FO Books

I have read the book and am now in the process of listening to the book on CD's. Wow - I can relate to most everything Eckhart speaks to, but I am struggling with the "how" - how to put it into practice. I am going to be joining an "Eckhart Tolle" discussion group this week and hope to gain more insight by sharing in other's experiences during or after reading the book. Bottom Line...it just makes sense. I think anyone who picks up the book will have some ah-hah moments, but it does require some concentration and possibly reading certain parts over again to gain a better comprehension of what Eckhart is saying...worth your time - worth all of our time!

What an awful waste of time! I feel like I have been swindled by the author. This is not new and it is not informative. I think what most people need to do to "awaken" is to simply take responsibility for their own lives. We don't need a watered down bible to tell us that. In fact, we don't need anything from the bible for a better life or to give us this breakthrough.

Please do yourself a favor and remove this item from your consideration and go for a long walk. It is much healthier and more eye opening. And, if you have purchased this book do what I did after reading it and recycle it rather than passing it on to someone else.

Tolle has done an amazing job with this book. The insight and wisdom is unmatched. He teaches us about consciousness which is the key to living in joy! This book is a great complement to Pearls of Wellness Pearls of Wellness 52 Inspirations to Achieve a Peaceful Body, Mind, and Spirit.

He has some powerful ideas. The book "A New Earth; Awakening To Your Life's Purpose" helps one achieve the joy of living in the moment. The thinking part of your brain is just another process of your body like breathing according to Tolle. This book tries to teach you not to worry about the future or the past. There are lots of spiritual awakening moments you will enjoy.
If you are truly interested in a book on Spiritual awakening that you can really relate to, I recommend a great book entitled "The Enlightenment, What God Told Me After One Million Prayers: A Message for Everyone" by John H. Eagan. The content is just amazing

this review is written for Christians who think Oprah is the last word..
YOu need to be very careful Where you place your FAITH >
if it's in man/ woman.. then you are being made a joke !
Sorry folks .. but you can't be a Christ follower aka Christian and believe anything written in this book. You may try and argue the point. but you know in your heart of hearts I am speaking the truth.

When we judge if it's truth or deceit we need to compare it to the only truth , God's word the Holy Bible. PLEASE , please do not be deceived !
If you pay attention to Oprah's own words.. she admits to not following God.. So if she is telling the truth, you shouldn't use her as a guide.
She says there are many ways to God.. (Christ is the ONLY way )
She referrs to the "universe ' What's up with that ?? LOL it's laughable.
you know it is..
Sadly if more Americans / Christians read the Holy Bible with as much interest as they read the quick fix books of lies .. just imagine how "truth"fully 'enlightened' they would be :_)

PUT DOwn the trash and read the Truth !!

The story starts off with Wang Lung as a humble, honest, and in this case, a humiliated farmer when he goes into a the House of Hwang to look for a wife. His wife, O Lan is not only faithful, hardworking although her life is plagued with misfortunes due to her plain looks. Through poverty, begging, droughts...through thick and thin...O Lan remains by her husband and has never complained, compliant with all his demands. However, when their fortunes turn out for the better and Wang Lung becomes a rich man, he changes and loses the love of his life- THE LAND for all he ever wanted was to work on this land of his...feel the soil beneath his feet, feel the callous on his hands, bask in the sunshine as his father and his grandfather had...however, all is lost with his increasing pride as a rich man. Is this new wealth that Wang Lung has obtained a curse or a blessing?

What strikes this book as compelling to me is the selfless character of O Lan who gives all and yet in the end what was it worth?...one cannot help but to sympathize with this woman who has endured so much hardships even smothering her daughter so that the family can survive, but due to her plain looks has not received much in return. Some of her words (when she does speak) are the most heartbreaking speeches in the book for it gives us an insight into her pain, struggles, and her thoughts. One of the most memorable quotes was when Wang Lung daughter says, "and my mother said I was not to weep aloud because you are too kind and weak for pain and you might say to leave me as I am, and then my husband would not love me even as you do not love her."

This book was my first FAVORITE book as a young adult. It taught me perspective.

As I read this book, I lived the life of a person in China. The family was rich and poor, and they celebrated with their favorite foods (which I had never heard of ) and spent time hungry.
Their perspective was so different from my own. I learned and grew as a person as I enjoyed reading it.
It is a true classic.

It is one of those books you love to re-read every few years throughout your life.

Since my early teens, I've been drawn by this book. A quick read of the first page drew me into the deceptively simple style of Pearl S. Buck and her protagonist. Why did I wait so long to actually pick it up again?

A few weeks ago, I bought up an old paperback copy for a plane trip and started reading before the pilot had said to buckle our seats. I was already buckled in, though, enraptured by the profound and moving story of Wang Lung, his wife O-lan, and the ups and downs that life takes them through. With sparse prose, the novel moves from poverty and gratitude to starvation and greed to riches and apathy. I loved the slow-budding relationship between Wang Lung and his wife, then ground my teeth in frustration at choices later made. O-lan will long stand in my mind as one of the most deftly drawn characters in modern fiction.

