Forster Books

Melanie Sparks is a young woman who is determined to succeed at making her childhood dream a reality by becoming a RN even though her Father thinks its a waste of time. She works hard to make money to pay her tuition by doing student papers. One of her friends at school tells her to check the help wanted board at school and check out the job listed for a LPN job at a clinic that opens up in her neighborhood. She would be making more money working part time than she does with her former job plus she will be working with patients which she loves. She applies and interviews with Dr. Jack Ferguson. She feels instant attraction for him but knows that she is not in his league. They work well together and the attaction is mutual. The problem is his father thinks Jack should have a mate with the same status as himself and does everything he can to keep them apart. This is a great story and Gwynne has added characters from her former books with the Harrington brothers and their families and ET and Michaela Landry from the book "For All We Know' by Sandra Kitt in this series called Novels of Love & Hope. This is a great and inspirational story.

Having read a number of books on mediums and psychics, I thought Ann offered a unique insight into mediumship and how to actually use predictions. I was particularly facinated with the astral travel and animal spiritual visitations.

I think she tackles the difficult subject of suicide in a beautiful and sensitive way and I think this alone will help numerous families worldwide.

This is a down to earth, honest account on the mechanics of mediumship and how Ann`s abilities have developed throughout her life. This is definately worth a read.

Forster has written a deceptively light, subtle, and entertaining novel
about decent, educated, lily-white English folk whose only real sin is a
polite timidness of spirit, one of the "curses of a refined nature." The
Forster narrative is correspondingly gentle and good-humored, with chasms of despair lurking in the background and momentous decisions explained with understated matter-of-factness. Some fiction achieves a status like Holy Writ. This novel might.

The central characters in >A Room With a View< are as follows.
1) Lucy Honeychurch:
a. "I can't think," Lucy said gravely.
b. Lucy did not know what to do nor even what she wanted to do.
c. She gave up trying to understand herself, and joined the armies of
the benighted, who follow neither the heart nor the brain, and march
to their destiny by catchwords.
In short, Lucy is searching for a point of view, a sense of self.
2) Cecil Vyse;
a. Of course, he despised the world as a whole; every thoughtful man
should.
b. Cecil had been hesitating whether he should despise the villas or
despise Sir Harry for despising them.
c. "Hopeless vulgarian," exclaimed Cecil, almost before they were out of
earshot. "It would be wrong not to loathe that man."
Honestly, Cecil feels intimidated by social interaction.
3) George Emerson:
a. "A nice fellow," Mr. Beebe said afterwards. "He will work off his
crudities in time. I rather distrust young men who slip into life
gracefully.
b. "I only know what it is that's wrong with him, not why it is . . . .
The old trouble; things won't fit."

The curious catalyst for the relationships that develop is Italy. As Lucy
searched for "ma buoni uomini," the good men, the Italian escort led her to George.
1) "Eccolo!" he exclaimed.
2) At the same moment, the ground gave way, and with a cry she fell out of the wood. Light and beauty enveloped her.
3) "Courage!" cried her companion. "Courage and love!"
4) George had turned at the sound of her arrival. For a moment, he contemplated her, as one who had fallen out of heaven. He stepped forward and kissed her.

Lucy's "muddle" finally reaches its climax. She was "driven by nameless
bewilderment."
1) "I've seen so little of life," she said. "One ought to come up to
London more. I might even share a flat for a little with some other
girl."
2) "And mess with typewriters and latch-keys!" her mother exploded, "and
agitate and scream, and be carried off kicking by the police."
3) "I want more independence," said Lucy lamely. She knew she wanted
something, and independence is a useful cry. She tried to remember her
emotions in Florence; those had been sincere and passionate, and had
suggested beauty rather than short skirts and latch-keys.

A wonderful story, >Room with a View<, perhaps one of the greatest in the
English language.

Forster's wit, irony, and well-drawn characters make this an enjoyable read. If you're not used to reading pieces from this period, you may need to warm up to the style, but once you do, you'll enjoy this.

Followed the PBS special almost to the word but the book's ending was much better.

Do not buy this version. It is not formatted correctly for the Kindle. It has fixed line lengths which wrap awkwardly on the Kindle, making it very difficult to read.

Edward Morgan Foster (1879-1970) lived a long life as a Cambridge don and world traveler. However, most of this author's fiction was completed in the first 20 years of the 20th century. "A Room With a View" is a gently satirical view of the English abroad and at home in the late Edwardian Age. Perhaps we can view England as the cozy room of normality and routine while the sunny Italian landscape provides us a view of a wider world outside our usual gaze.
The short novel is divided into two parts. In part one we are introduced to a group of English travelers in Italy. We meet Charlotte
an old maid aunt who is chaperoning the upper middle class young lady the fetching Lucy Honeychurch. (Charlotte reminds one of the governess types described with right on accuracy by Charlotte Bronte). The women want a good view of Florence so reluctantly switch rooms with Mr. Emerson (a dreamy transcendentalist like older man who reminds us of the philisophical musings of Concord sage Ralph Waldo Emerson) and his stra handsome son George. (George is to become a knight saving Lucy from the clutches of the effete snob aesthete Cyril Vise). On a sightseeing picnic Lucy and George kiss and then depart. Lucy goes to Rome meeting her future fiance the artistic and bookish Cyril.
Part II is set in England. After several complications the course of true love is finally set on its right course. Lucy jilts Cyril and finds true bliss with George. The novel is cyclicalbeginning in spring and ending with Lucy Honeychurch's honeymoon with George. This occurs in the same Florentine hotel in which they met. A year has passed and it is spring again for these young lovers.
Forster provides a gallery of colorful characters: Mr Beebe the clergyman who hopes Lucy dumps Cyril for George; Eleanor Lavish a comically drawn mystery writer; Lucy's brother Fred and a Cockney hotel owner in Florence.
Forster wishes to open the stuffy door of Victorian fiction with a new frankness on sexuality and freedom of expression. His scene in which the major male characters bathe in a pond is an example of this theme. Forster favors physical and intimate love to the aesthetic passionless p love which Vise has for Lucy. George is athletic and earthy while Vise is a nerdy bookworm. Forster's book is good in the use of witty dialogue. His understanding of the British class system leads him to satirical comments on its rigidity.
A quibble. The characters don't have much depth seeming to be actors in a stage presentation. Forster is worth reading for his advocacy of true love and emotion in a society of elaborate and often hypocritcal rules. He is a good author worthy of your time.

