Literature Books

I love the selections from Ovid in this book! I like the slow start, using words very similar to their English equivalents, and the series of exercises that follow the selection. I even enjoy the discussion of etymology at the ends of the chapters.
My only complaint is the lack of answers at the back for the exercises. I'm trying to learn Latin on my own, and having the help of seeing answers would make my task somewhat less daunting. Still, taking enough care, and looking back at the examples and reading excerpt, I think I'll learn Latin well enough to read it on my own. Eventually.

I learned Latin using Wheelock's textbook, studying with an engaging instructor. That is an excellent text but, as many have noted, it is very dry. This book is more entertaining: less philosophy and more blood, sex, and other agreeable topics. Can't recommend it highly enough.

This is a great book to learn latin at your own pace. I have been studying it for almost a month now. The explanations are clear, and the examples meaningful. I highly recommended it for anyone who wants to learn some latin.

I found this book very useful and, if I were learning Latin from scratch as a youngster I expect it would have proved more interesting than the volumes I did work with. Of course, being American, the declensions are in the "wrong order" but this is a minor nuisance. Interesting exercises and additional information on Roman life and mores, mythology and magic.

Goldman's text is wonderful for someone desiring to learn Latin on their own. From the second chapter onwards, all the readings consist of revised excerpts from Ovid's Metamorphoses. As you are taught more grammar and vocabulary, she gradually introduces more and more of the original into the readings until you are reading what Ovid actually wrote. And although there is no answer key, the excercises (of which there are plenty) are usually of just the right difficulty: just hard enough to help you in learning Latin, but not so hard that you can't figure them out on your own.
I would also recommend the accompanying workbook, which is a little more difficult, but does include an answer key.

I think that this is a major breakthrough for learning and should be used in all school curiculums.

I would recommend this book to all parents. Any kid who is struggling in school can learn and apply the techniques of finding "barriers" in his/her study and overcome such barriers. My kids are applying what they have learnt in this book. Now when they read their school material they understand what they study. Thanks LRH.

I bought this book for my 13 year old who has always stuggled academically and socially. However, now that she's in middle school it bothers her more and more.

One of the issues I've noticed is that she doesn't have a good understanding of what she reads or hears. Miscommunication, social mis-steps and frustration typify the way she interacts with the world.

One of the techniques described in the book teaches kids how to use a dictionary AND find mass for each word. You can see her "lights come on" when she does this. Kinda like, "Oh, that's what it is!" It's funny...she hates reading. But she'll read this book. And when I bought her a picture dictionary she wouldn't put it down! It was as if a whole new world opened up. She walked around reading definitions out loud.

Her grades in English have gone from a D to an A in one school term. So we'll likely use more of LRH's study material.

This book is a must-have for anyone who wants to learn. With the recent lowering of scholastic aptitude tests, over 45% drop-out rate in high school, the wrongful labeling of kids with invented "learning disorders", this is the only book that contains the solution to these problems in our society. This book goes back to the 1950's standards when people were literate and read for entertainment. I've used this book as a former homeschool teacher and currently as a life improvement coach. For over two decades I've followed the children and adults whom I've helped with this book, living the lives they choose to live because they have the tools to learn anything! Learning does not have to be complicated. On the contrary, this book breaks learning down to the simplicities of how to learn by giving one: (1) the ability to recognize what the barriers to study are, and (2) the amazingly simple tools to remove the barriers. This is a "must-have" book for everyone!

My kid loves this book and is a better student becuase of it! I recommend it to anyone that wants to study more effectivly or wants their kids to do better in their education.

Fred Neff wrote Lessons from the Art of Kempo, a book that is as much about a philosophy of life as it is about a martial art. According to the author, "the ultimate aim of Kempo practitioners is not only to grow in power, but to improve themselves and learn to live in harmony with others." Kempo, as explained by Fred Neff, is a beautiful method of harnessing a person's abilities to be in tune with nature. The author says, "Kempo teaches not only how to efficiently protect yourself, but also how to flexibly combine techniques in a smooth free flowing action that seems almost effortless to the viewer." The book explains Kempo as a form of continuous energy that changes as it flows. The Kempo practitioner's goal is to strive to perform in such a manner as to promote harmony. Implicit within Fred Neff's book is the message that energy can move in a linear manner, at an angle or a circular manner. While Lessons From The Art of Kempo shows linear and angular moves there is a definite underlying emphasis on softer circular movements that do not directly oppose force, but rather redirect it. The Kempo book has clear explanations and photo illustrations that make learning easier and more enjoyable. Consistent with the book's philosophic leanings that emphasize the use of the mind is the chapter on "Effective Kempo Strategy." The lessons on strategic approaches to the use of Kempo are easy to understand, practical and further solidify in the reader's mind potential uses of the fighting moves taught earlier in the book. Fred Neff's Lessons From The Art of Kempo is a thinking person's martial art book that transcends just teaching how to fight to that of a holistic approach to improving oneself through the study and practice of the Art of Kempo. The book's point that a Kempo practitioner should strive toward developing harmony with nature and other people is a positive social concept that appears consistent with the author's own approach. The author Fred Neff has done extensive community work as a teacher and lawyer, which has resulted in his receiving the city of St. Paul Citizen of the Month Award, a Commendation from the Sibley County Attorney's Office, the WCCO Good Neighbor Award, The HLS Justice Award, Lamp of Knowledge Award From The Twin Cities Lawyers Guild and the Presidential Medal of Merit. Fred Neff's Lessons from the Art of Kempo is a gem of a book that I very strongly recommend.

