Sunlight and Shadow (Once Upon a Time)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Wow!
  • The Magic Flute, made more magical
  • "The Magic Flute" Retold
  • Very mediocre for a Magic Flute fan...
  • Poorly Done
Sunlight and Shadow (Once Upon a Time)
Cameron Dokey
Manufacturer: Simon Pulse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0689869991

Book Description

A new spin on "The Magic Flute" by an acclaimed author!

In a time when the world was young and many things were quite commonplace that are now entirely forgotten, Sarastro, Mage of the Day, wed Pamina, the Queen of the Night. And in this way was the world complete, for light was joined to dark. For all time would they be joined together. Only the ending of the world could tear them apart. In other words, in the days in which my parents married, there was no such thing as divorce....

Thus begins the tale of Mina, a girl-child born on the longest night of the darkest month of the year. When her father looked at her, all he saw was what he feared: By birth, by name, by nature, she belonged to the Dark. So when Mina turned sixteen, her father took her away from shadow and brought her into sunlight.

In retaliation, her mother lured a handsome prince into a deadly agreement: If he frees Mina, he can claim her as his bride.

Now Mina and her prince must endure deadly trials -- of love and fate and family -- before they can truly live happily ever after....

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wow!.......2007-09-02

I have to admit, I was skeptical when I picked up this book. I don't really like romances, and I wondered if I'd be bored. I figured I'd read a chapter and put it down. I was sure wrong about that.

Cameron Dokey's got an amazing way with words and how she weaves them together: It's magical and the story flows together brilliantly. I just couldn't get over how likable she made the characters: ALL of them, not just the "good guys." The "bad guys" are not all bad, nor are they hopeless, and problems are resolved in interesting ways. I couldn't tell you who my favorite character is (though I lean toward Lapin, who is Mina's best friend and defender, player of the bells.) They have depth and their feelings are interesting, not dull or run-of-the-mill, and these characters do not have any yawn-ish conversations, either.

The story is fun and easy to follow, but it's not simple, as in predictible. In order to prove his love, Prince Tern (how cool of a name is that?) agrees to "Boss of the Day" Sarastro's conditions of a very interesting set of trials: And Sarastro's daughter, Mina goes with him. Ever wonder how mourning doves came to be? Clever Cameron Dokey tucks this into the trials that Tern and Mina endure.

I won't give away anything about the ending other than to say it is very satisfying, on more than one level. I will definitely pick up another Once Upon a Time book by Cameron Dokey!

5 out of 5 stars The Magic Flute, made more magical.......2007-08-13

The Magic Flute isn't one of the classic Grimms' fairytales, so I wasn't at all familiar with it and failed to recognise it in the blurb. The story looked intriguing nonetheless: Sarastro, "Mage of the Day", and Pamina, "Queen of the Night", have a daughter who spends her life with her mother until she is 16 - whereupon she must leave to live with her father. The blurb then promises treachery and betrayal when Pamina lures a prince into a deadly agreement to win Mina as his bride.

Cameron Dokey puts a new spin on this story with first-person accounts from different - and very likeable - characters - mainly Mina, but also an orphaned girl who is brought up by Sarastro, Gayna; Lapin, a boy who owns a magical set of bells (not a flute), and Tern, the prince. Through their voices you get a glimpse of how they think and of how fate unfolds.

This is also a story of opposites. Night against day. Mina against Gayna. Mina with Statos and Tern. Gayna with Statos and Lapin. Love against hate and treachery. And of course, good against evil.

While everything seems quite separate at first, all the threads do wind together in the end quite satisfyingly. Everything that Sarastro does is based on trying to outwit a prophecy about Mina. The only problem is that, careful as he is, he may not have all the cards in his hands.

The tone of the book was refreshingly modern even though it is set in "a time that was young and many things were commonplace that are now forgotten". Sarastro and Pamina don't speak to each other, so Mina grows up wondering what her father is like. Sarastro tears her from her mother when she is just shy of 16, breaking the original agreement and causing a great deal of defiance on Mina's part. Gayna is hopelessly in love with Sarastro's guard Statos, but he's not interested in her. It makes absorbing reading.

