Reviews (1)

Beautifully written chop job
Anyone picking up this book should know from the start that this is as about as unobjective a biography as one is bound to find. Henry Adams has multiple scores to settle, on behalf of John Adams and John Quincy Adams (his great-grandfather and grandfather, respectively), with John Randolph of Roanoke (who never had a kind word for either of the Adams presidents). The reader would be strongly advised to read both the introduction by Robert McColley, as well as the notes on the text (located at the end of the book) which deals with specific matters of interpretation in the book.

Adams uses this book to savage Randolph at every opportunity. The bulk of the book follows Randolph in his congressional career up through 1806, when he broke with the Jefferson administration over the administration's attempt to pay France two million dollars to secure Western Florida from Spain. Up until 1806, as Adams puts it, Randolph was the "spoiled child of his party and recognised mouthpiece of the administration." (p. 118) Randolph was in the thick of things up to that point, including the Louisiana Purchase, the approval of which he helped shephard through the House of Representatives. He was also given the responsibility for the February 1805 impeachment of Samuel Chase, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. At that point in history, the question of the Executive Branch's authority over the Judicial Branch was far from settled. A successful prosecution of Justice Chase might well have changed the history of Executive-Judicial relations, but Randolph botched the job thoroughly. Adams can barely contain his glee when describing how unequal to the task Randolph was.

The bungled Chase impeachment increasingly made Randolph an embarrassment to the Jefferson administration. Randolph's political prospects were damaged beyond repair after 1806, and from that point on, as he became increasingly erratic, was on the periphery of the American political scene. He quarrelled, at one point or another, with every administration from Jefferson to Andrew Jackson. Adams devotes only 70 pages to Randolph's life from 1806 until his death in 1833. It is evident at this point that Adams is more interested in directing criticism at Jefferson and his successors in the Virginia Dynasty than he is at studying the life of Randolph.

Adams does make good points in his book, especially regarding the notions of states' rights. Coventional wisdom holds that Randolph was one the early advocates of the states' rights philosophy that John C. Calhoun subsequently embraced, but Adams argues persuasively that actions such as the Louisiana Purchase and the protection by the federal government of slavery (such as the Fugitive Slave Act) were in themselves encroachments on the rights of individual states and helped further the centralization of government in the United States. Far from being a traditional states' rights advocate, Adams contends, Randolph did a great deal to undermine the notion of states' rights as it existed in 1789.

Despite the rather venomous nature of the book, it is none the less a wonderful piece of literature that is worth reading. Adams' skills as a writer are evident throughout. The three stars represents a dual rating: 5 stars for the quality of the writing, 1 star for the utter lack of objectivity...although what could the reader seriously expect anyway? ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Most authentic depiction of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad...
Maulana Mohammad Ali is without a doubt one of the most prolific Islamic scholars of our age. His integrity is without a doubt unquestionable and his first person association with Mirza Ghulam Ahmed for a long period of time makes his accounts most authentic..
Also must reads are: his translation of the Holy Qur'aan and his title History of the Prophets.

Nonsense
even though i respect the many good works of Maulana Muhammad Ali and i consider him to be very knoledgeble, but i can't agree with this book, and i certainly can't believe such intelligent thinker would write such as blasphemous book, may Allah have mercy on his soul.

An accurate portrayal of this religious figure.
The book indeed is quite an accurate account of the life Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. It not only deals with historical background issues, but also his claims, position on Islamic principles as well as his project regeneration of the religion (ie. Islam) which was being lost to the material world.

As for the reviewer who claims that he was "bored", this is only indicative of his level of insight towards spiritual matters. The book is clear, consise and well supported with references from the works of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Any unbiased reader interested in the subject will not be disappointed!

The most authentic English biography of a servant of Islam
The author, Maulana Muhammad Ali, is the famous writer of several world-renowned works on Islam. The Maulana always acknowledged that the inspiration for his work came from his mentor and guide, the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian.

