I have never been so captivated by a series of books as I have with the Tomorrow series. I ordered this book from Australia months ago so I could get to the end. It is not necessarily the way I wanted the series to end, but it makes more sense than everything turning out perfectly fine. I will miss the brave characters in these books and will most certainly have to read all 7 again at some point.

This was a great book and the epilogue didn't really give enough. You felt like the characters were real and you wanted to know what happens to them after. It was a realistc ending though. War brings a lot of pain. This book will be a favorite for years to come. It should be one of the book that we read in school and talk about. This series showed that the bond of friendship is the strongest there is.

I was absolutely breathless with excitement when this book finally arrived. I tried to make it last, but at the same time was so caught up in it that I finally just had to stay up late reading it. Any Tomorrow When... fan must read this book immediately!
As much as I loved it and found it thrilling and exciting, the absence of Homer, Lee, Kevin, and Fi for so much of the book was disappointing. I desperately wanted to know what they were doing.Despite the epilogue, I was left wanting to know more. Surely they couldn't just go back to their lives like nothing happened? And why didn't Ellie's parents want to know more about her experiences? And even though, as another reviewer said, it was probably realistic, I can't handle the thought of the group of them not being close knit for the rest of their lives.
So, as much as I really enjoyed the book, I am left feeling kind of disappointed, whether it's because the series is over or because I feel so badly for the characters, or because I think the epilogue was kind of lame, I'm just not sure.

As president of Sea for Yourself snorkeling tours, it's my job to stay informed about the areas we visit with our groups. Although I've been to Fiji over twenty times, both leading our programs and doing personal travel, David Stanley's Fiji Handbook is always a welcome companion.

In preparation for a trip to Fiji, I will recommend that our clients read through David's Fiji Handbook. Although our participants don't have to deal with any of the logistics of travel (that's our job) because of the excellent background information on Fiji's culture, politics, and economics, as well as a concise overview of the marine environment, we always include this book on our list of suggested reading.

I know many parts of Fiji as well as I know my hometown, and can confirm the accuracy of much of David's information on accommodations, meals, transportation, and excursions. It's impossible for any guidebook to stay truly current, but David does better than most. For the absolute latest up-to-date info, simply turn to the website and email directories near the back of the book.

When I need a detailed reference for Fiji, I'll continue to use this 5th edition of the Fiji Handbook ... until David comes out with the next edition.

David Stanley continues his fine in-depth coverage of Fiji with this latest edition. The book is very well-organized, user friendly and is very up-to-date and informative. For any traveler planning a visit to Fiji, and especially for adventurous budget travelers, this book is indispensible. I first visited Fiji 30 years ago and in subsequent visits have returned to favorite places like Savusavu, Levuka, Kadavu and Suva. Places somewhat off the beaten track like Savusavu and Levuka have changed little in that time and the author is right on target with his descriptions and information. The maps are excellent and the book is very readable, a good combination of background history, culture, custom and practical information on today's Fiji. There are tons of useful resources provided including an extensive listing of website/internet resources on hotels, lodges, travel resources, etc. There's more to Fiji than just the hotels and resorts of the Coral Coast and Nadi and this book will help you experience it whether you're a first-time Fiji visitor or an old Pacific hand.

Fiji by David Stanley continues to look good after all these years. As an island traveler who has knocked around various parts of Fiji over the years, I have come to admire Stanley's comprehensive work in gathering the material for his guidebook. This book is a must have for any aspiring Fiji traveler. The book is compact, easy to handle and use and is very reader friendly. It has a detailed table of contents, tons of clear easy to read and very visual maps, an extensive website directory of resources (worth the price of the book alone, because you don't have to surf the 'net looking for it all!), an Accommodations Index and a general index, all very helpful and useful. There are nice pictures and artwork throughout and a lively, informative text. It's all straightforward information, exactly what today's budget traveler needs in a rapidly changing travel world. You won't go wrong putting this book in your backpack and it's guaranteed you will use it. This book touches on every major area of Fiji and covers indepth a variety of subjects of interest to travelers.

