If Oprah's bookclub was back in business this would surely be a novel she would love. Black Canadian history, hardship, heartache and joy all figure prominantly in this very readable first novel. This is the story of Addy Shadd, an elderly Black woman with plenty of heartbreaking secrets in her past. Addy comes to "inherit" five year old Sharla Cody, a mixed race child with no father and a less than caring mother. The fascinating story of Addy's life is carefully weaved into her present relationship with Sharla, it makes for a story you won't want to put down. My only minor negative comment would be that at times the volume of tragedy in Addy's life seems overwhelming even for the reader. That aside, I would highly recommend seeking out this novel. 4.5 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel by Lori Lansens. However, I will admit that the introductory chapter had me worried that this book would be depressing. Yet as I read on I found that the damage done could be undone with faith and love, as so much evil in the world can. There are many great lessons to be learned throughout the story as Addy Shadd, a strong woman with a big heart, regresses into her past and the reader gets a glimpse of how she learned these life lessons. One of the things I enjoyed most about this novel was its realness. There were hardships and trials yet there were times of true and complete happiness just as there are in everyone's life. The characters in this novel went through struggles, learned from them, and went on to revel in the joys of life. The aspect of the writing style that I enjoyed most was the way the author brought us into the past as Addy herself was drawn into it. As Addy becomes more entrenched in her past, the story begins to spend more time in the past as well. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

Lori Lansens' book "Rush Home Road" was a literary journey into the life of Addy Shadd, an elderly Canadian woman whose life unfolds through a series of flashbacks, first-person accounts, and through the eyes of Sharla Cody, a biracial girl who is greatly influenced by Shadd's warmth and generosity.

The beauty of this book is that Lansens keeps the reader guessing, fascinated, and intrigued by the experiences of Canadian Blacks.

"Rush Home Road" is a must read.

The familiar French expletive is uttered by the narrator after an exploding shell has spilled ink on the song he's just written for his wife, negating his night's labors but not his determination to rewrite it. It's this sort of touch that separates Blackburn's uncommon account about the common soldier's experience from other books about the Normandy campaign or any other war.

"The Guns of Normandy" describes the two-month mission of the author's regiment in the ferocious and decisive battle for Verrieres Ridge, but it is clear from the outset that the author is on another mission. Like Toni Morrison's narrator in "Beloved," who insists that hers is "not a story to be retold," Blackburn insists that his account, however gripping it may be, is "never, never an adventure story." It is time to salvage this critical moment in history from the dispassionate reconstructions of the academics, from the fanciful fabrications of the "war games" crowd, and even from the fading memories of the participants themselves. The resulting account is at once a powerful tribute to the Canadian 2nd Division's contribution (the victory at Falaise seals the doom of Hitler's forces in the west) and a stirring memorial to the author's comrades. But above all it is an honest portrayal of men engaged in a protracted "real" war, not an in-and-out invasion where the primary focus is on high-tech weaponry and smart bombs.

Blackburn's use of the second-person narrator, in effect, de-emphasizes his own persona and directly engages the reader in the experience-from the undeniable fascination of war to the horrifying spectacle to the depressingly prosaic daily business. The narrator's question before landing in France quickly became my own: Would I be able to stand up in a similar situation? Doubts entered my mind even when, shortly after landing, the narrator describes a herd of distended, dead cows, each with two legs pointing toward the sky. That unsettling scene much later becomes a powerful, unshakable metaphor representing the horror, the absurdity, the futility of war. A Canadian gun officer, preoccupied with guiding his weapon, jumps down from his quad-and finds himself buried in the rotten intestines of one of those swollen carcasses, the bowels of hell literally engulfing him in an instant.

Other images become indelible with little help, and certainly no hype, from the narrator. We register disappointment at the overmatched Allied tanks vs. their heavily-armored German counterparts; we're attracted to the German Nebelwerfers that unexpectedly discharge terrifying "Moaning Minnies" at the Canadians' expense; we share the narrator's helplessness and dismay while his comrades fall victim to the misdirected bombs of the RAF; we can't shake off the image of a barely recognizable human form after it has been run over the previous night by a column of tanks. Throughout, we share the narrator's amazement at the tenacity and sheer will of men who continue to fight in the face of relentless dysentery, massive lice infestation, and overwhelming fatigue.

