5 comments about My Name Escapes Me: The Diary of a Retiring Actor.

1. Where BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE and A POSITIVELY FINAL APPEARANCE are more organized as memoirs, this is simply a sequence of diary entries prepared for publication. They show a great actor, the dean of Ealing comedies and (to his chagrin) the great Jedi Master, admiring the twilight in his retirement. This is a gentlemanly, sensitive, yet vibrantly witty writer who once described heaven as sitting with one or two friends, sharing a drink and savoring the silence. There are no peekaboo stories about celebrities or iconoclastic commentaries on the state of the world; just an appreciation for an interesting life well-lived, deliciously and intimately inscribed for us in these daily entries.

   For a more organized and literary memoir, the two titles mentioned above come highly recommended.




2. "My Name Escapes Me" is a book of actor Sir Alec Guinness' personal diary entries from January 1995 to June 1996, which he wrote with publication in mind. I have to give Sir Alec credit: His diary is not as tedious as most people's would be. His writing has a nice pace, and the book is mercifully short. But there simply isn't anything interesting about it. Sir Alec was 82 years old and retired when he wrote this diary. He spent most of his time relaxing at his country home. If he were working, he might have had more interesting anecdotes to relate or perhaps some insight into the process of putting on a play or making a movie to share. But it takes a more talented writer to make something interesting out of the mundane. Sir Alec mentions music that he likes, plays that he sees, books that he reads, art in various forms, but he never expounds on these subjects, so we don't learn anything about the subjects or about him. He doesn't seem to be an opinionated person. Opinions, however trying, might make for better reading. All in all, "My Name Escapes Me" gives the impression of a man of moderate writing talent and moderate intelligence. It's really too bad that no publisher asked Alec Guinness to write a diary for publication earlier in his life. His style is both literate and easy-going. If it had been applied to the life of a working actor, an insightful and highly readable book might have resulted. But as it is, I think only obsessively curious fans of Alec Guinness will find anything of interest in "My Name Escapes Me".



3. sir alec must have been a kind and gentle man. i found in this book that he was charming and witty and deliberately effacing. it takes us on a journey to his many memories of movies,tv,politics, and a great cast of characters that he's met over the years. it's a quiet and calm book. a very relaxing and entertaining read. and what a since of humor!



4. I haven't hear the audio version of Sir Alec's diary: don't need to since I can hear his voice in my head as I read. Gracious to a fault about his fellow actors, prickly about fans who invade his privacy (whether spying him at a museum or appearing in the back garden), exasperated at the Star Wars fame, he is a truly eccentric Englishman and proud of it. I love it when he admits he probably went on and on while telling a story; a common fault of the loquacious and the aging. Pokes fun at himself and endears himself all the more. Delightful.



5. In this, the first of his two volumes (so far, I hope) based on his journal, the great actor Sir Alec Guinness makes writing and reading seem as effortless as his acting. His graceful, lucid prose is remarkable, as are his observations and ruminations on his life, on the craft of acting (he never lets one forget that acting is a craft with exacting standards of professionalism), on his reading, on his religious life, on the world around him, and on his family and friends. He is one of the sharpest yet kindest observers of the human comedy, and reading him is not only an unalloyed pleasure but nourishing to the mind and the heart. Readers of this book should scour used-bookstores for BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE and should also hunt down his new book A POSITIVELY FINAL APPEARANCE.

3 comments about The Empress Matilda: Queen Consort, Queen Mother and Lady of the English.

1. You can't find a better study on the topic, and the author is mistress of the sources like few other living historians. The only thing left to do is to look more at the gender issues raised by the whole issue, but this book is so good and thorough there is absolutely no use criticizing it for what it is not intended to be!



2. This is a great book about a wonderful woman, who got lost in the shuffel. As there isn't very much written about Matilda, the first almost English Queen in her own right, the author deserves applause for their ability to put together such a checkered past. The thrown was stolen out from under her by her cousin Stephen, and they began the civil war that English people discribed as the time when "Christ and his saints slept." Speaking of which, if you like this book, you'll love "When Christ and His Saints Slept" by Penman.



3. I found this book fasinating. The beginning is a bit jumbled, hard to follow, but soon it launches the reader into the world of Empress Matilda. The author has done an excellent job of bringing the empress, her father and sons back to life for me espcially, she and son Henry are my ancestors. What better way to get to know them!

4 comments about Bonnie Prince Charlie: A Biography.