Sadly, the life and teachings of this great Muslim Reformer and thinker, as Hazrat Mirza was, have been misunderstood and misrepresented beyond all limits. It is extremely fortunate that Maulana Muhammad Ali recorded this concise biography. This book is highly authoritative, not only because of the Maulana's established reputation as a scholar of the highest merit and integrity, but also because he was a close associate and confidant of Hazrat Mirza, and lived and worked with him in Qadian for the last nine years of the life of Hazrat Mirza.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad regarded Maulana Muhammad Ali as the most accurate and reliable exponent of his teachings and beliefs. Therefore this book can be safely trusted to provide the most authentic account of Hazrat Mirza's life and mission.

Awful
I found the subject content to be boring and blasphemou ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Sorrowful Life
Paul Nagel lists as his subtitle "A Public Life, A Private Life." He has done a masterful job of giving us a picture of our sixth president of the US. So why only four stars? - it was depressing. And maybe that is not the fault of the author if John Quincy Adams' personal life was as neurotic as Nagel portrays. It is hard to believe that someone with such a poor self image could rise so high. When I finished the book I was relieved to be done with it - not because of the author's superb research and writing - but because of the portrayal of a waste of a man's life who could have done so much.

JQA was his own worst enemy.
His father was disliked, disagreeable & opinionated. According to Paul Nagel, JQA was all this & more. He was deeply neurotic. Yet he is the most eminent man of his time. He could never live up to to the expectations he had set for himself. It is doubtful he knew himself what they were. Mr. Nagel chronicles his life as a student, scholar, legislator, ambassador, Secretary of State & President. Listing President of the United States last is apt since it is by far the least of his accomplishments. Actually it was an abject failure. His youth was spent in Europe as a scholar, student & interpreter for the Russian royal court. This made him highly unsuited to do anything respectable once he returned to America. He became an attorney & hated it. He turned to politics & found he was good at it. Although it would be political suicide to admit it then or even to day, the happiest days of his life appeared to be spent in Europe, speaking French. First, as a teenager in Holland and later as Ambassador to Britain with his English wife, Louisa.
Nagle version of Abigail Adams is quite different from McCollough's version in his book. Whereas she was a loving, selfless, indespensible wife to John Adams, she appears to be a meddling, insensitive, cruel & guilt inducing mother & mother-in-law. We know so much about JQA because he kept a 50 year diary of his life, leaving more information on his life & times than the next eight presidents combined. Highly recommended reading or listening. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A biography in his own words:
That's an autobiography, right? No, in this case, this book is truly what it says it is: James Bishop Peabody edits a collection of original source material, puts it all in chronological order according to the events it is discussing, rather than the order in which it was written, and provides connecting and explaining paragraphs of his own. What we are left with is truly a biography rather than an autobiography; Peabody really should get the credit as author, rather than editor. Still, probably 2/3 to 3/4 of the book is actually written "in his own words": excerpts from his incomplete autobiography, his correspondence, and his diary entries detailing his life in very thorough and exhaustive detail.

The book is a bit dry, and because it is in Adams' own words, its style is somewhat archaic, so it may not be for the general reader. But for the amateur historian who would like a close look at the source material, it's marvellous. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A 70's period piece
An interesting book. But not nearly as comprehensive and thoughtful as Thomas Hauser's biography. One gets the feeling that Ali was looking to make a few bucks without spilling his guts. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Vive La Reine!
I am already a huge Victoria Holt fan, and this book made me THE BIGGEST Victoria Holt fan!! It is just wonderful, full of romance and suspense and dispells lots of the myths and lies about the doomed Queen, making a fascinating portrait of a young girl forced into an exalted position. Victoria Holt's legendary attention to detail makes this a book that will educate you as well as thoroughly entertain you. Get the Kleenex out for the last chapter! Sad, yes, but this book is completely satisfying, not to be missed.

LET THEM EAT CAKE...
Victoria Holt was one of my favorite authors when I was younger. A master storyteller, she would consistently weave a story that would have the reader turning the pages. This work of historical fiction is one of her best. Riveting from beginning to end, this fictional autobiographical account of the life of Marie Antoinette is superb. Written in the first person, with little dialogue, it is the rumination of a life that was to end tragically. Pampered, spoiled, and fun loving, the beautiful Maria Antonia of Austria metamorphosed into Marie Antoinette of France upon her marriage to the Dauphin, who would eventually become King of France, the ineffectual, but benign, Louis XVI.

