Gibson Books

I enjoyed the book but thought it could have elaborated more. The title was cleaver. Overall good job.

I read the entire book on my flight from FL to NY. My husband served with the 101st in Vietnam and while reading the book, I felt as though all the FEELINGS behind all of the stories my husband had told me, where there in the pages of the book. Anyone who has loved or lost a Vietnam veteran or anyone who has wondered what it was like for these young men, what really was going on in their hearts and minds... HAS to read this book. A lot of vietnam vets don't want to share their thoughts, memories or tears... I thank Pete Griffin for sharing his.

What a wonderful book. A deeply, personal memoir of a soldier's time in Vietnam, his commitment to the brothers who served in the Korean War and the love of his family. Unlike commerical books that have been poured over by professionals, this book is emotional and permeated with love and commitment. As a soldier, Mr. Griffin is obviously committed to his country and fellow soldiers. In my observation over the years, combat soldiers are overly generous in their views toward their leaders. This book is no exception. Mr. Griffin is very charitable toward his leaders, who in my opinion, were not as mindful of their soldier's welfare as they could have been. A wonderful memior and I hope it will be prommoted to many colleges and universities who are teaching about the Vietnam War. I personally appreciated the time and energy such a book must have taken. I'm sure it must have been cathartic for Mr. Griffin. The Vietnam story needs to be told and this book does it in a very different and personal way. I hope many will purchase this book as it is a must read.

Peter S, Griffin has created so much more than just a collection of his prose and memories of the Vietnam War in his book "Thoughts, Memories And Tears: An Anthology of War, Death and Remembrance". This large volume openly exhibits his very naked soul and expresses what is in both his heart and mind.

It is an enthralling anthology of the various parts of Grifiin's life experiences dealing with the war but also has memories and tributes to his brothers. One brother was killed in action in Korea and the other who was an Atomic veteran in the 1950's. The book touches all aspects of being a Vietnam veteran--from combat and losses of friends to PTSD and coming back home.

The book is at times, a inward and compassionate look at a young soldier's heart and interesting look at how those experiences changed the very spiritual fabric of that soul. Veteran readers will be certainly be able to identify with the prose, while those who have never served will find it an emotional education. The book has photos, data, drawings, poetry, and lots of thought provoking words. It is a time capsule of that emotional time of our nation's history.

The author writes with cold hard honesty and reflection on events that still have a lasting impact on his life. It is well worth reading and also gifting to others. The format is easy to read and follow but the reader may have to pause every few pages to get their breath and their emotions back in check. I enjoyed reading it and think others will as well.

This is something new for me,to set down and write a book review because I have not read more than maybe two books in my whole life. I was with peter in the 101st Airborne Div.in 1965 and 1966.in Co.A 2sd/502sd. pete went to viet Nam in a weapons platoon but was soon changed to a rifle paltoon so pete was there with the rest of us line dogs.So read this book and let it open your soul,you can,t get over the fears till you get over tears. WELCOME HOME.. Ronnie Shook jshook@gateway.net

First published in 1915, The Voyage Out is Virginia Woolf's first novel. It begins as Mr. and Mrs. Ambrose embark on a sea voyage for South America. Throughout their voyage and once they reach land there are many characters that float in and out of the text. Indeed, one is not sure who the main characters are until halfway through the novel. Clarissa and Richard Dalloway, the main characters of Woolf's later novel Mrs. Dalloway, even make an appearance.

Once reaching land, Mrs. Ambrose along with her niece, Rachel, explore the environs and make friends with other tourists-notably with two young men, Hewet and Hirst. Here these four friends form several intertwining and interesting relationships that guide us through the rest of the story.

Woolf's style is striking in the almost exclusive use of dialog interspersed with short, vivid descriptions of the characters' inner thoughts. Through this innovative style she is able to communicate, among many other things, a candid and realistic portrayal of the act of falling in love and all emotions that come along with it-heartbreak and loss, desire and contentment, longing and questioning, quiet happiness and quiet despair.

Several interesting details in the novel will strike the modern reader, such as the almost total absence of interaction with the natives. Geographically, the location is supposed to be near the Amazon river system, but Woolf has imagined an Amazon where the natives speak a mix of Spanish and French, the mountains rise majestically out of the sea, and one lights the fire after dinner. While Woolf can easily be criticized for neglecting to research the technical details and for writing only about the upper classes and their manias, to dwell on these issues would be entirely beside the point. E. M. Forster put it best when he described The Voyage Out as "...a strange, tragic, inspired book whose scene is a South America not found on any map and reached by a boat which would not float on any sea, an America whose spiritual boundaries touch Xanadu and Atlantis." ('The Novels of Virginia Woolf', New Criterion, April 1926, 277.)

On a personal note, I'd like to say that my only previous experience with Woolf was reading Mrs. Dalloway for a class in college. Perhaps one must grow into reading Woolf, because I admit I remember almost nothing of this book except that it was boring and depressing. I picked up The Voyage Out expecting much of the same, but how wrong I was! This book is beautiful, one that you will remember long after you read it. I recommend it highly-but not too highly, as making your own discovery of its worth is part of the charm.

For me, after having read Mrs. Dalloway, I quite loathed Virginia Woolf and her experimental style, which defied all styles. This novel was not easy to get through, though much more manageable than her later works because it mimics an actual novel style, rather than her signature, stream of conscious. Then again, I have yet to fully realize this first woeful tale.

To be honest, the only reason I bothered with this first venture of Woolf's was by design rather than my choice. A friend and I decided to form our own book club, and her favorite, of course, was Woolf, and thus, I was committed.

