Book Description
In a cave in the Shenandoah National Park, two bodies are discovered, wrapped in the tattered remains of a lover's knot quilt.
In Washington, D.C., Isaac Taylor inherits a nearly identical quilt from a grandmother whose name he never even knew.
After narrowly escaping death, newspaper journalist Kendra Taylor retreats to a cabin nestled in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley to heal and sort out her feelings about her troubled marriage. The land was bequeathed to her husband by a maternal grandmother he never knew, and the cabin has been abandoned for years.
As she is welcomed into the rural community of Toms Brook, Kendra becomes curious about an heirloom lover's knot quilt, which is another piece of Isaac's unexplored past. The unusual quilt clearly has a story to tell, and Kendra is convinced that helping her husband connect with his roots might help him reconnect with her, as well.
At first Isaac's reluctant visits to the cabin only underscore the difficulties in their marriage. But as circumstances force them to piece together a new relationship, Isaac discovers that the history of a family he's never known might hold the key to his future.
As a passionate story of strength, loss and desperation unfolds, the secrets of two quilts are revealed and the threads of an unraveling marriage are secured. In the rich, evocative prose that earned high praise for Wedding Ring and Endless Chain, Emilie Richards crafts the third tale in the Shenandoah Album series, resonant with the power of love and family ties.
Customer Reviews:
The Shenandoah Album Series.......2007-09-27
Emilie Richards has quickly become one of my favorite authors. And this series ranks right up with her other books. If you are a quilter, I think you will enjoy the descriptions of quilting in the past and present, and how the art was woven into the fabric of individual's lives.
Lover's Knot.......2007-09-14
I bought the book for my elderly mother.I have not read it yet but she relly liked the Shenadoah series.
Shenandoah lover's knot unraveled.......2007-06-03
I always look forward to Emilie Richards return to Toms Brook and wasn't disappointed with this newest story. The old characters are here, but mingled in with the Toms Brook family is an intriquing story of a woman searching to find out an answer to her unhappy marriage. She is still in love with her husband but discover that they have gone their separate ways through work and self-absorption. Kendra has undergone a very traumatic event in her life and seeks solace in the isolation of the Toms Brook mountains. Richards weaves her story cleverly around a quilt her husband has inherited and the story it unfolds to effect both of their lives. I was especially intriqued by the history of the Shenandoah National Park and had never realized the heartaches and sorrows that families uprooted from their homes suffered. As always, Richards manages to bring her story to a satisfying end, but I will look forward to her next novel when I can again immerse myself in the lives of the Shenandoah Valley.
This book has it all.......2007-01-15
I loved this book. Having read the first two this one mixed in familiar characters just enough to make you feel like you are seeing another part of the community. The characters were very real to life and shows that misunderstandings happen between people. The storyline about the husband's family was very interesting and well told. It made me want to visit the area. All in all - you have a love story, a mystery, and a story of community. Terrific!
Engrossing ..........2006-10-04
I love quilting books (or books with quilting themes in it). I love Emilie Richard's books simply because she is a thorough writer and she always introduces a new character from a previous book, so you feel like you are among friends. Her books has a way of drawing you into the story ~~ or in this case, a story within a story.
It starts out with Kendra almost losing her life in an attempted carjacking attack. Six months later after extensive therapy, she decides that she needs to go and live in her husband's grandmother's cabin. She takes Isaac's quilt, called The Lover's Knot ~~ with her as well. Isaac remains behind in Washington D.C., and Kendra fearing the end of her marriage, decides to recuperate away from the city and in the mountains. Little did she know that she would find a new home among the citizens that live in the tiny town. And little did she know that she would discover Isaac's grandmother's deep secret.
Isaac was given up for adoption as a child. He didn't have an easy childhood as his adoptive father was mentally abusive. So he didn't want to know anything about his biological family because he thought they were just as bad for giving him up for adoption. Turns out his grandmother Leah had a story and that story haunted two of her friends for years. It talked about being relocated from their home which has been turned over to the government to make a park. It gives a bit of history as well and Leah shares her stories through letters.
It's a bittersweet novel and a very wonderful one. Kendra and Isaac find themselves through history and simple daily life in the country. It's a big contrast to the high-power living in a big city ~~ and very relaxing.
