Europe Books

Iwo tells the tale of the battle for Iwo Jima, as a veteran of the battle, Mr. Wheeler was in an excellent position to tell us about the battle that few historians would be able to meet. Mr. Wheeler opens his book by describing the Japanese leaders and preparations for defending Iwo Jima. This is rapidly followed by the American preparations and the initial landing. The center piece is the assault and flag raising on Suribachi; concluding with the Americans taking Iwo Jima

My Likes
Mr. Wheeler tells this in a very gritty way, that of a Marine who was on the beach and tasted the sulfur in the air and dirt. When reading this book you can almost feel the shells crashing around you and know that someone is watching each move you make up the beachhead. I particularly love how Mr. Wheeler provides nice details about each of the Marines he covers; a little more than most historians would provide you. Another love is the details on E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division; his old unit. When describing his unit, Mr. Wheeler provides excellent background and feeling for the men. Particular attention is paid to the two flag raisings. Another great addition Mr. Wheeler provides is on the Japanese, their preparations and their leaders; something just starting when this book was originally written. The additional pieces about the Japanese help us to understand more about the battle.

My Dislikes
Maps. The few maps in the edition I have are of lower quality. I would have loved to have seen some nice maps included in the book that showed where the Marines were on at the end of the first day and other significant days. I also would have enjoyed having a nice breakdown of what the Japanese bunker networks looked like. This would have been great for showing readers how terrible the fields of fire were. I also wish the Navy would have been included a little more than they were (they're there, but more to take the Marines to Iwo, prep the area, and then support them). My other desirement for the book was focusing on the other Marine units as well as he did his own.

The Rating
A very solid 4 star book (going rapidly to 4.5 stars). The writing is nice and clean as it's told from the Marines perspective. There's also excellent photos. This made me lean to 5 stars, but with the lack of maps and the coverage of the other Marine units not being as good as the assault on Suribachi I'm rounding to 4 stars. That said, I seriously doubt that any book can describe the valor of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines as well as this one did. A very good book!

We were searching for books that would depict the true situation on Iwo Jima during WWII. We were thrilled with this selection. We found two pictures we believe to be my husband's father. We have looked for photos where my mother-in-law could see well enough to say if it was her husband. These photos were excellent.

written so excellent, one will hardly ever forget. Dramatic, shocking and sad book about proud not afraid to die but nevertheless doomed Japanese soldiers and desperate, brave, pushed to the limits Marines, all dying for..(?!). Books about Stalingrad and Monte Casino come to my mind and "Iwo" should be on your shelf together with them. Maybe your children will read it some day and try to ponder nature of wars decided by individuals (rulers/politicians) and resulting in tragedy for many; as
Bertrand Russell noted: "war does not determine who is right, only who is left".

I am a USMC veteran who reads extensively about WW II. This is the best book about Iwo Jima I have ever read and have recommended it to my old buddies.

IWO is spellbinding. Written from the point of view of the Marines that fought, it tells their story and keeps the reader glued to the pages. Graphic discriptions of life and death hold the attention and provide a new insight to this battle. A must read for anyone intrested the military and war history.

....there is something wrong with you. But, it WILL inspire you. {I shall say at the outset that I will leave out a lot of the names I can't pronounce}. This is the story of a family of three Lithuanian Jews, and, secondarily, of ten others, saved from the Holocaust by the courage and sacrifice of one Catholic family. They survived, and made it to America....

The tale is told from the viewpoint of Etta Ipp, who became Edna Ipson here in Richmond, VA. "Izzy's Fire" was a pet name her husband's family had for her. Some of the scenes, and stories, will make you sick. {DON'T let little kids read it}. Some will make you cry. There is great evil in the world; if you doubt that, read this book. There is also great good...never doubt that, either, for you shall meet it here.

The Ipsons lost almost all of their family to the Nazis, but they survived, and even prospered. Izzy died in 1997. Edna was still alive at the publication of the book in 2005. Jay, their young son, is now in his mid 70s, and helps run the Virginia Holocaust Museum, in Richmond. He is living history. I shall do something I never do, and recommend you not buy this from your favorite bookstore...if you purchase it from the Holocaust Museum, Jay will sign and personalize your copy; that virtually makes it a sacred relic. I assure you I treasure mine.

