The Seven Storey Mountain

Amazon.com

In 1941, a brilliant, good-looking young man decided to give up a promising literary career in New York to enter a monastery in Kentucky, from where he proceeded to become one of the most influential writers of this century. Talk about losing your life in order to find it. Thomas Merton's first book, The Seven Storey Mountain, describes his early doubts, his conversion to a Catholic faith of extreme certainty, and his decision to take life vows as a Trappist. Although his conversionary piety sometimes falls into sticky-sweet abstractions, Merton's autobiographical reflections are mostly wise, humble, and concrete. The best reason to read The Seven Storey Mountain, however, may be the one Merton provided in his introduction to its Japanese translation: "I seek to speak to you, in some way, as your own self. Who can tell what this may mean? I myself do not know, but if you listen, things will be said that are perhaps not written in this book. And this will be due not to me but to the One who lives and speaks in both." --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

A modern-day Confessions of Saint Augustine, The Seven Storey Mountain is one of the most influential religious works of the twentieth century. This edition contains an introduction by Merton's editor, Robert Giroux, and a note to the reader by biographer William H. Shannon. It tells of the growing restlessness of a brilliant and passionate young man whose search for peace and faith leads him, at the age of twenty-six, to take vows in one of the most demanding Catholic orders--the Trappist monks. At the Abbey of Gethsemani, "the four walls of my new freedom," Thomas Merton struggles to withdraw from the world, but only after he has fully immersed himself in it. The Seven Storey Mountain has been a favorite of readers ranging from Graham Greene to Claire Booth Luce, Eldridge Cleaver, and Frank McCourt. And, in the half-century since its original publication, this timeless spiritual tome has been published in over twenty languages and has touched millions of lives.

Customer Reviews:

A Story of Providence.......2007-09-27

Few writers of spiritual books ever reach the high literary mark that Thomas Merton sets in The Seven Storey Mountain. At its core, The Seven Storey Mountain is pure memoir. Merton accounts for his life up to the time of writing when he was about 30 years old. Within this account, he places insights on spirituality, and the account on the whole offers a grand lesson on God's providence and mankind's undying need for reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ.

Merton's life story unfolds with tragedy upon tragedy. His mother died from cancer when he was 5 years old, and then less than 12 years later his father died from cancer. Merton was left with a guardian and grandparents who cared for him from arm's length.

Merton's education is vast. He is as well read and learned as any writer of memoir that I have read. Unfortunately, as a teenager his education led him away from God and to an attitude of atheism or agnosticism at times. As he pursues greater education, God pursues him through authors and teachers.

Merton credits William Blake's writings and art with playing a significant role in his salvation. Merton then begins reading a book on Catholic Philosophy that also has a profound impact on his perception of God and the religion. Mostly, Merton credits the intercession of others for his salvation, "Who prayed for me? One day I shall know. But in the economy of God's love, it is through the prayers of other men that these graces are given. It was through the prayers of someone who loved God that I was one day, to be delivered out of that hell where I was already confined without knowing it." (109) Merton takes no credit for his salvation or spiritual growth. He gives all credit to the gracious work of God.

His book illustrates the journey of a young man from enlightened atheism to humble faith in God. Merton's faith and learning are complimentary not contradictory. He shows readers that true enlightenment and learning leads to the ultimate truth, and this truth gives hope not fear, assurance not doubt, and salvation not annihilation.

Merton writes to his readers of this truth he has learned that I think is the message of his book, "And yet now I tell you, you who are now what I once was, unbelievers, it is that Sacrament, and that alone, the Christ living in our midst, and sacrificed by us, and for us and with us, in the clean and perpetual Sacrifice, it is He alone Who holds our world together, and keeps us all from being poured headlong and immediately into the pit of our eternal destruction. And I tell you there is a power that goes forth from that Sacrament, a power of light and truth into the hearts of those who have heard nothing of Him and seem to be incapable of belief." (41)

As expressed in the above quote, Merton's faith is rooted in the Catholic religion. This causes some trouble to me as he exalts Mary the mother of Jesus to a place alongside her son as a mediator and advocate for people. Merton asserts Mary is as responsible for his coming to God as Jesus. At times of trouble, he prays to Mary and a litany of saints for help. He discusses praying for souls in purgatory and wiping out sins through almsgiving. In addition to few slights at Protestant religions, these items may be stumbling blocks to some readers.

Merton reveals a spiritual journey that takes him eventually to his desired home in a Trappist monastery where he, at his Director's urging, continues to write and publish while seeking God in solitude. His is a process engineered by the hand of Providence, as it led his steps and transformed his heart. I think any sincere reader who approaches Merton with an open mind and heart will find insights applicable to him or her at the current time of life.

Thomas.......2007-08-05

I bought this for a 30 year old man who is searching for meaning in his life.

Merton"s Mountain.......2007-07-29

I first read this book in high school, and it is a must for anyone interested in the Roman Catholic spiritual experience. Merton was a convert to Catholicism and later became a Trappist monk. His autobiography was published following WWII. It became a huge best seller and made him internationally famous. By contemporary standards, the book is dated in its post war innocence and preachiness, but still a fantastic read. Why does a man give up everything: sex, money, friendships, education to live as a impoverished medevil monastic. In the 1960s, Merton became a staunch anti-war activist. He died suspiciously in Asia at an international conference on meditation. Some say it was a CIA murder, others a suicide; most likely though an acciental bathtub electrocution. Read his autobiography then his other books and diaries.

Coming of Age in Faith.......2007-07-05

"The Seven Storey Mountain" is a coming of age story in much the same vein as "Catcher in the Rye' but with a tone in the complete opposite direction. A man begins his life on one continent with little knowledge of the Christian faith only to spend most of the rest of his life on another continent taking the strictest vows available in the Catholic church. Thomas Merton's unlikely story is an amazing journey.

The initial chapters of the book which involve Merton's early life tend to move a little slow. Yet when the early chapters are placed in the landscape of the time period, it gives Merton's experience a great sense of authenticity. Throughout the book, Merton is searching for something to define his life. While falling to youthful inhibitions such as alcohol and smoking, Merton lives the American college life. Yet even as he masters the English language, he feels a lack of direction. And even before he spent significant time in the Catholic faith, he felt a calling to the religious life. It was a stuggle, though anything of value is worth struggling to attain.

Gaps in this story may cause some confusion in readers. Merton chose to omit his fathering of a child which may have been wise in the social landscape into which the book was released. The paternity was only mentioned in vague terms. The way in which he mentions it seems to just imply that he was uncertain of his vocation.

Merton is a masterful storyteller and readers should find great enjoyment in this book. The chapters are fast paced and even run parallel to an American historical perspective. In the context of Merton's writings, this may be the most significant one and should be read by all those interested in Merton's writings.

