Jack Worthing is engaged to lady named Gwendolyn and they are soon to get married. Jack had to find away to escape from Miss Prism because she disapproved of him so he created a brother named Earnest. While Jack was in London he feel in love with another women named Cecily Carden. Over time his fiancée's mother started to see that there was more to Jack than what he was letting on to. The only reason that Cecily wants the marry Jack is because she thinks that his name is really Earnest. Jack/ Earnest has a fiancée but is in love with another women at the same time.

This is a very short book but at the same time it is very easy to get in to because of the conflicts that occur. This book is very funny especially the conversations between Jack and Algernon. The story is a political and social satire and a look at the upper British society. I thought that the story was great because of the humor but at the same time the story was kind of sneaky which drew me into the story even more. I would suggest the book to anyone.

Perhaps it is my unique sense of humor, but I found this book incredibly funny. I wasn't rolling on the floor or anything, but it is funny in an Oscar Wilde way. My personal favorite is The Importance of Being Earnest, although all the others are very good also. Get this book. There are great quotes and good characters.

"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his.
Is that clever?
It's perfectly phrased! and quite as true as any observation in civilized life should be."

This is just one of the many jocular exchanges and epigrams in this short but brilliant social satire. Wilde wryly and cleverly gets his claws into the upper caste and its twisted moral etqieuette, romantic relationships, and self-critically the propensity for sententious moral (and aesthetic) self-guidance.

Dispensing with politeness and social convention through his farcical dialogue, Wilde unleashes his comic criticism on all types of hypocrisies and spurious norms. The Importance of Being Ernest is always subversive and funny, but never crude or sophomoric.

This book is amazing. Its year-by-year descriptions are historical and often suspensful. I remember the first time I read this book, before I knew the outcome of many of the years' awards; each year was a new drama with Mr. Wiley and company setting up the atmosphere of the race. Now, fifteen years later, I own the latest edition of Inside Oscar. It is a constant source of amusement and information. The writing is skillful and clever, and the categorical listing at the back is an invaluable reference. Every year during Oscar season, I will pick up an article by some journalist whose grasp of Oscar history is minimal, and I wonder why they don't just look up who REALLY won in Inside Oscar. I know Mr. Wiley is no longer with us, but I hope Mr. Bona and company continue the great work for future editions. I know I'd love to be a contributor to this tremendous work.

For everyone who gets 'movie madness' every March by eagerly anticipating Oscar night, this is a must-own book. It is the bible of Oscar knowledge and includes every nomination and winner from 1927 until the mid-90's. It is by far the greatest Academy Award reference tool that is available and just by paging through the nominee list in the back for a few minutes, your video rental list will grow by the foot.
The first portion gives the reader a quick history lesson including how the illustrious Academy began and how the golden statue got his trademark name. Following that, every year gets its own chapter in which the authors tell of the studio campaigns to get their films nominated, what the critics and gossip writers were reporting at the time, and who got a nominee and who got screwed. The chapter ends with an "Oscar Night," section, which goes down to the most minute detail of each Awards ceremony from the lame jokes the host tried to crack ("U-ma, O-prah!"),to the most flubbed speeches, embarrassing dance performances (Rob Lowe and Snow White?!), timeless quotes ("You like me, you really like me!") and hideous dresses. It also gives the list of presenters and the highlights of the post-Awards parties.
The back though, with the nominee history, is easily my favorite and one can spent countless hours paging through and remembering the classic films of years past or debating with friends about who got robbed in the best supporting category in 1962. I like to use the back as a checklist of what I've seen and need to see next.
My paperback edition is thoroughly warped and I hope the authors put out a new edition or else mine is going to fall apart soon. A warning though, the book does get rather depressing in April because that means there's 11 more months until next year's big show!

