I am normally one of those people who starts a book, gets bored quickly and never finishes. I have at least three started novels under my bed collecting dust. Since the birth of my daughter 4 months ago, my life now has no time for extracurricular anything.
With that said, I couldn't put The Pendulum's Path down. I got it on a Wednesday and by the next Wednesday, I had finished the entire thing. The characters were so complex, the story is riveting and incredibly thought-provoking, and I found my emotions right on the surface from the first chapter. I identified personally with the mother/daughter relationship between Delilah and Emma. I have seen the exact same thing happen between my mother and grandmother. Dave Shields wrote a novel that shows the complexities of all families through the Crumps. Even though you don't know this family, you feel close to them instantly. A thumbs up to Mr. Shields for a great book that collected no dust in my house.

I admit, up front, that I'm an escapist reader. I like my fiction with a meat-and-potatoes kind of action or adventure. But once I stuck my nose in Dave Shields' book, I couldn't put it down.
Tom Lewis is a happily-married white-collar guy with his own office, an optimistic outlook and his first baby on the way. Then a chance encounter with a nigh-forgotten relative turns his world upside-down: His mother is not his mother; his uncle is not his uncle--his entire life has been a lie.
I think I was more fascinated with Uncle Martin's episodic revelations than even his own nephew--the man had an unorthodox childhood, to say the least. Piece-by-piece, he presents a secret family history that will shatter our hero's identity, lead him to question his own self-worth...but, ultimately, motivate him to find and know his real father.
The Pendulum's Path is set in Salt Lake City. I've passed through it a couple times, but my view from the highway gave me no insights as to how this city is different from any other. Not only does Dave Sheilds' book show us how it's different, his cultural microcosm of a Mormon family also reveals how people are so much the same, wherever and whenever they happen to live.
Regardless of what you know (or don't know) about Utah, Mormonism or rock-climbing (did I fail to mention that?), The Pendulum's Path will grab you.

The Pendulum's Path is a beautifully written family saga that is impossible to put down. It is one of those books in which you come to know and relate to the characters as actual people.
The story of the past and the present lives of the family intertwine in a fascinating and gripping tale.
If you like Pat Conroy, you will love Dave Shields!!! His writing style is beautiful and detailed and his story is richly woven. A definate 5 star book.

This is a the book that made a difference in my lfe. Because of it, I spent vacation time on the Eastern Shore and even made a pilgrimage to Tangier Island. I have become fond of the little critters and am really fascinated by their life cycle and habits. I wish the author would write more books like this. I can't understand the one negative review in this series unless the reviewer has a hidden agenda.

I have treasured this book that was a gift from my late grandmother who was a native of Norfolk, Virginia and lived along the Chesapeake Bay during her entire life. Beautiful Swimmers is one of the finest books in my library. I have both a hardbound and softcover copy. This book brings "The Bay" to life in a very rich and abundant way. Warner has accomplished a perspective that places you comfortably among the waterman and the life of the Chesapeake Bay. Having grown up in coastal Virginia, this book allowed me to gently return to my childhood and my times spent in pursuit of blue crabs to sell to neighbors for pocket money and for my family's dinner table. A fine read! I highly recommend this book.

This book is so easy to read and so full of information that I have an absolute craving to revisit it every year or so. I have never read a book so often (and I read and reread constantly). Having spent my summers on Maryland's Eastern Shore and having visited Smith Island, this book absolutely takes me home to a wonderfully simple and fascinating way of life. Who would have ever thought that the common blue crab was so eloquent a creature...I'm sold!

This is a wonderful book and a must have for every aviation fanatic. The highlights according to me are the amazing photographs and drawings which bring the Fulcrum to life as never before. The other part that I loved was the reliance on first hand reports by pilots who have flown the Fulcrum or flown against it.

The only niggle (which explains the 4 stars), is the lack of hard data, especially comparing the Fulcrum to other fighters eg. F-16. For example, we read that the Fulcrum's turn rate is better, but in the BVR arena, at least with R-27s, it is at a disadvantage- what would have helped are a few simple charts comparing the Fulcrum with contemporary fighters like the F-16, F-18 and Mirage 2000 on these key parameters...for a die hard aviation fan, hard numbers are a must...so they can draw their own conclusions..too much text can be fluff at times.

The photography of Artur Sarkisyan makes this book well worth the money. He brings out the aesthetic potential of this aircraft, depicting it in just about every position, even straight and level. It's a shame that such a good-looking machine is, in fact, a weapon of war. But don't let that stop you from enjoying Mr. Sarkisyan's work.

