Carroll Books

So, pretend you are a girl named Suze (short for Susannah) and ever since you have been a little girl, you were a Mediator. (That means that you can talk to ghosts.)
You have lived your whole life (up until 15) knowing this, and you are starting to get sick of ghosts asking you to do favors for them, people thinking that you are crazy, talking to people who aren't there, and getting caught by the police for breaking and entering because "you were trying to stop a ghost murder." And to make it even weirder, your dead dad, who has been dead for quite some time now, pops up at random times to try and scare you. That is Susannah Simon's life. Enter a move to Florida, a new family, (new stepbrothers and a step dad,) and a new room that comes with (what else!) a male ghost named Jessie!!

At her new school, she is becoming more popular then she ever dreamed. But there are still dangers around the corner. Never knowing when she will see another ghost, she tries to get used to the fact that this "gift" is never going away. Read about how Suze does find another enemy ghost, more dangerous than anything before. You will be rooting Suze and her "untraditional" method of battling ghosts on through all the chapters. And you will be shocked at some of the interesting surprises along the way. I loved this book and this series because Suze has such a spunky personality without even trying. Meg Cabot has created something wonderful by writing these books. And I plan to read all of them.

Nora S.
Grade 6
Ms. Kawatachi

I am a book lover, and I'll read almost anything. This Book (series really) is one of my favorites. The writing isn't brillant, but sometimes the storyline counts more. Its about a girl who moves from New York to California. All she wants is to start over, but wait... there's a ghost of a 150 year old cowboy in her bedroom. It's funny, but serouse at the same time, sort of like reading a book by Fred and George Weasly. Well that was how the language was anyway.

A great start to an even better series. This book really opened the door up on this series to me. I'm only working on the third book but I know the rest of the books in the Mediator series are going to be just as great.

Suze has to move with her mom to LA with her moms new husband and 3 boys. Her dad died when she was younger and he still hasn't moved on. she meets that best looking ghost shes ever seen. And even if she won't admit it, shes totally in love with him. And he even saves her life when the ghost heather goes crazy because shes mad she killed herself and now shes taking revenge on the reason she killed herself in the first place.
I highly recommend!

This book was awesome. I enjoyed every part of it, and I was interested in the topic about mediators. The only one thing that I do have to criticize about this book is that the main character isn't catholic. I am, so in many ways, I found her beliefs conflicting with my own. It was nothing too extreme, but I wasn't fully comfortable with it.
Although, the fact that the preist was the principal made up for it. The story line is well-written. I found Suze's character perfect in the way that she was realistic and not the type where the author just makes them perfect. If you're looking for something to enjoy, pick this book up. It is finish in a day material.

This was a fantastic book. It had everything a book should have, and is a good read that will leave you wanting more.

This is a wonderfully sophisticated, intelligent book with sharp commentary on multiple social issues of her time.(and ours in certain aspects) All of the characters are wonderfully imperfect, restrained and original and are caught in the intriguing webs of dilemmas but their behviors are very coherent with their characters and subcultures. This author truly deserves our utmost respect.

My comments are related only to the electronic version/aspect of this edition of Middlemarch rather than on the classic story. While this edition is readable it's a huge disappointment. There are so many typos that the reader is easily and regularly disturbed by trying to sort out misspellings, missing periods, or mangled sentences and paragraphs. Very unprofessional of Amazon to offer books that haven't been thoroughly edited. Kindle is a wonderful device - why not make sure the books are perfect? Why should a customer expect less in an e-versions than one does in hard copy?

Masterpiece? Greatest English novel? Well, I don't know about that -- it's very good, but it's not perfect. But it is funny, and it's a page-turner. Our heroine, Dorothea, is an intellectual stuck in a very provincial town, and she just wants someone she can have an intelligent conversation with, and whom she can help do some kind of serious work. A very marriageble but not especially bright gentleman courts her, and brings her a puppy as a present. Dorothea doesn't _mean_ to be rude, but she speaks her mind, that she doesn't approve of having pets just to pet them -- she thinks dogs are happiest when they have some serious work to do. I laughed out loud at this point, as at so many others. I know just how she feels! And I also understand the sighs that her friends sighed as they rolled their eyes. That's our Dorothea! The gentleman caller eventually marries Dorothea's sister, and they (and the puppy) live happily ever after. Dorothea lives happily ever after, too, but only after being very, very serious about things for several hundred pages. You'll love her, and you'll laugh all the way.

