Fiction Literature Books

There are many words I could use to say how critically important this book is to aspiring writers. Buy it!!! It will more than pay for itself.

This book covers from A to Z on writing descriptive scenes, and more. Besides the nuts and bolts, it provides many great ideas above and beyond what I had expected. If you're thinking about writing fiction this an excellent prerequisite for you to read before you begin writing a page. It helped me tremendously in the wordsmithing required to "paint a picture" for the reader, from the most intricate details, to the, what not to do's." It's worth every minute. Very good to keep for reference as well.

Like the other "Write Great Fiction" books, this one focuses on the elements listed on the title, description and setting. While the criticisms some others have had are sound, this is by no means a terrible book, and certainly it is not as awful as some would make it out to be. As for the criticism that there is "nothing new" in the book, that's easy. The author makes the assumption (as he should, seeing as how every other good author who has ever written a non-fiction work on any given subject would do the same) that the reader knows nothing, or little about how to write descriptive passages but wants to know more, so having "no new information" is an empty criticism. He isn't writing his book for people who already know the concepts, he is writing for those who don't know but want to learn them. The "nothing is new" criticism is like a math teacher being critical towards a new math book that comes out since it offers "nothing new." Obviously the math teacher already knows the concepts that are covered in the math book.

But I have spent more than enough time on that. This book will teach you how to describe aspects the reader can see, hear, feel, touch and smell, thus bringing them into the story. It will teach you how little description is too little, and how much is too much. It will teach you how to get the reader to paint a mental picture of the world you create in your story. It will teach you how to apply the other aspects of writing fiction, such as plot, dialogue and character development and how they relate to description. It will teach you how to create a single sentence that is chock full of information that the reader needs to know to understand the context of your story. That is what the author intended, that is what he does, and that is why this book is worth the money.

I read the book twice. I considered maybe my wandering mind was from fatigue. The same thing happened with the second reading, after a good night's sleep. Ron's instruction is neither helpful or interesting. It isnt stimulating.

What it is, is a recipe minus the measurements for the ingredients.

There are no EUREKA! moments in the book. It's basic cornflakes for $18 a box.

After starting the journey of becoming a published author years ago, I've come across many "self-help" books on how to write a novel, and my experience is that 90% of them are a load of rubbish. This one fortunately for you and me, is not.

If you're serious about becoming a writer and you've already begun the journey, then this is one for the collection. I'm not positive that you will come back to it afterwards like Solutions for Writers by Sol Stein or your English Grammar reference book, but it will help you write/tell your story better.

Specifically it gives you examples of how to:
1. Show vs Tell (a common problem with most new authors)
2. Description (description for literature vs description for popular fiction)
3. Characters
4. Timing
5. Grammar (a very brief section that you'll probably already know if you've been writing for some time now)

There is other useful info as well, but these are just a few.

Lastly, unlike most authors in this genre, he does not solely reference his own books. He uses a wide range of writers encompassing literature as well as popular modern fiction.

WHERE THE HEART LEADS
by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Reviewed by Marion Kelley Bullock

If you've read Waiting for Summer's Return, you're probably dying to read more about Summer, Peter Ollenburger, and his son, Thomas. Thomas, grown now, and having earned a college degree from Boston Tech, must make a momentous decision. He's lived in Boston with Nadine Steadman, Summer's mother-in-law, for the past six years, in order to complete his education. He's torn between his Mennonite roots in Hillsboro, Kansas, and his love for Boston, where he's been offered a newspaper job befitting his education. Add to that his affection for a girl in each place. Which path does God want him to choose? Which girl?

While Thomas struggles with these decisions, he's faced with another conflict. His boss expects him to support a certain political candidate. Now he finds that this candidate's ideals and values are opposed to his own. He wants to be where he can do the most good. But how can he write less than the truth?

At last, Kim Vogel Sawyer has provided the long-anticipated sequel to Waiting for Summer's Return. There were a number of times I tried to guess where she would go with this next book, but Kim has proven that her creativity in plotting a new story is not predictable.
Now a young man with a degree from an eastern college, Thomas Ollenburger seeks direction for his career. Having seen more of the world than his sleepy little home town ever provided, he must sort through the proverbial wheat and chaff to discover what God has in store for him. Mix in the distractions of two pretty but very different young women, family struggles back home, and the lure of journalism and politics, and Thomas finds himself challenged to define success as he fine-tunes his faith. I think you will enjoy the surprises this story has in store.

