Hmmm. A stylish, popular man about town hears a less than complimentary comment about him. Instead of shrugging it off, he decides to ruin the person who made it - a defenceless woman living as a poor relation.

Hero? Not bloody likely. Just another selfish brat who seems to be so common in books these days.

As for his "remorse"? Yeah, it is easy for him to be remorseful AFTER he has destroyed another person's life. AFTER he has had a mirror held up to his face and seen what a disgrace he is. But that is a little too late for the innocent victim. He was warned several times that he was going too far, but he didn't care. Not until he was called to account. THEN, he was sorry. And how does he attempt to make it up to her? He tells her she has no choice but to marry him. After he has done his best to destroy her, she is supposed to throw herself at his feet.

Then, when her brother challenges the jerk to a duel, she has to marry him to save his worthless hide. She should have let her brother kill the toad.

Well, since she does fall in love with him, I guess it turns out ok. But just once, can't we have a romance where the hero is not a spoiled whiny baby, and the heroine is not a masochist?

Gayle Buck's novels frequently improve on re-reading. True to the genre, it takes little to destroy Verity's reputation and the destruction was Lord Rathbone's intent as revenge for how she described his character to a friend. What saves the plot at this point is that Rathbone is falling in love with Verity but does not realize it and that is one reason he continues to show her particular attention. Her reputation ruined, Verity is attacked by the very spoiled Miss Pettiforth and literally cast out into the night. Forced to go home to an empty house, Verity's brother finds her there when he returns from the American wars. Rathbone's host Mr. Pettiforth invites him to leave because of his treatment of Verity. In the subplot Mr. Pettiforth reclaims control of his family as a reult of this incident and arranges to send his daughter to a select seminary specializing in spoilt beauties. But wait! The plot is much more complex and Buck fully realizes its promise. Rathbone's mother has nourished a desire for vengeance against her husband's brothers and uses her son as her instrument. Verity's betrothal to Rathbone (she does love him) to prevent her brother from calling him out and killing him puts her in line for foul play by Rathbone's uncles. Buck write so true to the Regency period and she is a joy to read. Her characters are not overdone or underdone but always true to themselves. Her plots and characters have a redemptive quality similar to Mary Balogh's best. Lord Rathbon's Flirt is one of several of Buck's books that I have read 4-5 times and read yet again. Each re-read reveals subtle nuances previously overlooked that add spice and enjoyment. Maybe I'll just re-read it now.

Gayle Buck expertly shows modern readers how easily a Regency lady's reputation (and life!) could be ruined by malicious gossip. Lord Rathbone encounters Verity Worth at one of those Regency house parties at a country estate and proceeds to unintentionally ruin her reputation with a bit of flirtation. Her rage -- and his remorse -- are expertly written. It is completely believable that he would fall in love with her and yet come so close to losing her. You really want to see these two come to realize their mutual love. There are many obstacles for these lovers to overcome, but I don't want to give away the surprise ending. This is Gayle Buck's best effort, and I have read at least ten of her books so far. Many Regency authors portray situations that could never have happened with the rigid rules imposed on proper ladies and gentlemen engaged in courtship. Here the entire plot is believable. This book is well worth seeking out. Enjoy!

This was a fast & fun read with highly entertaining characters. Dutch wasn't a know-it-all P.I. but one whose flaws made her endearing. This "not so tough cookie" treasures her independence, but also seeks to make connections with loved ones. Don't expect the "murder mystery" to be complex -- the zany characters are what make this mystery fun. In fact, the most important mystery Dutch is trying to solve seems to be the lifelong mystery of herself, as she finally finds some concrete clues to her father's identity. Minor characters also change and grow by the end of novel. Don't expect deep social commentary or heart-wrenching drama -- but if you're looking for a light mystery where you can care about the characters, this is one!

I especially enjoyed this book because the main character was so human, her strengths and weaknesses are a real part of the book. The book itself is funny, a great set of characters - including her mother the shrink. The ending made sense, without reaching at all. All in all I highly recommend this book, and eagerly look foward to her next one.

I could not believe the same author who wrote The Good Earth had penned this book. It concerns an ancient English castle with two elderly inhabitants, Lord Richard and his frail little wife, whose name i have already forgotten. Enter a dashing American Millionare who wants to take the castle apart, brick by brick, and take it back to America to house the wonderful art works his Mother purchased over the years. Of Course, Sir Richard is incensed and things go from bad to worse with murder being done toward the end. Who is the maid, Kate? Only the reader knows for sure. I hope somebody will read this and let me know how Pearl Buck could have penned this and TGE.

I recently bought this book at a "library sell out" were it just caught my eye. This is a rather unusual tale. Sir Richard and Lady Mary are out of money and need to sell their castle, with great regret. The castle is about 1,000 years old and had many royal people live in it or visit it. The State has offered to turn it into a prison. John Blayne, a wealthy American comes, wishing to buy, and them move the castle to Connecticut. There is a maid that Blayne it sure is not only a maid and an old man who claims to be her granddad. However, is he? This is a very nice book and fun to read.

