Irish Books

Gillingham does it again. John Gillingham, again,provides us with another superb account of a remarkable ruler of England.

A great introduction to those curious about this legendary monarch. Gillingham pulls off a bit of a hat trick here. While he does have strong opinions of surrounding figures, particularly Philip and John, he lets the facts speak for themselves about Richard and does not argue one particular point of view. With one exception, his sexuality. This also one of the few times where I found the primary historians, both Arab and Norman, becoming "characters" and their presence is missed when they die or no longer are around the King. The very difficult task of giving all of the counts of Normandy, the Vexin, and the Aquitaine distinctiveness is handled incredibly well. In the hands of a less skilled author this would have been very dry reading and frustratingly convoluted. Also, bit of a heads up to the future reader: This is Gillingham's second book on Richard the Lionheart and he has written numerous articles and essays on the monarch. He has no problem using himself as a reference and he flat out lifts an entire chapter from his previous work and places it in this one. I found this shrewdly entertaining. It does benefit this volume and since the older version is no longer in print, no harm done. After reading this you come away better informed, entertained and with a desire to pick up another book on this era and this king. I can't think of much better praise than that. An essential work for a medieval library.

Richard the Lionheart's life and personality may be the stuff of legend, but they are hidden by the mists of time -- or rather the paucity of relevant documents. Gillingham does a brilliant job of breathing as much life as possible into rather arid fragments without stepping beyond what is warranted by the evidence. For his understanding of the king, he draws as much on contempory Arab sources as European ones, arguing convincingly that the Arab writers may have had fewer axes to grind in talking of Richard. Gillingham goes so far as to place his evaluation of Richard's character at the point where the evidence ends -- following his captivity in Germany -- rather than at the end of the book. Instead the book ends with a well reasoned argument that it was John (and John alone) who lost Normandy whereas Richard was winning the war against Philip Agustus of France. Gillingham also points out that, had Richard lived to complete that struggle, the empire of Henry II might still have disappeared with his death.

Inevitably, some of the work is frustratingly dry -- especially for the process of Richard's development into a strong ruler and military genius against the background of one of history's most disfunctional families. But that dryness arises from the lack of evidence, not from immersion in trivia at the expense of substance.

The book itself is a delight, with strong narrative supported by a myriad of footnotes which are where they should be -- at the bottom of the pages. All in all, a good story well told with insightful analysis based on the record.

I was sceptical getting started on this biography. Certainly, the early parts were fact-laden, slightly uninteresting and slow going.

I am very glad I did not give up.

This is one of the few strictly historical books that restores one's faith in objective research and non-agenda, non-ego driven truth finding.

One might wish for a bit more of a picture of Richard's persona, but from the remove of nearly a millenium, this would be fudging anyway. The facts that there are are clearly and neatly laid out regarding all of Richard's attributes, and some of the modern fadist mythologies (so many of which have their underpinnings in a given academic's desire or need for attention) are dealt with fairly and thoroughly.

Example: Richard was not a homosexual, as "The Lion in Winter" would have a viewer believe. The evidence against it is clear and plenary. It isn't that one doesn't wish him to be, it's just that this notion has its roots in a modern attempt to overlay ancient male and political bonding customs with a template of modern behaviours and modern conclusions which would stem from modern interpretations of those behaviors.

All in all, Richard emerges from the historical record as a great warrior King, who was grossly treated following his exertions during the Crusades, and was forced to try to reclaim the lands that Phillip of France stole while Richard was away. He was therefore forced to stay away from Britain, because the Angevin and Acquitainian and Norman parts of his empire were on the continent. He did not stay away from Britain by choice or by neglect (another myth debunked), but because he was forced to by the duties of his Kingship. Also, Britain WAS part of continental Europe as well in those days. (Or vice versa, if you happen to be English.)

This is the most balanced royal biography I've read to date. Gillingham begins by tracing Richard's reputation through the ages, beginning at it's peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, when he was considered one of the great leaders of his time to it's nadir in the 1950's when academics began to consider him a "Bad son and a bad king..." who spent far more time on the continent than he ever did in England, leaving it in terrible financial straits when he went off to fight in the crusades, and began to conjecture about his sexual preference. Gillingham explores and discounts these and other myths about Richard and his reign simply by letting the historical record speak for itself and allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions, rather than stating his own opinions as facts and then selectively using the historical record to back them up. He also isn't afraid to admit that he can't be sure of something when the historical evidence is either too thin or simply obscured by the mists of time, which is refreshing. The author is among the first to rely heavily on contemporary Muslim sources in constructing his portrait of Richard, because he believes they are less biased in their evaluation of Richard's character than a European chronicler might be. These sources are, for the most part, complimentary, and add great perspective and depth to the reader's understanding of Richard as a warrior. Gillingham strikes the perfect balance between academic research and popular history, making the book very readable. Whether you're interested in Richard himself, or merely seeking an introduction into reading further about his fascinating family dynamics, or the crusades, this is the book to read!

