european

Frankly, the problem with most great writers is this: outside of their craft, they don't have a life. They look down their noses at us and treat us like pathetic ants, often with no insight into our lives and our work. Here then is Primo Levi, on one hand, an accomplished chemist, on the other, someone who lived to speak of the Death Camps. This experience allows him to write the twenty one gems in "Periodic Table". Each one of these stories crystallizes around a seed element. The seeds form the basis for a detective story into the chemical mystery of a failed paint, an ancient plumber's life ruined by lead, and work in a chemistry lab inside Auschewitz. Levi has a dramatic literary style built for the short story. His writing is pithy and to the point. He builds the stories to encapsulate and expose a single core idea. Each one is about something, entering into the experience of one of the millions of people who lead lives worthy of examination.

Hey look, I'll help Amazon sell a book here, how much does it say you'll pay for it, $9.00 maybe? If you have a scientific bent, you'll surely find the stories here entertaining and interesting. Primo Levi was a unique person and that, coupled to his excellent style, makes this book a very good read.

"You got a new book? What is it?" my roommate asked.

"It's called 'The Periodic Table,' by Primo Levi. He was an Italian Jew who went through Auschwitz." I had just gotten the book in the mail; that was all I knew about it.

Later, she interrupted my reading. "You keep laughing. That book is supposed to be funny?"

I knew why she was surprised. Levi led a serious, sometimes troubled life, but "The Periodic Table" isn't limited to seriousness. It's fascinating and often funny to read his stories about his early obsession with matter (and the trouble it caused), his fiction inspired by alchemists and elements, and his anecdotes from a professional double life as a chemist and writer.

The Periodic Table by Primo Levi is quite a fascinating book. Although the first chapter is slow (as pointed out in other reviews) the other chapters are pretty interesting. Although only one chapter directly relates to Auschwitz there is another about Primo's involvement with the partisans in Italy (including the bit about the gun he doesn't know how to use), and a very interesting chapter called Vanadium which is the second last chapter. This chapter is based on Primo's dealings with a German chemist (Dr Muller) in 1967. Dr Muller was a head of the Buna Rubber plant at Auschwitz where Primo worked. Basically Primo has business dealings with this person as well as personal correspondence although it's not as insightful as you might think because by Primo's own admission Dr Muller does not make a perfect protagonist because he was a civilian (business chief of Buna which was part of IG Farben I believe) and not a member of the SS, and therefore Primo realises that he won't get answers to questions like "Why Auschwitz?" (Although Primo corresponding with one of the butchers of Auschwitz could be a bit too weird). Nonetheless Primo's dealings with this person are very complex/interesting/multilayered/etc.
The tale about the centuries long journey of a carbon atom from being part of limestone to being part of Primo's brain is pretty way out too.

Like some of the previous reviewers, I grew up in Japan and enjoyed the 70's hit TV anime series (they later re-made them in the 90s to be truer to the original books, I believe) and later read all the books voraciously. The series captivates its readers much like the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter books do; by totally drawing them into its unique and marvellously rich world, a world that is somehow fanciful yet credible.

Now that I have a 7-year-old boy of my own, I enjoy reading them aloud to him. We burst out laughing every time Sniff says something self-serving, get the shivers when we see a picture of the Groke (I was truly scared of her when I was a child), wonder what in the world the mysterious Hattifatteners are up to, and marvel at how everything comes together in the end of each story. The author has a true gift for weaving fantastical creatures, objects and situations together to create a solid, almost palpable world. Finn Family Moomintroll is probably the best introduction to the Moomin Family, and a great book to read by yourself, to give to that special child in your life, or better yet, to share with him/her by reading it aloud.

this is the very first of the moomintroll series by tove jansson. children of any age will love to read this book, or have it read to them. it is full of moomintroll and his friends adventures, in their beautiful fantasy land. i got this book before i could even read, but had my mother read it to me before bed, giving me sweet dreams of happiness and laughter. the moomins are fun-loving trolls from finland and are adventurous and go on wild excursions together. i reconmend this book to anyone who loves fantasy.

