Madonna

Once upon a time, there was a very excellent singer who became very famous and wealthy. But instead of feeling lucky that she had made it to the acme of celebrity, she began to resent that people thought she was just a musician without class or erudition.

So, making the frequent mistake that anyone could write a good children’s book, she wrote a book called Lotsa de Casha, a slim book with the painfully obvious message that money cannot buy happiness. How painfully obvious? The fabulously show more wealthy and miserable protagonist is actually named Lotsa de Casha! The prose is just as predictable as the ham-handed title. And what’s with giving the greyhound main character an on-again, off-again exaggerated Italian pronunciation of English, à la Chico Marx? Really off-putting and kind of bigoted.

For whom is that book written? Not children, as the prose is too elevated for them. Not discerning adults who will be put off by the clumsy title and the dreadful writing (if they get as far as opening the book). No, it is written for zealous fans who do not give a fig about class, erudition or writing talent.

So there are two lessons here: Money cannot buy happiness, and celebrity cannot buy literary talent. Not even a little. The end.

P.S. — That’s too bad because the illustrations by artist Rui Paes prove as delicate as Meissen china and as breath-taking as a Jean-Honoré Fragonard painting. I would give him five stars; as it is, both of the stars in this review are for him alone. show less

The novel continues the life adventures of the English Roses, five best friends first introduced in a couple of charming picture books. The girls are talented in their own unique ways, but bound together with close ties of friendship. They are graceful, pretty, and good; they love each other and like helping others. Also, they are typical preteen girls, who enjoy giggling and gossiping. In this story, they are beginning their sixth grade year with high expectations. However, events are about show more to be shaken in their happy world. The story involves all five girls, but focuses on one. Grace, the avid footballer (meaning soccer player, as this is England), has noticed that her parents are acting odd. Her mom is constantly cleaning the house and baking cookies, and her dad is missing soccer practices and other family events. Even the appearance of a cute boy who also plays football isn't enough to alleviate her fears. Anxiety turns into nightmare when Grace finds real estate ads and assumes that her parents are looking for a new place to live. Grace tells her friends, and they share her worries and fears. However, using their compassion and wits, and with a little help from their friendly fairy godmother during a dream, the girls realize that no matter how far apart they are, they will always be best friends, they will always be the English Roses.

The series keeps growing on me. I read the first picture book, not expecting much, and was pleasantly surprised by the story and characters and art work. Although not the finest example of the genre, the whole package was charming and uplifting. This book continues to delight. One of my criticisms of the first picture book was that the girls weren't differentiated enough, but the series seems to be working on that angle extensively. The girls have different hobbies and passions, and if each book focuses on a particular girl as this one did with Grace, we will learn even more about their inner thoughts and families. Certainly, with the extra narrative space afforded by a novel, the author has more opportunity to bring five distinct personalities to life, a more challenging task in the shorter picture book format. Although, the book is really somewhere in between a picture book and a chapter book, with small chapters that use a larger font and plenty of illustrations, making for a fast reading pace. I wanted a quick read, and this story was the right fit. The fairy godmother continues to be a discordant note, but was less distracting than in her first outing. The artwork is still quirky and appealing. I had fun reading this entry in the lives of the English Roses. I'll continue to be open to books from this series. show less

Product Details

* Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
* Number of Discs: 1
* Label: Warner Bros / Wea
* Catalog Number: 25442
* ASIN: B000002L9S
* Average Customer Review: based on 52 reviews. (Write a review.)
* Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,660 in Music (See Top Sellers in Music)
Yesterday: #42,345 in Music

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1. Papa Don't Preach Listen Listen
2. Open Your Heart Listen Listen
3. White Heat show more Listen Listen
4. Live To Tell Listen Listen
5. Where's The Party Listen
6. True Blue Listen Listen
7. La Isla Bonita Listen
8. Jimmy Jimmy Listen
9. Love Makes The World Go Round Listen

