Ahhh, the beautiful innocence of youth.
598384
Do you recall the hot, lazy days of summer vaction: playing in the creek, panning for gold, riding bikes, catching fireflies, the awkwardness of a first kiss, realizing that life is all about change? This book transports you back to those moments in time and makes you remember the magic of youth.
3253196
This appears to be a light hearted story, but one of the nicest parts is that this lovely young girl holds onto her original
goals in spite of love and riches.  It also demonstrates that a young fellow can get serious and stop behavior that
really had held him back.  It also shows that young people can be very responsible once maturity is reached.
3000463
Urban children, like I was, may find this film especially tough. Farm-raised children will find much to identify with.
This is a sentimental film about unsentimentality. It's tough to see people living lives so fragile, it is threatened by the existence of a single pet fawn who forces a choice between its life and those of this small family struggling to survive in backwoods Florida when the fawn can't be kept out of the vegetable patch.

But there's much to appreciate here about familial relationships, human change and growth, childhood innocence and awe, simple pleasures. The story itself is beautiful if heartbreaking. I love the film. It is typical of family films from the 40's and 50's - characters are done archetypically - the father's kind, moral, hardworking; the mother cold, strict, hard hearted; the child innocent, honest, ernest; the pet fawn cute and used as a vehicle for the boy's rite of passage into the brutal world of adults ...
2818696
If only we all could express who we were at 17 with such grace, honesty and lucidity.
4707218
Sky and Holder are characters full of the innocence you once had as a child. Reading about them going through life and growing together through all they went through was beautiful and sad and I lived it all...
549579
Brings back the feel of old school photography when the film develops right in front of your eyes (in dim light, of course)
In this age of instant gratification, it is real fun to go through the analog motions that help the youngsters understand the mechanics of function.
261785
In her inimitable style, Jean Thesman pens a book about the trials of life as a teenage girl during Prohibition.  She captures the feeling of the era so wondrously that you feel as if you are 15-year old Quinn.  Her father,  Beau John, is endeared by the whole neighborhood for his easygoing and  generous personality.  Once a bookkeeper, he is forced to work long hours  as a dock laborer in another city, and come home only on weekends.  As  Quinn learns of the suspicious circumstances surrounding his failure to  come home from work one weekend, she learns that nobody's perfect, and that  the fine line between good and evil can blur around the edges.  In this  sterling example of an adolescent's initiation into adulthood, you see that  even the most deceptively simple ideas are full of complexities, and that  we must be brave enough to face them.
3822649
Well done!  Eloquently captures the innocence and angst of the sixties in the south, as seen through the eyes of a teen-aged boy.  I also liked the fact that it deals with what was a particularly thorny and undefined social issue at the time.
1788576
This is a film that takes me back to the years of my youth. The feelings it gave me back then (when I was of an age with the actors), come back with every new viewing. Fun, innocence, hope, determiniation, love, and more, for which words can't be found. The bonus of watching it as an adult, is that you can see the subtle perfection of certain scenes and acting (Jodie Foster admittedly gives a performance years ahead of the others), and the almost irrepressable delight of the kids taking part in it's production. When I first saw it, I came away wishing I could live in that strange land of sharp-suits and cream-pies, where the ultimate conflict culminates in universal love and a collosal food-fight. Give it a viewing. You may be one of those happy ones who love it.
992985
Remember the days of innocence, when you and your buddies stole from a pumpkin patch, apples from an apple tree, rhubarb from a neighbor's garden?  Many of these wonderful memories will come alive as you read this beautiful story. You will see yourself, in the lives of these four boys who were childhood friends, and remained ever loyal and loving to each other during their high school days, college years and still vibrant throughout their marriages and children. Surprises, twists and tears will keep you reading.
4540706
This book captures a time of innocence. It is a fun read and allows for creative thinking and imaginative adventures for your child.  It is indeed a great read!!!
4302162
Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain stand out in this re-telling of the classic puberty-meets-adulthood tale.  The subject matter alone keeps plenty of folks from experiencing the depth of emotion and honesty these characters display, or the core resounding themes of forgiveness, beauty and the spiritual levels of sex so many people would rather do without.  Suffice it to say, it's an exploration of an intimate, delicate matter - yet one that would not have seemed so out of place just a few generations ago..that of an older man longing for a child-becoming-a-woman.  Swain's grace is a perceptive trait she's given to the character, lending her weight and value rather than just being a source of scorn or pitty.  Far from it, Swain makes Lolita likeable, an adult feeling child for whom sitting on an older man's lap retains its innocence and charm, while at the same time evokes new, unexpected feelings and sensualities that complicate matters...Uncynical, fresh and perceptive, this Lolita is a joyous bittersweet tale of redemption and loss, with startling performances from the two leads.
3437497
I have structured my response in the most honest way I possibly can - not concerning myself with what the left or the right thinks, the religious or the non-religious would have us believe, or what many of those in the "justice" system would seek to pervert and crucify for.

