Good
Books
A black family living in the house of long-dead abolitionist Dies Drear must
decide what to do with his stupendous treasure, hidden for one hundred
years in a cavern near their home.
Contact Lost
When their helicopter was forced down by a malfunctioning compass out of radio
range of any ship, the four men aboard, who belonged to a Norwegian sealing
fleet, were faced with a long, difficult trek across the lifeless, unchanging
icefields of the Arctic.
The Solitary
When 17-year-old Jane Cahill leaves her uncle's house and moves to the Arkansas
land she inherited from her parents, she believes that ``the bad part of her
life is over now,'' and she is right. Her harrowing childhood behind her, this
is the story of Jane's first year alone in the run-down dwelling, which has
no plumbing, heat or light, and of her passage toward self-acceptance. It is
an honest, thoughtful work, imbued with wisdom about the dependencies of men
as well as those of women. With faith in herself and with the help of new friends,
Jane embarks on a largely self-sufficient way of lifebreeding rabbits, raising
food and making peace with tragic events in her family's past. A compelling
story, with a heroine who is remarkably free of angst.
Wise Child
In this exciting, well-written fantasy, the setting (Britain in the Dark Ages)
is as much a character as Wise Child and her guardian Juniper. Orphaned by
the death of her grandmother and her sailor-father's disappearance, Wise Child
chooses to become the ward of Juniper, the village wisewoman who is healer,
midwife and witch. Under Juniper's kind but stern tutelage, Wise Child thrives,
learning herb lore, reading and basic survival in those difficult times. Wise
Child manages to live between the Churchrepresented by the grim village priestand
the witchcraft that Juniper would have her learn. This delicate balance is
destroyed by the coming of Maeve, Wise Child's mother, who had abandoned her.
Her evil awakens the real power of Wise Child as well as the superstitions
of the village, rendering the trial of Juniper for witchcraft inevitable. Self-realization
enables Wise Child to save both herself and Juniper in an exciting climax.
Though the ending may strike some as too easy, this is an intriguing portrayal
of an ancient way of life, and Wise Child is an engaging heroine.
Exercises of the
Heart
Roxie remembers when her father was alive and her mother whole. That's what
makes now so impossible--no father and endless battles with a mother rendered
almost mute by a stroke. She envies her friend Gloria Stern and her family,
with their penchant for highly dramatic confrontations, because they communicate.
And communication, Roxie thinks, is the one thing she and her mother cannot
have. Greenberg's characterizations are carefully delineated as she explores,
through Roxie, the cracks in the Stern family facade. When boys enter the scene
(Tony for Gloria, John for Roxie), they inadvertantly provide Roxie with the
chance to see Gloria in a new light and to view her own mother with respect.
The gulf between Roxie and her mother is one that can be bridged only by love;
they are denied the opportunity to ever ``hash things out.'' That readers know
this with no preaching from Roxie and little conversation from her mother is
this story's strength.
Agnes Cecilia
Supernatural forces begin to surround Nora when she and the family that has
taken care of her since her parents' tragic death years before move to a strange,
old apartment. Guided by dreams, mysteriously revealed messages in a book of
folklore, odd coincidences and the proddings of Dag, the boy she has grown
up with, Nora is led to a toy repair shop where she is given a beautiful old
doll that seems almost alive. But Nora's ultimate destination, and the purpose
of her journey, are shrouded in mystery. Incident follows incident and suspense
mounts as a generations-old puzzle begins to unravel. Agnes Cecilia is a first-rate
mystery, a precise, warm-hearted psychological study and a remarkably original
ghost story wrapped up in one thoroughly engrossing book