The novel, based on the life of the French painter Paul Gauguin, is a very absorbing and easy read. Maugham's style has such fluidity that you can read the entire book with great interest in a single day. The main character, Charles Strickland, gives up a comfortable life of a financier to pursue his passsion for painting. Strickland is a man possessed, who is willing to sacrifice his well being and that of his family to fulfill the call of his inner voice to paint his vision of the world.

I like the novel and highly recommend it, but I do have a few criticisms. First, Strickland is portrayed as too inhuman, which makes the character unrealistic. Many artists are driven and single-minded, but Maugham is so concerned in making his Strickland appear a hard and uncompromising creator that he makes him crude. Strickland is taciturn, though he occasionally spouts Nietzshean phrases and tries to project Nietzschean haughty indifference to everything except his art. Not surprisingly, Strickland is condescending toward women and does not hesitate to let us know about it in his rare but obnoxious commentary. If the real Gauguin, or any artitst of significance, were as incensitive as Strickland, he would not be able to feel and to paint what he did. And this, in a nutshell, is the problem with Maugham's novel. He started from a stereotype and ended with the main character who was not particularly compelling.

Obviously the book tells a story based on the life of the famous painter Paul Gauguin but it is also a projection of Maugham's thoughts and desires. In fact his main character, Charles Strickland, is exactly like Maugham would like to be because he sacrifies everyone and everything just to follow his inner vision, which is to paint. He doesn't care about society he doesn't care about material things, he just lives for ideas and is indifferent to everything else. That's according to some philosophers, the true and only way to be an artist and I think that it is also Maugham's opinion about it. Therefore he created a figure who is nothing but his ideal picture of himself, as he did not have the courage and the force to live it in reality, probably due to his constant fear of losing all social relations. It's a really good book which could give you, the reader, the force to realize yourself and to do only what you really like and give up everything else to reach your aim.

"To recognize it (Beauty) you must repeat the adventure of the artist. It is a melody that he sings to you, and to hear it again in your own heart you want knowledge and sensitiveness and imagination." And so the narrator's friend passes along a bit of wisdom early in this magnificent book. Of course, the narrator does not understand and must, on his own, develop knowledge, sensitivity and imagination around the life of the fictionalized-Paul Gauguin, Charles Strickland.

The narration is cunning and subtle throughout. The narrator begins as a young novitiate of life, sides with convention, utters a few misogynistic statements (which are good for a laugh/is this how women were viewed by some in the early 1900's?) and, oh so slowly, develops into a person of sensitivity and imagination. The transformation is subtle and quiet, ending with a physical return to the place where it all started. Those characters, who he had originally thought so highly of, are still the same, mean and opportunistic. He sees their stasis and reflects on the greatness of the man that he himself once thought mean.

With each new Maugham book I read, I gain a deeper appreciation for the wonder of his writing. The story is effortless and at the same time loaded with significant themes that give me pause for consideration.

The Moonstone is a slow-paced detective novel written in the 19th century in London, England. The Moonstone was first obtained by Colonel Herncastle who bequeaths it to his niece Miss Rachel on her sixteenth birthday. She is thrilled with her gift and sets the gem in her bedside table that night. When she awakens the next morning, the moonstone is nowhere to be found. The loss of the moonstone is told by Mr. Betteredge, a servant in Miss Rachel's house. Mr. Betteredge offers an outside opinion, as he is not directly involved in the mystery, but sees all that goes on. The rest of the book is split up into different narratives from various characters of the book. Each character's narrative is able to give the reader more pieces to the puzzle. Wilkie Collins wrote this book so well that the characters stand on their own during their narratives. Their personalities surface and are not supported by one another. This was very helpful in keeping the characters straight due to the detail and character that Collins gave them. I really liked this part of the book because all the clues to the mystery weren't given to the reader on a silver platter. Every character in the book had a separate identity. They had more purpose than just happening to be involved in the mystery.
The Moonstone is also unpredictable. Collins will lead the reader to believe and act on other facts before turning the evidence completely around and ending up with a conclusion that throws the reader for a loop. I appreciated this because it kept me reading. I found out who stole the moonstone along with the characters. It was refreshing not to know the answer and having to wait for the other characters to figure it out. I also found the little subplots that were created during the story. They showed the interactions of the characters and helped to explain the personalities of the characters even more. The only problem that I found with The Moonstone is that Collins has a lot of patience. He is content to examine every detail before moving on with the next piece to the puzzle. He also encourages his characters to wait with the solving of the mystery. It is almost exasperating to be so close in solving the mystery that only one character must be interviewed. Almost always, the character will be indisposed or out-of-town. It was a little frustrating to have to wait for the characters to return and having to read about what they had for dinner in the meantime. On a positive note, reading The Moonstone was like watching a movie. However, instead of watching the characters eat, the reader reads about it. This still only adds to the detail of the book and makes you appreciate Collins work on making sure that every element of the story is attended to. All in all, The Moonstone was a great novel, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good puzzle to solve.