Izzy's Fire: Finding Humanity In The Holocaust is the triumphant true story of a holocaust survivor and members of her family escaped the Kovno Ghetto in Lithuania, survived trials and successfully hid until the war's end in a hiding places granted them by a Catholic farmer. She, her husband, and other refugees dug a hole between two potato cellars, and with the unselfish aid of that selfless, risk taking Catholic family, miraculously survived the Holocaust. Afterward she and her husband emigrated to America and encountered a joyful reunion decades later. Izzy's Fire gives voice to those who survived the Holocaust in hiding, and is a welcome addition to Holocaust studies shelves.

Rebeccasreads highly recommends IZZY'S FIRE as a compelling account of how a Lithuanian Jewish couple & their son survived the Nazi occupation, & hide for 3 years in a Catholic farmer's root cellar. & then surviving the Communist "liberation" of their homeland.

Beasley draws from personal interviews, research & numerous memoirs, including those from Israel "Izzy" Ipson, who helped his family escape from Kovno Ghetto, one of the most notorious killing fields for Jews in Lithuania. The Ipps, as they were known then, relocated to Richmond following their liberation and later changed their name to Ipson. Their story has been re-created at the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond, Virginia.

IZZY'S FIRE is Eta's answer to those who say the Holocaust never happened, & is a tribute to personal bravery & the unquenchable resources of compassion, quick-wittedness & sheer determination to live, with a lot of luck thrown in.

Complete with maps & photos, IZZY'S FIRE is a story for all time.

There are many people today that feel "entitled" due to race, relegion or the condition of the home in which they were born. This is a story about a family who's life was turned upside down by war; who lived in barns, potato holes and lived in fear of being murdered as was the fate of many of their family members. Through perserverance and a strong faith in God, they were able to get to America and lived the "american story" of pulling themselves up from poverty to owning a successful business. All young people need to read this story.

Izzy's Fire is by far one of the best books I've ever read. I cannot imagine the pain and suffering of this family in the ghetto in Lithuania. The book was extremely well written and was very hard to put down once I started it. Kudos to Ms. Beasley on a job well done! I can't wait until her next book. This is a must read.

This is a truly amazing story of human courage. Jack and Rochelle were not only brave enough to run away from their Germany captors, but then spent years living in the woods surviving and fighting back. Even after the Russian liberation and their departure from the woods, Jack and Rochelle fought danger constantly until they could get to an American displaced persons camp. They were such survivors. I can't imagine living through what they did, especially at their young ages.

I read this in a day because I couldn't put it down.

Jack and Rochelle is probably one of the best books I have read in the past 5 yrs. It is truly amazing what they endure during the war and how they survive. There truly isn't any words to describe how much I loved this book. Thank you Jack and Rochelle for writing your experiences! This is a well written and easy to read book. The story is very easy to follow and so important to be read! I hope that everyone has a chance to read this book. It makes you realize you need to be a kinder and more understanding person to others. Hate is an awful thing....and there is still too much of it in our world! Thank you Jack and Rochelle! God bless you both!

Ably edited by their son Lawrence, the instructive and inspiring Holocaust narrative of Jack and Rochelle Sutin provides ample proof of both the degradation implicit in the Shoah and the astounding strength and courage Jewish partisans demonstrated in their battle against the attempted Nazi genocide. "Jack and Rochelle" is a deceptively easy book to read; the chapters consist of blended chronological testimonies; Lawrence Sutin honorably avoids imposing his own voice on his parents, instead allowing his mother and father to describe, in their own words, their own cadences, the horrors they faced and the gritty resolve they mustered to fight back. Rarely does a subtitle so accurately depict the contents of a memoir as does their own: "A Holocaust Story of Love and Resistance."

Both Jack and Rochelle came from educated and enlightened eastern European Jewish families. As the two of them chronicle the onset of anti-Jewish depradations, they remind us of the rich texture of their pre-war lives. This dimension of humanity, of lives complicated by strained love relations, competitive urges and the deeply felt need for independence, makes the Nazi onslaught all the more unsettling and horrific.

Several themes predominate in the Sutins' braided lives. First is the omnipresence of Jew hatred, whether it be in pre or post war Poland, in the brutally repressive Soviet bureaucracy or the finely honed hatred of Nazi Germany. Indifferent neighbors, vicious anti-Jewish Russian partisans (who commit ghastly sexual offenses against women who want nothing more than to join them in battling a common enemy), and the active participants in human eradication, the Nazis, make the Sutins' world one of constant peril. Survival is never taken for granted, and Jack and Rochelle's descriptions of their physical torment, often undertated, is wrenching to read. Personal sacrifice exists on every level: physical, social and spiritual. Rochelle's first child dies within a day due to exposure when its survival imperils others; Jack is literally covered with pus-filled boils as a result of living outside the boundaries of human habitation.

