Butler Books

This book took me about 2 days to finish. I enjoyed reading about their life together, it was very well written.

Jim Morrison was a Sagittarus and Pam Courson was a Capricorn. Soulmate love can happen between these two signs. And it did with Pam and Jim. This book examines their lives from childhood until their deaths very thoroughly. I have read of the excesses of Jim, but until this book there has not been anything written about the side of Jim when he was with Pam. It seems she was his true love and he hers. The saddest of all is that these two beautiful people died so young. I highly recommend this book if you want to know their love story as I did.

Patricia Butler takes an intriguing twist on the much wrote about rock legend Jim Morrison exploring his true love Pamela Courson. So many books, movies, and documentaries have really not touched on his actual long term relationship with Courson. Other biographers have explored his many flings, groupies, and sexual notoriety. Yes, he had an open relationship but his one constant companion and soul mate was Courson. This book is a definate buy for any Jim Morrison fan to explore his personal side in a deeper more compelling manner.

I loved the book! It was very informative and is a much better read about Jim Morrison that I have read. Some of the books out there about him are not very good or are very poorly researched.

After "No One Here Gets Out Alive" laid bare the hedonistic and troubled history of Jim Morrison and the Doors, it seemed all available information had been served up for the public appetite and there was nothing left to say. Numerous volumes on the topic followed but most only echoed what had already been said. For nearly three decades, "No One Here" has remained the ultimate guide to the enigmatic singer and his long-suffering band.
It feels vaguely traitorous to say so but I'm going to do it anyway: "Angels Dance and Angels Die" may be the most gripping and insightful book yet on the subject of Morrison and his screaming shaman's dance through rock and roll history. Where the earlier work provided a chronicle of the band's rise to the top and more than a few glimpses behind the stage curtains, "Angels Dance" achieves something more significant. It studies the motivations, flaws and personal history that made Jim Morrison the kind of man and artist whose popularity continues to mushroom nearly four decades after his death.
Much of Patricia Butler's beautifully written book focuses on the stormy relationship between Jim and his cosmic mate Pamela Courson. But it is more than a blow-by-blow photo album of dish hurling fights and lurid infidelities. Butler writes with unflagging objectivity and offers up her views only when those views are supported by sources who knew Jim or Pam or both as intimately as anyone alive. The result is a book that's both illuminating and powerful, a rock and roll love story like none ever told.
My wife is a mild Doors fan who mostly tolerates my own tenacious adoration of the group. She has no interest in "No One Here Gets Out Alive" or any of the numerous rockographies that followed it. "Angels Dance" appeals to her though, because it is a story of genuine love that exists in spite of the many pitfalls of the rock and roll universe, which is not a place that has proven friendly to enduring romance. With that kind of broader audience, Butler's book may prove to be durable as well, and deservedly so. She reports and writes with the flair of a seasoned journalist yet there is no shortage of drama and poetry here. "Angels Dance and Angels Die" should be regarded as essential reading for anyone who remains fascinated by the Morrison legend. From the first page to the last, this one is as intriguing, mysterious and brilliant as the notes from Ray Manzarek's keyboard.

This book is great for those who might even just be a little interested in UFO's/government cover-ups. I'm really into this stuff and have read and watched just about everything and anything on this subject, and this book still had more to offer. And i'll admit, that sometimes it's hard to keep my attention. But this book does the job well. You'll find yourself waiting to read the next chapter just to build the suspense. Topics include: UFO/NASA conspiracies, Biblical/UFO events and history, crop circles, Marsian Conspiracies, and even a look at Remote Viewing and a few other Mind-Based sciences. This book has everything in its almost 600 pages. Definitely worth buying.

If you're new to the whole UFO topic, this is a hard-hitting, but sometimes slow-reading introduction. If you've already read everything written, it's a concise review. Marrs doesn't use the most exciting or creative writing style in the world of books. But the information is as objective as you'll find. If you really think we're the only life in the cosmos, don't bother. But if you find the possibility of life 'out there' intriguing you'll appreciate this book.

