Customer Reviews:
Gilbert Morris is my all-time *favorite* series/saga writer!.......2001-03-26
The House of Winslow series is one of the best series I've ever read. They chronicle the life of the Winslows, a fictional family with major historical implications. Gilbert Morris is a wonderful, detailed writer, easily mixing real and fictional people. Mostly, the books pertain to the Methodist faith, though not always.
This set of books covers ground from 1620-1776.
'The Honorable Impostor' is the first book. It begins with Gilbert Winslow, a wayward pastor with ties to the Church of England. He is asked to infiltrate a group of Puritans and help "bring them to justice under the King's law". Through a series of events, he ends up coming, quite unwillingly, to the New World with the group, thereby establishing the House of Winslow in America.
'The Captive Bride' covers two generations of Winslows. Matthew, Gilbert's son, breaks his parents' hearts and is sent off to England to find his roots. Instead, he finds a wife and a heap of trouble. He loses his mind in prison and leaves a heartbroken, pregnant wife to go back to his father. Rachel Winslow grows up without a father in Salem amidst the crazed witch trials. When an unexpected piece of the past confronts her, she has nowhere to turn but God.
'The Indentured Heart' chronicles the life of Adam Winslow, Rachel's nephew. Cruelly abused by a stepmother who's jealous of him, Adam is sent to live with his older brother. He goes into business with his half-brother, Charles, and cousin, Saul. On a fact-finding mission back to England, he finds another abused soul and brings her back as an indentured servant. Charles and Saul try every trick they know to make off with the dark Winslow's part of the business, but end up helping him more than they could ever know.
'The Gentle Rebel' begins right before the American Revolution. It concerns two cousins--Nathan, the son of Adam, and Paul, son of Charles--who are on different sides of the war. When Nathan's younger brother becomes an early casualty of the war, Nathan vows to fight in his place. He has a new "little brother", Laddie, who has a secret of his own.
'The Saintly Buccaneer' finishes out Paul Winslow's story. Paul is Impressed into the British Navy after a hard night of drinking. He wakes up on a ship with a soft-hearted captian and his beautiful daughter with no memory of himself or his horrible past. When the British ship clashes with an American ship on the high seas, he meets someone who sparks a memory--as well as shame.
The Winslow Books are the best!.......2000-05-28
I think that the Winslow series is the best that I have read so far. They leave you in suspense until the end and surprise you sometimes. I would suggest if yoiu like romance and suspense to definetly read this series. I love the Winslow series!
It was interesting but repeated it self........1999-06-03
I liked these books they taught you quite a lot about history and I liked the way the story went through the generations .The story line is pretty predictable when it comes to their love life. I definitely think #1 was the best.You should read them but if you don't like book one then you probably won't like the rest.
Book Description
Rebel Heart is Bebe Buell's no-holds-barred account of her life at the center of the rock scene in the '70s and '80s, when rock stars were royalty.A wild child model who took New York by storm, Buell captivated a generation of rock's greatest talents.Her relationships with musicians like wunderkind Todd Rundgren, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler--father of her daughter Liv-Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page and Elvis Costello played out against a backdrop of some of the most legendary locales of the era: Max's Kansas City and CBGBs in New York, the "Riot House" in Los Angeles and Tramps in London.Bebe's spirit informed some of the greatest songs of her time, and her book is bursting with the stories she was a part of, the fun she had, and the music she helped make.
Customer Reviews:
Poor Bebe.......2007-08-30
What a pathetic piece of flotsam. Never "anyone" but chose to sleep with "everyone", boy or girl, no difference - if she thought that they could help her "career" - such as that was. "Was" may be too kind of an interpretation. A zero of a "model" who chose to hook her wagon, or legs, around anyone holding a guitar. This is a fun read just for its prurient nature, but her whole "poor me, I'm so talented BS" is shameful. She was marginally recognized for the men with whom she slept - nothing more. Liv, I'm glad that you rose above your upbringing - lucky for you your "mother" had very little to do with it.
Juicy!.......2007-07-14
I never heard of this woman until I recently saw an E! "rocumentary" about Steven & Liv Tyler, and Bebe spoke about her role in their lives.
