I think I would have enjoyed this book more had I not read Norwich's book on Shakespeare's kings before I read this one. Norwich did a much better job of going through the history and, in particular, of comparing the history to Shakespeare's plays. Plus, Norwich's writing was much more vivid and engaging.

On the other hand, Saccio does a very good job of going through the history of Shakespeare's kings in a logical manner. He does not waste words and presents a story that is quick and easy to digest. Like Norwich, Saccio focuses mainly on the kings from Richard II through Henrys IV, V, and VI to Richard III. Unlike Norwich, however, Saccio also discusses King John and Henry VIII.

For anyone who is interested in knowing what really went on in the lives of these Shakespearean kings, this book is an excellent tool. Saccio points out some of the most important fallacies in the plays and is fair in presenting honest assessments of the realities of these characters even when they conflict with the dynamic images drawn by the Bard. This second edition also has a nice afterward that comments on some of the Shakespearean scholarship of the past 25 years. It is a worthwhile read.

I wish I had this in college...it's an indispensable reference for anyone reading the history plays, and it's a clear and engaging read.

this is an indispensible companion to shakespeare's history plays. indeed, i can't imagine how one can understand the plays without a book like this that gives the historical background to the events shakespeare dramatizes. the writing is concise, the presentation always lucid and logical. i especially appreciated the family trees provided in the appendix. it's the only way you can disentangle the relations between all the characters. can't recommomend this book enough.

This book is a wonderful ending to the brilliant trilogy William Nicholson has written. The characters are createed with so much history, they seem real. The whole story has a depth to it that I have never encountered before, not even in Lord of the Rings or the Robrt Jordan trilogy. As you read, questions pop up into your mind, but it is almost garaunteed that if you don't get an answer right away, you will come up with one on your own by the time you finish the book. My only complaint is that it is so short!

Ok im only 13 years old and it wasnt a struggle to read at all. I cant write very good rewievs, so make sure you read all the other ones written by intelligent and extremely helpful people. I just want to say if you are thinking of buying this book go RIGHT AHEAD! i guarantee you will not be dissapointed. The characters are all brilliant. I have written books myself but i have never got so involved witht he characters emotions and feelings before. It even made me cry- which i dont often do. I keep reading it again and again and again. Im still not bored of it just sad that it's ended.I rate this book a well deserved 5 out of 5! It is extremely gripping, adventurous and jam packed with stuff. PLEASE read it, especially if you have read the other two in the trilogy. If you like teen books like artemis fowl, his dark materials ect you will LOVE this. It is even better! The ending isn't absolutely great as it is a bit soppy but who cares??? Its... its... its...amazing! INGENIOUS!!!

This is an excellent book. It has no weaknesses and proves to be an excellent sequel to the other two books in the trilogy; The Winsinger. Slaves of the Mastery. Anyone that enjoyed these two books would enjoy this one. The characters are very realistic and you can relate to some of their dilemmas. It is a great book for all ages even though it says it is for the younger reader. It is just as enjoyable for adults. It is very easy to understand and i couldn't put the book down, i was literally glued to it. Even though it is 340+ pages, it is exceptional.

This is the 12th book that I've read in this series. I'm reading them in order, but I read a couple of the later ones before going back to start from the beginning. Like all the others, this one is nicely written. Peters' command of the English language is impressive. Her ability to portray life in 12th century England is also impressive. These stories are good period pieces. I have enjoyed all of the episodes I've read so far.

On the other hand, this particular installment is not the most mysterious of Brother cadfael's mysteries that I have read. It is clear from early on who the ordinary ruffians are. It is also clear who is troubled and has questionable motives. It only remains to clarify the relationship between two troubled young men to sort out the mystery. Further, the mystery doesn't have much immediacy for the reader, having taken place a considerable distance away and before the story opens. This story is also a bit "gushier" than most. The romantic angle is played up with a bit too much intensity and there is a "miraculous" healing during the story that fills a whole chapter and does little to further the plot.

I enjoyed this book. It was a pleasant and easy read. But, as a mystery, it was only mediocre. If you are a Cadfael fan, enjoy. But, if you're looking for a real whodunit, look elsewhere.

