Author: Olivia Hussey
Publisher: Kensington
ISBN: 1496717082
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 353
Book Description
In 1968, at only sixteen years old, Olivia Hussey became one of the most famous faces in the world, immortalized as the definitive Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo & Juliet. Now the iconic girl on the balcony shares the ups and downs of her truly remarkable life and career . . . The part was an opportunity of a lifetime for a simple girl from Buenos Aires, Argentina. But for Olivia, the role of movie star was hard to play, and harder still, to live up to. In this candid memoir, she tells her story—from being an “It Girl” in swinging 60s London and her enduring friendship with Romeo & Juliet co-star Leonard Whiting, through three tumultuous marriages—including one with Dean Martin’s son, Dino—motherhood, stage-four breast cancer, debilitating agoraphobia, bankruptcy, and ultimately, a journey of self-discovery in India that led her on a path to fulfillment. She brings readers intimately close to the legendary performers she knew, loved, worked with, and battled, including The Beatles, Vanessa Redgrave, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Anthony Perkins, Christopher Reeve, Lawrence Olivier, Ingrid Bergman, and more. Olivia also finally reveals for the first time, the identity of the actor—a fellow young newcomer—who raped her, but who would not break her. Featuring a foreword by her star-making director Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey’s memoir shines with her luminous spirit—inspiring, surprising, and fascinating to read about.
The Girl on the Balcony
Author: Olivia Hussey
Publisher: Kensington
ISBN: 1496717082
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 353
Book Description
In 1968, at only sixteen years old, Olivia Hussey became one of the most famous faces in the world, immortalized as the definitive Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo & Juliet. Now the iconic girl on the balcony shares the ups and downs of her truly remarkable life and career . . . The part was an opportunity of a lifetime for a simple girl from Buenos Aires, Argentina. But for Olivia, the role of movie star was hard to play, and harder still, to live up to. In this candid memoir, she tells her story—from being an “It Girl” in swinging 60s London and her enduring friendship with Romeo & Juliet co-star Leonard Whiting, through three tumultuous marriages—including one with Dean Martin’s son, Dino—motherhood, stage-four breast cancer, debilitating agoraphobia, bankruptcy, and ultimately, a journey of self-discovery in India that led her on a path to fulfillment. She brings readers intimately close to the legendary performers she knew, loved, worked with, and battled, including The Beatles, Vanessa Redgrave, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Anthony Perkins, Christopher Reeve, Lawrence Olivier, Ingrid Bergman, and more. Olivia also finally reveals for the first time, the identity of the actor—a fellow young newcomer—who raped her, but who would not break her. Featuring a foreword by her star-making director Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey’s memoir shines with her luminous spirit—inspiring, surprising, and fascinating to read about.
Publisher: Kensington
ISBN: 1496717082
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 353
Book Description
In 1968, at only sixteen years old, Olivia Hussey became one of the most famous faces in the world, immortalized as the definitive Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo & Juliet. Now the iconic girl on the balcony shares the ups and downs of her truly remarkable life and career . . . The part was an opportunity of a lifetime for a simple girl from Buenos Aires, Argentina. But for Olivia, the role of movie star was hard to play, and harder still, to live up to. In this candid memoir, she tells her story—from being an “It Girl” in swinging 60s London and her enduring friendship with Romeo & Juliet co-star Leonard Whiting, through three tumultuous marriages—including one with Dean Martin’s son, Dino—motherhood, stage-four breast cancer, debilitating agoraphobia, bankruptcy, and ultimately, a journey of self-discovery in India that led her on a path to fulfillment. She brings readers intimately close to the legendary performers she knew, loved, worked with, and battled, including The Beatles, Vanessa Redgrave, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Anthony Perkins, Christopher Reeve, Lawrence Olivier, Ingrid Bergman, and more. Olivia also finally reveals for the first time, the identity of the actor—a fellow young newcomer—who raped her, but who would not break her. Featuring a foreword by her star-making director Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey’s memoir shines with her luminous spirit—inspiring, surprising, and fascinating to read about.
