Magnificent reading experience
595498
Magnificent is the only way to describe this outstanding review of the late 17th century and early 18th century that corresponds to the reign of Louis XIV. I say review but in fact it is about 720 pages of excellent scholarship and synthesis of tremendous amounts of history, philosophy, science, religion, and art.

The book begins and ends with Louis XIV. Louis XIV assumed the throne under dangerous conditions and an uprising of mature nobility, the Fronde. However both Louis and his mother exhibited considerable courage to negotiate through this conflict. France had been greatly strengthened by the oversight of Richelieu and Mazarin and Louis, in many ways, benefited from a strong state infrastructure and capital inflow. The Durants are thorough covering the love affairs, marriages, music, architecture, theater, and literature that progressed during this early period of Louis life.  However, they also cover a major factor that undermined the strength of France which was the treatment of the French Huguenots. Under the concept that all the subjects had to have the same religion as the king, these Protestants underwent persecution bordering on genocide. They were middle class literate merchants for the most part and their expulsion to Amsterdam and England only strengthened these other nations.

The second part of the book focuses on England and covers the fall of Charles I, the rise of Cromwell, the Restoration of Charles II, and then the Glorious Revolution that saw James II replaced by his daughter Mary and his son-in-law William of Orange. Several sections of this part of the book cover the English literature of this time and covers Milton, Dryden, Pepys, Defoe, and Swift.

Swedens Charles XII and Russias Peter the Great are covered as well as a chapter on the Sephardim and Ashkenazim communities in Europe.

The chapter on Isaac Newton is superb but the chapter on Spinoza is absolutely brilliant. In fact the chapter on Spinoza is so well written that I had to read it twice from sheer enjoyment.

The book ends by returning to Louis XIV and the dramatic changes in his life after his wife dies and he marries the devout governess for his illegitimate sons. It is the war of the Spanish Succession that he fights for his grandson that sets the stage for the impoverishment of the French people and is a precursor causative factor for the French Revolution. France lost more young mens lives in the War of the Spanish Succession than the United States lost lives in World War I and II combined.

This is a wonderful and broad sweeping survey of this time in history and can only be called wonderful reading.
224114
What an incredibly delightful book and experience!
Each chapter conveys such an intimate relation with a different manifestation of existence gifted with consciousness.
As the book unfolds and the conscious agent continues to inhabit different perspectives I got a renewed appreciation of life, of the gift of consciousness, the amazement and weariness that accompany traversing this world, and the emptiness and suchness of its source.

