Adamson Books

This book brings back memories of a graduate course in general topology that I took as an undergraduate, which was taught via the "Moore method", after the late Robert Lee Moore, who invented it. Handouts were given to the class (there were only 3 of us), and each of us was expected to work out or prove every result in the handout, without consulting references or collaborating with other students. Theorems were to be proved, or counterexamples given, but we did not know a priori which item from the handout was actually true or false. Needless to say this took a lot of work, and all of us had to present our results on the blackboard for scrutiny by both classmates and instructor.

The Moore method has its defenders and detractors. It certainly encourages originality of thought and strict intellectual honesty. Students can find incredible reinforcment as they discover that they can indeed give original proofs of sometimes very difficult (and famous) results in general topology. The downside is that not as much material is covered as compared to a traditional course in general topology. Students who are hungry to get to the frontiers of research might become impatient because of this.

This book does not follow the strict methodologies that we followed in our class, but instead reveals to the reader which results are true and then encourages their proof. Readers are also lead through the construction of examples and counterexamples, allowing them to gain more of the intuition needed for a thorough understanding of general topology. It is also a good book to use for independent study, as the answers to the results are given in the book (and this actually is the major portion of its bulk).

About: Psychotherapist O'Connor gives an overview of human happiness and provides reasons why folks are unhappy and as well as exercises that can bring upon a happier mindset. He identifies three causes of misery: Contemporary insanity is the stuff that the modern world requires of us like the 50 hour work week and other forms of stress; innate foolishness is the false ingrained beliefs such as getting what we want will make us happy; finally, unnecessary misery comes from our emotions or defense mechanism such as denial. 40% of happiness is in your direct control with 50% being genetically determined and 10% due to external causes like health or employment. In order to makes that 40% the happiest it can be, he provides techniques involving things like gratitude, mindfulness, and meditation that will rewire your brain so you can be a happier you.

Some Interesting Things I Learned:

* A big cause of unhappiness is comparing ourselves to other people, we always want to be better and have more than the other guy but even if we get that, it won't make us happy.

* People like things more if they end on a high note.

* People regret not doing things more than they regret the things they did, even if what they did wasn't all that great.

* Losing something hurts more than gaining something gives us pleasure.

* There's twice the chance a kid of divorced parents will need mental health services than one from an intact family.

* In the last 10 years, types of Pop-Tarts has grown from 3 to 29 and Lay's Chips from 10 to 78.

* The more television you watch, the less happy you become.

* People who watch less than two hours of television a day enjoy it more than those who four or more hours.

* Olympic bronze medalists are happier than silver medalists (they think how close they were to not medaling as opposed to thinking how close they were to winning)

Pros: Engaging, interesting read. Good intro. Several "Do's" and "Don'ts"asides provide quick tips like "don't do anything you wouldn't tell your mother, God or children about" and "do take all of your vacation time." Sources cited, further reading list provided. Provided exercises are handy. Also covers happiness in relationships. Wonderful concluding chapter that provides a summary of the topics of the book as well as techniques one can use to stay happy. So if you see this book in the bookstore, skip to the last chapter if you want the Cliff's Notes.

Cons: Underlining of certain words and phrases is distracting. Gets into a sort of a polemic on the ills of modern society in one section and on how current parents aren't good parents in another. All the stuff on mindfulness is a bit too much.

Highly recommended, though I personally may not
agree with every point raised, still it is fully
better than the gibberish that the establishment
has been troweling out for eons now. Anything Dr.
Stan works on is usually very good to excellent!

Buddy Stebbins travels back to the 16th century on a pirate ship with his great, great grandfather in search of his sister - but she's defending another relative against witchcraft! Very exciting!

I haven't finished reading this book, but have picked up some good ideas so far.

I would think that most retailers could learn a huge amount about maximizing profits from this book. It was an eye-opening read for me. I am almost sorry that I am not a retailer so that I can't use this information. I wonder if the author has done any writing for professional journals. As others have noted, there isn't enough information on technique for anyone to really critique his methods. Still, though, that would be important mainly for an academician. The ideas themselves are what would be important to a retailer.

From store layout and design to how and why your customers behave the way they do in your store, this book reveals a ton of information that you can use to increase your sales.

It also gives you advice on what changes you can make to help you make the buying experience easier and faster for your customers.