Middlemarch is a challenging book to read for several reasons. One, it is too long. Two, the author has a tendency to go off on philosophical tangents. Three, the author will sometimes spend several paragraphs on the inner workings of the mind of a very minor character who is hardly pertinent to the story. These flaws aside, I will say that I enjoyed Middlemarch very much. It is easy to get caught up in the lives of Dorthea, Will, Fred, Mary, Dr.Lydgate and Rosamond and many others. George Eliot wrote wonderful dialogue in this book--the conversations between characters are very interesting. I thought Dr. Lydgate was the most compelling person in the book. He had such high hopes and was a good and honorable man. Yet, he let himself be ensnared in a silly marriage and here the author is very insightful in portraying Dr.Lydgates trapped, disappointed existence with Rosamond. What he wants in a wife and marriage and what she wants in a husband and marriage are miles apart and so, in the end, they resign themselves to one another. I also liked the character of Mary. She's a strong woman who knows what she wants. Although Dorthea can be irritating at times, with her insistence that everyone see things the way she does, she is good and goodness is appealing in a central character. Her relationship with Will Ladislaw is portrayed well. Their love for one another was truly believable. While reading Middlemarch, there were a few times in which I felt as if I were slogging through, but there were many more times when I didn't want to put it down. So, all in all, a good read and worth the effort.

I love this book (I have read it before) and thought I would get it on Kindle since it is one of my favorites. Unfortunately the Kindle version must have been slapped quickly into digital format via optical character reader or something similar, with no quality check done on it. It is full of typos that would have been easily caught with a simple spellcheck, for example instead of the word "call" it said "cal:" There are numerous examples of this and it is very distracting.

Most people find themselves unable to clearly express their ideas not because those ideas are brilliant, but because they are jumbled. I think Chesterton belongs to this latter sort. The book contains few original thoughts, although it does retell some basic philosophical problems semi-competently. That's about all there is to it--and, well, the prose is good. The action is vague and hackneyed--like a hollywood blockbuster. The characters are stilted, lifeless and asexual. One has to smoke a lot of good pot or watch a lot of bad movies beforehand if one wishes to find this stuff impressive.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I was given this book by a friend - all I knew is that Chesterton is an amazing writer and I was not disappointed in the least after reading The Man Who was Thursday. The story is intriguing and moves the reader along page by page until one is almost finished with the book before even knowing it. The characters are interesting - and as one person commented about the book - the real characters are the ideas, not the individuals themselves. Chesterton is a master at communicating ideas and then embodies those ideas in characters which connect to the reader. This "psychological thriller" is more than just a quick, easy and entertaining read - it is actually quite provocative and in some sense unnerving in the same way that Huxley's Brave New World seems to strike too close to home in today's culture.

Simply the best spy novel I ever read. Furthermore is a christian allegory of the contradictions of human nature viewed from a sinful perspective, which leads us to the marvelous mistery of the good and the evil, through the eyes of an undercover agent.

Today it's al Qaeda... in Chesterton's time it was anarchists, ("no government is good government," sort of early-period extremist Libertarians).

But here Chesterton spun a fascinating tale of a policeman who goes under-cover to foil a bomb plot. The seven anarchists involved use day-of-the-week code names; thus, our policeman becomes "Thursday".

As you approach the end of this fine work you might ask yourself, "Where the heck is this thing going?" But just hang in there -- it makes total sense when all is revealed.

While I don't consider this work a real genuine page-turner, it did manage to maintain my interest. For me, this is Chesterton's Magnum opus.

I highly recommend this 1908 book to anyone who is interested in thrillers, mysteries, and/or British literature.

I went into reading this book with such strong misconceptions concerning what it was about. Like the characters whom see things completely different it seems like the readers of this book see its meaning quite differently as well. It is a crazy allegory but of what?

