Historical Books

It's 2008, I'm at my computer and start reading-- suddenly it's 1900 and I'm submerged in the harsh, beautiful, brutal world of Charity, South Dakota. I've never been there; don't know what it's like or how anybody could survive (or if I could survive), but Ms. Callen's story sweeps me into the steel sky and knifing wind and people who survive and dream, nurture and destroy in the complexity of their `simple' lives.

This is a tease--ravishing, poetic storytelling that stops way too soon. I want to know what happens to these people and this place NOW. I fervently hope to be reading more before too long. Bravo!

The story starts with a hard child birth. A drunken husband gets a vet instead of a doctor, but the local midwife along with some other women save the day. This seems to be a saga about the lives of these women in the beginnning of the 20th century, starts in 1900.

The characters are well drawn and would be interesting to follow. From this beginning it does seem a sparse, hard life they are leading on the prairie. Well done, as much as I was able to read.

Paulettes writing has texture and depth. I need to know who these characters are as I drop into their long ago world and guard my senses against the harsh environment. I know I will get "lost" in this novel when I read it in its entirety.

EDITED: This writer has beautiful style. She states the facts and bang, gets right into the drama.

Fervent Charity hints at deep spiritual awareness as Rose begins to narrate her story, which began before she was born. She refers to the energy that the wind carries and how it exposes imprints of incidents that happened long ago.

Then the story begins: Lena is in labor, but her drunk husband goes for the vet and the vet proceeds to treat her like a horse until Alvinia and three of her daughters arrive to rescue her and save her life. Gurtie travels all night to get there.

And there is Mary, who's thoughts of her Polish Babka (grandmother) who taught her the Rosary and all that (which she recites while praying for Lena after the birth, recalling her love for her Babka), remembers how everyone thought Babka was crazy when the locusts came and she fought for three days to save the roses. So, the roses have received great care. I had it wrong, Rose, who narrates, is Mary Kaiser's love child, not Lena's. Sometimes when there is the introduction of a lot of characters, I keep reading in the excitement and go back and figure it out later. I was really excited to read this, the way the writer gives such uniqueness to her characters. I really get the feel of the early 1900's.

Gurtie ritualistically tends three transplanted trees for three graves and roses and nurtures them as well. They are in South Dakota, you see, the Bad Lands, so to speak. And now the story changes it's pace with Lena and Alvinia discussing her children and Lena's gratitude for Alvinia's children who have taken over Lena's household chores. The women have joined together to care for this woman who is ill-married. Lena cried out for both Gurtie and Alvinia when she was in labor being handled by the horse doctor. As is noted, most everyone's had to step over her husband once or twice (as he lie drunk).

This story starts with great promise. The birth is exciting, the stories of how the women came to be in South Dakota and Rose's excerpts as she poetically sets the scenes are well done. I enjoyed the Catholic prayer Mary recites with her rosary beads. Some of the words I will cut and paste because I can't seem to remember them as they are being said as I watch the Rosary on Catholic Television.

The excerpt ends with Lena and Alvinia siting around caring for their infants in Lena's small home. Everything has been quite spicy so far and now settles into dialogue regarding the paths some of Alvinia's ten children are taking. Alvinia seems to have a bit of prejudice against Polish people, so I wonder how that will come to play in the story, as Mary Kaiser and Lena's husband are of Polish descent. Alvinia tells Lena she doesn't want her daughter to marry 'that Polack.' It was a bit of a downward shift, the change to more dialogue. I would definitely continue reading this story, especially considering the fact that interactions with Native Americans are to come, as I understand from the PW review.

As many other reviewers have noted, this excerpt is beautifully written. The language instantly captured my interest and the richly drawn characters held it. Lena's anguish, Alvinia's tenderness, Mary's devotion - the author painted such clear pictures with her words that I was transported to the turn-of-the-century prarie and lived among those who populated the pages - I regretfully returned to my world and my computer when I came to the end of the excerpt. For me, one measure of excellence is when characters live on in my imagination long after I finish a book, and these characters are still with me. Wonderful!

I absolutely LOVE these series. I'm now reading them for the 4th time. I love how Lund breaks down the parables and teachings of Christ to make them easier to understand. I also love the historical accuracy. He brings you into the story as if you really are there. I highly recommend these books!

This book is amazing. It has truly enlightened me as to the true nature of Jesus Christ. On one hand, He seems very conservative, but on the other, He seems so liberal! What a paradox. Lund does a fantastic job of capturing just how complex our Lord is, but how loving and accepting He is, too. Truly, He is a higher form of life, and that essence is easily portrayed in the story. There is also a very interesting fictional plot unfolding all around Jesus with the story's main characters who are the Jews and Gentiles that chose to follow Him during His earthly ministry (some fictional, some historical). If you've ever wished you could get into a time-machine and go back to the time of Christ and see Him for yourself, this book will help you vividly paint this dream in your imagination better than anything else. Plus, you'll get schooled in the biblical Gospel that Jesus taught without feeling that it's preachy. It's just Jesus. Like Him, the author invites people of all religions, beliefs, and unbeliefs to partake of his words. There's nothing to fear. Jesus is SO cool, you'll definitely feel that way afterwards if you don't already!

