After The Rain

After The Rain
Average customer rating:

Good follow up to "Falling Home"

Good read

Touching

Another one I couldn't put down

Marvelous sequel! Very highly recommended

After The Rain
Karen White
Manufacturer: Zebra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0821773399

Book Description

In the stunning first novel FALLING HOME, Karen White introduced readers to the magic of small town Walton, Georgia, and a charming cast of characters who captured our hearts. Who can resist a return trip...especially when love is about to transform the lives of two very special people?

Customer Reviews:

Good follow up to "Falling Home".......2005-12-28

Three years after the loss of beloved wife Harriet, Joe Warner meets a feisty out of towner who gets his blood running. He tries to stay true to Harriet, and has suspicions that Suzanne is hiding something from him. He helps get her on her feet, finding lodging at his best friend and brother in law's rental unit.

It turns out that Suzanne is running from her abusive ex-husband, Anthony. She stops in town because the necklace her mother gave her before she went into foster care has an inscription and a label of a jeweler located in Walton, Georgia. She never intended to get involved with the town's sexy and brooding mayor or his offspring and the townspeople. And despite both being reticent about getting involved with each other, they manage to steal a moment or two together and find themselves falling in love.

No small feat considering that Joe is juggling his job as a teacher, town mayor, raising six kids, dealing with his teenage daughter insecurities, and salvaging his re-election campaign to keep a progressive growth candidate out of office.

"After the Rain" is a great follow up to Karen White's excellent tear jerker "Falling Home," and provides follow up to the many colorful characters introduced in the first novel, which you must read first.

Good read.......2003-07-23

Suzanne Paris is on the run. She doesn't care where just so long as it's away from her ex-fiance, Anthony. So she hops on a bus. She's looking out the window when it stops in a small Georgia town called Walton. She reaches for her necklace and reads the inscription on the back. R.Michael Jewelers.Walton. The necklace was a gift from her mother before she was placed in foster care at 14 years old. This could be Suzanne's chance to find out more about her. Suzanne has always been able to hold herself apart from others but the townfolk, and a certain mayor, are making it hard for her to guard her heart. And she'll put their generosity to test when her past mistakes catch up with her.
Suzanne doesn't make the greatest first impression with Mayor Joe Warner. But despite that he helps her find a place to stay. Being a widower for three years, Joe is very put-off by his attraction to Walton's new visitor. Joe's instincts tell him there is more to Suzanne than what she is letting him see. With the re-election coming up, Joe can't jeopardize his chances of winning. His opponent, Charles "Stinky" Harden, is not the most moral of character. Joe knows Stinky has ulterior motives for wanting to be mayor and suspects it's not in the town's best interest. Throw in his six children and that alone should keep him too busy to fall in love, right?
After the Rain is a great book about relationships, choices-right or wrong, and new beginnings. The residents of Walton are wonderful, making the town very three-dimensional. I couldn't wait to see whom Suzanne would meet next. And how they were going to make it harder for her to leave. I finished with the hopes that Karen White has already started writing the next book to take place in Walton.

Touching.......2003-06-27

This book is very emotional and touching. It's a about two people whose hearts and lives are empty and they come together because they both need someone in their lives.
Karen White writes with a light touch so that you feel for both characters and by the end of the book there is no doubt that these two people belong together.

Another one I couldn't put down.......2003-05-04

This is the first book I read by Karen White and I hope to see more from her. Her writing style is starkly and humorously descriptive. An example is when one of Joe's children hands Suzanne his toy airplane and "she reacted as though he'd handed her a large insect." Perfect! Wonderful. I can both see and feel that reaction. Just what I want from an author. Good story, not too sappy, not really that predictable, a little non-believable in parts, but an overall good read. I didn't realize this was a sequel and I'm glad I didn't. I like the mystery surrounding Suzanne and Joe.

Marvelous sequel! Very highly recommended.......2003-04-30

A woman on the run, photographer Suzanne disembarks the bus on a whim, choosing to stay in Walton, Georgia. Unused to children, her comment regarding leash laws and children captures Joe's attention. Introducing herself as Suzanne Paris, she quickly learns that Joe is the town mayor who also happens to be the widowed father of six children. While she knows she cannot remain in Walton long without endangering her safety, Suzanne quickly finds herself falling in love with the citizens of Walton and their mayor.

