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A Man to Live For"" by Emma Richmond, ""Yule Tide"" by Catherine George, ""Mistletoe Kisses"" by Lynsey Stevens, and ""Christmas Charade"" by Kay Gregory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Christmas stories from around the world
From the back cover:

"A Man To Live For" by Emma Richmond
As far as Francine was concerned, she and Gile Lapotaire were strangers thrown together by chance on a romantic train journey through Europe. Why, then, did the handsome French-Swiss banker seem to know so much about her--and despise her for it?

"Yule Tide" by Catherine George
Judith's marriage to Nick Campion had been brief and turbulent. But, two days before Christmas, she found herself making her way to her childhood home with her estranged husband. The journey was destined to be stormy--and not just because of the terrible weather!

"Mistletoe Kisses" by Lynsey Stevens
Kael Craigen claimed he still loved Jazmin, but could she forget his betrayal five years ago? Visiting her former home in Sydney for Christmas brought back memories of her past love for him--would a kiss under the mistletoe rekindle their passion?

"Christmas Charade" by Kay Gregory
Going home for Christmas was always a joy for Nina--apart from facing her father's annual matchmaking efforts! But this year it would be different. What she needed was a temporary fiance...and gorgeous, sophisticated Fenton Hardwick was the perfect candidate!

And my review:

The first story, "A Man to Live For" was VERY badly written. I couldn't get more than fifteen pages into it. It was just so choppy. It was full of little sentence fragments combined with huge, run-on rambling sentences (for balance, I suppose. I didn't work). It was like trying to read something written by a four-grader who has bad grammar. Not worth the time to read it. One star.

The second story, "Yule Tide", was quite enjoyable. I love stories of estranged spouses reconciling. While this one wasn't the best I've read, it was still pretty good. Both characters were loveable, and for once, the problems keeping them apart were realistic, without being insurmountable. I kept the book for this story. Four stars.

The third story, "Mistletoe Kisses", was not only stupid, but offensive. Stupid woman falls in love with a married man. Okay, she didn't know he was married at the time, but he sure did! Now it's years later, he's divorced, so now they can get back together and live happily every after, right? Gag, gag, barf! Ever hear the saying, "Once a cheater, always a cheater"? If a man can carry on with you when he's married to his first wife, he can just as easily cheat on you when you're his new wife. And this is supposed to be our hero? How can you cheer for a couple to get together when one is an idiot, and the other is lower than a snake's belly? One star (only because I can't give no stars).

The fourth story, "Christmas Charade", started off well, but the characters never developed beyond cardboard cutouts. They were both such stereotypes: alpha male, stupid, immature, insipid female. She acts sour (read: like a child) all the time, so he calls her Ms. Lemon. Funny the first time you read it, not so funny when he's called her that for the fiftieth time. Got bored halfway through and never finished it. One star.

Definitely not one of the better anthologies out there, though it is redeemed by having at least one decent story. Buy this if you find it at a garage sale or a thrift store, otherwise, it isn't worth the money. ... Read more

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And Recollections Of The Author's Life. ... Read more

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And Recollections Of The Author's Life. ... Read more

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And Recollections Of The Author's Life. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (11)

Wonderful resource for fine-tuning technique
This is a fascinating book that combines instruction, biography, and history.Although Balanchine's technique is indisputably idiosyncratic, the ways in which his methods have impacted the rest of the ballet world make this book an indispensable guide for those seeking to fine-tune their technique.I, personally, found the visual imagery used to be extremely helpful in giving nuance to my steps, even ones as (arguably) simple as saute arabesque.(I was also thrilled to find Ms. Schorer's advice on how to improve one's batterie, as ballon has never been my strong suit and jumps such as royales and entrechats have long been the bane of my existence.)

In response to the reviewer who was shocked to find that Balanchine told dancers never to put their heels down when coming down from jumps, such advice would indeed be deleterious; however, in the text Ms. Schorer went on to explain that Balanchine did not mean such a thing literally, but was instead using it as an image to help his dancers roll through their feet and control their landings.

Even for those who, like myself, will never come close to auditioning for the School of American Ballet, let alone dancing for NYCB, this book is a fascinating look at Balanchine technique that can breathe new life into even the basic steps of ballet.The photographs are lovely, as well as instructive, and the text is peppered with anecdotes of Ms. Schorer's time studying under Balanchine.I highly, highly recommend this book, especially to advanced students of ballet.

Former dancer
I was trained in the Balanchine technique, and although interpretations vary on what Balanchine wanted from his dancers, this book is a must have for dancers, teachers and ballet fans in general. Suki was one of the original Balanchine dancers, and it is wonderful that she put forth the effort to carry on his methods of technique and training.

Excellent Treatise on BalletTechnique, But Controversial!
This book is a very comprehensive discussion of virtually every aspect of ballet technique, including topics not usually found elsewhere.It should be kept in mind that first and foremost this is Balanchine technique as interpreted by Suki Shorer.Most of what is presented is excellent.I must tell you that among ballet professionals, including those that have worked and studied with Balanchine himself, this book is very controversial.Most tell me that he never asked for things to be done in some of the ways described in this book.To be fair, it seems that he said different things to different people for the sake of expedience, but there are some things that are really difficult to take.The most significant of these is the concept presented in this book of the use of the heels in jumping.It is claimed here that Balanchine told his dancers not to put the heels downwhen landing.I have never encountered any dancer, both those that worked with Balanchine as well as those who did not, who would ever do such a thing and they tell me neither did Balanchine.It is considered very dangerous to do that and a major source of injury.Other issues are changements and tendus, to mention just a few of the other points of contention.It is important to keep in mind that this book is not a Bible, it is just a mostly good discussion on one approach to a complex subject.

I've waited all my life for this book!
Just terrific! Since there are so many schools of ballet, (Cechetti, Vaganova, french, Bournonville...),it's the first time there's a book telling you the difference between the Balanchine technique (much superior to me)and the old way of training,I found this book perfect for anyone interested in Ballet, you can learn so much by reading and the pictures are so beautiful that I framed some.Bravo!

A Wonderful Book
This book shows the technique that the ballet master, George Balanchine, wanted his dancers to use to be the best dancers they could possibly be. Being a dancer, I found this book to be quite fascinating, but, you don't have to be a dancer to enjoy it. Even if you get bored with reading, the photographs will certainly captue your intrest. ... Read more

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This book is full of beautiful color photographs about all aspects of Christmas. It includes stories, recipes, music, old advertising, Washington, D.C. views, cards, gifts and toys, art, literature. It is an amazing collection about Christmas, beautifully illustrated with all the exceptional quality of Life Magazine. ... Read more