Shadow Books

This author (Patrick Carnes) is the most knowledgable person on the topic of Sexual Addiction. This book is good for people who like to have a workbook. There are a lot of quizzes and journaling places, so you can really get to the bottom of your problems. If you are not going to want to journal or take quizzes in the book, I would reccommend some of his other books. I hear great things about his original "facing the shadow" book. I kind of wish I had bought that one actually.

The book is comprehensive, well-researched, and well-presented. I did learn a lot from the book, and I would recommend this book to other people beginning recovery from SA. The book talks about the ten types/stages of courtship and how sexual addiction can affect an addict, so you can diagnose yourself and where you're having difficulties from the charts. It also talks about how slips are like boulders falling off a hill, and there's a great illustration to explain that and how bottomlines can help you.

What was missing for me, and hence the 4 stars, was the lack of content regarding "Relationship Recovery" part. There isn't much indication on how to go about dating the right way for S&L addicts - for example, if you saw the chart and realized you have problems with "seduction" phase of the courtship, you know you have this, but the book doesn't help you to revert this, or suggest what you're supposed to do with the diagnosis, other than "abstinence".

I would say this is a great resource for Sex Addicts in Recovery, but if you are a Sex AND Love Addict in recovery - this book won't fulfill all your needs. I don't know; perhaps Carnes has written a separate book for Love Addiction that I haven't checked out yet.

I would say I'm about 85% satisfied with the information provided by the book, and roughly 70% satisfied with the purchasing of this book.

Dr. Carnes is a noted authority and perhaps the premier researcher in the area of sexual addiction. His work goes back easily some twenty years. I have studied with Dr. Carnes and I can say with some authority that this may be his finest work. It is the fruit of much thought and labor. It is reality. Carl Rogers said: "Until we can accept ourselves as we really are we can't change." This book, really a work book, helps the addicted person do just that. But it doesn't stop there. The addict is able to see through the work he does that he is able, through healthy activities, to regain control of his life. This is the second edition. Dr. Carnes demonstrates not only his high standards of authorship, but his humility and ability to accept constructive criticism both from within himself and I think perhaps others, in the changes he has put into this second edition. They are well worth the effort. Dr. Carnes comes at the sexual addiction issue with clarity, research, and above all empathy. His other work "The Recovery Zone," will I think prove to be as well received as this work.

Roger L. Johnson
M.A, Th.M. LPC
Director, Day Program
Meier Clinics

Key strategy- work to FINISH THINGS! Addicts do not finish things- prefer to "keep options open." Thrives in unfinished business. Starting more than you can finish leads to CRISIS. ENDING THINGS adds substantially to recovery. Addicts avoid completing their conversations. Important feelings and facts are not communicated. Conflict not resolved. PAIN ACCUMULATES. Increase PAIN AND COST TO STOP. Childhood needed something you didn't receive- trust, security, safety, non-sexual affection, both parents together. Normalcy. RESPONSIBILITY TO THOSE YOU HAVE HURT. NEGATIVE EMOTIONS ARE TRANSFERRED TO CHILDREN. Addictive sex feels shameful, illicit, stolen, exploitive, and joyless. Healthy sex- adds to self-esteem, is mutual, intimate, fun, and playful. Fighting= act of trust- focus on issues. - Give outcome to God. Horniness = loneliness. When in doubt, don't. Secrets will separate you from others in recovery. Get a pet. Avoid the feeling that you are a victim. Be gentle w/ yourself about old tortuous conflicts. They are not about you! They never were! Recovery= burst of creativity. NURTURING- Learning how to care for themselves and to allow others to care for them IS essential RECOVERY TASK. Intimacy= shared experiences! FIDELITY TO YOURSELF is the ultimate act of faithfulness to the other. Trust yourself. It's as hared for your partner as it is for you! Admit mistakes. Share Spirituality. Have fun together- common experiences. Recovery- brings awareness of abuse. Sustain from sex w/o intimacy. Talk before, during, and after. Compliment your partner. Respect boundaries. Pay attention to feelings. See Sex as a legitimate joy! Take care of your body. Express attraction. Work on friendship and companionship. Fast-forward the relationship. This is even closer to a cure. Other excellent points in II Corinthians; The Message.

Working through this with group therapy has been wonderful and life changing. Cannot recommend it highly enough. Get Carnes' other books as well.

When you are diagnosed with cancer, knowing where to begin to find comfort and strength is a tough challenge. I strongly recommend Lynn's first book, "When God And Cancer Meet" as required reading soon after diagnosis. Then, when treatment ends, you are faced with a different set of challenges and issues - which "Finding The Light In Cancer's Shadow" addresses. Lynn is a wonderful writer who knows just what to say, and how to say it so eloquently. Her personal experiences provide her with first hand experience, her work as a patient advocate provides her with the compassion and knowledge, and her faith allows her to offer insightful verses and scripture to sooth your mind, body and soul. I have been blessed with Lynn's "light" in my life through her writing, in person as a cancer survivor and as a cancer survivor's spouse, and she has helped me through some rough times when I felt no one else would understand. God Bless all who are faced with the challenges cancer presents, and God Bless Lynn Eib for being here to help us by sharing her story, her patients' stories, and God's stories! There is "light" in the life of a cancer survivor and a more meaningful life after cancer!

Looking for a way to help someone who has just finished cancer treatment? Give this book.

Lynn Eib understands the power of telling a good story, and so this book has many of them. There are enough personal anecdotes about her to convince me that she knows what she is talking about. But most of her stories are about some of the others she has helped in her role as patient advocate in a busy oncologist's office.

The stories help to point people away from the discouragements common to many cancer survivors: fearing recurrence, having to face people who insist on their staying "positive", wondering whether life will ever be normal again.

She polishes her stories with inspiring quotes and suggestions that point the reader toward the future. This is a book of hope. I highly recommend it.

I read Lynn Eib's first book, When God and Cancer Meet, and found it to be the most helpful book I've ever read about dealing with cancer. I bought a case of the books and gave them out to my friends and patients who had cancer. I consider the book a "must read" for all patients with cancer.

