Short Stories Books

In this novel we find one Mark Robarts, clergyman and parson of Framley. He is an ambitious young man desirous of rising in society. He is friends since childhood with Lord Lufton who makes an unfortunate introduction in the person of Sowerby who seduces poor Mark into signing his name to a debt which the parson cannot afford.

Mark Robarts's father passes away early on and his sister Lucy joins Mark and his wife at Framley Parsonage where Lord Lufton falls in love with her. Two more couples form and while I won't reveal how any of these relationships work out it wouldn't really matter if I did. Trollope's plots usually vary from bad to good but they are hardly ever of any importance anyway. What is important in a Trollope novel isn't what the plot is or how it concludes, it's how it works itself out and how Trollope paints his characters.

The characters in Framley Parsonage are a little whiter and blacker than those of the previous novels in the Barsetshire series. Sowerby is by far and away the blackest and Trollope was so effective in painting him black that towards the end he clumsily appeals directly to the reader and assures us Sowerby isn't really as bad a fellow as he seems.

Dr. Thorne and his niece Mary Gresham appear (from Doctor Thorne) as do the Grantlys and the Proudies (from Barchester Towers). Lucy Robarts is a fascinating woman even more headstrong here than Mary Gresham was in Doctor Thorne, but my favourite character in this novel is Lady Lufton. She opposes her son's desire to court and marry Lucy but does so politely and with consideration. At the same time, Lucy behaves in way Lady Lufton can only find irreproachable. So of course, not having anything with which to reproach Lucy, Lady Lufton has nothing with which to oppose her son's suit. And yet she does. How will this three-sided battle of wills, pitting Lord Lufton against his mother against Lucy against her suitor, resolve itself?

Well, that would be telling, wouldn't it? Let's just say that Lady Lufton has painted herself into a corner and let us leave it at that.

All in all, another fine example of Trollope's mastery of moral calculus.

Vincent Poirier, Dublin

Framley Parsonage is the fourth in Trollope's Barsetshire novels. Trollope (1815-1882) wrote the novel as a serial in the influential Cornhill magazine in 186-61, This novel along with the others in the series: The Warden; Dr. Thorne, The Small House at Allington, Barchester Towers and the Last Chronicle of Barset is a delightful return to mid-Victorian middle class society in a rural mythical county named Barsetshire.
In this long novel of over 600 pages there are several stories. The main character is the Rev. Mark Robarts, a
doctor's son, who at a young age becomes the vicar of Framley Parsonage. He has children and a kind wife Fanny. Mark has visions of grandeur in his head. He lends money to the unscrupulous Member of Parliament Mr. Sowerby. As a result of this fatuity Mark falls into debt. His friends rally to his aid.
Mark's sister Lucy Robarts is novel's heroine. She falls in love with the wealthy Lord Lufton who lives at Eustace Court with his formidable mother Lady Lufton. Lady Lufton wants her son Ludovic to wed Griselda Grantley the statuesque but dull as dishwater and cold as a cucumber daughter of Archdeacon Grantley. Lufton is torn between these two women. We see Lady Lufton overcome her prejudice against Lucy. Lucy is a kind girl who minister to the family of the poor clergyman Josiah Crawley. She wins over the heart of Lady Lufton and the reader.
Secondary plots concern the midlife romance of Miss Dunstable and good Doctor Thorne. Olivia Proudie daughter of the fussy busybody and scold Mrs. Proudie and the uxorious Bishop Proudie weds a clergyman Mr. Tickler who is a widower. Griselda Grantley is courted by the stupid Lord Dumbello who possesses a name and title to the Hartletop lands and fortune. Will she win Lord Lufton or choose Dumbello?
All's well that ends well in this classic Trollopian tale. Long before Jan Karon, Anthony Trollope wrote humorous, moving and plot driven tales of the lives of the clergy dealing with real life problems, romance and challenges. In my opinion, an Anthony Trollope novel is a good way to spend a quiet evening before the fireplace. Enjoy this wonderful author and the world he created.

I'm reading the Barset series in order and have not been disappointed yet. Framley Parsonage is substantive, richer than The Warden, more serious than Barchester Towers, similar in much to Doctor Thorne, and slightly more intricate than DT. I enjoyed the introduction of a healthy dose of political gamesmanship in the form of descriptions of the parliamentary machinations and electioneering strategies. One also learns how to conduct financial shennanigans with horses, farmland, and public forests. The characters in FP are textured and almost always believable; there's only a few caricatures here. As always, the Everyman's edition is accompanied by a lucid introduction and helpful timetable.

As a sixty-two year old professor of English literature and a compulsive reader, I have read many, many novels in my life, and most of Trollope's (for they are, indeed, habit-forming), but this one is perhaps my favorite. I have not read it since 1982, but when I open the cover and look at the fly-leaf, I feel the special delight that I felt when I first read it. Like Austen's Emma, it is one of those perfect books you should not miss.

