history

Churchill probably ranks as one of the most enigmatic world leaders of the century: bordering on manic-depressive, at once reckless and calculating, egotistical and completely convinced of his own place in history, Churchill seems to defy definitive analysis. But William Manchester makes the best attempt yet. His biography is readable and entertaining as well as profound in its analysis. He brings a wide range of tools, deftly handled, to the work: psychology, history, political and military sciences, and sensitive cultural understanding. With refreshing penetration, he re-examines critical successes and failures, such as the Dardanelles, the invasion of Norway, and the evacuation from Dunkirk. Manchester writes with critical compassion, and rarely excuses Winston's faults without providing evidence. The prose is, if mildly archaic like Winston's own, heroic and rolling. It is a book that will be greatly enjoyed by those who love William Shirer's "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" and similar historical works which challenge a wide range of intellectual faculties

William Manchester (1922 - ), one of the GI generation's finest writers, has written about everything from the Kennedys to acid-tongued reporter H.L. Mencken. But in this book he presents his greatest work - a superb biography about one of the twentieth century's greatest heroes - Sir Winston Churchill. This volume, which includes the first fifty years of Churchill's crowded life, is written with a Victorian style and passion for adventure that Churchill himself would have admired. (What other biography uses the word "Array", instead of "Table of Contents", to list the chapter headings)? Churchill's life does read like something out of a Hollywood script - he was the scion of one of England's most prominent families - his father was a member of Parliament and could have become Prime Minister, had he not developed syphillis, which eventually drove him mad and killed him at an early age. He was often cruel to his son Winston, harshly criticizing even his smallest mistakes. His beautiful American-born mother had extramarital affairs with many handsome men, including the King of England. Largely ignored by his wealthy and famous parents, Churchill was a "problem child" in his youth, and was expelled from several boys' schools until he made a career in the British military. He fought in a number of small but bloody wars in Britian's colonies in Africa and India, and he often was in the thick of the fighting, recklessly exposing himself to bullets and cannon fire. In the Boer War in South Africa in the late 1890's he was captured by enemy forces and placed in a prisoner-of-war camp, but made a daring escape and returned safely to his own forces. Elected to Parliament at the age of 25, he quickly moved up the political ladder, even changing political parties when it suited him. By World War One he was the head of the British Navy, but here things began to go wrong. In 1915 he proposed to invade and conquer Turkey, a German ally, thus knocking it out of the war and allowing the Allied forces to attack Austria and Germany from the south. The plan was sound, but the invasion was so bungled by incompetent British generals and admirals that it was a total failure, and Churchill was forced to take the blame and resign in disgrace. He then spent some time as a military commander in the front lines in France, and in the 1920's enjoyed something of a political comeback as the Chancellor of the Exchequer (a position similar to our Secretary of the Treasury). However, his poor handling of Britain's economic woes led him to fall out of favor, and by the end of the book in 1932 Churchill is an outsider in Parliament, with little real power or influence. Yet this book is far more than a simple biography. True to form, Manchester offers an engrossing account of the Victorian era that Churchill grew up in - the glories of the British Empire, the racist "raj" system in British-ruled India (where white Englishmen were encouraged by hotel signs "not to beat their (Indian) servants" in the hotel lobby); the terrible conditions which Britain's poor lived under; and the peculiar social mores and customs of the British upper class to which Churchill so proudly belonged. Although Manchester clearly admires Churchill (and who couldn't, after reading this book), he isn't afraid to note that in many ways Churchill was a very flawed man, and must have been difficult to live with. An open snob, Churchill had all of the prejudices of his class - he treated his servants poorly, insulted his secretaries and others who couldn't keep up with him mentally or verbally, disliked strong women and wasn't above making chauvanistic remarks about them in public, and he had a huge ego and seemed to think that the rest of the world revolved around him and his needs. And, while he expressed sympathy for the lower classes, he regarded Britain's middle class with aristocratic disdain, this despite the fact that they paid most of the nation's bills and taxes. Yet his genius, as Manchester copiously notes, was genuine - his brilliant skills as a writer and orator, his political and personal courage, his genuine committment to personal freedom and liberty, all these and more made him one of the great historical leaders of all time. Quite simply, not only is this Mr. Manchester's finest work (out of many), but it reads more like great literature than a simple biography - "The Last Lion" is a larger-than-life book about a larger-than-life man. My only regret is that due to his recent stroke Mr. Manchester will not be able to complete this series - a real tragedy for anyone who loves great biography.

