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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Geraldine Ferraro, Princess Marie of Denmark, Moira Kelly, Annaleigh Ashford, Rose Ann Scamardella, Joan Fitz-Gerald, Tika Sumpter, Spencer Grammer, Ivette Sosa, Melissa Rauch. Excerpt:Annaleigh Ashford Annaleigh Ashford (born Annaleigh Swanson on June 25, 1985 in Denver , Colorado ) is an American actress known for her Broadway credits in Wicked , Legally Blonde , and Hair . Personal life Annaleigh Ashford was born in Denver, Colorado to Holli Swanson, a gym teacher. She studied at Denver's Kit Andre Performing Arts Center and acted and sang in numerous performances in her hometown until she graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in three years at the age of 16. She then attended Marymount Manhattan College , where she earned a degree in theater in another three years at the age of 19. Career Ashford's professional career began at age nine, when she was cast as the lead in Ruthless at Theatre on Broadway. At fourteen, she was profiled as "The Teen to Watch" by the Rocky Mountain News. She performed in Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey s Feeling Electric as Natalie, and joined Rent ' s Anthony Rapp at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. In 2004, while hanging around in NYC's Lower East Side club scene, Ashford met nightlife personality Lady Starlight, a local rock DJ and performance artist. Lady Starlight invited the budding starlet to dance at her 70's glitter rock party "Lady Starlight's English Disco", and christened her Hollywood Starr . Soon after graduating from college, Ashford got her big break understudying the role of Glinda in the first national tour of the Broadway hit Wicked . She traveled with the show for 10 months, until she left in 2007 to originate the role of Margot in Legally Blonde: The Musical , her Broadway debut. She also understudied the lead role of Elle W... ... Read more

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Chapters: Moira Kelly, Robert Menli Lyon, Joice Nankivell Loch, Dame Mary Cook, Mabel Brookes, Geraldine Cox, Ida Mann, Rachel Cleland, Alice Chisholm, Joan Evans, Bridget Ogilvie, Mary Daly, Persia Galleghan, Helen Blaxland, Stanislawa Dabrowski. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 49. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Moira Kelly (born 31 January 1964, Melbourne ) is an Australian humanitarian worker. In 2001 she was awarded the Order of Australia in recognition of her humanitarian service to both the Australian and international communities. In 2003, Kelly received the Victorian of the Year award and in 2003 and 2004, she was nominated for the Australian of the Year awards. Born in Melbourne on 31 January, 1964, Kelly first developed an interest in disadvantaged children when, as a 8-year-old, she saw a documentary film about Mother Teresa and decided she wanted to be an aid worker. As a primary school student in Carlton, she would climb the fence of her school to help feed the the children at the special school next door. In 1982, after completing year 10, she left school and completed a course to be a special education Teaching assistant and in 1984 trained as a lay missionary and completed a Probation Officer course for working with young offenders. She then traveled to Western Australia and worked as a "house mother" at an Aboriginal mission. On returning to Melbourne, she sold her car to finance her airfare, and left for Calcutta where she stayed and worked with Mother Teresas mission. Kelly, a practising Catholic, remained in India with Mother Teresa for six months until her visa expired. In 1987 she returned to India and continued her work with Mother Teresa and in 1988 she was honoured as an Australian Bicentenary Young Woman of the Year for her work in community services ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=25170325 ... Read more

