First, let me say that Mr. Mayor certainly knows police procedure. I don't know if his background is in law enforcement or not (mine is not) but the whole thing sounds very convincing to me. The story concerns Lt. Joe Gunther of the Brattleboro Vt. police department and his attempts to unravel the murder of Benny Travers, one of Brattleboro's less savory citizens. All the signs begin to point to an Asian gang invasion of Brattleboro and the surrounding communities and Mr. Mayor leads us convincingly through the process that Lt. Gunther takes to solve the murder.

Mr. Mayor is a good writer and his sense of place is very strong, however I found the writing very un-emotional. It almost seems as if you're reading a police report rather than a fictional mystery. There is also a large cast of characters and it's sometimes hard to keep them straight. Especially since many of the characters in this book or oriental with both their given names and their anglicized names used interchangeably.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, with some reservations. If you like police procedure this book is excellent. I don't think Mr. Mayor takes any liberties at all with reality when he describes what Lt. Gunther has to go through to not only conduct his investigation but to appease the beauracracy in his own department. So it's a very realistic book. However, if you like a more slam-bang approach (which I admit, I do) you may find this book just a tad tedious.

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.

As a former prosecutor who has read many mysteries over the years I look for more than just an entertaining read these days. Authenticity and character development are very important. Joe Gunther's persona is so well developed that you can understand his actions--he doesn't jump out of character to suit the plot line. This novel (and Mayor's others) are carefully researched with a strong sense of place. Moreover, Mayor shares some keen insights about law enforcement that show a rare understanding of its compexities.

Archer Mayor is to be praised for his precise clarity. To make the average reader understand that a search warrant improperly executed makes everything found (up to and including murder weapons), null, void and inadmissible as evidence is a difficult concept, yet Mr. Mayor succeeds. His writing is so realistic; we are as disappointed as the police.

Brattleboro VT police detective Joe Gunther's very special lady friend of fifteen years (Joe is nothing if not a careful man), Gail is brutally raped over a three-hour period not long after Joe has left her house. Joe is enraged, guilt-stricken, and stunned. Gail is shattered, but fortunately is being taken care of by her highly experienced women's group. Though Gail can barely speak, she indicates she wants Joe in charge of the case. The majority of his fellow policemen and all of his superiors try to discourage him from attempting this dual role as clear-eyed, impartial cop and Gail's distraught comforter.

After some brilliant police work, a clear trail leads to a thoroughly despicable scumbag who has all the right credentials. A search of his house solidifies his guilt. An aborted arrest attempt leaves Joe in a coma after suffering abdominal stab wounds from the suspected man. To add to this unfortunate turn of events, it is found the warrant was improperly served and the assailant cannot be tried for the rape. (A silver lining, of course, is that he CAN be tried for attempted murder.) After Joe staggers back on duty, it begins to look as if the rapist must be someone else. Joe is further knocked about, bounced on his head, and shot, but justice is eventually served.

The book is very tightly and skillfully written. I had a few qualms about Joe and Gail. They were so lofty in their sentiments, understanding and goals, they seemed to me to belong on pedestals in the park rather than ordinary (if superior) people. I was as dubious as everyone else in Brattleboro about the propriety of Joe taking the lead in the investigation. Think a lot less mayhem would have ensued with Joe being left on the bench. Then there were Joe's remarkable recuperative abilities. I couldn't help but wince every time he tore his stitches out anew while grappling with the bad guys.

This is one hard-boiled mystery that I admire the craft more than the probability. Grade: B-

Detective Joe Gunther's girl friend has been raped. All clues point to convicted rapist Bob Vogel and Gunther leads the police in hunting Vogel down. But Gunther is almost killed by Vogel, and as Gunther recupurates from the near-fatal stabbing he takes a closer look at the evidence and begins to have doubts. Could it be that they've got the wrong man behind bars and the real rapist is still out there ready to strike again?

Like all of Mayor's Gunther novels the police work is believable as are the characters. The dialog is well done and Mr. Mayor has a way of grounding us in place in Brattelboro Vermont and shows us how a small town really works. If you like a good mystery and especially police procedurals this whole series is good with this book perhaps the pick of the litter.

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.

Once again Oprah turned me onto a great author. Having read Jewel and being impressed, I looked into Lott's other works. This is the first on my list. I enjoyed the book, even though reading something from 1987 can often be disapppointing. I enjoyed the characters of Rick, his friends and Paige. The only thing I'd change is add a little more rememberences of Rick's and Paige's relationship. I'd like to get to know Paige a little better. I recommend giving this book a shot!

