Product Description
A philosophy that saw self-possession as the key to an existence lived 'in accordance with nature', Stoicism called for the restraint of animal instincts and the severing of emotional ties. These beliefs were formulated by the Athenian followers of Zeno in the fourth century BC, but it was in Seneca (c. 4 BC - AD 65) that the Stoics found their most eloquent advocate. Stoicism, as expressed in the Letters, helped ease pagan Rome's transition to Christianity, for it upholds upright ethical ideals and extols virtuous living, as well as expressing disgust for the harsh treatment of slaves and the inhumane slaughters witnessed in the Roman arenas. Seneca's major contribution to a seemingly unsympathetic creed was to transform it into a powerfully moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

The unmannerly guest or Penguin butchers a classic author once again.
This will not be a review about Seneca. I suppose I will attempt that one day once I manage to go thru my library's Loeb Classical Library edition of Seneca's Epistles.
The purpose of this review is to bellyache about the Penguin Classics' edition of this work. I come not to criticize this translation. I have no Latin. For all I know it is brilliant.
What I am here to criticize is the decision to edit Seneca's work all to Tartarus and back. There are 124 Letters in Seneca's Epistles. Campbell gives you 40. Or just over 32%! Campbell's criteria as to which letters to present is a personal one. He evaluated their interest and whether or not they were repetitive. His is admittedly charming in his own defense on this issue. He quotes Roger L'Estrange (another anthologist of Seneca's) from 1673 to the effect that anyone who complains about the selection is an unmannerly guest who eats at his host's table and then critiques the meal. I embrace this description. I may well use The Unmannerly Guest as my nom de plume for my reviews from now on.
Here is my problem. All too often the editors or translators of the Penguin Classic editions decide that they know better than the ancient author what is valuable about the work for today's reader. Their Plutarch is one such travesty. Their edition of Polybius is another. What makes it more confusing is they can get it right sometime, as with their edition of Livy.
I think they are really missing their chance here. The Penguin Classics series is the perfect publishing series for modern and complete editions of ancient authors presented in their original form as much as is possible.
Let us look at how personal Campbell's choice is. I happen to be reading The Roman Stoics: Self, Responsibility, and Affection by Gretchen Reydams-Schils. She happens to cite 185 passages from Seneca's Epistles during the course of her book. Because I am The Unmannerly Guest, I took it upon myself to count up how many of those passages were not in Campbell's selection. 122 of the 185 or just over 65%. In other words, she made as much use of the letters Campbell did not publish as those he did. His choices were no more representative of Seneca's thought to Reydams-Schils than the letters he rejected.
Here's another way to look at it. Seneca was writing about a philosophy to be lived. Not a system of thought but a guide to behavior. It is inevitable that such a guide would be repetitive. The same sort of issues, of temptations, of annoyances come up again day after day with slight variations (e.g.,anyone trying to raise courteous children knows what I mean). Repetition in an author dealing with such a guide is to be expected; indeed, it is to be appreciated as helpful. It takes time to learn how to live.
I think we ought to take old Seneca and Plato and Augustine and Machiavelli and Locke and so on seriously. When we read them we should try to sink into their way of living not just their way of thinking about that life. Only then can we evaluate how much they speak to us.
The Penguin Classics, accordingly to this Unmannerly Guest, do not help us in this endeavor. And the fact that they have chosen to present us with a highlighted tour of ancients like Seneca and Polybius is a betrayal of the original mission of the series which was to make the classics easily available to the masses. I speak for those masses as much as anyone. And I say, give me the whole da*@ book. Let me be the one to make the editing decisions.

Need to read it more than once
Certainly a book that will make you think, however it is probably not just for the casual read. To get the most from this book you need to set aside the time to fully digest exactly what it is saying. It is certainly easy to read and with each chapter representing a separate letter and topic following along is easy.

Like most book of this genre, it is something that will have to read more than once to get the full benefit from. This won't be a real concern since the book is truly timeless.

Practical Knowledge
I have found many of Seneca's letters to be useful in my life.I have no problem recommending this book to others.

Simply a masterpiece.
Reading this book is like spotting a light on the shore while sailing at night.

It is an amazing series of letters that will surprise you with the clarity of thoughts and the relevance to our days.

Most readers might not be interested in approaching a great philosopher who lived 2,000 years ago but the simplicity, depth and sharpness of his words will be a nice surprise letter by letter.

To say that this book is highly recommended is not enough. It is a masterpiece!

I have already read it three times and every time is a new dive into Seneca's world.

First time Stoic
This was the first book I have read on Stoicism based off of the recommendation of two bloggers, Tim Ferriss and Ryan Holiday.

I have just sat here for ten minutes trying to think of a way I can explain how much I loved this book. I think that actually explains it better than any description I could give. So I will just recommend that you do a little research on stoicism and if you think you are interested in reading further, buy this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Apocolocyntosis is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Lucius Annaeus Seneca is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product Description
Alain de Botton's bestselling The Consolations of Philosophy--later made into a six-partTV series--has helped popularize ancient philosophy and especially the work of Seneca. This superb volume offers the finest translation of Seneca's dialogues and essays in print, capturing the full range of his philosophical interests. Here the Stoic philosopher outlines his thoughts on how to live in a troubled world. Tutor to the young emperor Nero, Seneca wrote exercises in practical philosophy that draw upon contemporary Roman life and illuminate the intellectual concerns of the day. They also have much to say to the modern reader, as Seneca ranges widely across subjects such as the shortness of life, tranquility of mind, anger, mercy, happiness, and grief at the loss of a loved one. Seneca's accessible, aphoristic style makes his writing especially attractive as an introduction to Stoic philosophy, and belies its reputation for austerity and dogmatism. This edition combines a clear and modern translation by John Davies with Tobias Reinhardt's fascinating introduction to Seneca's career, literary style, and influence, including a superb summary of Stoic philosophy and Seneca's interpretation of it. The book's notes are the fullest of any comparable edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Powerful advice
This is an excellent and practical guide to both life and philosophy.Highly recommended.

