Warner Books

This book is a wonderful, simple, and quick read. Of course the subject matter does get unpleasant, but it's good to know the facts from the perspective of His Holiness at the time that he wrote it in 1962.

The book tells the story which everyone knows: how the Chinese invaded Tibet and the Dalai Lama was forced to feel to India. But this book goes in to detail and as a reader, it was great to finally get the "real" details of that story, again from his perspective. Prior to reading this, I only knew the story based on films and summaries in guide books, etc.

I highly recommend this book, and I would suggest reading this one prior to reading his second autobiography, "Freedom in Exile" from the early 1990's.

I enjoyed this narrative, my first experience with the writing of H.H. Dalai Lama. He writes so well. It's clear, descriptive, and engaging from the first sentence to the last. Suitable for all ages, the earlier the better. It has really sparked my interest in this country,, or at least how it once was. It has been almost two generations since this tragedy and I doubt things will ever be the same. Well, at least the chinese have thier railroad at the expense of an entire nation. Oh, but the writing isn't bitter at all. Just me.

Having long been a fan of the Dalai Lama and his other books, I was anxious to read his autobiography. It is an amazing story that he has to tell. We should hope that our world had evolved beyond invasions after World War II, but that proved not to be true when China invaded Tibet and eventually ousted the ruling party in 1959.

Having been previously familiar with the story of the exile of the Dalai Lama to some degree, I was anxious to learn about it in more detail. Truly the people of Tibet are and continue to be victims of China. China crept into Tibet saying only that it would help to modernize the "backwards" people of Tibet. After numerous broken promises the Dalai Lama exited just ahead of the first morter blasts that rocked his palace. China's only real goal was to take possession of the land at any cost.

Few religions place a greater emphasis on peace than the Tibetan form of Buddism. While the author gives readers some of the basic principles of the faith, the language should not be confusing to those not familiar with Buddism. This amazing story, though it ends with the Dalai Lama's arrival in India, is still fresh and eye-opening today.

I am a college student who has studied China extensively in school. I can speak Chinese and have traveled to China several times and to Tibet once. While I have never agreed with many of the Chinese governments policies in the areas of religion, personal freedom, Tibet, and Taiwan, I think this book could have done more for its cause.

I decided to read this book after I spent 2.5 weeks in Tibet last year while studying in China. Tibet was one of the most fascinating places I have been to and I really wanted to know more about what happened there after China invaded. This book tells the Dalai Lama's story very well. Up until the last 15 pages or so, I really loved the book. However, before closing, the Dalai Lama makes several accusations about Chinese human rights abuses in Tibet (beatings, child abductions and the like) but provides no evidence of their existence.

While I personally feel Tibet was and still is a sovereign country and what China has done is wrong in many ways, the charges made in the last few pages don't belong in this book. While the Dalai Lama's story of his life and last days in Tibet are very powerful, I really think it would have been even better had the those last parting shots been omitted. Charges of human rights abuses such as these are very important and would be better served in a book of their own.

I think most Americans will enjoy this book but not share the same reaction I had to the last few pages. I have studied China for several years now and have heard accusations from both China and the world on countless occasions on a wide range of issues. Maybe this is why I get turned off when I don't see concrete evidence included when someone makes a charge such as the Dalai Lama does at the end of his book. I still think the Dalai Lama is a wonderful man and has an important story to tell, but feel this one could have come across a little better.

Even if you already know the life story of His Holiness, this is a great read. Written in the Dalai Lama's usual clear and forthright style, the story is deeply moving. Recommended for students of both Buddhism and history.

Not the easiest book in the six Lymond Chronicles, but The Ringed Castle more than rewards the reader, and anyone who has made it this far in the series will undoubtedly persevere. These books are so awash in swashbuckling one is unaware of how much history one is learning. I can hardly wait to re-read them all to pick up some of what I've missed. Dunnett is a superb writer of entwined fiction and history.

This is the fifth book in a series which you will either love or hate. It is also one of those multi-book series which must if at all possible be read in the right order, which is

1) The Game of Kings
2) Queen's Play
3) The Disorderly Knights
4) Pawn in Frankincense
5) The Ringed Castle
6) Checkmate

The Ringed Castle has one of the more memorable opening lines in historical fiction: "Not to every young girl is it given to enter the harem of the Sultan of Turkey and return to her homeland a virgin."

After the shattering events of book 4, "Pawn in Frankincense", Phillipa Somerville so returns to England while Francis Crawford of Lymond goes to Russia and takes service with Ivan the Terrible.

