The Bells: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)I happen to love classical music and opera in particular. I am not a musicologist by any stretch, but I have a deep appreciation for how great music makes me FEEL, how it speaks to my heart and reaches the soul. And THAT is what I love most about The Bells: A Novel ~ a splendid visceral novel that gives voice to sound, to vibration, to resonance, to tone... and puts into words how the beauty of pure sound is felt in the heart of the beholder.
Richard Harvell accomplishes this astonishing feat by juxtaposing in three acts the story of Moses Froben ~ the man who was made into an angel, "Lo Svizzero... who could bring an audience to tears with his voice" ~ with the great opera in three acts by Christoph Willibald von Gluck: ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE. ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE is not only one of my favorite operas, and one reason why I am so fond of this novel, but the Greek mythology upon which the opera is based is brilliantly applied to the plotting of The Bells: A Novel.
As always when I review, I'd rather not not give a plot summary away but leave it to the reader's own discovery to fall under the spell of great storytelling. To succumb to this novel's charm occurs easily because the well researched background provides all of the vitality necessary for the story to be taken seriously. Its sounds are real. Its settings are real. Some of its characters are real. The history is real. For this reader, the willing suspension of disbelief was easily come by for total engagement in this very original and most enchanting novel.
The original version of the opera ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE, with libretto in Italian by Raniero da Calzabigi, was premiered in Vienna in 1762. It was conducted by the composer Gluck and the lead role of Orpheus was sung by the castrato Gaetano Guadagni. That much, as represented in The Bells: A Novel, is true, so it is not at all difficult to place the character Moses in that same operatic world of the mid-1700s.
Moses's story from his humble birth in the Swiss Alps to his renowned success on the greatest of stages is so many things: love, beauty, innocence, art, tragedy, drama, dilemma, hatred, loyalty, bravery, fear. His is an epic of emotional truths. Moses is a hero who opens a window into the human spirit. He does it with sound, with his breath, with his voice.
"God is beautiful. He's perfect. And he inspires us to be beautiful and perfect, too. We're not, of course. And that's exactly why we need beauty in our lives: to remind us how good we could be. That's why we chant. That's why Moses sings...For if we know perfect beauty, with our eyes, with our ears, even for a second, we'll come that tiny bit closer to being it ourselves."
The main thrust of the storyline in The Bells: A Novel is parallel to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The myth becomes the story of the hero Moses and his heroine Amalia. It is very touching and poignant. Another reviewer thought it too melodramatic and over-the-top but I feel, as one who actually loves the melodrama of opera, that this technique, as it does in opera, enables us to experience the emotion, to really get inside the human experience which is being showcased.
I loved this brilliant tour de force and I devoured it with relish. I really hated to put it down. It's been a long time since I was as hooked on cliff-hangers as I was between chapters in The Bells: A Novel. I adore opera (ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE in particular) and opera and voice play a huge role in the telling of this story. But the reader need not be an opera aficionado or a classical music buff to appreciate this great novel. If you love to read a well-told historical fiction, poetic in language and sensitive in manner, in which unforgettable characters appear in authentic settings, in which the action excites and intrigues, thenThe Bells: A Novel is for you.

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The Eagle and the Rising Sun: The Japanese-American War 1941-1943: Pearl Harbor through Guadalcanal Review

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(More customer reviews)Having read extensively on the subject matter within this book previously, it was nice to read a build up to Pearl Harbor (making the subtitle of the book somewhat of a misnomer) and not just diving into the war in the first chapter. I had read the history of SE Asia preceeding WWII in bits and pieces mainly, but had never read anything where the author skillfully and successfully put it all into a compelling narrative before.
Additionally, the author frequently added small biographies of many important historical figures. Some last less than a page, others up to five pages of information (like McArthur). Regardless, these are revealing and convey excellent information to the reader regarding motivations, personalities, and mannerisms.
In several cases the author presents evidence about such historical figures in a somewhat objective manner and lets the reader form their own opinion before either lambasting or praising the actions of such figures. Never over the top however.
Largely, the author doesn't get into much minutiae regarding combat operations and instead concentrates on policy decisions and operational history and the people that made or reacted to these events. That's not to say there aren't any reference to combat and it's impact, however it's just not a history intended to be that detailed in this regard. Regardless, it is still compelling and highly informative about the personages and policies of the period in question.
Overall, a highly regarded operational history with detailed information on the people who made the deicions at the time. Maps are decent, but not detailed and the bibliography is well documented as well. Not an unflawed history by any means, but certainly full of relevant and detailed information in the areas specified earlier.