The fourth of the Chronicles of Barsetshire, Framley Parsonage (1861) is a gentle novel filled with memorable characters, including many characters from The Warden, Barchester Towers, and Dr. Thorne. Mark Robarts, a young vicar with a devoted wife, has a comfortable situation at Framley Parsonage on the estate of the indomitable Lady Lufton. Her son, now Lord Lufton, had been a friend of Mark Robarts at school, and it was their friendship which resulted in Mark's position. Mark, though conscientious in his duties and grateful for his situation, is ambitious, however, anxious to expand his horizons beyond Framley.

Lady Lufton, who rules with an iron hand, is appalled when Mark decides to spend a weekend with a "fast" crowd, one which he believes can advance his career. Young and naïve, he becomes the dupe of an aristocratic "con-man," an MP named Nathaniel Sowerby, who persuades him to help him out of a financial jam by signing a note for five hundred pounds (more than half Robarts's yearly salary), allowing Sowerby to draw funds on Robarts's name. Though Sowerby swears he will resolve the problem within weeks, he needs an additional four hundred pounds when the note comes due.

In the meantime, Robarts's sister Lucy arrives at Framley Parsonage upon the death of their father. Lucy, a sweet ingénue in mourning, soon comes to the attention of Lord Lufton, who is fascinated by her naivete, a marked contrast with the women he has known to date. Though Lady Lufton has much more "significant" matrimonial prospects in mind for her son, the courtship begins, and though Lucy declines Lord Lufton's initial proposal, she remains in love with him. As Robarts's financial miseries become more pressing, and as Lucy's misery at having turned down Lord Lufton increases, the scene is set for a final showdown.

Numerous peripheral characters, many of them known to readers of the series, add to the drama of the primary action. The implacable dowager Lady Lufton, wishing to maintain her family's social position, staunchly opposes the Duke's relationship with Lucy Robarts, pushing Griselda Grantly, daughter of Archdeacon Grantly, as the Duke's suitor. The competition between the (Archdeacon) Grantlys and the (Bishop) Proudies for suitors for their daughters adds great comic relief to the story, and the internecine manipulations among the clergy provide gentle satire in a novel which seems to be remarkably domestic in its focus.

Trollope provides a full picture of Victorian life, representing many aspects of society, and though his view of the clergy has in earlier novels been a bit jaded, he is sympathetic to many of its representatives in this novel, seeing them as humans, rather than as types. A sweet novel, part love story and part social commentary, Framley Parsonage is charming, memorable for its characters and picture of Victorian England. n Mary Whipple

The Warden
Barchester Towers
Doctor Thorne (Barsetshire Novels)

I stopped at Gay St on my way home from vacation. It was like a vacant movie set. Stepping onto the street, I instantly imagined all of the characters in "Gay Street." Jack Mauro's close attention to the fine detail of a character conjurs up instant images of the peculiar and ordinary characters in this book. The stories are funny, as well as dramatic and ordinary. An entertaining book.

Jack Mauro's writing style is always a pleasure. It's smooth and consistent, his stories are engaging, and his characters are a delight. I highly recommend this one and, after reading "Gay Street", I'm now looking forward to sinking into "Spite Hall".

As a fellow northerner who has made the south home, I was curious to read about Knoxville and it's inhabitants. The 14 stories of Gay Street are a masterful introduction to the town and its characters. Mr.Mauro has keen eyes and ears: from architectural detail to roommate's banter, each tale delights with lives and loves sharply observed. This book includes my new favorite Christmas story, "Holiday on High." It had me laughing and reading passages to friends.

The reader is offered the opportunity to put his eye behind Mr. Mauro's creative lens in order to examine the author's "catalog of possibilities." The insights into the human predicament are mesmerizing.

His characters are caringly wrapped in poetic prose which carries them from street corner to street corner, back and forth across Gay Street.

I would not attempt to select a favorite story because each thrives in the buzzing cluster to which it attaches.

I spent the first 30 years of my life in Knoxville, so when Mauro mentions buying something on Market Street I remember the old Market House with its smells of fresh blood at the butcher's, sawdust and lilacs by the flower stalls. In my mind I see the row of farmer's dilapidated trucks parked alongside with their wooden boxes of fruits and vegetables fresh from the mountain truck farms -- bright green spinach and crisp green beans, sunny yellow squash and crimson strawberries.

He mentions Cherokee Hills and I remember Cherokee Boulevard in Sequoyah Hills, where I grew up. At his reference to the S&W Cafeteria I think of Lois Harris playing the organ there on Thursday nights, and the Disney cartoons they showed for the children after dinner.

So this book is really two books for me. Mauro speaks of Knoxville of the 1980s and 1990s and makes me remember the Knoxville from 1940s to 1970s. So how could I not like the book?

Krutch Park didn't exist when I lived there, but I was born on Clinch Avenue at Fort Sanders Hospital. He mentions Highland Avenue and I remember that James Agee lived there even before my time and in the 1960s Hollywood came to town to make a movie of his book, DEATH IN THE FAMILY, starring Robert Preston.

