Robinson Crusoe is one of the first English novels. Written by Daniel DeFoe in the early 18th century during the rise of economic theory, this book chronicles the struggle of an economic hero shipwrecked on an island. He takes advantage of people, always looking to make money or increase economic value. Although Crusoe has religious experiences and gets preachy at times (DeFoe was of Puritan stock at a time when Puritanism was a significant force), Crusoe is a practical man. He does not let morals get in the way of carving out a prosperous life -- there are scenes where the main character is no role model. The novel is episodic, with Crusoe hopping from one scene to another. The narration isn't smooth. However, the "flaws" when compared to later writings may be forgiven because Robinson Crusoe is an early novel. Writers had not worked out the fine points of the genre. DeFoe is an important early English novelist who cobbled together economic theory, religious opinion, travel writing, and borrowed material from a contemporary shipwreck victim to create a work of fiction. Robinson Crusoe is often mislabelled as a childrens book. Perhaps in a watered down abridgement, it is a good children's book. The original, complete, unabridged work is a literary classic that should be read by any student of English literature.

Robinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe

This book is about adventure and survival. About 300years ago, a man called Robinson Crusoe was shipwrecked on a desert island. This book tells about how he lived there for about 30 years. The character, Robinson Crusoe, is very clever and resourceful. The book describes how he hunts goats and how he built a house and how he makes a boat. This is well written and easy to understand. The setting of the book is on a desert island. The Author describes this island as beautiful and big. Robinson Crusoe was able to survive on this island. When I started reading the book I thought it would be a good book. I was so excitied when I was reading this book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes survival and adventure. Since it's written in so many different versions, a person almost any age can read it.

This is not a novel for those who like quick action and a lot of dialogue. Robinson Crusoe is superbly written, and tends to draw out the events, with a great deal of imagery provided in order to describe everything with minute details. Seeing as to how this is one of my favorite novels, I have read Robinson Crusoe probably about six times, in more than one language. My favorite aspect of this novel is the language in which it is written. Defoe's ability to make every word worth reading is enough to captivate and ignite the imagination. I do not think that if you like fast-paced novels that you would enjoy this masterpiece, but it is a matter of personal preference. If you enjoy well-developed character, then Robinson Crusoe's charater is one worth devoting your time to. Defoe creates a human being, with faults and flaws, as well as dignified qualities. Robinson Crusoe is truly worthy of emulation, and is one of the greatest-developed characters in a work of literature. I recommend this novel to anyone who is willing to take the time to read every sentence and who is not so impatient as to expect action to appear on every page of the novel.

I should begin this review by stating that it is biased. I do not like Diane Di Prima's writing. I do not like Diane Di Prima. I spoke to her on the phone for about an hour and you know what? I still don't like her. I wish I did. I wish I could sit and read and enjoy the works of a woman who managed to pull off what no other woman really did as a woman of the beat generation. Most women of the beat generation are associated with it because, though they may be talented, they were married to Kerouac or Cassady or were some great feminine ideal or something like that. Not Di Prima. As she tells it, she had to give up most of her femininity in order to take her place as a Beat Gen author. That deserves respect.

That said, "Memoirs of a Beatnik" was written to make money. Sex sells. If you are searching for the truth you won't find it here really. But it is worth reading. The reader must take into account the fact that it is not about truth, but about the exploitation of an image of a generation. I found it to be pretty insghtful as far as what people expected of a beatnik book (as this was already covered by another reviewer I will not go into the differences between beatnik and Beat, but suffice it to say, in my opinion, yes, this is a beatnik book). This is what people thought the beat lifestyle was about. This is what caused them to hire Beatniks for entertainment at parties. I think it is definitely worth reading if only to look at the whole thing through that sort of a light - what beatnik as an image meant. And most of all, we should not critisize Di Prima for wanting to make money. She saw how to do and she did. That's all right in my book. Overall she is a woman to be respected, even if I don't like her poetry and find her to be a rude and abrasive person (both of which are traits that I think made her able to succeed).

