Europe Books

Sadly, I only have a moment to add this comment . . . I found these stories to be amazing - a fantasy world that is as real as our own in its way. Characters act their age, which, particularly in the case of the young stars, is NOT meant in a derogatory manner. In some ways Hartman's young characters remind me of those of Lynn Johnston and Charles Shultz - they think deep thoughts, because people often DO think deep thoughts in their early years, depending on the person.
Well worth looking at, particularly when you're searching out a gift!

had any reviews or attention on Amazon.com since 2002. Some prescient person purchased this once and future classic of graphic novels for our library's collection where I discovered it. I bought a copy for my nieces and sent it to them.

My sister and nieces have read it out loud together five times! The phrase "lead on rabbit man" has entered into their personal family language and I have been elevated to the Favorite Aunt Hall of Fame on the strength of that gift.

The literary world should be beating a path to Rachel Hartman's door. Movie producers should be begging for the privilege of committing her delightful creation to film. And there should be sequels to it. Why OH WHY is there not even one sequel?

Buy this! Read it! Give it to your favorite girl children AND boy children! THIS IS A CLASSIC! DO YOU HEAR ME! A CLASSIC OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE COMPARABLE TO ANY OLD HARRY POTTER BOOK OUT THERE OR YET TO BE.

AND RACHEL HARTMAN, IF YOU ARE STILL OUT THERE SOMEWHERE, WRITE AND DRAW A SEQUEL! IF YOU DO, WE WILL BUY IT AND READ IT! I PROMISE YOU.

I borrowed this book knowing nothing about Amy Unbounded, but after the first two chapters I was hooked. It is deceptively simple at first: a fun and interesting story told by a child who doesn't necessarily pick up on all the subtleties of the adults' conversations around her. Though I enjoyed reading the book the first time from Amy's perspective, I enjoyed re-reading it even more when I knew what to look for.

I highly recommend this book. It may take a chapter or two to keep the characters straight (the guide at the beginning helps) but once the story gets going it's very enjoyable!

I immediately sought out the prequel mini-comics so I could find out how it all started. Hopefully they'll also be released as a matching book some day...

I love Belondweg Blossoming, I wish there were ten more books just like it. I'm showing it to all my friends and making them buy copies!

I love the characters -- real people, good people, with complex lives that have profundity and humor. I love the drawings. I love the writing -- poetic, real, able to spin that web of good literature, where the words feel magical.

This is great! I'm in love! (With Foughfaugh, gosh what a hunk!)

The subtly wry humor and wit of this collection will charm even the most hidebound traditionalist. There are echoes of Dickens, Austen, even Chaucer here. Hartman's characters, lively on their own and only in text, vibrantly dance with solidly human expression across the panels of this graphic novel. Amy herself is a heroine cut from the same fabric as Anne Shirley, Hermione Granger, Dorothy Gale, Lessa, and, as Linda Medley points out in her nostalgic introduction, Jo March; yet uniquely a 21st Century girl living in a mostly medieval fantasy. This is absolutely the book for those who shun and dismiss the graphic novel as a legitimate literary form; minds will change! A must-have for any comic art or graphic novel collection, readers of Neil Gaiman, Terri Windling, Ellen Datlow, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Patricia Wrede, and Anne McCaffrey, to mention only the merest few, will love this effort. We must have more from Ms. Hartman and soon.

This book is irresistable. And it is complete. For the experienced English researcher that is stuck I would say there's got to be something in this book that will help. I have an ancestor that was a Coastguardsman in Devon, circa 1850. This position made the book's index and on page 406 I learn that there are a number of records in the English Public Records Office on members of the Coastguard.

Now in a completely updated and substantially revised second edition, "Ancestral Trails: The Complete Guide To British Genealogy And Family History by Mark Herber continues to be an invaluable and indispensable genealogical reference guide for novice and experienced genealogists alike whose researches require them to access the voluminous British archives of records and other published resources. Originally published in 1997 in association with the Society of Genealogists based in London, this new and expanded edition of "Ancestral Trails" provides an informed and informative guide to what records and published sources are available, how to access them, how to analyze what they archive; how to use the divers 'finding-aids' and indexes. "Ancestral Trails" also shows how to obtain and process information from living relatives, how to construct family trees, how to utilize the preserved records of birth, marriage, death, and other census data. Also covered are such sources as wills, parish records, civil and ecclesiastical court records, poll books, and property records. "Ancestral Trails" is a core addition to any professional genealogy library reference collection and a 'must' for aspiring genealogists having to deal with British source material.

This is simply the best manual of English genealogy ever published. Let's hope any upcoming edition acknowledges the existance of the Internet.

