The Searching Hearts

Book Description

A writer whose books have appeared on the USA Todaybestseller list as well as the New York Times extended list, Dorothy Garlock is renowned for her unique ability to convey the romance and reality of frontier America. Here she presents one of her most beloved stories, a tale of a young woman's westward journey, on which she'll meet both danger and love. She's a nineteen-year-old orphan without money or prospects. Yet Tucker Houston has spunk to spare. Determined to find a better life for herself and her best friend, who is blind, Tucker brazenly tells a few fibs to land a job as a schoolteacher out West . . . even if it means joining a wagon train filled with twenty mail-order brides. Leading them all is wagon master Lucas Steele, hard-headed, hard-muscled, and drawn to Tucker's no-nonsense gumption. The two will soon find out that love can't wait--especially when the perils of the trail make today all they have, and tomorrow a time that may never come for the dreams they share.

Download Description

A writer whose books have appeared on the USA Today bestseller list as well as the New York Times extended list, Dorothy Garlock is renowned for her unique ability to convey the romance and reality of frontier America. Here she presents one of her most beloved stories, a tale of a young woman's westward journey, on which she'll meet both danger and love. She's a nineteen-year-old orphan without money or prospects. Yet Tucker Houston has spunk to spare. Determined to find a better life for herself and her best friend, who is blind, Tucker brazenly tells a few fibs to land a job as a schoolteacher out West . . . even if it means joining a wagon train filled with twenty mail-order brides. Leading them all is wagon master Lucas Steele, hard-headed, hard-muscled, and drawn to Tucker's no-nonsense gumption. The two will soon find out that love can't wait--especially when the perils of the trail make today all they have, and tomorrow a time that may never come for the dreams they share.

Customer Reviews:

Great . . . But.......2007-07-24

I have nothing bad to say about Dorothy Garlock's books--I'm addicted! However . . . there were a couple of things I would have liked to see more detail on and they would have only taken a page or two each.

----------> SPOILER AHEAD

I would have liked to read about Tucker telling Lucas Steele about Frank Parcher's doings after all was resolved. I would have liked to have known when Dr. Marie Cooper (?) told Rafe Blanchard about the worry and required "treatment" if he had contracted the wild bull's madness. I thought it was a little far-fetched how Frank Parcher planned to abduct Tucker. It also seemed a bit frustrating that Tucker didn't alert Lucas et al about Parcher's nefarious threats to her before it went too far. Also, that Tucker didn't have a firmer plan to remove (kill) Parcher from the picture.

But I loved it anyway :-) This is the first one that left me a tad unsatisfied, though.

Garlock rules!

"A True Western Romance!".......2005-07-07

When I finished this book, I couldn't wait to go and read all the other books Dorothy Garlock had written: for me that really speaks volumes, when I can get finished with one book by an author and want to read all their others. This book was a true western romance, pulling together all the elements one looks for in a romance story as well as a western. Tucker Houston and her best friend Laura, who is blind, set out on a wagon train full of mail-order brides, led by wagonmaster Lucas Steele and Buck, who is the wagon train's scout. Lucas and Tucker fall in love almost instantly. Buck falls hard for Laura, leaving Tucker with the feeling that Laura will no longer need her. Tucker wrestles with her own feelings for Lucas, as well as wrestles with the elements of nature and man. Overall, the story is very sweet and will have you dabbing a few tears away as you go along. Please, do yourself a favor and go read this heartwarming story.

A HARLEQUIN-ESQUE STANDARD WESTERN.......2004-10-28

"westward,ho,the women" is a 1950's western starring robert taylor about a wagon train taking selected women west to be brides for the frontier men. In a nutshell that is what this book is.A little variation: our heroines Laura and Tucker are orphans and Laura is blind; The scoutmaster (like Robt Taylor) is a hunk, his scout is a halfbreed, the bad guys want the women..it was a cute western movie in the 50's but very predictable book. The other thing it lacked is depth. It made a big deal of Lucas possession of a tintype which resembled Tucker but never tied it in at all, and though all of the characters were interesting, we never got to really know them well. Too bad.

DEFINITELY A KEEPER!.......2002-08-08

Any of her books are definitely keepers. Collect them - loan them - but definitely read them again!

Do not pass up the story of Tucker and Lucas and their trials and their finding and sharing love.

You will get a real sense of life on a wagon train and the dangers that follow these people.

And I enjoyed the way all of the stories were tied together at the end so we have a feeling of completeness of these characters lives.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -- add to your library.

Fun, emotional... WOW!.......2002-05-02

Each and every character compliments the entire story. There is not a wasted word or unnecessary character in this entire book! I'd have to say this story is as close to perfect as possible!

The three romances that form during the wagon train are spicy, sweet, and intriguing! Tucker and Lucas just set off firecrackers and sparks with every meeting. Buck and Laura are sweet and endearing... a beautiful tale of a blind woman and a rough trail man. Rafe and Marie were intriguing and mysteriously delicious. Amazing to read about a woman of that strength and knowledge... although Ms. Garlock doesn't seem to write about weak women. But of all things, the way the women managed to bond together and survive the hardships of a wagon trail, was endearing and very enjoyable to read. Ms. Garlock is a genius, and it's hard to believe she wasn't actually there during the era she writes about, as the detail and the path she makes to your own imagination are superb.

Average customer rating:

Excellent

Janette Oke

GREAT READ

Virginia Simpson grows up...

Wonderful!
A Searching Heart (Prairie Legacy Series #2)
Janette Oke
Manufacturer: Bethany House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764221396
Release Date: 1999-02-01

Book Description

The granddaughter of Marty and Clark Davis is caught in that difficult period between childhood and adulthood. A Prairie Legacy book 1.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2006-03-16

I loved the book could not put it down. I was pleased that the author decided to take this family forward.

Janette Oke.......2006-03-01

I have read many Janette Oke books over the last 4 years. I find that though they have interesting plots and characters the writing doesn't seem to bring the full potential out of the story. My own personal taste leans towards very real to life stories. I don't always find that in Janet Oke's books. I find that they are too warm and fuzzy for me. If you like those kind of stories or just want a book you don't really have to concentrate on I would recommend Janet Oke. If not I would suggest someone like Torey Hayden or Francine Rivers.

