Bombay Time: A Novel

Average customer rating:

couldn't get into it

Amazing Author - Great Story

Parsi Intolerance

One visit to an Indian restaurant

Skillful use of words

Bombay Time: A Novel
Thrity Umrigar
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0312286236

Book Description

At the wedding of a young man from a middle-class apartment building in Bombay, the men and women of this unique community gather together and look back on their youthful, idealistic selves and consider the changes the years have wrought. The lives of the Parsi men and women who grew up together in Wadi Baug are revealed in all their complicated humanity: Adi Patel's disintegration into alcoholism; Dosamai gossiping tongue; and Soli Contractor's betrayal and heartbreak. And observing it all is Rusi Bilimoria, a disillusioned businessman who struggles to make sense of his life and hold together a fraying community.AUTHORBIO: Thrity Umrigar grew up in Bombay, India. A ricipient of the prestigious Neiman Fellowship at Harvard, she writes for the Beacon Journal in Akron, Ohio. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, and she is a contributor to the Boston Globe where she contributes to the Sunday magazine. She lives in Kent, Ohio.

Customer Reviews:

couldn't get into it.......2007-08-06

I was really eager to get this book given the reviews. But, I had a hard time getting into it. There are lots of descriptions...but I like getting right into people 's lives, from the first person's point of view, not from a distance. This book looks at multiple character's viewpoints from some distance, and that didn't work for me. It's a personal choice.

Also the very first story didn't draw me in. It was about a couple, where the wife is always late, causing the husband a lot of anxiety and embarassment, especially when she publicly accuses him of being the cause of tardiness. Then she would unload her arguments to her neighbor-friend, who wouldn't even try to help her reconcile with her husband, because their reconciliation will decrease the frequency of the wife's 'vent' visits, and make the old neighbor even more lonely.

I find it difficult to keep reading when I become irritated with the characters, without any hero or heroine in sight. But, others gave high ratings to this book, so perhaps, I'm being impatient and the patient folks will get the reward as they keep reading?

Amazing Author - Great Story.......2007-08-06

I highly recommend this book and The Space Between Us. Thrity Umrigar is an outstanding author - her characters and their lives come to life before you. You can not put her books down. I felt like I knew every single character personally by the end of her books. I can honestly say, I did not want her books to end. I look forward to reading anything she writes. Do not pass this author up!

Parsi Intolerance.......2007-06-27

Thrity Umrigar is great. Having read her three books I get a good image of Parsi life in Bombay.

Like many Indians, I take pride in saying that India sheltered many religions over centuries. I was disappointed that it becomes obvious from Umrigar's books that the Parsis have no appreciation of that. Non-Parsis even had to tolerate finding human body parts in their front doors and yards, vultures having dropped them there after having their fill, thanks to the Parsi custom of allowing dead bodies to be eaten by vultures. I know how upsetting it is to pious Hindus.

It only goes to show minorities can never be totally happy in any country, even the most liberal. Keeping one's culture may make an interesting reading, but integration and assimilation brings happiness.

One visit to an Indian restaurant .......2007-03-17

with my Indiaphile boss, and I have become hooked on the food. Having become hooked on the food, I was interested in the culture as well. I read this book after reading The Space Between Us, which was haunting.

This book was wonderful as well, with a really good twist at the end. The different storylines flow together seamlessly, although I am going to read it again so that by the time I hit each story, I'll already know the backstory to the person I'm reading about.

This book was captivating all the way through, and very descriptive of the culture. I look forward to more from this very talented author. I highly recommend this book.

Skillful use of words.......2004-11-21

This book was good all around. A very light and easy read.

1. It shows us that people seem to like to be miserable wherever they are and at whatever time we choose to observe them. It doesn't seem to depend on anything.

2. The length was neither too long nor too short. Some books just drag on and on and on. In addition to the strong characterizations, the author gave us an idea of the magnitude of poverty in India and the destructive nature of the caste system that people don't seem to want to emerge from no matter how many centuries pass.

3. The characters were very well developed and believable. Again, just enough detail was used-- but not too much. And many of these characters are something that we might imagine having seen in real life.

