Benedict Books

9 yr old boy LOVED it, recommended to friend for whom mom has a hard time finding books - they loved it!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as did my 10 year old daughter. I loved seeing smart kids as the heroes. I also loved the message that combining many talents creates a powerful force, allowing children to overcome the sinister adults. The book is entertaining and pulls you in from the start.

What tremendous fun this is! I read the first 100 pages aloud to my mother after she had surgery. Then the book got so compelling and engaging that I had to race through silently and leave poor Mom to fend for herself. (I gave her a copy of her own for Mother's Day.) This novel is aimed at a middle reader audience, although great children's lit is always enjoyable to adults. At nearly 500 pages, it's a hefty doorstopper for that market, though a certain boy wizard has already repeatedly blown through our expectations about desirable book lengths for middle readers.

The story centers around four gifted children who respond to an ad promising "special opportunities" for select applicants. The application process is fun in and of itself (with riddles the reader can solve right alongside the characters), and then the adventure begins as these unlikely kids set out to save the world. One thing I liked about the story is that three of the four are unheralded poster children for the schoolage afflictions du jour: ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder), and PAD (Pervasive Anxiety Disorder). Part of the fun of the novel is watching these kids realize that their quirks and disabilities are actually assets. Another wonderful aspect of the story is their teamwork and cooperation; each child contributes something unique and essential to the mission. The novel is clever, funny, and warm-hearted. I have just checked the sequel out of the library (after waiting for nearly three weeks, as every middle school kid in Cincinnati had signed up first).

My best friend recomended this book to me. It is a little slow at the beginning pretty good in the middle and COMPLETELY fantastic at the climax and end. I would definatly recomend it. My favorite character is Constance Contraire. Also the illustrations rock. I can't wait to read the next one!!!!!!

A friend gave these books to my 13-year-old son. This is his review:

Overall, I believe these books are a very good read. They are filled with interesting puzzles that will test your mental capabilities, and plenty of action. So, without further ado, The Mysterious Benedict society!

The first book is more of a book of puzzles than an action book. I thought the plot was interesting. It's about four children who are sent to a strange location on a secret mission.

What I like about this book is its puzzles and characters. I would definitely recommend this book to all.

The second book is more of an action book than the original. It is one of those rare sequels that are as good as the first. It's about the same four children, now sent to all sorts of places to look for their two abducted friends.

This book has many characters from its prequel, and is just as good. I recommend this book.

G.K. Chesterton continues to charm and fulfill our quest for unvarnished, plain talk reminders of right, light and the persuasiveness of beauty in truth. A classic to return to time and again for references to affirm a solid moral compass.

Chesterton is hard to take at times; his irritating metaphors and play on words can grind one down. But, what is extraordinary is that this book is so relevant to the "now". He has grasped the nettle of modern relativism and said: "no, accipio crucem Christi; I believe in the Trintiy of princely might": "it is utterely rational for me to so believe". A definite "must" for anyone who wishes to deal with the issues of modernity and faith.

G.K. Chesterton has a down to earth perspective and sense of humor that is uncommon to most Christian writing today. He is willing to pick on himself, and admits to making arguments with faulty logic at some points, but is still a collosal genious, and is a known early influence of C.S. Lewis. If you have already read C.S. lewis, you can see some of Chesterton's thoughts comming through in his works, having read this book.

"A soldier surrounded by enemies... He must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life like water and yet drink death like wine." - G.K Chesterton from "Orthodoxy"

Chesterton is difficult to read because he makes references to things and places that I do not know about but his work is still good reading.

If you don't get his point just keep reading and you soon will because he gives so many examples that sooner or later you will understand one and it becomes clear.

