Devine finally confesses that he leaked a untrue story to Time Magazine and SI about how a crazed Packer fan had killed his dog. The real story was that he lived in rural Wisconsin and allowed his dog run loose. The dog was known to have been killing farm neighbor's ducks. He was warned several times and then one morning when the dog was attempting to kill more ducks the farmer shot the dog (not hanged, not skewered). In his confession he admits it was HIS FAULT for allowing the dog to continue to roam unsupervised.

You can't doubt his coaching success, but to allow this story to continue on for decades before coming clean sure leaves plenty of doubt about his character. As a former Notre Dame Alum and born and raised Packer fan, I still think he was one hell of a college coach. This is a very good book and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of college football. I am glad that he ultimately came clean on that ugly story that tarnished the residents of Green Bay and the neighboring farm communities.

This is a great book of a great man who managed to coach and raise a wonderful family with the help of a wonderful wife. There should be more families like this.

First of all, Phillip Steele did a nice job of tracking down living decendants of Belle Starr, and actually turning up new information in the form of letters, photographs and family history. That's pretty impressive for a biography of someone who died in 1889 and had been the subject of much fictionalized and exaggerated press accounts that passed into history. Steele attempts to set the record straight while acknowledging that many important details of Belle Starr's life will never be known for certain. Unfortunately, the 100 page book (and the first 21 pages are preface, etc.) is simply too short. It almost seems like an outline. Steele could have used an editor to help push him to flesh out details, clarify information, and improve the writing and layout. With the new information he discovered, this could have been a substantial, definitive biography. But regardless, it is more than worthwhile, it does not give into baseless speculation, and it does not bore you -- you are left wanting to know more about the fascinating and tragic lives of Belle Starr and her children.

This account of the lives of the infamous Belle and Pearl Starr is wonderful reading. Phillip W. Steele has done a great job of giving the reader the facts while making it very interesting reading. I enjoyed this book.

I came to love this book as a child, and I continue to enjoy it and benefit from it as a twentysomething adult. Understanding the root Greek and Roman stories can lead to a much fuller and richer understanding of Western culture, including literature, movies, art - even comic books and cartoons.

This a great collection of stories (with wonderful illustrations) for students and others interested in getting a sense of various myths and stories - large one like the search for the Golden Fleece, the Trojan War, the wanderings of Ulysses, the labors of Hercules, and smaller ones like King Midas, Orpheus, etc. This book recounts the stories, but it doesn't seek to interpret them. You'll have to dig deeper for that, and Hamilton helps you on your way by providing her sources.

If you enjoy this book, you may want to read the originals, such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid, the Argonautika; the works of the Greek playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides; and other works like Ovid's Metamorphoses and some the Norse and northern European epics and sagas - Beowulf, the Prose Edda, etc.

This isn't a definitive reference or mythological encyclopedia; it's a starting place for a really wonderful trip. I encourage you to give it a try - and to give it as a gift to young people in your life.

Edith Hamilton's very popular 'Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes' is a very basic, very popular and very good text for the introduction of Greek and Roman mythology. This book by Hamilton, simply entitled 'Mythology' is an expansion of the material in the shorter book. Largely, however, it is a repetition of the same material.

In our Western culture, the term 'mythology' is most often equated with these tales, and Hamilton, first writing before World War II, has helped to reinforce that equation with the current generations of readers.

Those looking for the mythological stories of other cultures will be disappointed -- with the exception of a brief section on Norse mythology at the end (about five percent of the entire volume), it covers nothing outside the Greek and Roman pantheons. Of course, part of the difficulty of approaching mythology of other cultures is that, in many instances, it is not mythology to them; or, in the case of mythology, one needs a firmer grounding in the culture and religious aspects of that culture before the mythology becomes accessible.

Hamilton (raised, as I was astonished to discover, in Indiana, where I currently reside) studied at Bryn Mawr, and had a distinguished teacher career in addition to writing this useful text. Hamilton's writing is not complicated and very easy to follow -- this has made her texts selected often for high school and undergraduate courses in Greek and Roman mythology, more frequently perhaps than any other text produced in this century.