Unlike the citizens of Walton who proudly cling to their deep southern roots, Suzanne is a drifter without ties to her past. Her alcoholic mother had disappeared when she was a teen, leaving behind only a necklace with the inscription, "A life without rain is like the sun without shade." Foster homes and emotional damage have exacted their toll, but Suzanne soon discovers the rain and the sun of Walton. Suzanne blossoms under the warmth of new friends and longs to linger in the healing atmosphere and near Joe and his remarkable children.

Author Lisa Plumley pens an elegantly enchanting southern novel in AFTER THE RAIN. Fans of FALLING HOME will welcome the return of favorite characters the beauty of Plumley's evocative prose. Indeed, readers will find themselves chuckling and tearful as the powerful characterizations sweep them into the marvelous small Georgia town and its memorable citizens. As the town conspires to protect Suzanne from threats of the past, she finds redemption and healing in the most unexpected of ways. Readers will be extremely reluctant to depart and will be clamoring for yet another sequel. AFTER THE RAIN comes very highly recommended.

After the Rain CD
Average customer rating:

A great suspense yarn

Am I a contrarian?

FIRST-RATE READING OF A GRIPPING THRILLER

An action-filled story about terrorism in America

Let the D girls do it

After the Rain CD
Chuck Logan
Manufacturer: HarperAudio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0060757744
Release Date: 2004-07-06

Book Description

Incommunicado for months as part of a top-secret Delta anti-terrorist operation, Nina suddenly emerges in a town in the heart of the old Minuteman II missile belt. When Broker arrives, he immediately discovers that the legacy of those warheads still casts a sinister shadow across the desolate north border country, in the person of a damaged psychopath.

Broker discovers he's been drawn into an elaborate con within a con and made an unwitting participant in a black-bag anti-terrorist detail. But his anger toward Nina for involving him and putting their daughter at risk quickly fades as a larger, more deadly reality becomes evident. With time running out, husband and wife unite with local North Dakota law enforcement to form a last line of defense against a brilliantly simple act of espionage with potentially catastrophic consequences.

Performed by Kevin Conway

Download Description

"E-Book Extra: Chuck Logan's extended author biography

Headlights off, a panel truck drives by moonlight across an open field, following tracks that have been there for decades ...

Nina Pryce and her husband, Phil Broker, couldn't have more opposite views of the military. Broker's loyalty to the men he served with in Vietnam is matched only by his certainty that they shouldn't have been there in the first place. Nina, though, is a new breed, a decorated and ambitious vet of the first Gulf War. As Nina proceeds along her chosen career path, Broker -- until his recent ""retirement,"" Minnesota's most effective, unorthodox, and controversial undercover cop -- finds himself struggling in the role of patient military spouse.

The driver is a local entrepreneur taking advantage of a decades-old tradition of smuggling and bootlegging by crossing a border too vast and undermanned to be effectively patrolled ...

Incommunicado for months as part of a top-secret Delta anti-terrorist operation, Nina, with daughter Kit in tow, suddenly emerges in Langdon, North Dakota, a town in the heart of the Cold War Minuteman II missile belt. When Broker arrives to take Kit back home, he realizes that the legacy of those warheads still casts a sinister shadow across the desolate north border country, in the person of a damaged psychopath.

Somewhere in the middle of this empty field he will cross, undetected, from one side of the U.S.-Canada divide to the other. He and his cargo - illegal cigars, whiskey, machine parts, or something much more terrifying - thus slip undetected across the longest undefended border in the world.

Customer Reviews:

A great suspense yarn.......2005-06-02

Mr. Logan just gets better and better. This story deals with a plot to smuggle a WMD into the USA from Canada. Phil Broker is back trying to deal with his family problems and at the same time help his Delta force wife stop a terrorist threat to the US. The story zips along with little wasted dialogue. The book is nearly impossible to put down. The bad guys are really bad and the good guys are pulling out the stops to get them. Logan can create a truly suspenseful mood that keeps the reader guessing to the very end. Highly recommended.

Am I a contrarian?.......2005-03-25

Am I a contrarian?

Logan's previous books have shown a steady climb in character complexity, literary skills and plot construction. His eye for the relevant image, ear for language and insight to behavior were becoming increasingly integrated into the structure of his tales. While still primarily airplane books, one was becoming more and more hesitant to leave them on the plane.

But this latest, while economically understandable (and who among us has not taken a client, a task, a deal for a quick profit but in the hopes of little publicity), smacks of a paste job turned out fast, fast, fast to take advantage of the newly popular terrorist market. Particularly disappointing was the lack of development of the intriguing character, Tim Downs. A favorite with Logan's long standing fan base, Downs was underused this time around.

