Langton, Jane

Average customer rating:

2 1/2* Very Disappointed
Another Twist in the Tale
The Many Consequences of Obsessions
Murder at Monticello Review By Falynne Kagy
Homer Kelly arrives during Virginia's serial killer season

Murder at Monticello
Jane Langton
Manufacturer: Books on Tape
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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The Escher Twist: A Homer Kelly Mystery
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Murder at the Gardner : A Novel of Suspense: A Homer Kelly Mystery (Penguin Crime Monthly)

ASIN: 0736656944

Book Description

While visiting Monticello for the bicentennial celebration of Thomas Jefferson's presidency, Homer Kelly is disturbed to discover our third president in trouble with historians over the issues of slavery and Sally Hemings. Meanwhile, Thomas Dean, a mysterious trespasser, is disturbing the work of Homer's former student, Fern Fisher, who is struggling to restore Jefferson's reputation. On top of everything else, a serial killer who preys on young women is on the loose. When Tom Dean is arrested as a suspect, Homer, perpetual friend of the underdog, takes on his case. All of these intrigues converge at Jefferson's bicentennial celebration, where, from among the throngs of visitors, the killer has selected his next victim. Can Homer discover the killer's identity before the next attack?

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Customer Reviews:

2 1/2* Very Disappointed.......2002-10-25

The elements of a great mystery are here. A book that interweaves the issue of slavery, the questions around Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, and the imperatives of the Lewis and Clark expedition with a story about a serial killer sounds promising, but the book does not deliver...There's simply not enough suspense or mystery here, the writing is often annoying, and the characters aren't very interesting. Perhaps some will enjoy this as a light read. Not recommended.

Another Twist in the Tale.......2002-10-23

I am always impressed by the ability Jane Langton shows in each of her books to encompass varying subject matters in such details. This book uses the expedition of Lewis & Clark to intertwine various lives and loves. As usual with Homer Kelly books, the reader knows the culprit, or at least knows who did NOT do the crime(s). This book contains some rather brutal murders, although the subject is handled in the usual Langton finesse. Homer and Mary do not figure so very much in this episode, with much of the action centering on guest characters. It is, as always, well-written, and, also as always, the pencil drawings by the author add to the enjoyment of reading this book. All in all, this is a fine addition to the series and I am looking forward to reading the next.

The Many Consequences of Obsessions.......2001-10-01

Before reviewing this book, let me warn potential readers that this book contains much off-color language and disgusting details of extreme sexual misbehavior. This is not your normal Jane Langton novel where some sedate professor performs a fairly clean murder. Instead, there is a relatively uneducated serial killer of a most disgusting sort involved. To me, the gross aspects of the serial killer were not essential to the story, and simply lessened the appeal of the book.

Almost all of the characters in Murder at Monticello are obsessed by some aspect of Jeffersonýs life or of the Lewis and Clark expedition into the newly purchased Louisiana Territory. A July 4th celebration of the bicentennial year of Jeffersonýs becoming the third president draws these characters to Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia. While some characters are looking forward to the big fireworks show, others are planning to make their own fireworks.

The familiar Homer and Mary Kelly come down from Cambridge, Massachusetts at the invitation of a friend who offers them a free place to stay. A former student, Fern Fisher, is working on a new biography of Jefferson to help improve his reputation despite having been a slave holder and having possibly had sexual relations with one of his slaves, who was the half-sister of his deceased wife. Augustus Upchurch, a local benefactor of Jefferson studies, has helped raise the money to fund the book, but also becomes interested in Ms. Fisher despite the wide difference in their ages. Ms. Fisher sees apparitions of Jefferson in and around Monticello. Tom Dean, a local man who is about to enter medical school, is fascinated by Lewis and Clark, and through this meets Ms. Fisher and extends his interests to include her. The local police chief owns the Oxford English Dictionary and spends his free time looking up what the words in the Declaration of Independence meant in Jeffersonýs time. The serial killer imagines himself being related to one of the men in the Lewis and Clark expedition, based on having been raised on the Missouri River in Bismarck, North Dakota. Homer Kelly starts reading up on Lewis and Clark. Each chapter begins with a quote from the expeditionýs journals.

Like all Homer and Mary Kelly stories, thereýs not much mystery here. There are simply tangled skeins of lives and story lines that overlap. The individual stories are more of an excuse to delve into a particular period of history than serious fiction. Being quite familiar with Jefferson and the Lewis and Clark expedition, the only new knowledge that the book imparted were more details than I wanted to know about the sexual habits of the men on the expedition.

The overall theme of Murder at Monticello is that obsessions are bad for us, because they blind us to more positive opportunities to connect with others and more meaningful activities.

Unless you feel a compulsive need to read all of these stories by Ms. Langton, I suggest you skip this one. Of her recent efforts, I thought that Dead as a Dodo was far superior to Murder at Monticello. The ideas developed in that book about Darwin are far more interesting than the slim intellectual foundation of Murder at Monticello.

I do like Ms. Langtonýs new habit of taking the Kellys to new locations outside of Massachusetts. I hope Ms. Langton continues this trend in her upcoming novels.

Search for the opportunities to expand goodness, and then act on them!

