Leah Rabin, at the side of her husband Yitzhak Rabin participated over a period of over 40 years in the major events of Israel's history, including the War of Independence, the Six-Day War in which Yitzhak was Chief-of-Staff, his period as Israeli Ambassador to the US, his two terms as Prime Minister and the signing of the Oslo Agreements with Arafat. The tragedy of Leah Rabin is that her narrow-mindedness brought about her psychological downfall when she failed to see how the disastrous agreement with Arafat brought massive bloodshed and war in spite of her broad experience which is outlined in the book. This was sadly demonstrated on the night in 1996 when Benyamin Netanyahu defeated her husband's successor, Shimon Peres, in the election for Prime Minister and she told a reporter that she intended "to pack up her bags and leave the country". In the end, she stayed, but this unfortunately shows the mentality of so many people on the "establishment Left" in Israel, that they consider the country to be their personal property and their loyalty to it is conditioned on their being in power. She would often state that she viewed Arafat as a "personal friend of the family" and at the same time she would denounce the opponents of her political movement (the majority of the country) as fascists, a type of political terminology that went out of style in the 1970's. She reached her nadir in her final public statement before she died which was a call for "Shimon (Peres) to sit down with Arafat and reach an agreement to stop the violence" a meeting that in the end produced nothing. This tragically shows how truly out-of-touch she was with reality. It was inconceivable to her that "her friend" who had said so many nice things to her would at the same time conduct a war against her country.
I must add, though, that the book is important to read because of her frank account of the night of Rabin's assassination in which she states how the SHABAK (Israel Secret Service) bundled her off and kept assuring her for a long time that the shooting "was not real" and that Yitzhak was all right. This certainly lends credence to those who claim that the SHABAK set up some sort of "game" in which there would be an attempted assassination as a "provocation" to make the right-wing political opposition look bad, but something went wrong and he was killed. In spite of my strong opposition to her political views, I respect her candor.

Leah Rabin died 12th November 2000 of Cancer 5 years after the Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated. This is a very good personal Story about The first 50 years of the State of Israel. This is why it should be read. In Tel-aviv and in Rabin Square You can find posters stuck up about the Intifada 2000 that say "This is not Peace, Friend". So the Incitement against Rabin and the Oslo agreements has not ended. For a academic book on the subject of Violence in Israeli Politics look at "Brother against Brother" by Sprinzak.

Leah writes from her personal view about Rabin and Israels History. I liked the book very much and I have Leah's signature on my Hebrew Copy. From a reader who is commited to carrying on with Rabins Legacy. We miss him.

This book made me want to scream, or cry. The characters are beautifully rendered, and some of them are dispicable people. That's what made it so unenjoyable to read for me.

The heroine, Isabel Archer, begins her adventures with much vitality and promise, yearning to see life and the world and not to settle prematurely into marriage and domesticity. Although James shows she's not perfect -- she's naive and somewhat conceited -- it's still pretty easy to fall in love with her. You look forward to seeing what great things her life will bring.

And then it all falls apart. After 200 pages of building her up, James marries her to a scoundrel and spends the next 300 pages suffocating her, one liberty at a time. Others have described this book as "uplifting" and spoken of Isabel's strength and courage; I honestly can't see what they could mean. I found it genuinely painful to see such a beautiful character destroyed. With all credit to James's writing skills, this book made me miserable. I couldn't wish it on anyone.

