5 comments about North of Ithaka: A Granddaughter Returns to Greece and Discovers Her Roots.

1. I had high hopes for this book in view of the rich experiences of Nicholas Gage and his two fine books so worthy of that experience. Sadly, this book struck me as superficial and, as often happens these days in writers who drawing on personal experience, narcissistic. I gave the book a chance, but really had to stop before I was half finished.
   
   It's not enough to be a good writer; you need to have a mature sensibility and not leave the impression that you've spent too much of your life shopping. Disclosure: I am of Greek descent and we need more worthy attention to be paid to Greece in the modern era, books like those by Miller and Patrick Leigh Fermor are an antidote to this one.



2. As a Greek-American, I've been looking for a memoir about the Greek-American experience that I could identify with. Over the past few years, I've read several memoir-style books, but none really hit home...until now. Even thought my family is not from Epiros, I did not grow up in Massachusetts, and my family did not have such a traumatic post-WWII experience, I could totally identify with Eleni Gage's story of straddling two countries and exploring the duality of her persona. This struggle to "fit in" in both Greece and America is something that I have dealt with and am continuing to deal with, and Eleni is able to describe the emotions and process more eloquently than I ever could!
   
   Eleni's elegant prose makes this book easy to read, and I especially enjoyed the sprinkling of folk lore and traditions that she included. By the end, I wanted to read more, to find out what happened afterwards...always a sign of a great book!
   
   I will recommend this book to all my friends, Greek and non-Greek alike! Bravo, Eleni!



3. This book is a rare treat.
   
   I loved reading it - I was mesmerized by it and during this snowed-in weekend when I read it, I was transported to Lia, where I lived under its magnificent sky with the changing sunset colors (enjoyed from the vernada of the Haidis house); observed up close the house reconstruction project; and came to know an entire village, feeling if not a Liotan myslef, at least like a frequent visitor.
   
   What also springs out of the book, perhaps more than Lia and its people, is the author herself: nice, smart, mature, perceptive and talented.
   
   And a note to her father: you're a great author but she is at least as good a writer as you, not to say better. So please give up the comparisons with her at the Thanksgiving table, there are genetics out there and there is also evolution -- and she has both aplenty. I'm sure you glow with justified pride having her as a daughter. Anyone would!
   
   Bottom Line: A SUPERB BOOK - NOT TO BE MISSED!



4. The star is still her grandmother, Eleni, killed during the Greek Civil War for trying to save her children. In a word, it's the story of Eleni returning to Lia, the family village, to remember her grandmother close up and rebuild the family house. Without the memory of reading ELENI by her father, Nick Gage, I would never have read or understood NORTH OF ITHAKA. So that's the review: first read Nick's book about his mother, most likely the most riveting and compelling of my 55 year reading career. You should read ELENI, and you must have to understand NORTH OF ITHAKA.



5. As a half-Greek American, I was moved when reading "Eleni" and "A Time For Us," two books by Eleni Gage's Dad (Nicholas Gage) that detail the atrocities committed against her family during the Greek civil war, which was fought immediately post-World-War-2. Eleni's grandmother (also named Eleni) was ultimately murdered by the communists who were trying to take control over Greece during that war (thank God they did not win) -- she was executed for the crime of helping her children to escape war-torn Greece and ultimately to emigrate to America. "North of Ithaka" is a timely follow-up to this family's story.
   
   Eleni recounts leaving her lucrative job in New York City (around the 2001-2002 timeframe) to move to her family's remote village of Lia, in the province of Epiros in northwestern Greece. There, with financial backing from her Dad, she undertakes rebuilding her grandmother (and namesake) Eleni's home, which was used as a prison during the Greek civil war and had fallen into disrepair over the years.
   
   This book illustrates how even small village life can hold love and meaning to modern, cosmopolitan Americans. I do recommend reading her Dad Nicholas's book "Eleni" before reading "North of Ithaka," since many events discussed in "North of Ithaka" relate to the story of her grandmother's murder, to her family's hardships in Greece, and to their eventual emigration to America. However, it is not essential to read "Eleni" prior to reading this book.
   