I have read and commented upon seven of the nine novels that David Malouf has written. His novels are not lengthy but they all share the great talent this writer has. "Dream Stuff", is a collection of nine short stories that appear together for the first time. Just as he has done many times over with his novels, he presents a series of shorter works that are uniformly very good, and some that are excellent.

There are two stories that were of great interest as the Author chose children to narrate the tale. At the age of 9 in, "Closer", a young girl is the hostess for the story, and in, "Blacksoil Country", our young male guide is but twelve. The choice of youth for narrators was interesting as the stories they shared were those of adult situations, feelings and actions. The word precocious would not accurately measure the insight these children have.

All of the stories tend toward the darker spectrums of Human Nature. Even when the tale may just be deeply sad I believe it still shows the more negative aspects of people and Family. There is one story that stands out for its absolute brutality. It is particularly savage as it is unexpected, and random in its violence. Unfortunately it reflects what we too often read of in the news.

I highly recommend the work of this Author. I have never picked up one of his works and come away with anything less than great admiration for his skill.

This is perhaps one of the most phenomenal books I've read in the past year. Malouf's prose is intricate, flowing, and beautiful, and I found myself taking more time than usual after each story to ponder meanings and significances. Malouf is one of few writers to have completely mastered both style and content; his results are breathtaking. A must read.

David Malouf has written books that I return to and return to again for the language that is wonderful and the sense of place - Australia from its settlers' beginnings to modern time - that tells more about the uniqueness of that continent than a thousand pictures. One of the stories in this collection, Jacko's Reach is one of the most beautifully written evocations of the enduring quality of memory and wild places, full of mystery, that I have ever read. These are wonderful stories.

Roff first covered his trip around Australia in a three part series in National Geographic a few years ago. It was a find to discover he had written an entire book on his journey since cycling around a country roughly the size of the United States should produce more material than just three magazine articles. It's not quite the same prose either, so if you did read these articles, you're not reading a reprint.

"Cold Beer and Crocodiles" is a poor title, especially when Smith's account proves there is so much more to Australia than the two. He does an excellent job of describing the different climates he rides and lives through.

Just as skillful is his portrayal of the various Australians he meets along the way. I spent several months in the country a few years ago, so I can relate to their overwhelming hospitality and generosity (most). As few truly unfriendly and hostile Australians as I met, I'm glad Smith wasn't afraid to mention the few he came across. They're such a small minority, especially if you consider a similar trip made around say the US. A small number would be so open to a strange cycling by their homes. Traditionally, Australians are used to strangers traveling through covering the vast distances in search of work. Even so I think Smith fortunate to get a rare glimpse (for the rest of the world anyway) into an outback station, several, and we're lucky to read about his other experiences. His balance between the positive and negative provides a wonderful narrative of his trip. I agree with other reviewers the book winds up extremely quickly, and he skips through and by several places worth commenting on. He barely writes about this trip in Tasmania. But this isn't the Rough Guide to Australia. What is mentioned and left out is entirely up to the writer. There are several other books on travel in Australia, such as Bryson's "In a Sunburned Country" to give a different spin on Oz.

The force of my desire to hear more from an adventurer like Roff Smith is the litmus test of how much I enjoyed this summertime page-turner. Although I longed for greater detail at every leg of his journey, I sensed Smith's efficient writing style pulling me forward to the next landscape and the next experience.

Smith's adventures complete the Australian experience started by Eric Stiller's "Keep Australia on Your Left: A True Story of an Attempt to Circumnavigate Australia." While cycling 10,000 miles puts Smith in contact with many more aspects of this unique continent, Stiller's failed kayaking attempt deals more with the problems of bringing another personality onboard. Both are compelling reads.

While Smith seems open to making new acquaintances along the way, his reported loneliness is magnified by the adsence of a certain warmth - a feeling conveyed by descriptions of the support and concern from friends and family that surely must have accompanied him. On the other hand, this might just be a carry-over from the sanitized writing requirements of the "National Geographic" series.

