I found this book extremely amusing... A different drug for every letter, and a really nice illustration for each drug. I don't necessarily agree with all the comments made, but I would still recommend this to any light-hearted legalization activist.

This clearly isn't a book for light hearted drug legalization activists. It's neither pro nor con, but does seem to offer a darker look at the effects of drug use. This book is just pure fun, with phenomenal illustrations from Steven Cerio.

a time of war is written in the eloquent style of katherines other deverry novels. following the bloodline of rhodry maelwaaed and jill cullyn of ceermoors daughter. if you liked the others in this series you will undoubtedly like this one. make sure you've started this series with the first book darkspell however.

A Time of War: Days of Blood and Fire is another of Katherine Kerr's wonderful novels of Deverry and the Westlands. It is a classic celtic fantasy, full of reincarnation, dweomer (magic), and more. Jahdo, a ratcatcher's son from north of Deverry, volunteers to travel with Meer, an eyeless bard of the people known as the Horsekin. Jahdo's decision pulls him into a web of dweomer and war, preventing him from returning to his parents. This book has all of our favorite characters from Katherine Kerr's other books, like Jill, Rhodry, and Dallandra. I would reccomend it to fans of Katherind Kerr, but make sure you read the earlier books in this series first!

This book is just like Katharine Hepburn herself. Uniquely funny, unconventional, different and beautiful. I found the last three chapters to be especially the one simply titled 'Love', about her unique relationship with Spencer Tracy. Any fan of Hepburn, or of Hollywood's golden era must read this book. It was amazing.

I adored this book to no end and have read it about six times - I also own it. The reason that it seems so disconnected is because Kath is telling it just as she would speak it - it is not in true novel form, and as a writer myself, I think it holds up better this way. If you truly appreciate the grandeur of Katharine Houghton Hepburn, then you will love this book, for it sounds as if Kath was right there in the room, talking to you. So, for all of those who gave it a bad rap, I feel this was very ignorant on your part. Read this book!

Katherine Hepburn is a charming and delightful woman. This book reflects on the events, people, and places that have shaped her life. She is an original person who opened up her heart to write this book. She repeatedly describes her success. Katherine Hepburn also provided us with wondeful pictures of her whole life. It surprised me that she could remember everything that happened throughout her life. If any of you haven't read this book, I am recommending it to you because she is very talented and entertaining.

This book caught my interest, despite the author's uneven and at times weak writing skills. Kerr has created a wonderful celtic world and culture in Deverrey, with strong if unfully realized characters, and certainly has a story to tell. I simply wish she had taken more time to flesh out her plot and characters. Also, the transitions between time periods that occur are more often awkward than smoothly segued. Nonetheless, there is enough here that is original and captivating that I will continue on with the second book of the series. Furthermore, the author appeared to be reaching her stride by the second half of the work, offering hope that the sketchy storyline and sparse detail that detracts at the start will resolve itself into fuller expression as the tale continues. It's definately worth a read, and I suspect will improve with the telling.

Finally, I must say that many of the reviews I find herein, both for this work as well as others, seem to ignore any proportioned approach or critical evaluation, burdened by an emotional bias that refutes credibility. It beggars belief that every book written deserves either 5 stars or an opposing trashing. It would be nice to see a bit more balance in these reviews, as well as evidence of thoughtful and comparative approach.

For one full year, I had red the complete Raymond Feist series (Midkemia stories). After it was finished, I was still in need of magic and heroic fantasy. Then, I've discovered Katharine Kerr and her celtic inspired stories, about elves and wizard. I have been very pleased to read these stories, very well written, but sometimes difficult to follow with all those flashback all along the book. But, nevertheless, I'm falling in love with this Deverry serie. For those who love reading about magic and elves, I recommend warmly this book.

Medieval times have always intrigued me. This book was an incredible illustrator of how the times were. Some parts were very graphic and they make you believe that the book may of actually taken place, once long, long ago. Daggerspell has a little bit of everything. Katherine Kerr left out no detail ever so small about gore, romance, the beautiful scenery and any other thing. But a word to the wise: this book did take place around the middle-English period, and some of it can be hard to read, but it is easy to figure out if you think about it for a second or two. But if you cannot understand most of it I would strongly recommend not reading it at all. I say this because at the end of the book I could not stand to not read the second book in the series. Yes it was that good.

I'm a little confused as to why this book is being called "Book One of the Dragon Mage," as though Kerr has begun a new series. The story takes up right where the last book, "Days of Air and Darkness," left off. In addition, Kerr spends much of the book returning to an earlier thread of her story that was left unfully told several volumes back. This book therefore seems a direct descendent to her first eight. But why quibble?: This is a worthy successor to her earlier work.