So far there have been eight Moomin books translated ino English. All are splendid. I don't want to draw comparisons, because they are all so good, and each in a different way, but the last two are perhaps the best - all are very definitely five star. They tell of the adventures of a family of little trolls in, mainly the forests of Finland but other places as well, including fairgrounds, theatres, and uninhabited islands, along with all sorts of other strange creatures such as hattifattners, fillyjonks, hemulens and astronomers. A perfect blend of adventure and domestic warmth, evoked by an endlessly original and imaginative writer, who knows "The Usefulness of Everything," in a world slightly - not too much - transmogrified but still recognisable

Full of warmth, wit, wisdom and delight. They should probaby be read in order as the characters become more complicated as time goes on, but Finn Family Moomintroll is a great place to start. The pictures (author Tove Jansson was also a professional illustrator and stage designer) are the perfect compliment to the stories. If you don't know them, buy them and your lives will be richer.

Vera Brittain is not always easy to like. She's frequently disagreeable, usually opinionated, always challenging. But she also has more courage, strength and vision than most people you will ever encounter. As part of the first generation of women to achieve a university education in England, she put her studies aside to volunteer as a nurse on the front lines of World War I. This seminal event in world history profoundly altered her philosophy as she suffered the heartbreak of losing the two men she loved most in the world. Her triumph over tragedy should be inspiring to anyone who has ever lost a loved one, as she turned her grief and anger at the war into a lifelong committment to the cause of pacifism. Brittain is a beautiful writer with a sharp wit and an incisive mind. Her portrayal of the brutality of war and the tragic consequences of "God and country before all" makes for perhaps the most powerful anti-war book ever created. This is not only a testament to youth, but also to the courage and resiliancy of the human spirit.

I first read this book when I was not much younger than Vera Brittain was when she "viewed the outbreak of the First World War as an interruption of her plans", and I was immediately touched by her experiences. I have read (and re-read & re-read) this book many times. While I am not of the same social class that she was, I can relate to her desire to make something of her life, first through a university education (then restricted to many women) and later through finding meaningful work. (This is something that we all seek.) She fell happily in love, only to lose first her fiance, then her two male friends, and finally her beloved only brother in the carnage of the First World War. Her experiences as a V.A.D. (Volunary Aide Detachment) nurse in the war--from describing what the wards were like, to the frenzy she faced during a "push", to watching the Americans arrive in 1917, to her life on the hospital ship "Britannic", that's right, the sister ship to "Titanic"--both went down, are unforgettable. When she writes, she does not spare herself, nor seek to make herself look good--and she takes an unflinching look at her own difficulties (a word which does not even begin to describe it!!) adjusting to a post-war world which did not want the survivors. She tells of the difficulties she had fitting in (again, but this time older & wisher) at Oxford, of her mental near-breakdown, and of the bright light that was Winifred Holtby. I cannot recommend this book enough. It should be required reading in colleges and universities, and not just for history, English, and womens' studies majors. Perhaps those who do not understand what all the fuss over "women's lib." is all about should make this required reading as well (both male and female). She is the first feminist role model for me, and inspired me to learn as much as I could about current events AND history (so much so that I majored in history in college, with a concentration in modern Europe). This book is well worth your time and effort, and will probably send you to the nearest library or bookstore to hunt for more books on this era. It is also rare because most of the books written about the First World War are written by men (Sassoon, Graves, etc.), so this is unique in that it tells of the impact of the war from a woman's perspective. History tends to forget that women as well as men have experienced war. Brittain writes both from the view of those back home in Britain (when she is on leave) and from the view of someone at the front, cleaning up the wreckage (as a volunteer nurse). If you are wondering what happens to her, she wrote a "sequel" of sorts titled "Testament of Experience", which chronicles the years 1933-1950. "Testament of Youth" is a wonderful book, one which you will read again and again, and all the more moving because it is a true story.

