Santa Paws, a book for middle school kids about a puppy who is kinder and more caring than many humans. My then 7 year old enjoyed it, and I enjoyed reading it to him because there was a message included.

This dog, abandoned and homeless itself, goes out of its way to help people in need. The story is engaging enough to be a family read, which to us means a chapter or two a night, for several evenings.

Santa Paws is about a dog who was a street dog with his family. But then, his family got taken by the pound so he's on his own. It's Christmas time and numerous people who see him try to take him home but, he's scared so he runs away. I like this book because it's so simple. He walks around all day... sometimes to the park... sometimes to the back of the pizza parlor to get a drink.... he's in a small town and you get the small town feeling you get when you watch "Gremlins". He saves about six or seven people's lives and ends up getting an owner. to find out who the owner is, read the book.

Santa Paws would risk his life to save people?s lives. He jumps through fire to save a family on Christmas night, and he barked because he found an injured lady. The ambulance came. He also saved a drowning boy. He finally gets a home, and the boy named him Nick after Saint Nicholas. I really think you should read this book.

Hedda Gabler is a wonderful story of a woman desperately trying to have control over her life. Married to a husband she doesn't love and pregnant with a child she doesn't want, Hedda seeks comfort in an old friend. There are enough surprizes in this play to keep it interesting throughout. Ibsen uses his brilliant writing style to capture the very essence of Hedda. I highly recommend Hedda Gabler as well as other works by Henrik Ibsen.

Hedda Gabler is a play filled with tensions and the theme of power play. Personally, I feel that Hedda Gabler is a reflection of a woman trapped in the wrong time. She is one who wants power but is denied of it due to her gender and also her status in the society and all that she needs is to just sit at home and recieve visitors. She has no aims to look forward to and I believe that it is suffocating for this woman. If she had been born in this time of the century, I believe that she would not land up in that patathic end.

Henrik Ibsen was truly the Father of Modern Drama! His plays are much more "in-tune" with today's life than many scholars want to believe or will admit. Hedda was a powerful woman, who on the surface appeared to be confined by a dress, imprisoned in man's house, and smothered by a male-dominated society. It would appear that Thea Elvstead was the woman with more control, but this is not true. Hedda was a calculating "bitch" who dared (quite shrewdly) to cross over her set in stone "boundaries," manipulate others, and stand back and watch others lives be destroyed as a result. But when she is backed into a corner by the "new" creative couple (George & Thea) and Judge Brack, she takes the final power into her own hand. How ironic that the power is her late father's pistol. How tragic is her death when it was the ultimate control of a destiny that she so strongly desired? Henrik, you were a true visonary!!!

After reading this book, i rather enjoyed it.. Its really nice to have basic instruction with examples taken from Korsakov's own works.. Good book, though a bit old in the style of orchestration. A good one to learn the Old Style of this composer

Rimsky-Korsakov worked upon this work for over 30 years.The examples are from his own works.He originally planned to include examples from Glinka,Tschaikovsky, Borodin,and Glazounov.He did not to avoid notational and stylistic peculiarities.This is not primarily a notational work.It deals more with subjects such as resonance,timbre,register,and instrumental combinations and their various effects.He died before the work was published and many of the examples were chosen from his works by the editor Max Steinberg.The Principles,however,listed prior to example,remain untouched...and still do barring instrumental developments.These Principles could have just as easily been exemplified by the above four or many others.This book is a classic on "Principles Of Orchestration" and most certainly not obsessed with "Examples Of Orchestration".The laws are laid out in the former case.To any serious composer that is as it ought be!

This is without a doubt the greatest book on orchestration in my opinion; not only does it give you an insight on Rimsky-Korsakov's style, but also helps perfectly balance any mixture of instruments, and gives you almost all information on any instrument (that he had at the time) that you'll ever need. It is not only a book on orchestration, but a course on it.