And yes, this is modern fiction. Despite the setting in the early 1900s of China, this touches on so many aspects of humanity that ring true to this day. In the wrong hands it could've become a soap opera, but in Buck's hands, it becomes a sweeping saga of one man and his famiy--and the good earth that sustains them despite their own fickle natures. This is a classic in every since of the word.

I read this book years ago and it has stayed with me ever since.
Originally published in 1931, it won the Pulitzer prize the following year.

The setting is in China, right before the revolution. Wang Lung is a poor farmer in a village and the book starts with his wedding to plain O-lan. They have four children together, three boys and one girl. He is a very hard working farmer and bit by bit, thanks also to O-lan's skills, he builds a fortune by buying land from the House of Hwangs's family, landowners in a nearest village whose wealth declines dramatically due to their relentless spending.

We are dipped into Chinese culture, taken from the seemingly bottomless poverty of the early days throughout the rise to wealth, only to be propelled downwards again due to a terrible draught and subsequent famine, when everything seems lost and the family has to move to the city, starting all over again.

We are reading spectators of the rise and fall and twists & turns of Wang Lung's family. Many touching episodes have moved me throughout the book, especially the ones connected with hard-working, silent, subservient O-lan and later on, the ones related to their mentally retarded baby girl.

The story is absorbing and mesmerizing, exquisitely written. Page after page, truly unforgettable. A must-read classic.

This is Pearl S. Buck's stunning Pulitzer prize winning novel, 'The Good Earth'; it was written in 1931.

The book itself is easy to read, written in plain language using simple words to describe people, places and things. No dictionary or thesaurus needed here.

This is not only the story of Wang Lung and his wife O-lan (by arranged marriage), but also in a sense, a historical novel that gives the reader a glimpse of early 20th century, rural China. The tale follows Wang Lung life that starts from the humblest of beginnings; to later, when the winds of revolution started to bring a subtle but steady changes to his way of life as he knew it, with some unexpected effects.

While reading this book, I could not help but feel that this story could be transposed to any poor rural area almost anywhere in the world; its theme has a universal chord to it.

Conclusion:
A beautiful story of a changing China and its people.
Highly recommended.
5 Stars

R.Nicholson

When I started reading Oliver Twist, it was an assignment for school and nothing more. However, I was soon intrigued by little Oliver, a quiet, naturally pleasant little boy, and who is apparently a magnet for bad company and lives in a workhouse. I wondered how he could remain so sweet and childish through all he'd been through.

Dickens kept me turning the pages with cliffhangers and anticipation. It's witty and it has hilarious moments concerning the band of thieves. Master Charley Bates' laughter is infectious even from the pages of the book, The Artful Dodger's proposed `genteelman behavior' is amusing, and Fagin's witty remarks always manage to entice a chuckle from me and my dad as we read it together.

The only thing that irritated me was that Dickens leaned a little too far to the left and the right , and didn't have any middle ground. Oliver Twist is a perfect boy. He does nothing wrong. Ever. Not once. I don't think it portrays people with a sense of morality well enough, because even those people are not perfect(coughRosecough). However, the way the little robber gang is written represents the underside of human nature very well.

Dickens' sense of description was astounding. It really made everything come to life, from the dirty, disgusting streets of London to the beautiful country lane. It gave me a vivid and detailed picture in my head.

All in all, Oliver Twist is an excellent book.The story was very well put together, and he leaves no loose ends to be tied up. There are dull moments in the book, but Dickens brings us back with a sudden twist at the end of a chapter that will leave us at the edge of our seats, begging "Please sir, more?"

Charles Dicken's classic tale of Oliver Twist and the people he comes across is a definite must-read. The poor orphan is one of the most memorable protagonists in English literature. The supporting cast is something worth mentioning, also. The distinctive portrayals of Master Bates, the artful Dodger, Fagin (who is sadly a Jewish caricature), and Bill Sykes make this novel a page-turner.

Much of the satire in this story involves the 19th-century English social class, political upheaval, and daily life in the slums of London. And they work so well here.

A-

Originally published in a serialized format, OLIVER TWIST represents some of Charles Dickens very first writings. It is easy to imagine his first readers eagerly (and impatiently) awaiting the next installment of little Oliver's saga. Evocative of so much compassion, this powerful tale has reached the hearts of readers for over 150 years, and is every bit as powerful now as it was originally. Both its message of personal triumph despite overwhelming odds, and its broader admonishment for us all to look more closely at the plight of the destitute and homeless, speak powerfully to every reader.

