Movies Books

Very good vocal and piano selection, only draw back is that it does not come with accompaniment CD.

I'm so happy with this purchase. It has all the songs from Rent in it and it's fantastic to be able to play these on my piano.

I really love the music from RENT. I use this product regularly. The only thing I did not like was that not all of the songs from the movie are in the book, but most of them are. I think there were only two missing. Enjoy!

Almost bought the broadway vocal book that I saw at Borders...there were not a great amount of selections. I congratulated myself when I came home...looked on Amazon...found the movie soundtrack vocal book and there were way many more selections...and it was a better price than the first one?? so any rent fan would be very happy with this bood. THe one drawback is the "Love heals" song which wasn't part ofthe original...Just don't love that song and Goodbye Love is not there but practically everything else is....you'll be very happy with this book.

I don't know what to say. I was ecstatic to find my purchase of this product in the mail today, and I was very eager to sit down at the piano and play. I'm a little disappointed that this songbook is much like most songbooks out there. It doesn't stand out a whole lot. The melody is written in the accompaniment, but when I select music, I prefer accompaniment that sounds original, not a duplicate of what's being sung. It seems distracting.

I am however pleased that everything was kept in their original key signature as far as I can tell, even if that makes it harder for some to play. The graphics are a nice addition, and I am very satisfied with the number of songs included in this songbook.

So, on that note, I still absolutely love RENT, and I am sure I will continue to. Maybe my expectations were too high? I'm not sure, but maybe it would be a good idea if a version of this songbook were released with the original accompaniment.

What a great purchase this was. I love to dip into this when we go read. When I ask my 36 mo old daughter "what do you want me to read?" I can only hope she says "rolie polie olie mommy" because I love to read this. I like the case it came in as well. It makes for a great keepsake or gift.

I bought this set for my 2 and a half year old girl. She loved it so much she actually slept with it the first night. We have read night after night the "original" Rolie Polie book and she has memorized entire pages. When I saw this set I knew she would love it. It is a perfect size for small hands, gives an insight into each of the characters she already was familiar with, and the carrying case makes it just perfect. You can't go wrong with this one!

I bought these books for my sons third birthday party, i gave them out as party favors for his rolie polie themed birthday! All the kids loved them, from babies to the three and four year olds. They were a big hit.

This case filled with four books is so cute. One is about Olie, Zowie, Billy and Olie's dog Spot!! This set also comes with some very colorful sticker too!!! My son loves this collection. The books are very colorful! Each book has a cute little rhyming story about each of the characters. If you have an Olie fan out there this collection is a must have!

The book is very colorful but there isn't much of a plot line- then what do you expect from a 2 yr olds book right? I would say go for it its more of a picture book but the color quality is great for children. I purchased this for a little girl and she loves it to death. She's 3yrs old right now but still keeps reading or looking at the book. The box doesn't last long but its nice to get the entire set for this price.

This book is a small miracle. (Please see my review of the A&E Ruby Slippers documentary.) I think Rhys Thomas is an angel. The fact that he could research and write this book is jaw-dropping. If you love real-life intrigue, you'll get a big kick out of this book. It's an astounding story, and should be made into a film. I think much of the material here is controversial. It would be fascinating to have some linear insights on the Ruby Slippers. The phenomena of those sets of shoes and their copies (7 known sets) remain mysterious to this day. (The most used-pair was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum, the day New Orleans was crushed by Katrina.)

Rhys is simply a witness, a record-keeper and a facilitator of information. He describes his quest to find these authentic movie relics. Sadly, this becomes the story of a young man by the name of Kent, who was a costumer and collector in the '70's. In the end, Kent died, bitterly, with AIDS in his 30's. So here, you learn a bit about this young man and his passion for old Hollywood. Also the rapid deterioration of MGM. Keep in mind, during the '30's and '40's, Louis B. Mayer was one of the richest men in the nation. This is a fascinating study. I'm so stunned to think of the MGM auctions happening when I was a young woman in my 20's. What a historical loss! Rhys describes that. And here, you get the first bit of insight on how people began to place monetary value on movie collectibles. You see, the Ruby Slippers were the Holy Grail of Hollywood in the '80's. Rhys documents the greed and loss involved as individuals searched for and created replicas of the shoes. I wonder why Judy Garland never bothered to keep a pair of those shoes? It's fascinating to compare her habits and behaviors to those of some of the personalities in this book. At the end of her life, Judy was known to do things like sleep in her gorgeous designer clothes, rip them up in one night's use, etc. Like the personalities in this book, Judy's mind was distorted by the end of her life. She lived simply, out of a few paper bags.