1. Far from being "as exciting as a novel," this pedestrian re-telling of what should be a fascinating story is bland and far from insightful. The author's evident unfamiliarity with even basic military and naval terminology leads one to wonder about the accuracy of other elements. (A ship-of-the-line is a "gunboat.") The Recorded Books version is read in a sneering, condescending delivery by an Englishman who whistles into the microphone every second sentence, producing a "nails on the blackboard" sensation which accentuates the discomfort.



2. The eldest son of James, the Old Pretender, Bonnie Price Charlie was raised to believe that the throne of England and Scotland was his destiny. Born in Italy and used as a pawn of Louis XV against George II, Charles was seen as a promising young man. In his early twenties, he sailed to Scotland and was able to convince several Highland chiefs to support his cause. Numerous victories came swiftly because the English were unprepared for the various attacks. However, once the English determined that the threat was real, Prince Charles and his troops were quickly over run. He returned to France where he was asked to leave and again settled in Italy. With no ambitions left to him, he quickly dissapated into an alcoholic daze. He fathered one child by a Scottish woman and later married a German princess but that marriage quickly soured. His later years were redeemed somewhat as his daughter Charlotte came to his aid. He died, leaving his youngest brother Henry as the last Stuart pretender to the throne. Henry was a Cardinal and therefore fathered no children so with his death the Stuart dynasty came to an end.

   I enjoyed the book and found it useful for someone with limited knowledge of this time period. Not very detailed with but a good overview of events.




3. One has to look at the vicissitudes of life in the great tragic figures of history, Cortes, Columbus, Napoleon, etc., to find precedents in the relatively obscure life of Charles Edward Stuart, "The Great Young Pretender," Bonnie Prince Charlie.

   Although towards the latter part of his life he came to stoop very low, he had, as a young man, decades earlier, reached out very high unto the stars with unwavering courage and determination in his conquest of Scotland and England. His defeat at Culloden in 1746 precipitated tragically what can only be described as the genocide of the Scottish Highlanders.

   What a life! The life of Bonnie Prince Charlie is a study of human nature at its extreme. Belatedly, devastatingly, he found out the cruel fact that despite his forceful, determined personality, he was not the master of his own destiny. Be that as it may, he came to be vindicated.

   This is a magnificent book of a great, albeit obscure, tragic figure of history.

   Miguel A. Faria, Jr., M.D. is Editor-in-Chief of the Medical Sentinel of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), and author of Vandals at the Gates of Medicine (1995) and Medical Warrior: Fighting Corporate Socialized Medicine (1997).




4. This was a good summary of a lot of secondary source material on Bonnie Prince Charlie, condensed into a fairly short biography. It's an enjoyable leisurely read, but don't look for depth, great detail, or anything like original thought about Prince Charlie and what he meant in the context of Scottish, English, European, or Catholic history in the 18th century. This is not a good text for anyone already familiar with the Jacobites and looking for any new scholarship on the subject.

No comments about Man of War, Man of Peace: The Unauthorised Biography of Gerry Adams.

1 comments about Memories and Adventures: Library Edition.

1. First of all let me give you a product description as not much is provided with the item.The book is about 415 pages,a big,black leather covered one.It doesn't have a cover photogaph and looks like the library editions of the victoria era novels.As it is a reprint of the 1924 edition it does not contain the last chapter "up to date",which doyle added later to the revised edition of 1930.But as it was an "addition",i don't think it matters much ,and had any organic link to the original edition.The book is expensive,but it looks so gorgeous that it is almost an event,and therefore a collector's item.
   Doyle lived a life of many adventures and this book chronicles all of them.Although it hesitates sometimes as it goes back it is still a fascinating account of the great man's life, in his own words.It gives us the magical charm of being able to know about sherlock holmes from the mouth of his own creator.The various adventures of doyles life are described with the usual storyteller's skill.The humourous prose of doyle makes it an unforgettable experience.
   Every autobiography is in a way or other biased.The reader can read Teller of Tales: The Life of Arthur Conan Doyleby daniel stashower,the best biography in my opinion,for a more modern approach.

1 comments about A Ragged Schooling: Growing Up in the Classic Slum.

1. 
   Personal account by Robert Roberts (a son of a shopkeeper within a large family) of his early years, growing up in a run-down area in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, covering the period from 1905 to about 1921.
   
   Interesting, informative, well-written, entertaining; an enjoyable read. Worth reading.
   