Professor Holt has done an outstanding job with this book. I've had this book long before Amazon.com came into existence and was thrilled to see it listed here. Holt's meticulous research into Robin Hood has been referenced by numerous other authors and researchers into Robin Hood, yeoman archers, and life in Medieval and Tudor England. Holt has persuaded a fair number of very intelligent researchers in their assessments of who Robin Hood was and his status as a yeoman. I've had this book since 1991, with worn pages and all, yet I still can't put it down. Highly recommended. Like one of the other persons who gave it 5 stars, I give it a 10 stars. * * * * * * * * * *

Holt has written an enthralling study of Robin Hood, of both the man (what little remains of him in the ballads) and the legend. He discusses the five earliest surviving ballads - "A Gest of Robyn Hode," "Robin Hoode his Death," "Robin Hood and the Monk," "Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne," and "Robin Hood and the Potter" - and from them details all that can be inferred of the original Hood and of the transmission of the legend in the 200 years before the songs of Robin Hood were first written down. Even after they began to be written down new elements in the legend emerged - Maid Marian and Friar Tuck only joined Robin's merry men in the 15th century. Although today we commonly think of Robin Hood as hanging around in Nottingham and Sherwood Forest, the early ballads most strongly connect him with Barnesdale ("My name is Robin Hood of Barnesdale," the outlaw once remarks in a ballad). Holt details the physical setting in which Robin Hood and his legend traversed, and also the type of people who were his original audience.

So who was Robin Hood? Holt answers, "There were more than one." Many outlaws later called themselves Hood, and some elements of the legends were possibly added on because a storyteller confused one Hood with our Robin Hood - this may explain why a actual march of Edward II's in 1322 is incorporated into the life of a bandit who probably lived a hundred years earlier. Holt does think there was an original Robin Hood, who inspired the legend, and believes that he lived in the first half of the 13th century. He is possibly identical with a certain outlaw named Robert Hod, aka Hobbehod, who is mentioned in records from 1225-26. Although there are many uncertainties, of all the suggested candidates for the "real" Robin Hood, Robert Hod is the most plausible, based on the existing evidence. If you get only one book about Robin Hood, make it this one.

I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.
It's a great book for anyone inteested in Robin Hood.
I'd give it 10 stars if I could.

Professor Holt wrote what came to be acknowledged as the definitive work on Robin Hood in 1981, and it was published the following year. A second edition appeared in 1988, incorporating significant new research. So that's the first point to make; make sure you get the later edition. The second point is that this new evidence, which pushed the first reference to Robin Hood a century further back in time, merited a re-write. Instead, Holt leaves the main text almost unaltered and discusses the new information in a postscript, and gives it a brief mention in a preface. The result is that the reader is presented with much speculation about the origin of the legend which is invalidated in the postscript. It's rather like having the rug pulled from under your feet.

Nonetheless, the work remains a fact-packed, authoritative guide to England's unlikely national hero. (Well, a thief who may or may not have existed seems an unlikely hero to me). Holt points the reader toward the earliest ballads, and I strongly recommend that you read these in parallel with the earliest chapters of this book. The ballads are all readily available, in the original and translated, on the Net, and they are great fun.

Robin is as elusive as he is intriguing, but he is well worth tracking, and Holt is probably still the best guide.

This book has the ring of authenticity about it. One British reviewer called it "Probably unsurpassable," and I agree. In this way it is like an Arthurian book by Ashe or Alcock. (I am thinking of "In Search of Arthur's Britain," which described the 1967 South Cadbury dig.)

You will learn the truth about the earliest Robin Hood stories - he was a yeoman, not a nobleman or a peasant, his earliest haunt was Barnsdale, not Sherwood. There was no Maid Marian at first, etc.

An excellent book for British history buffs and English lit types.

A friend told me about this companion book to A.S.Byatt's novel: POSSESSION. I bought both the novel and the reader companion as gifts for a friend. My friend has written to say how much she is appreciating both items...both purchased at Amazon. Thanks.

