Patricia

I would certainly recommend this book as it is both comprehensive and concise. Spence does a great job at covering China's history in a easily digestible read.

Nothing out there really compares to Spence's tome, but to supplement this history, Arthur Smith's 19th and 20th century writings cover Chinese culture and society from a more humanistic perspective. Together, the reader will get a good feel for China.

Chinese pronunciation is difficult for a non-native speaker and the reader's attempts, while noble, fall short of the mark. For those who speak Mandarin, the Chinese pronunciation is annoyingly incorrect making it difficult to follow the narrative when it comes to places and names. It's a struggle, at best. However, for non Mandarin speakers, this may not be a problem.

This is a really good book for those who are interested in New York, not just New York politics.

The lead character Robert Moses, of course, was the star of the story.

This is a great book, taking the reader from 17th Century New York (Manhattan) through the early (very early) 21st Century in a narrative that engages the reader. The details are historically accurate and offer the lessor known fine points of historical New York. This is an enjoyable, leisurely read.

Hummm.....The first book that comes to mind is Diana Gabaldon's Highlander series.

This is the first Mark Bramhall performance, which was enjoyable. His pronunciation and timing make listening enjoyable.

The New World

Substance. The book is very dry and reads more like a footnote.

Anyone's guess.

I did not enjoy this book on any level and felt myself laboring just to finish it.

Disappointment, not in the story, but because it lacked a story.

An ardent fan of Gabaldon’s Outlander series, I am very disappointed with the first book in the Lord John series. The storyline lacks any real substance lending itself more toward a footnote than a separate series in its own right. Unfortunately, the timing of the writing did not permit this option. Narration is excellent and easy to understand. Wish I could recommend this book, but I can’t.

This is a well researched historical novel (Book 1) in a series that keeps you glued to the (ah hum) pages. The story moves quickly (except for the love scenes) but in such a way that you feel that you've moved on with a full understanding of the events at hand. I'm glad I didn't read this one, and chose to have it read to me. Pronouncing many of the names, places, and miscellaneous foreign words certainly would have been a challenge. I purchased the "Outlandish Companion," a handbook that addresses many of the details in the series and found that written Gaelic, Scots, and French would have been impossible.

Davina Porter does an outstanding job carrying each characters voice through the entire series. Her pronunciation of the difficult Gaelic, Scots, and French is perfect! She is amazing! Kudos!

The entire book (series) is riveting.

I can count the number of novels I've read (I don't particularly like novels) but this series stands among some of the best stories told. Historically correct (Yes, I did spot check those things that seemed a little odd to find that they did make it to the history books --- with the caveat that print doesn't make it truth) in even the most minute detail. It was quite easy to separate fact from fiction where the "holes" in history needed context.

I recommend this series to anyone (like myself) who prefers non-fiction, but might be looking for a novel for a bit of relaxation. And to those who prefer fiction, a little history told well!

This is a great review for the GRE test. The material is presented in such a way that you thoroughly understand and can remember each new word. Or, if you are reviewing, it offers a great review. When you have read as much as you can in one sitting, this audio review adds the little extra. Some of the vocabulary is basic, but there is a lot of advanced vocabulary as well.