This is a new favorite author for me, and a classic storyline that works every time. Who can resist a character who has to return to her hometown to face the demons of the past? A wonderful sense of place and a timeless romance. Have a kleenex on hand.

Mrs. Dyer has done her best work so far in this book. She has shown a great understanding for the human heart and it's pain. Her charactors are so real that one steps into the pages and lives the parts themselves. I can't wait for her next book as I have read them all to date.

Ms. Dyer's story is an emotional portrait, illustrating pain, fear, joy and hope in what is often the struggle to seek out one's heart. Inner battles to which one person must surrender in order to give fully to another. This is her best work to date!!

No matter what kind of mother you are, you will have experienced similar reactions as these mothers have in the one to three-page essays on motherhood. The chapters are categorized by several titles: Defining Motherhood, In the Beginning, For the Sake of Love, Letting Go, Special Circumstances and As Time Goes By.

"When I Leave Them" - a mother's tears and pang when her children have left the home and she feels she is deserting them. In "My Second and My Last", a mother cherishes the moments with her 19 month old son knowing he is her second and "last" child. Another mother writes about her name - "mommy" - in "That's My Name" and says, "it is the one name you can never change". An essay titled "The Daddy Bond" reflects a "tighter than glue" bond.

These short essays don't always reflect love and joy of motherhood, a woman shares in what is titled, "Nightmares", and her own mother's uncomfortable role as a parent. An interesting story discusses how we are subjected to such negative influences about motherhood and then when a woman became one she said it wasn't the end... it was the beginning. "Diapering Mom" a moving story of a mother who cared for her own mother till she died and of her mother she said "she let me help her die".

This is such an enjoyable book..read a few stories at a time, savor the meaning, share the joy, passion, and love with mothers as they bond in motherhood. ...MzRizz.

A beautiful, easy-to-read book that so quickly and eloquently highlights both the good and bad aspects of motherhood. Very true-to-life and a pleasure to read.

This is very much a CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL kind of book. The thing I liked most about it, as a busy mom, is that I can a) read a vignette or two quickly b) pick it up anytime c) read from a section that pertains to what is happening to me as a mother at this time. A very moving and honest book. Doesn't just reflect the "gushy wonderful" moments of motherhood. Also focuses on the hardships and disappointments... but the book is ultimately uplifting and filled with hope.

Enright makes her first foray into juvenile mystery as an element of this story. The Blakes have purchased Mrs. Brace-Gideon's old mansion, the Villa Caprice, just back from Gone-Away Lake, to be their summer home. The focus of the book is in their efforts to restore it--and in the children's quest to discover the hidden safe which (so their "Aunt" Minnehaha tells them) exists somewhere in the house. I always find myself wishing I could get my hands on a house like this one! Another splendid Enright, gloriously returned to print.

Elizabeth Enright is an extraordinary author. I've read three books by her (Gone Away Lake, Return To Gone Away, and The Four Story Mistake) and I wanted to know more about the families. I felt like I knew the characters. I appreciate what Miss Enright left for us.

I was happy to see this book, a few years back, as a part of a classroom reading set. I use it in my fifth grade classroom. The myterious setting, plot and unique but real characters with the yarns of the past, are beloved by fifth graders. The book is so popular I am down to fifteen copies. Our poor school district finally passed a levy and then I find its out of print. I hope that it comes back into print so I don't have to end this anxiously awaited reading.

This book is not just a great part of the chalet school series it is also great for educational purposes. Historical facts are spot on and still very valuable to the new generation.
Not to be missed - an essential edition to any Chalet School collection.

The Chalet School at Wat is my favourite book in the Chalet School series. The plot is really interesting and the characters seem to come alive while the Second World War changes the lives of everyone in the school. I think this book is not only a pleasant reading but it is also very informative. Its filled with historical information about how people lived during the war,in the years of blackouts and rationing. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys school stories or historical fiction. Even though it says in the amazon.com page that this book is aimed for children from 4-8 I think its rather wrong, I think this book is for kids 12 and up, but if parents wish to read it for the younger ones they will enjoy.

I simply love the Chalet School series and The Chalet School at War is my favourite book in the collection. The characters seem to come alive in the background of the Second World War. Besides the enchanting story ,The Chalet School at War is also very good as a resource for historical facts of the Europe in the blackout and rationing days. While reading it I felt as if I had been transported to England in the 1940's ,laughing and crying with the beloved Jo and the whole gang. If you like school stories or historical fiction dont miss this book because I bet you are going to love it! I think this book is aimed for kids 12 and up, but I think any child would enjoy it.

