Bailey Books

This story seamlessly meshes past and present--three generation's worth--into a beautiful, nearly flawless, piece of work. Tan connects the past and present through a manuscript written by her main character's mother. Whole chapters are devoted to her mother's childhood and young adult memories, as are entire chapters devoted to the main character's childhood and present-day adult life. I am amazed that while reading this generation-spanning novel, never did I lose track of the novel's setting or time.
Amy Tan's novel provokes empathy, joy, sorrow, laughter, and a host of other emotions. This is her novel's strength.

This book is quite well written and worth reading but not quite good enough to get a 5 star rating from me. I did however give it 4 stars. It was an interesting story line but sometimes strayed from the storyline. All in all however worth buying.

When Ruth Young was growing up she'd often been embarrassed by the strange ways her mother acted. Mother believed in ghosts, bad luck and curses. She wanted her mother to be more modern like her Auntie Gal. Mother and daughter were often at odds, often had serious arguments. As time moves on Ruth's mother gets even more eccentric, so she takes her to the doctor and finds out she has dementia.

There had been many secret between mother and daughter and when her mother finds out that she's losing her memory she decides to write down everything about her past, but she shows Ruth only the first part of what she's written, the part she knows is true.

This is much more in this wonderful novel that is about not only the tense relationship between mother and daughter, but about their reconciliation as well and a lot about forgiveness. I loved this book and I think you will too.

I almost feel bad criticizing this book for being overly formulaic when I actually enjoyed parts of it so much. Yes, this is typical Amy Tan fare, which includes mother-daughter angst, immigrant culture, and old Chinese family secrets dusted off and gradually exposed through some engrossing storytelling. The story shifts between present-day San Francisco where we follow Ruth Young and her struggles with her Chinese-born mother, LuLing, and pre-WW2 rural China where we are treated to sumptious descriptions of old customs and superstitions surrounding LuLing's family origins. As with Tan's other books, it is when she takes the reader back in time to China that the story really shines. When the plot returns to America, it almost feels like a complete let-down.

In present time, Ruth's mother, LuLing, suffers from dementia, and as a result she has written down her life story in Chinese for her daughter to read. Ruth, who is not fluent in written Mandarin, hires someone to translate the story, and it is through this translation we are treated to the memoirs of LuLing. The bonesetter is her grandfather, and the daughter actually refers to LuLing's real mother - or Precious Auntie as she is called. This tragic title character is at the center of the story both before and after her death, and the injustices done to her by her adversaries as well as her own family are heartwrenching. The dynamic between LuLing and her "sister" GaoLing is also well portrayed, and the sisterly jealousies as well as loyalties are well characterized. The family business aspects, caligraphy descriptions and the ink-producing process are fascinating to read.
All the superstitions and ghosts that envelope every character in China, however, are the most satisfying parts.

There are numerous subplots and transitory characters, both in China and in San Fransisco. There are the two American missionaries along with Sister Yu, who run the orphanage where LuLing spends several years both as student and teacher. There are the British mother and daughter and their talking parrot in Hong Kong where LiuLing as a maid learns English. There are the archeologists who are excavating the Peking Man - and the one who wins LuLing's heart. The subplot involving Dottie and Lance from Ruth's childhood, however, albeit interesting, seemed to fizzle out without a proper conclusion.
Finally, the main male characters in the story were quite one-dimensional (saintly or evil) - but this is rather typical in Tan's writing.

The end is too contrived in its desperate attempt to provide some sort of closure between everyone. Also, the translator's role becomes a bit too sentimental. You leave the book wishing to read more about China, which is actually a good feeling.


All in all, this is a comforting hammock read that entertains, engrosses and ultimately fades gently away.

NOTE: I just had to edit this review a bit because I just saw Ms Tan in a lecture where she talked quite extensively about her own life history as well as those of her mother and grandmother. It startled me to find out that so much of her books are based on real-life scenarioes including events in The Bonesetter's Daughter. One of the things in the book that I quite frankly thought was a bit over-the-top is the mysterious sandbox, in which the superstitious mother makes Ruth write messages because she believes Ruth is some sort of medium for her deceased mother. Furthermore, this ultimately leads the mother to ask about stock options and which investments to make, and although the daughter just pretends to write these messages, it quite predictably turns out to amass a small fortune in the end. Ms Tan told the audience that her mother was similarly obsessed with the quijja board during Ms Tan's childhood, and Ms Tan made the board move by her own whimsy. However, the same investment inquires (and thus Tan's "recommendations") also led her mother to invest in some lucrative deals in real life! It made me appreciate the story a bit more - just knowing that such a peculiar notion as the sandbox was inspired by real-life events...

This is my favorite Amy Tan novel... The story begins with Ruth, an American born Chinese, who has struggles with her aging mother Lu Ling. As Lu Ling's mind begins to fail, truthful memories from the past come out and begin to intrigue Ruth. At the same time, she hires someone to translate a packet of Chinese notes that reveal her mother's background. The story of Precious Auntie and the upbringing of Lu Ling in a poor town in China are simply fascinating. The reader will easily get drawn into the story. As Ruth discovers the true spirit of her mother, she is able to make peace with some of the quirks and and superstitions that caused pain during her childhood.

