Perhaps she'll die?, 09 Oct 2008
I loved this book when I was little. I'm sure we had the paper version. But my 10 month old daughter now loves the indestructable board version. A must have.

Lovely, well-illustrated book, 03 Oct 2008
My toddler realy enjoys singing along, but I'm not sure he gets the significance of 'perhaps she'll die' - it's great fun, but it is irritating that each page shows both the new animal being introduced and the next one along - so that when I'm singing about the dog, the lad is shouting 'cow, daddy, look, cow'. But excellent for all that.

A childhood classic, 15 Sep 2008
A childhood favorite that I now share with my son. The imaginative book design with holes encourages interaction and is always stimulating. Any child who has been read this book at my house soon gets their own copy! Enjoy.

Brings back childhood memories, 31 Jul 2008
I love this book! I remember it from when I was a kid, (more than 30 years ago!) I have been searching for it for ages for my 3 year old son who loves books, and he loves it too. Not sure if it has changed over the years, but it's very much the same as I remember it to be.

My toddler prefers other sing along books, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old little boy has this, along with other sing along books, he's never taken to this one.
He much prefers "the wheels on the bus", I'm not sure if it's because this book isn't very colourful.
I have to say I was pretty disappointed with it when it arrived.

Perhaps she'll die?, 09 Oct 2008
I loved this book when I was little. I'm sure we had the paper version. But my 10 month old daughter now loves the indestructable board version. A must have.

Lovely, well-illustrated book, 03 Oct 2008
My toddler realy enjoys singing along, but I'm not sure he gets the significance of 'perhaps she'll die' - it's great fun, but it is irritating that each page shows both the new animal being introduced and the next one along - so that when I'm singing about the dog, the lad is shouting 'cow, daddy, look, cow'. But excellent for all that.

A childhood classic, 15 Sep 2008
A childhood favorite that I now share with my son. The imaginative book design with holes encourages interaction and is always stimulating. Any child who has been read this book at my house soon gets their own copy! Enjoy.

Brings back childhood memories, 31 Jul 2008
I love this book! I remember it from when I was a kid, (more than 30 years ago!) I have been searching for it for ages for my 3 year old son who loves books, and he loves it too. Not sure if it has changed over the years, but it's very much the same as I remember it to be.

My toddler prefers other sing along books, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old little boy has this, along with other sing along books, he's never taken to this one.
He much prefers "the wheels on the bus", I'm not sure if it's because this book isn't very colourful.
I have to say I was pretty disappointed with it when it arrived.




Warm and real, 12 Oct 2008
It's something comforting about Maeve Binchy's books. The cliché about a book being like a good friend, is so very right in her case. Of course, one is interested in finding out what happens to the characters, but there is no hurry. In the case of this book, it is much more preferable to sit down with a cup of tea and read quietly a couple of hours before going to bed.

"Heart and Soul" is a book to be devoured and there are many actors on the stage in Dublin. First there is Clara Casey, senior cardiac specialist at a new heart clinic at St. Brigid's Hospital, Clara's two daughters Adi and Linda, who in their twenties are having trouble settling down and finally her ex-husband Alan, who is asking Clara for a divorce in order to marry a much younger woman.

Coming to work at the clinic is also Ania, a young girl who has travelled from Poland in order to mend a broken heart. Young Doctor Declan Carroll was originally meant to spend a six-month posting but meats beautiful nurse Fiona. And then there is Father Bryan Flynn, whose life is turned upside down when his reputation is threatened.
"Heart and Soul" is a book about ordinary people with ordinary lives. Joy and sorrow, struggle and hopes. And as always, the author shows us the importance of the small things in life - which often do not prove so small after all.

Maeve Binchy is a wonderful storyteller, who has once again written a book which grows on the reader and is slowly creeping into our heart and soul.

Enjoy!

A feast for the heart AND the soul, 11 Oct 2008
When I picked this book up, I knew it would contain characters who would become important to me and situations I would think about. I was not disappointed. I found Clara Casey to be a thoroughly engaging central character and the focal point of a clinic was a good choice, with the dramas and lives of the staff and patients providing a great narrative.

However, the real joy was in picking up the threads of other characters from Scarlet Feather, Nights of Rain and Stars and also Whitethorn Woods.

I was hooked until the end and am now almost desperate to book a table at Quentins - Early Bird menu for me though! Thank you Maeve.

Perhaps she'll die?, 09 Oct 2008
I loved this book when I was little. I'm sure we had the paper version. But my 10 month old daughter now loves the indestructable board version. A must have.

Lovely, well-illustrated book, 03 Oct 2008
My toddler realy enjoys singing along, but I'm not sure he gets the significance of 'perhaps she'll die' - it's great fun, but it is irritating that each page shows both the new animal being introduced and the next one along - so that when I'm singing about the dog, the lad is shouting 'cow, daddy, look, cow'. But excellent for all that.

A childhood classic, 15 Sep 2008
A childhood favorite that I now share with my son. The imaginative book design with holes encourages interaction and is always stimulating. Any child who has been read this book at my house soon gets their own copy! Enjoy.

Brings back childhood memories, 31 Jul 2008
I love this book! I remember it from when I was a kid, (more than 30 years ago!) I have been searching for it for ages for my 3 year old son who loves books, and he loves it too. Not sure if it has changed over the years, but it's very much the same as I remember it to be.

My toddler prefers other sing along books, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old little boy has this, along with other sing along books, he's never taken to this one.
He much prefers "the wheels on the bus", I'm not sure if it's because this book isn't very colourful.
I have to say I was pretty disappointed with it when it arrived.




Warm and real, 12 Oct 2008
It's something comforting about Maeve Binchy's books. The cliché about a book being like a good friend, is so very right in her case. Of course, one is interested in finding out what happens to the characters, but there is no hurry. In the case of this book, it is much more preferable to sit down with a cup of tea and read quietly a couple of hours before going to bed.

"Heart and Soul" is a book to be devoured and there are many actors on the stage in Dublin. First there is Clara Casey, senior cardiac specialist at a new heart clinic at St. Brigid's Hospital, Clara's two daughters Adi and Linda, who in their twenties are having trouble settling down and finally her ex-husband Alan, who is asking Clara for a divorce in order to marry a much younger woman.

Coming to work at the clinic is also Ania, a young girl who has travelled from Poland in order to mend a broken heart. Young Doctor Declan Carroll was originally meant to spend a six-month posting but meats beautiful nurse Fiona. And then there is Father Bryan Flynn, whose life is turned upside down when his reputation is threatened.
"Heart and Soul" is a book about ordinary people with ordinary lives. Joy and sorrow, struggle and hopes. And as always, the author shows us the importance of the small things in life - which often do not prove so small after all.

Maeve Binchy is a wonderful storyteller, who has once again written a book which grows on the reader and is slowly creeping into our heart and soul.

Enjoy!

A feast for the heart AND the soul, 11 Oct 2008
When I picked this book up, I knew it would contain characters who would become important to me and situations I would think about. I was not disappointed. I found Clara Casey to be a thoroughly engaging central character and the focal point of a clinic was a good choice, with the dramas and lives of the staff and patients providing a great narrative.

However, the real joy was in picking up the threads of other characters from Scarlet Feather, Nights of Rain and Stars and also Whitethorn Woods.

I was hooked until the end and am now almost desperate to book a table at Quentins - Early Bird menu for me though! Thank you Maeve.

Mr Spanks revenge, 01 Oct 2008
This is the second book I have read of CB's and was not dissapointed. I do however have to concede I enjoyed his last book Unsinkable Rubber Ducks more. It's difficult to say why, because both are really well crafted books that keep the reader engaged. I just felt that this didnt quite hit the bullseye regarding any real humour and its slightly convoluted plotline.Having said all that I would really recommend anyone to read a Brookmyre novel.

Not so much Dubh Ardrain as Down a Drain, 23 Sep 2008
This book reads as if it's been written over a period of time with large spaces between each bout of writing. It draws strongly on The Sacred Art of Stealing and shares some of the same characters, however the plot is not nearly as strong as TSAoS. The mini set pieces within the main story don't 'hang' together properly or form a cohesive whole. Brookmyre seems to seek to shock the reader with lots of (senseless) killing and little actual storyline. As with a lot of Brookmyre's work, the story appears to serve as a platform for the author's own political rants. This may fill the pages, but hardly makes it into a page turner. If you liked TSAoS don't think this will be a suitable sequel, it's not a patch.