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The Battle Rages Higher: The Union's Fifteenth Kentucky Infantry Review

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(More customer reviews)A wonderful work by an excellent writer. I enjoyed the book as much if not more than any History book I've read in years. Mr. Jenkins passion for the subject and his love for the men who fought for the Union comes out with every page turned. The complete roster included in the back of the book will be a boon to anyone interested in locating their ancestors of the regiment. This book reads as if it is a wonderful movie. I loved it. The fact that several of the companies came from the northern Kentucky area also added an extra thrill during my read.

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China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been reading quite a few books on China, as I am fascinated with and intruiged by the country's amazing economic transformation, and the potential consequences elsewhere in the world, including here in the US. (Among the better ones are China Shakes the World by James Kygny as well as The Elephant and the Dragon by Robyn Meredith). If you listen regularly to NPR Morning Edition and All Things Considered, Rob Gifford will be a familiar voice.
In "China Road: A Journey Into the Future of a Rising Power" (344 pages), Gifford, who has had a lifelong fascination with China and speaks Mandarin fluently, takes us on a journey across China on Road 312, the Chinese equivalent of our Route 66. Starting in Shanghai and working his way west, Gifford meets ordinary and not-so-ordinary Chinese and simply lets them do the talking. It makes for compelling reading. Talking to a well-known radio talk-show host in Shanghai, the host remarks that "morality--a sense of what's right and wrong--doesn't matter anymore".
At some point in his journey Gifford runs into a man holding a big sign that reads ANTICORRUPTION JOURNEY ACROSS CHINA. The man tells Gifford that "You see, in the West, people have a moral standard that is inside them. It is built into them. Chinese people do not have that moral standard within them. If there is nothing external stopping them, they just do whatever they want for themselves, regardless of right and wrong".
When Gifford runs into an Indian national, he hopes to have a discussion about how things are evolving in India versus in China, but the man is not interested in having the discussion. Gifford then dryly writes "So in the end, I have the conversation with myself over dinner and I conclude that I don't want to be a Chinese peasant OR an Indian peasant. But if I have to take a side, despite all the massive problems of rural China, I'll go for the sweet and sour pork over the chicken biryani any day of the week". Gifford spends a fair amount of time giving thought whether China can ever become a real democracy. Looking back at the 13th century, Gifford writes "There are many ways in which China was far head of Europe, in terms of technological development and prosperity. But for some reason, their system never developed any real checks on state power, and since in the West these checks did emerge, it has become a real contention between the two sides".
I could go on giving more quotes from the book, but suffice it to say that Gifford brings story upon story, and observation upon observation about China the culture, the people, the country, just superb. I was in China earlier this year and happen to be in a number of the cities that Gifford talks about in the book, in particular Shanghai, Suzhou, Nanjing and Xi'an, and this book brought back some great memories. This book is not just a "travelogue", but instead a wonderful mix of facts and observations. Highly recommended for anyone interested in China!

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The History of the Hobbit, Part 1: Mr. Baggins Review

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(More customer reviews)Return to Bag End is the second part of John D. Rateliff's History of the Hobbit. It begins with page 469 and contains the Index for both volumes, so its important to start with Volume I, Mr. Baggins.
Return to Bag End begins with the thirteen dwarves and their hobbit companion's arrival at The Lonely Mountain. Rateliff has identified five phases in the writing of The Hobbit, and this volume begins towards the end of the second phase. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit in fits and spurts over a period of several years, and finally finished it in its first published form by the end of the third phase. Rateliff's fourth phase took place in the late 1940s, when Tolkien had nearly finished The Lord of the Rings and needed to rewrite part of The Hobbit to eliminate some inconsistencies. The most important of these inconsistencies dealt with the matter of how Bilbo came to possess the Ring. In the first published version Gollum gave Bilbo the Ring as a gift. Now Tolkien, to make the Ring darker and more ominous, had Bilbo purloin it from Gollum. Then in 1960 came the fifth phase, when Tolkien attempted to make The Hobbit even closer in tone and spirit to The Lord of the Rings by essentially rewriting it. He wisely abandoned this attempt after a few chapters when a friend advised that while it was brilliant, it wasn't The Hobbit.
As in the first volume, Return to Bag End abounds with fascinating textual notes and short essays interpolated with Tolkien's own words. These include some intriguing speculations, including one on whether the Arkenstone was a Silmaril and another on the ultimate fate of dwarves after their deaths. There are also several Appendices, one on the Denham Tracts, a nineteenth century list of imaginary beings which mentioned "hobbit" several years before Tolkien was even born; another on Tolkien's own speculations on the origin of the word hobbit which includes one of my own favorite childhood stories: "The Hobyahs;" and others dealing with the origins of dwarf names and with Tolkien's correspondence with Arthur Ransome.
Both volumes of The History of the Hobbit are essential additions to Tolkien scholarship. They will provide much fascinating reading and speculation for many years to come for all lovers of Middle-earth.

