I've read all the books in this series and enjoyed them up until now. The previous book, the Reeve's Tale, was wonderful -- a real page turner, with well-drawn characters and excellent research. This book continues to show that Ms. Frazer has done her homework research-wise, but the plot (the backbone of a mystery novel!!) is completely lacking. This is certainly not the place to begin reading this series. With any luck, the author will be back to form in the next installment.

I'd read good reviews of Frazer's books, and picked up this one to start. I think I could have done better.

The murder occurs on pg 190 of 274. Until then, it's a historical novel. It's quite well done; I find her writing wonderfully detailed, and enjoyed the careful scene creation. All the characters are nicely drawn. Still, it felt like a historical novel that metamorphosed into a mystery, with a rush to find the culprit in the last few chapters of the book.

I have to admit I found the hero, who was meant to be wonderfully sympathetic (dutiful, loves small children), quite off-putting. (I think this is a matter of personal preference entirely.)

He is married to a woman who apparently forced marriage on him when he was penniless (bringing him a substantial fortune); a big deal is made of his trying to love her but obviously failing (and of course she is not portrayed as lovable, being a hysterical and bossy scold); his affection for another woman who took the veil lightly touched on; and the centrepiece of the romantic element is his attraction to his ward, who has been raised as his foster daughter for some five years and is now about 17 or 18. She returns his affections. For some reason, this is a Good Thing.

However, disagreeing with an author's 'spin' on a plot is neither here nor there. Still, with an unsympathetic protagonist, and no "page-turner" effect, I found this book slower going than I expected.

This volume is the 10th in the series about Dame Frevisse, a nun in the 15th century. It's a series best read in order - there is a lot of background in each book, and the regular characters' lives develop and change; some behavior of the characters is puzzling if you don't know the background. So, if this is the first book in the series that you are coming across, through a recommendation, for example, let me recommend that you also search for the others, starting with _The Novice's Tale_.

The "conceit" of this series set in the 1430's is that our fictional heroine, Dame Frevisse, is the niece of the genuine person Geoffrey Chaucer, author of _The Canterbury Tales_ (ISBN: 0140440224). This liberty on real history allows Frazer to convey a lot of the times, and to give her heroine a connection to the rich and famous, even though Dame Frevisse is a nun in an out-of-the-way convent. Among other things, knowing that this is Chaucer's era tells us that the middle ages are over, and the Renaissance has begun; in only a few more years, the printing press will be invented. Already, more people are literate than in previous centuries, although that's still a tiny number of people, and women are somewhat more individuals in their own right, although still quite subordinate to men. Also, the format of the Canterbury Tales also gives us the format for the titles of the books in this series, with each story being named as the Tale of a particular character.

To me, these things make the 15th century easier to relate to than, say, the 12th Century, where Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series is set. Brother Cadfael's world is alien enough to ours that it is sometimes difficult to really get into the stories, the motivations of the characters, and so on, although nonetheless I love that series. But I like the Frevisse series even better, because it is slightly more accessible - I can relate better to the characters, and therefore find the plots somewhat more understandable and believable.

In the 12th century, Stephen and Matilda fight over who is to rule England - both of them not figures that are really familiar to us, with the average US reader's grasp of history. However, by the 15th century, a Henry of the Tudor family is king, Henry VI, and most of us have at least some acquaintance with that dynasty. Likewise, by the 15th century, the ongoing war between England and France has taken on fairly familiar contours, with names we've heard of, such as Orleans and Burgundy. So one doesn't have to expend quite as much mental effort figuring out the country, and there's more leisure to enjoy the story. This may be one reason I enjoy this series even more than the Brother Cadfael stories. (Wonder what I'm referring to? Try "A Morbid Taste for Bones: The First Chronicle of Brother Cadfael" by Ellis Peters, ISBN: 0446400157.)

