Montana Books

I'm not sure how this novel escaped me when first published, but it has pushed to the front of my summer reading. Challenging but worth it.

I loved this book when I was in my very early twenties, it was "must" reading among young men that were into martial arts in the early 80s. However, perspective changes with age and the only well developed character in the story is the main character, the other characters really have no development at all and are very cartoonish. It is easy to get into if you are on vacation and want to relax on a beach.

The protagonist is an interesting, complex man. I had a great time reading about his life and his development. I recommend this book just because of that.

The over-all plot (hero vs. "Mother") is pretty poor, however. Not only are the Bad Guys(tm) made out of thin cardboard, but the flow of the plot itself is too predictable.

This is an amazing book. I read it years ago and lost my copy. When I saw it on Amazon, I had to order it. When it arrived I sat right down and rememberred why I liked this book so much. The story is exceptional, the history lesson, even in a fictional setting is excellent and Trevanian once again captures the readers attention and holds them until the very end.

I reread this book recently and really shouldn't have bothered. Still I learnt some new things.The Japanese atrocities in WW2 were OK, they did it in a very cultured and subtle way whilst playing Go.Members of Basque ETA are funny and fond of caving, very reassuring if you've just been blown up by a ETA bomb. Americans are big,stupid,smelly and sadistic.
The plot has holes in it big enough to drive a bus through and revolves around one man taking on an all powerful shadowy organisation that rules the world. But this is no ordinary man, he is an EXPERT, at everything.Give him a toothbrush, put him in a room full of ninja and they'll all be dead in seconds. Naturally he's an expert lover etc etc.
Much of the book details his youth spent amongst the misunderstood Japanese, pretty tedious. Parts of the book have our hero moralising against all things Western, and this is coming from a sociopathic professional assasin living in a French chateau - it would be nice to think this is meant to be sarcasm, sadly not.Any moral or political message in this book is hopelessly confused and would satisfy only a 16 year old conspiracy theorist. The villains are horribly two dimensional, only Japanese generals deserve the five star treatment.
So Trevanian doesn't like Americans, we get it OK !

I agree with some of the reviewers below who stated that this is a good introductory book. Its well written and very easy to read. That being said, it doesn't contain nearly the level of detail as other books, written by both "sides" (i.e., Bremer's memoir or Ferguson's No End in Sight).

There's not a whole lot of analysis and it seemed that this book focused a lot more on food platters and young staffers than the more substantive issues. I mean, yes, it would have been better to have a more experienced individual in charge of reopening the Baghdad Stock Exchange. That being said, the Stock Exchange was miniscule in importance compared to the more important issues the lack of troops and the disbanding of the Iraqi army, which, in my opinion, needed more treatment.

I think it would be a mistake for us to view the problems we face as a result of the selection of young, inexperienced staffers, and to me, the book gives off that strong impression. The problems are (first) a result of not enough troops on the ground after the initial military victory (Rumsfeld) and (second) the failure to recall at least some of the Iraqi military (Jerry Bremer and Walt Slocombe). These were simply bad decisions made by 3 very experienced officials, with significant experience in both Republican and Democratic administrations.

If people were not dying in Iraqi, the follies displayed in this book could be easily dismissed as a bad joke, just more of the same old well-known superpower hubris. Or as John Le Carre put it so elegantly in the cover notes: "a Black Comedy, set in the graveyard of the neoconservatives dream."

Since it is not merely a case of hubris, all true American patriots must now be worried about the health and continued life of the American Empire. As a "closeted ex-Republican," the incompetence showcased in this book makes even my stomach turn. It is not just the incompetence; which is staggering, that bothers me, but that this book finally confirms what I already knew: that from the President on down, there is no adult supervision in an administration that sorely needs it.

Since I have worked with some of them, I have no doubt that Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith, Condy Rice, Donald Rumsfeld and even Dick Chaney are competent, as individuals, and when they are operating under suitable adult supervision; however, this book points to something much larger than mere hubris, or even mere incompetence, with which we are already familiar through the likes of no WMDs, Katrina, Abu Ghraib, the sub-prime lending melt-down, no follow-up plan after the invasion, the healthcare gift to the drug and insurance companies, and the "mission accomplished" grandstanding. What the details of this book suggest is that a lot more than mere world-class incompetence and hubris are "in play": Here is a witches brew of incompetence, cultural insensitivity, ideological arrogance, and a kind of "classism" that parallels and mimics exactly the image that Saddam Hussein himself projected while he was in power. Go figure?

For those of us who did not know it, the "Green Zone," is situated in one of Saddam Hussein's "Republican Palaces," outfitted with all of the opulence of a petty Third World Potentate, but with an American twist: swimming pools, food, water, fruit loops and pork hot dogs (for the Moslem servants to handle) air-lifted in daily, seven sports bars with wide-screen TVs, with most of the soldiers strutting around with 9mm Berettas strapped to their waists. The motto of this "Texas Enclave in the Desert," says it all: "Keep the air in the bubble."

