The accomplishment refers to the writing of Irving Stone. Starting from the collected letters Vincent sent to his younger brother Theo during his life, Stone does something very good: he writes a fictionalized biography without, at the same time, tampering with history. This is a novel as much as a biography. Stone invents dialogues, but they do not become fantasy. Anyway, the book is really moving, I read it 18 years ago and I still remember details of it, much more than some books I read last year. The most important thing about this book is that you get to be inside a great artist's life, being witness to his transformation, from a troubled but well-to-do art merchant (his uncles were among the most important in Europe, his father being a religious man), to his stay at the Netherlands trying to find his soul, to Belgium living in the midst of the terrible poverty of the coal-mine workers (and starting to draw), to Paris, where he dives into artistic life, learning very much in the way; to Arles and days with Gauguin, where his mind starts to go astray, to Auvers. [...] this book is very good indeed. Give it a try and you'll find a life you'll never forget.

"One day you will express yourself and that will justify your existence", said Vincent van gogh's teacher to him. if i start writing about the book, it will wet reams of paper. I have read the book at least fifty times and everytime i derive a different meaning from it. lust for life potrays the kind of life vincent van gogh, the famous painter lived. how he tried to find true love and how he failed. and how he experimented with painting; everytime you read his story, there is a sinking feeling in your heart. you can feel his agony and ecstasy. this book has given me confidence- of being separate and different from the crowd. i have learnt to be an extremist in life, no matter what price i have to pay for it. it has also made me think that i can work as a mason, a clerk or a writer, or as a social activist and still be able to be different and yes.... one day i'll express myself and that will justify my existence. after reading the book, i have sought peace. what i found is ecstasy, anguish, madness and loneliness... the solitary pain that gnaws the heart, but peace i did not find. do i need it? no. No. Never.

Lust For Life, first penned by Irving Stone over 60 years ago, still stands out as the definitive biography of Van Gogh despite all the years that have since brought us new books on this man and his art.

One little-known fact about this book is that in researching it back then, Stone was able to interview people who were acquaintances of Van Gogh, including his red-headed friend in Auvers, Dr. Gachet, who also sat for several of his portraits. This alone adds an authenticity to this work which subsequent bios find it tough to equal.

Last summer I vacationed in France, and made a point of visiting several of Vincent's haunts, including Arles, St. Remy and Auvers. I will always remember the bittersweet sight of his grave on the lonely hill above Auvers where Vincent lies next to his beloved brother Theo. Having just read Lust For Life added immeasurably to my experience and understanding of the man and his remarkable, albeit brief, life.

Cristyn has traveled to Wales to spend the summer with her dad while he does research for a book about Owain Glyndwr. Not only does she loose her summer to a country that she has never seen before, she also has to share the house with Erica Dunham and her two children Miranda and Dennis. It's worse than Christyn thought though because Miranda is moody and Dennis is a pain. Then spooky things start to happen in the house and Christyn feels as though she is being watched. Then she discovers the secret of the cellar.

This book was inspired by a trip to Wales by the author. It is an amazing book that brings the beauty of Wales to life - even though it is somewhat soggy as the author has it raining just about every day. Cristyn didn't want to go to Wales at all, but she became curious when her father told her that her mother was from Wales. That curiosity grows when she discovers the secret of the cellar and who has been haunting her.

This is a brillaintly written novel that flowed from page to page, keeping you firmly locked up in the sotry along the way. Miranda is probably one of the most annoying people I have ever come across in a book, but as the story unfolds you learn why she is the way she is (and her story is pretty sad). I read this in one sitting because I didn't want to put the book down, and I spent a very enjoyable afternoon lost in it's pages.

"In the Stone Circle" is more of a mystery than a horror story, with a touch of historical facts. The story is thought provoking, but not very deep. A Ouija board could have been an interesting addition in finding out who was trying to contact Cristyn. There are plenty of witty, sarcastic lines in this book, but younger readers may not understand them. Elizabeth Cody Kimmel accurately portrayed teenagers under stress, without making them seem ditzy. At times, Cristyn seemed a bit too mature for a fourteen-year old, but was a perfect match to Miranda, who was a very childish fourteen-year old. Near the end of the book, it got a little confusing - that's my major complaint. Now for nitpicking: Crystin is the most common/semi-correct way of spelling Christine in Welsh - not Cristyn. But, Crystin might be the "modern" version. This is a good book to read on a rainy day. I recommend.