On a stylistic level Chesterton's prose is unique and well crafted. Chesterton has his own voice in his writing powerful, artful, and clear. On an abstract level I can't help but feel I got something out of the book but I am at a loss to say what. I was told, long ago, that the book was about the futility of much of what passes for philosophy and the book was a mockery of this in the promotion of faith and traditional religious devotion. I only vaguely got the notion that the book was about this. I could see how the book was about the futility of judging others or creating "us" verse "them" groups because we are all brothers, the ideas and classifications we use to classify each other are futile and meaningless and make a mockery of humanity in the eyes of God, so go with the established/ traditional way of doing things otherwise one is really in rebellion with oneself; but I don't know for sure if that is correct.

Bottom line though is it was a fun book to read.

Could have been interesting, but this book was so foul (language) I had difficulty staying with it. It has remained, unfinished, on my bookshelf.

I knew of Jim Carroll, read some of his poetry and such. And then I saw the movie--and let me tell you, you have to see that one. So I finally got around to picking up the book. Carroll is unflinchingly honest (though I do suspect he took many liberties with the story) and the story is brutal. This book does not glamorize drug abuse, as it shouldn't. This is a book I'll be coming back to over and over.

This odd mix of biography and novel takes some terrible situations and turns them into a quest for purity. You won't be able to put it down.

fun story, sure it's dark but you know what you're getting when you pick it up. I like that this book despite being a novel shows how heroin use doesn't cause health problems other than its addiction. too bad he became a thug on it, which also doesn't need to go hand in hand with drug use despite popular misconception. loved the movie, the book is about as good. can relate to more of this book than probably anyone on amazon (nyc, prep school, former precocious poet & dope user, successful shooting guard, thriving today). not saying that to brag but to say it holds up enjoyably as hell well as an odd mix of biography and novel.

This is the best book that I have ever read. It is so well written that it takes your breathe away. In this book he transforms horrible awful situations into a quest for purity. I didn't want this book to end.

The Cd begins with the powerful witches scene-great music-definitely causing my students to sit-up and listen.

The Dover Thrift Edition is a good choice for a reading text because it presents the entire, unabridged play, and has enough notes to be helpful to inexperienced readers without overwhelming or distracting them. The omition of a scholarly apparatus makes the Dover Edition more flexible and keeps it from becoming outdated.

This product was great. It helped my students and I read and comprehend Macbeth so much better than us trying to read it and comprehend it. The actors voices are great! I think they do a great job being the characters on tape!

Virtually all editions of Macbeth will have at least some annotations. Rummaging through five different editions, I preferred the Yale University Press version, edited by Burton Raffel, as having the most comprehensive and comprehensible notes, as well as an excellent introduction to Shakespeare's play. Raffel not only explains the meanings of obscure words, but also gives brief notes pertaining to relevant history, geography, stage directions, etc, that are rarely addressed as fully by other editors. In addition, Raffel frequently gives the proper way to stress the syllables in a line when reading it aloud, which can be extremely helpful. (However, in most places these stresses need to be very subtle, so that you don't sound like "taDUM taDUM taDUM".) And Yale's page layout is among the clearest that I've seen.

(To find this edition: at Avanced Search, enter ISBN 0300106548; or, enter Macbeth as title, and either Raffel as author or Yale as publisher.)

As a bonus, this edition includes at the back a long essay on the play by Harold Bloom. This is not an uninteresting commentary, but Bloom desperately needs a good editor. His essay is not only at least three times longer than it should be, but is startlingly repetitious. Yale would have been wise to have asked Bloom for a rewrite.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was a dramatist whose genius is universally acknowledged, with a reputation as an actor, playwright and poet. He lived in an age of vast and significant changes characterised by the rise of the middle class and of a centralised government and the disappearance of medieval religious beliefs. England was transforming into a modern state. This was a time when self-realisation, self-respect and boldness of thought and action was idealised. Shakespeare's drama merely reflected the dramatic times of the age.

Shakespeare's genius can be reflected by the variety of his productions, where out of the 36 plays he has left, no two are alike and he managed to articulate the diverse subjects with exceptional expertise, handling both tragedies and comedies with ease.

Macbeth is a tragedy, intended to teach us a lesson about the human condition. The play is a tragedy about a wealthy Scottish noble called Macbeth who kills his king to gain the throne. During Shakespeare's time, this was a terrible thing to do, and from then on, Macbeth was doomed to die a tragic death.

