With America on the brink of the largest number of older adults and persons with disabilities in the country's history, the deceleration in housing production during the first decade of the twenty-first century, and a continued reliance on conventional housing policies and practices, a perfect storm has emerged in the housing industry. The lack of fit between the existing housing stock and the needs of the U.S. population is growing pronounced. Just as housing needed to be retooled at the end of WWII, the American housing industry is in dire need of change today. The South-with its high rates of poverty, older residents, residents with disabilities, extensive rural areas, and out-of-date housing policies and practices-serves as a "canary in the coal mine" for the impending, nationwide housing crisis. Just Below the Line discusses how reworking the policies and practices of the housing industry in the South can serve as a model for the rest of the nation in meeting the physical and social needs of persons with disabilities and aging boomers. Policy makers, designers, builders, realtors, advocates, and housing consumers will be able to use this book to promote the production of equitable housing nationwide.Published in collaboration with the Fay Jones School of Architecture.

"e;The fate of our times is characterized by rationalization and intellectualization and, above all, by 'the disenchantment of the world.'"e; Max Weber's statement remains a dominant interpretation of the modern condition: the increasing capabilities of knowledge and science have banished mysteries, leaving a world that can be mastered technically and intellectually. And though this idea seems empowering, many people have become disenchanted with modern disenchantment. Using intimate encounters with works of art to explore disenchantment and the possibilities of re-enchantment, Arts of Wonder addresses questions about the nature of humanity, the world, and God in the wake of Weber's diagnosis of modernity.?Jeffrey L. Kosky focuses on a handful of artists-Walter De Maria, Diller + Scofidio, James Turrell, and Andy Goldworthy-to show how they introduce spaces hospitable to mystery and wonder, redemption and revelation, and transcendence and creation. What might be thought of as religious longings, he argues, are crucial aspects of enchanting secularity when developed through encounters with these works of art. Developing a model of religion that might be significant to secular culture, Kosky shows how this model can be employed to deepen interpretation of the art we usually view as representing secular modernity. A thoughtful dialogue between philosophy and art, Arts of Wonder will catch the eye of readers of art and religion, philosophy of religion, and art criticism.

A deeply divided border state, heir to the "Bleeding Kansas" era, Missouri became the third most fought-over state in the war, following Virginia and Tennessee. Rich in resources and manpower, critical politically to both the Union and the Confederacy, it was the scene of conventional battles, river warfare, and cavalry raids. It saw the first combat by organized units of Native Americans and African Americans. It was also marked by guerrilla warfare of unparalleled viciousness. This volume, the ninth in the series, includes hundreds of photographs, many of them never before published. The authors provide text and commentary, organizing the photographs into chapters covering the origins of the war, its conventional and guerrilla phases, the war on the rivers, medicine (Sweeny's medical knowledge adds a great deal to this chapter and expands our knowledge of its practice in the west), the experiences of Missourians who served out of state, and the process of reunion in the postwar years.

Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of Alabama in the Civil War is the tenth volume in this acclaimed series showing the human side of the country's great national conflict. Over 230 photographs of soldiers and civilians from Alabama, many never seen before, are accompanied by their personal stories and woven into the larger narrative of the war both on the battlefield and the home front. Alabama is unusual among the Rebel states in that, while its people saw little fighting inside its boundaries, nearly one hundred thousand Alabamians served with Confederate units throughout the South. This volume chronicles their experiences in almost every battle east of the Mississippi River--especially at Sharpsburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg under the legendary Robert E. Lee; at Murfreesboro and Chickamauga as part of the ill-fated Army of Tennessee; and at the famous siege of Vicksburg. Ultimately Union soldiers did invade the state, and Alabamians defended their homeland against enemy cavalry raiders at Selma and against Federal warships in the fight for Mobile Bay. The volume also includes accounts of some of Alabama's leading politicians as well as several of its more ordinary citizens. This new volume contains the same quality of photography and storytelling that has attracted Civil War enthusiasts since the first volume was published in 1987, making it another welcome addition to the series Civil War History called "e;a sensibly priced, beautifully produced photographic history."e;

