Astonishing .... Sure to be a Classic!
920077
I was blown away upon finally viewing and reading my copy of Dragonhenge.  I had seen slides of some of the art, along with portions of the text as it was in final creative stages.  But now, all together at last,  it is a seemless and timeless masterpiece.  Bob's glowing and stunning images flow beautifully within and around John's mesmerizing text, creating a visual and verbal feast for the imagination. This lovely book whispers the reality of the wisdom of the ancients, the dragon-like mythological beings who existed  before the beginning of time itself.  You must get  a copy of this book.... no  get several copies to share with everyone. It will become a classic!!  Jael
2295094
Most of us today have seen the epic novel turned into an academy award winning 1959 film of Ben Hur, but few of us may have read the book. For years I searched for a leatherbound copy of Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ because my husband is an avid reader of the classics. When I found this copy, I thought I was buying a nice used version bound in leather, but what I got was a pristine, like new Easton Press un-edited copy of the real story of Ben Hur, as written by the Civil war general (Lew Wallace). Anyone who appreciates Ben Hur as a film, will be compelled to read this story with all the details included. There are differences in some of the chacters, but they simply serve to inform us of the detailed thinking and the deep faith of rhe author. The main theme of this fabulous story is the same and for anyone who has not read Ben Hur, I promise you that doing so will be a thought provoking and satisfying experience. This book will become an heirloom in our library of fine novels.

Press
3008781
The relatively few Amazon reviews of this novel, combined with the length and depth of so many of them, alone tells us two things:  this is literary fiction, and it's among the very best of its kind.  A classic work, that advances the form even while standing on the shoulders of so many that came before it.  Several prior reviews have done it justice, some even without giving too much away--in particular Roger Brunyate's.  I'm not sure I could add anything important in the way of summary or analysis to all the worthy commentary this book has engendered.

What I will say is that the ride is a good one, the scenery excellent and the air fine.  You've no idea where you're going for a time--not just plot-wise, but in terms of the quality, the very "big"ness of the book--until you get there.  Not just at the end, but at several stages, it's as if you've come around a bend, and it's not the rustic summer cabin you took it for, but an elegant lodge at the edge of the pines, on a rise with a view to the lake that serves as a vast mirror on the sky.  To accomplish all this in a book built, not on crime or action or romantic intrigue (though there's all of this), but on the great mystery of the human condition, is nothing short of brilliant.

As just one example, near the middle is a passage running just over a page, that is worth the cover price of the whole novel (pp. 143-44, in ch. 6, US first edition hardcover).  A reflection that questions how good it is to be just busy, how well we've thought through how we're choosing to spend the relative "one and only half-second" we're given on this earth.  Perhaps 300 words, smack in the middle of a remarkable work of literary fiction, told absolutely truthfully by as compromised a character as you'd ever want to meet, it's worth 3000 shelf-feet of self-help mumbo jumbo.  Truly extraordinary.

If the question is "Why Literary Fiction?", the answer is between these covers.
1983285
I don't know if I'm the only one thinking like this, but.....let's start by saying I've read plenty of novels, from Dostovyeski to Stendhal, from Boris Vian to Umberto Eco, writers from present, from past, classic literature, contemporary literature, and for me this is one of the most memorable novels I've ever read. When i started reading, I didn't expect too much from it, but I was deeply impressed... The story is a thriller, the description breathtaking, detailing superb,everything is so vividly narrated...that once you start reading, you just can't stop! Angelo's character is an icon, it is so similar to a Stendhal's character in a story called San Francesco A Ripa....definitively, a book everyone liking literature must read!
4717957
This book is a national treasure. Don't miss the thrills, chills, and sheer pleasure of reading it, and bathing in the deep waters of its wisdom. It is about a young man's journey of awakening, and through his experience the reader awakens, too. It's not an easy genre (or trick) to pull off.  Hofstetter does it with grace, beauty, and delicious descriptions. I was hooked from beginning to end.  A true gem.
3807877
If you haven't read this book yet - PLEASE READ IT!!!!

