How to Build Wooden Gates and Picket Fences: 100 Classic Designs

Customer Reviews:

Simply Beautiful.......2005-05-13

This book was really fun to browse through and look at all the different styles. I'm sure I saw some of the fences in the book when on vacation in colonial Williamsburg. In the end, we decided on a pretty simple picket style and used some of the techniques suggested in the book to add interest by using varying heights and accents on the gate posts and gate itself. It turned out beautifully and the book was a big help in finding the style.

Wish I would have found this book first.......2005-03-23

This book is great! I've never seen a book with so many styles of fences that would go with so many different types of architecture. I also like how the material and illustrations are presented to allow the reader to easily see and compare the many different styles. The first fence books I bought had a few nice photos with trees and flowers, but, the fences themselves were not that special.

I think it is much easier to see the fences for their own style and appearance the way they are presented in this book. If you are looking for an abundance of design ideas, this book has no equal.

If you don't have a Victorian, forget this book.......2004-06-26

It's a very nicely drawn & explained book but if you have any other style home other than Victorian, there are limited styles that would match. Also, you have to order patterns separately.

Very Useful.......2001-09-25

I own a Victorian Cottage in Texas and purchased this book hoping for some ideas on building my own unique picket fence. The book has tons of pictures and drawings of fence designs. We actually used two different designs and came up with a "one of a kind" fence around our yard. It became the talk of the town for a while and now our house is known as "the one with the fence"!
The book is a little short on details of building the fences, but if you are skilled with tools, you will figure it out. We are starting our second fence with it this month, which we hope is a masterpiece. I recommend this book if you need Victorian fence ideas.

A good reference of designs for late 19th century fences.......1999-06-27

We bought this book because we were looking for ideas for a fence. This would be an excellent reference for someone with a Victorian style home. The book also has some simpler fence designs, but most are quite ornate.

Born in a Small Town: The Glory Girl/Promise Me Picket Fences/Midnight Sons and Daughters (Midnight Sons #7) (Harlequin Superromance, No 936)

Average customer rating:

Falls Short
"Born in Small Town" by Debbie Macomber
Great Story by Janice Kay Johnson
3 books in 1
Janice Johnson's Story Is Definitely Best of Collection

Born in a Small Town: The Glory Girl/Promise Me Picket Fences/Midnight Sons and Daughters (Midnight Sons #7) (Harlequin Superromance, No 936)
Judith Bowen , Janice Kay Johnson , and Debbie Macomber
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Harlequin Superromance | Series | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Family Men: Daddy's Little Helper/Because of the Baby (Midnight Sons Series 3-4)
The Last Two Bachelors: Falling for Him/Ending in Marriage (Midnight Sons Series 5-6)
Lone Star Baby (Heart of Texas , No 6)
Nell's Cowboy (Heart of Texas, No. 5)
Buffalo Valley (Dakota Series #4)

ASIN: 0373709366

Customer Reviews:

Falls Short.......2001-11-20

Debbie MacComber's short story was lacking compared to the rest of the Midnight Son's series. It was nice to hear what happened to the rest of our favorite characters from the other books (in fact it was more interesting than the Scott/Chrissie main plot). I didn't buy Scott's "troubled teenager" character at all because of who MacComber painted him to be in the earlier books. Scott would have talked things out with his family instead of internalizing and running away.

The other two stories were good reads especially Promise Me Picket Fences but I felt that the stories moved too quickly and didn't develop characters. For example, I would have liked to learn more about Angie and about Hannah's sister Emily (who sounds more interesting than Hannah herself).

"Born in Small Town" by Debbie Macomber.......2001-07-14

I loved this book as most of Debbie Macomber's are high on my reading list. It had a very good story line. You won't want to put it down.

