I picked up this CD after hearing the two "singles" from this album on the radio. This CD is wonderful. The lyrics are very intelligent and sung in heart wrenching fashion by Amy Lee who has absolutely the best voice I've heard in quite a while. The music is very well thought out and produced in perfect compliment to Amy's vocal talent. One of the highlights in my opinion is a beatifully arranged vocal/piano composition called "Hello", I had to stop everything I was doing the first time I heard it to let the goosebumps go away. If I had to pick a negative, it would be that the album does not show too much range. In other words, all the songs are similar in sound and nature, with no wide departures. But hey, this is their first album, and things like that don't become a problem at all until/if the band showed no evolution on second and third albums. And in fact, this has obviously been the downfall of other albums where artists try to show too much range in style, leaving you with only 1 or 2 great songs on a CD. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this, and in fact, suggest highly that you add it to your shopping cart RIGHT NOW. I would even go so far as to say this is a must have for any well-rounded collection

Well, I'll try to be fair, but it is hard. My reaction after reading the last page was "Well, I'll never get that time back". I can possibly see why some might find this book entertaining, if they were VERY familiar with 19th century history. The detail is very good, and the premise is interesting. However, I have not read many books I have been more disapointed in. It drags, meanders, teases, and finally... leaves you completely flat. IMHO don't waste your time.