Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring (Lonely Planet Shoestring Guides)

Book Description

The original and the best, Lonely Planet's `yellow bible' is your ticket to endless adventure in Southeast Asia. Want nonstop parties in 24-hour cities? Feel like sunning your skin on a deserted, white-sand beach? Picture yourself having tea with a remote hilltribe? Written by backpackers for backpackers, this guide will help you stay longer, pay less and experience more.

DIVE UNDER THE COVERS on current events, history, culture and the environment.

EAT CHEAP AND SLEEP EASY with our fully updated coverage of the best eateries and great-value accommodation.

GET YOUR THRILLS - the best scuba diving, elephant-trekking, rock-climbing, sea kayaking and surfing.

TALK YOUR WAY IN with our handy language guide.

BEAT YOUR OWN PATH using over 170 detailed maps.

Customer Reviews:

The SE asia bible!.......2006-11-29

Used this book to travel in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Bali (though I finally ended up buying another book for Bali as Indonesia itself is huge). Don't know if there is a better book that covers so many countries this well. Other people on tour had the Rough guide to SE Asia book and we found this one to be more useful because it had better maps and more information.

Obviously a bit tailored towards backpackers but you can easily find more upscale places (hotels, restaurants etc) in the "splurge" section.

Wouldn't dare to say that it covers everything but certainly a must-have for people traveling in the area

Lonely Planet- not with this many package tourists........2006-02-18

"Nobody touches the Lonely Planet for budget travel advice," states the back cover of this book.

I just finished travelling around Southeast Asia with this as my primary guidebook. It includes the basics for getting around, eating, etc... but it really is just the basics. I have used other books from the lonely planet series in the past, and have found them good enough to continue using, at least until this volume. It has been 5 years since I was in this region last, and things have changed. Especially the guidebook, which was once a rich trove of off-the-beaten-path hints and tips. Increasingly, however, it seems that the Lonely Planet authors seem less interested in helping you find a unique experience and more interested in serving up a cookie-cutter, package tourist rehash. I have a couple grievances with this book:

-It insists on constantly pointing out little sidebars entitled "Splurge!" which indicate ways that the budget traveller can spend a great deal of money in one shot. Why this is in a travel guide called "shoestring" I couldn't tell you. Neither do the authors, but I suppose we can assume that backpackers are interested in spending $5 a night for a couple of months and then blowing $150 to stay in some posh hotel in Kuala Lumpur or racking up an additional $20 in credit card debt for an entirely forgettable dining experience in Bangkok. I just don't feel these are relevant to 99% of actual budget travellers, but they waste a lot of space that could be much better used on greater detail. But I will get to that in a minute.

-Another issue I have is the lack of actual information about actually moving from one place to the next cheaply. Cheap local transport is available in many of the places covered in the book. For some reason though, the book usually offers helpful advice like 'just take a cab,' or 'buses are so cheap, so don't bother with local transport.' As an independent traveler that actually enjoys saving money AND spending time with the locals (what's the purpose of traveling again?!?!), I regret the lack of information about local transport.

-The maps in the book, though better than some in past editions, leave much to be desired. Streets are incorrectly labeled or in the wrong place, intersections are vaguely marked, and occasionally they add a street that doesn't exist or remove a street that does. Worst of all, in a region that prides itself on an almost complete lack of road signage, not many good landmarks are given to orient oneself. There is little that is less fun on the road than standing in front of a train station, staring at one's new alien surroundings, being hassled by touts who are trying to steer you in the wrong direction while trying to find that cheap hostel you read about.

Look, if you want a run-of-the-mill book to complete a run-of-the-mill trip, by all means, you will find this book quite helpful. But if you are looking for that individual experience that is the beauty of independent travel, you might be best going with a different guide for this region.

By the way, the quote I wrote at the beginning should be viewed as a warning rather than an enticement

Great to read but difficult to do so due to VERY SMALL print........2006-01-28

I really like the Lonely Planet guides, and this one is very good regarding the amount of information it contains. My main complaint is the size of the type. Not only is it very small and difficult to read even with glasses on, but the paper is very thin so the words from the reverse page show through. I'd rather pay a couple of extra dollars and have higher quality paper. I also agree with other reviewers who felt that the Indonesia chapter could easily be eliminated, partly because it is difficult to due justice to that widespread country in a chapter.

typical shoestring guide.......2005-08-25

This guide is really good value, although you notice easily that it covers a lot of countries. South East Asia is big, the book is limited in size and therefore detail is missing. I bought seperate guides for Laos and Cambodia and this benifited my trip greatly.
Also, the part about Bangkok doesn't show the best bits and doesn't quite warn you for the worst(sex tourism), either.