Hamilton begins the text with an essay giving an overview of what mythology is, and what the purpose of it was.

'Through it,' she wrote, 'we can retrace the path from civilised man who lives so far from nature, to man who lived in close companionship with nature; and the real interest of the myths is that they lead us back to a time when the world was young and people had a connection with the earth, with trees and seas and flowers and hills, unlike anything we ourselves can feel.'

She proceeds with a brief history of the development of Greek mythology, the origins of the stories lost in the mists of time. She tells of the influences of Greek thought on subsequent developments in thought and religion: 'Saint Paul said the invisible must be understood by the visible. That was not a Hebrew idea, it was Greek.' Unlike most religious constructs, the Greek mythological world tried to make sense of the greater life of the universe in terms that were very human indeed, with a minimum of mystery. 'The terrifying irrational has no place in classical mythology.'

This is not to say, of course, that there were not terrible stories and fantastic creatures -- indeed, the mythological stories are full of them -- Gorgons and hydras and chimaeras dire. But these are mostly metaphorical (and were understood as such), and primarily used for a hero to be made (this same idea has pervaded to the most recent Mission Impossible movie).

Hamilton proceeds after this essay to describe the members of the pantheon, the major and minor gods and goddesses, the ideas of creation, the heroes (human, semi-divine and divine), stories of love and devotion, justice and injustice, and, of course, of warfare, victory, defeat, and courage. Those heroes before the Trojan War, perhaps the Greek-mythological-equivalent of a world war, had battles and dire circumstances to fight and overcome. The Trojan War figured largely in the mythological frameworks of Greece and Rome -- all the gods and goddess were involved in this conflict, it seemed, as were many of the heroes of Greek mythology.

Hamilton, writing in a fairly conservative period of time, and in a fairly conservative culture, sanitised the mythological stories to a large extent. The Greeks were a very human and often rather bawdy bunch; the Romans were even moreso. Much of the sexuality in the mythological stories is omitted, save to demonstrate the less-desirable aspects. Quite often, undergraduates who study mythology are astonished to discover, if they had used Hamilton's text in an earlier high school setting, that there is a lot more sex and violence in the 'real' stories than they had been previously exposed to.

Of course, one of the primary aspects of the mythological tales was not to explain the cosmos or to build complex theological constructs (reason did these, often with help from the myths, but not using the myths as the basis), but rather the illustration of moral truths -- those of honesty, virtue, and courage as primarily valued in Greek and Roman society. Evil befalls those who do not lead a moral life; rewards come to those who do. Of course, there is a bit of whimsy in the cosmos -- bad things happen to good people, etc., even in ancient Greece. The fluctuating personalities of the gods (and the number of them) ultimately gives a satisfying explanation (if not a satisfying reason) why such things might occur.

Edith Hamilton's "Mythology" tell the "Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" of classical mythology and this volume, first written in 1942, is now a timeless classic itself. This was the first book of mythology that I ever read and it is still the best. When Hamilton retells the love story of Cupid and Psyche or the tragedy of Agamemnon and his children, she does so with a full sense of what it meant when first told by Apuleius or Aeschylus. These are not children's tales, but the heroic legends and religious beliefs of the ancient Greeks. Furthermore, the illustrations by Steele Savage have the elegance of wood block prints, which, for all I know, is exactly what they are. I appreciate Hamilton's choice to avoid relying on Ovid, for while the "Metamorphoses" is the most comprehensive ancient text dealing with the classical myths, Ovid is an unbeliever. For Hamilton the writings of Homer, Hesiod and Pindar are more abbreviated in terms of providing details for the myths, but at least they take the tales seriously.