Meet Rachel Vinrace, a twenty-four year old young woman, adrift and impressionable, considered very 'unformed' and vague by those around her. Under the care of her aunt and uncle, Ridley and Helen Ambrose, she journeys across the ocean from England to a resort town in South America, and thrust into a world of humanity and emotion, nature and variegated personalities that are at once overwhelming and instructive. Her birth of understanding, both strange and exciting experiences, Rachel begins to conceive and formulate herself through a series of experimental interactions with her relatives, especially Helen, as well as through colorful, if not seemingly stolid characters from the nearby hotel. Unshaped perceptions leave her breathless yet wiser, and barely does she scrape the surface of life, before it and she are extinguished.

This is a haunting, romantically tragic tale of something gained and then fleetingly, it is all lost, leaving everything, and everyone in turmoil and yet, continuing on. At first, the story is incoherent, boring, at times scattered and frustrating to read. Characters and events which seemed, at first, to have no purpose, at times appearing to be trivial, begin to take shape and form. All these intricately woven pieces which become the very basis in which Rachel can experience her world, the real world and herself. These descriptions of other British people in a remote exotic port is a contrast to Rachel's own growing sense of awareness and independence.

A few chapters are painfully aware and poignant and wonderful, heady and traumatic in its sharp intuitive vocalization of human emotions and realization of defects in human nature itself. And all against the beautiful backdrop of a South America that I, as a reader, have never experienced. You will ask yourself for the first whole half, What Is The Point? And then, like a train wreck, it's there, hitting you in the face, as Woolf weaves people and experiences, emotions and underlying tones of social mores and scripted human behaviors, all of which presses upon every character like a net, and ensnares the reader. It is layer upon layer and easy to miss the subtle influence and connections that Woolf effortlessly weaves and throws right before your eyes. Call it genius or magic, you will be astounded, or numbed. And if you're careful enough, you'll glimpse what Woolf was trying to say.

I for one am still reeling from the sensory onslaught, her words like water over rocks and I have to admit, I loved this book, and I was utterly perplexed by it. It is, like most rare and profound stories, an emotional voyage, filled with symbols and allusions, and something which leaves THAT something inside you, burrowing and forever embedded in your very thoughts. I want to read it again, mark the pages and remember those eerie descriptions of human frailty and human experiences rendered in such a way to leave me breathless and engrossed. It's safe to say, that I am quite taken and can't wait to read the next Woolf story. So read on, good reader, read on, if you dare.

I bought this book because I must own all by Woolf, as a matter of need rather than want--or so I feel. Although I'm able to recognize the shortcomings (far less than my own) that inevitably accompany experimental, modernist work, my opinion of her genius is curiously immune to these objective observations. She is like my literary mother, so I was chastised never to have known this novel existed until I began reading it.

As far as form and structure go, I feel Woolf tries too hard to be conventional: she can't ever quite fit into it properly, and you realize why it took her so long to complete the book. As always, however, she is a master of the character, something I didn't realize until the end, where every character is felt so strongly that I almost cried. I know.

However awkward the overall construction may be, and however much it may drag, you feel the beginnings of her future craft. The climax is it, where she finally catches the pace and throws you mercilessly against the ridiculously shallow aspect of everyday life. And the arbitrary but crushing beauty of love. I dreamt about it for days afterward.

Rachel Vinrace, a young woman not quite acquainted with the ways of the world, accompanies her aunt and uncle (the Ambroses) to South America, where she eventually falls in love with a young aspiring writer. Swirling around this tale of doomed love are the many other characters who all influence each other and are themselves influenced. Most of the novel is about Rachel, but Helen Ambrose is equally central to the story, as a comparison to her niece and in her own internal voyage. Chronicling the inner lives of her characters, Woolf, in her first novel, explores the awakening of first love, the influences of men (and the culture they have control over) upon women, the confusions we as human beings have in our daily communications with others. Originally entitled "Melymbrosia", "The Voyage Out" went through many revisions as Woolf claimed language for her own uses and effectively began a new literature (for her time), where the internal life and the interconnectedness of humanity are the central themes.

This novel is not necessarily the best overall story that I have read in terms of style and content. The plot follows a simplistic, sequential pattern and the supposed climax is not as surprising as it is portrayed to be. Luckily, this is not the reason to read this novel. The Voyage Out is in no way the greatest novel ever written, but the ideas that it represents and the thought that it provokes on topics ranging from imperialism to gender roles in society to love among intellectuals is more than worth the read.

We first meet Rachel aboard her father's ship and from the first conversation we are privey to, it is obvious that she is not an ordinary woman. She in no way realistically approaches her proper place in London Society and of course it is through Woolf's feminist viewpoint that we discover how much more of a human being Rachel can become by not following those patterns. In fact, we are introduced to many women throughout the novel, all ranging in their places from aristocratic wife to single author to inexperienced flirt to old widow and all that is in between. Woolf never truly tells which she prefers, but the reader is given an in depth look into the advantages of each lifestyle.

The men on the other hand are portrayed most basically as heartless, unpitying, logical beings, or in other words, the common man of that time, the common educated man of the time that is. Though each man has his own story, it is only Hewet, the one man who in hindsight acts as a woman, who is able to win the heart of Rachel and in fairness, fall madly in love with also. It is also shown in the end of the novel how there is a certain strength in men, a strength that can be both good and bad. The reader is surprised how some of the men handle disaster while they are dissapointed with how others could be so uncaring.