CD is good, but needs an unabridged version........2007-05-22

Only commenting on the audio CD version of SSM. It needs an Unabridged version. This version has been shortened considerably. Also, there should be price consistant with the printed version. CD media is very inexpensive to produce. With an abridged version of the book, I would have expected a better price.

Average customer rating:

A life changer
Poor and Confusing
The best Gift Ever...
A most remarkable book
Wonderfully thought provoking!

The Invitation
Oriah , and Oriah Mountain Dreamer
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0062515845
Release Date: 1999-04-21

Amazon.com

One night, after an unsatisfying evening at a party, author Oriah Mountain Dreamer wrote the start of The Invitation. By the light of her streetlight, she began, "It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.... I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain...."

Her profound invitation (longer than is written here) became the framework for this wise and inspiring book. Chapter by chapter, the author uses passages from her "Invitation" to welcome readers into a life that is more soul fulfilling and passionate, and has far greater truth and integrity. In a sense, she invites readers to get a life instead of buying into a lifestyle. Each chapter ends with a guided meditation specific to the theme of the chapter, such as "The Joy" and "The Failure."

Despite her suspiciously New Age-sounding name, Oriah Mountain Dreamer is a highly grounded, practical, and honest writer. This fresh and beautifully packaged book is destined for great acclaim in the realm of spiritual inspiration. --Gail Hudson

Book Description

Visionary author Oriah Mountain Dreamer brings to life the wisdom of her beloved Ȯvitation, which has touched hearts everywhere with its fresh and spirited call to live life more deeply, honestly, and well.

Like the inspirations for Robert Fulghum's All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten, Cherie Carter–Scott's If Life Is a Game, These are the Rules, and Margaret Fishback Power's Footprints, the poem that sparked The Invitation has been embraced around the world, passed along by thousands who have discovered and treasured its message. In this lovely gift book the author speaks from the heart, reflecting on everything from desire to betrayal and offering practical – and often surprising – suggestions for how to live the ecstasy of everyday life, learn to recognise true beauty in ourselves and the world around us, and how to find the sustenance that our spirit longs for.

The poem Invitation has been recited and quoted at countless spiritual conferences, and on network radio by Robert Bly, Jack Kornfield, Angeles Arrien, and many other spiritual leaders.

From the Invitation:

ȴ doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive ...'

Customer Reviews:

A life changer.......2007-03-18

My daughter introduced me to this book - her boyfriend had given it to her. I can't help but think that if more people passed it on like this that it would have a very positive effect in the world. Simplistic, maybe, but the book it full of optimistic ideas and thought provoking meditations that could make a big difference one person at a time.

Poor and Confusing.......2007-01-02

I bought this book for a friend based on the write up and the poem. Since he is away, I read through it and I am so glad I did. I am certainly not giving this as a gift, and I am glad to see that I am not the only who didn't like this book. Basically, I couldn't figure out her point. What is she talking about?

I felt mildly depressed after reading it, and found it to be confusing--it seemed just like a string of anecdotes without any substance.

I'm not sure that this is an invitation to, but sorry, Oriah, I don't accept.

The best Gift Ever..........2006-07-07

I received this book as a gift for my birthday from a friend of mine, and had no clue what to expect when I read it. I sat down and read through it in one sitting and couldn't put it down. I then read it aloud to my boyfriend and my daughter and my son... and I sent excerpts of it to several of my online friends telling them they needed to buy this book. It's touching and emotional - but so powerful and beautifully written. I could not recommend this book enough - it's simply the best gift I've ever been given.

A most remarkable book.......2006-06-29

The Invitation helped me understand how I can enhance my own life when I embrace all of life -- as it is -- not as I want it to be. I have sent copies to my friends, children and grandchildren.

Wonderfully thought provoking!.......2006-05-22

This poem has resonated with me for several years now. I appreciated Mountain Dreamer's honest explanation into what inspired this powerful poem. It is not often that we get such insight into what situations inspire such works of art.

This book was very thought provoking for me, and is valuable in it's ability to encourage self examination and living more truthfully. One of the most engaging and inspirational books I've read.

Average customer rating:

Boring..boring..boring
Read her other books first
GOOD READ
Time to move on from Big Stone Gap
Decent Read

Home to Big Stone Gap: A Novel
Adriana Trigiani
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1400060087
Release Date: 2006-10-31

Book Description

Millions of readers around the world have fallen in love with the novels of the New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani. In Home to Big Stone Gap, she tells her most powerful story yet, full of humor and heart, wisdom and hope.

Nestled in the lush Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the town of Big Stone Gap has been home for Ave Maria Mulligan Machesney and her family for generations. She’s been married to her beloved Jack for nearly twenty years, raised one child and buried another, and run a business that binds her community together, all while holding her tight circle of family and friends close.

But with her daughter, Etta, having flown the nest to enchanting Italy, Ave Maria has reached a turning point. When a friend’s postcard arrives with the message “It’s time to live your life for you,” Ave Maria realizes that it’s time to go in search of brand-new dreams. But before she can put her foot on the path, her life is turned upside down.

Ave Maria agrees to helm the town musical, a hilarious reunion of local talent past and present. A lifelong friendship collapses when a mysterious stranger comes to town and reveals a long-buried secret. An unexpected health crisis threatens her family. An old heartthrob reappears, challenging her marriage and offering a way out of her troubles. An opportunistic coal company comes to town and threatens to undermine the town’s way of life and the mountain landscape Ave Maria has treasured since she was a girl. Now she has no choice but to reinvent her world, her life, and herself, whether she wants to or not.
Trigiani is at her best in this exquisite page-turner. Home to Big Stone Gap is an emotional and unforgettable journey that reminds us that you can go home again and again.

From BOOKLIST
*STAR* Trigiani, Adriana. Home to Big Stone Gap. Nov. 2006. 301p. Random, $25.95 (1-4000-6008-7).
Tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia is Big Stone Gap, the bucolic backdrop for Trigiani’s popular series. In this fourth entry, Ave Maria Mulligan MacChesney and her husband, Jack, must come to terms with the absence of daughter Etta, newly married and living in Italy. (The country holds a special place in Ave Maria’s heart: her biological father, Mario, whom she learned of and met only after her mother’s death, is Italian). Ave Maria has plenty to keep her mind off missing her only child (the MacChesney’s son, Joe, died of leukemia at age four). She’s a full-time pharmacist and the newly appointed director of the town’s annual musical. Then comes news that her longtime friend, glamorous librarian Iva Lou, has been keeping a startling secret for nearly 20 years. Other developments, including a health scare for Jack and a Christmas visit from a colorful former resident, move the plot along briskly. With her original cast of characters, playwright and television writer Trigiani blends playfulness and pathos in this evocative portrait of a small southern town. Fans of the Big Stone Gap series can look forward to a feature film; Trigiani has written the screenplay and is slated to direct. –Allison Block
"Is there ever trouble for Ave Maria Mulligan MacChesney, heroine of Trigiani's beloved Big Stone Gap novels, starting with her married daughter's move to Italy and leading right up to a stranger's disturbing appearance in town."–Library Journal