I can only tell you that it is excellent and the story is reallly easy to follow. But you need to come to this book completely unknowing if you can, because it is then such a pleasant surprise and experience that it has to be savoured and enjoyed personally - I cannot stress this enough.

BUT PLEASE DO READ IT!!
2506123
This film will enter the world of the Classics!  Something worth watching at any time, now or in the future.
If I was watching it for just or pure entertainment I would be critical of some of the acting, dialogue, sound and other technical `flaws'.
But when I think of why I wanted to see the film in the first place and then also learning about what I think was referred to as the `broken shoe-string' budget then the criticism becomes constructive inspiration for improvement when the opportunity arrives.
So minus the critic areas, my feelings are that a great thing was done; a great job was performed and the story was delivered in a fantastic way by all the actors.  They definitely must be proud of the job they have done and the lives and minds they have and will help in individuals "Finding Me".
Ache' - Well done!
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Finding-Me/dp/B001U418RO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Finding Me</a>
3003309
This book has the various qualities that make a book a classic. (1) It provides much to think about while thoroughly entertaining the reader.  (2) Characters are complex and therefore oddly endearing... likable and unlikable in the same package. (3) Its messages are timeless but not pedantic or condescending. (4) It is readily accessible to the young reader but contains a richness that can be appreciated by an older one.

