Wilson Books

The work of Virginia Wilson in this book is to be praised. People with RLS will get so much out of this book, it is easy reading for everyone. Because of her hard work and dedication I have learned so much about RLS, having it myself after 11 back surgeries I can now tell my doctors to read the symptoms of other people that I have been complaining about for years. Because of this book I am taken seriously, I take her book to my doctors and have them read some of the pages. One of my doctors (Whom I admired dearly) put me on myopex, now I can sleep a few hours at night, compared to no sleep at night before. I don't dread bedtime anymore. Virginia, I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me and hopefully for so many sufferers. I read your book all day and thank God not all night. God Bless. Joan D'Agostino

This is a must read for RLS sufferers and their family. I have been suffering from RLS and its "cousins" for at least 23 years. For the most part, doctors have never taken me seriously. This book says it all. It describes the syndromes, the reactions of freinds, family, and the medical community (we are imagining it all), and offers some help and comfort. The latter in knowing what we knew all along: we have a real ailment that is making our lives miserable! Pressure your doctors to look into this disease. Change doctors if you must until you find someone who listens. It was infuriating for me to learn that Dr. Daniel Picchietti, a noted expert in the field referenced in this book, has been working at Carle Clinic, where I have been a patient for 17 years, and no one ever told me about him or refered me to him. I have an appointment now. Thank you so much, Virginia! [Footnote: I did see Dr. Picchietti and found relief. Daily doses of Mirapex have been a great help. For once I am being taken seriously and treated that way. Get help, fellow RLS sufferers.]

The work of Virginia Wilson in this book is to be praised. People with RLS will get so much out of this book, it is easy reading for everyone. Because of her hard work and dedication I have learned so much about RLS, having it myself after 11 back surgeries I can now tell my doctors to read the symptoms of other people that I have been complaining about for years. Because of this book I am taken seriously, I take her book to my doctors and have them read some of the pages. One of my doctors (Whom I admired dearly) put me on myopex, now I can sleep a few hours at night, compared to no sleep at night before. I don't dread bedtime anymore. Virginia, I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me and hopefully for so many sufferers. I read your book all day and thank God not all night. God Bless. Joan D'Agostino

Virginia Wilson pins it down it down to a t when she gives an excellent and concise overview of RLS and how it affects it's victims. She and the doctors who wrote with her also give hope to the millions of those afflicted with what I call the scourge of my life, RLS. The book is a good source of info and places to get help. As a health care professional I felt the book was a good source for medical professionals and laymen.

This book lit a fuse for me. I have suffered from Restless Legs Syndrome for 30 years, and until I ran across this book, I had basicly given up on any help. I received the book three weeks ago, saw a neurologist at the Swedish Hospital's Sleep Disorder Clinic in Seattle two weeks ago, and am set up for a sleep test in two weeks! I am so thoroughly excited about all this & have this book to thank. I was only 8 years old when this syndrome started taking over my nights and I have been labelled "dysfunctional" ever since. I can't and rarely try anymore to sleep at night (daytime sleep comes a little easier for me). I have hurt myself and my husband with my flying legs, it has made me doubt my own sanity, and just the possibility that they may be able to help just makes me emotional! I wish to thank the author, Virginia Wilson, for writing her story and sharing it. If she hadn't, I don't know how long it would have taken me to realize they are learning about it. I have since ordered the book for my three brothers, who are already checking into seeing a neurologist also. It runs strong in my family - in fact, two of my four children seem to have it too. Very valuable info - I loaned it to my family doctor, who obtained some valuable info and a little insight on the subject. Thanks again!

The stories in this collection are diverse. Some of the stories make one think and consider the future especially as regards healthcare legislation and population control (Lipidleggin', Be Fruitful and Multiply). Others are imaginative, supernatural tales of revenge (Cuts, The Last "Oldies Revival", "One Mo' Once Golden Oldies Revival", Doc Johnson). There are three SF stories, 'The Ratman' which deals with rat problems and shows how well trained a rat can be, 'Dat-Tay-Vao' is about a remarkable gift for healing, and 'To Fill the Sea and Air' is a fishing story. Conspiracy theory and the music business are dealt with in 'The Years the Music Died'. 'Muscles', 'The Cleaning Machine', 'Green Winter', 'Ménage A Trois', and 'Traps' are straight horror stories. One story, 'Buckets', deals with the controversial subject of abortion. The title story, 'Soft', touches on a broad range of fears: disease, slowly dying, paralysis, losing loved ones, death, etc., for me this was the scariest story.

If you do read and enjoy this collection, you may also be interested in 'The Barrens and Others', which features a horror story ('Pelts') that is even more disturbing than 'Cuts', and another story ('Pelts') which like 'Buckets' is very graphic and deals with a controversial issue (killing animals for their fur).

