G Books

Have you ever needed an erotic fantasy to erase the traces of a bad relationship? The Fantasy Master, written by relationship author, G.L. Henderson, gives you just that. This novel travels through the female mind in a sensual fashion that will have you crossing your legs tight and squirming in your seat.

The Fantasy Master centers around the protagonist, Jasmine, her man,
Lewis, and her best friend, Renee, who enjoy a tight relationship until Lewis begins acting up. The circumstances that follow set up a series of mysterious events which change their relationships dramatically.

Using his astonishing insight into the female mind, Henderson introduces Anthony, a dream of a man, who takes Jasmine on a journey of fantasy, romance, erotic adventure and self-discovery.

Hold onto your hearts, ladies, as Anthony says, "Let me hold the key to your erotic door," and proceeds to take you through the physical and emotional sides of an erotic escape.

Although a little slow to start, the novel quickly draws you into the lives of characters you think you know...but think again. The Fantasy Master reveals their underlying motives and keeps you speculating until the end. The interactions of these characters will have you second guessing your own relationships.

Employing the themes of friendship, jealousy, infidelity, envy and love, the Fantasy Master mirrors society, while teaching us some of life's toughest lessons. The unpredictable ending will keep the Fantasy Master in your dreams for some time to come.

A Mocha Mind Book Review
By Gioya Mcrae
©2008 Mocha Mind Communications

Lawd, Lawd, Lawd and yes I said Lawd.. What a great book for the GROWN & MATURE! G.L.Henderson has so much fantasy for one to vision, however, reality and a spiritual message was soon to follow.

G.L.H. = Good Looking Handsome 1 is definitely about to wake up the favor for ADULTS and bring back the ROMANCE in a couples' RELATIONSHIP! One can't get mad for a MAN TELLING IT LIKE IT IS!

Keep up the GREATNESS!

My co-worker bought this book to work with her and told me to read it. I went to the hairdresser that day and finished the book in 3 1/2 hours, no lie. I couldn't put the book down. A definite page turner. It had everything love, lust, dishonesty and spirtuality. You must read this book. I'm looking forward to his next book.

I felt as if you had looked into my life and wrote about it. You seemed to have gotten into my mind and knew all of my thoughts and feelings... And the part where Jasmine is in the bathroom... Now I know why you are the "Fantasy Master"!:) I know a part of me wished it was me in the tub and a bigger part of me wished that it was me that was blind folded and whose body was being rubbed. When you read this book I feel everyone will be able to relate wheither you are a man or a woman. If you have ever loved or gave love you will find a part of you. And if you have ever fantasized about what good love feels like then this will help you. I know some men who could use some lessons from G.L. the REAL "Fantasy Master."

well i can say that this book is not just for older poeple but it's also for the younger ones. I am 18 years old and i find this book to be very real. It help you to walk in your fantasy and also walk into reality at the same time. Although G.L is my god-father i never seen this side before. He is a very deep person. And i have to say that this book shows just what kind of man he is. This is not just a regular book this help you in many ways then one. If you have not read this book please make it you business to do so. Trust me it is something you will love. This book shows you how to love , pray, romance,and most of all trust in God so that you can later trust yourself. But if i could rate this book a 100 that's what it will be! If you have read this book pass it on and tell someone about it. Help support! Love you dad From Your Baby Girls! Kema and CAM

I read a book a bit to late - during the last weeks on a notice period. Many people were asking me at that time, how could I not find myself in a thriving, well known and one of the biggest corporations in the world. And to my surprise, I couldn't give a concise and plausible answer! To be honest, I didn't understand myself "How and where it all went wrong?"

After reading the book, I not only know why I had an urge to leave, but also understand all previous cases when I was changing the job. Furthermore, I know what tasks or roles should I look for to enjoy my work there. And believe me, it wasn't an obvious answer.

I wholeheartedly recommend that book to everyone, who spends at least a third of his life at work.

This book is a must-have for anyone looking to improve their current work experience. Even if you're looking for a new job, succeeding at a current job is the BEST step forward to a new one. VERY HELPFUL!

I loved reading about the different varieties of people in the book- how they react and interact. It really helped me to understand the people around me- and not react to exhibitied characteristics that are consistent with their personality type. Great book!