This book explores all the dimensions of UFOs from the dawn of their existence to the present. No stone left unturned. All the scenarios, the meaningful sightings and pertinent analyses. A magnificent book par excellence!

Reads well, better than most UFO books . Just a well done overveiw of everything UFO and Alien without being dry or mixing in too much opinion or religion. If you just want one UFO book this is it

This is an interesting book Jim Marrs has written, which comprehensively chronicles the UFO issue from biblical time to the present without a lot of the typical tedious sighting reports. On this basis alone it is a very good book for anyone interested in the subject, but how hasn't done a lot of reading on it yet.

Mr. Marrs looks at all aspects of the UFO and related issues, like the evidence for the artificiality of our own moon, evidence of ancient astronauts in artifacts found on earth, Mars and the moon, missing time and abductions, remote viewing, cattle mutilations, Chupacabra, and crop circles, all of which flows very nicely until the reader gets to chapter 12, "A Metaphysical Exam," where he quite frankly lost me. Here I was looking for the "Alien Agenda" which might have been finely cloaked in the chapter, but if it was it escaped me. I guess I was looking for the secret, but what I got was a bunch of multidimensional multi-spiritual speculation.

Mr. Marrs did relate some very profound statements, one of which from Linda Moulton Howe regarding an incident which occurred to her at Kirkland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, NM on April 9, 1983, which seems to imply that a possible reason for all of the UFO secrecy might be that the human species itself is the product of alien technology, putting the veracity of all of the worlds religions in question.

Marrs also relates a troubling story about the detection of two giant satellites which were orbiting the earth in 1953, two years prior to Sputnik. Army Ordnance officials at White Sands, admitting they were there, said that they were tiny moonlets similar to asteroids that had come from space and entered orbit around the earth. In October 1954 NASA reported that they were receiving strange signals from an unknown orbiting earth, and then prior to 1955 the objects disappeared as did the story and public interest. I bet you never heard anything about that before.

There's lots of similar good stuff in the book, and while it's been more than ten years since the book was originally published, it is still certainly worth the read, even if the alien agenda is still not clear.

I watched the recent BBC version of the Northanger Abbey story first and loved it. I'm a Jane Austen fan who hasn't read all the novels but I'm working on it. So I got the novel to see how it compared. It was great! I love her humor - tongue in cheek and so witty. But the thing I really want to comment favorably about is the Penguin Classics edition. I get so much background and insight and explanatory information from these editions. I've read 3 of them now and they are marvelous. I've read quite a few novels from this era and it is really helpful to have notes to refer to in the back that explain things.

This is my first Austen novel, and I must say, I don't know what all the hype is about. I thought it was excruciatingly slow at times, and then all of a sudden it was fast and over. Some of the writing was beautiful and poetic, but that is like 5% of the book. The other 95% of the book was pretty boring to me. Maybe I am jaded by all the horror and mysteries I read where I am used to fast paced suspense, but seriously, I would read one chapter a day or maybe two with this book and that was all I could handle, because it would make me tired. I felt no connection with the main character Catherine, and I found myself not caring what happened to her, good or bad. I just wanted the book to be over.

Jane Austen wrote "Northanger Abbey" in the late 1790's, but it was not finally published until 1818, after her death. It is a broad satire of the Gothic Romance novels popular in her day. Its lead character, the innocent young Catherine Morland, is moderately attractive, good-hearted, and highly imaginative, but perhaps the least compelling of Austen's heroines. Nevertheless, Jane Austen's excellent writing gifts are on display in this short novel, which offers some superbly funny dialogue, witty commentary on social manners, and a sympathetic heroine.

