3 comments about Maura's Boy: A Cork Childhood.

1. You'd expect -- particularly if you read much Dickens -- that this short, personal history would be dim and depressing.
   
   It is anything but that!
   
   While Christy Kenneally may have lived in great poverty of life-style, he didn't life in poverty of love, laughter and joy.
   
   Antics, adventures and affection show through every page, every character and every story.
   
   I loved it!



2. This book is a heartwarming account of Christy Kenneallys Cork childhood and the tragedy of his mothers death. I would especially recommend this book to any Cork people away from home.



3. This book is a heartwarming account of Christy Kenneallys Cork childhood and the tragedy of his mothers death. I would especially recommend this book to any Cork people away from home.

No comments about A Very British Family: The Trevelyans and their World.

4 comments about Lawrence of Arabia.

1. This 128 page paperback version may be a good read. I don't know, haven't read it. My copy is the 946 page hardcover edition. It is thorough, balanced and an excellent read. If you can find that version, get it!



2. Using extensive documentation, including documents unreleased by the British government when earlier, more speculative biographies were written, Jeremy Wilson produced a phenomenal work of great scope and power. The book may be too exhaustive for casual readers, who will find the reams of speculative nonsense written about Lawrence more to their liking. Wilson also carefully deconstructs many precious Lawrence myths: that Lawrence was homosexual, for instance, is unproven (there's no evidence that he was sexual at all); that he made up large portions of his adventures is also proven untrue -- though in his later writings he sometimes shaped a story to sound better and certainly he had to dance around descriptions of his intelligence work. But these are both side issues. Lawrence lived a life of tremendous accomplishment in the First World War, but in other fields, such as archaeology and literature. Wilson is fair, and corrects Lawrence's own accounts when necessary. This is not a work of hagiography. It is the most well-documented biography of Lawrence, and Wilson quotes primary documentation extensively -- perhaps too extensively. It's a must for the library of any Lawrence fan, and the only necessary secondary reference work for anyone who wants the truth about Lawrence. Those who require something more nonsensical and speculative in their diet may add Knights "Secret Lives of Lawrence of Arabia".



3. I read this because of my great love of the movie. Interesting enough, this is the first time that the real life was far more interesting than the myth. What happened in Arabia might have been his coup de grace of achievements, but hardly the only aspect that makes him a ledgend. He was an archeologist, thinker, writer, humanitarian, culturalist, adventurist, and only a military genious by circumstance. This book makes it all clear and vivid.

   I have read biographies before, but none that held on to my imagination so tightly while still using the historical records. I am only sorry that it has the unfortunate sub-title as authorized biography because many who think it will be a dry "whitewashed" examination of his life will miss a wonderful book. I can't heap praise on this book, and the life of T.E. Lawrence, enough. There might be books with far different and valid interpretations, but hardly as fun and interesting to read. The size of the book at nearly a thousand pages is worth every bit of paper printed on it. I guess I should congradulate the author for a fine presentation of a wonderful character.




4. I had previously read the Robert Graves book on Lawrence. This was far more superior. It was engrossing, detailed and made me want to know more about this incredible man. There didn't seem to be any bias for or against Lawrence by the author. It moved quickly. It's apparent that he did a very detailed job of researching Lawrence. I am know looking for other books that might uncover even more information. Enjoy!

5 comments about Eamon De Valera: The Man Who Was Ireland.