Average customer rating:

Bombay Time: A Novel
Thrity Umrigar
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTKSQ8

Average customer rating:

Bombay Time: A Novel
Thrity Umrigar
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTA6M4

Book Description

In the bestselling tradition of Robert B. Parker and Elmore Leonard comes Mark Cohen's second novel featuring Colorado private eye and former Marine Corps JAG Pepper Keane. It doesn't seem like a bad idea when Pepper Keane agrees to steal a champion bluetick coonhound from the leader of a sadistic biker gang. After all, the dog also belongs to the biker's missing girlfriend, Karlynn Slade. And though Karlynn stole three hundred grand from him, she's not entering the Witness Protection Program without the prized pooch. Karlynn's attorney asks Pepper to keep an eye on her until the feds are ready to help her disappear. But when Pepper also accepts payment from the biker to 'look' for Karlynn, things get a little tricky. Soon, Pepper loses Karlynn, the biker puts a price on his head, gangs in every direction are after him, and there's still an unsolved murder that's begging for his attention......

Customer Reviews:

Mark Cohen is a bright new star on the mystery scene.......2005-11-03

Mark Cohen is a Denver native who is a former JAG and municipal judge in Boulder, Colorado. He presently lives in Nederland, Colorado. His first mystery was THE FRACTAL MURDERS, and BLUETICK REVENGE is the follow-up Pepper Keane mystery.

Mysteries involving private eyes with a military background are particularly engaging, but add an ex-Marine with a JAG background who has a law degree with a penchant for Philosophy, who formed and quickly retired from his own law office, and you have the character of Pepper Keane. Pepper may have left the vagaries of the law behind, but his ex-partner, Matt, calls on him to steel a champion bluetick hound for a client ready to turn state's evidence on her husband, who is the leader of a biker empire called the Sons of Satan. Pepper becomes her bodyguard until she can enter the Witness Protection Program, but she decides to take off. Pepper accepts a job from her husband to find her, and when he double-crosses the husband, his life is suddenly in jeopardy. Pepper's girl is teaching in China, so she is safe. He enlists his friend Scott to help him find the girl, collect evidence against the bikers, and stay out of the line of fire. Scott is as much of a Renaissance man as Pepper:

"Scott McCutcheon. Unemployed astrophysicist. Former Navy SEAL. Fifth-degree black belt. One-time field goal kicker for the Colorado Buffaloes. Brad Pitt with a receding hairline. I thought about him as I sipped coffee at a small table beside the fireplace inside Nederland's Pioneer Inn this cold Saturday morning."

Cohen leads the reader right into the world of sadistic bikers who think nothing of killing to gain their ends. Pepper and Scott aren't afraid to follow them into their lair and beat them with a combination of military skills and intelligent strategy. Pepper's dogs add a rich texture to an already excellent plot, and the bluetick hound is Cohen's centerpiece of the tale.

Mark Cohen has a way with words. His style is crystal clear, his characters jump out at the reader. His background in law, the military, and with self defense makes him a knowledgeable author. BLUETICK REVENGE is a mystery the reader can't put down, and Mark Cohen is a bright new star on the mystery scene.

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

More than Bluetick Revenge.......2005-10-03

Yes, the bluetick gets his revenge, but Private Investigator Pepper Keane also gets revenge. Several threads weave together to make a page-turning novel that is difficult to put down. Characters are well-developed with a depth not often found in mysteries. Finishing the novel, one has the feeling of having gotten to know a number of new people--not all friends. Pepper's/Cohen's sense of humor and breadth of interests are another aspect of the book that make it more interesting than many mysteries.

Another Great Read.......2005-09-23

This is the second book by Mr. Cohen I have read, and I was thrilled to see all the characters return. Again, fun, interesting, and a great read. Although there was no big mystery to solve, the story moved along great,and I had a hard time putting it down. I LOVE these characters. I look forward to the next one in the series.

..........2005-09-17

A well flowing book that embraces the reader into the story with a fast-paced grace. This is one book where the descriptions of the locations render an eclectic, visual landscape of some amazing places in colorado and elsewhere, paving the way for an emotionally colorful, adrenaline packed roller-coaster ride that ends only when the story does!

For those who read the earlier book (Fractal Murders), this expands on Mr. Diet Coke's self-questioning attitude, with the enhanced (sometimes dark) humor at places striking a good (sometimes thin) balance between good and evil! The witty conversations (and succint remarks) are refreshingly captivating and are worthy of mention!

For the rest, just read the book! :)

Pepper Keane rocks!!!.......2005-09-10

The second book in the Pepper Keane series improves upon an excellent debut novel, The Fractal Murders. Keane, a hard-nosed, no-nonsense PI, is a real breath of fresh air when compared to many of the shallow detective stereotypes that permeate the genre. Imagine a detective who loves philosophy as much as guns and bullets! This winning combination is masterfully woven by author Mark Cohen, a lawyer, part-time judge, former JAG, and an all-around expert in the legal field. He really knows his stuff, and it shows! Cohen captures the endearing mountain quirkiness of my home town (Nederland, CO), while also wading its darkest, most sinister grottos. The novel's ending is daringly brilliant - as gruff and bold as the leading character and his skilled cadre of sidekicks. You won't be disappointed... talk about poetic justice!