This is a must read for anyone who has had 'one of those days (weeks, months or years!) at the office.'

Up to now, it had been my belief that human interaction and concise, measurable solutions have little or no common ground. These authors have not only found that common ground, they've created a road map of it for us all!

This book provides measurable, quantitative solutions for human issues with regard to individual and team dynamics and it does so in an entertaining, easy-to-understand way.

Bottom Line: The things I learned while reading this book made my work experience much more enjoyable. Many thanks to the authors for the 'Road Map'!

I loved that the book gave useful suggestions that could be implemented right away. In addition to some great team exercises (www.LikeWorkAgain.com), the book also provides exercises that you can do right away by yourself. I also enjoyed the balance that the book struck between helping your current situation and deciding if you need to start looking elsewhere (it actually lives up to its title).

This is such a good book. I bought it for my 10 yo son and he reads from it often, and then comes to me with all sorts of sophisticated tidbits about math, that I'd either forgotten or never known!
It's a very gentle way of getting to know complex mathematical theories, and its explanations are clear and succinct. Although alphabet based, this is not for small children, I would not give it to anyone younger than 9.
I'm very happy with this book and would happily recommend it. We're going to get Q is for Quark next.

At her Montessori preschool, my daughter loved only math "work," mastering the binomial and trinomial cubes early on. At 5, as we began homeschooling, her reading level exploded and she fell in love with words. Unlike "hands-on" math, she had no interest in arithmetic or pages of problems. She's a highly gifted, visual-spatial learner who also reads rapidly and at a high level. Now, at 8, I present her with "literary math," books with mathematical concepts and lots of words and pictures. This book is one of the best examples of that genre. When I handed it to my daughter, she eagerly began flipping through the pages, then scanned the table of contents. "V is for Venn diagram!" she said happily. "I LOVE Venn diagrams!" She read everything about them and studied the amusing pictures in detail. Then she began to describe aspects of her life to us in Venn diagrams. So it has gone with the rest of this book, which I highly recommend.

First off, be aware that google is the internet search site, NOT a mathematical term. A googol is, though, and it is a 1 followed by 100 zeros, which happens to be a number larger than the number of grains of sand on the earth. This book is interesting stuff!

I took a chance on ordering it because I had never heard of it before but it intrigued me. For each letter of the alphabet, a mathematical term (or two) is defined. It's fun, mathematical terms are clearly explained and some of the letters give you go-along activities.

I've been reading this aloud to my kids (ages 8 & 10) and they enjoy it. I even learned some new things, and I have a degree in mechanical engineering (which requires a lot of upper level math.) Your kids don't have to be gifted in math to enjoy this one. Some of the topics are A is for Abacus, B is for Binary (great explanation!), C is for cubit, D is for Diamond, E is for equilateral and exponent, F is for Fibonacci and G is for Googol. If you don't know what those mean, you'd better get the book!

Even if my 8 yo doesn't remember what an exponent is, she may remember them when she comes to them again and it won't be so intimidating. The more explanations the better, right? This book doesn't teach you anything you HAVE to know, just lots of interesting things that make math fun. Maybe that makes it more interesting - because you don't have to know it.

I caught my 10 yo teaching my 8 yo how to make a mobius strip and what it was. I had to say, "HEY! Have you been reading ahead without me?!" He sheepishly admitted it, but it was so interesting he just had to!

I would say this is probably good for 3rd or 4th grade and up. A younger age could understand some of the topics, but some of the math topics require a bit higher order thinking.

This book enthralled my fifth graders. They are fascinated with large numbers and love the name googol. This book helps get kids excited about math.

David Schwartz is brilliant! In G is for Googol, he brings together a wealth of mathematical information for strong independent readers. A is for abacus, F is for Fibonacci, and K is for Konigsburg! If you don't know how to pronounce rhombicosidodecahedron, don't dispair! Schwartz will show you how, and his entertaining and informative book will keep inquisitive kids enthralled for hours!