At this point in the series, the nunnery is relatively stable, earning some money by copying books and by schooling a couple of girls, and with almost enough food and supplies again. The time being Lent, the nuns are not eating during daylight hours, though, and the ongoing details about what constitutes fasting are interesting. This book starts out, though, in the home of Robert Fenner, a character we first met in an earlier book. Fenner is married to a woman older than he is; he also has wardship of a young lady almost old enough to be married off herself. Marriage in this era is about property, and arguments between Robert and his wife Blaunche over property whose ownership is disputed are at the heart of the story. Blaunche wants Katherine, the ward, to marry her son Benedict; Robert brings Katherine to stay at the convent for a while until he and his wife can cool off over the issue. I will not give away more of the plot; it's for you to discover and enjoy. I will mention a few little details that may induce you to start reading or keep reading, though: Domina Elisabeth, the (relatively) new prioress, seems to have acquired a cat. We learn a lot more about Dame Claire's herbal medicines. A couple of lawyers provide dry humor at one point, talking legal cases over the dinner table in a manner that seems entirely familiar today. Dame Frevisse finds herself telling bedtime stories to young children.

In the end, despite deaths and betrayal, there is a bit of happiness and true love. It's very satisfying. I won't necessarily say that this is the "best one yet" - I'd have trouble picking a favorite, but I do give a slight edge to those volumes in which Frevisse has run-ins with Bishop Beaufort, who is not present in this book (thankfully, to Frevisse's way of thinking...) But it's definitely a read-straight-through.

Although Lancaster's book may have been appropriate 10 years ago, it's old stuff now. He is either padding pages or doesn't know what to write... Half the book is data-sheet briefs which can be found in any decent data book.

I expected clever circuits using c-mos components... intstead I got mostly fluff with a few suggestions. I do not suggest this book to any but the extreme novice.

I loved the book. I am replacing my original copy because it has fallen apart. Pratical circuits and tricks. The best non textbook I have on cmos.

If you're interested in digital design, this book is a must-read.
In very little time, you will gain an intuitive feel for digital hardware design, and understand how to design useful circuits.

I first read this book in high school, about 20 years ago.
Since then, I completed an EE degree at Cornell, and have practiced as an engineer.
Nothing I ever read was a useful as this book, and I still regularly refer to it.

I was raised in Lancaster County, but have not lived there in thirty years. I've made more recent visits than usual, as well as extra attempts to get in touch with my roots, which include the Reformed Mennonite Church two generations back (sometimes called "Herrites"). This book has some few beautiful photographs, and several lovely sayings -- but it seems superficial and communicates little useful information about the place and culture. A nice soundbite for those tourists with particularly short attention spans, but otherwise disappointing. I recommend checking other books under Lancaster, PA, and Mennonites, Herald Press, author Martha Denlinger. I consider most readers would be much more satisfied with something else.

Wisdom of the Plain Folk is a well designed book - one that respects the Amish and Mennonites one which it is based. The photography by Robert Leahy is excellent photography that is given an unusual depth because of the respect that it shows of his subject and their beliefs. The book justifies itself on the photography alone.

I am less enthusiastic about the text - although my lack of familarity with the available texts may have biased my evaluation. The proverbs, hymns and songs which are quoted have no specifically Amish/Mennonite quality e.g. "Well begun is half done". However, they are well chosen for their pairing with the photographs. As such, the combination of text and photo leads to an understanding of the strength and appeal of the Plain Folk way of life.

When the authors first arrived in Amish country of Pennsylvania with the intention of opening an inn, they were greeted the first night by their Plain neighbor from across the street who brought them fresh-baked cookies (the author often refers to the Amish and Mennonite people simply as "Plain Folk", capitalized as a proper noun). From there, they began to integrate themselves into the culture and lives of the Plain Folk, winning their trust and sharing in their lives.