"Kempo is an art of philosophy, physical culture, and self-defense that develops the body, mind, and spirit. It includes meditation, punching, striking, kicking, throwing, and locking techniques. Also included are dodges, blocks, and sticking techniques for tying up an opponent with his or her own arms. Kempo moves are both linear and circular, allowing for a smooth flow of action from soft to hard movement. There is a continuity of action that make it exhilarating to practice, irresistible to watch, and difficult to defend against."

"Ultimate aim of kempo practioners is not only to grow in power, but to improve themselves and learn to live in harmony with others. Kempo teaches not only how to efficiently protect yourself, but also how to flexibly combine techniques in smooth, free-flowing action that seems almost effortless to the viewer."

Kempo principles: 1. Don't worry, instead focus on the solution. The byproduct of relaxation and comfort is the path to finding solutions. 2. You can do whatever you believe is possible. 3. Use your opponent's actions against him or her. Any action creates a weakness or an opening for counterattack. Even an opponent's strength can be manipulate and turn it to your advantage. 4. Concentrate on what you do well 5. Be flexible in your approach. Learn to use techniques that will work in a situation and discard anything that will not. A Kempo practitioner learns to expect the unexpected, and varies the self-defense to fit the situation. 6. Preserve. Fighting is not about show but perseverance to survive and win. 7. Dedicate yourself to continual self-improvement. The quality of your training determines the success of failure. Kempo philosophy teaches that knowledge is endless. Practitioners of kempo never become conceited because they know that kemp is an endless way. 8. Take advantage in adversity. Every crisis has two elements: danger and opportunity. If you do not despair, if you see the opportunity and work hard to overcome the difficulty, you will gain from every experience. You must overcome the feeling of doubt caused from self-seeking validation. A kempo practitioner stands alone in his skills. 9. Try to live in harmony with nature and its ways. Unity of action creates harmony and strength.

Stances: Natural Stance, Back Stance or Cat Stance, Front Stance (R or L Cover), Horse Stance, Reverse Cover

Hand positions: low guard, Mid guard, high guard (preferred)

Foot patterns: slide step (shuffle), step 45 degrees, side step, circle step, cross over (forward and back), and half turn (crescent step).

Blocks: Inward block, Outward block, downward block, upward block, upper and lower block, and fan block (parry and chop or parry and simultaneous backfist)

C1: L knife block, R vertical punch to solar plexus
C2: L knife block, L punch to the bridge of nose
C3: R cover, step forward R punch to groin (opponent left downward block), R backfist to face (R upward block), R grab and pull down trapping opponents L arm over R arm, finish with L punch to face.
C4 : Opponent throws a L and R punch. From a R cover, left outward block, grab, and pull and R outward block the opponents R punch, grab and cross Opponents R over L arm, finish with a L uppercut to the opponents R ribs.
C5: R cover, R rear kick plant back, L and R punch
C6: R cover, L front snap kick, R side kick thrust
C7: R cover, shuffle forward, L backfist, half step CC, R punch, R sweep kick to the legs
C8, R cover, L punch, L backfist, R punch
C9: R cover, L side kick, R round kick
C10: L cover, R backfist, left cross behind towards opponent, step behind, two hand sweep the opponent over the R knee
C11: L cover, L side kick, R round kick, L spinning backkick.
C12: R cover, L front snap kick, spinning R back kick
C13: R cover, L outward block, shuffle, R uppercut, L punch

Basic strategies:
1. Keep calm
2. Use your mind. Fight intelligently. Fight passionately. Feel the power and speed of the technique without thought. Fight with an empty mind. Fight without fighting.
3. Control the situation. Try to maneuver into a place where you can best take advantage of your skills and strengths. Close the gaps and Fight in close and decrease the chances the opponent will kick you from a distance systematically. Do fight for show or flash. Fancy techniques are abandoned as injury and risk increases. Use what works.
4. Watch the opponent's actions. Watch for the signals an attack is coming. Don't be presumptuous about the opponent's abilities or inabilities. Watch for shifts in weight that indicate the opponent is preparing to kick. Take the simple technique for protection, such as an inward block. An inward block by itself can break bones in the forearm. Less is more.
5. Consider range in select a technique. Be care not too seek demonstration of skill but think about why the technique will work and what gates it will open. The flow into the gate should be natural and predictable. Find the obvious opening.
6. Disrupt the opponent balance. The best technique is always to put the opponent on the ground on his back. This is the most vulnerable position to be in for the opponent.
7. Use movement as a defensive weapon.
8. Keep the techniques simple
9. Use the element of surprise.

