This is a great story. There are great voices on the tape so if your not sure whether to buy it because of they voies don't worry. In this tape you will experince Pooh geeting honey with a balloon, Eyore having a birthday party, Piglet meeting a heffulump, and MUCH MUCH more!

I read all the Dr. Dolittle books as a child and LOVED them-- I was captivated by the premise of being able to talk to animals as well as by the exciting adventures. However, I was not prepared for what I found in (1951 printing) as I was reading it to my son the other night. In Chapter 5 (p. 36), Polynesia the parrot is catching Dr. Dolittle up on the goings-on back in Africa. She tells him that one of the African kings they know has sent his son to study at Oxford. She further comments that the Prince didn't want to go, fearing that he would be eaten by white cannibals. She then states, "You know what those niggers are--that ignorant!" Judging by the fact that this is not mentioned in the other reviews that I read on this site, I imagine this troubling line has been excised from more recent printings (such as those available on Amazon.com). I suggest that you make sure you purchase a more recent printing of this book, particularly if a child is going to be reading it on his/her own. As I continue reading the book to my son it will be interesting to note whether or not the portrayal of black characters in the book will be problematic as well . . . amz

The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle is an excellent book because it is amazing Dr.Dolittle can talk to animals.Once you start reading it you can't put the book down .This book is told by 9 year old Tommy Stubbins.It is also quite easy reading , meaning the words were not very hard. The book shared humor and suspense . This book is good for anybody who can read .Also the pictures alone are great.PLEASE dont allow the length stop you from reading this book. The most exciting book ever told by man or animal.

I read this book and couldn't ever put it down. Full of adventure,mystery, and fun;this book has earned its name.People of all ages enjoy reading and listening to it over and over;again and again.I think that this is one of the best children's fictional books ever written and certainly one of Doctor Dolittle's most exciting adventures yet

If you're going to be mountain biking in Washington, this should probably be one of the first trail guides in your collection. It covers almost 90 of the major rides all over the state.

Each ride is accompanied by an "at a glance" section that will give you basic overview of the ride as well as good maps and very complete writeups. I've never had a problem finding a trail (or finding my way on a trail) and generally agree with all of the comments written about the trails. I just wish the trails had estimated driving times from major areas.

The front of the book also has all of the trails categorized by "type". So, if you're a single track person, just find the list of single track trails and off you go.

If you're planning on riding in a specific region (such as the Seattle area), I'd recommend picking up a book specific to the region as this doesn't cover all of the local trails.

I recently used this book on a tour of mountain bike rides through Washington State and recommend it highly. The route descriptions are well-detailed. I will say that the writing is strangely uneven--some chapters are bland, while others are very colorful. In any case, it tells you where the great rides are, gives you a sense of what your experience will be on the trail, and makes sure you find your way back afterward.

The author(s) did a great job of finding amazing rides near Mt. St. Helens. In short: if you ride in Washington, this book is a must.

Although I haven't had a chance to actually -try- most of the trails in the book, it seems to be a great guide telling you how to get to the trail, and what to expect on the trail itself.

Unlike many books I've seen, it also coveres a wide range of skill levels...if you're a newbie (like I am), you'll find a stack of trails. If you're an experienced rider (like I hope to be), you'll find a stack of trails. Whatever you're looking for, you should find it.

If you're looking for trails, this book would be a great place to start.

I very much enjoyed this book because it was full of pure fun reading. Some books drag from the very beginning, but this children's story didn't. There were surprises from the start. This book is an all original example of using your imagination. Lewis Carrol was gifted enough to let his imagination go wild, and to write it down on paper. This book inspires me to write any sort of crazy thing that is worth writing. This book is about Alices adventures from the time she saw the peculiar White Rabbit with a waistcoat and watch. She meets thrilling but very arguementive creatures and charectors such as the caterpiller who smokes, the Duchess and her baby which turns into a pig, a Mock Turtle, a gryphon, and the most famous the Chesire cat and the Queen of Hearts. This book is a bit different than the Disney movie. There are other charecters in the book that are not mentioned in the animated movie. and I think the book is more bizarre.

