This book is absolutely breathtaking! From the minute you see the tornado jumping out at you on the very first page, you will be so anxious to see the rest of the book. The pop-ups are spectacular - full of color and details - and spread out across both pages. On the sides of each page, there are additional smaller pop-ups. The Emerald City is beautiful, but my favorite one is the balloon in which Dorothy is about to ride home in. I originally bought this book for my cousin's 4 year old daughter, but after seeing it, I thought it might be too delicate for younger children. I decided to give it to my cousin instead who is a collector of Wiz of Oz memorabilia. Both her and her children were mesmerized by this book. It's an absoulte must for Wizard of Oz fans!

I just have to disagree with the folks who say this is not a book for children...this is THE book for children! If you are looking for a book to give this holiday season that rates 100% on the "oooh-ahhhh!" meter, this is the one. Any child, in particular a reluctant reader, will be dazzled and fascinated by the Emerald City jumping to life in the middle of the book, the whirling balloon and spinning tornado. The artwork warrants accolades even without the magnificent engineering, and there is enough text to make this pop-up perfect for older kids as well. This book does great honor to the Wonderful Wizard, and will be as treasured in your home as a pair of ruby slippers. Whether or not this book actually survives the twister of children's handling, you'd be a real wicked witch not to share it with your favorite munchkin.

What's the most fun you've ever had with a piece of art before?

The most fun I've ever had, I have to confess, is opening this book to the pages featuring the Wizard's famous hot air balloon. The set piece, shiny and with its own basket holding the wizard, jumps quite literally off the pages, then swings back and forth in front of you. The amount of joy I experienced with this book at that moment was immeasurable.

What's fun about the book, which also has this huge, swirling cyclone in its opening pages that jumps out at you, is that it also remains surprisingly faithful to L. Frank Baum's original WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, keeping much of the text intact (though, for obvious reasons, the book is not taken and reprinted verbatim) while having the pop-up art serve as a variation upon the original illustrations when possible.

I got one of these for myself, one for all the little girls in my family and one for a friend in my office who just needed cheering up one day. It inspires you to read the great story. It inspires you to play with the emerald-colored glasses and all the pop-up images in the side flaps.

I was a fan of pop-up books as a kid, but this is the best, most accessible and most beautiful one I have ever held in my hands.

This was one of my very favorite books as a child. Parents with young children would do well to read this book to them. It is the story of a young bull (Ferdinand) who learns to stay true to his own unique self. While all the other bulls all want to be mean and fierce, Ferdinand instead is a gentle and loving soul. Yet the situation comes where people try to force Ferdinand to comply. Ferdinand is taken to fight in the bull fights! Will he be faithful to himself, or will he go along with the crowds? Yes, there are deep morality questions and ethics here) Indeed, both parents and children will be touched by the timeless message of hope and strength that is Ferdinand. It truly is a book that children need to know and model.

Of course you may be familiar with the Disney cartoon, but the real story is definetely worth reading to your child. A young, gentle bull who loves the simple things is mistaken for a terrifying, awesome, crowd pleasing bull. He is brought to Madrid to fight the Matador. Read and see what happens! I love this sweet simple little tale. This story was written so long ago, but it still is appealing to children today. Next time you go for a drive "in the country," look for Ferdinand with your children!

My mother-in-law gave me her copy of this book (printed in 1938) when my oldest child was 4 or 5 years old and we just adored this story! In fact, she (my daughter) loved it so much she memorized it within months. I chose this book to read to her 2nd grade class and they, too, felt the magic of how the fierce bull loved to just sit and "smell the flowers"! I just sat down tonight to read it for the first time to my youngest child (5 years old) and he already knew how the story went. I asked him how he knew it and if his sister already read it to him, because I had not yet done so. He told me that nobody read it to him, that his sister (now 11 years old) already told him about it. He went on to explain every page to me before I even read it! Maybe it's because it's such a different subject for a children's book ( a bull, a tree, a bee and oh, those flowers!) or it could be because we don't have a great deal of access to bull fighting here in America...none the less, it's a story that stays with you, if only because of it's simplicity. Kind of refreshing.

Abe Lincoln once called America, "the last best hope" for the world. Robert Roth's The Natural Law Party: A Reason to Vote - Breaking the Two-Party Stranglehold and Bringing Effective New Solutions to America's Problems may well be the last best hope for America and the world. The bottom line - even if you've given up on politics as a field of mud, blood, and influence peddling this book will send you back to the voting booth.

