Richard Thornton's book is an important study for understanding the diplomatic machinations of the Cold War era in general and the Reagan-Thatcher partnership within it in particular. Hitherto, the British-Argentine conflict has been treated either as a sideshow in the history of international relations or as a symbolic reassertion of British power in what seemed to be its imperial sunset. Thornton's approach is entirely new and original, setting the conflict sqaurely where it belongs in the chronology of Cold War history. With substantial support the author argues that the conflict was a sting designed to divest Argentina of its military government and nuclear weapons program (a little-known fact, the details of which are only recently being elaborating) while strenghthening America's strategic relationship with Thatcher's Britain. Thornton gives great care to relate the nature of the divisions existing within the various (American, British, Argentine) leaderships and how they influenced the outcome of the war. Particularly relevant to Cold War students is his treatment of the machinations behind Thatcher's ability to make a necessary war and Reagan's ability to support her. Thornton exposes the attempts of Alexander Haig and the "wet" foreign ministers Lord Carrington and Francis Pym to sideline the military solution, secure Thatcher's political defeat, and implement a renewed detente relationship with the Soviet Union. The Reagan-Thatcher defeat of the detente cabal is of crucial importance to understanding the origins of the war and the place of its outcome in Reagan's strategy of renewed containment. Barring a few factual errors of the minor sort, Thornton's analysis is a true example of what American scholarship of the Cold War should be. It is a proud refutation of the left-wing view that international relations are simplistic or irrelevant and that the broad social trend is what should concern historians most.

This book is GREAT!!!

It shows how three National Governments define their foreign policies working from/amongst/within their internal disputes. The 3 nations involved are Argentina, Great Britain and the United States. The issue at stake is the Argentine claim, and 2nd April 1982 take-over, of the Malvinas (for Great Britain: Falkland) Islands. I guess it could be just anything else...

So it goes:
1) In the US: Haig vs Weinberger
2) In the UK: Nott vs Thatcher
3) In Argentina: Galtieri vs Viola

The books even reveals how Argentina lost the islands because of the steps taken by General Viola (de facto president ousted by General Galtieri) to make sure that the take-over was anticipated, which in turn gave the UK the time-window they needed (badly) to perform the re-taking.

This is a fascinating work of detailed scholarship. Thornton has put together a compelling retelling of the War, and by giving us hitherto undisclosed details as to the political infighting within Argentina, the United Kingdom and the United States he has managed to give meaning to so many unanswered questions which other writers simply dismiss as being 'illogical' or 'unexplicable' behaviour. Piecing together a wide web of inter-related intrigue, Thornton has put the entire conflict into a whole new light. Highly recommended.

David Malouf's Harland's Half Acre is by every standard a great book. Malouf has elected to deal the life of Frank Harland, a fictional Australian painter based loosely on real-life painter and recluse Ian Fairweather. Thematically, Malouf's book is comparable to Patrick White's The Vivisector, although Malouf's book certainly is a less demanding and far more beautiful read. As usual, Malouf's almost liquid prose is beyond reproach, and the central characters are more substantial than in previous works. Harland's Half Acre has not received as much acclaim as other novels by David Malouf, which is a great pity. The novel is not as grandly imagined as Malouf's masterpiece An Imaginary Life, yet it follows in the footsteps of Johnno, 12 Edmondstone St. and The Great World by painting an intensely personal picture of Australian history/memory.

The thesaurus is not needed to read this book, but to describe Malouf's work. There is certainly no single term that can encompass his superb writing abilities. "Opulent" might cover his descriptive powers, but fails to address the strength of Malouf's chronicle of Frank Harland. "Gripping" isn't appropriate to a life so realistically portrayed - with its tumultuous events mixed with the mundane. Artist Frank Harland is anything but mundane, however. Raised in a rural, hilly environment, Harland is buffeted by lasting poverty, overborne by deep loyalties to father and brothers, never losing sight of the meaning of "place." That place is the one-room house of his birth. No matter how far he strays from that locale, it haunts his life and his paintings. In the end, he confines himself to the "Half Acre" in solitary exile. What the thesaurus fails to convey for the reviewer, Malouf's own words will keep you embedded in this real life story.

