France Books

Neither fawning priests, ossified traditions of la vielle France, nor a sister's corrosive anger can shake the love that unfolds between Mlle. Benoir, a woman of a certain age, and Tim, a young American artist. A lovely story, one that takes you away with rich descriptions of the people, the landscape and, of course, the food, in little-known region of France. A wonderful story to read and to give as a gift.

In her novel, "Mademoiselle Benoir," woman's health issues author, Christine Conrad arranges with the deftness of a Japanese floral artiste, a seemingly simplistic tableau of colors and textures that when assembled creates a rich and introspective insight into the realm of the human heart.

Written as a series of letters spanning a two year period, the plot focuses on thirty-eight year old Tim Reinhart, a former professor of mathematics who decides, on a studied impulse to sacrifice his solid academic life in New York to realize his dream to oil paint in the South of France. At first, Tim's letters reflect the typical American fascination with the cultural differences between the older French civilization and that of the socially fledgling United States/ As in other novels and travelogues, Conrad showcases not only the French love of food but presents an amusing portrait interplaying the idiosyncrasies of pastoral life with caricatures of centuries old French "types." She moves into more philosophical ground when she abandons the usual tedious albeit exuberant descriptions of chateau, farmyard and countryside and approaches the bigger more nebulous question of what ultimately delivers happiness in the realm of human existence.

When Tim meets Catherine, a woman over twenty years his senior, the tone of his letters waxes contemplative. With great proficiency, Conrad enlightens the reader to Tim's growing affection for this regally beautiful woman prior to his realization that what he feels for her is more than just respect and admiration. In fact, this illustrates but one example of Conrad's forte as a writer; her ability to depict nuanced personality traits through the medium of letters allows her audience to understand each character's perspective without a third person description of physicality or motivation.

Complimenting the pleasant cadence and development of her plotline, Conrad successfully weaves in meaningful quotations, ideas and appropriate French factoids without allowing these to become contrived or unnecessary eye-rolling displays of too thorough research asides or "isn't that interesting" minutiae that shows off the writer's knowledge of subject matter yet detracts from the overall presentation. Indeed, this women's health advocate truly understands the importance of proper balance in life---hormonal or otherwise. Her sublime working of her own personal philosophy through the mouthpieces of her characters speaks well of her transition from youth to wisdom.

To this reader's great pleasure, Conrad reworks the usual American living abroad scenario to address larger issues that face all of us as we mature and realize that "stuff" and its accoutrements belong to a material world and have little to do with the unconscious drive for further development, both artistic and spiritual, that ultimately facilitates a human life worth living.

As the fox in Saint-Exupéry's Petit Prince dictates, one can only truly see with the heart. Conrad's "Mademoiselle Benoir" bypasses both the material and the physical world and operates solely in an ideal world where essentials count as the true pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Bottom Line? "Mademoiselle Benoir" surpasses my expectations, covering more ground than I thought possible in it's prettily packaged 230 pages. Each of the players through a thoughtful revelation and analysis of fact reveal themselves as fully fleshed our individuals. The events that link their lives together form a cohesive story to which the reader connects automatically, alternately through smiles and tears. If she fails she does so only in attempting to facilitate the scenery as an additional character. Her strong portrayals circumvent this need and perpetuate in the mind of the reader Balzacian models for human vice and virtue.

Hopefully Conrad will not ruin this effort by revisiting the characters in a sequel. In this instance, Conrad has written a near perfect story which needs no reprisal. Recommended highly.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"

This is a novel written entirely in the form of letters -- and it's a romance. "Mademoiselle Benoir" by Christine Conrad is at once an old-fashioned love story and a completely modern one. At the age of 33, Tim Reinhart buys an old farmhouse in France. Once an assistant professor, he has removed himself from the "American treadmill of success" to concentrate on his drawing. But mom and dad back in New York City aren't happy that their son has moved to France. So they write, he writes, everybody writes. As Reinhart explains, "Sometimes it is easier to pull up the deeper layers of what's going on in one's mind in a letter," so we get to see intimate details of his life.

When he falls in love, he has to deal with disapproving relatives, French laws and the Catholic church. Through the epistolary format, we witness the same event from different people and, as we see more than one side of the characters, they become very real. Reinhart describes the lively, quirky personalities in the neighborhood and the clash of cultures. He shares his love for the French countryside, "the way it spreads itself out before you in great waves, so you can appreciate every turn in the road."

The book makes the reader think about relationships, how everything changes when one's needs and priorities change. It's an enchanting story packaged in a lovely little book.