There are two reasons why this series, and indeed the author's similar "Niccolo" series, should be read in chronological order. The first is that the plots are incredibly complicated and if you read them out of sequence you have no chance of understanding what is going on.

The second is that many of the characters meet their deaths in ways which are exceptionally unpleasant both for themselves and for the characters who survive them. If you read the books out of sequence, advance knowledge of how characters are going to die, can have a significant impact on the pleasure you would otherwise have had in reading about the earlier events of their lives when you do get around to reading the earlier books.

Like the books, the central character, Francis Crawford of Lymond, is brilliant, violent, and extremely complicated. Unlike the books he is very flawed. Lymond is a mercenary with particular interests in Scotland and France, and gets involved in nefarious deeds all over the world as 16th century Europeans knew it. Dunnett brings the splendour, cultural ferment, and violent cruelty of the Renaissance world splendidly to life.

In this book Phillipa Somerville, who was scarcely more than a girl when she first appeared in the stories, becomes a more important viewpoint character, developing as a heroine and counterweight to Franci Crawford.

If you are at all squeamish, or do not like having to make your brain work overtime to follow a book, leave this series alone. Lymond's story is neither "chewing gum for the brain" nor a comfortable read. And even if you prefer flawed heroes to knights in shining armour, Lymond may infuriate you from time to time. But if you can put up with these features, these books will richly reward the effort you make in reading them.

There is no middle ground: you will either hate the Lymond series or recognise these books as one of the greatest works of historical fiction ever written. Or very possibly both !

Volume IV of the Lymond Chronicles shows a marked improvement from the somewhat draggy Pawn In Frankincense, if not quite climbing the storytelling heights of the first three episodes.

Ringed Castle spins two riveting tales, Lymond's attempted remaking of Ivan the Terrible's Russia and Philippa's rise into the upper reaches of the English Royal Court. Vivid supporting characters abound: explorer Diccon Chancellor, chess afficiando Tsar Ivan, astrologer John Dee, and Margaret Lennox, Elizabethan femme fatale. The evocation of the Kremlin is gorgeously detailed, as are Lymond & company's adventures in Russia's unforgiving winter and the heartstopping voyage back to England -- Dunnett's uncanny ability to recreate the exotic past with such force you feel yourself there is in full flower. The book's first two thirds are excellent.

But as in the previous volume, Ringed Castle starts to feel like work down the backstretch. Dunnett's authorial sleight of hand in hiding much of Lymond's viewpoint until the final pages begins to frustrate in its familiarity, this ruse particulary trying given the ongoing story regarding his mysterious parentage.

One hopes for less of this in the final volume...

Most reviews of the Lymond series focus on Francis Crawford of Lymond, the enigmatic, often-tortured central character around whom all the other characters revolve. This isn't surprising because he is the central player on the stage. But my favorite character is Philippa, not just because she is genuinely good, but because whenever she enters a scene, it simply begins to sparkle.

Dorothy Dunnett obviously feels a great love for Philpipa because she gives her the best lines and gave her a marvelous sense of humor. She is a wonderful character, both funny and wise. But her greatest attribute is her strong moral character, her desire to do the right thing. In the prior novel, her desire to save Lymond's son caused to her to risk everything--not everyone would become a member of a harem in an effort to save a life. In Ringed Castle, her desire to reconcile Lymond with his family causes her to place herself at great risk.

With regard to Ringed Castle, I didn't find it as consistently compelling as Pawn in Frankincense, but it is still a wonderful book, particularly the haunting and tragic voyage back to England and the last 100 pages at the English court.

I have a tinge of sadness in the realization that I have only one more installment to see how it all ends, to see if Philippa can ultimately tame Lymond.

Luckily, this series is so strong on many levels I can look forward to many productive and enjoyable re-readings.

"Not to every young girl is it given to enter the harem of the Sultan of Turkey and return to her homeland a virgin." Now that's what I call an attention getting opening! The Ringed Castle begins book #5 in the series as Philippa returns home to England a very self assured young woman and Francis has hitched his wagon to the mysterious Guzel and heads to Russia to bring Tsar Ivan and his army out of the dark ages with the aid of Francis' highly trained mercenary corps.