Simply put, EMF is no Wilde, not even close. His characters are, in a sense, the stock sort of British characters one is well familiar with from PBS productions like Masterpiece Theater, or the Merchant Ivory films of the 1990s. In fact, this book was adapted into a well regarded film by that company back then. Yet, I could not shake free the notion that this solid book would have been infinitely better in the hands of a master like Wilde. There is none of the witty repartee, and none of the ferocious characterization. Yes, Wilde's plays were comedies, while this book is not really a comedy, but I kept thinking, it should be a comedy.

Howard's End is the name of a wealthy estate that entails the lives of two clans- the wealthy Wilcoxes and the plebeian Schlegels. There are all of the typical episodes of class envy and snobbery, a possible budding romance between a wealthy scion and a poor girl, and the like, but the meat of the tale kicks off when Margaret Schlegel and the matrician Mrs. Wilcox become buddies, with the old lady hobnobbing with young Margaret's pseudo-intellectual bohemian pals. The two women then holiday at Howard's End, the Wilcox estate, and bond more closely. Mrs. Wilcox then dies, but not before willing Margaret Howard's End after finding out Margaret's clan are about to lose their home....it's the look into Wildean heaven that most undoes EMF. Let me give you just a few samples of the difference. Here is a quote that seems to be quite Wildean:


`It is the vice of a vulgar mind to be thrilled by bigness, to think that a thousand square miles are a thousand times more wonderful than one square mile, and that a million square miles are almost the same as heaven. That is not imagination. No, it kills it.'



Note that there is no real hyperbole, the speaker is rather dour. There is a ruing, without a wink. Perhaps a better quote is this:



`What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives?...Haven't we all to struggle against life's daily greyness, against pettiness, against mechanical cheerfulness, against suspicion? I struggle by remembering my friends; others I have known by remembering some place--some beloved place or tree--we thought you were one of these.'



Again, note the dourness and resignation. Wilde, were he expressing either of these sentiments, would have done so with more flair, uplift, and bite. These are not examples of bad prose, mind you. They are good- even very good, and that's the difference- Wilde and his characters are utterly brilliant!

A final quote:



`Love and Truth-- their warfare seems eternal. Perhaps the whole visible world rests on it, and if they were one, life itself, like the spirits when Prospero was reconciled to his brother, might vanish into air, into thin air.'



I do believe Prospero, in Wilde's hands, would be far from reconciled. But, again, that may just be my lack of weaning from the Master. In short, the tale told is by no means unique, and its preachments rather bald, but it is solidly told, and in comparison to the dreck of recent years one may regard Howard's End as a classic. It's just in light of its contemporaries it shines less brightly.

In a sense, this sort of tale, when stripped down for a film or PBS production, works better, because it is shorn of its soap operatic worst elements of unimportant sub-stories, yet, damn it, without the Wildean wit, I ask, why bother to lather up?

Who will inherit England? While Forster's Howard End does not exactly answer this question, it sets out the possibilities. This superbly crafted novel is quite relevant today: how do the actions of the individual citizens of the world's greatest superpower influence the destiny of that nation? For the turn of the century England of Howards End, it is about Empire and money and its corrosive influence on tradition and personal morality; and Forester sets up the house, Howards End, as the curious symbol of England in a transition from an uneasy present to an uncertain future. Characters from different social and economic strata subtly, cunningly, even sub-consciously, compete for ownership of the house. For Forester, Howards End, with its elm tree with pig teeth embedded in the trunk (used by peasants in a former age as a balm for tooth aches) becomes a new type of mythology for England. For a nation radically transformed, and set for yet more change, the house becomes a fixed point, a vestige of an agrarian past which may be set for a rebirth

I love reading. There is nothing like the printed page. I also love a good movie. In this case, I must definitely say I'll take the movie over the book any day. I will say that I was exposed to the movie first but I don't believe that prejudiced me. I was wanting to view the movie again after not having seen it in a while (it had not been a long while, mind you, because it is one of my favorites) but decided, since I had the book in my library, I would read it first before viewing the movie again so as to discover any subleties that may enhance my enjoyment of the movie further. I had done that with A Room With a View (also by Forster) and it worked fine. I loved the book every bit as much as the movie. Alas, it was not to be the same with Howards End. I have been struggling for the last few weeks (I don't get much time for reading these days) to get through the book. Usually I don't want a book to end but in this case... well, the title of this review says it all. For details on why I feel that way, I refer you to any of the other 2 and 3 star reviews, as they express my sentiments exactly and make me feel better to know it wasn't just me (although I am fully aware that everyone has their own opinion). Suffice to say I will no longer torture myself with trying to get through the book. Instead I will kick back and enjoy, guilt-free, another viewing of a very fine movie. Kudos to Forster for having written the book which provided a story-line for Merchant/Ivory to make a very fine movie. Kudos to M/I for making a very fine movie from, as another reviewer so aptly put it, a "mediocre" book.

