I have spent the last 9 years seeking a cure for a psychiatric problem. The means to such ends consisted of trying Lithium, Prozac, Depakote, Paxil, Zoloft, Neurontin, Risperadol and numerous psychiatrists and therapists. Lithium was the the only effective option for combatting the mania; Neurontin provided that happy feeling. I was thus branded bipolar II by virtue of that which was effective. I accidentally found Reid's book on Chinese Health and Healing which pointed me to the Tao of HS&L. I think they complement each other. Heeding his advice I underwent a 6 day 12 hour fast. Performed numerous colonic irrigations, modified my dietary intake from carnivorous to herbivorous, followed the advised food combination guidelines, undertook the chi kung exercises as recommended and a pranyama exercise(Breath of Fire). These exercises eased the inevitable misery of the detoxification process. Haven't touched Lithium or Neurontin in two months and surprisingly I am happy. My focus has returned. I am no longer an aggressive, uncontrolled animal. My consciousness with each passing day increases in clarity. Five stars for effective practical advice.

This book was an unexpected, and amazing find. While not every page of this book may be for you, it will definately act like a 'slap in the face' about your current lifestyle. The insight provided into health (mental and physical), diet and longevity is priceless.

If you feel sluggish, unsatisfied, and wanting more from life, this book is for you. So many of our 'Western' habits are founded on the wrong principles, or they don't listen to the natural way of the body. This book leads you by the hand, and points you in the right direction.

By far one of the most enlightening books I've ever read. Buy it even if you could care less about 'Taoism'. It will compliment anyone's life. Contains detailed information about diet and food combinations, real-world nutritional facts (not nutritional theorems grown in a lab by a scientist working for a food corporation), great solutions for stress relief and inner peace, and so much more.

Throw out every self help book, diet book, and exercise book that you own and read The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity. It starts with the nature of your body in mind, not with a theory.

Where most books contain some helpful advice, you are often left feeling like your money was taken. This book will make you wish for more. Much more.

I believe I was like everyone else in thought, that I could try to be healthier, but that I wouldn't feel THAT much better. But I did, and I did. So much so that I took Reid's suggestions (ancient Chinese wisdom) to extreme, my life so much better for it. It's amazing how much improvement can be made from diet alone. Acupuncture and herbs can tweek your condition, but the most substancial improvements are made with diet as described in this book. I found great improvements with every aspect tried - including colonics. Areas of possible improvements are endless. With true effort following this book, I have cured my allergies, improved my vision, controlled Reynaud's phenomenon, and have been sick only twice in the past two years (both just a head cold. My most prized improvement has been clarity of mind, best described as level of awareness.

I also recommend Reid's, "The Complete Book of Chinese Health and Healing", as an important compliment. Although this second one is repetishous of "The Tao ...", it has some sound info on food profiles (p.108) and some important material (not in "The Tao ...") on replenishing or building up your lactobacteria colony, especially following any colonic irrigations.

If you have interest in taoist philosophy and practice, "The Tao ..." is a great place to start, covering most every aspect "the way" can be applied and reaped in ones life.

Happiness and Wholeness.

I bought this book simply because some of my online reading buddies have raved about this book. And they were right. Normally, I don't read such sappy stories as it is predictable, but I must confess this book isn't predictable and it's really one of the sweetest books I've read in a long time.

The Lighthouse Keeper isn't about just about lighthouses ~~ it is about two men and a woman keeping in touch with their heritage and learning life's tough lessons along the way. Uncle Bill came to Port Hope after a tragedy happened to him and he found renewed hope and joy in life again. Peter, his nephew, comes home from WWII to carry on the tradition that his uncle has started ~~ by keeping the light on for other weary sailers in the world. And Kathleen, Peter's daughter is the silent observer with her own glimpses into her family's heritage. And Pratt combines the two men's stories into one.

