Scandal in Spring (Wallflower Quartet, Bk. 4)

Book Description

After spending three London seasons searching for a husband, Daisy Bowman's father has told her in no uncertain terms that she must find a husband. Now. And if Daisy can't snare an appropriate suitor, she will marry the man he chooses—the ruthless and aloof Matthew Swift.

Daisy is horrified. A Bowman never admits defeat, and she decides to do whatever it takes to marry someone . . . anyone . . . other than Matthew. But she doesn't count on Matthew's unexpected charm . . . or the blazing sensuality that soon flares beyond both their control. And Daisy discovers that the man she has always hated just might turn out to be the man of her dreams.

But right at the moment of sweet surrender, a scandalous secret is uncovered . . . one that could destroy both Matthew and a love more passionate and irresistible than Daisy's wildest fantasies.

Customer Reviews:

WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT.......2007-10-06

I loved Devil in Winter and couldn't wait to read the next one in the Wallflower series. Unfortunately, I was utterly disappointed. The plot was utterly predictable. I didn't buy into why the hero felt he couldn't tell people about his past. It felt too contrived and the climax of the book felt awfully anti-climactic.

I usually love Kleypas' characterizations, but I was sorely disappointed with this novel. Why didn't Kleypas pair Daisy with Cam? I was looking forward to that story! I think there would have been a lot more inherent drama in that one - real issues that could tear the couple apart and need to be overcome.

Final Wallflower Novel the Best.......2007-09-12

The fourth book in the wallflower series is Daisy Bowman's story. After failing to catch a titled husband, her father gives her an ultimatim, if she hasn't found a suitable husband in two months he will give her to his business protege, Matthew Swift. Daisy hasn't seen the skinny, gawky over arrogant Matthew Swift in years and she knows she cannot marry him but when she finds herself talking to the attractive houseguest of Marcus', she is stunned to find out he is Matthew. Matthew is gorgeous and all filled out and Daisy is even stunned to find she enjoys talking to him. Matthew has been in love with Daisy Bowman for years...however Matthew has a secret and he knows he can never marry Daisy because his secret would destroy them. The more Matthew tries to avoid Daisy and find another suitable husband for her the more he wants her for himself. Daisy can't believe she has finally found a man she can love and who will make her father happy, but he will not marry her...Daisy decides to take drastic measures to change his mind.

Matthew was one of the better suitors for a wallflower, the fact he kept a momento for years and secretly loved her all that time is what all women want. Daisy is charming in her efforts to snare Matthew. Great ending and the best of the quartet along with Annabelle's story.

A spritely turn with a melodramatic plot.......2007-08-09

A charming study of a wilful but loveable young lady of a rather fey and elfin character who makes a fateful wish at a wishing well. She has grown up detesting her father's hard working right hand man until- perhaps because ofthe wishing well-she so inconveniently falls in love with him. A charming story of Americans in Great Britain at the turn of the century, a house party romp, and even the bad guys match the time period, being rather dastardly and doing all but tying the victim to a railroad track--except their target is the young man in question, not the heroine. Yes, the heroine and her family stage a rescue, though the hero does save himself, and all live happily ever after. The last of a quartet of wallflowers to marry, you won't forget this heroine's courage or charming eccentricties.

Wonderful quartet of books.......2007-07-21

This last book of the quartet was a pleasure to read. It was fun, believeable, and well written. I enjoyed it immensely... as I did the other 3 in the series.

When Love is Real there is Trust.......2007-07-18

Wonderful love story where trust is visible without doubt. Characters are well delineated as real human beings with their strong points and weaknesses. Life is a circle and the truth always comes out. Enjoy the reading as I did.

Devil in Winter (Wallflower Quartet, Bk. 3)

Average customer rating:

Devil In Winter
Shy Stuttering Wallflower Propositions Rake
splendid....
Umm was he supposed to say that?
Great book...although it seems very familiar.

Devil in Winter (Wallflower Quartet, Bk. 3)
Lisa Kleypas
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 006056251X
Release Date: 2006-02-28

Book Description

A devil's bargain

Easily the shyest Wallflower, Evangeline Jenner stands to become the wealthiest, once her inheritance comes due. Because she must first escape the clutches of her unscrupulous relatives, Evie has approached the rake Viscount St. Vincent with a most outrageous proposition: marriage!

Sebastian's reputation is so dangerous that thirty seconds alone with him will ruin any maiden's good name. Still, this bewitching chit appeared, unchaperoned, on his doorstep to offer her hand. Certainly an aristocrat with a fine eye for beauty could do far worse.

But Evie's proposal comes with a condition: no lovemaking after their wedding night. She will never become just another of the dashing libertine's callously discarded broken hearts -- which means Sebastian will simply have to work harder at his seductions...or perhaps surrender his own heart for the very first time in the name of true love.

Download Description

A devil's bargain

Customer Reviews:

Devil In Winter.......2007-09-16

I like the humor, the romance, and the way the female took control of her life in the beganing. I like how he protected her and took care of her.

I wish the there was more of a challege for him for her,with another man in the picture (good or bad person).

Shy Stuttering Wallflower Propositions Rake.......2007-09-11

The third in the Wallflower series is Evie Jenner, the painfully shy stuttering girl who is being abused by her fortune seeking relatives. Upon discovering that they are going to force her to marry her grossly obese and cruel cousin to gain her fortune, Evie escapes and goes to the home of the shameless rake, Sebastian St. Vincent, the same man who tries to kidnap Lillian in the second book to marry her for her fortune. Sebastian has never given Evie a second look, trying to hold a conversation with her is a nightmare but when she proposes marrying him to escape her relatives he knows he can't refuse, he must marry a fortune. Evie's proposition is to go to Gretna Green for a hasty marriage and even hastier consummation to make it legal, but from then on out no more intimacy. All Evie wants is to take care of her father until he dies and to have enough money to live comfortably on...Sebastian should be happy at his good fortune...a wife who is giving him permission to take her money and to pursue any other woman he wants...the problem is he doesn't seem to want any other women anymore. However, can he convince Evie that the best husbands really are reformed rakes. Evie can't help it, she sees things in Sebastian that he has taken great pains to conceal but she will not allow him to touch her if he can't guarantee monogamy...to test his self control, she makes a deal...if Sebastian can remain celibate for 3 months, she will resume physical relations with him...

