Passing Through Paradise

Customer Reviews:

It was okay...........2007-03-22

Nicknamed the black widow since her husband Victor, an aspiring politician apparently died when she was at the wheel (they went off a bridge and his body was never recovered), Sandra tries to pick up the pieces of her life and restore the dilapidated beach house Victor left her so she can move on from Paradise. Down on his luck carpenter Mike Malloy has lost everything - his job, wife and kids - he agrees to restore her home, though he wonders about her innocence. Little does she know, he is her late husband's childhood friend, and he too is seeking answers. As the two work together, he has difficulty seeing Sandra as the cold and calculating killer everyone assumes she is. But Victor was hiding a deep, dark secret...

Wigg's contemporary love story is pretty light on the romance, and not a vast page-turner. I just didn't get a love vibe between the two protagonists. The so-called "twist" of the novel is so predictable that it can be seen coming from a mile away; a three star read at best.

This is not a Romance novel..........2007-03-18

First of all, before you purchase this novel, you need to know that this is not a romance novel. This story is a fiction that is based on a love story. I know most of you would know the difference.

This is a very good novel: well written, interesting, deep, and touching. As a peice of fiction, I would have rated this novel a little higher; but because it is categorized as a romance,I had to rate it and compare it with other romance novels...the end result-this was a medeocre romance.

I will tell you why in a minute, but let me give you a brief plot-line first: Sandy has been widowed for a year, her deceased husband-Victor- was a famous and aspiring politian. Although the medical pratictioners ruled his death as accidental, the car accident that killed him was blamed on Sandy by the media (she was the driver). Nevertheless, the media and the public, as well the local residents of Paradise where Victor grew up and where Sandy is currently living in an old Beach House, believe Sandy killed her husband to get her hands on his money. To add to her distress, her in-laws are suing her for the wrongly death of their only son.
In order to get out of the suffocating atmosphere after she deals with the civil law suite, Sandy decides to renovate the old house, sell it and move out of Paradise and move on with her life. So she hires a contracter named Micheal-a newly divorced father of two children, and the story continues from this premise.

I absolutely adored Michael and I genuinely rooted for Sandy, but two things really put a damper on the story for me, as a romance novel and as a fictional one: Victor was smothering every page of the story. Victor was literally everywhere; he was in Sandy's mind incessantly, and it never ceased. I felt like I was reading the love story of Sandy and her dead husband, not Sandy and Michael. It was cloying and it never gave Michael a chance at all, when all you wanted from Wiggs was MICHEAL, MICHEAL, MICHEAL, but the only thing she kept giving you was Victor, Victor, and oh god not again..Victor. The book was constantly about the past and hardly ever about the present relationship between her and Michael. If anything their relationship was more of a sideline, whereas Victor's memory and Sandy's grief were the whole show.

The other factor that put a damper on the novel was Sandy herself. I was sympathizing and rooting for her throughout most of the novel until the end. What did Michael have to do to win her trust and let her open up to him after he proved himself repeatedly, and I mean his behavior was truly showing her how much he loved her. Yet she still held back and let him come to her and do all the hard work. I got so frustrated with her and her paralyzing fears, which were no longer justified, that I just did not believe she deserved Michael in the end at all.

The last factor for my mediocre rating was that although Wiggs knows how to weave a dramatic story-she almost does everything right- she lacks something essential as a romance writer, which is not being able to evoke an emotion from you when she tries to make you feel the love and connection or passion between her heros and heroines. The details are all in the right place, but it never reaches you.

Like I said in the beginning, as a fiction this is a far superior novel, but as a Romance this just fell flat to me for the aforementioned reasons, but mainly because of Victor's memory and Sandy's grief that constantly consumed the story-line.

Hope that helps you decide whether to purchase it or not. But I still would recommend it, even though I had many negative things to say about it. It was a very good novel nonetheless and a very touching one. I think you would enjoy it more if you begin reading it knowing this is a work of fiction based on family dramas and love, instead of a romance.

Mystery and Romance.......2006-05-18

Worth reading once. A widow tries to cope with the loss of her husband, she is also a suspect in her husbands death. With the help of her late husbands childhood friend she discovers her late husbands well kept secret. With an unexpected twist to the story. If you like Romance with a mystery you will like this book.

and a 1/2.......2004-02-27

This was my first Susan Wiggs book, and probably not the last, if her other books are written as well as this one.

The attention to detail and descriptions are so rich that I found myself IN the book. I LOVE when that happens.

I figured out what happened to Victor right off, and the reason for his "departure," which made the book a little less interesting, but through NO fault of the writer's.