But our final impression--standing out from the grizzly details, the courageous actions of the men, the ultimate victory even-is one of comradeship, of a mutual trust so strong that the infantry soldiers view the gunners as protectors while the gunners, in turn, take extra care not to disturb the precious few hours of sleep granted the frontline soldiers. And the narrator takes this theme one additional, unforgettable step when he finds himself struggling to administer medical care to a critically wounded German soldier whose face reminds him of his own brother. At that climactic moment, the depersonalized narrator materializes fully for us, validating not just the authenticity but also the value of his mission-both as soldier and historian.

"The Guns of Normandy" certainly is no mere "adventure story." It's an unflinching record, a powerful elegy, a story of faith, hope and, not least of all, charity.

What a wonderful bit of eye-witness history Canadian author George Blackburn has rendered in his recent book, "The Guns Of Normandy: A Soldier's View, France 1944". This is an absorbing, entertaining, and fascinating account of a Canadian participant in the Allied invasion onto the beaches of Normandy in June of 1944, a wonderful second volume in his three-volume trilogy. His eye-witness testimony concerning his own anecdotal experience during the historic campaign marshals a marvelously captivating and insightful perspective on the nature of combat as he experienced it while on the line as the action transpired all along the front. Indeed, it is Blackburn's unique ability to speak in the first person that makes his contribution so compelling and valuable.

The author's stated purpose is to take the reader on an accompanied tour of the battle as it progresses and evolves, helping us to better empathize with and understand the horrific and riveting circumstances under which the situation progresses, as they struggle from the killing ground of the beaches up the escarpment to the fields and deadly hedges, and on into the lush green of the waiting countryside of France. What we are privileged to experience, as a result, is a full metal jacket approach to the chaos of war, amid the acrid smells, blinding flashes of light, and ear-pounding crashes of both incoming and outgoing shells exploding day and night. In doing so, Blackburn clears somewhat a path through the all too commonplace 'fog of battle'.

Blackburn does so with a wonderfully literate and engagingly approachable writing style, and he sues his obvious facility with words to great advantage here, adding immeasurably to our understanding of what the experience on the ground was in those first fatal hours and days as the Allies bludgeoned their ways through the brutal resistance of a frenzied Nazi war machine. He writes with surprising intensity and emotion, and his sense of recall of particular events and existential circumstances for himself and his fellows is both impressive and quite moving at points in his narrative. This is first person history at its best, one that employs both a more objective coda to the book, which also serves to lend a more authoritative aura to the proceedings than would otherwise have been possible.

Blackburn's other volumes are interesting as well, and are similarly eyewitness accounts of this remarkable Canadian war hero turned historian and author's personal experience as a participant in the Mediterranean and European campaigns of the Second World War. Here he has shared with us his amazing, profound recollections of the men who fought so valiantly in France in 1944 in service to their countries. This is a story that should be told again and again, so we never forget what it took to take back the beaches, the surrounding countryside, all in preparation for moving on into the interior of France to push the Germans all the way back to Berlin. This was not only the longest day, but also one of the greatest days in history, when hundreds of thousands of Canadians, Brits, Australians, Frenchmen, and Americans strove out of their landing boats to set foot back on Europe, to take back by force of arms the liberty and freedom that had been wrested away from the mainland so cruelly nearly five years before. This, then, is the story of how that crusade to liberate Europe began, of its first shaky steps off the LSTs and boats onto the rocky bloodied shores of France. Enjoy!

I actually came to read "The Guns of Normandy: A Soldier's Eye View, France 1944" after having seen and read "Band of Brothers." Watching and reading those two versions of Stephen E. Ambrose's work both left me wanting more details to get a fully picture of what it was like for these soldiers to fight World War II. That sort of detail is precisely what I found in this memoir by George G. Blackburn, the second of his trilogy of books on his experiences during World War II. Blackburn's extensive background as everything from a journalist and radio producer to a playwright and lyricist serves him in good stead in the writing of this volume, which is quite readable and broken down into very discrete narrative segments, including quotations from interviews, and detailed footnotes of interest that avoid getting in the way of the narrative.

The narrative starts in July of 1944 with his unit, the 4th Field Regiment of 25-poundrs attached to the 2nd Canadian Division, finally headed off to war after years of training. By the end of "The Guns of Normandy" it is early September of that same year and the unit's participation in a victory march into Dieppe. On the one hand this is the recollection of a soldier about the war, but it is also an argument by Blackburn regarding the crucial role of these guns as the Canadian army fought its way from Caen to Falaise, a distance of roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers). Of course, my knowledge of non-American troops movements after D-Day is both limited and suspect, so the questions as to how and why the RCA was "confined" are news to me (I seem to recall a small reference to the situation in "Patton"). Consequently, Blackburn is not only recalling events he is making an argument as to "what really happened."

