Contemporary Books

I notice that nearly all of the other reviews of this book are written by individuals who have not reviewed any other books. That suggests to me that these are mostly "promotional" reviews written by acquaintances of the author. That isn't necessarily a negative about the book, just that the reviews aren't really objective.

I'm not quite sure how I ended up reading this book, but I did enjoy it in spite of some serious drawbacks. Based on its literary merit alone, it probably deserves more like three stars rather than the four I gave it, but it is just too good-hearted to get overly critical about. It is better than a lot of other "comtemporary chick lit" out there these days, though it fits squarely in that genre.

The author seems to be making some effort to keep her feminist biases under control -- there is no really "evil" male character, only clueless. As she puts it, men "think with their dicks and unfortunately their dicks aren't very smart". The male lead Alex is extremely capable when it comes to making money, but clueless in his personal affairs. He relies entirely on women to help him navigate his personal life. Women are the exclusive voices of wisdom, especially his sister Joan. Alex is basically good-hearted, whereas Joan is good-hearted nearly to the point of saintliness.

Fiona is charming in her innocence and purity. That she is also really, really pretty in a natural and unself-conscious way adds nicely to the plot line. She stands in vivid contrast to her Los Angeles schoolmates who are perfect stereotypes of contemporary teen decadence. Unfortunately, stereotypes are all too pervasive in this book. These include Alex, his girlfriend Mandy, and nearly everyone in the Los Angeles scene except Joan (who is also something of a stereotype, though a different one from the other Los Angeles characters). These characters all have a hard time breaking through their stereotypical images to come to life.

But our "politically correct" (or is it "culturally correct"?) author isn't too hard on anyone. Though girlfriend Mandy is not intended to be a sympathetic character, she is given plenty of excuses (dysfunctional family) for being a pretty but petty, superficial, scheming, manipulative, new-age twit. In the end one is meant to feel sorry for her more than dislike her.

I actually liked Mandy a lot because through her we get a humorous but exactly right-on picture of how it is that women, all women, know what's up with the dynamics of male-female relationships, regardless of personal motivation. Joan, with entirely different motives, also knows the score with infallible feminine intuition. Only Alex is in the dark, as usual.

I would have expected a little more life-wisdom to be embedded in a novel by Catherine Ingram, but while light in that department, this book does peripherally touch upon some thought-provoking themes, including death and loss. The characters are all impacted by dramatic events, but their responses are mostly in the realm of modifying their life situations (in generally benign and positive ways) rather than in deeply coming to grips with the fundamental dilemmas of life itself.

But for all its superficiality, this book was nevertheless quite charming and engaging and I don't regret the time I spent to read it. Though I comment on the book's weaknesses, I did give it four stars and I am passing the book on to a friend who likes chick lit. I think she'll like it.

My book club loved this book! It's sweet and well written. I read it in one sitting. The story line is engrossing, it's also inspirational, although not in a didactic, boring way. We became invested in the characters, their interactions and the final satisfying resolution of the plot. There's also some humor in its spoofing of yoga and "new age stuff," which, as a yoga teacher, I relished.

A CRACK IN EVERYTHING is Catherin Ingram's third book and first novel. I read this book mostly in an airport and on a plane. The novel moved and transported me more than any 747 could possibly do. The book resonates deeply with life being lived. Read this book and be touched.

I am in the middle of reading this most INCREDIBLE novel - almost halfway through it. Truly the best I've ever read. Well crafted, riveting, cliff-hanging, and just about PERFECT in every way. Bravo, Catherine! She's really done it. Man, can she flesh out a story. And oh my God, how she captures the essence of every character and describes every scene so beautifully. You should have seen me wiping the tears from my eyes as I had to close the book quickly to get off at my subway stop. Everybody was looking at me weeping on the train!

So, needless to say, I'm really LOVING this book and want to cheer Catherine on to write more, and MORE. Thank you for this, Catherine.

This book is a delight to read. I didn't want to put it down, not only because the characters, their connections and the events in their lives moved along in a most compelling and engaging manner, but more because Catherine Ingram's wide objective and compassionate view of her characters and the world in general is
a world I loved being submerged in. Nuanced human characters in cinematic scenes are painted in clear concise language reminiscent of Hemingway's spare style, but with feminine insight. Ingram delves into the everyday texture of her characters' lives and reveals their incremental transformations. I think I breathe more fully having read this book.

I bought this book for one story but it turned out all of the stories were great.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings always makes me cry. The other reviews of this book here describe it so eloquently and throughly that I don't feel the need to add to that aspect. The book has a strong emotional pull that made me cry and made long to go to Cross Creek and see it for myself. Rawlings is one of my all-time favorite writers, ever since my seventh-grade teacher read the newly published book The Yearling to her class, a chapter or two each day after lunch.

Wonderful view of an isolated place in FL (near Gainesville) circa 1930 written by a brave, independent woman.

Cross Creek is a series of entertaining if perhaps embellished anecdotes relating to Florida in the years preceding World War II told from the perspective of a educated emigré from the North. Some of the language, which was typical of the times, would no longer be considered politically correct and might be offensive to some. The book, however is totally delightful and gives some insight into life in rural Florida at the time. An excellent companion read is Tom Glisson's The Creek, which gives a native's view of the same time and area. Both books are a must read if you live or are interested in North Central FL.

