Is this one of Mann's best novels? No, it is not. But it is worth reading anyway. Thomas Mann is best known for novels that delve into an almost omphaloskeptic contemplation of Life, Humanity, Evil and Sin painted on the backdrop of the glorious lost Europe of the Nineteenth Century. As charming as Europe is today, what we see is a faint ghost of a graceful time that tried to hold all things, including class structure of society, under a crystal dome. Of course, this failed, and bloodily so, as is the case throughout history. But Mann tried to capture this sense of youth and grace lost in his novels from Buddenbrooks to The Magic Mountain.

In "The Black Swan" Mann uses a woman "of a certain age" as the symbol of lost youth and innocence. The main character struggles with menopause, the hormonal betrayal of women, and she reacts to the physical changes by falling in love with a younger man. This is a well-observed sketch of denial. With astounding insight, Mann has his character finally delude herself into believing she is pregnant--but the bloating is but the symptom of an inner decay. She is dying of ovarian cancer.

The perceptiveness of Mann about women, who suffer a loss of womanhood and fertility as a result of menopause is astounding. The worth of women to young men is for their beauty and fertility. What does a woman who cannot bear a family and who is aging and becoming ugly have to offer a youth? But this is not the only meaning in "The Black Swan." No, it is again a metaphor for the grace, innocence and beauty of old Europe. In the years following both World Wars, the once-graceful continent undergoes a sort of menopause after the violence of the changes brought by the vicious conflict. Europe is older, uglier and sadly, not much wiser.

Perhap's the Master's shortest and most unusual novella, here we see yet another side to this early 20th Century Genius. A study of a middle aged woman slightly deluded about her aging charms with a daughter who seems to sympathize, but really knows better. As usual, some great descriptions of nature, medieval castles, and philosophical discussions between the two. Mann's seeming obsession with the hidden decay of the body, and perhaps German culture and society, are crystal clear. The writing, even in English, is among his most mesmorizing. Really is there any doubt he is the GREATEST 20th Century Writer?!

Although Thomas Mann is probably best known for writing about the conflict between the artist and the non-artist and death versus life in all of us, he is also fascinated by the concept of diesease and the way it treats the human psyche. When, at the end of this (very short) novel, the doctor cuts the protagonist open and sees she is dying of cancer, the "tea leaves" he looks at frightenly trace her roller coaster emotional life for the past six months. HOWEVER, the doctor also has some theories, about menopause, estrogen and cancer, which--largely because of the addition of two Latin words, I was UNABLE TO FOLLOW. In short, I only understand PART of the end of this book! At the end of his life, Mann has defeated me in both English and German.

If you're looking for a fun read, find "Shakespeare's Hundred Best One-Liners." There's no question, you're in for a treat. Not only do you get the Bard's best one-liners, according to author, Jack W. Thomas, you are also treated to fifty of Shakespeare's words or phrases that have survived over 400-years as today's household words. For example, "Household Words," from "King Henry V," Act IV, or "Eaten me out of House and Home," from "King Henry IV," Part II, Act II. There are 48 more and they're all fun!

In my reviews of videos, plays and books, I often use my Thesaurus. I also use quick-reference publications for easy-to-find ideas. "Shakespeare's Hundred Best One-Liners," is now on my reference book shelf.

Lloyd Roberts, to whom "Shakespeare's" author dedicated this terrific tome, was also my high school drama teacher and I must tell you Jack, Lloyd would be proud.

"Talkers are no good doers," ("King Richard III," Act I), so, I best limit my comments. "Men of few words are the best men," ("King Henry V," Part II, Act III). "Brevity is the soul of wit," ("Hamlet," Act II).

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For reminding me of the Bard's barbs, Jack. Wonderful idea! Wonderful book! A great gift giver! For me, it has been and always will be.

--Bob Ivers is a former actor, TV and Radio personality, who now reviews books, plays and movies for a group of TV & radio stations, and newspapers in the Pacific Northwest. He currently hosts a three hour Saturday radio talk show that includes his reviews.

SHAKESPEARE'S HUNDRED BEST ONE-LINERS might have been titled "Having Fun With Shakespeare". Jack Thomas's Interpolations certainly prove "Shakespeare had a word for it"! 400 hundred years have past since the Bard wrote, yet his words are ever fresh and meaningfully descriptive, and live on as "Household words".This book entertains the reader as it reveals the great genius that the Bard's writings disclose in regard to his amazing undestanding of the nature of Women and Men. It captures Shakespeare's best lines about Life and Death and our Strengths and Weaknesses. I strongly recommend it to all who would enjoy an entertaining distraction that the merry and pithy Interpolations of Jack Thomas have created!