GREAT READ.......2005-10-24

I was so glad to find that in the end of this book. Virgina finds love. I always think of this book when it rains.

Virginia Simpson grows up..........2004-02-02

This second book in Prairie Legacy is a continuation of the life of Virginia, granddaughter of Clark and Marty and daughter of Belinda and Drew.... of the Love Comes Softly series. Virginia is becoming an adult and her plans for college, marriage and friendship with Jenny are all challenged in this book, another great one by Janette Oke. The end leaves one reaching for book 3 of this series.

Wonderful!.......2003-03-06

Mrs. Oke did a great job with this book. She shows what the change from teen years to a young adult are like, while interweaving the gospel, a deep concern for Virginia's unsaved friend, and what it's like to still be a friend to someone when things get tough. I just loved it.
~Abby Louise

Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart

Average customer rating:

Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A small Treatise on Peace of Heart
Amazing Little Book.
Very well written
Adoration Baby!
A masterpiece

Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart
Jacques Philippe
Manufacturer: Alba House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0818909064

Customer Reviews:

Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A small Treatise on Peace of Heart.......2007-07-22

Great book. The book is well written. It is easy to understand and read. It will make you aware of the spiritual battle that we are all subjected to and how to maintain peace-- the real peace. This book is recommended if you already have a prayer life. A MUST book to read for ascetism.

Amazing Little Book........2007-06-06

I have had Father Jacques Philippe's books recommended to me on a number of occasions and by a number of different people. I have picked up the four I can find that are available in English. The title of this book, Searching for and Maintaining Peace, just grabbed my attention and had to be read first. The subtitle of this book is: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart, yet for a small book of 110 pages, it really packs a lot of punch.

This book was so good I have already put it back on my pile of books to be read. I know that I cannot glean all the great stuff from it in just one reading. For who in this hectic crazy world would not like a simple tool to help them find peace and to keep it once they have found it? This book will help you do just that. It is one I will add to my all time favorite list!

Here are some sample quotes from the book:

"The more our soul is peaceful and tranquil, the more God is reflected in it, the more His image expresses itself in us, the more His grace acts through us." P.5

"Because only this peace of heart truly liberates us from ourselves, increases our sensitivity to others, and renders us available to our fellow man." P.7

"It is that Christian life is a combat, a war without mercy." P.8

"Every Christian must be thoroughly convinced that his spiritual life can in no way be viewed as the quiet unfolding of an inconsequential life without any problems; rather it must be viewed as the scene of a constant and sometimes painful battle, which will not end until death - a struggle against evil, temptation and the sin that is in him. ... And this combat is, correctly viewed, the place of our purification, of our spiritual growth, where we learn to know ourselves in our weakness and to know God in His infinite mercy." P.9

"One of the dominant aspects of spiritual combat is the struggle on the plane of thoughts." P.13

Then the second section lists and goes over the causes of our loss of peace and how to regain it. There are some great tools for the spiritual life in this section.

The third section in this book is a series of quotes and excerpts from a number of Saints on the process of searching for peace, and on how to maintain that peace. These saints are:

* Juan de Bonilla
* Francis de Sales
* Teresa of Avila
* Marie of the Incarnation
* Francious-Marie-Jacob Libermann
* Padre Pio

These extended quotes will support and expand upon the information in the first two sections of this book.

This book is a must for anyone who really wants to grow deeper in their walk with God and in living in the peace that Jesus Christ promised to his followers.

Other Books By Fr. Jacques Philippe
Searching for and Maintaining Peace
Time For God
Interior Freedom
In the School of the Holy Spirit
Choose to be Free: the Power of Faith Hope & Charity (A different edition of Interior Freedom)

(These are all his books I have been able to find in English; if you know of any others or how to get them let me know please.)

Very well written.......2007-02-05

This is a great little book and I recommend it to everyone, Catholic and protestant alike.

It is a very practical guide with some nice quotes from the Bible, Saints and the authors own advice. It is about, you guessed it, searching for and maintaining peace. It is fairly short, 100 pages, in fact it is more of a glorified pamphlet than a book but still a great read.

I'm finding that I am moving through it very slowly because I stop and think and pray and re-read so many parts of this book. I think I'll make this an annual thing to read it as it has very valuable advice in it.

Adoration Baby!.......2005-09-24

This is a great book. I got it for a Spiritual Theology class. The class is more of a formative class than most - hence this book I highly reccomend. It's an easy read and great for adoration. It wil chanllenge you and confirm you but most importantly it will bring you closer to a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. God Bless and good reading!

A masterpiece.......2005-08-10

This work is a gathering of practical suggestions and selected quotations organized in order to help the reader to find how to get peace and make it growing. It addresses all kind of situations everyone is involved in her/his busy life and could be a cause of struggling and loosing peace. In addition to offer excellent spiritual readings, it is a masterpiece of literacy for its own style and for the many quotations of selected authors it presents. It helps believers and non believers to reflect on their own beahavior and get confidence in what they are supposed to address right now. Besides, it helps to leave away the past (that does not subsist any more) and to be confident in the future (that does not exist yet) to address peacefully actual tasks. Somehow I would include it among the best wotk both of psychology and spirituality. I dare to suggest this reading to students and teachers, not the ones only in philosophy and theology, but even in methodology and science: I would suggest to read the book to know how to fix their heart before configurating their head with studies, method of work, business organization, speed reading and memorizing systemes. I know people who read it once and then continue to keep it to consult it again and again. every page is comforting, helpful, and give you peace.

Searching for David's Heart: A Christmas Story

Average customer rating:

The Best Book Ever!!!
Tugs on Heartstrings
Review on Search for David's Heart
Splendid Book
Searching For David's Heart

Searching for David's Heart: A Christmas Story
Cherie Bennett
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0590306731

Customer Reviews:

The Best Book Ever!!!.......2007-04-18

This book is about a girl named Darcy, who loves her big brother......until he gets a girlfriend. Darcy doesn't like that David is not spending time with her anymore, so she runs away. David is hit by a car and dies. Darcy knows it's her fault, so she finds a way to apologize....she must find his heart, even though it's beating in someone else's body. The rest of the book is a quest that Darcy and her best guy-friend, Sam, take in order to find David. The rest of the book, I will not tell, you must read it! I will say, though, I cried during most of it!