The pursuit of knowledge that gives us an understanding of factors that determine success in the market place has always considered "the firm" as the unit of analysis. This has been the case with microeconomics, game theory, competitive strategy and many such specialized areas of research. Cartels that manipulate supply and prices are perhaps an exception to this rule. If, instead of considering the firm as the unit, we consider a group of firms teaming together to collectively provide value to the customer and succeed as a unique identity as a unit of analysis, the methodology to understand competition would undergo a paradigm shift. This book is precisely about this concept as applicable to the automobile industry.

In the early half of the last century it was possible to go to the countryside for a picnic in a Ford Model T car, disassemble and reassemble it with a simple wrench and drive back home in the evening. Today we need computers to diagnose even a simple problem under the hood of cars tailor made to suit individual needs. Given the increase in complexity, explosion of technology and customer preferences, it is impossible for a single firm to ever think of manufacturing even half the components. (River Rouge will be remembered in history as the most ambitious plan of an automotive giant to make all parts of the automobile - including steel and timber from within the company. At best a fairy tale for kids of the twenty first century!).

This book is the summary of an excellent research study of the automobile industry in the 1990's with focus on Toyota and Chrysler. These companies have significantly different "governance structure" (the proportion of parts made in-house, procured from partner firms, and from arms'-length suppliers) from their competitors- GM and Ford. The firms that have a higher proportion of parts that are bought from partner suppliers have a clear edge over competitors that use arm's-length suppliers for the same parts. Extensive data has been collected, analyzed and tested to substantiate the statements made in the text.

Three characteristics that distinguish between partner suppliers from arm's length suppliers- Dedicated asset investments, Knowledge sharing routines and Inter-firm trust form the virtuous triangle that make these partnerships succeed. The results of such partnerships show clearly in tangible terms - Higher profitability per vehicle, better quality, faster time to market, and more new models for customers; the key parameters that enable Toyota and Chrysler to drive at top speed. "It 's not the big that eat the small but it's the fast that eat the slow".

Taking lessons from Toyota, Chrysler adopts concrete programs to consolidate its suppliers, integrate and partner with them to deliver higher value at lower cost to the customer.

Though this research is restricted to the automobile industry, the fundamental principles of "extended enterprise" can be extended across industries.

Highly recommended for all managers and a must read for those working in procurement processes. Next time your supplier drops in, think of this book and start a new relationship.

Having followed Dyer's other research, I think that this is a theoretically elegant piece of work. He builds further on his pieces in SMJ (with Singh from Wharton) and AMR and illustrates the concepts of relationship-based assets in firm networks. The running exemplar has he uses (Toyota) illustrates his theoretical arguments quite elonquently. The book also highlights the limitations of his concept of collaborative advantage, and his closing chapter illustrates how cultural differences (here with Benz) can keep this strategy from becoming reality. This book is not for folks looking for cut-out recipies. This book is a MUST for researchers and managers who like to think instead of searching for cookbooks! The concluding chapter is a gem because it highlights our gaps in knowledge. This is an excellent book, and having read Dyer's other works, it's high quality comes as very little surprise. Buy, own, read, reread, and profusely highlight your own copy! VERY highly recommended.

Jeffrey Dyer, an accomplished scholar and management teacher, has developed a cogent and sophisticated theory of extended enterprise management based on a wealth of empirical data from the history of Toyota in Japan and from his six-year study of Chrysler Corp. before its merger with Daimler-Benz. Beyond being a detailed and rigorous case study of the automobile manufacturing industry, Dyer's book presents an extremely valuable model for vertical integration. His model can be applied to other complex product industries, though he is honest about the limits of its applicability. This book provides a clear, effective blueprint for achieving value-chain collaboration. We [...] recommend it to consultants, executives in complex product industries and leaders in firms that supply components or materials. If you always suspected you were part of a greater whole, now you can be sure.

WOW!! This impressive book is for the person who desires to "optimize" their own health. Diana, a Registered Dietitian, and survivor of THREE episodes of cancer herself, discusses the on-going and evolving state of nutrition research and how she uses that information to determine her own "optimal diet" to treat/prevent cancer recurrence. She discloses how she has implemented good nutrition and complementary therapies into her everyday life. She shares her own recipes, serving sizes, sample menus, tips for eating 9+ servings of fruits and vegetables, recipe book sources, her own personal grocery list, dining-out tips, and newsletter, book & internet resource listings. Don't pass up this great help-yourself book!

