I was pretty excited when I came across Le Fanu's book as I had read somewhere that he was one of the originators of gothic literature. Perhaps I am not used to the pace of Victorian novels, but Le Fanu's book was too draggy for me. I am not even sure it was very suspenseful at all. Too many minor characters also spolit the book for me -- was Captain Oakley only in the novel to show off the naivety of Maud? The mystery of Uncle Silas wasn't very engaging and I was just dying to get to the end of the novel just so I could move on to other things. The ending of the book is also predictable, and Uncle Silas basically lived up to his horrible reputation.

This is a real rip-snorter of a gothic novel. Eighteen-year-old Maude, whose mother is dead, has been raised by her wealthy father, an adherent to a peculiar Scandinavian science religion. There are dark rumors afoot about the character of Maude's father's brother, the mysterious Uncle Silas, into whose guardianship Maude is entrusted at her father's death. Maude is the only thing standing between the money she will inherit from her father (when she comes of age) and Silas' considerable debt. Laudanum addiction, poison, big old houses with uninhabited wings, a creepy cousin (Silas' son), and an evil French governess: if you like gothic novels, this one's got it all.

Joseph Sheridan (J. S.) LeFanu, despite fame in Victorian times, has mostly fallen off the radar of modern readers. His superlative "Uncle Silas" is clear evidence as to why anyone who loves a good yarn will be immediately drawn in by his considerable gifts. This novel has a well-modulated dark atmosphere, clearly drawn and fully human characters and a superb plot.

The titular Silas is the uncle of our heroine Maud Ruthyn, who becomes the ward of her mysterious uncle upon her father's death. Silas has an unsavory reputation, having once been accused of murdering a man to whom he owed a gambling debt, but he has, by the time Maud first meets him, apparently repented and found religion. She goes to his home willingly, quickly befriends his saucy daughter Milly and is, for the most part, happy in her new surroundings. The plot thickens from there, and without giving away important details, the reader should know that LeFanu lets loose with a ripping good story that ends most satisfactorily and with some wonderful twists.

LeFanu is a skilled writer at the apex of his powers and an astute observer of the human condition. Some of the more telling lines exhibiting his gifts include:

" . . . that lady has a certain spirit of opposition within her, and to disclose a small wish of any sort was generally, if it lay in her power, to prevent its accomplishment."

"Already I was sorry to lose him. So soon we begin to make a property of what pleases us."

"People grow to be friends by liking, Madame, and liking comes of itself, not by bargain."

"She had received a note from Papa. He had had the impudence to forgive HER for HIS impertinence."

"In very early youth, we do not appreciate the restraints which act upon malignity, or know how effectually fear protects us where conscience is wanting."

"One of the terrible dislocations of our habits of mind respecting the dead is that our earthly future is robbed of them, and we thrown exclusively upon retrospect."

" 'The world,' he resumed after a short pause, 'has no faith in any man's conversion; it never forgets what he was, it never believes him anything better, it is an inexorable and stupid judge.' "

" . . . I had felt, in the whirl and horror of my mind, on the very point of submitting, just as nervous people are said to throw themselves over precipices through sheer dread of falling."

Admirers of Wilkie Collins, Thomas Hardy and, to a lesser degree, of Charles Dickens will find much to please them in the classic "Uncle Silas."

Sheridan (1751-1816) is best known for a few plays, superficially comedies of manners and morals, mainly The Rivals and The School for Scandal. O'Toole's work explores beneath the surface of these and other literary works, showing them as the products of Sheridan's personal and political life.

Widely praised in the English and American press, this biography portrays Sheridan as a passionate (and compassionate) politician. He was a major player in a struggle for various complicated and sometimes seemingly contradictory causes and parliamentary power in the era of the American Revolution, King George III's intermittent madness, the French Revolution, and troubles in the British empire.

