Genres Books

Very few books I have read of late I could not put down. This book though, I couldn't put down from the time I started reading it! This is probably the best Black Sabbath book out there and it goes where a lot of Sabbath books dare not tread nor show in a positive light (see "Black Sabbath" by Steven Rosen), which is the post-Ozzy Osbourne era Black Sabbath. Garry Sharpe-Young did his homework for this book and gives a very informative and insightful look at were Black Sabbath went after Ozzy left the band and up to the time they reunited with him 18 years later. Leaving almost no rock unturned, Sharpe-Young digs deep into those days with a ton of interviews from fomer band members, crew, and those close to the band and also manages not to give a very biased look on Black Sabbath throughout the book.
The book claims to be more about Tony Iommi, who was the only consistant Sabbath member from the beginning, which, of course, the bluk of the book is about, but I found that the book is probably more focused on Geoff Nicholls, the on-and-off "official" Black Sabbath member (keyboards, and sometimes second guitarist and bassist) from 1979 to 2002. Nicholls gives a wealth of information on his time with the band (which is the entire length of the book) and is very insightful about his journey throughout that period of Sabbath history. Also, Sharpe-Young manages to contact in some way just about every ex-Sabbath member from that time period (which, from the number of members that had gone though the band since Osbourne left is no small feat!) and get very good information from each of them. Also, interviewing "ex-vocalists" Jeff Fenholt and David Donato was a major coup and it finally sheds some light on thier involvement with the band that fans have been asking questions about for years. The only drawback was not going into both the Live-Aid Reunion Show with Ozzy very much. I know some fans (myself included) would like to know the atmosphere with the original band members at that time and is an important event in Sabbath's history. But, this being my only minor complaint, the rest of the book is brillant!
Well worth the price and bravo to Garry Sharpe-Young for writing such an EXCELLENT book!! A MUST READ!!!!

This unauthorized biography is an excellent piece of research about the post ozzy history up untill the days of the disasterous "Forbidden" album. The book is written with great care. There isnt a whole bunch of "revelations" that real sabbath fans would not have already known, but it is the craft of establishing the history that makes it so valuable. There were many quotes and original interviews that I had not seen before. Certianly Garry Sharpe-Young has provided the fans with a much confused history of the band, brought about by the fact that there was too many changes in the band lineup through this period, and a difficulty for many of the lead singers to continue the role. The book does paint Toni Iommi more mercifully than I thought concerning this period. Many of the line up changes simply were out of Iommis hands (Deep Purples 84 reunion, bad personel problems through 7th star, Glen Hughes punch out incident, etc.) the picture of Gillan nude was pretty gross and shocking. It would have been interesting to see more pictures from Born Again tour (actually the highest selling album of the period) and from the demise of the last period. Certianly the book is complete and paints a world favorite, if not image confused band. A must for any serious fan of the band.

For many, Black Sabbath is and always will be Ozzy Osbourne's band. If you're one of those, than this book is not for you.
But, if you're a real fan and have enjoyed the many post-Ozzy albums this band has released, then this book is a rare find. For too long the era between 1979 to the present has been minimised or alltogether ignored by any who write about Sabbath, as if those years never existed. What nonsense! Fans usually had to rely on pieced together information (most of it innacurate or misleading) from a wide variety of sources to know the complete history of the band. This book finally puts all this information into a cohesive timeline starting from the masterpiece Heaven and Hell album through the 80's and 90's finishing with the mediocre Forbidden, to this date, Sabbath's last studio album. Yes Black Sabbath reunited with Ozzy but only for live performances, save for two new studio tracks on the Reunion album, but I digress.
For a die hard fans such as myself, who thought had heard or read every band story there is, I was shocked at some of the stuff inlcuded here. The whole Jeff Fenhol issue... was he or was he not in Sabbath? Their never ending quest for a stable lineup. The "bassist" in the Headless Cross video. Who wrote what songs on which album. The list of revelations goes on and on.
What really surprises me is the self sabotage that seemed to plague the band. With band members being treated as little more than hired help, it's no wonder there was never a stable lineup! And when they did seem to get it together, during the Headless Cross - Tyr era, they shoot themselves in the foot by reuniting with Ronnie James Dio and putting out a rather mediocre album, Dehumanizer.
Of course, we all know that Tony Iommi IS Black Sabbath,as he is the main part of the Sabbath sound, a gifted guitarist and riff-master extraordinaire. He is the sole original member that kept the band going against all odds. But the best part of this book is that credit is given where its due to the many who contributed along the way, chief among them keyboardist/bassist/songwriter Geoff Nicholls, whose contributions are much more than any may think. Also singer Tony Martin, who is one of the best singers around and on a par with Dio and Gillan, and certainly WAY better than Ozzy, gets his (long overdue) place to tell his side of the story.
In closing, if you're a Black Sabbath fan this book is an absolute MUST!