This book gives you a very disturbing glimpse into life in England during the early 1800s (or at least Dickens' view of that life). Dark, cold, dangerous, and filthy are some adjectives that are nearly always at the fore when reading OLIVER TWIST, as Dickens employs his unparalleled talent for bringing his settings to life with words. The worst in human attributes are also on prominent display in this work, with Bumble, Fagin, and Sikes being the epitome cowardliness, cruelty, and brutality, respectively. Rather uncomfortably, this book also highlights the all-too-common failures of society in general. While we may have come a long way since the time of Dickens, there remains much that we would rather not have to face about our own culture. Abuse and neglect of innocent children has not altogether faded away, but maintains its evil hold on parts of society.

Not to make you think that this book is all about the negatives of humanity. It is also a tale of triumph over evil, goodness coming from love and compassion, and innocence being preserved. Oliver's friends in the second half of the book represent all the best things about humankind and turn this tale into an essentially happy one. That being said, I actually liked the first half of the book (prior to the failed house-breaking attempt) better than the second, primarily because from that point on, while events occur at an increased rate, they are essentially taken out of Oliver's hands.

This is a great book, highly enjoyable, humorous, and evocative of powerful emotion. The famous wit of Charles Dickens is in full display here, with puns (Master Bates), sarcasm, and all manner of plays on words and phrasings, being found throughout. It is also a good example of Dickens' penchant for overly verbose writing. Sentences that simply HAVE to be run-ons are found in nearly every paragraph, to the point where you forget the subject of interest as you get lost in flowing descriptive writing (was that a run-on?). For that reason only, I'd suggest this book for more experienced readers looking to sit down and enjoy one of my favorite classics.

When I had to read this book in my adolescent years, it was literary torture. Today, reading with 25 more years of life behind me and greater appreciation for literary art, it's a great story. I never would have picked this story back up had it not been for the review/referral from a friend. In retrospect, I'm not really certain this story is best read, comprehended and appreciated by an adolescent. The story, and the seedy sides of life exposed, might be better processed by an adult.

In addition to the story woven by Dickens, I think what I appreciated most about this writing was how Dickens used the novel as a commentary on life in England at the time of the writing, e.g., society's treatment of the paupers and impoverished, the caste system that existed and condemned a pauper child to destitution at birth, and the judicial system with its corruption and brutality, to name a few. Even as a mature adult reader I winced at how Oliver and the young paupers were brutally treated by "the system" in the first half of the book.

I loved how in the end all the characters, excepting Nancy, received their just rewards and ends in accordance with how they had lived life. The only mild criticism I have was the almost too remarkable coincidence of the relationships of Oliver, Brownlow, Rose and Monks, and how life had brought them together prior even to the discovery of the existence of their relationships and ties from the prior generation. Nevertheless, it's a feel-good ending and the story kept me turning the pages with anticipation.

What is it about Oliver Twist that keeps people coming back to it so often and for so long? Oliver Twist is actually one of my favourite all-time reads. I try to read it once every few years, and every time I decide to re-read it, I go in search of a copy that I don't already own because it's fascinating the different publishers, typefaces, bindings etc, that this book has gone through. Maybe I'm like Mel Gibson from Conspiracy Theory, collecting all those The Catcher in the Rye copies, but at least I'm reading them. Mel was just trying to save the human race ... or something like that. Poor fool.

A few years ago, I thought that I had run my course with the young Rascal and had actually come away feeling pretty badly about the development of the ending of the story, which, in my honest opinion, is not as strong as the beginning or the arc of Mr. Brownlow. But Dickens was writing in a time when books were not as prevalent and Twist, as we all may know, was a Newspaper column that had developed into a bound and published work due to its popularity. Standards have changed and agents and publishers are more discriminating. But in no way should anyone let that stop them from the experience of reading Oliver Twist as it really is a masterpiece before its time.

Recently though, watching MSNBC (a new hangout for me, I admit), I saw a documentary regarding the global sex trade of young woman forced into boarding, shipped around, mistreated, taken advantage of, stolen, uprooted, you name it ... and my mind wandered to a comparison of Young Oliver and the Ageing and scheming Fagin. In the lives of the girls they covered, there always seemed to be the `Artful Dodger' character who would start off as the mentor, but meet a bad end eventually, and the `Fagin', who controlled the roost and kept the girls feeling dejected and trapped, thus benefiting monetarily from their toils and of course the 'Sykes', who was the one who met head-first with the law. I felt incredibly bad for those girls and disgusted about the habits of some of my fellow "men".

It really is a shame that in 150 years, this year, Dickens moralist tale of child abuse is still just as prevalent, just as relevant and unfortunately just as insidious and heart-breaking as it was on the cold night that he penned the first article.

I really loved Helter Skelter, Vincent Bugliosi is a super intelligent and talented former DA. I was slightly dissapointed in this book because it was a little too verbose for my taste. A lot of legal chargin. But its great if your an attorney and you want to learn how to be a good trial lawyer, learn from the master. Still an interesting read.

