A Lover's Guide to the Kama Sutra
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Interesting but long
  • not what I thought
  • Fun Book
  • Cute idea!
A Lover's Guide to the Kama Sutra
Virginia Reynolds
Manufacturer: Peter Pauper Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Love & RomanceLove & Romance | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Love & RomanceLove & Romance | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0880880783

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Interesting but long.......2005-07-22

The Book was well written with a lot of explaining,
but too long paragraphs to catch the attention and
also to follow this type of loving concepts.
Interesting but a bit long and with few pictures.
Still a good book to read and ponder over.

1 out of 5 stars not what I thought.......2004-09-17

this book is really short and has very little info. in it. If you're looking for a book of techniques or positions, this is not it.

5 out of 5 stars Fun Book.......2004-03-22

I bought this book as a party favor for my Bachelor Party. All the guys loved the book. The nice thing about this book is the pictures are not graphic like in other books. All the pictures are illustrated instead of real pictures. Have fun with it.

5 out of 5 stars Cute idea!.......2003-11-27

I bought this to send to my boyfriend who's in the air force as a little gag gift... definitly a cute little book!
The Hog Island Oyster Lover's Cookbook: A Guide to Choosing and Savoring Oysters, with 40 Recipes
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Excellent Cookbook
The Hog Island Oyster Lover's Cookbook: A Guide to Choosing and Savoring Oysters, with 40 Recipes
Jairemarie Pomo
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

SeafoodSeafood | Meat, Poultry & Seafood | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1580087353

Book Description

Seductive but standoffish, oysters ask that you get to know them a little before you can really enjoy them. How do you choose from among the dozens of varieties? How do you handle, shuck, and store them? Are they better cooked or raw? And are they really an aphrodisiac? Full of alluring recipes from topflight chefs, plus tasting notes and wine- and beer-pairing tips, the authoritative and accessible HOG ISLAND OYSTER LOVER'S COOKBOOK demystifies these enigmatic bivalves and provides the insider's scoop on serving them at home as well as ordering them in an oyster bar.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Excellent Cookbook.......2007-08-23

Ms. Pomo has hit the nail on the head. I've tried several recipes, they all were winners! What a suprize!
Dream Lover
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Dreams Can Come True....
  • Decent Romance
  • The Perfect Scorpio Man
  • I enjoyed it
  • A little dark.
Dream Lover
Virginia Henley
Manufacturer: Island Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0440224225
Release Date: 1997-07-07

Amazon.com

Readers who pick up this Virginia Henley who are simply looking for a bawdy read may be disappointed. This is an artfully crafted, beautifully written revenge romance that offers the complexity of all human relationships: political, espousal, and familial. On second thought, maybe they won't be disappointed as Virginia's books never fail to titillate and this one certainly achieves that--at the very least.

Book Description

Bent on revenge after five years on a prison ship, Sean O'Toole, Earl of Kildare, kidnapped his enemy's daughter.  Her name was Emerald, an innocent beauty he had known long ago, who had stirred his senses like no other woman.  But now he planned to seduce her, abandon her...and bring disgrace to the Montagues.  First he would restore the fire to her eyes, make her hunger for his steely embrace -- then use her in an act of vengeance.  But Sean didn't expect to find himself caught in the sudden heat of his own desires, bewitched by the magnificent beauty he'd planned to betray...

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Dreams Can Come True...........2006-10-20

I am not a stranger to Ms. Henley's work. I've read two books by her before I read this one, so I knew what to expect, and I am glad I was not disappointed. Happy endings are so important to me in my reading. After all, fictional reading is the only place where happy endings exist. Despite all the obstacles the main characters had to endure, and they endured a lot, I was so glad they finally got their "happily ever after". "be careful of what you wish for",well if wishes and dreams end like this one, I say go for it.






3 out of 5 stars Decent Romance .......2006-08-05

I'm conflicted about this Henley novel. I liked it to a point. The characters are fairly decent atleast, the heroine Emerald isn't spoiled and annoying like most. The hero Sean was a little annoying claiming to be the "Prince of Hell." I found the dialogue a little precious and actually laughed out loud during some parts which were not intended to be humorous. It was slightly dark as well which actually made it more interesting.