The character sketches set forth in this book are nothing short of spectacular in everything they represent. I consider myself well read and it is this book that I would say most accurately portrays the idea of falling in love. It is not love at first sight, nor is it a burning passion that cannot be quenched. Instead, it is two ordinary, if not so unonrdianary, people who realize that their lives just might not be the same without each other in it. There are no fireworks, there need be none and as the book is being read, a strange joy begins to creep up inside of one. Then again, all joy is not meant to last forever and I must admit that the lasting impressions is one of depression, not joy. This is not necessarily a bad thing though. Somehow, Woolf is able to show us through a seemingly random cast of 19th century characters that the world today has perhaps not changed as much as we would like to believe and it is that timelessness that makes this novel more than worth the small time it takes to read it

My heart learned from this book. I have no higher praise.

It gripped me from the first page. I just wanted to hold her and Scott in my arms. Scott's use of the grizzly bear prowling through their lives was an amazing truth and analog for the cancer.

Read this book; your heart can always use more courage.

Shakespeare has not written a more compelling tale of love and romance than the story woven through this biographical tale of Scott and Kate's journey through her recovery from cancer and their trek along the Montana Continental Divide Trail. The book is not gushy or explicit but shouts of love while restricting its prose to a description of recovery from cancer and the 900-mile journey. No written expression better captures the feelings of neophytes to long distance hiking.

This is truly a book for 4 day backpackers who yearn to walk the distance of one of the big three North South trails, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Appalachian Trail. There are no gear lists, no suggestions for how to go the distance. There is an exciting and entrancing tale of commitment, uncertainty, fear, and satisfaction as well as a description of the Montana portion of the CDT which will alert all to its beauty, its lack of remoteness, the presence of livestock, and the amount of time spent on roads as well as the feelings concomitant to the presence of grizzlies.

The book is sectioned in a to allow the selection of either the cancer recovery or the trek, or both. Those who have been through traumatic medical conditions of their own may wish to read the trekking portion only; hikers without this experience will find Kate and Scott's commitment to her recovery truly amazing and uplifting.

A neophyte planning a long distance hike can see the problems with logistics of supply and transportation, route finding, grizzlies, and fishing as well as feel the joy of being out for an extended time. Here too is the camaraderie of the trail, trail angels and the scourge of cattle, clear cutting, and OHV's.

Any hiker thinking of their first two week or longer trip will benefit from this easy read; it is uplifting, inspiring and informative.

Crossing Divides is a beautiful love story of a young couple's successful struggle through the wilderness of cancer.

Kate and Scott were a young, athletic, married couple in the prime of their lives when Kate received the diagnosis of cervical cancer. It immediately became "their" cancer.

Their love of wilderness and their desire to return to nature became the focal point of their healing process. Kate and Scott take us along on their post-treatment hike though the beauty of Montana's section of the Continental Divide while relating the story of their cancer ordeal.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants an insight into cancer and everything that relates to it. I especially liked the story because they won.

This book gives hope to anyone who has had to deal with cancer. Katie and Scott fought a tremendous battle against "their recurrent cancer" and came out as the victors by always staying in control of their choices in treatment and caregivers. They researched all their options completly and came up with a plan that would work best for them in beating the odds. I say "their cancer", because Scott was there through each and every step, supporting Katie, so she was never alone. This is a love story between a couple who have great strength and determination, as shown by the parallels of their battle with cancer and the journey they took on the Continental Divide trail of Montana soon after Katie's treatments. It is also a great book for any outdoor enthusiast who loves nature and a happy ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Meeting a grizzly on the trail is terrifying. So is battling cancer. Scott Bischke's creative mind connected these two fears and the result is the cleverly interwoven story Crossing Divides. This true-life tale recounts the trials and triumphs of Kate's (Scott's wife) battle and eventual victory over cancer. Their celebration takes them home to the Continental Divide for an adventurous traverse across their home state of Montana. The challenges of each journey show us the power of attitude in all endeavors. Crossing Divides is a riveting read that does not gloss over the tough parts of life - it infuses them with the hope and strength to persevere.

"Dr. Wortle's School" was a serial novel published in the May through
December 1880 issues of "Blackwood's Magazine" The short novel runs to just over 200 pages. The elderly Trollope wrote it in just over two weeks.
The story concerns a moral dilemma. It is set in Dr. Wortle's preparatory school for boys eager to get into Oxford or Cambridge. An assistant teacher arrives in the school. The Rev. Mr. Peacocke and his lovely American "wife" are well liked in the small school. Dr. Wortle is a big and friendly man much like Trollope was himself.
The Rev. Peacocke was teaching in St. Louis when he befriended a woman whose husband was reportedly killed in San Francisco. The couple wed only to have the supposed dead husband show up! They were, therefore, involved in a bigamous situation. When this was revealed,Mr. Peacocke left for America to discover what had happened. Mrs. Peacocke was befriended and allowed to stay at the Wortle school.
The incident was initiated when the shabby Robert Lefoy the brother of the dead husband Ferdinand arrived in the Wortle school. He and Mr. Peacocke traveled to America where the grave of Ferdinand was discovered. Learning this important fact the Peacockes were married in London by Dr.
Wortle. All ended happily for the couple.
In a slight secondary plot the love between Mary Wortle the good doctor's daughter and the wealthy Lord Carstairs is examined. Despite the class differences the couple are in love with their union being approved by their respective parents.
Scandal is always around the corner with the repugnant gossip the odious Mrs. Staniloup. She accuses Dr. Wortle of befriending the socially unacceptable Peacock couple and seeks to broadcast the news in the town and the newspapers.
Trollope is best known for his Barsetshire and Palliser novels which are huge Victorian three deckers. This slight work is a good place to begin your study of a great novelist and chronicler of the clergy and law professions in nineteenth century England.