When Tim Reinhart leaves the stress and complications of his life in New York for the rural countryside of France's Lot Valley, his family is mystified but ultimately supportive. This new-found simplicity is exactly what appeals to him, an unfolding landscape, "bend by bend, layer by layer, field by field, gorge by gorge", early inhabited by Goths, Vikings, Romans and Celts, an inspirational boon to the artist, whose sketches fill the letters he sends home to parents and sister. The story told through these missives, Tim describes his tiny, one-room farmhouse, surrounded by trees, his eccentric neighbors, the French love of food and discourse over meals and the budding romantic relationship with a young woman in the neighborhood who is at times effusive, then taciturn, certainly unpredictable, her changing circumstances an added pressure on the couple. Tim is ambivalent, drawn to her, but protective of his expanding interior life, learning by attrition the French obsession with marriage and family.

While sorting through his romantic conundrum, Tim meets a dynamic and opinionated artist, Pauline LeDuc, part owner of the 15th century Chateau de la Rive, who encourages him to meet with her sister, also an artist, thinking them kindred spirits. Indeed, they are, the twenty-years older Catherine Benoir immediately enchanted with her new young friend, offering cogent advice on his relationship dilemma. Tim basks in the hospitality of the Benoir clan, the three sisters, Pauline's children and grandchildren and their decaying family chateau with its inherent problems, stimulated by this inside view of French life at its most dynamic. As much as Tim appreciates his creative discussions with Catherine, his girlfriend is adamant that a commitment to her means the release of the older woman, a fact that both saddens and confuses Tim, for Mme. Benoir has been more than gracious to both of them.

After a four-week vacation with a college friend from New York, Tim returns a changed man, the charms of his old life receding, replaced with the stimulation of a renewed artistic career. Both Tim and Catherine are appalled to realize that their evolving friendship has turned to love, what Catherine terms "a love without tyranny". Tim breaks the news to his parents, working through their natural objections. More shocking is the Benoir's reaction to the proposed marriage, orchestrated by a vitriolic Pauline, who spares no opportunity to block the religious ceremony that is critical to local society's acceptance of the couple's union: "Even a little happiness attracts a great number of enemies." Although the opposition is hurtful and prolonged, Catherine and Tim rise above the fray, withstanding the ill intentions of others, reinforced by adversity. In this most unusual novel, two people step beyond the conventional in a union born of mutual respect and an unflinching commitment to become man and wife. With the strength of character to forge their own happiness, the couple proves that, "in the end, life requires continued acts of bravery." Luan Gaines/ 2006.

Christine Conrad's intimate novel told in letters of a young man who moves to rural France to be an artist and the much older woman he finds as his soulmate and life's love is simply exquisite. Not only is it a beautiful portrait of France, but a radiant and deep portrait of an unpredictable and rich love. This will find a growing audience by word-of-mouth alone. Sometimes I had to put the book down because tears filled my eyes. Beautifully done! I am already recommending it to friends.

Here's a refreshingly uplifting career book that I think people will really enjoy. While most books in this genre are lengthy and somewhat boring to read, Magical Quest is short and interesting without omitting any valuable content.

Like the best-selling "Parachute" book, this one has all the basic steps, various career options, exploratory exercises, resume templates, and ways to evaluate correctly. But Magical Quest is far easier to read, shorter, and more interesting (artistic touches).

This is a book you can skim through and skip from chapter to chapter. The author has a special talent with her freehand mindmapping techniques (you'll have to see it for yourself) that make this career defining book truly unique.

For the person looking for a more personal and enlightened approach to career decision-making, Magical Quest is a gem to be discovered. It's the short-version to choosing a fulfilling career (or personal quest) with all the important content and special artistic effects.

what i like most about "Magical Quest" is the emotional support it provides.

sure, the book is of course chock full of resources, and there are sections devoted to telling you what jobs are out there and the like.

but, in any job equation, there are two variables: YOU, and the job you take (or make). and -- probably owing to her experience in counseling -- tarin's book concentrates on YOU.

the book takes the approach that once you "know thyself" (thank you socrates, shakespeare, et al), you will be in a highly superior position -- a position where you can accurately assess any potential career, job, or manager, as to how well THEY fit YOU.

this is a wise approach. i mean, after all, haven't so many of us wasted time at 1 or more jobs struggling to be something we're not? or worse yet, not even *knowing* what we're good at, or want to do? and where has it gotten us? where we are today, right? :)

i spent a year for instance, in car sales, when i was a young man green behind the ears, trying to become "outgoing" and "extroverted", hoping that by going into a profession needing people with these traits, these qualities would rub off.

well, even though i sold a few cars, and picked up a few social skills (mostly how to be wary of crafty fellow salesmen/women!), i didn't become outgoing and extroverted. i stayed pretty much me. but the whole time i was MISERABLE!!!

while car sales is sort of a more dramatic example, most of us can still relate with jobs we've taken and later asked, "other than putting steak on the table, WHAT IN THE HECK AM I DOING HERE???"

this is where tarin excels. she really makes it not only comfortable, but FUN! to assess your strengths, weaknesses, and JOYS so you can find a job that fits YOU.

interspersed with poetry, quotes and parables, reading through "Magical Quest" is like having the wisest Mom who gently and lovingly tells you the facts of what's out there, but also has TONS of great little fun exercises to help you figure yourself out, (and make you smile and sometimes even laugh in between)..

once you've done that, the future is yours!

thanks, tarin, for a great spirit-guide-in-print, when you're looking for a job!