   As a bonus, there is a collection of traditional Greek recipes at the end of the book. I bought a briki (Greek coffee pot) and now make 1-2 cups of traditional Greek coffee every day! As Eleni mentions, we call this coffee Greek, never Turkish.

3 comments about Sisters: The Lives of America's Suffragists.

1. How dare this author for accusing Susan B. Anthony of being a lesbian!
   Wear did she get her information?
   I have Lynn Sherr's book, "Failer is Imposiable, "and no wear did I find this accusation. As part of the Anthony family, I resent Jean Baker, as I have done Anthony genealogy for over 10 years, and have never found anything about Susan B. Anthony being a lesbian!



2. This book was very thought and emotion provoking. A must read for all women. Women must never forget the gargantuan struggle our foremothers endured to gain something so powerful---the right to vote. You'll be appalled at the night of terror these women, up to 70 years of age, endured by hostile cruel men.
   
   The vote is only the beginning of equality, however. Without actually voting, the right to vote serves no purpose.
   
   Last note is that this extremely well-documented book is very open about the uncomfortable topic of the sexual proclivities of some of these suffragists. It was disturbing to me that some of these very Christian women could have lesbian tendencies, but apparently these accounts come directly from letters they wrote to others. Thankfully, it is not a book that argues for or against lesbianism; it just documents the part it played, if any, in these women's lives. God does say in the Bible that women may be the physically weaker sex, but they ARE EQUAL to men in God's sight.



3. Before reading this book, I had basically no idea about anything dealing with the Suffrage movement, except that it was Susan B. Anthony who was on a coin (and this was even after taking a college-level US History course). This book is a MUST for any person who wants to get a general overview not only about five of the most influential women in the Suffrage Movement, but also of the movement overall. It doesn't have any "boring" parts, and is all information that everyone should know. I can't recommend it enough!

5 comments about Casting with a Fragile Thread: A Story of Sisters and Africa.

1. "Late Sunday afternoons, when our father eventually arrived to pick us up I usually felt as though I'd been through a war myself. I would grab my already packed bag and hurry to the safe red leather of his car interior to wait for him and my sisters there. Soon after Sharon would follow me, straggling behind with underpants and flip-flops falling out of her suitcase, complaining, "Wait man Wend." She flounced in next to me. "Why do you always have to be in such a hurry hey?"
   
   I was very eager for this book when I saw it advertised on Amazon. This story centers around Wendy, Sharon and Lauren Khan who grew up in Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe. It was a very touching book with three very close sisters who survived their dysfunctional family and then after they had passed on, had each other. Wendy Khan relates a well-told story though sad in many instances; their loyalty to each other strengthens their family ties. The blow is felt however when the smallest sister Lauren faces tragedy and this brings Wendy back from American where she has migrated, to meet up with Sharon as they gather in Zambia, Lauren's home. There is a lot of love in this story as well as passion and some disappointment in the family. But when all is said and done, I would recommend this novel to all readers. It is well written and it should be a great present for someone's birthday or any such occasion.
   Those of you who love Africa, please read this book.
   Reviewed by Heather Marshall Negahdar ( SUGAR-CANE 07/03/08)



2. Wendy Kann's personal and political history in "Casting with a fragile thread" is riveting, wise and timeless. It is a gripping memoir about a woman who has risen above her traumatic childhood and turned her pain into compassion and healing.
   Born in colonial Rhodesia--now Zimbabwe--Kann grew up during the country's 13-year civil war. She experienced the first elections in Zimbabwe in 1980 and lived in Hong Kong when the British officials handed the city over to the Chinese in 1997. She said both experiences were nagging reminders that the laws, police, media, army and government can bring bewildering uncertainty to a safe, predictable orderly world.
   She writes poetically about her environment--how the lawns in America's neighborhoods simply roll trustingly one into the next, without the rude division of fences and gates.
   Having spent my early years in South Africa I too had my "mind revolt against the terrifying avalanche of choice" and tried to figure what "American" was and how I could be "just that."
   Kann's observation years later about Rhodesia's civil war is a warning to all countries. She said, "No one in my generation recognized that we were fighting a war to preserve an unsustainable way of life."
   Her quote reminded me of America. We have the technology for alternative fuel yet we remain in a war in the Middle East because of an addiction to oil, a non-renewable resource.



