Characters Books

Any Gabriel Dupree mystery by Peter Bowen is a literary gem, and this novel is no exception. Aided by a wonderful cast of eccentric family and neighbors, Dupree again unravels a knot of murder, greed, and human folly. I particularly enjoyed the prominent role played by the loveably klutzy priest, Father Van Den Heuvel, in this book.

This is not the best of the Gabriel Du Pre Mysteries but is still a good read.

is one of my favorite characters. Peter Bowen really shows what the West was all about in writing these books. I grew up in Central and Southern Oregon which is still cow country with authentic cowboys who wear pistols and carry rifles in their rigs. Gabriel Dupree and his friends are a little overdrawn but not by much. The language, characterizations, plots, and landscape are all entwined to create a sense of place and time that is fast disappearing. The story "Nails" has to do with horse racing and the use of young teens as jockeys. There is also a sub plot having to do with white supremists and certain individuals who have too much money and not enough brains. This book fleshes out some of the characters that have been floating through the earlier stories, such as Gabriel's granddaughters and Booger Tom.

Peter Bowen alternates between serious detective fiction and a more lighthearted style the often makes gentle fun of life in upstate Montana. I like both, but lately Bowen has been more humor than mystery (consider Stewball, for instance). Nails is a return to the harder fiction style of Wolf, No Wolf and Notches and once again proves that Bowen is a writer to be reckoned with.

The subject is a touchy one. A group of Evangelical Christian has moved into the Toussaint area, and trouble starts happening. Graffiti starts appearing on the door of Father Van Den Heuvel's church. For those of us who have become fans of the clumsy priest who habitually shuts is head in the car door, Nails is a special treat. The good father gets a real part and some surprising facets of his character come out. But, as Van Den Heuvel himself points out, this is hardly the real problem.

A young girl calls 911 and begs for help, a body found, and gradually a series of strange events centers around the evangelicals and the local people who have welcomed them. Not just a spate of graffiti, pop-up sermons, and minor larceny - child abuse of the worst sort is feared, and Dupre is once again on the hunt - and complaining about the lack of help from Benetsee, the local shaman. Even without spiritual help, Dupre is inexorable. He smells evil and intends to root is out.

As I've already said, Bowen focuses on a sensitive issue, and he doesn't pull any punches. It is interesting that I read this book just as several stories about excessive discipline appeared in the news. Most of us don't realize that what we see - what actually gets report - is the very tip of the iceberg. Bowen takes the issue head on, mixing in enough local color to provide a stark contrast.

I'm not sure where Peter Bowen got the title for his latest Gabriel Du Pre mystery, but it might be from a poem by Dame Edith Sitwell:

"Still falls the Rain---
Dark as the world of man, black as our loss---
Blind as the nineteen hundred and forty nails
Upon the Cross."

Of course there are more nails now. More like 2006 in this grim Evangelical-bashing novel. Bowen doesn't go after all Christians: just the ones who accuse their own daughters of witchcraft and lock them in small rooms until they repent; and the ones who disrupt the teaching of science in schools with their rants on 'intelligent design'.

I'm surprised Pat Robertson hasn't issued a fatwa against the author of "Nails." Bowen tries to show sympathy for the down-trodden ranks of fundamentalists--the murder that is the grim centerpiece of this novel is committed almost by mistake. But maybe the author tries too hard, because the bad guys exude stupidity rather than pathos.

Aficionados of Peter Bowen's Gabriel Du Pre mysteries already know that life is grim in the Big Sky Country. It doesn't matter whether you're a ranch hand, a fiddler, a rich alcoholic, or just a science teacher who is struggling to educate her class using the standard textbooks.

The small town of Toussaint is slowly losing population--there's very little in town anymore except for a bar and a Catholic church--but an influx of fundamentalist Christians temporarily reverses the trend. Bowen's detective-hero, Gabriel Du Pre, a laconic fiddler who lets his music and his deeds speak for him, thinks the newcomers are up to no good. For one thing, their appearance coincides with the discovery of a young girl's body in a road-side ditch.

He and his long-time mistress, Madelaine, Metis descendants of the French Voyageurs and Plains Indians, also have to wrestle with a few family problems. Madelaine's son returns from the war in Iraq, minus a few body parts, with nothing to look forward to except the false solace of alcohol. Madelaine's brilliant granddaughter, Pallas is back from her posh Eastern school and trying to deal with her own demons.

"Nails" is the best of the Gabriel Du Pre mysteries to hit the shelves in quite awhile. It is grim, and I fervently hope that Bowen didn't take his story from a true-life incident, but some comic relief is provided by ancient cowhand, Booger Tom, his two mules, and the hopelessly klutzy, Father Van Den Heuvel, Toussaint's agnostic priest.

Just don't get Booger Tom started on the topic of the current Administration in Washington D.C.

This is a good reference for Nightmare on Elm Street fans and collectors. It contains both color and B&W still photos, lots of trivia and behind the scenes facts, etc.

I wish they'd update this and bring into a full-color format with a more modern media-centric look, and add material From New Nightmare and Freddy vs. Jason. As it is, it covers up through Freddy's Dead, the Final Nightmare, and is relatively complete.

It's hard to come by, but is great for the completist if you can get your hands on a copy.

This is the ultimate collectors item for any Nightmare fan. A good variety of pictures from each of the movies (Nightmares 1 thru Freddy's Dead), plus some good insight into some of the special FX that went into the movies.