Lynn's second bood is also excellent. It provides encouraging and helpful information on how to live during the years after receiving the diagnosis of cancer. I especially liked the chapters, "Is God Really Bigger Than Cancer" and "Living Under a Different Shadow".

As a cancer survivor, journalist, and now patient advocate, Lynn writes with skill and insight rarely seen. When patients are first diagnosed with cancer, I suggest they read When God and Cancer Meet. Six months later, as they try to return to normal life, I suggest they read Finding the Light in Cancer's Shadow.

I laughed. I cried. I heard from God.

What a great second book. I own the first one and this is also inspiring to someone who doubts or is at the bottom due to cancer and the aftermath of it. I had the pleasure of meeting most all of the people in the previous (When God and Cancer meet) and this book. I can attest that all the stories are true (part of my story is in here) and hope that whoever reads these books will be inspired by them and see the light of Christ even in the dark times of life. Lynn may God bless you and everyone in this book. Thanks for sticking with it and writing this book.

This book will not disappoint. It has it all: Brad is a strong, memorable protagonist with an exotic background. The plot has plenty of twists and the writing style is flawless. What more could a reader want?

Pleasantly surprised at the different approach to a mystery and the twist and turns. And the author didn't spend alot of words on some issues. Ex. "Hey, Andrew, you are adopted" End of story.

Unforgiving Shadows is a brilliant work not only in the genre of mystery writing, but in the understanding of the human psyche. The characters are well-developed and the reader quickly enters the soul of Brad Frame and finds empathy for his anguish. This is a story of compassion for and radical acceptance of the suffering that all of us must encounter in our lives. It forces us to recognize that, while time may heal all wounds, scars remain as constant reminders of the trials we have endured. As a mental health professional, I found the characters to be realistic and indicative of the people that we meet on our journey. My hope is that we will read more from this new and exceptionally talented author.

Ray Flynt's first effort is a winner. And Unforgiving Shadows is a great story! As I finished the book, I found myself wanting to know what would happen next to Brad Frame and his associates. I hope a second book is in the works.

I also found myself turning the pages much quicker once the book found its rhythm about 50 pages in. So, if you've just picked it up -- stick with it. It's a great read to the very end.

Over ten years ago in Philadelphia Frank Wilkie and Eddie Baker murdered the beloved mother and sister of Brad Frame. Stunned Brad brought the two killers to justice. Encouraged by Philadelphia Police Department Detective Nick Argostino, Brad opens up a private detective firm. Meanwhile Baker kills himself on death row and Wilkie invites Brad to witness his state execution.

His associate Sharon Porter encourages Brad to go to obtain closure. Instead the reporters act like he is the killing ghoul so he gets no satisfaction. Wilkie leaves his bible with Brad. Inside the deceased had written eighteen words that Brad thinks will lead to the ransom money spent to rescue his family but never recovered. Soon afterward attorney Allesi demands Brad hand over the bible as he has an iron clad contract with Wilkie to represent him in his appeals in exchange for his personnel effects. Brad and Sharon begin to decipher the biblical clues in the hopes of him gaining true closure.

UNFORGIVING SHADOWS is a strong private investigative tale starring a strong scarred soul studying the murders of beloved family members that though over a decade ago still haunts him. The story line is action-packed from the moment Brad arrives at the execution and never slows until he confronts the shadowy adversary. Though Ray Flynt makes his position clear where he stands on state executions in which there is no doubt to whom the murderer is, readers, even those opposed to capital punishment, will empathize with the hero, hoping he obtains closure, but most of the audience will doubt he will ever achieve this.

Harriet Klausner

Margaret E. Reid has done an outstanding job. Loved the characters, loved the story. FROM THE SHADOWS held my interest from first page to last. I'm always looking for new authors to add to my keeper shelf, and this book has earned its spot. Brava!

I can't believe this is a first book for Ms. Reid. The complex characters, the multi-layered plot, the sheer breakneck pace all smack of what you would expect from a more experienced author. If this is her first effort, I can't wait for the next book. Well done, Ms. Reid!

Fast-paced read with characters one can appreciate. For a first book, Margaret E. Reid does a commendable job and makes a reader look forward to her subsequent efforts.

Get this: I'm in the military and I decided to read "From the Shadows" because I happen to have the same name as the hero in the book. All I can say is Wow!!! The book really did a super job at describing the inner workings of a covert government agency and the love life of two of its agents who fall deeply in love. The book is an emotional roller coaster that captured my imagination and made it almost impossible to put down from the moment I picked it up. This is a must read!

Although this is a new author, Margaret E. Reid writes as if she's been doing it for years. FROM THE SHADOWS is filled with suspense and a love story that makes you want to fall in love all over again. I kept turning the pages as fast as possible to find answers to the questions she set up along the way. And they're there!
Congratulations to Ms. Reid. Excellent! A keeper book. One I'll read again and again.

I loved this book. It was very suspenseful and entertaining. The characters were very interesting. They were both strong willed personalities that meshed well. The way Ms. Lee works the supernatural in with the real world is great. I loved this story.

Returning home late one night from her nursing shift at the hospital, Honor Nightingale's keys get locked in her car and she becomes spooked by a noise from her house. That's all she needs to set her off running next door to her reclusive neighbor for help. She's never met Ian McLaren, but the ex-Ranger is more than capable of dealing with any intruders. The house is empty when McLaren checks it out, but Honor is still shaken and accepts the invitation to stay in his guest room overnight until he can help her make her house more secure.

Honor is grateful for McLaren's help, but her unease continues to grow as it becomes evident that something is terribly wrong in her house--a malevolent presence that seems to mean harm to Honor. Soon, Honor and McLaren find themselves fighting demons--those that torment them from their pasts, as well as the growing evil emanating from Honor's house.

Honor is also troubled and confused by McLaren. She feels an undeniable attraction to this complex man, but she is also uncertain how he fits in with the mysterious events in her house. Ian grew up in the home he now occupies, but left as a young man after being shunned by both family and community for his strange abilities and supposedly unspeakable crimes. As troubled as his childhood was, he also witnessed true evil in his years as a soldier. He will need every bit of the inner strength he developed as he fights for his and Honor's future.

