Over the last few weeks, I've become quite the fan of Niall and Chris. Reading or acquiring all of their books -- fiction and nonfiction. This book left me feeling a bit disappointed but at the same time wanting an update.

I had to smile at all the visitors from abroad showing up at their doorstep --- I envisioned myself doing the same thing. Now I doubt I would show up unannounced -- but I still will make an effort to see the town of Kilmihil.

This book definitely should be read after reading at least the first book -- O' Come Ye Back to Ireland. I doubt that those who haven't read the first book will be able to keep interested. And whereas the first book made settling in the west of Ireland sound romantic, Niall Williams seems to be discouraging people from doing what he and Chris.

That said, I am glad I read it and loved hearing about young Joseph and his sister Deirdre.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this fourth installment in the saga of Niall & Christine, and Deirdre and Joseph (the first chapter tells of their adoption of Joseph.) This book is very contemplative in nature, and focuses on what it is to belong to a community, a society, a nation. What does it mean to be Irish? to be American? And how are these things changing? Change is the other theme that is present throughout the book. There have been many changes in the West since Niall & Christine first moved there: some good, some bad, but most not so easily classified as "good" or "bad". This book is very thought provoking, and a very enjoyable read. Thank you Niall and Christine for continuing to share your lives with us.

I waited three years for this book, and was very disappointed when I finally got it. I read Clare's first book (Bleeding Out, Firebrand Books, 2000)and was amazed and astounded at the talent of that debut mystery.

In this outing, Detective L.A. Franco of the LAPD is faced with the murder of the Estrella family in the barrio. With few leads, and a closed society with its code of silence, she has difficulty finding the killer. Finally, the coroner makes a suggestion, over dinner, that leads to Franco building a case against the killer.

[...] There are too many typos, too many barrio words that need explanation (there are whole conversations that, unless the reader speaks the language, leaves the reader in the dark), too many instances where the author changed a character's name and the old name remains in the manuscript. The book, at 292 pages, is too long - another problem a good editor could fix.

This book did not have the robust, assured writing of the first. I'm hoping that this is merely the second-book doldrums and Clare returns to what made Bleeding Out such a strong entry in the world of procedurals.

[...]

Baxter Claire takes you to the mean streets of LA, but with a modern twist. The language is vibrant and real, the story compelling and in the end the street does rule, just as it often does in real life. Lt. Franco and her squad are imperfect and interesting. This is a powerful series.

I thoroughly enjoyed Hornby's previous books; however, this book was a huge disappointment. As one reviewer mentioned, he has changed his tone in this novel, that wasn't the problem. The book was simply uninteresting, the main character was unappealing, the plot/dilemma is revealed within a few chapters and from there the book doesn't move, the same problem is reviewed over and over, the same character traits are displayed repeatedly with no forward plot movement. I am an avid reader and cannot remember the last time I did not finish a story regardless of how bad it was. This book did me in, I ended up skimming through the last two chapters and wishing I hadn't bothered.

Hornby's new book is 'quite'in every sense:
Quite funny, quite intelligent, and quite good. But if you've never read one of his novels before, I recommend you start with About a Boy, High Fidelity or Fever Pitch. His earlier work will stand the test of time; if How to be Good will, that remains to be seen. Why?
It reads fast and the idea is very funny: if you hate your marriage and husband (because he's full of cynicism and curses in front of the children), and he suddenly sees the light of GOODness - then you might want to reconsidder your opinion.
He starts bringing healers and homeless people in to your house, gives all your money and the kid's toys to charity, and forces other people to do the same - then you hate him even more. And the nasty part is, that you have no good reason to. Because being GOOD is good, isn't it?? When even your 7 year old daughter gets infected with the GOOd-virus, and invites smelly classmates and mentally patients over for dinner, you start questioning yourself. Because what is your argument for refusing the deprived admittance to your home? or giving half of your income to youth delinquents?
Somehow though, you know you are 'normal' and the others have lost their minds. Where lies the border between being GOOD and being mad? It's this philosophical problem that Katie has to solve.
If Hornby had only restrained himself from exaggerating, the theme would've had more impact. Now, the story line and the characters are so stereotyped and bizarre, that you can't imagine it really happening. It's a funny story with some very striking insights in marital and human conducts that'll get you involved, but it keeps losing you too many times. This is the kind of book that will harvest many laughs if you summerize the story to others, and you ask yourself why you didn't enjoy it as much as you appear to have.