"No other publication gives such comprehensive and up-to-date guidance on tracing British ancestry and researching family history. Illustrated throughout with more than ninety examples of the major types of records, and with detailed lists of further reading, Ancestral Trails will be the essential companion and guide for all family historians." Anthony Camp, Director, Society of Genealogists.

This excellent publication was created in association with the prestigious Society of Genealogists, perhaps akin to the US' National Genealogical Society. The author Mark D. Herber is a solicitor who began researching his family in 1979. He has successfully traced some of his lines back to around 1580.

Indeed I was impressed with this 674 page "encyclopedia." (Quotes added for emphasis!) The bibliography alone is twenty-two pages. My experience with English records has been limited to early parish records in Devon and some Court of Canterbury wills, so I was most eager to have the opinion of three friends who do extensive English, Welsh and Irish research, and indeed are successful in helping others make strong headway in their research. You can imagine the excitement at our local LDS Family History Center as they poured over the book with uncustomary enthusiasm!

The consensus is that ANCESTRAL TRAILS is as definitive of British research as Ancestry's THE SOURCE is of American genealogy. Lew, a 1st generation Brit, was impressed with the chapter on military records, and made a note to order the book forthwith. Elsie, born of English immigrant parents, had been inquiring previously about manor court records and found this publication provided more than she had found in explanation elsewhere. I was impressed with the 94 illustrations, including typical certificates of vital records, representative samples of wills and the like.

Also impressive is the attention given to beginning genealogists. Basics such as pedigree charts, personal recollections & memorabilia, spelling, handwriting, dates, obtaining certificates and organization of collected materials are discussed with ample illustrations.

Additional chapters include: General Problems Encountered by Researchers, Civil Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Census Returns, Parish Registers, Churchyards and Cemeteries, Directories, Combining Sources, Archives, Libraries and Family History Societies, Wills and Administrations,Catholic, Nonconformist and Jewish Records, Marriage and Divorce, Maps, Land Registrations and Property Records, Local and Social History, Newspapers and Elections,Parish and Town Records, Records of the Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force, Records of Shipping and Seaman, Records of Trades, Professions and Business, Oaths, Taxation and Insurance Records Records of Civil and Ecclesiastical Courts, Records of the Criminal Courts and Criminals, Education, Peerages, the Gentry, Famous People and Heraldry, Further Property Records, Tracing Migrants and Living Relatives, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands Immigration, Emigration and Investigation Abroad

Appendices included essential information under the following topics: Codes for areas and volumes in the GRO Indexes, Indexes to other GRO records, Chapman County Codes, Seize Quarters of Bessie Maude Symes, Extracts from the Bullied and Keates family trees, Public Record Office Information Leaflets, County Record Offices & other archives, Commencement dates of the reigns of English and British monarchs, Wills & Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury: A Summary of Finding-Aids, Records of the Court of Chancery: A summary of Finding-Aids.

Owing only to its tiny print, you'll need a magnifying glass in addition to your bi-focals to glean all that's contained in Ancestral Trails. On the best advice of our resident "British Research Gurus," I most heartily recommend this book.

DearMYRTLE

Daily Genealogy Columnist

Genealogy Forum on America Online

Keyword: dearmyrtle

I checked this book out from my local library because I felt that I was floundering with my British research. This book answered all the questions that I had, and much, much more. I'm not going to write a long review of this because there are a couple of other excellent reviews here already. I just wanted to add that there is a second edition of this book, from January 2004, available in England, but unfortunately not in the US yet. Because the internet is so valuable to those of us trying to do research from abroad, I decided to spend the extra money and order the newer edition from www.amazon.co.uk . It is more expensive, but it seemed worth it to me to have the most recent edition. If that's important to you, check the publication date on the edition advertised.

Its such a simple sweet story--of the relationship of the old man and the pidgeon--still so old world in feeling and simplicity about a friendship!!! It made me shed a tear!!! Brenda Momente NYC

I saw an exhibition of David Macaulay at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY, in July 2007 and was totally in awe of his talent. He is such a fantastic Illustrator and has a wonderful sense of humor. Until then I did not know anything about him, but after the exhibition I went to Amazon and bought 6 of his books. In addition to his brillant architecture/construction books like Castle, Mosque, Pyramid, and fascinating technical "how to" books ie. The New Way Things Work, he's also written some amazing stories for kids. This is one of them and I really love this one:

The story is about the friendship between old Angelo, who works on restoring the outside of an old church in Rome, and a pigeon, that he rescues. Angelo reluctantly warms up to the pigeon as he nurses her back to health. But soon he embraces and enjoys their one-of-a-kind and caring friendship as the pigeon, called Sylvia, decides to stays with Angelo. We accompany this unlikely couple for many months, through various seasons, as Angelo is finishing his work at the church. We witness cute and silly little scenes as Angelo plays the pigeon's favorite music and holds headphones to her ears during her convalescence, Sylvia and her pigeon friends dancing in front of Angelo during lunch to cheer him up. However, Angelo is becoming weaker and weaker and we feel with Sylvia as she shows great concern for his health and well being. Although Angelo eventually dies, the story ends on a happy note: the pigeon continues to live in a special nest that Angelo created for her out of stucco at the top of the church and David tells it with lots of humor and great sensitivity.