This novel is not normally what I would choose to read because I am spoiled by lyrical writing and thought-provoking novels ~~ but I am glad that I managed to pick this book up. It is one of the most uplifting novels I have read so far this year. It provides a glimmer of life and hope after tragedies abound in one's life. And it leaves you with a warm glow after the last page is turned.

If you like Pratt's "The Last Valentine," then you will like this book. It's one of the sentimental and uplifting book with a moral ~~ never let life's woes keep you down. It's also a quick read and a thoroughly enjoyable one as well. This is one I would recommend to others!

This delightful story of personal and family trials, tribulations and triumphs will appeal to all readers. James Pratt allows his readers to share his characters' lifes as he introduces the reader to Peter, Billie, Anna, Katie and Kathleen. Life is a struggle but it also has its rewards. As I was reading, I felt empathy for the characters. I laughed with them; I cried with them. I experienced their misery and I experienced their joy. Seldom has a book pulled at my heart and emotions as much as "Lighthouse Keeper" did. James Pratt has not just written a wonderful story but also a book that teaches a moral. I'm glad that i read "Lighthouse Keeper".

I saw this beautiful cover in the store , totally unfamiliar with
the work of James Michael Pratt. This work is a great love story.
It tells of love between man and woman , yes of course. The love
of members of family bridging generations is the story. Peter O' Banyon 's oral legacy to his daughter Kathleen is touching to
the reader and teaches us lessons in life. The story for his
daughter, telling of suffering , love , lives , and strength is
a family legacy. There are many people who would relish knowing
their first hand family stories. Having a close family member tell their story and the story of those before them is truly a
valuable legacy to be cherished. The setting of the lighthouse
was a beautiful image to the theme of the story as it taught the
idea of strength and faith as one faced life tragedy. This novel
rates very high on the list of my favorites.

An eighteenth century novel recounting the life and survival of a strong willed Moll Flanders, a woman who, abandoned as an infant, finds her way to self sufficiency, in a world then dominated by men. Through ingenius schemes she still some how always regains the illusion of imaginary high standing and good reputation throughout it all.

I found Moll Flanders to be resourceful and ingenious in her methods for securing her own survival. The book puts prostitution and premarital sex in a whole new perspective. As one can deduce from this book, life was not so simple for women in the 18th century, especially if they were abandon as children, or even if they husband died and left them without means to exist. Moll takes her position as a dependent woman and finds power in her mind to devise schemes which will allow her a secure lifestyle without compromising her self.

I found Moll to be a woman of character and repute, with self esteem, who made her own way in a world where women had no power, money or choices aside from their dependence upon men.

This is one of the most fun pieces of literature that I have ever read. It is fast paced, and doesn't get boring. She goes through numerous marriages, even more affairs, and dabbles in theft. She unknowingly becomes part of an incestuous relationship!

It should be noted that this book is action driven, although Moll Flanders still undergoes considerable character development. For example, when she begins her extremely successful career as a thief, she is doing it for survival reasons. But after a while, she is doing it for greed. It is interesting to see what causes her to change in various situations.

I highly recommend this book.

One of the all time best works in the annals of literature, this highly involving and rich comic novel has perhaps the best heroine of any classic book. What a great narrative style, if not altogether a good role model; still, you can hardly blame Moll for all the trouble she gets into. Defoe really gets into the mind of this memorable female protagonist, so deftly, you will sympathsize with her from the first page. A truly sublime work of art. Add it to your personal library today.

Lyon's first novel -- based on an excellent short story from his previously published collection -- is one of those rare books that made me laugh outloud and demand that people around me read specific passages to see if they too had the same warped sense of humor that Lyons and I seem to share.

The scenes set in the offices of Ionic, where Reilly and Evan torment a colleague, one Janet Scuto, are some of the best send ups of Dilbert Cubicalism since Douglas Coupland's Microserfs. When asked in a survey to suggest what they would like to see stocked in the office vending machines, Reilly and Evan suggest "handguns and Ecstasy."

