Williams Books

I recently finished my first year at a top tier law school. This book did so much for me. If you are serious about getting good grades in CivPro, I think you should seriously consider this book. It forces you to understand the concepts and work through the rules, which is vital to doing well on exams. Don't stress about exams. This will help you.

This is by far one of the best supplements out there. It really explains everything and illustrates the material with great examples followed by explanations that are clear and concise. I would not recommend taking Civil Procedure without this book.

However, one caveat: this book may not cover all of the material in your Civ Pro class. Off the top of my head, I know it is missing chapters on class actions, Seventh Amendment right to jury trials, and interpleader (though it has impleader and other joinder topics). Despite this minor shortcoming, the material that is contained in this supplement is explained well and illustrated through great examples. Definitely a must have!

This is an essential supplement if you are going to understand this God-forsaken subject. I took off a star because there are some important subjects that are not covered in the book for some reason (For example, there is very little on Rule 24)

This book was very helpful for reviewing each section as we went through them in class. The explanation sections are wonderful and the examples are very helpful for exam prep.

E&E is a great series. I've found many of the books helpful in supplementing law school reading that can be at times difficult to synthesize. However, Freer's supplement on civil procedure is unbeatable.

Law school is about knowing the rule and applying the facts. E&E is great at helping you to know the rule. However, it doesn't help you figure out how to apply the facts, especially in a way pertinent to law school exams. Freer's book is full of examples and frameworks that assure success on your CivPro exam. This is especially true of the frameworks he lays out for analyzing Personal Jurisdiction problems and Erie.

Buy Freer and you'll be happier going into your final.

Ah yes, Magic the Gathering. The child of Richard Garfield, run through dark magic and incest by the terrifying and evil Wizards of the Coast. I still play Magic, but it will never be like the old days, before Wizards of the Coast became huge. This book was written during the old days, and I reread it every couple years to remind myself of how cool the CCG world was back then.

Arena tells us a story of Garth One-Eye, a mysterious fighter who can control the flow of mana, as he plays a game of cat and mouse (where he's the mouse) in a city ready to tear him apart. Anyone who has seen a Clint Eastwood film will get numerous rushes of recognition. The basic plot of the book follows A Fistful of Dollars, with Garth playing the ruling houses of the city against each other.

So it's a rehash of a familiar plot. Does that make it bad? No. For one thing, it's a familiar plot, but we have to admit it was an entertaining plot as well. And there are twists and turns in this story that go off on their own (albiet Magic the Gathering inspired) direction. But don't be surprised if you start imagining Garth with that Clint sharpness in his voice.

Why read this book? First of all, if you're a fan of the old Magic the Gathering editions, you have to read it, just so you can say you have. Second of all, even if you're not a fan of magic, while it will lose about 10% of its goodness, it's still a great read, easy to pick up and hard to put down.

Any complaints? Only a couple. One, the sequels (by a different author) follow completely different characters and while a couple from Arena appear in later books, the cameos don't quite do them justice. Another downside is that one of the characters, Kirlen, was a potential gold mine of development and plot that only barely gets used.

But I reccomend Arena, especially if it's as cheap as I think it is these days. Pick it up before your next airplane flight or bus ride. It will keep you thouroughly entertained. And it may even make you want to play Magic again.

Although the book is obviously part of the MTG series and world. It really is by far a great stand alone sci-fi fantasy book. This book single handedly intrigued me enough to go out and buy MTG cards and additional MTG books in the series. The card game is ok to play and the rest of the MTG books are not worth the money. However this book is an incredible read, it is no Thomas Paine or Thoreau, obviously, but it is a very entertaining little book. I highly recommend it if you enjoy sci-fi books.

I read this book when it first came out. And still to this day I remember it being a great read and I just recently purchased it again and re-lived the experience. This is one of my 10 ten favorite books.

The main question on your mind right now has got to be "But isn't this just using a name to sell books?"

And I can tell you no. They could have easily just slapped together some drivel, put the Magic logo on it with the card offer, and it would have sold probably just as well. While you may appreciate its connections to the card game, it's not necessary to enjoy the book. The author adds much to a, at the time, thin background to realize a whole city and a system of magic.

