Sharpe's Fury: Richard Sharpe & the Battle of Barrosa, March 1811 (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #11)

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Cornwell continues his betrayal

Another good yarn from the imagination of Bernard Cornwell

sharpe`s fury

Ray Schmitt's Review

Cornwell/Sharpe does it again!

Sharpe's Fury: Richard Sharpe & the Battle of Barrosa, March 1811 (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #11)
Bernard Cornwell
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0060530480
Release Date: 2006-08-22

Book Description

For more than twenty years, Richard Sharpe, the brave and dashing officer who rose from rags on the street to a commission in his majesty's army, has been thrilling audiences on both the page and on screen. Now the incomparable Bernard Cornwell ("the greatest writer of historical novels today"*) returns with a thrilling new installment—the first new Sharpe novel in more than two years.

The year is 1811. With the British army penned into a small part of Portugal, and all of Spain fallen to the invader except for the coastal city of Cádiz, the French appear to have won their war. Captain Richard Sharpe has no business being in Cádiz, but when an attack on a French-held bridge goes disastrously wrong, Sharpe—accompanied by Harper, his loyal Irish sergeant, and the obnoxious Brigadier Moon—finds himself in a city under French siege. It is also a town riven by political rivalry. Some Spaniards believe their country's future would be best served if they broke their alliance with Britain and forged a friendship with Napoléon's France; their cause is only strengthened when some letters written to a prostitute by the British ambassador fall into their possession. They resort to blackmail, and Sharpe, raised in the gutters of London and taught to fight, is released into the alleys of Cádiz to find the woman and retrieve the letters.

Yet defeating the blackmailers will not save the city. That is up to the charismatic Scotsman, Sir Thomas Graham, who takes a small British force o attack the French siege lines. The attack goes horribly wrong; Sir Thomas's outnumbered army is trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea, and on a March morning, at Barrosa, Richard Sharpe finds himself embroiled in one of the most desperate infantry struggles ever fought. Sir Thomas has his own reasons for revenge, as does Sharpe, who goes into battle seeking the French colonel who precipitated the disaster that stranded Sharpe in Cádiz. In a bloody and stirring battle, Sharpe and the English get their revenge and their victory, but at a terrible cost. A triumph of both historical and battle fiction, Sharpe's Fury will sweep both old and new Sharpe fans into their hero's incredible adventures.

Customer Reviews:

Cornwell continues his betrayal.......2007-07-28

I read all of the original Sharpe series in the eighties and thought that the series had come to it's natural conclusion with Sharpes Waterloo in 1990. I was very suprised to see Sharpes Devil a couple of years later and to my mind this was a book too far in the series. Cornwell was always writing other books including the excellent Redcoat as well as his nautical thrillers. When he started the Starbuck chronicles I was delighted and followed Nates adventures in the same manner as I had Sharpe's. Then, after the Sharpe series had been shown on tv Cornwell abandoned "The Starbuck Chronicles" mid-series (after four books)and resurrected Sharpe. Not to sound too cynical but the only reason for this betrayal of fans who had bought the new books and were following Starbuck could only have been money...Cornwell betrayed and sacrificed the Starbuck fans for a newer and more lucrutive market...the new Sharpe fans worldwide who came to the books after the tv series. In order to continue to cash in along came all the new books each one inserted in a different period of Sharpe's career. If you have read the original series you won't recognise Sharpe's description in the new books..because it's Sean Bean!...Thanks Bernard, how's the yacht?

Another good yarn from the imagination of Bernard Cornwell.......2007-06-04

Several years ago I began reading Sharpe books aloud to my dyslexic husband. At the time, I was less than excited by military stories of any sort, but love makes you do all sorts of strange things, and over time I have become a fan of both Sharpe and his creator, Bernard Cornwell.

"Sharpe's Fury" is a solid entry in the series, a fast-moving and enjoyable read. However, it is not a typical Sharpe book. Instead of being in the thick of battle, Sharpe observes from the fringes--which is probably fitting since, as Cornwell points out in his historical note, Sharpe should not have been at Barrosa.

Even if he's not rampaging across the battlefield, Sharpe still has something to do (retrieving some indiscreet letters), and still manages to leave destruction in his wake.

