William King Books

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William King Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Ironweed

Published in Audio Cassette by Media Books Audio Publishing (2000-06)

Author: William Kennedy

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SHALL THE DEAD RULE THE LIVING?

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-31

Why review a book, which was published years ago? Ironweed is in paperback and has been adapted to film. These factors combine to bring the Pulitzer Prize winner within both the budget and the wider circle of interest of many readers.

The novel is the third part of William Kennedy's Albany cycle. (The earlier books are Legs and Billy Phalen's Greatest Game.) Ironweed traces the return of a man to his hometown in 1937 after a twenty-year absence. Francis Phalen deserted his family after the accidental death of his infant son. He has spent two decades on the bum.

William Kennedy's gifts as a writer are apparent in the crafting of dialogue. (Kennedy also wrote the screenplay for the film, which offers crisp and arresting lines for Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep.) The compressed conversation of Kennedy's ruined characters allow an unexpected impact from a phrase of no more than two or three words. Francis and his pal Rudy are together after Francis's visit to his son's grave (p. 20):

"Whatayou been up to?" Rudy asked. "You know somebody buried up there?"
"A little kid I used to know."
"A kid? What'd he do, die young?"
"Pretty young."
"What happened to him?"
"He fell."
"He fell where?"
"He fell on the floor."
"Hell I fall on the floor about twice a day and I ain't dead."
"That's what you think," Francis said.

Kennedy is attempting to trace the emotional struggles that unfold on the battleground of Francis Phalen's interior world. Francis encounters ghosts from his past - his dead son, men he has killed, his parents buried in the family plot - as well as his wife. These encounters focus on Francis's attempt to understand the impulses that caused him to flee Albany and now to return.

Kennedy allows the dead son, Gerald, to articulate (p. 19) to the reader what is at stake for Francis. Gerald, through an act of silent will, imposed on his father the pressing obligation to perform his final acts of expiation for abandoning the family.

"You will not know, the child silently said, what these acts are until you have performed them all. And after you have performed them you will not understand that they are expiatory any more than you have understood all the other expiation that has kept you in such prolonged humiliation. Then, when these final acts are complete, you will stop trying to die because of me."

Kennedy is concerned that the reader gets the point early and read on for other reasons. What might these be? The awareness of guilt; the manner in which unknowing expiation occurs; the security that comes from well-deserved punishment, which is self-inflicted and certain.

Does expiation compel humiliation? Can expiation occur without understanding? Do the dead - whether family or martyred saints of God - whether family or martyred saints of God - rule the living? Are the dead entitled to exercise this power?

This review has been published in a collection of reviews and articles, That's What I'm Talking About (Nativa 2008).THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT

Excellent tale of tragedy and redemption

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-15

This novel won the Pulitzer Prize for good reason. The hard luck tale of Francis Phelan is artfully written - sad, funny and inspiring. William Kennedy's imagery and insight on old Albany reveal a fascinating history that I had often felt just beneath the surface of the modern city. I breezed though this book quickly, in a trance.

Francis Phelan is Fascinating

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-22

William Kennedy paints a picture with his words of a drunken, delusional bum who wants to do good in life, but keeps running from anything he can't solve with his fists or a pint. The story is almost entirely cerebral, with conflict being internal, but with a sprinkling of physical conflict that accentuates the character's dichotomous morality. A wonderful look at the confusing reality surrounding a man trying to make the best of the hole he dug and continues digging for himself.

A masterpiece.

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-31

The opening paragraphs of this book quite literally took my breath away. I could not put this book down.

It has been reviewed beautifully here and I cannot add anything new to what has been written. This book should be on everyone's must read list, and in my opinion is one of the finest books written in the last century.

They 're not really bums at all

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-03

Having grown up in Troy New York it was with a very mixed feeling, a certain recognition and sadness I read the following passage. "The bus rolled south on Broadway following the old trolley tracks, down through Menands and into North Albany, past Simmons Machine, the Albany Felt Mill, the Bond Bakery, the Eastern TabletCombany, the Albany Paper Works." This is the territory of my childhood in which on the junk trunk of R.K. Freedman we rolled along singing 'K-k-k-Katy.' This is the territory of those grey black gloomy skies and smokestacks of South Troy leading into the Menands Bridge and over to the capitol city Albany, scene of this heart-rending novel.
Kennedy tells the story of those of one group of inhabitants of the Tri- City world, the 'bums'the drinking Irish , a group I in my childhood felt so threatened by and alien from.
He however sees them from inside, humanizes them, makes them understandable and even sympathetic. He writes about them with precise unsentimental care and attention, love, perhaps.
Francis Phelan the wanderer who returns home at the end of this work, the man who has left his family has his story told with unpitying realism. The other dropouts, losers from conventional society including his female companion of nine years Helen, the Vassar girl whose mother cheated her out of her inheritance and future, also have their stories told in harsh, tough, often mean dialogue. There is a power and spirit in the writing that is hard to describe. I would not actually say the book is funny or even humorous. And in fact many of the realities are truly grim and even cruel. But there is in the overall motion of the work a kind of positive, strong, life- affirming spirit. And the work has a number of incredibly moving passages.

