Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......2005-10-05
This short story collection is a superb anthology of stories devoted to the correction of young women. Each of the stories would make for a complete novel, they're that good. The writer is able to capture not just the exquisite physical details, but also the emotions and motivations of the characters. Far from being repetitive, there's a wide range of styles and ideas on display. Highly recommended.
Reptitive.......2004-12-08
I liked the first story, and maybe even the second. But after that they just became the same oevr and over. Each story is reflective of the story before it with minor changes. It's erotic to a point, so if you're lokoing for that go for it, but I like a bit more variety in my erotica!
Absolutely superb contemporary erotica .........2003-02-13
This is a 246 page book containing some 20 short stories of erotica that deal primarily with some very very light S & M , in particular, erotic spanking type stories .....
Most of the stories deal with younger women and somewhat older men, and, in many cases, the husband's boss, who, with complete complicity gets to taste the adulturos fruits of the other man's marriage ..... As a matter of fact practically all the stories do entail a couple enticing another somewhat younger women into their erotic sexual escapades that start with a good ole British style spanking ....
Naturally all of the women in this book generally change their recalcitrant mood and attitude once the bare bottom slaps begin, and, what makes this book stand heads above the rest of the erotic spanking fare is the oh so sweet submission to sins of the flesh after the punishment has been endured .....
I am sure that there are a lot of people that enjoy this light S&M ... and I believe that if they don't, well then, they should be thoroughly spanked ... LOL
Average customer rating:
- It could have been so much better...
- Another Perfect One
- Awesome first read by Jacquie D'Alessandro!
- PERFECT BLEND OF HUMOR, PASSION AND TENDERNESS!!!!!!!
- A very good Jacquie D book, 4 1/2 stars
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Whirlwind Wedding
Jacquie D'Alessandro
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Similar Items:
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Whirlwind Affair
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The Bride Thief
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Red Roses Mean Love
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Love and the Single Heiress
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Who Will Take This Man?
ASIN: 0440235510
Release Date: 2000-09-12 |
Amazon.com
Setting: England, 1816
Sensuality Rating: 8
Known as the Colonial Upstart by polite London society, American-born beauty Elizabeth has much larger problems than the question of her citizenship. After chasing an errant kitten through the bushes at a fancy ball and being discovered in a most undignified position, Elizabeth unexpectedly makes the acquaintance of no less than Austin Jamison, the Duke of Bradford, her reluctant host. Conspiring with Elizabeth to return the kitten to its worried mama and to sneak Elizabeth into her room the back way so as to spare her humiliation, Bradford is at first shocked then immediately suspicious of Elizabeth's questions about his brother William, who is reported to have died a hero's death while in service to his country. Bradford protects a secret that threatens to destroy his family, and he'll do anything to keep it a secret, even if it means keeping an eye on the lissome Elizabeth all day--and all night. Elizabeth is equally determined to use every advantage to protect Bradford from the menacing threat stalking him. Close quarters prove an irresistible temptation for the headstrong couple who eventually realize that their greatest strength, and their most useful gift, is their love for each other. Jacquie D'Alessandro's sophomore effort combines sensuality and humor in a tender tale that will leave readers clamoring for more, more, more! --Alison Trinkle
Book Description
Austin Randolph Jamison, Ninth Duke of Bradford, met the uncanny beauty at the ball at Bradford Hall. And from that first moment, he was stunned. How could this unsophisticated female, who climbed trees in a ball gown to rescue a kitten, know secrets that could ruin his family and speak of danger that threatened them all? Who was she, this American bluestocking who knew too much, whose innocence shone in her eyes even as her full lips tempted sin? Suddenly the duke knew he could not afford to let her go.
Some called it a gift. To Elizabeth Matthews, however, her visions were a responsibility that bound her to protect others from danger, no matter that the gossipmongers whispered she was chasing the duke to the altar. She vowed to use her powers to protect Austin at any cost, reckless of the passions that drove her into his arms, the need that made her his bride, never expecting her marriage to turn into a love match that would become the ton's most delicious scandal.