But don't count Logan out: the next book should return to the righteous flight path Logan has set for himself.

FIRST-RATE READING OF A GRIPPING THRILLER.......2004-08-31

Broadway trained actor Kevin Conway gives a first rate reading to the latest thriller by Chuck Logan. This is the third Logan tale featuring Vietnam vet Phil Broker, and Conway performs with gusto.

They're quite a pair - Broker and his estranged wife, Nina. He's fiercely devoted to the men with whom he served in Vietnam, and equally fierce in his belief that none of them should have been there in the first place. Nina, a Gulf War vet has her sights set on greater things to come. To this end she's spent quantity time undercover as part of an anti-terrorist mission.

The plot grows trickier as the setting turns to North Dakota where Nina draws Broker into a scheme, which is not only perilous for him but also places their daughter at risk. However, there's no time for him to extricate himself or lash out at Nina as soon the two must join forces to prevent an act which would have cataclysmic results for the innocent.

One more gripping story from the multi-talented Logan.

- Gail Cooke

An action-filled story about terrorism in America.......2004-08-14

Since 9/11, authors have tried their hand at creating scenarios to rival that of the 2001 terrorist attacks. Upon completion of AFTER THE RAIN, I fervently hope that no would-be enemies of the United States are fans of Chuck Logan's writing. In this book, he proposes a chilling and all-too-simple plan, a plan that could result in cataclysmic devastation. And that might be vastly understating the danger.

A handful of Delta Force types uncovers a weak link in Rashid, a jittery connection in a plot to wreak havoc in America's midlands. What the informant tells Nina, Hollywood and Janey frightens them so much that they decide to act immediately, without waiting for sanction from their superiors. Trusting the government to get it right this time doesn't sound like a good idea, particularly considering that it might take days to mobilize an effective operational response. And that could very well mean the difference between life and death for hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Unfortunately, without a well-thought-out plan, they find themselves hanging out there with little backup and some bad intelligence.

Sound familiar? Well, at least this trio does not give up. They stubbornly pursue even the tiniest leads until they discover where they went wrong the first go-round. They realize that they face formidable --- and frighteningly insane --- opposition.

Meanwhile, Nina, a spirited woman with few soft spots --- and the most dogged of the fearless team --- has domestic trouble brewing. Her husband, equipped with a police/military background of his own, breezes into the little town of Langdon, North Dakota in pursuit of Nina --- and their daughter --- angry and hurt. While she purposely lured him into this as part of their group strategy, she doesn't like it one bit. And she's more than a little annoyed by the ill-timed distraction. It sets her mind working overtime to figure out what her heart wants, and she finds herself exhausted and confused by these personal crises.

But she is unable to step back and deal with her problems. After all, the welfare of fellow Americans is at stake. And as the magnitude of the intended horror dawns on all of them, Nina and her cohorts understand that, whatever the individual risk, these terrorists must be stopped.

AFTER THE RAIN has good action, outstanding characters and a fine plot, if a little improbable --- but, then, so was the idea of two planes crashing into the Twin Towers that fateful morning of September 11th.

--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

Let the D girls do it.......2004-07-21

Remember to put on the sunscreen, if you take this one to the beach. You'll be hooked and not paying attention to much else. Timely and well written, this is a higher level than the other thrillers done by this author and way above some bestsellers that have reached a wider audience. D girls are Delta and GI Jane on steroids. There are descriptions that stop you and make you go back to marvel at the author's skill. Get this book.

Average customer rating:

Why Grandfather
After The Rain
alicia's review
Ashley's Review
After the Rain.

After the Rain
Norma Fox Mazer
Manufacturer: HarperTeen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0380750252

Book Description

At fifteen, Rachel is a worrier. She worries about whether her family understands her, whether her friends like her, and whether she'll get her first kiss before she turns sixteen. And she worries about whether she can handle having a real boyfriend if he does come along.

But it takes a dying old man -- her grandfather -- who has never been easy for anyone to handle, to show Rachel she has very special abilities. With love and compassion, she reaches the heart of an old tyrant who has always been unreachable. And in so doing, she comes to a better understanding of her family, her friends, and herself.

Customer Reviews:

Why Grandfather.......2007-03-28

I would recommend this book to people around 13 to 14 years old. One reason why I would recommend this book is because you can relate to the main character, Rachel. Also this book can teach you a lot, for example Rachel has some problems with her grandfather. A kid my age can defiantly relate to that because someone may be going through the same thing, and they can learn from Rachel's mistakes. The last reason why I recommend this book would be because when you pick this book up you wont want to put it down. This book keeps you interested because the last sentence in every chapter keeps you wondering about what will happen next.