Susan Howatch may be a woman with training in the law, but she gets inside the mindset of male priests in the Anglican Church (Episcopal Church in the U.S.) better than anyone else. This is a mystery, a suspense novel, a love story and a deeply psychological look at spiritual direction all rolled into one. The book begins with a man having a vision of a small country chantry (chapel). Outside the chapel is a unique suitcase. Is this god telling him to pack his bags and leave the monastary he has known for so many years? After intense spiritual direction, that I found riveting, he decides to leave. He goes on holiday, and while walking down the hall of the inn he is at, he see the suitcase of his vision! He has to meet the owner of the valise. She turns out to be a beautiful woman (much younger than himself). Will love ensue? What is god's will? This book will encourage you to consider the power of prayer and god's direction for your life. It will call you to wrestle with the possibility of healing and evil. This book began my love affair with each of the books in the "Starbridge" series. It could be the start of something special for you, too.

The second in the series of Starbridge books - Glamorous Powers - is the one I liked the best. IN this book we get to know Jon Darrow, who figured in the first volume Glittering Images as Charles Ashworth's spiritual director, more intimately. Whereas in Glamorous powers, seen through Charles Ashworth's eyes, he was the perfect super priest who knew everything, here we actually get under Jon's skin and see him as he sees himself: as a flawed, confused man with many problems, in particular concerning his relationship with women. Jon had spent several years in a monastery as a monk, but now, in his sixties, he receives a calling from God to leave the monastery and fulfil a mission in the world - but he doesn't know what. Nor is he certain if that mission includes marriage.
For anyone with an interest in Gnosticism and mysticism, this is a particularly interesting book - but such an interest is definitely not a pre-condition for reading and enjoying it! I'm not the only Howatch reader to have this as their favourite in the series. (...)

With the 2nd book in Howatch's Anglican trilogy, we explore the story of the monk who was the therapist in book #1. He is also 60 years old, a psychic and a vision from God sends him back into the world and out of the monastery. There is a great deal of counselling and angst in this novel as well. There isn't enough different about this novel to make it the same fascinating read as book #1 though. I've already bought book #3 and I hope we follow a different pattern with that one. He does find a new woman as part of his vision from God as her bag and her estate were specifically seen in it. The Anglicans must spend more time in analysis than Freud himself ever dreamed possible!

This review is for the first Ballantine Books paperback edition, November 1989, a volume of unknown origin found while cleaning out the bookcase. I decided to read it only because Amazon.com customers rated it five stars. Although I was raised as a Roman Catholic, and at age thirteen spent a year in the seminary, I soon became disenchanted with, and largely disinterested in, organized religion. Notwithstanding this bias, I'm glad that I read GLAMOROUS POWERS.

The plot opens in Grand Chester England at a quarter to six on Friday morning, May 17, 1940 in the cell of Jon Darrow, who for the past seventeen years has been a monk in the (fictional) Anglican Fordite Order of Saint Benedict and Saint Bernard. Jon is having a vision. He interprets this vision as God's instruction to leave the order and embark on a new, unspecified calling. Before Jon can leave, however, he must convince the Abbot General, Francis Ingram that his vision was a communication from the Holy Spirit and not an aberration of a disturbed psyche. There follows a fascinating mental dual between Jon and Francis.

This deep and literary exploration of psyches pervades the story. Before each chapter and section, the author liberally quotes from the works of W. R. Inge, particularly MYSTICISM IN RELIGION. Jon has mystical (glamorous) powers, healing powers, which Francis thinks are often nothing more than "parlour tricks." I thought of "Anglo-shamanism."

Although the story evolves within the institutions of religion, it does not tamper with faith or belief, so the reader need not worry about being upset by heresy or theological debate. The author confines polemic disputes between Anglo-Catholics and Roman Catholics, Low Church and High Church, to ritual, and treats these as external conflict rather than internal struggle. This story is not about religion, but about the psyche, with pervasive emphasis on the guilt and anger emanating from parental failures.

Jon Darrow has problems, "dis-ease" he would say. The larger than life character is Francis Ingram who unravels Jon's troubled psyche without revealing his own disturbances. At one point Jon shuns Francis and mires himself into a muck of troubles, and at page 296 I made a note that the story was getting a bit tedious. It revived, I thought, around page 339 with the return of my hero Francis. Indeed, the acerbic and witty letters written by Francis to Jon are splendid examples of writing at its very best.

