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by
 (8/12/2001)
Stacey Patterson
As people said it does start off slow but keep reading this one and you will be talking about it for weeks. I disagree strongly with these negative reviews, this book is a real charmer. pick it up you won't be sorry

by
 (8/12/2001)
Leana
When I began to read this book it didn't appeal to me that much but as I read further on I fell in love with it. The love story was amazing and the descriptions of the wolves were extraordinary. I believe the best part of the book was the suspense at the end. Do not skip to the end!

by
 (8/12/2001)
Jade
Enchanting and Magical, I couldn't put it down.

by
 (8/12/2001)
mltoups
Thank you Mr. Evans for stories for the heart. I am very found of your work. I have read both the "Christmas Box Collection" and "The Locket" --- both warranted the use of a box of tissues. I give you a definite "THUMBS UP!!!!". I cannot remember when I have been so emotionally moved by either a book or a movie..

by
 (8/12/2001)
Brianna Conner
This book won my heart. What I believe to be some of Evans finest work. I was a great fan of his Christmas Box, The Time Piece and The Letter, and now have found something even better to share with my friends. this book makes you want to hug someone one minute and then yell at someone the next. an emotional rollercoaster.

by
 (8/12/2001)
Catherine Earley
Mr. Evans, Thank you for heartwarming novels. I've read them all and feel that each one is better the one before. I have fallen in love with your characters and your style of writing. You have a way of making me want to read more. May you be blessed and inspired to continue your wonderful work. Thank you also for making The Quotable Evans available to your readers. I would love to add this to my collection of Evans' Novels. thanks again.

by
 (8/12/2001)
Georgia
I read this book, and enjoyed it very much. I have already told my friends about. I hope they enjoy it as much as I did.

by
 (8/12/2001)
Melanie Braunberger
Great read! For three straight evenings after work I planted myself on my sofa and cozied up to "The Locket". I love the wholesomeness and honesty he depicts in his stories. I appreciated not having to endure a swear word or unneeded lust scene. Instead, I was treated to meaningful dialogs between characters. I had to lay down the book and cry after the scene where Helen read Esther's letter in the courtroom. Simply beautiful. The word will be spread amongst my family about this book.
The Law of Similars
by Chris Bohjalian
 (8/12/2001)
Linda
I was never convinced that this story was being told from the point of view of a fourteen year old girl. Her vocabulary was so preppy that it made it even more ridiculous to try and believe she was a child of hippy parents. How many fourteen year olds do things "on a lark" or see themselves as "aspiring tarts". The most difficult part to swallow was that this ex-hippy Sybil Danforth, a woman who is devoted to a natural, alternative, New Age sort of life, stocks her pantry with diet soft drinks, packaged cereals and eats hamburger! Chris Bohjalian really didn't do his homework here. He also neglected to really develop the characters. They never came to life for me. This could have been a great book. The moral dilemma had the potential to be riveting. If only it had been done by a better writer.
The Lion's Game
by Nelson DeMille
 (8/12/2001)
MarkVW
DeMille is an old pro, and you'll see why in "The Lion's Game". He brings back smart-alecky John Corey in the first person and despite the occasionally annoying humor, gives the reader a sense of what it's like to be part of a team hunting the most feared terrorist in the world, with all the trepidation, bureaucracy, and fact spinning one might expect here. But he really saves his strength in the motivations behind Asad Khalil and while you certainly don't sympathize with the Libyan, you can almost understand where he's coming from. The juxtaposition of the two points of view are handled well, and the book is a good cat-and-mouse tale in its simplest sense. Combine intelligence, raw humor, sex, knowledge of military and police procedures, human drama and pulp fiction and you have a typical DeMille novel. This is his best since "The Charm School". Highly recommended.
The Last Full Measure
by Jeff Shaara
 (8/12/2001)
Chris Keeton
"The Last Full Measure" brilliantly captures the brutality and humanity of the last years of the Civil War. It can be witnessed through the eyes of the key players in America's greatest test the motivation and desire to conclude the war with as much haste as possible. It is also easily seen that a simple difference in viewpoint can turn brothers into enemies.
Jeff Shaara uses not only a talent for writing, but a true 'one-on-one' relationship with the characters to shape the human side of the conflict. We see through the loss of so many integral people in Lee's army, such as J.E.B. Stuart and A.P. Hill, the Southern Army begins to lose much of itself. While its spirit is never conquered, the force of the Federal army is overwhelming. We also see how one decision from Lincoln, the choice of U.S. Grant to lead the Union forces, changed not only tactics, but brought about a new urgency on both sides to stop at nothing until victory was achieved.
Jeff Shaara places the reader in the middle of the conflict, making the decisions and emotions of the main characters as modern as if it were happening today. Shaara brings to a new light a moment of American history that altered this country forever. His courage, humanity, emotion, and talent come together to present a novel that, while not taking sides, makes the reader a part of a living history.
The Last Full Measure
by Jeff Shaara
 (8/12/2001)
Susan
Jeff Shaara creates a successful sequel to his fathers book The Killer Angels. Shaara greater success was the transformation of his father book into the movie Gettysburg. We hope to soon see both the prequel, Gods and Generals, and the sequel The Last Full Measure make their appearance as Movies.
The Last Full Measure
by Jeff Shaara
 (8/12/2001)
Dan
This is a great book. While Gods and Generals sometimes had the fault of a lack of detail, this book covers only two years of the war, and is therefore able to express more detail. Grant's character is portrayed excellently, while old friends Chamberlain and Lee are always welcome. He dramatically portrays the command conflicts in the Union army, while poignantly telling the story of Lee's commanders, as they all eventually meet ruin.
Chamberlain's rise is a feel good touch. The character of John Gordon is interesting, and it would be nice to have a book come out on him, as well. All in all, Shaara's best book so far.
The Hours
by Michael Cunningham
 (8/12/2001)
Barb
Of nine book club members, five liked the book, The Hours. To prepare for our discussion, we all viewed the Mrs. Dalloway video. We enjoyed comparing Woolf and Cunningham's stories. One big puzzlement that we found was that we weren't quite sure who Laura Brown was. Two people did not think that she was Richard's mother. Another two people insisted that she was his mother, but also was the lady across the way who rearranged her window figurines. Our book club likes discussions best when we disagree!
The Hours
by Michael Cunningham
 (8/12/2001)
M. Hookey
This book was selected for discussion by the book group to which I belong. It is beautifully and cleverly written. I have to say, however, and I am speaking for myself alone, that the book comes together for me since we read Mrs. Dalloway as last month's selection. I would recommend that if it has been a while since you read Mrs.D, or if you have never read Virginia Woolf's very fine novel, you might want to give some consideration to reading it as a companion piece. But the bottom line is Mr. Cunningham has done a fine job of bringing all of these complex and fascinating characters together. A source of great pleasure; I enjoyed it immensely.
The Ground Beneath Her Feet
by Salman Rushdie
 (8/12/2001)
Philth Nippert
I'm always impressed whenever a contemporary story blends with overtly mythical dimensions to come up with something new, and that's the kind of story The Ground Beneath Her Feet is. It has other facets too, of course: a love story, a family epic, a story about the media, a post-colonial story, a story about the (possible) beginning of the end of the world, and many other things. But the nice thing about all these facets is that they're so well put together they focus your gaze rather than distort it; their complexity primes the reader so much that they are able to consider what's being said from various angles simultaneously. Add to that a worldly narrator with a sharp eye for bullshit who finds himself unable to not believe in certain incredible events in the story and you have another set of lenses that allow you to see two more sides at once: true or false? And when Rai (the narrator) finally does witness proof of one of these incredible things towards the end, it's all the more believable. It's also fun to read his descriptions/ commentaries on pop/rock culture from the last five decades, even more than his deliberate deviations from history (not overdone, thank goodness). Favorite passage: Rai ranting about how fear of being killed a million different ways on a photography trip in "Whoopwhoopski" can even make him miss a Buddhist coffee house in NYC and crave designer Buddhism in general ("...Steven Seagal take me away!"). Oh yeah, Vina and Ormus (the lovers) get better and better as the pages turn. Thanks, Mr. Rushdie. Thanks to you, my brain has been exercised making it able to resist television and other phantom menaces with ease.

