Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children: What If This Were Heaven, Wouldn't That Be Hell? (Beautiful stories for ugly children)

Customer Reviews:

is this the 'other hand'...or is this.......2004-07-13

These are indeed picture stories rather than comics, the writing is indeed something a Jr. High student could keep up with, and as hard to please as the only other reviewer may be, my nose is probably heavier and higher.
I've through great lengths to collect them all over the past few years. Some are more novel than others but all are graphic, and the best of them capture some of the best morbid/avant garde humor/humanity there was to be had amid the early decade switch comic boom (and since).

Good luck finding them
You'll need it
And you'll be grateful for it

Slight.......2001-07-29

This book is either a heavily illustrated short story collection or a text-heavy comic. Its unusual format is its most original feature. Its plots are negligible, but its illustrations and text evoke a unique atmosphere of self-conscious nonconformism. Although its target audience is dare-to-be-different teens and college students, its interesting turns of phrase and expressive line drawings are not devoid of interest for general audences.

This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland

Average customer rating:

Heaven On Earth?
WONDERFUL BOOK
Good, but a missed oppurtunity
Greenland & Ethnographic Study of Eskimo Culture
This Cold Heaven

This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland
Gretel Ehrlich
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679442006
Release Date: 2001-10-23

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

From the acclaimed chronicler of open spaces, Gretel Ehrlich, comes a stunning and lyrical evocation of a practically unknown place and people. Beginning in 1993, Ehrlich traveled to Greenland, the northernmost country in the world, in every season--the four months of perpetual dark (in which the average temperature is 25 degrees below zero), the four months of constant daylight, and the twilight seasons in between--traveling up the west coast, often by dogsled, and befriending the resilient and generous Inuits along the way. Greenland, unlike its name, is 95 percent ice--a landscape of deep rock-walled fjords, glaciers, narwhal whales swimming among icebergs the size of football fields, walruses busting through oceans of shifting ice. In the far north, the polar Inuit--the "real heroes"--still dress in bear and seal skins, and hunt walrus, polar bears, and whales with harpoons. The only constant is weather and the perilous movements of ice, the only transport is dogsled, and the closest village may be a month and a half-long dogsled journey away. The people share an austere and harsh life, lightened with humor and the fantastic stories of Sila, the god of weather, Nerrivik, the goddess of waters, of humans transforming themselves into animals, and interspecies marriages. Interwoven with Ehrlich's journey is the even more remarkable story of Knud Rasmussen, the founder of Eskimology, an Inuit-Danish explorer and ethnographer who took some of the most hazardous and brilliant expeditions ever, including a three and a half-year, 20,000-mile adventure by dogsled across the polar north to Alaska. Like Rasmussen, Ehrlich learns that the landscape of Greenland is "less a description of desolation than an ode to the beauty of impermanence." Alternately mind-expanding, gripping, and dreamlike, This Cold Heaven is a revelation. --Lesley Reed

Book Description

For the last decade, Gretel Ehrlich has been obsessed by an island, a terrain, a culture, and the men and women who long for and love the complex frailties and treacherous beauty of a world defined by ice.

Greenland, the world’s largest island, 840,000 square miles in extent, is covered by the largest continental ice sheet in the world.

Only the rocky fringe of its coast is habitable. There, the Inuit, the Arctic’s first explorers, have survived and thrived in the harshest of climates. For the Inuit, an ice-age, ice-adapted people who first traveled from Siberia across the polar North six thousand years ago, weather is consciousness. In a world composed of ice and darkness, water and light, where skins of dog, seal, bear, even hare and eider duck, are sewn into clothes, tents, and sleeping bags as protection, where transport is by dogsled and kayak, the only rein for the uncontrollable force of weather is an unbending self-discipline. The blend of physical endurance and psychological perseverance required for daily existence first drew Ehrlich to this terrain.

Her guide, her inspiration, her companion in spirit was the great Danish-Inuit explorer and ethnographer Knud Rasmussen. Between 1902 and his death in 1933 he launched seven expeditions: to record the unknown history and customs of the nomadic Eskimos; to chronicle the skills, beliefs,and crafts that made life in this climate possible and a matter of grace. For Rasmussen, “all true wisdom is only to be found far from the dwellings of man, in great solitudes.” As she followed his trail, Ehrlich was to find the things that can open the mind to what is hidden from others. This Cold Heaven is at once a distillation of her many journeys, a path into a world divided into darkness and light and, finally, an attempt to capture the clarity that blinds us with surprise.

