Historical Books

This is a marvellous book - Rafael Sabatini meets P.G. Wodehouse, humour and adventure and elegance and, yes, romance, perhaps the best of the early-style swashbuckling Heyers, and the first of a series continued with "Devil's Cub" and "An Infamous Army."

But won't someone, ONCE, get the covers right? What is this chichi sub-Tissot Regency pap? This books takes place in the 1750s in England and France, less than 10 years after the Jacobite uprising and Culloden. Madame de Pompadour has a cameo. This coy illustration (really, only fluffy kittens are missing) would have INFURIATED Georgette Heyer. Tchah!

I did not think I could like a May/December romance. I was wrong. The hero is dark - he needs redemption. He finds it in a sprite of a heroine who needs to save someone. It's wonderful.

True to Heyer's style, this regency romance has humor, mystery, and romance. The romance is clean enough for your teenage girls and sophisticated enough for your grandmother.

This Heyer book has it all. A little bit of mystery, a lot of humour, and romance.

Justin Alastair is the Duke of Avon and he is the hero in this story. He is jaded and has lived a life of hedonistic pleasures and vices. He is always coolly aloof, never one to indulge into a fit of temper, and has the most dry sense of humour that is very amusing. He is not known as the kindest of gentlemen, being known by his peers as "Satanas" (or Devil), he has quite the black reputation.

While in France, by chance he comes across a young boy in the back streets of Paris as the boy is being chased by his older brother. The Duke takes pity on the boy and buys him from his sibling and takes him to his residence near-by. Needless to say, the boy is no boy but a girl, the heroine named Leonie. The heroine is quite young, in comparison to the hero, but her mischief and innocence is captivating. Her charm is her youthful exuberance and honesty and unaffectedness.

Alastair sets up the "boy" as his page and as the story unfolds it becomes clear that the Duke did not take Leonie in out of the kindness of his heart, but that he has other more ulterior motives in mind. Namely, to use her in his game of vendetta against another, a French nobleman he crossed paths 20 years before.

Though I've read this type of plotline before (the innocent and young heroine, masquerading as a boy, being saved by the hero), what makes this novel different is the secondary characters and the feel of the novel (as if it has been lifted straight out of mid/late 18th century France and England).

One of my favorite secondary characters is Lord Rupert Alastair, younger brother of the hero. Rupert is an irrepressible young man, very passionate and always ready to joke and make fun. He acts as comic relief and on more than one occassion I found myself laughing aloud at his behavior and words.

Anyways, this is a great book to start out with Heyer. It is fast moving and you'll find it hard to put down once you start reading!

I realize that Georgette Heyer is a woman's author, but I still feel compelled to suggest this to anyone who likes to escape into wonderful humor regardsless of the reader's sex. Many years ago my wife picked up a book by this writer, read it in one night, and insisted on getting everything else available. After being kept awake by her night long bouts of laughter, I decided I could either get angry or join the fun. This book was so good that I smuggled the sequel {Devil's Cub, which I heartily recommend) onto the subway in a plain brown wrapper and amazed the other riders by rolling off the seat by the humor of the book. Is it roamntic? I don't know, maybe. What I do know is if you don't find the characters and events of this book funny, your sense of humor needs some serious help. Get yourself a paper bag and enjoy yourself.

this book may or may not be true, but if it is not then it's probably based on one or more true stories. it is told from the first person, and is very exciting. it does jump around some, leaving wide gaps of time. it is the story of an SS commander as the german army surrenders, and after. it also details the mens handeling of communist terrorists, and the battles they engaged in. there is lots of action and an intersting echo of todays events. this is a book i highly recomend. particularly for VETs of the current war on terror.

I loved this book. I don't believe as a christian that this is necessarily the right approach to win a war, but it is indisputable that you can win a war using Hans Josef Wagenmuellers methods.

This is a great story for all of the reasons mentioned in the other reviews, but the writing is really second rate. The use of exclamation points is childish in many instances.

Well worth your time if you can get your hands on one.

I enjoyed The Five Fingers by Gayle Rivers more than Devil's Guard.

It is another may or may not be true war story set in Southeast Asia.

To a soldier conflict and combat are the mainstay of his vocation and profession after a certain point the victor and vanquished become little more than facts to be minded by the history keepers (usually the victors) and refered too by the participants in abbreviated rhetoric and broken dialogs. The author has done the reader a great service in the delivery of this redition of the activities and experiences of soldiers as they traverse the perilious and unforgiving realm of those involved in the arena. The fact that this material is non fiction affords the reader the added benefit of being a glimpse of history rearely exposed from a participants perspective.

