It takes a village...
583301
And that's perfectly okay! The book was open and honest with reflections and advice from both working moms and their children. As a daughter of a working mom, I never thought twice about her ability. She was always there for me. But now, as an adult, I have no idea how she did it. And this book has helped me appreciate even more the effort and the courage and patience it takes. But also... moms don't need to pressure themselves so much.

I highly recommend this to anybody who has children or is considering that path or even not. Having empathy and understanding of others' experiences can only help.
4264638
The Village is the story of a small community living in a tiny settlement, surrounded by woods that reportedly contain mysterious, malevolent creatures. These creatures have to be given sacrifices in order to prevent them harming the villagers. No-one leaves the village or ever enters the woods. M Night Shymalan has managed yet again to create an atmospheric movie with brilliant cinematography. Unfortunately this is as much as he manages with this film. In spite of worthy performances by stars such as Sigourney Weaver and Joaquin Phoenix along with a brilliant performance by newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard as blind Ivy Walker, the film somehow falls flat. There is none of the sense of increasing unease that we have come to expect with Shymalan's movies, and the ending, for once, could be seen coming from very early on in the story.

Some people have viewed this as a horror story, others as a drama but it doesn't really manage to fall into either genre comfortably. It's not a bad film, it's certainly worth viewing once, but it's not one that you would want to watch over and over.
4044997
this little fishing village was developed by just a few families and they have continued to support the little town down through generations. Sherry Thurston did a terrific job collecting and organizing the information and photos and dedicated herself to bringing out the warmth and grit of these founding families.
2594817
The Perfect English Village is difficult to find, you want a pub, quiet and serene countryside, land for sale, and lovely people in the community.

Nigel Farrell takes on his search for the picturesque village in his mind's eye. And, what he finds are remnants of what he is looking for in each village. In an old Morris Minor, a car I have never seen before, he visits villages with the names of, Lacock I'm Wiltshire, Finchingfield in Essex, Drewsteignton in Devon and Bosham in Sussex. Such lovely villages all. Each community has it's own peculiarities, lines and dislikes. We hear from the townspeople about their community. An iconic village is finally found, and you can find for yourself.

Lovely, jaunt through some villages in England, with a fun and sometime serious look at life.

Recommended. prisrob 11-29-13
350322
It's May 1940 as the lads of the English village of Chilbury head off to war. It is the women, mainly, along with the children and old men who are left behind, who tend the home fires and keep them burning strong in the lads' absence. In the absence of male choristers, the women gather together to establish a "Ladies' Choir" for the church and for local competition. They find comfort and strength in the company of one another as well as discover the healing and bolstering properties of music well sung.

The story is told through correspondence and personal journal entries of five key women of Chilbury. ranging in age from 10 years to 50 or so. It speaks of young love, black market dealings, fear of Nazism, spies in their midst, autumn love and personal sacrifice. Through the ladies of choir's sense of community, there's very little which cannot be accomplished together and the music provides the balm needed by broken and worried souls. This was a lovely account of the strength of women when called upon to lift up their community and to care for one another through thick and through thin.

I am grateful to publisher Penguin Random House LLC for having provided a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review, the words of which are mine alone.
1602568
Having grown up in an Amish community, I could relate to the ways of the group as described by the author.  They are wonderful people; warm and loving family members as well as helpful and concerned neighbors even to us "English".  My father bartered with them with his services and theirs as far as farm work went, and my older siblings were invited to play baseball or ice skate with the children.  The plotvwas excellent in presenting the conflicts of cultures as well as the similarities of humanity.  I t was an excellent read.
167639
Cipriano Algor is an aging potter, working a small kiln inherited from his ancestors, in a tiny village. He lives there with his beloved daughter, Marta, who helps him in the pottery business, and his son-in-law, Marcal Gacho, who works as a security guard at The Center. Ah yes, The Center, where everyone wants to be. The urban utopia where all the latest methods are used, where people live and shop and enjoy endless entertainments. And the place where Cipriano sells his pottery. Oh yes, Marcal is expecting a promotion, and then--well--the whole family can move to an apartment in this wonderful city within a city.