Yet, neither Jack or Rochelle never complain, never give themselves away to self-pity. Instead, they are infused with the Judaic command to remember and Rochelle's mother's insistence on revenge, to take action to avenge the murder of their people. In this charged atmosphere of sanguine justice and physical erosion, amidst the rank and fetid habitat of primitive partisan surroundings, hope and love survive. Jack dreams that Rochelle will appear. She does. Despite sexual abuse and spiritual depletion, Rochelle gradually accepts and receives Jack's love. He has never stopped loving her.

"Jack and Rochelle" is above all a cry of victory. It is a cry that murder and eradication cannot conquer a people. It is a cry that memory and consecration to life will prevail over death. It is a cry that love can endure, even if it is formed in the absolute crucible of death.

Jack and Rochelle Sutin were Jewish and met during WWII. I have read many stories of the holocaust from the perspective of the concentration camp. But never a story like Jack and Rochelle's!! They escaped from the ghetto and hid out it the woods during the war. (Small groups of Jews banded together in the woods.) Sound idyllic? Their existence was horrific, dreadful, and desperate! They were often reduced to being like animals. If a woman arrived pregnant, no one wanted her in their group - a baby is noisy and would be too risky. (If the woman was accepted into the group despite her pregnancy, she was forced to kill her newborn or someone in the group killed it for her.) Jewish women, who were alone and did not find a group of Jews to join, often had to perform sexual favors to find someone to take them in or help them. (Cruel and heartless Russian partisans were the worst offenders!) Despite the absolute horror of this true story, the story of Jack and Rochelle is inspiring. They met in the woods, and survived - overcoming great odds. They later married and came to the USA. The book is also well-written, and is an "easy read" in regards to the writing style.

A true story well told. An uplifting story about the power of love, faith, and self reliance. The unbelievable resiliance of humans to survive and keep their sanity in a world gone crazy. The book does not dwell on the horrors or even give explicit descriptions. The two main characters had a hard enough time and were not physically tortured or held prisoner. They simply hid out and lived in terror for several years until miraculously making their escape to the West. These were two lucky people who nevertheless suffered years of fear and depradation.

This book is fabulous. I grew up watching these stories come to like on the Jim Henson Hour, and I love having these stories at my finger tips. The stories are very intersting and original. The art work in the book is also fabulous!! They match the television portrail of story exactly. I am so glad that I am able to read and share these stories with my friends and family!

The television series was one of the best things ever to be shown on TV, but it's more than worthwhile to pick up this book just to be able to focus on Anthony Minghella's (yep, he of "The English Patient") way with words. Minghella doesn't just write good narration, he writes good, old-fashioned *story-telling* Like, say, Kipling's "Just-So Stories," Minghella's "The Storyteller" captures the language of the very best tale tellers.

Many years ago my family sat around the television, wide eyed and filled with magic; we were watching the Jim Henson Storyteller series. We waited and waited for it to reappear one day- to no avail. But FINALLY, a book! To be able to relive the "hugs and snoodles" of Hans My Hedghog, the stone soup tale of a "Story Short"- all of it beautifully, and creatively written, with illustrations to match- will take you back to your childhood. I find it hard to believe this has yet to be discovered. Don't miss the videos that are now out, at long last!

Perfection is the TV series that preceded this book. Of course, I must gloat and say that I knew all those many years ago that Anthony Minghella was the most exquisite writer I had ever heard/read. His words coupled with the genius of Jim Henson and company made for the best (no exaggeration) thing ever to be broadcast on television. To be able to read the words from these shows and have them readily available on your bookshelf is heaven. I've been recommending the TV series and this book for years. I still recommend it today.

Just so you know, all 9 episodes of The Storyteller are now out on a single DVD - something many of us have been waiting for for years. This book is, I think, the original screenplay of Jim Henson's Storyteller series because it follows *very* closely to the stories and dialogue seen on TV. The illustrations are also taken from the show and are very nice. The written word is different from television, however, and these stories take on a different light often in one versus the other, and there are some expansions here that didn't make the final editing cuts.

