Four Blondes

Average customer rating:

This is the way fiction is supposed to be!!!

Just OK

This is one of my top 5 fav. books

4 evil wenches

Precursor to a suicide note

Four Blondes
Candace Bushnell
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Candace Bushnell made her reputation as the creator of the HBO special Sex and the City, based on her book of the same name (based in turn on her eros-intensive New York Observer column). In Four Blondes, she returns with a quartet of novellas on her favorite subject--the mating habits of wealthy sex-, status-, and media-obsessed New Yorkers. These are people for whom a million or two does not make one rich, and who consider Louis Vuitton and Prada bare necessities. Janey Wilcox, for example, is a former model who each summer chooses a house in the Hamptons--or, rather, picks up a wealthy man with a pricey rental. With one movie in her past, her "lukewarm celebrity was established and she figured out pretty quickly that it could get her things and keep on getting them, as long as she maintained her standards." Yet even Janey eventually realizes that what she's getting isn't exactly what she wants. Cecelia, on the other hand, has gotten the ultimate prize: a royal husband. Still, she finds herself descending into paranoia as the Manhattan media circus reports her every flaw. Then there's Winnie Diekes, a high-powered magazine columnist whose marriage flounders as she pushes her unambitious husband to write the book that will make him--and her--famous.

Finally, in the most clearly autobiographical story, a writer gives up on the commitment-impaired men of New York and goes to London to find a husband. There she trolls for the typical Englishman--"a guy who had sex with his socks on, possessed a microscopic willy, and came in two minutes." Bushnell is famous for this sort of sexual brashness, and the book is full of her sharp wit, both in and out of the boudoir. She also clearly enjoys her characters and their misadventures, with one exception: the politically correct Winnie, with her distaste for alcohol, night life, and casual sex, inspires an odd sort of authorial contempt. Otherwise, though, Bushnell's ironic takes on the sexual foibles of the rich and famous are mordant, mischievous fun. --Lesley Reed

Book Description

In her first book since the cultural phenomenon Sex and the City, Candace Bushnell triumphantly returned with the national best-seller Four Blondes, which The New York Times says "chronicles the glittering lives of semicelebrities, social aspirants, and moneyed folk ... [with] withering precision." Now her collection of novellas is available in paperback -- just in time to pack in your handbag for that summer weekend getaway to the Hamptons or that romantic rendezvous on Martha's Vineyard. Four Blondes tells the stories of four women facing up to the limitations of their rapidly approaching middle age in an era that worships youth. From the former "It-girl" heroine of "Nice N'Easy," who each summer looks for a rich man who'll provide her with a house in the Hamptons, to the writer-narrator of "Single Process," who goes to London on a hunt for love and a good magazine story, Bushnell brings to life contemporary women in search of something more -- when the world is pushing for them to settle for less. Sexy, funny, and wonderfully lush with gossip and scandal, Four Blondes will keep you turning pages long into the night.

Customer Reviews:

This is the way fiction is supposed to be!!!.......2007-10-01

I thought that this book was great. I have read it several times and it doesn't seem to get old. The last last short story was a little blah, but the others got my attention immediately. My favorite is the story of the miserable married couple. The descriptions were were so accurate and perfect visually.

Just OK.......2007-08-23

A cleverly presented book in which each of the 4 blondes has her own 80 or so page short story that moved along at a very breezy pace. This book reminded me of the Jackie Collins stories I enjoyed in the 1980s! Although very witty and well-written, I fear I must be getting old because reading about the excessive sexual behavior and drug use of wealthy, but very shallow charracters, didn't fascinate me as it once did.

This is one of my top 5 fav. books.......2007-06-21

I love love love this book.
It's bold, funny, risky and sexy.
I was so sad when i was on the last chapter because that meant that it was over.
I'm so reading it again!

4 evil wenches.......2007-06-12

Readable and witty, but it's virtually impossible to empathize with any of the characters. There are struggles in each story, but none of them ever get resolved. Another reviewer called it predictable, but I disagree. I didn't expect all of the stories to be depressing (which I blame the jacket for...it's misleading). In fairness, I've only read 3 so far. I'll change my review if the 4th is OK.

Precursor to a suicide note.......2007-05-08

If you're already in a low frame of mind, you'd be doing yourself a favor to avoid this senseless, dull and depressing book before you do harm to yourself.

This really is a horrible book. The four stories (well, okay, I'm not a liar. I could only bring myself to read three of them) are so bleak, so pointless and just so...so...NOT good.