Average customer rating:

Bluetick Revenge [Large Print]
Mark Cohen
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1419359460

Product Description

A Pepper Keane Mystery.

Book Description

When Ernest Hemingway committed suicide in 1961 he left four unfinished works--A Moveable Feast, Islands in the Stream, The Garden of Eden, and an untitled work on his travels in Africa. The edited versions that have come down to readers and scholars of Hemingway appear as distinct, disjointed texts that fit oddly into his oeuvre. Through extensive literary detective work Burwell has uncovered substantial evidence that Hemingway in fact designed the three published works as a trilogy, what she terms "his own Portrait of the Artist."

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (Pavanne Books)

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I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (Pavanne Books)
Hannah Green
Manufacturer: Macmillan Education Australia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

I never promised you a rose garden : a novel

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I never promised you a rose garden : a novel
Hannah Green
Manufacturer: HOLT RINEHART & WINSTON
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VFPRX4

In the Garden Trilogy: Blue Dahlia - Black Rose - Red Lily (Set of 3 Romance Novels)

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In the Garden Trilogy: Blue Dahlia - Black Rose - Red Lily (Set of 3 Romance Novels)
Nora Roberts
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000IVED8Q

Average customer rating:

ROSE'S GARDEN, A NOVEL.
Carrie. Brown
Manufacturer: Algonquin Books,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N7FW62

Average customer rating:

Beautiful
Attar of Roses
Exquisite writing from a fine author....
I could not have been more bored!
Slow pace quite right for thoughtful debut novel

Rose's Garden: A Novel
Carrie Brown
Manufacturer: Algonquin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1565121740

Book Description

Conrad and Rose met as children, fell in love as teenagers, and married young. Conrad earned a living as a gilder, raised homing pigeons, and worshipped Rose. Rose gardened. They lived together for more than fifty years, and then Rose died. At seventy-five, Conrad found himself alone, staring at the walls of his house and neglecting Rose's garden. Then an angel came to the garden, the last person he ever thought to see wearing wings. Startled, he felt compelled to spread the news throughout his town, and to his surprise, people he'd known all his life began to reveal their deepest selves to him. ROSE'S GARDEN tells an unforgettable story of a woman whose garden extended far beyond the boundaries of property and time, and the man who came into full blossom in its bower. "A sweet, gentle first novel."--Publishers Weekly; "This is a finely crafted, deeply touching love story."--Booklist; "A wise, surprisingly deft, fablelike first novel celebrating the rejuvenating effects of love. . . . A warm, remarkably surefooted debut."--Kirkus Reviews; "Beautiful, bittersweet, and always moving, it is highly recommended. ROSE'S GARDEN is a joy to visit."--Library Journal.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful.......2006-09-14

I completely loved this novel, which is beautifully written. I don't usually read this type of book, but picked it up on a whim and have reread it twice. The prose is quite moving. Highly recommended.

Attar of Roses.......2003-04-14

There is no greater gift than a book found at a bargain price ..., new and lovely, WITH a fabulously, gentle tale of love. No syrupy love this, but a romance of everlasting grace, the story of aged Conrad who so deeply grieves the loss of his Rose, his wife and life's companion, that he would like to die. Then, early on, Conrad sees the Angel Lemuel, and other mystical things begin to happen which transform his death wish into the rest of his LIFE!

This lovely little story reaffirms the belief that life is to be lived, that a great love need not die, that grief is just another step in life's journey. And with the graceful story telling style of a Jan Karon, Carrie Brown's first novel, though only discovered a few week's ago by me, becomes a new treasure in this reader's life. How could someone so young as Carrie Brown imagine the great truths of life? Well she has; and they are waiting in this little book for your opening. There is a beautiful message here as one grieving man finds the wider world just outside his grief in his own community, one his Rose always knew.

Exquisite writing from a fine author...........2002-02-23

To speak of "Rose's Garden" is to describe a masterpiece of writing using only one of our many senses. It is only when you open the novel and begin to turn the pages that you find a delectable assortment of sensations and wondrous happenings.

Conrad Morrissey is an elderly man mourning the loss of his beloved wife, Rose. Feeling dejected and alone, oblivious to a horrible storm as it rages outside, he feels drawn from the shelter of his home into Rose's garden. It is there that he receives a "visitation"...but not from Rose...from an "angel with a rutted Abraham Lincoln face." It was his father-in-law, Lemuel.