Murder at Monticello Review By Falynne Kagy.......2001-05-16

Jane Langton has once again provided us with another gripping Homer Kelly Mystery. This, the fifteenth in the Homer Kelly series, is by far the best one that I have read. It has all of the twists and turns that you'd expect from Langton. Fern Fisher, an overweight, personality-challenged woman in her mid-twenties serves as the main character. Her purpose in the nocel is to write a book for the Thomas Jefferson of Monticello Society, which will clear all of the hurtfull rumors of the late President's affair with Sally Hemings and his views about slavery. The supporting characters include Tom Dean, a man caught trespassing in the woods surrounding the home of our third President, and George Dryer, a demented serial killer who is out to get revenge on all women who remind him of his ex-girlfriend, Jeannie. The book is very well written, and leaves the reader hanging on to the edge of their seat, waiting to see who the next victim will be, or if Dryer can be caught in time by Homer and the Charlottesville, Virginia Police Chief. The book was ordinary in the sense that it was very predictable when it came to the murder case. I knew before I even read that Fern was going to be one of the last people that George would try to kill, and that, most likely, he would not succeed. I would reccomend this book to any reader who likes the classic murder mystery, and has the time to read the book in a short amount of time, as it becomes confusing the longer you wait between reading sessions.

Homer Kelly arrives during Virginia's serial killer season.......2001-03-18

There's a demented serial killer attacking women in Charlottesville, Virginia. But the timing coincides with the 200th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's election to the presidency, and a huge celebration is planned to take place at Monticello on July 4th. Amidst both hubbubs, Homer and Mary Kelly arrive on the scene to visit friends in the area. Homer is naturally intrigued and wants to "help" the local police chief with the murder investigations. Prepare yourself for fast-break reading! Will Homer be able to nail the right man? Will a former med student finish work on his Lewis and Clark timeline in the Dome Room? Will a former student of the Kellys ever finish writing her grant-funded book about Thomas Jefferson? And what exactly is the relationship between the Lewis and Clark expedition and the man who buries bloody shirts in his backyard?

Book Description

A very unusual house...

Eddy and Eleanor Hall have always known that their family was a bit out of the ordinary. After all, they live in one of the most remarkable houses in all of Concord. But they never guessed just how extraordinary their house really is, or what tremendous secrets about their family's past it holds. That is, until they discover the magical attic room with its beautiful stained-glass window, abandoned toys, and two perfectly made-up, empty beds that seem to be waitingperhaps for two children just like themselves....</p>

Customer Reviews:

Mystery, adventure, and fantasy fulfillment to please anyone.......2006-06-19

The Diamond in the Window is the story of Eddy and Eleanor Hall, who live in a fantastic house in historic Concord, Massachusetts. I particularly enjoyed these books as a kid because I grew up in Lexington, right next door to Concord, and it was easy for me to picture the Hall's house and neighborhood. Langton's children's books also have just the right touch of magic, mixed in with real-life, to make a real-life kid feel like anything is possible.

Things are tough for Eddy and Eleanor. Their Uncle Freddy is perpetually confused, and their Aunt Lily is overworked, struggling to pay back taxes on their house so that they don't lose it. And then a wonderful thing happens. Eleanor and Eddy discover a hidden staircase that leads to a secret room at the top of their house. The room has toys and books, an elaborate castle built of block, and two small beds. They learn from Aunt Lily that the room belonged to their aunt and uncle, Ned and Nora, who disappeared when they were children. Aunt Lily's fiance, and Uncle Fred's friend, Prince Krishna, also disappeared.

Eddy and Eleanor promptly decide to search for the missing Ned, Nora, and Prince Krishna. They uncover a clue-filled poem, and start having fantastic shared dreams (or are they dreams?), in which they uncover secrets from the poem. These dreams are wonderful experiences, overlaid with menacing fright. But slowly, the determined children work through the clues, and the dreams, trying to find their missing aunt and uncle, and uncover a treasure that will save the family home.

The Diamond in the Window is filled with excellent adventures: kids turning into toys, and mice, and wandering inside of mazes. Some of the adventures hide larger lessons about loyalty and being true to who you are, but the lessons are rarely overt. The story is also filled with historical references about the Revolutionary War, and Walden and Thoreau, and Louisa May Alcott. Again, not so overt - these things are part of the world that Eddy and Eleanor, and especially Uncle Freddy, live in.

I couldn't really say how well this story will hold up for kids who aren't from Lexington and Concord, and who don't fondly remember it from their childhood. But I suspect that that Jane Langton taps into universal themes of mystery, adventure, and fantasy fulfillment that will please anyone. I'm glad that I visited again.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on June 17th, 2006.

Unforgettable!.......2005-12-16

I read literally hundreds of books in my youth, most of them long ago forgotten, but never forgot this one! I found this book in my elementary school library around 1979/ 1980, and read it several times in the next couple of years. I looked for it later- in every bookstore/ used bookstore I went into for years- (I could remember the title, but not the authors name) and couldn't find it anywhere. Then, along came the internet, and Voila! I found it, ordered it and re-read it. As an adult, I'm surprised and pleased to find that this absolute GEM of a book has lost none of it's charm and mystery. A wonderful story, intriguing mystery, lovable characters, perfect! Highly recommeneded for any young person- entertaining and educational at once- and truly Unforgettable!

Imagination Abounds!.......2004-11-14

This was such a great book, I read it when I was a kid and recently something jogged my memory so I bought it. I read it again and it was still just as great, perhaps even better than when I was a kid. A classic. I'm going to pass it on to my kids!

A book for all ages........2004-08-28

While I was a voracious reader as a child, there are a very few books from my childhood that stand out in my memory like beacons. This is one of those books. I was probably eight or nine when I first read it, and I still remember to this day lessons I learned from this book -- like putting the interests of others before your own, for example. One of the author's gifts is that she was able to teach such important lessons without this reader realizing he was being taught. As far as I was concerned at the time it was a vastly entertaining and enjoyable read. It was also my first introduction to the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (albeit at a level a child could comprehend). If this book were required reading for every child, our world would be a better place.

