We all know that for every action there is a reaction, especially when treating medical patients. The patient either has a positive or negative reaction. Charlotte Perkins Gilman describes the affects of the medical treatment for women in The Yellow Wallpaper. She writes about a woman that supposedly needs medical treatment and is treated by her own husband. I feel that Gilman uses setting to create a place where the woman feels that she cannot be healed. Also, she has the woman act sane and aware in the beginning of the short story to point out that she does have a chance to be cured. Gilman's work is a great example of showing the medical treatment style in that time and the affects it has on patients. The doctors are not listening to their woman patients, not realizing that woman respond better when they talk out their problems and have someone to listen to and understand them.
Gilman's use of an unlikable setting sets the stage for disaster, which is a great technique. Gilman has the woman set up in a romm that is absolutely dull and depressing. The woman is not satisfied with her room and wishes to be somewhere more pleasant to spend her time. "I don't like our room at all...The paint and paper look as if a boys school used it...it is dull enough to confuse the eye in following..." (Pg, 43) The room has bars on the windows, the wallpaper is torn, and the headbaord is chewed on. It is no place for a patient. I feel that anyone would just want to die.
In the beginning of the story, Gilman has the woman patient sounds sane as if she could be cured in no time at all. The husband does not listen to his wife and he states that she need not do anything to stress herself out. It means that she should not lift a finger. The woman states, "Personally, I disagree with their ideas. Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good." (Pg, 42) I feel that Gilman shows the reader right away the correct medical treatment method. Gilman also slips in the damaging affects that are caused by the phosphites the woman takes. She writes, "My brother is a physician...and says the same thing. So I take the phosphates and phosphites." (Pg, 42) I believe it again points out that Gilman is mocking the medical treatment.
John, the woman's husband, went to medical school and the treatment he uses now is what he learned there. The author is pointing out that it is not personally his fault for the results of the patient, meaning his wife's results. It seems that Gilamn is focusing on the fact that medical doctors are not listening to women patients and becoming aware that women need to be open with their problems. Otherwise they cannot be curred.
It seems that Gilman is trying to explain the problems of the medical treatments for women, in my opinion, is outstanding. Mixing a light tone of writing, using setting poperfully, and ensuring the woman in the story that she is sane for the start. Overall, the short story is a success in acheiving those goals

Gilman was a feminist, a radical suffragist and a woman who was told that all of her thoughts and energies ought to be solely focused on something that she wasn't really interested in being: a mother. She suffered from post-partum depression and severe anxiety later in life. The title story, "the Yellow Wallpaper" is a semi-autobiographical account of what happened when she had to go through a "rest cure" for her "hysteria." The title story is her most well-known, but the other writings are very good too, and worth a second look. She wrote prolifically-- and deserves to be better known.

The first time I ever encountered this story was at a dramatic interpretation contest in high school-- and when the girl performing this did her descent into madness, it made the hair crawl on the back of my neck. If you really think about what's going on, you too will be creeped out.

Bess is a funny girl with a sad secret.Her mother who was also funny, but who also suffered depression,committed suicide recently.Bess tries to go on with her life and plans to become a comedy writer although she believes she is too shy to become an actual comedian.She scores a job as an intern on a comedian's talk show and there she meets Elliot,strange and funny.He convinces her to start a stand-up routine with him!All the while Bess finds a close friend and mother figure in(whatsername) who is a writer(or something)for the talk show.

*This is a witty,humorous novel that is a pleasure from start to finish.

After reading 'Say Goodnight Gracie' and 'Chicago Blues', both of which I could not put down, I found this book, 'You Bet Your Life' to be even better. The characters are fun, and the dialogue will keep you laughing throughout the whole book. If you like Julie Reece Deaver you'll love this book!

The goal was to write an ad that not only captured my being and that would list what I was looking for. This gave me direction to focus on what I really wanted, how to say it and how to ask what I was looking for in a simple personal ad.

"Well-written personal ads are a solution more professional people are choosing."

Recently the Wall Street Journal ran an article on September 17, 2002 showing how nearly 34 million people surf the web to view personal ads.

Many people are caught up in a busy lifestyle and don't always have as much time to attend a wide variety of social activities. Writing personal ads has become the most expedient and preferred way to meet people. These days anyone from 18-90 can find a partner through personal ads.

