This book presents an interesting tale and lesson for those who do not adhere to the concept of "to thine own self be true." The novel is set in late Victorian-era (1890s) Ireland, alternating between Dublin and the countryside. The main characters are Anglo-Irish, ruling class, aristocracy and gentry, and the novel focuses upon their relationships to eachother, both real and perceived. The title character, Charlotte, is an unmarried, middle-aged woman who behaves differently with each person with whom she interacts. She is romantically interested in Mr Lambert, an old (and married) friend, and does much for him, including lending him money. She behaves another way with Sir and Lady Dysart, and with their son and heir Christopher (respectful, accommodating). She has far less patience and love for young, beautiful Francie Fitzpatrick, a distant relative who is sent to live with her when Francie's family falls upon hard times financially. She (quite rightly) perceives Francie as a threat, and treats her poorly from the moment Francie arrives at Charlotte's home. Charlotte is outright mean and cruel to servants, Lambert's wife (who is supposed to be a good friend), tenants, and anyone she ranks as below her socially.
Charlotte is not the only one who hides her true nature. Mr. Lambert married for the income his wife brought to the marriage, but pays no attention to her, obviously does not love her, and openly courts Francie and displays jealousy and anger when he notices the mutual attraction between Francie and a young British army officer. He acts respectful to Christopher Dysart's face, but privately despises him and talks about him behind his back. He uses Charlotte--borrowing money from her, being friendly with her (which Charlotte interprets to mean something more than mere friendship), yet privately acknowledges to himself and others that he is not attracted to Charlotte. He also embezzles money from his employer's estate to pay for his horses, drinking, and gifts to Francie, without so much as a single thought that what he is doing is not only morally wrong but is a crime!
Francie is perhaps the most honest of all of the characters in this Irish tragedy, but even she is not entirely honest, not to others nor to herself. I find it easier to excuse her because she is a teenager in a difficult situation, has extremely limited options, and acts accordingly. She is honest about her growing feelings of love for Gerald Hawkins, the British officer, but he does not reciprocate that honesty--he is engaged to another woman (who will bring money to the marriage) but does not tell Francie. When she learns about his fiancee and realizes that the love between them is not enough, she breaks off her relationship with Gerald. Francie also receives the attentions of the socially-challenged (shy) Christopher Dysart, but she turns down his marriage proposal. A huge fight with Charlotte ensues, and she returns to her family in Dublin.

After Lambert's wife (conveniently) dies, Lambert follows Francie to Dublin, and makes an offer for her (in marriage), even though she has no money. He is physically attracted to her youth and beauty, and she, seeking to escape the hopeless poverty she faced with her family in Dublin, marries him even though she does not love him. It is this marriage, which set Charlotte over the edge, and she seeks her revenge upon him in a manner true to the saying "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
This Irish tragedy could have been averted had all of the characters displayed greater moral turpitude and honesty with both themselves and with others in their lives. The novel presents an interesting glimpse into a society which places a value upon people relative to the class into which they are born, and illustrates how unhappy people are when they marry for money instead of love. The characters are dishonest because the society in which they live values and rewards dishonest behavior and superficial values. Physical appearance (beauty) is valued above integrity, love, kindness, etc. One of the reasons Lambert is so taken with Francie is because she is young and beautiful, even though they are not a good match. Francie receives most, if not all, of the male attention because of her physical appearance, and has a greater chance of marriage than Charlotte, who is not physically attractive.
The novel is well-written, the characters well-developed, and, even though I found none of them to have any redeeming characteristics, the story was compelling to the end. Highly recommended.

everything you hope for in a classic. complex characters, interesting plot, the story pulls you along and it makes you think. when you are finished you feel you have gained something.

Still the best FreeHand book on the market. Even though it would appear to be dated, as version 8.0 is now two version points behind (soon to be three in November 2002), Real World FreeHand 8 captures the software at what was an obvious peak; well-developed enough to stifle cries of quirkiness, the obvious superiority and power of this mighty software was free to emerge. FreeHand was The Daddy. Before the web, before it was bundled with Flash, before they changed the pen tool...but after they...the software really hasn't changed much since v.8, actually. Except for the pen tool, that is. (Kvern didn't offer a v.9 or a v.10 of his book.) Kvern is easily the best writer of third-party computer manuals EVER. An incredible knowledge of the software, it's history and utility with enough distance to be subjective and, at times, thorny, Kvern also speaks credibly though not obtrusively about his experience as a professional illustrator/designer. Definitely add writer to the list; Kvern makes his p.o.v. clear (he loves scripting! he encourages you to manually edit preference files!) and avoids the usual flat, obvious, dull attempts at humour that are killing this genre. It made me go back to FreeHand 8 while I wait to see whether the initials MX will prove to be a viable future for this once great and might app or RIP for FreeHand. While the recent developers of FreeHand have often seemed like dull, flat-footed, primitive, dull, unimaginative, erm, hopeless morons incapable of taking a right turn with the software, Kvern makes you believe in the possibilities. Don't miss his books on InDesign either!