Another strength of the book is how she organizes the myths in her seven parts: (1) Covers the complete pantheon of deities, including the lesser gods of Olympus and Earth and the later Roman additions, as well as the earliest heroes. (2) Retells the various tales of love, between mortals and the gods or each other, along with the Quest for the Golden Fleece and other early heroic adventures. (3) Focuses specifically on the greatest heroes, Perseus, Theseus and Hercules, with Atalanta thrown in the mix in a curious but understandable editorial decision by Hamilton. (4) Puts together Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid into a giant epic stretching from the Judgment of Paris to the founding of Roman, with the Odyssey and the tragedies of Euripides. (5) Tells about the great mythological families, namely the House of Atreus (Agamemnon), the Royal House of Thebes (Oedipus and Antigone), and the Royal House of Athens. (6) Covers all of the lesser myths, most notably Midas. (7) Goes off in a new direction, providing a very brief introduction to Norse mythology that seems woefully inadequate given the comprehensive compilation of classical mythology that precedes it.

I looked over other possibilities as a basic textbook for an introductory mythology course, but I keep coming back to this one. If you want analysis of these myths, then you certainly want to look elsewhere. But if you want a solid retelling of virtually every tale of classical mythology, then Edith Hamilton's volume is still at the top of the list.

Ok, I initially picked this book up because it sounded like an intriguing plotline (a little like Stephen King's The Stand mixed with his novella "The Langoliers"). What I didn't expect was a thinly disguised piece of propaganda aimed to make readers feel horrible about themselves and basically live in fear for the rest of their lives. But enough of how I disagree with the ideas behind the book. As for the book itself, I can find practically no reason to continue beyond the first chapter. The characters are completely undeveloped and any interesting facets of anyone's personality is lost whenever he or she becomes "saved." I found myself becoming upset whenever one of the characters became "saved" because that meant he or she would no longer be an interesting individual and now would basically be interchangeable with any other of the "saved" characters. Don't get me wrong, I have a few friends that are part of this lifestyle and they are wonderful people who are not preachy or obnoxious in the least, but I would not last a minute with any of these characters - they are too simplistic and annoying to be believed. There's no surprises, no reversals, and everything that happens is completely predictable. This book is so elitist as to be down right insulting to anyone who doesn't subscribe to this particular ethos. I honestly don't understand who is buying all these copies. As for continuing with the series, you've GOT to be kidding. I'm an openminded person and I have no problem exploring lifestyles different from my own, but this book exists solely to make people feel bad about their choices, and to bully them into changing their lives through fear. I cannot support or recommend that.

...The premise of the novel, the period straight after the Rapture, has always intrigued me. I am not ashamed to admit that reading the Book of Revelation still scares me slightly witless. The pace of the novel is slow, as is inevitable in a series such as this where a very large stage has to be set and the main characters' road to faith explained. Not having read the other titles in the series yet, I can only hope the pace quickens.

Unfortunately the characters, the Steeles, Williams, Barnes et. al. are not developed enough in this novel to raise them above factory-made fiction cliche status. At times there are glimmers of increased character development, particulaly Rayford and Chloe, but not enough to made them fully rounded people.

The dialogue is very clunky at times also, and the fact that it takes everyone so long to realise that Carpathia is the villain defies belief (no pun intended) for some time. I found the transformation of the United Nations too sudden, when it could have been more subtle. In the event it wasn't explained very well given the importance this has to the story to come.

Nevertheless, despite these criticisms I liked this novel. It was a compulsive read and certainly raised questions in my mind that I will have to find answers to. The fact that Christian fiction is now breaking over into the "mainstream" says something is happening. The first of the Left Behind novels is a good start to a series I intend to continue to read in the hope of answering some of the questions it has already posed.

This is the book that set off a world-wide obsession with the Left Behind series. This is the book that started the audio drama series, the kids' series, the movies, the board games, the website. This is the book whose following sequels hit and continue to hit the top of the New York fiction bestseller list.

So what's the big deal about Left Behind? While it differs from many denominational theologies and ideologies, even those who disagree on the Second Coming of Christ still enjoy reading these books. Why? Because it chronicles the fictional yet realistic events following the Rapture of Christ's people from the earth.