Kempo is a passion of mine that has not abated in the fourteen years I have been practicing it. In my continuing quest for more knowledge I have tried to learn everything that I could on the subject. After reading numerous books on Kempo and other martial arts books with discussions of Kempo, I find that my favorite martial arts book is "Lessons from the Art of Kempo." This book in a straightforward and useable way lays out REAL Kempo--not what you see in the movies or the useless open hand waving movements that some have tried to pass off as Kempo. Lessons from the Art of Kempo shows you the fundamentals of REAL Kempo and how to apply them. Even after practicing Kempo for years, I still find this book has strong meaning and appeal for me. I enthusiatically recommend this book not only to others with a passion for learning Kempo, but for anyone who wants to learn about the REAL art of Kempo.

I am an avid student of Asian history and martial arts. For the last 12 years I have made a study of Asian fighting strategies such as described in Sun Tzu's masterpiece "Sun Tzu Bingfa" ("The Art of War"), which is the definitive work on strategy and Miyamoto Musashi's "Book of Five Rings." In "Lessons from the Art of Kempo" Neff has done an excellent job making practical use of Asian strategic fighting considerations. Chapter 12 of Neff's book on kempo strategy very favorably impresses me. This chapter includes principles from Sun Tzu, Miyamoto Musashi and others. The net effect of Neff's book kempo is that complex principles of strategy have been condensed into workable and usable ways for people to defend themselves. I applaud this book's easy to read straight forward manner. I highly recommend "Lessons from the Art of Kempo" by Fred Neff to anyone. It earns my most enthusiastic 5 star rating.

Kempo is the "fist way" as shown in Lessons From The Art Of Kempo by Fred Neff. Too many books that claim to be on kempo are nothing more than a collection of flashy movements that are impractical and have no usefulness in a real fight. Lessons From The Art Of Kempo gets down to what you need to know and need to do in order to win a fight. It shows conditioning exercises, how to position your body in a fight, how to hit, where to hit and winning strategies. I like Lessons From The Art Of Kempo because it is reality based and does not waste space on flashy movements that have no value and are a waste of time to anyone serious about self-defense. If you want to learn to fight better and--more importantly--smart, a good first step is to read this outstanding book on kempo written by Fred Neff.

"Letters from Backstage" is one of those witty little books you can hardly wait to recommend to friends. Written with wry humor and a delightful perspective, Kostroff's fingers literally tap dance across the keys as he brings you along on his touring company adventures.

Kostroff is dazzled by things. He has stars in his eyes, and he can't help it. In spite of his crazy life backstage, the encounters with theater ghosts and machines that fail just when you need them, he remains awed by the fact that somehow life has given him a chance to be an actor

If you dream of achieving a career in the theater, there are valuable lessons to be learned in this book. Intimate details only a professional can know will prepare you for the grand roller coaster ride.

In the beginning, Kostroff is nervous when he gets called back for a second audition for The Producers. "There was tension in the room," he writes. "I've learned, over time, that it falls to me to break that tension. As I walked to the little X in the center of the floor and prepared to sing, two of Ms. Stroman's associates got up from the table and headed for the door. "I don't know what it is, I quipped. "Whenever it's announced I'm going to sing, people put on their coats and leave." Everyone laughed gratefully. I can now die happy."

In Portland, he is confronted by a convention of cheerful, chirping ladies dressed in cutesy sweaters sporting pom-poms, kittens with big eyes, or panda bears. These ladies think they are the funniest ladies on earth, but they drive Kostroff crazy. Rushing to get to the show on time, he finds every elevator packed with these gleeful broads. Each time the door opens one of them screams," Oops! Must have caught the local!" then they burst out into hysterical laughter. "Ladies," Kostroff imagines himself saying. I am in comedy, and please trust me; none of you is the least bit funny."

"It's like this:" he says in his epilogue, "amazing, horrifying, magical, thrilling, boring, tiring, energizing, satisfying, hilarious, sad, lonely, fraternal, endlessly long, and far too brief, an adventure. Really, there's nothing like it."

By the end of the book, you'll get to feel what it's like to have Mel Brooks kiss you on the cheeks and compliment your performance, but you'll also get a sense of annoying frustration when an over-eager dresser keeps tugging and fussing at you all the way to the edge of the wings.