This is one of the most underrated novels in the past decade. Not only was it entertaining but it reshaped my own life as well. The story had a surrealism to it that cannot be described. Even though I read the book about five years ago I still think about the characters and wonder if their marriage is still holding up. You know you read something great when memories of the book still arise from time to time.

Bret Lott stands out as a storyteller because he writes about people who could be your next door neighbors enduring things that could actually happen to you or someone you know. And his characters handle things just as awkwardly as you & I would as well. But they are like the characters of Anne Tyler and Elizabeth Berg--not easily forgotten. I love an author who really brings his characters into a full three dimension life. Oh, and don't forget your kleenex when you read this.

In my M.Ed. program, Garrett Keizer was the best of the assigned reading. He does a wonderful job of discussing the day-to-day and larger theoretical issues of high school teaching, and his sense of humor makes the book compelling and readable. Though his agenda may be heavy handed at times, anyone who has thoughts on the state of public school education in the US should read this.

In No Place But Here, Keizer expounds on life in rural Vermont from the viewpoint of a rural English teacher. His views on rural education covered thoughts on students, teachers, administration, politics, community, and parents. Through his writing, readers get the sense that he loves his community, his students, and his work. As a rural teacher, this is inspiring and interesting to me because so often rural schools are ignored while the public goes about discussing suburban schools vs. the inner city. I don't agree with everything Keizer had to say, but he had many good, thoughtful points, and I found myself underlining and making comments in the margins on several occasions, even though the book was a pleasure read.

Holding a lantern before his readers, Keizer escorts them through a rural landscape that is filled with a raw beauty that is masterfully contained within his plaintive language. This important book should be read by all, whether lay or religious, academic or professional--it will challenge you to view (and value) the intrinsic worth of your own lives...as well as others'.

With painstaking attention to details of American history, Richard Conde has created "Shelburne, VT", a novel that offers sci-fi excitement, a moral play, and well-developed characters. Using historical events with a focus on New England and upstate New York, the author shares his love of history, geography, and the philosophical questions of moral codes and man's freedom of choice. The format of the book incorporates chapters of historical background in which the time travelers are drawn, adding a sense of reality to their exploits. The final chapters present a moral dilemma to be solved by the travelers. Mankind's inherent goodness is upheld.

Although I've never reviewed a book before, I guess there's always a first time. This book of science fiction was what all Star Trekkies would enjoy. It is fast moving, believeable and exciting. I found myself in the book experiencing it as the drama unfolds. Mr Condi, the author writes with clarity and holds you with all the excitement that a wonderful author can do. I'm sure athere will be many books to come and I for one will be reading all of the. I feel it should be on the New York Times best seller list. My final comment is to those who have never read it is, " read and enjoy, very few books are of this caliber.

Although, I generally do not read science fiction books, this one held my interest from beginning to end. I just finished it and am anxious to pass it on to friends & family so that we may discuss it. Itwas fascinating to follow the author's manipulation of history, technology & religion. In some ways it was similar to the movie "Run Lola Run", which also deals with "what ifs". This book will not be easily forgotten, nor wouldthat be my desire.

Rebecca Gilman is a true dramatist of ideas, and hence very adept at pulling the rug out from under an audience's feet. In "Spinning Into Butter" she subverts the otherwise smooth workings of current American identity politics with her stage writer's sure instinct that individuals, circumstances and motives alter cases. Though much of the published commentary on the play singles out merely one liberal's "confession" of racism, it is fairer to the play, I think, to recognize that the dramatist sees all her characters in their different ways as racists, those who arbitrarily privilege themselves or other members of formerly oppressed or ignored groups as much as those who covertly oppose them. In such an environment, the playgoer finally has to ask, "Are the characters (and by extension we ourselves) incapable of seeing particular persons as individuals, or have we all been rendered crazy by the imperatives of groupthink?" Equally disturbing, the college at which the play takes place is one where those who prosper, whether students or administrators, are simply those most savvy at whacking a system set up by money grubbers bent on student retention and their odd allies, the thought police. From such an environment, the more sensitive and intelligent must either flee or else be banished. Gilman's insights here bear affinities to those in recent campus novels by Philip Roth, Francine Prose, and J. M. Coetzee where rightist bottom line considerations are shown to have joined forces with leftist PC dictates straight out of the Chinese Cultural Revolution to produce startling new hells. The story of "Little Black Sambo," which gives the play its title, is a marvelously apt and ironic controlling metaphor for this dramatic action. Finally, if the play has any weakness, I would say it is a certain pallid quality arising from an absence of particular depth or memorableness in any of the characters. At least in reading, none of the parts seems to be a fully written dramatic role to which different actors might bring different insights and emphases. Nevertheless, Rebecca Gilman has succeeded in having complex ideas emerge with naturalness during the course of a dramatic action of wit and vitality. For this, she deserves high praise indeed.

