Europe Books

This review by Ghostwriter Reviews, Reviewer, Sunshine is posted by D. K. Christi as a member of Amazon.com

Arirang: The Bamboo Connection
Arirang The Bamboo Connection

AUTHOR: D. K. Christi¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Melani, a young American wife and mother working in Korea, is the picture of the proper image; faithful, dutiful wife, loving, attentive mother and hard-working, dedicated teacher. She has a "friend" on the side, Dale, whom she spends her time with due to the lack of interest and communication on the part of her husband. But then she meets Jack, a handsome officer on temporary duty. What ensues with them is a flirtation with trouble, as they begin to sneak around to meet each other and spend time together behind closed doors. If word got out, she could jeopardize everything she has, her job, her child, her husband, even her household help. Should she stop because of those reasons or continue with it because her husband has his share of company as well? What happens when Jack's time there is finished?
Wow, some women have all the luck! A beautiful son, an interesting job, a husband, a "friend" to spend time with when your own husband doesn't give you the attentiveness you need and another man who makes you feel what you've long ago forgotten. Being an enthusiastic reader, I can really appreciate the effort this author put forth in writing this book, from the plot, to the descriptions, to the over all feeling of the story. When an author puts in this kind of effort, it makes it easier to get into a book such as this one. Since I also have a very active imagination, the descriptions of scenery and locale really helped me visualize the idea the author is going for. I also appreciated the effort put into the technical research, like describing the various cultures, history and mannerisms that are encountered throughout the character's lives. Though it's long, this is a book I'd read more than once, just because the descriptions allow my imagination to run away, taking me with it.

I give this book a very enthusiastic 5!
Reviewer: Sunshine
Ghostwriter Reviews

ISBN: 142414776X

It is a book of adventure. The reader will learn much about foreign living and travel to a variety of locations. The reader will also sail the seas enjoying the high life with all the hazards of sailing. The frustrations of life and survival play a large role in D.K. Christi's book. It includes romantic encounters with the agony and ecstasy of love given, received and lost. The book gives a down to earth look at life's struggle and the plight of people to survive in the land of plenty.

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (1/07)

Jack has the bluest eyes Melani has ever seen. There is something special between them when their eyes meet. She met him at the tennis courts in Korea never suspecting their paths would cross again. Jack wanted them to meet again. Melani is married but her husband "spends his business evenings in the Kiesing houses, arriving home too drunk to miss me. Like Cinderella, the ball has come to an end."

Jack mesmerizes Melani. "He has impressed on me that our whole existence is based on our relationship together at that moment in time. The rest of the world is another place, not allowed to intrude on our feelings for each other. Nor do our feelings need to affect anyone else."

This is the life story of a young girl, from childhood through her "senior" years. Melani's life is an adventure. She travels from America, to Korea, the British Isles, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Her marriage to Derek began like most with dreams and ideals but it ended with affairs and divorce.

Another marriage ends in rage and abuse. "When he was good he was very, very good but when he was bad he was horrible." Melani and her son Brian were on their own again "with an ocean of tears behind us." Jack will always remain her soul mate.

This is a book of tears, joy, adventure, pain, love, duplicity and grief. Melani is a woman of great character and intellect. She is strong but doesn't always realize it. This book is a window into her soul.

D.K. Christi is a tremendously talented author. She writes "Arirang: The Bamboo Connection" from the first person perspective, giving readers the sense of being Melani. She offers great insight on the personality of her main character. Despite character flaws I could not help but love Melani. She shows strength that one would not expect; a strength that grows with each page. I could have been easily convinced that this was not fiction but based on a true story if I had not already read otherwise. The cover of this book teases the reader to delve inside. This book is of epic proportions. I truly enjoyed reading it.

ARIRANG, an incredible story of a young girl's journey through life from childhood to the "golden years." It is filled with adventure, betrayal, love, joy and sorrow. As you witness Melanie's life as seen through her prospective, Melanie will soon live in your heart from the beginning of the very first page through the last. She is a person of great intelligence, integrity, passion, depth of character and "true grit" that the author has an uncanny ability to reveal to the reader. This is not just a book traversing seven continents, but a book that takes you into the depths of Melanie's psyche allowing the reader to identify and feel her pain and her joy. The reader will experience the terror of surviving life-threatening seas to the frustrations of performing daily tasks while Melanie and her husband sail their sixty-seven foot sailboat from Miami to Venezuela. It is my hope that D.K. Christi will write many more books. This one, I could not put down. Melanie remains in my heart.
Nancy Canter

Review by D. L Montgomery, author of A Nanosecond To Eternity in the Twinkling of an Eye . A tour of heaven and how the earth comes to the end of life as we now know it.

Book Reviewed:
Arirang: The Bamboo Connection. By D.K. Christi

ISBN: 1-4241-4776-X 487 pages, Softcover PublishAmerica

D.K. Christi unfolds a compelling tale that has everything that you would want in a romantic novel: travel, love, adventure, happiness, pain, grief, disaster and finally how to live comfortably through the rest of our days on earth.
D.K. Christi, uses her vast education, her many travels to foreign lands and her knowledge of various cultures to write this brilliant, seamless, love story.
Melani, her main character in Arirang: The Bamboo Connection, is married, has a young son Brian and works and lives in Korea. She is not happy with her marriage but has made friends with Dale and Jack, who have given her the friendship and love that she so desperately needs.
Melani, her husband Derek and son Brian take a vacation to various exotic lands in the mid east, that are described in the book with exacting detail; one can see in their minds eye every enchanting sight, smell the aroma of the food available in the various outdoor market places and have a tingling sensation at the back of your neck when reading some of the harrowing adventures that take place during the vacation and through the balance of the story.
I found the book to be a tour de force that will be enjoyed and appreciated by readers of all genres.