Reading the first few pages of this extraordinary memoir convinces me that Vera Brittain was truly one of the great writers ever! In fact, it must be among the very greatest memoirs ever. So when I mention this book to friends, they without exception , have never heard of it! Granted it's about a war from long ago, starting 90 years ago, a horror that Vera B. looks at, and condemns with all her passionate genius. And there were hundreds of classics written at the time, written about this most senseless of wars, a slaughter worse than anyone could ever have predicted. But she describes with great compassion this nightmare, and its effect on herself and her generation. When you read about how her fiance is killed, it will be difficult not to put the book down, and do some serious thinking. And her nursing efforts aboard the SS Brittanica (later sunk by a German U-Boat) make a fine story as well. The book may be a bit dense, and overly literary, but it seems that during this era quoting poetry was a normal part of conversation, unlike today!.Anyway, give this book a chance and you'll be completed entranced by this incredible author!

Ross King's story of the "Pope's ceiling" is much more than the history of the painitng of the Sistine Chapel, as fascinating as that is. Spanning only four years, this book is art history, military history, church history and more all in one. Michelangelo was a renowned sculptor, who at the beginning of the 16th century was commissioned by Julius II to create the grandest tomb the world had known. But Julius, the feared and volatile ruler of part of Italy as well as the Pope, changed his mind before Michelangelo started, and directed him to paint the chapel instead. Unskilled in the complicated fresco process, and bitterly disappointed, Michelangelo nevertheless has no choice and begins the project. King details the challenging job of preparing the walls, transferring the design to the plaster, quickly painting before the walls dry. The author debunks many of the stories that have grown up over the years--Michelangelo did not work alone but with a changing crew of assistants; he did not lie on his back but painted in a much more uncomfortable position--standing, looking up.

King also offers an intriguing look at the corrupt church of the time, as we recall that the chapel is being painted on the eve of the Protestant reformation. The pope is hardly a spiritual leader, but one prince among many, with the extra power of condemning his enemies to hell or granting forgiveness and absolution for sins. Julius spends more time warring with rival kingdoms than worrying about salvation, and one cannot help thinking of the many lives lost during these useless escapades. Julius fancies himself as the successor not only of the first pope Peter but of Christ himself, and his triumphant entry into conquered cities in a fashion reminiscent of Palm Sunday are colorfully described. The clergy are uneducated, poor and hardly living a life of holiness--the vow of chastity simply means one cannot marry, and as a result Rome is overrun with prostitutes. In a wonderful aside, King quotes from the writings of the young Martin Luther--overjoyed at the prospect of visiting Rome's holy shrines, he quickly sees the filth and corruption in the city, which no doubt deeply influenced his subsequent break with Rome.

King does a wonderful job describing the fresco itself, explaining the origins of the designs in history, the classics, and earlier art works. We also learn quite a bit about Raphael, a young likeable man about town compared to the grumpy Michelangelo. Raphael was painting the pope's apartments at the same time as Michelangelo was working on the ceiling, and King does a great job explaining the differences between these two great masters. Leonardo da Vinci, the older, acknowledged master, was also working at this time, and King refers to his works throughout.

Whatever one might say about Julius and the corruption of the time, the popes did much to nuture the flowering of the Renaissance, and they certainly knew their art! This book is highly recommended--the audio version is also very well done.

Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King tells the story of four years, 1508-1512, in the life of three larger than life personalities: Michelangelo, Pope Julius II, and Raphael. Mr. King's latest nonfiction historical "thriller" is, however, more than a story of the four years that Michelangelo spent laboring over the twelve thousand square feet of the vast ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In Mr. King's able hands it becomes an early 16th century soap opera, starring Michelangelo, Pope Julius II, and Raphael, and featuring all the intrigue, passion, violence, and pettiness of a Sopranos' episode. What's so astonishing is that all that is told actually happened -- it's history.
Ross King's gift is his ability to bring us, his readers, back through the maze of time and lead us to an understanding of all that coalesced -- politically, socially, and artistically -- to create great art, great history and, for us, great reading.
According to King:
"Pope Julius II was not a man one wished to offend.... A sturdily built sixty-three-year old with snow-white hair and a ruddy face, he was known as il papa terrible , the 'dreadful' or 'terrifying' pope.... His violent rages, in which he punched underlings or thrashed them with his stick were legendary.... In body and soul he had the nature of a giant. Everything about him is on a magnified scale, both his undertakings and passions."
Michelangelo and Raphael as portrayed by King:
"Almost as renowned for his moody temper and aloof, suspicious nature as he was for his amazing skill with the hammer and chisel, Michelangelo could be arrogant, insolent, and impulsive....If Michelangelo was slovenly and, at times, melancholy and antisocial, Raphael was, by contrast, the perfect gentleman. Contemporaries fell over themselves to praise his polite manner, his gentle disposition, his generosity toward others....Raphael's appealing personality were accompanied by his good looks: a long neck, oval face, large eyes, and olive skin -- handsome, delicate features that further made him the antithesis of the flat-nosed, jug-eared Michelangelo."
The stories of these three men during this extraordinary four year period and the art they produced is the story embodied in Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling. The confrontations between Julius II and Michelangelo are legendary. "The major problem seems to have been that Michelangelo and Julius were remarkably alike in temperament. Michelangelo was one of the few people in Rome who refused to cringe before Julius."
For almost the entire four years Michelangelo was shadowed by the brilliant young painter Raphael, who was working in fresco on the neighboring Papal apartments. This rivalry the Pope seemed to enjoy and encourage. To help us better understand the friction between these two great artists King introduces us to Edmund Burke's treatise on the sublime and the beautiful:
"For Burke, those things we call beautiful have the properties of smoothness, delicacy, softness of color, and elegance of movement. The sublime, on the other hand, comprehends the vast, the obscure, the powerful, the rugged, the difficult -- attributes which produce in the spectator a kind of astonished wonder and even terror. For the people of Rome in 1511, Raphael was beautiful but Michelangelo sublime."
For me, reading a book like Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling is the way to read history. Mr. King transported me back to those four years during which Michelangelo and Raphael created art both beautiful and sublime. I was there with and among the players, engrossed in the anecdotes King skillfully wove into his narrative. This is history -- up close and personal -- and yet far, far away from the pain, anguish, anger and turmoil that pervaded so much of the lives of Michelangelo, Pope Julius II, and Raphael. As I read, I learned, I felt, and I understood. Isn't that what reading is all about? I certainly could not ask for anything more.

As a chemical engineer by training and an amature historian by choice, I found King's book to be hard to put down. His explaination of the chemical aspects of creating a fresco were both poignant and detailed. Those explicit details were important in understanding the difficulty an artist faced in creating a fresco. I only wish more script was spent on detailing the mechanical problems in producing a fresco vs. a canvas painting. Nonetheless, the book was fascinating and would have appeal to a wide audiance. I "loved" it.

Jim Albus

Absolutely fascinating account of the Arab Revolt of World War I, and of the Mind of one of its orchestrators (that being TE Lawrence). I don't know much about WWI or II history but I'd recommend this as a great place to start. It has all the elements of a great war story -- strategies, battles, troop movements, intra-battling amongst Arab tribes, Arab history and culture, plus Lawrence's inner conflict about his knowledge that the Brits were merely using the Arabs as a pawn in the greater scheme of WWI. The relevance to modern times is staggering -- if we had not made the horrible mistakes we did then (not giving the Arabs the indepence they worked so hard for), the world would certainly be a better place today. Also, this book is beautifully written and contains absolutely wonderful descriptions of the Arabian terrain. My only criticism is that Lawrence tends sometimes to get a little too abstract and pontifical, but that's okay. Excellent work of literature in the form of a non-fiction memoir.

It's difficult to describe the experience of reading The Seven Pillars. It is by turns beautiful and ugly. It is military history. It is a subjective view provided by a man very much of his time. It is an apology and an excuse for the necessities of war. It is a portrait of a tribe that Lawrence came to respect and even love. It is a travel book about life in the desert at the time of writing. It is inevitably a mix of fact and history and fiction and probably at least a little bit of wishful thinking.

It's a pretty amazing book to read.

A few notes:

Before you read the book, do some quick background reading on the history that's involved. This will help avoid confustion.