Reading A.S.Byatt's "Possession" can be a daunting task as the novel is not only interpersed with poetry and letters written by all the fictional historical characters, but is filled with allusions that only a lifetime afficiando of literature would understand. This little book by Ms Burgass will help the less erudite reader peel back the layers that comprise the entire work.
The guide is broken down into various sections that will answer questions regarding all manner of topics related to the novel. The author, the novel itself, the novel's reception, the novel's standing today, and a helpful list of study questions,further reading and websites round out the chapter topics.
I found the chapter on the novel sufficiently comprehensive to answer all my questions regarding the fictional works of Ash and LaMotte. Coverage of the novel's various themes was also extremely instructional.
I recommend this to all who enjoyed the movie and want to fully enjoy the book's entire experience.

I give this book 5 stars because it did what I hoped a book like this would do: It gives the reader more ideas, history, and perspectives from which to interpret A.S. Byatt's novel "Possession." This is not a Cliff Notes. It's more like if you invited a person who was way "too" smart and "too" informed to your book club discussion. Of Byatt she says, "She has worked assiduously towards encompassing what are frequently regarded as mutually exclusive states." And this is true in so many ways. Byatt takes on ideas that most people consider contradictory and challenges those assumptions capably.

There is a "signifanct part of the work (Byatt's fiction) which is semi autobiographical." "As the main title suggests, the novel is about possession, and in line with its complex form dramatizes multiple aspects of this theme, exploring the nature of possessive love and the contrary impulse to self-preservation; superficial possession - of things - and supernatural possession by ghosts, literal and metaphorical; the quest for knowledge (intellectual possession)," and "a degree of self-possession (pride)."

Catherine Burgass examines the book's form, plot choices, and language. She gives examples of the literary criticism and reviews the book has received from major media sources and different schools of thought (old and new). The book intrinsically asks how do contemporary focuses and forms interact with the considerations of the past and future? "Part of Roland and Maud's mutual attraction is, paradoxically, a shared desire for solitude."

When A.S. Byatt was asked if she was tempted to write biographies of other people, she replied, "I do not wish to spend most of my life on somebody else's life - not one other person's life. The words came to me long before the plot of the novel, Possession, and it was to do with being taken over - or alternatively, taking somebody over, depending on whether you're a sympathiser or a hunter."

Byatt's characters are beautifully complex. Ash is sensitive to past, modern, and possible future sensibilities. So "at one point in the novel, Ash considers the way to win Christabel: 'He would teach her that she was not his possession' (p.279)" or anyone else's possession for that matter. And in the end "She and Ash remain linked in their lifetimes, poignantly through this child, whom neither of them can publicly own." The "child" in the novel could be representative of many good things they shared, their literal child, their chemistry of ongoing communication, or the things their relationship created in the real world. The novel explores how and why both characters choose to hide or silence parts of their relationship.

Love that creates consistent beauty and quality is rare. Some people think it comes only once. Some believe they can experience it in several ways, at the same or different times. Some find it in art and work as much as they find it in other people. Regardless, it is rare for most people. And the novel and the Reader's Guide explore how seemingly contradictory loves may co-exist by reconsidering perceptions, definitions, and forms.

I wrote a review of the movie before I read Ms. Burgass' Reader's Guide. My review is on Amazon if you'd like additional perspectives. If you like the movie Possession or the novel, and you'd like to consider it further, I highly recommend this book. Ms. Burgass really cared about the intelligence, complexity, and work that went into creating the novel. And her Reader's Guide may open doors to considering the story in new and valuable ways.

This is part of the "Continuum Contemporaries" series. It is a very useful resource for teaching/learning about A. S. Byatt's novel, POSSESSION, as well as about the author and the themes/issues in the novel. My only critique is that I wish it had a compendium that listed all of the different literary allusions in the book. Even without that, though, it is a helpful resource.

Especially if you are in a book group that will be discussing "Possession", this is a thoughtful, comprehensive guide to that convoluted novel. It will ease the rather daunting task of taking in the nuances of A.M. Byatt's literary romance. Also included is a brief biography of Byatt. Recommended.

It starts in the 4th century or so, and continues with great poems until mid twentieth century. It includes biographies of most of the poets, so you can know who they were, and what they did. It has some of the very best poems that I have ever read.

As an evangelical Christian, I continue to wonder why many evangelicals have not discovered Christian poetry for the treasure storehouse that it has always been in the English speaking world. This book is a feast to the mind as well as the spirit and is the perfect introduction to Christian poetry for the thoughtful Christian.

Max Lucado is fine but do yourself a favor and step outside the box. Buy it and read it slowly, carefully, thoughtfully and prayerfully.

