Review:book three in the neapolitan stories. I could not put all four books down. incredibly written, powerful depiction of naples and the class struggle and of course the relationship of these two women. I want to read them again Read more

Review:Highly recommended by a member of our book club, I read the 4 books in this series. I was curious about life in a parallel culture, but unprepared for the darkness of the story. It took an effort to finish this last volume, and I can't say that I feel satisfied, just depressed by the events and relationships the author describes. Read more

Review:This story envelopes your sense of romance, the challenges of 'true' love, the 'adventure' of being a 'responsible' parent, and the human spirit when all goes so terribly wrong. What is it that makes a parent responsible? What is it that makes this story so wonderfully Italian? Though this story's theme and narrative is 'universal,' for me its essence is Italian. I've never lived in Japan, but I studied and lived in Italy, and I've been fortunate to travel throughout Italy on many occasions, and... Read more

Review:Overall the series is brilliantly written and compelling to read. The first book, which focuses on childhood and early relationships of low income families and the meaning of education to the children's expectations for their futures is fascinating -- Especially for readers of a different generation and income levels, is a learning experience. The second in the series is quite interesting, but is somewhat repetitious and not as revealing. I, however, look forward to reading the entire series. Read more

Review:This is very well written. Simple. Circular pattern. Such that young children by the end of the book have picked up on the theme and can begin to run with it on their own. This was an excellent discussion but, open up worlds of discussion about life, religion, god, and life. A marvelous book. Read more

Review:I enjoyed the philosophy of this book and its characters quite a bit. There are plenty of nuanced questions asked, while also offering criticism that can be related to both the story and the real world. Read more

Review:The History of the Middle Earth was put together by Christopher Tolkien, JRR's son. The effort involved sifting through his fathers notes and organizing them, which in itself is a difficult task. Oft time names were changed from story to story and Christopher had to decipher outlines and light pencil markings. In many a case we have just outlines and scant poems thrown around. But this is the backstory to the Simarrilion. This is where Middle Earth according to Tolkien was created. The story lin... Read more

Review:This book picks up where the first left off, opening with the tale of Tinuviel. It then carries you through the original conceptions Turin (Turambar and the Foaloke), and then on to Tuor (the fall of Gondolin). After these stories it gets a little harder to follow as the notes that Christopher uses become much more mish-mashed.
The tale of Tinuviel is interesting because this is one that goes through many different changes.
the basic story is there but it was written at the time when th... Read more

Review:This is a sad, depressing story about people who allowed their lives to get hopelessly screwed up, and then suffer the consequences. The main issues didn't seem to get resolved (or if they did, I didn't understand it). Read more

Review:This book is bogged down with far too many unnecessary details (and repetition thereof) that I often found myself thinking: get to the storyline (or back to the storyline), please!

I slugged my way to the end of the first major story, only because I wanted to find out what happened to the alleged wife-killer - but after getting a few pages into the next story, I finally had to admit defeat, and the fact that I wasted $7 on a book that I just didn't enjoy.

Which happens to all of us... Read more