Book Description
Charlaine Harris is already a star and a New York Times bestseller with her vampire mysteries starring Sookie Stackhouse and her Lily Bard mysteries. This second installment to her new supernatural mystery series might just be her biggest hit yet. Grave Sight's Harper Connelly is back, and her ability to find the dead and see their last moments is in higher demand than ever...
A college class gets more than it bargained for when Harper gives a demonstration of her uncanny talent. Instead of just finding one body in an old grave, she finds two: the original occupant and a recently deceased girl whom Harper had tried, and failed, to find two years previously. To dispel suspicions about her own innocence, Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver undertake their own hunt to find the killer-only to find yet another body in the same grave.
Customer Reviews:
Deja Vu.......2007-10-16
Second in a series, "Grave Surprise" is simply too much like the first: judgemental bystanders, unfriendly main characters, murder mystery with increasing body count, lame "you must be guilty because you found the corpse" excuse to involve the main characters. Can be read independently of the first novel -- and probably would be much more enjoyable that way. Mood is vaguely depressing.
An improvement over book one.......2007-10-16
Though I find Charlaine Harris to be an entertaining writer usually, I was not impressed by the first Harper Connelly book. Reluctantly, I decided to read book two anyway and I do not regret this decision. The plot flowed more smoothly than the previous book and the central story idea was intriguing. I do agree with previous reviewers that this series is not the best work Harris has ever done. The protagonist Harper is a very prickly person indeed who has had a life that is gothic in its sadness and hardship. I also find the relationship with Harper's stepbrother creepy. In the first book it was clear that these two are in love with each other and in this book Harper finally realizes it for herself. I wish Harris would not continue with this unfortunate romantic plotline and instead concentrate on writing the great stories that Harper's ability would let her create.
HOW is this a "good read", exactly?.......2007-10-10
Pay attention to what you are reading people; this story has many continuity problems! First, after the discovery of the two bodies in the grave, Harper and Tolliver discuss how the "older male student" (who turns out to be a private detective) seemed suspicious. Go back and reread the scene they allude to--nothing was particularly odd about the man,except he stood out because of his age, and he voiced one suggestion, which was described as sounding "objective".
Second, ditto Harper's run in with the FBI agent. A harmless conversation becomes blown out of perportion when Harper and Tolliver talk about it.
Third, (and this is the worst)re-read the phone conversation between Harper and her little sisters. Work out their ages on a time line. The youngest is 9, making her 16 years younger than Harper's 25. Then Harper says her sisters were 3 and 5 when Cameron(?, the missing middle sister) disappeared. Doing the math makes Harper 19 when Cameron disappeared--BUT Harper was supposely younger, as she spent her senior year in a foster home after Cameron disappeared!
Lack of Continuity ruins what could have been a good story.
And the sad decline begins.......2007-10-01
This book is pretty good, until... until she begins the predictable, sad decline into gothic romance that her other series sped into. In this book, we see the seeds for the next in the series to begin exploring the faux "incest" theme she set up clumsily in book one.
Sad, though, because this book and it's predecessor are good, and even fairly original. Now, I cannot, and will not, buy book three. Jesus wept.
Boring!.......2007-10-01
I have read the first two books in this series (this is the second) and won't follow up with the third. This book is slow, with plodding, uninteresting characters. 75% of the book is taken up with either unproductive internal monologue inside Harper's head or boring dialogue between the characters. Very little attempts have been made toward forshadowing, and what little there was, was obvious with the conclusion wrapped up quickly at the end. Weirdly, only a few pages are devoted to Harper's gift of reading dead people. Is this not the premise of the book?
All Ms. Harris's books have a "depressing" underlying theme in which she focuses on the negative side of southern life (discrimination) which makes me wonder if this is reflective of her own experiences, or if she is a "downer" herself. I do like her Sookie Stackhouse series, which I think the saving grace there are the characters, by being unusual bring interest to the story but then again, there is the pervasive depressing/discrimination theme running through the series. I have never been able to read more than one or two in her series and apparently am a glutton for punishment as I keep hoping (unrealistically) for a better series based on the Sookie Series.
Book Description
The sinister inside story of the little-known, illegal, CIA field station on U.S. soil: the Miami operation code-named JMWAVE. This elite CIA group selected Ayers, then one of the Army's top unconventional warfare specialists, to help train spies sent to Cuba.
Under the corporate cover of Zenith Technical Enterprises, Ayers worked directly with JMWAVE Station Chief Ted Shackley, who lead CIA assassination attempts on Castro. Ayers met and worked with David Morales (who had ties to mobster John Roselli)and Orlando Bosch. Both are today considered key plotters of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Brad Ayers, now 70, is now ready to fully expose who and what made up JMWAVE, a dark place in time he calls the "seedbed of national tragedy."
Customer Reviews:
A very important book despite its limitations.......2007-08-12
Captain Ayers is the primary researcher of the life and career of career CIA rambo David Morales. This alone makes The Zenith Secret a must read for anyone interested in understanding how the American republic was put to sleep in the postwar era by its patriots. The evidence re complicity of Senator Barry Goldwater is clearly presented; one may draw one's own conclusions. Googling "newcombat" and "bradley e. ayers" leads to a discussion of the book in the context of the current debate as to whether Morales and another CIA officer whom Ayers knew well -- Gordon Campbell -- were present in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles the evening that Robert Kennedy was murdered.
The Zenith Secret by Bradley Ayers - very good read.......2007-04-11
I am 2/3's the way thru Bradley Ayers' excellent book, "The Zenith Secret". Interesting in itself, its 2006 edition by VoxPop (voxpopnet.net) using a mainland Chinese book publishing company (probably cost-effective). A sign of the future for independent book publishing in America?
Bradley happened to be in a unique and pivotal point of the secret history that took place in the USA in the early to late 1960's, and his observations on the assassinations of the Kennedys and MLK was on the mark. His backgound as an Army officer and CIA operative in that period makes his viewpoints all the more believeable.
The book is well-written. He states that US commissioned officers in the Army are prohibited from keeping a diary, but he seems to have organized those events in detail that makes it apparent he has a outstanding memory or he perhaps secretly kept some his notes away from the authorities, for future reference.
This is perhaps explained in the paragraph on page 158:
"...Because I had nothing to work from, to reconstruct my account, it had to come from memory correlated to work with my accumulation of routine records, receipts, flight logs, letters and other personal documents that would helpt pin down times, places, people and events."
In any event, he has done a great service to the people of the US for his history of a dark age in our country. I rank his contributions in the JFK assassination genre right there on the level of what Col. Prouty has done, and I would not be surprised if the dear Colonel could have agreed with me on this assessment.
