Companies Books

This book tells not only of a seemingly impossible, desperate love between a man and a woman but also of the endless and unconditional love that God has for each and every one of us. A really great read.

This is the 1st Christian book I have read (even though I am a Christian). I liked the begining and the end but the middle of the book was SOOO slow. I was going to quite reading half way through but friends of mine encouraged me to keep reading so I didn. It turned out to be an "ok" book but not one that I would say is a must read.

This isn't typically the type of book I read either so maybe it just wans't for me because I have heard many other people just rave about this book.

Although I am a Christian, I'd never read any Christian books until this one. Now that's all I read. This book was recommended by a young man at my church and boy, was I impressed. I've read all my life, I love it, but I'd never read a book that was as great as this one. This is a must for anyone who needs to know what it means to really have a relationship with God & what it needs to be between husbands & wives. Men should read this book also, it'll give them a new perspective on women, marriage and God. I've read 3 or 4 Francine Rivers books now & they are all really, really good, but this one has been the best so far. SERIOUSLY!!! A MUST READ for EVERYONE!!! Thank you Mrs. Rivers for putting the story of Gomer & Hosea into a story everyone could relate to.

This gripping fictional tale is loosely based on the book of Hosea. As evidenced by the hundreds of glowing reviews, it is an immensely popular book among Christian women. Unfortunately, this author has made some serious theological missteps which are not brought to light in previous reviews.
1. She allows the voice of the Spirit (in bold print -- be careful, the voice of Sarah/Angel's flesh is also in bold on occasion) to contradict the directly inspired Word of God. The whole premise of the book -- that Michael Hosea is "led" by the "Spirit of God" to marry an unregenerate woman is preposterous. God has certainly led many, many godly men and women to marry those with sordid pasts, but AFTER He has performed His redeeming work in their lives. Numerous scripture passages forbid the marriage of a believer and an unbeliever. Several other minor points and the climax of the book also violate this principle. She further pushes her charismatic agenda with dreams and visions as major plot points.
2. She seems to intimate that the relationship between a believer and Jesus Christ can be compared to a marriage relationship. That analogy is NEVER used in scripture. The marriage relationship is always protrayed between God and Israel or Christ and the church. The individual believer is pictured as Sheep/Sheperd, Master/servant, Father/child, and even Vine/branch but the marriage relationship is always reserved for the body of Christ(the church) or Israel.
3. Her Harlequin romance novel style writing is designed to titillate the flesh. I would not consider this book appropriate for unmarried young ladies as intimated in some of the previous reviews. If you are a mom considering this for a teenaged daughter, read the entire book FIRST. Even though the most graphic scenes are between a man and wife, there is far more detail than most young ladies who are desiring to keep their minds as well as their bodies pure before marriage need to know.
This book is thought provoking and has some compelling themes, but in my opinion is not worth reading. You may be able to pick a perfectly good meal out of a restaurant dumpster, but you'll have to go through a lot of disgusting trash to get it. I would highly recommend biographies of Amy Carmichael's life to see the redeeming love of Christ in action with helpless child prostitutes. A bonus: it really happened!

It is the most beautiful illustration of God's love for us. Very touching and well written.

escape via rocket, October 6, 2008
By V. N. Dvornychenko (Rockville, MD) - See all my reviews


Part "Angela's Ashes" (Frank McCourt) and part "I Aim for the Stars" (Werner von Braun), this book chronicles the efforts of a teenage boy to escape the confines of his West Virginia coal-mining milieu. Fourteen-year-old Homer/Sonny Hickam (the protagonist and author) is determined not to follow in the footsteps of his coalminer father - who is already showing signs of black-lung disease, a disease which will eventually kill him.

Homer/Sonny has an older brother, of whom he is very resentful. Among his brother's "sins" are ease with the girls, success at high school football - and most of all - favor with the parents. Normally there are only two paths for escape from Coalwood: the military, or a football scholarship.
The brother, Jim, holds a strong suit in the football option. Homer, slightly built and very nearsighted, knows he has no chance at footfall - and, so it would appear, with the girls. Then a miracle happens.