Truly a rare gift. Thank you Marc.
I have gifted this book to many people over the years and many of them were deeply moved also.
4254504
Loved the whole experience that is described throughout the entire book, including the new experiences the reader learns and undergoes. Enjoyed everything and would like to read more.
4319895
Captured my attention from the first page to the last. Not being a life long reader, I needed to look up occasional words, but even that was a pleasure, because the language is so rich. I loved being challenged with it as part of the masterful character, story and plot development. Never a boring scene or discourse in this book. As well, while every kind of adventure, battle, fight, or love relationship, political/religious intrigue is included, it is never gory or explicit. Such are unnecessary as the imagination is so well fed. (Modern authors forget that humans have imaginations, and think they must spell out every ludicrous or foul thing they imagine - leaving a reader to feel like he or she must be an idiot.)
2290396
Well, it was hard to believe that Lightning Papers surpassed my already ridiculously high expectations.  What a remarkable achievement to have blended so many elements into such a captivating, educational, and illuminating story.  It felt as though I were back in the classroom with a most exceptional teacher as the mystery at the heart of the universe and my own human heart were laid open in front of me.  Truly a beautiful experience created by a masterful writer.  As I finished the final words last night, what flashed into my mind was something probably from a prayer learned long ago:  "World without end, Amen."  I ran out into the snowy night up here in the mountains and let the radiance of the almost still full moon penetrate my retina and my being and know that I am forever changed.  This will be a book I read many times.  Thank you so much for your vision, Dear Pamela.  This will be the future.  Ho!
3080316
I wasn't going to review this book, I mean really after 6000 plus reviews, what can I possible add? So Im not going to add much, but I just wanted to express my appreciation to the author for this wonderful journey he took me on. The writing was impeccable, so full, I read passages out loud to hear them a different way. I was so sorry to see the story end, I did not want to let the characters go. I immediately went and purchased the book on audio, so I could not only have the characters back in my life, but I wanted to hear a professional narrator read me the story.  Beautiful book that cannot be missed.
1388721
A beautiful story masterfully written.  A reader will be drawn in from the first page as all the characters and the home itself quickly become vividly familiar. This reading experience is more like watching a movie than reading pages of written word because the story is so encompassing that the reader is swept into and becomes part of the family and it's story.
2622008
This novel was such an enriching and enthralling read. I don't understand the bad reviews here. The Forest Lover is a fictional account of Canadian artist Emily Carr and her voyage through her love of art and the people she touches with her beautiful paintings. Susan Vreeland, like her previous novels, takes the life of a classic artist and artfully spins a tale into a mesmerizing and inspirational account of an interesting real-life character. That the actual artist once existed adds to the novel's magic. The magic adds to this imaginative tale.
Ms. Vreeland's imagination -- her grasp of history, her attention to the senses, to details, to the soul of the artist, artisans and lovers -- is as lovely as the artist's tapestries. As said earlier, this novel and its beautiful descriptions enthralled me from beginning to end. I recommend this wonderful novel...
450661
Absolutely magnificent. Wow. This has everything that makes reading worthwhile and then some. There were a few times during the reading of this that I might have had a bad day and words from the characters actually felt real enough that it made ME feel better. That is a gift and this book has it. I can't wait for the next book, I'm looking for it as soon as finish this review. I don't buy books with so much on the internet being free...but this is a series that I WILL be buying.
4537216
I order just a ton of books from Amazon, and as a result, I often receive email requests to review a particular title.  I was on page 80 of Life Among Giants -- already finding it a very special read -- and was sorely tempted to dash off a review right then and there... but held off until the very last page of this extraordinary novel.  And now, having just moments ago bid those remarkable characters a bittersweet "goodbye,"  I now rush to urge anyone who loves a truly great reading experience to make this the next book you buy.  And unlike many a novel I've read in the past, and will no doubt read in the future -- where, over time, the most entertaining of characters fade, and the plot having once thickened, quickly escapes my memory, I sincerely doubt  such will be the case with Life Among Giants.  Vividly drawn characters like these, woven so seamlessly into an unforgettable story, await all who take the plunge and spend some time Among Mr. Roorbach's Giants.
2948132
I had the pleasure of encountering this remarkable work in the most fitting way possible - by unexpectedly happening upon a book signing & reading with the author, Ms. Krahl, herself. I must admit that being introduced to an indelible project such as this by crossing the threshold of its very themes is as marvelous and serendipitous of an encounter as there may be. I was going for a drive on a beautiful late summer afternoon in Gloucester County, Virginia, and for whatever reason, my mind had convinced itself, for no reason whatsoever, that today was the day to pay a visit to the illustrious Inn at Warren Hall. I parked my car, noticing a gravel driveway full of other vehicles, and with the sincere hope that my historic curiosities would not be an imposition on any wedding rehearsal party, I entered the foyer.

I was immediately greeted by the kindest innkeeper in memory, and a similarly genteel introduction was made with Ms. Krahl before I even understood the event soon to begin. It took but a moment of conversation with Ms. Krahl to discern the passion, the commitment, and the intellectual rigor of accuracy with which she approached this book. It so happened to contain a bevy of my most prized and closely-held themes: Colonial Virginia, Horseracing, the North Shore Massachusetts Fishing Industry, along with the pursuit of self-atonement. And so I cracked a few pages for brief acquaintance with the material, and found myself a seat in the beautiful sitting room adjacent to the entrance.