The Western Front, running from the Belgian coast in the north to the Swiss border in the south, was to prove the decisive battlefront of World War I. It was where the great powers of Germany, France and the British Empire concentrated the bulk of their military might, and it was where many believed the war would be settled before Christmas 1914. The German General Staff realised the dangers of fighting a two-front war against both France and Russia simultaneously. They sought to knock the French out of the war quickly, making a rapid advance on Paris through neutral Belgium – the infamous 'Schlieffen Plan'. After desperate delaying actions fought by the French and British armies, the German hope for swift victory in the West was thwarted by their defeat at the First Battle of the Marne. Following a 'Race to the Sea' – where each side sought to outflank the other, culminating in the battles of First Ypres and the Yser – the Western Front settled down into a pattern of trench warfare that would remain little changed until 1917. The year 1915 proved one of frustration for the Allies as attack after attack – in Champagne, at Neuve Chapelle, Festubert and Loos – all failed to pierce the German defensive lines. To break the deadlock, a joint Allied offensive was planned for 1916 with simultaneous attacks against the Central Powers to take place in all the European theatres. This planned major effort was pre-empted by the German assault on the fortress city of Verdun, intended to bleed the French Army dry. The joint Somme offensive thus became a largely British and Imperial affair to relieve the pressure on their French allies. The blooding of Kitchener's volunteer New Army on the first day of the Somme has become a byword for the slaughter on the Western Front. By the year's end, it was clear there would be no easy victory for either side. With the aid of over 300 photographs, complemented by full-colour maps, The Western Front 1914–1916 provides a detailed guide to the background and conduct of the conflict on the Western Front in the first half of the war, up to and including the Battles of the Somme and Verdun.

Lydia Galanou offers the world of children's literature, an amazing little story which talks about children's mischief and how one can impart to them important advice about their future in a beautiful and vivid way!

Not only the creator of the immortal Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle produced a diverse and entertaining oeuvre of works, which you can now enjoy with ease on your eReader. This comprehensive eBooks offers the complete works of Conan Doyle, with beautiful illustrations and bonus texts. (Version 5) * annotated with concise introductions to the novels and other texts * illustrated with the original Sherlock Holmes images * images of how the books first appeared, giving your eReader a taste of the Victorian texts * ALL of the Sherlock Holmes stories – even the rare and unfinished “THE ADVENTURE OF THE TALL MAN” * ALL of the Challenger and Gerard stories * the rare comic opera Conan Doyle collaborated on with Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie * ALL of the short stories and short story collections have their own unique contents tables – choose from a vast range of amazing and rare short stories * ALL of the ‘lost’ tales only found in recent years * many images relating to Conan Doyle, his life and works * rare spiritualist non-fiction texts * Conan Doyle’s historic war treatises with maps * scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres * BONUS text – Conan Doyle’s rare autobiography MEMORIES AND ADVENTURES – first time in digital print * includes rare plays by Conan Doyle, including SHERLOCK HOLMES – explore the Great Man’s theatrical talents * scarce non-fiction works, appearing for the first time in digital print Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Sherlock Holmes Works A STUDY IN SCARLET THE SIGN OF THE FOUR THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES THE VALLEY OF FEAR HIS LAST BOW THE FIELD BAZAAR HOW WATSON LEARNT THE TRICK THE ADVENTURE OF THE TALL MAN THE CASE-BOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES LIST OF THE SHERLOCK HOLMES SHORT STORIES The Challenger Stories THE LOST WORLD THE POISON BELT THE LAND OF MIST WHEN THE WORLD SCREAMED THE DISINTEGRATION MACHINE The Complete Novels - too many to list The Short Story Collections THE CAPTAIN OF THE POLESTAR AND OTHER TALES. THE GREAT KEINPLATZ EXPERIMENT AND OTHER TALES OF TWILIGHT AND THE UNSEEN MY FRIEND THE MURDERER AND OTHER MYSTERIES AND ADVENTURES ROUND THE RED LAMP THE GREEN FLAG AND OTHER STORIES THE EXPLOITS OF BRIGADIER GERARD THE ADVENTURES OF GERARD ROUND THE FIRE STORIES THE LAST GALLEY DANGER! AND OTHER STORIES TALES OF TERROR AND MYSTERY THE DEALINGS OF CAPTAIN SHARKEY AND OTHER TALES OF PIRATES THE MAN FROM ARCHANGEL AND OTHER TALES OF ADVENTURE The Short Stories LIST OF SHORT STORIES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER LIST OF SHORT STORIES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER The Opera JANE ANNIE, OR THE GOOD CONDUCT PRIZE The Plays WATERLOO SHERLOCK HOLMES THE SPECKLED BAND THE CROWN DIAMOND THE JOURNEY The Poetry SONGS OF ACTION SONGS OF THE ROAD THE GUARDS CAME THROUGH Non Fiction Works THE GREAT BOER WAR THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA THROUGH THE MAGIC DOOR THE CRIME OF THE CONGO THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE AND FLANDERS VOLUME I-IV THE CASE OF MR. GEORGE EDALJI THE CASE OF MR. OSCAR SLATER THE NEW REVELATION THE VITAL MESSAGE THE WANDERINGS OF A SPIRITUALIST THE COMING OF THE FAIRIES THE HISTORY OF SPIRITUALISM THE EDGE OF THE UNKNOWN The Biography MEMORIES AND ADVENTURES Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles

America’s master of the short story has entertained readers for over a hundred years. This eBook offers you the unique opportunity of exploring O. Henry’s work in a manner never before possible in digital print. The edition includes every O. Henry short story collection, with poems and letters and other bonus texts. * ALL the short story collections and each with their own contents table * overall contents tables for the short stories – both alphabetical and chronological – find that special story quickly and easily! * rare short story collections like O HENRYANA and THE TWO WOMEN – often missed out of collections * includes O. Henry’s poetry and letters * EVEN includes the enigmatic LETTERS TO LITHOPOLIS FROM O. HENRY TO MABEL WAGNALLS, available in no other collection * includes the BONUS text of C. Alphonso Smith’s famous biography – explore O. Henry’s interesting life! * ALSO includes the story collection MY TUSSLE WITH THE DEVIL by O. Henry’s Ghost for your enjoyment * images relating to O. Henry’s life, works, places and film adaptations * scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres, allowing easy navigation around O. Henry’s works Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Short Story Collections CABBAGES AND KINGS THE FOUR MILLION THE TRIMMED LAMP HEART OF THE WEST THE VOICE OF THE CITY ROADS OF DESTINY OPTIONS STRICTLY BUSINESS WHIRLIGIGS THE TWO WOMEN SIXES AND SEVENS THE GENTLE GRAFTER ROLLING STONES WAIFS AND STRAYS O HENRYANA MY TUSSLE WITH THE DEVIL BY O. HENRY’S GHOST The Short Stories CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF SHORT STORIES ALPHABETICAL LIST OF SHORT STORIES The Poetry LIST OF POEMS The Letters LIST OF LETTERS LETTERS TO LITHOPOLIS FROM O. HENRY TO MABEL WAGNALLS The Biography O. HENRY BIOGRAPHY BY C. ALPHONSO SMITH Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles

Phil Smith of Wrights & Sites' fame is not the first to walk in the footsteps of W.G. Sebald, whose? The?Rings of Saturn ?is an account a walk round Suffolk 20 years ago.? What? is? remarkable is that Phil's own walk was quite as extraordinary as Sebald's and that he matches Sebald's erudition, originality and humour swathe for swathe.? On one level ?On Walking...? describes an actual, lumbering walk from one incongruous B&B to the next, taking in Dunwich, Lowestoft, Southwold, Covehithe, Orford Ness, Sutton Hoo, Bungay, Halesworth and Rendlesham Forest - with their lost villages, Cold War testing sites, black dogs, white deer and alien trails.? On a second level it sets out a ? kind? of walking that the author has been practising for many years and for which he is quietly famous. It's a kind of walking that burrows beneath the guidebook and the map, looks beyond the shopfront and the Tudor facade and feels beneath the blisters and disgruntlement of the everyday. Those who try it report that their walking [and their whole way of seeing the world] is never quite the same again. And the Suffolk walk described in this book is an? exemplary? walk, a case study - this is exactly how to do it.? Finally, on a third level,? On Walking...? is?an intellectual tour de force, encompassing Situationism, alchemy, jouissance, dancing, geology, psychogeography, 20th century cinema and old TV, performance, architecture, the nature of grief, pilgrimage, World War II, the Cold War, Uzumaki, pub conversations, synchronicity, somatics and the Underchalk.