3. deeply moving and honest, ms. kann's memoir vividly evokes a complicated time and place in africa with a story of familial love, loyalty and loss.gorgeous. highly recommend.



4. Casting With A Fragile Thread: A Story Of Sisters And Africa tells of the mother of three children who left her Rhodesia childhood behind fifteen years earlier to settle into a new life in America and escape her country's upheaval. When she receives a call that her youngest sister has been killed in Zambia, she returns to her native Africa to find a new sense of purpose. A vivid story of death, rebirth, and cultural discovery evolves.



5. Not qualified to review:
   Author is my daughter-in-law
   Walter Kann

5 comments about Diana, An Amazing Life: The People Cover Stories, 1981-1997.

1. This is the book to own. I enjoyed every bit of it and would recommend it to everyone.



2. Kind of a start to finish collection of selected People Diana covers/articles. It's nice to look through and read (would make a nice keepsake for the Diana fan)- especially if you missed some issues like I certainly did- but not really worth buying if you still have the original copies in good condition. I don't regret buying it but had hoped for just a bit more than a buyer gets here. There was a paperback edition out at first, haven't seen it recently, only slightly cheaper but this version would be the one to get for durability.



3. Hi, I bought my People Magazine Tribute to Diana at local B&N Bookstore and i am so happy that I did!!! I love the history of Diana,s life from the begining as alittle girl, meeting Charlas, the engaement, the births of William and HARRY,diana,s sister in-law Sarah, her marriage troubles and diana rising up a Pheonix the fire bird.I am so glad Dodi made Diana so happy. I love all the colour photos!!! BIG CHEERS TO PEOPLE MAGAZINE!!!!



4. I really enjoyed this re-visit to the People covers! It was a great way to look back!



5. THIS WAS AN EXCELLANT BOOK WITH BEAUTIFUL PICTURES AND ARTICLES AND IT LEFT YOU FEELING LIKE YOU KNEW THE PRINCESS FROM THE BEGINNING OF HER LIFE TO THE END. AN EXCELLENT TRIBUTE TO HER LIFE.

1 comments about Pacific Lady: The First Woman to Sail Solo across the World's Largest Ocean (Outdoor Lives).

1. This book is gripping! I can't bring myself to finish the last pages because I simply don't want the story to end.

5 comments about Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII.

1. I really enjoyed this book. I'd have given it a full five star rating if the author had not asked the same silly questions over and over again, and if he had written a little more on the later wives like Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. However the book was very informative and interesting and I recommend it to those who wish to know more about the wives of Henry VIII.



2. I agree with another reviewer who felt that this book sets a tedious pace that is frequently bogged down by constantly rehashing the ups and downs of Henry's divorce trial, first from Catherine of Aragon's point of view and then Anne Boleyns. While the amount of material regarding Catherine of Aragon is enormous the writer does stop often to compliment himself (tasteless) and by the time Anne Boleyn comes on the scene the reader is exhausted.



3. I agree with unsolved fan and J.A. Miller, this book was by far the best book about the wives of King Henry than any others I've read.
   Starkey presents facts in such a way as to keep the reader thouroughly engaged, and looking forward to reading the next chapter.
   This book is quite fascinating. I've learned so much more from Starkey's book than from any history course.
   I recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn some of England's history and, to enjoy doing so.
   I wish he had spent more time on Katherine Parr, who seems to have been the most influential in bringing about reform in the churches of that day. That wife, Henry's last, was probably the most interesting and of a deep-thinking mind, than all his other wives, except for Catherine of Aragon, his first.
   I also totally disagree with the popularity of Anne Boleyn, now, in the movie theatres. Boleyn was not as worthy of attention and study, as are Catherine and Katherine.
   READ THIS BOOK! You'll be glad you did!