This was a sexy, sultry, spooky read. Rachel Lee (the writing team of Sue Civil-Brown and Cristian Brown) skillfully used the northwest Florida setting to evoke a sense of danger and menace, contributing to paranormal and sexual tension--and, yes, there was loads of sexual tension between Honor and McLaren.

As thrilling and as "full" as this book was, tho, I did wish the author had expounded a bit more on Honor's and McLaren's pasts. The events of Honor's childhood were apparently more significant than even she realized, and I would have been interested in a more complete exploration of these memories and her potential. (I also would have liked to have gotten more of a physical sense of Honor. Unless I missed it, there was no description of her appearance and that made it difficult for me to put a "face" on her.) Similarly, the glimpses into McLaren's adult life in the army were also fascinating tidbits that I would have liked to have seen more developed.

Without divulging too much, I also felt as if the ending took the easy way out. The malevolent entity took decisive action that it really could have taken far earlier--either directly or by influencing others--in order to resolve its dilemma. That said, it is pretty easy to overlook these minor complaints of mine and just sit back and enjoy one good, ghostly story. Just leave the lights on. . .


(Note: This is a re-issue of a 1993 book.)

"Imminent Thunder" is the first Dreamscape I have read; I did not regret it!

-I could feel myself immersed in the Ghostly Atmosphere that lays in Honor's House and in the area surrounding it. The Hero, Ian, is fantastic, brave and sensual. Honor is a Heroine with compassion and tenderness who has never found true love before meeting Ian. If you like a spine tiggling, a sensual and a so romantic novel, you can't go wrong with "Imminent Thunder". It is a Keeper!

I could not put this book down. The characters were wonderful and you really feel the pain the hero goes through with his special gift (or should I say curse).

Honor, a nurse, begins to see and feel strange things in her new home causing her to run to Ian, her reclusive next door neighbor for help. Ian doesn't really like contact with people because of his "strange" ablility but feels he must help Honor. While they try to figure out what is happening they feel a powerful attraction between each other that they can't deny. Find the book if you can because this is definately a keeper. I've read it about 20 times....

This is one of the Shadows line-the darker side of love-and one of my favourites, because the characters are so well-drawn. I loved Honor Nightingale and her reclusive neighbor, Ian McLaren. The paranormal element, prevelent in this series, was handled so deftly and elegantly!I had no trouble believing Honor's newly-purchased house was haunted by a malevolent old woman's ghost. The play between McLaren's Ranger training and his strength against Honor's past and her own insecurites is nicely balanced. We understand her and as she begins to know Ian, we understand him, too. He's certainly unique, and no other woman but Honor would have had the courage to stick with him. And she doesn't think she's anything special. This is a truly different romance, with unusual protagonists and a believable villain.

I like this novel better than number 3 in the series. Hannah Ives has formed a team for a fund-raising 5k race. She meets a former roommate from the hospital who is in remission and looking great. Great, that is, until her untimely death.

Hannah becomes involved in a Web of insurance fraud involving the sale of beneficiary rights to insurance policies, along with policies sometimes fraudulently obtained. It is a crime story as much as a mystery, as guilty parties are often obvious well before the end of the novel. However, there is a surprise at the end.

Her writer friend, Naddie Bromley becomes involved. It helps that some of the criminal element are not overly bright, often the case in real life. The action builds as you approach the end of the novel, and it will keep you up late finishing it.

In regard to the fundraiser at the start of the novel, I was part of Christie's Team at the 2005 Relay for Life fundraiser in Vicksburg. Our's was a walk. The teams had booths. Christie's Team sold balloons, donuts, hot coffee and cocoa, bottled water, sno-cones, popcorn, and cotton candy. It was overnight from 7 PM to 7 AM. There was live entertainment, and competitive events between teams.

It was a very happy day for mystery lovers when Marcia Talley's Hannah Ives series was picked up by Avon. It's certainly wonderful to have Hannah back, even though Marcia has kept busy editing serial novels and writing award-winning short stories. When a friend, with whom Hannah shared the indignities and the other effects of chemo appears to be cured or, at least in remission , Hannah is very happy to see her again. Then, not long after doing a "race for a cure", Valerie is found
dead in her bed by her small daughter. Hannah has her doubts about her friend's death. She was also curious how the family suddenly seemed to have so much money.
Hannah then runs into an insurance scheme in which brokers
buy insurance policies from the owners and then sell them to investors.
Old people and cancer patients seem to be the prime target of one
particularly aggressive broker. She then discovers that a number of old people in an assisted living/care facility have died not too long after selling their policies. Were the "investors" tired of waiting? So now I know about "viaticals" and the information was fascinating...as was
the plotting and characters. I thoroughly enjoyed IN DEATH'S SHADOW, which is now available. It's well worth the
paperback price. Heck, it would be worth a hardcover cost. Welcome back, Hannah.

"Chemo brain," indeed! Hannah Ives is back again, sharp as ever and with her usual wry take on life. When a fellow breast cancer survivor who had been in radiant good health suddenly dies under mysterious circumstances, Hannah's internal radar sends her nosing around to find out how and why. In the process, she discovers a ghoulish potential for mayhem in the complex arena of viatical insurance settlements---a timely subject for senior citizens and people with terminal illnesses who may wish to cash in their insurance policies while they can still use the proceeds. Who knew?

Author Marcia Talley's lively powers of observation and knack for finding the `telling detail' make Hannah's trip into the murky morass of shady brokers and investors a lively and engaging process involving such now-familiar characters as author L.K. Bromley, and assorted family members who all contribute to the investigation. With each successive book, Talley's writing has grown more relaxed and confident. She has definitely hit full stride with In Death's Shadow.

This story involves a cancer survivor in a mystery of murder and insurance scams. Hannah Ives is a breast cancer survivor who lives an everyday life. She runs into an old friend, who is also a cancer survivor, and Hannah notices that her friend is living the good life after all the worries of not being able to pay medical bills. They once again pick up where they left off a couple of years before. They go on a relay for a charity to raise money for cancer research. After the race, Hannah is beside herself with curiosity and asks if they had won a settlement. Valerie Stone explains that they had sold her life insurance. A few days later, Valerie is dead and Hannah starts to ask questions of why. Her friend seemed so fit and the cause of death, heart attack, did not feel right to her. Hannah finds out about viaticals which, in layman's terms, means you can buy into an insurance policy and it may take six months to a year to mature. She also finds out that this is also a scam to take people's money and to scam bigger insurance companies.