This is a great book which can help make people like you in a very short time. I found it in a Book Exhibition, and decided to buy it since the title attracted me.
It's really useful when you learn how to attract attention of people which is very important in our daily life.
This book is concise, user-friendly and uses simple language for conveying the auther's message.

Part (1) is an introduction about the importance of the first impression. There is an old saying which is true most of the time (The first impression is the last impression.) All what you need is to adopt a positive attitude, make sure your words, tone, and gestures are in harmony, and use your gift in organizing your speech to maintain an attractive conversation by using open-ended questions to try to discover what the other person likes.

Part (2) focuses on the first 90 seconds for establishing a rapport. As Mr. Boothman said, the key to establish a rapport with people is to learn how to be like them.

Part (3) is talking about the secrets of interactions. I was amazed when I learned that some people rely on visual cues, others on auditory or kinesthetic (touch) input. You just should try to discover what the other person prefers and use it to your best advantage! After doing the exercise to determine my favorite sense, it came out to be (Visual)! The author gives us some exercises for determining the characteristics of the people whose favorable senses are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.

Keep in you mind that your reward at the end will be the acceptance of the other person for your personality.

However, I agree with some reviewers that there are few points which were not clarified in this book:

1. emphasizing on general appearance.
2. exploring coversational techniques.
3. overcoming shyness for some people.
4. speaking to more than 1 person.

In summary, I recommend this book for anybody who is interested in the "psychology" of how to give a good impression in 90 seconds or less!

Well done Mr. Boothman!

This concise, easy-to-read book is all about establishing rapport with people. The author delves into what happens during the initial moments of personal contact when we tend to form "first impressions." Boothman takes a separate look at each of the senses during the meeting process, with a particular focus on verbal and body language. The reader learns to orchestrate an interaction to achieve a specific goal, which is often to be liked and accepted by the other person.

Fiction writers, in particular, will appreciate the chapter that includes a discussion on the three major senses people use to take in information - sight, sound and touch. Surprisingly, we speak using a verbal dialogue that feeds the sense we rely on the most. By incorporating characters' verbal styles and sensory-related actions with their body language, writers can create even more vivid fiction.

The book is written in a straightforward manner, and is peppered with anecdotes and metaphors. This self-help book will empower people invigorate their social and professional lives.

Whether you're a teenage guy having trouble talking to girls; the CEO of a major corporation unhappy with your employees' productivity; or a mother who wishes her kids would clean their rooms without being nagged, you need this book!

It presents a look at developing "rapport" during the first few seconds of meeting someone - a practice that can make the difference in a relationship or a business deal.

The book also presents practical advice on enhancing existing relationships by understanding other people's methods of interpreting sensory input.

Unlike many books by motivational speakers who spout motherhood statements and generalizations, author Nicholas Boothman uses plain language and effective metaphors that provide the reader with concrete communication "tools." A fascinating "read," this book is a guide to be used along your day-to-day life path.

Boothman's writing style is remarkably clear and concise. How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less is an oasis of simplicity for everyone coping in today's complex world.

You will see reviews here rated one and five stars - it depends upon who you are. The book is not tremendously written, stylistically, though not bad (redundant in places). If you know the place(s) written about - Mt. Washington and near peaks it will surely be a thrilling and fascinating read. If not - tedium. I know a bit of the area, so it was just ok - a three star book I would only recommend to White Mountain fans.

i just returned from a trip to the white mountains where I came across this book. i was very much interested in the history of the presidential mountain range and this book gave me quite a bit of insight as to the history of the mountain range and mount washington. this book is a wonderful read - i enjoyed it immensely. the book covers the tragedies that have befallen the mountain range and in such detail, i could visualize being there. hats off to nicholas howe! thanks for the insight!