Be prepared for a long read! It's not only a long book, it's an extremely dense book. The choppiness and frequent changes in tone make it hard to put on the reading cruise control.

Read it as a product of its time. Lawrence was a fascinating man, but not without his prejudices or faults.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom is fascinating from cover to cover. The book is on some levels Lawrence's study of himself as much as a history of the battles in which he was involved. He writes, "Any protestation of the truth from me was called modesty, self-depreciation. It always irritated me, this silly confusion of shyness, which was conduct, with modesty, which was a point of view... I was not modest, but ashamed of my awkwardness, of my physical envelope, of my solitary unlikeness which made me no companion, but an acquaintance, complete, angular, uncomfortable, as a crystal." This type of introspection is most uncommon in a military man.

Not a squeamish soldier, Lawrence was once forced into a situation in which he executed a murderer, and on another occasion he authorized "take no prisoners" after the Turks conducted one of their numerous brutal atrocities. But there were some things even Lawrence recognized as boundaries of civilized behavior best not transgressed. In the final chapters he explains why he thought better of his initial inclination to kill several petty warlords who were participating in and would in the future likely betray the Arab Revolt -- he did not want to teach his Arab followers that "precautionary murder" was a legitimate part of political struggle. One is left wondering what he would have to say about today's politicians who promote "preemptive defense" as a legitimate strategy and standing policy. At least Lawrence's terminology was far more honest and direct.

Everyone is familiar with those dolls within dolls within dolls that are so prevalent in historical Russian culture. This tale reminds one of such a set. There is the outer doll, the Soviet state in all its uncaring, soul-numbing, politically drenched stasis. Then there is the next doll, the Cancer Ward itself, a pitiful place where harried doctors and nurses attempt to attend to patients under the most primitive of conditions. Finally, the last doll is the group of individuals that stay at the Cancer Ward - their lives.

This is a story about hope - hope that one can survive the system, hope that the disease can be conquered, hope for a future with friends and the things one values. In his usual way, the author explores all facets of Soviet socity with a particular emphasis on the world he knows best - the world of the zek, the political prisoner. The reflections of Oleg and his determination to survive shine through the utterly gray and workout Soviet background. It is this dramatic accentuation that makes the word pictures so moving. For despite all the reasons to give up, he endures. This is a quiet novel but a deeply moving one, so different from the historical works that followed.

Having just finished reading it for the third time, I believe that Cancer Ward is a very fine novel, rich at many levels: in its depiction of Soviet provincial society in 1955, a poor society just emerging from Stalinism; in its portrayal of many separate characters (doctors, nurses, patients, hospital workers) in that society, many of whose lives have been permanently damaged by the terror and the GULAG, but in different ways; and, as I know from personal experience, in its depiction of the isolated world of the cancer patient, from which the rest of society is seen dimly, as though through dirty glass. In spite of all medical progress, the basics of this world have not changed much in 50 years: the core treatments are still surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, and the side effects both long and short term can still be brutal.

The ending of the book will disappoint those who want a happy ending, or just an ending with all the loose ends tied up. In real life, though, loose ends usually stay loose. My thought is that Solzhenitshyn intended the reader to understand that for the characters and the society who are so damaged by the past there can be no happy endings; the best they can hope for is to continue from day to day, grasping at whatever happiness briefly comes their way.

It's not as if the protagonist had only a disease to battle. He is also facing a culture, a souless state that seems to devour all who dwell within its guarded borders. What is fascinating is the world within a world within a world. First, there is the Soviet regime, then the Cancer Ward and finally the individuals within this ward - three concentric rings.

Solzhynetsin again provides the reader with an in-your-face portrayal of the Soviet state but his primary mission is the exploration of the humanity of people in distress. If there is one common theme it is universal hope - hope for freedom, hope for recovery, hope for the future.

Oleg stands out in all his suffering and good humor. His portrait, against a background of drab, cold, gray and utterly barren physical, emotional and spiritual landscapes, is a tour de force of sympathetic semi-autobiographical writing. Who can forget the pitiful state of Soviet medicine against the care of the nurses and doctors. Again, Solzhynetsin the storyteller and Solzhynetsin the seer unite in an unforgettable portrayal of Russia and Russians.