Great Story by Janice Kay Johnson.......2001-02-25

I have reread Janice Kay Johnson's story Promise Me Picket Fences over and over again. It is worth the price of this collection. The other two stories have major problems as far as I'm concerned. But Picket Fences was complete with a too-die-for hero and an endearing heroine. I enjoyed the story as well as the romance. Buy Born in a Small Town today! Janice Kay Johnson's story is lovely and makes it all worthwhile.

3 books in 1.......2000-10-25

I asked for this book for my birtday, because I had read the previous six books over the summer that proceeded the first story in this book. This story was a good follow up to those books. A quick read. I enjoy Debbie Macomber, and that is the only reason I got this book. I couldn't get "into" the other two stories, however, and moved on to better books!

Janice Johnson's Story Is Definitely Best of Collection.......2000-10-23

Debbie MacOmber's story was fine but not great. Basically, it was just an excuse to meet up with all those people from her previous books. Judith Bowen's story was also entertaining, although I disliked the theme of a heroine who disguised her appearance, then having a hero who fell for the disguise and couldn't figure out who she really was. But Janice Johnson's story definitely made up for the rest of the anthology. Her story sparkled with humor and romance. It's a must-read for all romance fans!!!

Black Picket Fences : Privilege and Peril Among the Black Middle Class

Average customer rating:

Proper Streets: Growing up in Groveland
Privilege and peril among middle class blacks
A Major Work
Black Picket Fences
Black Picket Fences

Black Picket Fences : Privilege and Peril Among the Black Middle Class
Mary Pattillo-McCoy
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Discrimination & Racism | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Black Bourgeoisie: The Book That Brought the Shock of Self-Revelation to Middle-Class Blacks in America
American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass
Streetwise: Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community
Black on the Block: The Politics of Race and Class in the City
The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy

ASIN: 0226649296

Book Description

Black Picket Fences is a stark, moving, and candid look at a section of America that is too often ignored by both scholars and the media: the black middle class. The result of living for three years in "Groveland," a black middle-class neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, sociologist Mary Pattillo-McCoy has written a book that explores both the advantages and the boundaries that exist for members of the black middle class. Despite arguments that race no longer matters, Pattillo-McCoy shows a different reality, one where black and white middle classes remain separate and unequal.

Customer Reviews:

Proper Streets: Growing up in Groveland.......2001-12-06

Members of Duke University's Sigma Nu fraternity are thugs. At least, one could get that impression from walking by their section and hearing such musical selections as "Baby I'm a Thug" and "Nothin' but a G Thang" that are frequently boom from within. Adopting parts of the gangsta persona for well-monied groups of future investment bankers and may be relatively consequence free but may not be the case for many youths in Chicago's South Side. This is one issue that Mary Pattillo-McCoy addresses in her ethnographic study of the middle class residents of the South Side's Groveland community, Black Picket Fences: Privilege and Peril Among The Black Middle Class.

Black Picket Fences is in part a response to what Pattillo-McCoy characterizes as the research pendulum of socio-economic studies of blacks having "swung to the extreme." That is, despite the large body of research focusing on the black population, the overwhelming majority further focuses on the less affluent portions of the population, having largely other segments the black population. However, research and knowledge of the black middle class is vitally important because, as Pattillo-McCoy points out, these are the people who are supposedly living the lives that our government and society has envisioned for all blacks following the Civil Rights era of the 1960s.

In the book, the author emphasizes the prevalence and importance of spatial orientation of racial communities. Pattillo-McCoy utilizes census data to show that in Chicago and most other metropolitan areas, black communities are concentrated in "black belts" surrounded by tracts of predominantly white communities. On the periphery of these black belts are often middle-income black communities that serve as a buffer between white communities and low-income black communities.

This picture, though, is not static through time. Pattillo-McCoy reveals a game of racial cat-and-mouse in which middle class black families are chasing their white counterparts. The pattern starts when a black family moves into a predominantly white neighborhood. Whites begin leaving the area, and soon the area is predominantly middle class black. Then lower income blacks migrate into the area, creating a mixture of economic statuses within the community. Such is the case in Groveland.

