Ireland Books

This amazing book focuses around the the life a woman who truly has an extraordinary life. Born into a poor family, her mother deceives her father and the village by calling Grey a boy. Grey spends her youth believing she is a boy, deformed and must keep her identity a secret. The time is during the 12th century when England is beginning to take over parts of Ireland. Poverty is rampant and the English are gobbling up villages and property and claiming them as their own.

When Grey discovers her true identity, she embarks on a strange journey trying to reconcile the years she spent as a male to the truth of her sex. She goes from being used, to being loved, to becoming a mother, and then continues to change throughout the book.

There were some sections of the book that where I thought "typical - woman is the victim". However, when I put the book down and began to think about it, Grey was a victim according to today's way of thinking. The author does an amazing job at presenting Grey as anything BUT a victim. She is more than just a woman, mother, wife, Irish, peasant, lover. Grey's character shows that there is more to a person then their sex. Someone isn't defined by their "station" in life - wife, mother, woman. Rather who they make themselves.

Great read. Fast paced and well written.

Kate Horsley has never failed to astound me with the books of hers I have read. "The Changeling", I feel, is an excellent follow up to her acclaimed novel, "Confessions of a Pagan Nun".
The setting is the 1300's in Ireland. Grey is a peasant girl who has been raised as a boy. When she realises her womanhood, it takes her on a journey of discovering an identity. As Ms. Horsley breaks it up for us, "Son", "Whore", "Warrior", and "Mother". Each of her identities and phases teaches her different lessons in life until the end when she realizes that nothing can exactly define her. The themes of the novel are the search for identity and in a stange way glory.
Through Grey's eyes, we see all the problems of the age. Including the residing of the Pope at Avignon, the corruption of the Catholic Church, and the smiting Black Death.
The characteristics Horsley gives to Grey lets us experience what is it to be a woman. I believe this is an important message for not only women all over the world, but men as well. Horsley, through Grey's various identities, gives us the complex psychology of a woman.
This is a beautiful story and just as incredible as "Confessions of a Pagan Nun". Once again, it is about discovering who you are. The smoothness of the writing carries you through the pages one by one until before you realize it, you are done.

I was awestruck by this novel. The fact that the author created such a dynamic character is amazing. Grey, born a girl and raised a boy.

A neat read, and about Ireland and the plague. There are some graphic sexual scenes, though, so beware.

What makes this page turner so remarkable is that it recounts actual events. If this were fiction, I would have dismissed the book as way too "out there" to merit a willing suspension of disbelief. Simply put, I would not have bothered to read such an outrageous "story" as Leonhard describes. But, as they say, truth is stranger than fiction. If you enjoy gripping drama, history, psychology, biography, suspense, and/or all of the above, this book is for you!

A german child growing up inside USSR in the dark age of stalin. Growing up as a young stalinist through the scholar sistem and with his mother prisoner in the gulag. His experience sufering the repression of 1937 - 1938, the WWII and finally the build of the DDR (GDR). This is the vision from an experience and high training soviet scholar, and his progressive discover of the hard and inhuman reality of the soviet system.
Leonhard is one of the most important experts in marxism.

The son of a German communist decides into to seek refuge in the USSR insteadof England,hoping for his dreams of a working class state coming true.After happy years at a school for German communist emmigrants,he is winess of Stalin's turn towards Hitler.The Germen communists,no longer privileged,are sent to Kasakhstan or - shot or sent to the GULAGs.Leonhardt is hapy enough to be trained as a communist functionary at a Komintern school.he is one of the Communist delegation,led by Stalin's messenger ULBRICHT,to fly to Germany.He realises in 1948 at the latest the secret intrigue ULBRICHTS against everyone who wants
a new,democratic Germany and wants his socialist ideals come true.But Ulbricht's policy is a Stalinist system - cynically disguised as a democratic state. In 1948 Leonhardt seeks asylum in the then socialist Yugoslavia.