This early book presages why many awards are granted Malouf for his writing. He was the first winner of the IMPAC award, the richest in publishing. The story of Frank Harland captures the reader from the first page. His father, an indolent dairy farmer, imparted a sense of story in Frank from his earliest days. He applies his learning to drawing instead of text, giving a fresh image of his home and its people throughout his life. Affected by the powers experienced in the hill country, the various intensities of light and shadow, the wonder-generating storms that beset the hills, the flora and fauna encountered, he struggles to impart his feelings to his art. Using any available medium, Frank paints on wood, cardboard panels, paper or whatever is at hand. The work gains wide circulation, almost unknown to Frank. Success and fame are not his aim, however, but getting through life remains the dominant theme throughout this work. In the background, he remains beset by "place," which is translated into spending his earnings on enlarging his father's land holdings.

Malouf's great strength is in characterization. Every person in this story is vividly depicted, Frank, father Clem, Tam the stepbrother and Phil the lawyer. Would you like these people? It's doubtful. Frank, caught up in his art, is slovenly, his various residences a chaos, his appearance ragged. Phil is hesitant, charmless and limited in scope. Little wonder he remains unmarried throughout his life. There is little to attract in any of these people. Still, Malouf manages to portray them sympathetically. His prose keeps you attentive, following their fates, no matter how distasteful their personalities might seem. It is Malouf's honed skills that keeps this book timeless.

Generational Family Trees are often found at the beginning of Biographies. Mr. Malouf's, "Harland's Half Acre", is a novel so the Families are fictitious, however the complexity of the relationships are very real, so a pen a paper may help keep all in order. The Author is not a writer of clichés, and the people and how they relate are in no way contrived. There is some unusual movement of players, and they sometimes concur with the death of another key character, it may just have been me, however there seemed much to follow.

This is the fifth work of the Authors that I have read, so I have by no means even reached the halfway mark in his work. Of the works I have read this is my favorite. This book is neither as complex as, "An Imaginary Life", nor as seemingly straightforward as, "The Conversations At Curlow Creek". The works I have read that were about the settlement of Australia were placed at the beginning of the earlier settlers history while this work shows the results and failures of the descendents of those pioneers.

The artist in the book reminded me of another Author's portrayal of a painter in. "The Moon And Sixpence", by W. Somerset Maugham. The artist's personalities are very different, and the issues they struggle with differ as well. I make the reference as it may cause an association to the better-known work. Mr. Malouf's work is every bit as good a read.

All of the attributes about the Author's work I have mentioned before I will try not to repeat, however in this work the manner with which he had his characters experience death was interesting to me. His writing of death and its dismantling of life is very well done, however the way he chose to deal with the actual instant of death was new as a reader for me. It occurs more than once, so I believe the note is something the Author wanted to make a point of. Death is hardly a new area, but as he has done in his previous books, he writes about aspects of what you believe you are familiar with and he brings a fresh perspective. His work is not derivative, it is unique as he takes a detail, a moment in time, and causes it to be a noteworthy event.

A wonderful writer, I look forward to the balance of his work.

Thirteen year old Morgan le Fay Christie began her life as a spoiled Austrailian girl by the name of Vicky, pampered by her dad and hidden from reality by all.

Of course this just cannot go on and Vicky's world is shattered by the rape. After being brushed off by all female relatives, she decides to run off. Younger mute brother James also leaves with her on the afternoon train to Surfer's Beach. Meeting with a band of other runaways, Vicky and James change their names and begin to mature.

It is a grand day when the newly renamed Max speaks. It is a tragedy when myopic Marcelle falls from a boat and drowns. Joss goes back to his father and Dawn wanders off in a drug haze. The other girl (whose name left me) gives birth but is devestated when it is given up for adoption. The babe is later stollen back. Morgan begins work in a whorehouse but leaves after the madame propositions her and she overhears people plotting to turn her in. So she runs to the House Tibet where the kindly old gentleman Xam lives. Here Morgan and Max are reunited with mother, but she agrees to leave them there.

Sure it all wrapped up too neatly, but I really felt a loss when I closed the cover on this book. I lived Morgan's maturation process as she took her first lover, watched as he abandoned her yet she still maintained a equnamity that was impressive.