The only real problem I had was, if your a devoted NOES fan like I am, you will notice a lot of minor mistakes throughout the book. For instance, Lisa, from Nightmare 2, is listed as Lisa Poletti, but in the movie her name is Lisa Webber.

Other than the few minor mistakes, this book is definetly worth picking up!

This book has everything you need to know about Freddy Krueger and all the Nightmare on elm street films! This book is not missing one detail! Its has a summary of every Krueger Film! It also has ever picture from all the Krueger films including behind the scene footage! It is the best Freddy Krueger book ever made!!!!

If you love Freddy Kruger then this book is a must! It shows many secrets of each films from 1-6.

This is a must with great pictures and biographies of each cast member and a large amount of pictures,charts and biographies on each film from: A Nightmare on Elm St -to- Freddy'd Dead

I'm a huge collector of Freddy Krueger and Nightmare On Elm Street stuff, and when I got this book, I was just blown away. The great pictures and behind the scenes made it excelent! email me if you wanna talk Freddy!

This intriguing and fast paced book held my attention until the end. I immediately sought more of her books but the local bookstore had none of them. I particularly like the main characters as they seem to come from my immediate surroundings, which prompted me to keep doors and windows locked while reading. Refreshing and very real.

This intriguing and fast paced book held my attention until the end. I immediately sought more of her books but the local bookstore had none of them. I particularly like the main characters as they seem to come from my immediate surroundings, which prompted me to keep doors and windows locked while reading. Refreshing and very real.

When E.J. Pugh discovers the bodies of her next door neighbors and the four-year-old who witnessed it she is horrified. After she finds out that she has been named Bessie's guardian, she worries that the child could be the next target of the killer. When she also finds out that the police think that Mr. Lester killed his wife, child and himself she becomes determined to clear his name and protect Bessie. I couldn't put down this fast paced and high intensity start to the E. J. Pugh series.

I am glad I am not her neighbor!! This was the first book I read from Cooper, and the friends/neighbors deaths were shocking to me. Cooper managed to pull it out and the book was a good read. Can't wait to read more to see how the family is coping and what danger is lurking around the corner for the Pugh's.

I started this book and was hooked from the very beginning. I cried with E.J. Pugh, the protagonist, at the death of her friends and neighbors--the whole family except for one little girl. I could feel for E.J. and her family dealing with: inability to believe and cope with the idea that a beloved friend could committ a brutal murder like this, the difficulty in taking a child so emotionally injured by this incident and trying to adapt her into a new family, with E.J. trying to solve this murder. One of the very best mysteries I have read. I already love and reccommend Susan Rogers Coopers series about Sheriff Milt Kovack, an Oklahoma lawman, as a superior series. But I wonder, after this book, how will she ever be able to keep the suspense this high again. I hope E.J. Pugh and her family are around for a long time.

In this wonderful, very readable book, David Gushee explores what it means to be a human being, from a Christian perspective(s). If you've been wondering "what exactly am I ?", this book addresses a lot of the fundamental questions about human existence, and human nature, that people have asked themselves for thousands of years.

One of the primary goals of the Christian's life is to look for God: to try and get a little understanding of God, the son, the holy spirit, and his revelation to us in scripture and the natural world. However, it is critical for us to understand the being that is doing the looking. This is because the `who' that is looking significantly colors what that person finds . That is this book's emphasis . Gushee looks at foundational questions like: What is a human being? Is there such a thing as a shared `human nature', or are we products of our environment? Genesis says God made us in his image, but what does this mean? What element of God do I have in me? Do I have free-will, or is everything I do pre-determined by God, or my environment? The minister on the radio said I'm a sinner, but I do a lot of good stuff, so what does this mean? If I am a sinner, can I become a good person? What does a good person look like? Can I become better, or am I doomed to my present sinful state?

In my limited experience, these are issues that we Christians (or humans in general) don't address formally very much. Our Sunday School classes don't address these issues enough, much less go and look at great thinkers like Augustine to explore the questions. For this reason, I found this book enormously valuable, and I have kept it on my shelf for regular reference.

Gushee's chapter on human relationships is especially good, comparing our understanding of human relationships to our understanding of the relationship between the persons of the trinity. Also particularly good is his discussion of human moral growth, or of advancement in becoming more good, drawing heavily on some elements of Catholic thinking on the topic of sanctification.

Gushee writes both for a Christian audience, as well as the non-Christian who may wonder what Christianity has to say about the issue. He draws back on great thinkers from (both Christian and not) from the last three thousand years, and delves in philosophy too Although Gushee approaches these issues as American evangelical Protestant (from my reading), this book is very ecumenical, drawing considerably on a treasury of sources from different branches of the Christian family.

This book is written for a layman/woman, and would be a very good primer for people as young as high-school aged. Gushee is very approachable, and gives a fair presentation to viewpoints in opposition to his own. Also appreciated is a section of references for further reading on topics he brings up.

Why do I act the way I do? Dr. Gushee does a wonderful job of explaining how human nature effects our everyday lives. Being created in God's image, we all have the ability to do good. Why then is being a good person so easy for some and difficullt for others? Is becoming a "good" person even atainable? This book will give you some insight on our human nature as we strive to be better people. I found it enjoyable and easy to read.