My attention span these days is limited, so this book was quite lengthy for me. I skimmed over entire chapters that didn't seem to matter, and with about 200 pages left, I skimmed the last part of the book.

It seemed to me that the ending was a bit rushed. BOOM BOOM BOOM. Oh well, it's still worth reading.

Could Not Put This One Down.......2003-09-09

I grew up in southern Rhode Island and am now transplanted to Central New York. I miss the ocean but this book brought me the sounds and the smells of the sea. From Sandra's house on the dunes to Mikes boat in Point Judith, I could envision each scenario clearly as I read the book.

I am also an alumnus of the University of Rhode Island and always get a kick out of it when a work of fiction actually mentions my alma mater! There was a time when a lot of people didn't know Rhode Island existed!

This was actually the first Susan Wiggs book that I have read and I am going to seek out other titles. A good read and one that I recommend.

Average customer rating:

eclectic and a fun but short read

Paco's Postmodern Play

Just Passing Through
Paco Ignacio Taibo
Manufacturer: Cinco Puntos Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0938317474

Book Description

A true left-wing adventure novel with Paco at his post-modern best.

In this elegant and literate adventure novel set in 1920's post-revolutionary Mexico, Paco Ignacio Taibo II is searching for a hero, specifically a leftist hero, and he thinks he has found him in the person of Sebastian San Vicente. But everyone-including the baffled novelist-is trying to figure out exactly who San Vicente really is. There is some record of San Vicente in FBI records during the Wilson era, and some mention of him in anarchist records and rumors, but the rest has to be filled in. And who better to do this than Taibo? Meanwhile-with Taibo busy in the background trying to resolve the mystery of his hero's identity-San Vicente goes about his heroic avocation of organizing strikes against the capitalists, dodging thugs and hiding out from the Mexican Army.

"As an activist in Mexico in the '60s, Paco Ignacio Taibo II began a search for figures in leftist history that his generation could look up to. Today an internationally famous detective novelist (An Easy Thing, etc), the writer has validated his quest with a novel-documentary, in which he reimagines a historical figure-a mysterious Spanish anarchist named Sebastian San Vicente. Casting himself in a tale set 29 years before he was born, Taibo chronicles his present-day research and depicts a range of first person characters (some of them real figures) who engage with the elusive anarchist. Incorporating historical documents or documents based on fact-letters, telegrams, police files, etc.-the author further blurs the boundary between fact and fiction. Taibo's affectionate account of working-class culture in a phase of heroic struggle is a perfect little jeu d'esprit."-Publisher's Weekly

"â€¦a hilariously funny novel that satirizes every possible aspect of the politics and social fabric of 20th-century Mexico. Taibo is one of Mexico's most popular writers, known for his detective fiction and more mainstream novels like Leonardo's Bicycle. Then again, mainstream may be the wrong word-in the latter two titles, as in this, Taibo plays with the definitions of novel, history, politics and time. Very highly recommended."-Library Journal (starred review)

"I am

Customer Reviews:

eclectic and a fun but short read.......2003-01-26

Not Taibo's best work but an insightful view into differences between anarchists and communists of the 1920's and 30's. Overall a fun, short read.

Paco's Postmodern Play.......2000-03-28

I've long admired Paco Ignacio Taibo II's detective fiction, particularly his series featuring Hector Balascoran Shayne (and even more particularly the book Some Clouds, with its existentialist overtones). When a new Taibo comes into translation, I feel a palpable excitement and anticipation; his hard-boiled characters are strikingly human and his Mexican settings are rich with atmosphere and dense with detail. But I'll admit that I've grown to experience some trepidation about Taibo's non-detective fiction. While his experiments with style and structure are often playfully challenging (take Leonardo's Bicycle, for example), they are just as often difficult to navigate. And while his knowledge of Mexican culture and history (specifically political history) is admirably broad, I've sometimes felt at a loss to understand his allusions to historic figures and, because of this, at a loss as well to fully understand the context of these tales. Such has been the case with Just Passing Through, which mixes fact and fiction, reportage and postmodern play, in exploring the story of revolutionary Sebastian San Vicente. While I've enjoyed the book on one level (it's been advertised as an adventure tale, which is not entirely the case), I had a lurking suspicion that I was missing another level of the story -- even with the annotations provided by translator Martin Michael Roberts to help readers like myself less familiar with Mexican history. While Just Passing Through is a good read, it's not Taibo's most accessible work. And with this in mind, I'd have to say that I'd recommend this one to more serious readers, to those a little more up to a modest challenge, than to fans of Taibo's brilliantly engaging mystery fiction.

