Do not be deterred by "Grammar" in the title. This book is not about rules (although they are all here) and does not require an English grammarian to make sense of it. It is about making making full use of a wonderful language.

There is neither a wasted word nor an omission. Each item is expressed clearly and concisely so that your understanding grows effortlessly. This is equally true if you are revising your knowledge of the present tense, or want to know how to persuade, argue, dramatise, admit, criticise and so forth. A substantial and worthwhile book which at a stoke eliminates all the odd notes you thought of keeping. There are no exercises and, to be honest, the strength of this book lies in its assumption that you are capable of teaching yourself. Not, perhaps, for an absolute beginner for that reason - although all the French is translated. Rather, it is for the student with at least a rudimentary knowledge of the language looking to develop their communication and authority. Leave it around, dip in and out. Having suffered through the pages of dozens of itchy French books which tried to be interesting, I have at last found one that doesn't bother and is all the better for it - a companionable volume written by gifted teachers.

Do we have time for anything else?

It's easy to see why Middlemarch is a classic. The theme of reality not living up to one's ideals is a thread that runs through the lives of most of the major characters, and is instantly recognizable and relevant nearly a century and a half after the book was written.

Idealism is most evident in Dorothea Brooke. She wants to lead a learned life of service to others, but Casaubon is not interested in teaching her much, and the great work she initially believes he is writing is an irrelevant, disorganized bunch of notes. Tertius Lydate is also an idealist whose ambition is to make contributions to the medical field. Before he marries Rosamund Vincy, he sees her as the feminine ideal, a woman who will provide unquestioning support and an emotional haven. Instead, she turns out to be a self-centered spendthrift who ennervates him. He ends up with no money or energy for his research, and must concentrate on making enough money to support his wife's extravagance. Interestingly, the characters who end up the happiest, Mary Garth and Fred Vincy, lack such lofty ideals.

One of Eliot's strengths is her sympathy and compassion for her characters, despite their faults. However, she is no stylist, and I found her prose to be awkward and stilted. The reader needs to be patient with this book, because Eliot's style makes it somewhat difficult to get through.

Middlemarch has been described as the one Victorian novel written for grownups. Here, Eliot combines the multiple and interlocking plot lines so beloved by the Victorians with adult characters facing real problems. Particularly engaging is Dorothea Brooke's efforts to find a way to serve, if not achieve, greatness. Rather than undertake some great work herself -- something that Victorian women were not encouraged to do -- she chooses to dedicate herself to supporting a man that she mistakenly believes to be creating a major work. Similarly, Lydgate's slow downfall is realistically portrayed. Unlike many of the works of Dickens, Middlemarch's multiple plots work well together. If you have not read anything by George Eliot, this is the book to begin with.

This is a beautiful and romantic novel not to be missed by any fan of classic literature. The thick volume (795 pages) may be an instant put-off for some readers and the story does take a little while to develop, but TRUST ME, once you get past the first 50 pages, you'll be HOOKED and finding it difficult to put down the book.

I love George Eliot's style of writing - beautifully and distinctively eloquent and expressive, and with such observance and skills in depicting the depths and complexities of human relations and the demands and passions of the heart. The book also explores the issues of "class" (e.g. in the courtship between gentleman Fred Vincy and working class Mary Garth), "money" (e.g. questions raised over Featherstone's will after the old miser's death), "politics" (on elections and the cause promoted by the 'liberal' Middlemarchers), "scandals" (especially concerning the dark secrets of the respected banker, Mr Bulstrode) and even "murder" - all portrayed brilliantly in high drama and with engrossing suspense.