Only Richards can write like this ~~ full of warmth and sunshine and hope. Her novels have always made me curl up on the couch and relax with a cup of tea on hand. It's wonderful, cozy and engrossing. Always.
10-3-06
Book Description
Three complete novels, The Runaway Quilt, The Quilter's Legacy, and The Master Quilter, from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini.
Join the Elm Creek Quilters on their continuing adventures through American history past and present, told from the unique perspective of the creative artists known as quilters.
The Runaway Quilt: Alerted that her family may have had ties to the slaveholding South, Sylvia Bergstrom Compson searches her attic for her great-grandmother's quilt, a log cabin with black central squares that, according to legend, was a sign of sanctuary to escaping slaves. She also discovers the memoir of her great-grandfather's spinster sister, Gerda Bergstrom. The record reveals not only the founding of Elm Creek Manor, but also a Pennsylvania farming community divided by the issue of slavery. With the help of the Elm Creek Quilters and the clues in her ancestors' quilts, Sylvia grapples with hard truths in coming to terms with her family's past.
The Quilter's Legacy: Resolving to locate her mother's heirloom quilts, Sylvia embarks on a cross-country investigation of antiques shops, quilt museums, and some unexpected places, where offers of assistance are not always what they seem. As Sylvia recovers some of the missing quilts and accepts others as lost forever, she reflects on the woman her mother was and mourns the woman she never knew.
The Master Quilter: Wedding bells are ringing in the ears of the Elm Creek Quilters. Their own Sylvia planned her holiday wedding with sweetheart Andrew in complete secrecy. Eager to honor the newlyweds, the Elm Creek Quilters hasten to stitch a bridal quilt for their favorite Master Quilter. As the quilt blocks accumulate, the Elm Creek Quilters celebrate the joys of new beginnings and the ongoing success of their business -- until forces conspire to threaten their happiness and prosperity. Will the burden of closely guarded secrets strain the bonds of friendship?
"A shared love for quilting," The Hartford Courant has observed, "helps bring women together. Quilters always welcome new ones and share what they know...in the popular Elm Creek Quilts novels." Here in An Elm Creek Quilts Album, Jennifer Chiaverini's captivating storytelling enacts the enduring wisdom of a joyful sisterhood of family and friends.
Customer Reviews:
Elm Creek Quilts Album, 3 novels in the series Elm Creek Quilts Novels........2007-07-21
I read the first 3-in one novel, and ordered the 2nd 3-1 one novel in the series. Being a quilter, I absolutely love them and recommend them to all quilters! Bobbie, Staunton, IL
More Great Quilting Adventures with the Elm Creek Quilters!.......2007-07-15
You don't have to be a quilter to enjoy the three stories combined in this volume. Novels 4, 5, and 6 in the Elm Creek Quilters series by Jennifer Chiaverini do not disappoint. If you enjoyed the first 3 novels in the series, you will enjoy continuing the saga in these next 3. I especially enjoyed the first story in this volume ("The Runaway Quilt"). Historical fiction lovers will especially appreciate this riveting story pertaining to the Underground Railroad during the Civil War era. Many thanks to Ms. Chiaverini for continuing to bring us more and more stories in this marvelous series.
Book Review.......2007-07-07
I am enjoying The Elm Creek Quilts Album novels. This is the second set of 3 novels by the same author. Good reading if you like family stories, if you are a crafter / quilter and like some historical info added to the storyline.
A must have!.......2007-04-03
Are you looking for a book on friendship, love and quilts? Or just one of the three? Than this is the book for you. "An Elm Creeks Album" is the collection of novels 4-6 in Jennifer Chiaverini's wonderful series about Elm Creek manor and the wonderful people conected to it. In "The Runaway Quilt" the series main heroine Sylvia Compson are presented with a quilt that is connected to Elm Creek manor and to slavery, and we follow her quest to find out about her ancstors and their lives during the later half of the 19th century. It is a wonderful weave of contemporary fiction and historical fiction, and Ms. Chiaverini's love for quilts and friendship among quilters fills the stories with warmth! The second book in the album is "The Quilter's legacy" - Sylvia is searching for her mother's lost quilts, and while on the look for them we learn about her mother's childhood, her love for Sylvia's father and for their children. Like the previous novel this is also a combination of contemporary and past time, but while the past in "The runaway Quilt" is portrayed in the form of a diary, the past in "The Quilter's legacy" is brought to us more directly via every other main chapter being the story of Sylvia and every other is about her Mother. Like the other novels in the series "The Quilter's legacy" i filled with warmth and love. The last novel in the album is "The Master quilter" - here we follow Sylvia's friends in their lives' ups and downs while they work on making Sylvia's bridal sampler quilt - another marvolous story! I love these novels, and i warmly recomend them to you! I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have!
