This is Elizabeth Luard's first novel. An English writer who has either done a lot of research or has unusual knowledge of British history. This work is about the Daughter of The Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Obviously fiction, but with the past romances and knowledge of the Dukes Many mistresses and so on one has to wonder if there were some hidden children? The story well ploted and written is about this Fictitious Daughter, "Emerald." However the facts and background about the Duke and his Love, "The Duchess" is seemingly factual. This background highlights this novel and holds your interest to a point where it is difficult to put this book down. Definitely worth reading and one that will make you wonder and think long after it is over.

This book poses and ponders the question: What if the Duke of Windsor (the ex-Edward VIII) and Mrs. Simpson had an illegitimate child...what would her life have been like?
Emerald's story is beautifully told, engrossing, and on occasion heartwrenchingly sad. The plot has enthralling twists and turns and is refreshingly unpredicatable. There is a surprise lurking around every corner!
The characters evoke strong emotional reactions, a sure sign of the author's tremendous storytelling ability. A plethora of full-bodied, three-dimensional fictional creations and non-fictional characters inhabit this wonderful story, all possessing their own unique strengths and weaknessess. All had reasons for their actions and even the most disagreeable of characters was understandable.
The author's possession of a vast wealth of knowledge is apparent in her ability to write convincingly about topics ranging from the lives of the English aristocracy, to clandestine operations during the Second World War, to various facets of Mexican culture, high fashion in Paris, and the reproductive biology of insects!
This is a very impressive book and a truly incredible and entertaining read. Highly recommended!

I read this book a few months ago. I was intrigued by the premise---the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson have a child and they give it away. This is the story of a love that brought down a king.

Emerald is the unfortunate child. Although Wallis believes her dead (in a freak storm), Emerald lives her life trying to find out who she really is. She is manipulated by the adults around her, adn runs away to become a model in Paris. She is successful, but runs into Wallis Simpson--who is shocked that her daughter is alive. Although there is never a touching Mother-Daughter reunion, I got the feeling that maybe in the back of her mind Wallis loved Emerald.

That being said, I loved this book. The characters, although they were loosely based in reality, became clear to me. The Duke & Duchess are portrayed as whiny, self-indulgent people who can't see anything beyond their own wants, but of the two the Duke is marginally more tolerable than Wallis. I don't know how accurate the portrayals are, but you can tell the book was well researched.

This is a good read and is highly recommended.

This is excellent book for anyone who wants to learn French quickly. Although it's very basic, upon completion you should have a fairly good comprehension of French. The book is easy to understand and makes it simple for anyone to understand French, even if you have no prior knowledge to the language! At the end of the first week you'll be able recognize many basic words and it gets easier to understand as you go along. The only reason that I hesitate to give this five stars is because I think you're better off getting the version with the tape, that way you can improve your listening/speaking skills instead of just reading comprehension. But overall, vous parlerez francais parce que c'est livre est tres bon!

I have been learning french for around three years now and to be honest, i've hated every minute. I've been using this book for around four days now and learnt more than ever before. The truth was that I didn't want to learn how to talk about multi-coloured hamsters, I wanted to be able to go into a french conversation and be able to know what they were saying and be able to share my ideas. I'm going in for my french GCSE next year and although the book claims not to include grammar it provides the reader with varying speech perspectives allowing you to speak for yourself and for others eg. We are going now etc.

I would definately approve this book and as it comes with a tape to improve pronunciation along with on-tape tests also covered in the book, you could learn french while in the car, jogging etc. I have to say, since I read this book I am tempted to buy, Instant Japanese...

I studied this book in the beg of JAN 2000. I have finished this book and all i can say is,,,ITS very good to excellent! ...after the end of the first week , you would be able to speak french..i wouldnt say in six weeks ,,more or so, I would say about 8 weeks...i devoted at least 1 hour a day to this course..sometimes 2...i have no previous knowledge in french and this book taught me to speak french after only 6 weeks..i would devote at least another week to review some words that i tend to forget...This book is excellent for a beginners course book...I am now currently studying the TEACH YOURSELF FRENCH book and audio..i would recommend this instant french book for anyone willing to learn a new language w/o the boredom of grammars nouns and tenses..

Of the two books we have on the Japanese Chin, this was by far the most useful.

John Culleton
Wexford Irish Terriers

This book has everything on the Japanese Chin. It is the best book ever written on the breed for history in the East and the West, personality, care, nutrition, health problems and much more. It is not only for people who want to have a show dog but also for the petowners. In other words a complete and thorough book - a must for anyone interested in the Japanese Chin.