I really enjoyed this book "In the Stone Circle" by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel because it was exciting, and full of mystery. The book is about a fourteen year old girl named Cristyn who is from Ohio, and has to leave for Wales for the whole summer because her father (a college professor and widower) is studying the history of Wales and his family history. Going to Wales along with Cristyn and her father (Derek), is Mrs. Dunham, her daughter Miranda (the same age as Cristyn), and her son Dennis (who is about 9). Miranda's father left her mother, but Miranda still takes her Dad's side and argues and yells at her Mom. Miranda also thinks that her Mom favors and takes sides with Dennis, because he annoys her and is always playing tricks on her. This big, old house that these two families are living in, has a cellar, up and down stairs, a den, and is located in the middle of NOWHERE in Wales. While Cristyn and Miranda search around this big piece of property, Cristyn feels like something is watching or following them; Miranda at first thinks that it's her younger brother, but the two later dicover that it's a ghost of some sort. They do some research and think that it might me a great prince called Llywen that was born and lived in Wales. But then they do more research and make more dicoveries and find out that it's actually a female ghost that is Llywen's precious daughter (Carwen). While Cristyn is trying to figure out this mystery, Miranda and Cristyn get in fights about Dennis because Cristyn sees that he's only try to get Miranda's attention so she will like him again. But Miranda only gets mad. And one day, Miranda and Dennis' father show up at the castle door and wants to see his children. Miranda starts to go to lunch and leave Cristyn and Dennis. Together they start seeing Carwen in these things that seem like skits or plays of her live in the cellar. One day after a big strom, everyone was starting to get along (even Miranda and Dennis), and the three kids went to the cellar to see if Carwen would come back and the scene was of Carwen in a house that was on fire. But they didn't understand why she wouldn't just leave, Cristyn finally remembers that she saw one day when Llywen was leaving and he gave Carwen a locket, then figures out that she was trying to find the locket. After that scence, they realize that the fire was happening to Carwen and themselves. After the fire was out, pluming men came in to drain out all of the water that filled the cellar floor. They had found something. When they gave it to Derek to show him what it was, the three kids immediatly knew what it was. Dennis went upstairs with the neckalce and switch Miranda's necklace that her father had given her, and the one from the cellar. THe men said that they would take it to a shop to see if it was worth anything or if it was a historical item. Cristyn almost cried because she had realized that Carwen was trying to get her attention because she wanted Cristyn to find her locket from her father. After that, Cristyn went to the Stone Circle in the back yard, (where Carwen felt most present to Cristyn), and gave her the locket. Carwen had told her that Cristyn's mother had lived in that same house as they were staying in, and that Cristyn's mother had also tried to help Carwen. Carwen and Llywen once Wale's prince were together again. Daughter and father.

Along with L'Assommoir by Zola and Journey to the End of the Night by Celine, Choderlos de Laclos's masterpiece ranks as one of my favorite books of all time. To fully appreciate the genius of the letter writing form,one must understand that the libertine novels of the 18th century all utilized this format. Laclos admittedly set out to write a book that would depart from other works of the century to leave a dramatic imprint on the world, and he succeeded. While written in the same lingusitic and seductive style of a libertine novel, Laclos transforms the limited and mundane scope of the libertine world into a riveting classic. Each character reflects a different conception of "love" and how the libertine world can go awry when true sentiment is confused with lust. La Marquise de Merteuil reflects the purest degree of libertinage. In perhaps the most spellbinding of all the letters, she explains to Valmont her duplictious conduct after her husband's death to obtain her reputation among men and place herself at the forefront of society's attention. In contrast, Mlle. de Tourvel is the epitome of sentimental love, to the point that she can become physically ill if it is not reciprocated. Clearly what separates this work from other romance novels of the 18th century, elevating it to the level of other world masterpieces, is the character of Valmont. He is the heart and soul of this novel in every way possible. One one hand, Valmont is extremely self-assured in his ways, when describing his calculating, rational strategy in courting naive young ladies. On the other hand, he refuses to accept the reality evidenced by his relationship with Mme. de Tourvel that he is not the manipulative libertine that he, and society, consider him to be. The deep struggle within Valmont between his true feelings and his vanity in preserving his reputation of libertinage is perhaps the most compelling storyline in the novel- because it is physcological and under the surface. At this level, Les Liaisons Dangereuses is often compared to "Crime and Punishment". les Liaisons is more subtle in its physcological dimension in that the reader must form her own conclusions about Valmont's physchosis whereas Raskelnikov's mental state is at the heart of the prose. If I have not convinved everyone yet to go ahead and experience the magic of Laclos (who fortuneatley survived the Terror), then I have failed in my task...

