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  <name><![CDATA[Nancy]]></name>
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    <about><![CDATA[I have this massive library of theological books.  Really.  It's large and sprawling and makes me look rather intellectual, I think.  I really should display it in my living room, to impress random visitors and intimidate Mormon missionaries.<br/><br/>But the truth is this:  When I have a migraine, I read Barbara Cartland novels to ease the pain.  (It's my guilty secret, and now everyone knows.)<br/><br/>Hey.  It's medicinal.  DON'T JUDGE ME.]]></about>
    <gender>F</gender>
    <location>The United States</location>
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    <joined>06/2007</joined>
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      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[gave 3 stars to: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14570.Eight_Cousins">Eight Cousins (Evergreen Classics)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1315.Louisa_May_Alcott">Louisa May Alcott</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76581296</link>
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  <id type="integer">113545</id>
  <name>Nancy</name>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/113545-nancy</link>
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    <updated_at>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:14:45 -0800</updated_at>
        
      
          <body><![CDATA[When I was eight, I read Louisa May Alcott's &quot;Little Women&quot; for the first time.  And then I read it again - about twenty-five times in that first year, slurping it up like a delicious piece of my favorite dessert.  It was the first time I ever realized that books could be tastier than cake...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/When%20I%20was%20eight,%20I%20read%20Louisa%20May%20Alcott's%20%22Little%20Women%22%20for%20the%20first%20time.%20%20And%20then%20I%20read%20it%20again%20-%20about%20twenty-five%20times%20in%20that%20first%20year,%20slurping%20it%20up%20like%20a%20delicious%20piece%20of%20my%20favorite%20dessert.%20%20It%20was%20the%20first%20time%20I%20ever%20realized%20that%20books%20could%20be%20tastier%20than%20cake.%20%20And%20every%20so%20often,%20even%20now,%20I%20feel%20a%20need%20for%20some%20Alcott-cake,%20and%20%22Eight%20Cousins%22%20is%20still%20one%20of%20my%20favorites.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe%20story%20concerns%20orphaned%20Rose,%20the%20only%20girl%20in%20a%20family%20of%20eight%20first%20cousins.%20%20On%20the%20death%20of%20her%20father,%20Rose%20is%20sent%20to%20the%20family%20home%20to%20meet%20her%20new%20guardian,%20her%20father's%20brother%20Alec,%20whom%20she%20has%20never%20met.%20%20Rose%20is%20frail,%20pale,%20overpoweringly%20ladylike,%20and%20(as%20you%20might%20expect,%20given%20her%20recent%20history)%20more%20than%20a%20bit%20anxious%20about%20her%20new%20life%20with%20Uncle%20Alec%20-%20not%20to%20mention%20all%20those%20boy%20cousins.%20%20Alec%20is%20a%20free-thinking%20doctor%20who%20is%20determined%20to%20turn%20frail%20Rose%20into%20a%20happy,%20healthy%20Rose.%20%20As%20a%20little%20girl,%20I%20loved%20reading%20about%20Alec%20taking%20away%20Rose's%20tight%20leather%20belts%20and%20giving%20her%20soft%20rainbow%20sashes%20and%20scarves;%20stealing%20her%20black%20coffee%20and%20making%20her%20milk%20the%20cow%20for%20fresh%20milk,%20and%20surprising%20her%20with%20skates%20and%20warm%20muffs%20and%20sleds%20and%20boats.