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First published in 1938, The Hobbit is a story that "grew in the telling," and many characters and events in the published book are completely different from what Tolkien first wrote to read aloud to his young sons as part of their "fireside reads." For the first time, The History of the Hobbit reproduces the original version of one of literature's most famous stories, and includes many little-known illustrations and previously unpublished maps for The Hobbit created by Tolkien himself. Also featured are extensive annotations and commentaries on the date of composition, how Tolkien's professional and early mythological writings influenced the story, the imaginary geography he created, and how he came to revise the book in the years after publication to accommodate events in The Lord of the Rings.

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Front-Page Pittsburgh: Two Hundred Years Of The Post-Gazette Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm not from Pittsburgh so some of this matter went over my head but I must say that Clarke Thomas is a smooth journalist of the old fashioned kind who believes that language's transparency can be used to convey information directly to the reader, without bias, without slanting. His history of The Pittsburgh Gazette is interesting because it parallels American history. Why, the Gazette was founded before the US Constitution was signed! It's hard to believe but people loved the news even back then, so much so that horses would deliver the paper on broadsides and it would be read on the village square and in pubs in the tiny hamlets of western Pennsylvania. Reading the progress of the paper over the years of the nineteenth century made me think of that movie THE VILLAGE, the recent film for which an old time village was fabricated in the woods outside Pittsburgh or wherever. The most intriguing characters were the Block family. For me, they were examples of courage because they dared press for integration, both subtly and openly, as the calendar moved from the 1930s through the 1940s and 1950s. Just as Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson and other enlightened figures in baseball gave us a glimpse into an integrated USA, Pittsburgh had its own quiet heroes.
Paul Block, the one who engineered the merger of the POST and the GAZETTE, had an intriguing career too! I have read many books on Hearst and Marion Davies, and never ran into the story which Mr. Thomas reports in this book--that Block and Davies were an item before she met Hearst, and that the three of them palled around together even after she took up with Hearst (one newsman after another for our favorite comedienne, Marion Davies)! It is an eye-opener for sure and presents an interesting sidelight on a much-discussed liaison. I hope that this book will soon produce a related sequel, perhaps one that will reprint the texts of the articles Thomas discusses. It would be great if we had the entire run of the Post-Gazette's coverage on, say, for example, favorite son Andy Warhol, and watch the paper deal with social and artistic changes over the decades.

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Dragon Sea: A True Tale of Treasure, Archeology, and Greed off the Coast of Vietnam Review

