Ford Reviews

Personally I gained little from this book because I have seen these questions in other books. However, if you are new to self help, these questions could be quite helpful.

then maybe you're asking the wrong questions!

Workshop leader and author Debbie Ford shows you how with her new book.

Debbie Ford, noted workshop leader and author, has written a simple and practical guide to improving your life, and achieving future goals and dreams. As Ford demonstrated with her books The Dark Side of the Light Chasers and The Secret of the Shadow, she specializes in uncovering the unconscious motivations and undercurrents that rule our lives. When we don't examine and question our thought patterns or behaviors, we can move along life quite mindlessly--and quite miserably--at the mercy of the beliefs and commitments we've made during childhood or crisis.

A few of the author's questions are reminiscent of those addressed by other self-help books, but there's a beautiful simplicity in the directness of her 10 questions that is immediately applicable and immediately helpful. You don't have to wade through technical terms or concepts to "get it". And I admit, I like this approach. It's refreshing to have someone lay out a common-sense process to enriching life and increasing personal freedom, rather than craft a convoluted theory or system that promises perfection or enlightenment and bogs down an already-overwhelmed reader in the process!

The Right Questions

1. Will this choice propel me toward an inspiring future or will it keep me stuck in the past?
2. Will this choice bring me long term fulfillment or will it bring me short term gratification?
3. Am I standing in my own power or am I trying to please another?
4. Am I looking for what's right, or am I looking for what's wrong?
5. Will this choice add to my life force, or will it rob me of my energy?
6. Will I use this situation as a catalyst to grow and evolve or will I use it to beat myself up?
7. Does this choice empower me or dis-empower me?
8. Is this an act of self-love or self-sabotage?
9. Is this an act of faith or an act of fear?
10 Am I choosing from my Divinity or am I choosing from my humanity?

If you're having a rough time navigating through your life and feel drained, directionless, frustrated, and paralyzed, I highly recommend Debbie Ford's new book The Right Questions. When you start to ask the right questions, you can finally arrive at empowering and live-giving answers.

With her clear and elegant style, Debbie Ford proposes life-engaging questions that implore conscious thought and heartfelt consideration. Her presentation is best grasped with an established awareness of personal transformation and the innate acceptance of our role in life. Taking action is presumed, although mere consideration of her questions beseeches a healthy reflection upon where our decisions lead us. This alone endorses a trust in the author that is rapidly rewarded through action. Apply this book to create profound purpose in your life.

I found the book useful, though there is no substitute for reading the books. For those who have already read the Chronicles it gives some interesting facts. I have loved the Chronicles from an early age and I would hope that the Companion to Narnia is useful to all friends of Narnia.

This is a great book. It is arranged alphabetically, in encyclopedia form, and contains over 500 pages of entries. Every single obscure character is listed (remember who Lord Tarva was?), descriptions of places, ages, weaponry, even philosophers who had an impact on the author and the book are discussed and explained.

This book is a wonderful resource for those who are writing research papers on Narnia, or for those of us who just love the world and like to expand our grasp of Narnian trivia. Don't hesitate!

corpus-callosum's [Amazon.com] review mentions "At the end of the articles, Ford has placed in parentheses an abbreviated reference to the specific book and page number that coincides with the topic being discussed. "

There are two numbers separated by a comma- the first is the tradepaperback/hardback HaperCollins or Harper Trophy page number, the second (after the comma) is for the Harper Trophy rack sized (mass market) paperback editions.

Examples from the Companion book listings to check pagination of the Narnia editions you have to see if they match up on the correct page:

Lion Witch Wardrobe: Hosea 11:10 "at the sound of his roar" 79,85
Prince Caspian:Isaiah 9:1"the people that lived in hiding" 72,75
Dawn Treader: Isaiah 6:6 "a little live coal" 207,224
Silver Chair: Psalms103:9 "I will not always be scolding" 236,250
Horse & His Boy: Daniel 4:24 "not a donkey!" 219,235
Magician's Nephew: Job 38:7 "stars themselves singing" 107,117
Last Battle: Deut.33:27 "between the paws of the true Aslan" 121, 134

I have the trade paperback Harper Trophy "full-color collector's edition of Narnia, boxed set ISBN: 0064409392 and the first number of the two (the one before the comma) matches perfectly in all the Narnia books.