Praise for the Big Stone Gap novels:
“Delightfully quirky . . . chock-full of engaging, oddball characters and unexpected plot twists.”
–People (Book of the Week)

“Funny, charming, and original.”
–Fannie Flagg

“Satisfying reading . . . As skillfully as Ms. Trigiani makes us laugh, she makes us cry.”
–Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Heartwarming . . . Everything that really matters is here: humor, romance, wisdom, and drama.”
–The Dallas Morning News

Customer Reviews:

Boring..boring..boring.......2007-10-10

After reading the delightful book Queen of the Big Time, I was very disappointed in this book by Adriana Trigani. Somehow it just didn't work. I stuggled to find a plot and to discover in-depth characters who held my interest.

Read her other books first.......2007-09-29

Here I am a book lover and had not read any of Adriana Trigiani's books. Luckily I started with her series on Big Stone Gap. There are 3 of them. Read these first, then finish with the Home to Big Stone Gap. She is a witty but insightful author. She brings chuckles, tears and even good recipe's to the reader. You will not be disapointed!

GOOD READ.......2007-06-01

I BOUGHT THIS FOR MY AUNT. SHE IS FROM THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY. AND SHE ENJOYED READING ABOUT PLACES SHE KNEW.

Time to move on from Big Stone Gap.......2007-05-10

I have really enjoyed this series of books, but this one seemed "forced." I agree with another reiviewr that this book seemed not like a novel, but more of a diary. At the end of the books, usually everything comes together and you feel like you "got" something from the book. When I finished this book, I realized there was absolutely no plot and nothing really happened with the characters. It was really boring, big disappointment.

Decent Read.......2007-04-22

I have to agree with another poster that Ave comes across as a bit of a whiner in this book. Still, I do enjoy the series and was interested to see how things are going for everyone in Big Stone Gap.

Avalanche: A Sheriff Bo Tully Mystery (Sheriff Bo Tully Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

McManus Mystery Extraordinare
Very disappointing
Pat does it agian
Fun, quick read
No Audio CD

Avalanche: A Sheriff Bo Tully Mystery (Sheriff Bo Tully Mysteries)
Patrick F. McManus
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 141653265X

Book Description

SHERIFF BO TULLY OF BLIGHT COUNTY, IDAHO, IS BACK.

When the call comes in that Mike Wilson, the unlikable owner of West Branch Lodge, has gone missing, Sheriff Tully is delighted. This is an excellent opportunity for Tully, his tracker pal Dave, and his retired sheriff father, Pap, to enjoy a few evenings of hot tubs and single-malt scotch at the luxurious lodge while working the case. However, visions of R & R vanish in a flash on the drive up, when Tully and Pap suddenly realize an avalanche is thundering down the mountain, straight toward them.

Tully manages to outrun the crush of snow, but the road behind is blocked, and there's no telling for how long. Tully's stranded at the lodge with a motley group of vacationers and locals: a sassy co-ed, a group of rambunctious fraternity boys, a shadowy group of what looks like ex-cons, the missing owner's wife, a suspiciously good-looking bartender, and worst (or perhaps best) of all, Tully's old flame, who shows up with her dogsled and naughty intentions.

Both vacationers and locals start to look like suspects when Tully discovers startling evidence proving that the avalanche was no accident of nature. But why would anybody want him dead? And then the missing persons case turns into a murder case when Mike Wilson's body turns up in the river a couple of days later. But who killed him, and how? Furthermore, when another murder in Blight City is reported that week, the only suspect who makes sense...is the dead guy, Mike Wilson. But how could that have happened? It's up to Tully to figure it all out in this comic romp through the wilds of Blight County, from bestselling author Patrick McManus.

Customer Reviews:

McManus Mystery Extraordinare.......2007-09-13

If you have not read Patrick F. McManus stories in Outdoor Life or his many collections, please do. The world is so much easier to take when you can relate your worst moments to one of the many adventures he describes.

This book is written in the truly superb style that only McManus has. What can any review add to the writings of Patrick F. McManus? Why would anyone need convincing that they should own the entire Patrick F. McManus library!?! Try it...you'll laugh your posterior off!

Very disappointing.......2007-09-05

First Sentence: He stood at window studiously watching the large fluffy snowflakes fill up his mother's backyard.

Sheriff Bo Tully and his father, Pap, head to West Branch Lodge to investigate the disappearance of lodge owner Mike Wilson. They barely escape being caught in an avalanche but are now cut off and must proceed with their investigation, now of a murder.

While I very much enjoyed the first book in this series, this entry left me, pardon the expression, cold. Even the character of Tully came across as unpleasant and the dialogue felt awkward. There was an appalling grammatical error that may have been done for humor, but it didn't come across that way. The setting of being cut off by an avalanche was interesting, but didn't really add any suspense as the weather never posed a particular threat to the characters. In fact, I found very little suspense in the story. I wasn't surprised by the killer, but was by the motive and I did enjoy the very ending. However, I'm not certain that was enough for me to continue which this series.

Pat does it agian.......2007-07-07

What a great second book! Pat McManus has created some great charictors and I can hardly wait for the next one!!

Fun, quick read.......2007-07-05

I thoroughly enjoyed the second installment of McManus' Bo Tully tales. It was a quick read...maybe because I couldn't wait to find out "whodunnit". Looking forward to his next one!

No Audio CD.......2007-06-20

I only have time for Audio Books (1.5 hour commute one way) so where is it this time? It was available on Audio CD last time.

Average customer rating:

Sam Gribley got so lucky in this book
By: Nicholas MB 5th grade My Side of the Mountain
Yeah for Sam Gribley
My Side of the Mountain 1959
Nature Kid

My Side of the Mountain
Jean Craighead George
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0141312424

Amazon.com

Every kid thinks about running away at one point or another; few get farther than the end of the block. Young Sam Gribley gets to the end of the block and keeps going--all the way to the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. There he sets up house in a huge hollowed-out tree, with a falcon and a weasel for companions and his wits as his tool for survival. In a spellbinding, touching, funny account, Sam learns to live off the land, and grows up a little in the process. Blizzards, hunters, loneliness, and fear all battle to drive Sam back to city life. But his desire for freedom, independence, and adventure is stronger. No reader will be immune to the compulsion to go right out and start whittling fishhooks and befriending raccoons.