In my marketing consulting practice I concentrate on "guerrilla marketing" strategies that retailers can use to quickly, easily and inexpensively increase their sales and reading this book is one of the ways. I recommend it to all my clients.

I had never thought upon this until I got this book in my hand.
The information given in the book is based on practical studies conducted in different retail shops, departmental stores. Data gathered has been analyzed thoroughly and findings put in the book. The stuff is kind of hilarious and mind boggling. While you are reading the book you will take some time to think ..Is Paco talking about me?
Paco for instance, discusses the implication of the trolley/baskets on the shopping experience, what happens if your shelves are oriented at an angle of 45 versus 90, what is the sales boost in having a merchandise displayed at the entry of the store versus in some middle section, A kid coming with his/her father is a better customer versus when he/she coming with mother and so on.
Paco has touched base on very common things which can significantly change the shopping and sales.

Check my blog for more [...]

This is a witty, easy-to-read book full of insights into how shopper behave in stores. It'll get you thinking from the customer's point of view and give you a framework for innovating on the retail experience. A must read for retail and marketing professionals. I definitely recommend it.

Seriously this is Bill Gates talking about the future but out of 300 pages about 9 are dedicated to talking about the internet -- and most of that is buried with other information. Lots of talk about applications and appliances that did not materialize....one book you need to read because-- then you know that all the gurus DO NOT KNOW everythng !! Wonderful for entrepreneurs who dont' doubt their own paths on their road ahead......

Bill Gates is a first class teacher. That is one of the most striking things you learn about him after reading what he writes. So to his talents of being a first class businessman, a first class programmer, first class mathematician and first class tech leader, you can add not a bad book author, given that this is his first incursion into the field of literature.

The big question however is why you would want to read a book that is dated 1996 about technology? The answer is four-fold. First of all, it's Bill Gates and how he thinks. Second, this book has an odd sort of history to it. Third, only some things in this book are coming to pass and much of it remains open or in development. Forth, you can still learn heaps from it although this stuff that has to come to pass doesn't have the same impact it did when he predicted it. However there is a little bit of controversy over how much he did predict and this is explained in the preface.

Preface
After launching the book in 1995, Bill Gates quickly revised it for a 1996 edition that focused on the Internet. It was only after releasing the 1995 book that Gates watched as the Internet unexpectedly achieved a mass sufficient to turn heads in the industry. Gates responded by making Microsoft Internet orientated and revising his book, The Road Ahead. So this book is a combination of how Gates predicts the future and how he suddenly reacted when the future came in unpredictably ahead of schedule.

1 - A Revolution Begins
Bill Gates discusses his history as a child growing up with computers. He describes what he was doing with very simple machines the size of a refrigerator and how he and Paul Allen in their teens developed software for businesses. He talks a lot about microprocessors and Intel.

2 - The Beginning of the Information Age
Gates talks about the dawn of computer technology and implementation, especially in war time. He talks about binary systems and how these techniques of communicating information changed the world.

3 - Lessons from the Computer Industry
In this chapter Gates walks us through the computer revolution which includes BASIC, VHS, IBM, PC-DOS, MS-DOS, Xerox developing the mouse, Apple's graphical interface, Compaq clones, Windows and the failure of IBM's OS/2 project that paved the way for Microsoft to become a mega player. It is a really good business story with many lessons to learn.

4 - Information Appliances and Applications
This is focused on the concept of asynchronous technology such as video on demand (VOD), the wallet pc and encryption technology. The principles are still valid although the forms they take differ in the 21st century.

5 - From Internet to Highway
Gates merges VOD with a need for better communication hardware to handle the technology such as fiber optics. Essentially he discusses bringing broadband to the home user cheaply, somehow, but states that the costs in doing so mean completely revolutionizing the way phone companies make money. It is a very detailed chapter in which Gates correctly asserts that this will happen no matter what.

6 - The Content Revolution
Gates discusses the differences between paper documentation and digital documentation including design techniques. He talks about the power of CD technology to capture large quantities of written data, such as the Encyclopedia Britannica and even mentions DVD technology. He talks about VR (virtual reality) and simulators.

7 - Business on the Internet
This is his view on how business will be conducted using computers to communicate, arrange meetings, video conferencing and how commerce will be conducted on-line. Gates is alerting business that they need to be computer Internet savvy or else the competition will drive them out of town.

