A nice little gem from Stuart Wilde.
928517
First off, I'd like to address most of the reviews here as laughable. Particularly the reviews from those bashing a book that's 50 pages long and disappointed that the solution to wonder hunger, famine, AIDS, and cancer isn't in a book of this size. Really now? At any rate. I've ACTUALLY READ the book and have come to a few conclusions about it. First, it is not a book that is going to change your life. I've found the nature of a lot of self-help/inspirational books is that you take a bit from everyone you read and begin to apply it to your life. Bashing a 50 page book for not being "deep enough" or "wonderfully insightful" is childish. That's not what Wilde is trying to do with this book. Wilde is trying to get the reader to question his or her basic assumptions about the world and to identify what areas of life they are struggling in. While Wilde's solutions aren't as in-depth as I would like, I realize at the same time that that's the entire point of this book. It's not meant to be one of those door-stoppers that is 400/500 pages long and breaks down problems chapter by chapter. Those books are nice to an extent, but books like these are exactly what I need sometimes when I don't feel like re-reading the more extensive books out there. Sometimes, I just need a quick reminder on an idea I read long ago or a quick reminder on how to identify/change some stressful areas in my life.  I think in this sense, people are disappointed because they expect too much out of a book that barely cracks 45 pages.

Don't expect too much. Read this book for what it is - a nice, affordable, and well-written book that should serve as review material for a lot of people who can learn things from this book. For the cost of $4-5 with shipping, what have you really got to lose?

-Travis
2960998
As has been noted by other reviews, this Stuart Little 2-Pack only contains a Fullscreen format for the original film. A few years ago, it was issued in a wonderful "Collector's Series" widescreen disc with just about everything that is included on the "Deluxe Edition" (save a promo or two for the sequel). It's out-of-print now, but you should still be able to track it down, and it is worth it. Remember, you want "Collector's Series", NOT "Deluxe Edition."
As for the movies, well, both are fun. The original is undoubtedly superior, as it's entirely enveloping for young and old alike, with a mix of heartwarming drama and some witty humor. Michael J. Fox is perfectly cast as Stuart, the little mouse with a big heart and a big family. His adventures in New York City are handled with fairy-tale treatment, that also, seems appropriate.
The sequel feels a little too formulaic, while not remaining entirely true to the first film at the same time. Overall, it doesn't work as well as the original, but it's very entertaining all the same, and James Woods voices the villain like only he can (his recent resume illustrates that this role is a forte).
"Stuart Little 2" contains both Widescreen and Fullscreen on its only release, but you'll want to pass this 2-pack and get the "Collector's Series" (Widescreen) for the original "Stuart Little." (Rating applies to the DVD 2-Pack.)
1240839
This is a little gem of a book, a compact little story about a boy coming to terms with his sexuality.  Told in the form of journals 'written by' Will, we see the boy discover himself as he discovers the truth about his uncle Sean.  It's a lovely little book.  However, I would have like to read a little more about how the 'family' made out after Will's father die.  Also, fans of Joel and Tom from 'Common Sons,' of whom I'm one, would love their sneaky little appearance in this book inserted by the author.  Although I wouldn't have minded at all if the appearance was longer.
2855092
OSCAR WILDE; A CERTAIN GENIUS, is a great read. Barbara Belford does an excellent job explaining Wilde's success and his self-destruction. Her book is filled with anecdotes about and insights into Wilde's brilliance and his impact on Britain in the last decades of the nineteenth century. OSCAR WILDE should appeal to those readers who want Oscar plain (if that's possible) as opposed to a footnote driven academic study. Enjoy.
2899967
A Death of No Importance is the first in the series, and I enjoyed it so much, I'm going to have to get the rest of the series. I think there's six more - Yippee!

A young Billy Wood, a good looking artist model, a euphemism then, as it can be now, is gruesomely murdered. Wilde is wild, though at first he will vouchsafe no acquaintance with the young man, even though he found the body. He starts to investigate, drawing his friends into it with him, traveling all over Great Britain and also Paris.