The book would have ended well with the boomerang-return of Coco -- life on the lam from the mob was the low point of the story -- but the first two-thirds of the book are some of the best comic writing to be published since Barry Hannah's Geronimo Rex.

A great Boston novel from a great Boston writer!

This is truly inspired writing. It's got grit, humor and wonderful insight into the life of a recent post-grad struggling through the early years of real life. The love story is genuine. The mobsters are Soprano-esquely flawed and human (and this was written pre-Sopranos). The dog is lovable without being a cute manipulative device. My only complaint would be the last fifty pages or so, which seemed to divert from the true heart of what this novel was about. But in the end, it all wraps up nicely and you can forgive Mr. Lyons for a small misstep in an otherwise wonderful read.

I know you love to read, and I think I have something you'll really, really dislike. I just finished this book called Dog Days, by Daniel Lyons, and it changed my life. I've never read anything that so perfectly captures the shallow things I think and feel every day. You absolutely must borrow it.

I know you're a busy person, but this book is just incredible. (To me, that is.) I mean, it blew my mind. I haven't read a book this meaningful since Catcher In The Rye back in high school, when I stopped reading books assigned to me by people with good taste. If you just give the first few cliche-ridden pages a try, I swear you'll be so put off, you'll want to throw it away. But I won't allow that, because I'll continue to hound you about it for weeks.

Look, I have it right here, and I think it's perfect for me. It's this incredibly trite story about a man who can't connect with people, so he creates a world where he talks to his pets. Then, after a while, they start to talk back to him, only you don't know if they're actually talking to him or if it's all in his imagination. I mean, like I said, you probably will be able to put it down after the first few pages. After that, it really doesn't pick up.

I really wish you'd read it, because I've been dying to discuss it with somebody. My mind has been reeling ever since I finished it. It's like a combination of William S. Burroughs' stream-of-consciousness and J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy sensibility. It's a little "out there," and the narrative is a total mess, but it kind of just barely makes sense once you've finished and digested it.

Yes, it is a "pointless pile of claptrap." But why would you say such a thing? That kind of cynicism is just the sort of thing this book talks about. It says that people like you mask your real feelings with sarcasm and are incapable of genuine human expression. If anyone really needs to avoid this, it's you. You won't change your tune once you get to the part about the kleptomaniac monkey in the candy store. Or the part where the protagonist tearfully confesses his failings to a cat he's dressed as his mother.

Well, okay, I'm just going to leave it here, and you can pick it up. Go ahead. I'll turn my back so you won't feel guilty or foolish. My back is turned. Do you have it? No? I can't believe you're so closed-minded! The predictable twist ending alone is worth the 572 pages you have to plod through. Actually, it's not, but it was to me.

Dog Days is so much more than an endless string of cliches with a gimmicky ending slapped on, seemingly from out of nowhere. The characters are forgettable, too, failing to leap to life off the page. Like Salty, the wizened sea captain whose life of loneliness parallels that of the nameless protagonist. Or the ghost of Eva Braun, who tempts him and tries to keep him from doing good. It's a rich tapestry of bizarre, poorly established characters, implausible plot developments, and thinly veiled autobiographical conversations that a dumb guy like me can't help but fall in love with.

Well, if you change your mind, I'd be happy to loan it to you. That is, if I haven't loaned it to someone else by then. Right now, I'm reading the new John Gray book, which you'll find every bit as bad as you expect. I'll have to get it to you when I'm done.

