Robinson Crusoe is one of the first English novels. Written by Daniel DeFoe in the early 18th century during the rise of economic theory, this book chronicles the struggle of an economic hero shipwrecked on an island. He takes advantage of people, always looking to make money or increase economic value. Although Crusoe has religious experiences and gets preachy at times (DeFoe was of Puritan stock at a time when Puritanism was a significant force), Crusoe is a practical man. He does not let morals get in the way of carving out a prosperous life -- there are scenes where the main character is no role model. The novel is episodic, with Crusoe hopping from one scene to another. The narration isn't smooth. However, the "flaws" when compared to later writings may be forgiven because Robinson Crusoe is an early novel. Writers had not worked out the fine points of the genre. DeFoe is an important early English novelist who cobbled together economic theory, religious opinion, travel writing, and borrowed material from a contemporary shipwreck victim to create a work of fiction. Robinson Crusoe is often mislabelled as a childrens book. Perhaps in a watered down abridgement, it is a good children's book. The original, complete, unabridged work is a literary classic that should be read by any student of English literature.

Robinson Crusoe is the perfect treat for the wilderness lover. The novel takes the reader on a journey through many hardships that the main character encounters in order to display just how trying nature can be. Almost every new day, Crusoe must find and develop a new survival tactic in order to stay alive. There are several reasons why one should engulf in reading this book.
Robinson Crusoe displays strength and incredible will to survive. This can be very inspiring to someone who does not have a lot of confidence in themselves. Crusoe has faith in himself and God, believing that he will be guided in the right direction. God plays a large role in his everyday life. Crusoe never was a religious man before he was stranded on the island, but he believed God had allowed him to be the sole survivor of the shipwreck for a reason and he owed it to God to be the best man that he could be.
Another reason to read this book is that it shows that one can do whatever they put their mind to. Crusoe worked long and hard to create things that will facilitate his survival and make things more convenient for himself. He creates a protective shelter, makes his own tools, baskets, and pots, and even grows and raises his own food.
This book will also get many people to realize just how good their lives actually are. Many, not all, of us have lives that are not threatened by wondering how we will get our next meal or if someone or something is out to hunt us down, but Crusoe must face these dilemmas and find ways to secure himself. The wonderful thing about this novel is that it shows how difficult these tasks can be, yet Crusoe does not give up and he pursues his goals until they are accomplished.
This novel can instigate someone to try something new that perhaps thay were uneasy about doing before. Robinson is faced with so many new surroundings at once, yet deals with them so well. If he would have panicked, he eventually would have starved to death. Instead, Crusoe thinks logically and pursues what is needed to survive.
Robinson Crusoe is an amazing adventure novel that explores the life of a very strong-willed man. The main character tells his own story and it is as if he is speaking directly to the reader, which makes it seem even more like reality. Daniel Defoe has written a great novel.

My daughter and I have been reading (and re-reading!) the DK Classics (of which "Robinson Crusoe" is part of) for several years, since she was 5. These books are very colorful, with lots of illustrations and photos of genuine artifacts, maps, and people from the era in which the story is set. Side panel text gives background information about the author, pictures and story. These "additions" (which do not detract from, but only enhance the story) help the young reader (and the adult too!) put the story into context. It is like getting both a classic and a pictorial history book rolled into one! The text is easy to read. My daughter is now 9, and reading the books on her own. Not only has she developed an appreciation for classic literature, but for history as well. These are great books for parents to read with their children. I highly recommend them!

The book A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain is told from the view of Hank Morgan, later on known as The Boss. Hank Morgan travels back in time from the 19th century to the 5th century, in King Arthur's Court. Hank learns from a man dress in a knight's armor that it is the 5th century, he doesn't believe that he traveled back in time, he thinks he is in an asylum. Suddenly Hank remembers that the day that he was told also happened to be the same day of the first recorded full Solar Eclipse. Hank finds that he has wandering into a place where they are hanging innocent people. Hank has some fun and tells the people that he will put the world into total darkness very soon, he hopes that if it truly is the 5th century, the people will believe him. Sure enough the eclipse does happen, all the people are in awe. For the rest of the book Hank is then on known as The Boss.
Throughout the whole story, Hank gives King Arthur tips about how to be more successful. Hank goes on a venturous journey with King Arthur and he helps the King train Knights and create a large army. Hank gets a seat at the round table even though he is not a knight. Hank uses his knowledge to reinvent things that were a new invention from his time. After King Arthur dies, Hank must help the empire live on.
I recommend this to people who are 13 or older and enjoy long, very detailed books. There are also some great pictures included in the book, from portraits of Mark Twain to pictures of King Arthur pulling the sword from the stone.