Roth's personal and powerful first person narration leaps off the page. As press secretary for the NLP, the fastest growing political party in America, he has stood on the front lines of third-party battles to reclaim democracy, and to regain third-party access to the ballot, debates, and airwaves. He begins by taking us there, and unmasking our democracy to be the most exclusionary and undemocratic of any on earth.

"...Republicans and Democrats have written the laws that grant themselves automatic access to the ballot. On the other hand, in 1998, a new party must collect over 5 million valid signatures to run a full slate of candidates nationwide."

This is only the first hurdle in an obstacle course built by the two major parties, and supported by the mainstream press. We hear harrowing experiences of NLP volunteers who, in 1996, faced unconstitutional opposition from the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Election Commission, and the courts (whose members are all either Democrats or Republicans) and still achieved ballot access for NLP candidates in fifty states. And we share in their exhilarating discovery that it is possible to meet the challenge of a nation in transition.

That transition from a world of disconnected, selfish, quarreling factions to one of purpose and unity, is profoundly described by the doctors, scientists, teachers, and farmers that Roth interviews. We learn how intimate "natural law" is to our lives from world-renowned Unified Field physicist and NLP Presidential candidate, Dr. John Hagelin.

"Everything we accomplish is achieved by applying natural laws," he says. ''We have the electric light courtesy of technologies that apply natural law, a man walked on the moon and a rover scoured the surface of Mars because of technologies that harness natural law, and we treat our sick with medicines that utilize laws of nature.

"The problem is that technologies can be used for good or for bad....With so much money invested in the research and development of new technologies, these technologies often get shoved into the marketplace before they are adequately tested for safety. To protect their investments, these industries also pour megabucks into the treasure chests of both the Republican and Democratic parties."

And the amazingly simple solution - the NLP's fool proof formula for assessing new technologies - only that they must work! It rings true even in sound bitten ears. Mike Tompkins, NLP Vice-Presidential candidate, and descendant of former Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, tells us why, enlightening us about our nation's natural law origins,

"... before the Republicans, before the Democrats, before all the other political parties there was natural law. One of the founders of our country, John Adams, called natural law 'the Great Legislator of the Universe.' And in the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, in the very beginning of the document, derived our very existence as a country and also all our rights from what he called the 'laws of nature.'

"...Our founders believed that if we could gain knowledge of natural law, of how it operates both inside us and all around us, then we would grow as individuals and also as a nation."

For the facts about genetic engineering that few reporters are aware of or brave enough to print Roth turns to Dr. John Fagan, the leading molecular biologist who in 1994 returned $614,000 in grant money and withdrew proposals for $1.25 million more from the National Institutes of Health in protest of the direction in which genetic engineers are leading us. No fuzzy science here. Fagan delivers a jolt of the real stuff, exposing the real dangers inherent in manipulating a system which has taken millions of years to evolve.

Then another jolt as we learn that

"...the testing of genetically engineered substances at present is largely voluntary-more than 90% of genetically engineered foods are not required to be tested before they enter the market. Consequently, the details of the testing programs are left primarily in the hands of the developers-namely, the biotech industry. We've left the fox guarding the chickens."

Still, Roth lifts us up again with the story of the Mothers for Natural Law, Laura Ticciati's amazing nonprofit group that has formed an unprecedented coalition of statesman, scientists, doctors, clergy, farmers, and businessman to stand up to the biotech industry.

We hear leading physicians describe America's 'disease care system', a system that results in more than 3 million injured by medical mistake, and more than 180,000 deaths from 'correct practice' each year. But relief is in sight with our own body's inner intelligence and natural medicine quickly rising to become the new world standard with proven preventative measures and zero negative side effects.

Crime? Drugs? No problem. With powerful techniques like Transcendental Meditation, judges report addicts stay out of prison and off drugs, and the American Heart Association reports the neglected victims of crime , the elderly, become free of hypertension.

From schools that foster creative genius, to a global information economy that encourages perpetual learning, to a peacekeeping force that will make war finally impossible, Roth keeps the emphasis on powerful, practical, and proven solutions. The appendices, with a Fifty-Point Action Plan to Revitalize America and the NLP platform, are packed with solutions.