This book is an expanded telling of the story Mr. Howe wrote for Yankee. I climbed Mt. Washington shortly after the original story. I went better prepared for the weather, thanks to Mr. Howe, and was able to assist a member of our climbing party to the "lake of the clouds" AMC hut (with the help of the hut staff and a cell phone). The fog seemed more like a dark blanket that shrunk the world to a few yards. A mile seemed like hundreds stopping every few feet while a fellow with a heart problem stopped to rest. After reading the original article I never considered leaving the man behind. I only wondered if he would be added to the list of those who died. I awaited this book for a few years. I met Mr. Howe at the Capitol City Dinner in Concord, NH after reading the Yankee article. Thank you sir for a great read. Thank you also for the stories that convinced me to better prepare for Mt. Washington. You may have saved a life perhaps two.

Wallace Fowlie's translation of Rimbaud's complete poeticworks, together with a selection of Rimbaud's letters, provides themost complete and reliable English translation of Rimbaud's poetry and a useful companion to the many books on Rimbaud's life. While Fowlie's translations are workmanlike and somewhat unimaginative, they are generally faithful to the original French text. Moreover, because the original French version and the English translation are on facing pages, the reader can easily compare Fowlie's translation with the reader's own understanding and interpretation of the French text. In this respect, the book is particularly useful if you have some French fluency.

All translations are, by their nature, inauthentic since there is never a perfect correspondence between the resonant images and meanings of the original language and the new language into which a text is translated. Translation is, as one critic has said, "like kissing someone through a veil"; the sensations (meanings) of the original are occluded by the translative process. Recognizing this inevitable deficiency, all that a reader can ask is that a translation approximate, as closely as possible, the linguistic meaning of the original. Fowlie has achieved this, more so than many other translators of Rimbaud, who have corrupted the integrity of Rimbaud's original meanings by their own creative and symbolistic interpretive renderings.

Fowlie also has provided solid translations of Rimbaud's important letters, particularly the letters of May, 1871, to George Izambard and Paul Demeny which articulate Rimbaud's precocious and iconoclastic aesthetic view of the role of the poet. If the book has any real shortcoming, it is the truncated and relatively unintersting biographical section and a lack of detailed notes. However, those failings can be excused by the fact that Wylie's book achieves its main objective--bringing a complete text of Rimbaud's poems to the English speaking world. If you are studying Rimbaud and the biographical details of his early life, and you cannot read the original French, Wylie's collection is indispensable

The great surprise with this book is that it contains the original French text on the left hand pages with the English translation on the right. This added enormous value to the book that was not apparent from its description. The poetry itself is magnificent at times and hard to follow at others. It is obvious that Rimbaud was a great talent - too bad he abandoned writing after age 19! The included biographical information and text of his letters provide an interesting backdrop to evaluate the poems and show the absolute waste of his life after his literary exploits

I ... found Fowlie's over-literal translations ugly and lame. But I think this may be deliberate. The unbeautifulness of the translations forces you back to the exquisite French original. It's a joy to have these poems as Rimbaud wrote them, and a bilingual edition is a must for the non-French-reader. If you want a beautiful English translation, I recommend reading Paul Schmidt's in conjunction with this one.

As somebody who has multiple sclerosis and active HHV6, finally a book that shows the truth about HHV6 and its implications in disease, present and future. For too long research into our disease has veered in the wrong direction, concentrating on a rodent model that serves us the SUFFERERS of MS, no good at all. Regush finally gives the lowdown on the the findings of a group of researchers brave enough to seek the truth and not afraid to say it! This book to me answered many questions and made me somewhat sceptical of the agendas of the organizations meant to serve us as they are more willing to fund the rodent than human disease. Public awareness of HHV6 needs to be increased, Regush has written an excellent book which I hope will do just that. Sometimes it takes an honest man, and in Drs Knox and Carrigan we find just that - people who seek the truth. Regush has written a compelling account of a virus that threatens us all, whose implications in human disease is brutal yet we are better for the knowledge of that brutality. Let us hope that with this book and the knowledge the public gain from it, finally the truth will out about HHV6 and finally us with MS, CFS and other related conditions will see our donations to our so called charities finally reach genuine research for a cure and not administrative costs. Terrific book! For ME the millenium started here!