The narrator is poet Robert Sherard, a real contemporary of Oscar Wilde. In his Author Questions at the back of the book, Brandreth says that he thought of Sherard as Watson to Wilde's Holmes. I thought more visually, though, and to me it felt like Sherard was as Captain Hastings is to Hercule Poirot in those wonderful BBC mysteries. In particular, Sherard keeps half-falling in love with every young lady he meets, which fits Hastings better!

I confess to wondering at a mystery with Oscar Wilde as sleuth, as my image of Wilde is as a witty but lazy dilettante. But, as Sherard relates early in the book: "The poet William Butler Yeats, a fellow Irishman, to whom Oscar introduced me that same year, wrote later of Oscar's 'hard brillilance', of his 'dominating self-possession.' Yeats recognized - as few did in Oscar's lifetime - that our friend's outward air of indolence masked an inner will that was formidable. 'He posed as an idler,' Yeats said, 'but in truth, he was a man of action. He was a leader. You followed him you knew not quite why.' "

And that's what happens to Sherard and Arthur Conan Doyle (not yet a Sir, he's only published one Holmes novel) - they are drawn into investigating whether they mean to or not.

There is some lovely wordsmithing in this novel, and I haven't read enough Wilde to know when dialogue is original Wilde or just well-done by Gyles Brandreth. For example, Sherard meets Wilde on October 16, not having seen him since September 3. He is surprised to see Wilde in "funereal garb". Wilde explains, "This happens to be my birthday, Robert, and on each of my anniversaries I mourn the flight of one year of my youth into nothingness, the growing blight upon my summer." Wilde had turned 35.

And then there's when Sherard teases Wilde that the only reason he's fond of Oxford is because that's where he sowed his wild oats. Wilde replies, "Robert, I have never sowed wild oats. I have planted a few orchids, that is all."

Recommended reading. My only criticism is that at times the plot slows down a bit, but it wasn't enough to ruin my interest. Now I have to start the second in the series, "<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Oscar-Wilde-and-a-Game-Called-Murder-A-Mystery-Oscar-Wilde-Mysteries/dp/B003MAJQ3W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Oscar Wilde and a Game Called Murder: A Mystery (Oscar Wilde Mysteries)</a>".

Note: The first two books in the series were published in England under titles not-near-as-interesting. The British title of "Death of No Importance" is "<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Oscar-Wilde-and-the-Candlelight-Murders/dp/0719569400/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders</a>".

Happy Reader
4634741
I have had this inexpensive Dover Thrift Edition anthology of English romantic poetry for many years.  I keep it on a readily accessible shelf in my office and browse in it for inspiration.  It is always a pleasure during a harried and wearying day simply to hold this little volume in my hands.

The book consists of a generous selection of 123 poems from six English romantic poets: William Blake (1757 - 1827); William Wordsworth (1770 -1850); Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 - 1834); Lord Byron (1778-1824); Percy Shelly (1792 - 1822); and John Keats (1795 - 1821).  The book also includes a short introduction by editor Stanley Appelbaum, who has edited several books in the Dover series, together with a brief sketch of each poet.

For each poet, the selections include both short and long poems.  The selections are extensive enough that they go beyond the familiar and will introduce most readers to works that are likely unfamiliar to them.  The Blake selections include short poems from both "Songs of Innocence and "Songs of Experience" and other short lyrics. They also include longer works such as the "Proverbs of Hell" from "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell." Blake remains my favorite poet, and it is always good to be reminded of him. For example, here is Blake's short poem, "Mock on, mock on, Voltaire, Rousseau", (p. 10) for my own edification and, I hope, to whet the reader's interest.

"Mock on, Mock on Voltaire Rousseau
Mock on Mock on! tis all in vain!
You throw the sand against the wind
And the wind blows it back again

And every sand becomes a Gem
Reflected in the beams divine
Blown back they blind the mocking Eye
But still in Israels paths they shine

The Atoms of Democritus
And Newtons Particles of light
Are sands upon the Red sea shore
Where Israels tents do shine so bright."