5 out of 5 stars The Perfect Scorpio Man.......2005-06-30

I am a great fan of Virginia Henley. She is such an intriguing writer. Her books have more "depth" than many other historical romance writers. What I mean is that she is a wonderful combination of the "old school" Roberta Gellis type books that my mother used to read (chock-full of history) and the more modern sensual writers. She taps into both of these worlds and provides her readers with full, believable worlds so that you can "feel" the period. Her characters are fully developed - whether you love them or hate them. (Lovable like Emerald in Dream Lover or absolutely a pain in the !@# like Jasmine in the Falcon and the Flower.)One of the things that captures me the most is that she uses astrology to build her characters and I have a wonderful time figuring them out (if she doesn't say it outright).

I won't recap the story that's already been done. In Dream Lover Sean is the ABSOLUTE epitomy of the perfect Scorpio man. So wonderfully giving when they love you and so deviously vicious when they hate you. Every woman has an inner weakness for the natural domination of the witty, jealous, MMMmmm inherently sexy and sexual scorpio man. I think most romance novel heroes are modeled after the scorpio man but they fall short when writers don't touch on all of the aspects of his many-faceted nature. Sean's journey through optimistic youthfulness down into the depths of scorpio vengeance is SO realistically portrayed. The vengeful scorpio man doesn't have to be made to appear dangerous as so many authors attempt to do with their characters. He IS dangerous. And exciting. I found myself clapping over how well Ms Henley intertwined these characters. The love and loss and the holding onto that emotion through the years of suffering alone...This is my favorite Henley.

If you don't like astrology skip this part. Ms. Henley please tell me if I'm right. Joseph is a Sagittarius while Amber is also a Scorpio - the unfortunate 12th house of her lover. She is his destruction while his brother is his "hidden benefit". Johnny is definitely a Cancerian man while Emerald is the most perplexing. She's either a Cancer with strong Leo or a Leo with strong Cancer. Cancerian because she holds on and has a watery emotional softness to her nature but the Leo in her inner strength of character, sunny disposition, pride, and loyalty to Sean. She was "born to indulge". Sorry about that ladies, but I've been pondering this one for a while.

In either case I highly recommend this book. It is sensual, but also has a depth of emotion as the characters truly evolve and work their way through tragedy to find their joy and happiness. They learn how to let go and forgive and I found this a delightful read. My copy is two years old now and really dog-eared.

3 out of 5 stars I enjoyed it.......2005-06-09

I've only read this and The Marriage Prize so far and they really don't compare. I enjoyed both... but then I enjoy most any book I end up finishing. I'm easy to please. I was extremely angry with Sean and his being bent on revenge and willing to use Emerald at all costs to gain his revenge and even so I would be hard for me to forgive him for putting his revenge ahead of his love for her. But he does something to prove that he no longer is eaten up by revenge and saves the day all in one.

3 out of 5 stars A little dark........2004-02-24

I remember liking Virginia Henley's books, but I don't remember them being so dark. The main character was bent on revenge throughout most of the book and it was a little depressing. I can understand his reasons but it just wasn't fun to watch (read about ) him manipulate a young woman who had nothing to do with his unfortunate circumstances. Thank goodness it was a happy ending, but it wasn't always a fun ride.
Friend and Lover: The Life of Louise Bryant
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Friend and Lover: The Life of Louise Bryant
    Virginia Gardner
    Manufacturer: Horizon Pr
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    WomenWomen | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0818002336
    Virginia Hasn't Always Been for Lovers: Interracial Marriage Bans and the Case of Richard and Mildred Loving
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Recommended
    Virginia Hasn't Always Been for Lovers: Interracial Marriage Bans and the Case of Richard and Mildred Loving
    Phyl Newbeck
    Manufacturer: Southern Illinois University
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    5. Interracialism : Black-White Intermarriage in American History, Literature, and Law Interracialism : Black-White Intermarriage in American History, Literature, and Law

    ASIN: 0809325284

    Book Description

    This landmark volume chronicles the history of laws banning interracial marriage in the United States with particular emphasis on the case of Richard and Mildred Loving, a white man and a black woman who were convicted by the state of Virginia for the crime of marrying across racial lines in the late 1950s. The Lovings were not activists, but their battle to live together as husband and wife in their home state instigated the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that antimiscegenation laws were unconstitutional, which ultimately resulted in the overturning of laws against interracial marriage that were still in effect in sixteen states by the late 1960s.