Here's the plot for this first book: Rayford Steele is an commercial airline pilot whose life is going okay. So okay, in fact, that he's pondering a potential deepening of his relationship with one of his online flight attendants, Hattie Durham. This, despite his happy marriage to his beautiful wife Irene, and their two kids, Chloe and Ray Jr. Meantime, famed journalist Cameron ("Buck") Williams is on Rayford's plane. Williams gained fame and renown by covering a massive air assault in Israel, one in which all of the enemy forces attacking were killed by a strange firestorm, and yet no casualties resulted on the Israeli's side -an event predicted by the Bible.

Both of their worlds - and the real world - are shaken as, in the blink of an eye, millions of people disappear, simply vanish out of their clothes, and out of this world. Rayford lands his plane safely, despite chaos on the ground, and rushes to his home. He finds that his suspicions are confirmed: his wife and younger child Ray Jr. have disappeared with the rest. Rayford searches for answers at the church that he had never before enjoyed attending with his wife. He finds the assistant pastor Bruce Barnes, who has been left behind, at the church, watching a video recorded by the church's pastor, describing THE VERY EVENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED.

The video tells of the disappearances predicted in the Bible, the path to salvation, and foretells of the events to come, according to the Bible. Rayford, his daughter Chloe, Bruce, and a small congregation of others searching for answers find their salvation in Jesus Christ.

Meantime, Buck Williams searches for answers too, as he watches a charismatic Romanian leader rise quickly to the head of the United Nations. He learns from Bruce Barnes' teaching that this leader is predicted in the Bible, and in the video tape. Buck must discover the truth for himself, before it is too late.

BAD:

I enjoy this series a lot, but for those whose theology doesn't line up, it's not an extremely critical aspect of the Christian life as to what manner Christ will return in. The authors, Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye rely on the Bible for their opinions, and the Bible makes it clear that Christ's return is imminent, and that it will occur "in the twinkling of an eye". Even if you don't agree with the pre-tribulation Rapture of Christ's church, this series is still quite enjoyable. Compared to some books I've read, this particular one isn't very violent, but for picky readers, you should know that there are some violent things that take place in the book: a double-murder described in rather gory detail, as well as the chaos and violence that occurs following the disappearances. (Drivers who disappear cannot stop their cars from plowing into houses, people, cars; people cooking on a stove that disappear leave burnings stoves behind them; even other airline pilots who disappear leave their passengers pilotless, to crash and burn)

GOOD:

Jesus Christ is the Messiah, that's the main message of this book. Those who were raptured were taken by God to be spared his great wrath and judgment. Many come to repentance, and faith in Him after the disappearances, and follow His leading thereafter. This book is very enjoyable to read, and it's quite the craze nowadays too.

THOUGHTS:
Jenkins' writing style isn't the best you can find, to be honest. It's the plot that keeps you enthralled. In fact, some of his writing skills seem to deteriorate in later books of this series. Still, the book is a good read, and you should read it some time. But be prepared to buy a boxed set, or perhaps the rest of the series, because you'll want to know what happens next, and there's 12 books in the series! Also check out the Left Behind movies, and the dramatic audio editions.

I began reading the other books in the series in the fall and finished the fourth book during a plane ride to the Holy Land. To say the least, standing at the Western Wall after reading the fourth book truly brought the whole book of Revelation to reality. This fifth book, again focusing so much on Jerusalem and Israel brought back God's power and glory to a new sense of awe. I enjoyed how closely it paralled scripture in its descriptions of the locust attack. I can't wait for the next book. Most enjoyable books I've read in a long time!