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Chapters: Kelly Holmes, Moira Cameron, Judith Ward. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 25. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Dame Kelly Holmes, MBE DBE (born 19 April 1970) is a retired British middle distance athlete. She specialised in the 800 metres and 1500 metres events and won a gold medal for both distances at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She set British records in numerous events and still holds the records over the 600, 800, 1000, and 1500 metres distances. Inspired by Sebastian Coe, Holmes began competing in middle distance events in her youth. She joined the British Army but continued to compete at the organisation's athletics events. She turned to the professional athletics circuit in the early 1990s and in 1994 she won the 1500 m at the Commonwealth Games and took silver at the European Championships. She won a silver and a bronze medal at the 1995 Gothenburg World Championships but suffered from various injuries over the following two years, failing to gain a medal at her first Olympics in Atlanta 1996. She soon returned to form, taking silver in the 1500 m at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and bronze in the 800 m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics; her first Olympic medal. It was in the last four years of her career that Holmes had her greatest achievements. In 2002 Holmes won the 1500 m at the Commonwealth Games and the 800 m bronze at the Munich European Championships. The 2003 track season saw her take silver in the 1500 m at the World Indoor Championships and the 800 m silver medals at the World Championships and first World Athletics Final. She took part in her final major championship in 2004 she turned in a double gold medal-winning performance at the Athens Olympics, finishing as the 800 m and 1500 m Olympic Champion. For her achievements she won numerous awards an...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=774969 ... Read more

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Chapters: Kelly Holmes, Moira Cameron, Katrina Hodge. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 23. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Dame Kelly Holmes, MBE DBE (born 19 April 1970) is a retired British middle distance athlete. She specialised in the 800 metres and 1500 metres events and won a gold medal for both distances at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She set British records in numerous events and still holds the records over the 600, 800, 1000, and 1500 metres distances. Inspired by Sebastian Coe, Holmes began competing in middle distance events in her youth. She joined the British Army but continued to compete at the organisation's athletics events. She turned to the professional athletics circuit in the early 1990s and in 1994 she won the 1500 m at the Commonwealth Games and took silver at the European Championships. She won a silver and a bronze medal at the 1995 Gothenburg World Championships but suffered from various injuries over the following two years, failing to gain a medal at her first Olympics in Atlanta 1996. She soon returned to form, taking silver in the 1500 m at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and bronze in the 800 m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics; her first Olympic medal. It was in the last four years of her career that Holmes had her greatest achievements. In 2002 Holmes won the 1500 m at the Commonwealth Games and the 800 m bronze at the Munich European Championships. The 2003 track season saw her take silver in the 1500 m at the World Indoor Championships and the 800 m silver medals at the World Championships and first World Athletics Final. She took part in her final major championship in 2004 she turned in a double gold medal-winning performance at the Athens Olympics, finishing as the 800 m and 1500 m Olympic Champion. For her achievements she won numerous awards ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=774969 ... Read more

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Charity Truitt was fighting yet another panic attack that made it increasingly clear she was not going to complete the corporate merger between the Truitt department store chain and Loftus Athletic Gear. She was not going to marry Brett Loftus either....Notorious deal maker Elias Winters had changed gears and soon after, settled in Whispering Waters Cove. He'd been studying martial arts and Asian philosophy with one burning goal in mind -- only to discover that he'd been swept into unknown emotional seas....

Facing crises of career and heart, two of the most powerful corporate figures in the Northwest are now borne by the currents of fate to the same small Washington town, and to their respective shops -- a bookstore for Charity and a small curiosity shop for Elias. But no one, especially Charity Truitt, believes that Elias Winters has suddenly stopped outswimming the corporate sharks just to run a small business. As Charity and Elias begin a cautious exploration of each other's pasts, hidden agendas, and libidos, they discover one thing they definitely have in common: a martial arts master, he's a novice at relationships; a formidable executive, she's starting in the mailroom when it comes to love. After two shocking murders, Charity and Elias really join forces to catch a killer -- and become next in line for an early demise.