If you're interested in an audio edition, check that you're getting the unabridged recording narrated by Stephen Thorne.
Ideally, read all the preceding books in the series, in order, before reading this one. At a minimum, first read #1 (A Morbid Taste for Bones, the story of how the monastery came to have St. Winifred as its patroness) and The Virgin in the Ice, to avoid the biggest spoilers.

This June of 1141, the feast of the translation of St. Winifred dawns upon a time when the civil war between the Empress Maud and King Stephen for the throne of England may finally draw to a close: Stephen was captured at the battle of Lincoln, and even now Maud is negotiating with the city of London for her entry into Westminster for her coronation. The papal legate, Bishop Henry of Blois, brother to Stephen, has called a legatine council (including Abbot Radulfus from Shrewsbury) and is working on turning his allegiance to the empress, for the sake of peace. Hugh, sheriff of Shropshire for Stephen, broods on ways and means of getting a man into Bristol to free Stephen, and prays for a miracle, while using his friend Brother Cadfael as a sounding board.

Cadfael, too, is praying for a miracle - any miracle - at this feast of St. Winifred. Not from a desire for the abbey's glory, or from any faltering of his own faith, but as a sign that the saint took no offense from the events of _A Morbid Taste for Bones_, when he accompanied a delegation from the abbey to the saint's grave in Wales to bring back her mortal remains as holy relics. (Since that was before Hugh's arrival in Shrewsbury, Cadfael summarizes the story for him, so it's possible to follow the plot of _Pilgrim_ without reading _Bones_. But be warned that Cadfael reveals the ending of _Bones_ to Hugh.)

Abbot Radulfus returns in time for the festival, bearing word of a cowardly murder at the legatine council. The attempted murder of the envoy of Stephen's queen failed, but Ranulf Bossard, the brave man of the empress' party who foiled the attempt, was himself cut down in the street.

All the brothers are busily preparing for the huge influx of pilgrims at this time of year, many of whom are ill and seeking miraculous healing. Brother Cadfael, as herbalist, sees some of the more noteworthy cases: Rhun, a devout half-Welsh boy with a twisted leg that might respond to treatment; his sister, Melangell; a young Welsh clark, Ciaran, traveling barefoot and wearing a large iron cross, on his way to Wales to die; Matthew, Ciaran's faithful shadow. There are less savory characters, as well, petty (and not so petty) career criminals who prey on the credulous and the frail. (Credulous, as in, people who trust a stranger's dice.) Some may even have fled from a city too hot to hold them.

Into this festival atmosphere rides a young envoy of the empress' party, on a twofold mission: to sound out Hugh on the question of his fealty, and to seek Bossard's young heir, who disappeared in this direction after his lord's death. But even if he is among the pilgrims, how can he be identified by those who have never seen him? And was he involved in Bossard's death?

It is A.D. 1141, A year that brings a tide of pilgrims to the Addey.

This is the tenth mystery in the series. You may want to start from the first to let the interacting mysteries reveal themselves in chronological order. This is the second one for me after "The Morbid Taste for Bones." I do have to warn you that the synopsis to "A Morbid Taste for Bones" and "Virgin in the Ice" is played out again somewhat in the first two chapters of this book.

What can not be portrayed in the short Cadfael movies and would make marvelous reading on its own is the inter action between the forces and reasons behind the vacillating positions of Empress Maud and King Stephen. This is also a crucial part of the story; as the loyalties and logistics play a major part in the mystery and people's lives.

I will not compare and contrast the people in the story or the differences in the film adaptation as the fun is finding out for your self, all the actions and interaction of people. I will say that none of this would have been possible with out the grace of St. Winifred.

Provides great color photos of Florida reptiles (including snakes, alligators and crocodiles) and amphibians. The book is intended for those with an interest in nature, not for experts. While it is easy to read, there are interesting facts about various species that will surprise most readers. However, this book is not intended as a guide for species identification. The book contains information on conservation and the importance of reptiles/amphibians in our environment. Good information on the venomous snakes of Florida. Readers of many ages and backgrounds will enjoy the information & photos in this book. A good investment.

