5 comments about Saffron Sky: A Life Between Iran and America.

1. I read this book in one weekend and found it difficult to put down. The author's wonderful use of description and reflection made me feel as if I were on a journey with her, traveling back and forth between America and Iran. It seems to me that the sense of disconnection the author describes can resonate on many different levels, even for those of us born and raised in the States.



2. To See and See Again: A Life in Iran and America
   Persian Girls: A Memoir
   Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America
   Saffron Sky: A Life Between Iran and America
   
   The books came in great condition. Funny in Farsi is the most hilarious book I've read in a while and really portrays the experience of growing up Iranian in America. I am now reading Saffron Sky and have not read the others yet.



3. This book is presented as a collection of reminiscences from girlhood and womanhood between Iran and America. Gelareh Asayesh shares the inward labors of carrying two great yet incompatible cultures in her soul. Every vignette is a gem to admire at length, to laugh, cry or sigh over before even moving on to the next page.
   
   I picked up this book after enduring a heartwrenching goodbye with a compassionate Iranian woman of this same generation who felt that we could never last as a couple with our different cultural backgrounds. As an American, I truly believe that it's impossible for me to understand Iran. This book won't change that; it won't change you into somebody who knows and will even reiterate the futility of trying. But you will be left with a very emotional and meaningful sense of a world you CANNOT know.



4. This is an absorbing account of the author's divided identity as a Muslim woman who grew up in Iran in the 1960s-1970s and then remained in the U.S. where she was a university student at the time of the revolution. Now married to an American and working as a journalist, she is torn by her desire to return to the beloved Iran of her youth, its 3,000-year-old culture, and the large, loving family who still live there.
   
   The strictures imposed on women in the Islamic Republic (the rigidly puritanical dress codes, the denial of social equality for women) are only a part of the difficulties she faces as she begins a series of return visits to Iran in 1990. The dominance of the West in the material values of educated and upper middle class Iranians has been replaced by the tyranny of the fundamentalist and hard-line religious leaders who dictate social policy. The dominance of the West in controlling Iran's oil-rich economy through the CIA-installed monarchy has been replaced by the social and economic upheaval brought on by years of war with Iraq and isolation in the world community.
   
   With all this in the background, Asayesh articulates the human toll resulting from the revolution by describing its impact on the lives of the members of her family. She reveals this most vividly by contrasting her idyllic childhood against the realities of the present. Everywhere there is division, right down to her own efforts to recover a personal identity. Her sense of self is continually frustrated by the lack of continuity between the memories of her life as a girl and her current life in the West. Asayesh has a journalist's eye for detail that takes the reader beneath the surface of her subject and any easy generalizations about the Islamic Republic. It's an excellent book to read after Nafisi's "Reading Lolita in Tehran."



5. Wonderful read. I couldn't put it down. I am marrying and Iranian born man after 10 years of dating (persians like to take their time, lol). I finally have confirmation into his world and family from long ago. He grew up in Mashed, felt the bombs rock Tehran and took vacations to the Caspian. When I read passages of the book to him, HE HAD TEARS IN HIS EYES AND A SMILE FROM EAR TO EAR!!! SO many of his stories of childhood were brought to light in such a descriptive and truthful manner by the author. Saffron Sky gives a brief yet complete history of Iran, family stories that anyone can relate to regardless of origin and a way to bridge the gap between East and West.
   WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 comments about Bad Girl: Confessions of a Teenage Delinquent.

1. this is an inlightening book about a young girls struggles with addiction. abigail vona is a typical teenage girl that happens to make mistakes that land her in a level 3 lockdown facility. this is a great book for young girls struggling in there own lives, a way to see how bad someones life can truely be. this book brings you into a world most people will never have to expiriance. everything from restraintment to finding whats really important.



2. A must read book! I sat down and read it cover to cover.
   Not to be missed!



3. Just because Vona dabbled in drugs or other "bad" things as a teen, she's labeled a "bad girl." I can relate to much in the story because the writing is so raw and real I am ripped open as a reader with the writer's brutally honest words.
   