I can't tell you how many people have written me telling me they are still looking for their "dream person" and now I have a book to recommend to them. Either they are looking for people in all the wrong places or they have stopped trying because finding that one person they want to be with seems almost impossible.

Charlotte Digregorio approaches this subject with humor and creativity. First she explains how you can use this book to your advantage and then gives specific details to help you compose that "perfect personal ad."

You will find hundreds of tips, useful phrases and descriptive words. There are also examples of ads you would never want to write and some pretty hilarious examples. I loved: "Prince in Hiding." If I was writing an ad, I'd have to say: "Looking for Prince who is secretly a French chef presently hiding out in secluded castle by the sea. Must enjoy reading me poetry in bed and love spending April in Paris."

How fun, you could "write your fantasy" into life. Of course, I'm joking around, but this
book could literally bring anyone from anywhere in the world into your life.

Contents:

General Tips on Personal Ads
Writing Gaffes
A Sampling of Inadequate Ads
Useful Phrases
A Sampling of Creative Ads

As far as safety goes, Charlotte gives some excellent reasons why you should meet people in a public place for "lunch or coffee" and always be honest and original, yet cautious. The author also shows how most people tend to leave out the most essential information. This is the main reason you might not be getting the desired responses from your ad.

Charlotte advises her readers to make each word count and to use a headline to set the ad apart as a unique and exciting choice. She advises some soul searching to determine who you really are, who you are looking for and the relationship you really want to seek.

"I like to have fun" is not sufficient. As she says: "Does fun mean you like to play basketball or swing from chandeliers?"

You might want to ask:

How do I spend my free time?
Is social or educational background important?
What type of personality do I seek?

Within this unique book you will also find a sampling of over 100 Ads that range from
ultra conservative to rather spicy.

It should be noted that Charlotte has written ads for friends and those ads have resulted in six marriages to date! She is also a professional writer and author of three books and over 700 articles. She is now a popular speaker, workshop leader and respected writer on single's issues.

The author found her "dream person" through a personal ad so is well qualified to give advice on this subject. After reading this book, you will soon see that she is the expert on this subject for sure!

This book is for anyone who:

Does not want to bar-hop.
Doesn't want to invest in a costly dating service.
Doesn't have time to attend a variety of activities to meet that dream person.
Hasn't had success with the personal ads they have written.

The perfect gift for your single friends who are dying to meet their ultimate fantasy. It is also just pure fun to read even if you are not single. Even more fun than reading the ads in the paper or online.

An amusing, helpful and delicious read.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

This slim novel begins with a scrawny young girl sleeping in a dung heap. The heroine, who is nameless as well as homeless, uses the dung for heat, a decision that Jane Sharp, the town's midwife, recognizes as a clever one. Jane hires the girl and names her Beetle, for dung beetle.

Beetle is a smart, compassionate girl, but a timid one, too. She allows Jane Sharp to boss her around and the local boys to tease her mercilessly.

Karen Cushman chose the England of the Middle Ages as a setting for the book, and has researched the subject exhaustively. We learn about village life, medicine, feudal structure, and the place of women in that society. Most enjoyable to follow is Beetle's progress from a scared, meek little girl to a self-assured young woman who has chosen her own name: Alyce.

While not romanticizing Alyce's situation, Cushman makes it clear how much more is available to her than to upper class women of her time. At the end of the book, Alyce chooses her own future from several options. She selects the life that will allow her the most independence. With a name and a career of her own choosing, Alyce has come far indeed from the dung heap.

I really liked the way this book portrayed the period that it was written in. From the filthy surroundings to the bad health care to the extreme superstition, not a detail was missed. This book also shows that with a small chance and a lot of courage, you can make anything out of yourself. Here's how the plot went:

Beetle was living on the street the night she decided to use the dung heap for a bed. The heap provided warmth, and, in the morning, a day's work and some food from the local midwife, Jane Sharp. Soon, that one day turns into months, as Beetle becomes the midwife's apprentice. Eventually, she gets a new name, Alys, and a new status. But all is not well, for failure comes knocking at Alys's door, and instead of facing it, she decides to run away. She goes to an inn, and here, with the help of her cat and a scribe, she learns that she is smart, she is pretty, and that maybe failure her failure wasn't so bad after all.