My favourite character is the heroine, the virtuous Dorothea Brooke whose life is made miserable by her marriage to the old, dull, selfish academician, Casaubon. Her later acquaintance with young Will Ladislaw who is Casaubon's cousin ("cousin, not nephew", as the vain Casaubon always makes a point to clarify, due to the apparent age gap between them) provides Dorothea with the companionship of someone who listens to and respects her views and who brings a ray of sunshine and cheer into her otherwise lonely life. Love soon blossoms between Dorothea and Will but they're forbidden to court/marry even after Casaubon's death due to a nasty clause put in by Casaubon in his will. It was pure heartache to read of the feelings that these two have for each other but aren't able to express due to societal constraints. Will knows rather early on that he loves her; it takes Dorothea longer to realize her true feelings. I got all teary-eyed when I read the part where Dorothea, alone in her room and in a state of inescapable anguish, moans out "Oh, I did love him!" [And to quote]: "... But she lost energy at last even for her loud-whispered cries and moans: she subsided into helpless sobs, and on the cold floor she sobbed herself to sleep".

The other main characters are no less interesting and will easily capture the reader's heart and compassion. There's Dr Lydgate, an ambitious man whose marriage to the vain, beautiful but spoilt Rosamund Vincy turns out to be a most exasperating and expensive affair (you have to read the book to find out just how SO). There's also a love triangle involving Fred Vincy, Mary Garth and Farebrother (the vicar). The other smaller characters such as Bulstrode, his wife, Mr Garth (Mary's father), a blackmailer (Raffles) and others are all well-painted and believable, each with their own story to tell.

Unlike some classics, this one provides a most satisfying ending because it discloses in the 'Finale' what happens later to the main characters after the "main story" has ended - e.g. up to what age they live to, if the (new) marriages are successful, how many children each couple has, etc.

"Middlemarch" is a truly remarkable classic and a wonderful, wonderful read.

Ever since reading the Downing Street Years, Margaret Thatcher has been an inspiration to me. More than anyone, it is she who the idea of freedom into action. This collection of her speeches doesn't disappoint. It is illuminating, particularly in the years from 1975 to 1979 when she speaks as Leader of the Opposition. These tracts reveal a deep philosophical understanding of the workings (and the virtues) of the free markets and of its inherent superiority over the collectivist cancer. They are worthy of Adam Smith, even Ayn Rand. Naturally, ideas give way to actual policies once she becomes Prime Minister. Nonetheless, her speeches from 1979 to 1990 provide a us with a useful guide to these tumultuous years of profound reform. After 1990, freed from the shackles of Government, she speeks eloquently, deflating the European federalists and the neo-statists on the Left who have changed their stripes but not their ravenous appetite for new, more ingenious methods of social control.

It is rare for books of 'collected speeches' or 'collected writings' not to be boring. But this book isn't. Perhaps because most if not all the speeches are thrilling and interesting, perhaps because they are excellently edited and written, perhaps because of their layout... All these things enabled the Rt. Hon. Lady Margaret The Baroness Thatcher to compile a truly fascinating collection of Her speeches during, before, and after Her years at Downing Street. For those interested in Thatcherism and British politics in general, this book will be an immensely valuable source of material, filled with easy-to-find data, information, and The Baroness Thatcher's views, on a variety of topics and issues, from Europe to the Falklands War, from international politics to tarde unions and taxing... For those of you who share the views and like the ways of The Baroness Thatcher, the book will be even more wonderful, as you'll be able to figure Her speak and debate, as if She were there, as you leaf through this excellent collection of Her speeches. For all others, it will still be excellent reading, pleasant and memorable.

Margaret Thatcher dominated her party at a time when her party dominated British politics. This book is a valuable record of her formal speeches and the key parlamentary debates in which she took part. Robin Harris' editng makes the book easy to read and the policical philosophy of Margaret Thatcher comes through clearly from almost every page. In spite of the fact that he is obviously a commited supporter his notes and critiques of the individual speeches are relitivly disinterested and help to put them into context. Most interesting to me are the speeches made in the lengthy period during the mid 1980's when Margaret Thatcher gave few interviews; these formal speeches and her apparances in the House of Commons were the only means that the British electorate had of understanding overall government policy during that time. I was never a Thatcher supporter and believe she was ultimatly a extremely distructive politician who did infanatly more harm than good. This book, however, gives an excellent insight into the political philosophy behind the Thatcher phonominon and also gives clear clues as to why she was brought down so dramatically. A must for anyone who has any interest in post war British politics.