Ups and downs, highs and lows, laugher and tears, that is show business as Michael Kostroff knows it. But one thing is for sure---you'll wish the tour would never end, and the next time you see Michael Kostroff's name on a book, you'll rush right out to buy it.

Reviewed by Kelley Anderson for Reader Views (11/06)

"Letters from Backstage" is a collection of e-mails to friends and family while Michael Kostroff toured with "The Producers" and "Les Miserables." They give you brief glimpses of his journey, from auditioning for "The Producers" to his last curtain call of "Les Miserables." He gives his impressions and descriptions of the cities, sites, hotels and cast-mates that he meets along the way. It is the story of a hardworking theater actor who doesn't seem to take anything for granted and doesn't let the fame go to his head. I feel that the book is especially written for anyone who has ever wanted to be a theatrical actor. He is brutally honest about the amount of work it takes in rehearsal and performing and also what gifts and shortcomings life on the road brings. He tells his story from his perspective and tells it well.

An actor is not something I ever wanted to be growing up. I was horribly shy and terrified of making what I thought was a fool out of myself. While Michael was describing being up onstage, the audience in their seats and all of the singing, dancing and acting going on onstage, I could honestly feel my hands grow clammy and my chest tighten. His descriptions were clear, accurate and (for me) terrifying. Any aspiring actor is sure to enjoy the suspense and drama of the stage. The practical jokes carried out among cast members did make me laugh out loud. Rehearsals, practices and more behind the scenes work seems to be just another day at work for any of these professionals, and yet Michael has a way of making it seem magical, because it obviously is to him. I have to admit, the book may have been even more interesting to me if I had ever seen either one of the shows.

My favorite parts of the book were the descriptions of the local activity in the cities he visited. Farmer's markets, local restaurants, and lively locals made me yearn to visit some of these cities. Other times, the descriptions were too sparse and generalized and I couldn't see in my mind what he was trying to describe, which is not surprising for text originally intended as e-mails to friends. A great addition to this book would be a final chapter, after the tours were finished, of highlights of what really stood out for Michael in all of those trips.

Michael says he has a "passion for the correct use of the English language" and it shows through in his writing. I read through the chapters swiftly, never getting tangled up in obvious grammatical mistakes. It is an easy to read book that I am sure will delight a younger audience looking to become actors as well as fellow actors in or retired from the business who would like to reminisce. He naturally finds a great transition from story to story, filling in background details necessary to the telling without bogging the entire story down. I believe that Michael could take many parts of this book and expand them into stories that would stand alone brilliantly, and they all still fit together neatly in "Letters from Backstage."

Aspiring, current and former actors along with theater lovers of all kinds will enjoy reading "Letters from Backstage." Michael is a natural storyteller, keeping true to the theme of the book, the backstage of two touring performances, while sharing his life and travels. The e-mails and letters included could be written directly to the reader. He tells the story as he sees it, not apologizing for some of the less than professional antics that go on. He continues to fall in love with the theater life over and over and brings you along for the ride.

This book is very entertaining and enlightening. He loves every minute of his showbiz career and is happy to let you go "on tour" with him.

This would be enjoyable for actors and just people who enjoy theatre watching.

LOVED IT!

I don't work in the entertainment business, and don't know much of anything about theatre, so I was a little afraid this wouldn't really hit me. I couldn't have been more wrong! This book is full of well told, highly entertaining stories. Kostroff has a great way of making you feel like you were on the road with him and the rest of the cast and crew. I laughed out loud a number of times, and feel like I got a real insider's view of things. It's practically your own backstage pass! Easy to read, and a lot of fun.

What is it like to be a touring stage actor? Author Michael Kostroff's childhood dream came true when he was cast in national tours of two plays: his story of life on the road comes to life in LETTERS FROM BACKSTAGE: THE ADVENTURES OF A TOURING STAGE ACTOR, which began as a series of emails to friends at home and evolved into a handbook of adventure. From hotels and old theatres to onstage mishaps and lovely old theaters, all the way down to the nuts and bolts of how touring stage actors handle typical challenges, LETTERS FROM BACKSTAGE brings it all to life.

This book created an interest in reading for my 7 year old at that time when reading became more of a struggle than a delight. We stumbled across Little Wolf's Book on the not so exciting weekly trip to the library. My son started reading the book in the car and for once I had to make him put a book down before coming to my dinning room table. My son read the book in four days and even took it to school and told some of his friends about Little Wolf. My son even took his own money and bought himself a journal. This book even encourages other good habits. To this day my son writes daily, sometimes twice a day. I am loving every bit of his enthusiasm toward reading and writing.

For the person who ridicules this book must have been born a reader, born a master of the English language and never had to start at A then make his/her way to Z! From my son's experience with this book I can attest to the knowledge we fail to recognize our children have. My son took the misspelled words and related to them. When he first began writing the words resembled the misspelled words in the book. He wrote the sounds he heard just as he heard them. It's all in the process of learning. It made my son feel better knowing that he is not the only one misspells words while writing. Little did I know this book was made for the 9-12 age groups, not for a seven year old, but it worked wonders. Built his confidence and created a passion for reading and writing. Thank you Ian Whybrow!