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. :>)

"To laugh is to live profoundly" (p. 79).

Milan Kundera's Book of Laughter and Forgetting (Kniha smíchu a zapomnìní) was his first publication after he relocated to France in 1975. Published before Kundera's most famous novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, the non-traditional "novel" consists of several separate narratives united by common philosophical themes of life, sex, music, literature, and political opposition to the communism. The first section of the book ("Lost Letters") tells the story of Mirek, a former communist supporter, now determined to destroy the love letters he once sent to an ugly woman named Zdena. In the second section ("Mother"), Karel invites his mother to spend a week with him and his wife, Marketa. Karel and Marketa introduce her to their friend Eva as Marketa's cousin, when in fact she is their lover. The third section ("The Angels") tells the story of Kundera's attempt to write a horoscope for his employer (using a pseudonym) in Russian-occupied Czechoslovakia. His coworker (code named R.) is then questioned by the police about the writing, quickly turning office laughter into paranoia. Part four of the book ("Lost Letters") tells the story of a cafe waitress, Tamina, who wants a customer, Bibi, to retrieve her love letters and diaries from her mother-in-law in Prague to help her remember her deceased husband. Another customer, Hugo, is secretly in love with Tamina, and in an attempt to win her heart, offers to help her if Bibi cannot travel to Prague. Tamina eventually has sex with Hugo, but all the while her thoughts are on her deceased husband. The last section of the book ("Litost") tells the story of Kristyna's love for a philosophy and poetry student, who suffers from "litost," "a state of torment upon by the realization of one's inadequacy or misery." Kristyna fears having sex with him will make her pregnant and then put her life at risk. The student misinterprets this to mean Kristyna believes she will die from her immense love for him. The Book of Laughter and Forgetting reveals the work of a brilliant mind through Kundera's gifted style.

G. Merritt

Really a fantastic read, full of originality and some sense of realism. It's essentially a novel comprised of what could be called seven short stories, but interspersed within each story are the author's musings on life, politics, relationships and even autobiographical sketches. The perspectives Kundera provided about living and functioning within the former Czechoslovakia while under communist and Soviet control was, I thought, fascinating. Such perspectives were presented not just through autobiographical presentations, but through each character in each of the stories.

Kundera's examination of relationships, be it the individual's internal relationship with him/herself, or the relations between the individual and other persons, the individual and "the state", or the individual and the whole of humanity were engaging. Kundera's writing and presentation were clear and concise, yet his concepts had great depth. His thoughts/opinions/perspectives gave me many opportunities to ponder life's various aspects. I appreciated that because it too often seems I get too bogged down with life's minutiae to remember to stop and reflect on important things...like how we (humanity) relate to each other.

There are, however, a few sections, seemingly more towards the end, that just flat out border on the bizarre. That being said, it wasn't a major detractor from the overall quality of Kundera's writing.

The only regret I have in reading this book is that I wasn't able to do it simultaneously with a friend who would also value the perspectives, philosophical musings and discussion of human relations that are contained in it. To do so would have led to great conversations while sitting with the friend in the corner of a quiet cafe on a cold, rainy afternoon.

This is an important book. Exquisite writing, wit, humour, tragedy - Kundera is quite simply a genius. If you haven't read this, please do. You will be so much better for it. Looooooooooooved it. Infinite number of stars and counting.

THE BOOK OF LAUGHTER AND FORGETTING is a sophisticated work of art. An amalgam of experimental fiction, straightforward storytelling, magical realism and metafiction, it successfully grapples with bigger than big themes, portraying the crucible that was Czechoslovakia after the Russian invasion in 1968 and before the dissolution of the Soviet empire. Kundera makes this tall order work in prose that rings sharp and clear. It is difficult to believe that this was not originally written in English, and the credit for the translation goes to Michael Henry Heim, at least for the used edition I purchased (part of Penguin's "Voices From the Other Europe" series edited by Philip Roth, circa 1980). The book was first published in Europe in the late 1970's.