Having picked this up out of chance to get a book to take on holiday with me i was'nt really sure of what to excpect, what i found was a comical book that runs through smoothly and is quite hard to put down. I found the book very well written and well maintained and i would recommened it for anybody looking for a read thats not too heavy duty and is enjoyable, i was suprised that high fidelity is the one most people seem engrossed in as this has a much better plot though high fidelity is good it lacks what this offering has. So if you want a lucid book then this is always a good read.

Gina and Lawrence are the main characters of the book. The were best friends in childhood and that friendship continues into adulthood. Both are married to other people and when Gina's marriage ends she ends up in at Lawrences house being comforted in his arms. His wife is somewhat understanding but feels that Gina often outstays her welcome. Gina goes through every "poor me" emotion from the divorce and it gets obnoxiously annoying! Will someone please write a book where the betrayed women moves on and becomes strong without having to virtually distroy her teenage childrens' lives too?!!!

I won't go into detail of what happens next in case you decide to read this boring novel but let's just say that it's predictable, yet boring, with no really likeable characters. Very flatly written! I give it 2 stars...

Once again, Joanna Trollope manages to evoke the most sensitive feelings by drawing the reader seemingly effortlessly into the minds and hearts of her main characters.

"The Best of Friends" catches up with university buddies Laurence and Gina, some 20 years after they have each happily married other people. Laurence and his wife Hilary run a charming inn and have three teenaged sons; Gina and Fergus live a highly upscale life mostly devoted to Fergus' antiques business. They have a teenager as well, their only child, Sophy. The book begins with Sophy in some sort of crisis. As only Trollope can do, we gauge the depth of Sophy's adolescent pain by watching her, almost literally, childishly suck on a blue bead she wears on a leather thong around her neck. It is these tiny details, almost too subtle to notice, with which Trollope captures the reader's attention and heart.

It turns out that Fergus has suddenly and cruelly decided to leave Gina. Sophy and her mother are devastated, each in her own way. Sophy acts out in increasingly childish and pouting behavior; the reader doesn't know whether to slap her or hug her (and anyone who has teenagers can relate to this feeling!) Gina simply falls apart. And in her crumbling state, she turns, of course, to her best friends Laurence and Hilary.

The domino effect of one person's selfish decision to leave his wife causes anguish and pain he could not have anticipated. Trollope's message is clear, although she does not judge--nobody lives in a vacuum, and one IS accountable for one's actions.

This theme is further played out in the subplot: the story of Gina's elderly mother Vi (who had Gina after an impulsive fling with a boy who deserted her upon finding she was pregnant) and her dear friend and neighbor Dan. Again, the smallest of details bring these people to life. Vi is an exuberant soul, full of strong color, both in her clothing and in her garden and home. She has a parakeet (of course!) and her messy house matches her divine personality. Dan is her polar opposite. We come to love him for his meticulous tidiness, his strict ways (learned many years previously in the military) and his total adoration of Vi. They are so happy together, and it is so lovely...until the actions of a busybody who righteously feels she is "doing the right thing" destroys the elderly couple's lives completely.

The ending of this book, as always, is true and real. I won't give it away, but suffice to say that as in real life, nothing in the end is "clean and perfect." But it all makes perfect sense. This is one of Trollope's more depressing novels, but so worth the read, if only to cherish the wonderful characters she creates so very well.

This was my first Joanna Trollope book and I enjoyed it--read it in two sittings. Trollope writes beautifully, and this will not be the last book of hers I read. However, I would have liked a bit more character development.

The most understandable character is Gina's daughter Sophy, who seems to be a bit like her grandmother Vi. (Sometimes when parents are not emotionally available, a child is lucky enough to live near a loving grandmother.) To obtain full development for the major characters, Trollop would have had to double the size of her book, and then it might have been more like "The Shell Seekers" (Not storywise--I use this book as an example where I as the reader had fuller understanding of the motivations of the main characters.)

The story centers on two old friends, Gina and Laurence who live in the town where they grew up, though both have acquired spouses elsewhere. One day, Gina's spouse Fergus leaves her, and moves from the village to London. This action devestates Gina and Sophy her daughter. Gina goes to stay with her friend Laurence and his wife Hillary at their small hotel, while Sophy moves in with her grandmother Vi. After three weeks at the hotel, Hillary suggests that Laurance tell Gina to leave, so Gina finally moves home. But Laurance continues to see her as he always has--as a friend. One day, their relationship slips over the line. The rest of the book is about the effect of that action on the lives of the other characters-Vi, Sophy, Hillary, and the three boys of Hillary and Laurance. The father Fergus is told by his daughter Sophy that his action has lead to a ripple effect that he could not have forseen when he decided to move away.