Average customer rating:

Channer has outdone himself this time!
The master at his absolute best!!
Its Hard to Put Into Words
Compelling...
An intriguing , well written story

Passing Through
Colin Channer
Manufacturer: One World/Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Avon ANEW CLINICAL 2-Step Facial Peel

ASIN: 0345453344
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Book Description

From the national bestselling author of Waiting in Vain and Satisfy My Soul comes a sexy, witty collection of connected stories set on San Carlos, a tiny island with an old volcano in the Caribbean Sea.

Spanning the early 1900s up to modern times, the stories trace the intersecting lives of travelers, expatriates, and local folks in ways that shock, illuminate, and reveal. From the American photographer who finds her world disturbed by new forms of love and lust, to a charismatic priest confronted by the earthly perks of fame and stardom, the diverse mix of characters are united by the universal search for love and understanding—a challenge on an island simmering with issues of politics, power, and race.

Written with poetic grace and titillating candor, each story shines against its own tableau—World War II, the rise of Fidel Castro, Mt. Pelée devastating Martinique, import-export trading, Bob Marley in the days before his music echoed all around the world. As men and women fall in love, marry and remarry, face moral conflicts and new identities, the volcano sees it all. From plantation days to the roots of revolution, it is a silent witness to the turbulent century that engulfs this tiny island of eternal humor, passion, and allure.

Customer Reviews:

Channer has outdone himself this time!.......2005-09-29

Having read all of Colin Channer's previous works (including his contributions to several compilations and anthologies), I was eager to begin reading "Passing through". As everyone knows, the better the work the artists produces, the higher the expectations on subsequent works -- thereby making the artist his/her worst enemy and stiffest competition.

Mr. Channer, however seemed undaunted by these considerations when he put pen to paper to create this masterpiece and it shows on every page! Clearly, raising the bar for himself and every other writer of fiction was a mere side effect of pouring himself into this work and holding nothing back from the reader, to my sheer delight!

I literally could not put it down -- and often read and re-read certain passages -- not only because of the graceful and poetic prose style, but because the plots were so seamlessly and intricately weaved into the fabric of the characters' development that it was difficult to believe that a fiction work this profound could even be crafted on purpose.

It was more like a literary cosmic accident that created an explosion of random words onto a page creating a thing of indescribable, magnificent beauty. (Seriously, it's quite apparent that each and every word was meticulously and intentionally selected with purposem care and intent, like a master chef selects each seasoning, ingredient and piece of cookware before starting a recipe).

Between these pages I read words that made me laugh out loud, frown up my face and shed tears uncontrollably.

The truest mark of a good story is a conflict of emotions at the end: sadness that the story has ended, satisfaction at its resolution and gratitude that I was blessed to experience these characters and their stories.

Estrella, St. William, Shookie and even Father Blackwell have left permanent impressions on my brain. Let there be no doubt that if I get any advance notice of Mr. Channer's next work hitting the presses, I will camp out at my nearest bookstore a week in advance to be sure I get the first copy when it is unloaded off the truck.

If you are a true fan of fine literature and seeking an author who has truly mastered the craft of writing fiction and is cut above the rest, then Passing Through by Colin Channer is one work you cannot afford to miss.

P.S. I have NEVER reviewed any book on Amazon before and I have read (and enjoyed) many.

The master at his absolute best!!.......2005-09-24

For me Passing Through was an enchantimg experience. I didn't just read, I was drawn into the stories. Mr. Channer certainly has a way with words like no other writer I have come across. His descriptions are very detailed and opens the reader's imagination to a world outside of their very own. What I have always enoyed most are the conversations between the characters, somehow they say everything we want to say in our own experiences and yet never do. I can laugh with them and be very angry or sad with them.

This book is so not like any collection of stories I've ever read. The stories are all independent of the book and yet grafted completely in such a way that they compliment each other. From the novel we get history and love stories - bad and good love stories. When I say bad love stories I mean we come up on people totally unsuited for each other, we love them indidvidualy but wish nothing more than for them to be a part and at times it even looks that way and yet they find ways and means of staying together. And isn't that life? The novel brings fictional relationships to life.

You won't be bored for a second but you really have to be one who appreciates versatility and difference in a writer. If you have read anything by the master before you can certainly expect to be pleased. This book is for me, honestly, the best contemporay romance novel in awhile. A truly magical experience.

Caribbean readers fall inlove...again

The rest of the world...fall inlove caribbean style.