As much fun as it is to watch Sharpe blow things up and bed pretty girls, it isn't until the last hundred pages that we get to the real meat of the story. Cornwell is a master of describing the bloody chaos of the battlefield and there was plenty of both blood and confusion at Barrosa. It is particularly fitting that the capture of a French eagle by Sergeant Patrick Masterson be included as Masterson's real life exploits helped inspire the character of Sharpe.

sharpe`s fury.......2007-05-12

another good one from cornwell. but he had to go into the past (of sharpe`s) to do it. i hope he does one that will not go into sharpe`s past. but ither way, we need more of shape

Ray Schmitt's Review.......2007-03-14

This book was boiler plate Sharpe. It lacked the craftmenship and scope of such fine books as Sharpe's Regiment and Sharpe's Waterloo which were two of Cornwell's best. I enjoyed it, however.

Cornwell/Sharpe does it again!.......2007-02-22

Cornwell has produced another great novel with Sharpe and Harper. I somehow missed this one, it was the last of the Sharpe series that I hadn't read. I don't know where its possible for him to continue writing this series but I wish he would put out more!

Book Description

Have you ever been haunted by the feeling that someone is spying on you, lurking around your house and yard, even entering your bedroom? Are your friends plotting against you when they say they've seen you do things you know you haven't done? What's going on -- and does Laurie really want to find out?

Customer Reviews:

I am in love with this book.......2007-04-09

I first read Stranger With My Face when I was 13, which was 15 years ago. Of all the books I've ever read, this stayed with me very strongly- I felt almost haunted by it. I spent many years trying to find the book again because I had forgot the title, and by luck I just recently located it. It was even more powerful than I remembered. This is the first time I've ever felt compelled to write a review- that's how much it moved me. The book should not be considered only for teens. It is a beautiful and intriguing story for any age. I was swept away by the stormy island setting, and I am utterly in love with Jeff- cool, tough, brave and scarred.

Absolutely love this book.......2007-04-02

Lois Duncan is excellent at keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. Great read - highly reccomend if you love out of body experience type stuff.

Recommend it for younger readers........2007-01-18

My teenage daughters read this and one other book by Lois Duncan, and they liked the story but said it was too short of a book and not written well.

Stranger with my face!!.......2006-12-11

The reason why i gave this book three stars is because of the how the story ended. this book had a really good ideal but the author could have added more to expand on the ideal of this story.

FAV BOOK SINCE MIDDLE SCHOOL.......2006-07-14

When I was in middle school, Lois Duncan's Stanger With My Face, was my all time favorite book. Every time they had a new L.D. book, I made it my business to check it out!
To me, Lois Duncan is targeted for the mid to older teens, it had a bit more advanced vocabulary, and themes/scenes that were more geared towards that audience. As to where R.L. Stine was more for the elementary kids.
I def. recommend this book.

The Face of a Stranger (William Monk Novels)

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excellent series beginning!
An intriguing beginning...
interesting story, tediously written
Now I Understand!
The first William Monk book

The Face of a Stranger (William Monk Novels)
Anne Perry
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0804108587
Release Date: 1991-09-23

Book Description

"Richly textured with the sights and sounds of London and its countryside...Solidly absorbing and Perry's best to date."
THE KIRKUS REVIEWS
His name, they tell him, is William Monk, and he is a London police detecive. But the accident that felled him has left him with only half a life; his memory and his entire past have vanished. As he tries to hide the truth, Monk returns to work and is assigned to investigate the brutal murder of a Crimean War hero and man about town. Which makes Monk's efforts doubly difficult, since he's forgotten his professional skills along with everything else....
A Dual Main Selection of the Mystery Guild

Customer Reviews:

excellent series beginning!.......2006-08-11

I loved this book! Amnesia stories are always interesting, and this one is especially so as the main character is right in the middle of solving a horrible murder when he has an accident and loses his memory. Very exciting - can't wait to read the rest of the series!