Customer Reviews:
It could have been so much better..........2006-11-20
Alright, this book had so much potential, but it falls short. This could have been a great book, but it's not. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the witty and funny banter between Elizabeth and Austin in the first half of the book. However, what I found to be disappointing in this book is that the characters are not really developed. They're sort of like cardboard, one dimensional.
Elizabeth is too perfect. And Austin is too selfish and arrogant at times. I mean Elizabeth does so much for him, and yet all throughout the story, he did nothing of significance for her. And he was so quick to doubt her love, and believe that she was nothing but a lying gold digger, when she had told him that she had seen a vision of their son dying, and that she wanted to end the marriage. I mean come on, it doesn't take a genius to realize that she is pushing him away for his happiness, and yet he is so quick to believe her claims that she doesn't love him, and that she married him only for his money.
This wasn't a memorable read for me.
Not a Keeper.
Another Perfect One.......2006-09-27
This author never seems to disapoint me. All her books are a joy to read. She has a real gift for writing stories with great chemistry, great characters and a wonderful love story. While reading this book you get a wonderful sense of love building throughout the story.
Austin was a great hero and Elizabeth was a wonderful heroine. Two people who fit so well together in this story that it flowed so nicley. Nothing seemed forced. The love scene's were just that full of love.
This story is far fetched but with D'Alessandros books they never seem to be annoying. Elizabeth has visions, she is able to see things that have happened in the past and those that are going to happen in the future. She is a sweet, giving and always seems to be in sticky situations.
Austin is trying to find information about his brother William. And these two wonderful people make a journey together to try to find out how his brother could have bene a traitor to England. There is even a little side romance between Miles and Caroline.
I loved this book, she always seems to delve deep in your heart where you are able to read and feel the love between them. Her characters are well written. Her heros are strong and kind and her heroines are sweet, loving and strong willed. No shrews here. Great book. Highley Recomended as always. If your looking for a great book just pick up anything by this author and you will not be disapointed.
Awesome first read by Jacquie D'Alessandro!.......2006-06-14
This book stole my breath. It was romantic, sensual, and passionate. The characters were well-developed and incredibly endearing.
Some minor issues:
1. The heroine, Elizabeth, is a saint. I mean this woman would beat Mother Theresa in a sainthood contest. I guess I find the story a bit more believable and likable when the heroine is a real person with real personality flaws.
2. Austin is way too quick to believe Elizabeth's lies (she told in order to save him pain later). He loves this woman and yet is far too quick to believe the absolute worst about her after a 2 minute conversation. I have to say though, their "misunderstanding" make for some great emotional and sexual tension.
Despite the above complaints, this book was a 5 star read. I highly recommend it and look forward to my next D'Alessandro read!
PERFECT BLEND OF HUMOR, PASSION AND TENDERNESS!!!!!!!.......2006-02-28
D'alessandro rocks with this lovely and tender book - it had everything you could possible wish for. Humor, mystery, some paranormal, an absolutely engaging hero and heroine, lovely 2nd characters and a fab story line - definitely a keeper!
Elizabeth is an upstart American who arrives in London to live with her Aunt, after a telling event has made her leave her home town. She possesses the gift of sight and she experiences visions of future and past events when she touches people. Hence this is how the two main protagonists in the story meet. When Elizabeth touches Austin Jamison, unbeknownst that he is a Duke - she blurts out what she has seen in her vision. Austin, the Duke of Bradford possesses a secret that can ruin his family - but keeping that secret has given him unbearable anguish. Of course - being the Duke he is - there is no way that he is going to believe that Elizabeth has possibly garnished this information through a vision and he has her investigated.
After they meet a few times - Elizabeth sees danger in Austin's future and warns him - but remaining steadfast in his belief, he refuses to believe her. After Elizabeth saves his life they are caught in a compromising situation and are forced to marry - in a whirlwind manner!
There are some LOL situations that will have you chuckling and some incredibly tender and poignant moments that will almost bring a tear to your eye. Austin's and Elizabeth's story is absolutely magic! Elizabeth is outspoken and freshly different from the vapid women of the ton. She treats Austin like a "person" without the pomp and ceremony awarded to a member of his station. She is completely unaffected - her honesty and openness injects the much needed down to earth moments and tenderness which is what he has needed to bring forth his human qualities!