Tugs on Heartstrings.......2007-03-12

Darcy is in sixth grade and she feels very awkward. She stutters when she gets nervous, and she finds it hard to talk to people. Her younger brother is a brat, her father always seems to be angry at her, and her grandmother is in a coma at a nursing home, where the children have to go visit her. But Darcy's big brother David is perfect. He is strong and sweet to everyone. Everyone likes him and he can get along with anyone, but he is especially good to Darcy. There is no one in the world she loves more.

Then David gets a girlfriend. She may be perfectly nice, but Darcy hates her and the fact that she seems to be taking David away. One night in a fit of fury after a ruined birthday celebration, Darcy yells at David and his girlfriend that she hates them and wishes her brother were dead. Then she runs off. As David is chasing after her, he is hit by a car and he dies.

Darcy is riddled with guilt. She feels that she is a murderer, that David's death is her fault. She doesn't know what to do, and her family is falling apart now more than ever. Then Darcy makes a decision. She knows that her parents donated some of David's organs, including his heart. Darcy decides to find the recipient of that heart, to maybe see if that person now has a little bit of David in him or her. Darcy and her best friend Sam set off on their journey to track down David's heart.

I liked the character of Sam, and the way he related to Darcy. I liked how the story was resolved at the end, and I liked how the father's prejudice was explained and dealt with. I thought that Darcy's parents were pretty horrible throughout most of the story, though. They should have been able to do something to help Darcy.

Review on Search for David's Heart.......2007-01-16

Book Review on "Searching for David's Heart"

Emily Simons
6th Grade
Oshkosh WI

"I don't see why Mrs.Pritcher is making us give stupid speeches in front of the entire class," I groaned to my big brother, David, & my best friend Sam Weiss." Is how the book Searching for David's Heart by Cherie Bennett begins. In the book Darcy adores her big brother David. But when David gets a girlfriend & David starts treating Darcy like a pest things go haywire. On Darcy's Birthday David brings his girlfriend Jayne. Darcy doesn't like Jayne because she's getting all of David's attention. David & Darcy get in a huge fight and Darcy runs away. David decides to follow her and something that Darcy never pictured happens and she blames herself.

In this book the theme is tied in between three different things. Courage- Darcy is leaving home to find the 12 year old who has her brother's heart. Braveness- She's leaving home & not telling anyone & will bring Winston to her parents. Love- "He smiled thorough his tears Merry Christmas Dee-Dee." Merry Christmas. I think all these different themes tie up the book.

The characters in this book are Darcy the main character, a sister who loves her brother more than the world. David as you probably guessed is the second main character, David is know for how great he is at collage football. I think that Jayne would be the third main character, because she in some way is part of David's death. Dad would come before mom, because of his work problem. Now, of course we have mom. Meemaw also know as grandma would be sixth because she is just lying in bed all day & is only mentioned a couple times. Last but not least we have Andy the little brother.

My next topic is the setting of the book. The main setting is Darcy's house. There always at her house. Sometimes in the book there at school. Or they could be visiting grandma, or on the bus to mami, Appleton park, or and Sam's house.

So in conclusion, Searching for David's Heart is a good book. I recommend this book to all ages, & all who enjoy a little sadness and adventures in a book. There is a lot of interesting stuff in this book. So it all comes down to one question Darcy's lost her brother but can she find the only one part of him that still remains? Find out when you read Searching for David's Heart!!

Splendid Book.......2006-12-08

Searching For Davids Heart is the best book I've ever read.This book is about a girl named Darcy and her brother Derek.Life is rough at Darcy's house,money is tight and her parents fight alot.The day of Darcy's birthday Derek brings his girlfriend which makes Darcy very upset.After the party Derek and his girlfreind go to the park at the bench.Whenever Darcy overhears them talking something tragic that Darcy never even pictured happened and she ......well she blaims herself.

Searching For David's Heart.......2006-12-07

This is a great book if you like sad books then this is your kind of book.A young girl her brother dies wile they were fighting.She fills horrible.So she takes her friend on ana adventure of a life time.If you want to find out what happens then read this adventuires book.

The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas

Average customer rating:

A superlative tale of the Great Lakes
"We are the earth-divers, and the world is made of stories."
Engrossing and Enlightening Book
Delightful
the best of the lakes!

The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas
Jerry Dennis
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Lakes & Ponds | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0312331037

Book Description

This is the most complete book ever written about the history, nature, and science of the remarkable Great Lakes. From the geological forces that formed them to the greatest environ-mental success stories of our time, Jerry Dennis portrays the lakes in all their complexity. This is the story of the lakes as told to the author by biologists, fishermen, and sailors. It is also a narrative of a six-week voyage through the lakes and beyond as a crewmember on a tallmasted schooner, and a memoir of a lifetime spent on and near the lakes. The result is a meditation on nature and our place in the world, a cautionary tale about the future of water resources, and a celebration of a place that is both fragile and robust, diverse, rich in history and wildlife, often misunderstood, and worthy of our attention.

Customer Reviews:

A superlative tale of the Great Lakes.......2007-09-18

As a displaced Michigander, I am often amazed that westerners are almost completely unfamiliar with the Great Lakes. This book would be best enjoyed by those familiar with the region. But even the less familiar will enjoy the gripping adventure found in the many anecdotes offered here. I am on my second read and can't believe how much I had forgotten from my first read. There are stories that will nearly bring you to tears (the near disaster on the day of the Edmund Fitz sinking) and some that will simply amaze. This should be required reading for all school children from this region. Those less fortunate who live elsewhere will still enjoy the enlightening read. And while it certainly encourages protection of the lakes, I didn't find it preachy. It is a very objective book and doesn't dwell too much on the environment.

If there is a better book on the great lakes I haven't found it.