   Like the books CONFESSIONS OF A CATHOLIC SCHOOLGIRL and PROZAC NATION this is a must read for any teen or young woman that struggles to find herself in a mixed up world.



4. Not a memoir of delinquency but a chronicle of Vona's incarceration in a juvenile "boot camp." Atrociously written by someone who comes across as a spoiled rich girl with a fondness for stereotypes, and whose "delinquency" seems to have involved nothing more heinous than dating a drug dealer and indulging in a brief "runaway" period to a vacation cabin with friends. Not recommended. (For a more compelling story written by a more sympathetic narrator in less painful prose, see Daphne Scholinski's The Last Time I Wore a Dress.)



5. My Daughter did 13 Months at Peninsula Village and it was her saviour as well. This is one of th emost respected centers in the world. At a cost of $9600 per month it had better be. We are pleased with the staff and Peninsula Village and they gave us our child back after 13 months a totally better person. The person who wrote this book trumped it up to sell books bottom line. Their is a lot of non truth items in this book.

1 comments about Growing Up Yooper: Childhood Memories of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

1. I grew up at the same time and about 50 miles from the author's setting for this book and could identify with many of her experiences. I especially could relate to her school experiences and enjoyed having those memories evoked to be re-enjoyed. I think Carol Brisson Zechlin would have enjoyed taking the fictional bus trip my characters took in The Dream Catcher Tour as they were drawn from people I knew and loved while growing up in the Upper Peninsula.
   
   Books such as "Growing Up Yooper" are a valuable contribution to the rich cultural history of this special place in the North country.

5 comments about Charred Souls: A Story of Recreational Child Abuse.

1. Wow! While the author's honesty and pure heart-wrenching feelings were wonderfully portrayed, the book could have been shortened by 150 pages. Hearing the same information 2 or 3 times in the same paragraph was irritating to the point of putting the book down many times. It took me over a week to read 'cause I just couldn't deal with the inconsistencies of the "flashbacks" and the constant repetitiveness.



2. This story really moved me. It's told in an honest way, which means the language is graphic at times, but we are dealing with child abuse and child abuse is ugly. The form of child abuse Charred Souls focuses on is recreational child abuse which is basically when a parent abuses a child for fun and entertainment. The fact that Trena survived is amazing and that she survived to become a well balanced adult woman is a tribute to her dynamic spirit. I wish her sibling had been so fortunate. If you were moved by "A child called It" this story will likely move you as well, caution, the language is just as Trena remembers it..but I personally feel it is needed so we can really know what it was like to be a charred soul.



3. This is a good book if you are studying child abuse, or familiar with it. I was looking into going back to school for social work and this book is really good at making you aware of what can happen out there to children. Trena tells a good story. Whoever edited it though, didn't do a good job. It can be repetivie , but that didn't bother me as much as the misspelled words (there were only a few)
   The author did a good job at telling the story and if you can overlook some of the spelling errors you've got yourself a pretty darn good book!!



4. Ms. Cole's book was recommended to me by Amazon after a search. I found it to be well worth ordering it and worth the read from the moment I started reading. Ms. Cole has taken a terribly horrid childhood and risen above it in order to write a book that could teach all how to see signs of child or recreational abuse of a child(ren). It is very useful for all who deal with, are relative too a child. This book tore at my soul reading, it hurt to read but I could not put it down. I am blessed to have come acrossed it and have recommended it to others as a nurse, a mother and friend.
   Ms. Cole knows of what she speaks and where she came from to be able to look upon her past and learn from it. Cold hearted is the soul that can look at this book and not wish they were on hand to steal this poor children away and give them a better more loving life. Or imagine that they know better what this life was like and what name to call it by. If the name, Recreational Child Abuse fits and helps Ms. Cole and others on their way therapeutically(sp?)all the better. I cannot imagine a person reading word for word in this book and not seeing into the horrors of these young lives.
   These things (any sort of abuse, but the worst being to a child)happen and happen far too often. People do over look warning signs until it is too late. This has happened in our society time and time again. Ms. Cole's book is a fine aid in learning more about abuse. I believe that it has more than likely saved a child somewhere in that someone had knowledge gained from this book.
   I look forward to the next book by Ms. Cole and I am sure I will be recommending to others as well.