I noticed a previous review by a writer who mentioned using "Shakespeare's Best One-Liners" for research, which is exactly how I happened on to it. Once having achieved that purpose, I began reading it for pleasure. Every page (one-liner)is an educational experience unto itself. I've purchased no less than a dozen copies so far for gifts. I have heard nothing but praise, with no exception, from the giftees. I would like to gently suggest to the author that he give us a sequel. (Although, frankly, I can't see how he can top this one.) I'd like to see more of his work.

. . . to really achieve its full potential, this play needs to be acted out on stage. Still, highly excellent, involving twins, cross-dressing, love tangles, sword-fighting, secret marriages, music, disguises, mistaken identities, high speech, and lowbrow humour.

The entire play takes place in Illyria. In the main plot, Orsino is in love with Olivia, who unfortunately does not return his feelings. Viola is shipwrecked on the Illyrian coast, and dressed as a boy, comes to serve in Orsino's court, where she of course falls in love with Orsino. Meanwhile, in Olivia's court, some of her courtiers plan a cruel--but funny--practical joke against her pompous steward Malvolio. There is also a third plot later on involving Viola's twin brother Sebastian, who has been shipwrecked likewise. Naturally things get quite confusing, but, true to Shakespeare's comedic style, everything gets worked out in the end.

This is an enjoyable book to read, and the notes are very helpful. However, it is still better as a performance.

"Twelfth Night" is one of the famous romantic comedy written by William Shakespeare. Many critics said, "Twelfth Night" is the masterpiece among his comedy because his fully developed style and insight are in the "Twelfth Night", so it has special value and attractiveness.
There are four main characters in "Twelfth Night" ; Duke Orsino, Olivia, Viola, and
Sebastian. Duke Orsino who lives in Illyria loves Olivia, so every day he send one of
his servant to Olivia's house for proposal of marriage. However, every time Olivia
refuses his proposal for the reason that she lost her brother before long, so she is now
in big sorrow and can not love anyone. One day, Viola comes into Illyria. She and her
twin brother Sebastian are separated in a shipwreck and they are rescued by two
different people in two different place, so they think the other one is dead each other.
Viola disguise as a man and become a servant of Duke Orsino, and then she fall in
love with Duke Orsino. But, Duke Orsino loves Olivia and he send Viola whose new
name as a man is "Cesario" to Olivia for proposal. Unexpectedly, Olivia fall in love with
Cesario!! Therefore, love triangle is formed. In the latter scene, Sebastian also come into
Illyria, so the confusion getting worse. However, in the end, all misunderstandings are
solved and Cesario become Viola, so the four main characters find their love.
There are also four supporting characters in "Twelfth Night" ; Clown, Sir Toby Belch,
Malvolio, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek. They make the readers laugh through their funny
behaviors and comments in subplot.
"Twelfth Night" is very funny story and enjoyable book, so I recommend you.

I didn't read this particular version of Twelfth Night, so I'm rating the plot, not the editing. This book was the first play by Shakespeare that I read, and I loved it! It starts when Viola and her brother, Sebastian, are seperated in a shipwreck. Viola decides to disguise herself as a boy and work for Orsino, the duke. Orsino sends Viola to tell Olivia that he loves her. Viola does what he says, but she wishes she didn't have to, because she has fallen in love with Orsino! Then Olivia falls in love with Viola, thinking that she is a boy. While all this is going on, Andrew Aguecheek is wooing Olivia, who scorns him. Also, Maria, the maid, Sir Toby Belch, Olivia's uncle, and another servant write a letter and put it where Malvolio, a servant, will see it. The letter says that Olivia is in love with Malvolio. Malvolio immediately starts trying to woo Olivia. Maria and Sir Toby pretend to think that he's mad, and lock him up. Meanwhile, Sebastian comes to town with Antonio, the man who saved him from the shipwreck. Antonio gives him his purse and says that he must stay away from the city because he fought against the duke in a war. A few minutes later, Antonio realizes that he needs money for lodgings and goes to find Sebastian. In the city, Viola is being forced to fight Andrew Aguecheek for the right to marry Olivia. Antonio sees the fight and hurries to intervene. Orsino recognizes him and has him arrested. Antonio asks Viola for his purse so that he can pay bail, thinking that she is Sebastian. Viola denies having had a purse. Then Sebastian comes up. Olivia had found him and married him on the spot, and he, deliriously happy, had gone away to give Antonio his purse. On the way, he met Sir Toby and Andrew Aguecheek. When they try to force him to fight, he punches them and goes on. They come up too, bitterly accusing Viola. (No one has seen Sebastian yet.) Then Olivia comes up and speaks to Viola, who denies being her wife. Orsino becomes angry with her, thinking that she has married Olivia, and accuses her of treachery. Just as things are looking bad for Viola, Sebastian reveals himself. Then everyone is happy (since Orsino falls in love with Viola on the spot) except Andrew Aguecheek and Malvolio, who is later set free. The plot of this book is a little hard to understand, but it is halariously funny and makes for happy reading.

