No comments about Geronimo (Recorded Books).

4 comments about Things Can Only Get Better.

1. This book is a misery memoir of the highest order. The story of an activist who, galvanised into socialism as a young man in the late 70s, the very same period when the ideology was lurching around in its death throes, decided to devote his life to the Labour Party. John O'Farrell was no ambitious Blairite politico though. He fought his battles at the low end of the totem pole - trudging miles of godforsaken streets delivering leaflets, attending tedious meetings in grubby halls where left wing worthies tied themselves in knots with their own political correctness. All this could descend into a self righteous polemic. But the crucial, vital saving grace is the book's humour.
   
   O'Farrell tells of the looks he gained in working class pubs by lunk headed Sun readers when he tentatively voiced his opposition to the Falkland's war. His guilty admission after the Brighton bomb that he wishes Thatcher had actually kopped it. The wishful, naive optimism on the eve of every general election only to wake up with a head pounding hangover and the Tories in power -again! The brutal asceticism and self-abnegation that prevented him from enjoying pretty much anything.
   
   Nowadays, O'Farrell has done a New Labour type maturation himself - he lives a comfortable life as a metropolitan Guardian columnist and broadcaster. New Establishment as it were. But he can still laugh at the grim old days. The Conservatives might have won all the elections in the 1980s - but Labour trounced them at the humour polls. Very funny.



2. What happened to all those people who thought smiling was right wing, and whose activism consisted of making others feel inadequate? They were just waiting for you to be slightly out of line about Nicaragua or a teeny bit frivolous about gender stereotypes. One slip and they'd give you their best sneer - in spades. Politeness was also right wing. Yes, things got better. This joyless crowd melted away, morphed into new people, or else herded into colleges of higher education and social work departments to waste public money on endless meetings. But I shall never forgive!



3. This book is hilarious. And so true. If you were an unhappy camper during the Thatcher years in the UK--or are filled with dread by the recent onset of unfettered Republican control in the US you should read this book. The author was a writer on the political satire show SPitting Image in the 1980s and boy does it show. Laugh out loud quality in many part and filled with so unspoken truths. Great stuff.



4. Essential therapy for anybody who supported the Labour Party through eighteen years the of Conservatives Ruling Britain. We feel that O'Farrell was right there with us as pre-election optimism dissolved into miserable failure again and again and again.

   Over the years his radical edge is softened by age and cynicism. The vegetarian succumbs to the bacon sandwich. The dedicated capaigner pays the au pair to deliver his election leaflets. The words of the chant have changed - 'What do we want? A winter flowering clematis! When do we want it? Before we lay the patio!'

   Is it similar changes which made the Labour Party electable again?

   His description of the unforgettable election night of 1997 is the highlight. The defeat of Michael Portillo described as dramatically as the scoring of a winning goal in the Cup Final. Could we ever get?

   But did things really get better?

5 comments about The Perfect Prince: The Mystery of Perkin Warbeck and His Quest for the Throne of England.

1. This is an extremely well-researched, well-written biography of an intriguing young man who may have been the rightful King of England. I give Wroe full marks for her fascinating, open-minded portrayal of a confusing and turbulent period of history that in other hands has often been handled so poorly that it's impossible to follow. Her work is highly readable, and her research is original, cutting-edge, nsightful and thought-provoking. If a reader is really interested in this period, then Ann Wroe's book must not be missed.



2. When I first saw the synopsis of this book, I was very excited. The mystery of Perkin Warbeck (was he or wasn't he the younger of the Princes in the Tower?) has one that has always intrigued me. Besides, being a staunch Ricardian who firmly believes that Richard III is innocent of his nephews's murder, I thought to myself, if there's even a possibility that Perkin WAS Richard, Duke of York, then it goes to prove that the Princes in the Tower were not murdered at all, by their wicked uncle or anyone else (theories abound on who that someone else may have been, or if there ever was a double murder).
   
   On that last point I very quickly found out that Ms. Wroe thinks no such thing. In the first pages she describes Richard III as having been cut down "like a dog" (when in reality he fought bravely against overwhelming odds due to great treason, and his death caused a "great heaviness" in York and the North). That was the first disappointment. Still, it was moot to the story of Perkin himself, so I ploughed on.
   
   Well, you do need to hang in there tight, the book is overlong and overladen with totally irrelevant details (who cares about trade between Senegal, Portugal and Spain, what does the Aeneid have to do with the story, why spend so much time on Margaret Duchess of Burgundy's illuminated Book of Hours and her "visions", etc.?). When it does come to Perkin Warbeck himself, the narrative is thoroughly confusing. It takes some mental gymnastics to keep it all straight, between the boatman's son, the boy who was Brampton's attendant, the Prince who showed up in several royal courts of Europe, and who did what to him when. Same goes for his wanderings before he gets to Scotland. The narrative just doesn't flow. The sheer dryness of the writing, the contrived prose, the irrelevancies and the confusion make for the other disappointments.
   
