The first part of the editorial review is definitely about another book by Uwe Lajer-Burcharth (Necklines) and is not about this book. Only the second part of the review refers to this book but I disagree that this book is recommended only for libraries. I found this book to be quite an intoxicating read as the other reader reviewer has stated.
Here, Warren Roberts display a very lucid understanding of the chronological events of the French revolution as it unfolded and has written a key account, linking it specifically to the lives of two artists who were inextricably linked up with the key events.
The book is divided into 5 sections. An introduction outlines the situation that France found herself in shortly before the French revolution took place. Then the next section focuses in on the key events of the revolution, linking them up to practically all of the chronological engravings of J Prieur. The true value of this book really is in the 60-odd historical tableaus drawn by Prieur and the marrying of the somewhat confusing chronological events of the French revolution to these tableaus. The author gives a thorough description of each historical tableau within the text, not in the captions, and this is what makes the book so readable. With hindsight, Prieur apparently recorded quite faithfully all the key events iand this contemporary visual evidence is the closest that we have to unbiased visual documentation of the period. The third section gives a very comprehensive essay on Roberspierre and the various factions within the French republic. This is then followed by a section on J.L. David and his accomplishments. Most readers will probably be familiar with David's biography and there are no surprises here. A concluding section brings all the threads together.
The two artists selected and contrasted here are J.L. David and J. Prieur, both Jacobin members and the contrasts in their abilities and fortunes could not have been more dramatic. Both artists worked for the revolution and recorded them, David in a painterly academic style which created the classical movement in art whilst Prieur was an unremarkable jobber, whose 60-odd historical engravings are now housed in the present Carnavalet museum, Paris, and has been rescued from relative obscurity by Roberts in this enlightening and entertaining book. While David survived the revolution, Prieur was beheaded shortly after completing his last scene.
I came away with a good understanding of the French revolution due to the complete empathy that Roberts gives to the period.
The only complaint that I have is that the book is physically quite small and hence, the reproduced engravings are small, too, hence 4 stars.
Highly recommended even for the layperson.

As a student of both art and art history, I found Dr. Robert's book intoxicating. From beginning to end this impecccably researched book provides the facts in a stunning and original way. There is no better book telling the story Of the Revolution and the effect it had on art.

This book is very useful. Stays away from the high school french they (the french) never use anymore. New enough and will hopefully stay true for a while. but you know the french, the language will change next week. : )

"Street French Slang Dictionary & Thesaurus" is a superb source for nonstandard terms and expressions that one might encounter in films, television and radio shows, news broadcasts, books, newspapers, magazines, business, and everyday conversations in France and French-speaking countries. Divided into five parts, this reference book includes most of the colorful and popular expressions that one will rarely learn through formal study of French.

The "Street French Dictionary" (Part 1) includes almost 200 pages of 2,000 popular French terms, including slang, idioms, colloquialisms, vulgarities, proverbs, special notes, synonyms, antonyms, variations, plus an array of hilarious illustrations. Usage examples are given so the reader can know whether an expression is considered to be "very mild," "mild" or "strong." Each entry contains at least one "example," "translation," and "as spoken" citation. Some etymological information is given in "Notes," particularly where there might be some confusion over usage. As an example, the word "baiser" can have quite different meanings, depending on whether it is used as a noun or as a verb.

"Popular French Gestures" (Part 2) is very humorous. This section shows that the French are equal to the Italians in the use of nonverbal expressions. "Beats me!" deconstructs the infamous Gallic shrug which is accompanied by the quick "ppp" sound.

"English Words Used in French" (Part 3) is a short section of English words that are pronounced with a French accent, e.g., "bestseller" (pronounced: "bestselleur) and "gangster" (pronounced: "ganguestaire"). I think this section should be longer because it can be a temptation to use an English word with a French accent when one is not certain of the equivalent French word.

"The Street French Thesaurus" (Part 4) contains general slang synonyms and expressions in alphabetical order. English expressions, such as "How's it going?," are found in boldface type, followed by the French equivalents, such as "Ça va?." There are 54 synonyms for "partir" ("to leave"), 59 synonyms for "ivre" ("drunk"), 95 synonyms for "idiot" ("idiot"), and 41 synonyms for "manger" ("to eat").