The Wordsworth selections include a collection of sonnets, the famous "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey", and selections from "The Prelude".  Coleridge's inexhaustible  "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is given in full together with "Kubla Khan" and other works.  The Byron selections include several short love lyrics, including "She walks in beauty" together with selections from "Don Juan" and "Childe Harold". The Shelley selections include the great sonnet "Ozymandias" and the "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty", "The Cloud" and "Adonais: an Elegy written on the Death of John Keats."  Keats himself is represented by his four great odes and by sonnets such as "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" and "Bright Star."

As other Amazon reviewers have observed, this book includes little in the way of background, commentary, or analysis. The volume would not be suitable for scholarly purposes or, probably, for introducing high school or college students to this great poetry.  But the Thrift Editions are not designed for these purposes. For readers who want an inexpensive, easy to handle and reasonably large selection of poetry from the English romantics to read from time to time and to refresh their hearts, this volume is ideal.

Robin Friedman
3772771
Boy meets girl but their social status prevents a romance...but love and a few cases of hidden identities will find a way.

The resolution to the whole thing wouldve been for Oliver to simply admit who he was and that would be that. But we wouldnt have much of a story then, would we?    And a lovely little story it is.  With the courtship of Anna and Richard serving to underline the love story between Oliver and Lucy, it also points out the attitudes towards class distinctions.

Though Richards age isn't mentioned, the fact that he goes to his father for help in winning Lucy and his uncertainty when facing her father makes me think hes much younger than the hero of a Regency generally is. His father is also a winning character, caring for his son and willing to assist in any way he can and is a fine counterpoint to Lucys father.

Lord Lofton is definitely a villain though hes mostly played for laughs here.  Id like to have seen him get a bit more comeuppance but twill serve, I suppose.  Suffice it to say, this is an amusing and entertaining piece, filled as it is with a love story plus bits of information about birds, a larcenous goose, and something called a chiff-chaff.

This novel was supplied by the author and no remuneration was involved in the writing of this review.
3555830
"At Last, the final book in Edward St. Aubyn's `Melrosiad' detailing the travails of Patrick Melrose, the author's fictive persona, does not offer anything new per se, but this is almost beside the point; it offers up everything one could hope for in a finely crafted novel. (The question of whether it is actually possible to write something novel, as in avant-garde, is another question entirely.) Mr. St. Aubyn certainly has precedent in his barbed examination of English high-society. The novelist he is most frequently compared to is Evelyn Waugh, but there is also very much the perfume of the Wildean bon mot in his delightfully wicked dialogue. St. Aubyn, however, surpasses the kind of mindless chatter that characterizes some of Wilde's less accomplished work and delves into real pathos..."

See the full review on my blog: Le Journal de Charles Haas.
2722112
If you've read and enjoyed the stories of siblings Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth, these shorts will be an enjoyable, and quick, read. If you haven't, they might be interesting, but the situations and family dynamics might not make as much sense. The author does include an intro page to each short story reminding readers about the couple and introducing the topic of the story, which serves as a good reminder if it's been a while since you read the books.

Some of them fill gaps in the couple's story (Will Simon ever read his father's letters? Will Hyacinth ever find the diamonds?) while others satisfy by giving minor characters in the story their own happy endings (Sophie's step-sister Posy, Eloise's step-daughter Amanda). These stories, sometimes serious and heartfelt, others lighthearted and sweet, are a nice journey back into the Bridgerton stories. Some shine more than others, but none disappoint.

The weakest is the final story, which doesn't quite fit the tone of the book, as it is the somewhat tragic and previously unexplored tale of Violet and Edmund. Perhaps because there was no novel devoted to the couple (though it didn't hurt Amanda's story) or because there was simply too much to live up to, but their story doesn't connect as well as the others. And despite Violet's satisfaction with her life and the happiness of her children, it was a depressing end to a mostly cheerful collection.