%20%20And%20the%20truth%20is,%20I%20still%20like%20it.%20%20%0D%0A%0D%0AI%20like%20Rose%20too.%20%20She%20can%20be%20awfully%20priggish,%20but%20she%20tries%20so%20hard%20to%20be%20good%20-%20you%20don't%20see%20that%20very%20often%20in%20modern%20kid-lit.%20%20(I'm%20not%20talking%20about%20you,%20Harry%20Pottter!)%20%20If%20you%20ask%20me%20(and%20nobody%20has),%20I%20think%20kids%20lose%20when%20they%20don't%20find%20integrity%20modelled%20for%20them%20in%20books.%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0AAlcott's%20%22Little%20Women%22%20for%20the%20first%20time.%20%20And%20that%20same%20%0D%0Ayear,%20I%20read%20it%20again%20-%20twenty-five%20times.%20%20I%20slurped%20it%20up%20like%20a%20delicious%20slab%20of%20my%20favorite%20cake%20-%20it%20was%20the%20very%20first%20time%20any%20book%20ever%20affected%20me%20like%20that.%20%20So%20every%20now%20and%20then,%20I%20feel%20a%20need%20for%20some%20Alcott-cake,%20and%20%22Eight%20Cousins%22%20is%20quite%20a%20tasty%20dessert.%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0AThe%20story%20concerns%20orphaned%20Rose,%20the%20only%20girl%20in%20a%20family%20of%20eight%20first%20cousins.%20%20On%20the%20death%20of%20her%20father,%20she%20is%20consigned%20to%20the%20care%20of%20her%20father's%20brother,%20Alec,%20and%20goes%20to%20live%20in%20the%20family%20home,%20in%20close%20proximity%20to%20her%20many%20cousins.%20%20Rose%20is%20frail,%20pale%20and%20annoyingly%20ladylike;%20Alec%20is%20a%20doctor%20and%20a%20freethinker%20who%20plans%20to%20make%20her%20a%20happy,%20healthy%20Rose.%20%20When%20I%20was%20a%20little%20girl,%20I%20loved%20reading%20about%20all%20Alec's%20%22experimeents%22%20with%20Rose,%20like%20taking%20away%20her%20leather%20belts%20and%20giving%20her%20rainbow%20silk%20sashes;%20taking%20away%20her%20coffee%20and%20making%20her%20milk%20the%20cown%20and%20drink%20her%20fresh%20milk%20from%20a%20cool%20carved%20mug.%20I%20still%20like%20reading%20them.%20And%20I%20like%20Rose:%20%20she%20can%20be%20priggish,%20but%20there%20is%20something%20very%20endearing%20about%20her;%20I%20like%20how%20hard%20she%20tries%20to%20be%20a%20good%20person.%20%20That's%20something%20you%20rarely%20read%20about%20it%20children's%20literature%20any%20more%20(except%20for%20you,%20darling%20Harry%20Potter!)%20%20I%20think%20authors%20and%20publishers%20have%20come%20to%20believe%20that%20minor%20ethical%20dilemmmas%20are%20boring%20to%20children,%20but%20you%20know%20what%3F%20%20Considering%20the%20parents%20most%20kids%20have,%20I%20think%20it's%20helpful%20to%20them%20to%20have%20SOME%20kind%20of%20moral%20compass.">more...</a>]]></body>
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[gave 4 stars to: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31122.I_Capture_the_Castle">I Capture the Castle (Hardcover)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6208.Dodie_Smith">Dodie Smith</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76583253</link>
    <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168212057s/31122.jpg</image_url>
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  <id type="integer">113545</id>
  <name>Nancy</name>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/113545-nancy</link>
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    <updated_at>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:58:20 -0800</updated_at>
        