Well, the perfect companion to La Morte d'Arthur...

Twain completely dissects the "good ol' days" of Arthurian Britain by exposing the vicious social practices of the time: white slavery, le droit de seigneur, confiscation of property in event of suicide, the complete lack of impartial justice, the degrading influence of the Church on the mass, etcetera etcetera etcetera...

The Arthurian legends are wonderful tales, but they are a mythic literary production; Twain deals with the brutal reality of daily living in the Dark Ages, and points out that the good ol' days were not so good, anyway.

As for its applicability to modern America, I am not fit to judge. Perhaps it's there. But "The Connecticut Yankee" is a wonderful tonic for those prone to romanticizing the past. Twain seems to agree with Tom Paine that the English nobility were "no-ability", and simply the latest in a series of robbers.

And, of course, the book is stuffed with wonderful Twainisms... My favorite is his observation that a conscience is a very inconvenient thing, and the significant difference between a conscience and an anvil is that, if you had an anvil inside you, it would be alot less uncomfortable than having the conscience.

Twain also mentions the beautiful mispronunciations of childhood, and how the bereaved parental ear listens in vain for them once children have grown.

You'll never look at castles the same again...

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is an intriguing novel written by Mark Twain. This is a fantastic book for the high school level reader, but would be entertaining to adults as well. I am a freshman in high school, and I enjoyed many attributes of the plot and writing style. In this novel the main character, Hank Morgan, is mysteriously transported from the nineteenth century in Connecticut back to the fifth century in England. During his time in medieval Britain, he keeps a journal which is what most of this book is. The preface and afterwards are both the narration of Mark Twain who writes as if he has found Hank's journal, and is merely writing it down in a book. As the journal starts out, Hank is introduced to King Arthur and after narrowly escaping death and becomes the country's most powerful advisor. Hank introduces many modern wonders to this feudal society. He is hailed a magician, being able to perform wonderful "miracles" and "magic", when it really is only modern science. It is very entertaining to read about how the feeble-minded people of that time react to these feats. In the end, there is a tremendous battle with many exciting episodes leading up to it. If a reader is partial to battle scenes of high caliber, this is a book for him! Of course, Hank has many other battles as well. Once of his biggest enemies is the Church of England. The big question the reader asks themselves during this book is "Will Hank return to his time and if so, how?". It was exciting for me to ponder this question throughout the novel. During Hank's travels through medieval Britain, he meets many people. The people he meets who think a government ruled by the people in Britain (his ultimate goal) would be a good idea, he sends to Camelot where he has schools set up which teach people about modern governmental ideas. Schools were also set up to teach people how to produce his wonders of modern science. These few enlightened people remain loyal to Hank until the very end. I thought it an entertaining notion that people who were trained from birth to believe in one thing, could realize it's faults and begin to believe another things. I really enjoy this book because it brings a lot about human nature into question. It discusses the vast differences of beliefs, manners, and life styles between one hundred years ago and fourteen hundred years ago. I also thought the differences between classic Arthurian legend and Mark Twain's perspective of the time were very interesting. Hanks training of these idealistic people he runs across plays into the large political aspect of this book. Since Hank's ultimate goal is to transform Britain into a country ruled by the people, he starts factories producing modern goods which greatly changes the lives of the Britons. I enjoyed the descriptions of the people's reaction to these modern products of science thirteen centuries before they would be invented. Throughout the entire book commentary and philosophizing concerning the comparison of the fifth century feudal system of Britain and the nineteenth century democracy of the U.S. by Hank Morgan is common. This political aspect is typical of Twain's works. It gave me great pleasure to read this aspect of the book and to comprehend it's meaning. Through Hank Morgan, Mark Twain is able to depict vivid images in the readers mind. Whether it be a person, scene, or sensation felt by Hank Twain describes it in a way which puts a solid picture in the imagination of the reader. I have not seen the movie of this novel, but I have heard it isn't very well done and it is nothing compared to the book. I believe this is because Mark Twain paints such a realistic picture in the mind of the reader, it is nothing compared to what some director can film. From Mark Twain's great descriptions and writing style to the unique ideas presented, the novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is a fantastic novel. There are so many aspects of it to enjoy, and it is just an all around entertaining book. I give this book four out of five stars and I recommend it to any one interested in fantasy, especially if they want a different perspective on King Arthur.