Massively entertaining, 18 Sep 2008
A hard boiled heroine, a sensitive intelligent hero, a black hearted villain with a passion for indie pop, vicious satire of contemporary media culture, exuberant wit, sufficient plot twists to turn one cross-eyed.

Nope, I can't find anything not to like. A thoroughly recommended and entertaining raead

Sharp, Witty, Genius, 13 Sep 2008
I am a big fan of CB and have been since I first read Quite Ugly One Morning many many years ago. I thought this was brilliant, right up there with All Fun and Games and a Big Boy Did It (And Ran Away). Thought provoking, funny, I will never watch reality TV in the same way again. It was only a matter of time before someone had a crack at the plethora of wannabe celebrities out there and I for one am glad it was someone with Brookmyre's wit and intelligence that did it. Not since I read 'Silence of the Lambs" have I secretly rooted for the serial killer and yet been glad to witness his downfall at the hands of a clever nemesis (or nemesi - whatever the plural is). Brilliant. Funny. Recommend it to friends and strangers.

Alakazammy, stairheid rammy, 13 Sep 2008
Alakazammy stairheid rammy ! The perfect recipe add your best hero DI de Xavia resurrect your best villian Simon Darcourt, sprinkle with the charisma of the brilliant thief/magician Zal add lashings of dark cutting satire and shape into one of the best reads of 2008 so far.

So Simon Dacourt terrorist for hire last seen in A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away is not dead after all he's targeting celebrities and playing out his sick games through the Internet and dominating the media but for what reason why after all these years has he blown his cover ?
De xavia who brought about his demise last time is tasked with capturing him and recruits Zal (The Sacred Art Of Stealing) to assist

What follows is a fantastic story with loads of laugh out funny moments and a huge amount of twists and turns that any thriller writer would be proud, there is no way is anyone is going to guess what is going to happen next

Simon Cowell , big brother, wags, x factor, and right wing columnists are just some of the targets for his dark superb satire
With some fantastic funny uniquely Scottish turn of phrases that would make a builder blush

Hands up I thought after his last two novels that Brookmyre was on the wane but that was obviously just a bit of misdirection but not only is this a resounding turn to form but I think the might well be the best of all twelve of Brookmyre's books.

Perhaps she'll die?, 09 Oct 2008
I loved this book when I was little. I'm sure we had the paper version. But my 10 month old daughter now loves the indestructable board version. A must have.

Lovely, well-illustrated book, 03 Oct 2008
My toddler realy enjoys singing along, but I'm not sure he gets the significance of 'perhaps she'll die' - it's great fun, but it is irritating that each page shows both the new animal being introduced and the next one along - so that when I'm singing about the dog, the lad is shouting 'cow, daddy, look, cow'. But excellent for all that.

A childhood classic, 15 Sep 2008
A childhood favorite that I now share with my son. The imaginative book design with holes encourages interaction and is always stimulating. Any child who has been read this book at my house soon gets their own copy! Enjoy.

Brings back childhood memories, 31 Jul 2008
I love this book! I remember it from when I was a kid, (more than 30 years ago!) I have been searching for it for ages for my 3 year old son who loves books, and he loves it too. Not sure if it has changed over the years, but it's very much the same as I remember it to be.

My toddler prefers other sing along books, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old little boy has this, along with other sing along books, he's never taken to this one.
He much prefers "the wheels on the bus", I'm not sure if it's because this book isn't very colourful.
I have to say I was pretty disappointed with it when it arrived.




Warm and real, 12 Oct 2008
It's something comforting about Maeve Binchy's books. The cliché about a book being like a good friend, is so very right in her case. Of course, one is interested in finding out what happens to the characters, but there is no hurry. In the case of this book, it is much more preferable to sit down with a cup of tea and read quietly a couple of hours before going to bed.

"Heart and Soul" is a book to be devoured and there are many actors on the stage in Dublin. First there is Clara Casey, senior cardiac specialist at a new heart clinic at St. Brigid's Hospital, Clara's two daughters Adi and Linda, who in their twenties are having trouble settling down and finally her ex-husband Alan, who is asking Clara for a divorce in order to marry a much younger woman.

Coming to work at the clinic is also Ania, a young girl who has travelled from Poland in order to mend a broken heart. Young Doctor Declan Carroll was originally meant to spend a six-month posting but meats beautiful nurse Fiona. And then there is Father Bryan Flynn, whose life is turned upside down when his reputation is threatened.
"Heart and Soul" is a book about ordinary people with ordinary lives. Joy and sorrow, struggle and hopes. And as always, the author shows us the importance of the small things in life - which often do not prove so small after all.

Maeve Binchy is a wonderful storyteller, who has once again written a book which grows on the reader and is slowly creeping into our heart and soul.

Enjoy!

A feast for the heart AND the soul, 11 Oct 2008
When I picked this book up, I knew it would contain characters who would become important to me and situations I would think about. I was not disappointed. I found Clara Casey to be a thoroughly engaging central character and the focal point of a clinic was a good choice, with the dramas and lives of the staff and patients providing a great narrative.

However, the real joy was in picking up the threads of other characters from Scarlet Feather, Nights of Rain and Stars and also Whitethorn Woods.

I was hooked until the end and am now almost desperate to book a table at Quentins - Early Bird menu for me though! Thank you Maeve.

Mr Spanks revenge, 01 Oct 2008
This is the second book I have read of CB's and was not dissapointed. I do however have to concede I enjoyed his last book Unsinkable Rubber Ducks more. It's difficult to say why, because both are really well crafted books that keep the reader engaged. I just felt that this didnt quite hit the bullseye regarding any real humour and its slightly convoluted plotline.Having said all that I would really recommend anyone to read a Brookmyre novel.

Not so much Dubh Ardrain as Down a Drain, 23 Sep 2008
This book reads as if it's been written over a period of time with large spaces between each bout of writing. It draws strongly on The Sacred Art of Stealing and shares some of the same characters, however the plot is not nearly as strong as TSAoS. The mini set pieces within the main story don't 'hang' together properly or form a cohesive whole. Brookmyre seems to seek to shock the reader with lots of (senseless) killing and little actual storyline. As with a lot of Brookmyre's work, the story appears to serve as a platform for the author's own political rants. This may fill the pages, but hardly makes it into a page turner. If you liked TSAoS don't think this will be a suitable sequel, it's not a patch.

Massively entertaining, 18 Sep 2008
A hard boiled heroine, a sensitive intelligent hero, a black hearted villain with a passion for indie pop, vicious satire of contemporary media culture, exuberant wit, sufficient plot twists to turn one cross-eyed.

Nope, I can't find anything not to like. A thoroughly recommended and entertaining raead

Sharp, Witty, Genius, 13 Sep 2008
I am a big fan of CB and have been since I first read Quite Ugly One Morning many many years ago. I thought this was brilliant, right up there with All Fun and Games and a Big Boy Did It (And Ran Away). Thought provoking, funny, I will never watch reality TV in the same way again. It was only a matter of time before someone had a crack at the plethora of wannabe celebrities out there and I for one am glad it was someone with Brookmyre's wit and intelligence that did it. Not since I read 'Silence of the Lambs" have I secretly rooted for the serial killer and yet been glad to witness his downfall at the hands of a clever nemesis (or nemesi - whatever the plural is). Brilliant. Funny. Recommend it to friends and strangers.

Alakazammy, stairheid rammy, 13 Sep 2008
Alakazammy stairheid rammy ! The perfect recipe add your best hero DI de Xavia resurrect your best villian Simon Darcourt, sprinkle with the charisma of the brilliant thief/magician Zal add lashings of dark cutting satire and shape into one of the best reads of 2008 so far.

So Simon Dacourt terrorist for hire last seen in A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away is not dead after all he's targeting celebrities and playing out his sick games through the Internet and dominating the media but for what reason why after all these years has he blown his cover ?
De xavia who brought about his demise last time is tasked with capturing him and recruits Zal (The Sacred Art Of Stealing) to assist

What follows is a fantastic story with loads of laugh out funny moments and a huge amount of twists and turns that any thriller writer would be proud, there is no way is anyone is going to guess what is going to happen next

Simon Cowell , big brother, wags, x factor, and right wing columnists are just some of the targets for his dark superb satire
With some fantastic funny uniquely Scottish turn of phrases that would make a builder blush

Hands up I thought after his last two novels that Brookmyre was on the wane but that was obviously just a bit of misdirection but not only is this a resounding turn to form but I think the might well be the best of all twelve of Brookmyre's books.






