Novels Books

Gift material 110% I love it. I have taken drawing courses in school and online and through the mail, and my mother taught me to draw, and I learned from DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN, and THIS DRAW..HEROS is fantastic both from a teaching methods standpoint, and from an artist's needs standpoint. It can teach you to refresh some of your old drawings with movement and power, and MOVEMENT! WHhhham! ZOOoooMmmmm!!

I am giving this to deaf friends as I am always trying to show them I appreciate their special abilities.

Purchased this as a Christmas gift for my nephew. My 14 year old would like it after reviewing. Shows how to draw characters; first by shapes - and then adds in details, including hands and feet.

This is a great product. It is small and self contained, comes with drawing tools stored in a zipper pouch so it is perfect for travel. The easy to follow, step by step instructions create the sensation of instant success. Great for all ages - even adults can have a bit of fun with it!

I can't walk past this book in a store with out picking it up (heck, I couldn't see a link for it with out clicking it).
This is single handedly, the most influential book I have ever picked up.

I first got it when I was 6, and it laid the ground work for the rest of my entire life. I'm an art student, I'm going to be an illustrator, I want to be in comics. This book is why and how.

Everything in here is solid and where EVERY ONE should start if they want to do this thing right. Give this to your kids, give this to those friends of yours who want to do art, but never had any teaching or talent, give it to that rival who needs a refresher on the simplest of simple. Buy it for yourself, as a clear reminder of what you should be doing, and of the foundations that everything you do is based on.

This isn't Burn Hogarth, but it is still a must for ANYONE getting into drawing. I can not recommend this enough. This book will always hold a special place in my heart and on my shelf.

This book is really great. My son picked it out as something he wanted because Spiderman was on the cover. I would never have thought to buy it. The content is great. It takes you step by step in drawing. It all starts with the stick figure with ball joints. This may seem dumb, but it is essential. I have been poor at drawing a body or figure, but after using the starting point of the stick figure and then adding more to it, I could not believe how well it turned out. I still only at the beginning too. Lots more to learn from it! This is a great way to teach my son how to draw at an early age. The superhero tie in is perfect, but the content is top notch.

I have been collecting the graphic novel series for about 8 years last month I moved and lost the whole collection if anyone knows how I can get this collection again please let me know thank you Jamie

This work of fantasy rivals some of the best of the century, with superb artwork by Wendy Pini, and a brilliantly planned storyline by Wendy and Richard Pini. Follow the adventures of a tribe of woodland elves who are forced to abandon their forest dwelling in the face of fire. Tricked by their fickle friends the trolls, they find themselves lost in the desert, where they find...But thats for you to find out when you read this work of art. Full of emotions that anyone can relate to, and characters who clash, and come together to form grand friendships and rivalries that will keep you reading through the whole series of Eight full color, and unfortunately, out of print Elfquest Stories.

I loved the hardcover edition. With the full color illustrations. Of course the whole story line. Is amazing! Love it!

Where does one begin to review a masterpiece like this? Even more thought provoking, where does one end? This book's praises cannot be sang too often. The artwork and color are astonishing. They will leave your jaw hanging open, and your mind thirsting for more. Is emotions are so clear, you can feel Cutter's heartache, Leetah's mixed emotions, and Rayek's hate and mistrust of the new strangers. Read this book, and I promise you will not be disappointed, but don't take my word for it. Go on, see for yourself.

Where do you begin with a book like this? Even more thought provoking, where do you end? Not enough can be said about this book. The artwork is astonishing and the colors will leave your jaw hanging open and your mind thirsting for more. You feel the heartache of Cutter, the mixed emotions of Leetah, and Rayek's hate and distrust of the new strangers. Buy this book, and I promise, you will not be disappointed, but don't take my word for it. Go on, see for yourself.

Ain't no drama like family drama because family drama don't stop.. You will certainly enjoy this book along with others by Marcus Major!! This is a feel good book about how we deal with family, friends and relationships.

Marcus Major has written an eloquent tribute that delves into
the intricacies of family life, especially the nuances & intimacies of marriage. I also enjoyed his candor with the male aspect on views of marriage and friendship. I love this book! I can't wait to see how Jasmine evolves as a young woman.

