This Martin Goldsmith is a multitalented guy . I knew his voice as the host of NPR's Performance Today, and this memoir of his (Jewish) parents' struggles and love in Hitler's Germany shows where he got his classical music genes. It must have taken a lot of courage to write this book -- Goldsmith explains how the Nazi terror was a taboo subject growing up , so we readers are fortunate that he had the courage to tell this beautiful story, and to tell it in such a modest, uncluttered, and elegant way . The chapter about the abortive attempt at escape on the St. Louis is a real cliff-hanger, and his account of the forced march of the jews, including the authors father and uncle, is chilling. Don't miss this one.

Martin Goldsmith takes the reader on an incredible journey that gives a chilling glimpse of life in Nazi Germany and the power of love and the human spirit to survive. After listening to Goldsmith's wonderful voice and commentary for years on NPR's "Performance Today," I could actually hear his voice as I read the words of his poignant stories about his parents, grandparents, aunts and uncle. Everyone should read this book. It would also be a compelling classroom supplement for students of history and music. The story is unforgettable. After I finished reading the book, one line from the song by The Verve keeps popping into my mind: "It's a bittersweet symphony, this life..."

From the first few pages of Martin Goldsmith's brilliant novel, I could not put it down. This book is a highly detailed, fascinating account of a little known piece of history. Although everyone is familiar with the attrocities of the holocaust, the author offers up a haunting account of the events from a cultural perspective, a truly personal account revolving around his own parents lives and how they were able to survive Nazi Germany. I had studied the holocaust in history classes in high school, but none came close to Goldsmith's painstakingly thorough account of the rise of national Socialism in Germany in the 1920's and 30's. Written simply and in a matter-of-fact style, the author pulls no punches and offers the reader a truly engaging study of the events leading up to WWII. But at the same time, the reader is also drawn in by the powerful bond between his mother and father and their love for the beautiful music which they had grown up with. I'm no musician, but was certainly fascinated to learn of all the wonderful Jewish contributions to our world culture. And although I certainly am quite removed from all events of the holocaust, I have never been so emotionally moved by a story before. This is a beautiful book and a must read for everyone.

When I bought this book I thought I was in for just a number of inside stories on the Yankees. I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the ups and downs of the career of Marty Appel. True, much of the book covers his years with the Yankees as their PR director during the 1970's. He was there for the years when the Yankees played in Shea Stadium in 1974 and 1975 and during the time big trades were made involving Bobby Bonds, Mickey Rivers, and Willie Randolph in addition to the signing of Catfish Hunter. He enjoyed working with George Steinbrenner but did have one particular low moment with George following the publication of a Yankee yearbook which contained photos of players with hair longer than what suited the Boss. Marty took a chance one day to ask clubhouse attendant Pete Sheehy to tell him all about the Babe and Pete provided a revealing secret in four words. After leaving the Yankees with Joe Garagiola Jr. Marty worked at a number of baseball related jobs, some of which proved to be more rewarding than others. One of those jobs was with Topps Chewing Gum, and I believe I found a mistake on pages 294-295 where Marty states that Topps began issuing trading cards in 1950 with All-American football players before they did baseball cards. The All-American football cards he refers to were issued in 1955. Topps first issue of baseball cards came in 1951 with the Topps Red Backs and Topps Blue Backs which were cards designed to be used as a baseball game. The low point was his move to Atlanta to work with the Olympic games that were going to be held there. This move proved to be a mistake, but it was a risk that he took. Interesting advice is given to young readers to never take anything for granted, be a good listener, read everything you can, and respect those you deal with. Marty Appel hit a grand slam home run with this book just as he did with an earlier effort on Michael Kelly entitled Slide, Kelly, Slide and in working with Bowie Kuhn on his book entitled Hardball. His latest effort, Now Pitching for the Yankees,is another first rate job.

Marty Appel wasn't like the other kids he knew growing up; He was a Yankee fan, born in Brooklyn, he was the one kid who mother didn't throw away his baseball cards, and he was a newspaper reporter at the age of 16. Appel's recent book, Now Pitching for the Yankees, follows his unique childhood all the way through his becoming the third public relations director in Yankee history. ... During a stint with WPIX, Appel did PR and produced Yankee telecasts, working with Phil Rizzuto, the Hall of Fame shortstop and announcer who was known to make an oocasional early exit from a gamehe was calling. As Appel writes: "Our inside joke was that the home plate camera would not really be there to catch balls and strikes, but would be a surveillance camera to catch Rizzuto snkeaing over the George Washington Bridge in the seventh inning." Now Pitching for the Yankees - which includes a forward by Yogi Berra - is entertaining, insightful and humorous.