This book purports to be a barely edited transcription of "18 days" of continuous tape-recorded narrative by Elford (a zoologist working somewhere in Southeast Asia) of a former Waffen-SS non-commissioned officer, encountered by the "editor" in a local bar. Unfortunately, the "Devil's Guard" is just a bad novel. There are too many historical anachronisms for this tale to even vaguely approximate a factual recounting. For example, the author refers to a French encampent at Dien Bien Phu, which places at least half of the action on or after March, 1954. As the defeat was not mentioned, it was before May, 1954 and as there was no reference to the battle, it's got to be before November, 1954. Within a page or so (in the Hailer Publishing edition, anyhow), our protagonist mentions working with a British military man who "fought in the Malayan Emergency for 3 years": the Emergency was declared in 1948 and ended in 1960. In order for there to be an encampment at Dien Bien Phu and for the British soldier to have fought for 3 years, the action had to have taken place in a very short time span in early 1954. This seems to contradict the chronology, as the narrator and his pals were former SS who left Europe in 1945 and joined the FFL around 1946. There was absolutely nothing in the story to suggest they were fighting for over 7 years at the time these references were made. Additionally, noted authorities on the French Foreign Legion, such as Bernard Fall, do not describe a unit comprised of German nationals, exclusively, much less one that was all former SS. Finally, none of the massacres nor any of the French FFL officers named appear to have existed. Aside from these major flaws, the approach to "counter-terrorism" espoused by Wagemueller, the putative principal of this yarn, was just that used to such worthless effect in the USSR. By thoroughly alienating the civilian population, the Wehrmacht was left without "native" allies and without indigenous support. A much more effective approach was outlined by David Galula in his seminal work, "Counterisurgency Warfare". If you are looking for a comic book or cartoonish tale, this might be for you. If an historical account is your object, look elsewhere.

The Real Deal! No "Steve Mcqueen" character, but everyone a true hero.The Great Escape

It's a shame the publisher decided to put a picture on the cover of Steve McQueen wrapped up in the barbed wire at the end of his big motorcycle escape attempt. Because, you see, that never happened in the TRUE story of the Great Escape contained in this book. The movie (while good) took serious dramatic license, while Brickhill's book presents the facts. And they are quite inspiring and thrilling enough without the addition of fictional elements such as McQueen's stunt riding.
I first read this book while in elementary school, and was hooked to the extent that I've read it many times since over the decades. A truly outstanding story.

If you want to know how to make something out of nothing, this is the book for you. I've been reading and re-reading this book since early childhood and that's how I learned to make a needed item out of just what was at hand. McGyver had NUTHIN' on these guys.

MRS. Dee Schauer
Texas

I love the movie the Great Escape and I loved reading the book it was based on. The movie did an excellant job of following the book but reading the book gave me so much more of an understanding of what these men went through and the courage they had. To truely understand the courage these men had and what they went through, you have to read the book.

This is the (true) story of the efforts of a multinational group of POWs to escape during WW2, and led to what is one of my favourite films.

I anticipated the book to be a bit of a let down after seeing the movie, but it really wasn't. They emphasize quite different aspects, and some parts of the movie were clearly made up with entertainment value in mind (people jumping motorcycles over fences for instance!). I can't blame the movie makers of course, because the compelling essence of this story is the daily slog of tunnelling set against the backdrop of the mind-numbing drudgery of incarceration. No movie could be long enough to get this point across, but the book allows one to build up a better picture of what captivity was like, particularly because it provides such incredible details. I was really struck by the ingenious ways the prisoners found to fake German uniforms and official passes, improvise tools, and build radios and other vital pieces of equipment. The book provides sufficient descriptions to allow you to get an impression of the main characters and camp layout, though I personally would have enjoyed a few photographs of the people involved (good and bad), though I realise these wouldn't have been easy to obtain.

The author has a relatively dry style typical of a historian rather than a dramatist, and at times relates key events remarkably passionately. The book ratchets up the tension without having to try too hard however, and I could sense the tension that existed whenever the guards entered the barracks to check for tunnels. The depression that accompanies every uncovered tunnel jumps out of the page, as does the resolve to keep trying to escape without ever accepting captivity.

I was also pleased that the author described the events some time after the final escape, so that I could see how thoroughly the Allied authorities pursued the main protagonists, and what was their evetual fate.

This book was a fine testament to the memory of the brave men who didn't wilt despite literally years of incarceration in conditions that can best be desribed as spartan. If they had all died without anyone knowing their story the world would be a poorer place.

Rightfully regarded as a modern classic, this book is nevertheless not light reading. This is a result of the density of information, as well as Lawrence's writing style, which often makes a re-reading of passages necessary to fully grasp them, besides his use of some unusual vocabulary. But by the time one has completed the journey to Damascus with Lawrence and his Arabs, one has almost got a taste for his own peculiar style, even if one cannot always agree with his views, which however, were pretty progressive for a man who grow up at the height of imperialism.

There are, however, many contradictions in the man. At the start of the book, for example, he sympathizes with the unwilling Turkish conscipts, illiterate Anatolian peasants who really wished to be back home, led by a militaristic officer caste fresh from the Armenian genocide. Later in the book though, little sympathy is shown, and on one occasion when Lawrence was angered by the Turks, he did nothing to stop their massacre on their defeat, and left all their wounded where they fell - every one of hundreds froze to death in the cold winter night...