Brooks' Year of Wonders is almost a social commentary in the way it depicts the actions of people under the stress of a catastrophe such as the plague. Her prose is engagingg and haunting. Her detailed descriptions of daily life gave way to a beautiful line like this one: "The sun glinted off the serried instruments and then I could see the notes of music, molten, dripping like golden rain." The entire novel is filled to the brim with such imagery, that one can practically taste the scent the apples bring in the vividly described orchards. Everything about this book is so well-imagined. But it falters. There is a chapter-long detour about mining that seemed misplaced, and the bizarre Epilogue is sudden and grossly unbelievable. That shift in tone was uncalled for, and makes one think that it is from another book entirely. Luckily, it is short, and one can forget about it when confronted with the previous narrative. Because until that point, the characters had roundness and well-developed backstories that explained present motivations. Brooks tells of a time that, though seemingly past us, yields emotions and actions that could mirror any disaster in the modern age. Wondrous and rich, Year of Wonders is a treasure that, like a living person, stumbles, yet delivers.

This is one of the best books I've read in the past year. It is dark, sometimes overwhelming so, but wonderfully written with a protagonist that you want to journey along with. The ending was so quickly and perfectly wrapped up and such a contrast to the atmosphere of the rest of the book that it was nearly fairy-tale-ish. Oddly, this actually added to the satisfaction of reaching the last page, it was a sweet reward for all the suffering that went before.

I love this book, Geraldine Brooks is obviously an extremely talented writer and now I can't wait to read The People of the Book.

The premise sounded interesting enough. In 1666, a small English village quarentines itself to keep the bubonic plague from spreading. I couldn't wait to start it. However, the unsetting discription of a plague boil popping (only like 20 pages into the book) kind of grossed me out. Anna, the protagonist, is a young widow. She becomes enamored not only with the minister but his young wife. I thought her relationships with them would be interesting, but they actually weren't, and I was bored by the descriptions of things that didn't seem to matter. I wanted to finish the book, so I dragged through, but i was very disapointed.

I won't give a synopsis of the book as that has already been done. I loved this book. The writing was lyrical and I even cried in a few spots. The problem was the ending. My reaction was "What?". How did we go from this beautiful book to this? I would still recommend the book and am glad I read it.

"Year of Wonders" is a fantastic book by Geraldine Brooks that chronicles a severe outbreak of the Bubonic plague in an isolated English village during the year 1666. The story revolves around Anna Frith, a housemaid who loses her two young children to the plague and emerges as a heroine during this terrible time. Anna assists the town rector and his wife, Michael and Elinor Mompellion, and together they tend to the sick and dying while also trying to keep the peace in their crippled village. As numerous people succumb to the terrible illness or face other challenges, Anna manages to find the strength within herself to carry on.

I was blown away by this book. The story is based on the real town of Eyam, which experienced a massive plague outbreak in the 1600s. Amazingly, "Year of Wonders" is the author's very first novel, and it's filled with memorable characters, challenging moral dilemmas, and incredible stories of loss, love, and determination.

The final 40 pages of the book were rather disappointing, as I was horrified to see what eventually became of Michael's character, and I though Anna's story came to a very rushed and somewhat unfathomable conclusion. However, those shortcomings weren't enough to spoil this novel for me. "Year of Wonders" is one of the best, most engaging books I've read in a long time. I highly recommend it.

This book is fabulous. I was overcome with admiration for the author...all the research he must have put in to write this book. The historical facts and descriptions are wonderful. Only one word needs to be said: Brilliant!

Summary:
Pompeii by Robert Harris is a historical fiction novel told from the point of view of an aquaduct civil engineer (interesting premise). He is used to bind the various elements of Life in and around Pompeii leading up to and including the eruption of Mt. Vesuveus. The political corruption, engineering mastery and social decedance of life in the late stages of the Roman Empire are hinted at but not much detail. The characters are ok not very developed but effective; the prose is tight and efficient; and the pacing is done well.

Characters: The novel is fairly short so the character development seems to have been left out to a large degree. The architypal Romans are worked into the story but mostly a plot devices vs. true characters. The main character, Attilius, seems a bit too modern for the time period. He is strong anti-Gods which is not appropriate for the times -- he comes across as a agnostic modern civil engineer. Pliny the Elder is probably the most developed of the characters in the story -- nicely done.

Plot: The plot is pretty simple; Attilius is made the new engineer in charge of the aquaduct when the old engineer dissappeared two weeks earlier. Attilius gets involved when sulphur is detected in the water. The story goes from there using the aquaduct as a way to move characters around the Bay of Naples and interconnect the political players of Pompeii with the action. The plot does not have many twists but shows how easy government can get corrupted and why big government is not good.

Prose: The prose is tight and efficient -- like the engineer. The flowery prose of Pliny is a nice addition to the somewhat stark writing style. It is a quick and fun read. The information on aquaducts was very interesting to me...especially the fact the water kept running after the eruption. You have to admire the Romans as civil engineers; unparalled in the world.

Action: The action is interesting; the stages of the volcano eruption are interesting to find out about and how they would manifest in Roman society plus a bit of the reaction to the effects. You should be expecting a huge amount of action but it obviously picks up as the eruptions gets really going.