1. comprehensive bio,no punchs pulled,the man who was Ireland to rhe rest of the world for most of the 20th century,



2. Author Coogan's works on Irish history tend to be long, very well researched, deeply documented and rich in detail. They are written for the serious, not the casual reader. This biography of Eamon de Valera is no exception. Moreover, de Valera s life was complicated and controversial. He is scarcely a hero to many Irish Americans familiar with their native country's past. Most of all, he suffers-pitifully it says here- from comparisons to the true hero of Ireland?s struggle for independence-Michael Collins. Bad feeling between them was directly responsible for Ireland?s tragic Civil War in the mid 1920s. This reviewer freely admits to his definite prejudices against de Valera and one suspects that author Coogan agrees. The advice from here is to read Coogan s Michael Collins: The Man Who Made Ireland first. Those with ravenously whetted appetites may proceed-with caution- to this weighty and gloomy text. This reviewer's father once told him that one cannot understand modern Ireland without understanding de Valera. That much may be true-but why torture oneself? Why devote hours reading about a gloomy, narrow minded and devious Spanish Irishman such as this? And a math teacher no less! The bottom line is that both Collins and de Valera inspire strong feelings. Some actual knowledge of Irish history deepens this effect. The result is an abiding difficulty in writing a neutral review on one of those men just after you have just posted one on the other. This reviewer urges his amazon friends to read all the posted opinions on this weighty effort from the gifted, if long winded Tim Pat Coogan. Too much hand wriniging? Welcome to Irish history 101.



3. Tim Pat Coogan compiles a sober and thorough history of Eamon deValera, the most influential Irish leader of the twentieth century. Combining painstaking research with first-hand accounts, Coogan presents a well-rounded portrait of this most complicated and controversial figure. Those who hold deValera in a saintly reverence may be angered at some of the less flattering depictions of the "lay cardinal." But this ranks as a most important read for anyone interested in tracking the course of twentieth century Ireland.



4. Must read for anyone who wants to know history and politics from 1916to 1950 in Ireland,USA AND England.



5. In many ways a superior work, but only if you are aware of Coogan's bias, which is blindly pro Collins and unfairly anti Devalera. An anology would be a Nixon apologist [i.e. Pat Buchanan or William Safire] writing an "Objective Biography" of John F. Kennedy. Despite their obvious intellectual talents,neither is capable of an even handed analysis. Devalera was a Giant of the 20 th Century,despite the fact that he represented only a very small nation on the World Scene for nearly 40 yrs. He was the central figure in the the War of Independence with G.B., + in the formation + leadership of Eire in the League of Nations, W.W.11, + post W.W. 11 /U.N., + as a respected + influential nuetral leader.Coogan for all is literary skills, is simply incapable of objective analysis except on rare instance. The detail is impressive, the sources are broad, and the scope is massive ,but he simply finds it virtually impossible to see what history has proven; that Dev was the superior soul in intellect, vision, ethics, and historical perspective. Collins was a good man , but seriously flawed with human weaknesses; while Dev...not a saint,who really is?....was a monumental tower of basic decency,judgement, + historical insight + instinct. Harry Boland,a great Irish patriot, who was extremely close to both Collins + Devalera, choose Dev, + the Collins' forces made him pay with his life. He declared that Dev was "the true Chief" and that the greatness of the man lay in his " incorruptability".If the reader knows Irish history, and if he/she can seperate the bias from the facts, they will gain meaningful insights into Dev and the glory that was his Ireland.

3 comments about Phoenix: Man of War: Sir Robert Holmes and the Restoration Navy.

1. Very well written book, fun to read, with lots of information in it. Has some very nice illustrations, too. Maybe not the most scientific work around, but because Sir Roberts life was so interesting, it would be a shame to just boil it down to the scientific facts and leave out all the adventures and escapades ...:).



2. There was a time, 300 years ago, when Robert Holmes was as famous for his victories -- especially his brilliant raid, when most of the Dutch merchant fleet was burned at its moorings, ever after known as Holmes' Bonfire -- as Marlborough was for his. But perhaps because of his modesty, or because his line petered out, or because materials were scarce, for nearly three centuries there was no full biography of this founder of Britain's sea supremacy.
   
   In 1969, Richard Ollard remedied most of this with 'Man of War.' Elegantly written and deeply informed, the biography disappoints only by its thinness. This, however, is not Ollard's fault.
   