I have heard people say that the story of Jesus is the greatest story ever told, but have wondered how that could be when I found the New Testament so difficult to understand when reading straight from beginning to end. Now having finished this series of books I add my vote that the story of Jesus Christ is really the greatest story ever told.

Upon finishing I have felt driven to explore the New Testament again. I recently purchased a version of the New Testament which attempts a chronological harmony of the four gospels. I am amazed at how closely Lund's series shadows the chronological harmony version of the King James Version of the New Testament. Lund's work has helped me attain a level of clarity regarding the Savior's ministry that I didn't even know I was missing. Lund also did a great job in helping me understand which characters in the book are really from the New Testament, and where he was favoring certain scriptural interpretations over others. The chapter endnotes were fantastic!

Having now finished the whole series that this book belongs to I realize that without the historical insights that Lund provides into the political, social, and cultural setting of the people who lived in that area of the world at that time, I would not fully understand the life and mission of Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. For me this series is now the standard for all other historical fiction that attempts to represent the ministry of Jesus Christ, or the origins of Christianity.

I am not much of a reader. In fact, this is the first novel I have read in about 30 years. (I never seem to have the time)

Boy, did I ever pick a winner on this one!

It immediately immerses you into the lives of a Roman soldier, a Galilean family, a Pharisee and a Sadducee.

It so masterfully intwines these folks into many of the gospel stories and places you into the crowds that are following Jesus. From the Birth of Jesus, to the cleansing of the Temple, the sermon on the mount and the feeding of the multitude.

It also puts in detail the difficulties of a family split between becoming followers of Jesus and denying him, and the melting of hardened hearts.

I could barely put this thing down.

Now I am ready to take on "Come Unto Me" (Kingdom and the Crown Vol 2.)

I am now on the second book... the first book in this series is so wonderful. I takes you there to Jerusalem and Galilee. You feel as if you walk with Jesus and experience his miracles and teachings first hand. It is an ambitious achievement for the author. You learn and come to know Christ more deeply. At times it can get a bit preachy and I feel like I am in one of Lund's classrooms, but I dig it anyways (other people may not). But the story is well crafted.

I always hate it when authors take too much artistic license and try to guess what a real historical person is feeling or what their motivation is (when there isn't a written record of it anywhere and it is completely up to the interpretation of the author). I am grateful that Lund never attempts that, and for Heaven's sake, especially not with Jesus. All of the dialogue that is written for Jesus can be found directly out of the New Testament.

Read this book and come to know the Savior even more deeply than you have before.

This was my first Tricia Goyer book, but it won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "From Dust and Ashes." The author managed to write a compelling novel, set in an exciting background with "lots" of heart. Her characters were entirely believable as well as being a bit unpredictable. Woman Submit! Christians & Domestic Violence

This was the first book of Tricias that I have read. I now have read them all, except her newest on the spanish war. This book was insightful and heartbreaking. The facts of WW 2 were horrific. There were those who fought for freedom of those captured and this is a story of such.I really recomend this book along with the next WW 2 story Night song.

This was my first Tricia Goyer book, but it won't be my last. I thouroghly enjoyed reading "From Dust and Ashes." The author managed to write a compelling novel, set in an exciting background with "lots" of heart. Her characters were entirely believable as well as being a bit unpredictable.

Inspired by true stories of a Nazi concentration camp, Tricia Goyer writes a spellbinding tale that includes history, mystery, forgiveness, and love.

In Austria, the lives of a Nazi camp guard's wife, an American GI, and two prisoners are intertwined as they deal with the effects of Hitler's plan to exterminate the Jews and their supporters. They learn that God can bring healing and new beginnings from dust and ashes.

I couldn't put down this fascinating book, and highly recommend it to everyone!

This book can really tug at your heartstrings. We are all familiar with the stories from Nazi concentration camps, but this tale delves farther into what happened in WWII's aftermath. From the point of view of an SS guard's wife, an American GI, and a former prisoner, you find yourself entrenched in the thick of rebuilding lives that will never be the same.
Helene, whose husband escaped before the Americans could capture him, is faced with seeing the men, women and children that her acquaintances starved and mistreated. She has a 4-year-old daughter and a baby on the way. Her heart goes out to the Jews and other freed prisoners, as guilt pricks her conscience, and she takes in two women to feed and care for. One of them, Michaela, a Christian and preacher's daughter, is shocked to find what Helene's husband was, but is willing to share the good news with Helene.
Peter, a soldier from Montana, feels responsible for the happiness and well-being of these women. He soon falls in love with one, but is faced with a bitter disappointment when she decides to follow God's call, rather than the temptation of leaving her homeland for America. He continues to help them both, after they all part ways, with his influence in the army.
Helene feels trapped when her husband's plan of stealing Jewish money is made known to her. His friend and fellow SS guard thinks she holds the key to getting this wealth and will stop at nothing to get it for himself, even threatening her life and the lives of her children. Her new faith in God must give her strength to make it until the trials against the guilty Nazi party.
Tricia Goyer paints a beautiful picture as the characters travel throughout post-war Europe. Her characters spoke to me about God's will for their lives and gave a hope that life can go on after such atrocities. She has kindled an interest in this era that will have me looking for more books, by her and others!

I just finished reading this book and I can't stop thinking about it, it is wonderful! It's beautifully written and reads like a novel. The only thing that I felt it was missing was some sort of follow up on the secondary characters. Since Burma is still struggling, I wasn't expecting a totally happy ending but I was curious if he knew what became of some of his friends. Other than that, this is a fantastic, beauuuutiful book!