My whole persecptive on my life's story has shifted after reading Debbie's book . I've learn know to love, embarce and find the true blessings and gifts of my own story. This book provides the most powerful insights, it captivated me in taking the time to look futher into myself to heal and find new way of seeing myself and others. The healing action steps this book offers has opened my heart and soul . Thank you Debbie Ford for allowing your experince and your story to open my heart in finding my story and the gifts it offers me and the people in my life. I can know say after reading the whole book and by doing the action healing steps, that I can use my story in the most powerful way. I am eternally greatful!!!

And I thought the "Dark Side of the Light Chasers" was life altering! "The Secret of the Shadow" has revealed yet another layer I hadn't seen before. Until reading this book, I had been living in the very limiting stories of, "I'm not good enough" and "I'm not deserving." In simple and clear terms, Debbie Ford has provided me with a roadmap to identify the beliefs that have been running my life. I now have the tools to transform my automatic behaviors which have created negative results in the past. Debbie's wisdom has awakened my own spiritual essence such that I can truly see my divine right to have it all!

When I saw that I am robbing myself of fulfillment, joy and self expression by not sharing my gifts with the world, I was able to make a shift in my perception. As a result, I am already moving forward in creating the life of my dreams. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is ready to play on the court of life in a big way!

Henry David Thoreau once said that "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desparation," and this book sheds light on the fact that his insightful comment applies to most of our lives.

Debbie Ford provides the way out of this desparation with her insightful book. Once we are confronted with and accept the truth that we all have a story, that we are shackled to this story, but that we have a choice to be free, real freedom is to be experienced.

How will I know? You will love other people, you'll see that "it ain't all about me," and there won't be a petty bone in your body. You'll be one great big bundle of love!

Reading this book was like having a spiritual cataract operation. I was blind (blinded by my story), but now I see (the real me, the me that G-d knew in His mind from before the foundation of the world.

Read...experience...then live!

I am sorry to say that I have tried several times to read that book, recommended by an excellent writer friend of mine, and simply failed to finish it every time. My dislike of Raymond Carver(like my dislike for New York) feels to me like a shortcoming but there you have it. There are no points to Carver's stories and I find it infinitely arid and unrewarding to read short pointless stories with no aim. Lack of resolution you call it? To me, it goes against the very appeal of reading. I can't remember the stories, I can't remember the characters and I don't care. Doesn't that mean that Carver fails somewhere? Why do we read if not to be entertained, moved, to learn something, to travel to another universe? I'm a lifelong reader, but the supposed wonders of Mr. Carver fly way over my head.

People who consider Raymond Carver to be a strictly minimalist writer should really read this book from cover to cover. What they will discover is a career on the cusp of change, just before the author's life was tragically cut short. The stories are presented in chronological order. The opening dozen stories or so are classics of minimalist style which reaches its peak with the devestating 3-page story "Little Things" in which a child is literally torn apart by its parents divorce.

But Carver's tone and style changes in the stories that follow. "What We Talk About When We Talk about Love" and the gut-wrenching "So Much Water So Close To Home" take on a new level of story-telling where Carver gives us a more intimate look at his characters. The last two of the previously published stories are nothing like the earlier stories. In "Cathedral", a typical Carver married man--distant, cynical, and slightly smug--makes surprising contact with another human being, presumably for the first time, in the most unlikely of situations. It is almost a salvation. "A Good Small Thing" (which was a revision of an earlier story called "Scotty") is nothing less than a masterpiece. In Carver's earlier career, this story would have ended bitterly and, perhaps, indifferently. Instead, this story ends up with an astonishing flavor of hope, forgiveness, and even closure. The seven "New Stories" at the collection's end just drive home the fact that Carver was really moving forward or at least in a new direction. I defy anyone to read "Intimacy" or "Elephant" and say, "Typical minimalism." I would place a heavy bet that the reader would reply the same way I did, "Damn! Damn! Can you imagine what he'd be writing if he were still with us?"

Damn.

Rocco Dormarunno, Author of The Five Points

Raymond Carver is unique among contemporary American men of letters in that he is known almost exclusively for his short stories. Though he published other books, most notably collections of his poetry, his real genius was in the abbriviated summation of ordinary human experience in the short prose form.

