No comments about Sex and Money: How I Lived, Breathed, Read, Wrote, Loved, Hated, Slept, Dreamed and Drank Men's Magazines.

5 comments about Requiem: Diana, Princess of Wales 1961-1997 - Memories and Tributes.

1. Yes, this book is now 10 years old. And it's been 10 years since Princess Diana died, but this book is a very vivid reminder of that horrible week following her death. That week where I, and I'm guessing millions more, stayed glued to the TV not quite believing what had happened. This book brings the chaos of that tragic time back, but gives us the most beautiful remembrences of the late princess from people she touched. People she visited at hospitals where she shined her brightest helping people.
   
   I was hoping there would be pictures in this as well, but the picture on the cover is the way I'd like to remember her. Beautiful, happy, radiant. And really I wouldn't want to see pictures from that week anyway. It was too sad to remember it just reading about it. This book captured that one week in a tiny time capsule in a way I've never seen any book on history do. Because now that is what she is believe it or not-history.
   
   During the 10 year memorial stuff my 5 year old niece asked who the pretty blonde woman on the TV all the time was. We told her she was a princess who was very kind to sick people and cared for others, but had died before she was born. She looked up at me and asked, "A REAL princess?" When she's older I'll gladly give her this book to show her how the entire world stopped to grieve over the most amazing woman in the world. And tell her how one ordinary person CAN change the world. Princess Diana was proof of that.
   
   So YES! This is a book for anyone's collection!



2. I think Princess Diana was one of the most loved royal family members of England and the world and this book proves that! I felt like she connected with everyone she met. I never met her but I was in a car traveling through the streets of London once and her royal auto passed by, it seemed to glow with her warmth. Review written by the author of Bruised But Still Strong which contains a poem about Princess Di called HRH.



3. at least in a very long time. I picked up the book as soon as received and had a difficult time putting it down. Its been a long time (over 2 years) since Diana's passing but this book made it feel like it was last month. All the feelings and emotions came flooding back & made me remember what a great loss this was to the world. Obviously the writers of the essays etc had very strong emotions towards Princess Diana. The feeling of love for this lady comes pouring out of each story.



4. While dozens of pictorial testimonials to Princess Diana have already appeared Requiem offers more than eighty written tributes and recollections. Dont buy this book for pictures it leaves that to others. But this 43 year old does not mind saying the tributes and recollections moved him to tears. If you are a Diana fan this book is a must have.



5. THE GOSSIP AND SNIPING THAT SURROUNDED HER IN LIFE IS CUT TO THE QUICK BY THE HONESTY THAT CAME THROUGH HER DEATH. THIS BOOK PROVIDES A REALISTIC LOOK AT DIANA. A MUST HAVE FOR DIANA COLLECTORS AND DEVOTEES.

No comments about Winthrop Rockefeller, Philanthropist: A Life of Change.

5 comments about On Stage & In Shadows : a career memoir, Preface by Ruth Buzzi, Foreword by Jonathan Frid.

1. As other reviewers have pointed out, Marie Wallace is best known for her two years on the spooky soap opera Dark Shadows.But her career, and her life, encompass so much more.For decades, Marie Wallace was a working actress, appearing on television, and in scores of theatre productions, including eight stints on Broadway.Her credits are impressive, and she has worked with many theatre greats. In her new book, On Stage And In Shadows, she invites her readers to figuratively join her for a cup of coffee while she tells of her childhood in New York City, her early days as a model, and her wonderful adventures in show business.In sharing her memories, Marie Wallace not only regales us with stories about Ethel Merman, Jimmy Durante, Jackie Gleason, Bob Fosse, and her dear friend Ruth Buzzi, she educates us on the hard work it takes to succeed and do good work in the often cuthroat world of New York theatre.The book, like it's author, is a charming delight!On a personal note, I'd like to say that, after having met and talked to Marie Wallace at numerous Dark Shadows conventions, her charm is no act!Marie Wallace in person is every bit as warm and delightful as she is on the printed page.Bravo!!!!!!!



2. Many know Ms .Wallace from her time on the classic cult soap opera, Dark Shadows. While a fascinating and integral part of Wallace's career, Dark Shadows is simply a small thread in a very large and impressive tapestry of work and I might add, an enviable career on the stage and screen .
   