If you enjoy the pleasure of reading a fascinating autobiography written by someone with consummate skills in composition as well as an incredible story to tell- GET IT! This is one of the best reads of 2006 for me. Or, for that matter, of any other year.

I read this book while traveling in Burma late 2006. It's a powerful and informative book. I recommend it to anyone. In a remarkably enjoyable story, Mr. Thwe explains what it's like to live and struggle for survival under Burma's military dictatorship.

I liked this book immensely on several levels. As an anthropologist, I found it very interesting to get a Padaung's eye view, written in literate English, of his own background, his childhood in the remote, forested mountains of eastern Burma. The author tells of everything---from the strictures of Roman Catholic missionaries in far parts of Asia, to eating dogs, baby wasps, and snakes (with relish), his grandmother's stories, guardian spirits, a Padaung funeral. The Burmese political climate of the 1960s and `70s merely lurks in the background until the author drops out of a seminary and heads to Mandalay to attend university. While information about various remote peoples is not uncommon, it is usually processed by foreign writers who have visited them. FLGG gives it to you from the horse's mouth.

On a second level I admired Pascal Khoo Thwe because I'm an American, grandson of immigrants who left traditional villages in Russia for a new life, a freer life, in America. Odysseys like Khoo Thwe's form the essence of the American experience, but perhaps few are so dramatic---from university student, to jungle fighter to student at Cambridge University to published author. I can easily see the difficulties of becoming a new man (my family took the last name "Newman", but the real story is long) in a new country. I recalled Sir Albert Maori Kiki, a Papua New Guinean born into a Stone Age village, but who became a pathologist and high ranking Minister in his newly-independent country. I once had read his book, "Kiki: Ten Thousand Years in a Lifetime" and had been inspired by it.

This leads me to admire the book on a third level. We who live in modern countries, whether East or West, tend to denigrate those who live in poorer, less fortunate nations often suffering under tyrannical regimes. We feel that they may not have the sensibilities that we pride ourselves on. FLGG is a book that will shatter any such belief. The human spirit flies into the heavens from every corner of the globe, in all epochs. We--as Man---are universally capable of the greatest transformations and adjustments, able to surmount suffering. Pascal Khoo Thwe's thoughts and feelings, as expressed in his book, are eloquent proof of this. From a brutal regime which suppressed all independent thought, from a jungle war with no mercy, emerged a thinking, feeling man. I felt proud to be a human being when I finished. I admit that his book even moved me to tears.

A fourth reason why I liked FLGG is that it provides echoes of the same topic found in "Reading Lolita in Tehran" and "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress"---the transformative power of literature and its ability to change human nature. As a student of English Literature, no matter how constricted, Khoo Thwe could respond to different ideas, imagine a different world. The theme is not the dominant one as it is in the above named works, but it is there. But now, Pascal Khoo Thwe, a Padaung, has produced a work to stand in company of the works of mankind. Read it.

This book has quite deservedly collected very favorable reviews and I will not belabor the point. I would like to add that I read this book shortly before a visit to Burma nearly 2 years ago. The insights gained, both political and cultural, were extremely helpful to me during the visit.

One of our guides, herself a Shan, was well educated but unaware of this book and expressed a great interest in reading it but I had not carried it with me. Any of you planning to visit might consider taking this along - less obvious than writings of Sang An Su Qui - and leaving it as a gift. I believe many in Burma would appreciate access to this book.

Riviting, well written and insightful. I have read the books of Kings and the books of Chronicles in the Bible, and for the most part, the words and names just slip through my mind as a long ago story. This book makes it very real. Personally, I couldn't help but see the eerie similarities between the Isreal that Hezekiah inhereted and the America that we live in today. Perhaps there is more than just history and entertainment to be gleaned from this book.

This series was incredible. I enjoyed the biblical history that was intertwined with Lynn Austin's imaginative story of some of Israel's kings & their lives. While reading this series, I was also drawn into worship with my God. His love & redemption are lived out by the characters as God's plan for Israel is unfolded. It made me wish I could still go to God's Temple on the Temple Mount & worship him like the Israelites did in their early history!

Good biblical fiction remains faithful to both Scripture and its characters while bringing ancient accounts fully to life. Lynn Austin has done a fantastic job of creating a vivid, insightful, page-turning story that I stayed up all night to finish. Austin has very romantically yet realistically depicted noble Hezekiah, the prophets Isaiah and Micah, and numerous other biblical characters. The heroes (and villains) are fully fleshed-out. The story line never slows as it unravels a tale compiled from numerous biblical texts (with which the author shows herself thoroughly knowledgeable). The backdrop of history and geography exhibit serious historical research.

I'm a fan of biblical fiction, and I haven't found any better than this.

WARNING: Don't even pick up Gods & Kings unless you're willing to commit to the five book series. You'll be hooked until the last page of book five.

As you can probably tell from other reviews, this book was written primarily for religious people, and in particular Christians: the religious Jews are all good, the idol-worshippers mostly villianous. (I knew it wasn't written for Jews since the author spells out the Y-H-V-H Hebrew name of God in a way that no present-day Jew would consider appropriate, and I found one poorly-hidden Jesus reference). I wouldn't say it is as sophisticated or as interesting as good secular fiction, but it is minimally readable - the sort of thing one could read in a dentists' office or an airport, but not really worth foregoing other books for.

