France Books

Finding this book and getting it so quickly was just what I had hoped for!
Thanks so much

I had this series as a child and LOVED it. This particular book was my favorite in the series. I can still remember the storyline. My set had been handed down to my sister. Now that she has grown up, I'm not sure where they have landed, but I intend to get the entire set again.

My Mom used to read this to me when I was little, and coincidently, I picked it up from our library while writing my personal statement for graduate school. I also am looking for "invisible enemies" like Louis Pasteur's; I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Immunology and Microbiology.

This book was a vivid memory from when I was little so I had to order it. It is humorous while it delivers the life story of rabies scientist Louis Pasteur.

Presents a good lesson featuring the best scientist in history for whom I have a deep respect, but gives me nightmares since I read it as a kid! I researched the real story and some facts are incorrect. If I liked it, yes & no for these reasons. Haunting,& it changed the course of my life.

This beautifully written book is a tremendous help for cancer patients, family and friends of cancer patients, and anyone interested in good health. Carol's courageous attitude is an inspiration to all. You will not be disappointed with this book!

I read this book to gain insight into what it is like to live with advanced breast cancer. It has given me a new-found empathy. The author writes in an open and extremely honest way that is both informative and enlightening. Her tone is positive and encouraging. This book stresses the importance of being involved in one's medical decisions and challenges patients to educate themselves from a variety of sources. I think this empowerment concept can be applied to many medical conditions people face. Learning about endobiogenie is intriguing. Also, the included resource and recommended reading lists are very helpful.

I found this gem quite by accident when attending a conference on breast cancer. The title caught my attention because I have long felt that the beaurocracy of the FDA and other parties in the US have reduced alternatives available to those who hear "You have cancer."

This book is informative, yet reads somewhat like a novel. It is not only applicable to breat cancer but to almost anyone who has cancer or a family member or friend that does.(this likely is the entire population)
It details that you have to be your own medical advocate and the author's courage is an inspiration to all.

We are definately going to check out the alternative method in the book. I like the fact that there is science involved. A search of the web has so many snake oil salespeople that would want you to believe they are the next Jonas Salk, this book is informative real life, real answers.

Thank you Carol!!

I don't normally write reviews, but this book warrants one wholeheartedly. My mother was recently diagnosed with Stage 3 BC and I bought the book for myself, with the intent to read a patient's own life story and learn more about alternative treatments. I read the book in one sitting and immediately sent it off to my mother. It has been a source of TREMENDOUS comfort to her because this book is like having a friend who's 'been there' and makes everything just a little less scary because she's read about it ahead of time. A lot of books out there are targeted towards women with early stage BC (1 or 2)...this is a GREAT book for women with Stage 3 and 4 BC. I wholeheartedly recommend it. My mother references it all the time...I'm buying a replacement copy for myself.

This book would not only be a very informative read for any woman dealing with breast cancer, but truly would be helpful to nearly any cancer patient. The author has written the book from her perspective and experiences with advanced breast cancer, but she touches on issues that many cancer patients face (the initial shock of diagnosis, the disparity in examination and treatment thoroughness among doctors, chemotherapy, decision making and long-term treatment options, alternative treatments, etc.). Being someone close to a cancer patient/survivor, I found the book to be very informative and helpful in gaining some insight as to what a cancer patient goes through (mentally and physically). Mechanically, the book flows nicely and is an easy read. It can be finished in an afternoon. The chapter on endobiogene is worth the price of the book alone and should be read by every cancer patient and every doctor and/or med student.

This is a very interesting and readable account of scratch building a model sailing ship. I found the descriptions of the simplfications made in constructing the model to be very interesting and this increased my appeciacion for the complexity of both the model and the original vessel. The book is also very informative on what the possible pitfalls and problems one may encounter when building such a model..things that would not otherwise have occured to me. I cannot praise the fold-out line drawings enough, excellent! This book comes highly recommended!

