The Road to Disunion: Volume I: Secessionists at Bay, 1776-1854 (Road to Disunion Vol. 1)

Book Description

Far from a monolithic block of diehard slave states, the antebellum South was, in William Freehling's words, "a world so lushly various as to be a storyteller's dream." It was a world where Deep South cotton planters clashed with South Carolina rice growers, as Northern egalitarianism infiltrated border states already bitterly divided on key issues. It was the world of Jefferson Davis, John C. Calhoun, Andrew Jackson, and Thomas Jefferson, and also of Gullah Jack, Nat Turner, and Frederick Douglass. Now, in the first volume of his long awaited, monumental study of the South's road to disunion, historian William Freehling offers a sweeping political and social history of the antebellum South from 1776 to 1854. All the dramatic events leading to secession are here: the Missouri Compromise, the Nullification Controversy, the Gag Rule, the Annexation of Texas, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Vivid accounts of each crisis reveal the surprising extent to which slavery influenced national politics before 1850 and provide important reinterpretations of American republicanism, Jeffersonian states' rights, Jacksonian democracy, and the causes of the American Civil War. Freehling's brilliant historical insights illustrate a work of rich social observation. In the cities of the Antebellum South, in the big house of a typical plantation, we feel anew the tensions between the slaveowner and his family, poor whites and planters, the Old and New Souths, and most powerfully between slave and master. Freehling has evoked the Old South in all its color, cruelty, and diversity. It is a memorable portrait, certain to be a key analysis of this crucial era in American history.

Customer Reviews:

Like Shredded Wheat - dry but nourishing.......2007-10-13

Due to the author's difficult style (which I would describe as awkward rather than boring) it took me a couple of years to slog through this book. I found myself constantly setting it aside to read more interesting works. Ultimately, I disciplined myself to finally finish it, and I'm glad I did. Despite Mr. Freehling's dense prose, there's a lot of very insightful analysis here, for anyone willing to overlook the author's stylistic shortcomings.

The first part of the book takes the reader on a tour of the antebellum South, and exposes the many regional differences that made the South difficult to unite. Freehling also describes the attitudes of the Southern slave-holding gentility. "Massa" could be a tyrant with the "darkies", but lenient and overly-indulgent with his own family. He wanted to be feudal lord over all, yet still clung to some of the ideals of Jacksonian democracy. At times, Freehling loses his objectivity and wears his anti-Southern bias on his sleeve, but overall his analysis rings true.

The remainder of the book explores the various controversies, such as the Gag Rule, the Nullification Crisis, the Annexation of Texas, the Wilmot Proviso, and other events that threatened to shatter the fragile Union. One surprising omission from this list is New England's threat to secede during the War of 1812. Although it had nothing to do with slavery and the South, it certainly falls under the topic of disunion. I was disappointed that Freehling didn't even mention it.

"The Road to Disunion" is not a light and easy read by any stretch, but it's packed with information. I would recommend it for any serious student of the Civil War and its causes.

Excellent social and political history.......2007-09-20

Many good reviews have already been written so I am going to keep this short and sweet. If you want to read a good, in-depth look at the social and political history and ultimate causes of the Civil War, this is an excellent place to start. Freehling covers just about every conceivable topic in the years 1776-1854 that caused friction between the North and South, but also touches on many social and political topics that are sometimes overlooked. He also writes some great mini-biographies of the many differing players and you will walk away with an excellent working knowledge of many topics, such as Thomas Jefferson and his thoughts on slavery, the Missouri Compromise, Virginia's slavery debate of 1832, the Wilmot Proviso, Texas' Annexation, and much more.

The only potential negatives are that Freehling's writing style does take getting used to and the book is massive. For quick readers, not a big deal. For slower readers like me, plan on investing time in this book.

In the end, I would highly suggest this for any people looking to bone up on antebellum U.S. history and/or causes of the Civil War.

A Plow Through.......2007-07-05

I debated giving this one 3 stars but the information in it is very good. A thurough evaluation of the subject. If you want a detailed history, this is it.

On the downside, it is a dense read. It took me a while to plow through the entire book. Part of this is the density of info but much is due to writting style. I also found it to be a bit redundant in parts, particularly early on (especially Part II, which you might want to just skip). Another reviewer stated it helps to know the background prior to opening this tome and I agree.

For a much easier intro to the topic, try: "The Approaching Fury: Voices of the Storm, 1820-1861 (Voices of the Storm)" by Stephen B. Oates.

Beginning a Journey in American History.......2007-06-09

Visiting a bookshop in 1990 I faced a choice of two books to purchase: America in 1857 by Kenneth Stampp and The Road to Disunion Vol. I by Wm. Freehling. Having read Freehling's book on the nulification crisis, I very fortunately chose The Road to Disunion. One of the most important revelations in this book is the tracing of the secesson movement's seeds to the forming of the United States. To any one acquainted with Freehling's writing will not be surprised by the depth of his research and thought provoking text. His views are always overviews that narrow their scope to individual incidents.

I spent seveteen years badgering the author for the second volume of this work. Readers now who have not yet read this book are more fortunate because they have the benefit of seeing the complete work at once. This is a volume well worth reading on its own, but it is a much better read when followed by volume two.

Bill Freehling is without doubt the dean of 19th century American history, a great human being with an appreciation of human feeling and a strict code of research taking the author wherever it will. There are no preconcieved notions of how history should be percieved.

Fear and Loathing in the Antebellum South.......2007-02-08

After a long time, in which a combination of increased workload and diversified reading interests have kept me away, it is good to be back to the world of antebellum 19th century America. Meeting Thomas Jefferson, John C. Calhoun, Andrew Jackson and a dozen secondary characters feels a little like coming home. But as the saying goes, you can dip into the same river twice. William W. Freehling's antebellum South is both familiar and foreign. Freehling brings forward a provocative thesis, which throws a bright light on some elements of the period, but also blinds you to some vital aspects.

I have previously read Freehling's brilliant essay collection, The Reintegration of American History: Slavery and the Civil War. That was one of the best books about 19th century America I've ever read. Using cultural history, comparative studies, biography, and even autobiography, Freehling brought a provocative new thesis to the field of 19th century antebellum South.

According to Freehling, the South was torn between two conflicting, contradictory ideologies - Aristocratic Paternalism, the 18th century view that the enlightened rich should govern all others, black and white and female, and Jacksonian 'Herrenvolk Democracy' - the view that America is the republic of the free white male, where the color line separates the master race - the Herrenvolk - from the inferior black folk.

The idea that the clash between these two ideologies, and indeed, the fractions between the various, and very different, elements of the South, is Freehling's key argument. And it illuminates many things:

The clash between Paternalists and Herrenvolk Democrats was most evident during the struggles for control of the legislations of Southern states, particularly Virginia. There, the lines were drawn most sharply between aristocratic slaveholders and slaveless white folks.