[...]
A disappointing book.......2007-02-18
As others have noted, the size of the print is a problem, to the point that for me at least it was difficult, nearly painful, to read. If I weren't so interested in the topic I'd have never purchased the book due to the print size. It would have been better to cut some of the unnecessary verbage and increase the font.
I'm extremely puzzled by the author's identification of Gordon Campbell as the individual (from Veciana's description) drawn as Bishop for the HSCA. To my knowledge only one photo of Campbell exists, and it is the one the author refers to in his book--that appeared on the video that was available on the BBC in November 2006--if in fact that was Campbell. To me if that was Campbell, or if that person looked anything like the real Campbell, he doesn't look anything like the HSCA drawing of Bishop. Which makes me wonder about Ayers' other identifications.
Ultimately, the author really doesn't know any new details about the JFK case (although he may be correct about some of those involved), but his description of his involvement in the anti-Castro activities in the 1960s is worthwhile to those interested in every available tidbit about that, but be prepared to strain your eyes to be able to read about it.
I was looking forward to this book, but it disappoints, mainly due to the lack of any real evidence cited.
Goldwater Did It.......2007-02-15
Like many of us, I've been waiting a long time for the release of Brad Ayer's book. And I'm certainly glad to have it. He tells his life story in a very engaging and likable way. I wish his life had worked out better. And the fact that it did not is just one more indictment of our increasingly dark and dangerous society.
However, as an assassination text, it's pretty useless. (With one major exception for which we should all be grateful. See below.) First off, the initial half of the 280-page book has almost nothing to do with Dallas. It tells a rather too-detailed -- and at times turgid -- story of Ayers's family and professional life. How his first marriage ended. How he smoked pot with a beautiful Cuban dish and then had the best sex of his life. (Pot will do that.) How he hooked up with his beautiful second wife. (Not the Cuban.) On and on. All told in print so tiny as to scare the editors of the Condensed Oxford English Dictionary. (Why? So the publisher wouldn't have to go to press with a 400-page book?)
In the first half of "Zenith Secret", Ayers is clearly an odd-man-out. He does not have any first-hand or documentary evidence about what was going to happen to Jack Kennedy. And then the murder occurs, Brad has his great sex, and his life moves on.
The second part of the book is truly heartbreaking. Bradley Ayers is clearly a very good man. And the people around him treated him like garbage, even refusing to acknowledge his existence at times. But he became a man on a mission -- the mission being to tell the story of his time inside the hive, inside the JM/WAVE station in Miami, and the jolly men he met there. But his mission goes beyond that, into chasing the Holy Grail of Dallas. This leads him toward a very strange direction.
Basically, that the plot to murder John Fitzgerald Kennedy was hatched in the offices of Senator Barry Goldwater. This door is opened by a woman named Pearl, who was the daughter of some Goldwater aide, and this aide passed on info regarding David Morales, Richard Helms, Richard Nixon, Des Fitzgerald and others all making strange visits to Goldwater's office in the months leading up to Dallas. There was even a name to whatever they were working on: The Gila Project. The notorious murder of journalist Don Bolles may have been connected to his investigation of Gila.
Hmmmm. I suppose there's a good rule of thumb in weighing the credibility of anything concerning 11/22/63: if you've never heard of it before, after 43 years of serious research, forget it.
Especially is this rule a good one to follow in regards to that silly tome known as "Ultimate Sacrifice". A genuine piece of disinformation crap that the Ayers book gives the boot to. Nothing -- NOTHING -- in Bradley Ayers' experience at JM/WAVE even suggests there was an imminent invasion of Cuba when Kennedy was murdered by the national security state. And that is what makes this book valuable.
Great Book About the Real US Government.......2007-02-15
The Zenith Secret is a great book because it sheds a lot of light on the real powers that be in America. There is a secret US government, people who use our tax money to fund covert criminal operations in our name. From first-hand experience, Ayers reveals a new Senator Goldwater connection to the JFK murder and a new CIA connection to the RFK murder, and he skillfully recaps the political mood of the 60s that led to their assassinations. Why on earth would the CIA want to kill the Kennedys? For starters, lots of reasons--Cuba, Vietnam, organized crime, power.
The Zenith Secret is very well-written and engaging throughout. It is clear that the author poured much of his soul into this important project. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the CIA or the brutal hits on President Kennedy and his soon-to-be president brother. The typeface is unusually small, but I did not have trouble reading the print myself.
The stunning events described in this book took place within the last half-century. We have no evidence that President Eisenhower's warning is any less relevant now than when he gave it in 1961: "...we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence...by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist....We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals..."
Book Description
In Josie and Jack, Kelly Braffet gives us a deliciously dark, suspenseful debut novel in the tradition of Patricia Highsmith. Beautiful, brilliant, and inseparable, Josie and Jack Raeburn live a secluded, anarchic existence in their decaying western Pennsylvania home. The only adult in their lives is their rage-prone father, a physicist, whose erratic behavior finally drives them away. Without a moral compass to guide them, Jack leads Josie into a menacing world of wealth, eroticism, and betrayal. His sociopathic tendencies emerge, and soon Josie must decide which is stronger: the love and devotion she feels for her brother or her will to survive. From its opening page to its shocking climax, this contemporary Hansel and Gretel story is compulsively readable and hugely entertaining.
Customer Reviews:
good for its type.......2007-06-19
A good to pretty good coming of age novel, sustained through its weak parts by the elusive, ever-present possibility of incest between the two principals - just enough to banish the banality that some of the set-piece scenes might otherwise create. If you are boarding an airplane, or looking for light engaging summer reading, buy this book.
Exquisitely twisted and fascinating.......2007-04-23
Josie and Jack's world of isolation, manipulation, codpendency, and encompassing--if not fractured--love is thoroughly gripping. While the subject matter might cause some discomfort to some readers, I found the larger idea of their complicated and enduring connection was the heart of the story. The intimacy and dangerously unbreakable bond rose above any of the salacious implications. The author never backed off, she avoided the easy route of making theirs simply an incestuous relationship, but instead gave us much more: a daring, infinity complex, and entangled story in a glaring, unflinching light. The writing is outstanding, lyrical, and vivid. I literally could not put this one down. Dark, beautiful, unexpected, ugly, compelling, and completely fascinating.
What If.......2007-01-28
What if a boy and girl were brought up in isolation from the outside community? The mother is dead, and the father, a university professor is gone from the home five days a week. Dad home schools the children up through their high school years. Except for grocery runs the two of them are alone. Author Braffet is intrigued by this idea, and her view is that the twosome would develop not just a bond with each other, but would develop an unusually strong loving relationship. How strong? Well they seem to have no problem seeing each other naked, and Jack does like to sleep with Josie in her bed at times, but as to the big question of do they or don't they, we are simply teased along with a maybe and maybe not.