8 - Friction-Free Capitalism
The Internet is predicted to increase sales and thus business will boom. Here Gates sees everybody improving across the world because the Internet gets businesses to serve a bigger community with more precision marketing. Business will move faster because of this revolution.

9 - Education: The Best Investment
He wants computers in schools to undergo a major upheaval. The computer lab needs to be transformed into the central focus of all knowledge based school activities. Gates emphasizes the need for public schools to undergo a major upheaval. He claims fears about computers replacing teaching jobs are superfluous.

10 - Plugged In at Home
Bill Gates describes his home. This is probably the main reason why most people bought this book when they heard that they could read about what the inside of this billionaire's house looks like. Needless to say he lives in a mansion the size of football pitch filled with all the toys you could image. One room is even a trampoline. Computers control everything from the lighting mood to paintings. Gates talks about robotics a bit here too.

11 - The Internet Gold Rush
This chapter compares the Internet to the American Gold rush and is devoted to broadband infrastructure. It is about the investment potential of the Internet but he specifies that the Internet itself will not make money but is a tool for making money.

12 - Critical Issues
This is mostly about the Internet and the law. Gates has a growing concern that Internet censorship will undermine this next technological leap forward and warns against being too strict. A lot of this chapter is devoted to the issue of a world where more video cameras will be present in both work and life. He highlights problems concerning piracy and forgery. In the end he states that the Internet is a journey everyone should be prepared to make.

Afterword
This is a brief synopsis of the entire book.

The Road Ahead is essentially about the birth of the home PC evolving into the Internet. There is an article called "The Road Ahead 10 years on" on the Internet that you should read after finishing this book to get an idea of how this book faired in its predictions. Things to keep in mind are that Gates maybe undermined how disc storage space would develop. He correctly predicted broadband television services (digital TV). His wallet PC is essentially mobile phone technology. Pen-based computers are the PDA. Wireless is here. There isn't a whole pile he is off-target on. In fact the reader will be surprised by how much he gets right.

There are some criticisms. It does repeat much of what is being said especially when it comes to telecommunications companies investing in broadband. Gates revised this book to reflect changes that had already taken place, namely the Internet revolution. He also doesn't tell everything about Microsoft's coming to power or how they essentially bought DOS and just sold it on. Probably most apparent of all is that Microsoft has tried relentlessly to maintain a monopoly and has been criticized for anticompetitive tactics that run contrary to the ethics and morals that Gates evangelizes in this book.

All in all, the book has lasted in people's memories (it sold 2.5 million copies) and there is no reason to not want to read it. I would recommend it to people who just want to get informed about why everyone is on the Internet or just want to be clearer about what is going on.

It maybe a historic piece of writing, but equally it is one of the most important books about computers ever written. If you like computers and if you like technology then read this modern classic. It is possibly the first book about computers that was scooped up a computer illiterate public.

This book hit the stands in 90's when I was an undegrad doing my 4 year course in Computer Science and Engineering. I devoured this book with the kind of passion a teenager devours his first Playboy/Penthouse.

In hindsight whatever BillG has written in this book has happened.

This book Rocks.

Definitely worth reading. I'd also, however, suggest that if you really are curious about the early years of computing, you use the internet to check up other opinions of Microsoft's origin. There's two sides to every story...

Mr. Gates is is undoubtedly a phenomenal businessman, though not perhaps quite the visionary he perceives himself to be. Would a visionary have to rewrite his book a year after completion? The internet took off - and The Road Ahead received a complete overhaul to reflect the recent developments. More like, The Road Behind. He's also not quite such an innovator - Microsoft purchased "MS-DOS", rather than created it, and incorporated many other people's ideas into Windows (without permission, of course).

This isn't just a Microsoft bashing session. I have the greatest respect for them. But, think twice before you believe every word in this book. There is a definite stretching of the truth in places. Having said that, buy it - it's an interesting comparison with other accounts of the dawn of personal computing. No doubt the truth is somewhere in between.

Mr Gates didn't mention anything about Java running on any platform/machine

He didn't mention anything about Linux being free

He didn't mention anything "new" about IBM their Lotus Notes products

Didn't mention anything "significant" about future changes in graphics and companies like Pixar and Disney

He didn't mention anything about Oracle and middleware

He didn't mention anything about the POWER of Ebay, Yahoo, Google and Amazon to get you things!!