Rawlings explores the lives and interations of the odd assortment of people living in Cross Creek, Florida in the early 1900s. It is often assigned reading for teens, but I doubt that most of them can appreciate it. Her accounts of neighbors feuding and subsistance living gives us many lessons in human behavior.
The lyrical descriptions of wildlife and the orange groves and wild landscape are very appealing. Your mouth waters as you read her essays on downhome foods like hush puppies. She turned those into a cookbook which I'll have to try out.
Modern readers squirm uncomfortably at her use of the N----- word and her characterization of blacks as irresponsible, drunken, immoral, etc. It is probably a faithful representation of common thinking at the time it was written, so recognize it as a snapshot of the times. Then move past that to luxuriate in the beautiful passages in the book. (I deducted 1 star for this)
The reader becomes absorbed in Rawlings' love of the land and the creation of a home. It gives much the same feelings as A Year in Provence or Under a Tuscan Sun.

The third book in the Fire Dancer series. It is an excellent series with strong, well written characters, and this book leaves you dying for more. I wish Ann Maxwell would hurry up and write another one! I want to find out what is happening with Rheba and Kirtn

I have enjoyed all of Ann Maxwell sci/fi books. I wish she would finish this series. I want to find out what happens in the Fire Dancer's story. I believe Ann Maxwell's sci-fi stories were one of the best I have ever read and i wish she had continued this series and any other sci-fi.

I just discovered this series and I really enjoyed it! I didn't realize the trilogy wasn't complete though so I hope another book will be added SOON!

This series is intense, wonderful, and thrilling, but I NEED CLOSURE...PLEASE!!!! If I died tomorrow I wouldn't be at peace, not until this story-line is wrapped up.

O.K...I'm not too proud...I WILL BEG!! I am begging Ms. Maxwell, I have waited years...and I need another installment or at least a conclusion to this series...You have a great story here...please continue it for all of us sci-fi and romance addicts out here...

Creo que uno de los libros mas lindos que he leido. Es un libro que podes leer a cualquier edad, tendo 18 años y recien lo lei.
Es una aventura muy linda que algun dia espero poder leer a mi hijos :)
Les recomiendo este libro a todo mundo.

It is definitely the best book I have ever read, and I read many great books throughout my life. I read it about six times, the first one when I was little. I still remember. Now I got it for my own children. It has amazing principles, and wonderful teachings. I wich we could all see life the way "El Principito" does. What a great lesson!

It's been one of my favorite books since I was in 6th grade, great life values in this story! Great for kids! and people of any age.

This is a lovely story, and I wanted to own the book to follow while I listen to the story in Spanish on my ipod. Children's stories in Spanish are a delightful way to study for the mid-level student.

T.William Waltrip, M.D.

A BOOK THAT INFLUENCED MY LIFE

The book that has influenced my life is "The Little Prince". This book iis basically about a little blond boy that meets an adult with who he will become friend, somewhere in the world, dunno where.He discovers, during a trip, adults, who will allow him to understand adults world and life on hearth In the begining of the story, the pilot crashes in a desert and thers were the story begings.This story has many characters, but the two main ones are the pilot (the narrator), and the little prince.One of the main settings are the dessert were the pilot meets the little prince, and the planet were the little prince lives, but this story has many settings.

I read this book because my mother told me that every kid must read this book, so she gave me the book and i read it when i was almost 12 years old. This book has influenced my life in many ways. Every time i read this book it makes me think, about pepole and friendship, it makes me cry, laugh, and be a better person and a better friend. It also makes me be more pacient, and this is a thing that im not so good at, but every time im in a cituation were i have to be pacient, since i read that book, I have teach myself to try to understand people, and why they are like that. This book is in a prose/chatter way written, in this way it was easier for me to understand the meaning of the words. This book you have to read it more than once to get the meaning of the words.



By Avira Arreola.

I believe the other reviews of this book to be quite accurate; rightfully noting its annoyingly bad layout(lacking index, missing page headings of what you're reading, etc). Disregarding these shortfalls, Orwell's writing itself easily makes up for--and surpasses--were the publishers have blundered. I read these essays with child-like Christmas morning joy; finding pleasure in them as if peeling away the wrapping paper from the presents, leaving me engulfed with intrigue over Orwell's subjects, prose and opinions. This book is a real treasure trove for all those who enjoyed Orwell's most famous, if not cliche, works of 1984 and Animal Farm.

This is a beautiful, compact, hardcover, volume with a cloth bookmark built into the binding. If you are an Orwell fan, this book is well worth the money. It contains a very wide selection of Orwell essays, including the most popular ones such as "Shooting an Elephant," but also the rarer ones as well. I especially enjoyed reading Orwell's "As I Please" columns from the Tribune; these are difficult to find in compiled form.

I highly recommend this volume, but I must echo the same complaint of other reviewers: There is no index, and this makes it impossible to find Orwell's essays on a specific topic unless you already know what to look for. For example, Orwell's "As I Please" columns are labeled by the sequence number of their creation with no indication of topic. This is not very useful, as Orwell wrote about so many varied things.

All in all, a good value, but I must deduct one star because of the lack of an index. Also, I would certainly recommend this book for the Orwell aficionado, but not necessarily for the new or casual Orwell reader. Read Orwell's novels first; you will have a better appreciation of the essays afterwards.

In these by times highly emotional essays written in the 1930s and 1940s George Orwell gives us with in depth analyses his personal viewpoint on the literary, political and socio-economic scene.

