Interesting but Incomplete
929624
So hardly any questions ended up being answered but at one point there was a scene that said "THIS IS A CRUCIAL PLOT POINT, PAY ATTENTION BECAUSE THIS WILL TELL YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HOW THIS MOVIE IS GOING TO END".

Long story short-girl's mother kills 3 people during an exorcism attempt and is found insane.  She is sent to Rome (to which the daughter is like, "Wha?").  The girls father is "not in the picture".  The girl just wants answers and off we go to Rome with a cameraman to film everything.

In Rome, we learn basically nothing except it was possibly an exorcism attempt.  The girl hooks up with one priest and layman that basically do 'illegal exorcisms' because the Catholic Church just has no clue how many possessed people are really out there.  They do it (chest thump here) for the greater good!  We get to see a class where the teacher talks about exorcisms etc, then we get to see the two dudes go on an actual exorcism where the chick bleeds like she's having her monthly and contorts in gymnast ways in the bed and runs across the ceiling.

Back to mom...girl gets to go see mom in the hospital. Mom starts talking all possessed and what not, telling the girl one thing about her that really freaks her out.  She goes back, discusses with the priests and they decide it's time for us to do our 'moral duty and exorcise this woman!'  They put on their capes and they are off to the hospital.  As predicted, it all goes wrong.  Strange but wrong.

They leave and it's all downhill from there.  Even the ending of the movie, where the viewer is left guessing-what the hell just happened?

And remember that freaky nun on the front of the movie?  Yeah, she's just some random nun they walk by with crazy blue eyes.  That's it.  Does she possess them? Nah, just does the "Look crazy american tourists, I must show them how big and crazy blue my eyes are while I'm in the middle of a conversation!"

I wanted to like this movie so much but it left too many things unanswered for me.  Way too many things and the ending was so abrupt, I had to stop washing dishes and rewind the movie-thinking-did I miss something when I rinsed that glass off?  yes, I watch dvds while I clean the kitchen.  Hey, it's better than in the bathroom and it makes the cooking and cleaning oh so much more interesting.
469781
This is a useful book, but it could have been enhanced with references to the primary sources (the sources have not been mentioned at all!) and some explanatory notes, particularly on contradictory significations attributed to the same house, sign, or planet.
2395830
The intro was very interesting but the book is mostly just a list of names and, I suspect, not very complete. In any case, the intro is the best part of the book, unless you might happen to find the name of an ancestor.
While not a waste of time, it certainly would've been more worth it were the contents a) more complete and b) more context and background given.
3939209
This was an interesting book containing historical information about a subject unknown to most 21st century Americans. I was drawn to it from beginning to end, but I found that the pace of the story accelerated toward the end, leaving me a little dissatisfied with the conclusion.
1332569
This book gives you interesting details about why these men volunteered and how they interacted with germans. However, it contains almost no information about the units combat engagements.
1619713
This book contains some excellent poetry in it that is worth reading. The introduction to the book is a fascinating attempt to explain the Romantic Era as a reaction to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The problem is that the book does not include very much information about the individual poets, or the poems themselves. There are only a few mentionings confined to the introduction, which is not enough. The Romantic Era is a period during which it is especially important to have information about the authors and poems, whose lives were often fascinating in their own.
4894267
It is a fascinating book and I enjoyed all the information, but it seems to include only 7 of the 12 signs which left me confused.  Either I missed something or hopefully there is another volume.
4032017
Interesting, yet pretty rudimentary - not a lot of "new" here.
2413648
Like the previous reviewer I purchased this book because I wanted to learn more about the history of Harmonie and New Harmony in Indiana, a wonderful place that I visit occasionally.

The book does a reasonably good job chronicling the development of Harmonie under Georg Rapp and his followers, although is not very clear why it was ultimately abandoned (sold) by them. I would have thought that manuscripts, letters, etc. kept at the Workingmen's Institute and Library in New Harmony might add some more clarity about this.

The description of the formation of New Harmony under Robert Owen and his followers is less enlightening. The reader does not gain a good understanding of how the community fared economically, the book merely mentions that initially there were not enough skilled tradesmen and laborers to keep all the shops and factories fully occupied. It would be interesting to know whether the adopted Constitution of 1825 actually worked, i.e. how it influenced the economy of New Harmony.
Likewise, the description of the intellectuals coming to New Harmony (the boatload of knowledge) comes across a bit fragmented. The author describes individuals and their lives, but it is a somewhat tedious-to-read enumeration of tidbits and trivia. I wish the author would have first clearly summarized the main events that took place in New Harmony, then expand with more detailed description of the main characters.