This is a great book if you're stuck in a rut, or have out of the box thinking. The questions are philosophical not psychological and she offers a holistic view we all forget about. Specifically that we have many parts to our lives, "Physical", "Social" "Emotional", "Intellectual",and "Spiritual", and we are not souly our career, but should strive for balanced lives. This book should be required reading by every college grad, or return to mainstream mom!!!!!

Here's a refreshingly uplifting career book that I think people will really enjoy. While most books in this genre are lengthy and somewhat boring to read, Magical Quest is short and interesting without omitting any valuable content.

Like the best-selling "Parachute" book, this one has all the basic steps, various career options, exploratory exercises, resume templates, and ways to evaluate correctly. But Magical Quest is far easier to read, shorter, and more interesting (artistic touches).

This is a book you can skim through and skip from chapter to chapter. The author has a special talent with her freehand mindmapping techniques (you'll have to see it for yourself) that make this career defining book truly unique.

For the person looking for a more personal and enlightened approach to career decision-making, Magical Quest is a gem to be discovered. It's the short-version to choosing a fulfilling career (or personal quest) with all the important content and special artistic effects.

As opposed to most other materials available today, the author makes a concerted effort to not only acknowledge the spiritual component of the "career finding" process, but to then combine that component with the more concrete aspects of that process. Despite reviewing literally hundreds of books concerning this subject, I have never seen anything quite like the InnerQuest section of the material with it's related type categories. It is quite unique and spoke to me more than just about anything I had previously seen. Most material/services available today which stress the spiritual component of finding your vocation do not seem to be of much help in actually creating a vision of that vocation which can be concretely expressed. Most of the materials/services which stress the concrete aspects of discovering a career do not seem to be of much help in relating those aspects to what your soul/spirit is trying to express. The author was aware of the necessity to combine both components in a comprehensive and effective manner.

This is a fast moving novel about a struggling but talented New York-oriented black male writer whose life struggles have become a roller coaster ride through American, European and global racism. The axis of the novel revolves around how America deals with the race issue, and in particular how it deals with the issue of black male on white female sexual encounters.

The story is told through the eyes of a character called Max Reddick, a slightly hip, emerging intellectual, who wants to write like Charley Parker plays the Sax, but yet he is still a very much struggling black writer. Max seems to have as his number one goal in life that of decoding the game being played against blacks by the white man. Or maybe (and the novel leaves this up to the reader) this goal is just a normal by-product of being a black man in a white man's world. Very quickly Max realizes that "politics white boy-style" is just another way white people try to lead black people back to their proper "place" in society: in effect telling them through indirection how to think, feel, and when and how to act, and even how to suffer.

Max travels to Europe where he ends up in a select intellectual circle, that very much respects his manuscript, and where he eventually marries and later divorces a Danish woman who remained his friend even long after the marriage has ended, and who takes care of him at the end of the novel as he dies of cancer.

At the meta-psychological level, the novel proves Ishmael Reed's postulate: that writing, "is fighting and struggling by other more respectable means," as Williams gets to use his pen as his last, and most profound act of rebellion. The book thus is as Walter Mosley has described it as "a shout from deep within some existential void" that resonates on the same frequency of all struggling blacks: suspended invisible in a world that rejects blackness without the need for a cause or a reason, where "Black people have been hollering out in pain for centuries, fighting for freedom, dying in slavery, belittled by little [white] men, and denied by kings and history. Sometimes these black folk have just laid down and died. But mostly they have survived with deformed psyches and distorted notions of the world. Sometimes evil has begotten evil and the one-time slave has slaughtered and even cannibalized his oppressor."

As his personal life spins out of control and he contracts cancer, Max puts down on paper in a scatological way, what everyone else in everyday American society is thinking but cannot say aloud, and in this respect, William's novel is not only a shout from the void, but also a supremely iconoclastic and urgent psychological analysis not unlike Dostoyevsky.

While its organization is structurally very scattered, it still gets its message across. Clearly the novel has a deep existentialist basis and draws on existential themes and metaphors. However, at its core is the notion that at the end of the day, when everything is said and done, the only thing "real" in American society is white racism. Everything else its humanity, its values, its ideals, are subordinate and are carefully calibrated and measured in terms of how they affect the sensitively regulated "white supremacist status quo." According to Max's way of thinking, equality, freedom, and democracy are merely the chips used to move the pieces around the white supremacist chessboard. America and all of its "so-called" ideals are just byproducts of the hard core white supremacist ideology, which lies deep in the nation's bosom. Toward the end of the novel, Max leaves no doubt that "the man" will go to great lengths to protect his white male hero system--including the complete annihilation of the black race if necessary. Max thinks blacks are up to the task, able to match whites, evil for evil to the bitter end. [I, for one, think he is wrong in this regard.]

