Fiction Literature Books

I had a large order, and this came first. It shipped freaky fast, in good condition. I recommend this seller!

This is a classic story about the horrors of slavery. I've heard this compared to "Uncle Tom's Cabin," but I don't think that's an accurate comparison. The story is about Orookono, an African prince who is deprived of his true love by his grandfather, the king. He is betrayed and sold into slavery, and happens to encounter his lost love in the New World, in the British colony of Suriname. The valiant prince (now called 'Caesar' by his overseers) tries to gain freedom for his wife and family, but in vain. If there is a story that does justice to the horrors of slavery, this is it.

I don't think this is the typical slave narrative because Orookono is a prince. Even the overlords treat him that way, and he seems more a victim of cruel fate than of slavery. Still, this valiant, brave-hearted soul is subjected and finally overcome by the cruel actions of the English colonists.

This story was written at the time the novel was first coming into being in England. It is revolutionary, and becomes even more so when considered that it came from the pen of a woman. Aphra Behn was one of the first major female English writers, and is arguably the best of her time. This is is great (short) novel, definitely well-worth your time.

This book was required reading for my American Literature course. Why read a story about an African prince in Surinam in an American Lit class? Voyage to a brave new world! That was the theme of the class. It encompassed the whole colonial experience in all of the "Americas". I am glad my professor went that route or I probably would never have read OROONOKO. This is a wonderful read. It is more a love story to me than a slave story. This book was written centuries ago but it is a very easy read. The footnotes in this version are a great help but the context of the story is enough for most readers to not get lost in archaic language. Add this one to your library. It is definitely worth it.

THIS BOOK IS WONDERFUL IF YOU REALLY WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SLAVERY.

this book is like
WOW
KA-POW
a sock in the gut
a kick in the butt-
on fly jeans that were
often worn by torn men
and broken women
who called themselves

beat

this bible is a meet-
ing ground of sound tribal mind
open heart prose
souls that want to rise with
those that have al-
ready rose

each chapter contains
some laughter
about how things came together
during that magical time
of free
verse
and holy ryhme

ginsberg
kerouac
burroughs
ferlinghetti
and more
dissolving their flesh
exposing their spirit driven core

oh, i love to read and bleed this book dry
i love to cry with sad saints
and be healed by words revealed

in the city we are
"constantly risking absurdity and death"
but we
who
are brave
and
not
a slave to tyrants
can freely take a chance
and take a new breath
and dance
with Holy Men
gone
bye.


Peace & Blessings,
john, 'the Light Coach'

This book features some excellent beat writers and includes informative blurbs on their history and style. Each artist has a little chunk of their writing for you to sample, and the material is everything from stories to letters to classically bad prose.

What impressed me were the essays by each other, on the actual generation hype.

"Young people seemed more intense, clutching, and I couldn't help feeling they took themselves too seriously... 'good, clean fun' appeared to be a thing of the past. Or perhaps the aura of suspicion and defensiveness was merely a reflection of my own fears..." --Carylon Cassady

It's a great book for deciding which authors you want to read more of.

This reader is a good overall introduction to beat literature. While I could have done with a few more examples of writing from the women in the movement, that probably would not have kept the book as "portable" as its title promises.

An absolute wonder, a perfect selection of Beat writings: Poems, fragments of novels, essays, history, mythology, philosophy... The Portable Beat Reader is one of the most essential books in my collection and rarely leaves my side. And it is, thankfully, portable, and much easier than bringing everything with you all the time. Aquire it, open it, and just start reading.

Simply put, this is what I turn to when I need inspiration for reading, for creating, for anything. It combines wonderful bios of everyone from Kerouac to Bob Dylan, and their poems, book excerpts, and lyrics galore. Absolutely enjoyable, absolutely essential. Thank god for Ann Charters.

(SPOILER ALERT)
The entire time I read this book I found myself wondering if the author had ever struggled with her weight at all. Normally I wouldn't care--I don't believe people can only write "what they know". However ... she should have researched before writing. Jemima's weight loss was not achieved in a realistic way. The way it's described might end in weight loss--but not that quickly. And after that drastic amount of weight loss in that short period of time, there would be signs leftover--loose skin, stretch marks, etc. Also, she was only happy when she was finally thin, which is a terrible message to be putting out there. Finally, the big twist at the end--are you freaking kidding me? So Jemima's boyfriend is really in love with a fat girl, but just wants a trophy, front-woman to be seen with in public. And he's a gym owner. And his real love, the fat girl, is just A-okay with that--even though he sleeps with Jemima. The entire thing is just ridiculous.