I am a huge fan of Winston Churchill (I'm even tackling Martin Gilbert's eight volume biography at the moment!). Since WSC loved Chartwell so much, and spent so much of his time there, I come to this subject with some interest. My wife visited Chartwell a couple of years ago -- what a treat. That experience only heightened my interest and great appreciation for the house and its history. Leaving no stone unturned, this book provides a complete (if sometimes a bit dry) history of the house. It also has some great photos of the house at various points in history. If you want to know nearly everything about this ancient, though modern, house and home to WSC then this is the book for you.

a great book one of the must have for any churchill library . great anecdotes good pictures .recommended by the churchill society

Mr. Buczacki provides a nice, well-written history of the various houses and gardens directly associated with the long life of Winston Churchill. In doing so, the author also reveals important elements of the non-political side of this most remarkable man.

Many general histories of Churchill speak in passing of the domestic trials imposed after the purchase of the family's most important home, Chartwell. Reading this book gives one a keen understanding of what Mrs. Churchill endured as Chartwell and its grounds were slowly, slowly brought into good shape.

If you have a friend who is interested in English landscaping and gardens, this is a book to consider. If that friend also is an admirer of Sir Winston, then it is a must purchase.

I found this well researched book fascinating. I have never before read a non-fiction work in one sitting (Then I reread it taking notes). This work undermines (without ever saying so ) many of the cultural myths that drive our current economy. Commons have been viable and sustainable economies and cultures. I should also add that as an avid science fiction reader I found a description of as alien a society as any I have otherwise read about.

I like to order oneeson@hotmail.co

According to E.P. Thompson (Customs in Common) best work on the subject -- and if not the only then certainly the most important. Sorry, I'm not an academic, just a student. For an insightful review, please look in a history journal.

This is a surprisingly fine book. It is lively and concise. It is efficient, covering all major episodes of Hungarian history from the beginnings to about 1995. It never lingers or goes into excessive detail. The author's opinions are balanced. The translation (from French to English) is really excellently done. There could be more illustrations, but those that are included are good. The rather dull cover leads one to expect a rather dull book, but in fact it is a very satisfying one and easy to digest.

This is an outstanding history of a country and people that deserve to be better understood and appreciated. The Hungarians are not a Slavic, Germanic, or a Latin peoples; their language and heritage are alien to that of their neighbors. In many ways, both historically and culturally, Hungary has been at the crossroads of the events and movements that have shaped the history of Europe. Yet Hungary has also been a forceful shaper and mover itself, its modest current size belying the fact that it was once a potential superpower on the Danube. The history by Miklos Molnar is excellent in every respect and highly recommended.

This is a complete and comprehensive history of the Hungarian land, people, society, culture and economy from its nebulous origins in the Ural mountains of Russia to the elections of 1988. It was written by a Hungarian born, Latin educated, French speaking, Nazi persecuted Swiss historian. The book tells the story of a once upon a time great nation that went into decline following Ottoman, Austrian and Soviet occupations at the same time preserving its unique language and European culture. The author links Hungary's political decline to its social, economic and cultural deficiencies. The country was under Hapsburg domination for four centuries and achieved its independence only after World War I, after having lost two thirds of its territory and half of its population. Now free of Soviet domination since 1990, Hungary seeks its place in the European Union of nations.

Sean Beecher's Cork 365: A Day-By-Day Miscellany Of Cork History is also a recommended pick for Irish fans: it's a personal selection of history, humorous events, and cultural insights set in diary form from January to December with a historical insight per page. The organization lends to leisure browsing and casual enjoyment, and fun.

Sean Beecher's Cork 365: A Day-By-Day Miscellany Of Cork History is also a recommended pick for Irish fans: it's a personal selection of history, humorous events, and cultural insights set in diary form from January to December with a historical insight per page. The organization lends to leisure browsing and casual enjoyment, and fun.

Sean Beecher's Cork 365: A Day-By-Day Miscellany Of Cork History is also a recommended pick for Irish fans: it's a personal selection of history, humorous events, and cultural insights set in diary form from January to December with a historical insight per page. The organization lends to leisure browsing and casual enjoyment, and fun.