The book is sprinkled with deeply troubling characters and scenes that reflect Max's deteriorating state of mind, such as the following passage about Moses Boatwright, a Black cannibal and Rhodes scholar, who, after being run mad by racism, killed a white man and ate him. In a mock interview, Boatwright tells Max (acting as a reporter) that: "This world is an illusion, Mr. Reddick, but it can be real. I went prowling on the jungle side of the road where few people ever go because there are things there, crawling, slimy, terrible things that always remind us that down deep we are rotten, stinking beasts. Now, because of what I did, someone will work a little harder to improve the species." (page 53).

The book is filled with images such as this one that have both over and under tones that are frightening in their symbolic implications. This is deep, modern, intense writing. Fifty stars.

This book I happen to stumble on while looking for another book here on Amazon. Wow what a great read! Absoloutley well written and eloquent. A must read for all.

There is this book and Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison that have proven to be one of the best examples of African American writing during the turbulent Civil Rights Era which really hasn't ended. This novel is frequently compared to Invisible Man as the main character Max Riddick goes through a journey, an evolution and recalls his life in flashbacks, goes through a expatriate American phase going to Europe in hopes of finding a better audience for his writing only to find that the same kind of racism he encountered in the States only less blatant. His motivation goes from trying to best his rival Harry Ames, to phsyical survival, to trying to find a resolution to his own issues with a society that objectives him and his experience being a black man in America.

I first read this book in 1968, as Cleveland burned and after a copy boy on my paper had asked me about a U.S. plan to imprison blacks in concentration camps. I told the kid he was nuts.
After reading the book, however, I realized that Williams was fictionalizing the McCarran Act, which set up the very scheme the kid was worrying about.
That law is still on the books.

A neglected classic by a writer who some consider equal to Ralph Ellison in importance. One fascinating aspect is its fictionalized treatment of some of the century's famous black literary figures. It's a portrait of the post-WWII-through-mid-sixties period as seen through the eyes of a black writer as he establishes a career as a novelist, journalist, and Presidential speechwriter in New York, Paris, Washington, D.C., and Lagos, Nigeria. The main character, Max Reddick, is shaped by anger, at the crux of which is indignation at the hypocrisy and hostility that black people and writers faced during this period. It's a historical novel which provides some insight into the social and political ferment of the sixties, and has an Afrocentric perspective that's somewhat reminiscent of Walter Mosley's work. It includes an intruiging fictionalized version of a mythic encounter between Richard Wright and James Baldwin ("Marion Dawes") in a Paris café, and according to James Sallis's biography of Chester Himes, it describes the essence of Wright's expatriate experience and his relationship with Himes. Ishmael Reed has said that the cartoonist Ollie Harrington is depicted, and although I didn't recognize him, Malcolm X is unmistakable and I suspect that "Time" Curry is modelled after jazz drummer Kenny Clarke, who was living in Paris at the time. According to the author's biography of Richard Pryor, Motown explored the possibility of buying the film rights to the novel as a vehicle for its star, Marvin Gaye, until the idea was abandoned in favor of Lady Sings the Blues.

The story begins near the end as Max, who's dying of cancer, sits at an outdoor café in Amsterdam where he's come to investigate the mystery of the death of his friend, Harry Ames, "the father of black writers," a few days earlier in Paris. What he eventually discovers is mind-blowing.

Throughout the novel, Max opines on a multitude of subjects like: Marxism, African independence and African attitudes towards Americans, sexuality and interracial relationships (he works past some of his homophobia too), the different styles of reporters from 5 major NYC newspapers, the theory of the rich president and other political theories, the "lie" of Christmas ("the rich man's chance to dissipate the image of Scrooge"), American cars (with their "long, buttock-smooth lines"), existentialism, and Alban Berg's atonal opera, "Wozzeck" (whose climax, a child's scream, punctuates Max's argument with his woman). Max interprets bebop's message as, "we can not be contained," and modern jazz becomes the avatar of his literary aesthetic: "He wanted to do with the novel what Charlie Parker was doing to music -- tearing it up and remaking it; basing it on nasty, nasty blues and overlaying it with the deep overriding tragedy not of Dostoevsky, but an American who knew of consequences to come: Herman Melville, a super Confidence Man, a Benito Cereno saddened beyond death."

My first recollection of hearing about Belleau Wood was a DI at Paris Island reciting Marine Corp History to platoon 2030 in Aug. 69 when I was a lowly recruit. I knew that the Marines earned the name DevilDogs as a result of their action aganst the Germans in 1918. It wasn't until I read this book and got the rest of the story that I can truely appreciate what they did to earn that title. I am glad I found this book as it will now go on the shelf with my other Marine Corps history books. I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the Corps.

Not even in Vietnam did we suffer as these soldiers did at Belleau Wood. An excellent, blow-by-blow overview of the heroics of the 4th & 6th Marine Brigages.

