Appaloosa, a western directed by Ed Harris, takes place in a dusty town suffering under rancher Randall Bragg, played by Jeremy Irons. Appaloosa officials hire two friends, renegade lawmen Virgil Cole and Everette Hitch, to arrest Bragg. The arrival of a young widow complicates relationships between all the menfolk.
Barb of Fiction/AV/Teen Services recommends Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult:
Jodi Picoult has done it again! She has written another page-turner that grabs at your heart. In her most recent book, Handle with Care, we encounter Charlotte and Sean O’Keefe’s struggle to care for their daughter, Willow, who was born with brittle bone disease. To make matters worse, Charlotte decides to sue her obstetrician, who happens to be her best friend. Willow’s older sister, Amelia, adds difficulties to the group dynamic as she tries to handle the major issues that surround the entire family. Once more, Picoult takes us on a rollercoaster of hope, regret, tension and surprise.
Grey Gardens and The Beales of Grey Gardens are must-see documentaries. We are pulled into mother Edith’s and daughter Little Edie’s fascinating relationship. They also happen to be Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ relatives! The pair lived in a deteriorated mansion in East Hampton with their cats, raccoons, and their captivating stories.
Tess of the D’Urbervilles is a wonderful new DVD adaptation of the classic novel by Thomas Hardy. Excellent acting and entrancing film-making turn this mini-series into a marvelous piece of work. Our spirited heroine, Tess, is hurt by one man and forsaken by another. The actress playing Tess is fantastic.
David Ebershoff’s intriguing, timely story, The 19th Wife, weaves together the past and present drama of polygamy in the Mormon Church. The author connects you with Ann Eliza Young, the nineteenth wife of Brigham Young, and a modern-day mystery in which another wife is accused of murdering her polygamous husband.
Now on DVD, James Michener‘s Centennial is one of the best made-for-TV mini-series ever produced. The acting is superb, the photography is amazing, the costumes and portrayals of the Native Americans are well researched and brilliant. A great epic to watch with your family — they don’t make TV movies like this anymore.
I loved The 5 Browns’ Browns in Blue. Brothers and sisters play extraordinary piano along with other musicians. They have a great mix of selections from Chopin to Gershwin. Many varied and emotional musical shades are in store for your listening pleasure!
Barb of Fiction/AV/Teen Services recommends Rhett Butler’s People by Donald McCaig:
Rhett Butler’s People is an intriguing companion to Gone with the Wind. It’s an epic story which chronicles the life and times of the adventurous and romantic hero, Rhett Butler. Some of the people who shape Rhett’s life include his uncompromising, mean-spirited father, Rhett’s devoted sister Rosemary, his best friend and one-time slave, Tunis Bonneau, former love Belle Watling and, of course, the love of Rhett’s life, the passionate Scarlett O’Hara. By all accounts, Gone with the Wind is so legendary that it seems untouchable. However, Donald McCaig’s adaptation of the beloved Margaret Mitchell saga is a worthy story that never questions the essence of the characters: family, land, country, and, most of all, love.
Barb Bisbee from the Fiction/AV/Teen department gives this review of The Sight of the Stars by Belva Plain:
In Belva Plain’s The Sight of the Stars, we meet Adam Arnring. In 1907 Adam turns 19 years old and decides to leave his family in New Jersey to find his fortune out west. He takes his first step toward achieving this goal and finds himself in Chattahoochee, Texas where he obtains a job in a small, run-down department store. Adam quickly takes charge and makes quite a success with his creative ideas. As the years go by, Adam works hard, meets and falls in love with Emma. World War I starts as Adam and Emma marry. Tragedy strikes with repercussions that affect the family throughout the years. The Sight of the Stars tells us what may happen when we try to capture our dreams and the decisions that can change lives forever.
Barb of Fiction/AV/Teen Services recommends The Girls by Lori Lansens:
The Girls is a wonderful, rich story about the oldest living conjoined twins, Rose and Ruby Darlen. In their own voices, the girls tell their story of growing up together and never being able to look each other in the eye because they are conjoined at the head. Abandoned at birth, the girls are adopted by the delivery nurse. On a farm in Ontario the nurse, Aunt Lovey and her husband Stash, raise the girls with love and encouragement to live normal, independent lives even though they have been advised by doctors that they will never grow and be able to walk on their own. The girls are certainly not expected to live past their 30th birthday. As that day approaches, Rose decides to write her autobiography and encourages Ruby to include her thoughts. The novel’s biggest achievement is that it brings to life these two extraordinary characters with such great success that you forget you are reading a work of fiction.
