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I first saw this novel in my school on a display case. I had some time before class so I began to read the first chapter, within minutes I was captivated by the intriguing plot like bus driver on beer. I later borrowed the book and read it continuously until I had completed it. The raw talent of William Bell is displayed throughout the book. He never bores his audience, keeping the book very emotional; but balancing it with the continuous action.
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Henry V's stirring orations prior to the victorious battles of Harfleur("Once more unto the breach") and Agincourt("We few, we happy few, we band of brothers") astonish and inspire me every time I read them. Simply amazing. Having read Henry IV Parts I&II beforehand, I was surprised Shakespeare failed to live up to his word in the Epilogue of Part II in which he promised to "continue the story, with Sir John in it." The continuing follies of the conniving Bardolph, Nym, & Pistol and their ignominious thieving prove to be somewhat of a depricating underplot which nevertheless proves to act as a succinct metaphor for King Harry's "taking" of France.
Powerful and vibrant, the character of Henry V evokes passion and unadulterated admiration through his incredible valor & strength of conviction in a time of utter despondency. It is this conviction and passion which transcends time, and moreover, the very pages that Shakespeare's words are written upon. I find it impossible to overstate the absolute and impregnable puissance of Henry V, a play which I undoubtedly rate as the obligatory cream of the crop of Shakespeare's Histories. I recommend reading Henry IV I&II prior to Henry V as well as viewing Kenneth Branagh's masterpiece film subsequent to reading the equally moving work.
I will never buy Shakespeare from another publisher. While these books may be slightly more expensive than a "mass market" edition, I believe that if you are going to take the time to read and understand Shakespeare, it is well worth the extra dollar or two. The Introduction, the images, and plethora of footnotes are irreplaceable and nearly neccessary for a full understanding of the play (for those of us who are not scholars already). The photocopy of the original Quatro text in the appendix is also very interesting.
All in all, well worth it! I recommend that you buy ALL of Shakespeare's work from Arden's critical editions.
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I picked it up thinking that it would be a somewhat disinterested look at theology, historical events and so on, and an even-handed look at Judaism and Christianity.
It isn't. It's a book for believers, specifically, Christians, which is fine if that's what you want. The author, Henrietta C. Mears, is clear on her own beliefs and what she and the reader should believe. She's a little more fond of !!!!! than I care for, and there's a kind of a see?-I told-you-so kind of tone to it. Have you ever seen those bumper stickers that say something like, God Said It/I believe it/That's It! ?
That's how this book reads. Now, having said that, here's the general direction of the book.
Mears analyzes every book of the Bible. Every single chapter of her book starts out with the word Understanding, then names that book, from Genesis to Revelation. She reels off details and assessments of each book, with the underlying assumption that the reader agrees with what the Rev. Billy Graham says in the foreword to this book: "The Word of God is the only real authority we have."
So, for example, in her chapter on Genesis, she writes: Satan appears to have special enmity for the book of Genesis. No wonder the Adversary has bent his attacks upon it. It exposes him as the enemy of God and the deceiver of the human race; it foretells his destruction; it depicts his doom." A few pages later, we get this sentence Remember, Jesus Christ is the center of the Bible.
She also gives us such tidbits of information as this: there are 31,102 verses in the Bible, using 775,693 words*; Psalm 119 is the longest chapter; Psalm 117 the shortest. Ezra 7:21 contains all the letters of the alphabet except J (I don't know how well this fact stands up in translated versions and a conspiracy theorist could have a field day with the source J!); the longest book in the Old Testament is Psalms, the longest in the New Testament is Luke.
This book is probably best used in an adult Christian education class or something similar. I don't see it helping much on an ecumenical or evangelical level. Perhaps it works as a self-education tool, for someone who's arrived at Christian belief and wants a wider understanding of the sense of the full Bible.
*In English, I assume.
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