I have only read a few soldier biographies from the American Civil War and there are two significant differences between those works and "The Guns of Normandy." First, Blackburn is much more forthcoming with regards to the details of war's horrors, providing a sense of the bloody campaign of the Canadian army in Normandy. Second, the story of an artillery unit is rather uncommon certainly in my experience and I would think for most readers of military memoirs as well. I was surprised by how much I learned about how many rounds were fired by these 25-pounders in a single day and the performance differences between Churchill VII and Tiger MK I tanks. Certainly you will have a much greater appreciation of the significance of field artillery than ever before.

Ultimately "The Guns of Normandy" is half the personal story of Blackburn's war experiences and half a detailed account of this particular military campaign. Again, I really do not know enough about the invasion of Europe to offer a definitive judgment, but my feeling by the end of this volume was that the campaign against the Germans around Falaise was the most significant and most hard-fought campaign in 1944 between the actual D-Day invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. Consequently, I find it hard to believe that the other two volumes in Blackburn's trilogy can be as significant as "The Guns of Normandy." I find myself thinking what a great idea it would be for Canadian television to do a mini-series based on this book seeing as how it tells the story of what is arguably the greatest campaign in the military history of Canada (again, another subject of which I know admittedly next to nothing). One outcome of such a project is that this book would get the sort of notice in Canada I would think it deserves.

Ten years ago I discovered an old hardcover copy of BOON ISLAND in my fathers closet. After having read it I desired to read more of this authors work but was regretfully delayed due to my formal scholastic pursuits. Last month I was in a Kennebunkport bookstore and discovered a section abundant of KENNETH ROBERTS' work. I selected ARUNDEL, read it and can't wait to move to the next one. Being an historian I had but little defense and was drawn-in by Roberts' vivid imagery and very accurate historical timeline. Having just visited Arundel I could envision Phoebe sailing along the rugged Maine coast while Steven Nason and Cap Huff prepared to answer the call for troops. The journey up the Kennebec to Quebec was never without adventure; this is where Roberts' talent for his craft shines the most: where other authors would falter, allowing their story to slow, Robert's provides his characters with dynamics that are realistic and not hard to follow. This is a book not to put down for if you do you may not know if Stevie finds Mary Mallison, if revenge is achieved over Gurelac, or what Cap Huff may do next.

Kenneth Roberts is without doubt the finest historical novelist this country has ever produced. His work is the history of America in fictional settings, but it is authentic history, more accurate and reflective of the reality of this nation than most non-fiction works on the subject. Most of the people he writes about in Arundel really existed; and some were portraits of his Maine ancestors, whose stories he tells as exemplars of the people who founded this nation. In addition to being historically accurate to the most minute detail, his writing is poetic and moving. No one who has not read Roberts' work, most especially the "Chronicles of Arundel" (of which this book is one piece) can fully comprehend the American experience and how we came to be the nation we are. "Arundel" was his first novel, and after 65 years it still shines like a beacon to those who want the truth about the American Revolution, what it meant, and why it was fought. This is a book that changes lives. It will waken the dormant patriotism in the hearts of even the most cynical modernist. If you want to know why we are here and what America really stands for, read "Arundel," and then move on to his other work.

This book is one of the greatest historical novels I have ever read. It's written by one of the foremost authors of 18th century history Kennith Roberts. This book takes the reader back to a time when the Abenaki's ruled the land and the rivers were alive with fish. Roberts brings alive the sights and sounds of 18th century America in a way that no other writer can possibly do. " While they were still thickly bunched my father and Rabomis picked up the other muskets and fired again; and again the wild fowl fell back into the pool and marsh like a storm of water melons. Ducks and geese by the thousands and hundred thousand sprang into the air." (Roberts, p 72) Roberts follows a young man, Stephen Nason, through the French and Indian War and into the Revolutionary War as he searches for his childhood love. His love Mary was taken from him by the Heron Indians who also killed her father. This book written with the same historical detain as Northwest Passage. I recomond this book to anyone who likes romance, adventure, and history.