Catherine is offered the opportunity to vacation in the resort town of Bath by family friends Mr. and Mrs. Allen. In Bath, she falls in with two people her own age, Isabella and John Thorpe. Isabella is to be engaged to Catherine's brother James, while John, a college friend of James, takes an interest in Catherine. The Thorpes involve the inexperienced Catherine in the social whirl of Bath. They will also provide her with some hard lessons in manners.

Catherine also meets Henry and Elinor Tilney, a brother and sister who introduce her to walks and intellectual discussion. Their father, the imposing General Tilney, invites Catherine to visit the family estate of Northanger Abbey. Catherine eagerly accepts the invitation, in part to stay close to Henry, on whom she has a crush, and in part to see the ancient abbey, sure to be the embodiment of her cherished Gothic Romances.

Catherine's willingness to see dark secrets in ordinary events leads her on a search of the Abbey for clues to the suspected murder of General Tilney's wife. In a gentle confrontation, Henry ends the search, but is not able to save her from the sudden wrath of the General, who banishes her from the Abbey. A heartbroken Catherine is separated from Henry and Catherine, and returned unceremoniously to her home. There, an unexpected visit by Henry Tilney will offer an explanation for what happened at Northanger Abbey and a chance to reunite with the Tilneys.

Readers expecting a story with the heft of "Pride and Prejudice" or "Mansfield Park" may be disappointed. However, "Northanger Abbey" is a fun book on its own terms, very much a Jane Austen product and likely to be enjoyed by her fans. It is highly recommended as an entertaining read.

As a lover of Austen novels, it is well worth reading "Northanger Abby", which was Austen's first (but last published) novel. As her first novel, her writing style is still rough and lacks some of the refinment of her later works, but she still brings her sharp eye for satire and examination of societal/marriage topics. Catherine Morland pales in comparison to later strong heronies like Elizabeth Bennet or Fanny Price, but she's delightful to read and chuckle about her naive outlook on life.

Northanger Abbey is a gem. Jane Austen (1775-1817)has written a charmiing little novel about a charming little lady named Catherine Moreland. Catherine is 15 as the novel begins in Wiltshire. She and the hilariously stupid Mrs. Allen go on a six week trip to nearby Bath to take the waters. Catherine meets the fashionable and fast Isabella Thorpe. Catherine dances with the clergyman Henry Tilney at a ball becoming infatuated with the clever young man. Henry and Catherine share a love for the Romantic Gothic novels of such authors as Ann Radcliff and Fanny Burney. Complications ensue but in the end the couple are wed.
The first half of the novel deals with doings in Bath; the second half is a trip taken by Catherine to the Tilney estate Northanger Abbey. Catherine thinks the house may contain a ghost as she is influenced in her thinking by a vivid imagination fueled by her sensational Gothic reading.
Minor characters are of interest: Captain Frederick Tilney the ladies man brother of Henry; old General Tilney the gruff father of Fred and Henry; Catherine's parents and Eleanor Tilney the kind and lovely sister of the two Tilney boys with whom Catherine forms a solid friendship.
The book includes a spirited defense of the art of novel writing by Miss Austen. It is a light and commonplace tale of young love told with the wit and wisdom of one of England's greatest authors. This less well known Austen novel is a delightful way to become an addict of the spinster from Hawton parsongage!

Mansfield Park is the story of Fanny Price, who at ten years old is taken away from her indigent family to live with her rich cousins, the Bertrams of Mansfield Park. Both Fanny's uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram, and her Aunt Norris, his sister-in-law, want the distinction of rank preserved between Fanny and her richer cousins. Consequently, Fanny suffers under the tyranny of her Aunt Norris and the neglect of most everyone else at Mansfield Park. The only real exception is her cousin Edmund, who, as Fanny grows older, becomes both friend and counselor to her. The monotony of Mansfield Park is upset when brother and sister, Henry and Mary Crawford, visit their sister at the parsonage of Mansfield. Henry Crawford toys with the affections of Fanny's cousins, Maria and Julia, while Mary Crawford earnestly seeks the affections of Edmund. Fanny quietly observes all.