Bugliosi leaves no doubt about the OJ murder trial and what went wrong from the beginning to the verdict. A must read for skeptics as he leaves no stone unturned.

Vincent Bugliosi does a terrific job explaining how and why O.J. Simpson was found not guilty. From the prosecution's inability to present the evidence to convict Simpson, to the defense's misleading the jury. Some main points that point to Simpson's guilt: 1) His blood and DNA found at the scene of the crime.2)His suicide note.3)Having alot of cash,a disquise and passport on his person after the chase.4)History of violence towards his wife.5)His statement to police.6)Having the same type shoes and gloves that was found at the crime scene.7) Just happens to a have a cut on his hand at the same time as the murders and not remembering how it happened.8)Claimed he was chipping golf balls around the time of the murders..yea right.9)Was not upset when told of his wife's murder. All just a coincidence?? No, just the facts that lead to one outcome...GUILTY!!!

Bugliosi is in high dudgeon here, but not without considerable justification. A book urged on him by his Norton editor, the tone is that of a conversation between author and reader, with copious asides and personal reflections. Bugliosi is outraged by the incompetence of the prosecution, the mendacity of the defense, the palpable guilt of the defendant, the many flagrant mistakes of the judge and the flawed and fawning reportage of the media. He is angry and he displays his anger with a rush of charges, examples, and--in bold type--examples of how he himself would have argued the case.

The book is not an unrelieved phillipic and Bugliosi takes the time to weigh, e.g., the degree of guilt that should be assigned and the degree of victimhood which should be appreciated in the case of a subsidiary figure such as Mark Fuhrman. Ultimately this is a book about our system of justice, which Bugliosi admires, but also the pathetic level of minimal competence (or maximum incompetence) with which those who are part of that system turn and grind its wheels.

Though not a point-by-point history of the Simpson case and trial, the book reviews the individuals and the evidence which were at its core. If you have ever been nonplussed by our system of justice, read this book for confirmation of your own feelings. If you want a pointed and reasonably comprehensive review of the case and trial, read this book. Expect some fresh insight, but do not expect a vast amount of new evidence. And yes, O.J. did it. The evidence is indisputable.

Even if you're among the many who, like the author, is convinced that O.J. "did it", this is not the book to read. Bugliosi comes across as so obviously biased against Simpson, his book, if anything, adds fuel to the fire for arguments by those who are convinced of Simpson's innocence. Bugliosi's arguments are contradictory, hypocritical and contemptuous of our legal traditions. For instance, after paying rich lip service to the legal principle that the burden of proof in a criminal case is entirely on the prosecution, he states openly that Simpson should have been convicted because he didn't have a convincing alibi. Also, after stating that ethical rules prohibit attorneys from "playing the race card" and criticizing O.J.'s defense team for doing so, he openly criticizes the prosecution for not trying to keep the trial in Santa Monica where Bugliosi asserts they would have been assured of a virtually all-white jury that would certainly have convicted Simpson. This book adds nothing of value to the long record of what is probably the world's most publicized case. Plenty of books have been written about this case. You'll get a lot more from them than you will from Outrage.

Several years in the past, "Squirrel" Gandolph was convicted of a nasty triple murder. Now, he is on death row awaiting execution. His conviction, it appears, was based on circumstantial evidence and a signed confession. Squirrel, however, is mentally challenged. Is his confession legitimate or was he coerced? He now says he is innocent, and Arthur Raven, a lawyer more adept and experienced at corporate law than criminal defense, is handed the pro bono case.

A number of other readers have panned REVERSIBLE ERRORS on the basis of not caring about any of the characters. I can sympathize. All of the major characters are flawed. All have major issues in their lives. For starters, Gandolph is a petty thief who probably belongs in jail. For me, though, it is the flaws in all the characters here that makes them human and gives them their appeal. I didn't want Gandolph excuted if he wasn't the killer. I rooted for the others to get past their personal issues. "Reversible errors" is the underlying theme for all of the main people in this book. Some I hoped would find what they're looking for, others I hoped would get what they deserved, but I wasn't indifferent to any of them.

REVERSIBLE ERRORS isn't Turow's best book. That honor still resides with PRESUMED INNOCENT, but REVERSIBLE ERRORS isn't bad. Turow has a strong writing style, and his knowledge of the legal system and portrayal of his characters is good. These strengths are all present in REVERSIBLE ERRORS. The plot is perhaps not as gripping as it could be, and the story is a little slow at times, but I enjoyed the book and recommend it to those who like books in the "legal thriller" genre.

Scott Turow doesn't write enough books to be a mega best seller like John Grisham, but his legal thriller "Reversible Errors" is definitely one of the best in the genre. This novel, published in 2002, follows Personal Injuries. I don't know if its good or bad, but both novels seem very similar in structure, theme and characterization. Familiarity can be good, however, and I was drawn in to Turow's imaginary Kindle County where a man is on death row for a crime he may not have commited. At least, that is what Auther Raven is supposed to believe. Arthur is Rommy Gandolph's last hope. Rommy is scheduled to die soon for the brutal murder of three people over July 4th weekend in 1991. Rommy gave both written and oral confessions but now claims he is innocent.

