I strongly recommend this heartwarming book written from a child's point of view in the beginning. Later on, as the boy grows, the reader gets acquainted with his myriad of experiences and encounters with various people and animals. In the end, the reader is filled with a sense of peace and serenity as all comes to a close. This book had me laughing, crying, smiling, cringing, and recalling the times of growing up.

A very good book coming from a time long removed from what we currently have. It really defines the kind of people that settled this country or mayby not...... read the book

Mosher is a brilliant storyteller. His characters are too real to be fictional! This ranks as one of my top ten favorites.

Truth can be a like an LSD trip (so I hear), just the right amount can make life appear more colorful, simpler, more free. In excessive doses truth, like LSD, can drive you crazy! Meet Martha Horgan, the most honest lunatic in Atkinson. Through Marth's experience we learn that the plain, simple truth is neither plan nor simple and in many cases not welcome. We also learn that many people reshape and rearrange facts to develop a truth that they can live with.

Although I have a great deal of admiration for the writing ability of Morris, I must admit that A Dangerous Woman was a rather laborious read, the superb dialogue couldn't compensate for the predictable plot. I recommend the book for corporate professionals and attorneys, both groups notorious for reconstructing facts to suit personal agendas. For a better view of Morris' work, read Vanished.

I was first introduced to Mary McGarry Morris when Oprah chose Songs in Ordinary Time. I loved both of these books. Martha was such a vivid character and I could actually feel each emotion as she experienced it. Well-written, descriptive, and haunting. The ending made me cry, I was so emotionally involved by then that I felt like I should be trying to help Martha! This was a quick read and I was enthralled from the start.

A Dangerous Woman is a rich characterization of a woman in need of love, support, understanding, security and warmth. This novel is one of the most brilliant that I've read so far this year and it's now the tenth month. The extra-ordinary depth of it's author, Mary McGarry Morris in her understanding of the heroine is outstanding and she delivers her punches with passion and tenacity. We follow Martha through her ordeals, from teenage insecurity through to early thirties bewilderment. We grope blindly along, knowing that there is a tragedy coming and wishing that we could avert it, but it's impending doom is fate and Martha must face hers alone. While Martha can be annoying, gratingly stubborn and insensitive, most of the time she is written about in such a way that you just want to wrap her in your arms and protect her to save her from herself. The novel left me with the huge provocation of how we are in control of our destinies and how we affect those that witness our lives around us. I can't rate this novel high enough. It's compelling, absorbing and brilliantly written and can teach you things about yourself that you may not already know. A must read on anyone's list. I loved it!

Don't get me wrong, this book wasn't bad. I just felt that it never got the spark that distinguishes an "okay" book from a really good book.

First of all, it seemed to me that the book was really slow-moving. It didn't take me that long to finish the entire book, but I think it was halfway before I felt that the book really got moving.

Robbie was a problem for me as well. There are some characters that you come to love, and some that you just want to hate, but Robbie just seemed lukewarm to me, and it took me awhile to even like him enough to care very much what was happening. Besides this, Robbie can take the time to become philisophical, much older for his years, such as in his musings about how "Violet" got changed to "Vile", etc, but can't seem to figure out up from down in other instances.

There are quite a few things that seem extraneous, and don't help to move forward the plot very well.

The other thing that irks me is that Robbie's father is JUST TOO PERFECT. I know that he's the preacher, etc, but nobody is THAT perfect.

A book by Katherine Paterson is always difficult to judge. The main reason is because she has written a truly great book--"Bridge to Terabithia"--and a number of others that are nearly as great. Because of this, there is a tendency to be a tougher judge of her books as if every new novel should be a masterpiece. Fortunately, Ms. Paterson lives up to the challenge time after time.

I am constantly amazed at how well Ms. Paterson is able to write in the voice of young person, creating very realistic characters. Though a bit older myself these days, I can identify very well with Robbie as he stuggles with the difficulties in his life. I am particularly impressed with the depiction of Robbie's relationship with his father and how he struggles to understand him. Also, the difficulties he has in being himself while at the same time trying to be the son of a good man who has an important and public job in his hometown.