Well! after reading all the positive about this book, I though I had better give it a go and have a read.
Much to my surprise, it was quite a ramble given all the 'ARTISTS' the author had interviewed to construct the plot.
As with many of todays Music Biographies, the farther the story teller is removed from the actual occurance, the less convincing the information relayed is..
There is nothing here I am afraid to excite, It should have been a book as thick as 'WAR AND PEACE' given the cavalcade of Musicians that Tony Iommi shipped in and out to fill the original members boots, and keep the Black Sabbath flag flying.
This book is definitely Tony Iommis Black Sabbath; and not Black Sabbaths, BLACK SABBATH.....
That being said, it is Worth a read...

The Rock Detector goes to great lengths to provide all kinds of details about Sabbath band members (sometimes too many details about minor players) but...very cool to hear what was going on during those years. Too bad we didn't hear more from Tony, Geezer and Bill but then it would have been 'authorized.' Great to hear so much from Ian Gillan and Cozy Powell and lots of stuff regarding Ray Gillen and Rob Halford that I wasn't aware of.
Basically, the book confirms the Tony Iommi is the Riff-Master! Long live Tony! A must for Sabbath fans.

Our daughter was very happy to receive the book. It was what she wanted for Christmas.

He loves it. Said it had enough fresh-take or new info that it kept him interested and reading all the way through.

My added comment is he read it through a time of having to work 80-hr weeks, so it must be good.

Having spent much time in Kingston in the mid 1970s, this book accurately reflects the politics and gestalt of the time . Ms. Goldman's attention to geographical detail is one of the strong points of the book. The book is right on in terms of its intellectual context, as well as its more anecdotal style.Relly, this is one of the better books on Marley, Reggae, and Jamaica.

It is convincingly argued that the pop album has become an effectively arcane form. But even in a digital age, certain albums continue to both define and transcend their creators. Sgt. Pepper, What's Going On, Astral Weeks, Blood On the Tracks... the list invites nerdish debate. But one title can never be excluded; Bob Marley and The Wailers' Exodus was the product of a specific time and place and remains the most extraordinary single work of the Third World's most extraordinary musical voice.

Vivien Goldman was one of the key writers during the Golden Age of British music journalism when the punk explosion inspired the intense gut-intellectual talents of the first post-sixties generation. Unlike many of her colleagues her love and understanding of black music has continually defined her work and The Book Of Exodus is perhaps the best thing she has done.

This is at once memoir, critical analysis and history. Vivien Goldman takes the reader into the studio as Exodus was created. A palpable sense of the immediacy of that process, the atmosphere (well fumigated with the herbsman's wares) and personalities involved come vividly to life through the eyes of the young fan-reporter. Most movingly, Goldman's own ability to connect her life as the North London-raised daughter of German-Jewish refugees from the Holocaust with the Trench Town experience that formed Bob Marley is at the heart of the book. This is no falsely crafted analogy. It is above all a spiritual link, the "Flash Of The Spirit" which has made the core African musical experience one of the world's most unifying cultural forces.