F. Paul Wilson is an amazing writer, and these stories serve to highlight that fact. Soft is a good story, and the one about the plant-men was chilling...

I WOULD recommend this to other FPW fans.

This is an excellent compilation of the author's short stories, which were written between 1969 and 1987. The author, who has since gone on to fame and fortune, having written a number of best sellers, among them "The Tomb", "The Touch", and "The Keep", writes a brief, yet interesting, introduction to each of the sixteen stories, telling the reader the genesis and history of each one.

The stories range from the macabre to the odd, with unexpected twists and turns. These can be categorized as being of the horror genre of fiction. The book also features some stories that fall squarely into the science fiction genre. No matter the genre, they are all edgy, clever, and clearly a labor of love by the author. For those unfamiliar with the work of the author, this is an excellent introduction, as these brief, well written stories will give the reader a thirst for more.

Haunting, chilling, and riveting are just a few words to describe the horror fiction of F. Paul Wilson. I have read many anthologies he has contributed to, yet it is only when you see so many of his stories placed in one volume that you can truly appreciate his wicked brilliance. As an avid reader and collector of short horror/fantasy/sci-fi fiction, a piece has to be truly remarkable to stand out in my collection, yet this does, and I would not hesitate to re-read it at any time. Both Soft and Cuts were so delicious that they alone were worth the price of the book! The poorest story in here still blows away everything else on the current market.

A complete list of the stories is-
***The Cleaning Machine *** Ratman ***Lipidleggin' *** To fill the Sea and Air *** Green Winter *** Be Fruitful and Multiply *** Soft *** The Last "One Mo'Once Golden Oldies Revival" *** The Years the Music Died *** Dat-Tay-Vao *** Doc Johnson *** Buckets *** Traps *** Muscles *** Menage a Trois *** Cuts

This work turned me into an F. Paul Wilson fan and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves the short story form or horror fiction. Treat yourself to this and you will not be disappointed.

This was my first book of F. Paul Wilson and now I am a huge fan. Every story is tight, concise, and eminently readable. Look out especially for "Soft," "Dat-Tay-Vao" (which figures into later novels like The Touch), and "Buckets."

CHARACTERS! WHAT GOOD IS A REVIEW WITHOUT LISTING CHARACTERS.
[For those of us who like to follow trilogies or families.]
Jordan Cross - friend and brother at arms of Griff Cabot and Lucas "Hawk" Hawkins, all ex-CIA agents.
Jake Holt - computer geek and gatherer of information.
[Further names mentioned: Grey Sellers, members of the External Security Team.]

Was Jordan Cross given the face of another man?
Rob Sorrel - husband that disappeared with 16 million from the Mafia.
Kathleen Sorrel - who has been on the run for three years to protect her children.
Meg Sorrel - wonderful little 5 year old who remembered her father and was afraid of the men following them.
Jamie Sorrel - as a 2 year old never knew his father but he unquestionly adored the hard CIA operative.

Suddenly it becomes questionable about who you can trust - Jordan, "Robert Sanders" proved he could snipe as good as "Hawk" when it became necessary.

Who has the codes to Griff's house security system?
How do these "men" find Kathleen and her children?
How could Jordan convince Kathleen he was really one of the "good guys"?
Jordan was good at solving puzzles - now where was the 16 million hidden? Where was Rob, the missing husband?

It appears that this is a more elaborate plan than one first suspects - a mystery within the mysteries. What a Trilogy!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - 5 ++ STARS - DEFINITELY A KEEPER TRILOGY!

Gayle Wilson comes across with another great read! The characters come to life through their emotions and the believable threat to their safety. The author did a wonderful job of making Kathleen's children adorable and loveable without letting them steal the story. The romance sizzles, and the hero is to die for! I can't wait for book #3.

And The Stranger She Knew was no exception! A poignant story of betrayal and love. Kathleen has been on the run for a long time, but she learns to trust again, learns to stop running and believe in the feelings that this mysterious man provokes. The only problem with the story is that it ended and I have to wait another month for its sequel!

Aside from that, it was a rip-roaring read. I literally could not put it down - I was reading while I got dressed in the morning.

My problems with this book were that it took so very long to get started, in fact I was 100pp in before I felt the hero and heroine made any real connection. (It was at least 45 pages before they even met) Once they did though, things didn't slow down until I turned the last page.

Ms. Wilson created very real characters in the midst of out-of-this-world drama. She got into the head of a single mother with all of her contradictions and worries admirably. The kids were great (and I don't even really like kids in romances). Our hero was wonderful in how he related to women.

I just wish the book hadn't taken so long to get into the meat of the story.