Great colourful pictures , 23 Jun 2008
My son is only 5 months, but he loves looking at this book even if he doesn't understand the "story" yet - there are lots of bright colours and things to see in the pictures. I can see him enjoying it more and more as he gets older as we discuss the content of the pictures (people, animals, clowns, magicians...) My only problem is to stop my son from eating the book! The CD is a great bonus.

Entertaining!!, 19 Jun 2008
my son just loves this book and will sit for ages looking through each page as there is so much happening at every turn including the texture of the cut out sections....i would definately recommend it.

great book, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old has had this book for a while, and loves it.
It's great fun to sing through it with him, he loves turning the pages, and he always picks this book up if there's more than one choice in front of him.
A lovely, colourful, and fun book for all.

Great fun, 21 Mar 2008
It's great when a children's rhyme we all know is given a new lease of life. This book does this. Yes there is the bus, yes there are the wheels and all the rest, but there is so much going on in each picture and each picture is so full of colour and life, that my youngster never gets tired of the book.
That's the best recommendation I can give.

This book ROCKS, 13 Jan 2008
A major favourite with my 18 month old girl. She requests it about 10 times a day, sits on my lap and ROCKS - no other way to put it. She does the wipers with her arms flailing, sticks her little fingers through the holes to turn the pages and observes the well drawn detail of doggies, butterflies etc etc. Much recommended! But of course you can't just read it, you've got to sing it and do the actions/ baby signs too!

Perhaps she'll die?, 09 Oct 2008
I loved this book when I was little. I'm sure we had the paper version. But my 10 month old daughter now loves the indestructable board version. A must have.

Lovely, well-illustrated book, 03 Oct 2008
My toddler realy enjoys singing along, but I'm not sure he gets the significance of 'perhaps she'll die' - it's great fun, but it is irritating that each page shows both the new animal being introduced and the next one along - so that when I'm singing about the dog, the lad is shouting 'cow, daddy, look, cow'. But excellent for all that.

A childhood classic, 15 Sep 2008
A childhood favorite that I now share with my son. The imaginative book design with holes encourages interaction and is always stimulating. Any child who has been read this book at my house soon gets their own copy! Enjoy.

Brings back childhood memories, 31 Jul 2008
I love this book! I remember it from when I was a kid, (more than 30 years ago!) I have been searching for it for ages for my 3 year old son who loves books, and he loves it too. Not sure if it has changed over the years, but it's very much the same as I remember it to be.

My toddler prefers other sing along books, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old little boy has this, along with other sing along books, he's never taken to this one.
He much prefers "the wheels on the bus", I'm not sure if it's because this book isn't very colourful.
I have to say I was pretty disappointed with it when it arrived.




Warm and real, 12 Oct 2008
It's something comforting about Maeve Binchy's books. The cliché about a book being like a good friend, is so very right in her case. Of course, one is interested in finding out what happens to the characters, but there is no hurry. In the case of this book, it is much more preferable to sit down with a cup of tea and read quietly a couple of hours before going to bed.

"Heart and Soul" is a book to be devoured and there are many actors on the stage in Dublin. First there is Clara Casey, senior cardiac specialist at a new heart clinic at St. Brigid's Hospital, Clara's two daughters Adi and Linda, who in their twenties are having trouble settling down and finally her ex-husband Alan, who is asking Clara for a divorce in order to marry a much younger woman.

Coming to work at the clinic is also Ania, a young girl who has travelled from Poland in order to mend a broken heart. Young Doctor Declan Carroll was originally meant to spend a six-month posting but meats beautiful nurse Fiona. And then there is Father Bryan Flynn, whose life is turned upside down when his reputation is threatened.
"Heart and Soul" is a book about ordinary people with ordinary lives. Joy and sorrow, struggle and hopes. And as always, the author shows us the importance of the small things in life - which often do not prove so small after all.

Maeve Binchy is a wonderful storyteller, who has once again written a book which grows on the reader and is slowly creeping into our heart and soul.

Enjoy!

A feast for the heart AND the soul, 11 Oct 2008
When I picked this book up, I knew it would contain characters who would become important to me and situations I would think about. I was not disappointed. I found Clara Casey to be a thoroughly engaging central character and the focal point of a clinic was a good choice, with the dramas and lives of the staff and patients providing a great narrative.

However, the real joy was in picking up the threads of other characters from Scarlet Feather, Nights of Rain and Stars and also Whitethorn Woods.

I was hooked until the end and am now almost desperate to book a table at Quentins - Early Bird menu for me though! Thank you Maeve.

Mr Spanks revenge, 01 Oct 2008
This is the second book I have read of CB's and was not dissapointed. I do however have to concede I enjoyed his last book Unsinkable Rubber Ducks more. It's difficult to say why, because both are really well crafted books that keep the reader engaged. I just felt that this didnt quite hit the bullseye regarding any real humour and its slightly convoluted plotline.Having said all that I would really recommend anyone to read a Brookmyre novel.

Not so much Dubh Ardrain as Down a Drain, 23 Sep 2008
This book reads as if it's been written over a period of time with large spaces between each bout of writing. It draws strongly on The Sacred Art of Stealing and shares some of the same characters, however the plot is not nearly as strong as TSAoS. The mini set pieces within the main story don't 'hang' together properly or form a cohesive whole. Brookmyre seems to seek to shock the reader with lots of (senseless) killing and little actual storyline. As with a lot of Brookmyre's work, the story appears to serve as a platform for the author's own political rants. This may fill the pages, but hardly makes it into a page turner. If you liked TSAoS don't think this will be a suitable sequel, it's not a patch.

Massively entertaining, 18 Sep 2008
A hard boiled heroine, a sensitive intelligent hero, a black hearted villain with a passion for indie pop, vicious satire of contemporary media culture, exuberant wit, sufficient plot twists to turn one cross-eyed.

Nope, I can't find anything not to like. A thoroughly recommended and entertaining raead

Sharp, Witty, Genius, 13 Sep 2008
I am a big fan of CB and have been since I first read Quite Ugly One Morning many many years ago. I thought this was brilliant, right up there with All Fun and Games and a Big Boy Did It (And Ran Away). Thought provoking, funny, I will never watch reality TV in the same way again. It was only a matter of time before someone had a crack at the plethora of wannabe celebrities out there and I for one am glad it was someone with Brookmyre's wit and intelligence that did it. Not since I read 'Silence of the Lambs" have I secretly rooted for the serial killer and yet been glad to witness his downfall at the hands of a clever nemesis (or nemesi - whatever the plural is). Brilliant. Funny. Recommend it to friends and strangers.

Alakazammy, stairheid rammy, 13 Sep 2008
Alakazammy stairheid rammy ! The perfect recipe add your best hero DI de Xavia resurrect your best villian Simon Darcourt, sprinkle with the charisma of the brilliant thief/magician Zal add lashings of dark cutting satire and shape into one of the best reads of 2008 so far.

So Simon Dacourt terrorist for hire last seen in A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away is not dead after all he's targeting celebrities and playing out his sick games through the Internet and dominating the media but for what reason why after all these years has he blown his cover ?
De xavia who brought about his demise last time is tasked with capturing him and recruits Zal (The Sacred Art Of Stealing) to assist

What follows is a fantastic story with loads of laugh out funny moments and a huge amount of twists and turns that any thriller writer would be proud, there is no way is anyone is going to guess what is going to happen next

Simon Cowell , big brother, wags, x factor, and right wing columnists are just some of the targets for his dark superb satire
With some fantastic funny uniquely Scottish turn of phrases that would make a builder blush

Hands up I thought after his last two novels that Brookmyre was on the wane but that was obviously just a bit of misdirection but not only is this a resounding turn to form but I think the might well be the best of all twelve of Brookmyre's books.






Great colourful pictures , 23 Jun 2008
My son is only 5 months, but he loves looking at this book even if he doesn't understand the "story" yet - there are lots of bright colours and things to see in the pictures. I can see him enjoying it more and more as he gets older as we discuss the content of the pictures (people, animals, clowns, magicians...) My only problem is to stop my son from eating the book! The CD is a great bonus.

