When I started to read this book the only thing I knew about slavery was that it was appalling to the society, but towards the middle of this book I began to realize the hardships that the slaves had to go through back then. I couldn't imagine if I was split apart from my family in a slave trade. Harriet Beecher Stowe helps everyone reading this book understand what life would be like if we were slaves. During the time that I was reading this novel I couldn't believe all the hardships that Tom had to go through, going from master to master and having to leave all of his friends. Stowe does a superb job describing the charters and their personalities in this book. At the end of this read it helped me think of what life was like then, and to be glad that we live in the time period that we do. In conclusion, if you want a book that makes a difference in peoples' lives then Uncle Tom's Cabin is the right book for you.

Uncle Tom's Cabin, or Life Among the Lowly was a profound fictional, yet real account of slavery in the deep South. I thought I knew the horrors of slavery, but I was sorely mistaken in that regard. After reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, I felt I had a new knowledge of the Pre-Civil War South.
Not only was the story both uplifting and heart-wrenching all at once, it was extremely well-written. I thought I would have an immensely hard time reading and comprehending this nineteenth-century best-seller. Much to my surprise, however, I got into the writing without much difficulty. Because of this, I was able to fully understand (without totally believing) what pains were inflicted upon those of African American blood in the days of slavery.
Stowe's characters are almost implausibly good or evil. This extremity helps to make her point more clear to the reader, and helps them to relate to Tom, Eliza, Harry, George, and all the others all the more. I also thought interesting the way that Stowe speaks to the reader directly, asking them what they would do in such a situation. The fact that the author would express her passions in such a time of national turmoil makes me respet her tremendously. It is one thing for one to write a book on the tragedy of slavery today, when all is said and done, but quite another for one to tell such a tale when friends are fighting friends, families even dividing over the very same issue.
Uncle Tom's Cabin, or Life Among the Lowly is a novel that is most definitely not novel. I would highly reccomend it to anyone with the capacity to feel for the poor people, who, had their lives not been chronicled, may still be enslaved and part of such a terrible system. I don't think anyone's collection of knowledge of slavery or that era in general would be complete without knowing of the triumph of Eliza, George, and Harry and the story of Tom's physical defeat, and spiritual prevail.

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe is a powerful antislavery novel written in the late 1800's. The novel helps the reader understand what it was like being a typical slave in the pre-Civil War south. Slaves were treated like they were less than human; had cruel "masters;" and were often beaten and whipped, sometimes to death, for the slightest mistake. They had absolutely no rights, and many slaves wished that they were dead, rather than be the "property" of a cruel monster who called himself better than them. It also conveys how unconstitutional the slave system was, since the Constitution clearly states that "All men are created equal." Family members were often split up and never saw each other again. The main character in Uncle Tom's Cabin, a slave named Tom, is separated from his family and friends but he is able to somehow maintain his religious faith even after witnessing and experiencing the brutalities of slavery. The novel had a huge impact on many people's lives when it was first published, and it stills does today. I believe the book is well-written and has great character descriptions. It is very thought-provoking and I enjoyed reading it.

Catherine Beecher's famous sister, Harriet, may have sparked some of the ideas presented, but did not actually contribute to the work of writing this book. Catherine was a childless, unmarried, middle-class woman, whose great tragedy was that her fiance was lost at sea before they were married.

She was an intellectual who lived in a time when women were severely constrained by domestic drudgery. Catherine Beecher strived to ennoble women's traditional role through education:

"It is the aim of this volume to elevate both the honor and the remuneration of all employments that sustain the many difficult and varied duties of the family state, and thus to render each department of woman's profession as much desired and respected as are the most honored professions of men."

There is a great deal of moralizing in this book, about lifestyle, Christian charity, care of children and servants, and so forth. In this, Catharine Beecher was a product of her century. Yet some of the observations are surprisingly astute, even for today's readers. For instance, there is a humorous passage about cooking with butter that will have you smiling about rancid butter in every dish. In so many ways, the modern homemaker has less to worry about. We can purchase conveniences that were undreamt of 130 years ago.

This is a self-consciously "American" perspective on keeping a middle class house. Yet the French are looked to as having perfected cooking and many other things, and this sort of repetitious praise can grate on the American reader. Beecher was addressing the American woman during the Civil War and post-Abolition time period, during a great influx of European immigrants and when the population was actively expanding westward. She had it in mind to influence the young woman of a certain generation, and in many ways, her ideas were both more advanced and more orderly than what had gone before.

This book is a *must read* for students of Women's History as it pertains to women in the home. If you are interested in the 19th century lifestyle, you will find many domestic details here.

The Beecher sisters and Mark Twain were comfortable neighbors in 1869, living the good life on Hartford's elm lined streets. Mark wrote humorously about world travel or of his adopted home town, what was to become the "Insurance Capital of the World" while Harriet Beecher Stowe could claim authorship of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Catherine Beecher wrote a very practical "how to" book, the American Woman's Home, with a little help from her famous sister. The life they lived had not yet been saturated with the influence of petroleum....that would take some time to get up to speed.

