"Loved the book! Compelling! Informative! Darned if I didn't sit down and four hours later get out of my chair, pleased with the entire experience. Now I see why the "LETTER TO THE READER" asking for my CASTING SUGGESTIONS. It certainly would make a great movie."

"I stayed up until 3:00 in the morning...and couldn't stop reading it!"

"I truly cared about the characters in "DICHOTOMY-AMISH JUSTICE!" They kept me totally involved as the suspense grew when their frustrations, fear, and plight mounted. Total entertainment!

This book is a laugh a minute. Being a city person, I attempted to read this on the train, only to be greeted by strange looks from people sitting next to me as I laughed.

Green Grows tells the story of the ultimate "problem" garden, as can only be told by the highbrow, snobbish Beverley Nichols. It was a "problem" only because Beverley wouldn't let good enough alone. He had to have the perfect garden. While never actually getting his hands dirty, we stand beside him as he explores ways to shape his triangular back garden, install a domed greenhouse, deal with new neighbors, and still manage to take care of his cats.

In Beverley's world, turning his garden into something beautiful, despite its awkward shape, is the most important thing in the world. He spares no expense and calls his contractor in at all hours, as well as making his gardener plant and move shrubs several times...as if he were arranging pictures on a wall. All this despite the fact that a war was about to begin...didn't matter a lick to him.

Additionally comic is his relationship with his neighbor down the street. In a classic Nichols fashion, he again is vexed with the nosey neighbor. His interaction with her is an additional bonus to the reader. This book is priceless.

A lovely, funny, informative book for anyone who loves to design gardens or just likes to enjoy them. As he tells you the story of his home in the city, Mr. Nichols weaves in information and ideas he creates to make a wonderful garden in a difficult space. Even without the garden element, he's a warm, insightful, funny observer of human nature.

I've read the Nichols' trilogy ('Merry Hall', 'Sunlight on the Lawn', 'Laughter on the Stairs') and recommmend them all, but I enjoyed this one the most. Maybe that's because I live in an urban area, have a small odd-shaped yard, a cat and two dogs, and nutty neighbors. I'm always looking for ways to make my garden more private, overcome awkward features, and squeeze in more and more plants. This little book is a 'history' of how Nichols accomplished just that. He took an odd shaped city lot and turned it into a pretty little garden overcoming all sorts of obstacles including a very nosy neighbor. As I read this book, I kept thinking why leave--even if the move was to Merry Hall. I suppose a gardener can only arrange and dig up the yard so many times before the need to seek new ground arises. If you want some ideas about how to deal with your little urban plot until you move to your country estate, read this book. It's filled with cats, friends, flowers and laughter, and a great read before bedtime.

I love Jo Beverley's romance and this is one of her best-to be recommended along with Emily and the Dark Angel and My Lady Notorious. The plot was deeper than most of hers.

Only Jo Beverley could come up with this story. So amazing, considering the times, of the hero coming home from the crusades to find, not only his son he'd never seen, dead, but his wife for whom he'd been celibate for 2 years, holding a few month old babe, who obviously was not his. Not only does he forgive her, but accepts this child whole heartedly because he would never conceive of hurting his beloved wife.

What Galeran goes through to overcome the betrayal and then the machinations to overcome all the difficulties of keeping the child are nothing short of heroic.

Then, on top of that, you have Aline and Raoul's story (which I truly enjoyed). I'll say like a previous reviewer, what an amazing tidbit the fact that ladies of the manor were supposed to bath high ranking visitors. This was truly an eye opener. What a way to weave historical fact into a delightful romance.

This is an amazing book, but anything by Jo Beverley, I've discovered is terrific.

Well, if Elizabeth Chadwick says this is a great book, it is certainly is worth looking at. That was how I came (via a Medieval Romance group) to this book, which is so unusual. Where else will you find an adulterous heroine (unwittingly so), and a hero who accepts his wife's illegitimate child - and then gets pulled up by the Church for doing so? A fantastic read, full of emotion. The heroine Jehanne is not always likeable, but boy, does Beverley pull you in. I think this is her finest book (of those I have read - medieval, Georgian, and Regency).

Just one problem stops it from being perfect. The secondary romance was sweet at first, and then got downright cloying. I wanted to kick both participants. Having said that (and got it off my chest), I recommend that you find a copy of this book and give it a try.

P.S. THE SHATTERED ROSE is one of my keepers, even after downsizing my keeper collection (down to 20, Heyers, Austen and Ellis Peters apart).

