Norton Reviews

I read this book in Junior High 25 years ago. Like many teenagers, I identified with the main character Fors. Alienated and rejected by his peers and community, he overcame adversity and succeeded. He was an outcast, but that isolation sharpened his strength, courage, intelligence and will to survive. Yes, Fors adventures piqued my interest. He was a fictional hero that I could identify with. Perhaps, in a small way this book helped me and I suppose many other "uncool" kids find the confidence to believe in ourselves and develop our own inner strength. Indeed, cleanly and simply written,this book reads as well today as it did all those years ago. I highly recommend it. In my opinion, Ms. Norton's best work.

This is the first Andre Norton book that I read. My cousin had it and when we visited them I spent the whole time with me nose in the book. Got me in a lot of trouble but I never regretted it. That was about 40 years ago but it doesn't seem that long. Andre Norton has given me lots of new heros and heroines but none has ever replaced this one. He was basically cast out of his clan, decided to show them that he was worthwhile, met the baddies, saved a stranger, fought with the strangers tribe against the baddies, and saved the world. What more can you want in an action adventure? It also has an Andre Norton cat. It's one of her best.

I READ THIS WHILE IN GRADE SCHOOL, FOUND IT ON A BOOKMOBILE THAT CAME BY DURING THE SUMMER I WAS AN AVID READER AT AN EARLY AGE AND THIS WAS MY FIRST READING ON SCIENCE FICTION AND TO THIS DAY I THINK THE BEST BOOK WRITTEN BY ANDRE NORTON TO RELATE TO THE TITLE CHARACTER WAS EASY AND THE THOUGHT OF NUCLEAR WAR WAS A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER AT THE TIME I READ IT I THINK IT WAS A GLIMPSE AT A POSSIBLE FUTURE FOR MANKIND AND NOT JUST FANTASY TO ME AT THE TIME I PLAN TO BUT THIS BOOK AND HAVE MY 14 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER READ IT I WAS ANOTHER ONE THAT DIDN'T REALIZE ANDRE NORTON WAS A WOMAN THINKING THAT SCIENCE FICTION WAS THE REALM OF MALE AUTHORS A GREAT BOOK TO START IF YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN INTO SCIENCE FICTION

We used this book in our math class. It was a wonderful explanation of how simple geometry works.
What the books about:
This book is about a Line, a Dot, and a Sqiggle. It shows you how the three relate, and differnt things you can do with them mathmatically, throgh the medium of a classic love story.
Its a wonderful book and i suggest you read it, even if your not in a math class. I also hear there is a short cartoon bassed off of it.

I first read this book about thirty years ago and still chuckle when I page through its plum, black and white illustrations that underline an understated love story. A book for all ages -- the twenties, thirties, and forties. As a teacher I've shared this story with fifth graders, college students in creative writing classes, and foreign students learning the English language. However, I don't keep this 1963 edition around for my students. I keep it for the tongue in cheek wordplay and illustrative battle between the line and the squiggle for the deep affection of the dot. An age-old battle.

I bought this book for my husband for our first wedding anniversary (first is paper.) He loved it! A great story, wonderful drawings and just the right message. A great gift!

Before reading Brian Lamb's terrific book about Presidential gravesites, I counted the number of these sites that I had visited....11 to be exact. Now, after finishing the book, I want to visit the remaining ones. Mr. Lamb's ability to teach us about the lives (and in this case, the deaths) of these remarkable public servants goes well beyond C-Span. He has crafted a most enjoyable and educational book...one that should be in every home. This is a book that can be read at almost any pace...each chapter is short and well-laid out. He reminds us that every president has been important in some way because of the fact that they have all held the highest office in America... not just Washington, Lincoln and the Roosevelts, but Fillmore, Arthur and Taft as well. How important is must have been, for instance, for the children of the nation to donate their pennies to build the Harding Memorial in Marion, Ohio. The death of a president is a major event in our country's history and Mr. Lamb (along with chapter postscripts by Richard Norton Smith, who further humanizes our presidents) has succeeded in a winning form with his book. I found nothing maudlin or morose about "Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb"...only a colorful walk through America's past.