The play starts with three witches confronting the great Scottish general Macbeth on his victorious return from a war between Scotland and Norway. The witches predict that he will one day become king. They also predict that another General called Banquo will be the father of kings, although he will not ascend the throne himself. The Scottish king, Duncan, decides that he will confer the title of the traitorous Cawdor on the heroic Macbeth. Macbeth, with the urging of his evil and ambitious wife murder King Duncan and ascends to the throne of Scotland.

Macbeth and his evil wife begin to do strange things, partly because of what they have done and also because they never get a whole night's sleep. Macbeth thinks he has to kill two of his former friends because he believes that they threaten his new throne. His efforts fail and he is eventually killed.

I won't rehash the plot; plenty of reviewers here tell what the story is about. I will say, though, that this book begins the career of Edgar Rice Burroughs and that it's success leads the author to create Tarzan, Pellucidar, and many other stories. And more Barsoom! John Carter, Confederate veteran, fights, runs, leaps, loves, befriends and brings the races of dying Mars together when he isn't busy waging war or rescuing maidens. Actually, he brings the races of dying Mars together WHILE waging war and rescuing maidens. One can clearly see how Tars Tarkas begat Chewbacca, and how John Carter himself begat Flash Gordan, Luke Skywalker, and Superman... yes, Superman.
And the second book, _The Gods of Mars_, is even better!

Purchase was smooth, delivery prompt and well packaged. The book's condition was excellent for its age.

I read plenty of pulp fiction, sword and sorcery, etc. when I was a foolish young teenager (and even before). Years later, I reread some of them and was disappointed, even appalled. Had I enjoyed reading such dreck? Imagine my delight when I finally read "A Princess of Mars" and found it just as fun as the first time! Don't get me wrong. There is nothing profound here, no literary brilliance for the ages or anything like that. The "science" of the science fiction here is often questionable, though it helps to keep in mind that some of the sillier-sounding things were not so far-fetched when it was written. But if you want a good, clean, fast-paced adventure you can do a lot worse than this, and the numerous sequels. There is little excess verbiage, unlike most modern action novels I've tried, and you will probably tear through this and want more.

One thing I'll point out is the airship warfare depicted in the novels. Today it sounds quaint. Before they were displaced by airplanes, the airships really were terrors of the skies, just as lethal as the book depicts. Imagine those cute Goodyear blimps overhead, raining down fire and death instead of running ads, and you will have some appreciation of the potential of airships in a world without heavier-than-air flying machines.

Take a brawny Virginian adventurer, and get him to the Red Planet. Have him captured by aliens. Let there be a beautiful woman with an exotic name for him to fall for. Add a castastrophic failure of technology that could doom the planet except for the slim chance that John Carter, our hero, can save the day.

Not to mention the odd battle or war.

Mars rocks....even in 1912
I just finished read A Princess Of Mars by Mr. Burroughs. Its amazing to note that he wrote this in 1912. The science sounds plausible and for those items where he can't nail things down he has the 9 rays of the sun to account for anti gravity and an atmosphere generator to overcome the problems of Mars atmosphere. As for John Carters transport to Mars, I don't know if future novels attempt to explain that but I am going with the initial transit due to something in that cave where the knock out / paralysis gas (?) overcame him. After that he is transported back one can assume in much the same fashion as Star Trek like transporters. Perhaps its all due to some mad scientist sort of overlord trying to utilize heavy gravity earth man to kick start a stagnant society. He is perhaps called back and returned due to a tracking implant within his body. Obviously at the height of Martian culture hundreds of thousands of years ago they may have achieved nuclear power but I am willing to overlook that that has been lost or perhaps become culturally unacceptable knowledge In the end if you respect the story and are a little awed at his guesses, mad and otherwise, at building his novels Mars back in 1912. Mr. Burroughs was at the dawn of flight and we only had inklings of the power of radium and there weren't even diving tanks for scuba diving yet..
I loved the wireless guided explosive bullet rifle, enjoyed the enormous flying battleships powered by antigravity, the mention of powerful telescopes that inform them of the Earth and in a couple of ways that shall go unmentioned I dug the well nigh impregnable fortress for the atmosphere generator.
This is a fast paced novel and within the first 30 pages much has happened and you know a number of things about mars. So hang on tight and enjoy the ride and though written in 1912 you will be impressed.