Marked by a "Danger" sign, "The Street French Thesaurus" (Part 5) presents the raciest references of the book: expletives, obscenities, vulgarities, insults, bodily functions and sounds, sexual slang, and offensive language. As author David Burke maintains, "Slang must be used with discretion" . . . .[but] [t]ry using some in your conversations for extra color!"

Rolex,BMW,VERSACE,DKNY,LACOSTE,RR,... tHINGS... WE'RE SLAVE TO THINGS... IDEALISM IS DEAD... 'CAUSE WE'RE LIVIN' IN SYNTHETIC TIMES...

POST-CRITICUM: PAINFUL...'CAUSE ýT'S TRUE

We tend to forget,in our "rat race" for things that money can buy, that happiness can only come from within. We may race for the things that money can buy, but very often we forget to enjoy the ride.

This book is the conceptual if not the chronological follow-up to 'How to Make Love to a Negro', and shares many of the same traits: it's oddly written, occasionally infuriating, and defiantly un-PC. Basically a series of loosely connected vignettes about America, success, race, and sex, it doesn't sound very unique but the writing puts it ahead of the pack - great, weird journalism, in the tradition of Hunter S. Thompson. It's not essential by any means, but it is worthwhile and it certainly shouldn't be out of print.

There is more substance in a single paragraph of this book than in ten thousand pages of Grisham or King. Reading this book will change how you think about America, fame, blondes, books, sex and popular culture. Every sentence is to be relished.

I read this book after watching the movie in my Modern European History class. At the time, we were studying that particular era in France. I loved the movie, and if I hadn't seen it, I don't think I would have been able to read the book.

The story of Germinal is about the struggles of the working class in a coalfield of France during a time when industry was taking over. Lives were changing, and this class suffered greatly. The Maheus are the family that is the main focus of the story (the struggle). Etienne Lantier is a young man who comes to the coalfield searching for a job. He represents the guiding force throughout the novel. A complicated mass of events are occuring, and Zola does a great job making it sound realistic. By the end of the novel, few have survived, but that adds to the reality of the story. I love his writing style, which is illuminated by imagery and stunning metaphors.

I found Germinal difficult to read, so if you don't read a lot of these types of books I recommend that you watch the movie first- you'll follow it a lot better. I found it hard keeping focus on the main theme in the midst of all the characters and happenings. But all in all, it is a classic and I would suggest it to anyone interested in european historical literature.

Why do we have labor laws? Why do we accept nuclear energy and the oil industry? Why did the rich countries become so prosperous? "Germinal" shows you why. Often considered Zola's greatest work, it is indeed a truly epic story skilfully blended with penetrating political and economic analysis, not least of the mixture of motives that push people to stand up for their rights or those of others. Take John Steinbeck's "The Grapes Of Wrath", multiply it by ten or twenty and you won't even come close to this book. Deeply moving, shocking, but ultimately uplifting, for in the wreckage of the miners' crushing defeat after their strike Zola, for once, offers a glimmer of hope. Better to have fought and lost than to have done nothing. The seeds of a new, fairer world have been sown. And one day........

Germinal, like many works grouped together as examples of literary naturalism, is not a novel one generally reads for enjoyment. It portrays the dark and oppressive world of 19th c. French coal miners and their attempt to free themselves through political awakening. The main character, Etienne, whips the miners into a socialist frenzy, leading them to strike against the company. As events unfold, Etienne begins to care less about the everyday details of the miners' existence and more about larger issues of socialism, anarchy, and world revolution. Etienne leaves the book a student of politics who has graduated. The miners return to their jobs -- with the hint that they will rise again. Germinal alludes to the works of Marx and Darwin, but detailed knowledge of those works is not required to get the point. The events are dark, sometimes base, and sometimes brutal. This is a book to be read, pondered, and (hopefully) discussed rowdily over beer. Start it and stick with it. It is not a particularly hard read, but it is a classic work that is not for wimps. Recommended.

