5 comments about It's a Long Way from Penny Apples.

1. If I wanted to read another depressing Irish Childhood story, I'd have re-read Angela's Ashes! (Not to diaparage Angela's Ashes in any way.) I completely enjoyed the story of Liam's family, his upbringing and the hard work necessary to survive in Ireland in those times. I especially enjoyed Mother Darcy. Whether she actually knew Aloyisius Hitler or not isn't the point, it's all in the storytelling.
   To compare Penny Apples to Angela's Ashes is the old "Apples to Oranges." (Sorry about the pun!) Appreciate the story on it's own merits.



2. If you knew Liam personally, you'd have a bit more insight into the personality that wrote this book. He tells a great story, and I'm certain that most of its true :-)
   
   I picked up a copy in Dublin last year at a book signing for his second book "Golden Apples." He even bought me a pint after the book signing. I know his family as well, and there are things in this book that give some intersting insight into the path behind them.
   
   Its written in a straight up no fluff no nonsense kind of way, and thats the way Liam is.
   
   Seosamh



3. Somewhat stiffly written, the book offers insight into a closely knit Catholic family struggling against poverty in Ireland. The author's success in business is commendable and he gives credit here to those who helped him along the way.
   At times, it seems a bit too self-congratulatory, but worthwhile reading for anyone with Irish roots.
   His childhood memories are a bit more gripping than his adult years. I particularly enjoyed the story where he bought unsaleable plastic dolls and the family decorated them, making a good profit selling them on the street as Marilyn Monroe dolls.



4. I picked up "A Long Way From Penny Apples" while traveling in Ireland in June, 2004, but didn't get a chance to read it until now. I started reading on Thanksgiving evening and couldn't put it down until I finished it today. The hardbound book spent 14 weeks on the UK bestseller Top Ten list, with 5 weeks at number two, so I don't understand the caustic reviews offered here on Amazon. Heavens, if the Brits, who usually distain anything coming out of Ireland, have overwhelmingly found this book to be excellent then surely this outstanding book merits readership in the U.S. too.
   
   Bill Cullen wrote the book as a tribute to his parents and grandmother, not as an ego booster for his own esteem. He was spurred on to write the book after reading Frank McCourt's words that there was, in effect, nothing more miserable than a poor Irish childhood. Cullen had a poor Irish childhood that he viewed as anything but miserable.
   
   Mr. Cullen grew up in the poorest tenements of Dublin with 12 siblings. His family was certainly bereft of even the most basic needs for food and decent shelter, but flush with wise and spirited discipline from his loving parents and maternal grandmother. It was the positive, uplifting attitude of his family that drove Mr. Cullen's ambitions to become the very wealthy man he is today. He's written a true rags-to-riches story, giving most of the credit not to himself, but to the upbringing his family provided. All of the proceeds of the book will go to a youth charity in Ireland, and in fact Bill has promised $1 million to the charity whether or not the book raises that much money. Not exactly the actions of the type of person pictured in the previous reviews.
   
   I certainly learned much from the depictions of a Dublin era long gone, but the optimistic tone of the book was most inspirational and left me with a smile on my face. My own grown children will receive copies of this book for Christmas this year, in memory of my Irish father and grandmother who would have bent their ear with the same wise teachings if they were still alive.



5. The profits from this book are going to charity. That is probably the best thing about this bloated, self-serving exercisein ego-enrichment. Mister Cullen is a remarkable man and he wants you to know that in a desperate way. He could have saved everyone a lot of trouble and just given the money directly to the charities. Mr Cullen tells the reader that he is not a professional writer. That wasn't needed.

2 comments about The HIRED MAN'S CHRISTMAS, THE.

1. What a wonderful story filled with warm memories of a time past. It will remain a favorite on my bookshelf. However, the temptation is to pass it on to others to enjoy. Not only does the author display great sensitivity in his story telling but he also has the unique ability to take the reader on the journey with him. I hope this is just the beginning for this author. By the way, the sketches done by his daughter that are peppered throughout the book are delightful.



2. This very touching and insightful account of a boys' youthful memories touched many sensitive cords. Although the boys' relationship was bad with his Dad he had a wonderful relationship with his Grandfather. It reminded me so much of my own Childhood, growing up in Dryden (Gee Hill) area and going to school in Marathon, NY. I didn't know any of these people but feel like I know them now and knew many others just like them from the area. I thourghly enjoyed this book

5 comments about Country Matters.