George Bernard Shaw once said "I was taught when I was young that if people would only love one another, then all would be well with the world. This seemed good and very nice but I found that when I went into the world and tried to put it into practice; not only that the world was seldom lovable...but that I was not very lovable myself." This quotation applies directly to Gilman's important new work. Sarah is the dean of students at a mostly white university. When controversy occurs, Sarah begins to examine herself. Sarah's personal battle with the darkness within herself is perhaps a battle that we should all take up. read it!

I think this play is an important play, that should be read by everyone who lives and engaged life.

If a person is looking for a text book this is a great one. It has a lot on photos, graphics and stories. But it is for reading at a desk, not on a plane.

I like it. Now I'm going to be a Vermont Historian

This among the very few books I have experienced which combine exceptional beauty with information of urgent importance. As this volume indicates, no other state is lovelier than Vermont. Few others have a more interesting historty. But as Lyman Orton correctly indicates in the Foreword, the reader can also "take away some lessons about what determines land use, and what economic, social, cultural, and environmental consequences land-use choices may have." The reader is then urged to become involved in her or his community's efforts "to define its future, while realizing that the future's scenarios are written by today's actions." True enough. What's at stake? Examine the wealth of photographs provided in Chapter 1 and in subsequent chapters. Such natural beauty could indeed be compromised...as it has already been in so many other areas throughout the United States.

By examining the almost 400-year history of the Vermont landscape, Chapters 2-5, Albers suggests that the values of the past can be betrayed by what is done (and not done) now. Thus can the future be pre-determined, for better or worse. To have "hands on the land" is to have the power to determine its fate. That is as true of neighborhoods in the inner-city as it is of villages in Vermont. All are communities at risk.

Almost everyone will enjoy experiencing this beautiful as well as informative book. It is "must reading" for anyone involved in decisions which concern land use, and especially those decisions which have significant economic, social, cultural, and environmental consequences.

Rarely has a volume of such physical grace and beauty contained such an important and topical message. I picked up my copy after returning to Vermont for a long weekend, and found the text both forceful, dynamic and informative, artistically combined with beautiful illustrations. Not a hagiography, and avoiding the temptation to airbrush the realities of Vermont into a pastiche of the country idyll in Yankee New England, Jan Albers has created an immensely readable but intellectually rigorous study of the development and land-use choices that Vermonters have made since the Abenaki were disturbed by white settlers.

This alone would be enough to qualify "Hands on the Land" for a place on the bookshelves of students of land-use and concerned citizens in rural and semi-rural areas everywhere. That this study is so accessible and lavishly illustrated, (much in the style of the latest offerings from the OUP History of England series) commends it to the broadest possible audience. In fact, I was so taken with this that I bought two - one for my mother, a native and transplanted Vermonter, and one for me - your bookshelf will be a richer and happier place with a copy!

This is the first cokbook I have read cover-to-cover...recipes, philosophy, little stories of the town and the people who live in Plainfield, Vermont. I loved it all. But the best thing about the book is the recipes. We have made the barbeque sauce and dry rub, barbeque chicken and soup, the Really Big biscuits (twice!), shaken potatoes, granola, the blueberry pancakes, summer salad and Russian tea. (Nashvillians call this elixir "Tea Punch.") Catfish Jambalaya is simmering on the stove at this very moment. Every thing we have made has been wonderful. A couple of things separate this cookbook from others: 1. The portions are enormous, allowing for ample leftovers, even with our family of two adults and two teenagers. 2. Many of the recipes use the leftovers. (BBQ chicken becomes the basis for BBQ chicken and rice soup, for instance.) 3. The story of Plainfield and its townspeople--from the artists to the aging hippies to the gas company guys to the cops--is woven in to the book. The authors treat the readers as if they are stopping in for a meal and might like to be a little up to date on the other folks who are eating with them. 4. The food is plain, easy-to-make and serve. It is flavorful, not pretentious, quite a bit like receiving a beloved family recipe as a gift. So, if you are hankering for some hush puppies, Coca-Cola cake or some pulled pork (and who isn't?), this will become a special cookbook in your collection.