One only gets small hints in 'Glittering Images' that there is a lot more to Jon Darrow than meets the eye, 'Glamourous Powers' is his story. After leaving his order after seeing a vision, Darrow tries to work out his vocation and in his attempt lets his ego and spiritual arrogance get the better of him which leads to tragedy, but also the offer of spiritual renewal afterwards. An excellent look at how spiritual leaders and mentors have their own failings and the fact that they also need to be helped and disiplined. It is an excellent argument against those who are completeley against charismatic renewal, but also against those who are totally for it without seeing the warning signs and the need to be answerable to someone who you trust but who who you also don't have a cosy relationship with.

This is an excellent tale of a man, Jacob Horowitz, and his family. His parents and sister, the people who hid him through the war years in Belgium who became so close, they were family, and his children and grandchildren.

But mostly, it's Jacob's story, how the war shaped him, how his decisions and actions formed him, and how, in the dusk of his life, he decided to change his course, change his priorities, change his life.

The story is told in a back-and-forth manner, sometimes telling the story of the present, sometimes the past. There is much detail told though the author doesn't dwell much on any one area or piece of information. He skims over everything with just enough detail to tell you what you need to understand without using too much exposition.

It's amazing to watch the transformation of Jacob - both from innocent child to hardened survivor, and hardened, ambitious victor to vulnerable, ill, lonely old man.

Mostly, though, it's refreshing to read a story about men that has emotion yet isn't at all feminine.

I highly recommend this book.

(*)>

I just happened to snag this one off the "new books" shelf at the library (sorry Mr. Belliveau) and wasn't particularly excited about reading it since I've read so many books on the holocaust and figured this probably wouldn't provide a new perspective. I was wrong. It was gripping text from the beginning and brings up questions about where our sense of right and wrong comes from and how we make the choices that we make. Never once while reading this did it occur to me that this was a "Christian" book. . .I learned that the instant I finished the book and walked to the computer to beg my own redemption by writing a review. In fact, I kept looking at the author's name and wondering if he too was a Jewish man who was using a pseudonym like one of the characters in the story. This is a book about people, both Jewish and Christian, who suffered in WWII and this is the first time I have taken the time to let others know about a really, really good book.

What does it mean to be a young Jewish boy in war-torn, occupied Belgium during WWII? It means that your life suddenly becomes a living hell where you're constantly afraid, always in hiding, and you watch the Nazis (whoever they are) take your father and uncle to the death camps, and you're not even sure what's going on or why you're being hunted. Those were the thoughts that kept going through seventy-one-year old Jacob Horowitz's mind as he waited at the airport for his son, Isaac. He was taking Isaac to Belgium to show him his roots This is a deeply personal, emotional first person story of a young Jewish boy's trials in trying to stay alive while understanding the horrors of World War II. Then, after surviving the war, he grows up into a somewhat bitter old man who realizes he needs to set his house in order before he dies. Very moving and easy to follow, even though the time line jumps back and forth from the past to the present. Well written.

...this book is a refreshing change. It's an actual NOVEL that explores the inner lives of its characters, presents the world realistically (and what a world! World War II Europe!), and doesn't pull any punches in describing the evil of mankind, the complexity of life, etc. This book is not only one of the best American "Christian" novels I've ever read, it's much better than most of the formulaic sludge clogging mainstream fiction shelves these days.

My one complaint is that a character is a writer. I don't like writers who write about writers - but that's hardly a fault unique to Belliveau.

Due to the help of Belgium Christians, Jew Jacob Horowitz survived the Holocaust. However, he never forgot the horrors of the Nazis even decades later. Although his mother pleaded he remember he was Jewish, the terror destroyed his faith in God. Now several decades later, Jacob is a successful Cleveland businessman with two grownup children with families of their own. Jacob and his youngest son Isaac are alienated because he has always refused to mention the horrors he faced during the Nazi abomination. That estrangement seems silly now to Jacob when he learns he is dying and that one of his European benefactors is near death. With his son in hand, Jacob plans to say good-bye to Pierre and hello to his family.

