Fiction Literature Books

I have just revisited this book, having read it first as a teenager and was astounded once again by its potency, both as a story, and as a terrifying inditement of human nature. In view of increasing world conflict in the post world war era, this book is more relevant than ever.

A powerful, brutally dark novel, *The Painted Bird* is a masterpiece of 20th century literature whatever the prevailing critical/personal opinions regarding Kosinski and the many controversies that surround him may be. I'm not exactly sure how it gets the reputation as a Holocaust novel because the adolescent main character is neither Jewish nor sent to a concentration camp. He is, however, suspected of being a Jew, or, just as "bad," a Gypsy, and under constant threat of being turned over to the Nazis as he roams, homeless, across a war-ravaged countryside populated by folks straight out of the Inferno.

One can't read *The Painted Bird* as a realistic chronicle--that so many bad things could possibly happen to one person, even the unluckiest, is absurd. But as a "mythic" morality tale, as a kind of picaresque "everyvictim's" experience of man's inhumanity to man as specifically manifested during the Nazi Occupation of Europe, it is a profound and uncompromising and perhaps unparalleled tale of the suffering of the outcast and persecuted individual wherever, whenever, and whoever he happens to be in history.

Kosinski spares us nothing as his young narrator passes from one horrendous scene of degradation to another. Perversion, superstition, ignorance, poverty, violence, disease, and death are everywhere among the peasantry through which Kosinski describes--and their counterbalance, ironically and appallingly, is in the godlike supremacy of the figure of the ultra "civilized" SS officer. This is a world in which Evil--both high and low--has the upper hand and the only safe place tobe is on the side that's strongest. It's a grim picture of life but one hard to argue against given the events of the 20th century and what we've seen modern man capable of doing. Those who like to point to the eventual triumph of good over evil at the end of WW2 are conveniently forgetting the horrors of Hiroshima and Stalin's Soviet dictatorship.

*The Painted Bird* has the timeless, parable-like simplicity of the great Nobel prize-winning novels of yesteryear--when the prize generally was awarded for literary merit rather than to recognize ethnic and sexual diversity or to reward political agendas. A spare, slender novel but as serious as a stiletto in the fist of an assassin and packing a wallop that will follow you for the remainder of your reading days, *The Painted Bird* truly is one of those books you'll never forget.

I have taken the time to read several reviews of this book. Some people seem to "get" it and others seem to think it's nothing more than some excuse to write "perversion" (how many classics were called perversions during the era in which they were written, I wonder? The answer; more than I care to count. )

Face it people. Life is violent. War is NOT pretty, nor are the effects of it. I do not much care if Kosinksi made up every scene in the book from his imagination and/or studies of the effects of war, or if he did live some of it. This sort of horror happens EVERY DAY in the real world to those caught in a country ravaged by violence. Don't believe me? Watch the world news. Go do some research. Even if he did "make this up" he didn't "make it up". I give the guy props (in his grave or not) for having the BALLS to write the gritty, nasty details of the horror that is war which many people are too cowardly to admit is -reality-. So much for the noblity of the struggles of war, eh? This is how it goes down for the little folks. This is what it does to people. These are the depths that humanity WILL and have lowered themselves to for survival's sake and for the base, cruel nature that lurks within humanity. It's not pretty. It's not nice. It's not "fun" to read but it should at least change your view on the world around you and how it is, has been, and probably always will be violence hidden under a golden, glittering surface created by the media and less gutsy authors into making you think everything is for a noble cause.

The next edition the publisher prints could use the tag line: If you loved "The Road" you'll love "The Painted Bird!" It's much the same thing: a child wandering through a wasteland witnessing and experiencing violence and debauchery of every variety at every turn. In this case it's an unnamed boy wandering Eastern Europe (most likely Poland) after his parents send him away to protect him from the Nazis and his caretaker dies. For most of the novel the boy is being taken in by or captured by assorted farmers, who without fail proceed to abuse him in a variety of ways.