This was a passionate, sweet story. I wish the author would have taken a little bit more time explaining what made Sebastian act the way he does, but still nothing is lost in the story you just want a little more sometimes.

splendid...........2007-08-02

While the second book (It Happened One Autumn) to this quartet still holds the number spot on my book shelf...this one does come close! It was a pleasant surprise to see the author include characters from her other novels (characters like Derek Craven, Ivo Jenner...). It did not click in my mind that Evie was the daughter of Ivo Jenner... the same Jenner that I read about in "Dreaming of You", who was also portrayed as the antagonist in that book. He was mentioned in the first book of this quartet, but not until this particular book did it all come together...and it was quite a delight!

I also loved the story itself...I was never bored with this book. It wasn't as funny as the second book, but I liked how Evie and Sebastian bickered playfully. The characters were great...Evie finally developed into an outspoken little vixen and Sebastian was able to give his heart to a woman he least expected! I loved the passion and the excitement and of course the re-appearance of the other wallflowers- esp. that little scandalous scene with Daisy. I can't wait to read the 4th book! I'm starting it tomorrow.

I definitely reccomend this book...fantastic and splendid to the core!

Umm was he supposed to say that?.......2007-07-27

I really love LK's wallflower series. I couldn't say enough nice things about it. But something truly bothered me with this particular book. It wasn't the fact that Evie was weak because she proves to be strong. It wasn't the romance or the steamy love scenes because they turn out to be very hot. It was the way that St. Vincent (Sebastian) spoke to Evie. This really bothered me for some reason. In the book he calls her a bitch and a coward and a few other things that are sort of degrading. She just came from a home where she was physically and mentally abused. Yet she still manages to fall in love with the cad. I think Evie could've done without some of the abuse he was laying on her.

However, as the story proceeds, you can tell that Evie's just the girl to break the ice around Sebastian's heart. She cracks a little piece every day they're united, all while gaining her sense of self worth. The love that finally blossoms between these two is something that just makes you smile. Wonderful read (even with the some of the harshness) highly recommended.

Great book...although it seems very familiar........2007-07-16

This book is very entertaining...but the hero seems very like Derek Craven from "Dreaming of You", not that I'm complaining because is one of my favorite characters of all time! So I still thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Average customer rating:

Outstanding legacy
Love Them
A great read
Childhood revisited...

The Time Quartet

Manufacturer: Farrar Straus Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0739439707

Product Description

Content: A Wrinkle in Time; A Wind in the Door; A Swiftly Tilting Planet; and Many Water. These classic novels are now bound in one book.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding legacy.......2007-02-13

I am trying to collect the books I loved as a youngster in hardback to pass along to my children. I received this one as a gift and was unaware of all four books combined under one cover. I love it! The books themselves are a wonderfully captivating read that employ your imagination... page-turners, all of them. Re-reading them has been as much a pleasure as reading them the first time around. I can't wait to read them to my children.

Love Them.......2007-01-14

A Wrinkle Time was one of my first chapter books and I can still honestly say when I see my copy I want to pick it up and read it. I have read all of these books, multiple times and I love them all to death. If I could give these more than 5 stars I would. BUY THEM, not just for you but for generations yet to come.

A great read.......2006-06-11

READ THESE BOOKS ADDICTIVELY IN 5TH GRADE AND LOVED THEM. HAVE PASSED THEM ONTO YOUNG READERS AS AN ADULT AND THEY CONTINUE TO BE LOVED NEARLY 40 YEARS LATER. A GREAT READ.

Childhood revisited..........2006-06-10

One of the series that I read as a young boy.....very captivating and entertaining the stories kept me glued to each and every book which I promptly finished after I started....little or no stopping with these books....one of those stories that'll stick with you.

It Happened One Autumn (Wallflower Quartet, Bk. 2)

Average customer rating:

...a thin line between love and hate
American Girl takes on British Nobility
Don't be a wallflower- jump in and read this series!
Positively spectacular!
The Best of the Wallflower Series

It Happened One Autumn (Wallflower Quartet, Bk. 2)
Lisa Kleypas
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0060562498
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Book Description

Four young ladies enter London society with one necessary goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So they band together, and a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.

It Happened at the Ball...

Where beautiful but bold Lillian Bowman quickly learned that her independent American ways weren't entirely "the thing." And the most disapproving of all was insufferable, snobbish, and impossible Marcus, Lord Westcliff, London's most eligible aristocrat.

It Happened in the Garden…

When Marcus shockingly -- and dangerously-swept her into his arms. Lillian was overcome with a consuming passion for a man she didn't even like. Time stood still; it was as if no one else existed…thank goodness they weren't caught very nearly in the act!

It Happened One Autumn...

Marcus was a man in charge of his own emotions, a bedrock of stability. But with Lillian, every touch was exquisite torture, every kiss an enticement for more. Yet how could he consider taking a woman so blatantly unsuitable…as his bride?

Customer Reviews:

...a thin line between love and hate.......2007-09-24

This is the second in the Wallflower quartet and in my opinion is much better than the first (Summer).

This is Lillian and Marcus's story. I was intriqued to see what their story would be like after meeting them in Secrets of a Summer Night. Let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed. Lillan is a real treat of a heroine. She swears, plays "baseball" with the boys, and has a temper on her. I loved it!