American Marines have been fighting this country's battles since early 1776, when they landed and stormed British forts in the Bahamas to obtain guns and powder for Washington's beleaguered army. However, from its birth at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, 1775, the many heroic exploits of the Marine Corps were unsung by the media and by history until WW I, when, against enormous odds, they took German positions at Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Woods, while the French were in retreat, attacking high ground against the best of the advancing Germany Army. Where now famous two-time Medal of Honor recipient, Sergeant Dan Daly, was reported to have shouted to his men, "Come on you sons-of-bitches! Do you want to live forever?"

The Marines kept up the offensive against the German positions, which were supported by the crossfire of heavy machinegun positions. However, using superior rifle marksmanship, firepower and sheer will, which has become the earmark of Marines from 1775 to the battle for Falluja and beyond, they overran and took the German positions.

In honor of the Marines who fought there, the French renamed the woods, "Bois de la Brigade de Marine," and for which the Fifth and Sixth Marine Regiments won the French Foragere, which means they won the Croix de Guerre at least twice. In fact they won it three times for their actions.

The citation reads, "In 1918, Marines of the 5th and 6th Regiments, of the 4th American Brigade, by their heroic deeds of valor, inscribed the names of momentous and brilliant battles on pages of Marine Corps history.

"They have the single honor of being the only two regiments in the American European Forces to receive three citations; two in the Order of the Army and one in the Order of the Corps, the Fourragere and the Croix de Guerre with two Palms and one Guilt Star.

"The first award of the Croix de Guerre came after the battle of Belleau Wood, "in recognition of the brilliant courage, the vigor and tenacity [of Marines who] overcame all hardships and losses and captured the village of Bouresches and Belleau Wood." The second award of the Croix de Guerre followed shortly after the Battle of Soissons, where Marines of the 5th and 6th Regiments, tired, hungry, and thirsty, without adequate weapons, armed with only a rifle and bayonet, smashed through the enemy positions in one of the most dashing victories of the war, capturing hundreds of guns and thousands of prisoners.

"The final award came after the battle of Champagne, which opened the Western approaches to the Argonne."

The book describes in detail the hardships in not only the lack of supplies and basic necessities such as food, water and transportation, but also in communication and intelligence, not to mention proper field maps and grid references. Yet, going beyond the pitfalls of what von Clauswitz called the "fog of war", the Marines not only prevailed, but took the fight to the enemy and defeated the enemy. The Germans called them "teufelhunden", or "Devil Dogs", a title hard won from some of the most ferocious, best trained and disciplined soldiers on earth at the time.

The one problem I have with the book is with its the cover, where the publisher has used a photo of Army soldiers, rather than Marines, in a book about Marines.

Overall, the book is well written, well researched and well presented.

Good read. Goes fast. Very good use of first-person viewpoints taken from a variety of sources. Ultimately the entire book is made up of well-integrated and -selected anecdotes. The ending is somewhat anti-climactic, but Axelrod's analysis of the historical significance of this battle seems right on the mark to this reviewer. This will make a nice addition to your library of works on World War I, but keep in mind that the focus of this work is very narrow.

Alan Axelrod has written a nice little history of the Battle at Belleau Wood. It flows so fast and Axelrod writes so well it's over before you know it. The research is very well done and Mr. Axelrod captures most of the legends & stories of the battle including the famous, "Retreat? Hell, we just got here." He very clearly establishes his case for this battle making the Marine Corps from a soon to be shut down after thought in the Navy to the vaunted fighting force America has employed for the last century.

The one book to compare this to is Devil Dogs by George Clark. I think the story told by Mr. Clark is more complete, detailed and thorough than the one told by Mr. Axelrod. On the other hand, Mr. Axelrod is a very good writer and the story flows out of his pen like lightening. At times I found Mr. Clarks book to be a slog, but this was never true of Mr. Axelrod's book.

If you're looking for an introduction to and a good understanding of the role of the Marine Corps in World War One, this is it.

An excellent book that I had seen at a friends. Ideal for those like me interested in French wine. A different approach than some similar books where the author brings to life the personalities involved.
It arrived promptly and well packaged so many thanks for that.
One thing I would mention are your delivery charges. I consider them high.
I have also bought CDs from you with the same comment.

You should be aware that there are others 'in the marketplace' who offer free delivery. So beware as you may lose me and others because of this and this only.

Bernie Besnard 11 July 2008

I am a sommelier in a fine dining restaurant, and while I have found this book particularly helpful, my staff seems to have some issues with it. We used it as a textbook, covering one region per week. I like that it allows me to really visualize the vineyards and understand why the wines are what they are. In the Northern Rhône section, he talks about the steep, terraced vineyards and the stiff Mistral winds... when you understand where the wine is coming from, the wine itself makes sense. For my waiters, though, it was just too much stuffing, and they were unable to extract the information that I wanted them to. Perhaps novices need something more factual and to-the-point rather than an in-depth, evocative narrative? At any rate, I strongly suggest this book as a tool to delve deeper into French wine for those who already have a broad knowledge base. It's not for the beginner though.