Beautifully illustrated, this story tells of enduring love. Simply heartwarming, touching, uplifting. A delight to read to your kids, but I bet, you yourself will want to read it again and again and again.

A very touching story. It reminds me the words in Bible,"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Love never fails."

It's an excellent storybook for readers of all ages!! I gave this book for my students to read and they loved it very much.

Each day at work I have to read the new picturebooks that have been proccessed. I dislike few of them. I enjoy most of them. I love very few of them...especially on first perusal. "Angelo" is one of the very few.

It's the story of the unlikely friendship between a master plasterer (Angelo) and a pigeon he dubs Sylvia. He finds her wounded on the ledge of a building he is restoring & takes her in despite his negative opinions of birds. (The pigeon hospital bed he rigs up for her is wonderful). She flies off after convalescing...only to return when he needs companionship to see him to the end of his last great job. In thanks, he creates a tribute to her...a tribute only he could create & one only a pigeon could appreciate.

The story is heartwarming, but the pictures are silly, cinematic, and inspired. This is a treat to read (for young and old) and it is my pick (so far) for Caldecott 2002...

All of David Macaulay's books are wonderful, and this is no expection. One note of caution, though...I teach elementary school and read this book to a number of students. The story deals with death at the end, and this lead to some sad comments and discussion. Should be prepared to talk about death or loss of a loved one. This is would be a perfect book to deal with that topic.

The commentary for each selection is informative and clear, and the translations are lucid and lively reading. A complete version of Beowulf is here along with the Anglo-Saxon Elegies and bits of Venerable Bede, Pope Gregory, a story of Caedmon's conversion, and other hallowed texts. I wish this book had been longer--more letters, more entries of the Chronicle, etc.--but as an author I know how size is often constrained by decision of the publisher; still, I would have paid ten times the cover for five times more. Here's to a second volume by the same translator.

This is the book that got me hooked on the Oxford World Classics series, which has not yet failed to provide beautiful translations where even the densest language becomes clearly understandable, all the while still keeping the integrity of the original work. The Anglo-Saxon World gives a sweeping introduction into the literature of the Anglo-Saxons while providing short commentary that places each work into historical perspective. While the information is unfortunately is not in depth, it is adequate enough for those unfamiliar with the history of the period to see the works in the proper context.

Found here are the major works: the epic Beowulf, "The Seafarer," "The Wanderer," and the works of Bede. But also found are the more obscure and, perhaps, more telling examples of their written culture, including (sometimes bawdy) riddles and even the amusing remedy for a woman's chatter: "eat a radish at night, while fasting; that day the chatter cannot harm you" (276). The texts range from deep pathos and solemn wisdom to the light, humorous and superstitious. Most significantly, this collection makes an ancient and foreign culture both easily approachable and readily accessible. For those with even a passing interest in Anglo-Saxon history, this book is well worth the time and money.

I'm a homeschooled student (in 10th grade). I read this book as part of a course on early European history, and have also referred to it while studying the history of the English language. Most of the translations are very accessible to the modern reader on their own, and Mr. Crossley-Holland's insightful commentary clears up those which are more difficult or obscure. Anyone who has a serious interest in the literature and culture of the Anglo-Saxons will not be disappointed in this book.

I bought this book in an old edition paperback form in Dublin because it contained the major elegies such as the Wanderer and the Seafarer. I ended up being extremely satisifed not only with the beautiful translation of the Wanderer, but with all of the selections and with Crossley-Holland's comments. I was very thrilled to meet him recently at a reading in Seattle, where he was promoting his Arthur trilogy. I'll have to check that out.

This book is easily one of the best collections of Anglo Saxxon period texts and as well is a great begining spot for anyone seeking further interest in the subject. As well with the epic Beowulf and Bede's writings this book is easily worth every cent and provides a wealth of additional information from religious writings to epic battle hymns.

I felt that this book did a great job as well as providing for understandable text and in most parts flowed easily enough that the writing proved both interesting and informative. The language is thick in some spots but overall the pure eloquence and spirit of the book compensates for this slight detail. The texts in this collection are as well very diverse so that almost any reader would find an interesting topic; and it proves a good book to read straight through or just pick up from time to time and read.