A lovely book about the best fighter of MAPO MIG aircraft, very good photos, some I've seen for the first time, recommended for anyone searching more info about the fulcrum.

I have just finished John Richardson's Picasso biography Vols. I & II. Perhaps it is unfair to compare the two views of Picasso. Nevertheless I found the Gilot book lacking in any profound insight. She is philosophical about her reasons for taking up with Picasso and appears almost mercenary in her motives, i.e. the relationship will improve her understanding of Picasso and his art. She manages to maintain that philosophical if almost removed viewpoint throughout. If what is written (who knows what axes have to be ground) is true then she seems a great deal less unhinged than Dora Maar, Olga Kokhlova or even perhaps Marie-Therese Walter. At least that is the picture Gilot paints. The former two especially are depicted as haradans lurking in wait for Gilot to both physically and mentally assail her. It is sadly typical of Picasso to allow these nasty encounters to continue to his advantage. Given Gilot's disinterested depiction of events which both redound to her credit as well leave the reader agog at her own credulity of Picasso's motives and personality I found the book interesting as a look inside a fascinating era but nevertheless was left quite unmoved as to her own fate. I can only conclude this must have been her original intention as the book was co-written by her.

I am looking forward to Richardson's vols. III and IV of Picasso and am interested in his view of their (Gilot/ Picasso) relationship. Undeniably a completely absorbing character despite the ugliness.

The best book on Picasso I have read. Francoise Gilot, wife to Picasso and a painter, writes possibly with better insight than Picasso himself could, and certainly any other "outside of the circle" biographer could, about Picasso's manner of painting, his personality and lifestyle, his motivations and a good part of his life. Excellent, excellent book.

I'm a huge fan of biographies and art. Given this book as a present from a friend, I LOVED it. It makes one wonder - how do biographers DARE write about people they never knew?! This is such an intimate portrait of a man - by a woman with an insight into what made him tick and an appreciation of his talents both artistic and human. Although Picasso is portrayed as an egomaniac, abusive and unapproachable - which no doubt was a part of him - the general public tends to overlook the intricacy of his personality and the reasons behind his behavior. Francois Gilot gave such a beautiful portrait of their relationship - and although it may just be the romantic side of me - I believe their love was true and she understood him and related on a somewhat more equal plane than any of his other lovers. Read the book - it's not the average Picasso's a jerk book.

It is hard finding books that tell the stories of the old west (especially of Wyatt and gang) that are free of opinion and myths. But Stuart N. Lake does just this in his wonderful book. A must for complete information on the exciting life of this Tombstone legend. I've read many books on this subject and have even been to Tombstone and Mr. Lake is an accurate author.

I read Lake's book as a child. Wyatt Earp became a real hero to me. Later I found there was much more to the story, and much less. Lake found Earp to be uncooperative. So much so he didn't publish this book until Wyatt had been dead three years. Great portions of it were complete fiction such as the episodes in Abilene, Ks. and the arrest of Ben Thompson which never happened. But then, Wyatt Earp never claimed that it had. Lake wanted to write a tale of the old west and in the late 1920's Wyatt was about the only survivor of that breed of men who lived by their wits and survived those days. Nevertheless this book is a lot of fun. If you want a true picture of Wyatt Earp check out the latest issue of American Heritage magazine (Mar/April, 1999). He was a controversial figure and in many ways an admirable one. The story of the making of the myth is as fascinating as the man.

I have a small library of Wyatt Earp books and Lake's book is always maligned by other Earp historians. No other book, however, seems to give us as much insight into Earp as Lake's. Sure, the facts are exaggerated and, in several instances, created out of whole cloth but more factual books also contain significant mistruths without ever giving us a feel for the man. Tefertiller's "Wyatt Earp" is indoubtedly better history but it isn't a better read. If you can only read one book about Earp, this may be the best one to read.

As a writer for the Atlantic Monthly, Vogue, New York Times Sunday Magazine, and the Village Voice Francis Fitzgerald visited Vietnam in 1966, a critical year in the U.S. involvment in Vietnam. From this visit, Ms. Fitzgerald developed an interest in Vietnam that culminated in what is generally considered to be one of the preeminent texts on the U.S. involvment in Vietnam. The text, Fire In The Lake, provides astute historical, cultural, and political analysis of the war for those who wish to understand how the United States lost the 'hearts and minds' of the Vietnamize people, and thus ultimately the war. Fire In The Lake, along with Dispatches (by M.Kerr), A Rumor of War (P.Caputo), Going After Cacciato (by T.O'Brien), A Bright Shining Lie (by N.Sheenan), and The Sorrow Of War (by B.Ninh) form the essential elements of any library on the Vietnam war. I should add, Fire In The Lake won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Bancroft Prize for History. Please do not be dissuaded from reading this important work by other reviews posted here.