Overall: 3 stars - 3.5 stars
Characters: 2.5 stars - 3 stars
Plot: 3 stars
Prose: 3.5 stars
Action: 2 stars

Marcus Attilius, the "aquarius" or water engineer newly assigned to care for the Aqua Augusta, tackles the job eagerly. Being placed in charge of one of the Roman Empire's great aqueducts is a key advancement in the career he loves, that has been followed by the men in his family for generations; and taking on such an important job at a dangerous time, during a puzzling and increasingly severe drought, distracts him from the grief that still haunts him three years after his young wife's death in childbirth. He's challenged by the hostility of his work crew in general, and of its foreman in particular. He's puzzled by the unexplained disappearance of his predecessor, and by a lot of other things that just don't add up. When the Augusta stops flowing, leaving town after town without that great necessity of civilized life - a copious and steady supply of fresh, clean water - Attilius sets out from his station in Misenum for Pompeii, across the Bay of Naples, to find and repair the aqueduct's break. He suspect it's got something to do with earth tremors, sulfur-contaminated water that came through to Misenum just before the Augusta failed, and maybe even something to do with his vanished predecessor. It all seems to center on the mountain overlooking the prosperous coastal city of Pompeii...a mountain called Vesuvius.

Vividly written and well researched, this fine historical novel plunges the reader into the Roman world of A.D. 79 and makes that world both understandable and real. Although there's little time and space for in-depth character development, the people depicted behave both consistently and believably; and it's fun to glimpse both Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger as actors in this drama. All in all, this is one terrific read.

Pompeii, is set, as you can probably guess, in the last few days, before the destruction of that town, by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, in 79 A.D. I felt, the author's attention to detail was very good, but that some of the characters were a bit one-dimensional. A lot of time was spent on the build up to the eruption, but I felt the author did not spend enough time on the actual town of Pompeii. A lot of the book is set in the surrounding towns. Overall though, not a bad read.

Mr Harris has clearly done his homework about aqueducts, city life, and life on the bay of Naples in the first century CE. Had he made this a short history of Pompeii, description of life in the little city, and the eruption of Vesuvius in 79, it could have been a marvelously informative book. Unfortunately, he decided to make it a novel, and failed utterly. His research prepared him to write the "mechanics" of Roman city life, but not about Romans. He lacks the depth of knowledge, not easily acquired, to be "fully aware of the strangeness and remoteness of a past age" and so is unable to "make it comprehensible to [his] own." (This latter is a comment on the task, and failure, of ancient historians from the biography of Julius Caesar by Christian Meier, professor of ancient history at the University of Munich.) Because such awareness is beyond Harris' reach, his characters neither sound nor behave like 1st-century Romans but like 21st-century British or American sorts, viz., agnostics who nevertheless make judgments and conduct themselves according to an ethic derived from Judaism and Christianity. Read the book for the information about the eruption; the characters are not Romans, and don't arouse much empathy.

I ordered this book for my sister who was struggling with an online college English course. She could not understand Shakespeare and was really having a hard time. I found this book on Amazon and had it sent to her. She not only understands Shakespeare now, she actually enjoys it! The original writing is on one side of the page, and the plain English version is right beside it. Wonderful!! I have no doubt my sister will now make an A in her class as well as become a fan of Shakespeare!

I'm not ashamed to admit it. I find Shakespeare difficult. I need help. The Cambridge School Shakespeare editions, with the classroom activities and assignments on each facing page, give me the focus and direction I need to finally truly enjoy the text.

I thought I didn't like Shakespeare until I took a class on several of the plays. It turns out that I love Shakespeare when I'm doing close reading or studying it carefully but for whatever reason I find it extremely difficult to do on my own. The Cambridge School editions allow me to replicate the classroom experience on my own, providing enough background and questions for critical thought that I keep a close focus on the text. Previous times I've attempted to read 'Hamlet' I was struggling just to figure out what was going on; reading this edition I was analyzing the characters and considering different acting and directing choices. It's amazing.

As a college student who had to write a paper on Hamlet,Again,I of course had to get away from any classic ideas about the play. Being a student with a talent for writing I would never be able to "get away with," these common theories, as professor's expect much more. This book really helped me to create a rather ambitious and interesting thesis; one which went against the criticisms in the book, and was refreshingly new.

I like the individual criticisms in this book as they really force you to look harder for textual evidence. One of the BEST things about the book was that it included the whole play as well. That was so useful because I didn't have to juggle two books -one of them being the complete works of Shakespeare which weighs about 20lbs. I was able to take this book everywhere and work on it whenever I had spare time.

However, I would not sugesst this book for an individual who does not have a very strong background in Hamlet. You need to know the play Extremely well in order for this book to benefit you. If you do not know Hamlet inside and out, then this book will only cause confusion and you should probably stay away from it, as the theories may be difficult to comprehend.

Shakespeare Made Easy is a great tool for anyone interested in Shakespeare. It provides the inquisitive Shakespeare amateur with means of understanding passages they do not decipher in the original text. However, it is important to note, this is not the right book for a high school classroom. It allows students to "read one of Shakespeare's plays" without actually reading a word of what Shakespeare himself wrote. Half of what makes Shakespeare so captivating is his style and wordplay. Deprived of those two elements Shakespeare's plays are only stories with good plot. Ultimately, students who don't take the challenge of reading the original text before reading the translation will be less interested in Shakespeare after because they will not have experienced the witticism in his literature. In essence this version of Shakespeare provides a cheep way out for unmotivated students that ultimately rewards neither their teachers nor themselves.