The peripatetic Nicholas Regush demonstrates the courage of someone with little to lose - as a medical journalist he has no funding grants to protect and no academic prestige to gain or protect. Accordingly and with superb timing he has dropped a 'bombshell' not just on the public but also on a section of the powerful academic medical research establishment in the US.

In attempting to re-focus almost two decades of research into the nebulous human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), he rightly comments on the inconsistencies in research findings on HIV. For example the fact that measurements of active HIV 'viral loads' (measured by sophisticated and sensitive DNA 'footprint' techniques) do not seem to correlate with disease in patients with progressive or severe HIV-associated disease.

He follows the demanding and dedicated early careers of two 'non-establishment' neuropathology researchers Konnie Knox and Donald Carrigan - the former who had presented for her PhD thesis the role of a ubiquitous and particularly small herpes group virus (herpes hominis type 6 or HHV-6) as a co-factor in the pathogenesis of AIDS. Indeed some of the arguments suggested that HHV-6 may be the dominant virus which by damaging a wide range of T-lymphocytes (including CD4, CD8 and CD56 or natural killer/NK cells) actually induces the progression towards terminal disease in these patients and not the 'hard to find' HIV virus. Indeed they have wondered - quite publicly - if the HIV virus was an artefact created as a 'retrovirus' by the body's own ability to create RNA sequences which resembled and behaved as rather innocuous viral organisms. It had been suggested that perhaps the retrovirus fragments had a co-factor role in reactivating the ubiquitous, mostly dormant HHV-6 virus.

Being the smallest in the herpes virus group and now having been shown resident in small quantities in otherwise 'normal brains' also, the likelihood of a powerful role of the HHV-6 virus in non-HIV diseases is also very strong. Indeed in the final chapter Knox and Carrigan are being courted into the broad-based research program of microbiologist Howard Urnovitz.

Urnovitz is said to believe that the dormant role of HHV-6 and the complex interaction of the human immune system over a lifetime are likely to have associations with a number of other non-HIV related diseases apart from multiple sclerosis, especially chronic diseases. Indeed he believes, and quite rightly in my personal opinion that they have been researching a time bomb. It is of some interest that a large amount of the HHV-6 research in the last few years has come from places other than the US - which is I suspect a commentary on the academic conservatism of the AIDS-research institutions in North America.

If there is any other criticism of this book it would be that Regush has concentrated largely (and perhaps unavoidably) on the qualities and imperfections of individuals - and not just Knox and Carrigan. This is done at the expense of exploring in more detail the abundance of other work by other researchers on HHV-6, HHV-7 and HHV-8 over the last 5 years. These largely dormant or 'slow viruses' have been suspected of permanently turning on abnormal cellular neuro-immune functions (including cell destruction) in ways which have yet to be fully elucidated, but which in likelihood come, rather than primarily through the bloodstream, through the antigenically-primed and virus-laden lymphocyte cascade which re-penetrates the central nervous system at times of reactivation, following the primary viral infection in childhood through the nasal passages and saliva. That first journey from the respiratory and salivary reservoirs to the brainstem (via the cranial nerves) is presumably a formality; thence in a trans-synaptic semi-random military like attack the virus may move through the vast mass of peripheral nerve and plexiform conduits to potentially every nook and cranny of the body - including the bone marrow. With the executive control of the imprinted host genome, the ultimate disease we as individuals may experience might in many other respects depend on both neurotropic randomness and our inherent immunological integrity, at least some of which will be inheritable.

Regush comments on the substantial 'patch protection' between specialities - for example the treatment of multiple sclerosis could, and indeed probably will be usurped eventually by the infectious disease physicians over the neurologists. Neurologists may well be wondering if they will continue to have a broad-ranging speciality in the future. Others would argue that the impact of the control of the human body through its central nervous system, the ubiquity of nerve supply to every organ and vessel in the body and the complexity and bio-variability of the neuro-immune response to 'innate' centrally disposed infectious agents such as HHV-6 and the general deterioration in the immune response as we get older are in a holistic sense the real basis of most if not all degenerative disease.

