No comments about Twayne Companion to Contemporary Literature in English - From the Editors of The Hollins Critic.

No comments about Nikolai Strakhov (Russian Research Center Studies).

No comments about The Diary of an Irish Countryman 1827-1835.

No comments about In the Legion of the Vanguard.

2 comments about Anna of Denmark, Queen of England: A Cultural Biography (New Cultural Studies).

1. I almost gave it 2 stars but decided in all fairness it did deserve 3. After all the reason I didn't like the book is that it was very dry, a lot of facts, and Anne isn't mentioned in ways that allow you to get a lot of info on her, as herself.
   However, it DOES say it's a cultural biography so my disappointment is my own fault.
   I wouldn't reccomend it for anyone looking for a biography or for light reading. However if your looking for info on Anne, you'll have to make do since there are very few other resources on her.



2. A biography of Anne of Denmark, wife of King James VI of Scotland and I of England, is hard to come by. Those who read this book expecting a conventional biography might well be disappointed.

   The author points out, however, that this is not intended to be a biography, but a "cultural biography." What this amounts to is an extended essay arguing that Anne, far from being the shallow and flighty woman described by most historians, was actually an intelligent, ambitious woman determined to make her mark on the politics and the culture of her day. It is an interesting argument, if not an entirely convincing one.

   Some of the arguments fall flat, such as the author's insistence that the hysterical temper tantrum that triggered a life-threatening miscarriage was an example of the queen's resolve and power. Despite the occasional jarring note, an interesting pattern does emerge, revealing Anne as something more than the frivolous queen who glorified herself with extravagent masques (allegorical plays with elaborate costumes, scenery, music and dancing.) Despite the stated focus on the "cultural biography," what I found most interesting was the political turmoil Anne managed to create during her years in Scotland.

   The author makes extensive use of primary sources in the 170 page essay. The notes are interesting, but for some reason, the author declined to include a bibliography. Some might find the frequent intrusion of the author's voice to be irritating. Observations such as these abound: "I have saved for this final chapter..."; "I will be arguing..."; "It is apparent to me that..." But since this is consistent with the author's style and stated purpose, this pattern is easier to overlook than it would have been in a conventional biography.

   Recommended for serious students of Jacobean history and culture.

3 comments about A Memoir.

1. I am glad that one of Dev's Sons came forward to write about thier father.The book was excellent, but some things needed more explaining, for example, the criticism that Dorothy Macardle leveled at article 41 in the Irish constiution, what was the true meaning of article 41;I think I know, but I would like to have heard it from Terry. And he also needed to explian what article 41 stated. I am also glad to see that Tim Pat Coogan got some of his facts wrong, this makes his work on deValera suspect. The book is a must read for all who admire Eamon deValera. I am also glad to read more about Sinead deValera, she truely was a remarkable Woman.



2. As the youngest son of the President of Ireland, Terry de Valera experienced first hand the politics and struggles his famous father managed on a daily basis. In this amazing book, the author shares intimate details of Ireland throughout the 20th century. Events leading up to the Easter Rising of
   1916, the Civil War of the 1920s, and World War II are thoroughly documented as de Valera weaves a rich and fascinating tapestry of the times. For this information alone the book is priceless, and yet the author gives readers so
   much more than simply a lesson in politics.
   
   Born in 1922, the youngest of seven de Valera children, Terry grew up in a very different Ireland than exists today. Charming, chatty anecdotes reveal fascinating tidbits of everyday life in the twenties and thirties when the
   atmosphere and standards of Irish society were far removed from what they are today. Formality of dress and social interaction, rudimentary treatments for medical conditions, experiencing death and funerals, and listening to news on the wireless radio are but a few reminiscences adding interest to this book. The author also shares tender memories of childhood
   in an unspoiled and undeveloped countryside, as well as his years at Blackrock College. His recollections of rugby games, struggles with Latin, and trips to the confessional enlighten and entertain. But the meat of de Valera's memoir concerns the life and times of his father.
   
   The author clearly states one purpose of his memoir is to correct long held beliefs about his father. For example, Eamon de Valera has been portrayed rather unsympathetically as a man without humor or humanity. Information from those who knew him best proves the one time President of Ireland and the League of Nations to be a man of great strength with passionately held
   loyalties and beliefs, a man quick to apologize and forgive.
   
   Through the notes of Terry's mother, Sinead de Valera contributes powerful commentaries about the life she shared with Eamon. She tells of his many imprisonments due to hard stands against British controls of Irish freedoms. Of particular interest were details of their friendship with Michael Collins and why Collins signed the treaty in de Valera's absence. Her notes address in detail the Gaelic League, Sinn Fein, and secret plans the Allies devised
   to pressure Ireland into joining them in World War II. I found Mrs. de Valera's contributions to this book to be invaluable.
   
   It's impossible to cover in review the information found in Terry de Valera's memoir. In essence, the author looks back with grace on a long life lived with humor and honesty, providing pieces to a picture of his famous father who was President of an Ireland long gone.



3. Terry de Valera, the youngest son of Éamon and Sinéad de Valera, was born a few short weeks before the start of the Irish Civil War in June 1922. This book details his recollections of an interesting life as solicitor, and the people he encountered, but concentrates principally on his memories of his parents. Terry de Valera witnessed some of his father's most important actions in his political life, and was in a perfect position to give details that historians will find most interesting.
   
   For example, it has often been said that de Valera refused an offer by Winston Churchill to reunite Ireland in return for the use of Éire's ports during the Second World War; Terry de Valera throws serious doubt on this contention. He also gives insights into his father's views on important Irish and world issues, which is important as Éamon de Valera wasn't given to airing his opinions openly, although it seems that he did when in private.
   