This volume is a great introduction to Carver's stories because it represents a selection of his best work from every phase of his career. It is clear from the first story that his special gift is in somehow making a slice of life universal. His stories have hardly any plot and character is revealed rather than described. The essense of his character's lives are distilled into a few scenes wherein the reader can grasp a universe of unspoken meanings. The simplest things in Carver's hands take on a depth of meaning and a resonance that tends to haunt one long after the story is read. There is no overt artifice employed; the stories are deceptively simple. Yet all of these stories, like good poems, pack lots of meaning into a compressed form. His stories are not so much 'about' love, grief, deception, failure, longing and hatred as they are captured moments that embody these elements of the human condition and allow us to really feel what the characters feel. The very lack of exposition and detailed context is part of what makes these moments so powerful. Like a Rorschach ink blot, the short scenes depicted can call forth from each reader a variety of different interpretations and meanings. That is perhaps what is really great about these stories. Every reader can agree on the overt content, but no two are likely to agree about what they really mean, despite almost everyone having a strong emotional response to them. This is unique and superior writing that no lover of literature should miss.

Charles Dickens has been one of my favorite authors since I was forced to read him in high school. I had not picked up one of his stories since, but upon reading that David Copperfield was Dicken's personal favorite book he had authored, I decided to try him again. I was not disappointed. Dicken's creates an incredible cast of characters and paints a vivid portrait of 19th-century England. Aside from fulfulling those crucial elements of writing a novel, Dickens tells a terrific story. The initial serialization of the story into 19 monthly parts required Dickens to create many dramatic buildups and twists and turns that kept the audience buying the next installment. When it is all put together the novel is an unexpected roller coaster that has many climbs, dives, loop-the-loops, and sharp curves. In the end everything of course comes together beautifully and the characters all get their just desserts. This is yet another clinic by Dickens in how to write a well organized, though unpredictable, novel that maintains the interest of a reader through approx. 900 pages of writing. It is a wonderful experience that all lovers of good fiction should at least attempt.

Both critics and Charles Dickens himself generally class
"David Copperfield" as his "greatest" novel. The strains of autobiography and the rich array of comic and tragicomic characters give the reader the best of Dickens' wit and social outrage. As the years go by, though, people begin to speak of David Copperfield as a "set piece", a bit of Victoriana different in format but not in importance from a very natty
but a bit days-gone-by bit of antique furniture. This view misjudges the novel. This book presents a rich set of characters in a complex novel, deeply satisfying and in many ways still a very modern work. It's very hard to write about "good" and "evil" without descending into morality play, but this novel succeeds. The story is broken into three
"threads": a young boy, orphaned early, endures an unhappy childhood refreshed by periods of happiness (and comedy);
that same boy goes through late adolescence, and comes "into his own"; and finally, the narrator, now a man, sees the resolution of the various plot threads built through the early parts of the novel. Many Dickens themes are played out here--the superiority of goodness to affluence, the persistence and affrontery of fraud, and the way in which social institutions frequently hinder rather than advance their stated goals. The book does not read like a polemic, though--it reads like a bit of serial fiction (which in fact it was).

If you are hunting a good, solid read about values and
curious characters, David Copperfield stands ready to show you his world.

An excellent book, indeed. I must confess that, unlike many other commentors here, I had no feeling whatsoever for Dora- the born fool- and was not affected at all by her death, at which I was actually rather relieved, for I had wanted David Copperfield to marry Agnes all along.

The book is very interesting and the plot is very conplicated. If you dislike reading, give this book no thought. If you love reading, you are certain to read the story multiple times.

This is not a review of the material from the book or the author performance of it. Those are great.

The makers of this cd should be condemed. Not only are there no chapters, making it one long track on each disc, but there is a spot a few minutes into disc two where some audio is left from the tape version. It says "end of side two."

They made Hitchhikers discs with many tracks, did they become lazy. . . or cheap. . . or both. Damn irritating.

Synopsis: The second book in the Hitchhiker series. More zany antics as Arthur, Ford, Zaphod and Trillian dine at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. Zaphod sets off to complete his mission to find the man who rules the Universe. Arthur and Ford hitch a ride on another ship. The ending has a nice twist. Maybe I didn't get the joke, but 6 by 9 is not 42.

Writing: 3 stars. The writing has improved since the first book. Sometimes he tries a little too hard to be funny or absurd and it's just stupid. But for the most part it was pretty funny. The way he writes dialog though is hard to follow at times.

Characters: 5 stars. Characters are well developed and interesting. Each character has their own personality and funny quirks.

Plot: 4 stars. The plot is a lot better than the first book. It doesn't seem to jump around as much and makes a lot more sense. Not as many loose ends as the first book, which ended quite abruptly.