Lonely Planet SE Asia.......2005-08-15

This is another great issue from the dedicated researchers, writers and readers of the practical and economic guides for world travelers. The SE Asia book is written with particular care, insight, and affection. In addition to a wealth of information on the countries of SE Asia, the guide offers some of the best practical advice for living, traveling, and surviving in Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and other countries I did not visit and thus cannot speak to. It was just as good as any of their guides to China or India I that I have used in the past.

Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring (Lonely Planet on a Shoestring Series)

Average customer rating:

Lonely Planet-Southeast Asia
Worst travel guide I ever used!
Good and Bad, but worth its weight
Don't buy this book !!!!

Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring (Lonely Planet on a Shoestring Series)
Chris Taylor , Peter Turner , Joe Cummings , Brendan Delahunty , Paul Greenway , James Lyon , Jens Peters , Robert Storey , David Willett , and Tony Wheeler
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Southeast | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

Budget Travel | Specialty Travel | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Travel Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0864424124

Amazon.com

From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there, chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.

This totally revised edition is the progeny of the first Lonely Planet guide, produced in LP founder Tony Wheeler's kitchen more than 25 years ago. True to its origins, South-East Asia on a Shoestring will help you travel from Myanmar to Sarawak on the tightest of budgets. This is the word on independent travel to the region, with more than 160 maps, border-crossing and visa information, public transportation tips, a thorough language section and glossary, plus itineraries for short trips or years-long journeys. --Kathryn True

Customer Reviews:

Lonely Planet-Southeast Asia.......2000-03-19

This book is an adequate guide but it needs improvement in several areas. I used this book during Janurary and February of 2000 when I traveled through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. Last year I used the Lonley Planet-India and found it was much better than Southeast Asia. Here are the weaknesses. 1. The numbers of the locations on the maps should be used in the text describing the location. This would grealy improve you ability to plan your day or route. 2. Maps should be improved. I would be willing to spend a few dollars more for better maps. 3. Hotel, restaurant, etc. names are not printed in bold type. This makes it more difficult to use. 4. It would be very helpful to grade the sites with a priority to reduce the time one spends reading fine print and get on with seeing the country. When I return to this part of the world next winter I will try to find additional books to correct these weaknesses.

Worst travel guide I ever used!.......1999-02-22

We recently traveled through Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia and found this guidebook practically useless and certainly frustrating--definitely not worth its weight. We have used other LPs in the past and found them to be at least adequate but this one doesn't even rate that well. It lacked many important details--such as the time/distances between many points, availability of various transportation options and routes, decent maps--the list goes on and on. Even though prices change often and currencies fluctuate, even a vague idea of prices (is it $10 or $100??) would have been quite useful to help us plan better. Although we ran into many people all 'armed' with the LP, they all had the same complaints.

Good and Bad, but worth its weight.......1998-12-04

I travelled through Thailand, Philippines and Hong Kong using this book. I initially bought this book with weight in mind. I did not want to carry three more LPs along with the other country books (LP Taiwan, Japan). Although much of the information needed to survive was written in the book, it certainly did lack the detailed maps and background information needed to have a care-free journey. SOmetime it certainly was a struggle , especially in Thailand. The Thailand Section prices were extremely outdated. Even in the height on the "asian economic flu", I had to triple the prices listed. The Hong Kong section was adequate, but HK is an efficient and easily travelled city. Of the three, I found the Philippine section the best, but some of the hotel quality ratings are out dated. Please do not stay at the Hotel Mercedes in Cebu!

Don't buy this book !!!!.......1998-10-16

I travelled for about 45 days in Vietnam, Malalysia and Thailand with this book and found it completely unsatisfactory relative to the LP for the individual countries. Those books offer so much more in background information and tidbits that would help you plan your time wisely that I scrapped it while travelling and traded up for the country versions of the books.