Though I don't think any good book is really gender-specific to an active reader, I can see where young boys would find this book speaking to them a little more. Still, I would encourage anyone with a love of good literature to read this book. It is a stong depiction of an interesting character.

At first I was skeptical about this book because in the beginning of the book Robbie and Willie just play pranks on the other townspeople. I soon realized I was wrong. It was jam-packed with action,adventure,love and care. It made me feel as though I was joining Robbie on his big adventures. This book is thrilling and is a must-read. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age. This was a swell read.

I really like Mayor's books, however, after the first three where the plot was built around someone being framed, I was beginning to lose interest. No one is framed in this one, and the action moves right along. It gets a little confusing at the end, but overall , a good read.

I HAD NEVER READ THIS AUTHOR BEFORE. THIS BOOK IS NOT ONE TO BE PUT DOWN. THE STORY WAS CLEAR, THOUGH TWISTING, CHARACTERS VERY ALIVE. I HAVE READ MYSTERIES FOR 30 YEARS NOW AND DID NOT FIGURE THIS ONE OUT--I HAD TO READ THE ENDING!

All of Archer Mayor's books have a gripping story line. Although the stories are first class, the pictures drawn with words as the story unfolds are the best that I have ever encountered. The magnificent metaphors can create, in less than one sentence, images that may take other authors pages. Although each book is independent in and of itself, I enjoy reading the stories in sequence. There is a steady progression in character development and interpersonal relationships as we go from story to story.

If you are a mystery fan, I am sure that you will enjoy the entire series as much as I have. If you are a student taking a course in creative writing, I don't think that you will find a better word artist than Archer Mayor.

This has been the best book that I have ever read. In fact I have bought copies for all my relatives for Christmas this year. It is the type of book that you can't put down until the end. The author is truly talented and brings the story to life. I can't wait for her next book to be ready. Keep up the great work!

I found myself glued to the novel right away. What a fantastic plot! The characters really come alive and grip you throughout the advanture. Prepare yourself to forget everything else but immersing yourself in the small New England town of Sawyer's Crossing. It was truely a really good read!

What a wonderful novel! I couldn't put it down till I had read it from cover to cover. I suggest you start reading it on the weekend. That way you won't coming to work looking like something the cat drag in! It was great that Kelly was someone that I could relate to. Finally a woman that has a brain and wasn't afraid to use it! Can't wait to read her next novel, Sugar Creek Inn!!

Mr. Heffernan's tale hinges on an arcane Vermont racial law that stipulates a person is "white" after three generations of intermarrying. It is informally called "bleached." This describes the narrator, Samuel.

A white man, gruesomely murdered, is found on [the] Hill, which sets the stage for the tragic events that follow. The town does not "divide" on racial lines; it seems unanimously convinced that the Negroes living on the Hill are guilty. Violence begets more violence in spite of the efforts of Constable Samuel and Sheriff Frenchy LeMay. The climax is a blood bath on the Hill.

Mr. Heffernan is obviously a craftsman at setting mood and sparkling descriptions. He handles dialogue like a master. However, I found the unremitting phonetic spelling of the so-called back woods accent tiresome. In spite of the dark theme, Frenchy and larger-than-life Jehiel Flood both display a marvelous sense of humor. Some readers might well be offended at some of the scatological language; however, it rings true and reaffirms the escalating hatreds. The names conferred on many of the characters are priceless. I particularly liked Perserved Firman (the name, not the character. He is the arch-villain.)

My main problem was with the narrator, Samuel. The novel is written in the first person so Samuel is your window to the world. Samuel is nothing if not complex, but I found him unreliable and basically unlikable. He is self-absorbed to the extent that he only sees himself through what he perceives as the constant scrutiny of others. There is no question he suffered hardships and vilification, yet I was fundamentally unmoved. The lyrical, italicized erotic passages seemed somehow out of place. I questioned how an entire town could line up in support of an obviously vicious, obscene, mad dog Perserved Firman. The mysterious Elizabeth remained just that to me-mysterious.