What about AOL?, and what about the fact that he didn't even once mention Netscape, the superior company who revolutionized the Internet with their browser.

Don't get me wrong it is a very good book. However somewhat lopsided
I guess I must be on a different road than the one Mr Gates is traveling on.
btw: I happen to be one of the many Microsoft Certified Professionals that invested a significant amount of my own money and time supporting his products.
(10 grand and 12 years)

I think this book is as much about what is NOT in the book as opposed to what IS in the book!!
Buy it anyway! (Maybe used - it is some what dated) You will learn something just by being exposed to it.
The concept of The Web as being "self publishing" was an eye opener for me.
My favorite chapter and quote was from Chapter 8 Friction-Free Capitalism. "Our success in the PC world has come from working in partnership with such great companies as Intel, Compaq, HP, DEC, NEC, and dozens of others. Even IBM and Apple, with whom we have occasionally been in competition, have had an immense amount of our cooperation and support. We created a company that was dependent on partners. We bet that somebody other than us would do great chips, somebody other than us would build great PCs, somebody other than us would do great distribution and integration. We took a narrow slice and focused on that. In this new world, we want to work with companies from every industry to help them make the most of the opportunities the information revolution will bring." page 182

Well here are some other technology people and companies you might want to investigate as I am sure they too will have an impact on the direction of the road we will all be traveling: (unless of course, he buys them or squeezes them out)
Doug Humphrey - Founder, Digex ; Chairman and Founder, Cidera
Jonathan Klein - Co-founder and CEO, Getty Images
Tom Stockham - President of Access and Emerging Markets, Ticketmaster

Chip Perry - President and CEO - AutoTrader.com, former VP, Los Angeles Times
Jim McCann - Founder, Chairman and CEO - 1-800-FLOWERS
Brooks Fisher - Vice President (Strategic Initiatives), Intuit; former VP, Infoseek
Micheal Rubin - Founder, Chairman and CEO - Global Sports
Robert Covington - Chief Technology Officer and EVP, MerchantWired
Rob Burgess - Chairman and CEO - Macromedia; former SVP, Silicon Graphics
Steven Snyder - founder and chairman - Net Perceptions
Kenneth Cron - CEO, Flipside, Inc; former President of Publishing, CMP Media
Emerick Woods - President and CEO - Vicinity
Glenn Meakem - Founder, Chairman and CEO - FreeMarkets
Ted Meisel - President and CEO - GoTo.com
Nicholas vanDyk- President, Artisan New Media; EVP, Artisan Entertainment
Glenn Meyers- Founder and CEO - Rare Medium Group
Mark Goldstein - President and CEO - K-Mart's BlueLight
Charles Johnson - Founder and CEO - PurchasePro
David Perry- Founder, Chairman and CEO - Ventro
Alan Meckler- Founder, Chairman and CEO - INTMedia Group
Christopher Jenkins - former President, Ziplink; former VP, Arch Communications
Michael Levy -Founder and CEO - CBS Sportsline
John Schwarz - CEO - Reciprocal; former General Manager, IBM Solutions
Chris MacAskill - Founder -FatBrain.com, CEO - MightyWords
Harry Motro - Chairman, MotroVentures, former CEO - Infoseek
Zach Nelson - CEO and President, Mcafee ASaP
Joe Chung - Founder and Chairman, Art Technology Group
Jeet Singh - Founder and CEO, Art Technology Group

Royal Farros - Chairman, CEO and Founder, iPrint Inc.
Pehong Chen - Founder and CEO, BroadVision
Jeffrey Smith - Founder and CEO, Tumbleweed Communications
Scott Kurnit - CEO and Founder of About Inc.
Bob Young - Founder and Chairman, Red Hat Software
Scott Mednick - Founder, Think New Ideas; former Chairman, Worldwide Exceed
Tom Rogers- President and CEO, Primedia, former President, NBC Cable
Russell Horowitz - Founder and former Chairman, Go2Net Inc.