Oddly enough, the year's best "New York baseball book" is one that you might not have seen: Now Pitching for the Yankees, by Marty Appel. Appel, who spent most of the 1970s working for the Yankees, is a fine writer, a wonderful storyteller, and doesn't shy away from revealing something about himself. The sections of the book concerning his brief periods of non-baseball employment didn't particularly interest me, but the great majority of the book is about Appel's positions in the Yankees PR department and with WPIX-TV, which broadcast Yankees games. Appel clearly adored Phil Rizzuto, then one of the Yankee broadcasters, but that doesn't mean he can't be honest about the Scooter ...

"Phil always did play-by-play, never color. If he was the color commentator, you might as well not have him there at all. His concentration would be gone, he would be saying hello to everyone walking by the broadcast booth, he would be running out for cannolis, and he couldn't add much about the players because he didn't really know them ..."

The problem with most baseball books is that they're written by people who don't write particularly well. But this is Appel's 16th book, and he knows what he's doing. If you want to know what the Yankees were like before (and during) Billy Martin's various turns at the helm, Now Pitching for the Yankees just might be the best place to start. By ROB NEYER

Yes...Sunny is coping with a serious crisis of her mother being ill & parts of the book are heartbreaking, but Sunny needs to grow up & start acting responsibly & realize that other people have feelings, too. I liked how she turned to Carol & found out how understanding Carol is. I f only she'd see what a wonderful friend Dawn is instead of taking advantage of her, then criticizing her for getting mad. I thought Dawn did the right thing by not letting Sunny camp out in her house indefinately. Dawn doesn't have to put up with Sunny acting selfishly & irresponsibly, then using her mother's illness as an excuse. Plenty of kids go through bad situations, like Abby losing her dad, & they feel sad & mourn, but don't fall apart & run away & throw responsibility down the toilet. I hope Sunny grows up & becomes a stronger person.

Picking between the 2, I choose Sunny #6, and here's why--This is where the big fight with Sunny and Dawn begins. Sunny made a bad decision about leaving the house to see a guy-friend outside while food was cooking on the stove. After it almost starts a fire, Dawn's entire family is mad at Sunny, most of all, Dawn. Then, later on, Sunny apologizes to everyone, and everyone, except Dawn, forgives her. Dawn made a big deal out of nothing and with all the problems Sunny is having, Dawn throws "losing a good friend" on top of it. This book rox and you should read it, too to find out the rest.

P.S. Buy Dawn #7, too just to find out what happens with the fight because it lasts through 6 books in the series.

This book totally rock. When I read it I actually felt drawn to Sunny and her denial of her life. I think that Dawn ahould have stuck by Sunny and be her friend instead of trying to be her boss. Dawn thinks that Sunny should deal with her mother but she doesn't understand the pain Sunny's in so she judges her just like everone else(except Ducky). I think that when Dawn realizes all the people that love her, she'll retaliate.

I think The Fire at Mary-Anne's House(#131 BSC) is the most touching of the BSC books so far. I laughed when Mary-Anne laughed. I cried when she cried. I love animals and one thing I reallly liked about this book was that Ann M. Martin kept saying that Tigger was with her. I think that, even if you don't like the BSC, you should read this. Keep going strong Ann!!!

This is no "happy, sappy" reading here! I could have mistaked this for a California Diaries book! Really! In the latest edition (and last) of the Baby-sitters' Club series, Mary Anne's house burns down. All of her clothes, CD's, books, and other varous items are gone. Her home is completely wasted. She has nowhere to live and feels lost and hopeless. This has no happy ending like the usuial BSC stories. In fact the ending made me cry! (I won't spoil it for you). This is the last book of the BSC series! The teens in the books seem to be growing up more like the teens in California Daries. In fact a whole new series is coming out about the BSC! Check out the first BSC Friends Forever book: Everything Changes. (No kidding!) It's just what BSC fans have been waiting for: More realistic books. Boy have you got it! I can't wait for the BSC Friends Forever series to make there mark! Check this out, (You too all the California Daries fans!) you won't be sorry!

