ProductWiki

Bridge to Terabithia

Sat, 03 Dec 2005 11:52:23 -0500

Being the fastest runner is the most important thing to Jess Aaaron as he enters the fifth grade. Unfortunately for him, his new next door neighbour, Leslie Burke, is the one to gain that honour. The two children soon become best friends, creating a world of their own that they call Terabithia.

A Swiftly Titling Planet

Sat, 03 Dec 2005 11:34:50 -0500

The third book in Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quartet has 15 year old Charles Wallace Murry fighting evil once again. The Murry children may have grown from their Wrinkle in Time days, but they face the same challenges, as they must stop an evil dictator from destroying the universe with a nuclear war.

On Beauty

Sat, 26 Nov 2005 01:25:10 -0500

From the Publisher

Howard Belsey, a Rembrandt scholar who doesn't like Rembrandt, is an Englishman abroad and a long-suffering professor at Wellington, a liberal New England arts college. He has been married for thirty years to Kiki, an American woman who no longer resembles the sexy activist she once was. Their three children passionately pursue their own paths: Levi quests after authentic blackness, Zora believes that intellectuals can redeem everybody, and Jerome struggles to be a believer in a family of strict atheists. Faced with the oppressive enthusiasms of his children, Howard feels that the first two acts of his life are over and he has no clear plans for the finale. Or the encore.

Then Jerome, Howard's older son, falls for Victoria, the stunning daughter of the right-wing icon Monty Kipps, and the two families find themselves thrown together in a beautiful corner of America, enacting a cultural and personal war against the background of real wars that they barely register. An infidelity, a death, and a legacy set in motion a chain of events that sees all parties forced to examine the unarticulated assumptions which underpin their lives. How do you choose the work on which to spend your life? Why do you love the people you love? Do you really believe what you claim to? And what is the beautiful thing, and how far will you go to get it?

Set on both sides of the Atlantic, Zadie Smith's third novel is a brilliant analysis of family life, the institution of marriage, intersections of the personal and political, and an honest look at people's deceptions. It is also, as you might expect, very funny indeed.

Breaking Dawn

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 13:42:41 -0400

Eclipse

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 13:38:30 -0400

Mein Kampf

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 13:00:05 -0400

Mein Kampf, in English: My Struggle, is a book by Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology.

The Top 5 Money Mistakes People Make and How to Fix Them

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:31:56 -0400

How can poeple hang on to more of their money? This book looks at the top 5 money mistakes people make which include: Emergency Funds, Spending Plans, Car Loans, Credit Cards and Debt Management, and Home Loans. Discusses how we traditionally do these wrong which costs us a lot of money, and makes recommendations on what to do.

Online classes are also available which reflect the book. Online personal money management classes are a great way to learn fast. Normally the class is $25/person, but use the discount code PWiki01 and you can attend for free until October 1, 2007 to see if you like it.

Essential Bond: The Authorized Guide to the World of 007

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 06:32:39 -0400

The Bond name is synonymous with high-tech gadgets, beautiful women, deadly spies and action-packed, death defying adventure. There's no one else like James Bond around. There have been nearly twenty films about him, there are more than sixty websites dedicated to him, and it's estimated that more than a quarter of the planet has seen at least one Bond film.

Now, fans can enter the world of 007 like never before, with this meticulously researched guide that examines all the top-secret details of the cinematic Bond missions. Officially endorsed by the Bond film producers, it features fascinating facts and behind-the-scenes stories as well as more than 250 rare production photos, cinema posters and product advertisements.

Return of the Bunny Suicides

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 18:51:07 -0500

Return of the Bunny Suicides is the second in the series of black comedy cartoons depicting bunnies attempting to kill themselves through numerous ridiculous and morbid methods. This book features many more Rube Goldberg machines than the first collection.

Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 20:21:23 -0500

Artemis has survived his encounter with the fairy folk, but a new threat now arises. His long lost father, killed in an "accident" involving explosives and soda, may actually be alive. This is little more than hope, but the evidence supports it. Not all things are well though. It would seem his father is being held by the russian mafia. He can't rescue his father without help. Help from his former enemies, the faries. But will they help him?

Ark Angel

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 19:51:25 -0500

Alex has survived his encounter with a snipers bullet, but will he live much longer? MI6 wants him to investigate a billionare funding the new space tourism industry, starting with the overbudget Ark Angel hotel. This is put at a lower priority however when a new terrorist group claiming to be environmentalists are trying to sabotage the project. Alex becomes caught between the two investigations, but he cant shake the feeling that the two are connected. Of course they cant be, this billionare is busy with the Ark Angel project. So why does this terroist group have a vendeta for anything involved with Ark Angel and its supplyer.