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
A quintessential '80s pop artifact, Madonna's third album was a huge musical leap forward and ranks with Like a Prayer and Ray of Light in the top echelon of her works. Only the title track (a bit too obviously a '60s girl-group homage) and the fine-but-nothing-special "Jimmy Jimmy" slightly lower the quality bar. Most of the songs share a jittery dance-pop sound, edgy, distracted, and nerve-jangling but simultaneously invigorating and exhilarating and almost dangerously giddy--a perfect soundtrack for the mid-'80s. Highlights include the hedonist's credo of "Where's the Party," the subtle and pretty Latin pastiche "La Isla Bonita," and, towering above all, three stunning mega-hits. "Papa Don't Preach," with its gorgeous pseudo-classical strings intro, is a sumptuous airwaves banquet, as Madonna wrestles with the have-the-baby-or-give-it-up dilemma (abortion's not in the picture) in newly gritty tones. "Open Your Heart"'s marriage of jitter-pop and wistful melody underscores the singer's yearning but forceful stance ("You better open your heart to me, buster"). And "Live to Tell" is a riveting ballad, lushly melodic yet spare and haunting--a place, as the song says, where beauty lives. --Ken Barnes
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Remember the first controversial Madonna album?, April 2, 2004
Reviewer: Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City: Duluth, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER) (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)
One of the most interesting American pop culture phenomenons of 1986 was the conviction of so many people that the Madonna song "Papa Don't Preach" (written by Brian Elliot with additional lyrics by Madonna) was an anti-abortion song. Certainly I can appreciate the idea that Madonna, whose public persona from the start was always far closer to libertine than liberal, could be co-opted to represent conservative (nee traditional) family values. But all you have to do is read the lyrics of the song to see that this makes no sense." The pivotal line from the chorus is (altogether now) "But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby." Now, this is simple: the opposite of "keeping" your baby, is giving it up for adoption. The opposite of having an abortion would have been "having" your baby. This not even a close call and is right up there with President Reagan quoting Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." as evidence of American pride (again, the lesson is easy, just read the lyrics, boys and girls, just read the lyrics).

Anyhow, "True Blue" was the third Madonna album and constituted a major makeover at least in terms of her physical image projected by the first two albums which inspired all those young Madonna wannabees. However, the change in her musical choices lagged behind a bit, so you still have "dance" numbers like "Where's the Party" and "Open Your Heart," and there are strong dance rhythms to many of the songs. Still Madonna was also starting to move in other directions at his point. "La Isla Bonita" offers a bit of Latino flair, but I have always thought "Live to Tell" was the key track on this album. The video matched the essence of the song: this is Madonna relying on her voice rather than her moves. She has never had a great voice and it was always a question of what she could do with it; on this song, really for the first time, she shows that she can be a singer rather than just a performer. If we want to point to the song where Madonna grew up, it would this slow, atmospheric ballad, co-written with Patrick Leonard, who had a hand in five other tracks on the album.

How much have things changed since this album was first released? Well, it is dedicated to "My husband, the coolest guy in the universe," and I am sure most of us have lost count of how many specific instantiations of the Madonna icon we have seen in the last couple of decades. More importantly, enough time has finally passed that we can listen to the title track without cringing as hundreds and hundreds of music videos by amateur auteurs parade through our mind for days and days on end. Thank goodness MTV did not do that to one of the really good songs on this album. show less

I was skeptical when I saw the author listed as "Madonna!" Then, I opened the book to find lush, lovely images that enticed me to purchase it.

I need not have worried; the story is lovely and Gennady Spirin is one of my favorite illustrators/artist.

A cobbler by the name of Yakov has one child, a son who is gravely ill. Despite all attempts to cure him, Yakov and his wife, Olga, grow increasingly frightened when their son is slipping away. Hearing of a man of healing who lives in the last show more house of their village, Yakov goes to seek his guidance.

Attempting to give all his money to the learned elder man, his coins were refused, stating that if he is successful in helping, perhaps the cobbler would make a pair of shoes for his grandson.

The next day, he visited the wise sage only to be told that when he prayed, the gates of heaven would not open. Thus, Yakov was told that his son's death is inevitable. In distress, Yakov begged the wise man to try yet one more time.

The elderly man told his grandson to go into the village and find all the thieves, pick pockets and criminals and bring them back to the house. Among the lot was Vladimir the Villain who could bend metal and punch holes through stones, and Boris the Barefoot Midget is successful at grabbing the purses of old ladies and the toys of little ones. Among the lot were Ivan the Arsonist, Petra the Pickpocket Stinky Pasha and a large host of near do wells.

When the old man asked the beggars to pray, they all got on their knees and followed his directions to pray. Amazingly, a miracle occurred. The prayers of the man who previously robbed by opening gates, helped to open the gates to heaven so that the child could be healed.

The next day, Yakov came with a new pair of shoes for the elder's grandson. His son was alive and well. It was the prayers of the gang of crooks that made a difference. show less