      
          <body><![CDATA[Dodie Smith wrote &quot;One Hundred and One Dalmatians&quot; - my very favorite Disney movie, by the way, and also the best argument I've ever seen for the nuclear family.  But that was a bit of a one-off - she was actually a rather well-known playwright, and had minor success as a novelist as well....<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/Dodie%20Smith%20wrote%20%22One%20Hundred%20and%20One%20Dalmatians%22%20-%20my%20very%20favorite%20Disney%20movie,%20by%20the%20way,%20and%20also%20the%20best%20argument%20I've%20ever%20seen%20for%20the%20nuclear%20family.%20%20But%20that%20was%20a%20bit%20of%20a%20one-off%20-%20she%20was%20actually%20a%20rather%20well-known%20playwright,%20and%20had%20minor%20success%20as%20a%20novelist%20as%20well.%20%20I've%20read%20one%20of%20her%20other%20novels%20and%20it%20was%20sort%20of%20lame.%20%20But%20%22I%20Capture%20the%20Castle%22%20is%20delightful.%20%20%0D%0A%0D%0AThe%20castle%20in%20question%20is%20a%20ruined%20one,%20currently%20inhabited%20by%20the%20Mortmain%20family,%20headed%20by%20Mr.%20Mortmain,%20a%20vaguely%20Joycean%20novelist%20who%20has%20not%20published%20a%20word%20in%20fifteen%20years%20or%20paid%20rent%20in%20four.I%20wou%20Consequent%20to%20his%20failure%20to%20earn,%20his%20family%20-%2021-year-old%20Rose%20(beautiful%20and%20hungry),%2017%20year%20old%20Cassandra%20(curious%20and%20philosophical),%2015-year-old%20Thomas%20(cheerful%20and%20oblivious)%20and%20the%20beautiful%20Topaz,%20stepmother%20to%20the%20children%20-%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20subsist%20on%20a%20non-existent%20income.%20%20Cassandra,%20a%20budding%20writer%20(hate%20that%20phrase)%20is%20trying%20to%20%22capture%22%20this%20strange%20and%20rather%20dream-like%20existence%20in%20the%20pages%20of%20her%20journal.%20%20Cassandra%20reminds%20me%20a%20bit%20of%20Joan%20Wyndham's%20%22Love%20Letters%22;%20she%20writes%20with%20that%20same%20mixture%20of%20naivite%20and%20pragmatism,%20laced%20with%20understated%20wit%20-%20I%20was%20on%20her%20side%20from%20the%20word%20Go.%20%20%0D%0A%0D%0AThis%20would%20never%20be%20a%20desert-island%20book%20for%20me,%20but%20sometimes%20it%20is%20exactly%20the%20atmosphere%20I%20want.%20I%20would%20read%20it%20just%20for%20the%20descriptions%20of%20Topaz%20and%20her%20pseudo-intellectual%20commentaries%20on%20Art.%20%22Oh,%20what%20worlds%20words%20weave!%22%20says%20Cassandra,%20and%20I'm%20right%20there%20with%20her.%20%20It's%20lovely%20to%20visit%20the%20castle.">more...</a>]]></body>
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[gave 3 stars to: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/251789.A_Three_Dog_Life">A Three Dog Life (Hardcover)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17421.Abigail_Thomas">Abigail Thomas</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76361945</link>
    <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173149715s/251789.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">113545</id>
  <name>Nancy</name>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/113545-nancy</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:42:07 -0800</updated_at>
        
