4 comments about Queen Victoria's Children.

1. "Oh madam, it is a princess!"
   "Never mind, the next will be a prince." -- Queen Victoria's comment when informed as to the gender of her first child
   
   I've always been interested in the Victorian period of English history. One of the most fascinating of the people of the time is the woman who gave her name to the era, Queen Victoria herself. Longtime author John van der Kiste, who has penned several biographies of the European royalty, now turns his attention to the Queen and her nine very different and unusual children.
   
   While this is a good place to start research on the various children of Victoria, the treatment is just too light and shallow to be of any real use. Most of the information that is given is of the 'who was born, married, and died' variety, along with various illnesses and mishaps. Almost nothing is given of the sibling rivalries and dramas that must have played out in such a huge family with so many distinct characters. Van der Kiste has written other collective biographies of royal siblings, and several stand-alone biographies of various royals, but this is not one of his better efforts.
   
   The best part of the book is one of the appendices that lists all of the children, and provides pertinent information about their own children and the many intertangled relationships that they would create -- by the First World War, descendants of Queen Victoria would be found either occupying or marrying into nearly every throne in Europe with the exception of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, several small German principalities and the Italian royal house.
   
   The author did update his book and bibliography, making note of the new material and books published on the individuals, it's still not really worth the effort to seek out a copy unless you are a fan of van der Kiste's work. The photographs are rather muddled, and not very unique to the work -- many come from other sources. Most of all, the entire narrative has the feel of a cut-and-paste job; while it is good to see the story of Queen Victoria and her children presented in a cohesive whole, and in chronilogical order, it simply lacks the depth of other, far better written, biographies.
   
   Somewhat recommended.



2. This author produces very workmanlike and highly readable popular histories of the modern period, this time with a bio-political survey of Victoria's nine children and forty grandchildren. They possessed widely differing personalities but remained a close-knit family -- though relations often were strained by divided loyalties through marriage into other European dynasties. The author also makes good use of illustration and includes a good (though brief) bibliography.



3. If you have nothing else in your library re: the 9 children of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert -- no other biographies of Vicky, Albert Edward, et al.-- then this is the book to have. It gives a good overview of the lives of all nine children. However, I found it a little tedious to read because I HAVE read separate biographies of Vicky, Albert Edward, Louise, Arthur & Beatrice, and those biographies are the sources for Van der Kiste's book. So, if you are like me a royalty buff who's already got the biographies, you don't need to read this because it has nothing to add. But it's a well-written & concise history of all the children's lives.



4. A very in depth and intriguing view into the life and lifestyles of the children and grandchildren of the "grandmother of europe", Queen Victoria. If you are after something easy to read and digest but not too in depth,on a wide variety of royals, then Van der kiste is the author for you. I find his books to be very interesting to read as well as informative, which is a hard combination to find. Very good reading! Im on to his next book.

No comments about The Personal Rule of Charles I.

5 comments about The New Gold Standard: Charlie Weis and Notre Dame's Rise to Glory.

1. My the program is the most self-righteous program in all of college football trying to show the country morals (that it doesnt even have)...
   
   Lets see how bad Weis has been with his players (2007)... the only time he won was with... drumroll please... Willingham's players... Brady Quinn that stringbean receiver and the like... it is amazing how everyone likes to blame Willingham for "poor recruiting" for last season's disaster (actually more a sign of notre lame's true colors) but without Willingham's recruiting the 3 and whatever record would have happened the previous two seasons as well...
   
   notre dame football fans tend to not have any real sense of football knowledge as well as their horrible sense of entitlement which is not deserved...
   
   rise to glory??? more like settling into mediocracy...



2. I've never actually read this book, but neither have most of the reviewers here and that didn't stop them from writing a review.
   Funny how all but one of the bashers didn't write a review for this book until the Irish hit rock bottom in 2007. Where were y'all hiding?
   If Weis won with Willingham recruits, I guess Willingham won with Davie recruits since his only respectable season was his first. Weis also got a late start in recruiting because he was still coaching the Patriots to a Super Bowl championship. 2007 was a perfect storm as we see the results of Willingham's downward turn in recruiting. We've only gotten a glimpse of what Weis' recruits can do and they were still too young to make an assessment. He's been able to bring in Top Ten recruiting classes since he finally got the time to recruit full time. He's already been able to recruit two 5 star QB's. We should start to see an upswing in 2008 and look out in 2009. Bash the Irish while you can because here they come. Of course if they fall on their faces I'll be first in line to call for Weis' termination. He may still not be the right guy for the job, but that doesn't make Willingham any better. BTW, how have his Huskies done since he got there? Early prediction: Notre Dame handles them fairly easily (again) this season.
   
   (Oh, and for one reviewer, South Bend is two words.)



3. I like how the author made this book come together. Of course you can write any coach is good after having his first good season, and 2nd, but he had Brady Quinn as QB. He lost that, and now he has nothing...His stats are almost identical to Willingham's now, far from a gold standard. Maybe the author should have waited to publish the book before just thinking about $$$ since anything with ND+Football in its title will sell to the over obsessive fans over a crappy program.



