It has been long assumed that students learn better in a "total immerison" situation. This book, assuming that the adage is true, contains entirely French. There are no English words, not even in the usual dictionary that is found in the back of nearly all foreign language textbooks. Therefore, to find the meanings of new vocabulary, students must rely on their knowledge of basic French to decipher the words. The greatest disadvantage of this book is that it is not part of a series of books, with a text specific for each level (such as found in the "Allez Viens!" and "On y Va!" series). Most publishing companies use this format, so that a student may be accustomed to a familiar setting for each year of the language they may take. This book, being single, has no predecessor, and therefore, has students of all different levels of French knowledge, resulting in a mishmash of comprehension levels. I am a 7th-year French student, and this book still strikes me as extremely unclear and not very attention-grabbing. The pages are relatively drab, with no color at all, and the meanings are extremely unclear. This book is meant for a AP French 4 Class at my high school, but I can only wonder if this is a book meant for use by people who HAVE been speaking French all their lives--perhaps this book is on the wrong side of the Atlantic?

As a student using this work book for an honors french class, I must say that I do not like it one bit. This book drives me crazy, but I have to admit it is for some pretty bogus/frivvolous reasons. The thing about this book - it is completely in French. Sure, my french teacher argues that it is good for us to be exposed to a wider vocabulary in the directions and definitions the book provides, but it is still very confusing and hard for me to use. The book has no French/English dictionary in the back, and the accompanying workbook is in the same hard-to-translate complete French. For me, this book is too hard to use, but for others, who are perhaps better at French or are looking for this particular all-French style, it would be good. My only argument is, if you're good enough to understand everything in the book, why do you need the book to learn more French? This book, I believe, would be incredibly hard to follow without an instructer. I do not reccomned it.

This book is fabulous for any French IV student. It is completely en francais, finally ending the use of unnecessary English explanations. The best part is that new vocabulary words are defined with words one should already be familiar with. Immersion, immersion, immersion! Also, there are great sections on francophone culture. C'est fabuleux!

Once you get past the lovely cover, the interior of this book consists entirely of magazine pages from the 1950's reproduced wholesale. While that means authenticity, it also means small,uninspiring black and white photography. Like looking at an old magazine, not the beautiful graphics one usually expects from Taschen.

Taschen writes this is a sourcebook. It just shows where design comes from. What was done in that era. And this book does just that and does it good. No high-brow comment, just reproductions of pages of house-plans, chairs, sidetables, glass ceramics etc. So, if you want to know if your old chair has any historic relevance, look in this book and see if there is a design original, or you might own it! Emphasis on the US, England Scandivavia, Italy and the Netherlands.

An absolute must have for anyone with a love for the modernist design movement of the 50's and 60's, or if you're looking to stay consistent with a modernist theme while redecorating. It's so sleek and plastic and modular. I love it! And in the tradition of Taschen books, the price is well worth it!

After Children of the Ice, I hoped this would become a moving series of books on pre-historic America. It wasen't to be. Native American lesbians!!?? Sexual torture, wife-beating? Ms.Prentiss went from a very good story of Historical Fiction to some strange ideas about Native American life. A big letdown, none of the rest of her books are worth reading, they are all in the same vein as this one.

Even though I read the book all the way to the end, I found that my interest was waning about half way through. I thought that the whole macho/man-hating/lesbian overtone was silly. not to mention that it took place after the ice-age yet everyone was walking around talking plain English and acting portraying 20th century behaviors. Not a very realistic setting. Very strong female character.....along with her girlfriend!

I enjoy this author. She is exciting. I only wish I could be on her mailing list and that she would write more.

Its appears this book is meant for a classroom setting as the book itself indicates there is a "teacher-text" and video involved. Overwhelming and confusing right from the start. Definiately not for someone unfamiliar with signing or someone trying to learn on their own.

This book is a fascinating study of the linguistics of ASL. I have read other reviews that commented about the book's complexity. Yes, it's true, this book is not for someone just starting to study the language. However, in a classroom setting, a student in a more advanced level will find the book quite rewarding to read. Dennis Cokely and Charlotte Baker-Shenk have produced a thoroughly researched set of books. So, to those interested, I say, " Don't shy away from the book's complexity, just be serious about wanting to learn it!" Not for those just wanting to learn 'hi, how are you'!

Not her usual read. The story had a great plot line and could have been the best book she has written but the story felt unfinished. With a couple of extra chapters, one before the last of the story and a couple more at the end it would have been a 5 star book. I don't want to give the story away but you are left wondering at the end what happens to the 2 lead characters. Where do they go from here ? What happens to her ? Still I do reread it and dream up my own endings for it. Maybe that's what the author want us to do.

when ý bought this book as a fan of C.Lamb, ý expected a happy end, also passion and pain etc...But ý disappointed a bit. Yes there was a love but with a wrong man,yes there was a passion but not enough (of course it should be that with a wrong man) and yes there was a entrique but ý don't need a murder issue when ý want to read a love story. Sure it is not only a love story but also a mystery fiction.