Clearly this book was intended to coast on the attendant hype of Daniel Silva's acclaimed debut novel, The Unlikely Spy. I haven't read that book, so I won't go into comaparisons, but, viewed on its own merits, The Mark of the Assassin is a decent book, that probably should have been a lot better. The characters are exactly the sort of people you'd expect to inhabit this sort of book; the right-thinking CIA operative, his smart, tough attorney wife, the rumpled CIA spymaster, the slightly dotty, sixtysomething Republican President (who reminded me of a similar character in the movie Clear and Present Danger, the manipulative White House Chief of Staff, the shadowy, Christian conservative defense contractor, and on and on and on... no surprises there. Silva's writing style, though, is clean and economical; it reminded me of Frederick Forsyth. And he does come up with one memorable character: international assassin Jean-Paul Delaroche, code name "October". I didn't buy his techniques all of the time, but his motivations and character quirks were never less than convincing. All told, an unspectacular second effort.

Some writers run aground as there careers progress, while others find greater depths. Having discovered Silva's writing through "The Dead Artist" and "The English Assassin," I've come to expect subtlety and nuance, with sympathetic characters. Silva is one of my new favorite authors.

Going back to read "The Mark of the Assassin," for me, was a disappointment. While Silva's concepts and characters match those of his later books, he seems less focused here. We watch political maneuverings, clandestine meetings, brutal attacks, yet never really doubt what's going on. We see little of the main characters within the first hundred pages, and when Michael Osbourne and his wife do take center stage, they are puppets in a less than credible play.

The writing is fine. Dialogue moves along. But the improbabilities and coincidences begin to mount quickly. Even as the pace picks up in the last quarter of the book, I found myself doubting the scenes. One example: the KGB trained, world-renowned assassin moves in for the kill by taking the disguise of a bicycle courier(even getting multiple piercings to look the part), but as soon as our erstwhile hero sees him from a distance, the cover is blown. Ah, too bad--all that effort for nothing.

For a fast-paced story and streamlined writing, "The Mark of the Assassin" surpasses many second-rate novels. Clearly, though, with only his second book, Silva was fine-tuning his storytelling, and I had a difficult time getting lost in this tale. Having been spoiled by his newer, richer work, I finished this one with barely a mark.

A good friend introduced me to Daniel Silva with his first book, The Unlikely Spy. While that was a fictionalized account of how the Allies deceived Hitler as to the location of the D Day landing, this is pure fiction. Or is it? A CIA operative who has a strong moral code and a highly competent professional assassin who serves a secret group made up of the worlds movers and shakers are destined throughout the pages of the book to end up in a confrontation that ends up raising more questions than it settles. Entertaining writing, fast paced action, believable characters and enough allusion to actual people or events to keep you wondering where the fiction blends with the present day. It's a dangerous world out there; especially if you are letting Daniel Silva describe it to you.

compared to "A Density of Souls," "The Snow Garden" is complete [junk]. i wanted to like it, i really did. i liked "A Density of Souls" so much (aside from the extremely Mommy Rice-esque ending)--for a first novel from such a youngster, it was truly impressive.

unfortunately this second effort just didn't match up. the story was good, it was interesting, but i think it suffered from his trying to fit too many subplots into the action. the characters were flat, the relationships were unbelievable, some of the situations just too pat. and i will not even mention the many, many, MANY typos and just the overall poor editing (did anyone notice in the last chapter how Kathryn's boyfriend was referred to as Tim in one sentence, Ken the next?). call me picky, but i have a hard time putting my full faith into a book that's been poorly edited.

in the afterword, Christopher mentioned that this novel was written during a transitional phase in his life, and it sure showed. i just hope that whatever he's transitioned into puts out some better writing in the future. based on his first book, he has a lot of potential; hopefully "The Snow Garden" was his sophomore slump.

Although Christopher Rice's 2nd novel isn't as good or "charged" with passion as his first, "A Density of Souls," it does still reflect Rice's excellent writing style. His ability of visual description and dropping the clues to the reader throughout the entire book is astounding. He dangles the information in front of you and you're left with always wanting more. None of the characters are especially likeable once you find out their secrets and pasts, but Rice does have you interested in each and every one of their lives as you unravel the mysteries. This reader for one can't wait until Rice's 3rd novel...whatever it may be.

