Book Description
María Rosalia is a Mestizo servant in a Spanish home. Orphaned years ago, she and her brother Domingo work on a ranch run by the stern Señor Medina. María¹s writing captures the intense tradition and culture of the Spanish as she observes the war that Alta California ultimately loses to the Americans.
Customer Reviews:
A Great Historical Fiction Book!.......2006-08-30
Valley of the Moon
This story takes place in Sonoma Valley, Alta California, in the year 1846. The main character is a 13 year old girl named Maria Rosalia, but everyone calls her Rosa. Rosa's Spanish father and Indian mother died leaving her and her brother orphans. They now work as servants for Senor and Senora Medina and their 3 daughters.
Every time Senor Medina praises one of his daughters Rosa feels sad because she doesn't have a father. She also feels awful every time someone pities her. Since most other people in the village have families, they don't understand Rosa's troubles.
Rosa is determined to find out who her parents were, so she writes a letter to the man who cared for her before she went to the Medinas. Since this story takes place in rural village, it takes a long time to travel and get news. The tension builds as she waits for his return letter. Rosa is shocked when she reads his reply.
I would recommend this book to girls who like reading dairies of girls from the past.
The best book of Dear America's EVER!.......2006-04-26
This book is about seeing a little girl go through half of her life traveling just to get to America. She suffers some things and goes through some things also. Her life is one big ball. She is hoping that the families and herself make it safe to and frow. She starts writing a little diary about of the days that she is traveling in her life and what she does every day. She was so home sick from leaving Rancho Agua Verde. The carts were filled with American clothing, sugar, flour, dry goods, tools, and furniture. Sooner or later her life gets better and better as she goes on.
I would give it 6 and 1/2 stars if I could!!!.......2005-11-26
WOW!!! You should read this book!!!It is wonderful. It's about 13 year old orphan Rosa de Milagros. She is growing up on a ranch as a servant for a wealthy family. She is bonded with the family very tightly (as you will find out in the end!!) and she likes being their servant. She tells how California is going through a war with Mexico and how she wishes California to stay Mexican, which it doesn't. There is romance ;-), historical fiction,intruige and MUCH more. Read this book!!! It is sooooo good
Fairly Engrossing Read.......2005-11-24
The setting is the Sonoma Valley in Alta California, 1846. Our heroine, Maria Rosalia, is an orphan who has been taken in as a servant by the wealthy Medina family, of a pure Spanish bloodline. Maria Rosalia does not know what her heritage is. The only one who knows, a kind-hearted priest who has been run out of the priesthood, holds the key to her past. She doesn't know his whereabouts and those who do know warn her not to pursue it.
Class demarcation and conflicts abound in this tale told in diary form. Readers must suspend disbelief at how a largely uneducated child could write a diary with such descriptive passages and insight, but the aim of this book is, I believe, to dispense a history and geography lesson in the guise of a teen story. Would anyone ever write in her diary, "There are no roads, only ruts worn by the wagon"? Our heroine's agitated concern about her parentage and the kind-heartedness of her employers seem anachronistic. It would seem that her life would be much harder than simply picking beans and pumpkins or sewing up dresses. My view is she would not have the leisure or inclination to ponder her family history.
Yet Valley of the Moon succeeds in entertaining and educating its readers. Garland's explanations of California's history are clear and interesting. She intersperses historical characters throughout the story: John Sutter, Santa Anna, Zachary Taylor, and others are mentioned to greater or lesser degrees. There are also pedantic entries on bullfights, Day of the Dead festivities, and other Catholic holy days and festivals.
I loved it!.......2005-02-27
This book, like ay other, has its spots that aren't that great. In spite of that, I loved the twist at the end. I never saw that coming.
It's also a neat way to learn some Spanish words. I knew almost all of them, but I learned a few more, so it was worth it for that.
I'd recommend this book to anyone!
Book Description
When eighteen-year-old Genevieve LaCroix is sent to live at the Renville Mission to further her education and help the young minister and his wife, she never dreamed that her life would change so quickly. The tension between the settlers and the Sioux warriors begins to mount, and Gen's loyalty is divided between her Sioux family and the new friends she has grown to love at the mission. During the darkest moments of grief and adversity, Gen sees that God's plan has worked in miraculous ways to bring her hope and love for the future. Set in the time of the Dakota Sioux uprising of 1862, Stephanie Whitson has created a powerful and gripping story of hardship, loss, and love.