    American antimiscegenation laws were first enacted in Maryland in the seventeenth century and continued to the year 2000 with a section of the Alabama Constitution forbidding the state legislature from legitimizing interracial marriage. An increasing number of citizens marry across racial lines today, and there have been radical changes in laws regarding interracial marriage in the past few decades. But even as other landmarks of the civil rights movement have been the subjects of numerous scholarly tomes and personal memoirs, this is the first comprehensive treatment of the Loving case and the only study to tell the Lovings’ story within the full historical context of interracial marriage bans.



    In Virginia Hasn’t Always Been for Lovers: Interracial Marriage Bans and the Case of Richard and Mildred Loving, lawyer Phyl Newbeck describes how the laws banning intermarriage came about, how they were perpetuated, and how they were finally struck down. In addition to detailing the story of the courtship, marriage, and arrest of the Lovings, the volume describes the growth of antimiscegenation legislation, the subsequent fight to eliminate racially discriminatory practices, and the litigations that continued years after the Supreme Court had ruled on the issue. With consummate skill, Newbeck looks at a generous and representative sampling of court cases that invalidated marriages and imprisoned couples during the twentieth century, including ones in which inheritance rights were severed and child custody was terminated due to interracial unions. She also discusses three court decisions that quashed antimiscegenation laws in California, Nevada, and Arizona in the mid-twentieth century and the role that activist groups played in these changes.



    Drawing on legal research and historical, sociological, and political sources, Newbeck includes quotations from some of the statutes and explanations of why the laws were deemed necessary, covering an impressive amount of the case law pertaining to antimiscegenation statutes from the early convictions to the later challenges. She asserts that Loving v. Virginia was not just about intermarriage but also about how the country defined people in terms of races. Her findings reveal how the specter of interracial marriage was used to perpetuate segregation, what “percentage of blood” was required to place someone in a forbidden group, and what penalties were imposed on the bride, groom, licensor, and clergy. Virginia Hasn’t Always Been for Lovers also examines the relationship of antimiscegenation laws to sexism and paternalism, social activism, family dynamics, and immigration.



    Based on dozens of interviews with attorneys who argued for and against antimiscegenation statutes and with plaintiffs who successfully challenged the laws, Virginia Hasn’t Always Been for Lovers also contains rare interviews with members of the Loving family, who have notoriously remained out of the public eye since their landmark case but whose quiet resilience to the legal indignities brought upon them by antimiscegenation laws spurred an end to a shameful chapter in American history. Rich in detail, the resulting narrative is an invaluable resource and essential contribution to the history of race relations in America with particular relevance to contemporary issues regarding the rights of consenting adults to marry.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Recommended.......2004-10-05

    A thoroughly researched and interesting account of one of the under-examined mileposts in the still on-going civil rights struggle. Ms. Newbeck evokes the Loving case, as well as its antecedents and successors, in their historical, political and very personal contexts. As noted in the book description, this is also a particularly timely book in light of the current controversies regarding gay marriage.
    Romantic Virginia: More Than 300 Things to Do for Southern Lovers (Romantic South Series)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Romantic Virginia: More Than 300 Things to Do for Southern Lovers (Romantic South Series)
      Andrea Sutcliffe
      Manufacturer: John F Blair Pub
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      South AtlanticSouth Atlantic | South | Regions | United States | Travel | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Virginia | States | United States | Travel | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Travel | Subjects | Books
      ASIN: 0895872552

      Book Description

      In 1969, the Virginia State Travel Service introduced "Virginia is for L?vers" as the state's tourism slogan. A 1992 survey revealed that three out of four Americans could still correctly identify the slogan. Since almost everyone knows that Virginia is for lovers, it's only fitting that there is now a guidebook to help Virginians and visitors to the state find all the romantic things to do there.

      The well-known and off-the-beaten-path attractions in Romantic Virginia offer escapes and activities for every age, budget, and season of the year. The chapters describe the most romantic places to stay and eat; historic homes and gardens; outdoor activities from hang gliding to ice skating; historic sites and museums; musical and theatrical productions; art museums and galleries; wineries; sporting events; and festivals and fairs. Sidebars throughout the book offer dozens of suggestions for romantic getaways in 14 Virginia cities and regions.