The story does seem to come down to the childish, but not too often, and not enough to distract me from the rest of the book. The best part is learning about the different schools of magic and the people that head them!

The worst of these, let's call them childish asides, is that they put in some PG-13 stuff in that takes up all of a page. During the rest of the book the only reference to it is the phrase "It meant nothing", which comes out more than once. Which is true of the story as well, it meant nothing. It's just added as an afterthought I'm sure, to tantalize the younger reader. As I said however, the main story grabbed me unrelentlessly in such a manner that I could overlook such things.

This is a stand-alone book and, as I understand, does not have any direct connection to the rest of the series (new or old).

It's an unfortunate curse that all popular franchises have. You know what I'm talking about - that horrid thing known as over marketing. You start with one thing that that's pretty cool on its own, like a trading card game, or a video game, or even a book. Then someone realizes that there is so much more money to be made by the unsuspecting masses, who are oblivious to the fact that they are about to be bombarded with some of the most ridiculous drivel ever conceived of by mankind. Before you know it, what was once just a really great game, is now an abominable never ending landslide of action figures, T.V. shows, DVD series, full movie theatrical releases, clothing lines, coffee mug sets, and backpacks! Who could possibly live without those awesome new Pokemon sandals? The price for them is unbelievably low - it just costs the tattered remains of your dignity!

The curse has spread to Magic: The Gathering in the form of the novel "Arena". Now we've got an unending series of books that follows all the new releases of the different card sets (which will continue until people realize "Hey, I've spent the majority of the money I've ever made on more and more new cards trying to make a non-existant perfect deck. I need to accept that I have an addiction and quit"). What we've got here is a book that should be absolutely freaking awesome - I mean come on, the entire universe of Magic is already pre-made for the author, William Forstchen. He doesn't have to make ANYTHING up himself. Mr. Forstchen could have given us an amazing plot-driven book with tons of character progression, believable dialogue, and an incredible story. With the entire historical background, geographical areas, major characters, and system of magic already done for him, there should have been plenty of time allocated to giving the readers the most amazing book ever made. Obviously, that didn't happen.

Judging this book solely as a part of the Magic: The Gathering universe, it's pretty good. Lots of out of control combat, gratuitous sex for no apparent reason (and completely contradicting a character's previous statements about his views on sexual intimacy), and an "under-dog" figure who is able to take down the current not-so-nice all powerful deity figure. It's a pre-pubescent boy's dream come true. Judging "Arena" as a stand alone novel, against all the other fantasy novels out there, it certainly ranks among the most trite, self-serving, completely pointless books of the last century. Why give it even 2 stars then? Because, unfortunately, book series based on games are judged by a different standard. Their merit as a novel has to be balanced with how well they stay true to the themes and tone of the game (which this does decently), while keeping in mind that because they exist solely to make company X more money, there will be all kinds of unnecessary stuff packed in to please all the fanboys. If only we treated game based novels as they should be - by holding them up to a HIGHER standard than most fantasy novels (for the above mentioned reason - all the work is already done for the author), but experience has taught that, against all logic, game based novels tend to be substandard in comparison. The use of vivid, or even adequate, description in "Arena" is passed over in favor of popular buzz words in order to keep the action moving at a fast enough pace. For example, when describing a battle between two wizards, the author actually wrote the sentence "He summoned some Llanowar elves". Now keep in mind there is no material either before or after that describes what Llanowar elves are - what they look like (anyone whose played the card game will have seen them, but this leaves all other readers completely out of the loop), what they do, or why they were chosen over any other creature. The most important aspect, the actual details of the summoning, is left out as well. We aren't given any description at all of how the magician accomplishes this feat, which is honestly just sloppy writing.