I think this is the first time I've ever seen a book I could barely read for the memories it prompts. I'm amused by the story of a young couple haunted by questions about a past they could never know -- 1952. It was that year and near that place when my date and I were returning to the parking lot from a movie at the Tennessee Theater one warm summer night and heard a woman scream. Could it have been...???

The World's Fair, the YMCA, the Bijou Theater, Gay and State Streets -- places in these stories that revive more memories from the Knoxville I knew.

Needless to say, reading this delightful look at contemporary Knoxville was not only a joy from the average reader's point of view, it was a trip into nostalgia. Mauro captures the new city and yet is able, at the same time, to retrieve the old for those who knew it.

Like Jack Mauro, my husband was born in New Jersey and fell in love with Knoxville when he came there as a young graduate student at UT. There is something magic about that place, and Mauro has done a fine job of putting some of that magic on the page.

Ruth Fulton Tiedemann

I know that this N&A edition is priced high but I payed the $25.95 here at Amazon and I was not disappointed. The General is one of the best war books I've ever read. It tells the tale of Herbert Curzon as he rises through the ranks to being a general in the British military. It's brilliant in revealing the world, social and political, of WWI Britain. One admires "old-school" Curzon and those like him and yet one is also shocked at the inadequacy of "old-school" tactics and their results. This book is gritty and polished, much like the British officers it illustrates. The war bits are very good though tragic. I had read The African Queen and disliked it. This is the second book of Forester's that I've read and I thought it was brilliant.

This is one of C.S. Forester's first novels about war, published in 1936 and hence pre-dating Hornblower.

Like almost all the novels which Forester wrote before he created the Hornblower books, this is brilliant, far less well known today than it deserves, and consequently quite rare. The author H.G. Wells described "The General" as "a magnificent piece of work."

Some of Forester's other books, particularly those describing battles against opponents of whom he strongly disapproved of such as Hitler's nazis or indeed Napoleon, can come over as patriotic to the point of jingoism or chauvinism. This story does not come into that category and it would not be far from the truth to call it one of the first great anti-war novels.

If you collect books about war, and you are fortunate enough to find a copy of "The General" for sale at a remotely reasonable price, buy it at once.

This novel describes the military career of a fictional first world war general. It begins and ends between the wars, with a sharp pen-picture of the retired general Curzon sitting in a bathchair on Bournemouth Promenade, having lost his leg during the great war and never managed to learn to walk properly with an artificial one.

Then the story goes back to Curzon's first battle as a subaltern in 1899 during the Boer war, and follows him through to the climax of the book at the battle of St Quentin on March 21st 1918 when the last desperate German offensive nearly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Forester appears to have set out to do three things; to entertain, inform, and explain. He entertains with an engaging story; he informs by describing the ghastly conditions and waste of life which was the first world war in the trenches; and he tries to explain one possible answer to the question of how British commanders could possibly have given the orders which sent hundreds of thousands of young men to their deaths.

One of the most memorable passages in the book describes the debate as generals and senior staff officers of an army corps prepared a report of why the attack they had just organised had failed and how to succeed next time. "In some ways it was like the debate of a group of savages as to how to extract a screw from a piece of wood. Accustomed only to nails, they had made one effort to pull out the screw by main force, and now that it had failed they were devising methods of applying more force still ... they could hardly be blamed for not guessing that by rotating the screw it would come out after the exertion of far less effort".

But that does not mean that Forester is simply repeating the popular caricature of First World War generals as dangerous idiots. Although he is critical of the mistakes of the generals who wasted so many lives, his criticism is far more sophisticated than the old "Lions led by donkeys" cliche.

Although Curzon, the central figure of this book, is old fashioned and conventional, he is intelligent enough to change his mind when confronted with clear evidence of the need to do so, and decisive enough to enforce that change of mind on others when many men would freeze in panic. Had he been as stupid as some reviewers make out, Curzon would not have survived the first few months of World War 1, let alone been rapidly promoted.

He is intelligent enough to realise that his men need to eat and to make sure that they are fed properly, and to make use of officers who understand newfangled things like engineering, railways, or how many men it takes to carry a gas canister. He is ruthless enough to sack staff officers who are not up to the job even when one of them is his wife's cousin.

Within minutes of arriving at the front and seeing what artillery and machine-guns can do, Curzon abandons his pre-war attitude of deliberately evading training on how to dig trenches, and instead orders his men to dig for their lives, demanding compliance from junior officers who are afraid that the men might get dirt on their uniforms. "God damn it, man!" he explodes, "Get your men digging, and don't ask damn fool questions."

In the first round of battles in the Great War, heroic efforts from Curzon in the face of greatly superior german numbers prevent the British from being flanked and probably defeated at the First Battle of Ypres. Having fought with distinction up to this point, he is promoted to much more senior positions. But then things start to go wrong.