"We are the earth-divers, and the world is made of stories.".......2006-02-13

An enthusiastic outdoorsman, Dennis has written a comprehensive book on the Great Lakes from the perspective of personal experience, scientific data and historical background. He describes the area in its early pristine beauty, from the Indian tribes to the first European settlers and the dawning of industrialization that almost destroyed this natural preserve of geology, flora, fauna and indigenous species. With attention to the tales of the past, Dennis writes of the gradual evolution of natural beauty into a vast resource for lumber, farm products, shipping and related industries, including the influx of a population that has grown around opportunity, all imbued with the awesome grandeur of these vast bodies of water.

On a four-week voyage through the Great Lakes, Dennis views the area from the water, as opposed to his many travels along the shorelines, the exhausting, but fulfilling days on board filled with the lore of the sea, new friendships make while sailing and the eccentric individuals met along the way. Couched in contemporary terms, the author speaks of the past with reverence, his love of history enhanced by regional details, tales of shipwrecks and the personal observations of a man with great reverence for the bounty of this immense body of water and those who live on the miles of coastline that make up the Great Lakes. History is tangible in Dennis's work, impossible to ignore as the men navigate from one lake to another, reminded daily of the pitfalls of ignoring nature and the pleasures of communing with the elements.

The comprehensive chapters cover: Lake Michigan, from land and water; the Straights of Mackinac; Lake Superior, canoeing, the early voyagers, surviving storms; Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and the wilderness; St. Claire River; Lake Ontario, the Erie Canal and the Hudson River. Each chapter addresses relevant information but is complemented by stories, for example, the "White City" constructed in Jackson Park for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the disappearance of an entire fishing village on the shores of lake Michigan, victim of "walking dunes", Sault Ste. Marie and the rapids of the St. Mary's and The Soo Locks. His eye on an ever-changing environment, Dennis paints a fascinating portrait of nature's bounty in the Great Lakes, past and present, ever vigilant for the dangers of pollution, overuse and the avarice of industrialization: "Bracketed by mysteries, adrift, alone, despairing of our ignorance, we turn to the physical because there, at least, we can know a thing for certain." This is out legacy and the key to the future of a national treasure. Luan Gaines/ 2006.

Engrossing and Enlightening Book.......2005-10-19

I really enjoyed this book because it covers a wide range of topics from sailing to environmentalism to North American history to geology.

As a lifelong citizen of the Great Lakes in Rochester, NY and Chicago, IL, I was surprised at how much I didn't already know -- and that the book taught me.

Delightful.......2005-06-03

Purchased the book because I'm considering a retirement along Lake Ontario and am an avid sailor. The book is centered around the relocation of a Ferro cement schooner from Michigan through the lakes to Lake Ontario, onward down the Hudson and around New England. Along the journey, are many mini stories added for each lake taken from a combination of personal adventures, history and many interesting collection of facts coveraging a wide range of subjects from geology, their early exploration, later exploitation and related environmental problems. My only mild dissapointment is there was not more on Lake Ontario. The trip ends in along the coast of Maine where I was raised. It's a delightful book.

the best of the lakes!.......2004-06-17

I am (like many of those that have written reviews) a native Michigander. However, I am now living in upstate New York, which despite being part of the Great Lakes lacks the appreciation for the lakes that midwesterners have. This book is a must read for anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to grow up surrounded by the greatest natural wonder in the world. This book highlights not only the natural history of the lakes, but the social and environmental legacy of humankind in the lakes. For those who were lucky enough to spend time sailing, swimming, hiking, and otherwise enjoying the Great Lakes, this book will sweep you back in time to the lazy summers of youth (or retirement, as the case may be!) and remind you of why you love the Great Lakes.

Magnificent Corpses: Searching Through Europe for St. Peter's Head, St. Claire's Heart, St. Stephen's Hand, and Other Saintly Relics

Average customer rating:

Morbidly Fascinating
It has all the elements of a good read, but....
Good moments, but an overall disappointing journey
dreadful waste of time and trees
UNBECOMING

Magnificent Corpses: Searching Through Europe for St. Peter's Head, St. Claire's Heart, St. Stephen's Hand, and Other Saintly Relics
Anneli Rufus
Manufacturer: Marlowe & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1569246874

Amazon.com

Travel with Anneli Rufus as she visits St. Anthony's jawbone, shriveled tongue, and vocal cords. Critically acclaimed author Rufus weaves a hair-raising travelogue out of 28 visits to garlanded skulls, disembodied hands, and fully clad mummies in towns and villages across Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Denmark, England, and France. Each tale is a literary gem as well as a wonderment of miracles attributed to the living saints and their corporeal remains. Known as an impassioned preacher and miracle maker during his life, after his death in 1231 his tomb was repeatedly reopened for relics. At one point, his tongue was reported to still be living and was placed on display. In 1981, his vocal cords were found still fresh! Incredible reports like these and the high quality of Rufus's narrative craftsmanship win Magnificent Corpses my vote for the most entertaining metaphysical read of the summer. --Randall Cohan

Book Description

Holy relics -- the bodily remains of saints and other sacred figures -- were for centuries the most revered objects in the Western world, at center-stage in Europe's great churches and cathedrals. Today some relics have been shunted to side chapels and dark crypts, yet many continue to draw prayerful pilgrims, as they have for centuries, seeking solace, inspiration, and signs of miracles. In Magnificent Corpses, Anneli Rufus recounts her visits to 18 of Europe's most significant relics. With an engaging mix of history and personal narrative, Rufus tells their secret stories and, along the way, revisits with a fresh eye the compelling accounts of the saints whose physical bodies the relics represent.

Customer Reviews:

Morbidly Fascinating .......2005-12-11

Though I'm not a Roman Catholic, neither is the author of this book (she's a Jew) and I found it fascinating to read. Her descriptions of the lives of these "saints" and how their remains are displayed for adoration are vivid and remarkable. The one thing I wish this book had was a collection of photos. If photos of the dead are in bad taste, at least some pictures of the chapels and scenes mentioned would have been nice. Great book.