   Those hoping to read about Ms. Wallace's days in the strange and supernatural world of Collinsport, Maine won't be disappointed. The actress offers up wonderful stories of her time on the spooky soap. Even more fascinating is a look back at her time on the Great White Way working opposite and along side luminaries such as Ethel Merman, Gwen Verdon and Bert Lahr.
   
   More then anything else I love this book because it so purely conversational. Every moment is told so vividly and with such great detail, without ever once lagging or boring the reader. I honestly felt as though this lady had pulled up a chair next to me and was just shooting the breeze. The book also chronicles a Manhattan and a Broadway we'll never see again . I found one very important sentiment Marie makes through out her personal story . Something anyone in any profession or walk of life should keep in mind: take chances, keep moving on, don't be afraid to venture down a new path!
   
   Marie Wallace: Actress, Photographer, Raconteur!
   
   



3. This book was a delightful read. Written in an easy-going and friendly style, Marie keeps the reader hooked with her career progression throughout the years. She shows how a positive outlook and energetic approach to life have benefitted her both her life and career.
   
   In addition, her stories about each of the shows she was in are engaging and fun to read about, from her descriptions of other actors, some well-known, some known well only in theatre, to her take on each of the characters she played. It was good to see how much she has enjoyed her career as an actor and later as a photographer.
   
   A warm and charming person herself, Marie Wallace earned with hard work the accolades she received in her shows and still receives when she encounters her fans. What a treat to get to read about her life and career.



4. "On Stage and in Shadows" is a joy from cover to cover, an invigorating experience that hits every note beautifully. If you're interested in how an actor/actress "makes it" against seemingly insurmountable odds, then Marie's book is for you. She candidly chronicles her truly remarkable life and career(s), from cradle to today--all the while pulling no punches and sparing no detail. I was particularly interested in "On Stage" because of my connection with "Dark Shadows," the infamous gothic soap opera that featured Marie as "Eve," "Crazy Jenny Collins," and "Megan Todd." Her fan club was the first one I joined, way back in 1969, and our eventual meeting at Hampton Playhouse on July 29th of that same year has remained a clear and nostalgic memory for me. She is both a fascinating individual and a strong-willed survivor, as you, too, will discover in "On Stage and in Shadows." Profusely illustrated, written in a personal, conversational tone, this book is one for the ages. Highest rating!



5. Theater and TV lovers will enjoy this career memoir of actress and photographer Marie Wallace even if unfamiliar with her work. I happen to be familiar with her stage and TV career so I loved the book all the more. Ms. Wallace has worked with many performers and directors, some of the better known performers being Jackie Gleason, Ruth Buzzi, Ethel Merman, Gwen Vernon just to name a few and her insights into the business itself is as interesting to read as her recollections of the cast and productions.
   
   As an actor and acting teacher, I recommend this book for those new to the business as Ms. Wallace offers advice and opinions about how things were done when she first started out and how they work now. Ms. Wallace's memoir is a fascinating read for anyone who loves the business and fun of showbusiness.

5 comments about America's Bishop: The Life and Times of Fulton J. Sheen.

1. A superb biography about one of America's most talented personalities. The book is a milestone in the annals of Americana. We will never see his likes again. The author has done a most splendid and complete job in his portrayal. Best bio I have read in years.
   jw
   nyc



2. I really enjoyed this book. I thought that it did a number of things well. For one it helped me to get to know Fulton J. Sheen, a name I had heard about from the past and brief mentions from my parents, but had never known except the author of one book on my shelf ("The Life of Christ"). I felt that I not only got to know who he was, but also about the times he lived in. Reeves seamlessly blends the historical reality of Sheen's time with Sheen's actions as well as his thoughts.
   I felt that Reeves had presented Sheen as entirely human, he did not try to portray him as a distant saint, nor try to deconstruct him in a voyeuristic way. He attempted to accurately present the man and his message. Based on his liberal number of interviews and sources I think he did a good job. He stated that there was simply a lack of a good biography on Archbishop Sheen and I think that he filled it.
   I appreciated Reeves working in numerous quotations from Sheen's writings and talks which sent me to Amazon.com to see if many of these books were still in print. However, many are not, which seems a shame, because Sheen seems to me (as a 26-year-old) to have much to say about the current age.



3. Fulton J. Sheen will never be canonized a saint in the Roman Catholic Church for two obvious reasons: his sins are bright scarlet and we know them too well. Sheen established a television intimacy with the American public in the 1950's that only a few individuals have achieved-Walter Cronkite and Johnny Carson come to mind-through his apostolic use of that explosive new video medium. I was a lad in Catholic elementary school when Sheen delivered his prime time homilies from 1952 through 1957. While I remember little of the content of those shows, I was captivated by the style. Sheen, I noticed, paused to let the audience think. None of my local priests did that, nor did they have Skippy the angel to erase the blackboard.
   