5. I guess I should say "What kids!" because there were seven all together and all were impressive in some way. I had to buy Charred Souls for a class and I can't wait for school to start so I can discuss it with my professor and fellow students. This is an incredible story about constant emotional and verbal abuse of children. I was impressed with the raw emotion Trena Cole emitted with her writing and I was actually impressed with her style. Yes there are grammatical errors but I think this story is important enough to forgive those. I give her enormous credit for sharing her emotions and feelings through her book. It wasn't an easy read but it couldn't have been an easy write either.

5 comments about Lenten Lands: My Childhood with Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis.

1. This book adds to any C.S. Lewis collection. Anyone trying to undertsand better Lewis' life and works will gain some value from this book, but in addition, the book adds value to understanding Joy Davidman, herself a remarkable person and Doug himself. One reviewer is somemwhat upset about the book because the author writes mostly about himself, yes, it is subtitled "My Childhood...".
   
   Doug Gresham is remarkably candid about himself (he directs most criticism at himself, well and the Millers). He is also very forgiving towards his father, which I found instructive for all of us. His insights into Lewis' chairity (both in time and money) and Christian heart are an addition to what a Lewis admirer might already know, but it helps add to the Lewis icon. I do wish he had a wrote more on his brother, but it may be he is keeping in with his brother's wishes (it is well known that David has avoided the Lewis/Davidman limelight).
   
   This is a good book, at a great price, and it is a quick, nicely paced read.



2. Gresham's Lenten Lands provides a private picture into live with C. S. Lewis.
   I envy Douglas for having the privilege of living with Lewis as together they traveled the "Lenten Lands!"
   I'm impressed with the amount of time that passed before Douglas finally internalized the both the Truth and the truths taught and role modeled by his step-father.
   But isn't that true of so many of us today, searching for Truth, but always testing that it's real!



3. If, as one reviewer states, you are an ardent fan of C.S. Lewis, you will want to read this book. The opposite is true, too. If you are not particularly interested in C. S. Lewis, this is a forgettable book, not very interesting. I am not particularly interested in C.S. Lewis, I'm not going to see "Narnia," I never read the Narnia books as a kid. I wanted to read this because I saw "Shadowlands" and wanted to know what happened to the little boy after his mother died.
   
   What stands out the most is Gresham's writing style: rather like that of the people who send anecdotes to Reader's Digest. It's clear enough, rather rambling, rather predictable imagery, lots of repetition. Not very interesting. I didn't even finish reading it.
   
   So, my recommendation, if you're not a fan of C. S. Lewis, is to skip this book, and watch "Shadlowlands" when it comes on television again - it is beautiful and stands on its own.



4. This is one of those books I think any authentic admirer of C.S.Lewis should read because Douglas H. Gresham writes so empathetically as well as objectively of his Mother Joy and his step father 'Jack' Lewis. Seeing these two people thru his eyes from childhood to young adulthood is fascinating. Be it the feel of his Mothers embrace that made him feel safe, to how mature his view was of his father who had problems with alcohol. Where some people would have been harsh or mean in how they saw such a parent Douglas was able to see beyond the issue of alcohol to something deeper.
   
   Reading of his first impressions of C. S. Lewis and his brother Warnie again shows reality vs visions one has in their heads of things and people not yet seen. From the cigarette stained teeth to the evening visits to the local pub, Douglas bring a sense of humanness to the great author. And his descriptions of the places he/they lived are so real one feels as if they are a fly on the wall.
   
   The thing that makes me appreciate Douglas so much is how the lessons he saw and was taught have taken root in his life . He now lives in Ireland and is active in walk the community helping women with unwanted pregnancies.
   
   So the nasty comment by reviewer Kona (Emerald City) 'The problem with this book is that Douglas Gresham did nothing in his own life to warrant an autobiography' makes me wonder just how much of the book did they actually read, since having taken the priceless lessons that the great C.S.Lewis wrote and taught and putting them to day to day use, makes Douglas well worthy of being an author. The title is after all 'Lenten Lands: My Childhood with Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis'.