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(More customer reviews)Vietnam has spent almost all its past under control of China, or under threat of such control. There was a brief "golden age" of eighty years in the fifteenth century when it ruled itself, and its art, including making and glazing ceramics, broke free from the traditions of its big northern neighbor. The years of independence descended into chaos when a civil war began, and the art of the period was largely lost, even the ceramics that were dispersed in trade and then were lost. The artistic production of the age of independence was gone, not enough of it remaining to be systematically collected or understood. One trove of ceramics, however, had lain undisturbed on board the wreck of the _Hoi An_ which had gone down off the coast of Vietnam five hundred years ago. The rediscovery of the hoard, and how it was released to the markets of the world, is the story in _Dragon Sea: A True Tale of Treasure, Archeology, and Greed Off the Coast of Vietnam_ (Harcourt) by Frank Pope. Pope was an immediate observer of much of what is described here; he was the archeological manager for the expedition, the most expensive underwater archeological excavation ever, involving scores of divers, archeologists, seamen, draftsmen, and support personnel like cooks. There is the suspense of working within dangerous depths here, but most of the book's well-narrated drama comes from the conflicting dual motives of the expedition.
The two main characters of the book neatly illustrate the dual motives. Ong Soo Hin is a Malaysian businessman. He might be described as a "smash and grab" salvager, with success in bringing up artistic treasures. He was no archeologist, but realized that there was some worth in keeping an academic arm to his researches; archeologists documenting his finds could well increase the value of them because of giving them credible context and history. He teamed up with Mensun Bound, an academic who was the director of the Maritime Archeology unit at Oxford University (the author is one of his protégés). This was a risk for Bound, since it was unseemly for a professor to break ranks with academia and join in a commercial venture. The difficulties in Bound's position are clear. He would provide an only chance that the contents of the wreck could yield historical information rather than just profit, and if he did not do so, then the wreck would be sacrificed to mere profiteers. The _Hoi An_ was already a target for unsystematic dredging by fishermen who were not only pulling up finds but damaging many by the way they were doing so. There was no way such a difficult excavation could be funded just by, say, Oxford University, and Bound felt he was making the best of what could have been an archeological disaster otherwise. Throughout the excavation, partners Bound and Ong repeatedly bothered one another in ways both rational and puerile, and the duel is fascinating to watch. It takes place in the middle of the most advanced technology for such salvage, and Pope's description of technical aspects of diving, and of the dangers connected to it, is excellent.
It isn't surprising that with competing motivations that interfered with each other, the dive should not be a success. The problem was not that there was limited treasure; over a quarter of a million items were successfully brought up. Indeed, part of the problem may have been that because Vietnamese ceramics from this period are rare, there are few knowledgeable collectors of it and the _Hoi An_ finds represented a huge glut in a small market. That the losses were in the millions meant that the proposed academic reports were delayed, perhaps forever, and also there was an ugly academic squabble about the dating of the finds. All that money and effort went for little real gain, and so to read Pope's book is to be reminded of the frequent futility of human planning and endeavor. Pope ends with the reminder that there are countless other valuable wrecks out there and with the hope that somehow we will find a way to appreciate both their financial and their historic value, but this fascinating and pessimistic book itself gives little hope.


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American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle Review

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(More customer reviews)I just finished reading all 821 pages of this book (no pictures), and am very proud of myself for having done so.
This reference book chronicles Musical Theatre in America, show-by-show, starting in 1757 (!) and reaching all the way to 2000. Paragraphs are given for each show and can be found in chronological order of their opening nights. Revivals are also discussed on their opening nights.
Despite the repetitive setup of the book's information, Bordman is able for the most part to write entertaining yet dense descriptions of the show's plot, hit songs, message, and overall run. Although he spends more time on Musical Theatre's great hits (the biggest hits get a full page or two), some of Bordman's best writing moments come during his descriptions of some of Broadway's awful flops.
Other reviewers of this book criticize that Bordman has less to say about musicals since 1960. I find this also to be true in some respects. In Bordman's defense, this is in part due to the decline in Broadway's quality in the 1970s and 80s. Bordman clearly comes from the camp of critics who feel that The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Cats, while popular, are not as artistically relevant as Oklahoma! and Show Boat. Bordman is also no fanatic of Sondheim, as well, although he recognizes his lyric-writing genius. For these reasons, the book gets four stars.
Having read the entire book, however, I must say that I know a lot more about American Musical Theatre than I did before, and probably know more by reading this book than by reading any other. For libraries this book is a MUST have. It's not cheap, but neither is any other 900-page hardcover book. If you are looking for the ultimate reference on American Musical Theatre, this is it.

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Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy Review