This book doesn't read like being in a fat girl's mind--it reads like being in a skinny chick's head as she imagines being in a fat body. This can certainly be pulled off--but this book does not accomplish it.

I, too, was a little sad in the beginning. Being an overweight JJ, I so wanted her to embrace her curviness. I enjoyed her relationship with Brad, but thought the reason it ended was silly and unrealistic, unless people are really that superficial. I wouldn't know. I have learnt to love my curves however JJ has motivated me to become healthy and not obsessed.

How sad I felt beginning the reading of this book. What an opportunity Jane Green missed in dealing with this very important subject of BODY IMAGE issues. She convoluted the real story by adding what I think surely must be a fantasy of her own related to internet porn and foul language. I was intending to use this in a very meaningful discussion on eating disorders but was so disappointed in the beginning that I abandoned the book. Too bad for Jane Green.

such a great book!
very fast entertaining read.
LOVED THE ENDING.
the characters are very likeable and fell in love with the main guy in novel :D

At 27, Jemima Jones is desperately unhappy. She's about 100 pounds overweight, stuck in a menial newspaper job, lives with two ditzy roommates who take advantage of her, and worst of all, suffers from unrequited love for her handsome colleague Ben. What's a girl to do?

At her lowest, Jemima discovers the Internet and all its possibilities. Visiting random chatrooms, Jemima can talk to all sorts of people, being whomever she pleases.

It's in the LA Cafe that Jemima meets Brad, a wealthy California hunk who quickly becomes taken with "JJ," the spunky and successful persona Jemima has taken on. So what if JJ's job is a bit more exciting than Jemima's? And when Brad asks for her photo, Jemima enlists a friend's help in a bit of photoshopping? After all, it's not as though they'll ever meet. Besides, Brad can't possibly be telling the truth about every little thing, either, right?

Then one day, Brad convinces Jemima to make the trip of a lifetime to meet him in Los Angeles. By that time, Jemima has long been working toward really becoming JJ -- exercising, dieting, buying new clothes and just plain reinventing herself. She's already seen quick results. The only question is, will Brad be as wonderful as he seemed online? And will Jemima ever be able to get over Ben?

Despite this story's taking place in the late '90s, when the concept of meeting people online was still fairly new and foreign, and many seemed to believe that the individuals they met in this fashion were "not real," I still felt Green allowed Jemima to get off easy with her lies about her own self. Sure, the point the author appears to have been making is that Jemima was able to turn her fantasies into reality simply by becoming motivated enough; but it seems to me too convenient that she so quickly managed to become JJ, totally and completely.

As a final note, I also couldn't figure out why the author chose to title her book "Jemima J" -- the main character was never called that! I know it isn't really relevant to the story itself, but I still found it a bit odd...

If you enjoy quick, "chick lit"-type reads, you'll enjoy this novel; just don't expect much in the way of serious plot or conflict.

Hotel Liaison is JLee Meyer's fourth book and although the other books are very well written, this novel simply takes it to the next level. It stands alone as a masterful piece of work.

One feels they are on a personal journey with this group of inspiring women as they each grow into their strength. The Hotel serves as their home, their fortress. It becomes the reader's home too.

JLee's novel is an exciting romance, poignant, historically empowering and very realistic. The struggles these women face are struggles many of us can relate to. There are abusive relationships in real life, there are financial woes from time to time, and there is the hope of love to keep us going.

Excellent! ~CC

I usually reserve 5 star ratings for the small number of lesbian romances that are exceptional. Hotel Liaison scores highly because the author has done something different and original.

I have only read one other book by Ms. Meyer, Rising Storm, and wasn't gripped by the throat at all, but this new romance is one of the most enjoyable I've read recently. The idea of women renovating a women only hotel and uncovering a fascinating history is a winner. This plot could have been dusty and dry, but Ms. Meyer created a cast of characters who bring the story to life, from runaway Ember to her unlikely ally, elderly Mrs. Castic.