I plowed through this book and even read it when I was stopped at a red light!! It will make your day as you read it and you will wish it didn't end so quickly... After I finished it, I got all of Jaquie's books and believe me - all are GREAT!!!! My personal favorite is her first book "Red Roses Mean Love" and this one - "Whirlwind Wedding". If you have not read any of Jaquie's book - you are MISSING OUT!!!
A very good Jacquie D book, 4 1/2 stars.......2006-01-08
On the 1-10 scale, I'd give this book about a 9.5-9.7.
While I liked the book & its characters, I was just so anxious to finish it to read about Robert in the sequel. I did like Austin & Elizabeth, even if it did take awhile for him to become a believer in her powers.
Actually, of these 2, I liked Elizabeth the best. The only thing that bothered me was in the last 1/4 of the book, when she started acting up. She made me so mad at that point, and I wanted Austin to just slap her. I don't know why authors sometimes see fit to get to the last portion of the book & then have a character do some uncharacteristic, 360 degree flip the other direction, but I guess their editors & publishers tell them the have to do this, because I don't see any other explaination for it. Of course, eventually, the characters get together & smooth things out, but I find this part to be an irritant.
I don't mind seeing characters struggle a bit, but I don't like to see them to vindictive, hurtful things to each other, only to kiss & make up later. I don't like the pit in my stomach I get or the way my heart feels heavy when an author suddenly has one of the characters do something heartbreakingly sad. She did the same thing in the sequel, Whirlwind Affair, but despite the setback, I really loved that book.
I just have Red Roses Mean Love to read, then I'll have all of Jacquie's works read (up to this point) except for her contemporary books.
Customer Reviews:
Nice people, heartbreaking secret.......2002-12-17
Back Cover description: HIS SECOND WIFE. Andrew Fielding wants a mom and his daddy could use a wife. He thinks he's found the perfect woman for both of them: Megan Sanders--which is fine with Megan. The Fielding men have their attractions: one's as cute as a button, the other as sexy as they come! Together, they're the family Megan's always wanted! But convincing brooding widower Kane Fielding is less easy...He's determined to keep his distance and ensure his dark secret stays hidden. But to keep his son, Kane is prepared to do anything. Even the one thing he's promised he'll never do again...marry!
OK the dark secret is sort of obvious, and sad. I gave this 4 stars for the way the author treats the subject. I also liked the sexual tension between Kane and Megan. Good, solid story about the way life can take our choices from us, and then give a lifeline--if you can see it. In this story Megan is Kane's lifeline, he just has to realize it.
a fantastic read.......2001-09-09
I read it, I loved it, I'll read it again. It's a keeper on my book shelf. The author outdid herself, considering the length of the book.
Great Family Book.......2001-04-09
Andrew Fielding wanted a new mommy. Andy's mom died when he was just a toddler, so he didn't really remember her. His father bought him a book called Andy's Adventures. It was a series of children's books written by Megan Sanders. Andy's father Kane allowed him to write Megan a letter. For about 1 1/2 Andy wrote letters to Megan and they became quick friends. Andy wanted Megan to be his new mom. He invites her to spend his birthday with him, surprisingly she accepts.
Megan Sanders yearned to be a mother to a precious child. When she receives her first letter from Andy, she is surprised by the everyday life of this child. She starts basing her Andy's Adventure books on some of the things he writes about in his letters. Megan wanted to spend Andy's birthday with him. When she arrives she never expected Andy's dad to be so handsome. She finds him to be a little standoffish and angry.
Kane Fielding started to rethink his decision to let Megan Sanders the beautiful writer of children's books stay with them while visiting his son. Megan awakened feelings he hasn't had in years. But with the turn of events he ends up trying to keep his secret from Megan and everyone else.
I usually don't read this type of romance novels, but a friend of mine did a review on this story and I decided to get it. It was a really good story.
