A nice story of early day history
342838
I gave this novel a 4 stars. A nice story of early day history. I'm sure it happened more than once. She sure played hard to get and finally felt in her heart what she really wanted. A nice ending to for both.
1690014
I enjoyed this book, primarily because the events unfolded into a conspiracy that reached the most powerful man in England. The Secret presents an explanation for an event that actually happened but had many of the details left out of historical record, or so the description says. The story begins from the perspective of John Law, and from his limited scope I thought the story would be rather like a soap opera with jilted lovers abound. And it was, but as we see events unfold from the perspectives of other characters we are given a more conclusive image of events that are left fuzzy when other characters talk about them. The ending was satisfying and tied up everything.

There are some punctuation issues, such as missing periods and commas. Sometimes the writing can feel a bit stiff, but it also reads like a memoir and the prose is downright lovely at times. The characters all tended to sound the same, no matter whose perspective the story was being told from as well. Still, this was a charming read, and I feel like a lot of time and research was invested into making the way the characters talked and described things sounds realistic (to my ears, at least, but I'm no expert on how people would have talked at the time). The Secret is pretty short, and a large chunk of the book was dedicated to articles, journal and paper excerpts, and other documents that Netta Goldsmith used in her research.
3316715
A nice look back in time to to fundamental issues.
2964690
I am fascinated by this time in history so I liked the way this book dealt with things. It was a fun book to read.
4414688
It's a pretty tame story, and not one that ordinarily would have caught my interest.  However, the first part of the book tells the story of one of my ancestors, and other family members pop in and out of the story.  I wish I knew how much was based on historical documents and how much of it is the novelist talking.  Regardless, I read books like this for the historical tidbits and there were several in this book that helped me understand more about the life of this particular family, and some of my other families in the same location and time frame.  It's staying on my book shelf!
1059751
I liked reading about the times. They were very descriptive and although you see how the story was going I enjoyed getting there.
3527152
The editing is poor but for me it was still a good story. It deals with the very early days of the republic, a period that has not been dealt with very much. It is informative and it was especially interesting to learn how the phalanx could be defeated. The story moves quickly and I never lost interest.
1212767
I enjoyed the story as well as the way it was written. There was a complaint that it "read like a history book". I have read and enjoyed lots of history books, and this was no exception. The author does a good job of describing the forces which shape the decisions to go to war, the social and financial pressures, the political steps and missteps. It also gives a good idea of what war would be like when large heavy objects fall from orbit at high speed. I give it about a 4.5 and I'm looking forward to the next installment.
848555
This book does a good job of covering Irish History from the early middle ages through modern day.  I found it interesting enough to read for long periods of time and didn't have any trouble finishing the book quickly.
950566
A nice read full of interesting details.  A nice mixture of background stories, quotes and concise history telling.  Was a fairly quick read.  Covered both the recognized names of history with others not so familiar.  Gave a nice context of the "times" being written about.
2696334
A good history, not too long, just enough material to be easily read in a few days. Not as Comprehensive as other scholarly works on London I have read, but a light book easily taken to work and enjoyed during lunch hours.
2183318
This is an interesting story built around historical events of the time and how they affected the lives of people in the various countries involved.  The characters are stereotypical, bur provide insight into how the events affected different types and classses of individuals.
1931742
My children enjoyed me reading this story to them.  The illustrations are beautiful.  I had to explain some of the terms in a little more detail, but the story held their attention.  It is nice when you find books that also actually introduce a "real" history of what it was like many years ago.
691716
I liked this book because if took place in a part of the world I know and the author gave me an insight into life there in earlier times.
808186
A nicely written story with a surprise problem always being presented. It also gives supported information about what was happening in the early 30 BC time. It was well worth my time reading this book. I might have rated it 5 star too.
3393073
Another nice entry in the Time-Life "The Old West" series. The book begins by noting that (Page 6): "The lure of a new life in fabulous Texas, with land and riches thrown in, proved irresistible to thousands of Americans in the decades after 1822. . . ."

The story includes some impressive figures, such as Stephen Austin, Sam Houston, Davey Crockett, and Ben McCulloch.  The first chapter features the development of an influx of Americans into Texas, then under Mexican sovereignty. Moses Austin and his son Stephen are highlighted here. A map on page 17 shows the shifting boundaries of Texas.

There follows the story of the Alamo and San Jacinto. Then, the Republic of Texas is born, followed by the pathway to statehood. In the process, we read of the conflict between the Texans and native Americans; we read of the developing culture of Texas; the story of the economy of Texas is told.

All in all, a nice introduction to Texas as a part of this series. . . .
3254507
I enjoyed reading about the early history of Canterbury, New Zealand as this was where I grew up.  Overall it was an enjoyable family saga, very readable but not particularly memorable.  Historically it appears accurate and I did enjoy this side of the book.