Book Description
It is the 1930s, and hard times have hit Harveyville, Kansas, where the crops are burning up, and there's not a job to be found. For Queenie Bean, a young farm wife, a highlight of each week is the gathering of the Persian Pickle Club, a group of local ladies dedicated to improving their minds, exchanging gossip, and putting their quilting skills to good use. When a new member of the club stirs up a dark secret, the women must band together to support and protect one another. In her magical, memorable novel, Sandra Dallas explores the ties that unite women through good times and bad.
Customer Reviews:
Loved it!.......2007-10-09
This isn't a book I would probably have picked up, but it was assigned as a group read. It was a very fast read and I was hooked early on. I finished it in no time and absolutely LOVED IT!!
You wish you had friends like these.......2007-08-04
An 5- book, now that I think of it. Place: Dust bowl Kansas in the 30s. The women get together to sew. Friends you'd die for in the lonely and hard farm country in deep economic depression. Characters wonderfully present. And look at some of these names! Rita and Agnes Ritter, Mrs. Septima Judd, hushand Prosper, Opalina Dux, Ada June Zinn - husband Buck, Ceres Root, Ella Crook,Ben Crook, Nettie Burgett,husband Tyrone, Forest Ann, hill drifters Massie (Zepha, Blue, son Sonny and Baby). Hiawatha the hired hand. -
Queenie Bean tells the story of friendship, mystery, and loyalty that beats all.
Loved this book and the friendships!!.......2006-11-07
I saw this book while on vacation and thought it would be a fun read. I love quilting and sewing, so I was drawn to it. It was more than just a light read though - I loved the characters and how their lives intertwined through many years. I enjoyed the fact that there was a little mystery woven into the story which was set in the depression era, but most of all I loved the loyal friendships, which were timeless. It is a book about how important friends are in our lives - it was truly a gift and one that I will share with my special friends. I couldn't put it down, and I was sad when it ended - like saying goodbye to a good friend.
Not as good as some of Dallas' other novels..........2006-08-02
City and country living clash when the sophisticated Rita moves to a small Midwestern farm community during the Depression. Although she's always been content with her quiet life, Queenie suddenly feels inadequate beside Rita, whom she nonetheless tries her best to befriend.
When the body of a long-missing resident suddenly turns up, Rita's on the case. She wants to solve the mystery singlehandedly and write about her finds for an area newspaper...no matter who she hurts in the process. It's then that Queenie begins to realize just how much her family and friends mean to her, and how fortunate she is to have their loe and support in her daily life.
While the premise is good, I didn't find the writing to be as strong as some of Dallas' other books, like "The Diary of Mattie Spenser" or "Alice's Tulips." I liked Queenie Bean, and sympathized with her character; although I didn't think the readers were able to get into the protagonist's mindset as well as other books. It may, of course, simply be a subjective view on my part...so if you are a fan of Dallas, or historical fiction as a whole, I suggest you read the book and form your own opinion.
Disappointing.......2006-05-16
I read "The Diary of Mattie Spenser". It was a much better book than this one. I never felt like I got to know the characters except for Queenie and Rita. I never cared for the whodunit part of the story. I agree with the reviewer who said it was like two different books. However, I didn't care for either one. I didn't understand the end of it. A very shallow read.
Average customer rating:
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The Persian Pickle Club
Sandra Dallas
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary
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ASIN: 0099727013 |
Book Description
Set at the Jolly Roger, a posh vacation resort for the rich and famous on the southern coast of England, Evil Under the Sun is one of Agatha Christie’s most intriguing mysteries. When a gorgeous young bride is brutally strangled to death on the beach, only Hercule Poirot can sift through the secrets that shroud each of the guests and unravel the macabre mystery at this playground by the sea.
Customer Reviews:
One of Christie's Very Best.......2007-08-17
Evil Under the Sun takes place at a secluded seaside resort in England. Arlena Stuart Marshall, is young and beautiful and one of those Agatha Christie characters who seems to inspire all she meets to wish her dead. So it is small surprise when she is killed and none other than Hercule Poirot is called upon to solve the case using little more than his famous little grey cells.