Most important among them is Laurel Hoffman, who is smothered in an abusive relationship with her boss. Both women are academics and the partner, Rochelle, uses her power in this setting to intimidate Laurel into being less than she really should be at home and in her career. Kudos to Ms. Meyer for making this destructive relationship believable without being black and white. Laurel plays a role in her own unhappiness and her journey to break free is one of the most compelling parts of this book.

The romance between Laurel and Stephanie was rewarding and touching without being over the top. I was left with the feeling that there is more to be told. Sequel please! Hotel Liaison is a well-written story with a very good plot and characters that feel real. These are women you could hope to meet and sit down for a cup of coffee with. The writing is pleasant and there are touches of humor that also make reading a pleasure. I closed the covers with a sigh and a smile. I want to thank Ms. Meyer for writing a romance a cut above the ordinary in every way.

Abuse exists in many forms. It can exist within relationships, organizations, or societies. Hotel Liaison is a romance that has at its heart abuses of several different types.

Stefanie Beresford and her friends are trying to restore an old hotel with the idea of creating a business that would cater only to women. Things have not been going well as they've found themselves beset with unreliable contractors, cost overruns and mounting mortgages. The entire project seems endangered when they break through a wall and find a secret cache of old papers that indicate, ironically, that the hotel might have been a meeting point for women in the past and might have historical significance. Laurel Hoffman is an assistant professor specializing in women's studies who is respected by her colleagues and admired by her students, but she's trapped in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship with her partner who also happens to be the chairman of her department. When one of her students suggests she might be interested in looking at some old papers found on a construction site she's working on, Laurel uses it as a temporary escape from problems at home. The papers bring Laurel, Stefanie and an interesting group of women together for several missions. They find themselves not only trying to save the hotel and Laurel, but dealing with the misuse of power by businessmen and within families. There is also a conspiracy lurking in the background trying to undermine everything they do. As Laurel and Stefanie are drawn closer together, they realize there is more to fight for than just their relationship and more to win than a chance for love.

Hotel Liaison is Meyer's strongest book so far. The characters are much better developed and the plot is more complex. There are some weaknesses. Some points in the book are just a little too convenient and contrived; however, the interlacing of the different story lines keeps the reading fresh and the conspiracy theory is interesting. This book has a little bit for lots of people - romance lovers, mystery lovers, historians and conspiracy buffs.

Forever Found was amazing--senstitive, multileveled, intriguing characterizations, deftly crafted, absorbing. Hotel Liaison, however, simply defies description--IT STUNS the reader's senses; IT INVIGORATES the reader's viscera; IT RENEWS the reader's spirit; IT is a most astonishing work.

I've read all of JLee Meyer's past novels and I believe that this is the best work that she's done to date. Originally when I read the premise of the book I wasn't sure what to think, but having read JLee Meyer's books in the past I ordered it. I'm so glad that I did!

There are not only 2 strong central characters, Stephanie, the hotel owner and Laurel, a history prof of Women's Studies at the nearby university, but there are also several other critical players in this book. They all have a story to tell and the reader is struck by how women can work well to help each other, that is except one person who Laurel must face head on in order to save her own life, the life that she needs to live. The women in this book are young, old and in between, but they need to learn from each other in order to keep the hotel.

A secret room is discovered....and it holds secrets from the past that actually link to the present. Those secrets might save the hotel, or they might be the hotel's downfall.

There's a surprise visit in the book by a character from JLee's other novels and it works so well that I was cheering the closing pages of the book.

This is a novel that will leave you smiling. I'm looking forward to the series that the author has said this will become. I can see where the strong women in this novel leave a lot of stories still to be written.

Go out and buy this book. Then go and stay at a boutique hotel and see if you look at it the same way again. :>)

Anne is the middle daughter of a snobbish and foolish lord living in Victorian England. Her mother died when she was a young teenager, and she has very little in common with her older sister or her younger sister. Anne's older sister is a carbon copy of their father, and the two of them managed to spend beyond their means, to the point that they now have to rent out their home and move someplace more affordable. Anne's younger sister has made a decent match in marriage and is now settled into a life that requires near constant attention from others, especially when one of her frequent imaginary illnesses pops up.

Anne is mostly ignored by her family, and they don't know that she once had a brief attachment to a young naval officer, Frederick Wentworth. A family friend, Anne's surrogate mother figure, thought Anne would be able to find someone better, and advised her to break off her commitment. Anne took the advice, which resulted in devastation both for herself and for the young man.