I recently read the book The Other Side of Truth by Beverly Naidoo. The book is about two children that are smuggled out of Nigeria after their mother was murdered.

Their father is a journalist for a periodical that talks about the political corruption in Nigeria. Sade and Femi's father is the most honest writer of the staff. When he openly writes about how bad of a government the Nigerian one is, the government tries to kill him. But, instead of killing him they kill his wife. Later that day arrangements are made for Sade and Femi to be smuggled to their uncle in London.

When their plans fall through they are discovered by the police, but Sade and Femi make the decision to lie and not talk about who they really are. They are given to temporary parents. Their dad later joins them in London but is immediately sent to jail because of not going through the right immigration steps. The end of the story portrays true family love and is exceptionally amazing.

I really enjoyed this book for a couple of reasons. The first of which is that the author does a great job explaining a very confusing plot. The second reason I liked this book was because this sort of plot has always really interested me. I would especially recommend this book for anyone that enjoys realistic fiction; this book is at the very top of the line in that category. This book was one of the best books I read all summer and I would highly recommend it to anyone, even people that might not have enjoyed this sort of book in the past.

This book has haunted me since I read it. It tells the story of two immensely likable young children forced out of their country and into a totally foreign culture. It managed to educate me about Nigeria and its political turmoil, while also cluing me into some of the problems faced by those seeking asylum, such as being imprisoned like criminals and often being sent home to face torture or death. Yet, despite the heavy material, Naidoo has a light touch that transforms the book into an adventure with the highest stakes, riveting you to the pages until the end.

I have read this book because it was assigned to me in English; however, I immediately became utterly engrossed in it and found it an un-put-down-able book until I had devoured every last one of its 224 very worth-while pages!
I will not go on to reveal the plot, for that is the absolute beauty of the book, and the tension created by this very gifted author with her own amazing, individualistic style of writing is fantastic!
Please read this book - it is such a lesson in Nigerian life, while at the same time you do not realise that you are learning so much!
A true epic!

I first read Merry Hall over 30 years ago, and having recently re-read it I was impressed by how much an impression it had made on me. Many a time I have unknowingly quoted from the work, thinking the quote apocryphal!

You must read for yourself how to deal with an overgrown holly hedge, and how to plant hundreds of trees without buying them, and what berberis can do for you, and why you should cultivate periwinkle...

I'm sure you'll be delighted with the finely drawn sketches of the real people populating the story: the characters of gardeners, society ladies, and men who work for the government in a clearly covert and somewhat sinister capacity. You'll enjoy the cats, the lilies, and how to create an English country garden from a neglected and ill directed site.

The gentle humor reflects the gentler times before the horrors of World War 2 brought violence, destruction, and death into the hearts and homes of most of Britain.

This book is a keeper!

I grabbed this one from the New Books Shelf at the library pretty much because I liked the cover and the dustjacket said something about gardening. Beverley was an English gentleman who wrote popular fiction during the 40's. This one is the first in a series of books he wrote about living in Merry Hall, a run-down Georgian mansion that he bought after the war. I loved this little book, and now I'm going to read the whole trilogy. You should, too! At times you might find him irritating, but isn't that to be expected from an egotistical Englishman writing about himself? Besides, he's very funny in that droll way Englishmen have, and he even has two cats named "One" and "Four." How can you not love that? Here's a bit from it: After breakfast I went along to the music-room, to spend half an hour on the waterfalls. By spending half an hour on the waterfalls, I mean practising the double descending cadenzas in Chopin's Third Scherzo. It is perhaps the most superbly 'pianistic' piece of music ever written; to be able to play it properly must give to any pianist a sense of almost god-like power... a feeling of floating on wings over a sea of roses. I do not feel at all like that when I play it; I feel as if I were stumbling, with bare feet and with considerable pain, over the sharpest pebbles of Brighton beach. So, no doubt, do my listeners. But I have been practising it for nearly ten years, and I shall go on practising it, flat by flat and sharp by sharp and natural by natural, with an increasing hatred of the fourth finger of my left hand, which has Communist tendencies.

Merry Hall by Beverly Nichols is a delightful book that should appeal to gardeners as well as others. The author's wit and humor are great. He is the Peter Mayle of gardening. The book tells of his purchase and renovation of an old English manor house, but he focuses on the garden instead of on food.

According to Jo Beverly's website, this great book will be reissued in December 2003.

I own this book and I just think it is wonderful.