A wonderful book that captures the innocence of a young woman who has to grow up faster than expected because of the situation she was placed in. Morgan Christie (Victoria) runs away with her young mute brother when no one in her family believes what had happened to her and her father. During her escape to a place better than the one at home, she runs into some homeless children who have left their own homes for various reasons. Allie, Marchelle, Angel, and Joss are the people she stays with near the beach. At first, they are happy living in an open area, but things change when Allie's about to give birth. Morgan, Max (Morgan's little brother), and Marcelle leave to stay at a marina. Morgan begins to lose her friends (beginning with Angel) who jumps into another car not to be seen again. Marchelle, a close friend of Morgan, leaves believing that she is going to be in pictures. Yet, she disappears after spending the day in an boat with a strange man. Finally, Morgan ends up staying at Tibat caring for Xam-an old man. Yet, the story does not end there. Morgan spends some time at a brothel, falls in love with Joss, and tranforms from a lost and confused child to a mature young woman whose innocence was taken away by her father. A book I highly recommend for those interested in understanding the complexities that life may force upon a little girl and the wisdom that Morgan learns by quietly observing life's unexpected problems.

I could not put the book down, it was an addiction from the moment I picked it up. When I was not reading the book, I was wondering what was happening to Vicky. I felt that if I was not reading it, the story would go on without me. I felt that the author did a great job describing the way a young girl deals with such a traumatic experience in her life, realizing that there is no trust... We all know that if you can trust anyone, it is your mother and father. The author explains how this is not always the case. I myself have experienced alot of the same misfortunes that Vicky had. I applaud Georgia Savage for such a great insite to the mind of a strong girl who can overcome and not get mentally disturbed in the end, but change her life completely and become a stronger person.

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This is a valuable text for the economical traveller who wishes to enjoy the people,customs and natural beauties of this country.

It has all the usual features many have come to expect from the 'Lonely Planet' guides.Good area/city maps,travel details, pointers for the culinary delicacies of particular areas,good information on inexpensive places to stay,as well as fascinating sights,places and people to visit,a brief introduction to the(amazingly simple and easy to learn)language,and interesting cultural,religious and other useful notes.

This edition and it`s excellent predecessors have played a major part in assisting me in all of my travels to Indonesia,in both the planning and research stages,and during the travel itself.I am certain that I would not have travelled to some of the unique and rarely visited places that I was privileged to see without the aid of this weighty and at times indispensible tome.

However,the most important thing to take with you is an open mind and heart,a friendly nature,and a desire to get to know the people and their customs.(Language is a great help too.)These ingredients(and the book !)tend to make for a most memorable and enjoyable stay. Bon Voyage !

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This is the most detailed book for a big place like indonesia. Indonesia (outside of Jakarta/Bali) is a perfect match of lonely planet's specialty in off the beaten track and/or budget traveling. Every part of Indonesia is covered, except for the small islands between Sumatra and Kalimantan that might be cool to check out. Its not the Riau - that's covered in detail. It has minimal coverage of the Natuna islands. I'm interested in the islands further south - Tambeian Islands, Dadas Isalands, and Pulau Pejantan. Once they add coverage to these islands then this book will be perfection. This book also a lot of information on Indonesian culture, about a 40% overlap with the culture shock indonesia book.

So far I plan a 2 month trip to indonesia. Fly to hong kong, spend 1-2 nights there. Then fly to malaysia or jakarta (whichever is cheaper). Then take a boat to Pontianak, spend some time there and sinkawang (probably a week). Check out the islands between kalimantan and sumatra (1-2 weeks). Then go to the todgean islands, getting their via ujung padang to ambon and then spend the rest of the time (probably a month) chillin and snorkeling / scuba diving. Then go back trhough jakarta or malaysia, spend another 1-2 nights in hong kong, and then come home.

On planning a trip to indonesia I found this guide book from the Lonely Planet Series. I was attracted by the clear concept of the book that makes it easy to find the information, that you need. It provides all the necessary information for a traveller who wants to get of the beaten trak, but also includes the "must see" sights. Specially the Places to Stay and Places to Eat sections are clear and give good and reliable information. It made my trip to indonesia easy and worth a while. I strongly recomend a Lonely Planet book if you like to travel and you want to see as much as possible.

I read "The Drowner" a couple of months ago, enjoyed it immensely, recommended it to my wife, and planned to write a glowing review. But, now, I have to think hard to remember it. As I think about it, details come back, and I smile remembering (what's a "drowner?", the idea of the aquaduct, that French guy!). A great book imprints itself, so one recalls it without effort, and this book isn't there. But it's a fine novel nonetheless, certainly much better than most of the bestselling tripe available -- it's just not quite as good as I'd hoped it would be.