I know #131 seems kind of depressing, but I hope there are more books like "The Fire at Mary Anne's House" and this isn't just a fluke.

For the first time, you see the teens in the story step outside of the BSC and take a look at real life. The story was very true to heart and the book made me cry.

I read the next two books in the "Friends Forever" series, and I was amazed. The books aren't like California Diaries or the BSC. There JUST PLAIN GOOD! Not too depressing, but not overly happy either. I loved BSC #131, "Everything Changes" and Friends Forever #1! Keep going Ann! Your readers are coming back!

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ! EVER!! The Kingdoms and Elves 2 was an outstanding book that I recommend to everyone who likes fantasy, wizard and excitement. Everything was exciting and I never once wanted to put it down. For me one of the most exciting parts was when Vilmos and Xith met the wolf beasts and if it wasn't for quick thinking they would of been dinner. I thought it was fascinating when Adrina met the secret lady and when they were taken prisoner. Robert Stanek makes sure everything is interesting from beginning to end. Anthing could happen and you just could'nt put it down!

The Kingdoms and the Elves #2 made me want to read it again and again! I first read it from the library but then I got it for Christmas and Im so glad I have books of my own! I've read all three so far, and can't wait for my dad to get me #4. I've read all the books twice except for #4 which I don't have yet. My absolute favorite so far! I highly encourage you to buy it!

I think that it is outstanding fantasy novel that everyone should atleast try and read. It keeps you on your toes. You always want to know what happens next. You sometimes get wowed! It can be so dramatic, fun and moving. I don't ready many books more than once. This book, however, and the entire series I not only read over once, I read it three! Stanek's characters are so real. The characters drive the story and makeup for some quirks. The setting is full of wonder and as the devil is in the details, so it is here. The descriptions are just long enough as to be perfect.

This one caught me by surprise. It's not the stuffy this-is-all-the-bad-stuff-that-happened textbook I expected, but rather a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable study of LSD and the CIA's role in the cultural and political maelstrom of the 1960s. Over the past thirty years, from Watergate to Zippergate, Americans have learned that their government is capable of some pretty amazing shenanigans. That helps what we read in this book seem more plausible. What Lee and Shlain document in Acid Dreams, with an impressive volume of research, is the CIA's enormous effort to develop mind-control methods. These included various psychedelic drugs--with LSD topping the list--hypnosis, and more. The potential uses of such control range from military to civilian--and to downright bizarre. For example, they discuss the unresolved question--in some minds--of whether Sirhan Sirhan was actually a CIA-created murdering automaton, a drug-and-hypnosis-induced killer, programmed to kill Robert Kennedy.

Some the things they reveal are far-fetched and may be impossible to ever prove one way or another, but there's plenty more that is incontrovertible. And everything in the book is interesting. Acid Dreams adds a fresh and wonderful perspective on this aspect of our recent history. A more recent book called "Hepcats, Narcs, and Pipe Dreams," provides a complimentary education on this topic, covering a broader history of illegal drugs throughout America's past. Readers who enjoy Acid Dreams may want to follow up with this one.--Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