Forester makes a great many good points about the need to use the tactics which will win the current battle rather than the last war: indeed, that even the tactics which won earlier battles of the current war should be dropped if they are out of date. But that is not the only message he is trying to put over.

The main theme of "The General" is a World War One version of the Peter Principle. The very qualities which make Curzon successful on the battlefield up to and including the command of a brigade have disastrous consequences for England when he is a Lieutenant-General commanding an army corps, and when both he and all the other senior officers of the army are still displaying the characteristics which colonels and brigadiers need to hold their regiments in the line.

Forester states quite explicitly in the book that the very strengths of the World War One generals, not just their weaknesses, were part of the problem. I quote - "It might have been ... more advantageous to England if the British Army had not been quite so full of men of high rank who were so ready for responsibility, so unflinchingly devoted to their duty, so unmoved in the face of difficulties, of such unfaltering courage."

This book is an unforgettable classic.

This was one of the best books that I've read in a couple of years. C.S. Forester is a superb author. This book depicts the tragedy and waste of human life through the actions and amibition of a British General, who, in his own mind, maintains he is doing the right thing for king and country. Highly recommended.

While most of the authors novels were set during the time of Napoleon, some were set at later times including the well known novel, "The African Queen," and this lesser known novel, "The General," both of which were set during World War I. It has often been said that generals plan tactics based on the last war. Napoleon had developed tactics based on an artillery barrage followed by an attack by infantry and cavalry. The British Army was still trying to use those tactics at the start of World War I, ignoring the change in armaments which included the introduction of machine guns.

Herbert Curzon is an officer from the old school, entering World War I in command of a lancer regiment, expecting to charge the enemy on horseback. Command of machine guns had been relegated to a lieutenant "who did not sit a horse very well," and most officers did not study the tactics of their use. They did not expect to fight on foot, and did not carry entrenching tools. The machine guns quickly became the most critical part of the battle, and men had to dig in the best they could in the muddy ground.

The British were slow to learn new tactics, and still adhered to the tactics developed by Napoleon well into the war. Curzon is given promotions, partly because he survives and impresses the War Office with his reputation for holding his positions, and partly because he marries the daughter of a Duke who has a position in the government. He rapidly rises to Lieutenant General and Corps commander. The novel ends when he is badly wounded trying to rally his men against a German offensive which is breaking the British lines.

The novel illustrates the muddle that occurred during the war. Officers had little experience trying to handle the orders necessary for the movement of half a million men, and there was an insufficient number of experienced officers. Reserves were in the wrong place, roads became clogged preventing movement, officers had a fixation on large assaults across torn up ground that their own artillery had rendered impassible. It rained, turning land into swamps where the artillery had destroyed the drainage systems. Changes to tactics were very slow. Observations were by balloons and airplanes instead of cavalry patrols. Tanks were introduced, but too few, and not readily accepted by the generals.

Hundreds of thousands of men were lost for little purpose. It is truly amazing that the government did not totally collapse, but they did not have the news media of our present day; and they had almost hysterical patriotism, with young women publicly shaming men who would not volunteer to go to the front.

The novel ends halfway through the war, when Curzon is badly wounded.

The novel was published in 1936. The forward indicates that it was used as a military manual in some countries.

Forester's main character, Gen Curzon, is from the old school, where one does not question orders, nor does one make waves. That being said, from a military leadership perspective, if one has a method, even if it doesnt work, it will continued to be used time and time again. Curzon's character is a representation of the level of British generalship in WWI. Unyielding, unimaginative, and willing to toe the line at all costs, with the blood and treasure of England.
The story has a humor woven throughout the narrative. It looks at Curzon's social climbing, his promotions (through no fault of his own, and his old school belief system. If it werent for the tradgedy of the hundred of thousands of lives which were expended based on the unimaginative battle techniques, it would be a very humorous story. Unfortunately, the death toll of WWI is a sobering reminder, thanks to Forester, of the repercussions of Generalship as displayed by Curzon.
HIghly recommended. An excellent insight into the class structure of the British Army of WWI.

George MacDonald Fraser served in the "other ranks" of the British Army in Burma late in WWII. Commissioned as a subaltern (2nd lieutenant) following the Japanese surrender, he served as a platoon leader in a Gordon Highlander battalion posted to the Middle East before being "demobbed", i.e. released from active duty. His experiences serve as the basis for THE GENERAL DANCED AT DAWN, initially published in 1970, a first person account by the fictional Dand MacNeill, subaltern of a platoon in an unspecified Highland battalion posted first to Libya, then to Edinburgh, during the period 1945-1947.

THE GENERAL DANCED AT DAWN is a work of wry humor, inasmuch as Lt. MacNeill describes the unintentionally comic situations encountered with his Jocks (men) during garrison life both in Scotland and abroad, mostly the latter. The book is actually a series of short stories, in which a common thread tying all together, besides Dand himself, is Pvt. McAuslan, the dirtiest, most slovenly soldier in His Majesty's service. As described by MacNeill:

" ... he lurched into my office (even in his best tunic and tartan he looked like a fugitive from Culloden who had been hiding in a peat bog) ..."