The Christian's song thru the ages, yet tinged by place in history. The wit of Alexander Pope, the martyr's courage of Anne Askew, the perspective of John Oxenham, the triumphant perseverance of Paul Laurence Dunbar, the perspicuity of C.S.Lewis, and more. This anthology is organized by historic period ("Early Victorian," for ex) and then within each period the poems are grouped by poet, with a brief bio given for each. Though the poets are of different theological backgrounds (Catholic, Protestant, Unitarian), their backgrounds are noted in the bios and the actual selections are pretty mainstream theologically.

As an evangelical, I am suprised that others of my persuasion have not discovered the treasure chest of beauty and devotion in Christian poetry. I consider it truely sublime and find reading it slowly and quietly to be a fountain of great devotional interest. I keep this volume on the shelf next to my bed and turn to it often.

This anthology in particular is an outstanding introduction to the excellence and beauty of Christian poetry. Buy it and read it slowly and prayerfully. Max Lucado is fine but sometimes it's good to think outside the box. Give this a try.

This anthology of poetry will serve as an excellent introduction to those unfamiliar with the genre or as a source of refreshing inspiration to those who know the works.

The book, broken into 12 chapters covering various time periods, offers all sorts of Christian poetry over roughly 1,200 years, from early Anglo-Saxon writings up to 20th Century works.

Authors are introduced with short biographies, as are the time periods to help readers get a sense of how language and religious poetic thought developed. The range of material is amazing, from works predating the Venerable Bede to Madeline L'Engle's plea to God to learn how to pray, written as she rode a New York City bus.

I found this to be a beautiful collection of value to anyone interested in Christian thought and prayer.

A unique voice that took her life too soon. These plays are an important testament to the IN Your Face Theater that lashed out in the 90s. Sometimes mistaken for pointless violence, Kane has a brilliant ability to cut to the heart of humanity and explore the darker aspects of our own kind.

Sarah Kane's collected plays represent an underestimated force in theater. Much like the work of Elfriede Jelinek or Ntozake Shange, Kane takes a private pain (losing oneself in another or testing the limits of proclaimed love) and creates a verbal landscape that the audience must inhabit, either by force of shock or noble acceptance of empathy. In either case, her plays must be reckoned with upon finishing. I think perhaps the most intriguing and powerful to me was 4.48 Psychosis, her final and posthumously performed play. There are no defined characters because who cannot claim a piece within the multitude of confessions that the play really unfolds as. Brutally honest and intentionally confrontational, this play, above the others, embodies the last possible moments of hope in anyone's life. Kane's characters rarely make the choice to latch on to these moments, but they are there and cannot be ignored.

One of the strongest women writers that lived, she revolutionized theatre and her death was unfortunate robbed theatre of her potential. A Great collection of her complete work at a great price. Cleansed was my favorite in the collection. Her work is so poetic, stark, honest, painful, and brutal.

These are the most electric scripts to arrive in a long while. Sadly, the source was snuffed in 1999. Kane's writing is at once repellent and seductive. "Blasted" is exceptional, riffing on Beckett blatantly, but still signature of a visionary voice: inyerface, exuberant, filthy, poetic, profound. As a debut, it is truly remarkable. "Phaedra's Love" and "Cleansed" push the envelope past the hyper-real into lightning-bright brilliance, and with thunderous emotional depth. How does one stage this stuff? Kane's challenging work sets the imagination--and ultimately, the soul--on fire.

Sarah Kane is anything but family friendly. Her plays are raw, brutal, and yet beautiful in an ironic way. She takes all of the hate that exists in this world and uses it to show us the beauty that can come from the ruble of a blown up building. There is no way to actually describe Sarah Kane to you to make you want to buy her book. I was forced to buy it because of a class at my college, but I don't think I'll be selling this one back. I never thought I would enjoy a play such as Blasted. If you want to understand what my review actually means, buy the book, read a couple of her pieces and then read this again. I'm sure you will understand then.

This isn't a very long book. I read it in 2 nights. What is amazing is that it's a true story. I bought it intentionally, as a relative of mine once knew a relative of the writer, and I had a vague memory of this story. It was truly riveting. You might expect a lot of blood and gore, but there isn't. The story haunts with you long after reading the book.