It is essential to know that this is not a book about any single point of view. Trying to confine the book's innerworkings, its interwoven tapestry of culture, of time, of space, of faith, or of any other principle characteristic with which we generally project upon a novel's protagonists, may fall short of sufficient definition. The book is built upon a unique understanding of life and love, of self-worth and of self-identification. What it offers, however, is something for everyone. The themes, the descriptions, the dialogue, the research, and the detailed descriptions bring to life not a single world, but three. Ms. Krahl's dedication to the truth of the culture asserted in each scene allows for a transcendent work that not only approaches timelessness, but seeks to answer the question of what if time was a relative construction in the first place? I do the plot, and the book as a whole, no justice by trying to explain it here, as an Amazon review pales in comparison to an author who has dedicated fifteen years to fine tune such broad lenses to the point of crystal clarity. Do yourself a favor. Buy the book.
2375281
This is a magnificent book, certainly the best I've read this year, The evocation of Greece, Hydra in particular (which I've visited), is rich and beguiling I wanted to fly back there immediately. Aside from the craftsmanship, it's a cracking good story! I became addicted to its charms and to the two women protagonists, the 'beautiful animals' of the title. I can't recommend this book highly enough!
2801701
Just started exploring this title and the experience is so riveting and visual, needless I say mysterious.
Applaud to V.K Pen for creating an experience of watching a movie but with Words for such a core theme (O! Lord bless the soul that invented written expressions).
Enjoying Authors lively style of writing (cant believe this is his first book) , characters are jumping out of the pages, such a lovely experience for readers who love to get lost in a parallel universe with characters of the book. From what i have read i think this is one of those reads where you don't want it to end yet can't keep it down, So it being a lengthy read helps :)
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:-)
1262932
This book shows readers a strange new world through the eyes, hearts, and minds of some of the most realistically portrayed characters in a work of fiction. The reader can see, hear, and feel along with the deeply felt experiences of the characters, who are so real, whose lives are so fully and beautifully brought to life for the reader. This book describes the characters' reality, and makes totally real and believable for the reader what the characters are experiencing. It is a most realistic, fully realized story of its characters. And this is true even though the characters in this book are  experiencing phenomena that are, literally, out of this world. But the author takes us there; and we see, hear, feel, and believe every experience the characters are having. It's truly a full and real experience--and I thank the author for taking me to this very real--and very strange--place and giving me the opportunity to experience something that seems totally real even as it is thrilling me with its strangeness and mystery.
1315819
This vivid and richly intelligent novel opens up a whole world: so alive are the characters, the setting, and the gorgeous (but not heavy-handed or laborious) descriptions, the reading experience is as immersive as that of a great film.  But while the scenes are cinematic and the plot compelling, the writing is also beautiful: the prose is fresh and soulful, both at once; the author's intellect shines and edifies, while never failing to entertain.  I can't wait for this author's next novel.
1282723
I have delayed reading this because I need to find the time for this 10 books epic, with little breaks in-between. I finally did get to read it. It is such a wonderful, riveting and amazing experience. The best fantasy i have read in a long long time. Such vivid and brilliant descriptions that it is like watching live action right before my eyes. I treasure every minute of my reading journey with John and Kyle. Just when I thought this is where the plot is taking me and then I get a great surprise, even stunned, and  isn't that what a great story should be able to do. I will not even try to go into the plot because it will not do this amazing series any justice and will only spoil it for any potential reader. My take is that if you love fantasies just plunge into it heads-on without reading any blurb. You will enjoy it even more for it. The ending came too quickly, even if most fitting. I want much much more  but this is what happen with any great stories. Brilliant writing. Magnificent plot with time travelling, alternate world and the concept of the all powerful and almighty taken to a whole new meaning. Complex, excellent and remarkable world building. On the personal front, I love John and Kyle and their all consuming and convincing love story. My only problem is that I now will likely find my next book short. Bravo and thank you Ginn Hale for such a wonderful few days.