What struck me most about this book is the contrast between it and the official New Harmony story visitors get at the Atheneum (visitor center) in New Harmony. The Visitor Center describes both the Rappist and Owenites societies as very successful/enlightened, whereas the book provides a much more critical view of their endeavors.

In summary, despite its shortcomings this is a useful book for anyone who wants to educate himself about the history of Harmonie/New Harmony and its 19th century inhabitants
2652694
I enjoyed reading this book but was very disappointed how it ended. I understand that the author wants us to buy the sequel, but I don't think a reader should have to buy a sequel to hear a full story. There were many pieces of the plot that I feel were left incomplete in this book (Marie's relationship with her husband, her ties to her father, her dealing with her ethnicity and what happens with her friend Karen's life). I felt like the whole book just ended abruptly, lke there were missing chapters. On reading the excerpts on the sequel, I am not sure if all of these areas of Marie's life are carried into the next book. I enjoyed the book very much and felt the characters, scenes and plot were all well developed and kept me wanting to read more, I just think the author left far too much unsaid at the end.
2533440
Just finished reading this. The book portion was both fascinating and disappointing as it was only 52 pages long. The stories in the book are very interesting but you know for every story told, many, many more remain untold. I was left wanting. However, the other 150 pages are spectacular photographs of the NYC punk scene before many of the groups hit it big. Photos only an insider and friend can capture. Fascinating.
3337321
I enjoyed the historical descriptions of Judea. Considering the daily lives of Jesus' followers in the days between His crucifixion and Pentecost was an interesting aspect of the book. But I had some nagging feeling that something was missing.

I had difficulty accepting Leah's attitude to an arranged marriage as that was the normal procedure at that time; it was difficult to reconcile the wavering Alban as the centurion whom Christ commended for the depth of his faith. As others have noted, it's a pity the more plausible wine-based beverages were replaced with inaccurate tea.

But, for me the greatest missing aspect was that of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She got merely a passing mention and was brushed off with a "but you won't see her".

I was left feeling I had gotten less than expected (and I'd already bought the next two books in the trilogy).
2419513
This is an interesting and well-written book. I enjoyed the writer's style; however, I do have to say that it left me wanting for more information, but I think that has to do with the fact that Pieper's death is shrouded in uncertainty. With that said, my one legitimate complaint about the book is that it didn't focus more on Pieper's wartime exploits. He was certainly a dubious character, but a very interesting individual.
1999741
I've never spent much time wondering about measurement of distance or the development of timepieces, but I am interested in learning new things in almost any subject.  So when I saw this book, my interest was piqued.
I  looked forward to a fascinating story of the solution to the puzzle of  longitude.  Although that information was provided, I was somewhat  disappointed.
The stories of the problems caused by lack of ability to  locate outselves on the ocean were fascinating, in a terrible way - people  who ventured onto the seas were almost surely doomed, unless they found  land by a lucky fluke.  But the story of the development of the solution to  that problem was told in such a dry way that I felt little of the same  excitement.  I wanted to know more of why Harrison's opponents felt as  strongly as they did, and why he didn't pursue the reward that was so  clearly his.  The cover blurb  indicated that this would be the story not  only of the development but also of the competition, in human terms, but  that wasn't the case.
I learned a lot, but missed the excitement of  learning.  And I definitely feel that the book suffers mightily by lack of  any illustrations at all.  For technoboobs like me, with no knowledge of  How Things Work And Why, illustrations, diagrams, photos, are essential to  understanding.  I understand that later editions of this book include  illustrations - I read it in 1996.  Perhaps the author has also seen fit to  include more information about the human side of the project.  Either way,  though, the subject is interesting, so I can recommend it for that.
4580872
Interesting book but lacks flow, rather disjointed at time. Nonetheless it clears a part of the void in this topic, at times the lack of clarity on persons names, fates etc, this does need addressing in future reprints.
917700
Imagine traveling through a wormhole, at high speed, constantly twisting and turning; you want to stop and admire a beautiful pattern, see it in depth, but you are whipped away to the next turn.  There are glimpses of beautiful ideas in this book, but to pursue them you will need to read more elsewhere.

This book touches on an impressive number of topics related to probability and game theory, and the authors weave in a number of interesting bits of history. Sadly, they touch on many topics very lightly and incompletely.

There are the makings of at least 4 or 5 really good books here, if the topics are properly covered.  Overall this is worth reading, as the research behind this book is stunning in scope even if none of the ideas are adequately explicated.
902511
Inside Deaf Culture is a good read, showcasing a lot of history about the Deaf population. However, I know there is still much information missing from the book. It doesn't talk very much about those who weren't part of the Deaf culture. Some parts are boring to read about and are at times repetitive or plainly superficial.