At one point in the novel, Kundera, a trained musician, describes why Beethoven was drawn to the variations form, in which an original 16-measure theme gradually changes in each variation. This is a key to how Kundera the writer has constructed this book in a series of stories to explicate the significance of memory in art and life, the devastation by the political and the metaphorical effects of laughter in its many forms. If this sounds like too much abstraction, please know that Kundera has created very real characters in visual language, and the action moves swiftly. He periodically deploys sexual scenes with late 20th century European sensibility that provides yet another lens on his central themes.

After the 1968 invasion, Kundera lost his professorship at the Prague Institute and saw his books removed from public shelves. Eventually, he and his wife went into exile. When he published this book, his citizenship was revoked and it was banned in his native country. We know that things are different now, but this cry from the heart of political, artistic and personal oppression is a message that should never be forgotten.

This is one of Kundera's best works and a good place to start for an introduction to his fiction. I don't use the term "novel" because Kundera hesitates to use it. As he says in the text, this book is made up of little vignettes (with no common characters) which are different "variations" on the themes of laughter and forgetting. Like much of Kundera's work, it deals with the subjugation of the Czech people. When the Russians took over their country, they instituted a program of official "forgetting" - erasing the country's culture and history. The book is a good example of Kundera's philosophical style - with an emphasis on telling, not showing.

The copy I received of the Norton Critical Edition was missing pages 111-142. Instead, pages 79-110 were repeated. I contacted Amazon but they said it was too late to get my money back. My advice is to count all the pages in all books your order from Amazon, and don't buy the Norton Critical Edition of Uncle Tom's cabin. Buy the book from another publisher instead.

I realized recently that I had never read this important novel in my younger years, so I took it up as an adult.

This book should not be judged as a work of literature, but as an intensely political novel, a polemic against slavery. Stowe steps out of the novel from time to time, for example, to express her hatred of slavery and of the slave trade, and to call upon all Christians to act to abolish slavery. As a polemic, it is masterful, and its shortcomings as a novel (too many coincidences, excessive sentimentality, some fairly wooden characters) fade away in the reader's mind.

This is a period piece, a work of its time, and Stowe is not free from attitudes that we would term racist today. She holds many stereotypes of black people -- they are more emotional, more susceptible to religious belief, less cultured -- while at the same time declaring that slavery is the worst evil known to man. Interestingly, Stowe is as tough on Northerners who tolerate slavery or benefit from it as she is on Southerners who keep slaves.

Highly recommended to Americans of all ages and ethnic backgrounds.

The Book, Uncle Tom's Cabin, when first published, took in an amount of 10,000 dollars to the Author, Harriet Beecher Stowe. This was believed to be the largest sum of money to any author from a sale of a single book produced in such a short period of time.
Stowe has the skill in describing her characters. There is no book, in which a Negro's life had been portrayed so life-like such as this way. Uncle Tom and Eliza's fate is the interest in this story, for they are somewhat heroes of slave times.
The opening is a deal of slaves, to a slave proprietor with no feeling whatsoever. Haley is making a bargain with a nice caring slaveholder, Shelby, who is in major debt. Haley is a villain and wants these slaves all for himself. Because there is no federal law which can compel the slave states to resign the "property" which they hold. These states are as free to maintain slavery, as are the states of the North who rid themselves of this scandal.
With Stowe describing these characters feelings, it feels like she is going right along with them on their journeys to freedom and deeper into slavery. There is a feeling there, while reading, which no one can describe. It is a shame that Stowe does not know how she excites her reader's passion towards all these characters, and how Uncle Tom's Cabin is now known as a classic.

This version of Stowe's classic text includes reproductions of orginal historical documents at the back, literary criticism of the text, and some of the original illustrations. The book is well-made, stands up to the stress of reading (paper is thin but not too thin, like some anthologies).

As for the text-- this is the book that some say caused Abraham Lincoln to write the Emancipation Proclamation. An "Uncle Tom" has come to mean a black person who sells out to the white system-- but in so many ways, that is not at all what Uncle Tom does in the book. Stowe wrote the book to change what she saw as an unjust system, an evil system-- and at times, the text is very didactic (teacherly) and very preachy about religion. It's a fine "sentimental" book-- and a fine historical document. It's also a pretty good story. Yes, there are some places where we could just get a tooth ache from the syrup of the overly dramatized scenes (you'll see when you read about Little Eva). But it's a certain style of writing that accomplished Stowe's goal of getting the women who may not have owned slaves but who benefitted from the system (white, northern, wealthy ones) to realize the problems and move to CHANGE them.