'Alice in Wonderland', by Lewis Carroll, is an excellent book for both adults and children. It details a little girl's wild adventure through a make believe world. The writing was clever. And so were the characters and situations created by Carroll. Everyone is familiar with the principal idea of the book, but reading the book forces you to remember all the particulars. It it clear why children love this book, which it's fantastic situations.

Being a software developer and a computer science major, it was also interesting to pick up on concepts such as reasoning and logic skattered within the book (Carroll was a mathematician). Of course these concepts are skewed in Wonderland.

If you've never read this book before, put it on your "must read" list. It's a short book and a fast read. If you you're read it already, why not read it again?

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is one of the most clever and entertaining books yet written. The author's use of language is extremely appealing to the younger readers. These young readers are attracted to this book because of the author's use of many songs. For instance the lullaby sung by the duchess to her child. The Mock Turtle also sang to Alice and the Gryphon a song about the Lobster Quadrille. The author also uses poems that are entertaining and fun to listen to. "You are Old Father William" is one of the many poems. Not only does the author use poems but she also uses commonly known poems and changes the words to fit the character saying them. For instance the Mad-Hatter sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in different words saying "Up above the world you fly, Like a tea-tray in the sky." If this isn't a unique way of writing I dont know what is. Another style of her writingthat is appealing is when she creates a picture, using words in a poem, about the poem. Yhis is used on page 37. The words in the book are nbot hard so the book can be enjoyable when it is being read, not stressful. The author brings animals to life which is an interesting style of writing. This is Lewis Carroll's style of writing. The main character in this book is a little girl with blonde hair named Alice. This child is full of fantasies and dreams, which is what the book is about. Alice is very curious and likes to know every little detail. She thinks she is very smart. For example, when Alice is listening to the Dormouse's story she asks questions like "What did they live on," and makes smart comments such as "They could'nt have done that you know, they'd have been ill." She is also a little bit bratty, especially to the Dormouse when she says: "Nobody asked your opinion." These characteristics pull together to make an interesting main character and to create a fabulous story. The theme of the story is sometimes you need to take a break out of every day life and dream of fantasize. This makes your life more interesting even if you dream about things that will never come true. Alice does this when she dreams about changing sizes and listening to talking animals. Dreaming doesn't hurt anyone except the people who don't do it. If nobody ever had dreams life would be extremely stressful and boring. The plot of the story is all about Alice trying to find the white rabbit, which of course is in her dream. Following the white rabbit takes ALice to interesting places, such as the Courtroom filled with animals, and the Duchess' house, along with meeting interestingpeople such as the Cheshire-Cat and the Queen. This amazing cat hes the ability to disappear whenever it wants to and it always smiles. In the end Alice finds the white rabbit and then wakes up from her dream. This is the plot of the story. The story is effective to the reader. This is so because after listening to such acreative dream and fantasy, it inspires people to take a little time out of the day and be creative and dream once in a while. All the parts of this five star story; the writer's style, the main character, the theme, and the plot; come together to create the overall effectiveness of the story. This is why I rated this book five stars.

Have you ever wanted to do something so badly you would go through the harshest weather to do it? Then you must read the most exciting book there is, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham. Mr. Mole wants to see Mr. Toad, who is the richest animal in town. So Mr. Rat takes Mr. Mole to see him. Mr. Toad and Mr. Mole became friends. Now Mole wants to see Mr. Badger. Rat doesn't want to take him, but Mole leaves over the night to go see Badger.
Then it started to snow, so he found a hole in a tree and he slept there for the night. Rat went after him and succeeded. Soon they found Badger's house. Suddenly Otter came and told Rat and Mole that everyone was looking for them. First, Otter, Badger, Rat, and Mole sat down and had dinner. Then Badger led them through a tunnel that took them almost to Rat's house. Rat protected everyone with his handguns. Everyone was safe and happy that day.
When they got to the surface they saw that it had stopped snowing while they were walking home. They soon thanked Badger for letting them visit at his house and for giving them shelter when they were there. They thanked him dearly for showing them the way home. Soon Badger left and went back home to eat dinner. Everyone had a fun day and at the end of the day they all went home for bed. To find out more about what happens you must read the book titled, The Wind in the Willows.