The "miracle" that provides a third avenue of escape is the launching of Sputnik by the USSR. The shockwaves produced by this event change American values almost overnight. Intellectual "nerds" suddenly become fashionable. Homer hatches a plan which he hopes will eventually land a job designing rockets for Werner von Braun. The plan is to design, build and launch model rockets. Homer collects a circle of followers - mainly other "nerds" -- and together they put the plan into action.

Besides the shockwaves produced by Sputnik, another kind of fault line runs right through the Hickam household. On one side stand Homer with his mother, on the other his father and brother. A major reason for the fault line is that the mother does not wish to see her sons follow the fate of her husband. But that is not all; it appears the mother has certain misgivings about her marriage. With her artistic bent, and something of a free-spirit, she harbors feelings that perhaps -- just perhaps -- she married beneath her station. A consequence of her frustration is that she succeeds in pulling Homer/Sonny over to her side, resulting in a more-or-less permanent rift with the father. It is also interesting to speculate what other personality traits may have resulted from Homer's closeness to his mother. Homer appears to have a penchant for being attracted to girls that give him conflicting signals - somewhat in the manner of Lucy of the famous comic strip, they entice him, only to pull the ball away at the very last second. Homer is also attracted to an "older" woman (though she is only in her early twenties), his science teacher, Freida Riley.

Although Homer appears to fear and hate everything about mining, some of the most spellbinding moments are excursions into the mine. His favorite science teacher would not, however, approve of the chemistry in the book, which contains several mistakes.

I began by characterizing "Rocket Boys" as part "Angela's Ashes" and part "I Aim for the Stars". In retrospect, is little doubt that "I Aim for the Stars" constitutes the minor component. Although much of the book details the design and building of rockets, Homer's fascination with rocketry and Werner von Braun appears to be mostly motivated by this "ticket out of Coalwood." The epilogue to the book reinforces this. After some delays, Homer Hickam does indeed go to work for NASA, and enjoys a successful career. But sadly, no speculations appear in the book regarding man's role in the cosmos - the "extraterrestrial imperative" Krafft Ehricke called it - nor did any subsequent books on astrodynamics or space theory emerge.

The author produced a sequel "Coalwood Ways." Published only two years later, it covers much the same territory, but has a very different flavor. It concentrates on interpersonal relations, and is much "sweeter" in its outlook than its precursor. It gives the appearance that the author underwent some personal event between the two books which changed his outlook. A film, titled "October Sky," was made based on "Rocket Boys." It has a different flavor yet. "Rocket Boys" is a fine book, and after all is said and done, it would appear that Homer Hickam's true calling is writer.

THE EXPERIMENTS DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK ARE VERY DANGEROUS AND SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED.

Loved this book. Was on the last chapter when I threw October Sky into my Netflix queue; Hoping I'd have it in hand when the book was finished. Timing was perfect. As usual, the book eclipses the movie, but both are great. Passing it onto my 10 year old son who already has aspirations of going into the sciences. Enjoy!

Was purchased due to a requirement by my childs school. He has informed me it is a good book.

... "On June 4, 1960, the Big Creek Missile Agency, fresh from its medal winning performance at the National Science Fair, is sponsoring a day of rocket launches at its Cape Coalwood range. Everyone reading these words is invited..." This quote can be found on page 356-357 of a book called Rocket Boys; this statement showed me that the success of the main characters was a result of personal hard work and teamwork.

"Rocket Boys" by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. is a nonfiction account of a group of friends from Coalwood, West Virginia in the early 1960's who have a fetish for making rockets. Homer and his friends have a dream to shoot a rocket up into the clouds. This story gives the reader a message that dreams really can come true.

