this book was a cool book when i was 4-5, and I stil like it now. I remember it like it was yesterday. thats how good of book it was.

When I was a girl, my mother read this book to me over and again. I remember begging her to read it to me, and when I was old enough reading it myself. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, including the "Two bad mice", and as in all Beatrix Potter books it is well written and a lesson is well learned. I am looking forward to reading this book to my own children (which is why I am on Amazon.com looking for it).

Our elementary school library owns a previous edition of Claire Bloom's recordings, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit and other Beatrix Potter Stories," which is out-of-print, and has obviously been replaced by this larger collection.

This past week, since I had a sore throat, I played Bloom's fine reading of "Peter Rabbit" for all the primary classes that came to library. The students sat spellbound as we listened and I showed them the classic (but small) illustrations that generations have come to love.

At first, I feared that Bloom's British accent might be a distraction for the kids, but they got so caught up in the story, they hardly noticed. Personally, I think listening to Beatrix Potter this way is the most fitting introduction to these wonderful tales and her delightful fantasy world.

I hope that this anthology will be available on CD soon, as that's what would prompt me to "upgrade" my collection.

I owned this recording on vinyl a child.(I still have it, even though I don't have a player.) It was one of my favorite things. Claire Bloom's reading makes these tales come alive. I purchased the tape for my children. I would recommend it for long car trips and nap time!

My mom bought this one for me when I was about eight years old. I'm nineteen now and I still love it. :) The pictures are exquisite... awesome illustrations bring Shakespeare to life so much it will be familiar to even little kids years later. These pictures are really buried deep in my memory and I'm glad. :)

I checked this book out of the library...hoping the beautiful pictures would captivate my 3 and 5yr old and they would then listen to Shakespeare. It WORKED!!! So I knew it was worth purchasing. The book contains only small selections from Shakespeare's work...but a great way to introduce your child to the beauty of his words. Wonderful Illustrations!!!

Clives Staples Lewis has created a mythical world which absolutely captures the human mind. The Chronicles of Narnia contain exciting plots, which all converge upon each other at the finally of the series: The Last Battle. Through out the books weaves the morals and beliefs of Christianity. These books do a wonder job of telling the story of the Bible, from the instantaneous creation of the world to the death of Aslan (Jesus). The way God cares about every one and desires us to enjoy life through Him, to the last battle and final days at the end of the world (of course Lewis did not know what was going to happen, yet it is still an interesting idea). In one of the best written books of all time, the land of Narnia comes alive with lovable and evil characters. The battle between good and evil is made abruptly apparent in this book as a small country goes through its history fighting for what is right. Light and darkness collide in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe as four kids explore the land which they will rule. For a time it appears as though the evil side emerges victorious; but it is found that the White Witch as not the ability to peer far enough back into the depths time. This book it one of the most important of the set, because contained in it is the most important message of all time. My father used to read the Chronicles of Narnia to me when I was younger, now I read them on my own. When he did this he stressed, Christianity is having the relationship with God, like the youths had with Aslan. I think these are very well written books and I would encourage any one to read. I uphold C.S. Lewis as a great writer of the centuries and I praise his books (all of them) as magnificant.

Several years ago, we unplugged our TV and started regularly reading to our kids. This has been one of the best parenting decisions we've ever made! We've read through all seven of the NARNIA books several times, including reading them aloud to our children. Lewis's tales unfold wonderfully when read aloud. The chapters are of readable length, and even early elementary age children will enjoy sitting with parents who read these stories aloud to their children. I encourage you to turn off the TV this week and read aloud to your kids. Your children's imagination sparked by Lewis' delightful writing will create an even more detailed and wonderful world than any movie screen or TV show. Encourage their imagination to fill the big screen of their minds with Narnian tales, beginning the Lucy's first steps through the Wardrobe. Meet Aslan and ride with the children upon the back of the Lion! These marvelous tales have always been my favorite adventure stories. For two other books filled with creative ideas for parents, look into "The Family Cloister" and "The Christian Family Toolbox", by David Robinson, both available through Amazon.com.