Wilde's dramatic masterpiece set in London. Many of the themes of An Ideal Husband were influenced by the situation Oscar Wilde found himself in during the early 1890s. 'Sooner or later we shall all have to pay for what we do. But no one should be entirely judged by their past.'

Stuck in a city far from home, street kid Doniver fakes telling fortunes so he can earn a few coins to feed himself and his friends. Then the divine Powers smile on him when he accidentally delivers a true prediction for the prince. Concerned about rumors of treason, the prince demands that Doniver use his "magic" to prevent harm from coming to the king, and so Doniver is taken--dragged?--into the castle to be the royal fortune teller. Now Doniver must decide where the boundaries of honor lie, as he struggles to work convincing magic, fend off whoever is trying to shut him up, and stop an assassin, assuming he can even figure out who the would-be assassin is. All he wants is to survive long enough to go home to the Uplands, but it's starting to look as if that might be too much to ask.

Practical know-how to get you to the top of your company. This is a book with generic hands-on advice that you can implement immediately into your business. Yogeeta will share with you important factors and principles that are crucial to helping you with strategy and mindset for Direct Selling Success. The information is current, it's fresh, it's generic to whichever company you are involved with, and you will find that some of it will resonate within you to help you understand and run your Direct Selling business to a better degree.

The Survival Handbook takes you through all the things you need to know about surviving disasters and staying alive in the wild, such as where to find water in the desert; how to build shelters from locally-available materials that will keep out the wind and rain but will also be ventilated; what plants are safe to eat and what are deadly poisonous; and what animals will pose a threat in survival situations. Packed with tips from the world's elite special forces and other survival specialists, this is a handy reference to surviving in the wild. [This is a text-only ebook edition.]

