The Pursuit of Marriage

Book Description

What lengths would a young lady go to in her pursuit of the perfect match?

And how far would a gentleman go to stop her?

Cassandra Effington is one of the most delicious debutantes to ever waltz across a London ballroom. But while her identical twin sister Delia is now wed, Cassandra is still unclaimed, and everyone agrees her standards are entirely too high. So how could she possibly lose a most unseemly wager with the handsome, scandalous Viscount Berkley? The proposition: She will find him an ideal bride well before he finds her the perfect match.

But Lord Berkley intends to be very hard to please. He's already chosen the right woman, and no lady Cassandra puts forward to him will be perfect enough save the luscious Cassandra herself. And he'll do whatever it takes to make certain no gentleman he introduces her to is enticing enough, until she realizes that the perfect object in her pursuit of marriage is none other than the viscount himself.

Customer Reviews:

Not the best Alexander book out there.......2006-07-21

I have read several Victoria Alexander books and I have to say that this one was just not that great. While it did make me laugh out loud a few times, Reggie, the main male character, was less than inspiring. I found him to be wishy-washy and weaker than most of Alexander's characters usually are. He seems to have way too much dialog examining the fact that he has been in love more times than he can count but how this time is different. But he can never actually say why this time is different and I guess I never believed him or really cared for that matter. In fact, some of the supporting characters seemed much more interesting than Reggie and I was hoping Cassandra would fall for one of those people instead.

All in all I like Alexander's books but this is not one of her best. I would recommend the Prince's Bride or When We Meet Again instead of this one.

Started with a bang, then died with a whimper.......2006-04-11

I'll admit that I came into reading this book with a bit of a jaundiced eye, as I'd already been disappointed by THE LADY IN QUESTION, the book that preceded this one. While THE PURSUIT OF MARRIAGE is part of a series, it should be noted that it can stand on its own.

But not well. The book started off with a bang, with lots of humor and witty verbal sparring between Cassie and Reggie. What romance reader doesn't enjoy that? Also, this wasn't a story that relied on lust to bring the characters together. However, this book was more about a battle of wits than about true attraction, which doesn't really work in a romance.

The wager between the two character was so interesting, and all of the meddling relatives just made it that much more fun. Until the book reached the halfway mark. Reggie realizes he's in love. Cassie realizes she's in love. But can either of them act like it? No! They just continue playing their silly mind games with each other. This got old really fast. I mean, what's more important: finding true love or winning some stupid bet? I wanted these two to get their priorities straight.

I cheated and skimmed to see if it got any better, but instead, it got much worse. Their encounters get more and more intimate, yet still neither one will let go of their pride and just admit that they love each other. They even end up making love and still won't communicate their true feelings. It was getting ridiculous! I was starting to wonder what it would take for these two to stop being so bull-headed.

If you like stories where foolish pride keeps people apart for waaaay too long, then you might enjoy this. If you prefer stories where the characters act like rational adults, I suggest you skip this one. So far, the only book by this author that I enjoyed was THE PRINCE'S BRIDE. The four books I've tried since then have all been dissapointing. There will be no more Victoria Alexander books for me.

The worst of the The Effington Series. .......2006-03-15

'The Pursuit of Marriage' by Victoria Alexander is not my favorite of the Effington series. This was the story of Cassie Effington the twin sister of Delia from `The Lady on Question' novel. Cassie and Reggie (Lord Berkley) make a wager that they can find each other perfect match. This book has some great moments but over all it was very boring. I would skip this novel and just know they get together - it has no importance in the series.

Not one of Victoria Alexander's best stories.......2006-02-11

Prim and proper Cassandra Effington does not like rakes. Their carefree ways and desire to do no more than flirt with the ladies is the complete opposite of everything she looks for in a man. She is a driven woman, more interested in her career of decorating manors than in finding a husband. However when she takes her latest position, things begin to change.

Lord Berkley loves his life as it is, but his mother is bound to marry him off. When she calls him to her bedside claiming to be near death, she extracts a promise from him to have his town house redone, by none other than Cassie. Sparks fly at their first meeting, but she wants nothing to do with him. He needs to prove himself to her. They make a pact to find each other's perfect mate, but neither expects that the perfect couple will be Cassie and Berkley themselves.