"Arena" isn't 100% bad writing though. There are some genuinely interesting characters and situations present, although they aren't used very effectively. The character line up starts off with a one-eyed magician/fighter type who is known as a Hannin, because he doesn't belong to any of the guild houses. Curiously, several previous reviewers of this book commented on what an amazing mystery it was to figure out who Garth really is. Obviously they didn't read the blurb on the back of the novel, as it blatantly gives away the "secret", or any of the hints placed throughout the book that were about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the stomach. Next, there is a woman belonging to the intriguing Benalish caste system, which isn't given nearly enough detail as it should have. The obligatory fiery read head type who is too strong willed for her own good makes an appearance here, as well as the old man who isn't really what he seems. The main characters aside, the most fun part of this novel is reading about the four guild leaders and their various vices (although they were done WAY over the top, and again, no attempt at subtlety is made here). The character with the most potential is Kirlen, the leader of the guild called Bolk. Having lived for an incredible length of time by using rejuvenation spells and potions, her body has withered away to the point that she could almost be labeled an undead creature. Kirlen was once the lover of the "big baddy" in the story, and he betrayed her to attain the power to become a Planeswalker - a being who can travel to different dimensions and has near godlike powers. While this could have been the most interesting story arc, it was unfortunately relegated to an un-important backstory, just some filler to tack on the pages.

If you are a hardcore fan of Magic: The Gathering you will probably drink this thing up like it's the elixir of life and then rant about how it's the "best novel ever". Anyone looking for a good fantasy novel with any real substance should probably steer clear, though.

Lawrence Ritter in his original Preface describes his book as about the early days of baseball. I'm going to make a correction. Mind you it is the only one I will make. His book is about the early days of modern professional Baseball.
With that being put aside , I must praise Mr. Ritter for his most original idea for a book. He took upon himself to travel the U.S.A. in search of the very players who established our National Pastime in the early part of the 20th Century. People talk of Shakespeare and Churchill as prolific writers of the English language. What Mr. Ritter has done is an epiphany for writing a book. His concept was indeed very simple. Why not seek out the very best living Baseball Players of the early 20th Century, and ask them to please describe their experiences.
In the early to middle 1960's when Mr. Ritter did this, he was able to talk to these pioneers of modern baseball in the twilight of their wise years. These 26 men had time to reflect on their careers and describe an age unknown to us. Mr. Ritter traveled to these men and I'm sure asked the correct questions and let these gentlemen record their responses on tape. What he captured will stir the heart of each true Baseball Fan.
For the record my two favorites are Stanley Coveleski and Bill Wambsganss. You can guess from these selections what my favorite team is.

I really enjoyed listening to the stories from some of our classic baseball heros. They brough history to life. This audio book was one of the best purchases I've made. I truly enjoyed just listening to these remarkable men tell there own stories of baseball's past.

I have been an avid reader of baseball history for most of my life and I first purchased this book in the 80's and wore it out and purchased another copy. There isn't a season that goes by that I don't read it again. When you read the interviews of the ballplayers, recorded by Lawrence Ritter, it's as if you are a fly on the wall hearing the conversations first hand and the ghosts of seasons long past are brought back to life.

You get a first person account of some of the most famous moments in early baseball history through the fond recollections of some of the participants. Merkle's boner, Snodgrass' muff, Wambsgan's unassisted World Series Triple play are all recounted. The most entertaining parts of the book recount tales of Germany Schaefer stealing first base, the chronicles of Charles Victory Faust, and Wilbert Robinson attempting to catch a grapefruit dropped from an airplane. You get a glimpse of Ty Cobb from his teammates Davy Jones and Sam Crawford. You get several different takes on the great manager John McGraw from several different players who once played for him.

This is hands down the greatest sports book I have read. It's not only a great history of the early days of 20th century baseball but a wonderful piece of Americana. The book breaths humanity and paints a portrait of the ballplayers of the past who played for the love of the game unsullied by steroids and multimillion dollar contracts.

If you love the game of baseball as it once was and still should be this is a "must read"...some of the players interviewed by Ritter were unknown to me and I was fascinated to learn of their exploits...I ordered an additional three books and sent them to long time fans of the game...If I was a GM today in MLB I would have every member of the team read this book so that they might appreciate the game as it was in its infancy...the modern player (in most cases)doesn't realize how fortunate he is to wear a major league uniform and earn the money today for playing a "game"

Statistically, baseball back then couldn't be more at variance with the game now. Cy Young threw 511 career victories, and 750 complete games. In 1909, Ty Cobb led the majors both in batting average (.377) and home runs (9). Cobb's teammate Sam Crawford hit over 300 triples in his career.