Manchester's work is extraordinary and a journey into the making of a great leader of the world that was the 20th century.

Churchill was a man of vision and he was molded in his early years. Manchester makes a case for his growth coming in the Boar War period.

There is a beginning of greatness. Manchester introduces us to the world that formed this great man.

I was 13 when I first read Angelique - marquise des anges, it was 10 years ago. I knew the movies from TV, but I always could see only the last ones and never knew, what the first parts had been about. When I saw the book in store, I thought: OK, I have to buy it and finally know the beginning. So I did it and fell in love with Angelique. Since then, I purchased every sequel of this fascinating novel. And after seeing all movies, I was lost for years. Most of my leisure time I lived in 17th century and was a great lady at the Court of Louis XIV. I was decided to see Paris and Versailles and when my dream came true and I visited France, I couldn't do anything but to more fall in love with this country. Angelique had a very big influence on my life - I started do study French (but still know only basic words and sentences) and was interested in everything connected with France. After readind the last book in the series - The Victory of Angelique, I was sad because of end. I re-read the whole serie many times and wanted it to continue. And it seems my another dream will come true - I found out Anne Golon was writting one or two more sequels! I am sorry of English readers not having the last three books, because they are worth it. Is there any way I could help them? PS: If you love Angelique, then you MUST read a book "Catherine" written by Juliette Benzoni, another great French writer. It is the only book better than Angelique.

My father and I used to fight over who could read the latest Angelique book first when I was 14 and 15. My poor elder sister had to wait her turn after either of us were through. My father and I liked the series so much, we made sure we gave each other Angelique books as birthday dan x-mas presents. I'm Indonesian, and in the late 60s and early 70s imported books were hard to come by. Our family used to buy up indiscriminately any book we found in English. As it is, it's only after I opened Amazon.com that I've found out there were more than nine Angelique books in all. I've read the first seven over and over again, but have never seen "The Jesuit Trap" nor "Gold Beard's Downfall". "The Marquise of the Angels" is positively my most favourite book in all my reading life. Unfortunately, somebody borrowed my copy many, many years ago, and I've never found a replacement. I wrote to Pan Books, I rummage through second-hand book carts wherever I find them, all to no avail. The Angelique character, to my mind, is a proto-feminist. She never yielded to feminine stereotyping, and always did her 'own thing', regardless of society's disapproval. I do believe that her character made a huge impact on myself. The other outstanding book in the series is "Angelique and the Sultan" in which there are great passages comparing Islamic and western philosophy. In this age of misunderstanding in the west about Islam, I think reprinting this one particular book would be an enormous contribution to the discussion. There are other passages in "Angelique in Love" quoted by Joffrey de Peyrac which shows diligent research by Serge and Anne Golon on comparative religion, albeit still stilted towards western Christian argument. Nevertheless, seldom since have I come across such a good read which provides me with instant philosophical discourse and a crash course in French history all at the same time. I'm excited to discover that others have found the series as captivating for them as they were for me. I agree that a publisher would do well to have the series reprinted.

In my early teens I came across the Angelique-series in Germany. Fortunately, I was able to read the entire series, as it was published in German up until the very last book. The first books, until book 6 or so, I reread about 14 times over the course of approx. 10 years. It became my tradition to read the series at least once a year!
The final ending was a bit strange, but nevertheless a positive one. Does anyone need to know how it ended? Write me.