Sheridan is shown to be a humanitarian, and, less convincingly, an Irish patriot in the guise of an English politician who happened to be Irish by birth at a time when Ireland was at times openly rebellious toward England. The family heritage in Ireland was actually Protestant, but tolerant of Catholicism to the point of having Jacobite tendencies, i.e. favoring the return of the Stuart monarchy that had ended with James II in the so-called Glorious Revolution of 1688. Sheridan's father, Thomas, was a man of the theatre, and also a scholar, concerned particularly with propriety in matters of language and spoken discourse. Richard was not his father's favorite and his mother, herself a writer, died while Richard was still a young boy.

O'Toole's biography manages to relate the playwright's works to his family circumstances without indulging in psychological speculation. For example, the memorable character Mrs. Malaprop, in The Rivals, (immortalized by our word "malaprop" or "malapropism") is shown to be in part based on Thomas, who had pedantic tendencies. (Malaprops are best when they come from pretenders to perfection in language. An especially good one appeared a few years ago in The Smithsonian magazine when James J. Kilpatrick, a conservative political commentator and sometimes word policeman, referred to a mistake in diction as a "solipsism" instead of a "solecism".)

The many portrayals of hypocrisy and venality in Sheridan's plays are well explained by reference to the politics and society of the period, but are timeless in their effectiveness. The book is most interesting in describing the realities of theatrical performances, whether the particulars are staging details, audience characteristics, or financial exigencies. But this is a political biography of a character whose political accomplishments and enlightened ideals outshine his well known literary works.

Many of Sheridan's Irish contacts and English partisans in the intrigues within England in the years after 1789 were openly sympathetic to, or even allied with the French revolutionaries. Yet Sheridan was during this time a prominent member of the House of Commons and close to the Prince of Wales, later George IV. Some of his personal and political friends were tried as traitors during the peak of Sheridan's political prominence; he survived primarily because of his political acumen, eloquence, and insight.

To the general reader, not well acquainted with the intricacies of English history, the work will nevertheless be interesting and convincing in portraying Sheridan as a politically adroit and ingenious man, even an Enlightenment figure. Sheridan's speeches and writings were well known to the American revolutionaries, and remained popular even after his death. He eloquently advocated religious toleration, freedom from colonial oppression, even feminism, and opposed slavery so effectively as to influence the young Frederick Douglass.

Sheridan's personal flaws (he was a drunk and an adulterer), theatre life in London, political intrigues, the struggle for religious and political freedom in Ireland, and the impeachment trial of Warren Hastings for mismanagement of affairs in British colonial India, all well explained, make this book accessible and interesting. I offer three points of criticism.

First, and most importantly, characters, terms, or events not known to the general reader or history reader, should be explained briefly. The English reader may know what a "rotten" borough was, and what a "pocket" borough was, in the days before parliamentary reform, but a sentence or two would explain this and give the reader a better understanding of the electoral politics involved.

Second, an attempt at a definitive biography, published by a prestigious house such as Farar, should include illustrations. It is frustrating to read descriptions of presumably extant political cartoons of the day, some involving Sheridan's Drury Lane theatre, or major political figures, and not be able to see reproductions-surely the private collection or library would give permission. (In fact, the New York Review of Books included one cartoon in its review of this book.)

Finally, O'Toole's prose is afflicted with some of the unfortunate mannerisms of academic style. He repeatedly uses the awkward, almost always disruptive "former...latter" construction, and equally often uses the term "context" when referring to real relationships or circumstances-the term should be reserved for relationships between words. These usages may be epidemic in doctoral dissertations or in the "scholarly" journals no one reads, but that does not excuse their appearance in a work like this-the author is the drama critic of the New York Daily News. In the age of word processing, surely an editor at Farar should have caught these irritating errors of style, possibly in preparation of the American edition. Then again, a careful editor might have noticed that at the end of the "Preface to the American Edition" the date is incorrectly listed as May 1988.

If this clever and talented author had made his entertaining book more accessible, he would be open to the charge of "popularizing", anathema in academic and some literary circles. But it is a measure of his success in eliciting the nature of Sheridan that one wishes he had done so. After all, the political and religious difficulties in Ireland persist, and one could as well look beyond the Emerald Isle and argue that we too live in an age of comparably flawed, but ultimately noble political actors and causes, in need of better understanding of their human qualities.