As Francis treads the treacherous waters of the Russian court and political intrigues, there is a traitor amongst his troop who has been hired to kill him. At the same time, Philippa is called to court to serve as lady in waiting to Mary Tudor and the delightfully evil Countess Margaret Lennox continues her intrigues against Francis and Philippa. Eventually Francis is ordered by the Tsar to leave Russia, and after a harrowing sail through the dangerous waters of the northern seas Francis comes to London as part of Russia's trade embassy. There he is reunited with his wife, Philippa, who has stumbled across a long hidden mystery regarding Francis' paternity.

As with the first four books in the series, Francis Crawford is a fascinating hero, and is as suave, debonair, flawed and fascinating as only a 16th Century version of James Bond could be. While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I didn't find it as fast paced as the previous four, particularly the time spent in Russia, although necessary to set up the rest of the story. What I very much enjoyed was the maturation of Philippa and she has become the perfect foil for Lymond, she matched word for word in all their verbal battles and was the highlight of the book. I am dying to read the last book in the series, Checkmate: Sixth in the Legendary Lymond Chronicles and anxiously await the answers to just who fathered Francis Crawford of Lymond. Five stars.

all woman runners should read this book!
it is well worth the time and money!!

These personal stories of runners are perfect to share with your running friends. They'll get you all motivated to keep it up.

I had never read this book, but after reading a review, purchased it for two running friends. It was a hit! One copy has now been passed around to at least 3 different readers. The chapters are good, motivational, real to life running adventures. I would recommend it to both walkers and runners, beginners to advanced.

I very much enjoyed the personal nature of the story each runner had to tell. One or two were a little to much brag for me. Most provided inspiration and joy at the growth the runner achieved by their running. More than a couple brought a tear to my eye. I encourage the writers to create an annual supplement. (Keep it simple and don't over do it the way the Chicken Soup guys have done.) I look forward to more!

Thanks. egm, Vermont

Great book. No matter what your sport or fitness regime, the stories in this book will inspire and motivate you to overcome whatever obstacles stand in your way.

The lessons can be applied to any struggle you might be facing, from relationships to business to yep, even learning how to run. The stories are short and easy to read--great if you don't have much time to indulge.

These amazing and uplifting stories of the power of women would make a great gift for any woman (or man). Give a copy to all your "sisters".

When you pick up a Janet Dailey book, you know it will be a good read.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all the books in the Calder saga.

The great Calder empire stretched across the Montana plains as far as the eye could see. Everyone knew a Calder's word was law and that one day Chase Calder would carry the family name to new glories. But for handsome, arrogant Chase Calder there was also beautiful Maggie O'Rourke, who came to him in innocence and stirred in him a deep, insistent longing.

(...)

Out of all the Calder books this is probably the most touching romance and least sappy cliche story. Chase Calder and Maggie O'Rourke are believable as young paramours and later as mature adults reunited through their son, Ty.

The book was written in 1981 but Dailey did a great job in keeping it contemporary and evergreen. For those who have read all the other Calder books, it seems to start in 1968 and end in 1983, but as you go along the events could happen now or in the '90's. The only clue that this was a somewhat period romance is that their are no references to the Internet and more modern technology devices. One does get the sense that Montana is a wild teritory where cowboy values stand the test of time. If you're into rance romances and western sky settings, this is the one Calder book that you shouldn't miss. I grew up near the Montana border before heading East and the descriptions of many scenes in the plains are accurate and do evoke that western feel.

The story begisn with Chase Calder, the 22-year-old heir to a cattle fortune. Warning - vegetarians you won't be too thrilled with all the references to beef. Chase Calder first notices 15-year-old Maggie after she throw an Irish temper tantrum at him after falling off a horse. Statutory assault charges aside .... that is the beginning of a western style Romeo & Juliet tale. Hidden meetings, sneaking out at night, all sorts of romantic getaway with Chase the cowboy.

The romance gets threatened with Maggie's jealous father begins stealing Calder cattle and selling them on the black market. Tragedy happens when Chase's father discovers that O'Rourke is the cattle thief and in old style Western Justice ... hangs him and makes it look like a suicide. Maggie and her brother see the whole thing and Chase loses Maggie and their son when she runs away to Los Angeles pregnant.

Maggie forges a new life for herself in California. She changes her name to Elizabeth. Tells her aunt that the baby's father was dead, and eventually marries a wealthy worldly doctor who raises Ty as his own. Fate brings her back to Chase after her husband Phillip dies and Ty discovers that his real father is Chase Calder. Now 15, Ty runs away to Montana to confront Chase. It works and Maggie and Chase are drawn into each others' lives full of fury and resurrected passion.