   The only (almost) straight piece of narrative is when "Richard, Duke of York" does try to invade England after having married one of the King of Scots' kinswomen, up to his capture and "confession". Here I have another bone to pick. Ms. Wroe's contends that, since this confession was made just before he died, it must be true. I don't see the logic of that. Being tried as a commoner, he was probably "coerced" (to put it mildly) into confessing to almost anything. Bertram Fields, in his book "Royal Blood", devotes a chapter to Yorkist pretenders who tried to overthrow Henry VII, in which he casts serious doubts about Warbeck's confession and points out some inconsistencies that might impugn its reliability.
   
   Well, I give the book 3 stars simply as a reward for so much painstaking research. It's a pity that, so as not to have her time and effort wasted, Ms. Wroe crams all the results of that research, relevant or not, into her book, making it unwieldy, hard to follow, and a very dry read. The stars also go to having tackled an obscure historical figure and tried to shed some light in a 500-year-old mystery.
   
   If you're a history buff and are interested in the small footnotes of history, by all means read the book. If your interest is more in history-as-entertainment and an easy read, seek elsewhere. There are other non-fiction books on the period that are a lot more digestible.



3. I found the Perfect Prince to be a well written and superbly research book on Perkin Warbeck affair that plagued King Henry VII of England duirng the last decade of the 15th century. The research goes deeply into this blond pretender who claims to be Richard, Duke of York who somehow survived his days in the Tower of London while his older brother was murdered. The level of deception proves to be so great that many great monarchs of Europe gave their support of him and many English men great or small gave their support as well as their lives for him.
   
   Ann Wroe investigates this interesting sideshow of European history, trying to determined the true nature of this blond fellow who fooled so many, often with their lives and his origins. The study of motivation of Perkin Warbeck, aka: Ricahrd, Duke of York proves to be an interesting and indepth look. One of the important side subjects of this book remains the fate of the princes of the tower, a subject that continued to interest many during the last decade of the 15th century as well as up to the 21st century.
   
   If there was a weakness in this book, I believed it had a lot to do with the fact that the book was over written. Too many petty details were brought out in the book, too tedious at times in some sections. I thought the book could have been edited more tightly.
   
   Still, this book proves to be an interesting read although it tailored to a specific subject matter. Anyone who got any interest in the fate of the Princes in the Tower should read this book. Of course, Henry VII make a dour subject matter but this booka also reflects upon his rule as well.



4. I am a history buff and an avid reader of anything written about the Wars of the Roses, and in particular, anything written about Richard III and the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. This book, however, was hard to finish. The narrative style is so rambling and incoherent that it is difficult to follow. Facts, dates, and quotes are muddled, sentance structure is meandering and the author never seems able to make a point. How this book got past a copy editor, I'll never figure out.



5. If you like real mysteries and have a taste for all the problematical aspects of real history and research, this is an incredible, masterful book. It is one of the most satisfying books I have ever read - satisfying on many levels and in many ways.
   
   I am surprised by some of the negative reviews. Obviously, there are people who did not read the book with suffient care and attention. For example, to quote Wroe on Perkin's final confession, as if this is her last word, is to show a woeful understanding of her style and the way the book works. This is not a short book, but it is a truly fine book. If you liked Barbara Tuchman's _A Distant Mirror_, you will love this tale as it is better written, more complex and mysterious, and about a historically more significant person.

No comments about Living Biographies of Famous Novelists.

1 comments about Love, Groucho-Letters from Groucho Marx to His Daughter Miriam.

1. Frank Ferrante brings Groucho to life as he reads letters written to Miriam (Groucho's only daughter). He brings a personal flavor to the letters that make you, the listener, feel as if you are listening to Groucho- himself. Groucho's love for his daughter through the many trials they shared shines through Ferrante's performance.

5 comments about Voice of an Angel: My Life (So Far).

1. Charlotte Church can sing. what she Can't do is write. in fact I'm not all that sure she wrote all of this book herself. I think its more then likely that she had a ghost writer to help her. this book does give some good info about charlottes life and early career, but there is really WAY to much about her family. she also says that she read wuthering heights by Jane Austen. right. bottom line: get her CDs not her book. our get this book from the library like I did.



2. I bought this book recently at the Dollar Tree for $1 because I was curious. I read it and thought it was cute. BUT, that having been said, I believe the publishers really erred in how they originally released this book; they took it FAR too seriously for a "biography" purportedly written by a 15-year-old!
   