This "Little Texas on the Tigris," is not just obscene, it is an utter embarrassment to a self-confident and mature democracy. It alone goes a long way towards defeating the very purpose of our being there: to bring to the Iraqi people a new sense of what a true democracy means and can be.

With the kind of behavior chronicled in this book, we Americans should not be surprised that ordinary Iraqis would want us out of there in the worse kind of way. But our culturally insensitive behavior is just the icing on the cake of this monumental tragedy for them. Their main reason for wanting us out is that after five years and over 100, 000 Iraqi deaths, even the normal amenities of clean water and sewage, electrical power, and security are still not up to the level of the Saddam Hussein era. How shameful is that? What a nightmare for both Iraq and America.

Because it is just a computer dump of a reporter's logbook, obviously put together quickly, without any in-depth analysis, I give the book four stars.

This is an excellent book that stands out among the host of books that have been written about the Iraq war. The thing that makes it stand out is that it reads like a novel. A scary novel of course. It details the fiasco that has unfolded in Iraq due to poor planning, poor leadership, and the desire to reward loyalty over competency.

This book was on the NY Best Seller list for a while and I finally got around to buying it after the price had gone down. This is a non-fictional account of the beginning of the Iraq diplomacy by the US and the operations that ran inside the walls of the "little america" called the Green Zone.

It accounts of the living conditions, the attitudes, the progress of the consistent and willful, while also documenting the failings of many due to ineptitude of accepting middle eastern culture, lack of knowledge and common sense. Basically trying to bulldoze Iraq with Bush administration's vision and not the people of Iraq's vision.

It is quite interesting who did what and how they did it and why some were somewhat successful and why many failed to bring any stability to Iraq. Also the conditions of the living quarters of our soldiers, contractors and foreign soldiers, the condition of food, constant departmental conflicts and lack of knowledge, planning and funding seems to have set up everyone who has gone to Iraq in the first 3 years of the occupancy to fail. The feeling I got when finishing up the book was that the US government did everything to try to make the reconstruction of Iraq a miserable failure. However depressing, the book is a great first hand account of life in the Green Zone.

Since I lived for a year in Baghdad's Green Zone, I felt it was necessary for me to read what happened before I got there, under L. Paul Bremer, bureaucrat extraordinaire. That is why I recently found myself reading Imperial Life in the Emerald City, by Rajiv Chandrasekaran.

To say that the Bush Administration and its chosen Iraq occupation overlords made poor choices during and immediately after the invasion of that country would be an understatement so vast that I have no words to describe how big an understatement I would be making. Reading Imperial Life in the Emerald City reinforced for me many of the reasons why I heard the impact of so many mortars during my 2005-2006 sojourn to Iraq's largest city and at the time one of the most violent if not the most violent city in the world.

I met Rajiv Chandrasekaran in Baghdad in 2006, when I credentialed him for access to military bases. The man was humble, unassuming and patient with the bureaucratic process he endured, which is much more than I can say for Geraldo Rivera, who had sycophants hanging all over him and required that we open for a special session to credential him. In any case, the book itself is superly written in a professional tone.

The damning indictments of cronyism and poor decision making due to a complete lack of understanding of the culture and history of Iraq are presented artfully, without the forced overtones of sarcasm that would have appeared had I written Imperial Life in the Emerald City.

From the story of the Iraqi expatriatate who returns post invasion to open a five-star pizza shop only to find his American customers cannot leave their fortified enclave to the tale of the minor minister who is assasinated for trying to help his country without being politically involved, to the detailed descriptions of the "little America" inside a several square mile compound in downtown Baghdad, this book is well worth reading.

I do not know if L. Paul Bremer has yet publicly admitted how arrogant and stupid many of the decisions made in that first year of occupation were, but he knows it in his heart. If he doesn't that would mean the man has no heart.

Having served in Iraq, and having been to a few locales outside the "Emerald Palace" I called the Green Zone, I still hold pain in my heart for the people I met and for their suffering. Things may be turning around now in that country. But in reading Imperial Life in the Emerald City, it becomes clear that much of the violence that wracked the country and the city of Baghdad could have been avoided if things had been done differently in the beginning. We'll never know how many died because of bad decision making, but it is clear that the numbers are in the tens of thousands and possibly much higher.

If you've ever wondered what was really going on in those first days of the occupation, you owe it to yourself to read this book. Highly recommended.

The ending of the book just left the reader hanging. After so much emotion, there should have been a more sold conclusion. Did they get married? Did they have children? What did they do for employment? I wanted to know. After I have invested time in a book, I want a complete story. I also wanted to know more about the villians. Their capture was just sort of passed off as an aside.

There were some things in the book that annoyed me. Millia kept doing impulsive things which could have gotten her killed. How did she survive this long anyway. Diez was the one who made it all happen for her, then she hates him. The action which separated them didn't make sense either.