Let me jump on the hype-this-book bandwagon...
Amazing! It's been said, "If you can remember the 60's you weren't there." Well, Lee and Shlain in _Acid Dreams_ not only take us back but provide an accurate, entertaining, and well-documented chronicle of government abuse of power and, once more, of the CIA's sinister involvement.
In these post-9-11 times when the current administration wants to unleash bureaucratic watchdogs on its citizens in the name of the "war on terror" this history book should alert us to what can happen when government agencies are set upon us unrestrained by checks and balances.
This history of "the CIA, LSD and the Sixites rebellion" is nothing less than a kaleidoscopic tour that not only names, but documents the outrageous actions of, the major players of the day from CIA Director Richard Helms to Timothy Leary to the messianic street alchemists who wished to bring instant enlightenment to the masses.
Whereas the CIA wished to conduct mind-control experiments on unsuspecting human guinea pigs, the underground rebels simply wished to expand minds.
Although many many infamous and not so infamous individuals are interwoven in this highly readable narrative from Dr. Albert Hoffman to Captain Alfred M. Hubbard to Abbie Hoffman to Charles Manson to Ken Kesey and Tim Scully the real characters are the CIA, LSD itself, and the Sixties! What a concept!
According to this richly documented and indexed (wow-the other reviewers are right-on;a hell of a reading list in its own right!) book, nothing of significance in the 60's was untouched for better or for worse by acid:The Free Speech Movement, the Vietnam war, campus demonstrations, the Nixon presidency, Ginsberg, Dylan, and the Beatles.
For instance, it's ghastly to read that Nixon seriously considered nuking North Vietnam but reconsidered due to the acid(?) energized youth that marched, protested, demonstrated, and risked violent police rioting to stop the war. Did LSD prevent another Hiroshima?
It's disgusting to read the elitist condescension by the very influential Clare Booth Luce (yes, of Time-Life) a tripper who believed acid should remain 'in the ruling class' and explained, "we wouldn't want everyone doing too much of a good thing."
It is, however, a pleasure and refreshing to read a book that debunks quite a few myths, distortions and outright lies about LSD spread by the government and other unscientific sources.
Only one other history book has excited me as much as _Acid Dreams_, William H. McNeill's slender volume _The Shape of European History._
Were it up to me I, too, would urge every single high school student to read _Acid Dreams_. It is a cautionary history that deserves to be not just read but preserved and remembered. I am 51, I think I was there, and the memory of some of the events still sends shivers down my spine.
Somebody was THERE, Martin A Lee and Bruce Shlain tell all, and _Acid Dreams_ eliminates page by page any excuses for historical amnesia.

This is surprisingly one of the best books I have read. The authors give a colorfully accurate account of the events that occured decades ago, all of which still echo into our current era. It covers the origin of LSD, as a drug the CIA funded research on for use as a tool for mind control applications using civilians and military personnel as test subjects. At the very outset, it was obvious that the CIA was well aware of the potential power of this substance in its ability to wreak havoc on the collective psyche, to shatter current assumptions and threaten cherished ego boundaries. Yet, eventually it became available to the masses who would come to extol it's use religiously and otherwise.....giving rise to the groundswell of counterculture in the 60's. This book, more than any other source I have encountered, explores the underlying causes of the demise of the cultural/political/self re-evolution of that time and gives us pause to reflect on the politics of consciousness - to see who really won The War Of The Mind. Proof again that truth is stranger than fiction. Be informed.........read this book.

I read this for the first time in 6th grade. It was being sold at my school book fair, and so I was introduced to it this way. I remember in past years looking for it, and it is a little hard to find, but websites like these make it readily available so it's not as much of a problem.

Anyway, the storyline is pretty gripping, though can be a little monotonous and long. There are two styles of writing in this book. There is the third person narrative of the author in present day, and then the voice of Clementine, a girl from the past reliving her life through memories. It's not at all confusing, since it is divided into chapters and you can obviously tell the historical sections from the present day ones, but some chapters get a little lengthy.

The main character, Molly, is mentioned in other books by Kathryn Reiss. If you have ever read her other stories, you will recognize some of the character's names and attitudes/personalities. This makes it nice because you know it's all connected in some way or another. Makes it a little more predictable, but familiar. I like this quality in her books.

The storyline in general isn't all that complicated, but relies a little much on a subtle imagination. It doesn't take much to figure things out in this book, and the ending really isn't surprising at all. In fact, it's almost expected. But it's fitting and so it doesn't ruin the story at all.

I would recommend this to young adults, those who like small and simple ghost stories, or those who just want a pretty fast read to get away from things. It's pretty easy reading and goes relatively quickly, only about 250 pages or so.

This book remains one of my childhood favorites, and my friends have often noted how much they liked it in the past as well.

As soon as I bought this book I watned to read it. I could not put it down, so I was dead tired, but I had to finish it in one night. It's a great story about Molly, a girl who is afraid of water, who is thrown in a pool by Jared, her friend's cousin. She almost drowns, and hightails it up to Hibben, Maine, where she has weird dreams about a girl named Clementine, who-- GASP!-- looks surprisingly like Molly! Jared follows her.... This book is a great combination of mystery, thriller, and romance. I ave read it about five times and I still do not tire of it! If yo're looking for a great book, here it is!

This book is one of my absolute favorites. If I were a producer, I would get this story into a movie without a second thought. The book is about a young girl named Molly who has waterphobia eversince she was little. One day, she met her best friend's cousin, Jared, and when they were a party together, she gets thrown into a pool by HIM. Ever since then, she starts seeing hallucinations while she's awake, other than just the bad dreams she's been having before. Read it, I totally recommend it. It's one of the best stores, I think.

