Walsh Books

I liked the book, has hundreds of oil paintings and many of the watercolors of Homer, about everything that has to do with the sea where it is a true master. The reason for placing four stars and not five is not that there are so many color illustrations of every page, as expect of a large book. But like is a very good buy for lovers of Homer

Too often museums and writers take the prodigious output of the 19th century American artist Winslow Homer lightly, even at times dismissing him as inconsequential in the mainstream of important art. This magnificent volume whould change that once and for all.

Essayists and curators Nicolai Cikovsky and Franklin Kelly, with significant contributions by writers Judith Walsh and Charles Brock, have not only created a superb collection of Homer's works in all media, they have also taken the time to reevaluate Homer in terms of his place among his colleagues of his day, his subsequent isolationism when he communicated with nature along the coast of Maine, creating come of the most mystically beautiful works form an American artist, and an overview of how history has treated him.

The result is a hefty volume with more valuable insights and well written essays that for once truly illuminate the images generously placed throughout the volume. This may have started out to be a catalogue to accompany a traveling exhibition, but its long shelf life is assured by the high quality of every aspect of the book. Highly recommended for art lovers and art historians alike. Grady Harp, January 06

As an Art student, venturing into watercolor recently, I received this book as a gift. I truly gained much information about the artist and the additon of color plates (90+) make this a complete reference guide. The author has separatedhis works into catogories by subject matter.The intro- duction reviews his travels, family life,interests,educa-tion,recognition and awardsduring his lifetime. A brief review proceeds each Chapterwhich then is visually supp-orted by wonderflul,colorful plates of Winslow works of that subject. The Chapters are Civil War, Sea PaintingsTropics, Adirondonck and Canada, and Prout's Neck,Me. He was an extraordinarypainter of various mediums,and always captured the 'atmosphere' in his workswhether it was stormy seasoff the coast of Maine, placid lakes in the mountains, clear skies in the tropics or children at play at that time. Fortunately, he was an artist who was noticed during his lifetime and rewarded with fame before his demise at age 74, having enjoyed his love of his work. I would highly recommend this hard cover version, to any art lover or student of the arts. I will plan to purchase this publication for my son, and perhaps a friend in the near future.

I'd been looking for a book about Winslow Homer for a while and was delighted to find this one. Kate Jennings' copy about his life and art are very good and the 68 color prints are large and on glossy paper. The prints are not top notch, but very nice. If you're looking for a nice collection of Homer's work without breaking the bank, this is for you. (This review pertains to the Winslow Homer book by Kate Jennings. Alas,I havn't seen the one by Nicolai Cikovsky.)

As an Art student, venturing into watercolor recently, I received this book as a gift. I truly gained much information about the artist and the additon of color plates (90+) make this a complete reference guide. The author has separatedhis works into catogories by subject matter.The intro- duction reviews his travels, family life,interests,educa-tion,recognition and awardsduring his lifetime. A brief review proceeds each Chapterwhich then is visually supp-orted by wonderflul,colorful plates of Winslow works of that subject. The Chapters are Civil War, Sea PaintingsTropics, Adirondonck and Canada, and Prout's Neck,Me. He was an extraordinarypainter of various mediums,and always captured the 'atmosphere' in his workswhether it was stormy seasoff the coast of Maine, placid lakes in the mountains, clear skies in the tropics or children at play at that time. Fortunately, he was an artist who was noticed during his lifetime and rewarded with fame before his demise at age 74, having enjoyed his love of his work. I would highly recommend this hard cover version, to any art lover or student of the arts. I will plan to purchase this publication for my son, and perhaps a friend in the near future.

This book explains ponzi scheme after ponzi scheme, in an interesting, informative way. The people who run these schemes (called "perps") use seemingly endless variations but it all comes down to the same thing: robbing peter to pay paul. The perp offers a guaranteed return on investment, usually an outrageous amount, usually in a short period of time. The explanation for why the perp can give this huge return is basically a varation on the same theme: he has an investment vehicle that will return him even bigger profits then what he's giving you but he needs your money to expand his operation.

Just a few problems with this. First of all, the activity that the perp claims to me making these huge profits from are usually just a cover to take people's money. If the perp actually does use the money for some kind of trade or investments, he typically looses in much of his trading or, even if he is good at it, he has too much money flowing in from the "investors" to keep up. The money just comes too fast even if he has good intentions so...

Here comes robbing peter to pay paul, in other words, paying early investors with later investors money. Its always doomed to fail because it is based on continual growth that cannot possibly be maintained. Ponzi scemes can still last for years however, depending on many factors. This book beautifully explains these things in example after example.

This book also talks about multi-level marketing and pyramid schemes in depth. Also, what should you do if you have been taken by a ponzi scheme? This book offers a number of chapters of advice.

One of the most important points this book makes is that the biggest ponzi scheme of them all is run by our own government. This is the politically untouchable program of Social Security!