I have read both of Christopher Rice's novels and he has matured greatly as a writer since the publicaiton of his last novel. Anyone who is now foolish enough to attribute his success as writer to his mother's fame is either blindly jeleous of his success or ignorant of the talent Christopher posseses. The book is filled with plot twists and secrets which keep the reader on the edge. His use of flashbacks to fill in character's past and tie them in with the present action shows a great deal of time and thought was put into The Snow Garden. The imagery in the novel makes you feel as if you are seeing the action through the character's eyes rather than a third party discribing the scene. Using imagery and ideas taken from Hieronymus Bosh and weaving them into his thriller is a brilliant move for Rice and helps give more insight into Bosh for the reader and understand the plot better. If Christopher has mautred this much form his first novel, I can only wait to see the power of his third novel. Anyone who is looking for not only an entertaining but stimulating read should buy The Snow Garden.

The title of this book is definately misleading, there is no practical advice on "How " to work with emotional intelligence besides endless anecdotes and examples.

Even with this entire book of loosely collected anecdotes, the auther still failed to convince me that his conclusion is based on serious, scientic research with logical analysis.

I think the auther is very biased on EQ vs IQ, the importance of EQ is overly stated. We all know IQ provides a basic framework/blueprint of a person, while EQ can really make a person excel compared with other people in similar IQ level. It should also put these two concepts in context, how important EQ/IQ in a person's success is really a variable, depending on what field, what job and what role a person is playing. In high-tech field, for example, for a technical position, I would rather hire a person with extraordinary IQ with average EQ, cause I know s/he could possibly perform as efficient as a group of 5 to10 people with average IQ. But for a tech manager position, a person with high EQ, reasonable IQ and profound knowledge in respective field would be a good fit. The way the author presents EQ is very simplistic and misleading!

How we need to over ride our emotions sometimes! Daniel Goleman's book is indeed an insight to cultivate one's mind emotionally. Understanding and raising emotional intelligence is essential to your success and leadership potentials. Daniel selects examples and anecdotes from the Fortune 500 companies which shows the competency to deal with various factors at workplace. The training tools, conflict management, building bonds and motivation, encouragement and inspirations are really necessary not with the IQs only but with the 'Emotional Intelligence skills' which enhance leadership to excel. The author shows the way how to manage feelings, interact, communicate and tackle with the issues in organization. Initiative, self control, optimism are some key factors of personal competency which make the emotional control board of the mind geared up to treat right, care and understand. A must read for every business. Its never an arrogance, ego or pride but be in tune with 'Emotional Intelligence'- Thats the trick of the trades for every savvy Leader.

Since the publication of Daniel Goleman's first book, Emotional Intelligence he has generated a remarkable industry around the topic. In this book from 2000, Goleman applies the ideas of his previous book to the workplace. Why should executives bother with this soft stuff? According to research cited by Goleman (see the summary in Appendix 2) almost all of the abilities that distinguished stars from average performers were emotional competencies. While pattern recognition and "big picture" thinking were correlated with outstanding performance, cognitive abilities in general - above a certain threshold - did not have significant correlation. "Emotional intelligence" refers to a set of competencies that characterizes how people manage feelings, interact, and communicate. Building on previous work by others, Goleman characterizes emotional intelligence as being founded on five personal and social competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Motivation, Empathy, and Social Skills. Each of these five is further analyzed into 12 personal and 13 social competencies such as Accurate Self-Assessment, Self-Control, Initiative, Developing Others, Influence, Conflict Management, and Building Bonds.
Unlike IQ, we can continue to improve emotional intelligence. Working With Emotional Intelligence is not a how-to book in the usual sense. It will help any executive understand the importance of EI in all its diverse aspects as well as showing examples of strong and weak EI in individual and organizational contexts. Improving is not easy work. Goleman explains the neurological basis of much of EI, including the role of the amygdala (which can make us impulsive and which affects our resilience under stress) and its interaction with the prefrontal lobes (which together also affect the ability to adapt to change), and the role of the catecholamines adrenaline and noradrenaline (which allow us to distinguish good stress from bad stress). Goleman looks at "empathic design" (p.139ff) and the contagious effects of emotions on groups, among other important applications in the workplace. He also provides a three-page list of "Guidelines for Emotional Competence Training". Although parts of Working With Emotional Intelligence will strike you as the obvious dressed up with stories, you can extract some important information by scanning through this book. In an age of record levels of job stress (according to an October 2002 study), any words of wisdom on this subject deserve a hearing.