As mentioned above, I was pleased to find her finally completing her tale of the Civil Wars, begun so many books back and left dangling for so long. I had begun to despair ever finding out in full about the conquest of Deverry by the High King and his supporters, so many of whom have played successive roles as Kerr's series unfolds. And, I gather, this part of her story is not yet fully over. In a similar vein, I was also heartened by hints that Ebany will once again be appearing, after being rather unceremoniously dumped back in "A Time of Omens." A complete jettisoning of these plot and character elements would have done much to diminish my opinion of this series. As I have thus far enjoyed it greatly, I was pleased that my faith in Kerr's writing had been rewarded.

Much more episodic than the current and, apparently, more popular works by Martin and Jordan, this work is nonetheless their equal, and deserving of more attention. While I believe this series overall is deserving of five stars, I gave this particular entry four, as I found Part 3 somewhat weaker in plot than the rest of the book. I realize this may be due to demands placed upon the author for setting up the next book, but nonetheless found this chapter unbalancing to the book's overall structure. This doesn't, however, lessen my anticipation for the publication of the next book. And for those fans already missing the passing of Jill and Nevyn, I suspect Jill in other guise is already back, and Kerr has indicated that Nevyn will shortly follow; Take heart!

If you're into Celtic history and mythology, read this! It puts Celtic beliefs into a fascinating story and is easy to follow - you don't have to have read all the previous books. (If there are any who follow the Wiccan Way reading this, I'm sure you'll find the whole series interesting.) For the best understanding, start from scratch; the first to read is DAGGERSPELL. The Red Wyvern is a wonderful tale, winding it's path amongst intrigue, honour, malevolence and pure fantasy. Please read this book, I swear you'll enjoy it!

One of the best things I've ever done was to buy Daggerspell several years ago. Since then, I've sweated blood trying to put together the rest of the series, and finally I've succeeded - until the Black Raven comes out, that is. I also agree completely with the fact that this series is deserving of more attention compared to Jordan, Goodkind, etc.

For those of you who are waiting for the Black Raven with bated breath, I would suggest visiting www.voyager-books.com - where, oh joy, the first chapter is online to read. For people interested in the Deverry series in general, Katharine Kerr has a website that you can link to off of tor.com. And as to what is coming after the Black Raven, there will be either 2 or 3 more books - I've got conflicting information on that.

Supposedly, at the end of this series, things will all link up into one big Celtic knot, and we will finally see the whole story line. Also, all the characters are supposed to come back in the end for a grand finale. Personally, I can't wait till this happens - and I have plenty of speculations about WHAT will happen. Is Jill Rhodry's daughter in this incarnation? Will Haen Marn ever get back to Deverry? Will Nevyn be incarnated as Domnall Breich's son? Will Evandar and his people all be born into the world of men? Will I ever quit asking all these questions? No. Well, I have one final question, which is certainly one that EVERYONE will want to know. WILL THIS SERIES HAVE A HAPPY ENDING?!?

Although not in the class of Jane Austen, the earlier writings of Fanny Burney contributed a great deal to the evolution of the novel. No mere romance, Fanny Burney's Evelina gives us a surprisingly modern heroine--modern both in her proto-feminist awareness of the world and in her "mixed" character. Evelina is not a paragon, and Burney's writings are neither mere pleasant fantasies of romance, nor cumbersome stories of impossible virtue. Like Richardson, Fanny Burnery was creating something very new in the 18th century: a psychological novel. Unlike Richardson (whose best-loved novel, Clarissa, has been described--by fans of his, mind you!--as "That long, still book.") Fanny Burney's books withstand the time travel down to our day. Evelina is--thus far, at least!--my favorite of her books.

As part of a group read, I picked up a week late"Evelina" from my local library. I wasn't quite sure whatto expect - certainly this would be no Tom Jones, but it wouldn't be Austen either - however what I found was a pleasant epistolary jaunt through a young girl's first season out. A jaunt, which, although begun a week late was quickly finished two weeks early! Customary to 18th century novels, Evelina's history is somewhat romantic, both her guardian and the hero impossibly good (a refreshing novelty, if a little sappy in places. They were apparently active members in the Mutual Admiration Society), and the secondary characters ridiculously vulgar. As Burney's first novel, the work shows some awkwardness in construction, but is otherwise excellent. Readers of modern romances may find the heros a bit formal, and fans of Jane Austen may find the epistlotary form unbelievable, but both they and lovers of historical fiction would do well to invest in this book, which provides an excellent glance into the end of an era, and one charming heroine's attempt to muddle through it. END

The mention of Ms. Burney in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey is what originally drew me to this book and it has, without a doubt, become a personal favorite.

Evelina is our heroine, sent to town by her guardian to enter society. Her guardian, who raised her after her mother faced an unfortunate early demise, is a country parson. Evelina's father, of noble blood, is guilty of denying his legal marriage to her mother and essentially putting her out on the streets, and has refused to acknowledge or support Evelina through the years. She has now grown to a great beauty and has been raised with a very innocent and gentle disposition.