I have found that the more I study Jock's images of young girls, several things start to become apparent to me. First, by the mere presentation of these adolescents in predominately B&W format, and obviously not posed in some provocative fashion, immediately dismisses them from being pornographic in any way whatsoever. Any person of reason would have to readily admit that.  His images force us to become comfortable in our own skin.

Some of the images can be erotic initially, (and I suppose to a certain element, very erotic) but only because of the culture in which we Americans were raised - that all people nude are perversions, and it is taboo for us to view them. But we all know that anything "taboo," or "off-limits" will only spark interest, not denial!

Little time passes before any initial reactions wear off however, and we begin to see inside these creatures - their innocence, their purity, their shining spirits - not yet tainted by the outside world and all of it's inequities and cancers.

I think that a review by "People Magazine" says it best: "...Sturges's people are grave, well-formed, and poetic. Best to think of his world as an inviting fiction: one photographer's Eden, where a little knowledge doesn't get you expelled from the garden[!]"

I sense that Jock's work gives us just a splinter of insight into the world that God intended ours to be... beautiful, peaceful, graceful, innocent, respectful, loving, forgiving, sensual, lasting, one of pure light.

If I were a female - like Misty Dawn - for example, I am quite sure that I would be most thankful and proud to be able to present such a wonderful chronicle of my life, and representation of my infinity, to my children one day, and to theirs, and on and on. What a beautiful, and priceless gift to be able to pass on.

And, what a beautiful expose for the rest of us to enjoy along with her!
3079468
The innocence of a 4 year old cannot be disputed, and that is what makes this experience so believable.  His interpretation of things may seem different, but it is said according to his level of understanding.  Much of this experience parallels the things that I believe and have experienced myself as a lifetime member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I loved the sensitivity of the production and the humility and spirit of the actors.  Truly, Jesus Christ is our Savior, Redeemer and the Holy Son of God.
328083
A wonderful depiction of how young, growing girls should view happiness, maturity and daily changes to her body, mind and soul. I finished reading, and bought two copies for my nieces. A fine work of art!
953671
I picked this up as a bargain for my 12-year-old, then finished it myself that day. While some characters fall into  stock categories (looks and popularity-obsessed pretty girl, scruffy tomboy, burdened-but-valiant poor girl), they are well-drawn enough to come fully to life and even present a few surprises. The adults are similarly nuanced, flawed but appealing. The special beauty of the story is its realistic and sympathetic handling of the mother's mental illness: the roots of it, the paths to healing, the reactions of family, especially the 13-year-old main character's. Little touches, too, keep this far from formula, such as the father of the poor girl, who in other books would turn out to be an abuser, but here proves to be neither noble nor savage. A tiny quibble: in 1960, no one wore white lipstick (try mid-to-late 60s) or used Dippity-Do (invented in 1965)--nitpicking, I know, but annoying--and there are a couple of other anachronistic details. Here and there, plot twists feel a bit facile. Overall, though, the strengths more than compensate for the few, minor weakensses. An honest, gentle, moving and uplifting book, with a big heart and a family of individuals you grow to love and are sorry to leave.
4818990
This book was a nice complement to the author's other works.  The two things that stood out in this book were that the author provided the girls names and the photos were not nudes.  They were more about enjoying the innocence, purity, and freedom of youth.

There are 19 girls.  Each girl is very beautiful.  Not only physical beauty, but they are radiating an external beauty.  A feeling of happiness.  They are smiling and you can see they are genuinely enjoying themselves.  As I looked through the book I noticed I was smiling too.  The photo shoots look fun and very summery.

I didn't know much about Belgrade, or Serbia, before I picked up this book.  Like with the author's other books, the viewer it taken on a unique journey of being transported to another part of the world to see the beautiful landscapes and of course the very beautiful girls.

The photos have kind of a vintage, film-like quality to them.  This was a nice, understated touch, as after I viewed the book I read about Serbia and found it is a beautiful country that moves at a slower pace than the States, the U.K., or even Germany, which isn't too far away.  The vintage feel of the photos matches this mood.

I really enjoyed this book.  I felt like it took me back to a simpler time.  A time where nature, personal relationships, and happiness were valued more than owning the latest technology gadget in a world of rushing to get from one place to the next without stopping to smell the roses.  The book isn't scented, but I definitely "smell the roses" each time I give it a look to brighten my day.