"Cold Beer and Crocodiles" is a stop-and-start-anywhere book. Each chapter offers readers the craft and closure of a short story.

A captivating story. I first read of Roff's adventure in his three separate articles for the National Geographic in 1999. I thought at that time how wonderful it would be for the author to write a book about his cycling tour around the continent of Australia. You can imagine how surprised I was to discover his recently published book. This book is very entertaining. Roff has a great sense of humor and he demonstrated a willingness to reach out and befriend all sorts of people along his journey which really inspired me to become more aware and accepting of the people I meet. The author's use of Australian phrases and his detailed descriptions of his personal experiences, landscapes, cities, towns, and the people who inhabit them makes the book hard to put down.

We purchased this book to plan our honeymoon mainly because of the 5 star reviews we read on this site. While the author does provide a lot of information on the different islands in the South Pacific, and some great food recommendations, nothing about this book sets it apart from the other guide books we brought along to Tahiti. In short, compared to other tour books we've fallen in love with, this book is average.

This is one of three books we used on our trip in November of 1998. The best part of this book is the detailed reviews of all of the eating establishments. There are a ton of restaurant reviews, and they are very detailed. We found the recommendations to be pretty accurate. The do it yourself tours and adventures are not as detailed in this book as in the Lonely Planet book. We also found some useful stuff in the moon book that was in neither of these. If you're more of an adventurous type, I would recommend getting the Lonely Planet book as well. The combination of two or three of these books would make the perfect guide. You can read all about our trip and how we used these two books in my travel report on DiveAtlas.com. I Moon and Lonely Planet books came out with new editions after we returned.

Jan Prince's Tahiti & French Polynesia Guide was a great resource to have with us on our trip to French Polynesia. The restaurant and tour references were the most up to date and accurate of the three guidebooks that we took along. We used this book 90% of the time. It was very evident that the book was written by someone that lived in the area. We followed some of the hints on places to see and things to do that were not mentioned in the other guidebooks that we brought along, and could only be known by someone intimate with the area.

The story begins with Maria, who is leaving her daughter, Sonja, and husband, Bojan. Forever. The images and sounds of the snow falling as she leaves her daughter are absolutely one of the finest passages I have read in a long time. I went back to it after I finished the book and it meant so much more. I could feel the snow and the despair of this family acutely the second time. Richard Flanagan takes us through present and past to tell this story, using prose that speaks like poetry. There were sentences I just read repeatedly because they were written so well. It is a sad book, beyond heartbreaking at times when we see how much hurt each member of this family has borne. There were times when I hated Bojan as much as his daughter did, but when his full story is revealed, he must be understood and forgiven.
The book ends with hope and redemption, and it is believeable and welcome. This book, its characters, images, and symbolism in the writing, are unforgettable.
This is another example of a superior novel that begs to be read by a larger audience.

This is an impressive novel. The story of a post-war Slovenian immigrant family whose lives gradually fall apart. The journey of the main character (Sonja) and her father (Bojan) towards some kind of redemption, and a regaining of some meaning in their lives. (See other reviews for fuller plot descriptions). The quality of the writing occasionally reaches a quality I can only call stunning. Having said this, Flanagan's literary aspirations almost fail to come off in some passages as he seeks to wring every nuance of emotion out of a scene. This is far outweighed by the positives however, and I would rate one chapter in particular (I won't tell you which!) as one of the finest pieces of prose I have read anywhere!. As another reviewer has noted, this is a 'literary' read and not for the faint hearted. Those of us who actually live where the novel is set have the added bonus imagining the action in the precise geographical context that Flanagan himself had in mind. An appreciation of the harsh contradictions in Tasmanian history, climate and geography goes a long way to enhancing the appreciation of this fine novel. Regardless of this Tasmanian setting (which is extremely important in all Flanagan's work) any serious reader will be well rewarded by a careful reading of his fine literary craftsmanship.