Jean Craighead George, author of more than 80 children's books, including the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves, created another prizewinner with My Side of the Mountain--a Newbery Honor Book, an ALA Notable Book, and a Hans Christian Andersen Award Honor Book. Astonishingly, she wrote its sequel, On the Far Side of the Mountain, 30 years later, and a decade after that penned the final book in the trilogy, Frightful's Mountain, told from the falcon's point of view. George has no doubt shaped generations of young readers with her outdoor adventures of the mind and spirit. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

Literature Guides
A complete guide to teaching My Side of the Mountain. Includes an author biography, background information, summaries, thought-provoking discussion questions, as well as creative, cross-curricular activities and reproducibles that motivate students.

Customer Reviews:

Sam Gribley got so lucky in this book.......2007-10-07

I realize this book has already been anointed as a great children's book, and a great book for boys, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. My 14-year-old son loved this book when he read it in elementary school, and my 9-year-old daughter is loving it in fourth grade presently.

That being said, the people at Puffin dodged the issue of a child in the wilderness by making a cover where Sam looks like a teenager instead of the 11 or 12-year-old he looks like in Jean Craighead George's illustrations. There were numerous occasions in the book where Sam could have been seriously injured or killed, and George just blurbs or whooshes past them.

The back cover said Sam was terribly unhappy with living in New York City, but the book doesn't suggest that anywhere

I was impressed with the level of natural knowledge Sam possessed, and I was impressed that my children could come up with plausible ways that he acquired this knowledge. I considered the bit about hunger having an intelligence to be particularly clever.

Maybe the moral of the story is that as a parent, I could tell my kids without fear of contradiction that they are nowhere near as knowledgeable regarding the wild as Sam Gribley was, and that Sam was rather lucky in a few spots.

By: Nicholas MB 5th grade My Side of the Mountain.......2007-09-26

My Side of the Mountain is a very catching book it had me jumping out of my seat the whole story!. It told you some facts about the wild and also it had a sad story of a kid living off the land. I learned alot of facts about the Catscill Mountains too. I think evrey outdoor kid should read this thrilling book. Its truth, fiction and wildlife mixed! This is truly one of my favorite books. READ THIS BOOK!

Yeah for Sam Gribley.......2007-09-14

My Side of the Mountain is a great book. Jean Craighead George must have spent a lot of time in the forest. Her descriptions of the landscape and anecdotes regarding the animals are vivid. The only thing that doesn't ring true is the fact that a young kid goes and lives on his own in the wild and no adults appear to be concerned. A very enjoyable read.

My Side of the Mountain 1959.......2007-08-15

Plot Kernel - A young boy runs off to live in the Catskill Mountain wilderness, taking nothing but a penknife, a ball of cord, an axe, $40, and some flint and steel. He fashions a home within a standing hemlock tree, makes clothing out of animal skins, and eats only what he can catch or harvest from the Earth. He trains a falcon to hunt, and lives with it for an entire year.

Nature Kid.......2007-07-10

This was a good book, in my opinion. My favorite part was in the middle, when Sam has just survived his first winter in the Catskills. It was very good when he had just realized that he could survive alone in the forest wthout aid.

-Emma D. (for a school project)

The Foxfire Book: Hog Dressing, Log Cabin Building, Mountain Crafts and Foods, Planting by the Signs, Snake Lore, Hunting Tales, Faith Healing, Moonshining

Average customer rating:

Reliving the Past
PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST IN THIS GENRE
NO IDEA what they're saying
buy it and use it
An incredible resource of "oldtimer" wisdom

The Foxfire Book: Hog Dressing, Log Cabin Building, Mountain Crafts and Foods, Planting by the Signs, Snake Lore, Hunting Tales, Faith Healing, Moonshining
Inc. Foxfire Fund
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385073534
Release Date: 1972-02-17

Book Description

In the late 1960s, Eliot Wigginton and his students created the magazine Foxfire in an effort to record and preserve the traditional folk culture of the Southern Appalachians. This is the original book compilation of Foxfire material which introduces Aunt Arie and her contemporaries and includes log cabin building, hog dressing, snake lore, mountain crafts and food, and "other affairs of plain living."

Customer Reviews:

Reliving the Past.......2007-09-04

If you are interested in learning how our forefathers lived without the modern day conveniences that we enjoy today, this book is a must read. You will learn how they survived without much income and you could learn something beneficial that you never knew.

PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST IN THIS GENRE.......2007-03-26

The Foxfire books are a wonderful thing and we are so lucky to have them. Many of the ways, crafts, planting lore, animal lore, and as the book says "affairs of plain living" are preserved here. This particular volume includes different wood and it's uses, Mountain Recipes, Slaughtering Hogs, weather signs faith healing and so very, very much more. this is a wonderful recording of life the way it was and probably never will be again. The book is quite well written and has faithfully recorded even the dialect of these wonderful people, from which so many of us sprung. That is a big part of the charm of these works. This book includes actual interviews with folks from that region of the country which I am sure are long dead now. Their knowledge would be completely lost without works such as this. Another generation or two and it will all be completely gone. Thank goodness we have recordings such as this. Recommend this one highly.

NO IDEA what they're saying.......2007-01-18

I heard about this book and thought, "OH I'm from the South and this book will be lovely to read to find out about how things used to be." And I would probably have been right if I could have made out what they were talking about. The slang is much too thick for me. I'm not sure anyone could understand it except people who actually are from this region. Thumbs down for no translation.

buy it and use it.......2006-06-18

Don't get me wrong the entire series is amazing. Book one is the best and one of the more practical. The chapter on log cabin building was my inspiration to build my own cabin. At least 75% of the cabin was directions from this very book. Reading a Foxfire (any of them) does something to you that's hard to explain. I think of Foxfire books as almost a self-help guide that teaches you how to slow down for a minute. I recommend this book for anybody with high blood pressure or some kind of anxiety problem. It's therapeutic. These students met some really neat people of Appalachia. We can't let this way of life fade away as it almost has in my hometown, Knoxville.

An incredible resource of "oldtimer" wisdom.......2006-04-15

I've inherited the first seven, origional print books from my dad, and bought 8 and 9 for myself just a year ago, and I must say that I've always enjoyed reading these books. The people who contributed their knowledge & wisdom to these books are a resource that has largely been lost to us, and it's a shame that more of us don't realize the wisdom that is missing in this world with the deaths of these oldtimers (as the books were written in the 70's primarily).

I rate this book right up there with Carla Emery's books, as a great resource for folks trying to get back to a more self-sufficient way of life and providing for themselves, their families, and even friends & neighbours. These books definitely give a sense of old-fashioned camaraderie and willingness to help your neighbour in time of need (and in times of plenty).