I can't believe I'm reading all these glowing reviews here! I have read EVERY one of DS's novels, and I can't be the only one to notice that with few exceptions, they are ALL ABOUT THE SAME THING! The same themes happen over and over. It's TIRING and predictable. And why are all her main characters always beautiful and sexy, and she always includes the comment about them "not even knowing it"? Life isn't like that. She needs to be more realistic. Do all of you who think this book is so great read Harlequin romance novels too? There is NOTHING new in this novel that Danielle Steele hasn't already done in one or more of her other 1,000 novels. Note to author: Danielle, I sure hope you come across this review and think about what I've said here. GET A NEW THEME. Surprise your readers, because you haven't in a long time. Stop churning out bland novel after novel just to get the money and try coming up with some new material. I used to buy your books - now I just wait until I can get it at the library.

Ever wonder what would happen if you lost the person you love? Of course you do. We all do. The moment any of us are in a relationship and we realize that our lives are intertwined with another's, you start to notice that they have a responsibility to you... to your life. If they risk their lives, they risk yours as well... for if something happens to them, it happens to you.

Well, in "The House On Hope Street", Danielle Steel touches upon these feelings, worries, and thoughts that anyone who has ever loved another has had.

This is a simple story about a woman [Liz] who has the "Norman Rockwell" life. She has a loving husband, a blissful marriage of 18 years, five wonderful children, and a happy (almost a little too perfect) family. Her and her husband ran a successful family law practice and Liz had everything she ever wanted from life and felt her life would end just the way she envisioned. Then, one fateful Christmas day her perfectly painted life would be shredded when her husband [Jack] meets an early death as he left for, what was supposed to be, a ten minute trip back to the office.

Now, Liz finds herself barely keeping her head above water while simultaneously being both parents, raising five children (one with special needs), maintaining a two-person law practice, and trying to make it from one day to the next picking up the pieces of her shredded "Norman Rockwell" picture-perfect life.

Liz battles from one holiday to the next, trying to make it through life without Jack. Then, a new figure is painted into Liz's life when an accident with her oldest son, Peter, brings Dr. Bill Webster. As Bill mends her broken son, he also begins to inadvertently mend her broken heart... and ironically... Liz begins to unconsciously mend his as well.

Can Liz write a new chapter in her life... turning the pages with Jack and moving on from the past to begin a new chapter with unwritten pages involving Bill?

Can Bill find a way to overcome his past and find the courage to fight his fears and hesitations in order to find a new sense of peace and happiness with Liz and her children?

I gave the book 4 stars (3 for being a average book [and 3 is in-between 5] and an additional star for great characters).

"The House On Hope Street" is somewhat predicable. Ok, let's face it! If you read the synopsis on the book, you pretty much know how the book is going to turn out... at least... you think you do until you hit a couple of twists that may cause you to question (just for a moment) your precognition skills. If you own movies, then think about this: why buy a movie since you know how it's going to end because you most likely have seen it before? Even though we may know or have an idea of how something is going to end... sometimes experiencing the journey is still worth it. "The House On Hope Street" may be predictable... but it has GREAT characters (especially the children) and as predictable as the book may have been... it was still worth the journey.

Like many of the other reviewers, I have and love all of Danielle Steel's earlier books. In the last few years, starting with The Klone and I, I became turned off by Ms.Steel's writing. In fact, I waited to read House on Hope Street and The Wedding until my name came up on the list at the library. Now, these two books will definitely be added to my collection. The House on Hope Street is a fast, easy, exciting read. I was in tears by page 61 and had to stop and put myself together. You actually feel the pain Liz has to deal with. You get wrapped up in her life, and by the end of the book, you can feel every emotion, good and bad. This book is a must for all of the early Danielle Steel book lovers.

I usually read right before im going to bed, and i just couldnt get into this book, the information was the same and it was all very predictable. Im sure that if i wouldve finished it, then i would have loved it, because i love almost all of danielle steel's books. If you havent read most of them, then your missing out, so stop reading this boring passage, and get into a book of hers.

I was glad to find that the story was far more engaging than most of her recent efforts, and in some ways tries to recall her writing of past. It most closely resembles her past writing in manner and theme, the successful Hollywood family ... perfect from the outside but has many blemishes within the circle. This isn't as good as Ms. Steele once wrote but is better then her most recent. I was a dedicated Danielle Steel reader and really had been very disappointed in her writing that I quit buying her all together and I love Nora Roberts. Steele over uses plain words and makes her characters named after a real person...is this accident? She has become more than predictable and almost at the point of ' trash ". She did decent job writing about all the hassles of having a modern-day wedding. She's back on the right track, but still needs to work on her laziness storytelling. She isn't the author she once was, this book is much better then several of her latest but far, far, to what I would call great. Nora Roberts is a ' great " story teller, this book is Okay.