The character development of each blonde are stereotypical, to say the very least. But the plot lines. Heaven spare me. It's not that the stories are unoriginal (which they are.) It's not that they're uninterestingly written (which they are.) It's just the dogged, relentless plowing through each dull, degrading life that begins to wear on the reader (which I am). There are no plot turns. There are no twists. Each novella is a total flat line.

Which brings me back to the title and first line of my review. If you're already feeling pretty down, stay clear of this one. What was Candace's editor thinking? What was Candace thinking?

Average customer rating:

FOUR BLONDES

Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HJO2GW

Average customer rating:

Four Blondes
Candace Bushnell
Manufacturer: Abacus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NY80N2

Average customer rating:

Four Blondes
Candace Bushnell
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000P9ATTS

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Four-Eyed Blonde

Manufacturer: Word Records
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Religion | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 5550062186

Average customer rating:

FOUR BLONDES

Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H3RGXO

Average customer rating:

Four Blondes
Candace Bushnell
Manufacturer: Abacus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SST43S

Average customer rating:

After You Read Conan Doyle try Larry Millett

Just Plain Wrong (and I'm forgiving the setting)

Depends on reader's style....

Not for a Sherlockian or a Holmesian

A mystery to be sure, but not a Sherlock Holmes mystery
Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery (Sherlock Holmes)
Larry Millett
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
British Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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Sherlock Holmes | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0670888214

Book Description

A further eruption of American criminality draws the impeccably reinvented Sherlock Holmes into partnership with a brilliant and roguish mind

The numerous mystery fans and discerning Sherlockian experts who have been following "Watson's American chronicles" will be thrilled by the third manuscript to be "discovered": Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery. As the century winds down, Holmes's services are engaged by a personage no less than King Oskar II of Sweden, who proposes to purchase a mysterious stone dug up by a western Minnesota farmer. But before the celebrated detective can attempt to authenticate this fabulous find, the hapless farmer is murdered and his stone vanishes.

In this singular case Holmes's soaring imagination is complemented by the talent for "discreet investigations" first displayed by Irish saloonkeeper Shadwell Rafferty in Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders. Rotund and rollicking, sharp as a St. Paul wind and tough as his own old leather boots, Rafferty accompanies the great detective through a maze of intrigue and villainy on a hunt for a rune stone, a murderer, and the archeological truth.

Download Description

The numerous mystery fans and discerning Sherlockian experts who have been following "Watson's American chronicles" will be thrilled by the third manuscript to be "discovered": Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery. As the century winds down, Holmes's services are engaged by a personage no less than King Oskar II of Sweden, who proposes to purchase a mysterious stone dug up by a western Minnesota farmer. But before the celebrated detective can attempt to authenticate this fabulous find, the hapless farmer is murdered and his stone vanishes. In this singular case Holmes's soaring imagination is complemented by the talent for "discreet investigations" first displayed by Irish saloonkeeper Shadwell Rafferty in Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders. Rotund and rollicking, sharp as a St. Paul wind and tough as his own old leather boots, Rafferty accompanies the great detective through a maze of intrigue and villainy on a hunt for a rune stone, a murderer, and the archeological truth.

Customer Reviews:

After You Read Conan Doyle try Larry Millett.......2006-08-27

First read Arthur Conan Doyle. There are surpisingly few stories. If you like Conan Doyle's Watson and Holmes, try Larry Millett's transportation of them to Minnesota! He has the 'voice' down pat. There are a number of modern writers who have extended Watson's stories of Holmes' adventures and Millett is my favorite.

Just Plain Wrong (and I'm forgiving the setting).......2004-12-30

-a short list of errors-

1. Sherlock is dumb: The real Sherlock would have wrapped up this entire lame mystery without leaving Baker Street, as he did with many minor cases hardly worth mentioning by Watson. The reader often figures things out far in advance. As a previous reviewer stated, he was surprised by things that were in no way surprising! This is supposed to be the same fellow who correctly anticipated a bank robbery given a report about redheaded men copying the dictionary?

2. Sherlock, besides being dumb, is apparently new to detective work: Upon Watson and Holmes discovering a fresh murder there is a painful lack of Holmesian technique. The real Sherlock would have been down on all fours sniffing the carpet, inspecting the doorknob, fishing through the fireplace, and of course scooping up cigar ash. (Our author, in this vital moment, seems completely unaware that Sherlock Holmes is in fact a preexisting character--much less ever having read about him.) Before leaving the scene, Holmes should have rattled off numerous astounding conclusions to Watson for his notes. Instead, Holmes wonders away in a clueless fog--even saying something stupid to the effect of, 'I guess we'll never know'. (This is the point where I lost all hope, I kept reading only because the book was a gift--and it didn't take any brain power to read.)