The one thing that ties all humans together, rich or poor, famous or unknown, powerful or helpless is death. To many Americans our Presidents are either marble figures (Washington, Jefferson...) or are little known familar names (Tyler, Harding...). This book does a great job of making ALL of our Presidents into human beings. The pictures, the writing, even the index pages are outstanding.

What better way to really understand a person than to know their final words. Or better yet to see their final resting places many of which were picked out by the individuals themselves. One can learn a lot about the true character of a person if you see monuments they designed for themselves.

I have visited many Presidential homes and several gravesites but after reading this book I have decided to make visiting all of the gravesites one of my goals in life.

It is strange that a book about death should bring history so alive. BUY THIS BOOK!

This is a great book but my wife and I have already done the impossible. From 1980 to 1986 we visited all the graves of the presidents -- it was one of the most rewarding experiences as we were able to see American history up close and personal. However, this book did help us in locating another grave that we didn't originally visit -- that of Dean Rice Acheson -- President of the United States for a Day !!! Who ?? Read the Book !!!

In Fire in My Soul, Dr. Lester accomplishes a rare feat for a biographer. While she avoids the trap of painting too pretty or too perfect a picture of her subject, including a number of descriptions that are less than flattering, she is at the same time able to clearly allow her respect and admiration for this remarkable woman to come through.
The effect is that we see a real life heroine, warts and all, and we find her all the more admirable for this.
This is an important book, and I look forward to Dr. Lester's next effort.

A fantastic, inspiring book for these times. Civil Rights history comes alive in the Congresswoman's life story. The writing is diligent and refreshing, illustrating Norton's true integrity and commitment to the core values of the United States Constitution.Lester tells the story in a unique fashion. I couldn't put it down.

Thank you Dr. Holmes and Dr. Lester for this exciting, informative and historical book. I was raised in the South (LA) and experienced many of the conditions described in Fire in My Soul. Remembering my blessings on this journey, I give thanks for all of my past experiences. My parents attempted to sheild me from many of the conditions of the south and in turn I was shielded from much of the history of the Civil Rights Movement of the 60's except for limited TV coverage. Fire in My Soul serves as a personal history lesson for me and is one that I will read more than once. Reading about the personal experiences and the 'inner' workings of the local, state and federal agencies that Dr. Holmes was/is a part of reminded me of many personal experiences in the private sector. Reading Fire in My Soul remeinded me that the absence of compassion for another person is not isolated to any specific location or sector of the nation. Reading the story of one who continues to live her passion for justice offers the encouragement to do what I can where I am for justice.

If you read only one of the three books on Norton the Scottish Fold, this should be it. Not only are the writing style and design of the book better than the other two, it's the most emotional and thoughtful as well. The two previous books tell of Norton's adventures as a series of events, and in this third, Gethers continues that tradition. But he also adds something of a meditation on death and on caring for others. There are moments where it seems to get sentimental, but the feelings are so genuine that you can't help but be moved.

Although I don't personally appreciate the soapbox Peter Gethers climbs on from time to time regarding organized religion (some of his comments are unnecessary, out of place and just plain stupid), I do appreciate everything else about this book.

And, I will admit, the ending made me cry.

I titled my review "A Life-Changing Book" not out of a sense of hyperbole; rather, for the same reason that Tuesdays With Morrie has been called a life-changing book. Any book that deals with loved ones dying is sure to cause readers to think hard about their own lives.

And make no mistake, Norton the cat was loved. Not only by his human, Peter Gethers, but apparently by everyone with whom he came in contact. Including tens of thousands of readers around the world. And even such folks as Anthony Hopkins, who -- in this book -- personally asks Peter Gethers if he brought Norton with him to a movie preview/party.

If even half the things in the Norton books are true (and Gethers swears they're ALL true), then Norton was a unique cat, indeed.