The content of this book is the stuff of nightmares: a boy getting his eyes gouged out, a man being devoured by a swarm of rats, women being violated in the most brutal fashion by men and sometimes animals. As an American growing up in the Cold War this is probably the first time when I've actually been cheering for the appearance of the Red Army--they at least only brutalize those who have it coming to them.

The title of the novel comes from one of the peasants who traps birds. For sport he paints one of the birds, paints it garish colors, and then releases it into a flock of its fellows. The other birds, not recognizing it as one of them, proceed to tear the poor creature to bits. Such is life for the boy as he wanders around this backward country that except for mentions of guns and bombs seems to be mired in the Middle Ages as almost everyone he meets fails to recognize him as human and tries to tear him apart.

An obvious question one has to ask is how different the peasants are in their treatment of this dark-haired/dark-skinned boy than the Nazis are in their treatment of Jews and other minorities. Really the only difference seems to be the scale. If there's one positive message to take from this it's that we should always look past the paint on one's feathers to recognize the bird beneath.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't recommend this book to most people. It is brutal and terrible. I thought books like "Blood Meridian" and "American Psycho" were about as dark and unpleasant as reading could get, but I was wrong. This is easily ten times more nasty and horrific than anything Stephen King could dream up. What makes it worse is to think that so much of it is probably true--unless you're one of those conspiracy theorists who doesn't believe in the Holocaust. I'm all for free speech and I see what the author's driving at but there's a difference between making a point and gratuitous violence and debauchery. The thought struck me as I was reading that maybe if the Marquis de Sade were writing a novel of World War II this is how he'd do it: savage, brutal, and perverse.

The only ones I would recommend this to are those dreaming up the wars and holocausts now and to come. Maybe it would shock some sense into them. That's probably what Kosinski had in mind.

That is all.

Brothers Grimm meet Soviet novelist. This tale of a childhood adventure has dainty fable-like highlights intermingled with horrific accounts of the savagery of war.

Like Grimm, this tale is not light on death. People are killed the old fashioned way: axes, knives and bludgeoning. Throughout this book, you occasionally have to wince as Kosinski describes such events with incredible detail.

And, the senselessness of many of the deaths grow wider as the book proceeds. Single murders in the early chapter evolve to mass murders in the last chapters. Some of the later murderous events include: bandit raids of villages before the Soviet Reds take over, train wrecks for revenge of a beating and the war's blowing away of villages.

This story revolves around the orphaned protagonist (from ages 6 to 12) who wanders during the horrors of World War II. He witnesses a grotesque overdose of human indecency arising within the Russian citizenry. Just after entering one town, the boy is forced to move to another. Each foster home is a worse nightmare than the prior. One foster parent has children commit incest upon one another. Another has the child hang on hooks all day. Another conceives different ways to beat the child.

By the end, the 12-year old child is a young man with little concern of others' emotions or feelings. Like Cormac McCarthy's protagonist in "Blood Meridian" - he is child transformed into the devil incarnate. Adults tarnish a child's innocence in life. No one but the adults can be held accountable for the child's demise.

But, unlike McCarthy, Kosinski is optimistic. Maybe his personal survival and revival from Holocaust events lead the author to allow the young man to survive his purgatory called childhood. That is good news.

Written in a choppy fashion, similar to a journal kept by a scientist, the reading is stilted and constrained. But, after acclimating to this unique style of writing, it moves well and such writing style accomplishes giving the book a fictional feel to events which probably are oh-too-nonfictional. I believe the horrors are derived more from memories than from literary license.

To those with a weak stomach, stay away from this book. For those who like Grimm, or would like Grimm on steroids, this is your book. And, for those interested in Russian literature or history, this is a must read.

My 4th grade son read this and loved it. He was fascinated by it and looked forward to our reading every day (he would read aloud to me). Having read the adult version, I was impressed by this childrens' copy because it stays true to the grain of the story. There is nothing Disneyfied about it. I highly recommend this book to any parent who is trying to introduce classic works to their children, as well as any parent seeking good quality literature. The illustrations are top-rate and further serve to involve the junior reader. Also highly recommended is Sutcliff's Black Ships Before Troy, which is the children's Illiad.