King Con: A Novel

Published in Hardcover by William Morrow & Co (1997-06)

Author: Stephen J. Cannell

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Hard to put down

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-18

This was a very easy and fun read and hard to put down. The ending was a bit sappy, but the book was such a page-turner that the sap is forgivable. I found myself so engrossed with this book that there were a few nights I stayed up a little later than usual because I got so caught up in the story. I hope Hollywood decides to make this one into a movie. Funny, adventurous, and compelling.

Movie script good.

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-04

It's a good book to read when you don't have anything to do. Enough action, thrills and con to keep the reader interested. Story is pretty much a movie script and for $7, it's not too bad.

Not worth the hard cover

difficult to put away

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-14

A great thriller, real page-turner. One swindle follows another, one excellent character battles another... I just wish the book had a sequel.

King Con is a winner

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-23

If you want a chance to look into the world of gambling, finance and money laundering, this one's for you.

This is an incredible story . . .

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-25

Stephen Cannell did a fantastic job researching con artist and some of the scams that may or may not exist. The book is unpredictable and has an excellent story line, his characters are well thought out and Cannell keeps the hook in your mouth from start to finish. I highly recommend this book!

Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge

Published in Hardcover by William Morrow (2004-07-01)

Author: Eleanor Herman

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wildly entertaining

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-18

one of the funniest and most interesting books i have ever read. i would highly recommend this book. think of it as a sassy history of monarchs.

another hit

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-27

this author make history something you want to read.i can't wait for her next book.

The "good old days" weren't that good!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-27

My mom gave me this book and told me I had to read it. I did, even though it's not a subject I've really been that interested in. Imagine my surprise, I was so engrossed in this book, I finished it in a few days. I found the interaction of kings, queens, mistresses, and everyone else just fascinating and very surprising. I'd reccommend this for someone who doesn't have a huge interest in royal history, it will entertain you just the same.

Great idea, but...

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-24

I couldn't wait to read this book, but when I saw the photo of the author in a costume, I started to worry. Very interesting subject material, but the organization made me crazy - people kept jumping back and forth in time, I felt as if I were reading the same story over and over again. And yes, some of the stories were fascinating, but the book seemed like an overlong magazine article. Very disappointing.

Interesting material but not well written

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-29

I was very excited to pick up Sex with Kings as a juicy read. It was definitely juicy, and the subject matter was extremely interesting, but Ms. Herman's writing style was redundant and torturous. The chapters are thematic, so you will cover more or less the same king's mistresses in each chapter, again and again and again. I would rather have read this as short biographical sketches of most of these women. The book feels very disjointed to me, but like I said, the material is extremely interesting. I just wish it had been presented better.

The Hollow Hills

Published in Hardcover by William Morrow & Co (1973-07)

Author: Mary Stewart

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Moves slow, but good book

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-23

I really liked the first book in this series, so I thought I would give this one a try. While it is a good book, excellent writing and lots of detail, it does move a little slow. Not a lot of fast paced action, which sometimes makes it a little more difficult to read than the first. The main character (Merlin) is interesting, however the supporting characters are not as much. This is a trilogy, but I have not decided if I will go on to read the last book, yet.

Not Free SF Reader

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-03

Merlin's planning has led Uther to impregnate Ygraine, and conceive
Arthur. This book basically starts with the birth of the boy, and
features his childhood.

This series is still about Merlin, though. Merlin travels, but
still arranges to be around Arthur to teach him, as well as dreaming of
the sword, Caliburn, or Excalibur.

the 2nd of 4

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-14

In the second book of this 4 book saga, Merlin tutors a young Arthur in anticipation of the King he will one day become.
This book is followed up with The Last Enchantment (The Arthurian Saga, Book 3)

Doesn't measure up.

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-21

The continuation of the saga begun in The Crystal Cave is disapointing. The Crystal cave was a five star book and much better. As usual the sequel just isn't as good.

Legendary trilogy about a legendary king

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-07

It's not uncommon for the middle volume of a trilogy -- the "bridge" -- to be the weakest of the three, but that's certainly not the case here. The story picks up less than an hour after the end of the first volume, The Crystal Cave, with Merlin having ensured Uther's night of lust with Queen Ygraine of Cornwall and the conception of Arthur, the once and future king (i.e., the "new Ambrosius"). Much of the narrative is taken up with Merlin waiting. First, waiting for the child's birth (while being on the outs with Uther), then waiting for the beginning of his guardianship (when Uther becomes more realistic), then waiting while Arthur spends his infancy in Brittany (during which Merlin hits the road to the ancient lands of the Near East), then a long period of waiting while the boy grows up in the care of Count Ector (and he himself becomes the hermit of the Chapel in the Green). Along the way, he acquires the sword of the Emperor Maximus and tucks it away on a sacred island in a lake, knowing Arthur will recover it himself in good time. And, of course, the waiting ends with Arthur being hailed as High King at age fourteen, minutes after his presentation to the lesser kings and his father's sudden death at a victory dinner. The pacing is a bit slower, but there's a strong sense of inevitability, both for Merlin and for the reader. Stewart's amazingly sensitive and evocative descriptive powers are strong as ever. One of my favorite lines, on why you should never take the favor of the gods for granted: "The gods like the taste of salt; the sweat of human effort is the savour of their sacrifices." Marvelous stuff.