After The Rain.......2007-03-01

The book I read was After The Rain by Norma Fox Mazer, I really liked this book. It was about a regular fifteen-year-old girl going through high school the same as everyone else. She had the same high school drama: friends, boys, peer pressure, and homework. Then one day her grandfather, that she hardly knew, became ill. This would change her whole life. Rachel Cooper is in high school and loves to write. Her grandfather's name is Izzy, and he is stubborn and strong. It takes place in present day America. The setting or where they live is in the Eastern United States. I thought it was a very meaningful book. Also I think the author's lesson is treasure things while you have them because they might be gone soon. I think that is a good lesson to learn, and that we can all relate to this story. You should read this book because it is meaningful with Rachel and Izzy growing closer. That is why I liked this book a lot, but don't take my word for it. Read it yourself and decide if you like it or not.

alicia's review.......2007-01-04

I liked the book but I thought that it was said because of her grandpa getting ill and not listening to any one including the doctor.
The story's about a girl named Rachel and how she bonds with her grandpa while he was expected to die in 3 months. She had a hard time getting along with him because he was stubborn and didn't want help from any one.
I would recommend this book to 13 year old girls because it has some romans and a lot of girls could connect with the story on how she bonds with her grandpa and how she worries about her first kiss and her boy friend. The most they could connect to is how her grandpa got sick.

Ashley's Review.......2006-10-11

I liked this book because it was about family and I love it when my whole family gets together!
In this book a girl named Rachel misses her family because they don't live with or near her. The only person that she sees is her grandfather. They aren't that close. Rachel has to go with her mother to the doctors with her grandfather. They find out that her grandfather has a horrible disease. Rachel feels bad and decides to get closer to her grandfather. She does and ends up walking with him every day. After a month or two Rachel's grandfather gets put into the hospital. Rachel skips school just to visit him. After a while in the hospital, he dies.
I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a story about pulling your family together and learning about diseases.

After the Rain........2005-11-23

Wow. at first i wasnt that into it, but then i couldn't put it down!!!! It was a really good book.
i gave it 5 stars

Average customer rating:

Excellent
Witness a master at work
HUMAN NATURE INSIGHTFULLY PORTRAYED
Ten (variably) fine stories and two out-and-out masterpieces
A Rich Collection from a Master Craftsman

After Rain: Stories
William Trevor
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0670870072

Amazon.com

After Rain consists of 12 short stories of love and disillusion by one of the current masters of fiction, William Trevor. Among the stories are "The Piano Tuner's Wife," which tells of a woman who lies to her blind husband; "Marrying Damian," in which an elderly married couple overlook their past differences; and the title story, a tale of a woman's vacation in Italy and the revelations of her heart. Each carefully crafted story offers a glimpse into another world that somehow reminds us of our own.

Book Description

Here is a new collection of twelve absorbing, deeply compassionate tales that reveal the subtle revenges of love and indifference, the deep wells of affection, and the strange, breathtaking tricks of chance that make up the texture of our lives. In the rain-washed Italian hills, a forgotten artist's Annunciation brings light to a heartbroken woman; insidiously, in her struggle for love, the second wife of a blind piano tuner distorts his memories of the first; two children, survivors of divorce, mimic their parents' dramas and passions; a mother, tied through love and fear to her son, watches with helpless dread as she realizes the monster he has become.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-05-05

Highly Readable, Highly Enjoyable. Just what you would expect from Trevor. In a clear and simple style he writes about ordinary lives, and when you finish you realize there is nothing ordinary about them.

Witness a master at work.......2007-04-14

It's a dismal commentary on the state of contemporary readership when this book has not been reviewed on Amazon for almost five years. After Rain is top-shelf literature, an excellent introduction to William Trevor's mastery of the short story. Of particular note are: Timothy's Birthday, Gilbert's Mother, A Day and Marrying Damian. (Curiously, I found the title story somewhat muddled, but I'm convinced I missed something and I'll be re-reading it soon.)

As others here have mentioned, what distinguishes Trevor is his ability to handle a great variety of points of view (frequently within the same story) and his lack of condescension as he subtly presents the failings of his characters. A great eyewitness to the human drama. I seriously believe these stories are the equals of those in Joyce's Dubliners.