Some books may not be particularly recent publications but deserve renewed attention and ongoing recommendation in light of modern events or contemporary concerns: James Walsh's You Can't Cheat An Honest Man: How Ponzi Schemes And Pyramid Frauds Work...And Why They're More Common Than Ever is one of them, focusing on how pyramid frauds work, why they're common, and how to avoid scams and cons. The scheme name may change but the scheme is the same: it involves case studies in greed and exploitation, outlined in You Can't Cheat An Honest Man so that investors may learn from the woes of the 'taken'. As relevant today as it was in 1998.

Alot of people think that network market is a semi-legal pyramid scheme, but not all network marketing companies are a pyramid. If many of you do your research, you'll see that companies such as life plus, melaleuca, market america, etc. are true network marketing companies they'll really compensate you if you refer people to their company & products. Before anyone pre-judges a network marketing company, do your research on each company, plan, products, etc. The true pyramid schemes are the one's that you get in the mail that ask you to send between a $1 - $5 to each name & address, and in return, you'll make millions within a few months...that's a true pyramid scheme, I know because I've lost money to these pyramids through the mail. I now know how to tell the difference between a pyramid & a real opportunity. These pyramid schemes give real & great network marketing companies a bad reputation. So again, do your research on a company before enrolling or sending out money. There are truly real gold mines out there, so please do your research by reading articles on them, and check the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) . Thank you.

In 1903 Charles Ponzi arrived in the USA with the aim of becoming as wealthy as Rockefeller. His modus operandi was based on the principle of robbing Peter to Pay Paul.

James Walsh, in his informative book, You Can`t Cheat An Honest Man: How Ponzi Schemes and Pyramid Frauds Work..and Why They`re More Common Than Ever, traces the origins of the Ponzi Scheme, and explores how and why the scheme works with its different modern day variations.

The first part of the book narrates how, after spending some time in prison for cheque forgery, Ponzi found a creative way to shaft people, that was even legal and possibly sound.
What Ponzi would do was to take advantage of the disparities in the foreign exchange rates pertaining to the postal currency of International Reply coupons. If these coupons could be purchased in countries where they were still hit hard by the after-effects of World War I, he could then redeem them for stamps or cash in the USA, where there value would be as much as 50% higher.
Presto! He was onto a brilliant scheme, however, he needed money to expand his enterprise.

In order to raise the needed cash, he promised investors that he would pay them high rates of interest with the profits from his scheme. As is the case today, people were gullible and greedy, and Ponzi had little difficulty in attracting huge sums of money.
However, Ponzi found it difficult to keep meeting his obligations of paying his investors.

He resorted to using fresh money to keep his original investors satisfied. And thus began the Ponzi Scheme, that is alive and well today with multiple variations on the original theme.

One such variation is the very popular pyramid sales scheme, where individuals are seduced to become part of a plan for the sale or distribution of goods, services or other property, and wherein they acquire the opportunity to receive monetary compensation, which has little to do with the volume or quantity of goods or services sold but rather on the number of additional persons that could be recruited to join the plan.

The author devotes considerable print to these schemes, as well as making reference to the abundance of jurisprudence that defines and outlaws these plans.

Anyone wishing to protect himself or herself, would do well in thoroughly reading the concluding chapter. It is here where we are given some very sound advice- to be wary of get rich schemes, watch out for deals that offer high yields, if you do not understand the investment, stay away from it, seek professional advice before investing in anything and check out who are the promoters.

Walsh has a sharp eye as to important details, and with his wide use of informative examples, readers receive a comprehensive understanding as to just how wide spread these fraudulent schemes are and how not to be seduced by them.

Norm Goldman, Editor Bookpleasures.com

If you've ever wondered how pyramid schemes get started and how they unravel, this book makes an interesting read. You will be both amazed and appalled at the mass stupidity involved in getting these schemes off the ground. However, you might feel a little foolish yourself when the author points out that our very own Social Security System is a textbook Ponzi scheme.

A good first-person account of Owney madden's criminal life. The author portrays himself as Owney and describes his life--good and bad.

"And All the Saints" is a superior true crime tale, tightly wrapped up in a semi-fictional autobiography. The subject is Owney Madden (a.k.a. "The Killer", a.k.a. "The Duke of the West Side"). Madden was the last of the great Irish-American gangsters and had a long career, whose high point was the New York City of the 20s and 30s. Author Walsh discovered some of Owney's papers / ledgers, constructed the bio and artfully stirred in some blatant "writers license". The result is a realistically resonating story. The first person narrative is the argot of a hardened hood. Think of a good actor/actress who maintains a foreign accent throughout a film. (Do not think, for example, of Julia Roberts' performance in "Michael Collins"). The scope of AAS is broad indeed, making it hard to write a concise review. OM ran with the major bad guys of the early to mid- 20th century: Luciano, Costello, Lansky, Diamond and even Capone are all here. He owned Harlem's famous Cotton Club, discovering Duke Ellington and Lena Horne. He controlled politicians and boxers and helped form the initial Crime "Commission". Madden's range of contacts borders on the breathtaking. As stated above, AAS is written in the authentic-sounding idiom- full of pithy and cynical comments on life in the raw. This reviewer was born in Hells Kitchen-Owney's turf-and AAS captures that halcyon Irish -American scene. Also, a sliver of the old neighborhood still exists! Saint Michael's Church and Owney's apartment house at 440 West 34th Street are still standing. AAS is highly recommended; the only reservation is to its' very "New York"- especially Irish New York- milieu. That is enough to warrant the subtraction of a star. Even so, one wonders why a movie studio has failed to snap AAS up. In the hands of a talented director and proper cast, a great movie is entwined here. The closing word from this reviewer is to urge my Amazon friends to be adventurous, AAS is not Ann Rule true crime but it is very good among the genre. And yes, the guy is my namesake. There aren't that many of us Owneys and they are certainly not making any more Owney Maddens.