   Thomas Reeves is to be commended for the manner in which he tells the truth, the whole truth, about Sheen without defacing the Bishop's many good works and his positive influence upon a wide and diverse American public. Sheen's life was indeed a message "written with crooked lines" and one is reminded of Christ's words to the penitent woman, "her sins, many as they are, will be forgiven because of her great love." Though haunted by the pride and ambition that would seem to stalk nearly all television evangelists who followed, in the final analysis Sheen did love his God, though he himself ran a close second.
   
   Born in 1895 on a farm in rural Illinois, the youthful Peter John Sheen was devout, smart, and disdainful of manual labor and farming. He was hardly the first country boy to see the cloth as a step up from shoveling manure. We forget that he was originally a priest of the Peoria, Illinois, diocese, possibly because of his distinguished academic record at the Louvain.
   
   There is an air of mystery about Sheen's academic status, though. Desperate to escape a life in Peoria, Sheen joined the philosophy faculty of Catholic University in 1926 but never became "one of the boys" of the staff. In fact, tenure was denied him for some years, in part because the young priest was away from the campus three days a week for his growing number of speaking engagements. [In 1928 he hired a clipping service to track his press notices.] Catholic University itself was in academic, political, and organizational disarray. The school was frankly under-funded and underachieving. Perhaps to ease himself out of the philosophy department and into theology, Sheen invented for himself a second doctorate, an S.T.D. that suddenly appeared after his name in 1928 and which remained on his letterhead as late as 1966. Reeves speculates that Sheen got away with this massive deception precisely because it was so audacious and no one would have expected it of him.
   
   Reeves wonders if Sheen is under-appreciated today as a scholastic. Although brilliant and prolific, Sheen was not original, and added nothing of substance to twentieth century philosophy. Sheen's strength was apologetics: the presentation of Catholic faith and devotion in simple, straightforward, and yet cosmopolitan ways. For about forty years, from 1928 through 1966, Sheen was arguably the best preacher in the United States, dividing his time between public appearances, radio and television, prodigious devotional writing, and fundraising for the Society of the Propagation of the Faith [and, surprisingly, acting as an "observer" of sorts for J. Edgar Hoover, who admired his fierce anti-communism.] His work for the Society earned him the title bishop, appointed auxiliary to Cardinal Francis Spellman of New York in 1951. Reeves finds that Sheen was a holy priest who made a daily holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament and spent hours personally instructing converts, including numerous celebrities of the entertainment and publishing industries.
   
   Having said that, it cannot be denied that Sheen shocked his clerical brethren with a champagne lifestyle. While a faculty member at CU Sheen built a magnificent home in NW D.C.and entertained frequently and graciously. As a fund-raiser, millions of dollars passed through his hands, though there is no whiff of impropriety. Reeves does comment upon Sheen's total absence of fiscal management skill, his arrogance and petulance that insulated him from sound advice, his unfettered cash charity, and his pride of bestowal, so to speak. These factors, coupled with Spellman's own devils, led to an estrangement between the two that produced one of the strangest episcopal appointments of our lifetime.
   
   In October 1966 Fulton Sheen was appointed bishop of Rochester, NY. To church observers it was clear that Spellman had orchestrated the transfer for ultimate humiliation effect. In public, at least, Sheen put the best face on things, explaining that his tenure would be an experiment with the reforms of the recently concluded Vatican II. In truth, Sheen was a pre-Vatican II autocrat who alienated nearly every local constituency. His unilateral decision making cost him his priests, and his explicit criticisms of racial policies at Kodak the support of the city's largest employer. He was deeply wounded that Rochester did not recognize the celebrity in its midst, and within three years "America's best preacher" withered into retirement.
   
   If the Rochester years were his crucifixion, they also brought Sheen into communion with his best self. In retirement he publicly regretted his earlier opulence and vanity. He became less dogmatic and more open to philosophical systems other than that of St. Thomas Aquinas. Although not entirely shedding his theatrical instincts, he lived the last of his 84 years with an optimistic piety that belied the sufferings of multiple illnesses. Appropriately, he was found dead in his private chapel. Throughout this remarkable life, with its graces and glosses, Sheen's prayers were always sincere. His arrogance and sense of self-importance are perhaps the less desirable fruits of his utter certainty in the truth and goodness of God and the holiness of the Roman Catholic Church.