It has all the elements of a good read, but...........2005-04-09

this book definitely starts out with a great idea - namely to travel to some of the great pilgrimage sites in Europe and discuss the holy relics found there. I was, at the beginning of the book, quite interested, but when the author began to use some sort of literary devices to almost poke fun the subject, I became increasingly annoyed. The first evidence of this was in a discussion of the life of St. Ursula where the author finds it necessary to paint a vision of all of the menstrual blood which must have flowed from the virgin companions of St. Ursula. It really was an unnecessary comment, which I believe was only intended to provoke. I was also annoyed at the various descriptions of the pilgrims/tourists to the various shrines. The author only seemed to comment on the tourists who were not dressed in a manner not appropriate for churches or pilgrimage sites or ones who perhaps did not show enough respect with their gestures and actions. She really seemed to feed on this and it was interesting that such a comment was made at the end of each chapter in an attempt to be anti-climactic. I don't really think her intention here was to scandalize the relics, but decry the amount of respect they are given. However, I think that she may have done this in a more balanced way by also commenting on the pious pilgrims who came to visit the shrines. In a sense, she is really insulting the towns, cities and ciizens of such where these relics are housed.

Overall, there are better reads on this subject than this book, but it is an entertaining account of a rather ancient and interesting devotion.

Good moments, but an overall disappointing journey.......2004-07-01

There's no question that the ancient practice of venerating relics is hard for modern readers to understand. Any discussion of this topic is going to flounder without a strong historical analysis and discussion of how this practice came into being.

Unfortunately, the author gives only the most basic of background information, devoting the majority of her time to journalistic-style reporting of her visits to the various shrines throughout Europe. Her book is essentially a travelogue, with stories of the saints' live thrown in for background. While it's certainly her choice to approach the topic in this way, it does its readers a great disservice. Bottom line, the story of relics is far too complex to treat so superficially. The book ends up making ancient believers -- and even modern Catholics, who admire these saints -- look like idiotic fools. I wish the author had gone more deeply into the emotional resonance of these saints. Clearly, their lives and stories touch an emotional, deeply human chord; this is part of the reason why the Catholic tradition has remained alive throughout the centuries.

Her way of reporting on her visits also strikes me as dishonest. She does something that many authors do: she'll describe the details of an experience with a supposedly dispassionate eye, just reporting the facts, in an effort to maintain objectivity. But the details that she includes -- and the way she describes them -- give a clear indication of her bias. For example, she describes tourists as giggling while they light candles at the shrines, and on more than one occasion she reports well-dressed women breezing in to say prayers, and then breezing out again. The implied message seems to be that no truly honest spiritual person would be drawn to these shrines. It's much better when she actually admits to her own struggles with certain saints and their lives, seeing them as unhealthy zealots. While I don't agree with a lot of these observations, it strikes me as being a much more honest way of writing than her pseudo-objectivity.

There is some beautiful writing throughout, and the few chapters that are written with sensitivity and without cynicism -- such as the one on poor little St. Germaine of France -- are in fact moving. But on the whole, I felt that this book missed the opportunity to actually do what travel writing is supposed to do: truly explore unfamiliar terrain. In this case, the terrain is the human soul. Maybe that's why the author took the easy road out.

dreadful waste of time and trees.......2004-03-26

This dreadful book is so fraught with errors that it is stunning - a veritable work of art in the dubious category of bad writing. The prose is stiff at best, the attitude is undeservedly condescending, and many of the details that are presented as "fact" can easily be found to be wrong.
I have read this book and all of the reviews posted with great interest. I am interested to find that there are essentially two camps - those find this book's tone (and facts) to be irresponsible and/or misleading, and those who eagerly swallow everything that the author asserts. The author's own response to the reviewer from Denton, TX reveals her arrogance and ignorance of the issues. As Ms. Rufus is not even able to grasp the points made by the reviewer, it underscores her abject inability to write on this topic in an intelligent and informed manner. Sure, she asserts that she is a "traveller" not a scholar (that is apparant!), but she has the audacity to write a book on a topic that she does not even seem interested in researching - shame on you, Anneli Rufus - your readers deserve better. You have insulted your readers by implying that they are too stupid or too lazy to care about your gross inaccuracies. There are way too many books out there to bother reading trash like this!!!!!!!!!!!!

UNBECOMING.......2002-12-31

"Magnificent Corpses", by Anneli Rufus, sub-titled, " Searching Through Europe For St. Peter's Head, St. Chiara's Heart, St. Stephen's Hand And Other Saints' Relics". Marlowe & Company, New York, 1999.

According to her "Introduction", Anneli Rufus was a Jewish child who was always intrigued by the practice of the collection and veneration of relics in the Christian church. As a child, she liked to read the Lives of the Saints. Her book is not just an unbeliever's examination of the idiosyncrasies of the Faithful in the belief in the efficacy of relics. Her writing is so unbecoming that it borders, in my opinion, on being nasty. In her first chapter, "So Many Maidens", on St. Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins, she writes about the maidens: "...so much long silky hair and so many quarts of menstrual blood". (Page 12). Unbecoming! In writers' conferences, I have been taught that every written word should advance your central theme. What do "...quarts of menstrual blood" have to do with incorruptible corpses scattered as relics a round Europe? Where was the author's editor? Nasty.

This tone of writing continues throughout. Later in the book the author describes being assailed by bad breath in one church. Personally, I have encountered bad breath on the subways of NYC and in the underground of London, but I do not think that descriptions of these encounters would advance a written travelogue on these two tourist cities. In describing the clothes tourists wear, the author makes a case for some formal tourist dress code, particularly, perhaps, for American tourists, but, then again, does this advance the central theme of the book? What does the dress of the visitors has to do with the practice of dismembering the bodies of Saints so that each little village can have their own relic? Where was the editor?

Book Description

The unique culture of Iran and the sweep of its history are revealed in this evocative travelogue of an American family searching for a lost friend in the country of their youth.