Gayle Wilson delivers another winner with "The Stranger She Knew," the second book of her "Men of Mystery" miniseries. I'll skip the summary, since Ms. Wilson's already provided one, and get straight to the accolades. Quite simply, I loved it. Some might like book one, "The Bride's Protector," more because of the larger-than-life plot and the prominence of espionage in the story. "The Stranger She Knew" (GREAT title!) may be a smaller story with a tighter focus, but the characters are so much more identifiable, their situation so compelling, that I couldn't stop reading for a moment.

In Jordan and Kathleen, Gayle has created two wonderful characters, especially Kathleen. More than once, she is put in a situation where, in a lesser novel, she would make a stupid choice in order to keep the book going. Wilson respects her--and our--intelligence and keeps her in character. Even more extraordinary are the depictions of Kathleen's children, Meg and Jamie, who have to be two of the most well-drawn child characters I've ever seen. Frankly, they seem more real than most adult characters in other writers' works. And although "The Stranger She Knew" may not be as tightly plotted as "The Bride's Protector," it easily makes up for it in emotional content. It touches on every feeling on the range of human emotion--passion, laughter, suspense, romance. I know that "I laughed, I cried" is a huge cliché, but I really did. From Jordan, this former CIA agent, trying to serve dinner to two kids, to the suspenseful climax at the end, every moment was a joy.

But much more than just a romance or a suspense tale, it's the story of how a family is forged out of extraordinary circumstances. Surprisingly enough, that was the part that I liked the most, which made the way Ms. Wilson chose to end the book (not counting the epilogue) so gratifying. About the only complaint I could make is about that ridiculously short skirt Kathleen's wearing on the front cover (Is that the wardrobe of a single mother on the run???), but that has nothing to do with Ms. Wilson, who's delivered a stunning work. I know I've gone on too long, and it probably sounds like she's paid me to write this (I promise it's not true. To be honest, Wilson is actually a hit-and-miss author with me.) Last month, I called "The Bride's Protector" the best Intrigue of 1999. "The Stranger She Knew" easily takes that title. I, for one, can't wait to see what she has in store next month with book three, "Her Baby, His Secret."

Rob's ability to culminate the fine truths and ingredients of success go beyond cheerleading to an applicable step by step process that not only motivates, but eases the way to get beyond any fear and doubt. Each chapter illuminates a fundamental key that can easily remain a barrier to success and fulfillment in all facets of our lives. This is not a "one time read"; it is a continuous reminder of the daily necessity of remaining focused and intent on our goals and dreams. Undoubtedly, my copy will be well worn by year's end. Thanks to the author for keeping it simple and direct!

After reading Rob's book I cleaned up three messes in my life and I feel better already!

Rob's chapter on Cleaning Up Your Messes was dead on. He maintains the reason some of us don't succeed in life is because of all the unnecessary mess we have in our life. There were aspects of the book that spoke directly to my situation as well as those to whom I've passed the book along. If you're wondering why you haven't been thinking and acting like a winner, buy this book!

You Must read it! Great content. It is usefull for anyone who wants to be motivated to succeed.

This book is a real winner! The chapter that really captured my attention was Chapter One "Abnormality". Just imagine if high school students would read a book that inspires them to be abnormal. They might actually be excited to read more! That's how I felt when I read that first chapter. I couldn't wait to finish reading the whole book. Wilson speaks to you with his writing. It is clear-cut and right to the point. I won't spoil it for you by telling you what's so great about being abnormal. It's a book you will be excited to read. It's on the cutting edge of explaining why some people think and act the way they do.

If educators would read this book they might have a better understanding of those students in their classrooms that are seen as having a "disorder" or "learning disability". Some of those students are the exceptional people of our society. He doesn't necessarily claim this in his book. However, as I was reading it I got the feeling he is onto to something big! His way of thinking is something that could change the attitudes of our young people. Those intelligent students that can't make it into the gifted and talented classes because their talents are masked by the rate in which they learn to read or write. Maybe it's time to take a look at the comfort zone of our educational system. Let's encourage the students to read books like this that will teach them how to "think and act like a winner" instead of feeling like a failure because they don't act "normal". Read it and be prepared, you may find yourself tempted to leave your comfort zone.

In Tiger in the Shadows, Wilson weaves a gripping tale of revenge and love, fear and courage in today's China. She combines a level of research rarely seen in modern fiction with a story-telling ability comparable to Tom Clancy's.

Tiger in the Shadows reveals the changes that have taken place in Communist China, as well as the repression and religious persecution that still exist. It will inform, entertain, and move you to tears.

In the book, Stephanie Peng's search for her grandfather leads her into a world full of suspicion and intrigue on the one hand, and the simple vital faith of the underground Church on the other. She faces a web of deceit from some that she thought were her friends, and faithful love from a man that she regards as just a friend.