An intriguing beginning..........2006-05-11

The first novel in a prospective mystery series must have certain qualities in order to be successful. First and foremost, the lead character must be appealing, even when flawed; the character must have redeeming qualities to endear him in some way to the reader. Then it helps if the mystery is well thought out, challenging and intriguing, and finally the supporting players must be well-rounded, characters that will continue to grow with the series. Perry succeeds in all these things with her introduction of William Monk. An amnesiac detective, in the middle of a case that will break him if handled incorrectly, fights to regain some semblance of what his life used to be all the while attempting to hide his impairment from all those involved. Monk's gradual discovery of his own past personality and his distaste for the man he was is an excellent idea to start the series and his original meeting with nurse Hester Latterly is a great example of the "tempestuous" meeting that often leads to romantic involvement in these types of books. Sure there's predictability to these types of books but with Monk, Perry has created a solid addition to the Victorian thriller genre.

interesting story, tediously written.......2004-11-04

This is the second Anne Perry novel I've read, and unfortunately it's likely to be the last. Her plotting is strong, but she clearly wants to focus on character development. That would be fine if her writing skills were stronger. I found the first sixty pages of this book so repetitive that I nearly didn't bother to finish it. The premise -- that Monk has lost his memory and must relearn who he is -- is quite interesting, but Perry tries to develop Monk's character through the constant and highly repetitive (read: increasingly tedious) exposition of his thoughts in the form of questions. How many times does the reader need to know explicitly that Monk is asking himself what sort of man has few friends and no loves, or inspires trepidation in his coworkers? If Perry were a more skilled writer she could convey "character" less directly and more effectively. Was her editor asleep on the job?

Now I Understand!.......2004-03-17

I have read 3 or 4 William Monk books, but didn't pay any attention to order. I have really enjoyed them, so I thought I would start at the first and read them all in order. Now I more clearly understand about Monk's amnesia. It was really fun learning about Monk's 1st meeting with Hester Latterly. Great ending, although I felt very sympathetic to the killer. I love Anne Perry's books. Next, I'll probably read the Thomas Pitt novels in order.

The first William Monk book.......2003-09-03

Even though the first few chapters seemed a bit slow for my taste, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The personal problem of William Monk is different from most main characters in other books. The reader is getting to know him as he, too, is getting to know himself. I was surprised at the end of chapter 10 when he remembered something about himself, and for those who have read this book will know why. John Evan and Hester Latterly are other characters I liked, and I'm glad to hear they are in the other books. I didn't care too much for Hester's "flashbacks" from the war, but then at the end I was thankful there was a reason for them. I will definitely read the next book, A Dangerous Mourning, despite some of the bad reviews written about it.

The Face of a Stranger : A Victorian Mystery

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The Face of a Stranger : A Victorian Mystery
Anne Perry
Manufacturer: NY : Fawcett Columbine (1990)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000KI0VOC

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The Face of a Stranger
Anne Perry
Manufacturer: Ivy Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MHO10G

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The Face of a Stranger
Anne Perry
Manufacturer: Ivy Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NW5X7A

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Stranger with My Face
Lois Duncan
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0807213713

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Eeeeee I love twisty plots :D
Revenge of the picture brides in the frontier west

Face of a Stranger: A Novel
Yoji Yamaguchi
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Set in a California town in the early part of the century, Face of a Stranger tells the story of Kikue and Shino, two Japanese picture brides who came to America in arranged marriages only to discover upon their arrival that they had been duped into lives of prostitution.

Both women are jarred when they encounter Takashi Arai, a young migrant worker and indolent rake, certain that they recognize him as the bogus groom in the photograph used to deceive them. Even as they scheme to buy their freedom from their pimp, they begin plotting revenge against Arai with the help of Hana, a beautiful girl who might be insane, the hapless farmer Kogoro Doi and the unwitting Inadas, two zealous Christian converts. A sly, farcical tale of dissembling, revenge and mistaken identity, Face of a Stranger marks the remarkable debut of a writer of uncommon brilliance.

Customer Reviews:

Eeeeee I love twisty plots :D.......2001-06-02

The book started out a teeny bit dry and left me confused because I didn't know who was what character and what their purpose was. Yet, as the book developed, the plot got soooooo good. There was obviously a lot of planning that went into this book, which made me happy to read it, because I hate books that are just flopped together for a quick dollar. I'm not going to go into what the plot was, because I think you should go out and read it for yourself and see the surprising ending!