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(More customer reviews)Weimar Germany (i.e., the period between the two wars) is usually primarily seen merely as a precursor to the Nazi era which was to follow. This is a shame because Weimar itself is an extremely interesting period well meriting extensive study on its own. This excellent study, by a professor of history at the University of Minnesota, demonstrates the virtue of taking a close look at this fascinating period.
Most books on Weimar tend to focus on the political developments that led to Hitler's rise; while that is covered in this book as well (the initial chapters focus upon the aborted German revolution and the "political worlds"), it is clearly secondary to other concerns of the author. He sees Weimar as fundamentally being about trying to cope with "modernism" and all of the technological changes that swept life in the 1920's and 1930's. So there is sustained discussion of the mass printed media, radio, theater and film, architecture, photography (Sander and Moholy-Nagy), music and expressionist art as well as political developments and the impact of economic crises on German life. Culture and the "mass society" is a constant focus here, including some interesting capsule discussions of individuals such as Thomas Mann, Bertold Brecht, Kurt Weill, Martin Heidegger, and an absolutely fascinating figure of whom I had not previously been aware, the artist Hannah Hoch. "Bodies and Sex" is another interesting topic which I have not encountered in other studies of Weimar.
All of this is discussed against the political background which is so critical to understanding the period. As such, the book is a richer study with wider sweep than Peter Gay's stupendous "Weimar Culture," which it complements nicely. The book contains extremely helpful notes, a useful bibliographic essay, and a number of incisive illustrations, many in full color. The author begins his book stating: "Weimar Germany still speaks to us." This fine study validates that perspective.

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Queen of the South: New Orleans, 1853-1862 Review

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(More customer reviews)Journals are my favorite historical reading. I was amazed at TKW's World - and his view of the final antebellum years in New Orleans.
The read is interesting for what it includes and what it excludes. TKW knew and met every major citizen of the time; from Polk to Beauregard to Dr. Barton. You get a very detailed picture of what it was like for a man of the times; his everyday travels and travails. What it excludes is equally interesting - very little on the women he lived with, slavery, Mardi Gras and occupation.
The accent is definitely architecture and I found myself scanning - rather than reading - page after page of discussions on bricks and beams. Also, novice that I am, I found two errors (in the footnotes).
Still when I reached the end, it was a shock to the system. It felt as though TKW could not deal with occupation - of New Orleans and of his beloved Custom House - and just decided to die. It left me wanting more.
A very luxurious book, richly printed with tons of illustrations.
Favorite passage: "Some are Americans, but the French predominate, and the difference between them appears to be that the former have a little to say about everything, the latter a great deal to say about nothing at all."

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"Queen of the South is a selected edition of the journal of Thomas Kelah Wharton, superintendent of construction for the New Orleans Custom House. His journal entries tell the story of daily life in antebellum New Orleans from 1853 to the outbreak of the Civil War.For nine years, Wharton faithfully recorded and sketched in his journal contemporary reports on epidemics, luxurious Mississippi River steamboats, thundering sermons, society balls, moneymaking, architecture, and such technological breakthroughs as gaslights and piped river water.He loved the city like a native even during the scorching heat of its six-month summers. Wharton wrote about an extraordinary time in the city's history, a time when fortunes were made and multiplied, the population doubled and redoubled, mansions and grand hotels were built, yellow fever raged, and armed men took to the streets during elections. It was a time of splendor and prosperity for New Orleans, a true golden age that ended abruptly with the outbreak of the Civil War and the capture of the city by the Union fleet. It was the end of an era. Queen of the South invites the reader to walk the unpaved streets of nineteenth-century New Orleans, to marvel at a white Lamarque rose blooming in winter, to pass doors adorned with crepe for yellow-fever victims, and to look downriver at Federal ships approaching to claim the city.

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Age 14 Review

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(More customer reviews)I think a lot of parents would not want their 14 year old (or younger) to read this book. I was hoping this would be a good selection for my son, who loves military books, to learn a little about the time period. The length, difficulty, title, and cover picture, not to mention that it appears to be published by a children's division of the publisher, made me think it was a kids' book, probably for kids around age 14. Yikes! Not really! At least, not for us!
I was startled early in the book by a scene of pederasty that immediately put me on guard and made me wonder if anything in the book would make it worth even keeping it. The pedophile in question is also a highly offensive character in that (other than that he rapes boys) his biggest flaw seems to be his obesity. "Fatso" (I kid you not; that's his nickname) is repulsive, and the author seems to relish describing his disgusting rolls of fat. Wonderful; as if we needed to encourage children to nurture a prejudice against heavy people.
Then, not much farther into the book, the 12-year-old hero is awakened in his bed to find the buxom farm hand Moira half-naked and straddling him, "moaning" with her "hot breath" in his ear. The scene doesn't, thankfully, play out as it might have but I think that some parents may choose to avoid such erotic scenes in their children's historical fiction!
Next to objections like these, some of my other problems with the book---like implausibility (e.g. he writes a letter home with perfect grammar and nearly perfect spelling, in spite of being a 12-year-old dropout from an illiterate family) or silly word choices (one point the translator had me rolling my eyes when she described a place where the boy used to "romp")---seem less important. Stilted writing, forced dialogue, and unrealistic elements are ultimately less of a showstopper for me when choosing historical fiction for my kids than simple appropriateness of the plot.
There are some good qualities to the book, such as the prevailing theme that war is not a game, and the subtle web that Patrick gets caught in as his lies multiply. An adult or older teen could enjoy this quick read and, yes, learn something about the time period. But parents looking to choose it for a child around "age 14" need to be aware that if it were a movie it would probably be rated R. Lots of R-rated books are awesome; this one is merely fair, so given that it seems to be presented as a children's book I have to say that I would NOT recommend it to kids at the age most likely to want to read it