I had a big weight factor in the rest of the books I carried (LP India really kills) which convinced me one book was better than 3 but don't do it ! It will suffice in a pinch but you will be often looking over the shoulder of your fellow travellers which have the fuller versions of the countries covered in SE Asia.

Average customer rating:
Lonely Planet South-East Asia on a Shoestring (Lonely Planet South-East Asia, 11th ed)
Chris Rowthorn , Sara Benson , Joe Bindloss , Joe Cummings , Mason Florence , Russell Kerr , James Lyon , Steven Martin , Christine Niven , Nick Ray , and Peter Turner
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books
Southeast | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books
Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books
Budget Travel | Specialty Travel | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Lonely Planet South America on a Shoestring

Lonely Planet Cambodia

Lonely Planet India

ASIN: 1864501588

Book Description

For over 25 years it's been toted in backpacks down the Mekong and up Kinabalu, through Indonesia, around Thailand, from the Philippines to Singapore and everywhere in between. Take the "Yellow Bible" on your next adventure!

Covers travel in Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

over 150 maps, including a full-colour regional map
eat, sleep and even indulge on the cheap - we've searched out bargains in cities, on beaches, in trees and on trains
from the jungles of Borneo to discos and puppet shows - whatever your scene, we've got it covered
super language chapter to get you nattering with the locals
cultural highlights and historical insights

Lonely Planet South-East Asia on a Shoestring (10th ed)

Average customer rating:

Great Book - South-East Asia on a Shoestring
Good, Grassroots Guide Gone Bad
Useful for planning a trip around South East Asia

Lonely Planet South-East Asia on a Shoestring (10th ed)

Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Southeast | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Lonely Planet | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

Budget Travel | Specialty Travel | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0864426321

Book Description

South-East Asia is an incredible region for independent travel, and this is the guidebook that started it all. The 'Yellow Bible' made its reputation for reliable, off-the-beaten-track budget travel advice 25 years ago - this 10th edition remains the best, most comprehensive guide to an incomparable region.

Covers travel in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Features: visit Myanmar's dazzling Shwedagon Paya at dawn (p 515); check out the bargains at Chiang Mai's best (and oldest) Thai fabric market (p 753); ride an elephant at a Cambodian hill tribe village (p 116); sample Beerlao on the Mekong River in Vientiane, Laos (p 369); chow down at a hawker's stall, then bop till you drop at a disco in Singapore (p 674); recover with a 'hangover breakfast' on a fine Philippines beach (p 612); go diving or snorkelling and watch the sun set over the Lombok Straight (p 270); and spend the night at a traditional Dayak longhouse in Malaysia (p 472).

Customer Reviews:

Great Book - South-East Asia on a Shoestring.......2007-02-20

i have been using lonely planet books for many years. a real bargain for info received. can easily save the cost of the book in one day using their recommendations.

Good, Grassroots Guide Gone Bad.......2000-10-24

This guide provided fairly reliable, basic information when I was trekking through Southeast Asia for seven months. When I landed by bus, taxi, motorcycle, truck, boat, trishaw, foot, or (sometimes) horse in a strange town at night where I didn't speak the language, it kept me alive. With its help I could always find the town center, the police station, and a bus stop.

Just don't expect it to enhance your experience, or even guide you safely. It's written in a rather smug, perfunctory style, and despite its budget approach seems aimed at very conventional travelers. There are none of the colorful, devil-may-care suggestions one finds in other guides, and it brings to mind the dour, conscientious tourists one meets on the road who are very nice but could backpack through Borneo without bringing back a single interesting story. This book has no spirit.

Maybe the reason it seems a bit inflexible and "un-hip" is because the editors are not responsive to the feedback of readers. I was very badly robbed a couple of times while using services recommended highly by this guide (for instance by the owners of the "Good Luck" Guest House in Bangkok), and after writing Lonely Planet with a polite request that they caution future travelers, I received no acknowledgment of my letters, and in fact the services in question are still touted by their guide.

This sort of apathy illustrates to me why their latest editions often seem years out of date, and why hotels and restaurants highly praised by them turn out to have closed down years ago. I understand that they have a limited number of researchers, but if they ignore input from readers who actively explore these regions, their book is naturally going to be out-of-touch, behind the times, and useless.