Arthur is at first pessimmistic, but gives it his best. He soon discovers some clues that may prove Rommy's innocence. Arthur is a great attorney, but lonely in life. He meets an old aquaintence Gillian Sullivan, the original trial judge who has fallen from grace. She helps Arthur and their friendship grows. On the other side is Muriel Wynn, the prosecuter of Rommy, and Larry Starczek, the detective on Rommy's case. Larry and Muriel were on and off again lovers before the original trial, then Muriel got married. They are forced to work together again now that the Rommy case is in the headlines.

While there are several legal twists and turns in the novel, the story is more about the characters behind the action. Turow portrays a justice system that isn't objective as we would like to believe, but is instead very much motivated by the people playing the roles of lawyer, prosecuter and judge. Because Turow is a great writer, I was able to enjoy this novel a lot. However, I thought some of the twists were too technical to follow. Having a lawyer come up with an arcane legal procedure really means nothing to me, I just have to accept it. Also, none of the characters were good people. They all had flaws of course, but their overall outlook on life and love bordered on depressing.

Reversible Errors is an engaging book about a man facing the death penalty. Turow strives to entertain instead of preaching, and readers will be rewarded with a good legal thriller.

I'm going to swim against the negative tide on this one and say I found the plot interesting and the character development quite good. It reminded me of much of John Grisham's work. The book provides some pointed insights about how the criminal justice system works.

I had to force my self to finish this book. i kept hoping it would pick up, it would add some suspense. I kept hoping it would go somewhere I had not expected. It didnt do any of those things. The ending was predictable, the twists were predictable.
The only reaosn i am giving it 3 stars, is because he does have a nice style of prose and does a good job with character development. But it drags, and drags, and drags. Its a slow story. I would never recommend this to anybody.

Sometimes you read an author because you haven't read him (or her) in a long while and you liked their previous work. Such was the case with this book. I really liked Personal Injuries; the writing was strong and the characters multidimensional and intersteng. But I should have known that I was in trouble with this one because right on the cover it said they'd made it into a CBS Movie-of-the-Week. And that's exactly how it reads, pulpy and soap opera-y. In the first part of the book Turrow goes back and forth in time from present to 10 years ago, contrasting the same characters over that time period, after a brutal murder and confession have put the guilty on death row. Unfortunately, that device is dropped and we're left with a staid court procedural where not much is riding on the outcome. Oh sure, lives are in the balance, loves are at risk, careers could tank, but you just never feel all that involved in any of it. Turrow's a terrific writer, but I'd pass on this one.

If you are programming in Perl, this is a required book to have. It is the definitive manual on the language written by the author of the language, yet is very readable.

I decided to buy this book because I needed to learn Perl after having programmed in several other languages for my new job.

I was looking for a reference guide that pretty much outlined EVERYTHING that Perl can do. Proper syntax, short cuts, how to properly go about writing code in this language, how do write certain operations... etc

I was also looking for something that could be authoritative and set the STANDARD for how something should and should not be done... and not be written by some sloppy idiot who thinks he knows what he's doing.

And last but not least, I was looking for something that was funny and entertaining to read and not a dry boring textbook.

This book, as others call it "The Camel" or "The Camel Book", meets all those criteria. This is truly the BEST book on Perl out there, written by the inventor himself, Larry Wall, and some of his Perl-guru buddies. If you came to this page wondering if this is the book to get to learn to program in Perl, look no further.

Absolutely 5 stars on this one. And trust me, this book is pretty funny. It's almost as if it's written by your best friend or your roommate who you drink beers with, yet still goes into amazingly tidy and meticulous detail on how to do things properly. I couldn't have asked for a better book.
If you're like me and learning this for work, see if your boss will even buy it for the office. Mine did!

I hope you enjoyed my review. I've gone from knowing NOTHING about Perl to writing some pretty robust scripts in a matter of a few short weeks and I truly LOVE writing stuff in Perl because it is very easy once you get the idea of how the syntax is written in your brain. Anyways, I felt I had to share my experience with you so you can do the same. Enjoy.

PS: There is a correction I've found since there have been a few newer releases than the Perl 5 explained in this book. (As I write this, I'm using Perl 5.8.8).

pg. 513: At the very bottom should tell you that the period character "." will display the current position of the debugger.

pg. 514: The w command no longer lists a window of lines around your position. It is now the "v" as in [v]iew.

I would not recommend this book upfront if you don't know any Perl. Read up Beginning Perl by Simon Cozens and feel around a bit. Then pick this book up and put in the effort and you WILL appreciate the power, truth and beauty about PERL.