This novel, one of Anthony Trollope's shortest, deals with a scandal that arises when the bigamous marriage of school teacher Mr. Peacock and his supposed wife is uncovered. In the moral climate of Victorian England, the repercussions of that discovery spread swiftly and severely. The fallout not only harms the Peacocks, but schoolmaster Dr. Wortle and the reputation of his school. The story dwells less upon the secret bigamous marriage itself than upon the the moral dilemma resulting from it: whether something that seems on the surface to be immoral is in truth not really a sin. Dr. Wortle, rather than the Peacocks, is the central character of the story. It is through his fair and compassionate eyes that the reader ponders whether the relationship between Mr. Peacock and his "wife" was really less sinful than any other choice available to the couple. His views are contrasted to those of the Church and to the society as a whole.

Trollope introduces a note of levity to the story with a side plot concerning the love between Dr. Wortle's daughter Mary and young Lord Carstairs, a student at the school. Trollope also takes some interesting potshots at America, particularly the lawlessness and licentiousness of the American West. A good introduction and footnotes to the novel provide background information on Trollope's ideas and personal life, and how they are reflected in the story. If you are hesitant to try a novel by Trollope, this would be a good one to start with.

Trollope gets in his digs at Victorian hypocrisy in more of a forthright manner than his lengthier novels. Both Dr. Wortle and Mr. Peacocke stick to their guns in not getting in a tizzy over the "technicality" of the bigamous marriage, until the situation can be properly sorted out. I wasn't as wild about the romantic sub-plot as others, finding it a distracting method of filling out the book.

In 'Dr. Wortle's School' Anthony Trollope takes on a very controversial and scandalous subject, that of a bigamous marriage. With a very even hand Trollope allows us to see into the motivations of his characters and truly come to understand why they've done the things they've done, and how they justify their actions. Instead of preaching religion, which clearly isn't Trollope's style, he chooses to take a more liberal look at the underlying morality of the actions of his characters. 'Dr. Wortle's School' has a very modern ring for a Victorian novel, and the themes and characters could easily have been depicted by Joanna rather than Anthony Trollope. Add to that the mysterious tone of Wilkie Collins and you have a very satisfying Victorian novel.

Dr. Wortle's School is basically the story of two couples in love and how their affections disrupt the tranquil setting of the school. The main plot revolves around Dr. Wortle's "usher" or school assistant, Mr. Peacocke and his wife. A scandal from their past threatens their happiness. The second, very minor, plot is the love story between Dr. Wortle's daughter, Mary and the good-natured Lord Carstairs.

The joy of the novel is watching Dr. Wortle deal with these crises. Will he stand by Mr. Peacocke in his time of need? Will he allow his daughter to become engaged to the very young Lord Carstairs? The answers to these questions and the reactions of the other characters are handled in the typical Trollope fashion, with compassion and common sense. Sprinkle the whole thing with deft strokes of humor and you have what is Dr. Wortle's School.

As I mentioned in my review of Castle Richmond, I am amazed what a modern thinker Trollope was. His reputation as a "old-fashioned" author is entirely undeserved. In a day and age (late 1870s)when actions and image were everything, where a hint of scandal could ruin a person, it must have seemed radical to stress that persons should be judged as much on their "nature" or character as anything else. This is one of those general notions that could be applied just as well in 2000 as in 1878.

You might wonder, given what I have already said, why I give Dr. Wortle's School four stars. When you compare them to his towering Last Chronicle of Barset, Orley Farm and The Way We Live Now, it seems a slight injustice to those five star books to give all the others five stars. Dr. Wortle's School is very readable certainly, but it does not quite obtain the status of "masterpiece" that these other novels can claim. As always, Trollop's humor, dialogue, and characterizations make this an enjoyable novel that can be recommeded to anyone.

I'm a Henry VIII nut. I have quite a few books on him - from the recent historical fiction ones to old library tomes almost too dry to read. And I love historical fiction about England, particularly when the - what's the word I'm looking for? it's eluding me at the moment - their speech is true to form.

This is not quick reading, and yet it seemed like the book was finished in nothing flat. It does for Katherine Howard's reputation what Sharon Kay Penman did for Richard III's and the twins in the tower (the antithesis of shakespear's play.) Who's to say what the truth is? Because history potrays Richard as a power hungry, murdering rogue (except for a sect of people these days who are out to clear his name), and Katherine (except in this book) has always been said to be a wanton and promiscuous woman.

In The Fifth Queen, however, her character is wise and virtuous; but that Henry would have her as his wife, she'd have gone to a nunnery by choice. She believes strongly in the Catholic God and sees it as her mission to return Henry to Rome and to Catholocism and to persuade his daughter to reconcile with him.

But she's too innocent and good-hearted for those at court, who are always thinking of themselves and what's to their best advantage. As restoration of the Catholic faith would re-instate to the church lands and riches previously taken, those who are Lutheran would be left without what they gained when Henry became head of church and state. So Katherine must be dispensed with by whatever means possible.

Thus Ford's quite rational and lucid explanation for history's version of her background.

It's no secret that Henry was "not such a one who {could} stay the wind," as she puts it, and indeed, throughout my readings, that seems the essence of him: big and powerful on the outside, small and unsure on the inside; a man who has the power to get what he wants when he wants it, but best walk softly because he may change his mind tomorrow. Mercurial at best. I wonder if he'd be on prozac these days?

He's under the impression he's saved her and now they'll be together, but he's missed the irony of what he's put forth and arranged. Her speech in the final pages of the book is moving and borne of a wisdom you'd be hard pressed to find today, especially in one so young.