Rocket Boys is one of the strongest books I have ever read. The author accomplished his goals to tell people that team work is one of the most important things to know in your life. This book is recommended for people that like space and rockets and who want a hopeful book to read. Reading Rocket Boys really gets you thinking about team work and how far you can get with it.

Homer Hickam grew up in a rural isolated mountain town but went on to win the National Science Fair.

This book is his story and how he was successful.

I bought 24 copies of this book to inspire my advanced 6th grade Reading class. They loved the book. In our discussions they mentioned never giving up. Homer and his friends kept trying until they had success.

Thank you for sharing your life with us, Mr. Hickam.

Some of the writing is uneven, the plot a little bit disjointed, but in fairness to the author, he is writing from the perspective of a twelve-year-old boy.

This book is vitally important, because there still isn't much in the way of non-fiction written by grown men who were abused as children. Their needs are completely different from those of girls. Pelzer's reaction to being placed into his first foster home - literally bouncing off the walls, jumping on all the beds, is perfectly normal behavior for a boy who has been abused. At times, boys taken into foster care are doubly abused, by well-meaning caretakers who don't understand the unique temperament of the abused male child.

In my view, the system very nearly failed Pelzer by shifting him from one placement to another, often at the last minute. However, his positive attitude is truly inspiring, and he has only praise for the social workers and foster parents he dealt with as a child.

It is impossible for a normal person from an intact Brady-bunch family to understand why a child, placed into a loving and safe second home, would start acting insane and doing everything they could to get kicked out of that home. It's a child's fantasy that holds out even into teenage years, that somehow, being kicked out of a foster home means that they're one step closer to going home, even if deep down, they honestly know that they can't ever live with their parents again.

I highly recommend this book to any person considering becoming a foster parent, and for people who are employed as caretakers in group homes or who work with children and young adults in placement. The writing style is easy enough to appeal to even a middle-school age child, especially one that is already in foster care.

I also enjoyed this book as much as A Child Called "IT". This also made me cry as much as as the first one. I could not put it down as well.

This book among others written by Dave have left me riveted. I can't put them down. All I see is a man who has overcome the circumstances placed before him. He is such an inspiration, I only wish more people would read his books and make something out of their lives, instead of playing the victim (which is much easier to do)

The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family by Dave Pelzer is a sequel to the heartbreaking memoir, A Child Called "It". Pelzer explains what happened after he was taken away by his abusive mother and neglectful father. This book is really uplifting and moving. I highly recommend this fascinating story and his quest to find a foster family who will love him unconditionally. Enjoy!

This book helped open my eyes to what children go through in Foster Care. It helped me to relize that you can't judge a book by its cover. That the struggle for acceptance,love acknowledgement or to be recognized can consume & overwhelm a child...to even the point of doing something you know in you heart is wrong. This book makes me want to work hard, so I can buy a big house, Just so I can provide enough love and support and room for not only my three children, but for those children in need of a place to call home & to know that they have someone who care about them.

This is an enchanting story that once again captures the spirit of the perky princess who had no desire to be the traditional damsel-in-distress. So, what's a contemporary woman trapped by royal traditions to do? Offer herself up to the dragons in the first place.

It's a whimsical tale that gives fairytales sly winks and twists at every corner. The characters are rich, and move the story along with their quirks.

This is not just parody, either. Ms. Wrede had managed to create her own intelligent, dragon-and-knight infested tale that creates as much fairy tale as it borrows.

I enjoyed this story, and the sequels, as a young girl. Wrede creates a magical world that has a unique feel while incorporating common elements from fairytales. I've read in several times since and still enjoy it. Dealing with Dragons is very much a girl power book - almost all of the good main characters are female, Princess Cimerone rejects the staid life society thrusts upon her and charts her own course, and the King of the Dragons ends up being a female (King is just the title of the job, designating nothing about gender). It is well written, something that can certainly not be said of all fantasy novels written for this age group, and the story is fun and engaging.

An excellent book for young children that enjoy fantasy with an odd twist. Highly recommended.

I loved this series in middle school and would highly recommend it as a fun leisure read for children in that age bracket.