In literature, he sees the novel as `a Protestant form of art, a product of the free mind, of the autonomous individual.' Orwell's aim was to `push the world in a certain direction: a battle against totalitarianism and for democratic Socialism.'
In his criticism he searches for the essential (hidden) message of the author.
Dickens's rather naïve creed is: `If man would behave decently, the world would be decent.' His ideal is `a hundred thousand pounds, a quaint old house, a sweetly womanly wife, a horde of children and no work.'
Henry Miller's books are `a passive acceptance of decay and evil.'
H.G. Wells dreams of a utopian World State.
R. Kipling is a jingo imperialist, but he didn't understand that `an empire is primarily a money-making concern'.
W.B. Yeats is in essence a defender of feudalism, `a great hater of democracy and of human equality, of the modern world, science, technology and the concept of progress.'
A. Koestler's main theme is `the decadence of revolutions owing to corrupting effects of power.'
P.G. Wodehouse's real sin is to present the English upper classes as much nicer than they are.
In `Gulliver's Travels', J. Swift delivers a frontal attack on totalitarianism and shows that he is a disbeliever in the possibility of happiness.

Orwell's view on world matters is rightly `no Law, only Power'.
Nationalism is inseparable from the desire for power.
The concentration of the media in the hands of a few rich men puts the freedom of the press and intellectual liberty under attack. The `very concept of objective truth' is lost.
The Spanish war showed him the essential horror of army life.
He is extremely severe for the British establishment: `The British ruling class thought that Fascism was on their side.' For them, `it is better to inherit, than to work.' `In an England ruled by stupidity, to be `clever' was to be suspect.'

But his solution is also naïve: `common ownership of the means of production. The State, representing the whole nation, owns everything, and everyone is a State employee.' In other words, he pleads for a massive bureaucracy.
But he contradicts himself when he complains that `everything in our age conspires to turn the writer into a minor official!'

These essays contain also vivid memories of his public school life (`irrational terror') and of his Indian life ('Shooting an elephant'). He comments on sports (`war without shooting), detective stories (J.H. Chase), poetry (`the most hated art form'), mildly pornographic comic postcards (`a harmless rebellion against virtue') and ends with a superb portrait of Ghandi.

These remarkable essays, written by a fearless superb free mind, a fighter for justice and a true `révolté' (A. Camus), are a must read.

As a lit major very interested in politics, I find this collection to be fascinating and instructive. Mr. Orwell's views on what corporations would do to the news media and the stifling effects of politically correct speech are vital today, and should be required in civics and political science classes.

Mr. Orwell managed to anger and inform both liberals and conservatives by exposing hypocrisy and dull-minded dogma. His writing style is sharp and free of tiresome twists and turns. In fact, "Politics and the English Language" (954) targets academic writing that is puffed up for no reason other than to hide the fact that the writer has little to say. (And this article should be required reading in graduate literature classes!)

The power of his insights and imagery can be seen in "How the Poor Die," a sad, upsetting essay that made me want a shower and a drink when I finished reading it. (Again, this is current today with the horribly neglected and virtually unregulated "assited living facilities"--and even the Walter Reed outpatient scandal.)

So few writers have had such vision that it is worth repeating the cliche: George Orwell was a social prophet--a genuine one.

Because of Mr. Orwell's deep understanding of political systems and human nature, his excellent style, and the breadth of his subject matter, I think it would not be over-praising him to say that this volume ranks with Montaigne's collected essays.

This volume is lovely, both in binding and text size; however, as other reviewers have pointed out, the publisher should have taken the trouble to include an index at the end of 1363 pages of essays! (Write to Knopf/Random House to complain!)

I'm going to contact my county library to arrange donating a copy of this; it is a shame this book isn't on the shelves!

George Orwell: 1984 and beyond


The futurist novels 1984 and Animal Farm are George Orwell's primary literary legacy. He contributed the phrase "Big Brother" to the language, and is remembered... if at all...as a novelist and social commentator.

But Orwell was much more than that - during the Second World War he worked for the BBC as a commentator, essayist and writer. He was a consummate professional, a brilliant satirist, and an indefatigable correspondent. He volunteered in the Spanish Civil War and wrote "Homage to Catalonia" from his experiences.

What is more surprising is that Orwell ...who died at 46... left voluminous essays, letters and reportage which have been compiled in four thick volumes by Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus. * (George Orwell: Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters; Volumes 1-IV, Nonpareil Books, 2000), and in his Collected Essays.

. He lived as a tramp for a while, got arrested for being drunk, worked low-level jobs and wrote "Down and out in London and Paris" from his experience. Orwell struggled personally and financially; his first marriage ended with h is wife's death, his second was short, and he was usually broke. That changed with the publication of l984 and Animal Farm...the latter a satire on the Russian Revolution. Ray Bradbury's classic "Fahrenheit 451" owes a debt to Orwell. His BBC broadcasts during the War were classics.