Owney Madden's first experience with crime occured on a beautiful autumn day when a young thug literally stole the family's dinner right from his mother's hand. Owney decides right then and there that no one will ever steal from him again.

This compelling fictionalized autobiography reveals the life of infamous Irish gangster Owen Madden. In 1902, at the age of ten, his impoverished family sets sail for New York City, minus his father who died from an injury sustained in a boxing match before their ship sailed from England.

Young Owney soon joins up with Jewish Tammany boss, Monk Eastman. Monk is fond of him and the two become almost inseparable. He takes Owney under his wing and begins to teach him "the trade."

In true gangster lingo and style, Owney works his way up through the ranks of the mob, planning one day to be at the top himself. The ruthless Madden takes care of his mother, younger brother and sister while pursuing and cultivating his life of crime. He escapes to the rooftops of their tenement building where he tenderly cares for his pigeons, but also uses these birds to practice how to quickly kill something painlessly.

Owney soon begins to rub elbows with some of the most notorious gangsters. In his 30's, Madden gets sent "up the river" to Sing Sing Prison, where he continues to make new contacts and also pursues his business dealings. Prohibition presents a blessing to Owney, who becomes a brewing king once out prison.

He buys his own clubs so he can control what and who will enter. He owns and turns the famous Cotton Club in Harlem into the best club of its time.

Owney also hires and makes famous singers and actresses like Lena Horn, Valentino, Joe Lewis, Mae West and George Raft. Duke Ellington also begins his career in Owney's Cotton Club.

Walsh's detailed writing and research brings this time period and its characters to life and paints not only a picture of gangster life, but portrays life on the streets in New York City. The corruption of the police, the pay-offs and hush money and the people of this era are revealed on the pages.

At times, Owney Madden is quite a sympathetic character. He reveals his loyalty to others, his family and his principles, but he also kills as easily as one might kill a fly.

Madden was protected by cops and journalists who turned a blind eye to his business dealing for free drinks and other benefits in his club.

In his retirement years, he moves into Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he meets a young Bill Clinton and gives his nod of approval to this ambitious young man. Wracked with emphysema and other ailments left from many surgeries to repair bullet wounds, Madden suffers in his old age. His life and legacy come to an end along with the gangsters of this colorful and tempestuous era.

In 1892 Leeds, England Owney Madden was born to Irish parents who decided to cross the Atlantic and make their fortune in New York. However, Owney's dad died before he left the British Isles, but his mother went ahead with their dream. Accompanied by her three children, she moves to New York's Hell's Kitchen.

By the time Owney turned ten, he belonged to the Gophers, an intimating Irish gang. His prime lesson in Hoodlum 101 was that the real money existed in politics. So he turned to Jewish gang leader and Tammany Hall big shot Monk Eastman as his mentor. Advancing to Hoodlum 201 and 301, Owney learned the art of a well-placed bribe and what to do when the heat became too hot. He was involved with bootlegging during Prohibition and later turned to show business. Ultimately even after the Feds gave him an advanced lesson on closing the books, Owney cut a few last deals before moving to Hot Springs, Arkansas where he died in 1964.

This biographical fiction blends the known facts of Madden's life with delightful period vernacular and tidbits into a strong account of one of the more famous twentieth century gangsters. Readers who enjoy tales like the Untouchables or Scarface will want to read Michael Walsh's fast moving story that is so loaded one must keep saying this is fiction as it seems as if the author interviewed and quoted the gangster. Where is Robinson or Raft with Mae West to play herself because this character and book will fascinate the audience including Hollywood.

Harriet Klausner

This book in the Imogen Quy Mystery series begins with the falling death of a student at St. Agatha's College in Cambridge, where Imogen Quy works as a nurse. The death is ruled an accident.

Then the plot moves on to the next year and focuses on the seemingly-unrelated problem of a student theatrical company forced to cast a bad actor in the key role of Hamlet--so he'll donate considerable money. There is also trouble between two female roommates.

The Bad Quarto gets its title from a real document, the 1603 First Quarto of Hamlet, published in the Clarendon Press edition of 1965--more of a practice piece for Shakespeare.

The main character Imogen learns that at least one person believes the earlier death was no accident and is determined to root out the villain by Shakespeare's own technique of the play-within-a-play in Hamlet.