My kid and I love "The Storyteller" series, and this book is a pleasant addition for bedtime reading.

Diane Stanley, author of a series of high-quality biographies for children, does it again: Joan of Arc is intelligent and interesting with eye-popping illustrations. Of course the story is tragic, so this is not a good first biography for the young, tender-hearted child. The only thing missing is a real sense of the supernatural, what drove Joan to do what she did in the first place. If you're looking for the miraculous in your retelling of Joan's story, choose instead Josephine Poole's breathtaking "Joan of Arc."

Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc should be recommended for teens 13-16. I thought it was kind of hard to understand because I got 60% on this Accelerated Reader test. I didn't understand the Crowning of the Kings and Princesses very well. I would rate this a 6/10 in a rating.
It taught me about how some people can get so sick of things that you would do anything to save your country. This book is cool because of the pictures of the war.

Not only was this an accurate portrayal of Joan of Arc's story, it was wonderfully written and illustrated. I would recommend it for anyone who is starting out in learning of the saint. It is educational and enjoyable for a child.

Once again, Diane Stanley has brought intriguing facts and interesting tidbits to a book about a well known character, Joan of Arc, which makes the reader interested and excited about the subject, no matter what age he or she might be. Joan was born an illiterate, peasant daughter of a leader in a French village during the time of the Hundred Years War between France and England. She was highly disciplined in Catholicism, and was often teased about it by her friends. At the age of thirteen, Joan began having visions, while in the family garden, of various Catholic Saints giving her distressing messages and that she needed to act in order to save the French Kingdom. Joan was so convinced and moved by these visions that she took on a life long task of saving the French kingdom, although a woman doing this would have been unheard of at the time. She was eventually captured by the Burgundies that occupied Northern France and handed over to the English for a ransom. She was put on trial by the church for dressing in men's clothing and for acting on her voices and visitations which should have only been heard by members of the clergy. She was found guilty, although she gave clever testimony and was not easily disrupted by tricky questioning, and eventually burned at the stake. Charles, the ruler that Joan help restore to the crown, made it his personal mission to have Joan's trial declared a mistrial sixteen years after her death. This act fueled by his guilt for not negotiating for her release from prison helped her to be declared a saint five hundred years later.
This book helps the reader realize that although Joan my have appeared unstable with her visions in modern times, she brought hope and life to a battle that was hopeless leaving many French residents in despair. A note at the end of the book indicates that there have been three theories behind Joan's visions, depending on where one's personal beliefs lie.
Included within the book are pronunciations of French names and places and a map, so the reader can follow the path taken by Joan. This book provides interesting and understandable information for readers of all ages, including adults that want a short but informative look into Joan of Arc's life.

A beautiful book! Diane Stanley carefully traces the life of Joan from her humble beginnings to her tragic end. The book even comes with a pronunciation guide to help those of us who haven't been to France. Although the language is at 8+ year old range, my 5 year old daughter loves it anyway!

Very informative. Breaks down into an easy to understand timeline and also by the Royal Houses.

. Informative book which is easy for all ages to follow wether reading it themselves or being read to. My children used it for projects and i myself took it into school to show children the system the English have as many think the Queen is voted in. I also enjoyed this book as i enjoy my country's history.

My bible of Royal British successions for almost 20 years, I keep it at my elbow for constant reference. A wonderful thumbnail sketch of each King and Queen, as well as a snapshot of the times in which they lived and the causes of their sucesseses and failures. Great reading--beautifully illustrated.

I bought this book many years ago, and I still pick it up at least once a month. The book gives you the most important information of every king and queen who has ever ruled England or Scotland.

As I turn the pages, I can see that there is something interesting about every regent, and by the way; this book makes you realize that royal scandals are not a new invention.

I read this book cover to cover just prior to my trip to England (along with Antonia Fraser's "The Lives of the Kings & Queens of England"). This was a fun and easy read with nice pitcures. It is nice for anyone looking for a brief overview about the English Monarchy and also for anyone who just wants to have a handy reference.

This book is a wonderful help if you are planning on traveling to NYC. It breaks the city up into sections and has large detailed fold out maps of each section. It also has a subway map that can be a help; although it is not up to date I still found myslf using it to find subway stations and general information. Although if you are in NYC you should grab a subway/bus map right away and just use this as a backup.
The maps are on thick paper and easy to write on as well.