HUMAN NATURE INSIGHTFULLY PORTRAYED.......2004-12-14

Following on the heels of his beguiling Felicia's Journey, the incomparable Irish storyteller, William Trevor, brings us a collection of 12 poignant tales that illuminate the human condition.

Acknowledged by many to be the master of his oeuvre, Trevor commands our attention with dignity and subtlety. Amazingly adept at shifting perspectives from male to female in varying locations and scenes, the author's championship form is evident in After Rain.

His initial offering, "The Piano Tuner's Wives" is an incisive rendering of a middle-aged second wife's jealousy. Haunted by the happiness her husband once shared with another, she seeks to establish her place in surprising ways.

A lifelong bond between two women is broken in "A Friendship" when the clever plotting of one backfires. Timothy, the gay protagonist, in "Timothy's Birthday" seems to seek to punish his parents for their perfect marriage. He refuses to visit them for his birthday celebration as he has always done. Instead, he sends a friend with an excuse. The disreputable Eddie delivers his hurtful message, then steals from the older couple.

Trevor's spare prose shimmers in this story's summary paragraph: "They didn't mention their son as they made their rounds of the garden that was now too much for them and was derelict in places. They didn't mention the jealousy their love of each other had bred in him, that had flourished into deviousness and cruelty. The pain the day had brought would not easily pass, both were aware of that. And yet it had to be, since it was part of what there was."

Another story takes place in the fields of Ireland today. Here, Trevor displays his gift for knowing the female heart as a young woman challenges the culture and mores bred into her parents' bones.

Trevor's work is meat compared to the broth of some of today's fiction. He continues to astound as he explores the complexities of family relationships with sympathetic candor. After Rain is one more triumph.

- Gail Cooke

Ten (variably) fine stories and two out-and-out masterpieces.......2003-05-14

Like Grieg in the musical sphere, and Cheever in the literary one, William Trevor seems to be at his best in the smaller forms, where his sharply etched insights and compellingly profound characterization can glitter without the "imposition" of relaxation dictated by the novel. Reading his "Collected Stories" was among my favorite literary "events" of the past 20 years (since reading, of all things, Dreiser's "An American Tragedy" [talk about strange bedfellows!]), and if the present volume seems a bit less well-stocked with masterpieces than the earlier, larger collection, it also shows Trevor polishing his craft to an almost superhuman degree. Every word tells.

A couple of the stories in "After Rain" struck me as surprisingly weak: "The Piano Tuner's Wives," in which an elderly man's second wife contrives to distort his happy memories of his first, seemed architecturally imbalanced: the second wife was drawn with less fecundity than the first and as a result the cutting insights of the story's end seemed like the proverbial "too little, too late." The other relative disappointment for me was "A Day," in which a married woman meditates on her husband's infidelity. Maybe it was that the central character seemed annoyingly passive, but to my mind Trevor added little to a situation that has been visited many times before.

The bulk of the remainder of the stories was exceptionally fine, though, particularly "A Friendship," which limns the dissolving of a lifelong relationship between two women at one of their husband's instigation.

However, the real gems of the collection, in my opinion, were "Child's Play" and "Lost Ground," which may be among the finest short stories written. The first is spare and knife-edged, the second weighty and full of tragedy. In "Child's Play," two children of divorce play act, with uncanny accuracy, their parents' sordid affairs, but when something happens to threaten the children's own relationship, their sudden reversion to reality proves more poignant and devastating than any play they can put on. "Lost Ground," the longest and perhaps greatest story in the collection, tells the tale of a Protestant family, one of whose sons is visited by, and asked to carry the word of, a Catholic saint. By encapsulating the religious conflicts in Northern Ireland in the guise of a single family, Trevor manages to comment on the intolerance of humankind while presenting a family drama of piercing sorrow.

I read recently that some people find Trevor's works offputtingly depressing. Maybe so; there are no happy endings here and virtually no happy people. Perhaps his truths are just too painful for a few to face. But then, sometimes, life is that way too.

A Rich Collection from a Master Craftsman.......2002-05-08

"After Rain" is a stellar proof that William Trevor is one of the most respected Irish short story writers. As a literary artist, Trevor is known for his elegant and hushed rendering of the psychic state of his characters. In addition, Trevor is also a humanist of great empathy, allowing him to uncover hidden or neglected angles of seemingly pedestrian situations. One story in this collection, "Gilbert's Mother," amply demonstrates Trevor's empathy. The story opens with a crime scene, told from an objective, clinical tone akin to a newspaper report. Just when you expect the next scene to develop the mystery further, Trevor switches the lens to a bystander, a woman, who, for the remainder of the story, contemplates whether her troubled son would be capable of committing such a crime. Trevor developed her skillfully, weaving with ease strained dealings between mother and son, as well as painful details of her past. The true crime to be solved here is how external circumstances beyond our control irrevocably sever our emotional ties from our loved ones, preventing us from ever knowing them fully.