1. I found this book to be insulting to those from this charming area of New York. At first, I read this book hoping that his snobbery was done in jest. As it was made clear that the author was completely serious and his ignorant view of this town was incorrect and offensive, the book lost its charm, if, of course, it ever had any. I was surprised that such a small-minded story was to follow in this book since the author presents himself in the first chapter to be world-traveled. Clearly, world-traveled does not mean you travel well.



2. The typically tedious arrogance of East Coast intelligentsia must be overlooked while reading this book. It's just too funny to be dissuaded by Korda's sophomoric attitude. My husband and I kept reading lines to each other and laughing. We've taken the same road and we couldn't have said it better. It's a must-read for anyone who is planning a similar path...before you sign on the country dotted line. Oh, the days/weeks/months we sat waiting for the "remodeling crew" when we could have tracked them down at the local café. We laugh now every time we pass that café and see their trucks...now that our moving wounds have healed.



3. This book gives you a good picture of life in the country (country here meaning two hours away from Manhattan), if you have a British blonde model as a 2nd wife whose passion is foxhunting and horseback riding, four horses in the barn, two stable hands, a Hungarian mother and daughter team to cook your dinners for you, an interior decorator to dress your house in imported fabric from Italy, and a full-time help who mows your grass and takes care of all your country needs.
   
   In sum, the pleasure of moving to the country for Mr. Korda: looking at the forty acres and thinking: "it's all mine." And the tribulation: being snubbed by even richer friends because his estate is not as grand as the next person's.
   
   Do not even make the mistake of opening this book.



4. I was about halfway through this work when I began to read the reviews here. I was heartened to find that I was not alone in finding Korda's tone condescending, snobbish, and in its own way, extremely provincial. He seems to value his neighbors, if at all, for one reason: their utility. That is, their usefulness to himself! He displays very little genuine interest in these hardworking people in terms of their histories, their interior lives, their unique stories. They're just there to fix stuff and do the physical labor which is apparently beneath Mr. Korda.
   
   Despite the author's long-time position as editor at Simon and Schuster, I did not find the book particularly well-written. Indeed, I found it riddled with cliches, especially "in our neck of the woods." Did the editor not submit his work to an editor?
   
   I almost always finish books once I start them. In this case I made an exception. Life is too short to read unfunny and basically insufferable books like this one.



5. I have to agree with the other reviews that this book falls a little short of the target. I disagree, however, with criticism that Korda focuses his ridicule on the country folk. I thought he poked equal fun at his various big wig guests from the city. What struck me, and why I can't give the book a favorable review, is that I'm not sure that Korda is aware that he himself is ultimately one of the saddest characters - naive, gullible, short-sighted and arrogant. The only person in the book who seems to escape having fun made of them is Mr. Korda (even his wife comes across as a beautiful 'get-what-she-wants princess). A little self depreciation would have gone a long way.
   
   Take, for example, this final line from chapter seven: "The trick is to become just plain folks somehow, however you manage it - and if it takes the occcasional tuna melt, so be it". Lines like that inevitably indicate that Korda believes he is extraordinary, but for the good of the people around him, willing to stoop to the level of everyone else. That's why so many people are turned off by the book. The central character in the novel needs some development.

1 comments about Roses Round the Door.

1. 'Roses Round the Door' is the story of Doreen Tovey's life as a child and young woman in Somerset, England and her wartime marriage. Better known for her hilarious books on life with Siamese cats and a donkey, this book is a departure from her usual style, but no less enjoyable. In it she portrays a way of life long since vanished from her childhood in the 1920s when she lived with her grandmother, uncle and Aunt Louise to life with her husband Charles during the war. This book is written with humour and observation and culminates in the acquisition of the cottage that features so predominantly in all her other books and in which she still lives. Stories of how the young Doreen became locked into an outside privy during a country wedding, going on a bicycle tour with her accident prone aunt, her wartime marriage in the heavily bombed city of Bristol, the idiosyncrasies of the landlord and what happened when she tried making sweets during the dark days of rationing are ! just some of the many humourous events that make up this entertaining work.

No comments about The Legend of Sleep Hollow, the Minister's Black Veil, the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (THE ONE HUNDRED GREATEST BOOKS, VOLUME 2) [ABRIDGED], VOLUME 18).