Bebe Beull has been there, done that & then some. By the end of the book her life has come full circle which is no surprise. The reality is that many women experience similar situations in their lives, just not on the grand scale of living the high life while sharing free love with rock stars. Bebe is the poster girl for free love in the 70s & 80s; everything you imagined that lifestyle to be really WAS. It was exciting yet emotionally painful. Doors opened for her because of her beauty but then she experienced a similar midlife crisis that many women do where you have to answer to the the choices you've made, while your beauty perks start to wane.
There's something somewhat admirable about her ability to have sex freely with so many men. Lots of women would like to experience that but aren't so gutsy. (I'm surprised that she never mentions whether any of her friends or lovers died of AIDS, if AIDS affected her lifestyle...with everyone sleeping with everyone else you wonder how everyone remained healthy.)
Back to the book: Through it all, it seems she kept thinking someone else was going to take care of her, when, just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, she had the power to do that all along for herself. A part of her seems to never believe that she alone was enough,important enough, creative enough, smart enough to hit the heights. She gave her power away too often. But for women of her generation, and even girls nowadays who believe 'the right powerful, rich, sexy man' is the answer to their prayers, that is often the case.
Bebe speaks of her great posture & impeccable manners; these attributes may have given her an edge others didn't have. She's "every woman" in that she has a many-faceted personality-sweet & evil, manipulative & fair, a giver & a taker. After all is said & done, she realizes her love for her mother, cousin, daughter---family---is what matters. I enjoyed the book.
(Fem) eyes, wide open .......2007-06-06
What a cool read! I was shocked to see so many dismissive, abusive reviews at Amazon; probably written by a bunch of pothead dudes. Hey, just look at the cover photo - that hair! I'm gonna faint! And Buell's text flows with more introspection and wit than I expected. She really conveys the uberfem existence, floating serendipitously along the power trails of megadaddies. Of course, I had to envy her charmed fortune. No bimbo, she knew the score and her place in it. Did rather well, all and all. (I will confess, looking at her lyrics, it was obvious to me why Buell couldn't get it on as a recording star. Too bad she didn't get herself some backing vocal action going with the Stones or Aerosmith to prime the career pump. But, anyway!) Name-dropping good fun (with some understandable defensiveness regarding her professional split with moviestar daughter Liv Tyler). A lovable read, and no doubt a lovable lady. Thrilling anecdotes, fascinating photos - and a real keen descriptive eye on all the boys' personalities. Very feminine assessments of her famous guys - that's probably why the Amazon reviews exhibit so much rancor. Plus her insights into her emotional (and, sure, sexual) giving as a livelihood and philosophy communicates a lot about the world all women know. Compassion for sale! Beull had (and saw) the fun part, but she tacitly and effectively suggests how, for lesser fem mortals, it is a brutally uncertain world women inhabit.
What a beautiful soul!.......2007-05-25
The first time I read Rebel Heart I kind of dismissed it. For some reason I took it out again and reread it and much to my delight and surprise I was pulled in- all the way in.
It is one of those books that you have to digest, think about and then redigest. When you do that it all becomes clear. Bebe Buell is a good person with a beautiful soul. Not once does she come off as bitter or damaged. The opposite rings true. She is a trooper she is.
My girlfriend is also a big fan of this book. She reads it on and off still to this day and it came out in 2001. Talk about hanging in there!
Rebel Heart is one of those bios that stays with you long after you've read it. So much so you return for another dose.
*confession*-I was also inspired to pull it out after reading the new Iggy Pop bio by Paul Trynka- Bebe shines in that too.
What a gal. One of music's true muses. No doubt about it.
It is obvious why Liv Tyler turned out so well. She has her mother's survival skills and class.
Could have been good...........2007-03-11
I loved the stories, being a huge rock fan. I wish I had been alive in the 70's so I could do the things she did! This book, however, is very poorly written, repeats itself over and over, and Bebe Buell is a thoroughly unpleasant braggart. Try Pamela Des Barre's book instead.
Book Description
For ten years Kevin Toolis investigated the lives of the IRA soldiers who wage a secret battle against the British State. His journeys took him from the back kitchens of Belfast, where men joked while making two-thousand-pound bombs, to prisons for interviews with men serving life sentences, and to the graveyards where mourners weep. Each chapter explores a world where history, faith, and human savagery determine life and death. At once moving and harrowing, Rebel Hearts is the most authoritative and insightful book ever written on the IRA.