With this generation's youth it is difficult to find many students interested in Shakespeare. Shakespeare Made Easy is the key. The general stories that William Shakespeare put down on paper are truly remarkable and quite fun to read. However, these days there is hardly any interest in deeply analyzing pages and pages of Shakespearian English, especially with his longest play, Hamlet.
With the original text on one page and a modern translation on the opposing page this version of Hamlet can be an insightful read as well as a pleasure read. By having the option of both translations the reader will be fully immersed in the story, rather than the text, and come out on the other end singing the praises of Shakespeare and Hamlet. This is a breakthrough version of Hamlet and should be the premier choice of teachers and students alike. Nothing, except perhaps the movie, will excite the adolescent world to Shakespeare more than this version of Hamlet.

This was a groundbreaking work when first written. Zeldman was one of the early advocates for web standards and especially browser standards for CSS, what is now the underpinning of most quality websites. Without his work, and that of a few others (Eric Meyer among them), the web would not look quite as well as it does, and the design code would not be kept as separate from the content.

If you are already using CSS in your web pages, this book will be below your knowledge level and unnecessary to creating sites. If you are new to CSS, it is a kind, gentle, and thoroughly explicating introduction. It is a pleasant and easy read. It doesn't lay out dozens of ways to do things, but it explains a methodology and the raison d'etre. It is a must read introduction if you are contemplating a switch to CSS. Zeldman's website at zeldman.com is also useful support for this undertaking.

This book is a must read for anyone associated with a website. Designer, developer, manager.

I found it a very interesting book to read but it didn't give as much of concrete situation analysis as I expected. It surely convinced me to embrace techniques for the visually impaired and textual devices.

Zeldman is to be congratulated on this writing. The book approaches the topic of designing with web standards in a very practical manner. I recomment this book to developers, managers and site designers. This book does not teach you CSS, but rather it teaches you how to use CSSm XHTML, ECMA script and DOM to develop web sites according to standards.

I must say that Zeldman, among other good writing traits, has a pretty good sense of humor.

It's a very good book, and one I'd recommend to any developer who is trying to make the switch from tables to CSS-based code and standards, but if you've been using standards in your work for a while this book will only tell you things you already know.

However, Zeldman's tone is always light and engaging, and sometimes it's good to have a little refresher.

5* if you're new to web standards
4* otherwise

Several years in the past, "Squirrel" Gandolph was convicted of a nasty triple murder. Now, he is on death row awaiting execution. His conviction, it appears, was based on circumstantial evidence and a signed confession. Squirrel, however, is mentally challenged. Is his confession legitimate or was he coerced? He now says he is innocent, and Arthur Raven, a lawyer more adept and experienced at corporate law than criminal defense, is handed the pro bono case.

A number of other readers have panned REVERSIBLE ERRORS on the basis of not caring about any of the characters. I can sympathize. All of the major characters are flawed. All have major issues in their lives. For starters, Gandolph is a petty thief who probably belongs in jail. For me, though, it is the flaws in all the characters here that makes them human and gives them their appeal. I didn't want Gandolph excuted if he wasn't the killer. I rooted for the others to get past their personal issues. "Reversible errors" is the underlying theme for all of the main people in this book. Some I hoped would find what they're looking for, others I hoped would get what they deserved, but I wasn't indifferent to any of them.

REVERSIBLE ERRORS isn't Turow's best book. That honor still resides with PRESUMED INNOCENT, but REVERSIBLE ERRORS isn't bad. Turow has a strong writing style, and his knowledge of the legal system and portrayal of his characters is good. These strengths are all present in REVERSIBLE ERRORS. The plot is perhaps not as gripping as it could be, and the story is a little slow at times, but I enjoyed the book and recommend it to those who like books in the "legal thriller" genre.

I'm going to swim against the negative tide on this one and say I found the plot interesting and the character development quite good. It reminded me of much of John Grisham's work. The book provides some pointed insights about how the criminal justice system works.

I had to force my self to finish this book. i kept hoping it would pick up, it would add some suspense. I kept hoping it would go somewhere I had not expected. It didnt do any of those things. The ending was predictable, the twists were predictable.
The only reaosn i am giving it 3 stars, is because he does have a nice style of prose and does a good job with character development. But it drags, and drags, and drags. Its a slow story. I would never recommend this to anybody.

Sometimes you read an author because you haven't read him (or her) in a long while and you liked their previous work. Such was the case with this book. I really liked Personal Injuries; the writing was strong and the characters multidimensional and intersteng. But I should have known that I was in trouble with this one because right on the cover it said they'd made it into a CBS Movie-of-the-Week. And that's exactly how it reads, pulpy and soap opera-y. In the first part of the book Turrow goes back and forth in time from present to 10 years ago, contrasting the same characters over that time period, after a brutal murder and confession have put the guilty on death row. Unfortunately, that device is dropped and we're left with a staid court procedural where not much is riding on the outcome. Oh sure, lives are in the balance, loves are at risk, careers could tank, but you just never feel all that involved in any of it. Turrow's a terrific writer, but I'd pass on this one.