When Jack is 18, and Josie 16, he sets her up with the local pharmacist's son in an attempt to persuade him to steal drugs for them. The problem is that Jack becomes violently jealous when Josie develops a relationship with the young man. The two leave home and travel about and end up in New York city. Handsome Jack keeps the two alive by moving in with women who are attracted to him. The deal is, though, that Josie has to move in too.
Author Braffet is very effective in showing the inadequate socialization of these two. After all how do you adjust to society when your first contact with the outside world is in your late teens. How do Josie and Jack cope with the problem that they are totally in love with each other, and have become inseparable? The book proceeds ominously along, with the reader concerned that the two protagonists will not succeed. The story eventually arrives at an ending that is at once surprising and yet not surprising.
Readers looking for a story of "hot" incestual sex will not find it here. It is a fascinating tale of two people who have a warped, disadvantaged upbringing that ill equips them in their struggle for survival. I have never read a book quite like this one; it was an amazing read.
absolutelyl fabulous.......2006-11-12
I just loved this book. This was an absolutely riveting story that I couldn't put down. The author's style was different from anything I've read but it was a well crafted book. I can't wait to read her latest novel. This is definitely worth the purchase price.
Engaging First Novel.......2006-07-30
With Josie and Jack, the ingenious teenage children who pass into the dark woods of this modern take on the Hansel and Grethel fairy tale, Kelly Braffet could not have created a more engaging pair of subjects for her first novel. Their background is delightfully lurid - the offspring of a mad woman and a sour physics professor, they have been raised in seclusion and homeschooled - but Josie and Jack are eerily real. Naive and strange and lonely and dangerous and, best of all, unencumbered by typical moralities, they show us our world through new eyes. And for the most part, it's not a pretty sight.
I can't remember the last time I read a literary debut that was so free of pretension, so assured, and so exciting.
Book Description
"Peterson melds his eyewitness accounts with considerable research. His reporting is fresh with colorful observation.it makes for powerful reading."-Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down
As a foreign correspondent, Scott Peterson witnessed firsthand Somalia's descent into war and its battle against US troops, the spiritual degeneration of Sudan's Holy War, and one of the most horrific events of the last half century: the genocide in Rwanda. In Me Against My Brother, he brings these events together for the first time to record a collapse that has had an impact far beyond African borders.
In Somalia, Peterson tells of harrowing experiences of clan conflict, guns and starvation. He met with warlords, observed death intimately and nearly lost his own life to a Somali mob. From ground level, he documents how the US-UN relief mission devolved into all out war-one that for America has proven to be the most formative post-Cold War debacle. In Sudan, he journeys where few correspondents have ever been, on both sides of that religious front line, to find that outside "relief" has only prolonged war. In Rwanda, his first-person experience of the genocide and well-documented analysis provide rare insight into this human tragedy.Filled with the dust, sweat and powerful detail of real-life, Me Against My Brother graphically illustrates how preventive action and a better understanding of Africa-especially by the US-could have averted much suffering.
Customer Reviews:
A Humbling Journey onto the Frontlines.......2006-10-16
I came to Peterson's book out of frustration - frustration of knowing that terrible things are happening in Africa, but not knowing the magnitude or appreciating the complexity of these events and what spawned them. I wanted to know more than the snippets that escape through the American media's sieve. This book did not disappoint! Different from Gourevitch accounts, Peterson forgoes a lot of the nuanced historical detail in favor of giving readers an in-depth account on these three countries from the front lines. Writing is clear and disturbingly illustrative. Peterson's emotions penetrate the text and whittle away at the detachment one can feel about events unfolding so far away from home. He poses hard questions about who is to blame, who are the good guys, and what if anything can be done to stop this violence - leaving space for the reader to form their own conclusions. Insightful with great journalistic integrity. Highly recommended.
unique but narrow perspective.......2006-07-10
I appreciated Peterson's book because it is the honest personal evaluation of seemingly a super-human record of journalism for an American in a time when American foreign correspondence is increasingly cowardly.
Peterson has a good hold on the English language, and he certainly has a story to tell. As a personal memoir, I would say the book is first rate. I gave the book only 3 stars because the book purports to be a critical analysis of US foreign policy, and in this it fails in largely the same way (though without the same arrogance) that mainstream American journalism fails. Peterson fails to ask the important questions. It is true that as a "combat journalist" he has a very unique perspective on war-time Africa. I don't doubt his courage, and it's impossible not to like him after reading his book. But his analysis never really goes beyond criticizing high-ranking ineptitude. And ineptitude, though rampant in our military and political power circles, is not the problem with American foreign policy. The fundamental problem with American foreign policy (in Africa most of all) is our wanton motives going into conflicts such as this. The problem is the corporatist neo-colonial exploitation of the third world. The big picture may have improved by shades, but it still hasn't changed. Peterson fails to confront the problem in this way. As a correspondent on the ground, he has a unique but very narrow perspective. He would have to be paranoid to guess at the motives, especially the economic motives, of the IMF and the World Bank and America itself. In his entrenched position, it is sad to say, he is still blinded by the American media gloss and the Third World media vaccuum. And because Peterson is not truly an intellectual (more of a goodhearted poetic cowboy), he does not know where to go for primary sources that would give him insight into the true nature of economic exploitation. Rather, like most journalists, he goes straight for the quotes from the top. Almost all his sources are indeed high-level press releases and generic (journalistic) histories of the African countries.
I can't help but like Peterson because he seems so honest when he points out the obvious lies and stupid decisions of American thugs who only contribute to chaos when they claim to be restoring order. But in the end he is part of the system because the best advice he comes up with is to stop US aid to these countries (which is not an evil position in itself, but is a shallow excuse for a solution to a much deeper problem.)
In short, Scott Peterson is a good memoirist, a good person, but a bad political analyst. Putting political analysis in the hands of these cowboy journalists is the same mistake as putting political analysis in the hands of American soldiers (read Black Hawk Down). They can tell you about the battles, but they might not have any wider angle on the matter than someone at home. People like Peterson are indispensable because they are driven by an intention to help people, but they rarely get the big picture right. There are political analists, even some journalists, who offer a more profound view of the root causes of African conflicts. For Rwanda in particular, A People Betrayed: The Role of the West in Rwanda's Genocide is an indespensible work by an American journalist. Reading that book, then reading Peterson's account of Rwanda, will begin to give you some idea of the difference between successful journalism and the journalism that has failed us.