This book has been both torn apart and praised but I seem to view it as something other than what most others do and in that I find entertainment and an intersting (if somewhat oversexed) version of her life. But that is the crux of the matter...it is entertaining and well written. Keep this in mind and you will enjoy it.

a recent article on diane diprima in the chicago tribune (4/19/2000) called di prima's "memoirs of a beatnik" - "a sort of insider's Beat exploitation book Di Prima wrote in 1968 for Maurice Girodias' Olympia Press in Paris because she needed money badly--and quickly." It goes on to state that "It is mostly accurate, [di prima] said, except for the sex parts."

with that said, i doubt the book aspires to make any type of high-brow feminist or literary statement. the fact that is does make any such statement can be attributed to the time in which it was written. it is basically an account of a young woman venturing out on her own in times when young women did not do such things. young women lived at home, maybe went away to college, met a nice suitable young man, and got married. maybe had a job as a typist in the meantime. sex was not something young women from nice families experimented with.

this is not to say the book does not have its merits. it is artfully written, intelligent, and poetic. it's a great look at the obstacles women faced when they decided to do their own thing, especially when that differed from society's norms. it's a peek inside the counterculture that was growing larger and larger thanks to a certain jack kerouac. all of this raises the book above being just plain old erotica. as a fan of beat writing and culture, i enjoyed the book very much.

of course, the drawback to this book is that someone reading this book without knowledge of the context in which it was published will come away from it with a view of the beats that is as cartoonish and two-dimensional as the rest of society's view was of them at the time. "oh wow, look, the beats were always having sex." - "oh yeah, man, that's what they were about. coffee, sex, and alcohol. (and bongos and poetry and black berets)"

maybe that's why the title of this book is "memoirs of a beatnik," and not "memoirs of a beat." major difference.

I really wanted to like this book. I read 50 pages and found myself completely unmoved by the story and the pursuit of the killer. The writing is good: sharp, clear, fast paced. Kinky's view of the world is original with plenty of good oneliners. My main problem is the genre rather than the book - if you're into crime you will probably dig it. Most crime books are entirely plot based with not much characterisation. This is the inherent problem for me with this one. Without finding out about the characters you simply don't care if they live, die or get caught. A nice cup of tea becomes a more interesting option than trawling through another 200 pages to find the killer. I did find the killer by going straight to the end. Sam Cooke would have been proud.

The flow of the book is a little strange. It starts out in short, sometimes incomplete sentences which bothered me a little. However, once I got into the book and used to the flow, I thouroughly enjoyed it! Kinky Friedman is the main character who is a country singer turned private sleuth. The crime and clues are as puzzling as the strange array of friends and suspects. I thought I had the mystery figured out about 6 times, but did not know the truth until the end. Puzzling, Funny, and Bizarre are the best words to describe the Kinkster. A very entertaining read!

I picked up "Greenwich Killing Time" on a whim...partly because of the cover art and partly because it was in the $... sale table at the local bookstore. Thus I became addicted to Kinky's tales of his Village Irregulars, his family, and especially his cat. I can sing along with all his tunes. I own, personally, a guitar pick with "Kinky" emblazoned across it, a gift from the man himself. You know...in rereading this, I realize that I sound like a really sad, pathetic person. Hmm. Maybe he'll put me in one of his books.

The Greenwich Diet is another take on today's popular low-carb diets. It is similiar to many low-carb diets, but addresses some of the concerns associated with those diets. The diet involves consuming a fair amount of high quality protein. Unlike other low-carb diets, animal fats are restricted. Colker seems to feel that saturated fats are a health risk and concentrates on consuming healthy fats -- fish oils, etc. The only carbohydrates allowed on the diet are incidental carbs that occur in vegetables. Direct carbohydrate sources such as breads and pastas are off limits. Vegetable consumption is very high and is used as a source of fiber and other nutrients.

On the downside, I was disappointed with the lack of detail in the book. Colker describes the processes that cause a low carbohydrate diet to result in fat loss, but doesn't give the detail I was hoping for. After reading the book I found myself purchasing additional books to help understand how these diets really work.

Since Colker was a former bodybuilder and powerlifter I was hoping for more information about how this diet relates to athletes. Exercise is covered in the book and he emphasizes how important exercise is to include with any diet, but he doesn't discuss the issues of athletic performance and this diet. In particular I was looking for information about energy and muscle growth in carbohydrate restricted environments. For this information you'll need to look elsewhere ("The Ketogenic Diet").

Finally, other reviews have complained about the many references to a particular supplement company in this book. On my initial read I didn't think too much of these, especially after reading the note at the end of the book which states that Colker receives no money for promoting these products. However, on subsequent reads I think he could have de-emphasized this company a bit and talked about the supplement industry as a whole. The repetitive plugs have made me a bit more skeptical.

One closing note -- I tried emailing the address given at the end of the book with my questions and was pleasantly surprised to receive a reply from the author within a couple days.