Dialogue: 5 stars. Dialog is funny and witty. I would say it's the strength of this book and the series in general.

Setting: 4 stars. The settings are nicely developed and sometimes hysterical. I had no problems visualizing the surroundings although sometimes they are silly.

Overall: Add 'em up, you get 4.2... What's the probability of that happening? Round down to 4 because it wasn't good enough for a 5.

In the beginning, The Hitchhiker's Giude to the Galaxy was written. This made a lot of people happy and is generally regarded as a good move.

Some time later, it was followed up (by a sequel). This also made a few people ("The people...the things..." "The things are also people," hissed Ford. "The people...the...other people...") very pleased. I am among them. DNA is an excellent writer and this book is perfect alone, after its predecessor, or with a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. Brilliant satire, wonderful characters, and the depressed droning of our favourite Paranoid Android all contribute beautifully to a work of sheer unadultered weirdness. I'd reccomend reading HHGG first to all newcomers to the HHGG trilogy, but if you've already read the first in the series the best way to follow it up is by reading the second. Or by stopping for lunch at Milliways--The Restaurant at the End of the Universe! (But don't forget your towel!)

This book was a real confirmation about some feelings and questions I've had concerning Eckankar for quite some time. I have been researching truth in all aspects of my life and the truths contained in Ford's book came not as a real surprise but more as an inevitable conclusion. My own research was heading in the same direction.

However, Ford's uncanny ability to piece the whole thing together was brilliant. His expose pieced together a very clear image of the truth and lies behind Eckankar. In spite of the fact that his research demolishes its facade, Ford maintains a high level of love and detachment throughout.

I suspect the information presented in this book will help many Eckists around the world who find themselves without answers. For many in the organization this is only a beginning. Ford's book lays a good foundation for the next step towards truth and self-discovery. I tip my hat to him and thank him as well.

Happy

I had been an Eckist for 25 years, and a member of the clergy. I had been very active and gave a lot of service. I had found the teachings of karma, reincarnation, love, and why we are here to be right for me and answer many spiritual questions. At the same time, I had found many inconsistencies and things that didn't make sense, such as a Tibetan master who doesn't look Asian and doesn't have a Tibetan sounding name. Also, a blond, blue-eyed Egyptian master with an East Indian name. We told newcomers that we did not worship the Mahanta, the Living Eck Master, that he was our guide, but in reality we certainly put him on a pedestal, and were taught that he was at the top of the spiritual hierarchy. I chose to ignore these troubling thoughts and brush them aside, focusing on concepts that I believed, and on the comfort of being a part of the Eck community.

When I heard that a well-known and well-thought-of Eckist had written a book which resulted in the resignations of some long-time Eckists that I knew and respected, I had to read the book. It really woke me up! I was shocked at how Harold treated everyone involved with Graham Forsythe's journal. I knew I could not represent Eckankar any more.

I am greatful to Ford for putting out this information and providing a place for displaced former Eckists and other seekers.

This book got my attention for the thoughtful review of the religious paradigms that its author offers. Of course, religions, in fact all religions, have played and will continue to play a very important, indispensable indeed, role in the people awareness. However, this doesn't mean that everything is perfect with religions, and there is no room for critical consideration.
The common sense and the history tell us that lies could serve but as a non-start or a fake foundation for any spiritual trend or religious movement. If one lies, then what she is interested about is nothing else but the cover-up. How could one claim that religions serve their function if their main purpose is cover up. Therefore, it appears to me that author Johnson has skillfully approached this delicate issue, i.e., the relationship between the truth and the spiritual awareness. His attempt, I could add a very successful one, to reveal the weaknesses in the form of lies and truth distortions within the religious paths is an undertaking that helps everybody (except closed minded people) who is striving to have the right spiritual growth.
I have one suggestion only for the author. His book Confessions would have provided a more thorough review of religious paradigms of he had included a separate chapter on muslim religion.
Other than that, the book is very interesting, and I think that everybody would find it very challenging and useful for their spiritual exercise.

When my little brother was five, his favorite joke in the whole world was, "A pig walks under a ladder, and red paint spills all over him." That's about the kind of humor you'll find in "How Much for Just the Planet?"