I liked the pacing and background depth of this book, a British mystery in the traditional style. The author has written several other Imogen Quy books as well a couple of unrelated mysteries done with Dorothy L. Sayers.

Armchair Interviews says: This Quy series will be well worth your while if you're looking for something more than the usual slam-bang of American mysteries.

"Night Climbers" is the term given to students who climb and clamber all over the roofs and ledges of the colleges at Cambridge university, risking life and limb and unfortunately, sometimes coming to grief because of bravado and youthful stupidity. Imogen Quy is the resident nurse at St.Agatha's, one of the colleges and is an amateur sleuth who likes to keep her finger on the pulse of student life. When a young professor is killed while attempting a climb, one of his friends protests that it was really murder and tries to shock the murderer into revealing himself by virtually accusing him in a short version of Hamlet, known as The Bad Quarto, played by the University players. I enjoyed all the descriptions of the surrounds of the college and of the scenery of the nearby fens but, on the whole, found this book to be rather dull and not at all gripping. Other readers seem to enjoy the series featuring Imogen Quy...perhaps this wasn't one of the better ones.

In Jill Paton Walsh's "The Bad Quarto," Imogen Quy, the resident nurse and a fellow of St. Agatha's College, Cambridge, becomes embroiled in academic politics and a case of "murder most foul." The victim is research fellow John Talentire, a provocative teacher whose death had originally been ruled accidental. After a night of drinking, Talentire had attempted to jump a gap known as Harding's Folly, a feat that had taken the lives of other daredevils before him. It seems that risking one's life climbing monuments of Cambridge architecture has been a tradition of long standing. There are those who believe that Talentire was too experienced a climber to have fallen to his death. It is possible that someone who held a grudge against him may have precipitated his fatal fall.

Meanwhile, Imogen's lodger, Frances Bullion, belongs to a university dramatic society known as the Kyd Players. The Players have an emergency committee meeting in Imogen's living room to plan strategy, since they are in danger of imminent bankruptcy. Their only hope is to stage a production of Hamlet (a shortened version known as the Bad Quarto) to be funded by a wealthy young man named Martin Mottle. The catch? Mottle, a man with no acting experience, will play Hamlet. At the risk of making themselves a laughingstock, the Kyd Players accept Mottle's offer. Little do they know that this young man has his own secret plans for the forthcoming production.

Imogen Quy is a gentle, intelligent, and extremely curious individual who thinks nothing of nosing into other people's lives. She is a talented amateur sleuth whose sharp eyes and keen mind miss very little. Her responsibilities as a college nurse range from tending to her students' minor physical ailments to handling their emotional ups and downs. For example, Imogen attempts to calm the nervous Samantha Barton, a young woman who is terrified that she will do poorly on her upcoming English exam. On a more serious note, the nurse decides to conduct her own inquiries into the circumstances surrounding John Talentire's untimely death.

Walsh's lively cast of characters include a washed up alcoholic actor named Gadgby, who can still recite Shakespeare with panache, Susan Inchman, a student who enrolled in Cambridge after spending much of her tragic childhood in foster homes, and Dr. Percy Venton-Gimps, an arrogant scholar with an almost irrational loathing for Shakespeare. "The Bad Quarto" is thoughtful and charming, with lovely descriptive writing, dry humor, and a satisfying plot that will please aficionados of literate British mysteries.

Imogen Quy serves as an effective college nurse at St. Agatha's College, Cambridge University. However, her serene academic world is shook just as she is about to bike home for the evening. A stunned student calls for her assistance. She finds college fellow John Talentire dying with her realizing it is too late for him as blood pours everywhere. Apparently following what the locals dub Harding's Folly from a previous human dive, John fell off the side of a tower that he was climbing.

At a BAD QUARTO production of Hamlet, the Kyd Society players imply that Talentire, a Shakespearean researcher was murdered when his rope was loosened. Unable to neither mind her business nor forget the sight of all the blood as John died, Imogen quietly makes inquiries to what has been officially considered a tragic foolish accident only to find the Shakespearean scholars being Lady Macbeth stock that has the Bard turning over in his grave.

Using the shortened Hamlet as a reason to investigate, Jill Paton Walsh provides the audience with a wonderful amateur sleuth academic whodunit. The scholars are quite a crew with Imogen realizing any of them seem capable of unethical behavior yet pondering who would kill to do so as she is convinced someone murdered Talentire. Imogen keeps the tale focused as a magnificent central character whose investigation provides a spotlight on the backstabbing rival fellows. (See DEBTS OF DISHONOR).

Harriet Klausner

This book is not for reading piecemeal. I found it most confusing because of the series of plot lines that we followed, slipping back and forth between. Nothing unusual there. I'm not certain but we were mostly moving through time lines that eventually brought us to the "present". The author was perhaps too clever with this device. Did he write the multiple stories and then just cut and paste them together? I have never read chapters that changed timelines every paragraph as they did at the end. There was a lot of bigoted characters -- at first I thought the author himself might be reflecting his own thoughts -- but the the characters were just mostly unsympathetic. No one was clearly heroic. First novels are a mixed blessing. I am happier with my current Cornwell.

