Reviews Written By: A1G9FX1KV45N41provided by Amazon.com |
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 | Pillars of the Earth | |
 | "Epic historical thriller" | 2009-10-08 |
| A riveting, rich and emotionally intense but highly readable and page turning masterpiece, takes us into the heart of life in 12th century England.
It is 1220 and a jongleur (bard) by the name of Jack is unjustly hung for a theft he did not commit that he was framed for by selfish and corrupt men. His 15 year old lover Ellen curses the men responsible beginning a saga that ill take us over 51 years, and the waxing and waning fortunes of three families, and a priory, and the struggle to build a cathedral, against overwhelming odds. Tom Builder is made destitute after he is dismissed by the cruel young son of a local landlord, William Hamleigh, who will be the primary villain of the story, his family is made destitute, his wife Agnes dies after giving birth to a baby son who is left in the forest but is taken in and brought up by the monks of the Kinsbridge priory. Tom and his oafish son Alfred and sensitive and kindly young daughter Martha wonder the forests of the county, and Tom soon meets up the passionate and mysterious Ellen, and her strange son Jack. After much suffering Tom is employed, in a twist of fate, to build a new cathedral at Kingsbridge, Meanwhile the evil Hamleighs dispossess the Earl of Shiring, Lord Bartholomew of his fiefdom, after they find out that he had been supporting the rival to King Stephen in the civil war raging across England, Queen Maud. Bartholomew is the father of the girl who spurned the marriage to William, the spirited, proud and beautiful girl, Aliena. William brutally rapes Aliena and tortures her younger brother Richard, before evicting them from the castle they grew up in, and they too must battle to find life, destitute and starving. Aliena makes an oath to her dying father in jail, that she will not rest until Richard has regained the earldom stolen from then by the Hamleighs. What follows is a passionate, always exciting, and always well structured and richly colourful and richly human historical epic. As fortunes of people and families wax and wane, the eventual battle between the protagonists and antagonists draws to a climax, that is stunning and absorbing. not hard to see why this indeed, one of Britain's best loved novels from the last two decades, from a master of spy and detective novels. | ||
 | Citizens : A Chronicle of the French Revolution | |
| "violence was the revolution!" | 2009-10-01 |
| These chronicles of the French Revolution present the history of these bloody events without any of the shallow propaganda about the revolution as being an even of liberty, equality and fraternity, that you may have learned at school.
Rather the revolution was about bloodshed and mass murder. In essence, as the author painstakingly illustrates-violence was the revolution. The truth is that social reforms were underway under Louis XV who truly had the welfare of the poor at heart, but the forces unleashed by modernization could not be managed by him of his ministers. The author rejects the school of history that puts history down to impersonal social or economic forces, or 'structure', History is about people, the famous and the common. History is about individual agency. This volume illustrates how the moderates who had the concern of the national at heart, such as Mirabeau, Necker, Lafayette, Talleyrand and Brissot, and others died or were exiled or murdered, as bloodthirsty radicals such as Marat, Robespierre, Herbert and Saint Just took control, plunging France into bloodshed and terror. Schama does spare the details of of mass executions and mass murders of entire regions and towns such as the Vendee and Lyons. Robespierre referred after one particularly ruthless massacre to the "most beautiful revolution that has ever graced humanity." Marat, Robespierre and Saint Just referred to terror as virtuous and the engine of change that in words that would be taken up and elaborated by even more ruthless and bloodthirsty tyrants like Lenin and Mao, who would take mass murder and politicide to far greater levels,, dwarfing the excesses of the French Revolution. The author describes the grotesque demonization of Marie Antonette, who was turned by vile propaganda from a victim to a villain, making way for her murder and the cruel fate of her children at the hands of the revolutionaries. Revolutionary regimes never improve the conditions of the ordinary people of a nation but give power to the degenerates of a society and sew bloodshed, cruelty and suffering, as well as increasing poverty and deprivations. | ||
 | Cutthroat Island | |
| "A barrell of fun" | 2009-09-13 |
| There is never a dull moment in this swashbuckling action adventure with brilliant actors, thrilling action, and exciting search for thre portions of a treasure map, and exquistely recreated scenery.
The scene is recreated brilliantly even if the action is hard to belive, it is a pleasure to watch. Geena Davis is sizzlingly hot as female pirate captain Morgan, and in my opinion a sexier action actress than Angelina Jolie. And Davis plays the role with such enthusiasm and panache, she is a pleasure to watch. Morgan and the slave she has bought in an auction in Port Royal, the roguish thief Shaw, must sail around the Caribbean kicking arse of bad guys pursued by her evil uncle Captain Dawg (with a smooth performance as the chief villain by Frank Langella determined to end Morgan's life after slaying her father Harry and her favourite uncle Mordechai. Adding to our friends' difficulties is being pursued by the British navy led by the corrupt and cunning Governor Ainslee (Patrick Malahide) and including the bumbling Captain Trotter. I've never seen better recreation of 17th century Port Royal. And the pirates are suitably roguish while Morgan's rough crew show her touching loyalty. | ||
 | Cutthroat Island | |
| "A barrell of fun" | 2009-09-13 |
| There is never a dull moment in this swashbuckling action adventure with brilliant actors, thrilling action, and exciting search for thre portions of a treasure map, and exquistely recreated scenery.
The scene is recreated brilliantly even if the action is hard to belive, it is a pleasure to watch. Geena Davis is sizzlingly hot as female pirate captain Morgan, and in my opinion a sexier action actress than Angelina Jolie. And Davis plays the role with such enthusiasm and panache, she is a pleasure to watch. Morgan and the slave she has bought in an auction in Port Royal, the roguish thief Shaw, must sail around the Caribbean kicking arse of bad guys pursued by her evil uncle Captain Dawg (with a smooth performance as the chief villain by Frank Langella determined to end Morgan's life after slaying her father Harry and her favourite uncle Mordechai. Adding to our friends' difficulties is being pursued by the British navy led by the corrupt and cunning Governor Ainslee (Patrick Malahide) and including the bumbling Captain Trotter. I've never seen better recreation of 17th century Port Royal. And the pirates are suitably roguish while Morgan's rough crew show her touching loyalty. | ||
![Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl [Blu-ray]](product_images/4924000/4924474_thumb.jpg) | Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl [Blu-ray] | |
| "Greatest pirate adventure in a long time" | 2009-09-06 |
| Starring Johnny Depp in his unforgettable performance as the swashbuckling pirate Captain Jack Sparrow , combining a unique roguish charm , wit and swashbuckling super-antics, like no other in years.