An excellent description of that time in England. Brought back a lot of memories. Probably less interesting to folks who had NOT lived through it.

Austerity Britain presents an interesting retrospective on the tough times in the immediate post-war era. It is a good companion/follow on to "How we lived then" about the actual war years. Some of the political philosophy, particularly in the earlier chapters can be a bit heavy going, but the view on what it was like to live through the period is good, particularly if you did actually survive those years, as did this reviewer.

I bought this book at the same time I purchased Peter Clarke's marvelous "The Last Thousand Days of the British Empire" on what I thought the reasonable assumption that it might provide the social history complement to Clarke's account of the geopolitical death rattles of the Empire following the war. That it precisely served that function better than I could have imagined does not in any way diminish its value as a brilliant stand-alone analysis of everyday life in post-war Britain that will certainly never be duplicated in either its scholarship or compass. Kynaston weaves an incredibly rich fabric of first-person accounts and commentaries ranging from housewives to the Labour party's leadership to incipient and established entertainers to sports stars and innumerable others high and low on the social scale, each citation perfectly apt and illustrative in its context. The reader feels he is living the period, suffering with the deprived homemaker, hoping against experience with the coal miner, sensing pitfalls to the social planning completely unanticipated at the time, and generally acquiring an understanding of those years that completely supplants everything one thought one knew of the subject. The book is a bit of a slog what with over 600 pages of text, and in my experience, there are very few works of this size that are worth the time an effort. Be assured that this is one of them and that every reader is looking forward to the promised sequel covering the years 1953-79. Social history, indeed, history, doesn't get much better than this.

A very nice journey into the past, where you as the traveler, are entertained, amazed and surprised at how the English people survived the war. I was entranced to read how the English took everything, well actually, without anything that we all took for granted, in stride. They suffered the most during the war and gave their all for victory. This is a wonderful story told as how it was to live, eat, entertain and get on.

Written for a British eye more than for an American, this American learned a stronger respect for the people of Britain for the way they won the war and then won back their share of industry and prosperity. Having won a glorious victory, within hours the victorious citizens of the country that sustained almost six years of war following on a prolonged depression realized that the trials of war time would be extended by the austerity of post-war Europe. While England won the war, they paid a high price. More important, the collective, heroic efforts of the large working class produced a tide of enthusiasm for nationalisation of industry, housing to replace the hundreds of thousands displaced by German bombing, and a broad social welfare plan focusing primarily on health care.

It is not a pretty story. Post-war England was drab, lacking many basics, watching its empire dissolve, and driven by a strong, centralized plan to restore the economy that changed the basic way people looked at business and government. And, with the continuing pressures of rebuilding the rest of Europe, the threat of further communist expansion, and the rise of American power, perhaps Britain went too far in moving towards a benevolent but often clumsy and experimental form of socialism. It would be almost another forty years and the decisions of the Thatcher government, that saw the maturity and, in some cases, the reversal of this social and cultural experiment.

This is a long, dense and colorful book, full of first-person details and observations, many of them from the surveys and observations of the government itself. Chapters focus on various aspects of the cultural and social revolution, in the classroom, on the factory floor, in the (mine) pits, in the shops, in the media, and more. At one bookstore where I looked for the book, they claimed that it was a textbook and not part of their trade book collection. While it is as thorough -- or more -- as any academic textbook, it reads more like a highly detailed, multi-authored journal or catalog of the period. Invest the time.

The book by prof.Stavrianos was the last one I had on my list of books on the Balkans that I had planned to read as background material for my own work on the economies of the EU Candidate Countries, and especially of course the Southeastern ones (the other books were by Glenny, Hodos, Obolensky, Kaplan). It was also the thickest one at 850 pages but I must say it was a pleasure to read. The set-up by theme and by individual country is always clear, and there is a richness of detail and at the same time a broad sweep that gives a very good overview. This is indeed what makes this book an exellent and impressive reference work, as the other reviewers also indicated and with which i can only concur. This richness also sometimes made me skip a few pages as I was not interested in every detail but this is not a criticism per se; there will be something in this book for all interested in the Balkans without necessarily wanting to take note of all the information that is there.

For me as an economist, what the author makes clear and what struck me in particular was how the combination of economic (agricultural, industrial, financial, infrastructural) underdevelopment and social and political problems (health, education, ethnic and reliious) that are still present today in many of these countries, have been part of their history for centuries. This does not mean they are immutable (and becoming an EU Member is the best way to break this deadlock, I am convinced) but it shows how deep a legacy needs to be overcome. So for this insight already for me the book was well worth reading. In combination with M. Glenny who provides a modern history of the period 1800-1990s there is of course some overlap but I can recommend to have them both (Glenny is perhaps more lively written). Stavrianos will stand as the reference work by which others are measured.