This is a book that you won't be able to put down. If you read only one novel this year, Tiger in the Shadows is the one to read.

Tiger in the Shadows by Debbie Wilson brings together spies, romance, and the persecuted church. Her world rocked by her fiancé's infidelity and her grandmother's cancer, Stefanie Peng travels to China in an attempt to free her grandfather, imprisoned for decades as an underground pastor. She doesn't know that she's walking into a trap set by a jealous college friend and Kong Qili, a master Chinese spy known as the Beijing Tiger. Stefanie holds the key to both her physicist father and aging grandfather, who Kong believes knows the whereabouts of the Brother, an elusive evangelist.

Troy Hardigan has been a family friend of the Pengs for eleven years, but none of them know that behind the smooth-talking salesman and jokester is a cunning CIA agent. Stefanie's broken engagement brings him relief, but he doubts she'll ever see the man she used to call "Uncle Troy" as anything more than a big brother. When he hears she's in China working as a teacher under Kong Qili, he knows she's in trouble and immediately heads for China. But can he rescue her from the jaws of the Tiger without blowing his cover and compromising US security?

Wilson expertly weaves vivid characters and thrilling plot, leaving the reader both breathless and moved. China and its persecuted Christians become real as their stories mesh with Troy and Stefanie's. For dramatic international intrigue, faith so strong that even death cannot threaten it, and a deep and gentle love story, pick Tiger in the Shadows. -- Katie Hart, Christian Book Previews.com

My wife & I finished this book last night. It is the best fiction either of us have read in a long time.

Wilson weaves in little-known information on the oppressions of the Communist governments in both the PRC and North Korea so smoothly, that the reader doesn't even know he's being educated about them.

Her story moves along very briskly, always leaving us wanting to read the next chapter. We expected that somewhere it would slip into some of the contrived nonsense of most fiction we read, but it never did. The one or two lucky breaks that either the heroes or the villains got were believable since they didn't happen all the time.

It's a story to thouroughly enjoy when reading, but it's one whose message is hard to forget. The accounts of the faithfulness of the persecuted believers challenged my own Christian walk. The accounts of repression and abuse of power made me very thankful for the liberty I, as a well-fed free American, tend to take for granted.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants either good Christian fiction or a deeper empathy with the persecuted church.

I just finished reading this book a few minutes ago..my mind is still tossing and turning with the story. Wilson brillianty weaves mystery, espionage, culture, education and romance into one story that I personally was unable to put down.

The book centers around Stefani, and American Chinese-Hispanic young woman living in the US. Stefani's family is a close knit one, consisting of her parents, her sisters, her grandmother and two very close family friends. When the story begins, we are introduced to Stefani, whose life is a mess; having just ended a relationship with a cheating fiance. Soon we learn that Stefani's family is divided, that the Chinese Revolution forced her grandmother and father to flee to the states, leaving her grandfather behind and imprisoned.

When Stefani learns that her grandmother has been diagnosed with cancer and is unwilling to undergo treatment, Stefani makes a bargain with her: her grandmother agrees to participate in the treatments and Stefani agrees to go to China and rescue her grandfather.

From here we follow Stefani to China where things are never as they seem. We are escorted into a brilliant world of betrayal, lies, faith, love and espionage. It is a combination of concepts that few authors could pull off, however, Wilson did an astounding job.

The opening of the book tells the reader that excitement is coming and will not stop till the end of the book. Tigers in the Shadows reads like a cross between a Tom Clancy novel and a "Left Behind" book, and Mrs. Wilson had also been able to weave a romance into it. The chapters end with a tug on you that makes you read the next one, and the next one, and the next one. You'll find yourself up late into the night, trying to put it down and unable to. This book is a fun read for anyone who likes action, mystery, romance, or general fiction.

Being employed in the car industry, finding a book like this is particularly useful as I can relate to a lot of what HF has written. What's really surprising is, he writes of things which are rational and based on common sense, but many don't seem to speak about or even practice in their daily work! Much of what is today attributed to Toyota was common practice at Ford factories in the 1920s! Ford was a world leader and pioneer in the field of mass producing automobiles, and companies like Volkswagen even used American mass production machinery. People who have been reading Kaizen, JIT, the Toyota Way, etc. should buy this book and study history. Henry Ford, American Military Training-Within-Industry and W.E. Deming's influence and contribution to the rise of post-war Japan cannot be denied. One of HF's many enlightening observations: Big business is not money power, it is service power!

If you would like to know who really started the Lean Journey look no further than Henry Ford

This is the book that made me appreciate Mr Ford's accomplishments and how he changed the world of business, particularly manufacturing. He was a leader and true visionary in many aspects of business, which are chronicled herein, and many of the roots of Lean are documented in this text. Aside from kanban and `jelly beans', he didn't miss much of the fundamentals of what we see as Lean.