4. There have been numerous books written on the lives of Henry VIII's wives both as a complete history and on an individual basis. Starkey's book is an interesting read if you want to have a very in-depth understanding of just how incredibly political each of his marriages were. There are complaints that most of the book is spent on Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn but in looking at the history of these two women, they were the beginning of the making of Henry as well as England's history to come. Catherine of Aragon has been painted in some books as being a complete victim to be sympathized with for the harsh cruelty of Henry while he pursued Anne Boleyn. Starkey is not the first to intimate that she was actually a political machinist in her own right but he likes to present himself as being the first. Catherine's situation is no different than any other woman's reaction to "the other woman" so to imply that Catherine was not so obedient and submissive as she appeared is merely to say that perhaps she was at one point but came into her own as she progressed as Queen of England. That's psychology 101. Regarding Anne Boleyn, there's really nothing new painted about her specifically but there's a great deal of information presented about the true complexity of the divorce proceedings. This is truly the first book I've read that goes into just how many people were involved, what they actually did and how the hand-offs took place from person to person. In other works, only the most prominent figures in the picture are brought to light. The other wives did figure prominently in Henry's marriages from a very political standpoint. However, many authors outside of Starkey have indicated that there is little recorded information on each the successive wives especially in regards to Anne of Cleves. The one extreme criticism I have for Starkey and all the other authors regarding Catherine and the "consummation" of her marriage is the supposed evidence. Starkey follows the same path as all the others. I was hoping to see something more plausible. Every author states that the marriage must've been consummated based on two points of evidence. Arthur's boasting the following day of marriage being thirsty work and that he'd been amongst Spain and Catherine's silence on the subject. Why is it that every author does not take into consideration that Arthur was a 15 year old boy who carried the weight of an empire and was expected to perform his marital duties and therefore may have bragged because he couldn't state the other possibility....that he didn't perform? Regarding Catherine's silence on the subject and the question of "why didn't she complain?", she was a born princess. What princess/Queen who was 17 years old, in a foreign land and married to a King would complain that the marriage had not been consummated? To do so would be the equivalent of denigrating and humiliating her husband and a nation. The question is always left that only God knows whether the marriage was consummated or not. I beg to differ. There is one other person who would know if Catherine was a virgin and that would've been Henry. He was not sexually ignorant when he made Catherine his wife and where were his boasts? I recommend this book more for the political information surrounding the wives and what raised them and who truly took them down. Henry may have had final say but his court was very powerful in manipulating him. This book points this out more than any other out there.



5. I have never been able to put a book down before on Henry the VIII and his wives. After struggling to finish this book of exhausting but uninteresting detail, I thought I would sell it on Amazon, a first for me. But then, after checking, I learned it was only going for 87 cents. Why am I not surprised?

5 comments about Fearless Women: Midlife Portraits.

1. I purchased this book, along with several other photo essay type books. As an avid photographer, I like collecting the work of others. This book was easily the best of the bunch - it will not disappoint. The photography is captivating, and extremely well printed on quality paper stock (a rarity in these days of cheap self published books). The accompanying text is inspiring and motivational. I highly recommend this book.



2. Babyboomers are not the only ones who will identify with the stories of the famous and "not-as-famous" FEARLESS WOMEN in this book. Included along with short bios of fifty incredible women are beautifully done black and white photos showing them in their "hayday" as well as now. Not just a coffee table book, but one which gives interesting stories of accomplished, humanitarian, courageous people. This is an inspiring book which leaves the reader wanting to know more about these "fearless women."



3. This review comes from a post I made on 21 July 2005 on an actors' forum, in honor of one of the amazing, fearless women profiled in the book.
   
   I have a story to share.
   
   Yesterday, my husband came home with a stack of mail from our post office box. As usual, the stack was pretty thick and was mainly headshot submissions, postcards from actors, invitations to shows, and a few bills. :\ At the bottom of the stack, however, there was a very thick express mail package. Heavy. Large. I know that Keith had to wait in a line to pick it up, as the post office would have put a yellow slip into our box so that we'd know we had something waiting.
   
   Filled with curiousity, I began opening the package. Inside the first envelope, there was a second. Inside the second, there was a third. My excitement was building. "What *is* this?!?" Couldn't wait to find out!
   
   Imagine my delight when I saw the gorgeous photograph on the cover of this book, immediately alerting me to the fact that the amazing Pamela Jansen had sent me a copy of "Fearless Women: Midlife Portraits" by Nancy Alspaugh and Marilyn Kentz, with photos by Mary Ann Halpin.
   