Then, one day, Cipriano is told that his pottery isn't needed any more. People want cheaper stuff, plastics that last longer. What will he do? How will he support himself? And what will happen to the nurturing rural life they've enjoyed in the village? Without revealing any more of the plot, I'll just say that they go through many struggles and learn a lot. The importance of love, for example. And that things are not what they seem.

Author Jose Saramago writes in his usual, somewhat difficult style (long stretches of print without paragraphs and minimal punctuation), but you get used to it. It's a kind of author's stream-of-consciousness, where dialogue takes place without quotation marks. In the hands of this author it works. He tells an engaging tale that can be undestood on many levels. A tale about our world, with its mad commercialism and the pursuit of profit over everything else. The characters are charming and you quickly become involved in their developing relationships and struggles. Did I mention? There's a dog in the story, and maybe even a love interest for the aging potter. But you'll just have to read it.

Saramago is a genius of course, and his works are unforgettable. I enjoyed this one and I recommend it highly. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.
1707712
This book is a story of how one should never give up when adversities strike, but to find a way to make a better life around you.  Part of this book is about my hometown.  I visited after this book was written and have seen how this author woke up the town and how much it is improving.  The work is not done, but the writing of this book woke them up and it is on it's way to becoming a charming, successful town again.  The author did a good job.
4105573
Back in the day you felt safe and secure in your neighborhood.  The neighbors looked out for one another and families loved spending time together.  The summer started uneventful, Janice was enjoying her spending time with her cousins, Skip and Henry.  Then a stranger inserted himself into the community.  This stranger was terrorizing everyone - peeping into windows, stalking young women, and beating up neighbors.  Innocence was lost and the community bolted the doors and barred the windows to protect itself from violence.

Brown writes about the change America has undergone.  She has eloquently developed the story of lost of community innocence which details how African American families have grayed.  The main drawback in this piece was the typeset was extremely small making it hard to look at for long periods of time.  Village Vengeance shows promise for this newly self-published author.

Deltareviewer
Reviewing for Real Page Turners
24805
When two opposing forces collide, one must fall, disappearing into obscurity. For most of the early 20th century, the colonization of Nigeria was portrayed as a necessary reformation of the unusually cruel, antiquated traditions of the Ibo people. But Nigerian writers like Chinua Achebe, upon obtaining mastery of the English language, spoke out against the narrow perspective of history cast by the oppressors.
  Things Fall Apart is an accessible piece of African literature considering the gravity of its content. The simple yet elevated diction reflects Achebe's authentic cultural voice. He calmly weaves examples of camaraderie and local justice between the more often discussed primitive aspects of the village culture. The glossary of Ibo terms in the back of book enables the author to create a convincing atmosphere that immerses the reader into African village life.
  As an antithesis to 20th century colonial literature, the book succeeds. Though sexism, infanticide, and a unjust class system persist, the Ibo culture redeems itself by displaying its ability to unify and bring together entire villages to celebrate life.
  Through the prosperous yam farmer and storied wrestler Okonkwo, Achebe introduces us to the story's tragic hero. Scorning his father's feminine traits, he works hard to win the village's approval. At the peak of his success, he joins the council of village spirits, guiding the actions of his village. However, by the story's end, he finds himself utterly alone, deserted by those who are unwilling to defend the values and customs of the village.
There are two sides to every coin, and Achebe shows that on both the human and village levels. One can support Okonkwo's determination to become the highest ranked man in his village and at the same time feel disappointed when he blatantly disobeys tradition or displays unnecessary coldness. We mourn the destruction of village culture and Okwonko, despite all their faults, because we can see the vitality and goodness in them. This, of course, is due to the unique perspective Achebe lends us through his masterpiece.
4711780
Me. Wiles did a wonderful job of making me care about the people of the village. Even though one character was a bit of a horse's hiney, there were no truly evil characters. Just real people you'd find in every day life. Well done!
981631
This is one of the better who-done-its this year.  A tragedy in a small town brings everyone together....and separates a few.  A great group of characters react and/or act to make this a very good read.  Easy to imagine the little English town.
1425743
Touching story of a community that comes together to help a mother and her daughter make their run down house into a home. This showing of community and kindness definitely made me tear up a bit.
1340198
The title does say it all. It takes you to the places where these poor people have to endure a life that they probably won't survive.
4151135
Welcome to Edendale, a village in the Peak District of England. Edendale is home to Constable Ben Cooper, an officer with a bright future who nevertheless worries that he will never be able to fill the shoes of his father, a police sergeant who died in the line of duty in Ben's own precinct. Ben relies a great deal on intuition and leaps of logic in his work.