For anyone who wants to understand something of Marley's greatness and gentle charisma, Vivien Goldman shares her privileged experience of hanging with the man and his colleagues in both Jamaica and London. This was an artist whose words and music have inspired more people worldwide than maybe any other pop musician and yet the man who emerges here is a very real person living in a very real time. Goldman gives us a vivid sense of both.

Everyone with more than a passing interest in Marley and The Wailers should read this book. It will send you back to the music, reggae's shining hour, with renewed love and understanding.

Simply put, this is a book full of indispensable knowledge. Vivien Goldman again (Soul Rebel-Natural Mystic)has put out a truly remarkable book about the great Bob Marley. This era in Bob's life has not been written about too much and Vivian recounts it with such fine details and first hand accounts that the reader can't help but to be extrememly thankful that she finally put it all on paper. The cover price alone is well worth it for the rare rare RARE picture of Bob with Claudie Massop, Tony Welch and Earl Wadley as they talked to Bob about the One Love Peace Concert.

Of all the books out there about Bob (and I have read just about every single one of them) this is without a doubt a true must have. Of the 50+ books written about Bob there are 7 must haves and this is one of them.

This book covers the top 100 singles which means you won't find much local stuff (get bubbling under for that) but if yo want to know song titles, artists and the date of popularity this book is the bible. I have been a fan of this book since 1972 and buy each new edition.

no matter what anyone says they look at the Pop charts.Cross-Over on the Big Chart was Pay dirt.i miss the old days of hearing and watching Casey Kasem's Americas Top ten.keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.the Pop top ten is like the tabloids if you admit it or not you watch to see what's going on.everybody knows the hits.

THIS BOOK IS A FAN'S DREAM COME TRUE.HUNDREDS OF PAGES OF PURE CHART FOOD.BUY IT NOW!

This book has proven to be an extremely valuable tool for me... I own a Bay Area DJ company, and while I'd love to tell you I know the name and artist of every song realeased, it's just not true. With this book, the info is at my fingertips. If a song has "charted" in the Hot 100 singles chart from '55 - '96, it's in the book. I'm anxious for the author to update the book to the present day. I seriously use this book all the time, and if you're "in to" music at all, it's great to have around. Songs are listed by name in the back of the book, or you can look songs up by the Artist(s) who released them. You can learn when it charted, how high it reached on the charts, and what an artists biggest hits have been. At the risk of being sacreligious, this book is known as the "DJ's Bible".

I have always been a fan of pop music trivia, and have followed the pop charts since 1982 (when I was 8 years old), back when I used to listen to Casey Kasem every week. I cannot believe how thoroughly researched this book is -- there is biographical info on the majority of artists listed, even many who were "one hit wonders." Dates of an artist's birth and/or death, lineup changes in bands, etc. are often included and it adds depth to the chart info that is already so fascinating. This book is the ultimate pop music reference.

Classical, jazz, and pop singer Eileen Farrell comes across as a down-to-earth, generous, happy, and satisfied person in this book. What's not to like?

Like another reviewer I found the biography too short. Surely Miss Farrell could divulge with her writer's help more anecdotes. And SURELY Sony/CBS could re-release more of her albums, particulary the Puccini Arias. Thank God there are historical recordings available, for which, unfortunately, Miss Farrell doesn't get royalties. I would happily send her a check anytime.

Do not confuse this witty, sparkling memoir with the stilted, egocentric ("I" this and "I" that) memoirs you may have encountered. Farrell, one of the Met's most underused artists - yet one of its greatest, writes with charm and style that enthrall the reader making us wish she had easily written a book twice as long. Brava! Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a great read and "meeting" a great lady.

Thank you, Eileen Farrell, for a wonderful career and for your candor in telling your very personal and inspiring story. I couldn't put the book down! As a professional singer myself, I found your experiences from your innocence at the first audition to your regular radio show moving and encouraging. Your book is as honest and refreshing as your performances and a must-read for even those with no interest in opera.