The Chronicles of Narnia are just as great to read if you come to them as a mature adult as when you first read them as a child. I thought I'd missed out on Narnia when I first learned of these books in my 20's, and thought I was too old to read them. Waiting until my 40's when my children are in elementary school has given me a different perspective on these tales. (I'd read most everything else of CS Lewis' published work before coming to these "children's" tales.) We read the Narnia stories two chapters at a time before bedtime, and they're GREAT! The kids are enraptured by the magic and the adventure. I find myself in tears from the allegories of Christ (and my children are puzzled). My 7 1/2 year old son is discovering parts of the theological link on his own, as I hint to him that there is a subtext for him to figure out. The creation scene in "The Magician's Nephew" helped him to get some of it, but he didn't get the Easter connection to Aslan's actions in The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe. This is possibly because we read them in the new publisher's order rather than CS Lewis' original order. That alone is an argument to return to the original publishing order.

This is an excellent book that towers on the other biographies because this book doesn't dwell on tawdry scandal, but simply concentrate on the most important aspect of Diana: her charity work. No other book has covered her good deeds so well. The only problem with the book, and it is small problem is the somwhat heavy-handed use of poems.

While Andrew Morton's "Diana Her True Story" and "Diana Her New Life" chronicled the Princess's unhappy life in the Royal Family prior to her 1996 divorce from Dumbo Ears (sorry, Prince Charles), Donald Spoto's account describes her life post divorce until her tragic and untimely death. In the process he highlights all the aspects of her character, both good and bad, that caused the world to fall in love with her forever. This is a great tribute to you, dear Diana. May you rest eternally in peace.

A good accounting of Diana's last year as she was spinning out of control. When you read about all of her comings and goings you wonder if she had any idea of how it would turn out? Did she know it would soon end?

One of my favorite books about her. I wonder about the Royal Family and how they manage to keep going. Is a puzzlement.

When I described my fascination with Balzac to a pal of mine, I said, "yeah, it is all about disillusioned and cynical people" and he replied: "I am already disillusioned and cynical, so why should I read it?"

Why indeed. This is indispuably one of the best of Balzac's novels, with clearly drawn characters and grim lives in an inexorable descent to self-destruction, which are the classic Balzac themes. It explores the life of a libertine as he ruins himself and his family for the sake of pursuing pretty girls. Unbekonst to him, he gets help from Bette, a cousin full of secret hatreds and bent on vengence. It is very sad to read. One minor character even commits suicide by repeatedly smashing his head into a nail, his only means to finish himself off he could find in his jail cell.

So why read it? Well, again, it is for the wider social portraits that you can find, which are offered almost as an aside. Balzac in one section explains the politics behind the statues you see all over Paris, which is fascinating. You also learn of the career of courtisans, as they use their sex to advance themselves. The book is simply full of these thngs, in addition to the psychology of the many interesting main characters.

Also unusual for Balzac is the coherency of the story, which does not degenerate into ramblings like many of his other novels as they weave the tapestry of his Comedie Humaine like so many threads, that is, as vehicles in his vast project to fully portray an entire society with characters re-appearing in different situations and venues throughout his interrelated novels. The characters stand on their own here and are more clearly drawn. Hence, it is a great intro to Balzac and may get you hooked for more, that is, if you are masochistic enough to subject yourself to it!

Warmly recommended.

"Beauty is the greatest of human powers. All autocratic unbridled power with nothing to counterbalance it, leads to abuse, mad excess. Despotism is power gone mad. In women, despotism takes the form of satisfying their whims". This remark engulfs Balzac's opera: To collate the audience with the obliterating debauchery society of 18th century France. Lisbeth Fischer aka Cousin Bette lurks in every chapter as a concealed beast coveting her prey (The house of Hulot) under the same roof. Perhaps Balzac's major achievement in this master piece, is to portrait a flauntering society feigned by its ostentatious opulence but immerse on a licentious and decadent life. "The savage has feelings... only the civilized man has feelings and ideas." Balzac seems to banter at Parisians with this idea: how civilized, civilized society can be. I strongly recommend this book if you intend to follow De Laclos work in Les Liasions Dangereuses. As an amateur reader I founded the characters difficult to identify at the beginning, however is an strategy smartly set by Balzac and very much appreciated as soon as you start to realize and pace through the richness of the narration.