Revenge of the picture brides in the frontier west.......1999-08-20

This is an absolutely charming read, although it does take place in a distressing situation: young hopeful women from Japan are lured by the promise of marriage by the picture of a clueless gardener... who is discovered by two of them who manage to confound the exploitative but incompetent henchmen forcing them to stay in the brothel. The simplicity of the narrative style belies the complexity of the plot; Yamaguchi does a masterful job keeping the characters very clearly separate, although that means a bit of stereotyping. The characters are well-drawn, each with his or her redeeming sincerity within his or her weaknesses for status or revenge. Some outstanding comic scenes. Very good pace and excellent details of the 19th c. setting Without being too heavy handed, Yamaguchi does clearly paint the picture of discrimination suffered by non-white immigrants, but the more telling portrait is of the sad tendency for the first-arrived to take advantage of the later ones within the same ethnic group. Even though this takes place in a brothel, there is no raunchy language or graphic scenes, and I would recommend this for even junior high students for two reasons: great historical detail and a good plot device to explore human nature.

BELLA NORTH (by the author of Face of a Stranger)

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BELLA NORTH (by the author of Face of a Stranger)
Diana Marr-Johnson
Manufacturer: Chatto and Windus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HEFS2Y

BLOODLINE + A STRANGER IN THE MIRROR + THE NAKED FACE (COMPLETE / UNABRIDGED, 3 Books in 1 Volume)

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BLOODLINE + A STRANGER IN THE MIRROR + THE NAKED FACE (COMPLETE / UNABRIDGED, 3 Books in 1 Volume)
Sidney Sheldon
Manufacturer: Wings Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JN683G

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Face Of A Stranger
Yoji Yamaguchi
Manufacturer: Harper-perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PHO4EQ

Book Description

Where were you the day Kennedy was saved? History CAN be altered ...

Actress Cady Cuyler is recruited to time travel back to Dallas in November 1963, and recover President Kennedy's personal Bible. It was used to swear in Lyndon Johnson as President aboard Air Force One after Kennedy's assassination, and later disappeared. Now it is a priceless historic artifact. But Cady has another, more personal mission as well: To change the fate of her beloved father, who disappeared without a trace on the day JFK died. The startling truths she uncovers and the terrifying dangers she faces lead her to the most perilous mission of all: To somehow save President Kennedy's life, with the help of one unlikely ally: A courageous ex-Marine named Lee Harvey Oswald.

At its heart, FORWARD TO CAMELOT is the story of two exceptional men, and a message of hope for all of us. It is a rare opportunity to re-visit an era that once was, and dream of an America that might have been.

Customer Reviews:

Wow, it is sometimes so real that you wish it was true!!.......2007-02-26

Having expeienced the death of John Kennedy as a teenager, this book hit home. I remember the day like it was yesterday, it is etched into my memory. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was larger than life, his energy is still alive today. Forward to Camelot, became a dream come true, Kennedy had survived. The attention to detail and real facts was superb. Looking forward to seeing it as a Movie!!!!
What if we could rewrite History?
Excellent read, non stop action, very thought-provoking.

Exciting! A must read book........2006-01-11

It has been a good dozen years or so since I last read a book I could not put down. This book is solidly in that position. It has all the excitement of the early Clancy books, and simply put, I loved the book and would recommend it to anyone.

The book is written in the vein of a historical novel, yet with a fantasy twist. The sad truth is that this book has more realism than anything that came out of the Warren Report. The whole idea of a single bullet and much of the nonsense of the Warren Report make this book appear real, even though we know regretably the outcome for Kennedy.

If you were alive during Kennedy's term of office as President, I think you will enjoy this book immensely.

Interesting look at what was and what might have been........2004-08-02

I'm a history buff -- but a JFK buff, too. I approached reading this book with the knowledge that it is fiction, yet the REAL LIFE characters living and breathing in these pages made me constantly pinch myself to pull me back into reality. And the reality is that we still ask the questions "who killed JFK?" and "what would the world have been like had he survived?" This book goes beyond answering those questions. It brings to life people we never got to know, takes us into the world of 1963 Dallas and leads us through one heart-stopping adventure right after another as Cady and Lee work together, in an unlikely pairing of heroes, to keep President Kennedy safe. I noticed the plot deals with three of the conspiracy theories in circulation, that it explores the (strong) possibility of Oswald's innocence and that it gives us what we never got to have: A real look at a living, breathing President John F. Kennedy after November 22 -- and beyond.

Suspend Your Disbelief.......2004-06-23

Time travel, in either direction, is not a subject that interests me but because of the style of this book I was caught up in the plot and found it plausable. The atmosphere of 1963 is there with details of what we were wearing, eating and watching on TV. While sounding current there is also an air of nostalgia for a time when things were simpler, when we could have had a Camelot. I felt sad about having to come back to the present and realize that things really haven't changed but the possibility that they could have is engaging. So I advise non-believers -- take a chance and I think you will enjoy what this book has to offer.