What others have to say about READY-MADE BRIDE:.......1999-04-27
"A wonderful debut that will stir the heart as easily as it coaxes a smile!" Day Leclaire, Harlequin Romance Author
"A positively enjoyable story with a definite twist. A first-class story with a first-class moral! Ms. Denison writes in the top of her class!" Pam Tullos, Romance Reader on the Run
"Three unforgettable characters, woven into a surprisingly insightful plot, fuel READY-MADE BRIDE, making the story memorable as well as thought provoking. Ms. Denison takes time to search the depths of her characters and allows us into their inner thoughts, feelings, and aspirations. READY-MADE BRIDE sweeps the reader into a maelstrom of love, laughter, and passion." Kathee S. Card, Under the Covers Romance Reviews
"I enjoyed the emotional intensity between the hero and heroine and really felt the hero's anguish. Ms. Denison did a super job with this story." Laura Novak, The Romance Journal
"Absolutely delightful characters that steal into your heart and have you rooting for the good guys. READY-MADE BRIDE has it all, a wicked mother-in-law, a precious seven-year-old boy who delights in playing cupid, the dark, brooding hero, and a soft, beautiful heroine who steals his heart. This is a story you can easily read in one sitting, yet it was so delightful I didn't want the book to end." Sarah Anderson, Romance Communications
"In READY-MADE BRIDE, Janelle Denison takes a new slant on an old problem and shows us once again how true love can break down even the hardest of walls." Elaine Charton, WCRG on AOL reviewer board
Tender, Touching and Thoroughly Romantic!.......1998-10-13
Janelle Denison's Ready-Made Bride is romance writing at it's best. She gives us a yummy hero with a dark secret, a spunky heroine not afraid to breach the walls surrounding the hero's heart, and the hero's adorable son, Andrew, who will melt your heart. Ready-Made Bride is the perfect complement to a hot cup of cocoa and a roaring fire on a cold winter night. Be sure you start early though, because Ready-Made Bride is impossible to put down.
Customer Reviews:
great story.......2005-01-10
I agree with one of the other reviewers, I loved the book but no where in the whole book was there a wedding mentioned. But the book is really good. I read it in one sitting. Looking forward to reading Whirlwind Groom. I have come to love the families in these stories.
Whirlwind Wedding.......2004-09-25
I loved both Whirlwind books and look forward to Whirlwind Groom that comes out in January 2005. I just finished Whirlwind Wedding and never came across a wedding in the book. Was I missing pages? Did anyone else notice this? Like I said I loved this book even though I never did come across a wedding.
enjoyable Texas historical .......2004-09-01
In 1884 in Whirlwind, Texas, Ranger Lieutenant Jericho Blue arrives at the home of Catherine Donnelly to question her about the McDougal gang that killed two lawmen and have been seen in the area. However, Jericho faints from bullet wounds. Catherine, a former worker at New York's Bellevue Hospital stops the bleeding while her twelve year old brother Andrew got Dr. Butler. The physician tells Catherine she saved the lawman's life though he still might not make it.
When Jericho regains consciousness and begins to heal, he believes that Andrew is the boy he saw with a weapon. He wonders how Catherine and Jericho are connected to the McDougal gang even as he is falling in love with his healer.
The second Whirlwind romance is an enjoyable Texas historical tale that hooks readers due to the delightful lead couple falling in love, but afraid to trust one another with her brother being the key element leading to suspicion. The story line is action-packed with readers gripped on two fronts: how will this couple overcome their wariness and what about the McDougals, which takes a back seat to the love story (it is a romance first and not a western). Debra Cowan's' fans will want to read the first tale, WHIRLWIND BRIDE, after tasting this fine novel.
Average customer rating:
- The Whirlwind Marriage by Day LeClaire (Large Print Harlequin)
- The accountant and the, um, ditz
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The Whirlwind Wedding (Wedded Blitz) (Harlequin Romance, 3716)
Day Leclaire
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Leclaire, Day | ( L ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0373037163 |
Customer Reviews:
The Whirlwind Marriage by Day LeClaire (Large Print Harlequin).......2005-10-18
Description from the book back cover:
Two weeks to wed! Watching her best friend walk up the aisle is the happiest day of Emma's life - or it would be if Gray Shaw wasn't sitting right next to her, insisting Emma is going to be married herself - in two weeks - to him! The only way to convince Gray this whirlwind wedding won't happen is to set him an impossible challenge. But Gray is smart, and very determined. What happens if he succeeds?
