Non-fiction Books

The Human Comedy is a saga of 92 novels that Balzac said was written by French society. Legend described him as the night-shirted social recorder working until dawn fueled by liters of coffee. Lost Illusions (1837-1843) is considered to be one of the best of the novels in the series in scope and structure. From the frenetic world of writers and booksellers in Paris to the grueling life of hard work and boredom in villages, Balzac traced the systematic destruction of illusions in his characters. No one could be trusted (friends, foes, or family) when the creative or inventive characters attempted to reach a goal. The flicker of hope and joy related to an artistic or business accomplishment was extinguished within days or hours. The enduring artists and producers were those who lived almost without hope, guided by a strict code of ethics protected only by their ability to keep their accomplishments secret. Ultimately, some of these survivors reached their goals. But by then, they no longer placed high value in them, much of the luster lost with their illusions. Lost Illusions set the standard for many of the wonderful French novels of the subsequent years of the 19th Century. The reader is immersed in French culture in a manner similar to the later writing of Gustav Flaubert.

Lost Illusions by Balzac is one of the most famous novels out of the ninety two he wrote in his lifetime and maybe also among a million his admirers have written in 175 years since his first novel was published.

Balzac choses Lucien as a romantic, good-looking dreamy poet. We are first thrust into his provincial life, with details about his ordinary life and extraordinary ambitions that he has no means of realizing. Except patronage by an older woman! She leads him to Paris, only to abandon him to fight his way into the high society. How Lucien rises and falls in the glamorous, amorous, corrupt and vicious life as a journalist in Paris is picturized through a narrative that is bathed in realism, and yet proceeds through both suspense and wit, in the spirit of the pace at which Balzac could conjure up such novels.

In the provinces, Lucien has a friend, David, who likewise is somewhat lacking in social and economic acumen, and is a hard working inventor. David own father ruins him by extracting an unreasonable price for the printing press that he leaves or sells to his own son. Crafty competitors take advantage of David's credulous character. David endures both provincial small mindedness and economic setbacks suffered to keep Lucien afloat. Balzac displays his knowledge of these disparate characters with remarkable attention to detail. He weaves an undercurrent, of what could have passes as a dissertation, on the art and science of paper making.

Balzac creates in his one book, a saga that unravels friendship, love, jealousy, lust, ambition, vanity, greed and absurdity that lurk in our beings and in our relationships. By using two main pillars, Lucien and David, Balzac erects a bridge into the two worlds of poetry and science. He shuns hint of any romance of either worlds, and shows how much character, how many hardships and set-backs, how much devotion and labor are required for a man to become a known poet or a scientist.

I am quoting an example from this translation (carried out by Katharine Prescott Wormeley):

"No one can be a great man cheaply," said d'Arthez in his gentle voice. "Genius waters her work with tears.Talent is a moral being which, like all other beings, is subject to the maladies of childhood. Society rejects undeveloped talent just as nature removes her feeble or deformed creations. Whoever wishes to rise above his fellows must be prepared to struggle, and not recoil at difficulty. A great writer is a martyr who does not die - that's the whole of it!"

Besides the two pillars, the book has an interesting array of characters. Actresses, society women, editors and publishers, lawyers, struggling writers, dandies - all appear with their human failings and foibles as part of a drama that unfolds with an enrapturing narrative. Be it history, economics, alchemy, or psychology, or any topic under the sun, Balzac ushers in his great knowledge, suspending and supporting the story with able and apt pointers, tresses and metaphors.

Balzac's Lost Illusions is undoubtedly a classic everyone can enjoy and must read at some point in their lives. Highly recommended.

I read this book during my latest visit to my favorite middle east country. I must admit that I didn't enjoy this book as much as others. I felt like it was slow to come around and I thought there was too much detail on (seemingly) unimportant things at times. I'm just a regular person, so that said if you are an accomplished reader you may love this, for neophytes such as myself, other titles are more likely to be properly enjoyed (see my reviews)...and keep me updated!