3. Rafferty, the local contact, is not only way too competent, he's so smart that he emphasizes the Minnesota-Holmes's stupidity: This Rafferty genius could have easily solved this without Holmes and Watson getting in his way. Compare this to the likes of Lestrade and Gregson, who around those of normal intellect would appear quite bright, but around Holmes their conclusions are simple-minded. Rafferty though, is nearly infallible! I really don't know what the author was thinking in devising this character. Does he know the rules of character development taught in Creative Writing 101?

4. as stated by a previous reviewer...Coincidence?!: Not only does the author rely upon blind chance, he points it out for us before the book ever begins! Thanks Larry, for identifying yourself as a hack from the get-go! This is no longer just a bad pastiche, or a bad mystery, it's an example of very bad writing!

I'm sure I'll think of more later, after posting.

Depends on reader's style...........2004-06-03

Like all Sherlock Holmes books, there will be people who like an author and dislike an author. I personally greatly enjoyed this particular Sherlock Holmes series written by Larry Millet. The style of writing is very interesting and very simular to the other Holmes stories written by Millet. However, if you are expecting a book in the pictureque styles of Dr. Doyle and Dr. Bell you will be disappointed. Millet's Holmes stories are more to the tee of an Indiana Jones type than that of the Bell-Doyle Holmes character. If you prefer a Doyle Holmes over a Jones Holmes than I recommend Val Andrews or Barry Day over Larry Millet. However, if you prefer having Holmes as a secondary character in a Indiana Jones type book than you should enjoy the somewhat grotesque SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE ICE PALACE MURDERS.

Not for a Sherlockian or a Holmesian.......2003-10-13

I agree with the previous reviewer, and would have assigned this book a negative rating if it were allowed. If you are a true devotee of Sherlock Holmes, this is NOT the book for you. Millett may have knowledge of Canonical lore, but he has no understanding of the characters Sherlock Holmes or Dr. Watson, nor does Millett exhibit any understanding of the Victorian morals and principles that these two men would have been steeped in.
As for me: after reading only 6 chapters of this book, I gleefully used it as tinder in my fireplace. That should speak for itself.

A mystery to be sure, but not a Sherlock Holmes mystery.......2003-08-03

I have to say I was quite disappointed with this book. I have been an avid Sherlockian for several years now, and having exhausted the original Conan Doyle stories many times over, I decided about a month ago to pick up this book. I didn't expect too much, but seeing as I had heard so many wonderful things about Larry Millett, I decided to give it a try.

First of all, this is NOT a Sherlock Holmes mystery. You can approach it in any way you like, but it will never be a Sherlock Holmes mystery. It is simply a mystery with Sherlock Holmes in it. And this Sherlock Holmes is certainly not the one I know. He is constantly and repeatedly surprised by evidence and information supplied to him by one Shadwell Rafferty, and Irish-American with an annoying habit of saying "'tis" and "'twould" in every sentence possible. Let me repeat that: Sherlock Holmes is SURPRISED. He is effectly put off his guard. As many Sherlock fans will note, this is a virtual impossibility. Sherlock Holmes is always ready for everything, and, more importantly, always suspects everything. He is never surprised. I immediately began to re-evaluate this story when I had found this out and here's what I decided:

This book is a mystery, and a rather good one at that. But you should not buy it if you are looking for Sherlock Holmes. Not only is the great detective fairly scarce throughout the book but he is greviously mis-represented. It is even suggested that he is in love! The absurdity is truly odd. However, if you give Sherlock Holmes any other name -- say, Terrance Jones, or John Smith, or Timothy Hillington, or just about any other name on the face of the Earth -- the mystery becomes quite interesting, sinister and highly entertaining.

Whether Larry Millett is using Sherlock Holmes's name to sell books, or whether he truly believes this book is a good representation of the detective, only Millett himself can say. But, from what I have read, Millett is devestatingly unfamiliar with Holmes's character, methods, and incredible genious, making this book less than so-so for Sherlock fans.

Also, although after a few chapters I was used to Minnesota being mentioned so often, at the beginning of reading this book, I chuckled to myself every time Millett wrote "Minnesota," "St. Paul," "Minneapolis," or "Fargo-Moorhead" which rather deteriorated the sinister feel of the mystery.

For those of you who are just looking for a good mystery, are unfamiliar with Sherlock Holmes, or are willing to disregard the fact that the English detective protrayed in this book is supposed to be Sherlock Holmes, than this book may be the one for it. It is very well written and quite interesting and deserves at least some merit for that...