But when one considers that he lost both brothers in 1915 in France, his father in 1919 of the Spanish influenza, and his closest friend, and probably boyfriend, Salim Ahmed, shortly before his entry into Damascus, one can be more forgiving of his attitude. And who can forget his botched execution of Hamed, who'd killed another man? To avoid a blood feud, Lawrence suggested that he execute the man, which was insisted on by the Arabs. 3 shots with his pistol, one of which hit the man on his wrist. No wonder he said he couldn't sleep that night. Or his having to shoot long-time compatriot Farrah in the head as he was too seriously injured to move, and wanted to avoid the inevitable torturing to death of Arab prisoners. Enver Pasha, the Turkish commander, had thrown so many men live into his furnace that he knew just how long it took before you heard the sound of their heads popping. Considering this background of brutality, Lawrence comes across as positively humane.

The book has it's lighter moments though. Who can forget the tribe of the Ageyl, who were so poor they used to go into battle stripped to their loin cloths, both in the belief that it reduced their chances of infection if they were hit, as well as to protect their clothing from bullet holes or blood stains...the young Arabs urinating on others' wounds as the only antiseptic treatment in the desert...the Howeitat treatment of snake-bites - bind up the part with snake-skin plaster, and read chapters of the Koran to the sufferer until he died. Life was hard, and luxuries were few, something which seemed to attract Lawrence even more towards his mission of reaching Damascus and driving out the Turks, even if his conscience continued to bother him that the British Govt's promises to the Arabs were unlikely to be fulfilled.

Finally, Lawrence claimed he left the original manuscript on the train, and had to rewrite the entire book from memory, an amazing feat considering the wealth of detail here. Actually, it would be a superhuman task, and Robert Graves, one of his best friends, believes the story was a lie. The implication is that Lawrence made out that he'd had to rewrite the book by recalling his memories as a cover for the fact that parts of the book are invented, and many facts changed, and that this would be the perfect excuse should his information later be found to be inaccurate. But why claim to have blown up over 70 bridges when the real number was around 20 or so?

The answer is that this is a work of literature, and not a military textbook. We'll never be really sure of which parts are exactly true, and which merely invented as representing what typically happened. It's not always light reading, so set some time aside for this one, but when you get to the end, you'll be glad of having made the effort.

Although a bit confusing in his presentation of dozens of key characters unfamiliar to the reader, Lawrence paints an extraordinary sketch of a time and people otherwise just a footnote to World history. The richness of the text and word pictures were worth the time spent laboring through massive amounts of detailed narrative.

This is one of the great books of the 20th century. That it could be written at all is almost a miracle in itself. Take a brilliant Oxford student trained in the old classical tradition, place him in the Arabian desert as advisor to the wild Bedouin tribesmen during their revolt against the Turks and have him write with an acute sensitivity and unparalleld insight into what was transpiring before him and you may have some notion of what the book is like.
It's a long book. You will learn a great deal about blowing up a railroad bridge in the desert, about camel rides, thirst, and hunger and the heroism and brutality of war. The portraits of Sheik Auda, Sherrif Ali and Prince Faisal of the two Arab boys who Lawrence takes under his wing are masterpieces in and of themselves. The nobility and savagery of the desert tribesmen contrasted with the cold stoicism of the British and the inculcated cruelty of the Turks are just some of themes addressed during the course of the work. There are brilliant passing insights as to the Semitic inspiration for all the revealed religions and their relation to the desert beautiful descripitions of the terrain the weather and the obstacles encountered. When Lawrence says that from the beginning he believed the Arab revolt would succeed because it grew out of a sympathetic population was opposed by a modern army that could not garrison the territory occupied one wishes that President Bush had read it instead of just seeing the movie. Read it yourself.

TE Lawrence (1888-1935) the British soldier, poet and scholar wrote this insightful personal account of the Arab Revolt based on his war journals which is as confronting as it is poetic and beautiful. How could one not be enthralled by the writings and perspectives of a fine intellectual mind tormented by the reality of war and hypocrisy? What makes this book unique and powerful is Lawrence's sensibility as a poet and a soldier. Even if you are not into war history, this is a riveting book you can't afford to miss.