I have been following Marcus Major since his first short story that was published in "Got to Be Real". Once again I have to say that I am pleased with his story telling abilities. Reading this book was like talking to an old friend telling stories about his families trials, tribulations, but the unity and love that keeps them together.

I would recommend this book to anyone, and I already have!

This is a very good read. The Moore family had real good members that made the story enjoyable to read. I would recommend this book to others.

This was my first time reading a book by Marcus Major and it I must admit it was really a great & refreshing read. The characters were well developed and I just love the way the Moore sons protected there mother and treated there own wives. All & All this was a good read and I recommend it to others..

Very excellent new detective/crime based graphic novel. I personally love the character of Detective Fell. I like the idea that he has been ostracized from his regular post as a police detective over the River and has been vanished to Snow City. Fell is an excellent depiction of personal strife and character flaw, although he is a good man and very believable, because he is tough but not like a superhero, he has to rely on his intelect quite often to catch the bad guys, very much like Batman in the old Detective Comics.
Great book that leaves you wanting more.
Can't wait for the next installment.

Warren Ellis' (Transmetropolitan, Thunderbolts, Desolation Jones, Astonishing X-Men, this list can go on and on...) brilliant crime fiction saga Fell is something you have to read to believe. Revolving around the incredibly skilled Detective Richard Fell, who has been transfered to Snowtown: a crime-ridden wasteland from which there may be no escape. As the area around him decays with every passing minute, Fell makes a number of encounters (most frequently with an eccentric bar-maid) with the townspeople, and comes to one conclusion in the end about them all: everybody is hiding something, including himself. Peppered with fantastic dialogue, Ellis manages to make Fell one of his most intriguing works of crime fiction, with Fell himself being one of his most interesting character creations. Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night) provides his typical dark and moody artwork, and it more than suits the atmosphere of the universe that Ellis crafts here. All in all, the first volume of Fell is a brilliant piece of crime fiction from one of the true modern day comic book masters, and it more than deserves your attention.

Oh boy! Good doesn't even begin to describe it. Warren Ellis does noir and sets a different standard for everybody else. His inner cityscape is gritty, convincing and creepy. And I am not easily spooked. Richard Fell is beautifully characterized as the detective dedicated to his craft and every bit human and vulnerable. And Snowtown is the ultimate urban nightmare - a town that the rest of the world gave up on and only exists in the shadows of human society - inhabited by the true scum of the earth.

This is intense, gritty detective crime fiction that everyone who has any interest in the genre should not pass up. I'm not familiar with much of Warren Ellis's other work but he has brought a completely fresh new twist to your classic detective story. Its hard to believe that each issue is only 16 pages and is still more intruging than books that go a full 24-32 pages. Its hard to put down. My only gripe would be for a mature themed book the language is a bit too toned down for my taste, lets face it in a knife fight with a deadly criminal one would really call the other a "living fart" as he bashes his face in? But this is just a minor annoyance compared to the rest of a unbelievably great graphic novel.

Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith have been around awhile. Warren is famous for his over the top horror and thriller type comics and Ben got famous for his incredible art with the original 30 Days of Night. And while this book has no vampires it has everything you would come to expect from these two masters. Warren delivers a great tale or I should say tales of Detective Fell and Ben creates his world with incredible art. When you have two master come together like this it's amazing what happens. I won't spoil the story lines I'm sure someone else will do that or has done that. If you enjoy Stephen King, Dean Koontz, or Chuck Palanuik you will most definately enjoy this graphic novel. Engrossing and at time nauseating you won't be disappointed.

If you love mangas and love a story that gives you every emotion a story can give you, then this is the book for you. The main part of the story is comedy but it does have a lot of other emotions to it and there are a lot of plot eliments that will keep you wanting to read. I don't want to give anything away so I wont, you'll just have to read it. ^_^

I own this series in Japanese, and it is a wonderful read! It has all the important elements of a good shoujo manga: it is romantic, twisted, with a shoujo (in the traditional meaning of the word) involved in finding a new family and love triangles galore. It is just a very fun read, no matter the language!

