Dana A edited the contributors of The Wordsworth Collection of Classic Romances (Special Editions) 10 hours ago.
Dana A edited the ridiculously simplified synopsis of Scarlett 2 days ago.
Dana A edited the summary of Scarlett 2 days ago.
The book picks up right where Gone with the Wind left off, with Scarlett attending the funeral of her former sister-in-law and rival for Ashley Wilkes' affection, Melanie Wilkes, at which her estranged husband, Rhett Butler, is not present. Scarlett, heartbroken and aggravated that Rhett has left her completely, sets out for Tara and is saddened when she learns that Mammy, her mainstay since birth, is dying. When she arrives at Tara, she sends a telegram to notify Rhett about Mammy under the name of Will Benteen (her sister Suellen's husband), because she knows that Rhett won't come if he suspects Scarlett is there. Before Mammy passes away she makes Rhett swear to look after "her lamb" Miss Scarlett. Rhett agrees, although he has no intention of honoring the request. After Mammy passes away, Rhett and Scarlett have another snipe-filled encounter, which culminates in Rhett leaving and Scarlett returning to the Atlanta house, determined to win Rhett back.
Scarlett, in her haste to win Rhett back, travels to Charleston to visit Rhett's family and tries to corner him by winning his mother's affection. He instead secludes himself in the family's old plantation on the river. Scarlett convinces Rhett to take her for a sail on the harbour, where their boat capsizes during a terrible storm. When they become shipwrecked, Rhett tries to keep Scarlett awake until they reach land. Scarlett and Rhett swim until they reach an island, and take refuge in a hollow of sand dunes. Rhett says, "Oh my darling, I thought I'd killed you! My love, my life...". Scarlett thinks he means it, and the two make love in the cave. Rhett later tells her that "when a man survived something he thought he wouldn't, he does and says crazy things," and that he didn't mean it. Scarlett, knowing that he meant it tells him to look her in the eyes, and tell her honestly that he does not love her. He then confesses, but runs out because he does not want to "lose himself" over her again. He compares her to an addiction to opium. Once safely back in Charleston, Rhett leaves Scarlett near death at his mother's house, telling her, in a letter, that while he admires her bravery in the face of danger, it has changed nothing; he will never see her again.
After Scarlett has regained her strength, she leaves Charleston with her two aunts, Pauline and Eulalie, to attend her maternal grandfather's birthday celebration in Savannah. She leaves a hastily written note to Rhett's mother, whom she has grown to love and admire, with Rhett's sister, Rosemary. Rosemary, hearing from her beloved brother the struggle he has with staying away from Scarlett, burns the note. (Rosemary overheard a nasty exchange between Rhett and Scarlett and was upset with this "dark side" of her brother. Rhett told Rosemary the whole story of loving Scarlett till there was not one drop of love left and how he would fall in love with her again if he didn't keep away from her.)
Scarlett's grandfather, a cranky old man, treats her aunts horribly and offers Scarlett his entire inheritance if she will remain with him in Savannah until his death. Scarlett refuses the old man and storms out of the house, furious at his heartlessness for cutting out his own daughters. She happens to meet her paternal cousin, Colum, a priest from Ireland and later agrees to travel to Ireland with him, tired of her grandfather's hospitality. By this time Scarlett has realized that she is pregnant with Rhett's child, but because she wants him to take her back for herself and not for the child, she keeps her pregnancy hidden.
In Ireland, Scarlett is heartily welcomed by her Irish kin, including her grandmother, Old Katie Scarlett, Gerald's mother. Exploring one day with her cousin Colum, they pass by an old house which the latter explained was called 'Ballyhara' along with the land surrounding it; it was O'Hara land long ago before the English seized it, along with other land from the Irish. Scarlett is mildly interested until she receives a notification of divorce from Rhett. Scarlett makes plans to leave for America at once but is stunned by more news; Rhett is married to another woman, a Charlestonian named Anne Hampton, who is a ringer for Melanie Hamilton. Heartbroken and full of remorse over her past deeds, Scarlett decides to remain in Ireland to raise her unborn child. She works with lawyers and leaves her two-third share of her father's plantation, Tara, to her son Wade Hamilton (fathered by her first husband, Charles Hamilton, brother of Melanie Wilkes), buys Ballyhara and settles down in Ireland, to her Irish family's delight. She and her cousin, Colum, tell everyone that her husband had taken ill and then died, leaving her a widow, rather than tell the truth that she was divorced.