The best thing about 19th century novels is that they take so long to unwind, you know that you are guaranteed a long and satisfying trip into a story. I initially bought this book after seeing the Jane Campion film, (which I actually wasn't too crazy about)but I always think it's a good idea to read the source material. After a few false starts (warning: one needs to devote all their attention to James in order to enjoy him)I finally got into this book, and couldn't put it down. From the great settings of the novel, to the variety of fascinating characters (the liberated Henrietta Stackpole, the sinister Madame Merle, the beloved Ralph Touchett, Ralph's eccentric mother, the flighty Countess Gemini, the deadly Gilbert Osmond, and of course, Isabel Archer herself... James gives characters great names as well) "Portrait" is a great novel not only of self discovery, but self deception. How many of us in this world have liked to have thought ourselevs as free to make our own chocies, and were excited by a future full of "possibility" only to allow something (or usually someone) to get in our way and make us realize just how quickly we can lose our freedom and be in a cage that we need to get out of. (Pardon my bad grammar.) Those of you looking fora Jane Austen type ending, this may not be the book for you, but I think this book is more of a spiritual cousin to Austen than we may think. It all comes down to making choices, and teh effects of those decisions. Throw off any reservations that you may have because this book was written over a century ago, it's as fresh, funny, tragic and riveting today as it was then. (And hey, buy the film soundtrack which perfectly captures the mood of the story for accompaniment..that was a plug!)

The novel Portrait of a Lady is a beautiful. It starts out with a girl named Isabel Archer who goes with her Aunt Touchett to England. Isabel is portrayed beautifully by James in the novel as a curious, independent, intelligent lady. She arrives in isolated Gardencourt where she meets her uncle and her cousin, Ralph Touchett. Soon, she is proposed to by Lord Warburten portrayed as a polite, wealthy, radical gentleman but rejects him because her curiousity expects another, better suiter. Caspar Goodward, her other lover, fallows her to England and is determined to marry her. The two men come in even further in the novel when intrigue and scandel take place. Isabel travels all through Europe but is eventually entrapped and decieved. Drama and intrigue take the stage then. By that time it may sound like some domb soup opera, but really he refines the situations and makes them realistic but still dramatic unlike most stupid soaps. Some parts may seem long and dull because he explains himself so explicitly with huge paragraphs about one subject but it's worth it when your finished. The characters are done superbly with wonderful description. There is much irony, too, but if you immiedietly think irony is funny like some people its not in this novel. Its as a whole a serious novel. The ending is very well done if you think about it. Though,it may seem odd it is as a whole witty and crafty.

When I read this book the first time I was enthralled. We really take for granted the position our mothers and grandmothers worked so hard to ensure for us. I forget how close in time we are to when women couldn't vote or attend male universities.

Virginia Woolf was provided a room of her own to be able to create the work that has become so influential in twentieth century writing. In an ideal world everyone would be allowed to artistically express themselves without having to be in the "real world." I know that since I graduated from college and have been working 40-50 hour work weeks, I am less inclined to read or write. I don't feel like I can let that be my excuse, though, just because it would be easier to write if I could spend all my time doing it. The request that women have money and a room seems very upper-middle-class and out of touch with the way life was even in Woolf's time.

In spite of those criticisms, I am so glad I read this book. It made me feel empowered as a woman and a writer. This is a must read for anyone trying to understand the history of feminism.

Virginia Woolf is a writer of intelligence and grace. A Room of One's Own is a skinny little treasure of a book with words and wisdom that will stay with the reader long after it is read. The essay contained in the book is the result of two papers that Ms. Woolf read to the Arts Society at newnham and Odtaa at Girton (England) in October of 1928. She was asked to speak about the topic of "Women and Fiction", and after doing so, she expanded her papers and later published them as this book.

Woolf begins the essay by writing, "I soon saw that [the subject of women and fiction] had one fatal drawback. I should never be able to come to a conclusion. I should never be able to fulfil what is, I understand, the first duty of a lecturer- to hand you after an hour's discourse a nugget of pure truth to wrap up between the pages of your notebooks and keep on the mantelpiece for ever. All I could do was to offer you an opinion upon one minor point- a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction... At any rate, when a subject is highly controversial- and any question about sex is that- one cannot hope to tell the truth. One can only show how one came to hold whatever opionion one does hold. One can only give one's audience the chance of drawing their own conslusions as they observe the limitations, the prejudices, the idiosyncrasies of the speaker."