Unbroken curses, written by Dr Rebecca Brown of "He Came To Set The Captives Free" and her husband, Daniel Yoder, talks of the many doorways that Christians leave open, allowing Satan to curse their lives. The doorways are not always noticeable, such as ancestral dorways, thus the importance of walking close to God to hear Him speak to you should such dorways exist in your life. Quoting from many examples, this book shows the mistakes made by many Christians which allow Satan to curse them and how we can break those curses in the mighty Name of Jesus. In the book are signs that Satan is bringing about a "revival" in idol worship and that many of the Eastern religions are uniting against Christianity. The last chapter of the book, "The Court Of Final Appeal", shows how believers are able to come to the Throne Room of God, in the Name of Jesus, to ask Him to judge their lives. This book will lead you to the victorious Christian life that you have been seeking. Lawrence Yu

Another extremely thought provoking, yet Biblically based book by Rebecca Brown. This time with the assistance of her husband Daniel Yoder.

I have read many such books on this subject. I listen to what each author has to say and weight it against the Holy Scriptures. This is the only way to ascertain any level of truth or credibility in their content.

I find it very difficult to argue with Rebecca Brown. Her approach is different to most, but the fundamental truth of what she says shines through.

The hostility and discrediting reviews of others here seem to have little if any foundation. None that I can find make any attempt to show where they consider Rebecca Brown to be in error.

The basis of all Rebecca Brown's teachings and methods are to glorify & obey God, follow Jesus, be sensitive to the leadings of the Holy Spirit and to stand upon God's Word and instructions when facing the devil.

I have faced problems in my own life and having read Rebecca Brown's books and the Scriptural principles involved, the problems no longer exist.

At the end of the day, everything in her books must be weighed totally against the written Word of God. If this principle is followed and there is no error, then what is the problem ?

Kindest regards. By the way I thoroughly enjoyed this book, together with 'He Came To Set The Captives Free' and 'Prepare For War' by the same author.

I, Donna read this book and found it completely in line with the Word of God. Rebecca and her husband are on the front line of the last day battle with Satan. I am very thankful they have the courage to reach out with the revelation of truth given to them by the Lord in order to help the last day church. This book is a great help to me in my christian walk as are all her other books on spiritual warfare.

I love Louisa May Alcott's work, from her dark delvings into the human soul to her revenge tales to the wholesome family chronicles. Sadly, I could not love this book. Anyone who reads it will be unsurprised that Alcott wrote it at the age of seventeen -- it reads like the summertime fantasies of a teen longing for love and a Tall Dark Handsome Man with a Tragic Past.

The heroine, Edith Adelon, is a penniless Italian orphan who lives on a rambling estate belonging to the Hamiltons, filthy rich aristocrats. Edith's humility and goodness make her a favorite in that place, of everyone except Lady Ida. Ida is not wealthy, though she is an aristocrat, and (by the standards of the day) is aging to old-maid-hood. Enter Lord Percy, a friend of the family, and a Tall Dark Handsome Man with a Tragic Past. He and Edith fall in love, until a hidden secret threatens to change all of their lives.

I can see why this dripping-with-sentiment little novel was buried away for so long. Alcott would never have been able to stand it being read when she was a serious writer; it reads almost like a parody, but with the dead seriousness of the bad work. It is also saddled with terrible characterization and a storyline that would make a seasoned reader cry. There is also a rather alarming message about social classes and whether they should be defied.

The main problems are the characters. They are pretty much two-dimensional stereotypes; the good ones are completely devoted to one another because of random acts of utter goodness that they did in the past, or simply because they say or do something that seems selfless and noble. The bad ones lurk in the background, making not-so-devious plans out of sheer malice. Edith is beautiful, self-sacrificial, humble, sweet, virtuous, brave -- essentially, she's all good things. She never so much as trips on her skirt, and we're even treated to the stereotypical "bringing soup to the sick."

Percy is the male counterpart in every way: handsome in a wussy kind of way, chivalrous, sensitive, tragic, willing to shatter class boundaries for the one he loves, virtuous, self-sacrificial, strong'n'silent, brave -- yep, he's all good things as well. Both of them are so good and saintly that it's difficult to sympathize with them. Lady Ida is cartoonish in her badness, but she's also the most three-dimensional character in that she has a reason for acting as she does, even if we're not supposed to care because it's her own fault. Lord and Lady Hamilton are the usual stiff uppa-clahss parents; Amy is pretty dull in her relentless enthusiasm and girlishness.