Fourteen year-old Anetka Kaminska lives in Russia with her grandmother and her brother Joseph, and her father is a coal miner living in Pennsylvania. Anetka is eagerly anticipating his return when, to her shock, they get a letter with steamship tickets in it. Mr. Kaminska wants her to come to America so she can marry!
She doesn't want to leave, but she has to obey her father. Anetka, Joseph, and a private named Leon Nasvich travel to America and join Anetka's father.
Anetka quickly learns that married life is much harder than she anticipated, and with the coal miner's union in full swing, Anetka finds it hard to care for her new husband and his three daughters.
And when her husband is killed in a mining accident, will Anetka be brave enough to provide for her daughters and pay off the debt at the same time?
Find out in this exciting book!

I liked this book right from the start. It's so interesting! I was almost gad when Anetka's husband died so she would be free to marry Leon Nasvich.
The three little girls sound so cute. And Anetka could do so many things! Make bag balm, make soap, etc. Compared to her, I can do literally nothing! 
This book is tops. Get it, read it, love it, you won't regret it.

I LOVE this book! The best love story I've ever read! I was so touched, so mesmerized! I could NEVER put this book down! Anetka is a normal girl living in war-torn Poland, dealing w/ an annoying soldier, her incredibly bratty brother and every thing else that 19th century girls had to deal w/. Well, then her father writes her a letter, enclosing 3 boat tickets to America, Tata (her father) has found her a husband in the coal fields! As you could imagiane, Anetka is pretty upset. (who wouldn't be?) The day comes when Anetka, her brother and her grandmother need to leave for America. Babcia (grandma) gives her ticket to the private, Leon Nashevich, saying that she has lived her whole life in Poland and would never leave. So on the boat ride over, the waves get pretty rough between Leon and Anetka. Once at Ellis Island, Leon is taken away and Anetka and Josef go on to the coal fields w/o him. 4th of July comes and Anetka meets her fiance'. What is he like? Well, read the book and find out! You'll be happy you did! I'll be reading this book again and again. A MUST READ!!

I really loved this book. It is very interesting and educational. There is not much more I can say because so many good and truthful things have already been said about the book. I will say though, that the story is amazing and captivating, and that this book is good for all ages to read. I read it first at age 10 and understood it perfectly. I have now read it over again for the second time (at age 13) and still find it as awsome as the first time I read it. It is an easy book to read and understand that it almost surprises you that the main charachter has so much wisdom.
I reccomend this book to anyone that loves histroical fiction.

This story is about the great ship Titanic. Of course we've all heard of it! Meet Elizabeth and Max, from first class and then Irish Kathleen (Katie), Brian, and Patrick (Paddy). It tells about the days before, during, and after the sinking. Elizabeth Farr wants to go to college but her parents are determined for her to marry a boring banker. Max Whittaker betrayed his parents and went to Paris to study art, now his Grandmother is providing him with a 1st class ticket so he can get back to America. Katie wants to follow her dream of singing in the Us. Her parents bought her the 3rd class ticket for her birthday. She is traveling with two men, who are brothers, Paddy, and Brian. There is a lot of romance. But then the ship starts to sink. It's discribed so well I felt like I was there! You can see the horror these poor people felt. AMAZING! But I think the ending, though not to perfect, was a little too happy. And I'm tired how in most books the women get in the lifeboats. Yes, most did, but still can't they have one that has to survive not in a lifeboat, like Max did in this story? Oh well.

