Leaves the reader somewhat disappointed.
591481
Leaves the reader somewhat disappointed.
I picked up this book with great expectations, having read the publisher's publicity. To be frank, I was left disappointed. The book tells the reader very little about the wonderful and mysterious character of the Riemann hypothesis and leaves both mathematical novices and those who know about the intricacies of higher Mathematics dissatisfied. This is indeed a pity!
Having said this, Mr Sabbagh's story is eminently readable and  enlightening. The book has many sections that are in effect a diary of the conversations with various Mathematicians. These give an insight into the thought processes, passions, motivations, and rivalries that exist in the select community of Number Theorists. The pen portraits of the main protagonists is quite interesting even though it sheds little light on the character of the Riemann hypothesis and how it enthrals those working on its proof.
The toolkits covering a set of brief synopsis of Infinite series and the Euler identity should be useful to the lay (but Mathematically capable) reader, but the appendix on the De Brandes proof is rather obscure.
Overall, an OK book if the reader wants a gentle introduction to the subject and act clever in passing conversation at parties, but, sadly, this book fails to educate and enlighten in the real sense!
2653521
I had high hopes for the book and though I enjoyed it, it falls short in important ways.  In the end I find it is merely okay, hence three stars.

Zilpha Keatley Snyder is a prolific author, having written more than forty books for children since her first in 1964.  She has written three Newbery Honor books:  The Egypt Game (1968), The Headless Cupid (1972), and The Witches of Worm (1973).

William S. and the Great Escape is a fictional Depression-era account of four children who run away from an abusive family.  The story focuses on William, a twelve-year-old who has long made plans to break free of a home with an explosive, iron-handed, lay-about father, violent older siblings, and meager pickings in the pantry.  William has found some succor in the plays of Shakespeare and a supportive drama teacher, though William must hide this love from his cretinous and insolent family.  The story kicks into action when William's younger sister, Jancy, decides it is time for them to take flight with their two youngest siblings and go live with their aunt on the coast.

I am disappointed in the book on two counts.  First, the escape itself is not terribly exciting.  For much of it the four children are merely waylaid in a basement.  The situation is both improbable and humdrum.  Running away becomes reduced to choosing toys that the children can play with all day long.  I find this to be a lost opportunity.  Second, this is not the Great Depression that I am familiar with either through family stories or my own studies.  The Baggetts are destitute and often hungry, yet their rural house sports indoor plumbing.  The older kids get occasional odd jobs, but have enough disposable income for motorcycles, hot rods, and alcohol.  Ed Baggett, the father, exists as a welfare dad, conniving support checks out of the government by feigning a leg injury and keeping his brood as large as possible.  And then there is Clarice, a child left at home alone (with short daily visits to her aunt's) by two working parents (of some means) who are both attorneys.  While none of this was impossible in the 1930s, taken together it seems decades later.  This actually feels like a contemporary account.

Finally, as a small aside, I am not bothered by the violence that appears at the end.  Frankly, it seemed to me to be the most historically accurate part of the book.  You'll have to judge whether your children are ready for such portrayals, but at some point it is important to learn how poorly people treat each other.
439216
I was looking forward to finally reading this series, but I was ultimately a bit disappointed. I agree with another reviewer who said the writing could be stilted and fragmented, which to me made it tiresome to read. I also felt it overall had some odd - again, perhaps, stilted and fragmented - character development and storytelling. That being said, the plot and characters are interesting, and it's in no way a poor series.

Unfortunately, this collection is.

Firstly, as has previously been mentioned, it's somewhat overpriced. Secondly, part of the pages are lost within the binding, making it difficult to read without cracking the spine. And thirdly, and most grievously, they neglected to reprint two excerpts from Shade's journal - one of the characters from the series - that were printed in the issues that are here reprinted. These were printed in the letter pages of the original comic.

