Signs of Arrival is a luminous book, with poems about fatherhood, travel and nature that are precisely stated. The poems glitter, unpretensiously, but I thought Harrison's more nature-focused The Singing Underneath was better. Signs of Arrival is a more narrative/anecdotal book, and Harrison, it seems to me, excells at the short lyric. There is plenty of that here. Signs is still one of the best books of poetry published in the last five years, but The Singing Underneath is a classic and should be reprinted. It is one of those kinds of books I only knew I'd been looking for once I found it.

Speaking from the perspective of someone who was one of Mr. Harrison's students at Andover, I have spent a good deal of time reading his work, and have critiqued it frequently. His books, and this book in particular, are incredible, both in their imagery and their personal connection to the reader. I laud both his work as a poet, and I think that through his poetry you get to see what a genuinely incredible individual he is. It is not very often that you read poetry and feel afterward that you like not only like the poetry but the POET. This happens with Mr. Harrison's books.

This book, Harrison's second, is a luminous and interesting. In his subject matter he identifies greater movements in the world. A teacher at Andover, Harrison was one of James Merrill's favorite poets.

Marc Norberg's compilation of photographs of Blues performers provides us with a snapshot of blues artists who for the most part are still alive and performing today. Luckily, he was able to capture some notables who are no longer with us as well. Among those are Luther Allison, Charles Brown, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Rodgers, and Junior Wells. He includes drummers, pianist, vocalists, harp masters, guitar whizzes, saxophonist and even an accordion player. His photographs represent artists from Chicago, Louisiana, Texas, The west coast, deep south and England.

The pages of the book are approximately 11 x 11 inches, with most photographs spanning the entire page. The book was meant to be opened flat with a photograph on one side and a verbal sketch on the other page. The brief biographies of the blues artists are uneven in length and detail. B.B. King rates a scant few sentences and accordion player Buckwheat Zydeco a lengthy description.

It is tied together nicely and fittingly by starting with Honeyboy Edwards, the musician who played with Robert Johnson the evening before he died and ending with Robert Jr. Lockwood, Robert Johnson's stepson and only person he was known to have taught his guitar skills to. Throughout the book we are able to see the influences of blues greats as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Elmore James among others.

Some of the pictures are quite outstanding. I am particularly fond of the one of bare chested John Winter in all of his tattooed splendor. Another notable one is of Luther Allison holding his USA shaped guitar with a truly devilish expression on his face.

The blues world today has many extremely talented female musicians and few were included in this work. Notable omissions are Bonnie Raitt, Irma Thomas, and Rory Block. Marc Norberg made an effort to include some of the more obscure blues artists and it would have been nice to see some female ones as well,
Norberg stated that it was a continuing work and one hopes that he has since photographed some of the notable artists missing in this work.

This is a well done blues coffee table book . Do not mistake it for a blues history or a blues biography. It is a definite plus for the serious blues fan.

In a world where it is easy to get carried away with media hype, Marc Norberg has chosen a couple dozen living blues entertainers to immortalize on the pages of the bold book. The staged shots are a refreshing alternative to the typical blur and sweat of performance photos. Through Norberg's lens and talent we are able to get to know these mostly unsung heros of America's true music just a little bit more personally.

Capo is a book for everryone especially for mafia lovers. Following the life of a peasent boy Silvio, who did what he had to do to survive and using his wits, and charm became the boss of the Mafia in the United States. His travels from Sicily to New Orleans are very adventerous. I recomend the book to everyone.

This is one of the books if the year and one of the best kept secrets of any bookstore. Watson builds the story from very humble beginings in the hills of Sicily and unfurls it accross the Atlantic to America. The main character Sylvio is introduced to the reader when barely older than a boy. The reader then watchs Sylvio grow up and learn from those around him. He uses this knowledge to help him build an empire. The book is wonderfully written with some stunning plot movements and genuine suspense. It is completely unputdownable. Once you've read it recomend it to a friend and you'll look like a master literary critic. One can't help but wonder if Puzo's name was on the cover that we might be talking about a milestone in the mafia genre of writing.

This book will also be of special interest for Rosicrucian initiates, especially the passeges about the Guardian of the Threshhold.