This is her story, grounded in historical fact and set within the framework of history. This work of fiction about the life of Marie Antoinette, as seen through her own eyes, is fascinating, as it captures the flavor of those uncertain times and the events that led to the French Revolution and the end of the monarchy in France. It is a reflection on how Marie Antoinette's own behavior influenced the fate of France. Indulging in the excesses of the day, she initially gave little thought as to how her actions might affect the people of France or the monarchy. By the time she realized that her actions and excesses had wide spread political ramifications, it was too late, and the fate of her and her husband was sealed. No amount of personal regret could change it.

This book will be enjoyed by those who enjoy good, well written historical fiction. It is little wonder that this book spent two months on the New York Times Best Seller List. It is simply historical fiction at its best.

Excellent fiction based on fact
Keeping in mind that this is a work of fiction, it is still an excellent story about Marie Antoinette and the events that led up to the French Revolution. While the ill-fated queen is the protagonist of the tale, the author does not attempt to excuse but merely to explain the foolish and often callous behavior that placed her in history as one of the most hated women of all time. During earlier chapters we get a tantalizing glimpse into the decadent courts of Louis XIV and XV. Then we watch as Louis XVI ascends the throne, far too young and with no idea how to be a king, but determined to please everyone, including his pretty young wife. The ultimate collapse of the monarchy is mourned by the queen even as she admits her own part in it and recalls steps taken or not taken that might have averted it.

The author does not pretend that everything in the story is true; conversations that might have taken place, suspected rendezvous, and dramatic license regarding people about whom little is really known have been added for flavor. But the historical framework of the story is unfailingly accurate, with an excellent bibliography. I would not recommend this to be the first or only book you read about Marie Antoinette, but after studying some completely factual works, sit back and enjoy being drawn into the story with some vivid speculation as to how some things might have happened. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Over-focussed on Atwood's poetry
Despite the author's tedious insistence that this is a "not biography" (when it obviously is a biography), the first half of this book is quite wonderful: a chance to meet the child who grew into the brilliant, steely writer, including some lovely, hilarious anecdotes that shed considerable light on her work.

But, as the book proceeds, it becomes increasingly focussed on Atwood's poetry--page after page is devoted to excerpts and analysis--while her much more widely read novels, the primary reason she is of international interest, are covered with bizarre brevity. Though admittedly not Atwood's finest work, "Lady Oracle," her first major bestseller and a book with obvious autobiographical significance, gets 3/4 of a page. Even Surfacing, a strenuously profound novel and surely worthy of eggheady analysis, gets short shrift.

This imbalance undermines the book's value, and while The Red Shoes is a must for any serious Atwood fan, prepare to be frustrated.

Factual errors raise suspicion of unreliability
This biography is wholly interesting, particularly in its account of the early days of the Anansi Press and the activities of such people as Dennis Lee, Michael Ondaatje, Graeme Gibson and Margaret Atwood herself in creating a new hospitable environment for Canadian writing. But its lapses are considerable and it betrays the signs of haste and of deficient editing. The "red shoes" conceit - an extensively belaboured allusion to the 1940s Moira Shearer movie about a ballerina who discovers that in that era it was not possible to be both an artist and a wife -- might have been marginally insightful as a passing reference. But as the title of the book and as a recurrent image it is after a time irritating in its inappropriateness to Margaret Atwood's life. The biography itself (albeit that Ms Sullivan protests that it is a "not biography") extensively demonstrates what Atwood herself has frequently noted: that the knowledge of the Northern bush which frequently enters her fiction, the practicality and down-to-earth matter-of-factness of both her prose and the persona she presents in interviews and public appearances are grounded in a childhood wholly different from conventional 1940s little-girldom.
Moreover, the text is replete with relatively trivial factual errors which after a time become disturbing, for they raise the suspicion that Ms Sullivan is not to be trusted as to matters of real significance. In particular one notes that the lapses mostly have to do with matters of common knowledge to the ordinarily literate Canadian: what knowledge of Canadian circumstances, then, does Ms Sullivan bring to the task, and given the preoccupations of her subject Margaret Atwood, was Ms Sullivan the most appropriate author to undertake it?
And given that she did undertake it, surely more knowledgeable editors can be found in the Canadian publishing industry who could catch such lapses as these examples (pagination referring to the HarperCollins paperback edition of 1998):