As an American whose undergrad studies revolved around European subjects, I am still quite ignorant of Japanese customs/cultures/naming conventions and so on. This book confuses me in a few different ways: 1, as another reviewer pointed out, several of the characters look nearly identical, and I had to go back and reread several portions to figure out who was whom. 2, the variations on naming are awkward to me. Tohru is variously referred to as Tohru, Tohru-san, Tohru-chan, Tohru-kun, Honda-san, sometimes even Kyoko-san, which is her mother's name. This isn't so bad, because Tohru is always Tohru no matter what is on the end of it, but for example Hatori is sometimes Ha'ri and sometimes Haa-san and this happens with all the characters who have more than 2 syllables in their names.

There are some weird cultural things drawn in here that I don't understand: a sketch of Tohru's mom in middle school, and she's wearing what looks like a surgical mask? (She was not a doctor.) One of Tohru's friends is referred to as a Yankee, but I can only assume this has a different meaning in Japan. Her name is Arisa Uotani-san (sometimes Uo-chan, which really threw me!) and that is definitely not an American name. So, here I am confused again.

Please forgive my ramblings but once I get started, it's hard to stop! I'll be continuing with Fruits Basket.

I think that the storyline is so nice and is definitely worth reading. I prefer reading it in Nihongo though. All in all the story is very enjoyable and it has a good balance of darkness and drama against lightheartedness and comedy. Ga suki furuuts basuketto!

Tohru Honda's adventures really get going in the second volume of "Fruits Basket," where the upbeat teen moves into the Sohma household. Natsuki Takaya's storytelling is stronger and steadier in these chapters, since she's introduced the main characters and can now get going on the plot.

Tohru is moving into her newly furnished room, and her pals (wave-reading goth Saki and toughgrrl Hana) decide to stay over to make sure that the guys will take care of their cheerful friend. And when New Year's rolls around, Kyo and Yuki find themselves wondering what to do -- go to the main house with the other family, or stay with Tohru?

And at the school, the students are planning a cultural festival, and Tohru encounters two other Sohmas -- the chilly doctor Hatori, and the effusive half-German Momiji, who is instantly pals with Tohru. But Tohru learns of a different side to the zodiac members' lives, when she hears about Hatori's tragic past.

The first volume of "Fruits Basket" was all about introducing the characters and getting them into the same house. And in the second volume, Takaya gets to flesh out the cast with new characters and new storylines, and hints about the more sinister aspects of the Sohma family's curse, and the family head Akito.

The storylines in general are darker here, especially the harrowing flashbacks of Hatori's love affair with his ex-fiancee, and the bitterly chilly way that it fell apart. But Takaya also sprinkles it with happier moments, such as the naughty novels, the preparations for the cultural festival ("She brought an IRON PIPE to school!"), and poor Yuki having to wear a dress, much to the delight of his crazed fangirls.

There are also some new dimensions shown in Tohru here. Sure, she's always cheerful and pleasant, but Takaya hints that she is actually quite lonely now, despite the presence of her friends. But the zodiac members also get some development -- including Tohru's whole talk with Kyo about the "umeboshi" on people's backs.

The second volume of "Fruits Basket" is even better than the first, and introduces the mix of tragedy and comedy that Takaya is so good at. And it will only get better.

This product showed up speedily and in very good condition. I am very happy with it.

I own this series in Japanese, and it is a wonderful read! It has all the important elements of a good shoujo manga: it is romantic, twisted, with a shoujo (in the traditional meaning of the word) involved in finding a new family and love triangles galore. It is just a very fun read, no matter the language!

reading this book makes me want more to read

for people who love fruits basket, this will probably be one of your favorites in the series. full of drama and revealation, i think it is one of the best. i like how there is drama, but not too much of it; it's just in the right spots. kyo realizes his feelings about toruh, and yuki does too, i believe. momiji has really grown up! and u finally realize things about akito. a great read for furuba fans, but i say if u haven't tried this series bfore, research a little on it before deciding to read it!!!!:) i know i can't wait for volume 14!!!!