by
 (8/12/2001)
Thomas Tyschper
Initially, I read "The Greatest Generation" out of curiosity of World War II history. I was very pleased with how the stories of individual efforts made the experience very real. However, I was even more moved when I read "The Greatest Generation Speaks." The stories, written by the veterans themselves (or their family members), reinforces a time when patriotism was at its highest. I question whether we, as a nation today, are capable of that type of pride and patriotism?

by
 (8/12/2001)
David Mcilrover
'The Greatest Heap of Rubbish speaks'. Oh--some one spare me from the tortuous old fuddy duddies in this book. No wonder the world is the way it is today with the imperialist weirdoes in this book. For a new enlivening look at Tom Brokaw's great generation try Lancewood by Alan Marshall (Indra Publishers!)
The Greatest Generation
by Tom Brokaw
 (8/12/2001)
Richard A. Siggelkow
Mr. Brokaw accurately reflects, through first hand accounts, how American soldiers reacted to their WW II experiences. I am proud to be a member of the "greatest generation", and served 38 months as a lst Lt. and Captain in England, North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Corsica, France, and Germany in the European theater. I recently uncovered a long lost Journal about that overseas experience in which I included negative aspects, often too easily ignored, about some of our men. While not detracting from the positive impact of our American GIs, I objectively recorded instances of drunken behavior, venereal disease rates, and unfavorable episodes in foreign countries that did not always reflect positively on American troops. I also reported about many acts of good will and kindness towards children and civilians, providing balance and perspective. We should strive for complete accuracy as we review history; truthful detail enhances -- and does not overshadow -- the role and contributions of American troops that were so vital and important to our nation and the world.
The Greatest Generation
by Tom Brokaw
 (8/12/2001)
William Taft
Although I read the book about a year and a half ago, and many others have been read since, it still resonates and sticks in my mind. It was the first piece of literature that I read that was based on war, and since my consuming its pages, I have become interested in the lives that are lived and lost in war. The book is not just an overview of historical events- it is a collection of stories, emotions and events that combine to give the reader a sense of humanity in a most inhumane atmosphere. The book, in my opinion, delivers an emotional charge while stimulating the intellect.

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