The Girl on the Balcony
Author: Olivia Hussey
Publisher: Kensington Books
ISBN: 149671721X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 335
Book Description
The 1960s starlet, immortalized on the silver screen as Juliet, tells her story in this celebrity biography—with a forward by director Franco Zeffirelli. In 1968, sixteen-year-old Olivia Hussey became one of the most famous faces in the world, immortalized as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's classic film Romeo & Juliet. For a simple girl from Buenos Aires, Argentina, the role was an opportunity of a lifetime. But for Olivia, the role of movie star wasn't so easy to play. In this candid memoir, Hussey tells her story from her time as an “It Girl” in swinging 60s London through her three tumultuous marriages—including one with Dean Martin's son, Dino. Over the years, she experienced motherhood, stage-four breast cancer, debilitating agoraphobia, bankruptcy, and ultimately, a journey of self-discovery in India that led her on a path to fulfillment. Hussey shares intimate memories of the legendary performers she knew, loved, worked with, and battled, including The Beatles, Vanessa Redgrave, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Anthony Perkins, Christopher Reeve, Lawrence Olivier, Ingrid Bergman, and more. Olivia also opens up for the first time about the trauma of being raped by her boyfriend just a year after Romeo & Juliet came out.
Publisher: Kensington Books
ISBN: 149671721X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 335
Book Description
The 1960s starlet, immortalized on the silver screen as Juliet, tells her story in this celebrity biography—with a forward by director Franco Zeffirelli. In 1968, sixteen-year-old Olivia Hussey became one of the most famous faces in the world, immortalized as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's classic film Romeo & Juliet. For a simple girl from Buenos Aires, Argentina, the role was an opportunity of a lifetime. But for Olivia, the role of movie star wasn't so easy to play. In this candid memoir, Hussey tells her story from her time as an “It Girl” in swinging 60s London through her three tumultuous marriages—including one with Dean Martin's son, Dino. Over the years, she experienced motherhood, stage-four breast cancer, debilitating agoraphobia, bankruptcy, and ultimately, a journey of self-discovery in India that led her on a path to fulfillment. Hussey shares intimate memories of the legendary performers she knew, loved, worked with, and battled, including The Beatles, Vanessa Redgrave, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Anthony Perkins, Christopher Reeve, Lawrence Olivier, Ingrid Bergman, and more. Olivia also opens up for the first time about the trauma of being raped by her boyfriend just a year after Romeo & Juliet came out.
The Girls in the Balcony
Author: Nan Robertson
Publisher: Dissertation.com
ISBN: 9780595154647
Category : Discrimination in employment
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
"Women's struggle for equal work and equal pay at the newspaper of record is the subject. A century-long tale of courage, despair and outright mulishness told with wit, candor and great affection. Superlative journalism- sharp, detailed and unsparing." -Kirkus Starred Review
Publisher: Dissertation.com
ISBN: 9780595154647
Category : Discrimination in employment
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
"Women's struggle for equal work and equal pay at the newspaper of record is the subject. A century-long tale of courage, despair and outright mulishness told with wit, candor and great affection. Superlative journalism- sharp, detailed and unsparing." -Kirkus Starred Review
The Balcony
Author: Melissa Castrillon
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
ISBN: 1534405887
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 48
Book Description
“Castrillón offers riotous sprouting life through soft forms, stylized shapes, and bright colors.” —Publishers Weekly “Elegant...A charmingly verdant tale in classic style.” —Kirkus Reviews “Lovely...delightful.” —School Library Journal From internationally acclaimed illustrator Melissa Castrillon comes a magical story of how a girl’s garden in her new home changes her life and the lives of people all around her. When a little girl moves from her home to an apartment in the city, she takes her pretty plants with her and one by one they grow and bloom and change both her world and the world all around her as she makes a new friend. When your heart is open, the world is full of possibilities.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
ISBN: 1534405887
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 48
Book Description
“Castrillón offers riotous sprouting life through soft forms, stylized shapes, and bright colors.” —Publishers Weekly “Elegant...A charmingly verdant tale in classic style.” —Kirkus Reviews “Lovely...delightful.” —School Library Journal From internationally acclaimed illustrator Melissa Castrillon comes a magical story of how a girl’s garden in her new home changes her life and the lives of people all around her. When a little girl moves from her home to an apartment in the city, she takes her pretty plants with her and one by one they grow and bloom and change both her world and the world all around her as she makes a new friend. When your heart is open, the world is full of possibilities.