In this most paradoxical of all novels, Destiny takes revenge on the ungrateful cousin Bette, eptihome of ugliness of soul. Wonderful tale of unfaithfulness, deception, betrayal and lust, as well as hatred, set in middle Nineteenth century Paris, in the world of high finance and politics. The Hulots are a wealthy family. Hortense is Bette's cousin, who has made a fortunate marriage (to Bette's beloved, though). Hortense is good to her cousin, bringing her to live with them in a beautiful house. The Hulots are good to her, but she only wants revenge. And so, she tries with all her might to destroy the family. She has many chances to do it, because the Hulots are flawed, especially the men, who are womanizers of the highest sort. Intrigue is Bette's favorite sport, intrigue with meanness and cruelty. But no good comes from bad deeds, and life, the always ironic life, will not allow Bette's deeds to accomplish her revenge. She does accomplish much evil and disgrace, but the unfolding of events prevents her from triumph. Fortunately, since the good characters get to go on with their imperfect but mostly rewarding lives. This novel is one of Balzac's best (and there are many good ones). It belongs to the best canon of Western literature and will stand the test of time, once again because it touches on the universal features of human soul, ungratefulness being one of the most pervasive. Highly recommended, not least because the reader enjoys all the back-stabbing and the ultimate defeat of the ugly lady. Indeed, we see that envy is one of the worst sins.

I have always loved the style and social politics of the Regency period (the time of Jane Austen.) But when I read "Sense and Sensibility" in 7th grade I found the first few chapters lifeless, dull and hard to read. Two years later I was encouraged by a friend to give "Pride and Prejudice" a try. I did and have since become a complete Janeite. I am now able to peruse joyfully through "Sense and Sensibility" with a new understanding and appreciation of Jane Austen. The reason? "Pride and Prejudice" is fresh, witty and is a great introduction to Jane Austen's writing style without the formality of some of her other novels (unlike S&S and Persuasion Austen does not give us a 10 page history of each family and their fortune.) If you have never read Jane Austen or have read her other novels and found them boring, read Pride and Prejudice. The characters, and the situations Austen presents to them, are hysterical and reveal a lot about Regency society and morality. This book perfectly compliments a great writer like Jane Austen and is essential to every reader's library. The Penguin Edition of the book is stellar and I personally recommend it not only for the in-depth and indispensable footnotes, but also for the cover that is non-suggestive of any of the characters' appearances. In summary "Pride and Prejudice" is a great book for beginner Austen readers and seasoned fans, and Penguin Classics is a great edition for fully enjoying and understanding the book.

Pride And Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, is an amazing work on the nature of love. Austen uses beautiful language and intriguing characters to tell this story of courtship in a time when reputation was everything. The main character, Elizabeth Bennet, is a clever-witted woman who manages to gracefully glide through the lines set up by society. Although she does not always come off as lady-like, her charm and confidence demand the reader's respect. She is surrounded by a cast of diverse characters, creating a riveting plotline. Her mother is a rather quirky character who wants nothing more than to see her daughters wed. Her father, on the other hand, is a sarcastic and intelligent man who favors Elizabeth for her wit. These characters are brought together with the Bingley's when Elizabeth's older sister, Jane, falls for Mr. Bingley. Here, we are introduced to the stubborn and proud character of Mr. Darcy. He seems to be above everyone else and completely opposed to the idea of love.
When Elizabeth Bennet catches Darcy's eye, however, a battle between the mind and the heart begins. These two chracters are faced with the obstacles set up by a strict, Victorian society. Their largest obstacle, however, will be to overcome their own pride and prejudice, and discover their love for one another. Is this a battle that the heart can win?