I will read another by Mr. Heffernan. His talent is unmistakable and perhaps I will enjoy it to the fullest in another type of novel.

I picked it out of my library at random and was pretty much blown away. very beautiful writing, completely different and interesting subject. A wonderful book that should be read by lots of people. i've never really read a book like it. i loved the writing.

This book by Mr. Heffernan takes place in the early 1930's in Jerusalem's Landing, Vermont. A white man is found on Beulah Hill murdered by multiple stabbings from a pitchfork. Jehiel Flood who is one of the black families left in the county owns Beulah Hill. Samuel Bradley is the local constable in charge of the investigation and he is considered bleached instead of white by law. This is making the townspeople angry because they have made up their mind that it was the black folks on the Hill that killed Royal Fermin and don't think that Samuel Bradley is the man to do the investigation. They think he could be prejudiced against the white folks in the community and will not find the real killer of Royal Fermin.

Samuel has had to enlist the help of Frenchy LeMay to help in determining who might have caused the death of young Royal and also to take some the heat off him because the white folks are saying Constable Bradley might be favoring the Negroes. In their quest to find the killer a lot of unrest is taking place between the whites and the blacks of Jerusalem Landing.

Also in this mix is a Negro woman by the name of Elizabeth, that is the local schoolteacher, and Samuel has been in love with her since he was a young boy. I believe the mystery is secondary to the story of Samuel discovering whether he is white or black and what that means to him.

This was a very gripping story and I loved the characters and was very saddened that this could have been the way of life in the 1930's during the depression when like was already tough on everyone. I will be looking for other books by Mr. Heffernan because he writes descriptively and I could actually feel and see Beulah Hill. This is definitely a five star book.

Karen Hesse, Newberry Medal winner for Out of the Dust, returns to free verse to capture the trauma the inhabitants of a sleepy Vermont town of 1924 experience at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan. This powerful drama is revealed through the voices of eleven townsfolk who evolve as the action unfolds. While at first the Klan is almost welcomed in the Prohibition-era town since they represent a kind of morality, their motives are quickly revealed and the town struggles in the aftermath of their actions regarding the youngest members of the town, Leanora Sutter, a twelve-year old African-American girl, and Esther Hirsh, a six-year old girl, who is Jewish. Hesse has added real-life events to the voices of the characters, which gives readers greater historical context. Younger readers who are unfamiliar with this era may need support with the history and issues of the time period. The verse is divided into five acts and would be fine for a reader's theater production. (Ages 12 and older)

Witness, written by Karen Hesse, is a book that will take you out of this world. This is a story that tells you about the Ku Klux Klan. No one in the town is safe, especially a twelve-year-old, African American girl named Leonora Sutter and a six-year-old Jewish girl, named Esther Hirsh. The Klan takes over Vermont and threatens to kill everyone. No one knows if the Ku Klux Klan is bad or good, so people keep joining the group. Then, by the end of the book, the people in Vermont realize that the Klan is bad and the government says no to the group when they ask to do business there. The reason for this title is because everyone in the book witnessed each other. I enjoyed reading this book very much. It tells about past historical facts and stories that I know you will enjoy. I would definitely rate this book five stars. It was fun to read and interesting to learn from.

In a small town in Vermont, something is coming to life. The Klu Klux Klan is gathering followers. Will twelve year old Leonora Sutter survive the racicisim? Or will the town be surrounded by hatred? Six year old Esther Hirsh, a Jewish girl, is experiencing something she can't understand, but will help her in life. You can tell exactly what is happening, because of the characters unique way of speaking. They talk with their opinion, and are not afraid to speak what they feel. Will the town work together to have a friendship of a lifetime? When each character talks, something new enters the book. It could be he great way Karen hesse writes to keep you intrested in the book. This book makes you think. It makes you peel away the obvious, and look for the real meaning that means more. I would recomend this book to any of my friends, or anyone. This book explains what really went on in the early 1920s in great detail. This book will change your mind about reading.