TITANIC: THE LONG NIGHT by Diane Hoh is a great fictional account of the Titanic disaster through the stories of five fictional teenagers on the doomed ocean liner. Elizabeth Farr is in first class. She is trying to escape both her debut into society and an impending marriage to a wealthy, older man she doesn't love, and to persuade her parents to allow her to go to college. Also in first class is Max Whittaker. Max defied his wealthy parents by travelling to Paris to study art. Now poor, he is only able to travel first class on the Titanic because his wealthy grandmother sent him the ticket. In third class is Katie Hanrahan, a 16 year old Irish girl dreaming of becoming a singer in New York. Katie has left her family and her small village to build a new life for herself. Also in third class are two brothers, Brian and Patrick Kelleher. They also dream of a new life in America. During the voyage, Elizabeth falls in love with Max, and is now more dertermined then ever to break off her engagement to the man she does not care for. Katie falls in love with Patrick, only Patrick is afraid to return her feelings, as he believes that Katie loves his brother Brian. It takes the sinking of the Titanic for true feelings to be revealed. But is it too late? Who will survive? Will Elizabeth, Max, Patrick, Brian, and Katie be among those who get out alive? READ THIS BOOK TO FIND OUT!

I first read this book when I was in sixth grade, a little after the time the film came out. I read it within a day, and it became my favorite book.
Right now I'm a junior in high school, and today I picked it up again. I remember why I loved it so much. The characters are amusing, the plots are captivating and the romance between Elizabeth Farr and Max Whittaker is extremely enjoyable. We all know what happens to the Titanic, but we dont know what will happen to these 5 teenagers that the book focuses on.
If there has to be a main character Elizabeth is clearly it, having the prolouge being written about her, and the most space in the book about her. She is a likeable character, spoiled but passionate and headstrong. We sympathize with her struggle to convince her parents to let her go to college instead of marrying a boring banker 10 years her senior.
She meets Max Whittaker, a poor painter with rich parents who have disowned him. I suppose there's a sort of Jack Dawson feel to him, but I fell in love with this character more than Titanic's Jack. Elizabeth immediatly makes the mistake of directing him to third class when he is actually in first class, just like her. Thus the romance begins, Max teasing her-Elizabeth going from hating him to becoming jealous of him and his onboard friend Lily.
In third class, Kathleen Hanrahan is traveling from Ireland to America to pursue a singing career. She's accompanied by Brian Kelleher and his brother Paddy. Although she is more like Brian, she suddenly becomes attracted to(and horrified because of it) rascal lady-killer Paddy.
Even more interesting, is that Kathleen and Elizabeth cross paths a few times somehow knowing or sympathizing each other.
Obviously with the Titanic sinking, there's alot of suspense and drama- which only makes the romances better. I really couldn't put down this book! Max and Elizabeth make a great couple and Kathleen and Paddy (almost) equally so. Even at sixteen it makes you wish 'if only romance today could be like this'.

My introduction to Robert Massie came when I first picked up a copy of Nicholas and Alexandra last Spring. Frankly I was expecting a serious history book-- In other words I expected it to be dry, dry, dry! What a great surprise to find I could not put it down. Having that great experience made it a no-brainer to read Peter the Great as well-- it was even better.

Massie's gift is in his ability to write history in a narrative style, identifying the nuances of each setting and character as well as the heros and antagonists, all while maintaining historical accuracy. No wonder we find that Massie's works have been converted into both film and mini-series.

His account of the succession of Peter to Regent Sophia's intrigues is heart stopping. You see directly into the private and public life of this unique Tsar who attempted to drag Russia into the modern era- The good the bad and the ugly. It is simply great stuff!

If you are interested in Russia, start out with Peter the Great and go on to Nicholas and Alexandra. These are both excellent books!

The Greatest Russian

Peter the Great was a giant. He embodied all that was Russia and aspired too many of the things Russia would later become. As a young man he had learned much about Russia's long and storied history. As Tsar he embarked on unrelenting campaigns against all of Russia's neighbors and forged a modern empire.

Massie's Biography of this seminal leader is the standard on the subject. It explored every facet of Peter's long life; his relations with family, his military genius, his ambitions, his fears, his obsessions and his weaknesses. Successive chapters detail the Northern war, the Wars with the Ottomans, the wars in Europe proper, and the final campaign along the coast of the Caspian.

In his life Peter 'Piervui' redeemed the Russians at the battle of Poltava and thus set the foundations for the building of Peters 'window on Europe', the city on the Neva named after his saint, St. Petersburg. The brilliant writer, Massie, delivers a tour de force in describing the building of Peter's northern capital.