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It is 1913, and twelve-year-old Patrick Condon wants to escape his unexciting life in Ireland. So he hatches a plan. Not wanting to wait until he is old enough to join the army, Patrick lies and says he seventeen years old, and that his name is John Condon. Assuming the identity of his older brother, Patrick enlists. John fits in quickly, though it is obvious that John is not 17, or even 16. That doesn't matter. John is strong, fast, and a hard worker. He loves military life. This man's world is just what John wanted. But when WWI begins in 1914, John gets all he has been looking for, and more he does not expect, as he is just a boy...

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The Children's Treasury of Virtues Review

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(More customer reviews)If you are looking for a good set of stories to read to your children, look no further! This is a collection of 3 other titles edited by Bill Bennett, and illustrated by the phenomenal Michael Hague. The stories are a good length for reading to young squirrly children, and are well written. They are heroic and thoughtful. This edition would also make a welcome gift for a family you care about.

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From the Ground Up: The Story of A First Garden Review

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(More customer reviews)Amy Stewart tells the story of how she got to Santa Cruz & took over a patch of seaside earth in which a couple of fruit trees, a handful of shrubs & a host of weeds fought for life.
Each chapter includes helpful tips on neighborly propagation, composting, worm juice, rose pruning techniques, how to make a bug love you & concocting a gardener's bath. They are not what you think - some of this novice's results are hilarious while others are downright commonsensical. One of the first tips she gives us is on Making a Sun Map - do give it a go - I haven't looked at my garden the same since I discovered this clue.
Alongside the story of this young woman's determination to create a garden in which the plants will live up to her vision, she remembers family moments from her childhood while facing down obstinate natives more wily than her. Talk about turf wars!
A fine companion for anyone contemplating becoming addicted to gardening! Amy Stewart has since moved to northern California where she is hard at work on her second garden &, I hope, her second book.

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Phantom Army of the Civil War and Other Southern Ghost Stories Review

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(More customer reviews)If you want spine tingling ghost stories from the Civil War skip this book. The plodding writing style makes what should've been some of the spookiest tales you could read seem dull.

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This is a haunting collection of personal encounters with the spirit world as they appeared in FATE magazine. These are tales handed down over the years that have their basis in the horrors of the Civil War.

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The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America Review