And in the background there is Lapin, whom I count as my favourite character. He inherits a set of magical bells which can call your true love to you. While he practices listening to the music of his heart, he ends up calling birds instead. Lots of birds.

What Lapin and Pamina do after Mina has been stolen away by Sarastro is ingenious, and entirely within the rules of the game. I felt the blurb was totally misleading when it claimed that Pamina had lured Tern into a set of deadly trials. Sarastro set those trials, and Tern agreed to rescue Mina of his own free will.

Of course everything ends well and all live happily ever after. The story is shorter than I would have liked but it's very easy reading but sticks with you for a long while after. That's the best kind of story to own.

3 out of 5 stars "The Magic Flute" Retold.......2007-07-09

"Sunlight and Shadow" was the first book in the "Once Upon a Time" series that I read. It wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed it.

The story is a retelling of Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute", but it still manages to be original. The author puts some nice twists on an old story that was interesting and pretty original to begin with. It can be a little confusing because there are several narrators who switch without much notice, but it's not too hard to figure out. The plot has nice pacing, and the book is just the right length.

Best of all, she gives life to characters who were previously flat and stereotypical. The characterizations are nothing really special by themselves (still better than the stereotypes, but they're pretty typical of this kind of book), but it's interesting to get insight in the the characters' thoughts about events.

The writing was well-done. The romance was all right, but it seemed a bit shallow. But it was good for love at first sight, which was what it was in the opera. The author did a good job with it considering her resources. She does include a few themes about life in general, but they were nothing we haven't seen before.

I was not familiar with "The Magic Flute" before reading this, but it was a good way to introduce myself to it. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it was still worth my time.

3 out of 5 stars Very mediocre for a Magic Flute fan..........2007-04-11

I was excited about this book because "Magic Flute" is one of my favorite stories. However while I did find myself enjoying it, I am not sure if I really appreciated this particular feminist take on it. Sometimes I think that a feminist take on an old beloved tale is great, however there are other times where it just distorts the story. I think that Nights Daughter by Marion Zimmer Bradley probably has a better attempt at having a feminst take on the story. And for an even better treat, score a copy of the Ingmar Bergman production of Magic Flute through netflix or your local library.

2 out of 5 stars Poorly Done.......2007-03-11

The good side of this book is the writing style. It is moody, and the descriptions are interesting. On the other hand, the characters are shallow and not rememberable. The story is confusing, unbelievable, and jarring. The author attempted to tell the story from five different points of view without clarifying when this switch between people was made. The character's voices are not distinguishable from one another. The author draws you out of the main story line several times to tell you pointless back stories on other characters. Dokey's novel Beauty Sleep has the same flaws. Her best in the Once Upon A Time series is The Storyteller's Daughter and Golden.
Sunlight and Shadow
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Sunlight and Shadow
    John GOUGH
    Manufacturer: A.D. Worhtington and Company
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover
    ASIN: B000MQGTS4
    Sunlight and Shadow: The Jewish Experience of Islam
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Lucien Gubbay masterfully presents the larger historical context
    Sunlight and Shadow: The Jewish Experience of Islam
    Lucien Gubbay
    Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 1860647383

    Book Description

    This book traces the condition of Jews living in the world of Islam, through good times and bad times, from the age of Muhammad to the present struggles between Arabs and Israelis. Muslims and Jews have lived together and reacted to each other for the past 1,400 years but few Jews today have much idea of how their brethren once fared under Islam. Muslims too know little of the history of what was to them an insignificant minority. Despite their subordinate status in Muslim society, Jews participated in the flowering of the brilliant international civilization made possible by the almost world-wide conquests of the Arabs and bound together by the Arabic language; and it was under Muslim rule that the early Judaism developed into the religion we know today. Later Jews enjoyed another golden age in the heyday of the Ottoman Empire. Sunlight and Shadow details this turbulent history.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Lucien Gubbay masterfully presents the larger historical context.......2006-03-15

    Lucien Gubbay, Sunlight and Shadow: The Jewish Experience of Islam (Other Books, 2001)

    The largest dilemma currently facing Sephardim is the problem of self-knowledge. Our children who attend American Jewish day schools are faced exclusively with Ashkenazi oriented curricula and administrators and teachers who, even if they are Sephardi in ethnic origin, have been trained in the methods of the ubiquitous Board of Jewish Education and the general detritus of the larger Orthodox Torah Umesorah system which has controlled the Jewish day school system since the 1950's. This control has created a pedagogical status quo that produces a student with very definable characteristics not traditionally Sephardi in orientation.