It's an invincible book and it will empower all who read it. Free of the Donkey and the Elephant at last, we could vote with our heads on straight this November 3rd! We now have a reason to vote.

I really enjoyed this book. Robert Roth does an excellent job of entertaining and informing the reader on the need for more choices in our own political system. He shows how, in spite of all the hype that we are the greatest democracy on Earth and export democracy around the world, but in fact the US is really one of the least democratic nations when it comes to our own political and governmental systems. The iron grip of the two party system virtually guarantees that no new ideas or voices can be heard in any political forum or debate and how this is to the determent of the nations as a whole. He gives wonderful examples of what third parties and what the Natural Law Party in particular can do to bring a fresh and vital breath of new, simple and proven ways to look at our nation's challenges. And he does so in a very entertaining way! I encourage everyone to read this book not only for their own benefit but also for the benefit of the country.

Robert Roth has put into plain language what the Natural Law Party is all about. What is more, his account of events during the last presidential campaign and beyond is as entertaining as it is informative. This is a book you'll find hard to put down. Once you finally do, you'll find your thoughts about the political process have been changed forever, and for the good!

There are few 'must reads' in the field of politics, particularly if you're not a politician. However, this book is a 'must read' for anyone who is even thinking of casting a vote. Finally, there is a breath of fresh air on the American political scene, with a voice we can understand, because it is our own.

I've read almost every Nora Roberts book i can get my hands on, and this is clearly one of her best and one of the best mainstream romance novels I've ever read. The story takes place all over the world from a small town carnival to New Orleans to france. It talks about a family of magicians who adopts a poor run-away boy, and the coming of age story of the boy-Luke and the magician's daughter-Roxanne. the story tells of how they fall in love, and first became partners in magic then in love and finnaly in crime. The story is truly well writen and a real page turner.

I read the reviews and was so anxious to read the book but I forgot to order it, but luck came my way a week ago and tonight I just finished it, and had to give to give it 5 stars. Fantastic characters, great plot, fantastic buildup and last but certainly not least a very smooth landing and great ending. No murders, just certain people getting their due justice. I will read one of Nora's books any day, but I'm waiting now for Three Fates to come out in paperback. Keep on writing fantastic books Nora because I will be reading them. This review was based on the trade paperback.

This is/was one of my most favorite Nora Roberts books. The characters are funa nd exciting. The plot is different. Although filled with love, it is not too mushy. I think that the relationships between daughter and father and cook and man are very realistic. I enjoyed this book and have read it several times (which not something I usually do!).

Robert McCloskey's classic children's book, Make Way for Ducklings is just as delightful in the year 2002 as it was back when it was first published in 1941. The timeless story of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their eight adorable ducklings is still a fun read for children and parents alike. The story begins as the prospective parents search for a new home suitable for raising their young ones. Mrs. Mallard is clearly the expert in this endeavor and Mr. Mallard is quite relieved when she finally settles on a spot that is not too dangerous or noisy for their young family. The couple make themselves quite at home on a little island in the Charles River of Boston, a quiet oasis within the busy city. Soon the ducklings hatch and Mrs. Mallard sets about teaching them all they need to know in order to live in the city. By now they have made good friends with some of their human neighbors, especially Michael, the policeman. When the family makes its first trip into the city, Michael calls for backup and literally stops traffic all along their path. The people the Mallards encounter are just as pleased to see the ducks as the Mallards are to be there. The reader leaves the family settling comfortably for the night after a day of happily following the Swan boats in the park and eating the peanunts tossed their way. The charm of this book lies in both the heartwarming story and th realistic but idyllic illustrations. McCloskey is quite gifted at portraying the natural world to children in a way that is authentic and familiar. Most children have seen duck families in a nearby pond and witnessed the way the ducklings learn about the world by waddling along after their parents. The sketched illustrations add to the natural feeling of the book. The depiction of the ducks is terrific because they are visually expressive but still look like ducks. Another engaging facet of the story is the positive interaction between animals and humans. The Mallards find a way to live comfortably within a city full of people and their human neighbors are welcoming and accommodating. Overall, this a warm and timeless book. It is just perfect for a parent and child to read together or for a teacher to read to a classroom of younger kids. This is a good selection for children aged 3 to 7.