WEDDED BLITZ - Marriages made in moments!
The accountant and the, um, ditz.......2004-12-14
In this second book in the Wedded Blitz Trilogy, the mysterious Cupid Committee turns its attention to matching super-logical Gray and his childhood friend, super-emotional Emma. It's a little hard to get into this story. Actually, it's a little hard to figure out why Gray and Emma even like each other. The third star is for the humor, provided by Emma's conniving but charming grandfather, and by the emails which circulate among Gray and the enthusiastic matchmakers of the Committee and of their small town.
Customer Reviews:
Marry in Haste.......2005-09-14
Back cover reads:
Marrying the boss...
Parker Laird loves money, business and power--in that order. His brother Jay just loves women: blondes, brunettes, redheads...Every week Jay seems to be professing his undying love for a different girl. But this time Jay's fallen for Parker's secretary, Abby. Even a self-obsessed oil tycoon like Parker can see the attraction. His new assistant is helpful, friendly, efficent and has great legs! But Parker will do anything to keep Jay's mind on the business and off his secretary in the office...even if that means marrying her himself!
Average customer rating:
- Intricate tale of love.
- rebecca winters has written another keeper!
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Bride By Day (Whirlwind Weddings) (Harlequin Romance , No 3519)
Rebecca Winters
Manufacturer: harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Harlequin Romance | Series | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0373035195 |
Customer Reviews:
Intricate tale of love........2000-07-21
Struggling art student Samantha Telford finds herself swept off her feet after meeting Greek industrialist Perseus Kostopoulos. To protect him from his former fiance, the woman who stabbed a knife into his chin, Sam is marrying Perseus and traveling to Greece with him. Yet when Perseus hears the truth from his first love, will Sam be forced to leave the only man she will ever love?
A complicated weaving of various plot lines from an increasingly talented author. When you understand their motivations, there are no real villains.
rebecca winters has written another keeper!.......1999-06-06
The heroine meets the hero in the most amazing way. She has to clean this office building and she cleans the suite of a Greek shipping tycoon. An art student, she has to find scraps of paper to finish an assignment for her class. It's a collage. She made a collage of the building owned by the hero. Anyway, he needs that scrap of paper. it's a phone number which could lead back to the woman he loved in his past, the woman who gave him the scar. When the heroine and the hero meet in his office, he demands to know where the paper is. Of course it is in her collage which is now locked up at the university. He goes there with her to retrieve it, then takes the collage to her apartment to get it off the convass. That's when the start to fall in love and she ends up going to Greece with him. It's an incredible story caught up with a Greek myth. I don't know how Ms. Winters does it, but she hooks me every time.
Product Description
paperbacks
Amazon.com
At last, the honest-Injun, 100%-MST3K-sanctioned guide to the 120 episodes of this extremely cool, Peabody Award-winning show. Contains multitudinous synopses, tidbits, photos, wisecracks, and descriptions of some of the most disgusting things ever seen on screen by the MST3K writers. You know you want it, so get it while it's hot!
Book Description
What is the mystery of Mystery Science Theater 3000?
You may have asked yourself, "What the heck are these talking shadows doing in the corner of my TV screen, riffing away with plucky--and hilarious--abandon in the face of some really bad movies?" Or something similar. The answer, my friend, is right in this here official, 100%-MST3K-sanctioned book.
Or maybe you know all about the adventures of Joel, Mike, and the 'bots in the not-too distant future. Then you can skip those pages. Really. We won't tell. You still need this book. Because it's got more cool stuff from the writers and performers of MST3K.
More of what you'll find in the
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide
* More than 120 synopses of the more than 120 episodes of the Peabody Award-winning show
* More fascinating, outrageous facts and tidbits about the making of each episode
* More photos than your average issue of Tiger Beat
* More of the most disgusting things ever seen on-screen by the MST3K writers
* More than 49 (50, to be exact) of the most obscure wisecracks
* More quizzes, worksheets, and a ten-step plan to help you gain control of your finances and your life (well, not really...)