The impacts of Ford's principles on business, the economy, social ramifications, and more are profound. The ideas, thought processes, and applications are expressed well and we can learn from these today. Too bad much of the rest of American business lost sight of Ford's techniques as they became enamored with scientific formulae like EOQ (economic order quantities) without questioning the assumptions.

There are different "uses" for this book - some I'd recommend, and others not.
I WOULD NOT recommend this book for it's insights on -
Economics: Ford explains a classic industrial notion that a company paying employees more will increase its sales because employees will buy more company product. Not only is this a false assumption of employee behavior, it also only approaches plausibility for very large consumer product companies.
Finance: Ford describes how financial instruments are short-term narcotics and long-term ills. His opinion seems to ignore the buffering benefits of finance, as well as the gains created for society by letting financial tools open possibilities.

HOWEVER, YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK BECAUSE -

It is current: Ford describes a organizational skill poorly understood and mostly ignored: coordination. In the book, many processes are described that Ford says are all well known to other companies, but how the Ford Corporation made the processes interact was their power. Today's out-sourcing is more palatable knowing this skill.
It is insightful: An excellent alternative to the "profit-motive" of companies is presented: service-motive. Not because profits are bad does Ford present the service-motive, but because profits are give unreliable feedback. Ford sees the maintenance of service to the public as a more durable goal.
It is historical: Not only does it provide the roots to Taiichi Ohno's - Toyota's - operations strategy, but it also gives clues to why Ford lost dominance. The Toyota roots pop up in Ford's writing on waste, on cleanliness (5s), on continuous flow, and on timing. The clues pop up with his ignorance of customer desires vs. needs, his overconfidence in managing highly diverse businesses, and his inattention to downstream processes.

If you know the limitations of Today and Tomorrow, you then can reap great benefits by reading it as if it was written last week. Many of its ideas have yet to fully play out in the world of industry.

This is an outstanding book for those folks in manufacturing who are starting out on their "Lean" journey. The book teaches the uninitiated an original thinker's way of recognizing "waste" in manufacturing, and often, how to deal with that waste. Taiichi Ohno took a "shipload" of this book with him to Japan in the '50s and made sure that every Toyota engineer read the book. The rest is history as to how Toyota packaged this information for the rest of the world, including the United States, in its now famous "7 wastes of manufacturing." You will enjoy the book and learn what an outstanding visionary Henry Ford really was.

"Two Summers Too Hot" is great summertime reading fun. It gives an accurate portayal of summer in the south, and throws in a clever plot and enjoyable characters. I'm not sure I'll ever trust my pharmacist again! Carter Benfield is a most enjoyable young boy who has to grow up fast in the heat and humidity of a Linton, North Carolina night. You will be surprised at the scheming and plotting of Allison Blackburn, bold and brazen at the age of sweet sixteen. I felt sympathy for the men entrapped in her web of deceit and for her hard-working parents. Buy and enjoy reading this diamond-in-the-rough, pleasant summertime surprise. I look forward to his second book and more enjoyable characters

I loved this book. It is not a long book which makes it nice to read over a weekend, which is what I did. The main characters, Carter Benfield and Allison Blackburn, are both very interesting. Carter has the innocence of a twelve year old boy who is beginning to discover some of life's exciting secrets. Allison is a hot, willful, young woman who wants more that the small town of Linton, North Carolina can offer. I like the way the lives of these two characters are detailed, then gradually come together in an exciting, suspenseful climax. I look forward to more books by this author!

I really enjoyed this book. I grew up in a small town in South Carolina and I feel like I know some of these characters. The story has something for everyone-love, romance, suspense, and coming-of-age all rolled into one. I read this book over the weekend on a beach trip-it isn't long-but worth every minute. I couldn't put it down until I found out what happened. I look forward to more books by this author.

"Two Summers Too Hot" is a great read. I did not want to put it down until I got to the end and found out what happened to Allison and to Carter. The format was well-suited to the story development. Best of all were the characters - both their development and what happened to them as a result of their dreams and actions. I hope there is a Book Two that tells us what happens next!

Man!! This was a tight book!! I mean it was off the hook! The wheels on the tank! Tom Clancy better move over, there is a new DAWG in town and his name is WILSON! I can't say enough about this book. It had it all, it reminded me of my childhood, well minus all the wedgies! Bottomline, this was a heck of a read. I hope it makes movie of the week on FOX! Just read this BOOK!!!

I was amazed what a page-turner this was, for a story so carefully documented. Even so I found myself frequently in the middle of a deep muse pondering what his story teaches us about communication, isolation and contingency, not to mention injustice stemming from racism and patriarchal attitudes toward the minority who communicate without speech. I noticed I was also learning a surprising amount about broader social and historical movements (American, southern, racial, psychiatric, deaf cultural, and more), without ever feeling bogged down. Truly impressive.