I have been a DS fan since I was in high school her books help you forget all your troubles their are light hearted and have great characters. I loved this book I bought it without question because her name was on and it I started to read it and I really get into it. I got a little annoyed with Allegra at times she was rich beautiful and about to be married to a man who adored her and yet she still complained anout her life but despite all that it was a great book and if you are a die hard Danielle Steel fan then you will love this novel.

I would also recommend: Secrets,Full Circle,Jewels,The Ring, Now and Forever,Palomino,Fine Things,Daddy,Remeberence,Vanished, and Malice

I'm still trying to make up my mind about this book, but it fascinated me to the point that I'll certainly read it again. The book covers the post -college years of the set depicted in Whit Stillman's movie "Metropolitan," and like that movie it seems to be a deliberate anachronism. My impression is that it consciously attempts to depict a world that doesn't really exist any more--or, in Stillman's words, "not so very long ago." (But what do I really know? I'm from the Left Coast and went to public schools.)

The book examines the apparently fascinating Kate and four men who care about her, each in their own way. I say "apparently" because it seems that Ms. Macy intends to make Kate's attraction difficult for outsiders to understand. Her allure is inexplicable to those who--unlike the narrator and his three potential rivals--are not captivated by her.

"The Great Gatsby" is the overarching influence here: the rich girl, the upstart, the poor man from a good family, the effete snob--all these could come straight from Gatsby, but to Ms. Macy's credit, she largely succeeds in making these characters her own.

As is mentioned by an earlier reviewer, there are some jarring aspects to the book that one thinks a better editor would have weeded out, particularly the dim social view of Catholicism. The narrator is vicious not only in his description of the the working-class lobsterman's daughter, but even the aspiring middle class Harry, and I think this weakens the book. Still, the scene in which Harry "confesses" to George that he was admitted to Dartmouth on brains alone relies on this implicit bias, and is perhaps the more telling because of it.

If you liked "Brideshead Revisited," "Metropolitan," "The Secret History," and, of course, "Gatsby," I think you will be intrigued by this book.

Finally, if you buy "Fundamentals," be sure to pick up some limes, tonic, and Mount Gay rum. The book's vivid depiction of cocktail parties is sure to leave you craving a drink.

Okay...I'm not a product of east coast prep schools, country clubs, or sailing. However, I knew some of these types, in college and high school (midwest prep school). Perhaps, like Harry Lombardi, I find myself fascinated by a group that I've never been a part of. While I never had the desire to break into the group, I'm fascinated, like George, by their innerworkings. I make it a practice to read as many first novels as possible. I find their strength and beauty to be wonderful. The Fundamentals of Play is a triumph. Is the finest book I've ever read??...No, but is engrossing. The characters are well drawn...Chat? Chat Whethers is grand. The situations are great. This novel, set in the just pre-internet world of 1993/94 (or so I've guessed) tells the story of a fading way of life. Not only does Macy comment, through George (she writes men well) on the oddities of Whit Stillman's Metropolitan Kids (the recent touchstone of this set)...but puts her own spin on it. I won't even compare this to Gatsby...why? Macy tells her own story. Most of all, it captures the spirit of young people, fighting against the march of time, clinging to the past and its idols. It is about a univeral desire for acceptance and finding a place in the world. Kate...well her attraction is almost mystical...we all knew a Kate. While the sitatuions might be a million miles away to you, the feelings are something that reside in your heart. Cheers, Ms. Macy!

Caitlin Macy does an amazing job of portraying the generation of us born in the sixties. We are too young to really be baby-boomers and a little too old to be Generation X'ers. Macy captures our coming of age in the 1980's in a phenomenal way.

Growing up in New England, I actually new these characters. Every prep school, country club and seaside resort had a Kate Goodenow and Nick Beale. Cara McLean, whose character is most symbolic of the 1980's and its excess, is someone we all new. George Lenhart is an excellent narrator. His candor and observations portray an accurate picture of the complex relationships of priviledged twenty-somthings in the 1980's. Oddly enough,aside from George, the most redeeming character in the book is Harry Lombardi.

After years of studying Wharton,James and Fitzgerald, it was quite an experience to read a novel that defines one's own generation and the changing society we faced a decade ago. I applaud Caitlin Macy's talent and eagerly anticipate her next work.

I ran out and bought this book after reading "The Flame and the Flower." While I've always enjoyed Woodiwiss, and have generally re-read her novels several times (My copy of Shanna is falling apart), this one is heading straight for the circular file.

I really loved the Birmingham story in "Flame and the Flower" - so much so that I started rereading it almost immediately upon finishing it. You know how they say sequels are never as good as the original - DEFINITELY the case here.

