When Betty MacDonald married a marine and moved to a small chicken farm on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State; she was largely unprepared for the rigors of life in the wild. With no running water; no electricity; a house in need of constant repair; and days that ran from four in the morning to nine at night; the MacDonalds had barely a moment to put their feet up and relax. And then came the children. Yet through every trial and pitfall—through chaos and catastrophe—this indomitable family somehow; mercifully; never lost its sense of humor.A beloved literary treasure for more than half a century; Betty MacDonald's The Egg and I is a heartwarming and uproarious account of adventure and survival on an American frontier.
#1176201 in Books Eve Laplante 2008-11-04 2008-11-04Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .83 x 5.31l; .68 #File Name: 0060859601368 pagesSalem Witch Judge The Life and Repentance of Samuel Sewall
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. More about minutia that witch trialsBy Ken SimmonsWhat you will learn about halfway into this book is that the extensive diary kept by the judge was almost non-existent during the period that he was overseeing the witch trials. What this means is that a small part of this book covers that; which may be an issue because that's probably why you would buy the book. Much of the book is tedious minutia; some of it revealing about the time period; some not. Not at all what I had hoped for.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. This history will repeat itself: witches will be judgedBy Droozy ButtonThe author's point of view as a direct descendant of this Judge and the resulting access to very personal documents was enlightening. The constricted Puritan life style with its endless hardships; rules and fears carries a strong warning for us today with our fear induced tipping into comparable insanity.The considerable research was impressive but my relative low score is due to the overly repetitious identification of persons by their family and educational histories. It robbed the book of readability and made it a chore. Influence and birth begat influence and birth begat influence and birth; what the poor witches lacked. There was not enough about the victims in the book to warrant labeling the Judge as USA's earliest feminist.8 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Rounded Realistic Portrait of Former "Villain"By Reader MelanieThe author; a direct descendant of Samuel Sewall; provides a much-needed full assessment of the life of her notorious ancestor. The most important fact in this book is provided in the frontispiece illustration--a portrait of Sewell's apology before his congregation for his role in the witch trials and executions; known by few; if any; readers outside Massachusetts' students of history. Sewell was the only judge to apologize for his role in this horrific episode in American history.More fascinating; though; are the other extraordinary acts of repentance enacted by the judge over his long life. And his writings are nothing less than astounding--including examinations of experiences of various groups and even a piece on women - making him an equalitarian of the first order centuries ahead of his time. At the least; official historical accounts of what happened at Salem need to include information about Sewall's apology and repentance.