The book is a collection of stunningly beautiful photographs of this area and collections and excerpts of sayings, proverbs and songs used as worship. The color photographs are plain themselves, like the people they chronicle, but contain a profundity that is difficult to translate into words. For example, I'm looking at a photograph, probably taken near dusk or just after sunrise, of a windmill against a darkening sky. There is a tree next to the windmill, and it's branches are bare. Puffy, dissolving cumulus clouds are lazing their way across the photo, and the general effect is one of immense calm. It's the very sort of photo that, despite the sparse content, makes me want to look at it, drink it in, for hours. To think that this calm scene is no doubt an everyday sight makes my life seem chaotic, busy and loud.

The book is full of photographs like this one, some almost humorous. In one picture, approximately 15 or 20 buggies are lined up, sans horses, in a field with their bright red, triangular "slow moving vehicle" sign attached to the back. But, not so far away in the background are two tall grain silos, slightly blurry and dulled of color with the distance. The ground is brown and the trees bear no leaves. It's a deeply calming scene. At once it is both a haunting and warm image that makes the typical photograph of a more urban area seem almost debase and wretched, where people are rushing to and fro on "endless idiocies", as Orwell would put it.

Similarly, the songs and prayers, sayings and proverbs are also simple-Plain. Just to choose one at random, "Appetite comes with eating; the more you eat, the more you want. -Amish farmer's proverb". The accompanying photograph is of a corn crib with dulled yellow cobs half under a pile of snow.

The overall effect of the book has been, for me, one of calm stillness, a mood that makes me look around at all the piles of silly JUNK I've got stacked up, of all the preposterous advertisements blaring at me from television, radio and newspapers, and makes me wonder why do I HAVE all this stuff? It's an effect that makes me want to sweep away the flotsam and jetsam of my life and concentrate on what is REALLY important to me.

I jst finished reading this book and the only reason I don't give it 5 stars is Author Buford hints on more than a few occasions that Burt was Bi-sexual( personally I don't care) but, no proof is provided. There were a couple instances alluded too of him attending parties where homosexuals congregated. Big Deal! There was a certain NY Author who wrote several Bographies intimating beloved icons of the silver screen were bi-sexual. I think the Author should have left that out. The Book, written from a woman's point of view makes Run Silent Run Deep- one of the most exiting, acted and well-made films on WW 2.. sound ho-hum. She does do a good job of giving credit to lesser known films such as The Swimmer which is totally unique. Only Lncaster could have done the role. The film was made in late 66- and 67 then released in '68 as a total faiilure commercially. Lancaster who looks like a greek statue coming to life..is totally ageless in the picture( he was 54) and yet, just a few years later in Ulzana's Raid.released in '72 the Booze and smoking had taken their toll. What sounds like a bizrre idea for a movie..Burt decides to spontaneously swim all the pools of his friends or shall we say acquaintances...and he finds he can't relate to any of them. It's so sad-beautiful like a haunting dream that did or didn't exist. The Stories recited about the making of such classics as From Here To Eternity-Jim Thorpe & Elmer Gantry...will be of inerest to anyone.Call it a Burt Lancaster picture that's all you need to say_ The Train-Valdez Is Coming-Executive Action-Come Back Little Sheba-Rocket Gibralter-The Killers-Go Tell The Spartans-Sorry Wrong Number-Field Of Dreams-Criss Cross-BruteForce-Gunfight At TheOK Corral- The Crimson Pirate-Birdman Of Alcatraz-7 Days In May-The Professionals. Has any other Actor made more good-great films that were so varied, highly entertaining and also said something? What I loved about Lancaster was his sense of decency..he marched in the Civil Rights Protest in the 60's..he got the first JFK Pro-Conspiracy film made Executive Action when officialdom kept telling us Oswald acted alone. For this and many other reasons he was a great great star that can't be replaced.