Balcony on the Moon
Author: Ibtisam Barakat
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0374302510
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 239
Book Description
A stand-alone companion to the successful Tasting the Sky, this memoir further examines the author's childhood in Palestine.
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0374302510
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 239
Book Description
A stand-alone companion to the successful Tasting the Sky, this memoir further examines the author's childhood in Palestine.
Balcony People
Author: Joyce Landorf Heatherley
Publisher: Balcony Publishing
ISBN: 9780929488028
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 76
Book Description
Joyce Landorf Heatherley writes insightfully about the gift and ministry of affirmation and those people in the balcony who shout words of encouragement to us and spur us on to be what God intends for us.
Publisher: Balcony Publishing
ISBN: 9780929488028
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 76
Book Description
Joyce Landorf Heatherley writes insightfully about the gift and ministry of affirmation and those people in the balcony who shout words of encouragement to us and spur us on to be what God intends for us.
Love at First
Author: Kate Clayborn
Publisher: Kensington
ISBN: 1496725190
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
“The most delightful cast of characters I've met in ages…a modern romance masterpiece.“ —New York Times bestseller Christina Lauren “Constantly revealing new layers of lyricism…Love at First is poetry, then — sometimes an artful sonnet, other times halting free verse. But it's never anything short of miraculous.” —Entertainment Weekly, Grade A “At the end I was left with that warm, glowing love for humanity that is always what I’m chasing when I read this genre: the sense of togetherness, of hope, of even unsolvable problems feeling less impossible. Because a good romance lets you forgive the people on the page. A great romance lets you forgive people in general — and feel that maybe they even deserve it.”—The New York Times Buzzfeed Books to Add to Your TBR Goodreads Hottest Romances of 2021 Frolic Best Books of Winter 2021 BookRiot Books for Coping with A COVID-19 Winter SmexyBooks Most Anticipated Books A Love So True Books Every Romance Fan Should Read A sparkling and tender novel from the acclaimed author of Love Lettering, full of bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love that fans of Christina Lauren, Sarah Hogle, and Emily Henry will adore. Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard—the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar . . . No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting—maybe it’s the kind of story that can't work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance . . . “Gorgeously written.” —NPR “A superb cast of characters rounds out this sweet, slow-burn romance.” —Booklist “A Mary Balogh–style love story…The comforting rewrite of Romeo and Juliet you didn’t know you needed.” —Kirkus Reviews “Will and Nora’s chemistry and the quirky side characters keep the pages turning. Clayborn’s fans will be pleased.” —Publishers Weekly “Her beautiful prose is full of a softness and depth that lingers—passages beg to be reread and savored. Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Emily Henry, Love at First feels like a long, warm hug upon returning home.” —Shelf Awareness “A beautiful book and worth the painful beginnings…” —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books “A beautifully understated but gloriously romantic love story full of poignancy and tenderness.” —All About Romance “Clayborn remains one of my favorite authors, and I can’t wait to see what she will write next.” —Frolic
Publisher: Kensington
ISBN: 1496725190
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
“The most delightful cast of characters I've met in ages…a modern romance masterpiece.“ —New York Times bestseller Christina Lauren “Constantly revealing new layers of lyricism…Love at First is poetry, then — sometimes an artful sonnet, other times halting free verse. But it's never anything short of miraculous.” —Entertainment Weekly, Grade A “At the end I was left with that warm, glowing love for humanity that is always what I’m chasing when I read this genre: the sense of togetherness, of hope, of even unsolvable problems feeling less impossible. Because a good romance lets you forgive the people on the page. A great romance lets you forgive people in general — and feel that maybe they even deserve it.”—The New York Times Buzzfeed Books to Add to Your TBR Goodreads Hottest Romances of 2021 Frolic Best Books of Winter 2021 BookRiot Books for Coping with A COVID-19 Winter SmexyBooks Most Anticipated Books A Love So True Books Every Romance Fan Should Read A sparkling and tender novel from the acclaimed author of Love Lettering, full of bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love that fans of Christina Lauren, Sarah Hogle, and Emily Henry will adore. Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard—the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar . . . No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting—maybe it’s the kind of story that can't work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance . . . “Gorgeously written.” —NPR “A superb cast of characters rounds out this sweet, slow-burn romance.” —Booklist “A Mary Balogh–style love story…The comforting rewrite of Romeo and Juliet you didn’t know you needed.” —Kirkus Reviews “Will and Nora’s chemistry and the quirky side characters keep the pages turning. Clayborn’s fans will be pleased.” —Publishers Weekly “Her beautiful prose is full of a softness and depth that lingers—passages beg to be reread and savored. Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Emily Henry, Love at First feels like a long, warm hug upon returning home.” —Shelf Awareness “A beautiful book and worth the painful beginnings…” —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books “A beautifully understated but gloriously romantic love story full of poignancy and tenderness.” —All About Romance “Clayborn remains one of my favorite authors, and I can’t wait to see what she will write next.” —Frolic
The Balcony
Author: Jane Delury
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1473684641
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
WINNER OF THE SUE KAUFMAN PRIZE FOR FIRST FICTION FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS What if our homes could tell the stories of others who lived there before us? To those who have ventured past it over the years, this small estate in a village outside Paris has always seemed calm and poised. But should you open the gates and enter inside, you will find rooms which have become the silent witnesses to a century of human drama: from the young American au pair developing a crush on her brilliant employer to the ex-courtesan shocking the servants, and the Jewish couple in hiding from the Gestapo to the housewife who begins an affair while renovating her downstairs. The stories of those who have lived within the estate have been many and varied. But as the years unfold, their lives inevitably come to haunt the same spaces and intertwine, creating a rich tapestry of the relationships, life-altering choices, and fleeting moments which have kept the house alive through the last hundred years. . . 'Sweeping, suspenseful, rich with surprises and eerie atmosphere' Jennifer Egan
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1473684641
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
WINNER OF THE SUE KAUFMAN PRIZE FOR FIRST FICTION FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS What if our homes could tell the stories of others who lived there before us? To those who have ventured past it over the years, this small estate in a village outside Paris has always seemed calm and poised. But should you open the gates and enter inside, you will find rooms which have become the silent witnesses to a century of human drama: from the young American au pair developing a crush on her brilliant employer to the ex-courtesan shocking the servants, and the Jewish couple in hiding from the Gestapo to the housewife who begins an affair while renovating her downstairs. The stories of those who have lived within the estate have been many and varied. But as the years unfold, their lives inevitably come to haunt the same spaces and intertwine, creating a rich tapestry of the relationships, life-altering choices, and fleeting moments which have kept the house alive through the last hundred years. . . 'Sweeping, suspenseful, rich with surprises and eerie atmosphere' Jennifer Egan
The Man on the Balcony
Author: Maj Sjowall
Publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
ISBN: 0307744272
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 194
Book Description
In this chilling installment of “the first great series of police thrillers” (Michael Ondaatje, national bestselling author of Warlight) by an internationally renowned crime duo, superintendent Martin Beck investigates a string of child murders. In the once peaceful parks of Stockholm, a killer is stalking young girls and disposing their bodies. The city is on edge, and an undercurrent of fear has gripped its residents. Martin Beck, now a superintendent, has two possible witnesses: a silent, stone-cold mugger and a mute three year old boy. With the likelihood of another murder growing as each day passes, the police force work night and day. But their efforts have offered little insight into the methodology of the killer. Then a distant memory resurfaces in Beck's mind, and he may just have the break he needs.
Publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
ISBN: 0307744272
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 194
Book Description
In this chilling installment of “the first great series of police thrillers” (Michael Ondaatje, national bestselling author of Warlight) by an internationally renowned crime duo, superintendent Martin Beck investigates a string of child murders. In the once peaceful parks of Stockholm, a killer is stalking young girls and disposing their bodies. The city is on edge, and an undercurrent of fear has gripped its residents. Martin Beck, now a superintendent, has two possible witnesses: a silent, stone-cold mugger and a mute three year old boy. With the likelihood of another murder growing as each day passes, the police force work night and day. But their efforts have offered little insight into the methodology of the killer. Then a distant memory resurfaces in Beck's mind, and he may just have the break he needs.
Balcony View - a 9/11 Diary
Author: Julia Frey
Publisher: Julia Frey
ISBN: 1461138248
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 283
Book Description
"What if you had a dying child, spouse, lover, parent, and the world caved in? It could happen. What was it like, after the Towers fell, to live in a war zone with a gravely ill husband? Julia Frey's BALCONY VIEW is far more than a 9/11 story. In this unique, historic diary -- the handwritten original is in the 9/11 Museum in New York -- Frey, a distinguished biographer, found herself in the unenviable position of writing about a life as it was falling apart -- her own. Her vivid, wry, tender book describes living for six months at Ground Zero with writer, Ron Sukenick during his terminal illness. It's a beautifully written, clear-eyed portrait of simple courage, remarkable humor, generosity and decency." Douglas Penick, writer, literary critic "The view from this balcony is compelling and utterly unique. Julia Frey has a first row seat for the two tragedies which mark her existence -- the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and her husband's progressively disabling malady. She peers down at the excavation of Ground Zero and brings us an account both riveting and thoughtful, despairing and buoyant, graceful and frank. As she navigates post 9-11 Manhattan, and a marriage that has been dealt the blow of untimely illness, we get to see, up-close, how ordinary people get through extraordinary times. With her deft touch and her sharp-warm humor, Frey is the perfect guide for such daunting territory." Elizabeth Scarboro, author: Phoenix, upside down Very quietly Ron said, "You know, I think the Towers are going to go. Maybe we'd better get out of here." If either of the Towers fell at a certain angle, our building was directly in the line of fall. Above the raging flames, the steel I-beams were beginning to bulge out, softening in the heat. Again his unnaturally quiet voice, "I can't stay here. If the Towers start falling on us, I'll die of fright." (BALCONY VIEW - a 9/11/ Diary ) Julia Frey's remarkable account begins on September 11, 2001, as the couple decide that no matter how weak Ron is, they must somehow flee. They abandon his wheelchair. He is too frail to climb on a boat. Later that day, covered with ashes, they struggle home through a neighborhood pitched into destruction and chaos, to look out his study window at their new view: "the stage-set for Dante's Inferno." The domino effect of one burning, collapsing building setting fire to the next one makes it clear that their own building could still go. "The electricity was out. Ron could never go down 26 flights on his rear end. We were trapped in the sky." That's when Julia decides to write it all down -- if only for the people who will find their bodies. Describing the first night in the the ruins, being evacuated, then returning weeks later, to live at Ground Zero, she discovers that their world has totally changed, yet finally not changed at all. "Our previous problems didn't magically disappear. They were just waiting for us to come back in the door." This hugely powerful narrative of double coping -- with Ron's progressive illness and with the after-effects of 9/11 -- describes a situation the manuals don't cover -- caregiving in a disaster. Her intense yet humorous 'you are there' style moves the diary swiftly along, catching us in a gripping, touching, brave, and yes, funny story of falling towers, a failing husband and a floundering ménage à trois. "Nothing happens in a vacuum," she says, weaving in the leitmotif of a love affair. Unflinchingly, she faces the ruins outside and her frightening, inner ambivalence as she sacrifices creative and professional life to nurse her husband. Ron is no angel either -- the self-centered, willful novelist insists she take a lover, then wants her to give him up. "What makes him think he can turn us off and on like televisions?" she wonders. In a poignant Coda, she describes an almost supernatural series of events after Ron dies. There is even a happy ending.