I always thought that the last book in the Bible, Revelation, was boring. That was before I read the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. The books in this series are my favorite of all time! For one thing, they are action packed! I love the part where the satanic anti-Christ, Nicholae, calls everyone who's anyone to a meeting and kills the only two above him! Oh, it gets better! He then manipulates everyone in the room into believing that they killed themselves! Among those in the room was Cameron "Buck" Williams. He was a newly saved Christian, and God protected him from brainwashing. Also, at the beginning of the series, millions disappear all in one instant! For those of you who don't know, this was predicted just over 2 thousand years ago! All the Christians disappear off the face of the earth, leaving the confusion and wreckage on Earth. Rayford Steele was piloting a Pan-Com 747 at the time. After the emergency landing, he drove home, already knowing what he'd find. His wife had told him about this, and he hadn't believed. He knew he and his daughter had been left behind. They eventually went to Hope Village Church and got saved. They ended up joining the "Tribulation Force", or the inner core of the church, along with Bruce Barnes, a pastor who got left behind because he thought he could get to heaven by doing good deeds, Buck, and Amanda. They survived everything together. This is where romance comes in. That's the next reason I love these books. Buck and Chloe have a cute little love story involving a cookie. Ray and Amanda fall in love, too. They have a double wedding. Amanda was killed just before Ray heard she could have been a spy for Nicholae. He was crushed. He just wouldn't accept she had lied to him. Another reason I love these books is they make me think. I mean, what if I was left behind? I mean I know I won't be but still. You see, when you read these books, the prophecies of Revelation aren't boring at all.

Apollyon is another suspenseful book in the series.Hattie Durham, the former airline attendant and girlfriend of the antichrist, Nicolae Carpathia, is confusused about what to do with her illegitimate child. Rayford Steele, the airline pilot who flies Nicolae's plane, is distraught about the mounting evidence that his late wife, Amanda, may have been a false believer and spy for Nicolae. Buck, newspaper reporter, and Chloe, his wife, are debating whether to have a child when the future of the world is so uncertain. All of the thousands of believers are gathering in Jerusalem for a stadium rally, which will lead to a showdown with Nicolae Carpathia. Believers are increasingly relying on the Internet for underground communication and sermons from their mentor Rabbi Tsion Ben Judah.The Destroyer releases the demon locusts which are a divine plague to attack those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. This plague allows the believers to prepare for the future without the interferance of the non-believers. All of will keep you attached to the book until the last page.

I've read all but The Indwelling in this series and found this one to be entertaining but a little drawn out. Besides the continuing saga of good vs. evil as portrayed by Buck, Rayford and other believers against Carpathia and his henchmen, the book continues to move along in its narrative of the end days. The specualtive interpretation, based on Biblical Phrophecy is full of God's message all be it not so suttle at times. If you've read the others in this series you probably will read this book no matter what is said. If you're new I suggest you start with the original to get a complete feel for Jenkin's and LaHaye's apacopalyptic vision. If you just want to jump into the series, don't do it here as this book is a bit drawn out. I found myself saying "OK kill him already"! I thought there would be much more to this installment than there was but nonetheless found it rewarding. For believers and non-believers alike this is a fun book that will at least make you think and hopefully be a better person. There are tons of reviews for this book but I told myself I would review all in the series, so, peace be with you, share the spirit.

After I read the last words of this book, the first word that came out of my mouth was "Wow!" This book will leave you anxiously waiting for the next book of the series.

The book begins with the Tribulation Force still hiding out in the safe house. Rayford is experiencing an incessantly growing desire to assasinate the Anti-Christ. His rage is fed even more when the Tribulation Force experiences a tragedy near the beginning of the book. The intensity of the story builds as "due time" approaches for the Two Witnesses at the Wailing Wall and Hattie mysteriously disappears. In fear that the safe house's security might be compromised, the tribulation force attempts to retrieve Hattie.

The dialogue and action in this book are extremely engaging and most readers will not be disappointed. I did, however, grow somewhat weary of the story's account of Rayford's plot to destroy Carparthia. I guess the author wanted to depict the consequences of the pressure that is put on imperfect saints. This, however, did not diminish the story's potency.

The book's explosive ending leaves many questions and will leave the readers speculating and guessing and looking forward to the next book in the series. "The Indwelling: The Beast Takes Possession."