Customer Reviews:
Very Personal account of Oglaigh na hEireann.......2005-09-26
This is a great book about Oglaigh na hEireann. The journalist who wrote the book got to meet with some IRA leaders. He got first and second hand acounts of specific missions. It gives you a very close and personal view of the troubles. I would recomend this to any Irish man or woman, especially if you are of a republican backround
Review of Rebel Hearts.......2003-12-14
I have read many books on the struggles in Northern Ireland but this book stands apart from them all. Toolis has the unique ability to remain both objective and passionate about this topic. As the subtitle suggests he truly gets into the soul of the IRA. His book is based on research, interviews and perosnal experiences that could have placed Toolis himself in harms way. Some may see this as a weakness, but Toolis's conclusions are clear. Prior to reading this book I knew a lot of facts about the struggles of the IRA. After reading Toolis's book I suddenly understood some of what created and continues to fuel these struggles. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Irish History, the history of the IRA or interested in the violent struggles that mark the 20th century.
Both Profound & Better than Expected.......2003-06-19
I read _Rebel Hearts_ as part of my research for my senior thesis on the Northern Question and found it better than I ever imagined. While it does indeed profile the lives of particular IRA members (as already mentioned by other reviewers), it does so much more: it delves into the psychology of how and why the IRA exists and operates. To me, this is a much bigger issue than individual biographies, as good as they are. From the book's preface, Toolis is clear about his position: he foresees peace in Ireland only through "a transfer of power away from the British Crown." He explores Irish martyrdom, politics, history, and methodology, though I would caution that this book is no crash-course on Irish history. If you are looking to know more about that subject, _Rebel Hearts_ already presumes a fair amount of knowledge. (But Toolis does include a list of abbreviations at the beginning.) Toolis delves into the link between politics and religion without browbeating the reader and he thoroughly explains the deep-seated spiritual issues that accompany the political conflicts in Northern Ireland. His compelling conclusion at the book's close gave me goosebumps as I read it: "There will be peace in Ireland and it will be a republican peace." Here, here.
go beyond the title.......2002-03-28
After you get beyond the title of Toolis' book, and beyond the sappy first chapter of family history, he offers a highly interesting account of the people behind the militant Republican movement. Toolis has sought out people who don't usually make the front page--family members and informers--as well as prominent Republicans and Martin McGuinness, who "is the IRA," according to Toolis' sources. By documenting the every day workings of the people involved in the conflict, he establishes the complexity of their motivations and actions. The reader is not left with a black and white view of the struggle.
I give the book four stars because his sources are very good and original, enabling him to give a very thorough view of his subject. The book deserves to be read. The silly involvement of his personal stories adds nothing to the book and almost caused me to put it down. Also he gets caught up in the argument he is making with his sources so that the prologue and afterward seem out of place.
informative.......2002-03-27
I am not at all Irish but have been reading about Ireland's history since high school. After reading alot about the Rising and past history, I was looking for something that tells of more recent accounts in the land. Rebel Hearts was it. The stories are excellent and left the way they happened. Toolis was not afraid to leave commentary run on. If that is how long an interview lasted then that is how it was written. I did not find this book bias either wich is always a plus for me. My only problem was getting lost in a few places. Seemed like a story would jump around from beginning to end back to beginning. Maybe this was just my error though.
Book Description
You know the names Martin Luther King, Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela. But have you heard of Roy Bourgeois, Neta Golan, or Sulak Sivaraksa? How about Vandana Shiva, Daniel and Philip Berrigan, or Janusz Korczak? They, and the dozens more spiritual activists in this book, are the heirs to that great tradition of faith-based activism. The spiritual activists in this book are environmentalists, gay-rights activists, peace workers, land reformers, and child advocates. They are Buddhists and Catholics, Hindus and Muslims, Baha'is, Jews, and Quakers. The stories of these modern-day prophets of positive change will inspire you, and the resources provided in each chapter will help you put your own beliefs to work in the world.
Customer Reviews:
"Best Book in History of English Language"?!?!.......2003-10-27
Wow, some of you people need to read a bit more broadly. Jeepers, this is the sort of maudlin claptrap that gives maudlin claptrap such a bad name. Brave hearts, rebel spirits, lots of cheap slogans and smarmy cliches and uplifting tales of grrl power and similar blather are a good example of why people think Americans are so stupid, and Mrs. R is certainly closer in spirit to a typical American housewife than anyone I've ever known from the UK.