Growing up in Tehran in the 1960s, Terence Ward and his brothers were watched over by Hassan, the family’s cook, housekeeper, and cultural guide. After an absence of forty years, Ward embarked on a pilgrimage with his family in search of Hassan. Taking us across the landscape of Iran, he plumbs its unimaginably rich past, explores its deep conflicts with its Arab neighbors, and anticipates the new “Great Game” now being played out in central Asia. Insightful, informative, and moving, Searching for Hassan enhances our understanding of the Middle East with the story of a family who came to love and admire Iran through their deep affection for its people.

Customer Reviews:

a accurate portrayal and a touching narrative.......2007-05-12

Searching for Hassan is a beautiful historical, sociopolitical and personal journey through the Iranian landscape, and from a neutral vantage point no less. Terence Ward's writing is brilliant, well researched and a pleasure to read.

WOW.......2007-04-18

As an American growing up in Iran during the 60's and 70's it was as though I was reading my own biography. I could not believe that Terence had captured so many of my own memories on paper. There were many times while reading the book that I teared up.

Thank you for such a wonderful book. I loved every minute of it and hope Mr. Ward has more stories to tell in the future!

Slightly Unbelievable but Good.......2007-03-06

How is it that mom, dad and their 4 grown sons, living in different parts of the country and world, can all get together, leave their jobs and homes and go to Iran on vacation? All at the same time! To me, that was a stretch too good to be true but made the story better. Money for this adventure was not an object either. The story was good, the purpose was clear, but the Hassan story could have been told in a third the pages. The bulk of the book is Iranian history and geography, which was very well done but could have been a separate travel book. The bond with the servants was touching and the memories touching.

When in Iran, "expect to suffer from excessive hospitality".......2006-04-09

Amazon's "Better Together" recommender worked well here: I read "Searching for Hassan" after reading Firoozeh Dumas' charming memoir "Funny in Farsi." Terence Ward's "Hassan" is a compelling read, especially the chapter "Appointment in Tudeshk" which thrillingly recounts the Ward family's reunion with the Ghasemi family after 29 years apart. I'll sheepishly tell you that I skimmed some of Mr. Ward's erudite sidebars about certain long-ago aspects of Persian history and focused on his more recent accountings of the days of the Shah, the transition to theocratic rule and life since the revolution. But the recounting of the trip itself is pure magic, as are Mr. Ward's remembrances of Hassan and Fatimeh Ghasemi. You can clearly see why these two inspired such devotion from the Ward family.

A couple of quick observations:

1. The Iranian people - as a whole - are incredible hosts. As the author notes at one point: "Expect to suffer from excessive hospitality." Never have a people been so misrepresented in the mainstream press.

2. Conventional wisdom to the contrary, the Ward family feels that the Iranian people - as a whole - have faired better under theocratic rule than under the Shah (the poverty witnessed by the author's parents pre-Revolution appears - under observation - to be not as widespread or abject). Again, this is their observation and opinion.

3. You get a sense of the lost opportunity of the reformers. The Wards' trip comes on the heels of the election of the then-Prime Minister Khatami, and the sense of promise is palpable throughout the country. Not without reason, thanks to his good looks, stylishness and Western manners (fluent in English and German, for example), Khatami is described as "our country's JFK." Looking back at this now in 2006 with the reform movement clearly set back in the last election, one can't help but be disheartened. I'm sure the author feels the same way.

Appreciation Works Wonders.......2005-03-23

The best feature of this story is the author's sense of appreciation. Returning to the land of his childhood after 30 years, Ward is filled with appreciation for all places, characters and canundrums he meets. Where suspicion commonly reigns between Americans and Iranians, Ward's infectious appreciation opens door after door -- to enjoyment, insight and friendship.

The Heart of a Family: Searching America for New Traditions That Fulfill Us

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HEALING A BROKEN HOME
Very inspiring ideas to help shape the identity of a family.
Affecting, involving, inspiring
inspirational ideas for all of us who keep family first
A perfect holiday book for anyone who celebrates family life

The Heart of a Family: Searching America for New Traditions That Fulfill Us
Meg Cox
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679448632
Release Date: 1998-09-29

Amazon.com

What do people remember about their childhood? What builds a family? What holds families together? Author Meg Cox asserts that the heart of a family is ritual and tradition. Rituals mark the rhythms in our lives, so in a changing society with changing family structures, families need to find or create rituals that have meaning for them. Cox, a reporter and editor for 17 years, quit her job at the Wall Street Journal to research modern rituals and traditions. The result is a well-written, smart, and helpful guide for families seeking to create meaningful traditions of their own. Cox explores alternative versions of old holiday rituals, gives advice on creating new traditions, and discusses ways to improve stale traditions when the heart has gone out of them. She describes daily family rituals (a nightly wind down before bedtime, locking pinkies when promises are made), large-scale family festivities (celebrating "Adoption Day," family reunions, blow-out holiday extravaganzas), and rites of passage (a girl's first period, milestone birthdays), as well as modern takes on the traditions of many religions and cultures. The Heart of a Family is an intelligent book, free from sentimentality and full of intriguing ideas. --Ericka Lutz

Book Description

Parents today face an uphill battle: How can they make a haven of home and create treasured traditions when family time is besieged on every side? As a new mother, Meg Cox faced these concerns and began a quest to find new   traditions powerful enough to compete with the distractions and dislocations of contemporary life.  In this warm and wise book, Meg Cox shares what she found on her search and introduces us to the families who taught her. She learned what sorts of rituals help hold families together, from grand holiday bashes to everyday bedtime routines, and why they have such a lasting impact on children, guiding them safely through crucial transitions and reinforcing a sense of identity.

Meg Cox interviewed more than two hundred diverse families for this book, and found they are not only celebrating milestones and holidays in distinctive ways but also using ritual effectively in every phase of their lives, from the practical to the whimsical. She tells the story of Suzy Kellett, who raised quadruplets on her own and used rituals to keep the family close. In Merchantsville, N.J., the Lynch family has a "Happiness Party" when everyone is down in the dumps, and Mary Sutton of Wyoming made up a seatbelt-buckling ritual after the family was in a minor car accident. There are rituals here that break up sibling fights, scare away under-the-bed monsters, make an adopted child feel cherished, and celebrate a girl's first period.

