MR

Two of my closest, most intellectual/cultural-elite type friends have raved about Marguerite Duras. So I read "The Lover." Great story. Okay...they tell me "Moderato Cantabile" is her masterpiece. I search for an English translation, find this foursome. Terrific, I think, I can explore even more. I must ask the reviewers of this work...Have you read it all together???? Every story is the same, folks! This woman had one, maybe two stories (okay, Hiroshima Mon Amour makes three) in her blood. Take an alcoholic woman with a hidden sexual agenda, throw in an unfaithful (substitute uptight/unattentive, etc) husband...or father (oh yeah, don't forget the incest angle), then place them all in some tedious, drawn-out situation (aftermath of a murder investigation, waiting for a construction contracter, a storm, an afternoon on a park bench), then let them TALK. And talk. And talk. Get it? I may not be the super intellectual, cultural elite type, but I know pretension when I read it. Skip Duras. Or...better...read "The Lover," pretend you know all about her, and watch the others at a party try to impress you.

"10:30 on a Summer Night" is by far the best of the four novels in this book, focusing on murder and infidelity during a vacation outside Madrid. "Moderato Cantible" is good but not as intriguing as "10:30 on a Summer Night" and is about an alcoholic mother developing an odd relationship with a stranger in a café on the way home from her son's piano lesson. "The Square" has some good lines but is generally slow, focusing solely on a salesman and a servant talking in the park.

The first story ("The Square")is a bit tedious (or maybe the significance was over my head). It's composed almost entirely of dialogue between two strangers who meet in a park and discuss their rather pitiful lives. But the three final stories are truly beautiful. The language is so vivid that even reading the stories on a cold Minnesota night I felt the urge to mop sweat from my brow. The third story, "10:30 on a Summer Night," in which a woman watches the sexual attraction develop between her husband and best friend, is incredibly poignant.

I just loved "The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet"; it's my all-time favorite children's book! Its sequel, "Stowaway to . . . " is also good. I spent quite a bit of time dreaming about finding one of the other three Mushroom Planet books in some used bookstore, and finally happened upon this one, #3 in the series. It wasn't worth the trouble, with a somewhat contrived plot of yet another (smaller) object orbiting the earth -- though it does have some fine drawings in it. Stick with Cameron's first two books.

I read these books first when I was in the fifth grade. They are charming and funny and spark the imagination. If you are interested in juvenile sci-fi or want to get your kids interested, these are some lesser known, but very worthwhile, books.

This is fun to read simply because of the time period it was written in--the late 50's. You can enjoy the innocence of the 50's before America went to space firsthand. This series was written by Eleanor Cameron on the prompting of her son. I agree with the other reviewer--this is not the best book the series has to offer. The illustrations are very good though. I say if you enjoy nostalgia and great writing, you will want to read this book and the rest in the series.

The novel opens with explicit sexual description that is also funny and continues in this way throughout. It's hardly a conventional mystery, though there is a murder that involves a mysterious,reclusive author. Of the plot, the less said, the better. The main characters are two female English teachers in a community college in the Washington, D.C. area; the clientele is mostly minority. These students are being offered a Milton course. The novel has something of the flavor of Fay Weldon but is a little cruder and rather more vulgar. Fun if the reader doesn't mind the raunch and isn't expecting a standard mystery.

Mr. Right is an absolutely delightful dose of depravity. The juxtaposition of suspense, sex and humour keep you continuously off balance from the beginning to the end. No review could possibly do justice to this one of a kind mystery novel. You simply have to read it.

But I'm the author, so you may want to seek a less biased opinion. Actually, this book is my first, originally published 20 years ago and now being reprinted. It's sexier than any of my mysteries, but the wise-a** humor will be familiar. And my husband, Davis McAuley, did the cover!

Reading these books was fun for me as a child but I never enjoyed them as much as Beatrix Potter. The english author wrote in a more mature, fairy tale style that children could still relate to while these books have more of a folk tale background. However, some of Burgesses books are better than this one and I urge you to read Reddy Fox instead of Mr Toad.