Scorpia

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 19:44:26 -0500

Alex Riders father has been gone for as long as he can remember. When he learns that the very organization he is working for killed him;he turns to MI6's enemies, a terrorist organization known as Scorpia. The terrorists take him under their wing, trying to use him against MI6 as they used Alex. He will learn the truths of both the organizations he works for, and will piece together the information to choose which side he will be on. Another globally threatening problem is in play, but will Alex help or hinder its devestation.

Eagle Strike

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 19:03:08 -0500

The fourth book in the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. M16 has been watching a billionare known as Damian Cray. He has donated millions to charities and heads many environmental protection agencies. He seems like the least likely person to cause trouble on a global scale. But something dosen't sit right with him, his records seem to be missing pieces. Alex is sent to investigate, becoming mixed up in an evil plot to cleanse the world. Alex has only ninety seconds to save us all from disaster.

Skeleton Key

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 18:57:40 -0500

The third book in the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. Now Alex must investigate a russian billionare who is quite possibly clinically insane. There have been many murders traced to the russian, but he is not giving anything up. Alex will insert himself into the russians life, hoping to discover the russians plan before something terrible occurs.

Point Blank

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 18:51:25 -0500

The second book in the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. Alex has recently completed his first mission for M16, only to be dragged back into danger. M16 sends Alex to France, where he will attend a boarding school know as Point Blanc. The schools attendents are all the sons of very rich and powerful businessmen. Many of these childrens fathers seem to be diapearing under "mysterious circumstances." The school seems to be at the center of all this, but how do they tie in?

A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 10:50:11 -0400

I dont have two lives, Annie Leibovitz writes in the Introduction to this collection of her work from 19902005. This is one life, and the personal pictures and the assignment work are all part of it. Portraits of well-known figures Johnny Cash, Nicole Kidman, Joan Didion. The images form an essay for a very interesting and unique life, with photography at its core.

Added from www.amazon.com

Garfield Gains Weight

Sun, 06 Aug 2006 12:35:04 -0400

In this collection of comic strips Garfield, an overweight, lazy, and cantankerous cat taxes the patience of his owner, Jon, with his humorous antics.

Garfield Rolls On

Sun, 06 Aug 2006 12:35:03 -0400

The irrepressible, lasagna-loving feline continues his zany adventures and misadventures with Jon, Odie, and other familiar companions, in a full-color, larger-format edition of his eleventh collection of comic strips.

Garfield Out to Lunch

Sun, 06 Aug 2006 12:35:00 -0400

When food is your life, it's hard to think of anything else. Still, Garfield manages. Whether it's time to clean out Jon's drawers his way, finding a hiding place that's too good, or discovering he can sleep in any position, half the fun of Garfield is watching his between-meal antics. In his twelfth book, he's up to his usual tricks, and that's all his fans need to hear.<br>

Garfield at Large

Sun, 06 Aug 2006 12:34:58 -0400

A collection of Garfield comic strips presented in a large, full-color format.

Girlbomb: A Halfway Homeless Memoir

Wed, 07 Jun 2006 16:34:30 -0400

Janice Erlbaum tells of her tumultous teens as she stumbled through homeless shelters and group homes. A runaway at 15, she embarked on a path of self-destruction through the 1980s. Coupled with a dangerous drug addiction, Erlbaum shows the gritty underside of an girl's world.

Added from www.amazon.com

The Doctor's Daughter

Tue, 30 May 2006 12:36:59 -0400

This is Hilma Wolitzer's long-awaited novel, her first in over 12 years. It tells the story of a disturbed middle-aged woman, whose once brilliant surgeon father is deteriorating with Alzheimer's disease, and whose youngest child may be a drug addict. To top it off, one of her long-suppressed memories is coming to the surface.

Added from www.amazon.com

Apartment Therapy : The Eight-Step Home Cure

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 09:47:35 -0400

"Decorating a home is just plain stressful! Maxwell's book offers a way out; it's like hiring a pro (without the attitude or expense). He takes us by the hand and gently guides us through the entire process, from coming up with a plan to executing it without going broke. Whether you're just dipping in for a quick hit of inspiration, or committing to the whole eight week cure, your home -- and life -- will be better because of it."--Angela Matusik, Editor-in-Chief,

Added from www.amazon.com

Red Rabbit

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 03:16:16 -0400

Long before he was President or head of the CIA, before he fought terrorist attacks on the Super Bowl or the White House, even before a submarine named Red October made its perilous way across the Atlantic, Jack Ryan was a historian, teacher, and recent ex-Marine temporarily living in England while researching a book. A series of deadly encounters with an IRA splinter group had brought him to the attention of the CIA's Deputy Director, Vice Admiral James Greer-as well as his counterpart with the British SIS, Sir Basil Charleston-and when Greer asked him if he wanted to come aboard as a freelance analyst, Jack was quick to accept. The opportunity was irresistible, and he was sure he could fit it in with the rest of his work.