The Merchant of Venice (Oxford School Shakespeare Series)

Published in Paperback by Oxford University Press, USA (1992-10-22)

Author: William Shakespeare

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The unplayable play

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-21

As Harold Bloom says, this has become an unplayable play after the Holocaust. This is only an additional reason why one should read it. The play is fantastic and gives us one of Shakespeare's most memorable characters: Shylock. Whether you see him as villain or victim, Shylock is unforgettable. As is his speech defending the Jewish.

Reversing our point of view toward the 'Justice'

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-16

Anti-festive character who is Shylock on this play sacrificed unjustly. Shylock is a character who is legally invoking his rights as a money-lender among the community which experiencing transition from agriculture society to capitalistic society. Moroever, the character Portia's defending Bassanio as an disguised attorney is unreasonable in some ways and speech is crude, indeed.
In my opinion, to reach the axiomatically righteous conclusion, we should reverse pur point of view toward the 'Justice'. It is a transformation of way of our thinking. Therefore, I recommend rhis masterpiece for someone who aspire to ponder about our human being's viewpoint.

Context is the king of this comedy!

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-15

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE can be described as a tragedy only if one follows the modern definition of "tragedy" and not the Greek. The genre of tragedy in which Shakespeare wrote required that all of the players, or at least all of the main players, die at the end, à la ROMEO AND JULIET, JULIUS CAESAR, MACBETH, and HAMLET. In fact, MERCHANT OF VENICE can only be described as a tragedy if Shylock is seen as the main character and not Antonio. (Note, in the list of players at the beginning of the play, only Antonio is called a "merchant of Venice".) In sum, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE can only be described as a tragedy if it is completely removed from its historical context.

Shakespeare intended that the actions taken by Antonio, by Shylock, by Bassanio, and even by Portia be seen as comically extreme. Antonio goes to the lengths of seeking help from a man he despises to help a man he loves. Shylock demands nothing but justice, even when the demands of the agreement he made is met and even doubled. Everywhere in this play is there action taken to the extreme.

Only a refusal to acknowledge the historical context would be blind to the comedy. There are stage plays, television shows, and screenplays aplenty which follow the example set forth in MERCHANT OF VENICE, showing how comical people can be when their actions are taken to the extreme. If MERCHANT OF VENICE can be view in THIS context, then the comedy shines through.

As a writer, I find it comical that anyone would use MERCHANT OF VENICE to point the finger of "racism" at Shakespeare. Part of a writer's challenge is to present convincingly views even he or she disagrees with. The best writer would try to dismantle and disprove the very beliefs he or she holds dear. That Shakespeare has often been judged a racist based on his portrayal of Shylock serves only as testimony to the continuing success of this play. Shylock's speech, complimented by another reviewer, is ample proof that Shakespeare's own views are well hid. Shylock's speech demonstrates magnificently that Shakespeare was able to get inside the head of any man (or woman) in his stories and write the words which that man would speak, faithfully render the thoughts which that man would think, have that man act as only that man would act, and all of it be believable. Simply put, unless you knew beforehand a writer's views on any subject, it would be difficult to find the needle of truth in his or her haystack of fiction if that writer has done their job well, and in this case Shakespeare was damned near flawless!

It is true that the movie, starring Al Pacino, does not present this play as a comedy, but that hardly detracts from its excellence. It shows, in fact, that MERCHANT OF VENICE plays well as both a drama and a comedy. In our age, however, given the importance of religious tolerance, I'll admit that it is probably best played as a drama.

As for the Pelican series of Shakespeare's plays, they are an excellent resource for anyone wanting to read and study the Bard's work. I've several volumes in this series and hope to eventually own them all. Each volume contains two identical essays, "The Theatrical World" (which provides a good understanding of the historical context, as well as an idea of just how much we know about Shakespeare as an individual) and "The Texts of Shakespeare" (which gives more historical context and also discusses some of the difficulties which editors have experienced in presenting these plays in print to modern audiences). There is then an introduction to each play, which is best left unread until afterwards if you aren't familiar with the play. The footnotes are few, but well-chosen, and do help in understanding words and phrases whose meanings have changed over the centuries.

Time has made Merchant into a tragedy

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-06

Shylock is the only sympathetic character in the play. Modernity has altered the villain in "The Merchant of Venice" from Shylock to the entire cast of characters EXCEPT for Shylock. Any sense of comedy in the play died for those with a sense of religious tolerance, and Shylock comes off as merely oppressed. I found Act 5 almost nauseating after the forced conversion. That, coupled with the happy racism makes a perversion of decency and happy endings. This play is a tragedy. The recent movie version done starring Al Pacino turned it into a tragedy, and amazingly, a play written as a comedy seems to work very well as a tragedy.