Massie also looks into the dual personality of Peter, his obsession with Europe and his own inward struggles with his weak son. Massie examines relations with both the Ottoman east and the European West. Peter in his life looked forward to a vast Russian empire, one that would one day stretch the length of the continent and on which the 'sun would never set'. Peter dreamed of a world class navy operating from the Baltic to the Mediterranean. He dreamed of liberating the Christians of the Caucasus and Balkans and saw a role for Russia in Europe, all dreams that would be realized by successors like Catherine the Great.

A brilliant book, an epic of detail and flavor!

I've always been a great reader of novels, but reading this book a couple of years ago has made me into a reader of history. Massie has a grand subject -- Peter opened a long-sleeping Russia to the West, founded St. Petersburg (a beautiful city built, somewhat like Venice, basically on a body of water) and fought many wars. People must have kept great diaries back then because Massie is able to recreate events at court and battles from multiple points of view, lending the book a novelistic richness. Equally impressive, since the book is as much about Peter's times as it is about him, Massie pauses to include mini-essays about the many places and types of things that Peter the polymath was involved in. So you get a brief sketch of the Netherlands at the time, or about popular torture techniques of the day, that don't break up the overall narrative flow. It's a long book but a great read

This is the Holy Grail for Far Side fans; a two-volume, leatherbound, slipcase edition of every single Far Side strip ever produced, including ones that were never anthologized. It carries a hefty price tag, but this should not be an issue for a true Larson fan; the price of admission pales in comparison to the endless amount of humor and satisfaction that one will get time and time again. The Far Side never gets old, and it's like having a long-lost friend come back.
The pages are thick and glossy and extremely well-bound; it's like an encyclopedia, only with a lot more relevant information and more interesting pictures. Organized chronologically and with a two-page cartoon introducing the year, the Complete Far Side shows the progression of Larson's humor and the transformation of the public reaction to his cartoons (this is done with various letters from editors and such, though not in a way that mimics The Pre-History of the Far Side). Some of the strips are presented in color, something that will perhaps be seen as a disappointment to some, but to the majority it is nothing short of a bonus; most of these that are in color have been previously anthologized in black and white.
I personally find Steve Martin's introduction to be a brilliant homage to Gary Larson, and the comments from Larson's editor prove to be tongue-in-cheek moments where one who truly "gets" The Far Side can laugh at the ignorant masses.
This is the centerpiece of my library now, and while it is somewhat bulky, when it's in your lap or on the table, the ten pounds per book seems irrelevant when you realize the sheer scope of what you have in your hands.
And if you ever visit the Midvale School for the Gifted...pull, don't push.

The first thing you notice about The Complete Far Side is its weight. This is a heavy item. (...) Even the slipcase is made of some super-industrial-strength cardboard, because a regular thickness just wouldn't be up to the task of housing the two absolutely massive bound volumes within.

You really can't imagine how big and heavy this thing is. Get a rough estimate in your mind. Now double it. Good, you're getting close. (...)P>The second thing you notice is quality. Everything from the full-color pages (even when the comics are in black-and-white) to the cloth binding with gold embossing, to the full-color plates decorating the outside of the slipcase shouts "We are the nicest-looking books you will ever own."Even if the contents were the Detroit Yellow Pages, these books would still be a pleasure just to look at and feel. Fortunately, the contents are a long way better than the Yellow Pages. And that brings us to the third thing you'll notice: the absolute, pure, unalloyed genius of Gary Larson. You get every Far Side ever published along with a heap that never have been. Lots of old comics I remembered as being in black and white, are redone in color here. Plus you get several meaty essays by Gary Larson himself, that add even more context to the Far Side phenomenon.

But the best part of The Complete Far Side may not even be Larson's work -- rather, it's the exhaustive documentation of people's reaction to it. Every time some nutjob with too much time on his hands wrote an angry letter to the newspaper complaining about a Far Side, that letter is reproduced here next to the panel in question. Often, the syndicate's response is included as well.