Question: Which edition of Robert's Rules is official? Aren't they all the same? Which one do professional parliamentarians refer to? Answer: The National Association of Parliamentarians, and the American Institute of Parliamentarians, only recognize one book as the current official parliamentary authority: Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised [1990 edition, Scott, Foresman] Everything else is old, or a variation. The bible of parliamentary law, it is this edition that your bylaws probably mentions, not the 1876 original text, like some publishers are selling. Be forewarned, it is literally a book of rules, and not easily absorbed. -- You may have to learn what's practical for your average meeting by a simpler beginners book. If you want simple, go elsewhere; if you want complete, this is it. No other book is ADDING things to Henry M. Robert's original classifications & rankings (it's 700+ pages!), only shortening & simplifying & rephrasing.

As a lawyer, when I am asked about proper procedure at a meeting, my first question is: What rules do you use? Is there an applicable statute, or bylaws or rules that the organization has adopted? Nine times out of ten, the answer is: "Robert's Rules of Order." Robert's is the most widely used parliamentary manual in the United States.

General Henry M. Robert published the original "Robert's Rules" in 1875 and 1876 and, since the copyright on that edition (and the next few editions) has long since expired, there are numerous unofficial editions on the market. The third edition, published in 1893, is still marketed in paperback by more than one publisher as the "original" Robert's Rules. With the copyright expired, even the name "Robert's" has passed into the public domain, and many imitators have slapped the name "Robert's" on books of parliamentary procedure that bear minimal relation to General Robert's work (much as many dictionaries claim the name "Webster's" without any connection to Noah Webster or the Merriam-Webster brand that carries on his work). This book is the real Robert's, composed by an editorial board appointed by General Robert's heirs (including his descendants Sarah and Henry III, both eminent parliamentarians). Now in its tenth edition, published in 2000, this book "supersedes all previous editions and is intended automatically become the parliamentary authority in organizations whose bylaws prescribe 'Robert's Rules of Order' . . . or the like, without specifying a particular edition."

Robert's is not necessarily the best parliamentary manual on the market: "Modern Parliamentary Procedure" by Ray Keesey is far more logical and user-friendly, and "The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure" by Alice Sturgis (commissioned by the American Institute of Parliamentarians as a contemporary alternative to Robert's) is more readable and more rooted in modern practice. But no other book has gained as much as a toehold in Robert's dominance in the market. If you are interested in parliamentary procedure, or figuring out how most organizations work in the twenty-first-century United States, this Robert's is indispensable.

Recently having begun to serve on a board, I've found Robert's manual--a mainstay of legislatures, clubs and other organizations around the world since 1893--to be invaluable. Its comprehensive coverage of motions, rules, procedures and all contingencies has served me well simply in understanding "what's going on"; it has also enabled me to become an active, not a passive, member. Knowledge is power, in this context or in any other. There is no question that members of your organization who have knowledge of the rules of the meeting have the power to control the meeting. If you do not want to get stepped on, this book is essential.

There are several editions of this work. I advise buyers to get one that (a) has a durable binding, able to withstand the rigors of frequent use; (b) has a good introduction or supplementary guide by its editor, as Robert's original manual is, as other reviews here have noted, complex and intimidating to those who are new to it.

I was never one to enjoy history much until my college history class used this book for the main text. I found this book great reading (interesting and kept my attention most of the time). I must say that after that class and this book, I have become much more interested in aspects of history. This book is wonderful and I would recommend it to any college professor of history or high school student with even a slight interest in history!