The Moonstone is a cleverly contrived tale of a stolen Indian dimond which becomes the dangerous inheritance of Rachel Vendier. When the incredible dimond is stolen, for the second time, the seemimly simple case becomes a masterpiece of mystery and suspense. The novel entangles us in every page. We become lost in the emotions of the 19th century characters. When the mystery begins to unfold, we delieghtedly press on, only to find that Collins has outwitted us again. Collins has an amazing talent for assuming a variety of narrative voices, which keep the reader envolved with the individual characters. Each new clue elicits thousands of questions, arousing in the reader, a desire to read on and on. The Moonstone is the most outstanding cassic detective mystery novel ever written.

Whatever I say would not be enough to make you understand how I loose myself when reading this detective story.Actually this was my first try at a book written in that manner. But more or less I know Holmes' way of presenting crime and mysterious events. Moonstone goes far beyond the limit of these cliche detective scope and reaches to your hearts with its seven different characters;all narrating their own side of the story centering on an oriental myth of a sacred gem. There is the historical background, the emotional diologues, and finally the inevitable conciseness in language while dictating the action, just like in all detective stories. Wilkie Collins' touch can be seized when you go deep into characters such as Ezra Jennings. There is lot of things to be explored and make fun of! Don't be afraid of the length and page number:). When you follow the moonstone in its journey to home, you WILL DISCOVER OTHER THINGS SUCH AS LOVE, HUMAN SUFFERING other than the war given for the priceless Indian DiamOnd.
Best Wishes On Your Journey Whoever You Are Wherever You ARE!

The Veteran is a collection of five short stories/novellas by Frederick Forsyth. Unlike The Deceiver, they are not unified by a single character or overall scheme. What they are unified by is Forsyth's ability to tell a good story, and he tells each in a unique setting of place and time including modern-day Britain, World War II Italy, an international airliner, and the American West. "Whispering Wind" is the real gem in this book. It's a simple but delightful tale about a lone survivor from Custer's Last Stand. Each of the stories in The Veteran has a twist somewhere along the way - sometimes more obvious than others and sometimes revealed closer to the end too. Each also has a significant amount of detail for its setting, showing Forsyth's ability to pay attention to the little things in his writing. Mainly these stories are a pleasure to read and that's what makes The Veteran worth a look.

This collection of five stories are fascinating, but not as intriguing some of the other Forsyth novels I've read. The first story, "The Veteran" starts out with a mugging of an old man who is "special" or was once regarded as "special". The "special" aspect of him explains the outcome of the mugging as well as the final act of "justice". "The Art of Matter" was a step down for me compared to "The Veteran". I'm just not interested in Art and auctions. For those into trickery and art, I suppose it would be quite an engaging read. "The Miracle" was my next favorite story about a mysterious woman. The ending will take you by surprise and may even make you laugh. To get the full effect of the story, one must be careful and focus on the details of the dialogue. "The Citizen" was another great story involving a drug smuggling operation. By far, the best story of the book was "Whispering Wind" which is largely a romantic adventure. Anyone familiar with Custer's last stand at the battle of Little Big Horn or simply those interested in the old west will enjoy it tremendously. It's the type of story that many women would like because of the romantic element.

The Veteran showcases Forsyth's talent in the short story realm, & he proves that he is equally good at home in writing short-fiction as in writing thriller novels like that of The Day of The Jackal or The Odessa File.

This is Sir Frederick Forsyth's first collection of short stories since the publication of No Comebacks more than a decade ago.

The title story "The Veteran" is a suspense thriller, where a high profile attorney gets the release of two hardened murderers in spite of strong evidence against the accused. A fast-paced story, "The Veteran" also has a historical significance attached to it. It's the first legal thriller story to be published in the form of an e-book.

"Art of the Matter" is a hilarious caper, with double-cross & triple-cross in the background of an art deal.

"Whispering Wind" can best be described as a 'mystic mystery' reminiscent of the author's earlier work "The Shepherd".

"The Citizen" is a story of a drug smuggling operation. However, my personal favourite is "The Miracle" a story about a ghostly visit of a saint in a hospital unit during the World War with an unexpected twist in the tale finish.