McAuslan may be the focus of a particular chapter, as when he is court-martialed for refusing an order to enter a pillow fight contest to be held during a gathering of the various Highland regiments. Or, he may make nothing more than a brief cameo appearance, as when he is upbraided by MacNeill for fighting one of the crewman aboard the coastal steamer ferrying the battalion's soccer team on a road-trip against the teams of neighboring British commands - a fight brought on by the sailor's comments regarding McAuslan's unsanitary appearance.

The squalid presence of McAuslan notwithstanding, the central character of the book is Dand MacNeill, whether he's coping with the unfathomable questions of the officer selection board, pressed into command of an overnight troop train from Cairo to Jerusalem through unruly Palestine, mounting the ceremonial guard at Edinburgh Castle, or taking lessons in regimental piping history from the god-like Regimental Sergeant Major. Dand's narrative of military service is of such good humor and wit that it's evident his alter ego, Fraser, remembers his own time in uniform as an enriching life experience, despite the hardships of WWII combat. This positive slant on the book's theme, and Fraser's/MacNeill's fine sense of the ludicrous, make the volume one that I couldn't put down. (I've encountered so-called "thrillers" that were less absorbing.)

Note: THE GENERAL DANCED AT DAWN is currently out of print in the US. However, it and Fraser's two sequels in the McAuslan series, MCAUSLAN IN THE ROUGH and THE SHEIKH AND THE DUSTBIN, are all contained in THE COMPLETE MCAUSLAN, available from Amazon.co.uk. This is a superb volume, worth to an Anglophile every pence spent in postage to deliver it across The Pond to The Colonies.

It is time that you hear "the sub-muckin', the whole cheese, the hail clanjamfry, the lot' about the Scottish Highland Regiment that served in Africa after World War II.

George MacDonald Fraser has written the stories of this regiment and its most infamous soldier, Private McAuslan, in three collections: "The General Danced at Dawn", "McAuslan in the Rough", and "The Sheikh and the Dustbin".

Through the narration by platoon commander Dand McNeil, McAuslan comes alive as the dirtiest soldier in the world, "wan o' nature's blunders; he cannae help bein' horrible. It's a gift."

Yet McAuslan is one of the most loveable creatures in all of literature. He may be grungy, filthy, clumsy, and disreputable, but he tries to do his best. Through his many misadventures, McAuslan marches into the heart of the reader, right leg and right arm swinging in unison, of course.

McAuslan, outcast that he is, experiences some infamous moments in his career: court martial defendant, ghost-catcher, star-crossed lover, golf caddie, expert map reader, and champion of the regimental quiz game (!). His tales, and the tales of his comrades-in-arms, are poignant at times, hilarious at others. These tales are so memorable because they are based on true stories.

The reader basks in all things Scottish in the stories. The language of the soldiers is written in Scottish brogue, although Fraser says in his introduction, "Incidentally, most of this volume is, I hope, written in English." Don't fret - a glossary is provided. (Reading the glossary alone causes some serious belly laughs.

If you read only one book this year, read this one. And if you know any veterans, give them a copy. It's a volume that the reader will not soon forget.

This is much more than a tale of post-war service in the British Armed Forces.... It can relate to any Army,Navy or Airforce indeed any Large Company of today. I served in the Royal Navy of the 80's and 90's and was cursed with TWO McAuslans! These tales are so well crafted and told...you know that these are real events with just the names changed to protect the innocent. How this man has never recieved any recognition for his wonderful Flashman Novels and his other Splendid work baffles me, As well as being funny and researched in detail they are so well written...does the booker prize jury ever drag it's head from it's collective Bottom?

After reading the fine reviews already posted by others, one doubts whether another review will add much, but out of habit - near compulsion by now - here goes another - with an emphasis on reading connections.

As did many, perhaps most readers of the McAuslan stories, I came to them by way of The Flashman series (My favorites so far: Flashman: A Novel (Flashman) and Flashman in the Great Game: A Novel (Flashman). I enjoyed the Flashman enough to give McAuslan a try. Both series are funny, relate to historical events, and display an ear for language and an eye for detail, but could otherwise be written by different authors. The McAuslan stories are told by the reasonable, sensible, compassionate voice of Lieut. Dand MacNeill and relate the trials of life in a Highland regiment immediately after WW II. In other words, MacNeill could hardly be more different from Harry Flashman. The stakes are lower than in Flashman. The McAuslan tales deal with the mundane life of a soldier waiting for demobe and not imperial crises. These stories read just like tales that actually happened - and something pretty close to them probably did.

McAuslan plays less of a role in the The General Danced at Dawn than McAuslan in the Rough, but the stories are still a delight to read.