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman is a splendid book that will transport you to the 14th century medieval England. Her vivid details and rich language will virtually place you right into the story. Through the eyes of Alyce you are taken on an amazing journey of self identity. Alyce, the main character starts off her journey nameless, and moves from being called Brat, to Beetle, to her most valued name Alyce. The beginning of the story portrays Alyce as a homeless, nameless, frail girl, searching for a full belly, a content heart, and a warm place to sleep. She wanders from village to village finding scraps of food and warmth inside dung heaps being teased and taunted. One day to her surprise she is found by Jane a midwife. This is where her true journey begins. Through the tough, stern, and greedy midwife, Alyce learns important midwifery skills, courage, and discovers her place in this world. Karen Cushman succeeds in creating a character who is coming of age that young people can relate to today. Although Alyce comes from a different era and time as young people today, Karen does a fabulous job of displaying the same difficulties and experiences that contemporary readers today are facing. Alyce is a heorine that you will fall in love with. Through her hardships and her courage, Alyce establishes a sense of identity. I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up. This age group can relate to the struggles of Alyce, as well as enjoy her qualities. The language and content is something I feel that 12 year olds can understand and have the appropriate background experiences to truly engage with Alyce. I loved the book and would recommend it to my 7th grade students as well as others.

Lonely Planet Peru by Rob Rachowiecki is a good guide for Peru, but however, like others have said, this edition does not have much difference from the last edition. Many of the parts of Lima, Cuzco, etc., have not been changed at all, or if it has, it has been minimal. The chapter on Lima really needs to be updated, especially the introduction. Another problem is that the author has discluded many interesting places in Peru, such as the towns around Ayacucho. It says the names of towns, but the book never tells the reader about the place. Again, another problem with this book is its lackluster detail on Peruvian food. Peruvian food is in the top three of the western hemisphere for quality and the quantity of dishes, yet the author only mentions a scat few. Overall, this book is good for those who want a small and light book to take with you to Peru, but get another book that's even more updated like the Rough Guide to Peru. Technically, I would rate this edition 3 and a half stars.

like all travel guides, you can find something that is not there in 'lonely planet peru'... i traveled peru for three months last year and had the advantage of using three different guidebooks along the way... they all have their pros and cons, so a review of any of them must necessarily discuss these:

the pros: the maps and city plans are substantially better than in the competitors' guidebooks (where footprint is severely lacking, for example)... lonely planet is one of the few cheap-o style travel guidebooks that gives you information on at least a few hotels that are not youth hostels, dives or other forms of bottom-barrel accommodation; in other words, they at least give you a few mid-range and expensive options if you wish to go that way... all the essentials are there, with great suggestions on places to sleep, eat and visit

the cons: as with ALL of the backpacker/youth travel guidebooks (LP, footprint, rough guide, let's go), the information on sights/monuments/museums, etc., is SEVERELY lacking... there is just the most basic of information on the history of the sights that you have gone so far to see... which makes it necessary to buy another book, pay an expensive guide or some such thing... (for instance, you will rarely read detailed descriptions of the artwork to be found in a church and are often left wandering about saying 'this is so beautiful, i wonder what it is...i wish the guidebook would tell me more!') i know this would make the guidebooks huge, but even 50% more information would be wonderful so as to have a little bit more of a grip on what you are looking at after taking a 12-hour bus ride through the andes to get there!

which is why, despite its quality, i always felt the need to take another guidebook along, just in case...using my usual technique of tearing out just the pages i would need from each book

Whether you're traveling solo or with a group, the Lonely Planet Guide to Peru is by far the best travel book to pack in your suitcase (or backpack). I'll soon be returning to Peru and have read both the Lonely Planet and Insight Guides. Lonely Planet has the most interesting and useful travel information, and a generous helping of history as well. The guide is compact, and if I have any complaints at all, it's that the small print is a bit hard to read by the end of the day; however, it is easier to pack. There are a lot of great city maps, and they ARE big enough to read. Lonely Planet gives you information you won't find in other guides. They have a personal touch only possible when you've been to the place you're writing about. They helped me travel solo in India in 1988 and 1990 and they are as good as ever in 2001. Thanks Lonely Planet! Keep those great guides coming!