Freehling's high concept is also a part of the explanation for episodes such as the Texas annexation and particularly the gag rule. Slavocrats insisted that antislavery petitions to the United States Congress would not only be ignored, but actively rejected, thus 'gagging' opposition to Slavery and making a mockery of the democratic process. The gag rule was designed and led by South Carolina extremists, the most radical faction of the aristocrats.

But the explanation works less well when describing the major sectional conflicts - as one approaches the 1850s, Paternalists and Democrats all but disappear, and the struggle becomes one between Free and Slave states, with the Upper South and the Lower North trapped between them. This is a familiar story, and while Freehling tells it well, he does not really add much to the description.

A major point that is scored is Freehling's description of Slavery's malcontents. There really was, particularly in Texas and in Kentucky, an antislavery undercurrent, and Freehling does a superb job of describing its protagonists and enemies. As long as the North left the South alone, Southern Slaveholders could probably squash such movements, but their existence helps explain Southern fear of the rise of the Republican party - a strong Northern ally that could help Southern fifth columnist destroy the Peculiar institution from within.

But for the most part, Freehling's book fails to meet expectations. The title is more than a little Misleading - The Road to Disunion does not really show a path that led to the irreconcilable conflict. Unlike the events of 1848-1860, when each event called for its successor - the Compromise of 1850 led to the destruction of the Whig party in the lower south, which led to the radicalization of the Southern Democratic Party, and to the Kansas-Nebraska act and so on, the earlier incidents were fairly disjoint. The Virginia Slavery debate, the Nullification crises, the Gag rule - all ended without any real increase in animosity. Nor do we see "secessionists at Bay" - with marginal exceptions, until the late 1840s, few major Southerners were bona fide disunionists. Rather, like John C. Calhoun, they wanted to weaken the Union in order to save it.

For all of its sophistication and scale, Freehling's account feels incomplete. Mainly, I think, because until the middle 1840s, the themes Freehling invokes (sectionalism, slavery, colonialism) were relatively minor elements of political scene, where the major issues were banks, Indian genocide, internal improvements and the fans and enemies of `King Andrew` Jackson.

Ultimately, I think the road to disunion was not paved by Southern extremists. Southerners tried mainly to preserve their way of life against a world that was rapidly changing - Industrial rather then Agricultural, increasingly National rather than Local, and yes, Democratic rather than aristocratic. For all their belligerency, the Slavepower was essentially passive and fearful, lashing out in desperation against a new, modern world where there was place neither for slaves nor for masters.

Average customer rating:

Political Cartoonist turned Wanna Be Cop
Early Impressions
Disturbing truth
Deadly Killer, Dull Book
Incredible detail

Zodiac
Robert Graysmith
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Serial Killers | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed
Zodiac (Widescreen Edition)
Zodiac
The Stranger Beside Me (Revised and Updated): 20th Anniversary
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders

ASIN: 0425212181

Customer Reviews:

Political Cartoonist turned Wanna Be Cop.......2007-10-06

This extremely long-winded version of the Zodiac Killer investigation, as portrayed by political cartoonist Robert Graysmith, is full of detail; unfortunately, it has been saturated with detail that serves no purpose other to fill pages.

Graysmith, an apparent wanna-be cop, takes on the role of a "private investigator" and attempts to gather "evidence" on his favorite Zodiac suspect, Arthur Allen Leigh. However, readers are given some insight into other possible suspects while others that police favored are not mentioned at all.

While this book is filled with reproductions of Zodiac's letters, etc., readers are not invited to envision the victims as no photos of these individuals are included. I was only able to gain an image by Googling for information on the Zodiac Killer.

If one can weed through the usless dribble, there is an excellent story within; however, one most remember that this book was written based mainly on the author's opinion. And, to be quite frank, the opinion of a political cartoonist is not the first I'm looking to take; but readers can leave that up to their own judgment.

Early Impressions.......2007-09-25

After watching the movie twice & reading the first couple of chapters of the book, I offer the following observations. First, there is a lot of detail. One gets the sense that Graysmith put in every scrap of information he had (whether or not it was truly relevant). As an example, I offer below the list of characters introduced in Chapter Two alone. Second, his writing style is neither here nor there. It doesn't read like a fictional account of the same subject yet it is more than a summary of known facts in the case. If it were not a real case, I would not continue reading as the storyline is overcrowded with seemingly unimportant data. However, it's this same jumble of information that gives the reader a sense of what it must have been like for the detectives working the case.

1. Darlene Ferrin: shooting victim
2. Bobbie Ramos: Darlene's co-worker at Terry's Restaurant
3. Dean Ferrin: Darlene's current (second) husband
4. Dena Ferrin: Darlene & Dean's baby daughter
5. Bill & Carmela Leigh: Ferrins' landlords; Dean's bosses at Caesar's Palace Italian Restaurant
6. Karen: Darlene's 17 year old babysitter
7. Pam Suennen: Darlene's younger sister
8. Jim "Phillips" (assumed last name): Darlene's ex-husband
9. Bobbie Oxnam: previous co-worker of Darlene at San Francisco phone company
10. Leo Suennen: Darlene's younger brother
11. Mike Mageau: shooting victim; close friend of Darlene's
12. David Mageau: Mike's twin brother; also a close friend of Darlene's
13. Jay Eisen, Ron Allen, Rick Crabtree & Sydne: friends who attended Darlene's painting party
14. Richard Hoffman, Steve Baldino & Howard "Buzz" Gordon: police officers who attended Darlene's painting party
15. "Paul" the bartender (not real name): "creepy" attendee of the painting party; later a prime suspect in the murders
16. Linda Del Buono: Darlene's other sister
17. Leo: Linda (& presumably Darlene's ) father
18. Christina: Darlene's 15 year old sister
19. John Lynch: Detective Sergeant with Vallejo police
20. Harley Scalley: manager at Terry's Restaurant
21: Jane Rhodes: Darlene's acquaintance at Terry's Restaurant
22. Janet Lynne: Darlene's second babysitter
23. Pamela: Janet Lynne's friend
24. George Bryant: Blue Rock Springs Golf Course caretaker
25. Debra, Roger & Jerry: teens who came across the victims following the shooting
26. Nancy Slover: Vallejo P.D. switchboard operator
27. Ed Rust: Sergeant with Vallejo P.D.; John Lynch's partner
28. Richard Hoffman & Sergeant Conway: Vallejo P.D. at the crime scene
29. Arthur Ferrin: Dean's father
30. Officer Shrum & his partner: Vallejo P.D. sent to notify Mageau family of shooting
31. Evelyn Olson: Darlene's co-worker at Terry's Restaurant
32. Lois Mckee: cook at Terry's Restaurant
33. Carmen: Mike Mageau's mother
34. Detective Sergeant Bidou: Benicia P.D.
35. Jack Mulanax: Vallejo P.D. who inherited Ferrin case from Lynch

Disturbing truth .......2007-09-03

Well-written book, excellent research. Disturbing that several police departments were unable to solve the case and unwilling to share information to help bring down the killer. Disturbing that Californians apparently didn't demand better police work. Sad that Mr. Graysmith worked night and day looking for a killer while tax-paid police feigned interest but didn't join in. Sad that the SF's lead investigator blames others when he loses his job even though it was nine years and counting at that point with no one behind bars. How is it investigators get only one search warrant for a suspect with several homes? A sad and disturbing story all around.