Twenty-eight years after publication, and 25 after the war's end, Fire in the Lake remains one of the very best books on the Viet Nam war. Sadly, Americans are woefully ignorant of the rest of the world. We have little real knowledge of our own history; but for the rest of the world's history and culture, we have neither knowledge nor regarad. We do not even do the Vietnamese people the courtesy of respecting the name of their country--Viet Nam, not Vietnam; Sai Gon, not Saigon. FitzGerald helps to correct some of this ignorance and arrogance. She begins examining the U.S. in Viet Nam from the perspective of Vietnamese history and culture; and in the process, demonstrating the tenacity and courage of the Vietnamese people, as well as their determination to rid themselves of any foreign invaders, even if, as with the Chinese, it takes 1,000 years. Another great strength of FitzGerald's book is, with her attention to Viet Nam's history and culture and their 20th century struggle against the French, she demonstrates, in an almost matter of fact way, a fundamental tenent of U.S. foreign policy which has been repeated numerous times in the post World War II era. That central tenent is to support thugs over patriots, to elevate to power those who will sell out their people for 30 pieces of silver rather than work with those committed to the well being of their people. Ho Chi Minh was our ally during WWII; his hero was Thomas Jefferson, not Karl Marx or Stalin. He was very pro-American; yet he was a nationalist and a patriot first, which meant, from the perspective of the U.S., he was not only unreliable, but someone who had to be destroyed. And though FitzGerald does not carry her analysis beyond Viet Nam, an informed or a curious reader quickly can draw the parallels between U.S. policy in Viet Nam and U.S. policy in Africa, the Middle East, the Pacific rim (Indonesia specifically), South America, the Caribbean, and most obviously of all, Central America. Thus FitzGerald gives us not only the means of understanding the war in Viet Nam, and why we were doomed to lose, but also a point of departure for understanding the travesty of U.S. foreign policy for the last 100 years. Simply stated, the United States is an (economic) empire which cares nothing about democracy, self determination in other countries, which sees other people's patriotism and love of country as a threat to U.S. imperial interests. We can learn a lot from what FitzGerald has to say, about the Vietnames, and especially about ourselves.

As a Vietnamese reader, this book is a precious one about a dark period of our country's history. Ms. Fitzgerald says for us what we've tried to say that American values differ from Vietnamese values. As one wise man said: The West has democracy and liberty, the East has morality and honor. People who disagree with this book are obviously still under the murky water of ignorance.

This is the first work I've read of McGahern's and I was deeply moved by the lyrical writing, the poetic descriptions of the countryside and its wildlife, the lake, which looms like a living character around the lives of the village in northwest Ireland, and the precise character descriptions that bring subtle, nuanced portraits of the inhabitants to life. The work centers on a childless married couple who have escaped London to live in their cosy cottage by the lake, their farming routines, and the lives of their neighbors and an uncle named the Shah, who is the richest man in the area. All these characters are portrayed sympathetically and with great empathy. They speak richly and colorfully, and the rhythms of their speech ceaselessly entertain throughout the novel.
I have to admit, however, that I did grow restless with the structure of the work, and the impressionistic techniques of the narrative that repeated a bit too much for me, which is why I've withheld the fifth star in my rating. However, this work is well worth reading, and I'm very happy that I did.

A gentleness and warmth infuse this paean to small town Irish life and the usually loving connections among the residents. Almost plotless in the traditional sense, the book achieves surprising power through its sensitive and sometimes humorous portrayals of "everyday" characters as they work their land, respond to the needs of their neighbors, celebrate milestones, and observe the lyrically described changes in flora and fauna around the lake during one year. It's a magnificent novel, a testament (and, unfortunately, perhaps also a memorial) to a vanishing way of life and the enduring connections, both among men and with the land, which have shaped the Irish character and spawned its traditions.

The Ruttledges have returned to Ireland after advertising careers in London, renewing connections with their kin and settling "by the lake," where they are greeted first by Jamesie Murphy and his wife Mary, who bring food, and then by the unforgettable roue of the village, John Quinn, who wants them to find him a wife from out of town, as he's already too well known to be successful in his own village. Other characters, each unique, give color and a sense of reality to life by the lake: Jimmy Joe McKiernan, the local Provo leader who led the breakout from Long Kesh; the pathetic Bill Evans, an orphan brought up by the nuns, then farmed out to an unfeeling family to work when he was 14; Cecil Pierce, the local Protestant; Johnny Murphy, Jamesie's brother, who visits each summer from London, where he lives in relative exile after being dumped by the woman he loved; the Shah, a Ruttledge relative who became hugely successful in the junk business; Patrick Ryan, who never seems to finish the building projects he's doing for his neighbors; and many others who illustrate the charms and frustrations of small town life and the forces which have shaped it. Significantly, all the main characters are middle-aged or older, the young having been lured already to big cities. As one character says, "After us there'll be nothing but the water hen and swan."