The damsel in distress, Elizabeth Swann, played by the gorgeous Kiera Knightley, with tantalizing combination of spunk and femininity, and Orlando bloom as her beloved, Will Turner. Elizabeth is kidnapped by evil pirates who are actually undead in a bid to find Aztec gold and lift an ancient curse. Will grudgingly teams up with Captain Sparrow to rescue Elizabeth. What follows is Elizabeth's nightmare capture by the frightening ghostly pirates, while Captain Sparrow has to dodge the British Navy, whom have sentenced him to death, escaping several near hangings, and escapades with the heroes and villains through the enchanting Caribbean islands. I though that Depp and Knightley were, as always, remarkable. One of the best Disney performances since the golden age of the 70s. | ||
 | Pirates Of Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (PSP) | |
| "Greatest pirate adventure in a long time" | 2009-09-06 |
| Starring Johnny Depp in his unforgettable performance as the swashbuckling pirate Captain Jack Sparrow , combining a unique roguish charm , wit and swashbuckling super-antics, like no other in years.
The damsel in distress, Elizabeth Swann, played by the gorgeous Kiera Knightley, with tantalizing combination of spunk and femininity, and Orlando bloom as her beloved, Will Turner. Elizabeth is kidnapped by evil pirates who are actually undead in a bid to find Aztec gold and lift an ancient curse. Will grudgingly teams up with Captain Sparrow to rescue Elizabeth. What follows is Elizabeth's nightmare capture by the frightening ghostly pirates, while Captain Sparrow has to dodge the British Navy, whom have sentenced him to death, escaping several near hangings, and escapades with the heroes and villains through the enchanting Caribbean islands. I though that Depp and Knightley were, as always, remarkable. One of the best Disney performances since the golden age of the 70s. | ||
 | Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl | |
| "Greatest pirate adventure in a long time" | 2009-09-06 |
| Starring Johnny Depp in his unforgettable performance as the swashbuckling pirate Captain Jack Sparrow , combining a unique roguish charm , wit and swashbuckling super-antics, like no other in years.
The damsel in distress, Elizabeth Swann, played by the gorgeous Kiera Knightley, with tantalizing combination of spunk and femininity, and Orlando bloom as her beloved, Will Turner. Elizabeth is kidnapped by evil pirates who are actually undead in a bid to find Aztec gold and lift an ancient curse. Will grudgingly teams up with Captain Sparrow to rescue Elizabeth. What follows is Elizabeth's nightmare capture by the frightening ghostly pirates, while Captain Sparrow has to dodge the British Navy, whom have sentenced him to death, escaping several near hangings, and escapades with the heroes and villains through the enchanting Caribbean islands. I though that Depp and Knightley were, as always, remarkable. One of the best Disney performances since the golden age of the 70s. | ||
 | Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl | |
| "Greatest pirate adventure in a long time" | 2009-09-06 |
| Starring Johnny Depp in his unforgettable performance as the swashbuckling pirate Captain Jack Sparrow , combining a unique roguish charm , wit and swashbuckling super-antics, like no other in years.
The damsel in distress, Elizabeth Swann, played by the gorgeous Kiera Knightley, with tantalizing combination of spunk and femininity, and Orlando bloom as her beloved, Will Turner. Elizabeth is kidnapped by evil pirates who are actually undead in a bid to find Aztec gold and lift an ancient curse. Will grudgingly teams up with Captain Sparrow to rescue Elizabeth. What follows is Elizabeth's nightmare capture by the frightening ghostly pirates, while Captain Sparrow has to dodge the British Navy, whom have sentenced him to death, escaping several near hangings, and escapades with the heroes and villains through the enchanting Caribbean islands. I though that Depp and Knightley were, as always, remarkable. One of the best Disney performances since the golden age of the 70s. | ||
 | The Complete Ghost Stories of Charles Dickens | |
| "After one a half centuries still guarantees to thrill and chill" | 2009-09-02 |
| A fascinating and lesser known side of Charles' Dickens work is his flair for ghost stories.