While Chesterton dedicates this book to his mother, he claims that George Slythe Street is the books inspiration and creator. That is, G.S. Street was one of many critics to present an opinion about Chesterton's Heretics, and happened to have presented the opinion to which Chesterton responded. When on the first page Chesterton states that it was incautious of Street to provoke an individual that is all too ready to write books, and in the final sentence of the first chapter claims that he would write Street another book if he needed clarification with regard to a topic only touched upon by Chesterton, it quickly becomes clear that Orthodoxy is yet another shining example of Chesterton's mirth applied to frequently solemn subject matter. Orthodoxy, as Chesterton appears to agree, is, however, the appropriate conclusion to the work he began with Heretics. If Heretics presented all that is wrong, Orthodoxy can rightly be seen as presenting the standard by which Chesterton deemed such philosophies heretical. To truly appreciate either of the aforementioned titles, both should be read as if they were a singular work.

In Orthodoxy, Chesterton does justify his position maintained throughout Heretics in a manner as uniform as he might have been able to conjure. Throughout the work Chesterton utilizes his own experiences and thoughts to illustrate and, perhaps, demonstrate his seemingly inevitable arrive at truth. At times it almost seems as if Chesterton slips into irrelevant stream of thought tangents but never fails to reconcile his intended point, illuminating the necessity of what might have otherwise seemed entirely unnecessary. In fact, Chesterton masterfully builds what he claimed is not a properly thorough defense of Christianity into what might be one of the most poignant apologetic works ever. He does so in a way that makes Orthodoxy read like a suspense novel in that the entire effort bears its timeless fruit in the last few pages, if not in the last sentence, after supplying almost innumerable pieces of information that appeared just unrelated enough to ensure that the final piece would act as a blazing beacon of a keystone. While Chesterton might have failed to present that tangible evidence, that scientific process by which the claims of Christianity can be undoubtedly proved, he clearly and boldly presented that proof which every Christian exists for; the proof that every Christian can verify, albeit not as gracefully. While Chesterton's The Everlasting Man might be the work that he is best known for, Heretics and, especially, Orthodoxy are magnificent demonstrations of Chesterton's ability to cast light on the eventual obvious reality and significance of everything.

The product was exactly as listed. The CD was a pleasure to listen to. The ebay dealer was timely in the delivery. The condition of the prodict was very good. I am well satisfied. Thank you.

This is a very well written book. If all the information is accurate,it should be taught in the school system. It brings the period to life.

Great way to learn the history of the revolutionary war. Makes history fun and exciting.

I could hardly put this book down. I am not a big reader...I usually read a few pages before I fall asleep. Not this book, I couldn't put it down. I was even pregnant with our 3rd child and very tired, but I still had to read it and stayed up way too late many a nights! I love how he portrays the characters and makes history come alive.

I was surprised at how bad this book was; Shaara has such an avid following. There are so many things wrong with this book I hardly know where to begin. Shaara writes things that he seems not to have even thought about. For example, on the march toward Philadelphia he has Cornwallis riding through a downpour while getting bit by mosquitoes. I live in the area and I know the type of spring downpour described. I also know the irritation of the mosquitoes. I have never known them at the same time. Perhaps the mosquitoes 230 years ago were tougher and flew around during rain storms.

Another example of the unthoughtful writing? How about when Nate green is climbing a hill to view the British fleet at anchor in NY bay. It is an East Coast summer and very hot and humid. Green's shirt is soaked with sweat and cold. Cold? Has Shaara ever climbed a hill and broken a sweat? Your shirt is not cold; it is hot. The shirt doesn't turn cold or clammy until after you stop and rest at the top of the hill for awhile.

It is not just lousy writing that makes this book bad. The story is told through the eyes of the major characters: Washington, Green, Franklin and Cornwallis. The effect is little better than a high school history with a few quotes thrown in to make it a novel. Shaara's occasional attempts to dramatize the story fail. His description of the unnamed prisoner aboard the hulk Jersey is ersatz pathos. (For a good dramatization of the life of a POW 200 years ago go read The Lively Lady by Kenneth Roberts.) The aside about Molly Pitcher is a little better, but is still not evocative. Shaara totally fails to take the reader to the time or place he describes.