This is one of the best novels by Balzac, which is to say much, since he is still one of the best writers that have ever lived. Here, as in the rest of his work, the reader can appreciate Balzac's knowledge of worldly life, and especially the world of business, so alien to other writers. In this book he elaborates on the printing business as well as on journalism -vastly so-, back when it first began as a mercantilist activity. He contrasts the small life and intrigues of the province with the -no less petty but more gandiose- life and intrigues of the big city, Paris, and in particular of the faubourg Saint-Germain, the paradise of the Parisian jet-set.

David Sechard is a young man who inherits, at great cost, his cold and greedy father's printing business. Lucien Chardon (later "de Rubempre", after taking his impoversihed mother's more aristocratic last name) is his best friend. Both of them share a love for poetry, but it is Lucien who comes to shine as the young genius of province, the promise for whom it is worth it to sacrifice it all. Lucien gets the love of one Louise de Bargeton, the "queen of Angouleme", the most cultivated and refined woman in town. Louise promises to take Lucien to Paris, introduce him into the great society, and make him triumph as a poet. His family gives him all they can to get him started, and off he goes to Paris. But he happens to be arrogant, proud, and insecure, and soon he suffers the despise and insolence of aristocrats and other rich people. After what he believes to be an offense from Louise, he rejects her, earning her eternal hatred.

In the meantime, Lucien has been spending time with two very different circles of friends. The first is composed of a group of young intellectuals, hardworking guys sacrificing money and fun for the sake of science, art, and knowledge. They are there for him in times of need, and encourage him to keep up with his writing. The second group is a bunch of journalists, easy going but corrupt people who convince him to achieve quick fame and money. Lucien gets more and more trapped by this seemingly easy life, and after he conquers the love of the prettiest actress in Paris, his fate is decided. He achieves fame and fortune overnight, and so he jumps completely into the world of parties, frivolity and silly competition for status. At this point in the novel, Balzac introduces us to the sordid, decadent, and disgusting world of journalism understood as an unmerciful network of extortion and constant blackmailing. Lucien slides down that road, getting recognition and fame, oblivious to the growing net of envy that closes in around him every day.

What follows is the sad story of an unlikable character. Lucien has very little redeeming qualities about him, as opposed to some of his early friends, his young lover and his family. He is blind as blind can be, since his extreme selfishness builds a cloud in which he lives. He cares for nobody, except perhaps for the little Coralie, and he goes on leaving too many wounded bodies by the side of the road. Nevertheless, this character is the vehicle that allows Balzac to show us the real world out there. This writer never ever gives up to the temptation of sweetening things for the reader, he's brave and persists on his plan. Balzac is never a moralizing preacher, he is just a skillful painter of life as it is.

Here, as in the rest of his work, you will find characters who also appear in other novels, an ingenious device intended to give us a feeling of reality. This book is never boring and builds up tension rapidly, even for its length. It is an encompassing ride through all the fancies of youth gone wrong, as well as an unrelenting depiction of all the falseness and emptiness of high society. Much recommended.

I love Balzac. At his best he soars above the rest of French literature and here he is definitely at his finest. Easy to see why Proust thought him the best, at his best. Vautrin/Collyn is at his most sinister and attractive. If you haven't read Balzac before, this is the best to start with.

These books are just the greatest! I happened to be browsing in Amazon.com and I see Chance's story is coming out in August in Silhouette's Intimate Moments. GET YOUR CREDITS CARDS SET TO AMAZON.COM AND GET YOUR ORDER IN EARLY! I SURE WILL! CAN'T WAIT!

Wolf Mackenzie, being half Indian-Anglo, struggles to maintain his low key profile in a town where he is not accepted by its white inhabitants. His low key profile is abliterated when new teacher comes to town and changes his life forever. This is a really sensual read and it's kind of fun.

The MacKenzies are wonderful.I wish I had one of my own.PLEASE Give your adoring fans Chance,s story.Thanking you in advance.

I had been wanting to read this book for a long time but couldn't find it. I found it in a used bookstore and grabbed it. I read Mckenzies Mountain one day and Mckenzie's Mission the next day. All I can say is. OH MY.......

Please, Linda, let's get with it!! We want to read Chance's story. He MUST have one, the MacKenzie's are the most romantic and exciting family since the MacGregor's of Nora Roberts. Please, get busy with Chance MacKenzie's story.