   First, the book is simply gorgeous. These women are, in fact, fearless and their portraits are breathtaking, their stories inspiring, and their courage outstanding. But what touched me the most is the letter Pamela wrote. I won't share it here, as it was personal and beautiful, but I have to let you know... I cried.
   
   I read the letter, I turned to Pamela's chapter, I read the inscription, and I cried some more.
   
   Keith said to me, "I want you to keep that letter out. Anytime you need to be reminded of the beauty that is GRACE, you read that letter and continue on."
   
   Pamela, after reading the letter again and placing it into the book for safekeeping, I pulled out your headshot, held it up, and said, "I WILL find a way to cast you someday."
   
   And that is for sure. It is probably the only gift I could give back to you, for having shared so beautifully with the WORLD by being profiled in this wonderful book. I am humbled and honored that you sent this book to me. I am forever on your side and will be sure that others know what a gift LIFE is, as evidenced by your amazing story.
   
   Everyone... GET your hands on this book. You will be blown away, inspired, delighted, and motivated to live your dreams like only you can.
   
   I hope you don't mind the plug, Pamela. I just had to share my thoughts. Much love,
   -Bon.



4. This book contains photographs of some of the women I admire most. Unfortunately, the women are posed holding a large sword as a prop to indicate their fearlessness.
   
   I suppose that this was the feature that "sold" the book idea, but I would much prefer portraits of my heroines without the sword. The sword is a symbol of much more than fearlessness, and detracts from the book. It makes the book corny.
   
   My husband bought it for me for mother's day last year; I'd guess from an amazon recommendation -- but it was a most disappointing gift -- one that I would never leave out for others to view. This wouldn't be true if the swords weren't in every photo.



5. After looking at three of the photographs and reading the first page of the introduction, I immediately purchased three copies of this book - one for myself, and one for each of my sisters. Now halfway through looking at these amazing women and reading their inspiriational stories, I am empowered and inspired. Life is long, and the middle of it is fabulous! My first book was published when I was 53 and my next one is due out when, God willing, I will be 57. So take heart all you "women of an age." The best is yet to come, as the authors of this book and the women in its pages will show you. You, too, can join this company in making this the most delightful time of your life! Give this book to every "Boomer Babe" you know.

2 comments about Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma: The American Portraits Series (American Portraits).

1. I have finally come to the end of this fine book and am delighted to share my views. Unlike the one other reviewer here at Amazon (Mohroy), I found the book to be richly rewarding on every possible level. Camilla Townsend's academic background is well known and she is highly respected in her field. Her ability to write a compelling narative is smartly coupled with a rich list of footnotes, so many of which come from original documents. In some cases highly academic books can be a bother when you are flipping back to the footnotes; not with this book. Each note was worth the attention and always added a deeper dimension. When you consider that Townsend was building a picture of these people that was not always the mainstream her reliance on her reseach more than convinced me of her perspective.
   
   What is the overall impression of the story she paints? I'll tell you, that when I first discovered this story, through the lens of the very emotionally moving movie, "The New World", I had very little knowledge of the real story. In following up on my initial reactions to the movie I endeavored to read what modern historians have to say. I read one book which I can also highly recommend and then I found Townsend. The first was "Captain John Smith: Jamestown and the birth of the American Dream" by Thomas and Dorothy Hoobler, November 2005, published by Wiley. This was a sensational revelation and spurred me on to know more. Townsend has filled in the missing pieces and is essential in my view for anyone who wants to know the story shed of all of it's mythology.
   
   "The New World" is a fine movie and entertainment and I will always treausre it. But, it is about 50% fiction, which is a shame, because Malick had all of this material available just about the time he wrote the script. Oh well. The real people, the real story is so very much more tragic, depressing, sad and dark. The first successful European settlers to the East Coast of the USA signalled the beginning of the destruction of much of Native America. Those that did not die of disease brought by Europeans that they had no immunity to, died as a result of wars with the Europeans. Townsend's insight into this is interesting to consider. The much longer development of farming among Indo/Europeans had better prepared them on a technological level to successfully take America away from Natives. She attributes this line of thought to the book "Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond. It is worth consideration; the Powhatan natives took too long to realize that the founders of Jamestown had outgunned and out-equipped them by many factors. When Uttamatomakkin came back from his trip to London with Pocahontas and he reported that it was hopeless to fight the white man he was scorned and ignored by his fellows. This resistance to reality lasted far too long before they were finally demolished in several devastating wars.
   