"The Mammy" is a very touching, heart-warming story. It's the second Irish novel I've read after Frank McCourt's books.

It's about a woman named Agnes Browne who has dead, alcoholic-abusive, husband and now struggling with 7 little children with no money left. Typical Irish family with many children, living in poverty, trying to survive day by day.

Still, the story flows eloquently and sweetly with great sense of humour. It made me laugh out loud as well as shed tears in my eyes. Agnes Browne is a very simple woman, has fighter spirit and full of courage. The story's also telling us a great friendship she has with her best friend, Marion. Battling hillarioulsy to get driving liscense and as the same time, being submissive in facing the cancer. I love the part where Marion always visits the church every morning and said, "God, it's me, Marion!"

I admire Agnes' soul that is gentle yet firm with her kids. Her heart is full of love which remains untouched when her husband was still alived. She also has dreams of meeting her favourite singer, Cliff Richard, to sing and dance with him.

The closing of the book is my best favourite part ever," dance, Agnes Browne, dance to the star!" And from above, she can hear her friend Marion, laughs."
Two thumbs up for Mr. O'Carroll.

Review written by Mrs.Natalina of Indonesia ... i just post this for her ...

This is the first of Brendan O'Carroll's delightful stories of the inimitable Browne family. Have you ever tried to laugh and cry at the same time? I'm not sure I would have wanted a mother like the one in this book, but I do admire her stamina, perseverance and pluck. The book is short enough to finish in one sitting, a good holiday travel choice.

This book is funny, heartwarming and definitely worth the read. The characters are lovingly drawn. The relationship between Agnes and Marian,(best friends for years) is absolutely wonderful. I love all things Irish and this book is a wonderful example of why. My only complaint is that it is much too short. And since it is the first of three, I feel it should have been made into one larger novel.

Easily read in a few hours. It is so enjoyable. The characters are all likeable so you actually care to read on. There is humor. There is sadness but it isn't dwelled on for too long. I'm on Amazon looking up the sequels. This isn't heavy stuff but our own lives are full of heavy stuff so who needs that? :)
I truly think this book would be of interest to young and old of all ages.

THE MAMMY by Brendan O'Carroll
April 7, 2007

Amazon Rating 5/5 stars

I loved THE MAMMY by Brendan O'Carroll. It's funny, sad, and inspirational all in one. THE MAMMY in some ways reminded me of ANGELA'S ASHES by Frank McCourt, in that both take place in Ireland and both focus on poverty and ill fortune, but told with a light hearted and often times funny voice.

The Mammy is Agnes Browne, who at the start of this novel is a newly made widow. Her husband Redser Browne had just died, and she is doing what she needs to do, file the papers so she can get the money from the government due to her, the widow.

I have to say that every little thing that happens in this book, there is a funny spin on it, as Agnes always looks at the bright side of life, no matter how dark things become. And no matter how hard things get for Agnes, she stays strong. She's got seven children to feed and it's not easy. Her oldest acts like he's the new man of the house, and each of the other children have their own distinct personalities that makes this story richer. Agnes makes a living by selling produce on Moore Street, standing next to her best friend Marion. Between the two of them, the laughs come fast and hard, even when Marion's health is on the line.

THE MAMMY is just one of four in this series of books about a poor Irish family living in the heart of "the Jarro". I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

I am very happy with this ebook! Well done. Illustrated. I would recommend this product to any fan of Alice in Wonderland!

We ordered this book that was on my grandsons' summer reading list for his upcoming second grade. We received it very quickly...he loves it.