As the reader shares the passage of the year with the residents, observing the celebrations of birth, the rites of death, and the homely activities which give meaning to life by the lake, it's impossible not to feel a sense of profound melancholy and to mourn the loss of this rapidly disappearing life. As McGahern himself says, "[The days] did not feel particularly quiet or happy, but through them ran the sense...that there would come a time when these days would be looked back on as happiness, all that life could give of contentment and peace." With its profound openness to the sensations of the moment, its constant awareness of even the subtlest changes in nature, and its joy in human connections, it's a life which few harried city dwellers ever know.

John McGahern's By the Lake is wonderful, charming novel about a year in the life of the people living around an Irish lake. Nothing groundbreaking happens in the novel and there is not much of a plot, just the stories of the people around the lake. You come to know their quirks, their foibles, their strengths as you read the novel. The focal point of the novel is the house of Kate and Ruttledge, a couple who have relocated from London for a simpler life. People stop by for a drink, or some tea and they hear all about the local gossip, they farm and raise livestock. An ordinary story told in extraordinary fashion. McGahern writes beautifully, with each sentence wonderfully evocative. By the Lake is a lovely novel, to be slowly savoured.

It's hard to explain all the emotions that you experience while reading this story, from crying to anger. Clear Lake Dark Lies was written very well, easy reading and puts you right into the story as if you were right there experiencing every wakening minute yourself. It's a book you can't put down once you start reading. I recommend this book to everyone and I think it could help others out there build the strength they need to get rid of the bad guys in their life. I'm looking forward to reading his next book, 'Where Big Trees Fall'.

A comment I have to make after reading some of the reviews. Clear Lake Dark Lies is rated "fiction", the only bad words you can say about this book and/or the author is if you are one of the bad people and the truth is bothering you now, otherwise, you wouldn't have the slightest idea this is a true story.

Jeff, you'll always be in my heart.

This was a great book, I believe it could very well be true to some who have really lived it. I believe the crys of childern are heard in this book and by writing such a story like this may open the eyes of many who are unaware of what could be going on in there community. I believe Many people look the other way, but this book will make you stop and think what is really going on in the neighbor hood! So don't miss reading this one.

I finally read your book this weekend, loved it. It was really good, really really good. Good Job on your first book. Hope you write more.

I rate the first book in the Guenevere series 3 1/2 stars. This second one leans towards 3 3/4 stars. It's not quite a 4, but it's a bit better than GUENEVERE Queen of the Summer Country, because it's more suspenseful somehow. It was rather good. The only thing that I felt bogged this book down was the repetition. In the early chapters especially, we read about a lot of things that we already know from Book One.

In fairness though, I really liked the way author Rosalind Miles handled the story so that I anticipated what was going to happen next, even though King Arthur's tale is already widely known. As the reader, you find yourself excited at the unfolding of little events, like how Guenevere gets out of her trial, etc. It's not the "if" really, because those familiar with this same story as told in other books already know the answer to that. Reading Miles' take on the legend makes us want to know the details of her version of the story.

If you were enthralled by the first book in this series, read this second one. I myself am almost halfway through the third!

I was terribly impressed by the first in the Guenevere series, "Guenevere: Queen of the Summer Country." I can't say that I was disappointed with the second installment, but it did not quite live up to the magic of the first.

As often happens with the middle book in a trilogy, there seems to be a moderate amount of filler material and repetition in the action. Having said that, I most definitely still enjoy some of the liberties and twists that Miles has taken with traditional Arthurian legend. Hearing the story from Guenevere's perspective is a wonderful way to go. At times I wanted to shake the characters and tell them to stop their whining, but despite some of their bad choices, they were well-rounded and believable.

Even though I enjoyed this book less than the first, I will continue to follow the series, and anxiously anticipate reading the third book. I am curious to see how Miles will wrap up her story and how it will mirror traditional Arthurian legend. Miles has a delightfully rich writing style that serves to greatly enhance her stories.

If you haven't read Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country--which is the first book in this series--you should buy it right away. Rosalind Miles' vision of Camelot through the eyes of Queen Guenevere is lyrical and romantic without seeming sappy or trite--in fact, she's got a wonderfully sharp feminist edge, not to mention real talent as a storyteller. Like the first book, this was a delightful read. I can't wait for the third book in the series!

