Fiction Literature Books

The product arrived a month after order for a book club. It was returned. The general service by Amazon is TERRIBlE.

Even given the time in which it was written, Innocence still has relevance today. I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy the book, but it is described as a classic and I'll give any book a try. To my surprise I enjoyed the book immensely. I did struggle with terminology that is no longer used today, but the over all themes of love and choosing between happiness and obligations/responsibility/public appearance are ones we can relate to in the present. For people today it may not necessarily be choosing between two women/men, but rather love and career and the resentment you might feel over choosing one over the other.
The book can make readers feel anger, but also understanding towards the male character. I would hope I would be my spouses Olenska and not his May.

Eighteenth century American "high" society is shown in this subtly uncomfortable, at times merciless novel by Wharton. It explores the unwanted, inevitable, but, in the end, understandable change that occured within a young man on the verge of being married.

On the onset, everything seemed headed for bliss: perfect fiancee, stable prospects, and a comfortable yet predictable soon-to-be married life. But then he meets the Countess Olenska, cousin of his betrothed. This epitome of eccentricity (and source of ignominy of her relatives) becomes strangely alluring to him, what with her unconventional looks, manner of dressing, chosen companions, and overall lifestyle.

As his interactions with her become more frequent, he finds his fiancee somehow paling in comparison next to the vibrancy of the Countess. He becomes disdainful of the ridiculousness with which young men and women are brought up into their glittering society, and who will no doubt foster the same beliefs and traditions to their sons and daughters. As his life and everything he was taught at birth ostensibly comes crashing down upon him, he discovers his attraction to the Countess grow into passionate love. But these two lovers are mired into a world that would shun their relationship: the Countess at the very least is still very much married, and Archer is still very much engaged to be so...

This novel is a veritable force to be reckoned with (though it was tough gaining momentum on the first few pages). Not only does it explore the many intricacies in romantic love, it sheds a blinding light on the ways society draws its defenses around itself, constructs rules and traditions to be followed for the continuation of its existence, and in turn drowns out the very foundations of reason. There is subtlety in the way the author exposed a society so caught up in the world they have built around itself that it becomes blind to change and is still, in so many ways, innocent in its need to keep itself closeted from things both severely chaotic and beautiful that make up the inherent human experience.

Imagine living in a world where life is governed by intricate rituals; a world "balanced so precariously that its harmony [can] be shattered by a whisper" (Wharton); a world ruled by self-declared experts on form, propriety and family history - read: scandal -; where everything is labeled and yet, people are not; where in order not to disturb society's smooth surface nothing is ever expressed or even thought of directly, and where communication occurs almost exclusively by way of symbols, which are unknown to the outsider and, like any secret code, by their very encryption guarantee his or her permanent exclusion.

Such, in faithful imitation of Victorian England, was the society of late 19th century upper class New York. Into this society returns, after having grown up and lived all her adult life in Europe, American-born Countess Ellen Olenska, after leaving a cruel and uncaring husband. She already causes scandal by the mere manner of her return; but not knowing the secret rituals of the society she has entered, she quickly brings herself further into disrepute by receiving an unmarried man, by being seen in the company of a man only tolerated by virtue of his financial success and his marriage to the daughter of one of this society's most respected families, by arriving late to a dinner in which she has expressly been included to rectify a prior general snub, by leaving a drawing room conversation to instead join a gentleman sitting by himself - and worst of all, by openly contemplating divorce, which will most certainly open up a whole Pandora's box of "oddities" and "unpleasantness:" the strongest terms ever used to express moral disapproval in this particular social context. Soon Ellen, who hasn't seen such façades even in her husband's household, finds herself isolated and, wondering whether noone is ever interested in the truth, complains bitterly that "[t]he real loneliness here is living among all these kind people who only ask you to pretend."