Bojan Buloh isn't a cheery bloke. A "reffo wog" [immigrant from Southern Europe] in Tasmania, he lives a disenchanted life. His taxing job is meaningless, his quarters squalid, his friends and co-workers equally hopeless. His wife, Maria, has disappeared into a blizzard, leaving him with three-year-old Sonja.

Bojan's grief at the loss of Maria is compounded by memories of his early years. As a young Yugoslav partisan messenger, he witnessed war in all its viciousness. These aren't the fond childhood recollections of most of us. In Tasmania, he confronts the realities of immigrant life - exploitation, scornful neighbours, reduced status and few opportunities. A lesser man might cave in under such pressures, but Bojan is a tough bloke. Being tough, however, makes him neither happy nor successful. He survives with the help of the bottle, all the while expressing his resentment at the vagaries of his life. Some of that resentment falls, as it must, on Sonja. She represents the missing Maria.

Maria Bull's fading into a snowy Tasmanian night triggered dark guilt in Sonja - which she carries through her life. Their shared grief doesn't bring Sonja and Bojan closer. His drinking and violence only compounds Song's sense of detachment. She withdraws, although the spark of affection for Bojan never quite expires. Fleeing to Sydney, Sonja tries to shed the past, living the present intensely. Her grief is little assuaged as she uses a succession of men to compensate for, in effect, the loss of both parents. The ember of regard for Bojan dims feelings she might hold for another man. Cruel, drunken, cynical as he is, Bojan remains the one solid aspect of her life. It is to this lodestone she returns at last, in an attempt to take charge of her life. If "it is written," she determines at last to do her own writing.

Reviewing Flanagan inevitably evokes the tired clichés - "powerful" or "intense." While both terms apply, neither sufficiently addresses the quality of Flanagan's writing. One phrase, rarely applied to today's writers is "clarity." Although the story of Sonja and Bojan Buloh is told through broken chronology, Flanagan is able to hold the reader's attention throughout the tale. Skipping from present to past in a narrative is too often a distraction, but Flanagan manages the feat with unusal precision. Given the depth of feeling presented, he deserves high praise for his accomplishment. His story disturbs, sometimes repels, the reader, but the tale is never false nor the events contrived. His writing contains no cliches, nor is it tired. Only the reviewer is guilty of those sins.

As a professional woman in the international news business, I find myself flying to different countries on a minutes notice. I appreciated "The Beginners Guide to Bali" because of its no nonsense approach to the new arrivals need to become acclimated quickly upon arrival in Kuta. This guide did not waste any of my time. It also cd-rom size and easy to access. I'd recommend it.

The guide was extremely informative about the important stuff like, how to bargain without getting ripped off, where to stay, and what to stay away from such as the no-metered taxi cabs, cane chairs, and tourist traps especially in the Kuta area. The Cd-Rom is more up-to-date than any book you could purchase in the bookstore because it is constantly being updated. My husband and I went to some of the restaurants that are recommended, and for the price the food was outstanding. This is for the person who wishes to travel to paradise on a budget, but who wishes to experience all that Bali has to offer.

I found the CD-ROM to be extremely informative in thinking about what to pack, what to expect in customs, where to eat, how to bargain and many more questions I had when considering a trip to Bali. I have actually used the information in this CD-ROM to prepare my "Bali travel book" that I can use as a quick reference while I'm there. It provides first hand practical information that most travel books do not, or would not include about how to travel on a budget. I would highly recommend this CD-ROM to anyone considering a trip to Bali.

The cover of this book is done in Victorian style, and the prose is Gothic, formal, and "very British." Although it's probably sailing on the trend of current sea books, like "The Perfect Storm", and the story of the whaling ship Essex, this book is different in tone. I found it enjoyable yet I do have reservations about the "docu-drama" style of imagined conversations, emotions, and memories, which to my mind, trivializes real events. I realize the constraints which the author faced, as all the characters are long dead, not available for interviewing.