For the people like me who doesn't have any knowledge about France wines, it is the best book to start with.

You might buy this book because it's a beautiful coffee table book - the beautiful pictures and the layout...Or you might buy it because it's great for reference material.

If you love wine, simply buy it for that reason alone. It is very up-to-date, the author, no stranger to French wine, a true professional, uncovers the latest trends and troubles in the various wine regions of France. He talks with growers and vintners, producers and negociants - providing perspective from all angles.

Beyond reading the latest issue of Decanter or Wine Spectator, this is perhaps the most informative and concise manner of learning about the "now" of French wine. Like other Mitchell Beazley publications, the focus here is on the great presentation and the high level of scholarship/research/journalism. This book will nourish your curiosity.

A great read and reference as to what is going on in French Wine today. Covers all the regions and introduces the reader to the regional personalities and the best producers. You gotta add this one to your wine library.

In the poignant story of his father's service in WWII, the author presents a moving portrayal of the sacrifices made by all soldiers and their families. Through his father's letters home, the author has also provided historical information about the 110th Station Hospital which arrived in England December 1942 as part of the build up in anticipation of D-Day. As a descendant of an Army Nurse who served with Dr. Carter, I find this book to be an absolute treasure, finally shedding some light on her service in WWII. If you have ancestors who served in the war as Army Nurses, doctors or foot soldiers, this is a book you should read. If your ancestors served with the 110th Station Hospital, this is a must read. And since it is only about 200 pages, it is perfect for younger readers, too.

I heard Walter Carter tell this story before he put it on paper and yet, despite that fact, I was riveted by his telling of it again. This slim volume is a wonderful read and a very personal recounting of the sacrifices endured by the sons and daughters of Brokaw's "greatest generation." Read it for the history, for the story and for the lasting impression it will leave with you.

I traveled with Walter Ford Carter and the Normandy Allies (www.normandyallies.org) of Rochester, NY to Normandie, France, in Summer 2004. I heard Walter's story of his father's WWII experiences in person and visited the field where his father died near St. Lo. I had read the story of Dr.Carter before this trip and was very touched by the human-ness and how Walter reconstructed his father's and mother's war years through love letters and documents. This is a worthwhile read of a personal WWII history.

Furthermore, my father landed in the 5th Wave on D-Day. He died in 1995 and Walter inspired me to do some digging to fit the pieces together of my father's history with the 5th Engineering Brigade. Baby Boomers with veteran fathers and mothers will gain insight and understand the war years--and the silences kept by our parents over a horrific war.

Read this book. You won't regret it.

The book is a personal story of a man trying to come to grips with who his family was and what sacrifice really means to those who are left behind to pick-up the pieces of their lives after the father/husband was killed in the 1944 Normandy campaign. Mr. Carter, one of the co-authors of the book and son of CPT Carter, successfully communicates who his father and mother were - whether those stories were done for their childhood days, young adult lives, CPT Cater's military experiences, and the later days leading to his mother's death. The sacrifice of the Carter family was not only the death of the father, but also those who were left behind. Sacrifice and love are threads that hold this story together. This is a very good read.

Military history focuses on battles and campaigns in linear time stopping and starting around the time of the war. WW2 Memoirs cover in greater detail the lives of the particpants usually before and during the war but usually stop there or only give a brief postscript. This work is unusual because the author tells you up front the basic story and then unfolds it from there. The knowledge of Norval Carter's fate looms like a shadow over the story but nevertheless his death and his son's (the co-author)discovery of his father still will bring the tears when you get to those pages. This is a story about the meaning of courage, sacrifice and the meaning of being a father and husband. The story covers the events of the war and the buildup for D-day in enough detail that even someone with no knowledge or interest in military history will enjoy and understand this story. At a slim 199 pages it is a very quick read. I highly recommend this book for anyone.

... then you'll love this one. For the sketches of the Parisian scenes are wonderfully well-drawn. Sometimes you'll be amazed to find out the "spots" that you didn't pay much attention on while you were there. Also, It captured all different moods..... and you feel like you are visiting Paris AGAIN!

A grand book for travelers to Paris or those already in love with the "City of Lights"!

A "Paris Sketchbook," captures Paris superbly. Walk again down the streets of Paris, sit in a cafe, or in a paris garden, or wonder at the Paris buildings and architecture. It is all there and captured beautifully by Mary Kelly's precise and spiritual prose, with Graham's Byfield's water colors of Paris. The pictures and prose combine to be more like a musical piece, one reads then "hums" like a tune from time to time. If one is looking for that special gift or souvenir of Paris, this is it. Enjoy Paris again and again, or tanalize the traveler who is planning a Paris visit.