When more people begin to die, Hannah gets more involved. One of her friends, who lives in the community where a couple of the people had died, starts fearing for her life. She notices the same man loitering around where the people lived and died. Hannah finds out that every single person who has died is connected to the same person, who sold the insurance and the company.

***** This story is so awesome! I could not put this wonderful novel down. I loved how the author's use of imagery to paint a vivid picture in my mind. The characters could drew me in and I could sometimes feel the emotions. I also enjoyed that there was seldom any cursing in the whole book. Very good reading here. *****

Reviewed by D. Wilson.

Who knew that "viatical" insurance policies could serve up so much mystery entertainment value? Perhaps in lesser hands it wouldn't, but Marcia Talley and her protaganist - Hannah Ives - are in fine form as they investigate how an insurance policy that pays dividends to others may have hastened the death of her good friend. Those of you with the Hannah Ives series will know that Hannah is a breat cancer survivor. As if life weren't hard enough, those kind of challenges can create difficulties making ends meet. A viatical seemed like the perfect choice for her Hannah's friend, but greed may have shortened her friend's life more than the cancer. A thought-provoking great read!

Dolores Brandon has written a jewel. Using poetry, oral history and prose she communicates with depth and tension the joys and travails of her life with her family, most notably her father. Before manic depression or bi-polar disease was part of our collective vocabulary, Dolores experience spanned her father's ups and downs from everyday victories to down right fear. However, in this book Dolores manages to give each character a clear and resonant voice. She allows us to read her father's poetry and listen to her mother lullabies. She has also been able to forgive her father and understand her mother, which is something that eludes many of us. I was particularly fond of the way she brought to life the whole experience of growing up in the 50's. I was close to tears when I finished this book. Not from sadness but from that sense of communion that we always share but seldom tap into. It took courage, insight and understanding to write this book. I hope there will be more from Dolores Brandon.

Because the illness Delores Brandon describes in her memoir appears in my family through the generations, I have read several books to help understand the experience, and to connect with others going through it, and as a social worker to broker this knowledge to others, both sufferers and helpers. Kay Jamison has written an autobiography dealing with manic-depression, and Jackie Lyden described life with her mother who suffered the same illness. Because so many of us in my family were afflicted I have approached each of these writings with the eagerness of an 'insider'. Ms. Brandon describes how it is possible to both be horrified by and love a parent at the same time, something that is difficult to communicate to people who have grown up in more 'normal' families. It is possible to enjoy and celebrate people who are also really demonic and complicate the lives of their children. This kind of love and optimism combined with a realistic view of the destructive rage of the afflicted person is a rare combination that seldom finds expression in any media, and is especially clear in Brandon's spare and poetic style. It is immensely encouraging to those of us who live with the illness and I would ask people in the helping professions to use it to further their understanding of such families and persons so as to avoid simplifications and reductionisms. There are blessings and curses in these mostly genetic inheritances that beg to be appreciated, and must be lived with in any event. Though we are farther along in the humane treatment of manic-depression than we were in the time when Ms. Brandon's father was careening about, there is still much lacking especially in the so-called 'objective' approaches of 'treatment' that this book is a corrective for, and that makes this literary approach not only an adjunct to medicine and rehabilitation, but perhaps even a higher form of communication about the illness. Thank you for this wonderful work, Dolores Brandon!

Dolores Brandon has written a memoir of clear-eyed courage and enormous compassion. In a vivid, organic style that brings together poetry and monologue, memories sweet and bitter, Ms. Brandon tells an often harrowing tale of growing up with a father in the grip of mental illness and a mother incapable of protecting herself or her children from the devastating fallout. In a unique narrative rich with evocative images and finely tuned, lyrical passages, the author unfolds for the reader the shifting, volatile world in which she grew up and from which she emerged with the passionate need to create, to act, to write, to dream. It is an arduous but heartening birth out of chaos and pain, much like that experienced by Brandon's mentor, Anais Nin. In the Shadow of Madness is remarkable for its perception and candor; that candor invites her readers into the very inner corners of her life, and by example, frees them to explore disturbing areas of their own psyches.

IN THE SHADOW OF MADNESS, a memoir by Dolores Brandon, Published by Sky Blue Press, Sterling Heights, Michigan

IN THE SHADOW OF MADNESS is a powerful book, a poignant tale of a young girl coming of age in the shadow of her beloved father's insanity. Although I love poetry, this is the first time I have been able to read a 200 page story without being slowed down. Long poetry always seems to call me to notice the exact choice of words, the similes and metaphors.

Dolores' style is unique in that it reads as smoothly as any prose I have ever read. In fact the poetry seems to rush the story along and the images make the action come alive on the pages.

This book is as captivating and memorable as A TREE GOES IN BROOKLYN. All of the characters are many faceted. We have mixed emotions, changing feelings towards all of them.

Anecdotes capture our thoughts. Speaking of a man who used to fall asleep smoking in his bed, Dolores wrote," a front page news story reported Bob was one of two found dead on a fire at Queen Elizabeth Hospital He was a patient there. Seems he wandered off his Ward to visit a woman in Intensive Care. She was on oxygen. He lit a cigarette. She and he, the whole room, all blew to smithereens!'

Of her father's poetry she wrote," It's not that his poems weren't half good. They all sprang from the heart. But, they were written as the wave crested in a grandiose fury. And the call they put out for harmony stood in stark contrast to the aggressive force he asked us to indulge."

The photos are like the ones we all keep hidden away and seeing them we know for sure this book is about our family, our friends or the people down the road. This compelling story, beautifully told will stay with its readers forever.