Princess Cimorene is tired of embroidery, etiquette, and protocol classes. She wants to take Latin, fencing, magic, and cooking lessons instead. But, that's just "not done." So to avoid a betrothal to a handsome and charming (but not particularly bright) prince, she runs away to become housekeeper for a dragon. As a dragon's princess, Cimorene gets the freedom to cook and clean and to organize libraries and treasure rooms. She also has to fend off persistent knights who come to rescue her, and investigate the actions of a couple of sneaky wizards.

Patricia C. Wrede's Dealing with Dragons is a refreshing change from some of the more recent fantasy epics aimed at teenage girls. It's light, fun, and often hilarious as it pokes fun at several fairy tales and fantasy clichés. The plot moves rapidly and the writing is clear and precise. The dialogue is particularly good.

I listened to Dealing With Dragons on audiobook. Listening Library does an excellent job recording this with a full cast of actors; I highly recommend this format. --FanLit.net

I read this before I read the other series (Song of the Lioness)so I really had no background info on the setting. The plot is intriguing and the details back it worthwhile.

Daine is a young girl, newly orphaned who applies for work at a horse fair. The horse trainer, Onua doesn't want to take on such a young girl but gives her a chance and sets her in among the horses she has already purchased. It's not a problem for Daine that those horses are wild, untamed and unruly because Daine has wild magic and can speak to the animals.

Onua takes her on and they set off for the capital of Tortall because Onua is the horse-mistress of the Queen's Riders. Daine makes herself invaluable on the way by keeping the horses in line and fighting off immortals.

She meets Numair who plays a huge role as her teacher in the rest of the series. Numair is 27 at the start of the series and Daine is 13 so there is a huge age gap there.

Daine's magic grows leaps and bounds under Numairs tutelage and Daine's wild magic becomes instrumental in saving Tortall from Carthaki invaders.

Daine is probably my favorite character in the Tamora Pierce world of Tortall. She's got this natural thing with animals that I would love to have... She's not overly stubborn (like Alanna) or boring (like Kel - she was my least favorite heroine) or mischievous (like Aly, who is my second favorite (^_^) ) or even determined (like Pierce's newest heroine Bekka). Daine is just nice and has a lot of common sense and is brave.

This is the most disappointing thing I have ever bought online. Actually, I don't know because it hasn't come yet. I ordered it over a week and a half ago and it still hasn't come. Why sell when you don't deliver?

Wild Magic, a book by Tomora Pierce and the first book in the series The Immortals, is about a girl named Daine. Daine was always good with animals. Then she leaves her home and realizes she is more than good with animals; she has magic. Her magic allows her to talk to them and they obey her. Her magic is about to run away with her when her new job sets her in the company of a kind mage named Numair. Numair helps her learn how to control and use her magic.
My favorite part was when all the birds in the story help Daine fight off several Stormwings. Even though they all die, Daine's powers seep out and bring the birds back to life, fix broken wings, and heal their wounds. This book would be great for anyone in to fantasy and fiction books, more for someone in 6th too 8th grade. I don't really know, older groups of people might like it as well. I give this book a 10 on a scale of 1:10.
This book has sparked my imagination. I am always thinking about how life would be if we had magical powers. This book is very entertaning and keeps the adventure going. I hope you read the other books in the Immortals series. This book captivated me. I hope you enjoy/ enjoyed it as much as I have.
-- Skylar Rowan

This is an excellent book. Tamora Pierce is a great author. I just bought another copy of this book because I misplaced my first copy.