Fruits Basket volume 11 is probably among the darkest volumes in the series. When you read this one, I can assure you that you will easily be moved to tears - and also part of what makes it dark is our finding out about the zodiacs' futures, particularly Kyo's.

It's obvious that this family holds lots of betrayal and backstabbing, and this volume makes that a big part of its aura. Parts of the book are rather surprising and catch you off-guard while you're reading it. I remember sitting on my bed while reading it, turning to the next page and going "WTF KYO KNEW KYOKO" because basically, this is the volume where we find out about that.

Akito finally confronts Tohru with her real attitude towards outsiders, and gives her a small wound in her anger (poor Tohru!). However, Momiji fans will love this volume, as we see his courageous and protective side towards loved ones.

And LAST but not least, the "love triangle" Between Tohru, Yuki and Kyo is certainly getting more complex. You'll know that in the previous volume, Yuki confessed to himself his love for Tohru. In this volume, the same happens with Kyo. I know who she ends up with in the end at this point (and also by reading spoilers! Haha), but I won't tell you for the sake of my poor head before getting hit by an iron skillet. VERY worthy of five stars, although my favorite volumes are still 1, 4, 6, and 13.

This book is wonderful! The plot twists are fantastic and keep the reader entranced throughout the whole book. It never slows down which makes for a great book!!

This is the perfect type of story! it is filled with secerts,romance, hate, love, and mystery. I read it in two days and couldnt wait to finish each chapter to solve a piece of the mystery. This book kept me guessing up until the last chapter about who Gabe was. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author and also watching the movie that was made for this story.

I have read all the reviews and while I found this book to be interesting, it took awhile for me to get into the story. I did like how the author went from one characters story to the next. It took a long time to find out the main character Eliza's secret and then the book seemed to rush to the finish. Historically I am sure the book is accurate, but it did not seem like the depression years really affected the family. I also think there needed to be more of a romance between Gabe and Eliza. It was well written and worth reading, but it is a little slow at times and not Ms. Austin's best work.

The title first caught my attention as a TV Movie, that seemed like a nice, romantic story, along with plenty of struggles for characters of its historical time, and included Christian inspiration. In my search for the book - which I knew had to be better than the movie - I was happy to find out that Lynn Austin is an author of so many historical, Christian novels. I am close to the end of Hidden Places, and don't want to put it down. I can't decide who my favorite character is: Aunt Batty, Walter, Gabe, or Eliza. This book is full of struggles and hope. It shows how the characters keep their Faith in those difficulties of life.

I recently bought another one of Lynn Austin's titles. I love her style of historical, Christian fiction. I am hooked on Lynn Austin! Keep on writing! We're waiting for more!

This book was made into a Hallmark movie. The movie does not do this book justice. The book is much better and tells you things that are left out of the movie. The book is more in depth on the character relationships than the movie and gives you character background information. Excellent Read!

Joan Opyr has concocted a delicious mystery read that, while incorporating all the necessary ingredients (a dead body, mistaken identities, family skeletons and accidental detectives), also throws in some outrageously zesty herbs and spices --- a lesbian wilderness retreat cum shooting range cum softball battleground, psilocybin mushrooms (or are they shiitakes?), Radical Faeries, Lesbian Avengers, heterosexist preachers and outlandish outings. Jam-packed with witty, laugh-aloud dialogue, this story is sure to start a groundswell for more Idaho-seasoned fare from the eminently talented Ms. Opyr and her fledgling detective, Bil Hardy. (Recommend with a side of spuds and home-made hard cider.) Cheers!

I'm unsure how exactly to describe this book. It was definitely humorous, and had a unique tone and structure, as well as quality writing and editing. In fact, it grabbed me from the start, and I couldn't help but devour it. So for those reasons high marks are well-deserved. The colorful characters and crazy situations really brought small-town life to the book vividly. The humor is prevalent, and intelligent.

