Review:This looks like it could be a good story. But I'm not into the F word in books or sexual descriptions. I wish there could be ratings on books as there are in movies as I would not have bought this version. I'm not going to bother finishing this rendition, but I am interested in the story of John Jewitt so I will find another, cleaner book on his life. Read more

Review:Intertwined families struggle in the post Civil War era, during a time when many emancipated slaves continue to experience torturous and hateful ordeals. It’s a good read which neatly represents that all whites were not mean and that with faith and family, difficult challenges can be overcome. Read more

Review:When my brother came bouncing in with this book, my first thought was 'you paid 23 pounds for that? are you mad?' I felt no interest in it, but after a bit of persuasion/arm-twisting, I was persuaded to read it. It didn't seem anything special...but somehow I couldn't stop reading. Now I'm on a quest to find Book 1, and nothing will stop me...
This book is a good story, well-drawn, and has this strange power to make you keep going back to it to spot more details. The other Akira book I'v... Read more

Review:I read this story because I have tickets to see "Werther" the opera by Massent. In the opera Charlotte attends him at his death. By today's standards he seems so shallow. I wonder what a psychiatrist would make of him. Read more

Review:No markings on pages. However, all the pages were very yellowed and saturated with the odor of stale cigarettes. I'm assuming the smoke caused the yellowing of the pages. I dont mind the smell very much myself, but I would advise a non-smoker to be aware of this before buying. Read more

Review:I have always enjoyed Philippa Gregory's writing. After reading The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Fool, I wondered how I could go wrong with her other efforts. I went very wrong.
The premise of Wideacre is innocent enough. A young girl, Beatrice Lacey, is in love with her family land and wishes to inherit it. INstead, she is stuck in a time when men were the rulers and women barely got to go to the bathroom by themselves. Her brother, a whiny boy, isn't in love with the land and lack... Read more

Review:Gregory ends the novel with a little bit of information about Margaret, taking time to note specifically that little has been documented in terms of her life aside from broad strokes. I knew this already going in, but Gregory's writing betrays this fact as well. There are a couple of unfortunate issues here, and I was surprised as Gregory has previously proven to be perfectly adept at spinning an entertaining story out of very little (or potentially biased) source information.

First, as o... Read more

Review:I was sorely disappointed in this book, having heard from several people how good it was. Unlike most of the nonfiction work I have read, Queen Elizabeth is made out in this story to be an indecisive romantic simpleton who had to be lead to every important decision she made by the men surrounding her. Instead of masterfully playing the field to keep alliances as most historians feel she did, she is portrayed as whining and indecisive about her lovelife as well, controlled totally by Robert Dud... Read more

Review:I've read some of Philippa Gregory's other works and enjoyed them. That being said, this is not one of my favorites of hers.

Catalina, the Infanta of Spain, was born to be Princess of Wales and Queen of England. She believes it is her duty and right by birth. When she finally reaches of age, she makes the journey to England where she is married to Arthur, future King of England. After Arthur's untimely death however, she has to find a way to reclaim her place and try to betroth hersel... Read more

Review:I've read quite a few of Gregory's other books and enjoyed them. This one wasn't as good as the others. Although I appreciate the fact that focusing on the years that Mary Stuart was a prisoner in England is a different focus for telling her story, the down side is that all of the most exciting parts of her story have already happened and are being retold or remembered. Since Mary is a prisoner there is really nothing for her to do, except plot and flirt.
The Earl of Shrewsbury is depicted as... Read more