This is one of my all time favorite picture books for all ages. Peter Spiers beautiful illustrations need no words to tell this story. The possibilities for interacting with a child are endless as you wander through the familiar and find the surprising! My granddaughter is 2 years old and loves animals. What could be a better birthday gift?

The happy and humorous tone of this book will make it appealing to any child, whatever the family's religion.

The only text is at the beginning and it is a charming translation of a poem that summarizes the story of Noah. The poem is delightful in and of itself- Spier did a great job of translating.

The illustrations are then left without text, which is very refreshing, since there are so few picture books nowadays. I enjoy leisurely paging through this book with my young daughter, talking about the pictures in and of themselves, as pieces of art and as pictures that tell a story. I feel that the pressure is off in terms of trying to finish a sentence or a story when there is no text there.

In addition, this book is appropriate for Muslim families as well, since the illustrations (and beginning poem) are sufficiently vague as to accommodate for the small differences in the telling of the story in the Qu'ran and the Bible.

My first Peter Spier book. Not saccharine, wonderful details (including Noah mucking out the ark). Great to have a child read to YOU.

This is an excellent picture book - my three year old really loves it. My only "complaint" is that it takes a long time to go through all the pictures and talk about each one making it less than ideal right before bed unless you want to spend 20 minutes on just one book! Seriously though - the book is just wonderful and allows parents to go into whatever level of detail regarding the Noah story as they feel is appropriate for the age of their child. It is a softcover and the pages and cover are not of the highest quality - it would be lovely to have in hardcover with larger pages.

This book really does not need any words. It is so well illustrated that you can understand every part of the story. His detailing is stunning. Every time we read this book, we find new details. This is the best book of Noah's ark story!

This book was a very good book. There are plenty of times when I got confused, like about who told on Emily. All of my questions were answered later in the book. It was a great suspense novel.

I first read this book as a child in elementary school. I have since then read it at least once a year. BTW I am 30 and still enjoy it. A must have for any child.

It is hard to overstate how much excitement Angela Lansbury brings to the reading of this mystery book for children. Suffice it to say that at age 52 I enjoyed listening to it as much as my daughter, and would have purchased twenty more had they been available. The text by Barbara Brooks Wallace is also very well done, and very accessible for children's vocabulary while remaining exciting enough for an adult to enjoy without becoming bored. I highly recommend both the book and the audiobook for parents of both good readers and readers who need something a little spicier to get them interested and involved in the story. It concerns a young girl who has lost her parents and goes to live with an aunt in San Francisco. The trials and tribulations to which Emily Lucock is subject make up the the plot of the story, but the author is able to build both mystery and suspense into the telling. The audiobook format is especially terrific because of Lansbury's wonderful technique for building drama and suspense.

When I first saw the cover of this book I thought it would be one of those trashy, dull mysteries (Who stole the peppermint candy from the christmas feast?!?) then I saw the sequal, with it's pretty, intresting cover, and began to reconsider buying the first one (if only so I could understand the sequal). I started to read it and was amazed. It has an amazing plot, and is definatly one of the best books I have ever read, and I've read a lot of books. It is completely Dickensian without the slow-moving plot, and hard to understand language that most children find boring and discouraging. It is a wonderful Victorian Melodrama! I LOVE THIS BOOK!

A bowl of lovely red and white peppermints waits on a table in the parlor . . . but the residents of Sugar Hill Hall are not allowed to touch them. That image sticks with me after finishing the final pages of Ms. Wallace's delightful adventure tale of a young orphan and the dire situation she finds herself in. This Victorian story of dramatic suspense is a perfect story for young readers just starting to break into longer fiction and craving something with adventure and intrigue.