When I started reading A Dietitian's Cancer Story, I found it so interesting, well written, and practical that I could not stop until I had finished. Then I thought, what a wonderful information resource from which many people around the world could benefit. It has been a pleasure for me to translate A Dietitian's Cancer Story into Spanish (Historia De Cancer De Una Dietista) which is also now available on Amazon.com. I admire Diana Dyer as a nutrition professional and also as a patient who has gone through a lot to be where she is now: helping many people. The field of cancer and nutrition has been enriched with the book A Dietitian's Cancer Story.

This would be a very helpful book for anyone who wants to improve her or his nutrition, regardless of whether they have cancer or not. The author starts out by teaching the reader how to have a well balanced diet - information everyone needs to know. One of the things I like best about the book is that she acknowledges that research on nutrition and cancer is incomplete, but then goes on to discuss how to include foods that have been shown to be possibly helpful in preventing cancer. The book is packed with useful information and helpful hints to make the dietary changes easier and more enjoyable. Reviewed by Patricia J. Anderson, MN, RN, Editor: Breast Cancer News, Author, Breast Cancer: A Patient Guide

Linda's work illuminates, sometimes with stark contrasts, her ability to see deeply into life and her amazing talent for letting the rest of us share those insights.
She manages to maintain delicate, beautiful balances between fear and freedom; prescription and time; comedy and life.

Linda Dyer is a true original --- entirely serious and entirely quirky, scientific and funny and tender. What she sees, she sees closely and clearly, but there is always a heartbreaking tension between the perception and the yearning. Almost anything, it seems, could make its imprint on her like sand on a beach: and if she turns her light on you, you will be seen both accurately and through a large and generous lens. Having the chance to wear Linda Dyer shades by reading her poems is a gift that will wrench and wreak joy out of you altogether.

Linda Dyer has a talent for capturing Life's intensity and describing it in all its gorgeous facets. She describes and clarifies moments we have all experienced and does it so unpretentiously, and with such accuracy, that she creates a reality that is more accessible to her readers.

This book is a must, not only for poetry lovers, but for all intelligent students of Life. Bravo, Linda Dyer, and thank you for a job well done.

John Dyer has written the fundamental biography of Joseph Wheeler. The work is a colorful, enjoyable read, which should be enjoyed by most -- it is most definitely NOT a dry, cardboard biography. All readers would enjoy the style in which Dyer writes.

Joseph Wheeler was a great American, perhaps overlooked somewhat in modern times due to his rather modest approach to life and duty. This approach seems to basically have been, 'put your head down, drive on, and perform one's Duty to the best of one's abilities, regardless of obstacles or consequences.' Wheeler upheld these principles throughout his life, having served in an astonishing number of military and political positions. He served as a Confederate Major General of Cavalry for much of the Civil War in the West. He became a planter, lawyer, and Congressman from North Alabama for much of the remainder of the 19th Century. Furthermore, he sought and gained a commission in the U.S. Army at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. Indeed, he would command the 5th Corps, 1st Cavalry Division during combat operations in Cuba. Famous figures that served under his command there included, Colonel Leonard Wood, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt of Rough Rider fame, as well as the 9th and 10th US Regular Cavalry Regiments (The Buffalo Soldiers), also including Jack Pershing, later to command the AEF during WWI. After his death, Wheeler was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and was one of only two former Confederate generals to have been granted that honor.

This book is highly recommended. Read it, and learn some more about a person that was truly representative of the great American Spirit, and whose life reflected an admirable and staunch observance of (and devotion to) Duty, Honor, and Country.

Dyer's book is one of the best I've seen regarding Joseph Wheeler.

Born in GA, raised in CT, obtaining his West Point commission from a NY senator, Wheeler was a product of both North and South. Robert E. Lee proclaimed that Wheeler was one of the two best cavalry commanders in the War Between the States (the other was J.E.B. Stuart) -- he was also one of the youngest, reaching the rank of Maj. Gen. at 26 years of age. While many of the old confederate commanders wasted away following the war, Wheeler became a prominent Congressman from Alabama, espousing reconciliation and industrialization within his section of North Alabama, this in order to overcome the ravages wrought by the war.

Wheeler had the distinction of being one of only two former Confederate general officers that LATER served at that rank for the US Army, this time during the Spanish-American War [Fitzhugh Lee (Robert E. Lee's nephew) was the other, although the war ended before Lee's troops could see action]. During the Cuban campaign, Wheeler had under his command such officers and men as Leonard Wood, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt (and the Rough Riders), "Black Jack" Pershing, and others that would gain prominence in later years.