One concern that arises from her heavy reliance on census data, though, is the possibility of generalization. This is especially troublesome in light of the high socio-economic diversity of many black communities that Pattillo-McCoy describes. This is not as much in relation to her Groveland study area, but the other South Side communities that the author details in chapters one and two.

The implications of living in such an economically diverse community are large, especially for adolescents. Pattillo-McCoy points out that the appeal of deviance to teenagers cuts across racial and class lines, the motivations and accessibility of deviant behavior are often very different. In Groveland, a teenager is constantly confronted with realities of gang life and drug use because gang members and drug users are a large part of the Groveland community. In fact, most teenagers have acquaintances who are in gangs or who know gang members. This means that a part of the teenager's social network probably participates in gang behavior and drug use, making him or her both easy access and social reinforcement for such activities. This is less often the case for middle class whites, who often reside in homogenous neighborhoods where gangs and drugs are less common.

McCoy also emphasizes that today's young Groveland residents are much downward social mobility than previous generations of Groveland residents and middle class whites outside of Groveland.

There are often family and community security mechanisms to help Groveland residents. It is relatively common for divorced or resource-limited mothers to move in with her own parents. The grandparents help in parenting by supervising children, changing diapers, and serving as role models for children. Also, many families in Groveland are third or fourth generation residents, so most people in the community have long-standing social connections to other residents. These connections often prevent wrong-doers from targeting others in the community, and the familiarity helps potential targets feel more comfortable around people they perceive as being criminals, because in all likelihood they know each other or other's parents or children.

McCoy shows how individual Groveland residents deftly navigate between "street" and "decent" parts of their social networks by code and persona switching. Chief among these is William "Spider" Waters, a marijuana-smoking gang member who works two jobs with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Groveland Park, respectively. At the exchange, he speaks proper English, goes by Will, and works on his days off. In Groveland, he speaks Black English, goes by Spider, and "kicks it" with his friends. Tyson Reed, former Groveland gang member, student at Grambling University, and aspiring lawyer, points out the even though he talks about school, grades, and academic things, he doesn't broach the subjects of grades or Albert Einstein with his friends from the ghetto.

This book has wide-ranging relevance. It is enriching academic reading for students in sociology, cultural anthropology, and ethnographic studies. More importantly, though, this book is very important to American citizens in general. This book is about their neighbors and illustrates injustices that take place within America's borders. If the American social ideal of racial integration is to ever become a reality, the American public needs to be more informed about why integration is taking so long, why middle class citizens are still socially constrained, and what unjust situations are being perpetuated within America's borders. Black Picket Fences gives a very personal, very compelling answers to these queries. It is certain that the situations that exist in Groveland exist elsewhere in America and quite probable that they exist outside of America, too. Therefore, this book comes highly recommended to everyone.

Privilege and peril among middle class blacks.......2001-03-03

Black Picket Fences is an insightful and informative survey of privilege and peril among middle class blacks providing an unusual, intriguing study of the pressures of black middle-class families. Sociologist Pattillo-McCoy lived in a black middle-class neighborhood in Chicago: her experiences serve as a foundation for analysis of social issues and change.

A Major Work.......2000-10-25

This is perhaps the most significant book on the black middle class since Wilson's Declining Significance of Race. The Author gives us a community study at par with Streetwise, Getting Paid, and Street Corner Society. Through this book, black neighborhood are transformed into multi-dimensional communities, rich with institutions and networks. Truely a balanced view, which goes beyond books like the Truely Disadvantaged (although both deal with the same community). Most importantly, the author reminds us of the link between structural factors and race. The content of the book should not be overlooked, and the conclusions regarding the need to maintain race-based affirmative action, even for middle class blacks, should influence every policymaker in the country.

