An easy read, certainly, and at times charming too: for example, when Miriam Gross talks of her return to Jerusalem. But there's little charm in all those lists of all the even more famous people the now famous author met at various times in her life. And - at least to those of us who have shared a part of Miriam's life - there is still less charm in her spiteful little caricatures, apparently designed to get back at fellow students, professors, colleagues and bosses who injured her in some way. One can only hope that most of those unfortunate enough to be the targets of her cruel wit either have very tough hides or are no longer around to read what she thinks of them - especially… Read more
The subtitle ("The Global Gestures Guide") suggests a book of considerable scope which would cover gesticulation from all over the world as thoroughly and effectively as Laurence Wylie's hilarious "Beaux Gestes" (1977) covered French body language. So it was a great disappointment to receive a very slim volume presenting a very few hand symbols from a very few oddly assorted countries. When the authors have spent several more years collecting examples, they may be able to put together an interesting book.
A Century of the Scottish people is everything I hoped for. Having read and enjoyed T.M. Devine's The Scottish Nation 1700-2007, I wanted to fill in the picture with more detail in order to understand the kind of lives my ancestors lived in various parts of Scotland. T.C. Smout is a wonderfully well-informed scholar who also writes really well and, on occasion, reveals a good sense of humour. This book is a great read for anyone interested in Scottish history.