From the title alone, one might assume that Dolores Brandon's memoir, In the Shadow of Madness, could be an arduous, emotionally wrenching journey. But however difficult it may have been to grow up under the control of a gifted but mentally ill father who was so often out of control himself, Brandon has not come to the reader with unresolved grievances. She asks neither for compensation nor pity for the anguish her family endured; she does not let blame or bitterness intrude. Instead, from the calm center of the storm that was her upbringing, with the distance that comes only with the passing of time, she weaves together the memories, voices and artifacts of her youth into a compelling, multidimensional narrative. It takes courage to tell such a deeply personal story so openly and honestly, and skill of the highest order to do it so well.

I had the fortune of reading this book a few years ago, and since then I have been buying it as a gift for my friends and business acquaintances. It portrays the real Mexico at the turn of the 19th Century, and narrates the customs and habits of the elite in Mexican society that are not well-known or understood and still present in today's society. If you enjoy history, you will love this book.

Actually I just ordered it today but am sure I will love it as Albert Blair was my great uncle. Imagine my surprise when reading "merry bush's" review! My father is Morgan Blair who is the son of Alexander, brother to Albert.

I whole-heartedly agree with the reviewer from Connecticut. An excellent book. Very interesting. Really gives you a feel for Mexico in the early part of the 20th century. My only complaint is about the quality of the printing of the book. It is lousy. Their are many misspelled words and punctuation marks out of place. The quality of the photographs in the book is awful. I also have the book in Spanish and the quality of that copy is 100 times better. And there are additional photos not in the English language version.

I think that the book is wonderful, not only historically correct, but incredibly entertaining. Albert Blair, in the book, was my "Uncle Albert" who often came to our family's home for Thanksgiving dinner. As kids we were fastinated by him since he was from Mexico and would bring us "adult" gifts (like Guerlain perfume when I was around 10 years old...I still have the bottle!) Little did I know what a really fascinating life he had lead! I have been to Mexico and stayed at the home of the wonderful author. I hope she writes again!

...

The fascinating life of Antonieta Rivas Mercado, an impressive woman and one of Mexico's feminist heroines, told by the daugher-in-law she never knew. You will have to read this inspired biography and sprawling, gorgeously-written social history to learn why Antonieta never met Kathryn Blair -- in the meantime I can tell you that I would surely like to meet this wonderful author myself. Both English- and Spanish-speaking friends agree that her prose is extraordinary, with intelligence and grace shining through everything she writes. While drafting IN THE SHADOW OF THE ANGEL, Blair had access to a range of primary sources that most researchers would kill for, and she used them wisely and wonderfully, to bring both Antonieta, and her dramatic era (she was "born with the century" in 1900, and participated in many of its most important events and political-cultural currents), to life. Reading this fine book will definitely deepen one's understanding of Mexico in the first half of the 20th century, as well as one's regard for the strength of Mexican women; I believe it should be required reading of anyone who's been razzle-dazzled by Frida-mania!

Perhaps more so than the memory of the madeleines, more so than the study of jealousy and mysteries of love, the unforgettable characters of Charlus and Swann and the last bastion of European taste, Guermantes, the epicenter of Proust's work is the image of the little band, walking along the beach, in a disorienting sunshine, observed from a distance by the narrator with a combination of awe, jealousy, love, and wonder. Each aspect of the novel, whether preceding or following this episode, points to, anticipates, or reflects upon it, directly or indirectly. The volume's title, In the shadow of young girls in flower, is itself a commentary on time's passage, perhaps even more so than the grand title itself, In search of lost time.

Grieve's translation of "A l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs" is a fine follow-up to Lydia Davis's "Swann's Way." This is the first time I am reading the "Search" and, as far as the translation goes, I only have about a hundred pages of Moncrieff to compare it to. I don't feel that there is anything missing from the language, however. Other reviewers have commented on Grieve's use of English clichés to replace the French clichés (this is especially noticeable in the case of M. de Norpois) but I don't have a problem with this - I actually thought it was a good solution to a tricky problem. All in all, I am very pleased with the new Penguin translations, so far.

As for the novel itself, it is divided into two parts, which both have a "blossoming" young female characters. In Part I - "At Mme Swann's" - the young girl is Swann's daughter, Gilberte. This part of the novel was originally meant to be included in Swann's Way, and - if one reads the novels back-to-back - the story continues smoothly between the novels. Gilberte is Marcel's first great, doomed love affair.

Part II takes place in the fictional seaside resort town of Balbec. The girl in question here is Marcel's main love-interest, Albertine. Although people view Albertine as the most significant factor in the novel, I don't find this to be true - she's barely in the story. More significant is Marcel's friend, Robert Saint-Loupe.

What is striking about the novel are its undertones of homosexuality. I don't just mean the literal references to homosexuality, but the narrator's as well. This may anger some readers - they would say that, just because Marcel Proust was gay, that doesn't make his narrator gay. Taken as a character however, Marcel has many gay characteristics - he is a sensitive, sickly, delicate, young man who is obsessed theater, literature, and art. Granted, these things don't make him gay, per se - but the overall tone of the writing gives that impression.

Penguin's new translations of "In Search of Lost Time" were just the nudge I needed to read Proust's masterwork again. I was particularly impressed by the job the American writer Lydia Davis did with "Swann's Way". By contrast, I have a few complaints about James Grieves's rendering of "In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower". Where Scott Moncrieff translated "petite bande" (of girls) with the expected "little band," Grieves uses "little gang," which to an American ear sounds rather tough. He mangles one of my favorite quotations. And there's a typo on the bottom of page 95: "not" instead of "now"!

Overall, though, I like the liberties Grieves takes with the text, and we were certainly overdue for a freshened-up translation of one of the most important books of the 20th century. Unlike Proust's French, Scott Moncrieff's English has come to seem dusty and overblown. (For example, he rendered the title of this volume as "Within a Budding Grove", the literal translation being too racy for his 1920s audience of post-Victorians.)

-- Dan Ford at readingproust dot com

A book of this stature hardly needs another review explaining how great it is, and, not being all that cultured, I can't provide a lot of literary context or comparisons with past translations. I can offer a recommendation, though, as a young modern lay reader who suffers the usual hesitations about approaching classic texts.