"The Drowner" appears to be unavailable to the US audience today, and that's a shame. It's probably not worth a whole lot of effort to track down; but, if you run across a copy, it's worth picking up. Then, tell me I'm wrong.

More of a stylised "romance" than a plot-driven novel. Drewe's evocative prose sustains an amazing unity of effect through water and desert imagery, using these as metaphors for the emotional, physical, and intellectual ways in which humans communicate (or fail to do so) under the stress of life's changes. The book's historical sensibility is similar to that of Ondaatje's _The English Patient_, as is the richly sensual language and psychology of the narrative as a whole.

I have read Robert drewe's work before,and this book is beautifully composed. I have actually taken the waters of Bath so it also brought back some happy memories.As a period piece,which is among my favorite's,it is informative,touching,and romantic,without being to sentimental.I loved the characters,especially Hammond even though he was a rogue,the characters they came across in Australia were wonderfull,a good cross section off imigrants to Australia,sensitive,touching,informative,I am looking forward to Robert Drewe's next book

I have to disagree with the previous reviewer about the debunking of Heyerdahl being "excessive". The debunking is limited to only one or two chapters. For readers like me who have read Heyerdahl, this debunking was important because of the attractive neatness of Heyerdahl's theories as he had presented them.

The book is very well organized, with a good selection of photographs and diagrams.

The book's title and the previous review may give the impression that the book is primarily about environmental lessons we can learn from what happened to Easter Island, but in fact it is the best introduction to Easter Island studies that I have seen.

Only the final chapter is about lessons for humanity. The authors' arguments here are diminished by their citing of the well-known Club of Rome study on the Limits to Growth. None of its predictions for the 1990s came true, and this should have been clear by 1992, the year of this book's publication. The authors make no mention of that inconvenient fact.

The author's basic theme, Easter Island as an example of where the entire world may be going, is somewhat diminished by his excessive debunking of Thor Heyerdahl. The story, ending with the vision of the last tree on the island being cut to the ground for little purpose, is a message we must understand. The country that saves its forest, survives.

You would think from the title that this book is actually a flaming, guilt-ridden treatise on environmentism. But such is not the case. It is in reality a well balanced handling of all aspects of Easter Island. Yes, Thor Heyerdahl and his theories are covered but so is going on vacation there and where to stay. If there is something you would like to know about from Easter Island, this book probably covers it in a most readable fashion.

Tom Cole reveals the Northern Territory of Australia in all its untamed and raw delights. Amazingly we had barely encroached on this area just 50 years ago, a fact he bears witness to. He passed away just a few years ago, but left us several good books before he departed. This one relates the story of his life as a stockman (cowboy) and croc hunter, of the people & cattle stations which began to spread across the territory, and attests to the difficulty in establishing their viability.

It is pleasing that one can still escape to different times and different settings to the environment we city dwellers live in today. Tom Cole gives us a no nonsense insight into a remarkable life of buffalo and crocodile hunting.

Tom Cole was a larger than life true blue Australian adventurer--crocodile hunter, horse-breaker,buffalo-shooter,ranch manager and explorer.His autobiography is written with great humor.It is set in the last true frontier--the Australian outback.A marvellous book.

This book is one of the few good 1980's attempts to document the voyaging culture of the Caroline Islands of Micronesia. It follows Kenneth Brower's 'Song For Satawal', which is now out of print!

Plenty of authentic stuff to make this a good read even if you get queasy at the insecurities and soul-searching and quest for meaning that pervades this account of one man's unique adventure in the Pacific.

There is lots of interesting anthropology (or is it sociology?) here, such as the system for ownership and preservation/protection of marine resources. Good background for anyone working in resource management in the Pacific.

The image that sticks in my mind after reading this book is the agonizing, slow-motion demise of traditional society in the small islands of the Carolines. The Carolines had centuries of Spanish/German/Japanese/USA stepping on their culture, still they managed to resurrect the voyaging skills, but now face the competition of outboards, charts, technological changes. Their oral tradition recorded vast local knowledge of this part of the pacific ocean, but the younger generations for some reason don't have the desire to avail themselves. Youngsters move away, they choose to join the workaday world instead of developing their skills at the traditonal systems that proferred self-sufficiency to their ancestors. The youngsters don't want the old way.