New to the Edendale Police is Diane Fry, a very ambitious young woman on the fast track to promotion. She relies on good, solid investigative work that follows the rules. She's aloof, prickly and more than a little tired of the fact that the people living there tell her nothing while they all treat Ben Cooper like a beloved son.

Not exactly the most promising start to any sort of partnership, is it?

Ben and Diane find themselves thrown together more often than not when 15-year-old Laura Vernon is found murdered. Like Diane, Laura and her parents are outsiders, outsiders that the villagers have never been very friendly toward. Booth has about the best description of how people think in an insular community, and it reminds me of why I no longer live in one:

  "Yes, you only really knew people when you knew everything about them. You needed to know it all-- from the exact moment they had been conceived in the long grass behind the village hall to the first word they had spoken, and the contents of their fifth-form school reports. You needed to know what size shoes they wore, how much money they owed the credit card company, when their bout of chicken pox had been, and which foot had the ingrowing toenail. You had to know who their first sexual encounter had been with, what brand of condom they had used, and whether the experience had been satisfactory. Now that was knowing somebody."

In a village that thinks that way, Diane Fry has her work cut out for her. Actually the entire police force has its work cut out for it because Harry Dickinson, the old man who found Laura's body, is a close-mouthed, cantankerous soul who knows more than he's telling. What is it that Harry knows? Why do none of the villagers like the Vernons? Why is Laura's father determined to pin his daughter's murder on the gardener he's just fired?

I found Booth's depiction of the Peak District very atmospheric...almost chilling. The plot was satisfyingly convoluted and had a very deliberate pace. In fact the pace of the story reminded me a great deal of Harry Dickinson, the old man with a lot to say but who wasn't going to say it until he was damned good and ready. While the plot marched on, I got to know Ben and Diane a bit better. Ben is the intuitive one, the one who has heavy family responsibilities, and he's also prone to bouts with the "black dog"-- slang for depression. Diane is the anti-social one. The one who knows how to dress, how to behave and what to say in order to be promoted, but one who wants to keep everyone at arm's length. Although I found all the prickliness tiresome at first, once Booth began telling us their back stories, I was willing to set that impatience aside and enjoy the story more.

Enjoy it I did. The setting, the plot, the deliberate pacing, and the characters all combined to make me not pay close attention to the clues Booth planted all along the way. When the murderer's identity was revealed, my reaction wasn't one of shock but one of "Well of course that's who it was!" Not only that, but by book's end I fully came to appreciate the title of the book. In Black Dog, Stephen Booth has laid the foundation for an excellent mystery series. I look forward to reading more.
2417454
JK has taken on a new literary challenge with this story of a small town in England and its local politics, the relationships of parents and children, and classism, elitism of some town members contrasted by those in the "Fields".  While the author is developing the characters in the first 100 pages, it is a bit of a slog, but once you get into the story it gets interesting.  The characters (with all of their flaws and inadequacies) are developed and revealed. At the end, you are in consideration of right and wrong, good and evil, and human condition.
1752248
Cameron wants to leave his small town and go to New York and become a famous architect, but the elders have other ideas. Elise is from another village born into the upper class. Now they have to marry to keep their people from  warring.  This is a well written book that draws you right in. I was gifted a copy of this book for an honest review.