The plotline itself is like an update of Cinderella with a few improbable twists. When Edith discovers The Secret, her response is so unrealistic and saintly that you'll have to swallow a groan; so is her protection of the ridiculously-tempted boy Louis. Likewise, Lady Hamilton's response to Edith's saving Amy's life is simply ludicrous. The book lacks her trademark humor, wit, and passion, the little quirks and embarrassments and snatches of humor that make her characters human. They blush, they shed tears, they flit around or glide or stride. But they don't emote. The dialogue is earnestly comedic, using phrases and words that no one would actually use. (Percy's comment about a Edith's love "sanctifying" a scarf is particularly funny)

Why two stars? One is because Louisa is Louisa -- she gets an extra star for that alone. The second is because there is some truly breathtaking descriptive scenes in this book. But if you read this book, then "Long Fatal Love Chase," then "Behind a Mask," then "Little Women," then you will get an idea of how her writing changes.

My recommendation? Read it if you're a die-hard fan of Louisa's works. Otherwise, pass it by and watch the TV movie, or read "Little Women."

Written nearly 20 years before "Little Women", when Louisa May Alcott was only 17-years-old at the time, "The Inheritance" is supposedly her first novel, although it was never published until five years ago in 1997 (and was later made into a TV movie the same year). The two editors (Joel Myerson and Daniel Shealy) briefly talk about Louisa's literary accomplishments in the afterward of this book, remarking on what a rare find "The Inheritance" is, as well as it being a steppingstone in her writing career. It is notable since it is her first novel, but I wouldn't consider it her best work. However, I've only read one other book by Miss Alcott: "A Long Fatal Love Chase". That one I liked much better, because it was more adventurous and suspenseful than "The Inheritance", even though it still followed the same romantic path.

This sentimental 19th century romance novel is set in the rich English countryside. It follows the Hamilton family (the stoical mother: Lady Hamilton; the obedient son: Arthur; the naive 16-year-old daughter: Amy; and the envious cousin: Lady Ida) and Lord Percy, a friend of Arthur's, as they all fawn over beautiful Edith Avelon, an orphaned Italian young woman who had been brought to England from Italy when she was ten. Ever since, Edith has been a playmate and governess for Amy, but recently she's become the love interest of Lord Percy, to Lady Ida's dismay. Already devoted to the Hamiltons, Edith will soon learn of a secret that will further bind her to the family.

Probably the most unappealing thing about this book is Edith. She's so nauseatingly good, she seems unreal; she could have been a nun. She's extremely loyal to everybody, even her enemies (Lady Ida, for instance); she's kindhearted toward the sick and elderly; she's a beautiful singer; she's incredibly attractive, self-denying, gentle, pure... Gag. The one good feature about this book, though, is its brevity; it's just under 200 pages. It's worth a try if you're a Louisa May Alcott fan or really into 19th century romantic literature.

According to a note on the text in the Penguin Classics edition, "The Inheritance" was written by Louisa May Alcott when she was only 17 years old. This novel tells the story of Edith Adelon, an Italian orphan who lives with the aristocratic Hamilton family. This is a sentimental, romantic story about love, treachery, and a family secret. Class stratification is a significant theme.

Yes, the characters are fairly shallow, the plot is predictable, and the dialogue is often very stiff and corny. But I found "The Inheritance" quite charming and enjoyable. The mild suspense leads ultimately to a satisfying conclusion. Along the way are some memorable scenes, such as a sequence involving the creation of historical tableaux.

The Penguin Classics edition includes an excellent, substantial introduction by Joel Myerson and Daniel Shealy. They discuss Alcott's remarkable life and career and place "The Inheritance" in literary and cultural context.