I used this book for self-study after many years away from any formal courses, and I was very pleasantly surprised to find myself engrossed in the lucid and engaging descriptions, the beautiful illustrations and photographs, and helpful index. It covers, at just the right level of detail, American History from the colonization of the Americas to Clinton's presidency. It gives a big picture without being condescending and simplistic, but also without assailing you with inessential jargon and names.

I looked at many different American History surveys and this is my favorite by far. On the other hand, if you already know the main outlines of American History, and want detailed analyses of particular periods, then this book will not be as helpful, as it is merely an overview and the bibliography is not very detailed or well annotated.

This book has been a great aid in writing my research papers! I really liked the way the book was broken down between chapters and sections, it made choosing a research topic much easier. The book was also very well written and to the point, it was not at boring at all!

I highly recommend this definitive work on architects Delano & Aldrich. The book is amazingly well-researched and well-written as well as beautifully illustrated with both historic and contemporary photographs. It's a must for the library of anyone interested in architecture!

I have been interested in the work of Delano and Aldrich for a number of years, and this book provides the best information I have been able to get so far.

The descriptions are deep and serious. I also liked the great pictures. The impact of their work is historic to say the least.

This is a must read.

What a fabulous insight into the Architecture firm of Delano & Adrich. This book with its beautiful photographs and engaging essay provide an invaluable tool for all architectural enthusiasts: from the average architecture buff to those involved in scholarly research.

I'm most impressed that the authors not only sought to perform research on the buildings themselves, but moreover, examined the partners and the social influences of the times. I feel we gain so much from the writers thru their experience of having read Delano's letters in archive at Yale!

This book should stand as a model for future chronologist of architectural history. It is truly a wonderful presentation - the best that I've seen published to date.

Congratulations.

This is a very intelligent novel. Faulkner's style is very different from many other authors. I liked the characters' psychological description, very well done. However, for moments the novel was distracting because it was not easy to follow the story. Anyway, I found it worth reading to know Faulkner's style.

I love this guy Faulkner. I read another half chapter of The Wild Palms on the train.
Never read anything by him before.

Faulkner's characters don't sit around and examine their navel. They just Do. Yes act on their passions they Do. His characters are not beautiful people. They have scars, injuries, poverty, depraved morals, injustices, suffering upon suffering. What makes the Wild Palms beautiful is the passion of people living life right on the bone.

A married woman is planning on abandoning her husband and two kids and running away with another man. The other man asks her what about her two kids. On page 41, she answers, "I know the answer to that and I know that I cant change that answer and I dont think I can change me because the second time I ever saw you I learned what I had read in books but I never had actually believed: that love and suffering are the same thing and that the value of love is the sum of what you have to pay for it and anytime you get it cheap you have cheated yourself." No Catholic saint-mystic ever said it better. Pretty good for a crazy Protestant drunk.

You hear talk about stream-of consciousness with James Joyce and Jack Kerouac and so on. This guy Faulkner captures the way our minds think and our mouths talk more realistically than anybody.

Of Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor said, "Nobody wants his mule and wagon stalled on the same track when the Dixie Limited is roaring down."

Something about this book reminds me of the Stephen King material set in the south, the Southern-ness of it and the same kind of characters.

The omniscient author technique is frowned on in serious, modern literature. I don't knw if this aesthetic rule post-dates Faulkner, but he uses it to no ill effect. There's very little difference between when a character is speaking and Faulkner is speaking. It gives the effect of us reading the characters thoughts rather than Faulkner telling us what they are. It works perfectly.

Few to none of the characters in any of the standard, best-seller type books have any inner life. When most of the authors try it, they are quite pathetic at it. I suppose that's because the authors have no inner life themselves. Faulkner does not show us the inner life of any of his characters either. However, as Faulker presents his characters, the reader induces their inner drives from their actions. It works very, very well. Stephen King's characters are like this also.

Stephen King by the way is very steeped in American literary tradition. Essentially, he's New England gothic. He is to Nathaniel Hawthorne what the Frankenstein, the monster, is to Dr. Frankenstein. King is clothed in Hawthorne, bathed in Faulkner and inebriated with Poe. To look at the connection further, I suggest you read the short stories of Hawthorne.