Entertaining!!, 19 Jun 2008
my son just loves this book and will sit for ages looking through each page as there is so much happening at every turn including the texture of the cut out sections....i would definately recommend it.

great book, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old has had this book for a while, and loves it.
It's great fun to sing through it with him, he loves turning the pages, and he always picks this book up if there's more than one choice in front of him.
A lovely, colourful, and fun book for all.

Great fun, 21 Mar 2008
It's great when a children's rhyme we all know is given a new lease of life. This book does this. Yes there is the bus, yes there are the wheels and all the rest, but there is so much going on in each picture and each picture is so full of colour and life, that my youngster never gets tired of the book.
That's the best recommendation I can give.

This book ROCKS, 13 Jan 2008
A major favourite with my 18 month old girl. She requests it about 10 times a day, sits on my lap and ROCKS - no other way to put it. She does the wipers with her arms flailing, sticks her little fingers through the holes to turn the pages and observes the well drawn detail of doggies, butterflies etc etc. Much recommended! But of course you can't just read it, you've got to sing it and do the actions/ baby signs too!

One of best books ever written, 10 Apr 2008
This is one of my favourite books and one I constantly re-read. I love all the characters, especially the way they are neither beautiful or perfect people. But the main reason I love this book is the character of Rochester and the way he loves Jane. He is definitely my favourite hero of all time.

Jane Eyre, 30 Mar 2008
My mom recommended that I read this book because it is a classic romance and I love Pride and Prejudice and Emma which are the same genre. My mom was right.
Jane is a likable character because she is so brave and head strong and through out the whole second half of the book I was mentally screaming at her to go back to Mr Rochester. I mean, who cares that he is already married.
A bit frustrating how I didn't get what I wanted until the last few chapters and how she was actually thinking of marrying St John.
Recommend it highly.
Now all I need to do is to watch the film.
By Nicole, aged 15.

the best love lines in history?, 07 Mar 2008
I've just read and re-read and re-read again this fabulous book after many years alongside the Wide Sargasso Sea for a book club I belong to.
Try out page 250 for some of the best love lines ever written - who couldn't love Rochester after his proposal, even if he plays games with Jane? I'd forgotten how humourous and fun some of the dialogue is between them - this is at heart a happy and hopeful book, and not half as gothic as Wuthering Heights. Jane's best words are the speech she says in her own head 'I care for myself...'.This is a female character who is unafraid to love passionately but maintains her integrity and keeps her faith and humanity intact by the end of the book. Ditch the cynic and let the words flow over you.

My all time favourtie, 17 Feb 2008
This was the first "grown up" book that i ever read and i still re-read it now 13 years on. It is a tale that has everything you could want from a novel and truly is a classic. Unlike her sister emily, charlotte bronte does not bog down the story with too many words so this is more readable than the complicated (albeit brilliant) wuthering heights. I did not take to charlotte bronte's other novels but this one i would recommend to everyone. If you have not read this book then i feel you are missing out.

not very good, 15 Feb 2008
After hearing all the talk about this book i was expecting something a bit more pleasing to the mind.
Jane seemed like a perfectly nice girl, but she has an annoying way of thinking that she is the one with all the brains in the book.
I did not like the way that charlotte bronte wrote the order of events that happened in the story.
All in all, very dissapointing.

Perhaps she'll die?, 09 Oct 2008
I loved this book when I was little. I'm sure we had the paper version. But my 10 month old daughter now loves the indestructable board version. A must have.

Lovely, well-illustrated book, 03 Oct 2008
My toddler realy enjoys singing along, but I'm not sure he gets the significance of 'perhaps she'll die' - it's great fun, but it is irritating that each page shows both the new animal being introduced and the next one along - so that when I'm singing about the dog, the lad is shouting 'cow, daddy, look, cow'. But excellent for all that.

A childhood classic, 15 Sep 2008
A childhood favorite that I now share with my son. The imaginative book design with holes encourages interaction and is always stimulating. Any child who has been read this book at my house soon gets their own copy! Enjoy.

Brings back childhood memories, 31 Jul 2008
I love this book! I remember it from when I was a kid, (more than 30 years ago!) I have been searching for it for ages for my 3 year old son who loves books, and he loves it too. Not sure if it has changed over the years, but it's very much the same as I remember it to be.

My toddler prefers other sing along books, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old little boy has this, along with other sing along books, he's never taken to this one.
He much prefers "the wheels on the bus", I'm not sure if it's because this book isn't very colourful.
I have to say I was pretty disappointed with it when it arrived.




Warm and real, 12 Oct 2008
It's something comforting about Maeve Binchy's books. The cliché about a book being like a good friend, is so very right in her case. Of course, one is interested in finding out what happens to the characters, but there is no hurry. In the case of this book, it is much more preferable to sit down with a cup of tea and read quietly a couple of hours before going to bed.

"Heart and Soul" is a book to be devoured and there are many actors on the stage in Dublin. First there is Clara Casey, senior cardiac specialist at a new heart clinic at St. Brigid's Hospital, Clara's two daughters Adi and Linda, who in their twenties are having trouble settling down and finally her ex-husband Alan, who is asking Clara for a divorce in order to marry a much younger woman.

Coming to work at the clinic is also Ania, a young girl who has travelled from Poland in order to mend a broken heart. Young Doctor Declan Carroll was originally meant to spend a six-month posting but meats beautiful nurse Fiona. And then there is Father Bryan Flynn, whose life is turned upside down when his reputation is threatened.
"Heart and Soul" is a book about ordinary people with ordinary lives. Joy and sorrow, struggle and hopes. And as always, the author shows us the importance of the small things in life - which often do not prove so small after all.

Maeve Binchy is a wonderful storyteller, who has once again written a book which grows on the reader and is slowly creeping into our heart and soul.

Enjoy!

A feast for the heart AND the soul, 11 Oct 2008
When I picked this book up, I knew it would contain characters who would become important to me and situations I would think about. I was not disappointed. I found Clara Casey to be a thoroughly engaging central character and the focal point of a clinic was a good choice, with the dramas and lives of the staff and patients providing a great narrative.

However, the real joy was in picking up the threads of other characters from Scarlet Feather, Nights of Rain and Stars and also Whitethorn Woods.

I was hooked until the end and am now almost desperate to book a table at Quentins - Early Bird menu for me though! Thank you Maeve.

Mr Spanks revenge, 01 Oct 2008
This is the second book I have read of CB's and was not dissapointed. I do however have to concede I enjoyed his last book Unsinkable Rubber Ducks more. It's difficult to say why, because both are really well crafted books that keep the reader engaged. I just felt that this didnt quite hit the bullseye regarding any real humour and its slightly convoluted plotline.Having said all that I would really recommend anyone to read a Brookmyre novel.

Not so much Dubh Ardrain as Down a Drain, 23 Sep 2008
This book reads as if it's been written over a period of time with large spaces between each bout of writing. It draws strongly on The Sacred Art of Stealing and shares some of the same characters, however the plot is not nearly as strong as TSAoS. The mini set pieces within the main story don't 'hang' together properly or form a cohesive whole. Brookmyre seems to seek to shock the reader with lots of (senseless) killing and little actual storyline. As with a lot of Brookmyre's work, the story appears to serve as a platform for the author's own political rants. This may fill the pages, but hardly makes it into a page turner. If you liked TSAoS don't think this will be a suitable sequel, it's not a patch.

Massively entertaining, 18 Sep 2008
A hard boiled heroine, a sensitive intelligent hero, a black hearted villain with a passion for indie pop, vicious satire of contemporary media culture, exuberant wit, sufficient plot twists to turn one cross-eyed.

Nope, I can't find anything not to like. A thoroughly recommended and entertaining raead

Sharp, Witty, Genius, 13 Sep 2008
I am a big fan of CB and have been since I first read Quite Ugly One Morning many many years ago. I thought this was brilliant, right up there with All Fun and Games and a Big Boy Did It (And Ran Away). Thought provoking, funny, I will never watch reality TV in the same way again. It was only a matter of time before someone had a crack at the plethora of wannabe celebrities out there and I for one am glad it was someone with Brookmyre's wit and intelligence that did it. Not since I read 'Silence of the Lambs" have I secretly rooted for the serial killer and yet been glad to witness his downfall at the hands of a clever nemesis (or nemesi - whatever the plural is). Brilliant. Funny. Recommend it to friends and strangers.