This is the third Turow novel I have read, with the other two being Presumed Innocent and The Burden of Proof. Overall I'd stay it was a step down from the other two, it just did not grab me at any point during the story.

In the first section of the book, the story flip-flops between present and past. For the second and third sections, everything takes place in the present. Since you are constantly looking at things from a different character's viewpoint, sometimes it was hard for me to remember what one character knew and another did not.

The main problem I had with the book, that others have already mentioned, is that I just did not care about the main characters. They were developed well enough, but I was never really rooting for anybody. There was really nobody to get behind so in the end, you're just stuck with a decent story from a bunch of different viewpoints.

I give it three stars because I think some people will really like the story and the writing style of this book, but it just wasn't for me.

Jude D. is one of my favorite authors and this book is one of the reasons why...it keeps you guessing, trying to figure things out. The time-travel sequences are done quite well, and believable!!! Kady was a hoot! And it's always nice to have a leading lady who is not perfect!! Flaws are what make us what we are, most heroines don't have any, so it's always great when they do, whether imagined or real!! This book is well worth your time, hard to put down and very entertaining!!!!

Why??? You know some writers reach a certain status and all common sense fly out the window. I could repeat the premise, but not the plot. The plot is completely MIA and there's nothing anyone can do to convince me that JD wasn't on some heavy stuff while writing this. There were literally 3 love interest (Cole, Gregory/Tarik) in this book and the real hero not being introduced until half way through the book. This is fine for Chick Lit or mainstream, but in romance??? WTF?
I can see the rocks acting as a portal, but Kady first trip was no where near that portal and since the writer makes it abundantly clear that the wedding dress has nothing to with that portal or the watch, I'm left scratching my head.
Plus, someone please explain to me how Tarik had a marriage certificate between Cole and Kady if Cole died when he was 9? I kept waiting for someone to point that impossibility out-but no. Apparently JD is above having editors as well. What happened to Wendell? Did Kady get her dream restaurant or is the message that what Kady always wanted to be happy is a man? Both Cole and Tarik fell in love too easily. And they both talked like women. It was just Wham! I love you. Plus, why did we have to see Tarik with Leonie and Wendell. Am I right that those two were kissing cousins? And that he socked her? Of course, this was after her brother drugged her. I mean, come on. I don't even see why she was a character in the book. She had no purpose. No way a will like that would have stood up in anyone's court and how was it that the family didn't seperate their fortunes from Ruth? None of this made any sense. I looooved Knight and Shining Armor. Remembrance was equally a headache and some of her contemporary stuff isn't hitting on anything with me either. I think it's time for my love affair with this writer to finally come to an end. Sorry.

I read the entire 374 pages of this book and I would not wish this book on anyone. The writing is amateurish and the story is ludicrous. Jude Deveraux wrote a wonderful book when she wrote "A Knight in Shining Armor". I like some time travel books but this book is not one of them. I could not wait to get to the end of the book but I read to the end to see how this silly story would end. Jude Deveraux needs to return to higher standards as she did when she wrote "A Knight in Shining Armor".

Jude Devereaux's Legend is a great book, if you like well written escapist fiction with strong female characters and romantic settings.

I've read books upon books since I finished this one, but I have to be completely honest, to this day, "Legend" is still my absolute favorite. I agree with most of the reviewers that the Love interested between Kady and Cole was so engaging it made it so Tarik never stood a chance. Regardless of the shortcomings toward the end with the switching up of suitors for Kady, I couldn't say a negative word against it. This is the only Jude Deveraux book I've read, but I'm certain I will have to read another. For anyone considering reading this book; DO. You already know that it has flaws, but so does every aspect of humanity, and life in general. Please read this book if only for the sake of getting to know the character Cole, because I promise you he is someone you will never forget.

I was incredibly impressed with the final book in the trilogy. The start is slow, as Gemma does nothing exciting but soon the pace picks up and the reader will be swept away, as I was. Gemma explores her dark corners and passions and becomes her own person. This final book closes many loose ends but also leaves the reader wondering. The mysterious manner of Libba Bray also follows the plot line as Gemma tries to understand her visions. This book is a thrilling page turner full of magic, history, passon, and person. It is like a Harry Potter book but for teenage girls. I know it would seem pathetic but I was as heartbroken that the series had ended as I was the day I finished the seventh Harry Potter. I recomend this to teenage grils who love mystery, romance, magic, history, and books. I loved it and I know others will too.

I loved all of Libba Bray's books in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy. This one is my true favorite by far. It was long, and to some reviewers that was bad but for me it was good, as it means more pages for me to read! Yay! Anyway, it did drag at parts and I did skip over describing the realms paragraphs because we already knew about them. So with that settled I will begin.
I was a very bad girl. As I was waiting for TSFT to come for me in the mail I sort of read all of the reviews and discussions just to know what it was about, so I got the whole gist about Felicty and Kartik. I did this to prepare myself, in especially Kartik's case, so I wouldn't cry or pass out or anything. But at by the end of the book, I was in a complete daze. So I'll sort my anger and trivial facts by character.