While the HHV-6 virus, discovered in just the last decade, has in all likelihood been around since pre-historic times talk of a coming epidemic is perhaps unconvincing. But what has changed in modern times is the nature of human existence - marriage breakdowns, multiple and changing sexual relationships, more liberal immigration policies, urban living and frequent international jet travel. These are perhaps the real source of concern - the creation of a Darwinian-like environment for an accelerated passage of a wide range of neurotropic viruses throughout the globe.

Recently finished reading "The Virus Within: A Coming Epidemic" by Nichalus Regush and published by Dutton. I recommend this book to everybody. It points out the strong coverup in research in the strong possibility of the role of HHV6 (Human Herpes Virus 6) in AIDS. The established experts are doing everything within their power to squash Nick Regush and his book. Regush is a supurb writer and is the medical reporter for ABC News with 30 years of experience. The book is important and needs to be read. Regush raises many questions that I sure would like some answers to. The book cites detailed references and reads somewhat like the book "And the Band Played On." This book should be required reading for all health care providers and AIDS researchers.

This is the hardest kind of review to write, I find. The first of the Dudley Pope "Ramage" series is not bad as an adventure-at-sea novel, but it is not great either. It is fun, but not amazingly exciting. Pope is knowledgable, but heavy-handed. So the book rates 3 stars.

First some background. I have read the Horatio Hornblower & Aubrey/Maturin series, as well as a couple books by Kent, "Two Years Before the Mast", and scattered other bits of nautical lore and adventure. I enjoy the genre as a whole. Thus at a friend's suggestion I picked up "Ramage".

The action in this book can get pretty heavy, but often to the point of strained credulity. As this is a historical novel, I don't really expect to see sections that strike me as "What an AMAZING bit of luck!" every 20-30 pages, but that does happen here. Ramage begins his career (at least as far as the book is concerned) by coming back to consciousness after being knocked about by an explosion. Luckily he has not noticable concussion... He is the only officer left on board his ship. Luckily he can find the captain's secret orders... Luckily they directly involve skills he has... And somehow he is able to convince his heavily battered crew that he is NOT abandoning them by leaving the ship in the ship's boats. This is only the opening sequence, so I am not giving much away here.

His adventures take a much more believable turn on land and the pace really picks up; unfortunately things drag later during a courtmartial scene. I want to get involved with the adventures and the excitement, but I keep thinking, "How much blind luck can one fellow have?"

Another disappointing aspect of the book revolves around the nautical lore. It is always tricky as to how much to include in a given book and how to present it. Patrick O'Brian was the great master of being able to spoon bits of knowledge of sailing vessels to his audience without making it seem like a long lecture. Unfortunately Pope is much more heavy-handed in his approach. When he wants to explain something about the management of ships, he very obviously places a non-naval person in the scene and then proceeds to have Ramage give a mini-lecture. This is not only clunky in execution, it becomes woefully predictable. The only time this didn't happen, Ramage thought all the steps out in his head, sort of like a Shakespearean soliloquy on naval maneuvers.

Ramage himself is a rather nice character, with some little quirks, an interesting background, and rather too much luck. Gianna, his lady love, is a standard head strong young woman who comes to love the hero. Jackson, Ramage's American sidekick, is also rather nice, but a little too Johnny-on-the-spot, as if all he is at times is an extension of Ramage's luck.

Pope knows the period very well. He knows the sea, the commanders, the action, and the politics. As this was his freshman effort I have every hope that the later books become less heavy-handed. In the end "Ramage" is not a bad book, but it is not a great book of the genre either.

3rd Lt. Ramage finds himself in command of a sinking frigate after all other officers are killed. Escaping in a small boat after only an hour in command of the frigate, he reads the orders given to his late captain and decides to carry out the task given to a frigate using the boat.