Mysterious Dreams.......2004-08-28

My mother read this to my brother, my sister, and me as we were growing up. I always remember with great vividness the keyhole shaped window (which both my sister and I are going to put in our own houses someday), the gruesome and grotesque Jack-in-the-Box, and a stuffed peacock. This book, which not only has themes suitable for children and adults, has stirred my imagination for years. And I am often haunted by the dreams that help solve the riddles of the two children, Ned and Nora, especially the dream where they must choose their way through a maze of mirrors, in which the children choose how they themselves will be as they grow older and the consequences of their choices. This book is still a favorite!

Steeplechase: A Homer Kelly Mystery (Homer Kelly Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

The past is a mystery
Homer is a mystery
Maybe the books in this series should be called Historical Mysteries ...
Please give us back Homer & Mary....no more history!
entertaining intelligent mystery

Steeplechase: A Homer Kelly Mystery (Homer Kelly Mysteries)
Jane Langton
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Murder at the Gardner : A Novel of Suspense: A Homer Kelly Mystery (Penguin Crime Monthly)

ASIN: 0312301952
Release Date: 2005-10-13

Book Description

In the latest Homer Kelly mystery, Homer and his wife Mary are engaged in a steeplechase, a pursuit of a mysterious lost church. Chapters alternate between present and past, and slowly the events of 1868 in the town of Nashoba unfold as a disabled Civil War vet tries to get back to normal. Central to the story is a gigantic tree, the Great Nashoba Chestnut. And crucially intermingled with its fate are a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the story of Three Billy Goats Gruff. In addition to the customary impeccable sleuthing, the author has provided numerous drawings and a number of nineteenth-century photographs.

Customer Reviews:

The past is a mystery.......2006-07-12

Jane Langton has tapped in to a great theme: that the past is itself a mystery. We can never truly know what happened during any historical event, large or small, global or personal. And the "truth" is relative and subjective.

Bouncing back and forth between 1868 and the present heightened the suspense, and raised a philosophical question: does it matter how a past event actually happened? If it is lost in the mists of time due to misplaced evidence, burned records, faded photos, then hasn't the event itself changed in some way? History only exists in our collective recorded memory. And that is a fluid existence indeed, subject to new findings, new biases, and the inevitable decay and loss of all evidence.

Homer and Mary can only uncover what is there to be found. The rest they attempt to fill in with their considerable insight into human nature. I appreciate their practicality. Mysteries of dirty deeds in church cloisters may be fascinating, but these two never ignore lunch, or love, or their fellow humans in the here and now. Great role models, since the here and now is all we have, after all.

Homer is a mystery.......2006-04-08

I enjoy discovering a new series and had never read the "Homer Kelly" books. However,I had a hard time getting a handle on "Steeplechase." It went back and forth between Homer and Mary in the present day, to the 19th century. With short chapters, it was especially difficult to hold my interest in either the present or the past, especially since I was having a hard time getting a handle on who Homer and Mary were.
I understand there were many previous books in the series. However, an author should realize a reader may be new to the series and give background information on the main characters. This was not the case.
I follow a series when I am interested in the main character. However, character development was nil. Who are Homer and Mary??? After I read this book, I knew Homer was a professor at Harvard, over 6 feet tall, and his previous published book, which achieved little success, has had current interest and is now at the top of the best seller list. There was absolutely no further information on him and nothing about Mary, except that she was his wife and related to the 19th century characters. I don't even know what Homer taught or what his book was about. Hector is introduced in the first few pages. I never did find out who he was. Overuse of the word "whoopsie" made it sound like a children's book. Rather than "comedy" as a review described, it seemed silly. While the plot and symbolism in the 19th century part of the book could have been interesting, it was too late in the book to keep my interest.
I thought of reading earlier books in the series to see what it was about, but why bother. There are too many other books out there.

Maybe the books in this series should be called Historical Mysteries ..........2005-12-26

... because Homer and Mary Kelly are always delving into interesting stories from the past. This time, Homer is working on a book about church steeples found in and around Concord, Massachusetts. His editor wants him to uncover titillating scandals in the process, but Homer isn't finding many. In alternate chapters, we drop back to 1868, where a dispute between two ministers and their families is brewing in Nashoba, not far from Concord. It begins with a chestnut tree and ends in the division of one congregation into two. Readers are encouraged to stick with the unfolding of the historical text; it takes a commitment of time to figure out which characters to focus on. Gradually we see that what happened back then is exactly what Homer Kelly was looking for all along. Perhaps the savviest of readers will even understand the symbolism of wounded soldier James Shaw's interest in Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities." We're given a lot to digest in these pages.

Langton is good at several things here: showing single events from the perspective of multiple characters' views, and making fiction seem like nonfiction. By the end of the book, I was so curious about the historical revelation that I was ready to drive along Route 2A in search of a church-turned-pizza parlor in Nashoba. Alas, my search would have been fruitless, for not only did the author fabricate the historical episode unveiled in "Steeplechase," she also placed it in a fictional town. I wanted it all to be true!

Please give us back Homer & Mary....no more history!.......2005-11-08

I can understand that J. Langton wants to branch out, probably bored with Homer and Mary.

But I read her for Homer and Mary, not history.

If she wants to write history, she should start a new series, not disappoint Homer and Mary fans.

I picked up this book at the bookstore, flipped it open to see more "history," and said outloud, "Oh, no." I did buy it, but was very disappointed and will wait for this kind of book to come to the library next time.