"Sea Of Sharks" by Elmer Renner and Ken Birks. Subtitled: "A Sailor's World War II Survival Story". Naval Institute Press, 2004.
Many years after the events, these two gentlemen got together to write the ever so brief history of the World War II minesweeper, YMS-472. This was a tiny vessel, constructed of wood, so as to avoid setting off magnetic mines. The beginning chapters deal with the commission of the ship, the accidents during practice and drill, and the routine efforts of the YMS-472 operating out of Governor's Island, in the harbor of New York City. As the war wound down, a group of minesweepers were ordered from the East Coast to the Pacific theatre. Mr. Renner's description of the voyage to the Pacific is an excellent sea story in itself. The crew had been concerned with the fact that the vessel's number, 472, added up to 13 ... which sailors considered unlucky,. Then, their date of arrival was scheduled as the 13th. Renner brings up many of the superstitions of the crew ..."hard luck ship", and the need for him, as an officer, to deal with such personnel problems (see Chapter Two, entitled appropriately , "Thirteens", pp. 29-51). There is a lot of old Navy in this section.

From Chapter Three ("Typhoon"), to the end of the book, Renner deals with the so-called "Makurazaki Typhoon", September 1945, the destruction it wrought, and the capsizing of the tiny YMS-472. Renner's description of actual shuddering and capsizing of the vessel is extremely frightening. The last few chapters deal the survivors' days in a very small raft, their attempts to swim to an island (with one sailor being eaten by a shark), the lack of search and rescue by the U.S. Navy, and their rescue, apparently by a chance sighting.

Renner indicts the U.S. Navy for either a sin of omission, if the Navy staff at Okinawa did know that the YMS-472 was missing at sea, or for a sin of commission, if the same Navy staff did not even make an effort to find the YMS-472 and her survivors. Twenty five men went down with the ship. RIP.

The first person tales of World War II are nearing their end. Elmer Renner was a college graduate when he entered the Navy in 1943, sixty years ago. I am thankful that he was able to tell this story. It is a story of survival at sea.

More than that it is a story of a Navy capable of what can only be called gross incompetance. Renner was aboard the 130 wooden hulled minesweeper YMS-472. Designed for work in coastal areas the YMS-472 sailed across the Pacific Ocean to Okinawa. With a typhoon forecast, the YMS-472 was sent to sea to ride out the storm. The shallow draft vessel capsized in what is known as one of the worst storms ever. Renner and eight others managed to ride out the storm on a life raft. The Navy searched for a while, then called off the effort (why with the war over and plenty of ships and planes available). Days later, days without food or water, they happened to be spotted by a Corsair that radioed for help.

This is a story of ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances. Mr. Renner says that it was good for him to tell the story rather than keep it inside himself. It is good for the rest of us also.

Sea Of Sharks is the true story of a Marine Corps veteran who served as a radio operator in the Pacific theater of war during World War II, and the occupation of Japan. Yet Sea Of Sharks is not a saga of the war itself, but rather of a handful of men caught in the grip of one of the worst typhoons in recorded history, off the coast of Okinawa. Their Navy minesweeper was unable to withstand the fury of nature, and the author and eight others barely escaped on a raft. Not only did they have to weather the horrific storm, but afterward, they endured days of hunger, thirst, shark attacks, and despair. Lives were lost to the all-encompassing sea, to the ruthlessness of sharp-toothed sea predators, and to the onset of delusion and madness. The rescue of the survivors could not begin heal the lasting scars of the ordeal, now put to paper years after the fact. A harrowing and horrifying true story, that also raises keen questions as to why the service was so quick to write off the survivors as dead, leaving their rescue to blind chance.

Elmer Renner's narrative of his near death experience in the waters off Okinawa immediately after World War II is a gift to those of us who grew up in the post-war generation. On the surface, this is a story of eight men who survived the ravages of the Pacific during and after the worst typhoon on record. But the simple survival story is a metaphor: the immediacy, the tenacity, and the endurance, of the eight crew-members provides an example of the kind of heroism that, multiplied a thousand-fold, protected this nation from the wartime threat posed by the Axis nations.

In a moving description of the harrowing days at sea on a skeletal raft without food, water, or enough square inches to sleep, the author invites us truly to experience the determination of the stranded sailors to survive and to return to their families. We seem literally to experience the sailors' hunger, their thirst, their disorientation, and finally their hallucinations. We approach that reality as closely as a reader may come vicariously.

Other reviewers have noted the astonishing failure of the Navy to search for the survivors of the minesweeper after it was sent directly into the path of destruction by the Naval command. There seems to be no question that there were ships, planes, and personnel available for the search which was inexplicably abandoned.

And other questions remain. Were the weather warning systems actually so primitive that catastrophe could not have been predicted? Why was a shallow water minesweeper sent into deep sea water to battle the worst weather imaginable? Why was the treacherous sailor who made it to safety never disciplined for his failure to seek help for his companions? And who is to answer for the callous abandonment of the search for survivors?