The Japanese Chin: Dog From The Land Of The Rising Sun by Elisabeth Legl is both a celebration of this unique breed of dog having its origins in ancient Japan, and a very practical guide for owners of a Chin on matters ranging from dealing with a sick or injured dog to housebreaking, training, breeding, and showing. Black-and-white photographs illustrate this superbly written manual which is enthusiastically recommended for Japanese Chin owners everywhere.

This book is an incredible conversation starter for a small group. While my group did not necessarily agree with everything Ms. DeMoss wrote, we did have great discussions following each chapter. Many of us had never thought about the issues she brought up. And even though several chapters deal with marriage and child-rearing, it is appropriate for single women as well. If this thought-provoking, Scripture-based book doesn't get you talking, I don't know what will!

How do we really gauge who we are, our importance, our value? Whose yardstick do we measure ourselves by? Why do we sin, when we know it is wrong, when we know what the consequences are? What happens when we have misguided ideas about the nature of God? This scripture-based book will gently guide you back to the truth. It brought me to my knees in recognition of how I can so easily sin when I truly believe. Nancy Leigh DeMoss writes, "When we are not honest with each other, we actually do Satan's work for him, acting as his agents, deceiving and destroying each other." She then gives suggestions for overcoming our selfish and sinful tendencies and growing in our love for God and others. DeMoss has written a powerful, thought-provoking book!

This new book by Nancy DeMoss is wonderful! I didn't realize that there were so many lies that we believe. This book will open your eyes to the many ways in which the enemy (Satan) manages to divert us from the Truth. Nancy shows you how to counter those lies with the Truth from God's Word -- and His Truth really does set you free! I highly recommend this book! Thank you Nancy!

Calling this book "The Little Web Cam Book" is a bit of a misnomer. The book is huge, totaling 356 pages including the index. It is crammed full of useful information, lists of webcam sites, and places where one can download everything you need except a camera.

This is a great book! Ms Parker's writing style makes it seem like she is right there with you, explaining each portion. More advanced users will know which parts to skip over, and most chapters stand on their own, so you don't have to read every word to make sense of later chapters.

This was good for me, since I was not the least bit interested in reading about the screen savers or how to make a photo my background. This part seemed to drag out, but that is from the viewpoint of an expert; if you have never done those things, you might need to spend the time reading about them. For that reason, the book spends quite a bit on the basics of these ideas. So if you still have the same background picture on your desktop that came with it, check out this portion of the book.

Other chapters cover tips for setting up the cam and choosing the best spots for broadcasting. If you want to start another "cat-cam" or other pet-related site, it is worth reading her tips on how to make it exciting for your viewers even when the animals don't feel like being photographed. There are also some other considerations you might want to read about before you invite anyone and everyone into your home or office through a live webcam.

Another section tells about how to use the still pictures you can capture with a cam to make GIF animations. This could be for fun, e-mail, or for your web page. The author also goes into creating and editing movies and how to insert GIF animations and movies into web pages. This could save you from tons of angry e-mail when your dog refuses to go near the webcam once it's live.

There is a chapter on troubleshooting problems and it seems to be rather complete. Just about every problem I can imagine occuring is listed here with possible solutions and resources.

I expected a list of other people who have webcam, but a nice feature I didn't expect was interviews with some of the pioneers and leaders in webcamming. This turned out to be quite a treat.

Supplementary information in the book about videoconferencing was great. I didn't expect to find it here either; the author could have written that separately and she and the publisher could have made a lot more money selling it as another book. They didn't, so I think a "hats off" is in order. Thanks!

One of the most popular Internet activities to make a splash on our screens recently has been that of "webcamming." Just about anyone can now set up a suitable camera, including a video camera, and publish nearly real-time audio and video clips online for a variety of purposes for profit, fun, and pleasure. Elisabeth Parker has written The Little Web Cam Book to give members of the online community some real insight into how they can make creative use of this latest Web craze.

Webcamming has really taken off during the last two years. Schools, businesses, companies, corporations, and news reporting services have gone online to provide a number of essential services such as news and weather reporting, online education, building security, Webcasting, Webconferencing, and the monitoring of children at home and in daycare facilities. Imagine if you will, being able to log on the Internet and check up on your kids at home or as they are being cared for by others from the comfort of your office! Other family members will be able to keep in touch hundreds or thousands of miles away! Hobbyists have also provided some thoughtful uses as well, such as wiring homes, offices, and other sites with cameras to provide all sorts of intriguing, but sometimes highly suspect video coverage!

Webcamming has certainly made an impact on our society and Elisabeth Parker will walk her readers through the steps necessary to give them the opportunity experience this exciting technology firsthand. She makes a number of solid recommendations for buying cameras, software, and services, helping her readers to make the better choices and help them save time and money in the process. Many of the programs she reviews in the book are available online for immediate trial use. Buying, installation, and detailed operating instructions are provided to get readers up and running in the shortest amount of time. I can hardly wait to join in the fun myself!