A "Paris Sketchbook," captures Paris superbly. Walk again down the streets of Paris, sit in a cafe, or in a paris garden, or wonder again at Paris buildings and architecture. It is all there and captured beautifully my Mary Kelly's precise and spiritual prose, with Fabrice Moireau's water colors of Paris. The pictures and prose combine to be more like a musical piece, one reads and then "hums" like a tune from time to time. If one is looking for that special gift or souvenir of Paris, this is it. Enjoy Paris again and again, or tanalize those who plan a visit to Paris.

Fabrice Moireau's watercolors and sketches bring the City of Light to life, and vividly captures the atmospheric city with its teeming cafe life, historic buildings, and new constructions. The book is divided into several segments covering the historic center, Northern Paris, Eastern Paris, Southern Paris, Western Paris, and the Gazetteer provides additional information of some of the prominent buildings featured. Moireau's paintings and sketches are accompanied by Mary Kelly's impressions of Paris, and both perspectives provide a wonderfully warm portrait of the City of Light.

This book has been one of the many reasons I fell in love with Paris.

In fact, it taught me how to explore Paris on my own during the 5 years I lived there. Beginning with this book, I learned how much history and cultural wealth is hidden in every corner of the city, ready to be discovered. I learned to explore the building façades, their inner patios that sometimes hide gardens, statues and even centuries old temples. I have explored parkings for outstanding discoveries (like the medieval wall on the underground parking on rue Mazarine), etc.

I learned enough of the city history to get me curious and start reading on my own about the kings of France, the history of Paris architecture, and so much more.

I have both an older edition and the audio guide, which is excelent for use when walking alone. However, I noticed that on the latest edition, the walk on rue Moufetard is gone (at least that's how it seems from the index here on Amazon"). Pitty, because I loved the region and the walk itself.

The only danger is that if you go to Paris with this book, you may never want to leave again, like I did.

I've taken this book to Paris three times. Our local library discarded the book and I was so upset. It's wonderful to use in Paris or to remember my trips. I was so excited to find in newly published. I have already got one, which I passed on to a friend going to Paris, now I'm ordering another.

This is a terrific "off the beaten path" type tour guide. These tours take you to areas that other tourists just pass through on their way to the Eifel Tower and Louvre. With this book you experience the real Paris, not the tourist's Paris.

At the beginning of each tour (allow one per day), find a bench in one of the many small parks and read the introduction to the tour. While you take in the sights, smells and sounds of the area, you'll learn a bit of history to set the stage for the tour. The walks are slow and intend for you to really look at your surroundings as you read about the history, architecture and people. I wish there were guides like this for every city!

I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a much earlier edition of this wonderful little guide to the Paris these authors obviously love. The distaff side of the Landes clan has a keen eye for detail and a sharp nose for the unexpected tidbits that make visiting any city a delight.

Directly as a result of following one of the walks I have found a club that is now, years later, a regular stop anytime I am in Paris. Everyone who has an interest in the quiter, more intimate details of Paris should take these walks. The authors' love of the city and their simple love of city life shines through in each of them.

This latest edition is, if possible, an improvement on the previous ones; adding the perspective of a new co-author has improved the product.

The Pariswalks audiotape is an immensely entertaining and educational way to wander through Paris neighborhoods. You can, for a change, SEE what the guidebooks are talking about WITHOUT having your nose in the book the whole time. The narration is humorous as well as informative. Because this Pariswalks audiotape is so good,I have given theLondonwalks audiotape on faith for Christmas to someone about to head for London. I will never travel to Europe again without first checking to learn whether an audiotape is available for my destination city.

This book is comprised of a translation of Book V of the Codex Calixtinus, and abundant notes, commentary and introduction of same. If you have traveled to Santiago, then you have most likely already read extensive quotations, citations or information from this work. It is probably the single most important historical source of information about the pilgrimage. Or at least the most famous.

The translated work itself is only a small fraction of the total book. I urge you to go to the effort of reading the Notes to the Codex. Do this at least for the value for money in the experience since the Notes section is almost twice as long as the actual text. Even past that, I found the notes good reading, and only wish that they had been published in situ with the text and not at the back since it would have saved me a lot of really endless flipping back and forth.

The book is also published with a Hagiographical register of the relevant saints and a Gazetteer of the locations. Either of those sections might be of more use to the prospective pilgrim than is the text itself. I have to say that reading the Codex after I completed my trip made it funnier and more illuminating.

This is one of those fabled must-reads if you are interested in the Camino. If you aren't, it still might be interesting as an example of medieval travel writing. Melczer seems to do a good job with the book and the translation. Recommended.

I personally knew Mr. Melczer both as my instructor and later as a friend and I simply cannot say enough about this man. Studying in Spain with Mr. Melczer in 1990 I can say he truly opened my eyes to history, art and culture. I took copious notes, but I realized I could never fully "absorb" the knowledge that this man imparted to his students. He inspired me to enter the field I am in now.
This book is an excellent presentation of one of the most remarkable journeys traversed by so many people throughout history. The research is excellent and the reading is very clear. This book is a must for any person interested in Spanish history

DO NOT buy this book if you are looking for a modern guide to the Camino.