Interesting concept. Surround down home Southern recipes with photos and snippets from far northern daily life. Studs Turkel in a deep south kitchen. It works. While you're shelling crawfish or cleaning catfish you're oddly receiving a debriefing on the Plainfield, Vermont road foreman's 4AM struggle with last night's snowstorm. It kind of adds a northern spice to the catfish souffle. My cooking fool sister in New Jersey, to whom I sent this cookbook as partial thanks for helping our parents get through their deep end game, tells me that the five or so recipes she's whipped up have all worked spectacularly. She and her family of five REALLY like the catfish massaged into their breakfast. So do I. But I just have to drive ten miles to get it served up for me. Location! Location!

.... Why would you want to buy this book? Because it is southern hospitality at its best; never mind that the restaurant is in Vermont. As a Yankee who migrated to the south over 30 years ago, I enjoyed reading this cookbook, trying many of the recipes (everything seems accurate so far), and vicariously participating in the social pleasantries that are an everyday part of southern life. You do feel as though you know both the proprietors and the customers of this wonderful eating establishment...they are real people. I see that as a plus. And despite it's social orientation, it is first and foremost a cookbook. One word of warning: the recipes are full of buttermilk, sugar, crawfish, soup beans, and red meat. If you're wanting to lower your cholesterol, this probably will not meet your needs. However, if you like great comfort food and don't like to eat alone, this cookbook might be just what you're looking for.

This is by far the worst cookbook in my collection. I consider myself to be a decent cook, producing beautiful and delicious results from recipes in all of the other books in a rather large collection.

Every single item (save one) tested from "In a Vermont Kitchen" has been nothing but disaster! The "Cranberry Nut Pumpkin Bread" does NOT need to bake for 90 minutes. A Cranberry Nut Brick is what came out of my oven ten minutes short of that time. "Drunken Apple Chicken" is the only meal I have ever literally pitched into the trash and then reached for the phone to call the pizza man. "Maple Magic Mousse?" Not magical. The recipe doesn't tell you where to add in the gelatin, resulting in a little too much experimentation for my taste, not to mention a disappointing result. Cranberry Apple Conserve was satisfactory, but today's recipe was the last straw for this book. "Brie Pizza with Apple Onion Sauce" - the apple onion mixture is truly disgusting! After following the instructions to the letter, I have a limp and gross-looking mess that I would not want to feed to my dog, let alone put on a pizza shell for my guests later this evening...

I have always been suspect of cookbooks that carry beautiful covers. Often the treats inside cannot live up to the magical picture the eye is first drawn to. This book has forever changed that suspicion. From page one I felt wrapped up in the honest, poetic style with which Amy Lyon has painted upon these pages. Suddenly I was not in Ohio experimenting with a recipe, I was in a small farmhouse smelling a robust meal that only Vermont could deliver. The recipes were easy enough for me to follow, but I still felt like I had created my own masterpiece after I was finished. I could write on and on, but the chill wind of November is urging me to retreat to the kitchen and visit Vermont with Amy Lyon!

The recipes were easy to follow and the results were superb. Never have I had such "delicious" results with my cooking from the many recipes I tried in this cookbook. I particually enjoyed reading the narratives at the beginning of the recipes and learning about the backgrounds of the contributors of some of the local restaurant owners.

For a novel based on harsh realism, I found the character of Tina to be sureal. Mid-way, she filled many pages and I became bored with her situation. By the end, I decided that if she had been omitted entirely, she wouldn't have been missed. On the other hand, Aunt Mattie and Uncle Tom had the potential to be very strong characters, not only in the lives of Darlene and the children but most especially for Earl, for whom I felt some sympathy. He struck me as being mean and cold simply for the sake of not knowing any better. Mattie came on the scene too late, and in my opinion, dumped a lot of revelations and insight into the story that (at that point) was already complex. She was distracting when I wanted to focus on the other characters - I found myself wondering "where have you been? why now?". Overall, I really liked this novel and look forward to future work by this author. Highly recommended.

So far I've found this very enjoyable. The characters are interesting and unpredictable. I don't see the story as being so much about weather and poverty as it is the unstated emotional needs of this family. Any woman that's ever felt unappreciated can relate, in some aspects, to Darlene.
For the record, I found The Book of Ruth (Jane Hamilton) terribly depressing. Enough so, that I have not since sought any other of her novels. I do suggest Amy and Isabelle (Elizabeth Strout).

I loved it. Found it at library by chance. Beautiful writing. Totally real characters and landscape. One or two events seemed somewhat over the edge, at first - but when i think about it -life is often that way. Sid was a totally heartbreaking character. An awesome writer!