Although Daniel Clowes' GHOST WORLD wasn't that appealing to me, DAVID BORING was surprisingly engaging. Like Chris Ware's JIMMY CORRIGAN, it begins by introducing the reader to reminders of traditional comic book superheros, and although the rest of the book is anything but a stereotypical comic, it retains various aspects of superhero comic books. It's wonderfully dramatic and fantastic, transitioning from a story situated in reality to one that's dominated by mysterious deaths, apocalyptic fears, and taboo relationships. With BORING, Clowes shows life as at once dreamy, vacuous, adventurous, and painful. He ends up with a moving tale that is deeply structured and well worth the hour or two it takes to read.

The whole story is set against the year of 1999, leading to its end. The threat of a terrorist act and killings underscore the human follies of this funny, but sad story. The cataclysmic apocalypse of the world takes a secondary importance to being left over by love, in loneliness. A very lyrical and interesting juxtaposition.

Daniel Clowes has a tremendous gift as a storyteller, and in this comic book, he conscientiously chooses the 3-act screenplay form, both using it as a legitimate vehicle for his story and also as a deconstructive techinique. His characters are wonderfully three-dimensional, and the way they go in and out of love is always shown through a sympathetic, but detached view. The mistakes the characters make, the yearnings and losses... approximate the real human experience. The ending is a hopeful one - even as the end-time seems to be near, another possibility of love keeps David Boring afloat. Although Chris Ware seems to have caught the public and critical acclaim, when it comes to telling stories of modern alienation, there is no graphic artist to best Daniel Clowes. Not yet. Impressive.

David Boring is searching for something. His father, that perfect girl, meaning. His meaningless sexual encounters, his collection of things (scrapbook, comic book), his life as a movie, his friends, his fear of his mother all culminating in a story that is anything but boring. David's life is like one of his old movies, which we are taken through from start to finish. As the world slowly revolves without his noticing, much to annoyance of some of his friends, he can't seem to find what it is he wants.

This comic written as a whole story, rather than the vingettes of Ghost World provide a detailed narative that is quite satisfying. Every character is detailed, to the point of having a list of credits at the end (Daniel Clowes makes a cameo, but where I don't know.) The three acts give a clear path through which to solve the enigma of what David is searching for. I won't tell you if he finds an answer at the end, you'll have to read it for yourself.

Daniel shows us another excellent window into the lives of teenagers and young adults in the post-modern meaningless world that we all inhabit. Although some of the panels may shock you in their graphic nature, it is a real world, a real place that we live in and not a fake, cliche/angst ridden hell hole that some may have us believe.

This is a great book to keep as a reference. It covers all of J2EE, and has some interesting ideas on application design. However, if you already have a lot of Wrox "professional" titles, such as "Professional JSP" or "Professional XML", stay away. This book just repeats excerpts from those, and is more confusing because it doesn't contain all the information. For example, the section on XML namespaces was a hodgepodge editing job on the section from the XML book, and confused me even though I already had a basic understanding of the topic.

But, its worth a look if you don't have any of the other contained content.

This is NOT a book for beginners who wish to learn JSP/servlets and EJBs and the techniques of J2EE. On the other hand, if you already have some knowledge with these techniques, the book may help to improve your background of J2EE and its components.

1.The strong points of the book are:

- the book does a wonderful job in explaining different key points of J2EE techniques especially at the beginning of each chapter; although the discussion sometimes becomes pretty vague and less clear at the end.

- the book's code examples use j2sdkee1.2.1, orion and jboss which are available for you free with unlimited time.

- the book looks quite impressive, 1600 plus pp. hardcovered.

2.The weak points of the book:

- all the code examples are fairly easy. In fact, too easy to do much help to the readers who need a better workout to pay attention to some key points of the techniques.

- Since only half of the book is devoted to really J2ee techniques, people who already experienced with jsp/servlet may find the other half of the book unecessary.

In conclusion, you may want to check this book out if you alread know jsp/servlet and j2ee( through the Sun's tutorials and examples and wish to have a better understand of this popular but pretty complex technique.

