I first stumbled across this book at my grandfather's place back when I was nine years old. Of all the role models I could have picked up, this was probably the worst one yet. Monti spins the story of her fourteen years with Fields pretty much as if it were right out of one of his movies. Her depiction of Fields is a mishmash of Souse and Cuthbert J. Twillie, and her recounting of certain scenes (either in his presence or told to her secondhand) is absolutely hysterical. Once I stumbled, once again, across Ronald Fields' "W.C. Fields By Himself" and "The Man on the Flying Trapeeze," I got the feeling that Miss Monti may have been taking pains to rewrite history to conform both to the public image Fields so desperately kept up *and* her own involvement in it. Read it the way you would watch a Fields movie, but don't expect any in-depth look at his personality or mystique; after reading other biographical works, it's hard to doubt that Fields was doing more than using her for sex and as a sounding board for his gags and routines.

Carlotta Monti was WC Fields's mistress for a number of years. Her book is not a great book. 'Fortunes and Follies' is more entertaining if sometimes lacking in accuracy. 'Fields by Himself' is fascinating. This book treats only portions of the artist's life and career. Still I recommend Monti's book because it gives a fresh woman's perspective and helps humanise Fields. This should not be the first or only book on Mr Fields one reads. Those who are seriously interested in the great comedian should, however, find time for this memoir.

This is an interesting tale, although at times I wanted to stop reading. The first third of the book bogs down a bit as we get long dialogues between Triana Becker and Stephan the ghost. It is a romantic kind of tale. Faced with the death of her second husband Karl from AIDS who left her a wealthy New Orleans widow, Triana lays in bed with the corpse for days lamenting until a mysterious stranger comes to serenade her with the beautiful violin. This is music so gorgeous, that it casts a spell that makes one seem to lose track of time and place. We discover as family comes and goes that the violinist is a ghost who was a pupil of Beethoven and died trying to rescue an especially rare long necked Stratavarius violin. Stephan sees into her mind, brings back memories of loss such as Triana's child Lily, her divorce from her first husband, the death of her alcoholic mother, the disappearance of her much-loved sister Faye, & the recriminations of her sister Katrinka. However, the haunting goes awry as Triana snatches the violin and will not return it. Here, the novel really picks up the pace as we are transported back centuries into Stephan's life in Vienna as the son of a wealthy Russian diplomat who funds Beethovan to educate his son. Triana and ghost Stephan step outside of this world of the past as they see the real-life memory Stephan rescue the violin from his father's burning palace, fight with his father when Stephan wants to study with Paganini, and murder his father after he smashes his fingers with a cane for the son's disobedience. We see Stephan murdered by guards and go through the discovery of his ghostly existence. All of this is punctuated by beautiful dream-like visions of Triana. Apparently, this is a contest of wills between the living and the dead. Triana is victorious and winds up mysteriously transported from her New Orleans home to Vienna, unable to explain the shadowland she has traversed. Triana becomes master of the violin, inherits Stephan's talent for music, and gives concerts globally. She becomes wealthy beyond her already considerable estate. The novel concludes in Rio, which is beautifully described. Ghostly dreams from the first part of the novel are brought into reality in Rio. Rice does a good job of bringing us through the second two-thirds of the book to the final resolution. While the pacing is not completely excellent, there is a lyrical quality to the way Anne describes the power of the music. All in all, this was an interesting tale, a mostly pleasant read. Enjoy!

This is my first book I read by Anne Rice. I decided to hear it on tape during my interstate trip by car. I was suprised to see that vampire character had a tortured past and that the enourmous suffering he encountered propelled him to cross roads with the middle aged woman from New Orleans horribly shaken by the losses in her life. The two are joined by their love for the violin and the wonderful music the instrument produces. It is an unlikely story of redemption for both characters and that is what I liked about this book.

In life, a 19th-century Viennese aristocrat who studied the violin with Beethoven, Stefan Stefanovsky, torments Triana with her lack of talent, then transports her into his own past, where she witnesses his death and hears performances by Beethoven and Paganini. Returning to the present, Triana makes a journey to Brazil where she believes her daughter may be reincarnated.

This is a really excellent story. Once I started reading it I did not want to put it down. I could not be more impressed by a book. It was a book that dealt with all of my emotions. I was very moved by the powerful words she used. Another great thing about the book is it offers something for people of all ages. I myself am young and I couldn't enjoy a book more than I did Violin.

Since everybody else has discussed plot, I'm going to skip that. I have read all of the other books Anne Rice has written, and all I have to say about this book, is that for a character whose existence spanned thousands of years, the book is awfully short on details. This story would have been much more interesting if Anne Rice would have stretched it out into at least a couple of books (like Lasher and Taltos) that provided greater detail, insight, and more stories of the experiences Azriel encountered through the ages. Instead, she focused briefly on just a very few time periods and left out chunks of history that could have made for fascinating reading.