WOW! That was the first thing I said after opening Amazon's box containing this book. The book is a substantial size, nice and thick and the binding quality is excellent. What a masterpiece. The numerous amounts of fold-outs are excellent, full of great info on the Victory. There are a number of glossy pages with lots of pictures of the original and the model HMS Victory. The figure list is very usefull as are all the other lists to make finding your way around very quick and easy. The other reviewers have accurately depicted the content; I felt that the rest needed recognition. If you are at all like me and don't mind spending the money you will understand this next statement. Buy two, one to keep safe in your bookshelf and one to wear out during its extensive use. BUY IT you will for sure enjoy all 283 pages. Michael

This is a great book, but it's meant mainly and despite the title, for the modeler of the great flagship of Lord Nelson. There are very few details relating to any of the other ships of Nelson, but the Victory is covered like no other book...

Details abound in this marvellous book by an author steeped in his subject. I felt as if he had been on the ways at the time of building and relating his opbservations, but from the viewpoint of an educating master of this complex subject. I thoroughly enjoyed every page and can use the details provided to better my own modeling skills. If you enjoy detail and want to read about it from the pen of a master of his subject, buy this book today!

I recieved this today.. it's a must for the modeler and a wonderful read even if your not. It's a bit pricey, but worth it so far. If you can find it used then make sure all of the fold out plans are intact as I feel they are a major part of what make the book so facinating.

I remember my mother reading Frances books to me when I was little, and I couldn't wait to read them to my daughter. The Frances books are wonderful children's stories.

I work in a tutoring program for elementary children. Birthday for Frances is a good book to reinforce what the kids are learning at school.

Frances was a favorite of mine as a child, so I bought the books for my daughter who is 2yrs old. She doesn't quite get it yet, but likes listening to it nonetheless, and I've discovered that these stories are fun for the grown-up reading them too.

Our daughter is planning to be an elementary school teacher, so we are building her a children's book "library"

A Birthday for Frances by the Hobans is a magnificent addition to that collection!

This is a wonderful story, I love Hoban's books as they work well on both the adult and the child levels. This is bascially the story of Frances, a badger who is struggling with the fact that her little sister Gloria is having a birthday. Frances does not say it out loud, but rather through her actions and her little rhymes we realise that she is unhappy about it, that her sister seems to have all the birthdays and she doesn't have as many. Something which almost all children struggle with at some stage or another.

The lovely hting about this book is that the parents are so lovely and patient, and the sub-text is really fun for adults reading it. What Frances does makes for great fun. She borrows two weeks pocket money from her mother to buy Gloria a present, but then she ends up 'accidentally eating half of it - and the other half looks distinctly threatened by her justification.

I will guarantee your family will enjoy this story, and the other Frances stories as well - they are highly recommended as great good fun.

In the 106 pages of THE BURNING TIME, Carol Matas is able to take you through tremendous tragedy. And hope.

Rose's mother is a midwife who is known for her great gift of healing, and Rose oftentimes helps her mother. Rose's father dies unexpectedly, leaving just she and her mother to take care of themselves and the land he left them in his will.

Her father's relatives are not happy that they did not receive the land upon Rose's father's death. One uncle in particular feels it should be his and is willing to do about anything to get the land for himself. This is where the historical travesty against women during that time period becomes so real--Rose's mother is accused of being a witch. If you think you know what happened to women accused of being witches during that time, you will still be moved by what happens in this book.

Carol Matas has taken such a historical event and put such closeness to it with her characters. No longer is France in the 16th century something read about in a history book, but rather real people let us into their lives and we experience a different kind of world. A different kind of society.

As a teacher I recommend this book often and every student of mine who has read it absolutely loves it. It is a quick read with a powerful punch.

Reviewed by: Dianna Geers

[Quote]very interesting book but later when it got to the to tourture I thought that that like come on ok thats enough! but then again at a point I was interested in what they were doing to the women back then . overall its a very good book i reccommend it for girls and boys 12 and over[/Quote]

I dont understand what you mean by torture since there isnt alot in this book. Two quick segments and the rest of the book is child free. Your a noob.

on a winter day my teacher thought about reading us a book so she picked this one, the burning time; when she started off it seemed like a very interesting book but later when it got to the to tourture I thought that that like come on ok thats enough! but then again at a point I was interested in what they were doing to the women back then . overall its a very good book i reccommend it for girls and boys 12 and over.

