Three Complete Novels: The Andromeda Strain, The Terminal Man, and The Great Train Robbery

Book Description

Years before Jurassic Park, Michael Chrichton was known as The New York Times bestselling master of the techno-thriller. The three mesmerizing super-sellers in this collection--including his first novel, The Andromeda Strain--have sold well over 4 million copies and qualify as modern classics. Perfectly plotted stories that are fantastic, unbelievable and yet, somehow, very real, these novels pull the reader into bizarre situations full of spell-binding suspense, offering three great examples of the author's genius.

Customer Reviews:

Well Worth the Money.......2007-01-28

Three great stories in one. I must admit Terminal Man was required reading in highschool. My biology teacher was really excited about the technolgy in this story. The Andromeda Strain and Terminal Man simply wont have the same impact on a new reader today as it did in the 70's.

The real treat in this trilogy is the Great Train Robbery. I actually had the book for several years before I even bothered to read this story. I guess the title didnt grab me. The Andromeda Strain and Terminal Man were both very popular. Its a shame the Train story never quite took off like the other two. In my opinion, it's a superior story.

All 3 of Michael Crichton's Early Works in One!.......2007-01-23

I've read new works of Michael Crichton, and I liked them very much. Since these three books are the ones that threw him into a fame as a thriller, I decided to check it out. And I didn't believe there was a volume like this! Very good deal to have your favorite author's early works packed in one hardcover, since you can't find hardcovers in any book store these days, and only online is where you can buy, but then, all of the price combined is certainly greater than this one. Again, a very good deal at a very good price.

Crichton Review.......2007-01-11

Though somewhat early works of the author, they reflect a very versatile and lucid knowledge of his subject matter.

Three classic techno-thrillers in a bargain package.......2005-03-10

I bought this hardcover collection from the bargain section of my local bookstore a few years ago, mostly because I had been looking for a copy of The Great Train Robbery, but had not seen it available for sale separately. (I already owned a favorite, well-worn, read-many-times paperback of The Andromeda Strain from my teenage years, so I thought that getting that classic book in hardcover was an added bonus. Maybe, maybe not, as it turned out.)

[Warning: Slightly picayune, geeky detail follows!]
My one slight peeve with this reprint collection is that, as originally printed, The Andromeda Strain included as supporting documents in the text a lot of realistic-looking computer printouts, teletypes, and such. Some of the more graphic/pictorial of these were photo-reproduced in their original form for this reprint. But others... Decades ago, typewriters and similar equipment often did not have a separate key for the numeral one (1). You produced that character by simply typing a lowercase L (l). Now, in this reprint, they have modernized some of those teletype memos (presumably to make them look more like contemporary email and thus less antique) by setting them in modern type, and sometimes have put portions of them in UPPERCASE to make them look computerish. So NOW the lowercase typewriter "el"s -- many of which were really, in context, supposed to represent "one"s -- are now not only in a modern sans serif font (i.e. not a "typewriter" font), which would make them look no longer like numerals anyway, but are also printed as uppercase L!! Totally wrong. A minor thing, perhaps, but I think it slightly lessens the effectiveness and realism of these supporting details. They should either have either left these printouts completely alone and just photo-reproduced them (so WHAT that it looks like 1970s technology), OR taken the care and thought to properly "translate" them, letters AND numbers in proper context, to modern equipment.
[End of picayune complaint. You may now remove your propeller beanies.]

This collection includes three of Crichton's classic novels:

THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN

Crichton's first novel, and still one of his best. One of the books that first established the techno-thriller genre. Yes, some aspects of it are showing their age a bit, but it still reads well. Suspense never goes out of style! A tiny, isolated Arizona town is exposed to a re-entering space capsule containing a lethal micro-organism from Earth orbit. A team of scientists races time to determine the organism's properties and how to combat it, in a secret high-security facility built for just such an occurrence. This facility is equipped with a nuclear warhead to sterilize the area in case whatever bug is being studied there escapes. (A risky method in many ways, even apart from Cold War nuke paranoia.) There are many interesting plot elements, including the suspense of possible wide-scale public exposure to the mystery organism; the government security procedures and red tape; the cool technology; and the problem-solving detective work of the scientists -- including the puzzling fact that two of the townspeople inexplicably survived exposure to the deadly organism.