As Ballyhara is slowly restored, Scarlett eagerly awaits the birth of her child, praying for it to be a girl and vowing to be a good mother. She is well respected by the townspeople and her family, earning her a reputation as a hard worker, with fierce Irish pride. She becomes known as The O'Hara, a title reserved for the undisputed leader of a family clan.
One stormy Halloween night, her water breaks. Her housekeeper, Mrs. Fitzpatrick, and the midwife whom Colum summons are unable to handle the situation, and it appears that Scarlett will die. Instead, she is saved by the wise old woman who lives near the haunted tower and who appears suddenly. The Caesarian birth is successful, but internal damage is done to Scarlett; as a result, Scarlett can no longer have children. The baby, a girl, is born with dark skin like Rhett's, but with blue eyes that slowly turn as green as Scarlett's. Full of love and thanksgiving, Scarlett names her Katie Colum O'Hara, and calls her "Cat" because of her green eyes. Rumors in the town abound about the birth of the child since one of the townspeople summoned to help with the birth claimed that the wise woman (witch) birthed a healthy boy from Scarlett but replaced the boy-child with a girl-child changeling. These rumors and fears are accented by the fact that Cat is born on Halloween, the time when bad spirits roam and play tricks on the living.
After Scarlett has settled down in Ballyhara, she runs into Rhett a number of times -- in America when she sees him while she is on the boat to Boston, at a fair where she admits she still loves him and at a hunt a week later. All the while, he still does not know he has a child. He then seeks her out at a society ball and, in this gesture, Scarlett realizes he still loves her, and that she in turn loves him in a way only she and he will ever know.
Lord Fenton, one of the wealthiest men in Europe, pursues Scarlett relentlessly, wanting to marry her but not with good intentions. He wants Scarlett to bear his children after seeing Cat's fiery spirit and fearlessness. He also plans to unite their estates; he owns Adamstown, the land adjacent to Scarlett's. The combined estate will go to their son upon their deaths but Cat will bear his name and have the best of everything. Angered by his arrogance, Scarlett refuses and orders him out of her house. He laughs at her and asks her to call him when she reconsiders. Scarlett leaves for Dublin for her yearly visit for parties and hunts. She later decides to accept Lord Fenton when she hears that Anne is pregnant with Rhett’s second child (the first child was lost to a miscarriage). The news leaks out about her engagement and Rhett, in a drunken state, insults her when she runs into him at a horse race. A mutual friend tells her that Anne died of a fever and the baby died four days after its birth and she rushes back to Ballyhara hopeful that Rhett would come looking for her. She finds English there with a warrant to arrest Colum, who is the head of the Fenian Brotherhood, a group of Irish people planning to revolt against the English. Colum is murdered and Rosaleen Fitzpatrick sets fire to the entire English arsenal to avenge Colum. The villagers, thinking Scarlett is in league with the English, burn her house down. Rhett comes to her rescue and he tries to convince her to escape with him. Scarlett doesn't go, but runs around her house yelling, "Cat! Cat! Where are you?" Rhett, confusedly says, "There's no time for the cat! We have to go!" Scarlett looks at him, dumbfounded. "Oh you fool! Not a cat," she barks. "Katie Colum O'Hara, called Cat. She's your daughter." Stunned, Rhett demands that Scarlett tell him how that's possible. Scarlett, still anxious about finding Cat, gives him a hurried explanation of when Cat was conceived. Rhett frantically goes in search of his newfound daughter with Scarlett at his heels. They find Cat in the kitchen after Scarlett remembers that Cat loves the kitchen. The three climb into the high tower on Ballyhara where Cat has made a playhouse and they stay there for the night. Scarlett explains why she didn’t tell him about Cat and he understands. Rhett and Scarlett both say "I love you". They wake up the next morning ready to start their new lives together and leave Ireland. The book ends with "Grainne told me to keep it," said by Cat, speaking of the old rope ladder which they will use to climb down from the tower.
