This was a heart filled true story of Neltje Doubleday of the Doubleday Publishing fortune, who as a youngster was bullied by her arrogant, opinionated, and perpetually drunk father and a mother also a drunk and narcissist who used her children, Nelson Jr and Neltje as "show pieces" to be presented to their business friends"

You cringed as you read all the details of their upbringing and the cruelties that especially Neltje had to endure.

After two disastrous marriages Neltje finally becomes "the person she was meant to be" and not the socialite her parents raised her to become.

By the end of the memoir you're rooting for Neltje and happy that she is finally at peace.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting, good read.

"Miss Jane" was an exceptionally well written book. The prose was beautiful and the novel had a gentleness about it. I especially enjoyed her love of nature which she seemed to flourish in.

Birds, reptiles and a few other mammals and some people like Jane are born with a posterior orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive, reproductive, and urinary tracts, from which they excrete both urine and feces.

Forced to wear diapers her entire life, this did not stop Jane from realizing happiness considering that her home life was less than ideal.

Her Mom, a depressed woman who turned Jane's care over to Grace, her much older daughter, almost from birth. Her father who tried his best, did not know how to handle the home situation and turned to moonshine as his sole, sad solace.

Jane's only friend, the older county doctor was steadfast with his support and tried to help her with understanding and improving her rare medical condition.

I loved this book for its simplicity and would highly recommend it to my book club and others who enjoy a good read.

This is definitely a "thinking" persons book. It brings faith,death and anarchy to the front lines. It makes you look at yourself and life in a new way.

One of the best books I've read in a long time.

I found the book to be interesting but nothing really special. The charactors were intelligent but the author didn't really delve into their psyches as much as I had hoped they would.

It reminded me of so many other books that I have read about the Asian experience.

I found the novel very well written with a good even flow. At first I found it boring but after reading it for a while I realized how good the book really is.

The main character Celia is a woman who is looking at life through an imaginary window. She has everything carefully worked out so she can look out but nobody could look in. That all changes when a new tenant moves into her brownstone.

Hope is just the opposite of Celia. She loves people and enjoys having a good time. Unfortunately Hope is needy and she and Celia start a friendship that brings out the misery that befall humans when perfectly laid plans for long lasting marriages fall short of expectations.

Children of The Jacarandra Tree was one of the best books I have ever read. We have heard over a long period of time how the long battles in Iran have taken a toll on the country but this book tells us about it's people.

The book describes dissidents who were picked up, blindfolded and led out of their homes as there families watched, It took us to the jails where squalor and torture were everyday events. Some of the lucky prisioners were released after long prison terms to families whose very own children didn't recognize them.

This book was very painful to read because of it's harsh subject matter but it was very well written and will stay with you for a long time.