A few pieces in this collection seem less inspired and not as well-executed. Some authorial comments that serve to wrap up stories seem forced. And as much as I admire Trevor the stylist, the elegance of language may border on the self-righteous when situations described do not warrant such treatment--minor quibbles in an otherwise fine collection.

After the Heavy Rain
Average customer rating:
After the Heavy Rain
Sokreaska S. Himm
Manufacturer: Monarch Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1854248243

After the Rain (Cleveland State University Poetry Series: XXXVII) (Cleveland State University Poetry Series Xxxvii) (Cleveland State University Poetry Series Xxxvii)
Average customer rating:

One of the best poetry books of the 1990s

More contemporary, regionalist pablum...

Better at form than at free verse

After the Rain (Cleveland State University Poetry Series: XXXVII) (Cleveland State University Poetry Series Xxxvii) (Cleveland State University Poetry Series Xxxvii)
Jared Carter
Manufacturer: Cleveland State University Poetry Center
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Cross This Bridge at a Walk

ASIN: 0914946978
Release Date: 1993-01-01

Product Description

Jared Carter's second collection of poems, winner of the 1995 Poet's Prize.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best poetry books of the 1990s.......2005-11-27

I have at least a thousand poetry books in my study, many of which were sent for review by ambitious poetasters of various levels. But I reserve a special shelf next to my desk for treasured tomes, those to which I like to return to bear the burden of time, and for lofty entertainment. All are written by master poets. Next to a first edition of a tome by the much maligned and forgotten Madison Cawein, I keep a copy of "After the Rain," a collection that won Mr Carter the 1995 Poets' Prize.

After the Rain

After the rain, it's time to walk the field
again, near where the river bends. Each year
I come to look for what this place will yield-
lost things still rising here.

The farmer's plow turns over, without fail,
a crop of arrowheads, but where or why
they fall is hard to say. They seem, like hail,
dropped from an empty sky,

yet for an hour or two, after the rain
has washed away the dusty afterbirth
of their return, a few will show up plain
on the reopened earth.

Still, even these are hard to see-
at first they look like any other stone.
The trick to finding them is not to be
too sure about what's known;

conviction's liable to say straight off
this one's a leaf, or that one's merely clay,
and miss the point: after the rain, soft
furrows show one way

across the field, but what is hidden here
requires a different view- the glance of one
not looking straight ahead, who in the clear
light of the morning sun

simply keeps wandering across the rows,
letting his own perspective change.
After the rain, perhaps, something will show,
glittering and strange.

As we can see and hear Mr Carter is a craftsman of the highest order. The quoted poem begins this collection like a tour de force. What follows are poems metered and unmetered, rhymed and unrhymed, lyrics and narratives that take us by the hand like a guiding light, a light that stays with us long after his pages have been laid away.

More contemporary, regionalist pablum..........2004-06-01

Well, here we go with another minor poet. Can Carter write decently? Yes. Can he project his voice beyond the derivitive clones that permeate modern poetry? No.

His recent background is respectable enough. A couple of minor awards. A hefty catalogue of printed poetry, a modest and vocal following. The problem is his choice of subject matter. While regional poetry (in this case Indiana) may seem aw-shucks down-home and interesting to those of us in the more urban of locations, Carter still fails to deliver on a sense of "worldliness". His verse seems contrived, and each piece reads as if he were valiantly fighting to achieve that higher level of writing you'd expect from a national poet. Then it dissipates. It leaves you scratching your head and wondering why he was incapable of taking it further.

Read it for its curiosity. But I would recommend spending your money on the poetry of Seamus Heaney or Robert Bly.

Better at form than at free verse.......2001-01-18

Jared Carter's second collection shows him growing more and more comfortable writing as a formal poet. There are stanzas that show the control of great contemporary formalists like Hollander is Wilbur. While none of his poems as a whole reach that stature, he seems well on his way.

It is when he turns to free verse that he seems to stumble. Rather than finding it liberating, he oftens seems to lose his rhythm, have trouble determining where to break lines ... in other words, he has the same problem all but the best free verse poets have. Not that he is asking, but if he asked me, I'd tell him to stick to formal verse. I would similarly recommend this book to people who enjoy neoformalism.