What I do is skim the history and read the parts with Homer and Mary.

entertaining intelligent mystery .......2005-10-25

Harvard Professor Homer Kelly has the New York Times number one nonfiction seller, Hen & Chicks. His editor demands he write a follow-up immediately so he can stay on top while the iron is hot. Homer works on his next tome Steeplechase, a look at the historical churches of New England. His wife Mary persuades him to begin the treks starting in Concord and eventually nearby Nashoba. They will find post Civil War aerial photos by the Pratt brothers that showcase a church steeple and a great chestnut tree in Nashoba; while the steeple seems to have vanished without any references besides the pictures, the tree remains standing today.

In 1868 Nashoba, disfigured veteran James Jackson Shaw comes home wanting to simply die. He refuses to see any of his friends and barely tolerates the care of his wife Isabelle and his in-laws including Reverend and Mrs. Gideon. At the same time, Eben Fleet wants Isabelle as his while Ella Viles desires Eben. These disjointed relationships will collide near the Nashoba Chestnut tree that magnificently stands by the First Parrish Church.

In the shadows of Longfellow, STEEPLECHASE alternates chapters so that the audience sees the real events of 1868 vs. the Kelly interpretation of those same activities. This makes for an intriguing historiographic look at how each generation re-interprets the past. Though the 1868 saga is more gripping than the current times fans of a thought provoking, yet very entertaining intelligent mystery will appreciate the latest Homer Kelly thriller.

Harriet Klausner

The Fragile Flag (Hall Family Chronicles (Numbered))

Average customer rating:

A great story that works on many levels
Inspirational
an important book for parents to discuss with their children
GREAT!
Still sticks in my head after 15 years!

The Fragile Flag (Hall Family Chronicles (Numbered))
Jane Langton
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064403114

Book Description

<h4 align="center">Everything depends on them....</h4>

When Georgie Hall decides to walk from Concord, Massachusetts, to Washington, D.C., with a letter to the President and an old flag capable of producing magical visions, no one doubts that she has the will or ability to do it. Along with her stepcousins Eleanor and Eddy, Georgie begins the Children's Crusade to stop the President from building a globally fatal nuclear bomb, known as the Peace Missile. But 450 miles is a long way to walk, and even as the Crusade picks up members along the way, its marchers can't help but wonder if their actions will make a difference, or if it is already too late....</p>

Customer Reviews:

A great story that works on many levels.......2004-11-10

Twenty years after it was first published, "The Fragile Flag" is still an entertaining story for children and adults alike. Of course, Jane Langton's clever satire works best for people who remember the 1980s. But sophisticated young readers should be able to decode the allegory even today.

The author has done a fine job capturing the childish earnestness of the mid-1980s disarmament movement, portraying it here as a literal band of children marching to Washington to protest deployment of the "Peace Missile," a sort of combination of two of the movement's bêtes noire, the "Peacekeeper" ICBM and the Strategic Defense Initiative, or "Star Wars." Singing "We Shall Overcome," no less, the children march south to face down a scheming, hyper-patriotic President. Few writers for young adults, in my experience, have so clearly revealed the Left's essential view of America, not as rational adults capable of debating policy on its merits, but rather as "a mighty swarm of children" (p. 264). Having them base their beliefs on fuzzy emotionalism and (drug-induced?) visions of all the people and animals going up in a ball of fire is just one example of the precision of her satire.

Of course, this book isn't just a simple allegory. Its elements of fantasy make it especially entertaining. In the real world, could a march like the Peace Pilgrimage have made it two blocks without the harpies from Child Protective Services descending on it? Would any sensible parent allow pre-teens to undertake an epic like this, not only unsupervised, but in the company of an infant? (That infant, by the way, is one of Langton's true gems. Not only does his name, Carrington, imply that even in his infancy he is "caring [a] ton" about the future of the earth, but it is also a clear dig at the fictional family from the TV series "Dynasty," a Reagan-era exemplar of the materialistic super-rich. Even Blake and Krystle, she seems to be saying, can redeem themselves by being born again [!] with the faith of precocious babies.) In fact, the world of rational adults -- of grown-ups with telling names like Mrs. Brisket and Miss Prawn, suggestive again of man's continual cruelty to animals -- is rejected entirely, so complete is the author's allegory.

Who needs Ann Coulter's sledgehammer when we've got Jane Langton's rapier? If she'd had her Peace Pilgrimage continue all the way down to Nicaragua, the littlest Sandalistas might have might have succeeded in souring Gen X on the Left entirely. Oh, for what could have been!

Inspirational.......2004-06-29

The fragile flag shows how one person's convictions can change the world. I was impressed by the author's lesson to children about their rights as Americans; that if you do not speak up to defend your rights, they will be taken away.

an important book for parents to discuss with their children.......2002-11-02

I read this book many years ago and I still have a copy on my shelf. I think all parents who have strong feelings about nuclear disarmament should read this to their children and use it as a jumping off point to discuss nuclear weapons, war, and the impact that softspoken leaders like Mahama Ghandi and little Georgie (the book's main character) can have when our nations' leaders let fear prevail over morality. I also believe it reminds those who seek to use the flag as a symbol of blind patriotism and allegiance to American military actions that pacifists can be patriots, too. There is so much to carry away from this simple, but elegantly written book that an elementary or junior high school student can understand and appreciate... it certainly speaks to many of the issues that are being debated in the current political climate.

GREAT!.......2001-08-18

I just got this book out of the library, and it was GREAT! I thought it looked dumb, but when I picked it up, I couldn't stop reading. Georgie leads the march and they walk to washington, DC. Preisident Toby isn't real, but the author makes him sound so real! My favorite characthers are Georgie and Weezie. To bad this book is out of print.

Still sticks in my head after 15 years!.......2000-01-11

I read this book when I was a kid! And it still sticks with me after all these years. All I remember is this chick walks to washington dc. Pretty cool though. I'd buy it if I were you. Too bad it's out of print.