A TRAGIC BUT ENGAGING VIEW OF THE WORST IN HUMANITY.......2004-07-27
AN EXCELLENT BOOK. NOT AS GRUESOME AS THE TITLE WOULD SUGGEST, BUT A DOWN TO EARTH, BOOTS ON THE GROUND LOOK AT ATTROCITIES IN THE THIRD WORLD FROM ONE WHO WAS THERE. THE AUTHOR REPORTS IT ALL WITH THE EYE OF A JOURNALIST AND THE HEART OF ONE WHO HAS SEEN THE BEST AND WORST IN MAN, AND DOESN'T SETTLE FOR THE LATTER.
HIS PIECE ON SOMALIA IS EXCELLENT. HE WRITES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE INHABITANTS OF MOGADISHU AT THE TIME OF OPERATION RESTORE HOPE. IN SO DOING HE ADEPTLY DESCRIBES THE EVENTS WHICH LED UP TO THE 1992 SOMALI CHAOS AND SETS THE CONTEXT FOR WHAT WILL FOLLOW: A STORY MANY OF US KNOW TOO WELL. AFTER READING HIS BOOK, HOWEVER, I REALIZED THAT I DIDN'T KNOW THE WHOLE STORY WELL AT ALL .
THE BOOK BLACKHAWK DOWN FAITHFULLY PORTRAYS A SMALL PIECE OF THAT TRAGEDY AND DOES SO NECESSARILY OUT OF CONTEXT. (TO THE SOLDIER ON THE GROUND THE SMALL PICTURE IS ALL IMPORTANT: THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF HIS SMALL PIECE OF THE MISSION AT HAND AND HIS PERSONAL SURVIVAL OF THAT MISSION ARE ENTIRELY ABSORBING.)AFTER READING MR PETERSON'S BOOK, AND SPEAKING TO SOME FRIENDS WHO WERE THERE AT THE TIME, I WAS LEFT SHAKING MY HEAD AT THE TRAGICALLY POOR DECISIONS MADE MY ADMIRAL HOWE, AND THE SEEMING ARROGANCE WHICH LED TO THEM. AS ALWAYS, IT IS HEARTBREAKING TO SEE THE UNNECCESARY HUMAN TOLL WHICH SUCH DECISIONS COST.
MR PETERSON IS AN ARTICULATE, COGENT AND PASSIONATE WRITER. HIS ACCOUNT SOMETIMES DELVES INTO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL THAN I WOULD LIKE, BUT FOR THE MOST PART IS AN ENGAGING READ. I RECOMMEND THE BOOK TO ALL WHO DESIRE A VIEW TO THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE CULTURALLY LIMITED CONFINES OF THE USA.
A Must Read Regarding Our Future & Our Past.......2004-05-09
Peterson has written an excellent report on the atrocities that have taken place under our eyes in Africa. Most Americans know about Somalia from "Black Hawk Down" but Peterson reports from a different perspective and brings new light to an old meaning. He reports on what both the UN and the US did wrong while on a "peace mission." I would have hoped we would have learned our lesson but some aspects Peterson describes ring much too true for our involvement in Iraq as well.
The most horrifying account that Peterson writes so vividly about is the genocide in Rwanda. How does a world ignore such atrocity? I cried often during the reading of this section. I can't imagine how any country could ignore the pleading of such a dying nation in such a beautiful part of the world. To read about a man living in a wall for months to avoid being murdered, a child hiding under her parents while they were hacked to death, and see pictures of streets lined with death is beyond understandable. This is where our billions in defense should have gone!
I believe this book to be a must read for all humanity. From each horrible account something is learned. Africa is a beautiful country on the verge of catastrophe while the rest of the world ignores its pleas. From such anger, bitterness and hate comes furure generations of the same unless the world steps up with bravery and defends a peaceful solution. A billion dollars of understanding would go alot further in this country than the others we chose to toy with. Peterson has brought the injustices to life masterfully. This book NEEDS to be read by anyone who cares about a global existence and our future.
Famine, combat, and mass graves.......2003-08-26
A very brief review of Scott Peterson's macabre book would simply say "Chilling, gruesome, and violent". This book is a must read for anybody curious about the UN or US missions to Africa and the seemingly endless violence that occurs there on massive scales. As I write this, Rwanda is struggling to hold an election after the 1994 Genocide and Liberia seems to be on the brink of spiraling down into a conflict marked by massacres. Mr. Peterson's book makes you wonder how humanity could sink to the level that it has over and over again, but make no mistake, the conflicts in this book devoured women and children as quickly as male combatants. Even the definition of a combatant is blurry in a world where 10 year olds are trained as shock troops. Famine is used as a weapon as the countryside is deliberately ransacked by warlords. Disease and starvation soon join the fray. The scale of the violence becomes unreal. In Rwanda approximately 800,000 people were exterminated in few months. Mostly with machetes and clubs, not machineguns or gas chambers. It is hard to comprehend the personal face to face orgy of destruction that lead time and time again to children being grouped together and beaten to death.
This book raises questions about the usefulness of food aid to refugees as it is hijacked by combatants and refugees are forced to move around to allow "combat units" access to the food that the world ships in. It would seem that the meddling of the world isn't helping the larger geo-political situation in these countries and indeed that the only real solution will have to be an African solution as the citizens in these war torn countries decide that peace is worth more than war.
Average customer rating:
- moon spun
- A hero saves the heroine only to not believe her....
- Not what I expected
- How About Other Books?
- Moonspun Magic......a great story!
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Moonspun Magic
Catherine Coulter
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ASIN: 0451211871
Release Date: 2004-05-04 |
Book Description
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR WEAVES A MAGICAL SPELL.
To save a young woman from his villainous brother, a retired spy marries her-and that's just the beginning of their adventures together.
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR WEAVES A MAGICAL SPELL.
To save a young woman from his villainous brother, a retired spy marries her-and that's just the beginning of their adventures together.
Download Description
Rafael Carstairs, the mysterious sea captain who worked against Napoleon in Calypso Magic, returns in this final novel of the Magic Trilogy. He's a civilian now, and travelling to Cornwall to see his twin brother, Damien Carstairs, Baron Drago. In the middle of a moonless night, Rafael rescues a young girl, Victoria Abermarle from smugglers -- only to find out that she is trying to escape his twin, Baron Drago, who tried to rape her. What's a retired spy to do with a young girl whose nubile body and sizable fortune are threatened by his own brother? He does the noble thing, finally: he marries her.
Customer Reviews:
moon spun.......2005-09-22
This is one of three books and everyone of them kept my interest. It made me laugh and cry. One of the best books I have read lately. I highly recommend to read.