Dickens showed a fascination with ghosts and the macabre and was a masterpiece of this wonderful genre. Most well known is his ghostly parable-'A Christmas Carol', of the visit to the bitter and tight fist ed miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, by three ghosts which started the tradition of 'the ghost story at Christmas'. Other Christmas ghost stories by Dickens in this volume include ' the weird and wonderful 'Christmas Ghosts' and 'The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton'. And another story of redemption by ghosts is 'The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain'. From the gruesome 'Captain Murderer and the Devil's Bargain' to the brilliantly humorous 'The Lawyer and the Ghost' and 'The Queer Chair'. There is the strange twist in the adventure 'The Ghosts of the Mail' and an examination of insanity and villainy in 'A Madman's Manuscript'. Eerie stories of revenge, bizarre coincidences and the macabre from a pioneer in modern ghost stories, written in beautiful and penetrating English, while after one a half centuries still guarantees to thrill and chill. | ||
 | When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa | |
| "The disintegration of a family set against the backdrop of the destruction of a nation" | 2009-07-09 |
Using his own experiences and that of his own family to illustrate the tragedy of how the ego of a vile old man and the poison of revolutionary totalitarian politics (wherever it exists in the world) has destroyed a nation once known as the bread basket of Africa. The author covers the reign of terror begun by Robert Mugabe and his Stalinist ZANU PF since he lost a crucial referendum in 2000 and began to lose support to the social-democratic Movement for Democratic Change. A shocking expose not only of the brutal attacks and murders of White farmers but also the terror and politicide perpetrated by Mugabe's Brown Shirts (the incorrectly named War Veterans)against Zimbabwe's masses. One of Mugabe's top Cabinet ministers, Didymus Mutasa responded to reports of mass famine in Zimbabwe by In 2002, he stating that it would be a good thing if the population were halved: "We would be better off with only six million people, with our own people who supported the liberation struggle. We don't want all these extra people." Not long after that South Africa's then Minister of Intelligence Stalinist hardliner Ronnie Kasrils appeared together in a press conference with Mutasa in South Africa where Kasrils referred to Mugabe's regime as 'our allies' and said that 'South Africa and Zimbabwe have a common world view and will march forward together step by step". Much of South Africa's wealthy ruling party elite greatly support and admire Mugabe's ZANUPF regime as do ultra-left radicals around the world, as Zimbabwe's people are massacred and subjected to famine by this regime. Grizzly evidence of the destruction and murder visited by the ZANU PF militia on Zimbabwe's people and animal life too. Also interesting is the revelation that the authors father was not British as he thought he was but a Polish Jew whose family perished in Hitler's holocaust. Mugabe and his regime are nothing new and we have seen similar brutal regimes with an iron grip on power existing today such as North Korea, Red China and Iran, as well as Saddam Hussein's genocidal regime in Iraq removed by the USA in 2003. | ||
 | The Gulag Archipelago: 1918-1956 | |
| "An expose on the evil heart of Communism" | 2009-07-07 |
| One of the most monumental accounts of one of the cruellest ideologies of history,this book should be read by all Layer by layer Solzhenitsyn exposes the hideous system of imprisonment ,death and torture that he refers to as the 'Gulag Archipelago' He strips away that the misconception of the good Tsar Lenin betrayed by his evil heirs and exposes how it was Lenin and his henchmen who put into place the brutal totalitarianism , which would be inherited and continued by Stalin In fact the only thing that Stalin really did differently was to introduce a more personalised ,Imperial style of rule but otherwise carried on the evil work of Lenin It was Lenin who imprisoned the Cadets (Constitutional Democrats) , Mensheviks,Social Democrats,Social Revolutionaries Anarchists and independent intelligentsia and had many killed In this way he completely destroyed all opposition to Bolshevik hegemony Under Lenin the persecution started of anybody convicted of religious activity and the complete destruction of the church in Russia And it was Lenin who began the genocide of whole ethnic groups that would later gain momentum under Stalin Under the Communist system all that is spiritual or not purely material in nature is destroyed.And we discover what a horror Marx's idea of 'dialectic materialism ' really is But I cannot describe the horrors which Solzhenitsyn outlines in this book :the hideous torutres,the slave markets selling of young women into sexual slavery Solzhenitsyn describes how the prison system of the Tsarist system was compassionate by comparison but the mild abuses of Tsarist imprisonment where reacted to with a shrill outcry that never greeted the horrors of Bolshevism and Communism As he says in his ever present biting sarcasm "Its just not fashionable,just not fashionable And even today,even after the fall of Communism in Europe (though its iron grip remains strong in parts of Asia,Africa and in Cuba) its still not regarded as fashionable to highlight the horrors of Communism as it is to do so for other human rights abuses of this and other centuries | ||
| The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956 : An Experiment in Literary Investigation I-II | |
| "An expose on the evil heart of Communism" | 2009-07-07 |
| One of the most monumental accounts of one of the cruellest ideologies of history,this book should be read by all
Layer by layer Solzhenitsyn exposes the hideous system of imprisonment ,death and torture that he refers to as the 'Gulag Archipelago' He strips away that the misconception of the good Tsar Lenin betrayed by his evil heirs and exposes how it was Lenin and his henchmen who put into place the brutal totalitarianism , which would be inherited and continued by Stalin In fact the only thing that Stalin really did differently was to introduce a more personalised ,Imperial style of rule but otherwise carried on the evil work of Lenin It was Lenin who imprisoned the Cadets (Constitutional Democrats) , Mensheviks,Social Democrats,Social Revolutionaries Anarchists and independent intelligentsia and had many killed In this way he completely destroyed all opposition to Bolshevik hegemony Under Lenin the persecution started of anybody convicted of religious activity and the complete destruction of the church in Russia And it was Lenin who began the genocide of whole ethnic groups that would later gain momentum under Stalin Under the Communist system all that is spiritual or not purely material in nature is destroyed.And we discover what a horror Marx's idea of 'dialectic materialism ' really is But I cannot describe the horrors which Solzhenitsyn outlines in this book :the hideous torutres,the slave markets selling of young women into sexual slavery Solzhenitsyn describes how the prison system of the Tsarist system was compassionate by comparison but the mild abuses of Tsarist imprisonment where reacted to with a shrill outcry that never greeted the horrors of Bolshevism and Communism As he says in his ever present biting sarcasm "Its just not fashionable,just not fashionable And even today,even after the fall of Communism in Europe (though its iron grip remains strong in parts of Asia,Africa and in Cuba) its still not regarded as fashionable to highlight the horrors of Communism as it is to do so for other human rights abuses of this and other centuries | ||