An epilogue was badly needed. I felt cheated after investing so much emotion in the book.

This is one of the best she's written since after she wrote Kill and Tell. This story grabbed me from the first chapter. It made me angry, it made me cry. It made me go kiss all my own kids and say a prayer for all that I have. I totally forgot that this was fantasy while reading this work. This author is sensational. This book is why she is my favorite. She did not disappoint.

The first 100 pages and the last 80 were full of grieving and sorrow. I was crying more than I liked. Milla's infant in stolen from her and she is searching for 10 years for him. Then she meets Diaz an assassin who helps her. With his help she gets answers and they develop a relationship. This part of the story was good. I loved the Diaz character. There were a couple of lines about Diaz that intrigued me, which follow. "women tended to be afraid of him. He tried never to be rough, but nevertheless there was a fireceness to his lovemaking that seemed to intimidate them." (P 127). "Diaz wasn't taking care of her out of the goodness of his heart. He was taking care of her the way a wolf cared for its wounded mate." (p 364). So, Diaz was interesting, but I had other problems with the book. During Milla's search for her son, she put herself in danger and nearly got killed three times because she was too emotionally unstable to act in a safe manner. I also had problems with the author who had Diaz do something which caused Milla to hate him (p 317). I felt like the author couldn't think of a better way to separate them and used this. It was out of character for Diaz. He could read people and would have known her feelings. The reason he gave later for doing it did not make sense to me.

Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: six. Setting: 1993 Mexico and 2003 El Paso, Texas. Copyright: 2003. Genre: romantic suspense.

The first chapter of Cry No More sets the stage for what will eventually be a heartwrenching tale. When readers meet the heroine, Milla Boone, she is living in Mexico with her husband, a surgeon who is there on sabbatical with a group of American doctors. Milla is taking care of her six-week-old son when he is taken from her, while she's left to fight for her life. For the next decade, Milla is consumed with finding her missing child. She spearheads a group called Finders, which is dedicated to finding missing persons. All the while her lost child is at the forefront of her mind. Milla will do anything to find him, and the peace of mind that she feels his return might bring.

Cry No More has all the makings of a tearjerker, and was deliciously fulfilling and well written. But I didn't cry. I came close once. But for me the story was more enjoyable and engrossing than emotional. I rooted for Milla, for her quest for answers, for her to find her son, for her to be able to move on with her life, but I didn't pity her or empathize with her. She seemed to strong and solid for that. As a character, I don't think she'd want my pity--or my tears for that matter. Or maybe I'm just made of sterner stuff than the typical romance reader. Regardless, Cry No More will take you on a journey that is both enjoyable and difficult to turn away from. Read it when you've got a long weekend ahead of you to become engrossed in the story.

This is my first book by this author and I couldn't put it down. I especially liked Diaz - talk about your strong silent type! Yum!

This is seriously the best book i have ever read. I was upset that the book was over. I wish Nora Roberts would make a sequel to this book. I already bought the movie and i loved it too. This is a must read.

I am NOT a reader but enjoyed the movie based on the book so decided to give the book a try. I was completely hooked after only a few chapters. To the point that I read it in 3 days, I couldn't put it down, I had to find out what happened next. Even though I knew basically what was going to happen since I'd seen the movie. Roberts gives such great detail and makes you feel as though you are there and can almost feel the emotions of the characters. It has a mystery and a great love story that are perfectly molded together. It seems to have something for whatever mood your in. The characters are descriptive and personal and you care what happens to them. The dialoge is witty,very entertaining and sensual at times. You are rooting for the sisters to make it through the year and come out a family. And you definetly want Ben and Willa to find the love they both want and deserve. This book was so captivating that I got several more Nora Roberts books and have enjoyed them all. However Montana Sky is by far my favorite of the 7 or 8 I've read so far.

This was such a great book!!!! I could not wait to turn the page. Nora Roberts out gig her self with this one!!!!!

This story centers around three sisters. Willa has lived on Mercy Ranch her entire life. Even though she grew up with her father, he never approved of her or had a nice thing to say to her. Tess is all Hollywood. She is a writer, and thrives in that environment. Then there is Lily, who is shy, and afraid of her own shadow. She has been running from her abusive ex for a long time, and longs to find somewhere she belongs. When Jack dies, all three are brought to Montana. They find out that they must live together or lose out on their inheritance. If they can survive all the twists and turns, they may have found the family each one needs.

It is a great book, and very intense read. The characters are written very well, and the secondary characters are important to the story also. A little more violence than I am comfortable with, but I think it was necessary to the story.

