Joanna Drayton, child of privilege, adores her governess, Miss Cathcart. Life on the Drayton ancestral Welsh estate is not, however, the conventional existence that it seems. Her parents, Henry and Barbara Drayton, are selfish, preoccupied with their own interests and totally uninterested in Joanna and her beloved 18-year-old brother, James.

When the elder Draytons discover that Miss Cathcart and James are having an affair, their reaction is predictable. They dismiss her and Joanna, who knows nothing about all this, is packed off to boarding school. James disappears.

Bewildered and frightened, trying to understand her parents, Joanna searches for her brother. The quest yields answers to questions she never thought to ask.

Louisa Hawkins is the pen name of an American who writes authoritatively about country life among the upper-class English. The original Louisa, an Englishwoman who lived 3 centuries ago, was the author's great-grandmother.

CHASING SHADOWS is a glimpse into useless lives of self-indulgence but that glimpse is romantic, original and entertaining.

1897 was the year of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. It was also the year that the Duchess of Devonshire held the fancy dress party of the century in her London mansion.

This book gives us a glimpse into a now legendary party. The cream of London society took place in this event - if you weren't invited your were not part of the "in" crowd. This party involved months of planning and the aristocracy of the time spent small fortunes to re-create "authentic" outfits of the characters of their choosing.

This book gives you short, but well written biographies of all the main participants of the ball, what they wore, and where it is available their memoirs of the occasion. The book is also sprinkled with photographs of the participants all dressed for the night. My only complaint is that some of these photos are too small to clearly see the fantastic outfits and jewels the people are wearing.

This book also has a number of rare photos of the interior of Devonshire house before it was demolished, with the furniture intact. Most photos you see of the interior of the house show it stripped of it's fittings and ready for demolition, so these are interesting to see. For a glimpse of late Victorian high society this book is a must, as it contains many bits of information on the ball's participants not available from many other sources.

Let's get one thing straight right off the bat, Sisters of the Extreme is a "reissue" of 1982's Shaman Woman, Mainline Lady -- cut, streamlined and reformatted beyond all recognition. Evidently, the authors took the edge off their book for a more "conservative" era -- either that, or they assume their reader's minds have been so numbed by drugs that we NEED heavy edits and People Magazine-inspired "look" to hold our limited attention.

Sure, there are a couple of new excerpts worth reading (the one from Mary Woronov's "The Mole People is revealing), but for the most part, Sisters of the Extreme seems to be pandering to old YUPPIES who need a little stimulation. I swear that if I read ANYTHING by Carrie Fisher ever again, it will be too soon -- enough of the "I went to rehab and got a bad haircut" trip. Get over it.

In the introduction, the authors do say that they edited some excerpts for space and deleted others all together. When I got out the two editions and compared them almost line for line, I discovered a disturbing trend -- whereas Shaman Woman, Mainline Lady allowed one to take the writings at face value, Sisters of the Extreme has definite agenda. Sisters of the Extreme doesn't LIKE drugs. It doesn't want ME to like drugs. It wants me to be TITILATED by the writings. The difference is clear.

Sisters of the Extreme is a product of the times. It's been dumbed down and punched up. Sure, the authors include a couple of writings on sex magick and a few counter culture cartoons, but the overall smell of political correctness is stupifying.

The gist of my review is this: if don't already own a copy of Shaman Woman, Mainline Lady, go ahead and buy Sisters of the Extreme. Then, go on a quest for the Real Thing.

In the meantime, the use bibliography in Sisters of the Extreme to find and read the original sourced writings. You'll be glad you did.

Being on the fringe of consensual reality and yet being able to take some notes of the journeys beyond, is an awesome gift. The stories in SISTERS OF THE EXTREME are such gifts of the God-Us. I have the original SHAMAN WOMAN, MAINLINE LADY and went through my contribution, line for line, and the only difference noted was my photo had shrunk in this new, revised edition. (This is consistent as now, being in my fifties, I notice that I am shrinking some also.) The tone not only is consistent from the first edition but vividly expansive. (I was somewhat embarrassed being in the first edition, with the stereotypic cover -- yet in this new volume, I am honored not only for the outrageous company kept and new sisters included but engaging graphics.)