      
          <body><![CDATA[Abigail Thomas had only been married to husband Rich for a few years when he went out to walk the dog he never wanted to own.  The dog broke free, and Rich went into the road to save him, and was hit by a car.  Traumatic brain injury.  The &quot;nicest guy in the world&quot; would never be the same....<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/Abigail%20Thomas%20had%20only%20been%20married%20to%20husband%20Rich%20for%20a%20few%20years%20when%20he%20went%20out%20to%20walk%20the%20dog%20he%20never%20wanted%20to%20own.%20%20The%20dog%20broke%20free,%20and%20Rich%20went%20into%20the%20road%20to%20save%20him,%20and%20was%20hit%20by%20a%20car.%20%20Traumatic%20brain%20injury.%20%20The%20%22nicest%20guy%20in%20the%20world%22%20would%20never%20be%20the%20same.%20%20%0D%0A%0D%0AThomas%20writes%20this%20memoir%20about%20the%20very%20situation%20which%20has%20occupied%20the%20worry%20section%20of%20my%20brain%20since%20I%20got%20married:%20%20what%20happens%20when%20the%20guy%20you%20marry%20is%20no%20longer%20the%20guy%20you%20married%20-%20but%20you%20are%20still%20married%20to%20him%3F%20In%20Abigail%20and%20Rich's%20case,%20Rich%20now%20lives%20in%20institutional%20care%20and%20comes%20home%20for%20a%20once-a-week%20visit.%20%20Rich%20still%20loves%20Abigail,%20and%20it%20is%20wrenchingly%20apparent%20that%20Abigail%20still%20loves%20Rich%20-%20who%20weirdly%20retains%20his%20own%20unique%20personality%20despite%20his%20many%20many%20deficits.%20%20The%20memoir%20is%20slight%20and%20thin,%20but%20sufficient%20to%20bring%20Rich%20to%20life,%20and%20to%20give%20at%20least%20hints%20of%20the%20moral%20struggle%20involved%20in%20Abigail's%20deciding%20to%20have%20a%20life%20beyond%20Rich,%20while%20doing%20her%20best%20to%20give%20him%20the%20best%20life%20she%20can.%20%20I%20was%20really%20affected%20by%20the%20parts%20where%20Abigail%20has%20to%20lie%20to%20Rick%20to%20get%20him%20to%20do%20things;%20she%20is%20clearly%20a%20woman%20to%20whom%20even%20white%20lies%20are%20painful,%20yet%20she%20lies%20to%20Rick%20to%20ease%20his%20loneliness%20and%20confusion.%20%20It's%20a%20reminder%20of%20something%20I%20have%20come%20to%20believe:%20%20that%20one%20doesn't%20achieve%20full%20adulthood%20until%20one%20is%20forced%20to%20choose,%20not%20between%20right%20and%20wrong,%20but%20between%20two%20%22wrongs.%22%20%20Sad...but%20interesting.">more...</a>]]></body>
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[gave 5 stars to: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1191152.The_Queen_of_the_Tambourine">The Queen of the Tambourine (Paperback)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20838.Jane_Gardam">Jane Gardam</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76306109</link>
    <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1181766560s/1191152.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">113545</id>
  <name>Nancy</name>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/113545-nancy</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:54:29 -0700</updated_at>
        
      
          <body><![CDATA[Every now and then I have a craving to read something that is beautifully crafted, a book that is all lovely words.  I heard about Jane Gardam on NPR(I had never heard of her) - she's a British author and she has won the Whitbread Award TWICE.  (Nobody else has done that, so this author I had never ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/Every%20now%20and%20then%20I%20have%20a%20craving%20to%20read%20something%20that%20is%20beautifully%20crafted,%20a%20book%20that%20is%20all%20lovely%20words.%20%20I%20heard%20about%20Jane%20Gardam%20on%20NPR(I%20had%20never%20heard%20of%20her)%20-%20she's%20a%20British%20author%20and%20she%20has%20won%20the%20Whitbread%20Award%20TWICE.%20%20(Nobody%20else%20has%20done%20that,%20so%20this%20author%20I%20had%20never%20heard%20of%20ought%20to%20be%20good,%20I%20thought)%3E%0D%0A%0D%0AAnd%20she%20is.%20The%20book%20is%20all%20letters%20written%20by%20Eliza%20to%20her%20neighbor%20Joan,%20who%20never%20responds%20to%20the%20letters.%20%20Eliza%20is%20witty,%20intelligent,%20weirdly%20insightful%20about%20her%20neighbors%20-%20but%20something%20is%20very,%20very%20wrong%20and%20her%20neighbors%20-%20though%20often%20overwhelmed%20by%20their%20own%20problems%20-%20are%20strangely%20concerned%20about%20Eliza.%20%20Because%20we%20come%20to%20see%20that%20Eliza%20is%20going%20crazy,%20and%20she%20has%20secrets%20she%20cannot%20tell,%20even%20to%20Joan.%20%20If%20Joan%20exists.%0D%0A%0D%0AHere's%20a%20bit%20I%20liked,%20where%20Eliza%20is%20being%20examined%20by%20a%20doctor%20whom%20she%20calls%20The%20Son%20of%20Dreariness%20-%20he%20is%20asking%20about%20her%20%22female%20problems.%22%20%20%0D%0A%0D%0A%22And%20how%20old%20are%20you,%20Mrs.%20Peabody%3F%22%0D%0A%22I'm%20fifty-one.%22%0D%0A%22Ah,%20fifty-one.%20%20Menopause%20going%20all%20right%3F%20%20Everything%20drying%20up%20nicely%3F%22%0D%0A%22I%20had%20a%20hysterectomy%20at%20thirty-one.%20%20That's%20the%20scar.%22%0D%0A%22Ah,%20long%20gone,%20long%20gone.%20%20Now%20I%20do%20congratulate%20you.%20%20Well%20done,%20well%20done....For%20getting%20rid%20of%20the%20good%20old%20nursery-furniture,%20my%20dear.%20%20Best%20removed%20when%20no%20longer%20needed.%22%0D%0A%22What%20a%20perfectly%20horrible%20thing%20to%20say.%20%20What%20a%20foul%20phrase.%22%20%0D%0A%22What%3F%20Ha%3F%22%0D%0A%22I%20was%20thirty%20one.%22%20%20Then%20I%20added,%20%22Fuck%20you.%22%0D%0A%0D%0AYou%20tell%20'em,%20Eliza.">more...</a>]]></body>
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[gave 4 stars to: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250729.The_Vanishing_Act_of_Esme_Lennox">The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (Paperback)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/91236.Maggie_O_Farrell">Maggie O'Farrell</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53004427</link>
    <image_url>http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41TSYKB997L._SL75_.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">113545</id>
  <name>Nancy</name>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/113545-nancy</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:30:30 -0700</updated_at>
        