 | I Have Lived A Thousand Years: Growing Up In The Holocaust | |
| "Dedicated to the children of Israel" | 2009-07-02 |
| Livia Bitton-Jackson tells her story as a young teenage child and how she survived the brutality of the Holocaust and the horrors of Auschwitz.Born Livia (Ellie) Friedmann in 1931 in the picturesque and sleepy town of Somorja between the Carpathians and the Danube, in a fairly religious Jewish home. At the age of 13 Ellie witnessed the invading Nazis sweeping into her town and the life of the family was turned upside down. Ellie as particularly upset at her brand new bicycle being taken way by the Nazis, together with all of the families positions as happened to all Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe before they were deported. She describes the heart wrenching scene where she sees her father for the last time before he is deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz. Ellie and her mother are later deported to Theresienstadt ghetto where they face starvation and extreme deprivation and then to the horrors of Auschwitz which she describes in horrific detail, in this factual and at the same time human and sensitive account. She describes the great suffering of the Jews in Auschwitz and the unbelievable brutality of the Nazis. She survived because a Nazi officer was intrigued by her blond hair and passed her onto the section of those who would be set to work rather than be sent straight away to be exterminated in the gas chambers. She describes her sadness, through her own starvation and suffering of seeing a consignment of small Jewish children, still pretty and fresh faced, having been newly arrived in Auschwitz and sent straight to their deaths in the gas chambers. Through her determination and series of miracles Ellie and her mother (who she took great care of and rescued) survived the Holocaust, as did her brother Bubi. but not before an ambush of the survivors by retreating Nazi forces after it became clear that Nazi Germany had lost the war. After surviving Auschwitz Elie looked sixty years old, according to a German women from a nearby village, who met the survivors The woman was shocked to discover that Elie was only 14 years old. After the war Elie desperately wanted to go to the Land of Israel which she knew was the only true home of the Jewish people , and that even in the USA they would really always be foreigners. Millions of Jewish survivors waited for certification that they would be allowed into what was then still British ruled 'Palestine'. But as she did not want to be separated from her family she went with them to New York instead in 1951. Even as the Jewish refugees arrived in New york the all sand Hatikvah, the Zionist anthem. Sung by so many thousands of Holocaust survivors. Livia dedicated this book the the children of Israel today who 'unclaimed and unsung risk their lives everyday, just by travelling to school in Judea, Samaria and Gaza for the sake of a secure peace in Israel-the only guarantee that a holocaust will never happen again" | ||
 | Chinese Cinderella : The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter (Laurel-Leaf Books) | |
 | "Heartbreaking tale of an unwanted child" | 2009-06-08 |
| Adeline Yen Mah has dedicated her autobiography to all 'unwanted' children and is indeed skilfully written and engaging book which will fill you with sadness and empathy as well as admirtaion for this little girl in Shanghai, whose mother died soon after she was born, and who faced a childhood of negelct and cruelty by her father and her truelly evil step mother 'Niang' . Her only allies in the household were her gradparents and her Aunt Baba. In some sense this as much resembles a true life Chinese Dickens type story . Her father forgot to fetch her from school, her father and stepmother beat her for visiting friends, ot because friends visited their home, neglected to her where Niang's own children were pampered and even set their dog to kill the little girl's beloved pet duck. When she was ten they sent her away to an orphanage, never visitng her or writing to her. When the Communists seized mainland China, in 1949, Adeline, at 11, moved with her family to Hong Kong where she attended boarding school. Adeline winning the prize in a prestiguous international writing competition persuaded her father to agree to send her to study medicine at Oxford University, England. This is an iunforgetabble, heartlifing but ulimately uplifting told with spirit and honesty. A skilfully written piece of modern literature. | ||
 | Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter | |
| "Heartbreaking tale of an unwanted child" | 2009-06-08 |
| Adeline Yen Mah has dedicated her autobiography to all 'unwanted' children and is indeed skilfully written and engaging book which will fill you with sadness and empathy as well as admirtaion for this little girl in Shanghai, whose mother died soon after she was born, and who faced a childhood of negelct and cruelty by her father and her truelly evil step mother 'Niang' . Her only allies in the household were her gradparents and her Aunt Baba. In some sense this as much resembles a true life Chinese Dickens type story . Her father forgot to fetch her from school, her father and stepmother beat her for visiting friends, ot because friends visited their home, neglected to her where Niang's own children were pampered and even set their dog to kill the little girl's beloved pet duck. When she was ten they sent her away to an orphanage, never visitng her or writing to her. When the Communists seized mainland China, in 1949, Adeline, at 11, moved with her family to Hong Kong where she attended boarding school. Adeline winning the prize in a prestiguous international writing competition persuaded her father to agree to send her to study medicine at Oxford University, England. This is an iunforgetabble, heartlifing but ulimately uplifting told with spirit and honesty. A skilfully written piece of modern literature. | ||
 | My Forbidden Face : Growing Up Under the Taliban - A Young Woman's Story | |
| "Powerful expose of Taliban tyranny" | 2009-05-26 |