On an entirely different note, she was apparently beautiful. But have you ever noticed the paintings from that era? Check out the paintings of her - and his other wives by various artists. There doesn't seem much difference in the attractiveness of Anne of Cleves, Catherine of Aragon, Katherine Howard and Anne Boleyn, for instance. And Hans Holbein, who did quite a number of portraits of royal family members, was supposed to be the finest painter - and easy to belive that. His portrait of her is far superior to any of the others (not the miniature that is apparently actually Jane Seymour's sister), and Cromwell and Moore practically jump off the canvas. I dunno. The "beautiful" woman all look rather unattractive, if you ask me.

Ford Madox Ford's "The Fifth Queen" - actually a collection of three separate novels - is a fictionalized account of the fifth wife of England's Henry VIII, Katharine Howard. As A.S. Byatt explains in her Introduction, "This figure bears little relation to what we have about the real Katharine . . ." and thus the reader should be conscious that Ford's Katharine - a young, pretty, pious woman who yearns for a return to Catholicism after Henry's split with Rome - is strictly fictional. That said, the only real failure of this work is that Katharine is the least appealing, least interesting character; we first meet her as a dispossessed ingenue seeking entrance to Henry's court around the time of his disasterous fourth marriage to Anne of Cleves, and it is this description which will follow her throughout the book. Even as she becomes Queen, it is almost by accident, surviving the machinations of Cromwell, Lord Privy Seal and the recklessness of her devoted cousin Culpepper. She is Queen by default. She constantly protests that all she seeks is a Catholic England - the "old ways" - and yet throughout she resigns herself to letting events happen to her, as if she cannot control the consequences of her own life. Indeed, her final speech to Henry where she confesses to an adultery which did not occur, becomes her last fatal act of passivity, for which she pays with her life. She cannot see that there are those who wish to help her and that her naive, narcissistic piety does not have to be her ruin. What holds these novels together is the rich supporting cast: the aforementioned Cromwell, who has his own sovereign Protestant image of England, free from the entanglements of Rome. There is the brooding Princess Mary, Henry's daughter by his first wife, who knows how to carry a grudge for her mother's divorce, the super-spy Throckmorton, the lecherous Magister Udal and more. Ford uses Katharine to show that the blind commitment to an ideal - any ideal - will only result in failure, that this world is more than ideas and faiths, but of people who are imperfect, people who will fail. It is a world five hundred years in the past, but it is also our own.

Fans of Tudor history will enjoy this meaty volume which delivers a very different take on the life of Queen Katherine Howard...she is hardly the hysterical and promiscuous girl so often depicted. Especially interesting characterizations of "Bloody" Mary Tudor and Henry VIII, as well. Strictly for fans of the subject, however, or otherwise tedious reading.

I saw Ford's THE FIFTH QUEEN recommended on a history discussion board. I must say that I am close to agreeing with the assessment that it is the best historical romance of the twentieth century. It is certainly one of the best. Ford contends that what Katherine's death was really all about is that as a Catholic, she was trying to get Henry VIII to reconcile with the Church of Rome. She was close to succeeding and the reformers did not want that to happen. Her male friends were tortured until they admitted to dilly-dallying with her before marriage and after her marriage. Getting other people to agree with the testimony of the tortured men was no difficult feat. And so Katherine was condemned as a slut and whore.

Ford alludes to the fact that while Katherine may have been violated in some was as a young girl, it is also clear that Henry was aware that she had a Past and he did not care. Ford's Katherine is about 18 years old but Alison Weir says she may actually have been only fifteen. Ford portrays her as witty and bright, which makes sense since Henry was not attracted to stupid women; he enjoyed the repartee with a lively, witty damsel, especially over theological matters. Katherine had the charm of her cousin Anne Boleyn, with a great deal more sweetness; she also had the magnificent red-gold hair of the Plantagenets. Henry was repeatedly drawn to women with such hair, such as all three of his Katherines.

Ford brings Katherine to life as no one else - engaging, impulsive, and valiant. This coincides with what Alison Weir writes about her efforts to help imprisoned Catholics, especially her husband's cousin Bl. Margaret Pole. She is loving to her much older husband, to whom she was genuinely attracted, in Ford's novel. As her tragedy unfolds, she is ready to immolate herself for what she sees as a higher cause. Henry's heartbreak when he sees he must lose her is captured by Ford in a very moving manner. Henry does not believe the charges of adultery (Katherine was never found guilty of breaking her marriage vows) and wants to annull his marriage to her so that she can live as his mistress. Katherine must choose between dishonor in life or dishonor in death.

There seem to be few if any portraits of the fifth queen; what portraits still exist are dubious. Those who destroyed her also tried to destroy all evidence that she had lived, even as the altars of the old religion were being broken and defaced. However, the real Katherine lives in Ford's amazing trilogy, which is as vivid a work of art as any painting.

Intrigue and romance in the court of Henry VIII
Katherine Howard, armed only with education, wit and honesty, becomes the Fifth Queen, Henry VIII's fifth wife in this amazing historical trilogy. The plot-ridden court comes to vivid life as everyone high and low maneuvers for advantage. Everyone except Katherine Howard, whose unwillingness to scheme will make her queen and defenseless at the same moment. Even knowing the general story this is a fascinating and occasionally shocking novel, with a stunning ending...

We are doing this book in my women's Bible Study, one chapter of Luke a week. It is being very well received by the ladies and someone comments each week on how much they like his commentary. It precipitates great discussions and we are all learning more each week.

Thank You! Great Seller, fast shipping. Perfect Condition! Will shop with again and again! :)

I used this as my study while teaching the Gospel of Luke to a Sunday School Class. This commentary made my lessons fill with great background and history. The outlines are built into the book and ready to use as a template for a lesson. This is one of the best for teaching on a weekly basis or for preaching.