Rudolph Steiner, a Theosophist, wrote this book. The content of this book largely revolves around Steiner's knowledge of the Higher Worlds. They are very complex and involve deep reading. Written in a very intellectual manner, Steiner straightforwardly passes on how he perceives the universe to work. The universe is a manifestation of many worlds, of many inhabitants, and Steiner states it is possible to attain to these worlds through both being knowledgeable of them and actively striving for further spiritual attainment. For many, this book has served as a key to spiritual advancement. I do not recommend it for the initiating Theosophist, the content is too complex without having read a background of Theosophy. For intermediate spiritualists and occultists and anyone who has a fairly good understanding and willingness to KNOW and to UNDERSTAND the universe as Steiner sees it, this book is a godsend and may possibly change your own view of life in general.

Clearly the best "how to" book dealing with meditation! I got the sense that I was be talked to by one who had "been there, done that" and was clearly out to make sure my experience was a safe and sane one. The fact that this book was written early this century doesn't in any way diminish its currency. The audio book is unabridged and a wonderful way to revisit important passages again and again.

As others have noted, this book is particularly helpful when trying to understand Flaubert and his other works. The popularly read Madame Bovary in particular features a character, Homais, who continually tries to impose his own ideas about religeon on people who aren't even interested in listening... it is interesting to see, though, where views similar to Homais' come out in the Temptation of St. Anthony.

The work itself is written like a play, though to do this on stage would be an interesting feat. It would perhaps better take the form of film, such as Bunuel's Simon in the Desert.

For those interested in getting in to studying early Christian movements following the death of Christ, although this will hardly serve as a textbook, Flaubert seems to have had a broad repetoir of little known (today, at least) historical facts and facets that will help point an aspiring student in the right direction.

Though hardly light reading, and probably of little appeal to those who do not have an interest in either Flaubert, French literature, or religeon, the trials and tribulations Antony is subjected to through one night of temptation will be at the least entertaining, if not enlightening, to a few.

This is a work that should not be neglected by those interested in Flaubert or by lovers of French Literature. It's format resembles an old-fashioned cyclorama, which was basically a revolving canvas, portraying various interpretive images to an audience that would be seated in the middle of a room. Or it may recall the same period's "magic lantern" which would produce a similar effect, projecting a series of images on a flat wall, the precursor of modern cinema.

Flaubert ushered in an entirely new sensibility to the world of letters. He reinvented the concept of the literary artist as word-and world shaper. The word is the world and vice-versa. No writer ever engaged in such a Herculean struggle to shape every word, every sentence, every image, every assonance or consonance to perfectly conform to his intention.

Flaubert engaged in a kind of ascetisism his entire adult life, which is hardly news, but is central to an understanding of this work and to his attraction towards St. Anthony for a protagonist. Flaubert was for many years a kind of hermit in his study at Croisset, where he retired to his study to read books and write novels. He had contact with his mother and adopted niece and wrote letters to a mistress (Louise Collet, and later to George Sand) along with a few male friends. He would make brief sojourns into Paris, but for the most part, stayed to himself in his provincial hideaway. What he dreamt of there, besides his most famous works (Madame Bovary and L'Education Sentimentale) were reveries such as this novel and Salammbo, another book set in the Near-East and equally evocative in terms of his treatment of that region's sensual and Byzantine richness.

"The Temptation" sparkles with some of Flaubert's most carefully and lovingly constructed imagery. It is the author's own homage to the fertility of his imagination. He never fathered a child literally that we know of, but this work and Salammbo were his ways of saying that he was fertile in all other respects. Each passing personage or creature is a seed sewn by this father of imagery.

One of the most senseless and ill-informed utterances in the annals of criticism is Proust's comment that Flaubert never created one memorable metaphor. Flaubert's entire cannon is one vast metaphor. They are evident in every sentence and every passage of every novel he ever wrote. This is particularly true in this work, as any informed reader will no doubt conclude after reading it.

One other area of recommendation extends to students of Gnosticism. Flaubert encapsulates much of the central theories of the early Gnostic Fathers and Apostles in a few well-delineated characterisations and brush strokes. I would also recommend the Penguin edition, edited and translated by Kitty Mrosovsky, for her introduction and notes. The only drawback I have with her is that she portrays Henry James as denigrating Flaubert's work, where in fact he generally effusively praises it. To those who can read it in its original text, I can only say I envy you and wish I were there.