Another reason why I titled this a life-changing book is because thanks to Gethers' Norton books (this is the third and final in the series), I bought a Scottish Fold cat that I promptly named Bradbury (after the famous author). Maybe I got all choked up at the ending of this book because Brad was sitting on my lap and I could just picture the emotional turmoil Peter Gethers went through as his beloved companion reached the end of his life.

For those of you who don't know what the Norton books are all about, it's hard to explain them. Essentially, and briefly, they're about a Scottish Fold cat (Scottish Folds have the cute folded ears and owlish faces with the big eyes) that goes everywhere his human goes -- literally around the world. The two have humorous -- and sometimes astounding -- adventures that will cause you to raise an eyebrow at the same time they're putting a smile on your face.

Even if you don't like cats (the author was once an avowed cat HATER), you'll probably still like the Norton books. The writing is very good, witty and extremely compelling.

Don't start with this book, though. Start with the first book in the series: The Cat Who Went to Paris. The Cat Who'll Live Forever recounts the last year or two of Norton's life. Give Norton a chance to grow on you before you read about his demise. I guarantee if you do, by the end of this book YOU'LL be crying, too.

I would highly recommend starting with the first book, The Cat Who Went to Paris, and when you finish the last, you'll understand what my review title means. I think this series would be valuable to more than just cat owners, but anyone who searches for the simple pleasures of life.

This book, as well as the previous titles, are filled with moments of hilarity, travel, and drama. You won't be disappointed in this record of a most amazing relationship between a cat and his human. You might even learn a little about yourself.

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Enjoy!

My primary interest in the area of meteoritics is impact strucures. This book offers a fair discussion of that field, but is primarily concerned with meteorites and those who hunt, collect, and sell them. In these respects, Norton's presentation is unparalleled. The book is an easy, enjoyable read and may be perused by persons with no background in meteoritics. The biographical sketches of Ninenger and Haag alone give unique worth to the book.
The only real reservation keeping this book from a five star rating is its Apprndix C, listing suspected impact craters. Several of the listed items appear nowhere else in the impact literature I have reviewed and the listed size of many features varies from other calculations. But, then, I should do so good.

This is a great book on Meteorites. Lots of pictures and very well written. Easy to understand and lots of technical information also. Highly recommended!!!

I've read this book from cover to cover and have gleaned an enormous amount of information on meteors. It covers all subjects from composition of various types of meteors to classifications to what to actually look for if you are hunting for them yourself.

Norton's Outdoor Photography: Techniques for the Advance Amateur and Professional sounded like just the book for me. I didn't want another how to. I know how to manipulate the camera and what happens when light hits film. That's for the beginning photographer. What I wanted was something that went beyond technique to the point where technique becomes discovery. What I wanted, to quote Norton, was "a more methodical, precise approach to capturing the essence of scene or subject.

Norton's first chapter got me really excited. He talked about making the technical choices that bring order out of chaos. For example, he suggested that this involved "the tough process of isolating and arranging the picture elements." That certainly sounded like he was on the right track.

But then the book went down hill. I got the usual discussion of light metering, the differences between lens lengths, the elements of composition - in short the usual set of instructions for just beyond beginning photographers. Oh, the instructions were accurate and beautifully illustrated. But they didn't tell me how one could take the elements of composition beyond a list of elements and into "art".

Now maybe I expected to much. After all, if creating art was easy enough to put into a 152 page book, Art Wolfe wouldn't have a job. But I blame Norton (or his publishers.) They put on the catchline "Techniques for the Advanced Amateur and Professional". And then they gave me the same stuff as many another photography book writer. For my money, I would take John Shaw over Norton any day. At least he makes no bones about what he's teaching.

In summary, as a manual for photographers who know how to properly expose film, this is as good a book as any. But for the advanced amateur and professional who wants help in creating art, look elsewhere.

I only just started reading this book about a month ago, and instead of reading it all the way through cover to cover, I've been dipping into it here and there at random. I've discovered that no matter where I start reading, Norton offers valuable advice that will be useful to relative neophytes such as myself as well as the more technically experienced photographer.