5 comments about The Heart of a Woman.

1. Maya has such an impeccable method of penning and conveying her prose!! This was a wonderful installment in her biographical sequence(s). I recommend this book to ALL (those mature and aged enough to handle the sometimes-explicit subject matter) because it brings so many pieces of American history together in such a uniquely stated manner!



2. i was so excited to get this book. it arrived fast and was in good condition. thank you



3. Another slice of Maya Angleou's memoir, The Heart of a Woman, brings you through her hardships of raising her son Guy in California and continues during her move to New York City, her stint in the Harlem Writers guild, her intimate involvement in the Civil Rights movement, her marriage to South African Freedom Fighter, Vusumzi Make and subsequent move to Egypt, Ghana and ultimate divorce. A book that will speak to men and women on all levels, The Heart of a Woman is truly a phenomenal read.



4. I have just finished The Heart of a Woman and I could not put it down once I started it. Angelou lays bare for all of her readers her heart, her life and her truth. What an amazing life she has lived. I read some reviews that criticized her for her honesty in regards to whites during the 60s. It was the 60s, racial barriers where still up strong and bared anyone of color from living the lives they so richly deserved, why should she be criticized for this? Would it be better that she lied and said how wonderful life was for blacks in this country during that time? It wasn't and that is the point that she is making in this book. That is the point that she is making as an African American woman, called to the forefront in the battle of discrimination.
   I had to look on the cover to see when she wrote this book, it was 1981, how sad that in 26yrs we still see white America carrying the flag of superiority! I am truly glad that Angelou is still walking this earth to see that though the gains for civil rights are slow coming they are coming,regardless of what her criticizers are saying. Because if they are criticizing her for telling it like it was, then there is still a long path to journey to get us beyond the need for civil rights.
   If you want to know what the 60's Civil Rights movement & Aparthied in South Africa was about this book will give you an accurate picture of one womans involvement. Two thumbs up for Angelou!



5. The heart of a woman was not an easy read for me, i just couldn't get into it, it did not grab my attention.

No comments about Small Coal and Smoke Rings (Reminiscence).

No comments about Lifting the Latch (Isis).

4 comments about Albert Einstein: Creator & Rebel.

1. not to say that einstein wasn't exceptionally clever, but i found the tone of this book to be leaning a bit to far to the 'worship einstein as a minor deity' side of things. any potential cause to think less of old albert is glossed over in an unapealing way. the examples that come to mind are the minimal treatment that poincare's accomplishments regarding relativity recieve, and the minimal information on his divorces. i wish the authors had stepped down from the altar of the holy einstein long enough to give him a human treatment. even the title is a bit much. creator and rebel? it would be funny if it weren't sadly earnest.



2. I have read several biographies of Einstein, some of which are among my list of all-time favorite books. None however, approach the intimacy or sense of personal connection as Hoffmann and Dukas' 1972 classic "Creator and Rebel." Perhaps because of Helen Dukas' influence, this book contains perhaps the most intimate look at the man and, thanks to Hoffmann, the one of the clearest explanations of his science. Though other biographies are also must-reads for Einstein devotees (Folsing and Frank, for instance), this one goes to the top of my list.



3. Why is this book so good? Its first phrase is:"We sketch in this book the story of a profoundly simple man." This could be done only by friends. And friends the authors are. Banesh Hoffman, a collaborator of Einstein's, happens to be a great writer, possibly the best as books for the layman are concerned. Helen Dukas, the other author, was Einstein's secretary for many years. The book is very beautifully produced, full of nice photographs. Relativity is really explained. A labor of love which deserves much more popularity.



4. One cannot seperate the man from his work and this biography branches into other people who touched upon A. Einstein as well as his science. The incomparable simplicity of his brilliant thought is driven home in the discussion of AT-LAB and GRAV-LAB. The story may be known or not. It deserves good re-telling. This audio book is well done and special thanks to the reader who handles the math examples (less than a handful) with precise language, grace, and accuracy. My complaint is that the book is too short. I woud have liked more of the interaction with subject in his personal life. But still a solid 8.

5 comments about A Song Flung Up to Heaven.