Old Mr. Toad puzzle's Peter Rabit a LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ferst,he thingk's that Old Mr. Toad's baby's are Grandfather Frog's baby's,then, he see's some food of Old Mr. Toad disoper,but, it is rilley just his SUPER fast tonge! And near the end of the book,Old Mr. Toad is towt a lessn.(If you want to see another ravuw, cheek in Little Joe Otter.) name: Gregor. age: six ,or, 6

This is a simple-minded book that manages to obscure the basics with convoluted language. It also achieves a remarkable feat, failing to mention history as a relevant factor in understanding and anticipating ethnic conflict in the 21st Century. It does nothing whatsover to suggest to the interested analyst, for whom this "template" was designed, how to operationalize the few relevant factors the book identifies, and does not provide any discussion at all of sources and methods helpful to studying ethnic conflict. There is no bibliography and no index. The footnotes are lightweight.

This is one book that would be better to read backwards. It's like a key rather than a theory about the underlying causes of ethnic conflict. The first part is definitions and it's hard to see where it's all headed unless you take a look at the last part first. A good companion to this book would be "Ethnic Groups in Conflict" by Donald Horowitz. After reading this book I have the impression that we are building up to an explosion that's inevitable if we continue the massive immigration.

Another closely related book that's written on a very popular level is "Civil War II" by Thomas Chittum, which predicts an ethnic break-up of USA.

I bought this book because of the title and the brief description on the back, so i have no excuse for being suprised at the strangeness of this book. It's centered around Sally, the manager of a trailer park, the only normal person in the book. Other characters include a genius scientist, a cannibal, an alien, a Bridget Fonda wannabe and genetically modified cows. All of these creatures are woven together through numerous plot twists and crazy circumstances. Although this book is very well written and imaginative, it loses some points in confusion.

Stephen Walker has developed a unique and very odd stlye of writing that forces you to accept what is on the page, like it or not and most of the time you do like it, a lot. His surreal approach to humour leaves you totally unawares as to what may happen in the next sentence let alone page. The most amazing thing about it is that all the many non-sequential and seemingly random remarks in it aren't random at all but come together in that trap fatal to any reader. However this book dosen't quite reach the heights of his first book to which I give 5 stars.

I only read the introduction and the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I found out that the story was quite exciting. I thought it would be too complicated to read, but I found that it wasn't until I got to the last chapter. The last chapter had a lot of complicated words because it is the narrative of Dr. Jekyll, who, well, is a doctor! The last chapter did explain a lot, though. So I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about scary things, like a doctor who turns into a mad man!

I thought that this book, being a classic and all, would be totally mind-boggling, hard-to-follow, and boring, like most "classics" are. Yet it was different. It kept me intrigued and also reinforced the lesson of not to judge a book by its cover!

Waiting for Mr Wright was a story dealing with a psyco-path determine to have Mr Wright. She thinks she's in love with him and she decides to go after him ! Errol Wright being a talk show host and admired by so many of his fans has a one night affair with a psychologist and author of a book called Internal Bleeding ! She has decided from that night on that they are to be a couple ! She sends cards flowers gifts and then some one begains to stalk him. He thinks it is her and talks to his long time friend Marion for help since she is a friend of Anne- Marie ! The stalker has never been caught or seen! She makes an attempt on Errol life and that of his fiancee! Even kidnapping his son . Errol assumes it's Anne-Marie ! The unbeliveable stalker is really a psyco-path of the worst kind ! While I did not find this story to be a fast moving one, it certainly was an interesting read ! One which will truly shock you in the end !!! I just could not believe it !

Anne-Marie is obsessed with talk show host Errol Wright and will do anything to get him. She won't stop until she gets her man. Mr. Wright has one woman in his life and that is Yvette. How can Errol shake this obsessive woman off of him and out of his life? That isn't all. Read the book and find out more about this twisted erotic psychothriller.

Novels with plots and characters like the one found in "Mr. Trelawney's Proposal" are, I think, an acquired taste, and not for everyone. Luke Trelawney (our 'hero') is exactly the kind of romance hero that grates -- domineering, dismissive of other/lesser people's views, esp if it is not in concordance with his, and incredibly manipulative. What on earth the incredibly naive heroine of this novel, Rebecca Nash, saw in Trelawney besides his obvious good looks, baffled me completely.

The novel opens when Trelawney learns that he has inherited a relative's estate, and repairs there to have a look at his inheritance. There, he finds the very young, beautiful and very much alone in the world heroine of this romance, Rebecca Nash. He mistakes her for his dead relative's mistress, and struck by her beauty, he offers step in as her new protector. And when she angrily rejects his offer and sets him right on her true status, he ups the offer to encompass marriage; and she, for goodness knows what reason, accepts his proposal! Perhaps I'm alone in this, but does this strike anyone else as being incredibly surreal? Why would any woman except such a proposal, esp when it came on the heels of an offer of carte balche? Shouldn't the whole incident have made Rebecca question Trelawney's motives a little bit more than she did?