It is a gripping, elemental story of a situation few of us like to think about. One fact is particularly haunting: Sometimes men on leanly-provisioned ships would "not see" a small boat of desperate people, fearing that if they rescued them, there would not be enough food for all. Leaders of shipwrecked survivors would have to instruct some of them to hide in the bottom of the boat so that a ship would approach. So much for brave captains and the noble code of the sea!

The Custom of the Sea is a well-written, well-researched and compelling look at a harrowing piece of maritime history. The "custom" refers to cannibalism on the high seas. The author tells the story of the wreck of the Mignonette in a non-sensational way but not fliching from providing the details . If you like adventure stories, I would heartily recommend this book

This is a troubling story about a group of men that have to deceide what their morals are really made of. Four men start out from England on an expidition to deliver a yacht to its new owner in Australia. Though the trip is dangerous all the men aboard have their reasons to take the chance. Whether it is for the money or a chance at a new life these men set out on a journey that will bring them to the edge of death when the ship goes down in a storm. The men cast off in a life boat with very little food and drinking water. As their physical condition deteriorates they are faced with a major decision...to follow the custom of the sea to save themselves or to follow their morality and most surely die. The last portion of the book deals with the legal problems associated with their decision and their lives after the sinking. This book is a great story that will evoke many emotions in the reader. The book is easy to read, and the story will grip you so you can't put it down. I highly recomend it.

After reading all Hortwitz' books, I can say that his first is far from his best. Frankly, the Australian outback doesn't offer him enough to go on. It's a whole lotta nothing, although he does his best with what he has. The book would be helped by an amusing sidekick, or at least a more interesting part of the world to visit. That said, it's still a pretty good -- and short -- travelogue of Australia and its people.

Tony Horwitz is fast becoming my one of my favorite authors. I loved "Confederates in the Attic" and "Baghdad Without a Map" and looked forward to reading "One for the Road", his very first book which describes his adventures hitchhiking across the Australian outback in 1987 at the age of 27.

With only a backpack and a sense of adventure, he shares his journey with the reader, skillfully describing the mostly desolate terrain and the people he meets along the way. His sense of humor and instinctive quest for the quirky detail made me smile often and I tried to read this small 206-page book as slowly as possible because I just wanted it to last.

I'm a mature city-dwelling grandmother and it's unlikely I'll ever stand by the side of the road with a cardboard sign and an outstretched thumb (or index finger as they do in Australia) waiting for a stranger to open a car door and share a little piece of his or her life with me. But for the moments that I was engaged in the book, Tony Horwitz brought me right there.

He made me feel the 100-degree-plus heat, the flies so dense he had to squint his eyes. My head swirled with the countless bottles of beer he described drinking as he tried to ignore the fact that most of the drivers who picked him up were drunk. He slept in his clothes by the side of the road, met aboriginals and opal diggers and got seasick working as a deck hand on a fishing boat.

And I also experienced the wonder of it all, the freedom of waking up in the morning and not knowing what the day will bring, the time to relish each moment, and the writer's eye to make the trip real for the many people destined to read his book. Occasionally, the book got a bit slow, but that is not a criticism, but rather just part of the reality of the experience.

I really loved this book. And wish there were more books out there by this author. Hopefully, he'll write another book soon. And I know I'll be one of the first in line to order it.

The best kind of book - a non-fiction page turner. Horwitz writes about his slow grinding hitchhiking tour through the expanse and heat of the Australian outback. He does so with constant wit and determined irreverance. It is just plain fun to be along for the ride.

But I don't think his only purpose is entertain us. I think he also wants to show us the character of the Australian people. He succeeds. We discover a tough, independent, hard drinking, hard fighting, and hard laughing people. He tells his stories so well that we are left changed. We are left with a fresh new look at the what Australia is about.

Read this book. You'll look forward to every new page and when you are done, you are left a little changed. What more could you want in a book?