The continuing saga of a mother and her two daughters.Mrs Baines is the middle aged boisterous woman who runs rule of the family business as her invalid husband lies in wait of his demise.The Baines` have two young daughters-Constance ( intelligent and stable)and Sofia (beautiful and flighty).the ideal of the story was to examine how one would perceive "a Mrs Baines" if you were to encounter her on the street or in a cafe.would you see her as an old rude lady?Would you be able to invision the possibility that in her younger days she was as Constance and Sofia are? And ther lies the basis of the story-how does one go from being a beautiful,fun loving girl to a boisterous old lady.Well as the story delves further into their lives we witness everything that happens and therefore shapes their lives.In real life events, whether large or small will determine our next path in life and here we get to see where they end up.
A terrific read for something written in 1908.

I'm certainly not the only person in the world who thinks of this book as a masterpiece. The fact that H.G. Wells, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf all praise this book as being so is one of the reasons I picked it up. In spite of that, I really read it without set expectations.

Briefly, to say what has already been said before, The Old Wives Tale is exactly that - a tale of three women who marry in very different circumstances. Mrs. Baines, the mother, is a life who is only briefly touched upon. However, the seperate lives of the two sisters, Sophia and Constance, are the crux of the book. Each life takes its' turn. We are first told about Constance, then about Sophia, and finally, about their reunion. Constance, whose name is not a coincidence, lives a simple provincial life, and Sophia, whose name also matches her persona, chooses romance and adventure. There is only one villain, and yet, he is perhaps the most powerful and chilling of all villains, Time. His grasping, clutching, suffocating presence is ever felt throughout the book, and looms even larger once that final page is turned. In the end, Sophia and Constance each pay the price for their choices, and the true cost of those choices is left for the reader to decide. As unique as we are, we will each believe something different about Sophia and Constance in the end, and that is precisely the point.

To sum up the experience of The Old Wives Tale, a tale of three women living their lives, and their lives changing them (or perhaps not changing them, is that it is the most honest approach to human psychology I have ever read. The lives we read about, Mrs. Baines, Sophia, Constance, and even those who surround them, could be anyone's. In fact, most of us can find someone in this book we could point to and say "that's me". No character, no matter how brief their exit or entrance into this story, is insignificant. Each person gives us a fresh perspective on the human response to events and to, of course, other humans. The three main characters are presented with sheer, unsympathetic, yet respectful honesty. We are not introduced to inhuman, perfect, idealistic souls in this book. Nor are we looking through the eyes of the wicked. Instead, we are searching the souls of ordinary people and in the end, are left with a question about our own existence.

In fact, it should be a large clue to readers when they see that the title of the fourth section is, What Life Is. It is here that something occurred which I totally unexpected, and it left me quite shaken - in fact, desperate. I found that I had been brought from the comfortable vantage point of observing these fictional lives, which are at times inexplicably amusing and heroic, to a sudden uncomfortable sensation that the characters were real and had turned toward me - the reader - begging the question "What of your life? What have you done with it? What have you accomplished?"

That subtle change of vantage point was shocking, and ingenious. Without criticizing his own creation, the author was able to communicate the importance of living our lives to the fullest without telling us how. This fact alone shows great wisdom. Sophia and Constance experience remarkable things, no more remarkable than most people, but remarkable just the same. Each reacts differently because they are different, and each has a different idea about how to find happiness and how to deal with life's disappointments. Both are frequently of the opinion that they could improve someone else's life, yet have not found real satisfaction in their own. Each makes mistakes, and each perform the heroic. The author will on the same page be blunt about their faults and tender with their plight. He tells their story without judgement, and yet in the end, you feel you have read a very wise judgement on the nature of the human race. Here, reader, you will find no prescription for life, but a question that begs a diagnosis. The author makes it starkly clear that the remedy, or whether a remedy is even required, is up to you.

The Old Wives Tale is not a dark story. It is not a comedy. It is not high adventure or mystery. In fact, it is many of these things put together to create something REAL. And it has shaken me to the core.

