I can't beat that other review from Taipei - read the book

Why do I return to 'Riceyman Steps' every six years or so? Who can resist it? Arnold Bennett has created a fascinating world, one that we as readers are privileged to enter. The basic story and characters grab you immediately; you NEED to know what will happen, you want desperately for it all to turn out well. Bennett understands how fragile we all are, and yet how our passions can drive us. His understanding of the human heart is as perfect as 'Riceyman Steps. Don't miss this one!

This is one of my favorite Bennett novels and one of the more idiosyncratic. If you ever wanted to experience the claustrophobic world of a true miser, and learn what it is like to live with one, this is your book. And it's vintage Bennett.

What started out as a worthy effort by a small press to collect hard-to-find stories by one of the great American writers of this century results in bitter lawsuits, huge costs, a lesser book, and an unfortunate lesson in the realities of publishing today. Hooray for those intrepid souls like the Millers who toil in literary vineyards for the love of the art more than financial gain.

In 1987 an agent for Academy Chicago Publishers suggested it publish the Uncollected Stories of John Cheever. When his widow signed the agreement, it looked like a coup for this small publisher. But when the number of stories greatly exceeded what Mrs. Cheever expected, she and her children tried to call off the deal. A legal battle quickly began in Chicago and New York courts. Anita Miller does a superb job of recounting the behind the scenes legal wrangling and disastrous courtroom scenes, at the same time providing many insights into the publishing industry. A must read for fans of lawsuit accounts like Civil Action, and for those interested in publishing and publishing law.

This book is great, has many easy recipies with ingredients you have at your home. A+++

I am the author of a half-dozen books on American women, and THE FAIR WOMEN is one of the sources to which I return again and again. Jeanne Weimann did an absolutely masterful job, and the photos are incredible. It provides a terrific overview of the status of women in many places at the turn of the century, and it's full of bios of barely-known women. I would not sell my copy for any price.
Doris Weatherford
Executive Editor, WOMEN'S ALMANAC

This is very unconventional business book. This is a story about Anita Roddick and her leadership role at cosmetic company called The Body Shop. Anita Roddick exposes the common myths about management. She illustrates perfectly that to be successful we need the only tool - a vision. When her first The Body Shop opened in 1976 in Littlehampton, England, this hippie woman borrowed money for a beginning of her business. She wants her stores to be clean, exciting, and the people who work there to be passionate about their work. And now she do not like to hire anybody from Harvard Business School, but her The Body Shop today is comparable with Revlon or Este Lauder, her unachievable rivals.

I loved it.

Anita Roddick exposes the myths about mangement. She illustrates pefectly that to be successful we need a vision. Her vision was simple. Employ people who care, employ people who are proud, employ people who will question, employ people who will rattle the cage from within. She perfectly illustrates, in her story about borrowing money, how fickle the typical bank manager was in the 1970's - how we would like to think things have changed.

She is also a realist - she pulls no punches she says.... "Im in this for me!" - yes sure she has an ego to satisfy .... dont we all? - her great quality is that she admits it. Most people do not have the honesty to say it.

I just love how she roots her beleifs about business success in common sense ...... like welcoming new ideas and original thought, trusting your staff and listening to your customers - and then change things.

She also has values that are explicit and wants people who work with her to! also work from a values base

Thank you Anita for a wonderful read - here's to the next edition!!

Interesting to note how few reviews there are of this book. The Body Shop does not kiss the ring of greed and avarice, but shows how holding true liberal priciples of social justice, economic growth through trade, local effort, AND profit go together. Given the lack of female role models in the business world, I would have Body and Soul as a part of any business curriculum. In fact, I am going to do that in my own company's internal training work.

My book group chose this book by the interesting description here and review. The idea of a spinster leaving her family to become a witch intrigued us all, but we were disappointed in the book. We found the character not very interesting, and the lack of action calmed us all into slumber while trying to read it. It wasn't a terrible book, it had some interesting things to say, but we could not understand all the immensely positive reviews here.

These new little NYRB editions are just honeys--I have yet to read one that wasn't absolutely spectacular (the editors have superb taste), and the editions themselves are little gems--they FEEL so nice in your hands because they're made of gorgeous high quality paper and set in a lovely font.

Warner's novel is fantastic--its rhythms are slow but musical, and it takes quite a while to determine what awaits Laura in Great Mop. A very, very funny book that also comments movingly on the condition of "odd women" in the generation before Suffrage... I couldn't put this down!

Lolly Willowes is the spirited story of a woman searching for herself. The themes in this book are as applicable now as they were when it was written. Thank you to Academy Chicago for bringing us this beautiful edition with an insightful introduction (they also use the original cover art).

The first time I read this book I hated it; someone had given it to me to write a review and I couldn't say anything good, so I didn't write one. The second time I read it was after reviewing all of Gibbon's Decline and Fall..still caught up in the mood of how horribly we Christians became just as jaded-persecutory as those who had persecuted us. So, thus caught up, I noticed that what REALLY got to everyone in Rome was kinda like what happened to the Laodiceans -- been there, done that, what's the new pleasure now.