I have been looking forward to reading a Nora Roberts or J.D. Robb book for a few years now and i finally got started on one...Montana Sky. It started out ok and then I was very disappointed when being the animal lover that I am, i had to read graphic details of how a killer tortured and killed 4 animals and a human in a most grotesquely horrific manner. This has ruined the whole book for me and i am so disappointed that i can not finish the book now. It could have been a good story with interesting characters even though you can see right thru it and tell who will wind up with who, i really wish the author did not ruin it with these grotesque torture and killings of animals. I dont think i would want to read another one of her books because of this. I would imagine the majority of her readers are females and i am not quite sure how many females do enjoy reading of animals being tortured, killed, decapitated. Totally ruined the book and any future books by this author for me.
Big disappointment.

I have read many of Michael Crichton's books and for the most part I have not been disappointed by his works. In Disclosure Mr. Crichton does a super job educating the public about sexual harassment.
The book covers the story of Tom Sanders, and the sexual harassment threat at the work place he is charged with against his boss, and former lover, Meredtih Johnson. The story relates the constant fear men have of being accused, of sexual harassment because even if they win the case their reputation is ruined. The novel moves along at a nice steady pace, relating all the difficulties that Tom encounters. It shows how sexual harassment is a sensitive area in corporate politics while giving plenty of insight into the way corporations work. The characters are great, full of personality. I highly recommend this book. It's a great read.

Will all the guys stand up.
Thank you.
Now to your left is guy who doesn't like to be molested by a sexy superior.
He saves himself by accidentally recording it over the mobile phone.
I just love technology and scandals.

Fairly ordinary mundane sf thriller, with the main element being a nutso boss sexually harrassing one of her tech manager types. After getting shagged and being dumped she then goes way too Fatal Attraction on him. Meant to be a bit on the titillating side, I suppose, but pretty tame for all that.

DISCLOSURE isn't Michael Crichton's best novel, but it's still a gripping read. I read a lot of thrillers, and Crichton does an excellent job in this novel of generating suspense. Although I didn't find this story entirely believable, it is nonetheless highly entertaining and had me rapidly turning the pages. If you enjoy Joseph Finder's corporate thrillers, this novel is very much in the same vein.

Crichton deals with a lot of sexual politics in this story, which may turn off some people. But I thought he raised some interesting issues, and I agree with his general thesis that a claim of sexual harassment can serve as a formidable political weapon (as an attorney, I have seen this a few times myself).

Overall, DISCLOSURE is a fun and thought-provoking read by one of the best thriller writers out there.

I read this book after watching the movie. Usually the books are more enjoyable than the movie. In Disclosure, the movie is much more enjoyable. Don't get me wrong. The book is fun to read, too. Cold Eyes

All books were new as requested. I was really surprised that the books were received so quickly. Great service! I will purchase from this person again.

I discovered the story about the Indian in the Cupboard when I saw the film based on the book. I think the book is quite good, but I would like to have more illustrations, because I'm teacher of English for Spanish students and if you want to use the story for early ages (6-8) you'll need more illustrations. But in general I liked this book very much.

It was interesting and exciting because the plot was unexpected. I liked the stories told by the characters from the cupboard and that they had past lives. Their daily lives were interesting such as the food they ate and the risks they faced. It's a good book to read for kids.

As an educator, I am appalled when I find out that other teachers still use this book in their classrooms without discussing the egregious misrepresentation of Native Americans throughout this book. While this book has won critical acclaim for its writing, no level of fine writing will make up for the damage it does to the image of Native Americans. This book portrays Native Americans as unintelligent savages who are ready to attack at any moment. I cringe to think of the Native child who reads this book and self-worth is shattered!

It's Omri's birthday and his brother and his friend have gotten him gifts that don't seem like the best gifts in the world. His brother gave him a cupboard that he found in an alley. And his friend, Patrick, gave him a plastic Indian figure. There's nothing too magical about these items and Omri is less than interested in them until he finds a key among his mother's extra keys that fits the cupboard.

He finds that when he puts a plastic figure in the cupboard and then locks the cupboard with that particular key, the figure comes to life! With a little experimenting, he finds that if he then locks the live figure back in, it returns to its original form.

Now Omri has a live Indian (a very small live Indian) living in his room. Sounds pretty neat, huh? Well, Omri soon finds out that it's not so easy to be responsible for another human being no matter how small they are.

The Indian's name is Little Bear and he makes demands on Omri such as asking for supplies to make a longhouse, paint for decorations and - most importantly - food. Omri has to go to great lengths to help Little Bear while at the same time keeping the Indian a secret from his family and friends. When he finally does tell his friend, Patrick, Omri regrets it.

Patrick wants to play with the cupboard but he doesn't care that the figures are occupied by real human beings with real feelings. This gets both he and Omri in trouble.

This book is an interesting look at what happens when something that seems like it would be the coolest thing can turn out to not be so fun once reality hits. It is also interesting to see the empathy that Omri has for these small beings and how he tries to care for them and show Patrick how to care for them too. It also explores the dynamics of their friendship and touches lightly on the familial interactions between son and parents and brother to brother.

While this is a book about boys, the story is not for boys alone. Girls will enjoy this story about a 'magical' experience. Boys will definitely love this and may even try locking up their action figures in every cupboard in the house to see what happens. It's a quick and interesting read for those who are easily distracted.