      But this is not just your usual travel guide. In the chapter describing romantic places to stay, there's a sidebar that lists bed-and-breakfasts, inns, and historic homes and gardens that host weddings and receptions. In the same chapter, you can find rustic mountain lodges, old Southern plantations, colonial-era townhouses, pastel-painted Victorian mansions, and fancy city hotels. The restaurant section not only includes special places where couples can celebrate a birthday, an anniversary, or simply the fun of enjoying great food together, but also lists several old-fashioned drive-ins and soda fountains.

      Here are just a few of the hundreds of activities suggested in Romantic Virginia:

      -Take a tall-ship cruise on the Elizabeth River in Norfolk

      -Taste Italian-style Virginia wines in a Tuscan-style farmhouse on the Blue Ridge Parkway

      -Watch the wild-pony roundup in Chincoteague

      -Take a ride in a biplane after watching stunt fliers at the Flying Circus Airshow in Bealeton

      -Listen to opera outdoors at the Ashlawn Summer Music Festival

      -Picnic beside one of the state's five covered bridges

      -Go whitewater rafting (or take a more sedate paddle-wheel boat ride) in downtown Richmond

      Virginia Gentleman: A True Story
      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
      • AMAZING!!!
      • A Truly Wonderful Story Tha Warms the Heart
      • The best book I have ever read!!
      Virginia Gentleman: A True Story
      Mary Mitchell Barnes
      Manufacturer: Cornell School Publishing
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback
      ASIN: 0972618600

      Product Description

      Virginia Gentleman is the heartwarming tale of one girl's journey of self-discovery and teh remarkable horse that carries her through the seasons of change. From innocence to darkness and back, Virginia Gentleman reveals valuable lessons of life and proves that spring emerges out of every winter. Adults of all ages, from teenagers to parents, equestrians and animal lovers alike, will be drawn in and held spellbound by this captivating tale of love. Provoking laughter, tears, inspiration, and bittersweet hope, Virginia Gentleman is the kind of story that seeps under the skin and leaves the human spirit forever changed.

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars AMAZING!!!.......2007-07-17

      THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!!! I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!! I've read it 4 times and I cry everytime, Mary is amazing in the book as well as in person!!! I recomend to all

      5 out of 5 stars A Truly Wonderful Story Tha Warms the Heart.......2007-06-26

      This is a truly WONDERFUL book. I couldn't put it down. It's a hearwarming story of the power of animals (and one horse in particular) and their effect on our lives and souls. The story flows, cativates, and entertains. The author's style is warm and believable. She made me laugh and cry. I wish all books were this good.

      5 out of 5 stars The best book I have ever read!!.......2005-07-09

      This book is absolutely amazing. It made me sob, laugh, smile, sigh, and get chills down my spine. You don't have to be a horse lover in order to enjoy this book- (even though I am) you just have to be someone who wants a detailed, heart-warming story that you will never put down. Mary Mitchell Barnes describes the relationship with her horse, Chinkers, in such a touching way. She treated him like a human and a life-long friend instead of "just a horse." I think that is what really made this book fantastic. I am so glad I read this book because no other one can match this. A must read for anyone!!!!!
      The Used Book Lover's Guide to the Midwest/Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, and West Virginia
      Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
      • A Very Helpful Book
      The Used Book Lover's Guide to the Midwest/Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, and West Virginia
      David S. Siegel , and Susan Siegel
      Manufacturer: Book Hunter Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      Shopping & CommerceShopping & Commerce | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
      BooksBooks | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
      Antiquarian & Rare BooksAntiquarian & Rare Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      MidwestMidwest | Regions | United States | Travel | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Wisconsin | States | United States | Travel | Subjects | Books
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      ASIN: 0963411292

      Book Description

      A user friendly guide to over 1,300 used, rare, out-of-print and antiquarian book dealers in the 10 state Midwest region, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky and West Virginia.

      Includes 32 city, regional and state maps.

      Customer Reviews:

      4 out of 5 stars A Very Helpful Book.......2004-06-01

      This book has a lot of great information for the bookhunter. It covers the Midwest, and would be especially helpful for those that live there. My wife and I have travelled around and always bring this book to find hidden bookshops. The only problem with the book is that the occasional shop is no longer in existence or has moved, so call ahead of a visit as the book suggest. Any book lover would love this book!!
      Virginia Lovers
      Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
      • Sorry that I can't rave about it
      • WHAT A TOTALLY TRAGIC STORY !!
      • He lived valiantly and was loved back with a simple honesty
      • What lack of communication between parents and teens can do.
      • This is a Good One
      Virginia Lovers
      Michael Parker
      Manufacturer: Delphinium Books
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

      ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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      ASIN: 1883285240

      Book Description

      From the prize-winning author of the acclaimed Hello Down There and Towns Without Rivers comes an arresting story of brotherhood and betrayal, deceit and desire, set against the backdrop of a country embroiled by social change.