It's enough to say that a major artist has met with a superb biographer and this happy marriage has produced a very moving and absorbing account of this great man's life. Thank you Mr O' Toole!

I was familiar with Sheridan from his theatrical comedies, plays that have become standard in the repertoire. I was dimly aware of his service in Parliament. I wasn't aware of his extensive involvement in the great political questions of the day, particularly the Irish questions, nor of his centrality in the great debates of the late 18th century--the American war for independence, the expanding power of the East India Company, and many others.

The book covers all of this, but what elevates this bio from the typical is the author's focus on Sheridan's rhetoric--his use of language. The richness of wordplay, situation, and satire in his plays turns out to be just a special case of a characteristic lifestyle of thought and interaction. It's just splendid to read this sort of thing from an intelligent writer. The book gets you thinking, and there are points at which you may challenge the author's conclusions, but you're not going to find many biographies of this depth, thoroughness, and thoughtfulness. A great read!

Unfortunately, I read Le Fanu's Uncle Silas before picking up The Wyvern Mystery. Although I enjoyed The Wyvern Mystery, I felt it was not as well written and plotted as Uncle Silas. At one point, you seem to reach the climax as 'the old soldier' becomes very nasty indeed; but then she all but disappears from the book. The ending was predictable - you could see it coming from a mile off. Overall, the book was entertaining, but I would recommend Uncle Silas over this story any day.

J. Sheridan LeFanu is not as difficult to get into as other Gothic fiction authors are. I would definitely recommend the 'Wyvern Mystery' to anyone looking at beginning to read Gothic fiction. I would recommend to anyone, however, as a very well-rounded book. The storyline takes many exciting twists and turns, though LeFanu's slow and detailed style may find little friendliness from modern readers. Those who appreciate detail will find his intricate portraits both refreshing and beautiful. Many times I found myself smiling at the believable and realistic depictions of emotion or character traits. LeFanu definitely shows that he is not an amatuer and demands attention from modern readers. He is widely unread, but his great talents at storytelling deserve attention. The 'mystery' of the Wyvern Mystery centers around a young couple's troubles due to elopement, financial problems, and the hero's dark past that comes back to haunt them both. All this and a happy ending. I implore you to resurrect this wonderful old mystery.

LeFanu's "Wyvern Mystery" is a classic example of a Gothic mystery. During the 1860's, Gothic mysteries and horror novels were popular. Although LeFanu is not as "up there " as such notable Gothic novelists as Bram Stroker or Mary Shelley, LeFanu creates a chilling and suspenseful thriller. The tale has the typical features one finds in Gothic novels- a beautiful heroine who is in danger, a mysterious family secret, a haunted mansion, prophetic dreams, appropriate dark atmosphere and as added bonus LeFanu created a "sub-human " character who has been damaged in her past and has now become a monster out for revenge. At time reminiscent of Jane Eyre, Wyvern mystery is a must have for mystery fans of the genre. PBS broadcasted a screen adaptation on their Mystery Series. Also I recommend all other LeFanu novels and also the Gothic mystery "Lady Audley's Secret ". Enjoy.

The Notebook (by far the best of the 3 books) describes the lives of a nameless twins that grow up in a Hungarian border village during the second world war. The are raised by their grandmother, or maybe it is better to say that they grow up despite the presence of their grandmother. The children find ways to survive the war: on the one hand they can be extremely friendly and caring, for example for the girl next door, on the other hand they are 2 extremely awful boys who steal, deceive, betray and even murder whenever they think this is necessary. A beautiful, oppressive book about what war does to children, but also about the capacity of children to survive under extreme conditions.

The Proof describes the life of Lucas, who remains in the Hungarian village after the war. He tries to get a decent life, but every time he seems to have some luck something awful happens which brings him back to square one. At the end of the book a German appears in the village who may or may not be his brother Claus.