Many people have seen one of several movie productions of this book and assumed that it is a modern story that has taken the 18th century as its setting. In fact, the book was written at that time, and it provides a shocking, thrilling, sexy window into the lives of the french aristocracy. It is a thing of beauty. The exploits of the central characters make your average daytime soap opera look tame, and it is all done with a cunning and an evil grace that went out of style with the french revolution. Language is used as an aphrodesiac, a lever, and occasionally a cudgel, and since the book takes the form of the published letters of the main characters we hear it straight from the pens of those involved. "Les Liasons Dangereuses" will make you mourn the invention of the telephone. Such skill with the written word! The double meaning was king, with muddied intentions as its queen. Read this book: you really must. If you love language it will become a favorite of yours, just as it did for me.

When I read Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 novel, "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" (which retains its French title in the 1961 English translation by P W K Stone), I found myself amazed and thrilled by its absolute excellence of execution. Its energy and spirit, and the seductive and machiavellian - perhaps even diabolical - undertones which whisper throughout the work, urge the reader ever onwards in the best page-turning tradition. It is possibly not for nothing that the book itself was eventually decreed 'dangerous' by French officials a full 42 years after it first appeared, long after it might have been expected to have lost its ability to shock. Even if you have seen the films "Dangerous Liaisons" (dir. Steven Frears) or "Valmont" (dir. Milos Forman) based on the book - and whether or not you liked them - this is an outstandingly good novel which is beautifully served by the precise and graceful prose of its translator, whose subtle range of diction manages to convey the tones and tempers of the characters most convincingly. The story's chief virtues - a compelling narrative drive, and a skill in characterisation which permit some superbly-observed insights - easily withstand comparison with the screen versions; even today, when we are so fully exposed to the diverse secrets of the psychiatrist's confessional and the details of the all world's vicissitudes and miseries, it would be hard to improve on their portrayal here in print.

The book succeeds so well for many reasons. Some of its appeal to a sophisticated (or at least blasé) modern audience is, I believe, the multi-layered cynicism of its vainglorious but not unattractive main characters and rivals, the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte (viscount) de Valmont, a reminder that profound deceit is not the sole prerogative of the post-industrial era. Part of the reader's amusement is to observe how their egotism - by far the most easily-wounded of their sensibilities - is also an exercise in the deception of themselves as well as of all those with whom they have dealings. Equally, their wily scheming and duplicity simultaneously appal the reader while also appealing to any secret desire he might himself harbour to exercise his own will with equal freedom and with equal heedlessness of conscience or consequences, thus planting a distinct ambivalence in his or her breast. This effect is augmented by the shifting first-person narrative, a device which gives the voices of its protagonists an intimate (and often touching) immediacy and multiplies the scope for irony by giving the reader a consistently better view than the characters, to which the skilful interweaving of the sub-plots also contributes. I should mention that the novel is written entirely as a sequence of letters. This format was common in the 18th century when the book was written, but its relative rarity in modern fiction makes its appearance today refreshing. That it is overtly concerned with the sexual seduction of the weak by the strong partially disguises the fact that it is also a philosophical novel whose themes would easily form the subject of more general discussion. As a depiction of the relations between individual human beings, it is, to be sure, a study of calculating spiritual emptiness, but one which does not shy from laying bare the catastrophic consequences of the conspirators on their victims, just as the report of a war correspondent might describe in detail the horror of a bomb explosion in a hospital. "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" not only contains plenty of anguish on the part of its characters and an affecting deathbed scene, but the reader's own emotions are made to oscillate intensely throughout from amusement to arousal, from curiosity to incredulity, from admiration to dismay... all thanks to the superb manipulation of Laclos, whose mastery of both narrative and reader is absolute and, perhaps, somewhat unsettling. (But how I wish he had written more!)