Average customer rating:
Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery
Larry Millett
Manufacturer: Viking
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VE00LO

Average customer rating:
Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery
Larry Millett
Manufacturer: Viking
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VARA34

Book Description

A Mapper. A Defender. A Keeper. Three make a team to find the Pieces of the World.

Returning from their first grand adventure, M and Zoey try to readjust to normal things like family and school. However, they soon learn that Aunt Nellie has been summoned before the Aunt's Council to explain her actions with M. Determined to testify in her defense, M, Zoey, and Monty set off in the Ladybug, taking along M's little brother Erik. But before they can arrive, they are forced to land by the Crimson Guard and taken to the mysterious Infinite Keep where a great challenge awaits.

Customer Reviews:

Book 2 in the Pieces of the World "M" series.......2006-10-05

This book picks up where M left off in the Pieces of the World series. New characters are introduced, and some of the ideas introduced in the first book are explored. A great read for young kids.

Rate plots: M. King Hubbert said it would require an infinite amount of oil to keep up with fixed-percentage annual increases. Turns out he was right. (Supply).: An article from: Energy

Average customer rating:

Rate plots: M. King Hubbert said it would require an infinite amount of oil to keep up with fixed-percentage annual increases. Turns out he was right. (Supply).: An article from: Energy

Manufacturer: Business Communications Company, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0009FMNX8
Release Date: 2005-07-30

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Energy, published by Business Communications Company, Inc. on March 22, 2002. The length of the article is 1672 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Rate plots: M. King Hubbert said it would require an infinite amount of oil to keep up with fixed-percentage annual increases. Turns out he was right. (Supply).
Publication: Energy (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2002
Publisher: Business Communications Company, Inc.
Volume: 27 Issue: 2 Page: 14(3)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

An extraordinary blueprint for maximizing cancer survival

Staying Alive: Life-Changing Strategies for Surviving Cancer
Brenda Hunter
Manufacturer: WaterBrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1578561329
Release Date: 2004-03-16

Book Description

Heal Your Body, Embrace Your Life.

Few things are more frightening, confusing, or devastating than a diagnosis of cancer. If you or someone you love has cancer (or is at risk for it), you want reliable information, reasons for hope, and a plan of attack you can trust.

Staying Alive provides this and more. A six-year cancer survivor, psychologist, and cancer coach, Dr. Brenda Hunter presents the program that has contributed significantly to her survival, as well as interviews with cancer experts and long-term survivors. Inside you’ll find:

• life-changing strategies for beating cancer
• an integrated, holistic approach to cancer care and survival that involves body, mind, and spirit
• success stories and survival strategies from long-term cancer survivors
• a proactive nutritional program designed to empower you and increase wellness
• interviews with national cancer experts

The good news? The human body has an amazing capacity to heal itself when life-changing strategies are applied. Dr. Brenda Hunter suggests that many of us can work to reverse–or prevent–cancer’s destructive course. Learn how you may be unnecessarily putting yourself at increased risk, and discover the steps you can take today to begin to restore or protect your health.

A Cancer-Conquering Plan for Your Body, Mind, Emotions, and Spirit

Customer Reviews:

An extraordinary blueprint for maximizing cancer survival.......2005-06-13

In Staying Alive, Dr. Brenda Hunter gives cancer patients an extraordinary blueprint for maximizing their chances of surviving cancer. As a stage 3B lung cancer survivor, I employed many of these strategies 14 years ago. But I had to read multiple books to find many of them and Dr. Hunter offers such insightful, educated advice beyond what I understood at that time. I still find her book helpful in my efforts to stay well. And what a gift for those going through the experience now to have such good information all in one book. Dr. Hunter's experience as a Ph.D., a cancer survivor and a Christian give her a perspective few authors of books on cancer, no matter how well intentioned, can provide. I really love this book. As I use my cancer experience to help others who are now beginning their cancer journey, Staying Alive is at the top of my recommended list of "must reads". Anyone with cancer seriously looking for ways to contribute to their own wellness will benefit from reading this book.

Average customer rating:

A little disappointing

The Book with Tons of Casseroles (HotDish)

Great Recipes

The Great Minnesota Hot Dish

The Great Minnesota Hot Dish
Theresa Millang
Manufacturer: Adventure Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1885061250

Book Description

Called casseroles in most parts of the country, the Minnesota Hot Dish really does come in more varieties than noodles, tuna and crushed potato chips. The simplicity of these all-in-one dishes can't be denied. Hot dishes have been the cornerstone of family dinners for generations, and these new and exciting recipes will refresh and update the repertoire of any cook. Best of all, you won't need a cooking dictionary to figure these delicious recipes out! More than 200 recipes cover a wide range of classic, ethnic and gourmet hot dishes, even new innovations such as Cajun, Tex-Mex and Chinese! The Great Minnesota Hotdish includes recipes for main dishes, eggs, side dishes & desserts. Spiral bound book stays open on your countertop and the recipes are easy to follow and use ingredients that are readily available. You'll love these practical, delicious recipes!