4. Thomas Reeves deserves kudos and credit for a very fine biography of a man much admired by millions. The high points of this book are as follows: the meticulous gathering of much information simply unknown by his admirers; the careful balancing of sanctity and human frailty of Sheen's character; the fascinating recreation of the Golden Age of Catholicism in America; the personal relationship between Cardinal Spellman and Bishop Sheen; a superb ability to synthesize and bring new insight from the wide variety of materials cited; a great bibliography and excellent notes. The weaknesses are minor: a tendency to repeat some stories, and the maddening tendency of Sheen himself to destroy and misplace correspondence or simply not document his personal life. Despite these minor drawbacks in the book, I was deeply moved by much of this biography and, indeed, brought to tears by the account of the last years of Sheen's life, his meeting with Pope John Paul II, and his funeral. Few will be disappointed in this book; it is a true accomplishment. Many thanks to Professor Reeves for this profound and necessary commentary on the life of a truly great person of the 20th century.



5. This is a book that has been ignored by the media which does not want to hear about good Catholic clergy. The media only wants to know about scandal in the church - because the Catholic Church and that which it really stands for(as contrasted with the deeds
   of the fallible priests,and lay Catholics that can be found within it) is the mortal enemy to secular humanism, sexual license, abortion and the "if it FEELS right, do it" philosopy that is held so dear by much of the media.
   The book is a great inspiration because Bishop Sheen, with all his human failings, is an inspiration to us all.

1 comments about Henry Edwards Huntington: A Biography.

1. If you revere books and are an avowed bibliophile, then Henry Huntington is someone to admire and respect. His book collection is one of the premiere collections in the world, especially his concentration of incunabula. Huntington's mammoth collection is stored in the incomparable Huntington Gardens in San Marino, California - one of the most lovely places on earth. The permanent exhibitions include a first edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and numerous Shakespearian folios. Huntington's massive collection of autographs is also on display.

   The story of how Huntington amassed these priceless treasures is fascinating: the amount of zeal and money he poured into this endeavor makes for a world class story. Unfortunately, this book doesn't focus enough on this aspect of his life. The narrative becomes slow, plodding and ultimately tedious. One wishes that Thorpe would have concentrated more completely on Huntington's mania for book collecting, a passion to be envied for those of us not blessed with being multi-millionaires. Instead he veers off into areas not particularly interesting, though his history of early 20th century California is exceptional.

   Huntington's story is not one full of scintillating orgies, nor was he a riveting personal character, like Hearst. But this book paints a rather dour, boring picture of one of the greatest American collectors.

5 comments about Kennedy Weddings: A Family Album.

1. I bought this book for my wife's birthday which was in May. She loves to read all of Doris Kerns Goodwin works. The book was in excellent shape just like it came off the shelf. The shipping was very fast and within reason. I will buy more books from Amazon and your reccomended suppliers.
   Thank You, William D. English



2. Beautiful photographs of family weddings. Nice of the Kennedy family to share the photo's of their private moments.Obviously there are 3 photographers who do their weddings and they had permission to run these photos. One of the photographers was Jay Mulvaney and another man called Mr. Reggie took JFK JR and Carolyn's pictures in addition to Arnold and Maria's pictures and the reason I would imagine he is so discreet as his sister is the second wife of Ted Kennedy, Victoria Reggie.)These photographers would make a small fortune if they ever released pictures not previously seen. It would be nice to see more than one of John and Carolyn's wedding, but I guess that is up to the Kennedy's and the Bessette's and they would have to be in agreement. Knowing how much Caroline Kennedy hates the press I doubt it will ever happen.



3. I love this book on the Kennedys! Definitely it is my favorite Kennedy biography and one of my favorite books ever! Includes many beautiful pictures and great details.



4. Although rather voyeuristic in its concept, this book is a lovely scrapbook of the nuptials of America's most famous political family.

   The photographs are poignant and artful, and the text, while syncophantic, is illuminating with all sorts of wedding minutiae.

   The only error I've found in the book is the omission of Robin Lawford in the family tree at the front of the book; all other Kennedy cousins are present in the tree, but Robin must have flown the coop.

   You'll enjoy this book, if such books are your sort of thing.