5. In the preface Greshman makes it clear that the book is his story about his life. No doubt the publisher thought it necessary to throw "My Childhood with Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis" on the cover because this is the reason why we care about Douglas Greshman.
   
   Most of the book is about his early life and there is much on his mother Joy and Lewis. I found the parts that had nothing to do with Joy and Lewis to be enjoyable too. Gresham is a very good writer and you get a feel for what it was like to grow up in England in the 1950's.
   
   Only the last few chapters deal with his life after the death of Lewis. But in some ways, this is an important part of the Lewis story. Why you ask? Because we see how little Gresham, Lewis' stepson, benefited from being his stepson. Greshman was dirt poor and barely getting by. What happened to Lewis' money? Why were Lewis' two stepsons not in his will?
   
   Whatever one thinks about the book overall, it is an essential piece of C.S. Lewis history. Greshman saw Lewis up close and personal. He gives insights that few others can. Even if he did not live with Lewis all the time (he was at boarding school), he still lived with Lewis some of the time, and this is more than most. His memories are invaluable.

5 comments about Orphan: A True Story of Abandonment, Abuse, and Redemption.

1. I must have said "Oh my Goodness" or it's equivalent at least 10 times throughout this book. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down and read it straight through without stopping for any reason. It took me one hour. This is a horrifying book. It appalles me that anything like what happened to this boy could happen to anyone, let alone tons of kids in orphanages. I'm glad things are a little better now a days but we still have more work to do. This book is NOT for children and only select teens who are ready for something as horrifying and sickening as this story.
   
   I commend Roger for living through what he did, I probably would have just given up.



2. Orphan is a testament to good triumphing over evil and how one boy grew up to be adopted by the world. Author Roger Dean Kiser is a 54 year old, happily married father and grandfather who now calls Brunswick, Georgia home, but he once was a beautiful child longing for love and attention, a hug or a pat on the back; a prayer or a kiss goodnight. Things too many of us take for granted.

   Little Roger also had beautiful eyes and wonderfully original ears that made him truly unique. Unfortunately he didn't know that and no one ever told him when he needed to hear it the most. What he did hear and on a daily basis was that he was unwanted, unloved, crazy and wouldn't amount to anything. That's pretty much what every child raised in the orphanage in Jacksonville Florida was told. But because of Roger's wilful spirit, uncommon wit and boundless curiosity, his guardians punished him with particularly cruel and unusual punishments. In a nutshell, they tortured him.

   From beatings for trying to free butterflies to being forced to eat a personal letter that Kiser found that was hidden from him under the head matron's bed, there was no rhyme or reason to the punishments. Yet, within Roger's small frame of reference, this behavior seemed normal. And instead of spouting 'poor me', the young boy kept searching for, if not love, small doses of recognition, kindness and compassion.

   Like so many children lost in the system, Roger had to find his own way to freedom. Although Orphan promises us he eventually does (no doubt, there will be a follow-up memoir) Kiser mostly deals with his years at the orphanage and ends with his experiences in Juvenile Hall at the age of 13.

   I'm a tough cookie, but tears definitely dotted the pages of my copy of this memoir. I also heard myself laugh. Kiser has a way with words and knows how to spin his tales for maximum effect. Besides the obvious joy at his surviving such a brutal childhood, I suggest Kiser's gift is short story telling. The book is actually made up of short stories in chapter form. Because they are chronologically laid out, the result is a success.

   Orphan was a roller coaster ride with all the expected hills and bumps you would expect, but a few less bumps would have made for a more satisfying story. Human nature, I guess. We want, no, we need to know people we care about are all right. And care about Roger you will. Reading Orphan, I wished that I could have entered Roger's little world, hug him, and tell him he was beautiful and that God loved him even when everyone around him didn't! The most satisfying part of reading Orphan is the knowledge that in writing his memoir, Roger Dean Kiser, Sr., has been rewarded ten-fold, with large doses of recognition, kindness and compassion. He deserves it




3. I had read some of Roger Dean Kiser's work on Heartwarmer's. Reading about his entire childhood in this book filled me with such a deep sadness. I can't imagine enduring the kind of physical and emotional torment that he grew up with. Roger is such a fine example of the triumph of the human spirit. It amazes me that after surviving his childhood that he could become a loving husband, father and grandfather. He's not filled with hate, rather he's determined to wake us up to prevent more children from suffering the same abuse. We can all learn a very important lesson from his life.