When I was younger, I watched the Disney version of this book and was left absolutely horrified by what I had seen. I was about four years old and the constant visions of strange and horrid looking creatures flashing on the screen made me want to leave the room. Because of this, I was not so sure how much I wanted to read this story. Actually, even now, I'm not all together convinced that I really like this story. I feel that it is somewhat sacrilegious to say so but I just don't enjoy this story all that much. As read through the first few pages I could still see the strange and haunting images from the twisted children's movie. Maybe that's what has ruined this tale for me, but I do sincerely feel that it is more than that. When I am reading, I begin to feel hopeless, lost and somewhat confused. I don't really feel happy about saying this since I'm a high school boy, but I feel that you should know how strange the concepts are in this book. Honestly, I must say that reading this book made me feel as though I were on a drug trip. This book has the strangest and most disturbing elements such as drinks that reduce your size and cakes that re-enlarge you. Not to mention that creepy, talking cat in the tree, the Cheshire Cat.
From a thematic point of view, I suppose you could say that one theme from this story is the frustrations that come with the loss of one's childhood. What I mean by this is that when a person gets older, they encounter physical changes that radically change they way that a child views the world and may even frustrate them. Across the entirety of Alice's adventures, she runs into a series of absolutely ridiculous changes. While these changes are much more absurd than real changes we incur growing up, they cause Alice to become traumatized, frustrated, and even change her perspective of the world. Although she is forced to go through these changes, she continues to struggle to maintain a comfortable physical size. In chapter one, she tries to follow a rabbit into a garden and is unable to fit through the entrance because she is too large. She takes a drink that shrinks her to the appropriate size but then realizes that she left the key to the entrance on the above table. She then eats a cake that grows her to the size at which she can retrieve the key but is then once again too large to enter the garden, which is very frustrating to her. Again in chapter five, she looses control over her physical build and gets an irregularly long neck.
As for the characters in this book, I find all of them one hundred percent unbelievable and terrifying. The characters are all introduced abruptly and are completely beyond reason. For example, the Mad Hatter and his fellow creatures are constantly making insane remarks about class and the state of things. There is also a strange creature named the Cheshire Cat who is unaffected by all that goes on in Wonderland and merely observes all that goes on, somewhat like a stocker.
This story is told through the perspective of a narrative view through Alice's eyes and conclusions of the new world she has entered. This view gives a good perspective of how crazy the world can be. I mean, Wonderland may seem like and absolutely mashed land of turmoil but through the eyes of Wonderland, Alice is absolutely mad. I suppose this could be compared with the difference in views in today's society and other countries.
Again, I must say that I don't really like this book personally simply because it disturbs me so much, but I would still recommend it to others as they may not feel the same way. It really is a well written story, even if I don't like the general plot. I give this book a three out of five star rating.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass are a very interesting book because of the imaginative worlds that she visits and all the different characters she comes across. Through Alice's adventures she comes across many characters who are both hard to get along with and hard to understand. Many of these characters have a significant meaning, such as adulthood and their constant changing of rules. Alice in Wonderland is a great book if you want a nice change of reading.

This is a book I loved as a child and when I read it now, I find I still enjoy it as much. Great for children and for grown ups as well. Well worth buying.

If You Want To Write inspired me. In the end, though, a writer must write. For fiction, be in the story...be the characters...feel them walking about...hear the birds...see the trees dancing in the storm and get it all down...crazy...writers are crazy.
John Cutler Anderson, Lucky (nickname)

At Christmas, I came across my copy of this book, purchased in 1988. I have since re-read it many times. I also purchased a copy and had it shipped to my friend who has written 12 books on economics, Dr. George Glen Dawson. Glen, as I call him, participates in several writing groups on Long Island, NY. His inspiration to me as a mentor and friend and his love of writing showed me that he would love this book and sharing copies of it with the writing groups he participates in.

This book, reread many years after it's purchase, and much additional business experience AND formal education, has shown me much about living, loving, authenticity, writing, and art.

Dr. Dawson's validation of my writing has challenged me to do more of it as well.

He is my "Tuesdays with Morrie" kind of guy, a friend, a teacher, a guide.

I loved the book. It inspires me anytime I feel I am NOT up to a task or a writing assignment or living authentically for others and for myself.

Read it a few pages at a time, enjoy it like a lovely, delicious dessert that feeds your mind and your heart.

Thankfully, I did read this while selling advertising for The Wall Street Journal some years ago. It served me there, and it served me in graduate school a few months after purchasing this book.

Thank you, Brenda Ueland. May your words live on!

Judy Laughton Lilley, M.A. Counseling and Professional Psychology
Formerly Senior Advertising Account Executive for The Wall Street Journal in Saint Louis, MO. B.A. Radford University, Radford, Va.

Reading this great book is very liberating. It is fantastic. She does, however, attribute Crime and Punishment to Tolstoy. I think Dostoevsky wrote it. Other than that, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Better than any other 10,000 books on writing and life.