| A fascinating and horrifying expose of life in Afghanistan under the Taliban (1996-2001), and the life of Latifa's family during and before this. We also read, as some of her family fought against the Soviet Occupation (1979-1989) of that horrifying period in the history of Afghanistan. In a sense then Afghanistan has had a similar history to Poland before her. A proud nation subjected first to genocidal Nazi occupation and the to Soviet backed Communist tyranny. Afghanistan went first through Communist rule (1978-1992) and then rule by the Islamo-Fascist Taliban. As the Taliban were backed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and as many of the Taliban were Pakistanis, Arabs and Chechens, and not all Afghans, this was also partially a foreign influenced occupation. The book describes life under Taliban rule, in the same way that holocaust testimonies tell of the horrors of the genocide of the Jews by the Nazis. Just reading the restriction placed by the Taliban on the people of Afghanistan, is harrowing enough. The people under Taliban rule were effectively deprived of everything that makes life worth living, and forced into a nightmarish existence of terror and melancholic gloom. Girls and women were not allowed to work outside their home or even leave their home without being accompanied by a male relative. Women and girls had to wear the burqa and were forbidden to wear colourful clothes beneath their burqa. Nail polish, lipstick and make-up were forbidden. And the penalties for breaking these rules were not just a fine, it was flogging and torture on the public square, sometimes death. No male doctor was permitted to touch the body of a female, "under the pretext of consultation". No women were allowed to engage in conversation with a young man. Families were forbidden from taking photos or making videos even during a wedding. People were forbidden to own pets. It brought a lump to my throat to read how Latifa's family had to give up their beloved Afghan hound. All non-Muslims, that is Hindus and Jews, had to wear yellow garments or some yellow cloth. Their houses had to bear a yellow flag so that they were recognizable. Hundreds of thousands of women were brutally raped and their genitals deliberately and hideously mutilated. And several little girls (aged seven to ten) were killed by the Taliban after it had been discovered they were attending classed as females were forbidden from any type of education whatsoever.Furthermore the Taliban engaged in ethnic cleansing. Thousands of the minority Hazara group were massacred by Taliban terrorists. The Taliban massacred thousands of people because of their ethnic or religious affiliation. Then there was the cultural genocide, the destruction of the ancient giant Buddhas in northern Afghanistan by the Taliban Latifa and her secretly taught classes for young girls at the risk of her own lives, and later went to Strasbourg to address the European parliament on the plight of the Afghan people. The truth is that Afghanistan was almost completely ignored by the world before being freed by American and allied forces at the end of 2001. It makes me sick to think that those who opposed the liberation of Afghanistan, never spoke up against the Taliban's unspeakable tyranny or the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Groups like the Workers World Party in the USA and George Galloway's RESPECT Party in the UK have even praised the Taliban as 'brave soldiers fighting against imperialism' Left Wing radicals don't want people to be free. | ||
 | My Forbidden Face: Growing Up Under the Taliban: A Young Woman's Story | |
| "Powerful expose of Taliban tyranny" | 2009-05-26 |
| A fascinating and horrifying expose of life in Afghanistan under the Taliban (1996-2001), and the life of Latifa's family during and before this. We also read, as some of her family fought against the Soviet Occupation (1979-1989) of that horrifying period in the history of Afghanistan. In a sense then Afghanistan has had a similar history to Poland before her. A proud nation subjected first to genocidal Nazi occupation and the to Soviet backed Communist tyranny. Afghanistan went first through Communist rule (1978-1992) and then rule by the Islamo-Fascist Taliban. As the Taliban were backed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and as many of the Taliban were Pakistanis, Arabs and Chechens, and not all Afghans, this was also partially a foreign influenced occupation. The book describes life under Taliban rule, in the same way that holocaust testimonies tell of the horrors of the genocide of the Jews by the Nazis. Just reading the restriction placed by the Taliban on the people of Afghanistan, is harrowing enough. The people under Taliban rule were effectively deprived of everything that makes life worth living, and forced into a nightmarish existence of terror and melancholic gloom. Girls and women were not allowed to work outside their home or even leave their home without being accompanied by a male relative. Women and girls had to wear the burqa and were forbidden to wear colourful clothes beneath their burqa. Nail polish, lipstick and make-up were forbidden. And the penalties for breaking these rules were not just a fine, it was flogging and torture on the public square, sometimes death. No male doctor was permitted to touch the body of a female, "under the pretext of consultation". No women were allowed to engage in conversation with a young man. Families were forbidden from taking photos or making videos even during a wedding. People were forbidden to own pets. It brought a lump to my throat to read how Latifa's family had to give up their beloved Afghan hound. All non-Muslims, that is Hindus and Jews, had to wear yellow garments or some yellow cloth. Their houses had to bear a yellow flag so that they were recognizable. Hundreds of thousands of women were brutally raped and their genitals deliberately and hideously mutilated. And several little girls (aged seven to ten) were killed by the Taliban after it had been discovered they were attending classed as females were forbidden from any type of education whatsoever.Furthermore the Taliban engaged in ethnic cleansing. Thousands of the minority Hazara group were massacred by Taliban terrorists. The Taliban massacred thousands of people because of their ethnic or religious affiliation. Then there was the cultural genocide, the destruction of the ancient giant Buddhas in northern Afghanistan by the Taliban Latifa and her secretly taught classes for young girls at the risk of her own lives, and later went to Strasbourg to address the European parliament on the plight of the Afghan people. The truth is that Afghanistan was almost completely ignored by the world before being freed by American and allied forces at the end of 2001. It makes me sick to think that those who opposed the liberation of Afghanistan, never spoke up against the Taliban's unspeakable tyranny or the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Groups like the Workers World Party in the USA and George Galloway's RESPECT Party in the UK have even praised the Taliban as 'brave soldiers fighting against imperialism' Left Wing radicals don't want people to be free. | ||
 | The Kite Runner | |
| "21st century classic" | 2009-05-24 |
| At once deeply moving and tragic and at the same time compelling page turner full of twists and turns. The kite-runner is a 21st century, immediately putting up Khlid Hosseini there with the great writers. An epic of realism which brings to life the troubles and horrors experienced by Afghanistan and her peoples during the 1978-1991 rule by the Communists, and the 1996-2002 rule by the Taliban. You will experience tear jerking moments followed by suspense to know what is going to happen next. It tells the story of Amir, the son of a rich businessman and his loyal friend Hassan, the son of a low cast servant, from the Hazari nation, despised by the majority Pashtuns which Amir's family belong to. Hassan's unwavering loyalty is met by a shocking betrayal by Amir and Hassan and his father Ali are eventually driven by Hassan out of his father's house. This will always haunt Amir. The golden age of modern Afghanistan under King Zaher Shah has come to an end (in 1973), the Communists have seized power (in 1978), and the Soviets have invaded Afghanistan. Amir' and his father bflee Afghanistan and begin a new life in the USA, where Amir marries and becomes a successful author. But he is called back to return to the Afghanistan under the Taliban reign of terror, and ethnic cleansing , to rescue Hassan's son Sorahb and so reddem himself from the ghosts of his past deeds. Sometimes fictional works have a awoken social consciousness about situations the world had not noticed (like Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe awoke the northern USA to the horrors of slavery). Perhaps the works of Khalid Hosseini can awaken the world to the horrors perpetrated by the Taliban and other Islamist terror groups, despite the fact that these have been hidden and underplayed by the leftist media and universities that control world opinion and who will sympathize with any regime or movement, no matter how cruel or murderous, as long as it is anti-western. | ||
 | Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott, ISBN 0385336705 | |
| "Richly compelling" | 2009-05-10 |
| In this compelling series of novels Manda Scott tells the story of Britain's great warrior queen, Boudicca, who fought for the self-determination of her Eceni tribe against Britain's Roman invaders. This first novel in the series tells of Boudicca's childhood and youth and of the culture, society and religion of pre-Roman Britain. It focuses on the Druidic faith of the ancient Britons, of their great reverence for all life, and of their closeness to nature and animals. It also tells of the Dreamers, those with great gifts, who prophesied through their dreams, and played an important role among the people. As a young child Breaca (who would become the Boudicca) witnesses the murder of her mother by the enemies of her Eceni people, the Coritani, at a time of strife and bloodshed, after the 100 years pf peace under the High King, Cunobelin, known as the Hound of the South. Later in the battle at the Place of Heron's Foot, Breaca's brother Ban , thought to have been killed is taken as a slave to Rome, and later returns to Britain with the invading Roman forces sent by Emperor Claudius, as a traitor. Breaca, fighting together with her lover, the Chieftain Caradoc, leads a charge against the Romans, smashing the enemy lines, and then leads the children of the tribe to safety.Here she earns the name by which we know her, Boudicca, bringer of victory. A richly compelling novel with a broad cast of characters and an understanding of humans and animals and of the circle of life. | ||
 | A Childhood in Scotland | |
| "Beautifully written novelette about a wealthy but deprived childhood" | 2009-05-01 |
| In this astonishingly beautiful little novel, which captures the sights, sounds and smells of 20th century Scotland, Christian Miller captures her lonely childhood growing up in a Castle in Scotland, a wealthy but at the same time deprived childhood. Having a cruel father, and a distant mother, and being the youngest child, Christian recounts in picturesque detail, the castle and the surrounding countryside in Scotland, her phenomenal experience of nature, her friendship with the ghosts that lived in the castle, and fear of the demons. A poignant portrait of a lonely child who used her imagination to try to make her young life whole, a deprived childhood in a wealthy household, Christian recounts how she was beaten while waiting for scraps of food outside the castle dining room. She makes several wry observations such as that the lessons given by her stern governess could have been made more interesting if when learning about the Napoleonic Wars, the children had been taught that Napoleon had surrendered to her great grandfather on her mother's side, and that Shakespeare may not have bored them had they known that they were descended on their father's side form Macbeth's victim , King Duncan . Beautifully written for adults and young readers aged 12 and up. | ||
 | The SECRET DIARY OF ANNE BOLEYN | |
| "The tragedy of Anne Boleyn" | 2009-04-04 |
| This novel brings to life the tragedy of Anne Boleyn through an imaginary diary handed to Queen Elizabeth I of England, in the early years of her reign and 24 years after Anne's execution ordered by the utterly ruthless Henry VIII. It is historic fiction and not history but may have reflected events close to how they transpired. Elizabeth learns the falsehood of of the official version, current at the time, of Anne Boleyn, of adulterous traitor who deserved her execution, as she reads of the passions, sufferings and wise observations of the remarkable women who was her mother , helpless in the face of the ruthless machinations of powerful men. We learn from Anne of the passionate infatuation of her and wooing and marriage by Henry VIII, which led to massive political ramifications and the historic split with Rome. Then this moves to Henry's vicious and revolting reaction to the birth of a daughter instead of the son he had pinned his hopes on, and his vow that Anne will pay for bearing him a girl. From then on Anne's fate is sealed, and Henry grows more and more coldly vindictive towards her, leading him to falsely accuse her of adultery, and frame her, ordering her to be killed. Anne's observations of life and faith, love and passion reveal her a s highly intelligent women who shows great dignity during her execution. The seer, Elizabeth Barton, the Nun of Kent, tells Anne she will bear a great sun, which Anne mistakes for 'son', meaning of course Elizabeth whose glorious reign will shine over England for 45 years. \as the novel moves between the court of Queen Elizabeth and her mother's diary, we learn of the great love between Elizabeth and Lord Robert Dudley, the possible reason why Elizabeth chose never to marry, and Elizabeth's molestation by her stepmother's husband Lord Admiral Thomas Seymour, which is explored in more depth in | ||
 | Last of the Amazons | |
| "magnificent historical/mythological novel with epic scope and tight discipline" | 2009-03-21 |
Stephen Pressfield constructs a magnificent historical/mythological novel partly based on Plutarch's chronicles. told through the voices of several characters, the author recounts with epic scope, the war in which the 'Tal Kyrte'- Free People- a nation of magnificent, tough, beautiful and valiant warrior women, known to the Greeks as the Amazons. They defied the might of Greece, marching on Athens, to avenge the theft by King Theseus of the warrioress Antiope. Mother Bones tells of her childhood Amazonian governess Selene, who returns to the Amazon homeland in today's Southern Ukraine, followed by Bone's sister Europa, who is devoted to Selene, and longs to be an Amazon. We read of the history of the Amazons, such as the cruel slaughter by Heracles of many beautiful Amazon warrioresses. Selene is pursued by a Greek posse, which is later joined by Theseus' army, and Theseus captivates the Amazon Antiope, bringing her back to Athens as his queen. The writer writes with vivid imagination of flesh and blood characters, and the machinations of the Greeks who destroyed the Amazon people. Of the fascinating life of the Tal Kyrte, their oneness with nature and their strong spiritual beliefs. Their passion, valour and nobility, a nation that disappeared into the mists of time, surviving only in the realm of myth and legend. | ||
 | 1603 : The Death of Queen Elizabeth I, the Return of the Black Plague, the Rise of Shakespeare, Piracy, Witchcraft, and the Birth of the Stuart Era | |
| "Covers a fascinating and momentous year in British history" | 2009-03-08 |