Alakazammy, stairheid rammy, 13 Sep 2008
Alakazammy stairheid rammy ! The perfect recipe add your best hero DI de Xavia resurrect your best villian Simon Darcourt, sprinkle with the charisma of the brilliant thief/magician Zal add lashings of dark cutting satire and shape into one of the best reads of 2008 so far.

So Simon Dacourt terrorist for hire last seen in A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away is not dead after all he's targeting celebrities and playing out his sick games through the Internet and dominating the media but for what reason why after all these years has he blown his cover ?
De xavia who brought about his demise last time is tasked with capturing him and recruits Zal (The Sacred Art Of Stealing) to assist

What follows is a fantastic story with loads of laugh out funny moments and a huge amount of twists and turns that any thriller writer would be proud, there is no way is anyone is going to guess what is going to happen next

Simon Cowell , big brother, wags, x factor, and right wing columnists are just some of the targets for his dark superb satire
With some fantastic funny uniquely Scottish turn of phrases that would make a builder blush

Hands up I thought after his last two novels that Brookmyre was on the wane but that was obviously just a bit of misdirection but not only is this a resounding turn to form but I think the might well be the best of all twelve of Brookmyre's books.






Great colourful pictures , 23 Jun 2008
My son is only 5 months, but he loves looking at this book even if he doesn't understand the "story" yet - there are lots of bright colours and things to see in the pictures. I can see him enjoying it more and more as he gets older as we discuss the content of the pictures (people, animals, clowns, magicians...) My only problem is to stop my son from eating the book! The CD is a great bonus.

Entertaining!!, 19 Jun 2008
my son just loves this book and will sit for ages looking through each page as there is so much happening at every turn including the texture of the cut out sections....i would definately recommend it.

great book, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old has had this book for a while, and loves it.
It's great fun to sing through it with him, he loves turning the pages, and he always picks this book up if there's more than one choice in front of him.
A lovely, colourful, and fun book for all.

Great fun, 21 Mar 2008
It's great when a children's rhyme we all know is given a new lease of life. This book does this. Yes there is the bus, yes there are the wheels and all the rest, but there is so much going on in each picture and each picture is so full of colour and life, that my youngster never gets tired of the book.
That's the best recommendation I can give.

This book ROCKS, 13 Jan 2008
A major favourite with my 18 month old girl. She requests it about 10 times a day, sits on my lap and ROCKS - no other way to put it. She does the wipers with her arms flailing, sticks her little fingers through the holes to turn the pages and observes the well drawn detail of doggies, butterflies etc etc. Much recommended! But of course you can't just read it, you've got to sing it and do the actions/ baby signs too!

One of best books ever written, 10 Apr 2008
This is one of my favourite books and one I constantly re-read. I love all the characters, especially the way they are neither beautiful or perfect people. But the main reason I love this book is the character of Rochester and the way he loves Jane. He is definitely my favourite hero of all time.

Jane Eyre, 30 Mar 2008
My mom recommended that I read this book because it is a classic romance and I love Pride and Prejudice and Emma which are the same genre. My mom was right.
Jane is a likable character because she is so brave and head strong and through out the whole second half of the book I was mentally screaming at her to go back to Mr Rochester. I mean, who cares that he is already married.
A bit frustrating how I didn't get what I wanted until the last few chapters and how she was actually thinking of marrying St John.
Recommend it highly.
Now all I need to do is to watch the film.
By Nicole, aged 15.

the best love lines in history?, 07 Mar 2008
I've just read and re-read and re-read again this fabulous book after many years alongside the Wide Sargasso Sea for a book club I belong to.
Try out page 250 for some of the best love lines ever written - who couldn't love Rochester after his proposal, even if he plays games with Jane? I'd forgotten how humourous and fun some of the dialogue is between them - this is at heart a happy and hopeful book, and not half as gothic as Wuthering Heights. Jane's best words are the speech she says in her own head 'I care for myself...'.This is a female character who is unafraid to love passionately but maintains her integrity and keeps her faith and humanity intact by the end of the book. Ditch the cynic and let the words flow over you.

My all time favourtie, 17 Feb 2008
This was the first "grown up" book that i ever read and i still re-read it now 13 years on. It is a tale that has everything you could want from a novel and truly is a classic. Unlike her sister emily, charlotte bronte does not bog down the story with too many words so this is more readable than the complicated (albeit brilliant) wuthering heights. I did not take to charlotte bronte's other novels but this one i would recommend to everyone. If you have not read this book then i feel you are missing out.

not very good, 15 Feb 2008
After hearing all the talk about this book i was expecting something a bit more pleasing to the mind.
Jane seemed like a perfectly nice girl, but she has an annoying way of thinking that she is the one with all the brains in the book.
I did not like the way that charlotte bronte wrote the order of events that happened in the story.
All in all, very dissapointing.

Misleading Advertising by Penguin!, 22 Aug 2008
I thought it was time to expand my reading horizons with some classic literature without blowing my budget, so this Penguin Popular Classic at £2 seemed the ideal choice, particularly as, when I used the 'Search Inside' facility, it showed in the list of contents a preface, chronology, introduction and further reading.

When I received the book, these 42 pages were missing, and on closer inspection I see the 'Search Inside' facility shows a completely different, more expensive Penguin edition.

This seems highly misleading to me - it's disappointing that a publisher with the status of Penguin would mislead customers like this.

5 stars for the story, reduced to 3 for cheating!!

The height of great literature, 22 Jun 2008
I've lost count of the number of times I've read this; but every time something else jumps out at me. There is something so different and hard to pin down - indefinable - about what exactly it is that makes this book so unique.

Heathcliffe and the first Catherine are almost demented in their wild passions - almost as if Emily Bronte were taking the idea of romance and passion to in insane extreme - and one of the strongest themes in the book is whether the lovers meet again after death. It seems incredible that at the two houses no one seems to shop, either for clothes or food - there is little interest in normal human bodily life or functions. A Bronte scholar, Thomas Moser, believed that Emile Bronte wrote the final famous sentence to the book without irony. "...wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers, for the sleepers in that quiet earth". But to me, the whole book hinges around the concept of the possibility of fanatic love overcoming death, though perhaps not to the benefit of the lovers. Far better to attain the rational, human life experience - that of Hareton and the second Catherine.


A heartbreaking love story!, 26 May 2008
One of the great love stories and a brilliantly written book. It deserves it reputation as there has never been a love story quite like the one between Cathy and Heathcliffe.

Dont make prejudgements, 07 Apr 2008
This is a fantastic novel. I am trying to read some "classics" at the moment instead of my usual diet of Stephen King etc and this is the first one I have read that I have enjoyed from start to finish.
I think everyone will take different conclusions from this book, some will side with Heathcliff and Catherine, and some will feel sympathy for the wreckage they leave behind in their determination to be together.

The setting and the relationships between characters and the wild surroundings of the moor are also richly portrayed.

Highly recommended and no boring tale of Victorian morals at all.

'A Haunting Masterpiece....You Will Never Forget!', 24 Mar 2008
I first studied Wuthering Heights as part of my A-Levels,taught to me by a quite inspirational teacher and it is a book I can return to over and over again. It is, simply one of the most poignant and unforgettable love stories ever told. The characters of Cathy and Heathcliff set against the craggy moorland scenery are indelible in English Literature and serve to live in the imagination of the reader. The Force of their destructive love serves a cycle of Love, Hate and ultimately, Revenge. Emily Bronte's genius as a poet shines in this novel through the language of Heathcliff, as 20 years after the death of Catherine, his love for her is as ardent as he declares in one of the most moving passages, " In every cloud, in every tree I am surrounded by her image....the entire world is a dreadful collection of memorandum that she did exist and that I had lost her..." This is a novel you must read at least once in your life...and feel glad and exhalted that you did!

Perhaps she'll die?, 09 Oct 2008
I loved this book when I was little. I'm sure we had the paper version. But my 10 month old daughter now loves the indestructable board version. A must have.

Lovely, well-illustrated book, 03 Oct 2008
My toddler realy enjoys singing along, but I'm not sure he gets the significance of 'perhaps she'll die' - it's great fun, but it is irritating that each page shows both the new animal being introduced and the next one along - so that when I'm singing about the dog, the lad is shouting 'cow, daddy, look, cow'. But excellent for all that.