Even though this book was first published over 40 years ago, it is still the seminal text on general Balkan history. L.S. Stavrianos provided a detailed, comprehensive yet immensely readable survey of events and developments in the Balkans since the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. He deals with each country/region individually, but also maintains an overall perspective and analysis. Even if the narrative ends with the immediate post-World War II years, this text illuminates many of the historical precedents that underpin current events in the region. It is therefore much more useful to read this book than the many essentially popular histories written about the Balkans as a whole or the invidual countries in the region over the course of the last decade. The publisher should also be commended for re-issuing this book; for years the about only place one could find it was at major universities and larger, better-stocked public libraries. There's no substitute for this book, it is a must-read for everyone who really wants to learn about Balkan history.

This very important and extensive work that gives a quick and concise but nevertheless essential history of the Balkans since 1453 provides much to the reader in the way of detail. It is an excellent history. However it also is responsible for creating threee enduring myths in Eastern European history. First it defined the period after 1800 as the 'era of nationalism'. THis is strange, for the same movement in Africa and elsewhere, when people revolted against colonial masters, was called the 'age of liberation'. So why it is nationalism when it is Europeans rebelling against Muslim colonialism?

Secondly it repeats the myth that all history everywhere(from Africa to India to Central Asia to Spain) begins with Muslim occupation. 1453 was the date of the fall of constantinople. However this ignores the fact that there was a deep cultural history of the Balkans before Islam and that the Ottomans were merely a foreign yoke.

Thirdly the book downplays Ottoman atrocities such as the sale of Greeks into slavery after 1832, the very existence of slavery(selling of CHristians by Muslims) is not given any real coverage, the Bulgarian massacres are also ignored. Had it been Europeans colonizing the Balkans and selling the Slavs to be sure this would have been one of the main themes but because it was the Ottoman Muslims it is ignored. Thus an important text is also responsible for many enduring myths.

Seth J. Frantzman

This is an indispensable resource for any one interested in Balkan History. It's a comprehensive and wide resource that takes you through the political, economic, and social history of the Balkans, organized by modern state with chapters from each time period on political developments and the Ottoman Empire as a whole. A special focus on ethnic and national issues makes it more than relevant today, despite its age.

This was the best textbook I ever had and the course on Balkan history taught by Charles Jelavich at Indiana University, with this book, was the best I ever took. Unfortunately I lost my copy years ago. Now that the Mideast is once again a mess, I turned to look for a copy. I am happy to see it back in print, just sorry the price is so ridiculously high. The book is priceless, but to be contrary this price is too high. The paperback is worth it.

This book was wrttien by my Father ,Who died at 3:43am on Septembr 17th 2008 while holding my daughters hand, and his children Charles, Raynelle and Elizabeth were with him for days before the end. This was a battle he could not overcome. He went peacefully home. But he fought to the very end and never let go of hope until we told him it was ok to wave the white flag and surrender his way home to heaven. I miss him so.....My heart is broken.

I am the foster sister of Harry Lee Yeatts, who was the child given up for social services. We grew up in the same foster home and have always wondered where we came from and what our roots were like. By Mr. Yeatts writing this book, he is giving my brother an opportunity to discover his roots. It was so exciting to see Harry's name in print and for him to discover a brother out there. Thank you Mr. Raymond for being so honest in your book. Five stars to a real honest writer.

After reading this book I was really moved at thinking of how a person could have lived with all the horrible memories of his experiences there all these years. As a child I always listened to my father's war stories and never really paid much attention to them. But after reading this book, now I truly realize how these accounts actually took over his whole life and that of his children. I will never again take forgranted the advice that my dad gives me still to this day and the way he always tells me how much he loves me and that I'm still his little girl. I am just really sorry that it took me 40 years to realize just how much my dad really means and why he has spoiled me so , all these years.

This powerful book reveals what goes on beneath the exploding surface of the battlefield. The author masterfully captures the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings of a warscape and tugs at the reader to join the frantic ride. Every sentence incarcerates the helpless reader and stretches his emotional balloon to the bursting point. Thank you, Mr. Yeatts for taking me to the front lines. Although I've never been there, done that, I'll never again be able to shrug my shoulders mundanely at war. Yeatt's book should be required reading for every student seeking a military career. A five-star general couldn't do better.

Mr. yeatts is an ordinary man with extraordinary power and strength, to actually realize that this is a very common story of many of the men who endured this tragedy of war and yet never speak of it. As Tom Jennings said of his book many of the men were reluctant to speak of their experiences of the war, it was like he had to pull it out of them . How fortunate are the children of Mr. yeatts to know first hand and to have him in their lives to hear him elaborate even in more details his experiences of this world event. He is deserving of the highest honors, May god bless you always Mr. Yeatts,

Elsa is a frizzy lion-haired 10 year old who is NOT keen on staying at the rotting, peeling "Royal Hotel" or, as some of the letters have fallen off, Elsa would say "Oyal Htl" but there she has ALOT of adventures! She meets a group of vandalisms and eventually becomes great friends with them, along with Naomi, the girl who loves to read in the loos! She saves the hotel from burning to cinders with her loud voice and eventually moves to a 5-star hotel, where she has the time of her life! Have fun with Elsa in the 100% recommended, highly entertaining, incredibly amusing, and sidecrackingly hilarious "Bed and Breakfast Star"

A++

This book is about a little girl who moves from a lovely house to a evntualy a Bed and Breakfast Hotel . One night the girl smells smoke and goes to see what it is . She finds a fire and shouts to everyone to get up . They all hear her and run out of the building whilst someone calls the fire bragade . The fire is put out and the becomes a heroine .

