This book by Paul Faulk is a powerful resource for rail historians and modelers. It contains 128 pages of excellent color photographs. There two or three times that number of photographs on these pages. Each photograph is accompanied by an explaination of the history of the particular car. That information typically includes, but is not limited to, when the car was built, any changes made in the car, and where and when the photo was taken.

I have found this book and its companion book on the Atlantic Coast Line to be an excellent reference set. The "Seaboard Air Line Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment" has enhanced my modeling tremendously. I hope it is followed up with a book on the Seaboard Coast Line.

Tales of Terror: 1877 introduces Marshals and Posses to the wonders of the Weird West. There are new weapons, Edges and Hindrances and Knacks, but the best part is the Tombstone Epitaph, incorporated into the book. The first part relates the happenings of the year 1877, as told by a reporter travelling the West. The second part reveals to Marshals (and Marshals only!) what's "really" going on behind the scenes of the various news stories.

The writers of this book did their homework, and this book is a very enjoyable read, whether or not you actually intend to play the game.

Mary Koock's The Texas Cookbook: From Barbecue To Banquet - An Informal View Of Dining And Entertaining The Texas Way is a wonderful collection of recipes and anecdotal stories the showcase the diversity of Texas cuisine ranging from down-home cooking to high-class affairs, and from regional favorites to ethnic specialities. From Mom's Potato Cake; Lime Light Pie; Watermelon Cake; and Sam's Charcoaled Fish; to Mae Shepherd's Curry Chicken Salad; Bernice Rosalind's Lemon Bisque; Honey Walnut Bread, and Jean Kritser's Pickled Okra, The Texas Cookbook is a superbly presented, highly recommended compendium of fine eating and background stories.

If you are fan of writer Truman Capote's works, this is a biography that you won't want to miss. Told from the recollections of family and friends of Capote, Southern Years captures Truman's childhood years and gives us a brief glance at his roots and how he came to be who he was as an adult. We also get an interesting glimpse into Truman's friendship with To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee, who was a childhood and lifelong friend.

Most of the book is told from the perspective of Jennings Faulk, Truman Capotes cousin. Long summer days were spent as curious children growing up in Monroeville. Page after page detail the antics and schemes these young ones got into and you can see how many of the children's real life experiences were translated to the pages of both Capote and Harper Lee's novels. We also get a sad peek into some of the turmoil that Capote faced because of his troubled family life. Knowing his history will give you a better appreciation for his writing and will entertain you at the same time. This is an easy, light read and in many ways will bring you back to your own childhood days of playing outside in the summer time.

The stories were told beautifully. Truman was portrayed as a folk hero of Monroeville, kind of like an Anansi or Brer Rabbit. When I first bought the book, I thought it was going to be boring and scholarly, but not so. A movie could be made of the book. The sadness came through strongly. God gave Truman great abilities, but they were even greater, because Truman hurt.

If you are a true fan of Truman Capote like I am, you will truly enjoy reading Truman Capote's Southern Years. Told through the eyes of his cousin, this book gives you a lot of details of his life, both the good and the bad of it. It was both a hilarious look at his life, and a very sad one too. You get a glimpse of the pain that he suffered throughout his life, and while it doesn't go into it in great detail, it gives you a small glimpse into his homosexuality. Take it from me, once you read this book, you will want to read it again, and again.

Birdsong was given to me by a colleague who said it was "a GREAT book". Judging by its subject matter (World War I) I wouldn't have normally touched it let alone read it (..war novels/films are either too depressing or a thin excuse for some flag-waving). Well I am delighted to have read Birdsong. It's not a great book (in my judgement); it doesn't cover new ground in re-telling the horrors of war. But it is well-structured, moving, and keeps focused on finite (and often forgotten) aspects of the Great War - specifically, trench warfare. Mr. Faulks leaves out nothing in describing the unspeakable horrors our forefathers (..from both sides) have suffered. Absolutely shocking and nausating, yet it's really compulsive reading.