The few remaining navigators are at a loss how to preserve the sailing traditions, so one of them accepts a student from Boston, Mass. This guy (the author, Steve) goes to Satawal, home of the greatest surviving ocean-voyaging practitioners, and he spends a LOT of time learning the language, learning the rules, getting informants to tell him about the legends, secret knowledge and systematics of ocean navigation according to the hand-me-down skills of these descendents of the sailors who populated the pacific ocean islands. In the process he manages to get in unpleasant binds over taboos, local politics, and even gets to go fishing and sailing with the natives. The book is liberally salted with the concepts, specifics, and vocabulary of native voyaging, and there is an appendix at the end that gives glossaries, diagrams, etc.

Steve Thomas's exploration of the ancient way of navigation in the Pacific Ocean, shows how ancient navigators and modern man clash in a strugle of the sea. Thomas learns about himself when he goes to the Pacif to train under the pau to learn ancient ways of sailing. He also learns about his relationship with Pau and his own father in this touching story of sailing and life. I highly recommend this book for anyone intrested in sailing, ancient navigation and the ways other cultures has strugled with the modernization of their land and beliefs.

The original edition of Thomas' saga showed an excellent example of the truly gifted amateur contributing to the practical art of cultural analysis. Drawn to solve a personal intellectual problem on how the early polynesians navigated, Thomas chose the solution of walking in their "mocassins" or paddling in their canoes, learning their language and living their culture. I found his journey as intriguing as the quests of Oliver Sachs(Island of the Color-blind People) or Jared Diamond (Guns, Germs and Civilization) and as intricate as Dva Sobel's tracing of the development of the Chronometer (Longitude). His tool of learning about these people by choosing their most precious historical achievement was inspired. His report by cross-referencing his modern "quantified" vision with their "common sense" qualitative analysis of the sea and its trails is a fascinating tale of multi-cultural experiences. Will he ever return? Even if the island culture is forever changed, one can only hope that he will in some way give us a follow-up picture. Professional scientists and anthropologists should note that Thomas' approach solves the "solipsistic problem" of intercultural communication as effectively as the "Seti Project" hopes to in the future. It is as interesting as Carl Sagan's fiction-- "Contact", but much closer than one might imagine.

To the other glowing reviews I can only add that it's worthwhile for the piece about Hemingway alone. The final chapter was emotionally wrenching and unforgettable

I got into Alan Moorehead by picking up an old Penguin edition of A Late Education second-hand at South Melbourne market. Since then, I've read more, and it seems to me that Moorehead is one of the great prose stylists of the 20th Century. The Australian Moorehead was a war correspondent in Europe during the Spanish Civil War and WWII. This is an account of Moorehead's friendship with another young war correspondent, Alex Clifford, throughout the North African and Western European campaigns, and after the war, up to Clifford's untimely early death. It is a fascinating portrait of young journalists thrown into adventure and danger, and of a unique friendship that grew as a result. As such, it's a kind of mix of The English Patient and Salvador - and very well written.

Alan Moorehead was a war correspondent of WW2 and since authored a number of very fine documentary works, including the White Nile, Gallipoli, and many more. In this book he recounts episodes from his fascinating vocation, mostly from around WW2, but the book is also a heartfelt memoir of a long relationship with a dear friend and colleague. The stories include some fine commentary his journalistic approach, and give a glimpse of his fantastic writing career, developing from a mildly uninspired Australian schoolboy into one of the finest documentary authors of the 20th century.

Alan Moorehead has the uncanny ability to keep the reader's eyes glued to the pages. He is simply enormously satisfying and enjoyable to read. He must have been a person of great compassion and intelligence, and I imagine him being moved by a unflinching desire to search for and faithfully report the truth.

Lockies first day at school was promising day. he found his girl.Being a surfy his Dad a cop and his brother wets the bed he didn't stand a chance this book is for 13-14 year old.It is funny too.

Lockie Leonard is a teenage boy into teenage boy things. Apart from dealing with a new school and a crazy family, Lockie has to deal with adolescent changes that are reaking havoc on his life. Trying to stay cool, popular and in love make this Australian book a hilariously realistic look at teenage life.

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