Perhaps worst of all, Shaara often gets the history wrong. I'm not talking about the sort of compression or alteration used by novelists. I'm talking about just plain wrong. For example, Shaara has Washington go to Philadelphia at the end of his service to resign his commission to Congress. Washington did not go to Philadelphia to do this for the very understandable reason that Congress was sitting in Annapolis at this time and that is where Washington went.

The book highlights a question I have always had: why do the British do historical fiction so much better than Americans? Redcoat by Cornwall does a better job of bringing 1777 alive than anything in Shaara. Where is our O'Brian? We've got the history, just not the authors.

What can one say about the Divine Comedy? It's one of the greatest epic poems, and influenced literature immensely. Though it was forgotten for a while, 19th century Romantic poets "re-discovered" it; James Joyce, T.S. Eliot, and Samuel Becket are among those who were in debt to the work. Further, the Divine Comedy has made a huge impact on popular culture and imagination. First, the image that the vast majority of people have of hell; of a place under the earth with red demons and fiery pits where sinners are tortured, largely comes from Dante. In addition, we have seen references to the Divine Comedy all around us in popular culture- references in books (Anne Rice, T.S. Eliot, Larry Niven), music (Nirvana, Mark Hoppus, Zao), and art (Eugène Delacroix, Gustave Dore, Salvador Dali)- and these are just a few. If you read the book, you will have an excellent foundation for understanding literature and popular culture.

Now why do I say that this is the edition to own? Three reasons. First, because John Ciardi's poetic translation is beautiful; there's a reason that his translation is the most commonly used in schools. Second, since Divine Comedy is a single work, it makes sense to have all 3 parts in one volume, which this edition does. Third, the footnotes and introductory summaries before each canto will help the reader immensely. The only thing missing from this edition is Gustave Dore's brilliant illustrations (though I believe they're available in a separate book).

Don't be intimidated by the length of the book. If you commit yourself to a small amount- say, reading 3 cantos a day- then you will get through it easily. And it will be well worth the effort.

This is a great translation of Dante. I've read a few translations of The Inferno - once in high school and a different one in college. This one was far clearer and had better notes that either of them. Also, I am a fan of hardcovers for books such as this - ones that you intend to keep around.

The story itself is fascinating - Dante's view of the afterlife, filled with beautiful literary devices. In the Inferno, for example, he will discuss different circles of hell, with different degrees of punishment, reserved for different sinners. The retribution that the sinners face always reflects their sins on earth.

For example, he visits those who have taken their own life. They are turned into trees and are mute - that is unless a branch is broken. In that case, they are able to speak through their blood while it flows. So, as they used their blood to say their final words to the world, so they can only use that as their means to communicate in hell.

I found the cd very close to the book but abriged. I recommended even if you can't get thought the book which is difficult

Reading this book gave one the impression that they could well sympathize with Hannibal's troops as they crossed the alps--one sets out with an obstensibly noble mission, but encounters massive casualties along the way.

Sisson's vers libre provides the vacuum within the bog. If the Divine Comedy is poetry, the Divine Comedy this is not. Poetry turned mundane.

However, his 235 pages of endnotes are massively helpful. The Divine Comedy was, in part, an exercise in commentary concerning contemporary politics. This veritable iceberg of symbolism's main bulk remains unseen without a strong dose of explanation for each page. Sisson offers the needed notes.

All things considered, a mixed-bag. An abysmal translation in text of this length is akin to adding the chains of Dickens's Marley onto the reader. Formidable scholarship regarding explanation of symbolism is, for the reader, analogous to Bouchard's discovery of the Rosetta Stone.