Another wonderful collection.......2007-03-09
Once again, Jennifer Chiaverini doesn't disappoint--who can beat having the next three novels in her series bound together in one book?? These stories are even better than the first three that were bound together in The Elm Creek Sampler! They are "page-turners" that make you stay up late into the night to find out what happpens next!
Book Description
Though best known as the author of the Little House books, Laura Ingalls Wilder led a full, rich life that spanned almost a century of American history. All through her life Laura saved mementos of her past, including early writings, letters, drawings, and photographs, which have been lovingly preserved in private and public collections across the country.
Now, for the first time ever, these photographs, writings, and memorabilia have been gathered together in one incredible volume by noted Little House historian William Anderson. Each gorgeous page of LAURA'S ALBUM is a doorway into the private world of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and offers a unique glimpse of what her life was like. Here is the fascinating true story of this remarkable pioneer woman's life as well as an unforgettable tale of our own American past.
Customer Reviews:
Good Reading.......2007-08-23
I love Laura Ingalls Wilder and her works. This book tells more about the real person and the real family. Very interesting. I feel like I know her,though reading this book.
Laura's Album; A Remembrance Scrapbook of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House).......2007-08-17
WOW. The pictures were fantastic!! Makes you want to jump right back into history so that you could meet Laura and her family. Lovely illustrations and the layout was a joy to the eye!! Little House fans....if you cannot get to the museum in the USA...get this book...heck.....get it anyhow.
Disappointing..........2007-05-20
There were a few photos here that I hadn't seen elsewhere, but there wasn't really any new information for me, so I was somewhat disappointed. It also seemed to be written for juvenile fans of the Little House books, but I wish someone would remember that Ms. Wilder has ADULT fans, too, and write something for us.
Laura Ingalls scrapbook.......2007-03-29
This is a special collection of pictures and memorabilia from Laura and her family, laid out like a scrapbook. It's beautiful!
A must-read for any Laura I. Wilder fan.......2007-02-23
I found this book to be a wonderful, memory filled journey. It is presented in a most thoughtful manner- all sorts of memoriabilia are here. I will encourage my 17 year old daughter to read this, it definately gives a good view into, as Laura's words, "the land of used to be!"
Book Description
Sam Kinkade is finally feeling at home as a minister in rural Toms Brook, Virginia, content with his life and Shenandoah Valley congregation. But his plans to welcome the area's growing Hispanic community are being met with resistance. Fortunately, when the church-run community center is threatened, a stranger named Elisa Martinez walks through his door and Sam realizes he has found a woman capable of building bridges.
Elisa isn't looking to make connections. She has come to Toms Brook to hide. But despite her fears of discovery she is enchanted by the beautiful work of -- and the friendship offered by -- the women who invite her to join their quilting circle. And even though she fears the consequences for both of them, she finds herself powerfully drawn to Sam, and to the generations-old love story rooted in the town's past.
Will she and Sam repeat the past, or can they find the love and the freedom they seek at last?
Customer Reviews:
Endless Chain.......2007-02-11
Very well written. Hard to put down. Characters interesting and believable.
Endless Chain (Shenandoah Album).......2006-08-20
I read the first book in this series (Wedding Ring) and could not wait to get this book. Emilie Richards writes a very nice story and it keeps you tuning the pages. It is a great story about the lives of many people and the trials and tribulations each person goes through. This book is a great read and when you finish the book you can't wait to read Emilie Richards next one.
I highly recommend this book.
Reading Quilter.......2006-08-15
In the tradition of her first quilting novel, Emilie Richards has continued the story of Toms Creek,VA.
Ms. Richards continues to develop the characters from the first book in this trilogy, while introducing new and exciting people from the community. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Elisa and Sam and how they both fit so intricately into the fabric of this area. You can easily image yourself as part of this community and look forward to seeing how the story will "turn out." This story is one to be read and savored.
In addition, I encourage those readers who are also quilters, to explore the quilting books that go along with the stories. Ms. Richards descriptions of the quilts in the book makes you want to see the quilts themselves.