The McAuslan stories lie at the outreaches of contemporary humor; pretty obscure stuff and the more fun because of it. A great kick in finding works like these is stumbling upon other works of equal merit and obscurity. It's sort of guided serendipity, if you will. Flashman led not only to McAuslan, but also to John Biggins'A Sailor of Austria: In Which, Without Really Intending to, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of the Habsburg Empire (The Otto Prohaska Novels) and to Artemus Ward, his book. With many comic illustrations. (not sure how the Ward connection occurred. Mark Twain called Ward the greatest American humorist of his day.).

Highest recommendation and climb out on these other branches.

These wonderful stories, written by Fraser when he was an officer in the Gordon Highlanders at the end of the Second World War are priceless. There is much sardonic humor and wit here. The characters come and go throughout the book. Each chapter is a self contained story in itself almost. By far the one character who appears most often is the unhygenic pvt. McAuslan. He seems to do for the Scots what some of the WW2 comic characters like Sad Sack did for the GI's. The author, who speaks through the voice of his nom-de-guerre relates many amusing episodes. Some are a little silly at times, and the constant unwashed antics of "Peking Man" McAuslan gets a bit tiring, but this does not take away from the quality or humor of the work.

I like best when Fraser talks about the regimental history and lore of the Gordons when he's taking a break from McAuslan. There are some truly wonderful characters and events related here, all factual enough and displaying the honors and traditions which existed in old Highland regiments like the Gordons. Fraser is at his best when he talks of these traditions and one can see that he relished his hectic years with this famous Highland regiment.

The downsizing of the British Empire and the changes this would wrought in the army as well as the world are the backdrop against which these stories are told. This is not a book about war, but about a time when national service was apart of nearly everyone's life. Some of Fraser's opinions may not be considered PC for today, but this in my opinion adds to the charm of these stories. The war and its aftermath left lasting impressions on those who took part. The Gordon Highlanders are sadly no more, having been downsized in 1994. In this book you will find many funny and amusing tales which made them the fine regiment they once were. Those who have followed Fraser in his Flashman series will find a different style here, but equally entertaining in its own right. The McAuslan stories form part of a number of works that were written about the post war years in Britain. "Tunes of Glory" is another more serious example by Kenneth Kennaway.

The McAuslan stories have been recently gathered together into a triology which is not available from Amazon.com in the States. The book can be ordered from Amazon.com.co.uk and is well worth the extra pennies to do so.
Here's to the Gordons! Long may their memory live!

This collection is a wonderful antidote to the mundane and thoroughly unimaginative work that plagues modern fiction. Ms. Richmond rises above the rest with her unique blend of characterization and skillful narrative, making her the first new writer worth your time since Alice Walker came upon the scene. Thanks to the publishers for getting this work to us.

Ms. Richmond's attention to detail makes me feel I know these women personally. She shows such depth of understanding that I wonder if these characters are based on people she knows. I look forward to her next book and believe that she will have great success in her career.

It was a delight to dive into a work by such a master craftsman. This is dazzling talent combined with experience, training, sensitivity, humor, and insight. If you want to see how it is supposed to be done, relax into this haunting collection of stories and experience a pro at work.

In this collection of short stories, Richmond braids tales with emotional tactility. Drawing the reader into her collection of recurring characters with deft storylines, Richmond creates vivid images based upon life and living in the modern South.

Short stories woven with the common thread of relationships, this book boasts a new delivery. A neoteric realm which captures it's reader spellbound. Eccentric tales loop, twisting into an explainable reality. Thoughtful, humorous, morose, challenging, this read never lets go. The threads of it's beginning pattern complect a tapestry by end. I was mesmerized by each tale; completely given over to the surreal quality that melded into perfect rhyme. It is not an easy read, but is life an easy road? Isn't the trip the joy? It is in this transmigration of spirit and pulp.

A beautiful work of art; that books could be displayed in museums, this would hang in reverence.

This is a read. This is a masterpiece of prose. This should be your next choice.

Anyone seeking to navigate the corporate world (or life in general) should consider reading Glimpses of Reality by Baker. Admittedly, I don't normally read fiction, but the stories in this clearly written book are all "true-to-life". It would have been great to have had the author's perspective when I began my first corporate job over 12 years ago. Perhaps I would have saved myself from a lot of unnecessary, self-created stress. I suspect that most readers of this book will not only see a bit of themselves (or at the very least someone they know) reflected in these stories, they will also benefit from the author's gift of perception.

This book flows from topic to topic like a river in springtime. Ms. Baker's recounting of her experiences and interactions had me many times nodding my head and saying, "I know exactly what she means". Her insights and advice were welcome and never heavy handed. A truly enjoyable book.

