Fiction Literature Books

If you like your history lite then I, Claudius is your book. Written as an autobiography of the life of Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, who became Emperor of Rome in 41 A.D., I, Claudius is actually historical fiction. As such, there seems to be no way to measure the accuracy of the accounts given in this first part of Graves's two-part series.

Nevertheless, I, Claudius is interesting - it reads like a novel - and reveals the sordid details of the lives and times of the Royal family from Augustus until the time when Claudius ascended to the throne.

I hate to be the one bad apple in the bunch, but to be honest, I was expecting great things from this book given all of the fabulous reviews. Perhaps because I've been pampered with books like Philippa Greggory's THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL or THE RED TENT, I expected a read that would be quick, with snappy dialogue and luscious settings. What I got instead was something that felt very much dated, and very boring. Of course, this is just my opinion, and I see that many others here have different ones. But for fans of Greggory-style writing, I would give this a pass.

This book is a gem and is on my top-10 list of all-time favorites.

The subject of Roman Empire, and its culture, and its vast history, is huge and I am grateful when a couple of books by Robert Graves comes along. Roman history lives. It gives me a better handle on those times, even if imagined. Despite the fictionality of I, Claudius, I am drawn by its overt narrative and general historical accuracy and so what if Graves has a tendency to follow sources selectively from the Lyon Tablet to Suetonius. The fact that the real Claudius was a trained historian and was known to have written an autobiography consisting of eight books that were lost, that covered the same time period, is also good enough for me, and lends extra value to this story. Who knows how close Robert Graves has penetrated to the truth of the matter? What makes any fine work of fiction magical is the unique perspective of a talented writer like Graves. I am also drawn by the themes in this book, the conflict between liberty and stability of empire, the delicate balance between Republican liberty and Imperial stability which leads me to draw, mostly imagined, parallels with the United States today and its delicate balance.

There's not much I can say here or desire to say here that hasn't been covered by the other reviewers. Just to reiterate though: The character of Livia, as presented here in Graves's novel, is NOT based on any sound scholarship, new or otherwise. It's true that she COULD have poisoned her way to power as depicted here. But bear in mind that Claudius himself COULD have just as well done so himself, with this first person narration serving as a cover up. - Be it remembered that Claudius (the actual emperor) did write an actual first person Autobiography, now lost to us. - Who knows what ulterior motives he might have harboured in doing so? In any event, altogether too many untimely deaths of all sorts pile up to attribute to any one person. It also seems clear to me that Graves, in describing the Germans, was certainly drawing a parallel to the Germans he fought against in WWI.

But, laying historical accuracy to one side, this is a clever and interesting read. It is not, to my mind, the masterpiece some reviewers here make it out to be. But I enjoyed it. The impression one has on closing the book and reflecting on the murders, mayhem and madness that occur on almost every page leaves one feeling about the book as Claudius felt about the last, ebrious conversation he had with Livia:

"The conversation was like the sort one has in dreams - mad but interesting."

"I Claudius" was the first book that convinced me that history could be engrossing. Ridiculously fun to read - it delivers a thrill on a level with the first time you saw "The Mikado", heard the Saint-Saens cello concerto, Callas singing 'Casta Diva'. You get the picture.

It is a stroke of genius for Graves to choose Claudius, the drooling 'halfwit' among the Caesars, overlooked and ridiculed by his more ambitious relatives, as his mouthpiece. In a voice that is irresistibly gossipy and remarkably shrewd, he draws us in and makes the history completely and spellbindingly real. It's a stunning accomplishment.

This book, its sequel, and the extraordinary BBC adaptation for television, are high on the list of life's great pleasures.

A STORY OF GOD'S GIFT OF PURITY WHICH IS BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED. A TEAR UP EVERY TIME I READ IT TO MY LITTLE GIRLS.

I bought three. One for me (I'm 25) and one for each of my sisters (16 & 20) and then I had our father write us a personal message. This is a beautiful and not sappy story that espouses chastity and purity. An easy read when one needs reminding to stand firm and cling to values.

Alexandra Kealey

This is a beautiful story with beautiful illustrations. My 8 yr old loves it. A very good story of a princess who saves her purity for the right man and for marriage. I will use this for many years to encourage my daughter to do the same.

I can't tell you how many of these I have given as birthday gifts to my daughter's friends (she's now 9) for the past 4 or 5 years. Every parent needs to read this to their young daughters over and over and over again. It really reinforces the virtue of purity.