Now, seven years later, Wentworth's sister and her husband are renting Anne's family home. When the now-Captain Wentworth visits, he and Anne find themselves thrown into the same social circle, and spend many months trying to decide if they still have the same feelings for each other that they did so long ago.

I liked this story, with its insight into the amount of effort it took for Victorians to make proper matches and ensure their way of life would continue. I liked the social rankings and the elaborate rules of behavior, which must have been absolutely stifling for someone living through this time.

However, I didn't identify at all with Anne as a protagonist. I understand that rules of etiquette were different in those days, and it is difficult for me to read this book without looking through a modern-day filter. However, Anne had no sense of self-value, and only seemed to see herself as important when she was being "useful" to others. It is true that her family treated her as a tool, but I couldn't see how she could see herself that way and still have been attractive to the men who vie for her attention.

This came in a timely faschion. It was sent for next day though we had a big storm it was not anyones fault! Came quickly and was in excellent condition!!! Would order from here again and again!

I hold very firmly to the belief that this book cannot be fully appreciated in a first reading. It is necessary to read it at least twice, and preferably more.
It's not as immediately pleasing as some of Ms. Austen's other works, Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility etc., but those who take the time to appreciate this book will find it well worth the effort.

Loved it!

Any person considering reading PERSUASION by Jane Austen must have several thoughts in mind before beginning. This book is a classic, written by a master. It requires an investment of your time, your patience, your understanding and your attention. It is a book to be savored, not galloped through as if it were a modern fiction bodice ripper. If you are willing to approach this book with an open mind, expecting only to receive pleasure from the written word, you will most likely enjoy it tremendously.

I read a lot of modern romance fiction. One of the things I have noticed on researching a book through the Amazon review system before I buy it is that so often reviewers state that they were able to finish the book in two hours, three hours, four hours. Do they honestly think that is a compliment to the author? One thing I can guarantee here, you will never be able to say that about PERSUASION. Slow down, read for pleasure, read for the pure joy of observing Jane Austen's manner of combining words. Her punctuation style is totally different from modern fiction. It requires that you hold thoughts in your mind long enough for her to have completed her lengthy and complicated sentence structure.

Fans of Jane Austen often say that one specific book is their favorite. My favorite is the one I happen to be reading at the time. I've read them all multiple times and am always able to find nuggets of pleasure either not noticed before or now understood from a fresh perspective. PERSUASION is a book which shows very clearly Miss Austen's feelings on the English class system and how appearances are very often deceiving. Anne Elliot's own family is (in their minds at least) in the top strata of society. In actual fact, they are very small fish in a wide pond and do not amount to much except when within their own corner of England. Anne spends much time with the Musgrove family and all those surrounding that happy, boisterous group. Although lower in the social standings, they are loving, kind and generous, traits which are totally lacking in her own father and older sister. Anne is considered of no consequence to her family yet is loved and admired by those outside her social set who can see her value and worth. This is a story of young love lost with the opportunity to reclaim that love when maturity has given new insights into reasons, details and personalities. This book does not specifically leave you with a "happily ever after" feeling. Anne will never be mistress of Kellynch-hall, probably never even live there again. Captain Wentworth is a career naval officer with all that implies in his future service during wars. And yet, you cannot help but feel that Anne and Frederick will be quietly, calmly, gloriously happy for their remaining days. Partially because of the eight long years of separation which allowed them both to mature and grow and partially because they are just so very right for each other.

Do not begin reading this book expecting a "romance" novel as written today. If you do, you are doomed to be disappointed.

I am so glad I read this book. What a treat! The names even fit the characters. It was a wonderful book and I now look forward to reading Moonstone.

This was my first time reading Wilkie Collins. I loved it. I truly didn't expect what happened to happen. It was a great mystery and kept me very entertained.

Similar to Wilkie Collins other masterpiece, The Moonstone, various characters narrate sections of The Woman in White and the story is told as the characters look back on what has already happened. This method of building a mystery is fantastic because we, as readers, also become sleuths in the mystery that takes place. Collins ability to get into characters heads enhances the level of suspense, and gives it a sense that we are right there with them.