Best travel guide bar none. Fits your pocket or small purse.. Visually great looking. There are actual pictures .... All high recommended hotels different prices..Great maps.. hard to get lost . Great recommends for food I am a shopper.. Absolutely great & unusual shops ..None of the bad tourist gear only the styling gear.. .I am familiar w/ New York but I still use this guide. This is the one I get around with...I do not go anywhere without this guide if there is one available for the destination Im will be traveling to....

This is the most ergonomically designed useful city guide I've seen.
100 percent portable, no batteries, internet connection and user friendly.

I went to New York for the first time for two weeks. This map is great. It's small, easy to carry, and easy to read. You won't feel so obvious if you have to pull it out on the street corner or on the subway. It was so much better than the full size map that I got from the hotel. Beware, it only covers Manhattan. So if you have to travel to the outer boroughs (Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Queens) you'll need a different map. However, since all the siteseeing, shopping, and eating I wanted to do was located in Manhattan, it was the only map I needed.

The first time I went to New York, my mom bought this for our trip. It's been a life saver since. The maps are very detailed but small enough to carry with you without looking obnoxious. The subway map is detailed as well and when you use them with your sectioned maps, it completes the whole picture. This is a must have especially for first time visitors as the maps are very easy to read. I'm going on my third trip in two months and had to pick up another copy of this, as I can't seem to find my older one. I couldn't imagine a trip to NYC without it!

At times the stories collected in The Last Eyewitnesses just get to you -- the insanity and cruelty of it all. This book should be required reading for everyone. Those interested in Jewish history, Polish history and Holocaust accounts will find this book indispensible. Beyond that, however, this collection appeals to anyone interested in the human condition and the absolute will to survive. An amazing, amazing book.

A touching portrait of many Holocaust survivors. Expertly translated by the husband and wife team, the Bussgangs.

The 65 personal histories chronicled here represent the scope and variety of experiences Polish child survivors of the Holocaust underwent. They tell of kindness and cruelty, of good luck and bad, of the survival of a complete nuclear family and the survival of one who knows only that he is, by origin, a Jew. Because this these people originally came from all over Poland, they faced persecution by not only the Nazis and their Belarussian, Lithuanian, Polish, and Ukrainian collaborators, but also from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and various other anti-Semitic, anti-Polish groups.

Most of these chronicles convey the sense of absolute aloneness and isolation their tellers must have felt. However, a number reveal connections among the group of contributors, connections that hint at the scope of the Jewish community that existed in Poland before the Nazis invaded.

The individual stories are compelling. Their cumulative effect is powerful. They bear witness to the spectrum of human capacity for good and for evil, and, above all, to the twists of fate that meant the difference between death and survival. Accounts of the lingering, ever-present effects of suffering resulting from the events of over 50 years ago serve as reminders that the past is, indeed, never really over.

In The Last Eyewitnesses, the editor, Wiktoria Sliwowska, has presented her own testimony of the destruction of Polish Jewry as well as those of her contemporaries. These have been assembled by the Association of the Children of the Holocaust in Poland. The special character of this anthology lies in the fact that these Jews, mostly in their sixties and seventies now, have come together to relate their childhood memories of the Holocaust, when childhood was denied to them. The reader becomes a witness to a unique cathartic experience. The translation of Julian and Fay Bussgang has given the English reader the opportunity to encounter these testimonies, full of the stark details which contradict everything expected from childhood. Primarily, these survivors learned that in their circumstances, it was dangerous to be a Jew. These children spent at least six years of their lives trying to divest themselves of their Jewish identity. They had to change their names, sometimes several times, change their language, in many cases, and learn Catholic prayers and rituals. As one sees by the names listed in the table of contents, many have never really recovered their identities as Jews. The histories provided demonstrate that there can be life after the Holocaust, but there can never be an elimination of its legacy. And this legacy will extend beyond the lives of even these and other last witnesses.