*Big Time Spoilers Ahead*
Gemma- Her leaving England at the end really surprised me. I totally wanted her to stay in England and go to all the parties and such. I was actually quite mad at her, even though I know Libba Bray made the right choice. The high society wasn't Gemma's world. But I wanted her to find love again, because I think there is a good chance when she goes to university she will decide she likes being alone as her love is gone. But otherwise I really liked her narration in the books. She is someone I would like to meet and be my friend. I liked how she and Kartik got together, but they never really professed their love for eachother and so that bothered me a little. But I think them being in the cave together and sharing that dream was enough. That moment of them together will stay in my mind forever.

Kartik- Although I already knew he was going to sacrifice himself to the tree, I still didn't want him to do it. He is one of the most gallant and kind literary men I have read about, and that is what makes his death (or whatever it is) so much more heart-wrenching. He loved Gemma so truly that he gave his life up for her. That is the most sincere kind of devotion. I knew Libba Bray had to do it though. It's too cliche for the love interests to get together at the end, but I wanted it so badly! After I was finished with the book, I still couldn't believe it. He isn't coming back. He will never come back. It felt like I had been hit with a baseball bat. I am hoping that one day Ms.Bray will come out with a sequel and give us what we want to know (i.e the happy ending) for all our characters. Kartik gave up his "job" and life for Gemma, and I think that should deserve some kind of happy ending.

Felicity- Well as I read the reviews before I got the book I knew what was happening between her and Pippa and so started to look for signs in this book and RA too. It wasn't totally out of the blue, but maybe just something Ms.Bray thought of later and was like "Oh, I will put this in!" I have grown to like Fee, regardless of her ambitious and power-hungry nature. I was truly sad to see her go at the end. What she did for Gemma in front of Pippa, how she turned Pippa down, I think that is the greatest form of friendship. She doesn't love Gemma like that, but loves her more like a sister. I think Felicity, despite her faults, is my favorite character (after Kartik of course)

Pippa- She was so out of character. In AGATG she was spoiled but in TSFT she was just insane. I wanted to strangle her after she started pretending she was queen and killed poor Mr.Darcy. Her character was a little flip-floppy; sometimes she was kind and other times evil. And then what they did to Miss McCleethy! Goodness! I was extremely upset with her and was not sorry at all to see her die. She grew even more ambitious than Fee ever was.

Ann- I'm glad she finally became what she dreamed of, took a chance. I especially want to see what happens to her if there is another book one day. She has really changed, and unlike some other characters, into something much better than she was before.

Circe/Miss Moore- I thought she would have been more.....I don't know...evil? Like the whole series she seemed more like a wise woman than a evil sorceress. She really cared about Gemma, and I was sad she was evil in the first place. But she protected and helpful of Gemma, so I was glad to see her finally have her place to belong. And she did it without a fight too. That is true strength.

Questions:
1. Is Kartik now evil since he is in the tree? Will he become like Eugenia was?
2. Why couldn't Fowlson give himself up? Then he could be with Miss McCleethy forever!
So I really don't have any more to say, only that I wish there will be a sequel. Please Ms. Bray, humor us all! We want to see the happy ending, even if it is for a moment. Or we could always imagine I guess :)

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, but things started going downhill fast in this one. In fact, I started to worry when I read the acknowledgments page at the beginning of the book, because it hinted strongly at a book that had gotten out of the control of its author. And sadly, that's what we get.

Part of the problem is that the central villian was defeated in Rebel Angels. So the story needs some excuse to continue. And the excuse Bray comes up with--a dangerous magical tree in the Winterlands that we'd never heard a hint of before--does not seem like a natural outgrowth of what has come before. There's a definite disconnect between this novel and the two before it, and much of what we see in The Sweet, Far Thing is at odds with what came before. Pippa's relatively "normal" appearance at the beginning, for instance, which doesn't jive with what we saw of her at the end of Rebel Angels. And we never get a satisfactory explanation of why Gemma is suddenly unable to enter the Realms under her own power (despite having *all* the power now). The answer, so far as I can tell, is authorial expedience: it makes the story more interesting, gives it more tension. So throw it in, regardless of whether it makes sense or not.

Then there's the problem of corruption. The extent to which any given character is corrupted seems terribly arbitrary. Why do Eugenia and Amar fall, while Gemma and Kartik do not? Bray even uses the quote "Absolute power corrupts absolutely" in one of the section headings, and yet we see very little evidence that this is really the case. Again, things seem to happen the way they do mainly because the author wishes them to, not as a consequence of the internal logic of the story.

Bray is certainly not the first really good writer to have a book escape from control, and much of what makes her writing appealing is still present in The Sweet, Far Thing. But don't expect the storyline to make a great deal of sense, or the story developments to be anything but arbitrary.

I loved the first two novels in the "Gemma Doyle trilogy" but I wasn't sure if Libba Bray would be able to write a satisfying conclusion. The Sweet Far thing is over 800 pages long, and structured similar to a Shakespearian tragedy (for reasons that don't become apparent until the end of the book) but leaves the reader with a feeling of completion. As Gemma Doyle and her friends Felicity and Ann prepare for their graduation from the Spence Academy for Young Ladies the pressure of the impending future is fealt. Felicity needs sponsorship in order to make her debut in society and come into her inheritance. She needs that money in order to take her abusive father's ward, Polly, away from him, and live in freedon somewhere. Unless Ann can make it as an actress she faces a future as a governess to her cousin's bratty children. Gemma holds the power of the Realms which she needs to figure out how to distribute fairly. She has the Rakshana- a patricharcal organization after her to give them the power, and the Order- the Rakshana's Matriarchal counterpart after the power for themselves, and the various mythical creatures of the realms all after their fair share. At the same time, Gemma must cope with her father, who is an opium addict, and her seemingly impossible love for Kartik- an Indian boy who has his own stake in the future of the Realms.