In The Woman in White, Walter Hartright decides to take a job as a drawing instructor at the Fairlie House, where Laura Fairlie, Miriam Holcombe, and Laura's uncle reside. Once there, Walter is enchanted with the beauty of Laura, but discovers that Laura's uncle has already arraigned a marriage between Laura and Sir Percival, a diabolical man whose interests lay mainly in greed and deception. While there, Walter has a few strange incidents, one of these being an encounter with a mysterious woman in white who appears to have run away from an asylum. Walter is a little distraught after this encounter, wondering why she appeared and what she could have wanted from him. Things get more extraordinary as this random encounter seems to propel Walter into the Fairlie family secrets, and a villainous scheme by Laura's husband Sir Percival and his accomplice, the equally ruthless Count Fosco. Walter finds himself right in the middle of Sir Percival's plan, which is to not only take the Fairlie fortune but "rid" himself of various individuals one way or another. Walter, with the aid of Laura and Miriam, tries to foil this plan.

Collins has an extraordinary method of creating plot, tying all loose ends, all the while having intricate and complex narratives and twists. Moreover, he is a suburb storyteller, and although some may not like his deeply detailed methods, I feel that these give credence to character and story depth. There is a dark Gothic kind of feel to The Woman in White; it is a perfect read for a cold, rainy, thundery night. Heroes, villains, deception, twists, turns, secrets revealed, and supernatural elements: The Woman in White is a page turner despite its daunting length.

For sheer mystery and excitement," The Woman in White ", was unmatched in the genre of 19th century literature. That is what one must keep in mind when reading this extraordinary novel. Written in 1860, nothing approaching it had ever been attempted, and if the New York Times best seller list had been in existence at the time, it would have topped the list for countless numbers of weeks. Like many authors of the period, the book was serialized, and it was followed voraciously by tens of thousands of readers. It continued to remain popular when published in book form. For those who relish an intricate plot, serendipitous chance coincidences filled with its share of villains, heroes, and fragile heroines in distress, along with a modicum of amateur detective work, then this is the novel that will entertain and satisfy those who are avid readers of the likes of Dickens, Conan Doyle, and Thackeray.

I don't mind admitting that I discovered this book because I had read that Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker named their child Wilkie after Wilkie Collins, an author I had never heard of. I am a huge a Dickens fan, and when I read of his and Collins' connection after doing a little research, I bought the book, and I'm so glad I did. The reading experience I got from this book was off the charts. This work of art must rank--in its intricate plot, jaw-dropping language, and overall perfect execution--with Dickens' best and even the Russians. Certainly this book doesn't have the philosophical ambition of War and Peace, but, you know, who said genius and entertainment are mutually exclusive? While reading the book I stopped several times to close the book and look at the cover and just marvel at the experience I was having, savoring the pleasure and admiration I had for such a brilliant, brilliant piece of literature. Many paragraphs of the book I re-read dozens of the time and were better written than most books I'll read in a year. And when Count Fosco appeared in the heroine's journal, I was genuinely frightened. It was as uncannily like the moment in Rear Window when Raymond Burr finally looks up and sees Jimmy Stewart--and me, the viewer--for the first time. I wish The Moonstone had been as good, a book which is strangely more revered and famous than this one. But for anyone out there who enjoys the act of reading and stories told in beautiful language, I just can't say enough about the experience you are going to have. Every single note is so, so, so perfect. If you're not swept up in the first ten pages, well, send your copy to me and I'll read it again myself.

What a delightful Sunday afternoon reading!

I really like Georgia Beers' books, with the exception of Thy Neighbor's Wife, and this one delivered as well.

I think her strength is coming up with realistic scenarios and filling them with believable characters. I enjoy that so much in contrast to far fetched plots and super-human women that sometimes inhabit lesfic. Her writing is solid, dialogs well written with a feeling of authenticity, for lack of a better word, to them.

All of that is true for this book as well. I was a bit 'scared' when I read that a dog had such a bit part in the book, but that as well is really well written.

I really loved this book. It took me a day and a half to finish it because I was so glued to the story. If you are looking for a cute, well written lesbian love story this is it!

After Too Close to Touch and Fresh Tracks, both good romances, I was looking forward to more of the same from Ms. Beers. Her romance, Mine, didn't capture the feeling and Finding Home seems to have missed the mark by an even wider margin. Still. I love dogs, so the canine hero of this book, Bentley, compensated a bit for what was a tepid romance with characters that felt like they were just going through the motions.