This book takes the reader far beyond the flatlands of Kansas and on an incredeible tour of Hollywood Movie Memorabilia. It brings to life people and movies who are long dead but not forgotten. Each page pulls the reader in and makes them take notice just like the sparkling ruby red slippers. You can't look away and you can't stop reading. When I reached the last page I found myself, like the author, realizing that there can't be an end to the story as long as people want the slippers...and face it how can you not love the slippers??? I think the best ending of all would be if this book was updated so we could all know the path the slippers have taken since the book was first published.

This book is one of the most fascinating things I have ever read. The descriptions of the MGM auction and the details of the days leading up to it are priceless. As another reviewer has stated, I also think this book should be expanded/updated and re-released.... possibly as a hardcover coffee table book. Since it was written, Debbie Reynolds has publicly shown her Arabian test shoes and has admitted her dealings with Kent Warner. Also, at least one pair of slippers has changed hands again and one pair has been stolen.

I first heard about this wonderful story when I caught the Discovery Channel's documentary of the same story, but they mentioned the book and I *had to have it*!

I was not disappointed; I've reread it two or three times already and am continually delighted. If you are an "OZ" fan in the *slightest*, you cannot let this one go unread!

This book is absolutely amazing!!!! If this book has taught me one thing it's this: there's more to those ruby slippers than meets the eye!!!!

Read this for the first time last week - flied through the book wondering what was going to happen. Mr. King [..]into his world from the beginning. Ben and Mark were great characters, as was Straker and Barlow. And that's why I didn't give Salem's Lot 5 stars. I wanted more information on Straker and Barlow, especially Barlow. There were some interesting tidbits of information about him, but just like Mr. King spent a considerable amount of time getting the reader to know the community and its more interesting "townies"...I would have loved a chapter or two on Barlow and Straker. I would have like to have gotten into their heads a bit more. The really interesting thing about this novel is that there is only one vampire involved, and he's not "that" involved in the story. It's everyone else that makes the story engaging. The kid was my favorite character. Great creation.
Overall...highly recommended horror novel - a classic!

This paperback was loaned to me many years ago by a co-worker who knew that I love horror novels. This book scared me more than anything I had ever read before, and it raised the bar for all horror novels I would read in the future. I have read every book by Stephen King since then. When people ask me to name my favorite scary novel, I always say Salem's Lot. I can't help but compare all other horror novels to it, and unfortunately most of them pale in comparison.

"Salem's Lot" is the second novel written by Stephen King. At that time to write a novel took him around two years. He wasn't as prolific as he now is and his "writing formula" was new to him and to the readers.
I first read this book when it was just edited and enjoyed it a lot. Before reviewing it I carefully reread it and still receive the jolts of King's unique style, even knowing beforehand what was going to happen.

King took vampires myth and situated it not in a far land, not far in the past, but in our time in a little Maine's town.
The author takes his time to depict every character minutely. He draws the general picture of everyday life in a small town. In Spanish we have a saying: "Small town, big inferno" and that's exactly what happens in Salem's Lot.
When the reader is well acquainted with the town's people, horror starts to creep little by little, trapping first one, then other townsfolk, putting the village under siege.
A small heterogeneous group tries to combat evil with all their strength. Will they succeed? Well you must read the book to know it.

If you are a fan on horror novels you will not be disappointed. King IS the best horror storyteller of the present times.
His trade mark is: being one of the "good people" is not enough to keep the character safe, so the reader keeps wondering "who will be next?"
It is great book for lovers of the genre!

Reviewed by Max Yofre.

This was the second Stephen King novel I ever read, but it has been the one to keep me up the longest. The novel is very engrossing. I was only 13 when I read it the first time, so it was not entirely understood, but enough was understood to make me sleep with a light on. I reread this book every Halloween and it still sends shivers down my spine.

Until Stephen King happened along the horror genre had languished, continually put down by a variety of critics in the so-called mainstream. King broke into print with "Carrie," and quickly followed up his initial success with a quasi-gothic story of a modern vampire. King's story brought new life into stories of vampires, firing the memories of those who fondly remembered the TV soap "Dark Shadows."

