The best book to read for a Gloucester, Mass. resident
920119
By far, this is the best book for both the history of Dogtown, as well as Gloucester, Mass.
2637291
This is a fantastic book. The photos and vast descriptions are taking readers down a memory lane that usually began in childhood and a place of passage during teen years into adult. Adults loved that mall too, many restaurants, plays, theater, stores for everyone, art, and an atmosphere that was unlike anything that had yet existed. Mayor Naftaly's book is exceptionally well written and it is obvious that a ton of attention was paid to details and passion for telling the background of the building of this mall and its growth into a place of true area pride.  A great gift for yourself and loved ones!
2467370
enjoyed reading this book and especially about the historic triangle. the information is so valuable and since it's been 18 years since we have been there, I find it necessary to have this information with addresses and phone numbers in front of me. before we leave. try getting a visitor's guide from colonial Williamsburg itself. it's impossible. they say they will mail one, but they never do. I've tried several times and finally ordered this book. Pooh on you Colonial Williamsburg for your unreliable responses. Count on this book instead, folks.
3904478
Best Quilt Book out there! This was an instant favorite, as we are annual visitors to Colonial Williamsburg.  Changing Keys is our second Favorite CW Book
4452900
I am a certified floodplain planner, storm spotter and emergency manager.  I have read numerous books about Katrina.  I rank this book the best because it was the most comprehensive.  Brinkley did not just mention New Orleans.  I was at a floodplain management conference in Biloxi 16 months before Katrina and went to New Orleans on a tour as part of the trip, so I had an interest not just in the human suffering, but seeing an area I visited severely damaged.  The book was poignant as he mentioned Bay St. Louis' destruction.  I had empathy for that area after a waitress in a restaurant in Gulfport told me before I left that I needed to visit her hometown, Bay St. Louis, because she was proud to live there.  Seeing the pictures along U.S. Highway 90 was chilling.  Also, reading the stories of the Superdome left an indelible.  I also liked the coverage of the government infighting.  Best of all, Brinkley reported and did not make himeself too much of the story where there was two competing angles.
4066230
I know the man personally , I go to his bar in Arundel Maine all the time , great place good book , loved the book
1804858
I have been born and brought up in Delhi, and after reading the book, i realised how less I knew before about my city and how much I know now the book has been read. It is written in a witty and funny manner, and you couldn't ask for more from a writter. Good work Mr. William D. I have read almost all his titles and this by far is my favourite. Icing on the cake, it's available in Kindle edition!! Go for it!! It's worth every cent.
4144835
I recently moved to Beverly, Massachusetts and truly enjoyed thus book. I am intrigued that the names of many of the streets in this city carry the names of these planters.
1297433
I want to disclose that I know the author, but only slightly, and I lived for many years in both Middlebury and Bridport, Vermont. (Bridport is often called Bridgeport by out-of-staters passing through.) So when I see an acknowledgment to Jerry and Cheryl Connor, who own a large and beautiful farm in Bridport, I know I am in once familiar territory. But those were years ago. Today I live in Miami Beach where Spanish dominates English. So let me begin by saying one of the biggest pluses is how skillfully Dr. Alvarez has incorporated Spanish into the text. It reads so smoothly and should be very inviting to those who do not speak Spanish. And in my opinion, Spanish is a beautiful language to hear. (I also teach writing at a local college. Many of my students speak Spanish as their first language, so unlike what my classrooms were like in Vermont.)
The characters are delightful. When I grew up in Vermont, it was French-Canadians who populated the migrant farm workers. Maybe today there are more Mexicans. This I would not know. But the story is believable and takes the reader through the complete annual cycle of a farm.
However, I could not give this the fifth star for one reason. I have taught all my adult life. Maria's letters are not the letters of a girl her age. I think children and young adults reading this would not object. But as an adult reader--and a voracious one--I don't like having to suspend my belief system for an entire novel. And that is what I had to do because those letters back home to the absent mother in Mari's life are too perfect, letters that a more mature Mari would have composed. Having said that, I realize that the standards for young adult fiction are different than those for adult fiction.
I really wish this book would find its way into hundreds and hundreds of classrooms, probably grade six through eight. This really is a political book--and I am pleased it is.
Now I am wondering if Dr. Alvarez might be writing, say, about a young girl, born in Puerto Rico, who grows up in Brooklyn and becomes a latina woman on the Supreme Court. I might change my mind about young adult Sonia Sotomayor's letters to someone. I suspect she would have written brilliant prose and lengthy too.