* More about your Area and what it can do for you
* More Beverly Garland! Miles and Miles O'Keefe!
* And much, much more!
Customer Reviews:
need an update, please.......2007-09-07
The book is fine for what it covers. But I agree with other reveiwers that it's high time that this was updated to include ALL of seasons 7 - 10. I think that some of the Pearl Forrester era episodes are outstanding.
MST3K Rocks!.......2007-07-22
I've been watching MST3K for years, first in England and then in the US. Whilst I got most of the references made by Joel and Mike, this book really helps with the more obscure ones. Thank you, authors!
An exceptional compedium of fact and fiction in the realm of puppetry arts, comedic stylings, and human companionship in space........2007-05-08
Despite the fact that MST3K has been off television for a good while now, the spirit lives on through the Internet where new fans are still minted to this day. For that reason, every MSTie really should have this book; the nonstop hilarity found within is still as hot as a knife through butter, and ranks among the best sources of obscure references, inside jokes, and information about the cast and the movies that were endlessly riffed over the years. Some of the information is outdated--mostly contact and fan club information--but that's why search engines exist. (You can get the followup Amazing Colossal Episode Guide covering later seasons over at mst3k.com, again written by the cast.)
Newer endeavors such as Rifftrax and the Film Crew have many of the original crew on board, and are excellent in their own right. These may never be MST3K 2.0--not that they aspire to be, nor should they--they're more than worthwhile to check out.
In conclusion, MITCHELL!
Great Item for MSTies.......2006-11-10
This book is a great companion and behind the scenes guide for this Television series. It contains information for most episodes up to the Expriment #700 series. Be warned it will not contain any show information past 700, well partial info but nothing else. Beyond that this guide is great for whenever Rhino is releasing a new boxed set as well as current boxed sets, as you can preview an episode before you purchase the corresponding dvd. Funny and witty commentary about the staff and even TV's Franks picks of his favorite episodes. I enjoyed the entire book as a Mystery Science Theater fan, myself.
Endless Frank Will Always Flow.......2006-09-29
Is there any information you want to know about any episode of the series from Seasons 1 through 6? Then you need to own this book.
For each episode, we see a film synopsis, a list and description of all the skits involved, and a personal reflection on the episode from one of MST3K's very talented writers. Personal reflections can be about anything...from the movie, to the short, to the skits, to what was going on in the lives of the writers during that time. Although you can get the skit descriptions from the MST3K website, there are some things in this book you won't find anywhere else. Particularly, readers of this book get to see what episodes are personal favorites of TV's Frank himself! Key word: El Santo! We also discover the origins of Hi-Keeba! On a personal note, I first learned about Commando Cody through this thing.
I recommend using this book in combination with Daddy-O's Drive-In Dirt on the MST3K website to get the most out of your MST3K viewing experience. Only downside is no Sci-Fi era stuff.
Amazon.com
Salvation on Sand Mountain is a story of snake handling and strychnine drinking, of faith healing and speaking in tongues. It is also the story of one man's search for his roots--and, in the end, of his spiritual renewal. Writer Dennis Covington came to this ecstatic form of Christianity as a reporter covering a sensational murder case; Glen Summerford, pastor of the Church of Jesus with Signs Following, had been accused of attempting to kill his wife with rattlesnakes. There, in a courtroom filled with journalists and gawking spectators, Covington felt the pull of a spirituality that was to dominate his life for the next several years. Attending Summerford's church out of curiosity, he soon forged close friendships with some of the worshippers, began attending snake-handling services throughout the South, and eventually took up snakes himself.
With subject matter this lurid, Salvation on Sand Mountain could have been a Southern-fried curiosity and little more. Covington goes far deeper. Tracing the snake handlers' roots in regional history, in the deep spiritual alienation of mountain people from the secular modern world they have so recently joined, Covington is more than just sympathetic to the snake handlers; in a profound way, he considers himself one of them. His reasoning is sometimes flawed--when he attempts to find snake handlers in his own family's past, for instance, the result is belabored and unconvincing--but there's no doubt that Covington's heart is in the right place. He's also not without his own brand of sly gallows humor, as in this conversation with the elderly Gracie McAllister: "She'd swore she'd never handle rattlesnakes in July again. She'd been bit the previous two Julys. 'I decided I'd just handle fire and drink strychnine that night,' she said. Good idea, I thought. It always pays to be on the safe side."