Told in flashbacks, GO DOWN TO SILENCE is a fantastic human drama that will inspire anyone with a soul. The story line is incredible as readers feel Jacob's emotions as his life winds down and he tries one last time for salvation on the spiritual and mortal planes. G. K. Belliveau has written an amazing tale that brings the aftermath of the Holocaust home in a way rarely seen in a novel.

Harriet Klausner

Goblin Market, a verse fairy tale that was first published in 1862, is a rather fascinating piece of masterful poetry. It tells a wonderfully sensuous tale that has inspired a myriad of interpretations. I've spent more time reading about Goblin Market than I did actually reading it - savoring it, rather, for it really calls for a much more personal treatment than a mere reading. This pre-Raphaelite work harbors latent eroticism that echoes with both renunciation and desire. Thus, some term it a work of repressed Victorian eroticism and grin knowingly (and leeringly) as they recount the fact that Goblin Market was quite a popular children's fairy tale in its day. Christine Rossetti was herself a recluse along the lines of Emily Dickinson, allowing her heart to sing freely even as she kept herself separated from any possible objects of her latent desires.

In the poem, one sister gives in to the temptation of the forbidden fruit offered by the dark goblins forever lurking in the twilight to seduce their victims to a first taste of their exotic wares. The desire to obtain more of the passion fruit overtakes her young life, yet the goblins appear to her no more; as a result, she begins to waste away near to death. At this point, her sister, who sensibly avoided temptation, willingly seeks to bargain with the goblins, only to have them force their juicy wares upon her. The fruity residue is enough, however, to revive her sister. The act of salvation is obviously the juiciest part of the story on a number of levels - such a sensual act between sisters, with lines such as "Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices" and "Eat me, drink me, love me," cries out for interpretation of all kinds - and those quick to criticize the hypocritical prudishness of Victorian society have a veritable field day with it.

Some say this is not a poem for children's ears? Balderdash. Like any masterful work of poetry, Goblin Market can be read and interpreted on many levels. Children will delight in its lyrical rhyming patterns, its allusions to wee goblins hawking the most delicious of fruits, and interpret the salvation of the tempted sister in comparatively innocent terms. I say leave the interpretations to the adults. And what interpretations there are of this lengthy poem. Some see in it a recreation of the genesis story, a story of sacrifice and redemption, a tale of lesbian yearning, a declaration of the power of sisterhood, a commentary on women as commodities in market society, evidence of sexual molestation by Rossetti's father, etc. There's no limit to the interpretations put forth about what is, on the surface, an engaging fairy tale set to verse.

This is a fascinating work of lyrical poetry that can be read fairly quickly yet will sustain your interest through multiple readings, all sorts of fascinating research into analysis and interpretation, and just plain wonderment. As sensual as it is beautiful, Goblin Market is probably one of the most fascinating and insightful products of Victorian literature.

I wonder if the good folk at the end of the 19th century when this poem was originally published were just too obtuse to understand the gist of Rossetti's work; if so, we have an innocent artifact that has evolved into something erotic because of our twentieth century sensibilities (we have dirtier minds than our compatriots from the past).

Don't let the word "erotica" scare you away. This is not a blatantly sexual work in its language; it is not a "dirty" book. Just understand that despite what anyone else says or writes, this is about as unambiguously EROTIC as you can get. With phrasing like "Eat me, drink me, love me; Laura, make much of me; For your sake I have braved the glen; And had to do with goblin merchant men."

Since the original work is now in the public domain, if you want to read the full text online just do a search using most standard search engines with the terms "Christina Rossetti Goblin Market" and you should turn up a number of links to the actual poems, go read it, and decide for yourself about it.

This makes a wonderful gift for people you are very close too. However, it is also a very personal poem, and if given inappropriately could actually scare someone away!

Noted Italian/English poetess of the 1800's Christina Rossetti's imagination catching poetry has stood the test of time, being still loved and studied today. Because of its title, Goblin Market sometimes gets put into a juvenile category, but this is a poem for mature readers. This moral tale depicts the epic struggle between bad and good. The goblin's onslaught on virtue immediately engages the reader's inner ear and heart. This poem is really gripping reading. Goblin Market is often considered Christina Rossetti's best poem. This re-issue, replete with noted illustrator Arthor Rackham's beautifully eerie drawings, is a book worth owning.