Young Emily Luccock has recently lost her parents, and she is now going to live with her Aunt and Uncle Twice at Sugar Hill Hall, a fine mansion in San Francisco. Emily remembers her visits to see her Aunt and Uncle fondly and is looking forward to seeing them again. But something has gone terribly wrong. Aunt Twice has become a timid woman forced to be a servant in her own home, and Uncle Twice is nowhere to be found. The entirety of Sugar Hill appears to be under the thumb of the icy and forbidding Mrs. Meeching, and Emily is made a virtual slave, working in the kitchen and cleaning the rooms of the despairing old men and women who reside in the rooms of the house. But young Emily is not about to give up without a fight. She's determined to bring sunshine back to Sugar Hill and to discover what has happened to Uncle Twice. With the help of Kipper, a redheaded boy from town, Emily pits herself against the frightful Mrs. Meeching, and all the secrets hidden in Sugar Hill Hall. Ms. Wallace has provided a rousing adventure story that kicks off from the first page and never slows down until the satisfying ending. The story elements aren't particularly original, but the author uses them to good effect with engaging writing that makes us care about our heroes and hate the villains as the story progresses. Emily, for all her apparent fragility, proves herself to be tough in spirit, and to have a caring heart for the plight of others. She's likeable without being overly sweet or too plucky. Kipper adds to the flavor and fun with his cheerful commentary and use of street slang.

While the story has its dark elements: murder, betrayal, cruelty, Emily and Kipper's adventure doesn't become too frightening either. The story remains just scary and exciting enough for enjoyment of 9-12 year olds, but doesn't become gory or chilling. The book itself is a short read--those who enjoy such books as A Series of Unfortunate Events and want more of the type would probably find this title to their liking. It's also a good recommendation for young readers who want something with action and adventure, but require something without any fantasy or supernatural elements to it. If I have any complaints about the story, its that I felt the secrets unraveled a bit too quickly and all at once towards the end of the story. After wondering for so long what is going on and what happened to Uncle Twice, readers are provided the answers in short order--just in time for the final confrontations. Despite this, I found myself enjoying the entire story--and I particularly liked how the element of peppermints framed the tale. For those who enjoy this stand-alone adventure, Ms. Wallace has written a follow up story with the further adventures of Emily Luccock titled The Perils of the Peppermints. Readers might also want to check out The Half a Moon Inn by Paul Fleischman and the Illyrian Adventure by Lloyd Alexander.

Happy Reading! Shanshad ^_^

Popcorn was my favorite book as a child (I'm 25 now) My mom used to read it to me at the dentist's office everytime we went and I couldn't remember the name of the book or who the author was until I searched on here. I bought a copy so I could have it for my children. Hopefully they will enjoy it as much as I did!

I had this book when I was little (hey, 80s!) and always loved it. I wanted to get it for my god-daughter but was unable to find it in book stores, the book store workers suggested it may be out of print, but I am thankful I found it here for a great price and it was delivered on time.

This is a book that you will read over and over to your kids. And the imagery brought to mind will have you laughing out loud.

This is a darling story for preschoolers about a little bear who has a Halloween party and everyone brings popcorn. I read this to a preschool class and then we made popcorn. It was a big hit!

i've been looking for this book forever! i used to read it in the doctor's office when i was little (my brother and i were sick all the time) the only thing i remembered was that popcorn filled the house...thank goodness for yahoo :) I almost cried when I found it. Talk about memories. I'm getting it for my daughter who is a year old.

This book features some excellent beat writers and includes informative blurbs on their history and style. Each artist has a little chunk of their writing for you to sample, and the material is everything from stories to letters to classically bad prose.

What impressed me were the essays by each other, on the actual generation hype.

"Young people seemed more intense, clutching, and I couldn't help feeling they took themselves too seriously... 'good, clean fun' appeared to be a thing of the past. Or perhaps the aura of suspicion and defensiveness was merely a reflection of my own fears..." --Carylon Cassady

It's a great book for deciding which authors you want to read more of.

This reader is a good overall introduction to beat literature. While I could have done with a few more examples of writing from the women in the movement, that probably would not have kept the book as "portable" as its title promises.

An absolute wonder, a perfect selection of Beat writings: Poems, fragments of novels, essays, history, mythology, philosophy... The Portable Beat Reader is one of the most essential books in my collection and rarely leaves my side. And it is, thankfully, portable, and much easier than bringing everything with you all the time. Aquire it, open it, and just start reading.

Simply put, this is what I turn to when I need inspiration for reading, for creating, for anything. It combines wonderful bios of everyone from Kerouac to Bob Dylan, and their poems, book excerpts, and lyrics galore. Absolutely enjoyable, absolutely essential. Thank god for Ann Charters.