Black Picket Fences.......2000-04-17

Through ethnographic research the author highlights the intersections between middle, working and lower class African Americans in Groveland, a primarily African Americans middle class community in Chicago. Despite arguments that the African American middle class is flourishing, Patillo McCoy documents how racial segregation and racism confines many middle class African Americans to neighborhoods that frequently have to battle issues such as crime, gangs and drug use, that white middle class neighborhoods do not. In addition she does an excellent job of tying in the consumer wants and desires of African American youth and adults with the capitalist nature of American society.

Black Picket Fences.......2000-04-17

Through ethnographic research the author highlights the intersections between middle, working, and lower class African Americans in Groveland, a primarily African American middle class community in Chicago. Despite arguments that the African American middle class is flourishing, Patillo McCoy documents how racial segregation and racism confines many middle class African Americans to neighborhoods that frequently have to battle issues such as crime, gangs and drug use, that white middle class neighborhoods do not. In addition she does an excellent job of tying in the consumer wants and desires of African American youth and adults with the capitalist nature of American society.

Reading 'Desperate Housewives': Beyond the White Picket Fence (Reading Contemporary Television)

Average customer rating:

Academic, dry

Reading 'Desperate Housewives': Beyond the White Picket Fence (Reading Contemporary Television)

Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General Broadcasting | Radio | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Television | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Television | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Welcome to Wisteria Lane: On America's Favorite Desperate Housewives (Smart Pop series)
Reading Sex and the City (Reading Contemporary Television)
Desperate Housewives: Behind Closed Doors
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES COOKBOOK, THE: JUICY DISHES AND SAUCY BITS
Third Wave Feminism and Television: Jane Puts It in a Box (Reading Contemporary Television)

ASIN: 1845112202
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Book Description

The darkly comic series about the secret lives of Bree, Gabrielle, Lynette, Susan and the other ladies living on Wisteria Lane became an instant breakthrough hit when it premiered in the fall of 2004. Reading Desperate Housewives offers a wide-ranging critical assessment of one of the most talked about shows on American television, dissecting its appeal and tapping into early responses to the show and the controversy surrounding it. Essays consider such diverse issues as its representation of the war of the sexes and how it illuminates contemporary feminism, Republican politics and the rise of the Right, gender and femininity, motherhood and marriage--as well as the rumors surrounding that notorious Vanity Fair cover shoot. Also including an episode guide, this enjoyable companion asks: Has this show done for suburban women what Sex and the City did for the single girl?

Customer Reviews:

Academic, dry.......2007-02-10

***
I bought this book as a fan of Desperate Housewives. It is, however, inappropriate for most fans. It is a collection of 17 essays on DH, primarily feminist writings. I slogged through three essays and gave up. They seem to be well-written, but they were just too academic and dry for me.

The chapters are (1) Culture, (2) Sexual Politics, (3) Genre, Gender, and Cultural Myths, (4) Narrative, Confssion and Intimacy. All of these topics are of interest to me, but I still couldn't handle the writing style and content---just too dry and frankly, boring. If you are looking for very serious, academic writing, and are a DH fan, you could potentially enjoy this book.

The book includes an episode guide for seasons one and two, an extensive bibliography, an index, and a film and tv guide. The authors are all distinguished writers and critics. It seems to me that it would be a great resource for a graduate level media class. I would not ever recommend it for regular fans, however, even committed ones like me.
***

Average customer rating:

Heartwarming, good read
A terrific relationship drama

Picket Fence (MIRA)
Kimberly Cates
Manufacturer: HQN Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Gazebo
The Wedding Dress
Lighthouse Cove
Come Summer
Fly Away Home

ASIN: 0373770251

Book Description

Finnoula O'Grady had never had a home

Growing up in foster care, Finn had spent her childhood longing for a little house with a white picket fence. Years later her dreams came true when she inherited the rundown March Winds. But someone else was in love with her house--young Emma, the lonely niece of her next-door neighbor Cade MacDaniel.