A touching, sad, suspenseful and truth-filled story of a teenager named Rose, and her mother who helps to heal people. And an angry group of people against them. And a terrible, powerfull man who comes to their town.
This is story involves risk, love, betrayal, you name it... This book has it all. I highly reccomend it.
However, only for teenagers and very mature children. It is based on the horrid witch hunts and does include some disturbing things.
If you have a chance to read it, do! I could hardly put it down. The suspence will catch you and hold you. A great tale.
It also brings truth to what really happened in the witch hunts so long ago... A must-read.
Enjoy!

Carol Matas, best known for the "Of Two Minds" novels and her various Holocaust fictions, has created a shocking novella about two women who find themselves trapped in a witch hunt in Renaissance France.

Suzanne Rives, a beautiful and fiercely independent widow and skilled midwife, refuses advances from two men to live with her daughter, the main character Rose. People have already been suspicious of her herbal treatments, but when a witch hunter spreads terror in the town comes, Suzanne's fate is sealed.

However, Rose still has some allies: Sylvie, a plucky castle maid whose motives are revealed later, and Raymond, a young man. Suzanne is subjected to horrifying torture by the cruel witch hunters and fanatics.

The violence is bloody and shocking, but never goes over the top. This book is well written, taut and poignant, about a mother-daughter relationship that must overcome the cruelties of the day.

The authors have provided a visual celebration for nursing! Clearly the parades were really annual public processions, although the narrative and images demonstrate the religious nature as well. The photographs are a witness to the pride and esteem that nurses held/hold for their profession and the tribute paid to nursing by all those other groups who chose to also march as well as the crowds that lined the parade route. This is a real contribution to the history of nursing!

This book is a perfect gift for any nurse, but especially one who is over 50-ish, has any Chicago connections, and who attended a "diploma" school of nursing. It is a completely unbeknownst to me super-cool annual event out of the city's past. The documentation and photos are great. Thus, it's also a great book for a Chicago historian, nurse or not. I happen to be a nurse, and purchased this book for myself. It's nice to know that past mayors of the city honored its nurses in such a neat public way. It's also a view of how nursing has changed. In the days of this parade, practically every R.N. had graduated from a hospital "diploma" school of nursing. Now those schools are virtually extinct (mine closed over 20 years ago), and most nurses are college, community college, or university educated. The evolution of nursing education is another huge subject, but this book gives a great glimpse of the old days of Chicago and nursing in the 10 years that the parade was held.

Chicago's Nurse Parade is a wonderful easy read with incredible vintage photos deplicting this fascinating historical parade. Being a nurse, there is a pride and a wonderful history of this profession.
Hats off to the authors for showing the historical and interesting journey this profession has!
D. Emerick R.N.

A wonderful book. A very creative way to honor the Nursing profession. It is a classic.

The problem was a serious nursing shortage--one giant step in the solution was to have a parade! Initiating an annual Nurse Parade in Chicago was a very imaginative way of raising awareness for a serious problem. With a minimum of text, this visually delightful book explores, through reproductions of documents, newspaper articles and photographs, the history of Chicago's Nurse Parade. We can learn a lesson from the success of this initiative. When we utilize our creative resources (and remember to have fun!), effective solutions can come in unexpected and interesting forms. The authors, passionate advocates for nurses and the nursing profession, have offered a story relevant to us all.

First: Balzac, even in translation, is a literary giant. He paints vivid, often dark pictures of 'society' and adds no detail in jest. There is meaning everywhere.

You can read Colonel Chabert in a couple hours, dwell on it for several days after, and be done. This is a wonderful translation from the French; with it, you can mine most of Balzac's intentions without having to consult a companion piece or Balzac guru.

The story is all about life, death, and "social" identity. Others have summarized the story well, but I will refrain. For this one, all you need is a solid literary mind and a few hours. In this edition, Balzac is direct and beautiful; from the dead rising to gateways between worlds to the lamentable futility of morality for its own sake, there is no want for vivid description.

"Colonel Chabert" is one of Honore de Balzac's volumes from his omnibus work, "The Human Comedy." The Colonel is a comic figure in and old military great coat and a wig who is ridiculed by young legal workers at the beginning of the novel. But, the joke is on the clerks, because Chabert is a war hero of the Napoleonic era who was given up for dead on a battlefield at Eylau. This translation from the French by Carol Grosman tells the story of the old soldier's resurrection in contemporary jargon. The novel is relevant today considering the service of soldiers in many wars continuing in our world. What happens to these heroes when wars end, or more accurately, shift to new fronts? Balzac paints the portrait of one old colonel who remains honorable and as a consequence seals his fate. The translation is very readable and the short novel is brief "scene from private life." The work will stimulate further interest in the monumental work of Balzac who had a relatively short life (1799-1850).