Holden Caulfield is an untypical character, scandalously believed to be the epitome of teenage angst. Subjects of his kind are few and far between and worshipers of his ethos contradict themselves with un-Holden-like gestures of 'coolness' and materialism. No wonder Salinger 'pukes', as he might put it, at his cult following, ALMOST the antithesis of what he was trying to promote.(PR)I met a girl outside a nightclub with an American accent. "Have you read 'The Catcher in the Rye'?, I asked. "Yes!!!!", she replied, "I spent a time being in love with Holden Caulfield!". I was pleased, but then she tried to shake my hand in a stylised 'cool' manner. I tried to respond but failed...oh...but she turned on me; "Hey, get with it, man!", and walked off, not annoyed, but none too impressed...the point is 'The Catcher in the Rye' is a comment on society. It is densely planned but sounds like the simply written diary of a complicated, compassionate, emotional person. It is hilarious and tragic, the author engaging one in a seemingly non-technical rollercoaster of truth, of the way life should be and the way people could be. There is no effect of Salinger distancing the reader with any form of over-stylised excess. Holden is talking TO you, not at you. He becomes the reader's friend.(PR) This is no adolescent book: it is universal and for anybody who has sense and compassion enough to understand: the adolescent eyes of Holden Caulfield are used simply as a means of making the point: he hasn't enter the world so his plight becomes more powerful. He doesn't want to because he is more mature...ironically.(PR) The Vespers of wit clothe the more sombre truth in a short, to-the-point novel, written by a perfectionist with no frills, about a man who so longs for an escape route from imperfection. Joseph Zachary Humphries (jzh1ugs@bolton.ac.uk),Bolton, England.

I first read this book when I was a sophomore in high school. I remember myself drawn into it then but after I finished it I thought it was fun but didn't quite think it a classic. Recently, I had felt a need to escape my everyday life and the idea of taking off from my job, roommates, life really appealed to me so I picked up this book again. I read it little bits and pieces and treasured each moment. I really identify with Holden a lot mre now after being in the world for a little bit. Salinger's observations through Holden are interesting and his digressions make for great reads. But what I noticed this time around almost above everything else is the intense and sharp humor of the book. I found myself several times laughing out loud. The book is really funny. Holden's observations are so true, it's just funny. The humor relies on behavior instead of jokes and I think at 24, I've observed more behavior and appreciate the humor. The relationships Holden has a very touching and interesting too. I felt that he was more similar in this regard to an early twenty something than a high schooler, but I think early twenty-somethings are a lot more "phony" than holden so he works better as a high schooler. It's a good book. I want to read it again.

The book "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger is an excellent comming of age novel. You see the world through the eyes of the main character, Holden Caulfield. Salinger uses swirls his unique characters into his "stream of concious" writing style. The blend of Holden's tangents and his simplistic observations of other people serve as a source of comedy and sadness.
Holden is a unique character in himself. He observes other people's "phony" actions and ridicules them for it, when at the same time Holden is not perfect by any means. I think the idea of seeing your self, and self-actuality are two of the novel's main themes. Holden is one of the most prominent protagonists in contemporary literature because he is so easily realted to. His hardships of adolescense can apply to almost every teenage in today's world. The struggle for a purpose in life is one of the biggest challenges that people face, and I think the novel shows one way that a lot of people handle it.
This novel is one of the best books in American contemporary literature because it carries so many themes and ideas about life that everyone can relate to.

I read the book...and regretted it afterwards.
This book has very little in the way of plot. I was re-reading Phantom of the Opera (leroux) at the time and couldn't even bare to touch Night Magic after I was through with it.
Erik is no where near the complicated and intelligent character we have come to know and love in both the musical and the novel, Marisa is a poor excuse for a Christine-wana be. It reads like a bad fanfic, Erik's disfigurement is no obstical were it should be, the only 'bump' in the road of this book really was the fact that Marisa wanted a child. If all you want is some sort of lesser Phantom gets the Girl, then this is it. If you haven't read PoTO then you might enjoy this. But for any true Phan it is deeply dissapointing and you sincerly wish that the one and only Erik would sweep in and kill them all by the end of it.

Overall I had no problems getting through the book and I was never bored at any point in the story. Though since I am a huge Phantom of the Opera phan, this story just couldn't compare with the story written by Leroux and Susan Kay. I felt Marisa was a bit too whiny and practically near nervous break down the entire book, and Erik was a weak sap..he posessed none of the power and majesty a character like Erik should have.