In The Last Eyewitnesses, the editor, Wiktoria Sliwowska, has presented her own testimony of the destruction of Polish Jewry as well as those of her contemporaries.These have been assembled by the Association of the Children of the Holocaust in Poland. The special character of this anthology lies in the fact that these Jews, mostly in their sixties and seventies now, have come together to relate their childhood memories of the Holocaust, when childhood was denied to them. The reader becomes a witness to a unique cathartic experience. The translation of Julian and Fay Bussgang has given the English reader the opportunity to encounter these testimonies, full of the stark details which contradict everything expected from childhood. It is chilling to hear of the young who, besides being faced with constant want and privation and witness to violence and brutalization, also have to deal with an immediate and mature realization that their own lives are tenuous and threatened day by day. One individual describes his fear and panic, as he and his sister fled from their pursuers into the woods, as well as the subsequent pain and guilt for having separated from her during their attempted escape. His path led to life, while hers led to death. It is painful to read of children who are clearly aware that in their circumstances, it is dangerous to be a Jew. A new word has entered their Jewish vocabulary, "Action", a raid by Germans and their cohorts to seize Jews for death, either to be killed on the spot or taken to the death camps. One can scarcely imagine living with the ever-present fear of being discovered - afraid of one's dark Jewish appearance, living in cellars or closets, forbidden to approach a window, hiding in the woods. The sad fate of Polish Jewry is revealed in the statement of one teenage girl upon returning home after liberation: "...In my one and only little dress, without a cent to my name, I traveled to where Mama, Dorota, and the rest of the family were sent to the ghetto. Here, after arriving at my destination, I lived through the worst moment of my life. I did not anybody, not a single blessed soul." Not only did they not find many of their loved-ones or any vibrant Jewish community after the War, but they found anti-Semitism still alive, though their families were dead. These children spent at least six years trying to divest themselves of their Jewish identity. They had to change their names, sometimes several times, change their language, in many cases, and learn Catholic prayers and rituals. Many survivors have never returned to their original, Jewish names. As one sees by the names listed in the table of contents, many have never really recovered their identities as Jews. One individual expresses his confusion about whether he is a Jewish-Pole or a Polish-Jew. The histories presented here cover the entire gamut from total alienation from Jewish contacts to strenuous effort to learn about their background and Israel. As one reads the various depositions, one is amazed that any children could have lived through such inimical circumstances. One is amazed at the efforts of courage and sacrifice, love and desperation on the part of these parents to give up their children to strangers in the hope that they might live through the horrible German regime. One is also amazed at the stories of great courage on the part of many Poles in the rescue efforts described. "Antek" Cukierman, hero of the Warsaw Ghetto, has commented that one Pole could betray a hundred hiding Jews, but it took a hundred Poles to save a single Jew. These accounts verify that reality, as does Yad Vashem's recognition of many of them to be included in the ranks of the Righteous Among the Nations. The people who have come forth in the aftermath of the Holocaust to give these accounts of their personal lives and tragedies, as they struggle to define their identities, have gone on to demonstrate that there can be life after the Holocaust, but there can never be an elimination of its legacy.And this legacy will extend beyond the lives of even these and other last witnesses. Abraham Rzepkowicz, Reviewer

With The Last Mazurka, Andrew Tarnowski paints a hauntingly bittersweet portrait of his family set against the pain and tumult of World War II. Like the musical strains of a Polish mazurka, this memoir is lively, courageous, and absolutely mesmerizing!

I can only echo the praise of other reviewers. I am not a big non-fiction reader, but this book really captured me. These people led lives more fascinating than fiction could ever have been.

Excellent and interesting historical review through one family's experiences offering good insight into the times.

This is a great book about a country and a culture and a time that too many of us know too little about.

The narrative begins just before World War I and carries through World War II, the Communist period and the present day. It provides insight into the life of one family that made up part of Poland's priveleged class. The shortcomings and weaknesses that plagued Poland through much of its history seem to be manifested in this one, markedly dysfunctional family--the author's own.

Mr. Tarnowski's writing is clear, descriptive and enjoyable. He is forthright in telling the story of his family's disintegration--a process that began long before the Nazis ravaged Poland and the Soviets subsequently crushed and neutered it.

His writing quickly makes the reader familiar with the main characters; all of them are colorful, but only a few are likeable. In the end, although he doesn't say so, it is obvious that had the Germans and Soviets never crossed into Poland and stolen the riches of the ruling classes, the author's volatile, arrogant, greedy and alcoholic father would likely have singlehandedly destroyed the family's wealth and standing anyway.

It reads nearly like a novel--but is all the more enjoyable because the story is real. Although a sometimes painful read, it is a thoroughly gratifying one. I'm glad the author had the talent and courage to write it.