I purchased this book at a thrift store for $1. I had read one other of McCammons books "Swan Song" which I thought was excellent so I figured I would try "Boys Life". It seemed like a dumb title but for $1 I figured I could pitch it if the book was no good. I am the type of person if a book does not grip me in the first 50 pages I move on. Was I ever surprised. Right off the bat the story gripped me. I would stay up late at night wanting to see what would happen next. McCammon writes in such a way that you can feel the emotions of Cory the main character in the story. I could see how the boy thinks as I once used to when I was boy many years ago. McCammon makes this story come alive. The pictures he draws of this small town are clear and you are drawn in and can't put the book down. McCammon is an excellent story teller. It is almost like you are there. It takes place in the early 1960's when the world was a different place than it is now. The death of Cory's best friend, his dealing with some bullys, his relationship with his parents, and a host of other odd characters that Cory deals with come alive. There is also an odd mystery he tries to solve that weaves through the entire story. These all come alive in the story and at the end they fit together. Excellent book. Definitely five stars. If his other books are this good, I can't wait to read them.

Boy's Life by Robert McCammon was a pretty good book. It starts out in a little town in AL with a twelve year old boy (the main character) named Cory Mackenson is with his dad at "work" and a mystery begins to unfold right in front of his eyes. It catches the reader's attention. But as the story continues, I think that is gets a little confusing to follow as there a lot of "mini-stories" that make the plot somewhat strange. Some stories were interesting, but some just did not make any sense in my opinion. At the end of the book, grown-up Cory talks about his new life- this is a nice touch at the conclusion of the book. Overall, it was a pretty good book. Not a five-star for me though.

There's nothing I can say about this book that hasn't been said, but let me add to the ovation. Everything you've read is true. This book is brimming w/ magic and heart. I think it's the only book I've ever started to read again right after finishing it. If you haven't read it, do yourself a favor and do so.

This is the first book I have read by the author and what a great introduction. Considering this book was written in the early 90's, the 12-year old Cory M. main character, was a harbinger of the "magical boy"
at the edge of adolescence. Ala Harry Potter, Cory has the sixth sense. Though there are elements of horror, this is mainly a autobiography of kids in the 60's. The feel of the time is right, with boys on bikes looking for adventure and trying to escape the misery of school. And surely one can remember that magic did seem to be in the air at that age. The characters are well-developed and the mystery, who is the drowned man in the lake?, is nicely woven through, but not always the main focus. More importantly, Cory and his friends begin to glimpse the adult world, maybe just as scary as the horror stuff. Dad loses his job, Mom is a worry-wart, and Cory faces love and death. Did not want it to end and felt the post-script of life in the 90's, did not add. A different type of horror/mystery story and great change of pace.

Robert McCammon really did an awsome job writing this book. It expresses everything in a young boy's life. The dissapointments such as: loosing a friend to a bullet, your dog dying, and having your dad layed off from work. On the other hand it also tells about great things such as: getting a new bike, catching a criminal, going to a circus, and many other things. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a book that will keep you reading till the last page.

I started getting migraines on a daily bases, and purchased every book I could on the subject. This was the only book that really helped me. VERY useful stuff.

A friend loaned me her copy of this book. I have since bought two copies...one for me and one that I gave to my doctor. I have been doing the diet in the book for 4 months now, and I haven't had any migraines. I was having 4 to 5 a month. I got off my Topamax and my birth control pills, and I stopped taking Imitrex. I feel like a new person. Thank goodness for this book. I don't know what I would have done without it! I loaned it to a friend, and it has helped her too. Just try it....you have nothing to lose!

This book helped me tremendously with migraine associated vertigo. Within a week I felt better just by dietary changes.

This book helped me realize I was only making my headache problem worse with the "quick fix". It is not an easy program to follow but it is making a difference. Some of the assertions may sound a bit much but overall it works.

I was AMAZED.... I have my life back.... simple solutions to a complex problem... an ENT doc told me about this book after evaluating me for my crazy "sinus" issues.... turns out.... there is nothing wrong with my nose and I am NOT allergic to anything.....

100% HAPPY!
MIGRAINE FREE IN MD.

There are so many reasons to pan a book like this, writting, viewpoint, historical accuracy, but this book gets 5 stars in all catagories. So true, so full of action, so sad, so much to say. My true interest lies on the Eastern Front between Germany and Russia, but this was so good it is my favorite of WW2 in spite of the subject matter. Wow.