I loved Oriah's first book, "The Invitation" , so I looked forward to "The Dance"...but with the fear that maybe the magic wouldn't happen again; maybe she'd said the important stuff and this would be the leftovers. I needn't have worried.

I read an exerpt on her website and now I've read the whole book. It's powerful and magic, and I feel changed by it. Not because it left me with a sense of who I could be, but because it gave me a sense of the value of who I am, and of how to more fully live with that.

Oriah says of her book " It is the story of my discovery that the question is not 'Why are we so infrequently the people we want to be?' but rather 'Why do we so infrequently want to be the people we really are?' ...It is the story of our struggles with those things that make it hard to remember who and what we really are, the places where is easy to become afraid in our culture."

She also shows us much more of the person she is, of her background in Shamanic teaching and the workshops that she ran, and that makes the "The Dance" more powerful for me. Her stories are vivid and real, and she often tells painfully human anecdotes of mistakes she makes; no "I'm the Master who knows all" fraudulance here.

It's really a wonderful book...if you're on my Christmas gift list, you probably don't need to buy a copy, but otherwise you definitely should.

I was so taken with this book that I read it in one day, staying up much past my bedtime! Oriah writes from her heart and her experiences - she acknowledges her frailties, doesn't gloss over the complications of life, and suggests skills to learn that could help a person learn to "Move to the Rhythms of Their True Self." I was captivated by the beautiful poetry, energized by her suggested meditations, and through her writing, realized just how much I need to slow down! I have not read "The Invitation," but will do so in the near future. In the meantime, "The Dance" goes with me wherever I go - to be read again and again and again.

This was a beautiful book and I will have to agree even better then the Invitation. However, you don't have to read the invitation first to enjoy this book but if you haven't read the Invitation then you would be missing something as it also is a wonderful book. " Take my hand and dance with me " This book will truly change you, your perspective and you just don't want to miss this one!

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love." (1 John 4:18)

Life is not sanitized and easy. Kerouac knew this from hard-bitten experience. The amazing thing about Jack was that when it was over, he could always sing about it in his books. he does so here in "Maggie Cassidy."

I have felt the kind of stuff Jack talks about in this book. The illusion of teen "love" is one of the most wretched feelings in all the world...its elation is too high...too painful. Its ending is wrenching of the soul...usually quickly followed by the joy of illusory freedom. Still, it sticks your head for years after like an annoying song that won't go away--Keroauc gets all this down in one hundred and ninety-four pages...amazing.

Get this book. I recommend it highly to all who've been stung by what they thought was love when they were young.

Jack Kerouac, writer of many a romantic tale; stories set out wst on roads hitchhiking, listening to jazz till 4 a.m., and just living by the moment, but not this one. Although it is written in his similar romantic run-on sentenced style that captivates any lover od literature, it's a story about his teen years back home. Most of it revolving around his love with his girl Maggie Cassidy. Being a teenager you see connections and dumb teenage stereotypes, that are sad but true. Stories of drunken New Years with the boys, tales of the track and football team, and mostly that story of love, the "world revolves around us" love.
"The wild windows of other houses and Saturday night parties shining the spilling molen hot gold of real life." This quote was from Jack's 18th birthday party, where his whole world (family and friends) were all dancing, mingling, and basically having a great time. This quote describes some of the amazing weekends we have as high school kids, where the fun seems to keep coming at ya.
Stories of high school parties, buddies, girls, drama, and love are all packed into 194 pages; every page telling a new adventure. Whether it be Jack's short life as a prep school student on a football scholarship, or his first generation French-American parents, or even just his nights with the boys. Anyone who is or has been enrolled in high school and been involved in the complicated life of a teenager would love this book, so basically everyone. There's a chapter for everone and Kerouac's characters all have original and meaningful personalities. When you read it old friends from your town will be remembered, the dialogue and actions of the city kids of the 30's will take you back to the guys and gals you hung out with on weekends.

This book is about much more than a teenage boy growing up in smalltown 30's America. Kerouac describes the experience of his first tragic love nearly 20 years later with piercing insight into his own doomed fate. An important piece of the Legend of Dulouz.

To begin with, this is a good book if you enjoy reading fiction. It was wonderful to be reunited with old characters, and I liked how this book was slightly different from many of Janette Oke's other books in time period and style. Reading this book without the intent of being critical, this was a good book, and a must read for anyone who values Janette Oke's books.