The drama takes on an intrigue when a jealous farm and confidante of Chase tries to steal the Calder Ranch. Chase, Maggie, and Ty bond together to save the Triple C and pave the way for the sequel ... Calder Born, Calder Bred.

I read this book way, way back in 1981 when it was originally released. (I was in the 8th grade but very precocious!) I don't remember all the details, but I know I loved it and have read every book about the Calders Janet Dailey has put out since. This one, the first one, is still the best! The romance between Chase and Maggie sizzled, and the suspense/adventure part of the book was really good, too. This book starts a long series of books about the great Calder family, and I recommend reading them all.

I gave "This Calders Sky" five stars, because I believe it is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I am not much of one for reading, but when I started reading this book, I was finished by the next day. I could not put it down. From the beginning of the book it gets you hooked. I have always said that if I am unable to really get into a book by the first three or four pages, then I will probably not stick with it.
This book is a love story, but more. It is based in Montana, and two seperate families. The Calder family, and the O'Rourke family. Maggie, is a young, innocent, and inexperienced in some ways, young lady. Chase, on the other hand, is not much older, but you get the feeling that he is more experienced in the ways of the world. In the town they live, the Chase family is the name everyone knows.
Maggie and Chase, in certain ways, are two totally opposite people. They both are set in their own ways, but they are madly in love with each other. Of course, they have times when you would think that it is the end of their life together, but it always turns out for the best.
Maggie is experiencing love, hate, trust, and intimacy, and she must decide whether to stay with the man she really loves, or leave and never turn back. There are family issues that are standing in their way of happiness. Chase is attempting to take it slow, as Maggie is experiencing love and being intimate. As the love grows between them, you can feel the passion growing as well. Just as you think nothing can come between Maggie and Chase, problems between the families develop, and it causes pain and hate to develop. Chase really loves Maggie, but it seems as though they are fighting their emotions for one another. Maggie and Chase eventually end up in the same house together, but the way they act towards each other, you would think it was a battlefield. Chase and Maggie eventually give in to their emotions. Chase, Maggie, and their son finally bond as a family should. They face the world together as a family. Maggie and Chase were meant to be together, and after all of the heartache and pain they went through, their love ended up being strong enough to pull them through.
I can honestly say that I would recommend this book to anyone. There are continuing books beyond this one, but I have not had a chance to read them yet. If they are anything like this one, I know I will like them.

I liked this so much, I even give it as a gift. The movie was great, but the book is so much more. In the movie Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman are the leads-in the book, the leads are heavier,plainer, normal girls going through all of the drama. I think it makes it a touch more compelling. This is more graphic than the movie, though, it does touch on adult themes such as child rape so be aware if you do let a younger one read it.

Where the Heart Is,is a book about seventeen year old Novalee Nation, who is seven months pregnant. She is headed off to California with her boyfriend. Little does she know, that she will soon be stranded at A Wal-Mart in Oklahoma. With a big adventure Novalee finds love in this small town and learns some life long lessons.Willy Jack was sick of his life, sick of lieing and as drunk as could be. While struggling through the train yard he falls and passes out. As the train comes rushing on the track Willy Jack has no idea of his fate. The terrible pinching pain was throughout his legs, instead of loosing a few fingers he lost both of his legs is my favorite part in this book. I would recommend this book to everyone. The meaning of the story is so bold it shocks you. By reading it you learn lessons and you can enjoy it at the same time. While I was reading this book it caught me never wanting to put it down. Feeling like you are an actual character in this book makes you think about the situations messaged throughout it. The constsnt mystery of what will happen next is why I would recommend this book.

Do you like heart warming, dramatic books well then you sure would like this book. This book has very unike names and wonderful characters. and how Novalee has wondrerful miricles and devistaving tragices.This book has a wonderful story written to it. Billie Letts has a great imagenation. If you read this book then you'll never forget it. Take it from me and I'm only a kid but this book is truley amazing!!!

Billie Letts created a true gift by writing this wonderful little book. I've passed it on to lots of friends who had never heard of it and it became their favorite book too! The warm, real, funny, quirky characters captured my imagination, making me laugh and then cry! The names of the characters themselves were enough to capture my heart!Such a strong name,"Americus", and "Novalee",a wonderful southern invention. Read this book... you will fall in love with it. Billie Letts... please write anoth

A warm inspiring story of a young woman abandoned tragically at a Wal-Mart. Novalee Nation struggles to build a life in a small town and is given lots of help by people others might consider society's outcasts. Never looking back, Novalee moves on. She is able to, or because of circumstances, is forced to look beyond the surface and she locates exactly Where the Heart Is. A lot of quirkly misfits carving out a community for themselves. I didn't want it to end.