But I'm unsure as to whether I will be reading it again. It's often frustrating for me to read about self-destructive people, though I'd accepted it by the end of this novel, as the characters accepted themselves. But the book was almost too full of quirky characters and events. There really wasn't the contrast or foil of someone to take a look at all the goings-ons and comment on the craziness of it all. So at times it was almost a bit much: you could assume that whatever would be the most outrageous or unexpected thing to happen would come to pass. Also, I'm unsure what the message was precisely, or if there was a unifying theme beyond something like keeping secrets can destroy you and those you care about.

The characters are likable, though, and it was fun to spend some time with them. I can't tell yet whether spending much more time with them would drive me crazy, though I will likely check out the sequel to test this theory. I do love books in which the characters have a rich family life. So for all it's strengths I'm comfortable with the 4-star display. If you're looking for something well-written and diffferent from the run-of-the-mill girl-meet-girl beach/vacation book, then I expect you'll love this book. I'm trying to think of an apt descriptor...perhaps Napoleon Dynamite meets Trixie Belden?

Rollicking good read! Highly entertaining characters.

More than a mystery - more than a romance. Unique story telling with a huge cast of odd-ball characters. I was so delighted by the characters populating the story that I didn't care how the mystery was resolved.

Unlike any story you will read this year. At over 300 pages this was a substantial read.

Having looked through many of the lesbian books offered and reading a few of them, I find myself tired of the same old mystery, heartbreak and seriousness. Where are the amusing but well written stories? Idaho Code is just the ticket for that.

While there is a mystery that takes a back seat to Bil's life. Oh yeah, she's the main character. See, she's a young buck who returned to live at home and go to college. Her bigger reason is to hopefully get a shot at dating the young woman she's been in love with since she was a teenager, Sylvia. But Bil never sucked up the courage to come out to ask her out. Um... no, her family doesn't know she's gay.

Along with that is her brother Sam who's in jail, and not for the first time. Known for dealing drugs and hanging out with his good for nothing girlfriend it never surprises the family when he is in jail. This time, however, for murder.

Mix this all up with her strong willed mother, three strong willed older sisters, a silent but loving dad, a saucy gay best friend who of course has better fashion sense than her, his lesbian mother who runs the local lesbian wilderness commune, an ex-girlfriend who doesn't want to let go... whew! Wait, there's more! But I'll let you find that out when you read it.

Brilliant story, I'm looking forward to getting the sequel.

Not sure what to expect, but intrigued by reviews of the book, I picked up `Idaho Code' with high expectations. I think my expectations were too high because, although I enjoyed the book, I was not wowed by it as others seem to have been. Opyr's text is well-written and easy to follow; and the characters are interesting. However, the story is lacking something I can't quite identify. It didn't grab me and hold my attention from cover to cover. There is a lot of humor peppered throughout the story, much of which is intelligent humor and not slapstick. The humor was probably the best part of the book. This is much shorter than my typical book review, but I'm not sure there is much more to say.

My oldest son was having great difficulty being able to deal with the lack of direction in his life. I gave him this book to read and it helped him focus on what he really wanted to do.

Gregg Fraley's book on Creative Problem Solving ("CPS") and the CPS method is a highly recommended read for anyone looking to move forward in their career, solve professional and/or personal problems, or just to get a new perspective on life.

Jack's Notebook is not your "typical" business/problem solving book. A great mystery is woven throughout the book that holds your attention while learning the CPS model which makes the book very readable.

The book includes a very useful reference guide at the end that summarizes the CPS process and refers backs to various points in the book so you don't feel that you need to memorize everything along the way nor dig through the book to recall the process. Highly Recommended Reading!

The whole idea for Jack's Notebook was intriguing to me. This was not the first book of fiction that I have read that the plot was written to illustrate business points or ideas. But this one was very different in my opinion.

The first part of the book is similar to my expectation of the book - the "judging the book by its cover" expectation. Before you even read the story, if you have read the cover, then you know that the book was written to explain CPS, creative problem solving. And in the beginning scenes we meet Jack Huber, yes, the owner of the famous notebook, who finds himself working two part-time jobs to barely make ends meet, his car is broken down and he is walking hopelessly through the rain in order to get a train for his long commute home. But on this night a stranger, Manny Gilbran, gives him a lift. After beginning his conversation with Manny his life is never the same...