This is a good book on preserving yourself for your husband. My 4 year old understood the "princess getting married" part, but the importance of "the kiss" went over her head. My 8 year old understood the entire book, but it seemed a little "babish" for her. I think this book is more geared for ages 5-7. Great book though!

As a child, I couldn't put any of Poe's short stores down, now a few decades later, nothing much has changed. I was thrilled to add this book to my collection, it is well made, and comprehensive collection. All of this at a great price.

Despite all who have attempted the genre since, Poe remains the supreme master of the horrific short story. From this collection I select "Berenice" to comment on, not only because it is a classic example of Poe, but also because it deals with a subject so typically his, that of obsession.
There is little point in trying not to "spoil" a Poe story by avoiding telling the final outcome, for in this story, as in much of his work, the fascination lies not in a teasing or elaborate plot leading to a surprise revelation, but in morbid, gristly dwelling on the awful texture of misery, melancholia and near madness. One can read them repeatedly, and they still taste satisfyingly rank and vile.
In this short story of brooding obsession, Egaeus looses his wife, Berenice, to illness, and in a fit of abstraction and obsession opens her grave and rips out the part of her that his mind has fixated upon: her teeth. Nasty and simple, but unforgettable.
There is little joy in Poe's world. Love, hope and happiness are only shown as a prelude to loss, to provide a fading dusk against which the blackness of the tragic end stands out more clearly.
It's interesting that some of Poe's readers complained to the editor when Berenice was published in the Southern Literary Messenger in 1935. This was early in Poe's career, and he reports the subscription list of this periodical as 700. In December of that year he was made editor, and by the time he left the subscription list numbered 5,500. Obviously then, as now, there was quite an appetite for horror amongst readers.

This is an excellent book including all of his poetry, short stories and other literary works! 832pages of Poe! Got it as a present and the person it was for loved it!

I've bought a few complete Poe collections over the years, and this one is my favorite. The font size is not squashed down to save pages at the expense of my eyes, and it does seem to be complete. It's also an attractively put together book.

Poe is essential reading for anyone interested in horror, and for any apsiring writer. He not only is a master of horror, but he's credited as being the inventor of the detective story.

"The Raven", "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Cask of Amontillado", "The Black Cat", "The Masque of the Red Death", "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", and everything else you're looking for plus stories and poems you may never have heard of yet are all in here.

This is a great volume at a great price. I'd also recommend: The Best of H. P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre, Cold Streak, It (Signet Books), Coraline, & Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance.

The book arrived just in time and it is in excelent conditions. This edition contain all my favorites works of Edgar Allan Poe. I recommend it!

This is a very ambitious novel in which Horn attempts to use mystical images and thought to connect two separate times and plot lines. Remarkably, she deliberately does not push the plot to its conclusion, but instead devotes her final chapter to elaboration of the mystical thought.

Unfortunately, I thought Horn got too literal and specific in the final chapter and it did not work. The highlight of the novel for me was the love affair between Ben and Erica, two very likable and well developed characters. The love scene in the darkened cellar of the museum was beautiful and erotically charged.

The greatest mystery for me about "The World To Come" is why I didn't love it. There is much to admire about it. Start with the cover art by Rob Ryan, who manages to evoke both Marc Chagall and Maurice Sendak. I could hang a print of that on my wall. And then there is the miraculous writing, that weaves together a love story, historical re-imaginings, and religious musings. The story is original, profound, and very well written. In fact I'm a little in awe that this was written by someone under the age of 30.

Consider the way Dara Horn handles this mundane scene, when a character is trapped in a bathroom stall, overhearing a conversation about herself: "Two sets of high heels clicked along the marble tiles, and then Erica was sitting inside their conversation as they took their places in the stalls on either side of her, their words arching over her bent neck." And then there is the fantastically imagined "world beyond" in which souls prepare for their journey to earth by drinking chapters of the Bible at a cocktail party. Where else can you imagine a writer comfortably using the line, "Ugh, that explains it. I can smell Lamentations on your breath"?

And, yet, I didn't love it. I admired it, enjoyed it, and sadly looked forward to it ending. Dara Horn is extremely talented. I just wasn't completely won over.