      
          <body><![CDATA[I half-started this in the bookstore (yes, I am that woman!  the one who reads the book AT THE DISPLAY TABLE and won't move out of your way!) but was put off by the first few paragraphs.  Maggie O'Farrell uses the (to me) annoying literary device of writing in the present tense, and I just can't hel...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/I%20half-started%20this%20in%20the%20bookstore%20(yes,%20I%20am%20that%20woman!%20%20the%20one%20who%20reads%20the%20book%20AT%20THE%20DISPLAY%20TABLE%20and%20won't%20move%20out%20of%20your%20way!)%20but%20was%20put%20off%20by%20the%20first%20few%20paragraphs.%20%20Maggie%20O'Farrell%20uses%20the%20(to%20me)%20annoying%20literary%20device%20of%20writing%20in%20the%20present%20tense,%20and%20I%20just%20can't%20help%20it:%20%20it%20always%20strikes%20me%20as%20pretentious%20and%20somewhat%20precious.%20%20But%20I%20was%20wrong%20to%20set%20the%20book%20down%20and%20walk%20away,%20though%20my%20doing%20so%20may%20have%20gratified%20the%20irate%20fellow-shopper%20who%20was%20trying%20to%20get%20past%20me.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe%20book%20is%20very,%20very%20good.%20%20This%20is%20how%20good:%20%20I%20didn't%20skip%20to%20the%20end%20as%20I%20%5Balmost:%5D%20always%20do.%20%20It's%20about%20Iris,%20who%20receives%20a%20call%20from%20a%20local%20mental%20hospital%20regarding%20her%20great-aunt%20Esme,%20a%20great%20aunt%20that%20she%20didn't%20know%20existed.%20%20Esme%20has%20been%20istitutionalized%20for%2061%20years%20for%20the%20%22mental%20illness%22%20of%20not%20wanting%20her%20hair%20cut%20and%20not%20wanting%20to%20be%20charming%20to%20the%20boys.%20(O'Farrell%20did%20her%20research%20-%20these%20cases%20were%20real%20and%20not%20that%20uncommon%20-%20one%20teenager%20was%20hospitalized%20for%20%22wanting%20to%20take%20long%20solitary%20walks.%22)%20%20The%20story%20is%20riveting,%20and%20it%20is%20tragic,%20and%20it%20is%20intriguing%20to%20see%20how%20Iris%20could%20have%20been%20Esme%20but%20isn't%20because%20of%20her%20location%20in%20time.%20%20And%20the%20only%20reason%20I%20didn't%20give%20it%205%20stars%20is%20because%20part%20of%20the%20narration%20is%20done%20by%20Esme's%20sister%20with%20Alzheimer's%20and,%20yo,%20Maggie,%20people%20with%20Alzheimer's%20don't%20talk%20like%20that.%20%20And,%20well,%20that%20whole%20present%20tense%20thing.%20%20">more...</a>]]></body>
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="comment">
    <action_text><![CDATA[new comment from Nancy]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75596243</link>
    <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255571692s/6366437.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">113545</id>
  <name>Nancy</name>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/113545-nancy</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:19:51 -0700</updated_at>
        