Gushee's book is a wonderful analysis of key questions that are pertinent to the Christian identity. He touches on questions such as whether human nature even exists and why relationsships matter so much to humans--amongst others of course. For the Christan, this book is a wonderful book to incite thought and discussion on what being a Christian really means when it comes to moral life and the outlook on humanity. For those who would not consider themselves Christians, this book will aquaint you to foundational thoughts from a Christian worldview (mainly evangelical) on what it means to be a human being. This is truly a thoughtful, cogent and smart book that encourages thought on key issus on identity from a very good Christian moral philosopher. I really enjoyed it.

Dr. Gushee does a sensational job explaining our humanistic nature to fumble as Christians, and he explores the basic human growing pains that we experience in everyday life. After reading this book I feel like I am not alone in my faults as a christian, and that my journey is more enlightened. I highly recommend this book.

Gushee tackles hard questions through rhythmic words that seem to bounce off the page. What makes me tick? How can I be morally good? Should I just try harder or am I doomed from the beginning? Gushee explores all areas from genes to luck and those in between to answer these age old questions. This is flowing, melodious read. Add one sunny afternoon and you are in for a treat.

In 778 Charlemagne made an incursion over the Pyrenees into Spain. Needing to take his army to the Rhine to meet another challenge, he retreated, leaving a rearguard to protect his army as it withdrew. That rearguard, led by Count Hruodland (later known as Roland) was defeated at Roncesvalles.

This episode gave us the legend of the brave Roland, who died blowing his horn to summon Charlemagne to return and rescue the overwhelmed soldiers. The story grew ever more elaborate with every retelling. In Italy Roland became Orlando. By the 1400s France and Italy nostalgically looked back on a lost world that never existed, the world of chivalry. Roland (or Orlando) figured largely in this literature that grew up about knights, ladies, dragons and magicians.

The Italian poet Matteo Boiardo wrote his contribution to the Roland cycle, Orlando Innamorato (1495). Boiardo died before finishing the planned final third part of his poem.

That brings us to Ludovico Ariosto who set out to finish Boiardo's epic. Ariosto was a superior poet and his Orlando Furioso is a truly major work and an important part of the Western Canon. It is also the most Italian book I have ever read. The mix of magic, history, humor, irony all combine in a way that ends up feeling Italian, yet that I can't exactly explain why. But anyone who has a close familiarity with Italian culture will understand what I mean. I can give an example. A brave knight saves the beautiful damsel. She offers herself as a reward. The brave knight then starts unbuckling his armor in order to collect his payment. Finally the lady grows bored with the laborious, time-consuming knightly undressing and wanders off. This irreverent original twist on an old story, done with a sly smile is pure Ariosto and pure Italy.

Ariosto is not only a good poet, he is a great storyteller. Because of this Orlando Furioso becomes a wonderful book in Guido Waldman's prose translation. I have rarely found translations of poetry to be satisfactory. As one man said, you can translate the words, but who can translate the music?

It's a shame this terrific book has slid off the modern reader's radar. The Renaissance was more than pictures and statues. It was a complete rebirth of the western mind. Orlando Furioso is as important a work of art as Botticelli's Primavera or Raphael's School of Athens.

It's a big book. Give yourself some time to enjoy this burly, mirthful work. It's worth it.
-Bill McGann, Author of "The Story of the Tour de France"

Although "Orlando Furioso" is one of the Great Classics, in terms of household recognition it has not been able to hold its own. Thus, it is not nearly as well known as Dante's Divine Comedy, a work to which it is sometimes compared. The work has been aptly described as a combination of Homer and Cervantes's "Don Quixote." To these two I would add Boccaccio's "Decameron."

"Orlando Furioso" deals with the exploits of Charlemagne's Paladins (knights) in their attempts to repulse the "Saracen" (Moorish) invasion of France. Against this rich backdrop all sorts of adventures take place, ranging from knightly combat, to amorous dalliance, to dragons, nymphs and other magic.

Ariosto wrote "Orlando Furioso" around 1516, some 750 years after the events it purports to describe. Thus, it is not surprising that the work contains many anachronisms. His warriors - both Christian and Saracen - fight in full body armor with stirrups and lance. But this mode of fighting did not develop until well after the year 1000. He makes reference to Tartars and Prester John. But "Tartars" is another name for Mongols, who were not known in Europe until the 13th century. The legend of Prester John has a similarly late origin.

Our age is greatly concerned with violence, especially the "gratuitous" kind. The violence in Orlando thus comes as something of a shock. There are frequent references to heads being lopped off and bodies cloven in twain. Also surprising are the great powers attributed to women. But it is unlikely that Ariosto was an early woman's libber. More likely he reflected prevailing views, and these gave women more due than we customarily attribute to past ages. Perhaps the status of women (and men) is governed by cyclical events, such as population pressures.

Is there a dominant message in "Orlando Furioso?" I found it hard to clearly identify one. Possibly the title contains a clue: "Orlando" is the name of the principal protagonist, and "Furioso" means "mad" or "rabid." What drove Orlando mad? Why, a faithless woman, of course! Yet one gets the impression that Ariosto intends most of the blame to go to Orlando himself. In pursuing this woman (an enemy, to boot) he betrays many of the ideals of courtly love. He turns the great powers of sublimated love to selfish interests. For this he is punished.