Mansfield Park is a complex and sometimes disturbing novel, and its conclusion has a tendency to feel less than satisfactory. Jane Austen contrasts the very moral Fanny Price and her cousin Edmund Bertram with the very charming but amoral Mary Crawford and her brother Henry Crawford. While doing this, Jane Austen never actually tells her readers what to think about her characters. She presents their thoughts, words, and actions in an almost unbiased manner and leaves judgment up to the reader. The novel is definitely food for thought, and every time I read it, I find myself feeling differently about both it and its characters than I did the time before. I appreciate both the storyline and its thought-provoking complexity.

The Oxford Illustrated edition of Mansfield Park contains a copy of the play Lovers' Vows referred to in the novel, which is such a treat. After reading both the novel and the play, one cannot help but be struck by the parallels between the two. I recommend this edition to anyone curious about the controversial play in the novel.

I love Jane Austen and would actually give this book 4 1/2 stars. It's a little slow in parts but like all of her characters, I loved getting to know Fanny Price. Fannie is a quiet girl who is sent to live with her wealthy uncle. She has a very kind heart and is very patient with her Aunt Norris who loves to "put her in her place". She is often reminding her that she is in a different class than her cousins that she is so fortunate to live with. It is wonderful to watch as Fannie grows into a young woman, how she learns to speak her mind and not allow others to manipulate her as they once did. It is definitely one of my very favorite books.

Since Edward Said wrote his foolish piece on Mansfield Park it has become de rigeur to attach agendas that reflect the intramural (ie bogus) leftism of the academy to novels (sorry texts) Even so this effort to do so in Mansfield Park is particularly outlandish. In fact the question "What is Mansfield Park about" is less interesting than the question "what is it like to read Mansfield Park" To answer that question one has to explore the LANGUAGE of the novel and see where it leads. The plot of Mansfield Park is off-putting--the verbal architecture of the novel is unsurpassed. Trust me--delight in the language, the layers of irony in a sentence or scene. Ignore current opinion which is both intellectually lazy as well as dishonest. Jane Austen made her feelings clear about the slave trade in EMMA. That A "political" intereprative industry should have grown up about this book testifies to the reigning stupidities of English Studies-- well an English Professor has got to make a living.

i'm not as in love with this story as i was about Pride and Prejudice, but it's still austen and it's still an excellent read.

In MANSFIELD PARK, Jane Austen expands her sphere of moral vision. In her earlier novels, she focused on the relationships between marriage partners that were framed in a comedic context of how the typical English society of the late 18th century might complicate the likelihood of a series of happy marriages. In this novel, however, she abandons the world of light and trifling romantic comedy for one in which she shows the unpleasant underside of the genteel society that was so noticeably lacking in say, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. This dark underside includes a number of troubling aspects, all of which are antithetical to the world of light comedy.

First, Austen relentlessly considers the impact of the lack of moral values as a result of inadequate education of children. The patriarch of the Bertram family, Sir Thomas, dearly loves his four children but he has given them a profligate style of life without teaching them how to live that life without being corrupted by its debilitating disadvantage of conspicuous consumption. Second, for the first time in her writing career, Austen boldly places the theme of good versus evil squarely on the interaction of several of her characters. The virtuous Edmund, who is as priestly as the collar that he wears on his neck, is tempted by the lascivious charms of the amoral Mary, who sees in Edmund only a fleeting diversion. Further, Austen places London itself as a den of urban iniquity, the source of the theatrical evil that threatens the pastoral innocence of Mansfield Park. Third, she calls into question some basic paradoxes about the nature of character itself. Are peoples' characters fixed at birth or are they molded by environment? And when character is fixed, is it capable of change, and if so, by what, by whom, and to what extant? These latter questions come into play mostly in the person of Fanny, the outcast relative of the Bertram family who loves Edmund. She is presented as impossibly virtuous, but in the face of her open defiance to marry the rich Henry Crawford, she is labeled as an ingrate and worse. No one in that group perceives her virtue, but the readers certainly do. From where does this virtue spring? It cannot be genetic since several others of her family are woefully deficient in virtue. It cannot be solely the result of environment since, except for the equally virtuous Edmund, the others treat her as uniformly unwanted and unloved.