...of a great Balzac novella. Ms. Cosman captures the rigorous, logical quality of Balzac's prose - most translators get lost in unidiomatic wordiness. This 100 page novella showcases the Master's comfort with legal matters, his profound understanding of "the fang and the claw" and features at its center the incomparable Derville, Balzac's great, recurring lawyer character. I usually recommend Pere Goriot for first-time Balzac readers because of the rich connections between that novel and many other Balzac works - but I am hard pressed to imagine a better one-course meal than this rendering of Colonel Chabert by Ms. Cosman. I certainly plan to read her version of The Girl with the Golden Eyes.

One of the greatest novelists of all time, Balzac was most at home in the Paris of Post-Napoleonic Paris. In a time when the middle class was showing its strength and starting to reach towards the aristocracy, Balzac shows just how selfish and grubby and greedy humans can be in attaining and how treacherous they can be in keeping their all important upward mobility.

Colonel Chabert is a man disfigured in the Napoleonic Wars who was left for dead on a battlefield. After digging his way out of a mass grave, he finds that he has no legal right to his title or his massive estate. Nobody will believe his true identity. For ten longe years he goes about trying to communicate his plight to anyone who will listen. They only see a crazy bum, and his wife rebuffs his letters. She already has a new husband and kids. Finally Chabert is able to convince a lawyer named Dervilles to accept his case, namely that of reclaiming his title, lands, and wife. The problem is that noone is really interested in his life being resurrected. Most people would rather that he remained dead. So begins the ludicrous battle of a man against the law to prove his own existence.

This short but great novel, or novella, is a tragic take on the world's thirst for social status and the judgement by visuals that our society is only too guilty of to this day. If it walks like a bum, talks like a bum, it must be a bum. Colonel Chabert has such a hard time convincing people of his identity because of how they perceive him. It sounds echoes of Frankenstein in that a good man is reduced to a monster when all he really needs is love. The fact that even his wife wishes he were dead just drives home the isolated suffering of the book. As in all Balzac novels, you feel a world moving under the mantle of the book. The Human Comedy of Balzac is one of the crowning achievements of literature and ranks right up there with Shakespeare and Thomas Hardy.

Balzac, one of the greatest writers who ever lived, did not trip up with this one. I read it with great pleasure and conclude, as people so often say, that the movie based on the story did not equal the original. Ever the cynic (some might say 'the realist') Balzac portrays here the efforts of a noble-minded soldier, who rose from an orphanage to serve his country under Napoleon in Egypt and eastern Europe, only to reap the all-too-common fate of dedicated and true warriors---to be forgotten and ignored. Death (which he accepted) might have seized him, but he found a living death, a denial of his sanity and identity, as the reward of his service. Reported killed at the battle of Eylau, against the Russians, after a heroic action, the soldier literally crawls from his grave to a kind of shadowy survival. In his earlier life, Colonel Chabert had raised a woman to his own status, but now finds that she is unwilling to let others learn of her origins and does not want to recognize that he is, in fact, her long lost husband. Honestly thinking she was widowed, she married a highborn aristocrat who knew nothing of her humble beginnings.

The tale is one of greed, intrigue, loyalty and disloyalty. As usual, Balzac manages to cast a light, pitiless and bright, on every rotten corner of the human condition, while offering a few inspiring examples in contrast. Every detail of a lawyer's life in 19th century Paris is scrutinized, every glimpse of urban dairyman or elite country squirehood rings true. No wonder I admire him so much, no wonder I have no hesitation in urging you to read COLONEL CHABERT and any other volume of Balzac you can lay your hands on.

Not sure of how I came upon this author, but I had put this on my Amazon "wish-list" and was given this book and "House of Brede" for Christmas. I just dusted the book off last week (only took me 5 months) and am now having a hard time putting it down. Wonderfully written, although it took a bit to understand the writing style, it is now an easy read. Highly recommend and now looking forward to reading more books written by this Rumer Godden.