One of the things I've always liked about Ms. Beers' romances is that they're light and entertaining without being shallow. This is a sign of a good author. Her characters have had depth and it's been easy to identify with them. This time, it's as if the author thought that if she threw Sarah and Natalie together in a quirky twist of fate and they agonized for awhile and then decided they were in love, that was enough. It wasn't for this reader.

I suppose, like a lot of women, I bought this book because I've had good experiences in the past and I thought Mine was an aberration not the start of a downward trend. Also, Finding Home has a very appealing plot. Unfortunately, it never gets off the ground the way that it could. This book is not in the same class as several other Bold Strokes romances I've reviewed recently. Maybe that's just a matter of personal taste or maybe it didn't help that I read this book in between others that were far better in every department. But I usually like Ms. Beers' novels, so I was surprised not to enjoy this one.

It's not easy to keep writing good romances, I'm sure. I can only think of about three authors who have written more than ten romances that are all excellent. I wish Ms. Beers better luck next time.

I've been a fan of Georgia Beers' writing ever since I read "Turning the Page" (1st ed.) many years ago. In these (happy)days when new lesbian novels keep raining and pouring over us, it's good to have writers who remain true to their style of story telling.
"Finding Home" is a love story, yes, but I think the main character is this adorable Mini Aussie Shepherd Bentley who sees and feels everything, and leads his two "mistresses" in the right direction.

The main characters are very real, very human and very lovable, with all their stubborness and insecurities. I want Mrs Valenti for my mother and was very irritated with Andrea most of the time!

Georgia Beers writing is, as usual, fluent, funny, and often very deep. I appreciate the fact that she doesn't feel obliged to introduce terribly big dramatic happenings in her story. It evolves naturally, almost softly, and with Bentley's help into the happy ending we know will be there.
It's like eating wonderful chocolate, with quite a few hard nuts in it!

When I sit down to read a novel I expect to find angst, good characters, a story that moves forward with every page, and sex. For those of you who also look for these things, this book doesn't meet the requirements. It's a nice story and the characters are well developed, but, for me, the other things were lacking. (Ok, there was one sex scene, but it came at the very end of the book). From reading her other novels (Turning the Page and Thy Neighbor's Wife), I expected more than I got from this one.

This book was just made for grandmoters to share with their grandchildren. Mine loved it and we spent a great deal of time discovering new things among the intricate work of the children, their clothes, bugs, etc. It is a delight.

This is a beautiful book showcasing an extraordinary quilt although one need not be a quilt aficionado to love and appreciate it. It is my favorite gift for a young child, or any adult who loves quilts or children's books or fairytales.

I found this book and story so enchanting!

Everytime I look at the fotos of the actual
quilt - I see something new and am thrilled.

My only regret is that there is not more of
the wonderful fotos and story....

What a treat!

Beautiful book! I love this children's book and am also a quilter so I enjoy having this work of art all the more!

This book is worth every penny for the close-ups of the quilt used in the illustrations. This is a very pleasant story of the earths renewal. Not too long and not too short, it should hold a young child's attention very well.

There are better translations out there. I would probably choose something else. This is readable, but it lacks the oomph that this play needs.

I cannot say I truly like the main focus this reviewer stuck to. Not to be rude, and I do see your point, but Shakespeare, being a an, is naturally going to have a masculine out look in some of his stories. But I believe the story was genius not through anything else but the character of Dogberry. I know you're probably thinking "He had barely any dialogue and the dialogue he did have was ridiculous" but the fact is that his stupidity and his unique perception of reality not only provided a bases of humor into the story but also the salvation of the story. I do not wnat to give the play away so I will not say how but...this is a wonderful play and not because Shakespeare wrote it...but because of its absurd genius. Thank you. And I only give it a 1 because I haven't read this book yet for the play I am merely just expressing my own opinion of the actual play itself.