I read this through to the end - it starts out as an interesting cross between police procedural and international espionage novel, then ends up in almost a "Manchurian Candidate"-like family melodrama. Although the author is very knowledgeable, and weaves in all sorts of interesting allusions, and is a much more creative writer than you find in your general airport bookstore, the whole novel is somewhat of a tease, files never revealed, the title location (Exchange Alley, New Orleans)never visited, certain potentially intersting sexual liaisons between main characters that are raised as potentials but never consummated. Kind of an odd book overall. But I give it four stars, and, like I said, I read it through.

Walsh's first effort is an engrossing piece that weaves Oswald, the CIA, KGB, the Mole Theory, the Holocaust, and the more exotic sexual mileu of modern New York into a neat plot as hot-headed Detective Francis Byrne tries to unravel the killing of a Danish diplomat. Part thriller, part police procedural, and all great writing. The history and tradecraft are accurate, the plot never lags, and the reader is defied to guess the ending before arrival, probably in the wee hours of the morning. This one is VERY tough to put down.

Shrouded by international intrigue, graphic violence and a dense plot, Exchange Alley is a wild ride though an ugly world. Our hero is ambitious NYPD Homicide Lieutenant Francis X. Byrne who discovers his own personal hell as he tries to solve the case of a dead Danish consulate employee. From its fresh take on the Kennedy assassination to its portrayal of a family gone bust, Walsh's brilliant first novel is both disturbing and totally absorbing

Charlie Cohen, born on December 6, 1964 appeared to have a good life mapped out for him. Desperately wanted by his older parents and doted on from birth, Charlie appeared to have all of his needs met.

Charlie began exhibiting bizarre behavior during his high school years in the late 1980s. He would wear weird costumes, dance in the hallways and called himself Super Fly. He became increasingly antagonistic at home and after several unsuccessful attempts at college, Charlie drifted into drugs and crime.

He became quite a traveler. At one point during this period, he was busted in Arizona; he made yet another unsuccessful attempt at college and was back on the streets. Indulged by his desperate parents, he was allowed to table college and pursue a goal to be a punk rock star. This lasted a short period as his band mates were more impressed with his technical equipment than with him. Wanted by dealers and the law alike, Charlie fled constantly.

Resentful of his indulgent, yet strict about rules and education parents, Charlie murdered them in the early 1990s. He fled across country from Delaware to California where he steals a car after disposing of the family car he stole; kills an older man who agreed to let him spend a night in his apartment; drifts eastward to Louisiana where he lives on the street where drugs and prostitution are major parts of his life. From there he travels northeastward to New York City where a security guard befriends him and lets him move in with her and her son.

Charlie's odessey finally comes to an end. By the mid-1990s when Choo-Choo Charlie's train comes to a grinding halt, he is extradited and faced legal charges for his crimes.

This is a very sad story of how deeply twisted a person had become.

I was most impressed with this book. I am an avid reader, especially of true crime and mystery. Good true crime books are hard to find, and rarer still are those where the author allows me to "decide for myself." This story is presented in an understandable, yet exciting way, and by the end of the book I felt that I had peaked inside the lives of the perpetrator and the victims. Mr. Walsh obviously knew the people, took the time to gather facts, and used his remarkable talent to give readers a great story.

I decided to read this book because it is about a Delaware man, Charles Cohen, who was in the prison Toastmasters program I sponsor. I found this book to be very intense. I was compelled to continue reading it, yet I didn't like what I was reading about. I knew and heard of several people mentioned in the book . . . Delaware is a small state. This book also mentioned that Charles had an aunt with the same uncommon last name as mine. I sat next to Charles one evening and asked him if that were true. He said, "Yes" and he asked if we were somehow related. We aren't. That was the last time I saw him, since while we were sitting there that night in the chapel, the largest prison-break in the history of Delaware was in progress in the same prison we were sitting in. Charles was transferred to another facility the next day. I highly recommend this book if you want to be kept on the edge of your seat...unfortunately the story is true.

I grew up with Charlie Cohen, and we were best friends; he lived a block from me, and I spent a great deal of time at his house and with his parents. It was a shock to hear he had killed them and gone on the run, and I spent about 4 hours meeting with the author as he researched this book. I was quite impressed; overall, he was quite accurate in his depiction of the Charlie that I knew (but boy, did he change!). I do not read a great deal of true crime, but naturally I couldn't resist reading this. It's well-written, not over-sensationalist writing about a real tragedy.

I am an adult who is an avid reader of young adult books. Grace was by far the best book I have read in a long time. It is well written. It captivates one's attention every step of the way. The language is seemingly realistic for the era and yet totally understandable. It is a great historical novel because it transports you back in time. You are never reminded that the author had to change this or that to make it comprehensible to the reader. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I read this book for a school project, and once I'd read the 1st chapter I couldn't put it down! The story is set in 1838, in England. Grace Darling is a 22 year old woman living with her parents in Longstone Lighthouse. One day Grace spots a wreck of the "Forfarshire," despite the troublesome storm Grace abd her father set out to save the recks survivors. Little did they know that the road after this one act of heroism wouldn't be smooth. It would be bumpy filled with fame, fortune, but many acts of jealousy and misunderstandings! This book is a excellent example showing money is not everything! A great read!!