    In the course of the past 50 years, Sephardim have seen their cultural and religious traditions fade into oblivion. Self-representation in the public arena is now nearly non-existent. With the recent political struggles in Israel over Palestinian rights, the Israeli government, with the help of academics and the benighted Sephardim themselves, has been able to manipulate the complex history of the Jews of the Middle East (even the nomenclature is not without its own internal lack of polemic: Are we Sephardim? Mizrahim? Arab Jews? Jews of Arab Lands? Eastern Jews?) in order to create a quid pro quo between the Jewish refugees of Arab countries and the Palestinians.

    The issue of the quid pro quo unfortunately further exacerbates the tensions between Sephardim and their Muslim compatriots. Having lived since 1948 as second class citizens in the Jewish state, Sephardim have continually sought to displace their rage at the Arabs and are presented, or rather have been manipulated into "Arab haters." As Lucien Gubbay masterfully presents the larger historical context in his Sunlight and Shadow: The Jewish Experience of Islam, the truth is far more complicated than merely seeing Muslims as the eternal enemy of the Jews.

    The story told by Gubbay is refreshingly balanced in perspective. We learn about the great historical evolution of Middle Eastern civilization after the Islamic revolts. Rather than merely presenting the Islamic conquest of the Middle East as retrogressive, as is so often done in books of this type, Gubbay continually places the role of Islam within the larger context of Roman and Byzantine civilization. Against the dominant Christian model, as Gubbay states, "It should not be forgotten that the Arabs exploded into a world exhausted by twenty-six years of constant warfare, a world whose inhabitants longed for peace and stability and had come to believe that great changes were inevitable. Christian heretics and Jews in the Byzantine Empire, to whom almost any change must have seemed for the better, welcomed the Arabs with open arms."

    It is balance that enriches Gubbay's argument. Rather than enlist the lachrymose approach to Jewish history that has generally governed the limited works on the subject of Jews in the Islamic civilization, Gubbay attempts, without "cant and rancour" as noted by Dr. Zaki Badawi in his introduction to the book, to lay out the truths of the Jewish experience under Islamic stewardship. Jews produced a unified and internally coherent version of Judaism that accepted the autonomy provided by Islam and thrived under it. While not glossing over the complex internal relations between the triumphant and triumphalist Muslims and their minorities, Gubbay seems hell-bent on setting the record straight on the historical primacy of Sephardic Jews within the overall historical trajectory of Judaism as opposed to merely fitting Sephardic Judaism into contemporary Jewish history.

    And it is this point that is made crystal clear in this splendid work: The organic development of Judaism, in its Talmudic/Rabbinical variant, has been historically anchored in the East. The various post-Islamic outgrowths of Judaism are all manifestations of the source in Baghdad and its Talmudic academies.

    Gubbay spends a good deal of time illuminating the historical context of the society in which the Talmud was created, the land of Iraq which was at the center of the burgeoning Islamic empire being created in the East. While there is scant historical evidence for the original Persian context that led to the transition between Palestinian and Babylonian Jewries, we know a good deal more about the academies and the culture they produced in the so-called Geonic Age, a period of Jewish history overlapping with the rise of Islam that should theoretically help us to understand the development of Talmudic Judaism.

    The unfortunate emphasis on ahistorical study of Jewish sources has obscured the achievement of the post-Talmudic Geonim. At the head of this school was the Egyptian native Se'adya Ga'on who was perhaps the single most influential rabbi of the post-70 era. While the rabbis of the Talmud preserved Pharisaic Judaism by synthesizing its manifold traditions, the Geonim sought to reframe the conceptual identity of Judaism by integrating their study into the new program of the humanities and sciences that was being developed in Islamic civilization.