I enjoyed this book so much that I took it to college and showed all my friends there. Why do I have the time to waste as such? Because my university is nowhere near as fun as Cunning College. Given the choice between Cunning College and a burger, I would choose C.C. Between C.C. and a reservation in the kingdom of heaven, C.C. wins again. Briefly put, I'd choose hanging out with Little Wolf over just about anything.

As for the reviewer who disapproves of the misspellings: boo shame to you. Teaching kids to recognize misspellings quite obviously improves "correct and standard procedure", and also draws attention to the possibilities of FUN in language. In any case, wolves are the greatest animals on God's earth. If Little Wolf chooses to spell "spoon", for example, as GIRHEIGHAervgori, then I salute him, as one must always salute a wolf.

As Bruce Springsteen once famously sang (and still does to the adoring middle aged inhabitants of New Jersey), "everybody needs a hunting wolf". Possibly the only true thing he ever said.

In my humble opinion, Little Wolf's book of badness rivals Joyce's Ulysses and Dostoyevsky's Brothers Karamazov for the title of finest novel ever.

I loved this book, and i'm in my 40's! Little Wolf's postcards and letters home were so funny, the way he would use a different salutation in every one. I loaned it to a friend at work who is older than i am and she liked it too, so i would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good read.

I liked this book because it is soooo hilarious and soooo funny.

How do you become a big, bad wolf? Why, go to Big Bad Wolf College, of course! Our 2nd grade book club thoroughly enjoyed this funny book. It is written entirely in letter form - letters home from Little Wolf - about his adventures going to Cunning College to learn from his Uncle Bigbad. The kids enjoyed finding the misspelled words and the words Little Wolf made up to end his letters, which gave his parents an idea of how his day had gone, e.g. "Yours sorebottomly". Girls & boys liked it equally well - almost all of them gave it 5 stars. Is Little Wolf destined to become a Big Bad Wolf? You'll have to read it to find out!

We bought this for our nephew's 4th birthday. I must say that I spent at least an hour looking through the book before I wrapped it. I thought it was really cool and couldn't get over how the closer you looked, the more you would see. Aidan liked the book but was much more interested in his sea of presents on his birthday. However, my brother tells me that after a few days, Aidan went back to this book and started looking at it with my brother. He loves it and gets excited when he can figure out what the items are.

I bought all of Steiner's books for my three year old for Christmas. This one is by far his favorite. I love reading each page and he finishes every sentence. If I would let him he would sleep with this book every night and it's fun for adults to look at too!!

The creativity oozes from this book. You'll never look at ordinary products in the same way again. The creative author of this book takes ordinary items and creates unique display pictures. You or your child can spend hours looking at each picture to see which unique items are used, and how they are used. Great gift, and great for libraries to have on hand

These books are spectacular, we play "I spy" with them and see something new every time.

What a wonderful book! I bought the book as a gift for my nephew and enjoyed it so much I nearly didn't want to give it away! Needless to say my nephew was delighted and loves the book. It's a great way to spend quality time with the younger generation, you will get as much pleasure as they do, finding all the cleverly arranged objects. A great way to wile away a cold winter's eve.

If you want to get to know God in a way that will change how you live everyday, this is the book to help you on that journey. Biblically accurate and a study that you can do on your own or in a group. There are also teaching DVD's that can be purchased of Kay Arthur's teaching for each chapter. I highly recommend this study.

This book on the names of God is awesome! So much information about the character of God, and how one can have a personal relationship with God and live in light of His Word, His truth. Wonderful book ... Wonderful study. Very indepth, and power packed.

Our ladies Sunday school class has been working through this book together. The chapters are about the right length to do in a 45 minute class. We read the chapters and think about the questions during the preceeding week then discuss together. We have found the book to be an excellent study of the names and character of God and may do another of the books in this series.

My small group of young women are enjoying this study very much. This is one of Kay's older studies, but it is timeless and applicable to all ages. They are enthused and we look forward to another Kay Arthur study.

These are the Hebrew names that the chosen people called on the God of our salvation. He is a God who sees, is solomn, is everywhere, is a provider, the most high God, the Lord of Hosts, is the Lord of battles, He is the all sufficient One. He is GOD!
Great teaching tool to understand and know who God is and how He can be all these things in your & my life.