It is not a light read... certainly wasn't for me. But at the end of it, the effort was so worth it. The book will give you several Aha moments and by the end of it, thou shalt be rewarded!!

It is difficult to study perl using only this book.
Learning perl is the best way to study perl.
This book should be a reference of perl.

And there are many examples on the Net.
You can use these examples to modify for your purpose.
Sometimes, you should study how to debbug perl.

I program in C# almost exclusively. However, I needed some serious regex power and this kind of power can only be handled/performed with Perl.

Well, I have been learning Perl now for about 2 months and this book is uber invaluable to my book collection and has made it very easy to pick the syntax up quickly.

-- smerkdaddy

The book was in book was in like new condition, as it said it was in..

This series really captured my heart. The characters were so down-to-earth; strong, energetic, smart business/family women whom I wish I could be more like and whom I'd be proud to work/live beside and call my friends. The men were supportive, kind, and loving. The estate and gardening settings were engrossing and charming. I drank in the author's awesome style of writing, with its vividly described details and its natural dialogue. All together, this made the story very "real", when it could have been a hokey ghost tale. Instead, it was believable! Very weel-done!

I enjoyed Red Lily, the third in this trilogy. The characters were likeable; there was nice mix of romance and adventure; and the setting was beautiful between the old, Southern mansion, and the nursery where most of the characters worked. I even learned something about grafting!

I love N.R's Trilogies. This is one of my favorite. I OVER LOVE the Three Sister's Island trilogy, my most favorite of all.

I notice others who commented on this trilogy about the "slow pace" of the other 2 books to this series and totally disagree.
I believe a trilogy is all about scooping you up in the first book and gliding you along and giving you the history and beginnings of the storyline. As you come to the end of the first book, I am enthralled and begin the 2nd book where I am swept futher into the story and become engrossed to the point of "nothing else in my life is going to get attention till I get to the end of this trilogy."

As you become attached to book 2, you MUST have book 3 and become one and the same with the characters till you own them as your own.

This conclusion to the "in the garden" series escalated to a climax totally NOT where you think it would go as far as the Harper Bride is concerned.

Hayley, Lily and Harper become the unit you saw happenning in book 1 to the extent that you couldn't possibly see it any other way.

I won't bore you with the storylines, as you can read excerpts from others and the front of the book gives you a hint.

I would suggest that you have all 3 books to sit and read at once.

In this one, we continue with a ghost haunting... it takes the lives/loves of three fabulous couples to find the answers to Who? What? Where? When? and How? Kinda like a mystery within a romance.

I am not big into mysteries, cuz I am a romantic at heart, so the mystery does not overshadow the romanace and gives a little intrigue.... I DID enjoy this haunting.

You started with Stella in Book 1 "Blue Dahlia", widow and mother of two boys, who finds Logan; and then on with Roz and Mitch, "Black Rose", 40's, three grown boys and the 'matriarch' in this storyline. No, not the mother but the one who brings the 3 women together in her fabulous home and creates a sisterhood/family throughout this trilogy.

The intensity of the storyline continues and the lives blend further. It's a "can't put this down" book.

The storyline will end with Hayley, young pregnant and brave, who struggles with herself before she falls for Harper.

I absolutely LOVED David in here as well, and wish there had been a storyline for him that ended in a romance as well.

This is not the first time I have read this trilogy. I keep and reread these stories every few years. I never want to put the books down.

Great read, but plan for a full week of reading if you have all 3 books in this trilogy.

Harper and Haley finally get their story. Through the entire series they have gotten to know and love each other. Haley came to Harper House pregnant and very alone, but now has a large extended loving family. She is desperate to let Harper know her feelings, but fears from both of them keep desires hidden.

Amelia, the Harper Bride escalates her violent tendencies as soon as the love between Haley and Harper becomes evident. Haley, Harper, Roz, Mitch, Stella, and Logan race against time to solve the mystery before something tragic happens.

The final book in the garden series did not disappoint!! I loved the entire series, and it will be a permanent addition to my library.

Looking through the lens of myth, poet Robert Bly concludes that the Industrial Revolution pulled families apart. He blames absent fathers who failed to initiate boys into adulthood for many of today's cultural woes, including passivity among men, unhappy marriages and the prevalence of gangs. Bly cites stories from the ancient Greeks through the Brothers Grimm to show that young men's struggle to achieve mature adulthood has remained constant throughout history. The myth of Iron John follows the development of a young prince from his early ties to his mother, to his maturation and entry into the world of his father. Mothers, says Bly, must relinquish their babies to enable their sons to grow up. Bly uses his ramble through literature to explore deep issues that play out in men's personal and work lives. His metaphoric, poetic language may be off-putting to concrete thinkers, but getAbstract recommends Bly's classic to men and women who are looking for insight into modern men's psychic drives and struggles.