Though criticized by others in the scholarly guild for not producing enough "scholarly" papers/ books/ commentaries, Barclay is beloved by the average person in the pew because of the insightfulness of his prose. As a classicist he always offers just the right comment to help the reader understand, and appreciatively so, the text. There are other commentaries, more learned, more massive, perhaps more scholarly, but none with the real appreciation and insight from one who so loved God's Word as Barclay. We are the better for his having come our way, and continue to be in his debt for the incisiveness of his thoughts.

Barclay is one of the most insightful commentators of the New Testament. Written about 50 years ago, much of the background information and schalorship in his commentaries are outdated. Sometimes he stretched historical/cultural background too much to explain the text. Conservative readers should be aware that Barclay was a universalist (one who believes that all people will be saved ultimately). He does not believe in miracles and tries to explain them away in his commentaries on the Gospels. However, his comments on the relevance of the Bible can still be very valuable for discerning readers.

Advanced students would not need be told where to find more updated scholarship on NT Bible. Beginning students should get Tom Wright's "Luke For Everyone" or Trent Butler's volume on Luke in Holman New Testament Commentary series instead of Barclay's. Tom Wright's work is based on much more updated scholarship, and his writing style is very engaging. The volume on Luke in NIV Application Commentary series is written by Bock, one of the leading scholars on Luke. It provides excellent exegesis, though ironically, the application sections are not as strong. Mainline/liberal readers should check out the New Interpreter's Bible.

My daughter fell in love with the movie and she loves books so we just had to get this. Very funny.

a movie tie-in.

This is in the same vein as after school specials. Once a gain the individual puny brat knows more than his parents and peers. However it was well done and not fly by night. You can tell this is a vampire movie because Anna Popplewell as Anna Sackvill-Bagg is always vamping Jonathan Lipnicki.

The cows make the movie as they mostly hang around in the barn and at a static point deposit nitrogenous waste on the windscreen of the bad guy's vehicle; then they snicker at the prospects.

To distract those older nippers watching this film there is Alice Krige. You can feel the electricity as she controls them and mesmerizes the viewer.

Lots of action with unexpected ending.

The Little Vampire by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg and Nicholas Waller is the novelization of the movie of the same name (currently in theaters), which is based on the children's series by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg.

In this version of the story, elements that were not explored at great length in the film are able to be fleshed out more completely, giving the story a more well rounded feel. Also, there are several events which were excluded from the film altogether, including an ending with a shocking twist!

A nice touch also was how well Sommer-Bodenburg handled the changes between the characters as she created them and the way they were molded to fit the confines of the script. The vernacular of the book is a bit different from the film (which is a good thing), but it still suits the storyline very well.

If you or your children enjoyed the movie than this is a perfect extension which is sure to become a family favorite. If you haven't seen the film but are a big fan of Sommer-Bodenburg's series (or even if you just love vampires), then I highly suggest you give both the book and the movie a try. While it is true that the movie is quite different from the original books, the story that is told is still a good one (Sommer-Bodenburg herself says that they have "remained true to the spirit of my story").

I from Germany and i got my first Little Vimpire Book from my Goodmother. I can just say it was one of the books of my life. And i have all the books from the story of the littel vampire. So I also bought that one wich i have to say it is allright but by fare not so good then the original once. Its still worth to buy and read it even when u r over 20 years or older u will love the stories of the littel Vampire

If so then you will love this movie I did and personaly I think there should be a sequal.

This is a lesser-known classic that deserves more recognition that it gets. It is a novel about the plight of single "old maid" women during the victorian era. Back then, women who would not or could not get married were condemned to a life of poverty and despair. They survived only by working in sweat shops and nearly starving to death. They were the objects of ridicule and amusement, fear and anxiety. This book delves into all of these facets and also that of the misery of married women who marry a man only to avoid being single. Although the book has a strong feminist bent, it is still good reading and opens one's eyes to the ill treatment that women formerly underwent in times past and the shocking attitude of society.

If you haven't already, read this book NOW. It is as relevant today as it was the day it was written, the day I first read it as a ninth-grader, and the 5-10 times I've read it since. I have been recommending this remarkable book to serious readers for 25 years and have never heard anything but praise for this incisive social commentary that is as important a work as all the "important" books everybody has heard of (think Edith Wharton, Ernest Hemingway, J.D. Salinger, Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Theodore Dreiser, etc.) except most people have never heard of it. Read and recommend!

The other review posted and the editorial reviews do a much better job than I could in summarizing this story. However, I would like to comment on its insight & current applicability.

As mentioned, "The Odd Women" is about the women who don't get married for one reason or another. In the Brittish Victorian era, there was still a strong stigma against such women...that their one true goal & purpose in life is left unfulfilled. You enter into this cultural assumption almost as soon as you pick up the book.

What is new in this book was the very beginnings of the feminist uprising. Women were starting to rebel against such unfortunate and uncontrollable circumstances in their lives. And they began - out of financial considerations - to learn more masculine disciplines in order to make their own way in the world. At first, you think that this is encouraging and will naturally lead to peace & prosperity for the women...after a bit of struggle to raise the glass ceiling enough to get the women in the doorway.

I think where Gissing goes with the novel, however, is spectacular. Rather than showing such ideal outcomes, Gissing shows through Monica's character that the issue of women having careers wasn't just a matter of training. Women did not look to salvation through work. Most secretly longed for marriage while they were being trained, and some couldn't even focus their minds enough to take in the education. As shown through Monica's character, the women still would rather be trapped in loveless marriages than work.