In his short life, Orwell produced a huge body of work: his Collected Writings run to 20 volumes, and his essays fill four books. He is one of the major figures of 20th Century English writing.
Major Works

"Down and Out in London and Paris" 1933
"The Road to Wigan Pier" 1937
"Homage to Catalonia" -- 1938
"1984: 1945
"Animal Farm" 1949
"Selected Essays" 1957
"Orwell: The War Broadcasts" 1985

Cats are superior to humans; just ask any dog. But does that necessarily make them better creatures? Not necessarily, as Francis, the feline hero of this book, discovers soon after having moved to a new home with his human pal Gustav. Equally annoyed by the laboratory smells of their new house and eager to get to know the rest of his new neighborhood, Francis decides to take a walk - and walks right into the discovery of a dead cat and, by virtue of that discovery, also into the guy who instantaneously becomes his new best friend. And as gruff old Bluebeard, Francis's new side kick explains to him, this is not the only dead cat he has recently seen. In fact, "cold bags" (cat corpses) have turned up in the neighborhood with an alarming frequency, all killed expertly and quickly by a bite to their necks. And their appearance somehow seems to coincide with the arrival of an exotic, wild, self-described "very ancient but very new" breed of cats whose females are, Francis is soon to discover, as seductive as they are angels of death to any male cat mating with them.

Chased by the local bully, King Kong, and his two brainless minions Hermann 1 and Hermann 2, and haunted by nightmares of being jerked around by puppet master Gregor Mendel (the Austrian monk who, in the late 19th century, first came up with the basic biological principles on breeding and inheritance of genes), Francis almost stumbles into the reunion of a secret sect honoring a certain Claudandus, mysterious savior of all cats' misery on earth who alone escaped a cruel series of experiments performed in the very house Francis now calls his home. But while sect members pay tribute to Claudandus's memory by the macabre practice of jumping into the electric current produced by two open wires, this is not the cause of the feline population's demise; although the figure of Claudandus undeniably has something to do with it. With his human buddy and (in Bluebeard's lingo) "tin opener" Gustav completely oblivious to the horrors Francis must witness and investigate, our feline sleuth is left to his own wits - at least until Bluebeard introduces him to Pascal, the neighborhood's other "smart [cat]."

This is an intelligently crafted thriller and, at the same time, a book every cat lover will relish. Pirincci, who says the book was inspired by his own cats, brings to it as much talent as a writer as understanding for our four-pawed friends. Felidae easily stands its ground not only next to other (and, in the States, better-known) cat detective stories such as those by Lillian Jackson Braun, but next to the great thrillers involving human detectives as well.

If you speak German and get a chance, do watch the video as well - it brings this story of, as Francis once says, "horrors east of Aristocats" to life with the help of a number of actors well-chosen to portray the book's characters; among them, Ulrich Tukur as Francis and Mario Adorf as Bluebeard (although the casting of others, particularly of Klaus-Maria Brandauer, is such a reinforcement of their cliché roles that it is almost a dead give-away... so watch the movie only after having read the book; I promise you'll still enjoy it). And who knows... with the book, which is the first of a series, still immensely popular in Europe, and the sixth and latest Francis story recently published in Germany, maybe there will be another chance for a U.S. edition some time in the future, too. My cats and I would certainly hope so!

You can see the animated movie of the book on DVD. If you look on ebay or some video stores you might find a copy. The DVD has the english dub too! As long as your computer or DVD player can play multi region discs then you can watch it. I saw it and say it is so like the book! The animation has a Don Bluth style to it. Very well done.

Excellent book but will appeal to a niche market. Nevertheless, I wish they would publish his other novels in English and get them out of the rare/collectibles market. I hate to pay high prices for an unopened first edition that I have every intention of reading-more than once.

In some ways, the concepts are similar to Gabriel King's "The Wild Road". I enjoyed the concept of a cat detective tracking down a murderer of cats-or perhaps, a cat murderer.

All right, this was written by a cat named Francis (Gustav is his owner and is a jerk like Garfield's Jon). There seems to be a vogue now for detective stories with cat heros, but I have resisted reading any of them up to now, even though I love and admire cats. Read this one because of its beautiful cover picture, and the fact that the author is a German Turk who writes very well even in translation to English (kudos to Ralph Noble in that role). This book is about a mass murderer of cats, by a cat, who has some mad-scientist dream of breeding a super race of felines who will come to dominate the world and eradicate or enslave human beings. A very cynical version of Animal Farm which also reminds me of that appalling book Perfume and also of Jorge Luis Borges. No Englishman could have written this, but the Englishness of it is pervasive --i.e. the morality (in spite of the political incorrectness of defending Anglo-Saxon ethos these days). The gimmick here is of course that cats are just as smart as we are, and spend the time while we are asleep at night reading our books and playing on our computers, and discussing Kierkegaardian philosophy when they are not driven crazy by the pheremones of females in heat (smelly stuff to us humans, but what do we know about the powers and subtleties of smells?)

Hi. I've been a long time fan of Felidae, a detective story starring cats, and for mature audiences(Think Disney, but with teeth). I'm really only writing this to tell American Amazon customers that there IS AN ANIMATED FILM, also for adults. It was released in Germany in the mid-90's. Sadly, we can't see it, as it hasn't been published in NTSC format. (In case you don't know, Europe uses PAL format; a different VHS and DVD coding than the US, Canada, and Japan use.) Personally, I think that's BS, as I believe that technology should unite, not devide...but...

Anyway, that said, if you like murder mysteries, cats, sarcasm, humor, and violence/gore, READ THIS BOOK. I haven't checked out the sequel yet, but I'm about to order it.

Peace.

I found this book to be very enjoyable and think it should be but on the screen. From the beginning until the end it kept me interested. Can't wait to read Foolish Heart.

Like others have stated this book was great from the beginning to end. I had the pleasure in meeting Ms. Davis-Pack, which made reading this book a joy. I hope she can find time in the future to bless us with another great book.