Faulkner is not everybody's cup of tea, but he happens to be my favorite American writer. While the critics and all those "best books of the century" lists consistently feature "The Sound and the Fury", "Absalom, Absalom" and maybe "As I Lay Dying" as Faulkner's major works--and I too like those books--I have always thought THE WILD PALMS a gem. An underrated, forgotten gem. Perhaps it really isn't his best novel, but still it is a work of genius. I recently re-read it.

Very few novels on the world stage are composed of two completely separate stories. THE WILD PALMS consists of 1) a love story in 1938, taking place in New Orleans, Chicago, Wisconsin, Utah, San Antonio, and the Mississippi Gulf coast, and 2) the story of one man (a prisoner) and his mighty ordeal during the Mississippi River floods of 1927. Parchman State Prison in Mississippi is the sole physical point that joins the two tales, otherwise separate in time, place, class, and impulse. But Faulkner's genius is such that the reader soon understands that the theme of both stories is the same. Faulkner's novels often focus on Fate, how the individual is caught in mysterious, giant webs of 'outrageous fortune' beyond comprehension, helpless to oppose the powerful, hidden currents. The present volume is no exception. "You are born submerged in anonymous lockstep"--the main character of story #1 muses on page 54--"with the seeming anonymous myriads of your time and generation; you get out of step once, falter once, and you are trampled to death." In the first case, Wilbourne and Charlotte deviate from the usual path for love's sake, strive mightily to maintain and cherish that love, and pay an inevitable price. In the second, a convict is caught in a flood in a tiny boat when sent to save two people. He rescues one, but is swept away. He completes his mission, returning both boat and rescued woman, despite incredible hardships, only to face a certain ironic destiny. In both cases, other lives or other destinies constantly present themselves, but the protagonists refuse to alter their selected course. It is the antithesis to the Hollywood message that "you can be whatever you want in life, you just have to want it badly enough". Faulkner plumps for Destiny. A person might be, he says on page 266, "...no more than the water bug upon the surface of the pond, the plumbless and lurking depths of which he would never know..." one's only contact with such depths being when Fate is blindly accepted and played out to the bitter end. The forces of Nature, symbolized by the wild clashing of the palm fronds in the winds off the Gulf of Mexico, always outweigh the strength of human beings. The palms clash in the wind at the beginning and at the very end as well. Faulkner concludes that bearing grief, living with it, is better than suicide, better than obliterating the agonies of remembrance with a pill or bullet. Memory, however, bitter and painful, is better than nothingness. The two main characters end in prison, a most un-optimistic metaphor for life. A most powerful novel, a novel that speaks from the crocodile-haunted deeps of every person's psyche.

Thomas a Kempis lived in a world torn asunder by the Plague, political upheaval, and deep crisis in the Church-a world perhaps not so different from ours. Thomas chose to leave his embattled world for the monastery and devote his life to God. Escapism? Retreat? Hardly. Thomas shows us with great pain, passion, and eloquence how monastic life is the ultimate battle, that between the spirit and the flesh, with stakes no less than one's eternal salvation. "Imitations" teaches us how to be humble before God and each other, and how to live in a manner pleasing to God. It offers up devotional prayers that help us move toward a real and meaningful relationship with Jesus. And in Book Four, it provides profound reflections on the Eucharist that, for Catholics, take this Sacrament to a whole new level of significance, mystery, and beauty.

In many ways the book is not comforting, for it offers no easy answers. Instead, it challenges us to look at our thoughts and actions with utmost clarity and honesty. This is neither easy nor comfortable, but in the end, our only road to peace. Thomas's writing has certainly stood the test of time. After over five hundred years, his words still ring true, and loudly.

Thomas a Kempis was medival monk and priest (1380-1471) who served as chronicler of the monastery at Mt. St. Agnes. During his long life of scholarship, he wrote several biographies of church fathers and a number of devotional works. The "Imitation of Christ" remains his most famous work and the one that has best stood the test of time. Indeed, one of the wonderful things about this work is that it reminds us that the life of the mind is not a creature of the Enlightenment. Even during the so-called Dark Ages there were brilliant scholars with a wide knowledge of both scripture and philosophy. Reflecting its vibrant insight into the human condition, the "Imitation of Christ" remains influential on both sides of the Reformation divide. It reportedly was, for example, one of John Wesley's favorite devotionals.