Jean Fritz does a wonderful job with this short biography for young adults. It's easy to read and gives lots of information on Harriet's life without boring you or causing your brain to feel overstuffed. There are pictures as well. I recommend this book for everyone, and it was a big help in my research.

This book was recomended to my by one of my study books after I finished reading Uncle Tom's Cabin. This book gives you insightful information about Harriet and her family, but does not make it dull. It is not to long of a book perfect for those readers who don't want to waste time on extra information. This book made me want to study further on about Harriet Beecher Stowe and learn more about her. I highly recomend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about someone and their part of making history.

My reason for reading this book was to understand why some Blacks today are called 'Uncle Toms'. Once I began the book, I realized that I would have to stop looking at the book frrom the perspective of a Black woman in the year 2001. That the author was not a slave or a Black is very obvious, and her own misconceptions about Blacks are very disturbing. But she is, after all, writing from her the only point of view she knew. I found the book to be very engrossing, easy to read and also interesting enough to keep me from flipping to the end.

"Uncle Tom's Cabin was a very good book. I wouldn't encourage younger people like 4th and 5th graders to read it, but I think everyone needs to read it by the time they graduate from school."

Harriet Beecher Stowe created a wonderful tale of adventures and misery when she wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin. The story is about a slave named Tom, who is abruptly sold to a slave trader. His life becomes unsure as he travels from master to master. The book shows the pros and cons of slavery. While a few owners are kind to their slaves, others are ruthless and cold. Tom struggles to keep a pure heart and mind as he is sold to an evil man who cares nothing about his slaves.
Published in 1851, Uncle Tom's Cabin increased the support of abolitionists in the United States. It unveiled the evils of slavery to the public. People were shocked at the horrors of slavery and quickly became abolitionists. Uncle Tom's Cabin is one of the most famous books of the 1800s. I enjoyed the book very much. It perfectly blends mystery, humor, and drama. I recommend this book to anyone who is intrigued with the Civil War, or anyone looking for a classic.

We can't forget WHY this book was written in the first place. It was a ...tool used by Stowe to light a fire in an apathetic society. Uncle Tom, Simon Legree, George Harris, Eliza, and etc were examples of all sorts of bits and pieces of stories and legends that Harriet Beecher Stowe had heard or experienced. Yes, Uncle Tom was too good to be realistic. But, Stowe chose to portray him as almost Christ-like. (and definitely a martyr.) A martyr for the black race in this novel. That is why Uncle Tom is so pious and so spiritual. He can die for the cause because he uses Christ and his crucification as his (Tom's) inspiration. Little Eva was almost like a biblical prophet. She certainly did not express herself as a normal 5 and 6 year old would. But in this case, Stowe uses Eva as a source of conscience for the white southerners. Each character was not just simply a name. Each character was a manifistation of eithor: 1.good 2.evil or 3.public perception at that time. Yes this book by todays standards is considered prejudiced or racist. I believe Stowe was doing her best to motivate the public and to cause an otherwise apathetic nation to overturn the common practice of slavery. This was not a novel that tried in any way to proove absolute equality between the two races. This may make the book racist to some readers, but we must remember the time and the reason this novel was written.

Uncle Tom's cabin is frequently criticized by people who have never read the work, myself included. I decided I finally needed to read it and judge it for myself. And I have to say, that for all its shortcomings (and it does have them), it is really a remarkable book. The standout characteristics of this book are the narrative drive (it's a very exciting, hard to put down book), the vivid characters (I don't know what other reviewers were reading, but I found the characters extremely vivid and mostly believable - exceptions to follow), the sprawling cast, the several completely different worlds that were masterfully portrayed, and the strong female characters in the book. The portrayal of slavery and its effects on families and on individuals is gut-wrenching - when Uncle Tom has to leave his family, and when Eliza may lose little Harry, one feels utterly desolate.

As for flaws, yes, Mrs. Stowe does sermonize a fair bit, and her sentences and pronouncements can be smug. Yes, if you're not a Christian, you may find all her Christian references a bit much. (But the majority of her readers claimed to be Christian, and it was her appeal to the spirit of Christ that was her most powerful tug at the emotions of her readers). Yes, she still had some stereotypical views of African-Americans (frankly, I think most people have stereotypical views of races other than their own, they just don't state them as clearly today). But in her time, she went far beyond the efforts of most of her contemporaries to both see and portray her African-American brothers and sisters are equal to her. The best way she did this was in her multi-dimensional portrayal of her Negro characters -- they are, in fact, more believable and more diverse than her white characters. Yes, at times her portrayal of Little Eva and Uncle Tom is overdone at times -- they are a little cardboard in places -- but both, Uncle Tom especially, are overall believable, and very inspiring. The rest of the Negro characters - George Harris, Eliza, Topsy, Cassie, Emmeline, Chloe, Jane and Sara, Mammy, Alphonse, Prue, and others, span the whole spectrum of humanity -- they are vivid and real.