5. I loved this wonderful collection of stories and photographs about the weddings in the Kennedy family history. In a way, they are America's family (warts and all!) and to see a hundred years worth of fashion, fashions and celebrating was a joy from cover to cover.

   I read Mr. Mulvaney's other book, JACKIE HER CLOTHES OF CAMELOT and bought this one as well...it's a complete delight and will make a lovely gift to my friends as they get married.

   Well done Jay Mulvaney!

5 comments about Just Desserts p Martha Stewart: The Unauthorized Biography.

1. I must say, Jerry Oppenheimer's book is definitely a page-turner. The whole Martha Stewart phemonenon always made me a little queasy; after reading his book, I know exactly why. Some reviewers have said that this book is mean-spirited or overly negative. That's not Oppenheimer's fault. During the course of the book he interviewed family members, colleagues, and former friends/business associates of Stewart's. The portrait they unanimously paint is of a really awful human being; a petty, vindictive, greedy woman who clawed her way to success frequently on the stolen ideas and hard work of others. At best, she comes across as cold, aloof, and distant. Nevertheless, truly villainous people are fascinating in their way, and Martha Stewart is no exception. I always had the feeling she had a closet full of skeletons, and Oppenheimer's book colorfully brings them to light. It's not a deep intellectual read, but it's definitely a fun one.



2. Before the story broke about the insider trading scandal involving Martha Stewart, I did not have a good idea of who she was. I was curious to find out so I purchased "Just Desserts". The book did not seem to be a "hit piece", as others have portrayed this book. What I found was a writer who disected the image from the the real person. It is a very interesting study on Martha Stewart's troubled past regarding her domineering father and Martha's need to become rich and famous no matter what the cost and no matter who got in the way. I came away feeling very sorry for her. Whether you are a fan of her's or not, the book does a very good job of showing the fake from the real. The onscreen personae and her real actiions behind the scenes will shock and astound. The author also delves into the fantastic business savy that Stewart displayed throughout her career. She was very often underestimated, but always a step ahead of the competition. A real modern day Jeckyl and Hide story.

   Not only does the book describe the interesting antics and unreal behavior of Stewart, it also touches on the gullibility of the people who surrounded her and how they naively followed her every whim. It is an interesting study of how people will believe in the image of a person and cling onto it no matter what the true reality is. In the case of several people such as her former husband and several business associates, they finally saw past the facade and saw the real person behind the disguise. This is a tragic story but very revealing on what motivates some people towards ultimate fame and power.




3. Ok, first off, let me say that I have nothing wrong with a woman that is independent, hard working and creative.

   What I do have a problem with is a woman that won't get therapy for her lack of people skills due to her lousy childhood.

   Look Martha, not all women feel "inadequate" becaue they don't spend lots of time on silly compulsive activites such as gathering fall leaves from the backyard and matching them! (when you're rich and have a staff, then you can do these things)

   Do I feel rage or jealousy becaue I don't do these things? No.

   Do I realize that Martha would be nobody without her PR machine and spin doctors? Yes.

   Does she make pretty stuff? Yes,

   Does she have some serious interpersonal problems? Yes.

   Good book all around.

   I do feel sorry for her family.

   And yes to some reviewers, even men have to contend with this.




4. WOW, was this a ruthless illustration of Martha Stewart! She's described as an obsessive-compulsive insomniac (she would only sleep for 2-4 hours a night, then get up and paint her entire house in one day), who's main goal is to be on top through ruthless power and manipulation (she stole business ideas, designs and didn't give credit to friends, coworkers... to the point where if a person demanded royalties, she would find some loophole in the legal system to prevent them from getting any profits -- Me-YOW!) This depiction is a far cry from the soft-spoken homemaker you see on her show. She's described by family and friends as dominating, cold, sadistic, abusive and absolutely ruthless. She even cuts down her elderly mother in front of her family: "She only makes peasant food!" she snipes. I've never read anything like it.

   It starts with Martha's family and where she came from in New Jersey. Apparently, Martha's father was a perfectionist who shoved his beliefs, anger and attitude down her throat; nothing was good enough in his eyes and because of him, the Monster-Martha is what is alive today. Even as a child, she sabotaged a little girl's cake recipe in order to take her little business away for herself. Signs that a powerful, heartless woman was going to surface.