      In the autumn of 1975, the town of Trent, North Carolina, struggles with the mysterious and brutal murder of Brandon Pierce, a gay teenager found dead in his parents' bed following a high-school keg party. As Thomas Edgecombe, the editor of the town's newspaper, diligently reports on the crime, he begins to suspect that his two sons may know more about the murder than they're letting on. Daniel, a straight-A student and a friend of the victim, seems destined for a prestigious college scholarship and a better life while his younger brother Pete numbs his adolescent pain in a haze of marijuana smoke and derelict behavior. Once the investigation closes in on the two brothers they make a desperate bid for freedom, escaping north across the lush Virginia landscape to rendezvous with sudden tragedy in the red-light precincts of Washington, D.C.

      The Washington Post has praised Michael Parker's fiction as "languid and mysterious ... precise as line engravings, more revealing than recordings or photographs." And with its quicksilver sentences and thriller-esque pacing, Virginia Lovers is poised to bring a larger audience to an emerging author already celebrated by America's literati as a "writer's writer."

      Michael Parker is the author of two previous novels and a collection of short fiction. His work has been featured in such anthologies as the Pushcart and New Stories From the South, and in 2004 he received a fellowship in fiction from the National Endowment for the Arts. He lives with his daughter in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he teaches in the writing program at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

      Customer Reviews:

      2 out of 5 stars Sorry that I can't rave about it.......2005-10-10

      While it seems unlikely and isn't popular to berate a praised literary writer, I thought this book missed its mark.

      The story of a family in the 1970s dealing with a murder, the book perhaps best captures a frustrated father's life as a small-town newspaper editor. His relationship with his wife, though she is peripheral as a character, is interestingly drawn. They have 2 sons, Danny, who we figure and later discover is gay and who is the "good son," and Pete, the wild one. That easy stereotype bothered me.

      A good re-thinking and re-doing of this story could have made it great. The quiet desperation throughout the novel is not particularly unique, especially for literary fiction. It is only a "gay" novel because the murder victim is an effeminate gay teen and Danny is gay. That theme simply feels applied artifically to the story. This is actually a novel about the father.

      Also, why the 1970s? There were a few weak references to the times, and the murder of a tormented gay teen could easily still happen these days. To me, if an author picks an era to portray, there had better be a good reason.

      The story is not 100 percent dull, but the characters of the two sons and their eventual closeness is by far the most interesting aspect of the story. The murder aspects felt like an editor or someone suggested to "beef up" the story. The father going into the police station to find out more details now & again almost felt like a cookie-cutter mystery that had been cut-and-pasted into a literary read. And the endless details of who was where, and who really did it, and not rendered as a surprise, and you will probably find you don't care much.

      The climax? A disappointment. While Danny's thoughts at the story's resolution are rich and good, the ending "incident" feels like someone rubber-stamped the manuscript, "Put climax to the story here and make it dramatic."

      There are many other better books out there. Don't get this if you're looking for a gay-themed novel, because you'll be disappointed. But if you like literary novels about family life, this might suit you.

      5 out of 5 stars WHAT A TOTALLY TRAGIC STORY !!.......2005-05-25

      "The way you act, we never had a family at all. Just you and me and Danny and Pete living in the same house, sharing the same meals every once in a while." `That's pretty close to the truth,' she said. `Except it was less than every once in a while.'" This brief statement summarizes the total alienation one senses as he reads this remarkable book, VIRGINIA LOVERS. This is a tragic tale of miscommunication, adolescent rebellion, and the total breakdown of the so-called "traditional nuclear family."