Cook returns to the fold with the latest story of the Black Company. With "Bleak Seasons" It appeared that Cook had lost the taste and feel of the series. This book returns to the tightly woven scripts of the earlier works. The thing I like most about this one is the ongoing transformation of Croaker into Captain. The old Captain must be smiling in his watery grave at how Croaker has been transformed from the sensitive, romantic and thoughtful Annalist to the Hard-boiled, vengeful, scheming and overly secretive Captain of the Last of the Free Companies of Khatovar. The thing I like least is that I don't really care about Murgen. I tend to read around him, always on the lookout for one of the older brothers to appear. Maybe it's me, but I just can't get involved with him. I get the feeling that Cook is straining to bring him into the story but can't find the way. Maybe it is because Murgen only really gets involved by having the out of body travels using the comatose wizard Smoke to eavesdrop on the unfolding events of the story. Whatever the reason, I'm quite satisfied with the tale as a whole and think that Cook is back on the right track with the series. Not a page burner but a good read, nevertheless.

Unsure of what my northern 'mate' in Leeds was reading after seeing his review but must agree the English-English vs the American English was spot on. Also was curious how you came upon the idea that the Nyueng Bao were supposed to represent a negative image of the Vietnamese or that war. Seems a much better way of introducing new races to the series without falling back upon the boring old ogre, orc, and elf routine!!! yeh? Would like to say that I've read the series for over 15 years now and quite agree with the majority of what our black company brothers say in the states. Cook's continued expansion of his world is ideally suited to not only roleplaying games but perhaps to a tv or movie series as well. There are colourful characters, deception, intrigue, lying, honesty, manipulation, hidden agendas, and no doubt more surprises in store for us in the eighth book (apparently titled Water Sleeps). For some interesting and indepth ideas about the books and what underlying schemes could be taking place visit one of three BC homepages (an obvious pure testament to Cooks ability to enhance the immagination) After reading some of those I'm sure you'll probably come to realise that words and phrases introduced to us in the first three books are only now beginning to make sense. For instance the first chapter in Shadows Linger quite clearly describes the skeleton which Croaker inc. saw when they entered the castle at the end of She is the Darkness. --Remember the feather---. If that isn't testament to a well developed outline for a long series of books written over 15 years then I must live in Elland Road. ......It's immortality of a sort..........

Well, on a whim I went back and re-read the entire series this weekend. Once again I am convinced that Glen must be a god. His worlds are more complete and believable than any other author in any other fictional genre.

'Darkness is a true tour de force by the master. All the threads come together and weave a wholly unexpected pattern. Quite a trick, as I have read all of his work and talked with him several times and I believed I had good idea how he thought.

If you like the Black Company, you should really try his Dread Empire series. Hard to find but well worth it. I think it might even be a more interesting and complete world than in the Company books.

This is one of the best books I have read. I've recommended it to many friends and all of them have loved it. Mrs. Campbell blends the topics of personal, social and racial relationships into an incredible work of art. Don't worry about being bored with this novel, because Brothers & Sisters will definitely keep your attention. While reading this book, it was very easy for me to imagine it being brought to the big screen. I think this would make a very enjoyable movie for everyone. I liked the way all the characters were written and how the plot had some twists & turns in it that eventually leads to a satisfying end. As with me, this book will make you a Bebe Moore Campbell fan!

Campbell's Brothers and Sisters is a great book, it depicts the relationships between blacks and whites at a very heated time: the Rodney King riot. This book raises many issues that the American people today must face and overcome..... I truly enjoyed this book and I found that it is very hard to put down. I recommend this book to everyone who can read and understand literature, in other words this book is a must read book for everyone!! Please read the book for those who haven't read it, and for those who have tell me what you think of the book and what other issues and questions this book raises. E-mail me with your response! Areggae@aol.com

Bebe Moore Campbell is definitely the most underated author of our time. Bebe writes books about characters that many of us know (or are) in real life. She writes books that you can step into and feel like you are a part of these people's lives. But I have to say, of all of her books, Brothers and Sisters is by far my favorite! Get this book!!!!