I suppose Buford's book is a great one -- because it has made me fascinated by an actor I'd not thought much about before reading this biography. But I am left with so many questions and curiosities. Usually a bio. answers more questions than it raises. For all the fascinating film minutia provided did researcher Buford feel more comfotable with files than with people? Why isn't there more dialogue from friends, family and colleagues? Why is the arc of his life chronicled as he stepped from one film role to another with only the barest of personal information hung on that arc? For a child and young man described as having a beautiful voice why wasn't it heard in the movies? What films did BL appreciate? Which ones did he dismiss? I wanted much more info! On the other hand this bio has sent me on a quest to see every one of his films, to buy other bios and to discover more about this elusive, introverted, flawed man of great personal loyalties and ethical principles. I guess I'll just have to look to Burt Lancaster himself to give me clues to my questions. Somehow I think I hear his booming laughter at the appropriateness of that.

Apparently many of those who knew Lancaster best (family members, friends, and co-stars) had the same reactions to him that I did who knew him only through various characters he played throughout his film career. Whatever the role, he always seemed to me to be so self-assured, at times arrogant. Almost never encumbered by self-doubt. "Larger than life" in terms of his appetites. Obsessed with learning as much as he could about as many different subjects as he could and then leveraging his knowledge to gain advantage over others. But also tender, vulnerable, loving, gentle, sensitive, and compassionate. Even in his later years in films such as Atlantic City and Field of Dreams, Lancaster and the characters he played seem inseparable. By then, on and off the screen, age had obviously taken its toll but even so, there was always that sense of dignity, of personal pride, a twinkle in the eye. For me, Lancaster's personality and character are most evident in one of his least appreciated films, The Leopard. However, the same can also be said of the roles he plays in The Sweet Smell of Success, From Here to Eternity, Elmer Gantry, and Come Back, Little Sheba. Kate Buford's biography provides about as much information about Lancaster's life and career as I care to know. The man she reveals could well have said of himself what Whitman expresses in "Song of Myself": Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. I am large. I contain multitudes.

Mr. Lancaster knows a lot about careers. He wrote the 'Career Column' for the Wall Street Journal. I read that now, and it's pretty interesting (though i only agree with the 'conclusions' 50% of the time).
I didn't find this book strong, though. The auther finds winners, and picks out their career path, and then says "See, you do the same." He profiles a woman who became a CEO of a Silicon Valley company in one of the 52 chapters. She started out as a kindergarten teacher, then moved into business. Mr. Lancaster reprints her quote "I feel that being a kindergarten teacher is a great introduction to business, because you have to keep the attention of 30,50,100 people." HUH? I have three children, and holding their attention has little to do with business success, at least not that I've seen in my 20 years as an engineer and project manager.
Also, the book does not take into account the existence of luck at all. Everyone who 'wins' the game of business did it through sheer intelligence and determination.
That doesn't happen in the real world. There is luck involved.
There are tens of thousands of engineers trying to do what Bill Gates did, and only about 1% are achieving even a small portion of his success. An author can take Bill G's life, show how "brilliant" he was for dropping out of Harvard as a freshman, and starting a highly risky technical firm. This is poor advice, though. I would never recommend anyone dropping out of Harvard to start a business. Just because it worked for Bill G doesn't mean it's a highly probable recipe for success.

The auther also frames issues too narrowly, and leaves out important aspects of peoples lives. As a father, i'm not so willing to move from state to state as a rising executive. That's my choice. However, his 52 ways assume you'll do ANYTHING to get ahead, that your whole life is centered around business success. That's too narrow of a definition for me.
The book assumes you'll pay any price to get ahead.
Yet it doesn't state that directly, which is a very key point.
He also left out some key psychological traits that business leaders possess: ruthlessness and an ability to feel comfortable winning at any cost, as long as the authority figure in your institution accepts it.

This book is a quick read, because it's pretty superficial.
If you've been in the business world for 10+ years, and you don't know a lot of these things by now, well, um, you need to pay attention more.
If you're 100% committed to your business life, and you will do anything at anytime for anyone to get ahead, then you can learn some fine points of behaivor from this book.
Otherwise, this is like saying you'll be Bill Gates if you
do what Bill Gates did.