The title of this book pretty much describes my review.
It was pure magic.
I am a huge Phantom of the Opera Phan and have read many of the various books out there on the subject as well as most of the only Phiction written by people like me, and I've even written a few myself. This book is high on my list of favorites.
Allen tells the story in a modern setting, which I had never seen before. This made the book entrancing for me. I could not put it down.
Many Phantom Phans don't like it because it is a modern story with modern themes, but I still see the beautiful story of The Phantom of the Opera under the modern glaze.
It is fascinating to read this book and draw comparissons to the origional story and novel. As you read you can picture the characters perfectly, even with the more modern appearances and descriptions. Allen transports the age-old story into a modern setting without disregarding any detail.
Pure Magic, a must read for any Phan

Wuthering Heights is a disturbingly dark book about love, obsession and revenge. It is a romantic novel full of twists and turns that nearly requires the reader to keep a running dictionary of characters, especially since names have a tendency to pop up in different places and on different people throughout the novel. I read this novel for a class assignment in Victorian Literature but it is helpful to know that the book employs many themes of the Romantic literary genre as well. Victorian ideas of social class are brought up as well as the fantasies of adolescence. Some of the Romantic ideas found in the novels include the idea of the tragic landscape. The landscape of the novel is foreboding and isolated, borrowed most likely from the gothic novel. The characters are extreme in their varying passions and the concept of the dream is used in a type of ghostly communication. One of the story's narrators has a dream of being visited by the ghost of Catherine, which causes a startling and dramatic reaction in Heathcliff. The belief that the reader cannot fully hate Heathcliff because of how he was mistreated as a child is also a Romantic ideal.
The story contains a great deal of darkness and some cruelty, which may turn readers away. Love is often extreme to the point of violence in the novel while the romances themselves are nearly incestuous in tone. Cousins marry and adopted siblings hold lifelong affections and obsessions for each other. The novel also illustrates an element of cruelty that can be slightly disturbing at times. Heathcliff, the novel's antagonist, goes as far as to string up the beloved dog of the young woman he courts after Catherine rejects him.
The main focus of the story is the rather twisted love story element that develops between Catherine and Heathcliff. Heathcliff is adopted into Catherine's family at a young age and the pair become close, though Catherine rejects him because he is poor and instead marries a rich neighbor. Though throughout the novel, other romances develop between the two highly inbred families, they are side stories in comparison to the main romance.
The love of Catherine and Heathcliff eventually develops into an obsession that lasts, and in fact becomes even stronger with the eventual death of Catherine. Her spirit seems to haunt Heathcliff and further fire his obsession. Even before Catherine's death this obsessive love broadens to include an equally obsessive drive to ruin the lives of all the people who mistreated him and stood between him and Catherine, including her husband and older brother.
These obsessions eventually lead to the last of the major themes of the novel, revenge. A good part of the book is spent upon Heathcliff's attempts to destroy the lives of anyone and everyone who mistreated him or got in the way of his relationship with Catherine. His need for revenge does not lessen as the book moves on and Heathcliff continues to take his revenge even upon the next generation, including Catherine's daughter and his own son. Whether or not Heathcliff succeeds in his attempts I leave to the reader.
Personally, I enjoyed this book a great deal, if for no other reason than the simple fact that it was quite different from the usual school assigned reading. I was pleasantly surprised by how well woven and engaging the book was. The calculating lengths that Heathcliff goes to in order fulfill his quest for revenge are nearly reason enough to read the book. The old style language of the book, which I expected to be a hindrance, was hardly noticeable. In short, if you can handle (or enjoy) the book's darker aspects, then I highly recommend this classic to you. (And I'm not just saying that because I have to! ;))Enjoy!

Perhaps it's the winsome imagery, perhaps the profoundly real characters one switches between loving and hating, or maybe even the dry humor that is the style of the British, but Wuthering Heights is my all time favorite book. How can words possibly do it justice...the only way to surely judge it is by reading it. Never before have I been so moved by a story; it might be Heathcliff's overflowing love for Catherine that drives him mad yet, ingenious in his revenge, or Cathy's shallow duty to society that denies her the power to be true to herself (I believe the main point of this novel is to not deny your feelings; go with what you feel rather than what should be), but I always find myself reading it on days I need to be cheered up or am really lusting after a good book. If one's not paying attention, you know, one of those days where you just read to take your mind off of something, it can get rather dull and confusing (the diction isn't as simple as say...Ethan Frome), but if you're concentrating, Bronte's words are so amazingly beautiful, it's hard to put it down. When read aloud it sounds like Shakespeare, and I like Emily's work a lot more than Charlotte's, for some reason. Gothic literature is so peculiar and wonderful: a class of it's own, and she really masters it. At the same time she avoids stereotypes and entertaining happenings (the spectre that appears to the somewhat insecure Lockwood early on foretells the chilling story, while at the same time hinting there is something deeply wrong about Wuthering Heights that needs to be corrected), actually writing the book with a purpose behind it. All the characters have very cool qualities about them; all have the potential to be irritating, but hey, we're all human. By imperfecting her people she has perfected the novel, and I'm so thankful I've had the privilege to read such a piece of art. This book forever remains with me; it's a part of me.