My advice is to buy the book if nothing else is available, because it does provide detailed factual information like phone numbers, addresses, etc. Just don't assume that it tells you all the interesting places and activities in a given city, because that's a laugh!! And don't ever take its advice on quality or safety.

Useful for planning a trip around South East Asia.......2000-06-16

A very useful and reliable, concise guide on South East Asia. Very good information on different highlights in each of the countries, good info on getting there and travelling around. Good to know where and when to go, as every other Lonely Planet guide featuring multiple countries.

Lonely Planet Southeast Asia (Lonely Planet South-East Asia on a Shoestring)

Average customer rating:

Lonely Planet Southeast Asia (Lonely Planet South-East Asia on a Shoestring)
China Williams
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Southeast | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1741047269

South-East Asia on a shoestring (Lonely Planet Shoestring Guides)

Average customer rating:

South-East Asia on a shoestring (Lonely Planet Shoestring Guides)
Tony Wheeler
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Southeast | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

Budget Travel | Specialty Travel | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0908086342

Amazon.com

Jane Dunn's Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens offers a blend of history and biography that traces the "dynamic interaction" between two of the most powerful women in Western history. Dunn remains ever aware of the uniqueness of her two central figures: both women ruled as divinely ordained monarchs in a male dominated power structure; and both women were from the same family (Elizabeth I was the granddaughter of Henry VII, and Mary Queen of Scots the great-granddaughter of King Henry).

By focusing not on pure biography but instead on relationships, Dunn is able to narrow her book (still mammoth in scope) to the most salient and interesting events in the two queens' lives. The book begins in 1558, the year in which Mary first wed and Elizabeth assumed the throne of England. Almost immediately the cousins were embroiled in a conflict that would endure for the remainder of Mary's life. A restless, sexually-active Catholic, and leader of the Scottish people in alliance with France, Mary was ever a conduit for rumors of rebellion. The "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth used Mary as a dark reflection to underline her own celibate constancy as a ruler of law and order.

The pair never met face to face, but as Dunn reveals, their lives were closely intertwined. After holding Mary in Fotheringhay prison for nearly two decades, Elizabeth ordered her cousin executed in 1587. Mary had chosen martyrdom in favor of a confession to complicity in the Babington assassination plot. In court, she declared: "I would never make Shipwreck of my Soul by conspiring the Destruction of my dearest Sister." Though the ostensible victor, Elizabeth (who had struggled to find a way to release her cousin while still upholding her own power as queen) confessed, "I am not free, but a captive." In Elizabeth and Mary, Dunn has built a rich world that underlines the tragic struggle between private emotions and the public faces history puts on them. --Patrick O'Kelley

Book Description

The political and religious conflicts between Queen Elizabeth I and the doomed Mary, Queen of Scots, have for centuries captured our imagination and inspired memorable dramas played out on stage, screen, and in opera. But few books have brought to life more vividly than Jane Dunn’s Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.

Customer Reviews:

Jane Dunn should reflect on her own issues before writting another book about women..........2006-04-22

Jane Dunn, Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens - I would not advise any avid Mary Stewart admirers (or feminists) to purchase this book. Jane Dunn in my mind (and from the extensive text I have read) does Mary Stewart a great injustice with her blatant Elizabethan bias. She over looks the obvious motives of Queen Elizabeth for Mary's murder, instead painting Elizabeth as a strong woman in a man's world who had no option but conspire against, imprison and eventually have her cousin put to death.

I was looking forward to an in-depth read, a psychological & sociological perspective of these two female power brokers... but instead found the book to view Mary in a very sexist fashion (surprising, as the author is female!). Jane Dunn's `Mary bashing' stems around her intolerance of Mary expressing and ruling with her female traits intact... Mary rules from the heart and is often merciful, and led by her intelligence and her emotions.

In contrast to this, Elizabeth kills off the feminine aspects of herself, and rules with a cold, calculating and ruthless vision. She is the archetype that we 21st century women still struggle against...we do not want to have to behave like men to function at a effective level in this world, we want to be respected for our feminine qualities of caring, understanding and tolerance; something this world sadly lacks. Mary had these qualities and used them to great effect (i.e. allowing the blend of the two dominant religions in her land to co-exist). Mary had her faults as we all do but she accepted others and there faults and tried to negotiate for compromise and tolerance.