This novel excells in every respect. It is wonderful storytelling. The book uses beautiful language and imagery, has excellent character development, and is easy to read. Dara Horn weaves stories within stories in a maze like fashion that delights the soul. Spread over generations, different countries, and different languages, she posits that The World To come is really what one does on earth in life. She delves into Jewish notions of the afterlife which will relate well to any Abrahamic faith. Her opinion is clear from the text while the reader may choose to differ. Much of the book is about trust and betrayal, truths and lies, the real and the counterfeit. She salts the tale with Yiddish folk tales and interesting plot developments. Those who like to read mysteries will also enjoy this novel. This work is so much better than her first, In the Image, that I was truly pleasantly surprised. My only complaint is that she leaves the ending hanging persumbably so that the reader can elect an ending. I am not fond of trying to guess the end. Further, I wonder if any other careful reader noticed that she uses the image of caterpillars to describe someone's bushy eyebrows. This is the same image Golden used in Memoirs of A Geisha which I read many years ago. Did anyone else notice this? It may have been unconscious or it may have been specifically placed in the book so that the reader could detect a bit of plagerism. After all plagerism is a form of dishonesty similar to forging an art work. If you liked this book, You will like A Day of Small Beginnings.

Horn, almost Rushdie-an in her ability to create a metaphor that is a story in its own right, has mastered her big, fat, lurking metaphor (i.e. The World To Come; a womblike place full of books where the not-yets are taught about life by the already-weres)with a kaleidoscopic command of her story and characters--especially Ben, the quintessential flounderer, and Sara's unborn child, a not-yet,--who are both endearingly and emotionally-charged. THE WORLD TO COME is so much more than the sum of its parts: spine-tingling historical richness à la Umberto Eco; multi-generational enigmas à la Nicole Krauss; and stimulating allusions to obscure myth and lore relevant enough to provoke the reader's curiosity.

This book was recommended to me so I had great expectations. The first 80% of it was cativating as long as you could keep up with the different characters, time periods, family relationships etc. Then when it started to get really good, it just stops and the last couple of chapters are about the pre-life of the main character's unborn nephew. Very disappointing.

I enjoyed this book, but it was irritating looking up the footnotes. They made it especially amusing and odd, but it definitely isn't my favorite.

Candide is certainly humorous for those that understand medieval to early modern European history.This satire is cynical much like Erasmus' "Praise of Folly". Voltaire attacks many of the issues of European society. You do not need to be a historian to appreciate this work, or have a great knowledge of European history to understand it.
Buy it and enjoy.

Candide: Or Optimism parodies the classic, romantic coming-of-age story, with the young title character, Candide - the ignorant, ever-optimistic metaphysician of Westphalia- confronting the evils of the real world. His forbidden love of a baron's daughter causes Candide to be evicted from his home and sheltered life into a desolate sixteenth-century Europe--where the strong prey on the weak and misery abounds in the heart of humanity. The master of social commentary dissects spiritual faith, ethics and legal systems, love and human vanity all in under 200 pages. Everyone can relate Candide's life story and journey to their own. Highly recommended.

If you thought 18th century satire is irrelevant today, you might want to know the meaning of that Italian phrase, uttered by a eunuch at the sight of an abandoned and beautiful young lady in the story: "Oh, what a misfortune to be without balls!"

If you've made the decision to read Candide already, then this is the version you want to buy. Theo Cuffe's translation is more recent and much better than any other ones out there. I was thinking of purchasing the Oxford World Classics edition - after all, it's a few dollars cheaper and has a few more stories - but after contrasting paragraphs from Candide in either version, I decided Cuffe's superior translation warrants the extra money. This edition is also bound beautifully; it's a paperback but the cover is much firmer than a regular paperback and is adorned with eye-catching comic strips and a useful list (with pictures) of the main characters on the inside flap of the cover. This edition also has very thorough footnotes at the end; if you're like me and have little acquaintance with the 18th century and life through the era of Enlightenment, the handy footnotes will graciously guide your way. Aside from the footnotes, this edition also has additional pertinent writings from Voltaire including a poem he wrote on the disaster of the Lisbon earthquake and some excerpts from his Philosophic Dictionary.

Now, if you haven't made up your mind as to whether you'd like to read this, I strongly urge that you do. It's a rather short story but a very profound one. It's extremely witty, clever, and yet masterfully laconic. The story itself is an assault on the philosophic concept of "Optimism" as championed by Leibniz, Alexander Pope, and various other contemporaries of Voltaire who believed that all that happens in the world is for the best, and that we live in the best of all possible worlds. As Pope himself said famously, "whatever IS, is good." Candide, the young, naive and charming protagonist of our story is very much swayed in the direction of believing in Optimism because of the teachings of his philosopher teacher Pangloss. But as Candide inadvertently travels the world, matures, and learns from the sight of reality beyond the corridors of his residence at Westphalia, his perceptions begin to change, and we begin to develop nothing short of a sense for everything that is meaningful and meaningless in life. As Gustave Flaubert once said, the prose of Voltaire is mesmerizing and yet ingeniously succinct. You'll know the feeling once you travel the land of Eldorado, where people are indifferent to diamonds and gold lying in their streets and where everything is in perfect harmony, with non-other than the worthy Candide.