This story did absolutely nothing for this reviewer. The plot line was thin and not engaging enough to keep her interest through the final pages. The idea of the marriage wager between the two adversaries, Cassie and Berkley is an appealing one, or it should be. However, it failed to keep the initial appeal of the premise. This reader finally hung it up a little more than halfway through the book, unable to stand to read even one more page due to sheer boredom.

The characters are not as well developed as is expected from a Victoria Alexander novel. Cassie's biggest issue is the fact she is convinced that getting involved with a rake will do nothing but cause a huge scandal. Yet readers never really get a full understanding of why she is convinced this is the case. Chemistry between the players is lacking as well. All of the witty repartee shared between the two, and the interest in each other falls flat. There is no real emotion in their interactions and the byplay feels forced and stilted.

The Pursuit of Marriage by Victoria Alexander is by no means one of her better efforts, but die hard fans will enjoy it nonetheless.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, January 2006. All rights reserved.

It's Hard Not To Smile While Reading This Book..........2006-01-03

I have read a few books by Ms. Alexander this past year, including "When We Meet Again"(good), "The Marriage Bargain" (excellent), "The Husband List" (not bad) and "The Lady in Question" (pretty good).

All of her books are entertaining, lively and contain great dialogue and banter. I never purchase her books for sexy love scenes or wildly adventurous hero's and heroines. Rather...I buy them as I know I'll always get a novel that contains a solid plot line, interesting and charismatic lead characters and a worthy ending. I really like the way this author writes and I can always count on a fun read. The Effington family seems to be her main scenario as I think all the books I have read so far have revolved around someone in this family line. Fortunately, all the females in this family are spunky, bright and intelligent and the men equally appealing.

Although I would not consider this one of my favorite books of all time, it was interesting reading about Cassie since I had just finished The Lady in Question - which was about Delia - the other twin.

I got a kick out of this story and how Cassie and Reggie meet - tell one another boldly that they are not right for the other - yet...cannot get away for the irresistible attraction they feel for one another. The story develops as Reggie and Cassie bet that they can find the correct mate for the other - Lord Perfect for Cassie and Miss Wonderful for Reggie. The story takes twists and turns as they seek out the right mate for each other, yet secretly believe they have found that in each other. I liked that all the side characters - Reggie's best friend Marcus, Cassie's sister and brothers and both of their mothers are all involved on the side in bringing these two together yet...they don't know it. I liked the twist in that Reggie was always falling in love with the gals (instead of being the usual sexy and moody male lead who loves and leaves them all) yet...they never returned his feelings as he declared himself too soon. He was the Casanova of his time. He reformed himself for Cassie and it was a delight to see him develop as a person and realize that real love is deeper and more true than he has ever experienced before. Cassie in turn gets off her lofty perch looking for the perfect man and realizes the ones with some slight flaws and odd quirks can simply be the most interesting and appealing in the end. Perfection is not all it's cut out to be. Reggie is perfection without being perfect she finds out.

IIt's hard not to smile at the Ladies Society for The Betterment of The Future of Great Britian - a batch of mothers and grandmothers desperate for their young sons and daughters to get hitched instead of staying single too long. They want children and they will make sure it happens!!! So far...they made three love matches happen and hope Cassie and Reggie will be number four! Stand by to see if it works!

Oh..the fun never ends when it involves an Effington gal. Pick this one up...you are bound to enjoy the beginning, middle and ending of this story. Happy reading!!

Pursuits of Happiness: The Hollywood Comedy of Remarriage (Harvard Film Studies)

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How bright I am
A great book for lovers of classical American movies.
A critical appreciation of film's greatest romantic comedies

Pursuits of Happiness: The Hollywood Comedy of Remarriage (Harvard Film Studies)
Stanley Cavell
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 067473906X

Customer Reviews:

How bright I am.......2004-06-25

This book is not for filmgoers. Its focus is geared to the elite and erudite college student who will be impressed by name dropping of prominent philosophers in Western Lit. To be polite, it is dripping in stream-of-consciousness commentary that wreaks of self-indulgence, suggesting adult attention deficit problems. It is not uncommon to find sentences in excess of 50 words long, that if grammatically diagrammed would make Watson and Crick's double helix look like a straight arrow. Save time and save money. The clip art of movie scenes is primitive and should have been a clue as to the author's intent. A great disappointment.