Naveen Jain - Founder and Chairman, InfoSpace
Michael Rosenfelt - Venture Partner, Impact Venture Partners; Founder, Powered, Inc.
Charles Conn - Co-founder and former Chairman, TicketmasterCitySearch.com
Mark Walsh - Chairman, VerticalNet; former SVP, America Online
David Goldberg - Founder and CEO, Launch Media
John Holt - Founder and CEO, The Cobalt Group
(From the book eFront! by Mattew W. Ragas)

Easterbrook shows the disparity between our collective societal unhappiness and contrasts it with how much better we really have it now. His take appears unclouded by either conservative or liberal agendas. The reader walks away unsure of his politics, but uplifted by the true progress our society has achieved.

I was drawn to this book because of TMQ, what Mr. Easterbrook writes for ESPN. If you like that, then I would suggest you take a little bit, and enjoy a book that makes to think. Well thought out and written, with no bias for anything than the truth he describes. Enjoy.

This is an enjoyable read, one that I inevitably quoted after reading bits and pieces. Easterbrook's thesis just seems very apropos to contemporary American life today where the seemingly exponential societal progress is being questioned (even if just in those rare quiet moments) against the stress and work that so much stuff and accomplishment require.

It's packed with information: remarkable stuff that highlights how much development and change has happened in recent decades and that shows that we live in the best of times; sobering stuff about the pain and sadness that remain, and the horrible issues that remain to be addressed (or that have arisen because of societal change and development); insightful stuff that digs into why such things are happening and where the lack of happiness - for we're collectively feeling worse - are coming from.

In the end, gratitude, forgiveness, and remembering the greater good rise to the surface as corrective attitudes and behaviors. Easterbrook, a Christian, maintains that religion isn't necessary for these traits. Whether that's accurate or not, our society would be wise to listen to him.

If you like statistics, you'll love this book. It's filled with them throughout. That being said, the book was published in 2004, and many of the assumptions made in the beginning of the book are not as valid today. Additionally, I personally don't believe all of the statistical analysis presented in the book. However, I cannot refute it, because I don't have the time to research all of it.

Mr. Easterbrook is big on Universal Health Care and wealth redistribution. He's also an advocate, in this book, for increased spending on US foreign aid. I'm not sure any of these three answers are really problem fixers. Furthermore, I don't think the US can afford at least 2 of these three ideas. Maybe we can after we fix the US economy and the falling value of the dollar.

The point of the book is that we are all better off than those before us, and I believe that this point is valid and true. However, the book, for me, ended up becoming more of a "self-help" reading as the pages went on. This book became less enjoyable the more pages I read.

The fact that so many endorse "The Progress Paradox" is nothing short of tragic. I am disappointed that the best reviewers got as far into the book as they did without noticing that the author spun many of the statistics to prove his point. He downplays the reality of poverty with false statistics. Recalling from memory, very close to the beginning of the book, Easterbrook states that the elderly no longer have to worry about being cared for. Perhaps he should have read Susan Sheehan's article in The New Yorker, "Not Poor Enough" which tells the true story about how the elderly are doing in this country. Has the author been to a state subsidized nursing home? He also strolled right over the problem of poverty with a completely false statistic about the number of children in the U.S. living under the poverty line. The list goes on and on. I was so impressed with the number of fallacies used to make his argument I started highlighting. My copy looks like Key West Christmas tree. How did the manuscript ever make it past the editor?

I think this book is written to help the 1% at the top of the pyramid feel better about themselves. Let them eat cake? Coincidently, the book was given to us by the wealthiest people we know who also happen to live in one of the premier independent living centers in the NE.

This book should be read as an example of fallacy in argument, and nothing more.

Drop Philip Marlowe in the middle of Tokyo, and you might have something like "Tokyo Suckerpunch."

Isaac Adamson's debut novel is a flashy, funny mystery with plenty of gruesome murders, solid one-liners and fast-paced battles over a strange supernatural geisha. One of the storylines isn't quite handled to satisfaction, but the overall book (which will be made into a Toby Maguire movie) is wonderfully fun and strange.

Billy Chaka is waiting for his friend, cult director Sato Migusho, in a little Tokyo bar. But instead he stumbles across a mystery geisha who is being pursued by some nasty men, and when he arrives at Sato's personal hideaway, he finds that it's gone up in smoke -- and Sato is dead. Since he's "hardwired for geisha," Chaka decides to go find the woman.