This is a very typical Christie novel in many ways. It happens in a "bottle" environment where no one else comes and goes, it has an eclectic cast of characters almost all of whom seem to have a motive, and the crime seems impossible to solve. It is, however, different from many of Dame Agatha's works in the sense that it is executed so very well. Not to say that most of her novels are poor, but this one really shines. The suspects are both interesting and entertaining. Poirot is at his best as he works through things in his fashion with his little remarks raining dry humor at just the right moments. And the mystery itself definitely kept me engaged from start to finish.
I've read a number of Hercule Poirot novels, and found some very good and a few not so good. Evil Under the Sun is an excellent mystery novel that I would recommend as a great starting point to readers new to Agatha Christie as well as established fans of her work. It's both funny and compelling and features one of the best fictional detectives at his very best.
Murder at a seaside resort.......2007-04-12
The notorious Arlena Stuart Marshall is found strangled on an empty beach, and Hercule Poirot sets about identifying the killer. It is not an easy task; there is no shortage of suspects, beginning with the dead woman's cuckolded husband and the young wife of Arlena's latest conquest. As the investigation continues, more questions arise. Was Arlena being blackmailed? Was she involved with drug smuggling? And is there a mad clergyman roaming the countryside intent on bringing scarlet women to divine justice?
This is classic Agatha Christie. Reading it reminds you why she is the master of mystery genre.
AGATHA CHRISTIE IS THE TRUE MYSTERY WRITER........2007-03-16
The book is fabulous. I have read all of her mysteries since early childhood and reacquainting myself with her work was refreshing from most of the dreck that is written today.
Average customer rating:
- Classic Christie
- Christie? DISAPPOINTING? How the heck do those words come together??
- Poirot uncovers more than shells on the beach
- Evil at the Jolly Roger Hotel
- Classic Agatha Christie Whodunnit!
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Evil under the Sun (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: Berkley
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Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)
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Hercule Poirot's Christmas (Hercule Poirot)
ASIN: 0425129608
Release Date: 2004-02-03 |
Book Description
The fabulous tourist spot of Leathercombe Bay is the perfect place for spoiled heiress Arlena Marshall to be desired by handsome men, envied by jealous women, doted upon by her slavish husband...and strangled to death on the beach. Pity there are so many suspects.
Customer Reviews:
Classic Christie.......2007-07-28
Classic Christie abounds in this Hercule Poirot mystery. Sex, violence, wealth and murder all hidden behind a veneer of civility at the tranquil English seaside getaway the Jolly Roger. The usual suspects abound; a beautiful, egocentric, enchanting woman, another woman's husband who's enamored with her, a frustrated, jealous wife, the adoring husband who seems oblivious to his wife's naughty behavior and the step daughter who loathes her. Throw this dangerous cocktail together with some eccentric secondary characters and the result is murder. Only Hercule Poirot can solve this one, because nothing is as it really seems. The "little gray cells" do not disappoint with a particularly unseen twist that satisfies and shocks readers once again proving that Agatha Christie is the queen of mystery.
Christie? DISAPPOINTING? How the heck do those words come together??.......2007-02-28
Having already read the excellent MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD, and being slapped in the face with one of the biggest twists I've ever read in any novel, I was really looking forward to another good mystery from this legendary author, and featuring the underrated and entertaining Inspector Hercule Poirot. Sadly, however, I was actually disappointed with this one, and as a result, I was disappointed - disappointed that I was actually disappointed with an Agatha Christie novel. How did--how *could*--THAT happen??
The mystery took so long to really start dropping clues, and by the time I was nearly done with it, things started to actually getting mysterIOUS. A major (though false) lead appeared halfway through, and while there was speculation as to how it tied in to everything, there was no real resolution to it. And when the revelation happened, it was done in a sort of offbeat way, and the last chapter was just a giant, lengthy explanation from Poirot as to what actually happened and why, which was interesting...until the last page and a half were taken up by a conversation between two characters that really could have been a lot shorter.