Conrad watches in amazement, his eyes fixed on Lemuel as his great wings unfurl. At that moment Conrad knows that this is the end for him and he's glad. He'll soon be reunited with Rose. But Lemuel's only message to Conrad is to "Go back home." Home is the last place Conrad wants to be. It is there that he feels the depth of his despair over the loss of Rose.

During their life together he'd held Rose gently in his hands like a delicate bird in need of his nurturing touch. But one by one as the townsfolk begin to creep into his life, he discovers that Rose existed in more places than his life. Through the effect she had on the townspeople, they begin to nurture Conrad and he learns that although paradise with Rose awaits him, he can live again--Mary Hughes (author of The Last Slow Dance available on Amazon.com)

I could not have been more bored!.......2001-09-28

I didn't expect an action novel, but if I wanted to read about flowers, I would have bought a garden manual! Nothing happens in this story--there is no story! There are so many holes in the exposition that the author leads you to believe will be filled, but never are. The plot is stale: old man is sad...oh wait, he's getting sadder...he's near death and wishes he'd die...gee that's sad. It takes more to move my heart than a one sentence idea stretched into 300 pages!

Slow pace quite right for thoughtful debut novel.......2001-02-06

At last, I've finished all of Carrie Brown's novels. I started backwards when I had to review "The Hatbox Baby". Then, I moved backward on my own through "Lamb In Love" and now "Rose's Garden".

I confess I didn't harken to "Rose's Garden" at first. It seemed slower than the other two novels - slower in a way that was more appealing in Ms. Brown's last two offerings. But having read her other works, I felt I could trust her to lead me where I was supposed to be going, and she did.

The story of Conrad's widowhood - how he copes with the loneliness, the pain and his fears of moving on through life without his beloved Rose - is pretty devastating to read. Such are Ms. Brown's writing abilities that I think even if you have not lost a spouse, you can feel the weight of her character's absolute grief without any trouble. At these times, when one instinctively wants to pull back, to grasp that which is lost to the physical world, the best cure often lies in reaching outward, towards the future. Conrad's increasing awareness of the strength and depth of Rose's love, coupled with the renewing power that comes when he takes his own love and flings it into the air like one of his beloved homing pigeons, is remarkable. Like his birds, who return to settle on his outstretched arms, Conrad finds his love winging back towards him in ways he neither expects nor anticipates but which come as no surprise to the reader of "Rose's Garden".

If you remain patient through the first 100 pages, you'll be richly rewarded. As with "Lamb In Love" and "The Hatbox Baby", Ms. Brown's ethereal writing style and her very human characters will haunt you long after you're done reading.

Average customer rating:
The Rose-Garden
Frances Mary Peard
Manufacturer: Adamant Media Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
Literature & Fiction | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1402167873
Release Date: 2005-11-30

Book Description

This Elibron Classics edition is a facsimile reprint of a 1872 edition by Bernhard Tauchnitz, Leipzig.

Joanne Greenberg's "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden": A Study Guide from Gale's "Novels for Students" (Volume 23, Chapter 6)

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Joanne Greenberg's "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden": A Study Guide from Gale's "Novels for Students" (Volume 23, Chapter 6)

Manufacturer: The Gale Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Gale Group | By Publisher | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000FNW87U
Release Date: 2006-05-09

Book Description

Term paper due tomorrow? Need to cram for a test? Or just looking for the best information about a favorite literary work?

Turn to "Novels for Students" to get your research done in record time. Brought to you by Thomson Gale--the world's leading source of literary criticism and analysis--this e-doc contains: author biography; plot summary; character analysis; an overview of the novel's themes, style, and historical context; a compendium of in-depth critical material; study questions; suggestions for further reading; and much more.

Why choose "Novels for Students"? Because no other source offers so much in such a compact package. Trust the experts: Thomson Gale--and "Novels for Students."

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Rose of the garden,: The romance of Lady Sarah Lennox; a novel,
Katharine Tynan
Manufacturer: The Bobbs-Merrill Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006AGVYI

Average customer rating:

fun to read

Must Have for All Teens!

A Keepsake!

Model Beauty

Tyra, you are definitely the best!!!