What to make of such numbers? Lawrence S. Ritter's "The Glory Of Their Times" strips away the statistical confusion by getting to the heart of Major League Baseball's early days, the players themselves. An economics professor, Ritter invested his downtime from 1962-66 in interviewing elderly men, baseball players all who knew what it was like to face a Walter Johnson fastball, or have Ty Cobb slide into the base they were covering.

"People were more unique then, more unusual, more different from each other," says Davy Jones, who played on the Tigers with Cobb and Crawford. "Now people are all more or less alike, company men, security minded, conformity - that sort of stuff. In everything, not just baseball."

Transcriptions of Ritter's interviews with Jones and 21 other former players, including Crawford and two others then in the Hall of Fame, makes up the whole of "The Glory Of Their Times," published in 1966 and later extended with four more interviews in 1984. Nearly all the interviews offer both testimony and color for the game as it was then.

Bill Wambsganss tells us about his unassisted triple play in the 1920 World Series, and how Ring Lardner once used his last name to rhyme with "clam's chance" and "Ray Chapman's pants". Fred Snodgrass tells us about his famous muffed fly in the 1911 World Series, and how his New York Giants tried to psyche out the Philadelphia Athletics by sitting on the dugout bench, ostentatiously sharpening their spikes.

You hear so much about another famous World Series moment, the Merkle "boner" of 1908, that you feel like you were there on the field, too. There's a Rashomon-like quality to hearing various interviewees give their different takes on such things as the character of John McGraw and whether "Giant Killer" Harry Coveleski was run out of the league when he was caught chewing on bologna. (Snodgrass says so, while Harry's brother Stanley, a major-league pitcher himself, calls it "a lot of bull".

Not all the interviews are riveting. One wishes Ritter could have pushed some of the old players more, like the rumors that swirled around Smoky Joe Wood involving fixes. But allowing the subjects the reins probably drew more color out of them than a Grand Jury could have. I love how Crawford keeps telling Ritter he hasn't much time to talk, while giving Ritter one of the longest and most entertaining interviews in the book, describing how players would allow themselves to be rubbed down with "Go Fast," a noxious combination of Vaseline and Tabasco sauce that made them sweat like a sauna.

"I hope I haven't said anything I shouldn't," Crawford says at the end. "There are a lot of the old-timers still left,you know, and they're liable to say, 'That fathead, who the hell does he think he is, anyway, popping off like that!'"

If you like baseball even a little, you will enjoy "The Glory Of Their Times" quite a lot.

What can I say? I've read all the Pendragon books and I love them all. But this book is my favorite. I love Saangi's cocky attitude and Loor's jokes. To me there is no competition, this is my favorite book.

By far this is the best book yet! Packed with
mystery, action, romance, and revealed secrets about what a travelor is really capable of. This book will keep you entertained.

The Rivers of Zadaa is the sixth installment to the Pendragon series. I loved this book it had adventure and it has mystery in it. This book was the best of the Pendragon it gave me everything that I wanted in a book. This book starts with a tragic death then ends very surprisingly. Saint Dane has gone to the territory of Zadda were he is influencing two warring tribes now Bobby must stop him with the help of the traveler Loor.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes an adventure book that is also a fantasy. This book now had to be the best because you had no idea what was going to happen next. I absolutely loved this book I just never wanted to put it down. I definitely would put this book in my top 5 of favorite books.

DJ, you keep me waiting too long. I want you pumping these books out faster.I can't get enough!!!

Hands down the best series I have laid my eyes on.

This book is deeply moving, inspiring and challenging. Thomas a Kempis lays out what it means to be an authentic follower of Jesus, not just an adherent or a church-goer. The simulated conversations with Christ in the book are especially powerful. Aside from the Bible, no other book has touched and moved me like this. Highly recommended reading.

Why claim trinkets when you can read one of the best devotionals on the market. I use it to keep my daily life in check, to remember to have the right focus and to live what I believe. This is the top of the charts for a "Christian" work. Brother A'Kempis was a great instructor and a wise disciple. So much of todays mediocre fluff is twisted by society, self centeredness and lazy Christianity where the thinking is done for those who don't see the value in meditation and self examination. Next to the Bible, this is my favorite work.

