The author sets a high bar and then glides over it.
In a word, one of the best books I've ever read.

If you are interested in any one of the four authors represented here (Day, Merton, O'Connor, Percy) you will find the context and comparisons that Elie makes extremely illuminating. It is a challenging task to interweave four biographies in a way that is interesting and mutually enriching. Elie does it. He writes well and his comparisons of these four along with other important influences are always clear and helpful. Very well done piece of work.

I stumbled upon an advance reader's copy of this work in a used bookshop--I had never heard of the book's author, an editor at FSG, but I was curious to find out how he would weave together the stories of his four subjects: Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, Flannery O'Connor, and Walker Percy. At first glance, they seemed to have little in common apart from their religion.

As Elie shows in this entertaining and informative book, these writers were all highly aware of each other, and would meet on their separate "pilgrimages" toward authentic spirituality in increasingly secular times. "The School of the Holy Ghost" (as this quartet was once called) was not a school at all, as the Imagists or the Beats were; however, Elie shows, they felt a profound kinship, and one of the most fascinating aspects of the book is Elie's depiction of how they reached out to each other, through fan letters, postcards, reviews, publishing each other's work, and not-always-successful meetings (Merton and Percy had little to say to one another as they sipped bourbon on the porch of Merton's hermitage in Kentucky.)

Above all, what brought these Catholic believers together was a love of literature, and Elie's book happily overflows with this same virtue. Whether discussing Day and Merton's dispute over Vietnam draft card burning, or the racism of O'Connor's letters, Elie writes elegant and opinionated prose. He shows how hard these people had to struggle to find a path for themselves, and how they came to see struggle as an inherent quality of faith. His readings of O'Connor and Percy's fiction are astute, and he productively contrasts Day's activism with Merton's withdrawal into solitude. Elie's use of letters--especially O'Connor's--brings out the voices of the principals, and at the end of the book, you feel that you know them personally. I would recommend this superb synthesis to anyone interested in the intersection of faith and literature.

The book uses good examples to illustrate points. Understandable for lay reader.

As George W. continues to nudge our nation closer and closer to war, perhaps it would be wise to recall the emotional turbulence of the Vietnam era. This book will take you there, chronicling the personal odyssey of a young Episcopalian priest serving as a campus minister. Written in journal form, journey with Father Tom as he deals with, and I quote: "Vietnam, civil rights, politics, student unrest, Kent State, urban warfare, problem pregnancies, therapy, intimacy, murder, sex, drugs." Need I say more?

To cite Meriwether Lewis as Editor of this and other volumes of this University of Nebraska Press edition, edited by Moulton, is an injustice to Moulton. Lewis' efforts never got beyond a pros- pectus. Further, to list Clark as merely a con- tributor, is unforgiveable.

Let Us Meet In Heaven is a compendium of letters written by James Michael Barr of the 5th South Carolina Cavalry, during the American Civil War. Editorial notes explaining place names and the like help make the letters instantly and immediately understandable to any reader; extensive familiarity with the battles of the Civil War is not needed to read and understand Barr's testimony. Let Us Meet in Heaven also includes an index makes for quick and easy reference. Let Us Meet In Heaven is a compelling, informative primary source and an invaluable contribution to Civil War studies reading lists and historical reference collections.

This is a comprehensive and authoritative regimental history, and really sets the standard for this genre. What I like most about it, since I research Canadians who served in the Civil War, was the detailed regimental roster that the authors compiled. Unfortunately, this book is out of print and may be difficult and/or costly to track down, but should you get your hands on a copy, you will not be disappointed.

Please note that, when I rate this 4 stars, it's in comparison to Hugo's other books, otherwise I would rate them all as five stars! Now, if you are a Hugo fan, almost ALL his books are a must-read. But if you've never read Hugo, I suggest you start with this one. It's shorter than Les Miserables and Notre-Dame, the digressions are easy to read and more relevant to the story. There aren't many historical or classical allusions and you don't need to know much about the time or setting of the story to appreciate the book.

The main character of The Toilers of the Sea is Gilliatt; a dreamy, pensive young man, who is generally unpopular in his neighborhood and lives in solitude. He makes his living as a fisherman and has a thing for birds. He's almost the split image of Marius (from Les Mis), if you replace the interest in politics with the interest in nature. He also is shy and withdrawn, is intimidated by women, and has a visionary, contemplative mind. Unfortunately, Gilliat falls in love with Deruchette; a shallow, silly girl, who is wholly underserving of him. This is one of the book's flaws. But the love story is typically Hugoesque, in which the object of Gilliatt's love is only the vague image of a woman and a voice over the garden wall. To win her hand in marriage, Gilliatt must go to rescue the steam engine of a wrecked ship from a forlorn, treacherous reef in the middle of the ocean.

