As different from the author's best known work, The Little Big Man, as that novel is from another comic masterpiece of his, Reinhart in Love, which was completely different from Arthur Rex, Berger's gleeful subversion of the historical novel, which is .... If I were one of those vitamin-deficient, pellagra-ridden geeks who believe in conspiracy theories, I'd believe that there is one, and has been for 35 years, to keep this author down. If this author's books aren't forthwith reprinted, someone ought to die. The body of his work is so rich and varied, in style and subject matter, that he makes Updike seem like the schoolmarmish fuddy duddy he essentially is and Roth the sophomoric he would like to be. Killing Time (now, get this) is about a lovable killer, a man who kills certain people because he felt sorry for them. Yes, Joe Detweiler seems to be a mystic, but at the same time he seems very much a down to earth naif who only wants to become one with the universe (that's why he like to have his penis amputated). Along the way to the transcendent awakening he so devoutly seeks, Joe befriends and mystifies the detective who is trying to solve the murder case, Tierney, the woman who Tierney is having an affair with, who is the sister and daughter of the victims, and (not least) the attorney Melrose, who thinks he has it altogether and who wants to save the childlike Detweiler from himself and an world that just won't understand Detweiler, even though Detweiler thinks his reasons for what he did are so obvious they should go without saying (he himself had forgotten he had committed the murders). And that's just a glib from-the-hip abstract of this highly original novel.

The most serious crime involved in Thomas Berger's "Killing Time" is that the book is out of print. The author lets you know early on who committed the triple murder that's discovered in the opening pages. The joys of the book are the why, the personality of the killer, how it ends, and the kinky truths in the lives of the other characters, major and minor, who Berger creates with a reality, a wit and a way with words that are, simply, tops. Hunt down a copy, read it, and cajole the publisher to reissue this classic

A great combination of new portraits and funny stories of my favorite comedians.

This is, without a doubt, one of the classiest, funniest coffee table tomes I've seen in a long while. William Claxton has always been one of my favorite photographers, and his breathtaking portraits of the great comics herein are pure genius! As for the accompanying stories--funny as hell! I particularly like Dan Aykroyd's witty tale about his toilet paper-tossing father, and Andy Dick's outrageously blue, passive-aggressive tirade contending he's definitely NOT a comedian.

The eclectic mix of personalities in 'Laugh' covers all the bases. If you remember Sid Caesar from 'Your Show of Shows,' he's in here. And if you prefer the avant garde stylings of Bob Odenkirk and David Cross of HBO's 'Mr. Show,' 'Laugh's' got them as well.

In short, great idea, great book. So great, in fact, that I recently gave away ten copies as Christmas gifts. 'Tis the season to be jolly, right? And ain't no book jollier than this one.

Thomas Williams blends intricate prose with real skill for story-telling. His accounts of Leah bring the town to life, filling it with vibrant characters and a tangible spirit of the northeastern United States.

This is one of my favorite collection of short stories. If you like Hemingway's short stories and if you live or like to visit New England you will love these stories.

The unique and historically accurate Lone Star Heroines trilogy by Melinda Rice brings real events in Texas history to life as it shows young readers how girls living at different eras experienced and contributed to dramatic events. In Messenger On The Battlefield (1556227884, ...) is set in 1835 when 11-year-old Isabelina Montoya is happy to hear that her older sister has accepted the marriage proposal of a handsome Mexican solder. But when Texas goes to war against Mexico, dividing Isabelina's family, a decision must be made as to whether they should remain true to their Mexican heritage or fight for their new Texas homeland! Fire On The Hillside (1556227892, ...) is set in the spring of 1847 and finds 13-year-old Katherine Haufmann arriving from Fredericksburg, Texas with her family as immigrants from Germany. As she struggles to get used to her new home, Katherine becomes intrigued by the mysterious fires that start appearing in the nearby hills. While the rest of the townsfolk focus on peace talks with the Comanche, Katherine decides to discover the cause of those mysterious fires. Secrets In The Sky (1556227876, ...) is set in 1943 as World War Two is raging overseas. 12-year-old Bethany Parker lives in Sweetwater, Texas, when the Women Air Force Service Pilots come to town. When one of the women dies during a training flight, Bethany is convinced the mysterious crash was the work of a Nazi spy -- and sets out to prove it! The Lone Star Heroines is an outstanding and very highly recommended series of historical novels for young readers that are each enhanced with a "Sources" bibliography for the further study and more detailed study of Texas history.