I read what the self-proclaimed "immature" reader wrote, and I beg to differ. I love this book not because I'm supposed to, but because I just do. The austerity of the language, which you term "dull", is what sets the whole tone for such a troubling work. I doubt that Bronte set out to write a classic romance; I believe she was denouncing the sins of her characters. This novel is multi-faceted with its never-ending parallels: two houses (Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange), two love stories, two heroes, two heroines, two narrators, etc. The inexplicable love that two heartless people like Heathcliff and Catherine share is fascinating to say the least. When Catherine cries out, "Nelly, I AM Heathcliff," I'm sure many a girl's heart has thudded in her chest. This book sweeps you away to a place and time far removed from us and gives us a view into a harsh and distant world. You don't have to like the book. But don't be so dumb or immature as to assume that no else does either. The longer you study literature, the more you'll see that some books have passed the test of time, because, well, they're just that damn good.

I am currently being forced to read this book for my Honors English class in high school. I've already read it once before for a different class, so I know what I am talking about when I say this book is the ultimate cure for insomnia.

I honestly try to appreciate what is *supposed* to be fine literature, but "Great Expectations" is about as entertaining as watching kale grow. First off, the fact that this book has two endings inspires a bit of skepticism in me. I've never heard of an author so indecisive that he would put two endings in a novel. It creates a generally unsatisfying conclusion, as you're at a loss for which ending to "accept".

Aside from which, this book has enough useless passages to fill a hundred pages or so. It seems that, basically, Dickens didn't quite know exactly what to write about, but felt the urge to *write* *something*. So he wrote "Great Expectations", following the traditional poor-boy formula of his previous 15 or so books.

I find it especially hilarious that none of my teachers have ever even read the bloody novel, but it's "good" according to the curriculum. In the words of someone from a certain other Charles Dickens book, "Bah! Humbug!".

Don't judge Dickens by this book, however. "David Copperfield", for example, even though it follows the same "poor-boy" formula, is worlds better than this.

As much as I'd love to say, "Oh, it's a classic, everyone should read it!", I personally don't think so.

Like many other high schoolers who wrote reviews on this page, I was forced to read this in my freshman english class. I thought it was an extremely good story. The characters (my favorites being Orlick and Trabb's Boy) are brilliant and subtley funny. The story is creative and unpredictible, and overall, it was absolutely supberb. The only reason this book doesn't get 5 stars is because it tends to drag a lot of the time, and Dickens overlong descriptions are a bit grating on the nerves, but I DO understand why people would have liked it like that in the 1800's. They liked their books long and juicy. It's a bit dated but Great Expectations is well worth a read if you have the patience. Even if you are impatient, you can not miss this great story and its wonderful characters, so at least see one of the many great movie adaptions. My personal favorite movie version of Great Expectations is the 1999 Masterpiece theatre version.

I spent a whole term going over this book in freshmen English class. It is an overall good book, full of interpritations. There are many symbolisms and allusions. However, it is important to remember that this book was originally a serialization, as it came out every week in the paper. There are some parts when Dickens drawls on with his plans, events, ect. However, there are scenes that are very fast paced and action filled. The overall plot is a young, naive boy of about ten lives with his sister and her simple husband named Joe. However, Pip is given a secret benefactor and is thrust in the life of nobility. Pip is tangled in his probelems of leaving Joe behind and his encouters with the shallow (and I mean SHALLOW) Estella and the wicked Miss Havisham. Dickens is a master with characters and the languege, but he doesn't describe any everyday events. For example, Pip goes to study law, but thats all we know. In my opinion, it gives the characters this higher than life importance, and less real. But, if you take this book slowely, maybe a chapter a night (instead of the five I had to do), you will definately enjoy this book.