A hero saves the heroine only to not believe her...........2002-10-22
I really didn't like this one as much as many of the other Catherine Coulter stories I have read. The main hero Rafael is an ... He continues to jump to conclusions whenever he does anything, which only gets him in trouble. Not only that but why would you stay at the home of your brother (a twin) when he has tried to assault your wife?
Victoria is trying to escape from Damien who is bent on taking her innocence. So she runs away and tries to make it to London where she may actually not be a poor as she has been led to believe. Along the way she comes up against smugglers and is saved by who she thinks is the man she fears. But, why is he being kind. Well he is the good brother. Things continue and in the end he marries her (Rafael) but he listens to the lies of his brother and accuses her of unspeakable things, when all she was trying to hide was an injured leg.
As usual there are a few sub plots with this one but I recommend that you should read the Song Trilogy instead.
Not what I expected.......2002-05-01
Although I wasn't entirely impressed with this book, being my first Catherine Coulter book, I will read more of her work only because people seem to like her and I think I've come to expect too much from historical romances after reading Julia London's books. The story started out wonderful, with Rafael coming to her rescue and he was so caring toward her, but as the book progressed, I was a bit turned off by the way he handled her, their conversations. I think he was much too full of himself and the way he spoke had me thinking he was somewhat of a nerd. I thought the book focused too much on her injury, in fact, that was what most of the book was about. The brother did inexcusable things to Victoria and to her and Rafael and Rafael didn't deal with it hardly at all. I expected much more from such an acclaimed author. But, I will read another one of her books and see if it is any better.
How About Other Books?.......2000-04-24
Fist of all, this book was great, I don't have anything against it. The only thing I hate is how Rafael repeatly doubts Victoria. But like my title suggests, I'm curious about her other books. I read all the reviews of her other books and most people like them. There are also people who don't. Before I read them(the reviews), I was planning to go buy more of her books. Now I'm not so sure, her books sound like they sure have a lot of cruelty and rape in them!
Moonspun Magic......a great story!.......2000-01-28
This is the last book in the Magic Trilogy. Coulter writes of a sea captian, Rafael Castairs (introduced in "Calypso Magic"), and his journey to London. On the way, he saves Victoria Abermarle, none other than his hated twin's ward. Of course, a romance bloom between the two. Rafael is loving and gentle, although very stubborn, and of course, worms his way into Victoria's heart. Just as Victoria, with her innocence and beauty, worms right into his heart. Sit back and enjoy the love story as it grows between the two. The fight scenes are halirious, the sex scenes steamy, and the mystery and dealings of Damein, Rafael's twin, are twisted. I find this one a highly enjoyable story written by Coulter, which allows us to revisit all the characters from the first two books, however briefly.
Amazon.com
Israel never has been free of violence, but for many years the country was widely believed immune to the virus of religious extremism that has characterized several of its neighbors. That perception changed, however, after 1994's Hebron massacre, in which 29 praying Muslims were slaughtered by a machine-gun toting Jewish doctor, and the 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a young orthodox Jewish student. While there are many books studying Muslim extremism, this is the first to focus on Jewish extremism within Israel. Ehud Sprinzak, a noted Israeli political scientist, shows that these elements have been present within his nation from its founding; right-wing violence has accelerated in recent years thanks to the Oslo peace accords and nonstop Palestinian terrorism. He is hopeful, but not a Pollyanna. Sprinzak admits his biases: he's a strong supporter of the peace process--which means that some readers may think he doesn't adequately appreciate Israel's national-security needs. Yet this is a fine book, full of keen historical observations and modern political analyses. Anybody who wants a full understanding of Israeli politics at the end of the 20th century will want to read it. --John J. Miller
Book Description
Although we in America may think that our political disputes are fierce, the fact remains that when we use the phrase "the crossfire," we generally mean it to be taken metaphorically. Not so in Israel, where national politics is contentious and, as Ehud Sprinzak reveals in his groundbreaking new book, where vehemence often spills over into violence. Sprinzak, one of Israel's most prominent and respected political scientists, lays bare the historical roots of violence in Israeli domestic politics, examining the effects such militancy has had on the nation's civic culture. He traces the origins of this extremist thread to the era of the founding of the Jewish state, and shows how it has grown increasingly malignant in the past decade, culminating in the1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Brother Against Brother takes the reader through the critical turning points of Israeli political history, and introduces us to the leaders whose careers were baptized by blood. In a masterful blending of narrative and historical analysis, Sprinzak begins with the Altalena incident of June 1948, the first armed dispute between David Ben-Gurion's Labor-led government and the right-wing paramilitary Irgun organization, led by future prime minister Menachem Begin. He then follows the legacy of conflict into the confrontations of the 1950s and the assassination of Dr. Rudolph Kastner, a World War II leader of the Hungarian Jews. Sprinzak shows how the 1967 Six-Day War -- Israel's greatest victory ever -- reopened, paradoxically, the great rift between the left and the right over the borders of Israel, inspiring such agitators as Meir Kahane, who founded the Jewish Defense League in the United States and the Kach party in Israel, and the Orthodox rabbis of Gush Emunim. Finally, Sprinzak reveals how the militancy of Israel's religious right has grown more fierce since the signing of the Oslo accords, reaching its peak in the 1994 Hebron massacre and the Rabin assassination the following year.
In spite of its somber subject, Brother Against Brother is not a pessimistic book. Sprinzak does not think that there is danger of domestic civil war in Israel, and is convinced that the traumatic assassination of Yitzhak Rabin has had a restraining influence on most Israelis, including the radical right. In addition to focusing on the roots of Israeli violence, he identifies the powerful psycho-political mechanisms of Israeli restraint. Sprinzak believes, in fact, that Israelis are not violent people, and that had other Western nations faced Israel's external and internal challenges, their streets would have been flooded with blood. The book's underlying assumption (and hope) is that when peace between Israelis and Arabs is reached and the great debate over the borders of the nation is finally laid to rest, Israeli political violence will decline dramatically. Brother Against Brother offers a historical perspective that is too often lacking in day-to-day political analysis, and opens a new chapter in our understanding of one of the world's most fascinating nations.
Customer Reviews:
Israeli writes about politics; avoids emotional attachment?!.......2003-06-27
Sprinzak does an excellent job at both presenting and analysing the history of political extremism in Israel. This is helped considerably by the fact that Israel as a modern state has such a relatively short history, so the project is not as epic as it might be if if one was going to attempt a similar catalogue/anthology of the political violence and extremism in France, for instance. Add to that that Sprinzak was one of Israel's pre-eminent scholars and as such, was given tremendous access in terms of what he could see and what information he was privy to.