Soon I will read the book from cover to cover, after which I'll write another more comprehensive review. For now, I just wanted to echo the other reviewers' comments here and say this is an excellent book that is well worth the money, considering it's only about ... ... ... It's definitely the best of 3 or 4 books I've bought recently on the subject of outdoor photography.

This is the most helpful photo book I have ever seen! The illustrations are superb, with helpful captions. Moreover, it's good for beginning levels despite what the subtitle says. I highly recommend it. Worth every penny. Also a great gift for other photographer friends.

I read this book last April. From the start I thought it was very creative and I admired Norton Juster's clever use of words. I'm not sure why, but most of the kids in my class hated this book. I think that it is pretty good. I'm beginning to believe there is something wrong with my class-they liked The House of Dies Drear more than this book! (Ugh, I personally believe The House of Dies Drear is one of the worst books I have ever read) They also said that The Phantom Tollbooth was boring, but I think it is far from that! My main complaint about this book is that Milo didn't really show much of his personality throughout the story, only in the beginning and end. Basically, the character development was poor. But I guess that's okay, because this book wasn't intended to be very serious or well developed. It just wanted to be fun, and I think it was an enjoyable read. I would recommend this book for students in grades 3-6, but all ages can like it.

After my first reading of 'The Phantom Tollbooth', it became,and still remains, my favorite young reader book. I wrote two book reports on it for my middle school reading classes. I even received a copy of it as a tenth birthday present. Ever since, I've read it from cover to cover at least once a year.

As a child, I enjoyed reading the strange adventures of a bored Milo embarking on his legendary quest. As an adult, I enjoy the tome's play on words, such as the Whether man ("It's more important to know whether there will be weather, rather than what the weather will be") and the Isle of Conclusions, a place you have to jump to to get there. I also love the book's personifying such abstract concepts as statistics, like the (literally) half a child that Milo meets who's the end result of the average family having 2.58 children. It also has neat takes on people's points of view, like the boy who grows down, rather than up. Needless to say, it's pretty apparent that even though I loved this book as a kid, I appreciate it much more as an adult.

If you remember reading this as a child, I strongly recommend you give it a look again. You'll likely pick up on quite a few things in the story that you might not have gotten the gist of in your youth!

'Late

I was read the Phantom Tollbooth while in Grade School and I simply loved it. So when I saw it again, I had to get it. The whole story line is amazing. The people Sam encounters have a deeper meaning than face value. I highly recommend this book, even though it is directed towards the young, or young at heart!!

I have read Incidents in the Life of a Slave by Harriet Jacobs, twice! I enjoyed reading her book. Her book is full of rich vocabulary. Her writing skills and the description of events she used was impressive, i.e. the separation of mother and child being sold to slaveholders, I felt the pain. In her writings, she constantly humbled herself because of her circumstances of being a slave and how she felt incompetent to write her life story. I must say that Jacobs did a magnificent job, considering her life of chattel slavery. Besides being courageous, strong and enduring, she was a very wise person. I think Jacob's does not give herself credit for being wise. She was very wise because she had to plan various strategies to outwit her devil master's attempts to capture her. She was wise in not trusting Harriet Beecher Stowe. What was Stowe's purpose of forwarding Jacob's writings to Mrs. Willis, which included her sexual history? Jacobs was no fool. Finally, the most indelible impression on my mind was when she hid in her grandmother's house, above the storage room, for seven years! I was right there with her. Great job Harriet Jacobs!!

Intended to convince northerners -- particularly women -- of the rankness of Slavery, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl presents a powerful autobiography and convincing writing that reads like a gripping novel but is organized and argued like an essay.

Incidents follows the "true story" (its authenticity is doubted in some places) of Linda [Jacobs uses a pseudonym] who is born into the shackles of slavery and yearns for freedom. She lives with a depraved slave master who dehumanizes her, and a mistress who mistreats her. As the novel progresses, Linda becomes increasingly starved of freedom and resolves to escape, but Linda finds that even escaping presents its problems.

But Incidents is more than just a gripping narration of one woman's crusade for freedom, and is rather an organized attack on Slavery, intended to convince even the most apathetic of northerners. And in this too, Incidents succeeds. The writing is clear, and Jacobs' use of rhetorical strategy to preserve integrity is astonishing.