4. I have read many non-fiction books in the course of my life. This is the only book that has actually made me cry, and I am not exactly sure why. I am not talking about the crying of normal tears. I am speaking of the type of tears that (slowly) glass over the eye until a tear falls out onto the page. You stop for a just a moment and realize that your hand is now covering your mouth, and a almost whimpering sound is now coming from deep in your throat. If there was ever a book written that makes the reader feel that they are the child that is actually being abused; This is the one!



5. In the style of A Child Called It (the bestseller by Dave Peltzer), Orphan is told from the viewpoint of a child who endured nearly unspeakable horrors in a Florida orphanage and somehow emerged, spirit intact, to not only survive but tell his story with unflinchable honesty. The book is divided into three sections: Before, During and After,with the majority of the book (the During section) devoted to memories of the orphanage. With no one to love him and with repeated beatings, abuse and pain to love forward to, I find it miraculous that the author, Roger Dean Kiser, Sr, actually managed to make a life for himself after enduring the indignities of orphanage life. His memoir reveals in vivid detail how orphans were seen as societal rejects and throwaways and treated as objects, not people. While he was often beaten severely till he passed out, Kiser emphasizes that "it is not the physical pain that endangers orphans the most. It is the mental pain caused by stress from years and years of being neglected, pushed aside, disregarded, unloved and made to feel undeserving..." While I'd recommend this book as an eye-opening, even inspiring, read, I do wish there had been more detail in the After section of this book, the part that dealt with Kiser's life after he left the orphanage. This section seems rushed and abbreviated and there is little explanation of the life he made for himself as an adult - or how he got the courage to rise above his painful past to do so. He notes in the book's introduction that he has a wife, son and daughter-in-law and yet he doesn't note how he met his wife, how she felt about his past and if it affected his present life. After learning so much about his early life in the orphanage, I was left with plenty of unanswered questions like: How does a person who suffers so many blows to his self-esteen find the confidence to make a new life? Did he/does he suffer from painful flashbacks or memories today? Would he describe himself as happy or at peace now?

5 comments about Magical Mystery Tours: My Life with the Beatles.

1. Tony Bramwell has given us a lucid insider's view into the Beatles' tight circle. Some of this is hilarious stuff and it is actually refreshing to read Bramwell's shots at the now-ultra-untouchable-PC John'n'Yoko myth.
   He is almost contemptous of Lennon and disdainful of Yoko and her machinations. Lennon comes across as a drug-addled loser with his best years behind him-Yoko is an evil Queen of the Castle,an almost Satanic figure bent on destroying the Beatles and what's left of Lennon's ego.
   Actually,"disdainful" is putting it mildly. I am surprised Bramwell has survived the curses Yoko must've hurled at him while she was mixing her potions and gazing into her crystal ball.
   If the reader wants a refreshing tome that punctures the Beatle myth and the lenono myth-this book is it.
   It's among the best Beatle books.



2. This is not so much an analysis of the Beatles' unbelievable career or their music as it is a rather breezy, first-person account of the segment of their lives that Tony Bramwell shared. He knew John, Paul and George growing up in Liverpool (he didn't meet Ringo until they were both adults), and he gives us many insights about the three founding Beatles and of how they grew into rock's greatest band. Bramwell also worked for the Beatles all during the years of their greatest popularity.
   True, many of the details have been published earlier, elsewhere. But Bramwell gives them a new, "I was there" interpretation and what might be termed a specifically "Liverpudlian" perspective.
   I have noted in an earlier review of another book about the Beatles that the author of that one seemed to have a pro-John, anti-Paul bias. In all fairness, I would have to say that while Bramwell appears to have liked all the Beatles personally, Paul seems to have been the best friend to him, the one he considered "most normal," so to speak. But nevertheless, the picture he gives of the four is honest and candid, while still maintaining the fondness he held for all four of these extraordinary men.
   Warning: If you were favorably impressed by John's and Yoko Ono's various "pro-peace" stunts and other somewhat bizarre activities in the late 1960s and early 1970s, don't expect Bramwell to share your enthusiasm in this book. He makes it clear that he held Ono in low regard, and thought John's fascination with and marriage to her a mistake.
   The final few chapters of the book do not make as interesting a read as the earlier ones, as Bramwell goes somewhat off topic to relate anecdotes about how he met, got drunk with, etc., seemingly every well-known but flakey celebrity in Hollywood. It detracts a little from the book -- but only a little.
   If you're a Beatles fan -- or if you're a young person who has heard of them but would like to learn a lot more -- you'll find this book well worth your time.