Dante stands alongside Shakespeare, Milton, & T.S Eliot et al. as one of the most profound minds and thinkers of our shared culture and history. Whilst the recording does not capture the tone and poetic sensibilities of Dante, It is tragic to say the least that anyone can publish a review - in particular those who can not even read (See Annie Feng's review). I think there is a need for some form of Quality Assurance to ensure that those who can appreciate art (regardless of their religious or philosophical stance) can read reviews that are of a genuine critical nature that understand something of the historical and literary context of a particular work rather than just bigoted condemnations !!! A good way of doing this would be to note the number of people who find a particular review helpful -

It is important to note that 0 out of 3 found Annie Fengs review of help !!! (good to see Annie gave the Angel DVD series 5 stars - i think this speaks for itself).

Could Annie and people like her please stick to the Angel series or at least learn to read - are u really over 13 years of age Annie ???

The characters are so complex espcially Peggy Shippen and Becca Syng. Ms. Rinaldi portrays a side of Peggy Shippen that we don't normally think about-or any other historical figure. She shows Peggy Shippen's effervescent personality and enlightens us to look at her in a new perspective. Also, the character developement in a turbulent plot like this is fantastic.

I very much enjoyed this book. You learned a lot about the revolution and it had a wonderful story line. The only thing I found in the story that I didn't like very much was that the main character,Becca,didn't ever speak up for herself. She was a character that was easy to get into but I found myself gritting my teeth with anger because she never spoke up and said something! She would be in a situation where I would go biting mad and she would almost shrug it off. I very much liked this book but I found Becca to be quite spineless at times. She did do one thing that took guts but that was about it. I very much liked the book and I do recommend it.

Finishing Becca is well worth the time. It offers a creative insight to the private life of Peggy Shippen and Benedict Arnold, in a realistic format. The story flows easily and well, but can prove confusing at times. Becca is a poor, farm girl, who dreams of being like the refines ladies of her time. Her mother decides to send her off to live as a servant in the Shippen home, where she is assigned to Peggy Shippen. Peggy proves to be obnoxious, spoiled, and demanding. But Becca learns more than just that about her plans with Benedict Arnold...

Have you ever noticed that there aren't many historical fiction books about Benedict Arnold that you can actually enjoy reading? Well, you can enjoy reading this one!! Becca is a very interesting character. As usual, Ann Rinaldi makes her charaters easy to like, hate or love. I'm sure any historical fiction lover will really like this book. :)

Finishing Becca is a historical fiction novel about a girl living during the American Revolutionary War. Becca Syng is a 14 year old girl sent to be the personal maid of Peggy Shippen, a spoiled Quaker daughter who just happens to be the most beautiful girl in all of Philadelphia. She is sent to be finished by her mother, but Becca learns much more than French, art and crewel work.

What I liked most about this book was Ann Rinaldi's ability to capture what was going on in the mind of an American colonist; and a teenager no less. Rinaldi bottled Becca's opinions, ideas, and thoughts about what her country and her country's soldiers were going through. There wasn't much to dislike about this book. Some scenes put very graphic pictures in your mind, but other than that this book is great. My favorite character in this book is Becca because she and I share some of the same characteristics. Becca is always curious and always wondering about the world around her. Just like me.

The scene that I thought was the most moving was when Becca helps one of the Shippen girls with one of her missions. This book is different to me because it is a historical fiction, but it is also suspense-mysteryish along with a touch of comedy. If you read this book, you will be entertained and you will learn at the same time.

If I could go back in time, the questions that I would ask are: Did Peggy Shippen really turn Arnold against his country? Was Mr. Shippen really all that neutral? Was Peggy really that horrible?

I strongly recommend this book because you can learn about all the bad stuff that went on behind the lines on both sides. This book is really worth reading.

This is an excellent book about combining Mormon values and career but
the main thing I got out of it is that these guys sacrafice "me" time in order to work excessive hours for the church while also spending time with their very large families and having demanding careers. Why not have two kids instead of six or seven and spend a little time relaxing and take up a hobby?. The section justifying tithing is amusing what a con job. I suspect it was Joseph Smith that coined the phrase "there is a sucker born every minute". But these people have chosen to live this way and it is not for me to say it is right or wrong. And the LDS church does occupy a permenant and growing place in my heart even though I am not a Mormon. I have noticed that since this books publication two of the main characters have been removed by their companies board of directors. It just might be that it really is impossible to do it all forever.