This brilliant classic of English literature features the clash of the artistic and social Schlegel sisters--Margaret and Helen--with the business oriented and pragmatic Wilcox men--Henry and his sons Charles and Paul. All are wealthy. This is a novel of comfortable upper-class Edwardian life set in London and rural England.

Although written in 1910, Howards End is amazingly contemporary and relevant. Of course, the conflict between the personal and the practical, the artistic and the commercial is ever-present. Also Forster touches cleverly on many other societal issues that are current. We read about the motor car just beginning its dynasty in 1910; indeed the automobile is almost another character in the novel--mute and ominous. There are also insightful passages about pollution and environmental issues, urban sprawl, and a wonderful discussion of the commercialization of Christmas, among many other fascinating discussions some shallow others deep. I was particularly interested in Forster's exploration of the practical and commercial as the necessary underpinning of the artistic and personal. At one point Margaret says that money is the "warp of life," a metaphor based on the warp and woof of the weaver's cloth (a clever pun also).

One aspect of reading Howards End that I felt continually, but seems not to have been mentioned by other reviewers, is the giant tentacles of the ugly octopus of World War I looming darkly over the characters and their futures. Neither the author in 1910 nor his characters, the half German Schlegel sisters nor the very British Wilcoxes, could know that a great war that would end their peaceful and prosperous Edwardian era was soon to begin. Throughout the novel the issues of German and English culture are in the background. The Schlegel sisters met the Wilcoxes in Germany. The Schlegels often have relatives visiting from Germany, and Helen returns there toward the end of the novel. Only slight foreboding hints of a coming disaster are slinking here and there. At one point just in passing early in the book Forster says that war with Germany is inevitable because the newspapers say it is. The war was a result of the commercial and military competition of Great Britain and Germany which was already anxious and worrisome in 1910, although no one could anticipate what a monumental crisis it would provoke. Almost twenty percent of all upper-class British males were killed in action in the war--over 40 million casualties total for all combatants in World War I.

Howards End is just as readable and fascinating now as it must have been in 1910, and it was a popular success. I do not believe, however, that it would have even been conceivable just five years later. So much had changed by 1915. World War I--1914-1918--was roiling the entire civilization of Europe. The old ways were dissolving on the battlefields France and Belgium. The easy intercourse of the Schegels with Germany and their German relatives would be impossible. Indeed the Schegel sisters themselves would be suspect and isolated in England. (Perhaps though they would find their fulfilment as volunteer military nurses as many Germans living in England did.) Paul and Charles would be in the trenches at Ypres if they were still alive, not in business in London or strutting about the colonial empire. Everything would change so fast so soon. As I read this novel I felt every moment the monumental disasters stalking the Schegels and Wilcoxes and their world, disasters that would make their current personal trials seem rather puny. For me this gave the novel an extra frisson of tension and awe.

Most of us connect the notion of "home" or "childhood home" with one particular place, that innocent paradise we have since had to give up and keep searching for forever after. In Ruth Wilcox's world, Howards End is that place; the countryside house where she was born, where her family often returns to spend their vacations, and which, everyone assumes, will pass on to her children when she is dead.

But will it really? Unbeknownst to Ruth's family, the issue is put into question when Ruth forms a friendship with her neighbor-to-be Margaret Schlegel, like Ruth herself from a middle class background but nevertheless separated from Ruth's world by several layers of society and politics: That of the Wilcox is epitomized by pater familias/businessman Henry - rich, conservative and without any sympathy whatsoever for those less fortunate than themselves ("It's all part of the battle of life ... The poor are poor; one is sorry for them, but there it is," Henry Wilcox once comments); while the Schlegels, on the other hand, have just enough income to lead a comfortable life, were brought up by their Aunt Juley, support suffrage (women's right to vote) and surround themselves with actors, "blue-stockings" (feminists), intellectuals and other members of the avantgarde. Further complexity is added when Margaret's sister Helen brings to the Schlegel home Leonard Bast, a poor but idealistic young clerk who loves music, literature and astronomy - and with him, his working class wife Jacky, the embarrassment of having to interact with her, and the even more embarrassing revelation which she has in store for Henry Wilcox; eventually leaving her disillusioned husband to comment that "books aren't real," and that in fact they and music "are for the rich so they don't feel bad after dinner."

An allegory on the question who will ultimately inherit England - the likes of the Wilcox, the Schlegels, or the Basts - E.M. Forster's novel is one of the early 20th century's finest pieces of literature; a masterpiece of social study and character study alike, in which the author brings his protagonists and their environment to life with empathy and a fine eye for detail. The story's strongest character is undoubtedly Margaret Schlegel, a young woman "filled with ... a profound vivacity, a continual and sincere response to all that she encounter[s] in her path through life," as Forster describes her, and whose friendship with Ruth Wilcox, even at the beginning, already brings the two families back together again after Helen has endangered their as-yet tentaive acquaintance by engaging in a near-scandalous affair with Ruth's younger son Paul.

Ultimately, Margaret and Ruth become so close that Ruth eventually decides to give Meg "something worth [her] friendship" - none other than Howards End, a wish that has her panicking family scramble most ungentlemanly for every reason in the book to invalidate the codicil setting forth that bestowal, from its lacking date and signature to the testatrix's state of mind, the ambiguity of the writing's content, the question why Meg should want the house in the first place since she already has one, and the fact that the writing is only in pencil, which "never counts," as Dolly, wife of the Wilcox' elder son Charles is quick to point out, only to be reprimanded by her father in law "from out of his fortress" (Forster) not to "interfere with what you do not understand." And so it is that Meg will only see the house (and be instantly mistaken for Ruth because she has "her way of walking around the house," as the housekeeper explains) when she and her siblings have to look for a new home and Henry Wilcox, who has started to court her after Ruth's death, suggests that the Schlegel's furniture be temporarily stored there - a fateful decision. And while Meg and Henry slowly and painfully learn to adjust to each other, the complexity of their families' relations, and their interactions with the Basts, finally come crashing down on them in a dramatic conclusion.