The five stories make an engrossing read & are storytelling in its best & purest form. Any reader who enjoys twists in the tale endings, like that of the stories of O'Henry or the short stories of Jeffrey Archer, is sure to enjoy this superb & diverting collection.

All in all The Veteran is highly entertaining, & makes delightful reading. Highly recommended.

I wasn't sure if I trusted the Barthelme brothers to tell this story until fairly late in the book, when they attempt, for maybe the fiftieth time, to explain why they continued to gamble, even in the face of their mounting losses. "Winning is better than losing, but neither is the goal of gambling, which is PLAYING. Losing never feels like the worst part of gambling. Quitting often does."

Maybe it was their demanding father, the loss of their beloved mother, or the sudden influx of inherited cash that drove them to the casino night after night. Ultimately I don't think that matters, and I think a lot of words are wasted trying to figure that out. But the book comes alive as soon as the narrative reaches the casino doors, and it contains some of the truest, and loveliest, writing I've come across about the "gaming" culture of the New South.

If this book has a moral, it is that if you're middle class you get away with doing a lot of stupid things. The Barthelme brothers grew up in a close-knit family run by a loving mother and an arbitrary, authoritarian father. Growing up, they never really started families of their own. When the parents died, within a couple of years of each other, their gambling went out of control. By their own account, they blew a quarter of a million dollars in Mississippi riverboat casinos in less than two years. At the end, they were arrested on a trumped-up fraud charge which was later dropped. They kept their jobs and their girlfriends and they got to write a book about it all.

The Barthelmes are smart guys and they analyze endlessly the sources of their gambling "addiction" (which they think lies in their family somewhere) and the fascination of gambling itself (which actually has little to do with winning or losing). There is nothing new here, of course. Still, the Barthelmes keep the story moving forward and there's a lot in here about day-to-day life in a casino.

I'm not sure there is a moral here. It's not as if the brothers learned nothing; if anything, they learned everything there is to know about gambling. It's just that they process this information through the detached and ironic consciousness that comes with being too smart for your own good. You get the idea that if they inherited another quarter million, they'd do it all over again.

I thought this book was excellent: a memoir by two brothers who lost $250,000 in riverboat casinos. They describe in detail how they would spend 12 hours or more losing thousands in the slot machines, or, more often, at blackjack. And how it escalated slowly, and then how the addiction got completely out-of-hand after both of their elderly parents died. Apparently, their pattern on each gambling spree was to lose a lot, and then spend the rest of the night (and sometimes day) winning back the lost amount. What amazed me is that even after they were indicted for a crime allegedly committed while gambling, they continued their addiction, albeit in another casino. Astounding! This memoir is remarkable on many counts. For one, it is beautifully written (both authors are writing professors), and also, they attempt to analyze their behavior, the big "WHY"? I commend them for revealing so many intimate details. It seems that perhaps the loss of their father, who had been a brilliant architect but an insensitive father to both, put them over the edge. Raised not to show feelings, coupled with their belief that their parents were their only true "community", perhaps put them in a hard, "no win" position when they died. And the only way to "win" (or attempt to) was at the casino. They are excellent at drawing out the allure of gambling - that, no matter win or lose, they were finally "feeling" something at the blackjack table. A sad tale of an attempt to deal with loss in a desperate, impossible way.

For all those proponents of capitalism, this book will not interest you much. Marx writes to expose capital (money, interest, profit, value, etc) as a relation between people, as a relation of domination and exploitation. The central defense of capital by political economy meant a critique of political economy as the rational expression of a mad world.

What does it mean to try to give a rational explanation of a mad world, a world built upon exploitation/domination and the insubordination of that exploitation/domination (good, old class struggle, like in that bastion of U.S. power, South Korea)? Certainly not a text book on how it works, but a critique of the madness of calling exploitation/domination 'rational', 'moral', 'free', etc. Marx exposes the inherent fragility of capital's power because capital only exists as alienated labor power, the creativity of workers turned against themselves. All the wealth of all the rich and powerful is the product of the labor power of the workers.

Marx's ultimate message is that the capitalist needs the worker, but the worker's only need is the overthrow of capital and the establishment of a humane society: "The free development of all depends on the free development of each." (Marx, 1844 Manuscripts)

As for 'empirical' matters, capitalism has impoverished the vast mass of human beings for the vast wealth of a few. To see the misery, hunger, disease, and human debasement created by capital's thirst for profit and then to say 'capital has nothing to do with this' is to tell lies. To say that capital does not give rise to all the dictatorships of the world is telling lies. To say "Let the market sort it out." is to say "Let things stay as they are." With all our wealth, all our productive capacity, only capital prevents a world of abundance, and therefore a liberation from 'things', a liberation from exploitation/domination. The defence of capital depends on moral bankruptcy, class privilege, and inhumanity being the standard of human conduct.