I found this book enlightening and educational. Ms. Stone has done extensive research to reveal the conspiracy by the ancient Hebrews and Christians to eradicate the once primary role of women in religion and society. The middle of the book is slow going at times, since it is so dense with scholarly facts, but the last third is fascinating as it builds to its conclusion. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about women's role in religion and society in pre-Biblical times, the ancient practice of Goddess worship, or modern religions in a historical context.

As a Christian woman I felt a void in my soul that couldn't be answered through the Biblical scriptures. Why were the teachings so vile and violent towards women? Why was society demeaning and oppressive to the mothers of humanity? How did our culture develope into such a divided state that men were dominate and women submissive? Why weren't women revered for their life giving nature and soul healing abilities? The first book I read that brought some understanding was G. James Stewart's Immorality of Christianity. This opened the door for me to challenge social and theological beliefs that have devalued women (and men)as well as Western civilization as a whole. I read Jean M. Auel's Earth Children series (Clan of the Cave Bear)and was given a glimpse of pre-historical beliefs and customs. This caused me to ask the question: When did it all change? When did the Mother Goddess get replaced by the Judeo-Christian God? This book by Merlin Stone lept off the shelf with her all encompassing title. From page one to the end she develops a sound scientific histography of the age before God worship and the powerful infulence of women in a culture which honored fertility, prosperity, and peace for thousands of years. My identity as a women has found peace and comfort in the knowing that womanhood was once revered--and can be again, as the source of life. My beliefs have changed dramatically and never will I see the patriarchial Judeo-Christian dogma as anything but usurpation of woman as divine...

If only I had found this book during my Christian indoctrination period, how different my experience of life would have been! Merlin Stone's research is appropos to this day. She provides the historical information that explains the delusions we have been laboring under for 2000 years: That a woman is responsible for the sufferings of humanity and that because of it, women are rightfully subjugated and dominated by wiser men. This book also helps us understand that Judeo-Christian philosophies and practices are merely a glitch in the tens of thousands of years-long progress of humanity. Although many people view religion as at worst a plague on humanity and at best a very bad joke, we all still suffer from effects of the progenitors of the Adam and Eve myth. This book will give you perspective, help you to spot the stinking-thinking when it affects you, change the wrongness when you are able, and to more cheerfully endure the horror when you can't.

I've picked up this book after reading all the great reviews. I can't say that I'm very impressed with the book, only the parts where the myths and legends come in. Ms Susan King must have done loads of research there.

"The Stone Maiden" tells the story of Alainna MacLaren (leader of Laren Clan) and Sebastien Le Bret. Clan Laren was a dying clan as the young men of this clan has been killed by a neighbouring enemy clan through battles and there was not a single child in the clan. Alainna pleaded the Scottish King to pledge a warrior to her as her husband. The King sent Sebastien as he was the best candidate the King could offer. Alainna needed her husband to take her family name in order to prevent her clan from dying out. Sebastien had stated very clearly that he would not do that. The whole story revolved around a 700-year-old spell and the Stone Maiden.

What we have here is a good storyline but somehow, the story is dragged down by too many story-telling sessions by the clan members. The book contains many myths and legends of Clan Laren, so the clan members, after almost every meal, would sit down together and have a story-telling session. It is fair enough if there is a couple of these sessions in the book but there are more than that. There were also too many times that Alainna would go and pray and make some offerings to the Stone Maiden. There was a loop-hole I couldn't figure out why it had happened, was that: before Sebastien and Alainna could agree that who should take who's name, they were already handfasted. I thought that both their family names were extremely important to them. If so, they should have agree on that first before commiting themselves to the union.

Very disappointing!

In 1170 in the Highlands, Clan Laren is dying after generations of a feud and raids from Clan MacNechton. There are no young people left except for the clan leader, Alainna MacLaren. The legend of the nearby STONE MAIDEN is that after seven centuries of protecting the Laren clan, their safety will end unless Alainna marries a warrior willing to adopt her name by the spring.

Desperate for help, Alainna petitions King William for a heroic Scottish husband. William sends Breton Sebastien Le Bret, who has a beloved son living in Brittany, a good enough reason in his mind not to adopt Alainna's name. As Alainna and Sebastien fight with each other and war with their common enemy, they fall in love. However, the surname remains an issue as she believes in the legend and he loves his five-year-old son.