While Faulks succeeds in telling the human anguish of those who suffered during the war, he fails in one minor aspect of the novel when he "fast forwards" to scenes of the late 1970s where the granddaughter of a soldier feels compelled suddenly to learn more of her departed grandfather. While the author's heart was in the right place, this minor aspect of Birdsong comes off a bit contrived.

Nonetheless I fully recommend Birdsong. It makes for gruesome reading, so it's not for the squeamish. But I hope others will give it a try and, like me, feel as though they learned something new by it.

This is a book that doesn't know what to do with it's self, or rather Sebastian Faulks doesn't. When writing of relationships or the effects of characters actions on others outside of the immediate conflict zone, Faulks is staid and immature and only the glowing reviews of this book got me through the first 90 pages. They are truly diabolical.

However, once you are done with this scene setting drivel, then you are treated to a magnificent tale which is full of the tension and fears of the trenches of the first world war. The claustrophobic scenes with the tunnelers were to my mind so vivid that they caused me to use my asthma inhaler and the closeness one feels for the characters is acute. I was truly moved for their plights and read on deep into the night.

The trenches come to life as somewhere where men lived and died with the same day to day emotions aswould be found if working in an office. The sight and the prospect of death are the stuff of everyday life and the loss of feeling for self and others apparent. These pages begin to explain how people charged over the top in broad daylight, how live with themselves when they had taken someone elses life.

The same sort of toss, universal meanings and unrequited love affairs that destroyed the first 90 pages appear at intervals throughout the rest of the book, but one tends to scan over these, and only when reviewing this book is it obvious to myself how poorly writtens these parts were.

In summary, if only Faulks had been bettered advised by his editor and had listened to that advice. He does not write well on large universal emotions, he proves it in his other books, but when he settles down to write about a single person in the confines of their immediate surroundings, then he is an outstanding author.

This is genuinely a story of love and war - and the extremes about what humanity is and means. This is not a romance, nor is it exclusively a WWI novel. It is a true literary work that engages the spirit. I am hard pressed to recall a book that gave me such a sense of sound and sensation. Many of the tactile and visual descriptions were so fresh and new, yet true, that I found myself re-reading the passage for the sheer beauty of the language.

It is heavy reading from an emotional standpoint but the narrative itself straightforward, pretty much linear and easy to follow. Unlike other reviewers, I did not find that the multigenerational passages disturbed the flow of the novel. Nor did I feel that the "parts" created an incongruous whole. Nevertheless, it is not a quick read - it is to be savored for all of the emotional impact and sensation it evokes.

Birdsong is not just about the degradation of humanity under the grotesque conditions of trench warfare, it is also about the elation of human beings, and their real-life struggles, as well as the restoration and continuity of humanness across generations. Rarely have I encountered such masterful characterization - the people and their stories and beings pull you in and grip you to the very end.

This is the first book by Sebastian Faulks I've read but from what I'm told his others are better. I am relieved to hear that because I wasn't enchanted by this uneven tale. The story is moving but the style occasionally limps along.

In summary, Charlie is a British diplomat living in the USA with his wife Mary and their two children. They enjoy a rather high life in Washington characterized by parties and an envious lifestyle. Charlie is an alcoholic plagued by internal demons. It seems we are meant to believe that Charlie's drinking is justified because of his intelligent perceptions but most readers will see that he suffers from "terminal uniqueness" and uses his intelligence as a means of talking himself out of staying sober. Mary meets Frank, a bohemian reporter, and engages in a love affair. The affair runs its course. Mary's family needs her and so it ends.

One of the biggest obstacles to finding this an original reading experience is the exploitation of common 60s, Eisenhower and Kennedy mythology. Both amusingly and dully, these characters do little else but drink and smoke. I doubt there is one exchange between the principal characters which isn't fueled by alcohol, or during the aftermath of a rampant drunken spree. Between the lines, it's the story of how alcohol can affect the life of anyone within the radius of an alcoholic.

Nevertheless, certain passages and descriptions are deeply moving and original. Mary's emotional dilemma is tangible and upsetting and the final separation between the two lovers is excruciating. The family ties between Mary and her parents and children are beautifully drawn. It's certainly worth reading if you're trapped inside with nothing to do on a rainy Sunday evening.