Publisher: Julia Frey
ISBN: 1461138248
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 283
Book Description
"What if you had a dying child, spouse, lover, parent, and the world caved in? It could happen. What was it like, after the Towers fell, to live in a war zone with a gravely ill husband? Julia Frey's BALCONY VIEW is far more than a 9/11 story. In this unique, historic diary -- the handwritten original is in the 9/11 Museum in New York -- Frey, a distinguished biographer, found herself in the unenviable position of writing about a life as it was falling apart -- her own. Her vivid, wry, tender book describes living for six months at Ground Zero with writer, Ron Sukenick during his terminal illness. It's a beautifully written, clear-eyed portrait of simple courage, remarkable humor, generosity and decency." Douglas Penick, writer, literary critic "The view from this balcony is compelling and utterly unique. Julia Frey has a first row seat for the two tragedies which mark her existence -- the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and her husband's progressively disabling malady. She peers down at the excavation of Ground Zero and brings us an account both riveting and thoughtful, despairing and buoyant, graceful and frank. As she navigates post 9-11 Manhattan, and a marriage that has been dealt the blow of untimely illness, we get to see, up-close, how ordinary people get through extraordinary times. With her deft touch and her sharp-warm humor, Frey is the perfect guide for such daunting territory." Elizabeth Scarboro, author: Phoenix, upside down Very quietly Ron said, "You know, I think the Towers are going to go. Maybe we'd better get out of here." If either of the Towers fell at a certain angle, our building was directly in the line of fall. Above the raging flames, the steel I-beams were beginning to bulge out, softening in the heat. Again his unnaturally quiet voice, "I can't stay here. If the Towers start falling on us, I'll die of fright." (BALCONY VIEW - a 9/11/ Diary ) Julia Frey's remarkable account begins on September 11, 2001, as the couple decide that no matter how weak Ron is, they must somehow flee. They abandon his wheelchair. He is too frail to climb on a boat. Later that day, covered with ashes, they struggle home through a neighborhood pitched into destruction and chaos, to look out his study window at their new view: "the stage-set for Dante's Inferno." The domino effect of one burning, collapsing building setting fire to the next one makes it clear that their own building could still go. "The electricity was out. Ron could never go down 26 flights on his rear end. We were trapped in the sky." That's when Julia decides to write it all down -- if only for the people who will find their bodies. Describing the first night in the the ruins, being evacuated, then returning weeks later, to live at Ground Zero, she discovers that their world has totally changed, yet finally not changed at all. "Our previous problems didn't magically disappear. They were just waiting for us to come back in the door." This hugely powerful narrative of double coping -- with Ron's progressive illness and with the after-effects of 9/11 -- describes a situation the manuals don't cover -- caregiving in a disaster. Her intense yet humorous 'you are there' style moves the diary swiftly along, catching us in a gripping, touching, brave, and yes, funny story of falling towers, a failing husband and a floundering ménage à trois. "Nothing happens in a vacuum," she says, weaving in the leitmotif of a love affair. Unflinchingly, she faces the ruins outside and her frightening, inner ambivalence as she sacrifices creative and professional life to nurse her husband. Ron is no angel either -- the self-centered, willful novelist insists she take a lover, then wants her to give him up. "What makes him think he can turn us off and on like televisions?" she wonders. In a poignant Coda, she describes an almost supernatural series of events after Ron dies. There is even a happy ending.