Roger

Excellent book/in perfect condition! The info gained in this book for the writing I love to do...money can't buy! It helped so much about taking any fear of submitting my work away/plus...it taught so much about the importance of being truthful in your writing/being YOU! The book goes everywhere with me! I also love the long history of the author/and, the book...my kind of lady!!

First published in 1938, "If You Want to Write" presents the philosophy of writing (indeed, of all creativity) that Brenda Ueland taught for many years at the Minneapolis YWCA. The title of the first chapter presents her premise: "Everybody is talented, original, and has something important to say," and subsequent chapters guide readers in how to tease out their own talent and originality so that it "infects" readers. Though her details do evoke the 1930s, her observations of human nature remain spot-on to 2008.

Ueland's message is encouraging and inspirational and true. My quibbles concern aspects of the book's editing (non-editing?). First, the punctuation and formatting (extra and omitted commas; footnotes) interfered with my reading and I had to re-read numerous sentences to make sense of them. Second, Ueland tends to introduce a topic but then note that she'll deal with it later; I didn't keep track of what she was postponing, but did keep wondering whether she ever got back to all of it. Overall, the writing has a somewhat sloggy (first-draft) feel rather than that of a tightened manuscript.

In the genre, I'd instead recommend: Anne Lamott's fabulous "Bird by Bird"; Dorothea Brande's "Becoming a Writer" (also pubbed in the 1930s); and John Gardner's "On Becoming a Novelist."

This is a readable and oft-gripping version of Mr. Leroux's famous tale. The ingredients are here for a fun read - mystery, intrique, love, danger, difficult choices, etc., all set at the Paris Opera in the early 20th Century. Readers follow along as Raoul competes for the lovely Christine Daae against the disfigured phantom who also loves her, and who taught her the craft that she now performs so flawlessly. We see the bodies pile up, experience the mystery of box 5, and feel the grip of fear haunting the opera. Perhaps the climax occurs when Raoul and the Persian's search the cellars, keeping one hand up and never knowing what trick will next befall them. Reading this novel for the first time I enjoyed the mystery and intrigue, yet felt like something was missing - the ending seemed somewhat unreasonable. Perhaps one needs to peruse the full version for better understanding. Despite uncertainty, this is an interesting, readable tale of mystery and intrigue.

The mask, the music, the dark mysteries, and the tortured, deformed genius who just wants love. "The Phantom of the Opera" is so well known that its story needs no explanation.

But Gaston Leroux's novel is still a spellbinding experience, full of atmospheric horror, a sense of gothic mystery, and lushly evocative language. But its crown jewel is Erik: a magnificently tortured anti-hero who inspires more horror, pity and sympathy than the rather flat hero and heroine.

The Paris opera house is said to be haunted by a ghost with a "death's head," who demands a small salary and a reserved box. Despite the sightings and fears of ballerinas and stagehands, the new managers are determined to stamp out this ridiculous story -- despite threatening letters and increasing accidents that happen around them.

Meanwhile, budding diva Christine Daae is taking Paris by storm, although nobody quite knows who taught her how to sing. And when her childhood friend Viscount Raoul de Chagny pays her a visit, he hears a passionate exchange between her and a man -- but there's no man there. She credits her new vocal abilities to the Angel of Music, but of course, that self-same Angel is the opera ghost.

As the Phantom becomes even more attached to Christine, Raoul soon finds that the ghost is actually a half-mad, horribly deformed musical genius named Erik -- and that after Christine saw his true face, he made her become engaged to him. The young lovers plan to run away together, but the "Angel of Music" isn't about to allow his beloved Christine to leave him...

Apparently there actually were some odd events -- including rumours of an opera ghost -- happening when Gaston Leroux began writing "The Phantom of the Opera." And it's a credit to his imgination that he was able to spin a some odd facts into a harrowing, heartbreaking love triangle that's based on music, obsession, adoration, and a bit of pity. And, of course, a frighteningly sympathetic "villain."

Admittedly the style is very "penny dreadful": melodramatic and overloaded on prose. But Leroux's talent shines through -- he drapes the book in a haunted atmosphere, full of snowy graveyards, dark opera backstages and underground labyrinths, all with Erik's presence hovering over it. The plot is mostly a slow, satiny procession toward the inevitable blowup, but Leroux does tinge it with scenes of romantic drama, a feeling of dread, one shocking action scene, and even some quirky humour at times.