Wiley and Bona have created the premier reference work on the Oscars - the complete list of nominees and victors, taking up the book's final 200 pages, is reason enough to buy it. It's the liveliest reference work you'll ever read: Each annual essay contains bite-size recollections of the impact (or lack of same) of movies big and small, at the box office and in the press, full of dishy reviews and catty responses. Each essay year has info that the most dedicated movie buff won't remember or never knew, particularly the fascinating narrations of Tinseltown Oscar campaigns. The level of detail is astonishing, down to which '90s ceremony participants did and didn't wear AIDS ribbons. Lovingly detailed descriptions of ceremony attire, highlights of speeches and host schtick - good and (much more often) bad, and follow-ups to big wins, failed campaigns and Oscar night emabarrassments never fail to fascinate. The book is more than 1,000 pages long, and once it's over, you'll be begging for more. Guys, write about 1995-99! If you have the first edition (which runs through 1987), buy the latest edition (which runs through 1994). The new essays are even more exhaustive, since the source material is contemporary, and, presumably, contains the authors' firsthand reporting. Only one quibble: In a book stuffed with deliciously nasty commentary from film reviewers, Wiley and Bona beg off from relating John Simon's "too cruel" criticisms of Sofia Coppola in The Godfather, Part III. Mason, Damien: You don't pull a punch anywhere else in your masterpiece. WHAT DID HE SAY?

The Canterville Ghost is a small book, which is quite easy to read.
It is a funny story and there are a lot of jokes. Sometimes it is a little bit boring., but when you like the spiritual then you like this book.
It is a fantasy history, who you can use your own imagination. It is also a sad story, although superficially there is a happy ending.
There you see the difference between the serious minded English people and the practical Americans
You can see parallels between the story and the writer. Oscar Wilde had a very difficult life at the end, and in his story it is the ghost, which suffers a lot because of the fact that he has no audience who is willing to pay attention to his pranks.
I think it is a good book to read at school. And I have loved the jokes very much and I like the mystical and spiritual side of this book too.

The Canterville Ghost is a small book, which is quite easy to read. The difficult words have a translation in German.

It is a funny story and there are a lot of jokes. Sometimes it is a little bit boring., but when you like the spiritual then you like this book.
It is a fantasy history, who you can have your own imagination. It is a sad history, but there is a happy ending.

There you see the different between the serious spiritual English people and the practical American people.

You can see the similarity between the story and the writer. Oskar Wilde has had a very difficult live, and in his story is the ghost a thing, which have a bad live.

I think it is a good book for read at school, because it is a good English. And I have loved the jokes very much and I like the mystical and spiritual in this book.

I like this story really. It is a story of a ghost who want to fright the new American family but they are too easy and they aren't frightened. So he has a mission to do.
This story is unusual for a ghost. It is a interesting and thrilling story. It is also easy to read for students. I didn't feel bored, when I read this book, because you are in this thrilling situation. But it is also very funny and your face will be touched with a smile. So the whole story is very good.

I can be petty and focus on the son, who is too perfect a teenager, or focus on the miraculous cure of Mr. Ives' skin disease, or focus on his Catholic beliefs and how promptly and frequently he engaged in fornication with Annie (before holy matrimony!). But somehow i have to give this book a grand total of 5 starts, because its positive aspects far outweigh my criticisms. I love the vignette format, because it is not only a fresh approach to telling a story, but also the very way we recount a life. Hijuelos does a superb job describing the fossilizing of Ives' feelings, his self-pity disguised as stoicism, Annie's frustration, Ramirez's way of being (by far, the most endearing character in the book; i cried when i read about his travel bag and its contents).

Funny that the novel spans over 70 years of the life of Mr. Ives, because the pace is fast and the narrative is colorful, yet refined. The core of the book, Mr. Ives' feelings and religious sentiment, plus his wondering about identity and background, are examined with an elegant simplicity, despite the conflicting emotions he has in both counts. This is an excellent portrayal of a good man, who puts his money (and time, and effort) where his mouth is, the very essence of Christian love. What a sweet human being. How touching the scene where he follows a woman fantasizing that she is his birth mother, and he is somehow protecting her from potential muggers. How touching that he enjoys the ethnic diversity and his dealings with the Hispanic and Black communities. How could anyone possibly not enjoy Mr. Ives in all his goodness?

Yes, Hijuelos won the Pulitzer for Mambo Kings. Mambo Kings deserved two Pulitzers: it was excellent. But Mr. Ives Christmas exists on a different level; it's among the best books written in the past twenty years. Hijuelos' style is lyrically exquisite, his tone soft and measured, his insight is startling and poignant. A profound, moving, nearly perfect piece from one of America's most gifted, beautiful writers. Takes the best of American realism and dips it into latin magic to produce Hijuelos' best book by far - a book that every human being should read.