This wonderful book was written by the priest Thomas a Kempis in the 1400's and is very reminecient of the Apostle Paul's writings by encouraging readers to live a simple spiritual life. It recommends that peace is found in the heart of the humble and that in overcoming the ego you overcome the world. Joy is found in a quiet conscience and you are only happy when you have done what is right. This may also be the original source of the advice to choose the less of two evils. It also warns that pleasure and desire carry the seeds of sorrow. This book is spiritual focusing on living the inner life and not getting entangled with the world. A must read for all Christians or anyone on a spiritual path.

This book was originally a handbook for monks, by a monk. It never was designed or written for the layman. Since it was written, it has served as a kind of guidebook for laypeople. But to take it as a guidebook for us is incorrect. It was by a monk, Thomas of Kempen (Germany) for monks. It should not be judged according to what we think it demands of US.

This is not a review of the book per se (just got it, have not read it yet), but thought I needed to share this. Book arrived with another book (a textbook) in the usual Amazon box, each laying side by side. It was left out in the rain for most of the day by the local carrier until I brought it inside. The entire box was soaked and ruined, tape fallen off and box literally gaping open, all of the paperwork inside was falling apart in pieces and soaked, my textbook was completely ruined (soaked through, wavy wet pages etc - got returned), yet this book was absolutely dry - not a trace of even a microdrop of water - perfect condition. Take away whatever message you want...

C. S. Lewis is not only one of the 20th century's finest minds, he's also amazingly perceptive of human behavior. This well-written description explains so clearly the four kinds of love and with such accessible illustrations from real life. Most eye-opening for me was the chapter on "affection" where I began to understand for the first time why we moms think we are so misunderstood; in actuality, our "affection" (storge) for our family has gotten out of hand! You'll need to read in order to understand. I highly recommend this book.

CS Lewis does a wonderful job defining the four Greek words for Love. I would recommend this book most highly to the man (women are less likely to make this error) who thinks he needs no friends. Lewis shows the importance of friendship to a good life.

It Is One of those books that should be sitting on a coffee table. It defines the various types of pure love: agape, venus, and storge to name some. It truly defines where the 'heart' is and perhaps defining the brotherly love, the parental love, or the true love...



Susan Saige

This is in my opinion C.S. Lewis's best nonfiction work. The premise has been done before, but rarely with the sort of insight given here. His overviews of Affection and Friendship are much too often overlooked and glossed over as unimportant, but here they're given a status they really deserve.

The section on friendship, and the idea that people are bonded through mutual passions, and his grim statement that people who are just looking for a friend will never find one, was spot on. Friendships are formed as an extension of a passion for something bigger than the individual. A mutual cause drives people, whether they be sports fanatics, a tribe pining for survival, or art critics.

The pitfalls he explains for the loves such as lust, bigotry, elitism, etc. are self explanatory, but it's also practical. Friendships are exclusive by their very nature, and there's nothing intrinsically wrong with such a thing. Eros is most certainly exclusive. He emphasizes that we can't be friends with everyone, love everyone with Eros, but we can love everyone with Charity, the final section of the book.

One could write a book three times longer and not come close to the depth portrayed in this little book. Strongly recommended.

Within this work, Mr. Lewis is quick to point out the inherent difficulty with regard to the concept of love facing individuals whose native tongue is English. That is, it is easily recognized that there exists an extreme deficit when one applies the same word to describe the sentiment shared with one's spouse, as well as their favorite food. In such extreme cases of difference in terms of the word's application, clarification is hardly needed and might be written off as an embellishment about that which one feels about, say, strawberries or chocolate. However, other instances are more difficult to write off as a poor choice of words; such as, love for friends, family, a spouse, and God. One must surely agree that the sentiment in each of these instances of love can exist and be experienced in significantly different ways. While love is the umbrella under which all of these sentiments rest, they are, as far as most people can tell, very different things. That being said, it is lucky for the reader that Mr. Lewis, almost immediately, circumvents the language barrier and begins to illustrate the foundational understanding which must be apparent for further exploration of the concepts of love to proceed. For those who have struggled with this, even the simplest concept of love's significance, as this reviewer has, the first chapter alone is worth the price of this work's purchase.