Quilters Joy.......2006-06-26
I picked up this book after reading the first of the Shenandoah series. The first book was sweet and a fun read but this book was terrific. The story was wonderful! I loved the characters and was glad to see the characters back from the first book. The Author understands quilters, their quirks and the beauty of the art that they love.
Beautifully Enticing!.......2006-02-18
I am an Emilie Richards fan. I have read just about all of her books and this one is definitely one of the best ones in her collection. I am really happy to see that the characters that I love so much in The Wedding Ring have been reintroduced in this book even though they are just supporting characters. Nancy, Helen and Tessa are back only this time, the story revolves around Rev. Sam Kinkade and Elisa Martinez. Sam Kinkade is the young reverend that has taken over the small community church. He has also set up the parsonage house to be an afterschool tutoring program to help teach English to the Hispanic children in the community. Elisa is a young Hispanic woman who is hired to be the church's sexton. She also works at the local nursing home.
They both have histories that neither are willing to share but have baggage in which neither could trust the other just yet. Sam is also engaged to a lovely woman named Christine who lives in Atlanta. However, he could feel an intense attraction to Elisa who is also surrounded by mysteries of her own. And this novel is their story.
This is perhaps one of the most intense-written novels in awhile that is from Richards' collection. This one has another story written into Elisa's story ~~ there is a story of a runaway slave tied to Elisa's past ~~ and Elisa's life runs parallel to it. Elisa is also a runaway but from a different sort of circumstances. Richards really writes more intensely of a political nature that is surprising as well ~~ she writes intimately of a civil right that most Americans have taken for granted, freedom from being perscuted by the government.
This is a compelling book ~~ one that you will not be able to put down. I cannot believe that other readers have not discovered Emilie Richards ~~ I have always found her books readable and likable and just wonderfully written. This book is much better than a lot of her earlier works ~~ and more enticing too. It may be about two people who meet each other and fall in love ~~ but it also had other stories tied up in that romance. It is about people and dreams and memories and where they have been before they met their soulmate and what is going to happen next. It is a book that keeps you interested in what is going to happen with the characters long after the last page has been turned. It is a book about life.
If you haven't read Richards' books yet, I highly recommend that you start with this one. It is the second book in the Shenandoah Album series (the first one would be The Wedding Ring) ~~ but you can start with this one as her books are not written in a sequel ~~ just of familiar characters introduced in Wedding Ring.
2-18-06
Product Description
The first edition was published in 1991, and it has been re-designed three times since. This edition includes the original narrative and recipes, all of which have been reviewed, some of which have been tweaked and polished to make them more accurate and easy to follow.
-Author
Customer Reviews:
Pure Louisiana Cooking.......2007-09-06
I'm pure Louisiana. This cookbook has authentic cajun/french recipies. The stories are delightful and has brought back many memories of my own family gatherings. The phrase we've heard all of our lives, you have used for a title. How clever. I bought books for both of my daughters to help keep up the Louisiana way of cooking and our wonderful Southern traditions. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys great food.
Authentic, Great recipes.......2007-06-25
I'm a displaced cajun from Lafayette, Louisiana . . . this book is 100% authentic, from the recipies to the stories she tells. Reading it is just like being back there. I received this as a gift from another cajun, and I've given it as a gift many times. I haven't made a single recipe from this book that came out bad, quite the opposite actually, everything is as good as my Mamam makes or better . . . it's such an unfair advantage at potlucks, these yankees don't stand a chance! : )
If you're considering buying it, just do it. You'll be so happy you did. Don't forget when you make your roux: it takes a long time (30min+) of constant stirring. I usually pull up a chair to the stove and grab a newspaper or turn on a movie. Flat wooden spatula-type stirrers are my personal favorite, as you can scrape the bottom really well. After years of making cajun food my favorite pots are Le Creusets. I don't own stock in them or anything, they are just the next best thing to traditional cast iron pots. Also, when you're ready to add your onions, bell pepper, and celery to the roux, unless you have a state-of-the-art venting system, I recommend going outside. The smell is potent and may linger in your kitchen for much longer than you'd like.
