warmth, and attention to detail.

I was looking through the library for a book on the Shaker way, specifically, what it might be like to be a Shaker, what goes on in their minds, and why they live(d) the way they did. This book is a truly engaging read from cover to cover -- the warm, conversational tone of the narrative kept me reading, and the insights into the Shaker world are priceless. Rather than taking a dry, anthropological view of the vanishing sect, or waxing new age, the author simply tells her own story beautifully, evoking the feeling of what it would be like to visit that time and place. I know very little about Shaker ways, which is why I picked up this book, and I'm very glad I did. From the humorous visits with the neighboring miniature makers to the serene white-washed (and even pink!) walls of the buildings to the gentle smiles of the Sisters, this memoir was charming and a great read. I couldn't put it down.

I grew up close to the only surviving Shaker village in the world and my interest in this interesting people is alive and well. I enjoyed this book for the glimpse of people who remain alive within the pages of books written by those who lived and worked among them. I would agree, this book is meant for those with an interest in the people and their everyday lives. It is a great way to prelude a visit to the Canterbury Village where everything is made real.

This is an excellent novel that you can not stop reading; there is not a boring moment. Anne McLean Matthews tells the story of Helen Meyer, a depressed therapist and mother of two. Helen's children are grown and her husband of twenty-five years has recently passed away. Helen's distressed life sends her to a vacationing cabin in the woods of New Hampshire. The last time she was at the cabin was with her family nearly fifteen years ago. At the cabin, Helen is abducted by a disturbed man and is tortured for what seems to be a lifetime. The interesting thing about this story is how Helen relates to the serial killer. Helen Meyer is a person whose courage you will long remember. Helen's vacation begins terrifying and concludes with a gruesome murder.

Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. Some parts had my heart racing and at times had me gasping for air(some of the decriptions were so vivid). Passed the book on to friends and they also enjoyed the book.

I absolutly loved this book! I had to finish reading "The Cave" the moment I started. It's the most suspenseful book I've ever read. It has definatly made me more aware of the type of evil that exists in this world, even though it is non-fiction the possibility of this type of thing happening is very real. I couldn't help getting chills, just thinking how it would be if I were in a situation like this and being hunted down by a demented KILLER.

Wonderfully told story on how a woman married for years suddenly finds out her husband is [not straight]. The whole book began looking like two friends of the opposite sex out for a night out on the town together. She, wanting to know what his [other] night life was like, got him to take her with him. But they are really married.

Then chapter one takes you back into time to tell the tale from the beginning. It was fascinating to watch Michael come to terms with being [not straight]. I was horrified for Emily as she found out the truth, even though I knew it was coming.

The author shows exactly what I believe it must be like to find myself in this situation. The question, "Where do we go from here?" is not an easy one to answer. However, Lisa Rogak pulls me, the reader, along with her with her humor and was of facing facts. I loved it!

Wonderfully told story on how a woman married for years suddenly finds out her husband is gay. The whole book began looking like two friends of the opposite sex out for a night out on the town together. She, wanting to know what his gay night life was like, got him to take her with him. But they are really married.

Then chapter one takes you back into time to tell the tale from the beginning. It was fascinating to watch Michael come to terms with being gay. I was horrified for Emily as she found out the truth, even though I knew it was coming.

The author shows exactly what I believe it must be like to find myself in this situation. The question, "Where do we go from here?" is not an easy one to answer. However, Lisa Rogak pulls me, the reader, along with her with her humor and was of facing facts. I loved it!

I picked up this book expecting to skim it and found it so engaging I couldn't put it down. It was like reading a whodunit, and finished it in two sessions. It is witty, sincere and flowing. The author describes so much with few words, ....the scenes of the straight spouse's support group are both marvelously funny and sad. The character of her detached and confused husband at times is predictable, but it is Emily, the narrator, who holds your interest and draws you in. In that I am a formerly married gay man, long out of the marriage, I didn't expect to response so empatheticly to the wife....but, to the author's credit, I did and the results is, that this book will stay with me for a long time to come.

You will see reviews here rated one and five stars - it depends upon who you are. The book is not tremendously written, stylistically, though not bad (redundant in places). If you know the place(s) written about - Mt. Washington and near peaks it will surely be a thrilling and fascinating read. If not - tedium. I know a bit of the area, so it was just ok - a three star book I would only recommend to White Mountain fans.

i just returned from a trip to the white mountains where I came across this book. i was very much interested in the history of the presidential mountain range and this book gave me quite a bit of insight as to the history of the mountain range and mount washington. this book is a wonderful read - i enjoyed it immensely. the book covers the tragedies that have befallen the mountain range and in such detail, i could visualize being there. hats off to nicholas howe! thanks for the insight!

This book is an expanded telling of the story Mr. Howe wrote for Yankee. I climbed Mt. Washington shortly after the original story. I went better prepared for the weather, thanks to Mr. Howe, and was able to assist a member of our climbing party to the "lake of the clouds" AMC hut (with the help of the hut staff and a cell phone). The fog seemed more like a dark blanket that shrunk the world to a few yards. A mile seemed like hundreds stopping every few feet while a fellow with a heart problem stopped to rest. After reading the original article I never considered leaving the man behind. I only wondered if he would be added to the list of those who died. I awaited this book for a few years. I met Mr. Howe at the Capitol City Dinner in Concord, NH after reading the Yankee article. Thank you sir for a great read. Thank you also for the stories that convinced me to better prepare for Mt. Washington. You may have saved a life perhaps two.