1. First let me say that I am a huge Maya Angelou fan! I couldn't wait to add "A Sung Flung Up to Heaven" to my library. When it arrived, I poured a cup of tea and dug in. When I finished, I felt a little cheated. It seemed that she rushed through this book, leaving me wanting more. It's a lovely book overall, but I expected more detail, more artistry... more Maya... in this final installment. I wanted more personal perspective on her relationships with Malcolm X and Dr. King. I'm still a big fan, but this book missed the mark a bit for me.



2. When a representative of Random House contacted Angelou with the suggestion that she write an autobiography at the tender age of forty, she demurred, and he lay down a challenge by saying that she might be right to refuse, for writing autobiography as literature is nearly impossible to do. Angelou picked up that challenge and met it squarely, for her six-volume autobiography does indeed qualify as literature. As has been noted in several reviews of her other books in this series, she writes not the dry facts of her existence but rather the colorful and expressive interpretation of those facts. Instead of recounting happenings, she paints for the reader her interpretation of them, their significance, and their place in her universe. History may underlie her writing, but it is the view that Angelou has of those historical events that gives her books interest and meaning.
   
   A SONG FLUNG UP TO HEAVEN is the concluding volume of Angelou's autobiographical writings, and, by itself, it is of limited instruction for the reader. It is quite brief, easily read in a single sitting. The first short chapters present a skeletal synopsis of her personal history. The final chapter gives wing to her philosophical view of humankind. In between, the reader is given a glimpse of the frustrations leading to the Watts Riots and of the despair occasioned by the assassinations of Malcolm X and of Martin Luther King. This volume also continues earlier books' insightful descriptions of King, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin, adding much to the understanding of these men by the general public.
   
   This slim volume is indeed the conclusion of the other five books that comprise Angelou's autobiographical works detailing the first half of her life. It is no more logical to begin reading this book without having first read the others than it is to read the final chapter of a novel before enjoying all of the preceding chapters. If one is to comprehend this book fully, he must begin with I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS and follow with its successors until he reaches A SONG FLUNG UP TO HEAVEN in the proper course of things.
   
   If a criticism must be lodged against this book, it is only that its brevity is such that it scarcely warrants being published as a separate volume. It could easily have been appended to the preceding book, ALL GOD'S CHILDREN NEED TRAVELING SHOES. The fact that the end of the book comes so quickly forces the reader to wonder whether Angelou tired of her writing project, ran headlong into an ultimate publishing deadline, or wished to eke out a bit more recompense from her publisher by forcing one additional volume through his presses.
   
   Some of the preceding autobiographical volumes have been described as having perhaps a bit too much virulence against Whites, perhaps a little too much hyperbole concerning the enduring effects of historical slavery. Some of Angelou's statements reveal a "reverse racism," to use one of her own phrases. Of course, the social climate in the United States during much of Angelou's life hardly engendered loving relations between White and Black citizens, yet the non-aggression of a Martin Luther King grew and matured in this environment, making Angelou's strident condemnations of the White population as much a factor of her own personality as of her social environment, and, after many pages, that stridency becomes tiresome. This final volume, however, is free of such hostility and is much more accepting of good people regardless of their color.
   
   In brief, if one has read the first five volumes of Angelou's autobiography, then by all means do finish with this sixth one. On the other hand, picking this one up and reading it first will deprive the reader of an accurate appreciation of Angelou's artistry, in both its strengths and its weaknesses, as a prose writer and may well leave the reader with a complete mis-perception of Angelou's autobiographical books. Angelou's autobiographical series is one of those things that really should be experienced in the order of their creation, and doing so will give the reader a captivating view of this most unusual author and poet.



3. I am an avid fan of Ms. Angelou and actively collect her books. Please continue to provide her works, especially her older books.



4. About the book: She tells her story in wonderfully simple, delightfully entertaining narrative. As a very young woman when I read her first autobiographical installment (I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings) I became an ardent fan of her craft. Her story gave me entrance into a sisterhood; some of her poetry still stirs and inspires me.
   
   However, in my listening experience, most authors (even some of my favorites) should NOT read their own works for audio publication. Maya Angelou is no exception. Instead of being transported into her experience, I heard a reading--and not (in my opinion) a particularly memorable one.
   
   Nevertheless, Ms. Angelou remains, without doubt, a voice of the time and a woman of vast accomplishment. Well dang, one person can't be perfect in all things now can they?! LOL!



5. THIS POEM WAS THE BEST POEM I HAVE EVER READ AND I LOVE TO READ IT OVER AND OVER SO I GIVE THIS POEM 5 STARS