5 comments about Period Piece (Reminiscence).

1. Wood-cut artist Gwen Raverat was associated with the Bloomsbury group, and grew up with the Keynes children in nineteenth-century Cambridge. Here, she tells the story of growing up amid the fads and fetishes not only of academic and Victorian England, but of her extremely individual family, children and grandchildren of Charles Darwin. Raverat's wood-cut illustrations are as illuminating and funny as her text.



2. This is a really lovely book, perfect for reading at bedtime or in the garden under the apple tree on a summer's afternoon. Gwen Raverat writes vividly with chapters by theme rather than chronologically and and gives a rounded view of her childhood experiences and the Darwin family of uncles and aunts.



3. An absolute masterpiece of comic writing. Ms. Raverat drawings mesh perfectly with her loving, but not pious, treatment of her eccentric aunts and uncles. A deft ironist, a great memoir of late 19th century Cambridge. I promise you will force this book on everyone you love and they will thank you for it.



4. Darwin fanatics and Jane Austen fans will gobble up this delicious dessert. Written by Darwin's grandaughter (Raverat was George's daughter born too late to know her illustrious grandfather personally)PERIOD PIECE contains both a wealth of Family Stories that helps humanize the usual image of the Great Victorian Sage and some real (although often tongue-in-cheek) insights into Late-Victorian/Edwardian Society. As Raverat says in the Preface, the book doesn't really have a beginning or an end, it is easily dipped-in-to at any point & you will have to be totally lacking in a sense of humor not to come away both charmed & informed.



5. Four or five anecdotes save Gwen Raverat's "Period Piece" from being so sweet it gives you tummy ache. It is no surprise that this charming memoir has remained in print for nearly 60 years. It has the "Upstairs" cachet, relieved by the Whiggery of Raverat's family -- she was the daughter of Charles Darwin -- which fits comfortably with both American and English tastes now.
   
   Raverat was born in 1885 and her childhood ended about the same time the Boer War did, so there are plenty of horses, tea parties, country house theatricals and such to appeal to the romantics. Socially, the Darwins were middle class except for the snobbery and religion. Gwen's mother excepted, who was the type of ignorant American puritan who made H.L. Mencken's fortune.
   
   Thus, the aunts went in for prudishness (especially in front of the servants) and silly dress codes, which Raverat can play against, giving the important sense of superiority that appeals to secret snobs.
   
   In his memoirs of English society, a generation later, Peter Medawar alleged that Americans were wrong to imagine that P.G. Wodehouse country life really existed. But it did. There are no Georgian silver cow creamers in "Period Piece," but Raverat's aunts were every bit as dotty as Bertie Wooster's.
   
   For me the most memorable episode, because like the book as a whole it captures the confusion of childhood so well, was Raverat's understanding of J.M.W. Turner's "The Fighting Temeraire." She and her cousins thought the little black tugboat was the Temeraire.
   
   Raverat led a sheltered childhood and young ladyhood, but on occasion the grim features of the Victorian/Wilhelminian era intruded. It is these -- brutality to a peasant servant in Hamburg, animal torture in Cambridge, the lower depths of drunkenness in the alleys around the Slade School -- that raise "Period Piece" from idle gossip to seriousness.
   
   The book is illustrated with Raverat's line drawings, very much in the style of the slighter travel books of her time. They are not charming.
   
   .

1 comments about West Sullivan Days.

1. For anyone who grew up in a small town, this book is wonderfully nostalgic. It is absolutely pure downeast flavor. Beautifully believable characters and wonderfully depicted Maine coastal scenes. This is a charming read!

5 comments about A Blessing over Ashes : The Remarkable Odyssey of My Unlikely Brother.

1. This book gives vivd description of Vietnam War also it has very exciting and intersecting scence which make you whant to keep reading more tmo find out what well happen next.



2. Biographies written by journalists often offer rare treats. This one is no exception. Adam Fifield takes the extraordinary circumstances that brought a young Cambodian boy into his family and tells us how they became true brothers. This book will open your heart and your mind and stay with you for a long, wonderful time.



3. I particularly recommend "A Blessing Over Ashes" for anyone interesed in 20th Century Southeast Asian history, as it puts a painfully personal face on the wars in Cambodia. But even for those who know little about this era, I would recommend it as a compelling story of one person's experiences as a member of two very different families. It is a story of personal identity, and it is a story of our common humanity. Are we defined by race? Blood? Experience? Where, in the end, does Soeuth belong? How can he reconcile his divergent experiences as a Cambodian and as an American? Much of this book is tough going. Soeuth and Adam's visits to the ghostly "re-education centers" are almost unbearably sad, and reminded me of some of the observations Philip Gourevitch makes of Rwanda in his work on another place, another genocide, another year, "We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families." "A Blessing Over Ashes," is as honest a book as I have ever read.