With regard to previous translations, all I know is that this volume apparently used to be called In a Budding Grove - which may be the worst literary title ever - and is now called In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower, which may be the best literary title ever. As far as I can tell the translation flows very smoothly, too, and even though Proust's style, as most people probably know, features sentences which go on for a very long time and have complex constructions buried in them (sort of like this one), I thought it was more readable than the likes of Joyce and Pynchon, because the power of the first-person voice often makes the meaning clear. There were a couple of points where I thought the translator used a word that seemed too modern and idiomatic - 'hubby' was one - but it's not that much of a distraction.

Proust's habit is to spend a lot of time discussing small, specific things, but that isn't to say he describes every single event of his childhood in excruciating detail - he often skips over major events, or describes something's prelude in more detail than the event itself, summarizing the things which had the deepest emotional impact on him at the time. The result is a narrative which is very engaging because all of the details in it, however small they might be, shed light on something deeper.

With this specific volume (about the experience of youth), speaking as someone whose own adolesence isn't far behind him, I found it eerily insightful. Reading about people from a different century, I would suddenly come on an insight which might have been a direct comment on me or someone I knew, and what I think really makes Proust one-of-a-kind is that he never stoops to satire, charicature or didactics; it's just straight observation. The people he describes might be the comic relief or even buffoonish villains in the works of a lesser author, but something about the way he describes them so exactly produces sympathy, as if the reader were allied as much with them as with the narrator.

Of all the 'classic' books I've read, ISYGIF is one of my favorites, and I recommend it to anyone able to read it. Like I said, I don't think Proust's style is as hard to grasp as certain other modern authors; but if it does seem difficult, then it's certainly worth the effort of becoming accustomed to it, for the beauty which emerges from it and the uncanny human analysis.

This translation is an impressive achievement if you can get over its two main deficiencies: its overly liberal use of British slang, and slight but noticeable change in Proust's word order.

Like Robert Fagles' translations of Homer, Grieve has written a rather literal translation, of a piece with the rest of Penguin's new six-volume, seven-translator Proust translation. Unlike Moncrieff, who inserted phrases which were not in the original French in order to maintain Proust's distinctive rhythm, Grieve is more concerned with Proust's meaning than the style in which he communicates that meaning; in doing so, however, he makes the grave error of assuming that style itself does not communicate meaning. It's fair to say, though, that he generally handles Proust's intricate sentences and formulations deftly.

What is irksome but not overly so is, first, Grieve's liberal use of British slang. It detracts from the distinctly French atmosphere that Proust evokes. The repeated use of words such as "bloke," "chum," "scotch," etc., is unnecessary when other words, free of British associations, will do fine. Even better, as Lydia Davis does in her translation of SWANN'S WAY, would be to use words with French associations when applicable.

Second, Grieve is not always faithful to Prousts' carefully selected word order. Distinctive of Proust is his tendency, at the end of a multi-layered sentence, full of hesitations and diversions, that captures all of a situation's undercurrents of tension, to end with a staccato word that informs or even reframes the entire thought. It is one of his trademarks. Grieve is unfaithful at times in rearranging this word order and not ending with the "reframing" word, if you will (by adding clauses in the same vein as "if you will" at the end of the sentence).

On the whole, however, this is a bracing translation that, I hope, will encourage more readers to try on Proust.

"Israel: Life in the Shadow of Terror paints a personal and devastating portrait of the losses we face -- and the love we feel -- in Israel today. It is an important and enlightening collection. Compassionate, wise, and profoundly moving. Israel: Life in the Shadow of Terror will make you tearful, angry, informed, proud, inspired, and above all motivated to stand up and support Israel and the Jewish people. Absolute must reading.

This moving book contains an impressive selection of essays on Israel. These deal with all angles of life, history and politics, like the reality of living with terror on a daily basis, the Mideast War and the question of immigrating to Israel. Above all, it provides a stirring portrait of ordinary people going about their business, and then frames these accounts into a bigger picture of world history. There are some prominent names amongst the contributors, like Elie Wiesel, Natan Sharansky, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jeff Jacoby, Ken Spiro, Jack Kemp and Jeanne Kirkpatrick.

The first part, Living With Terror, deals more specifically with eyewitness accounts of terrorist incidents up to 2003. This section can be quite harrowing and might be very disturbing to sensitive readers. Still it is important to know since the mass media hardly ever reports on the suffering of Israelis. The dignity and courage of the survivors of such attacks are remarkable.

Part Two: Israel Perspectives, includes a powerful essay by Sharansky plus many more fascinating pieces by Wiesel, Sarah Rigler and Rabbi Wein. The most memorable chapters include thoughts on Israel's independence day, the Zionist Dream and the Holy Land as a home for the soul. It concludes with the illuminating chapter Why Jerusalem Matters by Rabbis Braverman and Shraga Simmons.

Part Three: Israel Diaries, contains more accounts of experiences with terror in Israel and a chapter on Anti-Semitism on a campus in the USA. Amongst the most chilling are the essays Coffee With My Enemies by Sarah Shapiro and Insidious Palestinian Television by Sue Tedmon.

Part Four: The Mideast Conflict, contains insightful articles on the root cause of terrorism, Jewish and Muslim claims on Jerusalem, anti-globalisation and Anti-Semitism, and dishonest reporting. This is a most revealing section of the book as it uncovers the lack of media objectivity and the downright lies, like the supposed Jenin massacre where nothing of the kind ever took place. The history of the land is discussed and the facts about the various wars since 1948 are clearly provided. This part includes discussions of the Jewish and Arab refuges since 1948 and concludes with Ephraim Shore's 15 Things I Don't Understand About The Peace Process.

The final section: Coming Home, talks about the choice faced by Diaspora Jews to return to Israel, to make 'Aliyah' to their ancient homeland. It includes a chapter on practical ways of supporting Israel, called Fifty-five Ways To Help Israel. The book concludes with a memorable essay by Sara Rigler: Loving The Land Of Israel. She concludes that the land of Israel is the place that God has designated for His rendezvous with the Jewish people. How could they spurn this opportunity now?