After riding the whirlwind of On The Road and Howl, many readers will acquire an appetite for Beat literature that will lead them to this book. Ann Charters serves up some of the best pieces of Beat Literature in this anthology. However, some inclusions, such as excerpts from On The Road, could be considered sacrilege, as the texts were never meant to be cut up, and suffer as a result. The Bob Dylan lyrics included by Charters indicate that she was no Dylan scholar, as other tracks would have been more suitable. However, with inclusions such as Neal Cassady's letters, William S. Burroughs adventure narratives, and the lesser known Beat poetry, this anthology is indispensable.

This book was a gritty, involving book about the civil war. I only found this and the first one by going to Gettysburg book shops. It's a shame because Ms. Carey, they are AMAZING books. If anyone reading this review is interested in any small way in American history, you will find these books difficult to put down. If Ms. Carey even has a rough manuscript of the third, I'd pay $20 to see even that! Please write it?!?!

I WANT BOOK THREE!!! IF ANYBODY FINDS IT, WRITE ME AN EMAIL! MS. CAREY, PUBLISH BOOK THREE!!

I have read both this book and the first in the series and LOVE them. I have re-read them many times and have been looking for the third installment since I was in high school. It is very disappointing to find out that it was never published. Diane, PLEASE finish writing the series! It makes me sad to know those characters are languishing without the resolution of the plot.

I just finished Distant Drums and Rise Defiant and can't find Hail Nation. I'm hooked and want to know the ending. I own a used book store with thousands of books and I couldn't believe the third book has not been published. Help, somebody please publish this book.

I lied...I haven't read the book. However, I HAVE been in touch with Diane Carey, and she says that the publisher made the decision to abandon the trilogy due to some unrelated internal problems. She expressed that same disappointment that you all seem to; the series was very special to her. Count yourselves among the fortunate to have read the first two installments...I can't find them anywhere, despite my determination. In the meantime, Diane Carey also writes prolificly in the Star Trek genre. I imagine the very idea would put some people off, but I encourage you to give her Star Trek novels a try, particularly "First Frontier" and "The Great Starship Race". She is a genius with action sequences, and an emotional maestro. I doubt that anyone would be disappointed, and if you are a Star Trek fan, you will be overjoyed.

This book will bring anybody back to their childhood when we thought our friendships would last forever. This is a tale of true friendship, growing up, and coping with those curveballs life throws our way. This book is required reading for my sophomore students, and they just love it! One student, who admitted to never reading a book, loved this story. You will not want to put this book down! Luckily, the author wrote a sequel called TRACKS where Jim, Charles, and Gary have grown up a little, but still get into a good amount of trouble.

River Season was such a pleasure to read. It was difficult to put down. The characters were so real and they had so much fun in the story. Even with the personal conflicts, River Season was an uplifting book. Both men and women would enjoy reading this book.

Jim Black's warm and wonderful first novel tells the story of a boyhood summer in Archer City, Texas in 1966. It takes its place proudly on the continuum of American classics of youth between Huckleberry Finn, with which it shares the dynamic of a friendship between a white boy and a black man, and the magic-tinged books of Ray Bradbury--Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes--Robert McCammon-- Boy's Life--and Dan Simmons--Summer of Night. Thirteen-year-old Jim Black lost his alcoholic father in an accident but finds an unlikely--given the times--father figure in Samuel Joseph Washington, a former Negro League player who lives by the Little Wichita River where they both like to fish. Sam--whose beloved wife, Rose, is a devout Christian-- teaches Jim his own theory of life:

"You see, it has just always felt to me like we're all floatin' in a big river...and the current's carryin' us along...some parts flowin' slow and easy--that's when times are good; and some parts are pretty rough--bad times for sure.