Excellent and authentic.......2007-06-12
I bought this book after one of many visits to Lafayette, heart of Cajun Country. Friends there raved about her recipes: easy-to-make, delicious and the real thing. The little asides about her family and Cajun traditions are worth the price of the book alone. Her Red Beans & Rice, Sausage Biscuits, Jambalaya and Etouffe are all fantastic.
cajun cooking made simple.......2006-12-15
Some cajun recipes take lots of ingredients and many steps in preparation. This book feature "country" cajun recipes, simple to make and oh, sooo good. The stories about the cajun area and their people and traditions makes for a very interesting read...a free bonus. If you like cajun food, this is a MUST HAVE book. Thanks
Average customer rating:
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George Catlin's Souvenir of the North American Indians: A Facsimile of the Original Album
George Catlin , and
William H. Truettner
Manufacturer: Gilcrease Museum
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Catlin, George
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ASIN: 0972565701 |
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- Wonderful Reunion
- My life, practically, in pictures
- Growing Up Jewish in Baltimre
|
Jewish Baltimore: A Family Album
Gilbert Sandler
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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Small Town Baltimore: An Album of Memories
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Woodholme: A Black Man's Story of Growing Up Alone (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf)
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Baltimore Then and Now (Then & Now)
ASIN: 0801864275 |
Book Description
From East Baltimore to Forest Park to Park Heights, from Nates and Leon's deli to Hutzler's department store, Jewish Baltimore tells stories of neighborhoods, people, and landmarks that have been important to Baltimore's Jewish experience. Gilbert Sandler, whose popular columns have appeared in Baltimore's Jewish Times and the Baltimore Sun, offers a wide-ranging history of the region's Jewish community from the 1850s to the present, covering both German Jewish and Russian Jewish communities. Sandler's archival research uncovers new details about important people and events, but the heart of his book lies in its anecdotes and quotations--the reminiscences of those who recall the rich tapestry of days gone by. More than a hundred nostalgic photographs help to bring the memories to life.
Many of Sandler's essays invoke famous names in Baltimore history--names like Jack Pollack, the ex-boxer turned politician; Joseph Meyerhoff, who gave his city a symphony hall; Samuel Hecht, founder of the last surviving local department store chain. But just as often, these essays remind us of unsung heros: rabbis, merchants, teachers, and camp counselors. Sandler tells many inspirational stories, including how one young woman, escaping from Germany in 1939 on a ship headed to Bolivia, seized an opportunity when she learned the ship would stop in Baltimore. She sent a cable to her boyfriend in Richmond, Virginia, telling him to meet her at the dock, and the two were married onboard--which eventually allowed her to enter the United States. Sandler always uncovers the "human interest" in his stories. His account of the S.S. President Warfield--refitted as the Exodus to carry food, supplies, and 4,500 European refugees to Palestine in 1947--contains personal recollections from one of the local businessmen who played a key role in the secret operation, and even a statement from someone who, as a young workman, helped to load the ship.
Jewish Baltimore also highlights fondly remembered institutions. Hutzler's s department store, for example, was a common meeting place for weekend shoppers; a notebook in Hutzler's balcony allowed friends to trade messages and track each other down in the large store. Hutzler's celebrated return policy stated that "anything could be returned within a reasonable amount of time"--with the word reasonable conveniently left to the customer's discretion. There was also Hendler's ice cream, whose advertisements featured a kewpie doll, proclaiming "Take home a brick!" When a competing chain bragged about producing twenty-eight flavors, Albert Hendler counted fifty flavors in his father's stock--including licorice, eggnog, and tomato aspic (the last flavor produced as a speciality for the Southern Hotel).
Focusing on religious education, Sandler tells of the Talmud Torahs, the area's first highly visible, community-wide system committed to providing a Jewish education--two hours of instruction daily, in addition to a Jewish student's other lessons. The Talmud Torahs, dating from 1889, laid the foundation for later Jewish schools, such as the Isaac Davidson Hebrew School. Sandler also visits P.S. 49, a public school remembered for its high concentration of Jewish students. For recreation, the Monument Street "Y" was a popular site, providing a health club, game rooms, six-lane swimming pool, soda fountain, and library. In his essays on summer vacations, Sandler discusses family visits to Eastern Shore beaches and describes the summer camps that were frequented by Jewish children. Sandler has a knack for getting the people he interviews to recall every detail, from the names of favorite teachers or rabbis down to the price of a movie at the Avalon theater and which streetcar line they used to get there.