In a story that is at once a 1990s Hepburn-Tracy affair and an astute observation of life in the Northwest, Deep Waters resonates with wit, vivid characters, and a mystery-romance to die for. Jayne Ann Krentz, as always, is a master!Amazon.com Review
With more bestsellers in the last two years under her various pseudonyms than Michael Crichton and John Grisham combined, there's no denying that Jayne Ann Krentz is one of the reigning queens of romance. In Deep Waters, Krentz demonstrates the quick wit, keen plotting, and expert characterization that took her to the top of her field. Set in the Pacific Northwest, Deep Waters is the story of two powerful corporate players who encounter secrets, lies, and hidden treasure in a quaint coastal town, far from the city lights of Seattle. Charity Truitt can't escape the ever-escalating panic attacks that have plagued her over the last four months. Desperate to escape a loveless engagement and an impending nervous breakdown, Charity flees to Whispering Waters Cove, a tiny seaside community. There Charity meets Elias Winters, a major player in the Pacific Rim trade, a man with a past too painful to forget. When the sleepy town is rocked by a killer on the loose, the two unite to catch the murderer. It's the undeniable connection between the two that runs deep in this passionate tale of intrigue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

Very nice.Enjoyable.Good escape.Good mystery.Neat characters.
I enjoyed Charity's directness and honesty.She and Elias were doing their casual bantering during their getting-to-know-each-other phase, but when asked a direct question, she was refreshingly honest, even when once her answer was "Let me get back to you on that."I enjoyed the stories surrounding Charity and Elias.They were both successful in the corporate world but left that world to run small shops in a small town.They cook gourmet meals for each other.Elias practices an esoteric eastern zen-type philosophy, based on meditation, contemplating water and martial arts.There were some witty lines that had me chuckling.The main focus of the book is solving the mystery of who killed someone and why.

Sexual language: moderate.Number of sex scenes: four.Setting: current day Seattle and a small coastal town in northern Washington State called Whispering Waters Cove.Copyright: 1996.Genre: romantic mystery.

For a list of my reviews of other books by this author, see my 4 star review of "Sizzle and Burn" posted 2-09-08.

My First (But Not Last) JAK Book
I was looking for a different author to read and Amazon reccomends books according to your reading habits and had noticed JAK books so thought I would give one a try and was pleasantly pleased. I won't go into the plot as several have done that but just to say I enjoyed all the characters including Otis the parrot though he didn't have a lot to say.:)So many authors make the heroine so independent she is down right nasty. Charity was definitely independent but could still allow Elias into her life.There was good romance, a mystery, and humor with some great lines. I had to laugh at the way Charity kept trying to protect Elias when this was a man who could very well take care of himself.I liked all the secondary characters and the goings on at "Crazy Otis Landing".
I don't have any preconceived ideas of JAK's writing as this was my first book but based on this I will read more.There are books I can read a few chapters and put down and come back but once I started this one I just didn't want to quit.There was so much going on with all the different characters, and romance and mystery as well as the humor and JAK seems to really have some great humorous wit so the book doesn't bog down or get boring. There are books I find myself skimming but this one moved right along.Great to find another enjoyable author to read.

Lacking and predictable
Okay, so maybe it's just me, but I think this author is by far a better writer than this novel shows. First, names like Charity and Elias for the main characters just won't cut it for me. They sound too dull, which is about what I thought of this book. It took me forever to get through this novel and that was simply because I wasn't turned on. I kept reading because I thought it might get better. It didn't. I had the "whodunit" person picked out from the start, so no surprise there either. You know that good writers can't come up with 5-star books all the time, but I suppose one gets to expect it from authors they admire. Like I said, I know Krentz is a better writer than this book shows, so I won't quit reading her work. I own this one, so I'll keep it. But I wouldn't recommend it to an avid Krentz fan either...if that tells you anything.

another winner
I really don't get tired of Jayne Ann Krentz and I'm not entirely sure why. Here is yet another Krentz story revolving around a working woman and a mysterious, dark man who is into martial arts. But somehow Krentz spins a tale where the characters are compelling and the mystery is interesting. Ah, what the heck, spend a nice cozy afternoon with this book and consider it a small treat to yourself, like eating a Godiva chocolate.