Julia Quinn is a great writer, managing to infuse these short narratives with all of the charm and sass of the originals. Pick this up for a comfortable and fun catch-up with old friends, but don't expect a deeply plotted thriller or full-length saga.
1260279
I am a passionate George Eliot fan. I really enjoy Victorian era literature, and George Eliot is one of my favourite Victorian writers, so much so that I did my thesis for my Honours degree on three of her novels - Mill on the Floss, Daniel Deronda and Middlemarch. I found Scenes of Clerical Life to be quite different to these novels - a set of three nouvellas loosely linked rather than the complex plots of her big novels. I enjoyed the strong sense Eliot conveyed of some of the pettiness and power struggles that dominate a small village, and the many ways curates are used as pawns by various villagers. I remember being told by one of my lectures at University that one of the characteristics of Victorian Literature is that it focuses on the individual and his/her role within society, whereas modern literature tends to be solipsistic and driven by the individual desires of the central character. That is certainly the case with this book. I particularly enjoyed the first story where Eliot's marvellous descriptive powers painted a strong, clear picture of the setting and village life. It made me realise how challenging life is for clergy who are not wealthy and have the right connections.
Those not used to Victorian writing may find the pace a bit slow and some of the physical descriptions long-winded, but once you get used to that style and persevere, the rewards are considerable. George Eliot uses metaphor and imagery so effectively. A delightful little gem.
4482697
This is a delightful little treat of a story, both well concieved and well written. In a small amount of words, the author does a fantastic job of giving you a sense of the charactor and setting. Truly, my only regret is that it wasn't about a thousand words longer.
1783563
The Penguin/Viking "Portable" series make for great intros to many of the world's finest writers, and this edition is no exception.  Wilde was a tortured man, living a double life which ultimately led to his imprisonment and bankruptcy in Victorian England.  His writings reflect the dichotomy he faced in both is personal life and artistic endeavors during that period.

Beginning with a solid life intro, and discussion of the writings by the editors, the collection begins with his essay "The Critic as Artist", setting the stage for the follow on plays, prose and poetry that follow.

The next work is "The Picture of Dorian Gray" in its entirety.  The novel reads reminds this reader of Dostoyevsky, and examines the duality of a life artificially lived, and the hiddenness of the soul and the effect of sin on the soul and visage of the man.  Somewhat biographical to all men, Dorian Gray takes on even more poignancy when read against the backdrop of Wilde's own life.

Also contained in the compilation are the plays "Solome" and "The Importance of Being Earnest", one a tragedy and the other a comedy.  Included in the poetry is "The Ballad of Reading Gaol", a haunting expose of the prison life and soul rending experience of Wilde while in prison.  There are other short stories and a collection of letters as well, including a letter to his lover entitled "De Profundis".

In all, this is a great intro to Wilde.  I had never read any of his works prior to picking up this volume, and am now richer for the experience.  A fine author, and a tragic figure - his tribulations come through in his work, and provide the reader with an appreciation of the man and his times.
4277001
I was always embarrassed that I had never read this classic, so when I found that it was available digitally for free I definitely jumped at the opportunity to read it. Even though I hadn't read it, I knew what the story was about. It's such an influential work that the premise has been copied time and time again. Not to mention there are countless phrases Wilde penned in this story that have found their way into our daily lexicon, so it's interesting to see them in their original connotations. It's a rather easy read and well worth your time!
1125332
Taming the Italian Bad Boy is a short, light-hearted, fun read. Set predominantly in Italy, it nicely showcases the culture and feel of Ravello and the Amalfi coast area.
Lucy is shy, somewhat self conscious and not at all self-assured having grown up with the nickname "Lumpy Lucy". At six feet, she is all for a woman, and generously endowed. She has typically pale English rose colouring, and can't for the life of her fathom what Danilo sees in her, when he could have his pick of any number of gorgeous, petite Italian women.
Danilo is tall, slim, built like a model and oozing sex appeal. He has a reputation for pushing boundaries and living life on the wild side. He has yet to outgrow the bad boy image he deservedly acquired as a teenager, yet there is a sensitive side to Damilo as well. And he can't stop thinking about Lucy.
I liked the way Lucy blossomed through this book at the same time growing in confidence. Joanne Walsh did a good job with character and plot development, and while there are times when I thought the dialogue was a little stilted, I liked the way she showed Danilo's growing feelings for Lucy through the use of more and more Italian terms of endearment through the book. Overall, this book is nicely put together and perfect to relax with.
121790
The Picture of Dorian Grey is in my opinion one of Oscar Wilde's masterpieces.