As lots of wrox book, this book does provide some interesting information. UML diagrams are used for better explanation, design issues for JSP, using XML with JSP, how interface object, control object and entity object fit EJBs, JMS, Corba, Unit test, are all well explained.

However, as the non J2EE edition, the code still contains errors: for all the Primary key classes in examples of EJB, hashCode and equals are not defined, you have to add them yourself. There are errors for package names, for the example, in Chapter 20, Order and Product classes are defined in book.order and book.product classes, and other classes imported them from factory.order and factory.product classes. You have to change "book" to "factory" class by class manually!

They used jBoss and orion server to implement EJB examples, I am not against these two servers, but I think it may be better to test the examples with Weblogic as well, since it is the most popular application server, they did not. And they never mentionned Weblogic in the book, not even in the appendix.

In split of all these errors, there is no serious error, this is a good and interesting book.

At the end of the 19th Century, America is a nation of vast opportunity and evolving values, certainly obsessed with the vast fortunes amassed by the likes of Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick and Andrew Mellon. Their private resort above the industrialized town of Johnstown, PA, is a jewel in the crown of the vast wealth of these Robber Barons. The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Lodge features a man-made lake braced by an ill-repaired dam that ultimately imperils the town resting at its valley floor.

Using personal detail to humanize this disaster, Cambor introduces complex characters from Johnstown as well as one family who summers for a brief two weeks each year at South Fork, albeit a family not of the highest level of that very particular pecking order. In Johnstown we meet Julia of the broken spirit and her husband Frank, helpless against life's random cruelties, their proud son Daniel, and Grace, a runaway from an unbearably lonely life. Representing South Fork is the idealistic Nora, a child of fortune who reaches beyond her personal limitations before everything changes forever.

The novel actually ends with the flood, a vast surge of water from the ruptured dam, unleashing death and devastation that Memorial Day, May 30, 1889, obliterating Johnstown in minutes. I confess I wanted more detail about the actual flood and its physical consequences, who survived and who took responsibility. This is but a small complaint in a rich novel of American life on the cusp of a new century, a time when the American Dream still twinkles in the eye of the working man and when hard work promises a guarantee, security for a man's family after a life of labor. Detail is crafted into every page, days lived in hope and reason, pride and dignity. But, lest I wax too nostalgic, their time is cut short by nature's wrath and the enormous cost of privilege for the few. The novel opens with this quote, setting the tone for the quiet unfolding of catastrophe: "I have been watching you; you were there, unconcerned perhaps, but with the strange distraught air of someone forever expecting a great misfortune, in sunlight, in a beautiful garden" (Maurice Maeterlinck). Indeed, such disasters do create a sense of vigilance, of dreams discarded and the sad loss of innocence.

This is a book to savor, a touching romance overcast by the looming disaster of the Johnstown flood, so beautifully written that the characters remain in the mind long after the pages are closed. Kathleen Cambor peeks into the lives of the rich and famous industrialists of the late 1800's - Andrew Carnegie, Andrew Mellon, Henry Clay Frick - all members of the South Fork Hunting and Fishing Club. This summer retreat for the wealthy was created by re-building the South Fork dam. There were questions about the dam's stability from the beginnings of the project, however these were swept aside due to the importance of the club's members. The wealthy members do not give a thought to the people down below in Johnstown as they enjoy the pleasures of an idyllic locale.

Ms. Cambor also touchingly re-creates the lives of those living in the doomed city of Johnstown. Some few will survive the flood which took the lives of 2200 and was the worst industrial tragedy of its time. Although the book climaxes predictably with the flood, there are surprises in the aftermath.

Since 1889, many novels have been written that have used the 1889 Johnstown Flood as a historical backdrop...the first being written just a few months after the disaster. Quite simply, this is one of the best.

I have been professionally studying the Johnstown Flood for almost a decade, and I am quite impressed with the research the author did, and the excellent effort to present the results of that research in a most compelling way.