   In those more spacious days, Holmes set out to make a career as a cavalryman and ended up an admiral. Allied with Prince Rupert and the Stuarts, he participated in desperate adventures, not only in England but in Africa and the Caribbean.
   
   The early Stuart navy was still more medieval than renaissance, and not at all modern. It was the Roundheads who began to regularize and modernize, appointing army generals to command at sea. In the dingdong battles of the Dutch wars, they, so to speak, lost the spurs they had won so hardly and won cocked hats.
   
   Intelligent men, they quickly learned naval strategy. Holmes, as good as any of them, carried this intelligence over into peacetime, when he helped create the administration of the modern navy. Another reason he may have been relegated to obscurity is that he often tangled with Samuel Pepys, the secretary, who by both merit and his ever-interesting diary, became a more revered figure.
   
   Holmes deserves, from the English, as much consideration. His life was full of revolutions, and near its end, one more, when the Stuarts were replaced and Holmes, as civil governor of the Isle of Wight, had to deal with the invasion of William's army. Ollard writes: 'His resilience, his stout-heartedness and his personal loyalty shine brightly in what for him must have been days of darkness and disaster. He was old and infirm; the cause of the Stuarts whom he he served without romanticism but with honour and fidelity, never more conspicuous than in ectremes of misfortune, was manifestly lost; but until the King admitted defeat Holmes would not desert him.'
   
   This book should be read by anyone interested in naval history, especially the professionalization and modernization of the Royal Navy.
   
   Note: The title is 'Man of War,' not 'Phoenix Man of War' as listed in Amazon's catalogue. Phoenix is the British publishing house responsible for this reprint.



3. Robert Holmes was a brilliant and professional admiral who served the House of Stuart faithfully and well, at great personal cost to himself. He began as a dashing soldier in Charles I's Cavalier army. After power was usurped by Oliver Cromwell and his firebrand Puritans, Holmes remained loyal to King-in-Exile, serving as one of Prince Rupert's most effective lieutenants in the famous cruise of the Royalist fleet during the 1650s. When, in 1660, legitimate government returned in the form of King Charles II, Holmes became a leading supporter of the Royal Africa Company and, later, admiral in the Restoration navy. Ollard provides a brilliant account, based on contemporary sources, of Holmes's controversial raid on the Dutch fortresses in Gambia (arguably provoking the Second Anglo-Dutch war); he also explains Holmes's role in intercepting the Dutch Smyrna fleet (arguably causing the Third Anglo-Dutch war). The climax of the story is Holmes's brilliant raid on islands of Vlie and Schelling, dealing much-deserved retribution to the Dutch aggressor. Finally the author traces Holmes's virtual retirement to the position of governor of the Isle of Wight. A comprehensive biography of a much-neglected defender of English liberty.

No comments about William Cecil: The Power Behind Elizabeth.

No comments about Victoria: The Young Queen.

No comments about Henry VIII - Vol. I.

No comments about Cromwell, Our Chief of Men.

5 comments about The Beatles: The True Beginnings.

1. This book is heavy with pictures on every page,including rooms The Beatles painted and played in,clothes they wore before the leather look,a diagram of The Casbah. Many stories about people and events that took place there."As was written,It was hot and sweaty.No booze,just coffee and coke and fantastic live music."If you are wondering who Roag Best is,he is the son of Mona and Neil Aspinall.



2. 
   
   A fascinating book about the inception of the Beatles, or "pre-Beatle" era, if you will. The beautiful archival photographs will certainly delight all readers as well as the memorabilia. Readers will certainly get a feel for early-1960s Liverpool (1960-62) and the environment in which the Beatles flourished.
   
   Thanks to this book, fans can actually see the club where the Beatles' fame was soon launched. The world's number one band cut their musical teeth in the Casbah, owned and run by drummer Pete Best's mother, Mona Best. The club opened in 1959 when the Quarrymen-Silver Beatles were coming into their own. This underground rock club was the precursor to its American counterparts such as the Hard Rock Cafe and the Fillmore East and Fillmore West, to name three.
   