Customer Reviews:
A HARD TIME TO BE A DAKOTA.......2001-10-18
Starts with a bang. Can't put it down. Edge of your seat drama featuring missionaries confronting Dakota culture and God's grace working in and through and in spite of them all. Agonize with Simon Dane's years of frustration with a fruitless ministry and his fall from a pedestal to become a mere mortal. Struggle with Genevieve LaCroix as she comes to terms with her French father's thinking, her Indian mother's looks, a white man's God who does not fight back, and the making of a man for Daniel Two Stars. Stephanie Whitson makes you care about the people caught in a gruesome slice of history. Janet Chester Bly, [...]
once again, Whitson proves she is the best.......2001-06-17
Valley of the Shadow is the story of the Dane family, Simon, a man of God who feels led to work with the Dakota Indians, his wife Ellen and two chilren. In a related storyline, Genvieve is the daughter of a French trapper and Dakota Indian who meets the Danes and becomes their friend and later companion after she arrives at their mission. Two Stars is a Dakota Indian who also finds himself with the Danes, but for an entirely different reason than wanting education and spiritual instruction. Central to the story is the Dakota uprising, with Gen and Two Stars especially proving their bravery. As Gen and Two Stars begin to fall in love, events in the story constantly interfere to keep them apart. The conclusion of Valley of the Shadow will make you anxiously await the sequel.
A Historical Romance With A Higher Calling!.......2001-04-11
An engaging tale of Romans 8:28. Stephanie Grace Whitson creates a haunting story of hope in the midst of death, peace in the midst of war, comfort in the midst of loneliness. An encouragement to anyone walking in their own valley of shadows. --Lisa Samson, author of The Church Ladies.
Exciting, dramatic Christian love story.......2001-03-17
Valley of the Shadow, the first book in the Dakota Moons series, is set in a sad time of Indian history, and is an exciting, emotional and mysterious story of missionaries to the Dakota Indians.
Simon and Ellen Dane and their two children are serving as early missionaries. The historical focuses on the good and the bad Indians, Dakota and Sioux and the white man's attempt to reach them with the Gospel.
The central character is a half- breed Dakota girl, Genevieve LaCroix. She is pulled between her loyalties to the whites, the Indians and the missionaries. Whitson very thoroughly depicts the complicated relationship between the white missionaries and the Indians. Land, heritage, religion and culture enters into the clash which results in horrible bloodshed on all sides.
A haunting love story unfolds between Gen (Blue Eyes) and a young, energetic activist Dakota, Two Stars. Fighting to remain a brave and strong warrier, Two Stars becomes a changed man due to the influence of the Christian missionaries. His best friend, Otter, now becomes his arch enemy and is central in the attempt to destroy his future with Blue Eyes.
Central to the books' violence and heartbreak is the great Minnesota Sioux Uprising.Turncoats are common among both Indian and white and survival depends on not only age and phyical strength, location and weapons, but whom you trust and who trusts you.
A beaded necklace with a cross in the middle keeps reminding Gen of her Indian heritage and binds her to the handsome Dakota warrior, Two Stars. However, Gen and her 2 charges are captured by unfriendly Indians. Two Stars risks his life repeatedly for the whites, the good Indians and for his love, Blue Eyes (Gen).
A fast moving love story that survives the impossible suddenly has the bottom drop out and leaves the reader in tears - hoping....and waiting for Book 2 in this series, "Edge of the Wilderness."
Can't wait for the sequel!.......2001-02-10
Beautiful Genevieve LaCroix is eighteen years old when her father brings her to Renville mission in Minnesota to receive an education from Rev. Samuel and Ellen Dane, the white missionaries struggling in their ministry to the Dakota in that area. Daughter of a French nobleman and granddaughter of a valiant Dakota warrior, Gen is frustrated by Rev. Dane's unspoken inferences that all things Dakota are "bad." Mrs. Whitson weaves together the strands of Gen's discovery of faith, her love for Two Stars, a Dakota warrior (and his separate journey to faith), and Rev. Dane's spitiual odyssey as he learns to reach out to the Dakota with love rather than pride against the backdrop of the Minnesota Sioux Uprising of 1862 and the year or so preceeding it. Gen, Ellen, Rev. Dane, and Two Stars each have their own path through the Valley of the Shadow; and this tale takes the reader along with each of them as they suffer and triumph. This story is told with great sensitivity and respect for the Native Americans who were defrauded of their lands to allow the great rush for cheap land. Valley of the Shadow is a gripping tale on its own; but reading Mrs. Whitson's excerpt from the sequel at the end of the book makes me more than anxious to read Book 2 of the Dakota Moons Series!