I have loved Rosemary Sutcliff's historical fiction of early Anglo-Saxon and Roman England, so I knew her retelling of the Iliad and the Odyssey would be spectacular. And they are. I use them with the Middle School boys I tutor, who usually HATE to read but absolutely cannot put these down. The illustrations and map in this hardcover version are wonderfully done. The Cyclops with a stake in its eye, the suitor Laertes shot through the neck, with the arrow still there -- who can resist? I even used these with my 11th grader who was a very poor reader, and he lapped it up.

As in Black Ships Before Troy, Rosemary Sutcliff writes a story of an epic that many adults are afraid to read for fear of the classics, in a manner that is captivating and understandable. It is by no means dumbed down and yet my children could easily understand the story.

Alan Lee's watercolor illustrations are beautiful and keep the youngest listener sitting quietly to hear the story while seeing the pictures.

The characters and the story are so easy to read that it is an easy transition to pick up Homer's Odysseus and read it.

If you are an adult and have never read Homer's version, I highly recommend reading this for your own enjoyment as well.

I teach seventeen 6th-8th graders at a Christian Montessori school in northern Indiana. We have a classical education bent.

This version of the book The Wanderings of Odysseus, which we read over the course of 3 1/2 weeks (approximately a chapter each day), was a big hit with my class. The majority were very enthusiastic readers; nearly all the boys were reading ahead of schedule. They understood the plot, could retell each chapter, and could identify nearly all the characters.

The reading level was just right for the purpose I had in mind for my middle schoolers. (NOTE: my purpose was to move quickly and happily through a retelling of classic Greek/Roman literature, rather than to challenge the class with demanding literature.)

This book is entertaining without being sensationalized and accessible without being condescending. The illustrations of the larger, more expensive hardback version are splendid, but we did well enough without them.

Furthermore, Rosemary Sutcliff's faithfulness to the details and the tone of Homer's Odyssey is commendable.

I believe my students now have a solid albeit basic foundation for further reading in Homer, or for handling The Odyssey.

I highly recommend this paperback retelling (as well as the magnificently illustrated hardback retelling) of the Odyssey to advanced 4th/5th graders, to all 6th-8th graders, and also to older students and adults who are still unacquainted with classical Greek literature.

I read this to my 12 and 13 year old niece and nephew who hardly ever read on their own and hardly ever agree on anything. We started with the author's Iliad, which they both thoroughly enjoyed. The kids both agree that this is one sequel that is as good or better than the first book. Honestly, they ask (beg, actually) to hear just one more chapter. I personally like the way the author kept qualities of the descriptive language particular to the original epic. The language is just exotic enough that it helps for me to read it out loud, so they can hear it with the emphasis in places that help make it clear. We stop periodically to "re-cap", and re-read particularly lovely passages or phrases.

A book, for children and adults, shows us how a Roman city was built, from the ground up. First they make a plan, deciding on how many people will live in the city, where the forums will go, the roads, the walls, the markets, theater, amphitheater and temples. They bring the stone to make the walls and aqueducts. We see how people live in the city, as the book explores the homes, businesses, public spaces and sewer system. We get to see the final, complete, form of the city, full of busy streets, crowded markets, happy homes and tall walls.

I ordered this book for the purpose of understanding Roman constuction of a city. It is definitely an excellent source for those who wish to know how Rome may have organized it's sattelite cities. The books is concise and filled with illustrations to aid the reader in imagining what a Grand scheme a Roman Engineered city must have been (especially considering what setbacks in civilization would come later through the middle ages).

I really enjoyed this book, the only setback I have with it is that it is maybe too good at summarizing it's subject. It is a brief read, more belonging to the non-fiction section of a 'Young Adults' library than a history loving 'Adult'. It is a little...sanitized in Roman Rule, and skirts around the visciousness of Italy. One would be inclined to believe the Romans were peaceful while reading this, and forget that they were a civilization bent on subjugaition of foreign lands, and brutal in justice for all citizens. That is the only reason I hold back 1 star; there is much more that could be told, and considering the excellent detail the rest of the book gives, it could have abbreviated LESS in it's timeline, and the reader would have been much more in debt to the author for having done so. I want MORE!