Wandering Home: A Long Walk Across America's Most Hopeful Landscape:Vermont's Champlain Valley and New York's Adirondacks (Crown Journeys)

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A Connection to the Land
An Insight into Place and Community.
Review of Bill McKibben's "Wandering Home"
Thin but worth reading
A dangerous book

Wandering Home: A Long Walk Across America's Most Hopeful Landscape:Vermont's Champlain Valley and New York's Adirondacks (Crown Journeys)
Bill Mckibben
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0609610732
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Book Description

The acclaimed author of The End of Nature takes a three-week walk from his current home in Vermont to his former home in the Adirondacks and reflects on the deep hope he finds in the two landscapes.

Bill McKibben begins his journey atop Vermont’s Mt. Abraham, with a stunning view to the west that introduces us to the broad Champlain Valley of Vermont, the expanse of Lake Champlain, and behind it the towering wall of the Adirondacks. “In my experience,” McKibben tells us, “the world contains no finer blend of soil and rock and water and forest than that found in this scene laid out before me—a few just as fine, perhaps, but none finer. And no place where the essential human skills—cooperation, husbandry, restraint—offer more possibility for competent and graceful inhabitation, for working out the answers that the planet is posing in this age of ecological pinch and social fray.”

The region he traverses offers a fine contrast between diverse forms of human habitation and pure wilderness. On the Vermont side, he visits with old friends who are trying to sustain traditional ways of living on the land and to invent new ones, from wineries to biodiesel. After crossing the lake in a rowboat, he backpacks south for ten days through the vast Adirondack woods. As he walks, he contemplates the questions that he first began to raise in his groundbreaking meditation on climate change, The End of Nature: What constitutes the natural? How much human intervention can a place stand before it loses its essence? What does it mean for a place to be truly wild?

Wandering Home is a wise and hopeful book that enables us to better understand these questions and our place in the natural world. It also represents some of the best nature writing McKibben has ever done.

Customer Reviews:

A Connection to the Land.......2007-06-26

I have spent much of my recreational time in the two places Bill McKibben writes about in this book -- The Adirondacks of New York and the Champlain Valley of Vermont. They both offer some of the most beautiful, pastoral scenery in the US. From Lake Champlain itself you can see the Green Mountains of Vermont on one side and the Adirondack Mountains of New York on the other. As Mr. KcKibben points out, while they may look similar and proximate from afar, each is quite different from the other. The Champlain Valley is more pastoral, bucolic and New England-like. The Adirondacks are much more rugged, wilderness-like and rough around the edges. Both can call to you in a way that becomes a lifetime's pursuit.

This book is an easy and short read. It is engaging, paints wonderful pictures with words and gets you to think about the tension between a simpler life closer to the natural world and modern society and progress/development. He is fair in his assessment of the joys and the struggles associated with a simpler life closer to nature. I don't know who would enjoy this book more - the person who has enjoyed this simpler life or one who can only imagine it through books like this one. I highly recommend this book for people who love this part of the world or who have thought about getting closer to the land and living a simpler life.

An Insight into Place and Community........2006-10-17

Bill McKibben describes a walk through place and community. The community is bound by a geographic region but the displaced reader is imperceptibly drawn into the mind-set of McKibben and his guests. You are introduced to a group who love the land on the Vermont/New York border and recognise it as one of the few "wild" places left in America. It is their passion to preserve and conserve that comes through and it is infectious. The book inspires the reader to analyse their relationship to place and modes of behaviour driven by place. The antithesis of economic consumption exists in all of us, however repressed. Bill brings it to the fore. The effect on the distant reader is such that you will join the community despite being so far way. Bravo Bill !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Review of Bill McKibben's "Wandering Home".......2006-05-15

Bill McKibben walks for sixteen days through the Adirondack Mountains to share his love of the land with his readers but what makes the book so special are the people Bill introduces, walks with, and talks with (and about...) along his journey. I was a Travel Agent for five years and was lucky enough to be sent to some of the best, first class places in America and this journey that Bill McKibben takes us on with his words is more meaningful than many of those places I went to which include the Grand Canyon & Scottsdale, AZ; the San Francisco Bay Area; Paradise Island & Nassau, Bahamas; Manhattan; the Sierra-Nevada Mountains (by train); and New Orleans & Mississippi River Cruise!

Each authentic and real person that McKibben joins on his trek lends a hand in telling the story. The book is as much about the beauty of the people as it is of the land. I grew up twenty miles away from the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, and presently I am a steward and guardian of 400 acres of land in central PA with my husband, his uncle, and my husband's brother and I share and appreciate Bill McKibben's deep love for the power of nature, the wild, and the people. I found John Davis (owns a bicycle, no car) as one of the most interesting characters in the book. I also like the stories of Chris Shaw, who has the good sense of memorializing the people who have passed on but that once lived in the Adirondacks and give the book historical authenticity. My favorite stories in the book are from Donald Armstrong and especially Armstrong's memory he shares with McKibben (and us) about Don's wife, Velda and a fly-fishing event. I laughed so hard I cried! It is a funny moment, but this husband-wife story is so cute and sweet, and gives one a feeling of nostalgia. (The church steeple is a cool part, too.) This is a gem of a story and Wandering Home is a gem of a book.

I am a people person and for the first few chapters of Wandering Home I'm thinking that it is too bad Bill McKibben spends all this passion on the Adirondacks. I imagine what his passion could do to improve the lives of the infirm or impoverished people. Much to my chagrin, in the last few chapters McKibben admits this deficit with charm and honesty. He admits he should spend more time helping the less fortunate, and then justifies his love and preservation of the Adirondacks as his way of giving something back to people. And, I agree that he has. Furthermore, he explains that he tries not to be a drain on the planet. If only we could all think this way, maybe our global warming and environmental problems would vanish. For the first time in my life, I realize the full extent of the impact that people have had and still have on our surroundings and I am saddened and sickened by it. (I imagine a sunrise or a sunset over a mountain, or an ocean breeze I thank God there are still a few areas left in this world that man / woman hasn't been able to get his / her hands on.)

I do have one eco-criticism of Wandering Home. Bill writes that he and John Davis climb to the top of Owl's Head on page 93 of his book. Owl's Head is a considerable distance away from Bristol, and is not included in the path outlined on the inside covers of his book. But, every author has to create mystery in some way, right? Judging by the description of Owl's Head I can see why McKibben would include it in his "walk" since Owl's Head sounds like a stunning place with it's 390 degree view of the Adirondack mountains. On my map, Owl's Head is about sixty miles north of Lake Placid one way, as the crow flies.

Dr. Robert Bernard Hass (English Professor, poet, writer, and Robert Frost expert at Edinboro University) and I got into a discussion about hyper-individualism in class one day. Dr. Hass told me about his friend named Bill McKibben and how McKibben writes about hyper-individualism and that a good place to start on the subject would be Wandering Home. I am grateful that Hass recommended the book to me. It was a book that I was sad to see end, but a journey I will always remember in more ways than one. I was so inspired that I am planning on a short family vacation to the Adirondacks for this summer. I will do my best to demonstrate a sense of forest preservation and protection while I'm there, visiting the wild of the Adirondacks.