And Leroux's writing is simply astounding as he describes the corpselike appearance of Erik ("... tore his terrible dead flesh with my nails") and his "death's" head appearance at the party. But he also excels at the more poignant moments -- Erik's final, rambling monologue to Christine after she kisses him is heartbreakingly clumsy and saddening.

Though Christine and Raoul are the hero and heroine of the book, they're actually kind of flat. Erik is the real star -- an arrogant genius who is also pitifully lonely. And insane. Despite his crazed behavior -- which results in at least two deaths -- it's hard not to feel sympathy for someone cursed with such a ghastly appearance, and so starved for human contact that a single kiss changes his life ("... he tried to catch my eye, like a dog sitting by its master").

Despite being a bit overblown in the style of its time, "The Phantom of the Opera" is a triumph of atmosphere, horror, and one of the most memorably sympathetic "villains" that you can find on the shelves. Magnificent.

I read this novel for the first time about 4 years ago and I knew then I just had to teach it. I've been using this particular translation in my 8th grade classroom for the past 3 years because, in my opinion, it is the best one out there. The language is beautiful, and there is so much that can be analyzed and discussed. I look forward to teaching it every year! Each year the students whine when I give them such a long book, but when they have finished it, they admit that it was actually good! Then when we compare it to the 2004 Andrew Lloyd Webber film, almost all of them say that the book was much better!
This novel is also great to read for fun. There is something for everyone because Leroux includes a bit of everything -- horror, murder, obsession, romance, melodrama, mystery, suspense, tragedy, action, history, gothic elements, supernatural elements... There is a convoluted plot that twists and turns, and Leroux successfully reveals just enough information to keep you reading. In the end, all is explained and the reader is amazed at how Leroux was able to weave together such an interesting cast of characters and a complicated plot.
The setting adds to the story. What setting could be more interesting than an underground lair that is on the edge of a subterranian lake beneath the famous Paris Opera House?
Character development is fantastic and the readers clearly see how Christine could be torn between her love for Raoul and her love for the phantom, Erik. Because Leroux portrays Erik as a very complex character, the reader will have a difficult time answering the question of "Should Erik be pitied or cursed?"
I highly recommend this book!

This review is about the book the Phantom of the Opera I hope you like it.In the early years of the phantoms life's he was s beaten and jeered at home,how could the phantom get away.

The only way for a getaway the phantom could see was to run away.One day the phantom [who always wears a mask] went into a freak show and was offered a job.His act was called The Living dead boy.He soon made himself star.

He was one day asked to perform for a king!The living dead boy performs so well that he and and the boy become friends [or so he thought].One day he heard the king talking to a guard telling him to kill the phantom.The phantom got out as fast as he could.

The phantom was now called The phantom of the opera.The phantom of the opera now lives in a opera.He is feared and because of this he gets money and free seats.[He is feared because people think he's a phantom. He soon falls in love for a girl who sings in the opera.

The phantom at the opera soon finds out that the girl loves someone else this makes the the phantom of the opera almost kill the girl's love and blow-up the opera house but, he comes to his senses and let the lover go and does not blow up the opera house but his love for the girl kills him in the end.

I like this book and I recommend it to people who like good books that keep them guessing till the end.So get this book, don't come home with out the phantom of the opera.

(I am 14 years old) The Phantom of the Opera in the Modern Library version was much better than the 2004 film. I loved the film but then I wanted more so I read this. Gaston Leroux characterizes the Erik (The Phantom) so differently from the Don Juan-ish charcter in the film. Erik is just searching and longing for someone to love him as himself, he's not overly lustful or seducing as in the movie. He also isn't attractive beyond his face, but more described by some as a "living corpse." This new idea about Erik made my parents approve of the book more than the movie (they haven't read the book but they said that Erik was too "creepy" in the movie). I love how Leroux tells it as almost a documentary or a report, I haven't read a book told like that before. Although it seems that it would be so much more descriptive and attention holding if he told it as if he were there. Nonetheless I am very satisfied with this book and I will re-read it in the future! I highly recommend this book to adventure/love/suspense/not-so-gruesome horror story lovers! Enjoy!