Mary could have made a real difference in her time if it were for two factors.

1. If she had the chance to grow and learn free of imprisonment.
2. If she had had the support of her so called `sister' Elizabeth!!! Something that Elizabeth would never give...in fact Elizabeth was wriggled with the most terrible of negative female expression `Jealousy'... because she had suppressed her femininity, she became a twisted version of a woman, one who could not allow a real female Queen to share the same island...so much so she murdered her!
Mary was wronged enough in her lifetime and Jane Dunn should be ashamed that she finds it necessary to slander her character and trivialize her even in death.

"This island isn't big enough for the two of us".......2006-03-31

First, I would like to review the book itself, and then address some of its critics.

Two of history's most famous queens, one for her unexpected and remarkable greatness, the other for her inexplicably poor judgment and bad luck. But was their famous rivalry inevitable? Was Elizabeth always the popular, talented, dominant one while Mary remained in her shadow? Jane Dunn asks these questions, and I was surprised - and pleased - by some of her answers.

The first part of the book is essentially a point-by-point comparison of the two queens, detailing their very different youths and explaining how they would influence the women in later years. Essentially, Mary had a huge sense of entitlement, was overconfident in her own power and security, and was a much more 'traditional' woman - and Queen - of her day. Elizabeth, whose childhood was punctuated by dramatic changes of fortune, had a much more acute sense of how tenuous her position was, and how much she depended on the good will of her people to maintain power.

Dunn does beat the Mary-as-charming-but-spoiled and Bess-as-brilliant-control-freak comparison into us a bit, but it is a good way of looking at the very different natures of these two women. Her book isn't a full biography of either queen; rather it's a look at the intersection between them - their relationship with each other, their competition, rivalry, and common causes. As such it's a fascinating look at a unique time in European history, the so-called "Age of Queens".
Posterity-wise, Mary got the short end of the stick. History will always remember her as Elizabeth's paler shadow, a major annoyance and minor queen who had no one but herself to blame for her tragic end. Although Dunn does occasionally (perhaps unavoidably) slip into Mary-bashing and Bess-worship, on the whole she does a good job pointing out that that wasn't always the case - and, had a few things gone differently, we would paint a very different portrait of the two cousins. Her Mary and Elizabeth are fully human - flaws, quirks, charms, and all. It's the best way to explain the convoluted relationship between the two, and it provides a lot of useful character insight into all other aspects of these Queens as well. (I do wish Dunn had gone further into the possibility that Mary was bipolar. It's a fascinating hypothesis, and it would explain a lot.)

Mary's end - which also serves as the book's - is too rushed; twenty years are covered in a handful of pages and the account of the execution itself offers nothing new. But until that point, I thoroughly enjoyed this provocative and inspiring portrait of two very different women whom circumstances thrust into such fierce competition.

Now: Some reviewers seem to feel that Dunn was somehow "unfair" to Mary and that her comparison of the two queens is misogynist. I admit to being completely baffled by this point of view. It appears to stem from the argument that somehow Mary was a better "feminist" queen than Elizabeth, I suppose because Elizabeth "betrayed the sisterhood" by having Mary executed.

Further, Dunn's critics seem to argue that Mary was a better "feminine" role model than Elizabeth was, apparently because she ruled through emotion rather than reason. They complain that Elizabeth is too "cold" and "calculating" to be a good example of a female ruler, while waxing rhapsodic about Mary's "mercy" and "gentleness". Let me be blunt: this is the sort of idiotic, feel-good, p.c. claptrap that has set the cause of working women back 50 years. Yes, there is something to be said for women's differing management styles; you will get no argument from me that in today's world, women should not have to emulate uber-masculinity to succeed. But - newsflash! - this was the 16th century. Not only were the roles of men and women completely different - and thus incomparable - than they are today, have you ever actually tried to get anything done with the kind of dithering, vapid leadership exemplified by Mary and her ilk?