A very good source of Roman city information. Well recommended.

The only reason I gave this book 4 stars rather than 5 is that David Macaulay has set the bar so high for himself over the years by writing and illustrating some real masterpieces such as Castle and Cathedral. City is also a great book, just not quite as amazing as others he has written. I bought this for my son, who has always been intrigued by construction projects, but I have also enjoyed it quite a bit.

When taken together as a collection, Macaulay's books, from Castle and Cathedral and Pyramid, Mill, Unbuilding, Mosque, and most definitely this one, City, create what is probably the most readable, retainable, and approachable exploration of the story of architecture that's out there. These books, each highlighting an era and a project, are all a lot of fun to look at, read, and think about, and in this volume, City, the foundation and construction of a Roman population center is detailed. From the explanation for why the Romans built cities from scratch, to the selection and preparation of the site, to the actual erection of a brand new city, Macaulay leaves nothing unexplored or unexplained. These books are as enjoyable for adults as they are for children, and are truly classics of our time.

In this book, David Macaulay expertly describes and illustrates the construction of the imaginary Roman city of Verbonia. It is based hundreds of real Roman cities built between 300 B.C. and A.D. 150. I was amazed at the planning that went into the city, and the systematic and precise manner that everything was managed. I was fascinated to learn how they built the aqueducts for the city's water supply, even going through hills, and the sewer system underground to keep the city sanitary. The architecture of the forum and baths was so intriguing. Of course, this might be expected from the author of "The Way Things Work"! His detailed drawings are fabulous. This a terrific book for learning about Roman cities in this time period and for studying the way the cities were put together to provide for all the needs of the inhabitants.

This story is appropriate for children and adults; however, the reader should be very familiar with the content of the original tale of the three pigs. The characters are well developed. Instead of staying in the story, the pigs create their own ending. The quality of the language helps define the developed pigs' character. The illustrations help create the theme of the story and the meaning of the text. When text is provided in the story, the illustrations are accurate and consistent with the plot. At times, the text is absent. The illustrations consistS of real pictures of pigs and cartoon versions that provide clues to the action of the story. The format off the book is very appealing. The size of the book is large enough to capture the content in the story. The jacket expresses the theme of the book. By looking at the title page, the reader will anticipate the story by observing three pigs. The text size is attractive for all audiences.

David Wiesner...I have been checking all his books, ones that he wrote, and drew illustrations. I see same pattern in the stories, and he always leave some clew what he would write for the next book. This book was written after the book titled "Tuesday", and in the last page, there is a picture of pig flying. What a talented guy he is. My boys 2 and 5 years old love his books. I can't wait for his next work!

The Three Pigs is a creatively illustrated picture book with humorous details for the keen observer. Basically wordless, the pictures tell quite a tale as the pigs become a part of other fairytales and nursery rhymes, creating their own version of "happily ever after" by the book's end. Great for teachers and parents who want to expand upon the fantastic illustrations and create opportunities for inferring meaning, sharing character dialogue, and continuing the story independently.

This is an excellent book on many levels, much better for a child who has been read to for at least a couple of years. The wonderment of seeing the three pigs, who they will already be familiar with, suddenly leap out of their story will be very exciting. It is not gruesome in any way (like some other books playing off "three little pigs"), and the perfect-length, nicely flowing text shows the versatility of David Wiesner, who has written amazing text-less books as well. The idea of the book is intellectual, but by using a wide variety of illustration styles, he executes his intentions most clearly and delightfully.

I am surely not surprised that David Wiesner has joined the world of modern art with this innovative story that jumps right off the pages. Ever heard of that expression: It is so real it jumps out of the pages? Wiesner plays with this concept and has the pigs come out of the pages. But I get ahead of myself. One does that with Wiesner in the picture, so to speak.

A three-time Caldecott winning children's illustrator, Wiesner is well known for his highly imaginative stories. I personally believe this is his MOST imaginative effort (even over "Flotsam," the 2007 Caldecott). Open the book and expect the unexpected.