Deep Waters
The Plot: After an emotional burnout, both Elias Winters and Charity Truitt are ready for a change. Each ends up moving to Whispering Waters Cove and operating a shop on Crazy Otis Landing. The two are instantly attracted and end up investigating a murder together.

I've read this book twice. Initially, I was disappointed in this book. I had just finished reading several other JAK novels. Similar plots, similar characters with similar backgrounds . ... Reading this a second time without the JAK marathon, I found it an enjoyable read. The characters are likable and respectable. Good mystery. Amusing read. ... Read more

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Favorite recipes from the renowned Fay School. ... Read more

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It is the 1930s and hard times have hit Harveyville, Kansas. For Queenie, a young farm wife, the highlight of her week is the meeting of the Persian Pickle Club (named after a favorite quilting pattern), a group of local women who get together to gossip and quilt. The club gains a new member from Denver with a penchant for investigation, and the Pickles face the revelation of a long kept secret. Simultaneous hardcover release from St. Martin's Press. 2 cassettes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (92)

Thread of Life
This wonderful book is a snapshot of life about women, as seen through their eyes during lean times. The events depicted here, could take place anywhere in our country.We are witnessing an exercise in how subtleties of our culture are handled by women with particular emphasis on their family, friends, and everyday activities.Throughout the book,the reader feels as if looking over the shoulder into each scene. Readers respond to, without actions or opinions known unless shared, each conversation or event, every unique yet somehow common character and personality the author has portraited.Savor the way every incident creates 'a bird's eye view' of life as it unfolds for The Persian Pickle Club.

okiepm
I really enjoyed this book, Since I love to quilt AND used to belong to a quilting bee, it was as I WAS BACK 50 YEARS IN TIME.

Quilting and Life Unfold in this story of the 1930s
I was intrigued by this novel's setting and time period (Kansas in the 1930s) as I'd just finished working on my mother's memoir set in the same locale and period. The appeal of this story goes beyond just the regional appeal, as the story unfolds to show the ways women support each other during lean times. This certainly has a message that's important during hard economic times.
At first I had trouble sorting out who was who in this 1930s ladies quilting circle. It was worth it to persist, as the story unfolded to include a mystery about the disappearance of one member's husband. The story unfolds through the viewpoint of Queenie Bean, a young housewife who takes pride in her quilting and in putting a good meal on the table for her farmer husband. She works at developing a friendship with a young woman who's new to the area and the quilting group. The unsettling influence of a newcomer to the Persian Pickle Club leads to friction in the group and eventually the uncovering of a carefully hidden secret.
Along the way, the reader learns a lot about the deprivations of the 1930s with farmers losing their land and homeless people asking for handouts. This homespun story of women helping each other out during the hardships of the Great Depression is a "good read."

Slow paced book..themes related to friendship and quilting
I read this book after reading and enjoying The Diary of Mattie Spenser by the same author.This was a slow paced book and the plot was hard to follow at first. I found the character development weak and it was hard to keep all of the characters straight through to the end of the book. I enjoyed the main character Queenie and the themes of friendship and quilting.

The Persian Pickle Club
Thiswas a fun and easy read. I had been reading some "heavy" stuff and wanted a break. This did the trick. ... Read more

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"Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated . . ." With her grandmother's taunt, Louise knew that she, like the biblical Esau, was the despised elder twin. Caroline, her selfish younger sister, was the one everyone loved.

Growing up on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island in the early 1940s, angry Louise reveals how Caroline robbed her of everything: her hopes for schooling, her friends, her mother, even her name. While everyone pampered Caroline, Wheeze (her sister's name for her) began to learn the ways of the watermen and the secrets of the island, especially of old Captain Wallace, who had mysteriously returned after fifty years. The war unexpectedly gave this independent girl a chance to fulfill her childish dream to work as a watermen alongside her father. But the dream did not satisfy the woman she was becoming. Alone and unsure, Louise began to fight her way to a place where Caroline could not reach.