The "Imitation of Christ" is divided into 4 books, each undertaking a basic theme for development. They are, respectively, the Spiritual Life, the Inner Life, Inward Consolation, and the Blessed Sacrament (i.e., the Eucharist). In turn, each book is sub-divided into numerous chapters, each a page or two long. All of which makes the "Imitation of Christ" a useful book for daily devotionals. One can skip around freely within the book, dipping in as the mood strikes. Yet, I think one is well-served by reading it through at least once. Only then does one see Thomas' thought in its fully-developed form

The Imitation of Christ is a spiritual classic for all Christians. Its primary message, seen in the first three "books," is that we must become totally dependent on God, with our will being surrendered to His. These three books deal exclusively with our personal relationship with God, warning that we should shun associations with other people and with worldly possessions. Contrary to today's popular culture, they also say that we must "keep nothing of self-love." The tone of these books seems contrary to Catholic teaching, based on Genesis, in which the world and all that is in it was created good. Our misuse of the free will that God gave us is the cause of evil in His creation. Chapters 54 and 55 of Book 3 in particular imply, as did Martin Luther, that our nature is evil; however, replacing "nature" with "concupiscence" makes the characterization of evil in these chapters worth reading. The first three books also seem contrary to Christ's deep involvement with other people. Nevertheless these three books pull us away from our excessive consumerism and materialism.

Book 3 in particular offers much good spiritual advice. Bear your sufferings patiently, willingly and without complaint. Suffer all things gladly for the love of God. Do not be discouraged and weakened by temptations. Avoid carnal allurements, enticements for the eye and the life of empty show. Four things that bring peace are doing the will of others rather than your own, always choosing to have fewer riches rather than more, always seeking the lowest place and desiring to be subject to all, and always wishing for and praying that the will of God be accomplished in you. Avoid curious inquiry into the lives of others. Use bodily necessities moderately and do not have excessive desire for them. Avoid flatterers. Be patient with those who contradict you. Avoid garrulous speech and soothing, tempting voices. Do not let your peace of mind depend on what people say about you. If you are guilty, do not resent correction but make amends. Cling to the Lord and do not fear judgments of humans, when your conscience assures you that you seek to be devout and innocent. Do not take it to heart if you see others honored and promoted and yourself despised and looked down upon. Your peace must not depend upon human beings. Do not think that God has abandoned you because He has sent you some grief or because He has withdrawn from you the consolation for which you longed. Expect being very distracted in prayer. Desire nothing from this world. To help attain contemplation, do not depend on outward signs and material things but practice mortification. Forsake all and you will find all; relinquish all desire and you will find rest. Be of pure intention. Praise and glorify God in all things. Refrain from arguments, especially about the hidden judgments of God. Consult God in time of danger. Do not be impressed by the brilliant and clever sayings of human beings; the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. It is best for you to be ignorant about many things, considering yourself dead to the world. Avoid those you confide their secrets to others. When spiritually weary undertake humble, exterior works.

Book 4 provides many meditations for use prior to receiving Holy Communion. This is the only book that shows the importance of the Church and the Sacraments in our spiritual lives.

The book is best read at the pace of one chapter per day, as a source for daily meditation.

Some fans of Faulkner have bemoaned the fact that his final novel is not a profound summation of his heftier, more philosophical works (as though Faulkner could have foreseen his own death and owed his readers that much). While it is true that The Reivers is a much lighter (and more comical) work than those commonly regarded as Faulkner's "masterpieces," it is still worthy of attention. For one thing, The Reivers is Faulkner at his most entertaining; unburdened by the need to address the darker symptoms of the human condition, he is free to let his imagination run wild: the trials and triumphs of young Lucius Priest and his travelling companions make for some hilarious scenes and leave the reader feeling far more bouyant at the novel's close that, say, at the end of The Sound and the Fury or Absalom, Absalom!. The Reivers also features two additional benefits: the divine Miss Reba (second only to Granny Millard as Faulkner's most entertaining and resourceful female character); and the much-appreciated absence of that nosy and annoying popinjay Gavin Stevens. While one might read The Reivers as a Bildungsroman (Lucius's growth and awakening to the realities of the world around him are clearly underscored throughout the novel), I prefer to see it as a simple, amusing and satisfying story from a man who, by the end of his life, had done more to explore the human condition than most writers ever attempt - and was content to leave it at that.