The year is 1847, and thirteen-year-old Katherine Haufmann lives with her family in Fredricksburg, Texas. The Haufmanns and their neighbors are immigrants from Germany who founded the town the year before. Even though she has been in Texas a year, Katherine still thinks of Germany as her home, and longs to return. After her father joins a peacemaking expedition to the Comanche Indians, Katherine and the other residents of Fredricksburg notice strange fires on the hillside outside of town, that appear each evening at dark in the same exact two places and last until dawn. With fear rising of a possible attack, either by the Comanche or by bitter Americans who feel the Germans have stolen their land, Katherine takes it open herself to find the origin of the mysterious fires - and puts herself in far greater danger than she ever could have imagined. Based on real events in Fredricksburg, Texas, in the spring of 1847, this is the story of a spunky and courageous young girl who, in her quest for the truth, finds that her home is where she least imagined it being.

Review: The Long Winter Ends by Newton G. Thomas for the Reprint Edition 1998. Original Book Published in 1941.

A first edition The Long Winter Ends has been in our family since 1943 when Newton G. Thomas gave my mother an autographed copy. Dr. Thomas, his wife and my mother had been friends and classmates in college and kept in touch through the years. Thus, my mother knew about the writing of this book. Dr. Thomas told her many of these personal stories and incidents which are the true oral tradition that had come down from "Jim" to his children and their children. So when you read this remarkable book, it is not fiction, but a true story of an English mining family who came to work in the Michigan iron mines after their mines in Cornmwall had been shut down permanently. All the characters in this novel are real people who lived out being "downsized" from the Cornwall mines; being separated for months when the husband came alone to find work work in Michigan; who experienced living with other men in a boarding house where they all came home after working twelve hour shifts. How would you have liked getting up at 6 a.m. to go to work and as you were dressing, your co-worker coming off the night shift climbed into your bed and slept there until you were ready to climb in for the night? You will be challenged by the powerful and vivid description of the breakup of the Cornwall community in which we discover how people lived through such radical involuntary detachment, and survived isolation and loneliness while discovering new hope and growth into a new community. If you had been Jim's newly wedded wife could you have said to him, "It's you and me for it, comrade, whatever comes!" You will discover the true meaning of what America actually was, and did for all immigrants such as our own families who came to the "land of freedom and opportunity." Then there will come to you a new appreciation from the way in which thousands of people along these Cornwall miners have made the vast wilderness of our continent into a truly great nation. Jim, Dr. Thomas' ancestor, is the central person in this saga. When he came to Michigan he could neither vote nor write even his native dialect. It is a very interesting story of how and why he learned to read and write; how to reason, evaluate, and understand all that comes through communication. You may even be led to think about the language problems our own immigrating ancestors had when they came to America. He begins his learning by looking at a child's picture book of animals, and when she sees him reading her book, he takes her on his lap and they read the book together. He said of this experience, "This was my first lesson and she my first teacher." Then there are other incidents and experiences in which he is aware of his shortcomings and recognizes how important it is for him to learn. I have read this book four times over the years and will read it again and again. Why? Because it is a genuine portrayal of people just like us, with skills, character, emotions, minds and hearts. And they are people with hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, successes and failures as we are. It makes me glad to be alive and "doing". Do not be put off by the fact that these people are just common, ordinary folks like us. Actually, you will want to read this story because you will meet yourself, your families, friends and co-workers and discover that "we the people" are America.

Ronald V. Wells * I have a black and white picture of Dr. Thomas, his wife and daughter sitting in their living room. Since he dedicated the book to his wife and daughter, it occurred to me that you might want to think of reproducing the page with these items on it. It would also be possible to add his photograph for my mother. If you happen to decide that this is the review you would like to use, and wish to make these addition, you can reach me at: 3030 Park Avenue Bridgeport, Ct 06604 or by phone: (203) 373-6661. Thank you for your consideration.