This collection of stories were cleverly written and with superb clarity. The introduction was enlightening and instantaneously piqued my curiosity. Focusing on societal influences, and life's uncertainties; the book gives an explicit glimpse into how people deal with and adapt to life. It also, delved into how our culture, the media, and celebrities govern our standard of living. How we live up to those standards can fill us with astonishing gratification or immense trepidation. Clearly, the message is to attain success and happiness one must retain a resilient mind, body, and soul.

Glimpses of Reality is an honest, powerful view of life in a world dangerously side-tracked by lies. Through flowing, real-life vignettes, Ms. Baker bravely examines widely embraced myths about money, power, relationships, and other subjects that affect us all. Everyone in search of a more fulfilling life should read this book!

Baker presents an entertaining and witty discussion about some of today's greatest social challenges: drug addiction, marriage and relationships, aging, and commercialism. As Baker peeks into the lives of others through stories and vignettes, she achieves something special--the reader journeys to a place of "personal dialogue" where the discussion quickly turns to an examination of personal values, behaviors, and choices.

This second part of the Gormenghast trilogy focuses on Titus Groan, 77th Earl of Gormenghast's youth, from schooling to his ascention to manhood. This book took me almost a year to read (one long break) - the first half of the book progresses incredibly slowly, even for Peake's normally languid pace - I just couldn't cope. I can appreciate his qualities as a wordsmith - his vocabulary is second to none but I couldn't help but think he could have shortened things somewhat- the schoolmasters' preparation to court Irma drags on and on, but her eventual marriage has virtually no importance to the main plot, and ends up seeming like a waste of time and space - 'I waded through molasses for what!'

In stark contrast, the latter half of the book contains Peake's best (I think) work of the entire trilogy, culminating in the hunt for Steerpike - which is superb. Definately a book of two halves, (bad cliche) but the reader is rewarded for their effort in the end.

These books rank with the greatest books of world literature, and only one of them is still in print? Every library in the world should have a copy of the trilogy. Anyway, here we find the story of the adolescence of Titus Groan. We are also given more depth into the other characters. I'd like to note that my veiw of Steerpike and Flay changed. When I read Titus Groan, I found Steerpike more a sympathetic character than Flay, here it is otherwise. I'd also like to mention on how the events in the previous book effect the life of Titus Groan in such a way that it seems as if it happened in real life. We see the conflict inside of him between the pride of his linege and the desire for freedom, that eventually has Titus flee the great castle. The conflict between freedom and desire for the home is carried into Titus Alone.

Having read Titus Groan (which I enjoyed immensely), I decided to read Gormenghast. This took place some 10 years ago, but the book is one I still recommend and think about regularly. I will not attempt to review it in any real detail here, but I will add one comment about the book which other reviews usually leave out. This book is the funniest book I have ever read. It is not exactly a comedy, and I do not think it is intended to be riotously funny. I still reread sections of the book as they make me laugh so much it hurts. I think the reason it is funny (but only in places) relates to Mervyn Peake's mental illness, a condition which eventually led to his tragic death. The humour is black and warped. If you were to read the whole book through, this could be missed. The sections relating to Titus's schooling are fascinating and hilarious (strychnine poisoning) - yet I believe this aspect of the book is usually overlooked. There are other reasons to recommend this book, but for me, it remains a work of (partial) comic genius.

This is a review of Gormenghast, that is, the second part of the Gormenghast trilogy (after Titus Groan, and before Titus Alone).

After a somewhat slow beginning, in which Mervyn Peake first briefly summarizes Titus Grown by drawing up a list of which characters have died or gone missing, then introduces the reader with the plethora of new characters that are the teachers of Titus, the now seven-year-old seventy-seventh Earl of Gormenghast, the pace hopefully picks up again. And as the pages turn, the story becomes more and more exciting.

Irma Prunesquallor's party, and then her romance and the way the whole affair eventually backfires on Wellgrove, although it does not push the plot further, were fun to read. Titus's growing love for his sister Fuchsia, and at the same time his attempts at shunning both the physical prison that is Gormenghast castle and the mental cage that is its sacrosanct ritual, attempts that lead him into the mysterious forest where lurks the Thing, and to the grotto where Flay has taken shelter, were passionating. Finally, Steerpike's mischievious, murderous ambition, and the others' suspicions that gradually turn into evidences, and the memorable chases in the shadowy maze of the fortress that ensue, were purely mind-boggling.

Mervyn Peake's characters are so complex that in the end you like the ones you despised and hate the ones you loved in the first book. His words give life to such an amazing imagery, it vibrates and dazzles, it's intoxicating. This is magic.