People who complain that they've already read, and bought, many of the comics in this compendium are missing the point. This is the book equivalent of a DVD Ultimate Edition. No, it's better than that. This is more than a bunch of comics; it's a historical record of an artist's life's work and the impact it had on the world around him. This is a work of art that you will keep in your family and hand down through the generations, unless you sell it on Ebay in a few years for five times its current price. It's the highest-quality version possible of one of the highest-quality comics ever created.

Ultimately, I can say only this: the Complete Far Side belongs in the collection of anyone who loves books. Or humor itself. Or weiner dogs. Cows. Primates. Scientists. Insects. Grannies in those pointy glasses. Dinosaurs...

Hey, OK for the superb quality of the cartoons (of course!), the equally superb quality of the edition, and the weight! But the Larson's introductions and commentaries are on the level too! And the faithful facsimile reproduction of some hate mail make those letters almost as FarSidish as the cartoons themselves (and tell more about their writers, than about the Far Side). Unique stuff, sold out of course (my librarian in Brussels could lay hands on three copies, not one single more). Far Side fans who already own the regular paperback editions plus the "Far Side Prehistory" won't have the idea of having spent too much money, because of the 1,100 cartoons not published in book form previously. Yeehaaaaa!

Fans of Civil War literature who are weary of reading the many books out there about major military leaders and their campaigns, battles, weapons, tactics and strategies will discover something of great value in "Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War." The author, Howard Bahr, applies his narrative skills to a haunting and memorable depiction of the slaughter and carnage of war and its harrowing effects on the common soldier. We briefly discover Bushrod Carter, a 26-year old Confederate soldier from Mississippi and his "pards" preparing for the 1864 Battle of Franklin, Tennessee and then find them again after the battle is over, changed forever. Descriptions of the horrors of war, the wounded and their medical treatment, the nightmare scenes in the plantation house commandeered as a hospital, the tragedies of the lives affected, all serve to make "Black Flower" a most powerful and emotional novel

This book is sheer poetry masquerading as a Civil War novel. No matter how gruesome the subject matter of the moment, Howard Bahr manages to take it beyond your mind and into your heart -- you understand what he's writing with your soul. His description of the army as a living breathing entity unto itself as it goes into battle, is masterful and helps those of us who have never experienced battle to have an inkling of what makes normal men able to fight and kill. The interactions involving Bushrod and the other characters who have such a strong effect on his life are beautiful and touching. The Black Flower truly brings the horrors of war and death to life, you can virtually feel the characters' pain and smell the smells that surround them. But the beauty of the writer's language pulls the reader on and on no matter what the horrors may be. You care so much about these characters that you must go on. This book will be right up there on the top of my all time list of recommended favorites. If I could give it higher rating than a ten I would.

This novel, centering around Hood's petulant attack at Franklin is, at once, depressing and uplifting. The depression comes from the futility of the battle while the uplifting comes from the spirit of the American soldier and his willingness to endure despite the hardships he must encounter. This book is worth the read, if only to understand somewhat the ultimate weariness that comes from protracted hardship and war.

Rifles for Watie is an excellent book. I never realized that there was so much going on in the Civil war. I first read this book in 5th grade and I loved it. Rifles for Watie is a facinating book about a boy called Jeff who joins up in the army and gets more than he expected! He is a infantry man, a cavalier, a cannonier for two hours and a spy.While Jeff is a spy he finds out that his enemy ,the confederates, are not a bad bunch. He falls in love with a girl called Lucy and she wants him to join the confederates. Will Jeff stay with the Unions or will he betray them to join the confederates?
In all I have given Rifles for Watie for it is exciting and full of adventure. It has deserved the newberry award. If you haven't read it yet then I would recommend you go to the libary or to a book store and read it!!! But be warned once you red this you will not stop until the end!!! --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Rifles for Watie is an excellent book. I never realized that there was so much going on in the Civil war. I first read this book in 5th grade and I loved it. Rifles for Watie is a facinating book about a boy called Jeff who joins up in the army and gets more than he expected! He is a infantry man, a cavalier, a cannonier for two hours and a spy.While Jeff is a spy he finds out that his enemy ,the confederates, are not a bad bunch. He falls in love with a girl called Lucy and she wants him to join the confederates. Will Jeff stay with the Unions or will he betray them to join the confederates?
In all I have given Rifles for Watie for it is exciting and full of adventure. It has deserved the newberry award. If you haven't read it yet then I would recommend you go to the libary or to a book store and read it!!! But be warned once you red this you will not stop until the end!!!