The Third Lie consists of 3 parts: one in which Claus describes the search for his brother after his return to the capital. Finally he finds an old, misanthropist poet whose name is also Klaus and who denies to be his brother. In the second part this Klaus describes why he does not want to recognize his brother.

It is fairly difficult to write one review of 3 books, even when these books are a logical sequel of each other. In every new book the perspective changes and the reader is left in doubt. Did this twin brother really exist? Who is Lucas and who is Claus? In the end the common denominator of the three books is the notion that real friendship does not exist, that nobody can be trusted and that every story can be told in different ways, depending on the perspective.

If taken one by one the three parts of this trilogy are good--well written, precise in a terryfying way, emotionally shocking (surely not something to read when in a depressive mood); but if you buy this and read it as one big novel in three parts it's simpy amazing. I can't tell you why, that's part of the fun. The only thing I can say: things aren't exactly what they seem. Outstanding literary achievement by this expatriate Hungarian writer, one of the most facinating literary voices in Central Europe with Thomas Bernhard. A must-read if there ever was one!

I am usually not a big fan of novels. I read them occasionally, in between non-fictions that I prefer, and most of the time end up disappointed. This triology is one of really few novels I was really impressed and loved (another such book was Flowers for Algernon, although quite differen t).The three stories are so finely constructed and intertwined, and make up such a world ... you got to read it.

This is a cute little book that would probably be fun for someone who had recently moved to New York City and was trying to find their way to fun things to do and see. We didn't find it very useful for our very brief visit to the city. The references to fun places to have "girl stuff" done were intriguing, and, as I said, would probably be fun for someone who lived in the city. Overall, for planning a quick visit -- or a first-time visit -- I don't think people would find this book very helpful.

This book will become your new best friend. You will absolutely refuse to take a trip to NYC without it. It has everything you need to know to feel like a native of the city.

Without a doubt - my favorite New York Travelers book that goes so far beyond the usual "tourist" finds. This book is for the unknown and "local" treasures. "Savvy in the City: New York City" a - See Jane Go Guide to City Living by Sheridan Becker and Jayne Young is a wonderful little gem that breaks down those hard to find places by neighborhood and category. Each of those contains :

Eats ... (from the best and greatest - to those small little gems)
Treats ... (from massages to tattoo's)
Traumas... (for when you break your Prada heals)
Treasures ... (those really whims)
Twilight... (all the great clubs)
Tripping ... (for those with adventure on their mind)

You'll find great little sections such as best cheap manicures and diviest pubs. It's all those must haves for young woman in the BIG CITY. Great resource and really user friendly. Loved the whole feel and illustration.

Cheers!

I first became acquainted with Carmilla from the Hammer Studios Karstein Trilogy of The Vampire Lovers, Lust for a Vampire, and Twins of Evil. The Vampire Lovers is the only one that draws from this book. The book starts getting into the movie from about the fifth chapter. I recognised dialog and descriptions in the plots of both. It's quite a liberal adaption, but the essence of the story remains intact. For example, the dialog isn't verbatim. The single line from The Vampire Lovers of "You must die, everybody must die" is about a paragraph's length of dialog in the book. It's a fantastic tale. Most of the lesbian is implied, and I caught gratuitous nudity added to the movie, which does add to the movie's appeal. I love the short length of about 150 pages. It never drags, and the chapters are no more than 10 pages each, making for easy reading. I put Carmilla above Bram Stoker's Dracula. Carmilla is a must-have for people with more than a passing interest of the vampire myth. I highly recommend this book. It's excellent.

Carmilla is incredibly short by modern standards. A victorian novel that **predates** anything Braum Sotker did - this classic was heavilly plagarized by Stoker (much to his credit for having excellent taste). This is a must read in its original form. If you do enjoy this novella you will probably also highly enjoy "La Horla", which is probably the second best vampire story ever penned.