I love that this version of the three little pigs begins with "Once upon a time there were three little pigs who went out into the world to seek their fortune." Wiesner skips the part about the mommy kicking them out. The story continues with the first pig in a straw house, the wolf blows it down....Wait, he blows the pig "right out of the story" and in the next frame, the line says "and ate the pig up." However, in Wiesner's version the wolf is sitting there, paw up, dismay on his face, looking for the pig who is no longer in the story.

Thus begins a most strange tale. With the next pig Wiesner has the first pig poke around the edge of the picture to tell his brother, "Come on--it's safe out here." That's all I will say of the story, but I will describe some of the action. Picture frames fold and float until the three pigs make airplanes of them on which they sail until they fall. The cat with the fiddle discovers them in the middle of a mish-mash of nursery rhyme characters and follows them into a dragon and knight story. See what I mean? Unlike the original which ends with the wolf falling into a pot of boiling water, this story has a happy ending. No wolves are hurt during the making of the book.

Children whose imaginations are encouraged to flow wild will love this book. If not, perhaps this book will be the impetus to jump-start that juice. As a librarian, when a child asks me how certain things can happen in a book, I give this standard answer: "Because the illustrator can do what he wants in his book (or hers)." That answer always satisfies.

About modern art: The modern artist recognizes that he is working on a flat canvas. He knows his viewer knows this. Instead of staying within the four lines of the frame of a canvas, the modern artist may do anything with that concept. The most famous, Picasso, took apart his subjects and reorganized those pieces into new forms, thus cubism. Wiesner simply takes his characters out of the pages, does new things with the pages, and recombines elements of other stories to create new stories. He certainly extends beyond the edges of the imagination with "The Three Pigs."

After 4 years, 2 readings, a wasted week of my life, and feeling like a moron who sees glass while everyone else sees diamonds, I finally understand One Hundred Years of Solitude. In an interview, Marquez stated essentially that most reviewers don't realise the book is an inside joke. Bingo. If I interpret this waste of paper and ink as a parody of the Seven Deadly Sins then I can understand why Marquez wrote it. I hated this book but now, just like the dinner host who pours Costco champagne into a Dom Perignon bottle knowing his guests won't know the difference, I can at least get a laugh out of it.

This book was good, but at some times it was hard to follow. This novel was difficult to keep straight. It run the gauntlet from comedy to tragedy and love to death to war and everything in between witch made it very emotional. This book was also a kind of history textbook witch is ok if history is in your blood but it is not in mine. Irregardless it was emotionally satisfing. But it could have been improved if it could have been simplified. When you finish the book, don't be surprised to find yourself stepping out of a dream and back into the real world. Only in the mind of the master can a wounded arm turn into a field of butterfiles. If you like this book, you might want to try Marquez's new autobiography.

Absolutely loved it. Vivid and full of creativity, if anyone wants to read a good book I definetly recommend it. Actually not a hard book to read, but it should not be read in a hurry either.

It's so disappointing, not to mention depressing, to read the negative reviews of this book on line here. We are speaking of one of the dozen finest books of the twentieth century. The failure is not the book's. I encourage all of you to try again--let the book lift you.

When reading is a chore and makes absolutely no sense at all, what is the point? I could not have made it through this book at all without the family tree in the front since so many of the characters have the same or similar names. I read on and on thinking it was going to all start making some sense or there would be a big ending, but in the end I put it down and felt like it was a huge waste of my valuable reading time. I re-sold the book as fast as I could unload it. It is really interesting and amazing to me how so many people love this book....I'm a reader in general but this one I just don't quite grasp. It is a nightmare of a read.

I bought this book for an art teacher friend who uses it constantly in her high school classes.

I bought a copy for my seven-year-old step-daughters and packed it for a long car trip over Labor Day weekend. The girls giggled wildly while pouring over the artwork and the questions they posed, and then spent a good long time working on their own "What if..." questions and accompanying illustrations.

A fine picture book all around!