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(More customer reviews)Erik Larson does a bang-up job of conveying what life must have been like in the "Second City" as the 19th century drew to its fitful conclusion. Bristling at the constant reminder of New York City's superiority in so many areas, Chicago's city fathers rallied the troops and went all out in proving to New Yorkers, to the nation and to the world that Chicago was equal to the great challenge of mounting a World Exposition of truly monumental stature. Larson's descriptions of the Herculean effort put forth by numerous architects, builders, politicians, etc. lead the reader to a true appreciation of these "can do," spirited individuals.
Yet beneath the teeming activity and a short distance away from the gleaming white Pleasure Palaces of the Fair, there stood a building of a different sort entirely, inhabited by one of the most vicious, truly evil creatures the young nation ever produced. Larson does an adequate, but not great job of telling the darker story surrounding H H Holmes, the mesmeric Svengali whose brilliant blue eyes and engaging charm seduced at least a score (one estimate was up to 200, which the author disputes) unfortunate women. Unlike Jack the Ripper, to whom he was later likened, he didn't limit himself to female victims. Business partners who had outworn their usefulness and several children were amongst his prey, as well. He just had a penchant for murder.
The sections on the construction of the Columbia Exposition are filled with fascinating anecdotes, ranging from the origins of the sobriquet "windy city (derisively coined by Charles Anderson Dana, Editor of The New York Sun)" to the dramatic entrance of Annie Oakley, barreling in on horseback and blazing away with her two six-shooters in Buffalo Bill Cody's Western Show adjacent to the Fair Grounds. Larson also provides an interesting side story surrounding Patrick Predergast, a delusional political aspirant who turns assassin. He paints a compelling portrait of Fredrick Law Olmstead, American History's premier landscape architect who took up the almost impossible task of designing and overseeing the Exposition's parks and lagoons. The hero of the book, however, is Daniel Hudson Burnham, who was ultimately responsible for the lion's share of the planning, construction and smooth running of the entire enterprise. He had a little over two years from the time Congress selected Chicago from a list of candidate cities that included Saint Louis and New York, to the day of the Expo's official opening. That he got the job done within the alloted time is one of the great marvels in an age of marvels, especially given the myriad difficulties which he and his crew had to overcome.
The Holmes narractive appears a bit lackluster in comparison to the story of the Fair's construction. Larson acknowledges the difficulty he faced in recreating Holmes' vicious crimes via imaginary vignettes. He states in an afterword that he went back and read Capote's IN COLD BLOOD for the technique in which Capote so brilliantly engaged in his imaginative reconstruction of events. The only problem with this approach is that Capote had access to and the confidence of the two killers that are at the center of IN COLD BLOOD. Larson had only newspaper accounts from the period as well as a very unreliable journal that Holmes wrote after he was tried and sentenced to death (he was hanged several months after the trial). It would appear that Larson goes a bit too far out of his way to avoid the lurid and sensationalitic aspects of Holmes' killing spree. One has only to visit some of the numerous web sites devoted to Holmes to see that Larson is particularly reticent to discuss Holmes' sexual deviance. This is understandable, as Larson wants to be taken seriously as an historian, yet the facts are out there (most of them well documented) so it wouldn't have hurt to have included a bit more of the darker details. The book could also have used more illustrations. The Chicago Tribune, at the time the story first broke in 1894, included a detailed floor plan of the "Chamber of Horrors" Holmes built on the corner of Sixty-Third and Wallace in the Englewood section of Chicago. That illustration would have given the reader a better sense of the bizarre layout of the structure. More pictures of the Exposition would have also been helpful. Here again, there are several sites on the web devoted to the Columbia Exposition that have many pages of great photographs.
The books virtues far outweigh its shortcomings and I have no problem in recommending THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY to anyone interested in US History, Chicago Architecture, or just a well told story.
BEK

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Give My Poor Heart Ease: Voices of the Mississippi Blues Review

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(More customer reviews)Kudos to William Ferris for this book. It is clearly a labor of love for him. I was drawn to this work after hearing Ferris in an 10 minute long NPR piece on "All Things Considered" (see/hear at [...]). As a young student Ferris visited backwoods towns along US61 from Memphis south to the LA border. He documents the unknown blues singers he met along the way. And he tells about his long-standing friendship with the legendary BB King fantastic stories! The book is accompanied with a CD of collected music and a DVD documenting his finds.
If you are a fan of Blues performed by the black inventors of the art form, then read/hear the NPR clip and I predict you will find this book to be a "must have"!

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War and Peace (Modern Library) Review

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(More customer reviews)Ever since I was a teen (I'm 51) I tried reading War and Peace. The furthest I ever got was something like Page 80. Six summers ago, I thought, what the heck, give it another shot. After Page 100 or so, the book picked up steam, and I was absolutely awed as I've seldom been by all the great books I've read in my life. That's what I want to share with potential readers of this great book. Stick with it. It's like a trickling stream that grows and grows from many tributaries into a grand wide raging river. It's got everything in it, as if it were written by God. Tolstoy saw everything. There are so many, many unforgettable scenes in it. My favorite two are the costume party at the country estate (pure magic!) and the great wolf-hunting scene in which the wolf actually takes on a personality under the all-knowing skill of Tolstoy's great pen. In just a line or two, Tolstoy could actually get inside the "soul" of even an animal! I can only imagine how great this book is in the original Russian. After War and Peace, I devoured Anna Karenina, which is in many ways an even greater book. I'd recommend people read War and Peace with Cliff's Notes, as I did, because you get a sense of the historical background and it helps you from getting the hundreds of characters mixed up. War and Peace is more than a novel. It's an Everest of creation. Please stick with it!

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