Attempting to repaint Dunn's dual biography as some sort of feminist management manifesto does a disservice, both to the author and her subjects. We should admire both Elizabeth and Mary for who they were and what they did, while admitting their flaws and shortcomings. But this is not the 1500s, and trying to appropriate their story to make a point about women today is grossly misrepresentative, self-centered, and intellectually careless. If you want to adopt antiquated delusions about women in the workplace, try reading Forbes online - not "Elizabeth and Mary".

engrossing dual biography.......2006-02-28

Jane Dane has done an excellent job in this dual Bio of
Mary,Queen Of Scots And Elizabeth I,and how previous history
and that of the era they lived in contributed to and helped
their destinies.QWould recommend it to anyone with an interest
in the time period.

Too repetitious.......2006-02-05

The authors over determination to create parralells in the womens lives create an unending series of repetitions. Not only are the sequences of events repeated, the conclusions she makes are also said at naseum. Any possible flow to the story is replaced by poorly adjoined references.

A waste of reading time.

Same old story.......2005-12-22

I was disappointed with this book. I was looking for a book that would give me an unbiased discussion about these two women and their relationship. Instead I found it was really just another of many many books that put Elizabeth on a pedestal and Mary somewhere very much lower.

Average customer rating:

Trouble in the Gym (The Gymnasts, No 5)
Elizabeth Levy
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0590421948

Average customer rating:

Lizzie's being bad...
Everyone-you guys have to read this book. It's soooooo good!
It's excellent!
GREAT!!
Elizabeth the bad twin??

Elizabeth's Rival (Sweet Valley High)
Francine Pascal
Manufacturer: Sweet Valley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Being a Teen | Social Issues | Teens | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Teen Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0553567594
Release Date: 1996-04-01

Customer Reviews:

Lizzie's being bad..........2000-03-01

One of the best bits about this book is the food fight between Liz and Nicole Banes. It seems that Jess can do no wrong in this trilogy, whereas poor old Liz has to deal with boring Maria Slater (I have no idea why she was introduced back into this series) and nutty Nicole Banes (the 'bane' of Lizzie's life - NOT). Not only all that but, there's also the story of a mad stalker with an axe, who hides out in the woods....

Everyone-you guys have to read this book. It's soooooo good!.......1999-12-23

This book is a great book. It really is exciting how Elizabeth and Joey fall in love. Liz is mostly the good girl while Jess is the bad one. But this time they're roles are the other way around. I thought it was awesome how Liz could hate someone like Nicole her rival so much. I also thought it was really cool how the two of them competed for Joey. And also for Maria since she's friends with both of them. You guys, I think you will really enjoy and like this book!

It's excellent!.......1999-03-29

I like this book. I especially liked the way Elizabeth fought with Nicole.It's about time that she must retire from being a goody two shoes.But it's totally weird that Jessica became good. Lila and Bo makes a beautiful couple but don't be fooled! In the end, they will end up as both brokenhearted. You'll know the story if you'll read the book Fight Fire with Fire or the books before that.

GREAT!!.......1999-01-25

This book was fabulous!!It was like the twins switched identies-Jess was hardworking and responsible, Liz was cheating on Todd and slacking on her work.I practicly died until I read the next book in the series!!

Elizabeth the bad twin??.......1998-07-05

This book was GREAT!! It was weird ( but funny ) to see the twins switching personalities. It's weird seeing Jessica not wanting anything to do with guys. I think Lila and Bo make a CUTE couple.

Average customer rating:

Arbella Stuart: A rival to the queen
David N Durant
Manufacturer: Weidenfeld and Nicolson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens

Average customer rating:

Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens
Jane Dunn
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

THE RIVAL DOCTORS
Elizabeth Seifert
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000K05LDG

Average customer rating:

The Rival Doctors
Elizabeth Seifert
Manufacturer: Aeonian Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PRL61A

Average customer rating:

The Rival Doctors by Elizabeth Seifert

The Rival Doctors
Elizabeth Seifert
Manufacturer: Thorndike Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Literature & Fiction | Large Print | Formats | Books
ASIN: 1560540230

Customer Reviews:

The Rival Doctors by Elizabeth Seifert.......2007-04-30

Description from the book back cover:

The Cassidy family established Cassidy House, a small but reputable hospital, and had run it for generations. Now, there are three medical men in the family, each hoping to make his mark at the institution. Hiram Cassidy, the current Chief of Staff, is a man whose charm masks his lust for power - and a crippling weakness. Sterling Cassidy, Hiram's younger brother is talented, sensitive, and tormented by a secret he dare not reveal. Caleb Soulard is their cousin, newly arrived from New England, and is trying to sort out the grim details of a complicated set of family secrets and skeletons. Beautiful Jessica Bennet loves two of these men deeply, but the third, whom she despises, is slowly destroying her!