Cox's reporting brings us new versions of favorite holiday traditions, as well as fresh rituals tailor-made for the demands of contemporary life. She gives valuable advice on creating new traditions from scratch, and also talks candidly about ritual's potential pitfalls, explaining when and how rituals should be changed or dropped.  The " Heart of a Family is a joyous, welcoming, but always realistic book, full of activities and ideas that have been road-tested in the tumult of daily family experience. It will enrich your family life for years to come.

Customer Reviews:

HEALING A BROKEN HOME.......2000-11-28

When I divorced my husband, I was looking for ways to heal my family and to provide additional support for the challenges children of divorce face. This is a wonderful book and has ideas for every type of family. The ideas cover every day activities as well as holidays, and includes great ideas for extraordinary days to be recognized as children grow up and face their own trials. The "how to" do your own traditions is effective and powerful. I have been divorced two years now and feel happy and confident that my family will be okay. The rituals and traditions we are building have healed and strengthened our bonds as a family. By the way, during the divorce I went to a child psychologist for advice on my children's welfare. All of her suggestions sounded so familiar, I asked if she had read this book. She had and uses it as a key reference for counselling families.

Very inspiring ideas to help shape the identity of a family........1999-03-17

Meg Cox's Book, "The Heart of a Family," is among my all-time favorites in my collection of family life books. Many of our family's traditions are accounted in "The Heart of a Family" but in reading it I discovered the power and significance of keeping traditions all over again. I couldn't put it down.

I appreciated the diversity represented as traditions are never "one size fits all." Meg's approach is merely to paint a picture of what other families are doing, not to promote specific ways of doing things and that is very effective. I enjoyed the mix of special occasion and holiday traditions as well as day-to-day rituals and also was inspired to try some new ideas with our family of four teens.

I wish this book had been available when our children were young as many of the ideas of the other families seem so meaningful as well as a lot of fun. It is hard to start TOO many new ways of doing thing with teenagers! I highly recommend it to all families, especially those with young children as a powerful tool to help shape the identity of a family. L'Tishia Suk

Affecting, involving, inspiring.......1999-02-23

God But I Loved This Book! I have no idea why it affected me so powerfully but I was nearly in tears in the first thirty pages. Maybe the book tapped into my deepest memories of rituals from my childhood. Maybe it was a lack of rituals I was lamenting. Perhaps it's the new rituals my wife and I are creating in our new home and in our new marriage. Regardless, I found myself reliving moments from my past and I was very moved. There were so many beautiful stories and thoughtful ideas in the book. I wanted to meet many of the people who contributed their rituals. The way the author weaves herself and her own story into the book made it so much more accessible than it would have been otherwise. It gave the book a soft but strong spine. Well-written, well-designed, and rich with practical ideas, this book can help any family to deepen the bonds between its members and infuse the mundane events of everyday life with special, long-lasting meaning.

inspirational ideas for all of us who keep family first.......1999-01-01

Ms. Cox has provided a solid foundation to describe what makes families special and why rituals are the bedrock of our greatest moments of closeness within the family circle. As a single mother, I was thrilled to discover so many easy and practical ways to create meaningful moments in the lives of my children while still giving them the opportunity to create and influence the process of family unity in a sometimes hostile world. This book is a must for all parents who feel strongly about keeping their children involved in family life because it reminds us of the basics: you can not create a perfect world for your children but you can give them a loving family to support them throughout their lives. This book provides ways to achieve a united and joyful family without being preachy or making you feel that you must follow some prescribed list of activities.

A perfect holiday book for anyone who celebrates family life.......1998-12-10

The Heart of the Family is a delightful read--and the perfect book for anyone who celebrates any and every kind of event and builds tradition around such celebrations. It is the perfect holiday gift and a great tension reliever for those you know who devote time and energy to entertaining others and making special days and events even more special. As an added bonus, family has all sorts of meaning for Cox and she portrays all sorts of families and their particular traditions, many of which they have created for themselves. A feel good book with depth and insight.

Average customer rating:

A Searching Heart (Prairie Legacy #2)
Janette Oke
Manufacturer: Bantam Doubleday Direct
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 1581650744

$Searching For Friday\'s Child$
Average customer rating:

Touching and True
Sister searches for brother
A family's quest to ascertain the status of a WWII POW
Riverting and sentimental
Riverting and sentimental

Searching For Friday\'s Child
Marjorie Irish Randell
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1553694953
Release Date: 2006-07-06

Book Description

Searching for Friday's Child is the story of one young man and the closeness he shared with his family...a closeness which held them all together throughout the harrowing days of World War II in spite of their separation by many geographical miles.
Howard Irish, graduated less than a year from Michigan State College is called to active duty with the Coast Artillery branch of the Army in May of 1941. In August he is sent to the Philippine Islands in the Pacific to what seems at the time to be a country club assignment. Corregidor Island, lush and tropical, is filled with enviable recreational pursuits, friends, servants. Life takes on a relaxed easy air. Howard notes, however, that the West Point graduates who are his superior officers are much more sharp than any he has served under heretofore. Undercurrents of impending war causes him to naively think..."we sorta wish that if a war is going to start it would hurry up because it wouldn't take long." Howard enjoys many aspects of the Philippines but he misses his family and the girl he left behind who had so desperately wanted to marry him before he left.
Howard writes long detailed letters home to his family and girlfriend. His mother saved all of his letters. After December 7, 1941 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and portions of the Philippine Islands she had no information at all as to what had happened to her son. She wrote tirelessly to anyone who might know him or know someone who might possibly have come in contact with him. More than fifty years later Howard's sister opens the letters, telegrams and clippings her mother saved and finds herself compelled to continue her mother's pursuit for information.
Searching for Friday's Child chronicles Howard's story in unexpected and rewarding ways. A story to touch your heart and remember.

Customer Reviews:

Touching and True.......2007-02-10

Howard "Jack" Irish was born to Michigan farm life. His family was close, his friends were true. He was a 4H lad, strong and faithful. He went to college, joined the ROTC and was drafted after he graduated in May of 1941. He was commissioned a lieutenant after training and sent to the Philippines. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December and all of a sudden Jack's sweet duty in the tropics evaporated like steam on hot pavement.