   Martha was cutthroat and vindictive. She pretty much screwed over anyone and everyone around her to further only herself -- she didn't even care about her family, including her daughter and husband, whom she brow-beated to death in front of family and friends until he (who was just wimpy from the start) finally had the nerve to leave her, prompting incredible stories of stalking, vandalism and public screaming fits -- till he had a restraining order put on her.

   Martha is depicted as someone who never learned affection, or at least had an incredible dark side that was calculating and vindictive. She would purposely hire people who were creative and brilliant, but they either had low self-esteems to begin with or she broke them down. She DEFINITELY was masochistic and manipulated everyone who came in her path on her rise to power. The only time her affections seemed to be positive, were when sex was involved, and then she came across predatory. She's also illustrated as an incredible liar; family and friends reflect on her writings of her "happy past" and say all of them are either exaggerated or completely fabricated.

   After reading what a terror she was in the past, I can actually believe the insider trading stories -- it just fits. Oh and the new edition adds that little chunk in the end.

   Upon finishing this, I'm blown away at what a terror she was and has become. She is obviously a person who will stop at nothing to be on top, including her cheapness and just downright vicious scheming. She's also obviously brilliant, with a chip on her shoulder about her poor past and is also considered racist, sexist and as the book says: "WASPy in true form."

   Martha Stewart is a nightmare in this book! I wouldn't want to come within 20 ft. of her (much less meet her in a dark alley) after reading this. Personally, I think she's mentally screwed up something fierce, but the fact that she concentrates all of it into her work is phenomenal.

   4 stars -- one missing due to some anonymous sources (which I don't always trust as true) and the fact that it pretty much had NOTHING positive to say about her; I would have liked to see a little positive stuff. You know, to kind of balance it out. Then again, maybe there wasn't anything positive. This woman is the anti-Christ!

   Otherwise, good trash to read!




5. Certainly one of the greatest uses of biography is to learn from someone else's mistakes. For that reason alone it's worth it to read Just Desserts. I have been in awe of the curious Martha Phenomenon since it first began many years ago. Martha could not have made her climb to the top had she not been pandering to a generation of women not unlike herself, women who were scarred by the aftermath of World War II. These women, bereft of family structure and traditional roots, were particularly vulnerable to Martha's opportunistic nature. As an astrologer, I understand many of the dynamics of Stewart's personality. That she fantasized her past was but an extension of her ability to turn common lead in to gold on a daily basis. The emergence of her dark side might be understood as the obsessive wrath and demonic unresolved self hatred of her father, whose aspirations she was doomed to pursue because he had not been able to. And more. Dear Reader, read ye and learn! Like another commentator before me on this website, I decided by page 38 that I was glad I was not Martha!

2 comments about The Torso Murder: The Untold Story of Evelyn Dick.

1. I stumbled across this book while looking for something about The Lipstick Killer of Chicago, William Heirens. He, too, is believed to have dismembered at least one victim during his reign of terror from 1945-1946 in Chicago. (His culpability in the crimes is also circumstantial.)
   
   Instead, I found this book about the John Dick murder/mutilation in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1946. I had never heard of this case before, and it is still the only account I have read of it yet. But this book has made me want more.
   
   From the Prologue, I was intrigued. Vallee is such an interesting writer. His words and phrases are crafted for mood, clarity, and objectivity. He leads the reader through this small Canadian town; through the lives of these seemingly ordinary, if not strange, groups of people. It is still as salacious a story as when the news initially broke in those early days of March 1946.
   
   John Dick, an immigrant man who recently married, is missing. His employer is the only one who seems concerned, while his wife and her family continue to engage in some strange behavior. Her deepest concern is that he still owes her money, while her father's sole concern is that no police should be called to his daughter's house. As the investigation unfolds, we find a string of love affairs, a dead infant, shoddy police work, and some criminal masterminds. Love, murder, money, greed--all seem to be personified by the enigmatic Evelyn Dick. Is she guilty... or just a victim?
   
   Brian Vallee takes an even handed approach to this complex story. He takes account of nearly every side and every issue. The story itself is fascinating, and as was stated by one contributor, better than any work of fiction. For all the titillating details, Vallee constantly reminds his readers of the gruesome crimes that made these people infamous. His compassion and objectivity do allow him to come up with his own conclusions about the crimes, ending the work beautifully.
   
   Highly recommend!



2. If you've seen the movie, or know of the case, this book provides some interesting information. It is relatively well-written, contains pictures, and is easy to read. I recommend it.

No comments about Adventures of a Polyglot: My Life in Two Worlds.