This book is a must read for anyone trying to maintain a healthy balance between home, work, school, and involvement in the community.

No matter what the religion. This was a great read and much can be learned from it.

This is an absolutely awesome book. I could hardly put it down. It is amazing to read all the things the men in this book accomplished with a focus, most of all, on their family. If you have a busy schedule and wonder how to meet the demands of work, home, and church life, this is an excellent book to read. The greatest part of it all is that it reminds you that family is the most important thing.

So far, this book has been an easy read that is inspiring to anyone in business.
Not just business but helps you find that balance of work and home life.

A Talent For War is one of those rare books you can read over and over. A classic tale of mystery set upon a backdrop of a fallen hero and a two hundread year old war. Follow the mystery with Alex Benedict and his offsider Chase Kolpath as they unravel the ancient mystery of Christopher Simm and the war against an alien menace that united Humanity. I re-read this book every year, and every year I enjoy it even more. Highly recomended.

Part of the book reads like a travel guide, and it doesn't have much humor, but the mystery is good, and the history is interesting, so it kept me going. The ending is a bit too quick, but satisfying, although not all loose ends are explained.

_A Talent for War_ by Jack McDevitt is the first volume in the Alex Benedict series, an engrossing series by one of my favorite science fiction writers. I actually read the third volume in the series, _Seeker_, first, so this novel had additional interest to me in showing something of the origins of the two characters of the trilogy, Alex Benedict and his capable assistant Chase Kolpath, particularly how the two came to work together and their first mission as a team.

The basic premise of the series is that the two main characters are antiquities dealers in the far future, a future approximately in the 11,000 AD range, a future in which humanity has spread far and wide in this galaxy and has settled hundreds of worlds. Though contact with Earth still exists and knowledge of ancient history is still common knowledge - one of the characters in the book was a keen scholar of ancient Greek history - there are worlds (about twenty or thirty or so) that experienced the rise and fall of entire civilizations over the many centuries since they were settled, of entire cultures that arose and then vanished (or were extinguished) on distant planets in what is to us the very far future but what is to people of the present of this novel the distant past. That, and the rich history of the various worlds of human space over many thousands of years mean there is quite a bit of real estate (both temporally and physically) to explore. Alex and Chase aren't scholars but they are accomplished researchers, detectives, and despite Alex's misgivings, adventurers, able to track down obscure clues, decipher ancient texts, puzzle out primitive (to them) technology to uncover truly astonishing finds to solve ancient historical mysteries and also to make a tidy profit.

The book begins with Alex receiving the unfortunate news that his uncle, Gabriel (or Gabe) was on an interstellar vessel that failed to renter normal space and is presumed deceased. Contacted by the executors of his will, Alex found that he was the sole inheritor of his uncle's estate. In addition to title to the house he grew up in and his Gabe's vast wealth, he also inherited an archaeological mystery that his late uncle was working on, one that involved one of the greatest figures in the Confederacy, a starship commander, admiral, and war hero, a man by the name of Christopher Sim, a legendary figure that lived 200 or so years ago in the novel's past, a man part George Washington (as his actions were key in forming the modern Confederacy) and part Leonidas (he was one of the few leaders of a handful of ships that stood against an invading alien race, the Ashiyyur, largely unsupported by the other human worlds, who mythically died fighting a bitter, symbolic last stand against the enemy, his sacrifice being one that turned the tide against the aliens and united the humans). McDevitt did a great job of not only in generally giving the sense of the great depth of human history that has passed in the novel's setting but the truly legendary importance of Sim to this setting, of making him very familiar to the reader as the story progressed, conveying the excitement Alex and others felt that more remained to be discovered about him.