Eileen Farrell is one of the most gifted and celebrated American singers of the twentieth century. She is both a classically trained dramatic soprano and a talented songstress of pop songs and the blues. Can't Help Singing: The Life Of Eileen Farrell is a superbly crafted memoir in which she shares candid reminiscences about her professional career and her personal life. With humor and affection she surveys her New England childhood, her sudden success at the age of twenty starring in her own CBS radio show, dubbing for Eleanor Parker in the MGM movie "Interrupted Melody", her many guest appearances on television, and her operatic work, including an historic debut at the Metropolitan Opera in Alceste in 1960. Eileen also recollects her sometimes troubled marriage of forty years to New York police officer Robert Reagan and her frustrating tenure as a faculty member at Indiana University. In this wonderful memoir we meet the famous figures of music who were her contemporaries, fellow performers, and associates from Leonard Bernstein to Maria Callas, from Ethel Merman to Carol Burnett. Can't Help Singing is a marvelous biography that will hold great interest and appeal for her many fans and for students of 20th Century American music.

This was a gift to my son who is a musician. He calls it the absolute best gift I could have given him.

As an avid fan of Charles Mingus, naturally this book is a must have. The compositions featured are very accurate and precise, it is always a treat to not only be able to see the music, but to know its origins. Even those who are not fortunate enough to be a musician can pick up this book and enjoy the commentarys and the other fun tidbits(i.e the Mingus Cat-alog and the comic stip). I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Mr.Charles Mingus. Anybody (musician or not) can enjoy this product.

This has transcriptions of Mingus's best and most popular songs. The transcriptions seem to be accurate, though the nature of Mingus' music means that sometimes the transcription is the average of two or three versions. Some of the songs have a paragraph of two written about them. Also interspersed throughout the book are various writings and blurbs from Mr. Mingus himself. All in all an excellent book for a musical Mingus fan, or someone intent on playing his music.

While the book is supposedly a fake book for musicians, it includes trio and quartet recordings by key members of the Mingus big band including Seamus Blake, the outstanding Thelonius Monk Award-winning saxophonist who doesn't yet have his own CD out. The two CDs is an excellent introduction to the music of Monk and holds up well on its own. Listen and enjoy and don't worry if you are NOT a musician.

I'm a big fan of Mingus and this book have a nice collection of transcriptions of his songs. But for we the bassplayers there's a lack of info about his bassplaying and his way of play each song...

wow at first i thought this book sucked but after i looked at the tabs and listened to some of the songs again i realized it caught alotta notes that i never even heard before. good tabs

Besides being a bargain price; this book, The Latter Day Of Led Zeppilin
and you basically have all of their best songs in a set. Being a collector of thousands of guitar tab books, I've learned the difference between professional quality and someone doing a quick job. If you're on a budget and can't buy each songbook indiviually this one save you money, by buying the 5 book set. It's like getting one free..and most importantly the tabs are accurate!

This is without a doubt the most complete, most accurate set of Zeppelin tab I have ever seen. Comes w/ bound books(not stapled), & a sturdy slip case, every bit worth the price. If you're a Zep fan & a guitarist, you're not yet a man (or woman) until you own this set!

WOW! This book is amazing. If you own a guitar, buy this collection right away. If you don't have the money then steal some. This collection has every guitar part, including those immortal solo's, in detail, for the first five Zeppelin albums. It contains all the correct turnings for the song's. It is broken up into five seperate books for easier use. The books give a brief synopsis on how the song's came about and some explainations to how Jimmy played them. This collection shows you what great guitar playing is really about. Don't delay, buy it now for your own good.