I really wanted to like this book since I had loved Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo" and the first two books about the musketeers so much, but unfortunately, I found it to be a big disappointment.

The main story in this book is a love story involving Louise de la Valliere and King Louie XIV. This story could have been very good and interesting but it wasn't because of the poor characterization. Louise and Louie were both dull and uninteresting. Dumas entirely failed to make me feel what these two characters felt. This whole story was just very weak and lacked thought.

Another story in the novel involves Aramis and a prisoner in the Bastille. The scenes that were spent on this story were good, but there were too many dull and uninteresting parts packed in between these scenes to make the read flow really well.

Then there were just several other stories thrown into the book that had no business being there. They were boring and pointless and added nothing meaningful whatsoever.

Also, Dumas seemed to have developed a fondness for long paragraphs while writing this book. There were quite a few paragraphs in the book that went on for two or three pages and they were very difficult for me to read.

And like "The Vicomte de Bragelonne", this book does not have very much to do with the four musketeers. This time, Athos is hardly in it, which annoyed me extremely since he is my favorite. D'Artagnan, Aramis, and Porthos are in it a little more than Athos but not much. The first several chapters of the book involves at least one of the four musketeers, but don't let this fool you. If you're reading this book for the characters, you will be greatly disappointed by the amount of time they have in the novel.

And I DID NOT think that "The Man in the Iron Mask" was worth reading through this one to get to. That book was an appalling disaster in my opinion.

I read the Vicomte of Bragelonne, and the story is about Raoul, son of athos. The book contain all the three stories, Bragelonne, La Valliere, and The man in iron mask. This is the original book, some editors, split the book in three, and La Valliere is the second part of it. In my opinion is not the best story of Dumas, because like a reader you simpathetic, whit Raoul and Louise cheat him whit the king. I recomend read the entire book of bragelonne.

However, despite the fact that the title character does nothing for me (my sympathy is all with Raoul), I do recommend this book. It is part of the Musketeer Cycle, after all, and that connection in and of itself is enough to keep this book in a place of honor on my shelf. As another reviewer said, you really do have to read the series in order; and I'd like to add that, with Le Vicomte de Bragelone/Louise de la Valliere/The Man in the Iron Mask, you should be certain that your books are of the same edition and from the same publisher. Different publishers tend to break these three books (which are intended to be one book) at different chapters.

Louise de la Valiere is the least action-oriented of the Musketeer novels, but the writing is brilliant and the characters are true to themselves. Also, the translation is well-done. Queen Margot is the Dumas novel that has never been properly translated in my opinion. (And yes, I do speak French and have seen the novels in their original languages.)

Just remember that Dumas is not a fan of "Happily ever after . . ."

This is the last part of Alexandre Dumas' Musketeer Cycle, so do read the first four books first. (Oh, all right, you can read this one first if you want to. I did, to be honest. But it is made all the more powerful by the backstory.) Also, do yourself a favor and get an edition of The Man in the Iron Mask that matches your edition of Louise de la Valliere and Le Vicomte de Bragelone. Different publishers cut into the story (the three novels were intended to be one novel) at different chapters.

I cried and stayed awake all night the first time I read this one. It depressed me for a week-- but it is beautiful novel, and the action writing is as good as any Dumas ever does. Would you expect any less in D'Artagnan's last adventure? The tale, by the way, is that of D'Artagnan and his friends. The title character is for the most part a plot device. (AND NO, NONE OF THE MOVIES HAVE MUCH TO DO WITH THE BOOK! THE BOOK IS BETTER!)

Long live Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan.

Many years after their first meeting; Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan reunite once more but in conflict. With king Louis XIV raging havok in France, Aramis, Athos and Porhos do what is in their power to overthrow him, yet D'Artagnan as captain of the musketeers tries to stop their secret plan to repalce Louis with Philip the kings twin brother that rests unseen in La bastille under a dreadful Iron Mask. If you saw the Latest Movie you have to read the book or else you will never know how little favor the film does to it. (Also recomend the Count of Monte Cristo.)