      
          <body><![CDATA[I'll be interested to hear what you think of this one...I liked the Glass Castle, but thought this one sounded pretty grim. Of course, so did the blurb for The Glass Castle, for that matter.]]></body>
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="comment">
    <action_text><![CDATA[new comment from Nancy]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73640391</link>
    <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175871640s/567565.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">113545</id>
  <name>Nancy</name>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/113545-nancy</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:04:44 -0700</updated_at>
        
      
          <body><![CDATA[Aww, thanks, Alexis!  That really brightened my day.]]></body>
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[gave 4 stars to: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/311132.A_Civil_Contract">A Civil Contract (Paperback)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18067.Georgette_Heyer">Georgette Heyer</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73641695</link>
    <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173644409s/311132.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">113545</id>
  <name>Nancy</name>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/113545-nancy</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:46:23 -0700</updated_at>
        
      
          <body><![CDATA[Aww, Georgette Heyer. How come I never review her books?  I became a huge Heyer fan in my romantic teens, and I have to say, her books never pall; if anything I enjoy them even more now that I am wallowing in my middle years.  I remember being disappointed when I read this book first:  it's about Ad...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/Aww,%20Georgette%20Heyer.%20How%20come%20I%20never%20review%20her%20books%3F%20%20I%20became%20a%20huge%20Heyer%20fan%20in%20my%20romantic%20teens,%20and%20I%20have%20to%20say,%20her%20books%20never%20pall;%20if%20anything%20I%20enjoy%20them%20even%20more%20now%20that%20I%20am%20wallowing%20in%20my%20middle%20years.%20%20I%20remember%20being%20disappointed%20when%20I%20read%20this%20book%20first:%20%20it's%20about%20Adam,%20whose%20profligate%20father%20dies,%20leaving%20him%20penniless%20and%20unable%20to%20marry%20the%20beautiful%20and%20romantic%20Julia.%20%20Julia's%20father,%20sympathetic%20to%20Adam's%20dire%20financial%20straits,%20puts%20him%20in%20the%20way%20of%20marrying%20Jenny%20Chawleigh,%20the%20plain,%20practical%20daughter%20of%20a%20blunt,%20ill-bred%20(but%20rather%20endearing)rich%20London%20merchant.%20%20So,%20though%20his%20heart%20is%20Julia's,%20Adam%20marries%20Jenny%20-%20who%20secretly%20loves%20him.%0D%0A%0D%0AI%20didn't%20like%20this%20much%20when%20I%20wa%20sixteen,%20because%20I%20wanted%20Adam%20and%20Julia%20to%20end%20up%20together%20-%20or%20Adam%20and%20Jenny%20to%20find%20true%20love.%20%20And%20what%20actually%20happens%20is%20somewhat%20different.%20%20But%20I'm%20a%20lot%20older%20now,%20and%20this%20has%20become%20possibly%20my%20favorite%20Heyer.%20%20I%20love%20the%20encounters%20between%20the%20elegant%20Adam%20and%20his%20rough-hewn%20father-in-law%20-%20especially%20when%20Mr.%20Chawleigh%20tries%20to%20%22smarten%20the%20young%20couple%20up%20a%20trifle.%22%20%20It's%20so%20sweet!%20%20Heyer%20makes%20me%20do%20the%20happy%20dance.">more...</a>]]></body>
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="review">
    <action_text><![CDATA[gave 2 stars to: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/567565.The_Language_of_Names_What_We_Call_Ourselves_and_Why_It_Matters">The Language of Names: What We Call Ourselves and Why It Matters (Paperback)</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25385.Justin_Kaplan">Justin Kaplan</a>]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73640391</link>
    <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175871640s/567565.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">113545</id>
  <name>Nancy</name>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/113545-nancy</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:31:14 -0700</updated_at>
        