Also recommended:
Great Novels and Short Stories of E. M. Forster
E. M. Forster: A Life (A Harvest Book)
Howards End - The Merchant Ivory Collection
A Room with a View (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Where Angels Fear to Tread
Brideshead Revisited
The W. Somerset Maugham Reader: Novels, Stories, Travel Writing

I'm still in the process of reading the book, while following the advice given within. I feel great and every day is more exciting!

Yes, I read the entire book. A much, much better book is Professional Dreamer. The Abraham-Hicks books are weird, I returned the one I ordered. This one includes every wealth trick you can think of... but also inlcludes frugality and debt chapters, turning your thinking to just that, which is counterproductive. If we are wealthy and we are as we think we are wealthy, we do not need to think like a poor man, about our debts or how many pennies we can save.

Like just about all books out there about how to Attract Prosperity and Abundance into Your Life, these volume is missing the part about how to overcome internal resistance to success.

This not surprising - we are inundated with messages that all we need to do is get our mind aligned with our intentions, say our affirmations and do the right things, involking the law of attraction. Right... and then we stop ourselves short of our goals and get stuck.

Michael Norman recently was quoted: "Whenever people talk about needing more willpower, I know that what they're really saying is that they want to be able to fight harder against themselves. Willpower is only needed if you're trying to behave in a way that runs counter to the emotional state you're in."

If you combine this book with one like "The Missing Link to Your Financial Success", you'll actually be able to get going again if you get stuck. Otherwise, you may be just spinning your tires and looking for another formula, when you really need a way to make that formula work for you.

No two ways about it, Sandy Forster loves her subject. Unfortunately I found this was a little distracting - she underlines and bolds in almost every paragraph which feels a little like shouting to me. A little over done in my view. Also - a little too many suggrestions to go to her website and check out her other products - a little forced and contrived.

The content is pretty good - very simple strategies are included her for the metaphysical and practical strategies in attracting wealth. I would have liked more details on her own wealth strategies - she only vaguely alludes to her 'direct selling personal development business' - I would have liked to have found out more about this.

Overall -worth the read and some good take-away strategies.

There is nothing wrong against anyone here , but I am kinda tired of this So called 'Self Help Millionaires ' and 'Gurus' who know it all...

I have read over 30+ books on the topic to make money fast and after reading sanding's book...I only said "oouch, what a way to make money Sandy "...

This book is nothing new as there are bunch of authors like Sandy who are making money by selling you hopes and dreams as they know 'What Sells in market as Everybody want to see some hope and Dreams to make mega$$$$$.'

I would recommend you to read books from Genuine Authors like Murphy , Catherine Ponder ...

Sandy gave her first book what a Lovely and Wild Title 'How to Be Wildly Wealthy FAST'...

Sandy has found out that selling you dreams and hopes does make money and she has found the weaker spot of common people as everybody is looking for some kind of hope/dreams and I think Title of this book should be 'You buy what I Sell ( Dreams and Hopes ) and I Make Millions , Fast'.

I am not sure how Genuine these reviews are but Most of reviews of her book seems to come from other Self Help Gurus or People who sell/do similar things as Business and give each other 5 Star Reviews , IMHO

Self Help is a big business and way it works is 'Sell your book first and then ask readers to join their Classes/personal-Trainings and ask them to Buy more Stuff and make mega $$$$$s and you will be millionare '. How sad and pathetic way to make money. Isn't it ?.

Sandy Puts her story in the book but I think her story is purley an isolated case or pure coincidence and I have seen many people making money like that. Read her story and you will think , what's big deal about that ?.

I believe and seen that there is a big market and lot of potential to make money in writing self-help books / selling seminars and products on how to be wealthy or succeful and Sandy knows 'How to do that' and she did it.

There are very few authentic writers ( Catherine Ponder, Joseph Murphy etc ) in this area, who just sell you the book with a concept and not their costly seminars / products or trainings. After reading 30+ books , I realized that.

I really feel sorry if you bought this book and helped Sandy's attempt to make money by selling you the book and DVD.

I am getting emails all the time to buy more books/seminars or products to be wealthy ( who will be wealthy then !,that you can figure out ).

I would recommend that you scan this book at borders and I am positive , you will never buy book of this magnitude for $20.

Sandy's this attempt to be in Self help business is not worth $20 bucks. I have read and attended enough seminars to find that this is 'Self Help is Great Business to Make Money'.

keep away from such books and DVD's as I know , ethically , there are more ways to be happy and still make money. ( Read Chopra/Joseph Murphy/Catherine Ponder's books instead ).

Pat

"Maurice" by E.M. Forster is one of my favourite novels. It is so simply and beautifully written and tells a story that all readers will able to relate to in one way or another. A tragic reflection of Forster's own life of closeted homosexuality - the novel itself was written in 1914 when homosexuality was still illegal in Britain and remained unpublished until 1970 - the novel tells the story of Maurice Hall, a young man trying to come to terms with his homosexuality in traditional Edwardian England where his "sort" are arrested for such "crimes". However, when he meets Clive, a fellow student at Cambridge, he realises that he is not alone in his predicament after all. As the events of the story unfold, things become deely sad as Maurice suffers more and more because of a secret that he feels he cannot tell any of his family and friends. The heartwarming ending - which Forster must have hoped for himself as well - is ultimately uplifting and allows the reader to envisage what the future will be like for Maurice themselves.

At first blush, "Maurice" seems unlike any of Forster's other novels. An unapologetic tale of love between Maurice Hall and Clive Durham, two Cambridge students during the years preceding World War I, the book is still a sensation; it's no wonder that Forster chose not to publish it--it would have ended his career. Yet this story, too, explores the preoccupations apparent in all of Forster's fiction: the hypocrisy of British traditions and, especially, the absurdity of British class structure.