I have always been very skeptical of "biblical fiction" because creative license can border on heresy if the writer is not careful, so I reluctantly purchased Gods & Kings the first book in Lynn Austin's Chronicles of the Kings series. Wow, was I pleasantly surprised! Ms. Austin has taken a few meaningful lines of old testament Scripture and brought them to life with believeable dialogue and suspenseful plots that although speculative, do not contradict biblical truths and bring honor and glory to our GOD. The way she describes how the Israelites under the rule of King Ahaz slowly and steadily turned from the one and true GOD and allowed idol worship to appease other nations, it is very easy to see parallels with our society today and it is very sobering! However, instead of leaving us with a feeling of doom and despare, Lynn gives us hope through the young Prince Hezekiah and a handful of faithful prophets of GOD -- it is not too late to wake up America!

I look forward to reading all the books in the Chronicals of the Kings series, and hope she continues to write stories about the old and new testament.

This is easily my favorite Classic work of literature. Unlike many of the other classics, such as the Odyssey, Iliad, Aeneid, and others, this book kept my attention the entire time and I couldn't wait to finish. Robert Graves does a tremendous job of translating it into an easily readable version.

book includes the original story of Cupid (Pysche). perfect gift for lovers possessing a sash of intelligence.

Everyone should read The Golden Ass, especially this translation. Just reading it can deepen a person. It's one of those books to be treasured and re-read every few years, finding new insights and humor. The Cupid and Psyche portion is rousing and sly and stands alone. I've given copies as gifts over the years and notice my friends still hang on to them long after.

Apuleius' The Golden Ass, or Metamorphoses, is the only Latin novel to survive in its entirety. Composed in the second century, this picaresque work tells the tale of Lucius, a man whose curiosity in magic and indulgence of sexual pleasures leads him to accidently transform himself into an ass. What follows are the various trials and hardships he endures as well as the tales he hears throughout his travels. It is not until the intervention of the goddess Isis that Lucius is transformed back into a man, and he devotes the rest of his life to her cult.

Apuleius' storytelling is lively, witty, an often sexually explicit. Indeed, many forms of fetish are showcased within the pages, including beastiality. More often than not, the novel indulges readers in their guilty curiosities while also providing hilarious and adventurous prose, with a splash of red-streaked violence thrown in for good measure. However, despite being written nearly two-thousand years ago, what may shock the modern reader most is how approachable and familiar is not only the humor but also the sentiments and sensuality of these Roman characters. It is not difficult to imagine Lucius' world.

The Golden Ass offers readers a romp through ancient Rome through the eyes of a contemporary while also entertaining. It is also a highly revealing documentation of religion and magical belief in Greco-Roman polytheism, and contains the only complete description of the initiation into a Mystery cult. The true essence of the novel is that it is a fable culminating in the religious transformation of the individual and the embrace of salvation (soteria). However, the pagan salvation was not one of the afterlife, but of this life, and involved changing one's perspective of the world and also of life and death. The ass in the ancient world was seen as the most base of animals, an utter slave to its desires, and Lucius' transformation at the end should be read as symbolizing his overcoming of those passions.

The Golden Ass is bawdy and shocking, but also intelligent and satisfying. Graves' translation is fluid and easy to follow. The prose is as enjoyable (and perhaps rewarding) to read today as it no doubt was nearly two-millennia ago.

This is certainly an entertaining reading experience and Robert Grave's translation makes this 1800 year old novel come to life for modern audiences. The book is full of stories within stories, a device that I found very entertaining and reminded me of the best works of A.S. Byatt. The story within a story approach allowed for multiple wild digressions of the most fantastic types. Stories of magic, murder, rape, incest, poison, bribery, theives, beastiality, orgies, homosexuality, and all other manner of hair-raising encounters populate the multiple stories within stories.

Yet there is certainly a strong central theme and storyline in the plight of poor Lucius, the attorney turned into a donkey. The world and humanity are seen anew through the eyes of an ass.

The book does take one major departure with the longer story of Cupid and Psyche, skillfully told. The book ends with another change of pace when Lucius devotes himself to the gods, especially the goddess Isis/Diana/Artemis, the White Goddess.

I think the book was excellent and would never have survived so many centuries if each age did not find the human condition to be much unchanged despite the wild and wooly tales encountered here.

Of the eleven novels by Wendell Berry in the Port William saga, Hannah Coulter is probably the best. It is a complete life told with great sensitivity of a poor girl and an outsider to the families written about in the other novels of the saga. Hannah has great determination and ability to overcome her limitations with the help of her grandmother and the Feltner, Coulter and Catlett families. The story covers the period from 1922 until the turn of the century. It is an epic tale.

This is one of the best books I have read - a wonderful book of community and belonging

In his Port William novels, Wendell Berry has built a community of nostalgia and gentleness that provides an opportunity to redirect our attention, for at least a time, from the day's most discouraging headlines. Enough of modern society trickles into the edges of Hannah Coulter's story, however, that we are reminded she may very well be our own contemporary.