The Hejaz War of 1917 was written by Colonel T.E. Lawrence at the Paris peace talks in 1920 -21. Lawrence understood the Arabs thay did not conquer territory but they brought the Arab tribes together to conquer the Ottoman Turkish Army whom they considered poor soldiers. The Hejaz is the Red Sea coast parallel to the extinct lava fields of the 3,000m high Hejaz mountains. The Hejaz railway, linking Damascus with Medina, was attacked by Lawrence's Hejaz army until the Turks could no longer repair it. The Seven Pillars of Wisdom is the bible of Guerilla Warfare and should be read by General Petraeus US Armed Forces Commander, Iraq.
The taking of Damascus intact in 1918 by the arab army before General Allenby's allied army at least ensured Sheikh Feisal became King of Iraq. The Sykes -Picot treaty of 1916 ensured the Middle East was divided up by Britain and France directly leading to the present Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

After reading so many praises from young adult readers, I'd like to make a suggestion for adult readers of historical fiction. I read this book, not so that I could instill a love of reading for my children, but rather, for my own pleasure in reading young adult fiction. The books may not involve many subplots, intrigues, and thickly woven characterizations, but certain ones can immerse you into their world of historical make-believe and even lead you to tears. I for one cried when reading this book. The way Louise Erdrich handles the coping of virulent illness and death through the eyes of a child is incredible. Not only does she paint this glorious heroine from a late 1800s Ojibwa girl, but she makes me dwell on the delicate vitality of the human soul and the subtle interconnectedness of each other. Yes, this book describes accurately the lives of the Ojibwa people of that time, but more importantly, above the cultural/historical lesson, the most prominent lesson from Erdrich's storytelling is her unveiling of human transformation into maturity clothed in the culture of the Ojibwa girl, Omakayas. Her auspicious past, her gifts with animals, her perseverance in caring for her family during the smallpox epidemic, and her coping with her brother's death -- for readers to feel that the book has a slow start, Erdrich more than likely chose to portray Omakayas' life in that way because that was exactly the pace it was. Meaning to say, it's not always violence and passion every minute, every chapter. The life of Ojibwas had a steady rhythm that followed the course of nature and only when the white settlers introduced themselves did that rhythm falter. For people who'd like an exciting quick read having to do with Native American history, I can't think of any. But for people who want to see life through a young girl's eyes -- life that involved hard work, sacrifice, love, death and living with what nature has provided, then this book is an excellent choice. Otherwise, there are a lot of old western novels that involve Native Americans (inaccurately of course) that would provide more of a thrill ride, if thrills are what you seek.

I purchased this book for my daughter who is attending CSUN. It arrived in a week and was in good condition, just like the description said.
Very happy with this purchase and many others.

This sweet, tender, sometimes humorous book, chronicles a year in the life of Omakayas, a seven year old girl who lives with her tribe on an island near Lake Superior. The book is divided into four main sections, each relating to a season of the year, just as the Native America daily life is based. Through Omakayas, children learn as they read about how she helps build a birch bark house, how she does her chores, and many other important details of Native American life. This makes the book especially invaluable for the fifth grade Social Studies curriculum. Many Native American words are used throughout this book, but this is done in a manner which makes their meaning apparent. There is even a glossary for these words in the back of the book. Children will love this book as Omakayas makes friends with animals and deals with feelings about her family, loss, fear, happiness, and contentment, as well as other feelings familiar to the young reader.

Generations of American children have grown up reading Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I'm in one of those generations. These stories gave us a view into settlers moving into formerly Indian territories and the hardships of breaking new lands to the plow, fighting weather, droughts, floods, and illness. These stories are our stories of conquering the prairie West. But there's another story that needs to be told and this story is of the Indians we died of disease and starvation and were moved off the lands so that white settlers could build farms and towns.

Laura Ingalls Wilder told the only stories she could tell - one dimensional tales of white people in a white nation. Louise Erdrich tells the story she is equipped to tell - one of a rich group of people living together in the Northern prairie lands. In this story Omakayas is a young Ojibwe girl living with her family, but the characters aren't all Indian. There's Albert LaPautre, a Frenchman who bumbles through trades and wild visions. There's Omakayas' father who works to pay off his yearly debt to the trading post and knows how to play chess so well that he can sometimes win enough food to help his family through hard times. There's Old Tallow, a medicine woman with a pack of angry dogs who teaches kind lessons through harsh examples.

For Omakayas and her family life is both hard and wonderful. There's enough sadness in the book to make you cry and enough happiness to make a child play-act the parts. The one thing I love about native storytelling is the respect shown to animals and plants that are needed to survive. Ms. Erdrich tells of this relationship with the skill of a master storyteller.

This book is richer and more complete than Little House on the Prairie. It's a responsible book and deserves more accolades and a greater following than that earlier work. It's brilliant and sensitive and fun. Everyday life never made me feel so fully. Please let all children in your life read this beautiful book.

- CV Rick, May 2008

We had to read the Birchbark House for a 7th grade class assignment. I thought this book was kind of interesting, because it had some funny parts and some sad parts in the middle of the story. In the beginning it was really boring. Sometimes it's hard to understand because they used a lot of Indian words but they provide a glossary. I think thee book could use some more funny and violent parts to get people interested to read more. I gave this book 3 stars because it was an o.k. book. It was kind of boring in the beginning but it got a lot better. It needed more funny parts. It was a good book but not one I would have picked. I would recommend this book to high schoolers, but they have to have a little Indian in them to understand you must like: sad, boring, exciting, and funny to enjoy this book.