As the God-Us dances about the universe, skirt swirling the galaxies, being on the fringes gives the wildest ride. This book is a travelogue by explorers of multi-dimensional realities written in white ink, from the heart of our Sisters-in-the-Clan-of-Encouragement: this book is a major herstoric contribution to the sext of human consciousness.

Jeannine Parvati (Baker) Author HYGIEIA: A WOMAN'S HERBAL

Sisters Of The Extreme is an informative and engaging presentation of famous female authors who write about the drug experience includes a variety of works from such notables as Bronte, Alcott, Di Prima, and more. Writings from historical works through modern times are gathered in Sisters Of The Extreme, a fine survey of the lives and experiences of women who have had their lives changed by drugs.

The characters are realistic, the situations keep you on the edge of your seat. Good story and good writing. Read another of this author's books and although the genre is different, both books were good. Looked to find more of her work but was unsuccessful. Hope she writes another book soon. Her work is very good!

Excerpts from a diary reflect the life and times of Louisa May Alcott. Through her entries in a journal, Louisa is presented as a real girl, with heartful emotions. An editor's note, afterword, and insets offer more information about the time period. Authentic, the author has attempted to preserve the original writings, including misspellings. I found the biography is to read and informative.

Sarah Elbert does an excellent job charting a cursory but thorough biography of Louisa May Alcott and her parents. Tying the development of philosophical beliefs and life events to her literature, Elbert demonstrates the role of Alcott's intense committment to abolition and women's rights in her work. She conducts particular in depth analyses of several of Alcott's "adult" novels as well as the March family series (Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys). I was especially interested in the family conflict Alcott felt between her domestic obligations of supporting and caring for her mother and father and her dedication to her career. Things haven't changed all that much have they? I was previously unaware of Louisa's long struggle with illness brought about by the treatment for typhoid she received after being infected while working as a Civil War nurse. An excellent resource and well-written.

This book certainly had the sex, but it was Almost on every page...where was the plot??? I knew what I was getting into, and believe me when you are married for 13 years and have 4 kids, you WANT and NEED a respite from everday life...but this was a bit much...where was the romance???

This was my first Black Lace book - and it defintely will not be my last. The characters took me thru a world of erotisism, that got my heart racing - it was hard to put the book down!

I have read and enjoyed each of Alcott's discovered thrillers, including these. But those collected in this book were sub-par compared to her other stories.

Most of the better stories in this book are also in the much more extensive book _Louisa May Alcott Unmasked: Collected Thrillers_. The truly 'new' stories here are slower than her normal work, and they lack her trademark quality of oddness and unpredictability.

Die-hard Alcott fans, this book is good. And it has stories which are *not* in the Unmasked book. For these reasons, I am purchasing it (I'm reading a library edition).

But for those just venturing into this side of Alcott, don't start here. Start with one of the smaller collection books, or the Unmasked book. If you're more into the thriller novel genre, then read Alcott's _Long Fatal Love Chase_.

I have read the book Little Women and I thought it was excellent, but this book Amy's story bored me to death. I don't know why, but I really didn't like it.

This is a good book for your young reader before she is old enought to read the book Little Women i suggest to show her the movies little women and little men both good movies and get the books for her when she is old enough to read them for they are quite long or make it a family event and read them to her!!!

I loved this book! This was one of the PORTRAITS OF LITTLE WOMEN which tell about the March sisters when they were ten years old. Amy wants her photograph taken, and decides to save up her money so she can get it taken. Then her father has to go fight in the Civil War, and Amy decides to get him a gift instead - one that will cheer him up when he's far away from home. I also read MEG'S STORY, JO'S STORY, BETH'S STORY, MEG MAKES A FRIEND, and BETH MAKES A FRIEND and I can't wait to read JO MAKES A FRIEND and AMY MAKES A FRIEND.