Building upon a necessary base of knowledge, Lewis begins to explore the nature of love beginning with that love which might be the gray area between the words love and like, or either of the two, as spoken in the English language. Lewis continues his endeavor by tackling what people often consider the more significant forms of love such as friendship, erotic love, and the love of and for God. While no attempt will be made here to convey the significance of the final chapter regarding actual Love in fear of diluting a brilliant message, each of the chapters leading up to that point share common threads. That is, Mr. Lewis illustrates the difficulty which can be had with love in any form if left to our own devices. This illustration is achieved in the author's typical fashion of profound analogies and appeals to common experiences. One can be certain that while this recognition of the volatility of human love is of extreme importance, it is the overriding concept that only by surrendering these loves to Love that one can achieve happiness, solace, and purity in Love which makes this work unquestionably valuable to those that are fortunate enough to read it.

This book is awesome, but I can still criticize it. I read it along with the little Guyton book, and used it as a main source a couple of days before the NBME, which we took at the end of our physiology class in medical school. I read the entire book in two days, and understood it all! It is a fast dirty way to study physiology that hits all the necessary points. However, it has its down points. The book is in bullet point format all the time. It became a little degrading to see point after point, which is why I used the pocket Guyton book. Guytons pocket book is another source that I highly recommend because it explains rather than bullet points, and if the bullet points in this book become too much for you, try pocket Guyton. Also, the sections of this book may not follow your class lecture. It can be unpleasant to search for what your studying. If the book had sections smaller than 30 pages it would help. Another word of warning, this book is build for medical school. This book is not intended as a source for PhD work, etc. However, if you are in med school, this is a necessary evil!

The book had a lot of concepts that really helped with my learning of physio throughout the course and later with prepping for the physio shelf exam. My only beef with the content was with the impertinent discussions of molecular similarities between some hormones, but overall, I was pretty satisfied with the book.

This book is an amazing tool for my Medical School Physiology class, it will be a vital piece of my USMLE study regimen.

This book is an excellent resource to supplement boards study. I have been very pleased.

I think this is the best BRS there is. I used this book for course exam prep as well as board review. It is a great tool to highlight important concepts, and it explains things in a simple and effective way with the right amount of information.

This is a required text for a class of mine. Easy to read and follow along even if you're not a mathematically inclined person. Enjoy.

This is a great book whether you are a fan of, or a practicing mathematician. Good reading and a great library reference addition.

First things first: You have to really like maths to appreciate this book. If you have ever wondered how to prove Pythagoras' theorem geometrically, or would like to find out how Archimedes estimated pi, this is the book for you. If not, buy another.

The book has a good mix of stories, explanations and mathematical proofs. It actually answered questions I have been wondering about for a long time (proving Pythagoras' theorem and finding the formula for solving second order equations), but even if you are not the nerd I am, there is a big chance you will find this book fascinating.

This is a very nice and elegantly written book. The proofs of the theorems selected as great are presented in simple terms. They require no more then high school mathematics(although some of these proofs are not rigorous, for example on the summation of infinite series). The only problem I can see is with the choice of the theorems (too many from geometry) but of course that is a matter of taste. I would have given the book five stars if there had been a chapter on Godel's theorem in it.

William Dunham is the author of several books on the history of mathematics.

In this brief history of mathematics and mathematicians, the author, rather than writing a little bit about a large number of mathematicians, has provided longer treatments of a few. The 'few', naturally, being the most talented/famous from the earliest days. To include:

Hippocrates
Euclid
Archimedes
Heron
Cardano
Newton
The Bernoullis
Leibniz
Euler
Cantor

This book spends some time building and describing mathematical problems and concepts in ways that the average reader will understand. He also relates biographical information about the people who worked on them. Some of the history is quite fascinating, such as the practice in the middle ages of public challanges between mathematicians to solve problems, much like a gun fight of the Wild West.

This would make a good volume in any library.

Math teachers should own (and read) this.