Before anything else is said, it should be known that this edition is a prose translation, which does not retain most poetic characteristics of the original poem although for a modern English reader this is probably the best edition yet: fairly clear and still interesting in its own way. Orlando Furioso is a 16th century epic poem dealing with Charlamgne's wars against the "Saracens" who had (if we are to take the poem as historical fact) even reached the point of besieging the city of Paris. Of course,the book was not meant by its author to be historically accurate in any way, merely a parody of chivalric court legends as the book description says. Whoever reads this book and fails to sense irony on every page, even crude jokes in some parts clearly does not understand what he is reading in the least. But Orlando Furioso is not a parody of just chivalric court legends; it also pokes fun at the Illiad, popular tales and even common peasant stories. The heads (complete with helmets) sliced in two by a single sword blow are taken from The Illiad, in which Greek champions perform similar feats, although in Orlando Furioso, literally hundreds of men meet their end in this manner to the point of becoming amusing in a way. And I found it strange to notice a very clear similarity between the story told by an innkeeper in the book and the prologue to a translation of a 13th century version of the Arabian Nights (translated by Hussain Haddawy). Ariosto had no possible way to know of the existence of the Nights, but still it is interesting to see how truly close the two incidents are: In Orlando, two men who have given up on the possibility of women being chaste, take one woman and watch her day and night, yet she still deceives them in their own bed. In the Nights, a demon has locked his wife inside an impenetrable castle, yet she still deceives him as he sleeps right next to her in bed. The two events are described similarly, with the same irony (being meant as a joke which the author denies believing in in the least). The book is funny only in the way reading Candide is funny. This is simply another example of what makes the book enjoyable. During the reading of Orlando, somewhere about 3/4 of the way into the book, the reader may wish that it would end right there and that two characters; Bradamant and Ruggiero should get married and finish the story. But the continuation of their separation and further adventures is just another parody of common legends, exaggerated out of proportion. In the end, with all its jokes and its surprisingly individualistic narrative technique, its more serious scenes (the most touching of which is when a woman named Isabel is killed) forms into a large picture, with a great deal of good atmosphere, such that when it ends (although the reader may not have been touched very much during its reading) will want it to go on.

Easy enough to refer to a prose translation as "appropriate for the masses," but the fact remains that when a translator is freed from the necessity of forcing a poem to conform to rhyme and meter in a second language, he has access to a broader range of vocabulary and is therefore more able to remain true to the spirit of the original (as Waldman deftly explains in his introduction). Is it any wonder that this work has received so little attention in America when past translations have been so hidebound and pedagogical? Orlando Furioso is anything but a sing-songy, staid old verse.

In Waldman's translation are to be found both the idealised virtues of chivalry and sometimes startlingly lowbrow humor, all wrapped up in an epic tale of adventure, romance and magic. By providing an unabridged translation (another shortcoming of more traditional editions), and by attempting to capture the true flavor of the work rather than slavishly abiding by the dictates of classical poetic rules, he has presented to English readers for the first time a tale that rivals the epics of Homer in its scope and aspiration. And for sheer entertainment value (coupled with the elitism of Ariosto's sly jabs at the very people for whom the work was composed), this work is all but impossible to beat-- his original audience, after all, was not the literati, but the idle rich.

Orlando Furioso is a classic story that has often been overlooked by the average reader. We follow Charlemagne's paladins as they traverse the world, pagan and Christian, looking for adventure, fame, and love. They end up in many fascinating places such as enchanted castles, Hades, and on the moon with St. John the Apostle. Their adventures bring them into contact with fascinating people, incredible beasts, and magic weapons. They engage in sword fights and duels, convert the Muslims, and fall in love. The story centers on Orlando and other pagan and Christian knights as they try to win the love of Angelica, a Saracen Princess. Meanwhile, a war between the Christians and Muslims is going on. These events are a continuation of the story told in Orlando Innamorato by Boiardo, which came before this poem. Ariosto, however, has given us a sequel that in many ways surpasses its predecessor. Orlando Furioso is a story of epic proportions that is subtly funny, never boring, and always beautiful. To the basic themes of chivalry and love, Ariosto has added elements of allegory, irony, and even prophecy to make an enchanting masterpiece. The stories contained are similar to the Arthurian legends, only with more humor and excitement. I agree with C.S. Lewis when he wrote: "Our oblivion of these poets (i.e. Boiardo and Ariosto) is much to be regretted...because it robs us of a whole species of pleasures and narrows our very conception of literature."

For some reason amazon.com links this review to both the Reynolds and the Waldman translations, but they are different books. Although the previous part of my review is valid for any translation, this part is only relevant for the Waldman version. I have not read the one by Reynolds. This translation is in prose, meaning it loses some of the original spirit of Ariosto. However, by doing this Waldman makes the stories much easier to read and more accessible for the average person, who usually does not read poetry. I really enjoy the prose rendering; it has been done beautifully. If you love poetry and/or want a translation closer to the original Italian, then perhaps you should buy another version. One benefit though, is that this edition is complete in one volume and unabridged. Also, there is an introduction and an index of characters and their adventures. Unfortunately, there are no annotations. Overall, this is an excellent book that I think everyone should read at least once. It is a classic!

Not a review here but a note. Readers who enjoy Orlando would appreciate Anthony Powell's witty account of the moon trip in the 12th and last volume of his A Dance to the Music of Time.

I may not have been the only person to have noticed how much the poetry improves in the last half of _Paradiso_ in the Dorothy Sayers translation. This is because Sayers died before completing the last of her translation of the _Divina Commedia_, and her devoted friend and admirer Barbara Reynolds took over. But where Sayers had been technically impressive in matching Dante's terza rima, but pedestrian in the poetry, at the point where (as I guess) Reynolds takes over a new lightness of touch and poetic feel for the language makes itself felt.