As an author in the process of writing a textbook on FreeHand for Delmar Publishing (due out in 10/99), I have to say that at the present time Olav's book is the only one given a positive review by any of my students.

This is a rigorous grammar text using a fair amount of linguistics lingo (all of which is defined). Both this book and Anna Proudfoot's Modern Italian Grammar (which complements Maiden) should be in the library of any serious student of Italian. If you need more than these two books provide, you'll have to find it written in Italian, not in English. Some of Maiden's book (or a lot) will be over your head, but it's a great reference to grow into.

This book is an excellent resource. It covers the essentials and it helps the user to answer the questions: "How do I say..." and "How do I form..." which most American reference texts published in the States do not do--in a way that is systematic and logical. The author, Robert Maiden, is a Professor of Romance Linguistics at Oxford--that says it in a "nut shell!" Whenever I've needed a good English-Italian grammar reference or book, I've always had to rely on the British scholars and publishers. Sorry to say this but the American market is generally saturated with fluff and gloss. This reference book is an excellent alternative to the "fast buck" junk on the market and makes a good companion book to Italiano Vivo, by Giorgio Milesi, published by Thomas Nelson & Sons, LTD, UK. A highly recommend it.

The 21 articles in Relationship Marketing for Competitive Advantage are wide-ranging, covering manufacturing and services, business and consumer database marketing, and retail. All in all, they represent some of the best writing on relationship marketing including seminal works by marketing experts from around the world such as Theodore Levitt, Leonard Berry, David Maister and Christian Grönroos.

The fundamental principle upon which relationship marketing is founded is that the greater the level of customer satisfaction with the relationship with the supplier-not just the product or service-then the greater the likelihood that the customer will stay with the supplier. Retaining customers is important, as there is strong evidence to suggest that customer retention is directly related to profitability. It appears that the longer the customer stays with a supplier, the higher the likelihood that they will place a greater amount of business with the supplier, even to the extent of single sourcing. Further, there is a likelihood that these retained customers will cost less to service and that they will be less likely to be motivated solely by price.

At the heart of relationship marketing is the integration, company-wide, of hitherto separate customer service and total quality initiatives with the mainstream of marketing strategy. Conventionally, customer service and quality have been managed separately from marketing. In the relationship marketing paradigm, they are intertwined and managed as one. The rationale behind this is that it is upon service and quality that relationships are built.

Edited by academics from the Cranfield School of Management, the articles in this book are supplemented with summaries and commentaries, highlighting a broad scope of issues such as customer retention, employee satisfaction, supplier relations and the management of service quality. These issues are brought together to provide an integrated approach to the development of a relationship marketing strategy. This book of linked readings has been designed to reinforce themes first developed in Relationship Marketing by Christopher, Payne and Ballantyne (Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 1991) and provides a solid basis for the further development of relationship marketing as a discipline and as a practical orientation.

The articles in Relationship Marketing for Competitive Advantage are wide-ranging, covering manufacturing and services, business and consumer database marketing, and retail. They represent some of the best writing on the subject by experts from around the world.

Edited by academics from the Cranfield School of Management, these articles are supplemented with summaries and commentaries, highlighting a broad scope of issues such as customer retention, employee satisfaction, supplier relations and the management of service quality. These issues are brought together to provide an integrated approach to the development of a relationship marketing strategy. They have been designed to reinforce themes first developed in Relationship Marketing by Christopher, Payne and Ballantyne (Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford).

It is the most concise material I have found on the subject. While in school I used it for a reference book when writing papers, now I read through it when I am unsure about a religious practice. It clarifies any questions you might have on any given (major) religion.

This book is really beautiful! It helps the student and the teacher to explore the great wisdom traditions of the world. The illustrations are plentiful and lovely, the text easy to comprehend. A great book!

Ron Martin's book is one of the wonders of the self help world. It is easy and practical and measurable. When we get stuck in our marketing process of my small service business we go back and read it again to get started again. It is most helpfull and easy to read and understand.

Truly outstanding! This is a book with incredibly direct applicable methodology for the retail sales person. It gives hope, direction, and motivation to the struggling, as well as the successful, sales professional; and it helps all of us in my company's sales management ranks to remain more focused on what we can do to help our sales teams improve the top line. Ron Martin's book is now required reading as a part of our sales training program. It gives our company tremendous benefit

My nine year old, who is not an avid reader, loved this book. He couldn't put it down and insisted that I read it as soon as he finished. It was entertaining and quirky; I can see how it would appeal to kids, and I didn't find it tedious. I came online to see if there are any more in the series, and hope that I can find them.