This novel has a promising start, realistic but with twinges of humor, and I was really looking forward to reading it. But it quickly degenerates into a quagmire of stupidity. I was hoping for something at the level of TVH, but Ford seems to be attempting something more like Hitchhiker's Guide within the Star Trek universe, yet lacking Douglas Adams' writing abilities. In this book Klingons don't act like Klingons, Vulcans don't act like Vulcans, and I have no idea who the humans are emulating- certainly no one I've ever known. Most of the book made no sense, and I found I had to skim large sections of rather boring banter in the final 7/8ths of the book- which includes an incredibly disappointing ending. Interspersed with this is a large number of very annoying songs, also intended to be humorous. Most of what is meant to be funny is like a bad Three Stooge's sketch. At no point are many key aspects of the visited planet's culture addressed, like how they happen to have a culture like 1970's America (complete with all the social references of the time) or who the Ancients repeatedly referred to are. I'd best describe this novel as something an eight-year-old child might enjoy, if they had some parts explained to them. Actually, come to think of it, it could have worked as a TAS show.

The most redeeming feature of this novel- I didn't pay for it. I borrowed it from the library.

When I was a child, I adored Star Trek. It ran in the afternoon opposite Dinah Shore, and I was constantly frustrated by my mother who preferred the talk show instead of Captain Kirk and the gang. Some of the first books I remember reading were James Blish's adaptations and the fan fiction of Sondra Marshak. Our front porch was above ground with a nice railing and made for a fine Enterprise bridge in our play-acting. I used felt to cut out patches to match the emblems in the show, using the Star Fleet Technical Manual as my design guide. Yes, I was a kid trekkie.

Over the years, I have not followed the Trek franchise. Oh, I went to the movies when they came out (first one boring, second one great, third one okay, then didn't catch the others). I tried to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation when it first came on, but it never captivated me. I went to see the first Next Generation movie, and complained for days about "the plot hole you could drive a sun through." I've caught some of the other television spin-offs during hotel remote control roulette. But aside from my early saturation period, I really have let Trek go by the wayside.

So why read a Trek novel now? For years, I had heard about the Trek novel that the Trekkies hated. The one book in the franchise that would never be reprinted. It doesn't follow the "bible," according to one source, the bible being the all-encompassing document produced by Paramount that says what you can and can not do with the characters. Sounds interesting, I thought. I would check the used bookstore from time to time to see if they had a copy, curiosity being what it is. And I finally found a copy a couple of weeks ago.

How Much for Just the Planet pits Kirk et al. against a Klingon named Kaden and his crew in a battle for a planet in the Organian treaty zone that is a wealth of dilithium, the wonder mineral of the 25th century. Due to the terms of the treaty, both the Federation and the Klingons must show that they are the most efficient at developing the world or renounce their claim on it to the other party. The inhabitants of the world get a small say in the matter. This planet's inhabitants try to make the most of their small say.

The book is purposely silly--the inhabitants' actions are seen as strange by the starship crews, but this strangeness is passed over blindly (diplomats, as they are in this case, ignoring native customs that do not necessarily match their own). So when someone breaks into a song--yes, a song--the crews take it in stride, even in one case matching the operetta with a little Gilbert and Sullivan of their own (the 25th century continues its fascination with the 19th and 20th centuries--I always wondered what happened to all the musicians and novelists of the 21st through 24th centuries). There are several subplots, in which individual groups of the crews are teamed up to undergo different "movie" experiences: Kirk's is a screwball plot (how apt, considering his way with the opposite sex); Scotty and Chekov are involved in a golf duel; McCoy and Sulu become captives of the people that time forgot; and Uhura gets to play femme fatale in a detective noir. Only Spock is left out, as he commands the ship overhead. This is wise, because his logical orientation would suffice to "destroy" the irrational illusions created by the inhabitants.

Expectations are dangerous things. There was simply no way the book could live up to its hype, and I tried to read it accordingly. While I did find some parts funny--especially Kirk in the Jimmy Stewart/Cary Grant role--on the whole it felt quite strained. Frankly, the characters are not strong enough to survive this kind of treatment, which may be the reason for Paramount's bible. Ford does a surprisingly nice job of actually trying to contain himself to some logic of the Trek universe; I didn't see anything here that was any more bathetic than Kirk's pledge of allegiance at the end of the gangster episode, or the entire Eden song. Ford has gone on to much greener pastures, and probably can be thankful that this book languishes in enforced obscurity.

It seems like the people who detest this book (and there seems to be a lot of them) have forgotten that many of the original STAR TREK episodes were played for comedy. One of the appealing things about "The Original Series" (TOS) is that it wasn't particularly hamstrung by conventionality. Sure TOS did great drama (think "City on the Edge of Forever") but some of the most innovative and beloved episodes such as "A Piece of the Action" or "The Trouble with Tribbles" were flat out comedies.