Deadly Killer, Dull Book.......2007-08-27

A terrific new cover for the paperback edition, the legacy of America's most notorious uncaptured serial killer, and a tie-in to a well-regarded David Fincher film can't disguise the fact that "Zodiac" the book (first published in 1986) is one extremely slipshod piece of work.

There's ample warning from the first page in that truth is taking a holiday even if death isn't. Author Robert Graysmith channels the mind of David Faraday, taking in the sights of the Golden Gate Bridge just hours before being killed by the title figure, a serial killer who terrorized Northern California in the late 1960s. Faraday didn't have a chance to share these observations of his, so they can only be fictional constructs sent up by Graysmith to give his true-crime book a novelistic feel. It's a small moment of irritation that grows steadily as the pages turn.

First come accounts of each of the Zodiac killings. These are decently presented in some cases, with Graysmith delivering some of the same flair for setting that made his Bob Crane murder book "Auto Focus" such a good read. Unfortunately, he also reveals that book's difficulty with exposition was not a one-time thing. He mentions intriguing clues (an early victim's escapades with dangerous pals, a rumored recording of the Zodiac phoning in one of his crimes) and raises questions (why was one of Zodiac's victims dressed in several layers of clothing on a warm summer night?), but he drops these and other tangents just as soon as he picks them up, never tying them together or providing context within the larger scope of the crime.

What was Graysmith, a political cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle, doing at the center of this case? He notes the Zodiac's use of cryptic lettering.

"As an editorial cartoonist you develop a strong sense of justice, a need to change things, and as a painter and cartoonist I worked with symbols every day," he writes. "The tools of my career were being misused, appropriated by a murderer."

If that sounds less than convincing, Graysmith goes on to decipher one of Zodiac's cryptic notes to the media, explaining that he did so by taking his commonly-used words from other writings and grafting them onto promising-looking patterns. Then he discloses the message he got out of it, revealing a jumble of catch-phrases and clearly random words.

It's clear that operating without any professional sense of discretion or detachment, Graysmith became too enmeshed in the drama of Zodiac for his own good. He visits the former hangouts of suspects, like a movie theater where he talks to a guy he is sure knows more than he is telling. Meanwhile, he notes footsteps on the floor above.

"I had a feeling that at any moment a stocky man in a black hood could step into the room holding a pistol," Graysmith writes. This episode occurs in 1978, nine years after Zodiac's last known murder. Needless to say, no hooded stranger appears.

The whole book is like that, full of twists and turns leading nowhere. He spends a chapter on a psychic who comes up with the numbers "2" and "11" before leaving the case, and another on the phases of Saturn during each of the killings. By the time Graysmith finally begins to discuss a suspect he believes is the Zodiac, he employs the pseudonym "Bob Starr" because of the threat of a lawsuit. Here's an idea: Stick to the facts, then the guy can't sue you.

Well, now the guy can't, 'cause he's dead. Graysmith mentions his name now, in a long paperback postscript devoted to the movie. While authorities have apparently ruled him out, no one has mentioned another suspect to take his place. That gives Graysmith a sliver of credence, no one else has come up with a better. Yet it is likely the wrong name.

I didn't care so much about that. I just felt my intelligence insulted by Graysmith's poor writing style and overall turgidness. "Zodiac" performs the amazing feat of making murder as exciting as accounting, only this time the book doesn't balance.

Incredible detail.......2007-08-21

Robert Graysmith is no Vincent Bugliosi, but he does know more about the Zodiac killings than anybody else on the planet. The detail about each of the five known killings is incredible, and Graysmith unearths another killing that occurred in Riverside prior to the Zodiac killings that may have been committed by the same person. And he does come up with a likely suspect.

Prior to reading ZODIAC, I rented the David Fincher movie. I was expecting the movie to follow the book pretty closely, but there are some composite characters in the movie. Graysmith tells us about three main suspects; whereas, there were only two in the movie. Graysmith also speculates (pretty much believes) that Zodiac went right on killing after the murder of cab driver Paul Lee Stine. He lists 41 possible Zodiac murders, the last one occurring in 1981. Graysmith also had access to the Zodiac letters in which the murderer claimed credit for many more murders than those generally attributed to him.

Graysmith has some annoying habits. For one thing, he describes every stitch of clothing one of the early murder victims is wearing. He's also awfully skittish about using real names. So many people are given pseudonyms this might as well be fiction. Later on he goes into elaborate detail about the phases of the moon, and how the Zodiac could have been planning his murderers to correspond with them. Then there's the sycophantic description of Filcher's movie as an addendum to the book. Here's Graysmith's description of Filcher's attention to detail: "His eye is calculating, more precise than any mechanical optics."

Something else that I find puzzling was the police's inability to keep track of two of the victims who lived through Zodiac attacks, Mike Mageau and Kathleen Johns. Kathleen got a really good look at him. I would have liked to see a "where are they now" epilogue concerning some of the major characters. Mageau is barely mentioned, strange since he supposedly identified the man who tried to kill him. I would imagine that's covered in ZODIAC UNMASKED, the follow-up.

Inner Harbor: The Chesapeake Bay Saga #3 (Quinn Brothers)

Average customer rating:

A very pleasant read (or listen)
Irresistible
Another great story
A wonderful ending to a wonderful series
must read if you've read the others

Inner Harbor: The Chesapeake Bay Saga #3 (Quinn Brothers)
Nora Roberts
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Family Saga | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Rising Tides: The Chesapeake Bay Saga #2 (The Quinn Brothers Trilogy)
Sea Swept: The Chesapeake Bay Saga #1 (Chesapeake Bay Mysteries)
Chesapeake Blue (Quinn Brothers (Hardcover))
Tears of the Moon (Irish Jewels Trilogy)
Heart of the Sea: The Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy #3 (Irish Trilogy)

ASIN: 0515124214
Release Date: 2001-07-03

Amazon.com

Inner Harbor, the highly anticipated close to the story of "the lives and loves of three brothers on the windswept shores of the Chesapeake Bay" that began in Sea Swept and Rising Tides, finds Philip, the last unwed Quinn brother, juggling his high-powered advertising job and his newfound family duty of helping to care for his young adopted brother, Seth. When Dr. Sybill Griffin shows up in the sleepy town of St. Christopher, Philip makes room in his hectic schedule for the mysterious woman who stirs his senses and threatens to steal his heart. And while Sybill can't deny her own growing feelings for the charismatic Quinn, the secret connection to Seth that she hides may destroy any chance that the two young lovers have at happiness. Full of heartwarming familial moments, tender romance, and a touch of tension, Inner Harbor is an outstanding conclusion to a truly stunning trilogy.