Servant of the Bones is the story of Azriel, as told to the 'narrator' of the story. From his early days in Babylon with his Hebrew family, to his personal god Marduk, and to ultimately, his betrayal by those he loves in life to become the Servant of the Bones. We follow Azriel the spirit as he grows and learns through time seeing many of the great tragedies of this world such as the Black Plague. He speaks of his succession of 'masters' through time, those both good and bad, although his memory is far from complete. All through modern time, where the story turns as it's partially about Azriel and partially about the villian Gregory Belkin who is another cult leader with visions of being the next Alexander the Great.

This is the point where Azriel first has to make decisions for himself. And, ultimately how his judgement will pass, as he's learning constantly. In a way, this is an area left untouched by Anne Rice in her prior novels, and while some people are quick to write this novel off by unfairly comparing it to the Vampire Chronicles, or even the Mayfair Witches....Servant of the Bones stands on it's own with it's unique view of historical events, with a religious slant, while taking a sublime aim at 'cult' religions in modern days. I immensely enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it to someone who enjoys Anne Rice's work without pigeonholing her into the aforementioned Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witch series'.

I respectfully disagree with the esteemed reader from MD: I found the book's beginning somewhat slow and plodding but it got better and better as the story played out. I've read every book ever written by Anne Rice and this is up there amongst my favorites. Azriel is a fascinating, intense, intelligent and sympathetic character. Unlike some other main characters Ms. Rice has created, I would love to meet Azriel. The background, history and settings are detailed and evocative as they are in all of her books, even if I thought the introduction and setup of the storyline was too long and drawn out.

Being a dedicated LuAnne Rice reader, this was by far my least favorite of her work. (I own all but her 2 earliest books and have enjoyed each of them.) Blue Moon appears to me to be her attempt to attract a broader range of readers, including those who are looking for more sexual content in their books. Having nothing against sexuality in literature, I just wish Luanne would stick with what she does best and leave the erotica to those authors who are known for that type of work. The sexual scenes involving the 2 teenage girls as well as some of the language used to describe a few of the intimate moments between Cass and Billy were disappointing. I was not only disappointed with the borderline vulgarity, but also felt it distracted from what could have been one of her better stories. In her efforts to include the sexual content, a few of the characters who had so much potential with LuAnne's talent, were just left to die on the vine. I hope this is not an example of LuAnne's "New Look".

I first read Luanne Rice's "Home Fires" and loved it so much I went looking for more, then read "Follow the Stars Home" which was also wonderful, and I started collecting her books. This is the 3rd one I have read by her and was sooo disappointed that it did not compare with the other 2 mentioned here. It is a lot of boring dialogue in the beginning, seeming to lead to nowhere in the first 100+ pages and you want to scream "get going here with something" - I am not giving up on her however, as her later books were better and this was only her 2nd book. Maybe she was experimenting or something. I am reading Summer Light next and keeping my fingers crossed!

Well, I have to agree with the other reviewers in this case...this wasn't my favorite of Ms. Rices works. It was a little slow starting up & I felt that there should have been some more character development on certain characters. She brought in this extended family, and then left you wondering what was happening with them, first you see them, now you don't.
She did try to catch you up though, you weren't totally in the dark. I felt that the "main" story, was a great one. It is very interesting to see how people might handle certain situations thrown at them, like a partially-deaf child.
I really enjoyed the last half of the book the most. I think it was worth the read, but still, not up to her best, try: Follow The Stars Home & Stone Heart.

Same old sceanrio in a Tarzan story, spend your valuable time reading the earlier books in the series, you'll be happy you did!

I eagerly awaited this book for about 15 years, ever since I learned that there was an unfinished Tarzan story by Burroughs, but I was quite disappointed by what was done with ERB's manuscript. Compare Lansdale's version with the synopsis of ERB's 80 page manuscript in the appendix to the Porges biography of ERB. Lansdale really butchered many elements already worked out by ERB. I understand it's very hard to match the quality of ERB's storytelling, and I don't like to overly criticize people, but it doesn't seem that Lansdale even tried to write a decent book. It reads to me like a hack job, with little regard for style or the character created by ERB. For example, would ERB have written "Keep your mind off the loincloth, dear?" I don't think so. Nor is ERB's Tarzan a braggart. His character is existential. But not so existential that he would just give up on Jane and enter Pellucidar. In the Dark Horse 4 part serial version of this book, there are so many errors as to believe that Lansdale was half asleep when he wrote this. For example, there are characters in certain scenes which are actually someplace else in Africa in a different part of the storyline. Tell me Lansdale didn't just write this book as quickly as he could. As for the reviewer who criticised ERB's supposedly dense style and praised Lansdale's stilted 3 word sentences and then said, "Well, I've read all the Tarzan, Barzoom, and Pellucidar novels at least twice, so I guess I'm well-informed also"... All I can respond to that is, if you've read Burroughs' Mars books so many times, why don't you know how to spell Barsoom? And one more thing, ERB's style is elegant, the thing which makes his stories immortal. Philip Jose Farmer should have been given the chance to finish ERB's last Tarzan novel (I'm not referring to his Tarzan pastiches A Feast Unknown and Lord of the Trees, which were meant to be humorous, not true adaptions of ERB's character). At least he understands the character better (read THE DARK HEART OF TIME for an example of this). This book gets 2 stars, not for Lansdale's efforts or lack thereof, but because of the occasional glimpse of a paragraph penned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the Master of Adventure.