      Thomas Edgecombe is the owner/editor/reporter of a small town Southern newspaper. He is a man consumed by his work and his dedication to truth. He has 2 sons, Danny, the so-called good son, and Pete, the so-called bad son. His wife Caroline at times appears to be his friend, at times his enemy, at times his alter ego, and at times his estranged life-mate. At a teenage house party, Brandon, an effeminate boy, is murdered in his parent's bedroom. The unwinding of the story of Brandon's murder, Danny and Pete's involvement in the tragedy, and their desperate attempt to free themselves of the routine of small town life, as well as the possibility of being implicated and the exposing of closely guarded secrets, is the core of this novel. The failure of the Edgecombe family is that despite the fact it appears to be the All-American Family, it is rather, a totally dysfunctional family that is trapped within its own isolation and individual alienation.

      How the entire plot and sub-plots evolve is the beauty of this book. It will provide a very rewarding read. It will, however, leave the reader wondering and thinking well after he or she closes the book.

      4 out of 5 stars He lived valiantly and was loved back with a simple honesty.......2005-04-30

      Author Michael Parker certainly knows teenage angst. He also knows about small town America and how teenagers who are somehow different can so often be cruelly ostracized and made to feel like outcasts. In his world, young men are often angst-ridden, and troubled, stumbling through life shouldering enormous problems with no resolution in sight. Even the families depicted in his novels go through their days in a miasma of missed communication.

      In his latest, Virginia Lovers, it is 1975 and the Edgecombe family is living in Trent, North Carolina. They're just trying to get along and survive each day without arguing. Over the years, brothers Pete and Daniel have steadily grown apart. Now more like acquaintances than actual brothers, Pete has developed a set of unruly, disruptive buddies and spends his time drinking with them, rolling joints, being cool, and fantasizing about the Rolling Stones. He's a smart, brilliant boy, but Thomas, his concerned father, is beginning to worry, not just about the people he's hanging out with - "the riffraff demimonde," but also about his recent derelict behaviour.

      Daniel, on the other hand, is a star student and had been working hard in the hope of obtaining the prestigious Carmichael Scholarship that will finally get him out of this tin pot, hick town. Neither concerned nor particularly interested in what his younger brother says or does, Daniel throws himself into his studies with an intellectual rigor and tries hard to be a valued member of the school football team, even though he's only playing because it will make him look better in the eyes of the Carmichael judges.

      Thomas, their morally upright father, runs Trent's local newspaper. A left of center journalist, and a closeted champion of civil rights, Thomas has spent most of his professional life dedicated to presenting honest, non-partisan news, but he constantly has to battle the more conservative forces who in the past have been more easily offended by his more liberal views. His role as "a purveyor of truth in the community" and unapologetic defense of the blacks and Jews has often comes at a price in the form of cancelled subscriptions and angry letters. Thomas seeks solace from Caroline, allowing her "shoulder the business of domesticity" but it doesn't make his job of raising two boys and running the town's paper any easier.

      When Brandon Piece, an effeminate gay teenager is brutally murdered in his parents' bedroom following an alcohol soaked high-school keg party, all eyes turn to Pete and Daniel. Both were familiar with the boy - Pete through school and Daniel as a part-time friend. Brandon was picked on and vilified by almost everyone in the community, and the discovery that Pete's best friend Lee Tysinger was not just having an affair with Brandon but probably murdered him, shocks Pete and Daniel to the core.

      Scared of what will happen to them if they testify, the boys hit the road in their '68 Falcon, ending up in Washington, where Daniel gets a taste of life in the big city, and where Pete tries to emotionally reconnect with his closeted gay brother. On the road with the windows open and the joints passing between them, the brothers begin to realize how alike they actually are. Leaving Trent however, makes them chief suspects in Brandon's murder.

      So much of Pete's life has taken place outside his body, he's dragged through the hallways of school and out of cars of people he had nothing at all to say to and thought way beneath him. So much of his day is spent floating, far above the parking lots of Laundromats and suburban woods. Thomas questions his own "put-uponess," the lack of spontaneity in his life, all the ways in which a world had tramped him down. And Daniel, just coming out as gay, thinks of the torture of making false claims to the world; he wants so desperately to get away from Trent and his few friends and even his family.

      Parker uses beautiful and measured prose to effectively evoke the complex emotional landscape of these three very different men. He also excels at describing the wasted backdrop of a small town where the only entertainment for the young is the Glam Rock-A-Rama, a Laundromat frequented by "washed out young mothers with too many kids and a wretched enough trailer life." Imbued with a kind of thrilleresque pacing, Virginia Lovers is part taught murder mystery and part curiously affecting road novel. It is the clever combination of these two genres that make this story such a riveting, absorbing, and deeply satisfying read. Mike Leonard April 05.

