Customer Reviews (1)

Capable women
Note that this book was published in Great Britain under the title .

This is Cormier's first novel for younger readers (10-12 years).He is best known for his teen fiction.

is a novel about the loss of childhood.Befriending Kathleen Mary O'Hara is the climax of eleven-year-old Darcy's life as a youngster.Kathleen is vivacious and plucky, and together the two lead a happy, carefree and fulfilled life.But this glow of innocence is not to last, and not simply because Kathleen has to leave town.Darcy must soon face a more adult world in which there is much uncertainty, in which one must care for ones family rather than be cared for, and in which death is very real.

Unlike Cormier's earlier works, however, this is not a novel in which the world seems to be totally black.Amongst the darkness there is a strong theme of hope and faith.This arises from an emphasis on the Christian religion.This is new territory for Cormier and at one point in the book he stumbles in his writing a little.When the conversation turns directly to theology the explanations are a little too pat, too dismissive, to do justice to the complexity of real life.But where Cormier concentrates on demonstrating truth through drama he excels.This book is truly moving in parts, even for those who are not of a religious bent.

The main character of the adult novel is female, however, with that exception, up until this point in his career, Cormier had chosen to write virtually exclusively about males.It is thus with some surprise that we find that this book is full of females.Most of these characters are capable women, in their own individual, very different ways.Darcy is quiet, but reflective: able to think out most of the problems that face her.Kathleen, as we have noted, knows her own mind and is not afraid to share it.Darcy's mother is a capable woman who joins the war effort when her husband disappears overseas as a soldier.Sister Angela is deeply wise and full of compassion: able to help people in an unusual way.What ties all of these females is their ability to understand the subtleties of life and to communicate with other women.Mini Tourneau stands out as the exception.She represents deeply-hurt, emotionally-crippled womanhood.Cormier has managed to create interesting and memorable characters, particularly Kathleen and Mini.Darcy, however, is the only character who develops considerably, learning from life.

This is a highly `psychological' book, centering on people's thoughts and emotions, however, plot moves along nicely, having a number of surprise high points.The book is divided into two halves: one covering the joys of friendship in childhood, and the other covering the stresses and responsibility of maturity.The book is a short length, having just seven chapters, yet Cormier has managed to pack a great deal into it.This novel makes fine reading for younger readers.

This may not be Cormier's best work, but it should certainly not be neglected.Cormier is such a good writer that even his lesser works are well worth reading.
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Customer Reviews (1)

A superficial glimpse at one of the major diplomatic events of the twentieth century
It is impossible to overstate the significance of the trip made by U. S. President Nixon to The People's Republic of China. From the moment that the communist forces under Mao took control of the Chinese mainland, there had been unrelenting hostility between the United States and the P. R. C. The United States public and most of the world were enthralled at the activities; everyone realized that it was a game changing event in the geopolitical alignment of nations.
This book contains some brief observations by reporters as well as photos of the action during the visit. In general, the text is rather bland, what substance there are deals with the diplomatic niceties, there is nothing about the content of the policy discussions. Nevertheless, as we can now see from the value of hindsight, this was the major first step in the P. R. C. becoming a dominant economic power in the world and a major trading partner of the United States.
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Product Description

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Northern Ontario Business, published by Laurentian Business Publishing, Inc. on November 1, 2003. The length of the article is 929 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Mapping technology to enter world market: R-MAP system replaces field crews in forest inventories, increases efficiences.(Sault Ste Marie)(R & B Cormier Inc.'s innovation in satellite imagery is taking world by the storm)
Publication: Northern Ontario Business (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2003
Publisher: Laurentian Business Publishing, Inc.
Volume: 23Issue: 13Page: 5B(1)

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