I enjoyed Lancaster's column in the journal and hoped he would distill his work there into book form. Much of what he describes is done in other books; however he writes crisply and well. The book lacks jargon or chirpy advice. I find more balance in his examples than in most books of this type. He's clearly thought long and hard about these issues and it shows.

Promoting Yourself: 52 Lessons For Getting To The Top...And Staying There by journalist and columnist Hal Lancaster (The Wall Street Journal) is a solid business book packed with a wealth of practical tips, trips, and techniques to surviving office politics and new bosses, making oneself look good for promotion, improving one's negotiation and communication skills, and much more. A highly practical and sensible book for dedicated workers looking to earn a higher position in their chosen field, Promoting Yourself is especially recommended for the non-specialist general reader and a welcome contribution to community library Jobs/Careers reference collections.

The book is a little confusing, presented in an annals form of short biographies that are never brought together into a thesis. While this might help someone with a thesis, it does little for the average reader of Korean Buddhist history.

ASSIMILATION OF BUDDHISM IN KOREA is a good book for serious students of the history of Buddhism in East Asia. The strength of this book is its bibliographical depth and international representation. It is a series of separate essays, buttressed by numerous lists of ancient publications and mentor-student genealogies.

At the very least, this book puts Korea back in the pipeline from China to Korea to Japan. One article is written by a Japanese academician, and another concerns the unique character of Korean Son Buddhism.

The opening essay establishes an overview, the second highlights Wonhyo, the third identifies the Korean characteristics of Pure Land Buddhism, and the last introduces Son Buddhism. All are daunting, scholarly productions well translated from original Korean and Japanese sources. The biographical essay on Wonhyo is particularly welcome, and the last two essays are very readable.

The one theme which unites the four essays are a search for a unique Korean Buddhist character. Korean Buddhism's syncretic nature and balance of doctrine and practice are placed in historical perspective. However, this book is not for beginners of either Korean or Buddhist history.

Author presents the astronomy side of astro-archaelogy very well. Reader is advised to have firm understanding of solar and moon mechanics. The author gives considerable details regarding origin and cultural history of Stonehenge and other sarcens. Different historians are quoted throughout book and examined in context of present archaelogy. Debate still exists over ceremonial/religious usage of Stonehenge. Author presents past ideas of a Mycenaean influence, pre-Roman conquest, and Egyptian influence.

Very enjoyable overview of archaeo-astronomy. Brown neatly debunks the lunatic fringe, reveals some of the unsung heroes of the field, and provides a clear summary of current ideas for the lay person.

Beverly Lewis is one of my favorite writers, but this time, she failed to have enought story line to fill a whole book!

Sarah Cain, 28, is a successful real estate broker living in Portland, Oregon. She is financially well off, but suffers from an unresolved guilt from a past accident which killed a little girl. She is evading, and running from her chance of happiness with Bryan.

Sarah has long been partially estranged from her only sister, 34 yr. old Ivy. Therefore, when widowed Ivy dies unexpectedly, Sarah is shocked that her will names Sarah as guardian for the five orphaned minor children.

Ivy's family is Amish, living on a large farm in Lancaster County, PA. Heavily featured in this book is the oldest child, 16 yr. old Lydia. Disciplined, dutiful and sensitive, Lydia fills in as mother until Sarah can arrive. She is biding her time until she can marry Levi King.

Sarah's selfish independence and her love of wealth and its' trappings conflict with the simple, Amish lifestyle of her nephews and nieces. Therefore, she sets about to solve her uncomfortable new status quickly by flying to Lancaster for one week, during which time she is determined to find a nice Amish home for the children.