Mr. Renner's sense of disappointed resignation seems an understated response to the reader who has become furious on his behalf. His own review of Naval documents recording the inquiry into the disaster reveals only inconclusive, unsatisfactory, and self-serving answers. No one was found to be at fault. The administration of justice to those responsible for the deaths of 25 crew members and the nearly indescribable suffering of the survivors may seem a very small matter in the entire context of World War II. But the dead and the living of YMS-472 deserve nothing less.

I've been studying Old Irish, with varying degrees of diligence, for over two years and I find this textbook to be the most helpful of all. Not only does David Stifter present the material in a logical manner, building gradually and explaining each step thorough, but he explains each of the rather esoteric grammatical terms commonly used for this complex language, a great help for someone not an accomplished scholar of linguistics.

A few things that I particularly appreciate: early introduction of a few bits of poetry to give a sense of the rewards of studying this beautiful language, the easy to read layout of the book, and the bits of humor contained in the small drawings of sheep, especially the one with a grimace subtitled "A sheep after having tried to master Old Irish orthography."

Old Irish is never going to be an easy subject and taking it one piece at a time, learning each one thoroughly before going on to the next, is the best method I've come up with. "Sengoidelc" is of great help on the journey.

An well explained and methodical book about the old irish language. Easy to study and very complete study.

Best resource available for an amateur, but explanations are sometimes lacking. Still, you can't do any better.

I'm writing this as someone with a lay (but serious) interest in Old Irish, who learned Modern Irish as a child, and has a reasonable fluency. I've also studied several languages over the years, ranging from Breton to Arabic. I've read the Lehmanns' book too, and compared to this, it feels like it's from another century. Oh wait, it IS from another century!

Seriously, this is a modern approach to Old Irish. I found it generally accessible, and the charts showing reconstructions all the way back to proto-IndoEuropean were interesting too. Where Lehmann provides a numbered list of sentences to be parsed or translated, during which the grammar is apparently expected to be assimilated by osmosis, Stifter provides actual prose describing the grammar.

The main shortcoming in my view, is that there's little comparison with modern Irish. What amazed me was how much of the structure has been preserved over the centuries, from VSO word-order to mutations to personal prepositions; even much of vocabulary has changed relatively little. Although students who are completely new to any form of Irish will find it strange in its grammar and orthography, much of that strangeness hasn't changed all that much over time, and will be perfectly familiar to anyone acquainted with modern Irish.

Personally I would have found it helpful to highlight the aspects that have REALLY changed or disappeared over the intervening millennium (e.g., deponent forms, dual forms, etc.) After all, as fascinating a link as Old Irish is to our ancient European roots, it's also the relative of modern Irish, which is still a living spoken language. I realise that this would satisfy a minor fraction of the readership, but it's so comprehensive, Stifter might have included it. Maybe in a future edition?

This is THE book for learning Old Irish, period. Old Irish is a notoriously forbidding language, probably the most difficult of all the older Indo-European languages. Stifter makes it come alive, through his mix of detailed yet clear grammatical explanations, translation exercises, and quirky humor (gotta love those sheep cartoons!) As an Indo-Europeanist, I wish I had had such a textbook when I first studied Old Irish, instead of having to slog my way through Quin's workbook like the last three generations of students ("The hero hit the two birds in the two trees with his sword"...)
Perfect for those interested in Celtic and Indo-European languages or medieval Irish literature!

SIMON is a most enjoyable book that provided the topic for an interesting and spirited discussion among three generations in our family. It began with giving the book to our grandchildren for their birthdays and ended with the kids, their parents and grandparents spending a great deal of time together talking about Simon's decision and subsequent action, exchanging views on the subject and actually listening to each other. What an unexpected and joyous bonus to receive from what is already a really terrific book. Mrs. Gaus truly rates FIVE STARS for SIMON!

Simon, by author Laura Sheerin Gaus, is a great selection for classroom teachers who are interested in combining historic events with exciting reading for their 9-12 year old students. The story is based on an actual event of the author's grandfather. While it provides the reader an enjoyable trip into the past as Simon comes to America in 1849, it has a completely different education value since the O'Shea family comes, not through Ellis Island, but New Orleans. Students will relate to Simon and the new and different life he finds in America. They, along with Simon, will discover the horrors of slavery, the challenges of living in a new world, the excitement of a new trade, and the difficult decision that Simon must make; a decision which will change his life and that of his family forever. As a fourth grade teacher I loved the book and feel it would serve as a wonderful reading tradebook for 4th, 5th, 6th, and even older students in the classroom. It's no surprise that as teachers discover this book, they are making it part of their classroom collection.