She has created characters that you end up caring about a great deal. In fact, you'll likely be thinking about those characters long after you finish the book. She has almost perfectly captured the emotions and anguish that affected so many in the valley before and after the Flood. Quite importantly, you realize that there is indeed more to this story than most history books will tell you.

You will also be refreshed at the beautifully crafted writing...something that is so rare these days in the world of fiction.

Just remember, this is a piece of fiction. I encourage you to also read David McCullough's masterful 1968 book, 'The Johnstown Flood' for an excellent treatment of the Flood story.

The coverage of WSDL, SOAP, and UDDI is clear and thorough. Even though the book has a number of authors, there's a nice flow between chapters and the writing is consistent and coherent. However, I gave the book only three stars because it has just a cursory review of Sun's Java Web Services Developer Pack. That's not surprising, considering JWSDP was in still in a larval stage when the book was written. But if you're a serious developer, you'll need to download JWSDP from Sun and go through the tutorial to learn the APIs.

I've been thoroughly impressed with this book. It throws a wide net over most of the current web services standards and technologies, and gives you at least an understanding of where they all fit, while still providing you with enough depth on the crucial ones (SOAP (with Axis), UDDI, etc.) so that you can get started with real projects.

I particularly liked the way in which the authors have created an all-in-one reference book on the most important web services technologies. For instance, I've never been able to read SOAP messages without having a reference on XML namespaces and XML schemas handy -- no more -- it's all here in this book.

The coverage of the new Apache Axis project is especially good; not only does it explain the advantages of the new architecture for handling SOAP headers, but it gives code examples for making use of these new features. This is to be expected, since many of the authors of this book are major contributors to the Axis project.

I also found the chapters on Web Services security and UDDI to be helpful and enlightening. While all of the chapters in the book don't live up to the promise of these excellent chapters, it's still overall an great introduction to this new set of technologies.

And by the way, the guy that gave the book 1 star because it has "no source code downloadable" should have first tried going to www.samspublishing.com and done a search on the author's names -- the page for the book CLEARLY has a section for "downloads" where you can get the source code.

This is by far the best book on Web services I have read! There are so many good things going for it. Let's start with the authoring team. I did some research on the Web: three members of the W3C Working Group on XML Protocol (next-generation SOAP), two co-authors of the UDDI specifications, two architects of the next-generation Apache Web services engine (Axis). These people know what they are talking about from both a theoretical and practical standpoint. The book addresses all levels of the Web services technology stack with amazing focus and depth. This book does not just regurgitate the specifications--it goes well beyond them to cover adjacent domains that are relevant. With the knowledge that I have gained from reading this book I feel I am in a much better position to analyze my web services needs, design a service architecture and implement the services necessary to bring it to life. Most importantly, I feel like I have learned how to evaluate the inevitable trade-offs I'll have to make doing real-world development. There are so many examples of this... Chapter 3 does an excellent job of comparing and contrasting RPC-oriented Web services with document (messaging) oriented Web services. This is the kind of out-of-the-ordinary material that imparts truly valuable knowledge on the reader, stuff you will not find while reading the bare specs or one of the quickly hacked together books on Web services. Chapter 5 talks a lot about security, an otherwise missing topic in the Web services space, and about enterprise-quality Web services. I learned some things about configuring application server security that I had missed after two years of J2EE development. In short, this book is a must-read for both beginning and experienced Web services developers and anyone interested in better understanding the space. If you're a pro, you will learn a lot from the realistic examples and the authors' real-world experience. If you're a beginner, do not despair. Chapter 1 makes the drive towards Web services easy to understand by exposing the technology and market forces behind the rapid change the industry is going through. Chapter 2 is the best, simplest, most focused introduction to data-oriented uses of XML I have ever seen. After these two, you'll be all set for tackling the rest of the book. As for me, I'll go study the example code now...