Average customer rating:

Bike of Wonders!!!!
The Time Bike is the best book I've read
Trips in time
The Time Bike
charming and thought provoking

The Time Bike (Hall Family Chronicles)
Jane Langton
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Fragile Flag (Hall Family Chronicles (Numbered))
The Diamond in the Window (The Hall Family Chronicles)
The Fledgling
The Mysterious Circus (Hall Family Chronicles)
The Astonishing Stereoscope (Hall Family Chronicles, Book 3)

ASIN: B000C2GNMU

Book Description

The strangest things seem to happen to the Hall family--like the time Eddy and Eleanor had an adventure and found an enchanted diamond, or the summer their cousin Georgie flew with geese. Now their adventure is with time itself. It starts when Eddy receives an unusually large packing crate from his mysterious uncle, Prince Krishna, containing an old-fashioned bicycle, complete with a wicker basket--the kind of bike no self-respecting boy like Eddy would be caught dead riding.

The bike possesses more than just a basket, however: It possesses the ability to travel through time, and soon Eddy is on the ride of his life! But trips through time can have unpredictable results, and they're not without danger....

Newbery Honor author Jane Langton's sixth book about the extraordinary Hall family is a magical account of the perils--and surprises--of travel in the fourth dimension.

Customer Reviews:

Bike of Wonders!!!!.......2006-04-14

I am currently reading this novel. This is a great book and should have been a Newbery candidate!!!!

The Time Bike is the best book I've read.......2006-03-02

This book is about a boy who gets a bike for his birthday. The bike was the newest one in town. When the boy leaves it unchained on his front porch it gets stolen. A few days later a prince that is that is married to his older sister sends him a new bike from the 1980's but the boy didn't know that it was magic and could travel through time. The boy makes some big mistakes while traveling through the past and future. He makes a really big mistake but you will have to read the book to find out what it is.

I think you should read this book because it is a great fantasy book. It will really blow you back on your heals! It is also a great children's book. You should read it today.

-Brendan

Trips in time.......2005-02-04

Are you intrested in the past, or the future? Do you like science fiction? I do not, but if you do, The Time Bike is the book for you. The book is about a boy named, Eddy, who gets a mysterious bike. He doesn't know what kind of bike it is until he sees a clock on it. When he figures that it is a time bike, he uses it many times. I gave this book two stars because I liked some of the adventures that Eddy went on, but not all of them. For example, on one of them, Eddy went back in time to learn about Henry David Thoreau. One of the adventures that I liked was when Elenor (Eddy's sister) had a turn on the bike. I wish that I could go to some of the places they went. I was disappointed that I didn't learn about Mr. Thoreau when Eddy went back in time. I recommend this book to an eleven or twelve year old.

The Time Bike.......2004-04-18

Well The Time Bike is a great book to read in your spare time since its short but still I may be wrong ,right?If your 9,10,or 11 this book would be great for you.It might not be better then Jane Langton's other books like The Fledgling but i may be wrong I havn't read it yet but I am!I dont really want to give the book away but ill say one thing so im warning you if you dont want to know STOP READING NOW!Well if you choose to listen here it goes, dont say I didnt warn you:Eddy gets a bike and its a time bike.Since I dont want to tell everthing about the book and ruin it hmmm...thats all folks.Haha!Well for the One sentence 9 words summary.Haha!Ive got one more thing to say though.If you look I gave this book 5 stars because I like time well not like how I like math,science,and school.But time traveling would be how should I say this.....FUN!Not that I tried it but theres not a lot of time traveling in the book.The books about... at least I think its about a boy who gets a bike and finds out the bike is special very special and he wants to to change the world and history!Just read the book alredy!

charming and thought provoking.......2000-10-02

While not as wonderful as Diamond in the Window and the novels that follow (Swing in the Summerhouse, Astonishing Stereoscope, Fledgling, Fragile Flag) this is nonetheless a lovely, funny, thoughtful book and a worthwhile continuation in the saga of the eccentric Hall family of Concord, MA. I'm not sure how well it stands alone. The entire series is best appreciated in relation to the other novels (why, why, why doesn't the publisher put out a boxed set of paperbacks for the current genenration? )However, my children and I enjoyed it immensely, and we all hope against hope that Mrs. Langton will write more books in the series. They even inspired us to go to Concord for our spring break vacation last year!

Murder at the Gardner : A Novel of Suspense: A Homer Kelly Mystery (Penguin Crime Monthly)

Average customer rating:

Gripping plot and delightful story
Predictable mystery
lyrical and involving
Lyrical combination of mystery and art
waste of time

Murder at the Gardner : A Novel of Suspense: A Homer Kelly Mystery (Penguin Crime Monthly)
Jane Langton
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140113827

Book Description

After a series of seemingly harmless pranks at Boston's Isabella Gardner Museum, the trustees call in ex-detective and Harvard lecturer Homer Kelly to investigate.

But when art patron Madeline Hepplewhite is murdered after surprising the prankster, Homer has to answer questions a bit more pressing than "Who tied a balloon to the Cellini?"

"Langton tucks her tongue firmly in cheek before treating readers to a wild and wholly enjoyable ride on the trail of the dangerous trickster...An exceedingly charming mystery." (Publishers Weekly)

Customer Reviews:

Gripping plot and delightful story.......2005-05-30

What I like most about reading Jane Langton's Homer Kelly novels is that I get to enjoy a gripping plot while at the same time learning something. With this book, I got to learn about the Gardner Museum while I enjoyed the suspenseful story. And her murder mysteries are set in interesting and genteel places, so that I get the benefit of the suspense without having to feel like my soul is being dragged through all the darkest places in human consciousness. Ms. Langton's writing style is also very pleasant, and I enjoy the pace of her stories. I select her books when I want to be pleasantly entertained.