Grace, by Jill Paton Walsh, was another one of those illustrious titles on my seventh-grade summer reading list. I bought it, and picked it up just 2 days ago to read for a discussion. Though I had heard things about it being "slow", "boring", and "confusing", I found none of these to be true. I whipped through the book in 2 days flat and was amazed at this heart-warming tale of heroism. Grace Darling, a 22-year-old daughter of a lighthouse keeper, was on the morning watch one stormy day when she sighted the wreck of the Forfarshire. She and her father rescued the survivors of the wreck, and Grace became a national hero. In this telling of the tale, the author weaves fact with fiction to tell a truly believeable tale of a young lady who, against all odds, saved 9 lives. The novel also tells the tale of Grace's life after the rescue- suddenly flung into the public eye of Great Britain. This book is a great read for young adults, and I reccommend it to all!

"Grace" is the captivating tale of a young woman who risks her life to save the lives of passengers of the Forfarshire who are stranded on a rock not far from her family's lighthouse. "Grace" is based on the true story of Grace Darling, and Ms Walsh does a tremendous job with filling in details and adding feeling to her story. Although Ms Walsh's additions are fictional, they are also extremely realistic, and I am sure much the same as Grace's were. Ms Walsh also captures her audience and keeps them in the palm of her hand throughout the story.

What a great reading! Another example that it is possible to write clear and simple evan about comlex questions. A must read book. Congratulation!!!

After working under finance for more than 10 years and graduated with both a bachelor's degree in Accounting and MBA in Finance, I have never come across a better book on financial ratios and analysis than this. What Ciaran Walsh wrote here is a classic - his approach has been very illuminating yet simple. Unlike other supposedly-easy-to-use ratio books written by CPAs and PhDs for the non-financial public, Ciaran explains the intracacies of the Balance Sheet, Income and Cash Flow statements in an easy-to-understand language, step-by-step with clear examples. I am sure business people who lack the knowledge in accounting or finance will find this invaluable. Another great feature of this book is that it includes industry-wide benchmark ratio figures for UK, USA, Japanese, etc companies for comparison. This will be especially useful for would-be MBAs, etc in their financial (and to some extent strategic) analysis of real-life case studies. Should be a compulsory companion book to the normal textbooks for those pursuing business or finance majors at both undergraduate and Master's level. Ciaran Walsh's masterpiece is really way ahead of the rest.........

While this book is quite good in its explanation on fundamentals, I am really disappointed with its numerous typos.

If ever there was an un-putdownable book in financial management, this is it.

The author has extremely clear fundamentals, and makes it very easy to follow his logic every step of the way.

The introductory chapters on accounting are the best I have come across. The industry benchmarks are extremely useful. It would be great if we had a newer edition, with updated benchmarks, and a more industry-specific break up (e.g. software)

This book is a must-have for MBAs, under-grads, managers, small business owners, and just about anyone who needs to analyze ratios.

I bought this book for my daughters, and they really enjoyed as did I. If you want a good Christmas story with references to God instead of Santa, this is the book for you.

We love GiGi and this book certainly doesn't disappoint. My 4yr old daughter loves the stories and videos that always bring the message home for her.

The Perfect Christmas Gift is Book #3 in the Gigi, God's Little Princess Series. This is less a Christmas book and more a Gigi book that takes place at Christmas. Fans of Gigi will love it.

Gigi cannot wait for Christmas to come! She knows she is getting a big gift and the anticipation is killing her. This must be the year she finally receives her royal tiara with jewels befitting the princess she knows she is.

On Christmas Eve, Gigi's daddy reads to her about the birth of Jesus. She decides a stable and manger are not nearly good enough for a baby king. "But at least He got gifts...that must have made Him feel royal." Her father replies: "He was the gift. God's perfect present to all of us."

On Christmas morning Gigi tears through the mountain of gifts, hunting for the tiara she knows is there. She can't find it. Finally, with a tear on her cheek, she opens the biggest present, knowing there will be no princess crown this year. Inside is something she loves even more than a jeweled crown. That night she decides the shepherds were probably just as surprised as she was. "Who would have ever thought that the very best gift in the world would come in such an unexpected package?"

The last page of the book quotes Luke 2:10-12 and Matthew 2:10-11.

What I Like: Gigi is endearing. She's precocious and sweet with a tender heart. Using such an adorable character, this book makes a wonderful point: that sometimes the best gifts are not at all what we expect; sometimes we don't even know what we really want the most -- a message which the target audience (girls who think they're princesses) need to learn. I love the illustrations! The book would not be the same without them. Also, the price is nice. Usually hardcover picture books of this size and quality are much more expensive.