With the pressures of Victorian society weighing on them, Gemma, Felicity and Ann are tempted to escape to the Realm to visit Pippa- their friend who escaped into the Realms to avoid a loveless marriage but refused to "cross over" as the dead are supposed to, opting instead to remain in the Boarderlands with several girls who were killed in a recent factory fire. But Gemma has her doubts about Pippa too, who seems to have become corrupted by her refusal to cross over. Unsure of who to trust Gemma must find a way to secure the future for herself and her friends in a rapidly changing world while learning that sometimes the hardest person to know and to trust is yourself.

This book is twice as long as the others in the series and about three times as complicated. But that's because the heroines are learning some hard lessons about the nature of power, friendship, sex, and politics: no easy answers and no black and white. They're distinguishing between various shades of gray and learning that sometimes people do the wrong thind for the right reason and vice versa. Everyone has secrets and their own agenda. There ia no easy solution to the dilemmas that Bray sets up, so we see her characters stumble again and again as they try to find their own answers.

***Spoilers***
Many have complained that Kartik's death was too depressing and they wanted a happier ending etc. But the series is deeply rooted in the real world, in Victorian society. Where would there be a place for a British debutant and an Indian boy? Victorian society didn't go easy on biracial couples. And by making his sacrifice Kartik gives Gemma the courage to make her life her own and the seek out her own future in a new country, according to her own rules: that decision is what Gemma has been struggling with from the very first book when Gemma first realized that her corset was a bit too tight so to speak. She wouldn't have had the courage to do it without witnessing Kartik's sacrifice and wanting to honor him by living the best life possible.
***End of Spoilers***

This is a great read for teenage girls. In the era of Gossip Girl, and nurmerous cheap teenage romance heroines Gemma and her friends are an intelligent breath of fresh air, struggling for independance, and the freedom to pursue their dreams. For the first time they are truely questioning the values of their society, one where wealthy white men rule and people get rich off the suffering of others. They that they can make the world a different, and hopefully a better place. Despite being rooted in the Victorian era many of the girl's struggles are applicanble to today.

I bought this book with the first two as recommended by some young adults I know. I was a little entertained with the first. It was a bit slow. The second one sets the scene for the third book. When you read "The Sweet Far Thing" you think everything will be explained and it will all come together. Well it leaves you short. The book is so long, and slow that you would rather not even finish the book, but you expect a great ending so you continue. And then it ends so bad!!! Here she has all this power and no control- ahhh! I was hoping for a little better ending and not so much of my time wasted on reading these. It was torture!! Read Stephenie Meyers books, Twilight series or Shannon Hale. Or for adults read Amanda Quick, Colleen Gleason, or Julie Garwood!

If you are a teacher, I would look into buying another audio version of Romeo and Juliet. I have been using it as a tool to get the students to hear professional actors and to then ask them to use the same skills those professional actors use (inflection, emphasis, etc.) The problem is it is VERY difficult to hear...to the point that you have to sit 3 feet away to hear it at times. This simply does not work for a classroom.

The notes that John Andrews gives on all the Everyman Shakespeare editions that he edits are fabulous. I think his editions are the most user friendly for any actor, student, director and teacher. Some publishing house should get Mr. Andrews to do all the plays.

Poor Romeo.

Watching Romeo meander his way through the play is like tailgating a drunk driver. At any moment he could crash, and in the end he overcorrects his assumptions by swallowing the poison, and in some ways his death must be a relief to his troubled mind.

Romeo's status in the story changes with nearly every scene, whether by his own doing or by an external entity. However, his circumstance reflects in almost every case his willingness to succumb to his passions. From his love of Rosalind to his love for Juliet to his exile, he is a bundle of nerves. Taking a time out would slow the pace, and instead Shakespeare quickens it by transplanting Romeo's moment of joy with Juliet with a moment of action and consequence: the death of Mercutio.

Giving Romeo the chance to be happy might damage his character. A great tragedy yet today. What makes it great is that the basic storyline pulls everyone in, and once the story captures, we can start to appreciate the minor characters, like Capulet and the Nurse.

What a boring love story - I wasn't impressed. Bizarre plot, long tedious read.