Tyra's Beauty Inside & Out
Tyra Banks , and Vanessa Thomas Bush
Manufacturer: Perennial Currents
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Beauty & Fashion | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Self-Esteem | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Wilhelmina Guide to Modeling

The Beauty of Color: The Ultimate Beauty Guide for Skin of Color

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being a Model

Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women

Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0060952105

Book Description

Some of you may look at me and think, That girl's never had an insecure day in her life.Well, I think my experiences will prove that you can't always judge a book by its cover (not even this one). I've struggled with chronic warts, poor body image and one too many broken hearts on the road to supermodel status. And I know all about pressure we're put under to be perfect. That's why I wrote this book. Between the life lessons I've learned and the practical tips I've added from my friends in the fashion biz, this book will show you how to look and feel beautiful -- inside and out.

Skin: How to get and keep that skin of yours glowing, from sun care to zit-zappers, from body art to body piercing.

Makeup: From keeping it real and natural to taking a walk on the wild side.

Hair: The Lowdown on dyes, cuts and styles, from waves to weaves.

Health: Working out, eating right and dealing with days when you're too pooped to pump iron.

Fashion: Stylin' and profilin', from hot trends to classic chic, designer habits to great fakes.

Alcohol and Drugs: On kicking bad habits, avoiding temptation and the path to reaching a natural high.

Relationships: Straight talk from girls' hearts and souls on good love, bad breakups and making a love connection that lasts.

Self-loving: Learning to accept the fool in you, as well as the part that got it goin' on.

Customer Reviews:

fun to read.......2005-10-22

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's more than just looking good. Yes, there is a ton of information on skin care, makeup, body care, etc, but Ms. Banks also includes self-esteem, sex, generosity, self-respect, smoking, alcohol, and more.

I expected a more frivolous book from a supermodel, but this is real quality. Tyra seems like someone you would know. She has such a friendly, sweet attitude reflected in her writing and is so humble.

This book is filled with pictures, lots of color, and is fun to read. Great book!

Must Have for All Teens!.......2005-09-20

This book covers everything from pre-teen awkwardness to dating responsibly. Tyra has done an excellent job not only talking the talk but walking the walk! This book should be released and for all to enjoy.

A Keepsake!.......2003-07-29

I fell in love with this book since its release and highly recommend it. Sure, it contains tons of photos of Tyra, but this is the very nature of her work, people... HELLOOOOO. And it's obvious this book was going to focus on her by its title, it isn't called 'YOUR Beauty, Inside Out', now is it? Anyways, looking at her never gets boring because the pics are all varying in style and purpose. If you're a fan of Tyra or appreciate sexy-yet-wholesome beauty & personality then you'll cherish this book. It's one-parts autobiography, one-parts pictorial, and 1-parts self-improvement advice, the works mixed together! I get a strong feeling that this was the intention of Banks & Blake and I think it makes for a unique and fun reading experience.

Model Beauty.......2002-05-20

As a model myself, I found Tyra's book to be informative and fun at the same time. I suggest it to all women, especially young girls just getting into the "make-up scene".

Tyra, you are definitely the best!!!.......2001-05-30

There are lots of models in this world all with beautiful and distinctful looks, but the same personality. A typical model might act like she's all too good for herself---like an ordinary person is below her...that's posh!!! Tyra...there's something different about her. She shows the world who she really is---not being afraid of what other people might think of her. I'm an aspiring model and I take modeling very seriously as other models might and I too, also have a reputation to keep as other models might. But I don't act like I'm shy and quiet most of the time when I'm really not---I'm myself. I don't try to act a certain character to fit other people's bill. Tyra Banks is my #1 role model aside from God and my parents. She proved to me with this book that she's very different from your typical model. In this book, she revealed her true self and encourages other to do the same. I'm not saying that all models in the world are the same; I'm very positive some are different. Models are not only models for clothing ads, magazines, billboards, etc.; but they're also models to set a good example for other people---young, old, middle age. Tyra is a perfect example and trust me, you will LOVE her book. If you don't have it already, GO GET IT! ENJOY!!!

Average customer rating:

fun to read
Must Have for All Teens!
A Keepsake!
Model Beauty
Tyra, you are definitely the best!!!

Tyra's Beauty Inside & Out
Vanessa Thomas Bush Tyra Banks
Manufacturer: Perennial Currents
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: B000OEYW0G

Customer Reviews:

fun to read.......2005-10-22

Must Have for All Teens!.......2005-09-20

A Keepsake!.......2003-07-29

Model Beauty.......2002-05-20

As a model myself, I found Tyra's book to be informative and fun at the same time. I suggest it to all women, especially young girls just getting into the "make-up scene".

Tyra, you are definitely the best!!!.......2001-05-30

Average customer rating:

Tyra's Beauty Inside and Out
Tyra Banks , and Vanessa Thomas Bush
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Beauty & Fashion | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Self-Esteem | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0613923707

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