A great book for lovers of classical American movies........1997-12-29

The goal of this book is to show that the classic American film comedies of the 30's and 40's are worthy of the best criticism. The author succeeds. If you love movies, and want to think about them seriously, this is your book. The films in it star Hepburn, Grant, Tracy, Gable, Stanwyck. This is a sophisticated book for a sophisticated film audience. The author is one of America's leading philosophers. Cavell brings his knowledge of concepts of friendship, conversation, gender, parenting, sexuality, fun, and adventure to bear on each of the romantic comedies he discusses. The genre explored here continues in GROUNDHOG DAY, FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, ALL OF ME, JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO. This book is serious, and well worth it. It explores everything important to every romantic relationship. I highly recommend it to everyone.

A critical appreciation of film's greatest romantic comedies.......1996-05-18

Cavell identifies the "comedies of remarriage," those romantic comedies and comic romances that lit the screens and the hearts of the audiences of the 1930's and 40's. With the mind of a philosopher and scholar and the passionate appreciation of a true fan, he examines classic romantic comedies (and comic romances), including "The Lady Eve," "The Awful Truth," and "The Philadelphia Story." In a classical context (he compares the role of the woods in Shakespeare to the role of Connecticut in "Bringing Up Baby") he manages to illuminate the films without disturbing the gossamer that holds them together. The best that can be said is that he does justice to these lovely films, and makes us understand how smart we were to adore them

Single State of the Union: Single Women Speak Out on Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Average customer rating:

Hanging with a group of friends.
One Essay Convinced Me to Buy
an enjoyable read, often amusing and at times touching
Inspiring and sweet
Proud to be part of this swell collection.

Single State of the Union: Single Women Speak Out on Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Manufacturer: Seal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1580052029

Book Description

Are single women happy individualists? Neurotic man-hunters? Crazed cat ladies? Are they confused, or content? Bitter, or better off?

No one seems to know. The popular media gives us shoe shopaholics, ditzy desperados, wannabe brides forever making cow eyes at The Bachelor. But what do single women have to say about their own lives?

With sass, humor, and style, Single State of the Union paints a provocative, playful, and complex portrait of today's single woman, taking on such topics as:

o sex and the single girl
o single motherhood
o buying a house without a spouse
o faux boyfriends
o cohabitation hesitation
o single women in the media

Written by an impressive roster of single (and some formerly single) women, this collection portrays single women as individuals whose lives extend well beyond Match.com and Manolo Blahniks.

So listen up, Carrie. Attention, Bridget. It's time for the rest of us to be heard.

Customer Reviews:

Hanging with a group of friends........2007-09-30

Reading this book made me feel like I was hanging out with a group of girlfriends. It was funny, touching, insightful, sincere, honest and hard to put down.

As a 40+ woman, growing up during a time that's sandwiched between a generation of women that got married because it was the thing to do to a generation of women not getting married because they really don't need or necessarily want to, yet society still seems to think that there's something wrong with anyone over 40 who is unattached, it's easy to feel split.

I grew up thinking that someday, at some point I'll probably fall in love & get married. Then, I grew up, fell in & out of love and never got married and realized well, I make a really good living, enjoy my life, travel, am able to spend time on my art and enjoy my private time to an extent that I don't know that I could co-habitate, not to say I don't think about it sometimes. So why are there certain societal views that try to make me feel bad about that? Reading this book made me realize that there are so many women out there just like me, that there's nothing wrong with me, as some might have you think when you're asked the question at the company holiday party..."How old are you?!"

One of the authors explains that after years of working on her other relationships she neglected to spend time on the most important one, with herself, which she is now embracing. That is definately a relationship worth exploring and appreciating, a relationship definately worth celebrating.

One Essay Convinced Me to Buy.......2007-09-14

I picked this up in a bookstore and read the essay "An Open Letter to Mom, Deana, Mary, and the Folks at Work" by Amy Thomas. It was so well-written and insightful about the ways in which married friends and family are dismissive of the lives of single people that it's worth the price of the book alone. Am looking forward to the other essays in the collection.

an enjoyable read, often amusing and at times touching.......2007-08-16

The anthology Single State of the Union is the latest in a growing number of books in the last decade written by, for, and about single women. The essays in this collection, edited by Diane Mapes, cover a variety of topics from sex to menopause to single homeownership, and the authors include academics, journalists and entertainers (including comedians Margaret Cho and Chelsea Handler).