I first read this wonderful book many years ago. Recently, I happened to pick it up again (before giving it to my daughter to read), and thought, well, I'll just read a few pages, to see if it's as good as I remember it to be. I stayed up all night rereading it. "The Old Wives' Tale" is a heartbreaker, but superb. As somone else has pointed out, there's a real villain in the book, but the villain isn't human: it's Time. It's difficult for me to imagine anyone reading the last few lines without being touched. I agree with Somerset Maugham: I feel presumptuous even praising it. For those who were "disappointed" with it, may I say, with another commentator, that these people will probably be disappointed with The Day of Judgment.

THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Margaret Atwood is a true classic. It is a cleverly crafted novel about a young woman called Offred who lives in a dystopian fundamentalist society called Gilead, set in the future. The book unfolds like a diary or series of letters, as the reader is provided with a clear psychological insight into the main character. Much of the tension stems from our exposure to Offred's internalised feelings; which are often ones of both frustration and resistance, faith and hopelessness. From the start of the novel, the reader plunges into Offred's world without much orientation and at first it is hard for the reader to decipher exactly what is going on. This is obviously Atwood's intention, as our confusion mirrors that of Offred. In fact, in order to get the most from this book, you really need to suspend judgement as nothing is really made clear until the last page - and even then, you may find a second reading beneficial.

Atwood explores controversial issues including feminism, anti-feminism, abortion, pornography, environmental issues, violence against women, bisexuality, ethics of cloning, racism, extreme right-wing polices, militant nationalism, and religious fanaticism. I am sure that we can all think of events that relate to these issues, and many of them will be as horrific as the society depicted by Atwood in this book.

The emphasis in this novel, however, is not in giving answers, but provoking thought and warning the reader to guard against complacency. It is an open-ended narrative and this can feel very frustrating for those of us who like a 'and they lived happily ever after' ending, where we can feel a sense of completion and satisfaction. This book is just simply not like that, and to be honest, I think it would be to the detriment if it were. This is an eye-opener and not intended to reassure the reader of his or her own well being.

Although not set in the 'real' world, this society is very realistic in many senses. Think of Nazi Germany, think of American Puritanism, the Romanian state controlled birth rate, slavery, Stalinism and some of the principles outlined in the Bible and you will soon realise how terrifying our own world can be. This may be fiction, but it would be true to say that none of it has been made up. A true work of art. Highly recommended!

I really enjoyed this novel. But, if you aren't able to enjoy non-linear narratives, don't read this book. In this memoir of a woman living in the not-too-distant future. A time where the Christian right rules. The Handmaid (Offred) is basically leased to a high-ranking family for the use of her reproductive system. I really enjoyed how the parallel between the religious society in the story with fundamentalist muslim religion. Those who don't believe that the Handmaid's Tale could ever happen, fail to see it happening today in many places throughout the world - Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc. I think that readers really miss the point when they get stuck on the fact that this story takes place in the future. Keeping in mind that in some countries, women are not allowed to own realty, have bank accounts, must cover their heads and faces, cannot go out in public without a male escort, are not allowed to drive, and cannot become educated or become employed outside of the home, I was reminded of how greatful I should be that I do not live in a country where I would be a handmaid, wife, aunt, or domestic.

As like in real life, the characters in this story are all so real; everyone has an agenda, has something to hide, yearns for personal contact, status, and power. It is women who are used to control women and men still break the rules that they themselves created. Humanbeings will risk their lives to fulfill their desires.