Why am I even breaking down the book into the reasons I didn't like it?? How could I have this much negative stuff to say about an Agatha Christie novel? She's AGATHA CHRISTIE!
Hopefully this was, much like Poirot's vacation in the novel, a sort of temporary lull in the bigger adventures. I'll still read other novels, but sadly, my second Christie read left much to be desired.
Poirot uncovers more than shells on the beach.......2005-08-07
Hercule Poirot, Belgian mystery solver extroindinare, seems to be a magnet for non-violent murders. At a fun seaside resort, Poirot is in the midst of relaxing among the gossiping guests (what else have they got to do?), with the main subject being stunning ex actor Arlena Marshall, who beguiles men and sucks them dry. Cruel and gorgeous, she may be useless, but that doesn't mean she had to die. So Poirot begins investigating the death of the strangled woman (she really was drop-dead gorgeous). And thus begins my first ever Christie novel, and I enjoyed it through and through. Christie gives dozen of red herrings and has you guessing who-dun-it constantly, each time differently, and by the time it was over, I was still wrong. Really, really enjoyable.
Evil at the Jolly Roger Hotel.......2005-02-02
Set at an English seaside summer resort, EVIL UNDER THE SUN is one of several Hercule Poirot mysteries involving a "love triangle" that is not quite what it appears to be (DEATH ON THE NILE is another and the most famous). In EVIL UNDER THE SUN, beautiful but brainless Arlena Marshall is strangled on a beach, and the most obvious suspect appears to be Captain Marshall, her husband, who was jealous of her relationship with young, handsome Patrick Redfern. While the police are eager to convict Marshall, Poirot (as usual) concerns himself with the case's psychological aspect, asking himself who at the resort is the true focus of evil: Arlena (as everyone else assumes) or somebody else? When Poirot finds the answer to this question, then he will have found Arlena's killer. As always, Poirot's logic is brilliant; in fact, the dialogue contains a very funny line about Poirot's eternal competition with the dim-witted "local police." Agatha Christie's one flaw is neglecting to explain the drug-smuggling thread of the mystery in tying up the loose ends of the plot in the novel's final pages. Two bits of trivia: EVIL UNDER THE SUN was filmed in 1982, with Peter Ustinov as Poirot, and the more recent TV adaptation of "Triangle at Rhodes" - another "love triangle" story - starring David Suchet as Poirot, borrows some dialogue from EVIL UNDER THE SUN.
Classic Agatha Christie Whodunnit!.......2004-10-06
The beautiful and flirtatious Arlena Stewart is holidaying in the South West Coast of England with her husband, Captain Marshall and her stepdaughter Linda, staying at the Jolly Roger Hotel on an exclusive island. There she carries out a not too discreet affair with the handsome Patrick Redfern, husband of poor quiet Christine Redfern. Amongst the hotel guests are an American couple, a retired priest, a longwinded army chap, a spinster, a female friend of Captain Marshall and Hercule Poirot.
One bright sunny morning, Arlena is found dead, strangled at Pixy Cove. Hercule Poirot and the local police are called in to investigate the matter. Could the jealous husband have murdered her or perhaps it was the long suffering wife. Could it be that Arlena was blackmailed by some unscrupulous cad? Could she have stumbled across a smuggling operation at the cove? Hercule Poirot fits the pieces of the puzzle together. Amongst the clues are a pair of scissors found at the scene of the crime, pieces of a green calendar and wax in the fire grate in one of the guests rooms, an empty bottle thrown out of a window, the sound of bath water draining from a tub at midday.
This is classic Agatha Christie at her best. The scene is set, the characters introduced, the clues planted. As always the reader wil be left wondering right up to the end of the book as to who comitted the crime. As with all Agatha Christie novels, there are as many twists and turn in the plot to keep you changing your mind as to the identity of the killer. Agatha Christie is always a joy to read and this is no exception.