Many of the essays, especially those in the first half of the book, cover ground that is by now familiar--and perhaps a bit tired--to anyone who's read Bridget Jones's Diary or watched Sex and the City--invasive questions from pushy but well-meaning friends and family, comically bad dates, crises of confidence and a final realization that being single is a valid, valuable lifestyle -- at least until Mr. Right comes along. Most of the writers claim to be happy and satisfied with their (often by choice) singleness, but a number of the pieces are written with such an apologetic or defensive tone that I have to wonder: If women still have to work so hard to justify their choices, has our culture really changed very much in the last forty years? Or is it perhaps finally time to retire the image of the brave, quirky singleton facing off against the Great Smug Married Conspiracy?

Once it moves away form the same well-worn material and gets to adventures in travel, single adoption and homeownership, however, the book becomes much richer. In addition, one of Single State of the Union's chief strengths is the diversity of its contributors' experiences and viewpoints. Rather than a collection of twenty- and thirty-something Carrie Bradshaw wannabes, the authors represent a range of ages (I was surprised at how many were over fifty), relationship experience and sexual identity. One quibble, however, is that a wider representation of ethnic and racial diversity would have helped open the book's range even further.

Single State of the Union is an enjoyable read, often amusing and at times touching. At the end, however, I was left wondering if we'll ever come to a point when women won't need to write books to explain their choices. Perhaps we should just be grateful that women are now in a position to explain their own choices rather than having them explained for - or to - them.

Inspiring and sweet.......2007-06-30

I picked up this book after I saw Diane Mapes and some others at a bookstore reading. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I sat down on the couch around 9 p.m. and didn't get up until I finished it! I was hooked from the first essay and found some nice insights, beautiful writing and funny, honest passages. I put it in a permanent spot on my bookshelf and decided to re-read it whenever I need a true reality check that can't always be found in popular media: single people are happy, well-adjusted individuals. What the...??

Proud to be part of this swell collection. .......2007-06-29

Yes, I have an essay in this book, but no vested interest in sales, and I had nothing to with its composition. I have to say I'm delighted with the way it turned out, with its breadth and scope, insight and humor. If you are, or have ever been, single, you'll find oh-so-trueness throughout, whether in moments of melancholy or exhilarating freedom. What's also nice is the humming theme underneath: it's not just about "single and looking." It's not about single as an uncomfortable stop on the way to "real" -- partnered -- life. It's about living, really living, as a single person, no matter what comes before or after. Enjoy!

Johanna Lindsey CD Collection: Heart of a Warrior, The Pursuit, Marriage Most Scandalous

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Johanna Lindsey CD Collection: Heart of a Warrior, The Pursuit, Marriage Most Scandalous
Johanna Lindsey
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio on CD
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1597377244
Release Date: 2006-06-29

Book Description

Heart of a Warrior:
Brittany Callaghan thinks she's dreaming when a blond, nearly seven-feet-tall Nordic god shows up on her doorstep in her tiny California town. She is taken aback when Dalden, a spectacular Viking who is a long way from home, needs her help - and is willing to pay for it. Dalden is a warrior to the depths of his soul - a man who will fight fearlessly and relentlessly for what he wants. And now, what he wants most of all is Brittany . . .

The Pursuit:
What was to be a grand adventure for Melissa MacGregor - an escape from the wilds of her Scottish home into the whirl of the London social scene - seems to pale before the promise in the passionate gaze of Lincoln Ross Burnett. But Melissa's stifling, disapproving uncles are now determined to rob the Viscount Cambury of his newfound happiness. Yet he is equally resolved to confront the peril . . .

Marriage Most Scandalous:
Lady Margaret Landor pays a visit to a ruined castle in the north of France, intent on hiring the Raven to investigate suspicious occurrences back in England. But she can barely conceal her shock upon meeting the handsome killer face to face - for the Raven is none other than her former neighbor, Sebastian Townshend. As they uncover the intrigue, a love begins to blossom that neither Sebastian nor Margaret anticipated - and that neither of them can resist.