Its Hard to Put Into Words.......2005-08-26

I purchased and read Passing Through the day it was released. Colin Channer is truly a masterful word smith. So much so, that it is difficult to put together words that are worthy of describing his writing and this masterpiece he calls Passing Through. His writing is almost like poetry and the stories in passing through are so much more than mere stories, they are more like parables.
There are not many authors who are able to make readers laugh out loud at one sentence and then almost come to tears at the next. Mr. Channer's writings are sensual and enticing, yet never vulgar. He posses the unique talent to actually make the reader feel as if they are a part of the story.
I feel that I must caution that Mr. Channer's writing is not for everyone. The story does not unfold at lightning speed. There are passages that must be read twice to fully grasp their weight. I believe that only patient readers will truly be able to enjoy this authors style. People who not only enjoy a good story, but how the story is put together. This is a novel for those who love to dissect sentence structure and word choice; for those who want to find the deeper meaning of the work.
Once again, it is extremely difficult to describe the resounding emotions Passing Through left me with, so in short I'll just have to say, I loved this book!

Compelling..........2004-11-09

I've read most of CC's work. Passing Through is the most impressive in the way it combines history, sensuality, emotion, and cultural insight with great storytelling. The writing is versatile and superbly crafted, and the styles of the stories roughly mirror the historical periods of their settings.
The memorable characters in these compelling stories tell fascinating truths about Caribbean cultures. CC is able to show how the political becomes the personal, and vice versa, in fresh ways. And there's lots of sometimes biting wit and humor, particularly in the latter stories.
Highly recommended.

An intriguing , well written story.......2004-10-29

I read Passing Through on a Sunday afternoon. The character development is excellent and diverse. The story moves quickly but is complex and thoughtful. To my pleasure , it even has a historical timeline. Mr. Channer's style is sexy, yet intellectual and senstive. I'll reflect on the determination and strength of Estrella (one of the main characters) again and again.
A really enjoyable read.

Average customer rating:

Eden, According to Papageorge
The best photography book I've bought in YEARS!
Good, But Not Great, Decades-Long Documentary Photography of New York City's Central Park

Tod Papageorge: Passing Through Eden

Manufacturer: Steidl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 386521374X
Release Date: 2007-07-01

Book Description

Tod Papageorge moved from Leicas to medium-format cameras when he lived in New York in the 1970s, and a few years later began to photograph in Central Park in earnest. These pictures, gathered in Passing Through Eden, convey the passion that Rosalind Krauss once described in Papageorge's work--embracing "the sensuous richness of physical reality that fullness which Baudelaire used to call intimacy, when he meant eroticism." From picture to picture, Papageorge constructs a world that resembles our own, but that also reminds us of Biblical paradise: Passing Through Eden is edited to parallel, in its first half, the opening chapters of Genesis--from the creation through the (metaphorical) generations that follow on from Cain--before giving over to a virtuosic run of pictures that, from one to the next, might invoke Shakespeare's Tempest, or just confirm that the human comedy is alive and well in Central Park. This ambitious portfolio--incorporating work made over the course of 25 years--shows off not only Papageorge's remarkable ability to make photographs that read like condensed narratives, but also his skill at weaving them into sequences that echo shared cultural narratives. It challenges the reader to succumb (or not) to the pleasures of the "fullness" of each individual photograph, while ignoring (or not) the tug of a tale asking to be told. Like Eden itself, this book sets our hunger for beauty against that of knowledge, while reminding us of some of the ways that we read, and come to know, books.

Customer Reviews:

Eden, According to Papageorge.......2007-08-07

Passing Through Eden is a book of photographs that rewards the reader who both looks and thinks. It is carefully sequenced, with a selection of pictures depicting a real place, Central Park, in a deliberate and too-simply-labeled "documentary" style to approximate--at least in the first third of the book--a modern day visual parallel to the opening chapters of the book of Genesis. Look again without that "document"- tag; this book is pure fiction, the best sort of construct. The work stems from a honed sensibility embracing transparency and mastery of the medium's most powerful quality, verisimilitude. The photographs consistently demonstrate a profound combination of both self and world. Central Park, metaphorically Eden, is the setting for the world Papageorge creates with his lens, the agent of light (is it really that good there?) and his deep, unrelenting, complex understanding of human nature. Oh, let's not forget the shutter; perhaps the most gracefully, and precisely, used physical tool in the making of his pictures.