I don't usually write reviews but I just had to make a comment on this one. I read this book in 2 evenings. I couldn't put it down. The horse race had me laughing out loud at 2am in the morning, probably with the neighbors wondering what was going on. And the next day at work I was thinking about it and burst out laughing, and definitely had my coworking wondering what was wrong with me. Without giving much away, I thought it was a nice change of pase regarding the sexual state of Francis.

This is definately my favorite of the Company of Rogues Series. I was intrigued with Francis when I first visited the Rogues in Beverley's first installment, An arranged Marriage. I felt so bad for him at the end of the first novel, and I was relieved that he got his own story.
It's an wonderful read full of wit (that characterizes most of her other novels) and humor. We get to visit most of the other Rogues in this installment and get to hear more of Blanche's and Hal's story(their story is threaded through out the series).
I would recommend,however, to anyone who hasn't read any of this series to start with An Arranged Marriage and work your way thru the rest, because the entire series is excellent. You'll fall in love with most of the Rogues and constantly change your mind on which characters you like the best. Happy Reading!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as it covered topics, such as boot making and choreography, that are not often discussed in books about skating. However, its author, a Canadian, seems to have focused predominantly on the Canadian world of figure skating by frequently mentioning Canadian skaters, judges, choreographers, and coaches. It would have been nice to have had a greater "world" view of the topics discussed in the book.

...but I did buy the first printing and have now re-read it about 3 or 4 times. I totally agree with all the reviewers here in that it is truly an unbiased and very un-sensationalized look into the world of figure skating. I especially loved the chapter that talked to several members of the judging community. If you are a fan of the sport or participate in the sport -- RUN, don't walk, to your computer and order this book ASAP. You will not be disappointed.

This book covers a variety of topics including the sacrifices made for the skating child or children in the family, the importance of the proper fit in boots and the proper setting of the blades to the skaters, what a judge goes through to become a judge, what it is like to skate in an ice show and much more. I found this book so fascinating that I didn't want to put it down. This is a must have book for the library of all figure skating fans.

Julie Beard - My True Love Gave to Me Anne Clancy looks to be celebrating Christmas alone - not even her black cat Niner is around having been missing these last four days. Hearing what she thinks is his bell, she rushes out in a snowstorm calling for him and is hit by a car. When a most startling blue-eyed gorgeous hunk of man revives her, she assumes it is her neighbors friend who she was to meet that evening - darn but she could have warned her he was drop dead gorgeous! Only it wasn't the neighbor's friend - and it wasn't even Wisconsin, USA 1975 anymore either. She was catapulted back in time and mistaken for this gorgeous hunk of a medieval knight's intended bride. Now what's a modern girl to do? Divine short story with a lovely ending.

Jo Beverley - A Gift of Light Kitty Mayhew was alone working on a tapestry trying to figure out what was wrong with her mother's cat who was making the strangest sounds and putting her body through some very strange contortions. It was her maid Polly that let her know that the problem was that the cat was in heat and hadn't she heard the 'tom cats' making all kinds of racket at night. The very worst of the 'tom cats' was a big black one that she found out belonged to a neighbor. Armed with all the dignity she could muster Kitty went to the neighbor insisting they control their 'tom' cat from courting her female. What she discovered was a very impudent owner who didn't seem to see that this was as much of a problem as she did. In fact, this rascally 'Lord Chatterton' thought that this little spitfire needed to be taught the finer points of courting - human style. Through a ruse using the servants courtship as an excuse, he talked Kitty into the two of them acting as chaperones to find out if the servants budding courtship would last if it didn't have to be kept clandestine and would be brought into the open.

This was a cute, lovely story with some sweet and sassy dialog. Lord Chatterton was the initiator of trying to teach a lesson in courtship, but it was Kitty who finally taught Tom, Lord Chatterton, what it really meant to let in the 'light of the Christmas season' and truly love.

Barbara Bretton - Home for the Holidays This was a darling story told partly from Sebastian, a Maine Coon cat's perspective and partly from his human owners, Jill and David. It is Christmas Eve and David and Jill are divorcing. Jill and David had been together since college; loving each other thru the hard times then slowly falling apart as David's need to advance his career and make more and more money was more important than spending time with his family. It would take Sebastian, the cat they both loved, on a journey that they could follow - to make David remember that the most important thing he needed was Jill and that they were partners - and that they were once happiest when all they had was a little money but whole lot of love. Sweet story.