Covington eventually breaks with the snake handlers, but comes away from the experience a changed man. "Knowing where you come from is one thing, but it's suicide to stay there," he writes. An American Book Award winner and finalist for the National Book Award, Salvation on Sand Mountain is a nuanced, compassionate portrait of an unforgettable spiritual journey. --Mary Park
Customer Reviews:
Moving account of a culture and a spiritual quest.......2007-07-21
This remarkable book tells of the author's interest in the serpent-handling Holiness believers of the south, his own spiritual journey and a search for his roots. Covington attended his first snake handling service in 1992 at the Church of Jesus With Signs Following in Scottsboro, Alabama. His interest ultimately led him to churches in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.
The engaging text includes descriptions of the people, their faith, church services and sermons as well as ruminations on the south and in particular the culture of Appalachia. The author's personal quest for faith and belonging is the glue that holds the narrative together and make it so special.
Along the way Covington attends Brush Arbor services, delves into the history of the Holiness movement and discovers that Methodism gave rise to Pentecostalism which in turn gave birth to Holiness. He also discovers that his great great grandfather was an itinerant preacher in Northeast Alabama, an area where snake handling would start a generation after his death.
His engagingly descriptive prose includes the observation that the music "was like a cross between Salvation Army and acid rock." Describing a service in Jolo, he remarks that the organ playing of Lydia Elkins Hollins was like "cloth ripping" and that her voice was as raw and tortured as Janis Joplin's.
Finally, Covington handled snakes himself on Sand Mountain at the Old Rock House Holiness Church near the tiny hamlet of Macedonia south of Section, Alabama. His appraisal of the numinous experience of serpent-handling is riveting and lucid and includes observations of a change in consciousess and how the handler finds victory in the loss of self.
His involvement with the movement ended in December 1993 at a wedding at a church in Georgia. He preached about the role of women in the church and this did not go down well with the local preacher. Covington remarks that the real root of the problem was a dispute about the nature of God.
The narrative encompasses recollections of his childhood in East Lake, Birmingham, discussions of the various species of poisonous snakes, the lore of the snake-handlers, observations on the Appalachian landscape and speculations on the ecstatic religious experience.
Other interestings books on the Signs Following phenomenon include Serpent-Handling Believers by Thomas Burton, an in-depth study of handlers and their religious culture, and The Serpent Handlers: Three Families and Their Faith by Fred Brown and Jeanne McDonald, where the Signs Followers are allowed to speak for themselves.
Salvation On Sand Mountain contains black & white photographs of prominent preachers and church families, sermons, healings and handling. It is a most moving book in a style that grips the reader from the absorbing preface to the end. I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in the American South and in religious phenomena in general.
A great read................2007-07-19
I read this book about 10 years ago. I immediately felt like I needed to check out a snake handling church on my own, mainly due to my morbid curiosity. For someone who doesn't consider myself to be a big reader, I couldn't put this book down. It was lively and entertaining, and vivid enough to allow the reader the ability to visualize what goes on inside the church's walls. BTW, I did attend a snake handling service in Kingston, GA after I read this book and was not disappointed.
Snake-Handling in the Southern Appalachia.......2007-05-19
A friend of mine recommended this book to me. I really enjoyed it. The author was able to give a real personal edge to it by not only writting about it but by becoming involved in the church itself.
well written journalism about some extra-ordinary practices.......2006-12-20
Dennis Covington writes with verve of the unusual religious liturgies of a small group of people from Appalachia; handling poisonous snakes and drinking poison play a large role in a typical service. He initially is sent as a journalist to cover a story involving snake handling, and eventually goes native; he later finds that he actually is a native--his ancestors were snake handlers. Covington gently and gracefully tells the story of one of the stranger evolutions of Scots-Irish American culture. Readers who enjoyed Sen. James Webb's excellent history of the Scots-Irish will likely enjoy this as well. I found myself enjoying Covington a little more as he had none of the aggressively defensive nature of Webb's otherwise fine book. Finally, I might suggest that interested readers turn to a contemporary and protege of Sir Walter Scott, James Hogg, who wrote the quirky "Confessions of a Justified Sinner." This original and truly odd novel from 1824 tells a fantastic story of a poor lowland Scot with strong, but unschooled, religious fervor, as he torments a narrator from the established church. I couldn't help but draw some connections between the snake handlers and Hogg's protagonist.
