Gabriel Rossettie

wait a minute....so you're saying it all MAKES SENSE?, May 19 2002

Chesterton sits down, props you on his lap, and spins a strange yarn here in The Everlasting Man, his Christian apologetic masterwork. This story that he tells sounds familiar, because we've heard of all the characters before, and we know in advance what actions they are responsible for. But for some reason, the history of the world according to Chesterton's pen sounds new and fresh all over again. His goal is to present the Incarnation of Christ as the centerpiece of all human history, and does so by painting that same history with colors to which we are not accustomed in our rationalist world. His greatest achievement here is to convincingly show that human history is a great adventure… Read more

I, Claudius...pseudoautobiography of roman emperor, Nov 8 2001

Tiberius Claudius, one of the "good apples" from the Claudian line of Roman emperors and gentry, narrates his childhood, adolescence, and the years up to his being crowned Emperor. Note: this is a work of fiction by ROBERT GRAVES, not a true autobiography of the Emperor. I learned more about Roman history from this book, and from its sequel Claudius the God, than I ever could have by reading a history textbook. But it absolutely churns as a novel, as well...the characters, from the insidious poisoner Livia (wife of Augustus and surrogate grandmother of Claudius) to the courageous but naive Germanicus, are compelling and believeable. For example, as Claudius describes Germanicus'… Read more