I am concerned about the descriptions of all the historical characters especially the Native American (as one reviewer has been specific about the 'racist' nature of it.) So I would not recommend this for someone looking for an accurate description of Native Americans, cowboys or WWI medics but perhaps it could be used to start a discussion about stereotypes. Also I would not recommend this to someone looking for a fantasy novel.

I found this book absolutely spellbinding for the most part. Actually I was loving the history, the time changes, the philosphy.....some really thought provoking passages that you want to go back and read again and again. Then came the the last few pages and the Epilogue. At the risk of ruining the whole book for future readers, I won't disclose what was written there but I wish I had stopped before reading those pages. The event described there taking place is unlikely if not completely unbelievable to say the least. I will try to just remember the first 370 or so pages. Those pages and that story .....unforgettable.

This book deserves to be an American classic. This book deserves to be an Oscar winning movie. On the other hand, I don't see how Hollywood could improve on the perfection of Jonathon Hull's written words and the images they invoke inside the reader's imagination. Bravo, Mr Hull! Bravo!

An amazing story that combines a truly moving love story, powerful war scenes, and touching soliloquies on life and regret from an elderly person's point of view.

Wonderfully written story of a man who experienced the hell of warfare, the love of a woman, and the failures and triumphs of life. Moving story with in-depth characters, brings the reader to the reality of the impact of war, and how it changes the course of life - there is no turing back to the way it was supposed to be. Sincere and humorous look at the insight gained as the aging process relentlessly moves forward.

I picked this novel up at a flea market and had no idea what I was in for. Jonathan Hull has truly touched me with this wonderful, sad, beautiful, tragic story of love, loss, loneliness, hope, and death. Hull takes us through the life of an aged nursing home "inmate" and gives us a glimpse of what we may become.
I've rarely been so impressed with a first novel and have already ordered his second one.

Again, no mattre how superficial these books are, I can't seem to stop reading them. It is true that girls should not be exposed to such shallowness as these characters, but that's the author's point: who wants to truly be like these girls?

Well, the third book starts off after some time since the Fashion Show in the point of view of overshadowed beta Alicia Rivera. She finds her rightful power as she holds court in dance classes, a refreshing experience away from Massie where she surfaces as the popular girl. With new friends from dance and Olivia, they plan to host their own sleepover, another move against Massie.

With the guilt of cheating during the fashion show, Alicia feels awful, but doesn't do anything about it. Instead, she buries herself deeper inside a whole that she can't get out, which I find stupid. Her friends know what she did, so what's the point of making it worse.

Well, it gets worse. When Massie gets hint that Alicia is starting her own clique, Alicia is declared EW. But don't think that Massie is a power-hungry brat. She felt awful for it, like any friend would if they found out they were betrayed.

So, as Alicia is out, Claire comes in. Together, she and Massie devise a plot to sabotage Alicia and Olivia's planned photoshoot with Teen People by adding themselves into the shoot. Claire has become the new Alicia and couldn't be happier, she has also snagged herself Cam Fisher. But, as always, she'll fall down to rock bottom. Seriously, why can't Lisi leave Claire alone!?

Massie's secret crush on Cam becomes not-so-secret when Alicia discovers it. This makes Massie mad, as well as finding out that he like Claire instead of her. Massie makes Claire choose, and knowing Claire, she's too wimpy to fight for what she wants. Get some backbone woman!

Meanwhile, Alicia and Olivia psychotically deal with their own drama: re-creating a duplicate of their own Pretty Committee, as well as frolicking with 11th grader Harris Fisher, Cam's brother who is old than them by 4 years! Alicia is instantly crushing, and feels that she's Alpha enough to handle him. Good luck with that sister...

The Pretty Committee starts to fall apart: Massie forces Claire to give up Cam, Kristen and Dylan's secrets are let loose because they think Massie snitched, and Alicia manipulates her way to get what she wants. Total shallow-fest, if you ask me.

But really, girls deal with this: rumors, secrets, more backstabbing, boy drama, and even more. Lisi Harrison just puts too much pettiness on top to show the true message.

In the end, the Pretty Committee is reunited once again, due to a friendship fix at the photoshoot. Or should I say, photoshoot destruction. Literally, they destroyed Christmas via fashion shoot.

In the beginning, Massie seemed to lose a lot, but towards the end, she gained back even more: a new crush on Derrington (who has a crush on her), her Beta Alicia back, Claire as a new friend, and her life back on track.

Oh yeah, and Claire is moving to Chicago. Honestly, LEAVE CLAIRE ALONE!!!

Well, all in all, this book introduced more mature themes and foreshadowed problems for the upcoming book. These books are not really my style, yet I am addicted to them.