"England has always been disinclined to accept human nature," says a mesmerist to Maurice when he is seeking a cure for his "condition." In this scene, the doctor is referring, of course, to sexuality, but considered in the light of all six of his novels, Forster judges English attitudes toward the human condition as a whole. Once Maurice and Clive fall in love, "no tradition overawed the boys. No convention settled what was poetic, what absurd." But it is, in part, this knowledge of being outside the law (or, as Maurice admits, "outlaws") that ultimately rends the couple in half.

The last section of the book brings together all these themes. Maurice's unanticipated and tense liaison with Scudder--a servant, no less--is seemingly impossible not only because they are both the same sex but also because they hail from different classes. To society, the sexual element is intolerable, but to Maurice the class difference makes such a relationship even more inconceivable--"if the will can overleap class, civilization as we have made it will go to pieces."

To Forster, however, both taboos stem from the same tyrannical tradition; he had similarly depicted the futility of mixed-class relationships in his previous novel, "Howards End," with the illicit relationship between the blueblood Henry Wilcox and the lowborn Jacky Best. But here he brings to the story the possibility of hope. Indeed, only when Maurice has thrown over both proscriptions--that of class and of sex--can he "fully bring out the hero": to "live outside class, without relations or money," and to understand that love must be its own reward for an "outlaw" in England.

In many ways, "Maurice" is the least polished of Forster's books--if one judges such things on the basis of prose style and narrative structure alone. Scenes often feel sketched; transitional elements are scant; characters enter and exit the stage willy-nilly. Perhaps because the manuscript was revised in 1960, it has an occasionally minimalist, even modernist tone. Yet the abandonment of traditional considerations suits the story--and Forster has instead created two fully realized characters in what is surely his most caustic, most emotionally raw satire of British manners.

Maurice is one of the greatest books I have ever read. In terms of a gay novel, it is the only one that I can really stand. And it is the best one I have read thus far. This novel helped me to hope and dream at the start of a long sexual journey (I'm still young, so I have a long way to go).
Now, you might wonder for all my high praises, why I didn't give Maurice five stars. Maurice is not a simple a novel as one might figure. It's extremely layered, and more than most novels esp. the 'classics' different people get widely different things from it. If you read it at the surface, you get the story of the sexually confused/frustrated Maurice Hall who falls in and out of love with Clive, and eventually forms a lifelong companionship with Alec Scudder, a man of the lower classes who works on Clive's estate. But if you look closer, then look away real quickly the picture becomes clearer. Archetypes form, and a beautiful story takes shape. It might not come to you like a bolt, but more like a rainy day that floods the passages of the mind until it spills all over.

I must say though that while I commend Mr. Forster for his presence in the literary landscape, but I feel like he didn't work to his potential. I think he was bound by the time he was born in. If he was born nearly 100 years later, Maurice would have been a bestseller and a classic.

Born in 1879 England, E.M. Forster attended King's College at Cambridge; thereafter his family fortune enabled him to live as please. He traveled extensively; dabbled in the celebrated Bloomsbury Group, which included the celebrated Virginia Woolf; and strove to conceal his homosexuality from the general public until his death in 1970. Although he was widely read during his lifetime, a series of films based on his novels prompted a major re-evaluation of his work during the 1980s and 1990s, and he is now considered among the finest English prose stylists of the early 20th Century.

Written in 1913, MAURICE (prounced in the English fashion as 'Morris') was suppressed by Forster during his lifetime, and was not published until 1971--when it made quite a stir by exposing the author's long hidden sexuality through its story of a young homosexual man striving to find his way in late Edwardian England. As a teenager, Maurice Hall is given rudimentary male-female sexual instruction, but finds himself vaguely repelled. He quickly develops a sense of alienation from those around him, an alienation that continues unabated until he enters university and meets Clive Durham. Their relationship begins as aesthetic one, but soon evolves into a physical romance in which Maurice believes he has found peace with himself.

Unfortunately, the pressures of society work to separate the two men: Clive is of a socially well-placed family and is unwilling to reject the social and financial opportunities it affords. He ends the affair and continues on to a respectable yet loveless marriage, leaving Maurice to obsess about their relationship and to seek a way of escape from his own differentness. Ironically, a later chance meeting with Clive not only brings Maurice to recognize Clive's failings, it also has the effect of placing Maurice in the path of a new, more compatible relationship.

Forster's works are inevitably centered on class structure and struggle, and MAURICE is no exception: the demands of class force Maurice and Clive apart; the demands of an overbearing and indifferent society drive Maurice to both devalue himself and to seek a cure for homosexuality. In both instances Forster writes with tremendous power grace and clarity of the unthinking brutalities that Maurice must endure and the novel progresses with great power--but only up to a point, suddenly faultering at the end into a series of deus ex machina devices that are abrupt, artificial, and ultimately implausible.

Even so, the novel must be read within the context of its era. Forster was working distinctly new ground; English literature had produced nothing similar to MAURICE up that particular point, and it would be another three decades or more until such novels as THE CITY AND THE PILLAR began to paint a reasonably realistic portrait of homosexual men and the pressures society exerts upon them. Given this, and in spite of the flaws these circumstances produced, MAURICE is a truly remarkable book; although it is distinctly romantic and rather discreet in tone, in many respects it is as modern as today. Strongly recommended, but primarily to established Forster fans and those interested in gay and lesbian literature.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer
still laughing at the negative voter

This is one of the few books I plan to read again. What a beautiful story. For those of us who have not had a same-sex relationship, it illustrates that, love is just love, the emotions and feelings are the same regardless. This book was impossible to put down yet difficult to finish and say goodbye to.

