AU

Although we did not chose to hire an Au Pair at this time, the advice in this book was invaluable in helping us decide what type of person we wanted coming to our home daily, what questions to ask and what we could and could not expect from in home childcare.

The sample calendar's, task lists, and operating procedure forms were great for getting organized before the big day. We will definately review this book again when we are ready for a true Au Pair.

I have given this book to many new mothers, some having second and third babies. It is universally well received. Even for the family that has no intention of hiring an au pair or access to an au pair service, this is an excellent resource. The how-tos and list of questions to ask any child care provider are worth more than the price of this book. The CD works great for today's families. It's quite easy to read and well organized.
Au Pair companies and other provider agencies could use it as a registration incentive/gift. Early Childhood Education at the high school, community college, and university level needs this resource included in the curriculum.
It is wonderful!

Au Pairing Up is a terrific resource for anyone even considering the Au Pair option. You will get candid insight into both the pluses and minuses of the Au Pair option; a lot of great information on how to select an Au Pair; and many ideas on how to get the most from your Au Pair. Perhaps most of all you benefit from the author's, Ruth Liebermann's, extensive (20+ year) experience with Au Pairs and her very insightful comments. While the book is extremely extensive and comprehensive I also found it easily accessible--the oversize format, the concise wording and the interesting layout all help. I'd highly recommend this book to people considering getting an Au Pair, approaching the interview stage, or even people who already have an Au Pair and want to maximize the experience.

This book tells the classic tale of the one-legged tin soldier who falls in love with a paper ballerina. The soldier suffers a series of misadventures, including being placed at the helm of a doomed paper boat, being chased by a rat, and swallowed by a fish. It's a wonderful tale that will hold older children spellbound. The illustrations are delightful. All told, the book has about 2000 words.

A little boy had a set of tin soldiers that were made from a melted spoon. One soldier was missing a leg because there was not enough metal left over from the melted spoon.

Tossed aside by the boy, the one-legged soldier sees a paper cut out figure of a ballerina. She is poised on one leg and he feels an instant bond. He has found another one-legged toy and believes this to be love.

The steadfast tin soldier has a series of mishaps. He falls off the window sill into a stream. From there, he is transported to a rat infested sewer. He is swallowed by a fish and through an unlikely stroke of luck, winds up back in the boy's playroom with the other toys and the ballerina.

The ending is what gets to me every single time. A gust of wind lifts the paper ballerina up and she flutters into the fire place, winding up a charred heap of ashes. Devastated, the tin soldier joins her. The remaining metal that was once the tin soldier is a charred piece of heart shaped metal.

I still think this is a very sad story. The photographs really emphasize the feeling this story evokes.

I taught 1st grade for 4 years and all of the teachers in my grade passed this book around at Christmas to read to our class. I cried everytime I read it. It has a wonderful message and my kids in my classroom always loved it! I have now (finally) purchased my own copy of this book to read to my little girl. It is a classic and I know she will love it as much as I do. Every home should have this book to read at Christmastime.

A book that brings to life my words to express my love of Christ and my continued search to know self. Finding self is where I meet my Creator - in that space of betwixt and between that God is present no matter what my circumstances. I am not God and furthermore, nothing without God. This book resonates in my soul - I have difficulty putting it into words. A book for serious seekers.

Dr. Au is my professor and I had first hand experience in being lectured on the book by the man himself. He is truly and amazing writer and a man in touch with his spirituality. He is book and his class had allowed me expore my faith and overall develop a spiritual relationship with God that is right for me. I recomend this book for anyone who is in need of guidance or who admires a well expressed book from a knowledgable man.

I was on-call one day at a Geriatric Hospal wainting for call, feeling heavy-hearted. I saw a book on the shelf and the title was: Urging of the Heart and that indicated something profound. Maybe it had something to tell me about the constant urges I felt in my heart. After reading the book, I found it to be the best book that ever addressed my condition as a human being. I know the book speaks to the reality that all human beings face, but it felt as if the book was written for me. I have ordered the book and I can't wait to have my own copy. Reading the book was a blessing to me because it helps to make sense out of the way I feel about myself and other people. I have gained invaluable insights about my childhood and those insights have created much healing in my life. Remy Nelson, M.Div.

Unlike Dickens' tuburcular heroines, Denise, who indeed suffers what Zola called "poverty in a black silk dress," is plucky, and she ultimately breaks the glass ceiling in her own gentle way. She encounters sexual harassment and somehow triumphs. She is a modern woman, perhaps European literature's first truly modern heroine ever.