The plot was weak. The antagonists (Winthrop and his lawyer) were too stupid to be threatening. In the past, Woodiwiss's "bad guys" always seemed ruthlessly determined, and at times, downright scary. Alistar Winthrop is just a greedy knucklehead, through and through. Even before the "climatic ending" (and I use that phrase loosely), I had a picture in my head that these two buffoons looked like Joe Peschi and Daniel Stern of "Home Alone" fame. When Cerynise was doing the bad guys in, I kept waiting for her to grab her cheeks and scream ala Macauley Culkin. In fact, I wanted to do that myself! I think Ms. Woodiwiss is spending too much time watching kids movies' with her grandchildren if this is the type of ending she is coming up with now.

Bitten by the bug of political correctness, the rape or forcing of the heroine by the hero isn't present in this novel, either - which has always been part of the Woodiwiss formula. While that isn't necessarily a bad thing, in this case, it made for a weaker story. There wasn't this huge emotional obstacle for them to overcome, just their own bumbling lack of communication. The emotional tension between Beau and Cerynise just isn't there, and that tension has always been one of the fun parts of the Woodiwiss novel.

There were editting problems, too. I could never figure out if Beau's eyes were blue or green. Because sometimes Cerynise is reminded of Heather's blue eyes, and at other times, she is looking into eyes of deep green. It makes me wonder if Woodiwiss even wrote this novel. That's something that should be decided upfront. Eyecolor is a no-brainer.

While I'm still planning on reading the newest Birmingham novel, I'm not rushing out to get it. I hope it's better than this one!

In March 1998 I fell in love with "The flame and the flower". One year later I found out there were another Birminghams stories written by K. E. W. Since then I couldn't get to see "The elusive flame" or something about Jeff. Three weeks ago I finally bought "The elusive flame" and all I can say is: I can't get enough of the Birminghams. Although Cerynise and Beau are not as richly drawn as Heather and Brandon - I think they're too perfect and have no faults. I LOVED EVERY MOMENT OF READING IT ESPECIALLY WHEN BARNDON AND HEATHER WERE PRESENTED. I laughed when I read that Jeff was still calling Heather "Tory" and that Mrs. Clark is still alive. I'm sooo happy to have "The elusive flame" and the Birminghams! Ms. Woodiwiss, would you mind writing another story about this marvellous family? For example about Beau's sisters Suzanne and Brenna? I'd be so glad and grateful. Please continue and again let us feel the unforgettable atmosphere of the world you create. Thank you! PS: LOOKING FORWARD TO "A SEASON BEYOND A KISS"!

My mother has always been a fan of Kathleen Woodiwiss and has tried, unsuccessfully, my whole life to get me to read and enjoy her books. I've tried, "Shanna," "The Wolf and the Dove," and all the others, but never could get into them. However, when my mom bought her copy of "The Elusive Flame" I figured I'd try to again read "The Flame and The Flower" because I tend to like series. I wasn't dissapointed. "The Flame and The Flower" was excellent and by the time I finished "The Elusive Flame" I found myself digging all the other Woodiwiss novels out and planning to read them. I've read some of the other bland reviews of "The Elusive Flame" and wonder, did you all read the same book I did? The characters were *not* one demensional, they were very much like Brandon and Heather. You'd expect Beau to be like his father, which he is and you'd expect him to fall for someone like his mother -- which he did. Cerynise is a lot like Heather in so many ways, the only difference being that Cerynise is a little more outspoken. All in all, it was a great read and one I'll visit many times in the future. I anxiously await the next book in the sage that began with Heather and Bradon. Thank you, Ms. Woodiwiss for an excellent book and a great group of characters!

Very slow and far too long book based on a few crucial experiments or diseases: the color-phi-phenomenon of Koler, the experiments of Libet and Multiple Personality Disorder.

Half of the book is spent to reject the Cartesian model of an exact location of consciousness in the brain and to replace it by a multiple version model.
The other part is an explanation of consciousness in terms of a self-developing computer programme that organizes the brain's activity.
Language plays, for the author, a great part in the structuring of the human mind.

Roger Penrose (The Emperor's New Mind) from a physical point of view and Gerald Edelman (Bright Air, Brilliant Fire) from a biological point of view proved for me convincingly that the brain is not a computer and that its action cannot be compared with a computer programme. Trying to explain the working of the brain or of consciousness in this way is for me a dead end.