About twenty years ago I read Dorothy Sayers's translation of Dante's "Divine Comedy" with great pleasure, finding an awesome grandeur in Dante's progression from Hell through Purgatory to Heaven. When I decided to re-read the work, I found the poetry tortured and the references obscure. So I went comparison shopping, settling on Mark Musa's version. He created an excellent, free-flowing, poetic, and easily understandable translation of the three canticles of Dante's "Divine Comedy" for Penguin Classics.

In addition to the direct translation, Musa provides an introductory summary to each canto, detailed notes following each canto, a glossary of names in the back of each volume, and an introductory essay for each volume. The introduction to "Volume 1: Inferno" gives a thorough introduction to Dante and to his other works as well as to the Inferno. Following the introduction is a translator's note. The introductions to "Purgatory" and "Paradise" do not go over the extra information presented in "Inferno". It is useful to read all three of Dante's canticles in the Musa translation to get a complete, consistent presentation of the work. Musa does make reference in his notes to one volume to ideas or people presented in the others.

The notes are vital for almost everyone. The references to Biblical, classical, and medieval personalities, myths, time systems, theology, and events come frequently. Few people are up on the ins and outs of Guelf vs. Ghibelline in medieval Italian politics. Musa makes it all as clear as it needs to be.

Musa's version of "Inferno" italicizes the introductory summary before each canticle and retains the detailed, interesting mappings of Hell used in the Sayers edition.

Dante's poem is central to Western civilization. Allowing for some poetic necessities, it pulls classical and medieval history into the framework of Christian theology to show how God's love powers the universe, how people can exercise free will, and how God can help and reward those who trust in Him. It is very easy for the reader to ask how he or she would fare in the afterlife and how to go about finding a better outcome. Some sins are punished severely [like traitors frozen near Lucifer in the ice of the Cocytus lake], and some sins have varying outcomes [E.g., there are some sodomites running on the burning sand of Lower Hell forever and some having their sins burned way in the last stage of Purgatory before going to Paradise.]. Some loves are more blessed than others too. There is much to reflect on. Dante the Pilgrim, drawn by his love for Beatrice gets the full experience.

Reading "The Divine Comedy" is valuable in any translation; Musa's flies along, bringing his audience along with understanding.

This review for "Inferno" applies to "Purgatory" and "Paradise" as well, since the productions are so comparable.

My interest in classic literature did not arise until recently. I read many reviews which indicated that people with this such interest absolutely MUST read Dante's Inferno. With that hefty weight upon my "newbie" shoulders I decided to undergo the journey that so many others have made over the last 700 years.

As it turns out, Mark Musa's translation of Inferno is fantastic. Each chapter begins with a very brief but informative synopsis, followed by the prose, then finally capped off my Musa's notes on the text. Musa's notes give backgroud on all of the characters and situations that take place throughout the story. These notes are a MUST for any newcomer to Dante and classical literature in general. So, not only is there the original text in English for us non-Italian speakers, but there are notes to increase the readers comprehension.

Dante is guided by the author of the Aeneid, Virgil. Virgil takes Dante through the Nine Levels of Hell to show him the pain and suffering of all those who do not love and follow God. Dante learns a great deal on this journey as does the reader.

Mark Musa's translation of Dante is smooth, entertaining, and very informative. Anyone interested in Christianity, Hell, famous Greeks, and classical literature should definitely indulge themselves as this translation is not overwhelming in the slightest. Five stars across the board.

What is there to say about the Inferno itself? Given the sheer volume of references to this work in film, literature, and, indeed, every facet of western culture, anyone looking to understand deeply should read the Divine Comedy (but you can scrape by just reading the Inferno). The Musa translation is extremely accessible. I believe that anyone encountering it for the first time should use the Musa text. Beautiful, livid, and crystal clear.

Unfortunately, the only copy of The Count of Monte Cristo I could find was the unabridged version in my school library. At the time I was glad I was reading the short version, 1,500 pages seemed a little too overwhelming at the time. But after reading the short version, I found myself wanting more. I could tell when they cut stuff out and it drove me crazy, I kept wondering what I was missing.