But his obsession with the geisha Orange Blossom leads him into dangerous territory. Suddenly Billy finds that he's involved with a secret religious order AND the yakuza, a mysterious chauffeur, and that Sato's death may be a murder. Now he's only got a limited time to find Orange Blossom, before she vanishes for a very long time.

"Tokyo Suckerpunch" is sort of a pop-infused noir, where the cities are glitzy rather than grimy, and our cynical hero doesn't take anything very seriously. In fact, Isaac Adamson seems to be enjoying the slightly over-the-top, colourful array of characters and bizarre situations. Really, an Ewok love motel?

Adamson writes in a rapid, tongue-in-cheek manner, full of funny observations about the Japanese way of life, but which are more affectionate than mocking. And the plot spills into various echelons of Japanese society, from the yakuza to a special-needs martial-arts tournament. Billy even mugs a teenage gang so he can use a motorcycle.

The plot is a pretty basic murder mystery, bur Adamson weaves in these quirky moments that make the whole thing seem like a thriller that isn't taking itself seriously. There's a bustup at a cowboy sex club, a gay samurai musical, and the worst script ever written -- about Billy Chaka himself, where he's seriously described as a "fuming tough guy" who beats up ninjas daily.

What's the book's big weakness? Oddly enough, its driving force -- the mystery geisha. It starts off promisingly, but once Adamson reveals who and what she is, and why the religious cult is after her, the plot just loses steam. It simply doesn't fit very well with the flashy grit of the murder storyline.

But Chaka himself is a delicious character -- he's wry, sharp-witted, and more than a little weird. He loves Japan, adores a girl who hates Japan, and isn't sure how to reconcile these loves. He's also surrounded by a variety of similarly odd characters -- a mystery chauffeur, a crazy yakuza with a samurai dog, a bartender with marital problems, and a guy called "Brando."

"Tokyo Suckerpunch" has a streak of surrealism that doesn't work with the murder mystery, but it's still a fun, bizarre trip through a flashier version of Tokyo. Definitely an amusing novel.

I picked this book up for $2 at an outlet mall discount book store. It started interestingly enough, so I picked up the other Billy Chaka books for about $10 including shipping. Then I dug in and barely made it thru the first book. It was so contrived and terribly fluff -which is ok- but I'd hoped for a little bit more humour and writing skill being that it was published by a company and not a DIY POD setup. The fight scenes were terribly contrived and too over the top to indulge in creative license. If I was a teenager, however, I would probably have enjoyed this series more but as an adult... meh, I wasn't terribly impressed.

Couldn't get to the middle, even. I agree with some of the other reviewers: the protagonist seemed to be the author's wish-fulfillment, the writing is not so good. For some reason, the author's humor just did not get to me. I could tell it was supposed to be funny but it just didn't hit me. The main thing going for this book is that it's easy to read.

This novel is irreverent, immature, silly and just plain old fun. Isaac Adamson is an author it seems that just refuses to take himself too seriously. If you are looking for "important" literature, or deep spiritual insights find something else. But if enjoy campy martial arts and noir-like satire or you just want to suspend your disbelief and have a good time without having to think too hard, read "Tokyo Suckerpunch".

I for one am looking forward to reading the rest of the Billy Chaka novels.

This book promised to be funny, entertaining and above all eye-opening, but I must say, it was just plain stupid.

Adaamson certainly knows a lot about Japanese culture, and a lot of it he seems to interject meaninglessly, as though to say, "I really know a lot about Japanese culture." But this sort of thing falls really short when he starts making mistakes - it's called yakitori, not "yakatori" and a yukata, not a "yakata".

If you have a below average IQ, please read this book. It will satisfy your extremely low level needs for literature.

Can somebody help me out here? I'm trying to understand why this paperback is priced at $75.00 on this site yet my copy was published in 2005 and priced at $14.75. Now I see used ones for normal prices. It's a small guide-type book. Interesting, but I don't understand the high price. ??