Predictable mystery.......2002-10-14

I picked this book up because I love both Boston and the Garder Museum. The author has clearly done her research. Unfortunately, it shows a bit too much. I read it three days after I visited the Gardner; I found myself wishing I'd read it before, so that I could bring it along to use as a guidebook. It sometimes felt as though the exposition on how Wonderful and Fabulous the Gardner Museum is (which it is) and where the Vermeer is placed (which I'm sure is correct) got in the way of the plot.

I should also say that I'm not a big fan of mystery novels where the killer is revealed early on. This was not a tightly-wound psychological mystery, so I REALLY wasn't a fan of the fact that the reader was more or less told who the killer was long, LONG before the conclusion of the book. It was a procedural. And I was thinking, "Okay, I know who did it, get to the point already."

That was a general problem with a lot of the plot-- things were a little bit too telegraphed for my taste, although I think that's a matter of personal preference. We're told who is in love with who, and we're given minor characters that are more stereotypes than anything else. When their stereotypical qualities start having a bearing on the plot, it irritates me, since these qualities are those that are not possessed by normal people out in the real world. Similarly, a bequest figures heavily in the book, and a big part of it is that no one knows what the bequest really will be. I-- let's just say I found myself wondering about whether or not the denoument of that plotline would ever have been played out in an actual museum.

On the other hand, I was really really anxious by one of the climactic moments of the book, which has more to do with the Gardner than the mystery, although a little of both. I was biting-my-nails anxious, even though I knew that the scene didn't really happen in the Real Life History of the Gardner. I love that museum, I really do. And certainly the book provides a nice overview of the place and its history and its eccentric but well-intentioned founder.

lyrical and involving.......2002-09-13

Jane Langton's mystery novels always present a detailed and engrossing picture of a small, intricately structured world and the people in it (here, the Gardner Museum in Boston). Her writing style is hard to describe -- it's seemingly effortless, yet lyrical at the same time, with hidden secondary meanings sprinkled here and there. A really fine book.

Lyrical combination of mystery and art.......1999-05-23

I was amazed to see that this book had only received one bad review. This is a wonderful book - one in a series of mysteries with a loveable absent-minded professor who speaks his mind and bumbles into all sorts of mischief while solving complex murders. The author also adds her own drawings, which are a nice touch. I highly recommend all the Homer Kelly mysteries-I have read them all - if you like your mysteries to have some weight too them. Not too fluffy, but not overly erudite either.

waste of time.......1996-01-03

Total waste of time. The characters are contrived, shallow and affected, the plot boring and predictable

Average customer rating:

I liked this mystery!

God in Concord (Homer Kelly Mystery)
Jane Langton
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0140165940

Customer Reviews:

I liked this mystery!.......2001-05-21

I loved Thoreau's Walden -- and therefore loved the backdrop of this mystery -- and I love mysteries, though I read only about 1/3 of the mysteries I pick up and this one was fun and one you can put down, as each chapter was rather a chocolate; the characters were foibled, the conversations spirited and it was engagingly plotted.

Average customer rating:

My first Homer Kelly mystery
Don't waste your time on this one.

Natural Enemy: A Homer Kelly Mystery
Jane Langton
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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God in Concord (Homer Kelly Mystery)

ASIN: 0140133933

Book Description

Edward Heron died gasping for breath, yellow-jackets swarming around him. Had his asthma finally killed him...or something more sinister?

Heron's death affects many people in his small New England community: spinster sisters, a real estate developer with an eye on Edward's property and a long time neighbor, Buddy Whipple.

Enter Homer Kelly, another neighbor, also a Thoreau scholar and an ex-detective. With the help of his nephew, an amateur naturalist, he goes to work on the case.

"Everything is just right. A wry perceptive talent at his best." (The New Republic)

Customer Reviews:

My first Homer Kelly mystery.......2006-07-30

I chose this book at the Library many years ago and liked it so much that I always look for a new Jane Langdon mystery and I am never disappointed when I find one. I have enjoyed following Homer and Mary as they grow older with me living life with humor and tolerance. I have loved the drawings found in each novel. May there be many more in this series in the future.

Don't waste your time on this one........2002-08-23

I am an avid fan of murder mystery books on tape so I looked forward eagerly to listening to my unabridged copy of "Natural Enemy".

From the beginning, the story was sluggish....so much so that the only reason I kept listening to it was that I'd paid for it and I didn't want to have wasted my money! Unfortunately, I am now finished with the book and find that I have wasted my time AND my money.

Some of the characters in the book are interesting and the "idea" of the story has some merit but it is way too drawn out and convoluted for my taste. Since the main character of the book is fascinated with entymology and the like, there are tedious descriptions of spiders, webs, flowers, trees in the nearby meadow, ad nauseum, that are related to situations in the story but are too contrived to be interesting.

I could have stopped reading at any moment and would not have cared what happened to any of the book's characters.
To be honest, I stopped just short of the end of the book. I couldn't take any more.

I don't usually leave negative reviews but this book has really earned it.

The Fledgling
Average customer rating:

Enjoyed it after I was finished reading.

Loved the book as a child and still do as an adult.

boring plot, good charactors

I'm Flying!!!

TO FLY: FAIRY OR SAINT?

The Fledgling
Jane Langton
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0590434519

Book Description

Approx. 4.5 hours 3 cassettes

A Newbery Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
A Children's Editors' Choice

It all started when Georgie, hardly more than a wisp of thistledown, discovered she could jump down twelve steps in two big graceful bounds. Next, to her great delight, she learned that jumping from the porch and floating as high as the rooftop was possible too. So when the mysterious Canada goose came to her window one night it seemed only natural to climb onto his back and go off with him to learn how to really fly.