Baltimore has a strong and historically important Jewish presence, and this book engagingly tells the story of that community.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Reunion.......2007-05-14
What a wonderful experience it was to turn the pages of this book. Imagine seeing your high school after many decades or being reintroduced to foods, customs, and places that you have long forgotten about. Each page brought the return of memories of my life growing up, or reviews of people and places before my time that had an influence on my life. There were many pictures of people in my family (especially those of older generations)and I will look forward to sharing this family tree with my children. I even learned some new things about my family and my birth city. Memories abound.
My life, practically, in pictures.......2001-02-15
This is a book that could describe my life in pictures.
I was born in Pikesville and had lived there all my childhood. I grew up living nearby my grandparents on Park Heights Avenue, grew up knowing every place of Reisterstown Road. And I grew up as a Jewish girl who went to Camp Louise every summer of her life and spent those lazy summers on the White House (Camp Louise) lawns making friends with girls who even now I still keep in touch with.
It's a book that'll describe your life. Trust me: it described mine.
Growing Up Jewish in Baltimre.......2001-01-21
_________________________________________________________________
At the moment this book on "Jewish Baltimore" is most popular in Baltimore (#1) and Pikesville, MD (#3). Little wonder it should be selling well in Baltimore and Pikesville, a suburb adjoining Northwest Baltimore, part of the Greater Baltimore Jewish ghetto.
In "Jewish Baltimore" Gilbert Sandler recounts the long, slow trek of Baltimore's Jews from East Baltimore (where my father was born) through Northwest Baltimore (where my parents first lived after they married) to the neighborhoods of Forest Park and Park Heights Avenue (where my grandmother Julie lived) on to Pikesville (where I grew up) and even further northwest to Owings Mills.
"Many of Sandler's essays invoke famous names in Baltimore history," says the blurb on the book's dustcover. Included among the "famous names" Sandler invokes is my family's name, which never seemed famous to me when I was a child (or thereafter).
The book has two main features: essays and photographs. A number of the essays are based on columns Sandler has written over the years for the Baltimore Sun newspaper and for the Baltimore Jewish Times. The book is subtitled quite aptly "A Family Album. " It is a photo album of all of Baltimore's Jewry. The photos are superbly chosen and the captions are well researched, nicely written, and enhance the excellent pictures.
Historically, Jewish Baltimore was decidedly not a single community. There were separate German Jewish and "Russian" (really Central and Eastern European) Jewish communities. And they were truly separate. The German Jews had come first to Baltimore and they looked down on the "Russian" Jews.
This book is bittersweet for me. It brings back some wonderful people to me, some who are now dead. But it also brings back to me the feelings of discomfort, even pain, I felt about the highly segregated situation in which we then lived where the "colored people" lived separately from the "white people," where Jews lived separately from those who were not Jewish, and where German Jews lived apart from the "Russian" Jews. All of these and other ghettos around Baltimore were based on "restricted housing" covenants and on the ingrained narrow customs of prejudice.
Gilbert Sandler evokes with warmth the history of Jewish Baltimore and he neatly skirts most of the less warm and cozy memories some of us have who lived as members of Jewish Baltimore.
A lovely "Family Album" it is. An account with balance between the bitter and the sweet it is not.
Book Description
Gayle Fortman has built a good life for herself and her three sons in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Divorced f Eric Fortman, Gayle has made a success rom charismatic broadcast journalist
of Daughter of the Stars, a popular bed- and-breakfast. She has even maintained a cordial relationship with Eric, covering with the boys for his absences and broken promises. Family was never a priority for her ex-husband, even when they were still married. Luckily Travis Allen, her closest surrogate father to the boys and her own neighbor, has been a loving best friend.
Th graduation, Eric returns, but not for the
en, on the eve of oldest son Jared's
celebration. He nearly lost his life in Afghanistan. Worse, he has lost his way and his courage, and needs a place to recover. Gayle realizes this might be the last chance for her sons to establish a real bond with their father, and off summer at the inn and a chance to put
ers him a
things right. Gayle and Eric are all too aware that the love and attraction they once shared are still there. But can the pieces of their broken lives be mended, or are they better laid to rest?
Customer Reviews:
Touching Stars.......2007-09-29
Emilie Richards is a great author/story teller. She captures the characters personalities and pulls you right into the story.