The Pursuit of Love: The Meaning in Life

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A FRUSTRATING READ . . .

The Pursuit of Love: The Meaning in Life
Irving Singer
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0801847923

Book Description

"Love is not merely a contributor--one among others--to a meaningful life. In its own way it may underlie all other forms of meaning."--from the Introduction

In his widely acclaimed trilogy The Nature of Love, Irving Singer traced the development of the concept of love in history and literature from the Greeks to the twentieth century. Now in a sequel to his previous work, Singer explores a different approach. A "systematic mapping" of the various facets of love, the present volume is an extended essay that offers a philosophical and psychiatric theory of his own. Rich in insight into literature, the history of ideas, and the complexities of our being, The Pursuit of Love is a thought-provoking inquiry into fundamental aspects of all human relationships.

"The Pursuit of Love is a unique achievement in that it demonstrates the relation between love, value, and meaning. It is overall a work of great wisdom that I found to be illuminating and personally enriching."--Arnold H. Modell, M.D., Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Customer Reviews:

A FRUSTRATING READ . . ........2000-04-07

Maybe it was my fault . . . I read this book for some answers: about what love was, how it functioned, what it meant in our world. Singer's main thesis seems to be that love is a 'search for meaning' but this theory is never really elucidated - why do we need to search for meaning? How does love function to provide 'meaning'? Why 'love' as our major meaningful activity, rather than - sport? reading? collecting coins? Singer never seems to explain these things. Singer spends considerable time exploring possibilities, and examining competing theories for a particular facet of the experience of love. All too often, these enquiries conclude with, 'Oh well, it's all a grand mystery' or 'That's what makes us human after all.' Grrr! Having noted what made me cross and bothered when reading this book, I must say that Singer did have some interesting observations. I liked his idea that there was no such thing as 'love at first sight.' He explains that the person we fall for this way is one final choice in a series of hundreds of thousands of choices in our lives which simply make the person 'appear' to be instantly 'the one.' He also talks about why 'love' as a pursuit today is increasingly unfashionable, and his discussion of this did make me think. This book is not without value, but there is a lot of 'waffle' and aimlessness in it, some copping out of the tough questions, some failure to fully explain ideas, and a few old-fashioned values and comments. Mildly interesting, but not at all comprehensive.

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The Pursuit of Intimacy
David Ferguson , Teresa Ferguson , Chris Thurman , and Holly Thurman
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Love & Romance | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0840777949

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The Pursuit of Marriage

Manufacturer: Avon Books an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739443305

Product Description

What lengths would a young lady go to in pursuit of the perfect match ? And how far would a gentleman go to stop her?

Average customer rating:

Happy Life
Solid, Practical Dating Advice

Dating & the Pursuit of Happiness
Dolah Saleh
Manufacturer: Drm Net Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Love & Romance | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Mate Seeking | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Dating | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0966308905

Book Description

If you have concluded that love hurts and that you lose your identity in your relationships, then this book will serve as a reminder of your value as a loving human being. The truth is personal relationships should enhance---not diminish---our self-esteem. Dating and the Pursuit of Happiness will give you practical advice for pursuing a happy love life. In addition, this book provides personality assessment questionnaires and how to review the results to gain a better understanding of different personality traits and how to interact with people more effectively. At minimum, it will cause you to ask yourself important questions and encourage you to listen to the answers that only you can provide. The ultimate happiness of a good relationship is a direct result of the love we have for ourselves because it is then that the "right" people are naturally attracted to us.

Customer Reviews:

Happy Life.......1999-07-28

I want a girl, who ,never smoke,and must be good charcter and very much caring, I promise you that I will give my whole love and my all good thingsto you.

Solid, Practical Dating Advice.......1999-05-25

With the onset of warm weather and longer days, our thoughts easily turn to romance. Actually meeting that "special someone," however, can be a daunting, overwhelming task.

There are plenty of books on bookstore and library shelves about dating, romance, flirting, and the "rules." Many of these books suggest we engage in subterfuge, obnoxious flirting and manipulative tactics to capture the attention and hearts of our love interest. It's no wonder we are continually disappointed by new relationships.