A childhood classic, 15 Sep 2008
A childhood favorite that I now share with my son. The imaginative book design with holes encourages interaction and is always stimulating. Any child who has been read this book at my house soon gets their own copy! Enjoy.

Brings back childhood memories, 31 Jul 2008
I love this book! I remember it from when I was a kid, (more than 30 years ago!) I have been searching for it for ages for my 3 year old son who loves books, and he loves it too. Not sure if it has changed over the years, but it's very much the same as I remember it to be.

My toddler prefers other sing along books, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old little boy has this, along with other sing along books, he's never taken to this one.
He much prefers "the wheels on the bus", I'm not sure if it's because this book isn't very colourful.
I have to say I was pretty disappointed with it when it arrived.




Warm and real, 12 Oct 2008
It's something comforting about Maeve Binchy's books. The cliché about a book being like a good friend, is so very right in her case. Of course, one is interested in finding out what happens to the characters, but there is no hurry. In the case of this book, it is much more preferable to sit down with a cup of tea and read quietly a couple of hours before going to bed.

"Heart and Soul" is a book to be devoured and there are many actors on the stage in Dublin. First there is Clara Casey, senior cardiac specialist at a new heart clinic at St. Brigid's Hospital, Clara's two daughters Adi and Linda, who in their twenties are having trouble settling down and finally her ex-husband Alan, who is asking Clara for a divorce in order to marry a much younger woman.

Coming to work at the clinic is also Ania, a young girl who has travelled from Poland in order to mend a broken heart. Young Doctor Declan Carroll was originally meant to spend a six-month posting but meats beautiful nurse Fiona. And then there is Father Bryan Flynn, whose life is turned upside down when his reputation is threatened.
"Heart and Soul" is a book about ordinary people with ordinary lives. Joy and sorrow, struggle and hopes. And as always, the author shows us the importance of the small things in life - which often do not prove so small after all.

Maeve Binchy is a wonderful storyteller, who has once again written a book which grows on the reader and is slowly creeping into our heart and soul.

Enjoy!

A feast for the heart AND the soul, 11 Oct 2008
When I picked this book up, I knew it would contain characters who would become important to me and situations I would think about. I was not disappointed. I found Clara Casey to be a thoroughly engaging central character and the focal point of a clinic was a good choice, with the dramas and lives of the staff and patients providing a great narrative.

However, the real joy was in picking up the threads of other characters from Scarlet Feather, Nights of Rain and Stars and also Whitethorn Woods.

I was hooked until the end and am now almost desperate to book a table at Quentins - Early Bird menu for me though! Thank you Maeve.

Mr Spanks revenge, 01 Oct 2008
This is the second book I have read of CB's and was not dissapointed. I do however have to concede I enjoyed his last book Unsinkable Rubber Ducks more. It's difficult to say why, because both are really well crafted books that keep the reader engaged. I just felt that this didnt quite hit the bullseye regarding any real humour and its slightly convoluted plotline.Having said all that I would really recommend anyone to read a Brookmyre novel.

Not so much Dubh Ardrain as Down a Drain, 23 Sep 2008
This book reads as if it's been written over a period of time with large spaces between each bout of writing. It draws strongly on The Sacred Art of Stealing and shares some of the same characters, however the plot is not nearly as strong as TSAoS. The mini set pieces within the main story don't 'hang' together properly or form a cohesive whole. Brookmyre seems to seek to shock the reader with lots of (senseless) killing and little actual storyline. As with a lot of Brookmyre's work, the story appears to serve as a platform for the author's own political rants. This may fill the pages, but hardly makes it into a page turner. If you liked TSAoS don't think this will be a suitable sequel, it's not a patch.

Massively entertaining, 18 Sep 2008
A hard boiled heroine, a sensitive intelligent hero, a black hearted villain with a passion for indie pop, vicious satire of contemporary media culture, exuberant wit, sufficient plot twists to turn one cross-eyed.

Nope, I can't find anything not to like. A thoroughly recommended and entertaining raead

Sharp, Witty, Genius, 13 Sep 2008
I am a big fan of CB and have been since I first read Quite Ugly One Morning many many years ago. I thought this was brilliant, right up there with All Fun and Games and a Big Boy Did It (And Ran Away). Thought provoking, funny, I will never watch reality TV in the same way again. It was only a matter of time before someone had a crack at the plethora of wannabe celebrities out there and I for one am glad it was someone with Brookmyre's wit and intelligence that did it. Not since I read 'Silence of the Lambs" have I secretly rooted for the serial killer and yet been glad to witness his downfall at the hands of a clever nemesis (or nemesi - whatever the plural is). Brilliant. Funny. Recommend it to friends and strangers.

Alakazammy, stairheid rammy, 13 Sep 2008
Alakazammy stairheid rammy ! The perfect recipe add your best hero DI de Xavia resurrect your best villian Simon Darcourt, sprinkle with the charisma of the brilliant thief/magician Zal add lashings of dark cutting satire and shape into one of the best reads of 2008 so far.

So Simon Dacourt terrorist for hire last seen in A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away is not dead after all he's targeting celebrities and playing out his sick games through the Internet and dominating the media but for what reason why after all these years has he blown his cover ?
De xavia who brought about his demise last time is tasked with capturing him and recruits Zal (The Sacred Art Of Stealing) to assist

What follows is a fantastic story with loads of laugh out funny moments and a huge amount of twists and turns that any thriller writer would be proud, there is no way is anyone is going to guess what is going to happen next

Simon Cowell , big brother, wags, x factor, and right wing columnists are just some of the targets for his dark superb satire
With some fantastic funny uniquely Scottish turn of phrases that would make a builder blush

Hands up I thought after his last two novels that Brookmyre was on the wane but that was obviously just a bit of misdirection but not only is this a resounding turn to form but I think the might well be the best of all twelve of Brookmyre's books.






Great colourful pictures , 23 Jun 2008
My son is only 5 months, but he loves looking at this book even if he doesn't understand the "story" yet - there are lots of bright colours and things to see in the pictures. I can see him enjoying it more and more as he gets older as we discuss the content of the pictures (people, animals, clowns, magicians...) My only problem is to stop my son from eating the book! The CD is a great bonus.

Entertaining!!, 19 Jun 2008
my son just loves this book and will sit for ages looking through each page as there is so much happening at every turn including the texture of the cut out sections....i would definately recommend it.

great book, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old has had this book for a while, and loves it.
It's great fun to sing through it with him, he loves turning the pages, and he always picks this book up if there's more than one choice in front of him.
A lovely, colourful, and fun book for all.

Great fun, 21 Mar 2008
It's great when a children's rhyme we all know is given a new lease of life. This book does this. Yes there is the bus, yes there are the wheels and all the rest, but there is so much going on in each picture and each picture is so full of colour and life, that my youngster never gets tired of the book.
That's the best recommendation I can give.

This book ROCKS, 13 Jan 2008
A major favourite with my 18 month old girl. She requests it about 10 times a day, sits on my lap and ROCKS - no other way to put it. She does the wipers with her arms flailing, sticks her little fingers through the holes to turn the pages and observes the well drawn detail of doggies, butterflies etc etc. Much recommended! But of course you can't just read it, you've got to sing it and do the actions/ baby signs too!

One of best books ever written, 10 Apr 2008
This is one of my favourite books and one I constantly re-read. I love all the characters, especially the way they are neither beautiful or perfect people. But the main reason I love this book is the character of Rochester and the way he loves Jane. He is definitely my favourite hero of all time.

Jane Eyre, 30 Mar 2008
My mom recommended that I read this book because it is a classic romance and I love Pride and Prejudice and Emma which are the same genre. My mom was right.
Jane is a likable character because she is so brave and head strong and through out the whole second half of the book I was mentally screaming at her to go back to Mr Rochester. I mean, who cares that he is already married.
A bit frustrating how I didn't get what I wanted until the last few chapters and how she was actually thinking of marrying St John.
Recommend it highly.
Now all I need to do is to watch the film.
By Nicole, aged 15.

the best love lines in history?, 07 Mar 2008
I've just read and re-read and re-read again this fabulous book after many years alongside the Wide Sargasso Sea for a book club I belong to.
Try out page 250 for some of the best love lines ever written - who couldn't love Rochester after his proposal, even if he plays games with Jane? I'd forgotten how humourous and fun some of the dialogue is between them - this is at heart a happy and hopeful book, and not half as gothic as Wuthering Heights. Jane's best words are the speech she says in her own head 'I care for myself...'.This is a female character who is unafraid to love passionately but maintains her integrity and keeps her faith and humanity intact by the end of the book. Ditch the cynic and let the words flow over you.