Stupid, annoying plot.......2004-05-29

I bought this book as a kindness to the author, who is a member of one of my mailing lists. Thus, I felt compelled to read the entire book in order to give it a fair review. While I enjoyed one small part of the book--when the main character, Cady, becomes a telephone operator in 1963--most of it was slow-moving and silly. Watch JFK become an action hero! Watch Lee Harvey Oswald become an action hero! Of course, what can you expect about a book which states that "Oliver Stone's JFK is simply the best film ever made about those six crucial seconds in Dallas." I lived through the sixties, which was often a painful experience. The epilogue, which lets us know how much better the world is because JFK was saved (which is not giving anything away--it's stated on the front cover), gives us a trivial view of the "better" world we would have if he hadn't been assassinated. I recommend that you avoid buying this silly book and spend your money on something well-written by any of the proven science fiction authors whose work you'll find in magazines like Analog, Asimov's SF, and the Magazine of SF and Fantasy.

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Camelot 30K
Robert L. Forward
Manufacturer: Puzzle Editorial de Libros
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 8496525376

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Camelot 30K
Robert L. Forward
Manufacturer: New York, NY, U.S.A.: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 1996
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LTBX42

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CAMELOT 30K.
Robert L. Forward
Manufacturer: TOR,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NYF6MU

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CAMELOT:30K
Robert L. Forward
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTHXEI

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FORWARD TO CAMELOT
Susan Sloate
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N6KQ82

Amazon.com

When the author began taking Prozac in 1988 she was 26 and had already struggled for over a decade with hospitalizations, suicide attempts, anorexia, and self-mutilation resulting from a variety of mental illnesses, obsessive-compulsive disorder the most recent among them. The newly released drug liberated her from debilitating anxiety and pain even as it raised unsettling questions about her own identity, as she had always been defined by her afflictions. "The world as I had known it my whole life did not seem to exist," writes Slater in a characteristically incisive sentence. She was happier, but she found it difficult to write without the inner voices that had sparked her fevered creativity; even the philosophy books she had once loved now seemed irrelevant to her newly healthy state. With utter candor (even about her dampened sexuality) and a surprising amount of humor, Slater chronicles the ups and downs of life on Prozac. A nightmarish relapse when the dosage suddenly proves inadequate ("Prozac poop-out") ultimately helps her discover inner resources to combat her illness in conjunction with the medication. She finds new love and a better understanding of her past; she avoids the equally unrealistic extremes of Prozac boosters who ignore the drug's costs and doomsayers who depict it creating a generation of zombies. Slater's balanced final assessment is voiced, as usual, in exact, lyrical prose: "This is Prozac's burden and gift, keeping me alive to the most human of questions, bringing me forward, bringing me back, swaddling and unswaddling me, pushing me to ask which wrappings are real." --Wendy Smith

Book Description

A dazzling and powerful account of a life profoundly altered by Prozac-- "surely among the best on the long-term effects of the drug" (The New York Times)

In 1988, at age 26, Lauren Slater lived alone in a basement apartment in Cambridge, depressed, suicidal, unemployed. Ten years later, she is a psychologist running her own clinic, an award-winning writer, and happily married. The transformation in her life was brought about by Prozac. Prozac Diary is Lauren Slater's incisive account of a life restored to productivity, creativity, and love. When she wakes up one morning and finds that her demons no longer have a hold on her, Slater struggles with the strange state of being well after a lifetime of craziness. Yet this is no hymn to a miracle pharmaceutical. It is a frankly ambivalent quest for the truth of self behind an ongoing reliance on a drug. Slater also addresses Prozac's notorious "poop-out" effect and its devastating attack on her libido. This is the first memoir to reflect on long-term Prozac use, and reviewers agree that no one has written about Prozac with such beauty, honesty, and insight.

* 12 million Americans take Prozac regularly
* Prozac Diary appeared on the Boston Globe and Independent bestseller lists
* Penguin Readers Guide Bound into Every Book

"Powerful. . . . The chemistry of Prozac Diary is beautiful." --Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times

Download Description

The author of the acclaimed Welcome to My Country describes inthis provocative and funny memoir the ups and downs of living on Prozacfor ten years, and the strange adjustments she had to make to living"normal life."