I'm not one for children's books, especially horror, but when my eight year old raved on constantly about this I had to sit down and read it. After a couple of pages I was hooked. It involves strange subterranean creatures who live on the Black Track, which is a road running through the Australian desert. They capture a young boy who has been thrown from a car after an accident, and spend the rest of the book discussing whether or not they should eat him or treat him as a God. It's extremely funny, fast moving and has some interesting messages about the aftermath of nuclear testing and the value of family. It's well worth a read, even though I'm not an 8 year old, and I'm now looking around for others in the series for my child, who now bugs me endlessly.

This book offers an incredible comparison and representation of the romance languages. It discusses their similarities and individual characteristics. I recommend it not only for all students of the any romance languages but for anybody looking for an in-dept look at the grammar and developement of the romance languages from their "parent language" latin! This truly is a great book!

This is an excellent book for either the interested layman or the refined linguist concerning the romance languages (more than the typial five, incidentally). The included languages are: Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, Occitan, Rhaeto-Romance and Sardinian, with another chapter about various romance-based creoles and pidgins. Within each chapter, there is a section on phonology, morphology, syntax and lexicon. There are also interesting charts and maps, contrasting different features of the different languages.

The tone of the book is serious and academic, although the language is not so erudite that a hobby-linguist (like myself) cannot understand it. The five "standard" romance languages in the book also feature in Bernard Comrie's "The World's Major Languages", to which this book is best described as a supplement (it's the same publishing company and features many of the same writers), although these five have approximately twice as much treatment as they do in the latter book, albeit some of the text is lifted directly from "Major Languages". The tone and "feel" of the entries here are identical to those of "Major Languages", incidentally, so if you are familiar with that book you will instantly be comfortable with this one.

One feature that I appreciated was the many comparisons drawn between the various languages, with all of the shifts in phonology, morphology and syntax explained and contrasted. For example, if you have ever wondered why many words in French that begin with "f-" have a corresponding word in Spanish that begins with "h-", this is explained as are all other issues of this sort.

All in all, an excellent book for anyone interested in the romance languages.

On the surface, the Book of Ruth is a story about a certain family, two widows, and a wealthy man. Dr. Dehaan illuminates several layers of meaning in this story, the primary interpretation of the message of redemption, the practical applications for the believer and a glorious and grand prophetic relevation concerning our own futures. Just as every book in the Bible points to our Lord Jesus Christ, so does the Book of Ruth. This book has timely applications for us today, and for the nation Israel as well as the current calling out of the Church. Finally it is doctrinally sound, our Lord's virgin birth, His bodily resurrection and His atoning blood are found in the word pictures of this book. And you thought this was just a romance between a outcast widow and a wealthy man?

Another of Dr. DeHaans excellent works. Although consisting of only four short chapters, the Book of Ruth has so much to teach about the power of Christs redemptive powers as revealed through the thorough exegesis of Dr. Dehaan. The role of Naomi is also brought out in an enhanced light as Dr. Dehaan gives insight into the prophetic underpinnings of this beautiful story. The authors simple and consistant writing style used in his other works make this read most enjoyable.

I havn't read every book about Mary, but I know a classic when I read it, and this book falls in that category. The sub-title "The Virgin Mary in History, Art, & Apparition" aptly summarizes the main themes. Mr. Martin traces the historical flowering of Mary's influence in Christendom. This is seen from the very beginning of the church and proves to be a guiding factor in keeping the Church from being ship-wrecked on the rocks of error and enemies. In addition to history and theology, the artistry of Marian paintings, cathedrals (such as Chartres), and music are also appraised and found to be valuble anchors to keep to us grounded in the truth. Finally, the apparitions reinforce the theme that Mary's work did not end when she gave birth to our Lord. She continues to draw people to Christ through miracles and messages which are difficult to ignore. The Remnant newspaper's book reviewer says, "I can think of no better book on the subject written in the last fifteen years." The National Catholic Register calls it "A Marian Tour De Force. . . the book stimulates the mind and enflames the spirit in equal measure." In addition to a beautifully written book, there are some beautiful art reproductions. Order one today and chances are you will order more later for gifts.

Whether you are part of the Judeo/Christian tradition or not, it would be impossible to name a woman who has more influence in the history of the world than the Mary of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus Christ. More paintings, sculptures, music, and architecture has been dedicated to and inspired by this remarkable, singular woman who lived nearly two thousand years ago in Asia Minor. Believers and non-believers alike can learn an immense amount from this truly well written book. I highly recommend it!