"The way I see it, we're all sort of born into it, and after that, we're on our own. What I haven't figured out is why some folks seem to spend most of their lives in the rough water. I been there, that's for sure. And I reckon there are times when the current's just too strong to escape. But sometimes, I think you can swim out of it, if you want to bad enough and try hard enough. Sometimes. And I believe we're put here for a reason. And we're supposed to find that reason somewhere along the way "

Helping Jim to navigate the river that season are his fast friends Gary Wayne Beesinger and Charles Luig. Together they get into all kinds of often very funny mischief, enjoy adventures, suffer misadventures and learn lessons about coping with tragedy, unrequited love, racism, and the various vagaries of life.

Mr. Black treads lightly on the racial angle, which is a relief, since we might otherwise just end up with another sermon on the evils of the American South. Likewise, he give us hints that the magic and monsters of our youthful imaginations lurk in the background of the tale, but he doesn't yield to the temptation to veer into Stephen King territory. These two sensible decisions to make a final scene work far better than it might have otherwise, as Jim experiences what can only be called a miracle, and we buy into it completely. This is a delightful book that deserves a wide readership and will surely make a terrific film one day.

I recently came across this work by happenstance. I ordered a copy and was astonished that such a well-rounded literary work was being dispensed at so a low price and under the radar of public attention. As a fellow published author, I felt great compassion toward Mr. Black. I wish to make it clear that there is no connection or ulterior motive in my review. Mr. Black has done a masterful job of recounting some of his own personal life experiences into a "fiction" work. His ability to come across to the reader in such a simplistic fashion yet with boulder sized impact is very worthy of respect amongst his peers, his audience and a testament to his talent. "River Season" is a gem. My best wishes to all the happy hunters, archivist and students of the endearing human spirit who "stumble" across this work. (Lonnie D. Story, Author of "The Meeting of Anni Adams: The Butterfly of Luxembourg"

Rebeccasreads highly recommends RIVER SEASON as a wonder-filled, redemptive novel about "misfits": a boy who misses his father, who has made friends with two other boys also without their fathers. It seesaws between mischief & mayhem, real scary adventures & inventive capers. It tells of the blossoming of love in all its different guises: of an old man & his stories, of a wounded old dog, of boys who stand by each other, of the night of the soul, of a girl, of the game of baseball, & of the constant river.

RIVER SEASON is the quintessential American small town boys' experience told with charm, humor & magic.

This book sat on a shelf at my parent house for years before I finally picked it up and read it. What a wonderful treasure to find! The story is set in a small, isolated, Italian village during the second world war. The townsfolk manage to live quietly undisturbed by the war - that is, until it is reported that a German regiment has been installed in a nearby town and is planning to visit the tiny mountain oasis. What ensues is a mad race by the townsflok to hide a precious secret from the German invaders while appearing to be hospitable and cooperative. To some degree everyone in the town is enlisted to participate in the massive con job (to varying degrees of sucess). You won't be able to put it down. It's a great, fast paced read with an excellent plot and character development.

Deep within the Roman Cave there is the wall. It is all that separates the Germans from the wine that they covet. Yet they cannot see it, because the wall is an illusion, an illusion that protects the wine. The wall, as an illusion, is symbolic
of the real secret of Santa Vittoria. Nothing and no one are what they seem to be. There is Bombolini, the clown, who is a student of Machiavelli and the only one capable of leading his people in this time of crisis. There is Babbaluche, the cynic, who is willing to give his life for his village, because his death will be the greatest joke that he can perpetrate upon the German invaders. And then there is the Malatesta. She, who is the aristocrat amongst the peasants, will give herself to Captain Von Prum to save the life of Tufa. Who better expresses the value and significance of one life? The great irony of the novel is of course that she must pay the price for her act, because she is a woman. Yet she and Babbaluche are the real heroes of the novel. They see the reality of the situation and they have the courage to act on their convictions despite the consequences. And then there is Bombolini, the clown, who will manipulate the illusion to save both his people and the wine.

There's a beat up paperback copy of this book in the laundry room of my apartment building. I picked it up during a spin cycle and have been working through it one chapter at a time.

The characters are fantastic, and I hate to put it down each week. Truly hope no one cleans the back shelf before I get to the end.

Save yourself the trouble, and buy your own copy.