This book, The Greenwich Diet takes the best of Atkins with the best of The Zone, while avoiding both the weaknesses of Atkins and the Zone and privides a easy to implement plan for lifestyle enhancement. I found the book well written with a cognizant and logical approach to why we should minimize the "simple carbs" and increase both protein and fiber in our diet. Additionally, there appears to be great benefit to getting the right types and amounts of fat in our diets. I recommend this book to those of you who are trying to lose weight, want to eat healthier and question the Food Pyramid as sound nutrition advice. The author, a frequent contributor to Muscular Development Magazine is very consistant in his writings and personal approach to wellness. Dr Colker walks the walk when it comes to eating and training in the manner described in his column and this easy to read book. I personally liked the tips on dining in and out, sample menus, recipes and lifestyle tips.

The Greenwich Diet, while not such a diet appears to me to be more of a lifestyle approach rather than a diet. There is the reduction in carbohydrates, especially the negative "simple sugars", while the author recommends to eat more of the healthy fats (i.e., cold water fish). I especially enjoyed the sections linking evolution, Sumo wrestlers and Thanksgiving (you have to read the book to understand the reference). I do liken Dr Colker's approach to a cross between the better aspects of the Zone with some Atkins thrown in, but with many real scientific references (I checked some of them) which help give the author's theories credence.

In short, if you are looking to learn about healthy eating, obtain an energetic lifestyle and do not mind taking the occassional supplement (vitamin, etc.), this book is for you. It helped me lose 15 pounds in one month.

It's a start... I wish Amazon would list your other work.

It was great meeting you in Edmonton, and thanks for talking with us for as long as you did. I know you were tired. Your step mom sounds like a trip. If you're ever in Houston, look me up!

I like the story on how this family made it to the upper middle class. The author was insightful of the attitudes they had to overcome and that was interesting. However, the book was slow reading. It was difficult to stay focused and follow at times. I found that the book just ended. Kind of left one hanging. I felt the author should have told about what happened with the twins and Tommytwo.

Good Fences is a well-written and provocative debut novel from Erica Ellis. The reader is introduced to an African American family where the father, Tom Spader is a successful attorney and his wife, Mabel, is a stay-at-home mom. When Tom wins a big case he decides to move his family to the 'snooty' suburbs of Greenwich, CT. Ellis has a great premise and one that I thought was long overdue regarding an overlooked African American group-the upwardly mobile, affluent individuals who move to the predominantly white suburbs to attain the American Dream-two story home with the white picket fence, two car garage and 2.5 children. However, somewhere around the middle of the storyline, the message sort of fizzled. The characters became unrealistic and weren't very plausible and the storyline was quite choppy. Events would start or happen but never be resolved. The narrative really got in the way of the telling of the story...I think maybe if the characters were allowed to tell the story their voices would have given more life and realism to a poignant and provocative subject matter. One a positive note, the book was short and I was able to read it in one sitting...although it fell short of my expectations.

I appreciated Ms. Ellis' style from the moment I began to the book. The story unfolds not so much as story driven but as character driven, snippets into the lives of those she writes about.

At points brave, bold, humorous and poignant I never knew what to expect from page to page and that is what made this read so good for me. It takes real talent to pull such a work off and Ms. Ellis has done that.

Every book is not for everyone but if you're looking for food for the brain then this is the book for you and in my opinion that is the best kind of writing. Make us think, catch us off guard, surprise us, enlighten us.

There's only one word for this debut novel --- YES!

Erika Ellis is on my 'author's to watch' list and I will be keeping my eye out for any future works. You go girl...

This was the first Fast book that I've read. I agree with the majority of the reviews that the story line and characters were thin. I was glad to finish the book so I could read something good by another author.

The plot is "thin" because Fast's characters are rather plain everyday people. If you thought this book was about the excessiveness of the Hamptons and its lively inhabitants --- forget about it. Howard Fast has spent his career writing about normal people whom become entangled within events that they cannot control or foresee. I recommend this book for readers who are interested about people and how they try to understand human nature without losing hope or faith.

This book is about a murder of a lady in a town called Greenwich. The police are trying to find out who murdered her, but there are not any clues. But then all of a sudden the police find one small but important clue that really helped there them to solve their case. I like this book because I like mysteries and I also like Howard Fast's book. This was a very well written book because of all of the description, but because of all the descriptio0n the investigation part was very slow. The beginning and end to the book are very good.