Book Description

Third in the sweeping Chesapeake quartet.

A stranger's cool reserve intrigues Phillip Quinn, but her secret could tear the family apart forever.

The breathtaking saga of the Quinn brothers on the windswept shores of the Chesapeake Bay.

Download Description

The conclusion to a stunning trilogy of three brothers who have come together in a time of need.

Customer Reviews:

A very pleasant read (or listen).......2006-08-11

This book, which is a part of a trilogy, doesn't let you down if you are a reader of Nora Roberts. It will make you feel good and keeps you interested with the dipiction of the main characters, three "brothers," who have been adopted after experiencing extremely difficult childhoods and develope into very exciting, exceptional adults. The trilogy is about the power of love and how it can overcome extremely difficult barriers.

Irresistible.......2006-06-06

I did not read the other books in the series, but i absolutly loved this one. I couldn't put it down for the whole 2 days it took me to finish it. It's a great story with a great theme, and you actually feel like you're there. If you like any other Nora Roberts books then you have to read this one!

Another great story.......2006-03-15

Another great Quinn story. And with an interesting twist to it too.

A wonderful ending to a wonderful series.......2006-02-10

Great story to complete the series. I like the way the new characters mix with my old favorites. The only problem is that is leaves you dieing to find out what happens to Seth. Read Chesapeake Blue to find out what happens to Seth

must read if you've read the others.......2005-09-24

This series was a nice change of pace from heavier reading. Its enjoyable. The characters are entertaining. I liked the closure by including the 4th "son's" story. Occasionally the "family rallying around" borders on hokey, but then again, this is escapism so why not be inspirational and idealistic?

Rising Tides: The Chesapeake Bay Saga #2 (The Quinn Brothers Trilogy)

Average customer rating:

Rising Tides
2 WOW the second time around for a job well done on the 2nd book
Donna's Review
Another Great One by Nora Roberts!
Love it

Rising Tides: The Chesapeake Bay Saga #2 (The Quinn Brothers Trilogy)
Nora Roberts
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Family Saga | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Inner Harbor: The Chesapeake Bay Saga #3 (Quinn Brothers)
Sea Swept: The Chesapeake Bay Saga #1 (Chesapeake Bay Mysteries)
Chesapeake Blue (Quinn Brothers (Hardcover))
Heart of the Sea: The Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy #3 (Irish Trilogy)
Jewels of the Sun: The Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy #1 (Irish Trilogy)

ASIN: 051512317X
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Amazon.com

Set on the windswept shores of the Chesapeake Bay, Nora Roberts's Rising Tides, the second book in the Quinn Brothers trilogy, continues the story of the lives and loves of adopted brothers Ethan, Cameron, and Philip Quinn. Eager to honor their father's dying wish that their other brother, Seth, be cared for, the three settle into life with a 10-year-old. Of all the brothers, it is Ethan who finds himself drawn to the young boy, because both suffered horrific abuse before being adopted by the Quinns. Time hasn't extinguished Ethan's pain, only buried it deep within his heart, a fact that may keep him from the only woman he has ever loved. A moving contemporary with universal appeal, Rising Tides is Nora Roberts at her best.

Book Description

Ethan Quinn must rise above his dark and painful past to find his one chance at happiness.

Download Description

The second novel in a dramatic trilogy of three men who return home to honor their father's last wish---to care for Seth, a troubled boy in need of a family.

Customer Reviews:

Rising Tides.......2007-01-10

I really enjoyed this as I did the other ones from this series

2 WOW the second time around for a job well done on the 2nd book.......2006-02-10

Containing both emotion and power Roberts is able to portray Ethan Quinn in a fascinating way. While managing to keep in mind his patience and quiet ways, Roberts maintains the plot while still keeping readers happy and the characters thriving.

Also recommended: The MacGregor Grooms, and the rest of the Quinn books

Donna's Review.......2005-09-15

This book and the whole series is truly captivating. I always look for books like this and Nora Roberts knows how to capture an audiance.

I will read nothing but Nora Roberts from now on!

Another Great One by Nora Roberts!.......2005-05-03

RISING TIDES is the second book in the Chesapeake Bay trilogy and focuses on Ethan. Ethan is the quiet brother who loves the ocean. He's the one who started the family boat-building business and not only works there, but also runs his commercial fishing boat. He's the one who tries to direct the brothers into a successful future business, but isn't afraid of the hard work involved in getting them to achieve that success.

Almost as a sub-plot is the fact that Ethan has been in love with Grace for as long as he can remember, but considers her off-limits because of a dark secret in his past. As he gently guides Seth (the newest adopted brother) into the future, he is led to accept his past by the ghost of his father and not to place blame on himself. It's an Interesting concept and very effective.

These two sub-plots are entwined, so you don't really understand which is more important until you learn the secret that is keeping Ethan from fully realizing his dreams. Once that secret is revealed, the sub-plots are merged. This sounds confusing, but is well written and flows nicely together.

This series just keeps getting better with each book! Nora Roberts shows wit, charm and romance in RISING TIDES. It's also a very different style for her (and her fans), as she's writing from a male perspective. As I was reading it, I realized I was seeing things through the eyes of Ethan, and not Grace. This writing style didn't draw me into "living" the story, but instead kept me as a very interested bystander.

This book is definitely worth reading. In fact the entire Chesapeake Bay trilogy is an excellent choice for entertainment reading.

Love it.......2005-02-09

Ethan and Grace are perfect for eachother, but It got really irritating how he thought Grace was 'delicate' and 'fragile' expecially after she is raising a daughter alone and working such hard jobs. She stood up to him and that was cool. They really flow together.