The book's presentation of the characters and their lives in the small towns of New Mexico are entertaining. But the developments in solving the murders are few and far between. The solving of the mystery is not dealt with well.

In the genre of blind sculptor-sleuths, Mo Bowdre stands alone. It's interesting that another author who uses a blind sleuth also had a Georgia O'Keeffe theme in a mystery. Both have their strong points. This is a pleasant read just for spending time with Mo and the inhabitants of his community. It's not the best of the Mo books, but it's a keeper for the time being. Mo uses his ability to think things out to solve local mysteries when he isn't creating powerful animal sculptures.

As an Indian, I strongly feel that Pearl Buck has not done a good job of portraying a real Indian character. Her descriptive writing is great, however the characters she has, such as Jagat, are not portrayed as a proper Indian. Pearl Buck might have tried to intertwine East and West together in this book, but in the attempt, she strechted the "trueness" of the character, resulting in the characters to sound fake. For a traveller who has never gone to India or travelled in it, it will reveal the beauty of this country. However, if this book is to be read to know about the Indian culture, this is clearly not the book to read.

Mandala gives a fascinating view into the class structure of Indian society. Buck paints a wonderful portrait of the traditions, geography and people of India. The plot centers around Jagat, an aristocratic married man who unwillingly begins to fall in love with a younger American woman. By the end of the novel, the reader is engrossed by both the spirituality of the characters and the country.

Chief is gay. Oh yea horrible book notes because it did not mention details in the plot of the good earth.

From the moment you open this book and begin chapter one you are hooked. The way Pearl Buck describes the characters and setting you can perfectly picture them in your mind. When meeting the farmer Wang Lung, you see his love for the land from the beginning of the book. When Wang Lung goes to meet his chosen bride O-lan, Pearl Buck shows the thought process of men and what they feel is beautiful in a woman. From describing the binding of the feet and how Wang Lung is greatly disopointed with O-lan and her seemingly large feet. Pearl Buck shows how faithful O-lan is, being alone during birth and getting back in the feilds the same day to help Wang, even on her death bed O-lan is faithful to Wang. Pearl aslo disscusses the value of men and women children and how Wang took pride in his boys and shame in his girls.When there is a great famine in the village, you can feel how poor these people were and how they struggled to survive, even leaving thier land to go find food. The protagonist and antagonist are clearly dipicted, with Wang Lung struggling with himself and society. The most disturbing part of the book is when Wang Lung meets Lotus Blossm and she becomes his mistress. The luxeries he gives her over O-lan because she has small feet and hands is discusting. The way Pearl Buck shows how men felt about women and how they were just property and nothing else, and the way he breaks O-lan down and treats her like trash because of her feet. The way Pearl shows how he comes and fluants the affair in O-lan's face is absolutly heart wrenching. The way Wang Lung climbs the social ladder and eventually moves away from his land, shows how money changes everything but can never change the persons soul. Throughout the book Wang always returns to his land, even on his death bed he returns to the Good Earth, the land where he built his foundation, the land where he built himself. The ending isn't as satisfying as the rest of the book but, it gives good meaning to the title of the book. This is a extrodianary book, that dipicts social status in China, a woman's value in life, beauty and ugliness, money, religion, love and friendship. I don't know what more you could ask from a book.

When the writer of a book on the greatest sporting celebrity since Muhammed Ali is a bit of a celebrity himself, there's a clash of egos. The problem with this book is that Tom Callahan, author of In Search of Tiger does not find Tiger Woods at all. Tom finds Tiger's father and a tiny part of his mother, and he does find other players (quite a lot of them) but this book reveals little about Woods himself. There is no question that Tom Callahan is an excellent writer who knows the sports industry intimately. Anyone who loves the sport of golf will probably enjoy this book. It is an easy and worthwhile read. But for anyone looking to reveal the mystique behind Tiger Woods, this book dissapoints.

In this latest book about Eldrick Woods, the author takes a different approach in unraveling one of golf's greatest players. Readers should be cautione; this is not a conventional biography of Tiger Woods. What you are given are various anecdotes about Tiger loosely tied together within the historical framework of golf. From the outset this sounds good but you know even less about Tiger than when you started out and find out more about those who have had anything to do with his career.

Why learn about Mark O'Mear, Arnold Palmer, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, Jack Nicklaus and other golfing greats and then call your book In Search of Tiger? The book is less about Tiger and more about the development of the game and those who impacted upon it. All of the facts about Tiger's career, business and family can be found in other books. Our author, Tom Callahan has sloopily sewed together a series of articles about other golfers and nongolfers who know Tiger and then you aren't sure if they know him at all.

I must admit that the writing is good. The historical context and relationship of the players to the game and their fathers is interesting. I did expect more about Tiger and less about every Tom, Dick and Harry who supposidly know him. Tiger Woods fans can add another mediocre book to their collection about Woods but if you want a definitive work on the champion try another text. Keep Searching.