Customer Reviews:

Heaven On Earth?.......2006-07-25

In "This Cold Heaven", Gretel Ehrlich extolls the life of the subsistence hunters of Greenland. Her writing is really very nice and brought this remote place to life for me. Jared Diamond's "Collapse" gave us the picture of the european Greenlanders and now Ehrlich gives us the picture from the 'other side of the hill.'

The beauty of the environment and the struggle for sanity in the long dark made very interesting reading, having spent 20 winters in Minnesota where it is dark a mere 16 hours a day.

I'm not sure she takes her observations to their logical conclusion, however. The life she admires is that of the subsistence hunter. What makes it admirable for her is the totality of it, the self-sufficiency, the purity. But that life evolved out of necessity, which has been overtaken by modern life. Most Greenlanders live off the supply ships; only a handful hunt for a living. These few are restrictive in their practices, using rifles but eschewing outboard motors and snow mobiles, for example.

In other words they are playing an elaborate game of 'survival.' They could make it easier for themselves but they don't because it makes it more of a challenge. The fact is, there is no obvious reason for people to go around in dogsleds hunting walrus. They could be educating themselves for the future instead of clinging to an outmoded past.

I think she understands this. I say that because of the incident of the polar bear, where she urged that it not be killed. She accompanied the hunters by dogsled to polar bear country for the specific purpose of getting a bear. Then when it came time to pull the trigger she wanted the men to let it go.

In that moment she understood that synthetics are just as good as bear skin for keeping warm. Food can be gotten from the shelves thanks to the supply ships. Transportation to any place in the world is available. There is no longer any need to shoot polar bears in order to survive, and she knew it.

There is honor and purity in modernity, too. We meet Fred, who has been forecasting the weather at Thule for 27 years. I'm a forecaster, too. I can relate to Fred, and I understand why he has stayed there all this time. While his duties benefit the well-being of everyone on that base, he has undertaken a wider quest, that of comprehending nature and humanity in his specific setting. It is similar to that of the hunter, in that it is also an internal quest which reveals oneself.

Only Fred really knows why is there. Only Jens and Mikele really know why they go out on the ice to hunt. Fred could retire to Punta Gorda. Jens could go to Copenhagen and relax. Gretel slides past this whole matter. But then, her eyes were bothering her.

WONDERFUL BOOK.......2006-06-09

I really enjoyed this book, Gretel takes you with her in her travels and experiences to one of the most starkley beautiful places in the world.
great book to read in the heat of summer.
wonderful tales, wonderful author.
I could feel the ice, well reading this book.

great insightful book.....
one you will want to have on your shelves for ever.

Good, but a missed oppurtunity.......2005-04-13

I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. She obviously deeply respects the people who she spent time with in Greenland. However, as she barely hints at, there are problems under the surface with alcoholism dysfunctional families and sexual abuse. By glossing over the darker side of things and portraying the Innuit as "noble savages" she provides us with a one dimensional portrait of thier way of life.

Greenland & Ethnographic Study of Eskimo Culture.......2005-03-06

This ethnographic study and travel guide about Greenland reminds me of Paul Theroux' "Happy Isles Of Oceania" which I read about 10 years ago; also her compressed prose reminds me of Annie Proulx author of "Close Range" with whom she shared the adopted state of Wyoming, also of James Michener, author of "Alaska". I have also read this author's "Heart Mountain" which I enjoyed a lot,and more recently "The Future Of Ice". .
Ehrlich's frequent plane trips between Copenhagen and Greenland and her stopovers at the state-of-the-art American military base at Thule, Greenland give the book a link to the outside world, but beyond the airports she transports the reader to a culture many thousands of years old and also with a multitude of current social problems based on the clash between the Danish, who arrived in the 18th C., and indigeneous cultures.
She interviews numerous Danes with Eskimo blood or vice versa, or other expatriates, including information on an American artist Rockwell Kent, who decided to give up on modern society in favor of some more ancient or traditional values. Hence they become New Age subsistence hunters in Greenland. The book also includes several interesting chapters on the explorations of the Arctic by the Dane Rasmussen in the 1920's, who did his own ethnographic studies, as well as by other less renowned explorers. Rasmussen travelled all the way across the Canadian Arctic from Greenland to Alaska. You will be impressed with the breadth of knowledge Ehrlich has about her subject as well as her anecdotal knowledge of modern astronomy; really this is her own ethnographic study, and you will be surprised at the countless small details of living in such an unusually cold, white climate with polar seasons that include many months of total darkness or total light, and the great importance of dogs and dogsleds in their culture. One of the obvious consequences of living in -30-40 degree temperatures is the layers of clothing a human must wear, not to mention the Eskimos' unusual food choices,the threats of starvation and the resultant cannibalism, and age-old hunting practices. Really an eye-opener for those who live in the middle latitudes.