What I Dislike: This book is long and, like the main character, seems to lose focus in a couple spots. My daughter loved The Pink Ballerina (Gigi, God's Little Princess), but this book didn't hold her attention. She is below the suggested age range, so the length may be perfect for older kids. Another minor detraction, the mountain of gifts she receives on Christmas is daunting. I understand Gigi is an only child, but I felt this reinforced the materialism with which princess-crazed girls already struggle.

Overall Rating: Very Good.

Tanya -- Christian Children's Book Review

Princess Gigi is a little girl who is waiting impatiently for the arrival of Christmas Day and all the gifts for her that will be under the tree on Christmas morning. Being a princess, Gigi is positive that this is the Christmas that she will be receiving her royal crown. But when Christmas morning finally arrives, there is no crown-sized box or package. That's because there is no crown! Instead, Gigi will be getting a gift more wonderful than any crown she could ever imagine! Children's author and Christian communicator Sheila Walsh has crafted a simply wonderful and inspiring picturebook story for young readers that is delightfully enhanced by the colorful illustrations of Meredith Johnson. "Gigi, God's Little Princess: The perfect Christmas Gift" is the perfect addition to family, elementary school, and community library Christmas season storey books for young children.

Following up the wonderful first volume of his biography of Stravinsky, Cardiff University musicologist Stephen Walsh gives us a second and final volume that begins in 1934 and ends with Stravinsky's death in 1971. This takes us through the unsettled 1930s, his emigration to America and then the final years with his conversion to ultra-modern techniques. It would appear that Walsh has read and digested everything written about the composer during the times in question, and he has interviewed many people who knew and worked with him. At times the narrative is weighted down by 'and then he conducted X in Y' but his always graceful, indeed beautiful, prose makes even those laundry list sections interesting reading. There is some attention paid to the ins and outs of the works themselves but this does not pretend to be an analysis of Stravinsky's oeuvre; Walsh has already written such a book, the exceedingly valuable 'The Music of Stravinsky.'

There is, of course, a good deal of mention of that most important of late Stravinsky associates, Robert Craft, who has himself written extensively about the composer. There are some disagreements with Craft's published statements, but less than one might imagine and it is done with evenhandedness and tact. Nonetheless, he indicates that Craft's personal involvement with Stravinsky led to some imprecision in his observations and assessments.

For those who have read the earlier volume this is a must-have. For those who are tempted to get this volume without having read the earlier one, I'd suggest some caution. In the present volume there are many references to incidents and people whose importance is unexplained and which can only be gleaned from having first read the earlier volume, 'A Creative Spring.' But taken together these two volumes are indispensable for anyone wanting to understand Stravinsky the man.

Scott Morrison

Regardless of your opinion of his music, there is no doubt that Igor Stravinsky was one of the most significant composers of the twentieth century. I love his music and find his many changes in style fascinating. And while his big well-known masterworks (even the debate over which those are) are more widely appreciated, I also find his smaller works interesting and engaging. No matter what he did, Stravinsky created works that were among the most lively and engaging in whatever style he was using. He was fiercely independent and uncompromisingly himself. Given the course of the life he led and the multiple exiles alluded to in the subtitle, the strength he had to maintain that originality is possibly the most amazing thing about the man.

This very large and very detailed biography of Stravinsky's life from 1934 until his death in 1971 is fascinating on several levels. For me, the most interesting part and the primary reason I wanted to read the book is to read in more detail the circumstances of the birth of the compositions from this half of the composer's life. Who commissioned what, how the final composition was or was not what was originally discussed, what the considerations were for the resources used, and then Stravinsky's use of serial techniques (and how that developed and how the variety of approaches he took to serialism remained Stravinsky).

There is also the story of his life in Europe and then the move to the United States. The strange relationship between Stravinsky's first wife (whom he loved all his life even after she died) and his second wife, Vera, while his first wife was still alive and Vera was his mistress. Of course, this affected his relationship with his children, as did his life in Hollywood while they lived in Europe. Soulima later came to California and lived with Stravinsky for a time, but got a post on the piano faculty of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Stravinsky's family details are not simple and it is interesting how the author, Stephen Walsh, teases them out.

Stravinsky never held an academic post beyond some short term lecturing and teaching of composition. He never even received an academic degree. He was a man who had to depend on himself and his music to make his way in the world. The reputation he had developed as modernist was both a source of pride and riches as well as a reason for others to attack him (from both the old and new guard). That he was strong enough to take the blows and keep composing and creating wonderful new works is a testimony of his own internal strength and of those who cared about him and supported him emotionally and in the practical day-to-day matters that allowed him time and space to compose.