The answers to the above questions are raised, but only partially answered. Part of the problem in seeking answers to such eternal questions as love versus honor, duty versus obedience, and heredity versus environment in a novel is that this is a novel, and for Austen, a didactic one at that. Since she chooses to use a number of flat characters to represent allegorical archetypes of good and evil, their responses to their encounters cannot convey the full spectrum of thought that a more fully fleshed person might. Further the many plots--the love affair between Fanny and Edmund, the plots of the Bertram sisters, and the interweaving of the many strands of plot between the Bertram children--combine to cause the reader to zero in on these many threads rather than ponder their potentially more universal significances. What is lacking in MANSFIELD PARK is a pleasing balance and harmony among the many snipped strands of plot and theme which cry out for a splicing that does not occur even at the happy marriage of Edmund and Fanny. This imbalance, combined with Austen's atypical use of realism and pressing social concerns, and her lack of a truly engaging heroine along the lines of Elizabeth Bennett, make MANSFIELD PARK a dutiful slog rather than a joyous read.

Next to "A Night to Remember" this is the best retelling of the entire Titanic Story. Starting long before Night, and ending far after it's retelling, this is a meticulous minute by minute retelling of the story by an author who has spent a lifetime collecting data and quotes.

It references all of the other standard Titanic Texts, and as such, serves as the most complete summary of all of them in one tome. The book is a fast read, and its interesting facts go far and beyond what a student of the Titanic might get from reading any other single text.

A fine work that is a true addition to Titanica.

Really excellent! This book must have taken a crazy amount of research. The author essentially synthesizes every book, diary, inquiry, and research project about the Titanic into a clear and readable storyline. The book reads like a novel, but is well-footnoted and is clearly grounded in the facts. One of the best features of this book is the way Butler takes quotes and memories from all (credible) sources and goes back to put them in the mouths of people as the events take place. For example, instead of writing that someone remembers John Jacob Astor saying something as the crew was loading life Boat #6, the author actually has Astor say it when he gets to that part of the story. This keeps the story's timeline much more linear and makes it easier to process. It follow the Titanic from her design and building through the investigations of her sinking. Butler wraps up with a "where are they now" synopsis of survivors and details the continuing salvage controversies.

Butler also takes time to explain historical contexts, such as class divisions and social expectations of the era, when he feels it will benefit the readers. These asides really help bring the motivations and behavior of the people involved in this tragedy to life, in a way some caricatures of poor schmucks stuck in steerage fail to do.

My only issues with the book are fairly minor. There is a glossary at the end, but I wish it were at the beginning (or at least referred to). If you aren't the seafaring type, it will help to learn the terms (like greaser, starboard, and bulkhead) before you start reading so that you can understand Butler's descriptions of the ship. You can get by without this, but it would help to know. I also highly recommend finding a map of the Titanic online and keeping it close at hand while you read. There are a lot of descriptions of the various decks, sections, and design components in the book and they are hard to keep straight without some sort of illustration. If you really want to understand the way the night unfolded, you'll need a map to keep it all straight.

Historically accurate, however, with the far too many direct quotes from
Walter Lord's book "A Night To Remember" makes "Unsinkable" a book to forget.

I loved this book! It gave good solid facts written how history should be written. I could see the disgusted face of the quartermaster and captain as they fired off their last rocket, could see Phillips and Bride in the wireless room, could see the women crying for their husbands.

As someone who still believes in "Women and Children First" and has held on to many of the values in this book, although not the class rigidity, the way he honored the sacrifices of many and the best- and the worst- of people that night is what made this book a great read for me.