The Thin Place

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 12:06:03 -0500

Traveling between this world and the other, humans and other species, this story will take you places only seen in dreams. Humorous, sensitive and engaging, The Thin Place will leave you wanting more.

W-ZERO3 Guide Book

Sun, 22 Jan 2006 13:45:51 -0500

The Woman at the Washington Zoo

Wed, 04 Jan 2006 17:11:21 -0500

The Woman at the Washington Zoo: Writings on Politics, Family, and Fate

This collection of works written by Marjorie Williams was put together posthumously, after the author died sadly of liver cancer. The book is edited by her husband, and Slate editor, Timothy Noah.

Memories of My Melancholy Whores

Wed, 04 Jan 2006 16:41:01 -0500

From the Publisher

"On the eve of his ninetieth birthday, our unnamed protagonist - an undistinguished journalist and lifelong bachelor - decides to give himself 'the gift of a night of wild love with an adolescent virgin.' The virgin, whom an old madam procures for him, is splendidly young, with the silent power of a sleeping beauty. The night of love blossoms into a transforming year. It is a year in which he relives, in a rush of memories, his lifetime of (paid-for) sexual adventures and experiences a revelation that brings him to the edge of dying - not of old age, but, at long last, of uncorrupted love.

Michelin Guide New York City 2006

Wed, 04 Jan 2006 14:43:29 -0500

From the Publisher

It's the guide series that USA TODAY calls "the gastronomic bible for international travelers"-and now Michelin's celebrated restaurant and hotel guide comes to the Big Apple. After combing New York's eateries and accommodations, Michelin's anonymous inspectors provide their unparalleled guidance to help you choose the perfect restaurant or hotel to suit any occasion or budget.

Inside the premier edition of the Michelin Guide New York City you'll find:

a selection of restaurants organized by level of comfort; those with the best cuisine have been awarded our renowned Michelin stars (* to ***)
recipes from Michelin star-rated restaurants
a selection of hotels in Manhattan
colorful maps that make locating recommended restaurants and hotels easy

From the best casual, neighborhood eateries to the city's most impressive gourmet restaurants, the Michelin Guide New York City provides trusted advice for an unbeatable experience, every time.

Daughter of Fortune

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 20:10:59 -0500

From the Publisher

From acclaimed international bestselling author Isabel Allende comes this dazzling historical novel, a sweeping portrait of an unconventional woman carving her own destiny in an era defined by violence, passion, and adventure. An orphan raised in Valparaiso, Chile, by a Victorian spinster and her rigid brother, young, vivacious Eliza Sommers follows her lover to California during the Gold Rush of 1849 -- a danger-filled quest that will become a momentous journey of transformation. In this rough-and-tumble world of panhandlers and prostitutes, immigrants and aristocrats, Eliza will discover a new life of freedom, independence, and a love greater than any ever dreamed.

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 20:09:45 -0500

From the Publisher

One of the 20th century's enduring works, One Hundred Years of Solitude is a widely beloved and acclaimed novel known throughout the world, and the ultimate achievement in a Nobel Prizewinning career.

The novel tells the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. It is a rich and brilliant chronicle of life and death, and the tragicomedy of humankind. In the noble, ridiculous, beautiful, and tawdry story of the Buendía family, one sees all of humanity, just as in the history, myths, growth, and decay of Macondo, one sees all of Latin America.

Love and lust, war and revolution, riches and poverty, youth and senility -- the variety of life, the endlessness of death, the search for peace and truth -- these universal themes dominate the novel. Whether he is describing an affair of passion or the voracity of capitalism and the corruption of government, Gabriel García Márquez always writes with the simplicity, ease, and purity that are the mark of a master.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 20:08:07 -0500

From the Publisher

With the publication of her first novel, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, Carson McCullers, all of twenty-three, became a literary sensation. With its profound sense of moral isolation and its compassionate glimpses into its characters' inner lives, the novel is considered McCullers' finest work, an enduring masterpiece first published by Houghton Mifflin in 1940.