I could probably make a case for the implausibility of the concept that the book puts forward, but only if I got specific, the situation where people (men or women) are used as merely property and not allowed to have any rights of their own still happens all over the world, whether you like it or not. Ms. Atwood is too smart to try and predict what the future might bring, instead she merely illustrates what happens when you stop regarding people as people, when rights of a few take precedence over the rights of everyone else (for the sake of expediency, alas). In this wacky world, women aren't allowed to read or write due to an ultra-Christian (?) (they quote from the Bible) takeover of the country. Women are divided into Aunts, Marthas, Wives and of course the Handmaiden's, who exist to have children and are given to various Commanders to try and make kids. The novel concerns itself with the story of Offred (Of Fred) and it flips back and forth between her life before the takeover, during her education in those dark days before the present time and her current life as a Handmaiden. Atwood protrays all of this in very poetic language, the words she chooses are sometimes breaktaking, but mostly it's in the images she puts forward and in the general aura that the novel is given. There's a sense of inevitable helplessness, Offred isn't going to change the world by herself and the world isn't going to change in the next day, she realizes that and still wants to fight but isn't sure how. The flashbacks are all rendered quite nicely, and given the right sense of eerie timelessness. The story is never given a date so it could happen anytime but the point illustrated is more important than the details. Some might find her a bit too immersed in the concept, the story tends to float blissfully along but she never gets preachy and even though has the country taken over by an orthodox Christian group, she's not bashing Christainity, just about any religion has buried in it somewhere the same primitive attitudes about women. But for me, it's about more than women, it's about people and what happens when all of a sudden people are property, how it dehumanizes everyone, even as you try to remain as human as you can. A fine story, with the people brought vividly to life, warts and all, and one gives one pause to think. Also, don't skip the historical section in the back, it's a bit wordy and academic and doesn't really explain the cliffhanger ending any better, but gives a better glimpse in everything. All it takes is a little perspective, I guess.

Story of young woman who is given a measure of financial independence by her oppressive father, and how she gradually reaches for some small measure of autonomy. The "Five Towns" are the author's fictionalized version of the corresponding cities of the region in England where the famous potteries & glaziers are.

Frequently, reviewers note the Methodism in this novel -- it does give a look at the everyday lives of Methodism when it was much more controversial (!) than it is today, if it ever was particularly revolutionary in America. I was more struck by the personal circumstances of Anna's plight than her religious questionings, although the latter are definitely imposed on her character by the author.

An interesting attempt by a male author to describe a woman suppressed by her domineering father, by strict moral and religious conventions, and by her own personality.

Described by the prolific author as "my serious novel," _Anna_ is the story of a young woman's struggles to free herself from the oppression of her domineering father. The title character is given a chance to live undreamed-of experiences when she inherits a fortune in properties and business ventures on her 21st birthday. Simultaneously, she finds herself the declared object of affection of one of the town's most desirable men. As her story unfolds, she is attracted to another man, more vulnerable, and must try to resolve many different demands on her sense of duty and her emotions.

Set in the early 1900's, Bennett succeeds in evoking a strong sense of place with his fictionalized Five Towns of the Staffordshire Potteries. Critics have praised his full description of Methodism and Methodist church life of the time, as well. Bennett conveys sympathy for his protagonist and portrays the limitations placed on her for her gender without falling into condescension, concluding, "She had sucked in with her mother's milk the profound truth that a woman's life is always a renunciation, greater or less."

Anna's attempts to expand herself spiritually and personally, and to gain a sense of personal efficacy, make for an interesting read. However, Bennett violates flagrantly the old writer's adage, "Show not tell," as when we are told repeatedly Anna's father is a miser and a tyrant long before we see him saying or doing anything miserly or tyrannical. Further, anyone looking for an intensely psychological novel with thoughts portrayed as stream of consciousness should be aware that Bennett's style descends from a Realist tradition.

I bought these cards for my 10 year old cousin for Christmas because he has taken an interest in French. The cards were not at all what I thought they were. They are simply index cards with blue writing and have little visual appeal. The cards are simplistic with small pictures of the target nouns on each card. All cards do have phoenetic pronunciaiton and teach basic nouns, which are helpful for beginners to build a good base of les mots français. Don't expect much with these cards visually, but children under 12 should get a basic French vocabulary from them.

This book is one of the worst I ever read. Spelling, photography and contents are incomplete, unprofessional, misleading, out of date, difficult to understand, poor;y written; definitely not worth the paper it is printed on.

Competitive Karting presents useful information on trackside preparation and basic kart maintenance. The information is clouded, though, by poor editing and unclear graphics. Famous racecar driver names are misspelled, 'kevlar' has become 'kevar,' and a spell check program was obviously not considered. It's tough to accept precision driving and setup information from someone who has taken such little care in crafting his message.

Despite the typos - I thought the book was great and by far the most up to date book kart racing. The technical details for setting up a kart were much better than any other book I've seen available.