"Much Ado About Nothing: With New and Updated Critical Essays and a Revised Bibliography" starts out with a plethora of information regarding information about Shakespeare, Elizabethan theatre, the writing style, controversy if Shakespeare wrote his plays and if he contributed to others, etc. Then, the play begins, and this is where I wonder if I truly enjoyed the play. I began thinking if I liked the play itself, or because it was written by Shakespeare. Which then led to my thinking of whether it would be deemed such praise, if it hadn't been written by him, and I leans towards "no." The wit is somewhat dry, but the plot around Hero and Claudio caught my attention. It showed me how women were regarded as objects and how easily they can be discarded. And, how quickly men would believe any fault about a woman, without hearing her side of the story. Scary, in my opinion. Otherwise, it was interesting, but I don't know if I'd recommend it.

this book is kinda boring and confusing. you really have to hang in there to get to the good stuff - which is scarce.

if youre into funny witty avante guard roots lit. make sure you read rabelais, cervantes, diderot, swift, voltaire, debergerac, lucian, erasmus and the Anatomy of Melancholy FIRST.

otherwise you might inadvertantly over-rate nash... or even worse, get turned off to reading all together.

(thats funny, I called Sterne "Nash" on accident - I guess Shandy reminds me of Nash's unfortunate traveller - another uneven boring book with flashes of brilliance)

Many things could be said about The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, funny, unique, and off-topic being a few of them. Personally, I would call The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy to be a rant of the longest degree. To prove my point, the main character isn't even born before the end of the second volume. It takes the character one year to write about one day in his life, so even if you enjoyed the book you would never get to read an end.
To be fair, this is one of the first true novels ever written and is the very first stream of consciousness novel to ever be written. So with that in mind, it can go off once in a while on a rant because everyone does that in their own head once in awhile.
The characters are rather creative, ranging from a king to a slightly strange mother, but the side trips get very annoying when you are trying to reach the end of the book. Do you honestly want to know what each person did months before the main character was even born? Do we really need to know what color this was and what Mr. Toby Shandy did to cause misfortune to his unborn son the moment he was conceived?
Personally, this book was far too droning. I would much rather read something with more plot, and less stream of consciousness. I admit that maybe people would probably enjoy reading this book for its unique style, but I can not stand to read it. The tangents are too long and the overall style just isn't for me.
With all that in mind, I say that The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy is a decent book with a good story to tell, and tell... and tell. So if you like older writings with a twisted sense of humor, pick this one up.

It is curious to observe that the "novel" of the XVIII Century has much more in common with the novels of the XX than with those of the XIX. Structure, tone, introspection, playfulness, jumps in Time, typographic and other experiments, have more to do with the modern novels of the XX Century "isms", as well, of course, with the work of Rabelais and Cervantes, predecessors and acknowledged influences of this hilarious, humanistic and great book. The story presents tales within tales, and it "progresses" in spirals, with different threads interweaving like DNA chains which bring about a living being: Tristram Shandy. Through these games with Time, rhythm and direction, we learn not so much about the life and times of Tristram, but of his family. Well into the book Tristram apologizes for not having been born just yet, but we don't care because we are immersed in the prosaic yet magical world of the father, Walter, as well as of Uncle Toby and his servant, Corporal Trim, the male-midwife, the parson, Widow Wadman, and other characters as outrageous as the next. The book is a funny digression on subject after subject, some of them with no apparent connection to the main thread. We learn about Uncle Toby's and Trim's monomania for recreating, in the garden, the fortress sieges of William III's wars in Flanders and the Netherlands. Or the obsession of Shandy Sr. with big noses, whose size is related to other parts of the anatomy. The closing part is the story of Widow Wadman's efforts to conquer the naive Toby, similar to his sieges.

The book develops in a continuous joy of digression, of pure literary pleasure, full of the most obscure erudite references worth reading in an annotated edition. The characters are perfect caricatures, full of humanity and good humour. Everything is subject of derision and mockery. One thing that makes it particularly memorable is the odd couple of Uncle Toby and Corporal Trim. Their absolute innocence, their boundless good faith, their devouted and manly friendship, make them a perfect British mirror of Don Quixote and Sancho, in their also perpetual assault on fortresses, as well military as temporal and verbal. A great ludic exercise of an obscure, and suddenly famous, parson from York, who has scandalized and amused generations of grateful readers.

A line from the movie "adaptation" put it best: this was a postmodern novel before there was any modernism to be post to.

Simply put, Laurence Sterne threw out all the literary conventions of what a novel should be and how it should be arranged, a few hundred years before more recent writers like Calvino, Joyce and Danielewski did. The result is "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman," a gloriously rambling, richly entertaining sort-of-novel.