This is what makes the book brilliant. Gilliatt, with hardly any resources, all alone, takes on a superhuman feat that would frighten the most valiant of men, against the ruthless forces of nature. This part is about 35% of the book, and alone makes the whole book worth reading. The solitude of the reef, the blind efforts of the sea and wind, the intrepidity and unshakable will of Gilliatt, makes the story transcend everything mortal. The sea takes on a life of it's own and Gilliatt will seem the only being on earth. This is all tied in with Hugo's fascinating insight on topics such as the mysteries of nature, the glory of perseverance, the deception of the sea, the wind, the night, God, and much more. Hugo's poetic language is captivating. There is also an interesting sub-plot, which adds some suspense, and gives Hugo more material to develop the main themes (think of the octopus and his lair). The ending is tragical and entirely unexpected. It's meant to be very moving, but sadly it isn't, greatly unlike his other books.

The themes and digressions are a real treat for a philosophical palette, but this book is more 'for everyone' than his other books. If you'd like to read Hugo but are a bit intimidated, you can start with this one. There are no lengthy chapters about the Paris sewers or the battle of Waterloo, and the topics are accessible and interesting to all. This is not Hugo at his best, but it's still timeless enough to live up to its author's celebrated name.

This visionary novel about a loner who rescues, singled-handedly, the engine of a wrecked steamship far out at sea, is the purest expression of the heroic in man that Hugo ever permitted himself to write. The battle for the steamship's engine takes up about half the book and contains some of the best writing in all of world literature. There's even a hand-to-hand fight with a giant octopus - a scene which, written by the same man who wrote _Notre-Dame de Paris_ ("The Hunchback of Notre Dame") thirty years earlier, is a fantastic masterpiece in itself. And don't even count the deep, detailed, and wonderful depiction of nature and of the Channel Islands. Or the tragic love story. Or Hugo's brilliant disquisitions on every topic he could think of.

This is a new translation by James Hogarth (if Amazon has put this review with the right book). The translation is much smoother and more natural than the Hapgood/Artois/et al. translation, which is being sold by Signet as the "mass market paperback edition." That old translation is OK - but you should get the Hogarth; it is worth the extra money to have this novel in 21st Century prose.

So buy this and savor it!

Hugo's story of one man's ultimate struggle with the sea illustrates the fantastic wonders, dangers, and joys of the ocean. From the mastermind and writer who borught us Les Miserables and Notre Dame de Paris, here he takes us out to the Channel Islands and to the forlorn reefs beyond in a story of a triumph of the will, and a sacrifice to fate. It is delightful that Hugo writes of the sea intimately- taking three pages to write of the wind alone, and getting into detail about certain sea-creatures and reef-formations. If the story seems to drag a bit at the beginning- stick with it, for the last 75% of the book is very engaging. Hugo needs to be landlocked at the beginning to set up the story and tie in a driving need of the main character to set out into the unknown. For those who are sailors, surfers, watermen, or people who just like the details of coastal areas, this book is fun to read. For those who like Hugo, here he will take you on quite a different journey away from Paris. The book ends with a moral twist. Did things have to end this way? Gilliat seems to relish in his dramatic ending. Fun, soulful sea-borne reading!

(...)I found the book to be superb! I was drawn back to my own high school days and recalled some of the students from that era. I then remembered my first 15 year reunion and the way some of the people had changed. A few were just as obnoxious as they had been in earlier years and some had become more sensitive to people's feelings. Coughlin was right on target. I enjoyed his dialogue, related to his characters, understood his scenes of intimacy, and felt for the individuals in the story as they faced the issues that challenged them. Once started, I could not put the book down, contrary to what the other reviewer stated. I also enjoyed reading the locations mentioned in the book. As a Mainer, I could visualize each place and put the characters in perspective. Having visited those areas years ago, it brought a feeling of nostalgia to me that I had not thought about in years. All in all, I found Maggie May's Diary to be a great read and I would recommend it highly to anyone who likes a romance novel with a wonderful biting twist.