My all time favourtie, 17 Feb 2008
This was the first "grown up" book that i ever read and i still re-read it now 13 years on. It is a tale that has everything you could want from a novel and truly is a classic. Unlike her sister emily, charlotte bronte does not bog down the story with too many words so this is more readable than the complicated (albeit brilliant) wuthering heights. I did not take to charlotte bronte's other novels but this one i would recommend to everyone. If you have not read this book then i feel you are missing out.

not very good, 15 Feb 2008
After hearing all the talk about this book i was expecting something a bit more pleasing to the mind.
Jane seemed like a perfectly nice girl, but she has an annoying way of thinking that she is the one with all the brains in the book.
I did not like the way that charlotte bronte wrote the order of events that happened in the story.
All in all, very dissapointing.

Misleading Advertising by Penguin!, 22 Aug 2008
I thought it was time to expand my reading horizons with some classic literature without blowing my budget, so this Penguin Popular Classic at £2 seemed the ideal choice, particularly as, when I used the 'Search Inside' facility, it showed in the list of contents a preface, chronology, introduction and further reading.

When I received the book, these 42 pages were missing, and on closer inspection I see the 'Search Inside' facility shows a completely different, more expensive Penguin edition.

This seems highly misleading to me - it's disappointing that a publisher with the status of Penguin would mislead customers like this.

5 stars for the story, reduced to 3 for cheating!!

The height of great literature, 22 Jun 2008
I've lost count of the number of times I've read this; but every time something else jumps out at me. There is something so different and hard to pin down - indefinable - about what exactly it is that makes this book so unique.

Heathcliffe and the first Catherine are almost demented in their wild passions - almost as if Emily Bronte were taking the idea of romance and passion to in insane extreme - and one of the strongest themes in the book is whether the lovers meet again after death. It seems incredible that at the two houses no one seems to shop, either for clothes or food - there is little interest in normal human bodily life or functions. A Bronte scholar, Thomas Moser, believed that Emile Bronte wrote the final famous sentence to the book without irony. "...wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers, for the sleepers in that quiet earth". But to me, the whole book hinges around the concept of the possibility of fanatic love overcoming death, though perhaps not to the benefit of the lovers. Far better to attain the rational, human life experience - that of Hareton and the second Catherine.


A heartbreaking love story!, 26 May 2008
One of the great love stories and a brilliantly written book. It deserves it reputation as there has never been a love story quite like the one between Cathy and Heathcliffe.

Dont make prejudgements, 07 Apr 2008
This is a fantastic novel. I am trying to read some "classics" at the moment instead of my usual diet of Stephen King etc and this is the first one I have read that I have enjoyed from start to finish.
I think everyone will take different conclusions from this book, some will side with Heathcliff and Catherine, and some will feel sympathy for the wreckage they leave behind in their determination to be together.

The setting and the relationships between characters and the wild surroundings of the moor are also richly portrayed.

Highly recommended and no boring tale of Victorian morals at all.

'A Haunting Masterpiece....You Will Never Forget!', 24 Mar 2008
I first studied Wuthering Heights as part of my A-Levels,taught to me by a quite inspirational teacher and it is a book I can return to over and over again. It is, simply one of the most poignant and unforgettable love stories ever told. The characters of Cathy and Heathcliff set against the craggy moorland scenery are indelible in English Literature and serve to live in the imagination of the reader. The Force of their destructive love serves a cycle of Love, Hate and ultimately, Revenge. Emily Bronte's genius as a poet shines in this novel through the language of Heathcliff, as 20 years after the death of Catherine, his love for her is as ardent as he declares in one of the most moving passages, " In every cloud, in every tree I am surrounded by her image....the entire world is a dreadful collection of memorandum that she did exist and that I had lost her..." This is a novel you must read at least once in your life...and feel glad and exhalted that you did!


National Frailty, 25 Aug 2008
Fortunately, Alan Bennett has already declined a knighthood - meeting England's sword wielding Queen after publishing The Uncommon Reader might be a little, shall we say, 'ambiguous'.

But then again, Alan Bennett has a charm and humour which might, if the present monarch does actually read, disarm even the most, "We are not amused!"

The story is simple; England's Queen suddenly develops a passion for reading which humanises her. It does not, however, result in any final satisfaction and at the end of the book we are left with a twist that seems to be setting Mrs Windsor off on a whole new adventure.

In such stark outline it is a piece of amusing trivia ... and I've read several reviews which don't seem to have moved beyond this level of comprehension: That is to greatly underestimate both Mr Bennett and his understanding of the character of the British Monarchy. It is also to reduce what is an interesting essay into the relationship between reader and writer to mere amusement.

Bennett is superb with 'odd' characters - his Talking Heads series takes individuals and exposes both the bleakness and the richness of their humanity.

He does a similar job here on 'The Queen'. But to mistake the character for the real thing is to mistake Mr Bennett's purpose ...

The Queen of England (Elizabeth II - she doesn't even have a real family name!) represents in a way which is unique in the modern world, a nation. That nation is not even England ... it is the United Kingdoms of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or UK. The poor woman has even got the extra burden of several other states and nations tucked around her.

As such, any individuality or personality has been subsumed under the mantel of duty ...and that is Mr Bennett's starting point. Through her passion for reading, the character of the Queen undergoes an education which releases her individuality and causes her to reject that lifetime of duty.

This is, of course, a manifesto and a metaphor ... if the Queen is representative of the UK then it is as duty bound as she and there is a need for the liberating effect of reading.

But it goes beyond being a simple cry for more education, it is a call for the appreciation of the creative in us all.

As the Queen, tentatively at first, makes her way through the world of literature she absorbs everything from high to low. It causes her to ask embarrassing questions about Jean Genet of the French President; to force old paperback copies of Hardy's poetry on the Prime Minister; to eventually send her private secretary back home to the bleakness of the southern hemisphere.

The early journey is supported by the dish-washing homosexual 'Norman' - too ugly to make it as page. His promotion upstairs leads to resentment and his eventual removal whilst the Queen is away both fortunate and unfortunate.

Prince Philip trots around like one of 'the dogs' and several un-named grandchildren flit in and out. So too do a remarkable list of authors, all given a little pungent assessment - which is one of the delights of the book.

Politicians are given short shrift ... but not the main character herself. There is an affection in the writing which belies the suggestion that Mr Bennett is taking a swipe at the monarchy. He's too good a writer for that.

Oh, by the way - it is very, very witty!

Short & sweet... oh, and really funny too!!, 20 Aug 2008
If you need some brightening up at the end of a dull day, then this is the book to pick up. It's deliciously entertaining and great fun and will take you no more than a couple of hours to read.

'It was the dogs' fault.' The Queen's corgis, sensing an imposter in their garden, go racing around the terrace barking away at what turns out to be the City of Westminster mobile library. The Queen feels compelled to take out a book, choosing an Ivy Compton-Burnett novel, and from here the Queen's interest in literature begins. Her appetite for books becomes insatiable as she works through many different authors, and as her public duties begin to suffer (in the eyes of her private secretary, Sir Kevin), her equerries, under the instruction of Sir Kevin, conspire to bring her literary quest to an end.

Pure unadulterated delight - the perfect booklovers' bedtime companion.

An Ode to Reading and its Constant Delights, 19 Aug 2008
This is the loveliest little book I've read since I discovered Helene Hanff's "84 Charing Cross Road" a million years ago. Using the Queen as his catalyst, Alan Bennett gives us this love story between a new reader and the world that opens to her through the magic of books. He could be speaking of any bibliophile, but because it is Her Royal Highness, the opportunities for wit and plot twists in this slim volume are multiplied exponentially. There were several beautiful quotes which I will be adding to my favorites list, and I recognized myself on every page as a person who struggles to find time to read and resents having the obligations of everyday life intrude upon that time.

Time spent reading is never wasted; furthermore, time spent reading The Uncommon Reader will be looked back upon with great affection.

An enchanting story, 13 Aug 2008
This little novella is a real gem. It depicts the burgeoning interest in the Queen for reading novels when her corgis one day lead her unwittingly into the Westminster mobile library and the tender clutches of its librarian and a ginger haired palace servant with a taste for gay literature.