I don't think Gina is a villan(ess). Trollope is depicting real people, and real people for the most part are complex. Most individuals want to be loved, but sometimes they do not behave in loveable ways. Love is unconditional, however, we don't love someone because they behave as we wish, we just love them. And, it's difficult to understand what goes on between two people, even when we are the observer with an author to give us clues.

Over the years, I've observed a number of relationships evolve between two people who are married to other people. In some cases, the man or woman or both were looking for excitment outside marriage. On the other hand, sometimes decent people stray. This doesn't mean it's morally okay, just that it happens, even when the individual was not expecting or intending it to happen. I think this is the case for Laurance. He says he loves both Hillary and Gina. Of course, the repercussions of his behaviour are hard to bear, particularly for the children, though they are awful for Hillary. It's such a shock to discover the person you loved, and yes took for granted, may be very human and vulnerable.

I can't say very much about how things turn out in this book, except, from my perspective it is for the best, although frequently, that is not how I personally have seen it turn out. And, I am not sure that the woman who ends up with Laurance in the end is the happiest.

This book is proof that writing a good mystery must be harder than it looks, if two such presumably intelligent authors have made such a bad job of it. As earlier reviewers have noted, the murderer was easy to spot, yet it still took a wildly unlikely coincidence to make the pieces of the puzzle come together in the main character's mind. And while the main character is fairly interesting, the authors have surrounded her with too many boring, and insufficiently differentiated, secondary characters. (Could this have something to do with the fact that the book had two authors? Sometimes I got the feeling that the authors wrote alternate chapters, and if each author created her own set of secondary characters, that could explain why there are twice as many of them as there need to be.) Finally, there's entirely too much drinking and driving in this book. I realize that's probably an accurate depiction of life on a college campus, but that's no excuse for the authors to show otherwise sympathetic characters engaging in that kind of behavior. In one scene, involving a dinner for two people, the characters have bourbon before dinner and two bottles of wine with dinner, and then drive home along a twisting mountain road. With behavior like that, the real mystery in this book is how anyone is still alive at the end.

I enjoyed this book so much! How unusual to read a mystery where every sentence is of value and interest. This novel is like a small piece of chocolate cake: descriptively rich, somehow strikingly pleasurable to read, and not quite enough.

I came across Overnight Float on the reading rack at the train station, devoured it, and came to Amazon.com looking for a sequel I'm very disappointed not to find yet. Rosemary's career change from CFO to college chaplain caught and held my attention from beginning to end and is a wonderful vehicle for getting her into all kinds of trouble in the future...

As earlier reviewers have noted, there are a few spots in the book where logistics or continuity are a bit out of sync. Overall, though, I felt much of the criticism here was far too harsh. If you are looking for a mystery in the "cozy" category that you sink into for a particularly good (and literate) read, you'll love Overnight Float. If you keep points on the mechanics and structure of mystery writing, you may want to give the authors a little more time to hone those skills. I do object to the Sayers comment; I believe Dorothy Sayers would have seen much to appreciate and admire here.

I enjoyed this first effort at an academic mystery. The protagonist, a woman college chaplain at an Eastern liberal arts college, was interesting and likable. I would look forward to reading another installment in the series, hopefully seeing progression in plot and character development. I do agree with other reviewers who commented that Rosemary acted older than a 38-year-old should in 2002, about a decade or so older. This can be remedied, however. Perhaps, the two authors should read two recent excellent mystery series about women clerics--the Lily Connor books by Michelle Blake and the Clare Ferguson book (I hope it will become a series) by Julia Spencer-Fleming--and the English professor Karen Pelletier series by Joanne Dobson for a little guidance.

I read this along with several of the Apocryphal and Pseudopigriphal books of the Bible when I studied religion in college a few years ago. The original book of Enoch and the Secrets of Enoch (a.k.a. Enoch II) are quite interesting and revelaing. The story of the Fallen angels in the Book of Enoch makes a good read, as well as the story of Enoch's expereinces in heaven in "The Secrets of Enoch" and the sayings from both books that are scattered throughout the current Bible. (To the good Christians who aren't in the know about the roots of Christianity, ask your pastors why they never told you about this stuff).