This book has deeply moved me as a non-Jew, and I now understand the complex situation much better. Those who wish to know the truth about the Mideast conflict will find more than enough verifiable facts here. Moreover, a lot of the writing is filled with an authentic spirituality that is highly inspiring. I started the book with a sense of horror as I read about the victims of terror, but I ended it with a great sense of upliftment.

Israel within its current borders is a tiny sliver of decency in a neighbourhood of unspeakable evil. Surrounded by oppressive regimes, under daily terror attack and facing hostile world opinion, this brave little country nevertheless holds on to its values of democracy and the rule of law. Although the people have been paying a high price for military preparedness, there are signs of increasing prosperity as Israeli scientists are amongst the best in the world and the people are blessed. Israel has so much to contribute, if the world will only let it.

I would like to refer the interested reader to the following titles of related interest: Unholy Alliance by David Horowitz, The New Antisemitism by Phyllis Chesler, Myths And Facts: A Guide To The Arab-Israel Conflict by Mitchell G Bard, The Nazi Connection To Islamic Terrorism by Chuck Morse and The Mountains Of Israel by Norma Archbold Parrish. God bless Israel and all those who love her.

Have you been bombarded with news about the terrorist attacks on Israel? If so, what viewpoint do you get to see? Perhaps sympathetic stories about the terrorists and their families? Along with explanations that the main problem is "Israeli greed?" And Israel's "illegal theft of Arab land?" And the horror of Israel permitting Jews to live in Judea?

If so, then I think this book is for you. Its many essays tell, in dramatic style, how things look from an Israeli perspective. There are a wide variety of articles about the effect of all this terror on Israel and Israelis. Some of the essays that impressed me the most were written by Tuvia Grossman, Sherri Mandell, Elie Weisel, Natan Sharansky, Sue Tedmon, Laurie Zoloth, Efraim Karsh, Israel Asper, Jeff Jacoby, Dore Gold, and Ephraim Shore. Near the end of the book, there is also an excellent article called "Fifty-five Ways to Help Israel."

I recommend the entire book, and I think aish.com and the editors (Nechemia Coopersmith and Shraga Simmons) deserve plenty of compliments for their fine work.

This finely crafted treasure, edited by Rabbi Nechemia Coopersmith and Rabbi Shraga Simmons portrays life in Israel today , and the trials and tribulations faced by Israel and it's people.
It shows you what a prejudiced media will not dare to let you see, because their agenda is to prepare the world for genocide of the Jews of Israel, through a monstrous propaganda machine, never seen since Goebbels and Der Sterner paved the way for the holocaust.

The book is dedicated to the victims of Arab terror , and the first of four sections is a harrowing and heartwrenching portrait of the horrific terror faced by the people of Israel, since Yasser Arafat launched a war of genocide against the Israeli people In this he has been fully backed , in his evil plans , by the international media, world academia,the international left, the United Nations and other powerful global interests.

This part of this phenomenal work shows you that victims of terror are real, that the suffering of the people of Israel is real, no less so because they are ignored by the media and universities.

It deals with the trauma of the familes of those who where murdered by Arab terror , and the pain and courage of those who survived.
As we read throught the case histories of some of the +- 1000 Jews killed and tens of thousands injured in the last five years of terror, we are astounded by how resilient are the people of Israel in the face of this onslaught , as well as how cold-blooded and savage her loathsome enemies are:

"All I see in my mind's eye is a woman shrieking as she turns to see her two-year old daughter , in her stroller , engulfed in flames. She reaches to pull her daughter out of the fire-but can't because the explosion that has sheathed the carriage in flames has blown off her own arm below the elbow. She can't pull her daughter out of the burning carriage because she no longer has two hands."


A few of the cases covered: Thousands of Israeli Jewish men, women and children have died from bombs, bullets or knife attacks, and thousands of others have been maimed, blinded, orphaned, widowed and terrorized.

Two years ago on the eve of the Jewish New Year, seven month old Shaked Abraham was shot dead in her crib by an Arab murderer who forced his way into her parent's house as the family was celebrating the New Year.

A ten-month-old Jewish baby, Shalhevet Pass, was shot in her father's arms by an Arab sniper in 2001.

The following year, a five-year-old girl, Danielle Shefi, was shot to death at point blank range by an Arab killer, while cowering under her parents' bed.

That same year, two boys, four- and five-years old, where shot dead together with their mother as she read them a bedtime story, in a left-wing kibbutz, by Arab terrorists.

Over 25% percent of Jewish children living in Israel do not have enough food to eat as a result of the Intifada (war of extermination) waged by Yasser Arafat, along with the economic boycotts initiated by sympathizers of the Palestinian plans of genocide against the Israeli people.


Parts two and three 'Israel Perspectives' and 'Israel Diaries' cover the lives and perspectives of the people living in the Land of Israel, and of the Jewish people generally.
Professor Laurie Zoloth details her experiences of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hate at San Fransisco State University.
The fourth section involves seperating the facts from the myths , which have been so obscured by the media and universities.
Articles by William J Bennett , Benjamin Netanyahu , and Ephraim Karsh detail the facts behind the conflict and the history of terrorism. There is a super article by Rabbi Ken Spiro about the history of Jerusalem ,and the conflicting Jewish and Moslem claims to Jerusalem , and the fifth deals with the choice faced by Jews in the diaspora to return to Israel, the ancient Jewish homeland-to make 'Aliyah'.
There is a helpful chapter detaling 55 ways to help Israel.
In summing up, Rabbi Shalom Schwartz reminds us that 'Since Camp David, 2000 , it has become painfully obvious that this conflict is not primarily about land , it is about Jews.
The book deals a lot with the spiritual side to the conflict , urging Jews to improve themselves spiritually .It is primarily about Love of the three most important things to the Jewish people.
Love for the Land of Israel
Love for the People of Israel
And love for the Torah of Israel.
The book affirms the extraordinary spirit of the people of Israel,
the most humane, giving, life-affirming people on the planet--
whatever sick propaganda you might have read to the contrary.
The past four years have been largely fashioned by the violent and cruel stepping-up of the campaign of those Arabs that call themselves `Palestinians', and their international networks of support, to destroy the Jewish homeland. This attack on Israel is not merely for a piece of land. It is an attack on decency, truth, compassion, respect for human life, on the sense of honor and on the Judeo-Christian spirit.

