A Family Place: A Hudson Valley Farm, Three Centuries, Five Wars, One Family

Rating:
Summary: Warm and Delightful!! Very enjoyable read.....
Review: Having my own family roots in a neighboring county, I found "A Family Place" a most enjoyable and delightful read. In her love for family as well as curisoity for her roots, Ms. Philip takes us with her as she searches through boxes and closets for pieces of her past. I have known those boxes and closets too! And I know the feel of barefeet on lawns and skipping around cow patties.... I highly reccomend this book to anyone who has or wishes they had a special family. It may even inspire you to do some personal sleuthing yourself. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Read it once, then read it again.
Review: Philip will not let us have what we are expecting - a rose-tinted reminiscence of home and place, with the occaisional failure thrown in for good measure. Instead, we get a "widening gyre" of tales, passing spirally through history, through the process of discovering history, the way in which Philip records this history, and ultimately, the way in which we read it. The book is about her home, and yet it is not. It is about personal loss, and yet it is not. It is about the balance between artifacts and memories, and yet -

Read the book, but know that its success lies in that it does not simply end with the last page, but recycles back to its own beginning, and to the readers'.