The Human Comedy is a saga of 92 novels that Balzac said was written by French society. Legend described him as the night-shirted social recorder working until dawn fueled by liters of coffee. Lost Illusions (1837-1843) is considered to be one of the best of the novels in the series in scope and structure. From the frenetic world of writers and booksellers in Paris to the grueling life of hard work and boredom in villages, Balzac traced the systematic destruction of illusions in his characters. No one could be trusted (friends, foes, or family) when the creative or inventive characters attempted to reach a goal. The flicker of hope and joy related to an artistic or business accomplishment was extinguished within days or hours. The enduring artists and producers were those who lived almost without hope, guided by a strict code of ethics protected only by their ability to keep their accomplishments secret. Ultimately, some of these survivors reached their goals. But by then, they no longer placed high value in them, much of the luster lost with their illusions. Lost Illusions set the standard for many of the wonderful French novels of the subsequent years of the 19th Century. The reader is immersed in French culture in a manner similar to the later writing of Gustav Flaubert.

Lost Illusions by Balzac is one of the most famous novels out of the ninety two he wrote in his lifetime and maybe also among a million his admirers have written in 175 years since his first novel was published.

Balzac choses Lucien as a romantic, good-looking dreamy poet. We are first thrust into his provincial life, with details about his ordinary life and extraordinary ambitions that he has no means of realizing. Except patronage by an older woman! She leads him to Paris, only to abandon him to fight his way into the high society. How Lucien rises and falls in the glamorous, amorous, corrupt and vicious life as a journalist in Paris is picturized through a narrative that is bathed in realism, and yet proceeds through both suspense and wit, in the spirit of the pace at which Balzac could conjure up such novels.

In the provinces, Lucien has a friend, David, who likewise is somewhat lacking in social and economic acumen, and is a hard working inventor. David own father ruins him by extracting an unreasonable price for the printing press that he leaves or sells to his own son. Crafty competitors take advantage of David's credulous character. David endures both provincial small mindedness and economic setbacks suffered to keep Lucien afloat. Balzac displays his knowledge of these disparate characters with remarkable attention to detail. He weaves an undercurrent, of what could have passes as a dissertation, on the art and science of paper making.

Balzac creates in his one book, a saga that unravels friendship, love, jealousy, lust, ambition, vanity, greed and absurdity that lurk in our beings and in our relationships. By using two main pillars, Lucien and David, Balzac erects a bridge into the two worlds of poetry and science. He shuns hint of any romance of either worlds, and shows how much character, how many hardships and set-backs, how much devotion and labor are required for a man to become a known poet or a scientist.

I am quoting an example from this translation (carried out by Katharine Prescott Wormeley):

"No one can be a great man cheaply," said d'Arthez in his gentle voice. "Genius waters her work with tears.Talent is a moral being which, like all other beings, is subject to the maladies of childhood. Society rejects undeveloped talent just as nature removes her feeble or deformed creations. Whoever wishes to rise above his fellows must be prepared to struggle, and not recoil at difficulty. A great writer is a martyr who does not die - that's the whole of it!"

Besides the two pillars, the book has an interesting array of characters. Actresses, society women, editors and publishers, lawyers, struggling writers, dandies - all appear with their human failings and foibles as part of a drama that unfolds with an enrapturing narrative. Be it history, economics, alchemy, or psychology, or any topic under the sun, Balzac ushers in his great knowledge, suspending and supporting the story with able and apt pointers, tresses and metaphors.

Balzac's Lost Illusions is undoubtedly a classic everyone can enjoy and must read at some point in their lives. Highly recommended.

I read this book during my latest visit to my favorite middle east country. I must admit that I didn't enjoy this book as much as others. I felt like it was slow to come around and I thought there was too much detail on (seemingly) unimportant things at times. I'm just a regular person, so that said if you are an accomplished reader you may love this, for neophytes such as myself, other titles are more likely to be properly enjoyed (see my reviews)...and keep me updated!

This is one of the best novels by Balzac, which is to say much, since he is still one of the best writers that have ever lived. Here, as in the rest of his work, the reader can appreciate Balzac's knowledge of worldly life, and especially the world of business, so alien to other writers. In this book he elaborates on the printing business as well as on journalism -vastly so-, back when it first began as a mercantilist activity. He contrasts the small life and intrigues of the province with the -no less petty but more gandiose- life and intrigues of the big city, Paris, and in particular of the faubourg Saint-Germain, the paradise of the Parisian jet-set.

David Sechard is a young man who inherits, at great cost, his cold and greedy father's printing business. Lucien Chardon (later "de Rubempre", after taking his impoversihed mother's more aristocratic last name) is his best friend. Both of them share a love for poetry, but it is Lucien who comes to shine as the young genius of province, the promise for whom it is worth it to sacrifice it all. Lucien gets the love of one Louise de Bargeton, the "queen of Angouleme", the most cultivated and refined woman in town. Louise promises to take Lucien to Paris, introduce him into the great society, and make him triumph as a poet. His family gives him all they can to get him started, and off he goes to Paris. But he happens to be arrogant, proud, and insecure, and soon he suffers the despise and insolence of aristocrats and other rich people. After what he believes to be an offense from Louise, he rejects her, earning her eternal hatred.