I have told people that war is the Second worse thing that could happen to a human. The first? Slavery - which is the battlefront against Hitler's National Socialists and the Imperial Japan in World War II.

That's where this story takes place. I have read few books that convey the realism and horror of war so well, without reservation. This is one.

Eugene B. Sledge, an Alabama boy, heads into War in the Pacific as a member of the U.S. Marines. He lands with the famous 1st Marine Division - 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. His training was concentrated and intense - but still nothing prepares one for the onslaught of Pelilieu. He was a vet when he hit Okinawa where the fighting got even tougher. The image that sticks with me about Okinawa is a Marine who has to head back to get ammo. He slips in the mud and slides down the hill, rising to discover that he was covered in the maggots uncovered by his slid that were gnawing away at the dead bodies in the mud. This Marine, inured to death and destruction, is rattled badly. That image has stayed with me to understand the horror of this generation's sacrifice and their quiet acceptance of Duty.

By the time Sledge hit the hell of Okinawa, he was a combat vet, still filled with fear but no longer with panic.

I can't go into detail since I didn't read it myself, but my dad enjoyed it a lot.

I have told people that war is the Second worse thing that could happen to a human. The first? Slavery - which is the battlefront against Hitler's National Socialists and the Imperial Japan in World War II.

That's where this story takes place. I have read few books that convey the realism and horror of war so well, without reservation. This is one.

Eugene B. Sledge, an Alabama boy, heads into War in the Pacific as a member of the U.S. Marines. He lands with the famous 1st Marine Division - 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. His training was concentrated and intense - but still nothing prepares one for the onslaught of Pelilieu. He was a vet when he hit Okinawa where the fighting got even tougher. The image that sticks with me about Okinawa is a Marine who has to head back to get ammo. He slips in the mud and slides down the hill, rising to discover that he was covered in the maggots uncovered by his slid that were gnawing away at the dead bodies in the mud. This Marine, inured to death and destruction, is rattled badly. That image has stayed with me to understand the horror of this generation's sacrifice and their quiet acceptance of Duty.

By the time Sledge hit the hell of Okinawa, he was a combat vet, still filled with fear but no longer with panic.

I have wanted this book for some time. The seller gave a fair price and good service. I received the book in good shape, as advertized.

I Loved this book.I generly don't like Mafia type books but this had everything.It tells the story of Georgia Durante's very exciting life.Good times and bad.It is well written and the words just flow off of the page.Once I picked it up I could not put it down. This is a must read for True Crime readers as well as those who like survivor stories.
Ms.Durante has had one heck of a life and shares all with the reader.She holds nothing back.She went from model to mob wife and through it all shows what a strong,survivor type women is like.She will inspire you!
One of my favorite books to date.

This book has inspired so many women! I have interviewed Georgia on my radio show many times, and every time we get call after call from women, thanking her for telling her story. It's raw and honest. It's told as if she were sitting down for coffee with us and sharing the horrors she experienced in her life. If you want a read that gives you insight into the mob world, a read that traces an emotional abuse story that isn't so unfamiliar and one that will give you hope in your own life... The Company She Keeps is just that book.
--Pam Atherton
www.ACloserLookRadio.com

Georgia Durante's The Company She Keeps grabs you from page one and drags you kicking and screaming through an astonishing series of incredible, but shockingly true, episodes torn from the fabric of her own action packed life. From her earliest days, Georgia's dynamic personality, appearance of vulnerable innocence, and intrinsic allure endeared her to "The Mob" -- even more attractive was "Georgie Girl's" almost supernatural abilities behind the wheel -- a talent that serves her well today as the #1 stunt driver in Hollywood. When you read this book, which you certainly MUST, I assure you that you will wonder how she "got away" with writing it without being "whacked" -- I personally interviewed Georgia and she told me that she was more concerned with CIA reprisals because of the book's revelations about the CIA's link to the Mob. For a true story that is engrossing, scary, and in the final analysis, uplifting and inspiring, you can't find a better book that Durante's The Company She Keeps. It is available in paperback, hardback, kindle, and audio. If you want to hear my interview with Ms. Durante, you can listen to it anytime on the player at http://outlawcrime.com
I think this book is fantastic, and every fan of true crime should own it.
Burl Barer