Of course, whenever one considers this portion of Stravinsky's life, especially his close associates, the name of Robert Craft is right at the front if a bit off center. Walsh presents a complex picture of Craft (which means it is likely close to realistic) that acknowledges the important role Craft performed in getting Stravinsky through his compositional crisis after "The Rake's Progress". Stravinsky thought he was finished. He was nearly seventy years old and most composers (with a few notable exceptions) are no longer composing by that age. But many writers and composers have a period of being blocked at one time or another and find a way out. Would Stravinsky have found a way out on his own? Maybe. However, Craft was there and it was his support and guidance in the serial methods that gave Stravinsky new impetus and we have several wonderful masterpieces and many other interesting works from 1952 that would certainly not have come about without Craft and the role he played. However, Walsh also takes a clear and dispassionate look at Craft's statements and finds some of them truthful, others somewhat at odds with the facts, and others to be outright misrepresentations. The author is also as clear as it is possible to be about which letters, reviews, and books Craft wrote in Stravinsky's name. At some point it is not knowable whether Craft was saying what Stravinsky wrote in different words or which pieces are Craft using the Stravinsky name to advance his own agenda.

The last few years of the composer's life, after the "Requiem Canticles", are a period of decline and rising family tensions. How all that explodes in sad recrimination and jealousies after Stravinsky's death is quite sad. Nobody comes off all that well, but Vera and Craft least of all. I am sure they would tell this story differently (and Craft has), but it seems to me that the children (then older adults) were not treated as well as they should have been.

In any case, I am grateful to Craft for the support he gave Stravinsky and music that support allowed him Stravinsky to write and the support he gave Stravinsky in promoting his work and in conducting and recording his works, especially when Stravinsky was too frail to do the work himself. Craft as a person is simply human after all with feet of clay (maybe clay up past the knees for all I know), but he still fulfilled an important purpose in Stravinsky's artistic life. Others may well have their own jealousies and resentments against him that exaggerate his flaws and assign motives that do not exist. Still, this book does a fine job in sorting out certain aspects of various situations that have been muddled and misrepresented until now.

The author does say some strange things about disease, but he is using the language the Stravinsky's used. For example, that a cold worsened into the flu or that tuberculosis was inherited. There is more of this kind of thing. He also focuses a great deal on the high commission and conducting fees Stravinsky charged. This is a fair point, but isn't really given its full context. Stravinsky was in huge demand; he was a unique commodity so he simply asked for enough money to make it worth his while. This may have upset some who would have preferred to get his work more affordably, but so what? Just compare what he received to popular artists such as Elvis and Frank Sinatra and all of a sudden he doesn't look so well paid.
For me, the most odd thing the author said is on page 464 where the author refers to "The Rite of Spring" as a late romantic masterpiece. I was so startled that I had to stop reading. I remember when I first heard this work in 1971 or 1972 in a high school music theory class (music rudiments and grammar, really). It astounded me because I had never heard anything like it. As I played recordings for my friends, some thought I was running the music backwards. Nowadays, it does not shock nearly as much as it did even a few decades ago, but it certainly still has freshness and power. Stravinsky is a modern composer, not a Romantic composer of any stripe. You might get away with calling Firebird romantic, but even there it has little in common with Mahler or Richard Strauss or even Rachmaninoff does it? Such a label seems to me to be too much bowing to the serialists and other academic moderns. Is this really the term being used for this founding work of modern music outside the Boulez - Stockhausen - Babbit believers?

I enjoyed this book a great deal and it will have a valued place in my library.

Mr. Walsh's new book on Stravinsky has some interesting anecdotes and insights into the years in America for the composer but seems to lack real relevance historically.

What seems to be missing from this new book is any primary sources for his many anecdotes. The Stravinsky estate after his death is a matter of public record in the courts, yet Mr. Walsh has not done the research to get the real facts. Why?

There are excellent books by sources much closer to Stravinsky--to say the least Robert Craft's. Craft a twenty year associate of Stravinsky documented just about every waking moment of Stravinsky's life. Referring back to some of Craft's books on Stravinsky I find that Walsh has lifted numerous writings from Craft rather than bringing anything of real interest to life for the reader.

I have to say, this book is not the best work on Stravinsky and I hope other readers will go to better sources for a cohesive and cogent telling of Stravinsky's life and career.

unless Mr. Walsh prefers 'musicologist' to 'biographer'. When I finished volume II, I immediately went and bought volume I. I rated the book 5 stars but wish I could give it 6. As a retired music librarian, I am cautious in following the hype about any new book on music/musicians/musicology that is making the rounds and more often than not, while the reviews may be accurate, regrettably, there are times they're not accurate enough. I think Mr. Walsh's two volumes are stunning. I think they are so good that once started, one wants to do nothing but sit and read them.
The period and the musical life out of which Stravinsky emerged is not unknown to me and I think the deepest connection I developed with Stravinsky's music was when I played in a performance of Symphony of Psalms. Whether or not I walked away humming portions of it (which is unlikely since I cannot sing), the music has left, to use a trite phrase, an indelible mark on both my musical and cultural psyche, but so has the personality of Stravinsky himself. And Mr. Walsh does an incredibly job of making him breathe. It isn't just Stravinsky who breathes in the course of reading this book (I haven't finished Volume I) but the words and the events and the people take on a life that is far more than facts as accurate as they might be.
I cannot recommend these two volumes highly enough and I only wish it was possible for Mr. Walsh to write a third.