   This fresh perspective of Beatle history includes Mona Best's story as well as other members of the Best family. Pete Best, the Beatles' first drummer was unceremoniously ousted from the band in August of 1962. Ringo Starr replaced him and the rest is, well, history. Fans will undoubtedly feel as if they are watching the Beatles evolve from relative local obscurity into the musical juggernaut they became and remain to this day.



3. I love this book! Makes me want to fly to Liverpool now and visit. Pete Best, who was drummer for the Beatles before they kicked him out with no explanation, gives us a fabulous treat. His mother ran the Casbah Club in Liverpool in the family home's basement. After Pete was booted out, the club sort of died down and was closed. It remained sealed up for many, many years, until it was opened. Original murals done by the Beatles still on the walls, microphones, and other items were found, and the club reopened to people who wish to come and see the only remaining original club, with even the original walls! Let the Cavern try to claim that! Color photos, inside stories, more make this a sensational book. Beatle fans, Merseybeat fans, music historians, Scousers, etc...BUY IT!



4. The story behind this book is one of the secrets in the Beatles tale. Neil Aspinall, who still works for the Beatles as director of Apple Corps, looking after their legacy and business interests, classmate of Paul McCartney's at the Liverpool Institute, was Pete Best's good friend. When the band needed someone to help them move their equipment from gig to gig, Neil was hired because he had a car. Throughout the band's story, Neil was the road manager.

   Neil lived with Pete's family for a while in the early years. He had an affair with Pete and brother Rory's hip, relatively young, Indian mother, Mona. They had a child together, Roag.

   When Pete was tossed out of the Beatles, he told Neil to choose between the job with the band and his living with the Best family. Neil chose the Beatles. He was not allowed to see his son grow up.

   This is that son's book.




5. Will any true Beatles fan ever admit that there is no need for any further information regarding the Fab Four? Absolutely not --- the strong popularity of THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY is evidence enough that a voracious audience still exists for Beatles lore in all shapes and sizes.

   THE BEATLES: THE TRUE BEGINNINGS really encompasses two book ideas: the Merseybeat music scene in Liverpool from which the Beatles developed, and Pete Best's experiences as an early Beatle. Either of these ideas, developed fully, would make interesting reading. As they are, however, two slender ideas are crammed into one unfocused book with big pictures and sparse text. Even so, I get the impression that this book was a stretch --- does any fan, no matter how obsessive, really require a picture of the case in which Pete Best carried his drums? How about a shot of the spare guitar strings he found inside?

   A prominent outpost of the Merseybeat scene was Mrs. Best's Casbah Coffee Club, owned and operated by Pete Best's mother, Mona Best. This book is in large part a tribute to the remarkable Mona Best from her sons --- Roag, Pete, and Rory. Mrs. Best pawned her jewelry, placed a bet on a horse, and won the money to buy Number Eight Haymans Green, a giant house whose cellars were transformed into the Casbah when the Best boys discovered rock-and-roll and needed a place to perform and listen to music. The Beatles first performed at the Casbah as the Quarrymen. They played to a crowd of 1,500 and received three pounds as payment.

   You probably know how the story goes. The Beatles were a huge success and got a gig playing in Hamburg, Germany where they endured a horrible, grueling performance schedule and living conditions like something from a Dickens novel (assuming Dickens might ever have written about a German red-light district). In short, the Hamburg experience was destined to make or break the Beatles. It made the Beatles, but Pete Best was not invited to continue their success.

   Is the Best family bitter? Maybe a little; it is their theory that Pete Best was simply so much better looking that he was a liability to the other band members. Also, the title THE TRUE BEGINNINGS seems to imply that they are setting the record straight, but there isn't very much new information here and it's unlikely to change anyone's mind about the Beatles as individuals or as a cultural phenomenon.

   --- Reviewed by Colleen Quinn