I read this book at age 9 and couldn't put it down. This book is perfect for girls ages 7-10 who still have yet to master the art of reading. The story is about a girl who's parents are separated and she moves around very often. She is so witty and good- natured that she finds an adventure in every move she makes. The illistrations are simple and yet unique and I would recommend this book to any girl, around the age of 7-10.

It usually takes me ages to read a long book but I could not put this book down. It is one of very best books I have ever read!!!!!!!!

I read this book when I was younger, and I absolutley loved it. I'm 15 now, and I still have to say this is probably the best book I have ever read. I love all the titles by Jaqueline Wilson, but this one is my favourite. Probably because this story covers all emotion. It is at times sad, but others very funny. The main character is great, and Jaqueline Wilson captures the emotion perfectly. You can see the character clearly in your head. If this is an adult reading this review, considering buying it for a child, do! This is an excellent book, and even if your child does not like reading they will find it very hard to put this book down!

To write about a subject as controversial as the Holocaust in Italy without becoming a "partisan" is a rare achievement, but Stille has succeeded in this absorbing book. Ignoring the unsettle-able issue of what Pope Pius XII did or didn't do to help Italian Jews, he instead concentrates on the experiences and fates of five very different Jewish families in various parts of Italy during the 20 years of Fascism, including the last, terrible period of the German occupation.

Stille chose his title with care; instances of benevolence and betrayal are woven throughout the stories. There are Christians who risk their lives to save Jewish friends and neighbors; priests and nuns, bishops and cardinals who offer support and sanctuary; stories of Jewish ingenuity and bravery. There are also stories of betrayals on both sides: Christians who betrayed Jews out of greed or anti-Semitism, or in pathetic efforts to save their own or their families' lives. Stille doesn't hesitate to expose Jews who betrayed their own people--a touchy subject many writers would avoid. The result is a book that reveals the complexity of an issue too often over-simplified into Jewish heroes and Italian villains, or heroic Italians and helpless Jews.

What makes Stille's book so memorable, however, isn't the author's unusual objectivity; it's the fascinating stories his subjects tell. Stille interviewed many of them, as well as using diaries, letters, published writings and personal papers provided by the families of those no longer living. The book is divided into five sections, one for each family.

This is a moving, at times horrifying, but enlightening and engrossing book, full of vivid details of Italian life during a tragic but deeply significant period of Italy's history.

One of the best books in its category of historicaldocumentation. The author has deeply research the topic, has beenfaithfull to historical facts with an unbiased approach.

Several readers have suggested that the prose in this book reminds them of Primo Levi, the great humanist scientist who has written poignantly of his own war time experiences. Like his other works, Stille makes the non-fiction read like a novel. He knows just what to stress and what to downplay - in other words, he emphasizes the most important aspects of the "story".

What is so compelling is his "umbrella" approach wherein all components and shades of Italian fascism and Judaism are reviewed. There was a huge difference between the fascism of Italy and Germany despite their apparent political solidarity. The outstanding difference was that German fascism, unlike that of Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy and Croatia was based on not only adoration of the race but specificially subjugation of the Jews. It is difficult to understand some of the decisions made but most of us have never had to face the start life and death choices these families encountered.

Stille is also an eminently fair man, one who does not condemn fascism while excusing or praising dictatorships of the Left. He views all forms of state collectivism as inherently evil and this message only increases the force of the narrative. This is yet another work that should be required reading for high school students.

The book is five books in one.The stories of five Jewish Italian families during the WWII years.A common fate,common people and so different personalities and destinies.
The author achieved to describe a psychological portrait of each character and their vicissitudes.I loved the book.

Here's an historical curiosity; apparently Jewish Fascism was a common phenomenon in Italy. Before Nazi influence caused racial laws to be passed in 1938, 1/3 of the ~50,000 Jewish folk in Italy were members of the fascist party. Jewish families often had as much as a 2000 year history in Italy (there was mention of the Jews wanting permission to cry over the tomb of Julius Caesar after his death), and the Italian Jewish experience (at least in the North, in the areas of progressive city-states, rather than Papal states) was one more or less of recent integration with the rest of the Italian people. So they tended to have political views pretty closely following the rest of the populace; or even perhaps more conservative views, such as latin-americans in the U.S. The book follows the lives of five jewish families under fascism. Some were fascist, some antifascist. Some in shades of grey. The stories were quite powerful when they strayed from the nonstandard; most of the Italian Jewish experience of WW-2 was much different from that of other European jews.

Americans have a fairly unsophisticated view of WW-2; we mostly think of German and Japanese enemies, and Russian and English allies, and the terrible things which happened to the Jews in Germany, Poland and the Ukraine. There were entire theaters of war which never enter into our consciousness. Most of what happened in Italy and the Balkans is poorly understood. The stories in this book fill in some of the blank spots in this American's understanding of that period.

The Court of England, a new era under the most magnificent Queen ever, Queen Elizabeth the first! A new ship has been designed, and the Queen and her ladies go to the docks to see it. Lady Sarah flirts constantly with the dashing Captians. But when she leaves a forged note, saying she has eloped with one of them, Lady Grace thinks she has surely lost her head! She also thinks that it is very suspicous. So she sets sail as a boy to rescue her!