I find the Titanic disaster so interesting because it did not show the best and the worst of the era, but the best and worst of mankind. A sense of duty, protecting the weaker, giving your life for others- those are not traits limited to any era or class anymore then inertia ( for example seen by both some of the third class passengers and the Chief Officer), tastelessness or cowardice are.

This book has helped me. I had questions! I wanted answers. This book has answered those questions and have, of course created more. I had to own this book. Well writen and a book that i only put down cause I had to work. If you dont have a copy , get one.

this easy to read book makes me realize that i actually fall into one of the 12 classic patterns that time and again hold me back from advancing ahead. Once I'm aware, it's not as hard anymore to break the patterns in order to break through the self-constructed limitations. The title of the book sounds terrible, "bad" habits ought to be revised into "hard-to-break" or "patternized" habits.

Are you wondering why you weren't able to advance in your career? Do you know why you are what you are? Do you really want to break through your career impasse? This is THE BOOK to read.

The authors talk about 12 different behaviors and personalities of people. You can understand the dynamics of a specific behavior or pattern, its origin and ways to overcome those patterns. This book provides deep insights regarding certain behaviors - with stories and characters to illustrate each one of them. When you read about these characters, you can also relate them to people whom you meet or work with.

I feel that some of these habits are possessed only by 'bad' people. I do not understand the rationale behind the title which says "12 bad habits that hold good people back".

I wish they had trimmed down the unwanted content and increased the font size. It was a bit difficult to read and sustain attention because of the small font size.

If you think that you are not advancing in your career - in spite of working hard, in spite of sacrificing all your personal time, in spite of being so passionate about work - this book is for YOU.

Although this book has many gems hidden inside. It was hard to read. Slow moving, boring at times, could be half the length and would be more enjoyable.

The book gives a lot of descriptions of bad habits. The value of possibilities to solve or handle the habits is low.

This book is written by psychologists and is very dry and unengaging. You probably already know it is an old emotional issue behind your troublesome behavior at work. For actual helpful tips, try reading "The Power of Letting Go" by Vredevelt instead. It is right to the point, unlike this old-school freudian book.

I can't say that I hated this piece of fiction but when I browse some of these glowing five star reviews I wonder If they can possibly be referring to the same book as I am. I enjoyed some of the stories and I admire Butler for stepping out of himself and writing about a culture that isn't his own. It is a bold move and I think he does it well enough... However, I just can't rank it that high, I mean five stars! I can name a dozen other books that really rocked my world and made me think about things differently or contain certain phrases and scenes I still think about! Some of the reviewers here are too generous Im afraid.

Summary: Sorry folks, no epiphany here.

- this review was not written by the named above.

This is highly sentimental writing that bored me to the core. It tinkers with high emotions and big themes but mostly manages to paint everything in either bright pink or drab grays. Some of the outsider perspective shines through, but the tinny two-dimensional (and often child-like) tone had me folding the book without quite completing it.

This book has been reviewed many times. I only wanted to say that I read it when it first came out, and all these years later, it is still one of my all-time favorite books. It truly did deserve the Pulizter.

A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain is a wonderful study of the life of Vietnamese people after the fall of South Vietnam. Many of the stories in this collection take place in the United States, especially in Louisiana. What captivates the reader in these stories is the fact that, while placing these stories within the Vietnamese community, Butler is able to discuss universal themes of jealousy, discrimination, alienation, and many others. The stories are in easily accessible prose and have meanings that challenge our self-understandings. On another level, Butler allows the reader a glimpse into the Vietnamese worldview - one that is very different from the American way of looking at life. This book is well worth picking up and savoring.

Yes, A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain won the Pulitzer, so I had to get it. I have both the print version and audio--stick to print, it's a winner.