It is unfortunate that most first time readers of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE see it merely as one more book to be endured in 11th grade English. However, most soon enough catch the magic of an author (Jane Austen) who can weave a spellbinding tale of love, romance, satire, and passion while all the while poking a not so gentle thrust at the social mores of the early 19th century. This book is no frilly ancestor of a Harlequin romance, even if it shares with the dim-witted heroines of Harlequin a time-honored plot of lovers who meet and find an instant dislike that later morphs into enduring love. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE starts off with that basic premise, but what sets it off as classic is what goes on behind the lovers, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. A careful reader usually notes the society in which Elizabeth and Darcy play out their little games of cross-purpose verbal repartee. The world of Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is a society ruled by conniving and single-minded women who see men only in terms of the size of their wallets. Whenever a new bachelor appears on the scene, the women of the novel (with the exception of Elizabeth, of course) immediately try to guess his income so that they can decide if one wishes to marry him. His age, his looks, his habits are much less significant than his income. A fat purse compensates for a fat head.

Modern readers typically call such schemers 'golddiggers,' and according to modern values, perhaps they are, but these readers ought to judge the book's morality against the age in which it was written. Austen (1775 - 1817) lived in an England that prized manners and breeding over all else. It is no surprise, then, that since the reclusive author felt most comfortable only in the company of women, that she would limit her book only to the thoughts, feelings, emotions, and habits of women. In PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, men are never permitted to occupy center stage, nor are they shown interacting independently with other men. If a man is present in any scene, so must a woman to control and observe his actions. Men--even the eventually triumphant Darcy--are generally portrayed as vain, sycophantic, sarcastic, and totally aware that they they are prized only for their money.

The world of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, especially if one has seen the fine film version starring Greer Garson, is one that seems to have been built for women to inhabit. All the women wear flouncy, bouncy dresses with huge flowered hats that Scarlet O'Hara might have worn in GONE WITH THE WIND. Even those ladies that complain of poverty never lack the funds to afford those outrageous outfits. Further, Miss Austen stages a ball in just about every third chapter that permits single women to size up eligible men. As these dandefied women and uniformed men speak to each other, the modern reader probably will be surprised at the excessive politeness and deference tossed unerringly about. This strict adherence to a surface morality ought not to fool the reader into assuming that the characters are as inwardly noble as they are outwardly polite. In fact, behind this massive wall of formal phrasing and good manners lies the same fears, jealousies, and general backstabbing that pervade a modern disco. What gives PRIDE AND PREJUDICE its perpetual charm is the biting irony that causes the reader to wonder: 'Did that character say what I think he (or she) just said?' The modern reader can best appreciate Austen's wit if she can read between the lines to sense the tone of the moment. If such a reader can see that this book is a polite if powerful indictment of a way of life that even Austen wished to poke fun of, then perhaps this reader can appreciate the charm of a book that grows with each successive reading.

The Diary of Anne Frank is a very good book! I recommend this book to anyone interested in the holocaust. If your some of those people who like to read diary books then this is definitely a great book for you. The diary was given to Anne on her birthday. She wrote in it because she felt paper was more patience then man. She begins talking about restrictions that the Nazi's were putting on Jews: no Jews outside after 8:00 p.m., no Jews are aloud to have bicycles, no Jews are allowed to drive their car, all Jews must wear the Star of David on their clothes, etc. While she lived life with restrictions she never knew that her dad was planning a hiding spot for their family. The hiding spot was in the building behind Mr. Frank's office. When they went into hiding Mr. And Mrs. VanDann along with their son Peter hid in what they called "the Secret Annex." After some time Mr. Dussel came to stay with them. Anne does not like Mr. Dussel one bit. As time goes by everyone gets into fights: Mrs. Frank and Mrs. VanDann, Anne and Mr. Dussel, etc. If you want to find out what really happens in her diary then I advise you pick up a copy and start reading.

I first read The Diary of Anne Frank in 6th grade but didn't finish it. Looking back on it I couldn't identify with Anne yet.
I tried it again in 7th grade and read it all the way through that time. It is probably one of the best accounts of the Holocaust that I have ever read and believe me I have read many!