Antonio gladly spits upon Shylock and calls him a dog, but stunningly, when Antonio finds himself in a financial pinch he goes to Shylock for money. More brash is Antonio's promise to act the same in the future: "I am as like to call thee so again, / To spet on thee again, to spurn thee, too." (1.3.127-28) From this point on, sympathy for Antonio is paralyzed in a modern reader's mind, from reminders of past images, from slavery and anti-Semitism, where the dehumanizing of a group of people is accepted by a society. The entire text afterward reads like an indictment of humanity, as if Shakespeare is making the Elizabethans laugh at their own behavior.

In perhaps the best argument in Shylock's defense in the trial, he point out the fact that those who speak of mercy own slaves. "What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong? / You have among you many a purchased slave." (4.1.89-90) Shylock, as fanatical as he is over the pound of flesh, is asking for only a pound of a man, when the slaveholders own the entire person. The play is littered with prejudiced remarks that clearly show how animalistic Shylock was to them.

Every conversation involving Shylock has ridicule from the Christians, without remorse or a feeling of comedy. The Christian children are taught to mock Shylock, they run after him in the street. The merchants spit on him, the Duke reviles him, his daughter renounces her religion and robs him.

Still an amazing story, with a few of the best on mercy and prejudice ever written.

Shakespeare's Comedy/Tragedy of Marriage and its Interrelationships

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-22

The New Folger Library of Shakespeare's Tragedies and Comedies are among the best pocket editions available for the student and the journeyman lover of the Bard.

Before the actual text of the play which is wisely presented on the right hand page with explanatory notes (metaphors, allusions, similes, etc.) facing on the left hand page (words and phrases are defined by scholars based on their usage during Shakespeare's time; if scholars are inconclusive as to meaning, the word `uncertain' is used to connote this disagreement), the usual `Reading Shakespeare's Language', `Shakespeare's Life', `Shakespeare's Theatre', `Publication of Shakespeare's Plays' and `Introduction to the Text' introduce the reader to the Shakespearean world. Following the text, an essay by Alexander Leggatt follows illuminating `The Merchant of Venice' for the modern reader. In addition, an eleven page `Further Reading' list pinpoints books and essays on topics like the play itself, Shakespeare, the time in which he lived and the Globe Theatre. Rounding out the vital information is a three page "Key to Famous Lines and Phrases" complete with speaker and verse notation.

As far as the play itself, I will keep my remarks limited, saying only that for the modern audience, Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" borders on the provocative. All with politically correct upbringing or today's cultural sensitivity training cannot help but focus on the reigning prejudice of the early Medieval and Renaissance time period, namely the exclusion of Jews from all forms of normal life since mainstream thought withheld that this race was primarily responsible for Christ's crucifixion.

Indeed, today's reader will pose the question as to whether or not this play should be deemed more tragedy than comedy and must remember that as a comedy, "The Merchant of Venice" focuses on marriage, couples (Bassanio/Portia, Lorenzo/Jessica, Gratiano/Nerissa) and their emotional and financial interrelationships and uses sly humor and innuendo to poke fun at Venice's societal `outsiders'(Shylock, Morocco, Aragorn and in a lesser sense Antonio) who do not form a Shakespearean couple per se. Looked at from this perspective, the character of Shylock becomes simply the play's foremost societal outcast, in spite of the famous speech where he asks seemingly so poignantly, "If you prick us, do we not bleed?"

Bottom line: Shakespeare is Shakespeare. If your modern sensibilities are offended by Shakespeare's treatment of Shylock the Jew, the Prince of Morocco and the Prince of Aragorn and question the unhappy and solitary Antonio's intense feelings for Bassanio, simply keep in mind that the world at that time looked at such things differently. Within the definition of comedy, this play with its multitude of lovely speeches and images works well indeed. The New Folger Library edition simply makes the play more easily accessible and understood on the various levels of language and scholarship. I recommend this series wholeheartedly.

Diana F. Von Behren
"reneofc"

The Fool's Tale: A Novel

Published in Hardcover by William Morrow (2005-01-01)

Author: Nicole Galland

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Very unusual "historical-esque" tale

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-27

Please note that the Amazon editorial review is incorrect--this book is not a romance, except in the original historical sense of a Comedy with heroic aspects. It is by no means a romance in the contemporary sense of genre, which requires a monogamous male-female love relationship that ends in marriage or the promise of long-term happiness (see Regis' _A Natural History of the Romance_).

That said, what an unusual piece of historical fiction this is. It will certainly engage and intrigue you, what with the out-of-the-ordinary protagonist (a peurile, irritating, yet emotionally vulnerable court prankster inexorably bonded to a young Welsh king), bizarre love triangle (yes, the "types" involved are older than Le Morte D'Arthur, but the entanglements play out in a most unusual fashion), and tense cat-and-mouse "will the king find out?" head game.

I cannot promise you will "like" all or even ANY of the characters. In fact, most, even the young Queen at times, are not sympathetic. The king especially is guilty of behavior that may have been expected of him in the Middle Ages, but which modern readers may interpret as officious, smug, and emotionally abusive.

And I can assure you that the ending will get a reaction out of you--most likely a negative, throw-your-book-at-the-wall type, but certainly something other than indifference. This is indeed the book's most glaring flaw/contrivance.