The Journey: A Practical Guide to Healing Your Life and Setting Yourself Free

Average customer rating:

A courageous woman
Uplifting
Yes but....used as a commercial product
Absolutely stunning and healing
The Journey

The Journey: A Practical Guide to Healing Your Life and Setting Yourself Free
Brandon Bays
Manufacturer: Atria
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Healing | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Personal Transformation | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Hospital Administration | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Freedom Is: Liberating Your Boundless Potential
Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine
The Journey Cards
The Journey
The Journey for Kids

Accessories:

RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device
Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)

ASIN: 0743443934
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Book Description

This is a book about Freedom

All of us sense that deep inside lies huge potential. We long to experience it, yet something holds us back. We long to set ourselves free, but we don't know how. In this book, you finally learn how.

When Brandon Bays was diagnosed with a basketball-sized tumor in her uterus, she was catapulted into an extraordinary, soul searching journey. Determined to heal naturally, she took no drugs, underwent no surgery; but six and-a-half weeks later she was declared tumor-free. Going beyond current mind-body wisdom, she discovered a powerful means to get direct access to the soul--the unconditional love, the boundless peace, the living presence within us--and pioneered a revolutionary paradigm for healing. Tens of thousands worldwide have since used The Journey™ to awaken to their own infinite potential and free themselves from lifelong emotional blocks and physical illnesses.

Download Description

Heal your life and set yourself free... In 1992, Brandon Bays was diagnosed with a basketball-sized tumor in her uterus. Already experienced as a healer, she felt she needed to explore alternative means of healing before resorting to surgery and drugs. In the process, she found herself catapulted into an extraordinary soul-searching, and ultimately freeing, journey of healing. Just six and a half weeks after her diagnosis, she was pronounced perfectly healthy. Without the need for drugs or surgery, the tumor had disappeared. The profound process of self-healing that Brandon Bays pioneers has since freed thousands from lifelong emotional and physical blocks. Through the unique work she describes in The Journey, we can learn her deeply transformative techniques and reap the rewards. The Journey guides us directly to the root of any longstanding difficulty and then gives us the tools to resolve it -- finally and completely. This powerful process creates remarkable and lasting results. Chronic pain vanishes. Anxiety, depression, and sexual blocks disappear. Self-esteem, grief, and anger issues dissolve, addictions fall away, and illnesses come to an end. All of us know that deep inside we harbor huge potential. We long to experience it -- yet something holds us back. We long to set ourselves free, yet we don't know how to begin. With practical and easy-to-use techniques, the Journey process enables you to: Strip away emotional and physical blocks Tap into your own inner genius Live life as an expression of your highest potential Experience boundless joy within Become truly free

Customer Reviews:

A courageous woman.......2007-10-18

As the title says this book is about the "Journey" of Brandon Bays. Her courage and strength in the midst of lifes trials is truelly inspiring. She has a very warm and pure soul and has developed her own unique formula for coping. She shares that formula with us. She is a very remarkable woman who usues her own insight and experiences to help others to overcome their own personal challenges. I highly recommend this book.

Uplifting.......2007-07-01

What an amazing book. I began to read with a cynically curled lip, but the truth in this book grabbed me and I read it in 2 days and then did the Seminar. I'm sorry if I sound cliche, but this is lifechanging. I don't recognise the doubting me who picked up the book (but I thank God that I did) and I love what I have become and I laugh now at all the emotional rubbish that I have been able to dump and move on without it dragging me down. Buy it, feel it, live!

Yes but....used as a commercial product.......2007-04-29

I really liked the Book of Brandon Bays, I watched the videos on the net so I joined yesterday the seminar of the Journey: 4 hours of video listening to her the stories I knew by heart: impossible for me, so I went out for 30 minutes but I had critics because the energy of the room was disturbed without me. I came back after 30 minutes and took a magazine. At the lunch time, the organiser told me I had too negative energy for the group with this attitude: I replied I wanted to start the practical healing, the methods of B. Bays..not only watching videos.
The man has been so negative with me ,I had to leave the seminar...

Absolutely stunning and healing.......2007-03-25

I read this book in 1 day. It resonated with me instantly. I went to a weekend seminar and did more healing in that weekend than in 13+years of therapy. I am still in awe and amazement at the results I received and am continuing to receive. The material is brillantly packaged into a quick way to uncover feelings and get to the core, and then to Source. And I have been able to carry that with me every day since I left the seminar. One month later and I am still lighter than air and am overwhelmed at my continued healing. you don't have to go to the seminar, however, you can read the book and she will teach you some of the processes in the book and you and a friend can try them out. But if it resonates with you, the seminar is %1000 better.

Tami

The Journey.......2007-01-10

good book I enjoyed the read for me because I have a progressing Brain tumor---

Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall: An Artist's Country Estate (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)

Average customer rating:

Louis Comfort Tiffany's Laurelton Hall
Tiffany Book

Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall: An Artist's Country Estate (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)
Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen
Manufacturer: Metropolitan Museum of Art
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Art Nouveau | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

A New Light on Tiffany: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls
Tiffany Lamps and Metalware: An Illustrated Reference to Over 2000 Models
The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany
Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)
Barcelona and Modernity: Picasso, Gaudi, Miro, Dali

ASIN: 0300117876

Book Description

This beautiful book focuses on Laurelton Hall, Louis Comfort Tiffany’s extraordinary country estate in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York. Beginning in 1902, Tiffany (1848–1933) designed every aspect of the immense home, which had eighty-four rooms and eight levels, and extensive grounds into which the house was carefully integrated. Tiffany’s residential masterpiece was also a quasi-museum, for he filled it with his own works—windows, glassware, pottery, enamels, lamps, oil paintings, and watercolors—as well as with objects from his collections of Islamic, Asian, and Native American art.
Laurelton Hall burned down in 1957, but about ten years earlier most of its contents had been removed and sold. Every aspect of the estate is examined and re-created in this volume: its terraced gardens with fountains and pools; the many outbuildings; and Tiffany’s life there. The interior decoration of Laurelton Hall, a particular focus of the book, is represented by both numerous period photographs and newly commissioned color photography of surviving artworks and salvaged architectural components from the estate. For all who admire Tiffany and his work, this book presents a unique portrait of his remarkable home.

Customer Reviews:

Louis Comfort Tiffany's Laurelton Hall.......2007-01-19

This is an excellent and scholarly book filled with incredible photos and descriptions of LCT's home, Laurelton Hall. The author has written a series of fine chapters that look at all aspects of this magnificent residence. What the fire at Laurelton destroyed, this book restores with words and photos. For all of you who love Tiffany's artistry, this book is not to be missed!

Tiffany Book.......2007-01-16

Nicely put together and informative for those who are seriously interested in the life and works of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed

Average customer rating:

Sows Ear
BOOK A+, BUT TOO LONG
Not as good as it should have been
chopping, uninteresting, self-promoting
Obsession Continued

Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed
Robert Graysmith
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Serial Killers | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Zodiac
Zodiac
Zodiac (Widescreen Edition)
Sleep My Little Dead: The True Story of the Zodiac Killer (St. Martin's true crime library)
Zodiac [UNABRIDGED]

ASIN: 0425212734

Book Description

The San Francisco Chronicle hailed Robert Graysmith's Zodiac as "provocative...the taut narrative brings the horror back jolt upon jolt."