In addition to developing this kink in the feminist plan, Gissing develops Rhoda's character in an even more dynamic manner. His insight into her strict, stiff, uncaring manner was piercing. He showed how her facad was based on her need to prove herself worthy in some manner; and this need rose from her not having received the attentions from a man. By bringing a desirable man into her life, Rhoda's whole philosophical system breaks down. The power struggle between these two is worth reading, even if a little masculine in its outcome.

In this way, Gissing continues to unveil how dependent these women's worlds still were on men. Even if they didn't want to be...even if they didn't have the choice to be, an idealic philosophy alone could not change these women's most secret desires and nature. It's a disturbing realization to behold.

But Gissing isn't degrading women. His insight is penetrating...especially for a man of his times...but he balances out his story well. He shows in a good way how a professor's long-awaited marriage helps him to become a much more fulfilled, well-rounded man. And, though pathetic, Monica's husband is clearly lonely & lost without a woman by his side. Gissing shows the men in this tale to be completely as in need of women (and desirous of companionship with them) as the women are of men.

In this way, Gissing's revelations lead one to somber despair. One realizes that the feminist uprising comes not out of a desire to truly work but out of an economic need and dignity of women for whom things did not work out. The story is not one of an pioneering spirit but rather of resignation to how things don't always work out and how people slip through the cracks.

Thus, while the historical and sociological insight Gissing provides is invaluable, his story has much to say in our times as well...and he says in such a way that I don't think most would have the courage to now.

"In The Odd Women there is not a single major character whose life is not ruined either by having too little money, or by getting it too late in life, or by the pressure of social conventions which are obviously absurd but which cannot be questioned." --George Orwell

George Gissing was a very odd man himself. Despite the fact that all his novels deal with social issues of the day, notably women, money, and class relations, he was neither a socialist nor a social reformer. He simply described in novels what he knew of degredation, misery, and the tortures "respectable" English society inflicted upon its outcasts and marginal figures. In The Odd Women Gissing chose to focus on the predicament of the extra females of Britain's disproporionate population ratio. These were the "odd" women who would never be matched with a man. Gissing's Madden sisters endured a representative sampling of the a dreary employment opportunities available for genteel but impoverished women in the 1890s. Of the two eldest Madden sisters, Alice was a governess until her health broke down; Virginia was lady's companion (poorly-paid drudge to an elderly tyrant) who has suffered from "mental lassitude" and taken to secret drinking. Another sister, a luckless "hard-featured" girl, is dead before the story begins; she taught in a girl's school until she committed suicide in despair. Monica, the youngest and only good-looking sister, spends twelve to sixteen hours a day on her feet in a large dry-goods shop and lives in an unsanitary dormitory with other shopgirls, some of whom supplement their wages by prostitution. Her sisters fear that Monica's health will also break down under this regime, and that she will lose her looks and her chance of marriage.

Enter Miss Rhoda Nunn and Miss Elinor Barfoot, two enterprising women who have founded a school to teach "odd" women business skills to enable them to compete economically, or at least rise above the general level of ill-paid drudgery. Barfoot and Nunn are early feminists; they wish to live and teach other women to live without feeling diminished by their unmarried status. Monica Madden considers enrolling in their school, but she has managed to meet and attract a man, a middle-aged bachelor named Widdowson, whom she marries instead. The substance of the novel involves the wreck of Monica's life following her disastrous marriage, and Rhoda Nunn's struggle to deal with her relationship with a man she is attracted to, but whom she cannot marry or live with without suffering diminishment and the loss of her role as a teacher and leader.

Gissing's book is a serious and sympathetic treatment of the much-discussed "woman question," and written from a point of view somewhat in advance of his time. The Odd Women has been mostly out of print for the last hundred years, and it is to be hoped that the recent appearance of three new editions heralds a long-delayed recognition of its merits.

Mr. Gissing's tome of feminine insanity: the fickleness,
the crass behavior, and women's inability to balance mind and matter: All encompass how women have not changed through time.

Excellent, short book. This is a must read for anyone interested in donkeys, The Cevennes, or Robert Louis Stevenson.

R.L. Stevenson writes here the first account of a touristic journey in France. He is the first modern tourist. He penetrates and discovers the country and the people of what he calls the Lozère, this mountain range in the south of The Central mountains in France, a range of mountains that was the locale of a protestant rebellion at the very beginning of the eighteenth century, severely repressed by Louis XIV. These protestant insurgers are known as the Camisards. Stevenson tries to discover the landscape, the natural setting of this insurrection and tries to show how the insurrection was connected to the very nature of these mountains. He also shows how no repression can change a person or a population. These old Camisards are still alive in the memory and the customs and ways of the protestant population of this region. It is the survival of this faith that interests and fascinates Stevenson. He also notices that the catholics and the protestants, at the time of his travels, lived in harmony but with an absolute divide between the two communities. A young catholic man who married a protestant girl and changed his faith in the process was unanimously condemned for this breach of loyalty. This book is also a perfect example of what tourism can and must be : the discovery of the visited people's mentality, culture, way of life, and the connection of these with the surrounding nature, and not only a quick look at monuments and other (un)perishable. One has to live with the people, no matter how little, to eat the people's food and to be in contact with the people in order to discuss general and particular subjects and to understand their way of thinking and behaving. Thus tourism becomes an adventure even in the heart of the most civilized country and only a couple of miles away from a railroad.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