Every Halloween I like to re-read the first 4 chapters of "Dracula." Those 4 chapters create the greatest vampire story ever written. However after the first 4 chapters Bram Stoker's epistilary style bogs down, becomes tiring and very out of date. Thirty years ago I discovered LeFanu's novelette, "Carmilla" and found the best vampire story that can be read.
Carmilla was written over 130 years ago but still bears the marks of a stylish and well crafted story. LeFanu, an Irish writer, created a cursed family whose vamire descendant preys on two modern (for the 19th century) families. The story is rich in atmosphere and is filled with the vampire trappings that Bram Stoker later wove into Dracula. But the best feature of Carmilla is similar to the best feature of Dracula---they both create really evil vampire figures. But there is a complexity to Carmilla that has been argued by readers for 130 years. Is there a lesbian touch to Carmilla or is it a straight (no pun) forward vampire story? LeFanu teases the reader with a story that must have thrilled the Victorian world that first read Carmilla.
I must say that if I were going out to buy Carmilla I would turn to the Dover publication of, "The Best Ghost Stories of J. S. LeFanu." The Dover edition has several other ghost stories by LeFanu and Carmilla has some of the original illustrations that appeared in British periodicals.
If your taste is for vampire stories Carmilla, like the first 4 chapters of Dracula, is a great horror reading. Both show us powerful vampire villians. Both build to wonderful horror climaxes. Both show us that you have to be Irish to create a great vampire story. Halloween is always coming.

It's a good book to have especially if you are an e-project manager. However, Cisco has discontinued the exams and as such don't waste your money buying this book for exam intentions. BUY the book if you would like to have a clear knowledge on e-architecture. Worth the money for knowledge.

When I first started reading this book I thought I was only concerned with how e-business runs, but after delving further into the book and looking at the examples and diagrams I found out that this book is more than just how e-commerce works it also what makes e-commerce work.

While only about 225 pages in length, don't be fooled by that, this book packs a great deal of information within its pages. From the design and what hardware to choose to making sure you have no downtime to consideration outside the network world, this book seems to cover every angle and approach.

The authors make sure you understand the need for security, how QoS affects the website and why network management is so very important. Put it all together and you have the foundation you need to not only run an e-business but manage it as well.

Overall, I am not sure if this book was written for any one exam certification but it should help with several. Also there is several review questions at the end of each chapter.

This is certianly an ivestment well worth the price.

I found this book to be very fast paced with many unexpected twists and turns in its plot. I was very pleased with its character development and was astonished when I read how it ends. His writing style reminds me of Sidney Sheldon, of whom I am a big fan. For his first book, Michael Sheridan has hit a home run in my opinion and I look forward to reading his next. I would recommend this book to anyone who is in to murder mysteries, this book will not disappoint.

This is a great novel! Lovers of mystery and intrigue will not regret picking this one up. The novel manages to sustain a brisk and logical pace that will definitely hold your interest as you journey through the seedy side of greed, love and murder.
One Last Sin is definitely the author's best work to date. If you are not familiar with Michael Sheridan's work I would say that his writing style is similar in tone to Robert Ludlum's The Matareese Circle.
Overall this is well worth a look.

The other reviewers have said what I am going to say: There just is not enough about Gene Kelly's life in this book. It's a little TOO "celebratory". Any conflicts that arise between him and others at the time are glossed over as Kelly doing no wrong. Some of his failures are presented as if they did not create a problem for the star, yet anyone who has lived on this planet (so then everyone) KNOWS that Kelly's failures and difficulties were probably not as ho-hum as the authors would like us to believe. In their attempt to be respectful of the venerable star, they take us sometimes for fools who have not experienced life. I'm only two-thirds of the way through the book, but it does not seem to me they are going to mention the fact that Kelly kept Michael Kidd from becoming more than he could have been, speculated by some to be the result of jealousy and insecurity about the competition Kidd offered. Also, several of Kelly's famous dance numbers are referred to as "the most remembered", "his biggest", "his most famous", "his daringest", etc. Well, they can't ALL be that. This indulgence in hyperbole is reminiscent of a "That's Entertainment" film. The photographs are wonderful, but the book's layout creates an awkardly cumbersome book that is too heavy for what it contains, and just doesn't "fit" well on your lap when reading in bed, nor does it carry around well when moving from room to room in your house on a lazy Saturday when trying to enjoy your book. I know that seems petty, but reading is an entire experience with a definite ritual. The shape of this book interferes with that coffee-and-pajamas-on-the-couch ritual. It's just too heavy and could have been easily condensed into something smaller and more manageable. Nitpicking aside, read this if you are a Kelly fan. It's a delightful journey back in time.