Dana A edited the summary of Cathy's Ring 3 days ago.
There are never any easy solutions in the life of Cathy Vickers. After all, what does a girl do when she has a boyfriend who is immortal, a group of people trying to kill her, and another girl who has taken her identity? From the minute she walked into my life Jewel had been nothing but trouble. An ex-con named Denny (Jewel's wayward but good-intentioned brother) has risked his life for Cathy. Her best friend Em (techno-geek girl) is trying to protect her and re-make a fortune. And her father is supposed to be dead but isn't really because he is an immortal, so Cathy has to keep this secret from her unsuspecting mother.
This seems to add up to one plan: going into hiding --- most especially after she spends a night listening to the sounds of people being murdered right outside her window. When she sees the three bodies the next morning, she goes into "flight" mode. Now she knows for certain that Ancestor Lu (the Immortal) will stop at nothing to get to her, including probably murdering all her friends and family. Enough is enough already.
Once you make up your mind to disappear (she's done this before), there are practical matters to consider. First, she can't just tell anybody, but perhaps she can leave a vague note for her mom. Putting together her plan, she's going to:
* Need some cash (sell some of her dad's paintings)
* Not tell Victor (he will try to track her --- and besides, he doesn't really love her)
* Not tell Em (she will try to divert her with another brilliant business plan)
* Get Denny to drive her with the ruse of getting to Jewel (she does need her identity back)
* Find a way to destroy Ancestor Lu (maybe the serum?)
Cathy imagines her life with Denny --- he's the auto mechanic and she's the cheeky waitress working in some diner with a name like Flapjack Ranch. She could finally live without worrying about Victor or immortals or her mysterious father. She rationalizes several other things, nimbly sketching in her diary her version of herself as "Hamburger Girl - Cathy Sue," one of her alter egos. Cathy doesn't lose her sense of the absurd, not for a minute. And of course, even as she leaves to get into Denny's car, she is an artist extraordinaire, always caring about important details:
I stopped in the bathroom to brush my hair because an artist never stops thinking about how she looks.
The best-laid plans can go awry, and that's exactly what happens. Denny sees through her elaborate ruse and leads her back to a pancake house where "the gang" (Emma, Pete and Victor) wait. Cathy reacts with a flood of pent-up emotion:
Relief flooded into me. Relief and tearful gratitude and dizzy, knee-buckling joy. My body started to shake and I was crying after all, crying without tears, and for the first time in what felt like forever the crushing cloud of loneliness thinned a little and a ray of sunshine came in. Maybe my life wouldn't be a short, lonely, desperate chase with a brutal end after all.
The flood of euphoria does not last long because when Cathy goes into the bathroom, she is attacked by one of Ancestor Lu's thugs. Who saves her this time? Ancestor Lu's daughter, Jun, who happens to be an immortal but who also has an agenda (doesn't everyone?). Jun is a beautiful woman even when she is playing pool:
She bent low over the ball, cold and beautiful as a knife blade, sighting along the line of her cue. She went completely still --- her long hair glossy and black as if carved out of obsidian; her pale skin eternal as winter; her eyes as empty as stars.
Okay, so maybe here's some competition because it's obvious to Cathy that Jun finds Victor appealing. This is just what she needs...another complication in her life. In the time being Cathy doesn't know what sacrifice Victor has made for her, nor is she aware of what her father is plotting. All things are about to change again, and they are going to change really fast.
Picture Cathy and Jewel dressed up like clowns, picture Jewel in her troublesome way helping out, picture Cathy's father making a surprise appearance, picture Victor bleeding in a car (do immortals bleed?), picture Cathy and Denny kissing in a motel room, picture Emma knowing just when to step in...and then there's that serum. Cathy's witty comments, fantastic drawings, colorful, well-drawn characters, and the great storyline make this final book in the Cathy trilogy an adventure that will leave readers gasping. CATHY'S RING resolves some unanswered questions and brings others to the front. Just maybe Cathy and Victor have a chance.