Children naturally are interested in understanding a parent's perspective on the family. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard's search for a safe home for their future family makes a wonderful story for children and parents to explore and understand more about parental love. Although the book has a 4-8 age reading level, younger children enjoy having it read to them (based on the experiences of my four children). The illustrations are terrific and draw the child's interest very easily. Older children like to reread the story because of its comfortable connection to their more youthful years and reinforcement of their sense of being wanted, loved, and belonging.

To me, the best part of the book is that the locations are actually easy to find in Boston. So if you live in the Boston area or ever come here, you can also take your children to experience the story. I know my younger daughter thought that her first Swan boat ride in the Public Garden was the ultimate moment in her life (up to that point). She kept wanting to know which duck was Mrs. Mallard, and which one was Mr. Mallard. Then she wanted to spot Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack (my favorite name in the book), Pack, and Quack. I had a ball! There are also statues of Mrs. Mallard and her 8 offspring that the children can touch. There's also an annual parade that you can participate in.

If you don't know the story, here's a summary: Mr. and Mrs. Mallard were looking for a place to live where they could raise a family safely. Whenever Mr. Mallard found someplace he liked, Mrs. Mallard worried about foxes and turtles. Finally they got to the pond in the Public Garden in Boston, and were too tired to go on. So they spent the night on the little island there. The next morning they could not find much food, until the people on the Swan boats began to throw them peanuts. But the Mallards were almost run over by a bicycle, so they felt they needed a safer place. They tried several, but each had a drawback. Finally, they found an island in the Charles River not far from the Public Garden that met all their requirements. Michael, the policeman, fed them peanuts. Soon, Mrs. Mallard laid 8 eggs, and stayed to hatch them. After the ducklings were born, they learned to swim and walk single file behind their Mother. One day, she walked them towards the Public Garden. But they could not get across the highway. Michael spotted them and stopped the traffic so they could cross. He called Clancy at the station and told him to send a car to help Mrs. Mallard and the ducklings cross at the Public Garden. When in the pond there, they met Mr. Mallard on the little island. They decided to live there, and followed the Swan boats for peanuts after that.

I have enjoyed reading this story and reading it to children for almost 30 years. I look forward to reading it to my grandchildren when the time comes. It has also been my favorite book to give as a gift to new parents.

Enjoy the wonderful gift of warm family feeling in this book, and leave your stalled thinking about your cares and worries behind. It will remind you what is really important in your life!

I am a student at West Virginia State College and taking a Childrens lit. class. Make way for ducklings is a delightful book and i strongly reccommend it to children of all ages. It's nice to read a book like this that is simple and sweet that all children can enjoy.

McCloskey wrote this about his wife Margaret (daughter of author Ruth Sawyer Durnad) and daughter Sally encountering a mother bear and cub while picking blueberries on Deer Isle. The story has some funny turns when both mother and child get separated and wind up finding the wrong family member. Imagine that! Well, all's well that ends well. And, guess you wondered what happened in the end don't you? You'll have to see for yourself. McCloskey sadly passed away on June 30, 2003 most of his life he illustrated and wrote children's books. He wrote eight books during his life. All the book reflect on family experiences, small-town life, and life in Boston. His story, 'Make Way for Ducklings' is set in Boston. McCloskey is one of the few authors that depicted Americana in a light-hearted vision through his illustration. He will be sadly missed. 'Blueberries for Sal' won the Caldecott award for children's book illustration. It's a darn good story to boot, too!

Sal is every little kid eating all the blueberries in her pail and then reaching into mom's pail to get some more. It is a cute story of mother and and child that all parents and their children will relate to. It is one "children's book" that appeals to all ages. There is adventure and surprise all mixed with humor but I'll let you read about that.

This is a story of a young girl picking blueberries with her mother and a young bear picking blueberries with its mother. As they amble along picking berries and eating them, the bear gets seperated from its mother as does Sal get seperated from her mother. The story is gentle from beginning to end. It brings back many memories of picking blueberries and eating them faster than you can pick them. This is a classic that I grew up with and my children are growing up with now. The pictures only enhance the text and are very gentle and sweet. The theme of the story is very nice and reassuring to young children. Well worth the time and money to buy this book.

Enjoy.

As a child, I was encouraged to read, but was warned by my third grade teacher to "stay away from that science fiction." It was not a difficult task; most books in our elementary library were NOT science fiction...if they were, they consisted of green, slimy creatures disguised as humans by day and terrorizing student by night. Naturally, science fiction did not appeal to me at all.