I just finished reading this book to my 5-year-old daughter as part of her homeschool curriculum. We were assigned to read portions each day and often she would beg, "Please, just a little more!" I hated to put it down, too.

A Newberry winner, the story is well written and powerful. It develops the tale of William Tell from the perspective of his son, Walter, from whose head he shot the infamous apple.

What I most appreciate is that the story helps children understand freedom, and why people would risk their lives to fight for it. (William Tell is the legendary hero of the fight for freedom of what is now Switzerland.)

When my daughter asked, "Why do people have wars?" I struggled with the right words to answer her question. Then this book showed up on our reading list. "The Apple and the Arrow" managed to explain the concept of fighting for freedom in a page-turning, enjoyable way.

The Apple and the Arrow is about an eleven-year-old boy named Walter Tell. He awaits the skillful demonstration of his father William, a Swiss freedom fighter, who will shoot an apple from his head, "Shoot, father, shoot! I am not afraid says Walter". Walter's voice seemed to bring back his father's courage. Walter's father quickly raised the heavy crossbow to his shoulder as muscles rippled on his brown arms. He sighted the apple on his son's head. He pulled back the bowstring...

The legend of William Tell survived for more than seven hundred years. The Apple and the Arrow, winner of a 1952 Honor Medal, tells the story through Walter's eyes, as he and his father struggle for the freedom of their family, their village, and their country.

I recommend The Apple and the Arrow as a nighttime story for kids of any age. Although it is a little bit on the long side is goes by pretty quickly.

I really liked this book.This book is about a cruel noble named Gessler, a bowman named William Tell and his son Walter. Gessler didn't believe William tell was as good as a bowman as everybody said he was. So Gessler tied Walter to a tree and put an apple on Walter's head.William Tell had to shoot it with his crossbow. I won't tell you any more you'll have to read, The Apple and the Arrow to find out the rest.

Conrad Buff was born in Switzerland in 1886, studied art in his native country and in Germany, them emigrated to the United States in 1904, settling
in Los Angeles, where he became a noted landscape artist. Along with his wife Mary, he coauthored/illustrated a number of children's book, among
them this Newberry Honor winner, which recounts the legend of the Swiss hero, William Tell.

The story is simply told, from the perspective of twelve year old Walter, who has the famous apple shot off his head. In 1290, the good king Rudolph
has died; leader of Germany, Austria, and the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Underwalden, he collected taxes yearly but otherwise left the stubborn and
independent mountain people of Uri alone. But his son Albrecht rules with a harder hand, and his deputy, Gessler, who is building a permanent castle
at Altdorf, is particularly despised. William Tell is part of a group, eleven men from each canton, who plan to revolt in 1291, but events get ahead of
him when he and Walter travel to Altdorf. There, Gessler's henchmen have placed a nobleman's feathered cap upon a tall pole and require the men of
Uri to bow to it, which William refuses to do, setting in motion the train of events that bring honor to his name even seven hundred years later.

This is a thrilling story of "one man's revolt against tyranny", with serious themes of independence and freedom and responsibility. Kids, especially
boys, will love it and even parents will learn from it.

GRADE : A

Conrad Buff was born in Switzerland in 1886, studied art in his native country and in Germany, them emigrated to the United States in 1904, settling in Los
Angeles, where he became a noted landscape artist. Along with his wife Mary, he coauthored/illustrated a number of children's book, among them this Newberry
Honor winner, which recounts the legend of the Swiss hero, William Tell.

The story is simply told, from the perspective of twelve year old Walter, who has the famous apple shot off his head. In 1290, the good king Rudolph has died; leader
of Germany, Austria, and the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Underwalden, he collected taxes yearly but otherwise left the stubborn and independent mountain people
of Uri alone. But his son Albrecht rules with a harder hand, and his deputy, Gessler, who is building a permanent castle at Altdorf, is particularly despised. William
Tell is part of a group, eleven men from each canton, who plan to revolt in 1291, but events get ahead of him when he and Walter travel to Altdorf. There, Gessler's
henchmen have placed a nobleman's feathered cap upon a tall pole and require the men of Uri to bow to it, which William refuses to do, setting in motion the train
of events that bring honor to his name even seven hundred years later.

This is a thrilling story of "one man's revolt against tyranny", with serious themes of independence and freedom and responsibility. Kids, especially boys, will love it
and even parents will learn from it.