Lynn Kurland - The Gift of Christmas Past I really liked this offering from Lynn Kurland. Sir Sweetums, Abigail Garrett's cat, has been missing, and her life feels as though it has gone down the drain, no job, no cat, no unemployment insurance, and no boyfriend just a couple of days before Christmas - she felt like George Bailey and was ready to jump off a bridge into the river. Well, she didn't exactly jump but she did fall in and when she came up for air she found herself in a cesspool of a moat. Not only a moat, but she was no longer in Wisconsin, but England and it wasn't 1998 anymore but 1238! She dragged herself out of the moat, and made her way to the gate at the top of the drawbridge - only to find a surly man dressed up like a medieval knight holding a sword and he didn't quite know what to make of her either! This was a really darling story with Sir Sweetums, who had passed by his ninth life, and was now a guardian angel cat who had one last human he had to find a suitable mate for. Very nice and romantic as these two people from different times had to come to grips with each other and the truth of who they were! Very humorous as well!

As usual I bought this anthology for Lynn Kurland's story, but found the whole anthology to be excellent. And I liked all the cats involved as well. But it's on Lynn's story that I would like to focus my review. After losing her job, boyfriend and social security Abigail Moira Garrett is led back in time by the ghost of her dead cat Sir Maximilian Sweetums by way of Murphy's pond and a castle's moat. Abigail finds herself in thirteenth century England at Miles de Piaget's keep (Miles is the uncle of Kendrick Stardust of Yesterday's hero). After having cleaned up Abigail faces her situation. She and Miles fall in love and marry, and De Piaget family welcome Abigail warmly into their midst. Lynn proves she knows how to write the novella too. It was humorous and witty and the love of Abigail and Miles portrayed with her costumary tenderness. Abigail and Miles are a great pair: She a warm and independent heroine and he a gruff but outspoken knight (quite liberal for his time). And it's exclusively set at Miles' dilapidated keep Speningethorpe. Abigail and Miles are back in The More I see you and Miles has a supporting role in his brother Robin's story If I had you. But I still wish that this one had been a full length novel. Anyway Abigail and Miles are two of my favourite characters in Lynn's De Piaget series.

I bought this book for the Lynn Kurland story. It is wonderful. Miles and Abby are made for each other. I loved it for the time-travel aspect. Lynn knows how to capture the essence of the times she sends her hero's and heroin's back to.

If you want to carry on reading about Miles and Abby's life together read THE MORE I SEE YOU, it is set about 20yrs. after this story. You won't be dissapointed.

I love this book! The two different parts of this book really works. In Part One, written by Beverley Jackson is an interesting look at Chinese culture and the journey to the mandarin squares. The fictional story of two boys and their different journeys brings the mandarin squares to life. The studying and sacrifices involved in order to wear the mandarin square are staggering. It heightens the appreciation of the squares themselves in Part Two.

In Part Two, David Hugus does an excellent job in dissecting and then explaining the elements making up the squares. Beyond the intellectual and technical issues, Hugus also discusses mandarin squares in the marketplace.

The two authors obviously have a great love and interest in the mandarin squares and the Chinese culture. I recommend this book highly.

This is an exceptionally beautiful and interesting book. Even though I had no prior interest in chinese textiles I was quickly drawn in by the stunning photographs and the helpful essays. The book makes a great gift for anyone interested in Asian art or textiles in general!

This book is a must for anyone interested in Asian art and, in particular, the Chinese rank system and the textiles associated with it. I expect this book to become THE reference book on the subject. I highly recommend it to all those dealing in antique Chinese objects and museums specializing in Asian art. It is obvious to me that both authors have not only throughly researched their topics but also are impassioned by them.

This book has been out of print for quite a while and seems to sell for quite a lot now. I was very glad to have a chance to read it, if it reaches theses prices must be good, right? Not quite.

The concept is intriguing and so is the "Dark Angel" but the novel is just too short to do justice to the story. I was reaching the end of the novel, and I kept thinking I must have skipped some chapters, some scenes because we are told Vers fell in love with Emily, but quite frankly I still got no idea why. She is nice, and supposed to be witty and intelligent, but in their conversations it never seems like she is his match. So while this type of romance sounds fascinating, this novel falls short.

A light-hearted and wonderful historical romance!

This book was really good it had alot of humor in it and i love a funny book, i mean the little names that emily picked out for people The daffodil dandy and the violet tart that was just funny, and Ver and Emily were fully developed characters which is rare in s short book such as this, i think this is one of her best books, it had a a little bit of everything.of course it dealt with real romance too not just physical attraction.