Much of what people think about Uncle Tom's Cabin actually comes from the later "Tom shows" that travelled the country-- the minstrel reviews that were not very flattering either to blacks or to Stowe's original texts. Read the book that has everyone all stirred up and make your own judgements. You might not like it-- but don't let someone else make the decision for you.

Uncle Tom is probably the most important single book written in the United States of America. No one is really familiar with American culture, literature, relgion, and history if she or he has not read Uncle Tom.

To understand this book, I would urge people to consult Eric J. Sundquist's book New Essays on Uncle Tom's Cabin (The American Novel) and Jane Tompkin's Sensational Designs. The 19th Century world and reader that Stowe aimed at read and understood things so differently, that you will miss much without knowing how to look at this book the way Stowe wrote to them and the way they read.

This book has a broad purpose: literary to decide what is wrong with the entire world and present an answer. If you follow the sweep of the book you will find Stowe takes on everything from whether the issues of the 1848 revolutions can be resolved on the side of Democracy, to the question of marital relations amogn the free and the white. The issue of slavery is not the book's only focus. It is, in fact, the solution.

Stowe's real thesis here is that American Chattel slavery is the number one evil in the world, that this evil corrupts every institution in society North and South and corrupts far beyond the borders of the United States, and that no compromise with it or avoidance of it is possible.

To Stowe, slavery is an abomination not just because of the cruelty, savagery, exploitation, and degradation involved, but above all, it is an abomination against God, the most unChrist-like behavior possible.

Thus the relgious solution she offers is to become more Christlike in your opposition to slavery and to finally undergrow the Christic experience of dying for your sins and being reborn in Jesus Christ. That's right, in Stowe's time evangelical Christianity, rather than being a fob for right-wing politics, was practiced by some of the militant and serious opponents of slavery.

Stowe creates figures that are Christlike who like Christ die rather than yield to sin and influence the others in their faith. The supreme figure is of course Uncle Tom. Uncle Tom, as a a pejorative, comes not from this novel, but from the Tom shows that blossomed in the late 19th century which were a presentation of a mock version of this story with racist minstrel like charicatures of the African American characters.

In this book, Uncle Tom is a physically majestic, heroic, dignified person, whose faith and dignity are never corrupted, whose death is shown as a parallel to that of Christ in the resurrection of the souls of all around him required to eliminate Slavery. If he is passive, never disobeys his masters, and seems to have not much of a material interest of his own in life, it is because to Stowe this a reflection of his Christic nature.

No doubt at best Stowe sees him as a "noble savage" at Best. There is no doubt if one reads this book and even more clearly STowe's Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin which provided documentation for this book's depiction of slavery, that it is clear that Stowe did not believe African Americans were equal to whites. Her then-current immigrationist views are expressed in the way the one intelligent independently acting Black couple presented here leave the US for Canada once they escape slavery.

Yet, this book accomplished the purpose it had. It galvanized millions of Americans and more millions around the world to dramatically oppose slavery. Uncle Tom was one of the first true international best sellers. In a smaller country, where literacy was lower, and when many people bought books through private libraries where families shared books and the book was often read to family gatherings rather than by one person, Uncle Tom sold two hundred thousand copies in its first year and sold a million copies between its publication and the civil war.

Stowe was honest in her afterward and in other writings to say that her description of slavery in Uncle Tom is much prettier and more nicer than slavery was. She believed an accurate depiction of slavery--Stowe had lived in Cincinatti on the board with slaving Kentucky and traveled through the South--would be so revolting that her target audience of Northern whites would not read this book.

Her book launched a torrent of responses from white southerners as could be expected. However, the popularity of her book encouraged white authors, but especially Black authors to write antislavery books that responded to Stowe. Some of the foundations of Black American literature by authors like Frederick Douglass, William Wells Brown, Harriet Jacobs, and Martin Delany are essentially response to Uncle Tom.

Perhaps the most dramatic is Delany's Blake or the Huts of America whose character is a double to Uncle Tom. However, Delany's hero does not submit to being sold "down the river." He instead runs away and travels throughout the US following the same course as the travels in Uncle Tom showing how slave conditions are so much worse than Stowe showed. Finished with that business, Blake leaves the United States for Cuba where he becomes part of a group of Afro-Cubans unwilling to suffer like Christ and Uncle Tom. Like the current leaders of Cuba, they start to organize an international revolution of Slaves and the oppressed!