King sets his story in the small Maine town of Jerusalem's Lot. King starts his story by detailing the recent and not-so-recent past of many of the denizens of Jerusalem's Lot. It also becomes apparent to the reader that the residents of Jerusalem's Lot are so caught up in their own petty problems and evils, including nosing into the lives of others, that they are unable to see the real evil that has come into their midst.

Rising above the concerns of the typical townspeople are Ben Mears, a young author with thus far minor success in the publishing world, Mark Petrie, a boy who would have been remarkable in any setting, Matthew Burke, an aging teacher who wonders whether he has made any real difference in the world, and Father Callahan, a priest who has either lost his faith or is on the very edge of doing so. While the team is small, they are the few who are capable of leading the fight against the vampire who is slowly taking over the town, person by person.

On the other side of the fence are Mr. Barlow and Mr. Straker. We wonder early on whether there really is a Mr. Straker and though we know the story of Salem's Lot well enough to know there is a vampire, we wonder whether we are going to be fooled by some literary slight of hand.

Stephen King's success in this story comes not from the tale of the vampire, but by imbuing Salem's Lot the town with life, which King was able to do well because of his own personal knowledge of small town life in the northeast. The reader must believe in the dozens of mundane individuals that inhabit the town; how absolutely normal it all seems. Yet, there is an undercurrent of foreboding because there were already bad things in this town long before the vampire arrived. King has wrought a novel that is easy to dismiss at the beginning, but is rewarding for those that allow the characters to develop.

I consider this novel one of the best vampire novels ever written, and easily worth five stars.

The photographs alone in this book justify the purchase price. Heck, the cover photo of Clara Bow justifies the price! The text was interesting but not overly enlightening; however, every photo was one I'd not seen before. I found the author's choice of biographic subjects to be intriguing since it included actors I might have overlooked. If you love the silent movie era, this is a good addition to your library.

This is the first modern book I have seen in a long time that covers the silent era of film with the right combination of good textbook information and photographs to illustrate the era. There are many production stills, behind the scenes photos and poster and other advertising art work for illustration. A history of the development of Hollywood as the center of the film industry is given as well as coverage of different genres and the key players of the era. Overall, a handsome coffeetable edition with good general information about the best of Silent Film.

This gorgeous, glossy coffee-table-style book is a must-have for serious silent movie fans. Fascinating information on the golden age of silent movies and full of wonderful photographs.

This book is crammed with lush photos and fantastic ad materials from the silent era. The text is thorough, informative, and presented in an organized and entertaining manner, but the book is worth the price for the illustration alone.

I received this book as a Christmas gift and while not a definitive volume on the Silent Era, it is truly beautiful. They have various chapters from the stars, the directors, genres and etc. This book is loaded with photos of stars and posters and is a large coffee table book. I have read bits and pieces but not cover to cover, yet. Still, I can highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this forgotten time in cinema history.

My 22 month old daughter wants me to read this book to her every night! If your child is a Sesame Street fan then this little book will be a big hit.

My 17 month old usually has a hard time settling down at bedtime. She adores the Sesame Street characters, especially Elmo, and we read this book just before tucking her in and turning out the light. Elmo and Big Bird and their friends are getting ready for bed, and showing them all sleeping helps my little girl to accept bedtime a little more readily, since anything Elmo does is automatically cool!

My daughter and I have read this book over 100 times, at naptime and bedtime. She seems to never get tired of it, and is now reading it to me! It's a great book that seems to be perfect for a 2 to 2-1/2 year old attention span.

My 22 month old son loves this book. It very sweetly winds him down by saying good night all of his favorite friends as they go to sleep. It starts with Elmo at the park playing and ends with him being tucked in for bed. Therefore the child is able to relate to being awake and playing and is then brought down to falling asleep with all his Sesame Street friends. This is a wonderful book to lull your child to sleep with.

Our 21 month old son loves reading this book, both at bedtime and anytime we are reading together. It starts with Elmo at the park with his Dad, and they head home to get ready for bed. Along the way, Elmo sees different Sesame Street Monsters getting ready for bed by brushing their teeth, jumping on the bed, reading to their teddy bears, etc. Everyone is getting ready for bed, and at the end, it's Elmo who is fast asleep in his bed. This is a wonderful bed time storybook, but note it's paper pages not a boardbook so be careful with toddlers who like to grab pages.