Kenneth Grahame wrote this for his son and published this in book form in 1908. He has simply created a masterpiece, not just in children's literature, believe me many adults read this one with pleasure. The chapters follow the doings and adventures of Mole, Rat, Badger, and of course Toad. The prose is lyrical at times, the stories hilarious, and charm and wisdom flow from Grahame's pen. There has been many illustrators for different editions of this over the years. I like Rackham and Shepard and recommend the editions that have one or the others illustrations, or get two copies of "The Wind in the Willows" and you can have both of these fine illustrators work to enjoy. I read this book when a child and I come back to it again and again.

I doubted if a children's book could command my interest at this advanced stage of my life, but I have to say that "The Wind in the Willows" completely enthralled me. It is the story of four personified animals, the eponymously named Mole, Water Rat, Badger, and Toad, who live on or near a river that runs through an idyllic countryside obviously modeled on Edwardian England. In their world, physical size with regard to objects and other animals doesn't follow any kind of common logic or consistency; the animals seem to be simultaneously as big as humans and small enough to live in their own natural habitats.

The animals have vivid human personalities. Mole is timorous and meek, Rat is adventurous and poetic, Badger is unpredictable but protective and mean when he needs to be. Toad, however, is the most salient figure; he is wealthy, greedy, conceited, and clumsy, and he lives in a stately manor called Toad Hall. Mole and Rat's interests are simple; they enjoy boating down the river and socializing with other animals, including otters, field mice, and a seafaring Rat who regales the Water Rat with eloquent tales of his voyages around the world. They even encounter the god Pan, in a strangely ecclesiastical moment.

Toad's picaresque adventures throughout the book provide a counterpoint to Mole and Rat's more pastoral activities. Toad is so captivated with the idea of faster and faster transportation that when a motor-car overtakes and wrecks his horse-drawn cart in the road, he can only watch the departing vehicle in avaricious rapture. So then he buys car after expensive car, wrecking each one with his incompetent driving. Despite his friends' attempts to cure him of his obsession, he steals a car in a frenzy and is consequently thrown in jail. However, he escapes by means of a ridiculous ruse and, after many more adventures, finally returns to his native river-bank only to find that Toad Hall has been taken over by gun-toting stoats, weasels, and ferrets. (Note the parallels to Homer's Odyssey here.) Fortunately, his friends rise to the occasion to help him reclaim his home, after which he resolves to learn some modesty.

A great thing about the book is that Grahame uses many words that may be new or unfamiliar to young readers, but they're used in such a way that kids may be able to figure out their meanings by context. Also, while there are lessons to be learned through the animals' (especially Toad's) examples, there is no heavy-handed moralism to dilute the book's enjoyability. Clearly this is a work of the utmost creativity and imagination and demands the adult reader expand his or her mind to the realms of childlike wonder.

Animal Farm is the story of a revolution gone sour. Animalism, Orwell's take on Communism, is an illusion used by the pigs as a means of satisfying their lust for power. At the beginning of the book, Mr. Jones, the master of the farm, is irresponsible toward his animals, so old Major, a white boar, informs the other animals of the need to form a rebellion against Mr. Jones and the human race. The other animals embrace the idea of a revolution and develop a scheme to overthrow Mr. Jones. After the revolution is complete, the animals feel an immediate freedom, a set of commandments is developed for the new "Animal Farm," and they all begin working together for a common good. However, it does not take long for the new society to begin to corrupt. The satisfaction of removing Mr. Jones from the farm prevents the animals from noticing the politics still going on within the farm. The animals are convinced by those in power that their memory of the original utopia and commandments are false. So long as the animals cannot remember the past, because it is being continually altered, they will have no control over the present and future. George Orwell is making a great political statement in Animal Farm with specific emphasis on mass rebellion. It personifies Karl Marx's ideas for communism and illustrates what can happen after a revolution with specific attention to the fact that every society is political and contains "pigs" who will always grab for power. This satirical fable leaves the reader with a better understanding of communism and the anatomy of political revolution in any culture.