"I wish either my father or my mother, or indeed both of them, as they were in duty both equally bound to it, had minded what they were about when they begot me." So begins Tristram, who starts his life story with his "begetting," and attempts to tell the story of his birth and life, as well as the descriptions of relatives -- his lovable uncle Toby, his eccentric dad, his patient mother (who's in labor for most of the book).

But as he tries to tell us about his life, Tristram keeps getting sidetracked by all the stories that surround him -- his uncle's romance with the Widow Wadman and the war in which he received a nasty wound in a sensitive spot, the French, the doctor who delivered him, letters in multiple languages, the parson, the personal history of the midwife, and what curses are appropriate for what occasions.

Most novels are pretty straightforward -- they have a beginning, a middle and an end. But "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman" totally ignores that, by having a beginning that lasts for the whole book, dozens of "middles," and no real end (it just stops at a suitable spot). All of this is without a real structure.

And he took this postmodern, break-all-the-rules mentality all the way, by including odd little illustrations -- when speaking of the death of Parson Yorick, Sterne includes a black page. Random empty pages. Asterisks instead of important paragraphs. And a bunch of squiggly lines to demonstrate precisely how the narratives in previous chapters looked.

At first glance, Sterne's writing style was pretty typical of his period -- detailed, somewhat formal in tone, and very talky. It takes a little while for Tristram to start dipping out of of his narrative -- at one point, he starts interrupting himself in midsentence. By the middle of the book, he's completely lost control of his own story.

And he twisted it around with lots of bawdy humor (such as poor Uncle Toby's groin injury, which causes quite a few problems), and the continuous comic stumbles of all the characters. On the subject of his own name, Tristram describes his dad's reaction: "Melancholy dissyllable of sound! which to his ears was unison to Nincompoop, and every name vituperative under heaven.")

Life is too rich to be encapsulated in a single story -- that's the problem with "Tristram Shandy," whose story is a classic comic delight of premodernist-postmodern skill.

A line from the movie "adaptation" put it best: this was a postmodern novel before there was any modernism to be post to.

Simply put, Laurence Sterne threw out all the literary conventions of what a novel should be and how it should be arranged, a few hundred years before more recent writers like Calvino, Joyce and Danielewski did. The result is "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman," a gloriously rambling, richly entertaining sort-of-novel.

"I wish either my father or my mother, or indeed both of them, as they were in duty both equally bound to it, had minded what they were about when they begot me." So begins Tristram, who starts his life story with his "begetting," and attempts to tell the story of his birth and life, as well as the descriptions of relatives -- his lovable uncle Toby, his eccentric dad, his patient mother (who's in labor for most of the book).

But as he tries to tell us about his life, Tristram keeps getting sidetracked by all the stories that surround him -- his uncle's romance with the Widow Wadman and the war in which he received a nasty wound in a sensitive spot, the French, the doctor who delivered him, letters in multiple languages, the parson, the personal history of the midwife, and what curses are appropriate for what occasions.

Most novels are pretty straightforward -- they have a beginning, a middle and an end. But "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman" totally ignores that, by having a beginning that lasts for the whole book, dozens of "middles," and no real end (it just stops at a suitable spot). All of this is without a real structure.

And he took this postmodern, break-all-the-rules mentality all the way, by including odd little illustrations -- when speaking of the death of Parson Yorick, Sterne includes a black page. Random empty pages. Asterisks instead of important paragraphs. And a bunch of squiggly lines to demonstrate precisely how the narratives in previous chapters looked.

At first glance, Sterne's writing style was pretty typical of his period -- detailed, somewhat formal in tone, and very talky. It takes a little while for Tristram to start dipping out of of his narrative -- at one point, he starts interrupting himself in midsentence. By the middle of the book, he's completely lost control of his own story.

And he twisted it around with lots of bawdy humor (such as poor Uncle Toby's groin injury, which causes quite a few problems), and the continuous comic stumbles of all the characters. On the subject of his own name, Tristram describes his dad's reaction: "Melancholy dissyllable of sound! which to his ears was unison to Nincompoop, and every name vituperative under heaven.")

Life is too rich to be encapsulated in a single story -- that's the problem with "Tristram Shandy," whose story is a classic comic delight of premodernist-postmodern skill.