Do note, as well, that this is history-"lite." There is little in the way of dense expository historical detailing and description (which, depending on your tolerance for it, may be a boon). There is also little inter-weaving of medieval Welsh custom or culture; the setting is, rather, Generic Middle Ages out of central casting. Finally, very little of the real Welsh political framework is provided, and what IS presented is in a fictionalized form.

But is it worth reading? Yes, I believe so. LArgely through very unusual characterization, Galland has managed to distinguish her all-purpose medieval setting and stock courtly players. You will be left with the distinct impression that you have NOT, in fact, "seen this before."

And that is a pretty impressive achievement, especially for a first-time-novelist.

Historical fiction

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-27

This is one of the most enjoyable, entertaining books I have ever read. The author has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor which brings modern day life to characters hundreds of years ago. There are not many books of this time period that have such a hilarious description of conversations. The reader will absolutely adore the fool.
More cannot be written without giving away too much. I keep all my favorite books next to my bed- this one is
closest to where I can reach it!

Flawed but compelling characters bring this quasi-historical novel to life...

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-23

Wales, 1198. Noble, known better as the King Maelgwyn ap Cadwallon, hasn't gotten over his father's death and his hatred for the people who had caused it, the infamous Normans known as the Mortimers. He has special affection for Gwirion, the one who saved his life on the day the king was killed, and would do just about anything to protect him, which is all the time, for Gwirion is the proverbial court jester, constantly causing mischief throughout the kingdom. Noble marries Isabel Mortimer as a way to have a political truce between the two families. But Noble has other ideas. Not only do he and Gwirion go out of their way to humiliate the queen, Noble has no intentions of putting an end to his hostility toward the Mortimers. In the meantime, Isabel is forced to accept a country and customs that she is simply not used to. She also has to struggle with Gwirion and his endless pranks and cruel remarks. If only Gwirion would disappear! But then something happens along the way; she and Gwirion change towards one another, something that causes a lot of heartache and friction between this unique threesome.

I wasn't very familiar with the King Maelgwyn ap Cadwallon and his history and feud with the Mortimers, so I don't know just how much of this story is fiction, reality and just how accurate the historical aspects are. Based on the reviews, I'd say this is a novel with a medieval setting and not one based on actual history (except for the accuracy in wardrobe and customs). Nicole Gallant does have a great way with descriptions, narrative and dialogue, and I could imagine the characters, time setting and situations in a vivid way. I don't read much medieval, historical or otherwise; especially the ones before, after and during the Normandy and William the Conqueror's reign (a little too barbaric for me), but I should, for this is a fascinating time period. For the first two hundred or so pages, you read about the relationship between Isabel, Noble and Gwirion and how it develops. You also get a lot of description (too much of it, in my opinion) about Noble's infidelity and Isabel's reaction to it, and also how Gwirion uses it to ridicule and humiliate her. There are scenes centered on the pranks Gwirion commits, which I love, because he really is a rascal and those scenes are hilarious. (I admit, however, that he got on my nerves after a while.) The meat begins about halfway through the book. The scenes that have to do with the battles and the relationship changes between Noble, Gwirion and Isabel are very well written and riveting. The developments between Isabel and Gwirion are subtle and slow -- a little too slow, if I may be honest -- and so you find it believable by the time it happens. This may sound cliche, but it does have a resonance to the whole King Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot love triangle. The aforementioned tale is mentioned in the novel, Isabel thinking it "romantic." The last chapters are very moving, and I almost cried toward the end. I came to care for these characters -- in spite of their flawed, annoying and even downright unlikable ways -- and the ending floored me. The Fool's Tale is a humorous, intriguing, insightful and memorable piece of medieval-set fiction and I couldn't put it down. I take away a star because, as said earlier, I don't know just how accurate this novel is (even with the author's afterword) and that it should've been at least two-hundred pages shorter. But when it comes to reading enjoyment, it gets five stars. This book has inspired me to pick up more medieval-set novels in the future. I think I'll give Elizabeth Chadwick a whirl. I read one of her novels some time ago and her medieval tales seem accurate and beautiful.

Boring and Banal

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-22

The story has been used ad nauseam, the writing style is pedantic and ill-paced, and the characters are dull and unrealistic. It was so boring that when I accidently left the book under a stack of others with only about 80 pages left to read, I completely forgot about it. I have just found it, and I am not going to bother to finish it.

good- very depressing

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-19

I was into this book until the end-- I won't ruin it, but its safe to say it is depressing. The characters were all unlikable.

The Lost Tomb the excavation of KV5 Egyptian Burial site of Sons of Ramesses II

Published in Hardcover by William Morrow (1998-10-07)

Author: Kent R. Weeks Ph.D.