This book was given to me when I relocated to Florida, and I have thanked my benefactor many times over. Living in Florida means living with and respecting the wild critters, who are part of the beauty of this wonderful state. The colorful photos make it easy to identify the animals who slither through my new world and give me valuable information about which ones I should admire from afar.

If it's slithering, clawing or hopping around your Florida yard you'll find it in this book. The photographs are very well detailed for easy identification. I also recommend Florida's Fabulous Insects for other creepy crawlies.

I bought this book for my son, he found the book very informative and helpful good for anyone who is just starting out

This book has helped me a great deal in thinking about my business, but I wish it included more examples of current BPs. That would have been very helpful.

I just want to thank Peter J. Patsula for all the help that he has done me by putting out this awesome book! A few months ago, I decided that I didn't want to continue working for someone else and instead wanted to be my own boss. I came across Mr. Patsula's book and within days, I was filled with a sense of confidence and understanding that has definitively helped me in starting out with my own business.I literally saved thousands of my hard earned dollars by following the easy to understand chapters on setting up a logical, effective, business plan. After going through the clearly written and inspiring chapters, I found that I had the motivation and focus that I needed to get off the couch and go achieve my dream of being a business owner. I am now the proud owner of a small business in the New York area, and I'm earning triple my old salary working way fewer hours. Thank you Peter J. Patsula for showing me how to make an effective business plan. It really works!!

I just picked this book up ata local antique book dealer. I have read and lived by his previous book " How to survive the Loss of a love". McWilliams words are soothing and have been a great comfort to me. No matter what state of "love" you are in, there is a poem for you. I know this one will be as dog earred as my other one.

The Hard Stuff..... the words drive the reader along the course of a love or several. The emotional appeal is excellent. So real and simple it is to accept, assimilate, understand, agree with McWilliams' words. This book is filled with words of self-discovery in a world of yearning, loving and perhaps, even blind, naive obsession. Each reader will discover phrases that ring through the mind long after the book is closed and set upon the shelf, such as "return the word naked." These private expressions are universally experienced. The words will return to you when you least expect.

This book was given to me several years ago yet it has been a guide and a consolation during times of romantic distress and of good times. His words touch upon the true feelings of love and loss, he truly gives his heart a voice. I would reccomend this book to anyone who has been in love, is in love, or ever even thought about love. Beautiful!

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.

Recently, I came across an old, sorely beaten paperback copy of William Peter Blatty's THE NINTH CONFIGURATION that I read as a young man and, liking it so much, passed around for all my friends to enjoy. Wondering if the story and the writing would hold up after all this time, I made a grab for my reading glasses and shoved off. Yes, the prose is dated somewhat and certainly overwrought, and again we find ourselves burdened with another shellshocked, soul-shredded Vietnam warrior-hero type. Yes, the antiquated reasoning behind Blatty's metaphysics seems nearly as laughable now as any of the outrageous dialogue, and the Hollywood ending is just too cute. Yet, none of this spells death sentence here. This is a small book with a big heart, and, in the end, this story works because it is funny. Blatty has us laughing out loud in the face of stark madness and tragedy by page two and never lets up. NINTH CONFIGURATION is fun and interesting and for me that's enough.

This is a well written and tightly crafted novel. The dialogue, while often full of angst, is witty and clever. The premise of the book is certainly unusual. A secret facility houses militairy officers, all brave men, who have, for reasons unknown, become mentally disturbed. Housed without hope, a militairy psychiatrist enters their lives in a most unexpected way. Yet, it appears that he has his own issues with which to contend. Issues that lie at the heart of his seeming understanding of their problems. Things are not always what they seem. Be prepare for a shocking surprise. This book is definitely a thriller in every sense of the word.

A team of misfits from military are collected for a special
project, study of what drove them into insanity. This story is
terrific look at human pysche, belief system, and will. This
is also the novel from which the movie with Stacey Keech, arrived. EXCELLENT action, plot, characters. Thought-provoking
and maybe even life-changing.

This book is about a man nutured and steeped in a by-gone rustic era, and ended up thrust into some of the most dramatic changes and events of the century. But it could have been, and perhaps should have been co-authored by someone else, and even better yet, written by another party as a biography, hopfully with access to Saxbe. There is little insight into the man William B. Saxbe or the events in his life.