And that wasn't even the whole story.

When the Zodiac killings began in 1968, Robert Graysmith, employed at the San Francisco Chronicle, became fascinated with the case. Before the murder spree was over, Zodiac claimed 37 victims. His mocking notes to authorities dared them to catch him. They never did. Now after following the clues for thirty years, Graysmith provides the final chapter-with hundreds of never-before-published photos and the only complete reproduction of the Zodiac letters.

Customer Reviews:

Sows Ear.......2007-10-16

After seeing David Fincher's film ZODIAC I got a craving to find out more about the crimes Zodiac committed, so I ordered a copy of Zodiac Unmasked, seeing as how the screenwriters adapted this book into the script. All I can say now is, the screenwriters must be geniuses for I have never read so disorganized and badly written a true crime book and I've plowed through some doozies in my lifetime. If you've seen the movie, you've seen Jake Gyllenhaal playing Robert Graysmith, this inoffensive, innocuous mousy cartoonist who hangs out all day at the Chronicle newsroom and little by little he becomes obsessed with the case to the detriment of his home life.

It's not that cartoonists can't write good books, but I wonder how good a cartoonist Graysmith was because as a writer, he's the bottom of the barrel. Not one sentence he writes make sense. Okay, some make sense but then the problem is that whatever interest you had at the beginning of the sentence evaporates by the time he gets to the end. Part of the problem is the hugeness of his topic. Not only are there literally hundreds of suspects, very few of whom ever come alive as "characters," but there are hundreds of cops, ditto, and witnesses, ditto, all of them a huge blur, and there also seem to be hundreds of Northern California towns all of which Zodiac knew well and left terror there.

We can never get an estimate of how many crimes Zodiac committed nor how many letters he wrote. Graysmith doesn't want to say "no" to any possibility, so all of them are left flapping in the wind like the monkey's gumballs.

And yet another part of the problem is that, halfway through the events he relates, he makes the central one the publication of his first book about Zodiac, in which he identified his main suspect under a pseudonym (the man was still alive at that time), so we get hundreds of new sightings based on readers who read #1, called up Graysmith, told him they knew who he was talking about, and he was right, that man is strange. Maybe the first book was better for it wouldn't have all this patting himself on the back in it. This one is nigh unreadable. However since it was the basis for one of the best thrillers I've ever seen, I'm bumping it up a notch or two.

BOOK A+, BUT TOO LONG.......2007-08-27

I enjoyed both Graysmith/Zodiac books, but ZODIAC UNMASKED was 100 PAGES TOO LONG. Plus much of the info was repeated 2-4 times. I was almost expecting a test at the end!

Not as good as it should have been.......2007-08-01

Author too long winded. I love true crime, but this book just couldn't hold my attention.

chopping, uninteresting, self-promoting.......2007-07-22

This is an awful book is myriad ways, but I'll try to mention the very worst aspects. Graysmith's style was choppy and very hard to follow. he frequently refers to events with no context at all and in random order - unless you have committed the entire Zodiac case to memory (and he seems to assume everyone has), you will be as lost as I was. The direct quotes are often difficult to make sense of, as is of course typical when quotes are taken out of full conversations, but a good writer provides elaborating text; Graysmith never bothers. The date format Graysmith imposes is probably intended to give some kind of structure to what really seems to be a bunch of random notes, but it doesn't work at all as he still jumps forward and backward in time and the dates don't seem to be related to anything in particular.

Graysmith's case for Allen as the Zodiac seems no more compelling than the cases for other suspects, and the fact that there was no DNA match, no fingerprint match, and no handwriting match make it clear his whole theory is pure speculation. If Allen hadn't been a pedophile you'd feel sorry for the guy. Whe middle of the book contains constant references to Graysmith's book "Zodiac" and how it was used as a "bible" by police, whom he states bought enormous numbers of copies to learn from, and how "Zodiac" was so wonderfully helpful to a wide variety of people. He also makes several statements such as "had there ever been a greater mystery?" and calls the unresolved hunt for Zodiac "one of the greatest mysteries of all time." Is he kidding? My only remembrance of the Zodiac was because of some old Clint Eastwood movie. If I were to rank eternal mysteries, Zodiac wouldn't even make the list. Graysmith seems to be so obsessed with this topic that he thinks the whole world revolves around it. Move on already.

Obsession Continued.......2007-05-29

It is true that this book is not as engaging and riveting as the first. For some reason though, some people have it out for the author Graysmith. This book is based on and is a literal text of Graysmith's thought process. Like anyone's thought process, this doesn't mean that it's all based entirely in fact. As I said in my review of "Zodiac", most police work isn't based totally in the facts but in speculation that most likely fits those facts. Being as how we weren't at the scene as the crimes were being committed, and if we had all the facts we'd know without a doubt who Zodiac was or is, speculation, whether loosely based on the facts or not, is necessary.

It is fact that Arthur Leigh Allen is the favorite suspect of many of the law enforcement officials closest to the Zodiac investigation. This book isn't how they came to that, but how Graysmith did. Graysmith is no Mike Hammer or, even a spin-off of Zodiac's favorite SFPD inspector Dave Toschi. He's a novice taking a novice's approach. This book is a good continuation of the first book, but it obviously loses a little bit because it doesn't contain the introductions to the crimes and the imagery that comes with such descriptions. I enjoyed it for what it was; don't let people deter you from this work because they have it out for the author. Read it and decide for yourself, make your own conclusions. I'm glad I did.

Average customer rating:

Not The Best of the Series
liked and disappointment
Worse than Juvenile
Now I get it.
Incredibly bad

Hemlock Bay
Catherine Coulter
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Edge
The Target
Riptide
Blindside (FBI Thriller (Brilliance Audio))
Maze, The

ASIN: 0515133302
Release Date: 2002-07-02

Book Description

FBI Agent Dillon Savich discovers that his sister owns four paintings, worth a million dollars each, that are at the heart of an intricate conspiracy in this New York Times bestselling thriller.