Another wonderful Oscar Hijuelos novel-- so different than "Mambo Kings" yet so powerful. Hijuelos has done what thousands of sermonizers and preachers could never do. He has exemplified faith through the story of a real man in a real world with real problems. Edward Ives is not perfect and his struggle to find God is not dramatic - it takes his entire lifetime, but a simple faith sustains him. I'm not Catholic, but this story demonstrates how the church and those that are a part of it can be God's instrument in an imperfect world -- just the opposite of the tremendous beating the church has taken recently. "Mr. Ives' Christmas" is a beautiful story, the people are real, and the theme is profound. The author has made a powerful statement in a calm & quiet manner.

I heard about Oscar'Zeta' Acosta basically from reading Hunter S. Thompson's book but became quickly fascinated by Dr. Gonzo and wanted to know more about him. I was pleased to find out he had also written some books and was even more pleased to find out he was(is?) a very good writer. Truly an inspiration to anyone who has ever felt their identity as an american is something that they have had to come to grips with. Apart from that serious subtext, it also a very entertaining and amusing story that rolls along, introducing some interesting and memorable characters and situations. A passionate human being wrote this book and it is filled with all the honesty and humanity of someone bearing his soul to achieve a greater sense of genuine self which for Oscar Acosta means being "A Brown Buffalo"

This book is one of the most memorable I have read in many years. Oscar lived an incredible life, and his ability to render it in this book is consistently amazing. I've read this book about three times, and I reflect on the trajectory of Oscar's life often.

To finally learn who the inspriation behind H.S. Thompson's Gonzo attorney was a treat. This book is a must read for anyone who desired the guts to quit their job and hit the road and discover life on the 'other' side of life. Every American should graze where the Buffalo once roamed.

I found this book humurous and lighthearted. Easy to read, short chapters, but, with alot of punch. Good, sound advise on how to put the patient first, making them feel at ease and important. Over 20 years of real life experiences in medical practice have brought Dr. London wisdom to pass onto future generations. A must for anyone in the healthcare field.

If you're looking for the perfect gift for the newly med grad, this is certainly it!! You can't put down this book; you start off smiling and you soon end up laughing so hard that if you read it at night you'll probably wake up everybody. Although patients might get a few laughs as well, the book is really meant for doctors and each of the 57 rules to live by are absolutely true. London (a pseudonym), himself an M.D. and self-appointed W.B.D. (world's best doctor), is a seasoned writer and delivers good advice for the rocky road of medicine. I reread it whenever things get tough and I always feel refreshed. Excellent book!!

Dr London provides 57 vignettes peppered with his dry humor and eloquence. Each is only a few pages, making for good "bathroom reading". Overall, the book is a must-read for young doctors and medical students. These pearls provide the benefits of his experience and insight in an entertaining and easily digestable format. Some are light, some serious, all are instructive in the qualities modern physicians should strive to embody.

This play seems to be true to Oscar Wilde's real biographical story in terms of its dialogues, but I did not enjoy reading it much. At first, I thought to myself: "Well, it is a PLAY, after all, may be it will seem better on a theater stage, where it belongs". So, I went to see three different versions in three different theaters. I am sorry to say, but I did not feel much better about this play after doing that. Well...if you are REALLY INTERESTED IN OSCAR WILDE, you might as well read it, but if you are only mildly interested, then this play is not for you.

I have been lucky enough to share the initiation of Mr. Kaufman career in theater in Venezuela, have seen Gross Indecency both in New York and London several times, and have read the play, which is masterfully built. This is a unique experience, both read and seen, and believe me, Mr. Kaufman will be remembered in the future as one of the great names of theater of our time. This may sound as an exaggeration, but if you are someone who is looking for trends in theater, great acting, the influence of Brecht in new generations, never forget this author and director.

i decided to read gross indecency after seeing something about it on tv. being a big fan of oscar wilde's work, i thought that it would be informative. but it went so far beyond that... the play is a little hard to get into at first, and if you're not a fan of oscar wilde, i really wouldn't recommend reading it. you can really see the oscar's transformation during the course of the three trials, from an independent artist with his own views on morality who refuses to be ashamed about his sexuality, to someone who has seen the people he was friends with testify against him over and over....i don't know how anyone could survive in such a situation..... anyway, this play gave me a whole new knowledge of the life of oscar wilde and a new respect for him, the choices that he made, and the courage that he had. if you are really interested in the life of oscar wilde, read this.