I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that as a junior literature major, this is the first time I have ever read The Iliad all the way through. Though I can't compare the Rouse translation to others, I can say a few words based on my perception of it. First, you'll notice that it is a prose, not poetry. This did not hinder the experience for me, but individual readers may wish to experience this classic the other way. I found it to be much easier reading than I expected, with the central characters easy to remember and follow. The story clips along rapidly and is rarely boring. The introduction states that much of the repetition that would be necessary for oral storytelling has been removed for the benefit of the reader, which I found to be a positive. However, there is still plenty of repetition of certain phrases ("and darkness covered his eyes" or "rattling armor" come to mind) and there is no shortage long lineages or lists of previously anonymous characters killed in battle. Still, it is worthwhile to get to know Homer and this seems like a reasonable translation to begin with.

I am a retired high school and college instructor who taught the Iliad many times at both levels. The Rouse version was always my translation of choice, and it was enormously successful. The complaints (or halfhearted commendations here) miss the point. Most seem to think that Rouse's "plain English" version is a diminution of the original. All translations are! Rouse merely eliminated many epithets and repetitions (necessary in the meter of the poem and unnecessary in prose). But Rouse is extremely accurate within his chosen limits and the result is a brilliant achievement: a fast-moving text (as is the original) that is colloquial where appropriate, noble sithout being stuffy when nobility is called for; the result is an always ongoing, rapidly moving narrative told in vivid, sinewy prose that simply hurtles you along. It does not attempt to give the more complex reading experience that Fitzgerald and Lattimore and Fagles achieve in their superb verse translations; but these are best reserved for second . . .or 17th readings, once the complex story and relations between characters are mastered. And indeed, none of the more famous verse translations (Pope's is to be avoided: it's a beautiful Augustan poem, not Homer)--none come close to Rouse's focused and frightening rendering of Achilles' on the battlefield, once he goes into action. In short, Rouse is in spirit thoroughly "Homeric"--by turns racy and funny, savage, noble, ultimately tragic as, e.g., the dreadful Victorian versions of Butler and Lang, Leaf, & Myers are not and should be avoided). Even with the small point-size in which the text was set, Rouse's Homer is not just a bargain: it's a treasure bought at a small price.

I have been reading two translations of Homer's Iliad over the past several weeks: Robert Fagles' 1990 translation and Alexander Pope's 1743 translation. I have read the two translations in tandem, one "book" at a time. I first read Mr Fagle's translation, then the notes of Mr Pope, and finally his translation. I would call this one of the finest reading experiences of my life. I read both translations out-loud, or at least in a whisper. This winter-time reading experience has been, for me, a labor of love, a stimulating intellectual experience, a study in contrasts, and a return to the sources of Western Literature. I find Homer as fascinating as Alexander Pope claims him to be. Although his long narrative describes only a few days of the ten years war between Greece and Troy, he makes it interesting by his variety of metaphors, his close description of characters, and his attention to detail. Every man who dies is a person, with family, friends, history, and personality. Some are likeable, others are not; but in any case there are no ciphers in Homer's war. I am fascinated too by the developing theological issues of this six century BCE civilization. We might have to worship these meddlesome gods and their All-powerful Zeus, but do we always have to respect them? They seem to be all too human. In fact, the gods themselves seem to be trapped in an eternally frustrating struggle. Zeus is condemned to defend his sovereignty against a panoply of gods who must always resent his authority. Meanwhile, he is lonely, and he cannot stop himself from occasionally confiding in "that bitch" his sister and wife, Hera. She reminds me of a woman in a recent movie who said "Sometimes being a bitch is the only way a woman can save her self-respect." (Or something to that effect.) "Hera" represents that eternally angry woman who will not and cannot buckle under male domination. I find myself being grateful to this western tradition which has honored and preserved the memory of Homer and kept these ancient books in tact. I grieve at the thought of ancient celtic, african, and native american epics that have been lost or so badly mangled that they cannot be restored. I understand that there has been an enormous flurry of excitement over Mr Fagles' translation and I am certainly caught up in it as well. He tells these stories with excitement and conviction; they are as plausible and coherent today as they must have been to the privileged listeners who sat at the feet of Homer. But I am also grateful to Penguin Press who last year celebrated their 50th anniversary by republishing this magnificent translation by Alexander Pope. I only wish more of the reading public had heard about the celebration. I hate to admit that I was an indifferent student in college. I had other things on my mind. But now, in my middle years, I am glad to have the time and opportunity, to curl up with two great translations of Homer's Iliad on a winter's evening, to discover again the joy of reading superb English.