Marcus is a straight-laced, serious, by the book hero. Lillian storms in to his life and literally "rocks" his world. He does his very best to reason around why the two of them would never work, but is really is futile! Throughout the book we come to understand why Marcus is the way he is, and after meeting his hateful mother we only love Marcus even more.

The love scenes are scorching so be prepared!!! The end of the book features the Viscount St. Vincent and my only question is how I'll ever be able to buy into him as the hero in the next book. He really does despicable things....I hope that the saying "Reformed rakes make the best husbands" rings true.

Enjoy It Happened One Autumn..it's worth the read.

American Girl takes on British Nobility.......2007-09-11

Lillian Bowman, an American heiress, is one of the four young women who call themselves the wallflowers. In this second installment of the series, headstrong, spirited Lillian, her sister Daisy and her parents are attending a month long party held at Lord Westman's estate. Marcus, Lord Westman, is the ultimate in uptight, superior English snobbiness and Lillian cannot stand him. Lillian and her sister need a sponsor to help them gain a husband from the English nobility and that sponsor comes in the form of Marcus's mother, a cold hearted woman who thinks preserving their bloodline is the most important thing her family can do. After sneaking out to cause some mischief, Lillian runs into Marcus who loses his head and kisses her passionately. Believing Marcus is bewitched by a secret ingredient in a perfume made just for her, Lillian enlists the other wallflowers to help in an experiment to see if the perfume has the same effect on all women. Soon Lillian discovers there is more to Marcus than the facade he presents to the public and she wishes more than anything that she can have him, but she knows he will never marry an American no matter how rich. Marcus is stunned to find himself so strongly affected by Miss Lillian Bowman, even in his affairs he has always been able to maintain a dignified presence but everytime he sees Lillian he loses all control....maybe even considering marriage.

This was an amusing, fast paced sweet romance and I have hopes that the last two stories will compare to the first two in the series. Marcus mother is the ultimate in cold hearted witches, and St. Vincent sufficiently wicked in his competition for Lillian. St. Vincent will be featured in Evie's story which is the third and next book in this series.

Don't be a wallflower- jump in and read this series!.......2007-08-08

You could see it coming in Secrets Of A Summer Night when Marcus found Lillian playing rounders in her underwear (shocking!)... The lovely, lively American Lillian Bowman up against the stiff English formality of Marcus, Lord Westcliff! Poor Marcus was taught never to show emotion. His parents were uncaring, stiff and cruel. Every time Marcus became fond of a nanny or another staff member, his father dismissed them. He had limited time with his sisters. He was scared of his father's huge dogs, so he was locked into a room with them when he was five, for three long terrified hours - to `get over it'. Poor little kid. He was beaten and bullied and abused until he was a stiff aristocrat who thought emotions were unwanted and stupid, especially something like (shudder) love! Independent, bold American heiress Lillian Bowman comes into his life like a gale-force wind, blowing all his rigid, stuffy morals and manners to hell. She challenges him on every decision, probably the only woman in England to do so. The shaken Marcus topples from his lofty perch like a ninepin, totally unhinged and mad with lust - and love - for this passionate free spirit. Gosh, the scene where he kicks his mother's door down and nearly strangles her with her pearls is - thrillingly primal. (He has a reason for it, rest assured. He is our hero, after all.) Go, Marcus! We can only look forward to the rest of this stunning `Wallflower' series. Big sigh!

Positively spectacular!.......2007-07-28

Most definitely the best romance novel I've ever read! I think I loved this one so much more than the first because I was able to identify with the main character, Lillian Bowman, much more than any of the other wallflowers. I found myself laughing out loud hyserically at some of her antics...she was such a well developed character! I loved the chemistry between Lillian and Marcus...it was most definitely a fabulous read. It was passionate, but not too smutty, and I was never bored with this book! And I loved meeting Lord St. Vincent (one the main characters for the next novel to this quartet), he was absolutely a riot and even though I didn't get to see an image of him, I still found myself with a little crush.

This is a must read...I have never laughed so hard from a book and been so absorbed by one book... one word to describe it is....SPECTACTULAR! Thank you Lisa Kleypas!

The Best of the Wallflower Series.......2007-07-27

With the exception of her more modern placed romance novels, I've read all of Lisa Kleypas' books. I've also read all of Ms. Julia Quinn, Ms. Suzanne Enoch, Ms. Eloisa James, Ms. Nicole Jordan, Ms. Kathleen Woodiwiss (RIP and God Bless Ms. Woodiwiss...your novels are awesome), most of Ms. Jude Devereux and Ms. Samantha James. For me, this book ranks number 2 overall after Dreaming of You (Sara and Derek's love story), but number 1 in the Wallflower series.

Lily and Marcus remained to true to themselves and each other. When does that happen in a romance novel? They weren't "dumbed down" and they didn't do the "180" to fit the author's predetermined story line.

It seemed that Marcus and Lilian's characters were so out of character in this novel yet that was best part! Two strong people of opposite attitudes and upbringing, whose seemingly out of character behavior only revealed their true characters to each other!

Some examples: 1) staid, proper, straightlaced Marcus getting caught by Simon Hunt (as in Anabelle's hubby of "Secrets of a Summer Night" fame, book 1 of Wallflowers series) making out and rolling about the floor in his study with Lilian, and 2) emotionally controlled, posed, unruffled Marcus breaking down the door of his mother's suite and practically throttling her 'cause of her involvement with Lilian's disappearance!

And Lilian who is usually making a point to be scandalous almost for the sake of being so and she is not one to lose her wits, is nervous and tongue tied while being coached by Marcus in a game of rounders and bemused when Marcus kisses her senseless while they hid in a hedge. She later gets her finger stuck in a bottle of booze when she drunkenly insists on eating the peach inside...and this is the same women who picks her way out of handcuffs and a locked room after spending most of the day knocked out in a coach!