Ellen finds a kindred soul in attorney Newland Archer, her cousin May Welland's fiancé, who secretly toys with a more liberal stance, while outwardly endorsing the value system of the society he lives in. Newland and Ellen fall in love - although not before he has advised her, on his employer's and May and Ellen's family's mandate, not to pursue her plans of divorce. As a result, Ellen becomes unreachable to him, and he flees into accelerating his wedding plans with May, who before he met Ellen in his eyes stood for everything that was good and noble about their society, whereas now he begins to see her as a shell whose interior he is reluctant to explore for fear of finding merely a kind of serene emptiness there; a woman whose seemingly dull, passive innocence grinds down every bit of roughness he wants to maintain about himself and who, as he realizes even before marrying her, will likely bury him alive under his own future. Then his passion for Ellen is rekindled by a meeting a year and a half after his wedding, and an emotional conflict they could hardly bear when he was not yet married escalates even further. And only when it is too late for all three of them he finds out that his wife had far more insight (and almost ruthless cleverness) than he had ever credited her with.

Winner of the 1921 Pulitzer Prize and the first work of fiction written by a woman to be awarded that distinction, "The Age of Innocence" is one of Edith Wharton's most enduringly popular novels; the crown jewel among her subtly satirical descriptions of New York upper class society. By far not as overtly condemning and cynical as the earlier "House of Mirth" (for which Wharton reportedly even saw this later work as a sort of apology), "The Age of Innocence" is a masterpiece of characterization and social study alike: an intricate canvas painted by a master storyteller who knew the society which she described inside out, and who, even though she had moved to France (where she would continue living for the rest of her life) almost a decade earlier, was able to delineate late 19th century New York society's every nuance in pitch-perfect detail, while at the same time - seemingly without any effort at all - also blending together all these minute details into an impeccably composed ensemble that will stay with the reader long after he has turned the last page.

Also recommended:
Wharton: Four Novels (Library of America College Editions)
Edith Wharton: Vol 1. Collected Stories:1891-1910 (Library of America)
Edith Wharton: Vol.2 Collected Stories 1911-1937 (Library of America)
Henry James : Novels 1881-1886: Washington Square, The Portrait of a Lady, The Bostonians (Library of America)
Henry James: Novels 1901-1902: The Sacred Fount / The Wings of the Dove (Library of America)
Ethan Frome
The House of Mirth
Washington Square
The Portrait of a Lady
The Wings of the Dove

Edith Wharton escapes from a tendency to melodrama (a problem of her era) to create her masterpiece novel "Age of Innocence." Set in post-Civil War New York, she deliniates the mores and customs of the New York Social List with care and depth.

Newland Archer is the protagonist, a true Greek tragic hero with a flaw. While Newland is a most upright, conventional young man, he harbors an urge to be artistic and "different" while taking a course through his life on a well-trodden path. He chooses May Welland as his bride, whose family is almost frozen by a rigid devotion to social custom; Mr. Welland, Newland soon realizes, has been made almost a cipher by the strictures imposed by his limited but socially conscious wife. May is likewise limited (Newland thinks about lifting the blinders that her upbringing has imposed on her and in a moment of perception, wonders if she has lost any ability to see beyond her limited horizons like the blind fish dwelling in caverns.) But he marries her nonetheless, admiring her silent ability to communicate subtle wishes and opinions by a single knowing glance. Later, this will come back to haunt him as he doesn't realize that what is pleasant when it conforms to his wishes, is restrictive and oppressive when it doesn't.

Meanwhile, May's cousin "poor Ellen" or Countess Olenska, returns from Europe after fleeing a poorly-arranged marriage with a dissolute Polish count. Her name is clever: the pedestrian "Ellen" contrasts almost comically with the pompous "Countess Olenska." As a contrast, Newland's spinsterish, horse-faced sister Janey shows the non-glamourous side of New York femininity, while Medora Manson, Ellen's aunt is a comic foil and a fun-house mirror to Ellen, much-married, and her real name is Chivers but she styles herself "The Marchioness Manson" as Manson can be transmuted to "Manzoni" in Italy. She flits between Europe and North America, married too many times and descending into eccentricity and poverty--a harbinger of what Ellen is heading towards.

Newland falls in love with Ellen, and she with him, but the paths they choose in living their lives lead them inexorably to loss and tragedy; but could any other choices have given them any more happiness?

Newland is tragic because he yearns for freedom and artistic expression but stays in his rut; this makes him in his own eyes a dilletante. When finally he has a chance to acquire his life's desire, he, at mid-fifties, gives it up. Is his last action in the book a renunciation of desire? Or is it a realization that his dreams are more real than what he can ever achieve for himself in the life he has chosen to live? I think the latter.