Another factor I found disturbing was the fact that Luke came across as a bit of a sexual bully: he used his kisses and touch to overcome Rebecca's misgivings everytime they had an arguement and difference of opinion! I'm not sure how one can classify such behaviour as 'romantic' -- controlling perhaps, but not romantic. Romance novels, in my opinion, should be about the coming together of minds and hearts; not about one character trying to control and dominate the other. And I really wish that "Mr. Trelawney's Proposal" had been about the former instead of the latter.

First I'll quote the author from the front of the book:

Dear Reader,

Bad boys can be fascinating. With this in mind I decided to write about some, and the result is a miniseries of Regencies that commences with Mr. Trelawney's Proposal. The novels feature heroes, linked by family or friendship, who are definite rogues-wickedly charming, wryly humorous, dangerously attractive. Good girls can't resist them. But innocence can be as captivating as sophistication: the heroines are more than a match for their jaded suitors.

Gentle widow Victoria Hart succeeds in taming and securing the devotion of cynical rake Viscount Courtenay in A Kind and Decent Man. His friend, Sir Richard Du Quesne, is equally predatory and disreputable in The Silver Squire, and relentlessly pursues unassuming spinster Emma Worthington...until she catches him and brings him very willingly to his knees.

As their separate stories unfold, the couples battle through a maelstrom of action and emotion. I hope you enjoy their passionate skirmishing, the laughter and tears that pave the way to harmony and happiness, as much as I have enjoyed writing the novels for you.

Mary Brendan

Personally I think the author has succeeded in her intentions. The Hero is a "bad boy" I found him immature, the heroine is innocent in the extreme. When going to a brothel is search of her long lost brother she is surprised to find herself shown to a bedroom, detained and sold.

Not my personal taste, some of the misunderstandings seem a bit far fetched, but it is a reprint so it would seem to have sold reasonably well in the past.

From the back of the Harlequin paperback:

AN INDECENT PROPOSAL! Miss Rebecca Nash had found refuge and a kind landlord in Robin, Lord Rumsden. Shed needed both five years ago, when she'd lost her parents and fiancé, and her brother Simon had disappeared with her dowry Now, suddenly Robin was dead, and his heir, Luke Trelawne intended to wind matters up quickly before he returned to Cornwall.

At his first sight of Rebecca, he changed his mind. Mistakenly believing Rebecca to have been Robin's mistress, he saw no reason she could not be his, as well. But Rebecca had other ideas!

If you like adolescent heroines and stories set in London society drawing rooms then this one isn't for you. If like me you want a Regency that's a bit more exciting then try this one. The hero is a gorgeous piratical type, sexy and powerful. The heroine is well past her teens, proud and feisty but sweet with it. Best of all the plot has some unexpected twists and turns and some amusing and interesting minor characters. The action takes place by the coast in rural Brighton rather than in a ballroom in Mayfair. I read it in one go, and will definitely look out for more by this author.

Mr. Wertman obviously fancies himself a better father than a husband-at the latter he was and is a dismal failure.

Written in a true ninety guy's fashion, Mark Wertman's good humor and sensitivity shines through in this engaging book. He is chief care-giver enabling his wife to pursue a successful law career. While not quite a "soccer mom", he succeeds valiantly in picturing the "Home Wars" from a masculine, always innovative point of view. Moms, Dads and grandparents should find his perspective enlightening.

True Confessions of a Real Mr. Mom is an engaging and thoroughly entertaining book and is a must read for every parent. Mark Wertman takes the reader into the often demanding but equally rewarding world of a stay-at-home Dad learning to cope with the trials and tribulations of raising three children. His story unfolds through the sharing of real life experiences and events that every parent can relate to, but goes far beyond the day-to-day problems of parenting to explore Mr. Wertman's innermost thoughts and feelings as he learns to cope with his role as "Mr. Mom". Through his witty and open writing style, Mr. Wertman shares some of his life lessons, personal insights and practical advice in a thoroughly entertaining way that left this reader clamoring for more. Whether you're a stay-at-home parent or caught up in the rat race of balancing career and family this book has something for you. Don't miss it!