I think a lot of readers miss the point of this book. It is a romantic adventure story like the Odyssey and The Princess Bride, not some political rant or whatever people misconstrue it to be. It is named after the star of the book, Candide, a young nobleboy that's sent out on his own in the 18th century. Like Alexander the great, Candide has his Aristotle...in this case Pangloss, an amazing philosopher that believes everything has a purpose and works for the common good in the world. Throughout his adventures, Candide's faith in his mentor's teachings is continually tested, yet he stands firm in his beliefs instead of caving in capriciously.

You are no doubt getting ready to throw this book into your Amazon cart, but I beseech you dear reader, hold back and finish this review. For I need to impart in you the fact that this book is a love story as well! Candide, from his days in the Baron's court has been in love with the beautiful Cunegonde, whose stolen kiss is responsible for his banishment from the castle! On his journeys he meets back up with the fair maiden, in Portugal, and they go on a romantic boat-ride together! They sail to South America in the New World where they soon must split up.

Candide then travels to El Dorado where he meets the king! The king gives him billions of dollars worth of diamonds! He loses most of the diamonds on the way home, but he is still a millionaire. He then must travel to Venice where he is to meet back up with his love.

There were some funny parts in this book, but most of it was starkly serious. There was war, torture, natural disasters, and many other road blocks that Candide must overcome in order to get his prize, Cunegonde. I found this book to be a great motivational tool for myself. "You don't get the princess Cunegonde unless you sail to the New World and get a bunch of diamonds from the king of Eldorado," I keep telling myself.

I don't understand why so many people had a cow over this book. Apparently its author was thrown into prison for writing it! Maybe because it was a little violent and people weren't used to violence back then. Though I do admit, this book is strictly R rated, which makes me upset that they have school-kids reading this stuff. Kids, having never been subjected to the subjects of s e x and violence in this book may not understand it in a mature way without parental guidance.

The author picked a good name for the star of this book, as Candide is an unusual name and makes a good title. Can you imagine if he named the main character Steve? It just wouldn't have the same effect. I liked this book so I hope the author has some more fun adventure stories in the works.

This is a must have resource for anyone required to use APA format for papers or publications.

This purchase was required by my grad school program. I am taking a class with a psychotic ex-English teacher. For instance we had to take a 35 question quiz on APA (I received a 34/35 thank you and thanks to this book:-) and it was an Intro to Teaching course...but anyway that is another story.

I was actually glad to have this book though once it arrived because it's everything, and I mean everything you could ever possibly encounter with regard to APA format, it's just exactly the information you need. Concise and to the point, with no unnecessary fluff. And because of its size it is really easy to carry around and flip through.

Also I recommend buying this on Amazon.com because they by far have the cheapest price (I checked 3 different places), no tax because I'm out of state and this is an online purchase and no shipping charges (for standard shipping on orders of $25+).

(Down with the Campus Bookstore! :-) I love Amazon; I've been a customer for a few years now and could not be more satisfied. They bring me joy!

This guide covers most of the APA basics, but I found one place where it differs from the APA Publication Manual. A period in an intext reference was misplaced. My professor caught the mistake when I followed this guide's placement. It is, however, very handy and fits in a brief case nicely so I use it often.

After a 'vacation' I have gone back to school for my Masters.This little book is very helpful in citing and referencing.The sample refs inside the back cover make checking your references quick and easy. It is able to lay flat so you don't hold it open while using it. I find that thoughtful on the publisher's part. The sample paper's are nice too. They are a good review and also remind you that you will eventually have a finished paper that looks like an educated person wrote it. My Pocket Guide is at my elbow as I write this review because I just finished a paper and now I'm buying one of these for my best friend who just started back into a Bachelors program.

The Pocket Guide to APA Style by Robert Perrin was
recommended by the Chairman of my dissertation
committee as the "must have" for completing a
dissertation. The Pocket Guide became an excellent
tool giving a quick reference for formatting my
dissertation as well as other research papers.
Dr. Carol Hendrix

As someone who reads and interprets American fiction for a living (pity me), this is the first novel I've read in ages that challenged me and then rewards the reader's efforts when the depths of the multiple layers of storytelling started to show themselves. Don't think you've got it solved when you realize that Kinbote isn't who you thought he was. He's not THAT second person either. And there's ghosts -- several of them -- who take possession of the story in various ways. I don't want to wreck your delight by giving away more. I also recommend Brian Boyd's critical work on the novel, _Nabokov's Pale Fire: The Magic of Artistic Discovery_, an amazing interpretation of the novel that blows it wide open.