I loved Sebastian Faulks' trilogy of novels set in Vichy France: "Girl at the Lion d'Or," "Birdsong," and "Charlotte Gray," so I thought I would love "On Green Dolphin Street" as well, however something is definitely missing that was present in abundance in the earlier books.

While I know France well, I don't know New York at all. I have to assume that Faulks, a wonderful writer and a wonderful chronicler of detail, portrayed New York accurately, for even though I am not at all familiar with the locations detailed, they did come alive for me; I felt as though I were really there as well, right alongside Mary and Frank.

"On Green Dolphin Street" is the story of a troubled marriage and a troubled couple, the very, very correct Charlie and Mary van der Linden. Charlie, a Washington-based diplomat, is the first character in the book to display signs of discontent. On the surface, his life is serene and any outsider would think he had every reason to be deliriously happy. He's witty, he's charming and he's smart, but he's also frequently drunk, at loose ends, and feeling the beginnings of depression.

Enter Chicago journalist, Frank Renzo, a longtime friend of Charlie's, one he met in Vietnam. Frank is everything that Charlie is not (or not longer is) and, he just happens to adore Mary. Frank and Mary are good, honorable people and both of them care deeply for Charlie, but, Charlie's duties keep him away more and more and Mary finds that filling the empty hours is easier in New York...with Frank as her guide. Frank shows Mary the real New York and, as he does, Mary inevitably falls in love with him, a love that is most decidedly returned.

Love triangles are nothing new in the novelistic world and, unfortunately, Faulks brings nothing new to the cliche. "On Green Dolphin Street" is as wonderfully written as Faulks' previous novels, but even his superb writing skills can't make up for the lack of a fresh and convincing story. Mary and Frank's discussions often seem stilted and artificial. As much as this pair swear they love each other, they lack passion and tension. No, they aren't cardboard cutouts, Faulks is far too good a writer for that, but something is definitely missing.

This is not to say that the book doesn't have its moments. It most definitely does and the best ones occur in flashback, during moments of high tension. This is, of course, Faulks' forte, pitting characters in flux against tumultuous times. Part of the reason for the relative tepidness of this book may be due to the relatively tepid times in which it is set.

It is not giving anything away by saying that Mary's life eventually begins to unravel and she is forced to make some very difficult choices. While the first two-thirds of this book may be lukewarm, the last third is quite moving. The final chapters even border on heartbreaking.

The 60s era is not an era I find intriguing. Those who do will no doubt like this book more than I did. And those who like their novels firmly rooted in the affairs of the heart will find more than enough to enjoy here. "On Green Dolphin Street" is a good book and one that is well-written. I just didn't find it up to the very high standard Faulks, himself, set with his previous work.

Looking at a highly significant part of American history, Sebastian Faulks, the best-selling author of Charlotte Grey and Birdsong, chose to set his new novel in America. Unlike his previous novels, which focus on British history, On Green Dolphin Street focuses primarily on American politics and life in the 60's.

It is 1960, the end of the comfortable Eisenhower years and the beginning of the ruthlessly competitive Nixon/Kennedy presidential campaign. Mary van der Linden has recently moved from London to Washington D.C with her two children and her husband Charlie, who is posted to the British embassy. In her forties, Mary is a loving mother, wife and friend who has loyally devoted her entire life to other people. But when Frank Renzo suddenly appears- a handsome down to earth journalist- she seems to forget this and is drawn into the Bohemian world of Greenwich Village. Mary is drawn to the rawness of New York City; after all it is the swinging sixties and what is better than jazz clubs, Miles Davis records and gritty bookstores? Mary finds excuses to be with her lover in New York while back in Washington her alcoholic husband drinks to forget his paranoia with the interfering Russians, his absent wife and his state of depression.

Faulks breaks new grounds with this novel. Unlike his previous works, this is not a war story and is not set in Europe. Faulks has an easy, approachable writing style and explores the themes of the 60's beautifully. Although not as enthralling as Birdsong or Charlotte Grey, this is great novel and will easily entertain all readers. Just be warned: the political jargon is rather heavy so if you're looking for a love story this is probably not it.