THE STONE MAIDEN is an exciting Medieval Highlander tale that centers on duty, honor, and love. The story line is filled with excitement that picturesquely provides the audience insight into clan life, survival and period politics. The lead couple is a warm pair even though Sebastien's patience with Alainna seems stretched. The support cast augments the tale with a feel for the twelfth century. Susan King shows why she is considered by fans and critics to be one of the monarchs of the sub-genre.

Harriet Klausner

I loved this book! In fact, I love the way Susan King writes, and I'm definitely going to get her other books! I read The Stone Maiden very quickly, since I was so wrapped up in the story and came to love her characters, and I did not want to leave them when it was over. The twelfth century seemed very real, not vague or shallow, and I read a lot of medieval settings, especially Scottish, which Susan King is known for writing. The Stone Maiden is a beautiful romance, not only because of its great research, but because I honestly felt the emotions of the characters, and could feel the love between Alainna and Sebastian as it grew. This book will melt your heart. Very special!

Maxwell is a former minister and the founder of a company that offers support services to religious organizations. As such, his book's upbeat, you can do it tone may be off-putting to some. But there's some interesting stuff here and the real life examples he uses of people of have learned from failure provide some good hands-on advice. The book is organized into 15 steps that will help us make the most out of a failure. These are designed to help us 'fail forward.' Some of them include: find the benefit in every bad experience; work on the weaknesses that weaken you; change your response to failure by accepting responsibility. There's not a lot of analysis or depth to Maxwell's observations, but there's enough here in the way of examples to ground his practical observations to make this a useful motivational book.

It seems that many people live their lives as if there were a loaded .44 magnum pointed at their head.. if they make one little mistake 'Dirty Harry' is right there to pull the trigger. Indeed, we are taught in school to get 'perfect' grades... and receive punishment for making mistakes.

The message of Failing Forward is that this disease of perfectionism keeps us all from living our lives to the fullest and prevents us from finding happiness and realising our potential.

This book contains many theories about how failure is _not_ automatically bad. The author leads each chapter with a specfic idea on failing and then follows up with real-life examples of people who have failed many times in their life, but ultimately became very successful. (e.g. R.H. Macy (dept. store king), John James Audobon (nature lover and artist), Truett Cathy (founder, Chick-Fil-A)) Indeed, these people and hundreds of others like them all experienced failure in thier lifetimes, but they did not let that get in their way. Further, they used their "setbacks" as both education and inspiration to propell them to new heights.

Nothing extraordinary happens to anyone who sits and waits for it to come to him. One must be willing and ready to get up and start making mistakes. The sooner the better because the more mistakes you make, the smarter you become. The more setbacks you encounter, the stronger you become. The more failures you endure, the better you become at taking on life's challenges and ultimately winning in the end.

If you are feeling like a "Failure" for any reason, large or small... get this book and read it today. You will be surprised at how empowered it will make you feel.

Many of us dislike failures and mistakes. We will try to avoid them because we are afraid to be labeled as losers. However, this book tells us there is no perfectionist on earth, as long as you are human being, you would make mistakes. Those mistakes will guide you the way to success if you are to learn from them. The difference between average and achieving people is their perception and response to failure.

This books provide us with 15 steps to failing forward. You are going to overcome adversity and maximize your potential if you follow these steps.

Moreover, Maxwell gives readers a lot of real life experience examples to demonstrate how successful people response to adversity and handle it.

This book is highly recommended.

This book takes Stone Barrington from detective to lawyer. It was so interesting. This is a great charactor. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great mystery. Easy to get into and not a boring page. Stuart Woods is one of my favorite authors as I have now read five of his books and plan on reading them all. Don't miss this one.

This book is Stuart Woods at his best. Woods does a fabulous job of creating the well rounded Stone Barrington character. This was not the first book I had read in the series, so it was interesting to see how Stone Barrington went from cop to lawyer. The plot line in the story is excellent and definitely keeps the pages turning. I had no idea what was going to happen at the end, and that is just the way I like it. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to start the next in the Stone Barrington series.

This was the first book by Stuart Woods that I have read. I couldn't put it down! Now, I have gone and purchased all of the books published in the Stone Barrington series. I hope the rest of the books are as hooking! This book kept me turning pages without even noticing the time. I really like a book that keeps me guessing as to "who done it" and trying to piece the clues together. This book does just that. It is the first in the Stone Barrington series and I would definitly recommend it to anyone who likes a mystery! I hope you enjoy!