This was my first Joan Wolf book. After the first few words, I wondered if this would be my last. After I finished this book, I could not wait to get back on-line to buy more of her books!

I do not ever recall reading a romance book from a first person point of view (POV) and I'll admit I didn't like it at first. But I kept reading it because I thought it would be too shallow of me to stop reading just because I wasn't used to this POV. What if it was a great book anyway? Of course, my intuition was correct and the book is a definite keeper. And keeping an open mind did have it's rewards. And the rewards are so so sweet. (But grab a hankie just in case! HINT, HINT) When the plot starts to thicken, you'll also realize how clever Ms Wolf was for writing this book from the heroine's POV.

Once more light was shed on the horoine's past, I regretted my earlier luke warm feelings for this book. Oh what a fool I was! I wanted to reread the book right there and then! I was amazed. I was awed. I was won over completely and so will you. This book definitely goes on my keeper shelf and if you haven't read The Arrangement yet, you are missing out on a very good book. Don't fret too much over the mild sex. If you read my other reviews, you know that I do prefer steamy if not explicit sex scenes in my romance books but I'm flexible and variety they say is the spice of life. I had just gotten through reading Susan Johnson's latest novel anyway so I was ready for a break and The Arrangement was just what I needed.

I have read several of Joan Wolf's Regency novels and have enjoyed them all. "The Arrangement" is a very well-written book with strong lead characters and an interesting plot. The first person point of view (the story is told by the heroine in the past tense) is a refreshing change of pace from the usual romance novel. Because the heroine, a young widow by the name of Gail Saunders, is telling the story, we do not have to constantly get beaten over the head with descriptions of her beauty (i.e. her flashing blue eyes and her silky raven locks, as would be the case in the *typical* romance novel); the author lets us know that she is beautiful by the things that the other charcters say and do. Gail is a wonderful heroine--strong enough to care for her young son, Nicky, by herself after her husband dies, proud enough to resent the implication that she cannot take care of her family, human enough to be rueful about her shabby wardrobe when dining at Castle Sevile and passionate enough to fall in love with Raoul, the Earl of Sevile, against her better judgement and to enter into "an arrangement" with him which she suspects will leave her with a broken heart.
Raoul is a wonderful hero--fabulously handsome and obscenely wealthy (of course), but also loyal, kind and intelligent. He is perfect in every way for Gail except for the fact that he is light years above her in the social strata. The development of their relationship is very well done and Gail's conflicted feelings about it are heartfelt.
The mystery part of the book is also entertaining, although a bit predictable. Lord Devane, Raoul's cousin, has died and left a bequest to Nicky, Gail's young son. Immediately this raises questions about Nicky's parentage which Gail refuses to answer. When it appears that someone is trying to kill Nicky, almost everyone is a suspect until the mystery is neatly unraveled.
My only complaint with this book was that the ending seemed a bit too pat, but that is not a major problem.
In summary, this is a *very* enjoyable book with an engaging heroine and hero. I would also recommend "The Pretenders" and "The Gamble", also by Joan Wolf.

I am always interested in A book where the heroine becomes A mistress before A wife and I found that in this book and was pleasently surprised by the author's writing skills. Sometimes when I find A book that has the ideal set up of everything I love to read in A romance, the writing is so bad that I cannot waste my time reading the book, but this book had everything I was looking for and good writing to boot! I loved the first person narration and the suspense that the author kept me in by not letting me really knowing the hero's feelings. I only knew from his actions that he loved the heroine and that was very refreshing. The storyline was also very entertaining and kept me turning the pages. You really don't know who is trying to kill the heroine's son until the end. I also loved the fact that the storyline did not overshadow the romance but only showed you how the hero took charge of all the bad situations and was there for the heroine everytime.

I was A little disappointed in the fact that even though the heroine did become the hero's mistress, it only seemed like she was someone he was sleeping with. They really didn't go anywhere together and she still was wearing her dreadful old clothes through out the whole book. The Cinderella in me wanted to see some shopping and spoiling done. Also, the love scenes were very short and not engaging or detailed enough. I give it 3 out of 10. The last thing that stopped this book from being 5 stars is that it was very depressing to read that one of the neighborhood's children got killed instead of the heroine's son and the villian actually got off pretty easy! You just don't kill off A child in A romance book, I don't care if it's not the main one! Even though this book had A few problems, I have A standard to know if I liked it, and that standard is-- if A book keeps me interested, then it's a good book in my eye, and this book definitely kept me interested! I recommend this book to lovers of good writing!