I have read all of the books in this series and I really enjoy all of them. They deal with real life problems that many teens have. In this book Amalia is trying to help her friend Maggie, over come her eating disorder. Amalia also has problems of her own, trying to be free of James, her controling ex-boyfriend. This book kind of left me haning, and I think the author does that because she will end up coming out with more of them, which I hope she does!

Ann M. way to go! I was reading that other people thought California Diaries were too depressing and BSC too happy. I used to love the BSC, everything was perfect and in the end they always made it. In California Diaries it is just the opisite(sorry bout the spelling)These kids are facing tough times etc. I may sound really weird but living a happy life all the time is riduclas. Also a sad life is too. But people want to know about people who are worse off then them(I think).My fave people are Amalia and Sunny though Sunny has gone over the top. These books are making you itch for the next. Amalia: Diary Two is a great book! I love it and it may be the greatest book of the series so far. I haven't read Maggie yet because it is really hard to get. Five or six bookstores I went to-wow! I haven't met a person who doesn't like this series so far. As I said-way to go Ms. Martain!!!!

This book is excellent. Ann M. Martin is great at expressing problems that you can relate to. I would definately recommend this whole series for someone who is going through a tough time. I myself own all of the Cal. Diaries. I like books that don't always show you the bright side of life. I guess now I'm only wondering these things: 1. Is James going to leave Amalia alone finally? 2. Is Sunny's mom going to die, or recover? 3. Will MAGGIE recover? 4. Will Dawn ever make up with Sunny? 5. Is the California Diaries series going to be as long as the ever-growing Baby-Sitters Club? I hope Ann M. Martin reads this and answers some of these questions in her future books. Sincerely, Jaime Pfisthner

I was terrified by the world that Victor Klemperer brings to life in " I Will Bear Witness ". The diary is a day by day account of a slow descent into the bowels of Hell. In the beginning the reader is pulled into Klemperers mostly mundane day to day life. Klemperer was a well respected and much published professor of Romance Languages at the University of Dresden. As well he was a decorated veteran of World War I. Slowly, starting with Hitlers rise to power in 1933, his entire world is turned inside out. Day by day the situation becomes more strained. Year by year the situation becomes more dangerous. But the brave hearted Klemperers stay on in Germany because they are German and can imagine no other life. I was greatly moved by the scenes that were brought to life by Klemperer. The description of the first household search they were subjected to caused goose bumps to run up my spine. In addition, the narrative of his 8 day imprisonment ( cell 89 ) is in my opinion a classic that will belongs to the ages. His ability to to draw a picture and capture the mood of a situation was truly amazing. I cannot say enough about the courage of the Klemperers as they fought everyday to hold onto their dignity, pride and finally their lives. Thanks to the skill and courage of Professor Klemperer I now have, in some small way, an idea of what the day to day horror of Nazi Germany was like for the persecuted.

This is the most compelling book I have ever read on the subject of the destruction of the German Jewish community. Compelling because the author wrote for himself, with candor and without artifice, about his daily experiences, hopes and fears. I recommend strongly that you buy this book. If you do, you will find yourself, as I did, caught up in the daily life of a German professor who cast aside his Jewish heritage in favor of German culture, only to find, in the end, that his treasured homeland still considered him a Jew by race. I only regret, at the time of my writing this, that the second volume is not yet available. Of all the books I have read on the Holocaust, this one will live forever in my mind, because reading his diary was like living his experience.

Discovering Victor Klemperer's "Diary" is like finding the missing link. It helps to fill in the gaps in our understanding of the German society that became crazy and the Jewish victims who experienced it. Volume I of the Diary, written and edited in journalistic style, gives a dramatic account of the day to day life of a Jewish Professor during the Hitler years. It reveals an all too human, noble, but flawed, character who undergoes dramatic development as the story progresses. The backdrop of historical events turns the Diary into a page-turning thriller. If we consider this true story to be a novel, we can identify with the protagonist, caught in the plot of history; it is great literature at it's best. As documented history, it gives invaluable insight into the holocaust. Every intelligent person will want read it.