A book you can't put down. You will learn more about Tiger in this book than all others combined. The behind the scenes information makes you watch and enjoy Tiger in a whole new light. Tom Callahan is to Tiger what Martin Gilbert is to Churchill. Buy the book.

Why was this book published? Its just wrong and horrible and... what the hell? its stupid! You're all stupid! I can't believe there are people who buy this book. The animal was Hit. By. A. Car. You don't eat it. You Dont. And anyone who can afford this book can afford some ground freaking beef at a supermarket.

I AM WRITING A FAMILY COOK BOOK AND THIS BOOK FITS IN REAL GREAT WITH SOME OF MY RECEIPES. I DID ENJOY READING IT. SOME OF THE RECEIPES I HAD BUT HAVE LOST THEM SO I WAS GLAD TO SEE THEM IN THE BOOK. THANK YOU

A very cute parody of over-serious recipe books. The
illustrations are the tip-off.

I think the author, Michael Lesk, wrote for the wrong audience. Whilst it is very informative for an aspiring librarian, it so full with technical terms that after a while one feels completely lost in technical jargon. If this book had been written for a computer expert, then the content would have hit the intended audience. As it is , one feels bewildered and confused.

This book is one of the most thorough discussions on the ins and outs of digital libraries I've ever seen. Lesk knows his stuff, both on the library - classification - document side and on the computer - technology side. Unfortunately, the reader also needs to be conversant with both sides, especially the technical. I feel the book is sometimes too heavily tilted toward the engineering/technology side. Kudos to Lesk, however, for his discussions of the economics of information, intellectual property, and international activities.

This is a very informative, well-balanced book on digital libraries. Lesk considers both the pros and cons of electronic versus print-only libraries, and provides detailed descriptions of how to digitize and distribute a variety of content - text, images, audio, video, etc. He also gives historical and philosophical background on issues concerning digital libraries. The only problem I had was that some parts were too technical for me to understand. This may be because I'm just starting out in the field, and the book may be more accessible to those with more experience. However, I think the addition of a glossary to the book would help quite a bit. Overall, I found the book educational and enjoyable, and I recommend it highly.

I have always looked beyond the flippant "Because it is there" to understand why people climb mountains like Everest. In Weathers' case, it was depression, perhaps manic-depression. While he was busy challenging his physical existence, he did not feel depressed, it was that simple. This book tells, in his own words and those of his devoted but long-suffering wife, friends, and children, the story of how this escalated to the point where he nearly killed himself. If you are looking for more facts, figures, objectivity, etc., about the ill-fated 1996 climb, read Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, an excellent book. This, however is about Weathers' epiphany, how his upbringing and personal history contributed to his obsession with climbing, and how after maiming his marriage and his physical self, he is attempting to live a normal life. Weathers is not a writer, but I defy anyone not to be moved by the passages about his brother-in-law's death.

There are lots of people who will not like this book. They will want "Into Thin Air"mark II. This story is remarkable in that there is more description of the motivation for Beck being where he was. As a climber who was nearly killed himself I can appreciate a lot of what Weathers has to tell us regarding his own life that led him into the mountains. I used to say that every man needs, like Christ, his 40 days in the desert. So much has been written aobut the 96 Everest tradgedy that to simply recount the event from Becks perspective would have been dull. To make the event the beginning was a wise decision. I would recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about tackling big mountians. There is very little jargon and detail. for that read Greg Child, John Krakauer, etc. As J. Krackauer said in his book "it is an intrinsically irrational act" to wish to climb such peaks. It take an amazing series of internal and external forces, all acting at the right moment, to send a man or woman into the Himalaya. Some say it is a rich man's folly. Well I would disagree. Most rich men wouldn't be caught dead in the Khumbu. Beck is not a great man, none of them were up there. What is supremely edifying is to know that they are not superhuman, they are, as you and I are, human beings frail and small yet cabable of feats of nobility and self sacrfice. And best of all Beck shows us that, no matter what, we all can change for the better.

To date, the books about the 1996 tragedy on Everest have told this story from the perspective of other climbers. At last, Beck Weathers tells us what happened to him as HE remembers it. If you've read other books on this subject and thought that anyone who does this sort of climbing must be a bit crazy, this book is for you. With the perspective of time, pain, and recovery, he analyzes his own reasons for climbing high and shares very personally what this addiction did to his personal life. I developed a keen interest in this story because our daughter has worked with Beck's brother at Medical City Dallas for many years. She filled us in on Beck's progress through recovery and reconstructive surgery. Also, we lost a friend on K2 about the same time. Wanting to understand what drives a person to expend the money and energy to make so dangerous a climb and to go where a human cannot exist, I began to read every book I could find about this subject. Now I've conquered Everest seven times-vicariously! However, Beck Weathers descriptions of the geographical features and meteorological quirks of the mountain refined my mental pictures. His experience is a miracle, and it will convince you that the human spirit can rise above most anything! Happy reading!