I won't lie. When I first read this book I felt terribly cheated. I had followed the adventures of the Four Musketeers for months. And then, Dumas reminded me that they could trick Richelieu and Mazarin, but they couldn't outsmart Louis XIV nor time.

Know something? I loved it!

This book isn't as fast-paced as the previous stories. It has lots more intrigue and romantic tension, since it's centered around Raoul de Bragelonne (Athos' son) and, as D'Artagnan says, the youngsters of Louis XIV's court aren't what they used to be. Neither the musketeers! Athos has become quieter, Aramis more mysterious, Porhos more innocent and D'Artagnan is tired of devoting his life to persons that forget him once they're powerful. Their final fight against time makes this a great book, even if during the final chapters I cried a lot. Any Musketeer lover would.

Finally, and for moviegoers, my advice: don't even try to compare the movie to this book. It's completely different, though the musketeers are nicely portrayed on it, and shouldn't be compared. Alternate realities, anyone?

Are you already extremely knowledgeable about the French Revolution, with a detailed memory of all events and individuals involved? Are you uninterested in what has been said about the French Revolution in this century or the last? Did you find other 19th century accounts of the Revolution (e.g. those by Guizot, Michelet, Tocqueville, Mill) too easy to follow? Do you prefer a pretentious, self-important, and overly ornate literary style that calls attention to its own artfulness to one that is simple and direct? Do you like pretentious authors who assume that you're more interested in seeing them display their verbal wit than in learning anything about the subject they're purportedly writing about? Well then, Thomas Carlyle's history of the French Revolution may be the book for you!

I am, of course, being somewhat tongue-in-cheek here... Thomas Carlyle was one of Victorian Britain's great writers. He's an important historical figure and his prose style is unique, distinctive, and is in many ways, quite beautiful and poetic. Yet, the fact remains that those who are not already familiar with Carlyle should be wary-- very, very wary-- of picking this book up.

There are several reasons for this. First, the fact of the matter is that Carlyle's 'history' is not history as we might think of itThere is little/nothing in the way of exposition or explanation in the sense of laying out 'what happened' or 'who was involved'. Rather, this book is written from the premise that the readers are already familiar with all the facts and details of the Revolution and are more interested in reading an artful, witty, and clever 'retelling' of it. Individuals and events are alluded to vaguely, metaphorically, with the expectation that the reader knows all of this already like the back of his/her hand. When you read something like, "With Rumor unleashed, She flies from De Berry! That Scarlet Woman!", you're expected to already know who's being talked about and to know pretty much everything there is to know what it is that's being alluded to... Carlyle, you see, doesn't explain, or introduce, or contextualize... and you don't read Carlyle for explanation or introduction or contextualization. Rather, you're supposed to already be informed-- and then to read him for the sheer pleasure of his witty wordplay and to nod appreciatively at it. But if you're not already familiar with the persons and events of the Revolution-- you'll quickly find yourself unable to understand anything and will just be lost.

Nor can one consider Carlyle's _The French Revolution_ to be a scholarly study. The man *was* extremely learned of course-- he knew his stuff. But he's not really advancing an argument or thesis about the Revolution or why it happened... the sorts of things academic scholars dispute. He does wax abstractly on occasion, but not to make general claims about the Revolution (or even history in general), but rather to make vague interjections on obscure metaphysical matters (largely derived from German idealist philosophy... and again, these are unexplained... you're expected to already be familiar with thus stuff).

Finally, there the matter of Carlyle's style. As noted above, it's highly poetic and possesses a kind of ornate (if pretentious) beauty that can be appreciated in small doses. Yet, the fact remains that his peculiar mannerisms (including unnecessary capitalization, archaic and pompous turns of phrase, incomplete sentences followed by exclamation points, the constant use of the present tense even though he's writing about the past, apostrophic asides, etc.) become extremely annoying to read after more than a few pages. At best, it's an acquired taste... and personally, I'm not sure that there are many folks around today who will find the effort spent in acquiring the taste to be worthwhile.