Average customer rating:

Rival Doctors
Elizabeth Seifert
Manufacturer: AEONIAN PRESS INC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000U0EXVM

Average customer rating:

A Classic Comedy of Manners - Gentle, Humorous Satire
Ageless comedy

Rivals (New Mermaid Series)
Richard Sheridan , and Elizabeth Duthie
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0393900444

Book Description

Immensely popular comedy of manners featuring such memorable characters as the lovely Lydia Languish, her suitor, Capt. Jack Absolute; and Lydia's aunt — Mrs. Malaprop, cleverly revolves around false identities, romantic entanglements, and parental disapproval. Brilliant comic masterpiece satirizing the pretentiousness and sentimentality of 18th-century society.

Download Description

Mrs. Mal. You thought, Miss!--I don't know any business you have to think at all--thought does not become a young woman; the point we would request of you is, that you will promise to forget this fellow--to illiterate him, I say, quite from your memory. (Note: all the webmaster's mis-typings on own message board have just been explained by genetics.)

Customer Reviews:

A Classic Comedy of Manners - Gentle, Humorous Satire.......2003-10-30

The editor, Alan Downer, cautions the reader (as opposed to a spectator of the play) "not to allow himself to be troubled by the labyrinthine mechanics of the plot". Enjoy the comic aspects of the moment; the play will take care of itself. Downer argues that Sheridan envisioned The Rivals as a series of comic scenes, not necessarily a tightly woven plot.

In his preface Richard Brinsley Sheridan reminds the readers that this play was not initially well received and, in fact, he had to withdraw the play to remove imperfections. His later version was more successful and today The Rivals is one of the few English comedies from that period that continues to interest modern audiences.

I found the beginning slow. The author's wordy preface was followed by a prologue in which two lawyers plead with the audience to give this play fair consideration. On the tenth night a new prologue replaced the pleading as it was now obvious that the revised play was indeed successful. In Act 1 I had some difficulty keeping track of the characters and I chose to reread the first act before proceeding. Thereafter, the going was much smoother and I began to appreciate the foibles of the characters and their confused machinations.

The protagonist, the young Captain Absolute, was sensible for the most part, although his plan to woo the capricious Lydia Languish was obviously destined for trouble. The other characters included his excitable father Sir Anthony Absolute, his father's patient ward Julia, the silly Mrs. Malaprop, the comic gentleman wooers Faulkland, Acres, and Sir Lucius O'Trigger, and the conniving servants Fag, David, Thomas, and Lucy. While Sheridan does encourage us to laugh at his characters, his satire is gentle. His characters are not at all unlikable, just a little eccentric and possibly not overly intelligent.

I recently read and reviewed Sheridan's enjoyable The School for Scandal and I recommend that the reader new to Sheridan begin with it rather than The Rivals. Both plays are short and can be read with little difficulty with the help of an occasional footnote. For my reading of The Rivals I used the Crofts Classics edition in which Alan Downer provides a useful introduction, a list of key dates in Sheridan's life, footnotes, and a bibliography. I give four stars to The Rivals. I previously rated The School for Scandal as five stars.

Ageless comedy.......2000-10-26

This is the first major comedy by Sheridan, a radical Irish actor and politician in George III's England. Not quite as complex and astute as his later She Stoops to Conquer, the Rivals remains a warm, unforgettable, and very, very funny play.

Here we meet the chatty Mrs. Malaprop, who proudly tells us "if I reprehend anything in this world, it is the use of my oracular tongue, and a nice derangement of epitaphs"; her niece Lydia, lost in the world of lurid half-bound romantic novels; Sir Anthony Absolute, often wrong but never in doubt; Sir Lucious O'Trigger, of BlunderBuss Hall; and the rest. The dialogue and plot devices are well-crafted and funny; the social commentary is perceptive and satisfyingly naughty; but what stays with you is the humanity of each of the characters. These are not the charicatures of Restoration comedy, but personalties the reader will remember; ridiculous like all humans, but engendering empathy as well as laughter.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books