Cade knew nothing about being a single parent. The only love and caring he'd ever done were for the old houses he restored for a living. But there was no denying that Finn's arrival had him feeling decidedly more human than usual. And when Emma finds a child's 150-year-old diary, they unearth a story that brings the three wounded souls together and begins to change March Winds from just a house. . .into a home.

Customer Reviews:

Heartwarming, good read.......2005-03-24

This book was really well written with full character development and engaging plot. I felt for the characters and enjoyed the smooth way everything played out. Heartwarming and even heartbreaking at times, this book should be on all romance lovers shelves.

A terrific relationship drama .......2004-12-10

In Whitewater, Illinois, new librarian Finnoula O'Grady buys March Winds; this is her first real home ironically using her late estranged dad's legacy to make the purchase. Finn meets her young next door neighbor Emma, who becomes angry when she learns that the house has a new occupant; Emma insists the house belongs to a ghost haunting the place. Emma's guardian Uncle Cade McDaniel arrives to collect his niece, but he acts sexist and condescending towards their new neighbor. Both visitors hurt Finn by telling her she does not belong, her biggest fear after a wanderlust childhood.

Emma tries to drive Finn out of her home with mischievous pranks. However, when she finds a century and half old diary, she and the two adults become engrossed in the story of a previous resident. As Cade and Finn fall in love, they begin to shower his lonely niece with love. Still, these are three tortured individuals who in their own way have never been able to relate to anyone on an intimate level so unless a matchmaking ghost can change a house into a home, the future remains bleak.

PICKET FENCE is a terrific relationship drama starring three lost souls who desperately need one another, but none has the ability or courage to reach out for fear of rejection. The story line grips the audience from the first skirmish between enemy combatants Finn and Emma; the plot takes several fascinating spins including the diary so that fans never lose interest. Kimberly Cates provides a discerning look at love offering its healing power if only the lead trio would take a chance.

Harriet Klausner

Porch Swings and Picket Fences: Tarnished Silver/Twice in a Blue Moon/Texas Two-Step/The Boy Next Door (Inspirational Romance Collection)

Average customer rating:

great guaranteed
4-Plus Stars

Porch Swings and Picket Fences: Tarnished Silver/Twice in a Blue Moon/Texas Two-Step/The Boy Next Door (Inspirational Romance Collection)
Lisa Tawn Bergren , Barbara Jean Hicks , Jane Orcutt , and Suzy Pizutti
Manufacturer: WaterBrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Romance | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books

Anthologies | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Restoration & Romance: For the Love of an Old House
Only You: Interrupted Melody/Reluctant Valentine/Castaways/Masquerade (Inspirational Valentine Romance Collection)

ASIN: 1578562260
Release Date: 1999-06-15

Book Description

In the face of constant time pressures and the juggling act of balancing countless tasks, there is nothing more soothing than taking the opportunity to slow down for a few moments, relax with a good story, and come home to romance.

In Porch Swings and Picket Fences: Four American Love Stories, readers will find not just one, but four delightful tales of love–each written by one of the foremost authors of Christian romance fiction. All four evoke familiar warm feelings, and a sense of getting back to the basics with feel-good stories about characters readers love.

From Vermont to Iowa, Texas to Washington State, Porch Swings and Picket Fences spins the tales of four couples who find love where they least expect it–right under their noses–and leaves readers with a sense of satisfaction and hope that will bring joy to their hearts.

Customer Reviews:

great guaranteed.......2005-09-08

Some of my favorite authors, it has to be good, I just know it.