A children tale for adults. It's a light and thoughtful reading. The story of two sisters and lewd goblin men. Innocence, temptation and emotions all together. This inspiring story has wonderful work of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

This tale is not about sexuality but about redemption and the need to help others. Read deep into the story to find the meaning that Rossetti intended.

I was looking for a book about manners for my four year old. I came across this one, and decided to give it a try. It's charming, and he LOVES it!

The book is written in a rythmic poetry that really appeals to young children and the stories are funny -- and while they do convey bad manners, they simultaneously make it clear why the behaviors are unacceptable. (I was a little concerned about that, but I needn't have been.)

I recommend this one!

What a great book! Thirty years ago (when I was five) I discovered this book. These are manners children used to be taught. Now parents expect teachers and others to raise their children for them. Etched in my mind forever is one of the phrases from this book. "The goops they lick their fingers, the goops they lick their knives, they spill their broth on the tablecloth , oh they lead disgusting lives. The goops they talk while eating,and loud and fast they chew, I'm glad I'm not a goop are you?" Buy this book!

Time moves on, we make technological advances and things change. However, people remain the same. No matter what happens, right is right and wrong is wrong.

What impressed me the most about this book is that it is fun to read. I don't want to bash Emily Post, Martha Stewart or any others lecturing on the dos and don'ts of life, but books on manners and etiquette can sometimes get pretty dry.

I have a feeling that children everywhere will love the whimsical drawings and happy little rhymes.

The subject matter may seem simple, but Goops and How To Be Them provides a wonderful opportunity for parents to speak with their children about the issues that face today's youth.

The editor of the latest release of Goops and How To Be Them has set up a website devoted to training kids and families about manners........................

I grew up with Goop books, and I have fond memories. There are numerous poems on what good little children should do (manners) and what the round faced goops do to be naughty. A very fun children's book.

My mother read me this book when I was very young, and it stays with me still. A great way to teach kids manners!

This novella should fit comfortably beside the plays of Sophocles or Aeschylus or the tragedies of Shakespeare. Don't let that intimidate you: it's more accessible than all of them, and a perfect book for a book club. It's the story of a man who commits a despicable act of violence in his immaturity, against a woman who must live with the consequences all her life - as must he. Questions of justice, repentance, mercy, and forgiveness are raised - and left to readers to answer as best we can. Undset's portrayals of the characters maximize the difficulties of these questions and the discussions which readers will be craving after finishing this fine book. I picked it up to see if I like Undset enough to commit to 1000 pages of Kristen Lavransdatter. I have since picked up that meganovel - and find it, so far, less engaging by far than Gunnar's Daughter, which deserves one of the highest places in the canon of Western literature.

Undset, Lagerlof, Bjornson, Hamsun, Gustafsson; five stars aren't enough to reflect the masterpieces that they all wrote, and, in the case of Gustafsson, are still writing. Read all their books and grow a lifetime in a couple of years.

I suppose that anything that sells books makes it to the top of the page, although I appreciate that the first review I read about this book was straightforward, unbiased and sans agenda. I have been reading the great writers of the world since I learned to read. I began to explore the works of Undset, Lagerlof, Bjornson, Hamsun, Gustafsson, etc., thirty years ago and it irks me no end that the works of a Scandinavian writer like Undset, who lived in a time when women had all the rights in the world, should be referenced by your commentator from Brattleboro, VT as womens fiction. If she has read "The Master of Hestviken" or "Kristen Lavransdatter", then she must have missed all the suffering endured by the men and women. Great works of creativity do not address personal agendas. They are wrought from the soul. Lagerlofs' "Saga of Gosta Berling", another masterpiece, explores the same moral questions with a male protagonist. I say to you, dear lady from Vermont, that feminism is dead; we are all feminine and masculine regardless of our plumbing, and the last GREAT female poet, Sylvia Plath, lived the pain of that polarity until it killed her. Shame on you Amazon.com for using divisiveness and the promulgation of hatred, fear, and misunderstanding to make a buck. Publish this!!