Get up and do something!.......2003-06-14
These stories of modern day activists really give you a different perspective on the world we live in and what our role should be. Biggs is an excellent story teller.
Go out and do something!.......2003-06-12
Great stories of real people today who took a look at the world and didn't like what they saw. So they did something about it. Biggs is a great storyteller.
Best Book in History of English Language.......2003-04-18
Brooke Biggs is a literary master with the heart of a lion and excellent taste in sneakers. Her latest volume, a staggeringly huge triumph of the written word, should find its way to the shelf of every sentient being on Earth, nestled between "Das Kapital" and the complete Nancy Drew series.
Customer Reviews:
Fetzer's Best.......2005-02-09
Amy J Fetzer is an author with an unparalleled ability to let you see and feel what her characters experience. Her Characters are well thought-out and believeable. Her grasp of the syntax of the times, amazing.
Michaela is a woman caught in a situation not of her making. She strikes back at her abusive uncle by spying on him.
Rein is a strong but mysterious man, who sympathises with Michaela's plight and goes to amazing lengths to set her free and love her.
Don't miss Fetzer's "Dangerous Waters". Great story too!
One of the best I ever read.......2003-03-01
Rebel Heart was one of Amy J. Fetzer first books I ever read. Lets just say it won't be the last. She is a great writer. I would like to read some more of her books. I expect they won't be disappointing. What made this a great book was the characters and their back grounds. Michela is a women with no parents with only her disgusting uncle to take care of her. So she decides to become a spy for Nickolas a friend of hers. On the other hand there is Rein. He also has no parents, but is raised by his stepmother Aurora, stepfather Ransom. But he is trying to find is biological father. He married her in order to protect her from her uncle. Eventually they fall in love and she get pregent with their first child. But she is still in danger. Someone might find out she is the spy. She help the Americans win the war and is awared for her bravery.
Great!.......2000-02-03
This is the first book I have read written by Amy Fetzer. I am hooked. I ordered 2 more of her books on line. The characters Rein and Michaela captivate the reader. They are full of passion and vitality. They are quick witted and mysterious. Not to mention Hot! It's a definite page turner!
Totally AWESOME!!.......1999-08-12
The intricasies woven into Amy J.Fetzer's plot of Rebel Heart are fascinating. The keys to unlocking the mystery to the story are carefully revealed at precisely the right moments unleashing even more surprises. From page to page I was on my toes to keep up with the twists and turns, I was NEVER dissappointed! The way that Ms.Fetzer consistantly wove the threads of mystery and intrigue into her characters backgound left me up late at nite to finish the book. The way she kept her heroine strong in the sense of loyalty to her country and having her remain extremely vunverable in the presence of her abusive Uncle and attacker was a work of art. I can see and hope that maybe you will continue this series with the Montgomery clan, you have so many avenues to play upon I hope that I won't be dissapointed by this being the end of this intriguing family.
To Ms.Fezter: For that one person in thousands to not have enjoyed the book shows that it takes all kinds and that not everyone sees things the same way. I am sure that if the reader went back with a different frame of mind she would truly enjoy this multi-award winning book. I always look forward to your next book and in all the books of yours that I have read I have yet to ever be dissapointed in your collection of work. Shake this one off and Please Please continue with your outstanding work. Waiting anxiously for your next book a Fan.
Great plot, but the writer didn't live up to it!.......1999-07-22
I began reading this book expecting it to be at least as good as her time travel I read with so much enjoyment. The plot, centered around a young British woman spying for the Americans during the American Revolution, could have been great. The author seemed to be racing against the clock, and the clock won!The typos were unnerving, they were so numerous. Poorly edited. Also, the male hero "smirked" (author's word choice) about a hundred times which really annoyed me. The uncle whose villainy precipitated her marriage was gross. Also, I couldn't believe that a woman who had the courage to be a spy against her own country would be so weak-kneed as to give in to that piece of slime. Totally out of character. The hero's search for his father could have been poignant, but he spent too much time going from one potential father to another, and the author spent too little time telling us who these men were that I never got a good grasp of who the "father" suspects were. I didn't care if he ever found his father. I read it through to the end because I kept hoping it would get better. I never figured out how the heroine just sailed into port and grabbed her stupid husband out of the dungeons without prior knowledge of his whereabouts. Coincidence? Give me a break! Take your time on the next one, please. I love a good book, but I HATE to pay for a poorly executed one.