Evidently Alex's uncle died while trying to uncover some deeply buried, closely guarded secret regarding Christopher Sim, one that also involved Ludik Talino, a much debated figure even two hundred years later who may have been a martyr, a hero, or a vile traitor who betrayed Sim: Sim's legendary ship _Corsarius_; and a woman Sim knew and served with, formerly a scholar with a reputation as a peace activist, an expert on the Ashiyuur who against her better initial judgment became a valued member of the Resistance (as the fight against the Ashiyyur was called), a woman by the name of Leisha Tanner. Alex picks up the frustratingly incomplete trail and with the help of an artificial intelligence named Jacob and Chase Kolpath undertake something that feels like a murder mystery and also an archaeological and genealogical research project. Gripping reading, it was also enjoyable to get excerpts of treatises and first hand accounts from Sim's time, including Alex himself experiencing exciting virtual reality simulation of some of the battles Sim and his fleet fought in. Oh and someone is trying to drive Alex and Chase off the trail, possibly even trying to kill them and the alien Ashiyyur may be involved, a species that still exists in great tension with the Confederacy (indeed it is pretty much a Cold War-that could turn -hot war situation in the novel). Exciting, thought provoking, and very well written, I really enjoyed _A Talent for War_.

Good character development. Interesting technical concepts, but not overwhelming. Has a few good plot twists on the way to an exciting conclusion.

Having read most of McDevitt's books and seeing good reviews of this one, I expected a lot more. The basic mystery is exceedingly drawn out, and in the end the resolution is lost in the shuffle of the tediously described travels of the main character. A good premise poorly executed. Not a bad book, but overrated and a disappointment.

I had a really hard time with the subject matter. One better have a very strong constitution to read this....

Perfect condition and received promptly.

This is a classic of the Catholic religion.

This is by far one of the very best spiritual guides for anyone who is going through a trial that seems almost unbearably difficult to work through. It is a timeless classic that offers comfort, hope and a sense that this darkness can lead to transformation.

I became familiar with this when I was in college and I had difficulty with mental illness.

I am very different from other people in the way I think. I have something like severe autism caused by brain injury combined with a high tendency to think about and want to please other people.

today I was thinking about some feedback I got and I realized that it is all going wrong b/c of my tendency to blame others, among other things.

I am very different from other people. I need to work out conversations via grammatical or other, mathematical, rules. this is like autism and it reflects that my injury started to show up in the 6th grade, when I was diagramming sentences.

and the thing is when you are different you want to be the same.

but this book, it doesn't really matter the specifics of the language b/c the concept, of dealing with something huge and coming out the other side, is very important to me.

I am almost 40 and facing this issue.

my tendency is to panic and blame people rather than take responsibility for being different. whatever that means. I don't know what that means.

it's OK, I have to trust that there will be another side for me when I come out of this whatever it is, this passage through acceptance.

This book was very difficult to read because it doesn't use contemporary colloquial English.

According to critics and scholars, E. Allison Peers did an outstanding job translating this work. Without a doubt: it is so (I assume.)

According to me, I need a translator to translate this translation into a work that I can understand easily.

I blame my lack of education for my troubles reading and understanding this book, of course.

However, to those people out there with just a basic education, like me, be warned: reading this book will be an arduous effort. A very difficult effort indeed.

I've found a more accessible translation online:

http://www.karmel.at/ics/john/dn.html

Other than that, it is a remarkable and inspiring work.

I believe this book could be understood better if previously one had read the works of Bernadette Roberts.
In fact, I think that reading only the first outlined title would suffice.

What is Self?: A Study of the Spiritual Journey in Terms of Consciousness,

The Path to No-Self: Life at the Center

The Experience of No-Self: A Contemplative Journey

The saga of the colonial assault on British Quebec in 1775 has received precious little press. Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown have received much more publicity, which is fine; but in this novel Kenneth Roberts has tilled fallow round and raised a bountiful harvest.