In sum.... don't get this book hoping to learn anything about the French Revolution. Only get this book if you want to read Carlyle for the sake of reading Carlyle. Put otherwise, don't get this if you want to read a work of history about the French Revolution-- you'll be wholly disappointed. The only reason to get it, in fact, is for its value as an example of Carlyle's unique and self-indulgent literary style.

Thomas Carlyle's unique poetic style of prose may be tough to take early on, but after a few pages, it does grow on you. It's all overly dramatic and sensational, but what subject could be more so than the French Revolution itself? Carlyle paints a grim description of the complete and utter chaos of the times, particulary the Great Terror of mid-1794. He does, however, remain somewhat non-judgemental regarding the Revolution's key figures, and lets the readers sort out for themselves who the real culprits are. He may over-simplify the obvious at certain junctures in the book, but his style is riveting and as this shocking and dismal tale of woe continues, the reader is further drawn into a daze and trance similar to the Terror's unfortunate victims.
Some have suggested that it's better to read a "normal" history of the French Revolution before one undertakes this famous volume. I disagree. This is as good a place to start as any concerning that most volatile of times. Simply put, Carlyle's "French Revolution" is both informative and exciting, and it has held up well since it was first published in 1837.

The authors of the previous review were too harsh on the text - it isn't a mere display of literary muscle turned lightly to the French Revolution, it's an interesting take on the subject from a penetrating mind.

The other reviews saying "Don't read this if you don't know everything about the revolution" seem a little bit silly to me having read it - if you know nothing about French history and the revolution, ok, you might have some difficulties. But if you have even a rough view of the revolution (from a textbook chapter, short article, almost anything) you won't be lost. Once or twice one might be forced to read back or do a tiny bit of side-reading to get a colourful 19th century reference, but it isn't nearly as oblique as the first reviewer made out.

The style is not difficult to read, considering the date, and the narration is often captivating or amusing. The individual, literary portraiture of historical figures is unique and valuable to me in building a kind of familiarity with events, however cautiously. And the claim that it isn't "historically" written by modern standards - perhaps the reviewer was too busy composing clever jabs to note the date of writing? If you want Francois Furet, read Francois Furet, but Thomas Carlyle unfortunately didn't have the benefit of 20th century developments in historical methods.

David Chandler, former teacher at the British Military Academy at Sandhurst is often called one of the foremost Napoleonic scholars of modern times. His monumental tome, The Campaigns of Napoleon is hailed as the single best work of its kind and is the work most frequently refered to by lay people. Sadly, this overly and overtly pro-British goliath is filled with a multitude of crucial erors, omissions and misleading statements designed to convice the reader of one of Chandler's main themes; that Napoleon Boboparte was or became insane. Space precludes listing the vast number of mistakes in the book, but a few should suffice. In regards to Napoleon's invasion of Russia Chandler states that his primary source for the strength of Napoleon's army is a work by R. Burton published in England in 1913. An examnination of Burton's work on the campaign of 1812 reveals that Burton's work has neither notes nor a bibliography but "relies" on a handfull of other secondary sources including a work thought to be relaible by many scholars (Bogdonavitch's study of the war)but which is a work that its author says "relies on the word of god almighty" for its athority. In other words, Chandler has no clear idea of the size of Napoleon's army, and thus cannot calculate the number of casualties inflicted by disease, weather, and fighting! A second example is that Chandler states that under Napoleon's "crazed" directions General Junot led roughly 25,000 Frecnh troops to take Lisbon. Chandler paints Napoleon as too psychotic to appreciate the difficulties of the march and then describes how Junot "lost" 23,000 of the 25,000 men ariving in Lisbon with a little more than 1,500; the rest, Chandler implies, are all dead. However, Chandler offers no evidence for his portrait of the event and his version contrasts completely with that of Sir Charles Oman who states in his multi vollume history of the Peninsular War, that while Junot DID arrive at Lisbon with 1,500 men, the reamining 23,000 were spread out along the roads and DID eventualy arrive a few weeks later. A third and crucial example of Chandler's lazyness is his use of the memoirs of Talleyrand, Napoleon's sometime foreign minister. Despite ample evidence that Talleyrand's memoirs are a tainted, biased, and dangerously one-sided view of events, Chandler uses them without reservation to paint Napoleon as a dangerous mad man bent on nothing but conquest for the sake of his own psychotic gratification. Other mistakes abound in what is the most overrated work, in a field, already crowded to the rafters with mistake laden shilobeths. Chandler is at his best when describing events that don't require him to write the historical equivalent of "God Save the Queen" and "Rule Britania." The descriptions of the major battles and the descriptions of Napoleon's tactis are worth reading. As the book is massive it has the added benifit of covering all of the major battles in which Napoleon took some part. For that it is a worth while refrence text. Beyond that, its obsessively pro-British tilt, its mistakes, and omissions of fact, render it increasingly obselete and, in the hands of those who wont,or can't consulte other works, a dangerously misleading work of propaganda.