Wheeler is one of the few (if not the only) high ranking former Confederate officers to have been granted the honor of being buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

His story deserves a unique place in the history of this nation.

This book is details the life of one extra ordinary man, General "Fightin" Joe Wheeler.It details his life as few bigraphies do. It details the the trumiphs and the failures. But in all of this you will see the chracter of the man ride high.He had the distinction of being both a Confederate General and also leading the US Voulunteers in Cuba and the Philippines. I would STRONGLY suggest buying this book for any history buff. He may not be as well known as Grant, Sherman, Lee or Longstreet, But his contribution to the History United States deserves to be known!

Geoff Dyer's The Colour Of Memory is an amazingly well-written first novel novel, perhaps more so for how it is written than for what actually takes place on the pages-more about this a bit later. The narrator of Colour Of Memory, plus five or six close friends are all young, university-educated and living a near-impoverished existence in a series of barely inhabitable South London, Council flats.

In Colour Of Memory, Dyer describes in beautifully vivid detail a series of intimate snapshots of life lived day to day on the margins of Thatcher's Britain in the mid-1980's. The novel begins with a kind of lost generation, Hemingway-esque line: "In August it rained all the time-heavy, corrosive rain from which only nettles and rusty metal derived refreshment". From this line onward, the tone is set with the narrator losing his low-paying, unengaging, government-sponsored job as well as being evicted from his Brixton apatment. Narrator and friends are all portrayed by the author with a wistful, near-biographical approach. Discussing the Darwinist, capitalist landscape of Tory-dominated Britain, listening to Maria Callas on a cloudy afternoon, arguing the merits of John Coltrane's sixties-era recordings, smoking strong dope on the roof of the narrator's flat, attending parties in dangerous neighborhoods and just scraping by while trying to nurture their separate, artistic ambitions. Without question, the characters of Colour Of Memory, narrator included, are all 1980's beatniks of one kind or another and the novel makes clear how quixotic a life this really is- living in a society and an atmosphere that values financial prowess and ordinary survival skills over creativity of any variety.

What takes place on the pages of Colour Of Memory is seemingly woven together with an invisible thread; there appears to be no obvious plot, rhyme or reason to the action. Yet, the reader is propelled forward through one shimmering vignette after another. One can't articulate why, one just seems to feel some connection to these people and therefore cares about what comes next, no matter the order of happenings. Colour Of Memory could be seen as self-indulgent and a tad mundane, but fortunately for the reader it easily escapes this fate by presenting itself as a compelling group of beautifully written recollections, sometimes sad, usually funny and certainly tracing the beginning of a great writer. Maybe Dyer summarized this novel before it even began with a quote from John Berger, probably his biggest influence: " What remains of our hopes is a long despair which will engender them again".

Geoff Dyer's first novel begins like a first novel and develops into an accomplished work in its own right as the story progresses. The reader follows a small clique of twenty-somethings in the bohemian London enclave of Brixton. The novel is not plot-based, but is instead intended to paint a picture of a particular place at a particular time while encouraging the reader to see his or her own life reflected.

I had a few minor complaints: the introduction of the characters at the beginning is a little awkward and seemed forced. When Dyer waxes prolific, making statements about the "Lost Generation," his writing takes on the cynical self-indulgence of Martin Amis which seems out of place with characters who are warm, likable people.

But once past all of this, and it doesn't take long, the book segues into a series of loving vignettes, carefully crafted and simultaneously personal and universal in character. We all remember pieces of events and it is the details that make memories vivid and important to us. Geoff Dyer captures this in writing that is wispy and urban at the same time.

One can see his future writing ("Out of Sheer Rage" and "Paris Trance") foreshadowed in much of this and although I recommend starting with those two, in that order, any fan of Dyer's style will fall in love with this novel as well.

What can you say of a book that starts with the line - "In August, it rained all the time."? Literary connotations of rain, as in Hemingway's 'A Farewell to Arms' immediately come to mind. It is safe to assume that Dyer is well aware of the build-up he is creating - indeed he draws on Hemingway (The Sun Also Rises) later in his book when one of his characters says "We are all a lost generation".

Within the first few pages after this remarkable line, the protagonist is thrown out of his 'rented' house, loses his job, and soon has his car stolen. In other words he is set up for re-entering the 'other life'. Through him, Dyer leads us into the 'other world', the 'other view' of life.