This Cold Heaven.......2004-06-18

This book was a treasure that fell, I don't remember whether one morning or night, from Book TV. Being of Norwegian ancestry, and having ancient voyagers in my direct line, I became fascinated with the author's story. Hoping to find some tales of native legends and myths of the kind that Sigrid Undset's historical novels had first drawn to my attention, I bought the book.

I was not disappointed. Ehrlich weaves her words by alternating the fabric of her seven seasons with allied chapters of other Northern wanderers and explorers. This organization, I feel, makes the book somewhat hard to read in two or three sittings. Yet every page is worth the effort.

Having flown over both Greenland and Iceland, I can verify that Greenland is white and Iceland is green. But snow and ice is not just white, and a sled is not just a sled. Erhlich's language is richly nuanced and lyrical. She has the gift of writing prose like a poet. Having lived her stories, she knows her subject, and you easily feel yourself in her shoes as she relates her experiences.

Book Description

Defiantly beautiful, Caroline Wetherby stepped ashore in a land so wild and fierce, she trembled. She had come seeking refuge with the last of her family, but her sister was dead. Waiting to greet her were pious Pilgrims, warring Indians, howling wolves, a boisterous household of men and boys...and him, her rugged, unwelcoming brother-in-law, Matt Mathieson. Caroline wanted to hate Matt as she hated all men.

After her father's death, she'd been eager to escape England. But as daughter of a gambler and a gypsy, her flamboyant ways and healing skills tempted disaster in the sanctimonious Connecticut Colony. And putting herself in the hands of a big, handsome stranger tempted something far more dangerous--emotions she couldn't resist, kisses she couldn't forget, and a future that could bring ruin...or a journey to heaven on earth in his arms.

Customer Reviews:

Loved It!!!.......2006-08-18

I could not put this book down! This story was so well written and interesting that I was captivated. From the unchartered background of Puritan lifestyle in the late 1600's as a 'romantic setting' to an abused family's healing, this book developed true emotion and devotion.

I understand some of the other reviewers displeasure at Caroline's treatment by a few in the town (witch burning, etc.)but that didn't keep me from giving this book 5 stars. And Caroline was no weakling, she gave as good as she got and Matt was always there to back her up.

don't rush to the bookstore..........2005-08-18

This is one of those books that I would read only if I was bored and had NOTHING else available, and if it was handed to me for free. In other words, definetly don't spend money on it, and waste your time only if you are in desperate need of reading material.

That being said, it's not the worst book I've ever read, but I really can't recommend it at all. It was my first Karen Robards historical romance, and while I'm a fan of her contemporary work, something about this historical novel didn't sit well with me. Normally I am a huge fan of the genre, but this seemed both too dark, and yet also too unsubstantial.

As another reader said, the heroine is treated like dirt for most of the novel. While the hero has moments of kindness, he rarely reprimands his younger brothers and sons for their cruelty, who undeniably look up to him and respect his opinion. It seems as though he might do a bit more to defend her. The heroine's reaction to all of this alternates between being passive and throwing tantrums. I'm not saying I could have done much better in her situation, but the inconsistencies in her behavior made it hard for me to figure out her feelings.

Even after the family accepts her at the end of the novel, there are never any sort of apologies or acknowledgements of their cruel words. I understand this is probably realistic for male/female relations at the time, but in a romance novel, it wasn't very appealing.

The subplots centering around her dead sister and the vindictive townspeople isn't really fleshed out, and yet we are expected to understand how it's a major part of the plot and character motivations.

In fairness, I guess I can see how other readers might like it, as the romance is halfway fun to watch develop. If I'd been in the mood for a glimpse into the misery of women in the colonial period or for witch trials I actually might have enjoyed the detail and depth of this book. But, expecting a romance, I found myself disappointed. I prefer romances that that make me feel warm at the end, not relieved that it's over...