He rescues a beautiful princess and they fall in love. Sounds like a romance novel, but there is a lot of adventure--in order to fall in love, he has to keep her from killing him first.

Ramage's father's political enemies bring him to trial, but he again escapes.

Nelson give him his first real command, the cutter Kathleen and an almosst impossible assignment.

In this the first of the sixteen book series, Ramage collects key crewmen who will support him in his further adventures.

Pope's Ramage series is in my opinion the best of the naval adventure stories of Nelson's navy.

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Review of the Ramage series of novels:

This is first of a series of nine books. All of these are fictional novels based on British Admiralty records of the Napoleonic era. Written in the best tradition of Forester and O'Brien, these books will capture our imagination. And if you haven't read the Hornblower series by Forester, or the Aubrey/Maturin series by O'Brien, try them also. All of these are excellent books that you will treasure and reread. I particularly like these books by Pope. I recommend that you buy them all at once and read them in order. You will be glad you did.

If you enjoy reading accurate descriptions of naval maneuvers in the age of sail, or simply a good adventure yarn, Dudley Pope delivers. Pope conveys how the best of the best, handle emergency situations. He portrays these situations with realism and authenticity.

Review of this book:

In this novel, Ramage awakes after receiving an injury in battle to find himself in command of the rapidly sinking Sibella. The pace is fast and furious as he struggles to complete the Sibella's mission and save his crew. As any Captain who has lost his ship, this book concludes with Ramage facing a daunting courts martial board with the deck stacked against him.

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Conrad B. Senior

This is the sixth book of the Niccolo series. Here, the plot centers on the center of Europe: The Duke of Burgundy and the King of France and the King of Scotland: Nicholas serves them all to achieve success for his grand plan.

The competition between Gelis and Nicholas continues, only this time she lives with Nicholas in Scotland and their son, Jodi. Living together does not mean the race is over, only that it intensifies. The outcome will soon be revealed!

In this chapter, the author continues her description of Scotland, but also of Greenland and the great market for Cod that exists between this country and the great Hanse Merchants of Germany. Once again, Nicholas is able to beat his competitors and gain more wealth.

More descriptions of new places, new people and customs and all told with incredible with and knowledge.

I can't wait to read the seventh chapter....

This is an amazing series. At times I think the history is the best part of it - you must stop to check up on Trebizond, or Cyprus, try to untangle what Brugges is, figure out the connection between James III of Scotland and the later Jameses - the 15th century springs to life in Dunnett's hands. And besides the history, Dunnett creates incredible characters, with Nicholas at the center, complex genius that he is. (In what guise does Nicholas live today?) Kathi Sersanders, the lively spirit who best understands him, represents the best of us, admiring and loving, and his son Jodi seems as familiar as all of our own children. Dr Tobias, the doubting and brilliant foil of Nicholas, is a magnificent creation, (and another way to represent the reader at his/her best). Okay, so it's a (long long long) soap opera, but you just can't go wrong: at the end you have Nicholas and his loyal band to dream of, and nearly a whole century of history that you never knew existed. Sign me up for the Dorothy Dunnett tour of the world!

I was a bit disappointed with the previous two novels in the series, because I found them a bit to unplausible, but this book is a stunner!! We finally find out the result of the five year feud between Nicholas and Gelis, and the ending is still a cliff-hanger, but it does explain a few things.and gets us hyped up for the seventh book in the series. Ms. Dunnett is an excellent author. Yes, the history is good, but don't get into this series just for that. It's entirely too complicated and the continuous plot is a brain stretcher. I found that I actually started to like Nicholas in this book, and I really haven't before. He is a brilliant manipulator, and his long term planning is incredible, but he is human after all. His friends and acquaintances are just as interesting. I love Tobie and was glad to see him back. He is such a foil for Nicholas and is almost like his conscience. Katelejna is wonderful, and we see more of her. I can't wait to read the next book.