Its a book filled with character contradictions that only seemed to strengthed and reveal more of the characters. This is a great and fun read.

Average customer rating:

Sci-Fi as Literature
Goodness
Great introduction into Sci- Fi
One of the best science fiction books ever written
Ender's Game

Ender's Game (Ender Quartet)
Orson Scott Card
Manufacturer: Audio Renaissance
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 1593974744
Release Date: 2004-09-09

Amazon.com

Ender Wiggin is a very bright young boy with a powerful skill. One of a group of children bred to be military geniuses and save Earth from an inevitable attack by aliens, known here as "buggers," Ender becomes unbeatable in war games and seems poised to lead Earth to triumph over the buggers. Meanwhile, his brother and sister plot to wrest power from Ender. Twists, surprises and interesting characters elevate this novel into status as a bona fide page turner. It captured the Nebula and Hugo Awards.

Book Description

Andrew "Ender" Wiggin thinks he is playing computer-simulated war games at the Battle School; in fact, he is engaged in something far more desperate. Ender is the result of decades of genetic experimentation, Earth's attempt to make the military genius that the planet needs in its all-out war with an alien enemy. Ender Wiggin is six years old when his training begins. He will grow up fast. Ender's two older siblings, Peter and Valentine, are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between three of them lie the abilities to remake a world-if the world survives. This, the author's definitive edition, also includes an original postscript written and recorded by the author himself, in which he discusses the origins of the novel.

Customer Reviews:

Sci-Fi as Literature.......2007-10-10

I first read Ender's Game at the age of 13. I found it on my grandmother's bookshelf, and devoured it within 3 days. Twelve years later, I've read the book at least five times more, and I gain more enjoyment from it every time.

The story itself is highly entertaining, simply as sci-fi or popular fiction. This was the first book I ever read in which dialogue was used to introduce each chapter (without identifying either speaker.) The revelation about this dialogue (which I won't spoil) that comes later in the book only reinforced the idea in my mind that OSC was a master of his craft. Anyone who reads the dime-store political garbage that he's written in the past five years or so would do well to remember that his early years were filled with sci-fi masterpieces like Ender's Game.

Beyond the entertaining story, there are obvious socio-political undertones inherent in the "children as soldiers" theme of the book. While the full moral impact of the story didn't hit me when I was 13, at 25, serving in the Army, the story means a great deal more to me. The world we live in today, in which young men and women as young as 17 and 18 are dying on foreign soil, is reminiscent of a world in which humanity lives in such a dire state of fear that they are willing to sacrifice the lives and innocence of an entire generation. The moral quandaries that Ender Wiggin faces mirror the life and death decisions that are put in the hands of soldiers today, still young enough to be called children. And the ending of the book (spoiler alert!), in which an older Ender Wiggin faces the demons of his past and finds redemption, is something that I have seen far too often in our own perilous times.

In my humble opinion, Ender's Game is a great read, whether you're simply looking for an entertaining story or a fictional study in ethics. And while the Ender's Shadow series is much more contemporary, I would firmly recommend the original sequels, starting with Speaker for the Dead, if you want to find a satisfying ending to the tale of Ender Wiggin. Hopefully, this book will last for another 20 years.

Goodness.......2007-10-04

This book made for a great bus ride to work. Easy to follow and can't wait to watch it play out in my head again.

Great introduction into Sci- Fi.......2007-10-03

If you never were the science fiction type this is a great one to get your feet wet. Enders game isn't too far out and doesn't make you feel too nerdy reading it. There are times where you really feel respect for ender the genius child who thinks more like a man. Well written and hard to put down.

One of the best science fiction books ever written.......2007-09-23

I read this book for the first time nearly 20 years ago and still recall it's excellent story line. Ender and his siblings are developed into incredibly realistic and believable characters. Ender's Game is perfectly written and perfectly concluded. Definitely one of the best ever.

Ender's Game.......2007-09-03

The book Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, was a fabulous piece of work. In the story aliens have invaded planet Earth and then retreated. The world has united in trying to fight the enemy. They are training young gifted children in the ways of military strategy. The story takes place on a training ship in outer space. For training, the children must learn to battle each other in a simulation room, these are called games. Ender Wiggins, the main character, is the smallest and youngest of the recruits. He must fight his way through battle school and overcome many obstacles to prove that he is the best.

Orson Scott Card was born on August 24, 1951 in the state of Washington. He won the Hugo award and the Nebula award in consecutive years, making him the first author to ever do that. He won those awards with Ender's Game and its sequel, Speaker for the Dead. Currently Card is a professor of writing and literature at Southern Virginia University. He is also still writing books.

The end of the story had an unbelievable twist that would catch any reader off guard. The book deals with moral issues that every one struggles with. Card is able to use children to set an example to everyone. The way the children ban together to triumph over the challenges is inspiring. He also deals with issues of compassion, mercy, and the greater good. Also, throughout the story the reader gains an excellent understanding of all the characters because their development is very expressive. Battle school not only teaches the children about war but it makes them grow up very fast.

Overall the book was a joy to read. The action was intense and the dialogue was intriguing. Although there were dull moments they were few and far between. The dull moments come during training periods when everything seems routine. However, these dull moments do not last long and are generally followed by intense action.

This book is a great read for young adults and adult readers. Some parts may be too violent or frightening for younger readers. There are two sets of books that follow Ender's Game. The Ender Series which follows Ender's life after this book and the Shadow Series which follows a character Ender meets at Battle School. Both series are excellent reads after Ender's Game.

Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey

Average customer rating:

great book!!!
Saucerful of Secrets
What do I have to say to make you buy this book??
Lukewarm
Great Read. Highly Recommended.

Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey
Nicholas Schaffner
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385306849
Release Date: 1992-06-01

Book Description

Saucerful of Secrets is the first in-depth biography of this very private group. At the heart of the saga is Syd Barrett, the group's brilliant founder, whose public decline into shattered incoherence--attributable in part to his marathon use of LSD--is one of the tragedies of rock history. The making of Dark Side of the Moon and Floyd's other great albums is recounted in detail, as are the mounting of "The Wall" and the creation of the flying pigs, crashing planes, "Mr. Screen" and the other elements of their spectacular stage shows. The book also explores the many battles between bass player/song writer Roger Waters and the rest of the group, leading up to Water's acrimonious departure for a solo career in 1984 and his unsuccessful attempt to disolve the group he had left behind.

Saucerful of Secrets is an electrifying account of this ground-breaking, mind-bending group, covering every period of their career from earliest days to latest recordings. It is full of revealing information that will be treasured by all who love Pink Floyd's music.

Customer Reviews:

great book!!!.......2007-09-14

As a true Pink Floyd fan I can sincerely say that the author of the book does a great job in telling the story of this great band.

Saucerful of Secrets.......2007-02-10

Buy Nick Mason's "Inside Out" biographical book instead. Much better - great photos & the real story. This one's a snoozer.

What do I have to say to make you buy this book??.......2007-01-05

Its incredible, best book about Pink Floyd you will ever read.

If you're a fan, whether it is an avid fan or a casual fan, you will enjoy this book. It features wonderful details about the especially elusive Syd years, and it starts well before Pink Floyd was still The Pink Floyd Sound. It tells the entire story of how the band was formed, their live band stage, their success with dark side, all the way until the end of their career.

Highly Recommended

Lukewarm.......2006-09-25

(I meant to give this two stars, whoops...)
I'm surprised at the the general acceptence that this is a great bio, and that the negative reviews don't seem to really express very developed thoughts. I had a negative reaction to the book for a few reasons.

As one reviewer put it, the book is generally anti-Waters, and very much pro-Syd and the rest. Have whatever opionion you wish, but there was an apparent bias in the text which should be left out.

One thing that very much annoyed me was that the author uses song and album titles as modifying phrases as much as possible, and it comes off as horribly cliche and tacky. For instance in reference to Syd and Dave's time spent in France, the author concludes with "They were certaintly learning the 'Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking'." Not a huge deal, but I'd expect that from a B grade high school essay.

This is not the first book I've read on the Floyd, the third or fourth, of which this is the most dated. So for the most part there was very little information I didn't already know. The exception being a few pieces of information on the days with Syd and some detail on how Syd spent his time after Floyd. Also there were tid-bits about the post Water's Floyd that I wasn't aware of. So while this is not entierly the author's fault, what surprised me was the incredible lack of information on the band from about 1969-1980, which is probably the period most readers are interested in. This period is almost exlusively dedicated to explaining their albums. Basically by giving a bit of information on some of the major songs and a description on the albums impact. I have recently read Bob Spitz's wonderful biography on the Beatles, and I was just simply amazed at the level of detail the author goes into. You get and very firm impression of what it was like to be a Beatle and you see them on many dimensions. So I was very underwhelmed by the lack of content in Saucerful of Secrets. You get one-dimension, and its the albums. I am very aware that Pink Floyd was a private band, but alot of talk about this book lead me to believe I would be getting much more than what I actually found.

If this were the first book I choose to read on the Floyd I'd probably have been satisfied, but if you are already a big fan I doubt you'll find much new here (also there were a few things that are just incorrect), though you'll probably read it anyway. Just don't expect too much or that you'll find it a particularly exciting read.

p.s. The author deems "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" a good album, had I known that before honestly I might not have read it.

Great Read. Highly Recommended........2006-07-12

I remember reading this book about 8 years ago. It still sticks with me. This book is huge. A lot of details about the early days of the band. I think almost half of it is about the Syd Barrett days. I recommend it to any true fan of Pink Floyd, Syd, or of Rock N Roll in general. I wish I didn't lend it out. I will be buying it again for sure. It's well worth it.

The Raj Quartet: The Jewel in the Crown/the Day of the Scorpion/the Towers of Silence/a Division of the Spoils

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Raj Quartet
Masterpiece Literature
An unquestionable masterpiece.
The Art of the Novel
a millennial work

The Raj Quartet: The Jewel in the Crown/the Day of the Scorpion/the Towers of Silence/a Division of the Spoils
Paul Scott
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688042120

Customer Reviews:

Raj Quartet.......2007-04-15

Paul Scott's following is small, but Loyal. He is a fantastic writer. The Raj Quartet by far, is my favourite favourite series of books by him because of its complexity and such extraordinary characters. His charactres are so indepth, so well played out that the reader feels that he or she knows them thouroughly. Its a historical epic, very well written, and its absolutely a must read.

Masterpiece Literature.......2006-12-01

About 25 years ago I got a list of the best 100 books of all time, and found "The Raj Quartet" by Paul Scott listed. I started at the beginning with "The Jewel in the Crown" and got bogged down. Coincidentally, PBS started its Masterpiece Theatre version. I watched a few of the episodes (actually all of them, eventually) and got back to reading. What I discovered was the best set of novels I've ever read, and each one an individual "jewel" as well. A pebble thrown, the towers of silence, and many other images stay with me, as well as the memory of Scott's beautiful writing and well-developed, complex characters, and the scope and importance of the story. If there wasn't so much else to read, I'd reread the whole set--sounds like a good retirement project some day.

An unquestionable masterpiece........2006-02-19

It has been too long since I read this book [probably 15 years ago] for me to offer an erudite and detailed analysis. But I do remember vividly that when I read it that the word "masterpiece" came repeatedly to my mind. In a league with Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" and Naipaul's "A House for Mr. Biswas". Find the time to read it; you won't regret it.