Overall, a good read........2004-09-14

I thought this book had everything going for it, and not much lacking. There was a handsome hero, beautiful heroine, lots of adventure, and lots of funny scenes. I liked that the hero and heroine didn't fight throughout the whole book like most romance novels. My favorite scenes were the beginning with the bull, and the love triangle between Matt, Caroline, and Daniel. If you want a book that will not leave you bored, and will provide plenty of romance and plot, this is your book. The only thing I have to complain about is the ending. It was very rushed and leaved the reader wanting more closure. I mean, the rest of the book was very thorough and told the story well, but the end just wizzed by and had the reader scratching their head. It went way to fast and seemed like the author was rushing at the end to meet her deadline. But, that aside, the book as a whole was a good one.

degrading and abusive.......2004-01-15

I couldn't enjoy this book because the heroine got treated like crap the whole book by everyone because of the sins her sister committed. Even at the end of the book, they were all still treating her like crap. And none of the people who hurt her ever got their comeuppance.

An untypical love story.......2002-09-24

Other than being tall, dark and handsome, Matt was not typical hero one would find in a romance book. He is handsome but limping and scarred, comfortable but not rich as his household had no servants and they all had to work in the fields, widowed and with 2 sons, not very chivalous or gentlemanly. Caroline was beautiful and brave, but she was also a cook, housekeeper and nurse to the household of 6 hostile and distrustful males, doing almost a maid would do and more. Matt was Caroline's brother-in-law and her sister, Elizabeth, had caused enough damage to the family for them to trust anyone related to her. Both had a past that hurt them and not entirely healed from it.

These were unusual background to develop a romantic story. It was refreshing from those rich and powerful hero, smart and brave but helpless heroine. This was no fairytale. But the author managed to weave a story with strong character development. It was more than a love story, more a family story.

Sometime I found the story a tart too slow but the unfolding events were necessary to develop the story and characters: Matt's injury and subsequent recovery under Caroline's care helped to dispell distrust, ignite passions and reveal secrets; Daniel's kiss awakened the feelings, Caroline's kidnap and rescue provided the much needed solitude and privacy for them; and the rescue of Caroline from the fire. Almost all characters emerged stronger and closer from these events.

Average customer rating:
This Side of Heaven: Race, Ethnicity, and Christian Faith

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195310578

Book Description

In recent years Christian scholars have become increasingly aware of their responsibility to recognize and respond to the challenges posed by ethnic and racial diversity. Similarly, historically white Christian colleges, universities, seminaries and congregations are struggling to transform themselves into communities that are welcoming to minorities and sensitive to their needs. This collection of all-new essays is meant to enable those who are engaged in these initiatives to understand the historical linkage of race, ethnicity and Christianity and to explore the ways in which constructive change can be achieved. The volume is the product of a long-term study funded by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology. In the course of this study it emerged that many Christian institutions now offer courses on race and ethnicity, but that there is very little relevant literature written from the standpoint of rigorous Christian scholarship. This book is intended to fill that gap. The authors address such questions as: What has been the history of Christian churches and leaders in relation to slavery, segregation, and apartheid? Which biblical texts and doctrines have historically been employed on behalf of racial projects, and which are relevant to the racial and ethnic crises of our day? How have religious leaders constructively engaged such crises? How do congregations shape the values, civic commitments, understandings and sensitivities of their membership? How can local congregations be sites for racial reconciliation and justice initiatives? Are there positive models for how churches and other religious institutions have helped to bring healing to racial and ethnic tensions and divides? How might Christians in the professions work to bring justice to business, education, government, and other areas of society? When good intentions fail to accomplish desired ends, how do we analyze what went wrong? Written by an interracial and interethnic team of scholars representing diverse disciplines, this book will meet a pressing need and set a new standard for the discussion of race and ethnicity in the Christian context.

Wild West Brides (3 Novels in 1): Flanna and the Lawman/ This Side of Heaven/ Second Chance Bride

Average customer rating:

DEFINITELY A FIVE STAR!
REALLY A FOUR PLUS --
REALLY GOOD BUT TOO SHORT!