    It was this new curriculum that led to the study of philosophy, linguistics, rhetoric, theology, mathematics and the various sciences, including, most prominently, medicine, within Geonic rabbinical culture. The most famous exemplar of this culture is the legendary Moses Maimonides, but, as Gubbay shows us, the framework of Maimonides was enabled by the Islamic revolution in letters and its first Jewish heirs.

    This revolution was given great impetus by the energies of non-Arab minorities in the Islamic world, Jews, Persians and Christians, who did a good deal of translating and transmitting of ancient knowledge during the first Islamic centuries. The minorities assiduously toiled to raise their lot and contribute to a society that gave them numerous opportunities to do so. It was because of the massive efforts of Muslims, Jews and Christians working in complementary fashion that the Islamic civilization took on a particularly brilliant luster.

    The issue of the legal status of the minorities under Islam, a vexatious issue that has led to all sorts of polemics within the current political climate, is presented in clear and straightforward fashion in the book. Islam had a dual approach to its minorities: On the one hand it sought to place them in a clearly inferior position to the dominant Muslim class by means of repressive and discriminatory legislation, yet the overall ethos of Islam was to provide social acceptance and a general egalitarianism to the minorities.
    This seeming paradox was borne out within the historical evolution of Islamic society: In times of economic prosperity and social cohesion, the lot of the Sephardim thrived, in times of instability and social breakdown, Jews, along with their Christian compatriots, suffered a bit more than the native Muslims. But Jewish suffering is consistently seen within the context of the overall difficulties that were felt by all members of society.

    Gubbay is careful to consistently present the case in a non-discriminatory manner; Jews lived in a society where they were able to prosper and thrive materially and spiritually under a set of limitations. Those limitations were built into the Islamic system and could be enacted at any point. But because of the inherent ambivalence attached to the Muslim approach to minorities, there was nothing of what we could call racism or personal antipathy to Jews as a people, as could quite easily be found in European Christendom.

    Jewish creativity is given pride of place rather than the mere presentation of a mass litany of persecutions. The rocky early years of the Andalusian experience are contrasted with the glory years of the Nagid, ibn Gabirol, Halevi and ibn Ezra. There is a sympathetic and objective understanding that attempts to paint a picture of Sephardic Jewry as an immensely talented culture working within variable circumstances.

    By and large the circumstances permitted the Sephardim to moderate their relationship to the world and not develop an overwhelming insularity. This cosmopolitanism is closely linked to the communal autonomy that the Jews were able to establish, an internal cohesion and well being that led to a sense of permanence and security in the Islamic universe.

    It is this openness to the world that finally emerges from Gubbay's historical analysis. Through the ups and downs, the Sephardim were able to remain open and contribute to the development of a global civilization. It was only after the fall of the Ottoman Empire that the integrity of the Sephardic communities was breached. And while I wish that Gubbay had gone into more detail regarding the dissolution of the Arab Jewish communities and their fractious and embittered relationship to Zionism and the modern state of Israel (being played out by the Shas party and various Sephardi renewal organizations), the manner in which the Sephardic story is told retains its essential dignity and coherence.

    At a time when our own children know close to nothing about who they are, such a book is an essential addition to our libraries. The few books on the subject have not been very useful in comparison. Historians such as Bernard Lewis and his school, as alluded to earlier, have preferred to tell a story that functions within the limitations inherent in the rabidly paranoid anti-Muslim perspective afforded by Zionism. Lucien Gubbay's brilliant achievement has been to present for the general reader a comprehensively researched and lucidly written history of the Sephardim which attempts to do justice to its subject without the prejudice that animates the current political climate.

    Such a book, elementary in many ways, is significant because it affords the general reader a fresh look at this history. Because of the dearth of Sephardi self-articulation there are many Sephardim today who have despaired of their place in the Jewish world and the world in general. We are caught between increasingly zealous and rigid Jewish factions that demand us to ignore vital parts of our historical identity. Hence, the availability of a clearly articulated Sephardic history is just the thing that we need at the current time.

    One small criticism: While Mr. Gubbay's use of his scholarly sources is accessible and laudable, it might have been more useful if he provided the reader with a more up-to-date and comprehensive bibliography from the small library of Sephardica that has appeared in the past 10 years or so. There have been a few Sephardic writers who have added to our self-knowledge, writers such as Ammiel Alcalay, Victor Perera, Ella Shohat and others whose precious books are a crucial aspect in the road to Sephardic self-recovery. As a pedagogical tool, such a summation and a "further reading" list would have made what is already a wonderful book even more useful to the general reader.