Haasse captures it perfectly. I couldn't put the book down, couldn't sleep. History books, even eloquent ones like Gibbon and Mommsen, can't give you the LIVING flavor of the time. But that's Haasse's specialty, I just learned. Enjoy! Oh -- and don't ask me to give you my free copy of her book (from years ago). I will take it to my grave!

The ONLY reason I didn't give it 5 Stars is that I wanted the novel to be longer. But, given it's about Rome, like with Greek plays the action has to take place over a day (or two). Alas...

This was my first enconter with Hella Hasse. The psicological development of the personages and plot, made this book exiting to me. The texture of the story and the development of the characters, in their relationship to the central figure is well done and mantains the readers attention and exitement. Although, this is a historical period which I've enjoyed encountering in my reading, this is the first time that I look at it as a personal experience. The tensions brought about by Chritianity becoming the official religion of the Roman empire are well put forward and are given a reality not found in my other readings on the subject. Now my problem, is to find the time to read all her historical novels. A very enjoyable experince for a historical novel reader like me, who also devotes time to reading history.

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.

If you are interested in learning about the realities of the French court in the Middle Ages, this book is for you. Haasse does an excellent job at writing about life in the Middle Ages. It is obvious that the research involved great detail. Your lesson about the Middle Ages involves its key players. Just a few of the chacters include the French king Charles VI, the Duke of Orleans and the Duke of Burgundy, as well as members of their families. If that is not enough for you, there is also the English kings Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V. Most histories are very dry reading, that is why this work of historical fiction is so important to read. You learn about the Middle Ages in the most fascinating way while reading the words from Haasse's hand

IN A DARK WOOD WANDERING by Hella Haase is one of the most profound books I have ever read. My 85-year old aunt, a retired school teacher, lives in an apartment complex in Sheboygan Wisconsin along with other seniors, many of them also retired teachers. One of her best friends, a retired French teacher named Marie recommended IN A DARK WOOD WANDERING.

IN A DARK WOOD WANDERING is the story of Charles, Duke of Orleans, grandson of a king, nephew of a king, cousin of the French dauphine saved by Joan of Arc, and father of the man who followed Louis the Spider king to the throne. Most importantly, Charles, Duke of Orleans was a great French poet of the Middle Ages. Some think he is comparable to Dante in Italy or Chaucer in England.

It's easy to become tangled in Louises and Charleses, but here goes: Charles (our hero) had a father, Louis, Duke of Orleans, who was the brother of Charles VI--one of the kings of France during the 100 Years War between England and France. Charles VI was the French king who was bested by Henry V the English king at the battle of Agincourt. When we see Shakespeare's play 'Henry the V' we see the English version of events at Agincourt. Few of us think about the dreadful day from the perspective of the French who saw many of their finest young men killed or captured.

Charles, Duke of Orleans, was captured at Agincourt. Owing to the politics at home (the sympathy of the House of Orleans for the young Dauphin--Charles VI's son), the Duke of Orleans was not ransomed by the Duke of Burgundy, as was the custom in those days, but allowed to languish as a prisoner in England for most of his adult life. Charles younger half-brother continued the Orleans struggle on behalf of the dauphine who would become Charles VII in 1427.

In 1422, when Charles VI died, his young son was prevented from assuming the throne by the Duke of Burgundy. About this time, a young woman had a vision that instructed her to leave her small village and travel to Orleans and help the Dauphin. She persuaded the House of Orleans she could help their cause. Joan the Maid of Orleans bested the English and the Duke of Burgundy, and suceeded in taking the Dauphin to Paris where he was crowned Charles VII. Later, Joan was captured by the English and burned as a witch by the Duke of Burgundy.

While he was a prisoner in England, from 1415 to 1450, Charles, Duke of Orleans was aware of the events back home in France and his family's continued struggles with the Duke of Burgundy. He knew of the association of Jeanne d'Arc and the House of Orleans. As a manifestation of his appreciation of this connection and his growing spirituality, Charles, Duke of Orleans produced some of the most beautiful poetry ever written in French.

In addition to the story of Charles, Duke of Orleans' life, IN A DARK WOOD WANDERING contains excerpts of his beautiful poetry (in French and English). The title of this book refers to the topic of his poetry, the long journey of the soul which until it is united with the object of it's love is lost, in a dark wood, and wandering.

I believe I am an average person with average intelligence...I don't usually choose books that are so difficult and challenging as this one but I am very happy that I did and that I stuck with it. I read the reviews here before starting and am thankful for the advice to "hang in there" through the first 50-100 pages; definitely the most difficult part of the book. After that I was hooked!

The storytelling here is wonderful and spellbinding! I found myself within the pages and deeply involved within the characters lives. After finishing the book I wanted to learn more and actually researched online some of the main characters (since so much of the book is based on fact).

Definitely give this story a chance, give your brain a challenge and keep a dictionary nearby if need be, but do it. I believe you won't regret it!

I had high hopes for this novel when I began it. I am an avowed fan of good historical fiction (Dorothy Dunnett, for example), and a novel about the Borgias seemed promising. The promise doesn't play out in this particular book. The mystery of the main character's parentage is never really resolved. The background of the Borgias is murkily drawn. There are some good things -- the writing about the courtesan Tullia is fascinating -- but overall the experience is one of anticipation for something that never arrives.

It was a puzzled book but fun because i got to read about other histriola peple