GRADE : A

This review by Ghostwriter Reviews, Reviewer, Sunshine is posted by D. K. Christi as a member of Amazon.com

Arirang: The Bamboo Connection
Arirang The Bamboo Connection

AUTHOR: D. K. Christi¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Melani, a young American wife and mother working in Korea, is the picture of the proper image; faithful, dutiful wife, loving, attentive mother and hard-working, dedicated teacher. She has a "friend" on the side, Dale, whom she spends her time with due to the lack of interest and communication on the part of her husband. But then she meets Jack, a handsome officer on temporary duty. What ensues with them is a flirtation with trouble, as they begin to sneak around to meet each other and spend time together behind closed doors. If word got out, she could jeopardize everything she has, her job, her child, her husband, even her household help. Should she stop because of those reasons or continue with it because her husband has his share of company as well? What happens when Jack's time there is finished?
Wow, some women have all the luck! A beautiful son, an interesting job, a husband, a "friend" to spend time with when your own husband doesn't give you the attentiveness you need and another man who makes you feel what you've long ago forgotten. Being an enthusiastic reader, I can really appreciate the effort this author put forth in writing this book, from the plot, to the descriptions, to the over all feeling of the story. When an author puts in this kind of effort, it makes it easier to get into a book such as this one. Since I also have a very active imagination, the descriptions of scenery and locale really helped me visualize the idea the author is going for. I also appreciated the effort put into the technical research, like describing the various cultures, history and mannerisms that are encountered throughout the character's lives. Though it's long, this is a book I'd read more than once, just because the descriptions allow my imagination to run away, taking me with it.

I give this book a very enthusiastic 5!
Reviewer: Sunshine
Ghostwriter Reviews

ISBN: 142414776X

It is a book of adventure. The reader will learn much about foreign living and travel to a variety of locations. The reader will also sail the seas enjoying the high life with all the hazards of sailing. The frustrations of life and survival play a large role in D.K. Christi's book. It includes romantic encounters with the agony and ecstasy of love given, received and lost. The book gives a down to earth look at life's struggle and the plight of people to survive in the land of plenty.

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (1/07)

Jack has the bluest eyes Melani has ever seen. There is something special between them when their eyes meet. She met him at the tennis courts in Korea never suspecting their paths would cross again. Jack wanted them to meet again. Melani is married but her husband "spends his business evenings in the Kiesing houses, arriving home too drunk to miss me. Like Cinderella, the ball has come to an end."

Jack mesmerizes Melani. "He has impressed on me that our whole existence is based on our relationship together at that moment in time. The rest of the world is another place, not allowed to intrude on our feelings for each other. Nor do our feelings need to affect anyone else."

This is the life story of a young girl, from childhood through her "senior" years. Melani's life is an adventure. She travels from America, to Korea, the British Isles, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Her marriage to Derek began like most with dreams and ideals but it ended with affairs and divorce.

Another marriage ends in rage and abuse. "When he was good he was very, very good but when he was bad he was horrible." Melani and her son Brian were on their own again "with an ocean of tears behind us." Jack will always remain her soul mate.

This is a book of tears, joy, adventure, pain, love, duplicity and grief. Melani is a woman of great character and intellect. She is strong but doesn't always realize it. This book is a window into her soul.

D.K. Christi is a tremendously talented author. She writes "Arirang: The Bamboo Connection" from the first person perspective, giving readers the sense of being Melani. She offers great insight on the personality of her main character. Despite character flaws I could not help but love Melani. She shows strength that one would not expect; a strength that grows with each page. I could have been easily convinced that this was not fiction but based on a true story if I had not already read otherwise. The cover of this book teases the reader to delve inside. This book is of epic proportions. I truly enjoyed reading it.

ARIRANG, an incredible story of a young girl's journey through life from childhood to the "golden years." It is filled with adventure, betrayal, love, joy and sorrow. As you witness Melanie's life as seen through her prospective, Melanie will soon live in your heart from the beginning of the very first page through the last. She is a person of great intelligence, integrity, passion, depth of character and "true grit" that the author has an uncanny ability to reveal to the reader. This is not just a book traversing seven continents, but a book that takes you into the depths of Melanie's psyche allowing the reader to identify and feel her pain and her joy. The reader will experience the terror of surviving life-threatening seas to the frustrations of performing daily tasks while Melanie and her husband sail their sixty-seven foot sailboat from Miami to Venezuela. It is my hope that D.K. Christi will write many more books. This one, I could not put down. Melanie remains in my heart.
Nancy Canter

Review by D. L Montgomery, author of A Nanosecond To Eternity in the Twinkling of an Eye . A tour of heaven and how the earth comes to the end of life as we now know it.