This book is more of an autobiography rather than "The Wisdoms of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch". I feel that some chapters really had nothing to do with their title. The book was also somewhat repetitive, and I thought the ending was good, but a big cliche.

However, I grew up watching Seasame Street and really enjoyed hearing behind the scene facts about the show, puppets, and the people who worked on it. There were also some very heart-warming moments in the chapters. It's a pretty easy read with short chapters. This is definitely a read for any Seasame Street or Jim Henson fan, but don't expect a lot of actual "wisdom", just fun stories about the show and the puppets!

This books is great. It has wonderful behind the scenes stories of Sesame Street and the Muppets, besides being a biography. A very easy read too.

Carol Spinney is a poet at heart. He personifies the kind, feeling character he brings to life--because he truly is that character. Milligan and Spinney touch our deepest humanity in a book of both lightness and depth. This is a book for you to enjoy and give to those you love. Spinney's sketches are a lovely bonus.

This review refers to "Inside Oscar 2" by Damien Bona.....

What did Sharon Stone wear to the Oscar Ceremony in 1995 that caused a big stir and increased sales at "The Gap"?...And what about Oliver Stone..nominated for and Original Screenplay for "Nixon" but a no show at the ceremonies...what's up with that? What about those wacky guys who brought you "South Park: Bigger..." and the controversial song "Blame Canada" in 1999, Matt Stone, Trey Parker and Mark Shaiman. What were THEY wearing and who would be lucky enough to sing their song on stage. Find out the answer to these very important and burning questions in Damien Bona's follow up to "Inside Oscar"..."Inside Oscar 2".

For fans of "The Big Night", the annual Oscar awards, this a five star book full of every detail that goes on surrounding the Oscar hubbub.It's got all the elements a good movie would have. Action and Adventure (this mostly occurs when the stars run into Joan Rivers on the Red Carpet pre-show), Mystery and Action (remember the year the Oscars were stolen and where they were found?),Romance(the stars love that little guy), Lots and lots of comedy, and even some sci/fi...who could forget that thing that Bjork wore in 2000. What was that anyway?

Damien Bona has once again done an excellent job of bringing the Oscar events to us. This "sequel" covers the more recent years of 1995-2000. As in the first book, Bona has formated each year, beginning with detailed events leading up to the nominations,all the excitement of the "Big Night", who presented, Billy Crystal's opening songs, great acceptance speeches, and finally the aftermath of what went on after the presentations(find out who sat with who at what party and what they ate). And also you will find a great refrence section in the back, naming every award, nominee and winner by year. I applaud Bona for changing with the times. As over the years more attention has been paid to what the stars were wearing, those ever multiplying pre shows, and even the growing notarity of the bleacher fans, so Mr. Bona has been sure to include all those details and much more in this book.He also includes many of the critics opinions, good and bad, and is pretty open with his own feelings on certain films himself.

If your as crazy for "Oscar" as you are for the films themselves, you'll love this book. It will keep you laughing at the antics of the studios and the stars, and you won't be able to put it down. And if you haven't read the first one, it's a must. It has all the info on Oscar from the very beginning of Oscar history.

One little teeny complaint....Mr Bona...I was ready for my close-ups!...what happened to all the wonderful pictures of the stars and their Oscars at the beginning of each chapter..I missed those this time...Please include some in "Inside Oscar 3". I'll be waiting and thanks for the memories......Laurie

I received this book for a Christmas present from my friend, and I've hardly scarcely been able to put it down and do other things. I am learning so much about the Academy Awards that I didn't know regarding how they are campaigned for and what actually happens on "The Big Night." And I am also laughing so much.