3. This book is required reading for any Beatles enthusiast; however, although Bramwell seemingly has the credentials--knowing Paul and George since childhood--to write such a book, including blow-by-blow dialogue with the lads no less, I found it curious that Bramwell is only mentioned once in the index of McCartney's 654 page (auto)biographical tome, MANY YEARS FROM NOW. Seems Bramwell didn't loom too large as far as McCartney was concerned. What gives, Tony?



4. The first half of this book is very interesting, even to someone who has read nearly everything on the band and knows the story backwards and forward as myself. Bramwell apparently had a very successful carrer as a flak for various record companies post Beatles, largely due to that experience and the contacts made therin. He places himself closer to the center of a lot of well known Beatle events than I suspect he actually was. It seems he was basically a go-fer for the band and Brian Epstein in particular, at least until the film and promotion work he did in the middle to latter period of their group carrer.
   Where the book starts going off the rails a bit is in the repetitious accounts of the party scene. This pub and that club and drink, drink, drink. Also, the book could have used another edit to streamline the narrative a bit. The time line is all over the place and some events are foreshadowed or looked back on in a very confusing manner. So much so that even being prior well versed in the story in general I had to stop and think through from where in the time line a story or event was being related. This is definately not the book for a Beatles "newbie".
   My main complaint though is the fast and loose way some of the basic facts are related. Maybe it's a case of "forest for the trees" and being too close. But the book was written with a co-author, and a fact check would have revealed several mistakes in atributing cause and effect to certain events. The best example I can think of now is a passage where the author relates that many of the Beatle songs and albums had working titles which were later changed. True enough, 'Yesterday' had 'Scrambled Eggs', 'Abbey Road' started as 'Everest' however he states that the Rubber Soul album began as Abracadabra, but after John's "Jesus" comments it was decided to stay away from anything too magical sounding. OK Beatle people, what's wrong with that. A lot of you knew right away I'm sure. Rubber Soul came out in late '65, the Jesus flap didn't happen until summer '66. At first I thought that he actually meant that 'Revolver' was to be called Abracadabra, but even that would not make sense because 'Revolver' was completed in time for summer release before the American tour right at the time of the publication in America of John's months old and forgotten interview with Maureen Cleeve. I was dumbfounded that such an error could pass through in a major biography. Oh well, it might seem nitpicking but that sentence stood out like Yoko Ono at a square dance.
   There are good points. The author tells interesting stories of the early days and sheds new first-hand light on some of the touchstone events in the development of the band, such as the fabled Litherland town hall show in '60 and the atmosphere and circumstances of touring Britain right through to their massive success starting in mid '63. Apparently even as late as early '63 the girls didn't scream much but crowded the front and swooned. In addition, if you've always clamored for a list of Tony Bramwell's bed partners especially those of the semi-famous persuasion look no further. Also, if you believe Yoko is the devil and Linda an angel you will really enjoy the middle third of this book.



5. Essentially this was a great book until I reached the latter part. The first 3/4ths were highly entertaining and kept me hooked. Bramwell relates stories that I personally had never heard before; stories that could only be told by someone who knew the members of the Beatles so intimately. Despite this I felt that Ringo and George could have been mentioned a bit more throughout. Additionally I thought that the last quarter of the book dragged a bit more than the beginning. Personally I had no problem with Bramwell's perceptions of Yoko. It was based on his experiences and how he interpreted the events that occurred. Can't quite fault the man for that.
   