"How Much for Just the Planet?" by author John M. Ford continues this tradition in style. This is Ford's second (and apparently last) STAR TREK novel, following up his outstanding "The Final Reflection." But, unlike that deadly serious book, Ford boldly takes us where no TREK novel has gone before, the final frontier of humour.

The plotline begins quite conventionally, with Kirk et al of the USS Enterprise making their way to the planet Direidi, a treasure trove of dilithium (crystals vital for warp travel) to represent the United Federation of Planets. The problem is that representatives of the Klingon Empire are also on-planet negotiating for mineral rights. Even more disturbing is that the indigenous population of the planet is behaving just a little bit, well...funny.

The rest of the story is a humourous adventure of mistaken identity, valuable mcguffins, mass distraction, misplaced jealousy, Gilbert & Sullivan songs, paranoid computers, peppermint flavored Vulcan milkshakes and yes, a pie fight.

The difficulty in reading "How Much For Just the Planet?" comes from the problem of trying to convey timing through the written word. Most of the impact of comedy comes not from the written word, but from the timing in the delivery. (This is likely why no other TREK novel has followed the humourous course.) It is not enough to simply read the text in this novel, you have to actively imagine how the actors (Shatner, et al) would precisely respond in their roles. You have to take your knowledge of how they've responded in the past, in TV episodes or movies, and actively integrate it into this story. This could be difficult to do even for a real TREK fan.

But for those willing to put the effort into it, "How Much For Just the Planet?" is an extremely rewarding novel. It's a pity that Ford seems uninterested in writing another TREK novel, as this one and "The Final Reflection" (the only TREK novel that I'd argue counts as real literature) shows a willingness to play with the franchise and break out of the conventional and boring approaches to STAR TREK in almost all the other books.

One of the greatest examples of the spoken-word novel, The Good Soldier succeeds where authors as great as Conrad have failed. Our narrator does not tell a straight, linear story. No. He forgets things, comes back to them later, revives a subject you thought dead and meaningless only to shed new light on it and make it important.

Perhaps the greatest effect the book has is the after-taste. When reading the book, I found it slow and boring. Once I set it down, though, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I had to read it again. And once I began again, I found myself reading it slowly once more, though not from boredom, but rather because I wanted to savor it and take it all in.

I encourage anyone who has begun this book only to find themselves tired of it rather quickly to stick with it. You'll be glad you did. You'll find yourself buying copies for friends to read, as I do. This book truly gets under your skin.

I was in a bookstore and picked a copy of this novel up, and from the second I read what I later learned was a famous first sentence (and justifiably so)--"This is the saddest story I have ever heard"--I knew I had to read it. What is truly sad about the book is that the narrator has no conception of where the tragedy in the book lies. While he is articulate and seemingly insightful in his analysis of others, he remains blissfully unaware of his own enormously failings, both in morals and in character. It is indeed a very sad story, but the narrator leaves out the fact that he is quite possibly one of the most pathetic characters in all fiction.

If one prefers one's narrators and ostensible heroes to be truly heroic and sympathetic, then this novel will not please. If one, however, can imagine enjoying a novel written with J. Alfred Prufrock as the narrator and central character, then one is in a position to appreciate THE GOOD SOLDIER.

The novel is not a page-turner. If you read this novel quickly, you have read it wrongly. The beauty of the book is the exquisite prose, and should be read slowly, savoring each sentence and each sentiment. There is a dreamlike (one could say nightmarish) quality to the book, and one will most enjoy it by allowing oneself to become entranced by the atmospheres summoned up.

If you are willing to take the novel on its own terms, with its unheroic and unadmirable characters, with its pathetic elements and situations, and its subtle psychological observations, then there will be few reading experiences that will match THE GOOD SOLDIER. One of the most remarkable novels of the past century. But if you only like novels where there is a definite hero and admirable characters, you probably wouldn't enjoy this very much.