The book at this point is still fairly cookie cutter for its genre. Manny gets Jack thinking about what he'd rather be doing. He becomes Jack's mentor. Jack starts learning the importance of creative problem solving and decides he'd be better suited to a career path in photography. Along the way Jack meets Molly Dunne, who also knows a bit about CPS.

But then the fun begins...

Jack and Molly have fallen in love but they'd barely declared their love for one another and Molly's past catches up with her. She mysteriously disappears and the pace picks up from there. Jack has to find her but is left with very few clues so he and Manny turn to... Creative problem solving!

Actually I would really like to commend Gregg Fraley the way he picked up the pace with this book. He has really set it apart from other business narratives and made the plot quite interesting and all the while never failing to lose sight of the book's main purpose: To teach the reader the important facets of creative problem solving through an entertaining format. I believe that I will retain much of the lessons that emanate from this book simply because I will be able to remember the examples set by Fraley's fictional characters. Gregg Fraley is a very capable writer and story teller as well as teacher. I think if Fraley continues to turn out such work he could legitimately be considered a master of business fiction.

How do you go from two dead end jobs to working the career of your dreams? Most people never find the answer to that question. It's the American Dream to get paid to do what you love but why is so hard to attain?

Jack Huber is a 20-something who faces this very conundrum. He struggles with two jobs he hates but must keep to put food on the table and a roof over his head. His passion is photography but he has no idea how to make a living from it. A chance meeting on a rainy night introduces him to Manny Gibran and the potential to live his dream.

Manny is a creativity consultant and his expertise is Creative Problem Solving. He takes Jack under his wing and introduces him to core concepts in identifying problems and finding creative solutions to overcome the obstacles. Manny's guidance as well as input from an intriguing and mysterious love interest, set Jack upon the path to finding the future he wants.

The concepts are clearly written, explained individually as well as shown as they are applied in this parable. The best part is the story isn't boring and forced. As well as showing a knack for explaining vague concepts concretely, Gregg Fraley creates characters that you care about. I found myself unable to put the book down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next!

If you find yourself with barriers in your life that you can't seem to find a way around, BUY THIS BOOK! If you need more, I'm sure Mr. Fraley would fit you in his client list. His website is www.greggfraley.com.

This is a book about the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) method developed by Sydney Parnes, academic, and Alex Osborne - an advertising and inventor of the term "brainstorming" and author of "Applied Imagination".

The CPS method consists of six main steps to explore a problem, brainstorm then getting into action. These steps are: Identify the Challenge, Explore Facts and Feelings, Problem Framing and Reframing, Idea Generation, Solution Development and Action Planning.

This book is a novel where the Creative Problem Solving is used by the main character. My initial reaction was wondering if the book was
going to be readable. After reading a few chapters I was pleasantly
surprised that the characters were believable and the plot kept me
hooked to the point where I couldn't put the book down toward the
dramatic climax. There is a plethora of creativity and innovation books on the market, but Jack's notebook is unique!

Jack is the main character - a young man in a dead end job dreaming
about success as a photographer but stuck for ideas on how to achieve
his goal. Manny appears early in the story and acts as Jack's mentor
in theu use of CPS. Romance enters the story in the form of Molly who
he meets at a cafe.

Stories are a great way to teach and Fraley is successful in using the
story of a young man's path of becoming an entrepreneur to demonstrate
creative thinking in action. You could get information on CPS from
other books but this story about Jack will ensure you remember the
techniques. There is a summary of CPS at the end of the book and this
serves as a useful reference.

I would recommend this book as a fun introduction to the
well-established model for identifying problems and developing ideas
and taking them into action.

I just cannot praise this book enough. Ellman's biography of Joyce is amazing, bewildering, daunting (at least in its length) and wonderful -- not coincidently, just like James Joyce. One caveat: I imagine a reader might be quite confused if s/he read this before reading any of Joyce's major works (Ulysses or Finnegans Wake). I am kicking myself that I didn't read this biography years ago! Truly a marvelous work -- and a must for readers of Joyce.