Until I ran across The Girl with the Silver Eyes. To my third grade mind, it was painfully long, kind of hard to follow, but extremely interesting. It is the sole thing that piqued my interest in all things scifi.

Now, as a high school senior and avid science fiction fan, I reread The Girl with the Silver Eyes. For a child's book, it is extremely intriguing. It's science fiction and a suspenseful mystery all in one. It can most easily be compared to a junior version of The X-Files: weird, eerie, yet disturbingly accurate. However, when I was younger, I found the plot boring in many spots, not enough action. At the time, I merely blamed this on my youthful impatience. But even today, I still find the storyline a bit thick in parts, and nearly impossible to continue to the next page. For me to say that reading this book was an intellectual chore is not an exaggeration.

Any child reading this book will quickly lose patience with it, it has so many slow sections. Its surreal plot and wonderful scifi appeal is for the extremely patient only.

Katie is a little girl who is a bit unusual to say the least. Born with silver eyes and an uncanny ability to make strange things happen, Katie has been a loner for most of her short life. After the death of her grandmother whom she has lived with for several years she goes to live with her divorced mother and this is when her problems really start. Digging into the past Katie finds out that she isn't the only child who is, well a bit strange. Friends of her mother who all at one time worked for the same medical company also have strange children. Children with silver eyes and strange powers like telekinesis and mind reading. As Katie tries to find her fellow "silver eyes" she is watched from afar by a man who could be a friend or a foe. This is a well-written children's science/mystery fiction book for the younger reader but it can also be enjoyed by older kids and adults alike. A quality book that makes reading fun and exciting.

I'm envious of kids today who can take advantage of the recent explosion of interest in science fiction and fantasy. Back when I was browsing in the children's section of the library (all right, so it wasn't that long ago), I read everything -- which wasn't much -- I could find that vaguely fell into those categories. This book blew all my prior favorites away. Willo Davis Roberts has that rare gift of telling a great story simply, without pandering or dumbing a book down, yet with all the best parts of an adult thriller -- the main character, struggling to find where she and her telekinetic talents fit in a disbelieving world, must try to separate those she can trust from the people who just want to use her. In her search, she discovers some unlikely allies, including kids "gifted" as herself. As a kid, I loved this book because I immediately identified with the main character, wishing I had a friend like her. That's how real I found the people of this story. My copy of "The Girl with the Silver Eyes" is pretty battered, but I can't wait to pass it on to my children

loved the setting of this story as much as the story itself. because of nora roberts and her books, ive grown to love stories set with the irish. to be able to read the words and hear that accent is to me truly amazing.

maggie is the oldest child having been raised in a home with no family love. she is close to her father and sister, but her mother is a different person all together. because of this lack of love from her, maggie is determined to make something of herself if only to prove her mother wrong. breaking the outer shell shes developed as a form of protection wont be easy, but rogan intends to do just that.

a lovely story with enough mystery to leave the reader hoping they have their copy of born in ice sitting nearby once they close the last page of this one ::smile

The first book in NR's 'Born In' series is wonderful, you don't want to miss it! "Born In Fire" focuses on Maggie Concannon, a tempermental and loyal woman who is also a gifted artist. Gallery owner Rogan Sweeney takes an interest in Maggie's fabulous glass creations, and soon after takes a personal interest in Maggie herself. Maggie is a wonderful character, stubborn and flawed, yet still caring. Nora does a fabulous job of developing Maggie, and does it in a way that she seems like a real person. Rogan is an extremely likeable hero. Maggie's sister, Brianna, is her complete opposite; quiet, sweet, and calm. The relationship between the two sisters, however, is very touching and very real. This book is full of colourful characters, some we love and some we hate. The romance between Rogan and Maggie is wonderful. Basically, I just can't say enough good things about this book. You will love it!

The 2nd Nora Roberts book I ever read was "Born In Ice", which I only later discovered was part of trilogy -- and the middle, at that. I enjoyed it then, but resolved to go out and read the whole trilogy. I'm glad I did!

"Born In Fire" sets the whole tone for the 2 books that follow. While the relationship between temperamental glassblowing artist Maggie and upper-crust gallery owner Rogan is obviously at the forefront of this tale, the larger tale being told is that of 2 sisters and how they are coming to grips with the death of their adoring father and the reality of the long, loveless marriage he shared with their cold, bitter mother. The relationship and interplay between Maggie, her sweet-natured sister Brianna, and their shrewish mother provides some of the best dialogue in the book.