The Good Soldier is woefully underread, and it fully deserves its somewhat belatedly-restored status as a true classic of 20th c. English literature. Ford Madox Ford, a friend and collaborator of Joseph Conrad, lays out a deceptively simple, almost trite, plot, one which we first think we've heard a dozen times before. But the beauty of this book is in the telling. Ford's narrator is piecing together the events of the past decade as he tells the story, and as such he jumps back and forth over the course of the last ten years, offering glimpses of events yet to come, going back and re-telling accounts of events he's already shared (though always with a new twist and revelation). In essence, the narrator is "learning" the story along with the reader, and he never (if ever) truly "understands" what's happened till the very end. Ford shatters forever the old 19th c. English novel where good and evil are absolute polar opposites, where characters unfailingly embrace either one or the other pole, where decency and "good" almost always prevail in the end, and where characters are immediately transparent (take Dickens, for example: a paragraph or two and you know all you need to know about each and every character he introduces; whether they're "good" or "bad," etc.) Ford uses the genre of the novel to create a work of literature where art mirrors real life. His characters are never what they seem at first meeting, events are fraught with deep hidden meanings that bubble beneath the surface, and there are three sides to every story. Beautifully written with moments of sparkling wit and levity, it is also an emotionally draining work that tackles love (versus what simply goes by the name) and propriety (versus what society says is proper). You'll want to flip back to the first chapter and re-read it from page one, knowing then what you know by book's end. A true masterpiece which I cannot recommend highly enough. This particular edition from Everymans Library is particularly handsome and well-bound, with insightful introductory essays by thoughtful critics (which, needless to say, should be read after the novel itself).

Perhaps I should preface this by stating that I've always considered myself to be someone who, if nothing else, is a man whose politics tend to lean definitely to the 'left'. On more than one occassion I've been accused of being ( gasp! ) Liberal so I now, throwing caution to the wind, wear the badge proudly....so to speak. It must be my Irish/Democrat upbringing! Nevertheless, although my sexual orientation may be considered 'straight' ( Gwynneth Paltrow please call me! ) I one day found myself in Lambda Rising, a gay bookstore here in Wash.D.C., browsing the racks ( and only the racks, thank-you! ). Being the odd man out has never truly bothered me.... plus where there are books, so there am I!

Without going into detail of the experiences of a 'straight' man finding himself in a gay bookstore ( a book in itself! ) I spied Michael Ford's novel and finding the title so engaging, and with my curiosity piqued, I started to read....and I read and read, all the while laughing, so hard that I thought they were going to physically throw me out of the store for vagrancy! Well, I succumbed and purchased a copy ( with little self-respect intact after embarrasing myself to no end! ) of "Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me...." and still after owning my copy for a little over a year I find myself still chuckling.

I won't pretend to truly understand anyone's else's lifestyle ( alternative? ) other than my own ( and who really understand's the opposite sex? ) but I must say that Mr. Ford's book of essay's not only left a smile on my face but perhaps gave me a little more of an understanding into the life of the average ( average? ) Gay individual. Can straight people say Queer...I'm really not sure what is PC here. Just curious! Anyway, upon hearing that even in humour some truth's abound I find Michael's book a compelling read, and not just for other's of the same sexual proclivity, but for other so called 'straight' guys as well, if nothing else than to help us all better understand each other. Granted some of the book does seem rather like a cliche at times but that's a small point indeed. Michael makes some valid points about these little crisis that each of us face in our everday lives. Plus, I guess I was pleasantly surprised ( why I don't know ) to learn that after all is said and done that we all , to one degree or another, want basically the same thing.... love , security, a little happiness and secure in the knowledge that each of us, in some small way, is helping make the world perhaps just a little better than we found it. Fortunately, Michael finds humour in these everyday complexities and thank-goodness for that! Yes, I did laugh at Michael's book but I also found someone who was perhaps searching....and, like many of us, still is.

So whether you're gay, straight or 'somewhere in between' (I'm not sure what THAT means! ) pick up a copy, call up a friend, hopefully one of a diffrent sexual orientation, and laugh and learn at the same time. It's a start. I'm certainly glad I did! Now if I could only get Gwynneth's phone number!

As a 33 year old budding queer, I saw this book, and started to read. I could hardly put it down! Ford's insights in to life and the queer life are so true to form. I already bought the next book(That's MR. Faggot to you!) and I can't wait to start reading it. Did anyone mention that Mr. Ford is VERY handsome?? Hmmmm?

Michael Thomas Ford finds humor everywhere, but especially in his sexual orientation, and how different kinds of people respond to it. I laughed constantly while reading his observations on life. Alec Baldwin might not love the author, but how could he not love this book?

(Duane Simolke's books include The Acorn Stories, Degranon, and New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio.)