For the Jews, the past four years have been deluged with antisemitic filth, which has poured from Arab and pro-Arab faucets. These sources include the extreme Left, the international media, Neo-Nazis, the United Nations, much of the European Union, the Non-Aligned Movement, Third World regimes, universities and academics and have been perhaps the bitterest since the fall of the Third Reich. The Palestinian terror network has engaged in merciless slaughter of Jewish men, women and children through bomb and bullet. Their malevolence extends to all continents, and Jews are being attacked on all continents.

Universities around the world have become cauldrons of the most uncompromising hatred of Israel and the Jewish people, with the feverish participation of some radical pro-Palestinian Jews. The media around the world does its best to paint the beleaguered nation of Israel as an aggressor and human rights abuser. They use the most sophisticated as well as the most blunt propaganda tricks, while showing not the slightest compassion or sympathy for the five million Jews of Israel who are facing a wave of daily terror. The Non Aligned Movement, has been particularly venomous in their uncompromising hatred of Israel. They support the most horrific excesses carried out by the Palestinian terror network and by every dictatorship in the world.

In the face of this growing terror, it may seem to be whistling in the wind to call for confidence. Yet it is good to remember the Jews are not fighting alone. Many Christians in the lands where freedom is still valued realize the assault on Israel is an assault on Judeo-Christian civilization, and that the Islamists and their extreme Left allies are a common enemy.
It is good to remember also that the Jews have shown a capacity for resistance and survival that has never been equaled. There have been others who have attempted what the Palestinians and their sympathizers are attempting, such as Pharaoh, Amalek, Haman, Antiochus, Torquemada, Chmielnicki, Hitler and Stalin.

It may require a miracle for Israel to survive the contemporary Amalek, the most powerful incarnation of them all. But the very existence of the Jewish people after so long a travail is itself a miracle. It is clear that God has always pulled the Jewish people through and ensured the total defeat of our enemies.

Jews and Israel must once again call up their reserves of courage and hope and, in alliance with the pro-freedom forces that still survive, continue to fight back. Perhaps our stamina, tested so often in the past, will once again help us over this grave crisis. Most importantly God will once again destroy our enemies and save Am Yisrael.

I was both moved and shocked as I turned the pages of this book and I could only identify with the comments of one contributor who suggested that the book should be "written in tears instead of ink". Such are the depths of suffering revealed in this work.

The book openly declares that words are insufficient to express the scope of the pain and tragedy suffered by the individuals and families referred to in this study. The source further citing words as also being inadequate to describe the kind of evil that "places a nine month old Jewish baby in the crosshairs of a rifle & pulling the trigger", as well as the "evil" that detonates a bomb amongst a hotel full of elderly Jews & their families sitting down to celebrate Passover.

Reference is made to what is described as the shattering of thousands of Jewish families who have been plunged into what is depicted as a daily struggle of survival, adversity and aching loss. All of which permeate the pages of this compassionate study.

Through numerous first person accounts, the reader is presented with a very personal, almost tangible, encounter with the consequences of such terrorism. The reader being confronted with many accounts from individuals who have themselves witnessed, survived or endured such attacks.

The cover of this extremely moving and well written book (which is dedicated to the "victims of Arab terror"), declares that an allegedly prejudiced International media has prevented the wider public at large from truly understanding the realities of living in Israel under a virtual shadow of Arab terrorism. An experience defined here as being amongst the most painful and tumultuous in Israel's very existence.

Furthermore the book also takes the time to clarify what it cites as the fundamental issues pertaining to the Middle East conflict and through carefully constructed arguments it also proceeds to dispel what it describes as the "myths and double standards" promoted in the media and amongst the International community & the political realm.

One section illustrating how the vast number of Arab & Islamic states have what is termed as a "disproportionate voice" in setting an alleged anti-Israeli agenda at the United Nations, where for 53 years Israel has been the only UN member denied a seat on the UN Security Council, whilst Arab/Islamic states often sit there two at a time. Replete with detail, this particular section deserves reading on it's own merits.

Replete with references the reader is presented with the "war of words" where it is alleged that the Arab world and the media have indeed distorted the very "language of the conflict" to the extent that the truth has been obscured and where Israel has allegedly been robbed of the ability to persuasively present the validity of her cause to the World with any clarity.

Whilst this study recognises the power of the media to influence public opinion, the book simultaneously provides the reader with a ready reference to the "seven rules of media objectivity" which are supposed to govern reporting of the news. In parallel to this, the reader is also shown (through a very convincing argument) how frequently each and every rule is allegedly violated in relation to the Palestinian-Israeli issue.

Another illuminating and disturbing section describes the alleged views of the late Faisal Husseini, the former PLO representative in Jerusalem. Reference is made to Husseini's quoted remarks of 2001, which are shown to outline that the alleged diplomatic policies of the Palestinian Authority are no more than a "Trojan Horse" to obtain as much Israeli territory as possible in the PLO's "phased plan" to eventually eradicate Israel and replace the Jewish state with an Islamic Palestine from "the river to the sea".

The book uses an extensive range of sources in this excellent work. Amongst a seemingly endless list are Elie Wiesel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Efraim Karsh and Dore Gold etc..

This is indeed a very painful and extremely powerful book that is an absolute must read for a fuller understanding of the Middle East conflict and it is a vital addition to anyone's library on the Middle East without which the suffering endured by an Israeli society condemned to what is cited as a "siege of terrorism" may be difficult for an outsider to understand.

Towards the end, the book declares that Israel is more than a place to live but a piece of earth "inextricably bound up with the soul of the Jewish people" and elaborating that God Himself loves the Land of Israel more than the most fervent Zionist (quoting the source as the Torah).

I have allocated this book five stars, but in reality, that is just not enough, as this is a priceless study. Might I also recommend to those interested in the Palestinian-Israeli issue a book (edited by Raphael Israeli) entitled "The Dangers Of A Palestinian State". Thank you for your time.