I suggest a look at John Holloway, Werner Bonefeld, and Richard Gunn, among others, for an intelligent, impassioned and insightful reading of Marx. And happily, Amazon carries their 3 vol. set, Open Marxism.

Marx was not attempting to contribute to economic theory. His book was a *critique* of political economy (as economics was called back then).

Marx shows that politics--struggles over power, oppression and resistance--is the real substance of economics. In the 3 volumes of Capital, and the notebooks of the Grundrisse, Marx shows the categories of economic analysis for what they are: relations of force. Capitalism is a system of antagonism. In 'Marx Beyond Marx: Lessons on the Grundrisse', the Italian theorist Toni Negri states: "There is not a single category of capital that can be taken out of this antagonism, out of this perpetually fissioning flux."

For instance, the central concept of Marx's 'Capital', surplus-value, both conceals and points to this antagonistic tension. The very duality of the term testifies to this. As does the meaning of the term. Buy 'Capital', then read it as a critique of economic categories, and you may see this. For help, consult Marx's 'Grundrisse', the writings of Antonio Negri and Louis Althusser--and check out the exciting new journal, 'Rethinking Marxism'.

Marxism has gained a fresh life, free from the dogma of socialist states, infused with the insights of post-structuralism. Read Marx anew. And work for a better world. The revolution is here and now, here and there. Communism is not a utopia of the future; it is found in creative resistance and radical alternatives to capitalism today. Eventually perhaps, the communist efforts--the efforts which express the values of communism, as described by Marx and by writers like Negri and Derrida--may just gain hegemony in the world.

Marx's 'Capital' is no historical artifact; it is a great resource in the ongoing struggle under capitalism--a struggle inherent in capitalism. And what is this struggle over, exactly? It is a struggle to diminish the suffering in the world, the suffering of the world.

"When Volume 1 of Capital was first published, capitalist industry, though predominant in a few Western European countries, still appeared as an isolated island circled by a sea of independent farmers and handicraftsmen which covered the whole world, including the greater part even of Europe," writes Ernest Mandel in his introduction to 'Capital'.

How did we advance to the present day?

An *economic* text, this book is considerably distinct from much of Marx's preceding output. In contrast to Marx, many capitalist apologists have explained capitalism as an "Unknown Ideal" while others despise historical analysis-- as if a feudal baron shouted one day, "I invented capitalism!" The bulk of Marx's presentation is theoretical-- calls for action, the nature of the state, and philosophical concepts are given little treatment throughout the 2,500 pages. What Marx *does* talk about- commodity production, use-values and exchange-values, theories of surplus-value, crisis theory, organic and technical compositions of capital, the transformation problem, changes in the rates of profit, and much more. It is an analysis of *capital*, and hence, *capitalism.* There is little information about the mechanics of a post-capitalist society. After investing the time to read it, readers will be baffled when critics argue "50 bujillion people DIED as a result of 'Capital!!!'" (Marx died in 1883) -- "therefore Marx is wrong!" To be objective, a thinker can imagine the absurdity of blaming World War Two, the slave trade, and imperialism on 'The Wealth of Nations'.

This is a brilliant work. The tough part is understanding the meaning of his terms, which was especially difficult for me, learning the neo-classical viewpoint first. The first chapters took a few days to understand with confidence. After that, the sheer length of the text is formidable, though rewarding and absolutely fascinating.

Later, in Mandel's introduction, "it would be very easy to 'prove' Marx's analysis to be wrong, if experience had shown, for example, that the more capitalist industry develops, the smaller and smaller the average factory becomes, the less it depends upon new technology, the more its capital is supplied by the workers themselves, the more workers become owners of their factories, the less the part of wages taken by consumer goods becomes (and the greater becomes the part of wages used for buying means of production). If, in addition, there had been decades without economic fluctuations and a full-scale disappearance of trade unions and employers' associations..... one could indeed say that 'Capital' was so much rubbish and had dismally failed to predict what would happen in the real capitalist world a century after its publication. It is sufficient to compare the real history of the world since 1867 on the one hand with what Marx predicted it would be, and on the other hand with any such alternative "laws of motion", to understand how remarkable indeed was Marx's theoretical achievement and how strongly it stands up against the experimental test of history."