Sigrid Undset's Gunnar's Daughter weaves Scandinavian folklore, mythology and violence to ensnare the reader into the period of the Saga Age. In this book, we meet Vigdis Gunnarsdatter -- a survivor in many different levels who is raped and delivers an illegitimate child. As it is said that time heals old wounds, that is not the case with Vigdis. Even with her eventual redemption, peace of mind still eludes her until she takes her very last breath. The scope of history and folklore in Gunnar's Daughter makes this an interesting and quick read. However, it is highly recommended that the reader marks the introduction and notes by Sherrill Harbison -- as they provide much information that makes the book more insightful and pleasurable to read.

In this case of medieval date rape and the grim consequences which follow hard upon it, Sigrid Undset created a wonderfully literate experience using the saga "voice". Although I detected slippages in tone, here and there, and felt the ending too contrived and overwrought to be pure saga, I was still swept along by this book, finishing it in a single sitting. It is short, yes, but also a very compelling narrative as it details the tribulations of two would-be lovers who are yet too proud and self-willed for their own good or for the society in which they find themselves. As with the typical viking hero, Viga-Ljot is overly confident of his own charms and impatient of results. And Vigdis, the maid he has set his heart on, is no less aloof and overbearing in her own way than that historical figure, Sigrid the Haughty, who so angered King Olaf Tryggvesson that he slapped her in the midst of their courtship and thereby sealed his doom. Viga-Ljot does much worse in this tale and his fate is thus forever bound up with a woman who cannot forget or forgive him. Like Gudrun Osvif's daughter in Laxdaela Saga, Vigdis bides her time and nurses her pain but, in the end, that pain is not assuaged by the actions she takes, for it is ultimately destructive to everyone it touches.

A good example of the saga form in modern literature indeed, and yet, despite the finely tuned prose of this novel, capturing the nuances and understatement of the saga voice with masterly strokes, there is an underlying stridency here, an almost emotional overreaching which is not, itself, true to the saga form. In some ways this book is too modern and its author's sensibility, at this juncture in her career, almost too young and unseasoned. Undset seems to be reaching for the tragic denouement of the Greek classics to end her tautly told tale rather than content herself with the flatly understated and finely nuanced wrap-up more appropriate to the saga form. But this Greek-like ending left me much colder than the drily tossed-off afterthought of a true saga might have done. And yet, for all that, Undset has here given us one of the better modern novels done in saga form. My hat is off to her.

By the way, for another really fine novel based on the old sagas, one, in fact, that I think outdoes even this one, try SAGA: A NOVEL OF MEDIEVAL ICELAND by contemporary Canadian author Jeff Janoda. Many have tried to evoke the sagas in modern prose but few have done it as well as he has. Janoda has written a contemporary novel that does genuine justice to its original source, Eyrbyggja Saga, while not succumbing to the overwrought sensibility which mars GUNNAR'S DAUGHTER at the end. If you like fiction grounded in the old Norse saga literature, then Janoda's book should be your very next stop.

SWM
author of The King of Vinland's Saga

In writing Gunnar's Daughter, Sigrid Undset had two aims: to show that the struggles of the human person against himself, others, and nature have no history; and to reveal a pagan past as it actually was--cruel and bloody in contrast to the growing Christian faith it encountered. In both cases, she succeeded brilliantly.

Take the first case. You often hear yammering from certain quarters that it is possible for human beings to progress as a society beyond their passions. Myopic nonsense! The characters of Gunnar's Daughter hurt themselves and others, and love as much as they hate, with exactly the same capacity as anyone today. An honest reader will realize that we are no better at heart than the men (and woman) whose stories are told here--but also that we are no worse. What we have hated and loved and yearned for, men and women have always hated and loved and yearned for. In reading this you realize for the first time that you can actually appreciate your ancestors as living men and women, and not as faceless DNA donors.