This is the story of a woman widowed twice, who has never had extreme wealth but who seems to have learned contentedness in most situations and to be quietly resigned to the rest. Is she an idealized and not fully real character? Probably, but that could also be said of some of the many angst-drenched lead characters in other contemporary fiction, and I admit I find someone like this far more interesting.

The difference in her world from that of so many of the rest of us is summed up by another Port William resident's summary of what has happened to her children who have moved on to Ohio, California, and beyond.

"Andy said, 'You're worried because they've left the membership,' and he smiled...They've gone over from the world of membership to the world of organization. Nathan would say the world of employment.'...One of the attractions of moving away into the world of employment, i think, is being disconnected and free, unbothered by membership.It is a life of beginnings without memories, but it is a life too that ends without being remembered. The life of membership with all its cumbers is traded away for the life of employment that makes itself free by forgetting you clean as a whistle when you are not of any more use. When they get to retirement age, [my children] will be cast out of place and out of mind like worn-out replaceable parts, to be alone at the last maybe and soon forgotten.

"'But the membership,' Andy said, 'keeps the memories even of horses and mules and milk cows and dogs.'"

And that is the magic of Berry's writing; his telling of stories of those who are still *members* of a community helps keep their memories alive and reminds us of our own need to find our own community within our own spaces.

I don't always agree with Berry. Sometimes I agree with his dianoses but wonder what practical solution there is for the problems he notices. But one thing I must say is that he is able to beautifully capture the pathos and wonder of human community. Quite simply this is a beautiful meditation on life and relationship. If you do not come away longing for or at least pondering community and what it means you may want to check you pulse. His descriptions of married life are sublime.
A few random questions I have as I read the Port William novels:
-What would happen if an Italian immigrant moved to Port William? Would they be welcome?
-What is evil? Would you ever want to just kick someone out because they were so bad?
-Should I just let the effect of the novel wash over me or should I respond to a larger message?

ok.. I read this a year ago and loved it! It is elegantly written and soulful and kind. BUT after reading Wallace Stegner's 'Crossing to Safety'..and re-reading a chapter of 'Hannah Coulter', I'm afraid this book falls downward into a whole other category of writing. In my mind, 'Hannah Coulter' lacks humor..detail.. and the complexities of marriage. While Berry doesn't sugarcoat or gloss over his characters, he doesn't go into as much depth as I'd like, leaving me wondering and frustrated as to what's really going on inside Hannah, Nathan, and all the other folks of Port William. There just must be a whole lot more than 'everything's fine' in bucolic Port William..

The beauty of Stegner's book is that he manages to write 300 some odd pages on 'very quiet lives' and I truly hated for the book to end. With 'Hannah', I was left wanting more, not at just the end, but throughout the entire read.

Heaven's Net is Wide is Lian Hearn's stunning prequel to the Tales of the Otori saga. This book tells the story of young Otori Shigeru and his rise to become Lord Otori, head of his clan, amidst triumphs and tragedy, friendship, love and betrayal. Hearn's alternate historical version of Japan is as beautiful as ever and her writing adds depth and detail to the picturesque scenery carried through all her novels.

I really enjoyed how Hearn stayed true to her multi-character storytelling. Though the story was Shigeru's, I appreciated the chapters devoted to mysterious Tribe members Muto Kenji and Muto Shizuka, and also the background of Lady Maruyama Naomi and the members of the Hidden. Heaven's Net is Wide would be a great starting place for those new to the Otori series, but it is equally enjoyable as the final book in the Tales - bringing the story full circle to where it all began.

This book is up there with the many great books I've read - and I've read a few. Of course it's all down to opinion and taste but I found this book magnificently written - so well written I can't describe it with the acclaim it deserves. It is a HIGHLY, HIGHLY underatted book.

As I had read the first two books in the Tales Of the Otori Trilogy, when the prequel came out I decided to read the series from the start (From the prequel to the trilogy to the sequel). This proved to be a good decision as I (and I know this is very cliched) just couldn't put the book down! Because I had read the first couple of books and knew the characters - or for that matter of past characters that died before book one, to be able to read of things discussed in the trilogy actually happening before my eyes (because that's how well it is written) was an absolute treat.

But what I marvelled at most, was how well Hearn planned out the series. I just could not believe that events fell into place so well at exactly the right time, in exactly the right places.

Hearn creates a world where there are animals you'd find in from Europe to Asia to the Americas. There is talk of creatures like Goblins and Demons aswell as Spirits and Gods of various elements all set in feudal, mythical Japan with a magnificent touch of ancient history - of warlords and clans, of religions and beliefs, and of the struggle the women had and the dominance of the men.

Yet it is written and described quite subtly so that the loyalist of fantasy fans will enjoy it alongside the firm general fiction readers.

I suggest you read the trilogy and also if you want, the sequel first, so you can get the sense of appreciation for Lian Hearn's work and get an even more amazing read out of such and underated tale.

I believe this book alogside the trilogy and sequel, although it has some sex scenes, would be suitable for boys and girls, men and women alike above the age of 12.

Lian Hearn has created a world. It resembles Japan in the 16th century, but with added imaginary elements. The writing is exquisite - elegant, precise, rich and evocative. Once you start reading the Tales of the Otori you don't want to quit.

The ability to project yourself into a different personality set in a different culture and period, and do it convincingly and movingly - that is the mark of a very good writer indeed!