I thought this book was really good! (Although I liked the first one better, only because it was about a murder and this one is about a kidnapping and ships.)
In this book, Lady Sarah (a Maid of Honor), has disappeared and Lady Grace tries to find her along with her friend, Masou. They go aboard the ship of the #1 suspect for Lady Sarah's kidnapping. It's very exciting!

What a great series! Grace, Maid of Honor to Elizabeth I, is believable and gutsy while still staying true to her Renaissance period. Here Lady Grace saves her fellow Lady in Waiting (a nasty, vain girl anyone who went to High School will recognize) from a kidnapper--is Captain Drake the bad guy?

The glossary at the back is wonderful, as is the true story behind the novel, and those who like to read a series in order will be delighted to learn that the titles are alphabetical.

The year is 1569, and thirteen-year-old Lady Grace Cavendish, Queen Elizabeth's favorite Maid of Honor, as well as Her Majesty's Lady Pursuivant, has just wrapped up one case, and is itching for another. However, she never knew that it would come so soon.

When Lady Sarah, a buxom red-headed Maid of Honor to Queen Elizabeth I, disappears, thought to have eloped with Captain Drake, a dashing young sea captain whom is way below Lady Sarah's social standing, Lady Grace takes the matter into her hands, determined to find out the truth. After all, while Lady Sarah may be giving Captain Drake goo-goo eyes, she would never disgrace her parents or family by marrying someone with as little money as him. Deciding that Lady Sarah has been kidnapped, Grace, along with her friend, and a professional tumbler at the Court, Masou, stowaway on Captain Drake's ship, in the hope of rescuing Lady Sarah before the ship sets sail. But Lady Grace's plans quickly go awry, and soon she and Masou are facing quite the dangerous high seas adventure.

I adored Lady Grace Cavendish's first adventure ASSASSIN very much when I read it earlier in the year. So I was skeptical of thinking that BETRAYAL could match ASSASSIN in its depiction of a marvelous adventure story. Luckily, my hopes were far exceeded in this marvelous addition to the series. BETRAYAL combines a wonderful mix of royals, sleuthing, and high seas hijinks that will please even the pickiest reader. Lady Grace has once again proved herself as a fabulous Lady Pursuivant, and I cannot wait to read about her next adventure. Fans of ASSASSIN must run out and buy BETRAYAL today, for it is an adventure-filled sequel that will please all.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Imagine my surprise when, upon reading a book set in medieval England recommended for grades 4 -7, that the accuracy of the prose, style, mannerisms, dress - nearly everything - was fairly on par with the inestimable Sharon Kay Penman, writer of medieval historical fiction, and considered the best in her field. I loved that it was written in diary form, for that added a sense of immediacy to the work.

Quite honestly, I did not expect to enjoy this book. I couldn't imagine a book written for young readers that took the time period seriously, and gave it it's full measure. But this book does. It even includes a glossary at the end, something that is invaluable to those unfamiliar with the times, as well as a briefing on the real history behind the fiction.

I read this book straight through, starting it at midnight, and finishing around 1:30am. I had expected to read perhaps ten pages, and then pick it up the next day, but I was so surprised at how realistic the story was, how aptly the author painted the period - in other words, completely enthralled - that I couldn't put it down. I kept making excuses to continue reading, and finally when there were only forty pages left, I just said to heck with it, and finished it.

The only concern I have regarding the book was that the mystery didn't start until page 50 or so. Generally, an author needs to hook their readers in within the first two pages or they've lost them. I hope this didn't cause the author to lose any readers - it certainly didn't lose me. I'm looking forward to reading more of these mysteries.

Patrick Leigh Fermor not only fills the 'unforgiving minute' but describes that experience in a way that transports us to that minute. One line from "Between the Woods and the Water" stays in my mind. "The heat and weight of the summer bore down and not a leaf stirred". Or, how about, "the newly distilled spirit had taken out the peasants like sniper". For a feeling of 'being there' he can't be beaten, certainly not by Ernest Hemingway who tried and failed by appearing too contrived. The writers who achieve this power to transport, as musicians or painters do can let us ignore their presence and I think that is their artistic intention, to merely present (with all their craftsmanship but so it doesn't show). Paul Bowles is such a writer as is Elmore Leonard. But that's another story.

The author, a rebellious teen in England, undertakes to walk from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople -- in 1937. This is the second half of his journey, through the Balkans and Danube lands. He has an ear for peoples' opinions, the oddities of Hapsburg imperial goulashes of different ethnicities & religions--most of which would be erased by the coming war. One has the sense of a "last glimpse" of the highly cultivated, varied human landscape of Europe before the war and Cold War divided its peoples.