WHEN TWILIGHT COMES is the story of a strong widowed mother, Marge Hairston, Owner of the Woodmore Times, and her three children, Drogan, Cassandra (Cassie), and Sharon the youngest. Margie is confronted with failing health, and the behavior of her children dealing with the many crisis they're about to face.

There were many secondary characters which brought so much to WHEN TWILIGHT COMES, you could possibly think there was a second book in the future with all these wonderful characters stories.

I've always been a big fan of Ms. Forster books, enjoyed them all, and WHEN TWILIGHT COMES has proven to be another excellent read.

This is the first book I've read by Ms Forster. The book was one of those where you struggle in the beginning and towards the middle-end it finally gets good. Then it's over, leaving you hanging. For the most part I'm glad I read the book. It had some real life situations I could picture actually happening. Some of the situations where rushed and you had no idea what was going on, but went with the flow. I look forward to reading some more of her books.

This novel is about a wealthy/dying/widow/mother who would like for her newspaper business to remain in the family.

Read this well written novel to find out how the three children react to their mother's dying, and which will put their mother and the business first.

Well-written, engrossing, real, and not bogged down by bad editing and typos like numerous other books I've read, this is the best book I've read in a while. I would have given it a '5' if it wasn't for the love scenes, which only reminded me of why I dislike romance novels. That flowery language made me want to gag.

If you like a good story, I recommend this book. Don't be swayed by that unappealing dull cover or the theme of the family falling apart when Mama becomes ill that we've seen in the movies and read in other writer's books in the past five years or so. If the love scenes nauseate you (or make you giggle), skip over them. You'll be glad you did.

I'm impressed enough by this author to look forward to her next book. Hopefully she'll tone down the references to velvet steel and feminine portals and call a spade a spade, if you know what I mean.

Any story depicting family angst, sibling rivalry, intersposed within an entertaining storyline would be conducise to an enjoyable read. When Twilight Comes by Gwynne Forster was one of several books that I've touted as better reads for the year 2002, and in giving this lofty accolade, a lot goes into how I determine books in this class...well-defined characters, a moving an inspired storyline that caters to a viable plot notwithstanding, and whether a book has the symetry in flowing well.

This book has all of it! When faced with a crisis that threatens to tear a well-to-do family apart, Ms Forster gives us a look into a situation that so closely mirrors happenings that would be realistic in life as we see it today -- that of a widowed matriarch on her dying bed having to name a successor to carry on the family legacy, and make sure that the business continue to thrive. In making this choice, Marge Hairston must decide between which of her three grown children she can trust to this task. The characters, Drogan, Cassie, and Sharon lend to the makeup that tackles issues of insecurity, jealousy, competitive mayhem, and behind-the-back conniving that adds to the disengagement of fragile family bonds.

...[plot spoiler]...

The counter affect of Cassie and Drogan giving opinionated views as to why they should've been the ones to be considered first defines the book's illustration of a family gone amok. Ms Forster wastes no time in making this such a poignant read as she gives the characterization a multi-dimentsional presence to weave a storyline that has depth and dynamics.

I liked the cadence of the vernacular of how she were able to make the scenes well worth you wanting to know how it would effect the other characters. In order to ascribe to all that I'm alluding to with this book, one would need to pay attention to the witty dialogue, and how the author paints a good colorful picture in developing both primary and secondary characters. This I surmise to her experience as a writer of countless romance narratives that would give her confidence to give it the flavor needed.

This debut into mainstream fiction will go a long way in readers having the confidence that Gwynne Forster will write with a continuity to give more of the writing style that they may be used to. For Forster fans, this offering is as always perscribed. For those that are reading this author for the first time, it would behoove you to read other novels under her belt to build a following and justify an encore! I urge you to read this book, and judge it for yourself.

Each character is perfect. The women are so loving and the men so caring that they pair up nicely in four sweltering short stories. They live in a fantasy world full of friendship, kindness, and romance. Life is wonderful; no major worries except whether they like and love each other but those never last long. Everybody earns some sort of good income. Everything comes to a faultless ending. Each story involves hot chocolate suitable to the title of the collection. It is a great read before going to bed.

"Hot Chocolate", a compilation of four short romance stories, all focus on one delectable drink to lure their characters together...hot chocolate. I know you must be wondering why I didn't give "Hot Chocolate" five stars. Here's why: Even though I enjoyed all of the stories, I feel that more could've been done with them. I understand that since they are short stories, they're...well...short, but I feel like the progression of the romances were way too rushed. It would've been nice to see the stories a little longer. I'm not saying that "Hot Chocolate" is a bad book, it isn't. In fact, it's very enjoyable. But it was just too short for my tastes. It would be nice to see these stories extended into a full novel one of these days. They are entertaining and it would be nice to explore these relationships a little more. If you DO enjoy short stories though, especially in compilations such as this, I suggest this book. It's got some steamy sex scenes that will be sure to keep you warm.

Actually, half-and-half might be a more appropriate analogy for this quartet of love stories. The first two, by Suzanne Forster and Lori Foster, live up to their billing. The hilarious affair between secretary Abigail and unaware boss Max builds to a delicious climax featuring a striptease! And Lori Foster follows by introducing us to the Winston boys, specifically the eldest, Cole, who is seduced by Sophie twice, once as herself and once as her decadent twin sister. Wonderful characters, delightfully sensual settings - it can't get much better! And unfortunately, it doesn't. While the other two tales are sweet romances, they don't compare well with the crisp sparkle of the first two stories. The plots are bland, and the characters are almost too good to be true. It was worth buying this book for the first two tales, but the second two are a disappointment.