Exhaustive, authoritative, monumental, The Campaigns of Napoleon is not the definitive operational study of Napoleon's campaigns. That designation goes to A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars by Brigadier General Esposito and Colonel Elting which came out two years prior to Chandler's work.

This large volume, however, is a valuable book and it is highly recommended to have on every Napoleonic book shelf. Most of the information contained in the volume can be used with confidence, and it is an excellent research tool. Napoleon's Correspondence has been thoroughly used throughout the book, but some dubious resources have also been referenced, such as Jomini's work, Liddell Hart's dubious tomes, Marmont's and MacDonald's memoirs, and the dubious memoirs of Bourrienne, which are mendacious and quite worthless, as well as Thiebault's inaccurate ghost written memoirs, and Thiers inaccurate work.

The section of the book entitled Napoleon's Art of War needs to be used with care. The author tries just a little too hard to systemize Napoleon's method of making war, and generally denigrates the abilities of his subordinates, without whom he could never have achieved as much as he did. The general indicators tend to try and convince the reader that Napoleon didn't train his subordinates in the higher military art. This is incorrect. Those generals that formed his hand-picked generals aides-de-camp, who were all experts in their particular military specialty were all trained by the Emperor in his art of war, and were expected to show initiative and were able to carry out independent missions without supervision. Some of the senior generals and marshals, such as Davout, Suchet, Lannes, St. Cyr, and Massena, were either as skilled as their Emperor, or had military skills of their own. Additionally, the author attempts to throw some doubt on the French generals leading from the front, which they invariably did-one need only look at the casualty lists for the general officers of the period to verify that point. Grouchy was wounded 23 times in 25 years, Oudinot 34 times. Lannes took ten wounds in 60 battles. Napoleon himself was wounded three times and had nineteen horses shot out from under him.

Napoleon's understanding of the art of war was both 'cerebral and visceral.' When the acknowledged principals of the military art didn't quite fit a certain situation, Napoleon's innate understanding as both a soldier and a general usually held him in good stead. This is where the author misses the mark in this huge work-he doesn't convey to the reader just why Napoleon was both a skilled soldier and a great general, he simply tries to 'codify' his way of making war, which with Napoleon really isn't possible, in my opinion.

The author does admire Napoleon very much, and tries very hard not to. He does characterize Napoleon's final defeat, though, as a giant being pulled down by pygmies, which I found to be very profound and quite accurate.

This book is recommended, and everyone should have it. However, if you are only going to own one book on the Napoleonic Wars, this one is not it-A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars is.

Could even Shakespeare have imagined the triumph and tragedy that marked the life of Napoleon Bonaparte?

Like Caesar, Napoleon rose from obscurity and through sheer determination, utter ruthlessness, and all-consuming ambition to become the ruler of the most powerful nation on earth. And like Caesar, Napoleon's moment of triumph was short-lived, although the Waterloo campaign gave Napoleon the second chance his predecessor could only dream of.

David G. Chandler is that rarest of historians who combines the dogged research skills of a born academic with the light writing touch of a master storyteller. While this work is enormous in both detail and scope, it is eminently readable, each page filled with the wonders of the Napoleonic Era.

Far from pure biography, Chandler attempts to unravel the genius of Napoleon and explain the man and his times in terms even the military layman can understand. The longevity of this work (published 1973) attests to the success of this endeavor.