Book Description
What would cause an otherwise intelligent, well-educated, and, by all accounts, privileged Californian to forgo an easy life in the United States to struggle for survival in a land of strife and mortal danger? With this question in mind, journalist Mark Kukis retraces the personal and spiritual evolution of the most reviled American traitor since Lee Harvey Oswald. "My Heart Became Attached" provides a detailed biographical account of John Walker Lindh's journey, beginning with his childhood in an affluent San Francisco suburb. Kukis then follows Lindh's footsteps to Yemen, where he learned Arabic and radical Islam, and on through the wild hinterlands of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The journey culminates with the violent prison uprising at Mazar-i-Sharif.
While conducting research, Kukis achieved unparalleled access to major players in Lindh's life. In Pakistan, Kukis found the militants from the jihad group that trained with Lindh in a Pakistani camp. Kukis also conducted several rounds of interviews with Lindh's friend who initially settled him in an Islamic boarding school, with Lindh's instructor there, and with fellow pupils in the hardscrabble Pakistani village where he studied the Koran before journeying into Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, Kukis interviewed Taliban soldiers who fought at Mazar-i-Sharif and General Dostum, warlord of the region. Ex-roommates, family members, and friends all contributed to Kukis's research, resulting in the most thorough portrait available of the American Taliban.
Customer Reviews:
Lindh's odyssey............2006-05-01
The controversial story of John Walker Lindh is well-researched in this book. While the author was unable to speak with Lindh or his parents, he travelled to distant lands such as Yemen and Pakistan to interview people who met, studied, and trained with Lindh. The author remains relatively objective in his treatment of Lindh, neither condemning nor commending him. After reading this book, Lindh comes across as a sincere and thoughtful, albeit naive Muslim, perhaps swept up in the momentum of where his new found religion took him. After 9/11, many people will be outraged by the suggestion that Lindh was anything but a cold-blooded terrorist, especially since he was present when CIA agent Mike Spann was killed. Personally, I think the situation is far more complicated than that. I think that Mr. Spann was a true patriot who died defending the country he loved, but at the same time, I see Lindh as a sincere Muslim who thought he was defending the religion he loved. Who am I to say which one is superior? Also, I have to ask, if Lindh never joined the Taliban, and was not present that fateful day in Afghanistan, would Mike Spann still be alive? I'm afraid the answer is no. With that said, the author points out that only Lindh himself knows his true motives and intentions. I would have liked to learn a little more about Lindh's pre-Muslim days, but overall I found the book compelling and informative.
American Taliban--Ordinary Teenager.......2005-08-09
Mark Kukis, the author of "My Heart Became Attached," tells what ends up being a rather pedestrian story about a young American who briefly gained notoriety as the "American Taliban" after 9/11.
John Walker Lindh is the son of middle class parents who grew up in a comfortable household around Washington, DC and then in the San Francisco suburbs. Lindh, like many teenagers curious about the world and trying to find himself, develops a teenagers interest in Islam and the Arab world.
Lindh converted to Islam in his late teens and, with a convert's zeal, throws himself into studying the language, culture and religion of the Arab/Muslim world. His first visit to the region was a trip to Yemen to study Islam and Arabic.
After a brief trip back to the US, Lindh follows a friend he met at a local mosque to Pakistan. While there Lindh begins studying with more extreme and violent interpreters of his religion. He eventually found himself in a training camp for young Jihadists. The best of the camp's graduates were sent to fight in Indian held Kashmir. However, Lindh was determined to be too weak and poor as a soldier and was thus encouraged to go to Afghanistan.
Lindh arrived in Afghanistan in the late summer of 2001. He trained at an al-Qaeda camp frequented by Osama bin Laden, and sat through what he thought were many boring bin laden lectures. He was then sent to the front lines of the Taliban's battle against the Northern Alliance. After 9/11 and American firepower was inserted into the conflict on behalf of the Alliance, Lindh and his comrades were quickly taken prisoner and sent to a makeshift prison at Mazar-i-Sharif. When a group of prisoners began a rebellion against their captors, Lindh escaped to the relative safety of a nearby cellar. However, he did briefly share the field with CIA officer Mike Spann, shortly before Taliban rebels murdered Spann.