I've noted that some other reviewers did not like this book. Actually, I was very satisfied with it. One of my favorite characters, little Nkima, the monkey, has a prominent place in this book. The book also has pretty women, savage tribes, and a very spooky and decadent lost city, which is a setting for much action.

Some have criticized the new author's style. However, Burroughs himself writes a kind of very dense, 19th century style which makes it very hard for me to recommend Burroughs to teenagers. Unless they want to keep encountering unfamiliar five-syllable Latinate words, and 80-word complex sentences. Let's fact it, EGB wrote some pretty dense stuff. Lansdale's style is cleaner, and is more typified by short, direct sentences. The description is good, and the mood is well controlled by Lansdale.

I did think this book is more bloody and graphic in its violence than the original EGB Tarzan books. Tarzan always killed to defend himself or rescue "drop dead" girls, but the graphic details added by Lansdale are a bit grim at times.

I did feel the bad guys through the early book were not bad enough. They just seemed to be violent military deserters with no sinister or evil plans except to steal another safari's supplies. They are just foils, really.

I like Tarzan's new personality. He has a times a biting wit, expressed in the laconic few words that we would expect of him.

The writing surrounding the airplane crash and the "sparks" between the surviving passengers-- these seemed excellent writing.

If Mr. Lansdale writes more Tarzan books, I will buy them for sure. Alas, this was originally published in '96, and apparently nothing more has come out. So perhaps there will be no more Tarzan left to read.

By the way, another reviewer said he has read "everything Burroughs wrote." Well, I've read all the Tarzan, Barzoom, and Pellucidar novels at least twice, so I guess I'm well-informed also.

Try it-- you'll (probably) like it!

This seems as if it were written by a schizophrenic. That pretty much says it all.

This author came into my english class and talked about the books he has and will write. The books are an exact replication of himself. He is just as weird and strange and creative and confused as his texts. He is not trying to BE anything through his writing, that just how he is, he told us he doesn't even realize what he is writing until he is finnished he just starts typing and this whole load of (...) goes pouring across the page. He may be strange, and write strange warped things, but that is just how he really is. It's not his fault... :)

if he knew what Rice was doing with his "Cady," the family, and the literary legacy. He'd probbaly turn in his grave with delight. Rice says this book was almost impossible to write -- maybe he shouldn't have written it. It's pretty unreadable, like language poetry, but I give him three stars for some damn fine images and perverse sexual longings.

This isn't a novel. It's more like a prose poem. I've read some other works by Rice in literary zines and he's getting more and more obscure, and writing about the same characters in this book.

The photos are a nice touch.

Whatever this thing is, it's worth a try.

The Openness of God attends closely both to the broad biblical text and Christian piety when offering a much-needed "open" alternative to deterministic Calvinism. Through an easy reading, multi-dimensional, textual format, Rice, Sanders, Pinnock, Hasker and Basinger offer a more or less comprehensive evangelical, "free-will" theism that corresponds closely with the theology of many scholars in the Arminian, Wesleyan, and Charismatic traditions. This should be a required text for seminarians of all stripes. Perhaps the book's only drawback is that its authors sometimes misrepresent process theology and thus fail to adequately consider more of the theological alternatives offered by process thought. Otherwise, this is the kind of book you will want to give a friend who has been exposed to just enough classical theology to want to write off theology altogether. This is good medicine for former evangelical intellectuals who may have left the fold disillusioned by the Calvinistic brand of evangelical theology. Take, eat, digest, and flourish!

After reading and studying The Open View of God I cannot say much, except that it was refreshing! How unfortunate it is that Sproul has sprawled so far and Reformed philosophy is so pervasive in the populist theology world today. Thank God He still is enlightening beyond the Reformation!