Review of THE LONG WINTER ENDS

Newton Thomas' THE LONG WINTER ENDS tells a story related to the great European migration that brought more than 30 million people to America in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Through the life of one illiterate miner named Jim, the novel describes the Cornish experience in the New World. The action begins with the closing of a mine in Cornwall, UK, conversations over limited prospects, a decision, and Jim's inevitable parting from his home, his parents and his young wife, Pol. In simply drawn scenes Thomas dramatizes what must have been the decisive moments in the lives of millions. The story continues on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan when copper was king.

The rest of the novel deals with Jim as he comes to terms with America, a land of limitless opportunity and limited social structure. His fine singing voice makes him an asset to the local church, and the self-improvement ethic of Methodism propels him forward. Eventually, though, Jim must overcome a narrowly Sabbatical faith and other limitations of his former life. He must become a sort of American Adam, finding his own way with the help of a sagacious older friend, a school master, and the stream of letters from Pol.

The fact that much of the story revolves around letters gives the novel its chaste quality, and gives us a relief from the lurid that has become fashionable in literature. THE LONG WINTER ENDS, published before the United States entered the war in 1941, appeared just as tastes were changing. The reader won't find much in the way of gritty detail, though the boarding house scenes, and the beds where miners sleep in shifts, give an edge to Thomas' world. Much of the dialogue is written in a Cornish dialect, which the reader will get the hang of after a few pages. (It's easier reading than HUCKLEBERRY FINN). The speech sustains a sense of reality. Thomas, who was born in Cornwall (in the village where Jim and Pol begin) and who was educated in America, no doubt knew the dialect fro! m his parents. Having been a miner and a country schoolteacher (he later became a dentist and and a professor), he wrote of what he knew. His novel is a remarkable achievement.

Most of the story focuses on the life of the mind, Jim's developing mind, and a growing sense of personal responsibility. Being re-published at a time when the work life of America is drastically changing, and when workers from the board room to the shop floor are being required to take greater responsibility for their careers, this novel has never been more relevant. I highly recommend it.

Gage McKinney

Ever remembered a sentence or two from the book and, still later on, didn't recall where it comes from? Well, there is one in the 'The lost boy' that I'd say I'll never forget. It goes: 'Light came and went and came again...' I would believe this is the best definition of Time I've ever read. It tells what we all already know - that the Time is here, all around, that it passes, eternally, incessantly, giving us no chance to do anything about it. And although there's much more to the nouvellette, it's worth reading it from the beginning to the end. It's 'realness' moves you all along.

This book is a gem! It is brimming with lyricism, longing and passion. It is Wolfe at his very best. For those who feel that Wolfe tended to ramble, here they will find him constrained by the limits of the novella form. They will find his skill for characterization (which was always remarkable) honed to an even higher degree of excellence in this piece. The story is autobiographical and deeply felt by Wolfe and he succeeds in transmitting those feelings to the reader. It is my belief that even if he had written nothing else, his reputation could rest comfortably on this piece alone.

I found this book after reading the prequel "Titanic Crossing" to be just as good, if not better, than the first book. Anyone who lives in Baltimore will definitely enjoy the turn of the century references, as I did to such things as the amusement park and "Roland Park", where I actually live close to! A great read and definitely a page turner as you find out Emily's coming to grips with being a Titanic survivor and learning a lot about life and herself. A must read.

Fans of Titanic Crossing will remember Emily Brewer, a girl that Albert, the main character, befriended aboard the Titanic. In this sequal, twelve-year-old Emily is the main character. Barely a week after the ship sank, and just a few days after they finally arrived in America, Emily, her widowed mother, and her younger brother and sister have come to live in Baltimore. Thankfully, Emily's brother quickly recovers from the mysterious illness that plagued him in India, where Emily's parents were missionaries until her father's death. Emily is haunted by visions of those that did not survive, especially because none of those people had to die if the Titanic had carried enough lifeboats. Emily's mother tells her to stop dwelling on those she couldn't save and start helping those she can save. So the rest of the book from that point onward is about Emily discovering the terrible conditions of child laborers, and her struggle to help them, even though she is putting herself in more danger than she realizes. This story could have been told without the Titanic background, but I liked reading about what happened to the characters of Titanic Crossing, so I didn't mind. There's less action in this one, but readers who want to know more of Emily and Albert's (he's in this one for a short time) adventures will enjoy it anyhow.