Page 89 "[Northrop Frye]" had the look of the lay United Church preacher he moonlighted as on weekends." But it is well known that Frye was not a "lay preacher" but an ordained clergyman in the old, though unusual in Canada, tradition of clerical dons. Given that Ms Sullivan is a professor of English at the same university as Frye this lapse is especially puzzling.
Page 177 "Ordinary women were boring, shackled in domestic virtue as the 'Angel in the House.' (Margaret had picked up Virginia Woolf's phrase long before it gained common currency.")" But it is not Virginia Woolf's phrase; it is Coventry Patmore's, though Virginia Woolf was possibly the first to identify the virtue in the Victorian poem as suspect.
Page 183-4 "Directly across the street was a brick wall....This would become the wall where the executions occurred in The Handmaid's Tale." Well, we've already been told this; one would have thought that either one of the statements of this fact should have been deleted or that some acknowledgement of the repetition ("as has been noted," say) have been made so as to allay the reader's feeling that (to be kind) Ms Sullivan's proofreaders were lying down on the job.
Page 182 "Its steps were flanked by white pseudo-Corinthian columns,...." This seems an odd qualification: surely either they were Corinthian columns or they were not: the suggestion of faded ersatz elegance is not bolstered by the word "pseudo" and Corinthian columns are not only to be found on actual classical ruins.
Page 188 "Mr Atwood was floored by the ceremony...." - but elsewhere in the text Margaret Atwood's father is referred to as "Dr Atwood," and the inconsistency, while hardly a major flaw, is mildly irritating and adds to one's impression of general sloppiness of execution.
Page 204 "[John Glassco] had not yet published his famous fictional autobiography, Memoirs of Montparnasse." Well, was it fictional? There was nothing in the reviews at the time of its publication to indicate that it was fabricated; if subsequent literary discussion has revealed otherwise then surely Ms Sullivan should have provided at least a footnote to this effect.
Page 234 "Charlie had gotten a job teaching at the University of Calgary the previous fall," ie, presumably, in 1968, when there was no University of Calgary, but rather a University of Alberta, Calgary campus.
Page 242 Margaret Laurence, from Manitoba, and Jim Polk, Atwood's first husband, "could talk about the small Midwestern towns they had come from" -- but he was from Montana and that is most certainly not the "Midwest," at least not in US terminology, though arguably Manitoba is.
Page 212 "The FLQ ...[i]n 1963 had placed their first bombs in mail boxes and public buildings." Well no, the FLQ did not exist in 1963; it was the RIN.
Page 274 The people of Mulmur Township "still spoke in an Irish/English idiom that had survived from the nineteenth century....When they referred to slightly demented people they used the expression 'two bricks short of a load""-as though this cliché were not well known outside rustic Ontario, and indeed common throughout the English-speaking world, though possibly not so well known among University of Toronto academics.