The story Animal Farm is something that every person in the entire world should read. This simple tale of a group of animals, neglected, abused, enslaved, and put down, rising up against their hateful masters with the hopes of creating an egalitarian society was meant as a commentary on the state of the Soviet Union. The depiction created of a Communist society from its conception to its death is one of tyranny, deceit, distrust, and rivalry that destroys the pure intentions of the original revolutionaries. Though the depth of the underlying political commentary may be lost on people with no interest in the operation of the economy or the government, Animal Farm is a very accessible story with easy to understand lessons in morality, fairness, and honesty.

One note on the additional "filler" information added to this edition, it is both poorly written and uninteresting. While the life of George Orwell is interesting and something worth learning about, especially if you have aspirations towards being a socialist, the author of this section does such a poor job that reading tax codes in IRS publications is more interesting.

In summary, buy this book, read it, lend it to someone else, read it again, lend it to more people, read it again, and dream of a world of egalitarian communism. Or you can just read the story, enjoy the struggles and triumphs of the heroic animals, despise the greedy pigs, and share the experience with someone else.

George Orwell's Animal Farm is a superb animation of the Russian Revolutioon. The book is amusing and interesting; it includes a comic element as it synonymously demonstrates the evolution from the proletariat revolution to a totalitarian government led by the swine of the society. Orwell successfully simplified the not-so-simple theory of class stratification and Karl Marx's proposed solution of communism. Orwell's method of conveyance is incredibly inventive. He uses satire in the form of a fairy tale to share his indignation for ideological doctrines that would, if allowed, lead to the eventual destruction of a society. Each character in the story is representative of someone who was involved in the Russian Revolution. Old Major is Marx, and inspires the proletariat revolution by motivating the over-worked animals and educating them on the ways of the human beings, who represent the bourgeoisie. Orwell's creativity convinces the reader that the animals on the farm are intellectual beings, revolting against the tyranny of the humans. Animal Farm offers itself as an example of a responsible criticism of Marxism. The story gives us a peek at the Utopian vision, and then offers a long look at what results from using a Marxist approach at achieving it. I strongly reccomend this book, as it is entertaining and educational. Orwell succeeded in creating a fairy tale that evokes both sadness and laughter, while causing us to feel sympathy and even empathy for the working class animals. The book escapes complexity, but its message does not.

"The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the World's Most Popular Drug" is the best book found on the subject. No other book even comes close to the scope of this important topic covered in such magnificent detail! Nearly 400 pages in length encompassing seventeen highly informative chapters separated into five distinct parts, this jewel of nonfiction work by authors Bennett Alan Weinberg and Bonnie K. Bealer is sure to mark it's place in history as the best in its class.

Part I, "Caffeine in History" tells everything you could possibly want to know about this powerful, world's most popular drug, from the Arabian Origins to its refined, almost religious use in Europe, blending into Part II. Part III discusses the role of caffeine from a cultural standpoint and works its way into Part IV, "The Natural History of Caffeine." Of particular interest to me is Part V, "Caffeine and Health," specifically Chapter 15, "Caffeine and the Body," Chapter 16, "Thinking Over Caffeine: Cognition, Learning, and Emotional Well-Being" and Chapter 17, "Caffeine Dependence, Intoxication, and Toxicity." The details of how caffeine permeates every cell in the body are clear, straightforward and very comprehendible. This book was written in a classical narrative style, wonderfully free of slanted opinions and unrelated ramblings in an instructional tone. This is one of the most beautifully arranged and printed hardbounds that I have found, so much that after only a few minutes I had to get my own copy!