The prequel is not my favorite of the Otori series. Because of the amount of information that comes to light in the rest of the series the author felt like all the characters needed fleshing out. This "fleshing out" of characters makes the middle of this book very convoluted with an unnecessary amount of characters. The author finally comes around to giving the reader what they really want towards the last third of the book. I liked it but it didn't hook me the way the first two books did. This prequel is like the end of the series that takes itself too seriously and assumes we are all enthralled with minute details that don't carry the story line anywhere useful.

For all of you who stumble upon this website, START HERE. I read Across The Nightengale Floor about 2 years ago, and then finished the series. I ran across this book by accident and purchased it right away. I just finished it and It has been a challenge to remember names and events from the original Nightengale book. I think I will go back and read the original trilogy again before I read the last book.
It is quite frankly some of the best writing you will find. The characters are so vivid you half expect them to step into your room while you are reading about them. The portrait painted of Japan is breathtaking. I wish I could of seen the Japan of yester year, it sounds incredible. Bottom line is READ,READ,READ these books, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Book review :JOURNEY TO THE EAST. MaryAnn and BiJon Sarma, ISBN 1-55212-755-9. Trafford Publishing Canada.

A Review
"(The novel's) focus hovers over the decadence of western civilization and comparison of it with the eastern one" "In the novel the story is set in a society some eight hundred and fifty years ahead of the twenty-first century. The society where the story of the novel takes place is a western one - full of riches and luxuries. The novelist sees the society from a very logical viewpoint. The present socio-familial milieu of the west compels the writer to design their future society in such a one where there is nothing like family - no one is a father, or mother, or a child of any other one as Gloria the protagonist says 'I do not have a father, mother or any family' (14). All the womenfolk of the country are of three categories having cards A for 'Available on payment', or M for 'Motherhood' or F for 'Free-lance Woman' as our Gloria is.

'Womb-hiring' is a profession in this country which Gloria accepts repeatedly, though in this hazardous task the final payment from the men's part comes after the DNA test is done. The narrator of Journey to the East Ms. Gloria Sullivan's baby also fails to pass the DNA test which is a common activity of 'the would be fathers to be certain about the genetic inheritance'(5)and with the anti-pathetic incident the novel opens 'I am a natural born child, I belong to no one and no one belongs to me' (34) is Gloria's princpal hollowness for which she can easily say ' I did not have any love or affection for the children' (23) or 'In my case, the only attraction to become a mother was money' (23) because 'of all the jobs a woman can do in our society child bearing is the most profitable' (18). But in her third time of lending the womb the mother springs in her up; she falls in a relationship which may be termed as love and she agrees to marry Mr. Thomas, the father of her third child - though marriage is a millennium old custom in Gloria-Thomas's society.

There are very few significant characters in Journey to the East - along with Gloria. Thomas is the most vital one who originates the inspiration and encouragement in Gloria's life. They both meet the lash 'If such is the reality then what is the point of living in this world ? What great purpose would my existence serve in this world ? What new experience do I still expect to have in the future year ?'(61)and everyone will agree that there are pivotal questions that every human being faces and fights and at last enjoys to spread to the next generation. These questions have placed them in the philosophical query of themselves: why and how their socoety been so and thus the analytical episode on the social and cultural history (though fictitious, as it is of future; but predictable) of the west befalls on the novel.
The main points that generate long discussions are about women's liberation; western sexual behavior like sodomy, lesbianism etc., abolition of marriage and family etc. Journey to the East imagined by the author, is a warning for the west that is rushing to the havoc.

The reviewer expected "(The novelists) are on the verge of acclamation in sub-continental English novels, in addition to their buoyant appearance as novelist writing in English in Bangladesh which is mostly barren in giving birth creative English writers".

Mr. Subrata Kumar Das
Lecturer of English in Bangladesh
Rifles College, Dhaka

...One friend of my husband sent him a book from New York. Since he does get time to read he gifted me the book. It is the novel, JOURNEY TO THE EAST by MaryAnn and BiJon Sarma... I am not a good reader and believe me, I had a lot of trouble finish the book. From the simple English used in it, I had little doubt it was written by Bangalee writers. The story however is not that interesting, I mean to say, the type we normally expect from the western novels. There is no horror, sex, imaginary machines and robots. On the other hand it narrates a sad story.

There are numerous men around, but a young girl have absolutely no one. It is a story of thousand years ahead, when there is no relative because, there exists no family because there is no marriage. The writers disclose, the capitalists have ruined families such that they can hire individual person at less pay, such that the people cannot form resistance and for many other reasons. The government joined hands with them, because they know, the govt. is going to enjoy people's wealth after their death (who would inherit their properties ?). All seems so natural. Only a few weeks ago I came to know, Canada is going to introduce marriage between same sexes. In their novel the writers have mentioned of this possibility. Well, the Canadian government has given their explanation and some may find those logical. But after I finished reading this novel I am convinced to believe, the government is now approaching to that marriage-less, family-less goal for their obvious benefit.

Before our hero and heroine initiated their journey to the east the novel has made us to have our journey to the east. By our journey we come to know a lot about Indian culture and civilization. With my university degree I was aware of many of these information. But the way some of those have been presented in this novel have given me new insight. As a Muslim woman I have always hated the phallus worship and I still do. But after I came to know the logic why they worshipped phallus, I was amazed. Now I can no more hate them for their most logical (even though savage by today's consideration) act.