4-Plus Stars.......1999-08-09

A wonderful, well-written inspirational anthology. ~Connie Ramsdell for Bookbug on the Web

Average customer rating:

Seaside Picket Fences
Steven Brooke
Manufacturer: Pelican Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Architectural | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Decoration & Ornament | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Seaside
Seaside Style
How to Build Wooden Gates and Picket Fences: 100 Classic Designs
Wooden Fences
Rosemary Beach

ASIN: 1589801261

White Picket Fences: Shelter Valley Stories (Harlequin Superromance No. 954)

Average customer rating:

Dynamite srorytelling

White Picket Fences: Shelter Valley Stories (Harlequin Superromance No. 954)
Tara Taylor Quinn
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Harlequin Superromance | Series | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

My Sister, Myself: Shelter Valley Stories (Harlequin Superromance No. 949)
Just Around the Corner: Shelter Valley Stories (Harlequin Superromance No. 1027)
Nothing Sacred: Shelter Valley Stories (Harlequin Superromance No. 1189)
Born in the Valley: Shelter Valley Stories (Harlequin Superromance No. 1135)
The Sheriff of Shelter Valley : Shelter Valley Stories (Harlequin Superromance No. 1087)

ASIN: 0373709544

Customer Reviews:

Dynamite srorytelling.......2000-12-12

In Shelter Valley, Arizona, Randi Parsons lives a seemingly perfect life as the women's athletic director at the local university. She is popular in her neighborhood and at the school. Her loving family, including four brothers and a new nephew, live nearby and would do anything for her. So why during the winter break does she find herself so bored? Randi lacks a soul mate, but demons from her past make it unlikely for anyone to appeal to her.

After his marriage ended in shambles, veterinarian Dr. Zack Foster moved to Shelter Valley to start life anew. He spent New Year's Eve with his borders, a sort of pet therapy. Zack likes the company of human females, but has no plans for any commitment after his last so-called permanent relationship ended when his wife blithely announced she was a lesbian.

Randi and Zack meet and are instantly attracted to each another. As their relationship blossoms into love, both realize that a permanent relationship requires compromise and consensus for the better good. However, neither one wants to change their lifestyle nor venture with the demon of love even if Nirvana is within their grasp.

WHITE PICKET FENCES, the latest Shelter Valley story, is a warm tale centering on the risk of entering a loving relationship. The story works because the lead charcaters and the secondary cast (including some old friends) feel genuine. Tara Taylor Quinn provides a wonderful tale that enhances a strong series in which love can be found and treasured. Fans will look forward to the next Shelter valley novel, SHELTERED IN HIS ARMS.

Harriet Klausner

Beyond the Picket Fence: And Other Short Stories
Average customer rating:

Disappointed

A very wonderful book full of short stories!

Short stories you will love

Bre's

not a favorite
Beyond the Picket Fence: And Other Short Stories
Lori Wick
Manufacturer: Harvest House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
Wick, Lori | ( W ) | Authors, A-Z | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Bamboo and Lace (Contemporary Romance)

The Princess (Contemporary Romance)

Every Storm (Contemporary Romance)

White Chocolate Moments

Pretense (Contemporary Romance)

ASIN: 0736900551

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed.......2005-06-09

Before I bought the book, I read the negative reviews and disregarded them, thinking that anything Lori Wick writes is excellent. Now after reading the short stories, I think that it is safe to say that she needs to stick with novels. Wick tried to put more information into the short stories then necessary, which resulted in a poor development of plot and characters. Even for a dedicated Wick fan, this was a huge disappointment.

A very wonderful book full of short stories!.......2001-11-18

I really enjoyed this book, it was lovely to read. I
highly recommend it, for anyone who enjoys reading Christian
fiction.

Short stories you will love.......2001-04-27

As always, I was impressed my Lori Wick's fabulous gift to write down-to-earth stories with wonderful plots and loveable characters. Usually I am not a huge fan of short stories because I enjoy getting to know characters on a deeper level; however, Lori brought each person to life so when the charming story ended, I was sad to conclude a well developed story. A wonderful asset to the "Lori Wick Book Collection," and a great book to keep and read over and over again.

