Great book, I totally recommed this!

This is a delightful romance by Marian Devon (of whose work I have read little). At the beginning, we witness two daughters of the vicar going reluctantly to play music for their grand relations. The vicar's daughters are not good enough for dinner, but acceptable as unpaid entertainment. So Miss Haydon (Lucy Haydon) fumes about the situation through the evening, and contrives a way to bring her younger sister Camilla to the notice of the very eligible guest of the evening Mr Carnaby More, who has recently inherited an estate. While Lucy's aunt Lady Tilney is the usual dragon, Lucy can understand her desperation to marry her daughter off suitably. Lucy's cousins Ada and Nigel (Lord Tilney) are very nice - no wicked cousins here. There is a wealth of secondary characters who make the book come alive, from Lady Tilney herself and the gentle absent-minded Reverend Tilney and his socially astute wife (present only at the end of the book) to several smugglers.

Lucy is happy to see Mr Carnaby More taking an interest in her sister, but is less pleased with his friend Mr Jerrold Drury's comments about the relationship or for that matter with Mr Drury's increasing interest in herself. Why does Mr Drury accompany her to her pupil's and why is he so patient with a small boy (from kite-flying to sea-bathing)? Lucy puzzles that out, as tensions rise within their small gentry circle, and as Mr Drury displays an unhealthy interest in smugglers. Is he a Preventative (a Customs officer) in disguise? And are his insinuations about an old friend to be believed?

If you are looking for a dark gloomy book filled with high drama this is not it. There is plenty of wry humor, including Lucy's disastrous attempt at seabathing. There are a couple of scenes in the graveyard and the pulpit that combine some drama with romance and mild sexual tension. There is the wonderful ending, where a proposal of marriage is received distinctly casually. Read the book.

Rating = 4.9
Recommended = Very highly.

Marian Devon is at her peak in these two romances. Full of laughter and fun, you admire the heroines, both are very funny yet very realistic. You feel like you want to jump in the pages and join in the fun. AS for the heros, very rich (ofcourse) and very likable. I especially like "Sir Sham", it is filled with delightful funny characters. Read these stories and you'll get a taste of Regency romance as it is supposed to be written. Barb from Spofford, NH

This is a great resource book for educators (and others) interested in providing childen with accurate information about holidays celebrated around the world. It's wonderful for teachers to use in classrooms to provide multicultural lessons to their students. This book provides useful background information about numerous holidays (some familiar, some not) and suggestions for activities. It is suitable for young children (toddlers and up). A wonderful resource for every classroom!

This book has good photos for a user who needs to flip through for a visual i.d. as well as a full binomial key for the expert. It is comprehensive, showing grasses to trees, including far more than just common or showy species. I keep one in my library and another in my car.

Short interviews of single women running the gamut from 20-something college educated career women to 60-something grandmothers raising their grandchildren. Poignant tales of women turning away from marriage and discovering a power within themselves to make their lives beautiful. I loved this book and I have read it over and over. It always reassures me that I'm not "different" because I choose to be single.

Another bradley anthology, will all the quality one would expect.

This is the most complete compilation of the source documents about St. Francis of Assisi. Included are all of St. Francis' own writings and all of the early biographies, along with historical and critical analysis. The book is over 1900 pages. Yet, if one wishes to really come to know the Poor Man of Assisi, this is one work which must be read.

Another book in a wonderful series. I have moved mountians to get my fingers on all of these books. If I had known Amazon.com had them, I wouldn't have needed to bribe my English friends to get them for me. This one gets a hanky award for being one to make me cry.