In short, I loved it!
4725409
As a Heinlein fan, I had heard of this book on sci-fi best seller lists but didn't purchase it until the late 80's after a friend suggested it, adding  "trust me, wait until the weekend to open it". I slept for only 3 hours from start to end, as it appears other have also done. This masterpiece is full of plot twists, emotion, intrigue, brilliant science explained plausibly (per my engineering education at West Point), and hope for the triumph of good over evil. I've read it twice since, and will again. While I didn't care for the movie (which could never meet the expectations of such a tome), this book will capture your imagination and take you on a thrilling joy ride that you just won't forget! If you can't tell by now, I absolutely LOVE this book!
687388
Well I have seen apocalypse now a few times and so I thought this would simple be a literary review of what I had seen...wrong!  I found out that Francis Ford Copolla took alot of liberty with the script of his movie...because there are many, many differences between the movie and its origins.
First of all, if you are deciding whether or not to read 'The heart of darkness' then don't have any more doubts.  It is undoubtedly a classic...If for no other reason then to gaze in wonder at Conrads unbelievable ability to describe anything.  His descriptions are beautiful and fitting and truly make his books works of art.  Also the story is a great one...If you don't know it is about a captain of a ship who takes his riverboat far into the interior of Africa to relieve an agent who has been in the woods way too long.  But the story is not the reason this book is a classic.  It attained that status by the way it looks at the darkness inside of each of us and what the results of courting that darkness can be.  The deeper meaning behind this book is what endears it to the reader.  And you will find yourself thinking about the book and its meaning long after you have closed the cover.
And this particular copy of the book is a good one to buy because you get two great stories for the price of one!
4281062
Somebody once wrote that great books inspire great minds. Hugo's novel of the deformed, ugly, despicable Quasimodo is a tale of love, hate, revenge, and of a man <as producer Irving Thalberg remarked>, "God Made Different." The book is too remarkable to put into words. Yes, it's long. Yes, it's difficult to modern readers more used to Danielle Steele and others of that ilk. But "the Hunchback of Notre Dame" earns its mantle as a "classic" because of it's themes, it's timeless tale of love and honor, and it's unforgettable plot and story.
Modern readers want slam-bang climaxes and chases. Modern readers want simple plotting, no charecterization, and little thought or planning.
Hugo defies that, and makes the reader think, makes the reader pause, makes the reader reflect; then Hugo delivers a tale of horror, of humor, of love, and of grand thought and whopping entertainment.
By the way, check out Lon Cheney's silent movie version.
BUT READ THE BOOK FIRST!
1936342
I will keep this review short, but want to inform you of the magnificence of this novel. I am an avid reader and am almost always immersed in the middle of a story, but Burroughs is one of the few authors that had my heart racing and gave a feeling of intensity of actually being in the jungles of Africa. Tarzan of the Apes is intelligently written, packed with non-stop excitement, and keeps the reader's attention throughout every emotion and sentence of each page. A truly adventurous read and definitely worthy of the title of "classic."
3754539
It is not often that I rush to gush about a book that I just read. "The Book of Illusions" is a spellbinding book, with many subtle layers hidden through it, that plays with classical, yet haunting themes across the two covers.
The author's style is magnificent, at the same time precise and elegant, never detached but close enough to the story and the reader that it keeps even descriptive passages taut and dramatic. The style never takes away from the story, nor the story from the style: you can read this book for the story only, although you cannot help but be won over by the style as you go!
The story itself is original, although reminiscent of several classical themes. The presence of these themes, I think, makes the story more rather than less interesting, by echoing other books into this one in a way that makes this story richer by its associations. The two male characters are well designed, although sometimes a bit "easy" (in the sense that some aspects of the character predict other aspects a bit too easily), yet attractive and very easy to identify with. The themes are haunting enough that you will think about them and need to read the book again - like food that you just must come back to.
In the end, this book is one that is difficult to put down, easy to come back to, and memorable. It is satisfying at many levels, be they sheer enjoyment, style, or psychological complexity. If you read for fun and require quality in the style of your authors you will not regret this book - unless there is an urgent task waiting while you are reading it:-)
4192480
A classic ! fabulous story....get it if you're on the fence.
3142233
Quite simply the most engrossing, moving, funny, intelligent book I've come across this century.  To simply draw parallels, as some have done, between Tom Ripley and Harry Angstrom, of "Rabbit..." and allude to this book as the British equivalent thereof would be a grave error and fall far short of the mark. This guy's writing is sharp as a tack, witty as hell, and each and every sentence simply will not let you go...hence my Dickens reference, and, believe me, I don't reference our greatest novelist lightly! There were times while reading this one that I was so touched, so affected, that i had to put it down and ruminate for a spell before i was ready to pick it up again. Do yourself a favor and remember why you love reading so much.
4890805
Of course, this book is a classic. How do you "review" something like this? I'll just say that I loved every minute of reading it, and since I've seen the movie a million times (probably not an exaggeration), I was able to sit and actually enjoy reading every word of it, rather than skipping parts to find out what happens (you know you do that, too!). The kindle version was made perfectly, and there weren't any mistakes or typos in the translation from print to electronic like some other classics I've purchased. I am definitely happy with my purchase!
4590064
As someone in a review of another book so aptly put it, it is improbable that it is necessary to reiterate a classic such as "Last of the Mohicans" so I will not try.  What I will say to each student who is required to read this and believes that they can more easily watch the well-known movie starring Daniel Day Lewis-you will be making a grave mistake.  The most obvious error will show in the grade that you receive in any class which requires some knowledge of the story.  The second is that you will miss one of the great classics as it was written.  (The third possibility is that you will be chatting at your intellectual best and make a total fool of yourself but that is your problem.)  I re-read "Last of the Mohicans" many years ago--enough that much of the story and details had escaped my memory.  I was surprised, having watched the movie, to be reminded of the truth of the story.  In a word, the movie is so twisted (as Hollywood is won't to do) that it fails to come near the actual book.  Not only are large parts of the book eliminated but they changed important scenes I suppose in the interest of what they thought to be more dramatic.  Further, they played fast and loose with the characters and the connections between them even to exchanging personalities and race.  Now, I realize you are saying, "but this review is about the book, not the movie".  The book is a masterpiece of confluence, history, and thrilling and heartwrenching action.  The language is dated but that provides a more thorough picture of the times and mores that existed and only adds to the value of the book.  This particular printing is also graced with explanations which will be helpful in a full understanding of the script and enrich the experience and meaning of that period of history.  Don't deny yourself the full story as James Fenimore Cooper intended.  It is a wonderfully engrossing story and well worth the time you will spend.  There is a reason a book becomes a classic and this is an example of that.