Jack saw action on Corrigador before he was captured by the Japanese. He endured life as a POW as well as anybody could, but sadly he lost his life in September of 1944, while being transported along with 749 other prisoners of war on the Japanese freighter Shinyo Maru. The Shinyo Maru was torpedoed by the USS Paddle. The sub's commander had no way of knowing the POWs were on board.

It all happened so long ago, but Marjorie makes it seem like only yesterday, so timeless is her writing. Jack was her brother and she lovingly tells this story through the numerous letters written by Jack to his family and friends before the war, the all to brief correspondence between Jack and his family after his family discovers he has been taken prisoner and the volume of letters between Jack's mother and different officials as she relentlessly sought to find out what happened to her son.

This book is so well crafted that at times it seemed as if I was reading a novel as I read the night away. I should have read the book long ago and I'm ashamed to say that that I did not, for you see, Marjorie's Uncle Ray was my grandfather. So many of the characters in her book have passed away, as has my father, Jack's cousin, who fortunately survived the war. Soon all the people from that time will have passed this mortal coil, but thanks to people like Marjorie Randall, who can tell a story without making it seem like dry history, there will be those of us left behind who remember.

Sister searches for brother.......2003-06-08

I just finished reading Searching for Friday's Child for the second time. Each time I couldn't put it down until I finished.
Searching for Friday's Child is more than a portrait of an intelligent sensitive young man, it is a book about warm human relationships. Although Jack, a prisoner of war being transported from one Philippine Island to another or perhaps to Japan by the Japanese aboard the Shinyu Maru, died in his early twenties (a result of the torpedoing of the Shinyu Maru by an American submarine toward the end of Second World War), he lives in this book! It is clear from his letters to his family, his girlfriend and to his friends that we all lost a person who had much to offer to those he loved and cared about and to society.
Jack's words, through his letters, show us that he had a gift for writing and storytelling, as does the author, his younger sister. Searching for Friday's Child tells us of the author's emotional journey to find her brother, to discover things about him she hadn't known before, on an intimate level that I haven't found in any other memoir, autobiography or biography about the courageous soldiers of World War II. I highly recommend this book.
Nancy Sampson, Woodbridge, VA

A family's quest to ascertain the status of a WWII POW.......2003-03-29

I read this book in the past few days, only days after the beginning of America's 3/03 war with Iraq, which may be a partial explanation of why I found "Searching for Friday's Child" such a compelling read.

The book begins with the author's recollection of growing up on a Michigan farm, with her parents, and her brother, "Jack", four years her senior. We are then provided with copies of her brother's letters to home, and to his girlfriend, while he attends Michigan State College, when he is called into the Army Air Corps, from bootcamp, then when he is sent to the Philippines only months prior to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 and Japan's simultaneous attack on the Philippines.

As of 12/7/41, the letters from Jack stop, and we are treated with reply letters to Jack's family from U.S. military, the Red Cross, etc., as the family is desparately trying to find out what's happened to Jack, with the advent of the US/Japanese war. Subsequently, the family learns Jack is a POW in the Philippines, but they cannot find out how he is, whether he is alive, healthy, or been a victim of the myriad of attrocities committed by the Japanese solders in the Philippines upon our servicemen, as well as the Filipinos.

Jack's family is advised of the POW camp within which Jack is held, and advised they should continue to write Jack as he may receive their letters. They do continue to write, but have no way of ascertaining if Jack is receiving any of their letters. After several months, they receive the first of about four "postcards" from Jack, from the POW camp, but these tell little of Jack, as little can be said due to censorship by his captors.

Ultimately, the family is informed that Jack was aboard a Japanese ship, one of 750 POWs being transported in September 1944 by the Japanese to another island, or perhaps Japan, that on September 7, 1944, that ship is torpedoed by the US during which 83 POW's swim to shore and are rescued by Filipinos, and ultimately returned to the US. Unfortunately, Jack was not one of the lucky ones. Thereafter, he is listed as Missing In Action(MIA), and again the family has no way of knowing if Jack is alive or dead, whether he drowned, was shot by the Japanese, who were murdering all visible POWs after the torpedo struck, or whether he somehow survived.

We are then treated to many letters from several surviving POWs, some who knew Jack, were his friends at the POW camp.

This is a wonderful historical account of a family's desparate, yet compassionate, attempts to try to find out about Jack's well-being, his life during those years, anything to fill the gaps. It begins primarily with the efforts of Jack's mother, but is continued with those of the author, his younger sister, efforts which continued all the way up the late 1990's, over fifty years after WWII.

We are treated to the insights of several POW's, their own accounts of life in a Japanese POW camp, their accounts of life with Jack, Jack's excellent accomplishments in the Army Air Corps, his unique skills with operating anti-aircraft artillery, his command's success is shooting down 15 Japanese aircraft, which as I recall, was a record during the war.

By the time one completes Searching for Friday's Child, one feels one knows Jack Irish, his mother, father, and certainly his sister, the author, she who joined the U.S. Marines Reserves during WWII. One is certainly treated to a wonderful account of a close-knit family's quest during unimaginable times of the tragedies of war.

This is a wonderful read. I highly recommend it.

Regards,

Frank Rankin
Sacramento, CA

Riverting and sentimental.......2003-01-12

Marjorie Randell's recollection of her life growing up in a close-knit family on a Michigan farm, and her subsequent heartbreak of losing her brother and the search for meaning in his death is both sentimental and memorable. She captures the innocence of the mid-West that was torn apart as her brother, and other small town boys, were thrust into the horrors of war. The story shifts with her brothers letters - both from his service days, and then more harrowing,when he was a POW. Through his letters, we see a boy turn into a man, and at age 23, we see how his death aboard a Japanese war ship at the hands of American bombers brought agony and questions to a family back home. Sweet recollections of an innocent time lost, and the loyalty of a sister that looks for answers, even 60 years later.

Riverting and sentimental.......2003-01-12

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