In the meantime, Lucien has been spending time with two very different circles of friends. The first is composed of a group of young intellectuals, hardworking guys sacrificing money and fun for the sake of science, art, and knowledge. They are there for him in times of need, and encourage him to keep up with his writing. The second group is a bunch of journalists, easy going but corrupt people who convince him to achieve quick fame and money. Lucien gets more and more trapped by this seemingly easy life, and after he conquers the love of the prettiest actress in Paris, his fate is decided. He achieves fame and fortune overnight, and so he jumps completely into the world of parties, frivolity and silly competition for status. At this point in the novel, Balzac introduces us to the sordid, decadent, and disgusting world of journalism understood as an unmerciful network of extortion and constant blackmailing. Lucien slides down that road, getting recognition and fame, oblivious to the growing net of envy that closes in around him every day.

What follows is the sad story of an unlikable character. Lucien has very little redeeming qualities about him, as opposed to some of his early friends, his young lover and his family. He is blind as blind can be, since his extreme selfishness builds a cloud in which he lives. He cares for nobody, except perhaps for the little Coralie, and he goes on leaving too many wounded bodies by the side of the road. Nevertheless, this character is the vehicle that allows Balzac to show us the real world out there. This writer never ever gives up to the temptation of sweetening things for the reader, he's brave and persists on his plan. Balzac is never a moralizing preacher, he is just a skillful painter of life as it is.

Here, as in the rest of his work, you will find characters who also appear in other novels, an ingenious device intended to give us a feeling of reality. This book is never boring and builds up tension rapidly, even for its length. It is an encompassing ride through all the fancies of youth gone wrong, as well as an unrelenting depiction of all the falseness and emptiness of high society. Much recommended.

I love Balzac. At his best he soars above the rest of French literature and here he is definitely at his finest. Easy to see why Proust thought him the best, at his best. Vautrin/Collyn is at his most sinister and attractive. If you haven't read Balzac before, this is the best to start with.

I was getting to know a song by Charles Trenet, one about a rained-out fairground populated by semi-human monsters, and it flashed on me that it reminded me of one of the Moomintroll stories that had made a fine, somewhat creepy, impression in childhood. Turned out I was remembering "The Hemulen Who Loved Silence" from "Tales from Moomin Valley". That story, proved to have indeed featured a rained-out fairground -- well, not just rained out but spectacularly destroyed by flooding, something that happens frequently in Tove Jansson's books. that story proved to be just as great as I'd remembered, and maybe better as it had psychological insight and satirical wit that I suspect I didn't entirely grasp as a kid. I soon found myself reading one Moomin book after another.

They all have wickedly funny moments, they're all fanciful, they're all subtle in some way. But some of them are really aimed at kids and, despite their considerable charms, can wear thin at times.

Moominpappa at Sea is a really great one for the adult reader. Yes, it has all the fancy and fun of a children's book, but....good lord! it is wonderfully complex. very funny, psychologically perceptive, at times very creepy. Where, say, Moominvalley Midwinter is a series of loosely connected episodes, everything in Moominpappa at Sea fits together very cleverly, from the first sentence to the last.

the plot hinges on Moominpappa's vain, poignant quest to have his family feel like they still need him. Moomintroll on the other hand is making some kind of adolescent transition, getting away from the family, bonding in the dark on the beach with a strange creature.

Jansson is one of the only authors I've ever read, for either child or adult, who can so deftly put her fingers on life as we experience it - the mood shifts, the disappointments and inner worlds and longings, the quirks and kindnesses, the tangible atmosphere of the seasons and the weather and the seaside... by God, she's got it, and with a few flicks of the pen, she can realize them fully and make us feel them too (even when her protagonists are fictional, round little "Moomintrolls" off for a month on a mysterious windswept lighthouse island.) Astonishing. A book to read and reread by anyone in grade 4 and up, especially in August and September (though anytime will do.)

My parents used to read the Moominbooks when to us when we were young, and they made a lasting impression on me. For me, Moominpappa at Sea was probably my favourite, along with Comet in Moominland.

Given that the books were originally written in Finnish the translator has done a fantastic job to make the stories incredibly readable and finely nuanced in English. It's possible that the books appealed to us kids so much because they come out of a European culture quite distinctly different from most of the English and American stories we were used to.

The chapters are the right length to read aloud one at a time to kids. (Good for bedtime stories in the summer holidays, I seem to recall!)

I was fortunate enough a couple of years ago to take a ferry across the Gulf of Finland from Stockholm in Sweden to Turku in Finland, and the little rocky islands in the Gulf are almost exactly as I imagined them from the book...