Customer Reviews:

A little disappointing.......2007-03-20

Being a lifelong Minnesotan I was a little disappointed that there were only a couple of hot dishes in the book that I am familiar with. I know of alot more that would have been better suited for the book. There were too many "side dishes".

The Book with Tons of Casseroles (HotDish).......2004-06-25

Chicken, beef, pork, seafood, eggs and desserts, this book is full of wonderful recipes. Easy to follow, with ingredients that are found in most cupboards. I found the chicken recipes I wanted, and was so easy to fix.

Great Recipes.......2001-04-14

This cook book has recipes that are easy to follow, with ingredients that are readily available. I like the chicken section very much.

The Great Minnesota Hot Dish.......2000-07-02

This book has some of the most excellant hot dish recipes. I have really enjoyed experimenting with them. The deserts are screeming! Great recipes to take to pot lucks. Check it out!

Book Description

Comic book collecting is an enormously popular hobby, and

collectors, dealers and enthusiasts alike will want the updated

11th edition of this must-have comic book price guide. The

2005 Comic Book Checklist & Price Guide contains listings

and prices for more than 115,000 comic books, with over 400

photos for easy identification.

Book Description

Unique collection of boldly patterned sheets of origami paper features 24 7" x 7" sheets in 3 different patterns (spotted, striped, and leopard-printed) and a vivid assortment of colors. Perfect for folding striking models of animal figures.

Customer Reviews:

spots and stripes are to big.......2001-08-10

The paper is good but the spots and the stripes are to big and don't look like the real thing when folded in to an animal.

Save some money. Go buy their 40 pages of the other paper........2000-06-30

Look, you could just buy the 8.5x 8.5 origami paper and put your own, realistic, markings on it. It comes in solid colors and one gold paper, [...]. You get 40 sheets that way. Kids love to decorate their own paper. And it is bigger than this stuff. Who ever saw an animal that was yellow and green? I guess a grasshopper or something, but you could make your own, and it would be cheaper and more fun.

Average customer rating:

Origami Paper Animal Prints

Manufacturer: Tuttle Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0804837953

Average customer rating:

Origami Paper Animal Prints
Anonymous
Manufacturer: Tuttle Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

The Only Woman in the Room is a vivid and very personal account of one woman's life in Europe, prewar Japan, and the United States. As the daughter of renowned Russian pianist Leo Sirota, Beate Gordon grew up in the cosmopolitan world of the concert tour, then settled in Japan in the 1930s.

During World War ll, while her parents remained in Japan under secret service surveillance, Gordon lived alone in America, monitoring Tokyo Radio in five languages for the government and later writing radio propaganda.

She recounts her dramatic reunion with her parents in Tokyo, where she worked in General MacArthur's headquarters, and evokes the postwar suffering in defeated Japan. Her intimate description of helping draft the women's rights section of Japan's new constitution in less than a week is an astonishing record of history in the making.

On returning to the States in 1947, Mrs. Gordon became a cultural impressario, bringing artists, dancers and musicians from all over Asia to the United States. Her adventures in search of traditional arts in Burma, Tibet, Bengal, and Indonesia make for gripping and sometimes hilarious anecdotes.

The Only Woman in the Room can be appreciated on many levels. Armchair travelers, feminists, history buffs and, above all, people who enjoy well-written memoirs will all find Beate Gordon's extraordinary life a riveting read.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating account of feminist victory in feudal Japan.......1999-02-23

Ms. Gordon, born in Vienna and educated in Japan and the United States, found herself by an accident of history in Japan at age 22 with the American Occupation Forces immediately after World War II. General MacArthur directed her and others to draft a new constitution for Japan. Drawing on European constitutions that she found in the remaining libraries in war-torn Tokyo, she wrote for Japanese women an advanced equal rights clause that Japanese women have treasured ever since. The story of how the Japanese constitution was written is extremely interesting and well-written. Readers interested in Vienna and in European social activity of the early 20th Century will also find interesting descriptions of same. Mrs. Gordon's father was a famous Russian pianist who associated with many other famous pianists of his era, such as Artur Rubinstein.

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