Having read "In This House of Brede" by Rumer Godden I was expecting a fine quality novel out of this book. I was totally blown away.This may be the most powerful novel Ihave ever read. This book is not for everyone and some material may not be suitable for younger readers, as the main characters and some secondary characters are prostitutes.
Basically this book deals with the human condition and our need for redemption, and abov all Christ's mercy and love for the least in society (prostitutes).
The main character is Lise,a former prostitute who, as the novel begins is being released from prison for murdering the man who was her pimp. There are two secondary characters that are important to the story, one who becomes redeemed by Love and one who seems to be corrupted to the point of perdition. The realism with which the author portrays the less pleasant characters is sometimes shocking and slightly graphic but not terribly so. I found this to be an inspriational and uplifting book and I recommend it to anyone interested in genuine Catholic literature.
My estimation of Ms. Godden's rank as an author was immensely improved after reading this novel. Also, her portrayal of religious life is one of the most accurate that I've read, and to me, this added greatly to the book.

This story touched my heart and held my attention throughout. It reveals a unique side of a special ministry, in a very personal way. I have already recommended it to several friends and will continue to do so.

This is a beautifully written account of one woman's journey to the fulfillment for which she has always been searching.The descriptions of France and the French countryside are evocative and lyrical. I detected many echoes of "In this House of Brede", her earlier work, and her subsequent comments on that and the opinions voiced by various religious sisters on it. To some extent I found the ending anti-climactic ; although hints of evil are cleverly suggested,I regretted a final confrontation between Vivi and Lise. Perhaps the author wanted to say that we are never completely free from fear and danger. But a good read, nevertheless.

Often I give away a book, especially fiction, once I've read it. Not this book. I have bought aeveral to give to my friends and without exception, each of my friends had to get the book to give to their friends. This is a story packed with reality, mercy and new beginnings - it overflows with hope even when things for the central character seem at the worst. I so appreciate Godden's sensitivity in conveying the truth about human nature and, as I am a member of a monastic community, amazed at her ability to portray life in a convent without romance and with great regard. Powerful read.

I saw this book while window shopping in Anthropology - flipping through and finding the pictures tempting. After getting it from Amazon, I've made 3 dishes from the book, all received wild welcomes from my friends.

This is a wonderful source for dinner parties. Even though it doesn't have a lot of pictures for each recipe, the descriptions are very concise, clear, and easy to follow. Having zero experience cooking western food prior to this book, I did not expect to cook anything descent on the first try at all. I was very surprised to see how well these dishes turned out. A must-have if you love cooking.

After a recent trip to France I decided that I would like to prepare some of the local fare. I had heard about this book from a friend of mine and decided to try it. I have prepared many of the recipes that I had tried in France and am really pleased with their authenticity. The book is easy to use and understand.

There are a great many cookbooks featuring french food. My problem with most of them is that they seem to feature ingredients and equipment that I can't find locally. So often these ingredients are simply standard things that I can find but called by a French name. I realize they are proud of their language, but it makes the book fairly useless. The advantage of this book is that the ingredients seem to have been Americanized so that I can find what they use. It also seems that this book has gone to some effort to make the instructions reasonably simple to follow.

I suppose that these simplified ingredients and instructions mean that the resulting dishes are slightly different than the originator might have prepared, but the resulting dishes are a lot better to eat than something that can't be made due to the way the cookbook is written.

As for the book itself, it is profusely illustrated, and contains a huge number of recipies that I find myself ready to try the next time people come over. What more can you ask of a cookbook?

I ordered this book from Amazon, thinking that I can handle it. Yes, I have been taking culinary classes, but I couldn't even understand some of the recipes! Reading the book carefully, I perceived that the book may be written for someone who has a lot more experience than I had. Of course, that seems a bit obvious, but seriously, when it's just sitting there on that book rack, and when you wish you could just HAVE it, you can't help but buy it, thinking it's awe-inspiring. But it isn't. At least not for somebody like me. For chefs and people who are more adept, accomplished, or more qualified than I am, this book could be beneficial for them. For me, it was a waste of money. I love the recipes and I yearn to have them, but another problem with French cooking is the use of alcohol and pork. Being who I am, I cannot eat pork, and even other meat choice is very limited for me. While some people can go to Ralph's and buy a package of venison or veal I have to go to a special store, where the meat is limited (only chicken, beef, turkey most of the time). It seems like, to get venison, I have to go hunting in some uninhabited forest to catch Bambi.