This is one of America's great novels and Wharton's masterpiece, in my opinion. I always look forward to re-reading it.

This series of Sisters Grimm books by Michael Buckley has characters familiar to adult readers and to many kids, too. The characters come from fairy tales and from other children's literature, with this author's own spin on them. The books are as entertaining for an adult to read as for a child. My nine year-old and I both read them very quickly and did not want to put them down.
We also enjoyed the Harry Potter series, but after reading these books find the Potter books to be much longer and wordier than these. These are quick reads, yet have a lot of action in few pages. We definitely recommend them.

The second book in this thrilling fantasy series introducing Sabrina and Daphne's school, filled with strange mysteries. Tantilizing secrets about characters are revealed, an evil plot is discovered, and Sabrina and Daphne, as the fairy tale detectives, must find out what's going on! This fast-moving, magical, epic tale will keep you on the edge of your seat!

The Sisters Grimm series is an awesome series. When my mother first told me about it and I saw it, I thought it wouldn't be that cool so I didn't buy it. But then I got it from one of my friends and I read it and it was AWESOME! That immediately made me want to read the second book, so when me and mommie went to the bookstore and I saw the second book there, I really wanted to get it. Now that I got it and read it, I immediately want to read the third book.

I really liked how surprising it was when it seemed like some of the people at first I thought were going to be the bad guys turned out to be the good guys, and some of the good guys I liked turned out to be bad guys. An example was Principle Hamelin, when we thought he was helping Rumplestiltskin but then it turned out that Rumpelstiltskin tricked him, so Principle Hamelin became good again.

My girls, 8 and 10, thoroughly enjoyed this book. They are always begging for 'just a little bit more' every time we have to put the book down. They love making the connections to the fairy tale characters that they are familiar with from other stories.

I've enjoyed reading "The Sisters Grimm", and recommend it.
I particularly appreciate the "Wizard of Oz" references.

One section had me laughing out loud, an unusual occurance (outside of a Stephanie Plum novel). Even today, two weeks later, I still smile thinking about it. Without revealing anything, I'll just refer to the ink "drawing".
...get the series, and read it!

I love all the books in this series. I am introducing these to my 4-year-old son who just started pre-school, and we are working on how he expresses fear/anger/sadness as well as manners. I have looked at quite a few options and like this series the best. This book introduces the topic of manners, shows examples of manners in actions, as well as the benefits of being gracious. Also, Meiners balances this with what happens when we do not use good manners and how we can make amends.

I highly recommend this and all the other books from this series. The concepts are simply stated and are dealt with in a variety of ways. It encourages kids to think through things themselves. The artwork is delightful. The books are short enough to hold their attention. The kids love all the books we have in this series, and you can find just about any topic you are needing help with.

We own almost all the books in Cheri Meiners series. This particular one simply and beautifully illustrates the aplication of everyday manners through different scenarios that will be interesting and often familiar to most children. It supports, through example, the work that parents do at home teaching children everyday manners.

However, an added (and perhaps hidden) bonus of this and many if not all of the books in the series will interest parents of children on the autism spectrum. This and many of the other titles have opened a window to the kind of knowledge that simply does not come naturally to my daughter with high functioning autism. This title and others in the series (in particular Share and Take Turns, Listen and Learn, and Understand and Care) provide a framework for understanding social interactions and rules that is warm, supportive, loving, inclusive, natural, and most importantly, instructive.

I have watched how the lessons contained within them seamlessly flow into her daily conversation and life ("May I please have some Cheddar Bunnies, Mommy?" - this after a couple of readings of "Be Polite and Kind"). I know they have helped her think through the kinds of things that do not come naturally to her and equally importantly, give her the language framework to apply them. I highly recommend these books not just for children on the spectrum but for any parent or even teacher who is looking for an entertaining, non-preachy way to expand upon lessons on good social behavior or more simply, per the title of the series, is interested in helping their child learn "how to get along".