Simon is a short, exciting story I couldn't put down. It is based upon the true experiences of an Irish family as they get off the boat in New Orleans in 1849. This historical novel captures the smells and tastes, the racial mixing and tensions of that port city along with the loving and lively energy of the family. Simon, a twelve year old boy, makes a quick decision that sets the entire family off on the long trip up the Mississippi to Indiana. This is a young adult novel that adults will enjoy too. A young reader and a parent would enjoy taking turns reading this aloud.

I was impressed by the sensitive style and historical facts blended into this book aimed at school age children. Mrs. Gaus certainly captured the essence of the times and the people of the New Orleans region. I would recommend it not only to middle school pupils but to their parents as well. It has much to offer in teaching about slavery and its deliverance. School and public libraries and social studies teachers should have copies of Simon for all to read! I will send copies to my grand children as Christmas gifts this year. (New Orleans is my birthplace and I grew up there.)

Simon was packed with intresting things to learn. Every page was a learning experiance and it had a lot of detail. Everybody I mean everybody should read this book. If you are tired of reading dumb books about boys and girls kissing, read Simon. If you don't like Simon you are a psycopath.You're missing out on so much.

To come to America for a new life, only to be crushed as soon as you get there - a tragedy that has happened. "Song of Erin" follows Terese Sheridan among other characters as she is faced with tragedy and agony that she left Ireland to avoid in the first place. Other characters come along, each in depth and human as they interact with one another in this entertaining saga and historical romance, making "Song of Erin" a top pick for community library romance collections.

I read Cloth of Heaven and Ashes and Lace when they first came out. Song of Erin combines the two into one great book. Since it's been so long since I've read them, it was even better the second time around! I can't wait for her next book. She makes historical events come to life. The whole time I'm reading any of her books, I worry about her characters' (many!) trials and tribulations with breathless hope that they will make it in the end! Great read!!

The other night I finished reading what is probably the best historical novel I've read yet this year. When I received the book, I thought it would take me some time to finish as it is two books in one, and I simply don't read that fast. I already knew I loved the author's previous work, so I anticipated a good read. I was unprepared for just how good this book would be!

Award-winning author B.J. Hoff wrote SONG OF ERIN as two separate books ten years ago under the titles CLOTH OF HEAVEN and ASHES AND LACE. SONG OF ERIN combines the two into one epic saga that spans the ocean from Ireland to America. As Mrs. Hoff's website states, "The mysteries of the past confront the secrets of the present in the magnificent SONG OF ERIN saga." Magnificent indeed!

"The story features two of the author's most memorable characters: Jack Kane, the charming but ruthless titan of New York's most powerful publishing empire, who battles the darkness of his soul while fighting to help his people. And Samantha Harte, the woman he loves, whose grace, light, and well-bred exterior conceals a past too shocking to reveal."

It honestly takes a lot for me to get this excited about a book, which may sound strange considering how many books I promote. And of course, we all have our favorite authors. I like to announce Christian fiction and make readers aware of what's out there. But like I said, I don't read that fast, so I can't possibly keep up with every book on the market. And I often enjoy what I read.

But it is a rare book that literally will not let me go, that makes it hard for me to turn off the light at night, that holds me captive turning pages so that I justify laying around reading for hours and hours a day! (I may want to do that sometimes, but I usually won't let myself give in to the pleasure.) Unless I am holding an amazing book!

SONG OF ERIN is that book!

Honestly, even if you don't think you like historical fiction or don't have a fascination with Ireland, you still need to read this book! It is fascinating! B.J. Hoff is a master of character development, and I promise you - you will know these characters well by the time you are finished.

I waited until I finished the book to comment because some books have disappointing endings. Not this time! I was wholly satisfied with the ending - I absolutely LOVED this story!

Whenever I read a B.J. Hoff book I am struck by the way her writing sings with elegance. Her character's are so well developed it's like meeting instant friends. They seem to step right off the page into the reader's heart. This is a panoramic story, finely tuned and complex, reaching from the back alleys of Galway to the streets of New York. A tightly woven tale of love and forgiveness, sorrow and joy, and a strong, unyielding faith in God. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for [...], 5/08
Song of Erin is two books for the price of one. Cloth of Heaven was originally published in 1997; the sequel, Ashes and Lace, followed in 1999. Song of Erin combines those two stories into one book. This brilliant account begins in the early 1800's. Erin's father and brother have migrated to America. They plan to make enough money to reunite their family in their adopted land. Hoff shares the poverty and hardships that faced the Irish in that era. Many migrated looking for a better life, but prejudice against Irish immigrants was widespread. Cloth of Heaven leaves the reader wanting to know more; Ashes and Lace ties up the loose threads.
Song of Erin is a beautiful saga. BJ Hoff never disappoints readers. The plot flows smoothly. The characters are well-defined with distinct voices. Song of Erin is a Christian romance with a message of redemption. Song of Erin is entertaining. I highly recommend Song of Erin.