As for the audio, Robert Olen Butler, though an awesome writer and who apparently trained as an actor, didn't do the reading of these stories justice.

Anyway, I'm giving the audio version 3 stars, good stories--but not all the stories are read, only 5 are. I'd stick to the print version.

Book is what my husband wanted. He read it when he was a young man. Just a review.

it's a grower. it took me a long time to summon the patience to read further than the 50th page or so. it took far too long to get on with the story. when it did though, i begun to really enjoy the book. the characters are excellently portrayed, especially ernests parents. in my humble opinion, it is very well written. my only criticizm is the tendency of the narrator to go off on tangents, mainly at the beginning of the book

A slow, difficult read yet not without merit. At times scathing at others jocular yet always insightful.

The tale is of one Ernest Pontifex and 4 generations of his family beginning with his great-grandfather told by a family friend, Overton.

The reader is exposed to the hypocrisy of Victorian values inevitably consequential in the development of our protagonist and his overbearing bible thumping father.

Butler describes the twisted growth of the Pontifex family tree; one limb overshadowing the next letting it shrivel in darkness. One wonders whether the tree was planted outside the Munster residence.

At times I couldn't help but hate Ernest's father and reel in disbelief in Ernests' naivety. These conflicting emotions make the book enjoyable.

There is nothing remarkable about the literary style of Butler's book; it reads like a million and a half other 19th century British novels. What distinguishes "The Way of All Flesh", however, is its honest and at times funny portrayal of Victorian society. With great wit, Butler's narrator, Overton, and main character, Ernest, expose the stuffy, staid, hypermannered, insipid Victorian middle-class mindset.

What is especially nice is that Butler doesn't take too many cheap shots. The characters here are very well-drawn. Ernest's father, Theobald, though clearly representing all that Butler seeks to skewer, is enough of a three-dimensional foil that I could feel some sympathy for the poor old man. (He's not evil incarnate, just a sorry product of his time.) The same goes for the rest of the supporting cast. I like the narrator's voice; it's distinctive and wry enough to be unique, but not so intrusive as to distract from the plot.

Parts of the novel are funny; parts seem to drag. I don't know that I liked the end of the novel--everything seems tied together a little too perfectly; but an explanation may be found in the fact that Butler did not edit this portion of the novel before his death.

This is a solid book. Give it a shot.

A rich, intelligent, historically informative masterpiece that tells the modern reader about the concerns, delusions, pretensions and prejudices of Englishmen of the 1700s and 1800s.

Much more than just a novel, this work offers Butler's opinions upon philosophy, child-rearing and religion. The events of the novel serve to illustrate and reinforce the points made. It is a hybrid, a novel/essay, and rare at that. More essayists should spice up their arguments by dressing them with vivid characters and a decent plot, as Butler has.

Rich in wit, satire, sarcasm, humor, insight, and not without flashes of bitterness and anger.

If you read only a hundred books in your lifetime, this would not be such a bad choice for the eightieth or eighty-first. Towers above most novels that cover this long period in history (some hundred years or so, spanning four or more generations).

I loved this book. After so many drama, sex filled books which seem to be written for a younger audience, this was so refreshing. I'm a little late with reading this author but the two books I have read by Ms. Butler were both great. She writes and incrediable story the leaves the reader wanting more. I can't believe I slept on this one. I'm searching for all of her other books, that I've let slip by. This story touched so many things in me. Although I could not directly relate with the issues the characters were dealing with I have friends and family that have had to overcome such issues. Great story and a great read. Pick this one up

This novel is a great little tale about a young woman newly graduated from college, who sets out to conquer it all but is beset with challenges that arise in both her professional, but mostly personal, life. Main character Nina is focused on her lifelong goal of becoming a news anchorwoman; until she meets aspiring NBA star Maurice, and becomes embroiled in an unhealthy and destructive relationship. Nina is so encompassed with catering to his every whim, that she neglects both her job and her family. When Maurice unceremoniously dumps her, Nina finds herself being drawn into the irresistibly nurturing web that is Leo, aka LJ Love, an aspiring rapper who has secretly loved Nina for years. Meanwhile, Nina is observing what appears to be an unhealthy dynamic between her parents; that of slave and master, with her mother being the epitome of subservient. When Nina's mother becomes ill, she eventually pleads with Nina to find a love that is truly deserving of her. But can Nina break the cycle? Or will she sacrifice all that she has become with Leo when Maurice comes calling?