Enjoy Cathy's package of goodies that go with the book, visit the website (www.CathysRing.com), listen to the music, look at the drawings, and call the phone numbers. What a fantastic time!
Cathy cannot manage to find more than a few days to relax in her hectic (and mortal) life—she barely has time to put the mystery surrounding her father to rest before she finds herself targeted by a group of Ancestor Lu’s professional killers!
Recognizing she is a serious threat to everyone in her life, Cathy makes plans to leave town. But her friends, Emma, Pete, Victor, and, surprisingly, Jun, unite to convince Cathy that they must finish Lu once and for all to have any chance at peace—mortal or immortal. In order to defeat Lu, the friends must come together in a way they never have before.
Meanwhile—unbeknownst to Cathy—Victor has made the ultimate sacrifice hoping it will bring him closer to a normal relationship with Cathy. But when Victor is seriously wounded and Cathy finds herself attracted to another mortal with similar feelings for her, Cathy’s world turns upside down and she is forced to make a decision about her future with Victor, while his life hangs by a thread. What will Cathy decide, and how will their epic battle with Lu play out? Find out in the newest adventure-packed installment of the Cathy story!
Dana A edited the summary of Cathy's Key: If Found 650-266-8202 3 days ago.
Six weeks after high-school graduation, Cathy can’t seem to keep a job, but she excels at Advanced Doodling in this sequel to Cathy’s Book (2007). Her immortal boyfriend, Victor, is off trying to unlock the key to immortality. No job and no boyfriend leave Cathy with the time she so desperately needs to avoid Tsao, yet another immortal who proclaims his undying love for her and won’t take no for an answer; to get her identity back from Jewel, a clever and sneaky girl she met on a bus; to convince Jewel’s ex-convict brother, Denny, not to enlist in the army; to discover if her father really is dead by raiding the office of the drug-happy doctor who signed his death certificate; and to navigate the ups and downs of her friendship with Emma, young business maven extraordinaire. A wonderfully zany voice, loads of doodles, interactive features, and madcap antics that unfold at a breakneck pace—all contribute to a reading experience that is just plain fun. Grades 8-11. --Holly Koelling
Cathy is back and she is as curious as ever! It's been six months since Cathy's seen her boyfriend Victor and she is completely clueless as to where their relationship stands. Out of desperation she sets off to St. Louis in order to meet the fortune teller whose name was sent to her months earlier in a mysterious package. After her meeting with the mysterious Auntie Joe, who claims that Cathy's father didn't really die of a heart attack but that he was murdered, Cathy is as confused as ever. On her way home Cathy meets Jewel. Jewel immediately gets on Cathy's bad side when she tries to weasel money out of her. She's even bold enough to take Cathy's diary pages (recounting her last adventure) while Cathy is out buying food. Despite a bitter start, Jewel and Cathy become pseudo friends and spend the long, boring bus ride home talking. That is until Jewel disappears with Cathy's cell phone and diary pages, virtually stealing her identity. This is really the least of Cathy's problems because when she returns to San Francisco she is determined to find out what really happened to her father and also squeeze in time to find a new job. With the help of her best friend Emma, Cathy embarks on an adventure to find out more about her father and she will learn more than she could have ever fathomed!!
Dana A edited the summary of Cathy's Key: If Found 650-266-8202 3 days ago.
Six weeks after high-school graduation, Cathy can’t seem to keep a job, but she excels at Advanced Doodling in this sequel to Cathy’s Book (2007). Her immortal boyfriend, Victor, is off trying to unlock the key to immortality. No job and no boyfriend leave Cathy with the time she so desperately needs to avoid Tsao, yet another immortal who proclaims his undying love for her and won’t take no for an answer; to get her identity back from Jewel, a clever and sneaky girl she met on a bus; to convince Jewel’s ex-convict brother, Denny, not to enlist in the army; to discover if her father really is dead by raiding the office of the drug-happy doctor who signed his death certificate; and to navigate the ups and downs of her friendship with Emma, young business maven extraordinaire. A wonderfully zany voice, loads of doodles, interactive features, and madcap antics that unfold at a breakneck pace—all contribute to a reading experience that is just plain fun. Grades 8-11. --Holly Koelling
Dana A edited the description of Cathy's Book: If Found Call (650) 266-8233 3 days ago.