This set comes with 5 books with accurate transcriptions of the first 5 Led Zeppelin albums. All of the solos, fills, mandolin, alternate guitar tunings, and in some cases organ/synth parts are transcribed as well. From album III - V there are detailed notes on each song in the beginning of the books that give insight into how the band recorded the song and sometimes some pointers on how to play the song when there are guitar parts being played through several tracks at once. All of this collection comes in a sturdy box that holds the 5 books together nicely. This set should keep one challenged for years, and will provide great insight into one of the greatest bands ever. Highly recommended.

I got the book as a gift from my sister and initially dismissed it as a bargain bin cheapie that she picked up last minute. A fearful, insomniac child prompted me to begin reading it and, am I glad that he did.

This is ESSENTIAL READING.

The diary-like entries give you day-by-day accounts of every single session the Fab Four did, as the title promises. But... well, it just gives you a whole new insight to the band. Yeah, the recordings retain the original magic, and maybe even gain a little more because you can see that it took a whole lot more than talent and luck for them to make it big and change music. The book lets you see just HOW MUCH HARD WORK was put in by not only the band, but by everyone around them: George Martin, the engineers, the assistant engineers, the tea boy, everyone!

It's like a musical version of Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods: not only were they the most talented around, but also the hardest-working.

A whole new appreciation.

As somebody mentioned before, don't start reading before bed because you will not be able to put it down.

This book is required reading for the diehard Beatles fan. I suspect that the studio documentation was just the normal level of detailed information they kept on those who recorded there, but in hindsight, having this particular info and retaining it looks pretty genius. A detailed account of every time the Beatles were in the recording studio with documents from the studio and the recollections of those who were present. The author is meticulous and obviously a fan himself. I really consider this book the Beatles bible.

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" I know the years of research it took for me to compile the information on 121 live shows, 60 unreleased songs, 266 questions and answers, and prepare for 32 interviews.

Mark Lewisohn had to dig even deeper because of the amount of material that could be documented. The work is super-human. The Beatles deserved George Martin and Mark Lewisohn.

It is easy for those that wish to find fault even with a Rolls Royce but don't worry if you would have used different words for an A Flat Augmented 7th Chord or a bridge in a song, he gave you the most complete information at your fingertips and this can't be improved!

Thank you for your time,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

First, I find it amazing that anyone kept this information in such detail in the first place.
Secondly, it is amazing that it was ever complied and put into a book.
Thirdly it was amazing that anyone would a.) Publish the book, b.) Buy the book in the first place and c.) Actually read it, which I have. Perhaps most amazing of all is how imminently readable and enjoyable it really is.
I imagine prerequisite being that it is important for the reader to have a love of the art of recording as well as a serviceable knowledge of the Beatles' collected body of work. Mine is the first edition and, yes, there are minor flaws, but honestly they are few in number and nothing of the "glaring" type which actually demeans the book.
I had initially picked up the book in a shop and glanced through the photographs, then I absently read an entry and was hooked. I think this is, all-in-all, a very exceptional journal and a valid history of one of the greatest recording acts of all time. Over the years I have met numerous musicians who, although they might not be dyed in the wool Beatles fans, still recognize their incredible contribution to recording technique and innovation. Kudos of course to Sir George Martin as well.
I cannot conceive of a more definitive account than this.

I'd been wanting this book since I first heard about it several years ago, but it was out of print. When I recently discovered it had been re-published, I ordered it and it's everything I'd heard it was. I wish Lewisohn had access to John, Paul, George and Ringo's solo sessions and would do similar books on them.

this is a great practical theory primer, and the practice CDs are great!

Useful material here, with plenty to keep you going for a long time. Steve gives you lots of examples on how to use triads and extentions and not just a bunch of theory. The CD's are very helpful in hearing the applications. After all, it is music and having an opportunity to hear what the material should sound like was a great aid in helping me understand the ideas.