A paranoia exists of socialist conspiracy to create monopoly as a transitional stage for communism. The largest 500 industrial and commercial corporations in the United States account for roughly 10% of all employees, 50% of profits, 70% of sales, and 90% of manufacturing assets, and 200 banks control 80% of all banking assets. How does this happen? An explanation that isn't even Marxist-- Joseph Schumpeter argues that modern technology creates enormous returns to scale. Under this hypothesis, large firms have the profit to experiment with new technologies, which creates new cost structures that promote greater efficiency in production. Competitive firms, which cannot absorb experimental failures and would have their innovations copied by the competition, have everything to lose by innovating and often not much to gain.

The volumes of this massive economic text were published successively in 1867, 1885, and 1894. His theoretical influence is seen on moderns including Paul Sweezy, Anwar Shaikh, Nubuo Okishio, Paul Mattick, Joan Robinson, and many others. There has been plenty of work critical of Marx in academia. Most economists feel marginalism has rendered it obsolete, others have appropriated pieces of Marxist thought into their work.

Have fun!

This is the central question explored by Conrad in Lord Jim. Jim is ultimately a character who inspires our sympathy due to his inability to find reconcilliation for his one tragic moment of weakness. In him we find a person of tremendous potential that remains unrealized as the tragic circumstances of his abandoning his post aboard the Patna continually haunt him and the associated guilt drives him to isolation.
Conrad successfully explores the concepts of bravery, cowardice,guilt and the alternative destinies that an individual may be driven to by these qualities.
The narrative can be a bit confusing at times as Marlowe relates the tale by recalling his encounters with Jim. The book reminded very much of Somerset Maugham's THE RAZOR"S EDGE" in style. However I believe that Maugham did a much better job of incorporating the narrator into the flow of the story. Overall LORD JIM is a wonderful classic novel that I highly recommend.

This is the fifth book I have read by Conrad, and through these readings I have come to deeply appreciate his literary power and the perfection of his stories. Conrad has the skill to border about several similar subjects, without repeating himself. "Lord Jim" is truly a Shakespearean tragedy, mainly because of the Shakespearean nature of the main character. Jim is a young naval officer with high hopes of heroism and moral superiority, but when he faces his first test of courage, he miserably fails. While 800 Muslim pilgrims are asleep aboard the ship "Patna", Jim discovers that the boat is about to sink. There are not sufficient lifeboats for everybody. Should he wake them up or not? He gets paralyzed with fear and then sudenly jumps into a boat being set up by the rest of the officers. He is taken to trial and disposessed of his working licence.

Ashamed and humiliated, Jim dedicates the rest of his life to two things: escape the memory of that fateful night, and redeem himself. This agonizing quest to recover his dignity in front of his own eyes leads him to hide in a very remote point in the Malayan peninsula, where he will become the hero, the strong man, the wise protector of underdeveloped, humble and ignorant people. Jim finds not only the love of his people, but also the love of a woman who admires him and fears the day when he might leave for good. The narrator, Captain Marlow (the same of "Heart of Darkness") talks to Jim for the last time in his remote refuge, and then Jim tells him that he has redeemed himself by becoming the people's protector. Oh, but these things are never easy and Jim will face again the specter of failure.

Conrad has achieved a great thing by transforming the "novel of adventures" into the setting for profound and interesting reflections on the moral stature of Man, on courage, guilt, responsibility, and redemption.

Just as in "Heart of Darkness" the question is what kinds of beings we are stripped of cultural, moral and religious conventions; just as in "Nostromo" the trustworthiness of a supposedly honest man is tested by temptation, in "Lord Jim" the central subject is dignity and redemption after failure.

A great book by one of the best writers.

After reading this book (along with several other of Conrad's books) I am under the impression that Joseph Conrad may very well be my favorite author. Here is another masterpiece, a deeply incisive study of character of the motivation and the ultimate failure of all high-minded ideals. Granted my own personal world view falls directly in line with this realization and therefore prejudices me towards anything the man might write, but, when considering such a lofty title as 'favorite author' one must regard other aspects of the novelist's creation. As with the others, Conrad wins by the power of his stories.

Lord Jim is my least favorite of the the four books I have read by Conrad. The story is rather scattered: a righteous young man does something wrong that he holds himself far too accountable for and the public shame the action brought him exaggerates the reality of his failure and makes him believe the rumors swirling around about his so-called cowardice. He spends the remainder of his life trying to reclaim his self-regard, mostly exaggerating his own importance in matters he hardly understands. His goal is to liberate the primitive people of the jungle paradise he inadvertantly finds himself in (due to an effort to escape every particle of the world he once inhabited) and his once high-minded ideals and regard for himself lead him to allow those people to consider him almost a God.