Working with kids is great...yet if you don't keep them occupied at all times my job description would be zoo keeper, not Elementary Art Teacher! At first, Sarah Perry's book "If..." served as a functional time filler. I knew the kids would get a kick out of the wonderful images! I introduce the book and the kids are still a bit restless and and not totally convinced that the art teacher is reading a book. Isn't that the librarians job, they think as they roll their eyes. I open to the first page and read,"If cats can fly..." their heads turn and their rolling eyes become transfixed on Perry's beautiful illustrations. I turn the page and by now the audience is silently screaming for more!!! By this time the students' teacher has come to pick the kids up from the art room, but instead of lining up the class, she has pulled up a seat to listen in on the fun! Nine times out of ten, when I am finished sharing the book, the students ask me to read it again. The kids walk out of the classroom with a smile on their face and their imaginations zooming!!! Parents stop me in the hallways to speak about the delight their child experienced when I was reading the book! I give the credit to Sarah Perry! Thank you Sarah...this functional time filler has become an imagination can opener!!!

This book is so beautifully illustrated and the ideas it presents are really fun. We got it as a baby shower gift and it immediately became a favorite of my husband and mine. Now my 2-year old loves to pour over the illustrations and giggles at the silly ideas. It's a book that I know she will keep into her adulthood.

My grandson who is almost four loves this book. He packed it to bring back to Me Me's when he spent the night.

The book, "If" is a great one for teachers to teach the trait of Ideas. Wonderful illustrations!

If you like astounding books, read it.
If you want to understand Poe's works better, read it.

This book, despite its little flaws in composition, is thrilling, sometimes funny, and deep, since it forces you to wonder if you're really mentally sane, and safe from losing your identity.

Wieland is an excellent response to the questions of post-revolutionary America. It raises question of religious fanatacism, reason as religion, and representative government in the context of a gothic inspired novel. Set where the Delaware meets the Schuylkill (my hometown of Philadelphia) Brown provides the perfect representation of many of the question that were faced in his day

I am impressed with the reviews on this site because they are so deservedly glowing. I read this book when I was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin Madison, and was amazed at the creative genius this man had, as well as the destructive power of critical dismissal. Given, he may not have written the most perfectly structured novel in history, but give the guy a break. He was a professional author from a time when, even if you were a best seller, it only paid just enough to get by. He had to hurry his output to keep up with his grumbling stomach. However, as far as pure entertainment value, and heart stopping plot twists he is second to none. This man should definitely be read more and given more credit as the grand-father of gothic writing. Given, he is nowhere near Poe, but who is? He is far ahead of his time (late 18th century) in psychological exploration and X-files-esque ponderings. If you want a book that will entertain, frighten, and shock you look no further. I also highly recommended Memoirs of a Sleepwalker if you liked this novel and are looking for something along the same lines.

I liked the book, don't get me wrong, but it simply is not all that good of a book. It's importance as a groundbreaker in American Gothic is a very large one, but I feel that the book will be lost on the every day readers, who will be put off by both the language and the rather silly way in which it ends. The whole book is a build up of mystery and then out of the shadows the criminal steps forward and gives a speech (a long one I might add) on how the whole thing happened. So long as you accept the fact that this will happen at the end, you should like it, but if not, then stay away. The book is quite a let down (I just can't stand the ending), especially for being Brown's best read novel. If you want to read the book (and it really is a good book), just stop before the last chapter.

Charles Brockden Brown's first novel, 1798's "Wieland," is an outstanding, riveting work fraught with anxieties over the new American nation and its enlightened foundations. Set sometime between 1763 and 1775, "Wieland" is narrated by Clara Wieland, and concerns the fate of her family and friends - her brother Theodore, and their friends Pleyel and Catharine. Clara is a woman born and raised into a secure world of enlightenment rationality. She is a model of Wollstonecraftian feminism - educated, astute, and benevolent.

Clara's narrative begins with a recitation of her family history - her Anglo-German roots and an account of the family's migration to the American colonies, to wit, Pennsylvania. Following an account of her father's religious enthusiasm and apparent spontaneous combustion, Clara shows herself and her brother, who equally partition the family estate, living in perfectly rational harmony. The estate of Mettingen is an enlightened utopia, where the Wielands and the Pleyels discuss literature and virtue, completely oblivious to the outside world. Though Philadelphia is not far away, the concerns of the city, of commerce, and of politics are not theirs.

