The Rainbow Stories

This was a surprise for any reader who was expecting a romance. This is more a memorier of a two year period in childhood with immensely emotional events occurring. The reader see the events through the eyes of the children experiencing them. The story is smooth and readily flows from preent day and back 30 years and more - this author has a talent for writing. I would have enjoyed a more in depth exploration seeing the... Read Full Review

Writing is gut-wrenching enough without choosing difficult topics like people abuse. But that's just what Jackie Calhoun and her taste for truth has done. In "The Education of Ellie," Ms. Calhoun has shown how the path of abusive behavior ultimately ends at the beginning of a new life or no life at all. She opted for a new life, a decision that highlights Ms. Calhoun's desire to show how lesbian lives have the same satisfying... Read Full Review

I have found all of Ms. Calhoun's books very readable, realistic, and entertaining. The Education of Ellie is told from the protagonist's view as both child and adult, so we see how her experiences as a girl influence her as a woman. The characters and settings feel like real, down-to-earth people, developed with the sense of place Ms. Calhoun portrays so lovingly. I felt the fear that Ellie feels about her best friend's... Read Full Review

I have read most of Calhoun's books and thought the Education of Ellie is her best to date. While one of the themes of the book - dealing with child abuse - is dark and disturbing at times, it is a more realistic reflection of what happens in our society to some unfortunate children, and this book offers a child's and an adult's view of living in or near abuse. I thought Calhoun captured the differences between the two... Read Full Review