DO buy this book for a scholarly translation and background of the pilgrims who went before you on the Camino (the guide was written in approx. 1160 AD)! The large introduction is packed with detailed information about the history/legends of St. James and his tomb from the time of Christ through early Church fathers, early Spanish history, Islamic invasion and subsequent withdrawal, and the French connection. There is detailed history on pilgrim routes, what they wore, where they stayed, and more. A great read prior to walking the Camino!

As a collector of guide books about Iberia, I found this volume exceptionally revealing, practical and poetic.

When you are not sure of the details of any particular Camino miracle, you need go no further than William Melczer's guide. The Codex Calixtinus is the source of all those stories you read in the other English language books. Melczner's guide is the first complete English translation of Book Five of the Codex Calixtinus - the original medieval pilgrim's guide.

This is a scholarly, extremely well documented book. The entire book is 345 pages. Of this, the actual translated Codex is 50 pages. The introduction and notes demonstrate a through knowledge the medieval pilgrimages. The book includes a haigographical register and gazetteer as well as bibliograpy and index. I had to go to my unabridged dictionary to find out that haigography is the study of saints. The gazetteer contains a short explanation if each place name. Both the haigraphical index and the gazetteer are quite helpful when doing any Camino reading.

This is not a book I would carry with me, but certainly one that is enjoyed after doing the Camino. For those who have time, it supplements any historical reading one may do before the Camino.

I cannot think of a better way to introduce the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay than this small volume. The selection is excellent and of interest you the young reader. The commentary is quite relevant as are the pictures which accompany it which by the way are worth the price of the book alone. I find that often now, our young people go all the way through the early grades in school and many of them have never heard of Millay much less read her poetry. This was the sort of stuff my generation and the generation before it grew up on and cut our teeth on. I do not feel I am any worse for the wear. I am fearful that we are bringing up an entire generation (rightfully or wrong, although I feel it is the later) of young folks who will have no appreciation to this great art form and will miss a lot. This book helps. This entire series helps, as a matter of fact and I certainly recommend you add this one and the others to your library. Actually, it is rather fun reading these with the young folk and then talking about them. Not only do you get to enjoy the work your self and perhaps bring back some great memories, but you have the opportunity to interact with your child or student. It is actually rather surprising what some of the kids come up with. I read these to my grandchildren and to the kids in my classes at school. For the most part, when I really get to discussing the work with them, they enjoy it. Recommend this one highly.

The illustrations and the poetry create feelings and emotions which go beyond the pages. Mike Bryces illustrations pull you into the poetry with a style that is breath taking. The poetry will linger in your mind the illustrations in your heart. You will find yourself going to it time and time again.

This will be a reallly personal review.
I first discovered Edna in my senior high school humanities class. When I first read it I thought, "That's so real! That's me! I can relate to that!" She so eloquently put what I wanted to say but was not capable of in my late teens and early 20's into words.
Now that I am past the dating years and finally read a short bio on the author I realize that all I really liked about her writing was that she was a modern day "fast girl" (if you catch my drift). I really feel betrayed because I thought I was so literate and now I wonder what liking her poetry so much said about me.
So now I feel for the author beacause she chose to live in the fast lane and then dull the pain and escape into drugs and alcohol... which maybe was the better choice for her if infamous was on her list of things to become.
Though I do recommend her reading strongly in general because it's romantic and interesting and delightful, I don't think it's appropriate for "young people" with lines like "What lips my lips have kissed"... Unless ofcourse instilling Catholic schoolgirl guilt into your child is at the top of your priority list... or you want to give her poems to read to her boyfriend... or something... use your discretion...

I opened this book at weekly Storytime...my son likes to play with the trains while my daughters listen to the story.. I thought, "I'll just look at this for a moment" and I was transfixed for the entirety of storytime.

Yes, as the other reviewers have stated the illustrations are amazing, the poetry.... mind opening. Another facet of this book is the brief and compelling biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay.

I knew very little about her... now that I know the little that I know from this book, I am hungry for more of her work as well as more of her life.

Excellent book -- I am going to look into other titles in this series as well (The Poetry for Young People ) to see if the others are as above average as this one.

Each illustration could be the focus of additional conversation: I see myself reading these poems repeatedly with my children. They are simple, elegant and timeless.

Picked up this up recently while browsing my local bookstore and was taken aback by the beautiful artwork found in this collection of Edna St. Vincent Millay's poems. I bought it on the spot! Not only are poem's heart-wrenchingly personal and affecting, the watercolor's are a feast for the eyes. I've shown this book to many of my peers who share my enthusiasm and have consequently picked it up as well. Strongly recommended!