   One of the main reasons for writing the book, according to the author, was the memoir by Sinéad de Valera that Terry persuaded her to write, and which is included almost in its entirety. Sinéad was a children's writer, but was also a language activist and amateur actress before her marriage. In addition, her experiences of the revolutionary period give a good idea of her great courage, and her opinions are also often edifying (for example, her insight on why Michael Collins signed the Treaty).
   Terry sets out to correct some erroneous ideas put out in recent times as part of the campaign to undermine Éamon de Valera's reputation. (Many English academics of recent times have painted a misleading and often completely false picture of de Valera and his achievements. For example, I have seen allegations that he admired Mussolini - Terry de Valera shows this is false - that he encouraged the Italian invasion of Abysinnia - also the opposite of the truth - and that he was a terrorist.) In doing so, he gives insights into his parents' personalities, and demonstrates the integrity for which de Valera was internationally known, and which many today try to obscure.
   
   From what he says, he had a happy upbringing, far from the terror that certain biographers have recently suggested that de Valera inspired in his children. (According to these wise men, when de Valera's children praised him, they were in denial.) He also goes into detail about his father's geneaology, into which he did a good deal of research, and lays to rest the old chestnut that his (Éamon's) parents weren't married. This is done convincingly, and I would like to see what de Valera's erstwhile, hostile biographer Tim Pat Coogan has to say to that. (Though I'm not hopeful he'll admit he was wrong.) A very interesting result of his research is that de Valera was related to the famous Spanish writer - and diplomat - Juan Valera.
   
   One may, of course, argue that this is a one-sided account, but the author's obvious strong loyalty and affection for his father is balanced by his meticulousness in details; his statements are convincingly argued.
   
   I read this at a local library, and then went out to buy it. I warmly recommend it to anyone who is interested in recent Irish history or some of its most remarkable figures.

5 comments about The Way of All Flesh (Oxford World's Classics).

1. Book is what my husband wanted. He read it when he was a young man. Just a review.



2. A slow, difficult read yet not without merit. At times scathing at others jocular yet always insightful.
   
   The tale is of one Ernest Pontifex and 4 generations of his family beginning with his great-grandfather told by a family friend, Overton.
   
   The reader is exposed to the hypocrisy of Victorian values inevitably consequential in the development of our protagonist and his overbearing bible thumping father.
   
   Butler describes the twisted growth of the Pontifex family tree; one limb overshadowing the next letting it shrivel in darkness. One wonders whether the tree was planted outside the Munster residence.
   
   At times I couldn't help but hate Ernest's father and reel in disbelief in Ernests' naivety. These conflicting emotions make the book enjoyable.



3. There is nothing remarkable about the literary style of Butler's book; it reads like a million and a half other 19th century British novels. What distinguishes "The Way of All Flesh", however, is its honest and at times funny portrayal of Victorian society. With great wit, Butler's narrator, Overton, and main character, Ernest, expose the stuffy, staid, hypermannered, insipid Victorian middle-class mindset.
   
   What is especially nice is that Butler doesn't take too many cheap shots. The characters here are very well-drawn. Ernest's father, Theobald, though clearly representing all that Butler seeks to skewer, is enough of a three-dimensional foil that I could feel some sympathy for the poor old man. (He's not evil incarnate, just a sorry product of his time.) The same goes for the rest of the supporting cast. I like the narrator's voice; it's distinctive and wry enough to be unique, but not so intrusive as to distract from the plot.
   
   Parts of the novel are funny; parts seem to drag. I don't know that I liked the end of the novel--everything seems tied together a little too perfectly; but an explanation may be found in the fact that Butler did not edit this portion of the novel before his death.
   
   This is a solid book. Give it a shot.



4. it's a grower. it took me a long time to summon the patience to read further than the 50th page or so. it took far too long to get on with the story. when it did though, i begun to really enjoy the book. the characters are excellently portrayed, especially ernests parents. in my humble opinion, it is very well written. my only criticizm is the tendency of the narrator to go off on tangents, mainly at the beginning of the book



5. A rich, intelligent, historically informative masterpiece that tells the modern reader about the concerns, delusions, pretensions and prejudices of Englishmen of the 1700s and 1800s.
   
   Much more than just a novel, this work offers Butler's opinions upon philosophy, child-rearing and religion. The events of the novel serve to illustrate and reinforce the points made. It is a hybrid, a novel/essay, and rare at that. More essayists should spice up their arguments by dressing them with vivid characters and a decent plot, as Butler has.
   
   Rich in wit, satire, sarcasm, humor, insight, and not without flashes of bitterness and anger.
   
   If you read only a hundred books in your lifetime, this would not be such a bad choice for the eightieth or eighty-first. Towers above most novels that cover this long period in history (some hundred years or so, spanning four or more generations).

1 comments about In the Belgian Chateau: The Spirit and Culture of a European Society in an Age of Change.

1. Despite some little mistake, this book is quite good book for people who are about to come to Belgium or ever went to Belgium. It describes different socio-professional classes in Belgium , riches and "poor", flemish and wallons, ... (but most are catholics).

   The main default of this book is that is looks to me quite "old-fashioned" because now, society has evoluted a lot and lots of things have changed since the first voyage of Renée C. Fox.

   In conclusion, if you're intersted in Belgium or in life in "traditionnal" european countries, you must read it.

No comments about Sir Walter Raleigh (Cassell Biographies).

No comments about King George II and Queen Caroline.