Like most literary masterpieces this marvelous book has a outer vehicle that develops an inner theme. The vehicle is a journey on foot, horseback and barge across Europe in the 1930's when the author was 19. The inner theme is a resolution of polarities and opposites of all kinds. First there is the overriding polarity of solitude and company. He enjoys spending time with friends and friends of friends at their country homes in Hungary and Roumania and passing hours in their sometimes fabulous libraries but he finds refreshment and spiritual renewal in long solitary walks in wooded mountains and along the banks of the Danube where he meets an occasional deer or golden eagle. He relishes staying with his wealthy, worldly and sophisticated hosts but also enjoys the company of peasants, gypsies and lumberjacks. He likes passing comfortable nights in reasonably soft beds with clean linens but doesn't shrink from sleeping in hayricks or under sheltering oaks. The interplay of past and present are another polarity he weaves into the narrative. His knowledge of history and use of it in this work is both magnificent and enviable. Leigh Fermor is in fact one of the most cultured contemporary writers I have had the good fortune to read. He is a good linguist, a masterful historian and , surprisingly, a knowledgeable theologian. But that is only half the story. He is also a super-macho man of action completely aware of his body and its interaction with the environment. This we know from his activities, almost heroic feats, during WWII, especially in Crete. In the present book he coordinates his mental and physical endowments to produce a gorgeously textured masterpiece of English prose. Sex is not absent from the narrative but it is never described in terms that could be considered even remotely graphic. Acts are kept in the wings while he concentrates on the social, intellectual, and aesthetic dimensions of his relations with women. Unfortunately Amazon.com does not keep an ample stock of Leigh Fermor's works, so I had to purchase my copy from Amazon.co.uk. I may be impatient but my sense of company loyalty is unimpeachable. No?

I loved this book and other writing by the Author. Reading this book is like travelling with a friend. The author tells a beautiful tale of Europe just before the war. His style and tempo are close and personal, and when you reach the end of the trip, you know that you have encountered the Europe of a bygone era. Here in Canada many of my friends parents' were born in Germany, Hungary, and Romania. I tell them that this book is required reading.

I am not aware of any other account of Ada Kaleh, the island in the Danube populated by a Turkish enclave that was lost when the river was dammed in the '40s. I found an old postcard of the island in Hungary, and it's one of my favorite possesions.

Sorry to be crude, but this book is great to read in the restroom. Makes me feel happy reading all the little sayings.

This is a beautiful and winsome "big little book" of the things that are Irish.
Physically,it is only 4 1/2" X 6" but 1 1/2 " thick.It has 366 pages and a hard cover.The hard cover is glossy and printed with the same charming color sketch of an Irish ,thatched-roof cottage as on the dust jacket. The book is printed on high quality gloss paper.The printing is high quality and there are 245 (I counted them) delightful sketches ,similar to the one on the cover,to accompany each wee bit of wit and wisdom. It is almost like 6 little books in one. Each section,Irish Blessings,Irish Toasts,Irish Proverbs,Irish Riddles Irish Laws and Irish Wisdom are illustrated by different artists.The book is very well constructed,comes with a book mark on a ribbon with a metalic Celtic charm.Hence,you get a captivating little treasure that nobody can resist picking up and thumbing through and enjoying.
The Irish are well known for their wit, expressions, and their unmatched use of language,much of it handed down for thousands of years,orally,as there was no written language left by the Celts.
You may come across things you have heard before,but most of what you find in this little tome,will be new to you,whether you have a little or a lot of knowledge of Irish culture.
It's impossible to select a couple of favorites,but here is just a sample;

"May the Lord keep you
in his hand
And never close His fist too tight
on you."


For a Happy Death

"When your eyes shall be closing
And your mouth be opening
And your senses be slipping away.
When your heart shall grow cold
And your limbs be old
God comfort your soul that day."


"In the New Year,may your right
hand always
Be stretched out in friendship
and never in want,"


St Patrick was a gentleman
Who through strategy and stealth
Drove all the snakes from Ireland,
Here's a toasting to his health;
But not too many toastings
Least you lose yourself and then
Forget the good St Patrick
And see all those snakes again."


"Drink is the curse of the land.
It makes you fight with
your neighbour. It makes
you shoot at your landlord--
and it makes you miss him."


"You never plough a field
by turning it over in
your mind."


"The Irish forgive their
great men when they are
safely buried."

And finally;


"May you live to be
a hundred years,
With one extra year to repent."

Even if you are only Irish in spirit, you will enjoy this book. It goes from the Irish proverbs to the humor of the Irish. It's a book to enjoy.

This is an enchanting little book that encompasses a collection of Irish Blessings, Irish Toasts, Irish Proverbs, Irish Riddles, Irish Laws, and Irish Wisdom. They are inspiring, funny, uplifting. Each saying is accompanied by a beautiful illustration. I would recommend this book to anyone, you don't have to be Irish to enjoy it! This is a keeper on my shelf!

This is one of those delightful books to be browsed, treasured and shared. This book draws together Irish blessings, toasts, proverbs, riddles, laws and wisdom. Many of us who are part of a wider Irish diaspora will have heard at least some of these. They reflect a version of Irish wit and wisdom that perhaps grows stronger at each remove from its geographic centre. The book has its own delightful illustrations (which are especially important in the riddle section).

To give you a hint of the flavour, I'll share one entry from each of the six separate headings.

From Irish Blessings, here is `The Emigrants Prayer':
`Brigid that is in Faughart
Blinne that is in Killeavey,
Bronagh that is in Ballinakill
May you bring me back to Ireland'

From Irish Toasts:
`May the face of every good news
And the back of every bad news
Be towards us'

And how many of us are familiar with this proverb:
`A turkey never voted for an early Christmas'?

One of the riddles:
`It was in the river but wasn't drowned
It was in the grass but wasn't cut
It was in the shop but wasn't sold'

My personal favourite from the Irish laws would be:
`Speech is given to three:
To the historian-poet for the narration and relating of tales,
To the poet-seer for praise and satire,
And to the Brehons for giving judgement'

Finally, from the Irish Wisdom (which presents ideas in triads):

`Three things which judgement demands:
Wisdom,
Penetration,
Knowledge.'