This Ariosto translation is Reynolds' great achievement. Moreover it is one of the three or four greatest literary translations in English, an achievement to stand beside Dryden's _Aeniad_ and Fairfax's _Gerusalemma Liberata_. (On Pope's _Illiad_, which I'm currently reading, I tend to agree with the contemporary reviewer who commented, "A very pretty poem, Mr Pope, but you must not call it Homer".)

She captures Ariosto's wit and lightness, occasionally turning in closing couplets for her stanzas that are as sharp as Byron's in _Don Juan_ (who was in turn also using Ariosto - among others - as a model), but also following Ariosto in allowing the sense to flow from stanza to stanza in a quite un-Byronic way. As well, she manages to transmit Ariosto's graver passages in equally dignified verse, for example some of the set pieces imitated (by Ariosto) from Homer. English readers tend to think of Ottava Rima as a vehicle for comic verse, but in Italian it is a model for epic. It's just that the great Italian epic tradition, unlike the English epic tradition before Byron's great anti-epic, includes humour.

As for Ariosto, he is a great poet and story-teller, and (not exactly a literary judgment, this) his authorial "voice" is one whose company you cannot help enjoying. His humour, sometimes sly, is also warmly compassionate; sometimes satirical, sometimes splendidly and deliberately silly. Ariosto knows his flying horses, invisibility rings, sexy sorceresses and the rest are perfectly absurd, but manages to maintain the fantasy elements as wonderful and exciting, without ever undercutting them with mere cynicism or bathos. But most often the humour is warm and character-based.

His story has an astonishing range of characters, the Moorish warriors and their lovers depicted as fairly and favourably as his Christian protegonists, and an astonish sweep, all over Europe and the East, with digressions to the Moon and other enchanted places.

Another feature of Ariosto is his feminism, which shows in his warrior women, who give and take in battle every bit as well as the men. He also tellingly mocks some of the anti-feminist aspects of chivalry, as in the scene where one of Ariosto's heroes is called upon to champion in a trial by combat a woman who has been accused of unchastity. The hero readily agrees to defend the woman's honour, but only after observing that he would as readily defend her if she were unchaste, as in his view (clearly also Ariosto's) women have a right to make love without being condemned for it.

Two last observations. First, I believe that this poem, and not Dante's, is the great Italian epic, superior to Dante for the same reason that Shakespeare is superior to Racine, or Byron's English epic is superior to Milton's or even Spencer's. Dante offers moral allegory (though with a thoroughly repellant worldview), and Ariosto's failure to preach has sometimes been taken as a sign of lack of depth or seriousness. But the great epics are about humanity, not allegory (though I have seen attempts to allegorise Homer, none have done so convincingly); and Ariosto presents one of the widest and greatest human canvases of all epic. It is the most readable long poem since the _Odyssey_. Yes.

Second, Amazon has linked this translation to another, a prose translation. I haven't read the prose translation, but I would observe that _Orlando Furioso_ is a poem. To render it as something else is to lose its structure, its purpose and its very nature. To present a prose translation of this poem as a genuine "version of Ariosto" is a bit like presenting Beethoven's Ninth symphony by playing an arrangement for kazoo: some of Beethoven will come through in a kazoo transcription, but you cannot call it the Ninth. Get the Reynolds; it is a great and easy _read_, and it is one of the glories of English poetic translation.

Cheers!

Laon

This is a wonderful flight of fantasy that is full of magic castles, horses that fly (hippogriffs), and such imagination and humor that you never cease to be entertained by it all. You may wonder like I did that: If this is "Part One", where is part two? I was unable to find any such continuation. You have to just enjoy this marvelous tale for what it is.

I read this book over the course of a summer, and delighted in taking Reynold's translation canto by canto. Ariosto's style is immortalized in her translation, complete with his witty asides and satirical commentary. Amazing.

Ariosto was one of the giants of Renaissance literature, and this was his footprint. Grand, touching, funny, witty, stirring -- as Dryden said of Chaucer, here is the world's plenty. Some of the greatest poets of the next two centuries (Tasso, Spenser, Milton) explicitly attempted to overdo him, and only sometimes succeeded; Byron took as much from Ariosto as he did from Pulci.

But don't read this on that account. Read it because it's a delight from start to finish. War, love, and chivalry are the poet's themes, and they're here in all their forms.

I don't know Italian, but everyone I've asked who would know assures me Reynolds's translation captures not just the essence but the spirit of the original.

(Ignore the reviews that claim that this is a prose translation -- they are from another translation.)

I am now reading this book for the fourth time. I consult this book as much as I consult the Holy Bible. Why? Because this book forces me to tell and understand the truth about myself as well as the source of the problems that has created so many needs in my life. I highly recommend this book to any Christian who has reached a point in their walk with Christ where nothing but truth sets them free and apart from the world. Thank you Dr. Stanley for allowing the Lord to use you as a vessel to write such a glowing and thought provoking book. God Bless You!
LAT from North Carolina

I have read and re-read this book and listened to and re-listened to the audio version. WHen I begin to rely on others to meet my needs and as I continue to be disappointed I find no better book than this one to put things back in perspective.

I love Charles Stanley and seek his wisdom in my toughest times (after seeking the Lord). This book is invaluable when I am struggling with my unmet earthly needs.

You can read any review for what the book covers but I just wanted to express what it does for me spiritually.

God bless.