People do not purposefully arrange themselves in public, especially in a park where one goes for solitude and to commune with nature (god?): if a picture made there is to have a purpose it is the artist's task to create it. And Papageorge, with unimaginable facility, does this, imbuing each image with purpose and meaning, as much as photographs can convey those elusive qualities. It is not luck or happenstance that the ball floats mysteriously inches from a young woman's face like a global apparition (or Eve's apple); he PUT it there, in his picture. His photographs are the result of intuition, intellect, and experience in forming distilled fabrications from the actual raw material you, I, and seven million other New Yorkers are constantly shaping and undoing as we move through the city's greatest park. He does it by using the medium of photography with consummate skill and grace and by being completely in tune with its transformative powers. He brilliantly knows the difference between the actual and a photograph and he exploits that difference to make pictures expressing his specific understanding of the world. For this clearly is his world, filled with humor, tragedy, mystery and of course the first gift, light.

Buy this book; make it a gift to yourself!

The best photography book I've bought in YEARS!.......2007-07-12

I have spent the last few years feeling underwhelmed by most photographers' work & photography books I've seen....and then I received this book in the mail. All I can say is THANK YOU TOD PAPAGEORGE! I mean this book is what photography is about. I am blown away by not only the emotional range, but the visual intellegence Papageoge conveys. What a gift!

I literally spent 3 hours looking at the book last night and am about to buy several more copies. This book WILL be a classic, if you have any taste in the visual arts or buy books as investment pieces, look no further.

Good, But Not Great, Decades-Long Documentary Photography of New York City's Central Park.......2007-07-08

Without question, Tod Papageorge is among our important American documentary photographers, having had an influential role in shaping the artistic trajectories of many fine young photographers who've gone through the prestigious photography program at Yale University's School of Fine Arts. However, I'm not sure if such recognition is noteworthy with regards to Papageorge's recently published "Passing Through Eden"; a distillation of his decades-long documentary photography of people and places in New York City's Central Park. It's a conclusion I've reluctantly been drawn to, especially after having seen a portion of this body of work on display a few months ago at the Pace/MacGill Gallery, and recognizing a few of these images from a portfolio of his work that's part of the permanent collections of the University of Arizona's Center for Creative Photography. So then why am I only marginally willing to give this book a positive recommendation?

Papageorge's Central Park photographs lack the visual impact of Bruce Davidson's magnificient documentary photography published only a few short years ago. And, unlike Davidson's mesmerizing, emotionally riveting, images, Papageorge's are not devoted to a single theme (In Davidson's case it is as a visual celebration of Central Park as a visually inspiring artifical, but also, "natural" oasis of pleasure and personal fulfillment set in the heart of Manhattan Island.), but are a curious assemblage of 1960s vintage protest photographs (which are stylistically similar, but not nearly as emotionally arresting, as, for example, contemporary images from the likes of Danny Lyon and Ben Fernandez), mixed with a few random shots of "natural" scenery and snapshots of people caught offguard; the latter still recognizable as "street" documentary photography but running close to mere voyeurism. For a long time I have greatly admired the few Papageorge images I've become accustomed to; sadly such admiration has diminished with the publication of this book.

Average customer rating:

Intriguing story set against small-town backdrop
The Best and Worst of Small Town Life
Wow. I can't wait for the movie.
Beautiful Novel about Small Towns

Passing Through Paradise
John Schreiber
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1413422926

Book Description

"In Paradise I stumbled onto a dead body, found my new mother, and was almost murdered."

Young Angela Kiln and her father move to the slowly dying town of Paradise. Once they settle into small town life and get to know the residents, Angela and her father, a high school teacher, find that the town isn't the only thing that's dying—so apparently, are the students.

Customer Reviews:

Intriguing story set against small-town backdrop.......2006-08-16

Passing Through Paradise seems like a sweet, innocent story told from the perspective of young protagonist Angela. However, on further reading, the reader discovers a complex story involving a murder, the politics of small town life, and the complexities affecting a teacher in the community. This story had me hooked from the beginning, and I could identify with some of themes of acceptance and the importance of change and growth. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an exciting read with identifiable characters and themes.

The Best and Worst of Small Town Life.......2004-08-16

Passing through Paradise is an enjoyable story with believable characters and a well-paced plot. The same could be said about many other murder/mystery books. However, the absolute clarity of the author's vision regarding small town, rural, Minnesota life is what makes this book stronger and finer than the majority.

John Schreiber has captured the essence of what is ugly in the culture of small town life. Anyone who has grown up in such a town understands how the denizens will close ranks against "outsiders" to protect "their own," even when those they protect are bullies, ruffians, and louts. Anyone who has grown up in such a town understands how, when they are very young, life-long residents are pigeon holed into roles which they are never allowed to escape. Anyone who has grown up in such a town understands how people with amazing potential choose to stay in an environment which stifles them and traps them in lives of quiet misery forever rather than risk leaving the security of what is known to face the fearful mysteries of the outer world.