Book Reviewed:
Arirang: The Bamboo Connection. By D.K. Christi

ISBN: 1-4241-4776-X 487 pages, Softcover PublishAmerica

D.K. Christi unfolds a compelling tale that has everything that you would want in a romantic novel: travel, love, adventure, happiness, pain, grief, disaster and finally how to live comfortably through the rest of our days on earth.
D.K. Christi, uses her vast education, her many travels to foreign lands and her knowledge of various cultures to write this brilliant, seamless, love story.
Melani, her main character in Arirang: The Bamboo Connection, is married, has a young son Brian and works and lives in Korea. She is not happy with her marriage but has made friends with Dale and Jack, who have given her the friendship and love that she so desperately needs.
Melani, her husband Derek and son Brian take a vacation to various exotic lands in the mid east, that are described in the book with exacting detail; one can see in their minds eye every enchanting sight, smell the aroma of the food available in the various outdoor market places and have a tingling sensation at the back of your neck when reading some of the harrowing adventures that take place during the vacation and through the balance of the story.
I found the book to be a tour de force that will be enjoyed and appreciated by readers of all genres.

I bought this book at the same time I purchased Peter Clarke's marvelous "The Last Thousand Days of the British Empire" on what I thought the reasonable assumption that it might provide the social history complement to Clarke's account of the geopolitical death rattles of the Empire following the war. That it precisely served that function better than I could have imagined does not in any way diminish its value as a brilliant stand-alone analysis of everyday life in post-war Britain that will certainly never be duplicated in either its scholarship or compass. Kynaston weaves an incredibly rich fabric of first-person accounts and commentaries ranging from housewives to the Labour party's leadership to incipient and established entertainers to sports stars and innumerable others high and low on the social scale, each citation perfectly apt and illustrative in its context. The reader feels he is living the period, suffering with the deprived homemaker, hoping against experience with the coal miner, sensing pitfalls to the social planning completely unanticipated at the time, and generally acquiring an understanding of those years that completely supplants everything one thought one knew of the subject. The book is a bit of a slog what with over 600 pages of text, and in my experience, there are very few works of this size that are worth the time an effort. Be assured that this is one of them and that every reader is looking forward to the promised sequel covering the years 1953-79. Social history, indeed, history, doesn't get much better than this.

An excellent description of that time in England. Brought back a lot of memories. Probably less interesting to folks who had NOT lived through it.

Austerity Britain presents an interesting retrospective on the tough times in the immediate post-war era. It is a good companion/follow on to "How we lived then" about the actual war years. Some of the political philosophy, particularly in the earlier chapters can be a bit heavy going, but the view on what it was like to live through the period is good, particularly if you did actually survive those years, as did this reviewer.

Written for a British eye more than for an American, this American learned a stronger respect for the people of Britain for the way they won the war and then won back their share of industry and prosperity. Having won a glorious victory, within hours the victorious citizens of the country that sustained almost six years of war following on a prolonged depression realized that the trials of war time would be extended by the austerity of post-war Europe. While England won the war, they paid a high price. More important, the collective, heroic efforts of the large working class produced a tide of enthusiasm for nationalisation of industry, housing to replace the hundreds of thousands displaced by German bombing, and a broad social welfare plan focusing primarily on health care.

It is not a pretty story. Post-war England was drab, lacking many basics, watching its empire dissolve, and driven by a strong, centralized plan to restore the economy that changed the basic way people looked at business and government. And, with the continuing pressures of rebuilding the rest of Europe, the threat of further communist expansion, and the rise of American power, perhaps Britain went too far in moving towards a benevolent but often clumsy and experimental form of socialism. It would be almost another forty years and the decisions of the Thatcher government, that saw the maturity and, in some cases, the reversal of this social and cultural experiment.

This is a long, dense and colorful book, full of first-person details and observations, many of them from the surveys and observations of the government itself. Chapters focus on various aspects of the cultural and social revolution, in the classroom, on the factory floor, in the (mine) pits, in the shops, in the media, and more. At one bookstore where I looked for the book, they claimed that it was a textbook and not part of their trade book collection. While it is as thorough -- or more -- as any academic textbook, it reads more like a highly detailed, multi-authored journal or catalog of the period. Invest the time.

A very nice journey into the past, where you as the traveler, are entertained, amazed and surprised at how the English people survived the war. I was entranced to read how the English took everything, well actually, without anything that we all took for granted, in stride. They suffered the most during the war and gave their all for victory. This is a wonderful story told as how it was to live, eat, entertain and get on.