I would highly recommend any of the books in this series by Cheri Meiners. My just-turned-5-year-old son asks for them at storytime, and the writing is just right for pre-K and kindergarten children. Truthful without being preachy, the series shows children and family members from many different ethnic groups in the colorful illustrations, and each book addresses issues which are developmentally critical to this particular age group: sharing, taking turns, being afraid, listening, respecting others, helping out at home, etc. These books have given us a starting point to discuss problems at school or interacting with others, and have helped my son to have more empathy for his peers....I am hopeful that this quality will serve him well as he continues on to kindergarten and elementary school. It is exciting to hear him use ideas from this series to problem solve.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are interesting and the setting on an Iowa farm is very intriguing and different. I found that this was very hard to put down - a very fast read, and a very good one at that.

This book takes a while to get to the action, but it was well worth the wait.

The narrative is so compelling that I found myself getting caught up in what was happening to the heroine. I became increasingly upset with each little injustice that she endured. The story takes several dark turns that kept me up past my bedtime.

As a work of literary fiction, the prose was not particularly well-written and the characters were at best a collection of stereotypes. Most glaringly, I felt as though this was taking place now and not during the Carter era. Perhaps there was a lot of talk of organic farming, the brain chemistry/causes of psychological illnesses and informing children of the dangers molestation among farmers in the late 70s. I personally do not remember any of those issues being popularly discussed until the late 80s.

This is the sort of marginally entertaining book that will hold your attention for the 3-4 days that it will take to read. However, there are far more interesting and moving books out there.

Way-too-human darker side of the many facets of the Midwest farm life, plus some deeply satisfying glimpses into its regional and natural history. A good read. I guess Smiley did create a very well-developed main character, because I still keep worrying about how she's doing. The others, however, were pretty one-dimensional, and more than a few of the plot turns seemed unrealistic, definitely not fleshed out, but I was completely willing to suspend disbelief in order to continue turning the pages to peer into the mind of that main character.

On a thousand-acre ranch in Iowa, a family compound of three farmhouses in close proximity to one another contains an aging father and two of his three daughters, along with their families.

Homey habits of family get-togethers and church picnics characterize their lives. But beneath the seemingly placid surface, family secrets, rivalries and betrayals lurk. When the patriarch makes an unexpected decision to set up a corporation and hand everything over to his
daughters, emotions are unleashed and a maelstrom of turbulence ensues.

Once the plans are set in motion, one of the daughters balks---soon there is a court case, with family members pitted against one another. And the father, who orchestrated events, is revealed as an angry, bitter tyrant. Then one of the daughters discloses to her sister the deep, dark secret that has informed most of her actions in adulthood.

Nothing will ever be the same again on these one thousand acres...

A Thousand Acres: A Novel is a multi-faceted dysfunctional family portrait...compellingly wrought by this award-winning author.

I love this book. I am an Elementary Education student at ECU; when I take this book into the classrooms, the children go crazy! They think the book is hilarious and I agree.

The pics were cute and my kids got a kick out of them, but the book was a flimsy paperback.

I love this author's books and have Food For Thought already. This How Are You Peeling? book is a step beyond the former because it goes beyond simply labeling and illustrating emotions. In elementary poetic rhyme, it asks questions of the reader and gives simple hypothetical scenarios to which the child can respond. (This author's books are fun to take to the grocery store with your young child. My child enjoyed matching the fruits and vegetables on the shelves to those photographed in the book.)

Love this book! Its hilarious, and discusses feelings in a way that doesn't intimidate most kids by being too serious. Reccomended.

I have two sons -- the younger is expressive and outgoing; the older is reserved, reserved, reserved. When we started reading this book, my younger son would mimic all the pictures, and without knowing the words, he would come up with the emotions. Now both boys do this -- figure out the emotions of the food and imagine conversations among them. We rarely read the text, which while funny and rhyming, doesn't excite me as much as what is coming out of my own children's mouths.

I find it extraordinary that this all came about through supermarket produce, but I'm not looking this gift horse in the mouth.

Buy it especially for the pages on jealousy, and shyness, and comforting one another, and what do you do when you're afraid of something. Also for the look of pride on the face of the "adult" pepper.

Two other great choices for emotions (especially for boys) are "I Love You Because You're You" by Liza Baker and "Llama Llama Red Pajama" by Anna Dewdney -- Llama Llama goes through impatience, frustration, tantrums, fear, and comfort.