Wild West Brides (3 Novels in 1): Flanna and the Lawman/ This Side of Heaven/ Second Chance Bride
Cathy Maxwell , Ruth Langan , and Carolyn Davidson
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0373835086

Book Description

Three Complete Novels

National Bestselling authors Cathy Maxwell, Ruth Langan and Carolyn Davidson team up to bring you Wild West Brides, a collection of three brand-new stories about women who conquered the West and found their soul mates . . .

Flanna and the Lawman by Cathy Maxwell

Desperate for someone to help her protect her land, a female con artist saves an ex-lawman from the hangman's noose by claiming him as her no-good husband, and finds herself wanting to turn their charade into a real marriage.

This Side of Heaven by Ruth Langan

When a runaway and her young nephew find a safe haven with a solitary Montana rancher, three lonely people become a family, until their peace is threatened by the boy's father, bent on vengeance.

Second Chance Bride by Carolyn Davidson

His mail-order bride's deceit had stung him to the quick, but the pregnant widow's care of his four-year-old daughter had Jebediah rethinking his vow to send her packing as soon as her baby was born.

Customer Reviews:

DEFINITELY A FIVE STAR!.......2002-07-29

SECOND CHANCE BRIDE by Carolyn Davidson.
Jedediah Marshall lives in Bender's Hill, Colorado and has advertised for a mail-order bride. At 28 he needs someone to help him on his ranch and is looking for a sturdy, healthy wife.

Louisa Winifred Applegate Palmer stepped off the train, good looking, short legged and pregnant. Jeb gritted his teeth and married her anyway - with the rest of the imported brides with the rest of the grooms.

Louisa had lost her husband seven months ago and she was trying to go forward with her life. Now she had to convince Jeb that she was strong enough to handle his ranch life, his home and his daughter. Someone neglected to tell Lou about Elizabeth. grin.

But then she had kept her own secrets - that she ended up sharing with Elizabeth. Jeb refuses to let Lou have any room but his bedroom and they soon learn to sleep together and then slowly learn how to share their lives. Jeb is even there when little David is born.

Great story - highly recommended - don't miss this one!

REALLY A FOUR PLUS --.......2002-07-29

THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN by Ruth Langan.
Kate McCrea is on the run with her nephew, Danny. They stumble onto a Montana mountain ranch owned by Ethan Storm.

Ethan and his dog? Blue find the two bedded down in his barn in early spring. He offers them shelter and as luck would have it a snow storm keeps them at his ranch while he tends to his herd.

Ethan finds himself looking forward to returning home to find his two visitors awaiting him. Kate's cooking is so much better than his. He takes the time and makes the effort to win the trust of Danny, who seems to expect abuse.

Everything is fine and Kate is settling in along with Danny until Danny's father shows up. Talk about trouble.

Definitely recommended -- great characters in all of these stories.

REALLY GOOD BUT TOO SHORT!.......2002-07-29

FLANNA AND THE LAWMAN
Flanna Kennedy saves Trace Cordell from hanging for a crime he didn't commit. She also points out the real culprit.

Eighteen months ago Trace wanted to marry Flanna but she decided to follow her father instead. Not only does she save Trace but also drags him into her feud with a local rancher.

Trace demands a night with Flanna before moving on, for the protection of his gun, and loses his heart all over again.

Really neat story but much too short. recommended.

$The Protectors--The Beginning: This Side Of Heaven\The Outcast$
Average customer rating:

Disappointed

The Protectors--The Beginning: This Side Of Heaven\The Outcast
Beverly Barton
Manufacturer: HQN Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0373770782

Book Description

Two stories of women in need and the men who stand for them. Come back to the very first "Protectors"!

This Side of Heaven
The Protector: Nate Hodges
Coping with her husband's murder, Cyn Porter comes to idyllic Sweet Haven seeking peace. Instead, she finds herself thrust into the path of a stalker. Nate, a former navy SEAL, is determined to defend her -- but doing so left his heart exposed!

The Outcast
The Protector: Reece Landry
Wounded and on the run, ex-con Reece Landry rescues Elizabeth Mallory from a deadly winter storm. A psychic, Elizabeth knows Reece is innocent and vows to prove it, because her sixth sense tells her that he's the answer to her lonely prayers. Will Elizabeth be the one to heal Reece, body and soul?

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed.......2006-03-28

I had read Ms. Barton's last 3 books and enjoyed them very much. She has mentioned her Protectors series on her web site.

So, I ordered this book with no hesitation. I did have to buy thru an Amazon.com 3rd party. And I'm so glad that I chose the cheapest book available and didn't pay $14 for it.