While looking to see if one of my favorite historical authors (James Alexander Thom) had a new novel out, I came across the books of Allan W. Eckert on of those "If You Like This Book, You'll Like This Too" lists. I had never heard of Eckert before, but based upon the GREAT reviews of this book I decided to give it a try. What a suprise! All of the positive reviews aren't lying. I can't put the book down! It just pulls you in until you feel like you're roaming the Ohio Valley with Kenton and all the other brave folks (White and Indian). The 588 LARGE pages make it extra special for folks like myself who fly through books quickly. I would highly recommend the book and can't wait to start another one by him.

P.S. The books by James Alexander Thom are equally well written for those who are looking for a simular type author.

Wow, what an interesting, exciting, factual book! Just as engaging and excitingly written as any Louis Lamour or Zane Grey novel, except very factual. Based on tens of thousands of pages of interview notes taken from those who lived during this period of history. You will learn a lot of American history and enjoy it, to boot, if you read this book! Don't miss this one!

Eckert has written a truly engrossing book on an amazing figure in American history. Simon Kenton, like Daniel Boone had the lust to wonder the woods for days and both had a immense memory for the scope of the land he wondered. The narrative writing is excellent. It puts you back in the 18th century when America was truly wild. It was a harsh land when one false step led to an early death, often times gruesome. The Shawnees were none to compliant to give up their lands and sold it at a high cost of human life. Tecumseh also emerges here, also one of the greatest figures in history. A Sorrow in Our Heart, which is about Tecumseh is also a must read. In the Frontiersman, the Ohio River flowed blood red with hatred for intruders. There are captivating stories here of the many clashes that took place between whites and indians. It was a time period of two cultures clashing, one wanting to hold on to a way of life etched into the land through balance and harmony, aganst a culture that produced men who were determined to see new vistas and experience the thrill of blazing a trail that many would soon follow. But it was this migration which ruined the very thing they loved most, the feeling of true wilderness. This book captures it all. A must read for those who find history a fascinating subject.

I was assigned to read this book for my 10th grade American History summer reading. I loved to read as a teen. I loved history -- I went on to get my degree in it. This book threatened to change all of that.
A ponderous piece of agonizing minutiae, this book brought me to the breaking point. I read it -- the whole thing. As a fifteen year old. I think it actually made me cry, I hated it so much. It's well researched, but seemed almost masturbatory in its envisioning of the motivations of frontiersmen. And excruciatingly long. Some people obviously enjoy this book. To each their own. But for the rest of you, it is okay to hate it. Really. You know you want to.

I first became acquainted with Mr. Eckert's books a few years ago while shopping for a gift for my son-in-law who loves local history and someone recommended one of his books. I took it home and while wrapping it, read a page. I was hooked, I went out and bought one for myself. We live in an area rich in history and his books cover our area extensively. I only wish all the history classes I took in high school and college had been this interesting. Our whole family now enjoys Mr. Eckert's books.

I love most of the Little House on the Prairie books, as well as the stories of Laura's great-grandmother, Martha, her grandmother, Charlotte, her mother, Caroline, and her daughter, Rose. I've read every one I can get my hands on. My all-time favorite of the all the series is These Happy Golden Years. This tells of Laura and Almanzo's courtship, and it is so chaste and sweet.

This book definitely belongs on my 10 favorite children's books.

I would rate this book 4.5 stars. It tells of Laura Ingalls years between the age of 15 to 18, and her first teaching job where she goes to live with a family where the wife doesn't treats her shabbily. It's a good story but it mostly told more of her and Almanzo than her teaching.

Although the "Little House" books do not appear to be quite as popular as they were a couple of decades ago, I shared all the books with my grandchildren in the form of audio books. We would listen to them as we drove on both long and short rides. They, and I, enjoyed the first three books(Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, On the Banks of Plum Creek) but then felt the next three were just fair to listen to. When I first started These Happy Golden Years, I heard a grumble or two from the g'kids, but as the story unfolded their listening delight picked up. Soon they were begging me to drive the longer way home so they could find out what happened next. These Happy Golden Years is a sweet love story full of interesting historical facts, plus enough action to keep my grandson interested. The only flaw we found with the audio version of the book is the singing of the actor (Cherry Jones) that did the reading. It was a bit grating at times when she pretended to sing as Pa. (Poor Ma if Pa really sang like that) Other than that it is a five star recommendation.

Now fifteen-years-old, Laura Ingalls can't help but crave getting a job in order to help her family. Ever since her first taste of earning her own money, she is determined to find another position that complements her skills. Besides, with Mary away at college, as much as Laura misses the companionship of her beloved sister, she can't help but feel compelled to assist her family in keeping Mary in a place where she is learning, and happier than ever. To do that, however, she'll have to do what she can to find the perfect job. Now that she has her teaching certificate, she'll be able to do just that.