The book is quite thought provoking and explores several concepts of good and bad and the role of our conscious in keeping a wilder human habit in line.

A wonderful read with great writing from Wilde, though a certain long paragraph in the middle leaned towards being rather boring as it dragged on and on in descriptions that are completely unrelated to the book nor add anything substantial, even as background. You could skip the whole paragraph an won't lose a thing.

Overall, I definitely recommend at least one read of this book. It left me thinking about its themes days after I finished it.
3242808
Oscar Wilde was author of some of the merriest jests and plays in the English language and subject of one of the saddest banishments and deaths in literature.  Oscar was unfortunate in his enemies, and in many of his friends, but he was very fortunate in the friendship of Robbie Ross, a friendship that displayed itself throughout Oscar's successes and worst trials, and for long after Oscar's death.  It cannot be said that Ross was a particularly important figure, but as a friend to Wilde, he influenced Oscar in many good ways.  Ross is a footnote, but he was an exceptionally good friend and a good man, and now he has a good biography, _Robbie Ross: Oscar Wilde's Devoted Friend_ (Carroll and Graf Publishers) by Jonathan Fryer.  It will be a welcome volume for any interested in Oscar's life.
As a youth, Robbie met Oscar and introduced him to homosexual lovemaking.  Oscar took other lovers afterward, as did Robbie, and Robbie had not the slightest jealousy about Oscar's affections.  Throughout Oscar's life, Robbie was there to give him help and good counsel, although Oscar sadly didn't often take his advice.  When Oscar wound up in jail, Robbie came back, and made himself indispensable with visits to the jail and with taking up collections from the friends Oscar still had.  Robbie received the deserved admiration of Oscar's friends, and of Oscar: "When I see you, I shall be quite happy, indeed I am happy now to think I have such wonderful friendship shown to me," and "Your love, your generosity, your care of me in prison and out of prison are the most lovely things in my life."
Robbie oversaw the publication of "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" and of _De Profundis_.  He was on hand at Oscar's death, and oversaw the temporary internment and the arrangement of the final resting place in Paris.  He befriended Oscar's sons, who from him heard the first kind things about their father since they were taken from him and had their name changed.  He was determined that Oscar's work would be read and performed again, and that the sons would get the benefit; his efforts to remove Oscar's estate from bankruptcy were eventually successful.  He edited the twelve volume set of Oscar's collected works, and the books were a commercial and critical success.
There is much in this affectionate biography about Robbie's writing career, his running an art gallery, or his becoming an influential art critic.  He would be forgotten, however, if it were not for his devotion to Oscar, and it is quite possible that we would remember Oscar less vividly if Robbie had not performed him such faithful service.  This book is a fit testimony to that service.  He was faithful to Oscar's memory until his own end, and when that end came, his ashes were eventually placed, fittingly and sweetly, in the cavity he had requested in the design of Oscar's monument.
1984638
I heard about this little book from one of my many canine followers on Twitter. Yes, I am followed by twin whippets, bearded collies, Jack Russells, golden retrievers and border collies. One cat is in the mix. The book is a compilation of quotations and vignettes about dogs, and I found it to be quite touching. The quotes in particular were interesting because they came from everyone from Plato to Anatole France to contemporary philosophers. All proceeds from the sale of the book go to organizations in the UK. For a small sum of money, you can brighten someone's day, while helping rescue organizations. Alfie, my Twitter friend, is a lovely beardie!