A.K. Frailey > Recent Status Updates

Biographies offer so much insight on so many levels, it is hard to pin down one aspect. I really enjoy reading about personal lives, cultural events, and the currents of political change. It's fascinating that nothing happens in isolation. Human beings may make great plans, but we can never account for all the subtle realities that change the currents of our lives and history. Henry's life underscores this fact.

Goodness, gracious, I did not realize what a dark and dramatic story this was. Not a happy place! But it sure says a lot about characters' understanding of love. Obsession might be the better word. An interesting peek at the author's experience and view—which says something about Bronte's life and times. Of course, it says something about love for all of humanity, if we dare to take a close enough look,

I thought I read this book as a kid, but my memory has played tricks on me. This isn't the story as I remember it at all. A far grimmer and more dreary story than I imagined. I can't help but wonder at this point, beyond the excessive drama-trauma, what made this such a great novel. I'll keep reading and see if I can figure it out...

American history is more fascinating than I expect because it involves the dramatic story of real people who lived through times of tremendous conflict. I found Patrick Henry's childhood situation and his first marriage situation quite fascinating. What is said is almost as amazing as what is left unsaid. The fact that he knew exactly how many acres he inherited but didn't know exactly how many slaves speaks volumes.

Golly, but after reading through this book, I am more amazed than ever that the human race has survived. So many pages have the refrain, "to my great grief and sorrow, (fill in the blank) died." Often it was a young child or a new baby. So very sad indeed. But Lady Anne made the best of her life, traveling to her estates, visiting family, kissing her relatives, and holding many hands. Not a bad legacy, really.

There is so much science packed into this book that I am getting a far better education than I expected. Amazingly, I am understanding it too. Well, most of it. I'd dearly love to cling to a piece of information like a staunch guidepost, but science is a developmental process, always expanding. Much like life. Bryan Sykes takes the reader through a revolutionary look at evolution. It's quite a journey!

I just finished reading Wind in the Willows out loud with my eleven-year-old daughter. Though she is an accomplished reader herself, the act of sharing a great story with my kids has helped to bind us together as a family. Each of my children, ages 24 to 11, has enjoyed this book. We need only start a line, and everyone can jump in with the next part, usually laughing. It is a beautiful way to grow a family culture.

As a scientific book with lots of information, I find that Bryan Sykes knows how to make dense material understandable. I am intrigued by his premise that all of humanity descends from the DNA of seven women. I'm looking forward to reading where his research takes me.

Though Lady Clifford's repetitive comments could replace Niquill for putting a person to sleep, still, she offers an authentic look at the world as seen in the 1600s. What she doesn't say tells me more than her descriptions of what room she slept in. When she tosses off the plague or the great fire of London in a few curt sentences, I realize again, humans often dismiss tragedy that doesn't directly touch them.

Such a brilliant writer! I love E. B. White's honest appraisal of the world, both his private one and the mass of humanity swirling about him in sometimes hysterically funny ways. He has both style and wit. He also has keen insight and often turned his powerful lense of penetrating wisdom into the fun and foibles of our human experience. Truly, everything he writes is a wild ride and an education.

Nice, gentle story with a bit of a mystery that keeps me turning the pages.

Wow! Great writing but the story went from emotionally evocative to downright scary. I really shouldn't be reading this before bedtime...

I'm just getting into this book—Great intro! Four women who find themselves thrown together and how their relationships form and break over time and tragedy. Interesting premise.

An enjoyable story with several likable characters.

A nice calm story that reminds me of simple joys.

I sincerely appreciate E. B. White's style. He wrote masterfully honest reflections on himself, his world, and future possibilities. With ingenious insight, on the verge of being eerie, he feared that someday people would spend more time looking at the moon through a screen than actually seeing the moon in its home in the sky. Outside.
A brilliant thinker and humble human make for incredible storytelling.

Apparently, it doesn't matter how many castles a person owns, it's the people in them that really matter. Lady Anne spends much of her time remembering who visited her while at a particular castle. She does mention improvements—which she made a lot—but with the tenacity of determined love and devotion, she recorded every stop and stay over her family and friends made.

Well written in that the details and emotional insight allows me to see not only the scene with clarity but the character's mood. Very somber and sad, though. Not a cheerful look at the human experience by any stretch.

Goodness but life expectancy wasn't very hopeful in the 1600s. The tragedy of losing one or more children or grandchildren was commonplace. Lady Clifford's resilience astonishes me. It's not just about managing her land holdings—it's more a matter of having loved ones survive the year.

Just started. It very sad so far but a friend gave this to me so I'm willing to keep reading.

Building their family life and community tells us a great deal more about the Vanderbilts than the building of their castle. Funny how I see references to the Vanderbilts everywhere I go these days...

Well, now I understand a little better how our world has become so messed up. It isn't a matter of actors telling the world out to live, our cultural compass has been directed by writers and directors with little moral understanding. Disordered personal lives—trying to understand themselves, they lived their passions through others. Unfortunately, passion without compassion leads not to transformation but mutation.

Goodness, there's more to this man than I ever guessed. A fascinating read so far.

Dark and sad...each story has something to say. Though they take my breath away to listen. Still, it's important to hear...

Talk about a strong woman! Lady Anne defied two husbands, kings, and nobles to keep her inheritance. And she outlived the turmoil of her times to inherit a broken world...which she promptly dove in and started to repair. A warrior spirit if ever there was one.

Strangely enough, this story became really fascinating not when it focused on the big house, the man who started it, the craftsmen, or even the village that grew up around it—but when Edith Vanderbilt started investing in people and her daughter followed in her footsteps. Amazing what devoted hearts can accomplish!

I was getting rather tired of the reiteration of wealth—stupendous wealth—as if the glory of spending money actually made the world a better place, but recently the story took a turn. Georges' new wife, Edith, cares not for wealth but for humanity—she invests in education for girls, boys, the underprivileged, and offers assistance to widows and orphans. Amazing what a sensitive, generous heart can do.

My, the battle to keep what belongs to you when the pressure of a husband, family, and the king bear down. Lady Clifford was a model of courage and steadfast loyalty to her own mother. Amazing. Rather sad that so few understood the value of her dedication.

Each story is a bit of a surprise...very different in tone and content, though they all focus on Catholic life in some manner. Some stories are rather dark—but that does not mean they aren't interesting and offer valuable insight into the human condition. Life can be dark. But it helps to see a light...somewhere. A glimmer shines through each story.

Each new story is profound. I can only take so much profound at a time...