4. This is one of the best works of fiction in the twenty-first century. Hats off to Charlie Weis, the Notre Dame football team and entire Southbend community!



5. Title ranks up there with "Dewey Defeats Truman." Amazon should pair this book with Bob Hill's "Basketball: Coaching for Success".
   
   Great Secret Santa gift for your favorite Fighting Irish fan.

5 comments about To School Through The Fields.

1. What a delight this little book is! Within the space of only 151 pages of standard typeface, Alice Taylor has told many a tale, charmed us with her warmhearted stories from her childhood.



2. If Angela's Ashes and it's clones is your only taste of Ireland during the economic hard times, you're only getting half the story. This best seller speaks of the Ireland our grandparent's held dear to their hearts. It's short vignette structure makes it an excellant read for those using public transportation. Warning: people who feel good writing must be driven by inner turmoil will hate this book. To all others Taylor's work is breath of fresh air!



3. I laughed, I cried, I remembered my own childhood in County Ireland as I ran barefoot through the daisies. I especially loved the bit about 'Old Dan'who loves to be near children. I knew a guy JUST like that when I was seven. Alice Taylor's book is a TRIUMPH. It is nothing less. We need more books about the poverty and ignorance of Ireland, written by an ordinary housewife like Alice, in her deceptively accessible style. In these weary times, her book is like three hundred milligrammes of morphine to a man with a headache. She deserves the pulitzer! Well done Alice!!



4. If you love the simple life (not to be confused with easy), nature, simple people and their idiosyncracies, then you will love this book. Alice Taylor takes us back to the communal farm life of Ireland. She "shows" us vividly how she grew up in County Cork Ireland in a rural farming community where the community came before the individual; unheard of in our current paradigm. Everything that nature had to offer was used in daily life, including the grease from cooked geese to oil leather boots. Life was about pulling your weight, helping your neighbor, integrity, and respecting God and His creations. This book sooths my soul and slows me down. If you live a busy "city" life, but long for nature and simplicity, I highly recommend this book. It will make you smile and comfort your spirit.



5. I'd rather read this book than have Irish bread w. freshly whipped butter, w. farm-fresh eggs, tomato, sausage and Irish breakfast tea! And that's a lot! This affectionate novel is a jewel. A very special woman wrote this book and shared with us her very special childhood. If you're Irish, of Irish descent, have been to Ireland, or enjoy a charming, well-written, enchanting true tale, you'll love this book and keep a copy and recommend it to loved ones. Did you enjoy the LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE books as a child? Or have you read, THE ROAD FROM COORAIN by Jill Ker Conway? Then you'll truly enjoy this book

No comments about Clever Girl.

3 comments about DeLorean.

1. This book was wonderful. I had never read any other book on DeLorean so I came to it with an open mind. I was not biased either way on any views regarding his guilt / lack thereof regarding his trial etc.
   
   I came wanting to hear a self-told story of of the maverick engineer I think many of us young professionals dream of being. Someone who challenges convention, shakes things up, and produces enough results to keep those critical at bay. This book is the only way to get his side of it all (With the exception of On a Clear Day You can See General Motors - another great read).
   
   
   I highly recommend it for anyone curious about what happened in general, looking for his side of the story, or just interested in a brilliant man's life.
   
   The book kept me pinned to the text and I got through the book very quickly! Highly recommended.



2. After reading "Dream Maker," the DeLorean hatchet job by Ivan Fallon and James Srodes, I had to seek out and read DeLorean's own rebuttal. "Dream Maker" left enough doubt (and displayed so much bias) that it's obvious there are two sides to the story.

   I must say, it confirms more than it denies. Oh, the drug charges and trial were obvious government falsehoods, and John easily demolishes the evidence against him. Recounting the travesty trial takes over half the book, even though "Dream Maker" stops before the trial begins.

   What was more interesting is his recounting of his life before the trial, and his very, very brief touching on the failure of DeLorean Motor Company. In these he reveals himself to be very vain, mean-spirited, self-centered and willing to blame everyone but himself. It is not pretty reading his cruel and tactless dismissals of his ex-wifes or business partners.

   He starts the acknowledgements by saying that writing this book was good therapy. "In the beginning, [co-author] Ted [Schwarz] knew that I was bitter, angry and hostile. But as he and I talked through 1,200 pages of transcript, I slowly healed and developed a more balanced view, just as Ted knew I would."

   Well, a few more months of healing would have been beneficial, because this book blames everybody for the downfall of JZD and DMC except the one person who, clearly, was to blame.

   John's conversion to born-again Christianity, which dominates the last half of the book, is just another case of seeking to escape responsibility. Everything is "God's will."

   In all, a fascinating glimpse into a slimy world of high stakes, high finance and huge egos.