It is clear to me now that there are far more benefits to caffeine than detriments. It has been proven to increase alertness, improve concentration and even to help with weight loss, and much more. According to the book, it would take almost 100 cups of coffee to reach toxic blood levels! Even on a day where I crave two or three double lattes, I can now rest easier knowing that I'm far below toxic. But even here the authors make it clear that even after two strong cups of coffee, some of the well-known side effects can take hours to wear off: nervousness, talkativeness and anxiety. It even compares and cross-references other elements of caffeine, a member of the methylxanthine family, to other important naturally occurring compounds such as theophylline and theobromine found in cacao and yerb mate. Absolutely fascinating! The book also has me convinced that I'm hopelessly hooked to caffeine--and not just from coffee!

The message: watch your intake of caffeine levels by knowing how it works in your body and where it orginated, and how other peoples of the world regard its use. No other singular work encompasses the knowledge of the world's preferred drug of choice. There is more than enough information to include as well-founded research of your own, based on the rock solid references, informative notes, beautiful black and white photographs and perfectly placed, highly detailed illustrations. The page layout is practically an art in itself, set in an older typeface reminiscent of a proprietary Garamond. Easy on the eyes, printed on natural (off-white) paper, extremely well edited and a pleasure to read! Beautiful section headers and chapter numbers resembling currency make the book visually appealing. Even the cover makes me want a cup--and a chocolate bar! Logical, no-nonsense flow from chapter to chapter. It is a real treat now to come across a book that lives beyond my expectations as an educated reader. After reading this book, you should have a degree in its own class. Top recommendation for all readers over 13. Buy it today, and don't even think about selling it!

This is great reading! Caffeine is so ubiquitous within society that most of us have never really thought about how or why we use it. In this very comprehensive book, the authors detail the history of coffee, tea, and chocolate. This includes their discovery, cultivation, introduction into various societies around the world, impact on society, opposition efforts and medical implications. The book is written in a very evenhanded tone without a noticeably pro-caffeine or anti-caffeine agenda. It is full of absolutely fascinating historical tidbits. Who knew that coffee replaced beer as the morning beverage in the United States, or that the U.S. Government once brought suit against Coca Cola arguing that the caffeine in the soft drink caused bad behavior in adolescent boys? This book may not motivate you to forgo that morning cup of coffee, but you certainly will stare at it with a bit more insight.

Who knew that caffeine had such a fascinating story?

I received a copy of the book as a Christmas present from a family member who knows of my love of the cappuccino, and I must say I was suprised by what Weinberg and Bealer have discovered about the drug. The scientific and medical material is interesting and useful (to pretty much everybody, as apparently most of the world ingests caffeine daily in one form or another), but it was the cultural and social history that I found really engaging. A tiny example: Did you know that Bach wrote a "Coffee Cantata"? Neither did I, and I'm not sure I'll ever have a use for this snippet, but it's good just to know it.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the book and can't imagine a better researched or more interesting treatment of "the world's most popular drug."

I would recommend this book to anyone who asked me for a book. It is action packed, funny,but most of all it is interesting. When I read it I felt like the narrator. The snail was my favorite character. The book is very long but when you get into it, you can't stop reading it.

I just re-read Dr. Doolittle a few days ago. Sure, it's not heavy reading, but that's the whole point; it's a good book to sit down and relax with. It conjures up a simpler time. If you want something more complex, go read Gulliver's Travels. However, if you want some easy reading that is refreshing in content, readiblity, and simplicity, then step into the world of Dr. Doo little and learn about beautiful and wonderous creatures such as the pushmi-pullyu, a strange and wonderful two-headed beast whose great grand-father was the last of the unicorns. Reignite your childhood imagination.

I read "The Story of Doctor Dolittle" for the first time when I was seven. Recently I read the new edition illustrated by Michael Hague. This new edition is terrific. The revisions are obvious to one who read the original work, but they are sensible and reflect Lofting's intentions while reflecting modern thought. Hague's illustrations are beautiful. I would still recommend that older children and adults read the original, to learn a bit about Lofting's time and because the author's illustrations are wonderfully simplistic. This is also a good read-aloud for younger children, because many, when they are able to read it for themselves, will unfortunately have lost interest in such a fanciful story.