It seems like only yesterday that Laura Ingalls was racing around the schoolyard with the boys, playing ball and sharing secrets with her friends; now she is basically all grown up, and beginning her career as a schoolteacher. But being a teacher isn't as easy as Laura hoped it would be - especially when many of the students are older than she is. And, to add insult to injury, she's forced to contend with boarding with a couple who spends the late nights hurling insults at one another, and living in miserable conditions. The only consolation is that Almanzo Wilder drives in to town each and ever Friday, to pick her up and bring her to her folks house for the weekend, before she must start another grueling week. It is during these long rides that Laura begins to spend more and more time with the older man. But it also makes her question why he is so willing to drive the twelve miles to her aid each week. Laura is unsure of his motives. She is also too tired and busy to spend much time thinking about them. Instead, she thinks of the paycheck that will soon come her way; and the beauty and splendor of the items she can buy for her family as time goes by.

With each and every book in the LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE series, I have seen Laura get older and older. I have also grown to love her as much as an old friend. Laura is such a responsible, mature individual - quite different from the little rascal she was during her younger years. She seems so caring, and eager to assist her family, and see that her sister gets the education she has always craved. It is so refreshing to see a character who puts others ahead of herself. Like in LITTLE TOWN ON THE PRAIRIE, the reader has the opportunity to learn more about Almanzo Wilder; however, the more you learn, the more you see just how much older he is than Laura, and how strangely the relationship between the two of them develops. Another winner from Ms. Ingalls-Wilder!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

"These Happy Golden Years" is one of the best books I have ever come across. (And I have come across a lot, so don't doubt my taste!) Everything is detailed in an interesting sort of way, and the emotions and lovering part is kept well under control so it's not an immensely disgusting romance novel but not exactly a plain sensible book either. Laura Ingalls Wilder allowed the sequence to be somewhat unpredictable but it exemplifies a good plot that a true book-lover would cherish.
The plot is about fifteen-year-old Laura, now leaving home to teach school. It is a rather big challenge as the weeks drag by, but she learns to deal with unruly Clarence, pouty Martha, shy Charles, and the little ones, Ruby and another boy whose name I cannot remember. And at her boardinghouse, she has to learn how to cope with fussy and quarelly Mrs. Brewster, and spoiled baby Johnny. But the highlight of this part is every Friday Almanzo Wilder comes to pick her up to go home and back again on Sunday. When the term is finished, something has happened and soon Laura finds herself subconsciously in love with handsome Almanzo, and he with her. Of course, they don't just go ahead and marry, because a long-time rival of Laura's, Nellie Oleson, is also after Almanzo, and Laura's older snotty sister Mary is taking all her teaching money to go to college and Pa's claim must be fixed up before the winter. But these things soon pass, and Laura learns the joy of early womanhood as she and Ma make dresses, Laura learns how to deal with money, and realizes Almanzo is really the guy for her. And soon they are engaged. And that is just the beginning of a whole new chapter of Laura's life as a pioneer of America.
This heartwarming little book provides all the things you could want, some romance, a girl's troubles and hopes, and most of all, a glimpse to the daily life which we now look back to as precious American history.

This book is hard to put down once you start. Its one of the best books I've read in a long time. What's amazing is that Operation Vinland - the story of Erika Lehmann and the Mayer family is a true story with some of the unknow details fictionalized. This is a must read!

I found this book difficult to start at first - it was not as engaging as I had hoped it would be. Not to spoil the storyline for anyone who is thinking of reading the book - but the change of heart by the lead character seemed to be too dramatic and/or happened to quickly and there was little explanation.

I bought the book because of the storyline - and did enjoy the read.

Maybe I'm biased because I grew up near Evansville, Indiana, and have seen first-hand many of the landmarks that provide the setting for this book, but I found this work an absolutely pleasant surprise. I didn't have high hopes simply because the trailers made it sound like a spy novel. It's a spy novel I couldn't put down. It also dives into the thought processes and propaganda machines of Nazi Germany, enlightening the reader as to why history turned out the way it did. This is one I won't forget for a while.

I am an avid reader and "Invitation To Valhalla" is one of the best reads I have come across in a long time. Being that I was born in Evansville and spent the war years there, this book took me back to places and times that were an important part of my youth. It is truly a book that you cannot put down once you start. A highly recommended read.

Gerald Hardig

It's great when you have one you can't put down. They don't come along often enough. By the time you are half-way through this book you might as well forget about going to bed.

This children's book is about a King who is very reluctant to get out of the bathtub. His court makes several unsuccessful attempts throughout the course of the day to lure him out of the tub. Instead of getting him out of his bubble bath they end up joining him in the bath partaking in the activity they requested. It takes a creative thought from an unlikely source to figure out how to get King Bidgood to finally get out.