I found Georgia's story most compelling, as I imagine any woman who had experienced abuse would. I also liked that it shows the "mob" for what they truly are, and not the glamorized version we often see on TV and in the movies. I'll look forward to reading the two new chapters in the latest release of the book, and to seeing the movie that is bound to eventually be made from this story sprinkled with all the elements that sell, beauty, famous people, violence and family dynamics.

Georgia has written a compelling story about her life experiences, from the highs of being a beautiful young model, through the lows of involvement with organized crime and an unhappy (and dangerous) marriage, and overcoming the odds to achieve success and happiness through her stunt driving enterprise. It is an eminently readable book and a riveting story of a strong and remarkable woman. I enjoyed it so much I gave copies to several members of my family.

To get the most enjoyment from this beautiful book, buy the original Katherine Woods translation.

This is a wonderful story and a great book I was able to share with my students. The only drawback with the book is that the pages are not in color, but the extremely low price allowed me to purchase the books for my students out of my own pocket.

Katherine Woods' translation is the only English-language version of The Little Prince which captures the beauty, simplicity, clarity, and profundity of the Antoine de St. Exupery's classic, penned in French.

(The newer translation is appallingly horrid and bland, mistaken, and frankly perplexing.)

This is really not a children's book, although older children will appreciate it.

Don't measure the value by the thickness of the book. De St. Exupery, himself a WWI pilot, writes with a great economy yet produces here the most beautiful poetry with a delightful playfulness and childlike innocence -- a fresh vision which thus sees clearly and does not obscure the profound.

Mr. Fred Rogers used to quote from de St. Exupery, whose image and illustrations once graced the 20-franc note (in the days before the euro).

There simply is no other work like this one. It is an exceptionally rare treasure, a masterpiece.

Be sure to read Katherine Woods' translation. Read it privately, when you have time to savor each word. And keep a box of tissues nearby.

The Little Prince has often been heralded as a youthful book, required reading in elementary and high schools alike. In delivering it this way I think The Little Prince is missed by the only audience that is likely to truly appreciate it, that is adults. It is not an uncommon misconception that this is a children's book. Indeed, I keep the pictures stored on my computer, and am often asked where they came from. I reply that they are from one of my favourite books, and without fail the response is along the lines of, 'I don't mean to be rude but is that a children's book?'. 'No', I explain, 'it is not'.

The Little Prince is most needed, I think, by adults. It is easy to be caught up in, as De Saint-Exupery describes it, 'matters of consequence' and forget that it is not these matters which bring meaning to life. By pointing out the futility of professions practised endlessly and in isolation of other people, it becomes clear that the Little Prince, with his rose, is the only character with a life of consequence.

This book is beautifully written and translated by Katherine Woods. It speaks volumes through its simple tale, strange though it seems that matters such as these only become clear when they are somewhat removed from reality. Matters such as love, innocence, imagination and priorities. The Little Prince is a gentle and stirring reminder to never forget to see the boa constrictor from the hat.

I was an adult when i read this book, and i really appreciated the lessons in life that Saint-Exupery shares through the Little Prince.

A great book, full of beautiful illustrations, easy to read, while fun and sad at the same time.

I personally read it as if Exupery is sharing with us the conversations he has with his own inner child, in the image of the Little Prince. That is why the Little Prince would ask many questions, but rarely answer the ones he was asked. Like all our inner children he's been hidden inside and kept silent for a long long time, and now that he was given his chance, he will speak. And we better listen, for he is an integral part of our psyche, who will take us through the most unbelievable adventures.