Well written, convincing, entertaining, Incidents is an amazing book.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Linda Brent is a deeply touching narrative of a slave woman's journey through the heinous institution of slavery to her eventual emancipation. Through her description of bonded labor, the reader very poignantly realizes what it was like for millions of African Americans to be brutalized and ravaged by slavery. Written in 1861 to educate the Northerners, especially the women, about the evils of slavery, the autobiography is a harrowing account of a woman's life, what the author ironically calls her 'adventures'. The abuse that the palpably intelligent and veracious author had to undergo has the power to humble every one of us even today.
Linda Brent was born as a slave in the household of a miraculously benevolent mistress. She lost her mother at the age of six, but her mistress, who was her mother's half-sister, took good care of her and endowed on her ward the gift of literacy. The degradative reality of slavery was hidden from the author till she entered her early teens, when within a year both her mistress and her father passed away, and she was acquired by the household of Dr. Flint. At his plantation, the author had to bear the full force of slavery. From this time to the author's eventual freedom, the reader gets a glimpse of the persecution that a slave had to face.
As mentioned above, the book was written to illustrate the depravity of slavery to people living in the North. It is striking to see how humbly, or even apologetically, the author has used her life to explain the circumstances of slavery. She has used fictitious names and concealed the names of places so as not to offend any person, black or white. As one reads the book, the author can definitely be identified as a pious and truthful person, and becomes easy to see why the author places so much emphasis on her secrecy. The book is not written to garner sympathy from readers, but to shock readers into the realities of slavery. It was an appeal to the people who the author thought had the power to defeat slavery to act on it.
The author's main argument is that slavery is not just about perpetual bondage, but it involves the absolute debasement of a people. She painfully acknowledges that the 'black man is inferior', but vociferously argues that it is a result of slavery, which stymies the intellectual capacity of her race. She believes that 'white men compel' the black race to be ignorant. Although she was wronged by many Southern white men, she does not blame the white race for her ills. She believes that the institution of slavery has ample negative impact on the household and psyche of a white family as well, and that white males are coerced into being brutal. She rebukes 'the Free States' in her own pacific way for condoning slavery in the South. Her stand is that a life of manumit destitution is radically more acceptable than bondage, and that is the general idea that the author wants the readers to remember.
The book is sequenced more or less in a chronological order. The author's astoundingly comfortable childhood is shattered by the nefarious demands of being a pubescent female slave. She explains how even the body of a slave is not her own, and is considered to be a property of the slaveholder, that can violated or abused according to his wishes. Her analogy to being traded or shot like pigs demonstrates the extent of shame that a slave had to bear with. Her infatuation and blind faith in the goodness of a white man make her the mother of two children, and her determination to keep them away from the evils of slavery becomes her primary goal. In her attempts to flee from slavery, she has to hide in a den above her grandmother's house for seven years. The anguish of a mother who can see her children but not be able to communicate with them is heart wrenching. The story of her escape to the North is also incredible. Even after reaching the north, she had to resist prejudice and fear for a long time before she and her children eventually became free.
By reading the book, the reader can definitely get to experience the life of a slave. Perhaps the shocking brutality of the truth is shielded in the book by the author's conscious effort to not be a cause of affront. She wrote this book because she had a message to give to the readers, but was held back in a way by her goodness. On the other hand, reading a book written in a simple way, as though the author was narrating her story in front of the reader, goes on to validate her tragedy. It is explained in a more personal way than a historian would explain it, and the harsh emotions experienced by the author break through, even though she tries to suppress her sadness. The author's argument that slavery is humiliating is proved by the fact that the author does not explain exactly how she was mentally and physically abused. She only points out that she had to bear physical and mental decadence, but does elaborate on the techniques of the likes of Dr. Flint.
It has to be remembered that this book was not written to be a historical text. It is about a woman's personal fight with slavery. It cannot be argued that her emotions were wrong or that her views about slavery can be challenged in any way. Readers who have not experienced slavery are not in a position to do so. This book definitely manages to do what it was intended to do, and that is to make the reader aware that slavery was a harrowing experience for the African Americans. As a book of past injustices and future hopes, it is a must read.

