Review
Charlie is a wonderful book, reminiscent of an updated version of A.A. Milne s stories, with overtones of pathos and humor right out of Harvey, the movie wherein Jimmy Stewart converses with a 10-foot invisible rabbit. Beautifully crafted, it is a story that can be read to youngsters, and enjoyed by adults old enough to remember a time when America seemed like a beautiful dream. --Alan Bisbort, syndicated columnist and author of Media Scandals; Beatniks
The work has liveliness, originality and great charm. The voice and unique perspective of Charlie will stay in my mind for a long time . . . . The authors made Charlie come alive in my imagination. I felt his plight when boxed-up and left behind and his joy at finding love. The authors have created a memorable and beautiful work. ----Shaun O Connell, Remarkable, Unspeakable New York; Imagining Boston: A Literary Landscape
This joint venture does wonders for the reader. All he or she needs to bring to A Bear Called Charlie, A Memoir, is what every reader of fiction is called on to provide: a willingness to collaborate with the characters, and an imagination free and open enough to be touched by wonder. --Barry Knister, Just Bill; The Dating Service
About the Author
Elected to Phi Beta Kappa, Longstreth was graduated with honors from Indiana University, Butler University and Christian Theological Seminary. Trained as a classical musician, Longstreth played her way through the universities by serving as an organist/choir conductor for churches, and played piano, organ and flute in a dance band, later joining forces with a musician friend to play duo piano and duo organ for several years.
Following her marriage to Joseph Longstreth, who was a renowned concert harpist, the couple also performed as duo pianists.
Following graduation from university, Longstreth began her career as a social services/ health care administrator, never abandoning her personal passions for music, writing and art.
For the past 28 years she has been an art dealer, specializing in contemporary paintings, photography and sculpture. Moving from Indiana to Florida, she and her late husband founded Southwest Florida s largest contemporary gallery in Naples, where she is a founding member of NFADA (Naples Fine Art Dealers Association).
She has become well known in the community, serving as the classic and pops music reviewer for the local paper, most recently becoming a features columnist for Florida Weekly. She is a frequent contributor to regional magazines, is active with several charitable groups in the community and, like her parents before her, is actively involved in animal rescue and spay-neuter programs.
She resides in Naples with Charlie, Merrybell, Big Red, Beaner, Squirrely, AB Rabbit, Henry and Henrietta Hedgehog, Gumby, and a host of her mother s other treasured friends. Her home is also safe refuge for a host of formerly feral, now much loved cats, including Skye Goldberg Longstreth, Charlie and his Mom s last rescued kitten.