In this boxed set, you get 6 of the SpongeBob 8 x 8 softcover books...

Hands Off!

And the Winner Is...

SpongeBob and the Princess

Ice-Cream Dreams

Bubble Blowers, Beware!

The Great Snail Race

These retail individually for $3.99 or $4.99 each, so this set is an awesome deal.

We bought a set for our house & a set for a birthday party gift. SpongeBob lovers will all be glad to have these. Great for ages 4-7. My boys are 6 and they just love them. They like having them all in one box. They are great for the boys to practice their reading skills.

I bought this for my 2 year old son. He loves spongebob and he loves books, so this was perfect for him. I like the carrying case for all his books, that way he can take them all along with him for trips in the van.

Great set of books at a great price. I purchased 4 boxes since it was part of the 4 for 3 promo and included it in the goody bags for my son's birthday party. It ended up coming out to $1.25 per book - much better than a bag full of candy!

They were well worth the money and I have already read them several times to the kids. They have been one of their favorite Christmas gifts.

A nice set of books to have on hand.

We purchased this boxed set for our nearly 2 year old son that fanatically loves Spongebob. They are paperbacks, but seem to be pretty durable. He has not torn out a page yet.... when he usually does tear pages. They were even in a cup of water accident and dried rather nicely.

For the price... it is a must-have for every Spongebob lover out there.

It's been a few years since we last bought one of the Star Trek wall calendars. It's good to have one again. We prefer the original series calendars to the more recent sequels and to the "Ships of the Line." Overall size of the calendar is more than adequate and color photos are great. This year's (2008) version has shots from the original TV series, starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and the late DeForest Kelley. We believe each of the first three years of the series are represented. The calendar also has two months with photos from the Star Trek movies, "Wrath of Khan" and "Search for Spock." Key dates related to the series, stars, and international holidays are included. Finally, there's a centerfold of the original starship Enterprise, with a space station floating in the distance. Quite well done.

Calendar was in stellar condition, exactly as described. I highly recommend it to any fan of the oridional series.

This calendar is really fantastic. The pictures are great! Also, it features important dates/birthdays pertaining to the Original Series cast! The font of the calendar is in line with the Star Trek font. This is a great gift for that serious Star Trek Fan! Highly recommend it!

I look forward to the annual classic Star Trek wall calendar. This year was no exception. The pictures are full of color with clean, crisp images. The vibrant colors that classic Trek was famous for come shining through. Nice to liven up any room or to keep as a collectible.

it was a bit banged up when it arrived, but I feel it was no fault of the company that sent it, just the post office which mangles everything. So, over all, the company was prompt in shipping, and made every effort to send it so it wouldn't get bent.

This is a great sg1 novel and I would recommend this book and the author to anyone. She captures the series perfectly. The plot is so well written and keeps you on the edge of your seat. When I found out that Cost of Honor was the sequel I instantly set out to by it. It was worth all the effort!!!! No matter what you have to do to get these books get them you will not be disappointed.

I found this book extremely difficult to put down. The story line is fantastic, the characters are almost perfectly captured in mannerisms and speech patterns. The author describes scenes vividly so that you can 'see' everything clearly. This is the second book in the Fandemonium SG-1 series that really focuses on the psychological aftermath of Jack O'Neill's torture by Baal. The TV show didn't make that big of a deal of this, but these wonderful tie-in novels use it as grist for a lot of internal angst. In this book we also again see Daniel's guiltly feelings for not helping Jack die when he was being tortured. More grist for internal angst. And then Sam is captured by Baal's Jaffa and receives her own package of angst. So far we don't really see Teal'c with baggage... perhaps in another book. Since this is just part one of the story, I recommend that you acquire SG-1 "The Cost of Honor" at the same time as this book so that you're not left hanging with the "To be continued" effect.

"A Matter of Honor" by Sally Malcolm is exactly what SG1 is about. I could not put the book down it was such a page turner! The characters were to a 'T', the humor, sensitivity, and loyalty. You can picture everything in your mind. It is written so well that there is enough description for you to picture what is going on, however, not too much to bore you. I can't wait to read part 2. I was captured from the very beginning. Also I didn't have to wait for action. It is loaded with it as well as suspense. It takes place in the 7th season after Daniel returns, which plays a part in the book. A must read for Stargate fans!