This book is one of the best ever written, bar none, and it is light years ahead of its time.

Wonderfull portrayal of the life within one of the first big department store. Great insite on the mid 19th century society in Paris. Zola's best work.

Au Bonheur des Dames is the story of an orphaned young girl Denise. She moves to Paris with her younger siblings to live with her uncle and aunt and immediately is enthralled with the lights and the beauty of the city. She begins work in the store Au Bonheur des Dames and falls in love with its propriator. The novel is a love story but also examines the perpetual battle between the old and the new ways of living. The store Au Bonheur des Dames sells a variety of products while the store of Denise's family is simply a clothing store. Zola's novel is before its time. It accurately describes a social issue of today, the bigger commercial store taking over the small, personalized store.

I loved this book and the movie. It was great how it showed France being occupied by the Germans during World War II through the eyes of a child. I saw the movie in my French class and I was so touched and so sad about what these kids had to go through. I would reccomend this book to anyone and everyone.

First of all, the book was great, and that's all that needs to be said about that... Now, I'm not Quentin Taratino, but, when he worked in a video store, this movie was one of his favorites. He referred to it as "The Reservoir Film" because he couldn't pronounce the frech title. This movie was supposedy one of th reasons he named his own film, "The Reservoir Dogs"...

Au Revoir, L'Acadie
A Commentary on the Novel by William Brennan

By Juliana L'Heureux

A labor relations rivalry, frequently skirted by Franco-American and Irish history texts, is directly portrayed in a new novel written by William Brennan.
Brennan's "Au Revoir, L'Acadie" reveals an oftentimes mistrusting ethnic relationship between the Irish and French-Canadian immigrants who worked in New England mill towns and became union organizers during in the mid-1930s.
Evidence of the history Brennan describes is seen in the huge and empty mill buildings imposed on the New England landscape in cities like Lowell, MA, or Manchester, NH and Woonsocket, RI. Brennan creates a fictional town named Millbank, Mass., where French and Irish families live in distinctly different cultures and sheltered neighborhoods. Of course, the novel's location could be any one of New England's industrial communities.
"Au Revoir, L'Acadie" is a hard hitting story your grandfather might tell you if he worked in the mills. Nevertheless, it's a tough memoir to transcribe into nostalgic Irish and French-Canadian heritages. Reading Brennan's "take no prisoners" style prose helps us not to forget the difficult lives led by the tens of thousands of men and women workers who endured 10 hours a day laboring in the now vacant mill buildings.
"We were ready to die, or murder to get away from the stupid mill....It's no life...," says a lead character Evelyn LaBonte.
The formidable mill structures are still evident in Maine communities like Sanford, Biddeford, Waterville, Westbrook and others. Franco-Americans comprised a huge percentage of the New England mill workforce during the 1930s. Irish immigrants preceded the French-Canadian workers. Eventually, the two different ethnic groups, united by Roman Catholicism but separated by their French and English languages, were competing for jobs and power in New England's 1930s labor movements.
"Au Revoir, L'Acadie", takes place during The Great Depressions, when Irish labor leaders tried to unite the French-Canadian workers with them into a union because the mills were failing and they worried about loosing their jobs.
Brennan reveals unflattering examples about the Irish clergy, who dominated Roman Catholic parishes in New England, and who engaged in efforts to undermine French and Irish cooperation during the tumultuous labor organizational efforts.
Few words are wasted in describing the covert methods used by the Irish clergy to influence efforts against the French-Canadians in the mills. One character, Father Gerrity, is potrayed as an influential anti-French cleric who stereotypes French Canadians as "untrustworthy" because they threaten Irish prestige with the mill owners. Even the extraordinary act of excommunication, or prohitibitiong Roman Catholics from receiving the Sacraments, was threatened by the clergy as punishment for those who helped the union's collaborations.
"Au Revoir, L'Acadie" provides a rare opportunity for frank discussion about the ethnic strife and prejudices between two competing ethnic groups during a time in the 19th century when both sides had much to gain and loose from the outcomes of their collective actions.
I recommend the novel for sociology students, particularly, for Elder Hostel programs where some of the senior students were likely involved in the very history Brennan describes. Check the website: http://www.francoamericanconnection.com/fa-writers/index.html#brennan for more information.
Brennan is a talented story teller who puts his strong characters up close and personal with the reader. He was inspired to write "Au Revoir, L'Acadie" after visiting to the Museum of Work & Culture in Woonsocket, RI, an exhibit depicting the daily life of Franco-American mill workers.
An interesting non-fiction companion to read along with "Au Revoir, L'Acadie" is "The Belles of New England", by Scarborough resident William Moran.

