No comments about Six Renaissance Men and Women.

1 comments about Woodbrook.

1. David Thomson was a British man with a great love of Ireland and its people, with a deep understanding of its tragic past and of its present troubles. In his story is woven the story of Ireland. Thomson's memoir covers his 10 years at Woodbrook, a house in Co. Roscommon, owned at that time by an Anglo-Irish family. He arrived as a shy, young tutor and in his years at Woodbrook he naturally became very close to the family, as well as to their neighbors. His position gave him a unique possibility to befriend both Protestants and Catholics, aristocrats and farmers. He writes at length about Ireland's history, using references as well as anecdotes told to him during his stay. But this is not a history book; a poignant love story is at the heart of this memoir. For anyone interested in Ireland, this is a book to be savored.

No comments about The Courtship of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett.

No comments about The Little Book of Boris.

No comments about Evelyn.

No comments about Physicists of Ireland: Passion and Precision.

No comments about Bernard Shaw: The Concluding Volume - The Lure of Fantasy 1918-1950 & The Last Laugh, An Epilogue.

1 comments about The Churchill War Papers: The Ever Widening War, Volume 3: 1941.

1. If you are a Churchill fan, you should get at least one volume of his "war papers" that Martin Gilbert has compiled. That way you can see the sheer volume of output that he generated, plus the sheer magnificence of the things Churchill grasped in his role, and that he communicated to those that he told to do something, those that he asked for help, those that he shared his empathy with, and, may I add, those of us many years later that get a better understanding of his role and his valor through reading his actual words written on a daily basis during the struggle of the war. I've seen where Churchill was born, and where his remains now are buried, but Churchill's words are still alive and available, through these books that Gilbert has been so useful in issuing. A note of caution--they are sometimes tedious reading, since there's over 1700 pages for 1941 alone (can you write almost 5 pages a day as Churchill did back then, for a whole year, way before there was a computer to instantly accept your keystrokes as you type?) An astounding range of material and an astounding range of human communication.

No comments about Victorian Diaries: The Daily Lives of Victorian Men and Women.

5 comments about Dreaming of Columbus : A Boyhood in the Bronx.

1. Despite the images of sea voyages inspired by its title, Dreaming of Columbus is not the story of a young man spending his salad days in exotic, foreign settings. Instead, Michael Pearson takes the road less traveled and keeps his story closer to home. The reader looking for journeys will not be disappointed, however, in the imaginative way the Pearson uses literature to break away from the confines of the Bronx and the unpredictable, bourbon induced, violent outbursts produce by his father's rage to live. Although Pearson engages in excessive epigraph dropping, the means by which literature provides an avenue for escape adds a universal element to his narrative from which we call all learn something about the art of bridge building.



2. Michael Pearson has the right idea, but the ideas that are gathered into the book are a little disjointed and fractured. If he could smooth out the stories so that blend one into the other, the entire book would read better.
   On the positive note, Dreaming of Columbus would definitely stir memories of the neighborhood for those growing up in that part of New York. He does have some descriptive stories of people, places and landmarks in the book that are entertainingly delightful.
   If you are a Bronx native, I would recommend this book so you can remember things you may never see again.



3. For me Dreaming of Columbus read more like a novel than a memoir. I mean that as a compliment to the writer. The story had the feel of fiction to it, as if you could see inside the characters lives and enter the story for a while. I loved it.



4. I loved this book. It gave a shape to Pearson's life and let me understand that there is a shape to all of our lives. It's just up to us to find the meaning that is there for us notice.



5. A friend of mine from the Bronx told me about this book, and I'm glad she did. This if a beautifully written story that gets at the truth of both the time and the heart. The Bronx is a place that seems mythic and all too real to me and this writer keeps both of those images alive.