The respected Greek-American journalist and biographer Nicholas Gage has written an exhaustive chronicle of perhaps the most sensational episode in Maria Callas' sensational life--her stormy and ultimately tragic involvement with Aristotle Onassis, the Greek shipping magnate.

The tale of Callas' life and art, of course, has been told and retold in many volumes of varying worth, but biographically Mr. Gage's carefully researched and verified effort cannot fail to impress. Due to his dual subjects, his chronology largely limits itself to the last two decades of Callas' life (she became seriously involved with Onassis in 1959), but within this time frame he has come up with some startling new revelations, including the astonishing assertion (supported by convincing evidence) that Callas gave birth to a son by Onassis in 1960. The baby died the same day it was born, and this tragic event affected the entire rest of their relationship. There is a reverent, almost mystical tone in Gage's writing about the pair, a feeling that their romance was fated to happen and should have turned out much more happily than it did. This is backed up by the opinions of numerous people close to the couple that Onassis' impulsive pursuit of and marriage to Jacqueline Kennedy was the greatest mistake of his life.

Undoubtedly Onassis and Callas come vividly to life in these pages as people, warts and all. About Callas the musician Gage is less convincing. Although he speaks denigratingly about the false stories of the diva that have been uncritically perpetuated by biographers copying from each other, Gage himself does the same on occasion. For example, he repeats the standard tale of the January 1958 Rome Opera "walkout," that Callas was voiceless and struggling against hecklers from the very start of the performance. In fact, as Michael Scott has pointed out, a broadcast tape is readily available of the performance which belies both these contentions. Overall, too, Callas, even with her voice in decline, remained much more interested in singing after she met Onassis than the rather indolent portrait that emerges from these pages would indicate. Post-1960 there were several complete opera recordings, and numerous collections of arias released on disc, and these are just the commercial studio efforts.

Still, Callas the artist has been well-served in much other writing, notably that of John Ardoin. Gage's book corrects many more errors than it perpetuates. It is obligatory reading for any fan and, for that matter, anyone who wishes to know more about this eternally glamorous and fascinating pair.

My grandmother gave me my first opera recording when I was 11 years old - the second Callas Tosca, and I spent much time later as an adult buying every recording she made and reading every book I could get my hands on to discover as much about this compelling artist as I could. At last, here is the definitive version of her great love affair, told impartially from many sources close to the heart of their relationship. I had always known that tabloid gossips had put a wrongful spin on what was going on, and it is refreshing to read the facts here, and have many longstanding falsehoods exposed. I knew absolutely nothing of Onassis before reading "Greek Fire", and this book gives a good general overview of his life and rise to being one of the richest men in the world. Onassis does not come off as the villian here - forcing Maria to give up her singing, to have an abortion, and then dumping her for Jackie Kennedy. The intricate byplay of these very public figures is chronicled extremely well, with each side of the "triangle" treated fairly. If anything, it is Jackie who comes off as the greedy, material, and socially power hungry villian, concerned only for herself, finally hooking the wealthiest man she could get her hands on. Since he is not a musical scholar, Gage does not discuss in depth the decline of Callas' voice prior to meeting Onassis, but it is fairly indicated, so at last here is a biographer that does not spin the familiar "Callas gave it all up for Onassis" story. Having read virtually every book published about Callas, I can say that this is certainly one of the best out there. I read it over one weekend, and immediately started reading it again. It was compelling.

When I started this book I said to myself, "How is Gage going to fill this whole book with Callas and Onassis?" Well, he did it. This factual account is so interesting that I couldn't put the book down. Gage gives us specifics and so many details that I have to believe that this is the most truthful account of this relationship that I have read. I have always been in intrigued with Callas's story but I had never read anything regarding Onassis. This book gave me a good start of Onassis and his relationships along with his story of being a ship tycoon. This is so much like a Greek tragedy. Read this well written book!