After the Rain: Virginia's Diary, Book Two, Washington D.C.,1864 (My America)
Average customer rating:

7th grade reading, it was good

Shows us what is really important in life.

Pretty good addition.

After The Rain

After the war. . .

After the Rain: Virginia's Diary, Book Two, Washington D.C.,1864 (My America)
Mary Pope Osborne
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Osborne, Mary Pope | ( O ) | Authors & Illustrators, A-Z | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0439201381

Book Description

In the final months of the Civil War, Virginia and her family move to Washington, D.C. where the cold winter brings uncertainty and hardship. Virginia takes a job as a servant in a wealthy home to help her family. But, just as things start to improveas her father gets a job and the war finally comes to an end, the tragic assassination of Ginny's beloved President Lincoln occurs. In this, her second diary chronicling the Civil War, Ginny learns that life is constantly changing. Indeed, even as Lincoln dies, her nephew is born. Throughout, Ginny faces it with hope and courage.

Customer Reviews:

7th grade reading, it was good.......2004-10-26

This book is about a girl named Virginia and her family that is barely surviving in the center of the civil war. In this story Virginia writes in her diary every night before he goes to sleep, that her brother gave her, before he left for the war. Their family is poor so Virginia is very independent. To find out more you should read this story if you like war stories. (It is very descriptive)

Shows us what is really important in life........2004-07-08

Virginia's story continues from Book 1 as her family moves from Gettysburg to Washington, D.C. In the final years of the Civil War, Washington, D.C. was an unattractive city full of mud-filled streets, grungy buildings and many homeless soldiers who have deserted the battlefront. Her brother had asked the family to move north so he could take a job as a reporter, but Jed ends up in a low paying job instead. The family faces some tough times that first winter, and Virginia is worried how they will survive. When she takes a job as a housekeeper for a wealthy family, Virginia learns even more hard lessons about what it means to be poor.

The story of Virginia takes readers back to the days when our nation was trying to heal the wounds of war, and deal with the pain of President Abraham Lincoln's death. It was a time of struggle and hardship, hope and rebuilding, and helps to show us what is really important in life.

Pretty good addition........2004-04-26

"After the Rain: Virginia's Diary, Book Two, Washington D.C.,1864" is a short book without a tremendous amount of action. It's sweet and simple and perfect for young readers who are interested in historical fictions. Virginia is a bright little girl and a good role model for younger readers. Even if you haven't read Book One, you'll still be able to read this book without confusion. I miss an epilogue in the "My America" series. I recommend.

After The Rain.......2002-12-13

Hi,I am doing a book review on After The Rain.The author of After The Rain is Mary Pope Osborne.There are 98 pages if you want to know.The genre of my book is realistic fiction.
The setting of this book is the Civil War around the 1800's.
This book is about this young girl who has envy(which means jealousy)See what all of this means by After The rain.
The 3 reasons I like this book are because it is exciting and it is about a Virgina's Civil War diary.2 The girl's father plays at Fords New Theatre.3 There lives turn around when she changes her live.I all like these reasons because this book has many changes And excitement.I would only recommend this book to people who like historical fiction and My America books.If you want to read this book go to your library or your local library.
Go and read After The Rain.See you later !!!! bye!!!!

After the war. . ........2002-12-01

In the final months of the Civil War, Virginia, now 10, and her family move to Washington, D.C., where the cold winter brings uncertainty and hardship. But just as things start to improve her father gets a job and the war finally comes to an end the tragic assassination of Ginny's beloved President Lincoln occurs. In this, her second diary chronicling the Civil War, Ginny learns that life is constantly changing.

This "My America" diary of ten-year-old Virginia Dickens gives us a glimpse of the nation's capital during the Lincoln presidency--the joy at his election, the despair when he dies; the challenges of finding work for newcomers like Virginia's father and even Virginia herself. The book is easy to read with large text and a diary format, as well as historical notes and pictures at the end. It is a touching though not adventurous story that gives life to the Civil War era off the battlefield.

Book Description

Long ago, Natalie’s mother faced an agonizing choice between the two people she loved most, and the difficult resolution to her predicament affects Natalie throughout her young life–fueling a season of teenage rebellion that results in the death of her best friend.