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus," notes Philippians 4:19. The crux of Stanley's message is that God knows us and all of our unmet needs. Charles Stanley offers moral support to Christians and Scriptural exhortation. Jehovah Jireh provides all our needs, and when we walk in faith, he brings us to where he wants us. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose," declares the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:28. It doesn't mean life goes peachy for Christian and is devoid of trials and afflictions, but the all things are working together for our good, our sanctification, and our final redemption when we're raised in glory. For those of faith, God is our sustainer, and he will make adequate provision for us when we turn to Him and acknowledge our dependency on Him to supply our unmet needs. Stanley exhorts reader to trust in God, seek fruits of patience and love. Charles Stanley has assembled another great inspirational and insightful pick-me-up for Christians on their spiritual journey.

this book has answered so many questions that i have asked so many pastors with no avail. my mind is filled with hope, where i thought i was alone. charles stanley is wonderful, and my own doctor says he has learnd so much more from his books. thank you, for helping me get through very bad times since 1996. i know that i am on the right road, for heaven, and God is my way to heaven thanks to charles stanley.

Dr. Charles Stanley clearly defines needs and wants in this both insightful and inspirational book. He helps the reader understand their wants and needs, then leads the reader to successful methods to fulfill those needs.

This book sincerely changed my life. Things that most of us consider needs are really wants and each chapter places the reader closer to fulfillment for those wants and needs. I occasionally pull out the notebook I kept while reading this book as a reference and inspiration.

I picked up this book when trying to better understand God's plan for me in life. I had so many questions about my path in life and was angry with myself because I could not achieve those things. This book helped me answer many questions and move toward peace.

This book is a must have.

I absolutely love Camille Minichino's books, and The Oxygen Murders is no exception. The heroine is so much like me--older, a teacher, unsure about men--until Gennaro--I just think she's great. Not only are but books entertaining but also a good learning experience. The most amazing things is that she can write entire books without using sex and profanity. They are there, but she has enough vocabulary available to her that she knows how to express the feeling without the "explicit sex and language," as so many other writers do. I read their books, too, but I can't wait for the next Gloria Lamerino adventure. Linda Lunsford

It's Christmastime and retired physicist Gloria Lamberino is spending it in New York city with her new husband and best friends, Rose and Frank Galigani. While Gloria's husband Matt Revere, a Massachusetts homicide detective, attends a police conference Gloria plans to (reluctantly) shop with her friends and visit with Matt's niece, Lori Pizzano. When Gloria discovers the body of Lori's roommate in the young women's loft, there's no question that Gloria will be lending a hand in the investigation, especially when it's discovered that the two women were involved in the making of a documentary exposing the ozone depletion by a shady corporation. In between dining at famous New York eateries with her friends and visiting the City's famous sites Gloria discovers that the murdered woman was making a profit at blackmail and gathering no shortage of enemies, including the clients of a private investigator and the executives of a powerful corporation. Gloria finds herself torn between family loyalties and her need to ferret out the truth when she discovers that Lori has been less than truthful and may be implicated in the murder.

Surprisingly, the chapters from the point of view of Lori Pizzano prove to be the most interesting in this extremely pleasing mystery. Minichino does an admirable job conveying the moral conflict plaguing Lori as she finds herself unable to disclose either to the police or her own uncle her complicity in her roommate's schemes. Also refreshing is that after an initial rebuking, Rose and Matt are resigned to Gloria's investigation and refrain from their usual warnings to not interfere. Rose does, however, continue to campaign for a "real" wedding reception for Rose and Matt despite their attempt to escape a big party with their elopement. The Periodic Table Mysteries continues to be a reliable series sure to please fans with its humor, steady pace, and very likeable characters.

Gloria Lamerino, a retired physicist, and her fiancé, Homicide Detective Matt Gennaro, head to New York City for a vacation with their best friends Rose and Frank Galigani before Christmas. They plan to visit Matt's niece Lori Pizzano, a documentary filmmaker. Rose plans to shop and take in shows and to get Gloria to participate with her as much as possible. Matt is there to attend an NYPD conference.

Lori is doing a documentary on ozone and environmental issues. When Gloria goes to her apartment, she stumbles over the body of her camerawoman, Amber Keenan.

Later Gloria learns that Amber had been scheming, and there is an abundance of suspects. Can Gloria enjoy her vacation while finding a killer? And can she help Lori stay safe in the process?

Before I read my first book in this series, I worried about it being full of science jargon. It's not. The author has done a great job of presenting needed information without taking you out of the story. And all the technical data is in layman's terms.

I really like Gloria and Matt. They are a great couple with real problems and issues to deal with. The New York location of this book adds to the story and provides great ambiance. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

Gloria Lamarino is glorious again as the physicist turned slueth in her newest science-based adventure. While a somewhat unlikely "heroine," Gloria, in her latest adventure, is becoming as unforgettable a character as Miss Marple. Once again, she has moved beyond her upper room roost above a Revere, Massachusetts funeral home. Now, instead of visiting friends in California, she and her new husband, Matt, find themselves in New York City. While Matt attends a conference, Gloria discovers a murder amidst old friends. Naturally, an element is involved -- oxygen. There are many twists and turns before the case is solved and the miscreant is brought to justice. But the real fun is in the wonderful characters that Minichino has created. To enter their world is a delight.