This book is an excellent collection of classic Russian short stories in the original language plus and English translation. Couldn't ask for anything better.

you can make this as easy or as challenging as you like. You learn words when they keep popping up in the stories

A book of short stories from famous Russian Authors, Half in Russian and Half in english. The book loks intimidating, but the stories are selected to appeal.
The stories were capitvating and all were easy to follow except the cave. I did attempt to read the russian and the layout makes this easy.
I have now been introduced to different Russian authors that I will follow up.

Got this book a while ago, its way too hard for me for my level but the good thing is you can work through at a slow pace and still get a lot out of it. Stress marks are very helpful, would have been useless to me without them basically, and the glossary is also helpful although it doesn't include everything (good to have a dictionary nearby). Layout is good, that is, having the english on the adjacent page, makes for very easy reference to the english. Archaic language is usually noted and explained as such, which is useful. Great for reading practice, highly recommendable book for all skill levels (i have only been learning for around 6 months but have still got a lot out of it so far). Good selection of stories and enough to keep an beginner reader going for a long time!

This book works on two levels: One, these short stories are by the Russian masters of the genre. In English translation, they are powerful, evocative, and moving, on their own. There is a reason why Pushkin, Chekhov, and Dostoevsky are still popular: Those guys didn't write any garbage. They set the bar for all writers as high as it could go. I would especially recommend "Sleepy" by Anton Chekhov. Read it on Halloween night, as I did, for a good old fashioned fright.

Secondarily, for those of us learning Russian, these short stories provide fascinating and very challenging works to translate. Be advised, this is a high level of Russian literature, written for educated and literate native speakers, so it's a big challenge. Pack a lunch.

The short story format is especially beneficial. If you can get through one story, believe me, you are ready for the psychological reward of starting a new story.

I love Karen Kingsbury and this book is no exception. It was hard for me to put it down!!

Karen Kingsbury has done it again. I could hardly put Between Sundays down. This uplifting story tackles modern issues from the foster care system to the impact that famous sports figures have on society. If you like Christian fiction, this is a must read!

A GREAT BOOK.......I GOT IT WHEN I WAS TOLD I WOULD AND AMAZON HAS ALWAYS BEEN GREAT WITH ALL ORDERS I HAVE RECIEVED.

I couldn't put this book down! It was a great read over the holidays. Definitely one of my favorite Karen Kingsbury books. I highly recommend it!

Like Karen's other books, you won't be able to put it down. I got this from a friend for Christmas and as soon as my company left, I sat down and read the whole book. It is such a heart warming story. god has blessed karen with amazing talent. Once you read this, you will surely want to read all her others!

This book is absolutely adorable! If you've read anything else by Tad Hills, you know he has a great sense of humor and the illustrations in this book make our family laugh! They also so clearly demonstrate the opposite that my 2 year old reads this aloud to us, using the pictures as a guide. A wonderful starter book of opposites that is also really fun.

This board book features amusing and colorful illustrations of Duck, Goose, and friends demonstrating pairs of opposite words. For example, in the clean/dirty pair a clean, white Goose is standing with his eyes closed and hands up warding off an extremely dirty Duck who's approaching him from the opposite page.

My daughter, who is still too young to comprehend opposites, loves to look at the pictures and point at Duck, and the sturdy board book can withstand her strong and awkward grip as she flips the pages.

This book is an entertaining way to introduce new vocabulary and the concept of opposites to preschoolers who will definitely get a laugh at the funny scenarios and facial expressions on the characters.

This is a great book for preschoolers. We have the other books: Duck & Goose, and Duck,Duck,Goose. The books are fun to read and the illustrations are perfect for kids.

I like this book. My girls love it and is a great way to teach opposites. It is very simple my 2 year old knows it by heart. I do add say for clean I say the "opposite" is dirty so they have that reference of the word opposite.

As a huge fan of Tad Hills and his Duck and Goose characters, WHAT'S UP, DUCK? was an absolute delight!

At only twenty-two sturdy board pages, this is a perfect first reader, but it's also a great book to read with your toddler.

Along with the typical opposites of up, down and slow, fast, there are also my favorites -- clean, dirty and heavy, light.