Would've been great if they could've reprinted all the letter pages as well. For some reason they've included both of the afterwords by the author that appeared in the first two issues, printed in the letter pages there, and somewhat ironically, in these two afterwords James Robinson actually talks about how he hopes the letter pages will be like, namely discussing not only the comic but various collectibles, to which my reaction was, "Great, this sounds like fun! Glad they decided to reprint the letter pages, too." But I soon found out they didn't.

Therefore I'd recommend people try buying the original comics instead, if they can be found for a reasonable price; they might be cheaper (but that's a big might), they'll certainly be easier to read, and you'll get the two journal excerpts as well as all the other letter pages.
201052
I enjoyed the previous two installments of the Century Trilogy, particularly "Winter of the World". I was somewhat disappointed. For the most part it seemed rather stilted. The fact that the members of the extended families in the book all happened to be present at all of the major events of the second half of the twentieth century seems contrived and stilted. When Follett is not giving us a History 101 lesson then it was well done. This same stilted didactic-ism was the major flaw of the previous two books, but it is more evident here as the characters really weren't all that interesting. I get the feeling that Follett really didn't have his heart in it, that he was writing only to fulfill contractual obligations. It wasn't terrible by any means. I wouldn't have read the whole thing if it wasn't somewhat readable. But I wish Follett would concentrate on his forte next time, which is adventure writing.
782581
Trying to explain the books plots without giving anything away is difficult so, I'll just say; interesting character study. Dissatisfying, though perhaps a more expected ending than hinted in the chapters leading to the last two.

The main problem I have with the book is, not only is the book full of lies and deceit one character to another, the characters seem to be lying to you as well... which leaves the reader feeling duped along with them, even in the final chapter, you want to say, no HINTS that this was brewing? There is rarely a glimpse at internal struggles other than the initial mourning and "moving on".

Recommended reading for those who enjoy a, "Well, I can honestly say, I didn't see that coming," book. This one is chalk full of them. It does kind of surprise me though that in the end, the "character" of the characters is not as strong as you expect.

I don't regret the time it took to read it, which about half way in I began wondering if it was going to go anywhere and was about to give up on it.
3853662
I really enjoyed the first half of the book which was exciting and really grabbed the reader's attention. The second half left me feeling short changed. It evolved into an exaggerated storyline leaving the reader expecting some sort of dramatic climax, which actually never came. In the end I was just looking forward to finishing the book and moving on.
1344291
Cinda Williams Chima writes excellent fantasy stories for younger readers. I didn't think this one was up to her usual standard. It didn't seem very focused
About ten years before the Dragon Heir the massacre of Thorn Hill took place. An entire commune of sorcerers was massacred. the survivors and their weirstones have mutated, which means they possess powers that are hard to control. Jonah is one of those survivors. Since the massacre his touch kills, so his career development as an assassin would seem an obvious one. In fact that is all he seems to do throughout the book. Kill people and play his guitar.
He connects with Emma on a musical level and because they share a similar history. The musical aspect seems to be linked to something other than just a talent for music.
Overall it doesn't match the previous books in the series and I found this book very disjointed and wishy-washy. The Thorn Hill plot could have been expanded upon a lot more. The mystery of who set the massacre in motion and why or looking into the new mutations instead of following around one character predominantly.
It is possible that this is what I would call an interim book, which is giving the reader enough info to lead onto the next one, which would explain the info dump and vague plot.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.
4871075
The book is not as interesting as I'd hoped.  As with many series it leaves a number of questions unanswered, but since the entire first novel is character development with very little in the way of *plot* (at least until the very end), it left me feeling that this book should have been condensed into a couple of chapters, with more time given to the story.  Either that, or the book should not have been split into two (or perhaps three) parts, and the publisher only did so to increase revenue.