I tried both stories and could finish neither one! I really, really tried. After struggling with all the angst in the first one, I went on to the 2nd one. It was no better. Total wallbangers for me and into the library donation box it went.

I'm sure some of her fans enjoyed them when they were originally published. And others will love these 2 of the first stories in that series. I'm just not one of them. I didn't like any of the characters. They just didn't take shape in my mind as I read about them. If that doesn't happen, it's a real struggle to finish any book.

Average customer rating:

All This, and Heaven Too
Rachel Field
Manufacturer: MacMillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IZH6HC

If This Is Heaven, I Am Going to Be a Good Boy.: The Tommy Leonard Story

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If This Is Heaven
Leonard Life Lesson
Delightful
The Guru.
Good reading!

If This Is Heaven, I Am Going to Be a Good Boy.: The Tommy Leonard Story
Kathleen Cleary
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0595356982

Book Description

With a bridge in Boston and a bench in Falmouth dedicated to him, Tommy Leonard has been widely recognized for his many acts of charity and his avid promotion of health and fitness. The journey this affable Irishman took on his way to becoming one of Boston's most personable bartenders and the founder of the Falmouth Road Race began the day his father left him at a mission for children of the destitute at age six. Author Kathleen Cleary recounts the struggles, disappointments, heartbreaks, and humor of Tommy's childhood and teen years. She also shares the sometimes painful and comical stories of his young adulthood. Tommy's remarkable life transformed every corner of the world it touched, whether the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, the roads of Fukuoka, Japan, the bayous of Houston, or somewhere between two pubs in Woods Hole and Falmouth on Cape Cod. Tommy Leonard's heartwarming story will teach you that in following your dreams, embracing the positive will make all the difference. A percentage of the sale of this book will be contributed to a retirement trust for Tommy.

Download Description

Author Kathleen Cleary recounts the struggles, disappointments, heartbreaks, and humor of Tommy's childhood and teen years. She also shares the sometimes painful and comical stories of his young adulthood. Tommy's remarkable life transformed every corner of the world it touched, whether the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, the roads of Fukuoka, Japan, the bayous of Houston, or somewhere between two pubs in Woods Hole and Falmouth on Cape Cod.

Tommy Leonard's heartwarming story will teach you that in following your dreams, embracing the positive will make all the difference.

A percentage of the sale of this book will be contributed to a retirement trust for Tommy.

Customer Reviews:

If This Is Heaven.......2006-02-27

Genre: Non Fiction/Biography
Title: If This is Heaven, I Am Going to Be a Good Boy.
The Tommy Leonard Story
AUTHOR: Kathleen Cleary

Tommy Leonard was and still is an outstanding character, well know by many. He began life in a poor family. His parents finally had to send he and his sister to Shurtleff Mission, a home with the sole purpose helping children of destitute families while teaching the gospel. Tommy was determined to leave the mission, but each time he ran away, he was caught, returned and punished. He was finally freed of his mission experience and lived with several different families during his youth. As he grew into his teens and young adulthood, he became known for drinking and partying and having a way with the girls but Tommy was also a runner. He loved to run and after a stint in the Marine Corp, he continued running in marathons, becoming known for his promotion of health and fitness. He founded the Falmouth Road Race.
Kathleen Cleary has captured the personality and warmth of this man. He is truly loved by so many. Even those who have never had the pleasure of making his acquaintance, can sit back and chuckle at many of the events of Tommy's life, or share in the heartfelt love that Tommy has for his fellow man. The reader will also find a selection of pictures dating back to his life in the mission and forward to 2004 where he is seen with Edie Doyle in front of the Boston Red Sox World Series trophy. So many years with so much to tell, and Kathleen Cleary has been able to share these years, giving us a view of an extraordinary man.

Reviewer: Elaine Fuhr, Allbooks Reviews

Leonard Life Lesson.......2005-12-07

I am not an avid runner. Nor have I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Leonard. Readers may not know the people or recognize the local names in this book, but the Kathleen Cleary's message is unmistakably universal: Tommy Leonard touched the lives of many and made his and our world a better place. Read this book and learn how and why he did it. The title alone is worth the price of admission into Leonard's remarkable life.
Mike Considine, Lenox, MA

Delightful .......2005-12-07

This book is a true delight from start to finish. In this day and age where we hear so many stories of people doing bad things, it is so uplifting to read about a man who is such a good person through and through. Kathleen Cleary has captured the spirit of Tommy Leonard for everyone. I highly recommend this book and I promise it will bring tears to your eyes, a smile to your face and probably quite a few belly laughs. Enjoy!