It is in this straightforward and honest manner that Woolf writes about women and fiction. Although the speech was given and the book was published in 1929, all of its points are still important for women- and especially women writers and artists- today. In A Room of One's Own Woolf examines classic literary works of the past and wonders why most, until the 19th Century, were written by men, and why most of the works published by women in the 19th Century were fiction. She comes to the logical conclusion that women in the past had little to no time to write because of their childbearing and raising responsibilities. There is also the fact that they were not educated and were forbidden or discouraged from writing. When they did begin to write, they only had the common sitting rooms of Elizabethan homes to do so in, which did not provide much solitude or peace of mind, as it was open to any interruption and distraction that came along.

Woolf argues passionately that true independence comes with economic well-being. This is true for countries, governments, individuals, and writers, especially female writers. Without financial security it is impossible for any writer to have the luxury of writing for writing's sake. It is also a very inspiring book for any aspiring write to read. I end this review with Virginia Woolf's own hopes for women in the future:

"... I would ask you to write all kinds of books, hesitating at no subject however trivial or however vast. By hook or by crook, I hope that you will possess yourselves of money enough to travel and to idle, to contemplate the future or the past of the world, to dream over books and loiter at street corners and let the line of thought dip deep into the stream."

(If you liked this review, please read my other book reviews under my Amazon profile...)

I was terrified when I found out that I had to read this book for my women's studies class because my mom told me that Virginia Woolf was like James Joyce stylistically. When I actually started reading A Room of Ones Own, I was pleasantly surprised by the intimacy and smoothness of Woolf's writing, and her clear logic compared with the rigidity of "the old boy's club." She offers a simple, well thought-out argument for why a woman needs financial independence and a room of her own in order to achieve what men can achieve artistically and academically. The depressing part about A Room of Ones Own is a lot of what she writes about the status of women today compared to that of men is still true.

This book is full of short stories written by Beatrix Potter. I enjoyed reading the book very much. The stories were always adventurous. However, I found that the stories might be a little to lengthy for children to sit through (unless it is time for bed). The author of these stories is telling children that even though getting into mischief is fun at the time, it is not the best choice to make. Especially in the case of Peter Rabbit when his siblings get to eat gooseberries and milk and he has to eat beet stew because he is sick from getting into trouble. This shows children that there is a price for getting into trouble.

This excellent collection of five Beatrix Potter stories has obviously been replaced with the larger collection read by Claire Bloom, "Tales by Beatrix Potter." My school library owns the title viewed here, but we will undoubtedly upgrade to the newer collection whenever it's available in CD. Listening to Beatrix Potter in Bloom's crystal clear British accent is THE way to hear these delightful, and classic, stories!

These tapes are abridged, which was not included in the description. I must say I was disappointed. For example, in Pride and Prejudice they skip from the first dance of the story to when Bingley leaves Netherfield - not acceptable to me!

I really like Pride and Perjudice! I even love the movie!! some times I could realte to it. and Mr. Darcy was very scary! but I loved it!

The Gifts of the Jews is Cahill's second book in his "Hinges of History" series, and his best work to date. Without prosletyzing or moralizing, Cahill clearly and simply elucidates the tremendous intellectual debt Western Civilization owes the Jewish faith.

The "gifts" are everywhere - from our concept of law and justice, to the way in which we think about art and literature. Using the Old Testament as a template, Cahill demonstrates just how much of Western Civilization and Western thinking has been influenced by the stories and fables of the Jewish people. The Gifts of the Jews was enlightening, made all the more powerful by the simple, almost conversational tone of the book. It is rare to find a book that deals with religion neutrally while communicating its value and importance to the wider world. I am neither a Christian or a Jew - yet I fully appreciate and am thankful for the gifts of the Jews. I am also thankful to Cahill for bringing this to my attention.