Alicia creates her own clique that imitates Massie's pretty committee. She is pretty smug after she cheats her way into victory with Olivia. She and Olivia may have fooled the judges, but they didn't fool Massie! The pretty committee is mad and after revenge. That's just what they get! Massie's revenge humiliates Alicia beyond all reason and in the blink of an eye she manipulate and threatens the whole rest of the pretty coommittee onto her side, leaving Massie all alone. Revenge of the wannabes;the thrilling third book in the clique series by Lisi Harrison is told in Alicia's point of view.

The characters in this book are spiteful, manipulative, and shallow. But even worse than that, I feel sorry for them, and sorry for any girl who feels like she has to be fake in order to have friends. How terrible that people won't like them for who they really are.. and how awful that must feel to think that one wrong move and your best friend is now your worst enemy. The author of these books has glorified being cruel and encouraged young girls to be scared of who they are. What a heartbreaking message to send girls as they try to discover who they are. Being kind, compassionate, funny, adventurous -these are the sorts of things that maintain a friendship. Under all the glam and the glitz, Massie's character seems so lonely. She is afraid to be real with her friends, her family, and herself. Girls thinking of buying this book: you are better than this. Love yourself enough to be proud of who you are and read books that encourage you to be the incredible girl you are! Parents, if you love your daughter, pay her not to read this.

Revenge of the Wannabees is a well written story that is fun, but cleverly educational about the relationship between 5 girls in a special cliuque that they formed at OCD middle school. This book is an interpersonal relationship fiction novel that shows teenage girls how to avoid fighting between Cliques. I believe that this novel has outdone both the other Clique novels. This book dives deep into the plot exposing the 5 girls true charectoristics and allow them to I would rate this book 4 out 5 stars because this is due to the way it shws how cliques really do act and how to avoid making fights with difficult groups of people. This book would be appropriate for anyone who has read and enjoyed any other books by Lisi Harrison and also for any teenage girls even though they may not be as popular or where as much designer clothes as other girls.

Revenge of the Wannabees is a great clique book by Lisia Harrison.The exposition of the story got me involved right away. Alicia and Olivia go to the office of Teen Vogue Magazine. A lot of cool things happen there.

In the story I think Massie and Claire have an important relationship because Claire lives in Massie' guest house and Claire and Massie both have a crush on Cam Fisher. In this story there is a lot of conversation. Alicia takls a lot about Massie and Massie talk a lot about Alicia. There is definitely more conversation then action.

In this story, I love how the author uses description. She describes everything really well. She describes the rooms and the character so well it makes me feel like I am actually there with the characters. The one thing I disliked about the book was that Massie and Alicia were mad at each other and always fighting. But other than that, I think the book was really cool.

During the story, I could never guess what happened next. It always was a great suprise. The book kept me on my toes. It made me want to keep reading all the time. This book left me happy because something really cool happens at the end, but I am not going to tell you because it would ruin the suprise.I would totally recomend this book to others because it was one of the most exciting, fun, interesting booksI have ever read.

I am a medical school graduate currently doing my residency at a large, prestigious hospital in Chicago,IL. I have known for a long time that western medicine does not have all the answers or even the best answers when it comes to health care. I've listened to several of Myss' recorded lectures but this is the first book of hers I have read. I was impressed by how Myss is able to combine the chakras with the Christian sacraments and teachings from the Kabbalah to come with a very workable and usable description of how our spirit interacts with us and the world and how we can use that knowledge to heal. I think she gives a very fresh and new perspective on the issue. If you have new to energy medicine or the workings of the spirit this book will (at the very least)give you a new way of seeing the world and your own specific predicament. I also found her own personal history and how she came about to be an intuitive healer very interesting.

When we want to get a degree in Mathematics, we have to study some major or core courses. When you want to understand spiritual matters, we have to read this valuable book. Because according to me, it is one of the basic or core courses in spiritual field. By reading and understanding it, you can save reading a lot of books related to spirituality.
Prof. Caroline Myss is really a gift from GOD to people who are interested in spirituality.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You to Dr. Caroline Myss for all her valuable books.

I thought that the start of this book was heavy going but Part II was excellent. Would recommend that the reader starts reading last few pages of Part I where she introduces Part II and then start Part II. Afterwards Part I becomes more interesting.

This is a bit of a hard read to me. I have to read the pages over and over to understand the way this is written. I dunno...it's probably a good book if you can manage not to become bored in the beginning with trying to understand it.

This is an excellent book for all to read who are looking for guidance through their spiritual journey. Fantastic reading. Well written, easy to follow.

First off, I haven't seen the movie, so this will not be a comparison piece. Norman Maclean's novella is an inspirational story, definitely poignant and touching as so many others before me have stated. This work melds nature, heritage, human emotions, and even metaphysics like none I've ever encountered. In its poetic and deeply probing style, A River Runs Through It compares favorably with the work of Robert Penn Warren, my favorite author.