After the riot was finally quelled a week later, Lindh was taken by his American captors into custody, but not before a CNN crew could film the one interview that launched the infamy of the "American Taliban."
The author was unable to interview Lindh for this book. He was, however, able to track down nearly everyone who came into contact with Lindh during his journey from suburbanite to Taliban. The story he tells is of a kid who stumbles from one place to another, somehow finding himself in bin Laden's audience and on the Taliban front line. That this could happen to such an ordinary American kid is the true lesson of this brief, but excellent, book.
disappointed.......2004-04-10
I was hoping to read more about why Walker Lindh committed the acts he did, but without a firsthand account, learning his beliefs was not possible.
Also, the author should have tried to weave in the political dynamic of the world into the story instead of treating Walker Lindh as an isolated person.
Very Informative Page Turner.......2003-11-22
Kukis keeps you turning the pages on this well written biography of the American enigma which is "John Walker Lindh".
Kukis daringly retraced Lindh's steps through the unforgiving hotbed of madrassas and dusty towns in the middle east to deliver an excellent recount of what happenned to this unique young adult. Kukis's interviews of those closest to Lindh in his final months before capture really gives you an insight to a world much different than Lindh's United States.
This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys keeping abreast with current events as well as those who wish to peer into the mind of one of the most notorious 9-11 figures.
An Incredible Odyssey.......2003-10-28
Mark Kukis has done what few authors have the nerve -- or skill -- to do: explored Lindh's path from American student to Taliban fighter by actually following in Lindh's footsteps. Along the way, Kukis vividly describes the places and personalities that shaped Lindh's transformation. Unfortunately, the Lindh family declined an interview with Kukis to tell their side of the story. However, Mr. Kukis does not let this setback interfere with his narrative, instead depicting Lindh as seen by people in Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan -- a richer, more accurate and more rewarding depiction than would likely have emerged from an interview with the Lindh family in the comfortable confines of their California living room.
In the end, Kukis leaves deliberately unanswered the central question in the Lindh paradox. Is John Walker Lindh a hapless American kid who made some really bad choices in finding himself -- the kind of bad choices many of us have made in life, only with drastically worse consequences? Or is he a cold and calculating zealot pledged to jihad against those he perceives as non-believers? The answer is ultimately locked away in Lindh's mind as securely as Lindh himself is incarcerated, but Mark Kukis has done an excellent job in literally walking in Lindh's footsteps to try to find that answer.
Customer Reviews:
Too much like Passions Child..........2006-09-12
While I enjoyed the book, it wasn't very original. I was hoping to find out additional information that wasn't already contained in Passions Child: The Extraordinary Life of Jane Digby by Margaret F. Schmidt, published in 1976, Charles River Books. This book didn't provide any additional information, despite the author's claims.
From the British upper class to Queen of the Desert.......2003-05-14
When the then Pamela Digby Churchill (later to be Pamela Churchill Harriman) shocked British and European society with her string of marriages and romantic alliances, she was actually following more in the footsteps of an ancestor than blazing new ground. Over a hundred years before Pamela romped her way through Europe and America, the Honorable Jane Digby, Lady Ellenborough was embarkening on a series of affairs that drove her from England and eventually to the desert where she spent her final years.
Mary S. Lovell could have potrayed Jane Digby as a heartless tramp or made her a cartoon maneater that wouldn't be out of place in a Jackie Collins novel. At times, Jane Digby's life does seem larger than life and more like a daytime soap opera. Her lovers included crowned heads of states and even her own beloved cousin. Her final years were spent as the wife of a Beduoin chief, performing the traditional female duties while the tribe was traveling. Luckily, Mary S. Lovell is a carefully biographer who sorted through masses of documents to find the truth behind the rumors and legends.
Along with the legacy of her scandals, Jane become a mother several times. Her children, mostly seen as more annoyance than objects of affection, where left with their fathers when Jane moved onto her next adventure. Tragically, one of her daughters succumbed to madness and two of her sons died in childhood.
If you adore biographies or have come across the name Jane Digby in your reading, "Rebel Heart: The Scandalous Life of Jane Digby" is must read.