I am not a professional book reviewer (I am a house-wife) and I don't know how to write a review. My husband wanted me to write `how I liked it' such that he could send it to his friend. And I just expressed what and how I felt after I went through the book.

Thank you.
Mrs. Mahmuda Begum
Banani, Dhaka.

Book : Review : JOURNEY TO THE EAST
Authors : MaryAnn and BiJon Sarma
Publisher : Trafford Publishing.
Page : 269, ...

Few months ago I finished MaryAnn et al's novel "Journey to the east". Even though I liked it, I had little intention to write a review. But after I heard today's TV news that a gay Bishop has been elected in one US church, I changed my mind. In this novel the authors have mentioned that the society in the west was (or will be) gone to hell by 2800 AD, and they explained how. At that time I considered as painful 'exaggeration' or 'bizarre imagination'. But now I know, the authors are the best 'future tellers' of this age. In the "Journey to the east" on Page 67, Thomas the hero says "Gloria, ... know one interesting thing ? When law permitted the marriage between the same sexes, men preferred to marry men rather than women". Why ? The authors mentioned "there was a rule that no husband could exercise his right over his wife's body without her consent". In case there was a violation the wife could ask for divorce and compensation. What was the outcome of this excellent rule ? The authors says like, whenever a man would get a big sum of money, say in a lottery, the wife would come close at night, in the morning she would complain in the court and then would depart with the handsome compensation. The males grew disgusted and as soon as the above rule was introduced they started marrying males as a protest. In this novel, the authors have mentioned this one as one of the root-causes of failure of marriage system in the west.

Dear MaryAnn and BiJon Sarma, with due apology I tell you, with your excellent power of imagination you could rightly imagine what could happen in Canada. As fulfillment of your imagination the Canadian government is going to introduce marriage between the same sexes. But then I humbly say, you have so miserably failed to imagine what could happen in the USA in reality. Today (Aug. 03, 2003) the US people have been blessed to elect a 'homo-sexual' as bishop of their church. Even though you have tried your best to portrait their character as the worst, the reality surpassed your imagination by many folds. Their bishop are of that character, what to say of the common men ? And now I tell you, you are wrong when you say, their society would go to dogs by 2800. I can assure you they are going to reach there much earlier, may be within 2100. In my 35-year age, I only hope if I could live till then to see their condition.

Sreemoti Ranibala Gupta
Howrah, Kolkata.

Book review :JOURNEY TO THE EAST. MaryAnn and BiJon Sarma, ISBN 1-55212-755-9. Trafford Publishing Canada.

Quoted from the novel : "I was supposed to receive another five thousand ...... after the DNA test is done" Gloria (P-05). That indicate Gloria the heroine lives on womb-hiring in 2851 AD. In their society there is no marriage, no family and no relative. So a young girl has to earn livelihood by renting womb and the novel starts with the chapter "They take my child". In chapter II and III ("My Life" and "Indecision) Gloria describes how a `natural-born' (natural-born means born in the process in which animals are born in nature) girl like her entered in this profession. Chapter IV (Women's Liberation) tells us how, in the name of liberating women from the oppression of the husbands the women's liberation brought an end to marriage and family. In the following chapter (The Liberated Women) Gloria describes how the so-called `liberated' women lived lives much worse than whores. The question remains, why did the women's liberation organization did the blunder ? Ch. VI and VII (My First Child & Mother Again) Gloria describes the pains of a lady, having no relative, but numerous exploiters around. The story takes a new turn when Gloria fell sick (Ch. VIII, I Suffer From Ailments) and had to ask for help from the father of her last child, even though the contract was over. Thomas, the nice behaved gentleman agrees to help and through discussion they look at what happened in the past, say twenty or twenty first century (Ch. IX, We Look Back). Even in that hellish society Gloria and Thomas pass nice days with a child (Ch. X, My Days With The Baby) and Gloria's heart hanker for love (Ch. XI, I Want To Live). In the following two chapters (My Childhood & Sarita And Her Marriage) Gloria remembers story of the savage marriage in India and considers that even to have been preferable. After she got at hand a kind and considerate gentleman like Thomas Gloria got the courage to think of marriage (Ch. XIV The Mirage Of Marriage). The following two chapters (The Lost Story Of Culture & The Family) they discuss who conspired to break families and why. Their first attempt to marry failed (Ch. XVII, The Journey Of Frustration). They realize how the species, who at times were man turned to mere machines (Ch. XVIII, Man and Machine). After the ruin of family new father and mother appeared in the society (Ch. XIX and XIIX, New parent - The father, The mother). Needless to mention they are the Capitalists and the Government respectively. The couple still cannot forget the dream of marriage (Ch. XXI In Quest of Love) and they look at the `Distant Civilization' (Ch. XXII). Naturally the discussion how the concept of God initiated there, how it was developed and what was its latest form (Ch. XXIII, Civilization) and how things happened in the west (Ch. XXIV, People in the West) did not miss their attention. They even attempted to marry in the `religious way' (Ch. XXV, Religion, at Last) and failed (Ch. XXVII, Frustration Again). In chapter XXVI on "Cultural aggression" they learnt how the west continued its aggression on the culture of the east.