But as for Elizabeth Claire Prophet's analysis of all of this, that's strictly for the cuckoo patch, especially the absurd songs to Enoch.

Inside this book Elizabeth Clare Prophet gives her theory on the basis of Evil found in Society Today.

How? She introduced the reader to the virtually forgotten Book, "Enoch"

The book of Enoch is believed to be have written before the book of Genesis. To proves it's validity, It has even been researched and documented that Jesus himself studied The Book of Enoch as a teenager. Further research has shown Jesus refers to the same quotes and even references to passages found in The Book of Enoch.

Inside the book, you're introduced to the author Elizabeth Clare Prophet. She has studied the book of Enoch and has come to a startling conclusion that the offspring of the Fallen Angels, are still very much alive today.

Inside the book you learn about the Early Prophet Enoch, and the stories God directly told him of the angels who lusted the daughters of man. The angels took human form and created offspring with the human women. After their party of lust on Earth was over, they were cursed by God, and "grounded" on Earth. Ever since then offspring of the angel/human sex party have grown with a burning hatred for God, and designed soley for evil, and the destruction of mankind.

Elizabeth Clare Prophet clearly states her theory that the offspring of the fallen angels are still very much alive today. She links the connection between evil people all through out the history of time, and their connection to the evil offspring.

To say this book is amazing is an understatement. Inside the book, you will discover a new part of the world, and the bible you have never seen before.

Get it.

FATNWO

I wrote a Christian fiction book (Revelations, Alpha and Omega) and this book was the one I used while researching the Book of Enoch. I did first compare many passages from all the known version I could get my hands on and this one was worth purchasing. Great extra's that I also used in my own story. This book points out things I learned from other sources as well about the modern church and its history and how an important book like Enoch's was removed from our Bible just because it endorsed the idea of giants being the offspring of fallen angels and mankind's seed. Modern theology still won't accept that truth yet Jude (the half-brother of Jesus Christ) quotes the book of Enoch word for word (Jude 14-15 IS Enoch chapter 2). Remember, the Church persecuted Galileo for heresy because he upheld the theory that the earth was round instead of flat. That was only 400 years ago. Our race needs to wake up and re-read the past and make new conclusions.

Alice begins as many young British ladies in this currently popular genre of books do - she is broke, her job is at a dead-end, her love life is swirling down the drain .. well, you get the picture. But where "Catching Alice" takes a different path is that this heroine takes the opportunity to move to Los Angeles under the wing of her old American schoolfriend who has a good heart but is one of life's shallower creatures. Alice lands herself a pretty good job in PR (the Californians can't resist the British accent) and so begins her new life in la-la-land. This books contains lots of characters and plot lines and is really quite a lot of fun. Its a quick, light-hearted read, doesn't pretend to be anything greater and takes an amusing look at what happens when people are transplanted to a new culture and environment. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Having read Love: A User's Guide, I couldn't wait for the release of Clare Naylor's second novel. Catching Alice, though not as good as Love, is a charming and hilarious British romantic comedy that would keep you turning the pages and hoping that the heroine would find happiness.

Having lost her boyfriend, job, apartment and thin figure almost simultaneously, Alice feels as though a dark cloud is upon her life. Her life, however, takes a dramatic change when Tash, her American friend, lures her to Los Angeles with the promise of a glamorous job, trendy clothes and endless cocktail parties. No sooner she arrives to LA than her lifestyle changes. She even has her very own stalker. Who is this mysterious man? Will Alice settle in LA? And does the fact that this man shows every sign of being a stalker bother her? There are some hilarious turns in the story.

Are you in the mood for a droll, modern Cinderella story? Read Catching Alice. You will love it!

Alice is having a horrible week! That is, until her American friend, Tash, invites her to L.A. Tash is beautiful, bold, and sophisticated. Of course, she's also tan and blonde. Alice is a pale, frumpy, shy British chick having a hard time adjusting to Tash's Californian lifestyle. Soon, Tash has Alice enrolled in kickboxing classes, drinking nasty, "nutritious" herbal drinks, and attending cocktail parties with Hollywood's most glamourous. Even though Alice doesn't fit in with her new surroundings, there are quite a few guys noticing her. Alice manages to make a few jealous female enemies during her stay. Read this book to find out what's so great about Alice! I'll just say that she's a very likeable heroine, brilliantly invented by Clare Naylor. This book has everything--romance, comedy, female bonding, and even a dangerous little subplot involving Alice's cousin, Simon. This is a very entertaining, light read!