This book was well worth the money. The characters were very human and the story brought out many different emotions. I recommend this to anyone who wants a good read that will not waste their time.

This is a book that gets better with each line you read. I really liked it and highly recommend it.

I know these people in "foolish Things". Everyone does! The people are real and the story is true to life. I liked it and would tell other sisters to buy it!

This is easily my favorite Classic work of literature. Unlike many of the other classics, such as the Odyssey, Iliad, Aeneid, and others, this book kept my attention the entire time and I couldn't wait to finish. Robert Graves does a tremendous job of translating it into an easily readable version.

book includes the original story of Cupid (Pysche). perfect gift for lovers possessing a sash of intelligence.

Everyone should read The Golden Ass, especially this translation. Just reading it can deepen a person. It's one of those books to be treasured and re-read every few years, finding new insights and humor. The Cupid and Psyche portion is rousing and sly and stands alone. I've given copies as gifts over the years and notice my friends still hang on to them long after.

Apuleius' The Golden Ass, or Metamorphoses, is the only Latin novel to survive in its entirety. Composed in the second century, this picaresque work tells the tale of Lucius, a man whose curiosity in magic and indulgence of sexual pleasures leads him to accidently transform himself into an ass. What follows are the various trials and hardships he endures as well as the tales he hears throughout his travels. It is not until the intervention of the goddess Isis that Lucius is transformed back into a man, and he devotes the rest of his life to her cult.

Apuleius' storytelling is lively, witty, an often sexually explicit. Indeed, many forms of fetish are showcased within the pages, including beastiality. More often than not, the novel indulges readers in their guilty curiosities while also providing hilarious and adventurous prose, with a splash of red-streaked violence thrown in for good measure. However, despite being written nearly two-thousand years ago, what may shock the modern reader most is how approachable and familiar is not only the humor but also the sentiments and sensuality of these Roman characters. It is not difficult to imagine Lucius' world.

The Golden Ass offers readers a romp through ancient Rome through the eyes of a contemporary while also entertaining. It is also a highly revealing documentation of religion and magical belief in Greco-Roman polytheism, and contains the only complete description of the initiation into a Mystery cult. The true essence of the novel is that it is a fable culminating in the religious transformation of the individual and the embrace of salvation (soteria). However, the pagan salvation was not one of the afterlife, but of this life, and involved changing one's perspective of the world and also of life and death. The ass in the ancient world was seen as the most base of animals, an utter slave to its desires, and Lucius' transformation at the end should be read as symbolizing his overcoming of those passions.

The Golden Ass is bawdy and shocking, but also intelligent and satisfying. Graves' translation is fluid and easy to follow. The prose is as enjoyable (and perhaps rewarding) to read today as it no doubt was nearly two-millennia ago.

This is certainly an entertaining reading experience and Robert Grave's translation makes this 1800 year old novel come to life for modern audiences. The book is full of stories within stories, a device that I found very entertaining and reminded me of the best works of A.S. Byatt. The story within a story approach allowed for multiple wild digressions of the most fantastic types. Stories of magic, murder, rape, incest, poison, bribery, theives, beastiality, orgies, homosexuality, and all other manner of hair-raising encounters populate the multiple stories within stories.

Yet there is certainly a strong central theme and storyline in the plight of poor Lucius, the attorney turned into a donkey. The world and humanity are seen anew through the eyes of an ass.

The book does take one major departure with the longer story of Cupid and Psyche, skillfully told. The book ends with another change of pace when Lucius devotes himself to the gods, especially the goddess Isis/Diana/Artemis, the White Goddess.

I think the book was excellent and would never have survived so many centuries if each age did not find the human condition to be much unchanged despite the wild and wooly tales encountered here.

As other reviewers have already emphasized, this is an excellent English language resource for German grammar. An incredible amount of detail is given, and attention is paid both to general rules and specific exceptions, even down to the most obscure and archaic. Both difficult and simple grammatical terms are explained through examples in English, which makes this book an excellent tool for coming to a deep understanding of the German language.

As mentioned by others, this is no book for beginners. Only high-intermediate and advanced students should look into using this grammar, as it assumes a rather high level of proficiency on the student's part. However, for more advanced students, the explanations and detailed examples are priceless, shedding light on even the most complicated German passages.

A word of caution to teachers: please do not merely have your students read and memorize sections of this textbook. Hammer's Grammar is very complex and includes a large amount of exceptions, a number of which are no longer in common use. Classmates I've had have expressed frustration over having to memorize exception after exception to a rule that seems rare in itself. This book is best used as a reference for advanced learners, and ought not to be the setting in which general grammatical rules are taught. Rather than reading and memorizing, it would be better for students to study this book topic by topic, complete with class discussion, re-mastering the principles before moving on to the many exceptions.

There are also a number of slightly odd English sentences in this book that might confuse the reader. Beware, and proceed at a slow, steady pace.

I commenced learning German in college and concluded with enough credits to earn a minor. Two summers were spent in Germany taking intensive German language classes (Munich and Mannheim), while two additional summers were spent working as an intern with Deutsche Telekom in Frankfurt. Upon concluding my Masters in EE, I married a German and subsequently lived in Germany for 10 years. For 5 of those years I was general manager of my own consulting company. All of our business was in German.

Inspite of this background, on any given page of this manual, there are tips and tricks to assist me in refining my language skills. This book has it. If it is not there, you in all likelyhood don't need to know it. The themes are logically laid out. Any and every topic is easy to find. This book is highly recommended. Beginners should not resist having this gold mine in his library.

