It has been 27 years since I first read this book and it has always stood out in my mind as being one of my favorite works of fiction. From the first sentence to the last you will be captivated. It is such a shame that this book is out of print and is so hard to find at the libraries because it is a true treasure. I still have my original copy and believe me I'm afraid to lend it out. This book should be considered a classic!

The book haunts me. It has been weeded out of my library, and I can't find it anywhere.

It seems to be such a true thing. Gillan and Meggie, so far apart in nature, are equally compelling characters, and each of their children's personalities have been developed well.

Remembering my Great Uncle's accent, I was moved by even the language and syntax. In my childhood in Southern Illinois, we lived in a coal town. Classmate's fathers died in the mines sometimes, bazarr crafts involved shining chips of black coal. We burned it in the basement furnace for fuel, and I pulled many a glowing klinker from the flames to drop into a washtub until they cooled and were used to augment the sparse gravel in our driveway. So the story interested me greatly.

Since reading it, we have moved twice, and amidst the laughter of my family, I made sure we had a dark and handsome man as our "first-footer", for good luck. And I cannot read MacBeth without remembering the line where Gillan,reading it for the 3rd time underground, suddenly found Shakespeare to be beautiful....

I want this book again, to read again and to pass on to my boys.

This book was recommended by my mother. I don't know what happened to my original copy but I and my Scottish husband have been searching for it in every second-hand bookstore we could find. Excellent book in particular for those of Scottish heritage.

This is a must read for *anyone*. "The Great Imposter" is in my top 5 favorite book list. This is the true story of Ferdinind Waldo Demara, jr. This gut is the orginal jack of all trades. The reader will be drawn in when they read that Demara was in the Royal Canadian Navy, and preformed many dangerous operations....btw,he had no medical tranning! Demara has spent his life being an "Imposter" to many jobs. And he excelled at whatever job he was doing. For those of you who like the show "The Pretender", the people who created the show based it on Demara, and his many "Imposters". I highly rec that you take the time and try to find this book.It may be a search, but you won't be sorry. The most interesting thing about this book it that's it's all true. Read this book, you won't be sorry. I promise.

And what a great one it is. This book was the only considerable document I could find for thorough research on Crichton and his thematic ideas presented in his various works. With one solid chapter for each book, no area was left uncovered.

Up to date and extremely accurate. Recommeded 100% for Crichton fanatics and researchers alike.

I simply echo the others - read this book - it is wonderful.
It's full of the drama and comedy of life, like a fine play. Yes - the characters can be seen as stereotypes, but more often they evolve into a rich complexity, as their lives and ideals clash. Their close comunity and common dangers propel them through a suspensefull and wryly narrated struggle. Like Steinbeck, Crichton crafts the events of a time to work changes on people and force out their best, and so the tale inspires. I read it years ago, and reread it, and then gave it away. Now I have regained it (used), and find myself again rereading it. Why in heaven's name is this book out of print?

I bought this book on a pavement in Bombay and have read it a dozen times since. Santa Vittoria, a small hill town in Italy, struggles to hide their most precious possession from the occupying Germans, a million bottles of fat black wine. Consequently, in the struggle between the methodical, self procalimed 'superior-raced' Germans and the uncouth, seemingly naive but clever Italians, the latter manage to hide the wine and keep it too. The Nazi captain Von Prum tries to find the hidden wine till the last day of his departure from the little town, but the secret lies safely in the hearts of the people, for whom wine is their life and blood. A cleverly written book, with subtle humour and insights into workings of an Italian mind, The Secret of SV makes one wonder why it isn't in the list of the so-called "popular, best read" lists.

Beautifully written characters populate this wonderfully crafted story of a tiny Italian town's struggle to protect its lifeblood (both spiritually and financially) from an occupying German force during WWII. The crux of the plot is an amusing battle of wits, philosophies and endurance between the town's bumbling mayor, Bombolini, and the staid German Captain, Von Prum. Guiding each man's actions and outlook are the teachings of Machiavelli and Nietzsche, which makes for an "interesting" coupling. The story showcases the heart and humor of the Santa Vittorians, who are much more than what they seem. Eight years after first reading it on the recommendation of my 12th grade Philosophy teacher, I picked it up to enjoy the story all over again.

Aside from the lack of character development, Crichton gives us a nice start with riddles, a death, a policeman and a doctor in the first few pages. I felt there should have been a build up of pressure from the medical and legal sectors towards ITC, but Crichton blows that direction off with a paragraph or two.

Others state that the story read like a screen play. I agree. Even Star Trek always sent one or two security personnel to the adventure site so they could be killed. Losing one or two futurists to the hardships of mideval times would have made the story more compelling.

It was a fun read; like spending time at an amusement park. I blew through the book, but once finished I didn't have that lost friend feeling--wishing the story could go on forever--that a 5 star story would leave me with, but it sure beat watching TV! Rising Sun and Jurasic Park--lost a few characters in that book to the dangers of the environment!--were better examples of Crichton's story telling capacity.

Glad it was a Christmas present for two reasons--fun story and I didn't have to pay for it!

If you have read and enjoyed any book by Michael Crichton, it is well worth your time to read Timeline. The book is Chrichton's traditional mix of high-tech science and old-fashioned adventure. In short, Timeline is to time travel what Jurassic Park was to genetic engineering. While the similarities between the two might be enough to call them overly formulaic, it is definitely a good formula. This story will clearly become a movie in the near future (when reading it, try Sean Connery as Johnston and Antonio Banderas as Marek), and sell millions of copies, but don't allow Crichton's commercial success to spoil your enjoyment of the product. Timeline flows smoothly from cutting edge physics to obscure but interesting history to heart-stopping suspense, all Crichton trademarks. Few authors are able to make the reader simultaneously think and be entertained, yet with Timeline Chrichton does just this. This book is his best since Jurassic Park, perhaps because of a shared literary algorithm, and it may sound simple, but if you liked Jurassic Park, Timeline is worth your while.

This book is my favorite of all time. Very vivid, adventourous, and just A number 1! Crichton really broke the mold with this one! It describes it in very practical, reality terms making it almost believable. It's a must read for anyone that loves history, Crichton, or adventure.