The story line is humorous, repetitive, and entertaining. You can't help but chuckle or at least smile when you turn the page after a failed character has left the bathtub and are standing in the court dripping wet from head to toe. The simple text has a repetitive pattern that is easy for children to catch on to and join in with. The repetition pattern has minor changes from time to time that keep the story progressing. For instance, the line "come in cried the king" is repeated throughout the book but is followed by a different word repeated three times depending on the activity requested; "yum yum yum", "jig jig jig".

The incredibly detailed life like illustrations will keep your attention long after the text on the page has been read. From the small delicate bubbles that float out of the King's bathroom to the elaborate and accurate period clothing of the court. The color use throughout the book changes gradually with each turn of the page. At the beginning of the book "when the sun came up" the general color of the page is yellow then fades into light blue during the day, pink and red in the evening, and finally purple and navy blue "when the night got dark".

I enjoyed this book as a child just as much as I do now as an adult. It's one of those books that every time you read it you'll find something different that wasn't previously noticed. I recommend it for everyone but in particularly grades 1-3 who will comprehend and enjoy this masterpiece.

This is my all-time favorite childrens picture book! The story is simple and delightful. The pictures are fantastic! My kids have studied the details in these pages. Reading it always made them want to go play in the tub for hours. We have worn out our copy and I most recently bought this for a grandchild. If only all childrens picture books were this lovely.

King Bidgood's in the bathtub and he won't get out! This book has been a favorite in my household for years. The illustrations are exquisite and the meter of the verse makes it fun to read. The Wood team have done another wonderful job with this book.

I bought this book many years ago when my now 25 year old daughter was a baby. It is extraordinary. The illustrations are breathtaking, and I remember getting lost in them - much to the disappointment of my children who wanted to get on with the story. I still have the book and still enjoy getting lost in King Bidgood's world.

"Help, help cried the Page" is the captivating beginning of Audrey and Don Wood's picture book King Bidgood's in the Bathtub. The good old King has climbed into the tub and now refuses to get out. This story is a wonderful experience for children of all ages, especially the ones disguised as adults. The simple rhyme and diction coupled with the amazing illustrations allow your young readers to relate to the issues so cleverly addressed in this work of art.

RHYME:
The entire book is written with a simple, repetitive rhyme scheme. There are many benefits to this style. First of all, it works very well for those children who are just developing their reading skills. Children generally, like things that they can repeat and follow even anticipate easily. Wood's repetitions make this easy for many children while her small variations keep the story interesting. Every child will soon be able to sing out "come in" with the king and then wait anxiously for the "boom, boom, boom" the "trout," or even the "jig." The small variations also allow the child to follow the timeline of the story easily which encourages their ability to do `tell backs,' where the child reaches an age when then can relate and retell the story with the appropriate order of events. The simple references that Wood includes to the sun going up, getting hot, growing dim, and the moon shining bright are very clear references that the child can use. The interactions that the child participates in while developing these skills help to keep a child with the shortest attention span involved. Also the excitement that learning will create will keep your parental senses from getting tired of reading the same book again and again because it will never be quite the same to your child.

The repetition of the rhymes can also be connected to repetition of simple acts in both of your lives. There are generally two types of children, one that really hates the bathtub and the other that never want to get out. The bathtub represents a constant, repeating battle in your life either way. Children who do not like to bathe are encouraged to enjoy it by all of the fun things that can be done in the tub. You can do everything from "battle in the tub" to "dance in the tub." What child can say no to that? For the rest of you, the book is about getting out of the tub after all and a simple telling of the story and then an enactment of the end where mom "pulled the plug" can be a wonderful and stress free way to get that very hygiene oriented child out of the bath and into their bed.

DICTION:
Once again the simple text is very beneficial for the new reader. There are no big words to be asked about and worried over, accept maybe "masquerade ball" and the pictures define that one so well that it really isn't a problem. Any child can understand that the page is calling for help and that everyone else is trying and failing. This simple understanding of what seem like big concepts can really help the child to develop a love and excitement for learning. The contrast between the direct call for "help" by the page and the round about reasons to "get out" offered by the members of the court shows how they want the king to get out of the water but are afraid to tell him what to do. They may offend his kinglyness. This is similar to the classic story of the Emperor's New Clothes where while everyone knows that the kind looks ridiculous it takes a poor fool to tell him so. Except in this case the king is in the bathtub and the only one willing to be direct enough and to take affirmative action to get him out is the page.

The very simple diction that Wood employs is in direct contrast to the very elaborate ways that the court members try to remove King Bidgood from the bathtub. In the end it is a simple action by a simple boy that confounds all of their extravagant attempts. This really boosts a child's self esteem. They are able to understand through this very primitive text that their small ideas can make a huge difference because they can see things that the adults in their world miss.