I really thought this book was great! If you are a Gene Kelly fan this book is for you. It has little tid bits about Gene that a fan would want to know. Gene Kelly- A Celebration mostly talks about the movies Gene made and his contributions to the movies. Great pictures also. I highly recommend buying this book.

This book is a must for all Gene Kelly fans. It has wonderful pictures of him, and allows you insight into his life. This book describes the making of each movie that he made. Buy this book, and I'm sure you won't regret it.

Courtesy of Love Romances

Stefan is a young page, in service to Prince Roland Frederickson, who was crippled many years ago in an accident. For as long as he can remember, Stefan has been with Roland, and he would do absolutely anything for his friend and master. He is a peaceful boy, who has no memory of how he came to be at Woodbridge in service to the King. His favorite thing to do, when not serving, is to play his beloved lute. He has a magic touch, and a magical voice as well.

Roland longs for adventure and hopes to see something of his kingdom before taking over the crown when his father no longer can. When he overhears a discussion about shipment of furs to be sent down river and traded, he begs his father to allow him to accommodate the captain and the traders. So, off he goes, with the ever-faithful Stefan by his side, to spread his wings and see the world.

Only a few days into the journey, the raft carrying the furs, and crew, is attacked, nearly everyone killed. The only survivors are Roland, Stefan, and a trader, Collyn, and that is only by sheer luck, for they are believed dead as well. This is where the real journey begins. The three unlikely allies must venture through the forbidden Starlit Wood, only remaining stronghold of the elven race. When they are captured, the secrets are revealed. Stefan is really Steavil Andundalae, the prince to the throne of the elves! He was believed to be killed 15 years ago, by a rogue sorcerer, determined to rule the human AND elven worlds.

Now Roland and Stefan must take different roads, each to fulfill their own separate destinies. And one of their dreams is to try to make allies, rather then enemies, of the elven and human worlds. Along the way, they each must fight their personal demons, and they come to find they have a common enemy as well, and that there is far more binding them to each other then they previously thought. Will Steavil and Roland fulfill their duties? Will they be able to unite their worlds against the prejudice long ingrained in humans and elves alike? Who is this common enemy they fight and what are his reasons for wanting to destroy them both? And who... or what... is the mysterious Ravenwing that always seems to appear when danger is imminent? There is only one way to find out... read.

Wow!! This book was incredible! It is full of action and adventure - a coming of age tale of two young men whose lives are permanently intertwined in ways they don't fully understand. It is also an age-old tale of good vs. evil, with a spin on it, which makes one wonder "What if?" From the very first page, one knows they are in for a treat. Ms. Sheridan grabs the reader, tugging at the heartstrings, and never letting go until they very last page is turned. There are so many intriguing plots and subplots going at once, that one has to pay close attention so as not to miss something vital to the story.

The heroes are unique, and unexpected, each having their own personal demons to fight... Steavil with his crippled leg he is convinced will always hinder those he loves, Collyn with his guilt over past occurrences he had no control over, who is determined not to let down those who mean the most to him ever again, and Roland with his fear and often uncontrollable rages, who is terrified of letting his father down and failing in his duties as prince and future king to his land. Then there are the secondaries, all of which are fascinating in their own right and all very individual, often with hidden agendas tied into their responsibilities to others.

Though this book is not a romance, by a long shot, there are a few undercurrents of romance to be found, which end up being key to the plot. Roland and Steavil each find love along the way in their respective quests, both in the unlikeliest of places. Full of ideals and morals, they each grow, through their love for their families, which are not always bound by blood, but by the heart.

Go out and buy a copy of this book today, and be sure to check out the accompanying short story, Everything to Gain, found at the publisher's website.