The story is narrated by Steven Nason, a Maine resident with a fervent attachment to his home in Arundel. His tale begins innocently, set amidst the daily issues of the northern frontier- the French, the native Americans, and the tempestuous British colonists as they strive to hold ground in early America. Only gradually are Steven, his family, and his Indian friends drawn into the contest of nations that will in time lead to the formation of the United States.

The assault on Quebec really happened, and the story is full of brilliant cameos, including a fierce Daniel Morgan, a jaunty young Aaron Burr, and a still-untried George Washington. But the real historical hero of Arundel is Benedict Arnold, seen before his infamous betrayal of the continential cause. Here he is energetic and charismatic as he leads the first foray against the British in the New World. Steven's vision of Arnold is more generous than history usually gives that founding father, without reverting to blind hero worship- indeed, a few incidents hint at Arnold's eventual frustration with the incontinent buerocracy of his fellow leaders and his prickly sense of honor. But this future struggle fades as Steven describes the difficulties of the expedition across the wilderness of Maine, and the trial of the seige of Quebec. Roberts has done some fantastic research, so that the landscape and people that Arnold and Nason travel amidst vibrates with vivid depictions of the Height of Land, the French inhabitants of early Canada, and the rugged and beautiful Maine coastline.

Best of all, Roberts has brilliant prose, so rarely discovered today; Steven's narrative unfolds like a fireside tale on a cold winter night in Maine, calling to mind all the struggles and zeal of those early patriots who forsook home an hearth to seek a free nation. Through it all runs the shining thread of Steven's lost love, Mary, and his fast friends Cap Huff and Phoebe Marvin, who accompany Steven on his adventures. The fictional characters are vivid and lifelike, breathing color and feeling into the already thrilling journey. If you have any interest in how a wrinkle in history can become a terrific novel, this is your book.

This is a powerfully written, beautiful novel about friendship and adventure; about war, hard times, romantic love; and it is a glimpse into the American Revolution from a point of view that strikes me as authentic.
The book is clearly a labor of love. Like the very best of historical novels, it takes the reader to a different place, and makes us care about the people and the events from the inside.
I rate this as one of the 3 best historical novels I've read: "War and Peace" and Thomas Pynchon's "Mason & Dixon" are the other two: I can't give any book higher praise than that.

ARUNDEL is quite simply the finest historical novel that I have ever read.
It is also one of the finest works of American fiction, period.

Telling the little-known American Revolution episode of Benedict Arnold's raid on Quebec, the bulk of the novel concerns the harrowing journey that his men made through the frozen wilds of Maine, a story of hardship and devotion that readers will never forget. But the revelation here for readers unfamiliar with Kenneth Roberts is the prose, as sturdy and timeless as the landscape-- the old-fashioned storytelling coupled with a sober command of men's aspirations and justifications in momentous times. Roberts' dialogue is so sharp and clever that his characters never seem antiquated.

Reading this incomparably moving and exciting novel will open a world of historical fiction in Kenneth Roberts' catalog that will reward readers for a lifetime. Highest Recommendation!!

Wow! This book was absolutely amazing! It was so good, that I had to put it down for a while, go and do something else while I let it digest. Wonderful stuff.

After a bumpy start -with a rather mushy love scene between the 10 year old Mary Mallinson and Steven Nason- the book really gets into gear - with a real bang. Literally. A rude Frenchman and his Indian cronies shoots Mary's dad, takes the daughter, and carries her away to Canada. Steven Nason and his father follow them, hoping to reclaim the young girl, but are turned back when the boy gets a tomahawk through his head. Fortunately - for both him and the plot - he survives... but vows not to give up on his search for Mary Mallinson - even when his father gets pushed into frigid water by a maniacal priest, dies of pneumonia, and his son is obliged to take over his responsibilities.