I'm a grad student who teaches elementary German. Born and raised in the U.S., I learned German as a second language. I've exhausted the grammars I own, but I know that there are still many constructions and subtleties I've never learned. This has become more apparent as I've worked in a department filled with Muttersprachler.

The reviews for Hammer's grammar made it sound perfect for my needs. They were right on! This grammar is 550 pages of DETAILED explanations illustrated by many helpful examples. I've only just begun the first chapter (less than ten pages) and I've already learned invaluable information.

Did you know, for example, that the gender of 80% of all German nouns can be determined just by looking at the form and/or meaning of the noun? I knew of a dozen or so clues, but after working through these first pages I have learned many, many more and am much more confident with using nouns I know for which I've never memorized the article. Only 20% of nouns actually need to have their gender memorized. I'm now working through similar tips for determining the plurals, which are equally easy to determine just by looking at the noun - once you know how.

There is also a small section tucked away in a corner that explains how to determine whether one uses an, auf, in, zu, or nach as a preposition to indicate going "to" a location. I thought these also just had to each be memorized for each possible case. Nope, it's very logical and this book will explain it to you along with countless other details that will bring your German much closer to a native level (like whether to use genitive, "von", or apposition in measurement phrases).

Now, if this is nothing new to you, Hammer might still be helpful (though if your German is really great and you only have problems that natives have, you probably just need to work through the various volumes put out by Duden). I know I've never learned this stuff, and I certainly don't teach it in my college courses. Hammer's grammar is likely too much for beginners (a bit like drinking out of a fire hydrant), but its perfect for intermediate and advanced learners who have questions that have just never been answered by their textbooks or by the grad students who teach them.

Also, the workbook is the newest edition, matching the grammar, even though the image here on Amazon is from the older edition (at least at the time that I am writing this). It has excellent exercises, and I do recommend it. For rounding out your vocab, I recommend Cambridge UP's "Using German Vocabulary." It is far more exhaustive than the vocab books by Baron and others.

This is an excellent book for those working on learning German. * HOWEVER * If you are like me and were never able to gain a firm grasp of the English language while in high school you should get this book and a book called "English Grammar for Students of German" to use along side of this one to help you understand the basics in basic terms. You generally need to have a decent grasp of the mechanics of the English language before learning a foreign language. This book goes into great detail and is absolutely packed with information on the mechanics of the German language. Getting the workbook that goes with the book IS A MUST, as just reading about German is worthless. Get the workbook and work the exercises on a separate piece of paper. This makes it so you can rework the exercises again later if needed. Be diligent and work in the workbook everyday. As you go through out your day and have thoughts pop into your head try to think of how you would write a sentence in German that would equal that thought.

I am glad I bought this book as I will have to stretch myself to get through it. It's a great learning tool.

This is the best and most comprehensive english language German grammar reference you can buy. It is definately not for Beginners. If you are an Intermediate to Advanced German student, it is perfect. You should also seriously consider the companion workbook Practicing German Grammar. For beginners to intermediate level learners, I highly recommend Schaum's Outline of German Grammar. Its easier to follow and doesn't cover all the minor nuances of German grammar that you won't need to know at the beginner to intermediate levels.

Book review :JOURNEY TO THE EAST. MaryAnn and BiJon Sarma, ISBN 1-55212-755-9. Trafford Publishing Canada.

A Review
"(The novel's) focus hovers over the decadence of western civilization and comparison of it with the eastern one" "In the novel the story is set in a society some eight hundred and fifty years ahead of the twenty-first century. The society where the story of the novel takes place is a western one - full of riches and luxuries. The novelist sees the society from a very logical viewpoint. The present socio-familial milieu of the west compels the writer to design their future society in such a one where there is nothing like family - no one is a father, or mother, or a child of any other one as Gloria the protagonist says 'I do not have a father, mother or any family' (14). All the womenfolk of the country are of three categories having cards A for 'Available on payment', or M for 'Motherhood' or F for 'Free-lance Woman' as our Gloria is.

'Womb-hiring' is a profession in this country which Gloria accepts repeatedly, though in this hazardous task the final payment from the men's part comes after the DNA test is done. The narrator of Journey to the East Ms. Gloria Sullivan's baby also fails to pass the DNA test which is a common activity of 'the would be fathers to be certain about the genetic inheritance'(5)and with the anti-pathetic incident the novel opens 'I am a natural born child, I belong to no one and no one belongs to me' (34) is Gloria's princpal hollowness for which she can easily say ' I did not have any love or affection for the children' (23) or 'In my case, the only attraction to become a mother was money' (23) because 'of all the jobs a woman can do in our society child bearing is the most profitable' (18). But in her third time of lending the womb the mother springs in her up; she falls in a relationship which may be termed as love and she agrees to marry Mr. Thomas, the father of her third child - though marriage is a millennium old custom in Gloria-Thomas's society.

There are very few significant characters in Journey to the East - along with Gloria. Thomas is the most vital one who originates the inspiration and encouragement in Gloria's life. They both meet the lash 'If such is the reality then what is the point of living in this world ? What great purpose would my existence serve in this world ? What new experience do I still expect to have in the future year ?'(61)and everyone will agree that there are pivotal questions that every human being faces and fights and at last enjoys to spread to the next generation. These questions have placed them in the philosophical query of themselves: why and how their socoety been so and thus the analytical episode on the social and cultural history (though fictitious, as it is of future; but predictable) of the west befalls on the novel.
The main points that generate long discussions are about women's liberation; western sexual behavior like sodomy, lesbianism etc., abolition of marriage and family etc. Journey to the East imagined by the author, is a warning for the west that is rushing to the havoc.