   The real Pocahontas? Much younger at her introduction to Smith than all films or other books portray. Probably had not reached puberty yet. She was so young that when in the Jamestown fort would do hand cartwheels revealing her naked torso for all to see. When she had reached puberty that would have stopped completely. Did she have a romantic relationship with Smith? Not a chance, it would seem. Even more, she had already been married off to a native from another village; nothing much is known of his demise and it is assumed that he died after only a few years of marriage. It is also not known if she had born a child by him, though Townsend thinks it less likely. Pocahontas was no fool and knew that she was being used by her father in a delicate series of political chess, some of which were with the English, some with other native communities. She learned rudimentary English and carried herself with the dignity she felt the English were expecting of her; they viewed her as the daughter of a King and she accepted the role as princess. Townend scores an important point by showing us clearly how little we really know of this woman; someone who did not leave a word of her own in any manner. We imply and infer and guess based on so little. She cautions us throughout the book about this tendency.
   
   What of her father, Powhatan? Already experienced with other white men from Europe before John Smith lands, he already knows that they are dangerous but makes one tragic blunder: he underestimates their resolve to make a permanent place in America until it is too late. He sees the colonies start up and then watch as the ill equipped Europeans fall sick and die, time after time. He sees Smith and company as just another botched attempt at racial transplanting and is not too worried. He is wrong and his people eventually pay the price. What could he have done instead? The hot heads among his people urged him to kill all the white people in Smith's group before they turned against them. He refused. From the native perspective it was a mistake. From the European perspective it would only have bought time and would have enraged them more. In due course, white Europeans were going to come and that was that.
   
   John Smith is both given his proper respectful acknowledgment and is also taken to task as a teller of tall tales. Smith embelleshed for his English audience and without a live Pocahontas to ask whether this or that fact was true, Smith got away with the story he painted. Were the main facts of his being saved by a nubile Pocahontas beliveable? Probably not, given the place of young girls in the presence of adults in her society. It is not impossible but much more improbable than Smith tells us.
   
   This is a book that strips away layer after layer of myth, poor or incomplete research and hasty or prejudiced conclusions. Her work is constantly referred back to urtext sources and where she does not know something she says so right up front. If the real story of Pocahontas is so much fuller, complicated and sadder, it is a story that is entirely integral at the dawn of white society in America. It is also integral to the beginning of the end of native people across the same landscape. A tremendous scholarly achievement, not to be missed.



2. A brief history of Jamestown and a very sketchy and alomst contentless discussion of Powhatan and the Powhatan Confederacy from the "perspective" (scare quotes intentional) of Pocahontas.
   
   I learned a couple of new facts from this but on the whole I can't reccomed this book. The author tries to get in the head of the legendary Indian Princess but the authors very poitically correct assumptions of what Pocahontas would feel are far from convincing, interestingly enough I had never previously believed in the John Smith-Pocahontas love story at all until I read this, but her disavowal of it was so unconvincing I am now not nearly so sure... The same can be said of several of her other psychological insights which have a very shallow basis, that seem to reflect the author's own feelings without any appearance of critical reflection.
   
   On the positive side it is nice to see such a sympathetic view of John Rolfe, who the author seems quite taken with, but by this point I was rather weary of the whole thing. Luckily it was very short, and even though I actually spent a fair amount of time checking endnotes and even checking a couple of sources, reading the book took only a few hours. I bought it at lunch and went out to dinner that night having finished it.

5 comments about One Small Boat: The Story of a Little Girl, Lost Then Found.

1. I found this book because of an interview in The New York Times of the author, Kathy Harrison, and another book she had written on Preparedness. While the book on Preparedness was a very useful, enlightening book, it was this one, One Small Boat, that has me hooked on her as an author.
   