THE TERMINAL MAN

Another classic Crichton that I had heard about often but had not read until obtaining this collection. Probably my least favorite of the three novels included, but only because it has such huge competition from the other two. (And, of course, your mileage may vary.) A man suffering from violent seizures (as in, the seizures cause him to become violent against others) is given a "mental pacemaker" -- electrodes in the brain, controlled by a computer -- by way of treatment. (This was a very radical technological idea when the novel was first written!) The problem is that each stimulus, while it controls the symptoms of the current seizure, makes recurrence of ANOTHER seizure MORE likely, not less. The patient, who (surprise, surprise) manages to escape around this time, is headed for both an explosion and a collapse, as the seizures and resulting control stimuli become more and more frequent, like a dog chasing its tail. The theme here of scientific hubris is obvious, (and is one of the reasons that this novel is considered a classic) but even so, Terminal Man does not do as much for me personally as some of Crichton's other books.

THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY

Historical novel (the action takes place in the 1880s) meets true-crime thriller. A terrific book, full of interesting characters: The mysterious, but apparently high-class, well-educated Edward Pierce, the brains behind the notorious, spectacular robbery; his criminal-class accomplices, including prostitutes, brutal thugs, key-and-lock experts, pickpockets, burglars, etc.; the (still quite brand-new) London police; and the railway employees, officials, and upperclass-twit bankers that Pierce has to outsmart. The supporting details about Victorian life (the significance of recently-invented train transportation to the society, the fact that the age of consent was 12 at the time, the rise of the cities, the working conditions of the middle and lower class, the relationship between criminals and the police, etc.) are fascinating and well-researched, and they really do help the narrative along as well, they do not read like a history textbook. The planning of the robbery, including and especially obtaining the necessary keys to the safes on board the train, is fascinating, and intricate, and there is plenty of suspense from the unforseen obstacles that crop up along the way. These amazing true-to-life details of the robbery, by the way, come from ACTUAL TRANSCRIPTS of period courtroom testimony. (Yes, the perpetrators eventually found themselves in criminal court, but, amazingly, even that is NOT the end of the story!) Altogether, a brilliant and entertaining book, a real tour-de-force, and one of my personal favorites.

Rating

If I could, I would probably give this collection 4.5 stars, because of my picayune complaint mentioned earlier re: the Andromeda Strain transcription, and because I personally enjoy Terminal Man slightly less than the other two novels. I am rounding this up to 5, taking into account the great value these three books in one volume represents.

Any ONE of these books, but especially Train Robbery, in a nice hardcover binding would be worth the asking price of this three-novel set, so it's hard to go wrong with this item.

Terminal Man, nostolgic but still relevant.......2003-05-21

Although the Terminal Man is a little dated (1972), it was definitely a fun book. I have worked in a university hospital most of my working life-in fact the U of M is mentioned in passing in the book-and started my career in neurology. It was fun revisiting the medical world of the 70s. Some of the tests and equipment that the character Benson underwent bring back memories. Some have changed considerably since that time, and some are no longer used. The lounging chair in which Mr Benson had air forced into his spine to enlarge and visualize his ventricles was called the pneumoenchephologram. So passe is that exam these days, that when I asked a medical student if he had ever heard of it, he was honestly puzzled by the reference .

Interesting too were the "futuristic" devices that the author predicted in the book. Some of them or variants of them are in fact available now, small implantable batteries for pacemakers that can last for years for one. In other cases, what is available is actually better. At the time of the action of Terminal Man, the now ubiquitous CAT scan had only just begun to appear as cutting edge technology in it's first generation form called the ACTA scan. The MRI, if it existed at all, was probably still in experimental form if not still on the drawing board. The concept of what might more easily be described as a brain "defibrillator" which is surgically implanted to stop intractable seizures is now being attempted as a course of treatment. They have also been tried as a treatment depression. Most interesting is the notion of interfacing living tissue with computer wires to effect behavior-in Crichton's book violent behavior-is now being done successfully according to recent information in Scientific American-in the latter case muscular movement.

If nothing, else, Michael Crichton captures that sense of the boundless possibilities of expanding computer technology. I think he also brings to the forefront the moral and ethical issues that are bound to arise as science moves more and more into the arena of behavior, effecting what we believe we are as human beings. As in so many of Crichton's books, disaster follows when the hubris of science attempts to control nature, and simply having good intentions is not always adequate insurance that such disasters will not occur. As we face genetically altered plants and animals, genetically altered human beings, cloning and other types of human dictated changes in nature, these issues will come up more and more frequently. How we as a society, even as a world wide species, will greatly effect the world we and our children live in the future.