For those of you interested in a biography of James Joyce that's as erudite as his works themselves, then Ellmann's "James Joyce" is most definitely for you. This is a product of years of interviews and correspondence with many of Joyce's friends and family members; and Ellmann's love for both the writer and the man radiate through every page. His sections on the key themes and events that inspired both "Ulysses" and "Finnegans Wake" are invaluable. Moreover, you'll find yourself chuckling a great deal of time, and even shedding a few tears, as I did. My only critique of the book, albeit fairly minor, is not so much directed at the author as it is at the publisher: there is little room in the margins for notes, as well as very sparse flyleaves; hence for those of you who like to engage a book with gushing pen in hand, then you'll find the layout of this book quite restraining, as I did. One might counter this critique, however, with the perhaps granted point that it leaves all the more canvas space on which to overlay layers and layers of brush strokes much needed when attempting to paint the life of this very complex, gifted, and charming man.

In all things about James Joyce, no one has exhibited more of an acute understanding of the man and his works than Richard Ellmann. He is the bridge by which readers who have not read Joyce or do not understand what they have read by him to the inner workings of the artist and his life.

This biography, "James Joyce" has been around for decades, virtually unchallenged. He presents to the reader all the facets of Joyce's life and personality. This is no mere star-gazing. Along with all the great things about Joyce, he also examines his weakness: his superstitions, his drinking, his occasional selfishnes, his sexual complexities, and his failure to really take care of his family. We get to see Joyce in all his dimensions and from several perspectives. That makes this book not only the best biography of James Joyce but one of the classic biographies of all time.

Richard Ellmann's biography of James Joyce is hands down among the three best or the best biography written in the 20th century. For anyone with a serious interest in Joyce or his writings, will truly enjoy getting to know Joyce and his writings through this book.

I've read maybe a few thousand reviews of other titles on this website but this is the first book I've felt I needed to comment on. I comment mainly because I noted that two reviewers gave this book "4 stars". What unmitigated gall!

Richard Ellmann's biography is the most definitive and complete examination of James Joyce that has been written. This extensive work examines Joyce's life from his birth to his death. Ellmann's narrative derives from Joyce's letters as well as accounts from Joyce's brother, Stanislaus. The book is most revealing in offering an understanding of the process it took for Joyce to come up with his most monumental works, ULYSSES AND FINNEGANS WAKE. Ellmann states that Joyce intentionally made it difficult for anyone to understand what he wrote. He wanted to keep his critics, academics and scholars, guessing of what significance his nonsensical gibberish creation represented. In addition, Ellmann intertwines events that occurred in Joyce's life that show how they closely resemble the characters in the works he produced, such as his early work, A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN.

James Joyce most likely can be considered a "starving artist." He would go without a new pair of shoes until they wore down to the soles, but looked debonair and sophisticated with non-matching suits. In the beginning, he aspired to be a work within the realms of Jesuit studies, but later opted for a writing career that would take him from Trieste, Paris, and Zurich. Joyce struggled with poverty through out his life even as his most famous works were published. Monetary problems and health conditions that affected his eyesight never hindered his creative process. If he lost his eyesight, he probably would have continued to write blind. Joyce appeared to be an eccentric and stubborn man. However, Ellmann shows a caring and supporting man who loved his wife and children, and most of all, his father, John Stanislaus Joyce.

In terms to history and literature, Ellmann constantly references Joyce's fascination with Shakespeare, ancient civilization and history. This is best displayed in ULYSSES, but one significant footnote is that he did not appear to care for American history. He makes a minute reference to Ulysses S. Grant in ULYSSES, but he did not even know who the man was; Joyce loathed the United States. Also, Ellmann offers a birds-eye view of what his cohorts thought of his work. Gertrude Stein as well as Ernest Hemingway praised and envied Joyce's contributions to Modernism.

Ellmann examines a tremendous amount of information within his narrative. When one completes JAMES JOYCE, what else do you need to know about this genuine writer who used his craft as a means of getting back home, but never quite made it there? But he preferred Zurich and its snow-capped mountains as home rather than the complexities of his former Dublin. JAMES JOYCE is the springboard one needs when beginning a study of Joyce the man and his works, which should begin with PORTRAIT and ending with WAKE.