The reviewer expected "(The novelists) are on the verge of acclamation in sub-continental English novels, in addition to their buoyant appearance as novelist writing in English in Bangladesh which is mostly barren in giving birth creative English writers".

Mr. Subrata Kumar Das
Lecturer of English in Bangladesh
Rifles College, Dhaka

...One friend of my husband sent him a book from New York. Since he does get time to read he gifted me the book. It is the novel, JOURNEY TO THE EAST by MaryAnn and BiJon Sarma... I am not a good reader and believe me, I had a lot of trouble finish the book. From the simple English used in it, I had little doubt it was written by Bangalee writers. The story however is not that interesting, I mean to say, the type we normally expect from the western novels. There is no horror, sex, imaginary machines and robots. On the other hand it narrates a sad story.

There are numerous men around, but a young girl have absolutely no one. It is a story of thousand years ahead, when there is no relative because, there exists no family because there is no marriage. The writers disclose, the capitalists have ruined families such that they can hire individual person at less pay, such that the people cannot form resistance and for many other reasons. The government joined hands with them, because they know, the govt. is going to enjoy people's wealth after their death (who would inherit their properties ?). All seems so natural. Only a few weeks ago I came to know, Canada is going to introduce marriage between same sexes. In their novel the writers have mentioned of this possibility. Well, the Canadian government has given their explanation and some may find those logical. But after I finished reading this novel I am convinced to believe, the government is now approaching to that marriage-less, family-less goal for their obvious benefit.

Before our hero and heroine initiated their journey to the east the novel has made us to have our journey to the east. By our journey we come to know a lot about Indian culture and civilization. With my university degree I was aware of many of these information. But the way some of those have been presented in this novel have given me new insight. As a Muslim woman I have always hated the phallus worship and I still do. But after I came to know the logic why they worshipped phallus, I was amazed. Now I can no more hate them for their most logical (even though savage by today's consideration) act.

I am not a professional book reviewer (I am a house-wife) and I don't know how to write a review. My husband wanted me to write `how I liked it' such that he could send it to his friend. And I just expressed what and how I felt after I went through the book.

Thank you.
Mrs. Mahmuda Begum
Banani, Dhaka.

Book : Review : JOURNEY TO THE EAST
Authors : MaryAnn and BiJon Sarma
Publisher : Trafford Publishing.
Page : 269, ...

Few months ago I finished MaryAnn et al's novel "Journey to the east". Even though I liked it, I had little intention to write a review. But after I heard today's TV news that a gay Bishop has been elected in one US church, I changed my mind. In this novel the authors have mentioned that the society in the west was (or will be) gone to hell by 2800 AD, and they explained how. At that time I considered as painful 'exaggeration' or 'bizarre imagination'. But now I know, the authors are the best 'future tellers' of this age. In the "Journey to the east" on Page 67, Thomas the hero says "Gloria, ... know one interesting thing ? When law permitted the marriage between the same sexes, men preferred to marry men rather than women". Why ? The authors mentioned "there was a rule that no husband could exercise his right over his wife's body without her consent". In case there was a violation the wife could ask for divorce and compensation. What was the outcome of this excellent rule ? The authors says like, whenever a man would get a big sum of money, say in a lottery, the wife would come close at night, in the morning she would complain in the court and then would depart with the handsome compensation. The males grew disgusted and as soon as the above rule was introduced they started marrying males as a protest. In this novel, the authors have mentioned this one as one of the root-causes of failure of marriage system in the west.

Dear MaryAnn and BiJon Sarma, with due apology I tell you, with your excellent power of imagination you could rightly imagine what could happen in Canada. As fulfillment of your imagination the Canadian government is going to introduce marriage between the same sexes. But then I humbly say, you have so miserably failed to imagine what could happen in the USA in reality. Today (Aug. 03, 2003) the US people have been blessed to elect a 'homo-sexual' as bishop of their church. Even though you have tried your best to portrait their character as the worst, the reality surpassed your imagination by many folds. Their bishop are of that character, what to say of the common men ? And now I tell you, you are wrong when you say, their society would go to dogs by 2800. I can assure you they are going to reach there much earlier, may be within 2100. In my 35-year age, I only hope if I could live till then to see their condition.

Sreemoti Ranibala Gupta
Howrah, Kolkata.

Book review :JOURNEY TO THE EAST. MaryAnn and BiJon Sarma, ISBN 1-55212-755-9. Trafford Publishing Canada.