Another strength in this novel is the characterization of the teenage characters. The author obviously knows adolescents and their struggles very well. Nothing sets my teeth on edge more than authors who write about adolescents without a clue of what real teenagers actually think and feel and do. The kids in this book were very real to me. In fact, I find myself thinking about what happened to them after the end of the book and how their lives would turn out. This, in my opinion, is the ultimate compliment for a writer. His characters became real to me. (It is the Velveteen Rabbit Effect, I guess.)

Some of the characters in this story personify the beauty and resilience of the human spirit. They have the attributes of humanity that make one willing to get up and try again, even when one would rather just lie down and give up. The attributes that make one continue to try to (a) figure out what is right and (b) do what is right, even though it seems one struggles against insurmountable odds. Other characters personify the nasty, self-centered, bullying elements of the human spirit. However, the characters, for the most part, are not presented as "heroes" and "villains." They are presented as flawed people who are trying to cope with their situations in the only ways they know how. Some of the characters who would be considered minor are the most intriguing and well drawn.

The point of view character, Angela, a precocious nine-year-old, is sometimes a bit too insightful, and her relationship with her English teacher dad is perhaps a bit too perfect, but these things did not lessen the impact of the story for me. Regarding the element of Christianity within the novel, I have mixed feelings. First, the Christianity was presented as a part of the main characters' overall personality. Unlike many stories which attempt to jam the You-Must-Be-Born-Again philosophy down the readers' throats, the message was presented gently and by characters who were struggling with major issues in their own faith. On the down side, I felt the Christian code of living presented was just a little too pat. Perhaps that is just me being envious of those whose faith is simple and pure as opposed to the convoluted and chaotic dance around the Almighty that characterizes my own religious experiences. At any rate, I don't believe anyone would find the religious element offensive; I certainly didn't.

In conclusion to this wordy review, I'd like to state that I read John's first book. After reading it, I thought, "Well, that was okay." Then I moved on to other things and didn't think about it much. This second novel is so much richer and fuller and deeper than the first. (I'm not saying the first was bad, mind you. It wasn't!) The growth of his skill as a novelist and storyteller was impressive. I look forward to reading his next efforts eagerly.

Wow. I can't wait for the movie........2004-02-27

I don't know whether to call this a murder mystery, a suspense novel, a coming of age novel, or just plain, old-fashioned fun. It kept me guessing until the end. At first I hesitated reading it (though it was recommended by a friend) because I thought it would be typical religious fiction--a thinly disguised Bible tract. This is nothing like that. It has some talk about Christianity because some of the characters are devout Christians. Everything was believeable, nothing seemed contrived. The novel is entertaining. If all Christian fiction was like this, I'd read more of it.

It looks as if the author is bringing out a third book. Bring it on!

Beautiful Novel about Small Towns.......2003-12-13

This novel has beautifully developed characters. With just a few sentences, the characters are instantly understood. The relationships are poignantly portrayed without the sugary sentimentality that sometimes colors novels about small towns.

I greatly enjoyed the clever writing style that the narrator uses. Her witty comments were a joy to read.

Book Description

A critic and writer on dance for well over twenty years, Barbara Newman has gone in search of teachers and coaches, directors, choreographers and stagers - former dancers who had turned the focus of their own experience on others - to explain the state of ballet today. Among leaders of the dance world the author interviewed were Suki Schorer, Helgi Tomasson, Mark Morris, Violette Verdy and 14 other artists whose work she knew and respected, most of them active outside of New York and London. Newman is not interested in dance as an aesthetic abstraction, and the people who answered her questions were not speaking theoretically. On the contrary, her speculation and their responses bring an elusive subject down to earth, illuminating a process that reaches back in history and forward to today, though its dreams are of a world no one can imagine.

Customer Reviews:

A magnificent book!.......2005-10-09

What a magnificent book! Dance critic Barbara Newman's GRACE UNDER PRESSURE is not just for serious dance afficionados, though it will be deeply meaningful to the serious student of dance; with its engaging writing style and its emphasis on "grace under pressure," on the lives and techniques of great dancers who became great dance teachers, this book will draw in almost any reader who picks it up. The opening of the book, with its description of discovering both the scrumptious pies at a small town diner, and the sadness of a small-town dance school that has closed down, sets the mood well. This book honors dance teachers everywhere, while it gives voice to the teaching experience and philosophy of some of the greatest. The photographs are well chosen, and a treasure in themselves.
This book deserves a wide readership, and will amply reward those who find their way to it. It reflects the author's depth of knowledge of dance, her perceptiveness and clarity in the interview process, and her accessible, engaging and elegant writing style. Highly recommended!