Amazon.com

Harry has a problem. Ever since getting in a car accident, he's suffered from "thought seizures," violent fits in which he attacks other people. He used to be an artificial intelligence researcher, which may explain why he targets anyone who either works on machines or who acts like a machine--mechanics, gas-station attendants, prostitutes, exotic dancers. But there's hope: he can become part machine himself, undergoing "Stage 3," an experimental procedure implanting 40 electrodes deep in the pleasure centers of his brain. The surgery is successful, and blissful pulses of electricity short-circuit Harry's seizures. That is, until Harry figures out how to overload himself with the satisfying jolts and escapes on a murderous rampage. One of Crichton's earliest, playing ably on '70s fears of computers and mind control. --Paul Hughes

Book Description

Harry Benson is prone to violent, uncontrollable seizures and is under police guard after attacking two people.

Dr. Roger McPherson, head of the prestigious Neuropsychiatric Research Unit at University Hospital in Los Angeles, is convinced he can cure Benson through a procedure called Stage Three. During this highly specialized experimental surgery, electrodes will be place in the patient's brain, sending monitored, soothing pulses to its pleasure canyons.

Though the operation is a success, there is an unforseen development. Benson learns how to control the pulses and is increasing their frequency. He escapes -- a homicidal maniac loose in the city -- and nothing will stop his murderous rampages or impede his deadly agenda. . .

Customer Reviews:

Total disappointment coming from a Crighton fan........2007-07-23

The idea of this book may have been something that blew people's mind back in the seventies, but by the last page I sat thinking, "Is that it?". I can see this story as some Sci Fi channel tv episode that might play at 3 in the morning. Besides the tecnological aspects, it seems like I've read or seen this story a hundred times and the whole book is just moment after moment when you think some kind of climax might be about to happen but instead it turns into some lame scene leaving you wishing you would have bought Crichton's "Sphere" instead.

Dated but still enjoyable.......2007-07-21

This novel must have been very exciting upon publication. As you can see from other reviews, the subject matter of mind control and genetic engineering is still something that excites the reader. However, the story is a bit slow moving at times and the imagery is somewhat dated. That is to be expected after thirty years. However, for true Michael Crighton fans, this will not in any way detract from enjoying his writing, which eventually would excel.

Interesting, but Not that Engaging.......2007-06-03

THE TERMINAL MAN is one of Crichton's earlier novels, written in 1971. It's a readable book, but not one of his best ones.

The plot of this novel involves mind control, and how computers can be potentially used to control the brain. There's a lot of interesting information in this novel, but I found the plot rather plodding. Even worse, the characters are so thinly developed that I didn't really care how they turned out.

Epilepsy plays a large role in the plot, and Crichton admits in a short afterward that he may have gotten certain facts wrong about the condition. This makes me wonder why this book is still in print, or hasn't been modified.

All in all, THE TERMINAL MAN is okay, but you can do much better than this.

Creepy...especially for the time in which it was written.......2007-05-18

Harry Benson, after being in a car accident, begins to have seizures where he blacks out. It's learned that during these seizures, he is proned to violence. A crack team of doctors are given the chance to experiment with a new type of technology. They implant electrodes into his brain and what is essentially a pace-maker that stimulates certain parts of his brain to calm him down during a seizure. In theory, it should work. But in reality...things quickly go down hill.

The book is fast-paced. I found it nearly impossible to put down. The philosophy behind the relationship between man and machine is put in the spotlight in this book, and done in a way that most people never think of.

I have a rather unique perspective on the entire idea. I am epileptic. I developed JME(juvenile myoclonic epilepsy) when I was fifteen. It has been progressive and on March 10th, 2006, I had device implanted in my chest and wired into my nervous system to help control seizures. It's called VNS(vegus nerve stimulation) therapy. A small device(about the size of a silver dollar) was put into my chest and a wire runs from there up into my neck where it is hard-wired into the vegus nerve. The implant sends pulses up the wire and then transferred to the nerve and continues on into the brain.

After the implant, people kept telling me about this book. Finally, I checked it out, and it is a must-read. If you read this review and decide to read the book, just keep in mind that this kind of stuff is now a reality and not a work of science fiction.