When i was younger i used to be wary of the sheer length of such works-never fear!Not for one moment was this masterpiece a chore in any way.Ive read 300 page books which were twice as hard to get through.If you appreciate classic literature,especially Dickens this is one of those novels that is a pure pleasure simply to get back to-youll anticipate the start of your next reading session. While there may be a slight criticism of the realness or believability of some of the main characters(esp. the female ones)they are individual enough to rise above the stereotypes one may at first feel they conform to.No doubt Dickens created his own 'Dickensian' universe where the characters may not be as bare boned and raw in terms of reality as more modern writers(reviewers comment that his readership were tiring of his style in favour of more naturalist writers like George Eliot around 1860's)but within the confines of the writers world the book works wonderfully well.No matter what the subject or mood and however dark they may be there is always an exquisite brand of humour,a biting sarcastic tongue-in-cheek commentary running through Dickens writing and none so more than in Our Mutual Friend.If your reading this or others of his novels and you are not laughing then you are just NOT GETTING IT!While he uses hyperbole often in his tales there is here plenty of poignant social commentary.There is also a dark thread permeating the story which acts as a good contrast to the humour and it is through this darkness that the best lessons are learned,the best points are made. The plot is very very involved and works for the most part although one has the impression Dickens may have changed dramatically a particular storyline at the end.It is written in the unusual style in that he intentionally hints and prods the reader to a certain conclusion early on,then not much later reveals the mystery-which i think worked well. Lastly i have just watched the new BBC production of this book and as much as tv can capture this it does very well but whatever you do read the book first(the tv series while of quality must intrinsically be inferior-it will really detract from the book).Never once was this book a task and ive now promised myself to read his entire set of works-so take up this book-you wont regret it!

When i was younger i used to be wary of the sheer length of such works-never fear!Not for one moment was this masterpiece a chore in any way.Ive read 300 page books which were twice as hard to get through.If you appreciate classic literature,especially Dickens this is one of those novels that is a pure pleasure simply to get back to-youll anticipate the start of your next reading session. While there may be a slight criticism of the realness or believability of some of the main characters(esp. the female ones)they are individual enough to rise above the stereotypes one may at first feel they conform to.No doubt Dickens created his own 'Dickensian' universe where the characters may not be as bare boned and raw in terms of reality as more modern writers(reviewers comment that his readership were tiring of his style in favour of more naturalist writers like George Eliot around 1860's)but within the confines of the writers world the book works wonderfully well.No matter what the subject or mood and however dark they may be there is always an exquisite brand of humour,a biting sarcastic tongue-in-cheek commentary running through Dickens writing and none so more than in Our Mutual Friend.If your reading this or others of his novels and you are not laughing then you are just NOT GETTING IT!While he uses hyperbole often in his tales there is here plenty of poignant social commentary.There is also a dark thread permeating the story which acts as a good contrast to the humour and it is through this darkness that the best lessons are learned,the best points are made. The plot is very very involved and works for the most part although one has the impression Dickens may have changed dramatically a particular storyline at the end.It is written in the unusual style in that he intentionally hints and prods the reader to a certain conclusion early on,then not much later reveals the mystery-which i think worked well. Lastly i have just watched the new BBC production of this book and as much as tv can capture this it does very well but whatever you do read the book first(the tv series while of quality must intrinsically be inferior-it will really detract from the book).Never once was this book a task and ive now promised myself to read his entire set of works-so take up this book-you wont regret it!

I have always loved Dickens since I first entered the world of Pip in a 9th grade English class. I have read many of his works in the twenty years since, and I just finished this novel last week. Although "David Copperfield" remains my favorite, "Our Mutual Friend" amazed me with its intricate plot and how Dickens pulled off such jarring tonal shifts without alienating the reader. I disagree with other readers who still found Bella Wilfer one-dimensional and unsympathetic...I was very caught up in her transformation. I also think that Bradley Headstone is one of the scariest of Dickens' villains, even surpassing Mr. Murdstone. I wish that I had not seen last year's TV production before reading the novel. Although the production was quality, I would have liked to approach the work with a fresher perspective.