I first discovered this book at the age of about 12 or 13, already older than the average moomin reader, but having read most of the others. It was obvious that this was no ordinary moomin book, and neither was it strictly a children's book. In fact it is a masterly observation of family dynamics, mid life crises and the human condition, but mixed with a mysterious and fantastic magic that leads to spine tingling excitement and making one question how we know what is real.

Every psychology student has something to analyse in every character, and anyone who ever had a moment of doubt about the meaning of their life has something to ponder. What father with a teenage family would not relate to Moominpappa's melancholy, feeling that his life is without purpose now his family appear to be independent, his urge to be needed, to be able to protect them? What homesick traveller could not understand Moominmamma's longing for her garden, (and its magical transformation which you will have to read for yourselves). The description of her homesickness brings tears to the eyes. And what put-upon mother could not identify with her delight in being able to disappear from her family just long enough to stop them taking her for granted? The glimpses of the fond, but no longer passionate relationship between Moominmamma and Moominpappa, and Moominmamma's endless patience for Pappa's foibles, their need for their own roles, and his inability to understand her own needs says more about the maried state than plenty of far more learned texts. We will all be able to identify the same dynamics in our own families and relationships.

Meanwhile Moomintroll's adolescent emotional awakening must bring nostalgic memories of first love to we adult readers, but must surely mystify the average 8 year old. Younger children do not usually have a developed enough sense of other people's individuality to understand the complexities of what is driving the Moomin family to their peculiar dispersal.

The allegory of the frozen Groke could represent so much - I feel a thesis coming on - but I think represents how people get into a vicious cycle;cut off emotionally because no one interacts with them, and becoming ever more reclusive and antisocialin a vicious cycle. She makes us think about how we subconciously excuse ourselves for avoiding the lonely, scared, mentally ill, etc among us, for fear we may be "tainted" them.

Although I'm sure children will enjoy it at one level I recommend it highly to everyone, particularly if you are in a life crisis. I have lent it to nearly all my close friends and no one has yet not enjoyed it thoroughly.

Anyone who enjoyed this book should also enjoy Moominvalley in November with a similar selection of odd characters who we will all recognize among our own aquaintance.

The good news is you don't have to be a child to be enchanted by the Moomins. The bad news (for me) is missing out on these delightful stories when a child. I always try to begin the Moomin tales in the middle of the day because I know I won't stop until the end of the story.

Moominpappa decides they all need an adventure, and he is most desirous of "taking care" of everyone so Moominmamma can rest and all can be safe and protected. They set sail on an evening in late August to a small island in the Gulf of Finland planning to live in a wonderful lighthouse. The island is strange, bleak and barren. The lighthouse appears abandoned and is locked. The Moomin family consisting of Mamma, Papa, little son Troll, and Little My all go about practical tasks of settling in, first a search to locate a key. The living quarters in the lighthouse are at the very top only to be reached by a rickety spiral staircase. Much to Pappa's dismay, the light is out, and he cannot make it work. The fall storms begin (Pappa never explains why he didn't begin his adventure in the spring) and the life on the island becomes terrifying as well as bleak.

Though the Moomins get angry at one another, they are unfailingly polite and cooperative with the exception of Little My who is a cheerful, cynical pragmatist. Mamma & Pappa are very permissive parents, but always interested in what Troll and Little My are thinking and doing. The author very gently shows how perhaps there is a downside to sleeping and eating when you want, sleeping where your fancy takes you, and going on any adventure that occurs to you. There is delightful comedy where the Moomins throw a birthday party for The Fisherman, and he discovers all his "presents" belonged to him in the first place.

Come, enter the world of the Moomins! You might want to stay!

Well let me tell you you are wrong if you don't already have this book! This book is simply breathtaking. I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to get it! I've never heard a Harriet Tubman story told quite this way before. She prays to God and listens to His responses to lead her away from slavery that first fateful time. I actually felt like I was there...hiding...holding my breath. Will she make it? Of course we know the answer but the way the book s written is just amazing.

Now on the equally tantalizing images. Kadir Nelson lives up to his reputation here. Quality through and through with this project. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it.

Beautiful pictures, historically accurate account of Harriet Tubman in a personal way, told from her point of view. Excellent for thrid graders.

This book is truly inspirational. It shows what one person in God's hand can do to change the world around them. Harriet Tubman was truly a heroine. She was a humble person who was raised up to do a great and mighty thing. The illustrations are wonderfully drawn and the writing is almost poetic. This is a wonderful story for parents who are trying to teach their children about social justice, hearing the voice of God, and communing with Him. I highly recommend it!

This is a very spiritual book. We have a copy for our home and gave one to the Godparents. It has a creative flair to it and lots of wisdom. It is a good guide to remembering to trust in God.

This is a wonderful inspirational book I found for my grandchildren. You do not need to be of African heritage to appreciate the message that it was God that got her through her trying circumstances. Great history lesson too. Don't relegate it to Black History Month only.