Explore this book for yourself. In brevity there is both wit and beauty.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

If you've never read a book by Leon Garfield before, then you don't know what you're missing. One of the masters of children's literature, and a direct literary descendant of Charles Dickens (encompassing his love of dark and murky plots, meaningful character names and stupendous use of language), Garfield writes stories set in the mid-18th century with such authenticity that it's as if he'd lived through them.

Bartholomew Dorking (later dubbed "Tolly") is a young apprentice to a draper when he's accosted by Mrs Gorgandy, a professional widow who claims bodies from the gallows for the sole purpose of selling them to surgeons. Coercing the young teenager into watching the body of the dreadful Black Jack, Tolly is horrified when the corpse suddenly lurches back to life! By the insertion of a piping into his windpipe, Black Jack has cheated strangulation by the noose, much to the dismay of Tolly who now finds himself the convict's unwilling associate as he flees through the dark London streets.

Feeling responsible for the criminal's return to life, Tolly finds himself intolerably bound to him, even when he finds himself assisting in the sabotage of coaches. Yet by twist of fate, Black Jack upturns a carriage traveling from the Carter household, which contains young Belle Carter on the way to an asylum. Considered mad since she was a little girl, Tolly now finds himself with a new traveling companion, one that his soft heart cannot bear to see locked away in madhouse. Caught up with a traveling circus, troubled by the twin burdens of Black Jack and Belle, hounded by the malicious Hatch and desperate to evade the authorities, Tolly grows from boy to man in the vividly portrayed atmosphere of Dickensian London.

Garfield incorporates certain aspects of 18th century life into his story; the beginning of medical study (resulting in the need for dead bodies), the tricks of the trade in traveling fairgrounds, the idea that madness was contained in the bloodlines of families, and the religious fervor that heralded the end of the world (apparently Armageddon was forecast on a regular basis). Reading a Garfield book is getting a history lesson without realizing it, as all these components are beautifully knitted into the context of the story.

Also worth mentioning are the characters themselves; each one brought vividly to life. Tolly is a kind-hearted teenager with a somewhat nervous disposition, though Garfield tells us: "Sort hearts are easily combustible, and when they take fire, they burn with a sudden blaze." Burdened with a clear sense of right and wrong, with a conscience that makes him act on these impulses, (probably due to his idolization of his uncle, a sea captain) you can't help but admire his determination to do the right thing - whether he really wants to or not. Likewise, the terrifying Black Jack is a figure out of a nightmare: hulking, unpredictable, violent and menacing. Even minor characters, such as the dreamy Belle, cheerful Doctor Carmody and blustering Mrs Gorgandy are all great examples of creating unforgettable characters with the right imaginative language.

And Garfield was the master of descriptive language; reading any book of his a joy simply because it is wrapped in expert use of the English language, so rich and dense, you'll find yourself re-reading sentences just to appreciate the care with which they were crafted. Want some examples?

"The boy and the giant felon stared towards each other. In the one pair of eyes was savagery, contempt, even murder - and an angry bitterness that he should be obliged to the white-faced maggot of an apprentice who peered up at him. In the boy's eyes there was fear of savagery, fear of murder, and also a glint of bitterness provoked by the felon's contempt."

"They moved with circumspection through the night; chose infirm alleys and crippled lanes that slunk by the river in a blind and stinking confusion - as if the very streets were lost and would have cast themselves into the river if only they could have found the way."

"A huge spade struck and tore the green quilt...then another. Again and again the spades struck, till the earth flew up in gusts and scudding showers, spattering the stones and spoiling the green. Bending above these spades were two questing faces: one enormous, bearded, black as sin - the other young, desperate, not knowing or daring to know what lay beneath...only wild with hurry."

If you've never read Leon Garfield before, then you're doing yourself a great disservice. Although "Black Jack" is not my favourite of his works (that honour belongs to Smith), you won't regret picking up this book.

There's something in this book--in its characters, its settings, its situations--that is quite reminiscent of the work of Charles Dickens. But it's a lot shorter and simpler than the average Dickens novel. So I could recommend this book to anyone who likes Dickens, and even more so, to anyone who would like Dickens if only he weren't so long-winded. Or just to anyone who enjoys a rousing, well-written, action-packed novel with colorful characters.

Oh, and even though this book is marketed for younger readers, I see no reason why adults could not thoroughly enjoy it as well.

Leon Garfield's one of those authors that, once discovered, feel like personal triumphs. When I read a Leon Garfield book, I suddenly have the impression that I've done something noble and great for the cause of humanity. He feels like my own personal children's author. The kind that I discovered all on my own and that, as one of the best kept secrets in kiddie lit, I don't necessarily want anyone else to know about. Then I come to my senses, sigh, and write a review like this one. Ever since I discovered his brilliant Dickensian, "Smith", I've been meaning to work my way through the Garfield oeuvre. "Black Jack" was second on my reading list and, now that I've read it through, it has become my favorite book by this author. If you've a child that's been enraptured by books like, "A Series of Unfortunate Events" or even, "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase", then you'd be committing a serious crime to omit from your reading list this most enjoyable of high Victorian adventures.