The eighth installment of Minichino's Periodic Table mysteries finds retired physicist and part-time sleuth Gloria Lamerino on a pre-Christmas trip to New York City with her new husband Matt Gennaro and their best friends Rose and Frank Galigani. The trip was supposed to be a pre-holiday shopping and sight-seeing getaway, combined with a police conference for Revere Police detective Matt. However, when Gloria pays a visit to Matt's niece Lori Pizzano, a documentary film maker, and discovers Lori's dying camerawoman Amber Keenan in Lori's studio/loft, Gloria and Matt suddenly find themselves searching for Amber's murderer. It turns out that there are lots of reasons why Amber could have been murdered, which range from the corporate secrets regarding ozone emissions which Lori and Amber were investigating in their latest documentary, to victims of Amber's blackmailing schemes which she was running on the side. Matt's niece Lori finds herself as a murder suspect, so of course Matt and Gloria want to find the real murderer. The mystery in this story is a good one and very enjoyable, with a soltuion which took me by surprise. As usual in this series, author Minichino mixes in quite a bit of scientific information in the plot, with the subject this time being ozone emissions from welding.

Set against a festive pre-Christmas New York setting, this latest entry in the series is one of the best of the series so far. Whether you are an old friend of Dr. Gloria Lamerino or new to the series, this is a story that all mystery fans are sure to enjoy.

A sequel to Command a King's Ship, Bolitho sails his Tempest farther east into the contested fringes of the British, Spanish and French empires. Capt. Bolitho is among the the islands in the Great South Sea, which is not so Pacific as it echoes to thunderous broadsides and murderous intrigue. Mutiny is in the air again. The state-sponsored (merchantile) economy of peacetime England is rotten, royalist France is in turmoil before its revolution, and the amazing Bligh has survived the mutiny on the Bounty. We see Polynesia in a more exciting time, when traders and free booters were only just entering islands of lovely but deadly natives amid the clash of unsettled national interests and claims. Bolitho has finally met his match in the form of an utterly ruthless and clever pirate who outwits Bolitho time and again, despite the desperate courage of his lieutenants. Kent has again come up with a wonderfully evil pirate to fight, even though we hardly meet him. Is Bolitho too besotted with his love for Viola, who has returned with her husband to develop an island colony? Unfortunately Kent makes Viola's husband so wholly irredeemable there's no tension there. Into this comes a French frigate under a tyrannical captain just as news of the outbreak of the French Revolution roils the tense waters and dubious loyalties further. The effects of tropical heat are graphically displayed, and the implacable scourge of fever finally makes its appearance in the series.

Mr Kent proves once more that he is a master story teller. This book is alive with characters who face a series of dangerous adventures in the service of their king. The story has everything: brigands, upturned cannon, splintered decks, heroic struggle against the odds, friendship, romance, some terrific dialog and character developement, hostile islanders, Royal Marines, some rather bloody battles and above it, Richard Bolitho stands true to his calling. The plot and sub plots are splendidly told and fill the pages with attention to detail, a rich feel for the time period and Allday backing his captain with his broad back and gleaming cutlass.
Great stuff to read on a rainy afternoon by a crackling fire.
What is great about the Kent books is the fact that as in real life, people arrive, influence, some move on and others die. Told with flair and a bold descriptive style makes Kent's books some of my very favorite.
Enjoy

Passage to Mutiny was my first Bolitho adventure. I have read them all, but nothing captured my imagination quite as much as this one. Bolitho and his crew set out to find Eurotas, which was captured by pirates. The relationships between Bolitho and Herrick; and Bolitho and Viola; are vivid and bring out Bolitho's character to enhance the suspensful plot. The fight on the beach ending with Herrick having his back to the sea as a final desperate measure while Tempest's launch arrives just in time to save them kept me on the edge of my seat. I don't think I breathed for at least two chapters. It was one of the most satisfying reads I have ever had.

Richard Bolitho's new command is the Tempest, a 36-gun frigate, built in India of teak. a fifth class like his last command. But teak is a very heavy, dense wood; much heavier than the English oak usually used in the construction of ships of the Royal Navy, and therefor less maneuverable--but exceptionally strong.

The Tempest is picked up in the story entering the harbor at Sydney, the main port of the prison colony of Botany Bay (now known as Australia.)

The Commodore to whom he reports is an old friend with whom he served when they were both lieutenants. But another old acquaintance was also arriving soon from England: the government advisor, James Raymond and his wife Viola, with whom Bolitho had fallen in love on the last occasion of their company, five years previously.

The story continues through attacks by the pirate Mathias Tuke, broadsides, shore parties, a long sea episode in an open boat, hostile savages, and the loss of many good friends and crew members in battler and from fever, and the near loss of Bolito's own life.

This is a fine novel, as is typical of Alexander Kent, and the seventh in the Bolitho series. I have ordered the next three in the series, so taken by the stories am I.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN(Ret)

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

Passage to Mutiny is the fourth Kent novel set outside of an actual war and the fourth that deals with pirates. In the past Richard Bolitho has ultimately enjoyed great success against pirates while Kent has had mixed success writing about it. This time Kent gets it right in a nail biting, blood and thunder epic. Perhaps Kent's Bolitho adventures reached their peak in the mid-70s and Passage to Mutiny is an example of the writer in top form.

Five years after Command a King's Ship Bolitho is off to Botany Bay. The spectre of two famous captains, Cook and Bligh, hangs over the voyage. Cook explored much of the region and was ultimately killed in the Pacific and Bligh has just lost his ship to mutiny. While he may have fears of mutiny, Kent's Bolitho has both the leadership abilities and humanity of Cook and the seafaring ability of Bligh. His crews will stand with him to the death.