I learned much about the social movements that I've long found fascinating (reconstruction, Jim Crow South, the KKK), have been a part of (mental health, deinstitutionalization, disability rights & ADA) or been close to (deaf culture). How inspired of the authors to recognize that this one man's life story could illustrate so much modern American social history. I was profoundly moved by the suffering, silent dignity and enduring humanity of Junius Wilson. This is an elegant, revealing and vivid story.

i happpened to move to wilmington, n.c just when this story was coming to light in the press. i was gripped by the story and read every article that came out in follow up. when this book came out i had to have it.
to find out a deaf man was treated this way for a crime he did not commit is just.....well uspeakable.
the begining starts with a nice history of area and people. a lot of the begining is spectulaion and dead on at that. no one will ever know what junius' thoughts were in those early years. the story becomes more gripping when the facts start to arrive, via medical reports and staff and friends. it is truly a heartbreaking read. it still haunts me.
i recommend to everyone. the book is a nice piece of historical racial record. schools should add this to their curriculum.

Burch and Joyner have produced a wonderful example of what historical research can teach us. Mr. Wilson's story is heartbreaking but treated with respect and a gentle touch by this authors. The horrors experienced by this man speak for themselves and artfully told by these researchers and writers. This is a book that will appeal to many for many different reasons and leave all shaken. Perhaps it will also inspire others to help make the future brighter for others. I can think of no better use of historical facts than to improve the future.

It's a Southern horror story, and a courtroom drama, and an exploration of language and isolation, and a biography of an ordinary man caught in a senseless system. And it's all true. And it's frightening, and it's fascinating. It's the twentieth century US, through one man's story.

What's left to say about a book that more than any other is often called the greatest novel ever written? Some readers may avoid such enormously famous works due to intimidation or to a jaded (and unjustified) familiarity. To such folks, I say, pretend you never heard of the book except from a trusted friend who's recommending this book as a `sweeping saga of war-time Russia and its gentry class during tumultuous times' (or other such book cover blurb) and dive in. You'll be rewarded with leaving your accidental life and experiencing the company of people whose lives you'll care deeply about: Prince Andrei, Natasha, Nikolai, Pierre, and a host of others. No doubt you've heard of the huge number of characters in the book and that readers should jot down notes to understand what's going on. Yes, there are many people in the book but the main characters are a manageable number and most people reading for pleasure will do fine without notekeeping. And the book is long but so is the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Stephen King's Dark Tower series.

Unforgettable characters, magnificent battle scenes, adultery, philosophical ruminations, and even some chick-flick tear jerker scenes - what more can a reader ask for?

I heard a professor say that if you only read one book in your life, it ought to be "War and Peace." And I believe he's right. Reading a chapter or two a day, it took me months, but it was a most rewarding experience. To my surprise, the novel was not plodding and obtuse, like many classics. Instead, I found it enjoyable, endearing and informative. It tells the tale of several noble Russian families and how they intertwine during a restive period in Russian history. It also describes in great detail various battles and the personages involved, some fictional, some not. As a story, it had suspense, very well-defined characters, action and interesting plot turns. The book also contained essays by Tolstoy on the forces of history and other matters -- which I tended to skip over. But, now having completed this singular work, I feel enriched and satisfied. I'm no expert, but if someone tells me this is the greatest novel ever written, they won't get any argument from me.

This is a translated version, and since I cannot read Russian, I cannot tell how well it conveys what Tolstoy really wrote and meant. What I can say after reading this mammoth novel is that it is lifelike. In one book, Tolstoy presents the Russia of late 19th century, the urban Moscow and Petersburg hoi polloi, the rural noblemen and peasantry, politics, religion, horse racing, hunting, balls, love, adultery, heartbreaks, death, birth, marriage and everything else that needs to be put on this masterpiece canvass to create a complete recreation of life.

There are three essential characters. Anna Karenina who deserts her husband to live with her lover, Count Vronsky who is a dashing and colonel Anna falls for and Levin who some say is Tolstoy's autobiographical sketch in some ways.

This novel has several love stories, developed delightfully in beginning and then these give way to the ground realities of the world and society. In some sense, the novel is like those movies that show everything from birth to death, and hence the delightful childhood, or steamy romance of adulthood become just frames in passing imagery, where the whole is spectacular and full of everything.