ILLUSTRATIONS:
The amazing illustrations give the child another chance to see things that you, as parents are missing. There are many ways to measure art work that could easily be applied to Wood's illustrations but by name they do not matter to a child at all. What matters is their ability to be incredibly realistic and to bring to life a fantastical story about a king who refuses to get out of the bathtub and all of the fun he has battling, feasting, fishing, and dancing in his bathroom. The illustrations are vibrant and very busy. They immediately capture the child's attention and can keep them entertained finding new details for years to come. When Wood is asked about how she comes up with the ideas for her stories she says that they are a mix of her life, her son's life, and her day dreams. This is clearly represented in the contrast between the simple fanciful text and the complex and realistic pictures. It also relates very well to the child whose mind's reality can be very different from the world that you live in. This book can provide a very productive outlet for the erratic idea's prominent in the life of a young child. The final pages of the book also reinforce a child's confidence in his own ideas. The simple text "glub, glub, glub" is contrasted with the very smug looking page triumphantly holding the plug while the king runs from the room in nothing but his towel and crown. To a child with ideas that seem simple and perhaps even irrational to the general adult world this is the perfect picture of all of the success they can yet achieve.

Children of all ages and even the daring adult can experience the wonder of Audrey Wood's world through the simplicity of the rhyme and diction when it is contrasted with the amazing complexity of the illustrations in King Bidgood's in the Bathtub. Once in this world it is no trouble to learn and grow with the characters. For children it is especially rewarding to relate to the transformation from an overworked and stressed page to a triumphant one.

This was my first Hornblower book after a recommendation from a friend. Could not put this book down especially after the mutiny.
The details of life in the English navy in the 18th century and then in London are richly told with details such as the "press gang" that goes out rounding up sailors for His Majesty's ships, the slim pickings of naval officers during the dreaded peacetime, the caste system of well healed officers playing whist to keep themselves in food and housing.
I found it a fascinating book and it increased my knowledge of naval history.
A spellbinding book from a military and social perspective.

Lieutenant Hornblower occurs second in the series by internal chronology, though it was the seventh-written book. Unlike every other book in the series, this one is related from the point of view of Lieutenant William Bush. This alternate point of view allows Hornblower to be presented as a legitimately heroic figure, though it does deprive the reader of the internal thought process of the series' protagonist. The text provides solid background on Hornblower's early career as a lieutenant. Written as a novel, it paces well and has an authentic texture. Indeed, the small-scale combat action is so gripping that in many ways the book eclipses volumes in the series which deal with Hornblower's later career.

Plot Summary (with spoilers):
The novel takes place from May 1800 to March 1803 aboard a cruise of HMS Renown, a 74-gun frigate. The ship's captain, Sawyer, is dangerously paranoid and believes the lieutenants and warrant officers are plotting mutiny against him. To circumvent their putative desire, Sawyer panders to the crew, encouraging them to be lazy and insolent, and issues additional rations of grog. The situation becomes untenable as Renown reaches its cruising grounds near Haiti. Even so, nobody will take the decision action of attempting to remove Sawyer from command.

Fortunately, Sawyer falls down a hatchway and receives a serious injury. There is intrigue surrounding his fall, but no actual witnesses to the accident. Upon Sawyer's physical recovery it is evident his mind is gone--he sobs hysterically and cringes away from everyone. Buckland, the senior lieutenant, takes ostensible command. The unimaginative Buckland botches the ship's primary mission, but disaster is averted when Hornblower proposes an audacious recovery.

From that point forward, it is Hornblower who guides the ship as he influences Buckland subtly but correctly. Indeed, the theme of Hornblower leading his superior officers is a dominant thread in the narrative. The ship carries out other duties with great success until Hornblower is placed aboard a prize--whereupon Renown is almost seized by prisoners. Hornblower once again comes to the rescue and recaptures the ship. The novel ends with Hornblower losing his job because of the Peace of Amiens. He takes up lodging in a public house, makes a meager living by playing whist, develops his friendship with Bush, and meets the young Marie Mason.

Forester's key book on the times...the made-for-tv series episode parallels this book very closely. And I am very picky when it comes to sea books. Definitely at the same level as the Bolitho series!

This is the sixth Hornblower book I've read, although it's only the second in terms of the chronology of Hornblower's naval career. And I must say, it's one of the better books. CS Forester could be a compelling writer, but some of the Hornblower novels feel a little disjointed. Not this one.

Lieutenant Hornblower is written from the point of view of Lieutenant Bush, whom Hornblower meets in this book. The result is that Hornblower is a more interesting character. It also, unlike some of the other books in the series, primarily covers a single plotline dealing with Hornblower's last mission as a lieutenant, so it hangs together very well. The result is a book that I had trouble putting down until I had read the whole thing. I wholeheartedly recommend this installment of the Hornblower series.

C.S. Forester created a superb naval drama that gave me an inside look at the life of a sailor serving in the Royal Navy on the wooden war ship Renown. With Hornblower, and his companion Bush dealing with their befuddled Captain and fighting off the attacks by the Spanish this book kept me reading page after page. I believe this is one of the best books in the Hornblower series and I would encourage anyone with an eye for historical novels to check this series out.