This novel is a must-read for any young woman, no matter her ethnicity, who is coming into her own. Author TJ Butler provides insight into the need to pursue healthy relationships in all aspects of our lives. Fours stars only because I simply wasn't ready for the book to end; I felt the need to know more about what became of Nina and brother Brice's relationship with their father, and even more about Nina and the delicious Leo. Perhaps the author will grace us with a sequel.....??


DYB

I am one to give a new author a shot. This book however was a total let down. There was too much going on and nothing really solid to concentrate on. There are very few books that had female leads that I did not like and Nina was one of them. I have not read Ms. Butler's previous novel and now I am not sure that I want to.

This book defines the lives of many young women. I can easily relate to the emotional pain felt by the characters in this book. This is by far one of my top five books. I can not believe there are people that did not enjoy this book. I personally felt like part of my life story was being told in this book and I am not afraid to admit it!

I read this book prior to a book club conference and thoroughly enjoyed it. I read it in 1 day. The characters were authentic and well defined.

Initially I was distracted by a couple of facts that were jarring my subconcious as I read this novel, so I had to stop and leave it for a while then continue.
The contact with Erik came too early in the marriage for me
to get totally onboard with the idea that Christine had become
so dissillusioned with her life and Raoul. It also took me a while to warm to the 'Earl of Chester' theme, but it was a necessary contrivence for the plot.
(Also the journey across the continents would have taken years not months..... Russia then Ireland).
I read on after a while and I am very pleased I did so, for taken
as a continuum from the ending of the 2004 movie the strong sense of character remained.
I could, with imagery, follow the destruction of the once 'fairy tale' life with Raoul and witness the triumphant Erik claim his 'bride' at long last.
A must have book for Phantom fans, it's a novel that will give pleasure to many readers. Well done Ms Cole.

I recently read this book, as it came recommended by a fellow phan. The plot was a unique telling of the oft told story of the Phantom and his Christine. The writing was solid and the author wove a compelling and believeable scenario. I truly hope Ms Cole has another Phantom tale in her. Her's was a delight to read. My only complaint is that it was entirely too short! A great rainy day read!

Stephanie Cole's Phantom sequel more than earns its status for being a very good continuation to the 2004 film. It definitely stands alone on its own merit, but if you are an admirer of the Joel Schumacher/Andrew Lloyd Webber interpretation then "The Phantom Returns" keeps some of the film's tangible sense very well, without sacrifice to its own originality.

There are some moments that feel so curiously perfect that they made me literally 'stop'. There is a little of the contemporary in the characters that slides in, without which this would have been an excellent first triumph. I'm looking forward to Stephanie's next book & only hope that it will be Phantom related.

I found this to be a very satisfying and romantic sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber's retelling of a "The Phantom of the Opera". Once I started this book, I could not put it down, and read it in one sitting. The characterizations of Cole's Erik, Christine and Madame Giry were true to their stage and screen personalities. Raoul turned out to be the person I always felt he was capable of becoming, and Christine's reasons for initially choosing him are believable. It was very easy for me to visualize these people as Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Miranda Richardson and Patrick Wilson portrayed them in the movie. If you are expecting high literature, you will most likely be disappointed, but I would highly recommend this book for all POTO fans.

A really great story! If you are looking for a great sequal to your favorite story, then this is a must-read. Stefanie has done a wonderful job in plotting the story line and the characters stay true to the original story line from the movie.