3. A great book written by a great man! Before you make judgements about John DeLorean...hear it from his side. A MUST READ for any DeLorean enthusiast or if you just want to know more about the man, car and company.

No comments about Sainted Women of the Dark Ages.

No comments about Royal Irish Constabulary Officers: A Biographical and Genealogical Guide, 1816 -1922.

4 comments about Scots Worthies.

1. This is a facsimile edition, but a particularly clear one. There are occasional page blemishes, but no missing pages, distorted pages, or annoying archaic letters (such as s that looks like an f). There is some difficulty from historical or geographic references, as well as odd words, that have no meaning to us today, so there are incidentals that are hard to follow, but the stories as a whole are quite readable. In a way, that is what makes this book hard to read. Not in the physical sense of seeing, but rather in the mental sense of accepting what is read. These were men who suffered, were banished, or even executed in particularly gruesome ways because of their bold preaching. It is a sharp condemnation of our spiritual impotence and latitudinarianism in today's church, even the Reformed church. What king or pope would shiver at the name of any preacher today? Yet, there was a time when the Stuart kings feared for their thrones at the mention of the Covenanters, and they defended their power like vultures struggling over a scrap of carrion.



2. As with all good Christian biography books, Scots Worthies offers you a glimp into the lives of God's people in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. I believe its central message is to amaze you with God's amazing grace towards sinners. This book could have been called the jewels of the Holy Spirit. If you are intrested in God's power to save sinners, then this book is a must for every libary. If you thirst to see the power of God unto salvation, then drink deeply of this book and cherish the fruit that is evidenced in the lives of these godly people.



3. also describes influx of italians, germans and french fleeing the romish persecutions, similar to foxes christian martyrs.



4. well done history of the scots reformation movement. many side lights and details of the troubles.portraits & scetches of castles & churches of the times .

4 comments about Forgotten Voices of the Great War (Forgotten Voices/the Great War).

1. These are first hand accounts of men and women that lived through the first world war. It is all there--loyalty to your fellow soldiers, cowardice, indifferent heroism, terror, and the feeling of apartheid from home and family. The most striking rememberances I took from the book were the white feather incidents--where white feathers were given to soldiers out of uniform on leave in England by young women as a goad to get to the trenches.



2. This is the first book I've ever read in one day; 'I rest my case'.
   
   My most lingering memory is the story of the soldier who was shot for 'losing his way' and not showing up for a battle. When offered brandy by the narrator before meeting his maker, he said he'd 'never drunk spirits and wasn't going to start now'. Not such a coward, after all.



3. This book is full of fascinating wartime anecdotes given by the soldiers fighting it and the citizens involved in it. The staff of the UK's Imperial War Museum sifted through mountains of archives and picked out the very best to use in the book. Through the use of their own personal letters/interviews, the book follows the history of particular, mostly British, individuals during the war. It loosely follows the major battles of the Western Front and Gallipoli and even the Home Front.

   Most of the letters vary in length between one paragraph and one page and are packed with the kind of realistic details that typical narrative histories of the World War I skip over. For example, in Gallipoli (p. 118) one soldier writes, "One of the biggest curses was flies. Millions and millions of flies. ... Immediately you bared any part of your body you were smothered." Short of actually being there, these kind of first person participant narratives deliver the essence of the war - harsh, demanding, brutal, comedic, and ocassionally surreal. The straightforward writing styles and unusual content make this book a true pleasure to read.

   I have read over 40 books about the Great War, and this book is one of the best for personal narratives about the war. It's multi-person perspective delivers a well-balanced, insightful picture of the war at ground level (free of any hidden agenda). This book would perfectly complement a broad narrative history of World War I.




4. Max Arthur's new book covering the Great War is quite unique in that its content is nearly all first-hand accounts from people who experienced the horror of the Great War. The author has utilized a number of tape recorded interviews conducted by the Imperial War Museum in 1972. Many of the tapes from the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive had been forgotten and left unheard for years.

   Now Max Arthur has put together many of these unheard voices from the Great War to produce this spellbinding and captivating book. I must admit that I was reluctant to buy this book as I was worried that a book full of short accounts would be too disjointed and really not detailed enough to satisfy my interest. I can honestly say that I truly enjoyed reading this book.

   Each chapter of the book was a year of the Great War and was commenced by an introduction by the author offering a brief run down on the major events of that year. Then we heard from the men and women who participated in these events, from both sides of no-man's land. The author has concentrated mainly on the Western Front and Gallipoli and has tried to run the oral segments in chronological order.

   I was really taken by these segments and I found it hard to stop reading. The accounts from these soldiers and civilians alike were at times humorous, strikingly direct, horrifying and on many occasions quite sad. I was really taken in by these accounts and I don't think that any World War One library would be complete without this title sitting on the shelf. I can honestly say that I learnt quite a few things from this book and I would place it along side such works offered by Lyn MacDonald. Well done to the author and the Imperial War Museum for allowing these veterans, many now long dead, the last word on their experiences in the Great War. This is a great book, you won't be disappointed.