The book by prof.Stavrianos was the last one I had on my list of books on the Balkans that I had planned to read as background material for my own work on the economies of the EU Candidate Countries, and especially of course the Southeastern ones (the other books were by Glenny, Hodos, Obolensky, Kaplan). It was also the thickest one at 850 pages but I must say it was a pleasure to read. The set-up by theme and by individual country is always clear, and there is a richness of detail and at the same time a broad sweep that gives a very good overview. This is indeed what makes this book an exellent and impressive reference work, as the other reviewers also indicated and with which i can only concur. This richness also sometimes made me skip a few pages as I was not interested in every detail but this is not a criticism per se; there will be something in this book for all interested in the Balkans without necessarily wanting to take note of all the information that is there.

For me as an economist, what the author makes clear and what struck me in particular was how the combination of economic (agricultural, industrial, financial, infrastructural) underdevelopment and social and political problems (health, education, ethnic and reliious) that are still present today in many of these countries, have been part of their history for centuries. This does not mean they are immutable (and becoming an EU Member is the best way to break this deadlock, I am convinced) but it shows how deep a legacy needs to be overcome. So for this insight already for me the book was well worth reading. In combination with M. Glenny who provides a modern history of the period 1800-1990s there is of course some overlap but I can recommend to have them both (Glenny is perhaps more lively written). Stavrianos will stand as the reference work by which others are measured.

Even though this book was first published over 40 years ago, it is still the seminal text on general Balkan history. L.S. Stavrianos provided a detailed, comprehensive yet immensely readable survey of events and developments in the Balkans since the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. He deals with each country/region individually, but also maintains an overall perspective and analysis. Even if the narrative ends with the immediate post-World War II years, this text illuminates many of the historical precedents that underpin current events in the region. It is therefore much more useful to read this book than the many essentially popular histories written about the Balkans as a whole or the invidual countries in the region over the course of the last decade. The publisher should also be commended for re-issuing this book; for years the about only place one could find it was at major universities and larger, better-stocked public libraries. There's no substitute for this book, it is a must-read for everyone who really wants to learn about Balkan history.

This very important and extensive work that gives a quick and concise but nevertheless essential history of the Balkans since 1453 provides much to the reader in the way of detail. It is an excellent history. However it also is responsible for creating threee enduring myths in Eastern European history. First it defined the period after 1800 as the 'era of nationalism'. THis is strange, for the same movement in Africa and elsewhere, when people revolted against colonial masters, was called the 'age of liberation'. So why it is nationalism when it is Europeans rebelling against Muslim colonialism?

Secondly it repeats the myth that all history everywhere(from Africa to India to Central Asia to Spain) begins with Muslim occupation. 1453 was the date of the fall of constantinople. However this ignores the fact that there was a deep cultural history of the Balkans before Islam and that the Ottomans were merely a foreign yoke.

Thirdly the book downplays Ottoman atrocities such as the sale of Greeks into slavery after 1832, the very existence of slavery(selling of CHristians by Muslims) is not given any real coverage, the Bulgarian massacres are also ignored. Had it been Europeans colonizing the Balkans and selling the Slavs to be sure this would have been one of the main themes but because it was the Ottoman Muslims it is ignored. Thus an important text is also responsible for many enduring myths.

Seth J. Frantzman

This is an indispensable resource for any one interested in Balkan History. It's a comprehensive and wide resource that takes you through the political, economic, and social history of the Balkans, organized by modern state with chapters from each time period on political developments and the Ottoman Empire as a whole. A special focus on ethnic and national issues makes it more than relevant today, despite its age.

This was the best textbook I ever had and the course on Balkan history taught by Charles Jelavich at Indiana University, with this book, was the best I ever took. Unfortunately I lost my copy years ago. Now that the Mideast is once again a mess, I turned to look for a copy. I am happy to see it back in print, just sorry the price is so ridiculously high. The book is priceless, but to be contrary this price is too high. The paperback is worth it.

Elsa is a frizzy lion-haired 10 year old who is NOT keen on staying at the rotting, peeling "Royal Hotel" or, as some of the letters have fallen off, Elsa would say "Oyal Htl" but there she has ALOT of adventures! She meets a group of vandalisms and eventually becomes great friends with them, along with Naomi, the girl who loves to read in the loos! She saves the hotel from burning to cinders with her loud voice and eventually moves to a 5-star hotel, where she has the time of her life! Have fun with Elsa in the 100% recommended, highly entertaining, incredibly amusing, and sidecrackingly hilarious "Bed and Breakfast Star"

A++

This book is about a little girl who moves from a lovely house to a evntualy a Bed and Breakfast Hotel . One night the girl smells smoke and goes to see what it is . She finds a fire and shouts to everyone to get up . They all hear her and run out of the building whilst someone calls the fire bragade . The fire is put out and the becomes a heroine .

I read this book at age 9 and couldn't put it down. This book is perfect for girls ages 7-10 who still have yet to master the art of reading. The story is about a girl who's parents are separated and she moves around very often. She is so witty and good- natured that she finds an adventure in every move she makes. The illistrations are simple and yet unique and I would recommend this book to any girl, around the age of 7-10.