Bre's.......2000-12-16

I like Lori Wick's books well enough, but I was a bit uncertain about a book of short stories as I'm not a huge fan of short story writing, especially in a book format. I find I lose focus too quickly. This collection was a delightful surprise, however. Each story stood on its own and all had a message - something that not all Lori Wick books contain. In fact, I found that most of the stories have a greater impact and message, as well as more realism than many of Ms. Wick's novels. One tiny point annoyed me, however. I seem to remember that in "A Rancher's Lady", Shasta, an Australian, mentions that she used to work on a sheep ranch. I am an Australian and I can assure any disillusioned Americans out there that we do not have "ranches" in Australia. We call them "stations" instead. A silly thing for me to bother about, I know, but I must be truthful. All in all, a lovely addition to the library of any fan of Lori Wick.

not a favorite.......2000-06-02

I like Lori Wick and I liked many if not all of these stories, but the paragraphs at the end of each explaining where the idea for it had come rubbed me the wrong way. The writing was not at fault, but that extraneous paragraph was a design flaw.

Suburban Diva: From The Real Side Of The Picket Fence

Average customer rating:

"What a hilarious spectacle! A Peek into Suburban Diva's magic mirror reveals as many cracks as our own..."
Awesome Book.. A must have for yourself and as a gift!
A Delicious Laugh a Minute
The Diva's proud husband
I was FIRST with the Erma Bombeck comparison, I'll have you know!

Suburban Diva: From The Real Side Of The Picket Fence
Tracey Henry
Manufacturer: Ephemera Bound Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Parenting & Families | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids: Reinventing Modern Motherhood
Be Happy or I'll Scream!: My Deranged Quest for the Perfect Husband, Family, and Life

ASIN: 0977100375

Book Description

What happens after you fall in love and ride off into the sunset with your prince? Sure, you get the house, the kids, and the minivan as you settle down into the American Dream...but what's it like to be a modern princess living happily ever after? Tracey Henry writes about her adventures living family values in today's world. And although it may not always be as glamorous as it sounds, it is always hilarious. Suburban Diva's stories from the real side of the picket fence are the chick lit postscript: insights for the woman who has already won her romance battles and finds the spoils are as humorous and entertaining as the pursuit.

Customer Reviews:

"What a hilarious spectacle! A Peek into Suburban Diva's magic mirror reveals as many cracks as our own...".......2006-05-21

Tracey Henry the "Suburban Diva" has a wonderful humorous approach when it comes to relaying the highs and lows of a modern married mum and the reigning "queen" of her family empire. Keeping true to real life, this is no fairy tale, and it doesn't stop with the happy ever after ending. In fact, since she was wooed and married by her "Ralph Cramden" prince (as he was once referred to) and walks the courts of a life she has become accustomed to, raising her own royal subjects is just the beginning. And a frank and amusing portion of reality pie it is, too.

We are taken on a magical, but bumpy ride in a carriage to a land where the prince of her dreams can wave his magic wand of man's logic, uttering thoroughly modern words of wisdom like,

"Don't call when you are going to be late. Why be yelled at twice?"

This reminded me, (and probably every other woman on the planet) that the spectacle we make of ourselves behind closed doors in our suburban castles is in fact, no different to everyone else's.

When the queen is in succession, this Diva can and will talk about the most mundane chores, such as getting the short end of the shift stick and driving the crappy car, ("Car Wars") in an uproarious fashion.

If you are not laughing as soon as you pick up this book and read the introduction "Smudges on Glass Slippers" then all I can say is that there must be something wrong with you. Or maybe, it's just that you haven't yet met a prince (or princess) of your own and wandered down the woody path where green crusty snot turns your baby into a little green grinning ogre, as it is so realistically portrayed in a sub chapter titled "Shrek III".

There are many of these hilarious antidotes, one of my favourites, (and it was hard to choose as there were so many of them) is Ms Henry's version of taking her son to get his first pair of glasses. This is how she compared it to when she was first "fitted" with her own goggles, in her own guileless words,

"...the glasses weighed well over 27 pounds. I know this must be close to accurate; as this was that age that I stopped growing; because no longer had the muscle control in my neck to hold my head upright."