   9 out of 10

5 comments about Farewell in Splendor: The Passing of Queen Victoria and Her Age.

1. no one ever thought queen victoria could ever die.she regein for 62 years ,over a country who became the worlds most powerful superpower.this book is about how her family and servants deathbed watch of the end of a era.inside fight between kasiar and edward soon to be king .the doctor who tooking care of his queen for 20 years.



2. If anyone ever perfected the art of mourning, it was Queen Victoria. Plunging the court into black on the death of the Prince Consort, the Queen maintained full mourning until her own death forty years later.
   This book brings to life the final days and subsequent funeral of the monarch who ruled longer than any other in English history. We see Victoria, old and failing, clinging to life. The doctors trying to balance Victoria's last wishes with those of her family. The family frictions as the clan gathers: the Prince, who had waited so long for the throne; the princesses about to lose precedence; Kaiser Wilhelm, a reigning emperor who loved his grandmama but was resented by aunts, uncles and cousins. And the people, waiting outside the palace gates for the next bulletin on the Queen's health. Victoria reigned for 64 years; many were born and grew to old age in her reign. The passing of the Queen was an epic event - literally the end of an era.
   
   A fascinating behind the scenes look at the staging of a state funeral - a funeral for a woman who had devoted much of her life to funereal trappings. The Queen was dead; God save the King



3. I liked the book. I thought it had a lot of information well presented but also found it to be less than perfect.

   "Farewell in Splendor" is an interesting and readable account of the last week in the life of Queen Victoria and her funeral. When an old woman has nine children and forty grandchildren, it is easy to see that there is bound to be confusion and differences of opinion about her care. However when that woman is also the Empress of the largest empire on earth. The difficulties seem to multiply for each of her subjects. This is the case in 1901 as Victoria, the doyen of Royalty, finally fades after a record breaking sixty-four years on the throne.

   Jerrold M. Packard has written two books on the subject of Victoria and her family. I found that much of the background material in this book was a reprieve of "Victoria's Daughters". Since any book about the death of Victoria is bound to have a limited audience, much of the background material seemed to be out of place in a book devoted mostly to a three-week period. I think that people willing to read about Victoria's death might already know something about her life.
   
   From the book, I get have a strong impression that Packard simply does not like Queen Victoria and saw her only as a mean and selfish old woman. I'll grant you that in many ways she was, but in this book so many of her more endearing traits are omitted. It draws a rather one-sided picture of Victoria and not the most flattering side. I think that a little more balance would have served this book well.

   I like that fact that the book was easily readable and had many interesting facts to present. His parenthetical remarks really added to the book and helped it rise above being a rehash of newspaper accounts and old. Letters. However, I also found that on occasion there was too much trying to show how much better the late 20th century was from the 19th. His interjection of the modern mind-set into the Edwardian/Victorian eras was a more of hindrance than help.

   I did enjopy the book and think is a solid additon to the world of victoria Liturature but I would not reccommend it as a starter book.




4. The focus of this book is the death and funeral of Queen Victoria. The topic is well-researched, and Jerrold Packard does an excellent job of suitably setting the scene. As he describes the days leading up to the legendary queen's death, he artfully illuminates the cast of supporting characters. Thanks to Victoria's prolificate offspring, this includes most of the European nobility. Packard also examines Victoria's daily life, both personal and public. Furthermore, the significance of the great monarch's passing is put into context by his succinct analysis of the political situation in England and abroad. All in all, a very interesting and well-written book that will whet your appetite for more information about this fascinating era.



5. Farewell to Splendor is a fascinating look into the private life of the British royal family in the week surrounding the death of Queen Victoria. I found myself spellbound by the atmosphere Packard describes and by the events he relates.

   It's too bad, then, that Packard's research is less than sterling, and his work filled with modern stereotypes and assumptions irrelevant to Victorian times.

   For instance, Packard writes that Victoria herself was an unpleasant, unamusable person, when in fact the Queen was a normal woman who liked nothing more than a good joke. (She said "We are not amused", but only because her target was telling dirty jokes in the presence of children.)

   There are other minor errors in fact, by themselves unimportant perhaps but it does make me wonder: if there are so many minor errors, how many major errors are there?