Lea Ling Tsang
Average customer rating:
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Evil Under the Sun (Poirot)
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: Harper
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0007119267 |
Average customer rating:
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Evil Under the Sun
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: Macmillan Audio Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
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ASIN: 1405088443 |
Book Description
Hercule Poirot is enjoying a well-deserved break on Smugglers Island and, through habit, paying close attention to his fellow holidaymakers. When glamorous actress Arlena Stuart is found strangled on the beach of a small cove Poirot becomes embroiled in a murder investigation. With his sharp observations, he discovers that nearly all the guests have connections to Arlena. But which of these suspects felt strongly enough about Arlena Stuart to kill her?
Product Description
multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.
Book Description
It's love at first bite for handsome vampire Valentine Addington and his beautiful human fiancée Elizabeth Hall. But blood ties are thicker than love ties, and their happily ever after must be put on hold when a terrible crime occurs in the vampire community. Because the existence of vampires must be kept secret at all costs, Val has to lead the investigation and solve the case before humans even get a whiff of trouble. But before Val can find the culprit, he discovers that his darling Elizabeth is actually a dormant natural vampire whose transformation is rapidly accelerating. He's torn between her needs as she agonizes over her humanity slipping away, and the needs of the vampires who must quickly solve the case before the vampire world is busted wide open and brought to light! Chilling, moving, and as unforgettable as a vampire kiss, this is one mystery/love story that you can really sink your teeth into.
Customer Reviews:
Great story, great characters!.......2006-04-19
I just finished reading this book and the author has done a really wonderful job of weaving traditional vampiric lore into a dynamic and believable world, wherein the vampiric society is "alive" and well- and perhaps nearer than you'd think. But this is not just another vampire book, and there is more than one storyline to be found within these pages. Each of the characters has a history and vibrant personality, and even though the story is mainly told through the eyes of only two of them, you really get a feel and liking for just about everyone. The author has done a masterful job of rendering the inhuman human, yet without losing sight of the supernatural natures of her subjects and with enough of a sense of both history and humor to make this a very interesting storyline. I'm hoping for a sequel.
Average customer rating:
- Best book on the topic
- Must read if you've had a loss!!!
- An insensitive approach
- Don't need anymore therapy
- Comforting, Insightful...
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Unspeakable Losses: Healing From Miscarriage, Abortion, And Other Pregnancy Loss
Kim Kluger-bell
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
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ASIN: 068817390X
Release Date: 2000-04-25 |
Amazon.com
For those who have suffered a miscarriage or stillbirth--or those who have elected to terminate a pregnancy--the experience has all too often been minimized and misunderstood. According to author and psychotherapist Kim Kluger-Bell, pregnancy loss can be described with one word: unspeakable. In this remarkable and moving psychological study, Kluger-Bell examines the "shadow side" of being pregnant--the unspoken grief of losing a pregnancy before birth through miscarriage, abortion, or stillbirth.
Unspeakable Losses includes in-depth stories from would-be parents (including Kluger-Bell herself) discussing such diverse issues as multifetal reductions (more and more common as in vitro fertilization procedures become widespread), the male experience of pregnancy loss, and how a woman can be pro-choice yet still suffer grief over choosing abortion. She includes tools for moving through the grieving process, discussing losses, and helping loved ones who have experienced pregnancy loss. This caring, understanding book may help give voice to those who have previously found it too painful to speak. --Ericka Lutz
Book Description
This comforting and healing book is a must--not only for women who have at one time experienced pregnancy loss but also for their parents, sisters, daughters, brothers, and friends. Kim Kluger-Bell's extensive fieldwork as a therapist specializing in the psychodynamics of reproductive crises strips away the shrouds of silence surrounding pregnancy losses and abortions, giving new voice to these "unspeakable losses."
Filled with in-depth stories of those who have experienced losses and solid, practical advice with mourning rituals and services, Unspeakable Losses is a necessary companion to all those who have experienced pregnancy loss and those who care about them.