Decadent stories to warm you up on a cold winters night. Just the right amount of comedy and sexiness blended together for the right recipe for love.
"Warm and soothing, sweet and sensual, these luxurious love stories will melt your cares away, and fulfill your most delectable dreams..." the quote on the back of the book hits the mark.
These stories all share a love of chocolate and chemistry. Although the stories may seem short and rushed at times, we must remember, it is an anthology and many feel that way. Each story is a nice little break from the ordinary.
Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. Lori Foster and Suzanne Forster deliver their best as always.

This collection of short stories is about women who share personal insecurities but decide to do something about it. The authors of this anthology take their main female characters and transform them from wallflowers into seductresses. The other thing these stories have in common is the use of chocolate as a plot device serving as some sort of key point in the story.

The sweetest story (no pun intended) of the group is Lori Foster's TANGLED SHEETS. Sophie Sheridan is a business owner who goes to the Winston Tavern every day after work for a cup of hot chocolate. She is attracted to bar owner Cole Winston and she is comfortable with their friendship. She would like to go one step further but she does not want to jeopardize what she already has with Cole. She pretends to have a twin sister named Shelly and she uses this alter ego to do the things that she wishes that she could do as Sophie. If things do not work out she can go back to her safe routine. Cole is intrigued and attracted to Shelly but he is in love with Sophie. He is a bit hesitant around Shelly but when he learns about Sophie's deception he will give her a Valentine's Day she will never forget. Nice and sweet stories for a rainy day.

Is there anyone out there with a more creative mind than OSC? Can't imagine it. After reading Treasure Box (disappointing), this completely restores my faith in OSC as one of our nation's true literary gifts. He has such a unique ability to generate characters a reader can relate to within the first 2-3 paragraphs. Have no idea how he does it. This is a masterpiece of short stories. Can't recommend highly enough. Have told everyone I know to get this and purchased volumes for my daughter and others. Read this collection!

Card's short stories frequently differ thematically from his longer work. While his longer work revolves around free will and human interaction, his short stories are often written for one main point. It's fair, I think, to judge his short stories by how well and interestingly he gets that point across. Actually, I don't always agree with Card himself when he describes his reasons for writing a story. Sometimes I think he's not being completely candid, but mostly I just take a different point from the story than perhaps he concentrated on. These reviews are only for some of his short stories -- the ones in "Maps in a Mirror Vol. 2," which is half of this fine book here.

"Unaccompanied Sonata." The point: suffering for your vision will be recognized, and the suffering is worth it. This is the first piece of work I read by Card, when it came out in Omni in 1979. I didn't even remember his name, and it wasn't until ten years or so later, and after I had read Ender's Game and many of his other works, that I made the connection. Even as a young teenager in 1979, this writing spoke to me like few I had ever read. Maybe the writing plays to the secret beliefs we all have that we're misunderstood geniuses; I don't know. I just know I loved it. Rating: Outstanding.

"Cross-County Road Trip..." The point: the country, in the form of Siggy, needed catharsis and understanding of Nixon, and would be able to achieve it. I take Card at his word that this is the main point of the story. It's interesting to read, but not worth too much as a prism for introspection or even as social commentary. Rating: Good.

"The Porcelain Salamander." The point: love sometimes calls for the ultimate sacrifice, and we should always remember that sacrifice. This story seems almost childish on the surface, but invites reflection. Card really does a masterful job of saying what he wants to say, then getting out, and not being too maudlin. Rating: Excellent.

"Middle Woman." The point: ordinary people, even in extraordinary circumstances, are capable of resolving their own problems. This is in one sense the most humanistic of Card's stories, in that it clings to the belief, which I happen to share, that humans are capable of solving their own problems without reference to metaphysical intervention. Rating: Outstanding.

"The Bully and the Beast." The point: good hearts are overlooked by the mainstream of society, while evil hearts are often celebrated. The point actually gets a little lost in this story, because Card gets carried away with the tale itself. However, he never loses the thread of his point, and in the end, the tale is extremely engaging. Rating: Excellent.

"The Princess and the Bear." The point: true love and false love may be confused in the beginning, but will eventually show themselves for what they are. This story is highly readable, but may not be suitable for children, despite its cutesy title. I don't know if I agree with the premise of this story, but it is told in a very enjoyable manner. Rating: Excellent.

"Sandmagic." The point: revenge is bitter and takes the soul of he who practices it. Once again, Card does not waste time in this story, and deviates little from his theme. Card's point is a point well taken, although I frankly cheered while Cer gets his revenge on Nefyryd. But that's probably a character flaw in myself, rather than a flaw in Card's writing. Rating: Excellent.

"The Best Day." The point: the search for happiness for its own sake will be fruitless; happiness is found indirectly if at all. Card does an adequate job bringing his point home in a short amount of time. I don't know if I agree with this philosophy, but I think it was well presented and worth reading. Rating: Satisfactory.

"A Plague of Butterflies." The point: I'm not sure, perhaps the point is that decisions of momentous consequence sometimes must be made by a person whose conventional morality stops him from doing the right thing. I agree with Card that you really do need to read "Wyrms" to more fully appreciate the story . I don't agree with him that he needed to be more faithful to magical realism, since (a) Card can do anything he wants, he's the writer and (b) magic realism is a writing form that has been considerably abused by many writers, particularly Gabriel Marquez, and why compound the abuse? Overall, this story is too disjointed and abstruse for all but hard-care Card fans, and its theme is muddy at best. Rating: Satisfactory.

"The Monkey Thought `Twas All In Fun." The point: misunderstandings lead to tragedy, even where everyone involved has the best of intentions . Card was way, way too long making his point, and was self-indulgent and needlessly flamboyant in his storytelling. Rating: Unsatisfactory.