    But in its current form Sunlight and Shadow still affords a novel look at Sephardic history. And while historical study cannot provide any immediate solutions to the difficult and seemingly intractable problems of today's Middle East, it does afford its readers an alternative way of looking at the problem. And if all concerned, Jews, Sephardim as well as Ashkenazim, Muslims and Westerners (particularly policy-makers and politicians), read this book they will find new directions in which to analyze and assess the political calculus of what seems to be an irreconcilable dispute.

    This book thus serves a number of audiences, who are in vital need of its information. This is a book that we can draw from and pass along to our family and friends in order to display the rich complexity of our Sephardic past, a complexity that, it seems to me, is so sorely needed at a time of great tension and acrimony. The Sephardic tradition, as we have been saying all along, can provide Western culture with a pluralistic vision for a world that is increasingly fragmented and at odds with itself. It is thus up to the Sephardim as a collective to articulate their historic experiences in the current dialogue.

    Sunlight and Shadows - Essays and Stories on the Out-of-doors -
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Not just for hunters!
    Sunlight and Shadows - Essays and Stories on the Out-of-doors -
    Gene Hill , and G. Hill
    Manufacturer: Petersen Publishing Company
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    GeneralGeneral | Fishing | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0822729652

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Not just for hunters!.......1999-03-11

    After watching me laugh and sometimes almost cry while reading this book, my wife scooped it up. Judging by her reactions she enjoyed it every bit as much as I did. Hill's style is like no other I've read and his ability to make you feel as though your standing alongside him is remarkable. For anyone who loves Labs and the outdoors , hunts or fishes this is a must read. Anyone who appreciates a true artist at work will love it as well.
    Sunlight and Shadow: The Art of Alfred R. Mitchell
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Sunlight and Shadow: The Art of Alfred R. Mitchell
      Thomas R. Anderson
      Manufacturer: San Diego Historical Society
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback
      ASIN: 0918740088
      Sunlight in the shadows: The landscape of Emily Carr
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Sunlight in the shadows: The landscape of Emily Carr
        Emily Carr
        Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

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        ASIN: 0195404645
        Sunlight on Shadows
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Sunlight on Shadows
          Lacey Dancer
          Manufacturer: Meteor Publishing Corporation
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

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          ASIN: 1878702483
          Sunlight and Shadow
          Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
          • Is it over yet?
          • Outstanding
          • Three Cheers for SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW
          • not just for women
          • Enjoyable reading
          Sunlight and Shadow
          Sue Boggio , and Mare Pearl
          Manufacturer: NAL Trade
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

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          ASIN: 0451211103
          Release Date: 2004-02-03

          Book Description

          "Filled with emotion. A winner of a story." -Tony Hillerman Debut novelists Sue Boggio and Mare Pearl join NAL Accent with a story of family, friendship, and what it really means to have hope...

          Life has never been better for Abby and Roberto Silva. Abby's restaurant is one of the most popular in San Diego. Their relationship is stronger than ever. But after a robbery at the restaurant leaves them deeply shaken-and they receive word of Bobby's father's death-everything changes. They move to Bobby's hometown, Esperanza, New Mexico, convinced that life will be simpler in this rural farming town whose very name means "hope." But there's a secret in Bobby's past, and on the first night in their new home, he goes out to deal with it. He never returns. And Abby begins to discover just how many secrets a heart-and a town-can hold...

          Customer Reviews:

          1 out of 5 stars Is it over yet?.......2007-05-02

          After 4 months of trying to plow through this book, I finally gave up on page 121 and read the last page. I kept hoping things would get better; The pace would pick up and I might care about these people. To no avail. A thourough disappointment. start to abbreviated finish.

          5 out of 5 stars Outstanding.......2004-06-09

          What a heartfelt and intriguing story!