If you are a true fan of the show - then you will love this book. This reads just like and episode and the dialog is perfect and true to the TV characters. It will keep you turning the page.

The author did a fantastic job and would love to see more from them.

The story continues with the book "Cost of Honor" and picks up right where this one leaves off - it was just like watching a two part episode.

Fun read.

This book is sooooo good!!! This is the type of book that makes me love reading and never want to stop! This book has tons of excitement on every page! It never gets dull! I couldn't wait to pick up my book the next morning. And I couldn't put it down even at 10:00pm! I couldn't stop till I'd read a paragraph and not understand a single word! That's when I figured I should get some sleep. This book has everything Stargate fans have been waiting for! YOU SHOULD TOTALLY READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In his sequel of The Raj Quartet Paul Scott depicts the life of two of the minor characters Tusker and Lucy Smalley. This is the appealing story of the last surviving members of the old school of British in Pankot, a town in India, 24 years after the Independence. Covering only a few months, it makes us witnesses of a whole lifetime. Frankly told, often causing us to feel a lump in our throats, Scott's novel skillfully pictures the emotional impact the débãcle of the British imperialism in India has on a family who chose to stay on.
It took me a while to become fully immersed in the book due to its unusual beginning. The very first page tells of the death of Tusker Smalley, which, in fact, is also the end of that elegiac psychological novel. As I read pretty much the same description of the very same episode at the end of the book, I felt something totally different. Since Tusker was already a friend of mine, his ways not just a weird old man's habitudes, his life not merely a consecution of events, but the result of unfavourable circumstances and crucial decisions, his death grieved me deeply.
The divergence between the story and the plot draws us into a mazy time puzzle, which we have to arrange for ourselves. We are shown into the all-embracing socio-historical setting both before and after the Independence in 1947 through the eyes of Mr and Mrs Smalley, their servant Ibrahim, and the manager of the hotel where they live, Mr Bhoolobhoy. The various perspectives contribute to the comprehension and comprehensiveness of this fading Anglo-Indian portrait of a whole civilization in miniature.
The character of Lucy Smalley is similarly developed through a number of retrospections. In her imaginary conversations with the young Englishman Mr Turner she looks back with bitterness on the days of the raj, most of which pass under the sign of the imposed British hierarchy. Just when she achieves the aspired position of Colonel's Lady "the old hierarchy collapsed and a new one, the Indian one, took its place". Thus, nothing changes for them because the new race of sahibs and memashibs places them as far down in the social scale as the Eurasians in the days of the raj.
The changes brought about by the Independence estrange Lucy and Tusker even more than before. The lack of communication cuts them off from one another and makes them live separate lives under the same roof. He has a rude awakening when he realizes that the huge rise in the cost of living in England prices them out of the home market and they must stay on in India. This leads to his "personality change", as Lucy calls it. She, for her part, is terribly lonely because in this new world she has become "a black sheep in reverse exposure". She fears the moment when her ill husband will pass away and she will be destitute because, `She would be alone in a foreign country. There would be no one of her own kind, her own colour, no close friend by whom to be comforted or on whom she could rely for help and guidance."
Staying on is not a novel of action, but one of contemplation and speculation. Its very title implies passivity. It however, turns out to be misleading for in Tusker and Lucy's case staying on in India requires strong will and endurance. In fact, this paradox makes Tusker and Lucy analyze and reconsider their lives; makes them realize that their happiness was sacrificed part because of circumstances, part for habits' sake. The profundity of their psychological portraits, the moving episodes, even the purifying humour turn this novel into a quest for our own inner selves. Thus, even though the end of Staying On is well-known from the very first line, it still strikes us with its poignancy for we have changed our perception and have turned into Tusker and Lucy's best friend who knows all they've been through,
So when Lucy sits on her "throne" in the bathroom, appealing to Tusker:
...Tusker, I hold out my hand, and beg you, Tusker, beg, beg you to take it and take me with you. How can you not, Tusker? Oh, Tusker, Tusker, Tusker, how can you make me stay here by myself while you yourself go home?
what I hear is the echo of the record Lucy loves best, Chloë:
Oh through the black of night, I gotta be where you are. If it's wrong or right, I gotta go where you are. I'll roam through the dismal swamplands, searching for you. If you are lost there let me be there too...