I am writing this 1/2 way through the book, but so far I am impressed with Bly's ability to tie the meaning behind ancient fairy tales and traditions which bound men and boys together with the social ills that result today from the lack of these ties. I found the book really struck a resounding chord for me, perhaps moreso because I was raised by my mother and grandmother in a fatherless household until the age of ten. The book helped me understand some things about myself that I had not realized and led to some productive self-reflection.

Iron John is a good book in the sense that it is willing to say things that might not be popular. I thought that much of the book was reaching a little, but some ideas were right on the money. For example, i couldn't agree more with the parts about a boy having to steal the key to manhood from under his mother's pillow. a mother would prefer her boys stay boys forever. other parts, about having to be in touch with nature for a man to be a man in the old tradition was a little lacking. i think the author loves the outdoors therefor if you want to be a man in his eyes you have to like the outdoors as well. worth reading, but dont think it is going to change your life or anything.

Bly finds in "Iron John" the universal themes of men and their development. A mans life is usually not pretty or just. He struggles throughout and endures much suffering. It almost appears that the rough trail defines a part of manhood. It seems harder today for men to honestly find a garden that hasn't been spoiled by politically correct thinking or bias. The Universities that once fostered free thinking have had to defend themselves for their openness. I find Adult Ed. courses to be the best, under the radar, classes for cultivating in a walled garden. It's ashame public education has become so out of touch with the needs of boys and young male adolescents. Bly taps into the buried psyche of men with his discussions about descent and grief, the King and the God-Woman. This book helps men understand their wounds better as well as their fathers.

Robert Bly is a modern day Carl Sandberg. Iron John was on the Top 10 Best sellers list. This is one of my favorite books and I highly recommend it for young boys, men, and women with children that have no father at home! In todays society dysfunctional families are at an all time high and "Iron John" can furnish helpful and insightful information. I really enjoyed the metaphors and mythology; "The lad leaned over and looked into the smooth and reflective pond water and didn't see his own reflection but that of three female wolves looking over his shoulder." The lad lived at home with no father or brothers but with his mother and two sisters and had no identify of his own.

Highly recommend anything on or about Robert E. Howard (1906-1936)The Best of the Best writer/poet ever. Must Reads = Blood & Thunder, The Life & Art of REH by Mark Finn, The Last of the Trunk by Paul Herman of REH Foundation and Selected Letters of REH by Rob Roehm of REH Foundation, One Who Walked Alone by Novalyne Price, The Dark Barbarian & The Barbaric Triumph by Don Herron, Solomon Kane, Kull, Conan, Bran Mak Morn, The Last of the Frontier, Lord Samarcand, and anything of Weird Works and Weird Tales by Greenberg, Life After Life by Dr. Raymond Moody, The Star Rover by Jack London, and my favorite The Beast from the Abyss about cats, I Am A Barbarian by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and The Best of H.P. Lovecraft.

It's been a few years since I read all the books in the Wizard of Earthsea series to my son, but I remember the depth of the characters as though yesterday. Deep, heavy stuff that leaves you enriched and changed for having read it.

These books are labeled 'young adult' but deep and profound enough to be appreciated by adults.

Another reviewer compared them to The Lord of the Rings. I disagree. While Tolkien deserved all the credit he got for being the first to create a lush, intricate universe and bring it to life, it is ultimately an action story. Le Guin's ability to develop strong, complex characters far surpasses any mere action story. Her characters and their experiences reach deep into your soul and do not let go.

Writing Style - 3/5
Characters - 3
Storyline - 3
Resonance - 1

The Not-Too-Revealing Synopsis:
The divide between life and death is not as it should be. A minor magic artisan - a layman really - finds that he has some inexplicable connection to the portents and sets off in search of aid from the skilled and learned of Earthsea.

The Review
Note - I did not realize this book was part of a series until after I had finished it and was looking at online reviews. So take my views with that in mind.

This was a very pleasant, curious read. Characters, newly introduced seemed like old friends and the land, despite the detailed map in the beginning did not seem all too foreign. The mystery, the plot itself, unraveled slowly and cast a foreboding aura on all that transpired, putting the reader in the same mind set as the characters themselves. This was a quick read, an easy read, an enjoyable read and an entirely forgettable read. I would not recommend this book (particularly not without having read the previous works).

For many years I didn't pick up LeGuin's Earthsea cycle. What a mistake! The entire series is first rate, a cut above the usual fantasy novels.

I'm just putting in a good word for one of my most respected authors. I've read most of her books, and this is one is the one that sucked me in the most out of all of them.