The book is quite thorough; it gives background on the pre-state militias (Haganah, Irgun, Lehi), as well as discusses their feuds- it opens with the Altalena affair and goes on to examine "The Hunting Season". It then moves forward to describe, in turn, violence and extremism from the ultra-orthodox, the political left, the nationalist-religious right, and Israel's famed quasi-fascist, Rabbi Meir Kahane, who was expelled from the Knesset for having a racist platform. The book culminates in examining the Rabin Assassination.
This book is very interesting as it not only gives much-needed background and context on the extreme right, who dominate much of the current attention given to Israeli politics, but also points out the history and extremism of OTHER camps and ideologies, such as the ultra-orthodox and the left. Not only is this interesting, it is typical of Sprinzak's sense of "fair play". While a fair amount of the book focuses on the misdeeds of the right, Sprinzak is not a name caller, nor a finger-wagger- he is merely a chronicler. And as such, he feels compelled to point out the violence of ALL members of Israeli society.
Impressively, Sprinzak is able to do all this while maintaining an objective professionalism. While he clearly identifies himself as a Laborite, he soundly condemns all political violence, AND simultaneously seems to give the impression that he sympathizes with many of the people he describes- not because he approves of what they do, but rather, he understands the frustration that drives them to their actions. The result is very powerful, and very balanced. Best of all, like any good academic, Sprinzak is thorough enough to give us SOURCES!
I must admit, it was quite refreshing to be able to learn about a part of Israel's history that is often referenced but rarely directly spoken about, for fear it will be exploited. The fact that Sprinzak chose to isolate INTERNAL Israeli violence from the continuous Middle East conflict was another crucial and excellent choice; to muddle up his research with background on the PLO, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad would have done nothing but distract readers from the main purpose of the book: taking an honest look at both examing and understanding the roots of ISRAELI political violence and extremism. For many non-Israeli readers, this may be the first time you realize that the Middle East conflict is not just about Israelis vs. Palestinians. It's not just "who gets a state", but also "what kind of state will we have"? This book goes a long way to giving people an inside view into the political history of Israel- and how far some people have been willing to go.
The book's one drawback is that the epilogue, in which Sprinzak describes various scenarios that might result in the short-term aftermath of Rabin's killing now seem outdated. It is a shame he was not able to publish a second edition before his death.
In short, the book gets points for being easy to read (Sprinzak apparently learned from his earlier book, "The Ascendance of Israel's Radical Right", which in some places, was painful to read), having a lot of interesting (and for many, NEW) information, and for being able to maintain a good sense of balance. It's only negative mark (perhaps worthy of a half or quater-point deduction) is that it was written in 1996, rather than 2003; it would have been nice to get Sprinzak's take on the current goings-on in Israel.
A fitting capstone to this great man's legacy. I look forward to the day when a similar project (in both scope and honesty) is completed by a Palestinian scholar.
Sprinzak explains Israeli extremism to the world.......2002-11-23
Political violence roiled the Jewish state from its beginning, and Ehud Sprinzak gives context to today's turmoil in Brother against Brother: Violence and Extremism in Israeli Politics from Altalena to the Rabin Assassination.
Sprinzak is a partisan who believes in Labor's two-state solution to the Palestinian question. Nonetheless, his portraits of the Right's early leaders, particularly Begin, often are quite flattering. Even Rabin's assassin is examined in an objective, even-handed way; the portrayal is similar to the treatment of Timothy McVeigh in American Terrorist.
Sprinzak gives a lot of insight into the early struggle for the Jewish state and the excesses that fed the Palestinian hatred that continues to fester. Massacres of Arab villagers at the hands of Jews, and other atrocities committed by Israel's founders, are laid bare. Sprinzak makes the case that the 1967 War both united the country and helped seal the political divide between those who seek accomodation with the Arabs and those who view peace as illusory. Rabin's assassination is seen not as an aberration but a predictable response by the opposition.
Like many of his countrymen, the author exudes a combination of pride and angst over the history and future of Israel. The Altalena incident, in which the Right's attempt to arm its supporters was foiled by violence at the hands of the Laborites, sets the stage and never seems far removed from what is happening 50 years later.
This is a tremendous, instructive book that never becomes a diatribe despite the author's political leanings.
Sprinzak the Extra-parliement Expert of Israeli Politics.......1999-12-13
I have this book. Ehud was one of my Proffessers at the Hebrew University Political Science Dept. in the 70's and this is an excelent book about Israeli Violent Politics. It is a unique study. It covers a long period. Although the book is New, it reflects the situation before Ehud Barak got elected. But the first Chapters about the Altalena are also very interesting. Ehud told us then that from 1948 till 1967 extra-parliementary Politics was getting less. Since the Idelogical Problem of what to do with the territories taken in 1967 there has been a rise in Politics outside the Knesset. The book also covers Kahanism and the background to the Tragic murder of Rabin.
Customer Reviews:
Better than Rebus.......2007-01-09
Sure the main character is overdone, the plotting would not stand up to close analysis, and the "philosophy" is basically garbage but the story moves and is competently written. What more can one ask for in a thriller? Jack Higgins made a fine living out of similar stuff which was not nearly as good. Four stars, perhaps because the competition in this genre has become so weak.
An early Rankin not worth the time.......2006-12-06
Former soldier Gordon Reeve flies to California to claim the body of his brother Jim, an apparent suicide. But it soon becomes obvious that the facts aren't fitting together and that Jim's death was murder.
In spite of three attempts, I just could not get into this book. I will admit I'm not a big fan of conspiracy themes but, that aside, I didn't find the character interesting or the plot compelling. For me, this was a Rankin practice book until he started writing Rebus.
Slainte, Rankin! But This One Just Didn't Grab Me.......2006-11-13
My first foray into non-Rebus Rankin (Jack Harvey, whatever) left me with an understanding of why authors might use alternate names for their earlier, less-stimulating projects. "Blood Hunt" has some elements that kept me entertained, but they seemed to wane as I worked my way through the 500 pages. The bad guy, Jay, seems to hold a kind of silly grudge from his SAS experience in the Falklands War while on an operation with main character Gordon Reeve. There is also the story of a highly provocative cover-up involving BSE (Mad Cow Disease) and a murdered journalist/brother that is never brought to a close. Too much, really. Reeve is definitely cool, but he doesn't come off as a sympathetic or fully drawn character. Note: I absolutely love the Rebus series, but I don't feel inclined to pick up the other remaining Jack Harvey-penned novels. Hope I'm not missing something, but "Blood Hunt" has done nothing but cool mine a little. Ouch. Sorry, Ian.