   I think that almost every Beatles fan should read Magical Mystery Tours. It's really quite the read.

No comments about Solitaire.

5 comments about Counting My Chickens . . .: And Other Home Thoughts.

1. The Dorothy Sayers mystery novel fans out there will understand me-- the Duchess of Devonshire reminded me so much of Lord Peter Wimsey's mother, it was amazing. :) She is charming and utterly unconcerned about political correctness. This is a oollection of stories and thoughts from a woman raised in an earlier time. Lots of gems, well worth reading.



2. The Duchess has that touch of Mitford wit that can also be seen in Nancy & Jessica's writings. Filled with pithy observations about aspects of life in Britain and history, I was laughing out loud at her recountments of ancestral adventures (brothers sharing one hotel room with a dead body, everyone crying at the birth of another girl) and encounters with the general public ("Saw the duchess in the garden, she looked quite normal."; "That's the Dowager Duchess. It was taken the year she died.")



3. The Duchess of Devonshire is of course the youngest of the 6 Brilliant Mitford sisters born early in the twentieth century, and she is the only surviving one now. This book is really two things, a collection of her various writings and collection of her memories both of friends and of family.
   
   I got this at the same time as I bought her Chatsworth Cookbook, and I have to say I think the other was a better buy - maybe in food I find more relevance, but the anecdotes relating to food and people seemed more real and interesting. I don't think the Duchess is a naturally good writer. When talking about herself I found I was interested - she revealed things like her favourte books (including Beattrix Potters Ginger and Pickles) to her love of chickens and hwo they are looked after. I found the anecdotes about her friends and family less easy to read. It wasn't like she was name dropping - these people really were her friends and family - but I found the writing felt more stilted, more formal and less easy to read. Her various writings for papers have been reprinted in collection here and are of interest for their subject rather than for their eloquence.
   
   There have been better memoirs of the Mitford family, and better writing, but I have never seen a memoir of the latest Ducehss of Devonshire and given her acheivements and interests I think one is long overdue.
   
   Personally while this was 'nice' I would be more inclined to purchase the Chatsworth cookbook which has lots of nice stories in it and seems to flow better - but if you are a hardened Mitrodite then don't walk past this, it is enlightening and I really would like to know more about this youngest mitford's life.



4. Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, shows to the world the emotional warmth and range of interests which have endeared her to her family and friends for over eighty years. Extolled by James Lees-Milne throughout his life, Debo, the people at Hatchards tell me, is their favorite author when it comes to book-signings. When I bought a copy of this book there the clerk remarked "Ah, the Duchess, bless her." And so she has been, and is, by all.



5. Counting My Chickens is a collection of newspaper and magazine columns by Deborah Freeman-Mitford Cavendish, the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire. "Debo" is the youngest and only surviving Mitford Girl, the fabulous daughters of Lord and Lady Redesdale who scandalized and delighted the British and the world from the 1930s onward.
   
   Although this is a very short book cut into many small, fairly unconnected segments, there is nevertheless much that charms. The celebrated Mitford wit,most clearly displayed by Debo's sisters Nancy and Jessica, is in evidence, particularly in the sections that deal with Debo's childhood and early adult years (she once traveled by train from Scotland with a goat, milking it in first class waiting rooms on the way.)
   
   Also in evidence is the extraordinariness of Debo's life as wife of a Duke and as chatelaine of one of England's great mansions, Chatsworth House. She casually drops names like Harold Macmillan and John Kennedy (both of whom were indirectly related to her husband) and at the same time records some of the merriments and aggravations that come with having your home on display to tourists several months each year. Occasionally Debo will drop a barbed comment or two on the silliness of some politicians and visitors, but for the most part she is soft spoken and accomodating.
   
   Few Duchesses have written or revealed much about their lives, so its nice that one has done so now, at a time when the House of Lords is being democratized and the aristocracy must seem more anachronistic than ever.

No comments about The Boyhood Memoirs of A. E. Hotchner: King of the Hill and Looking for Miracles.