Paul Scott at his best. If you appreciated and was moved by The Raj Quartet, you'll find this book no less inspiring.

I didn't notice this until it was too late to return it to Amazon, but my new copy of this book was defective. A large section of the book appeared twice, and another section was not included at all. If you buy this book, I'd recommend checking your copy promptly to see if it has the same problem while there is still time to return it.

This is a coda to the wonderful RAJ QUARTET. It is nearly as good as the other four novels. Tusker Smalley dies of a heart attack. At the the time of his death Mrs. Bhoolabhoy owns Smith's Hotel. Tusker and Lucy stay in a lodge on the property. The hotel is no longer the grand place it used to be. Now the Shiraz, a newer enterprise, is the really stylish establishment.

Paul Scott portrays Mr. Bhoolabhoy in hilarious terms. Mr. Bhoolabhoy functions as management at his wife's place of business and also considers himself Tusker's best friend. Just before his death Tusker Smalley fired his servant Ibrahim. Ibrahim had been fired on other occasions by either Tusker or his wife, Lucy, but of course in this instance the action is final.

The Smalleys are the last of Pankot's permanent retired British residents. Hearing of the death of Colonel Layton in England, Lucy commences to write to Sarah Layton. It is learned subsequently that Sarah married Guy Perron and a friend of theirs, David Tucker, is scheduled to visit Pankot and complicates the action by causing Lucy to make provision for his stay under the circumstances where she does not truly understand Tusker's careful stewardship of the couple's rather limited resources.

Through the memory of Lucy the book circles back to the earlier incidents of Mabel Layton's death at Rose Cottage, the fate of her house guest, Barbie, and the residency of Tusker and Lucy at that abode. Mr. Bhoolabhoy has always felt that Lucy's presence in Smith's dining room makes the place seem less seedy. In the end Mrs. Bhoolabhoy sells out to a consortium and Tusker dies clutching the notice to quit prepared by his dear friend, Frank Bhoolabhoy, the management of Smith's Hotel.

If, like me, you've been meaning to read The Raj Quartet, but have been daunted by it's gargantuan bulk, this shorter sequel offers an ideal entree to Paul Scott's Anglo-Indian world. Here he takes what I understand are two very minor characters from the quartet, Colonel Tusker Smalley and his long-suffering wife Lucy, and makes their story the centerpiece of a sweetly elegiac comic novel.

The year is 1972 and the Smalleys have stayed on in Pankot, India even after Independence in 1947, less out of love of the country or it's people, than out of financial need and sheer spite on Tusker's part. Where the upper class Brits were able to just scamper home, the Smalleys represent the folk of the middle class, who felt that they had invested something in the colony and now deserved to get something out of it. As he explains to Lucy:

I know for years you've thought I was a damn' fool to have stayed on, but I was forty-six when Independence came, which is bloody early in life for a man to retire but too old to start afresh somewhere you don't know. I didn't fancy my chances back home, at that age, and I knew the pension would go further in India than in England. I still think we were right to stay on, though I don't think of it any longer as staying on , but just as hanging on, which people of our age and upbringing and limited talents, people who have never been really poor but never had any real money, never inherited money, never made real money, have to do, wherever they happen to be, when they can't work anymore. I'm happier hanging on in India, not for India as India but because I just can't merely think of it as a place where I drew my pay for 25 years of my working life, which is a hell of a long time anyway, though by rights it should have been longer.

But now, with Tusker's health in decline, Lucy has increasing concerns about her own future. As is, they have led a pretty precarious existence for the past 15 years, having been reduced to living in a hotel, the new owner of which is a ghastly Indian woman, who married the manager, Mr. Bhoolabhoy, one of Tusker's few remaining friends. The author etches a finely detailed portrait of his characters and in particular of the difficult marriage of the Smalleys. Tusker is an irascible curmudgeon straight out of an old British barracks. Lucy has been disappointed that their relationship did not fulfill her romantic ideals. These strains are exacerbated by the daily indignities they must now suffer as the last seedy remnants of the departed British Empire, looked down upon by the very natives they once lorded it over. In the final scenes of the novel, two letters are written which will change these peoples' lives, for better and for worse.

This is a very funny and ultimately a deeply moving story. The Smalleys are a couple the reader won't soon forget. I liked it so much, I think I may finally heft that colossal Quartet off of the shelf and give it a go.

GRADE: A-