Jane Langton spins a marvelous fantasy that wild delight all who dream that someday, somehow, we will magically find ourselves aloft and suddenly able to fly!

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyed it after I was finished reading. .......2006-07-23

Dichotomy --division into two usually contradictory parts. I struggled with putting pragmatic people and their pragmatic ways (yes, I know, like we adults) in the same plot line with a creative, imaginative little girl -- one who clearly lived in a fantasy world. Walt Disney Fantasia music with pictures would be fun to do with this work. I enjoyed mostly the fantasy part of the book which might mean I still have the child in me.

After finishing up, I liked the story; I agree with another reviewer that this is for older children who can say believing in Santa Claus is in their past.

Loved the book as a child and still do as an adult........2005-11-04

My review of this book probably won't help anyone since it's not an anlytical review, BUT all I can say is I read this book as young child and really, really loved it. I'm much older now and one day, somehow I just remembered this book and I went MAD trying to seek out a copy of the book for purchase at a local Barnes just because I wanted a copy. It is such a great fantasy book, and I remember it brought me to tears at the end. As a child, I identified with the character and easily fell in love with her upon reading it. Nothing pretentious about this book.

boring plot, good charactors.......2004-06-09

I was awfully bored to read about a goose that flys a child across a pond. though the story had a nice idea, it wasn't captured well, it could have been s short simple book. But writing it as a short novel was a mistake. The only thing I enjoyed about this book is the charactors. Langton did an excellent job of making outstanding charactors, as as Uncle Freddy. Besides that, I most certainly don't recommend it.

I'm Flying!!!.......2003-06-10

The Fledgling

Book review by Maddie

I read the book The Fledgling, by Jane Langton. She illustrated and wrote it. The genre is fantasy, which I have much sympathy for. For it may be easy to just make up any old thing out of your head and write it down, but I have learned from writing fantasy books, (because they are my favorite genre) that having a limit of magical powers is important. Because if you say at the beginning of your brilliant story, "There was a guy named Henry. Henry was unpopular. The special thing about Henry was he could fly." Then later in your story you have Henry get stuck in an icky, dirty, dungeon and he can't reach the open window, then you have to change that. Because I bet the readers know or still remember that Henry can easily fly out the window.
This story is about a young girl named Georgie. Georgie thinks she knows how to fly. After finding out she can jump down twelve steps in two graceful bounds she's sure she can fly.
Then one night a Canadian goose appears outside her window. It seems like the bird is telling her, "Come, climb onto my back and I'll teach you how to really fly." It seemed to Georgie that the only thing to do was to climb on his white and black, fluffy and soft, back and have a fascinating adventure flying over the whole town.
She meets the goose every night. She seemed to trust his shiny, black eyes. Soon she's flying all by herself. But there's one problem, this terrible Ralph Preek will do anything to stop her goose from coming. Hunting season is coming up, Ralph Preek gets all hands on his gun... To see what happens next, you'll have to read this amazing, fantastic book!!!
The story takes place in a little town near Walden Pond. The geese are stopping at Walden Pond because that's part of their migration. Georgie lives at No.4o Walden Street.
Georgie is a very creative little girl that is not one of those fancy girls that walks around in a perfectly sewed velvet dress that doesn't have a speck of dirt on it. She's more casual type. She has a little "bush house" that she plays tea party in. The rocks are cups, the leaves make good seats, and the one big rock in the middle is the table.
Eleanor is a happy, determined young girl who never gives up. She cheers Georgie up, and even tries to get Georgie a friend. Eleanor still has her bad times too. She once made a beautiful yellow dress with orange spots on it. She was positive everyone at school would like her new dress!!! When she came home from school, she ripped her dress up and screamed, "A giraffe! I look like a giraffe! Robert Toby called me a giraffe!" (On page 115).
Eddy is a very supportive brother. He always seems to know what to say at the right time. When Georgie put to much frosting on the cake, Eddy says, "You can't have to much frosting on a cake!" (On page 115). Eddy always has a new way to look at things. One time Georgie jumps down the stairs, but she falls. Eddy then explains to her that nobody can fly, but you can leap. Then he shows her how to leap down the stairs.
This book is a very nicely written book. It really has a way to get to you. Like when it says, "and hunting season was over." You get a sigh of relief, because you know, "Yes! Now Ralph Preek can't kill the goose!" but then Ralph sets his watch five minutes slow so hunting season is still going! You become overwhelmed with things to say like, "That's not fair!" or, "That's against the law!" you get extremely intense. I think that shows a good book, because that must be hard to do.
Eleanor reminds me of my sister. Always standing up for me, and never scared to try something new. She can get mad, but she's mostly nice, just like Eleanor.
Georgie reminds me of Stanley, in the beginning of the book Holes. Stanley is unpopular and he doesn't have any friends. Georgie is really unpopular also, and she wouldn't even think of having friends.
Its funny, when I read the sentence "Hard work was something Miss Prawn knew how to do", on page 36, the first think I thought of was my mom and dad. They work their heads off taking impeccable care of me and three other children.
I don't think that you will ever find a book like this one, so if you want a good book to read, pick this one. Don't worry, it has an interesting ending, which is like no other book I've read, so I don't think I can relate to any other book. You'll have to read this supreme book that is definitely worth reading.