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.

Good book for teens. Liked the examples of 4 different mice (kind of like the clicks in high school) making different choices. Easy story-like read.

My daughters love this book. Excellent book to buy for any occasion. Highly recommend. :)

The story was written for adults but it applies to everyone, so I'm glad they rewrote the discussion for teens at the end of the book.

My 13-year-old daughter read it in a day, and she keeps mentioning the insights from each chapter, so I know it "took"

It's a book everyone should read and keep on hand, I think

As an English teacher, I was looking for a good nonfiction book to assign to my 10th grade students. I'm very happy I found this book! The allegory used and the lessons taught are fantastic for high school students. I would recommend this for students of all backgrounds in all situations. There is always something to be learned.

This was a good, pratical book for teens. It deals with the subject of change and how to adapt to it. This book has helped both adults with marrige problems and teenagers with breakups. It has been called "simple" or "pointless" when really it is not. Just because the advice is not spelled-out does not make it useless. In fact, thats what makes it so great-anyone can apply the exelent advice to their current problem or situation. No teen wants to sit down with a heavy book aboout "goal-banks" "paradigms" such as THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEENS. Having been forced to read the thing myself when I was a teen, I must say I found the whole thing rather unenjoyable and tedious. If I had been handed this helpful book with enojoyable characters, and real-life situations and discustions, well, lets just say it would save me a lot of trouble and tears.

good equipment, meets or exceeds specifications and looking forward to its use and enjoyings its capabilities

He's reading them all and logging into Amazon to check for when the rest of them will be out in paperback. He gets through these books in under a week because he can't put them down. He's also hoping that they will one day be made into movies....

The first three books in the Sisters Grimm series might be a little more exciting, but book 4 is another adventure ride with all the fairy tale characters you can imagine. What a great idea to bring fairy tale characters into the present interacting with these two independent Grimm girls whose personal story is as unusual as it is heartfelt.

This whole series has been wonderful to read. As a grandmother, I have learned to read at least the first book in any "childrens" series to make sure that I will be giving my grandchildren good books to read. This series has me preordering books just to find out what happens next to the delightful sisters and the fairytale beings who inhabit their world - willingly or not! My nieces and granddaughter have enjoyed these books and look forward to receiving the next one, once grandmother is finished!Magic and Other Misdemeanors (The Sisters Grimm, Book 5)

This book 4 of the Sisters Grimm series continues the entertaining adventures of Sabrina and Daphne. There is humor, mystery, and some degree of romance, but on a child's level--nothing to scare kids away from the series. In this book, the reader and Sabrina become better acquainted with Sabrina's mother's "secret" life. Sabrina and Daphne basically must eventually choose whether to stay in the Grimm family business. Another entertaining read!

The book is only like 120 small pages -- read it! Having cliff notes to something like this is stupid -- a) because it is so short to begin with and b) from a practical point of view, anything that you are going to be asked to write based on this book is going to be rather emotional, or at least intense, as the subject is, and getting the facts and dates without FEELING it is not going to help you write a decent essay anyway. You would be lucky to get a D on an essay on this book written on the basis of these notes!

OK, 72 pages of cliff notes for a 144 page book? That is absurd! Night is a classic work, filled with vivid metaphor and intensely emotional characters. You could get a third of the way through it in the time it would take to BUY the cliff notes.

Glad I didn't have to read the book. I hate having to think. I mean, on the topic of "night", imagine looking at the stars and having to imagine all those shapes for yourself? But then you can just get a book of the constellations and all the dots are connected. That's good. But who cares anyway? I'd rather stay inside. And the same with books. But then you have to pass your courses. So this was worth the money.
And I could read it on my computer. It'll be even more convenient when I can get it on my Blackberry. I mean, big fat monitors are as passe as email. But I don't want to be a whiner.

Forget this Cliff Notes crap! Just read Night. It's a great book and it won't even take you long to read. I wish I could give this Cliff Note book zero stars.

Just read the book. Its a wonderful book and you can read it over a weekend. You don't need cliff notes.