   Her true accounts (another book I will read, One More Place at the Table) of what it is like to be a foster parent are inspiring. The traumas that are inflicted on some of these children are chilling, but this book provided a glimpse into what a patient loving foster parent can do to help them. It also can show what they can not do, no matter how much care they give. There is a frightening story of two children in her care who will need far more care than any foster parent can give. Ms. Harrison had to make the decision to send one away because of the havoc she was causing.



2. I started reading it before bed at about 11:00 p.m. and it was 2:00 a.m. when I finished it. Very good book. I would like to know if Daisy did okay after the book was over, but I guess we'll never know?



3. I enjoyed this book, but the story is very sad. This author did a great job of portraying the foster care system from a parenting perspective.



4. This was a very perceptive and honest protrayl of the challenges and heart warming experiences a foster mom faces with each placement. As a foster mother, I identified and empathized with her stories and situations of individual cases. She speaks from her heart. I would recommend this book to anyone who does foster care or who is interested in doing it, or who just wants a peak inside what it is like for us and the foster children we love and care for.



5. I love this book!!! It is very easy to read and is well written. The author has fostered hundreds of kids in her lifetime. Daisy is a foster child that is very special for many reasons, she is a challenge, she is from a well respected family and has extended family that loves her. This is the story of one special little girls turbulant begining and her recovery in foster care.

5 comments about Hawthorne: A Life.

1. Brenda Wineapple's palatable life of Hawthorne breaks little new ground, but its focus is a bit of a departure from the many previous biographies. Throughout, Wineapple concentrates on the author's family, neighbors, associates, career, finances, and politics. Such contemporary celebrities as Emerson, Longfellow, Melville, Margaret Fuller, Elizabeth Peabody, Horatio Bridge, James T. Field (Hawthorne's publisher), Horace Mann, and, above all, Franklin Pierce receive as much attention as Hawthorne's fiction.
   
   The portrait that emerges is of a career man struggling to keep his family financially solvent, resisting the emasculating temptation to be a full-time author, and clinging defiantly to the anti-abolitionist Democratic principles shared by Franklin Pierce, the hapless 14th President and Hawthorne's closest friend. While Hawthorne's acquaintances were convinced of his talents, they were dismayed by his (and his wife's) bull-headed political views. His ill-fated alliances and loyalties often cost him salaried jobs, even while they appeared to have little affect on his literary celebrity. (His publisher, for instance, was convinced that a preface honoring Pierce would sink Hawthorne's final book, but "to Field's amazement, the dedication didn't hurt advance sales of 'Our Old Home.'") Nevertheless, among members of Hawthorne's class, a career as an author--especially one who suffered extended bouts of writer's block---was not enough to pay the bills, and his inability to keep a job haunted his family with the threat of poverty until the day he died.
   
   Wineapple is superb at fleshing out Hawthorne's circle of family, neighbors, and friends, but--oddly enough--his literature is pushed to the background. There are certainly ample servings from Hawthorne's letters and journals, and Wineapple is somewhat more attentive to his five novels, especially how they are influenced by his political and metaphysical beliefs (on the one hand) and how their publication impacted his celebrity and finances (on the other). But she seems to have assumed that readers are intimately familiar with his tales and sketches, which, for the most part, are mentioned obliquely and glancingly. For example, a toss-away remark describing a contingent of visitors to a Union military base as "a group of do-gooders, spectators, and enthusiasts straight out of the pages of 'The Celestial Railroad'"--the only significant reference to the story--does little to elucidate or contextualize one of Hawthorne's most searing satires.
   
   As a social biography, then, "Hawthorne: A Life" is largely a success, and Wineapple's colloquial, almost gossip-tinged, narrative makes for easy and pleasurable reading. Readers looking for a more literary biography, however, should hunt down a copy of Edwin Haviland Miller's "Salem Is My Dwelling Place" (published in 1981), which more thoroughly treats the biographical and thematic implications of Hawthorne's fiction.