Thin but worth reading.......2006-04-06

This book is thin. I mean literally. It is really just a somewhat longish essay. I was disappointed that there was not more depth, more history, more "more."

This is the story of McKibben's amble from Vermont to the central Adirondacks, with a crossing by row boat of Lake Champlain. McKibben is a good writer and he loves this landscape and is very concerned about it and its place in the global environment, but I could not help comparing him and this book to another Bill-namely Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. Bryson is a much more energetic writer. In my opinion, he is funnier and deeper than McKibben. A Walk in the Woods is a great book, Wandering Home is light weight by comparison.

McKibben has some very good thoughts on environmental issues and expresses an admirable moderation in this book. He is especially sensitive to the complexity of many environmental issues and actively criticizes the "knee-jerk" environmentalists for over-simplifying the issues in many cases. On the other hand, McKibben is something of a romantic airhead. Often his ruminations are fatuous and patronizing; for example, his dogma that those simple Vermont farmers and old Adirondack loggers that he's met are more "authentic" than you or I (McKibben makes this claim more than once in Wandering Home).

Nevertheless, I liked this book and enjoyed reading it. McKibben loves the Adirondacks and so do I. In this short book he's managed to capture something of the flavor of the hidden Adirondacks, that fortunately so few people know. The Adirondack Park of New York is the most beautiful sylvan landscape in the world. McKibben's book raises, but barely starts to answer, such questions as why and how to protect and preserve the Adirondacks and other similarly blessed places.

A dangerous book.......2005-10-24

Bill McKibben is a thoughtful writer. Most of all, this book made me wish I could take a hike with him and meet the land he loves so much. Be warned that this book might make you homesick, even if you've never been to Vermont or the Adirondacks. But beyond that, the book has some serious points to make.

I'm a suburbanite trapped in the cycle of debt that has sucked in so many Americans (in my case, student loans and a mortgage). I work for the Department of Commerce. I have a husband. I have a child who is addicted to video games. I don't have the money or the freedom to move to the Adirondacks, or even take a trip there. This book is a reminder that Americans don't have to live the way we do. We might very well be happier if we got rid of a lot of our stuff and lived more lightly on the land. Of course, McKibben punctures that little bubble by pointing out that a lot of people have tried to do that in Vermont, with laughable results.

I believe that once the cheap oil is gone, life in America is going to be very different. Ordinary American life today puts so much emphasis on getting places quickly. In the not-so-distant future we're going to be staying much more in one spot, and only rarely going anywhere we can't reach on foot or bicycle. This book is a reminder that such a stationary life might not be so bad. There's more to a meaningful and happy existence than what cheap gasoline and Wal-Mart can bring. Maybe someday the science of economics will remember that.

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can't stop reading!
Fantastic Book!
Mover of Men & Mountains
What an incredible life story!
Great Read

Mover Of Men & Mountains
R.G. Le Tourneau
Manufacturer: Moody Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0802438180

Book Description

Despite early failures, R. G. LeTourneau rose to eminence in the competitive world of manufacturing and construction. Although his competitors thought him insane, history has proved that his inventive genius was decades ahead of its time. His combination of enterprise and Christian commitment led to his sponsoring many works involving missions and education, including LeTourneau College, a Christian liberal arts and technical school in Longview, Texas. Through a lifetime of business ventures, this engineering genius put faith into action and reaped big rewards. (More than 100,000 in print)

Customer Reviews:

can't stop reading!.......2007-03-11

I could not put this book down. What a great book! One reviewer said to buy a second book to give away. I did, but I should have bought several extras! Now I'm buying more. This book has helped me to recognize God's purpose for my life and the incredible gifts He has given to each of us. A great gift for anyone, especially for someone who has ever been in the construction industry.

Fantastic Book!.......2007-01-22

This was one fantastic book that I could hardly put down. It is a great story of a man with dreams that were larger then life. He always said there are no big jobs, only small machines. Mr. LeTourneau had the capacity to envision larger and larger machines to make man more productive.

This book is 290 pages short with 26 untitled chapters which cover most of Mr. LeTourneau's life. From his childhood and quiting school in the 7th grade to his struggles and almost bankruptcy, he does a great job at unfolding his life the way it happened. He tells of how his business grew during the depression and of the great success he had in creating machines to do a job that none had done before. He was laughed at by people who couldn't see the value in some of his gigantic creations which were ahead of their time. But he didn't allow other people's negativity stop him from accomplishing his goal of benefiting man by making him far more productive then he would have been otherwise.

He talks about his relationship with God and how he believed that God was with him to protect him and help him to succeed. LeTourneau lived his beliefs by helping others and starting a school called LeTourneau Collage. He had given 90% of his stock in his business to a foundation he started for the benefit of others. He is not overpowering with this but just lets his beliefs take a natural course through the book.

Overall I think anyone would really enjoy this book. It really was one of the more interesting biographies I have read. His life again proves that it doesn't matter what kind of education you have or where you are financially, the only thing that can stop you from fulfilling your dreams is yourself!

Mover of Men & Mountains.......2007-01-09

A must-read for every Christian, and a great tool for ministry.

Blessings to Amazon!

What an incredible life story!.......2006-05-23

The first time I read Movers of Men and Mountains was when I started my undergrad work at LeTourneau University. I have since purchased probably ten copies because mine keep getting "borrowed". Go ahead and order two while you're ordering so you'll always have one to keep while sharing!

Everyone should read this book. Mr. LeTourneau is such an incredible inspiration to us all. The story is fantastic, the book is witty and interesting, and the message is life-changing.

Great Read.......2005-06-13

As a LeTourneau University Graduate, I felt compelled to read this book so I could learn more about the man who founded my school. I was impressed by the things he accomplished, witnessed, and experienced in his life. The flow of the book was great and I had trouble putting it down. Truly this man is an inspiration to all men of faith who feel they should do more for God in the workplace.