When thrown into the midst of a worldly London society, she faces one embarrassing circumstance after another. Surrounded by nothing less than idiots, she is faced with many situations which require wisdom and guts. Not unlike Bridget Jones's Diary, Evelina's story is told through letters, which may make this period novel easier to read for some, but may also at times be confusing if you forget who is writing to whom. This letter format can also seem unrealistic at moments but is forgiven as easily as we forgive some of the unrealistic format of "Bridget Jones". Another note, there are so many passes in this book that singletons could almost use it as a field guide to the world of men.

There are some twists throughout to keep your mind turning and your heart flying and sinking. At times, this lighthearted novel is incredibly moving (i.e. Evelina's reunion with her father)and of course, the ending is sweet and satisfying.

Overall, Jane Austen's inspiration is a marvelous, lovely, and surprisingly modern read.

This is a story about a life of a rich and privileged lady. It's a kind of life that few can relate to. Not only Ms. Graham routinely got invited to the White House functions but also the incumbent presidents of not your company but the United States of America dropped by every now and then for dinner at her mansion. Can you imagine JFK and Jacquie sitting at your dining table at home?

The memoir takes readers through how she endured and fought against life threatening pressure from the Nixon administration to sustain her media's freedom to report during the days of Pentagon Papers and Watergate. Without her "state of the art" support as publisher, as The Washington Post's former executive editor Ben Bradlee put it, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward would not have been able to continue their state of the art investigative reporting. She sure surrounded herself with a lot of powerful and experienced friends whom she constantly sought advice to get over all those challenges she faced. Nontheless, considering her upbringing, I still don't understand exactly what made her so strong as a person.

To me, the book started out boring with her rich and privileged childhood, followed by her harsh and broken marriage, then the real reading pleasure and excitement started when and after she took over The Washington Post. I found her description on some of the heavy weights, such as Peter G. Peterson, Commerce Secretary under Nixon Administration, and Henry Kissinger, unique and interesting. But what surprised me most was how much (a lot) she set aside to describe her relationship, though nothing romantic, with a billionaire investor Warren Buffet. I learned so much about the second richest man in America as a person in her memoir.

In many ways, this memoir is complete with Ben Bradlee's "A Good Life" which is more concise and better edited.

A treasure for people who make a hobby out of media stories, as I do, _Personal History_ is as much about the Post as it is about Graham herself. But as I think Graham is saying in the book, everything personal in her life was somehow linked to the paper-- either through her own efforts at its helm or as the wife and daughter of the men who were leading it.

I've read a lot of the criticism of this book-- and I know enough about media history to know that at least some of it is fair. At least in the sense that it's accurate. Graham doesn't come out wearing a hair shirt about the real media relationship to people in power. She also has a slightly nervous tone-- the sound of someone who isn't very sure her accomplishments are going to be achieved. But in the end I found that even valid criticisms didn't really interfere with my reading of the book. In the end I was moved by it, and felt honored that Graham was so willing to put herself out there to be observed and judged.

In some respects it's difficult to argue that Graham had a difficult life-- she was born to such enormous privilege that she had resources to deal with tragedy that most people can never command. (You hear her refer to her family's 'summer home', but what the means remains opaque until you see the picture!). Even still, Graham is human. To be constantly in the shadow of the people in your life, to see yourself as helpmeet and not a full person, to emerge from that shadow and assert that you have a place in your own right-- that's certainly something that speaks to everyone, regardless of who they are.

What I find extraordinary is how revealing the book is about her insecurities. This is a very personal autobiography, and Graham lets you see her weaknesses in a way that I think most public figures would not allow. I don't agree with many of the positions Graham takes, and certainly she and I are light years apart in almost every aspect of background and experience, but I felt lucky that I was able to read this book. And I was also glad that she wrote it.

A book to read, and to give away as a gift.

I read this book's first chapter on the internet, and knew I had to buy it. I was captivated by the analysis and detail in the early chapters, specifically targeted at her parents, their relationship, and the impact they had on her and her siblings. Details are gradually drawn away from family and, after Phil Graham's death, is focused almost entirely on her career at the Post. But the new focus her life takes is nothing short of inspirational, and her recollection (and application)of detail provides us with an absorbing panorama of faces and places. Having known little about the newspaper industry prior to this book, I am eager to know more, and put Ms. Graham's tremendous accomplishments in a more informed perspective. Despite her insecurities, fears and worries (which were difficult to read--even to believe--at times) they are obviously a part of her personality, and by revealing them she made her story more compelling. I felt that, if her point was to write a manual for success, she could have done so. But how much she would have deprived us of! The only serious deficiency I found was that I thought, with the great deal of commentary at the beginning of the book concerning how she and her siblings were raised--with particular emphasis on her mother's influence--that she would have included more on what the effects of her own role as a mother were. But, this omission seems to have been a conscious one on her part. This was my nightly reading for quite some time, and I feel a little sad that I no longer have it to look forward to! Though I was certainly glad when the interminably long segment on the pressmen's strike was over, as important as the incident was...