The illustrations are what make this book a winner, and the absolute perfection of Duck and Goose are not to be missed.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

Had wanted to read this for about 15 years, but it's funny how more books are published and then you have to read them? How 'bout that? This book has been out six centuries, so I guessed another 15 years would not hurt me. Chaucer's facility with language, his ability to rhyme, his familiarity with the human condition, and his ability to link the human conditions to elements of people's trades and careers at this time truly make this book one which paved the way for many other satires, multi-person narratives, and rich, nuanced tales of particular events at particular times.

This book is endlessly satisfying. I found Chaucer's poetry to be very intelligent, with allusions to the work of the day, to cultural references, to fashion, to religious beliefs, to prominent figures in the world at that time, and most of all, to allowing his imagination not to be limited by expectations on the limits of his writing. The stories in the book come via the relating of experiences told by travelers on their way to Canterbury. At times, the stories are considered too dry or too preposterous or perhaps they are too derivative. But Chaucer imbues the multiple characters, the minister's wife, the metalworker, the barrister, the civil servant, with characters who respond as mentioned to stories, if the stories are not seen to be up to scratch. Many of the stories concern sexual hijinx. Some concern convoluted family relations, some concern work concerns. Chaucer's currency with the lives and ways of many in 14th century England make the book rich and satisfying. He was a master poet and it seemed that Chaucer enjoyed spinning these tales for the more privileged who would have read this book at first. It is not surprising, however, that the book has remained current. The interests, themes, and topics from which Chaucer very ably spins his tales remain relevant today.

I bought this book as a gift for my sisters birthday. It was on her wishlist, yet neither of us realized it is a coffee table sort of book. Maybe neither of us read the review carefully! Either way, we were both happy with the quality and the illustrations inside our beautiful.

The only negative was that it arrived with one of the corners a little smushed.

What would it be like if you had to make a very long journey on horse back? Pretty boring, right? But what if someone had the brilliant idea of telling stories on the way there? That would make the trip go a lot faster. This is the premise of the Canterbury Tales. There are a lot of people who all want to go to the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. They all met at a pub when the pub owner said that they should all tell one story on the way there and one on the way back. The version of the Canterbury tales only consists of four of the one hundred twenty eight that were told.
The first story that is told by the Nun's priest. This story is about a poor widow who lives on a farm. As you get further in this story it starts retelling the story of a chicken and a hen. This chicken had many wonderful hens around him. "This noble rooster ruled over seven hens, whose work it was to please him. They were his sisters and his wives." (pg. 20) But there was one hen named Lady Pertelote that he liked the most. One night he had a dream about a fox eating him. The next morning he told Lady Pertelote and she thought it didn't mean anything. A couple of days later a fox tricked him to shut his eyes and then the fox snuck up behind him and snatched him in his mouth. He was saved by the widow.
The next person to tell was the pardoner. His story was about greed. There were three people who were searching for death because they heard of all the horrible things he had done and wanted to kill him. While on their way they met an old man who told the men, "If you're so anxious to find Death, turn up this crooked road. I left him in that grove, under a tree and there he'll stay." (pg. 41) So that's what they did. When they got there they saw a sack full of gold and decided not to chase after Death but take the gold by night. They decided for one of them to go into the city and get wine to celebrate. The person that went was the youngest of them all. While he was gone the two thought up a plan to kill the third one so that they only had to split the money between them. The third boy wanted the money all to himself so he poisoned two of the bottles of wine and left one free of poison for himself. As he got the tree the two men killed him and they celebrated by drinking the wine and they died too. In the end they all got there wish. They met Death.
Those two were my favorite and the next two are by the Wife of Bath and the Franklin. The wife of Bath is about a man who threatens the life of another if they don't tell him what women want. The franklin's tale is about women who loved a man who left her and she was very sad. Nothing could make her feel better. If you want to know what happens at the end of these stories you'll have to read the book.
Historically this book is very good. It is based in the year of 1386. It show the life style of people who lived in the middle ages. It taught me that not all people were rich back then. It is historically spot on but the thing about this book is because it was written in the middle ages all the living conditions are right but it's very whimsical. Chickens can't talk, and Death isn't a person. In a way it shows how people thought back then. It tells us that some people might have wanted to meet death. Maybe in a physical way because they wanted to die or they just wanted to see someone death took away from them.
The reason I liked this book was because of the old English. I like taking in the metaphors and deciphering it. If you like Shakespeare then you'll most likely like this book. It is very whimsical and magical. It shows the people in the middle ages in a very metaphorical way. This book shows how life can be mystical and great even when you don't except it.