This book gave me so mouch to chew on it will be years, if ever, before I put it down. I have played and performed on guitar for 30+ years and studied music in college and I still have discovered that the more I know, the less I know. I felt that I had hit a brick wall in playing and performing and this book gave me so many ideas and options that I had not considered. I emailed Steve Khan to thank him and got a personal response a day later. Not only does he have a lot to give in this book he is truly a nice guy. Buy the book, work at it everyday, utilize the things that work for you and become a better guitarist.

If you already know your basic chord theory, know all your barre chords and jazz chords, play well from lead sheets, etc... then you are ready for this book. Kahn discusses the use of leading tones and the basic triad as tools for playing guitar in a combo setting. He does a good job of covering the no-man's land between rhythm guitar and lead guitar. The book is well written, in an easily accessible style, by someone who really knows what he is talking about. There are many gems sprinkled throughout these pages. If you are a beginner or weaker intermediate player, pass on this book for now and come back to it later.

First of all, let me qualify my review by saying that I am 40 years old and have been playing since I was 11, mostly classic rock, blues, and rockabilly (with a bit of jazz). This book, in my opinion, is geared toward the intermediate to advanced jazz guitarist as the text references focus on upper 4 strings to be played over a bass guitar. Cool concepts and useful stuff if you're in a jazz band. Me, I play 99% of the time as solo (fingerpicking rythyms, chord-melody solos, etc), therefore I didn't gain a lot of insite out of this book. There is a nice discussion on triads, but I already knew this concept, plus the author never tied any of it the CAGED system.

Despite Lord Russell's criticism that "intuition works best in bats, bees, and Bergson," in this work Bergson not only finishes the uprooting of the Western and Platonic disembodied intellect (a deconstruction taken only so far by Kant), he presents us with the spectacle of unbridled life creatively shaping, not only its world, but itself in accord with its own telos: the need for eyesight creating the eye, so to speak. Difficult in places but a treasure, although one could wish he gave more credit to Nietzsche's obviously great impact on him. Jungians would do well to peruse Bergson too.

this book is beautifully written, which is only fitting given the beautiful ideas contained within. philosophy that tries to find meaning in life rather than complicate it.

Creative Evolution is not so much a work, but a milestone in print of a new direction of thought. It is a book that is of immense importance to anyone who wants to understand the mystery of humanity.

Bergson's thesis is that Darwinian and Lamarkian evolution are only half the story and that there is a creative urge inherent in life that defines the direction of evolution. It is distinguished from Creationism in that his system does not posit and eschaton or final perfect form, nor an external agent (God).

It has some similarity with biologist Rupert Sheldrake's theory of morphic fields. In his theory, there is an energy field (as yet undetected by modern physics) that controls the shape of organic molecules, i.e., one protein is shaped one way and the same collection of atoms gets shaped another way under the same pH and temperature.

Aldous Huxley mentions Bergson's theory of consciousness several times in his writings. Bergson thinks that consciousness pervades everything, and that intellect serves as a filter that presents only what is comprehensible to mental categories. This has several implications. One is the possibility for a monistic metaphysic. The other is that it leaves open the possibility of perceiving an alternate reality (what excited Huxley).

Chapter 3 is about his metaphysics, which are not very clearly expressed. There appear to be avenues unexplored by him. What are the consequences of matter being infused with consciousness? Magic? Why is it that intellect and geometrical thinking is what produces objects in perception? What is the mechanism.

What does have value is his theory that chaos is not the absence of repeatability, but is a stochastic process that can be understood as an aggregate of individual "wills." This is used to support his vital theory of evolution. That each organism "wills" its variation in seemingly random fashion, but at a higher order, it produces the regularity of genera.

Chapter 4 is a critique of various philosophic systems after establishing his "cinematographic" theory of perception. His basic point is that matter is in continual flux, yet we are only able to perceive it as a sequence of discrete states, hence the illusion of permanence.