The Art of the Novel.......2003-01-16

The Raj Quartet (comprised of four novels) is in my ultimate top ten of great novels and my favourite work of fiction for the twentieth century. Paul Scott is up there up with Tolstoy and Jane Austen. The Raj Quartet is exquisite to read, every word and every sentence appears to have the perfection that Jane Austen bestowed on her works but on the majestic scale of Tolstoy's War and Peace.

The Raj Quartet is multi-layered, complex, beyond the apparent. Is it about a country? Or is it about two countries? Paul Scott deals with the years of the "great divorce" as it were, but now at the beginning of a new century the continuing implications of the historic British occupation are as fresh as ever, both in India and the UK, one example being the the unforseen post war immigration and lifting of racial barriers between two peoples (I myself am a product of a post war marriage between an Indian father and British mother).

The question of identity is explored. What makes an Indian? (still a relevant question in a subcontinent of such diverse cultures, religions, languages, outlooks, etc). What happens to a group (the Raj British) who are no longer needed in either India or Britain? (I recommend Staying On by Paul Scott which deals with a minor character who does stay on in India.)

Beyond the themes of history, colonialism and imperialism, there is the theme of the universal human experience. Who are we all really? Should we let our nationality and culture define who we are? Or as one character, Sarah Layton, finally have the courage to break free and define our own identity. Sarah at first is apart from "the other", then in one revealing scene (the ride with Ahmed) she subconsciously turns to face "the other" though unsuccessfully and finally in the beautifully written and incredibly sensual scene where she decides to dive into the forbidden (the seduction by Clark, who I see myself as Eros or the Hindu God of Love, Kama) she breaks through into her individuality, her "grace".

a millennial work.......2002-08-17

An outstanding piece of writing and a masterpiece, the Quartet compresses in four novels the essence of individual lives caught in the matrix of history. What is karma and dharma? The novels examine these as best Scott can in trying to articulate his artistic vision of the tragedy of history and of individual lives. History is impersonal and is from a God's-eye view, our own lives are subjective and given differing perspectives and are all that we have to imperfectly cling to. In that personal vantage point is salvation and hell all in one. Check out Scott's "Staying On" as well which is his farewell to the Indian scene and the characters we've come to know. A sliding farewell into oblivion, just as Scott himself fell into his twilight years.

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Great things come in small packages
Fascinating, Erotic Travelogue of the Mind

DESERT QUARTET: An Erotic Landscape
Terry Tempest Williams
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert
An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field
Coyote's Canyon
The Open Space of Democracy (New Patriotism)
Leap

ASIN: 0679439994
Release Date: 1995-09-26

Book Description

Beautifully illuminated with drawings and paintings by noted artist Mary Frank, Williams, one of the West's most intense and lyrical writers, invokes the lure and drama of the landscape. This is an incandescent meditation--in word and image--on the physical vastness and beauty of the desert and the spiritual place one woman finds for herself there.

Customer Reviews:

Great things come in small packages.......2000-08-12

Williams has put together a visceral, haunting, beautiful stream of consciousness aria here. This little tiny book has become one of my very favorite works over the past few years I have owned a copy of it. It is one of those books that tends to find itself hidden on my bookshelf, and when I rediscover it I am in for a real treat. This is the story of a woman who is so aware of her soul that it is almost ethereal. Walking the slot canyons of Utah and Arizona has always brought out powerful emotions within me, but after reading this book a few times I literally lose myself in the earth when hiking there now. Yes, this is a tale of love and love-making, but on such a spiritual level that it is easy to fall asleep and drift into a dreamy, watery place of serenity after reading it. What more can a book offer than that???? Save yourself the money usually spent on a "relaxing vacation" to a crowded get-away and set a fire in the fireplace, put on some Loreena McKennit and lose yourself in this treasure of a book. Mary Frank's sketches and watercolors set the stage and Terry Tempest Williams provides the magic carpet.

Fascinating, Erotic Travelogue of the Mind.......2000-06-27

This book is short: 62 pages is an exaggeration, since many of those pages are filled with sketches and since the book itself is only about the size of a CD case. But what it lacks in length it more than makes up for in beauty. Terry Tempest Williams is an incredible, widely respected writer, and this book was released to much critical acclaim. Her book details a woman hiking in the canyons of southern Utah, and the thoughts that flash through her mind as she walks, and the freedom she feels in nature: the kinds of thoughts we all have when we go hiking, but aren't able to put down on paper as well as she.

The thoughts the author has are the reason those of us who love the outdoors love them so much. The solitary, beautiful, amazing feeling of being alone - literally or figuratively - with the earth (or God - your pick) in its magnificent splendor, and of the thrill of being alive.

Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflower Quartet, Bk. 1)
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Gone With the Wind???

Powerful start to new series

Secrets of a Summer Night

One Terrific Read!

Kind of bland

Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflower Quartet, Bk. 1)
Lisa Kleypas
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Dreaming of You

Where Dreams Begin (Avon Historical Romance)

ASIN: 0060091290
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Book Description

In London in 1843, a marriage–minded girl can overcome almost any obstacle – except for the lack of a dowry. Annabelle Peyton – beautiful, witty, charming Annabelle – lacks a dowry, and so she is staring down a third season as a wallflower. In the chairs next to her at every local ball are three women whose company she has grown quite used to, each with their unmarriageable flaws, each without hope of being asked to dance.

But their fates are about to change. Because, banded together, these wallflowers are a force to be reckoned with. They are able to take on matchmaking mamas with the flick of a fan, capable of setting up private moments with even the most elusive bachelors, and faster than a speeding ladies' maid when it comes to dressing for dinner. In fact, they are such a team that they decide to take on the Annabelle's biggest challenge of all: Simon Hunt, a mere mister with more money than a prince and less interest in marriage than, well, a prince. As unlikely a match as they may seem, there is a spark between them that can be seen by absolutely everybody.