          It opened with a glimpse of the almost idyllic relationship between Abby and Bobby Silva. But their lives were abruptly turned upside-down, and the events that followed left me wondering up to the very end how they would be resolved. At the same time, I was completely caught up in the story, and reluctant to see the "journey" come to a close.

          One character I didn't trust at the beginning was Rachel, who seemed intent on insinuating herself into Bobby's life and breaking up his marriage. Yet as the story unfolded and her character evolved, I found myself drawn to her. All the characters are so authentic -- never stereotypical or one-dimensional.

          I highly recommend this book, which quickly became one of my favorites!

          5 out of 5 stars Three Cheers for SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW.......2004-06-07

          SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW is the first book I've read by Sue Boggio and Mare Pearl and I think they are great writers. The book reads like a true crime. The book is character driven. All of the characters are fully developed. My experience as a reader was the characters were real people. I cared about all of them, with all of their strengths and flaws.

          Think you're safe when you go out in a town you've known your entire life? Read this book. Think everyone you know can't possibly be a threat to you? Read this book. All of Sue and Mare characters are someone I may know. All of the characters are so real.

          You have no choice but to put yourself into shoes of the victims, their sick worry, grieving relatives and hard police work to find Bobby. Get ready to examine all of your relationships. Get ready to be looking over your shoulder.

          Sue and Mare's first published novel SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW is a concise and insightful look into the life and culture of New Mexico. But more than that, it is a chilling look into the often forgotten realm of marrying outside of your family and community expectations. It left me speculating about the rewards and sacrifices Abby, Bobby, CeCe, Miguel, Rachel and Charlie experienced with the choice they made to marry outside of their family expectations and culture.

          New Mexico is more tolerant of the differences but people still make scarifies for their choices here in the Land of Enchantment, Sue and Mare brilliantly show the reader that we have a long way to go . . . as humans. Didn't we all come here to LOVE? Can love be bad?

          The relationship between Abby and Rachel is most intriguing. Rachel's fantasy of Bobby and her romantic love relationship supersedes reality. Sue and Mare does an amazing job of developing all the characters in this account. Skillfully they cover Rachel's and Bobby's childhood, Bobby's role in Rachel's life as a teenager.

          Rachel's fantasy and expectation of Roberto / Bobby is necessitate when she becomes his lover as a teenager; he?s the man who took Rachel?s virginity when she was just fifteen is compelling. Rachel has convinced herself that Roberto / Bobby will come back to New Mexico, marry her, live on their families land and will live the fairytale dream and be happy ever after. Instead, Bobby returns with Abby his pregnant wealthy WASP wife. Can anything be worse? Yes, Bobby / Roberto disappear from both Abby and Rachel?s life without a trace. The change in both Rachel and Abby is captivating.

          Examining the definition of family was a central theme in SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW. The people of Esperanza espouse the value of the family. It was interesting which characters exemplifies this value and who fall short. It will make you examine your definition of family and your values.

          The New Mexico setting is also treated like a character. I recognized the land I love and my home in SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW. Especially the three dimensional description of Madrid the old east mountain mining town that is now home to flower children of the sixties, biker bars, growers markets and art galleries.

          ***WARNING*** SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW?S town of Esperanza is fictional. I?ve lived in NM for forty-five years. My sister owns ?Kritter Kuts by Kris?, a dog grooming business in Los Lunas, NM. I drive through Isleta Pueblo, Bosque Farms, Los Lunas at least once month to have Harry AKA handstand Harry, my rescued bearded collie (the breed used in Honda commercials, the long hair blowing in the wind, dog) groomed at his auntie Kris?.

          I thought I had been totally asleep and missed the town of Esperanza my entire life. My sister drives throughout the community where SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW is set every week. Wednesdays is ?Kritter Kuts by Kris? senior citizens special. (free pick up and delivery for senior citizen?s and their dogs) Kris has lived in Los Lunas for twenty years and she knows every crook and cranny of her community. Before opening ?Kritter Kuts by Kris?, my sister drove a Semi-truck cross country with her husband. She has her CDL license and is very good with directions. Kris assured me that there was no town of Esperanza between Isleta Pueblo and Bosque Farms.