Obviously, Beverly Lewis has a future for this fractured family, and the ending is all too abrupt and predictable, not at all like her 3 book Shunning series. That, in particular is why I gave the book only 2 stars. The material is great and it was interesting, but there was not nearly enough to fill a complete book and I was disappointed with its' lack of depth.

I've read all of Beverly Lewis' books but the Sunroom, and have loved all of them. The Redemption of Sarah Cain, I read in little over a day. I thought it was really good. I liked how the character Sarah Cain was portrayed. How she was so in love with her life and her material things, it started to make me angry. =) Once I started to get towards the end of the book, I thought there was going to be a sequel, because I didn't feel it could have ended in so little of pages left. Well this was the disappointing part for me, within the last 15 pages of the book, everything was solved. I thought the entire book had a good pace but at the end it just went so quickly. I was glad it was a happy ending though. Please don't take me wrong it was a VERY good book and really worth reading. I look forward as always to reading the next book from her.

This was another great Beverly Lewis based on the life of the Amish. I am fascinated with the Amish. This story is about Sarah Cain whose widowed sister dies living behind 5 young children and requests Sarah as guardian to raise the children. Sarah and Ivy were not raised Amish but Ivy and her husband had joined the New-Order Amish. Sarah is a big city gal with a career and must choose between her familiar lifestyle and a much different life in Lancaster County. During this time she must work through many issues that have been troubling her for years. Reading this book is further insight into the Amish lifestyle and the children is this book are enjoyable and inspirational.

I found this book to be a disappointing read. The writing was simple and lacking descriptions that had depth. Half way through I just put the book down, which wasn't terrible far along, because there was a lot of dead white space between the large font type. I couldn't help but think this book was written by someone cashing in on their Amish ancestors, that they, in this case Louise Stoltzfus, doesn't understand. Good Books has some outstanding books available, I am not sure why they bothered to publish this one.

This slim volume of the lives and stories of Amish women is a pleasant work. It is a small collection of interviews and anecdotes of Amish women. The book is a simple, cleanly written work, giving the reader a taste of what life is like for Amish women. It is, however, just that: a taste. There is no depth to this book. It almost seems as if it were a work published by a vanity press operation. It is more like a book one would write and then have printed up in order to give it to friends and family. There is really not too much to it, and it has a certain affectation about it. It piques one's interest but does not satisfy an appetite. It is too bad, because the author herself was raised in an Amish household. Obviously, this gained her entree into this interesting, though narrow world. It is unfortunate that she was not more insightful in terms of her material.

I enjoyed this book. The stories were wonderful, and warmed my heart. It spoke of the good, and a little of the bad in being an Amish women and raising an Amish family. Although, I can only guess that it seemed a fair depiction, I am not Amish, so I cant say for sure. :o)) It seemed to be written on an easy level, so an adult could breeze through this book quickly. I have read better books on Amish Life, but this one is decent. And the stories will leave you with a good feeling.

What can I say? I wasn't impressed by this so-called "textbook." It doesn't seem matter-of-fact enough to be an actual textbook, yet isn't interesting enough to be considered a decent historical work. There is surprisingly little detail about the events here depicted.

I had to use this book for a class, but I found that I got about ten times more out of my instructor's lectures than this text. There really is very little to boast about here--it's basically just a mundane, watered-down history of England.

I hate to say it, but I was disappointed. I haven't studied much of English history, but even my limited knowledge was enough to know that this book is but a scratch on the surface. If you have to have this for a class, there's not much you can do, but if you're looking for a good history of England, keep looking.

The second in an informative and entertaining series on English history, this book is not a difficult read, even if it's required for class. An excellent overview of this time period for any student of English history- or the average reader. One of the few disappointments was the section in which Oliver Cromwell appeared. Absent was any mention of reasons why historians such as Maurice Ashley have labelled Cromwell as a "brave, bad man", or of the atrocities he instigated in Ireland. If your interest does not include the information on Cromwell, this is an excellent book, one I did not sell back after the semester was over!