This soothing book is a must--not simply for women who have experienced pregnancy loss, but also for their partners and those who care about them. Kim Kluger-Bell, a therapist specializing in the psychodynamics of losing a child before birth--whether to abortion, miscarriage, or other loss--strips away the shrouds of silence surrounding this unique pain. She gives new voice to these "unspeakable losses," in a culture that has rendered its discussion taboo.
Combining in-depth stories with solid, practical advice, Unspeakable Losses articulates the myriad emotional stages that arise from pregnancy loss and validates what can otherwise be a terribly lonely experience. This book is a vital companion for women and men in comprehending--and recovering from--their own experience with reproductive crisis.This soothing book is a must--not simply for women who have experienced pregnancy loss, but also for their partners and those who care about them. Kim Kluger-Bell, a therapist specializing in the psychodynamics of losing a child before birth--whether to abortion, miscarriage, or other loss--strips away the shrouds of silence surrounding this unique pain. She gives new voice to these "unspeakable losses," in a culture that has rendered its discussion taboo.
Combining in-depth stories with solid, practical advice, Unspeakable Losses articulates the myriad emotional stages that arise from pregnancy loss and validates what can otherwise be a terribly lonely experience. This book is a vital companion for women and men in comprehending--and recovering from--their own experience with reproductive crisis.
Customer Reviews:
Best book on the topic.......2003-09-03
I read this book when it first came out several years ago and I still think it is the best book available on the topic of pregnancy loss because it is so intelligently written and profoundly moving. Its not just a book about loss, its a book about life! I have recently read a couple of negative reviews of this book--which seem to be based solely on the fact that the author includes abortion in several short sections of the book. I was shocked and dismayed to see that someone called the book "insensitive" for including abortion--clearly that reviewer is a very angry person! I hope that no one will be discouraged from reading this book because of that, because the compassion the author brings to both the topics of miscarriage, still birth and abortion is very healing for all.
Must read if you've had a loss!!!.......2003-04-21
This book is broad, covering abortion as well as miscarriage. If you have had a miscarriage and can get past the pain of dealing with the fact that some people intentionally end their pregnancies, this is a great book. It covers how other cultures deal with pregnancy loss and gives you ways to work through your feelings. I have read many books about miscarriage looking for answers, a way to get through what I was feeling. This was the last book that I needed to read, it managed to give me a sense of closure that I never thought I'd find. I got this book from the library and am now buying it to have around, for the days when I need a lift.
An insensitive approach.......2002-09-08
My son was stillborn at 26 weeks, and this was one of the books I looked at in the aftermath. I had been too upset to notice the word "abortion" in the title, so it wasn't until I was paging through the book -- and reading about a woman who chose to abort her child -- that it hit me. The author was actually treating what happened to me -- my very much wanted child died due to a cord accident -- with those women who choose to abort their children. I do think that a book dealing with the emotional aftermath of abortion would be a good topic to explore, and it might be very helpful to those women how have had abortions. But I view the death of my child as an unbearable and tragic loss, and to treat my loss the same as an abortion is not only tacky, its cruel.
Don't need anymore therapy.......2000-11-04
The most helpful and healing part of this book was when the author shared her own experiences of how she came to peace with her own infertility and losses. There was too much about how pregnancy loss shed light on the unresolved childhood issues of her patients. LONG before I ever tried to get pregnant, I did my time in therapy (years of it) where I uncovered my childhood hurts and forgave my parents, etc etc etc. Yes infertility pushes some buttons about being a teenager for me for sure, but what I want the most right now are words to help me deal with the present pain of the losses from infertility and miscarriage. The author's personal experience on the last 2 pages was worth getting the book for those of us who don't need anymore therapy.
Comforting, Insightful..........2000-10-12
I found this book to be a great help to me during the months following my miscarriage. Its focus is broad, but I found that helpful because it made me feel less alone. My husband read the section on men and found it very moving. It is not a how-to book so much as it is a book that touches your soul.
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- Timequake
- Tooth and Claw : and Other Stories
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