In a small town with few problems and low crime, the death of a friend and fellow pediatrician stuns a practice, a town, and throws all rules out of the window. Add to this the secrets that it seems all people keep, and once things start coming to light, you aren't sure if you want to cry with them, or wish you were a character in the story to help hold everyone together.

While I enjoyed the book so much that I read it straight through, I felt that B. Delinsky portrayed the women in this book as being controlling to the point of not being able to see their own lives and the inevitable lonely paths that they were choosing in their shortsightedness, until, of course, the men around them were able to "bring them to their senses." This may be the typical theme in many romance novels, but usually it isn't so obvious in Ms. Delinsky's books, so in this way I was disappointed.

Otherwise though, it had mystery, wrongdoing, some knights in shining armor, even princesses and queens in shining armor, and some tasteful steamy romance scenes. All in all, it was a great book, it just had that one downside to it...

After surviving a suicide in my own family, I could really relate to the characters in this novel. B. Delinsky really hit on the feelings and emotions involved for survivors of suicide. I missed the characters when I was finished with the book!

This is the first book of Delinsky's that I have read, and it won't be the last. First, I loved the fact that, besides the main story, there were two additional storylines that intertwined with the main story. The characters were well rounded. Second, when friend and co-worker Mara dies, those closest to her are forced to take a long look at their lives and what they want from them. This was one of the best books I've read in a while. I am looking forward to reading more of Delinsky's books.

Sorry but I just didn't like Three Wishes, I like Barbara Delinsky and think she's a terrific writer but I just didn't enjoy Three Wishes and thought it was a very weird story!

This was the first book I've read by Barbara Delinsky, on a recommendation of a co-worker. I thought the beginning was slow going, and found that some of her wording throughout the book was a bit redundent, (I've never seen the phrase What with used so many times in one book). Maybe thats just being nitpicky, but I found it to be a bit dull.
As for the characters, did anyone else want Jane or Bree to punch Dotty right in the face. I mean, that lady was just evil! It was very unsatisfying for me when Verity finally dropped off her baby gift for Tom, and was made to leave the house by Dotty. Someone should have told that woman wher to go. I also had Julia figured out during her talk with Tom in the garden.
The ending did make me cry, how could it not? But I'm not sure I would try another one of her books for a while. I think I need something really funny to bring me back up.

That is what a Delinsky novel reminds me of. I have yet to read one that hasn't brought tears to my eyes. THREE WISHES is set in a small Vermont town where the inhabitants are like family. It is here that the author quckly pulls you into the lives of the characters that will soon step from the pages of this book right into your heart.

Bree Miller is the beloved daughter of the town, with no living family to speak of, and she is about to meet with a near fatal occurrence that will leave her with three wishes. Our story takes off from here with unsuspected twists and turns that brings happiness as well as sadness to all involved.

Written with a bit of mysticism and a what if sense to it, this book was quite enjoyable and sentimental in a Nicholas Sparks sort of way. Kelsana 6/9/02

This was the kind of book that left me thoughtful and satisfied like those books I read in my teens on Saturday mornings curled up and never going downstairs to start the day. I can't wait for Hummel to write more books. She mixes insight and poetry well. It is as if she talked first hand with those who recalled specific Civil War experiences and then wrote them into this novel.

there are few civil war novels that stand above the crowded field. most hobble themselves with buddy-picture-like male cameraderie that fails to invoke the true spirit of an age that at least for the middle and upper middle class was more concerned with the etherial and transcendant than back slapping brotherhood. ms. hummel evokes the suffering, the dread, the gothic din and the warmth of the period better than any recent effort.

This is a good rainy weekend book, full of enough gory battles to keep you
riveted and enough warm domestic scenes to stop you from feeling guilty for
sipping your third hot chocolate. Beautiful writing, great historical
detail.