Their ordered world is soon upset by the manifestation of mysterious disembodied voices around the estate. Shortly thereafter, Carwin, a rustic stranger with remarkable intelligence and a shrouded past, enters their isolated society.

In "Wieland," Brown calls into question the enlightened basis of the still new American government. With fresh knowledge of the failure of the French Revolution, subsequent uprisings in Ireland, and an intense fascination with the radical political philosophies of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, "Wieland" powerfully engages and synthesizes the currents of its time. With all the trappings of psychological gothic trauma, Brown, a resident of a nation conceived in liberty, asks whether the ideological break between a rational new world and a traditional, superstitious old world actually changes anything in human nature.

When I started reading this novel I thought how perfect it was but as time wears on the main character begins to annoy you with his experience of every burden. There is nothing he has not seen or done in "the real life that counts". The last 50 pages of it are almost unbearable.

The novel 'Of Human Bondage was one of the few novels (along with Memoir of a Geisha) which ever drew me in so deeply to form a bond with the main character, but this one was even more intimate. I became increasingly frustrated with the main character Phillip and with his arrogance and self pity, cruelty and foolishness of his behavior. I will not give the book away, but it is one of the novels I can most readily recommend to anyone, and it is the only book I have ever read which I was still emotionally attached to the character months afterward, still frustrated with his behavior and still wanting to change him and make him do the right thing, only stopping after continually telling myself it was just a book. I recommend it highly.

Of Human Bondage is quintessential Somerset Maugham and is, or should be, one of the classics of English literature. Don't be put off by its length; you will only wish it were longer by the time you finish it!

The book is set in the last decades of the nineteenth century and, apparently partly autobiographical, it tells of the growing up of a young orphan, his apprenticeship of art and then medicine and of course his painful tuition in love. Philip, the hero, is initially raised in an English country vicarage, the life of which is described with fetching authenticity. In fact, its realistic evocation of exotic settings, a typical feature of Maugham's writing, is one of the novel's undoubted attractions. Philip moves on to Heidelberg, then Paris among a community of artistic hopefuls and painting schools, and back to turn-of-the-century London, with its contrast of glitter and squalor, its top hats and workers' dorms, music halls and stockbrokers' clubs. There he becomes trapped in a tragic and sordid love affair that becomes so compulsive it threatens to enslave him.

If the hero's unrequited obsession is alluded to in the title, however, Of Human Bondage has a broader scope. Indeed it is - well - about life; but if that sounds pretentious, this is probably one of few works that can genuinely make that claim. The cast of characters is impressive in being both broad and convincing, and sufficient plot is granted each so that they can come alive. True, Maugham's sometimes acid, always witty and insightful style is at its best when portraying human faults. Purely positive archetypes are given briefer and just a little less compelling descriptions; but perhaps that is just reality. Few novels are able to bring forth such a variety of places, people and situations so convincingly and with such depth. Ultimately the test for this sweeping portrait is that one feels one has stood in it many more times than once, so strong is the association with its protagonists. And if you have occasionally fallen for an idiot who wasn't interested in you, then reading this may provide a cure.

One of the great books of the 20th century. There is so much more to it than what you've probably heard or assumed. I highly recommend it.

I really enjoy Maugham's writing - it is a pleasure to read. Although written close to 90 years ago, the characters and settings are so alive and present that it comes across as a book that could have been released within the last decade. His characters grow and change during the novel, and in this one in particular Philip undergoes tremendous changes in philosphy and lifestyle.

There are times that the reader wants to shake Philip for not making the 'right' choices, but that is a testament to how thoroughly Maugham brings the reader into the story.

The title is perhaps best summed up when Philip realizes that he prefers to love someone who does not love him - someone who he knows he doesn't really like - than be loved by someone he does not share that feeling for.