As a young woman, Natalie attempts to put her troubles behind her, ultimately finding solace in the arms of a man with close ties to the tragedy. Yet neither time nor love can liberate her from the past. Determined to confront her terrible guilt, Natalie embarks on a journey that will take her thousands of miles from home and straight into the life and heart of a man unlike any she has ever known.

Confronted with a decision that echoes the one her mother faced so many years before, Natalie finds herself drawn to two men–each of whom holds a claim to her heart. But the sins of her past must be confronted, and an escape from her guilt found, before her heart will be free to find its home.

Showing that God can forgive the gravest of sins, After the Rains beautifully illustrates that his forgiveness comes purely through loving mercy and grace, not by our human efforts to earn it.

Customer Reviews:

Hopeful.......2004-12-23

This story tells of God's perfect, redeeming power of mercy and grace. The fulfillment I felt at the novel's end gave me joy, after the main character finally found peace and contentment subsequent to the suffering from repercussions of a severe past mistake. I've recommended this book to my friends and colleagues. You should read it, too!

A Journey in Love and Self-Forgiveness.......2004-01-06

This sequel to "Beneath a Southern Sky", will keep you turning pages until the last one. It continues with Natalie's growing up years. Until a tragedy strikes her life and she just feels lost and apart from God's forgiveness.....It is an incredible, original storyline, and the characters are so alive, you feel as though you know each one. Ms Raney draws you into Natalie's world and makes you want more!!!! How about a sequel to this one, I know you could continue Natalie's life in Timone' with her love for David, the mission work that she loves so much, plus continuing the lives of her family in the states. There is so much inspiration and love in this book, we could all use some application in our own lives. PLEASE, PLEASE, one more book, Ms Raney!!!!!!

A heart-wrenching story of redemption and second chances.......2003-10-22

A memorable coming-of-age story, that sees Natalie Camfield finding her place in life amidst a tragic background and a fatal mistake. Coming to terms with her choices, her relationship with God becomes centre stage once again, as she struggles with who she is and who she should become, regardless of the agonizing guilt that threatens to overwhelm her. A heart-wrenching story of redemption and second chances, appealing to readers of Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury, Robin Lee Thatcher and Lynn Austin. ~~Ellie Schroder, owner of The Christian Fiction Site

Better than its predecessor.......2003-08-08

I liked this book even better than its predecessor. This really goes into depth about the after effects of the choices made by Daria in the first book, where, after she marries Cole, she finds out that Nate, her first husband is alive.

It discusses in great detail the identity confusion that Daria and Nate's daughter, Natalie, feels and how that effected her life. Natalie gets drunk and a car collides into her's and her best friend is killed. Then the book describes very effectively the pain that she feels over her friend's death and how she works toward healing by turning towards God. She then renews her relationship with her Daddy Nate and joins him in Timone.

I highly recommend this book on God's love, grace, and forgiveness.

A heartwrenching story of forgiveness.......2002-11-13

Deb Raney has a way of gripping you by the throat with emotions and literally transporting you into the lives of her characters. After the Rains is her best yet and showed the way it's so hard to forgive ourselves for our sins. I lived every page with the characters. You've got to read this one!

Average customer rating:

Sweet but nothing special
Romance Down Under

Roses After Rain
Cassie Edwards
Manufacturer: Love Spell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Secrets of My Heart
Touch the Wild Wind
Enchanted Enemy
Island Rapture (Love Spell)
Passion's Fire (Zebra Historical Romance)

ASIN: 0505522195

Customer Reviews:

Sweet but nothing special.......2003-01-05

This book is a very typical formulaic romance. The hero, heroine, and villain are almost cartoonish in their persona. The heroine is your classic self sacrificing beautiful woman. The hero is your basic great guy and the villain is just completely evil. The storyline is sweet but it would probably appeal more to a younger reader who cares less about depth of character. The characters have cartoonish personalities with no real depth. It was a sweet book but nothing special about it.

Romance Down Under.......2000-07-11

Being an avid fan of Cassie Edwards, whenever I see a book of hers that I have not read yet, I'll pick it up. I especially love the Savage Series. Therefore Roses After Rain came as a big surprise. A pleasant one. It was great to see a completely new setting. Ian and Thalia are very likable characters and to me it was great to picture them in surroundings that I could identify with. Thank you Cassie. You must have done a lot of research to come up with such an accurate account of the history of a country which until now, I presume, was unfamiliar territory to you. Keep up the good work.

After the First Rain: Israeli Poems on War and Peace

Average customer rating:

After the First Rain: Israeli Poems on War and Peace

Manufacturer: Syracuse University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0815605242

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