The comments of a previous reviewer that the book actually justifies slavery (because "it says it's no worse than capitalism") and that it shows that Christianity defends slavery are due to sloppy reading of the book. No one reading the book could possibly come to the conclusion that it does anything but condemn slavery in the strongest and most indubitable terms. This was the point of the book. The aside about capitalism was just that, an aside on the evils of capitalism. It did not and does not negate the attack on slavery. Secondly, another major point of the book is that TRUE Christianity does not and could not ever support slavery. Stowe points out the Biblical references used to claim that Christianity defended slavery merely to show how the Bible can be misused by those who wish to defend their own indefensible viewpoint. It's ridiculous to say that the book "shows that Christianity supported slavery". It shows that some misguided preachers abused certain Bible passages and ignored other ones to support their view of slavery.

There is an overlay of the tired "Victorian women's novel" to this piece - that must be granted. For literary perfection, it will never take its place beside Tolstoy, Dickens and Austen. But it is a piece entirely of its own category. Nothing before or after it has been anything like it, and it IS a great, if flawed, novel. I highly recommend it. I give it 5 stars despite its flaws because it's utterly unique, and its greatness is in some ways is related to its flaws.

I had to read this book for a Neglected Novels of the 19th century class. Stowe's examination into the problems of calvinism and the role of women in American society are insightful. Stowe's prose is entertianing and clear, but can be a bit droning, especially if the reader isn't acquainted with the style of 19th century novels. Overall I'd recomend this book to anyone who enjoys 19th century Lit.

For the first time I got to read this absolutely astounding masterpiece, I got thrilled and enchanted by the most beautiful language, descriptions that make you see the set and actions before your eyes, and of course this consuming crazy passion which entwines both main characters. Emily Bronte succeed not only in creating a most touching, and yet horrifying love story, which can only be compared to Phantom by Susan Kay,but also managed to make it a Gothic tale with symbolism and double meaning all around. This is a book to be read many times, and understood deeply. I was 16 when I've read it for the first time, and since then I reread it for countless number of times, and each time I discovered something new. It helped me to grow emotionally. In this story, "physical" true love is lifted above our world, ad turned into something more spiritual. The bond between heathcliff and Cathy was so strong that it conquered death. A greatest love story of all time. A must-read for anyone.

Wuthering Heights is one of oldest romance novels and stands as a classic in litterature history.
All through the book you will meet great contrasts that to a certain extent can explain the actions. Wuthering heights is the land of storm and wilderness compared to the quiet and more passive Thruscross Grange where one might think it's more appropriate for children to grow up. The Earnshaw family lives on Wuthering Heights while the Linton family is from Thruscross Grange. When those two contrasts meets with the children of these two families, the conflicts starts. Catherine and Heathcliff are drawn to eachother from the begining and their passion is powerful and destructive. There's love, hate and suffering, but written in a poetic somewhat advanced language and it's echanting how you get caught up with this book.
Sad is it that Emily Brontë died the year after its publication at the age of thirty... But with this novel and her poems, she is one of the most well known female English writers of the 18th century.
You will surely miss out on something great by not reading this book. I warmly recommend Wuthering Heights to everyone who loves to read. It is truly a unique piece of writing!

This is one book I've read over and over again, to understand how it appears to other people. Whomsoever have I met consider it to be rude and strange at first. What this book means to me is unsurpassed literature. It depicts rough love- a love that is as wild as the moors of England. Wuthering Heights breeds initself a "horror of darkness", we sometimes breathe in our lives. The love existing between Heathcliff- the most loved villians of all time and Catherine stands strong. This book is about a stranger entering a household where he is rejected, and during this course betrays the one solitary feling in his heart- not being his love for Catherine, but compassion. The other half of the story reaches a point where Heathcliff takes his sweet revenge. There are no answers to questions like: Should a character like Heathcliff exist or not? I do not know. This is a masterpiece in literature depicting love, innocence lost, friendship, forgiveness and above all acceptance. Unfortunately, this was the first and last book of Emily Bronte. Wish there were more novels like this one!

This biography was exhausting to read. The author painted a bleak, even disrespectul picture of this truly unique woman. There must be a better biography of this great woman! This book is not worth the time it takes to read it, which is a considerable amount given its enormous size! I do not recommend this biography in the least. Very disappointed with the author's approach to her subject.

While, this book was informative, it was a chore to read. While chronological, it seemed disjointed and was difficult to finish. I couldn't believe this book won some sort of award and only slogged through it because it was a gift from someone who met the author at a wedding.