The practical advice of a locally published author, Dolah Saleh, in her newest book, Dating and the Pursuit of Happiness, addresses these very issues. Saleh tackles the basic premise of finding a meaningful other, without compromising yourself.

Saleh begins her guide with the "Principles of an Effective Search." Though the excitement of a first date is reduced to a business-like "interview," she compares the search for a mate to "going for that first job you know you would love." By keeping practical matters in mind---such as whether this person possesses similar values and goals to yours---Saleh advises, you will be better able to make wise long-term decisions and avoid wasting time.

In Dating and the Pursuit of Happiness, Saleh emphasizes the importance of being yourself. While this in itself is not exactly a brand-new revelation, the practical application of such advice is demonstrated through personality assessment questionnaires aimed to evaluate communication style and personality preferences. By being able to identify and understand these personality types and how they differ, Saleh provides another means by which to assess and how to improve your relationships.

A highlight of Saleh's book is her "DateNotes," which offer a quick reference of tips on everything from break-ups to personal ads. Dating and the Pursuit of Happiness does not cover new ground in the world of dating, and is in need of a tighter edit; however, for those of us seeking realistic advice on building better relationships, this book is a good start.

Book Description

PARENTING ISN'T ABOUT CONTROL, IT'S ABOUT INFLUENCE.

Courageous Parenting is a thoughtful guide to developing the kind of loving and influential relationship every parent longs to have with their teen.

Going beyond simple techniques, this biblically-based approach helps you identify both positive and negative relational dynamics that lie just under the surface of family life. As you examine these factors, either on your own, or with the encouragement of a small group, you will gain the wisdom, insight, and courage necessary to give your teen the love he or she truly needs.

Courageous Parenting will help you learn how to:
* Think more deeply and biblically about how you relate to your kids
* Become a more godly parent
* Adjust your parenting style by looking at the ways you currently relate to your kids
* Help your kids mature in Christ

Book Description

Chronicling astonishing shifts in public attitudes toward reproduction, from the association of barrenness with sin in colonial times, to the creation of laws for compulsory sterilization in the early twentieth century, from the baby craze of the 1950s, to the rise in voluntary childlessness in the 1990s, to the increasing reliance on startling reproductive technologies today, Elaine Tyler May reveals the intersection between public life and the most private part of our lives--sexuality, procreation, and family.

Customer Reviews:

Suitable for teething.......2004-12-07

Elaine Tyler May's "Barren in the Promised Land: Childless Americans and the Pursuit of Happiness" fills an important gap in American social history. Through the use of myriad sources--largely secondary sources but also a collection of more than 500 letters sent to the author by voluntarily and involuntarily childless people--May concludes that the issue of reproduction and the social, economic, and political responses to it changed over time. The author decided to explore the topic after witnessing the public spectacle of the "Baby M" case, in which a surrogate mother hired by an infertile couple to bear their child chose to keep the baby instead of relinquishing custody as required by prior arrangement. Media reports on the case presented surrogate motherhood as a recent phenomenon, a claim May found to be erroneous upon further investigation. The press also presented infertility as a recently discovered problem, another claim the author easily refuted. It was how the media framed the Baby M case that interested the author the most, namely how public and private life in America interacts regarding the issue of childbearing. Reproduction as a private activity and its importance, or perceived importance, in the public sphere forms a central component of the book's structural framework.

Beginning in colonial times, reproduction and the public sphere were inseparable. The economic importance of children to the family, and the family as a pillar of the larger society, led to great social pressure on women to bear as many children as possible. The overtly religious atmosphere of the time labeled the childless sinful. May points out that many of the women accused of witchcraft either had no children or less than the customary number. With the creation of the American nation and the subsequent expansion to the shores of the Pacific, childbearing became an important tenet of the Manifest Destiny ideology. Male settlers broke the soil and built civilization; women populated it with children. Simultaneously, society began associating children with familial happiness. No less a figure than George Washington waxed optimistic about the importance of the "connubial life" in which children figured prominently. Another shift occurred when massive immigration into the country during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century fundamentally challenged the prior conceptions of childbirth. Descendents of the original Anglo-Saxon colonists began issuing dire warnings about "race suicide" as white childlessness increased. The emergence of eugenics was a direct result of the social strains caused by the immigration of "unfit" races. The fear of alien peoples also inspired a great concern about who should or should not have the right to bear children. Sterilization became the answer.