Kerr is the first Celtic fantasy author I've read, and I find her books very compelling. Darkspell is quicker moving than Daggerspell, but still has the same flavor.

In this book, the influence of Dweomer is much more pronounced--however, she manages to make it believable.

After reading Daggerspell, I thought Kerr was a good writer but wasn't really sure her story could really merit more than one book. However, Darkspell got me thoroughly hooked. It seems as though she really has two plots that intertwine: the time-spanning reincarnations and the present dweomer war, and this book introduces the reader to the intricacies of each and the relationship between the two. I enjoyed the plot developments and further explanations of the type of magic she has created. I also loved the ending because it resolved enough for me to feel satisfied, but left enough hanging issues to keep me reading. I wouldn't recommend making a decision about the series until you've read this book.

This book is just the beginning. It is one of the best books I have read as far as style and content go. But it seems that the people who are not satisfied only look at this book. In my opinion the first three books, Daggerspell, Darkspell, and The Bristling Wood, are just setting the stage for what is to come. She did an excellent job of keeping the plot moving while keeping you interested. Also the way the characters souls are all intertwined and locked with each other puts an interesting spin to things. It is almost like watching a child growing and never knowing what to expect next. Overall I feel that the world she has created starting with Daggerspell will be a part of me forever.

BORING. I could not get into this book for the life of me. I read through chapter 2 and quit reading......

What do art historians and radical Irish political groups have in common? In this book, a (fictional) Vermeer painting owned by the Queen of England. Patricia Dolan, bereft Irish-American reference librarian at the Frick, falls hard for her Irish cousin and within weeks finds herself ensconced in a remote cottage in Ireland with one of the objects of her desire--the tiny "kidnapped" Vermeer painting that is being held for ransom. Patricia tells us her story in retrospect in the form of a plain-spoken journal and simultaneously reveals her interconnected, immediate musings on loss, love, art history, philosophy (Walter Benjamin in particular), national identity, politics and geneaology. To her credit, Weber clearly and cleverly conveys her complex tale in this slim and compelling novel that manages to be, like a Vermeer painting, both understated and profound.

Historical art expert Patricia Dolan has never fully recovered from the death of her daughter that subsequently led to her divorce. She throws herself fully into her work at New York's Frick Art Reference Library to forget her inner pain.

Her distant cousin, Michael O'Driscoll comes to New York to obtain her help. Soon, the duo becomes lovers. She leaves America to live in a cottage in a remote part of Ireland. As the long winter sets in, Patricia has only a stolen painting by Vermeer, THE MUSIC LESSON, as company. As she keeps a diary, Patricia soon begins to transform herself, guided by the painting that is her sole companion. She now knows that she must choose between the beauty of art and the mundane pragmatic world of politics where love is not part of the equation.

THE MUSIC LESSON is a clever, but strange psychological thriller that will elate sub-genre fans. The novel is mostly told through Patricia's diary, but that device does not slow down the tale for even a nanosecond. The story line is crisp though readers will question the naive motivations of Patricia even in her numb state. However, what makes this novel a winner is the characters, especially Patricia and the person in the painting. As with OBJECTS IN MIRRORS ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR, Katherine Weber scribes a taut thrilling tale of self awareness.

Harriet Klausner 3/17/99

I agree that Katharine Weber is a talented writer, however the book as a whole was uneven and by the end, uninspired. The photography imagery was overused often failed to conjure the picture [pitcher] or mood Weber seemed to be reaching for. The journal portion of the book was stunning; the third-person traditional narratives less so. In an attempt to create a novel as told through snapshots, Weber left me feeling unengaged and disinterested. Although I loved her word play and Harriet's voice in the beginning, I felt the novel ran out of steam and became much more pedestrian by its conclusion.

The purpose of a book review is to discuss one's thoughts of story, technique, style. Katharine Weber exhibits tremendous talent for all of these. What a review should NOT do is act as an attack on an author. Despite someone's attempt to cloak opinions in a negative "review", any serious reader will recognize this as nothing more than a vendetta against a talented writer.

Ms. Weber's book has the convention of a young woman trying to come to terms with a new love, long-buried family secrets, and witnessing a dear friend's involvement in an unhealthy relationship. But she gives the conventions a twist that are very surprising, and the result is wholly satisfying. Nice work, and I look forward to reading more from Ms. Weber.