I cannot think of another novel that is as satisfying in both literal and conceptual dimensions. On one hand, this is a story of a family told in a fly-fishing setting. On the other hand, this is a study of the nature of existence and human consciousness. Just as an aside, maclean's memory of the intricacies of fly-fishing and the events of 50 years prior is simply astounding. Even if he's filling in the details with literary license, it doesn't diminish his astonishing gift.

I have gleaned from this novel the concept that true knowledge eludes us, what we are left with is "a lifetime of questions." This is only one of many questions handled deftly by the author. This is a classic never to be forgotten; I wish I could give it more stars.

I am invariably disappointed by movies "based on" a book if I've read the book first. After seeing A River Runs Through It (Columbia Pictures, 1992) recently, I felt compelled to read the book by Norman Maclean upon which movie is based. Even for a clueless fly-fishing rookie like me, the book is charming in a bucolic and unpretentious sort of way. Moreover, the screenplay deliciously - and accurately - reflects the panache and élan of the print version. Prodigious chunks of the screenplay are lifted verbatim from this disarmingly simple novella of just over 100 pages, with a few minor differences.

Some Differences:

The chronology of events is slightly different. Norman's wife Jessie appears much sooner in the book than in the movie. In fact, Norman and Jessie are married by page 9 and Norman meets his insufferable brother-in-law, Neal, at the train on page 29 well after Jessie becomes Mrs. Norman Maclean. In the movie this incident occurs before Norman and Jessie are married.

Also, Norman's mother is a more full-bodied, three-dimensional character who makes chokecherry jelly for her boys and, along with Paul, was "the central attraction" of every family reunion (p. 78). Also receiving more attention in the book is the fishing fiasco with Neal, and how Neal got fried to a crisp under a hot Montana sun. In the movie, Paul's pursuit and ultimate triumphant landing of the "unbelievable" fish occurs toward the end of the film. In the book, it's Norman who catches the big fish in the Big Blackfoot River, and he does so early on - before page 22.

Additional minor differences include:

- The timeline is slightly altered from book to movie. The opening lines in which an elderly Norman recalls his father's advice to write down his stories occurs far back in the book, which opens with, "In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing...."

- No mention is made of Norman attending Dartmouth or being offered a university professorship in Chicago in the book - plot devices invented for the movie.

- Norman's courtship of Jessie, a major movement within the movie, doesn't appear in the book, where the couple is already married the first time we meet Jessie.

- In the movie, both brothers seem evenly matched in their fly-fishing skills. In the boo,, Paul is "a master," his skills far superior to Norman's (see pp. 42 and 43).

- Norman's offer to "help" Paul, made while he's driving an intoxicated Paul and his girlfriend home from a night on the town in the movie, is clumsily offered while the brothers are fishing in the print version.

- Rev. Maclean's "you can love completely without complete understanding" is a comment made to Norman in the book (p. 103), not part of a church sermon, as it appears in the movie.

- Maclean's wry wit and sandpaper humor are completely lost in the movie, probably due to its thematic focus and time constraints. In print, both are as fresh and flavorful as a stream-to-skillet Rainbow trout.

Similarities:

- Rev. Maclean's teaching techniques for casting are directly from the book, metronome and all (pages 2-4)

- Paul vs. father in the Battle of the Oatmeal (p. 7)

- Paul's "shadow casting" technique (p. 21)

- Norman's clipped conversation with the Irish desk sergeant after Paul's been jailed for a drunken fist-fight (pp. 23-25) is an abbreviated but verbatim version of what appears in the book.

- Black Jack's Bar appears on page 30 and Old rawhide" puts in her swarthy appearance on page 31.

- Norman's brother-in-law, Neal, spins fab fibs at the bar about tracking and trailing otters on page 33. (However, Neal doesn't spend the night with Old Rawhide after picking her up at the bar, as implied in the movie. Instead, he wakes up at his mother's with a hellacious hangover and a couple of annoyed brothers-in law who are raring to go fishing - and tolerate the family picnic that follows.

- Neal stores his flies in a fly box; Paul uses his hat band)

- "Three things we're never late for" in Montana include church, work and fishing, a line delivered by Brad Pitt in the movie as Paul, appears on page 34 in the book.

- Rev. Maclean's comment about Paul's decision to change the spelling of the family name appears (ages 80 and 81)

- "Three more years before I can think like a fish" - Brad Pitt as Paul in the movie; p. 101 in the book.

- Rev. Maclean's musings about how to help someone who won't take help are recited by Tom Skerritt in the movie almost verbatim. (See p. 81)

- Events surrounding Paul's death, narrated by Robert Redford in the move, are word-for-word from the book (pp. 102 - 104). In print context, Rev. Maclean's subsequent question about "which hand" of Paul's had the broken bones makes more sense in the book because the author spend more time discussing casting technique and hand strength than the movie had time to develop.