Download Description

Four young ladies enter London society with one common goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband.So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.

Annabelle Peyton, determined to save her family from disaster, decides to use her beauty and wit to tempt a suitable nobleman into making an offer of marriage. But Annabelle's most intriguing -- and persistent -- admirer, wealthy, powerful Simon Hunt, has made it clear that while he will introduce her to irresistible pleasure he will not offer marriage. Annabelle is determined to resist his unthinkable proposition ... but it is impossible in the face of such skillful seduction.

Her friends, looking to help, conspire to entice a more suitable gentleman to offer for Annabelle, for only then will she be safe from Simon -- and her own longings. But on one summer night, Annabelle succumbs to Simon's passionate embrace and tempting kisses ... and she discovers that love is the most dangerous game of all.

Customer Reviews:

Gone With the Wind???.......2007-09-18

First off, let me say that I am a HUGE Lisa Kleypas fan. No one writes a self-made man with SCORCHING sensuality like this author. She is in a league with just a few other authors...(McNaught, Garwood, Quinn, Howard, and Putney).

With all that being said, this was not one of my favorite's.

First of all, I really felt like I do when I watch Gone With the Wind. Scarlett is a spoiled, materialistic, self-centered character. The heroine of this novel is the same way. I tried to like Annabelle, but until the last two chapters of the book, I could barely tolerate her. She was entirely concerned about status, wealth, and landing a member of the peer. Shallow is another word I would use to describe her. Kleypas writes that she is this way to save her mother and brother from financial ruin and exploitaton, but I just didn't buy it.

Just like Rhett is obsessed with Scarlet in Gone With the Wind, so is Simon Hunt with Annabelle. I get frustrated when great heros get obsessed with shallow women..it seems like such a waste of a good man. For the life of me I have no idea why Rhett loved Scarlett and I am perplexed why a great man like Simon Hunt would be so obsessed with a woman's beauty that he'd see past her character defects.

I definitely will read the rest of this quartet...(Autumn, Winter, and Spring), but the first book is definitely not a keeper for me...a true rareity with a Kleypas novel.

Powerful start to new series.......2007-09-11

Annabelle Peyton is one of four young women who are having problems finding a husband amongst the British nobility for varying reasons. The four women, Annabelle, Daisy and Lillian Bowman, and Evie Jenner become friends and call themselves the wallflowers.

Annabelle's father died and left her and her mother penniless and Annabelle without a dowry. Even though Annabelle is beautiful, men know that if her circumstances become desperate enough they can have her as a mistress instead of marrying her. The wallflowers begin to work together to find husbands but Annabelle situation is growing desperate if she doesn't find a husband this season it is unlikely she will marry. Simon Hunt, a commoner who found his fortune in the locomotive industry desires Annabelle but he doesn't plan on ever marrying. However, he will do anything to get Annabelle. Unfortunately for Simon, Annabelle loathes him. Although she cannot deny her attraction, something about the arrogant Simon infuriates her.

This was a wonderfully written book and Annabelle and Simon were intriguing characters. The villan was sufficiently creepy and the action quick paced. Great start.

Secrets of a Summer Night.......2007-09-03

ISBN 0060091290 - Not following too many of the generic rules of romance novels has worked for Kleypas, making her one of the few romance authors I would read from again of my own choice.

Since her father died, Annabelle and her family have fallen on hard times, financially, when she discovers that her mother has taken a different fall of her own - assuming the role of mistress to a pig of a man to help pay the bills. Annabelle feels the pressure of the need to marry well, which will save her mother from Lord Hodgeham and keep her brother in school. Landing a man with a title and money isn't just an issue of snobbery, it's a must. Her upbringing has taught her that she should marry a peer and her families dire straits requires that he be wealthy enough to help them. Unfortunately, Annabelle doesn't have a dowry and without a dowry, she's just a pretty face, more likely to end up someone's mistress than the wife of a peer. After almost 4 seasons without an offer of marriage, Annabelle's on the verge of becoming a spinster.

Decidedly not the right man, Simon Hunt is the son of a butcher. He's wealthy, but in the low-class way of having worked for it. Worse, he likes to talk about work and making money. Some of the peerage invites him to places he really doesn't belong, throwing he and Annabelle in each other's way. She admits she finds him attractive, but she's got her mind set on marrying a certain sort of man. And she has a plan.

As the season began to draw to a close, Annabelle found herself sitting with 3 other girls. They'd sat together often, watching others dance, but never spoken. One night, however, that changes and the four girls make a pact to help each other find husbands. They've all got their own reasons for ending up wallflowers: Evie's family is wealthy but common and the Bowman sisters, Lillian and Daisy, are American and a bit too rough around the edges. They're only accepted at all into society because their father is very rich. The four become fast friends and the husband hunting begins with Annabelle's plight, since she is oldest.

The story of the girls' friendship is given more ink than the usual romance novel drivel, which is a huge plus. The girls are funny and real and I hope Kleypas realizes, through the next three books, that the romance isn't nearly as interesting as they are and keeps them centerstage. Simon and Annabelle don't follow the standard romance novel pattern too closely, either, with no other man/woman thrown between them and no major misunderstandings to muddy up the romance. That alone makes this one worthy of a quick read.

One Terrific Read!.......2007-08-24

This story was so beautiful. I love the entire wallflower series, I only wished I'd read them in order! Once again Kleypas has outdid herself.

Kind of bland.......2007-08-21

I'm glad I didn't read this book, the beginning of the Wallflower series, first otherwise, I might not have read the other three. This book is a very slow start to an otherwise entertaining series. It Happened One Autumn is good, The Devil in Winter is amazingly written and Scandal in Spring is extremely entertaining. However, as much as I didn't really enjoy Simon and Annabelle's story, I did enjoy reading about them in the following books. All in all, a good series and if you've read this one first and didn't care for it, don't let it stop you from reading the following books. They're much, much better.