Now my review will really reflect my taste in books. Jackie Collins, Olivia GOldsmith (etc) have never been my favorite reads. While I can admit that they may be a fun guilty pleasure as you lay by the pool the time it takes to read for the minimal plot is not a fair trade. Such style we read in Holding Out. Before buying be prepared for some explicit scenes (not exactly romantic but definitely HOT) and for a main character who is so stuck on herself I was actually embarassed for her. The dialog is a bit elementary and I felt idealistic to portray the cool,rich characters in a smooth way, but for me it didn't work. Maybe you might feel differently if you like a more "light" read, but this is not really book club material. I did get a laugh out of flipping to the Author photo in the back cover, who surprise surprise looks amazingly like the "heroine" of the book with their lives played out so much the same.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'd have to say that out of the many books I've read, this one is the best since "Patty Jane's House of Curl". Of course, it's a totally different kind of book from "Patty Jane" but equally deep in characters and plot. The story is realistic, the characters are human and likeable, Lauren Fontaine is a hero, and at last I can recommend a feminist novel that is a very good read. This is a great book.

I read this book on loan from a local library. I checked out three books and this was, at the time, the least compelling I had in my stack. I ended up reading it first and I am glad that I did.

The book is about a sex strike imposed by American women until a wife-beating Chief Justice is extracted from the Supreme Court. So that is the plot. But what I think the book is really about is why we, and I mean all of us, don't stand up for what we think are our base set of morals more often.

Lauren Fontaine, the protragonist and my new hero, stands up and winds up in prison, chastised by men and women alike, and celibate with only her convictions to accompany her. In other words, OUCH!!!

Once one sets aside the sex strike--and by which I mean accepts it as a protest to gain power (as if it were a boycott of a product for example), I believe that the book appeals to any person who loves reading about a courageous, dedicated person who you can't help but root for. The scene in the church made me cry. Those who have read the book know what I'm talking about. The scene is not more than 40 words long but it snaps you into the world that not only Fontaine lives in but one that we all live in: A world that often punishes those who try to make it better and rewards those who contribute to the denegration of society. If you were not a fan of Lauren Fontaine by that point, you would be afterward.

This book is about a woman, written by a woman, and probably for women but I feel that anybody who puts fourth the effort to read this fast moving, witty, and excellent work will be happy they did. It is time well spent.

Excellent work Ms. Faulk.

Go ahead and use this book as a reference. Skim it once in a while to refresh your memory about correct legal style. But don't sit down and read it straight through, as I did. I found it slow going and dry.

This book is one of many on legal writing. The information usually stays the same even though the titles change. It would be a good start for an attorney with little background in writing. But if you've read other books on legal writing, pass this one by.

THE ELEMENTS OF LEGAL WRITING nowadays are clear, simple everyday language avoiding lawyerisms and following standard grammar and word order. Computer and word processing graphic design and typeface breakthroughs make how documents look important: text in attractively manageable chunks, such as paragraphs each generally running no longer than about 1/4-1/2 of the page, and with descriptive headings, footnotes and transitions prioritizing orderly presentation of ideas and respecting the visually balancing role of white space. Authors Martha Faulk and Irving M Mehler review effective format, grammar, organization, tone, and word order choices. Their book would interest readers of Clarice R Cox and Jerrold G Brown's REPORT WRITING FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROFESSIONALS, THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND CRIMINOLOGY ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB, Barbara Frazee and Joseph N Davis' PAINLESS POLICE REPORT WRITING, and Don MacLeod's THE INTERNET GUIDE FOR THE LEGAL RESEARCHER

Sebastian Faulks writes a moving story that takes place in the 1930s about a young woman with a secret so terrible that she has had to change her identity. She has come from Paris to a small seaside village of Janvilliers, to work at the Hotel du Lion d'Or. Upon arriving she meets and falls in love with a married man, Charles Hartmann, and the story follows their affair to its eventual break-up at the end of the book. The story is well written, beautiful and romantic and the characters and settings are very detailed. My only criticism of this book is that Faulks leaves many loose ends...characters and plot lines that are part of the story, disappear, never be seen or heard from again, leaving several story lines hanging. For those looking for passion and romance, love and loss, this is the book for you.