Quoted from the novel : "I was supposed to receive another five thousand ...... after the DNA test is done" Gloria (P-05). That indicate Gloria the heroine lives on womb-hiring in 2851 AD. In their society there is no marriage, no family and no relative. So a young girl has to earn livelihood by renting womb and the novel starts with the chapter "They take my child". In chapter II and III ("My Life" and "Indecision) Gloria describes how a `natural-born' (natural-born means born in the process in which animals are born in nature) girl like her entered in this profession. Chapter IV (Women's Liberation) tells us how, in the name of liberating women from the oppression of the husbands the women's liberation brought an end to marriage and family. In the following chapter (The Liberated Women) Gloria describes how the so-called `liberated' women lived lives much worse than whores. The question remains, why did the women's liberation organization did the blunder ? Ch. VI and VII (My First Child & Mother Again) Gloria describes the pains of a lady, having no relative, but numerous exploiters around. The story takes a new turn when Gloria fell sick (Ch. VIII, I Suffer From Ailments) and had to ask for help from the father of her last child, even though the contract was over. Thomas, the nice behaved gentleman agrees to help and through discussion they look at what happened in the past, say twenty or twenty first century (Ch. IX, We Look Back). Even in that hellish society Gloria and Thomas pass nice days with a child (Ch. X, My Days With The Baby) and Gloria's heart hanker for love (Ch. XI, I Want To Live). In the following two chapters (My Childhood & Sarita And Her Marriage) Gloria remembers story of the savage marriage in India and considers that even to have been preferable. After she got at hand a kind and considerate gentleman like Thomas Gloria got the courage to think of marriage (Ch. XIV The Mirage Of Marriage). The following two chapters (The Lost Story Of Culture & The Family) they discuss who conspired to break families and why. Their first attempt to marry failed (Ch. XVII, The Journey Of Frustration). They realize how the species, who at times were man turned to mere machines (Ch. XVIII, Man and Machine). After the ruin of family new father and mother appeared in the society (Ch. XIX and XIIX, New parent - The father, The mother). Needless to mention they are the Capitalists and the Government respectively. The couple still cannot forget the dream of marriage (Ch. XXI In Quest of Love) and they look at the `Distant Civilization' (Ch. XXII). Naturally the discussion how the concept of God initiated there, how it was developed and what was its latest form (Ch. XXIII, Civilization) and how things happened in the west (Ch. XXIV, People in the West) did not miss their attention. They even attempted to marry in the `religious way' (Ch. XXV, Religion, at Last) and failed (Ch. XXVII, Frustration Again). In chapter XXVI on "Cultural aggression" they learnt how the west continued its aggression on the culture of the east.

One may kindly note, we, the Indians are now experiencing this aggression. Thomas and Gloria say, to their fortune the attempts of the west to capture the east failed. It may be interesting for the readers find out how and why the writers say, the western aggression could not succeed here. In the following chapter (World Conference on Culture) Thomas and Gloria learns how the great attempt to define Culture was foiled by due to the interference by the capitalists. But then the couple were more concerned with their own program and planned for a journey to the east (Journey Again). Their journey began in the last chapter, Ch. XXX (Beginning of the Journey) when, (Quoted) "The ship blew the long whistle, that was the final signal declaring her departure. Like us she was now free from all bondage. ... There was a thin line between the port and the ship. ... it slowly widened ... .. we could see red patches, swirling, whirling, and reshaping the water. ... we looked up and found the source. The red sun was rising .... in the east, as it always did. Against the sky and in our minds they (port etc.) were fading in every moment. What was getting brighter was the sun and a dream, a dream of a family, a family of loving father, an all-enduring mother, a husband, a wife and their son. ... That is the story of our JOURNEY TO THE EAST".

The above lines are the concluding ones from the novel. I am aware of the ever-decaying state of family and marriage in the west and by now we know who are doing all these. We also feel, the same conspirators are in action in our country also. When I was reading this novel for the sole purpose of writing a review, I forgot that objective. I could not forget one thing, how to foil the conspiracy of those evil forces. (Instead of circling around criticism, the novel carried away my mind to this immensely important issue. I believe this is the admirable success of this novel). I cannot forget the issue. If we can foil their conspiracy, then and then only it will be possible for Gloria's and Thomas's to make their great journey. On that day shall we wait in the harbor to greet them ? Or, ourselves turn into those productive machines of the capitalists ?

I find absolutely no reason why the Indian readers won't like this novel.

Professor Joy Goswami.
Tullygunge, Kolkata, India.

...The more I read the more I was astonished, because it was a novel difficult for the ordinary readers. By reading it one may not achieve what they say "reading pleasure". Even though there is a skeletal story, the message of the novel surpasses the story. It is in fact a message, a warning for the people of the contemporary society. In the present-day world we find the multi-national companies to do all sorts of activities harmful for the common men. They have already purchased the mouths of the small countries with money. They are taking away the learning, the ethics, the systems that we gained through toiling efforts of thousand of years. They are teaching us to turn to beast for 'earning money'. Due to their preaching we find people to do all sorts of things including killing for money. It is due to them that our society has been saturated with culprits and rapists. The writers of this novel have mentioned, the capitalists are behind these multi-national companies.

In an allegorical form the writers have explained how this powerful group are disintegrating our families, destroying marriage system, destroying all the sacred relations between fellow human being, all in their own heinous interest. I know as soon as the capitalists would come to realize what this novel intends the common men to know, they would endeavor their best to make it out of circulation. Even though the book is allegorical in nature, does not give reading pleasure, to some extent monotonous and quite hard to understand, I know any person who read the book from the first page to the last one would get the message it intends to convey. Well, the people of the west may not be worried to lose their cultural earnings (which is negligible), but we the Indians find ample reasons to be afraid of losing our hard-earned culture due to conspiracy of their capitalists. their is no reason to compare ourselves with the people who elect a gay person as bishop in their church.

I am thankful to the above writers for their excellent book.

Dr. Jagonmoy Halder
Jadavpur, Kolkata.