This recent novel is set in 1932 in a fictional town near Fall River, Massachusetts. The textile industry, which has been the backbone of the town's economy, has been dying slowly, the factories closing and moving to the South even before the depression hit. Only three mills out of the original ten are left, and the difficult and tedious work is becoming harder as the workers' tasks are being increased. Tensions are high between the various ethnic groups - specifically the French Canadians and the Irish. They have to work together though, if they want a union.

William Brennan, who introduced us to some memorable Irish working class people in his first book, "A Tattered Coat Upon a Stick", now expands his canvas as he skillfully brings to life the hard working people who, three generations earlier, had emigrated from Canada to work in the mills. They, and the Irish consider themselves Americans now, and sensitive to the times. They hear about the labor movement in Detroit and elsewhere, but are frightened that it might destroy their little industry, as well as their communities. There's talk of a strike. Leaders must be chosen.

Yes, this is a tale of a time and a place in American history. But it is mostly the story of people and that is the strength of the book. I will long remember Annette St. Pierre, who works long hours, six days a week in the mill. She's always exhausted and Sunday and holidays are the only time she has to wash her kitchen floor. Her teenage daughter Clarisse is the smartest girl in her class, but what kind of future awaits her? Clarisse is attracted to a fine Irish boy, the son of one of the labor union leaders, but the mill-owner's son is also interested in her, and he has a brand new car. Then there's Arthur Mandeville, the best baseball player on the school team and the son of a union leader, who has been offered a chance at playing major-league ball. Will he get his dream, or will he be pulled into the cycle of violence that is simmering in the town? And will the union leaders themselves be able to put aside their differences and agree on the best plan of action? The humanity of these people leaped of the pages. They became real to me and I found myself thinking about them and worrying about them as I want about my own daily life..

The Catholic Church also is central to the character of the book. I felt the deep faith of the people. And I also felt the hard choices the parish priests had to make when the mill owners tried to influence them. We see the contrasts of good and evil not only in the various factions in the town, but also in the Church itself. There's a lot of thought provoking insight by the author on many levels.

At only 186 pages long, this book is a fast read. And yet it managed to bring an interesting historical period to light and let me meet some wonderful characters. Definitely recommended.

The photos alone are worth the price. Add to that the ideas and formulas that work. I've owned this book for years, it is one of the few I carry with me. A must have.

If you are looking for a platted dessert book, here is your best choice; if you are looking for a superbe cooking coffee table book that's your first choice. If your are a amateur or professionel chef that' s definitely the choice.

The translation here strays a bit from the original for the sake of making it rhyme. Although this may raise the eyebrows of some purists, I feel that the english version has charms of its own. The design of this book is really outstanding, and the old duo-tone photographs used to illustrate it are quite poetic in their own right, and seem even more so as a result of the way they are combined with the text. The book as a whole evokes images of a lost paradise, which I have never seen expressed so well outside of the writings of Proust. I even like the way it smells! This would make an excellent gift for any lover of poetry or photography.

This book is not only gorgeous to browse through yet exceptionally poetic and useful at the same time. It is a bilingual book- french and english with absolutely fabulous illustrations to aid the imagination. Sucha lovely work and an intriguing way to involve both adults and children into Baudelaire's complex poetry. Well done!

The rise of department store culture in late 19th century Paris is the subject of this wonderful novel. It's quintessential Zola, in that the book is a top-notch combination of realistic writing and soap opera. Like other classics by Zola - "L'Assomoir," "Germinal" - "The Ladies Paradise" uses a somewhat overheated storyline to comment on social change and how a rapacious capitalism changed the lives of everyone it touched. The novel is especially poignant in its depiction of small, family-owned businesses which are eventually destroyed by the kind of modern marketing techniques that created the department store. A real page-turner, "The Ladies Paradise" works as both exceptional trash novel and social critique. Zola is a real genius and this, one of his more obscure works, is also one of his best.

"The Ladies Paradise" or "Au Bonheur des Dames" is the continuation of Zola's Rougon-Macquart series. The series' purpose, according to Zola, is to study how environment effects the character of one family line. Three "environments" have appeared in Zola's work: the first is the idyllic countryside, the second is the harsh countryside, and the third is Paris--the city. "Au Bonheur des Dames" is situated in the third of the "environments", Paris.