Have you ever read a novel or a short story and felt an urgency to finish it but also an urgency to never finish? That's how I felt while reading Faulkner's The Reivers. This Pulitzer prize novel concerns one eleven-year-old white boy named Lucius Priest. Through the mediation of his father's underlings--Boon Hoggenbeck and Ned McCaslin--Lucius comes of age in the art of non-virtue. While Lucius's grandfather is away, the three of them "borrow" the old man's automobile and embark on a bumpy journey to Memphis. On the trip, Lucius sees it all--whoredom, lust, theft, profanity, gambling--and struggles with these things in the context of a southern religious tradition. Though he has every opportunity to turn back and forgo the trip, he presses on and convinces himself that it's all too late. Non-virtue has already embraced him. On the other hand, Boon and Ned have no doubts of their lack of virtue, and when they see Lucius drinking from evil's muddy waters, they just nod their heads (don't think that the story is grim, for it's down right funny at times). The story is addictive, even though the language is rocky and convoluted at times. Faulker was no Raymond Carver or Ernest Hemingway; conversely, he was the ultimate practitioner of the compound-complex sentence. The dialogue was so real, especially with Ned and other black folks. I felt as though I were standing around the campfire chewing tobacco and thumbing my suspenders and talking about horse racing. No wonder this novel hooked the Pulitzer. It's quality stuff.

I remember reading Faulkner's Sound and the Fury as a college sophmore and swearing never to read another book by him again. I happened to find the Reivers in my local library and decided to give his Pulitzer Prize winning book a try. It is a charming book that tells the story of a stolen car, a stolen horse, a horse race, and the life changing experiences of an 11 year old boy in the course of a week. Although Faulkner employs colons and semicolons more than any writer, and his sentences seem to continue on indefinitely, the effort of adjusting to his style rewards the reader with a wonderful tale. I highly reccomend this book, and hope to try another Faulkner book in the near future. Maybe I will even attempt the Sound and the Fury someday.

This book claims to reveal prophesies that predicted the rise of communism, World War II, and other major events. It also claims that freemasons blamed pious Catholics for the murder of Jacinta and Francisco the following year in order to fulfill the prophesy of 1917 (in fact they died from natural causes). The author fails to mention that Lucy's "prophesies" were not written down until the 1940's, AFTER all these events had occurred. The New York Times article describing "the Miracle of the Sun" on the day following the event DOES NOT EXIST. If you don't believe me, go to your local library and look it up yourself. This is like the fraudulent Nostradamus e-mails that predicted the World Trade Center disaster, but that only appeared AFTER the event. In fact, "the Miracle of the Sun" never took place and the supposed 70,000 witnesses did not exist!

The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1909 (available online) has scholarly researched articles that prove that both the Rosary and the Shroud of Turin are frauds, but the Catholic Church continues to pawn these on the public. It acts like a parent who tells her child that the tooth fairy stole her tooth in the middle of the night. I know many people will be angry with this review, but I challenge them to research the original sources before giving a blanket condemnation.

This is one the very best books on the subject. The author is truly gifted in telling the story of Fatima. ...[The] apparitions at Fatima have been the most thoroughly investigated in history, and anyone who knows the rigourous standards that the Catholic Church places on such investigations knows it does not advance such venerations as it enthusiastically does such as for the Apparitions of Fatima without it's full belief that these events are valid. In fact, many newspaper reporters were present on the day of the Miracle of Sun, some very unfriendly to the subject of "supposed apparitions" occurring in a remote village in Portugal, which at that time was controlled by socialistic forces. These newpapers (which are documented in the book) came to witness what they thought would be a non-event, and were in the end forced to corroborate the veracity of some very unusual happenings having taken place there--astonishing ones. So to say that they didn't take place because a reviewer below said that the New York Times didn't report it, is just stupid. There were very many witnesses and a great deal of testimony taken from Fatima that this book thoroughly details.... Start with this book. In it you'll find a rich vein of history, spirituality, and truth.

I've read many books on Fatima, and this is the best--hands down. William Thomas Walsh's writing is truly magnificent. Fatima literally comes alive in these pages, with rich descriptions, and a truly exciting prose style.

I must disagree with a previous reviewer that said that the book's age is beginning to show. The apparitions of Fatima occurred in 1917. The fact that the book was written closer to the time-frame of the occurrences there is an asset, not a detriment. And yet the book and it's well regarded message could not be more current. This one is not to be missed.