The Guru........2005-12-01

Joe Concannon, Boston Globe sportswriter and chronicler of the Boston Marathon, tabbed Tommy "The Guru" as every runner of note made their way to the Eliot Lounge, from all corners of the planet so that they could counsel with the great one: Thomas Francis Leonard!

Read this book and find out why, or read this book and feel all warm & fuzzy like. The man has had quite a life.

The quotable Tommy:

". . . Tommy Leonard, the running guru at the Eliot Lounge talking in a TV interview about the particular appeal of the Boston Marathon: "It's better than sex."

Tommy got some strange looks from folk's after that one.

A great book to enjoy over the Holidays!

Good reading!.......2005-11-30

This book is very interesting and well-written and is not just for running fans. The life of Tommy Leonard serves as an example of how enthusiasm and a positive attitude can prevail over almost any difficulty life may throw at you. If you want to read an uplifting book, this is the one!

Average customer rating:

Happy memories
Interesting read
Excellent first half; disappointing second
All This And Heaven Too
a new generation of readers will be pleased

All This, and Heaven Too
Rachel Field
Manufacturer: Chicago Review Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1556524919

Book Description

This number-one bestselling novel is based on the true story of one of the most notorious murder cases in French history. The heroine, Henriette Deluzy-Desportes, governess to the children of the Duc de Praslin, found herself strangely drawn to her employer; when the Duc murdered his wife in the most savage fashion, she had to plead her own case before the Chancellor of France in a sensational murder trial that helped bring down the French king. After winning her freedom, Henriette took refuge in America, where she hosted a salon visited by all the socialites of New York and New England. This thrilling historical romance, full of passion, mystery, and intrigue, has laid claim to the hearts and minds of readers for generations. This replaces 044102226X.

Customer Reviews:

Happy memories.......2007-03-21

My father had read this as a young man and has thoroughly enjoyed it second time round. Thankyou.

Interesting read.......2005-01-12

I, too, remember the Bette Davis/Charles Boyer film fondly and was glad to find this novel so many years later. I have to agree with others that the second half of the book lacks the compelling interest of the first; Rachel Field was writing about her own family in the latter, and she would naturally be just as interested in it as she was Henriette's life in Paris. I enjoyed the look at New York in the mid-nineteenth century, but the second half of the book just wasn't as compelling. If it had been, I would have given this one five stars. Still, anyone who enjoys historical fiction laced with a bit of romance (not much romance, and somewhat old-fashioned, but sweet) will find much to appreciate in this book.

Excellent first half; disappointing second.......2004-06-15

This 600 page volume neatly divides exactly in two. The first half covers steps leading up to and away from the Praslin murder in Paris of the late 1840s. The second half follows Henriette as she settles in New York and becomes a happily married woman and the center of a prominent social circle of literati.

The first half is a very good read, although historically one would have liked to know the fate of the children. The second half was only mildly interesting and occasionally became plodding.

The famous Warner Bros. film of 1940 was based solely on the first half of the book, the meat of a classically tragic romance. Happy endings for heroines did not sell as well in those days as unrequited or forbidden love stories. The film earned three Academy Award nominations including one for Best Production.

Field is a good writer, but not an outstanding one. We are given insight into Henriette's character but none into that of any of the others. This is a novel that is half good, half mediocre.