   I was also distracted by Packard's many references to Victoria's fitness level and his wonderment at her reaching an advanced age without being physically fit. Methinks Mr. Packard has been brainwashed by the health and fitness detachment of the Politically Correct Police. People who live long do so for many reasons. Fitness is only one piece of the puzzle, and compared to genetics it may not even be that big a piece. It's also irrelevant on a cultural level. Virtually nobody at the time exercised; to point out that Victoria was out of shape is roughly similar to pointing out that Elizabeth II couldn't fight the Romans because she doesn't paint her face blue as did Boadicea.

5 comments about Legacy of Leadership: Lessons from Admiral Lord Nelson.

1. Despite the book's subtitle about "leadership", this book has a very old-fashioned and descriptive picture of Lord Nelson as a leader. If you want an excellent contemporary analysis of command and leadership, that explains these things instead of describing them, you will simply have to buy Joel Hayward's new classic, FOR GOD AN GLORY. That doesn't mean this book by Callo doesn't have much for the Nelson enthusiast. It does. I rate it very highly as an insightful portrait of our greatest admiral. It just isn't a leadership book, that's all.



2. Mr. Callo's book captures the essence of Nelson and his formula for leadership. Great personal courage in combat, a truly lead from the front guy; the ability to adapt to changing circumstances under fire, today's maneuver warfare; and a personal concern for the deckplate sailor. For after all, it is he who secures the admiral's victory as well as his glory.

   Callo's monograph illustrates that a great leader's weaknesses contribute as much to his success as his strengths. Nelson's weaknesses are actually the strength of his character. A man willing to risk all for what he believes is right rather than what is politically expedient. Unfortunately, in today's climate, Lord Nelson would have been retired or drummed out of the naval service long before his greatest victories.

   This book provides profound insight into the life and mind of a tactical genius. I recommend it highly both as an example and as a warning.




3. Most books on leadership struggle to define the term, leaving the reader tumbling in the wake of writers who've never, themselves, led anyone or anything. In "Legacy of Leadership" Joe Callo avoids that trap by drawing on the insights of his own experience as a naval officer to offer a unique and revealing portrait of Admiral Nelson -- a man who consistently rose above his flaws to perform masterfully in the service of his country and the men to sailed with him. It's a helluva good read and ought to be in all the seatbacks of the Bush and Gore campaign planes!



4. I began expecting just another history of ADM Nelson. After completing the book I found it to be a great learning experience about his leadership skills and those characteristics of the man that are applicable to leadership in any area of business, the military or life. Joe manages to tell history in a way that makes the experiences of Nelson relevant to the world of today. He also manages to provide an fasinating view of history and a new vision of a great military leader.



5. Beyond those steeped in British history, Admiral Lord Nelson brings no memorable images to mind. But Joe Callo's "Legacy of Leadership" provides more than just a quick remedy. In a little more than 100 pages Callo brings the legendary British Naval hero to life, while at the same time leaving you with an insightful analysis of what made the leader so great and so memorable nearly 200 years after his death.

   In his look back on the Admiral's life, Callo focuses on the the qualities that made him a great leaders, qualities that Callo rightly contents should be easily visible in today's military and business leaders.

   In interesting detail, Callo shows how Lord Nelosn's love of the sea, deep religious beliefs and sense of honor won him both battles and human respect. For example, with his own elbow shattered by either grape shot from a cannon or a musket ball, the semiconscious Nelson ordered assistance for others before ordering the amputation of his own arm. And, reminding us of Nelson's own inner strenght and humor Callo points out that Nelson not only ordered the amputation of his own arm, but "later complained of the coldness of surgeon's instruments."

   Just as important Callo shows his skill as a writer by weaving those qualities of leadership into the battles that history talks about whenever the name Nelson is mention. Which may cause the reader to find out not only more about Nelson, but much more about the qualities of the leaders surrounding us today.

No comments about The Letters of Virginia Woolf: Volume 1, 1888-1912.

1 comments about I'll Tell the Jokes Arthur: Diana, the Royal Family & Me.

1. This book has been called the funniest and best Royalty book ever written. I cannot say that I agree with that synopsis, but it is an interesting read, nonetheless. I have read most every book written on Diana and the royal family of England. I have read other books that were much funnier and that had more of an "I can't put it down" element, but I do have a great deal of admiration for Arthur Edwards and his position of respected photographer of England's royalty. He offers a unique perspective on the private lives of Diana and Fergie, and many details I had not read before. But it took me quite a long time to get through this book - my way of telling whether a book is absolutely fabulous or not - and obviously much of its content is now sadly outdated. If you are a die-hard royal fan, however, I'd still recommend it.