I read this play first for pleasure and years later for a English composition II class several years ago and as I read some of the reviews before writing and posting this one I can see that a lot of reviewers that came before me didnt understand the play at all. This play took place over a hundred years ago. The choices for women then were limited plus Nora and Tovald lived In Norway whose laws are sgnificantly different from ours due to time and culture. Nora certainly had her faults but sometimes we are just found stuck in roles society gives us. And what would take more courage to remain in a bad role after a moment of self discovery is made or to walk out of that role and try to grow as a person and discover things about yourself on your own? Nora's choices were very limited. It was stated in the play that by walking away from the marriage she would also have to disclaim any rights to her children in Norway. She had no choice but to give up the rights to her children. Neither Nora nor Tovald knew who she was very well. Sometimes it is much better for the children if a marriage ends because it is bad and has no foundation. But Nora is a very strong and determined character. She forged a bank note to save her husbands life when no one else could. She saves and earns money to pay back the loan. But also she is trapped in the facade of her marriage with Tovald who neither respects her or knows who she really is. Lies beget lies and it is out of the lie of the marriage she is in that she is made to conceal what she did to save her husbands life and tell lies herself. Finally after her husband finds out and is so consumed with how it will look to others that he tells her that the marriage for now on will just be a cover for the benefit of the outside world but he can no longer trust her nor shall she be trusted with her children etc a self discovery moment occurs. Nora and Tovald didnt really know each other nor was the marriage real in any meaning of the word. But when something happens and he has a change of heart about Nora in the blink of an eye Nora realizes that the whole marriage was a lie and in a moment of strength and determination she decides to leave the situation to find something better and grow as a person. But here is the rub Tovald said that she can not be trusted after what she did was revealed to him and that she has lost his respect but this is just a circumstance we are made well aware of in the play . Tovald shows us that he never did trust or respect Nora in the first place so what she is rejecting is a fruadulent marriage. She refused to go on living in that lie any longer. And that decision takes more courage , strength and determination than anyone who has never been in that place will know. I say three cheers for Nora for finally waking up and doing what she had to do!

The Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen subjects his writing to the intricacies of marriage time and time again. He seems to have an omniscient power and ability to observe the sacrament itself, along with the fictional characters whom he creates to engage in these marital affairs. Such is the case with his classic drama, A Doll's House.

The play raises questions about female self-sacrifice in a male-dominated world. Nora is a "wife and child" to Torvald Helmer, and nothing more. She is his doll, a plaything on display to the world, of little intellectual value and even less utility in his life. Thus it is logical for Helmer to act so shockingly upon his discovery that Nora has managed financial affairs (typically a family responsibility reserved for the patriarch) without so much as his consent or knowledge. What, then, is the play saying about women by allowing Nora to act alone and independently, all the while allowing her to achieve little success in doing so?

Such an apparent doubt by the playwright of the abilities of women is quickly redeemed by Nora's sudden mental fruition, as though she, in the course of a day or so, accomplishes the amount of growing up to which most persons devote years and years. She has developed the intuition and motivation to leave behind everything she has lived for during she and Helmer's eight years of marriage in exchange for an independent life and the much-sought virtue of independent thought. Nora suddenly wishes to be alone in the world, responsible for only her own well-being and success or failure. She is breaking free of her crutches (Helmer, her deceased father, the ill-obtained finances from Krogstad) and is now appetent to walk tall and proud.

Through the marital madness of Helmer and Nora, Ibsen is questioning the roles of both husband and wife, and what happens when one person dominates such a relationship in a manner that is demeaning to the other, regardless of whether such degradation is carried out in a conscious, intended frame of mind. Ibsen is truly a master playwright, and his play A Doll's House is truly a masterpiece.

The Norwegian author Henrik Ibsen wrote an insightful play about marriage and the role of women in Ibsens time (19th century Europe). I am sure that "A dolls house" must have been a shock to the European society when Ibsen first published this book. He criticised the system that demoted women to mere property and this must have been an outrageous statement in a society where women didn't even have the right to vote!

The author himself said that this play was about human rights, not women's rights. While I believe this to be true, I still have no problems understanding why the female rights groups says that "A dolls house" is about women's rights. Whilst this play was written over a hundred years ago, many of the issues about women discussed in "A dolls house" are still applicable today. I think Nora is a *great* role model for a woman of the new millennium!

If you, like me, had to read this as a part of your college literature requirements, give it another try! It is a wonderful book.