When a set of unlikely circumstances end with young Bartholomew Dorking guarding the coffin of the recently hanged villain Black Jack, the boy is less than delighted. An apprentice to a draper, Tolly has always led an upstanding pious life. Next thing he knows, however, the recently hanged Black Jack (the kind of man described here as, "a mighty fellow, and rough... as if the Almighty had sketched him out (and left the Devil to fill him in) before He'd settled on something of a quieter, more genteel size") is not as dead as he first appeared. In fact, he is very much alive. Taking Tolly with him wherever he goes, the boy finds himself the unwitting accomplice to this most dark-hearted of villains. In the course of their adventures they meet madwomen, frauds, fortune tellers, and sailors. And while Tolly finds true love in the most unlikely of places, Black Jack learns how to use his enormous strength for something other than villainy.

The book is a highly satisfying read. Part of this is due to the characters Garfield's conjured up. Tolly is fourteen and your typical heroic orphan. The kind of lad that Oliver Twist could've grown up to be (if Oliver was a little less saintly and little more human). His eventual lady love, one Miss Belle Carter, begins the book as mad but eventually is seen to be just a gal who suffered a severe shock in her youth and has needed to recover from it ever since. But the true hero of this tale is the title character. Black Jack's one in a million. He's so real that you can practically feel his villainy emanating off the pages that describe him. At the same time, there are chinks in his personality that allow you to understand why Tolly feels he must earn Jack's respect, even as he hates and fears him. Jack has his weaknesses as well. He fears madness above all things and he's often rather disconcerted when he observes Tolly doing the right thing in the face of what's easy. By the end of the book you'll find yourself cheering Jack and Tolly on and wishing that Mr. Leon Garfield had had the inclination to make several sequels of their adventures to accompany this marvelous tale.

So there you have it. A children's book for everyone to enjoy. You like descriptions? Then take a gander at passages like: "(She was) a happy, greasy, jingly lady whose skin was always aglitter with fine brass dust so that she had the air of being a worn but once costly Christmas present". You like a riveting story? By the second half of this book you'll be disinclined to set it down for even half a breath. You can't read a book unless the characters are likable? Even Tolly is a great guy to root for, and HE'S the saintly hero! Some people pooh-pooh Garfield as a lesser Dickens. I prefer to think of him as the logical step kids need between their everyday literature and real Dickens. If you want your child to pick up "Nicholas Nickleby" for fun, don't immediately ungulf them in that text first. Start them out slowly with a little Leon Garfield. With any luck, they'll be howling for more things along that vein. But don't relegate Garfield simply to the ranks of second-rate Dickens. He's an artist in his own right and his books are well worth discovering. You'll love it. I promise.

Leon Garfield is one of the best writers for older children ever; no, make that for anyone! His gorgeous language, fabulous, gripping plots, vivid characters and Shakespearean understanding of humanity put him in the very top class of that golden age of children's books of the 60s and 70's--and some of the best of today's golden age, such as Philip Pullman, cite him as an importantinfluence. Back Jack is one of his best books, a wild, terrifying, exciting, romantic and mysterious adventure story that left me reeling as a kid, and still thrills me to bits! Don't miss it!

My sister, the unstoppable Codemaster Talon, gave this book to read as part of our literary exchange program (she gives me books to read, and I give her books to read). When I first glanced at this book, I thought it would be an easy read (it's just over 200 pages). Then, when I started reading it, I found myself stumbling over some of the old-fashioned English phrases. I asked her when it was written. "The 70s." she said. "The 1970s?" I asked? "No, the 1870s", she joked. I honestly wasn't sure which one was the real date when until she told me. Yes, this book is indeed authentic in it's language. But for me it was hard. My sister told me to stick with it. Boy am I glad I did.

The story starts out with the giant Black Jack being executed, and then procedes to tell the story of a poor good-natured youngster who finds himself in this terrifying scoundral's strange company. The strange thing is that for some reason, this terrible man finds that he likes the young lad, and won't let him go.

When the boy finds himself suddenly and strangely abandoned by the giant after starting (and ending) his search for an escaped lunatic young girl, he folows the road till he finds (and joins) a traveling carnival. The that's where our story begins.

As Black Jack struggles with his fear of lunatics (can you believe it?) and growing admiration for his young friend, Tolly (the young fellow) gains maturity and learns about life as he helps the poor lunatic (her name's Belle) regain her sanity. It's really engaging, because all the characters are so very HUMAN, and as Tolly continually tries to help the girl while at the same time keeping her from getting to close (she loves him you know) he starts to find that he cares for her too.

When Belle becomes convinced that she really is insane and has herself commited, and Tolly can't get the people imprisoning her to let him see her (despite his growing love for her), and Black Jack won't let anything get in the way of his friend's happiness... Well, let's just say it makes for one of the greatest climaxes I've ever seen in a book (especially when you consider the world is ending at the same time).

What really addicted me to this book was one thing. Love. When I read the passages about how Tolly and Belle found their feelings for each other grow, it gave me a simply wonderful feeling. The author of this book has managed to perfectly describe the feeling of being in love. I haven't felt this way while reading a book in a long time. This feeling the book gave me grew stronger and stronger as it progressed, but the very, very end made it shoot to the sky. Because what Belle kept describing in her wild rants of insanity turned out not to be mere dreams after all, but visions of a future more wonderful than she could have imagined.

If anything I have said connected with you in any way, READ THIS BOOK.