Give me a few volts behind my occidental lobe, Doc!.......2007-01-07

The Terminal Man is one of Michael Crichton's earliest works, penned long before Jurassic Park and his late nights with starlets. It was written in 1972 but holds up reasonably well. Harry Benson is an odd bird, a computer programmer who is both terrified and obsessed with machines and people who act in a mechanical way, such as strippers. After a car accident, he joins the statistics as one who has organic brain disease which causes psychological problems, including an extreme prejudice towards violence.

To cure this little issue, our band of heroes, a brain research team at a California teaching hospital, decides on surgery to implant a device to provide electrical stimulation to the brain, after all conventional treatments such as mind-altering drugs prove ineffective. There is some controversy within the hospital whether this is really a good idea, after all it is not solving the problem, and the side effects and long term results are unknown.

Due to a series of foul-ups, Benson finds a way to escape the hospital. He soon sets out on a series of violent encounters with machines and those who fix them (an airplane mechanic) and dancers who act like machines. On this point, I think Crichton is just having fun, writing a lot of strippers into this thing.

Of course, our band of heroes takes off after Benson, refusing to allow the professionals to do their job. This chase section seems to be there for comic relief.

All in all, this is a good read. Some interesting thoughts on humans messing about with brain function. Why is surgery and external stimuli regarded completely differently for the brain than say, the kidneys, heart, or lungs, where it is accepted practice for decades now. If people became addicted to electrical stimulation of their brains, would that be different than drug addiction?

Fear No Evil: One Man Deals with Terminal Illness

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Honest questions, challenging answers
Great source of encouragement and comfort.

Fear No Evil: One Man Deals with Terminal Illness
David Watson
Manufacturer: Shaw (Harold) Publishers,U.S.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

Honest questions, challenging answers.......2000-08-04

David Watson's honest reactions as he fights cancer are not just for those who are dealing with illness. They are for all of us who struggle with fear and faith. As I read this book, I remembered another David's difficult times recorded in the Book of Psalms. That David always ended an emotional cry by looking into the face of God and trusting. In the depths of crisis David Watson finds a love relationship with God which does not deny a difficult reality, but which carries him through. This book has greatly encouraged me.

Great source of encouragement and comfort........1999-05-12

David Watson candidly shares his journey from "life to life" in a comforting and encouraging manner. With the Lord as his travelling companion, Watson reveals the most important pursuit given to humanity - to seek God's face.

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The Andromeda Strain/The Terminal Man
Michael Crichton
Manufacturer: Avon A
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0061172278
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Book Description

#1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Crichton has been called "one of the great storytellers of our age,"* a master at seamlessly blending cutting-edge science and technology with spellbinding adventure. Now two of his most electrifying thrillers have been combined in one volume, to astonish and terrify a new generation of readers with brilliant and disturbing visions of the frighteningly possible.

The Andromeda Strain

A satellite sent into the outer fringes of space to "collect organisms and dust for study" falls back to earth, crash-landing in a desolate area of Arizona, twelve miles from the tiny town of Piedmont. The terror has begun . . .

The Terminal Man

The brain of a patient prone to violent, uncontrollable seizures has been implanted with experimental electrodes designed to soothe his homicidal impulses. But the doctors never dreamed he'd learn to control the monitor inside his head. Now an unstoppable maniac is loose in an unsuspecting city.

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Waiting

The Terminal Man
Alfred Merhan
Manufacturer: Corgi Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0552152749

Customer Reviews:

Waiting.......2006-01-05

This is the story of Sir Alfred Merhan, the man who has been stuck at Charles de Gaulle for over 16 years. His story was the inspiriation behind the movie The Terminal.

It is a easy to read account of his life leading up to arriving at the airport, as well as the various accounts of him trying to leave and obtain citizenship in various locations. For anyone who has spent any time in an airport, this book will make you apprecaiate your departures.

Ironically, I picked this book up in an airport bookstore and finished it on a plane.