This is a startling and brilliant piece of prose poetry that deserves to be more widely read; just don't expect anything like his more conventional novels. Indeed, don't read it expecting a novel at all; it reads more like a cross between modernist poetry and Medieval vision literature.

With this book Patricia Cornwell secured herself a multi-millions dollar career and countless follow-ups. Postmortem is extremely well written, the prose flawless, and the personal and forensic details absorbing. Don't expect and nice character as a protagonist. In Postmorterm a serial killer goes around Richmond, Virginia and kills young women. It's not a laughing matter, and Cornwell handles the narration and pace with a touch of realism which is scary to say the least. Maybe this has to do--apart from her ability to write convincingly--with the fact that the serial killings in the novel are based on a real case which also happened in Richmond, Virginia. Perhaps the only problem is the ending is a little weak but then Cornwell once claimed, 'I don't do mysteries'. And she doesn't. This novel takes you into the head and life of the postmorterm examiner. Keep in mind that Cornwell had taken some artistic liberties from the sake of dramatic tension, and that her protagonist, Kay Scarpetta, involves herself in duties which she would not normally be authorized to handle in real-life situations. Neverthelss, it's a rollercoaster of a book, and for those who have never read a Cornwell, start from the beginning, and read this one. For the record, as the years go by, Cornwell's novels are declining in quality. See my other reviews.

With this book Patricia Cornwell secured herself a multi-millions dollar career and countless follow-ups. Postmortem is extremely well written, the prose flawless, and the personal and forensic details absorbing. Don't expect and nice character as a protagonist. In Postmorterm a serial killer goes around Richmond, Virginia and kills young women. It's not a laughing matter, and Cornwell handles the narration and pace with a touch of realism which is scary to say the least. Maybe this has to do--apart from her ability to write convincingly--with the fact that the serial killings in the novel are based on a real case which also happened in Richmond, Virginia. Perhaps the only problem is the ending is a little weak but then Cornwell once claimed, 'I don't do mysteries'. And she doesn't. This novel takes you into the head and life of the postmorterm examiner. Keep in mind that Cornwell had taken some artistic liberties from the sake of dramatic tension, and that her protagonist, Kay Scarpetta, involves herself in duties which she would not normally be authorized to handle in real-life situations. Neverthelss, it's a rollercoaster of a book, and for those who have never read a Cornwell, start from the beginning, and read this one. For the record, as the years go by, Cornwell's novels are declining in quality. See my other reviews.

With this book Patricia Cornwell secured herself a multi-millions dollar career and countless follow-ups. Postmortem is extremely well written, the prose flawless, and the personal and forensic details absorbing. Don't expect and nice character as a protagonist. In Postmorterm a serial killer goes around Richmond, Virginia and kills young women. It's not a laughing matter, and Cornwell handles the narration and pace with a touch of realism which is scary to say the least. Maybe this has to do--apart from her ability to write convincingly--with the fact that the serial killings in the novel are based on a real case which also happened in Richmond, Virginia. Perhaps the only problem is the ending is a little weak but then Cornwell once claimed, 'I don't do mysteries'. And she doesn't. This novel takes you into the head and life of the postmorterm examiner. Keep in mind that Cornwell had taken some artistic liberties from the sake of dramatic tension, and that her protagonist, Kay Scarpetta, involves herself in duties which she would not normally be authorized to handle in real-life situations. Neverthelss, it's a rollercoaster of a book, and for those who have never read a Cornwell, start from the beginning, and read this one. For the record, as the years go by, Cornwell's novels are declining in quality. See my other reviews.