Today millions of people take Prozac, but Lauren Slater was one of thefirst. In this rich and beautifully written memoir, she describes whatit's like to spend most of your life feeling crazy -- and then to wakeup one day and find yourself in the strange state of feeling well. Andthen to face the challenge of creating a whole new life. Once inhibited,Slater becomes spontaneous. Once terrified of maintaining a job, sheaccepts a teaching position and ultimately earns several degrees inpsychology. Once lonely, she finds love with a man who adores her.Slater is wonderfully thoughtful and articulate about all these changes,and also about the downside of taking Prozac: such matters asdependency, sexual dysfunction, and Prozac "poop-out."

"The beauty of Lauren Slater's prose is shocking," said Newsdayabout Welcome to My Country, and Slater's remarkable gifts as awriter are present here in sentences that are like elegant darts,hitting at the center of the deepest human feelings. Prozac Diaryis a wonderfully written report from inside a decade on Prozac, and anoriginal writer's acute observations on the challenges of living modernlife.

Customer Reviews:

Prozac Addiction? .......2007-01-07

Lauren Slater was prescribed Prozac in 1988 when the pharmaceutical first came out. She recalls having an almost immediate and "blissed out" feeling. Slater says that Prozac made her "high" and goes on and on about it obsessively as she describes her reaction to Prozac as, "the single most stunning experience of my life." This is rather melodramatic. I have tried Prozac and I have been depressed throughout my life. Taking a pharmacetical like Prozac does not make a person "high."

I have a real problem with the way Slater portrays Prozac as her "drug." She pontificates as if taking an anti-deppressant for DEPPRESSION is shameful, secretive. Slater becomes an intern at a half-way house for "boozers" and is informed that staff member's sign waivers allowing the administration to do random urine screens. Athough Slater does not use any illegal drugs, she panics at the thought of "being revealed." Slater compares herself to the addicts who live at the half-way house. Describing a client, she says "he stared straight at me, one junkie to another..."

It insulting to those of us who have struggled with addiction to have Slater describe herself as a "junkie" because she is over dramatizing her experience with Prozac. It was persribed to her for the treatment of a disease and she was NOT abusing the medication.
(I am in recovery and have been clean for 3 years). Slater later also considers herself "drug-dependent" and tries to convince the reader of her claim with her interpretation of what The DSM IV calls addiction. I don't buy it, and I don't think anyone who has struggled with drug or alcohol addiction will either. Maybe a reader without a history of addiction and/or depression won't notice that Slater is a phoney and an alarmist. Nobody is buying the "addicted to Prozac" crap.

Inspirational story.......2006-02-24

This book follows the story of learning, recovering, and adjusting of a woman, confused
and feeling alone. Chronicling a young woman's experiences of the late 80's, being one
of the first to take Prozac, it focuses on the changes and mixed emotions associated with
taking the new drug. Reality and psychology blend together to form an inspirational story
for those that can relate. Recommended age 16 and up due to sexual content, adult
themes, and language.

Based on a true, biographical story, the story behind the author (Slater) is very intriguing.
Being a somewhat difficult read, following the ups and downs, the story details the life of
a depressed, suicidal-prone young woman trying to survive in society. Setting up the
story, it details doctor's visits, past attempts to regain a grasp on her life, and her
prescribing doctor. Upon actually being prescribed Prozac, the story details the tough
decision and thought process about being one of the first to take the new psychotropic
drug. Once making a decision to proceed with the medical treatment, a focus is paid to
the effects and results. Although changes are felt within the author's attitude and outlook
on life within very few days, questions are provoked about whether these changes can
appear in such a short amount of time. A diary-like feel is given to the story when the
author accounts her days on the drug. In going from depressed to a never before
experienced happiness, the question of truth behind these feelings is proposed. 888 Over
the course of her first few weeks on Prozac, Slater personally tests her true happiness and
ultimate truth behind this happiness. Throughout her treatment period, the author makes
large progression toward her final goal of happiness, seeking help along the way and
receiving it where hands extend. Struggle and strength are themes throughout the
chronicle, displaying conflicts associated with taking a somewhat controversial and
amateur market drug of the time. Now a large name drug, the unknowns behind it in it's
early stages are marked within this diary of a young woman pleading for her happiness-
something she has never truly known.

effective, honest, scary.......2004-12-09

well written. scary details about mental illness. both scary w/ respect to what i might see in myself and what exceeds greatly in a dystopic fashion what i see in myself. is a testament to how well prozac can work, and in that fashion, this memoir is quite effective and honest, although some may call it "over salted" (as Hamlet didn't want his plays to be like over salted dishes.)