Delightful analysis of the life and times of a young Atwood
This intriguing book tells about the early life of Margaret Atwood in great detail, and then skims through the last couple of decades. Rosemary Sullivan has done a remarkable job of recreating the '40's, '50's, '60's and '70's, and how they influenced (and eventually were influenced by!) Canada's #1 writer. Having interviewed Atwood, many of her friends and associates, ex-husband and present husband, and also using contemporary correspondence, Sullivan seems to have an authentic understanding of how Atwood developed into such an amazing, prolific writer. Always respectful, Sullivan keeps her focus on what in Atwood's life is relevant to her as a writer. This is a very intelligently written biography, with an incredible amount of research and very astute analyses, and should be a satisfying read for any fan of Margaret Atwood's, without feeling like you have invaded her privacy. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from European Judaism, published by Berghahn Books, Inc. on March 22, 2001. The length of the article is 6038 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Hannah Arendt -- thinking in circles.
Author: Jeffrey Newman
Publication: European Judaism (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2001
Publisher: Berghahn Books, Inc.
Volume: 34Issue: 1Page: 44(13)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document, covering the life and work of John D(avid) Adams, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thomson Gale. The length of the entry is 463 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Statesman (1996), published by New Statesman, Ltd. on January 19, 2004. The length of the article is 1018 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The real princess: Marie-Antoinette has been the subject of countless biographies, but none brings her to life more fully than Chantal Thomas's vivid historical novel.(Book Review)
Author: Hilary Mantel
Publication: New Statesman (1996) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 19, 2004
Publisher: New Statesman, Ltd.
Volume: 132Issue: 4671Page: 50(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Australian Literary Studies, published by University of Queensland Press on October 1, 2002. The length of the article is 1743 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Struggle and Storm: The Life and Death of Francis Adams.(two biography reviews)(Book Review)
Author: Chris Tiffin
Publication: Australian Literary Studies (Refereed)
Date: October 1, 2002
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Volume: 20Issue: 4Page: 404(4)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thompson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, published by Institute on Religion and Public Life on November 1, 1999. The length of the article is 5549 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: The autobiographies and experiences of important religious and historical figures are examined, focusing on the meaning autobiography can give to a world constantly in flux. The lives and writings of such people as St. Augustine, Leo Tolstoy, Homer, William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and Marcus Aurelius are described.

Citation Details
Title: The Self in Full.(autobiography and religion)
Author: Elizabeth Powers
Publication: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life (Refereed)
Date: November 1, 1999
Publisher: Institute on Religion and Public Life
Page: 21

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

Born in the segregated South in 1943, Ashe overcame racial prejudices and segregation to break into the world of tennis, which had traditionally been dominated by whites. He rose to the top of the sport, winning three Grand Slam trophies and playing on the Davis Cup team. His tennis career came to an abrupt end when he suffered a heart attack while in his thirties. Ashe began a post-tennis career that included speaking out on social issues that mattered most to him, including educational excellence for African American athletes, the injustice of the apartheid system in South Africa, and better health care for all Americans. After contracting the AIDS virus through a blood transfusion, he began to speak out on the subject of AIDS in order to help people understand the disease. ... Read more

Book Description

From one of Europe's most prominent intellectuals: a brilliant, utterly original study of the boxing style of Muhammad Ali; of his rise, ascendancy, and fall as champion of the world; and of how Ali the man came to reflect many of our own deep, often disturbing, cultural patterns.

This virtuoso essay takes as its narrative framework the legendary Ali vs. Joe Frazier fight in Manila in 1975, which Jan Philipp Reemtsma follows in three-round sections. Intercut with these vivid and telling accounts of what actually is going on (as opposed to what merely appears to be) are much wider ranging sections exploring the choreography (it is not too grand a word) that Ali crafted for his greatest title bouts, how he created a style that became its own myth, how he then came to have to act that style in the ring, and its damaging consequences.

Reemtsma also provides portraits of Ali's opponents: Sonny Liston, George Foreman, Ken Norton, and, above all, Joe Frazier, the strongest "big puncher" of them all. He even produces a startling analysis of Sylvester Stallone's five Rocky movies to show how closely linked they are with the changing mythology of Ali, then opens up that myth so that we see how Ali the man and what he represents are connected with our own lives. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good, but not good enough
I've read parts of this book and it held my interest simply because the subject is interesting. But there is nothing in there that I've not read, known or heard before about Ali. The author makes a conclusion of Ali's style on the basis of just one fight, even if that fight is -- to quote Ali himself -- his "greatest". It is also too short, about 200 pages in paperback and contains very few photos of its larger-than-life subject. So what if Ali created a style that he had to maintain as part of his identity before us his fans and the rest of society? That is not a very original or striking psychological observation. ... Read more