This story opens with a prologue about three newspaper stories. Two of the stories deal with the demise of two political figures. The third story, very brief, almost lost on the page, deals with an unknown female intruder in the grounds of the prime minister's residence. The newspaper makes the French of the day believe the girl is unimportant, but if Faulks' readers are alert, they will see him peel back the layers to show us how important her insignificance is to France. We are introduced to Anne Louvet, a twenty-something girl with a secrect. She has answered an ad to be a waitress at the Hotel du Lion d'or, and when she meets the various characters of the novel, we are equisitely and subtlely introduced to the themes that caused the fall of France. Each character represents something that is amiss in pre-World War II France. In Anne, we come to know the beauty and vulnerability of France; In Hartmann, her married lover, Jewish and wealthy, we see the noblese who makes excuses for deflowering her. In the beginning, he convinces himself that he provides for her because he feels sorry for her, but that is the only way he, as a member of the gentry, can justify to himself that his actions are of a higher calling rather than that of a typical, wayward husband. But Hartmann is not alone. Each of the members of the upper classes, in this novel, are ruthless, wolves-in-sheep's clothing, who can manipulate the weak and convince themselves that they were the victim. At work here, also, is the precursor to the Jewish Final Solution in France. Pay close attention to the characters who interact with Hartmann. The other characters of this novel represent various classes and ways of looking at the world. See if you can identify their role in the shaping of France prior to World War II. Read this novel for it's beautiful, lyrical style, but don't cheat yourself by thinking that is all it is. Faulks is a master of the written word who understands the class system in Europe; it is a subtle yet powerful character in and of itself.

This book varies hugely from the action in both Birdsong and Charlotte Gray but is still to date the best novel that Faulks has penned. He has the amazing ability to create characters that seem so real they could almost be your neighbours. In Anne there is a true victim but her robust attitude to all the trouble the world throws at her is inspiring. I have read.. and re read this book and each time I discover a new and very varied angle or character. This novel has not the profile or impact of Birdsong but it contains an elequence that is so often lacking in modern novels today. Faulks is not afraid to put characters at the centre of his novel and for this he should be aplauded. Read this book and fall in love with France, I feel like I am actually watching an art house European film when I read it.

Like most of the other reviewers here I found that Charlotte Gray didn't come close to Birdsong - but maybe it is unfair to compare the too. Charlotte is a good read. I came to care deeply about all of the characters and was eager to see what would happen to them. The one part of the story that rings false is the love story between Charlotte and Peter. Much like the granddaughter in Birdsong, this plot seemed contrived as a way to tell the rest of the story. Faulks is at his best describing life in "Free" France and the people who lived there. His prose brings the landscape and even the smells to life. From anyone else this would have probably been considered a wonderful book, maybe it's just that from Faulks we've come to expect a bit more.

I have had to reflect upon Faulks' 'Charlotte Gray' for some time to refrain from critcising it unduly. This is, quite genuinely, a convincing and well-woven story that will greatly appeal to first time readers of Faulks, yet still it may be a slight disappointment to those who have read 'Birdsong'.

In itself, 'Charlotte Gray' is an accomplished novel by a gifted storyteller. - Our eponymous heroine is a complex and fairly intriuging lady, but in my opinion was less well conceived than the characters who accompany her in wartime France. The Jewish father and son, who aid Charlotte in the Resistance and in her search for her missing lover, are particularly compelling.

In criticism, the concentration camps present in 'Charlotte Gray' would have benefited from the visceral style Faulks' employed in his description of the First World War trenches of 'Birdsong'. Unfortunately, the horrors of the Second World War are not described with the clarity or power present in his earlier book.

This one was my personal favorite of the trilogy. Eventhough I felt little connection with Charlotte, her perils kept me reading. The subplot of Andre, Jacob and Levade certainly stole the show. Faulks seems always to beautifully represent unjust and tragic contrasts of society during war. The historical detail is rich and convincing. I wish he would now write from a Jewish perspective.