The Open View challenges the classical-Philosophical view of God preached and taught by so many in a systematic and decisive way. Our traditional understandings of immutablity, providence, sovereignity, and immpassiblity need to truly be re-examined in the light of our practice/experience and, as the authors so argue, in the light of the Biblical text. Aristotle is put in his place, sorry, but the un-moved mover is not the God of the Holy Writ. To be ever changing and relational is to be Divine. I Give this Book a strong 10!!

If you've ever wondered what the point is of praying to God if he has already decided what to do, you need to read this book! As Pinnock and others argue, you can thank the Greek Philosophers for that mentality. This book does an excellent job of detailing the 'Open View' of God, or 'free will theism'. The authors point out that the God of the Bible seems to be genuinely affected by and involved with creation. He is above all, Love, and not merely self-sufficiency. The authors effectively argue that God, while ultimately in control, took some risk by creating beings with genuine free will. He has chosen to limit himself by engaging in genuine "give and take" relationships with his creation in a real time environment. This book gave me a healthier view of God, as well as pointed out an urgency of prayer and evangelism because they genuinely DO make a difference! I do not necessarily agree with the theology, but it does bring balance to the damage hyper-calvinism has done to the people of God.

This book is alot better than alot of other books and courses on the subject. Though some of the information is a little outdated(ie were to find information, remember it was written before the internet explosion). It still has a great deal of useful information for anyone interested in the subject. She still gives courses on L.I. in New York and she still contributes to alot of local real estate publications. (For more info on finding up to date info on finding foreclosures, check out an article she contributed to for one of New York's major newspapers New York Newsday. Their 5/19/00 article in the real estate section entitled "Where to Look For Foreclosed Properties" written by Joe Catalano, with all of the info coming from his source: Melissa Kollen. It can be found on Newsday's website.) Skip the late night get rich courses and buy this book instead.

I found this book very helpful as an introduction into the world of real estate foreclosures. It was clear and concise the chapters were short and well defined. It is a great introductory book on the subject!

This book is the best of the best. Melissa's experience and practical advice are amazing. Don't waste your money on those TV informercial people like I did. For less than $..., this book will give you everything you need and more.

This is not a good book. It's full of errors.

Of course, the other thermo books out there (DeHoff, Lupis, Swalin) are much worse. At least Gaskell's explainations make a little sense.

Read this book for the concepts; read another when you want accurate equations, graphs and tables.

First, who is Robert R. Rice? As I understand it, Dr. Gaskell, wrote the book himself - Robert Rice is a non-entity. Second, all of the reviews for this edition ( the fourth) refer to the third edition. All of the errors found in the third edition have been corrected in the fourth edition.

Gaskell is a critical component to the library of any Materials Scientist. Study it once, study it twice, and then pull it off the shelf often during your professional career. A solid professor can highlight the most critical components of the text.

Out of 56 battletech books I rate this as number 57 behind the instructions on the receipt I paid for it. To describe it's horribleness anymore would be to give it credit....

I really enjoyed this book. It was much different from other battletech novels in that it involves a lost jump ship crew and the passengers suffer a misjump and arrive at a world populated by an alien species as well as a group of humans decended from another group who misjumped there several centuries before. Fortunately, the newly arrived humans are led by a DEST commando. The action usually seen in other battletech books is not here, but I was still intrigued by the subtle power plays in the novel. Definately a great book.

This book in my opinion is the most real of the battletech series. It compares well the main differences in our culture on Earth today. The exploitation of people considered lower then Western civilisation, The idealists who wish to change the way all this works, and of course the profit makers from the wars and divisions in our people. This book contains alot of messages about the flaws in our society and if given the chance to start again, would we make the right choices? Mr Rice does a good job telling a story and the characters (at least the main four) are developed well. Vost and Takuda make the two main comparisons in leadership interesting and insightful, One a merciless climber with only his own self intrests at heart and the other a long term thinking man with everyones intrests to bear. Quite like the Republicans and Democrats really. The battles in this book are generally kept short and sweet and the aggresion from the characters is focused more into political manoevering and back handed deals. This is especially true of the mecenaries. Overall a good story and a nice break away from the main battletech stories. The writer makes a point to remind the reader that there is no Clans, no Co-ordinator, no Com Star and no way back. To be fair it isnt really a true battletech book, especially if you have read the likes of Natural Selection, but it has the same general story of battletech summed up into one planet. The Enclaves would be the successor states, with their backward technology, poor social system and a lack of good resources and all fighting for a goal which will always be unavailable. DEST plus the mercs would almost be like the Clans with their new ideas, modern technology and social differences but also like the clans for ever infighting. Its these comparisons both to our real lives here on Earth and the situation in which the battletech Universe is at that make this book so enjoyable. I would easily recommend it to anyone who reads or doesnt read the battletech novels. A Very enjoyable story.