Parker's instruction, laced with humor, her own personal interest, and the illustrations of John Grimes makes this book fun, enjoyful, and easy to read. Plenty of creative ideas and resource information is provided - be sure to checkout the list of Webcam sites located at the back of the book! This book serves as an excellent introduction to webcamming and is must reading for anyone interested in learning about this innovative technology and how it can be put to exciting and productive use!

If you want to get going with videoconferencing over Internet, and millions of people will in the next couple of years, this is the book to start with.

This book has some really good information in it, but there is such a thing as "too much of a good thing" I found it almost boring with the redundant questions and answers. This book could have been half the pages and still good. Good read, but very repetitive.

This sensitive, essential information is required for all patients and families. The factual presentation of information will allow intelligent decisions to be made and thoughtful discussions with health care providers.

This book should be on the book shelf of every household. It presents difficult information in a way that focuses thinking and allows patient and family to make effective decisions about the end of life.

Having just completed a coast to coast bike trip and having done many tandem trips, this book for me was thoroughly enjoyable. We met Mrs. Young when she was no longer young - but still full of vitality. When she made the trip and wrote the book, she not only had incredible energy, but a zest for life and an appreciation for all she encountered that are hard to match. The unique style is marred only by a little of the racial attitudes of the time. But the book on the whole is difficult to put down and can inspire all who have not yet taken bicycle trips - on tandems or singles - to do so.

I enjoyed reading Bicycle Built for Two immensely. The format of the diary was well written, entertaining, and kept my attention. Now I'm purchasing it to give as gifts to my friends that ride in the bicycle ragbrai (bike ride across Iowa).

I was very impressed with this book. What surprised me was the way Dr. Dancey talked about releasing fat from the lower body while maintaining the upper body proportions, specifically your bra size! All too often women who lose weight lose it in their bust and then very gradually over the lower part of their body. She recommends a sound diet, food combining, exercise program and cellulite creams, aromotherapy, etc.

Admittedly this book took me three months to finish reading, the reason being that it is packed full of detailed, very well researched information about cellulite and its physical context. After reading this you will not only know the causes and remedies of cellulite - you will also have a vastly increased understanding about nutrition, blood circulation, hormonal balance, etc. Dancey is thorough but writes simply, frankly and encouragingly without becoming condescending. I can't imagine a better book about this subject.

I took a chance on this book but I did not enjoy it. I feel that it is much more suitable for juveniles than grown adults. Some of the descriptions are nice but if you are looking to understand horses, the horse's mind, and your own life's path, there are many, many other books around better suited to the purpose.

This book is a breath of fresh air! It is a flowing tale of friends and soulmates. Living Your Dream makes you take a step back and look at your own situation through its kaleidoscope of knowledge. Your mind will wind through fact and fiction, finally weaving the two into a blanket of serenity. A must read!

Living Your Dream is a book with something most unusual: a combination of practical information about a delightful animal (the Icelandic horse)with storytelling sequences as inventive as any myth or legend. The reader who both practices animal husbandry and enjoys a touch of the magical (we are not all that rare, by the way) will enjoy double-dipping. The many illustrations make it clear how well-adapted these horses are biologically as well as how inspirational they must be upon acquaintance.

Living Your Dream is written in a consummately modern spirit. In the age of hypertext (the kind of point-and-click-on-what-you-want-to-see-now programming upon which the WWW is based), this book fits right in. The reader can segue between realistic stories of actual horse treks or ranching and story sequences highlighting the spiritual aspects of the Horse archetype in creation mythology. Or, the reader can sample a bit of each but mainly go crazy over all the photographs. Or read the creation story straight through, and then the narrative about the modern-day Icelandic Horse. Etc. In other words, this is a book laid out so you can custom read it, a book in which people/families with different or overlapping interests and reading styles can easily find something to share.

The attribution of authorship to one of these remarkable horses, Gletta, may be viewed in a number of ways. This reviewer is simply impressed by the nature of the bond that is possible between the Icelandic horse and the human, as experienced and chronicled by Gletta and Elisabeth Haug. Living Your Dream is truly an uplifting book. We need more uplifting books at this point in human history. Well done, Gletta and Elisabeth. -- Meredith J. Merritt, MLS

The book was not the best textbook.....there is no study guide

This is one of the best book on global history, you can find every religion from east to west, north to south. You can read about all empires and kings, you can know all cultures and traditions. There is no other book which have reviewed and presented true picture of three major religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

My daughter have to carry tree of these size books. Her school bag is 18 lbs. Why not divide all of these schoolbooks on two parts and make our kids happy. I believe school (elementary, middle and high) is not military training base.

Gregory Yamin