After reading "Conquest of Paradise" by Britt Gillette, I was instantly turned onto biblical end times literature, and I instantly started reading the Left Behind series. From book one, I was totally hooked, and I've read up through book seven in less than a couple of weeks.

In "Assassins", the adventure and intrigue of the Left Behind series continues unabated with an interesting twist. Unlike the others, this book concentrates on a fundamental theological question: "Is it righteous to kill someone who is evil?" While the antichrist, Nicolae Carpathia, works around the clock to rebuild the world's infrastructure and government to serve his own ends, the Tribulation Force and member Rayford Steele struggle spiritually with a plan to assassinate Carpathia. Meanwhile, Buck Williams builds a large following via his Internet magazine The Truth, and Hattie Durham (former colleague of Rayford Steele and former mistress of Carpathia) joins the ranks of the true believers in the Tribulation Force. "Assassins" continues the brilliant storytelling of LaHaye and Jenkins with masterful suspense and full cognizance of the scriptures. Fans who have made it this far will not be disappointed.

I can't wait to find out what happens next. I look forward to reading books seven through twelve, and I encourage other Left Behind fans to pick up "Conquest of Paradise: An End-Times Nano-Thriller" as additional reading. That book got me interested in this series, and what a great book! What "Left Behind" lacks in realism, "Conquest of Paradise" adds in abundance. The prose is much more advanced and the international politics are identical to the current world scene and the war on terror. Peppered with biblical verses, "Conquest of Paradise" will turn even the most hardened skeptics into believers, or at least it will make them think twice. It's one lovers of end-times fiction shouldn't miss.

Book seven, "The Indwelling" continues the adventures of the Tribulation Force, and the infamous antichrist becomes indwelled by the devil himself. Can't wait to read the rest!

Soul Harvest has to be the most wonderful book in an already powerful series. Not only are the characters real, but the basic theme of the book and then entire series IS REAL. Everything that these two gifted authors use as background, ie, the Tribulation, Rapture and rise of the AntiChrist has been predicted for nearly two thousand years...and WILL happen. I have been comparing these books to the Bible, and the events are there, just waiting for God's own time. I could hardly believe it when I saw that Tyndale decided to release this book early. And I am glad they did. Now, all we need to do is wait for the remaining three books to be written and published. Of course, if the Rapture takes place before they write these books, we can always ask them in heaven how it was to come out!!! Do your nonChristian friends a favor, encourage them to read these books for themselves, so that they will not be, in the words of the first book...Left Behind.

If you are going to read #4 in the series any review you read will be of little benefit as by now you are hooked in and will read it anyway. If you're new to the series this is by far one of the more exciting books, in a fantasy sort of way. Afterall good fiction should entertain and you shouldn't question the credibility of a good story if you're into it. There is lots of international intrigue that would make a good action type thriller. Of course a good script that would embellish the efforts of LaHaye and Jenkins would make it all the better. My main problem with the series is that it is is written at a juvenile level. Maybe the intent was to reach as many readers as possible or maybe there are just that many poor readers but I do wish the content was a little more geared beyond the 8th grade. The message as you know deals with the authors interpretation of the Bible but the preaching is minimal in this one as the action takes over much of the plot. A pretty easy read for believers and non-believers alike.

Warning: This is not an easy book to read. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins do not pull any punches.

"Soul Harvest" begins in the aftermath of the sixth seal judgment, the worldwide earthquake. With the exception of Israel, no place on earth is untouched. Death and destruction are everywhere. And many of those that are still living want nothing more than to die. New Hope Village Church is gone. Loretta's house is gone. Global Community Weekly is gone. Just about everyone the Tribulation Force has come to know and love is gone. And yet it gets worse.

Both Amanda Steele and Chloe Williams are missing. It is a race against time as Rayford Steele and Buck Williams each try to save their beloved wives. Both of their lives will forever be changed by what they find.