On the other hand, it is possible that language structures the mind, but before that, the mind had to permit the coming into existence of language (the mind was there before language). There is a reciprocal adaptation.
The all importance of language foreces the author to state that without natural language the mind of the deaf-and-thumb is terribly limited. This is not true, for they can learn to speak with their hands.

I agree with the author's definition of the (biological) self and also with his statement that the brain was in the first place developed to do other activities (to choose between fight or flee...) than read and write.

Although I still learned a lot by reading this book, I cannot recommend it.

N.B. 'L'acte gratuit' is an element of the philosophy of Bergson, not of Sartre or Gide. On the contrary, Gide ridicules it in 'Les Caves du Vatican', where a commuter pushes another commuter out of a running train as an ... 'acte gratuit'.

Mr. Daniel C. Dennett is also author of Brainstorms and coauthor of The Mind's I. George Johnson, New York Times Book Review stated that this book was "Brilliant . . as audacious as its title . . ." and I could not agree more. This text is well written and put together in such a manner that the concepts are accessible even to those of us who are not scientists by training. Yet, the change in the model of the brain presented here is very difficult for me to grasp. I like the concept of thinking about a massively parallel processor as the model for how the brain does what it does, but translating that into a new concept of no one central place where "consciousness takes place," is very difficult indeed. Like many, my view of human consciousness was that there was a central place, an observer that kept me neatly in time and space. Not so, says Dennett.

"Each normal individual of this species [homo sapiens]," says Mr. Dennett, "makes a self. Out of its brain it spins a web of words and deeds, and, like the other creatures, it doesn't have to know what it is doing; it just does it. This web protects it, just like the snail' shell, and provides it a livelihood, just like the spider's web, and advances its prospects for sex, just like the bowerbird's bower." He goes on to point out that this web of discourse and deeds is as much a biological product as any of the other constructions to be found in the animal world.

Mr. Dennett goes on to explain that this complex set of cultural transmissions (memes) such as tunes, ideas, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, etc. can best be understood as the operation of a "von Neumannesque" virtual machine implemented in the parallel architecture of a brain that was not designed for any such activities. In other words, we have learned to use our brains for new functions as we evolved. And, as we spin this web of discourse, we create for ourselves a sense of time-space and orient ourselves in that time-space in such a way as to disconnect ourselves from "creation" and give ourselves and others a sense of "individual."

The book concludes with appendices that direct themselves to specialized language and explanations for Philosophers and Scientists. All in all, a very difficult but rewarding read. I found this book challenging to say the least, and yet I highly recommended it to those interested in how the evolution of human consciousness.

I believe it was Thomas Wolfe who once remarked with pride that he was a generous literary putter-inner, while minimalists like Ernest Hemingway were stingy leaver-outers. No one who finishes "Consciousness Explained" will doubt that Dennett belongs among the putter-inners. For example, on reaching page 280 the reader is casually told, "I have been coy about consciousness up to now." If only we had known, Daniel, that you've been toying with us through half the book...

Dennett does make a coherent case, but the theme is buried in so many asides and diversions that one needs a conceptual GPS to stay oriented. Since he has the whole map in his head, the author naturally tends to forget that others on the tour bus may have lost their bearings two or three turns ago. On the plus side, Dennett's pleasantly conversational tone, clever analogies and colorful terminology (Stalinesque, Multiple Drafts, Witness Protection Program) help to sustain our interest and clarify difficult concepts.

The big picture (I think) is that investigations of consciousness have traditionally been hindered by reliance on the concept of a "Cartesian Theater" in the mind where a homunculus (the audience) makes conscious observations. As long as the nature of the theater and the homunculus remain elusive, the whole approach merely begs the questions of what consciousness is and how it happens. Dennett proposes that neither the theater nor the audience exists (i.e. the analogies are empty) and that a massively parallel process he calls Multiple Drafts is more descriptive of what happens in a conscious brain. The thrust of his argument is that understanding consciousness requires no ultimate appeal to mind/brain dualities, souls, spirits, quantum weirdness or other trappings of the "it can't be straightforward" school. This has led disappointed devotees of the ineffable to make dismissive remarks like "Dennett explains everything under the sun EXCEPT consciousness." Don't believe it.

Dennett's background in philosophy serves him well in addressing the subtleties of cognition, but the resulting terminology may wear a bit on the reader. Sometimes I thought that if I saw the 22-letter monster "heterophenomenological" one more time, I would scream. On the other hand, Dennett's tale of the imaginary deity Feenoman, based on the root of this word, manages to be both hilarious and instructive. The book is an excellent choice for those who are not merely inclined, but also steadfastly determined, to learn more about the machinery of consciousness.