It is gentle, amusing and dryly witty. I loved it. On a drab, rainy Wednesday with three children to entertain I unashamedly stuck them in front of the television for an hour and escaped to a world where the Queen chats to the French Prime Minister about Genet and thinks of writing her memoirs a la Proust. Lovely

Is Bennett the Jane Austen of the 21st century?, 12 Aug 2008
From the pun in the title (all non-titled persons who marry into the Royal Family are always referred to as "commoners") to the Queen's cliff hanging closing sentence, this is a very amusing and great ride in precision writing where every word and nuance counts over its 120 pocket sized edition pages.

Bennett casts his nets (and barbs) against a story line of the Queen discovering the joys of reading at a late age and the reactions this creates amongst all those around her. These cover a wide panorama outside the Royal Family's imperiousness and the Queen's foibles (arrogance does not seem a fair judgement given her mother and upbringing) to the Queen's relationship with prime ministers, especially Blair and Alistair Campbell (the two most acidic of his observations); society's views of gays; and, the obstructive infrastructure surrounding the Queen of private secretaries, privy councils and equerries.

In its own concise way, yet further proof that Bennett across his most recent writings seems to have become the Jane Austen of the late 20th./early 21st century with his observations on the manners of certain social elites and groupings and their interactions.

Perhaps she'll die?, 09 Oct 2008
I loved this book when I was little. I'm sure we had the paper version. But my 10 month old daughter now loves the indestructable board version. A must have.

Lovely, well-illustrated book, 03 Oct 2008
My toddler realy enjoys singing along, but I'm not sure he gets the significance of 'perhaps she'll die' - it's great fun, but it is irritating that each page shows both the new animal being introduced and the next one along - so that when I'm singing about the dog, the lad is shouting 'cow, daddy, look, cow'. But excellent for all that.

A childhood classic, 15 Sep 2008
A childhood favorite that I now share with my son. The imaginative book design with holes encourages interaction and is always stimulating. Any child who has been read this book at my house soon gets their own copy! Enjoy.

Brings back childhood memories, 31 Jul 2008
I love this book! I remember it from when I was a kid, (more than 30 years ago!) I have been searching for it for ages for my 3 year old son who loves books, and he loves it too. Not sure if it has changed over the years, but it's very much the same as I remember it to be.

My toddler prefers other sing along books, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old little boy has this, along with other sing along books, he's never taken to this one.
He much prefers "the wheels on the bus", I'm not sure if it's because this book isn't very colourful.
I have to say I was pretty disappointed with it when it arrived.




Warm and real, 12 Oct 2008
It's something comforting about Maeve Binchy's books. The cliché about a book being like a good friend, is so very right in her case. Of course, one is interested in finding out what happens to the characters, but there is no hurry. In the case of this book, it is much more preferable to sit down with a cup of tea and read quietly a couple of hours before going to bed.

"Heart and Soul" is a book to be devoured and there are many actors on the stage in Dublin. First there is Clara Casey, senior cardiac specialist at a new heart clinic at St. Brigid's Hospital, Clara's two daughters Adi and Linda, who in their twenties are having trouble settling down and finally her ex-husband Alan, who is asking Clara for a divorce in order to marry a much younger woman.

Coming to work at the clinic is also Ania, a young girl who has travelled from Poland in order to mend a broken heart. Young Doctor Declan Carroll was originally meant to spend a six-month posting but meats beautiful nurse Fiona. And then there is Father Bryan Flynn, whose life is turned upside down when his reputation is threatened.
"Heart and Soul" is a book about ordinary people with ordinary lives. Joy and sorrow, struggle and hopes. And as always, the author shows us the importance of the small things in life - which often do not prove so small after all.

Maeve Binchy is a wonderful storyteller, who has once again written a book which grows on the reader and is slowly creeping into our heart and soul.

Enjoy!

A feast for the heart AND the soul, 11 Oct 2008
When I picked this book up, I knew it would contain characters who would become important to me and situations I would think about. I was not disappointed. I found Clara Casey to be a thoroughly engaging central character and the focal point of a clinic was a good choice, with the dramas and lives of the staff and patients providing a great narrative.

However, the real joy was in picking up the threads of other characters from Scarlet Feather, Nights of Rain and Stars and also Whitethorn Woods.

I was hooked until the end and am now almost desperate to book a table at Quentins - Early Bird menu for me though! Thank you Maeve.

Mr Spanks revenge, 01 Oct 2008
This is the second book I have read of CB's and was not dissapointed. I do however have to concede I enjoyed his last book Unsinkable Rubber Ducks more. It's difficult to say why, because both are really well crafted books that keep the reader engaged. I just felt that this didnt quite hit the bullseye regarding any real humour and its slightly convoluted plotline.Having said all that I would really recommend anyone to read a Brookmyre novel.

Not so much Dubh Ardrain as Down a Drain, 23 Sep 2008
This book reads as if it's been written over a period of time with large spaces between each bout of writing. It draws strongly on The Sacred Art of Stealing and shares some of the same characters, however the plot is not nearly as strong as TSAoS. The mini set pieces within the main story don't 'hang' together properly or form a cohesive whole. Brookmyre seems to seek to shock the reader with lots of (senseless) killing and little actual storyline. As with a lot of Brookmyre's work, the story appears to serve as a platform for the author's own political rants. This may fill the pages, but hardly makes it into a page turner. If you liked TSAoS don't think this will be a suitable sequel, it's not a patch.

Massively entertaining, 18 Sep 2008
A hard boiled heroine, a sensitive intelligent hero, a black hearted villain with a passion for indie pop, vicious satire of contemporary media culture, exuberant wit, sufficient plot twists to turn one cross-eyed.

Nope, I can't find anything not to like. A thoroughly recommended and entertaining raead

Sharp, Witty, Genius, 13 Sep 2008
I am a big fan of CB and have been since I first read Quite Ugly One Morning many many years ago. I thought this was brilliant, right up there with All Fun and Games and a Big Boy Did It (And Ran Away). Thought provoking, funny, I will never watch reality TV in the same way again. It was only a matter of time before someone had a crack at the plethora of wannabe celebrities out there and I for one am glad it was someone with Brookmyre's wit and intelligence that did it. Not since I read 'Silence of the Lambs" have I secretly rooted for the serial killer and yet been glad to witness his downfall at the hands of a clever nemesis (or nemesi - whatever the plural is). Brilliant. Funny. Recommend it to friends and strangers.

Alakazammy, stairheid rammy, 13 Sep 2008
Alakazammy stairheid rammy ! The perfect recipe add your best hero DI de Xavia resurrect your best villian Simon Darcourt, sprinkle with the charisma of the brilliant thief/magician Zal add lashings of dark cutting satire and shape into one of the best reads of 2008 so far.

So Simon Dacourt terrorist for hire last seen in A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away is not dead after all he's targeting celebrities and playing out his sick games through the Internet and dominating the media but for what reason why after all these years has he blown his cover ?
De xavia who brought about his demise last time is tasked with capturing him and recruits Zal (The Sacred Art Of Stealing) to assist

What follows is a fantastic story with loads of laugh out funny moments and a huge amount of twists and turns that any thriller writer would be proud, there is no way is anyone is going to guess what is going to happen next

Simon Cowell , big brother, wags, x factor, and right wing columnists are just some of the targets for his dark superb satire
With some fantastic funny uniquely Scottish turn of phrases that would make a builder blush

Hands up I thought after his last two novels that Brookmyre was on the wane but that was obviously just a bit of misdirection but not only is this a resounding turn to form but I think the might well be the best of all twelve of Brookmyre's books.






Great colourful pictures , 23 Jun 2008
My son is only 5 months, but he loves looking at this book even if he doesn't understand the "story" yet - there are lots of bright colours and things to see in the pictures. I can see him enjoying it more and more as he gets older as we discuss the content of the pictures (people, animals, clowns, magicians...) My only problem is to stop my son from eating the book! The CD is a great bonus.

Entertaining!!, 19 Jun 2008
my son just loves this book and will sit for ages looking through each page as there is so much happening at every turn including the texture of the cut out sections....i would definately recommend it.

great book, 06 May 2008
My 17 month old has had this book for a while, and loves it.
It's great fun to sing through it with him, he loves turning the pages, and he always picks this book up if there's more than one choice in fr