Anyways, for me, alcohol is completely prohibited, and I can't even think about pork. Oh yeah, and, I can't catch Donald either (the duck). So basically, I'm limited to the vegetarian recipes (not many veggies, surprisingly. little timmy will be happy), the desserts (that do NOT contain alcohol or raw eggs), and anything else that does not contain intoxicants (aka booze), venison, duck, or pig meat (aka pork, ham, etc). Unfortunately, I can't find some of the cheeses either. You might want to go to France.

Oh, and uh...beware of salmonella. At least a 1/4 of the recipes have raw eggs as one of their ingredient.

Overall, I think I would recommend this to anyone above the age of 18, someone who has had experience cooking, someone who knows where everything is in the kitchen, someone who has space in their refrigerator (a LOT of space), and also a lot of time on their hands. I will now list some of the recipes:

Boullabaisse (what???), Petits Farcis (eggplants stuffed with hearbs, meat or cheeses. Smoked trout gougere. Desserts include Mixed Berry tartlets, pear and almond tart, chocolate souffles (dun, dun, dun. SALMONELLA! But still good), Creme brulee (the BEST). So in the end, the recipes are great, but you will have to toil and sweat to gain the perfect taste, quality, and deliciousness. I wouldn't have recommended this book to a person like me, but the photographs are so good, anyone can appreciate this work of art.

I actually found this book in Paris, France on a recent vacation but decided not to purchase due to size, however my friend bought the book. After surfing through the pages, I returned to the store to purchas a copy of my own, but arrived 2 mintues after closing. My friend suggested Amazon so I jumped online upon my return and found the book for less the 1/2 the cost she paid in the bookstore, even with shipping charges! This book is beautifully illistrated and provides step by step instructions for each recipe. I would recommend to anyone who loves a great cookbook!

I lived in France for three years, have a French partner, and have read countless fiction and nonfiction books about France, American expatriates in France, etc. This one is hands-down my favorite. Very, very funny and reflective of how France is. It is a real mystery to me why this book has not had the same commercial success as the many inferior France-themed books out there.

This book is actually not Jane Smith's first work of fiction. In 1980, she wrote a wonderful novel titled Jacoby's First Case, and in 1984, she published Nightcap, both under the pseudonym J.C.S. Smith (now that's DEEP cover!)

So if you're looking for more enjoyable novels from this author, there's no need to wait -- they've already been written!

This is the funniest book I've read in ages. It made me laugh out loud so often, I had to stop reading it on the subway for fear of embarrassing myself in public. Jane S. Smith brilliantly lampoons the pseudo-academic and -artistic Americans who flock to Provence in search of career-making inspiration, and the natives who prey on them. But she also has a deep affection for her characters (well, most of them, anyway) that makes this book a thoroughly satisfying novel, not just a chilly satire. She skillfully interweaves the actions of a large cast of characters, and brings them all together at the end in a conclusion worthy of a Victorian novelist. Even the title is clever, in retrospect. It's hard to believe this is a first novel. Please, Ms. Smith -- may we have some more?

I would have put it in the academic satire category but strictly speaking it doesn't belong there because the only character to hold a college teaching job gets fired on the first page (two characters go back to graduate school on the last page). Then she goes off to the South of France with her family to write a book. Her children discover a pre-Roman Celtic treasure. Her daughter gets abducted by a child molester. Her husband enters a bicycle race.
It is brilliantly witty about such subjects as eco-feminism and intellectual francophilia but alo carried along by a strong intriguing plot. Wonderful light but intelligent enertainment.

I wish I had written this book. Fool's Gold is one of the best contemporary novels that I have read. It describes the extremely realistic (or were they) adventures of a NYC family who attempt to rediscover themselves in the South of France by renting a villa that turns out to be right next to a major highway. The chain of events that are described in this witty, funny novel seem totally plausible but tend to point out that our fantasies are never really as exciting as our realities. Don't forget to ponder the last sentence in the book. It will keep you smiling for days. A perfect read.