In the second case, in Undset's time--the early 20th century--there was then as now the movement to glorify the pre-Christian past, the sort of naivety only possible from the safety of the Christianized world. Undset was rightly disturbed by this movement, and in Gunnar's Daughter she draws the picture of bloody, violent, might-makes-right world--and better yet, shows the redeeming effect of Christianity as it makes its way into Scandinavia. Contrast Vigdis' exposure of her healthy but unwanted infant--an unremarkable event in her time, even if, as Undset shows, one not done without lingering sorrow--with the later refusal of Viga-Lyot to expose his deformed and sickly baby expressly because, as he states, he is a Christian, and will not hear of it. This is of even more interest in our day, when the growing nonChristian influence on our society has led us full circle to a time when once again the unwanted baby is done away with--Undset's picture was more prescient than she knew.

All in all, a haunting and true book.

This is a great book by David G Evans. It takes you on a journey of healing and deliverance. I have gained so much wisdom and knowledge in respects to how to deal with emotional pain from the past. I encourage anyone who struggles in this area to buy this book, the dvd, and the journal to help you heal the scars away.

Dionne Hunter
Healing Connection: Poems and Psalms that Heal the Soul

This is one book that once you pick up, it will very hard to put down. The revelation and clarity given will change your life forever! You will NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN! I highly recommend this book to anyone that's ever been dealt life's share of problems that have never confronted their issues. This book is great for anyone preparing to start a new beginning.

I heard about this book when I was listening on the Christian radio station; Bishop Evans shared his own testimony with regard to the book and it was his testimony that made an impact on me to purchase the book. We know from the Bible that healing is possible but sometimes we need to hear a witness share with us today how God's promises are for us even today! It is unfortunate that so many of us, who are Believers in Jesus Christ, have suffered with abuses of many forms in our lives. We have suffered so many hurts; disappointments; fears that interfere with our faith walk of freedom that comes in Jesus Christ. Yet, here is a book that reiternates the promises of God and God's ultimate motivation, which is love, that we can be healed from our scars. God is able to take that which was meant to destroy us and use it to rebuild us into vessels He can use for His glory as we become instruments of blessings to others because God was faithful to us. If you've been hurt...It's now time to be healed! Healed Without Scars is the promise of God that He is still (even today) the God who heals because His desire is that we be all that He desires us to be...Blessed to be blessing!

Bishop David G. Evans' book begins where most books end. Many authors have insights into how we can modify our behaviors or how we can manage our emotions, but Healed Without Scars explores the WHY behind our behaviors and emotions. Too often I have found myself treating symptoms only to find myself always having a new set of defeating circumstances to deal with in my life. Healed Without Scars goes beyond the surface aspects of life and helps the reader explore the depths of the human soul, all to bring about freedom.

Bishop Evans offers hope on every page, while taking the journey with the reader towards personal wholeness. There is no way to read this book and not have the tools needed to be healed and free. Bishop Evans balances his personal experiences with his brilliant handle on the Word of God and delivers the Truth on a level that Christian and Non-Christian alike can understand. He explores topics such as the child-father relationship, the importance of faith and praise during the hard times, and the power of forgiveness. Whether you have had issues with abuse, betrayal, addiction, or just everyday pain from life, this book will give you the answers to all of your questions, AND will position you for your healing.

I am eternally grateful for this book..and to know that I can truly be healed without scars.

This book really helped me experience the depth of God's love and his interest and willingness to help me be healed and made whole. The author walks you through the steps of healing.

this book is pretty good. A little wordy for the Speech Language Pathologist, but for a parent or assistant - it is very clear cut. I wrote up a quick summary of the book for me to reference in 2 pages. It does work :) I was finally able to elicit a good /r/

Have not completed the whole book with my daughter yet, but already she is making great progress. The book is written such that it is easy to follow and breaks down the chapters in easy manageable exercises with visible results as you go along.

This book actually lays out a lesson plan on how to teach your child to pronounce his "r"'s. I am most grateful. The step by step instructions make teaching this sound easy. My son for the first time is making his "r" sounds. I would recommend this book to everyone.

This book gave me a few additional ideas that I am using with 2 of my speech/language students who are having a difficult time achieving correct production of the /r/ sound. It also reinforces the techniques that I already use with other students working toward production and carry-over of the /r/ sound.

This book provides a step by step approach to teaching the R sound. It is simple enough to be used by a parent and also a great resource for the school based therapist.