      5 out of 5 stars What lack of communication between parents and teens can do........2005-04-14

      I stumbled across this one on Amazon, described as "an arresting story of brotherhood and betrayal, deceit and desire, set against the backdrop of a country embroiled by social change." Such recaps usually make me run the other way, but the basic underlying story ... the mysterious death of a gay teen ... sparked my interest.

      In "Virginia Lovers," Parker presents a very powerful dramatic tale about the emotional distance between parents and teens, even in settings like small town Trent, North Carolina, which parents might think is an ideal atmosphere in which to grow up. Thomas is the owner of the town's weekly newspaper, and deeply involved in his work to the exclusion of real communication with his wife, Caroline, and their two teenage sons. Of the two, Thomas is really concerned only about younger Pete, who seems to have no ambition and spends his daze in a pot-induced haze. His older son, Daniel, is the quiet straight-A student who recently went out for the school's football team, to present a well-rounded image for the prestigious scholarship he has a good chance at snagging. The report of the death of the gay teen, an acquaintance of both boys, eventually points back on possible involvement by one or both of them, which joins them in an unlikely alliance to leave town and avoid the questions they would rather not have to answer. Can't tell much more about it without revealing several key plot twists, but this is a book worth reading. I give it five stars out of five.

      5 out of 5 stars This is a Good One.......2005-03-26

      It's a wonderful short novel--you can tell the author cares about the people in this story. Not only that but he's an artist. Parker's short story in the December 2004 OXFORD AMERICAN is a must read.
      Tidewater Lover (Virginia) (Janet Dailey Americana)
      Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
      • Disappointed in the the hero and in the baby angle
      • Love in Minnesota woods, loved it!
      Tidewater Lover (Virginia) (Janet Dailey Americana)
      Janet Dailey
      Manufacturer: ereads.com
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      Dailey, JanetDailey, Janet | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Romance | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
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      ASIN: 0759238413

      Book Description

      Every novel in this collection is your passport to a romantic tour of the United States through time-honored favorites by America’s First Lady of romance fiction. Each of the fifty novels is set in a different state, researched by Janet and her husband, Bill. For the Daileys it was an odyssey of discovery. For you, it’s the journey of a lifetime. Your tour of desire begins with this story set in Virginia.

      Download Description

      Every novel in this collection is your passport to a romantic tour of the United States through time-honored favorites by America's First Lady of romance fiction. Each of the fifty novels is set in a different state, researched by Janet and her husband, Bill. For the Daileys it was an odyssey of discovery. For you, it's the journey of a lifetime. Your tour of desire begins with this story set in Virginia.

      Customer Reviews:

      1 out of 5 stars Disappointed in the the hero and in the baby angle.......2005-09-13

      I'm not a prude, but I expect that when I read about a man who is trying to decide whether or not to take his final vows to be a priest that he will struggle at least a little with giving in to his sexual desires out of wedlock. The hero, Brendan, doesn't seem to give it a thought when he makes out with the Dani, the heroine. I felt like the story was just pieced together without much developement of the issues that the characters were supposedly struggling with. I also thought there would be a bit more about the relationship of the couple with the baby, the offspring of Brendan's unwed niece, but the baby seemed to be secondary to things, and ends up getting adopted by strangers at the end of the book. I'm sorry I wasted my money on this book.

      5 out of 5 stars Love in Minnesota woods, loved it!.......2002-07-21

      A young man parks himself in the woods hoping to settle his
      mind on the final acts of his planned career, the priesthood.
      But, a young spirited young woman steps into his quiet retreat
      and raises serious questions to his choice for lifelong celibracy. And, if that doesn't add enough dynamic tension, his
      teenage niece shows up, nine months pregnant. Walden, this is not. Terrific, this is, a feel-great romantic woodland novel that is wonderful to read.

      Books:

      1. A Time to Kill
      2. Abnormal Psychology, 12th Edition
      3. Absolute Friends
      4. Angels Dance and Angels Die: The Tragic Romance of Pamela and Jim Morrison
      5. Asterix and the Great Crossing (Asterix)
      6. Bantam of the Opera (Bed-And-Breakfast Mysteries)
      7. Biology, Sixth Edition
      8. Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob
      9. Bloodline (Repairman Jack Novels)
      10. Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders

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