Anyone who loves Moby Dick and is looking for another Melvillean challenge, buy a copy of "Mardi and a Voyage Thither". Alas! many marvels await thee whosoever has the time and fortitude to muse through this early Melville Masterpiece! Reading this novel is like watching Melville's genius grow, while you voyage through his mystical, metaphysical world. The following are some excerpts of what to expect on this joyous journey:

"We are off! The courses and topsails are set: the coral-hung anchor swings from the bow; and together, the three royals are given to the breeze, that follows us out to sea like the baying of a hound. Out spreads the canvas -- alow, aloft -- boom-stretched, on both sides, with many a stun' sail; till like a hawk, with pinions poised, we shadow the sea with our sails, and reelingly cleave the brine."

"But how fleeting our joys. Storms follow bright dawnings. -Long memories of short-lived scenes, sad thoughts of joyous hours -how common are ye to all mankind. When happy, do we pause and say - "Lo, thy felicity, my soul?" No: happiness seldom seems happiness, except when looked back upon from woes. A flowery landscape, you must come out of, to behold."

"For there is more likelihood of being overrated while living, than of being underrated when dead. And to insure your fame, you must die."

"My cheek blanches white while I write; I start at the scratch of my pen; my own mad brood of eagles devours me; fain would I unsay this audacity; but an iron-mailed hand clenches mine in a vice, and prints down every letter in my spite. Fain would I hurl off this Dionysius that rides me; my thoughts crush me down till I groan; in far fields I hear the song of the reaper, while I slave and faint in this cell. The fever runs through me like lava; my hot brain burns like a coal; and like many a monarch, I am less to be envied, than the veriest hind in the land."

"Of the highest order of genius, it may be truly asserted, that to gain the reputation of superior power, it must partially disguise itself; it must come down, and then it will be applauded for soaring...that there are those who falter in the common tongue, because they think in another; and these are accounted stutterers and stammerers."

"The catalogue of true thoughts is but small; they are ubiquitous; no man's property; and unspoken, or bruited, are the same. When we hear them, why seem they so natural, receiving our spontaneous approval? why do we think we have heard them before? Because they but reiterate ourselves; they were in us, before we were born. The truest poets are but mouth-pieces; and some men duplicates of each other;"

"Faith is to the thoughtless, doubts to the thinker."

"Some joys have thousand lives; can never die; for when they droop, sweet memories bind them up."

"Now, I am my own soul's emperor; and my first act is abdication! Hail! realm of shades!" -- and turning my prow into the racing tide, which seized me like a hand omnipotent, I darted through. Churned in foam, the outer ocean lashed the clouds; and straight in my white wake, headlong dashed a shallop, three fixed specters leaning o'er its prow: three arrows poising. And thus, pursuers and pursued flew on, over an endless sea."

Mardi, the forgotten child ,is yet entirely singular and needs to be read by those who have fallen under the spell of Melville. An encyclopaedic romp through an almost fantastical landscape of isles and warriors; Melville attempts to pull off one the most extraordinary acts of metaphysical fiction ever. He doesn't quite rein it all in but the experience of reading Mardi is utterly disorientating in the best way. Coming after Typee and before Moby Dick, it is somewhat of a nutty middle ground. The anthropological concerns of Typee are stretched to the limit. Like the stars in the sky, Mardi is vast; (the word is Polynesian for the world)--and as full of wonder.

This is a book that I delight in reading over and over to my 6-year old. The rhymes and glorious illustrations keep my daughter engrossed while enjoying the story and learning life's lessons in a kind and subtle tone.

Your child will be riveted by the tales involving the most lovable bear in children's literature (and you will too!). This memorable character will remain in your hearts and minds for a lifetime. I am purchasing a copy for my friend's five-year-old so that they can experience the pearls of wisdom imparted by Martin Bear with inimitable humor and good nature. The book is modern yet provides moral depth and values. The paintings are sumptuous! Read it and be transported into the realm of Martin Bear and his fears, joys, and tremendous courage. The Penguin, Magic Raccoon, and Nasty Monster are terrific characters too! My children adore this book and I never tire of reading it with them.

I picked up this book while visiting Antietam. The stories were fascinating and really enhanced my understanding of this incredible battle.

I love this book! A must read for anyone interested in the Antietam Campaign and battle.