A Worthy Addition To The Genre.......2004-06-13

Lauren Slater's 1999 memoir Prozac Diary is a worthy addition to the "women and madness" genre or for the millions currently taking antidepressants. What makes Slater's book a standout, though, is that it's the experience of one of the first people to use Prozac for depression. Slater writes her diary ten years after she first started taking the drug regularly in 1988, so we get to read of the long-term affects of daily dosing and how the drug changed her life over time. What was most interesting about Slater's story is how she had to learn to live life as a no-longer-depressed person. Her entire life, depression and its consequences dominated her life, gave her life meaning and routine, and defined who she was. When the "Zac" started working, she struggled to develop a new sense of herself, separate and apart from the depressed Lauren.

For me, the problem was that there wasn't enough experience there; something felt missing from the story. Perhaps it was the editor's fault. Or maybe my expectations were incorrect from the start. Slater's history is briefly given: lifelong struggles with depression and other forms of mental illness, a history of hospitalizations and attempts at various therapies, none of which were successful until Prozac in 1988. Perhaps I wanted to know more or I wanted the story to be told in a different style. I can't put my finger on it, but for this reader there was just something missing. Slater's writing style is poetic, but it was sometimes a distraction.

I highly recommend the book to those interested in antidepressants for any reason, whether it's history of Prozac's rise to prominence (what some call the aspirin of our age), how it affects people over the short and long-term, or simple voyeurism into the mind and life of someone classified as mentally ill. Lauren Slater truly benefited from this drug, and while many people think Prozac is tossed around too freely these days, she is an excellent example of whom this drug was originally developed for. It's staggering and sad to think how many lives could have been saved if we'd had this drug fifty years ago.

Prozac Diary is a slim read that can be devoured in one day by the voracious reader. Definitely worth the time for those of us living in this Age of Anxiety.

Truly one of my favorite books.......2004-05-19

Prozac Diary is more than another book about antidepressants; it chronicles one woman's journey to accept herself, her past, her illness and its treatment. For those who haven't experienced this, the book will probably be boring. For those who have, it's like finding a friend.

Average customer rating:

The best book for dog lover's!
Side-bustingly funny canine perspective of life.

Barking at Prozac: My Diary
Tom Mcnichol
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Cats, Dogs & Animals | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Parodies | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0517886650
Release Date: 1996-03-26

Book Description

It was the year that changed my life. One day, there I was, a happy pup with a handsome house out in the backyard, a pack of trusted friends, and more toys than I could possibly put in my mouth at the same time.

Then I began to lose interest in eating -- even expensive moist food. The magic vanished from simple activities that once brought me joy, like knocking over the kitchen trash can. My tail stopped wagging for the cute cocker spaniel next door.

I was in the grip of a powerful depression.

That's when my vet suggested Prozac -- and now, poring over my diary from that turbulent year, it's hard to believe everything that happened as I struggled to get in touch with my Inner Puppy. But in the end, a little pill wrapped in bologna taught me truths about happiness we can all share: how to pick yourself up when you feel down in the snout; how to love the sound of your own bark.

What it truly means to a good dog.

Customer Reviews:

The best book for dog lover's!.......1999-12-14

I have enjoyed this book every time I have read it, and it is many times. I have given this book to most of my dog loving friends, and many will get it this year for Christmas! What a great look into how dogs think and behave. Thank you buck!

Side-bustingly funny canine perspective of life........1999-08-13

An enjoyable read for pet owners or others, "Barking at Prozac" is a hilarious first-"paw" narrative of Buck the beagle. McNichol succeeds at funny and descriptive accounts of everyday life from the four-legged perspective. Readers (or their pets) needn't be on puppy uppers to appreciate the humor of "Barking." It will tickle their funny bone.

Average customer rating:

Prozac Diary
Lauren Slater
Manufacturer: Random
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O64D3U

Average customer rating:

Prozac Diary
Lauren Slater
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ186M

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