Book Description
The first and only guide of its kind, Moon Handbooks: Silicon Valley provides an up-to-date, down-to-earth treatment of the region's diverse towns and cities, from Menlo Park to Gilroy. It also includes cultural and recreational opportunities beyond the urban centers. "Cheek grips the complexities of Silicon Valley, with bang-on information for the visitor or resident." -- Zeke Wigglesworth, San Jose Mercury News
Book Description
The enormous and sustained success of Silicon Valley has excited interest around the globe. Startup companies the world over are attempting to emulate its high tech businesses, and many governments are changing their institutions in order to foster Silicon Valleys of their own. What accounts for the Valley’s leading edge in innovation and entrepreneurship?
This book gives an answer by insiders, by prominent business leaders and academics from the heart of the Valley. They argue that what distinguishes the Valley is not its scientific advances or technological breakthroughs. Instead, its edge derives from a “habitat” or environment that is tuned to turn ideas into products and take them rapidly to market by creating new firms.
This habitat includes supportive government regulations for new firm formation, leading research universities that interact with industry, an exceptionally talented and highly mobile work force, and experienced support services in such areas as finance, law, accounting, headhunting, and marketing, all specializing in helping new companies form and grow. Not least is a spirit of adventure and a willingness to take risks.
The elements of this habitat are packed into a small geographic area. In it, networks of specialists form communities of practice within which ideas develop and circulate and from which new products and new firms emerge. Feedback processes are strongly at work: the successes of Valley firms strengthen the habitat, and the stronger it becomes, the more new, successful firms are created.
Among industries, electronics came into the Valley first, followed by semiconductors, computers, software, and, in the 1990s, biotechnology, networking, and the Internet. This extraordinary ability to keep adding new industrial sectors itself affects the prospect for the Silicon Valley's future. What lies ahead? From within, the Valley faces serious challenges in defining a new generation of entrepreneurs, addressing a growing digital divide, and maintaining quality of life. At the same time, the Valley must redefine its global role with respect to other rising innovative regions worldwide. Nevertheless, the proven ability of its highly effective habitat suggests that in both innovation and entrepreneurship, Silicon Valley will maintain its edge.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent guidebook to Silicon Valley.......2001-10-30
This is an excellent book to describe all thinkable crosssections of Silicon Valley through interviews in the social science methods and through writing by prominent figures in Silicon Valley. The only drawback I found is that the book has too rich contents for a reader to read through casually. I strongly recommend this book to those serious readers who are engaged in Silicon Valley, associated with venture businesses, interested in mechanisms and histories of Silicon Valley, or interested in business models.
The book has a big reference table to illustrate how different Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are from small business owners and traditional entrepreneurs, and describes four distinct types of entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. The book also enumerates ten reasons why Silicon Valley has been prosperous.
This is really a good book for a reader to learn what Silicon Valley is like.
A Fantastic Book with Intensive Stuffs.......2001-07-17
Practically useful for entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and professionals.
Book Description
A road novel fifty years before Kerouac, The Valley of the Moon traces the odyssey of Billy and Saxon Roberts from the labor strife of Oakland at the turn of the century through Central and Northern California in search of land they can farm independently--a journey that echoes Jack London's own escape from urban poverty. As London lost hope in the prospects of the socialist party and organized labor, he began researching a scientific and environmentally sound approach to farming. In his novel, it is Saxon, London's most fully realized heroine, who embodies these concerns. The Valley of the Moon is London's paean to his second wife Charmian and to the pastoral life and his ranch in Glen Ellen, the Valley of the Moon.
Download Description
She flung wild glances, like those of an entrapped animal, up and down the big whitewashed room that panted with heat and that was thickly humid with the steam that sizzled from the damp cloth under the irons of the many ironers. From the girls and women near her, all swinging irons steadily but at high pace, came quick glances, and labor efficiency suffered.
Customer Reviews:
A fresh breath of air.......2004-12-30
This book rings true to Jack London's character - strong, nobel and powerful. It is interesting to see how truly his character comes through even in the smallest characters or the smallest insignificant event. Very inspiring!