Sir Walter Scott, the Scottish novelist, poet, historian and biographer, is often regarded as the inventor of the historical novel, who produced a wide body of literary works, having a profound impact on world literature. This comprehensive eBook presents Scott’s complete fictional works, with numerous illustrations, rare texts appearing in digital print for the first time, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 7) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Scott’s life and works * Concise introductions to the novels and other texts * ALL 26 novels, with individual contents tables * Rare novels and shorter fiction often missed out of collections * Images of how the books were first published, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts * Excellent formatting of the texts * Famous works such as WAVERLEY, ROB ROY and IVANHOE are fully illustrated with their original artwork * Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the poetry * Easily locate the poems you want to read * Includes Scott’s rare poetry collections and plays – available in no other collection * Includes a wide selection of Scott’s non-fiction – spend hours exploring the author’s varied works * Special criticism section with essays by writers such as Henry James, Leslie Stephen and Charles Dickens examining Scott's literary achievements * Features two biographies – discover Scott’s literary life * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres * UPDATED with entirely revised texts, new formatting, rare plays and new introductions Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Novels WAVERLEY GUY MANNERING THE ANTIQUARY BLACK DWARF OLD MORTALITY ROB ROY THE HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN THE BRIDE OF LAMMERMOOR A LEGEND OF MONTROSE IVANHOE THE MONASTERY THE ABBOT KENILWORTH THE PIRATE THE FORTUNES OF NIGEL PEVERIL OF THE PEAK QUENTIN DURWARD ST. RONAN’S WELL REDGAUNTLET THE BETROTHED THE TALISMAN WOODSTOCK THE FAIR MAID OF PERTH ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN COUNT ROBERT OF PARIS CASTLE DANGEROUS The Shorter Fiction CHRONICLES OF THE CANONGATE MY AUNT MARGARET’S MIRROR THE TAPESTRIED CHAMBER DEATH OF THE LAIRD’S JOCK. MISCELLANEOUS SHORT PIECES The Plays GOETZ VON BERLICHINGEN HALIDON HILL MACDUFF’S CROSS THE DOOM OF DEVORGOIL AUCHINDRANE THE HOUSE OF ASPEN The Poetry Collections TRANSLATIONS AND IMITATIONS FROM GERMAN BALLADS THE MINSTRELSY OF THE SCOTTISH BORDER THE LAY OF THE LAST MINSTREL BALLADS AND LYRICAL PIECES MARMION THE LADY OF THE LAKE THE VISION OF DON RODERICK THE BRIDAL OF TRIERMAIN ROKEBY THE FIELD OF WATERLOO THE LORD OF THE ISLES HAROLD THE DAUNTLESS MISCELLANEOUS POEMS The Poems LIST OF POEMS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER LIST OF POEMS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER The Non-Fiction THE LIFE OF JOHN DRYDEN PAUL’S LETTERS TO HIS KINSFOLK THE JOURNAL OF SIR WALTER SCOTT THE LETTERS OF MALACHI MALAGROWTHER THE LIFE OF NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE TALES OF A GRANDFATHER LETTERS ON DEMONOLOGY AND WITCHCRAFT TRIAL OF DUNCAN TERIG, ALIAS CLERK, AND ALEXANDER BANE MACDONALD MISCELLANEOUS PROSE WORKS The Criticism SIR WALTER SCOTT by William Hazlitt SIR WALTER SCOTT by Leslie Stephen THE POEMS OF SIR WALTER SCOTT by Andrew Lang LETTERS TO DEAD AUTHORS by Andrew Lang SIR WALTER SCOTT AND THE BORDER MINSTRELSY by Andrew Lang SIR WALTER SCOTT AS A CRITIC OF LITERATURE by Margaret Ball SIR WALTER SCOTT: A LECTURE by William Ker SIR WALTER SCOTT by Henry James MEMORIES AND PORTRAITS by Robert Louis Stevenson SCOTT AND HIS PUBLISHERS by Charles Dickens SIR WALTER SCOTT AND LADY MORGAN by Victor Hugo The Biographies SIR WALTER SCOTT by Richard H. Hutton SIR WALTER SCOTT by George Saintsbury Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles or to purchase this eBook as a Parts Edition of individual eBooks

Offering hundreds of beautiful images, this is the perfect Austen collection. All the novels, each and every short story, poem, play and letter with much, much more! This edition is simply outstanding for admirers of literature's finest female writer. (Current version: 3) Features: * ALL of the novels are fully illustrated with original artwork enjoy the true flavour of the Regency/Georgian texts on your Kobo! * Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility have multiple sources of illustrations, bringing these great classics visually alive * Even the rare unfinished novels The Watsons and Sanditon are included * brief but informative introductions to the novels and other texts * the COMPLETE letters * countless images related to Austen, her works and the beautiful Hampshire places she lived in * ALL of the Juvenilia works are included * scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres * special images linking to the famous film and TV adaptations of Austens works The eBook also includes a front no-nonsense table of contents to allow easy navigation around Austens oeuvre. With this eBook you will need no other text of Jane Austen. Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse our other titles CONTENTS: The Novels SENSE AND SENSIBILITY PRIDE AND PREJUDICE MANSFIELD PARK EMMA NORTHANGER ABBEY PERSUASION LADY SUSAN The Unfinished Novels THE WATSONS SANDITON The Shorter Fiction LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP LESLEY CASTLE CATHARINE EVELYN FREDERIC & ELFRIDA JACK & ALICE EDGAR AND EMMA HENRY AND ELIZA THE ADVENTURES OF MR. HARLEY SIR WILLIAM MOUNTAGUE MEMOIRS OF MR. CLIFFORD THE BEAUTIFUL CASSANDRA AMELIA WEBSTER THE THREE SISTERS THE MYSTERY THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND A FRAGMENT THE GENEROUS CURATE A TALE. THE FIRST ACT OF A COMEDY ODE TO PITY The Complete Letters A COLLECTION OF LETTERS LETTER THE FIRST LETTER THE SECOND LETTER THE THIRD LETTER THE FOURTH LETTER THE FIFTH TO MISS JANE ANNA ELIZABETH AUSTEN SCRAPS THE FEMALE PHILOSOPHER A LETTER FROM A YOUNG LADY A TOUR THROUGH WALES Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse our other titles