For anyone contemplating a life in ballet.......2004-03-07

In Grace Under Pressure: Passing Dance Through Time, ballet expert Barbara Newman (Dance Critic of "Country Life" magazine and a journalist contributor to "Dancing Times"), has compiled remarkably informative interviews with eighteen contemporary illuminaries of the world of dance. This impressive collection of leading dancers and renowned dance instructors ranging from Suki Schorer (School of American Ballet) and Marc Du Bouays (Paris Opera Ballet School) to Yuri Fareyev, Margaret Mercier, and Richard Thomas. Enthusiastically recommended reading for anyone contemplating a life in ballet, Grace Under Pressure offers the reader a diverse selection of insights into the dedicated life and working world of the contemporary ballet as the aspirants experience the hard work and intense discipline for learning and practicing this demanding art.

Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth

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A Story for All Times, All Races, All Ages
She could not be silenced
The story of a real fighter for freedom
The Voice of Freedom.....
review on only passing through: the story of sojourner truth

Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth
Anne Rockwell
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Politics & Government | Reference & Nonfiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0679891862
Release Date: 2000-12-26

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Born in 1797, and sold three times by the time she was 13 (and beaten many more times), a tall young slave girl named Isabella grew in her determination to fight the evils of slavery and speak for human rights. At the age of 46, having been a free woman for 17 years, Isabella woke from a dream telling her she must travel the country, conveying to people what it meant to be a slave. On that day, Isabella renamed herself.

"It was as though the life she'd known up till then belonged to someone else. A new one was beginning. The old life had become a tale to tell, a story to bring freedom to others. Her old name belonged to her old life. From that day on, she was never called Isabella again. Her name was Sojourner Truth."

Anne Rockwell's picture-book biography of the legendary and powerful messenger of civil rights rings with authority and dignity, matched by Gregory Christie's full-page impressionistic paintings featuring Truth's symbolically outsized head and hands, and striking perspectives of both slaves and slave owners. Awash with rich color, Christie's images will linger long with readers, as will Rockwell's description of Sojourner Truth singing in the face of enraged, drunken antiabolitionists. The author includes a historical note and a 19th century timeline for further context. Rockwell is the noted author of more than 100 books for children, and Christie was the recipient of the Coretta Scott King Honor for his illustrations in The Palm of My Heart. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

A powerful picture book biography of one of the abolitionist movement's most compelling voices.

Sojourner Truth traveled the country in the latter half of the 19th century, speaking out against slavery. She told of a slave girl who was sold three times by age 13, who was beaten for not understanding her master's orders, who watched her parents die of cold and hunger when they could no longer work for their keep. Sojourner's simple yet powerful words helped people to understand the hideous truth about slavery. The story she told was her own.

Only Passing Through is the inspiring story of how a woman, born a slave with no status or dignity, transformed herself into one of the most powerful voices of the abolitionist movement. Anne Rockwell combines her lifelong love of history with her well-known skill as a storyteller to create this simple, affecting portrait of an American icon.

Customer Reviews:

A Story for All Times, All Races, All Ages.......2007-01-29

This is a wonderful book for all young men and women to read. The lessons it teaches, from being "the new kid", to "the foreign kid", to "the abandoned and abused kid" to being "the black kid" certainly ring as true today as they did in Sojourner Truth's Day. The author's passion for the subject, and the illustrators moving illustrations reach out and touch readers, and inspire them to look into their own lives to be certain they are helping to create a diverse society. In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King. This book would be a wonderful story for kids to act-out in class for Black History Month. The author certainly seems to know about race relations, and peace. I recommend this for all parents who want to raise children who see people with their hearts, and not their eyes. Who see no color, just the glorious traditions, rich heritage, tremendous courage, and incredible art that comes from being downtrodden for generations.

She could not be silenced.......2002-09-13

Many a young reader will be shocked by the opening page of this story about slavery in the U.S. For the auction block from which a 9-year-old girl was sold in 1806 was in Kingston, N.Y., not Alabama or Mississippi.

Isabella was sold only after a long day in which no bidders showed any interest--until the auctioneer threw in a flock of sheep. She was separated from her aged, ill parents, who were left to fend for themselves, having been worn out by cruel masters. Hell followed for Isabella, for her new master spoke English while she spoke Dutch--like most people in the Hudson valley. For not understanding, he whipped her so hard that her back bore the scars all the rest of her life.