Caution Scalawags: May Cause Pulmonary Failure!, July 29, 2004
Reviewer: Professor Emeritus Percy Q. Johnstone (Darkest India) - See all my
reviews
Yes dear reader, it is I, Professor Emeritus Johnstone. As you may have
divined, as Professor Emeritus of American Literature, I am well versed with
dramatic writings from our sister nation, England. Now, many of you are
unfamiliar with the work, as William Shakespeare is relatively unknown in
the bumpkin-ridden land you call "The Colonies". However, you
lucky few will discover a goldmine of quotes such as "Alack, Alack,
Alack" and other favorites. But I, Professor Emeritus Johnstone,
diverge. Yes yes. For those of you who wish to pursue the god-given purpose
of the most noble art of teaching American Literature, you must be familiar
with the works of Shakespeare. As you are stupid, and not a professor, like
I, Professor Emeritus Johnstone, you undoubtedly do not understand, but no
matter. The story of "Romeo and Juliet" is simple. it opens in a
court yard in Venice where the political rebels, Pyramus and Thisbe are
plotting to overthrow the evil fascist government (oh how I, Professor
Emeritus Johnstone know that feeling. I confess, dear reader, that once I,
Professor Emeritus Johnstone, lived in America until government stooges
exiled me to darkest India for poliical subterfuge. Suberfuge! Bah!). Alas,
Lord Capulet's men break into the meeting and arrest poor Pyramus and
Thisbe, casting them into the darkest dungeon. Ah, but fortune smiles on our
two heroes, for in the cell next to them are the "Star-burned
lovers" Romeo and Juliet, who were imprisoned for plotting to overthrow
the evil Capulet. Together, they escape the prison, kill all the
fascist-swine guards, and blow up the prison, bringing us, dear reader,
rather neatly to the end of Act I.
Act II opens in Lord Montague's (Lord Capulet's chief of security) hall,
where he has just made posters offering 5000 marks for the heads of the four
rebels. Enter the villain (mustache and all) Tybalt (cousin to Count Paris)
the bounty-hunter. Tybalt, in a scene that moved even I, Professor Emeritus
Johnstone, gives a heartrending "soliliquy" in which he mourns on
he pain of killing those whose politico agendas you support. Thus ends Act
II. In Act III, we find...ROMEO WORKING FOR LORD CAPULET! He has become a
traitorous lap-dog to the very system he despises (oh reader, how I,
Professor Emeritus Johnstone, know this feeling!). Pyramus and his rebel
army storm the palace, and in the final scene, Pyramus kills his traitorous
lover, Romeo, driving a dagger through his jugular...only to find out that
Romeo was a spy. Pyramus then jumps out the highest tower in penance to end
the play.
Genius. Every potential collegiate scamp should read this edition, for it
has a preface by one of the greatest scholars of our age...none other than
I, Professor Emeritus Johnstone.
Hark, I hear my Biddy calling me to gruel and morning prayers. As Hamlet
said, "Adieu Fair Readers!"

Bitterly,
--Professor Emeritus Percy Q. Johnstone

Great book!!! I purchased this book because it was a best seller. Glad I did, it was before all the drama with his wives and near declaration of bankcruptcy. It explains his roots to his rise as one of the wealthiest land owners. Great read, hard to put down.

The fact that this book was written years ago makes it more valuable to someone who's looking for a good business book. Trump has developed his brand in an amazing way utilizing his abbility to relate to people. That way is making deals. Definetly a great book that teaches you one of the most important lessons to learn in business: how to make deals.

This is a excellent wealth of information and insight in Mr. Trump's life and business dealings of his early years. Learned he is a very good man. It is as intended very inspiring. Made me fill like I needed to go out and build sky scrapers as well, witch after reading this book now believe we all do in ways that fit each of us. Recomend reading his following book next Trump: The Art of the Comeback for more clairity.

Wow, The Donald has no real wig on this cover! Actually, this book is quite different from his later books. Here he gets into detail much more often and gives you better insight into the rise of his career (his fall and second rise came after this book).

In this book you'll get the examples about Trump that made him rise. He was as bold then as he is now. Only difference was he had less money, but it'll make you realize that if you want to be succesful in the future you have to act succesful in the present.

All the casino's and buildings he built early on in his career are mentioned in the book and the details about the deals are fun to read. Just consider this is a one-sided story, but the examples fit their goal.

This book is like The Donald without a wig: strange, but fun to see.

The Art of the deal is the only book written by Trump that I recommend; however, I rate this as one of the finest autobiographies I have read.

The Art of the Deal takes you behind the scenes and into the thoughts of one of the great deal makers of our time. Donald jumps right in with a detailed daily account of his business dealings for an entire week offering a genuine feel for the life of high society and big-time business decisions. He goes on to discuss his childhood and the brilliance of his self made father whose millions enabled Donald to jump start his own career in Manhattan.

Donald spends the bulk of his book discussing in detail his triumphs in Manhattan; from starting as unknown developer to gaining celebrity status as an entrepreneur. He outlines his often unpopular decisions such as filling half of one of his buildings with the homeless while waiting for tenants to give up their leases. He also outlines his knack for efficiency by taking over the construction of the Wollman Rink from the city and finishing the project in far less time and for reduced costs. Donald further discusses his entrance into the casino industry in New Jersey as well as his plans to build the world's tallest building on the west side and court NBC as its main tenant (something that obviously did not come to fruition). Perhaps this book is at its best in its discussion of Trump Tower, Donald's largest love and possibly most significant investment having been profitable even before completion of construction.

Since the time when he finished the book, Donald's life has taken numerous turns many of which fall outside of real estate development. The Art of the Deal at its core is all about his real estate empire. Donald gives off none of the arrogance that he is often associated with, the only exception being in his aggressive approach to business. If you enjoy the real estate industry and want to hear from one of its great tycoons, The Art of the Deal is essential reading.