Bolitho's paramour and nemesis from Command a King's Ship are both back to complete the story that Kent started in the earlier novel. While reading Command a King's Ship I was thinking that Bolitho should back off from having a relationship with a married woman no matter what her husband is like, Kent had me thinking that Bolitho should go for it and squeeze whatever happiness he could out of the opportunity that he had.

However, Passage to Mutiny is really about broadsides, thwarting pirates and a great sailing epic. The romance is just a little fluff along the way while manly men do manly things. The story is exciting and succeeds on that level. I did have a few problems with it though. Kent is not always clear on details such as how the wind is blowing, what direction the shore is and the way ports face. He really should include maps or provide additional details so that the reader can visualize what's happening accurately. One can't always figure out why Bolitho is so brilliant if one doesn't know which way the wind is blowing and which direction the ship is sailing.

Still and all I was wrapped up in this one and I look forward to the next Bolitho adventure.

Of "our world, our wooden world," as O'Brian wrote in the Nutmeg of Consolation. As an O'Brian devotee who is compiling a quotation book for naval officers and mariners (The Literary Mariner; look for it next year), I have found this Muster Book to be more useful, in its own way, than even Dean King's excellent Sea of Words. King's work is mostly a wonderful timesaver--you needn't hunt up terms in other reference books--but Gary Brown's POB Muster Book is unique and indispensable: no where else will you find the attention paid to and the cross-referenced information on the characters, ships, and animals of the entire Aubrey-Maturin series (what one reviewer called the Aubreyiad, a term I like very much).

Once the book was in hand, for example, I was able very quickly to answer three questions that had been bothering me: was Awkward Davis and Awkward Davies the same man (yes); were the Dumanoirs mentioned separate characters (yes); and what were the names of the various cannon in Surprise.

There is a very useful and succinct summary outlining the entire series, and the lengthy essays on each of the major characters also walks through all the books from that character's perspective (warning: if you haven't read the Aubreyiad through, these will be spoilers). Gary Brown also makes good use of helpful references to biographies (Dean King's and Nikolai Tolstoy's--see my Amazon reviews) and to historical works. This is simply a stunning achievement.

As an academic, I was first introduced to O'Brian by a colleague who thought I might find it interesting to compare O'Brian's works to Jane Austen's. As I did so I became convinced that there was more than a chance connection between the authors' works, but with O'Brian's expansive Aubreyiad, trying to corroborate the simplest connection became so time consuming it was discouraging. I happened across the first edition of this book on Amazon, ordered it, and three published academic articles later, it may well be the most indispensable work in my library. So much so, that when a newer edition came out that included the last few novels O'Brian wrote, I had to have it. I haven't been disappointed. Whether you're a "fan" or an academic, Gary Brown's meticulous research is sure to add to your understanding and appreciation of the genius of Patrick O'Brian.

I must say that my recent purchase of "PO's Muster Book" is worth the investment. I wish I had bought it sooner.

I am not quite finished with all 20 and 1/2 volumes of the O'Brian 19th century odyssey, having only finished the first 18, but I became an Aubrey/Maturin junkie after reading the first two novels and watching the movie. Comprehending the wealth of people, places and events, real and imagined, combined with a liberal use of foriegn languages was difficult and intimidating. I was often confused, because I didn't readily remember names and places from one chapter to the next.

Fortunately, before I started no. 5, I discovered, through Amazon, the companion books advertized there. I purchased "Sea Of Words", "Harbors And High Seas" and "Patrick O'Brian's Navy". Problem solved. I constantly cross referenced my new literary tools several times a chapter to interpret the rich mix of story and detail woven together in O'Brian's romantic chronology. The downside is that I needed to carry a tote when I went to read at the coffee shop as well as use an extra chair to hold my not so portable library.

Recently, I have added "The Patrick O'Brian Muster Book" and I immediately liked using it. Actually, it could be a "stand alone" companion book, except that it is absent of maps, diagrams, pictures or a commentary on the life and times. I know that this type information is beyond the scope of "Muster" by nature, so, my other books are still important to me, just not needed by the night stand.

That said, I am pleased with the appearance, organization and thoroughness of "Muster". Formatted like Webster's, it is highly informational and allows quick alphabetical access to the who and the where along with the what and the when not as easily accomplished by the other companion books. I can quickly remind myself of the names and places and not lose track of the story in doing so. Additionally, it lists all O'Brian's books with a Cliff Notes style summary and along with each item is the cross reference of all mentions in the series by book and chapter. It has helpful optional references to deliniate the fact from fiction.

While I finish the series and re-read it, as I'm sure I will, "Muster" will be my favorite companion. Now, when I'm reading on the plane, I won't have as much baggage.

There are other companion books to Patrick O'Brian's world and works, but none better than this one. Being a foreigner and rather a recent fan, I really need the help of such books to attain at least the merest understanding of what's going on, so I own several others which I enjoyed enormously. However none is so complete and helpful as this one. Most recommendable.

Anthony Gary Brown's "The Patrick O'Brian Muster Book" is truly the ultimate literary companion volume for O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin nautical historical novels. Every serious fan of the series should get a copy. Every named person, animal, ship, or even cannon gets its own entry, very often exploring obscure references (and nicely cross-referencing multiple appearances throughout the series). This new edition of Brown's work covers the entire series, including the twenty-first volume left unfinished at O'Brian's death. It serves to enhance reading (and re-reading) the novels and will provide many hours of pleasant browsing for the serious fan.