This is a translation abridgement (not the original text). It's not going to help you at all, with any english class. If you want to listen to the original unabridged text in middle english look here:The Canterbury Tales

I was trying to find an illustrated version of the original Chaucer as a wedding gift for a friend of mine, and found this one. I didn't realize (my fault--it's in the Publisher's Weekly review) that this was a child's version of the classic. The illustrations are nice, and, quite frankly, I haven't read the author's interpretation, but I wanted to make it clear to folks that it's not the original text, nor even an unabridged translation.

I teach English for a living, and this is, by far, the best translation of the Odyssey that is out there. The audio version brings it to life and gets students to actually listen and read along, which isn't bad considering the story itself is over 2,000 years old and still quite a challenge to read. We skip a few books in class to keep interest up (books 2,3,4 are more about Telemachus,and book 11 is easily passed over) but the balance of the audio recordings are stellar. This is money well spent considering how many cds are in this package.

This is an absolutely fabulous product, but if you are not used to listening to audio books, I should give you a warning. This product is 11 CD's of one person speaking for about 13 hours. Can you imagine sitting down in the morning at home and staring at the wall for 13 hours while same voice goes on and on, all day and into the night? No, that won't work. So you at least have to break up the experience into chunks. Also, you might need to be doing something else as well, like walking or driving, so you don't drift off. What I did was listen while driving and intermingle other disks so I would not tire of the same voice. I would listen to one disk of the Odyssey, then I'd listen to a disk of music or a non-fiction lecture, then I'd put in another disk of the Odyssey.

However, the last 4 disks were so gripping I listened to them one after the other and could hardly wait for the next disk. Part of this was Ian McKellen's excellent, nay, masterful, enunciation and inflection. Part of the excitement is the climatic end when Odysseus returns home. Can you imagine a gripping 3 hour long buildup to the climatic moment when he reveals his return? Nothing else can compare!

I probably identified with the climax more now that I am middle-aged, with a home, a wife, and children approaching adulthood than I could have if I was a teenager listening to this or reading the book. There is little as primal to a mature man as the defense of his home and family.

It is astounding to experience a story this exciting and know it is about 2,800 years old.

I listened to this story on audio CD because I realized that I would never read this story because I have gone so far into my life without reading it yet. I'm very glad I listened to it instead of trying to read it. For one thing, how could I begin to pronounce so many Greek names? If you have started reading the book and put it down, try reading it by following along with this audio book. The audio book is abridged, but it is 13 hours long so I'm sure you would have a lot of text to follow along with.

If you think you know the story of the Odyssey because you've seen a movie based on the story, I will say the story by Homer is much grander and more full bodied than what has been depicted in movies. I'd go so far as to say the movies miss the real point of the Odyssey.

Robert Fagles has also translated the Aeneid and the Iliad. I've listened to those on audio CD as well and liked them all. I am a big fan of Derek Jacobi, who narrated the Iliad. I liked the Odyssey best of all.

Really liked this, the reading was outstanding and great translation by Robert Fagles. My son really enjoyed listening to it on a long road trip after plus it added to his understanding while he was reading it for English Class. I highly recommend this product.

For thousands of years this story has been told and retold.
The reason this story is still being told and still being heard is because it is so exciting and so very compelling.
It never grows old.
I have read and enjoyed this story from a leather bound book, but it is best heard spoken from a human voice. Ian McKellen is qualified as a modern day bard.

Unlike most movies and books of today, once will not be enough.
Those who listen to it will not be disappointed.

I'll not waste any time of yours with long and deserving praise for this telling of an ancient story, other than to say that should another day pass where you have stolen from yourself the opportunity to listen to this master storyteller lead you through a story written by a master, then only the Gods can forgive you.

Sir Ian Mckellan's performance is measured and beautiful, and there is no shame in a tear falling at the meeting of father and son for the emotion that comes through this practiced orator. I can say with a fair amount of confidence that the bards of old must have sounded like this - masters of their craft and able to bring the imaginations of their audience to life.

Not a moment longer - a treat awaits you...