TO FLY: FAIRY OR SAINT?.......2003-02-01

Chalk up yet another book in the Kid and Bird category! Eight-year-old Georgie is small and spindly for her age; she looks much younger and even insists that she can fly! Her attempts using the stairs to launch her slender frame into space cause her family (mother, step-father and half siblings) great concern--enough to lead the teenagers to privately form the Georgie Protection Society.

When a flock of migrating Canadian geese takes up temporary residence at Walden Pond, she feels an unexplained but special affinity with an old, single gander.
The proud loner spots her red hair and tries to make friendly contact with one of humankind's most receptive ambassadors. In her own childish mind she names him the Goose Prince.

But other eyes and spying and prying into their private dream world: the snooty new neighbor, Miss Madeline Prawan, who plants plastic roses in her garden! Her boss at the bank, Mr. Ralph Preek, is even worse; he wages an unreasonable but deadly vendetta against the old goose, who is not only harmless, but seems to want to bestow a special gift upon this unqiue child.

Can the GPS foil the cruel intentions of enemies of the Goose Prince? Will this little girl really be able to fly, or is it just a a hallucination: if she has lost touch with reality, how about the adults who savor the hunting season? Can profit be made if she turns out to be some kind of levitating saint? And just what is the unique present which the old goose finds, to later share with his flying companion? A curious fantasy for young readers, who will actually learn something about Henry David Thoreau, who immortalized Concord's Walden Pond.

The Dante Game: A Homer Kelly Mystery
Average customer rating:

The Missing Mystery

where was the mystery?!

A Great Mystery, but something missing

a fun read

Well-plotted, great setting

The Dante Game: A Homer Kelly Mystery
Jane Langton
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Series | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0140138870

Book Description

The Dante Game takes Homer Kelly to magnificent, mysterious Florence, where he finds himself entangled in a mystery of murdered lovers, the disappearance of a star pupil, and a heroin ring shut down by the Pope's antidrug campaign.

Customer Reviews:

The Missing Mystery.......2004-09-28

This is an odd and ultimately unsatisfying book. The premise (a Game that revolves aroung Dante and the Divine Comedy) sounds wonderful, but it is completely under utilized and finally dropped completely. The settings and descriptions are well done, and the pictures scattered about the book are a nice touch. But the confusing thing is that Ms. Langton has a very bizzare concept of what constitutes a 'mystery.' For example, in a traditional mystery, the reader does not learn who the villian is on page 6! This strange technique basically removes any mystery to the story, and turns it into a not-so-thrilling thriller. Thus, this book's only saving grace is the descriptions of Florence, which is enough to elevate it above one star... barely.

where was the mystery?!.......2002-08-06

Pretty much of the story's outcome is evident before the reader is half way through the book. There is really only one "surprise" at the ending and I felt that it got wrapped up a little too neatly and quickly. There is some suspense, but it builds in choppy intervals and deflates, only to be pumped up again.

A number of ideas and characters didn't really go anywhere. The idea of a bumbling American academic involved in uncovering a major criminal conspiracy has much potential, but here Homer Kelly is a regular annoyance and the book could've done without him. Further, Julia's discovery of herself in Florence and in captivity could've have also thickened the stew and deepened her character, but instead Langton has her do a "Patty Hearst turn" and then repent - so we're told. She gets a hubby and a kid at the end but we understand little of her entry into redeeming domesticity.

The best character in the novel is the city of Florence, and Langton reaches genuine literary heights at the close of the book with her philosophical musings on the city and its history. There are also some amusing motifs, one being the portrayal of romantically-inclined, college-age students and their "like, you know" indifference to Florence's splendid cultural treasures. Methinks Langton may have once done an unsatisfying stint in a "study abroad" program.

The Dante Game is likely to satisfy those about to travel to Florence or who have just returned. Mystery buffs are better advised to read the classics: P.D. James, Martha Grimes. etc.

A Great Mystery, but something missing.......2002-06-11

This is the second Jane Langton mystery I have read and I enjoyed it more than "Dead as a Dodo." Langton's scenic descriptions of Florence are tempting to those who have never been there. However, as with the aforementioned novel, she comes up short with the character development. You are indeed kept guessing until the end, but when you finally get there it is hard to feel empathy, disgust or anything at all. The characters seem complex, but we never get to see those complexities revealed, and when they are, it is in a hurried fashion to tie up loose ends.

The book will appeal to anyone involved with university academia, anyone who has been to Florence, or anyone interested in the socio-political climate surrounding the Vatican. The writing is versatile and the cast of characters is amusing. I am not sure "A Homer Kelly Mystery" is an apt description because he is not featured in any special way in the novel and is one of the least interesting characters.

Overall, a good airplane read.

a fun read.......2000-11-10

I had just returned from Florence when I started _The Dante Game_ and it proved extremely helpful in easing the pangs of withdrawal. All the place descriptions and the drawings were exactly as I'd just experienced. The front flyleaf had an illustration of the street scene that was the exact view from my pensione window. And the story itself was fun and fast-paced. I do wish the characters had more depth, however. A lot was said about their looks (but no pictures, which I thought odd considering there were illustrations of all the sights they visited, so why not include sketches of the people, when their descriptions were just as prominent in the book) and a lot was expected to be gleaned from these descriptions, especially the near saintliness of the stunning woman at the center of it all and the unlikability of the oafish fat boy, which was just a tad too convenient, I thought, and not especially fair. But this makes it sound as if I didn't like the story, which I did. Also, I can't say enough about the beautiful illustrations of Florence's views. I sighed at the sight of each one.

Well-plotted, great setting.......1999-10-19

I haven't read the rest of the series, but enjoyed this one. Very well-plotted. If you're lucky enough to be in Florence when you read it, you'll enjoy all the references to locations. It works well, and whetted my appetite for more by this author.

Authors:

Authors

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