Through Anna's and Vronsky's stories, set in Moscow and Petersburg, the life of Princes and Princesses comes live with associated gossip, glamor, balls, grand parties, dresses and fashion, and many characters appear and reappear to tell intertwined tales of several lifes. These lifes are of people with money or inheritances, they speak multiple languages, have servants and maids and valets to look after the mundane stuff, have enough time to dwell on questions of social justice, ethics and natural sciences through their eyes that judge from a distance. On the other hand, Levin is a rural nobleman, uncormfortable in the city. His life mixes with the toil of peasants who cut, mow, grow, reap, harvest, and thrash crops. He practically encounters the questions of faith in God, of social justice and enpowerment, of natural sciences but placed in the other world of his city relations and friends finds himself wanting with respect to articulating his views on anything and everything.

Anna is a complex character: a beautiful women split between multiple roles of mother, wife, sister, lover, social outcast and allows Tolstoy to present a multitude of beautifully created emotions through her. Levin fulfils the role of a thinker and doubter alike, of a "nice guys finish last" league gentleman, of a compelling person with principles that make him appear unmotivated or worldly inept to uninitiated. Vronsky is to begin with the "happy go lucky" charmers, and must in his lifetime discover how great love (to others wife) comes at great cost. Without disclosing the story too much, let me just say there are other important and completely developed characters, who have their pieces of life added to serve a grand buffet of possibilities.

As a novel that opens the window into life in Russia, this novel will remain an important masterpiece that can also be read for its splendid love stories, for discussions on ethics, politics, faith and morality and for patient reading spread over weeks. It is a classic, a meganovel, and needs time, respect, and patience; but reading a novel of this skill and magnitude is in my view, a delightful experience unmatched by reading dozens of easy read 100 page books we buy as bestsellers in bookstores everwhere. Commit to it, and experience the love, life, flora, fauna, streets, winds and tea in Russia in Tolstoy's masterly detail:)

This review is broken down into two segments, a Descriptive Summary and an Evaluative Summary. If you're already very familiar with the story of "War and Peace," you may wish to skip directly to the latter facet of my review which is essentially the critique of the Constance Garnett translation.

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:

In 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Austria to expand his European empire. Russia, being an ally of Austria, stood with their brethren against the infamous Emperor. Napoleon prevailed and a treaty was ultimately signed at Tilsit. In 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia, again in an effort to expand his empire. The end result of this tragic war was that Napoleon's army of about 600,000 soldiers was reduced to roughly 60,000 men as the defamed Emperor raced from Moscow (which he had taken), back across the frozen Russian tundra in his carriage (leaving his troops behind to fend for themselves) for Paris. That encapsulizes the military aspect of this work.

But the more intricate story involves both the activities and the peccadillos of, primarily, three Russian families of nobility: The Rostovs, the Bolkonskys, and the Bezukovs. The continual thorn of "The Antichrist," Napoleon, really just provides the wallpaper for this story of romance, riches, desolation, love, jealousy, hatred, retribution, joy, naiivety, stupidity, and so much more.

Tolstoy has woven an incredibly intricate web that interconnects these noble families, the wars, and the common Russian people to a degree that would seem incomprehensible to achieve - but Tolstoy perseveres with superb clarity and great insight to the human psyche. His characters are timeless and the reader who has any social experience whatever will immediately connect with them all.

"War and Peace" is a fictional, lengthy novel, based upon historical fact.

In his Epilogue, Tolstoy yields us a shrewd dissertation on the behavior of large organizations, much of it by way of analogy. It's actually an oblique, often sarcastic, commentary on the lunacy of government activities and the madness of their wars.


EVALUATIVE SUMMARY:

The Garnett translation has probably come under more fire than any of the others, purportedly for inaccuracies of what Tolstoy supposedly actually said. This is possibly true, but as I do not speak Russian, I can neither confirm nor deny this allegation. But I will point out that there are two types of translations -- the one is rigid and runs word for word correctly, and the second type focuses more upon manifesting the essence of a story... The Big Picture, so to speak. The Garnett translation falls into the latter category.

I can make one particular and certain observation regarding this volume: Garnett's handling of the more poetic and epic events in the novel is masterful. Even if her translation is not word-for-word correct, I'm sure that she was very plugged into the vision which Tolstoy was trying to convey. You'll see this actuality blossom in the following places, for instance: "Petya's dream"; the view of Moscow on the morning of Napoleon's approach; the "scrying" episode between Natasha and Sonya; The wolf hunt... and so on. I think it's "The Woman's Touch," coming through, which is a good thing.

Constance Garnett published her version of "War and Peace" in 1904, so this was one of the early ones. Other translations into English include:

Clara Bell (from a French version) 1885-86
W. H. Dole 1889
Leo Wiener 1904
Louise and Aylmer Maude (1922-3)
Princess Alexandra Kropotkin (1949)
Manuel Komroff (Abridged) (1956)
Rosemary Edmonds (1957, revised 1978)
Ann Dunnigan (1968)
Anthony Briggs (2005)
Andrew Bromfield (2007), (translation of an early draft, approx. 400 pages shorter than other English translations.)
Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (October 16, 2007)

Wikipedia cites this information about Garnett [edited]:

"She was initially educated at Brighton and Hove High School. Afterwards she studied Latin and Greek at Newnham College, Cambridge on a government scholarship, where she also learned Russian (partly from émigré Russian friends such as Felix Volkonsky [Rubenstein]), and worked briefly as a school teacher.