Cathy's Book is an Alternate Reality Game book written by Sean Stewart, Jordan Weisman, and Cathy Brigg (illustrator), published September 12, 2006. This interactive book is the first young adult novel of its kind. It includes an evidence packet filled with letters, phone numbers, pictures, and birth certificates, as well as doodles and notes written by Cathy in the page margins.
The New York Times bestseller! The publishing phenomenon Cathy's Book redefined the way teens approach novels and set a new standard for interactivity, using the most popular kids' technology to enhance the experience of reading a really good story. As a new chapter is about to unfold with the publication of the sequel, Cathy's Key later this spring, the original novel is available in trade paperback. * All of the supplementary items from the "evidence pack" are reproduced on pages in the back of the book, making this edition more accessible and portable. * All of the original websites, phone numbers, and secret codes are still operational. Part romance, part thriller, part mystery, Cathy's Book stands on its own beyond the interactive angle and the intense marketing campaign that made it a bestseller. Readers identify with Cathy, they read her story, listen to her phone messages, check out the websites she mentions, and they leave her messages on her MySpace.com page and on a special voicemail. Fans have even created their own videos on YouTube, demonstrating their comfort and familiarity with this level of interactivity and technology. Reviewers and awards committees have also recognized the unique phenomenon that reset the bar for engaging teen novels. Don't miss this opportunity to get caught up in Cathy's world all over again! Included in the paperback edition only is a special, teaser chapter from the sequel (which pubs two months later), to whet the appetite of the thousands of readers who have gotten caught up in the web of Cathy's story! A YALSA Quick Pick
Dana A created the book Le Dico des Filles 2008 6 days ago.
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Dana A edited the summary of An Echo in the Bone 7 days ago.
An Echo in the Bone is the seventh book in the Outlander series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. It was first published on September 22, 2009.
Dana A edited the summary of A Breath of Snow and Ashes 7 days ago.
A Breath of Snow and Ashes is the sixth volume of the best-selling Outlander series, written by Diana Gabaldon.
Claire is the wife of Jamie Fraser, her 18th century husband, and facing the politics and turmoil of the forthcoming American Revolution. The preceding novel, The Fiery Cross, concluded with political unrest in the colonies beginning to boil over and the Frasers trying to peacefully live on their isolated homestead. Jamie is suddenly faced with walking between the fires of loyalty to the oath he swore to the British crown and following his hope for freedom in the new world.
Characters
Jamie Fraser - Claire's 18th century husband and father of Brianna.
Claire Fraser - Main female character whom the series revolves around. Married to Jamie and mother of Brianna
Brianna Randall Fraser MacKenzie - Jamie and Claire's daughter. She marries Roger and they have two children: a son, Jeremiah, known as "Jemmy" and a daughter, Mandy.
Roger Mackenzie - Jamie and Claire's son-in-law. Married to Brianna and father of Jemmy and Mandy
Jeremiah MacKenzie - Roger and Brianna's son (there was some doubt about his paternity but this is now resolved)
Fergus Fraser - Jamie's adopted son. Married to Marsali
Marsali Fraser - Laoghaire's daughter and Jamie's step-daughter (Jamie was briefly "married" to Laoghaire when Claire went back to the future)
Germain Fraser - Fergus and Marsali's son, oldest brother to Joan, Felecitie, and Henri Christian
Ian Murray - Jenny's son and Jamie's nephew
Lizzie Wemyss - Jamie and Claire's bond servant. Joseph Wemyss' daughter. Married to Jo Beardsley.
Joseph Wemyss - Jamie and Claire's bond servant. Lizzie's father.
Malva Christie - Tom Christie's daughter
Tom Christie
Lord John Grey
Jocasta Cameron - Jamie's blind aunt
Duncan Innes - Jocasta's husband