In this outstanding book, Andrew Tarnowski describes the fairy tale like lives of his Polish aristocratic relatives from the early 1900s up until world war II, after which their highly privileged lives came to a crashing halt. He continues to describe what happened in the lives of key relatives into the 1970s, '80s and '90s. For instance, his parents, Chouquette (Sophie Jaxa-Chamiec)later married Malcom Wolfe Murray and his father Stas Tarnowski later married Ada Lubomirska (with whom he had six children). They all lead fascinating lives but their past haunted them even then. The author did a marvelous job of chronicling and piecing together his family history from interviews, memoirs, historical documents and oral family history. As the old adage goes "truth is stranger than fiction" and it holds true for this book which reads like a fictional account of immensely exaggerated proportions, only the stories in this book are facts, they are true and really happened, just as they are recorded.

We learn that the beautiful tall thin, auburn-haired Countess Wanda Zamoyska of Dzikow, who was strong willed and self-assured and loved glamour and high society had - through parental guidance and arrangements married Count Hieronim Tarnowski of Rudnik, in 1914. He was congenial looking, had dark wavy hair, a high forehead and a rather too prominent a nose but most importantly was the heir to a substantial fortune, which was the main consideration for Wanda's widowed mother whose family fortunes had fallen on hard times. Hieronim was highly educated and besides his native Polish, he spoke seven other languages fluently, English German, French, Greek, Italian, Spanish and Latin. His ancestors played prominent roles in Polish history from the 14th to 16th centuries. His father Professor Stanislaw Tarnowski was a renowned academic who was showered with great honors and held a prestigious postion with the Jagiellonina University in Krakow. His ancestors helped found the university over 500 years before. Unfortunately, this couple was ill matched from the beginning and their lives and those of their children, Sophie and Stas, showed the after effects of their less than happy union throughout their lives. Furthermore, it was whispered that Wanda was likely the illigitimate daughter of Hieronim's first cousin so -it was a marriage which should not have happened. The aristocracy hid these types of indescretions very well ...

Wanda and Hieronim had two children, Sophie who was born in 1917 and Stas (Stanislaw) born in 1918. Stas was the father of the author of this book. He was a handsome man, with a somewhat arrogant attitude, who resembled the actor David Niven. Just prior to the outbreak of World War II, his sister, Sophie had married Andrew. Their marriage had taken a papal dispensation because both were too closely related. They were second cousins, grandchildren of two brothers from Dzikow. They had twelve great-grandparents in common. Although the marriage was discouraged because they were so obviously in love, a family friend intervened and got Pope Pius XI to provide the proper approval.

This book is filled with many fascinating details about Polish aristocratic life at the turn-of-the-century, including arranged hunts for wild game in the nearby forests and lavish balls. The book shows how this aristocratic family managed to survive World War I, and rebuild their lives after the damages done to their property and many residences. It shows how due to circumstances of birth, they lived highly privileged lives compared to the majority of the population. The threats of World War II loomed, so the Tarnowski's planned an escape route via an auto caravan into Romania. Forty four relatives narrowly escaped to live in poverty compared to their previous lifestyle. They became refugess like the majority of those who escaped their homeland. Unlike many, they had contacts such as relatives or close friends who worked in embassies abroad. These people helped ease their adjustment to their new status. Through chance, two unrelated young ladies, Chouquette and her sister Boule, were visiting the Tarnowski's home when Hitler bombed Poland on Sept. 1, 1939. They escaped along with the family. Fearing Romania was getting too close to the Germans, they remained only one month in Romania, and moved to Belgrade because the Serbs were determined to fight Hitler and the Nazis. In Belgrade, the author's mother, at the age of 19, Chouquette married her fiance Stas Tarnowski who was 21 years of age that year.

From Belgrade, this young married couple moved to Palestine, along with Stas' sister Sophie and her husband Andrew. The young men joined the Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade, who trained in Egypt, to fight the Nazis along with the British in Northern Africa. The ladies settled in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv but soon moved to Cairo, Egypt to be the guest of a family friend, PrinceYouseff Kamal ed-Dine, third in line to the Egyptian throne. From turmoil and confusion, their lives transformed into indescribable luxury. They were provided a villa complete with a servant and cook. By then, Chouquette had given birth to Andrew, the author of this book. He was nick-named Boubi Pasha but more often was called, gnomek, Polish for "little gnome." The ladies moved in a select circle of friends. They were often the guests of the royal family and of British diplomats and British officers, at polo clubs, sports clubs, race tracks, tea parties and special functions held in the best hotels. Their husbands fought with the British at some of the most famous battles of the war in North Africa ...