How can anyone not esteem a book that contains such funny things as:

"Lasse Hallstrom got booked for an excellent gig. He was invited by Academy Award winner Rabbi Marvin Hier to screen The Cider House Rules at the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance, followed by a question and answer segment. Hallstrom would be representing a pro-choice stance a day after an appearance by George W. Bush, the simpleton Texas governor running for the Republican Presidential nomination. Bush was there on behalf of the 'pro-life' side - even though he had never seen anything so forlorn as an electric chair not in use."

And this, on The Green Mile,

"The silver-tongued Frank Darabont told Premiere, 'I have a deep, abiding fear of turning out something crappy,' and then he went and made The Green Mile. One sat in the theater dumfounded because Darabont seemed to have a kind of genius for piling absurdity upon absurdity to such a point that it got to seem utterly post-modern. . . Not only are the prison guards decorous and unfailingly civil, the death row inmates likewise - with one exception - are grand hail-fellow-well-met types, and the Depression-era prison itself is the most immaculate and pleasant institution imaginable. A lot of fuss is made about a mouse in the cell-block - as if a backwoods penitentiary in 1935 wouldn't have been crawling with rodents. Moreover, this little mouse was so precious that he could have had the title role in Stuart Little."

And this,

"On Poltically Incorrect the next night, host Bill Maher complained that so many fashion critics were gay men. "I'm a little tired of hearing gay men telling me what's sexy about women. How would they know?" he groused. 'They don't know what's sexy about a woman." One of the guests was Richard Roeper, the man whom Roger Ebert had personally selected as his post-Siskel television partner, even though Roeper had no background in film. If Siskel and Ebert could fairly have been called Tweedledum and Tweedledee, then now it was Tweedledee and the Village Idiot. Roeper piped up to disagree with Maher, declaring that gay men "know what's sexy about women's clothes -- they wear them."

Inside Oscar 2 even quotes hilarious anger from Barbra Streisand fanatics who posted their thoughts in consternation on the internet when they thought their diva wasn't treated with respect on Oscar night

I'm so glad I have this book. Maybe it will not succeed to change my life, but it does succeed to make my life much more enjoyable. Thank you Mr. Damien Bona.

The original Inside Oscar is deservedly acknowledged as a classic, but I think I like this sequel even more. It is so much fun, constantly providing real honest-to-goodness out-loud laughs. And the writing is so lively. It's one of those rare books that you pick up and start reading and before you know it, you've spent an hour without putting it down.

The detail for each year is just extraordinary - on such areas as the production histories of the contending movies, the background and backstage drama of each Oscar ceremony, the campaigns (which have gotten especially important in the years covered by the book), the arrivals at the show, and so on. The author knows exactly how to pinpoint the funny, telling detail.

As for the author's opinions, I find them extremely well-reasoned and eloquently set forth. And also, he balances his own opinions with opposing stances from various film critics. As for political comments, these Republican reviewers need to get a grip. There's no more than a half-dozen remarks of a political nature. And none of them is arbitrary - they all come in the context of some political aspect regarding a campaign, a movie, an award or a comment made on the show..

Inside Oscar 2 is a wonderful book, and is a must-have for anyone who loves movies and/or is interested in Hollywood. It's amazing to me that a book can both contain so much information and also be so entertaining.

It's an interesting book for someone who aspires to write a novel. But I did not find nearly as much practical advice and instruction as I hoped. For example, there are only a few pages on plotting your novel. Evan Marshall's book on novel-writing, on the other hand, has about 60 pages.

This book is more of a pep talk, a "you can do it" kind of thing. If that's what you're looking for, this is it. But for something to help you get a novel written, I'd look elsewhere. Marshall's, which I mentioned, is a favorite of mine, but there are others, too.

This is not the best writing book for those who have already read such books and for those who are already somewhat expiereinced at writing; That, however, is not who it is targeted at or who it is best for (as the title suggests). It is for people who are interested inwriting but have probably not started--or just not been at it long--who are new to writing books. It is great at providing the basic and practical advice every writer needs in the beginning, and it provides a very important asset for the beginner: motivation.

I've read more than a few good books on writing; several are quite inspirational. The difference here is that this book is practical. I wrote my first novel following the guidelines set forth in Collier and Leighton's book, and I sold it to a major publishing company. Inspiration is great; inspiration plus methodology is better.