One may kindly note, we, the Indians are now experiencing this aggression. Thomas and Gloria say, to their fortune the attempts of the west to capture the east failed. It may be interesting for the readers find out how and why the writers say, the western aggression could not succeed here. In the following chapter (World Conference on Culture) Thomas and Gloria learns how the great attempt to define Culture was foiled by due to the interference by the capitalists. But then the couple were more concerned with their own program and planned for a journey to the east (Journey Again). Their journey began in the last chapter, Ch. XXX (Beginning of the Journey) when, (Quoted) "The ship blew the long whistle, that was the final signal declaring her departure. Like us she was now free from all bondage. ... There was a thin line between the port and the ship. ... it slowly widened ... .. we could see red patches, swirling, whirling, and reshaping the water. ... we looked up and found the source. The red sun was rising .... in the east, as it always did. Against the sky and in our minds they (port etc.) were fading in every moment. What was getting brighter was the sun and a dream, a dream of a family, a family of loving father, an all-enduring mother, a husband, a wife and their son. ... That is the story of our JOURNEY TO THE EAST".

The above lines are the concluding ones from the novel. I am aware of the ever-decaying state of family and marriage in the west and by now we know who are doing all these. We also feel, the same conspirators are in action in our country also. When I was reading this novel for the sole purpose of writing a review, I forgot that objective. I could not forget one thing, how to foil the conspiracy of those evil forces. (Instead of circling around criticism, the novel carried away my mind to this immensely important issue. I believe this is the admirable success of this novel). I cannot forget the issue. If we can foil their conspiracy, then and then only it will be possible for Gloria's and Thomas's to make their great journey. On that day shall we wait in the harbor to greet them ? Or, ourselves turn into those productive machines of the capitalists ?

I find absolutely no reason why the Indian readers won't like this novel.

Professor Joy Goswami.
Tullygunge, Kolkata, India.

...The more I read the more I was astonished, because it was a novel difficult for the ordinary readers. By reading it one may not achieve what they say "reading pleasure". Even though there is a skeletal story, the message of the novel surpasses the story. It is in fact a message, a warning for the people of the contemporary society. In the present-day world we find the multi-national companies to do all sorts of activities harmful for the common men. They have already purchased the mouths of the small countries with money. They are taking away the learning, the ethics, the systems that we gained through toiling efforts of thousand of years. They are teaching us to turn to beast for 'earning money'. Due to their preaching we find people to do all sorts of things including killing for money. It is due to them that our society has been saturated with culprits and rapists. The writers of this novel have mentioned, the capitalists are behind these multi-national companies.

In an allegorical form the writers have explained how this powerful group are disintegrating our families, destroying marriage system, destroying all the sacred relations between fellow human being, all in their own heinous interest. I know as soon as the capitalists would come to realize what this novel intends the common men to know, they would endeavor their best to make it out of circulation. Even though the book is allegorical in nature, does not give reading pleasure, to some extent monotonous and quite hard to understand, I know any person who read the book from the first page to the last one would get the message it intends to convey. Well, the people of the west may not be worried to lose their cultural earnings (which is negligible), but we the Indians find ample reasons to be afraid of losing our hard-earned culture due to conspiracy of their capitalists. their is no reason to compare ourselves with the people who elect a gay person as bishop in their church.

I am thankful to the above writers for their excellent book.

Dr. Jagonmoy Halder
Jadavpur, Kolkata.

What would we do without the amazing life of Laura Ingalls and her family?! The Little House Collection has been a favourite of our household for the past couple of years. We are still reading avidly and enjoying watching the series on dvd. Fun to share my childhood memories with my little ones.

Easy, interesting and colourful words. A pleasure to read.

The whole LITTLE HOUSE series provides a perscription for daily living-- your basic 'How-To' manual: for practical survival skills; recognizing value in the smallest things; appreciating the gifts and pleasures of life; accepting each trial we may encounter. What a textbook!

These are handsome books - heavy stock paper, full color Garth Williams' illustrations, with Williams' illustrations on the cover (not the more modern real-life photos from other sets). This set, for some reason, only has the first 5 books, but the last 4 are available a la carte in the same nice full-color/heavy-stock/etc format. Not sure why they don't package all 9. This is a really nice collector's edition and very gift-worthy.

My mother-in-Law loved the books when she was growing up and I thought the television show was okay. So when my daughter seven, that's what grandma wanted and I didn't object. We started with the scholastic b+w set and it didn't draw my daughter in as much as this does. The pictures really pop out more in color and even though my daughter's a fairly good reader, the pictures make the difference for her. It might help that the stories are all of her as a child rather than also an adult-type person as in the complete set. The content is just fine, although a little scary at times, and I hope she's learning to notice how good things are now. (I can't imagine living in a sod house!)

What can I say? Everyone knows how wonderful these books are and if you don't, you will just have to read them for yourself. I am reading them to my 2 and 5 year old daughters. Surprisingly, they both listen well and beg me to read more (although my 5 year old will sit and listen while the younger loses interest after awhile, but hey, she's only 2) I am having as much fun reading them for myself a I am sharing them with my girls. Every morning after breakfast, we curl up on the couch or by the fireplace and read. And now my girls love to dress up and play Mary and Laura Ingalls and I think thats just wonderful. I don't have any boys but I imagine little boys would enjoy them as well (especially Farm Boy) And if you don't have kids, but just like to read, get them for yourself.