In a high-pitched discussion at a drunk party, one of his main characters, Steranko, makes a crisp speech about how he is involved in some of the most important political work of his time- "I don't eat at McDonalds.., I don't see [s**t] films, if someone is reading a tabloid-I try to make sure that I don't see it.., when people talk of house prices, I don't listen...!". This aversion to mass activities and interests is the underlying theme of the book.

The small group of friends that 'rides together' in Brixton is in a world of its own. They think their own thoughts, discuss the most important and most trivial issues of life amongst themselves,and play their own invented card games. Their perspective on life, though impractical at times, is fresh and often throws insights into life that 'normal' people 'who buy houses' miss.

Dyer's excellence at his craft keeps the book rolling at a perfect pace without any overt plot, moving from one snapshot of the city's life in the 1980s to another. The structure of the book is itself a rebellion against conventional forms of the novel. As Freddie, the wannabe author says about his own book "Oh no, there's no plot. Plots are what get people killed."! Maybe not as challenging as James Joyce's "Finnegans Wake", but certainly a refreshing way to look at the concept and structure of a novel.

In many ways, the rebellion of his characters and their unacceptance of conventional wisdom, is reminiscent of J.D.Salinger's Holden Caulfield (The Catcher in the Rye). The issues change, the age group and geography is different, but the cynicism with which the protaganists in each book regard accepted human occupations is similar.

There is a need to run away from it all. The book actually culminates with the break up of the group which starts with Freddie's sudden decision to leave the country.

In all a wonderful, painful book, that lets you in to life on the other side. A book to hold when you remember similar phases in your life, or are going through one. A book that raises several important questions, and probes us to think of answers.

Ah, the next installment in the Kodocha series. I don't recommend this book to anyone who:
-doesn't like manga (don't see why anyone wouldn't though)
-for some reason doesn't like stories that can make you laugh and cry all at the same time
-has depth and humor
-doesn't want to find themselves absolutely obsessed with a manga.
I would have to say that Kodocha is perhaps one of my most favorite mangas out there, and Miho Obana is one of my most favorite manga-ka. This story follows the adventures of semi-star actress Sana Kurata in a shoujo adventure that is goes far beyond that of any other shoujo manga. The main character isn't fluffy and sugary innocent, but wild and adventurous with such a lovable personality. She's weird, and the character you just want to root for, and I think that's one of the things that makes Kodocha so amazing. You find yourself falling in love with the characters, not wanting to hate anyone of them. They are not without flaws, or reasons, everything follows through and in the end you just want Sana to be with her true love (not gonna say who that is though, got to find out for yourself). I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good story, in your face humor, and story that doesn't make children into sweet innocent angels, but shows them as they really are, curious monsters wanting more than anything to belong and grow up, but still in need of someone to take care of them. The relationships tug at your heartstrings, and if anything; you'll find yourself laughing the whole way through. I never cease to find myself amazed at how well Miho Obana wrote this story and how perfectly Sarah Dyer translated it. I love Kodocha and am totally hooked (driving myself insane looking and waiting for book 7 and beyond) and I guarantee that once your pick up this book and read it you will find yourself completely hooked as well. The story never grows old as well, I still find myself reading the books I do have over and over. A must have for any fan of manga, or someone just looking for a good read.

Well, the first review makes it sound very flat and boring, but really there's a lot more depth to the plot and subplots than that. Again, both serious and funny, this is a very faceted book, and, I think, much better than the first one. (More character exploration, less violence.) Sorry. "Character exploration" makes it sound stuffy; it's not. It's just that, even the funny or previously nasty characters seem to take on more personality, more real-ness.
That first review makes Rei (her manager) sound cruel. He's not. He's much kinder than it sounds -- a very interesting character.

For people who read manga, the stories are far more variable, and can be much deeper, more mature, and dramatic than an American comic could ever hope to be... Or, some manga can be completely insane and hyper. Sometimes, the best gems are those that are able to do more than one thing at the same time. Such is Kodocha... What sets Kodocha apart from many "shoujo" ("for girls" - but it doesn't matter, many guys like it too) manga is that it is able to be completely comedic and spastic on one hand and very serious on the other. While bopping people with squeaky toy hammers, Sana, our heroine, then goes on to deal with something like, for example, child abuse. Really, how many stories can do this well? To avoid SPOILING (like an unfortunate review preceding this), I'll just say that this is a wonderful manga series, and well worth picking up.