While I really loved the original Earthsea trilogy, both as a kid and as an adult, this book (and "Tehanu") were a bit disappointing. I had a hard time deciding on whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars and in the end went with 3. I can't pick out anything technically wrong with the book, but it failed to draw me in. Despite being relatively short, it took me months to finish this book. Nothing much was really happening, so I didn't feel at all compelled to see what happened (or rather, didn't happen) next.
This novel didn't have a plot so much as a theme, and LeGuin used some familiar and some new characters to explore that theme. If that's the kind of book you like, then you'll probably love "The Other Wind". However, I read fiction (and fantasy in particular) for engaging and thrilling stories. That type of story was lacking here.
I still think LeGuin is very talented, but as she has matured as a writer she now seems to prefer writing a type of book that I do not prefer to read.

What a fun read...it's like watching The Simpsons..nonsense and reality merge. Just loved the romp

This is one of the few books that have made me laugh hysterically and then caused me to cry twice - first after the revelation of the meaning of the mysterious "Live Ash Circle" and then at the end. This book is hard to explain - in the "retelling" of the story of Charles and Diana it makes you sad for the fairy tale that should have been but wasn't - not only in their lives but maybe in our own.

If you read Helprin in the past and enjoyed him, be warned that this book is entirely different and that might be why others who are familiar with him don't like this book. Since reading F&F I have read "Tales from an Antproof Case" and have tried to read "Winter's Tale." Antproof was OK if you like reading short stories told out of order that eventually resolve into a story, after four starts I still have not been able to get through Tale - F&F was a much more easy read for me than both. Also, if you don't like British humor along the lines of Monty Python, this won't be for you. I, for one, was sorry to see the hardcover edition in the BN value section this year.

This superb satire is seriously funny and charming. I found myself just driving around to complete a chapter -- even with the price of gas!

Terribly funny, charming and delightful and ultimately moving. My favorite part is when our hero and heroine go Jamaican. A series of absurd adventures. Not for those who require a believable story.

"Although it is hard to be king, it is harder yet to become one." This statement, made by Mark Helprin at the end of "Freddy and Fredericka", sums up the novel well. At times hilarious, at times strikingly poignant, "Freddy and Fredericka" follows Freddy, the Prince of Wales, as he and his wife Fredericka undertake a quest to uncover the true meaning of nobility, making observations about the current state of our culture, politics, and relationships along the way.

At the start of the novel, Freddy is a middle-aged prince poised to one day become king. Having received a superb education, he is well versed in everything from military strategy to art history, and fluent in a plethora of languages, including Latin and Greek; he is tall and handsome, with a commanding presence; and his stunning wife looks the part of a princess. Yet, despite Freddy's highly cultivated intellect and confidence in his ability to rule, he possess a general cluelessness that seems to make him the centerpiece of one ridiculous tabloid story after another. Fredericka, meanwhile, despite her utter oblivion to anything that does not involve fashion, beauty products, or society gossip, is adored by the public and praised by the media no matter what absurdities she utters, in what becomes a biting satire of our modern obsession with celebrity and disregard for intellect. After one too many a royal snafu, however, Freddy is sent on a quest in order to prove his worth as a king: he, along with Fredericka, must go to the United States--and conquer it. With nothing but the very minimal clothing on their backs, Freddy and Fredericka parachute into the Meadowlands of New Jersey and set off on an outlandish adventure.

Helprin's tale is in large part a satire, and, as Freddy and Fredericka make their way across the U.S., their escapades become more and more absurd. The ridiculous situations in which the royal couple find themselves are often laugh-out-loud hilarious, and they quite aptly point out the ridiculousness of modern culture. A storyline involving an American presidential election is especially relevant. These absurd situations, however, can at times be a bit much, and several scenes and tangents could easily have been done without. But interspersed among them are moments of insight and enlightenment that connect to the higher--and most important--level on which Helprin's novel functions. Freddy's quest is ultimately a search for truth and justice, and he finds both in ample amounts in the United States. Freddy and Fredericka live out the American dream, making their way with literally nothing--no family, no connections, no money, not even any clothing--and discovering the wonders that hard work, a virtuous life, and, most especially, love can provide. Though there are moments even after their reawakening during which the reader is still likely to be frustrated by Freddy and Fredericka's actions, it's nevertheless wonderful to watch them grow both individually and as a couple, and their overall transformation is an inspirational example of that which we are all capable of. Ironically, it is all that they experience in America--a country founded in opposition to monarchy--that ultimately teaches Freddy and Fredericka about true nobility, serving as the best preparation for their royal roles.

While the novel could benefit from a trimming of several excessively ridiculous and irrelevant scenes, Helprin's skill as an author is not to be underestimated. He expertly weaves the satirical aspects of "Freddy and Fredericka" with its more philosophical threads, enhancing the overall package with breathtaking prose that conveys the beauty of the American countryside, for example, or the snowfall on Lake Michigan during a brutal Chicago winter. While Freddy and Fredericka is ostensibly about the British monarchy, the novel is at its core an ode to the tenets upon which America was founded, tenets that are still at the heart of the country despite modern culture's attempts to obscure them. As Helprin beautifully shows, the values at America's core have the potential to inspire, to elevate, and to make of any man a king