Download Description

After five consecutive New York Times-bestselling FBI novels, Catherine Coulter is a major player in contemporary suspense. "Her suspense thrillers seem to get better and better," exclaims the Midwest Review of Books. Hemlock Bay continues the streak. FBI Agent Dillon Savich is on a challenging case involving the kidnapping of two teenage boys, when trouble boils up in his personal life. His younger sister, Lily, has crashed her Explorer into a redwood in California's Hemlock Bay. Is it another suicide attempt, the second since the loss of her young daughter some seven months before? Savich and his wife and fellow agent, Lacey Sherlock, discover that four of Lily's paintings-left to her by their very famous grandmother, artist Sarah Elliott, and now worth millions-are at the heart of an intricate conspiracy. Lily and art broker Simon Russo are thrust into ever-widening circles of danger that radiate from a notorious collector's locked room. Dillon Savich and his sister, Lily, both have to face their worst fears to survive.

Customer Reviews:

Not The Best of the Series.......2007-07-22

I really like Savich and Sherlock and reading about them. (I give it 3 stars just because it's about Savitch and Sherlock) I didn't care for this one as much as some of the others because so much was unrealistic. IF I wanted Science fiction I would read another author. THe whole Ghoulie thing was just ghoulish. :) Nothing real or realistic about that whole thing. THe FBI looked like bumbling idiots that they couldn't apprehend one one armed woman???? Then Lily takes her out. Good Grief! I have some problems also that Savitch and Sherlock both put themselves in harms way so often at the same time when they now have a son. Then there was Lily's story! At first I felt sorry for her. Then her chartacter turned into a smart mouth and put Simon down all the time. She kept trying to run everything. I just couldn't warm to her character even though she was Savith's sister. My criticism isn't so much about bad writing as the story line itself. As others have siad it left so many unanswered questions. I have read the series to this point and hope the next ones are better.

liked and disappointment.......2007-01-16

The book Hemlock Bay itself was good. I enjoy reading Catherine Coulter books. But, I order a hard back book and I received a paperback book. It was soiled but in fairly readable shape. I contacted you after I received it and was told by e-mail that you were going to send me a hard back copy, but it never came. I never heard from them again.

Worse than Juvenile.......2007-01-05

I have tried on several occasions to read Coulter's suspense novels. And I thought I'd bravely try one more time. Unfortunately, the outcome was the same: utter disappointment.

Don't assume 1 star implies any redeeming value in this book. Amazon simple didn't give an option to award zero stars.

I suppose I'll start with a pet peeve, and get it out of the way before critiquing the novel on more than just my personal likes/dislikes, so here goes: I don't like thrillers that deal with the torture of children. The first book I ever read by Dean Koontz dealt with this and he was forever off my list. There are some places I just refuse to go, and this is one of them.

The opening chapter of this book give us a band of merry FBI agents who can't backslap and high-five each other enough because they've caught a couple of serial killers just seconds before they attempt to kill their latest victims: two adolescent boys. Never mind that the kids will be emotionally scarred for life after the ordeal that Coulter conjures up for us. Never mind that real agents, no matter how jaded, would be physically sick to their stomachs and probably deeply introspective after observing such human cruelty. Nope. In Coulter's world, the FBI agents whoop it up, and the kids and parents skip away to live happily ever after. Need I say more?

OK. Rant finished. On with the review.

I have to agree with a previous reviewer (shereads) regarding one of the main problems I have with all of Coulter's novels: the dialog. It is ridiculously juvenile. Frankly, when I read true juvenile novels, like my son's "Guardians of Ga'Houle" series, or the "Maximum Ride" series by James Patterson, even though the books are aimed at young readers, at least the dialog reads like real people talk. They just use simpler words, fewer references to things that young reader's won't get, and the plots have fewer convolutions. But when it comes to dialog (and plots...we won't even go there), Coulter's books are impossible. The dialog is not only lame, but the way the characters respond to situations is almost always implausible, as I noted above in my pet peeve rant. Coulter is a master at conjuring up characters that cheerfully and consistently defy reality in their dialog, their emotions, and their responses.

So, if you are willing to regularly overlook these shortcomings in a novel, then Coulter's the author for you. If not, then you'd be better served to look elsewhere in this genre.

As to the plot of this book, I won't comment on it for two very good reasons:

1. Other reviewers have already done so quite adequately.

2. The dialog was so lame that I couldn't get past the second chapter.

I won't reiterate all of my other reasons for not liking Coulter's suspense novels (you can look up my review of her book "The Cove" if you need more evidence to avoid this author). I'll just say I've given her ample opportunity to prove herself as an author and she has been found seriously lacking.

Now I get it........2006-08-25

Finally, it clicks: the reason I liked Coulter's historicals but couldn't plow through even half of the last two contemporary suspense novels. (And I do mean the last.)

First and foremost, it's the stilted dialogue. Nobody talks like this, people; not in this millenium and not in the previous half-century, unless we count "See Dick run. Run, Dick. Run." In period novels, it's easier to suspend disbelief. But when the setting is here and now, the same style comes across as bad writing.

I wanted to like these books; I swear I did. Coulter's historicals filled many a rainy afternoon with what I thought was high-camp fun - a satirical take on the genre. Now I see that what I thought was satirical was not. The joke was on me.

BTW, when you have to describe a character as witty, she probably isn't.

Incredibly bad.......2006-08-25

The only reason I gave this book one star is because there is no zero level, as far as I can tell.

I was disappointed. I was annoyed. I was bored. I was irritated. Then I was impressed because if this could get published, ANYbody can get published.

There are, theoretically, two plots in this book. Neither plot ties in with the other. The second plot is so secondary that it is forgotten for chapters at a time by the author. I only wish we could have forgotten the main plot, and I use the word "plot" only as a point of reference.

ESP, mysticism, ghosts, real magic; a protagonist who could be a woman, or who could be a woman who can magically - yes, magically - turn into a man. Or really, we aren't sure. It's like at the end of the book, Coulter looked up, realized "gosh darn, end of the book already? I'd better slap together an ending!" and that's what we have. I actually wondered if my book had lost some pages, I was that confused and bewildered.

Also, we meet a character in this book who will return in another book in this series, a cousin of the serial killers Tammy and Tommy Tuttle (Tammy, of course, maybe being Tammy or possibly Tommy or Timmy or magically changing into Tommy or Timmy; we aren't sure and trust me, eventually you won't care). In the later book, this cousin is nice and we are empathetic with her. In this book, I didn't care if she got killed or drowned on her way to Bermuda. In fact, I wouldn't have cared if the whole cast of characters had drowned on the way to Bermuda or been killed by the weird ghosts that the Tuttle siblings feed with blood from victims.

That's "ghosts" as in real ghosts, by the way.

My complaint is that the rest of the books in this series are mostly based in factual, believable actions. This book - I have no idea what happened with this book. Probably one of the worst plotted books I've ever tried to read. And that's sad, because a good Coulter FBI series book is a page-turner and a joy to read.