I found this book fascinating and very practical. The suggestion for us Americans to not ask "what do you do?" and to not expect everyone to agree with us all the time is excellent and important. Also, the suggestion for Americans to not give the insincere smile and compliment which have become "de rigueur" in the United States is accurate. The book has a single error in the glossary: the translations for qui and pourquoi are transposed -- big deal. Fun to read, easy to understand, and funny. Read this book if you're going to France.

while this book does have a lot of information, i'm not sure how much of it is true. i'm concerned with the errors that i found throughout, particularly the "useful words and phrases" that closes the book. for the record, the french "comment" is mostly used as "what" and not "how," "qui" certainly does not mean "why" but "who," and "pourquoi" is not "who" but "why." as a book written (i assume) for people without a lot of prior knowledge about france and/or the french language, these are huge errors that call into question the validity and accuracy of the rest of the book. i found that too often the author focuses on paris, which misleadingly implies that the entire country is like the major city. i was also not impressed with the general tone of the book, which was condescending and full of typical french stereotypes.

Of all the culture guides to France this is my favorite. Taylor has done a great job of characterizing French culture at all levels. Her style is clear and succinct and she offers a lot of examples throughout the book regarding etiquette and proper French behavior. There is tons of practical information (with a title so named) and an interesting chapter on culture shock for Americans moving to France. There are better guides, I think, to business life in France, or certainly for visiting or touring, but for a general introduction to why the French act like the French this one's the best.

While I enjoy Taylor's writing style and personal flair, there are lots of errors in this book. There are things that will get you hurt (like the section that vastly overstates the safety of bicycling here) or get you into social trouble (like the section that states most French people don't know much about wine and they don't have to because it's "quality controlled" -- please never EVER say that to a French person! It's not true! This is their culture and they are all extremely proud of their wine knowledge because the wine reflects the character of each region).

I'm not French, but my boyfriend is French (Parisian, actually) and we've been living here in the South of France for three months. It was a new book that arrived in his office, so he gave it to me to read, hoping it would help my transition here. Unfortunately, I kept finding things that just didn't line up at all with what I'd experienced or didn't ring true for some reason. I'd relate one thing after another to him of what I was reading and he'd have to correct it. I then thought to look for the author's qualifications to write the book and wasn't convinced they were really there.

Anyway, there are definitely some things that are correct, especially where Taylor states that one should use their French, even if their grammar and vocabulary isn't perfect. And I could appreciate the part where she talks about moderating one's voice in public. (It's a pretty common foible for Americans to raise their voices.) I give her three stars for the general information that's right and a well-organized, well-written book. But I would not recommend this for someone who knows nothing about French culture. In fact, if someone knows a really good book on French culture shock, please tell me. We would love to know!

I hate to relegate a book into the `rubbish beyond belief' shelf but if ever a book need to be put on that shelf `My Three Husbands' does. I'm actually annoyed I had to pay anything to read this book as it's so bad it could actually be given away as the booby prize in a draw.

I very rarely read a book where the main character doesn't eventually show some redeeming features that make me like him/her. Venus Gilroy however managed to make me dislike her from page 1 and continue until the bitter (and dragged out beyond belief) end. The only way to describe her is as a spoilt air-head who is so immature that Bart Simpson looks like a grown-up next to her. The story wasn't funny, it wasn't engaging and the only characters I was even remotely interested in were Venus Dad and faux-pa.

Do yourself a favour....find another book and don't even waste your time let alone your money reading this utter tosh! Amazon, please let us give no stars for reviews because if ever a book deserved no stars this one does!

This book was really over the top silly, and even the title didn't fit the story too much.
The premise was good, but the ending didn't deliver.

The only interesting character in this book in the main character's father's boyfriend/husband. I couldn't care less about what the main character did - I skipped the middle and read the end, and wasn't surprised to find out it took 308 pages for her to realise she had made the mistake with the 3rd husband as she did with the previous 2. No redeeming qualities at all.

Venus Gilroy is about to get married-for the third time, but she is nervous because she does not have a good track record. Two husbands, a gay lover, and three parents (bio parents and dad's lover) do not make Venus think that love is something attanable.

The marriage goes off like planed and Venus and her new husband go with her two dads to a resort for their honeymoon. Unfortunitly Treymane disappears during the honeymoon and it is up to Venus to help save him . What happens to Venus and Treymane? Read my three husbands

I bought this book for my mom for her 58th birthday, thinking it would be funny and a good spring read. She said she laughed out loud so much of the time that she promptly made me read it too. We both liked the offbeat characters that somehow seemed like plausible people and the way they had to balance their romantic lives alongside familial expectations- haven't we all had trouble with that! I would totally recommend this to anyone looking to laugh and be satisfied at the end of the story.