I was loaned this book by a friend of mine who is German. She was given this book by her mother and read it when she was a child in Germany. Years later she found it in a used book sale here in the states (her current residence) and fell in love with it again. She lent me this book, and I have to say it was wonderful. I learned so much reading this book everything from Napoleonic history to early French fashion. Desiree is a delightful character and her life is fascinating. I recommend this book for anyone. It is a light easy read. I was sad when I finished it because I wanted the story to continue.

"Desiree" is the (mostly) true story of Desiree Clary, silk-merchant's daughter of Marseilles, who becomes involved with the Bonapartes, rises with them to the heights of power, survives Napoleon's downfall and ultimately becomes Queen Desideria of Sweden, the first Bernadotte Queen. Desiree herself tells her story in diary form, although it isn't as annoying as the diary form usually is, and the reader experiences events of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries as Desiree did--as a series of domestic events. That these events occur in royal households and that Desiree is a major player in them could be accidental, but one quickly realizes that Desiree is a remarkable woman and these are no accidents.

The tone is intimate, and one feels as though Desiree is confiding in the reader as a friend. Annemarie Selinko is a virtuoso; even in translation not one word of this amazing story rings false. You will find yourself thinking of Desiree long after the end of the book. I read this first at sixteen, and found the historical information invaluable in a college history course (not the reason to read it, but it doesn't hurt).

I've since read the Josephine B. books, and a wonderful novel based on the life of Josephine Bonaparte called "The Emperor's Lady" by F. W. Kenyon (available used on Amazon), which I also heartily recommend, but "Desiree" is the platinum standard by which to judge historical novels/fictionalized biographies.

It is simply wonderful.

I love this book (as well as the movie to this book) and not all of the book is fiction! There was a woman named Desiree Clary she was the first love/fiance of Napoleon Bonaparte. She married one of his marshals, Jean-Baptise Bernadotte whom was elected to become King of Sweden in the early ninteenth century. Desiree's and Jean-Baptise's descandents are still on the throne of Sweden to this day.

I would also like to add that the author has done a brillent job in writing this book! She wrote the book so well, that it's diffucult to distinguish the line between fact and fiction in this book!

Annemarie Selinko's "Desiree" is one of the best novels about France during the first Empire. It is definitely my favorite novel about Napoleon, told from the point of view of his cast-off fiancee, the enchanting Desiree Clary. Selinko's characterizations and descriptions are based on meticulous research, making this book one of the finest of the historical fiction genre. Feisty Desiree becomes a queen in spite of herself, and in spite of Napoleon, through a course of events that are almost unbelievable, but true. Many famous historical figures are brought to life, especially the fascinating, glamorous Josephine. The fortune-telling scene is one of my favorites in the book. Well-written, gripping, romantic and an unforgettable love story, "Desiree" is a book to own and read often. It is goes well with two other novels about the same era, almost as if they were a trilogy, Norah Loft's "A Rose for Virtue" and Elena Vidal's "Madame Royale."

I'm a certified anglophile, when it comes to history. This is probably because I am one-half Angelo Celtic and so the history I read about when I read about England, Scotland and Ireland, is in some sense my own. It is a basic human urge to understand where we come from after all. Anyway, this is my way of saying I don't "get" France. I can't speak French (and so in books when there's some French thrown in I'm just lost) and I don't know anything about French history (except a little where it bumps up with England.) For most of the historical fiction I read about France, which has events that occurred so long ago it doesn't seem to matter that I have no knowledge, this doesn't effect my enjoyment of the book. But when we get into the French revolution and the whole Napoleon thing it seems I have to know something to get the book. Happily, this book explains everything so well that I can report if you know nothing about the after events of the French revolution (like me) you will not only be able to enjoy the book but you will actually learn things!

This is a fake diary kept for about forty years by (real person) Eugenie Desiree Clary, one time fiancée of Napoleon and later Queen of Sweden and Norway (obviously many events happen between the two titles.) I know nothing about the real historical person of Desiree, but the character is an amazing women. Smart, resourceful, bold, courageous, romantic, sweet, funny...kind of a perfect main character. She meets Napoleon's older brother Joseph when getting her older brother out of jail and invites him to dinner to meet her older unmarried sister Julie. Joseph brings Napoleon along with him and soon because of the girls' large dowries and the impoverished state of the Bonaparte's, Julie and Joseph are married and Desiree and Napoleon are engaged.