In 1893, shortly after a visit to Moscow, Petersburg and Yasnaya Polyana where she met Leo Tolstoy, she was inspired to start translating Russian literature, which became her life's passion and resulted in English-language versions of dozens of volumes by Tolstoy, Gogol, Goncharov, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Turgenev, Ostrovsky and Chekhov. The Russian anarchist Sergei Stepniakpartly assisted her, also in revision some of her early works.

By the late 1920s, Garnett was frail, white-haired, and half-blind. She retired from translating after the publication in 1934 of Three Plays by Turgenev. After her husband's death in 1937, she became quite reclusive. She developed a heart condition, with attendant breathlessness, and in her final period had to walk with crutches."

In summary, if you happen to end up with a Garnett translation for your first reading of "War and Peace," I would say that you have been lucky. Some English translations yield the French entries (2% of the book) as Tolstoy entered them, with the English translation of the French following in footnotes. Garnett translated the entire work, with a very few minor exceptions, as a direct read in English, so it's easy to read.

I have read the following translations to date: Maude (twice), Pevear/Volokhonsky, Briggs, and now Garnett. (The others will be read soon!) So I feel that I can say with some authority, highly recommended!

It has been said that Leo Tolstoy is one of the greatest writers of all time and that can certainly be seen in his epic masterpiece "War and Peace," but there are some things left to be desired in the work including a more uniform style with regard to fiction and history, and a more interesting plot.

I can't add too much to the praise Tolstoy has received about his skill, but I would like to mention that, not only was he a great writer, he was also an observant psychologist (albeit without the doctorates as far as I know). His descriptions of character and idiosyncrasies are masterful and reveal an immense amount of insight into the human character. Reading his work is truly a pleasure, though much of that can be attributed to the translator (Constance Garnett in this case).

I shouldn't harp on about the inadequacies of the book, but Tolstoy's personal reflections on the history when the novel takes place do not mesh well with the fiction and causes a somewhat disjointed read. Though Tolstoy's tearing up of Napoleon is humorous and important for the book, it could be inserted as a character's beliefs just as easily. Instead, it is written as an author's aside. Another negative is the slow plot, which may have been lively in the 19th century, but lacks in excitement today.

The author's free-will/fate philosophy in the last section of the book, however, is about as lively as can be and deserves repeated readings. It alone could stand as a masterpiece.

I am told I am a distant relative of Nick Wilson. My Whole famile has all of the copy's of this book and the movie of this story also. It is very well written and very captivating. You cant go wrong buying this book or any of the Nick Wilson stories!!! A must read and must see!! L.J. Gittins, Utah.

Fast service - thanks a lot.

I felt like I was reading a diary of actual events. The historical insight was enlightening. History is hard to write about from the frame of mind of the people that lived it unless it is written by someone that did just that. "The White Indian Boy" transports us to the time of the settling of Wyoming through the eyes of the author.

If you are interested in America's early frontier west - the days of cowboys, pioneers, explorers and Indians - you will be fascinated with two western classics, The White Indian Boy and its sequel The Return of the White Indian.

The White Indian Boy, first published in 1910, is the story of Nick Wilson, a young Mormon pioneer boy who became the adopted son of Washakie, famous chief of the Shoshone Indians who inhabited areas of western Montana, eastern Idaho, western Wyoming and northern Utah. Nick later became a Pony Express Rider, a driver for the famous Overland Stage, a guide for General Albert Sidney Johnston, and co-founder of Wilson, Wyoming in Jackson Hole.

Years later Nick's son Charles A. Wilson wrote a sequel to his father's famous book, telling of his father's later years and of his own adventures in early Jackson Hole. His book, The Return of the White Indian, is equally as interesting as his father's, telling of Jackson Hole's earliest days, of cowboys and Indians, of big game hunting, lake and stream fishing, world famous celebrities, development of Grand Teton National Park.

These two books, published by the University of Utah Press as a single volume, vividly bring to life a unique time and place in American history. There is considerable humor mingled with historical fact, and enriched with early day photos.

A delightful Foreword has been written by John J Stewart, author of several books and chief founder of the National Association and Center for Outlaw & Lawman History.

I read the book and then recommended it to a book club I was organizing. We used it as our first book and everyone enjoyed it. I found the stories spellbinding and the history was very interesting. Nick Wilson led a fasinating life and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history from the old West.