A few of the events are a bit predictable (the stock market and even the final relationship, for example, not wanting to reveal the details to a new reader) and the endgame resolves itself rather rapidly after a 500 page buildup, but overall one of the best books I have read in quite some time.

It was recomended by a teacher friend. It's quirky, funny & full of imagination. I have read books by Elisabeth Peters on archeology & discovering Egyption tombs so I enjoyed this because it challenges the imagination on what future scientists might discover about our civilization.

When this book first was published, the Hotel Technology department head inadvertently had the college library purchase this book for the department. When it arrived we laughed hysterically about it, and many times, I have laughed about it ever since.

Two years ago, I ordered a copy for the library where I am currently a Children's Librarian. It did not even make it to the "stacks", someone
liked it so much they "permanently borrowed" it.

If you need a good laugh...!

I've carried my copy of this book over many moves. It grows on me each time I read it. Originally it seemed just a humourous retelling of the Carter discovery of Tutankhamun and the Egyptian hysteria that accompanies it. Later on, after getting much more involved in arguments over interpretations of Roman historical artifacts, I realized how to the point the book is about the way we see the past and argue over the meaning of what we see. Still really funny though.

The 41st Century is full of mysteries. Like what happened to Ancient Yankees who lived in North America? Why did they die out and how did they live. One day a tomb, untouched, is found and it gives us a glimpse of what these Ancient Yankees were like in the 20th Century. Sacred items, musical instruments, and the sacred point will make you laugh and wonder how much of OUR knowledge is based on such conclusions?

Motel of the mysteries is a fun, easy read.
Everyday items are seen in the light of future archeologists, with interesting, funny and sometimes insightful interpretations. Good book to share with others.

Bunyan's rich description of Christian's journey to the Celestial City is replete with powerful spiritual lessons at every turn. The book paints a thorough picture of Bunyan's view of Christ and what it means to follow Him completely. Whether it is the characters Christian meets along the way, the dangers that befall him or the reflections of the dreamer, Bunyan uses every facet of this book to challenge his readers to deeper, more authentic discipleship. While admittedly somewhat clumsy to read stylistically, this book deserves a prestigious place among the spiritual classics. Highly recommended.

This is one of the most over rated books in history, with the Holy Bible really under rated. It's about a man named Christian wh o starts out alone by himself and builds it into a ministry. Anologizing that for starting out in like the 1640s, the pilgrims are a way ahead because these other modes of thinking are like a thousand years out of date. The ;pilgrim's philosophy- take over the drugg riddled and weak and leave them for dead. These simple methods of living made a lot of technology obsolete. PC's? Word of mouth.

i am excited about reading this christian classic. The shipment arrived as sscheduled and in great condition... will order again soon

"No other work in English, except the Bible, has been so widely read over such a long period." When I read something like that about this other work, "Pilgrim's Progress", I was curious. I got a copy and paged through it. At first I was disappointed, because I suspected that even if I forced myself to plow through the whole book slowly I probably would not understand the reasons for its popularity. But then I read the excellent 57 page introduction. And that gave me the education about "Pilgrim's Progress" that I was looking for. W.R. Owens's analysis and explanation of John Bunyan's classic satisfied my curiosity completely.

An allegory of a Christian's life as a pilgrimage towards our heavenly destination. The characters are personified weaknesses and strengths, which make the story quite entertaining and fun, specially to see how they react to the misfortunes and fortunes along the way, and also to each other as they meet.

The book is divided in 2 parts. In the first Christian sets out from the City of Destruction by himself: his wife and kids didn't want to go with him (plain and simple). It's the most interesting part because of the novelty of the road, the suspense of the unexpected hangs over the way. In the second part it's the wife and kids who depart to Mt. Zion, following trailblazer Christian.

The tone is didactic but not lecturely, quite colloquial, I'd say. Sometimes discussions get a little too entangled, too elaborate. Young people and kids might enjoy this read if they hang on to it and read it at a small pace and with meditations. It serves as a mirror into our own souls more than about the way per se.

A classic of Christian literature of its own right, that stands the test of time. Written for entertainment as well as for our learning and warning. Ideal for parents-children discussions and bible studies.