The characterization is amazing! There's Cap Huff, Benedict Arnold, Phoebe, John the Wishy-Washy, Marie du Sabrevois - even Steven Nason himself is a complex character. If there was one fault in the book, it was Roberts' obsession with explaining over and over the day-to-day going-ons of the Maine Native Americans. After a while, I found I didn't care too much how bear meat was cooked, how loud a medicine man could howl, and the various Indian geneologies.

Besides that minor flaw - I must admit, I *do* have a short attention span - the book was excellent! Read it, I promise you'll enjoy!

This tale revolves around Benedict Arnolds famous march to Quebec through the brutal Maine Wilderness.

This novel weaves a fun story of love lost and revenge attempted.

It's name comes from the name of the main characters village of Arundel south of Portland in Maine. Frankly, the novel has little to do with Arundel so I think the novel was misnamed but that is my humble opinion.

I'm under the impression that most of the history is close to accurate. Really, it's no matter. I was after a good yarn and I got it in spades in this fine book.

What I liked was that though the story deals with Arnolds march to and attack on Quebec, it seems to be a story on the periphery of those events. It has wonderful characters like flinty Aaron Burr and lovable lout Saved from Captivity Huff (better known as Cap Huff)Steven Nason the hero of our story and his employee/Business partner Phoebe the female captain of their trading sloop. Also the Native American characters like Jataqua and Natanis among many others were simply wonderful.

The way Mr Roberts paints the picture of the trek to Quebec was nothing short of masterly. My imagination trudged through this half frozen swamp of trials, tribulations and death with these brave people. Amazing experience.

I was dreading the parts about the attack on Quebec. I know what happens and thought it might bore me. It didn't. They fought but then went their own way and had there own adventure.

It really was a terrific story. I read it shortly after Eckert's Frontiersmen and found it nearly as satisfying, which is a tall order.

St. Teresa's famous works Interior Castle becomes even better on this CD set read by Susan Denaker. It is almost like listening to Teresa of Avila actually talking to you about the Interior Castle. Denaker does an outstanding job reading this work and I find I learn something new each time I listen to the CDs. It's great to listen to it over and over without having to work at reading it; you can spend you full concentration on what is being said.

An excellent book that deals with the process of knowing and surrendering ones life to Jesus Christ. One is struck by the deep passion to have an intimate relationship with Jesus and what a person is willing to forsake for that relationship. One will not agree with all that is said but will be challenged to describe what you do believe and how does it apply to your own life. It is a book that needs to be read several times to mine the riches of the truth.

I bought this book at a local bookstore actually as a fluke (sort of). I had some in-store credit and a coupon, and I had heard this was a solid work by St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila), so I bought it.

This is one of the best books I have ever read! I now say to persons, "I'm in a 7-Step spiritual program" (i.e., St. Teresa's seven mansions). St. Teresa is this very winesome writer who is furiously working on this treatise late at night after being neck-deep in this massive and highly controversial reforming movement in 16th century CE Spain.

So she comes to this work all tired and exhausted physically, but her zealous spirit for the things of God just shines right through the pages! It is literally a window to the soul of this great woman who walked her talk. She also is very attractive in that she is, in one sense, this very ordinary woman who has believed a story that God can do great things through those who will live for Him totally. As such, you don't get the sense she's this super-intellectual giant like Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Calvin, and so on who is also struggling with their intellect, but rather she's the "plain Jane" sold out for God.

After reading this book, I've made St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila) my honorary mother as I couldn't be more honored than to be her son in some small way. I have gone on to get her collected works in three volumes, but I must say this is one of the most profound, yet elegantly simple, books I have ever read. In one sense, how can I write a review of this book? What can I say about such a treasure? All I can say is this, if I had to lose all my books and can only have my Bible and maybe ten others - this work would be among the ten.

This is mystical theology. If are a researcher like I am, this is an awesome book

it is very spiritual and rewarding...you can search your soul for your place in your spiritual beliefs...