1603 covers a fascinating and momentous year in British history. It was the year that the great Queen Elizabeth I died, and James V of Scotland, travelled to London to claim the throne as King James I, effectively uniting England with Scotland by bringing them under the rule of a single monarch. As King of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (at that time the kings of England still referred to themselves as kings of France). He was the first monarch to describe himself as King of Great Britain. In that year a terrible plague broke out in England, killing around 40 000 people. Treatises and pamphlets were drawn up on the plague, giving us an important insight into the practise and philosophy of medicine at this time. There was a massive outbreaking of witch-burning that year, in a superstitious age, and the author describes the beliefs and practises regarding witchcraft and the penalties it incurred. The author documents the case of the trial of the trial of Elizabeth Jackson for allegedly bewitching a young girl by the name of Elizabeth Glover. Lee covers the politics and economics of that year, detailing the philosophy of the divine right of kings which King James fervently believed in. The theologian so the time who believed in this doctrine, it must be said strongly qualified it with the condition that the king must rule according to the laws of G-D and man. Thus even the rule of absolute monarchs at this time was far more limited than those of the totalitarian regimes of the 20th and 21st centuries where everything go's to 'defend the revolution'. Few aspects of life in Britain that year are left out of this volume, including farming and trade. The author begins with a chapter on the history of England and Scotland and of the royal dynasties leading up to 1603. He concludes with chapters on piracy, the East India Company and a fascinating chapter on Japan, visited for several years from 1600 by English explorer William Adams. | ||
 | High Queen | |
| "A compelling and spellbinding read" | 2009-02-16 |
| Nancy McKenzie makes for relaxed reading while bringing alive the true magic, colour and drama of Arthurian legend, and exploring the hearts and passions of Arthur's beautiful and captivating Queen Guinevere who captures the hearts of so many men at Camelot. In the second of two magnificent novels, Guinvere, unable to conceive agrees to raise Arthur's son Mordred born from a cursed encounter with Arthur's sister the evil sorceress Morgause. As she raises Mordred to love him like son, he will eventually be the seed of her destruction. Meanwhile she struggles with her agonizing love for Lancelot as McKenzie creates high drama and narrative from this ill fated love. And of course the shadow of the great and terrifying Merlin always hovers over all. The total effect creates a compelling and spellbinding epic which serves as an imposing example of the author's enthusiasm for her subject. | ||
 | In a Dark Wood Wandering/a Novel of the Middle Ages | |
| "A clasic of Medieval fiction" | 2009-02-08 |
| A real classic, a passionate, poetic and moving novel which captures the colur and feeling of 15th century France. This compelling epic brings to life the Hundred Years War through the life of Duke Charles D'Orleans,son of the Louis of Orleans and the ambitious and alluring Valentine Visconti. Charles at a young age marries the young widow of English King Richard II, Isabelle of France. After Isabelle's death he marries the young girl that will become the love of his life Bonne of Armagnac. After his father is murdered by the treacherous Duke of Burgundy, Charles is left to seek revenge. The assassination leads to a civil war in France, and the cool and calculating Henry V takes the opportunity to invade and occupy France. We get to see the destruction waged on France by Henry., and the exile and imprisonment of Duke Charles. Later we read of the last decades of the Dukes life and his marriage to Marie of Cleves. This novel brings the political intrigues of France at that time to life, but is also poetic and beautiful. Charles' d'Orleans was a great poet of his time and some of his poetry is reproduced here. The translation seems to lose none of the music of the language and still remains a must read for anyone who is interested in the Middle Ages or who simply loves good literature. Highly recommended. | ||
 | Druids | |
| "Exploration of Druidry and the Gaulish fight for freedom" | 2009-01-29 |
| A compelling historical novel, exploring both Celtic Druidic belief, and the struggle of the Gauls to hold onto national freedom against the Roman conquest by the legions of the ruthless and scheming Julius Caesar.. It tells the story from the narrative of Ainvar, an orphan taken in by the chief druid of the Carnutes, and marked from an early age as having talents as a Druid. It explores the Celtic religious beliefs, in everything emanating from the Source, or the Creator. "Nothing ceases to be" Ainvar assures his beloved Briga, "Therefore we are, all of us, perfectly safe, even though the conditions of our existence change". We learn of Julius Caesar's utter brutality in his massacres of Gaulish, Helvetic, Belgic and Germanic tribes. Through all of this Ainvar journeys with Vercingetorix through all seasons in Gaul. Morgan Llyewelyn is adept at drawing up the touching scenes that grows between Ainvar and the feisty Briga, and the loyalty of the Egyptian slave woman rescued by Ainvar, Lakutu. An exciting read wherein the author demonstrates a passion and understanding for all things Celtic and Druidic. | ||
 | The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great | |
 | "Interesting for students of military history or war gaming enthusiasts" | 2008-12-22 |
| This is essentially a book for enthusiasts of military history, war gaming and the like. It has little character development and hardly explores the personal side or event the political processes of Alexander's empire building. It essentially deals with Alexander's consolidation of his control of Greece, his defeat Darius and the Persian Empire and his Indian Campaign. It misses out parts and is not a complete saga. Nonetheless it does somewhat explore Alexander's mind from a romantic perspective.It deals with his conversation with Indian Prince Porus, and Alexander's admiration for Persian Emperor Darius. The book is simply too short to cover Alexander's life and career. I would suggest, unless you are looking for details of battles and military strategy, you look elsewhere for a good novel about Alexander the Great. | ||
 | Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens: The Complete Biographical Encyclopedia of the Kings and Queens of Britain | |
| "The most comprehensiveone volume digest of monarchs of the British isles " | 2008-12-17 |