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Average review score:

A little muddled and superficial

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2002-05-01

Kent Weeks and his wife come across as enthusiastic, dedicated and eager to introduce the general public to the pleasures of Egyptology in this account of the first few years of his investigations at KV5. As can be seen from the biographical information he provides in this work he has devoted most of his life to investigating the Valley of the Kings. That is why it is a pity that this work comes across as jumbled and a little superficial. Accounts of the dig are interspersed so frequently with accounts of the lives of various pharaohs, of the problems the Weeks face from lackadaisical Egyptian officials, the eccentricity of the local laborers, and so on, that it is very difficult to keep track of what the team is finding in KV5 and its historical significance. (I would guess that this format was forced on Professor Weeks by a commercially minded publisher, presumably in the belief that the average layman reader is not willing to plod through several hundred pages of architectural accounts.)

Another problem with this work: although the discovery of KV5 is the most important discovery in the Valley of the Kings since the discovery of King Tut's tomb, the actual material found in the tomb is probably not particularly exciting for readers who are not dedicated Egyptologists. Most of the discoveries consist of minute brick and porcelain fragments which poor Mrs. Weeks is charged with cataloguing. For the layman Egyptologist I would recommend instead the classic by Howard Carter, The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen, also available from Amazon.com This is a truly exciting account of the discovery of Tut's tomb which was packed with fantastic treasures.

great

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2001-06-14

this book is a great book for anyone interested in ancient egypt. the book is about the discovery of tomb kv 5. this is a tomb that was built by ramesses the great for his sons. they only have evidence that a few sons were burried there, but there were many sons of ramesses, at leased 30 born of high ranking wives and they only know of 2 of his sons being buried somewhere eles, so all his other sons may be buried there as well. this tomb was found along time ago but was said to be that of an unimportant tomb. in fact carter covered the tomb with dirt from his excavation of tutankhamun's tomb. there are many rooms in the tomb (150 rooms). there is also lots of info on things around the time of ramesses. this is a great book.

Intresting Insight into the excavation process

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-11

I thought this book was well imformed. Though it is not exactly a step by step work on the tomb KV 5 itself, it does give insight into the difficulties and emotions that one goes through during an excavation. It also makes valid points about the lack of conservation that the Egyptian officials have been willing to do. The building of the Dam destroyed so much, and it is well known that many of the floods that destroy tombs in the Valley of the Kings could be stopped if the Egyptian officals would devote the money to it. This book is good for anyone who is intrested in Egyptology causally.

And a note:
There have been a couple of reviews that have been quite negative, and I think without basis. Given, it is bad that one of the mummies in a picture is mis-marked, but that could be the editors fault. And the review came from a 'student' of Egyptology, who also happens to be in high school, and his/her claims presurpose that they know much more than Weeks.

I am in college and actually major in Egyptology. I know that indescrepancies occur, and this is because of different theories and interpretations that come from the translations of heiroglyphics.

Read the book and judge for yourself how good this book is!

Weeks' excavation did more damage than good

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-07

It is amazing reading these reviews and realizing that people actually enjoyed this man's book. This was a botched excavation from the start. There was no real great discoveries in KV5, just more of the same stuff that we find in the Valley of the Kings (KV5 was discovered long before in the 18th century to boot). It is wise to remember this when Weeks' excavation damaged the tomb itself. He had his work-crews removed wet flood debris (dirt) from the tomb and then only put rocks at the doorway to allow "air to dry up the inside" for an entire season!

However, if you are familiar with John Romer's studies on the Valley of the Kings' geology, you would know that the limestone walls would have expanded with moisture and contracted when dried. Weeks' ignorance of this simple fact (he did know of Romer's report but called his study 'unmodern') allowed the tomb roof and walls to contract at an uncontrolled speed. The result was the walls cracked, lost paint and ultiamately the roof fell in an area.

The damage Weeks' excavation did was totally atrocious and it even continues to this day. Support conservation in the Valley of the Kings instead of destructive excavation and ecourage excavations in the Delta (where Egyptologies knowledge is lacking). In conclusion, don't buy this book.

One of the worst popular-science books I've ever read

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-05

This book easily qualifies as one of the worst popular-science books I've ever read. It is like "Indiana Jones" minus the Nazis and all the other fun stuff. The thing is that of course I didn't expect to get an action-packed book about mummies and hidden treasures. What I expected to get was a nice description of that "lost" tomb they found plus background information. And the book simply doesn't give enough of that. The "lost" tomb which supposedly was discovered by Mr Weeks had actually been discovered before already. So the book starts with some wrong information on the cover. And it doesn't really get any better than that. There are pages and pages of completely useless information but no explanation of the background. In particular, if you want to learn about Egypt's past you're more than well-advised to look elsewhere. Instead, here you'll find a dozen pages about how Mr Weeks had to deal with the press and similar stuff which is just not interesting at all. The few pages about Egypt's past are filled with narration-like stuff. I know it might be difficult to say a lot about ancient Egypt but if the level of a popular-science book is about that of a mediocre Hollywood movie something is wrong. I know reviews which don't give books four or five stars are pretty unpopular on Amazon but I give this book one star anyway. I'd give it zero if I could.

Harbors and High Seas: An Atlas and Geographical Guide to the Aubrey-Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian

Published in Hardcover by Henry Holt & Company (1996-05)

Authors: Dean King, John B. Hattendorf, William J. Clipson, and Adam Merton Cooper

List price: $30.00

Used price: $88.88

Average review score:

Habors and High Seas, 3rd Edition

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-28

The completion of the entire Aubrey-Maturin series of 20 novels. An essential reference to all who have the have bought the boxed set. Love it, Love it, love it!