You can spend five minutes or five hours at a sitting with this gem. Even a casual browse through a few pages will teach you something you didn't know about Vikings. A must for anybody studying Norse culture, and a valuable addition to their collections.

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A cultural atlas presents its readers with a tremendous amount of information. Even a casual browsing through this work reveals enough information to provide the seeker of knowledge with a firm grasp on the history, geography, and culture of the efficient, effective "Warriors of the North" known as Vikings or Northmen.

This atlas explains and defines the Viking Age, beginning in the 8th century and ending in the 11th century with the creation of the Scandinavian nations of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland. These tall, blonde, blue-eyed Vikings also left their mark on lands from North America, across Europe into Russia -- which was named for the Rus, a Swedish tribe -- and into the Byzantine Empire of Asia Minor and beyond. The Vikings endowed the Europeans who followed them with the Viking genes for bravery, impudence, physical beauty, and intelligence, genes which Viking warriors spread widely in the Northern Hemisphere.

The compilers of this work, edited by James Graham-Campbell, present the reader with a plethora of charts, maps, and captioned photographs illustrating and enriching cogent expository text.

Everyone on the planet, ... will recognize this book as a valuable tool in the study of a great European people.

I love this book. It has lots of maps and illustrations. Best of all it covers the entire gamut of the Viking universe. It is a wonderful resource for getting your head around the big picture of the Viking age. I have researched Viking Age history for years now and this is one of the BEST books I have ever found

Gordy identifies the methods by which the Milosevic regime, which obviously provided few benefits to its people, nonetheless maintained its power. Gordy identifies these methods as the "destruction of alternatives-" the removal of alternative political ideas, or of cultural institutions, such as popular music, that would enable individuals to unite in thought in a manner distinct from, and therefore threatening to, the regime.

This is indeed quite valuable to students of Yugoslavia or Eastern Europe; its broader value, however, is its contribution to the larger issues of power studied by sociologists and political scientists. How is power maintained? We frequently assume that individuals will revolt if conditions are so bad they have nothing to lose. Gordy documents the ability of the powerful to actually take away this option. Most mechanisms, such as cencorship, make revolt more difficult, raising the pain level people will tolerate; however, by keeping the more politically savvy urbanites near starvation, the regime actually compromised their very ability to express dissent.

Gordy provides an academic and, to the degree it is possible in social science, empirical explanation of power that is profoundly disturbing; sometimes it may be impossible to displace the powerful. True, outside forces crippled the regime; but what does this suggest about the American line that local groups should revolt to demonstrate support for democracy and earn military support? Don't throw it out yet, but Gordy presents an important argument. It also helps explain the success of earlier brutal regimes; Haile Selassie used similar techniques far more adeptly, and therefore more brutally, in Ethiopia. This book is both an insightful analysis of the Serbian regime's tactics and a significant study of the nature of power.

Struggling to understand how Slobodan Milosevic managed to tighten his grip on power in Serbia despite a disasterous decade of war and economic decline? Or would you just like to know why authoritarian regimes produce such terrible pop music? Eric Gordy's "Culture of Power in Serbia: Nationalism and the Destruction of Alternatives" is a good place to start for both questions. Though written before the war in Kosovo and Milosevic's subsequent fall from power, the book provides a useful framework for understanding both the durability of his regime and the fragility of its popular support. Prof. Gordy argues that Milosevic maintained power not through any skill in governing (the record on that score is pretty clear), but by systematically dismantling any alternatives that Serbian civil society could muster. As one would expect, Gordy covers in some detail Milosevic's attempts to co-opt, stifle and crush rival political parties and media organizations. What is unique about this book is the long chapter devoted to the underground music scene in Belgrade. The regime rightly perceived a threat to its political as well as cultural dominance, and rallied its forces behind a smarmy concoction dubbed "Turbo Folk".... This musical atrocity does not, of course, compare to those committed in Bosnia and Kosovo, but it is a chilling read nonetheless. Gordy clearly brings a mastery of Serbo-Croatian literary and musical idiom to this section. One wishes only that the book were accompanied by a CD. Though written from a sociological perspective, this book is full of lively if understated prose, and offers much to engage the non-specialist and general reader.