I found myself wanting to read this book in the first place because I saw the commercials for the movie on t.v. (Which I know I'm not going to watch because they changed everything.) My mom told me it was a really good book so I checked it out. It took me a little bit to read because of school and chores. But once I picked it up I read 20 or 30 pages at a time. Sometimes more. Alexandre Dumas is a genius. His writing style is so unique. He draws a beautiful picture inside the readers head. All the characters in this book were multidimensional. I'm not used to seeing characters like that.

At the beginning of the book Edmond Dantes was leading a happy, perfect life. He was engaged to the woman he loved, Mercedes. He was going to become a captain. And he had wonderful friends. But before he knows it his wonderful life becomes nothing but misery and pain. Two of his so-called friends, blackmails him and he's thrown into a dank prison for being a Bonapartist. Over the long harsh years ahead of him he plots his revenge on the people who sent him there. . .

I'd love to tell you more, but there aren't enough words in the world to describe the impact this story had on me. I'll just give you a quick overview: This story is mostly about a man who gets revenge on those who made his happy life miserable. He slowly ruins their lives and they don't even realize it's him. No one recognizes him, except Mercedes, but she doesn't let him know for a long time. She becomes a very weak woman, who lives only for her son. But she still loves Edmond and I believe in some ways he still loves her. But he's a completely different person, then. He knows their time has passed.

This book is very well written and has all the elements of a good story. Romance, adventure, revenge, mystery...And anything else you can think of. I'm going to have a hard time reading a book after this one. Other books will pale in comparison, I'm sure. Someday, I'll read the abridged version, but not today. . . Maybe when I'm older and have enough patience and time to read the whole thing. This story will stay with me forever, even if I never read it again.

"The Count of Monte Cristo" is an intriguing tale of retribution. The complex and rivetting plot revolves around Edmond Dantes, a idealistic and principled young man who is unwittingly framed for a serious crime, and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. There he meets a man who will change his life...and point him towards freedom and his means of vengeance on those who have wronged him. Without a doubt, this novel is a masterpiece, attaining the balance of true symphony between justice and revenge. The characterization and atmosphere portrayed is rich enough to evoke anyone's imagination. Dumas' attention to detail adds to the ambiance and vivacity of the tale. As a fitting testament to it's nearly be rushed, rather savored. The unabridged version (875 pages) is a must, with its banquet of flavorful scenes - it is a full course meal for any hungry bookworm - the abridged version is merely a buttered cracker. "The Count of Monte Cristo" is one of my most treasured novel and, without hesitation, by far the best book I have ever read! I stand by this opinion so ardently, that I always keep extra copies of it in my bookshelf, in case I meet with someone who will really appreciate it. Avid readers, enjoy!

The Count of Monte Cristo is an amazing story filled with action, betrayal, romance, and vengeance. Edmond Dantes is a young sailor who has everything he needs in life. He has a wife and a large amount of money to start a family. He is betrayed by his friends and sent to the dreaded Chateau d'If, and is imprisoned for life. Edmond thinks his life is over, so he swears vengeance to all who betrayed him. Edmond makes a miraculous escape and puts his plans into motion. He is determined to gain vengeance and nothing thrown in his way will stop him. He adopts the name Count of Monte Cristo and becomes friends with the ones who betrayed him. He gains his vengeance slowly by revealing little secrets about each of them, while revealing nothing at all about him. This is a story of a man who was wrongfully accused, and was able to escape and return the favor to his friends. The Count of Monte Cristo is an amazing book by Alexandre Dumas, and it is also one of his best.

It took me three tries before I was able to get through the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy. On my third, successful, attempt, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the second two books. The first book is my least favorite of the three, probably because Kristin's fatalism, so believable when she is unmarried and "shamed", and during her later life when she is forced to confront so many trials, doesn't make sense (to me at least) when she is a happy and beautiful teenager of good family, with a doting father, etc., etc. The second two books were wonderful: well-written, good characterization, good plot. Through all three books I was struck by Undset's eye for tiny details. (The only one that comes to mind right now is when she is a little girl and her father is encouraging her to eat by pinching bred into the shape of horses, putting a piece of meat on their back for the rider, and trotting them across his leg to her mouth.) It took me a while to get into the Kristin books, but when I did, I liked them a lot.