I really enjoy this book but, I'm not leaving it at that.I think this book should and could be made into a film.It's got all the ingredients.A young man called Jeff in his teens(I'm about his age actually)who goes off to war to fight for his homeland for the Union.(same old story right?)EXCEPT about halfway through the book he joins the Rebel side.Which ideals are best for fighting a war? Help keep the union together and get rid of slavery or fight to help save the cherokee indians lands fighting under conel Watie of the confederete army? Sounds pretty good doesn't it? Heroic battles where Jeff is pitted agains't Rebels in pitched battles including a time where he gets a medal for bravery.Deadly skirmishes(that really give the story it's excitment)often by suprise from the enemy.Jeff meets and loses friends on both sides that are each nice in their own way.Both sides have very different ways they fight the war.A captivating cherokee girl(totally a rebel) named Lucy meet and come to love each other utterly despite their differances.
I have given only a few of the points that would make this book a good movie.I don't have room to write more.I guess it could be rated PG-13 for battle sequences but not for other lewd content thats not in the book.I hope in to it in theaters in a few years!(I think Peter Jackson could do a good job seeing how he did Lord of the Rings so well.

Massie's work is very readable; more like a novel than a biography. There were times I couldn't believe some of the intimate details could be real, for how would Massie know? But at the back of the book he has extensive notes indicating the sources for all the details including diaries and memoirs. I thought Massie did an excellent job illustrating the roots of World War I, especially the relationship between Nicholas and Kaiser William II. Also excellent was the way he makes the enigma of Rasputin understandable and how he reconciles the public disfavor and lack of understanding of the tsar and his wife with their noble intentions with the good of Russia in mind. In reading history it is easy to imagine that the participants were ignorant or oblivious to larger trends that would envelop them, especially in light of subsequent historical events. Massie's story brilliantly sheds light on the story of the last tsar such that the reader can genuinely understand the motivations of most of the participants. Very enlightening reading. I strongly recommend the book for anyone interested in Russian history or just looking for a readable story.

The story of the last of the Romanovs is one that still keeps audiences interested, whether the focus is the revolution or the Mad Monk. This is the last gasp of old style royalty that the 20th Century was to experience and despite Massie's tendency to somewhat romanticize his subjects, the domestic tribulations of Nicholas and Alexandra make an interesting and illustrative foil for the civil strife that was going on outside the palace. It is fascinating to read some of the anecdotes recounted in this book that show the Tsar and his family to be, in many ways, an ordinary family, yet at the same time probably the wealththiest family in the world at the time. The dispair and extreme poverty of Russian peasantry is very lightly treated here, but then, this is the Romanov's story and like royalty everywhere and at all times, they were isolated from direct confrontation with unpleasant sights and sounds.

Whatever else, this is a great story - of love, family tragedy, political blundering, inepept military decisions, court intrigue, conspicuous consumption, religious meddling, hypocracy, self deception, and hope - all part of the opening act of the new century. The old world of Tsarist glitter passes and the new world of Bolshevik drabness begins - and Nicholas and Alexandra are, with their family, caught in the middle.

"Nicholas and Alexandra" is a fantastic history book that I can thoroughly recommend to all readers. The book is truly "unputdownable" and if it were not a history book, it could almost have read as a novel.