The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality

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Cmpared to the Magus of Strovolos
Okay, but where is Jesus?
Mountain of Silence
Excellent Read for Deeper Spiritual Knowledge
The Treasure Trove of Eastern Christianity

The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality
Kyriacos C. Markides
Manufacturer: Image
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385500920
Release Date: 2002-11-19

Amazon.com

The spiritual traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church are all but unknown to most Christians in the West, who often think of Christianity as split into two camps: Bible-based Protestantism and sacramental Catholicism. Yet in The Mountain of Silence, sociologist Kyriacos Markides suggests that Orthodox spirituality offers rich resources for Western Christians to integrate the head and the heart, and to regain a more expansive view of Christian life. The book combines elements of memoir, travelogue, and history in a single story. Markides journeys to a cluster of monasteries on Mount Athos, an isolated peninsula in northern Greece and one of the holiest sites in the Orthodox tradition. He also visits the troubled island of Cyprus, largely occupied by Turkey since 1974, and makes the acquaintance of a monk named Father Maximos, who has established churches, convents, and monasteries. Markides, a native Cypriot, tells the tale of this journey in a tone that's loose and light, with many excursions on Church history and Greek and Turkish politics. But despite the easygoing tone, the importance of this book is potentially immense. The Mountain of Silence introduces a world that is entirely new to many Western readers, and unveils a Christian tradition that reveres the mystical approach to God as much as the rational, a tradition that Markides says "may have the potential to inject Christianity with the new vitality that it so desperately needs." --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

An acclaimed expert in Christian mysticism travels to a monastery high in the Trodos Mountains of Cyprus and offers a fascinating look at the Greek Orthodox approach to spirituality that will appeal to readers of Carlos Castaneda.

In an engaging combination of dialogues, reflections, conversations, history, and travel information, Kyriacos C. Markides continues the exploration of a spiritual tradition and practice little known in the West he began in Riding with the Lion. His earlier book took readers to the isolated peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece and into the group of ancient monasteries. There, in what might be called a “Christian Tibet,” two thousand monks and hermits practice the spiritual arts to attain a oneness with God. In his new book, Markides follows Father Maximos, one of Mount Athos’s monks, to the troubled island of Cyprus. As Father Maximos establishes churches, convents, and monasteries in this deeply divided land, Markides is awakened anew to the magnificent spirituality of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Images of the land and the people of Cyprus and details of its tragic history enrich the Mountain of Silence. Like the writings of Castaneda, the book brilliantly evokes the confluence of an inner and outer journey. The depth and richness of its spiritual message echo the thoughts and writings of Saint Francis of Assisi and other great saints of the Church as well. The result is a remarkable work–a moving, profoundly human examination of the role and the power of spirituality in a complex and confusing world.

Customer Reviews:

Cmpared to the Magus of Strovolos.......2007-08-10

This book is not a total loss, but lacks in search for orthodox spirituality. The author turned preacher became an accepted pupil by the master. And then the breakup with the master. Ever since this author is flapping around in the wind, trying to recapture his original momentum with the Magus. He has flipped from researcher into an idiot in my eyes. But read it if you want to waste your time. There are remnants of Greek philosophy on Cypros, once the stronghold of the Knight's Templar.

Okay, but where is Jesus?.......2007-07-31

I regard this book as very good... as far as it goes. Its main problem is that, overall, it offers an examination of spirituality without Christ. Mind you, I don't know whether the author (and certainly not the main subject of the book, "Fr. Maximos"!) had this intention, but it came across to me as a serious blindspot in the book's presentation of Orthodox spirituality.

Much is made of the Threefold Way and the mystical-ascetical tradition of the Orthodox Church, and that is good. Generally, this is the stuff that many Christians are missing and need. But there is a decided lack of integration of this presentation of Orthodox tradition with the central reality of the Christian life, namely, Jesus Christ the God-man. Certainly, the reader can come away with some mind-blowing revelations regarding the supra-rationality of Orthodox mystical tradition and the application of that tradition to the life of every Christian, but I think the author rather assumes that the reader already knows Jesus in some sense and doesn't bother to bring Him into the picture. Or perhaps he doesn't see Christ's centrality to the Church.

I very much doubt that the relative absence of Christ is something that "Fr. Maximos" (a pseudonym for Fr. Athanasius, now Metropolitan of Limassol in Cyprus) communicated to Markides. Anyone who has had any contact with authentic Athonite monasticism knows that such monks are "all about Jesus," to put it colloquially. There certainly is much discussion of God, the Holy Spirit and grace in the book, but Christ, Who is the Door to Paradise, is hardly mentioned. One would have a hard time getting the impression from The Mountain of Silence that the very object and purpose of all this spirituality is Christ.

I did like the book, but in thinking about the manner in which it was recommended to me, i.e., as a sort of catechism, I would have to disagree with such a recommendation. As a priest, I would not present this book to any catechumen, because I would be concerned that he would become enamored of discussing the Ecclesia, plani, and logismoi, without any sense of where these realities fit into the life in Christ.

A lesser criticism I have of the book is focused on chapter 11, Escape From Hell. In it, Markides all but endorses the apokatastasis theories of certain writers in Church history. That is, he seems to put forward a belief that eventually everyone will be saved, basing it on what is a decidedly minority stream of theological opinion of some Orthodox Christians. I much more prefer Metr. Kallistos Ware's "Dare we hope for the salvation of all?" approach, such as is found in the last chapter of The Inner Kingdom. Markides doesn't quite claim that apokatastasis is Orthodox doctrine, but he also doesn't make it clear enough that this is simply his opinion.

All in all, the book is useful in that it presents a fairly easily digestible picture of some of the more difficult concepts in Orthodox Christian spirituality, but because of its defects as noted above, I would only recommend it to someone already catechized, while giving them the caveats I've elucidated here.

I have a friend who says that she came to Orthodoxy by falling in love with the Church, but now she finds that she hadn't yet fallen in love with Christ. This book could easily enable just that sort of phenomenon. But for someone who is in love with Christ and keeps that in mind, this book might help bring them closer to Him. The first step, the path, and the destination are all Christ.

After writing this, I find through some Googling that Kh. Frederica Mathewes-Green feels similarly: "By the way, a good book that gives an 'inside view' of what this spirituality is like in practice, with all its 'spirit-filled' elements, is 'Mountain of Silence' by Kyriacos Markides. I should warn that the author is coming from a very idiosyncratic place; he is a sociology professor who has come to fervent belief in miracles, evil spirits, theosis, and he is profoundly in awe of the wisdom of the Orthodox Church. What he doesn't get so much is Jesus. In his subsequent book he makes it even more clear that he thinks we need a version of Orthodox spirituality that acknowledges that it is divisive to insist on the necessity of Jesus Christ, and recognizes the universality of the path to enlightenment. Strange, isn't it? Lots of people say, 'I like Jesus but I have no use for the church'--he's the opposite."

Mountain of Silence.......2007-02-18

This book is a gem. You feel yourself present with Kyriacos as he talks with Fr. Maximos and learn from him as well. He is a very descriptive author so you find yourself drawn in to the scenary. I did not want to put this book down and look forward to re reading this book over and over again.

Excellent Read for Deeper Spiritual Knowledge.......2007-02-07

While I did not find this book as entertaining as Markides' three books on Daskalos (AKA The Magus of Strovolos)- Mountain of Silence is an excellent read! The book gives inside knowledge as to the workings behind what some call the vatican of Russian and Greek Orthodox religions The author seems to give an unbiased approach to his observations. Markides tapes his conversations before typing them in his books; therefore, his accuracy in recounting the knowledge is perfect.