But we all know that Napoleon marries Josephine. So the majority of the book (told by Desiree remember) revolves around Desiree's own love story with a General Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (a great character and lovely romance) and of course what happened in France under Napoleon. Like I said this book is an education about what happened to change a republic into an empire (perhaps we could be looking for parallels to today's United States?)

Desiree's life is fascinating but what also makes this book interesting is the portrait painted of Napoleon-a very different one from other view points about him (say as in "The Josephine Bonaparte collection" by Sandra Gulland which presents him as...well as a very different kind of man. Josephine also) The Napoleon of this book is selfish, arrogant and so conceited and entitled he's unbearable (as Desiree says at one point, "can you believe I was going to marry him?") I suppose the view presented in this book is more in tune with the traditional historical view of Napoleon (little-man syndrome and all) but then I don't know much about it.

I want to be clear on the fact that the romance in this novel is NOT between Desiree and Napoleon but between Desiree and her husband Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. In fact once you past page 100 it's pretty obvious that the only emotion Desiree feels towards Napoleon is some nostalgia and contempt and fear.

Anyway, this is a great book. It has engaging characters, history that's real and understandable (even by one with no knowledge such as me) and an enchanting narrator who has an inspiring sense morality, especially about government. My only complaints are that sometimes the diary entries are very far apart chronologically and there is little explanation of what happened in between the dates and so often times I had to re-read entries a couple time to get a sense of continuity. A history book may have been helpful here but I eventually figured out what was happening/had happened in between the entries. Also there are so many characters, often with similar names that a character index really would have been helpful.

Other than that this book is pretty perfect. It's a real treasure and I heartily thank the kind person who recommended it to me as one of the best of the historical fiction genre.

Five stars.

This book is wonderful. I have started recommending it to all of my friends. If you can read only one book on parenting, this is the one to read! When you read it you will learn about different parenting styles, their effectiveness or lack there of and a new way to create a happy loving and peaceful family life where you can get your children to cooperate and act as they should.

I am the mother of a 3 and 7 year old. My kids go to bed easily and on time, are polite and well behaved when outside of the house, but at home is another story. Overall my kids are pretty well behaved, but at home we have to ask them/tell them things multiple times until we ending up yelling at them, are plagued by emotional outbursts and temper tantrums, back talk, whining and have a hard time enforcing some key rules. Lately I have taken to watching those nanny shows to get tips on what to do. My kids are not at all like the kids in the shows but I had found a few tips that I have applied at home.

But when I read this book it was if I had an epiphany. This book was clearly written and easy to understand. It unravelled all of the mysteries of why my kids act the way they do and what to do differently to fix it. I learned that I was using at least two ineffective parenting styles and if I just adjusted what I was doing I would be much more effective. It gave tons of useful tips and approaches to use in all situations. The parenting style is kind, effective and helps your children grow and become self reliant to boot. I think it would work for all ages and the book addressed all ages needs and how to modify accordingly.

I have already started to see the effect in my kids behavior and it has even started to improve my marriage (partially thanks to the one chapter on the parental relationship). I can't wait to see where we are in a month or two, but I know the book has profoundly changed the way I parent and I have already seen some results and can't wait to see more!

I found this book to be so helpful in raising my grandson. It has been and is a refreshing way of dealing with childhood again.

Non-judgmental and very honest style of writing. The tools in the book brought immediate results.

I highly recommend this book. Very helpful, especially for those parents that fail to be consistent and "go with the flow", failing to create strong rules and a loving, solid discipline.
This books acts a self-confidence booster for parents, offers very empathetic advice when it comes to parental anger, and actually gives very practical tips and hints to deal with misbehavior.
I love the humor and the bright, positive thinking that fills up the book, and I really appreciate the fact that Pantley also addresses other side issues like marriage skills and parental self-esteem.
Overall a great book.

I dont know how to thank the author but she did a great job in this amazing book,she has mentioned almost all of the problems im facing with my 5,3 and 2 year old kids...and she knows exactly how a mother can feel and how she acts and at the same time she gives amazing ( i tried most of them) solutions..its one of the best book i have ever read and i highly recommend it to every parent.