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THE TERMINAL MAN

Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HZ7V50

Death Is That Man Taking Names: Intersections of American Medicine, Law, and Culture

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Extremely informative, objective and intelligent

Death Is That Man Taking Names: Intersections of American Medicine, Law, and Culture
Robert A. Burt
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0520232828

Book Description

The American culture of death changed radically in the 1970s. For terminal illnesses, hidden decisions by physicians were rejected in favor of rational self-control by patients asserting their "right to die"--initially by refusing medical treatment and more recently by physician-assisted suicide. This new claim rested on two seemingly irrefutable propositions: first, that death can be a positive good for individuals whose suffering has become intolerable; and second, that death is an inevitable and therefore morally neutral biological event. Death Is That Man Taking Names suggests, however, that a contrary attitude persists in our culture--that death is inherently evil, not just in practical but also in moral terms. The new ethos of rational self-control cannot refute but can only unsuccessfully try to suppress this contrary attitude. The inevitable failure of this suppressive effort provokes ambivalence and clouds rational judgment in many people's minds and paradoxically leads to inflictions of terrible suffering on terminally ill people.
Judicial reforms in the 1970s of abortion and capital punishment were driven by similarly high valuations of rationality and public decision-making--rejecting physician control over abortion in favor of individual self-control by pregnant women and subjecting unsupervised jury decisions for capital punishment to supposed rationally guided supervision by judges. These reforms also attempt to suppress persistently ambivalent attitudes toward death, and are therefore prone to inflicting unjustified suffering on pregnant women and death-sentenced prisoners.
In this profound and subtle account of psychological and social forces underlying American cultural attitudes toward death, Robert A. Burt maintains that unacknowledged ambivalence is likely to undermine the beneficent goals of post-1970s reforms and harm the very people these changes were intended to help.

Customer Reviews:

Extremely informative, objective and intelligent.......2006-09-25

As an ordained minister, I found that I am able to speak on a much higher level, being able to eliminate the typical reactionary responses we are typical of hearing in this country surrounding the ethics of death. Particularly, for me as it relates the the issue of abortion, has the book been a god-send. Burt has systematically outlined the historical attitudes and public mores surrounding abortion by locating the moment the controversies began. Like most things in society at-large, there are competing interests for every aspect of life. Someone always wants to be in control. I will refrain from giving away too much so that you will be as intrigued as I while reading a couple years ago.

The Waltz Kings: Johann Strauss, Father & Son, and Their Romantic Age/The Terminal Man/The Dwelling Place/A World to Care For/The Hessian (Reader's Digest Condensed Books, Volume 4: 1972)

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The Waltz Kings: Johann Strauss, Father & Son, and Their Romantic Age/The Terminal Man/The Dwelling Place/A World to Care For/The Hessian (Reader's Digest Condensed Books, Volume 4: 1972)
Hans Fantel , Michael Crichton , Catherine Cookson , Howard A. Rusk MD , and Howard Fast
Manufacturer: Reader's Digest Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000EOYW4C

Product Description

Contains the stories:The Waltz Kings by Hans Fantel; The Terminal Man by Michael Crichton; The Dwelling Place by Catherine Cookson; A World to Care For by Howard A Rusk, MD; The Hessian by Howard Fast.

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Congo / The Terminal Man
Michael Crichton
Manufacturer: Cresset Editions / Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QRQ0GU

Death and Contemporary Man: The Crisis of Terminal Illness

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Death and Contemporary Man: The Crisis of Terminal Illness
Carl G. Carlozzi
Manufacturer: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NWH2VA

Book Description

When you're the oldest daughter, you don't get to have any fun!

Witty, orphaned Tess Essex faces her duty: marry well and marry quickly, so she can arrange matches for her three sisters -- beautiful Annabel, romantic Imogen and practical Josie. After all, right now they're under the rather awkward guardianship of the perpetually tipsy Duke of Holbrook. But just when she begins to think that all might end well, one of her sisters bolts with a horse-mad young lord, and her own fiancé just plain runs away.

Which leaves Tess contemplating marriage to the sort of man she wishes to avoid -- one of London's most infamous rakes. Lucius Felton is a rogue whose own mother considers him irredeemable! He's delicious, Annabel points out. And he's rich, Josie notes. But although Tess finally consents to marry him, it may be for the worst reason of all. Absurd as she knows it to be, she may have fallen utterly in love . . .

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When you're the oldest daughter, you don't get to have any fun!

Customer Reviews:

A little slow in the beginning but the ending makes up for it!.......2007-06-22

Much Ado About You....the first in a series of the Essex girls was an enjoyable read. I do agree with others that the beginning tends to start off a little slow. But introducing all the characters and their personalities, without losing focus on the main characters is very hard to do and I feel she did it fairly well. This book is my first of the Essex sisters and I do plan on reading the others to find out how they make out.