I have been reading fantasy for 25 years, and Hobb's trilogy is simply the most compelling I series I have ever read. I am impressed by her depth of characterization and the vitality of the setting. I also enjoy how she weaves contemporary social issues into a fantasy setting: integrating women into an army, drug abuse, the problems of keeping a coalition together, humane treatment of animals, the limitations of leaders, and the impact leaders and their subordinate's actions have on entire populations. I have re-read each of her books at least once, with equal enjoyment. (My love for this body of work may be biased. While I read Assassin's Apprentice, my four-year-old son was bonding with his first puppy, Figaro--whom I still call Nosey. My sense of the Fitz/Nighteyes link at a personal level may blind me.) Bottom line: I love the story. Assassins Quest takes us on a memorable journey into the Inland Duchies, the Mountain Kingdom, and beyond. The final book suffers only from lack of liposuction. Plot development, particularly the revelation of the Fool's true place in the story, was particularly gratifying. Fitz finally learns the moral difference between killing for his king, as he has been trained to do by Schade, and killing for purely personal reasons, which Schade (and one hopes all of us) would characterize as plain murder. In this lengthy conclusion to the trilogy, only the digressions into the time of the "Elderlings" is superfluous. The patience shown in finally revealing Kettle's place in the story requires the same patience from the reader. The story of sacrifice in pursuit of a greater good is well told here. I note that some reviewers are disappointed with the lack of a so-called "happy ending." They miss the author's none-too-subtle point that great accomplishment requires great sacrifice. The ending was true to the protagonist's character development throughout the story. It really fits. I cannot thank the author enough. Fitz, a protagonist with a somwhat jaundiced attitude, will hopefully re-appear somewhere. As far as I can tell, he is one of the few trained Skill users in the "world," where I continue to journey in Hobb's Liveship series. Will Fitz pass that legacy on? I hope so. If not, it is enough that we got to share his epic struggle to save the Six Duchies. If you have teenaged children, get them to read this series.

Most of the reviews for this book are on the mark, both good and bad: Somewhat depressing ending, yes; fantastic characterization, yes; an ending that seemed a little rushed, yes.

All these qualities still add up to what was the best of the series. What impressed me the most was the newfound scale that the series achieved. The previous (middle) book seemed stilted and plodding with most of the events occurring in Buckkeep. Before reading this book I was worried--after hearing about the length--that this would be more of the same. But the tale expands and exceeds all prior constraints, in terms of both narrative and setting. Whole new parts of the realm are visited, and some of the places are quite imaginative. The Elderlings plot, suffused with an expanded role for the Skill, brings a focus to the story, and even imbues a sense of magic that was either avoided or excluded from the previous books.

As for the ending. I applaud Hobb for not tying everything up in a nice little bow. Part of why I liked the first book so much was that little Fitz didn't get the girl (Molly)--it was a bold, unconventional move; unforunately, it was undone in second book, the weakest of the three. But here we have a satisfying if not wholly pleasing ending. True, I would have liked a little more resolution in regards to Fitz with some of the key characters, Burrich and the Fool especially. You are left wanting more, but often that is what great books do.

This book is a rousing conclusion to the Farseer Trilogy. Books like these three are rare. I have read and re-read them more than once, and even though I know, as I am re-reading, what will happen, I find myself affected the same way as I was the first time. (I spent the last hundred pages or so in tears!)

This book finally gives us a much-desired and highly intriguing character development of the Fool. He has always been one of my favourite characters, and in this book he absolutely shines! The shifting relationship between Fitz and the Fool is, to my mind, what makes this book; another strong point of the book is the shifting relationship between Fitz and his king.

This book does not have an easy ending; sacrifices are demanded from everyone, and in this regard, Kettricken comes into her own. She was raised with the idea of Queen as Sacrifice, and here she finds her true calling in service to the Six Duchies.

Hobb is very careful to keep her characters true to themselves. More than once you hope things will turn out great, only to find that, because of the characters' personalities, something not great has to happen. I never questioned the motivation behind people's actions.

I am eagerly awaiting The Fool's Errand (to be released after a VERY LONG WAIT in January). Just think, we poor lovers of Fitz and the Fool had to wait through the Mad Ship trilogy -- and I never had the heart to read it, because when I tried, it just didn't strike me as profoundly as the Farseer Trilogy.

Buy this book. Enjoy it. Then wait with bated breath for The Fool's Errand.

I found this novel to be neither splendid nor awful. The only other book by Hemingway I'd read before this was The Old Man and the Sea, and, though there's much to appreciate in A Farewell to Arms, I'm not itching to open a third one.(That's with a complete works on my shelf). The best part about this gracefully written book is the cold feeling of desperation it creates. Lack of specifics about the conflict itself juxtaposed with incredibly detailed descriptions of physical space and random closeup moments almost suffocate the reader with the immediate, sudden, and senseless tragedy one faces in wartime. The matter-of-fact tone can at times be chilling. However, the consistently stilted dialogue is surely hard to swallow, and fights the believability of the characters. Overall the book feels padded with unneeded descriptions that don't promise plot, making it a very slow read. While the ending is fairly good, it's an uphill chore to get there. I can't recommend it unless you buy into hype and/or have an extra strong affinity for war novels.