This is in part a simplified version of the Old Testament for those of us who didn't have to go through Bar Mitzvah; in fact it might be considered a modern version of the Old Testament, with some introductory chapters about the Jews' antecedents, the Sumerians.(As they needed a newer version in King James' day, perhaps we need this one today.) All the major Jewish patriarchs and kings and myths are here; certainly at least some of it must be considered mythological in character. Cahill attempts to explain what is and was unique about the Israeli God as compared to the previous gods; his main point is that previous religions everywhere in the world had been cyclical whereas Jewish history is uniquely historical and allows for progress in the world, including scientific progress. Also, the Jewish religion allowed from the beginning a personal relationship with God, who actually revealed himself and created and influenced history(often, at least in the beginning, in a quite vengeful way)so that the frequent use of the pronoun "I" could be incorporated into the Psalms of David. Beforehand,he claims, there had been no possibility of individual psychology. Cahill's interpretation of the Sumerians' myths of Gilgamesh are interesting and similar to his treatment of Irish prehistoric myths in "How The Irish Changed Civilization" which is also an interesting read.

I never fully understood the major contributions the Jews had on the Western world and my own life, however, until I read Thomas Cahill's historic narrative. Even though the book took me awhile to finish, I gained a better understanding of history in general and of the Old Testament. I have attended Catholic school for 12 years and I have not had a clearer explanation the Old Testament. Cahill's casual approach and references to modern things kept me interested in the book. I also enjoyed how there was a timeline and list of the books of the Torah in the back of the book. These helped me reinstate the main points of the Jewish history after I finish reading. I highly recomend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about Judaism, the Old Testament or even about western civilization in general. You do not have to be Jewish to read this book, as I originally thought, because it applies to everyone. Although it was a harder read for me, I still recommend it to people my age. I thought this book was informative but not at all boring. END

Waaaaah! I had an unhappy love affair and now I think I'll make the world feel sorry for me because this has never happened to another single human being in the history of human relations! Waaaaah!

(You don't see Roth trying to exorcise his demons by acting, do you? He knows his strengths, as should Miss Gloom.)

Ok, I admit and I am embarrassed--I ate this book up like a pint of Haagen-Daz. And afterwards, I felt about the same as I do when I look at the empty ice cream container: a little shamed, vaguely nauseous, highly satisfied. I am a huge Philip Roth fan, a collector of his signed first editions, etc., so you have to take this reveiw with a grain of salt. Ms. Bloom, or whoever ghosted it, is much better writer than I had anticipated and the pages flew by (just one more spoonful...). Charlie Chaplin, Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, Gore Vidal, Rod Steiger--it was interesting to read what felt like highly redacted versions of who these men were in Ms. Bloom's life. She does seem to reserve a certainy clarity and honesty for her depiction of Roth, for better or worse, than she seems willing to give to these other men. I, frankly, believe most if not all of what she wrote about Roth, and it is tantalizing to watch the threads of her fact with him reverberate in his fiction. (Sylphid, the harp-playing harpy in "I Married A Communist" is very openly Bloom's daughter with Rod Steiger). So if you are a Roth fan and are interested in a painful dissection of his fiction, you should probably put this on your shelf...though don't expect HIM to appreciate it.

I picked up this autobiography not out of any particular interest in Claire Bloom the actress (I'll say Claire Bloom the writer resembles Claire Bloom the actress : competent, well-spoken, attractive but so narcissistic it is difficult to empathize with her), but rather intrigued by her relationship with Philip Roth, an author I admire but find maddeningly misogynistic.

Bloom the writer is no more convincing than Bloom the actress at depicting a depth of feeling. She tells us she loved Roth, Richard Burton, her mother and her daughter. Yet mother and daughter both get short shrift (when Roth didn't want the daughter around, the daughter was out on her ear). First and second husbands get little attention (not famous enough ? there is something of the groupie about Ms. Bloom).

She names her autobiography after « A Doll's House » but is this ironic ? She portrays herself as the original doormat-wife and mistress and then asks her audience to sympathize with her inability to get her husbands to respect her. She moans about unfaithful husbands but delights in telling her readers how she cuckolded Richard Burton's wife. Pot, meet kettle.

The book's main source of interest is its description of Philip Roth's mental breakdown. This is fascinating for Roth readers - however humiliating it must have been for Roth the man to endure (and now to have exhibited in public by his ex-wife).