Nietzsche's Gentlemen........2006-07-17
Oh, the blessings of being an author with too much time on his hands. I can just picture Ian Rankin sitting in the house (farm? cottage?) he and his wife bought in rural Dordogne, having whizzed through the manuscript for yet another increasingly well-written John Rebus novel and - having left behind all other employment across the British Channel and neither inclined to carpentry nor gardening - feeling his mind growing restless, in need of occupation. Now, wouldn't you have started looking for another outlet for your creative energy had you been in his spot?
The result of the aforementioned process, which Rankin describes in the foreword of a 2000 (alas, so far [???] British-only!) compilation uniting all three novels in one volume, were a series of thrillers written under the pseudonym Jack Harvey: Jack for his newborn son, Harvey for his wife's maiden name.
In "Blood Hunt," the last of the three books, fans of Inspector Rebus meet an old acquaintance; George Reeve from the first Rebus novel, "Knots and Crosses." Only here he's the good guy - well, mostly; because there isn't such a thing as a clean-cut "good guy" in *any* Ian Rankin novel. In any event, "Blood Hunt" introduces us to Reeve's back story; his life as an outdoors survival teacher, and his own memories and nightmares of his service with the SAS - after we've already gotten a fair share of Rebus's in "Knots and Crosses" - particularly the Falklands campaign, during which he met the man who would soon turn out to be his biggest nemesis; as much as Reeve will later become a nemesis to Rebus.
Further, we learn that Reeve had a brother; a journalist on the trail of a story centering around a chemical company headquartered in San Diego. When that brother is murdered, Reeve's instincts as a hunter are awakened - and like a bull terrier he pits himself to the heels of those responsible for the murder and doesn't let go until he has brought them to justice: *his* kind of justice, that is, which isn't necessarily that of the police, but one they understand only too well. The SAS call themselves Nietzsche's gentlemen - believing in the self-proclaimed amoralist's teachings that the will to power is all that matters and all that controls life; and the novel's conclusion is very much in keeping with that adage.
As a back story to the first Rebus book, "Blood Hunt" works only just so - while the essential facts are in synch with Reeve's and Rebus's SAS past, to truly click with "Knots and Crosses," this book would have had to be written about a decade earlier, or vice versa, which in turn wouldn't square with the later Rebus books' historical and political references ... you get the picture. Read as a stand-alone, however, this is a tightly-plotted thriller, every bit as violent as the second Jack Harvey novel, "Bleeding Hearts" (there's a reason why blood figures in both books' titles) and, while based on a conspiracy theory that easily dates it as a mid-1990s release, as strong as both "Bleeding Hearts" and the best of the Rebus books on characters and settings (Scotland to San Diego, London, France and back, with - literally - a cliffhanger finale on the Outer Hebrides' rough mountainous territory). And then there's that children's rhyme that I don't think I'll ever hear quite the same way I used to ...
Although I'm happy enough for Rankin's success with Inspector Rebus and wouldn't want any story featuring Edinburgh's finest (and most hard-drinking) D.I. missing from my bookcases, in a way I regret that Rankin had to shelve Jack Harvey after only three books. So just in case, Mr. Rankin, in the unlikely event that you should ever resurrect that alter ego (or write another non-Rebus novel under your own name): I promise I'll read that one, too, and probably with just as much pleasure as any of your other books.
Don't judge Rankin by this novel.......2006-07-16
If this is your first Ian Rankin book, forget it as fast as you can, and run quickly to one of his wonderful Rebus books. They are as good as this one is hollow. First one must swallow the coincidence that a US pharmaceutical/chemical company hires a former SAS companion and enemy of our hero to do their dirty work. After that, when trouble erupts for Bro. Reeve, our hero, he gets on Interpol's list of wanted folk. But still he is able to fly back and forth from US to Heathrow at will, pass through immigration and customs, without as much trouble as a US tourist heading to Cancun. So much for Interpol. Under all this is the pasty treatment of our hero's wife and son. This novel is something like the computer games Bro. Reeve's son Allan plays continually. So please, don't judge Rankin by this one. He's really a good writer, who must have felt the need for some extra cash by churning out BLOOD HUNT.
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- Review by Nicki P.
- Um, all these reviews are for the wrong book!
- Boys Against Girls the book you should read!!!
- Boys Against Girls
- My sister told me to shut up I was laughing so hard
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Boys Against Girls
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
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The Girls' Revenge (Boy/Girl Battle)
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The Girls Get Even (Boy/Girl Battle)
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The Boys Return (Boy/Girl Battle)
ASIN: 0440411238
Release Date: 1995-10-01 |
Book Description
Abaguchie mania! Caroline Malloy shivers happily when her on-again, off-again enemy Wally Hatford tells her that a strange animal known as the abaguchie has been spotted in their neighborhood. According to Wally, an abaguchie skeleton was found years ago in the cellar of Oldaker's bookstore.
Wally swears Caroline to secrecy and warns her not to go down and search for herself. But Caroline will do anything to solve the mystery of the bones. Wally, who's sure that boys are smarter than girls, tries to foil her plan. Caroline knows girls are smarter than boys and means to prove it with the help of her sisters.
Customer Reviews:
Review by Nicki P........2006-10-24
By Nicki P.
My book is called Boys against Girls by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Jake, Pete, and Wally Hatford have lived in their neighborhood with the Bensons for a long while, until one day the Bensons move to Ohio and sell their house to the Malloys. Now both neighbors play practical jokes on each other. Wally tells Caroline Malloy, the new neighbor, there's an
animal known as the abaguchie, and its bones are in Oldlaker's bookstore. He tells her not to go down looking in Mr. Oldlaker's cellar, but of course, when she gets home she asks her sisters, Beth and Eddie, to help her find the abaguchie bones. They tell her to wait until tomorrow and they'd help her find the bones, but Caroline's curiosity makes her go a little to far. She decides to go alone before dinner, with so little time before the store closes. She didn't know that the Hatford's had something else in store for her. They trapped her in the cellar to scare, and prove that boys are smarter than girls. Caroline proves otherwise!