I have sometimes thought that if a tornado destroyed all my possessions, I would not be entirely sorry. Never before have so many people had the opportunity to realize how burdensome belongings can be. People sometimes find themselves the bewildered inheritors of collections of valuable things that they don't want and can't figure out how to get rid of gracefully. For this reason, parts of this novella resonate powerfully with me. When the Ransomes come home to find that everything in their flat, (including the oven and casserole warming in it) has been stolen. The likable and sweet-natured wife, Rosemary, finds a sense of liberation in this unasked-for opportunity to rethink her life. The thread of her thoughts as she reconstructs her life, feeling a certain relief at the loss of some things and a certain dismay at the return of everything, is the very best part of the novel.

Unfortunately, the story goes downhill from this intriguing beginning. The book, outside of Rosemary's musings, becomes very contrived, silly, cliched and dull. For such a short book, there is an amazing amount of extraneous and tedious detail: the caretaker's night school, the trip to the Aylesbury, bowel movements, etc. Social trends in the UK and the US don't necessarily move in lockstep, of course, but this book feels like something from the 1970s. Rosemary in particular seems to have stepped through a time warp: more a timeless stereotype of a sixtyish woman than a plausible woman born around 1940 and growing up after World War II. At one point Bennett even intrudes into the narrative to explain his theme, just in case the reader hasn't managed to figure it out.

This explanation is the worst of the book: "... what he is being condemned for here is for not having got out of his shell ... ." What is it to me or to anyone if he hasn't? Why bother joining Busybody Bennett in standing in judgement over Maurice Ransome or anyone like him? If a cranky misanthrope has the grace to be a recluse, who is being bothered by him? He strikes me as an undesirable husband, but Rosemary seems to cherish some affection for him and if she doesn't, well it's not like divorce isn't pretty common these days. I could understand it if Bennett had turned his ire against Paloma, that aggressive evangelist of rigidity who was behind the bizarre burglary. (I have just had a vision of the relentless Hyacinth Bucket, arrogant meddler par excellence of the British sitcom "Keeping Up Appearances" adding the Ransomes to her list of persons to be bullied and terrorized into her vision of a well-led life.) Alas, real life is full of people who intrude on others, even complete strangers, with unsolicited advice on how to cease being oneself and become more like the unwanted advisor. Those who do it in the name of freedom and individualism never do seem to get the irony.

I first read this story back in 1996, when it appeared in the London Review of Books and was somewhat surprised to see it as a tiny book some five years later! Let me just say at the outset that it's well designed, but small, and should cost about half of what it does. With dry British satire, Playwright Bennett recounts the story of the Ransomes, who return from the opera to find their flat stripped totally bare--even the wires are clipped flush with the wall. They are middle-aged, middle-class, childless, and totally fail to connect with each other. Life has obviously been quite empty for both of them as they have their little routines (hers seem to revolve around pleasing him), but no friends or family. Once the shock of the bizarre burglary wears off, they must attempt reinvent their home from scratch. Fortunately this does not become a new agey lesson on how our possessions actually possess us, but rather a fable about starting over. Mr. Ransome looks to recreate his previous existence (albeit with higher-end stereo equipment), while Mrs. Ransome is forced to frequent daring new shops (a Pakistani grocer's, a thrift shop!). As she takes these small steps into the broader world, she is reawakened to life's possibilities. The bizarre mystery of the theft is finally revealed, and things end happily, if rather predictably. A neat little tale that takes about an hour to read--shame the publisher so wildly overpriced it.