Martin Gilbert has done an admirable job in condensing his milti-volume biography into one volume, but such an effort must necessarily involve many compromises. In this case, in an effort to bring about a more human picture of Churchill the man, he has sacrificed much of the fun of Churchill the public figure. Many of Churchill' most vivid and exciting incidents are passed over too quickly. Especially regretable is Gilbert's failure to include of many of Churchill's most enjoyable and amusing public dialogues with the other leaders of his day. Of all 20th-century leaders, Churchill was one of the most highly esteemed for his wit and eloquence in debate. A few examples show his eloquence; almost all of his wit is lost. The result is a book that is wonderful for those who already know Churchill, but, alas, is amazingly flat for anyone who has not read much about him. After reading it, one may admire Churchill's determination and leadership, but may wonder how he was able to claim the attention of the British people for so long.

This is the Churchill biography to read if you either don't have time or aren't looking to read several volumes. The official Churchill biography by Martin Gilbert was condensed by the author into this one volume, 1000+ page, wonderful book (released in 1991). Gilbert is direct, never overdramatic and as objective as possible for an official biographer. Also, this book is very factual and historical. For anyone looking for witty Churchill quips and anecdotes, I recommend James Humes's, "The Wit and Wisdom of Winston Churchill", or Stephen Mansfield's, "Never Give In." This book is a strictly condensed biography that strays very infrequently into humorous side stories and quotes, of which Churchill obviously had many.

It can be very frustrating to waste time reading an unenjoyable, lengthy book, especially for the busy, nighttime only reader (like myself). This book is not one of those. Gilbert does a great job of handling one of the most (I believe "The" most) captivating men of the 20th Century. At the end of the book, whether one loves Churchill or hates him, any reader will, thanks to the masterful writing of Marting Gilbert, be sad at Churchill's passing and the book's ending.

I liked much better this book than those of William Manchester. The story is linear and one feels the author's absolute knowledge of the life of Churchill. Gilbert's admiration of Churchill is apparent. I heard he has written an eight volume (official) biography of which this book is a very comprehensive and very-very well written abridgement, in other words the eight volumes are „distilled" into one. I also think the quotations are much better selected, Churchill's often very long speeches are very well compressed (my favourite is the speech after Munich). This gives the impression - at least to me - of having read a whole speech, whereas in Manchester's book it never really happens and the speeches are usually followed or preceded by the author's comments. I felt Gilbert keeps a greater distance from his subject, the book is more like a frame and lets the reader build up Churchill's personality with his imagination. Also this might be important to some (like myself) that Gilbert's language is easier to understand.
The Manchester books are of a very different character, not linear, much more personal, the author presents a lot of insight, and tells his opinion or judgement on a variety of subjects and choses the right quotations to underline these. These two volumes of Manchester contain a lot more information and interesting details. I usually agreed with his judgements but i sometimes felt he was forcing and repeating them too strong and too often. A great advantage though is that we learn a lot more about the outside world.

Churchill's book on WWII has a part which is called the „Gathering storm" meaning the approaching Nazi danger for the democracies. For Hitler Churchill was the „gathering storm", a phenomenon which is impossible to ignore and whose „thunderous" speeches and articles were so „loud" and powerful. It was nothing else but the power and truth in his speeches that made him so menacing to the Nazis as he was distrusted by all parties of parliament and indeed by the whole population.This was the reason why he was attacked publicly as a simple MP by Hitler in the late thirties when Hitler was the all powerful leader of Germany and Churchill only a political outcast.

I heard people describing Churchill as a born leader. I disagree. I don't think he was a born leader. He was a genius, the „largest human being of our time" but I think these were not the traditonal leadership qualities that made him emerge to become a strong man and a very powerful leader but his courage and his very deep comprehension of history and the power of justice on his side. Without the truth being on his side i think he would never have been a great leader (unlike Stalin or Chamberlain or Hitler).

After reading it one gives credit to the British people and also to their parlamentary system for being so rubust and being able to defend itself in times of great danger. After this book it seems that no attempt were made to bypass it even when it seemed that the present rulers (Baldwin and Chamberlain) were leading it to certain destruction.

Very good idea and makes it much easier to find something in the book afterwards is that on the top of each page the year of the actual story is shown.

Although the author avoids making many personal comments, the book is so well built up and the story itself is so full of drama that it is hard to put down. I am looking forward to reading other works of Gilbert, who really became my favourite historian (I hope they'll be translated into Hungarian soon).