3890275
For those of you with any history with this town & the surrounding areas, this book is a must, it is beautifully written & gives the reader a full historical walk around Charlestown & chronicles the times, the people & the development of the town, Cathal Henry has captured many wonderful things about the town & its people in his book, & all I can say it thank you Cathal! - read & enjoy
3642983
I enjoyed this a lot. It's a great story. I learned some local history which was interesting since the book takes place on Cape Cod in a town close to where I live. For example, I never realized there was a pirate history on the Cape. The book also gives the reader good insight into the 1700s lifestyle.
1607920
This is without a doubt my favorite history of Newport, RI.  Much of my own research has been on the colonial era in Newport, and this is one of the resources I have come back to again and again.  It is beautifully written and exquisitely concise.  A must read for any one who wants understand revolutionary war politics better.
4050609
This may be my most favorite read of the year. It makes me proud of my town; I knew there was a lot going on in the garden community around here, but having it all collected in one place, with such excellent photography, is exciting and very inspiring. Besides reading it, I've also flipped through it multiple times just to look at the pictures. What a great book. My only regret is that my recent schedule has not allowed me to attend any of the events centering around the book in the community since its release. I can't wait until spring to take another shot at my own garden!

A fantastic collection of information, interviews, and anecdotes from gardeners, activists, and regular folks -- kids included -- who have gotten swept up in the magic of growing real food. I can't recommend this book more for fans of this kind of thing.
1411408
Swelling with waspy Main Line pride, Meschter's The Gentlemen of Gloucester proves to be a valuable companion to the study of the oft-ignored historical culture of Philadelphia. The subject, the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, is displayed as it exists in both fantasied tradition and modern military aptitude. It is a look into the possibility of military service that is grounded in something other than the nationalism of the WWII postbellum and the relationships that can form through comedy and strife. Written from the memories of an American, the distinctly German attitude of this book is for those who love ceremony and tradition. This book is equally for those hoping to simply find tales of brotherhood through booze, women and war, bridging the cultural gaps that exist in the dichotomous city of Philadelphia.
2521734
I love reading historical novels, particularly  of the American  Revolution.  Thane's book was informative,  accurate,  entertaining,  and moving. Honestly,  I couldn't put it down.  And it also focused on Williamsburg,  one of the most amazing  places in the country to this very day.  Anyone who loves American  history  will greatly enjoy Dawn's Early Light.
3648865
F. Van Wyck Mason's book, "The Young Titan", ranks right up there with Edison Marshall, Kenneth Roberts, John Jennings, and Dale Van Every's historical fiction for his skill in portraying early New England life prior to and during the American Revolution.  I actually learned more about the history of that period from their books than I ever did in high school, or from the text books.  These books are especially interesting for those of us who live where so much of the history behind these stories actually took place.
3347754
I've read so many great reviews of Middlemarch that I can't really hope to compete but I have to say something.  I had watched the mini series on NetFlix a while back and decided that I had to read this book.  I bought the dead tree version and couldn't quite get through it even though I knew and loved the characters from the mini series.  I recently purchased this as an audiobook and can't put it down.  Middlemarch is easily the best novel ever written for its complexity of characters and sheer simplicity of every day life and struggles.  As has been mentioned many times, this is not a tale of high drama, but the characters and what they go through are very accessible.  Even though this book was written in the language of the time which I can imagine many readers will struggle with, keep reading anyway.  I liked the audio version better for that reason.  Although I know how it ends, I just don't want to finish it.  I want to keep all of these characters with all of their flaws with me forever.  This is not Gothic fiction, and Wuthering Heights still stirs me much more on an emotional and passionate level, but if we're just talking quality in literature and in painting the human portrait this is it, no question. Although I wouldn't rank this as my all time favorite book, I have nothing but respect, admiration and a great sense of awe for the writing ability of George Eliot and the intimate stories told within the pages of this book.  Anyone who is literate and lives as an adult with all of the day to day decisions and struggles should absolutely read this book. Ms. Eliot was a true literary genius, few artists of any interpretation have succeeded in doing what she did so adroitly.  This book is almost like a painting-a vast lush landscape where the characters make their lives.  I think the author basically captured TV almost 100 years before it was invented, this book certainly puts our modern day reality shows to shame.  With that being stated, there is a voyeuristic element to this novel that I think compels many many people to read it.  Same thing that drives many folks now to watch the reality shows.  We're all observers in Middlemarch and you probably won't come away from this book any more intelligent nor stupid than you were at the beginning, but you will have experienced the true power of literary genius and have found yourself entertained along the extensive, winding, intersecting journey.