At its center is the deaf-mute John Singer, who becomes the confidant for various types of misfits in a Georgia mill town during the 1930s. Each one yearns for escape from small town life. When Singer's mute companion goes insane, Singer moves into the Kelly house, where Mick Kelly, the book'sheroine (and loosely based on McCullers), finds solace in her music.

A Fine Balance

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 20:04:45 -0500

From the Publisher

With a compassionate realism and narrative sweep that recall the work of Charles Dickens, this magnificent novel captures all the cruelty and corruption, dignity and heroism, of India. The time is 1975. The place is an unnamed city by the sea. The government has just declared a State of Emergency, in whose upheavals four strangers -- a spirited widow, a young student uprooted from his idyllic hill station, and two tailors who have fled the caste violence of their native village -- will be thrust together, forced to share one cramped apartment and an uncertain future.

As the characters move from distrust to friendship and from friendship to love, A Fine Balance creates an enduring panorama of the human spirit in an inhuman state.

Cane River

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 20:02:56 -0500

From the Publisher

Mingling historical fact with fiction, Lalita Tademy's epic novel is based on the lives of four generations of African American women and is the result of years of exhaustive research and an obsessive odyssey to uncover her family's past.

Cry, The Beloved Country

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 20:00:30 -0500

From the Publisher

Cry, the Beloved Country is a beautifully told and profoundly compassionate story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son Absalom, set in the troubled and changing South Africa of the 1940s.

The book is written with such keen empathy and understanding that to read it is to share fully in the gravity of the characters' situations. It both touches your heart deeply and inspires a renewed faith in the dignity of mankind. Cry, the Beloved Country is a classic tale, passionately African, timeless and universal, and beyond all, selfless.

A Summer of Faulkner

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 19:56:58 -0500

Set Contains - As I Lay Dying, The Sound and the Fury and Light in August.

From the Publisher

The 2005 Summer Selection is available in an exclusive three volume boxed edition that includes a special reader's guide with an introduction by Oprah Winfrey.

East of Eden

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 19:54:52 -0500

From the Publisher

The biblical account of Cain and Abel is echoed in the history of two generations of the Trask family in California.

A Million Little Pieces

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 19:52:20 -0500

From the Publisher

"Imagine waking up on a plane. You have no idea where you have been or where you are going, you have no memory of the preceding two weeks." "Imagine that your front four teeth have been knocked out, your nose is broken, and there is a gash on your cheek. Imagine that you have no wallet, no money, no job." "Imagine the police in three states are looking for you." "Imagine that you have been an alcoholic for ten years and a crack addict for three. What would you do? What would you do?" When he entered a residential treatment center at the age of twenty-three, James Frey had destroyed his body and his mind almost beyond repair. He faced a stark choice: accept that he wasn't going to see twenty-four or step into the fallout of his smoking wreck of a life and take drastic action. Surrounded by patients as troubled as he - including a judge, a mobster, a former world-champion boxer, and a fragile former prostitute - and a droning dogma of How to Recover, Frey had to fight to find his own way to confront the consequences of the life he had lived so far, and to determine what future, if any, he holds. A Million Little Pieces is an uncommonly genuine account of a life destroyed and a life reconstructed.

Memoirs of a Geisha

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 11:22:36 -0500

This is the story of a fisherman's daughter who is taken from her family and transported to an unknown world.

Nine-year-old Chiyo is sold into slavery and quickly learns survival as she transforms herself into the most famous geisha in history, Sayuri. An unconventional love story follows Sayuri as she makes her way through a complicated world of jealousy, facades, and finally kindness.

The Kite Runner

Thu, 15 Dec 2005 10:45:39 -0500

The incredible New York Times Bestseller tells the story of an Afghan immigrant in America.

After establishing himself as a successful novelist in California, Amir is haunted by a past in Kabul which involved a betrayal to his best friend. Fueled by guilt and redemption, Amir decides to return to Kabul and find the son of his friend who is rumoured to be in a seemingly impossible situation.

The Kite Runner is a heart warming tale that will take you across oceans and countries and give you a unique perspective on a forgotten land ruled by mountains, military and, surprisingly, hope.