This is perhaps the most comprehensive one volume digest of British monarchs and spans 2000 years of rulers of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and smaller kingdoms withing Britain. There are over a thousand entries. It has a section on LEGENDARY OR SEMI-HISTORICAL KINGS OF BRITAIN which includes the possibilities of who the legendary King Arthur was based on, as well as the King Lear we know from the Shakespeare play. In this section he refers to the History by Geoffrey of Monmouth, whom Ashley does not see as a very incredible historian. According to Geoffrey's History the legendary first king of Britain was Brut or Brutus who was supposed to have reigned about 1100 BCE. But Ashley says that although Geoffrey's is almost certainly a creation of his own imagination, there is no reason to disbelieve the concept of tribes of Celts arriving in Britain at this period and one strong leader emerging. The first likely British king to have been documented is Beli Mwar (circa 100 BCE). It is possible to trace most British and Welsh rulers back to Mweli. Alfred the Great (871-899 CE), the best known of the West Saxon kings earned the epithet of the 'Great' not only because he held the Saxon nation together against the Dane invaders but because he improved the strength, culture and quality of his realm. The section on kings of England tells us tat King William I The Conqueror or The Bastard, after his conquest of England, marched in 1069 against the rebels under Swein and Edgar. The author tells us that "harrying of the north was the most extreme example of despoiling and genocide that England has ever seen and for which William was never forgiven. He may have conquered them but he never ruled them". We learn that the facts about Scottish king MacBeth are not reflected at all in Shakespeare's play. As for Richard III, while Shakespeare may have greatly exaggerated his villainy, the facts bare out that he almost certainly did order the murders of the young princes of the tower, as examined in The Princes in the Tower. This book is a reference work, and can be referred to whenever reading up on British history, or historical fiction. It is also an interesting read in itself. It is crammed with interesting facts such as the existence of the heredidatary disease porphyria which has infected the English royal family for centuries. The Royal Book of Records in this digest is particularly fascinating. Since this book was written current Queen Elizabeth, now 82, has overtaken Queen Victoria and George III (both 81) as the oldest reigning monarch of England or the United Kingdom. If she is still reigning in 2016 she will have overtaken Meurig of Gwent to be the oldest reigning monarch ever on the island of Britain. Since this book was written Elizabeth (Queen since 1952) has overtaken Henry III of England (56 years), James VI of Scotland ( 57 years) and George III 59 years). If Elizabeth is still reigning in 10 September 2015, she will have overtaken Queen Victoria as the longest reigning British monarch. The digest takes us up to the tragic death of Princess Diana in 1997. The monarchy has been in crisis many times before and while today it is going through difficulty one can only hope that such an ancient venerable institution it will survive. It is up to the new generations to help the monarchy find a new place in the affections of the people. | ||
 | The Cap: The Price of a Life | |
 | "Narcissistic and unfeeling" | 2008-12-08 |
| There are so many remarkable autobiographies by Holocaust survivors. This is not one of them. The fact that the book is not chronological annoyed me to the hilt as I very seldom like books that jump around and do not follow events in chronological order. Many survived the Holocaust with their compassion and integrity intact. Roman Frister came out as just not a nice guy. He reports on the horrors of his mothers murder by a Nazi officer in such a cold and detached way and after his father died, all he could think about was selling his father's blanket for bread. The book is narcissistic, the author shows no concern for truly illustrating the horrors of the holocaust, but simply a combination of the the authors cynical philosophical world view. It the memoirs of events after the war that show that he turned out a really nasty, hedonistic and narcissistic character. Abandoning his wife and children only a few months after bringing them to Israel and then boasting over his string of conquests of women, what a Casanova he is. Frister book is more a narcissistic and cynical brag Now I know it will be argued that with what he went through, one should not judge him negatively. But there are so many remarkable people who survived the holocaust and came about it as amazing, compassionate people. For inspiring, compassionate accounts by authors who have gems of souls read books such as Night, I Am a Star: Child of the Holocaust (A Puffin Book), Alicia, Thanks to My Mother, All But My Life, and Roman's Journey | ||
 | Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places (The Seeker Series) | |
| "A comprehensive study of ghosts, hauntings and the paranormal" | 2008-11-22 |
| Brad Steiger is one of the most foremost experts today on the subject of parapsychology and real ghosts. In this volume he presents a comprehensive study of ghosts, restless spirits and haunted places, as he explores the frightening and fascinating pathway to the world of spirits and hauntings. In the Introduction Steiger presents his own experiences with spirits and the paranormal. The author says that he himself grew up in a house with paranormal manifestations and saw his first ghosts when he was four years old. The positive side of the proof of spirits and the sightings are that this is evidence that there is indeed spiritual life beyond physical death. The author covers such subjects as "Encounters with Glowing Entities and Ghost Lights", known to the Egyptians as Sun Boats and in the Jewish Bible as Merkavah (chariots). The human spirit type may appear as orbs. There are frightening chapters such as that on Poltergeists, "Spirit Parasites that Possesed" which includes many testimonials of spiritsd that showed malicious intent. There are other accounts of more benign spirits including some that actually helped save people's lives by warning them of danger. I found Steiger's research into Spirit evidence to loved ones left behind, particularly fascinating. There is evidence of spirits coming to say goodbye to loved ones moments after death and spirits watching over loved ones. There is a chapter on sightings of Jesus and Mother Mary. One of my favourite chapters in the book is about Ghostly Encounters of Famous Men and Women". These include the little red ghost of France that visited several French rulers including Henry IV, Louis XVI, Napoleon I, and Lois XVIII, predicting events and even advising Napoleon. There are also accounts of the ghost that haunted the house of Joan Crawford, how the Beatles contacted their deceased manager, and how the a visit from Barbara Streisand's deceased father encouraged her to film Yentl. There is chapter on Animal Ghosts and the evidence that pets do indeed have souls. M Jean Holmes in her book "Do Dogs Go to Heaven" argues that an examination of the original Hebrew texts for concepts such as 'soul' and 'spirit' reveals that the authors of various books of the Bible believe that animals have souls and spirits just as humans do. This chapter provides accounts of animal haunting's and several photographs seemingly showing animal spirits. The author provides repeated witness of the ghosts of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII, Katherine Howard, Jane Seymour, Elizabeth I, George III, and various other nobility in haunted palaces and castles. But most of the seemingly real stories are those of ordinary people and their encounters with a variety of hauntings and ghostly phenomena. This is one of the more comprehensive books on the subjects and Steiger makes a convincing case of his hypothesis. | ||
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