Tales From a Tin Can: The USS Dale from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay

Average customer rating:

Not a bad Navy story
Destroyermen The Few The Proud
Great Book
They were both (Anchors Aweight) good!!!
kudos for a great book

Tales From a Tin Can: The USS Dale from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay
Michael Olson
Manufacturer: Zenith Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Japanese Destroyer Captain: Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Midway - The Great Naval Battles As Seen Through Japanese Eyes
The Luck of the Draw: The Memoir of a World War II Submariner: From Savo Island to the Silent Service
Sea Cobra: Admiral Halsey's Task Force and the Great Pacific Typhoon
Anchors Aweight
Inferno: The Epic Life and Death Struggle of the USS Franklin in World War II

ASIN: 076032770X

Book Description

Looking up from his newspaper from where he sat on the deck of the destroyer USS Dale, Harold Reichert could see the pilot plain as day—the leather helmet with chin strap, the goggles, and then the red rising sun painted on the plane’s fuselage. “I saw the torpedo drop and watched as it ran up on the old Utah.”

It was daybreak at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the beginning of the war, and the Dale was there; she would serve until the end, when the atomic bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered. In the words of those who manned her, the Dale’s war comes vividly to life in this first oral history of a combat ship from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay. From carrier raids on Midway, Guadalcanal, and the Solomons to the bombarding of Saipan and Guam in the capture of the Marianas, from the Aleutians in the far north to strikes on Tokyo and Kobe, Tales of a Tin Can recreates the action aboard the Dale, and conveys as never before the true grit of wartime on a destroyer.

Customer Reviews:

Not a bad Navy story.......2007-09-09

As a Navy Vet and one who served for a short time on a tin can I found this book interesting. I enjoyed reading it not only from a veterans perspective but also from a historical viewpoint.

Destroyermen The Few The Proud.......2007-08-28

This is a terrific read and well reflects the lives we endured on the "greyhounds of the sea". The memories of these terrific sailors is exciting and certainly reflects the challenges that they faced again and again. Having rode many of these ships over a 30 year Navy career I would certainLY recommend this to any and all. BRAVO ZULU!!!!!!!!!!!

Great Book.......2007-06-27

If you are a serious student of history, you cannot help but enjoy this book.
All too often when telling the story of WW II, the intimate and personal day to day experiences of the individual soldier or sailor get over looked.
This book tells that story, specifically how individual sailors dealt with the day to day stress of combat operations and the death of friends and shipmates; a great read.

They were both (Anchors Aweight) good!!!.......2007-05-26

Two different books and two different stories. If you liked the fun of the ship and the good times that were there, then you'll want to read them both, Anchors Aweight and Tin Can Tales!!!

kudos for a great book.......2007-05-15

We have totally enjoyed the book. It's written as if the men were talking to you right in the room.

Chesapeake Blue: The Chesapeake Bay Saga #4

Average customer rating:

Awesome!
Great, as per usual...
Fun Little Time Filler
Very good book
It made me smile right from the beginning...

Chesapeake Blue: The Chesapeake Bay Saga #4
Nora Roberts
Manufacturer: Jove
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Romance Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

General | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Inner Harbor: The Chesapeake Bay Saga #3 (Quinn Brothers)
Rising Tides: The Chesapeake Bay Saga #2 (The Quinn Brothers Trilogy)
Sea Swept: The Chesapeake Bay Saga #1 (Chesapeake Bay Mysteries)
Tears of the Moon (Irish Jewels Trilogy)
Heart of the Sea: The Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy #3 (Irish Trilogy)

ASIN: 0515136263
Release Date: 2004-01-27

Book Description

Nora Roberts presents her #1 New York Times bestselling novel, now in paperback.

Nora Roberts returns to Chesapeake Bay and her beloved Quinn family for the story of Seth Quinn. The conclusion to the breathtaking saga.

Download Description

"Seth Quinn is finally home. It's been a long journey. After a harrowing boyhood with his drug-addicted mother, he'd been taken in by the Quinn family, growing up with three older brothers who'd watched over him with love. Now a grown man returning from Europe as a successful painter, Seth is settling down on Maryland's Eastern Shore, surrounded once again by Cam, Ethan, and Phil, their wives and children, all the blessed chaos of the extended Quinn clan. Finally, he's back in the little blue-and-white house where there's always a boat at the dock, a rocker on the porch, and a dog in the yard. Still, a lot has changed in St. Christopher since he's been gone-and the most intriguing change of all is the presence of Dru Whitcomb Banks. A city girl who's opened a florist shop in this seaside town, she craves independence and the challenge of establishing herself without the influence of her wealthy connections. In Seth, she sees another kind of challenge-a challenge that she can't resist. But storms are brewing that are about to put their relationship to the test. Dru's past has made her sensitive to deception-and slow to trust. And Seth's past has made him a target of blackmail-as a secret he's kept hidden for years threatens to explode, destroying his new life and his new love. . . ."

Customer Reviews:

Awesome!.......2007-08-28

This is a well written ending to the Quinn story. This is the story of Seth, grown up from the earlier books in the series. This is one of my favorites that I re-read often. I recommend this entire series!

Great, as per usual..........2007-08-02

I love Nora Roberts, and especially when she writes sagas. This fourth book in the Chesapeake Bay saga is great. I loved seeing Seth as a grown up, as well as the closeknit family dynamic. At first, I wasn't too sure about Dru but as the story went along she grew on me, and I think she's the perfect balance to Seth.

Fun Little Time Filler.......2007-08-01

This was the first romance novel I'd ever picked up. It's been over two years since I first read it and I've reread it more times than I can count. The book offers very little in terms of character development or morals etc. that I usually hope to get out of a novel. Despite all this, it does make for a tasty morsel on a lonely night when you can't sleep.

Drew's strength and stubborness makes her a more believable character than the women in you classic "romance" novels. You had three "plot" elements to choose from: pirates; forced marriage; endless descriptions that take the reader to...more descriptions.

Thankfully, this novel provides a little insight into the mind of both the man and woman in the relationship. I recommend this book for those who are bored and need something to fill time. It's well written and artfully worded throughout. Definately a fun read.

Very good book.......2007-07-28

I finished reading this book. Very hard to put down. Reccomend to everyone. :o)

It made me smile right from the beginning..........2007-07-25

Even though Nora Roberts is a wonderful storyteller, she is touch-and-go with me. I really like some of her books while others leave me feeling flat. There was no question with this one. It's a five star keeper and I haven't even read the others in the series. From the very beginning of the story it made me smile. It was the story, the sense of family, the feeling of home. Yes, the romance part seemed a little forced but considering the caliber of Nora Roberts' writing in comparison to many other writers I think that can be overlooked. It wasn't so forced as to take away from the overall feeling of the book.(What would be a really great effort from other writers we don't accept in exceptional authors.)I highly recommend this one.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books