Tess is the oldest and bears a lot of responsibility for her sisters. She has to marry well and soon. The Earl of Mayne is attentive, sweet and willing to marry her, and will supply her will all the right connections to help her sisters. Everything she could possibly hope for right? Wrong! How can she possibly marry him when a stolen kiss by Lucien melts her heart. The story has some twists and turns and eventually they get together. That is where the fireworks start. They have great chemistry and you can't help but get drawn in. Lucien is by far my favorite character, because he has many dimensions. He seems practical and cold at times, but underneath lies a heart just waiting to love and be loved. The sister's struggle with being orphaned and death (on different levels as you will see) tugs at your heart and puts a little depth into the book.

I've read some of her books, and although not her best, I thoroughly enjoyed Tess and Lucian's journey.

In my opinion, a good story makes you feel what the characters do and you can't help but cheer them on. It did! It also has a good enough plot to keep you reading. And considering the fact that I read it in only 2 days, it definitely kept me interested. I recommend this book wholeheartedly, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A Five Star Book.......2007-06-07

This book is delightful. The story is clever, witty and intensely sensual, and the budding relationship between Tess and her newly-acquired husband is a delight. This book gets better and better the more times you read it. Ms. James is a truly accomplished author.

Weak start.......2006-08-29

I'm giving this a somewhat generous four stars thanks to the excellent last half. Up to that point, I spent three days leafing through the book in a desultory fashion. I can see what Ms James was doing - building characters and setting the scene for the next three books, but it was a sorry affair. The characters are initially dull and the comedy heavy handed. The dynamic between the sisters doesn't quite work as it did between the friends in Ms James's previous novels. They felt far too paint-by-numbers. Arabella is pretty and mercenary! Josie is bookish and plump! Imogen is insane! Indeed, it was only in Imogen that James creates an interesting (if greatly flawed) character. Otherwise, there is a sense that we've all been here before. Matters aren't helped by stock characters like the social busybody Lady Clarice - meant as comic relief, but rarely amusing. It's with the introduction of Lucian that things get interesting.

Tess and Lucian work very well together. The way she breaks through his reserve and polite good breeding, their sizzling attraction... it's perfect. Every scene they share is lovely; it's just a pity I had to trawl through a hundred and fifty pages of inanity to get to the heart of a very sweet, very funny little romance.

Most boring book ever!.......2006-07-13

I bought this book as either a Christmas or Birthday book for my Mom. The only reason I bought it was b/c it and the other book I bought were the only ones I knew my mom didn't have (I've bought her duplicate books before).

Anyway, if this book isn't the most boring one I've ever read, it's definitely close. I'm surprised I even managed to read as much as I did before finally tossing it over my shoulder onto the floor. Half the time I couldn't even remember who the main male in the book was supposed to be. I didn't find Tess or her sister's charming, or whatever his name was, or even the rest of them. This book was an utter waste of my time and money and the only reason I gave it a star was b/c Amazon wouldn't let me leave it blank.

A pleasant read, but could have been much better - 3.5 stars.......2006-04-22

Meet the Essex sisters: four Scottish ladies recently orphaned and left impoverished with no prospective husbands. Now wards of the perpetually inebriated Duke of Holbrook, their first mission is to marry off their eldest, the witty and sensible Teresa, or Tess, as she prefers to be called.

Growing up without the proper training that other ladies of their kind receive, Tess knows that she must marry in order to support her sisters. But what she didn't expect is that she will immediately catch the eyes of two very eligible English gentlemen. There is the Earl of Mayne, who seems to genuinely like her and whom she will most likely develop a nice, though not passionate, affection for; and then there is the very rich, though just a mere Mister, Lucius Felton, who unnerves her and whose very nearness makes her heart somersault. While Tess knows that either man is a good choice, she is torn when both men ask for her hand in marriage.

While the story started off with a great promise, the focus on establishing the characters of the four sisters overshadows what could have been a really delightful romance between Tess and Lucius. Just when you think we'd finally get some action going between the main characters, the heroine would be involved in her sisters' dramas and so the focus is once again taken away from the romance. However, the interactions between Tess and Lucius when we finally get to the part are rather sweet, and at times, funny. The little banter we get to see between them surely adds to the delight of the story.