I usually hate regencies - I find that the 'heroes' are too egocentric to be likable, I can't abide all the references to former mistresses made just to embarass the heroine, and the heroines are usually too naive to be true. Well, this book is completely different - the hero is a very lovable man, we are spared information on his love life, and the heroine is a very real woman, a widow who has already been married, and to a man she loved. The story was very very good, and I am going to read as many books by Joan Wolf as I can find

I love Joan Wolf, and this is one of my favorites. I just love the opening lines of this book. Right away, I want to know about these people. She is an expert at drawing you in and making you care about the characters. I noticed some reviewers were disappointed in the lack of sex scenes, but that is one of the reasons I like her books so well. These are character driven romances and the first person POV gives you the opportunity to really get to know the heroine.

I teach a Christian Studies class and purchased this book as a possible recommended reading for my students. It's a book that is worth every penny. It's both captivating and inspiring. My students will be better equipped to fight the battle for their minds!

This is a wonderful book. I discovered Joyce Meyer recently. I found this book to be helpful and encouraging. Changing your thoughts is very important for anyone who is self critical, discouraged, depressed, etc...It's a choice and encouraging to know there is a choice instead of just listening to negative internal dialogue. God is the best choice. Love, Truth and Light...
JER 29:11

I have had many problems with anxiety through out my life. I can honestly say that no amount of therapy helped more than this book! I would recommend this book to everyone! I loved this book and it brought me closer to who I want to be! ....Read it!

This book helped me to get to a better place in my life, and I would reccommend it to any teenager trying to get close to God but feels conflicted about how they should conduct thier life. The language and ideas are geared for teens and there's no way that you can be a new Christian and not read this book. It's a must read! Be blessed.

I received a teaching once that basicly said that when you get right down to it the Devil really only has two methods for tempting us: 1. Pressure 2. Pleasure. The Devil has three maxims which allows him to pull this off : 1. You (your own thoughts, bad habits, exc.) 2. The environment (Government, religious oppression, the systems of the world, exc.), and 3. Other people. Joyce Meyer's "Battlefield Of The Mind" is mostly geared at the one maxim each of us have the most control over (You, yourself, your thoughts, and YOU).

Joyce masterfully explains how that old Advesary The Devil works by waiting for the right moment (he`s not only a parasite but he`s also a predator). He waits to see where your weak, when your most vulnerable moment is, and he waits for that moment to attack. The Bible says "Resist the Devil and he will flee from you." Perfect example is Luke chapter 6, The devil waits for Jesus to be 40 days and nights in the wilderness before he attacks. He didn't come the first day to attack him when our Lord was at his strongest. Oh no, our advesary doesn't play fair; he bides his time and waits for your weakest moment and attacks. Jesus resisted him and the devil fled from him (for awhile). Best thing is we have victory through our risen Lord this very day if we claim it. Joyce does a great job of illustrating this in this book(though I don't know if she used the Luke example I used above or not).

I really got a lot of insight from this book. For example, one of the concepts in the book (in my own words) was "what comes out of your mouth had to originate in your brain." Sounds simple enough , but Joyce had a masterful way of describing every thought we commonly have today and referring it to biblical passages. About half way through the book I began to realize that the grumbling, griping, complaining, and various other human emotions and thoughts I have are not uncommon to our time. The children of Israel went through these same emotions and they are all recorded in Gods Word. I used to ponder how stupid these people must have been, but now I can see myself in them. It really was a humbling experience! Many of us make the same mistake over and over again and ask God, "Why don't you do something?" Truth is God has always been willing to help us. We are the ones who get in God's way by not bringing our thoughts into the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Read this book and find out how you can change and train your mind to shut the door on The Devil and how to allow God to do what he's always been willing to do. BLESS YOU!!!

Hebrews 13:5b "for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

P.S. This book comes in many formats. There's the traditional version, teen version, devotional version, exc. It doesn't matter which one you use. Just read one of them. You will be blessed.