Renowned author Katherine Paterson here chooses a little-known area off the Maryland shore as her setting for a fresh telling of the ancient story of an elder twin's lost birthright. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (190)

this book have I loathed!
This book have I loathed! The much-acclaimed coming-of-age story is set on an isolated Chesapeake Bay island in the early 1940s. The plot revolves around a supposed sibling rivalry between fraternal twin sisters: one is talented, generous, and graceful; the other is the narrator. The setting is appealing: a waterlogged island (called Rass Island in the book but much like real-life Tangier Island). Work on the island consists of fishing, crab hunting, and oyster "tonging." About 40 families live there.

Sounds like a decent premise for a historical novel, but the potential is corrupted by the author's failure to recognize one simple thing: readers have to identify or sympathize with the protagonist in order for a story to succeed.

Louise has never been happy. She describes her twin sister Caroline as "so sure, so present, so easy, so light and gold" and herself as "all gray and shadow." A much better book would have resulted had the author chosen Caroline as the narrator. Instead, we look through the eyes of a petty, contemptuous, jealous, humorless, graceless loser who borders on being sociopathic. Louise "burns with fury" over Caroline's talent and social success. A typical reaction for her is to "fly into a wounded rage" and think thoughts like, "She [Caroline] ought to be on her knees thanking me for all I did for her." Louise also fantasizes about her sister being forced to "bow down" to her, and has night-time dreams of killing Caroline, of beating her to death. Once, when Caroline expresses worry over Louise's odd behavior, Louise-as-narrator says, "Her face was all concern, and I wanted to smack it."

Louise has one friend, an overweight boy named Call, whose social skills are worse than Louise's own. But she is not close to Call, whom she describes as "a good-hearted but second-rate person." She treats him with as much contempt as she treats her family. About her family, all Louise can say is, "I longed for the day when they would have to notice me, give me all the attention and concern that was my due." She labors under the delusion that her parents dislike her, never give her anything, favor Caroline unfairly and have always done so. Louise, who says she "hates" everyone at her school, suffers from a superiority complex utterly ungrounded in fact.

This is children's literature? But wait - it gets worse. 14-year-old Louise has a sexual awakening, and a 70-year-old man is the object of her fantasies. That's right - 70. Here's a sample: "Just looking at his hands was doing the same old things to the secret places of my body that holding him had done." The man is blind to his teenage neighbor's pathetic longings, but everyone else sees the infatuation and is disturbed by it.

This protagonist may legitimately be seen as an anti-hero. She is unattractive (bites her nails, has weather-roughened skin, and is rarely clean), petty, venal, sour, and querulous; she suffers from a severe case of malaise. The only person less attractive than this malcontent is her grandmother, a demented, sharp-tongued religious fanatic whose manners and words cause much stress in the household. It is she who quotes to Louise the title reference: "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated," from Romans 9:13. The book is laced with heavy-handed references to biblical characters, including Joseph and his brothers, Cain, David, Moses, Paul, and Stephen, references that for the most part have nothing to do with the plot or character development.

The story goes on exploring Louise's misery until about 30 pages from the end, and then there is an abrupt change: Louise leaves the island, goes to college, becomes a nurse midwife in Appalachia, and marries a widower with three children. So after all the unsettling details about Louise's discontent, we are now expected to buy her shift to earth mother? Please.

The book was showered with praise ("simply irresistible," written with "special brilliance") and awarded a Newbery medal, but I wouldn't give it to a teenager if someone paid me to do it.

Not at all what I thought
Because it had won a Newbery Award and sounded great from the cover, I was so looking forward to this book. What a let down!

A classic
I've read this book a hundred times over the years, and each time I enjoy it a little more. It is a true classic and should be read by children of all agres.The author paints a timeless portrait of the difficult life in a harsh climate.The characters are also well developed and very sympathetic.I love this book.

An incredible story for any age.
This book has broken my heart and then put the pieces back together so gently I didn't even realize it was mended.