I now find myself re-reading the trilogy by Undset and am now reading the final book, The Cross. I have several questions, though, that even in this, probably my third reading, still persist. Does anyone know if there is a Kristin Lavransdatter message board where people can discuss this complex work? Despite some puzzlement, though, I must say the three books are riveting to me, just as they were when I first read them as a teenager, then again as a young wife and mother, and now as a grandmother. The richness of the plot, the superb characterization, the unfolding of a passionate but doomed and troubled relationship, the profound evocation of another time and place--one can understand why Undset won a Nobel Prize. I would recommend this trilogy to anyone who enjoys rich, beautifully written and complex books, even if certain events and references remain a puzzle to you, as they do to me!

I picked this trilogy up because (a) I had never heard of it and (b) I was astonished to note that it had been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. It had to be worth a try. And what a gem it is - a detailed and historically accurate picture of life in 14th Century Norway, complete with a fesity herione, hulking men and the entire range of human emotions in all their glory.

The novel begins with our hero Kristin bathing in the love of her parents in living in the comfort of a wealthy home. As she grows, she finds herself completely in love, and against the wishes of her parents and her betrothed (another far more suitable man) pursues and secures the man of her dreams. But of course we must be careful what we wish for, and the novels take us through the trials and tribulations of life with someone you love, but are not necessarily suited to.

This is a rich and detailed novel, that is not always to read, but at time it was so powerful that it reduced me to tears. You become completely involved in the character's lives, and in the end this gives you a real sense of satisfaction in your reading.

It certtainly is a different book, and one which is well worth your time.

This is one of the better books that I have ever read. Just the right length too; it is 276 pages long and has twenty-six chapters in it. The book is great because it is very suspensful and has a lot of action; there is gore in this book too, but what can you expect from a book about a war. Some of the gore of course, happens when Henry's bomber "Out of the Blue" gets shot down. (page 36) "Then a pilot's body slammed into the glass window below the cockpit where Fred and Paul were crouched. 'God Almighty' Paul sobbed over the intercom. 'That guy's eyes were open. he looked right at me.'" And then on page 40, "Glass shattered. A scream of pain came from the bombadier's compartment below. 'God, oh God,' Paul cried out over th itercom. 'Fred's hit! There's blood everywhere! Oh, God.' Other cries of agony shrieked through the intercom"
Its kind of hard to find a theme in this book, but I think that it would be that there's no place like home. I think this because through out the whole story Henry keeps thinking of home, like his mother's cooking, or his father's stern ways, or Patsy. At this point in time this doesn't really relate to me because I live at home.
I would recomend this book because it is a fairly easy read and like i said it has a lot of action. Although this book ins't for the faint of heart.

This book is about a young American boy who is the co-pilot to one of the American bomber planes back during World War II. His name is Henry Forester. On his 15th mission Henry's plane is shot down over what he believes is France. Henry then begins a long journey through Europe during a very difficult time. This book is an excellent book. Being from a shot-down pilot point-of-view is new and different. That it is written for teenagers also differentiates it. This book shows what happens when an American pilot gets shot down and how hard it is for him to survive in countries who hate Americans. Unlike some books, it doesn't glorify war, it shows how dangerous and terrifying war actually is and how everyone is affected by it. This book is great for all ages but the very young. I thought this book was full of excitement and adventure.

This was a very quick and enjoyable read, even if directed towards younger readers. At times, it even brought me to tears. A good portrayal of the hardships and risks that were taken by so many during the Nazi occupation of Europe to help get our soldiers back home from behind enemy lines. Henry was lucky. He came home. Take a moment to think about all those who didn't. This should be required reading for all of those who take our everyday freedoms for granted. It should make us all think about how fortunate we are to enjoy the freedom we have.