Nice but low priority

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-14

This is a nice to have companion, but only if you have already purchased "A Sea of Words" of the same author, which should get priority if you have to chose
The book is interesting and useful. True that it might have contained more maps but overall it's good value for its cost

Don't wasteyour money

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-09

Don't waste your money on this guide. The maps are far and few and lacked the kind of detail I would have attributed to Patrick O'Brian companion. The comments made on each novel leave you wondering if the author ever actually read the books.

O'Brian Companion

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-05

I am more than 1.2 way through the Patrick O'Brian / Jack Aubury series and being a sailor have enjoyed the books very much. This companion allows an even deeper appreciation for the series as it allows me to visualize the places where the historical fiction is taking place.

harbors and high seas

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-14

This is a must have book when reading the Aubrey-Maturin series. It brings to life the voyages through maps and synopses of each place the ships traveled. Also it explains that some of the locations are fictional but places them in likely locations. I really enjoyed this book and wish I had it when i began reading the series. You have to get it.

Some Enchanted Evening (Lost Princesses)

Published in Hardcover by William Morrow (2004-07-01)

Author: Christina Dodd

List price: $21.95

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Average review score:

my first Christina Dodd, definately not my last.....

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-09

now I can see what all the fuss is about. I really enjoyed this Historical Romance. Strong, independent heroine who was forced into hidden exile with her younger sister when their home country is taken over. The hero is an Earl, sold into Military conscription at 12 by his hateful father. He's a "brooding wounded soldier" but so much more.

I am surprised that I enjoyed this romance as I don't normally enjoy "royalty" romances, as the heroines tend to be "too stupid too live"-but this series is different as the 3 Princesses must fend for themselves-and the years in exile have made them savvy and street smart.

The bedroom scenes are VERY well written and highly sensual. Don't read a Dodd if explicit scenes offend you as they are pretty predominant here.

Interesting story and characters, romance, adventure and hot, hot, hot. What more could you want in a romance.

4 stars.

Happy brooders

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-19

Dark heroes are hard to write. Really. They usually come across as brooding and temper-tantrum-y. That said, I really liked Christina Dodd's brooding hero in this book, mostly because he wasn't a brooder by the end. Fun story with cute characters. I enjoyed it.

Good Read

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-21

It's not "AMAZING" romance by any means. But it was definetly a good read. I'd recommend it if your favorite writers -- much like mine -- are busy writing something new and you need something to tide you over :)

Pure Joy !

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-10

This is the first novel of the Lost Princess series. This book has a great mystery, danger and amazing love story. The novel is based around three princess who leave their country due to war. They left their home as children and now young women trying to survive. This story is Clarice story (the middle daughter) who find love with Earl MacKenize. I can not wait until the next novel coming in Feb. 2006.

The title should have been The Lost Princess - Enchanting Evening Was Off...

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-13

This is the second novel by Christina Dodd that I have read in the past year. I also read, "My Fair Enchantress". I gave that book four plus stars - it was an excellent read and I really enjoyed the story line and characters. In this next book, "Some Enchanted Evening", I found the characters interesting as well as the story line but, I would not rate it as great of a read as the first book I had chosen.

Although I liked the story line of this book quite a bit - three princesses (Sorcha, Clarice & Amy) are taken from their respective countries and are sent off in hiding as killers are after them and their ruling families...a fellow prince (Rainger) of a neighboring country is also taken away and once released from his captivity makes an agreement with the princesses grandmother to get them back. If the prince finds the three girls, he can chose one to marry. So...it's off to the races. This story focused on the middle princess - Clarice. She also had an older sister Sorcha and a little sister Amy. Sorcha was gone elsewhere whereas Clarice and Amy were able to stay together.

Clarice and Amy managed to outwit the bad guys by traveling town to town, peddling their family cosmetic secrets to local gals for their money and lodging. They would move on to new places to keep up the game and stay out of reach of the bad guys. They managed to do this for many years. Their grandmother was due to put notices in local papers when they could return to their own country safely - that had not happened yet.

So...they find their way to a local town where a high ranking earl - Hepburn - Robert Mackenzie is running the show and the locals pay honor to him as an old war hero. They peddle their goods in his town and charm both men and women alike with their winsome ways. They state clearly they are princesses on the run and have stopped to give women happiness via their face and body creams. Everyone buys into the show. The girls stay on in town and thus...an attraction and relationship develop between Robert and Clarice as she stays at his castle to help with a large ball that is being thrown in honor of another great war hero- Ogley.

Robert finds out Clarice stole her horse and is on the run from that too. He uses this information to bribe her to help him outwit the nasty war hero Ogley. She is to use her cosmetics and winsome ways to pretend to be an ex-mistress of Ogley so, that Robert and his friend Waldemar can corner the ex-war hero and get him to provide proper discharge and honorary release in the military to Waldemar that was taken away by by Ogley. Thus...a charade begins to help Robert fulfill this need help his friend. In turn, Clarice is trying to stay outside the bad guys trying to find her and Amy and the local magistrate who knows she stole his horse.