This book is obviously not for the average reader. I read it for a psychological anthropology book review and found myself regretting every moment of it. First of all, Linde tries to give to many examples and restates the same thing over and over. When I finished chapter 8 and read the conclusion which was four pages I was a little upset. The whole book was a waste of time, by just reading the conclusion the few points that were made are clearly stated there without the non-sense and all the repetition. INSOMNIACS this is a must buy for you it put me to sleep about 7-8 times. Besides that avoid this book if at all possible. You can thank me for the sacrafice I made for you.

It is rare to find a ground-breaking scholarly book written so gracefully while covering such a wide range of scholarly literatures. In less than 200 pages Linde brings down a framework for the understanding of the personal life story which is invaluable for psychologists, anthropologists, linguistis and indeed anyone who wishes to understand the process of the creation of the self.

In this book, Meg was a goody-goody. She was nothing like Meg in Louisa May Alcott's LITTLE WOMEN. Plus, Meg acted MUCH younger then 16. She seemed to me to be perhaps a 13 or 14 year old. Emerson has the character's personalities (with the exception of Amy and Beth) wrong for their ages. This was a dissapointment; I expected this series to be much better. Emerson tried, but her only real accomplishment is Beth's Snow Dancer.

MEG'S DEAREST WISH was a really great book and all-but some things just didn't quite make sense. Things like: why the other girls didn't get incredible ideas for dresses from looking at magazines, how Meg had so much material to "Paris-up" her dresses, and how come Meg didn't get this idea before. Oh, well, besides all that, this was a wonderful story totally realistic (excluding the above) and had a terrific moral.

Oh no! Why did I buy this? So miserably written I couldn't manage to get through the second chapter. I put it down forever. I'm so sure there's information in this book, but I couldn't decode the language it was written in. Is this English? Miserable. Wordiness out the wazoo. Do people really talk like this? So incredibly verbose that you swear these people just like to prove they can use "big words" and as a bonus, hear themselves talk. I only gave it 2 stars because there could be information in it that I just couldn't get to.

The first thing you need to know is that this is a re-release of "Paganism Today", by Charlotte Hardman and Graham Harvey, that was originally released in 1996. (the copyright says 1995 but Graham Harvey refers to it in his Bibliogaphy as 1996) That is what they mean by "new edition". This is the second time I have stumbled across a book that has been re-released with a different title and no revisions. Watch out for this problem with other titles by favorite authors. It may be related to changes in the tax laws for publishers.

The second thing you need to know is that this is a collection of scholarly articles by scholars for scholars. Graham Harvey is Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at King Alfred College, England. In America we would call him a Professor. This book was written at the college level not the 6th grade level of most popular books.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in studying Paganism at the college level.

This is a book of "short stories" but if you didn't read it on the dust jacket you might not figure it out on your own. The first "story" reads like a scholarly treatise on phrenology (complete with massive footnotes) which keeps wandering off the point into discussions of sexual morals, Freud, and murder. The next story is a disjointed series of conversations about reincarnation. The third is a history of the Northwest Coast Indian tradition of Potlatches. Next a chapter on the medical effects of DES on the reproductive systems of girls born to mothers who took the drug.

And so it goes. None of the stories really develops any narrative tone, and none becomes particularly engaging, being rather dry and scholarly. Some of the information presented might be pretty intriguing, if it can be relied upon to be factual -- but as this is a book of "short stories" I'm just as inclined to disbelieve the "facts."

In short, this book seems at a loss for its reason for existing: Is it entertainment? Is it education? Perhaps it is neither.

This book is very intelligent - both ostentatiously and aggressively so. It caresses your expectations for a few moments, then proceeds to shock. It is not light fiction, and it is deeply exploratory of the animal side of the female nature and its clashes with the spiritual and intellectual.

I find many of the conclusions sophomoric in the extreme. Their presentation, however, is well and creatively constructed. Sadly, the creativity ends just there. Dick is a stylist, but she has a long way to go before she could be a real storyteller. The movement of the stories do not carry you along sufficently to be classed as fun; instead they are writing excercises. The spark of life is missing, leaving a taste of dissatisfaction somewhere at the end, despite the engaging structure.

I am very glad that I read this book, but doubt that I will ever feel a need to do so again.

This book provides and excellent insight into Deaf culture and the proud rich history that created its present structure.