However, to be perfectly fair and honest in my review, this book does have its flaws. I felt as though I grew somewhat attached to Christine and Henry, but this book lacked some of the necessary material and substance that causes the reader to truly bond with the characters. Furthermore, as much as I would love to say I enjoyed every aspect of this book, I was disappointed with Christine for her refusal to see sooner that Boyd wouldn't change. Christine seemed to be a smart, bright girl, but why did the matter of Boyd's attitude seem to be slightly glossed over? There was just something missing to make this a great book. Finally, the book ended very abruptly, in my opinion. Perhaps a sequal is in the making, but if not, Christine's story seemed to vanish near the end, leaving me feeling that her future, or even present, was unsolved. Then with Henry and Sam, I felt totally lost in the abruptness of the ending. Sure, I know what happened with them, but what about the void that gets them to where they are?

Despite my opinions (which provoked me to lower my rating to 3 stars), I still would recommend "Beyone the Gathering Storm" just because it was fun to read.

I just finished reading Beyond the Gathering Storm. I could not put it down! If you loved Mrs. Oke's Canadian West series, you will more than enjoy Beyond the Gathering Storm. It is so refreshing to revisit the characters of Elizabeth and Wynn Delaney and the setting of the Canadian wilderness. Though Elizabeth and Wynn are only supporting characters, there is enough interaction with them that the reader knows that they still posess the same endearing qualities that they did in the Canadian West series. Now, instead of a young married couple, they are middle-aged parents.

Beyond the Gathering Storm focuses on the Delaney's two adopted children, Henry and Christine. Henry follows in his father's footsteps as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Though Henry had wanted to be a member of the RCMP since he was young, he now finds his duties difficult, especially when he is sent to inform a young lady that her logger husband has been killed. Five years later, when he is at a new post, he encounters the young lady again. Will the haunting memories that he has had of this lady finally be put to rest?

Christine leaves her family and the North for a job in the city. Though uncomfortable and lonely at first, she comes to accept city life and to accept the attentions of her boss's worldly son, Boyd. Will Christine's love be enough to help Boyd see the emptiness of his life and the need for the only Someone who can fill that emptiness?

Mrs. Oke is a very gifted writer, and her books are always heartwarming. Beyond the Gathering Storm is no exception. Through it she weaves a lovely story about a brother and sister, who use their faith and their family to help them deal with life's heartaches. Besides the story, Mrs. Oke teaches her readers valuable lessons about prayer, about being "unequally yoked," and about being true to one's faith. The only disappointment I had with this book is that it took so long, after the last book in the Canadian West series, to be published.

This is a wonderful book. Once you get started you can't put it down! If you have not read the other books on the Delany family, don't worry for Ms. Oke catches you up on where they have been to the present storyline. The way she bring the message of God and his teachings is simply excellent, and she also ties this in to today's society and how easy it is to relate to the characters just like you were there yourself. I hope there is a sequel soon! I love her books and would reccommend them to anyone!

So far I've read it in 4 languages for more than 20 times. No point of repeating the good comments the other readers have already given to the writter. I'd like to encourage also the Greek/Italian/Danish speaking readers who are not so familiar to English language to read the book in their language without fear. There is nothing missing from the original! Compliments to the translators! They must be as brilliant as Barnes, to give the culture, spirit and black-humour of his into another language and still make sense! I furthermore suggest to everybody to RE-READ IT and you will be surprised to find yourself more in accordance with another character than you first did. That's really impressing! Because in this book there isn't any main character to lead you his way, it doesn't talk about good and bad guys, actually the book doesn't talk at all! Open it and become a witness! The tird eye! It's THEM talking it over...

Prepared or not, while you still must read, what you read is almost entirely directed to you. You are told what has happened, what your new friends think, and what they are to do. Turn the page and then be told of the effect their actions were upon another of your new acquaintances. This book almost becomes interactive. If it were to be read to you, instead of by you, you would undoubtedly answer, interrupt and question them, and then yourself for talking to those who are not there. You would likely take sides, and wish you could conspire to help the party you favor.

The Author Julian Barnes places you in the midst of a triangle, albeit one with tangential appendages, and the story that transpires is only a bit less unusual than the form the book takes. The reader is expected to be the listener, provide a shoulder, and sometimes to refuse the proffered cigarette less neutrality is to be compromised. The menagerie Mr. Barnes provides as your newfound pals, range from the mundane, to the brilliantly eccentric, and when brought together form an eclectic group. The cameos played by the briefest of speakers often come under the heading "He/she lies like an eyewitness". All believe they speak the truth, but truth is relative, perspective is everything.