She was sold to a tavern-keeper and, when she was 13, to a neighboring farmer named John Dumont. At 16, she was six feet tall and could do the work of any man. She was forced to wed, against her will, and bore four daughters and a son. In 1817, New York enacted a law that would free all slaves on July 4, 1827. By then, Isabella was 28. But when Dumont reneged on his promise to free her, she ran to a nearby farm, believing that its abolitionist owners would save her. The Van Wageners bought and freed her.

Dumont, however, sold her son Peter to an Alabama plantation owner. To sell a slave out-of-state was then illegal in New York. Isabella took the unheard-of step of hiring a white lawyer to plead a court case for the return of her son. She won, he returned, she sent him to school, and he became a sailor on a whaling ship.

After Peter left, Isabella dreamed that she should travel the U.S. and tell people of her bondage. She took the name of Sojourner Truth. The final pages of this adventure tell some of the accomplishments of this American heroine. The illustrations greatly compliment the story, accentuating the iron will of a woman who would not be bought, or silenced.

The book concludes with a one-page author's note and a chronology of the events of Sojourner Truth's life. In the former, the author writes of those times when evil rules, and good people feel called upon to tell the truth to those who do not wish to hear.

Sojourner Truth was such a person, and she lived in such a time. Children find this story inspirational. Alyssa A. Lappen

The story of a real fighter for freedom.......2002-08-21

"Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth" combines text by Anne Rockwell with illlustrations by R. Gregory Christie. Together they tell the story of Truth, who was an important figure in the movement to abolish slavery in the United States. The text discusses her own life in slavery, how she gained her freedom, and her participation in the abolitionist movement. The book includes a chronology of her life.

The illustrations are colorful and striking, but Christie's human figures are bizarrely distorted, with out-of-proportion heads, limbs, and hands. Ultimately I found that this style distracted me from the important story being told. Still, this book is a worthwhile look at an important figure in American history.

The Voice of Freedom............2001-07-02

Anne Rockwell's moving picture book biography of Sojourner Truth is a powerful and evocative story that will draw youngsters in and take them on a journey toward freedom with an amazing woman. Born into slavery, Isabella was taken away from her parents when she was only nine, sold three times, threatened, beaten and lost her own children to slavery before she was finally freed. Though she never learned to read or write, she challenged the system of buying and selling people in court, traveled around the country, spoke out against slavery and became one of the most powerful voices in the abolitionist movement. She was a sojourner, one who is only passing through and her mission was to speak the truth about the evils of slavery..... Ms Rockwell's passionate and eloquently written biography is complemented by Gregory Christie's beautifully rich paintings and together they've authored a story about this remarkable woman that's full of courage and strength. With an author's note and timeline at the end to augment and enhance discussions, Only Passing Through is a wonderful book, perfect for youngsters 9-12 and a story few will soon forget.

review on only passing through: the story of sojourner truth.......2001-01-15

I think this is a wonderful book. I have not read it but even the title pulls you in. The reason I am writing about this book is because I love slave stories. I have read other books by this author and I think she is awesome. This book is on my wish list and i hope to get it soon

A Grief Sanctified: Passing Through Grief to Peace and Joy

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Single men & women: Buy this book!

A Grief Sanctified: Passing Through Grief to Peace and Joy
J. I. Packer , and Richard Baxter
Manufacturer: Vine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Single men & women: Buy this book!.......1999-10-26

As a single man ready to marry, this book opened my eyes to the dangers and delights of marriage. As soon as Baxter warns about vices that are peculiar to marriage, he describes the wonders of Christian intimacy in marriage. Very encouraging!

Just Passing Through: Notes from a Sojourner

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Food for meditation

Just Passing Through: Notes from a Sojourner
Margaret Guenther
Manufacturer: Seabury Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1596270500

Book Description

Sojourner is an Old French word with jour--day--at its heart. It reminds us of our transience and of the inexorable passage of time. It reminds us that we do not own this world but that we are merely passing through. It reminds us that God's time is not our time.

Fans of Margaret Guenther will welcome this salty and wise collection of reflections on her life journey her childhood in Kansas City, her college days, her career, her travels, and her slow awakening to transience of all things. This writer and spiritual director looks back over the nearly eight decades of her life, tackling themes of childhood, friendship, moving, the magic of words, heaven, spirituality in cyberspace, asking the right questions, and things never to do again.

Readers of Holy Listening, On Holy Ground, My Soul in Silence Waits, At Home in the World, and The Practice of Prayer will delight in this book of fresh, humorous insights.

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Food for meditation.......2007-08-23

I'm finding this to be a wonderful book to meditate on. I read a chapter each morning and find a simple concept for my meditation.