      
          <body><![CDATA[See, now, this could have been a pretty good book.  It had a lot of interesting chapters, even if they tended to skim the surface of what initially promised to be a rather fascinating subject.  But it's a BIG subject, and the book is relatively short, so you know...one shouldn't expect too much.  It...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/See,%20now,%20this%20could%20have%20been%20a%20pretty%20good%20book.%20%20It%20had%20a%20lot%20of%20interesting%20chapters,%20even%20if%20they%20tended%20to%20skim%20the%20surface%20of%20what%20initially%20promised%20to%20be%20a%20rather%20fascinating%20subject.%20%20But%20it's%20a%20BIG%20subject,%20and%20the%20book%20is%20relatively%20short,%20so%20you%20know...one%20shouldn't%20expect%20too%20much.%20%20It's%20interesting%20to%20read%20about%20names%20and%20social%20structures...and%20names%20and%20their%20mystical%20power...character%20names%20in%20literature.%20%20All%20that%20was%20cool,%20and%20I%20was%20enjoying%20it.%20%20But%20then,%20dear%20me,%20they%20got%20to%20the%20chapter%20on%20(whisper%20it)%20MAIDEN%20names.%0D%0A%0D%0AHoly%20crap,%20what%20is%20up%20with%20Anne%20Bernays%3F%20%20Apparently,%20if%20you%20give%20up%20your%20maiden%20name%20and%20take%20your%20husband's%20name%20YOU%20HAVE%20TOTALLY%20GIVEN%20IT%20TO%20THE%20MAN,%20you%20silly%20oppressed%20boot-licker,%20you.%20%20Um,%20is%20it%20just%20me%3F%20%20Or%20did%20it%20escape%20Darling%20Anne's%20notice%20that%20a%20maiden%20name%20is%20actually%20the%20name%20of%20the%20woman's%20FATHER%3F%20%20And%20that%20there%20isn't%20a%20whole%20lot%20of%20difference%20(oppression-wise)%20between%20carrying%20your%20daddy's%20name%20or%20your%20sweetie's%20name%3F%20%20Apparently,%20for%20Anne,%20the%20very%20notion%20of%20taking%20Justin's%20last%20name%20was%20an%20agonizing%20blow%20to%20her%20WHOLE%20IDENTITY(which%20must%20be%20very%20loosely%20anchored%20indeed).%0D%0A%0D%0AWhatEVER.%20%20The%20rest%20of%20the%20book%20was%20not%20insanely%20ideological.%20%20I%20guess%20she%20needed%20to%20blow%20off%20steam%20somewhere.%20%20Maybe%20Justin%20is%20a%20big%20pain%20in%20the%20neck%20and%20never%20washes%20the%20dishes%20and%20drops%20his%20dirty%20underwear%20on%20the%20floor.">more...</a>]]></body>
        
    
  </update>  
      <update type="comment">
    <action_text><![CDATA[new comment from Nancy]]></action_text>
    <link>http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/58531552</link>
    <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255627685s/15881.jpg</image_url>
    <actor>
  <id type="integer">113545</id>
  <name>Nancy</name>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/113545-nancy</link>
</actor>

    <updated_at>Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:11:04 -0700</updated_at>
        
      
          <body><![CDATA[Now you have to write some reviews, Bilal! :-)]]></body>
        
    
  </update>  
  </updates>
      
</user>

</GoodreadsResponse>