Maggie is a very well-developed character, who is so flawed and yet so wonderful that she is as human to the reader as one's own best friend might be.

Gogol's "Dead Souls" is an amazing, if incomplete, novel. I would say it is about a fellow named Chichikov, but that would not be true. The novel is about Russia. In "Dead Souls" we see that Gogol loved Russia so much, it drove him mad trying to find a way to save it. The novel is entrancing, moving seamlessly between minute particularity to epic scope, as it takes all of Russia under its gaze. At times, the tone is satirical, angry, comic, even desperate - but always with a wistful fondness that should be apparent to the observant reader.

Chichikov, the hero of Gogol's epic poem, shows the influence of Laurence Sterne's "Tristram Shandy," a novel with which Gogol was familiar. Like Shandy, we know little about Chichikov until well into the novel. This narrative indirection allows us more insight into the other characters and the conditions of Russia after the Napoleonic wars. Chichikov is a minor gentleman, who, having served in various government positions, decides to pursue the life of a land-owner. His scheme is to traverse Russia, gathering the legal rights to serfs who have died on estates since the last census. By turning an accumulated list of these 'dead souls' over to the government, he plans to make a small fortune, which he will use to buy an estate.

While Chichikov may appear to be a morally questionable swindler, like Herman Melville's "Confidence-Man," he does have noble motivations, despite his methods. Chichikov seeks what each person seeks, according to Gogol - to have a family, to do honor to one's country. Although his plan can seem to be a ludicrous, last-ditch sort of effort at establishing himself, Chichikov is, throughout, extremely level-headed about it. Chichikov knows how to speak and carry himself so that he will be accepted by everyone he meets. From the noble, efficient land-owner Kostanjoglo to the wild, hilarious liar Nozdryov - Chichikov mingles with and exposes us to "the whirligig of men."

Gogol points out throughout the novel that the written text is inadequate to convey the actual experience - the air, the sights, the smells, the people of Russia. He tries, then, to give us "a living book" - a testament to a way of life that was soon to change. Like Melville's "Confidence-Man," which was published shortly before the American Civil War, Gogol's "Dead Souls" came out only a few years before Marx's "Communist Manifesto" which would change and determine the fate of Russia in the first decades of the 20th century.

Read the lyrical "Dead Souls" - if you like his short stories, like "The Nose" or "The Overcoat," - you will find a wonderfully complex and sophisticated, and deeply involved intellect at his best.

Dead Souls is Gogol's first and only full length novel, ironically written in Rome rather than the Russian countryside it was set in. Tragically he destroyed most of the second volume shortly before his death leaving only bits and pieces of chapters leaving only volume I whole.

A story of a swindler and a social satire on life in early 19th century Russia, Dead Souls is also a comment on class and hypocricsy. Small town Russian officials and landowners strive to keep up appearances, valuing them more importantly than susbtance. Even Chichikov knows this, in fact as the main character (anti-hero) he thrives on this.

Gogol's story is comic on its surface but reading it you get a glimpse of life just twenty years before Alexander II freeded the serfs from their landowners. Dead Souls is both comedy and satire.

One note the Peaver-Volokhonsky translation while newer is a bit "choppy" and the translators make the most awkward word selections from Russian to English. It makes reading this version a bit off-putting at times (The Guerney translation was the favorite of many Russian expat's). Dead Souls is worth the read.

This novel was one of the funniest books I have read from this time period, and easily the funniest book by a 19th century Russian author. Although there are moments of dialogue in Dostoyevsky's books that are humorous, they cannot compare to the prospective serf sellers in Dead Souls. Sobakevich seeks to sell his dead souls based on their merits when they were alive. Nozdrev is a gambler, drunk and compulsive liar who even cheats at checkers. Throw in the overly affectionate Manilov and the miserly and paranoid Plewshkin and one is provided with an entertaining cast of characters. It is due to the idiosyncracies of these characters and the gossip mongering of the neighborhood that leads to a result in which a sort of justice occurs to get rid of the protagonist Chichikov. Of course, in the world created by Gogol, there does not seem to be a moral authority and as a result a sequel would definitely have been feasible. Chichikov did not learn the error of his ways (nor did the town notice amid its idle speculation) and I would have enjoyed Gogol's follow-up.