Gordy's basic premise is that the rather unpopular, corrupt and war-mongering regime controlled by Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia during the 1990s retained its hold on power by eliminating any meaningful alternatives to itself. He provides a very detailed account of how this was done in the fields of culture, politics, the media and the economy. Since the book was written and published in 1999, when Milosevic was still in power in Serbia, the basic question posed by the study, i.e. how does he manage to stay in power, should be replaced with how did he manage to stay in power so long? Otherwise, this is a vitally important study, as the matters Gordy covers here illuminate many aspects of political culture in Serbia during the 1990s - and help readers understand the country's current political malaise as well. Despite the many changes that have occurred since Milosevic's fall from power, the legacy of the `destruction of alternatives' he helped institute will continue to dog Serbian society for years to come (and, looking over the fence from Croatia, I have to add: just as the legacy of Franjo Tudjman still haunts and troubles Croatian society today and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future).

I didn't think that this book could offer me anything new about Ireland's highways and byways. But I was pleasantly surprised. I have used it mainly on reasonably short trips out of Dublin. It is written in a very readable style and it allows for all levels of ability. There are a few routes that take in glorious mountain views, but yet are not too challenging. I love the fact that every route has a recommended lunch stop - very important!. I am looking forward to trying some of the routes in the west of Ireland, which I love. Hopefully there will be a new edition by the time I have tried all of the routes!

I have just returned from Ireland having cycled from Killarney to Dublin in a clockwise fashion. I cycled 1,054 miles in less than three weeks. While I took M ichelin, Lonely Planet, Irish Tourist Board guides etc., I discarded them all in favour of Cycle Touring Ireland. It was the most incredible companion and I followed it faithfully. I just wish I could put Brendan on a personal retainer and have him write Cycle Touring Canada, Cycle Touring USA, Cycle Touring France etc. A fantastic job!

I loved this book! It was obviously written by someone who really loves cycling. It is well researched, comprehensive and very easy to use. There are cycle routes suitable for all levels of fitness and the extra information on the scenery, recommended lunch stops etc add greatly to the whole experience. Don't cycle Ireland without it!

I have stacks of books about this era, and about Russia in general, but none of them give the flavor of the time and place quite so vividly as Troyat's narrative. He follows the adventures of a British businessman who is virtually adopted by a Russian family during his first visit to Moscow. The descriptions of family life, night life -- including the theater, the ballet, and restaurants and cabarets, of religion, and even of the streets, are filtered through the consciousness of a stranger, and so are more clearly described and, where necessary, explained than in books in which everyday life is more of a background to the rest of the narrative.

If you're a student of Russian history, particularly the history of this particular era, this book is highly recommended. For writers who are researching the era, this is on the level of the Writer's Digest "Everyday Life..." series for information, and really indispensable. Even so, this is not some dry text. It's lively and occasionally amusing, and always fascinating.

A well-crafted historical resource for anyone interested in Russia under Nicolas II. It covers a wide range of daily life - everything from how the trains ran to steam baths to military service to haute cuisine of the time. I became so immersed in this book that at times I felt like I was there.

Imagine time-traveling with a smart gentleman who is energetic, enthusiastic, sociable, and just happened to have lived there 'then.' This is the seamless, appropriately elaborate, and richly detailed adventure one experiences in reading this book. Troyat called this book a mere "sentimental promenade,' but he was much too modest. Biographer of Flaubert, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Elizabeth I and others, he had a pre-Revolutionary Russian early childhood, and the recollections of his (refugees-to-France) family members. In this book he enthusiastically and carefully recreates the sights, sounds, smells of daily life. The peasantry, workers and their everpresent sufferings and struggles, commerce, law, food, the gentry, the tsar and his retinue, social life, the hapless serfs, plus plans, hopes, and dreams. The chapter "Moscow's Many Faces" is reminiscence, and very informative. The research is the backbone of this work, which is greatly enriched and informed by Troyat's emotional ties to -- and sensory recall of -- the time and place.