I first came across Ibsen's monumental work when reading 'Tropic of Capricorn' by Henry Miller. Despite my complete lack of evolutionary and biological knowledge, I found Ibsen's eschatology mind blowing. Several times I was forced to leave the book for days in order to fully contemplate the philosophical ramifications of his insights. From this great stride forward into the fringes of human understanding Ibsen states: 'A conduct that is truly our own, on the contrary, is that of a will which does not try to counterfeit intellect, and which, remaining itself - that is to say, evolving - ripens gradually into acts which the intellect will be able to resolve indefinitely into intelligible elements without ever reaching its goal. The free act is incommensurable with the idea, and its "rationality" must be defined by this very incommensurability, which admits the discovery of much intelligibility within it as we will. Such is the character of our own evolution; and such also, without doubt, that of the evolution of life." No one, despite their educational backgrounds or lack thereof, should feel intimidated by the possibility of transcending one's very own intellect.

This novel was enchanting. The author was able to put into words those feelings that we all have, but can never describe. The historical and geographical trails in the story made it interesting, but getting inside the minds of the characters made it compelling. The connections and conflicts the characters had with family, church, and politics added another dimension to this already riveting love story.

I can't remember the last time that a story moved me so deeply. I received Croft as gift, with an apologia about its being a "chick's book." While the novel's chief protagonist is a woman, the male characters spoke to my deepest uncertainties and confusions about loving and being loved. And while it is a story of private human relationships, they illuminate the world and serve as analogs for the public relationships that shape it. Gilkes' prose is both vivid and elegant, transporting the reader through war, revolution, famine, geography, and the lives of compelling characters, all by conveyance of the human heart. Croft is a pleasure to read, and its characters' "voices enter that ghostly inner ear so that we shall hear them ten years later in an empty room at dusk."

Croft is a novel that resonates for a long time after the final page is turned. The author entices the reader to follow him through five decades and across continents, from the horror of the Nazi occupation in Holland, to the realities of life in modern day politics; and from the stark beauty of the Kalahari desert in Africa, to the soft light of an autumn day in Cape Cod. The characters are richly defined, drawing in the reader to sympathize with their losses and to celebrate their joys, to care about them deeply. Each represents a microcosm of human suffering, each struggling with a personal crisis that changes them forever. Even as we feel again the despair of lives torn apart by the war in Europe and confront the senseless waste of lives through disease and famine in Ethopia, we feel as deeply for the men and women at the centre of this novel, as they struggle with passion, guilt, bitterness and betrayal. Only love can transform them, however briefly, into the people they truly want to be. A sense of sadness permeates this book, but the message is hopeful - that love is worth finding and preserving, whatever the cost.

bournepaul@hotmail.com, associate director Center Stage from New York , 26 March, 2001

As a theatre director I am constantly being reviewed so it is nice for once to be able to review. I loved this book. Especially its scale. At once both epic and minute. It is a gentle journey that manages to touch upon the huge issues we face in our daily lives. Culturally stimulating and with incredible detail the story is one essentially of passion, angst and honesty. The characters are well drawn and amusingly recognisable. As I read this book it felt as if a mirror was being held up to my own life and that of my family. The style of correspondance mixed with traditional narrative maintained my interest throughout by constantly intriguing me with very detailed personal insights. I read it in one plane journey!

In a hectic world, novel reading has become a fragmented experience, snatching opportunities to read a page here, a chapter there. Few books stand up to this abuse, but with Croft it's easy to re-immerse yourself in the narrative. Croft is a hugely ambitious book, spanning almost a lifetime, and taking you right across the world. For this scale to work, you'd expect a novel of Dickensian proportions, yet Gilkes pulls it all together in only 217 pages, without falling into the trap of cardboard characters and clichéd situations its brevity would imply. The book's African sequences remind me of Doris Lessing's early work, capturing a real sense of place, people and chaos. Gilkes has managed to bring to life, in a way few authors ever have, the emotionally blocked English male, and the torture this causes for him, and those around him. The novel revels in falling between any number of genres - a book marketer's nightmare, but a reader's daydream.