I enjoyed "Blindsight" by the same author, as I felt that story was more fully developed.  But I don't think I'll bother reading "Maelstrom", not when "Starfish" is so unsatisfying and unfinished.
4810913
Within the first few chapters of "Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince," there is a noticeable change from the style of the previous five novels; this book has lost much of the innocence typically found in the preceding books.  The begging half seems more fragmented and forced any of the preceding books, with long soliloquies whose only purpose is to provide information in rather uncreative and blatant ways and random plot points that lead to unnecessary tangents.  The fact that much of the book is devoted explaining the turbulent romances forming between the adolescent wizards is a little irksome.  The tone of the first half of the book reminds my greatly of a common affliction artists face when exposed to their work for to long...there is a drift in style and feel of the piece.  Notably Dumbledore has developed a more childish, careless aspect to his character and lost much of the appearance of a wizened guide and sage.  There are some points where Dumbledore's proclamations of superiority in fact lead the reader to question whether it is actually he or someone else in disguise because of their untypical arrogance and self-righteousness.  Also, much of the plot is just to be assumed to have happened in another place unbeknownst to the reader, leaving us feeling like it is notably contrived and unbelievably coincidental.

J K Rowling does a magnificent job, as usual, in the creation of subtleties.  A small occurrence at the beginning of the book, for instance, leads to a justification of a character's action at the end; leading the reader to conflicting feelings in regards to this character's true loyalties.  Also, the author's ability to tie together experiences and clues from the previous books further proves the careful extent to which this series has been plotted and meticulously planned.

As I mentioned previously, the beginning of the book seems a little forced, but the final few chapters more than compensate for its early inconsistency of tone.  The ending is very compelling; leading to many questioning of identities and realizations of true character.  The end of the novel will sure to bring many shocked expressions...not only because of the additional loss for our hero, Harry, but because of the decisions he and his friends make as the final pages close; decisions that will not only affect the next book but their education, their careers, and even their own mortality.

Overall, the book is equally as enjoyable as the previous books in the series.  Harry has lost the annoying temper-tantrums of "Order of the Phoenix" and has learned to stand up for himself in a more mature, pertinent way.  Some of the characters remain underdeveloped and seem to contribute little to the story, such as the new professor, but they are enjoyable non the less.  It is surprising how little of the story actually takes place in the classrooms...most of the plot takes place either on the Quidditch field or in the Grifindor common room.  Many of the characters are surprisingly ignored for much of the book (including Hagrid, Draco, and many of Harry's other teachers), but the main few old strongholds still shine brightly.  Some characters blossom into wonderful personalities never previously explored in the other books.  Without saying, this is an obvious must read for all Harry Potter fans...but I can not help but feel that there was some part of the magic missing from the previous books.
1728016
This book could have been shortened some, and I wouldn't have had to scan past so many paragraghs.

Overall it's a pretty depressing read, and many of the twists leave the reader baffled.  There were things that never seemed to come to a resolution too, or maybe I missed something in all my skimming.

The change in story teller took some getting used to, but it added an intersting element, albeit sometimes confusing.

This had a bit of a historical element, which I always appreciate.  I felt like the story left a lot to be desired.
4837266
I'm a bit disappointed by this book.
Although the idea of a girl giving birth to non-human creatures is interesting and sensational enough, I get the feeling that more could have been done with the subject matter. It's a fun enough read, as promised by the publisher's blurb, but there's very little meat here. While reading it, I had the feeling that the book was slipping through my fingers, as it were. The author kept hinting that something amazing was about to happen, but it never really did.
The general point of the story seems to be that even experienced medical men and scientists can be fooled if they really want to believe in something, but the premise is not explored anywhere near deeply enough to make this book really stand out.
There ARE some attempts to draw parallels with modern hoaxes and to put the story in some sort of context, but this comes toward the end of the book and seems like a bit of an afterthought. It almost feels as if the author was trying to justify himself on the eleventh hour.
The most disappointing part is that the author's sources (especially the brilliant Simons Book of Sexual Records) seem to be more interesting than his actual end product. The various bits of trivia sprinkled throughout the book in order to provide a background to the story are to my mind at least, more interesting than the story itself.
4290455
The short description on the back of The Compound seemed to set the book up for an exciting plot and suspenseful story. Inside the book, I found much of that, a compelling character in Eli and a nearly-unbelievable world of the Compound.