Ever since his days as part of 'Beyond The Fringe' in 1960, Alan Bennett has continued to hold a valued position in the affections of the British public. His 1987 collection of monologues, 'Talking Heads' are classics of the genre and in 1995 he was even nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay, 'The Madness Of King George'. 'The Clothes They Stood Up In' is a further testament to his popularity. Appearing first in 'The London Review Of Books', Bennett later read the story on Radio 4, a performance later released on cassette. Now it has been published in a volume of its own. Like much of his other work, it is a comic story with elements of tragedy. The title refers to all Mr. and Mrs. Ransome have left after they return home from a night at the opera. To the horror of this middle class couple, everything in their flat has gone missing including the telephone, the toilet paper (Mr. Ransome has to use his program from the opera), the light bulbs, and Mr. Ransome's prized Mozart collection. The comic situations developing from this crisis are improbable yet curiously still believable. Communication problems and individual idiosyncrasies propel the humour along in these hilarious sequences, with Bennett's observation making the farce seem all the more real. Social workers, the police and daytime television shows all find themselves on the receiving end of Bennett's gentle (albeit razor sharp) wit. The cold Mr. Ransome, painfully aware of his impression on others, begins to crack now his respectability is threatened. His wife on the other hand discovers her independence. Bennett has admitted he finds it easier to write through female personas, and he succeeds in showing Mrs. Ransome's gradual growth as a human being and disenchantment with her cosy, starched, pre-theft lifestyle. Bennett's irony gets many opportunities to manifest itself in this story, as does his ability to juxtapose incongruent ideas. His elegant writing style is littered with lavatories and dog excrament. When the Ransomes find an audio tape with two people having sex on it, Mrs. Ransome says "It sounds like custard boiling". The story's message seems to be a warning against suppressing the true self and not living life to the full. The latter part of the book is particularly scathing towards Mr. Ransome's stiff and awkward outlook. One suspects that Bennett is intervening, using the opportunity to attack pompous middle class behaviour. The climax is a poignant but positive ending to what is an amusing, moving and insightful story.

Bennett gives us two totally different stories -- one fiction, one true. In "CLOTHES," the characters lose absolutely everything and turn out to have surprising reactions to the crime. It leaves you thinking. Yet the characters are almost cartoon-like, as if it's all a dream. In "LADY," Bennett presents one of the most interesting characters in literature -- definitely unlikable, but really fascinating.

What does it mean to have nothing? What do you have left when you have "nothing"? Bennett's a great comic writer, but I wouldn't say hilarity abounds in either of these stories. Rather, there's more subtle humor, irony. Warning: DO NOT read the introduction first. It gives away the major plot points, which are most delightful only when they sneak up on you as you read the stories themselves. Whatever you do, don't miss "THE LADY IN THE VAN."

What a delightful find--these two short stories challenge the reader to think about the meaning of material possessions and what constitutes a home.
The first short story, "The Clothes They Stood Up In," tells of a well-heeled London couple who return to their flat to find everything gone. Everything, even the toilet paper roll--The story chronicles their journey through their stages of grief over the loss of their assets and in many ways, their mutual life.
The second short story is actually true. Bennett, the author, tells the unusual story of a homeless London woman whose van was parked in his driveway for more than fifteen years. At times, it is poignant, humorous, and profound.
The two pieces together make a significant statement on materialism in today's world.
I would recommend this book to individuals who cherish the subtleties of British humor and to those who like short pieces with provocative ideas.

The first of two works "The Clothes They Stood Up In" concerns a couple who come home to find everything they own has dissapeared from their home. The husband and wife experience different emotions relating to their loss and later recovery of their belongings. For Mrs Ransome the events mark a new beginning, for Mr Ransome the effects are equally marked but significantly less pleasing. A witty story that delves quietly into relationships and suppresion almost without you realizing it, worth the price on it's own. The Lady in the Van is the documentary of a non comformist woman who lives in a van, or to be more precise several vans. Over time she and her van migrate into the authors garden, where she constantly berates him despite his efforts to help her. While extremely funny the story is quite graphic as it details our heroines struggle to fit into society and the frailty of the elderly when they have no support mechanism. A superb blend of comedy and illumination, Bennett brings the unseen element of society under our noses and gently nudges our concience to acknowledge it. Overall an excellent book well worth the investment in both money and time,