The honesty of parts of the book is refreshing, Saxbe even alludes to marital infidelity of his father. Many might claim this goes too far, but I think it humanizes the work and the people it is about - except Saxbe seems to remain inwardly indifferent or distant from these matters, as he seems to do in any contraversy. Saxbe offers contradictions in character without notice, again distant and non-self critical - he left his church in Washington DC because the church accepted ' long haired radicals', as if Jesus Christ, the person he worshipped there ?, - was a short haired conservative and a member of the Roman Senate. As with many autobiographies, these contradictions breeze right through the subjects belief system filters - something the co-author SHOULD have noticed and pressed Saxbe on. I refuse to believe Saxbe is as shallow and unthinking as the book presents him.

Another contradiction somewhat glossed over in the book is presenting Saxbe as falling into opportunities by happenstance and coming from humble beginnings. On the pages of his own book he never seems to realize how relativly wealthly and connected his family was, especially during the Depression. The plumb jobs [ as any Depression era job might be ] and early political positions he received are presented as though it was some sort of luck of the draw happening - hardly believable. It is not evident whether this reality wasn't mentioned through ignorant bliss or was absent to maintain some sort of individualist boot strap persona of William B. Saxbe - but even his highest appointments latter in life have the same result - why me? The co-author should have went to third parties to better flesh these situations out. In any event you will gape at the opportunities miraculously afforded Saxbe during the Depression, and again few words of explanation how they actually came about. He went through more money in a spend thrift fashion during the Depression than many families would see in 5 years - you have to remember there were children starving to death and a 25% unenployment rate, yet he seems not to take notice or remember this. Again distant and no critcal self examination of the realities around him. He uses metaphor to explain why he is against the Vietnam War - it is " ... like trying to push a truck uphill with a towrope" and referring to the peace agreement "That pretty much wound up the war as far as I was concerned". The previous 2 thoughts are how the chapter about Vietnam begins and ends, in between are mentions of his Marine son's conflicts of conscience and Saxbe's drumming of non violent change - regarding Kent State, it was due to untrained Guardsmen with loaded weapons. But little introspective illumination of how Saxbe arrived at his thinking. Exacting "common sense" and metaphor are great around a cracker barrel, but tell the reader little about William B. Saxbe. Somewhere within Saxbe are well guarded thoughts and feelings which the co-auhtor was unwilling or unable to bring out.

All in all, the book is very readable, the opening scenes of Mechanicsburg refresh a by gone era, and although Saxbe may be a footnote in political history and offers few new insights, it is a worthwhile attempt - but because of this the co-author SHOULD have used a more critical red pen and pressed Saxbe for explanations or flesh the subject out himself through third parties. The book reads more like an old Bing Crosby/Bob Hope On The Road To .... movie than an autobiography that gets to the core of who this man was - which should not have happened with a credited co-author.

Unless you have a personal interest in the Columbus,Ohio area or Saxbe - you can skip this book on your reading list.

Just as "the Six Men.." saw the many "sides" of the elephant, Bill Saxbe saw the many sides of the giant governmental process in the US. The essence of his broad experience in local, state and national politics and his unique insight into events which have shaped recent history of the nation have been captured in an interesting, often funny and well written presentation by Peter Franklin. Bill Saxbe is his own man and does not shy from controversy,dodge questions nor keep his opinion to himself. Franklin captured the real favor of Saxbe, his career and his private life in a way that acquaints the reader with the man and illuminates some historic events in a context not previously seen by the public. Saxbe's life has been unique and fast moving, Franklin's recounting of it maintains the same qualities.

I have to admit that in the early 90's I lived next door to Bill and Dolly Saxbe for a short time. During that period I got to know the Saxbes and enjoyed their company. Bill is exactly like the person whose life you read about in "I've Seen the Elephant". At a number of social events, I have heard Bill say to Dolly, "Come on Dolly, let's go to bed so these good folks can go home." Bill Saxbe is exactly the kind of person that you would want for a public servant with his common sense, his wit and charm and his love of family. His colorful career and his interesting life make good reading. Bill Saxbe is a man of influence who never forgot his roots and that is why even though he "Saw the Elephant" he is still Mechanicsburg's Favorite Son.