Overall, MUCH ADO ABOUT YOU is a pleasant read and holds promise for the stories of the other Essex sisters. Next are KISS ME, ANNABEL (Annabel's story) and THE TAMING OF THE DUKE (featuring Imogen).

Five Great Comedies: Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Giant Thrifts)

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Five Great Comedies: Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Giant Thrifts)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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This inexpensive Dover edition brings together 5 of Shakespeare's most popular comedies, all filled with humor, joy, and, above all, happy endings. From the magic and mischief of A Midsummer Night's Dream to the rollicking farce of The Merry Wives of Windsor, these masterpieces are in demand by students of literature and by general readers.

As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, and Twelfth Night, or What You Will: An Annotated Bibliography of Shakespeare Studies 1673-2001 (Pegasus Shakespeare Bibliographies)

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As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, and Twelfth Night, or What You Will: An Annotated Bibliography of Shakespeare Studies 1673-2001 (Pegasus Shakespeare Bibliographies)

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Comedies of romance: A midsummer night's dream. Much ado about nothing. As you like it. Twlefth night (A Delta book)

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Comedies of romance: A midsummer night's dream. Much ado about nothing. As you like it. Twlefth night (A Delta book)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: Dell Pub. Co.]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Das Komische Bei Shakespeare: Eine Analyse Komischer Strukturen in "As You Like It" Sowie "a Midsummer Night'E Dream", Twelfth Night" Und "Much Ado About ... Sprache Und Literatur No. 337)

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Das Komische Bei Shakespeare: Eine Analyse Komischer Strukturen in "As You Like It" Sowie "a Midsummer Night'E Dream", Twelfth Night" Und "Much Ado About ... Sprache Und Literatur No. 337)
Bettina Rohr
Manufacturer: Peter Lang Pub Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3631322070

Los Maridos TambiÃ©n Se Enamoran / Much Ado About You (Punto de Lectura)

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Los Maridos TambiÃ©n Se Enamoran / Much Ado About You (Punto de Lectura)
Eloisa James
Manufacturer: Punto De Lectura
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 846636885X

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Witty, orphaned Tess Essex faces her duty: marry well and marry quickly, so she can arrange matches for her three sisters beautiful Annabel, romantic Imogen, and practical Josie. After all, right now they're under the awkward guardianship of the perpetually tipsy Duke of Holbrook. But just when she begins to think that all might end well, one of her sisters bolts with a horse-mad young lord, leaving her fiancé. Which leaves Tess considering marriage to the sort of man she wishes to avoid one of London's most infamous rakes, Lucius Felton. He is a scoundrel whose own mother considers him irredeemable! He's delicious , Annabel points out, and he's rich , Josie notes. When Tess finally consents to marry him, it may be for the worst reason of all; she may have fallen utterly in love . . . Description In Spanish: Una chispeante comedia romántica de enredo. Casarse cuanto antes y casarse bien: ésa es la meta de la joven huérfana Tess Essex. Sólo de esa forma, podrá encontrar los maridos más adecuados para sus tres hermanas: la hermosa Annabel, la romántica Imogen y la pequeña Josie. Sin más dote que un caballo de carreras, con el único apoyo de un tutor tímido y borrachín y los "sabios consejos" de sus hermanas, Tess se lanzará a la caza y captura del esposo ideal. Pero, ¿cómo decidirse entre sus dos pretendientes? Si se casa con Garret Langham tendrá asegurado un lugar preeminente entre la flor y nata de la sociedad... pero muy poca pasión. Y, por otra parte, ¿qué hacer con el atractivo y peligroso Lucius Felton? ¿Sabrá escoger Tess entre el deber... y el placer?

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Much Ado About You
Eloisa James
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF1WFS

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Much Ado About You

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739448404

Shakespeare the Comedies, a Collection of Critical Essays (Twentieth Century Views)

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Shakespeare the Comedies, a Collection of Critical Essays (Twentieth Century Views)

Manufacturer: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000BY99KW

Product Description

Chapters: Introduction, Themes and Structure in the Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer-Night's Dream, Shakespeare's Method: The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, The Meaning of Measure for Measure, Virtue is True Nobility, Helena, The Winter's Tale, The Tempest.

Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing and as You Like It: A Casebook (New Wessex Edition)

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Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing and as You Like It: A Casebook (New Wessex Edition)

Manufacturer: MacMillan Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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