Jim likes being a God and considers himself a just and fair one. He treats everyone equally and gives to his people the knowledge of modern science and medicine as well as the everyday archetecture and understanding of trade that those primitive folks would otherwise be years from comprehending.

Of course everything ends in failure and misery and of course Jim's restored name will be returned to its demonic status, but the whole point of the novel seems to me that one can not escape their past. Jim, for all his courage in the line of fire has tried to avoid all memory of the once shameful act of his former life and by doing so becomes destined to repeat his mistakes.

Lord Jim is far more expansive than the story it sets out to tell, ultimately giving a warning on the nature of history and general humanity that only a writer of Conrad's statue could hope to help us understand.

If there is a flaw it is not one to be taken literally. Conrad was a master of structural experimentation and with Lord Jim he starts with a standard third person narrative to relate the background and personalities of his characters and then somehow merges this into a second person narrative of a man, years from the events he is relating, telling of the legend of Jim. It is a brilliant innovation that starts off a little awkward and might lead to confusion in spots as the story verges into its most important parts under the uncertain guidence of a narrator who, for all his insight into others, seems unwilling to relate his personal relevence to the story he is relating.

Nevertheless (with a heartfelt refrain), one of the best books I have ever read.

This book is not just about girls, but about girls gone missing; about lives gone missing. The setting is upstate New York where the winters are long and harsh. The snow is deep. Girls are kidnapped or lost and could be just about anywhere. It is a "tough guy" book about a hardened Vietnam vet who now works security at a local college. This is the third tough guy book I've read in a row and I am beginning to notice a formula. A manly man (or a manly woman for that matter) always has to be single. He/she is always divorced or in the process of, but there is a sensitive side that makes the reader feel for the protagonist. No one, it seems, can be a hero with a supportive spouse; that would only undermine the effectiveness of the character. In spite of this somewhat tiresome blueprint for which GIRLS makes no exception, this one is better than the rest. The reason for the hero's split from his wife is better. It is a part of the inner mystery masked by the outer puzzle of the missing girls. Mr. Busch has written a worthy study of loss.

Our college has a mystery book club. I don't read mysteries generally, but I liked the idea of all of us talking about books. When I recommended they read Girls, I figured everyone would love it as I did. Silly me. My colleagues (with only one exception) hated it. They hated Jack. They hated the story. They hated everything except the dog. I felt so bad until I realized that this is not a book for mystery lovers. Mystery lovers want tidy stories; there's comfort in a good mystery that makes life seem to have some sense, some logic. But Busch's writing is not a mystery of that type. It's a love story. It's a religious tract. It's a war story. It's the kind of book that grabs you by the throat and shakes you alive, whether you want to be or not. And readers who, for whatever reason, would prefer not to be shaken, hate the book. Busch is one of my favorite writers. He is magical and honest and always moves me deeply. But he does not write mysteries.

It is easy to come under the spell of Frederick Busch's almost meditative writings on loss.Girls is no exception. Jack is a security guard on a school campus. Fanny is a registered nurse at a local hospital. Their marriage is being destroyed due to the loss of their only child, a baby named Hannah. There is blame. Their is truth. Their is sheilding from the truth. There is pain. A minister and his wife, the Tanners, have a daughter who is a student at Jacks school. She dissappears and is feared kidnapped. Jack a former MP in Vietnam, although just a security guard, is asked to help find Hannah, the girl. Because of the estrangement of Jack and Fanny, Jack gets involved with a professor at the school.Throughout the book we wonder at how Hannah died. Not untl the end do we find the full facts about Hannahs death and the missing daughter of the Tanners.A meditation on loss.

When my son was two months old, I was trying hard to calm him before Dr. Fleiss came in to see him. As soon as Dr. Fleiss came in, he said, "I don't like to hear crying babies--put him to your breast!" And so I did. And I have been ever since. We are expecting our second child soon and I will be able to implement the natural methods that Dr. Fleiss suggests in his book from this child's birth.

As an adoptee, I was separated from my own mother at four weeks of age. I was bottlefed, "taught" to sleep, and all the other stuff that went along with being a parent or adopter in the 1960s and 70s. Fortunately, Dr. Fleiss has given some common sense advice in this book that goes along with what nature has done for thousands of years. Although I thought at one time that I must let my baby cry, I realize now how important it is to soothe my child and how wonderful it is to have all of us sleep in the same bed, just like when I was pregnant with my son. Thank you, Dr. Fleiss, for writing an informative book that helps us realize how important it is to treat our children with the respect that they deserve.