This book is a fascinating true story which the author shares with the reader. He also provides the history of the lives of his grandparents, Wanda and Hieronim, who remained in Poland and managed to survive the war. He gives very interesting details about the love lives of his Uncle Andrew and even of his own father, who was a womanizer and often cheated on his mother. In fact, his father had an affair with someone in Belgrade, the night before he married his mother, Chouquette. The story of the strained relationship of his parents is a very worthwhile read ax is the story of their divorce. The story of the lives of the author's Aunt Sophie and his Uncle Andrew are also complex, and sound more fictional than real. Andrew's father is a colorful enigmatic character who could be the leading character in a best selling novel, a figure larger than life, more a figment of someone's imagination than a real person. Both of his parents eventually built new lives but remained close due to their shared history and past which created a bond that could never be broken. Despite having lost their Polish homeland and the privileges of a lifestyle that totally dissolved after World War II - the past remained a constant shadow which followed them wherever they lived, no matter how different their current lives were. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

LET'S OPEN A BOTTLE: MY JOURNEY THROUGH THE SPANISH WINE REVOLUTION takes readers to Spain along with the English teacher/author, who considers the Spanish wine revolution. Murdock is an expatriate living in Madrid the past fifteen years: his background lends to a blend of memoir and travelogue which brings readers into the heart of Spanish wine country politics and winemaking tradition. Travel tips include listings of regional wineries, specialties, and recommendations for destination-bound wine fans. A wonderful, detail-packed read for any interested in Spanish wines and wine region history.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

Books on Spanish wine are difficult to find, good books on Spanish wine are rare and books such as Brian Murdock's are unique. Not only is it up-to-date and thorough but it blends a current knowledge of the Spanish wine industry with insights into Spain's history and culture. Robert Parker (aka God), the world's leading wine critic, has said of Spanish wine that,"Spain has done an outstanding job of maintaining respect for its traditions of the past and also looking forward to the future." This wine revolution is perfectly captured in Murdock's book.
However, this is not just a (well above) average reference book on Spanish wine regions and their wines. This book is far more. It is a personal journey, literally, among the highways and byways- most Spanish wineries are on byways- where the author talks to a wide cross-section of individuals involved in wine-making. This allows the reader to hear the voices of those actually making the wide variety of quality wines which Spain is now producing.
In this personal account the author's acute perceptions, deep knowledge, wit and sheer passiopn of and for Spanish wines burns through. At the end of this excellent read Murdock modestly states that he is no 'expert' but '...after a helluvah lot of work, I also should know what I am talking about.' Indeed he does.
As a wine merchant based in Spain and having visited many of the same places and tasted the same wines as the author I can bear witness to its accuracy and insight. This first-class book will appeal not only to all those who wish to explore Spanish wines but also ita charming people and rich culture.

This is a great read and should not be simply thought of as another boring guide to wine. The author weaves plenty of humor and history into this aptly named "Journey Through the Spanish Wine Revolution". The reader learns how and why the vast history of the Iberian Peninsula has shaped today's Spanish wine industry. The end result is not only do I seek out Spanish wines in restaurants and stores, but I also want to travel to Spain to check out the various regions and their unique cultures and geographies. I should also note that I have given this book as a gift to a few people who have loved it as well.

As someone who's trying to learn more about the "wine culture" after years of clueless intrigue, I finally found the perfect source. While it primarily discusses wines from a lesser known country/producer(Spain), this book provides a firm backbone that's easily translatable across wine regions around the world. Not sure what to expect when I started, I was quickly taken by the extreme detail discussing individual wines and vineyards, and how they vary from region to region. As much as I learned about various "reds" and "whites", I received an equally thorough education on the history of each region. Humor and a lighter tone throughout make this a fun, interesting, and very informative read.

When I see this book, I thought "OK, a modern guide for spanish wines, I'll get it". But it's much more than this! It's a really good landscape of the spanish wine culture, with many facts surrounding the wine and spanish people.

I think Mr. Murdock has done a really good job, and it will be useful for many pepole who loves wine and wants to know more about Spain, its wine and the people who lives there.

5 stars are for all the book if we excepts the part for andalusian wines. They are worth of a full book! :-)

A perfect gift or a perfect self-gift.