Mr. Barnes is egalitarian as you are chosen to lend your sympathetic ear to men, women, the young and the not so young. He also offers the occasional insight from a player whose appearance doesn't even rate that of a cameo, florists as psychologists.

He also takes the most familiar range of human emotion and demonstrates with an ease that is a bit disconcerting, how double edged and painful they can be, This is true whether he cuts a swath with a broadsword, or slips a stiletto from the hand of one friend to the vitals of another.

Triangles are used to describe the actions between 3 individuals. Mr. Barnes uses the same shape, but the complexity of his writing requires more than one. A pyramid might result, at once the most stable of shapes, and repeatedly pointed as well.

A wonderful commentator on the human condition.

Once, so the tale goes, a marriage was broken when the woman took off with their mutual friend. A rather common tale these days but, in this case, made more interesting when both of the men are rather renowned authors of the time. What does the voyeuristic public get? Well...

Barnes' book explores some very interesting styling touches through his use of three narrators. What is new about that, you ask? Well, in this case the three know that the reader has access to all of the stories so they attempt to "set the story straight" regarding what actually happened. Yes, as in 10 1/2 Chapters, Barnes seems to enjoy with playing with the idea of what is history and exactly how objective can it be; only the reader is juxtaposed into events much like in Calvino's work.

So who got the woman in the end? You'll have to read this one to find out. Who wrote the better book? I think Barnes' book is superior but you should read Amis' "The Information" to decide for yourself. And then you could look into Barnes' latest since he apparently continues the tale there.

Okay so if you're gay and into horror or dark fantasy you will feel compelled to buy this book and read it. But I have to warn you it may be better to glance at a story or two at your local bookstore before laying out the cash (it's relatively expensive compared to other similar titles).

Some stories are well done but the majority were simply either crude or not horrific. The worst I read was "Hey Fairy" which had a monstrous and distasteful wish-fulfillment ending and the supernatural element made no sense -- obviously the author was not at all familiar with faerie lore or he would know the fey folk don't possess people.

So buy this at your own risk. The editor's work with gay vampire stories was far far superior.

I loved this book! The stories were first-rate, including work by some of the best-known and accomplished horror writers in the field, including Michael Marano, Douglas Clegg, Caitlin R. Kiernan, and Brian Hodge. The stories ran the gamut from vampires and werewolves and ghosts, to more eclectic supernatural slitherings. The advantage of being the first book of this kind ever ("Bending The Landscape" is also good, though it came later than "Queer Fear") is that it breaks the ground and claims it as its own. This book, after all, was a finalist for two Lambda Literary Awards and a Spectrum Award. On the downside, there's something about a book like this that seems to exacerbate homophobia and jealousy in some readers, some of whom have reviewed it online (proving that if you can't write or edit yourself--or are a bigot--you can always diss a book online). I advise readers to that (...) and get to "Queer Fear," post-haste. I only wish editor Michael Rowe (who also edited the vampire books "Sons of Darkness" and "Brothers of the Night") had contributed some of his own work. I've read his non-fiction in "Fangoria" and "Rue Morgue," and his fiction in the "Northern Frights" series. It rocks! Oh, well...maybe next time...hope there's a sequel!

One of the best horror anthologies I have ever come across. Really well-chosen, well-written stories. Starts off with a bang with NIGHTGUARD and keeps getting better. HEY, FAIRY! is a great story. Real imagination here, all through the book. Can't wait for the sequel!

Since I'm not an attorney, nor do I plan on ever being one, I didn't pick up Andrew J. McClurg's ``The Law School Trip'' looking for secrets about how to get a law degree. I picked it up because a friend, on occasion, sends me copies of columns that McClurg writes for the ABA journal. They make me laugh, as did this book. And one of McClurg's best bits, his list of the ``top five subjects of conversation most loved by law professors,'' is both funny and good advice for law students. Compliment the professor's kid even if the tyke is ``as ugly as a moth,'' he advises. You won't regret it. In a like manner, anyone with an appreciation for intelligent humor won't regret purchasing this book.