It was difficult for me to get into the beginning of Jacob Have I Loved.I thought I had read it before but it turned out to be a different book than I thought so I didn't know what to expect.Then, I kept waiting for Jacob to appear.Who was he?What was his story?

Finally, about 50 pages in, I let go of waiting for Jacob and just fell into the story.I couldn't put it down after that.The story grabbed me and wouldn't let go.Then, it began shaving off pieces of my heart until it finally shattered what was left with one quick moment.

I knew it was coming.I could feel it about to happen.Well, I could feel the build-up that something was going down but at first I didn't know if it was going to be good or bad.I just knew it was big.Then, I knew it was bad.I could see what was going to happen but she didn't know yet.I wanted to shake her "don't you know what is going to come next?"Then, she knew, and I was heartbroken.I didn't know if we would ever recover but by the end of the book I was yelling "don't forget the first one."And after all that I closed the book with a smile on my face.

I love Louise and though she lived a very different life from me, so much of her felt familiar.Oh Jacob Have I Loved, how I have loved you.

Unbelievably bad
I would never, ever recommend this book to anyone.

The language reads like a cheap Bronte sister rip-off.I kept expecting to read "Last night I dreamt I was in Manderley again".Paterson's many attempts at subtlety are blocky and clumsy, and stick out like a sore thumb.If Louise is a representation of Paterson herself, it's no wonder that the character kept getting rejected by publishers.

The characters are flat, forgettable, and one-sided, with the exception of Louise herself.As in all of Paterson's books, any character who is devoutly religious is portrayed as either stupid or evil.Louise (like Paterson?) blames God for all her troubles.Caroline is unabashedly selfish, with no comeuppance, no maturity, no sign of remorse for taking everything for herself, no sign of gratitude that Louise works to pay for her music lessons.

The most disturbing feature of this book, however, is the story itself.

This is a novel of torture:blunt parental favoritism, child abuse, and depression, depression, depression with absolutely no relief.The slightest bit of humor or natural childhood play, mentioned briefly in the first few chapters, is only there to be immediately smashed and crushed.There is no light at the end of the tunnel for Louise.I suppose some might think this makes JHIL a "great" book, but really, if the main character had nothing but sunshine and rainbows throughout this tale, with no dark side whatsoever, wouldn't that be just as unbelievable?Paterson focuses on the bad side of Louise's life, and does a decent job of describing it, but there is never, ever a focus on any occurrence that helps Louise to grow or change.There are no challenges whatsoever -- a few shy glimpses at character development are mentioned briefly, but never resolved or seen again.

Louise disappears right after her childhood friend (and crush) Call marries her sister -- the same sister who hated him and made fun of him throughout most of the book.There is a hastily-tacked-on ending with a character that has Louise's name, but is NOT Louise.Suddenly she doesn't care about water or boats anymore, suddenly her budding writing career isn't an interest, suddenly she wants to be a doctor, which is never mentioned prior to the last chapter; she marries a man she doesn't love (her parents, by the way, would rather attend one of beloved Caroline's many performances than be at Louise's wedding) and raises his children.Where is the Louise that has been in the book all this time?She is never heard from again.Nothing is ever, EVER resolved, which begs the question, what is the point of the book?
... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Geographical Journal, published by Blackwell Publishers Ltd. on September 1, 2008. The length of the article is 8494 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: Brazil, globalisation, neoliberalism, agricultural development, small-scale farming, coffee

Citation Details
Title: Context and contingency: the coffee crisis for conventional small-scale coffee farmers in Brazil.(Report)
Author: Kelly Watson
Publication: The Geographical Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2008
Publisher: Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
Volume: 174Issue: 3Page: 223(12)

Article Type: Report

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

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8 CDs featuring interviews with Keri Newell, Frank Seifert, Carol Tingle, Lisbeth Kimbrough, Kelly Sullivan Walden, Todd Creager, Christian Carter, and Moira Shepard. ... Read more