Throughout the book the reader will learn that there are no "real" short-cuts to enlightenment. This book outlines what is necessary for us to allow God to work through us via the road of Mystical Christianity. It also elaborates on the pitfalls that others have experienced along the way. Most importantly, the book also illustrates how to overcome the obstacles that others have overcome in order to be a receiver of the Providence and Grace of God.

This is an excellent book for all spiritual seekers.

The Treasure Trove of Eastern Christianity.......2007-01-25

Western Christianity in its quest for a "rational" spirituality has lost the rich tradition of meditation and contemplation which was presevered in communities in the Mid-East since earliest times.

This work introduces spiritual practices now seen as "New Age" or non-Christian oriental religious practice as bone fide early Chrisitan practices of our ancestors in faith.

Reading this book will re-inforce that Christian spirituality must transform the totality of the human person: body, mind (rationality) and spirit.

Fair and Tender Ladies (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

Average customer rating:

ONE OF THE BEST OF THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ramblings of an English major...
great read
Absolutely brilliant. Best book I've read in a long time.
Better than any history book

Fair and Tender Ladies (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
Lee Smith
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0345383990
Release Date: 1993-06-01

Book Description

"A TOUR DE FORCE"
- Los Angeles Times

"The story of Ivy Rowe, born near the turn of the century in the Virginia Mountain enclave of Sugar Fork, is told completely through letters that Ivy is forever writing family and friends...Lee Smith exhibits her own understanding and affection for the traditions of the Appalachians. She is at home with the down-home speech and ways of her characters. They come vividly to life, and none more so than Ivy, whose voice and heart and humor sustain Fair and Tender Ladies."
- Philadelphia Inquirer

"Because of Ivy's narrative ability and her zest for living, Fair and Tender Ladies opens for us like a flower with a gloriously unexpected center. There are unforgettable characters...Few readers will be dry-eyed as they watch this extraordinary woman disappear around that last bend in the road."
-Chicago Tribune

"These beautiful letters...display Ivy's soul up close, the way a just-caught firefly illuminates a jar. So real does she become that it is hard to believe that Ivy did not actually live to write her letters."
-USA Today

"This is about a moving a work of literature as has ever been written." ANNIE DILLARD

Customer Reviews:

ONE OF THE BEST OF THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-06-18

How I hated for this book to end! I LOVE Lee Smith's writings. She is truly one of THE BEST authors of our time. If you have not read her, PLEASE DO. She NEVER EVER disappoints.

This wondeful book is written in the form of letters by one Miss Ivy Rowe. The letters span the lifetime of Ivy. She LOVES to write letters and writes to friends, family, acquaintances. Ivy chronicles her entire life from a young teenager to her death (SOB!! -- yes, SOB!!) in these letters.

Ivy lives and dies in the Appalachian Mountain area. She lives through World Wars, ups and downs, feast and famine, good times, bad times, pain, sorrow, joy, happiness. Her letters tell all and tell all very, very well. You meet her family and friends all through her letters to various people. She is outspoken, kind, tough, sweet, loving, caring. Ivy's life was never easy, yet she handles every hurdle with common sense and humor.

At first it was a little slow going reading this book as her letters are written in true form of someone who lived in the early 1900's with very, very little education. However, Ivy is one of the lucky people who can read and write and loves to do both.

Her spunk, wit, and just IVY will make this one of your favorite books of all time. I loved the format of the book, it is different than any other book I have ever read. I know this is one book that I will not soon forget. Ms. Lee Smith has the outstanding talent of making her characters so life-like and totally people you believe in. How sad I was when this wonderful tale ended. This book also contained much history of our country and I believe I learned a great deal -- in a fun and interesting way -- about our country's colorful history.

Do yourself a favor and read this book and then read all of the other treasures that Ms. Smith has waiting for you. You will not be sorry.

Thanks!

Pam

Ramblings of an English major..........2007-04-02

_Fair and Tender Ladies_ tells the secrets of the soul of Appalachia. Tracing the life of Ivy Rowe from youth to old age through her letters, the book is an Appalachian masterpiece. Ms. Smith was supposedly inspired to write this book after coming across a bundle of letters at a yard sale. She claims not to have read the letters (after all, they were private!), but she felt a story like this should be told.
Here, Lee Smith tells the story of Ivy Rowe, rural Appalachia, the impact big business coal mining, love, hope, and life. If you know nothing of Appalachia, let this be your introduction. If you live there, let it be your celebration. If you are alive, let this story draw you along, softly whispering the story of your own humanity to you--one letter at a time.

great read.......2007-02-25

Our book club read this book and everyone loved it. We discussed it for 2 hours. I would highly recommend it.

Absolutely brilliant. Best book I've read in a long time........2006-07-19

Fair and Tender Ladies tells the lifelong story of Ivy Rowe, a woman growing up and growing old in Appalachian Virginia. The story is told totally through a long series of letters she writs to family, friends, lovers and acquaintances.

Ivy's life is one of abject poverty and hardship. Most of her siblings dies young. Her father is disabled through the majority of the book, Her mother is a tormented and exploited soul. Ivy has several chances to escape all this but the pull of place and family keeps her firmly entrenched where she is.

This out to be a thoroughly depressing book--instead it is a truly inspiring book. For, though objectively a person with virtually nothing, Ivy sees herself as uniquely blessed. The life force that carries her into old age is one that sees the glass perpetually as half full--her hardships are, to her eyes, less threatening and frightening than those she sees around her. She is essentially saved several times by people she dos not know or whom she has previously rejected. Though she is often exploited she does not allow those experiences to harden her heart.

This is not to say Ivy is soft or naive. She merely sees hard times as the burden of life and chooses to write her letters to make sense of it all where she can and merely record it if she can't.

I would have thought the letter format would wear after a while. It did not. It in fact created a sense of intimacy that enhanced the reading experience.

All in all, this is one of the best books I read in years. I was thoroughly enchanted throughout. I can only rejoice in the large body of work that lee Smith has for me to work through. If her other efforts are even a fraction as good as this book, I have a lot of great reading ahead of me.

Better than any history book.......2006-02-01

FAIR AND TENDER LADIES chronicles the life of IVY, written in letters spanning the decades of her life,(beginning as a small child) to her various loved ones. They are written in Appalachian dialect and sometimes, I had to read it again to make certain I got the meaning. After awhile however, your eye and your ear get in synch and it's much easier.

The book paints a portrait (a very accurate portrait) of life in rural West Virginia. It could have as easily been in Kentucky.

The mettle of this wonderfully human woman keeps her afloat. It's is ironic, funny, tender and engrossing; most of all totally believable..

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