The Clash of Images is a sweet, Borgesian mix of bildungsroman memoir, family history, short-story collection, fable, and literary criticism. Written in a graceful and charming style, Kilito’s story takes place in an unnamed coastal city of memories where a child experiences first-hand the cultural clash of text and image in a changing, modern society. It is a time when the old Arabic world of texts and oral traditions is making way for something new: the era of the image, the comic book, photo IDs, and the cinema. The stories form a kaleidoscopic memoir of growing up in two worlds, a brilliant mixture of cultural and family history. Here are tales of first kisses and first reads, Tintin and the Prophet Muhammad, fantasies of the Wild West, the inferno of the bathhouse, and the lost paradises of childhood. The Clash of Images is a celebration of the pleasures of storytelling, a magic lantern that delicately reveals how the world of books intimately connects with the world outside their pages.

London's recent history captured in dramatic form. Created from dozens of personal testimonies, this is the story of the changing face of work today. Surrey Docks in South-East London was once a thriving commercial hub, hosting some of the UK’s leading commercial brands, including Crosse & Blackwell, Sarson’s, Peek Freans and Lipton’s. These huge organisations created a myriad of jobs for local people, and the community prospered. But, with the decline of the docks in the 1970s, factories closed down or relocated, work patterns changed and redevelopment began. ‘From Docks to Desktops’ explores the fascinating story of how one community has survived the 21st-century challenges of urban change and renewal.

This book explains how to plan, write and publish a book so that you are seen as 'the one' in the eyes of your potential clients. One of the best ways to show off your expertise, is to write a book - you can then use this as a fantastic marketing tool to get people into your sales funnel and attract higher paying clients. This book takes you through the entire process, from getting your plan into place, to writing and publishing your book. It may seem like a complicated process, but when you know how, it's actually quite simple. With a step by step plan, plus handy resources to help you along the way, you'll have your book written in no time.

This eBook features the unabridged text of ‘The Royal Book of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson by L. Frank Baum - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ from the bestselling edition of ‘The Complete Works of L. Frank Baum’. Having established their name as the leading publisher of classic literature and art, Delphi Classics produce publications that are individually crafted with superior formatting, while introducing many rare texts for the first time in digital print. The Delphi Classics edition of Baum includes original annotations and illustrations relating to the life and works of the author, as well as individual tables of contents, allowing you to navigate eBooks quickly and easily. eBook features: * The complete unabridged text of ‘The Royal Book of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson by L. Frank Baum - Delphi Classics (Illustrated)’ * Beautifully illustrated with images related to Baum’s works * Individual contents table, allowing easy navigation around the eBook * Excellent formatting of the text Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to learn more about our wide range of titles

Women’s prose writing has exploded on the literary scene in Ukraine just prior to and following Ukrainian independence in 1991. Over the past two decades scores of fascinating new women authors have emerged. These authors write in a wide variety of styles and genres including short stories, novels, essays, and new journalism. In the collection you will find: realism, magical realism, surrealism, the fantastic, deeply intellectual writing, newly discovered feminist perspectives, philosophical prose, psychological mysteries, confessional prose, and much more.

Sarabande is a novel presented mostly through the rapid-fire interactions of the characters in one-on-one situations or in small groups. Most of the novel revolves around the male protagonist, the journalist Pavlo Dudnyk, who takes his schoolhood friend Sara Polonsky as his second wife. Sara, who blossomed from an inconspicuous overweight adolescent into a vivacious woman, used to mock him in school with the nickname “Underbutt” for his bony derriere that always needed padding on the classroom chairs. When Pavlo marries Sara, he doesn’t realize at first that he’s also married into her extended family, Sara’s band of Polonskys, with their myriad quirks and manifestations of peculiar behavior.