4. There are dozens upon dozens of books on the killing fields of Cambodia out there...this one is different, because it tells the story of Adam and his Cambodian foster brother, Seouth. I was drawn to this perspective and enjoyed Adam's writing style very much. His descriptions and use of language are effective at getting emotions across without being sentimental and sloppy. At the end of the book, Adam and Seouth travel to Cambodia, and Adam made me feel as though I was there with them, riding a motobike down a dusty road, taking in the sights and sounds of an unfamiliar culture. Many books do not emphasize how poor the people of Cambodia are in a tangible way...Adam does this beautifully. If you are interested in how historical events affect individuals or have brothers or sisters, this book could change how you look at the world and reaffirm your relationships with others. (P.S...you might cry and laugh! I did).



5. This book is truly remarkable! A wonderful, touching read and incredible insight into the life of this young man. Waiting patiently for Mr. Fifield's next book.

2 comments about Yo, Alejandro [English].

1. Amazing Alejandro, aboslutely amazing. Fantastic even. I always knew you would write a book ever since I first met you. I found your book a fabulous reading and enjoyed it very much. Good job Alejandro! See ya surfin' this summer...till then, Adios!



2. Excelente, todos los inmigrantes deberian de leer tu libro, sobre todo cuando dudamos de nuestra venida al extranjero. Lei tu libro en unas horas, me senti muy identificada. Ademas, quede muy bien imprecionada con tu fuerte maestria de la narrativa y del el idioma Ingles. Como bibliotecaria, viviendo en una de las ciudades mas cosmopolitas del Canada estare recomendando tu libro a todos los chicos de tu edad. Todos en mi trabajo lo han leido (personas de diferentes nacionalidades) y lo han encontrado fantastico. Sigue escribiendo vas muy bien.
   Awesome!, this is an inspiring book for an immigrant and a librarian like myself. It's a remarkable work for such a young writer. In a multicultural North American society, every child should read this book. Keep writing Alejandro!
   Thank you
   Veronica

No comments about The Street Games of 153rd St., Flushing, Queens, NY.

No comments about Daring Destiny.

No comments about Naked Ears: A Child's-Eye View of the Great Depression.

2 comments about When We Were Young in the West: True Histories of Childhood.

1. Written by Richard Melzer (Professor of History, University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus), When We Were Young In The West: True Stories Of Childhood draws upon memoirs, oral histories, diaries, autobiographies and more to uniquely present the roles that children played in taming the great frontier. From growing up among military folk, to working on a ranch or in the mines, to school life over a century ago, as well as the toll that wars took on young folks, When We Were Young In The West is a unique and fascinating "true-to-life" window of observation into American history -- and a very highly commended addition to personal, school, and community library American History collections.



2. It is amazing what children had to endure and were happy just the same. Interesting to think that this is how my ancestors probably lived.

1 comments about Carefree on a Tether.

1. Helen Taber's account of her joyous childhood in Western Oregon is told in such a descriptive way that the reader is there in the story, living it along with Helen. It is hard to imagine more hard-working, nurturing, ingenious parents. Despite the rigor of life during the 1920s and 30s (perhaps due to it in part), they helped their children develop self-reliance and an unyielding curiosity about the world around them. I looked forward to my nightly reads and hated to reach the end of the tale.

1 comments about The Road Runner: An American Odyssey.

1. John Stover describes himself as a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. This self-published volume is littered with typos, but this does not overwhelmingly detract from its being a good read that will no doubt be useful in helping some people to change their lives. It is written in an in-your-face confessional style, which, of course, is appealing to many these days.
   
   In it he attempts to make amends for past wrongdoings, and he "tells it like it is" when it comes to "wrongs" that he has committed and that he believes have been committed against him - including living family members. He sometimes diagnoses the "roots" of the problems of others who have scorned him, although he has no formal training in psychology.
   
   An odd feature of the book is that while he makes it clear that he is "promoting" the AA, NA, etc. lifestyle, those organizations themselves are founded upon anonymity. (Saint Bill W. himself was tempted to self-promote, so who can "blame" John Stover for succumbing to the temptation?) Perhaps odder still is that although this book is autobiographical, Stover alters his last name within its pages. (What's the point of that?)
   
   ROAD RUNNER could be instrumental in turning around the lives of troubled individuals with an emotional maturity level below the age of 24, and so should not be dismissed out of hand despite its being in need of professional editing. You don't have to be an addict (active or recovering) to enjoy Stover's flowing, and by turns acerbic and romantic prose style. It certainly appears to have been written from the heart by a recovering addict.