I read this book many years ago when I stumbled upon it in the library while doing research for a college paper. Published in 1972, this book by Robert Crichton is a lesson in the hardships suffered by Scottish mining villages many, many years ago. The heroine, so to speak, Maggie, is a determined woman who becomes controlling and bitter over the years. Her husband, whom she sought out and won practically through seduction, is quiet and reserved. It is heartbreaking to read their story, but you just can't put this book down. You feel all the love, horror, frustration and pathos of this family right along with them.

It's been over 20 years since I read this book, and still it haunts me.

One of my all-time favorite books. I would love to have a new copy

The Camerons was so real the reader could enjoy the story with all five senses. I'd pay nearly anything for a copy. The author, I believe, was one Robert or Michael Crichton.

There isn't a year that goes by without some pause to reflect on favorite past books read - The Camerons was decidedly a gem for me! It captures another time and place so vividly; it's a book of character with many enduring and fine passages for young or old to read well into the midnight hours!

My mother is a Cameron and she so reminds me of the short, dark, frugal heroine of the book. The book is written in such detail that I was able to identify with the hard life of the coal mines and the pinching and saving that the mother was able to do so that they could move "on top of the hill". (A newer book with the same them is Homer Hickam's, "October Sky"... The mother managed the money, saved and eventually kept enough to buy a house at Myrtle Beach) The book was shared with everyone in our family and each person had that sense of our past, our own history. Perhaps all who have that Scottish heritage and then moved to the new world as miners can understand the importance of this inspiring book. I really want a copy to share with my own daughter and my son, Cameron David.

One of the most incredible books I have ever read. I had the honor of meeting Col. Dramesi at age 14 in Mt. Home AFB, Idaho. He and my father Col. David Reiner worked together flying F-111's. He has been and always will be an inspiration in my life. I have read this book countless times and over the years did countless book reports in school. Col. Dramesi is a hero's hero!

I've read the book Code of Honor and found it to be absolutely amazing! Colonel Dramesi is a very brave man who has been through a lot in his life. I have had the opportunity to talk to him and learn of his feelings about the war and being imprisoned. I would recommend his book to anyone who wants to learn more about the Vietnam War and the prison camps in Hanoi.

Lt. John Dramesi was assigned to the 354th TFW at Myrtle Beach AFB,SC in 1958. We were on temp duty at Matagorda Bombing Range in TX. On take off in his F100 he hit a herd of deer. I forget how many. We painted the amount on his plane. His landing gear was crippled and he made an emergency landing at Foster AFB,TX. I was sent to repair the electrical damage. I read his book and am not suprised at his bravery. What a man. We had many of them at Myrtle Beach.The Maintenance men called him "THE DEER SLAYER" after that.

I worked around Col.Dramesi, while I was stationed at Plattsburgh AFB, New York. I was fortunate enough to get an autographed copy of his book when it was first released. He was a living legend at Plattsburgh, and people were truly in awe of him. Thank you, Colonel Dramesi, for serving your country so honorably!

I had the distinct honor of serving under Colonel Dramesi after he became the Wing Commander of the 509 Bomb Wing (M), Pease AFB, NH. When I knew him at Pease AFB, Colonel Dramesi was a quiet man, but he deserved everyone's respect. His outstanding book recalls his captivity in the Hanoi Hilton and is, by far, the most descriptive of all books I have ever read about what these HEROES experienced. The book depicts his experiences of being shot down over Vietnam, an accurate description of the deplorable conditions in which he was forced to endure in Cell #6, his recollection of personal torture for literally 38 days in a row, his two escape attempts from the Hanoi Hilton, and the sorrowful loss of his friend Capt Ed Adderbury. Although I have somehow misplaced my copy of the book (I am looking for a replacement), I remember that Colonel Dramesi was, and always will be, worthy of the following statement: "Welcome Home American." A "must have" for anyone who wants to know the truth about our POW's in Vietnam. Colonel: You will never be forgotten!

There is no such thing as a bad Ross MacDonald novel, but while this is good, it isn't typical of his best work. MacDonald's Lew Archer novels are correctly judged to be the great successor works to the great stories and novels of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Together the three writers constitute the Great Triumvirate of the American hardboiled school. While MacDonald doesn't write prose quite as brilliant or memorable as his two predecessors, he created characters of greater depth and complexity. He also wrote a larger quantity of great novels than either Hammett or Chandler.