This book is an excellent choice for the budding military enthusiast, the Napoleonic fanatic, or the reader who wishes to begin his introduction to one of the great captains of history with the finest monograph ever published on the subject. Lavishly illustrated with maps, photographs, and drawings, you'll find The Campaigns of Napoleon to be simply the most accessible work on on of history's great men.

Vive L'Empereur! Vive Chandler!

Brigitte Aubert's first book to be translated into English, "Death from the Woods" has received critical acclaim. Among the books many fine points is its protagonist, Elise Andrioli, who has been hailed as a brilliantly original character. Actually, Elise's situation - paralayzed, blind and mute - is similar to the heroine of Patricia Carlon's "The Whispering Wall", who is left paralyzed and mute after a stroke. That said, "Death from the Woods" is a brilliant read and a wonderful study in suspense.

We "see" all the action from Elise's point of view and the story unfolds in a highly entertaining mixture of suspense, terror and wonderfully black humor. A self-described "living vegetable", Elise tries to figure out who "Death from the Woods" - a serial killer who's been murdering young boys in her Paris suburb - could be. The cast of suspects includes Virginie, the young girl who first tells Elise that she saw "Death from the Woods" come for the boys, Virginie's father Paul, the local police captain, and virtually every character that Elise comes into contact with. Hampered by her inability to communicate - she can only raise an index finger in response to "yes/no" questions - or move, Elise must find a way around her handicap. Naturally, the book builds to a confrontation between Elise and the killer which is superbly done and full of suspense.

Some readers have criticized the book's overly convoluted plot - some have even called it contrived - that requires a great deal of explaining at the end. To some extent, I can understand their frustration as this is a whodunnit with a very complex plot and the unfamiliarity of French names for an American audience may require some backtracking to reacquire a lost thread or two. But at the end of the day, it's all worth it because Elise is a wonderful character who paves over all the little cracks and flaws in the novel. Funny, bitter, courageous and quirky, she is a character that readers can really fall in love with. Aubert is said to be working on a sequel and I for one can hardly wait - I might even have to start brushing up on my French again!

The protagonist of DEATH FROM THE WOODS, Elise Andrioli, is a blind and mute quadriplegic. One afternoon while her caretaker is grocery shopping, a young girl approaches Elise and tells her she witnessed a person named Death From the Woods kill her little brother. Elise is shocked and horrified. The little girl walks away and Elise is on the hunt for the killer and his/her identity.

Because she cannot see, speak or move, she is "imprisoned" in her body. She can hear what others are saying and she listens for clues from her neighbors as to the whereabouts of the killer and his possible next moves.

Elise's humorous observations of her caretaker and her visitors are often quite sarcastic but accurate. They go through their daily routines as if Elise has no cognizance of the world and the events surrounding her.

Without giving too much of the plot away, suffice to say that Elise has more than her share of "bad luck" in her search for the child killer loose in her neighborhood.

The author has taken great care in creating a realistic and gripping story. I certainly hope more translations of Aubert's other books are planned for the future.

Highly recommended!

Blind, mute and quadriplegic Elise Andrioli is immediately believable in this thriller from French author Aubert. Angry and frustrated at being so supremely helpless after surviving an explosion that killed her fiance, Elise's narrative gives the reader insight into the horror of daily living--the inability to say that food is burning her mouth, that a cup of coffee instead of the inevitable and detested herbal tea would be cause for rejoicing.

An unexpected encounter with a child, Virginie, reveals that Elise can communicate by raising one finger. Virginie tells Elise about the children that have been murdered and how Death from the Woods has taken the life of yet another child. As a result of this encounter, Elise's previously dark and narrow world becomes one of startling possibility and a different kind of horror as the murders continue.

This book could have worked well as a simple primer on how to treat disabled people with greater awareness and respect. Making the reader experience Elise's frustration at her inability to communicate fully is superb and a testament to the author's skill. As a thriller, it is smart, suspenseful, unconventional and unexpectedly humorous. Elise Andrioli is an unforgettable character.