I've just made my way through each of the individual books that make up this outstanding collection, and then decided to go back and buy a copy of Maps in a Mirror - just to simplify my collection. As a huge OSC fan, I first read a couple of his short stories through a comparative literature class, and was fascinated by his style...and his ability to draw you in quickly to each of his characters. After reading his book on futuristic Mormon's in a post-apocolypse Western US (Folk of the Fringe), I was hooked. This book is a must have for any OSC fan.

There are only about five major novelists I've encountered the short fiction of and actually enjoyed the work in both areas. I ran across several of these stories in a shorter collection a few years back and read the book to pieces.

"Eye for Eye" and "Kingsmeat" are among the best pieces of short fiction I've ever read the two of them alone are worth the price of the whole collection.

I've always loved collections of short stories, especially when the author includes introductions and afterwords to his works. It really gives the reader a chance to see into the mind of the writer, and to understand what he is all about. Maps in a Mirror succeeds admirably in bringing together the huge spectrum of Orson Scott Card's short stories. For the most part, the stories are thought-provoking and fun. Card's commentaries provide extra insight into how the stories came about.

Some of the stories tend toward long-winded philosophy and moral arguing, which certainly isn't bad, but can become a bit tedious. Still, all of Card's gems are here, as well as many other less famous stories. There's nothing more enjoyable than being able to sit down and delve into a short story that you know you'll be finishing in one sitting. The short story is a world apart from the novel, and Card certainly does the style justice.

I've been hooked on Morrell since "The Brotherhood of the Rose." A master researcher and a brilliant story teller, Morrell can not be pinned down to any one genre. Always fast paced, his tales drag you along like a fish on a hook until the very last page.
-- Mark LaFlamme, author of "The Pink Room."

David Morrell writes sensational masterpiece quality novels which is what I mistook this book to be as it does not state it is short stories on the cover. I had previously been disappointed with Morrell's short stories having read Nightscape another collection of short stories which weren't that great. Black Evening however has higher quality stories than that edition and I was pleasantly surprised. Sure not every story in here is great and I thought it was going to be another collection of shockers when I read the first story The Dripping but there are some gems in here. Black and White and Red All Over is a superb tale from the child narrator who is recounting his experiences of delivering the paper every day and his experiences with the serial killer who abducts paperboys.

The Typewriter deals with an author and a possessed typewriter with a mind of its own, Mumbo Jumbo looks at the pressure of high school sports and what good luck charms can mean to a team. The Storm similar sort of theme to Stephen King's Thinner has a father cursed by a roadside Indian to always be followed by a storm.

I'd recommend reading Morrell's masterpiece novels like The Protector, Burnt Sienna and Long Lost before checking out his short stories but if this is a good price get it too.

Since I really like most of Morrell's books I also had to buy "black evening". Only when I had it in my hands I realized that it is a book of short stories. I got to admit that I am not a great fan of short stories so the book rested in my shelf for years until I recently decided to give it a try.

Each story has an introduction by the author. Here you learn about the background of each story - the motivation for writing it, the circumstances under which the story was written and today's thoughts about it. Furthermore you learn a great deal about the author himself - especially about his grief for the loss of his son at the age of 15 due to cancer.

Since the 15 stories in the book are chronological (1971 - 1992) the reader can also follow the development of Morrell's writing skills. Here I noticed that his earlier stories were neither really good nor fascinating. Especially the ending/conclusion was often kind of incomprehensible so that some parts had to be read again. The later stories in this book are longer and also quite good and I really enjoyed reading them.

In contrast to his normal subject the featured short stories are about fear and mystery. Some of the later stories in the book strongly (!!!) reminded me of Roald Dahl! And I really liked those a lot.

Those of you who happen to like Morrell regardless of the subject he writes about this book can be recommended.
If you are more a fan of stories about spies or killers you might consider if this is what you are looking for.

Morrell (The Brotherhood of the Rose) prefaces all the stories with personal anecdotes and other autobiographical reflections that place them in a meaningful context. In a foreword and afterword, Morrell talks about his career thus far.

Although his novels often include horrific elements, David Morrell rarely deals with the supernatural and macabre in his longer works. Rather, he explores those topics in his shorter work, such as those gathered in his 1999 collection BLACK EVENING. These well-crafted tales, written between 1971 and 1992, are ample credentials for recognizing Morrell's status among the modern masters of horror.

The stories selected for inclusion are presented in order of composition. In Morrell's words, they "wear their age well." "Tales of dark suspense," he continues, "their approach is different from that of my international thrillers. You won't find spies and round-the-globe intrigue here. What you will find are the stark emotions behind that intrigue: fear and trembling."

Fear does indeed lurk at the heart of these stories, and in many
permutations. This may be fear for the safety of your loved ones ("The Dripping"), fear of being exposed as a fraud ("The Typewriter"), or the fear of being caught up in someone else's delusions ("But at My Back I Always Hear You"). Each successive story peers deeper into the dark, revealing just how close at hand it really is. Whether he is writing about an apocalyptic thunderstorm, a high school football team that owes its
success to an idol, or a town paralyzed with fear over the presence of a serial killer, Morrell writes with an edge of the seat immediacy, an urgency that communicates his characters' fears directly to his readers.

How good are these stories? Consider this: the majority found homes in the premier anthologies of the eighties and nineties, including WHISPERS, SHADOWS, NIGHT VISIONS, PRIME EVIL, and DARK AT HEART. If you question the judgment of experienced editors like Charles Grant and Douglas Winter, you can always find assurance in the fact that two of the stories "The Beautiful Uncut Hair of Graves" and "Orange is for Anguish, Blue is for
Insanity," won Stokers for Best Novella. Enhanced by Morrell's revealing Foreword, individual story notes, and Afterword, BLACK EVENING makes for rewarding reading, the kind that keeps you up late into the night. Just don't turn off the lights.