In the late 1870s, Robert Louis Stevenson needed cash to break dependence on his parents so he could go to the woman he loved (and they did not). A chronic invalid, he also needed adventure. He decided to do some travel writing and one such trip is recounted in TRAVELS WITH A DONKEY. He headed off to the remote Cevennes mountain range of south central France and got himself kitted out nicely, so nicely, he needed assistance in carrying everything. Enter Modestine, a donkey. He might as well have attempted to harness and pack up a cat. Thus, to a deft narrative that works in powerful landscape description, sketches of country folk met along the way, and a revisiting of the region's dramatic history, he adds the self-deprecating wit that would become a model for his 20th century counterparts like Peter Fleming, Eric Newby, and Bill Bryson. Though his commentary moves along at a swift but casual gait, it builds a tension on the upside, beginning with the age-old legend of the murderous Beast of Gevaudan that haunts a neighborhood where he finds the peasantry by turns hostile and friendly and accommodations primitive. Near the summit, a visit to a monastery introduces the religious theme that will attend his descent into the beautiful land of the Camisards, the friction between Protestants and Catholics that erupted into a tragic civil war in the first decade of the 18th century. Stevenson does a fine job of sorting out the history and evoking the awe that comes with visiting the deceptively bucolic scene. No wonder this book has continued to inspire: it often appears on recommended lists and it prompted Romantic biographer Richard Holmes to retrace the journey early in his career, a century later, complete with a donkey of his own (see his book FOOTSTEPS). The critical introduction to this edition is worthwhile.

Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes (1878) is among the earliest published works of Robert Louis Stevenson, and yet it is in no way inferior to his later writing that established his fame. In fact, this delightful account of Stevenson's solo trek in the Cevennes Range in south central France ranks among the best travel literature in the nineteenth century.

Wishing not to advertise that he would be camping alone in remote areas, he chose not to travel with a tent. Instead, he designed a sleeping sack some six feet square, made of green water-proof cart cloth without and blue sheep's fur within. This commodious bed was too heavy to carry, and thus Stevenson acquired a donkey, one Modestine.

Stevenson and Modestine for twelve days were close companions, traveling some 120 miles over several mountain ridges, along rocky roads, and even through boggy marshes. The stubborn Modestine was never quite convinced that the journey was entirely worth the effort, but nonetheless Stevenson and Modestine eventually became fast friends.

Stevenson actually found lodging most nights, including a stint at a monastery, Our Lady of the Snows, allowing him not only to sleep more comfortably, but to share meals with strangers. Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes is as much about the people Stevenson encountered as about his adventuresome travels through this remote region of France. My only criticism of this short account, a little more than one hundred pages, is that it is not twice as long.

Stevenson was familiar with the history of the Cevennes, especially the Protestant-Catholic strife under Louis XIV that eventually resulted in a Protestant rebellion in 1702. With the passage of nearly two hundred years, the Protestants and Catholics were now living peacefully together, although these two peoples seldom mixed socially and intermarriages were quite rare. Stevenson himself was Protestant, and while staying at the monastery his hosts made sincere efforts to convert him to the Catholic faith.

The young Robert Louis Stevenson was a rare individual that truly enjoyed life, one that was continually fascinated with his chanced acquaintances. Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes is delightful and amusing, but at the same time it is equally successful as a thoughtful examination of the people of the Cevennes, isolated by both mountainous geography and a minority religion.

If you want to discover a beautiful and wild French region through the eyes of a Scottish writer, read Travels with a donkey. Stevenson, before he became famous, depicted his journey in the cevennes, with his donkey "Modestine". Rediscover the excellent style of a young writer about to become world-wide-known.

I too read a book by this title 50 years ago, but this does not seem to be the same book. Perhaps the author or publisher could post some information explaining the relationship, if any, to the earlier book by Warren Hastings Miller, with the same tile and the same plot. I would be very interested.

I read this story fifty years ago when I was a teenager. I would strongly recommend this book to all young people as a guide for self reliance and living skills. The mental pictures I formed as I read the story are still clear and sharp in my mind. My life has been enhanced by this book.

On a similar note, I would recommend all the works written by Daniel P. Mannix. His animal stories are based on reality and are written for people of all ages who are still young at heart. He wrote "Fox and the Hound" and many other good works.

I highly recommend this story to anyone who enjoys the outdoors and good adventure. This would make a great gift idea for any children on your gift list - there is no vulgarity or unseemly content - also valuable lessons about applying what you learn from more experienced people. Gibson does a great job of creating an actually believable survival story of a young boy who must rely on his wits, and not supernatural intervention, when he is stranded in the Canadian wilderness with his dog and just his 'two hands and a knife.' I hope anoher Gibson novel will be available soon!

OK, so when will we get to see the movie? The technique of switching back and forth between Ian and Wolf's ordeal and those of their family and friends was extremely effective. The author did a wonderful job of creating a strong sense of the emotions and sensations the characters were experiencing as well as evoking the same in the reader. I'm still waiting for my feet to thaw out... I felt so sorry for Elizabeth, and there was nothing I could do about it. To the author I say, "well done". To the publisher I say, "your lucky this author chose you". To Amazon.com I say, "thanks for offering the book". I will be watching for another book by Terry E. Gibson. Just don't make me wait too long.

Truly a great 'read'. The boy and his dog (which is half wolf) trying to survive in the wilderness kept me going from page to page and not wanting to put it down. The anguish of the family found me with a tear in my eye. And...the whole country being riveted to the news about the boy and his dog I found compelling!
I found it interesting that most of the characters in the story are not described, nor is there a mention of the time frame or date. The author has wittingly allowed the reader to 'paint' his own mental picture of what the players look like and when this happened. I like this aspect of the book enormously. The author can 'hold his head high' in the 'good taste' department, as well.
There are no off-color remarks or foul language to be found and parents everywhere should encourage their children to read this book. My hat is off to the author and only wish I could see the movie.