KB,,, Washington
Heartwarming!.......2007-09-27
This is the 4th of the Shenandoah Quilt series by Emilie Richards. Each book is great, this one is the heartwarming story of a divorced mother of three deals with the day to day running of a bed & breakfast will raising her sons. Then, her ex-husband comes back into her life. Will they get back together or is there someone new in her life?
Each book stands alone, but if possible read them in order. Characters from previous books show up in each new one.
Another Wonderful Book from Emilie Richards.......2007-09-23
A gentle reminder to Booklover 101. The movie she cites, A Mighty Heart, was released at the same time (end of June 2007) as this novel. So there's no possibility the author could have "ripped off" the movie, as she suggests. Authors, like everyone else, can rarely see into the future or into the heart of Hollywood. Emilie Richards pays tribute to the dangers inherent in broadcast journalism, particularly in war zones, but the novel is so much more, most importantly a look at a family in crisis and the effects of divorce. I enjoyed this addition to the Shenandoah Album as much as the previous books.
Not her best.......2007-09-21
I started reading Touching Stars, and I have to say I'm really disappointed. I loved the other books in the Shannandoh Album series, but this one is a let down. I feel like it is a cheap rip off of A Mighty Heart - Eric even says he hopes Brad Pitt would play him in a movie version and Angelina Jolie his wife!!! I'm sure it was meant to honor Danny Pearl and all of the other journalists overseas, but in my mind it is done in a distastful manner, cheapening what they have really been through.
Touching Stars.......2007-09-13
I loved the latest book in the Shenandoah series! It took a little while to become reacquainted with the characters, but I found them very interesting. I couldn't put it down!
Book Description
"Keeping a scrapbook" is a longstanding American tradition. The collections of fragments that often bulge their pages and burst their bindings make scrapbooks a pleasurable feast for both makers and consumers. They are a material manifestation of memory—of the compilers and of the cultural moment in which they were created. Despite the widespread popularity of scrapbooks, historians have rarely examined them in a systematic way. In this fascinating work, fourteen contributors offer the first serious, sustained examination and analysis of scrapbooks. While other books offer suggestions on how to create scrapbooks, this book looks at their significance.
The editors observe that scrapbooks are one of the most mysterious objects to be found in a family home. This unique book helps to explain the mystery. It will appeal to all readers with an interest in "scrapbooking" as well as to scholars who study American culture and print, visual, or material culture.
Average customer rating:
- Not a bad read
- Family Album
- Do you think you have problems?
- YUCK! of an otherwise fine story.....
- The perfect title for this book...
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Family Album
Danielle Steel
Manufacturer: Delacorte Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Contemporary
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Similar Items:
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Full Circle
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Crossings
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Remembrance
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Secrets
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Changes
ASIN: 0385293925
Release Date: 1985-02-01 |
Book Description
Through forty years -- from Hollywood's golden days in World War II to the present -- Faye Price would create first a career as a legendary actress, then a family, and finally she would realize her dream of becoming one of Hollywood's first woman directors. But nothing was more precious to Faye than her five children. In a changing world, a milieu where family values are constantly challenged from without and within, the Thayers would face the greatest challenges and harshest test a family can endure, to emerge stronger, bound forever by loyalty and love. It is only when Faye is gone that they can each assess how far they have come, and how important their family album is.
Customer Reviews:
Not a bad read.......2006-12-08
If you are new to DS books, this is one of her better ones. The writing quality is fair. Stick to her early books... don't bother with anything she wrote after the mid-1990s. Her writing style became ridiculously repetitive and boring and the plots nonexistent. The early books have more intricate plots and characters that she actually bothered to develop.
This book does have repetitive phrases (yes, we get it that the women are beautiful). She gives her readers very little credit and finds it necessary to tell us that certain characters are good and some are bad. She does this in every book, so it may get old. She should let us decide for ourselves whose side we want to be on. But, you can definitely relax and enjoy the book without having to think too much. She put a lot of effort into the details and the characters (especially the children) are interesting.
Family Album.......2006-03-08
Oddly, I seem to be on a roll, reading books that begin during WWII and end in the next generation! Steel's done better, but it's a good story. The problems are more in the details than the storyline - Ward is an engaging, charming man one moment, and a petulant, spoiled child the next. Faye is a strong, capable woman, but it's hard to imagine that any strong, capable woman would put up with Ward's reactions to things not going his way. Most of the family falls in love with their soulmate on their first try, even if they don't realize it at first. It does take some effort to swallow some of it.
