A mother's tragedy, a daughter's desire and the 7000 mile journey that changed their lives. In 1896 Norwegian American Helga Estby accepted a wager from the fashion industry to walk from Spokane, Washington to New York City within seven months in an effort to earn $10,000. Bringing along her nineteen year-old daughter Clara, the two made their way on the 3500-mile trek by following the railroad tracks and motivated by the money they needed to save the family farm. After returning home to the Estby farm more than a year later, Clara chose to walk on alone by leaving the family and changing her name. Her decisions initiated a more than 20-year separation from the only life she had known.Historical fiction writer Jane Kirkpatrick picks up where the fact of the Estbys' walk leaves off to explore Clara's continued journey. What motivated Clara to take such a risk in an era when many women struggled with the issues of rights and independence? And what personal... Views: 37
This anthology is a thorough introduction to classic literature for those who have not yet experienced these literary masterworks. For those who have known and loved these works in the past, this is an invitation to reunite with old friends in a fresh new format. From Shakespeare s finesse to Oscar Wilde s wit, this unique collection brings together works as diverse and influential as The Pilgrim s Progress and Othello. As an anthology that invites readers to immerse themselves in the masterpieces of the literary giants, it is must-have addition to any library.From Publishers WeeklySet in an apocalyptic future ending in the year 2100, Shelley's 1826 novel concerns a plague that destroys almost all of humankind. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalThanks to yet another film incarnation, 1818's Frankenstein is again a hot property and may even make the best sellers lists. These two editions mark both ends of the publishing spectrum, with Signet offering the inexpensive movie tie-in version complete with photos from the film and an afterword by Howard Bloom. The California version is the Pennroyal edition, featuring gorgeous illustrations by Barry Moser and an afterword by Joyce Carol Oates. Published in 1826 after the death of her husband and three children, The Last Man is Shelley's dark look at an apocalyptic future.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 37
A collection of bestselling, NBCC prize-winning author Jonathan Lethem's finest writing on the subject of writers and writing, from Melville's Moby-Dick to David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest A readerly wake-up call from one of America's finest and most acclaimed working writers. Picking up where his NBCC Award finalist collection The Ecstasy of Influence left off, More Alive and Less Lonely collects more than a decade of Lethem's finest writing on writing, with new and previously unpublished material, including: impassioned appeals for forgotten writers and overlooked books, razor-sharp essays, and personal accounts of his most extraordinary literary encounters and discoveries. Only Lethem, with his love of cult favorites and the canon alike, can write with equal insight about the stories of modern masters like Lorrie Moore and Salman Rushdie, graphic novelist Chester Brown, science fiction outlier Philip K. Dick, and classic... Views: 37
In A Closed Eye, Anita Brookner explores, with compassionate insight and stylistic brilliance, the self-inflicted paradoxes in the life of Harriet Lytton, a woman whose powers of submissiveness and self-denial are suddenly tested by the dizzying prospect of sexual awakening.In Harriers gallant struggle with the single great temptation that comes her way, Brookner creates a hauntingly flawed heroine and a study in the evasions and disappointments that make up all our lives. Views: 37
In a story of ordinary people trapped in extraordinary and deadly circumstances, two friends are faced with the possibility that someone they know well—for reasons they cannot fathom—is plotting to destroy them and everyone they love. Views: 37
“Nothing special” is the best way to describe Owen Reeder—at least that's what he's been told all his life. When a stranger visits his father's bookstore, Owen's ordinary life spirals out of control and right into a world he didn't even know existed. Owen believes the only gift he possesses is his ability to devour books, but he is about to be forced into a battle that will affect two worlds: his and the unknown world of the Lowlands. Perfect for readers ages 10 to 14 who enjoy a fast-paced story packed with action, fantasy, and humor. Views: 37
Detective Michael Bennett arrests an infamous South American crime lord in a deadly chase that leaves Bennett’s lifelong friend Hughie McDonough dead. From jail, the prisoner vows to rain epic violence down upon New York City - and to get revenge on Michael Bennett.To escape the chaos, Bennett takes his ten kids and their beautiful nanny, Mary Catherine, on a much-needed vacation to his family’s cabin near Newburgh, New York. But instead of the calm and happy town he remembers growing up in, they step into a nightmare. Newburgh is an inferno of warring gangs, and there’s little the police - or Bennett - can do to keep the children safe.As violence overwhelms the state, Bennett is torn between protecting his hometown and saving New York City. A partner in his investigations, federal prosecutor Tara McLellan, brings him new weapons for the battle - and an attraction that endangers his relationship with Mary Catherine. A no-holds-barred, pedal-to-the-floor, action-packed novel, I, Michael Bennett is James Patterson at his most personal and most thrilling best. Views: 37