A story within a story, a madman reworking and annotating another's poetry and attributing minute details as if they were secret references of his life. How perfect a story Nabokov has written. A jewel of a book.

A strange and brilliant work, written in the luscious prose style that could only be Nabokov. Leaves you wondering what you just read. Very funny too.

I adore books that change and grow as you read and reread them. Nabokov's Pale Fire definitely fits the bill. This novel really exemplifies the excessive amount of freedom within Nabokov's creative process - it is boundless, performative and very much alive. It's almost as if Nabokov makes his very own strict set of literary rules and then turns right around and breaks them for no other reason then purely enjoying smashing boundaries into infinite pieces and reworking them into a unique masterpiece. It's almost as if he deconstructs his writing himself only to let the act of reading it serve as a creative process in its own right, which then carefully reconstructs his words into something very, very special. Strange disconnects surface more than occasionally, bobbing their heads up and down in the story - yet these are done in such a fluid, effortless manner that the resulting effect is nothing short of awesome(to borrow a favorite word of my brother, Alex). I highly recommend this.

A clever construction and master of words in an essentially unreadable work that fails to hold interest either on a character level or, for lack of a better term, plot. This book is like watching a painter work, marveling at what he does with great appreciation, while the actual painting itself is unappreciable.

What a wonderful book! Swift is the delightful kind of author that can combine humor, fantasy, and thought-provoking satire in a truly tongue-in-cheek book. And yet, it is more serious than that. A book that is both serious and whimsical at the same time. Go figure. I realize this is not the kind of book that will attract everyone, but those who read it with an open mind and maybe some knowledge of the time period will be in for a real treat. Heck, they don't even need the background knowledge. There is a reason that this book is a favorite of children as well as adults.

Gulliver is a ship surgeon who truly cannot seem to stay out of trouble. Every voyage he takes leads to disaster and the discovery of some impossible land: the miniature citizens of Lilliput, the giants of an unpronouncable names, the 1984 forerunners of Laputa, and the utopia of sentient horses.

These are all charming places, full of fantasy and flaws that are enjoyable to read. This is what attracts the kids and, hey, the adults.

Yes, the book is talky, but that is what makes it so charming. This is not so much a novel as it is an account--if you were telling about it, you would probably narrate the entire thing yourself, as well. To me, it makes it slightly less unbelievable.

Despite all the fantasy, Swift uses the book to poke fun at the lifestyle--frankly, I find its observations on human nature timeless.

I'm sorry, those without the patience to read, but here is another reason why we have the classics.

There is no need for me to go into what a marvelous and timeless classic "Guliver's Travels" is. The satire, while nearly 300 hundred years old, is as fresh today as it was in the 1720s.

What I will say about this particular edition is that it is very beautifully done. (If you can get the hardcover edition instead of the softcover, all the better.) The typeset, color engravings and supplemental material in the appendices add up to an excellent edition of this classic. I highly recommend it either as a gift or as a copy for your own library.

When Codi Noline has to return to her hometown, to care for her father, it becomes an unexpected time of awakening. A number of subplots are beautiful thread throughout the story, including rekindled love, politics, the rich cultural history of the southwest, and how one might discover oneself in the most unexpected times and places. Kingsolver's ability to capture the essence of a land and its people continues to amaze me. I would rate it right up there with The Poisonwood Bible. Another beautifully written book.

This is, unequivocally, one of the most boring books I've ever read. Makes Hemmingway look exciting...

Read this on vacation in Hawaii. The single most important book that has changed my outlook on life, friendship and sisterhood.

Barbara Kingsolver uses amazing imagery and her voice is authentic, this was an enjoyable read, I highly recommend it.

I am not a fan of poetry, but I enjoy the poetic way Barbara Kinsolver writes about nature, life, relationships and family. This is a thought provoking novel, touching and real.

Bought this book as a gift for a friend who is a history teacher. She gave me a 3 hour personal tour through the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC and commented that she had not read this book.

This is a must read - for everyone! A real, raw and riviting account of Ellie Wiesel's personal experience during the Holocaust. Starting when no one believed the pending danger of war... to the formation of ghettos and finally life in a concentration camp. His Nobel Peace Price Acceptance Speech at the end of the book is an important bonus! We must NEVER FORGET... Ellie's account will help.