The Complete Far Side: Volume 1-2

Wed, 14 Dec 2005 11:42:49 -0500

A masterpiece of comic brilliance, The Complete Far Side contains every Far Side cartoon ever syndicated-over 4,000 if you must know-presented in (more or less) chronological order by year of publication, with more than 1,100 that have never before appeared in a book. Also included are additional Far Side cartoons Larson created after his retirement: 13 that appeared in the last Far Side book, Last Chapter and Worse, and six cartoons that periodically ran as a special feature in The New York Times' Science Times section as The Far Side of Science. Creator Gary Larson offers a rare glimpse into the mind of The Far Side in quirky and thoughtful introductions to each of the 14 chapters. Complaint letters, fan letters, and queries from puzzled readers appear alongside some of the more provocative or elusive panels. Actor, author, and comedian Steve Martin offers his pithy thoughts in a foreword and Gary Larson's former editor describes what it was like to be "the guy who could explain every Far Side cartoon."

Many Waters

Sat, 03 Dec 2005 11:46:29 -0500

The last book in Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quartet series, this book finally gives the twins, Sandy and Dennys, a chance to go on an adventure of their own. Another brilliant time travel adventure, Sandy and Dennys, must return back to their own home and time before the Many Waters make their appearance.

A Wind in the Door

Sat, 03 Dec 2005 11:40:44 -0500

"There are dragons in the twins' vegetable garden."

The second book in Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quartet starts with this declaration from Charles Wallace. The story follows Meg and her friend Calvin O'Keefe as they fight to save Charles Wallace from his strange and serious illness.

New Moon

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 13:37:18 -0400

Twilight

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 13:36:36 -0400

Virus of the Mind

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 12:49:00 -0400

Virus of the Mind is the first popular book devoted to the science of memetics, a controversial new field that transcends psychology, biology, anthropology, and cognitive science. Memetics is the science of memes, the invisible but very real DNA of human society.

In Virus of the Mind, Richard Brodie carefully builds on the work of scientists Richard Dawkins, Douglas Hofstadter, Daniel Dennett, and others who have become fascinated with memes and their potential impact on our lives. But Brodie goes beyond science and dives into the meat of the issue: is the emergence of this new science going to have an impact on our lives.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 09:52:49 -0400

Tyrannical Nurse Ratched rules her ward in an Oregon State mental hospital with a strict and unbending routine, unopposed by her patients, who remain cowed by mind-numbing medication and the threat of electric shock therapy. But her regime is disrupted by the arrival of McMurphy - the swaggering, fun-loving trickster with a devilish grin who resolves to oppose her rules on behalf of his fellow inmates.

A Clockwork Orange

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 09:47:12 -0400

In Anthony Burgess's nightmare vision of youth culture in revolt, fifteen-year-old Alex and his friends set out on a diabolical orgy of robbery, rape, torture and murder. Alex is jailed for his teenage delinquency and the State tries to reform him - but at what cost?

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 18:33:52 -0500

A renegade pixy is attempting to expose the fairies existance to the humans. But why would thisd rich seuccesful pixie do that? Its up to Artemis and the member of L.E.P Recon to expose the truth about her exploits.

Garfield Weighs in: His 4th Book

Sun, 06 Aug 2006 12:35:01 -0400

Now in full-color format, this classic collection contains hilarious cartoons of the irrepressible Garfield scoring victories for gluttony, lethargy, and felines and includes Garfield's own opinionated biography of his creator and his unique history of dogs. Original.

Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:42:17 -0500

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:42:08 -0500

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:41:59 -0500

The Red Pyramid

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:41:47 -0500

The Overton Window

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:41:43 -0500

Bossypants

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:33:01 -0500

Freedom: A Novel

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:42:39 -0500

Mockingjay

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:42:23 -0500

The Secret

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:31:55 -0400

Knock 'Em Dead

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:15:54 -0500

What Color is Your Parachute?

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:15:41 -0500

Sh*t My Dad Says

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:42:43 -0500

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:42:38 -0500

Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:42:34 -0500

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:42:30 -0500

Dead in the Family

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:42:26 -0500

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:42:16 -0500

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:42:12 -0500

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:42:08 -0500

Faithful Place

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:42:04 -0500

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:41:56 -0500

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:41:52 -0500

The Handmaid's Tale

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:40:24 -0400

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 11:42:09 -0500

It's difficult to imagine a harder first act to follow than The Kite Runner: a debut novel by an unknown writer about a country many readers knew little about that has gone on to have over four million copies in print worldwide. But when preview copies of Khaled Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, started circulating, readers reacted with a unanimous enthusiasm that few of us could remember seeing before. As special as The Kite Runner was, those readers said, A Thousand Splendid Suns is more so, bringing Hosseini's compassionate storytelling and his sense of personal and national tragedy to a tale of two women that is weighted equally with despair and grave hope.