          I poured over maps and could not find the small town of Esperanza. When I finished SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW it was revealed in ?a conversation with Sue Boggio and Mare Pearl? at the back of the book, that Esperanza was fictional. Everyone thought I was a loon and had a good laugh. Okay, I keep my hair blond to warn people. With that said, SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW setting is three dimensional.

          Santiago Baca young tragic life pulled at my heart strings. Santiago reminded me of my neighbor Joey Baca. Joey as a child would give me special gifts rocks, wild flowers when I was out hoeing weeds. My Joey lost his mother to breast cancer around the same age as Santiago was introduced. Joey?s father would never strike any of his four children or raise his voice to them. Joey and I shared Harry Potter series just like Abby and Santiago. James the younger boy loved Edith Tarbescu?s THE BOY WHO STUCK OUT HIS TONGUE: A Yiddish Folk Tail. My German grandmother would tell me the same story as a child. We had fun with theYiddish phrases. My Joey is now fourteen and works part-time as a busboy at Village Pizza.

          The theme of the goats is very realistic. I awake to the sound of Joey?s great aunt, my neighbor?s hungry goat.

          The mystical element of the Bruja was realistic. Every book needs a good villain. What is better than a witch casting spells? Oh my!

          SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW is a quick read that will have you turning the pages. I look forward to more of Sue Boggio and Mare Pearl books. Enjoy! Viva Sue y Mare!

          5 out of 5 stars not just for women.......2004-05-20

          I read sunlight and shadow because my wife and her firends were so enthusiastic about it. I was expecting it to be a woman's book, but after the first few pages I got hooked. Especially after Abby and her husband come to New Mexico and he goes missing. The book is more about the community and how Bobby's disappearance affects everyone more than being a "who done it"--but the mystery worked for me, too. Kept me guessing until the last page. Great work,ladies, I look forward to the next one.

          5 out of 5 stars Enjoyable reading.......2004-05-18

          This book is a heartwarming story that has an excellent plot and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is also true to the southwestern culture. I recommend this book for anybody and everybody.
          7 Kismet Titles by Dancer - Baby Makes Five - Diamond On Ice - Forever Joy - Flight of the Swan - Lightning Strikes Twice - Sunlight on Shadows - 13 Days of Luck
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            7 Kismet Titles by Dancer - Baby Makes Five - Diamond On Ice - Forever Joy - Flight of the Swan - Lightning Strikes Twice - Sunlight on Shadows - 13 Days of Luck
            Lacey Dancer
            Manufacturer: various
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Mass Market Paperback
            ASIN: B000T9Y09E

            Product Description

            Multiple books shipped as one item for your convenience. Save on Shipping/Handling charges.
            ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION - Volume 7, number 6 - June 1983: Fire-Caller; Thang Thung and Metagame; High Test; In the Deserts of the Heart; Perchance to Dream; Nearly Departed; In the Shadow of Heaven; Sunlight
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION - Volume 7, number 6 - June 1983: Fire-Caller; Thang Thung and Metagame; High Test; In the Deserts of the Heart; Perchance to Dream; Nearly Departed; In the Shadow of Heaven; Sunlight
              Shawna (editor) (Sydney J. Van Scyoc; Martin Gardner; Frederik Pohl; Stuart H. Stock; Norman Spinrad; Pat Cadigan; Joel Rosenberg; Paul E. Holt) McCarthy
              Manufacturer: Davis Publications
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback
              ASIN: B000KJI9JU

              Books:

              1. Tattoos of the Floating World: Ukiyo-E Motifs in Japanese Tattoo
              2. The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses, and Memory Loss in Later Life (3rd Edition)
              3. The Adventures of Tintin: The Crab With the Golden Claws / The Shooting Star / The Secret of the Unicorn (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 3)
              4. The Confused Photographer's Guide to Photographic Exposure and the Simplified Zone System
              5. The Documentary Film Makers Handbook: A Guerilla Guide
              6. The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap (Peachpit)
              7. The Glass Castle: A Memoir
              8. The Grissim Ratings Guide to Manufactured Homes: The Essential Buyer's Resource, Listing Every Builder in the U.S., Their Histories, Products, Price Ranges, ... Need-to-Know Information and Much More
              9. The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief
              10. The Memory Keeper's Daughter

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