I am a 3rd year law student at the Univ. of Arkansas at Little Rock, and I had the privilege of taking Torts I and II from Professor McClurg (a.k.a. "Tort Man") as a 1L. Most of the reviewers so far have made it clear how gut-wrenchingly funny this book is. I wanted to point out how helpful it is, as well. You wouldn't want to use this book to prepare for your Torts final (unless you're in McClurg's class). Nonetheless, Tort Man uses humor in his class and in this book to offer insight and perspective on the law school -- and law practice -- experience. Read it and laugh out loud.

Professor, if you happen to read this, thank you for leaving us this legacy. Hope you're having a blast in Florida. They are lucky to get you.

This book is a must read for any attorney or law student. McClurg is dead-on with his humor and satire. But he doesn't just make fun of the profession- his humor is done with an obvious passion and respect for the world of law- which makes it all the more enjoyable for those of us who have chosen this crazy world for life!! If you have any lawyers or law students in your family, they will love this book as a gift. It's short and easy to read and will definitely put a smile on the face of anyone who has been to law school.

I agree with the previous reviewer who was frustrated with Davies' seemingly random introductions of the recording angels in "Bred In The Bone" and ETA Hoffmnan in "The Lyre of Orpheus" (though not with his estimation of Hoffman as "a 2nd rate composer" !!). After creating absolutely delightful characters as the dog Parlabane, Simon Darcourt and the delicious Maria Theotoky Cornish in "The Rebel Angels," Davies inexplicably disconnects with them violently to focus on others in the following volumes, pushing those who had so forcefully engaged our imaginative sympathies to the background. (Davies follows the same strategy in "The Salterton Trilogy," but there the let down is not so harsh, since we remain, so to speak, in the same neighbourhood.) "What's Bred In The Bone" regained my sympathy after a while, though its breadth and scope is uncharacteristic for Davies: at times, it approaches a thriller done by a second-rate Ken Follett. "The Lyre of Orpheus," however, is unremarkable.

While my favorite novel by Robertson Davies remains Fifth Business, a book so dazzling it leaves me almost speechless, I feel the three novels of The Cornish Trilogy--The Rebel Angels, What's Bred in the Bone and The Lyre of Orpheus--are more satisfying in the aggregate than The Deptford Trilogy. The middle novel, What's Bred in the Bone, is the lynchpin of the trilogy--the "biography" of Francis Cornish, a wealthy art collector and restorer who in time will be suspected of being an art forger, but who in reality is a great artist of high inward purpose. To remind us of Mark Twain's dictum that a man's true biography is what goes on in his own mind, the book is narrated by the two invisible spirits who served as Cornish's guardians on Earth--the only ones who will ever know the whole truth about him. What's Bred in the Bone is sandwiched in between The Rebel Angels, about mayhem and skulduggery among a group of academics when they inherit the bountiful legacy of the late Francis Cornish, and The Lyre of Orpheus, concerning the convoluted doings when a young musical genius tries to recreate an unfinished opera by E.T.A. Hoffmann. This book features a particularly rollicking gang of characters, including E.T.A. Hoffmann himself speaking from the grave. Davies' style glistens with his trademark scholarship and wit; his Jungian philosophy, deep spirituality and often profound insights into the artistic process make these novels important works of art as well as delightful semi-satiric, semi-fantasy romps. One major complaint I have about Davies is that all his characters tend to sound like erudite, well-settled, middle-aged men--fine for the Rev. Simon Darcourt, but not for Maria Theotoky Cornish, the 23-year-old, half-Gypsy beauty. Also, some of his set pieces simply go on too long, such as the contentious "Arthurian" dinner party thrown by Arthur and Maria Cornish. However, the totality of Davies' gifts is so enormous that I'm willing to forgive him his flaws.

Robertson Davies is one of the most erudite authors you will ever read. The sheer volume of his knowledge staggers me, his use of the English language leaves me green with envy. However, unlike Umberto Eco in "Foucalt's Pendulum" Davies' erudition is used, not to bludgeon the reader into awed submission, but to enrich. Davies' books are primarily great fun, his characters live, his stories grip, his descriptions evoke and his wit lightens. He is always a treat, and is one of those people whose name, whenever I read it, makes me smile.

Buy this trilogy and you will very likely find these three stories among the best you have ever read. If you just buy "What's Bred in the Bone" you will become addicted and have to buy "The Rebel Angels" and "The Lyre of Orpheus" anyway, so save time and effort and buy this trilogy. Then buy the Salterton Trilogy and the Deptford Trilogy and everything else he ever wrote. If you have never read Robertson Davies you have a wonderful treat in store, I envy you.