I grew up in Charlottesville, Va, and in reading this book, it was like a step back in time, even though times were hard because of the beginning of segregation, it was still a wonderful time for me as a young girl. I went to Jefferson Elementary School and Jackson P. Burley High, and to see the teachers, old class mates, and so much more in the book, just was a blessing for me.

I may be a little prejudiced in this review as Agnes Cross White is my wife of almost 35 years. She has done a wonderful job of capturing a city once segregated, but rich in its ownself with craftsman, school teachers, doctors and an assortment of other professionals that did their home community proud. Many of the photographs in the book come from the photographic archives of Agnes Cross-White's father-in-law, Randolph White-my father. Dad and I took numerous pictures during that time which depicted life in the fifties, sixties and seventies as he founded and published the Charlottesville-Albemarle Tribune, a Black weekly newspaper, which Ms. White now edits and publishes. This book, a type of photo essay journal, come as close as "a letter from home" as a picture photo album can come...Sherman R. White, Sr.

Those of us in Virginia know that Charlottesville is a national treasure, and always has been. Rufus Holsinger was able to capture on film the beauty, uniqueness, and significance of this wonderful city. Now anyone in the world can see how Charlottesville looked during this time period. Rufus Holsinger made that possible for all of us.

Wonderful book! I'm new to the area and learned so much about the history of Charlotetsville and UVA. Very Very Interesting and HIGHLY recommended!

Beautifully written and thoroughly researched, this book offers a glimpse into the history of the architecture of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia. Additionally, the reader can learn of the fascinating personalities who have lived and worked within the walls of these works of art. It is a lifetime endeavor and a real treat for the local, the traveller, the Jefferson enthusiast and the historian.

You don't have to be in Charlottesville, VA to enjoy the recipes in this great book. The recipes are so short and easy... I'd recommend them to both experienced and new cooks alike. June Oakley has included a full selection of recipe types: soups, salads, main dishes, vegetables, breads, and desserts. Her book makes cooking for the family, as well as entertaining, a breeze.

We thought the book, which we understand is Elliott's first, to be an exciting thriller. The villan, not unlike Hannibal by Harris, or Becker by Sandford, was scary in his hunting for further victims. The hero, Culley was left out to dry by his former employers, the CIA, and brought into the hunt to save their face. He meets a reporter who was a former detective and with a number of other interesting characters in the book, the hunt is on!! A very good read!

I have read this book at least three times. My father gave it to me about two years ago. I remember I couldn't put it down and for days later parts of it kept coming back to me. Not so long ago I started thinking about it again after reading some John Connolly and James Patterson and had to locate the book and read it again, that's the kind of effect this book will have on you. Elliot is up there on a pedestal with Connolly and Patterson and Harris with this book.
It does have some graphic detail and some very gruesome killings but what good is a book without detail??
Mike Culley was a Government agent but is now serving time for lying to congress. His wife killed herself while he was inside and he blames not only himself but holds a serious grudge against those who left him in there. He has a daughter that he has not seen, only because he would not let her come to the prison to visit him there. He gets his chance to be free early when the CIA (his old work buddies) come asking him to track a counterfeiter John Malik, which is the secret identity of a defector that he ran as an Agent in Place in Moscow before getting him out. The CIA convince Culley that he is the only one who can track Malik after he disappears with a wagon load of blank currency paper. They do not however tell him that they also suspect him of being a particularly gruesome and Cold-Blooded killer, one that has been cutting up and mutilating College Co-eds. So reluctantly Culley takes the case, but soon finds out what's really going on when a reporter recognises him. *Enter ex-cop Julie Houser* Together they try to track Malik down but the Plot can only get thicker. As their relationship develops, Malik finds out who is after him and sets about destroying Culley's life by taking the one and only thing that Culley holds dear.
Set at a blistering pace, Elliot doesn't let up for a second and the end result is a book that you will not be able to put down once you begin. Read it and See ;-)

Never have I read a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. James Elliott has a way of putting the reader right in the middle of the action. So fasten your seatbelt because you are in for a ride of a life time. This is by far the best edge of your seat, heart pounding, fingernail biting book I have ever read

In the mid-1970s, Jean-Luc and his wife Irène are living in Charlottesville, Virginia, where Jean-Luc teaches. Finding a lack in their relationship, each begins an affair, and eventually their respective girlfriends (Chantal and Mouse) move into the large house with them. The initial tensions and aggravations eventually give way to a sort of bonhomie as the four non-Americans plan and give a large party. It's an intriguing novel about foreigners in America, whose third part shines with Porter's writing. The earlier portions of the book, however, contain awkward dialogue and a torpid story which almost swallows the characters whole. "Resident Aliens" is a challenging book about the maturation of love between these four people.

I'm a bit of a '70s nut, so I enjoyed this tale of ex-patriate academics in the sexually progressive decade. A story of four lives that sort of touch-and-go. Give it a try; at least you won't be reading something that everyone else has.

This is the third Rita Mae Brown book I've read. I loved the first two (Rita Will, Sudden Death). The premise in this novel is hilarious, and about the first third of the book does not disappoint. I'll admit, I could not put it down, but after the first third, it seemed to lose some steam. In other words, the great premise doesn't carry the whole novel. It may have been better as a short story. Anyway, all we're left with when the premise poops out are very one-dimensional characters who are either lovable 100% tolerant saints, or 100% prejudiced, narrow-minded bigots whom you can't choose but to hate. No character falls in between. A few of the plot lines ended up very unrealistic, at least to me. Unlike some of these other reviews, I absolutely loved the sequence in the painting, but I wouldn't have ended the book with it either. The problem is, by the time you get to the painting sequence, the plot has pretty much fallen apart anyway into either the mundane or the wholly unreal. Don't get me wrong, it is an interesting read and the author's humor stays with you throughout, but once the premise wears off, the novel falls apart a little.

Rita Mae Brown is fantastic at creating a well-round up character - in this story it is Frazier. A woman of 35 years who takes a down-to-earth approach of life after discovering that she does not have to die afterall. Frazier, now, evaluates life and her relationships in a different light and discovers who her true friends are after the whole town is talking about her being gay. The novel is very inspiring to the extent of what one chooses to talk about in his/her final moments. It invites you to be true to yourself and to your community. Overall, the book is hard to put down - a lot of laughing throughout the entire story. I read it within a day since I could not stop. Weird ending, however, that is why I did not give it a 5-star rating. After having spent two years in Charlottesville, VA myself this book was a small journey back to this beautiful small town in Central Virginia.

I thoughly enjoyed this book about a women who decides to comes out to her friends ands family when she is mistakenly diagonsed as dying. With a premise that that sure to be a sure fire pressure cooker for the some reason this book never fully takes on. Still all and all, I enjoyed the book. The "Zeus/Mount Olympus" is pure fun. A nice message too, Live you life and make you life your own, who cares about some one else expectations?