When I began to feel a certain indebtedness towards my country to read the supposedly greatest novel to ever come from it, I began preparing myself for a strong opinionated novel. Something groundbreaking. But what I found in it's place was just a simple but flowing love story. Hemingway places no set rules for loving someone, I believe his sole purpose was to give an example of something pure, and simple, and good in a time of great doubt of the morality of humanity. By placing obstacles in each of the lovers way and describing their triumph he exemplifies their devotion to a worthy cause. Despite each of the characters physical and mental abandonment of the things they had previously known, Henry finds himself beaten when Catherine and their child are taken away from him in an unlikely and tragic death. Could this mean that because of the world's general coldness and unfeeling nature it will allways destroy such innocent themes as love and devotion, or is this story to say that past actions will never be forgotten and someone will allways be held accountable for them? Hemingway doesn't say, that is the beauty of it. He presents a story in a compelling and drawing-in manner whithout giving any absolute views. A great writer, I believe, is one that can present facts to a reader and make him think about them. Hemingway accomplishes this to no end in A Farewell to Arms.

I am not even going to pretend that I am intelligent enough to discern the symbolism and such in this classic novel. Besides, symbolism is nice, but so is this story. That being said, for those of you who have not read this book, I encourage you to do so. It is a story of love and war. Love between Frederick Henry and Catherine Barkley. The former is an American, but is serving the Italians in their war effort against Austria. The latter is a British nurse who is also aiding the Italians. The two met when Henry was injured from schrapnal that came out of an Austrian bomb. The war is World War I. Hemingway creates an atmosphere that lets the reader comprehend and visualize how devastating this war truly was. He is like a master chief who carefully adds the proper amounts of love and the struggle of war in his story. It's beautiful. It's sad. Hemingway has such an eye for detail that I am willing to assert that he has the ability to tell the reader what it is like to be human during this period. There's no embellishing, no exaggeration. Please let Hemingway tell you his story.

Reading the reviews for this book makes it clear that there are two camps of readers of this book: those who read it in high school and those who read it later in life. Count me among the latter.

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book. I was pleasantly surprised by Golding's depth and sharp insight. Despite the youth of its main characters, Lord of the Flies is not some juvenile adventure novel. Golding's bleak commentary on the absolute evil (the "Lord of the Flies") that lies in our hearts, waiting for just the slightest opportunity to throw civilization into chaos is chilling and powerful.

I hope that those people who read this book in high school go back and read it again later in life, especially those who did not like it. Lord of the Flies is not an exercise in finding symbolism and motifs ... it's about understanding the point that Golding makes through his story. Lord of the Flies is clearly one of the more compelling and intense books I've read in a long time. I highly recommend it.

Which is not to say that girls won't enjoy this too, but when it was published in 1954, 'Lord of the Flies' was written in response to the standard literature targeted to boys. Golding was frustrated with the idealistic, happy-ending-every-time formula, particularly in one book called 'The Coral Reef'-there are several cutting references throughout 'Lord of the Flies' to this work. In 'Lord of the Flies,' Golding shows us what he feels would *really* happen if a group of boys were left alone on a deserted island. As the book progresses, we see the boys' attempts at maintaining a civilized society degenerating faster and faster.

The plots and ideas introduced present many questions of the reader. How does a group of British schoolboys, growing up in what they consider the height of civility, turn so readily to savagery? How does the temptation of power make them forget their goal of rescue so quickly? How can they so easily dismiss acts of murder? And, as you read the last three pages and close the book, you wonder...how do they feel about the events that have taken place, afterwards?

A better question than "how" is "why." In the critical note included in the back of the book, there is a quote by Golding that states, in his own words, the theme of 'Lord of the Flies': "...an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature...the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable."

Given the novel's endurance over time and countless praises by the critics, one would judge that Golding succeeded. As a reader, you must decided for yourself, but one thing is for sure: This definitely isn't the Hardy Boys, the popular (yet plastic) product of the Stratenmeyer syndicate that, while it has withstood time as well, can't be said to have had an impact on society. Whereas this novel was carefully crafted to be intense and thought provoking, unflinchingly real...not to mention graphic. As a final word of advice, don't hesitate to read this...but don't read it while eating. ^_^;

Don't buy the Cliff's Notes: read this book for yourself - you will enjoy it and remember it for the rest of your life. And if you watch a movie version, read the book first. The old black and white film version cast with British kids is a million times better than the more recent color version with American kids -- probably because American kids are *already* savage...they have no civilized habits to lose! :-)

There is an incredible scene in the book where some older boys toss rocks at a younger boy who is playing in the water. The author notes the the older boys are careful not to throw the rocks too close to the younger boy: I believe he calls the protective perimeter thus formed the circle of civilization or something. Anyway, it's a great and important passage; look for it. It foreshadows all the madness to follow.