On the road with Terence Winch in That Special Place. He takes the reader by the heart along a journey of moments remembered. Making quick stops at the corners of Galway and the Bronx, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, he reflects on his Irish American experience, unique to his place in time with friends, family, and the MUSIC that occupy it. He occasionally glances, not too long, down alley lanes haunted by grief and fear.

Good craic for anyone weathered and tendered by life.

In "That Special Place," Terence Winch manages to evoke the sights and sounds, and even the scents and tastes, of the many otherworldly settings in which traditional Irish music is played and heard. Terence can draw a portrait in prose like no one else, and his descriptions of the many colorful characters who populate his world are deserving of many rereads. For me, this transcendent book was equal parts Ciaran Carson's "Last Night's Fun" and Jimmy Breslin's "Table Money" (the former being a meditation on spontaneously-created Irish music, the latter being a roman à clef about an Irish family in New York, and both being great works, next to which this present volume can take its honored place). Terence can be sentimental in one passage, and humorous in the next, and at all events he manages to effortlessly transport you into his colorful world with every turn of phrase. Those of you who already know Terence Winch's work hopefully will have already snapped up this great volume of stories and poems. Those of you who are not familiar with his work should immediately rush to add this book to your collection. I finished "That Special Place" in just one sitting, and I plan to return to it again and again, just as I would revisit a favorite restaurant to savor its prize dishes.

Every story from this book transports me right to the middle of the action...I feel like I can smell the smoke of the bars and hear the music being played. I was amazed that 2 or 3 pages of a story evoked such a wide spectrum of emotions...laughter, longing, love. These stories connected me to people and places from another time...and I didn't want to come back. Finding good short stories is such a treasure and Terrence Winch seems to have no difficulty supplying us with beautiful writing, intriguing events and fantastic characters. I love this book and have already started re-reading my favorite stories!

Terence Winch's THAT SPECIAL PLACE evokes the whole range of emotions - I even laughed out loud from time to time. Reading it is like sitting comfortably and talking with family, friends, and neighbors. The book prompts an amazing flow of memories and ideas. Winch's passion for blood pudding took me back to my first and only encounter with the traditional Irish breakfast fare. His account of Willie Joe Carty's statement that "the famine wasn't so long ago" is a remarkable reminder of the connections between generations, and should encourage all of us to treasure the scarce resources of living history that all of our families represent. Everyone will greatly enjoy this book - especially those of Irish descent.

Terence Winch's new book, "That Special Place: New World Irish Stories", is a pure delight and can be read repeatedly for all the richness one finds there. A first generation Irish-American raised in the Bronx during the 50's, Winch is known for his distinguished career both as a musician and a writer. This latest book is a combination of reflections and vignettes about his life as the child of immigrant parents in a strong ethnic community and his adventures while working as a musician both in the U.S. and Ireland. If you have never heard of the "Irish Riviera" and think it must be somewhere off the western coast of Ireland, guess again. It was an area of Queens, otherwise know as Rockaway Beach, where the Winch family rented a cottage, his mother worked as a waitress, and the kids enjoyed both the beach and a host of lively characters who populated this colorful locale just outside of New York City. Winch relates how he and his brother spent their days on the beach just hanging out or collecting bottles for deposit. But it was the nights when the two boys met their mother after work and she treated them to ice cream or pizza that hold especially fond memories for him. As Winch weaves back and forth through time, he spins a tale that is populated with memorable characters, the zany and the mundane of a musician's existence and a deep respect for family and friends. In one piece entitled "The Pleasure Principle" Winch ambles through the story of one his favorite musical haunts and muses on how the sign behind the bar reading "Enjoy Life" could just have easily flashed "Get Really Drunk" on some nights while exhorting one to "Drink, Fight, Smoke" on others. But it is his meshing of the message on that sign coupled with his heartfelt story of a visit with his elderly Auntie Moll in Galway that places the sign's message within a deeper context. When Auntie Moll asks Winch and his wife if they are indeed enjoying life and they nod that they are, you can almost feel Moll's hand squeeze yours as she says, quite simply and lovingly, "Good, enjoy life." There is much life to savor and enjoy in this memorable book full of understated humor and a deep appreciation for family and friends.