All This And Heaven Too.......2003-02-11

'All This And Heaven Too' is based on the true crime story of Henriette Deluzy-Desportes. An ingenue who found herself abruptly the most despised, infamous woman in France circa 1850. Rachel Field here delineates and colors a classic story that's intense and unforgettable. 'All This And Heaven Too' is the bizarre account of the gruesome murder of the Duchess de Praslin. A bloody crime that shocked the European continent and was instrumental in precipitating the downfall of Louis Phillipe. This somewhat pathetic and delicately nuanced narrative tells of a lonely girl joining the imposing Ducal house of Choisel-Praslin, in Paris. Where Henriette soon wins the love of the affection-starved children. Also the admiration of their father, the dashing Duc de Praslin. All eager for distance and solace from their tyrannical and ruthless Duchess de Praslin. A capricious, doomed Corsican heiress with a smoldering temperament. All too prompt Henriette realizes she's fallen into a gnarled web. Of prohibited love, and desperation, and, ultimately, evil. This powerful and heartfelt drama has all the ingredients of a fairy tale, the appalling Wicked Mother, the Duchess, as antagonist. Vis-a-vis an opulent and exquisite ambiance, wistful mise-en-scenes of tenderness, and forbidden Romance. 'All This And Heaven Too' was made a film by Warner Brothers in 1940 with a screenplay by Casey Robinson, in a memorable cinematic production. 'All This..." is a story so vibrant, so filled with sentiment, that it should be brought back to the screen today. Deluzy-Deportes-Field's (Rachel Field the author, is her great grand niece)later years in America are not as interesting but are still good fodder for reading. How much of this historical account is fictionalized, I don't know. Throughout Henriette's inner life rings real and is always finely depicted. I received the book promptly sometime ago, and was happy to read Rachel Field's haunting novel, which I give 5 stars.

a new generation of readers will be pleased.......2002-04-14

Rachel Field's "All This, and Heaven Too" is a delicately nuanced, richly imagined novel from start to finish. Published in 1938 and re-issued in library binding in 1981, it will entrance readers of this generation who are fortunate enough to encounter the book.

Based on the life of Field's great-aunt, Henriette Field, the story will carry the reader along effortlessly. Field's superb description of the inner life and thoughts of Henriette feels authentic; we come to know her very well. We also become well acquainted with the people surrounding her in the household of the French duke where she serves as governess.

Henriette's fate was inextricably linked with a tragic crime which became as well known in her day as the Simpson case in ours. Her later life, in the United States, brought her an extremely happy marriage and a fulfilling intellectual life. She mingled with many of the influential thinkers and political activists of her day.

Field's depiction of the American days does not come alive quite as much as the first part of the book, Henriette's life as a governess. Despite this unevenness, the novel is a work by a master author who is a match for Daphne Du Maurier any day. Highly recommended, richly satisfying!

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A RIVETING STORY ABOUT A WOMAN WHO ROCKED A NATION...

All This, and Heaven Too
Rachel Field
Manufacturer: The Macmillan Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H10OYE

Customer Reviews:

A RIVETING STORY ABOUT A WOMAN WHO ROCKED A NATION..........2006-12-16

This is a well written fictionalization of the life of Henriette Deluzy-Desportes, who happens to be the author's great aunt by marriage. In her day, Ms. Deluzy-Desportes was the most notorious woman in France. This is her story, the story of a notorious governess who would leave France under a cloud and emerge triumphant in America.

The author recounts a drama and scandal that beset France in the midst of the nineteenth century. It revolved around the household of the Duc and Duchesse de Praslin, the family who had engaged the services of Ms. Deluzy-Desportes as governess to their young children. Once esconced in the household, she quickly realized that there was a problem between the Duc and Duchesse de Praslin. The Duchess, an impetuous and passionate woman of Corsican descent, was slightly unhinged, perhaps by madness and her passion for the Duc, who clearly was no longer interested in her in the way in which she wished.

Ms. Deluzy-Desportes and the Duc developed a close, though platonic, relationship, because of their mutual interest in the Praslin children, an interest which the Duchesse did not seem to share. She perceived their closeness as a threat and her jealousy knew no bounds. The Duc and Ms. Deluzy-Desportes did not, however, always act circumspectly, and the gossips of France had a field day, attributing to them an affair that had no basis, in fact. This gossip added to the already existing tension in the Praslin household, which was a seething cauldron of emotions, until the day would come when Ms. Deluzy-Desportes would be dismissed with a promise of a letter of recommendation from the Duchesse. When the promised letter never came, the Duc was outraged by the perfidy of the Duchesse. Shortly thereafter, the Duchesse met with a tragic end, and the Duc and governess were under suspicion of murder.

What happens to each of them makes for a gripping narrative. The tragic circumstances with which Ms. Deluzy-Deportes met made her one of the most hated women in France. When her life in France became impossible, like many others she sought refuge in the new world. What was to happen to her in America had the makings of a fairytale. Her life would never be the same. This is a beautifully written story about a woman beset by the vicissitudes of life, but who emerged triumphant when all was said and done. It makes for a marvelous and fascinating story that will keep the reader riveted to the pages.

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