The actual story deals with this couple who decide to leave Oakland. It is autobiographical and again its amazing to see how many books have come out of Jack London's rich and variegated life! Also the turning point in the character's lives comes through another character who must have been the young Jack London!
The interesting side to this book is a potrayal of two women and feminine views (not to be misunderstood with feminist views). Its surprising to read Jack London talking about pretty underthings!
On the whole a beautiful book, very varied in character!
The Valley of Monotony.......2002-01-14
This is a long book, maybe one of the longest London wrote, but no matter, you can take it in small doses, because the book is a straight narrative with no suspense, no drama, only London's wishful fantasy working overtime. No matter the obstacle, and London lays them on with heavy-handed doses of pessimism, the lily-white hero and heroine, Billy and Saxon, easily overcome each while giving the author plenty of opportunity to express his famous prejudice against all non-Anglo Saxons. London also builds his case for scientific farming, sustainability, as a method that will win out every time. While in truth, London was an abject failure at farming with every experiement ending in disaster. The tale is sugar coated fantasy, London dreaming his couple into everlasting happiness. The coincidence at the end is not to be believed. It's pure sap written in the twilight of his career when his talents appear on the wane. It's the only London book I have read to date that I would not recommend on any level.
What a great book!!.......2001-04-30
I read this book after biking through a lot of the California towns London mentions. I pedaled through Glen Ellen and saw some of the missions. Since I am male, I could relate to the character of Billy. He is an early 20th century renaissance man. I never got bored with this book. It has a lot of personal meaning to me. I come from some of the "old stock" Billy and Saxon refer to. Tons of detail. I had to read it twice to get all the details. If you like northern California and want to know what it was like 100 years ago, read this.
A very well written melo-drama, but no substance.......1999-05-18
I felt that the book was technically well written, but the story, subject, and outcome, were all very melo-dramatic and predicatble. The love story was unimaginable, the plot "twists" were that of a second rate novel, and the outcome completely unlikely in real life, even back then. I live in the California valley, and I have been through every town that is tramped through in this book, and only by Mr. London's sheer talent for writing did I keep enough interest to finish it. There are better, more rewarding books in London's canon than this.
A Testament of Love.......1999-03-31
As in many of his books, Jack London enraptes the reader, but this time in a story of love. It is extremely refreshing because it shows the good side of true love without that sickening sweetness so many love stories have... I read this book a few years back and read it again just recently. I am SIXTEEN. This book is definetly one that many can enjoy, no matter your age.
Book Description
From weekend cycling trips through Minnewaska State Park to choosing fruit from farm stands and fly fishing in pristine creeks, Moon Handbooks Hudson River Valley is the guide to the best this New York City getaway has to offer, both on and off the beaten path. Practical information includes suggested travel strategies and lists of must-see sights, plus essentials on dining, transportation, and accommodations for a range of budgets. Complete with color photos, illustrations, maps, and details for exploring the Catskill Mountains, historic river towns, championship golf courses, and local wineries, Moon Handbooks Hudson River Valley gives travelers the tools they need to create a more personal and memorable experience.
Customer Reviews:
An adequate, but not inspiring, guide book .......2006-11-13
If you have access to no other guidebook on the Hudson River Valley, the Moon Handbook provides an adequate roadmap. The descriptions of attractions are fairly detailed, the maps are easy to follow and the layout of the book is clear. It is dry and descriptive, however, and lacks the kind of personal evaluations that make other guidebooks so inspiring. It reads more like a government pamphlet than a travel book.
The ideal tool to plan a weekend excursion!.......2005-08-11
The guide not only offers wonderful suggestions for dining and lodging, but insight into activities and off the beaten path exploration. Clearly, the author's love and knowledge of the region resonates through the book. A very helpful tool for planning a weekend getaway, or a longer stay in this beautiful region of New York state.
This is the best HRV guide out there!.......2005-06-26
This book is the best guide to the Hudson River Valley that I've seen. It was a big help for planning weekend road trips and it also let us find cool new things to do. I think it'd be a great guide for anyone who visits the area often and is looking for something different than the same old thing. The writer really knows her stuff. Great book!