Despite all this, THE DROWNING POOL does not stand out very far from what Hammett and Chandler had achieved and it did not really put on display MacDonald's later innovations. If there is a theme running through MacDonald's best books like THE CHILL or THE INSTANT ENEMY or THE MOVING TARGET is it this: "The sins of the fathers will be visited unto the second and third generations." In almost all of his mature novels Lew Archer starts off investigating some incident in the present that ends up having roots 20 or 30 or 40 years earlier. His novels always puts me in mind of Yeats's "Leda and the Swan," where the rape of Leda by Zeus in the form of a swan inevitably leads to the tragedy of the Trojan war: "A shudder in the loins engenders there/The broken wall, the burning roof and tower/And Agamemnon dead." There is an intricate causality in the Archer novels. Things happen not because of anything happening right here and now, but in almost foreordained fashion because of actions in a previous generation. THE DROWNING POOL has a smidgen of this, but not much. The causality developed here is the later view of causality in embryonic form.

The amazing thing is that even though this is not quite as breathtaking as later MacDonald novels, it is still absolutely first rate. Ironically, this is one of his best-known novels, even if it isn't one of his very best. The reason is easy to identify: it was made into a movie starring Paul Newman. In fact, though MacDonald is clearly one of the Big Three hardboiled writers, unlike Hammett and Chandler -- both of whose novels have been turned into several great films -- MacDonald's books simply do not lend themselves to conversion to movies. Paul Newman did play Lew Archer as Harper in two movies, but they were not of the same quality as the best films based on Hammett and Chandler books. HARPER was a film version of THE MOVING TARGET, so both the title and the main character underwent a name change. Unbelievably, MacDonald's best book -- and one of the two or three greatest hardboiled novels ever written -- THE CHILL has never been made into a movie. The film that is closest to the world of Lew Archer has no connection to any novel by MacDonald, Roman Polanski's CHINATOWN, which is much closer to MacDonald in spirit than to either Hammett or Chandler.

Still, this is must read MacDonald. His books would get better, but that isn't to say that this isn't a good, even a great, novel.

Of all the classic heroes in hard-boiled fiction (Spade, Marlowe, etc.) I've always found Lew Archer to be my favorite. Maybe it's because MacDonald does such a superlative job illustrating Archer's flaws, doubts and shortcomings. Rather than some iron-jawed superhero, he's a compellingly complex person whose battered conscience ultimately makes him more heroic. Many readers consider The Drowning Pool to be the best Archer book and it's hard to argue that contention. If pressed, I might rank The Way Some People Die just a little bit higher, but both books are so good it's stupid to quibble. I haven't read The Barbarous Coast yet, but look forward to diving in soon.. and afterward I might have to revise my opinion regarding Archer's best case once again.

A different Lew Archer here than THE BLUE HAMMER Lew Archer. The tone is in TDP is more gritty and hardboiled. Lew is less the romantic toward the ladies he meets. I like Macdonalds' writing in TDP. A less polished and more direct style has its appeal. There's less psychological development of the characters, more emphasis on plot.

I hesitate to call this a classic because some people consider "classics" as dull and out-dated. And there's nothing dull or out-dated here (well, maybe that paying $10 to be driven from Las Vegas to L. A. is a bit out of date).

Archer's hired to discover who sent his client's husband a letter accusing her of infidelity. Introduced to the family and friends at a party as a Hollywood agent, he is sensitive to the growing tension and explosive atmosphere. The reader knows of course that somebody's going to be murdered, but these early chapters are among the most skillfully written to build suspense that I've ever read.

Written in 1950, the inclusion of a homosexual couple was quite daring although there is not graphic description, and isn't significant enough a factor of the plot to either offend or attract a reader.

Read this and I'm sure you'll find it on your own list of crime classics.

In this skillfully written tale of murder and intrigue, Ross MacDonald manages to "out Chandler" Raymond Chandler. It's Southern California, circa 1950, and hardboiled detective Lew Archer finds himself traversing the same landscapes Chandler's Philip Marlowe does in The Big Sleep, High Window and The Long Goodbye.
The plot of The Drowning Pool is complex enough to be interesting without being convoluted or forced. Greed, blackmail, homosexuality and family dysfunction all play roles in advancing the nicely paced narrative. Thrown in for good measure are seductive women, a number of action scenes and a Lolita like teenager named Cathy.
MacDonald's very descriptive prose is quite effective. And there's plenty of memorable dialogue. My personal favorite: "Your reminiscences fascinate me. May I take notes?"
You'd be hard pressed to find a more satisfying example of noir crime writing. An enthusiastic 5 stars.