What makes this book special is that as a parent myself, I could more than relate to her daily quibbles, and the heady fumes of her Sally Hansen/Clorox concoction that that pollutes her life, even from across the pond here in the UK.

The Right Side of the Picket Fence is an exceptional read that will have you laughing out loud and nodding your head in agreement. Ms Henry is to be commended for retelling, with passion and wit, events which reveal the real "Diva" in all her crowning glory. The reader will revel in all the gory details as Tracey Henry gets this spectacle on the road, with as few potty stops as possible.

Awesome Book.. A must have for yourself and as a gift!.......2006-04-27

The Humorous and Hilarious side of family life!

A Delicious Laugh a Minute.......2006-03-31

None of the fairy tales told about the messy realities of a monarch's life. No one informed her she would be driving the chariot strapped with car seats around all day every day. Or that she would not be eating from golden plates, but rather more often from golden arches. And she was still waiting for her lady in waiting. ~Smudges on Glass Slippers

It is always rare to start laughing while reading an introduction, but definitely an indication of good times to come. So with ideas about princesses and expectations, Tracey Henry introduces us to the world of the Suburban Diva where castles may not be provided by the prince. She then proclaims her mystification over her lifestyle as a modern princess and delves into the raucous and comical realities.

Tracey Henry, "The Suburban Diva" has an especially entertaining writing style (reads like a reality show) and she presents her topics like a creative artist of words. Each entry introduces you to a different facet of her existence and the format is visually entertaining, complete with diva illustrations throughout.

If you have not laughed at least four times just reading the introduction, you may be living as a real princess in a real tower overlooking a real lake in a real kingdom and shouting out things like "let them eat cake." For the rest of us, this book is highly entertaining.

The Suburban Diva uncovers such topics as pre-marital counseling, favorite TV shows, literary neglect, trips to the mall, holidays, depression episodes, scrapbooking, hair dying, yoga, rites of passage, pregnancy, flying on a plane with baby, low-carb diets, cell phones, parties and the dreaded neighbors. She even finds time to write a poem about waiting in car lines and writes letters to the FDA.

She wonders what would really happen if you gave a mouse a cookie and contemplates the domestic skills she still must master. The entry about yoga is pretty funny as is "the day I cheated on my hairdresser." Items of note in the chapter on "Dressed to the 943s" left me laughing out loud.

There is an especially beautiful moment in "Wind Talker" and through the difficulties of parenting; Tracey Henry makes it still sound like a comforting journey filled with challenges, but always rewarding. Like a Bridget Jones of Motherhood who has an advanced degree in psychology (she likes to observe life and draw conclusions while always keeping her cool), Tracey Henry even finds time for Diva Diversions and writes extensive notes on what she did on her summer vacation.

Put this book in your new handbag and you will never be bored. So I am not the only Suburban wife to dream of her own lavender field! You have to love a woman who lets her princess alter ego out to play. She even has an extended and somewhat hilarious conversation with herself. Why can I relate?

The Suburban Diva is possibly one of the funniest books you will read this year. I hope she will publish a second book.

~The Rebecca Review, brunette using Henna

Currently waiting for pots of lavender to arrive
by mail...and wondering if Tracey has found
out about Lush beauty products and the most fantastic
Bi-O-Kleen natural cleaning products.

The Diva's proud husband.......2006-02-22

I am biased, but this is a great read for the whole family.

Contrary to an earlier post, the DIY projects were not over my head. I played up my inabilities to give her more material. You will see I did this often as my personal contribution to her.

I was FIRST with the Erma Bombeck comparison, I'll have you know!.......2006-02-17

I've been a fan of Tracey's since she began writing for Backwash.com a couple of years ago, and the comparison is apt. Like the Sainted Erma, Tracey is funniest when she writes about the little things that we can all relate to, but the book has its serious moments. Some of them brought tears to this old ex-cop's eyes.

Buy the book. Buy a couple as gifts. Anyone with a family will be able to relate, unless they're in total denial.

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