good? Dickens may be a venerated classical writer, but unless one is fascinated by books of this period, or by Dickens' writings, there is little to be satisfied in reading this book. I'm sorry, but Dickens' "Bleak House" is like a poorly done soap opera - it goes on and on, in interminable detail and description, and one comes to believe it will never end! There are whole chpaters where nothing happens yet, if you skip ahead, you may miss one important detail. It is, quite frankly, boring! The reader practically falls asleep reading and often even misses the interesting segments because their minds have been numbed by previous pages of undirected rambling. For this book to appeal to the average reader, it needs to be revised or abridged, so that the reader does not get bogged down in so much trivial detail. Yes, I know,this is Dickens,the great Dickens, but a reader cannot love a book based on the author's name. Yes, Dickens is important in an historical sense and the details are important to 1)understanding the society of the time, 2)seeing the metaphors created by well described scenes, 3)illuminating the pretensions that are satarized, etc. and there are parts that do have an important meaning for the book - the long description in the opening chapter of the London fog (as representative of the "fog" in the legal system of the day, is valuable and well-written and even keeps the reader interested), but others are superfluous and tedious - detailed descriptions of the horses in the stables on a rainy day at Chesney Wold. If one thinks to read this book to better understand the historical times, one would be more informed and entertained with a history text. You have to be patient if you want to read this book, and you have to have a large block of time set aside to read it. I do not wish to disparage Dickens, but I cannot agree that it is a fascinating book for the average reader (and I do not refer to the "average" reader as a primitive, thrill seeker looking only for sex and violence, I refer to readers as intelligent persons who enjoy reading and appreciate good literature). "Bleak House" has great litrary value but as an enjoyable read, it just does not make the grade.

"There is little to be satisfied in reading this book"?? I couldn't disagree more. Bleak House left a profound impression on me, and was so utterly satisfying a reading experience that I wanted it never to end. I've read it twice over the years and look forward to reading it again. Definitely my favorite novel.

I don't know what the previous reviewer's demands are when reading a novel, but mine are these: the story must create its world - whatever and wherever that world might be - and make me BELIEVE it. If the novelist cannot create that world in my mind, and convince me of its truths, they've wasted my time (style doesn't matter - it can be clean and spare like Orwell or verbose like Dickens, because any style can work in the hands of someone who knows how to use it). Many novels fail this test, but Bleak House is not one of them.

Bleak House succeeds in creating a wonderfully dark and complex spider web of a world. On the surface it's unfamiliar: Victorian London and the court of Chancery - obviously no one alive today knows that world first hand. And yet as you read it you know it to be real: the deviousness, the longing, the secrets, the bureaucracy, the overblown egos, the unfairness of it all. Wait a minute... could that be because all those things still exist today?

But it's not all doom and gloom. It also has Dickens's many shades of humor: silliness, word play, comic dialogue, preposterous characters with mocking names, and of course a constant satirical edge. It also has anger and passion and tenderness.

I will grant one thing: if you don't love reading enough to get into the flow of Dickens's sentences, you'll probably feel like the previous reviewer that "...it goes on and on, in interminable detail and description...". It's a different dance rhythm folks, but well worth getting used to. If you have to, work your way up to it. Don't start with a biggie like Bleak House, start with one of his wonderful short pieces such as A Christmas Carol.

Dickens was a gifted storyteller and Bleak House is his masterpiece. If you love to dive into a book, read and enjoy this gem!

biting satire, moving melodrama, a suspenseful mystery, and above all, dickens' wonderful imgagery: this is one of dickens' finest books. only weakness is in the mystery theme. tulkinghorn's stalking of lady dedlock is meant to personalize the chancery theme, yet it's never clear why he does it - ie, how he benefits by destroying the marriage of his client, leicester dedlock. the motivation of the barrister's killer is also somewhat forced. otherwise, a great book.