Maclean provides additional details about intricacies of fly-fishing and casting that allow the uninitiated to better understand and more fully appreciate fly fishing as an art form. Readers are "hooked" without being drowned beneath mind-numbing minutia or tangled webs of technicalities. Maclean occasionally waxes lyrical with poetic descriptions such as :

"It was a beautiful stretch of water, either to a fisherman or a photographer, although each would have focused his equipment at a different point. It was a barely submerged waterfall. The reef of rock was about two feet under the water, so the whole river rose into one wave, shook itself into spray, then fell back on itself and turned blue. After it recovered from the shock, it came back to see how it had fallen." (pp.16, 17)...

Below him was the multitudinous river, and, where the rock had parted it around him big-grained vapor rose. The mini-molecules of water left in the wake of his line made momentary loops of gossamer, disappearing so rapidly in the rising big-grained vapor that they had to be retained in memory to be visualized as loops. The spray emanating form him was finer-grained still and enclosed him in a halo himself. ... The images of himself and his line kept disappearing into the rising vapors of the river, which continually circled to the tops of the cliffs where, after becoming a wreath in the wind, they became rays of the sun. (p. 20)

The Story

Occasionally coarse, the story itself is gently nuanced with "four count rhythms," "roll casting," the difference between a "brook" and a "creek" or a "number four or six fly," and "setting the hook." The story moves along at a gracious pace, dignified without dragging. The text evinces a deep - albeit clumsy - bond of mutual affection and admiration between brothers. Maclean's love of his Montana roots, his knowledge of the land, its people, scenery, culture, history, and fly-fishing - are keenly weft throughout the warp and woof of this narrative. It's also clear that Norman "knew" his brother without fully understanding him.

Characterization

As in the movie, the main characters in the print version of A River Runs Through It are cleanly drawn and genuine. Drawing readers into the story like moths to a flame, each character has his or her own special kind of luminosity. These people are gracious and yet sharp, gentle but not simple. They are linked but not necessarily connected. The Maclean family is at once close and yet distant, as if they've breathed in some mysterious quality of spaciousness from the Montana skies. Mother, father, and elder brother all know that Paul is in some kind of trouble, yet feel helpless to help him.

The theme of "help" pops up throughout the book like an overnight mushroom. Norman's struggle to understand and help his brother is more emphatic in the book than in the movie (pp. 37, 38, 81). But what kind of help and how to give it are questions no one can fully answer. This is summed up sagely by Rev Maclean:

"You are too young to help anybody and I am too old, he said. `By help I don't mean a courtesy like serving chokecherry jelly or giving money.

"Help," he said, "is giving part of yourself to somebody who comes to accept it willingly and needs it badly." (p. 81)

Worthwhile Read?

A River Runs Through It is a satisfying story that's been faithfully represented on the big screen. In both you can hear the river roar, smell the beer, feel the baking afternoon sun or the cool splash of water on a hot, thirsty day as you watch a fish rise and grab an expertly tied "general," feel him jerk the line and run with it.

As for the book, is Norman Maclean Shakespeare? Nope. Does he need to be? Naw. Will A River Runs Through It make the NY Times bestseller list? Doubtful. Is this story worth the read? Yep. In fact, A River Runs Through It almost makes me want to "get the horse collar off my neck," wade into the Big Blackfoot and learn how to cast myself. Almost.

A River Runs Through It is a wonderful story of life in Montana, well, really life in general. In addition to a great story, this book contains some of the best uses of the English language in the 20th century. Highly recommended.

An excellent piece of literary work. From the time I received it, I couldn't set it down.

A River Runs Through It deals with tragedy, loss, and other such deep themes, but it's impossible for the reader to distant himself from the realization that much of the tragedy and loss inflicted on the family being explored is, in one way or another, the fault of the family members. While this does not automatically make the situations any less meaningful, it does chip away at the feeling that these tragedies were undeserved or unforseen.

The patriarch of the family is a stubborn, unyielding man who teaches his children by example to ruin another's fishing spot if he has better luck than you that day. His unyielding belief in the Biblical interpretation of a young earth and the scientific evidence of an old one is resolved by a stern splitting of the difference, by averaging the ages and coming up with a "medium aged" earth theory that he lectures to his sons. And when, as little children, they refuse to eat their veggies, the father shouts until he turns red, forces the child to stay at the table until the veggies are eaten, and then gives up in defeat when the child outlasts him.

Is it any wonder, then, when his youngest child grows up to be a free-spirited, gambling, immature man who simply cannot be talked out of his self-destructive tendencies? No one ever reasoned with him growing up - he was taught, by example, from day one that the most stubborn, unyielding person always wins. He was taught to never consider the needs and desires of others as anything but subbordinate to his own. It is difficult for me, therefore, to feel much pity for the bereaved family when the young man finally self-destructs - didn't they see this coming, every moment of every day? Didn't they train the child, every day, for years to reach this eventual moment?

Yes, the story is poignant. Yes, it is beautiful and touching. Yes, it should be read. But it should be read, I think, as a cautionary tale more than as a compassionate one.