Very informative book. As far as I'm concerned, Dr. Fleiss and this book are a godsend. It taught me a lot about my baby's needs. This book is wonderful. It first explains a child's sleep pattern and why some children don't sleep through the night then gives you ways to help your child learn to put himself back to sleep. It worked wonders for us. I am finally getting some sleep after only 1 week of using these techniques. Our son was waking three to four times a night, although, nursing him when he woke in the middle of the night did not work for us. My baby has slept through the night for the first time ever! He can put himself to sleep without my assistance in less than ten minutes, and takes the longest naps he ever has (an hour or more each)! I've told everyone of my friends about this book...I couldn't reccomend it with more enthusiasm. It has changed our lives forever. I have one happy, well-rested baby.

My husband and I are committed Christians and we really appreciated the conservative, family-oriented approach that Dr. Fleiss takes. We also like that the book is packed full of information on sleep at all ages. He even provides helpful information on helping older children and teenagers to sleep! We really recommend this book to any parent who would like more sleep. It's a easy to follow program with a lot of information so you understand why it's so important for your child to sleep through the night.

My husband and I learned so much from this wonderful book. The advice is useful and easy to follow. We also liked the information on helping older children sleep well. We have a 4 year old and a 13 year old. Thanks to this book, I feel better prepared to help my 13 year old get through the teen years. Our 4 year old son has already improved because of the advice in this book. We have followed Dr. Fleiss's advice to limit television, cut out sodas, and encourage more exercise. I am pleased to see that these common sense approaches are fully backed up by impressive scientific references. The proof is in the pudding, though, and our son is already sleeping better. I really recommend this book!

Robert Louis Stevenson was without a doubt one of the greatest historical/adventure novelists that ever lived, and Kidnapped is unquestionably one of his best works. My only regret is that I waited so long to finally read it. It was a new and exciting change from Treasure Island, a book which I love, but have read approximately once every year since the second grade. Finally, longing for a little swashbuckle, and wishing for a way out of my Jim Hawkins rut, I picked up Kidnapped, and was immediately swept off on a thrilling, suspenseful and exhilarating adventure through the Scottish highlands. For days I sat rigid on the edge of my seat, eagerly following the young David Balfour as he was cheated of his inheritance by his wily uncle, kidnapped by pirates, and befriended by a cocky Jacobite outlaw. Breathlessly, I followed him and his companion as they were falsely accused of murder and forced to flee from British troops. Finally, I heaved a sigh of contented disappointment as the story ended, glad at the way things had ended, yet upset that it all had to end and that I would at last have to part from the two heroes of whom I had grown so fond. This is without a doubt a book that I will reread as many times as I have Treasure Island, and I envy the lucky reader who is picking it up for the first time. It is thrilling, exciting, suspenseful, unpredictable, and thoroughly intoxicating. After reading it, my thirst for such dashing adventure was so terrible that I immediately had to run to the library and lay my hands on every adventure novel I could find. I would highly reccommend it to every lover of adventure stories, particularly those with a historical base. I would suggest though that first time readers take a minute to read just a very little bit about the Jacobite rebellions, particularly the one of 1745. It will help greatly to clarify the story, and make it that much more enjoyable. (If indeed, it could get any better than it already is!)

I missed this one as a kid, which is too bad, because I think I would have appreciated it then as well. Set following the failed Scottish rebellion, 'Kidnapped' tells the story of young David Balfour, whose greedy uncle tries to cheat him out of his inheritance by having him kidnapped and sold in the American colonies as a slave. On the way, however, he befriends a Jacobite rebel and is instead caught up in the Scottish troubles and has to fight his way back to his home and claim his inheritance. The adventure is all the more exciting because it feels like such a real world with all the careful place-related detail Stevenson employs. While the language can be difficult in places, that quickly fades once you get into the rhythm of the book.