From his previous works, Paris is already known for its potential as a corruptionist of morality and goodness. Thus, the heroine already is facing an insurmountable task of remaining adverse to Paris' degradation of moral values. She is the ultimate martyr: her sacrifices to her younger brothers seem endless. She scrapes money together to have the youngest in a boarding house for children, and always manage to find money (even in desperate times)to give to the other spendthrift brother. All of these sacrifices she did out of love.

With such heart and of such noble spirit, she enters Paris. She is struck by the first sight she sees in Paris. A gigantic structure has swallowed an entire block of old and fading smaller stores. She is astounded, awed, and fascinated by it. Her loyalty is divided between her Uncle's small clothier and her fascination and desire to work in the store.

"Au Bonheur des Dames" has two stories: (1) the spread of the popularity of department stores and the death of smaller family owned stores in "modern" Paris, and (2) the noble heroine. Will the heroine be crushed by Paris and swallowed up by the department store? Will her nobler spirit defeat all the odds that have been predestined to be against her?

The most surprising event I find was that I did not have to answer with pessimism about "Au Bonheur des Dames". The usual gloom and sense of helplessness and resignation of being human did not reverberate in this novel. Yes, the department thrives and therefore consumed all the "moms and pops" stores along its path, but our heroine conquers that depraved city Paris with her courage, innocence, and nobility.

What a truly remarkable book, as all of Zola's magnificent work. I find this book different from any of the series, because there is more than a sense of hope for humanity in our struggle against corruption, against technological advancement, and our own weakness of spirit.

With his Rougon-Macquart series, Emile Zola established the family saga. He put into naturalistic prose and photographic narrative the tales of a family and how their lives are affected by their surroundings. In L'Assomoir, he focused on the lives of the Provencals, those who live in the French countryside, whose lives may appear peaceful and orderly but might not be at a closer look. In Nana, he wrote about the world of the courtesan or high class prostitute operating in the beauty and sex-obscessed French culture of Paris. In "Au Bonheur Des Dames" (The Lady's Paradise) Zola exposes the capitalism and consumer culture of fashion, as expressed in the sales at the department stores.

It was the time of Karl Marx, a time when conservative elements came into conflict with those of individual expression and equal rights. Previously, Emile Zola's novels were bleak, Dickensian and depressing, making a cynical social commentary that progress and idealism is stifled under staunch older generations of Republican power (in this case the French Second Empire under Louis Napoleon III). He conveyed so much pain and suffering in "Germinal" about the coal mine workers in rural France. Like John Steinbeck of the 19th century, Emile Zola immersed himself in what he wrote, treating people as humanly real as possible, touching a chord to so many for his unabashed truths.

In The Ladies Paradise (the title refers to the name of the high class department store in downtown Paris), Zola portrays the fetish and profitable business of women's fashion. Octave Mouret, who at fist comes off as a money-loving, greedy, corporate seducer learns the value of progress and the rights of the individual. Where as he had always dominated women, manipulating them to buy his endless carrousel of hats, silks, gowns and shoes, he cannot win the affections of the newcomer sales girls Denise.

Denis eyes become our eyes as we see into the sexist world of consumer capitalism. Even today, this holds true. Women are encouraged, enforced and expected to be beautiful and attractive, with 0 size dresses, with fashionable tastes and so forth. Those who cannot meet society's self-imposed ideals of beauty crack under the pressure, becoming anorexic, anxious and sick. Super models, department stores, fashion magazines and the latest trends to look like Britney Spears (and behave just as shallow and air-headed) is the way to happiness they say. Emile Zola completely transports you to Paris of the 1870's and 1880's a time when the world seemed to be losing its better values. Is it still losing its values ? Only through advocating women's rights, individual expression, equality, and less stifling elements in society are we truly to be happy.

If you have friends who truly love chocolate...this book is perfect. We presented Chocolate French twice and it was will received on both occasions. Chocolate French is great if you are looking for that unique gift for the holidays.

I received this book as a gift and was very pleasantly surprised with the book. I loved how the author weaved the culture and history of chocolate of the French with some amazing recipes from around the world. I also enjoyed the vocabulary, which has allowed me to impress my friends with my new knowledge of the nuances of chocolate. If you know someone who is a chocolate fan, this book is for him or her.

This is truly a unique publication. Not only is it well laid out but also ties in multiple disciplines in a single book, including history, culture and cooking. The recipes are easy and don't require you to clutter you kitchen with ingredients. I would highly recommend this book. For you local San Franciscans I would combine another publication by Crump - The Cafes Of San Francisco with this one and it would make a great gift - the holidays are around the corner!!