A detailed but concise look at all of the history casually lost or brutally plowed under along the riverfront in Philadelphia. The only thing lacking is a few comparison maps that would aid in visualization of the changes through the years.

I haven't read contract fiction in a while but this is a reminder of just how good it can be. With already developed characters, unencumbered by back stories or world building, and enough in-jokes to please geeks, this is a series I'll be reading more of.

Underdeveloped adolescent frippery. The author's later works are much better, but then again they'd have to be considering how bad this is.

The broadest Cain story I've read yet. Covering over 35 years in the life of the protagonist, there are multiple-novels worth of settings and characters here, all soaked in period detail that raises dozens of questions in this amateur historians mind as well.

Wow-wee. I haven't read this much about dress patterns and sewing styles since that horrible day in my grandmothers bathroom after some bad lunch meat. While reading this aloud to the kids on the car I couldn't help but continually lapse into a Swedish Chef voice for Pa, An antebellum southern mistress for Ma, An earnest lisp-y twit for Laura and Lenny impression for her sisters (Tell us about the rabbits, George) to keep it the least bit interesting.

On a side note, Laura Ingalls Wilder is a first rate braggart. Not a chapter goes by without Laura-as-author putting words into her sisters or friends mouths telling Laura-as-character how wonderful and special she is. Easily the most annoying and useless installment in the series.

Read aloud to the boys in the car. My wife considers the author to be a right bastard based on his self-portrayal in the introduction and asides. One of the few instances where the movie may be superior to the book.

Read aloud to the family in the car. Surprised to find that some of my favorite bits were not in here - all the sequels and alternate media formats must be running together in my memory.

Classic Cain. Boy loves bad girl, boy tries to please bad girl by doing bad things, no one gets away with it.

Great photos of Wildwood's unique motels and an insight into their evolution, construction and demise.

The secondary characters were stronger than the Fargo's in this one, and the entire adventure, while an enjoyable read, seemed far to swift for the number of locations involved.

I would have enjoyed a broader range of photos (the vast majority are from only a 3-4 year period in the mid 2000's) but the concise history and personal details still make for an enjoyable red.

As a Cain novel it is exactly what you should expect. The afterward is an unexpected treat, talking about the circumstances that lead to the novel's delayed publication and giving examples of the editorial difficulty in producing a work without any input from the original author.

Not a full book, just a posthumously printed collection that wasn't completed. Read aloud to the boys in the car.

If this is the best they could come up with for a collection, then the rest of the catalog must be epically bad. Sexist, Racist, Poorly Written and filled with shockingly pandering attempts at being 'relevant' and 'socially responsible', unless you are a fan of unintentionally comedy or a masochist, avoid this at all costs.

More interesting than the title - a nice overview of the crossings of the Delaware River in Philadelphia, their history and construction.

A rakish anti-Holmes.

Read aloud to the boys in the car. I forgot how frankly the book discussed death and was a bit taken aback. It wanders from the main story once or twice and the side story of 8 year old Fern pining for Henry Fussy is a bit...off to me as an adult reader, but neither boy mentioned it so that is probably just my bias shining through.

A neat conceit, executed well.

Read aloud to the boys in the car. A dated, naive, and utterly entertaining tale of a boy who runs away from home to live by himself in the woods.

Light and entertaining. Not an in-depth exploration of any of the subjects mentioned in the subtitle, this is more of a personal memoir than a scientific overview.