The worldwide earthquake is just the beginning. Tsion Ben-Judah, despite being a marked man by the Global Community, wants to return to Israel to rally together the 144,000 Jewish witnesses. The pressure is on around the world to force Nicolae Carpathia into providing protection for Tsion's return. Will Carpathia give in to the pressure and let Tsion return? Better yet, will the first, second, and third Trumpet Judgments prevent the gathering from taking place?

If you are able to tolerate the images that this book will bring up in your mind, you will no doubt find yourself very captivated and will quickly finish reading the book. So far, this is the best of the series.

I have written several comments for Amazon.Com. regarding novels by Ms.Steel which I have read. Each time I have admitted that her books are enjoyable to me as they offer a nice diversion from the many serious, well-written novels by other novelists. I think of Danielle Steel as a novelist I like to read in-between tackling more challenging ones - like when one wants to watch a TV movie. In "Mirror Image" I have to admit I was pleased with the ending for it wasn't wrapped up in a nicely neat fairy-tale ending. I hope Ms. Steel continues to write more realistic conclusions. However, much of "Mirror Image" was disappointing. The story of Olivia and Victoria, two identical, mirror image twins, with two very different personalities takes a long time to progress. Victoria scandalizes the family by having an affair with a married man and her father, in order to rectify the family name, forces her to marry a man she does not love, but whom her twin sister loves. Much of what follows is predictable and it is not until Victoria goes to Europe to help with the war that "Mirror Image" becomes interesting. Ms. Steel is not a great writer; therefore, it is her story-telling capabilities which sets her apart from other romance writers and which always keeps this reader enthralled. Unfortunately, "Mirror Image" did not move - it just coasts along. Not one of Ms. Steel's best efforts but, as I said before, I hope she continues writing endings like this one.

The plot itself made me want to read this book. I found it intriguing how it revolved around a pair of beautiful twins who are identical only in appearance. The fact that Victoria had an affair with a married player causes her father to engage her to Charles. However, Olivia is obviously the one suited to him. She's the one who finds him respectful and whom adores his child. The new engagement is convenience only on both parts of the party. There is no love. Victoria marries to cover the scandal of the affair and Charles needs a mother for his child. Victoria eventually convinces Olivia to switch. She wants to go to the battlefields. Victoria sinks in a ship but later is discovered that she is actually alive. From that point on, both the twins find love. And voila, you got the plot.

And yet, it was just so poorly written at times!(the first half anyway). There were many times where Danielle Steel kept talking about 1)how identical they looked 2)how beautiful they were 3)how Charles felt Victoria was more wild and fiesty. 4)how ppl kept staring at their remarkable beauty. It just started getting corny after a while and I found myself rolling my eyes at times. I get the point after the first 5 times...

I love Danielle Steel's books but this one isn't as good as some of her others. For another book with almost identical plot, I suggest reading 'Deceptions' by Judith Michael.

So many people on Amazon gave this book a bad rating, so when I picked this book up I was almost afraid to read it. But I am so glad I did. This book starts out only one year after the Titanic tragically sinks. We meet Olivia and Victoria Henderson, two strikenly beautiful mirror image twins. One could not tell one from the other. Olivia is the calm and surreen one where as Victoria is the wild feminist. After a visit to New York, Victoria disgraces her good name. Her father becomes so horribly enraged and forces her to marry a man she didn't love. A man meant for her sister Olivia. His wife had died on the Titanis and he was left taking care of his little boy. This book will take you to New York all the way to war ravaged France. You will laugh and cry and look at life in a whole new beautiful day. This novel will make you love yourself and love the simple blessings you are granted. Don't let yourself pass this book up. Embrace it and love it like a beautiful child. Let the words speak to your heart and soul. And along the way LEARN! You will love this book.