The end of the Romanov dynasty is a work of tragedy. Here we have this closely bound intimate family playing out a drama against the backdrop of the First World War and the Russian Revolution. Yet tragedy almost becomes farce when the role of Rasputin is considered. The Czarina is quite spellbound by the man despite the damage that his decisions have for the family and the dynasty.

In "Nicholas and Alexandra", we see the unfolding of the downfall of autocracy which, in due course, would have been inevitable. The First World War simply accelerated the process. Yet while we should shed no tears for the fall of autocrats, the rise of an even more vile autocracy under Lenin heaps tragedy upon tragedy. The history of modern Russia is tragedy writ large.

Robert K Massie covers the events leading to the execution of the royal family in great detail but without ever deluging the reader with arcane facts that detract from the picture that he paints. The end result is a work of substance and colour.

I emphatically recommend this book to all readers of modern history. Robert K Massie has excelled!

My Family and Other Animals is a bare-bones story in terms of plot. The Durrell family goes to Corfu, lives through what could be termed as a soap opera, and leaves. It's humourous, but not particularly challenging.

However, the older Gerald Durrell utilises vivid vocabulary over and over when describing the setting and people of Corfu. Fifteen-letter words that paint a crystalline picture are used frequently, relieving the never-ending roller coaster that is the life of the Durrells.

Overall, this is a highly entertaining book that will keep you engaged for the week or so that you will spend reading it every spare second you have.

I cannot remember when I enjoyed reading a book so much as this one. It is about the five years the author (Lawrence Durrell's younger brother) spent living on the island of Corfu as a youngster and budding naturalist. It is full of anecdotes about collecting animals and about the family that delight the heart and tickle the funnybone. His collection of animals includes snakes, birds, furry things. There is a collection of dogs with peculiar names. Theodore Stephanides, a real life person, a doctor who helps Gerald organize his collection in more or less scientific fashion, figures in some of Lawrence Durrell's writings. He was apparently a wonderful and possibly brilliant person. Concerned over the young boy's education, or lack of it, his mother sends him a few times a week to the Belgian consul, who tries to teach him French by reading out of the dictionary, starting with ''A''. Of course he learns no French. The consul spends most of the lesson time shooting mangy cats on neighboring roofs. This is not an act of cruelty: the town is overpopulated by cats and they are mostly ill and dying and spreading disease. Then Mother sends him to a British person with a Slavic surname for lessons in just about everything. This strange looking man has a collection of rare birds and a mother who never leaves her bed but has wonderful fantasies about her own lost beauty. Older brother Lawrence is, of course, a writer still learning his craft. Leslie is the gun expert who builds the youngster a strange boat for use in collecting marine specimens. Margo is the sister who cares for little in life but how she looks in a bathing suit. Spiro is a hefty Greek with a big belly who drives the family around in his car and helps them in unexpected ways, even getting them out of innocent scrapes with police and customs officials. The mother is a marvelously sensible English lady who behaves very properly and cooks up a storm, almost constantly. The author's language and style are elegant, and one gets the sense of looking at the world through the wondering eyes of a young boy, but always with the idea that behind him there is the mature and accomplished writer. Yes, reading this one again next week would not be a bad idea.

After reading Gerald Durrell at school (it was probably "Menagerie Manor"), I was put off reading his books for over 10 years. One of my friends recommended this as a wonderfully cute book about how a young boy perceives the world and his eccentric family and after hearing descriptions of Larry, the (then) aspiring novelist, acne-ridden Margo and gun-obsessed Leslie, how could I resist? It is a beautifully written book of short stories chronicling Durrell's magical childhood in Corfu, with a kaleidoscope of characters ranging from the human to the animal, all drawn with great affection. The stories are often hilarious and this is definitely one you will want to read again. And for those who are put off by too many descriptions of animals, the descriptions here aren't too long (and they are described charmingly, with Durrell attributing human characteristics which are very amusing) and most of the book focuses on his family. Sequels are "Birds, Beasts and Relatives" and "Garden of the Gods".