"I will begin the story of my adventures with . . ." That's how Robert Louis Stevenson begins one of the best novels in his career, Kidnapped. Set in the aftermath of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 in Scotland, Kidnapped is an intriguing story narrated by David Balfour, a young Whig and Lowlander of Scotland, who is tricked by his miserly uncle; survives attempted murder, kidnap and shipwreck; and in the company of Alan Breck, a Jacobite, escapes through the Highlands and returns home to claim his fortune. The book is a wonderful adventure story with a vivid, clear presentation of the ongoing events. Although originally written for entertainment, Kidnapped effectively blends David's adventures with the ongoing historical events of the time. In some ways this story relates to the lives of people in our present time, as people still do anything to try to keep family inheritances to themselves, and friends of different rival ethnic backgrounds try to look beyond their racial differences to maintain good friendships. These racial tensions run deep in the ancient misunderstanding between the two heroes themselves: Whig and Jacobite, Lowland conservative rationalist and romantic liberal Highlander. The book is written with such realism that one would think it to be the true adventures of a person during that period, carefully recorded in a diary before being published as a kind of biography. This just shows the distinct imagination the author uses to capture the roles and personalities of the characters, the themes, and the environment before putting them all together to produce one outstanding novel. Kidnapped is a novel so good that it could be enjoyed by anyone. But it distinctively calls out to those that want the suspense and adventure it has to offer. I recommend it for an intelligent reader in search of a good piece of historical fiction.

If you're new to Frederick Forsyth and looking for a place to start, begin with something other than The Dogs of War. The book starts off well, setting up a creative grand scheme for Sir James Manson to make it big in a newly-discovered platinum site in a newly-independent African state. The historical context of the decolonization of Africa in the 1960s mixed with the experiences of mercenary fighters provides an interesting backdrop, but once the plot is set, the book becomes disappointing. Much of it is devoted to preparations made by Cat Shannon, Manson's hired gun, to stage a coup in the country in question. There is too much unnecessary detail here; so much so that the reader just wants Shannon's men to just get to Africa (finally). It soon becomes uninteresting whether the guns come from Spain or the boots from England, or what Shannon eats in one European capital while setting up hotel reservations in another to complete his plans. The final scene, once delivered, is satisfactory, but it is not enough to make up for the drawn out middle portion or to fulfill the promise of the book's opening chapters.

The Frederick Forsyth book The Dogs of War was a very good book. It keeps the reader interested throughout the whole book. At the beginning of the book, Forsyth use good details to show us the planes that are landing in the night. The author tells the reader a lot about the main characters background before some of them became mercenaries. This book is right for people who like action books. The overthrowing of a government provides us with a good action book.

The Manson Consolidated Mining Company has sent one of its mining scientist to the Crystal Mountains to check if the mountains contain tin. He actually finds that the mountains contain platinum which is very valuable. The only way the mining company can mine the mountains is to have the country's government overthrown. This is the conflict that makes this a good book. It was really enjoyable to read because there are some great combat scenarios in this book. If you are a person who likes combat stories then I would suggest getting this book.

Frederick Forsyth has written some legendary thrillers, in particular The Day of the Jackal. In this novel, the jackal is replaced by dogs, and the lone assassin replaced by a team of mercenaries with the mission of taking over a floundering African republic. The mission is instigated by Sir James Manson, whose driving force is marked by "an unscrupulousness ... a preparedness to ignore so-called moral principles in pursuit of the goal succcess." (p.117) Manson heads the huge mining company Manson Consolidated, and after discovering a mountain with ten billion dollars worth of platinum, in his pursuit for mammon Manson decides to maximize his millions by arranging a coup to take over the African country which holds this buried wealth. Through his personal aide, he employs mercenary leader Cat Shannon to undertake this mission.

Most of the novel revolves around Shannon's preparations for the military coup. Just as The Day of the Jackal was the anatomy of a hit, the Dogs of War is the anatomy of a coup; it deals with a military coup in the same manner that the former book deals with an assassination attempt. The concept is certainly interesting - "knocking off a bank or an armored truck is merely crude - knocking off an entire republic has, I feel, a certain style." (p.120) But unlike The Day of the Jackal, the anatomy of the coup suffers from tediousness at times, and is overly burdened with details of letters and arrangements as Shannon acquires arms, equipment and men. The apparent depth of Forsyth's research is fantastic and certainly adds to the credibility and authenticity and a slow and convincing build-up. But unless you are personally planning to take over an African republic, you will find many of the details rather unnecessary, The story is also marked by instances of remarkable coincidence, such as Shannon's ease in bedding Manson's daughter. Although there are implicit references to unchastity, we are spared any vivid details, and the instances of profanity can be counted on one hand.

In the end, while it's an interesting novel, it doesn't have nearly the same bite as the Day of the Jackal. The ending moves quickly and has a nice twist (although the glorification of suicide is disappointing), but it is too little too late. It's clean and convincing, but the majority of this book is rather too slow moving. The bark of these Dogs of War is worse than their bite, and anyone looking for more bite is better off re-reading the Day of the Jackal. Even Frederick Forsyth can't make dogs bite as well as jackals.