Beautifully written characters populate this wonderfully crafted story of a tiny Italian town's struggle to protect its lifeblood (both spiritually and financially) from an occupying German force during WWII. The crux of the plot is an amusing battle of wits, philosophies and endurance between the town's bumbling mayor, Bombolini, and the staid German Captain, Von Prum. Guiding each man's actions and outlook are the teachings of Machiavelli and Nietzsche, which makes for an "interesting" coupling. The story showcases the heart and humor of the Santa Vittorians, who are much more than what they seem. Eight years after first reading it on the recommendation of my 12th grade Philosophy teacher, I picked it up to enjoy the story all over again.

I simply echo the others - read this book - it is wonderful.
It's full of the drama and comedy of life, like a fine play. Yes - the characters can be seen as stereotypes, but more often they evolve into a rich complexity, as their lives and ideals clash. Their close comunity and common dangers propel them through a suspensefull and wryly narrated struggle. Like Steinbeck, Crichton crafts the events of a time to work changes on people and force out their best, and so the tale inspires. I read it years ago, and reread it, and then gave it away. Now I have regained it (used), and find myself again rereading it. Why in heaven's name is this book out of print?

This carefully crafted dark fairy tale captured my imagination. I could visualize every scene, could sympathize with the Felicia's fear and susceptibility. I also was wildly attracted to the notorious hero despite his history of corruption and licentious behavior. Dominico's character was totally believable as a bored and spoiled brat tyrant taking and discarding whatever, whoever he chose. Ultimately the writer demonstrated that love redeems: conquers evil and changes people.

I have to admit that my formulaic romance-reading friends did not like it. Wanting the cookie-cutter hero, Dominico was too wicked for them. But I love it - particularly because of the human flaws - and have read it multiple times. I agree with a previous reviewer who said that there is nothing else comparable. I know I will never remove it from my library.

I did read Flesh and the Devil, (completely different characters) also by Teresa Denys, but didn't find it to be as arresting as The Silver Devil.

I lost my original and had to buy a new one.

This is one of my favorite novels. I admit that the characters are nothing like "typical" romance novel characters, but that's what makes the novel. A duke of that time is not going to stand for anything less than total servitude from a lesser, much less a mistress. Both main characters are flawed, and both characters develop. I think that the characters act in a way that is true to their time period, which is more than can be said of most historical romances.

I wouldn't approach the book if you're looking for a typical "hero/heroine" set up. You will not find it here. Domenico broods and is cruel. Felicia spends most of the book trying to figure herself out and keep track of the political intrigue. The book isn't really romantic, but the characters and their relationships both seem very real to the reader.

Excellent plot!

Very Charming & attractive hero "Domenico" Duke of Cabria who
is unease to his throne. He's full of many character in the same
person...darkside, sweet, cruel, elegant, conflict, kid, etc. but
above of all he is the king of Cabria while the herion "Felicia"
beautiful & naiv maid servant and so the story 's told through her
eyes. Both of them attracted you to stuck on this book and among
the politics of Renaissance Italy with love, revenge but yes it is

romance love story at the end.

Never miss it but rare to find out this book in market. However
when you find it, you never disappointed. You will remember
Domenico & Felicia ....always.

I BOUGHT THIS BOOK IN 1994 FOR $1.50 FIJI $. SINCE THEN I HAVE READ IT AT LEAST FIVE TIMES A YEAR BECAUSE AFTER READING BOOKS IN WHICH HEROS ARE TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, I FEEL THIS BOOK SHOWS THE SHADE OF GREY THAT IS PRESENT IN EVERYONE OF US, SO HUURAH FOR THIS AUTHOR.

I first read this book almost 10 years ago and I couldn't put it out of my mind since. I believe that the hero was in fact efter the character from " The prince " by Niccolo Machiavelli in everyway. And Machiavelli himself got the inspiration from Ceasare Borgia. I hope this would help the readers who think Domenico was beyond redemtion to understand him a bit better. Under the circumstances, I do believe that Felicia, had tried her best to survive the situation as un educated, no relative, poor, naive as she was.It was either get along with the situation , make the best out of it or take the easiest way out, kill herself. What could she possibly do against the king of her own land? This book was written in a very beautiful prose in my idea ( as a non English speaking person )The story itself was full of plots. It is still a very beautiful story after all these years for me.