In this spinoff to Irish Thoroughbred, Nora Roberts goes back to where it all began, only this time the roles are gender flipped. Brian Donnelly, a gifted horse trainer, is hired on at Royal Meadows to succeed Paddy Cunnane who has put in a good word for our hero much as he did for his niece years ago. Keeley Grant is the eldest daughter of Travis Grant and Adelia Cunnane.

Half believing her reputation for being cold, Keeley is somewhat surprised to find herself sparring with, and attracted to, the Irishman. Brian, in turn, is shocked when he finds himself falling fast, not to mention inappropriately, in love with his boss's daughter.

Roberts does a pretty good job of developing Brian and Keeley's story and I was not disappointed overall. While I really found much to admire in Keeley, it took substantially longer to warm up to Brian for the exact same reason Keeley states during one of their initial confrontations. He's a "snob." But as he struggled with his feelings for Keeley, I found myself understanding a bit more about his insecurities when it came the difference in their class status and upbringing.

Roberts revisits original characters from her Irish books without detracting from Brian and Keeley's story. She also does a great job of illustrating the closeness of the Grant family. This is especially noticeable when Keeley needs support which, as Brian points out, isn't very often given her need to be admirably self-sufficient.

Almost 20 years ago, Nora Roberts wrote her first romance book called Irish Thoroughbred. This book told the story of Dee Cunnane, recently arrived from Ireland, and Travis Grant the owner of a large horse farm in Maryland. Continuing the story in Irish Rose, published a few years later, readers were introduced to Dee's cousin, Rose, also from Ireland, who finds herself falling in love with the owner of another horse ranch in the United States. Since that time, Ms. Roberts has become a most beloved romance author continung to dominate the field with her trilogies, romantic suspense, category offerings and even futuristic mysteries written under the name JD Robb.

Now Ms. Roberts returns to Maryland's green fields and horse country in her latest book, Irish Rebel, where we meet Dee and Travis's oldest daughter, Keeley. Keeley Grant is very much like her Irish born mother, headstrong and determined to succeed in all that she tries with little time for romantic interests. But she more than meets her match in Brian Donnelly who has journeyed from Ireland to work as a horse trainer for the Grants. Sparks fly almost immediately and the before the reader knows it, they are once again furiously turning the pages to see what happens next.

Although I have read many of Nora Roberts's titles, she never fails to interest me as she weaves a wonderful tale and this book is no exception. I do hope she will continue writing about the Grants and their children, but if not it's been a pleasure to spend time with them again.

"Irish Rebel" is another fabulous book by Nora Roberts. I always love Nora's series because we get to revisit old friends. In this case we are reunited with Travis and Dee from "Irish Thoroughbred", Nora's first book. This story, however, is about Travis and Adelia's daughter, Keeley Grant. "Irish Rebel" is full of fun and romance and it keeps the reader's full attention from beginning to end.
Keeley's parents, Travis and Dee, the owners of the renowned racing stable "Royal Meadows" have just hired a new horse trainer, Brian Donnelly. Brian has come all the way from Ireland to work for the Grants because he has a remarkable gift for training champions.
When Brian first arrives, he believes that Keeley is a spoiled princess who has never had to work for anything, but he couldn't be more wrong. Keeley is a strong-willed and compassionate woman who teaches under-privileged and abused children to ride.
Brian and Keeley grate on each other's nerves, but they can't deny the powerful attraction they share. Keeley has never had much time for men in her life, and has never found a man who could hold her attention, but with Brian she seems to have met her match.
As Brian discovers more and more about who Keeley really is, he finds himself falling in love with her. Now this Irish rebel, who has spent his life moving from one place to another, wonders if it's finally time to stop running and put down some roots. Will love triumph and keep Brian at Keeley's side?
You'll just have to read the book to find out!
"Irish Rebel" is a truly entertaining and enjoyable read. The romance between Keeley and Brian is fresh and passionate, and all of the characters are richly portrayed and very likeable. This is a wonderful and well-written romance and I guarantee that you will love it like I did. You will get more out of "Irish Rebel" if you have read "Irish Hearts", which contains the two previous books in this series, but it can easily stand alone. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this fantastic book!
I hope that Nora Roberts will write the stories of Travis and Dee's other children very soon.