This book is a shame; Mrs. Luce deserves and, elsewhere, has received far more serious treatment. The work does, however, say a great deal about the exceptionally small Ms. Morris.

Clare Booth Luce makes a goals list of what she wished to accomplish before age 35 including owning a yacht and fine roadster then appended the list to include "a few worthwhile things" including becoming conversant in four languages, writing plays and "earning $10,000 on my own!!". While the list partially trivializes Clare Booth Luce's assent upon society and politics - so does the author-Morris. Her rip-roaring saga is a little over-breathless - even Morris can't subdue the incredible versatility of a woman who overcame illegitimate circumstances, got what she set out to do - mostly, and wrote for Broadway before running for office. Nice work if you can get it! Clare is nobody's bimbo astutely observing everything fine chefs, authors, to politics many times better than her escorts. She notes that Hitler's brownshirts were quite similar to the KuKluxKlan which was outspoken for her time. If you enjoyed George Sand, the Algonquin Table and Dorothy Parker - this may be for you!

I liked this book a lot for the great sweep of famous people and events. It was very easy interesting reading and my husband and I both read it on vacation. Reminded me a lot of Life of the Party, the book about Pamela Harriman. When is the next volume due? We're eager to buy it!

All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
As concerns the practice of alchemy this statement is important,
is it not? Could someone please explain how this statement is satanic? Should I spin the record backwards in order to reveal the hidden satanic message?
I've not yet progressed far into the book, yet have already found a few items to object to, such as, the phrasing of the word alchemy as "all-chemistry", the root of the word doesn't bear this out, which is < OF < Med.L < Ar. al-kimiya, < LGk. chymeia < Gk. chyma [meaning] "molten metal". And yet, perhaps this is a relevant conotation.
My main concern occurs on page 25, "In my historical experiences preceding my ascension-which was identical in its raising action to the elevation of Jesus the Christ-...", this bothers me far more than the possibilty that the Beatles might be satanic.
Also the Beatles being called satanic bothers me, though I'm not a Beatles "fanatic", let us not forget the Sin of the Holy Ghost, which concerns due deliberation before pronouncing something as evil.
This book should probably be read after reading something such as Denise Hauck's "The Emerald Tablet-Alchemy for Personal Transformation".

Be there nothing so fair as this propspect by which I may in the recesses of the night transform this vessel from the appearance of a man to that of a night bird! O, that I might prey on mine enemies and smite them unseen. O, that I should amass jewels and treasure, all for the fiefdom which the prince of the East most unjustly has assumed and made his lesser bailliwick, my father not being in the spirit of discerning judgment when last he drew breath. Would that this scribe had so enabled me, for a mere part is not enough.

M stated: "This book actually states that the Beatles have Satanic origins. Page 173. After reading that page I had to put the book down I was laughing so hard."

Here is the complete paragraph on page 173:
"The destructive energies which poured through the Beatles and entered the subconscious minds of the youth... are gradually working their way to the surface, revealing their true colors and Satanic Origins"

Now here is what was left out:
"These unholy emanations have drawn many young souls into the mistaken belief that the taking of drugs... and illicit sex can give them freedom from all imposed limitations..."

Making a connection between drug abuse, illicit sex and rock music does not seem to me to be such a funny joke or such a far-fetched idea.

I get more out of this book each time I read it. Thanks M for getting me to reread that part!

Not much to say about this small book, did not like it. Read much better books on soulmates than this one. Sent it back did not capture my interest at all,and I read alot of spiritual books. But this one, just made no sense to me at all. Just could not even get through it.

I must say that the book is much better than the audio tape. The book itself however is more for someone who wants to know more on Karma.It does cover aspects of Twin Flames, but it just is not that captivating, as Ms Prophets book on reincarnation.
My personal opinion on the book is that it is more on preaching God's word. I would really enjoy finding a book on how you know that you found your twin flame, and what twin flames have in common,not on The Violet Flame,that is mentioned way too may times in this book.

I did enjoy this book but felt it not to be as informative as I had hoped. Not a bad book to own but not the best book for serious research on twin souls.