It's not really possible to review Gormenghast out of context with the other two books that sandwich it: Titus Groan leads you into the world of Gormenghast and Titus Alone makes you wonder how Gormenghast, the place, exists.
This second volume continues to follow the adventures of the murderously ambitious Steerpike, the maturity and self-awareness of Titus Groan, with some colorful side-trips into a courtship, the revelation of a creature completely antithetical to all that Gormanghast stands for, and a natural disaster that heightens the intensity of the conclusion.
I would heartily recommend starting with Titus Groan (it seems the only available edition has all three volumes in one), and working through them in sequence. But make sure you avoid all the scholarly apparatus that follows Titus Alone until you've finished all three: there are a few spoilers there.
As for the comparisons to Tolkein, I'm afraid I don't see it: they as different as can be. This is not a hero's quest and where it does come down to good versus evil, it's more to do with survival: the world of Gormenghast is a world of murk and shadows, with no clear delineations or values. Titus Groan's self-awareness and the choices he makes are what drive the story. In The Lord of the Rings, there's a sense of destiny to the decisions and actions: Gormenghast is much more personal, with Steerpike's ambition, Sepulchrave's sense of duty, Flay's vigilance, Titus's maturity all helping to propel the action.
Now go read this monster.

This book is so much fun to read. It has such a wonderful rhythm and the artwork is gorgeous.

Very easy to read particularly as a bedtime story. My toddler has the refrain "Pittery, pattery, skittery, scattery ZIP round the corner came Zachary Quack" completely memorized. Very nicely illustrated as well.

My 2 boys love this book and all the Hairy Maclary books! This one is just SO cute! They are even starting to read along with me. Highly recommended!

Hairy is at it again and cuter than ever---anything in this series is great!!

I spend a lot of time reading kids books. This one is my favorite. Kids love it too!!

I love the entire hairy Maclary series. Very entertaining! My kids love it when I read it with a Scottish accent.

From the minute my 2 year old little boy saw the cover he fell in love with the book! He immediately learned the cute names of all of the dogs and the book is very exciting to him. We highly recommend this for a fun book.

another great kids book for kids, beautifully illustrated, great fun with hilarious rhymes which kids remember easily.

In this adventure Hairy McClary is given a bone by the butcher, but if followed home by his friends, Hercules Morse, Muffin Mclay, Bitzer Maloney, Bottomley Potts and Schnitzel von Krum - Hairy has to walk home in such a way to prevent his friends from getting the bone

Good way of describing big, small, and other concepts to kids. They can see why the dogs gradually get filtered out as Hairy takes the long way home.

Good fun for under 5 years - start reading young and they love them - learning to read them themselves. These also come in toddler style books which is good if you are intending these for an under 2 year old.

Here is another enjoyable episode from the life of the perky little dog called Hairy Maclary.
He has a friend, the butcher, who gives him a bone.
The rhyming text takes over the story of the envy of his friends whose names are listed. Children with other books in this series will recognize them immediately both from their descriptive names and the artwork which brings out the individual breed characteristics. This list decreases as the group moves around the town and encounters different obstacles.
All of this reflects observed doggy behaviour and hazards. It will be with great satisfaction that all small readers see Hairy Maclary get home able to keep and enjoy his bone.

This is a wonderful sequel to HAIRY MACLARY FROM DONALDSON'S DAIRY. In the first book we had Hairy going out for a walk and being joined by five other dogs one by one. This book starts with Hairy at the butcher shop where he receives a great big bone. As he sets out to return to Donaldson's Dairy we see five familiar noses poking out from behind a shop. Soon the five dogs are following Hairy hoping for a chance at the bone. But when ducking through an old billboard Hercules Morse (as big as a horse) gets stuck. You can see where this is going as Hairy continues his journey home.

A wonderful book told with a lilting rhyme and meter that makes it perfect for reading out loud. Hairy and his friends are the stars of a vast array of books that have long been almost unheard of here in the States. Well Hairy and friends are making inroads here and I for one welcome the canine (and feline) invasion. If you have not had a chance to read Lynley Dodd you have been missing something.

"Head Or Tale" is an outstanding debut by author R. Daniels. His six erotic stories are so well-written. Explicit, but not pornographic. R. Daniels sets up his characters & situations that will have you wanting more once you've finished each story. Great to read with that special someone in your life. If you're looking to discover a great new author on the scene, pick up R. Daniels' "Head Or Tale". You will definitely not regret it.

It is an amazing talent to be able to write stories so intoxicating that it leaves you wanting more and R. Daniels did it in the most sensual of ways. I have never had the pleasure of a read with this much power, it was difficult to put the book down. I am continually searching for more books from this Author and am so looking forward to the next one! Absolutely incredible and highly recommended!

R. Daniels is a man's man. He took all my thoughts and desires and placed them on each and every page of this book. I could not put it down. My erotic zone has gone to new levels. Thanks, man for putting it out there for all of us to enjoy. Much success!!

Incredible!
No book I've read has ever evoked such a range of emotions in me.
This is very heady stuff.
It will arouse and tantalize and no doubt make you fantasize.
Definitely has something for everyone and I'm sure at least some, if not all the stories will hit the spot in each of us.
Mr Daniels is a master at his craft.

R. Daniels is hot and so is his book. I was captured from the moment I started reading it. It was intriguing and sexy as hell. I hope R. Daniels knows the effect his work can have on the women all around the world. Wonderful work!