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great story, many points to discuss
Sure to be a Classic
The foundation of a mega-novel
Great book by a questionable author
A glimpse into why Indonesia is (still) a mess of a nation

This Earth of Mankind (Buru Quartet)
Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140256350

Customer Reviews:

great story, many points to discuss.......2007-04-11

I enjoyed Minke's story. Pram is an excellent writer. His prose invokes visual representation as you read through the pages and the pages seem to turn themselves. The book is set in a time and place of which I know little yet I felt, while reading this book, that I could see it and imagine it. I haven't yet gone on to read the rest of the books in the series, so don't know how the characters develop later. Annelies' character gives me much grist for the mill with her passive inability to cope with life or meet events as an equal with her mother and husband and her obsession with what she is not - 'native'. The constant reference in the book to pure, native, half blood is worthy of further analysis. Being from a former English colony (New Zealand) I don't get the impression that this narrative was nearly as prominent there as it seems to have been in Indonesia. I wonder, is this a reflection on the Dutch colonialists or on Indonesia? In all, a good read with much to occupy the reader's attention upon completion.

Sure to be a Classic.......2007-03-19

These 4 wonderful books by the late, great Pramoedya, should take their rightful place on the Classic Self with Dickens, Shakespeare, and Dostoevsky. I read the last one, "House of Glass", first and am not sure that is a good way to do it. This one I found even more beautiful. Cheers to the translator; and thanks to him for sacrificing his job for this art.

An upper class brilliant young Javanese scholar, being groomed by the Dutch, and a ravishingly beautiful young daughter of a rich Dutchman and his Javanese concubine fall hopelessly in love. The wicked brother and rightful heir intercedes, with overtones of the oppressed (Javanese) and the oppressor (Holland). What a story! Probably the most romantic and most beautifully written book I have read in years (of course the fact that I read it in central Java may have added even more emotion and meaning). Anyway, I cannot wait to get on to the next of the four.

The foundation of a mega-novel.......2007-01-31

'This Earth of Mankind' is the first novel in Pram Toer's Buru Quartet, and details the life of a unique Indonesian, Minke, whose awareness of the country and the world he lives in expands due to his education and interaction with a variety of characters, whose masks and motives are slowely revealed (in this and the other novels in the BQ). TEOM opened a whole new world to me. The depiction of the culture clash is especially good, the influence of European - mostly Dutch - and Asian ideas, and how Indonesia was a plaything of colonialism for centuries. And within that are the people, and those PT has peopled his novel with are richly drawn. Thus TEOM is part history lesson, part literature.

PT also has the gift of the epigram: 'pity is the feeling of well-intentioned people who are unable to act'; and 'the life of the soul and the psyche are not mentioned in offical letters'. The loftly pronouncement is often on display too: 'How can human beings be looked upon purely from the point of view of official documents and without considering their essence as human beings?' Only a man who has spent long periods of his life imprisoned could write a sentence as powerful as that - and PT has, and then some. The man has suffered. And the greatest insult is that he was never awarded the Nobel Prize that he so obviously earned.

Great book by a questionable author.......2006-09-01

This book is great and is an interesting insight into Indonesian culture. However, I have mixed feelings about the author, who to the end of his life was bitter that he had been imprisoned for political purposes (as he should be) but never understood the bitterness of others such as Mochtar Lubis at Pramoedya's hypocrisy.

Pramoedya was a supporter of Sukarno and the communist party in Indonesia (although he didn't officially join the party), and was a strong, outspoken advocate of having other authors banned if they didn't support 'the revolution'. He ridiculed a group that called for free speech, freedom of ideas and basic human rights for all - a group that objected to art and culture being censored for political reasons (the Manifes Kebudayaan). Pramoedya called for those advocating free speech to be 'pushed aside' (perhaps only figuratively - he hopefully didn't want them to be imprisoned, but he certainly wanted them banned).

One member of this group, Mochtar Lubis, spent years in jail for being anti-communist. Pramoedya never spoke a word against the way Lubis was treated. Yet when the next repressive dictator, Suharto (who was anti- rather than pro-communist), threw Promoedya in jail, Mochtar Lubis visited him while he was in exile on Buru Island and helped him to get paper and a typewriter. To the end of his life, Pramoedya was outspoken in condemning how he personally had been treated but never, as far as I've been able to find, said a word against the jailing of Lubis and other anti-communists.

Another aspect that appears inconsistent is that Pramoedya seemed to blame all of Indonesia's problems on foreign ideas and foreign influence, yet his proposed solution was to adopt China's version of communism. Did he think that Marx and Mao were Indonesian? How could an intelligent, reasonable person visit China during Mao's rule and come back thinking that another country should voluntarily condemn itself to a similar system?

You should read his books, since Pramoedya was quite a writer and you'll learn something about Indonesian culture. But I plan to also look for some novels by Mochtar Lubis. Lubis' book Twilight in Djakarta was the first Indonesian novel ever translated into English.

A glimpse into why Indonesia is (still) a mess of a nation.......2006-05-26

I admire this book very much and I'm not at all surprised that it was subjected to a ban and Pramoedya prosecuted as a result. Without hesitation (or even, if I may say, guilt to his own "ancestors") Pramoedya bared in the open those very aspects of Indonesian people that have allowed colonialists to oppress them for hundreds of years. The book is as relevant today as when it was first written about 40 years ago as Indonesia clearly has not rid itself of colonialism, albeit a home-grown one. This book has in its own unique way helped me see why my birth country, Indonesia, is still a third-world country, despite the the vast natural resources that she owns.

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