I didn't know anything about the author when I was tempted to purchase this book. I just thought that this novel would be a good example of Americans' perspective towards Japan, which is always good to know. Although this book once was (and still is?) one of the bestsellers in the US, and the book's universal message regarding peace and love was good to read, this was the first English book that I have ever got so disappointed. To me Japanese, situations and Japanese characters felt too unnatural. On the one hand the Japanese characters were depicted so overly "Japanese" that they often bowed just unnecessarily, and on the other hand their attitudes and behaviors were unbelievably so westernized. The real Japanese living in Japan almost in their lifetime could not easily act like that simply as a result of staying in the US for just a couple of months. I know I myself is a good example. I stayed in the US for 6 months before. I wish I could evaluate this novel as a nice try. A plethora of "tiny" failures just disabled me to do so.

Silent Honor is a book that involves families and countries torn apart by war. It seperates cultures and lets the reader feel the emotions that each ethnic group goes through. The characters show great courage and honor for the countries the families are tied to. It also shows how love can overcome all the obsticles and survive the pain. It teaches readers about the traditions of the Japanesse. It shows how difficult it is for someone to fit into a new culture, especially when it is war time and they are not accepted.You can feel the pain when the innocent people are placed in camps like prisoners. It is a novel with joy, sorrow, and peace. When you read the book you feel as if you are living the story with the characters. When the book ends you are left wanting to know more about the famlies that made it through the war and how they will pull their lives back together

With wonderfully painted characters and a "self-reflective" plot, Danielle Steel creates a terrific story about the Asian culture and WWII. She obviously has done much research about the time era and culture. I was astounded by the situations that the Japanese American people had to tolerate. As with Message From Nam, I was pleasantly suprised at how Steel writes about war. I've never been a history "buff" nor a historical fiction fan. Upon looking at the title, Silent Honor, I assumed a boring "war" novel. I was pleasantly mistaken. This book will challenge you to reflect on how you feel about other cultures and your sympathies toward them. I was absolutely impressed!!!

After reading the first novel in the Left Behind series, Left Behind, I was compelled to read the second novel because of becoming closer to God through the book. Though the plot was thick, I was bound to the book the entire time I was reading because of unexpected twists and turns and the death of an important member of the Tribulation Force at the end. It was excellently written and kept me wanting to read until the end. After the pregnancy of Hattie Durham, I knew that the rest of the books would be interesting to read especially with the upcoming wedding of the Anti-Christ and Hattie. I cannot wait to read the third book!

After reading "Conquest of Paradise" by Britt Gillette, I was instantly turned onto biblical end times literature, and I just started reading the Left Behind series. The first book in the series was breathtaking, moving from one scene to the next. It was easy to get caught up in the lives of the characters.

When we last left our heroes they were in disarray following the rapture which took many friends and family members away. Chaos encapsulated the world, and Nicolae Carpathia was building a name for himself in the international political realm. In "Tribulation Force", Rayford Steele, his daughter Chloe, journalist Buck Williams, and past Bruce Barnes form a group to study the Bible, pray, and support one another through the horrible events. Convinced that Carpathia is the long-prophesied antichrist, they call their group the Tribulation Force and set out to secretly rebel against his rule. Meanwhile, Carpathia fulfills more biblical prophecies by taking over the United Nations, signing a security treaty with Israel, and luring the nations into a one-world government. Judgements begin to pour out on the earth, and the Tribulation Force must fight to stay alive!

I've been tearing through this series at lighting speed (went ahead and bought the box sets...). Although they read more like comic books than novels, the Left Behind series has got me hooked. For those who have already read it and need something more, I highly suggest "Conquest of Paradise: An End-Times Nano-Thriller". That book got me hooked on these, so it can't be that bad! And it's much more frighteningly realistic in its approach. ...Can't wait to finish the Left Behind series!

Tribulation Force is another success by LaHaye and Jenkins. They still seem to be setting up the series, so the book still lacks the intense edge-of-your-seat action that comes in the later books. If you loved Left Behind, you will without a doubt love this book as well. If you found Left Behing somewhat boring, this book is more exciting, but the adventure really starts taking off in Nicolae, so hold on!