An amazing piece of journalism on a freaked-out topic.......2005-10-07
What a cool book. I mean...wow.
All over the Deep South there are snake handling churches--groups that get together in weird little shacks, play loud electric rock and roll, and drape poisonous snakes around their necks and arms; they use the snakes to wipe the sweat from their foreheads, and walk along them like balancing beams. There's a verse in the Bible about how people with enough faith shall be able to trod on serpents without any harm, and these people take it literally. They also drink poison and put their hands on hot stoves, and usually, their faith or the power of their minds or something actually keeps them from being hurt.
This book is a wild look at an insane and fascinating religious sect, and the author writes about it well. During his investigations, he finds out his grandfather was an early snakehandler, and the author decides to try snakehandling himself. As a result, the story doesn't stay objective, but it stays more than plenty interesting.
This is among the most gripping and interesting pieces of nonfiction I've ever read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Also, if you stole a hiker's backpack from alongside a highway near Jasper, Georgia in 2001, please send me back the copy of "Salvation on Sand Mountain" that was in its top pouch. Thank you.
Customer Reviews:
Absorbing read.......2007-07-23
This remarkable book tells of the author's interest in the serpent-handling Holiness believers of the south, his own spiritual journey and a search for his roots. Covington attended his first snake handling service in 1992 at the Church of Jesus With Signs Following in Scottsboro, Alabama. His interest ultimately led him to churches in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.
The engaging text includes descriptions of the people, their faith, church services and sermons as well as ruminations on the south and in particular the culture of Appalachia. The author's personal quest for faith and belonging is the glue that holds the narrative together and make it so special.
Along the way Covington attends Brush Arbor services, delves into the history of the Holiness movement and discovers that Methodism gave rise to Pentecostalism which in turn gave birth to Holiness. He also discovers that his great great grandfather was an itinerant preacher in Northeast Alabama, an area where snake handling would start a generation after his death.
His engagingly descriptive prose includes the observation that the music "was like a cross between Salvation Army and acid rock." Describing a service in Jolo, he remarks that the organ playing of Lydia Elkins Hollins was like "cloth ripping" and that her voice was as raw and tortured as Janis Joplin's.
Finally, Covington handled snakes himself on Sand Mountain at the Old Rock House Holiness Church near the tiny hamlet of Macedonia south of Section, Alabama. His appraisal of the numinous experience of serpent-handling is riveting and lucid and includes observations of a change in consciousess and how the handler finds victory in the loss of self.
His involvement with the movement ended in December 1993 at a wedding at a church in Georgia. He preached about the role of women in the church and this did not go down well with the local preacher. Covington remarks that the real root of the problem was a dispute about the nature of God.
The narrative encompasses recollections of his childhood in East Lake, Birmingham, discussions of the various species of poisonous snakes, the lore of the snake-handlers, observations on the Appalachian landscape and speculations on the ecstatic religious experience.
Other interestings books on the Signs Following phenomenon include Serpent-Handling Believers by Thomas Burton, an in-depth study of handlers and their religious culture, and The Serpent Handlers: Three Families and Their Faith by Fred Brown and Jeanne McDonald, where the Signs Followers are allowed to speak for themselves.
Salvation On Sand Mountain contains black & white photographs of prominent preachers and church families, sermons, healings and handling. It is a most moving book in a style that grips the reader from the absorbing preface to the end. I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in the American South and in religious phenomena in general.
Books:
- A Tale of Love and Darkness
- A Thousand Years of Good Prayers: Stories
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- Answered Prayers: The Unfinished Novel
- Articles of War: A Novel
- Baby Momma Drama
- Beauty and the Spy (Warner Forever)
- Bee Season: A Novel
- Before You Know Kindness
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