Maggie May's Diary is a different romance than any other I've ever read in that the heroine is not very likeable until the end of the story, but Brian Kelly is the kind of guy female readers fall in love with! As a girl who kept a diary in high school, I identified with the diary entries -- surprising since written by a male author! The story unfolds really nicely though and these 2 main characters play off each other very well; there are parts of the book that made me laugh out loud. I especially liked the setting of the story since I vacation in Maine a lot. And the ending of the book left me with a smile on my face!!! All in all, a refreshing change from the usual romance formula.

Thomas Coughlin is a outstanding auther. Take the journey to Brian Kelley route 1 and Maggie May's diary and you will be lost in a world you won't want to end.The first chapters grab you and there is no putting the book down.You will feel like your there in lowell, maine and all the places this book will take you. Thanks Thomas and please write some more.

Young readers with short attention spans should shy away from this novel. It is a story of a love triangle set in the heaths of 19th century England. Each character has a well-developed psyche which comes out in their actions. Hardy shows the motivations that bring out the evil-appearing actions that humans do. The heath is a wonderful figure of this. Boring, ugly, and unsatisfying at times, and beautiful and artsy at others. The end, though really not a surprise comes suddenly. Younger readers should keep a dictionary at their sides while reading this. Even if one does not quite get what is happening, the language it is written in is very poetic.

Warning: This audio book is highly addictive!!!
Maybe you have to like Thomas Hardy before making your mind up to settling down to listen your way through all the 12 tapes. But you will learn to yearn for just another chapter of this, after the first tape. Another word to the yet undecided: the Return is not half as dismal as Jude the Obscure or Tess of the Durberville.
On top of the drama between six persons and the heath, which figures as another dramatis personae, there comes Mr. Rickman's superb reading. He gives every person not only his or her own characteristic voice. But his descriptions of the landscape make you see the scenery (apart from the introduction, the description of Mrs. Yeobright's garden on the day of her fatal excursion is compelling. He makes you feel the sweltering heat of that day). Just two highlights certainly are the dicing-game on the midnight heath (tape 6) as well as Clyms and Eustacias final dispute (tape 10). But the whole recording in itself is a highlight.
Just one technical afterthought: It would be sensible to edit it on CD. Tapes do not keep so well in the long run and I tremble that one day the tapes may give up.

Hardy's talent soars in this novel, as he creates an atmosphere of love, death and life on Egdon Heath. Hardy's characters come to life on the pages, and they carry incredible amounts of emotion, passion and romance in their words. My favorite character, Eustacia Vye is an romantic, evil, and twisted woman who is out to get only what she thinks she deserves. She'll ruin everything in her path to get the man and the wealth that she wants. My least favorite character, Thomasin Yeobright, is a meek and "perfect" character who is so naive that she finds herself in irreversible situations. Other characters that intermingle in the story include Diggory Venn, Clym Yeobright, and my favorite male character, Damon Wileve. All five aforementioned people change and mold eachother into adults as they love, help, hurt and harm eachother. A trail of destined events leads to the explosive ending, and allows the novel to come to an incredible close, where no character is left untouched. Return of the Native is now one of my favorite books! If you like romance, drama, and fantasy, then this book could be perfect for you. It starts off a little slow, but before too long, Hardy will have you enveloped in the lives of his characters, and you won't be able to put it down!

The book is very detailed about the progress of the campaign. But there is a very serious mistake in the last page. Brooks writes that the town of Torbole was destroyed in a house to house battle. This is absolutely wrong, I lived practically next door and can assure you that Torbole survived unscathed. This throws into doubt all the rest of the book. Also there is no record among the population that any American soldiers were killed in tunnel # 5. But while dinamiting the road a contingent of German troops (actually they were from Bolzano)was decimated by a premature explosion and were laid to rest in a side chamber in one of the tunnels; the entrance was then bricked up.

I read this book while I was living in Italy, so I found it even more interesting. The fall of Rome happened the same time the Invasion of Normandy did, and with the Battles in Western Europe raging on, this arena of combat has allways been overlooked. While few can name any key battles after the fall of Rome, the combat was as heroic and bloody as in any theater. Brooks does an amazing job of recanting this remarkable campaign. The level of detail is superb, and the book was very easy to read. The vast types of units that are described (US Mountain troops, Ethnic units, and varoius allies) makes the book even more enjoyable. This might be a tough book to find, however keep trying, it is well worth it.