   First of all, the book as released was too expensive. The audience to which it should have been geared was pre-teen girls, unlikely to pay $22.95 for a (thin) hardcover book; it should have been released directly to paperback. Secondly, since the book was written in a chatty diary format, it would have been appropriate and more entertaining to have had portions of it in Charlotte's own handwriting (assuming it's not too dreadful), and other portions done like a scrapbook, particularly the tales of her travels.
   
   Given how Charlotte's life has changed since she wrote it, this book is also a nostalgic read. The "angelic" little girl with the lovely clear soprano voice seems to be long gone at this point, replaced by a "pop tart" who appears to want to be in the mold of a Britney Spears or a Christina Aguilara.



3. After reading this book, you'll know what music is to Charlotte; it's in her. I thought the book was well written. I don't know why some people seem to be passionately against her. One reviewer says Charlotte doesn't write about her music, but that's not true. Most of this book IS about her music! As a matter of fact, I bought "Voice of an Angel" after reading this book. I only wish she showed her Welshness more in the book.



4. I too am a classical singer, and I must admit that Church might not be as wonderful as the World has made her to be. I do also have to say that I very much enjoy listening to her music and I think she has a lot of potential. Those who give her such low reviews, in my opinion, are jealous and unfair to Church.

   As for the book? I thought it was very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter! I'm 15 and it kept my attention through the whole book. I found her life to be not that of a rich and famous singer/star, but that of a regular teenage girl. Sure, she's got about a million times more than most regular people will ever have, but she lives in a semi-regual way compared to other stars. It tells a lot of interesting facts about how she got started, her family, her home and travels.

   In all, I have to say that this was very entertaining. I would recomend this book to those of you who are not jealous of this teenage star and for those of you who like to read about famous people.




5. I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. Can someone please tell me why so much hype concenring this "child prodigy"? Yes, at 12 years old she was good, however not as amazing as America percieved her to be. Now, years later she's gotten worse, and still everyone fusses about her! and now the next thing i see, we have to read about her life so far? please! she seems very shallow according to this book, to tell you the truth, she doesn't seem interesting enough or have enough depth to her to write a book. she just seems like a one-dimensional money-making machine that once showed potential and now is just something to make money off of. I'm sorry if this is cruel, but that's the price publishers risk when releasing nonsense like this.

No comments about Simply Barbara Bush: A Portrait of America's Candid First Lady [UNABRIDGED].

2 comments about K.D. Lang: All You Get Is Me.

1. Before Ellen DeGeneres, there was kd lang and Melissa Etheridge who were the most famous "Out" entertainers. This is the only comprehensive biography of kd lang to date. It was published 10 years ago, so it is not current, but it is an excellent, detailed biography, nonetheless. Starr traces Lang's history starting with her childhood, her teenage years, and her struggle to break into the music business. Talented but strongly individualistic and proudly Out, it is not surprising "the Old Boy's Network" in Nashville boycotted lang and her "country punk" music, even though she had great songs, a tremendous voice and a huge fan base. Of course, kd did nothing to endear herself to the country radio DJ's or to the powers-that-be, which is unfortunate.
   
   However, people in the industry thought highly enough of her talent to colloborate with her on albums (most notable is Owen Bradley, Patsy Cline's producer), resulting in powerful and memorable music.
   
   The author presents a well-rounded portrait of kd, noting her flaws and mistakes as well as her triumphs. She writes objectively and clearly about her subject, without going into supermarket, tabloid trashiness that often accompanies biographies about controversial entertainment figures. If you're expecting to find steamy gossip about lang's personal life, thankfully you won't find it here.
   
   It is an articulate and interesting read, but in dire need of an update. Still, it is one of the best lang biographies and I highly recommend it.



2. The life story of a famous singer.
   
   Even if I don't like her music, I like k.d. Having on the odd occasion appeared barefoot on stage, she seems like a decent human being.
   
   A must-read for my sister, Julie, who's going through a very exciting time in her life now.

1 comments about UC BEATRIX POTTER: Artist, Storyteller, and Countrywoman (Penguin Audiobooks).

1. This is my favorite biography of Beatrix Potter, thoroughly researched and historically accurate, with many wonderful family, home and countrylife photographs (including ones of Beatrix Potter's pet rabbit, dog, and a variety of her other animal pets). The book also contains her many beautiful illustrations, watercolors and copies of some notes and letters as well as portions of her manuscripts. Judy Taylor, an author enchanted with Beatrix Potter stories and art from early childhood, also wrote Beatrix Potter: The Artist and Her World, and two National Trust Guides: Beatrix Potter and Hilltop, and Beatrix Potter and Hawkshead. She's the editor of both Beatrix Potter's Letters: A Selection and Letters To Children from Beatrix Potter.

No comments about Jefferson: The President, Second Term, 1805-1809, Vol. 5.