Average customer rating:
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The Valley of the Moon
Jack London
Manufacturer: Aegypan
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The Tortilla Curtain
ASIN: 1603120785 |
Book Description
Billy and Saxon Roberts are hard working people living in Oakland. When a issue erupts between the San Francisco bricklayers and the Oakland bricklayers, it leads to a riot that pulls both Billy and Saxon into the frantic fray. When the commotion settles down, Billy and Saxon realize that the growing labor unrest will only get worse and decide to find a safer place to live. They eventually find it -- in the Valley of the Moon.
Jack London was an adventurer and writer during the early 20th century. He wrote such classical works as Call of the Wild and White Fang, both of which were inspired by his year in Alaska as a gold prospector. Valley of the Moon is where Jack London eventually settled to raise record crops and champion livestock.
Average customer rating:
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Tall Sheep: Harry Goulding, Monument Valley Trader
Samuel Moon
Manufacturer: Univ of Oklahoma Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
African-American & Black
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ASIN: 0806124156 |
Average customer rating:
- Essential guide for a tourist or native
- When is a travel guide not a travel guide?
- Excelent for exploring Southern CA...
- Unreadable guide to California
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Moon Handbooks: Southern California 2 Ed: Including Greater Lost Angeles, Disneyland, San Diego, Death Valley, and other Desert Parks
Kim Weir
Manufacturer: Avalon Travel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Moon Handbooks Northern California (Moon Handbooks)
ASIN: 1566913330 |
Book Description
With an insider's eye and a storyteller's touch, best-selling author Kim Weir reveals the travel possibilities inherent in all of Southern California, including Santa Barbara, the Mojave Desert, Palm Springs, and the Inland Empire. This enlightening guide has been thoroughly updated to include new attractions, restaurants, and hotels in the area.
Customer Reviews:
Essential guide for a tourist or native.......2005-06-23
I bought this book when I first moved to Southern CA, and it's a staple for referencing any trip I want to take in the area. I am confused about any "political" leanings that the other reviewers have mentioned. I use this for any attraction or site I am considering visiting, and I don't dwell on Ms. Weir's personal views on the Southern CA area, ecology, or business. This is a wonderful part of the country, and don't let a few not-so-positive remarks ruin your visit. Focus instead on the practical information found in this guidebook.
When friends have seen me using this book, they've liked it so much that they go out and buy their own copy.
For each area, in addition to major attractions, the book covers little holes-in-the-wall in the form of restaurants and clubs, or seldom mentioned LA landmarks. I've learned a lot of history from this book, and it makes me a better tour guide when I have friends visit. This book is exhaustive on the subject of Southern CA, covering any area I can dream of wanting to visit. It would take years to visit all the places mentioned in here.
When is a travel guide not a travel guide?.......2005-06-03
Why, when it's a course in left wing propaganda, like this book. I guess the left just can't shut up, but then, why should they when they have all the answers and are so superior to everyone else? The Nixon profile was really over the top, blandly asserting that he was responsible for the Pol Pot genocide in Cambodia. The left has been peddling that hogwash for decades and I'm sure they'll never learn any better, which is pitiful. But what is this sick, tired spew doing in a travel guide to southern California?
Excelent for exploring Southern CA..........2005-04-23
I have lived in CA for the last 20 years. With this book I have found and explored many places that I had never heard of before. The information is very useful and easy to understand. I am unsure what the other reviewers "political" issues with this book were but I did not have the same experience. This book lives in my car in case we find ourselves on an impulse trip and need more information. I even bought a copy for my parents and they raved about it as well.
Unreadable guide to California.......2004-06-19
I've used Moon Handbooks as a guide for my last few vacations, but Southern California by Kim Weir is the last one I will ever buy. The author's bias and political views are inappropriate for this type of book and laid on so thick that it's almost impossible to read more than a few pages at a time without retching. The background information doesn't even make California sound like a desirable place to visit!
The only saving grace may be Moon's rich catalog of things to see and do, but this information is rendered untrustworthy due to the extreme bias.
This guide does a disservice to California and anybody who reads it. Do not buy this book.
Books:
- Vladimir Nabokov: Selected Letters 1940-1977
- Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive
- We're Going on a Bear Hunt (Classic Board Books)
- What to Expect When You're Expecting, Third Edition
- Wide Open: Inspiration & Techniques for Art Journaling on the Edge (Book & Card Kit)
- Will to Murder, 2nd Edition
- Zapata and the Mexican Revolution
- 101 Great American Poems (Dover Thrift Editions)
- 220 Aran Stitches and Patterns (The Harmony Guides , Vol 5)
- A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature
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