Starting in the post-World War II years and continuing for some time after, laws appeared on the books allowing physicians to sterilize some men and a large number of women deemed "feebleminded" or mentally unfit. The sterilization efforts eventually zeroed in most heavily on the poor and minority groups. Despite the flurry of public activity to stimulate the "right" sorts of childbearing, many women proved amazingly resistant to these pleas. A growing number passed up the opportunity to have children in favor of other pursuits. Public concern with all things children soared during the Baby Boom, when a huge increase in the number of methods and treatments to cure infertility took place in a country obsessed with equating children with happiness, success, and domestic security. After the tumult of the 1960s, and accelerating in the 1970s and beyond, voluntary childlessness not only increased but also gained a measure of acceptance even as the infertile sought even more intricate and expensive medical procedures in an effort to cure their problem.

May's study is at its best when examining the problems of childlessness from the colonial era to the 1960s. In these chapters, she strongly ties the issue of barrenness to historical cause and effect. She cites, for example, films, statements made by noted public figures such as J. Edgar Hoover, and numerous magazine articles published during the 1950s to make a strong argument for the centrality of reproduction in American society during that time. There is such overwhelming evidence in support of childbearing in the post war years that it is not difficult at all to imagine the intense pressure placed on those individuals and couples unfortunate enough to suffer from infertility. May allows us to see how damaging the absence of children could be to a couple. A man applying for work in the 1950s and early 1960s could miss out on numerous job opportunities if he and his wife did not have children because employers thought such people were irresponsible or untrustworthy. Workers without children continue to suffer in the office and factory today, as employers still tend to pay employees with children higher wages.

"Barren in the Promised Land" falters once it moves beyond the 1970s. After briefly discussing the reemergence of a new pronatalist movement in the 1980s, May resorts to a laundry list of the pros and cons of voluntary and involuntary childlessness culled from her letters. Unfortunately, the reader never gets a sense of how the comments in these letters tie into the larger framework of American society. Where is the examination of institutional response to the issue of childbearing after the 1970s? More specifically, how did the childlessness issue shape the larger social, economic, and political landscape in the late 1980s and after? In the introduction to her book, May explains that the Baby M case inspired her to write this study of childlessness. Strangely, the author mentions the case once or twice and then never refers to it again. A chapter devoted solely to this incident might have shed further light on the thorny issue of public versus private spheres as they relate to reproduction, thus giving the study additional weight. Moreover, it is an excellent example with which to specifically examine the convoluted situation that childlessness became in the 1980s and 1990s.

good ideas.......2004-09-05

Tyler May's book does a good job tracing the history of childlessness in the US from colonial times to the present. I wish she had dedicated more of the book to those who are childfree by choice. Much of the second part of the book dealt with those who experienced infertility problems, rather than voluntary childfree status.

Further, I wish she had examined more how society dictates that people have children, especially how this relates to masculine and feminine gender identities.

Overall, though, I found the book engaging and the personal stories of the infertile hair-raising.

An excellent, thoroughly-researched book!.......2003-07-07

Hooray for Elaine Tyler May! This is a very well researched cultural study of infertility. It will be particularly helpful to those who desire to be parents or to those who are parents after a long struggle with infertility. As an infertile woman in the United States, I was empowered by seeing so clearly how I fit into the history of the country. Perhaps a detailed academic study is not everyone's idea of fun reading, but I was enthralled. I could not put this book down and read it cover to cover, questioning constantly how my education could have had so many obvious, women-centered omissions. I count few books as life-changing but, for me, this is one of them.

Boring read........2003-01-10

I found it odd that this book was written by someone who actually has children. I am childfree and am very content being this way. This book deals with all different reasons for being childless/free. I thought this book was horrible. It dealt too much with theories and not real life situations. Only one chapter was dedicated to those who choose not to have children. Big disappointment.

An Excellent, Well Written Book.......2000-08-13

I would like to take exception with the posted review. I found the book to be fascinating. It is clearly written, and I have learned alot from it. I hope potential readers will give it a chance.

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