What shocks me the most about this book is the raw truth about it. Anne, as a teenage Jewish girl during WWII wrote what she saw and felt. It must have been terrifying for her every day. Not knowing if she and her family were going to be found by the Nazi's or even if she would live to see the next day.

It is a portarit of a young girl who wanted to live life.
And it breaks my heart every time I read it knowing that she would not get to experience life like she should have been able to.

In a time when people were mere statistics we are involved in knowing the terror, hope, anger and dreams of one true, genuine person.

When a Supreme Court justice was asked why humanity would be worth saving, he replied "I have read Anne Frank's Diary."

What makes the Diary, next to the Bible, the best selling non-fiction book of all time has something to do with Anne's perceptive, wise, candid, lovable presence tangibly radiating from the pages. And the mysterious fact that it survived at all written by a young teen under life threatening conditions.

Mrs. Van Maarsen, mother of "Jopie" (Jacqueline Van Maarsen, author of My Friend Anne Frank)--Anne's friend whom she wrote to and about in the Diary, was quoted "Anne is not lost to us. Jopie admits I'm right." (Anne Frank: A Portrait In Courage, 1958). This quote described an otherworldly encounter Mrs. Van Maarsen stated that she'd had with Anne's spirit after her death. Regardless of whether Anne Frank is affecting people from some other dimension of reality, the intimate impact of the Diary remains. Touched by the "still small voice" of Anne Frank, receptive souls are forever altered and the heart of humanity uniquely softened.

written on June 12, A.F.'s birthday

Madame Bovary is a wonderfully tragic and passionate novel. Emma's passion for romance is portrayed candidly, realistically, with no sloppy sentimentalism. Her disillusionment and downfall are brought about by her own actions, fired by her own flaws. Flaubert is very frank in his portrayal of her affairs. He is truthful about their emptiness and their consequences. This is the quality that elevates the book from a supermarket romance novel to a classic. Flaubert is quite avant garde in his sympathy for the plight of women in Emma's time period. He recognizes their lack of freedom and the social restrictions placed on women that are not placed on men. Yet he does not excuse Emma because of this injustice. She is still held accountable for her actions. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good tragedy. It is easy to relate to Emma Bovary, for everyone knows what it is to have high ideals dashed. I found the story rather slow in the beginning, but as the pace of Emma's life quickens, so does that of the novel. If you enjoy action packed plots, you may not enjoy this book. Those who enjoy satire and dark humor would also like Madame Bovary. Flaubert has a wonderful dry, cynical wit. One notices this in his descriptions of characters, especially the minor ones. He is a dark Jane Austen. I am a student at Mercy High School in CT, and I read this novel as part of the Advanced Placement curriculum. I would recommend this book to other AP students; it is entertaining, and a valuable novel to be familiar with.

When I was teaching World Literature we began class each year reading Gustave Flaubert's "Madame Bovary." Unfortunately, this is the one novel that most needs to be read in its original language since Flaubert constructed each sentence of his book with the precision of a poet. As an example of the inherent problems of translation I would prepare a handout with four different versions of the opening paragraphs of "Madame Bovary." Each year my students would come to the same conclusion that I had already reached in selecting which version of the book they were to read: Lowell Bair's translation is the best of the lot. It is eminently readable, flowing much better than most of its competitors. Consequently, if you are reading "Madame Bovary" for pleasure or class, this is the translation you want to track down.

Flaubert's controversial novel is the first of the great "fallen women" novels that were written during the Realism period ("Anna Karenina" and "The Awakening" being two other classic examples). It is hard to appreciate that this was one of the first novels to offer an unadorned, unromantic portrayal of everyday life and people. For some people it is difficult to enjoy a novel in which they find the "heroine" to be such an unsympathetic figure; certainly the events in Emma Bovary's life have been done to death in soap operas. Still, along with Scarlett O'Hara, you have to consider Emma Bovary one of the archetypal female characters created in the last 200 years of literature. "Madame Bovary" is one of the greatest and most important novels, right up there with "Don Quixote" and "Ulysses." I just wish I was able to read in it French.