I won't give the ending away suffice to say, the story course works itself out in the end (a wee bit too perfectly if you ask me) and everyone is happy, happy, happy. The story also alludes at the end that a new book will follow regarding Princess Amy and where her future travels will take her as she does not want to be a princess any longer. Not surprising there.

I did find some inconsistencies in the story that prevented me from liking the story better. For instance...you would think lots of time elapsed between Clarice first coming to town, meeting the villagers, staying with Robert and his sister Millicent at the castle, the ball occurring and help being done for Waldemar and she outwitting the magistrate who arrests her. But...in reality, only a handful of days go by for all this to occur. During this time, Clarice and Robert manage to be highly attracted to one another, have many sexual outings and manage to fall head over heals in love and want to marry. This time frame didn't work for me at all - not realistic. A lifetime of events occur in about a two week time span (if not less) and I couldn't get into the emotions of these characters and find it real with so little time devoted to developing their relationship.

Also...Clarice is supposedly on the run from not only bad guys trying to kill her and Amy for the crown but, also after her for horse theft. So...what would a girl do to stay hidden in obscurity...well for starters, ride into town after town, manage to make everyone notice her due to her beauty and outspokenness and proclaim loudly each time that she is a princess adrift from her country but, she is there to help everyone nonetheless. I would say that's keeping a low profile, don't you? I kept thinking if any of the bad guys or magistrate had half a brain and network of spies, she could have been found and nabbed very easily. Plus...she is supposedly a top beauty on a rare and priceless horse yet...no word of this goes from town to town after she leaves? And is it safe to be out riding alone like that - wouldn't someone try to rob or steal from her or worse? No...not our heroine. Apparently, she has a special protective safety bubble the rest of us don't have. These things didn't work for me.

Also...Robert was in this emotionless bubble since coming back from war yet, in a matter of days he is suddenly a new man because of Clarice and their sexual and emotional encounters? Or that Clarice wants to return to her kindom and have a top marriage to continue the line yet..she will have sex with Robert at a moment's notice and not worry anymore about her thrown? Or that Millicent was this dull, dry and aged spinster with no back bone to show for herself and in a matter of days suddenly transforms into this lovely beauty with wit, spunk and courage? Once again...too many inconsistencies for me.

Even though Clarice was a princess and Robert's sister Millicent running an Earl's estate...I didn't care for the way they treated their servants. For some reason, it was not appealing that the two main female leads would snap their fingers for something to happen, talk down to their staff and act as if they were less than average people. Yet...both Clarice and Millicent would be kind and warm to nearly everyone else. I felt they were demeaning to those in their work staff and that was not appealing to me. This was a small thing but, I noticed it anyway. You can be firm and have directive without being snotty and snooty.

Last...I am not sure why this book is titled, "Some Enchanted Evening" (just because she's a princess in exile doesn't support "enchanting"). I do not remember any special night outing that would support such a title. I think they could have come up with a better title to support the story line. I say this because I like to have title's support the book as well as the cover designs and photos. For me, it helps for some reason.

Rainger, the forgotten prince, actually seemed like an interesting character but, we only got to see snippets of him as a child at court and then once or twice as an adult as he searched for and found Clarice at the end. I think a story with him might be interesting and expect it will follow one day if it has not yet. My guess is that Amy will end up with her own knight in shining amour such as Clarice found and that oldest Princess Sorcha will end up with Prince Rainger as her own? Just my guess but, I would like to see that happen. We'll see.

There were times during the reading of this book that I started to feel myself drift off and get bored - that's never a good sign in a love story. I gave three stars more for the author herself than the book. I like how she writes and feel she is very talented. This story just didn't seem well developed for me. Even though I would not consider this one of the best or better books I have read, it still had enough going on to be over-all pleasing. I would consider more of her books and hope you do too. Enjoy!

China: A New History, Enlarged Edition

Published in Paperback by Belknap Press (1998-05)

Authors: John King Fairbank and Merle Goldman

List price: $21.50

New price: $3.85
Used price: $0.46
Collectible price: $29.99

Average review score:

not much different from previous editions

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-24

I bought this book because I was misled by the information displayed on Amazon's web site. This edition in its paperback form actually runs to 560 pages only, not to 640 pages as the "product details" claims. I was led to believe that this 2006 2nd enlarged edition was a major expansion over its previous edition, which I already possess. But no.

Saved Money

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-18

I saved a lot of money buying this book new from Amazon over buying it from B&N or the on-campus bookstore. It also arrived very quickly.

Book delivery

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-09

A little pencil writing in the book, but it is in excellent shape.

A visit to China

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-23

Excellent and comprehensive history of China. A must read for anyone going to see this country.

Great

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-21

This book is a great overview of Chinese history. While true that Spence's Volume has more artistic qualities this volume is mor than sufficient for the student of history. Clear and concise, this book describes the major events of Chinese history while integrating a plethora of supplemental and recent scholarship. Anyone interested in diving further into Chinese history can use Fairbank and Goldman as a launching platform.