Cracking good read!.......2002-01-25
I adore biography - especially those of the great characters of the second half of the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries. I knew of Jane Digby el Mezrab from Irving Wallace's Nymphos and Other Maniacs which I read many years ago and also via several biographies of Sir Richard Burton. This is a well written, carefully and extensively researched book which benefited enormously from the author's good luck in uncovering much new, previously unseen and unpublished family material in Dorset and New Zealand. This, the author says in her acknowledgements, is more satisfying than the publication of the book itself. I agree, for this sort of discovery is palpably thrilling and the author's excitement shines through her narrative.
This biography reads like fiction and Jane Digby, firstly Lady Ellenborough, was one of those larger than life people who followed their own path, irrespective of the mores of their own time. Following Jane's life is a tour through the drawing rooms of Regency England, several European and Balkan courts to the deserts of Syria and Arabia. It is the story of a woman (thrice divorced) who eventually found happiness and fulfilment with a man of great nobility from an entirely different race, culture and religion. Jane's interest in the minutiae of life in Damascus in the mid 19th century makes fascinating reading and her wit and fondness for her adopted "tribe" in the desert is moving.
Highly recommended!
Rebel Heart: The Scandalous Life of Jane Digby.......2001-12-10
An excellent and accurate account of Jane Digby - A woman ahead of her time. Several surprises and facts are in store and would be great interest to students of the Middle Eastern culture, in particular the Bedouin tribes, the Arabian horse, falconing, Salukis and the social customs and manners of this golden era of history. Couldn't put it down. Very highly recommended!
A life finally exposed.......2000-12-22
Jane Digby led a life of glamorous scandal - mostly played out during the reign of that most prudish of rulers, Queen Victoria. Biographies of her in the past have not been too successful as her story is obscured beneath layers of misinformation generated from the tabloid press of the time, and from well-meaning interference by such people as Richard Burton's wife.
Lovell has done a stunning job in digging through all the sources and turning up a great deal of new information on Digby which finally exposes her life in all its strengths and weaknesses. It is interesting how much you can dislike a subject and still like a story and that is what happened for me with Jane Digby. I found her as a person to be rather flirtatious and passionate and not very sensible. She did so much for 'love' and was so disappointed by in it. She married four times and had an equal number of well-known lovers as well. There is a litte on her childhood but the story really begins from her first fatally flawed marriage to Lord Ellenborough. As Digby's life progressed I felt Lovell managed to capture her increasing commonsense and growth as a person. The story of Digby is so amazing - she travelled all round Europe creating scandal as she went until finally settling in Palmyra with her last husband, an Sheikh.
Her life is part a travel-logue of Europe in the mid Nineteenth century part brilliantly readable scandal. A truly flawed subject, she makes great reading and Lovell has done a great job in presenting her.
Average customer rating:
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Rebel Heart
Padraic O'Farrell
Manufacturer: Brandon/Mount Eagle
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| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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ASIN: 0863222218 |
Average customer rating:
- This book is great I loved it and give it 5 stars
|
Rebel Heart
L. Wilde
Manufacturer: Zebra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Historical
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0821732986 |
Customer Reviews:
This book is great I loved it and give it 5 stars.......1999-09-24
This book was very touchy and i really liked it I recommend it to anyone who loves romance
Average customer rating:
|
6 Book Set of "Men at Work" Romance; A Rebel at Heart, Windstorm, Something Worth Keeping, Defying Gravity, Confidentially Yours, Miss Liz's Passion (Men at Work Series)
Gina Wilkins ,
Connie Bennett ,
Kathleen Eagle ,
Rachel Lee ,
Helen R. Myers , and
Sherryl Woods
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
Eagle, Kathleen
| ( E )
| Authors, A-Z
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000OSQRUA |
Books:
- The Librettist of Venice: The Remarkable Life of Lorenzo da Ponte Mozart's Poet, Casanova's Friend, and Italian Opera's Impresario in America
- The Lizard King Was Here: The Life and Times of Jim Morrison in Alexandria, Virginia
- The Long Hard Road Out of Hell
- The New Primal Scream: Primal Therapy 20 Years On (Abacus Books)
- The New Trader's Tax Solution: Money-Saving Strategies for the Serious Investor, 2nd Edition, Updated
- The Night Casey Was Born: The True Story Behind the Great American Ballad "Casey at the Bat"
- The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, One Volume, Expanded Edition
- The Rockabilly Legends: They Called It Rockabilly Long Before It Was Called Rock 'n' Roll (Book & DVD)
- The Secret
- The Stanley Kubrick Archives
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