...that is to say : this is one the books that can't be translated, becauses it uses all potentialities of french language. Those who admire in this book the cruelty and truth of the psychological portraits mustn't forget that Flaubert's dream was to write a "book about nothing, that would be held only by the force of the style". The story didn't interest him and in his correspondance you see how he got bored while writing it. Personnaly I don't like this kind of "feminine life in the country and loss of illusions that is to entail" but the style is just amazing. Proust said that Flaubert had "a grammatical genius". That's why anyone who can read french might throw his english version. Also, don't be obsessed by the famous "Madame Bovary, c'est moi". Flaubert wrote this book to get rid of his romantic tendancies : hence this mix of sympathy and deep cruelty about the stupidity of his heroin. This cruelty is reinforced by the use of the "focalisation interne" (when the writer writes from the point of view of the character) and the perfect neutrality : we live from the inside Emma's dreams and feel how ridiculous they are, and then, from the outside, we see them being slowly destructed. Read this masterpiece, and focus your attention on the style, and the construction (otherwise the book has little interest!)

I have recently read "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet" in school. I enjoyed reading this play as I felt it provided me with a different outlook because of its vocabulary. The plot of the story was very romantic, but in the end the play became dramatic. It tells a story of true love between two resented families, Montague and Capulet.
Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet risk their lives to be together and nothing could get in the way of their feelings of true love. Even though their families hated each other, they still found a way be married, although it was not easy because of all the tragedies throughout the play. Romeo's best friend, Mercutio and Juliet's cousin, Tybalt both died. Also, Juliet's father was forcing her to marry Paris, another man. There were many more tragedies, which kept the two lovers away from each other. The name of both houses was the main reason why Romeo and Juliet could not be together. As Juliet said, "What's in a name?" If it were not for the significance of the names there would be no tragedy.
Without William Shakespeare's acts of irony, love, hate tragedy and pride the story would not have been worth reading. The way he twisted the story when they got married was unusual too, as getting married can make life different in a good way, but in this story, not.

This book is a story tells a story about true love. The characters Romeo and juliet has been a role model for many people in their love life.This story includes all the elements to prove that love that Romeo and Juliet had was true love. William Shakespeare uses tragedy,love, hate, pride, and irony.

Romeo, from house the house of Montagues,is best described as a love. He does things for Juliet even though it risks his life. But no matter the consequences, he went with hs feelings. Juliet, from house of Capulets, is a lover at will. She had never loved a man as much a Romeo. But though they were from opposing families, she finds a way to marry him.

There were many tragedies. Two being Mercutio and Tybalts death. There were many more tragedies that happened and one main reason why they happened which was the fact that the two house were against each other. This caused all the tragedies because if they were not, both lovers would live happily. One thing that kept the family against each other was the pride in their name. If it were not for the name then all would not end in tragedy.

One ironic part in this story was when the two lovers got married. Getting married usually makes life better but in this marraige, it made thing worse and turned the story into a different direction.

This story must have been the best story i have ever read. It is love story that makes me think of how far i would go for a girl. Though it is hard to read, I enjoyed it very much and i suggest the book to all the lovers out there but could be enjoyed by all.

Romeo and Juliet are the two most known lovers created by William Shakespeare. Their love story is one to be cried for, and it really shows the true meaning of what love is. Many people have claimed and agreed it is the most sad but romantic play ever written, and it really is.
They're a pair of star crossed lovers, who fall in love at first site. Their hopless love is denied from the very beginning: their families have an awful hatred towards each other which has been everlasting. They go through many tests for them to prove they really love each other: Romeo's best friend dying; Romeo's exile after murdering Mercutio, Juliet's cousin; and finally Romeo learning his dear lover's "death".
Although it has a tragic ending, many people say this story is actually happy, for they both die at the same time, and their love is kept together, for eternity.