2. This thoughtful and graceful biography of Nathanial Hawthorne cogently captures his human complexity, which in turn reflects the polarities of the American character and experience that he vividly described in his self-styled romances: head and heart, reason and emotion, reality and imagination, materialism and transcendentalism, Puritanism and Quakerism, republicanism and federalism, states' rights and national union, slavery and abolition, heritage and freedom, tradition and independence. Brenda Wineapple's book skillfully chronicles Hawthorne's early and recurrent poverty, peripateticism, Hamlet-like indecisiveness, ambivalence about writing, and tendency to observe rather than to participate in life; and, like a Dickens novel, her work presents the author's family and distinguished circle of friends as fully developed and plausibly motivated characters: Franklin Pierce, Emerson, Melville, and, at a greater remove, Stowe, Whitman, and Poe. This volume's evident scholarship - it contains more than one hundred pages of notes - is expressed in a highly palatable style that is also educative in its unobtrusive use of words sufficiently uncommon (e.g., atavistic, coruscate, metonymic, sodality, solipsistic, treacle) to cause some readers to consult their dictionaries frequently. In sum, this work is the triumphant achievement of an ambitious undertaking.



3. How he'd have loathed this biography by Wineapple. Invasive and outrageously distorted when it comes to interpreting what Hawthorne means in his own biographical entries [especially the letters], this volume commits the primitive biographical sin of reach a verdict, first; find the evidence, second. Some of Wineapple's assertions as to what Hawthorne "really" thinks [often in contradiction to his actual words] are simply preposterous. Thank God for the copious quotings from the great man, himself. The rest? Read quickly; take painkillers.



4. I'm not a big biography reader, so I can't throw out other tomes to compare to this one. All I can say is that it was, amazingly, a page-turner. Wineapple really made me want to know more, and helped me to understand a very, very complicated man, at least as much as it is possible to do so. Obviously meticulously researched, brimming with witty remarks (both Wineapple's and first-person quotes), one of few criticisms I can think of is that the author tried a little too hard to emulate Hawthorne's style, not always transparently. But then, when I read Hawthorne, my sentences tend to grow, too, so maybe that isn't a criticism.

   Wineapple's only failing, in my opinion, is her tendency to skip over things she seems to assume we already know, like Sophia's fall on the ice precipitating her miscarriage. She neither disproves it nor states it, just ignores it. It made me wonder what else she left out that I didn't know enough to notice.

   My only other comment is a warning - for those (like me) who have been fascinated by Nathaniel Hawthorne since their first exposure to him, beware - to know the man this well, with this much detail, is to demystify him before adoring eyes. He was a man, it turns out, just a man, with failings and foibles. Some, like his racism and sexism, might be excused by the times he lived in, but others, like self-pity and hubris, are timeless. After this book, I pity him more, and worship him less. But his work, as Wineapple points out in the Notes, remains as popular as ever.




5. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was an enigma wrapped in a mystery. Hawhthorne the scion of Salem Mass.Puritans was a man who lived his life within his tortured guilt-ridden soul. The great nineteenth century author of such gems as "The Scarlet Letter", "The House of the Seven Gables", "The Blithedale Romance","The Marble Faun" and classic short stories comes vividly alive in this superbly crafted, researched and well written account. Wineapple is that "rare apple": an academic English professor who writes clear prose understandable by the popular reading public.
   Hawthorne was a complex man who kept his thoughts interior until he spilled out his concerns on the page. He was a supporter of the Democratic party meaning he was opposed to abolitionism, felt whites were the superior race and had an almost unnatural love for our 14th President Franklin Pierce (one of our worst chief executives!).
   Hawthorne's tale includes many interesting folks from his beautiful artistic wife Sophie and her fascinating sister Elizabeth Peabody (who may have been in love with Nathaniel)!
   The third Peabody sister wed famed educational reformer Horace Mann.
   Hawthorne's children were fascinating from the etheral oldest daughter Una to the troubled Julian to the youngest child Rose who opened the first hospice for indigent cancer patients.
   Famed literary stars such as Emerson, Thoreau and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow are players in this story with colorful anecdotes from the pen of Wineapple. The early feminist Margaret Fuller is also discussed with acuity. Herman Melville who was Hawthorne a secretive man is chronciled as his hero worship of the Salem author led him to dedicate Moby Dick to the older man.