It usually takes me ages to read a long book but I could not put this book down. It is one of very best books I have ever read!!!!!!!!

I read this book when I was younger, and I absolutley loved it. I'm 15 now, and I still have to say this is probably the best book I have ever read. I love all the titles by Jaqueline Wilson, but this one is my favourite. Probably because this story covers all emotion. It is at times sad, but others very funny. The main character is great, and Jaqueline Wilson captures the emotion perfectly. You can see the character clearly in your head. If this is an adult reading this review, considering buying it for a child, do! This is an excellent book, and even if your child does not like reading they will find it very hard to put this book down!

To write about a subject as controversial as the Holocaust in Italy without becoming a "partisan" is a rare achievement, but Stille has succeeded in this absorbing book. Ignoring the unsettle-able issue of what Pope Pius XII did or didn't do to help Italian Jews, he instead concentrates on the experiences and fates of five very different Jewish families in various parts of Italy during the 20 years of Fascism, including the last, terrible period of the German occupation.

Stille chose his title with care; instances of benevolence and betrayal are woven throughout the stories. There are Christians who risk their lives to save Jewish friends and neighbors; priests and nuns, bishops and cardinals who offer support and sanctuary; stories of Jewish ingenuity and bravery. There are also stories of betrayals on both sides: Christians who betrayed Jews out of greed or anti-Semitism, or in pathetic efforts to save their own or their families' lives. Stille doesn't hesitate to expose Jews who betrayed their own people--a touchy subject many writers would avoid. The result is a book that reveals the complexity of an issue too often over-simplified into Jewish heroes and Italian villains, or heroic Italians and helpless Jews.

What makes Stille's book so memorable, however, isn't the author's unusual objectivity; it's the fascinating stories his subjects tell. Stille interviewed many of them, as well as using diaries, letters, published writings and personal papers provided by the families of those no longer living. The book is divided into five sections, one for each family.

This is a moving, at times horrifying, but enlightening and engrossing book, full of vivid details of Italian life during a tragic but deeply significant period of Italy's history.

Several readers have suggested that the prose in this book reminds them of Primo Levi, the great humanist scientist who has written poignantly of his own war time experiences. Like his other works, Stille makes the non-fiction read like a novel. He knows just what to stress and what to downplay - in other words, he emphasizes the most important aspects of the "story".

What is so compelling is his "umbrella" approach wherein all components and shades of Italian fascism and Judaism are reviewed. There was a huge difference between the fascism of Italy and Germany despite their apparent political solidarity. The outstanding difference was that German fascism, unlike that of Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy and Croatia was based on not only adoration of the race but specificially subjugation of the Jews. It is difficult to understand some of the decisions made but most of us have never had to face the start life and death choices these families encountered.

Stille is also an eminently fair man, one who does not condemn fascism while excusing or praising dictatorships of the Left. He views all forms of state collectivism as inherently evil and this message only increases the force of the narrative. This is yet another work that should be required reading for high school students.

One of the best books in its category of historicaldocumentation. The author has deeply research the topic, has beenfaithfull to historical facts with an unbiased approach.

The book is five books in one.The stories of five Jewish Italian families during the WWII years.A common fate,common people and so different personalities and destinies.
The author achieved to describe a psychological portrait of each character and their vicissitudes.I loved the book.

Here's an historical curiosity; apparently Jewish Fascism was a common phenomenon in Italy. Before Nazi influence caused racial laws to be passed in 1938, 1/3 of the ~50,000 Jewish folk in Italy were members of the fascist party. Jewish families often had as much as a 2000 year history in Italy (there was mention of the Jews wanting permission to cry over the tomb of Julius Caesar after his death), and the Italian Jewish experience (at least in the North, in the areas of progressive city-states, rather than Papal states) was one more or less of recent integration with the rest of the Italian people. So they tended to have political views pretty closely following the rest of the populace; or even perhaps more conservative views, such as latin-americans in the U.S. The book follows the lives of five jewish families under fascism. Some were fascist, some antifascist. Some in shades of grey. The stories were quite powerful when they strayed from the nonstandard; most of the Italian Jewish experience of WW-2 was much different from that of other European jews.

Americans have a fairly unsophisticated view of WW-2; we mostly think of German and Japanese enemies, and Russian and English allies, and the terrible things which happened to the Jews in Germany, Poland and the Ukraine. There were entire theaters of war which never enter into our consciousness. Most of what happened in Italy and the Balkans is poorly understood. The stories in this book fill in some of the blank spots in this American's understanding of that period.