Here's a suggestion for a term paper (it worked for me): The character named "Piggy" wears spectacles that he fastidiously cares for when the boys are first marrooned; however, the spectacles are slowly demolished step by step as the boys descend into savagery. By examining the condition of Piggy's spectacles, you can judge how bad things have gotten on the island.

Hailed as Chinua Achebe's masterpiece and sold for millions of copies worldwide, 'Things Fall Apart' is in my opinion an average story that is overhyped.

In the story, Okonkwo is a strong warrior who begins his life with disadvantages but works his way to earn titles, respect and wealth in his village. A manslaughter incident costs him seven years of exile, during which his village as well as the neighbouring villages find themselves changed and divided under the influence of missionaries importing the Christian religion. Okonkwo returns disappointed but determined to unify the clan again, not knowing a worse fate awaits him...

This story is largely about tribal life in Africa, with all its intimate details about customs, beliefs and practices. On one hand, Chinua Achebe portrays suffering people (especially women and children) who are victims of tribal systems. Wives are ill-treated by husbands, while some children become sacrifices for disputes or religion. On the other hand, Chinua Achebe questions the authority and power of the Westerners who attempt to change the villages via import of their own religion and law.

If there is a central theme in this book, it would be division -- as the title itself suggests. This begins only when the missionaries arrive at Umuofia and other villages. Christ says that He brings division, and this prophecy is fulfilled when one of Okonkwo's sons leaves home to embrace Christianity. On a larger scale, people in the village are divided amongst themselves. This division, like all others, leads to inevitable despair.

'Things Fall Apart' is simple in both language and content. It is easy to read and can be completed in a single sitting. However, unless one is interested in the rich customs of African tribal life, this book is otherwise very average and uncaptivating.

This book is strongly recommended for all who are interested in African culture and way of life.

If you are a reader like myself trying to discover the greatness of Chinua Achebe's most famous work, then you may end up rather disappointed by this somewhat average story.

Okonkwo is a prominent member of the Ibo tribe. He is a well respected wrestler who accidentally kills someone while firing guns at a party. After being exiled for this crime for seven years, Okonkwo returns to find white missionaries have arrived. These Europeans eventually bring in armed guards. Okonkwo pleads with his people not to give up their way of life as the missionaries turn his village into a prison.

"Things Fall Apart" deals with issues many men and women have faced over history's path. Okonkwo must deal with the assimilation of his tribe, what seems to be the end of his culture. Okonkwo's exterior and interior conflicts make this an enjoyable, universally truthful book comparable to a Greek tragedy. Achebe has created a meaningful book, which can be useful to anyone who wants wo know about the European takeover of Africa, the African culture, or simply wants a good read. "Things Fall Apart" is has a strong message to deliver to today's society--fight for what you believe in, and never give up.

I picked up this book while browsing for no particular genre of liesure-time reading, having no idea that it was well known, just because it looked interesting. As I began to read, Achebe led my imagination to observe the details of a small society with characters that could have lived almost anywhere on Earth in a simpler time. With no preconceived notion of the book, I was unable to determine whether the characters were African, Asian, or perhaps of a land conceived entirely in the author's mind. With this approach to reading, I found a rich story of a man who, while holding position in his community, is still very much an average man. Achebe endows him with the troubles and joys, strengths and weaknesses--all the human conditions that make the reader recognize him somewhere in their own social sphere. Woven into this man's story is that of his community, and Achebe takes great care to give the reader an understanding of the interactions between characters and the nuance of the culture so that the impact of change can be readily understood. This is a very clearly-written novel that spends most of its time setting the stage for the reader to appreciate the impact of change, particularly forced, abrupt change. While the message may be simple, its development is not. "Things Fall Apart" is a fine rendering of a human situation so prevalent and obvious as to be easily overlooked.