This book was exciting to read because it made you wanting to keep reading to find out more about the abaguchie. For instance, Wally said the abaguchie bones were in the cellar of Oldlaker's bookstore. It made me feel this way because they were so descriptive that in my mind I had to know what was going to happen next. Yes, I felt like I was in the book, It made me feel that way because they described it so well that I thought it was really happening. For instance, "For a moment he heard something, a whine perhaps. Then he realized it was just the whistle of the wind." Another example is, "Something snapped back in the trees, like a twig breaking underfoot." The main conflict interested me because the girls and boys kept making up things about the abaguchie, and they believed each other. Also, they would fall for the tricks and caught each other. The characters were realistic to me because they did realistic things. For instance, they tried getting the boys in trouble. One example is when the boys used a tape recorder to imitate the abaguchie. The boys and girls were both acting like little kids trying to prove something. I thought the ending was good because at the end the Hatfields invite the Malloys for Thanksgiving dinner and the kids still weren't very happy, or getting along. When the boys put a green worm in the food and an animal (maybe the abaguchie) steals the turkey, everyone realizes that being together will never be boring. The author's writing style is through a conversation of a kid in 4th or 5th grade. She writes in a descriptive way with easy words. For example on page 124 it says, "Carefully she
tugged and twisted out a piece of fur." A unique characteristic is in the ending, because it leads you to something you wouldn't expect. For example, in the ending they start talking about how the abaguchie might be a bobcat, and they started to give up hope when all the sudden they here a big crash and they scatter outside and see a tail in the bushes. Maybe there is an abaguchie. Another ability the author has is using dialog. For example, "We could be in big, big trouble." Another example is, "Maybe the abaguchie ate her up." What I loved about the book is the author leads you to a conclusion you wouldn't expect. If I was to rate this book I'd give it an 8 out of 10 because this book is about finding something impossible to find, and that's the kind of book I like. I recommend this book for people in 4th grade and younger because otherwise there's not a lot of good vocab. But I still found the book interesting because it tells you that when hope seems lost things really can happen. Also get ready for the ending, I think you'll enjoy it. To sum it up, the story had a good plot, beginning, and conclusion. So read this book. I
promise you won't regret it.
Um, all these reviews are for the wrong book!.......2003-01-10
Have you noticed something strange here? All the previous reviews on this page are for another book and another author, just the same title. This review is for Sweet Valley Twins #17, "Boys Against Girls". I hope that clears up some confusion. I Really liked this book when I was in the age group; it played out a lot of frustrations I had with my brothers! The twin's class has a new teacher who always taught boys before. He makes some unwelcome changes and the girls go on the warpath to prove they are just as good as the boys.
By the way, is there a place where I can review the reviews?
Boys Against Girls the book you should read!!!.......2002-03-10
I read Boys Against Girls for a book report. It is the best book I have read. Wally and his brothers think they are smarer than the girls when they built an Abaguchie( the monster in the town in the book) trap. But that night they herd the bell that they connected to the trap. Did they catch the Abaguchie. You should read to find out. I really enjoyed this book. There are alot of things adults wold laugh at. If you want a funny book, this one will keep you laughing for hours. Please read this book. If you think it dosen't look good from the cover. you should use the saying " Never Judge a book by a cover." I really enjoyed it and you will too. Read Boys Against Girls.
Boys Against Girls.......2001-12-18
I think this is a pretty good book overall. I doubt adults would like it, but kids my age would. This is a book for both, boys and girls. I liked how the book was written because there were three boys in a family and three girls in a family that lived by each other. I liked how the author put in both sexes so it's just not a boy book or just a girl book.
In a small town, there lived two certain families, the Hatford and the Malloy family. The Hatford family consists of three boys, the Malloy family consists of three girls.
The two families were neighbors and they loved to these each other, so the Hatford boys thought they had a great idea by going to tell the girls that the animal, the Abaguchie, exsisted and was spotted close where they live. The Malloy girls believed the guys, as the Hatford boys just keep on playing along with them like the animal really exsisted and it was close to their house.
(...)
Overall, I would say this book was pretty well written for a kid my age.
My sister told me to shut up I was laughing so hard.......2000-09-19
Abaguachie is round and Coroline in scared. Wally says that the abaguachie has been seen in the neighborhood for several years. Wally says there is bones in the celler of Oldkers bookstore. wally thinks boys are smarter than girls. But caroline with the help of her sisters will show the boys whose smarter. Hind out and read Boys anganist Girls. You'll luv it!
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Brother Against Brother
Liam Deasy
Manufacturer: Mercier Press
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ASIN: 1856352668 |
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- BY A BOY - 10 YEARS OLD
- This Book is Wonderful
- A really great book!
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Three Against the Tide
D. Anne Love
Manufacturer: Yearling
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ASIN: 0440416345
Release Date: 2000-07-11 |
Book Description
The Civil War truly hits home when Susanna's father is called to help the Confederate Army. Twelve-year-old Susanna is placed in charge of the family's South Carolina plantation and her two younger brothers. Then the Yankee soldiers invade their island, forcing Susanna and her brothers Neddie and Samuel to escape to their other home in Charleston.
When a fire destroys their Charleston home, Susanna decides nothing will stop them from finding their father. Throughout the dangerous journey, Susanna can't help but question the traditions her family and most Southerners have been fighting to protect. Maybe it's time to stop going with the flow, and go up against the tide.
Customer Reviews:
BY A BOY - 10 YEARS OLD.......2005-05-11
Three Against the Tide was an adventure about the Civil War. The characters were Susanna, Neddie and Sammy. The main character was Susanna who was 12 years old. She was the oldest of 3 children. She had to write in her journal every day as her father told her too, while her brothers sat down at the lake fishing. The story was about when their father went to war as a spy and did not come back for a couple months. So these three children had to take care of themselves while he was gone. First, they had to run Oakwood, the Plantation they lived on. Secondly, they went to live in Charleston, SC. While having no news at all of their father, they did not know if he was alive or dead. The biggest adventure in the book happened when they moved from Oakwood to Charleston in a boat.
The book was not my favorite book in the world because I've read other books that have had more adventures in them. This one had a couple adventures but not as many as I would have liked.
This Book is Wonderful.......2001-11-23
I loved this book everyone should read it. This book is about a twelve year old girl named Susana whose dad is sent away to help in the war. She is left with her 2 other brothers to take care of the plantation and all the other animals because her mother is dead. This book is very heart-warming and is a must read. This book would be a really good Christmas present to give. You should really read this book,believe me. This book is the best!
A really great book!.......1998-11-12
Twelve-year-old Susanna lives with her father and two brothers on a plantation on an island off the coast of South Carolina. It's 1861, the Civil War is being fought, and Susanna's father is called away to serve the Confederacy. When the Yankees invade the island, Susanna and her brothers have to flee the island on their own and try to find their father. But first they have to survive. I highly reccomend this book.
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- Evolution at a Crossroads: The New Biology and the New Philosophy of Science
- History: Fiction or Science
- The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization
- One Fearful Yellow Eye
- Googie: Fifties Coffee Shop Architecture
- Floor Coverings For Historic Buildings
- The genus Lithophragma
All Together Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 7)
Grave Sight (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 1)
Definitely Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 6)
An Ice Cold Grave (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 3)
Sweet and Deadly