Set in the same setting as A Separate Peace, Peace Breaks Out takes place a few years after WWI. It's apparent that John Knowles hasn't lost his style and knack for writing. His artistic language is almost enough just to read the story alone... almost.

The characters in Peace Breaks Out are not as complicated and real as in A Separate Peace and one can't help but compare plot to A Separate Peace. This is an okay book. Great writing, so-so plot.

After reading John Knowles' A Separate Peace, I anticipated great things from Peace Breaks Out. Unfortunately I was disappointed. Although Knowles talent at creating vivid characters and imagery survived, the intriguing and touching plot did not. The book did not leave me feeling like a changed person in the way that A Separate Peace did. I would recommend you read it, but don't expect too much.

In John Knowles' "A Separate Peace" the reader is taken on a visit to the Devon School, a college preparatory school in New Hampshire. Through marvelously descriptive narration and telling dialogue, Knowles dissects the adolescent mind of the boys who were faced with the horrors of World War II. In his follow-up novel, John Knowles again takes the reader to Devon, and explores the psyche of similar boys at the time just after the War. Though the story is a bit more confined than that in the first book, I think that it has to be. This new batch of characters must look to themselves for a reason for the way they are, rather than to the oppressive state of the world. Knowles gives a brilliant depiction of the aggression that still remains in all of us, even in times of Peace. If you loved "A Separate Peace" as so many others do, myself included, then you owe it to yourself to read this book. It IS different, but it should be.

After seeing Bill Morrissey perform at a small club in New York, I couldn't wait to read his novel. What a time waster! Flat, one-dimensional characters with little to say in a town where nothing much happens. If there's a story line here, I missed it! Dialogue is inane, with an over-abundance of women who sigh, "Oh, Henry...," at the protagonist.

Morrissey, who gave us new ways to see things through song (listen to "Dance the Grizzly Bear" sometime) moves seamlessly from guitar to page. His novel emphasizes character development and setting; plot comes a long way last, but at the end I didn't care about that -- what I did care about was what would happen to his characters. Dare we hope for a sequel? It's hard to ask more of a novelist.

I loved this book. Like Morrisey's carefully crafted songs, the books expands the low key events in a small New England mill town until they feel as important to the reader as they are to the characters. Those looking for high adventure or unlikely plot twists should look elsewhere; This book is for those who love a simple tale-well-told. I can't wait until he tosses his hat in again with another book.

This is the third book of Patterson's I've read, and by coincidence, the character Caroline Masters was in all of them ... this time as the main character (the others were Degree of Guilt and Eyes of a Child). Although I had a hard time getting into the first half of the book, once I did I was hooked. Lots of flashbacks provided great background that made the characters come to life. The author kept me hanging on as he slowly doled out the pieces of information that brought the story all together to a very good ending.

This is the first book I have read by North Patterson. I usually read Grisham if I am looking for a lawyer/courtroom drama but felt lately like his books have been not keeping my interest. I thoroughly enjoyed The Final Judgment and will now buzz through his other books for a critical look. North Patterson managed to go back and forth in time with Caroline Masters in such a way that kept the interest of the reader for the past and present which is sometimes hard to achieve.

I absolutly love the books of Richard North Patterson. You can't put them down. I read Degree of Guilt, Eyes of a Child and I am currently reading The Final judgement. I can't imagine how these books could be improved. You are always given hints as to the ending but he'll still suprise you. If you love a good mystery I highly recommend this book.

ALL HE EVER WANTED was a surprise for me in that before I started to read it I didn't know it was a period piece, so to speak. Nicholas Van Tassel is a stuffy professor at a small college in New Hampshire in the early 1900s. His stuffiness, at first, rubbed me the wrong way. But I've been pleased with Anita Shreve's past books and was determined to keep going, despite this. It was also a little difficult to get used to the way the book is written. The stilted words as Nicholas tells the story of falling in love with Etna and their life together was an initial drawback, but after the first 40 or 50 pages, I was at ease with it.

This is a sad tale. A man who only wanted a few choice things in his life, Nicholas has a way of screwing those things up so that even if he gets them, it doesn't make him happy. He's not a particularly likable fellow although there are certain things about him that make you at least understand him. It was somewhat refreshing not to have to read about a perfect person since so few of those exist in real life!

I enjoyed reading this book and was pleased with the skill used in telling the story. Anita Shreve gets my vote for a job well done.

I found this book compelling, not least because its protagonist is so unattractive. Shreve shows him first as dull and pedantic, then gradually turns up the heat until she has created a monster. Yet our hearts break for this man who wants only one thing, then allows his obsessive passion to overwhelm his moral sense and destroy what he most cherishes. Shreve's books are always insightful, and her storytelling gifts are superb. This is not one of her very best, but it's more than good enough!

Anita Shreve just can't seem to write a bad book.
In All He Ever Wanted, her tale concerns unrequited love, the results of the somewhat unlikely 'love at first sight.' Maybe this was more commn in the early 20th century, the era in which this book is set, but it was the only part of the tale that stretched my credulity. The story covers a lot of ground: anti-Semitism, ... abuse, women's rights, and academia.
If you liked Shreves' other books, you won't be disappointed by this one.