Third book in the Honor Series. US Secret Service Agent Cameron Roberts has more than one secret that could destroy her career, not the least of which is that she’s in love with the president’s daughter. Blair Powell, the first daughter, returns the feeling despite her ambivalence about Cam’s role as her security chief, particularly in the aftermath of an assassination attempt that nearly cost Cam her life. In this third book of the Honor series, Blair and Cam struggle to protect their relationship from intensified media exposure even as they are unwillingly drawn into a shadowy conspiracy that puts Cam’s career and the president’s political future at risk. When Cam's previous lover resurfaces to offer support and solace, the president's daughter and her security chief are faced with difficult choices as they battle a tangled web of Washington intrigue for...love and honor. Views: 37
A sharp and funny portrait of divorce. Splitting captures brilliantly the chaotic rhythms of a woman in crisis as it chronicles Angelica's disintegration into a handful of a "perforated" personalities. No one writes with shrewder insight about women and that ambiguous and overriding presence in their lives-men -- than Fay Weldon. This is a journey rich with her wit, wisdom, and very original narrative power. "It's always a pleasure to read a seasoned novelist in peak form; Weldon is in complete control of her material here, effortlessly shifting between laughter and tears." -- Booklist; "Splitting is a vintage Weldon brew: sharp, effervescent, easily consumed and just the sort that leaves you ready for another round." -- The Hartford Courant; "A darkly comic portrait of one woman's shattering response to divorce: the latest from an author rightly celebrated for writing witty cautionary tales about the contemporary sexual jungle." -- Kirkus Reviews.From Publishers WeeklyDivorce is one kind of split; adding an alternate personality is another. Angelica Rice experiences both sorts in this highly improper sendup of proper English society as Weldon (The Life and Loves of a She-Devil) inventively tweaks stereotypical doting wives, vengeful-goddess types, efficient office workers, saucy sexpots and?per usual?men, by giving Angelica distinct personalities corresponding to each. As a young woman, Angelica isn't entirely neurotic; after a career as a 17-year-old pop star (of "Kinky Virgin" song fame), she weds country gentleman Sir Edwin Rice. Although her well-bred neighbors conduct unseemly affairs in classic comedy-of-manners fashion, Angelica remains loyal to Sir Edwin and styles herself as the prim "Lady Rice." But when, in her 30s, her 16-year marriage founders, Lady Rice experiences the reemergence of her earthy "Angelica" self, as well as the arrival of the pragmatic "Jelly White." Lady Rice is perfectly appalled when a lusty fourth identity seduces her chauffeur, and then a fifth self?a tough guy named "Ajax"?threatens to thrash Sir Edwin. Angelica, we learn, is not so much split as "perforated"?her personalities can cooperate with or challenge each other's actions. Meanwhile, Weldon again proves herself one of a kind, a smart satirist whose playful exploration of psychology reveals society's fault lines and fractures. 50,000 first printing; major ad/promo; author tour; rights: Ed Victor Ltd. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalWeldon's trademark astringent style and sardonic view of the relationships between men and women, shown to perfection in Life Force (LJ 12/91), are equally well demonstrated in this novel about a woman who goes to pieces when her marriage breaks up. When Lord Edwin Rice unjustly accuses his wife of infidelity and asks for a divorce, her personality "perforates" into four parts, consisting of Angelica, the former rock singer who, as a teenager, loved Edwin and married him; Jelly, the working girl who gets a job with Edwin's lawyer and conveniently misplaces important papers having to do with the divorce; the libertine, Angel, who leads the other three in a series of sexual escapades; and, finally, the prim and proper Lady Rice. The four learn to accommodate their often humorous differences and get on with the process of healing. Both long-time Weldon fans and new readers will enjoy this novel. Recommended for most collections.-?Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, SeattleCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 37
Woooooooo-hooooooo.Five people: four are living; three are strangers; two are sisters; one, a teenage hotel chambermaid, has fallen to her death in a dumbwaiter. But her spirit lingers in the world, straining to recall things she never knew. And one night all five women find themselves in the smooth plush environs of the Global Hotel, where the intersection of their very different fates make for this playful, defiant, and richly inventive novel. Forget room service: this is a riotous elegy, a deadpan celebration of colliding worlds, and a spirited defense of love. Blending incisive wit with surprising compassion, Hotel World is a wonderfully invigorating, life-affirming book.From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 37