The Thayers have gathered to bury the heart of their family and Ward Thayer is devestated to the point of numbness. He met Faye Price during the war, when she travelled to entertain the troups. From Guadalcanal to the south of France, their love story is like everyone else's - they have their ups and downs, they fight, raise a family, have and lose everything, and love each other through it all. What makes it interesting, that their love story is so common, is that they are not. Ward is heir to a shipyard fortune and Faye is one of the brightest young stars of her time. Their life is glamorous and frivolous. All that ends when Faye discovers that Ward has been keeping a secret: they have almost nothing left! At this point, they've got five children, each other and a mountain of debt. Faye has a spine and Ward has an affair... and that's just the beginning.
The story of the family is realistic; the kids are people you can relate to, despite their wealth, most of the time. Besides, even in fiction, we all like to know that living in Hollywood doesn't mean they're not human, too. It's a fairly quick read, given that it's 400+ pages. I wouldn't buy it new, unless you're a big Steel fan.
Do you think you have problems?.......2003-11-13
If you think that you have problems with your family check this:
Five children, one homosexual, one likes drugs, one is dead in a war, one hate her mother because her mother is a winner in life and the last one more or less normal, but these are not all the problems...
The story of Faye is well written and the book is very easy to read, it has two or three things that I think couldn't be true but the story of this family will make you think of your family and if you really have problems with your children, this book will open your mind of what to do or how to do things with your children, husband or wife.
YUCK! of an otherwise fine story............2003-10-23
This would be my last DS book I read. I admire the lady but somehow she always manage to cheapen her characters. The plot starts with the heroine Faye Price, fabulous movie star, climbing her success in Hollywood while meeting her future beau, Ward Thayer in Guadalcanal. He was a liutenant then, but he's heir to a shipyard tycoon. Until this part, I totally love the plot. They finally get married and have 5 beautiful children and start a journey as a rich family in Beverly Hills. Since the husband never has to work in his life and loves buying Faye baubles, they soon went bankrupt and the heroine has to work her way up again while the hubby paralyzes his fear of failure with girls and booze. The family manages to claw their way back to Beverly Hills, but the children start to lead different lives as they grow older. The oldest (Lionel) is gay, the second one (Greg) is a football jock, the next (Val and Van) are twins with totally different characters and the baby (Anne) is always depicted crying her eyes out. Poor Anne has the weakest character. She runs away with the "peace" crowd in SF at 14 and gets pregnant in a commune (it's just a nasty depiction of gang rape), and eventually gave up his son. Along the way she befriends a girl and her rich dad, and from there the plot goes Lolita. This I don't get, a flower child who ends up wearing Gucci and fur coats!
I love the part when DS shows how Faye struggles to bring her family together, but somehow when she gets back her stardom she is no longer a doting mother anymore. The family is very liberal in letting their children sleep around with anyone who crosses his/her path, morality is not a priority... I used to admire DS writing, but NOT her promiscuity, however noble she tries to describe it. The gay plotline of Faye's oldest son is supposed to be a tearjerker, although I cringed when reading all the promiscuity depicted in this book. However, it's really beyond gross for a 14 y.o falling in love with a 47 y.o man. I can imagine myself falling in love with Kevin Costner when I was 12, but that was when he had hair and Sean Young was hot. Add to that, this old man is portrayed as a doting father of Anne's best friend, but when his daughter is away for Christmas break, the 47 y.o manages to invite Anne for a "pajama party". How yucky can you get? DS, HOW COULD YOU!!!
Maybe in her lifetime, DS has met characters like these, or she herself has experienced it, but I think the intimate plot between an old man with an underage girl is tacky. It just encourages more pedophiles to do what they're not supposed to do.
Anyways, I have to say, DS always begin her storyline beautifully, and almost always manage to end it cheaply. Sorry guys, but please stay away from this book, or if you're really interested, read it and burn it...
The perfect title for this book..........2002-05-14
This story is simply about a typical family, with some extraordinarly lives and careers, but typical family problems. Each and every person in this family creates their own conflict, and bonds the family into something bigger and stronger. I loved the movie for this story, but I loved the book more... of course! Each member does something to test the love of the entire family unit, and the results are extraordinary! Anyone from a big family, will love this one!!
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