As I read the book, however, my expectations were dashed. I found Eli's father very two dimensional, and many of the final rising action muddled and rushed. The book reads most of the way as part one of a two or three part story, and yet the story is completely self-contained, a definite disappointment. It feels like the author should have taken the time to flesh out the story some more, the ending, especially, is a missed opportunity, presented as a small, little package tied up in a neat little bow for the reader. The story tries to touch on themes of paternal protection abused for emotional mistreatment and adolescent independence, but it stumbles over itself and fails to thread in any take-home thoughts beyond the covers of the book.

Perhaps the book can be forgiven for being aimed at the Middle/Junior High School level, and if so, it misses out on the opportunity to draw in readers beyond that level. There are enough books out there that both teens and adults can enjoy to make this book easy enough to skip.
2032427
I'm not sure quite what I was expecting from this book, nor why it didn't quite live up to it, but I finished it somewhat disappointed. I did want to see a picture of her "spinning stick", and I think it was included but half-covered by other objects in the photo.
2640714
I really wanted to like this book.  It can be truly enjoyable to read fiction that allows the reader to experience people, places, or situations that are unfamiliar in an easily accessible manner.  Christina George does a relatively passable job providing insight into the publishing business, albeit in what seems to be a hyperdramatized manner. The author's almost exclusive focus on the extreme behavior of the authors in the book makes the reader wonder what kind of antics Ms. George might have pulled in the promotion of this book, "The Publicist".  Based on her characterization of authors, it appears that only a select few are able to maintain their dignity and respect while being a successful writer.  This writing style can be distracting to a fault and seems like a formulaic strategy to encourage the reader's sympathy for the main character, Kate.

Although there are some great moments in this book, it suffers from an overall lack of depth- both in regard to the main characters and those involved in the publishing business.  The characters are too perfect and lack the complexity that often endears people to one another.  This lack of depth is also present in their relationships with each another and I often found myself wondering why Kate had any man interested in her, much less TWO men.  The only character that offered some insight and wisdom died after a few brief interactions with the main character.  If you are interested in reading a book that provides a caricature of the publishing business and discusses the relationships between highly attractive and shallow individuals, then this book is what you are looking for.  Otherwise, I would not highly recommend this book.
3213070
Like many another reader, I was disappointed in this book.  It is dragged down by various kinds of self-indulgence that don't do the author any favours.  Given the possible audience (people who already know something about Thoreau), it is bizarre that the author felt the need to juice up his prose with ridiculous contemporary "with-it-nesses" -- does he think we will suddenly "get" Thoreau by likening nature to a hard drive and making reference to Thoreau's MO? There are some irritating typos ("council" for "counsel" in one spot). The final chapter, recounting the author's walk to Walden Pond today, was done better by E.B. White a long time ago.  Having said that, there was some information I didn't have-- the author has read extensively on the subject -- and for that I am grateful.  He stresses Thoreau's humorous and sociable sides, necessary to a well-rounded picture.
1009280
Did not meet expiation, writer could have done a better job
1892031
The book is well written - the author has a gifted use of the English language.  I was surprised at how well I was able to follow the timeline - he is a good author.

There are some good insights into issues related to adoption, identity theft, and schizophrenia, however I felt the author only delved into it part-way.  Yes, beyond surface level, but not enough for anyone to truly understand what the characters were dealing with in a meaningful way.  There were many parts of the book that seemed completely irrelevant to the story or the language of the book.  It seemed like there was "filler" descriptions of things just to be there - no point really.

I was very disappointed in this book - hoping for much more from it.  I can't complain - it's a decent read.  It's just not something I would look forward to again.