What an Old Windbag Seneca Was!
What a sycophant and poseur! I have no doubt, after reading about half of these dialogues and essays, that Seneca was the model for Polonius, and for every other mouther of platitudes in the European Renaissance. That was, you may know, the period of history when Seneca's reputation stood highest. I imagine all those Humanists, whose livelihood depended on cosiness with one egomaniacal condottiere or another, found a brotherhood in Seneca that blinded them to the man's essential shallowness. The silly syllogisms of a "stoic" who believed in "providence" couldn't have been convincing on their own terms to a mind like Machiavelli's or Pico della Mirandola's.

Nevertheless, it seems utterly arrogant to "rate" an ancient Roman philosopher - a link in the chain of intellectual history - so I'm awarding 5 stars to the translator John Davie and the editor Tobias Reinhardt for their excellent academic presentation.

I chose to read Seneca largely because of the problem of interpreting his role in the 17th C opera "L'Incoronazione di Poppea" by Claudio Monteverdi. In that opera, Seneca argues with his pupil/master Nero, and is ordered to commit suicide for his pains. The portrayal, like everything in Poppea, is ambiguous. The soldiers and servants deride Seneca as a greedy opportunist and hypocrite, while his followers cling to him like a messiah. Mercury brings him a message of appreciation from the Gods, and promises him a ringside seat at Olympus. If his stoicism is insincere, it doesn't show in the scene where the messenger from Nero tells him his fate, or in the lead-up to his off-stage suicide. The music at that point supports a heroic conception of the man, and requires utmost gravity in performance. Of course, suicide was a sin that no good Catholic of 1642 could condone, but who ever suspected that Monteverdi was a good Catholic?

It was his suicide , in the long run, that made Seneca's fame. "Nothing in his life became him like the leaving of it." ... Read more

Product Description
Here is a lively, readable, and accurate verse translation of the six best plays by one of the most influential of all classical Latin writers--the only tragic playwright from ancient Rome whose work survives. Tutor to the emperor Nero, Seneca lived through uncertain, oppressive, and violent times, and his dramas depict the extremes of human behavior. Rape, suicide, child-murder, incestuous love, madness, and mutilation afflict the characters, who are obsessed and destroyed by their feelings. Seneca forces us to think about the difference between compromise and hypocrisy, about what happens when emotions overwhelm judgment, and about how a person can be good, calm, or happy in a corrupt society and under constant threat of death. In addition to her superb translation, Emily Wilson provides an invaluable introduction which offers a succinct account of Seneca's life and times, his philosophical beliefs, the literary form of the plays, and their immense influence on European literature. The book also includes an up-to-date bibliography and explanatory notes which identify mythological allusions. ... Read more

Product Description
Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are. The Stoic writings of the philosopher Seneca offer powerful insights into the art of living, the importance of reason and morality, and continue to provide profound guidance to many through their eloquence, lucidity and timeless wisdom. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Great essays, terrible binding
Love Seneca and these wonderful essays are no exception, BUT ... the thin paperback doesn't take a beating very well, and after one reading, my copy was crumbling in my hands.Pages fell out, the spine bent and never recovered.I bought this specifically to stick in my pocket for a quick read on the bus or subway, and it couldn't stand up to normal wear and tear.

These little books ain't that cheap either, and you'd be better off just buying The Stoic Philosophy of Seneca edited by Moses Hadas; a collection that includes the title essay.Oh well, learned my lesson.

"There is but one chain holding us in fetters and that is the love of our life"
As a general rule, avoid any translation of a classic work that comes up with its own new title. It normally means that the author is trying to appeal to contemporary readers more than the spirit of the original work. They'd rather have some catchy name than describe it as the anthology it actually is. This was the reason I was skeptical of reading On the Shortness of Life since Seneca wrote no such collection (it's the title of one of his essays) but I was thankfully proven wrong. Although there are some instances where the author is pandering, it is for the most part accurate and reads much like Letters from a Stoic (Penguin Classics).

However, there aren't any footnotes, an introduction or a conclusion, important parts of a classic work that you only miss when they're gone. The first essay is probably the best. See: Seneca's concept of slavery. That we would never let someone steal our money or property, but we give them free reign to take our time from us. If you're in a hurry, skip the consolation to his mother and finish the third essay about tranquility. See: having faith in your position, as peace is the assuredness that you're going in the right direction.

Philosophy at its finest
This little book contains three writings from the classic Roman Philosopher Seneca who lived from about 5 B.C. to 65 A.D. and was a contemporary of the Apostle Paul. (There are even letters supposedly between the two, which were proven to be ancient forgeries, See: Lost Books of the Bible).
The three writings contained in this work are:
On the shortness of life.
Consolation to Helvia.
On the tranquility of mind.

In these writings the great philosopher warns of the dangers of materialism and how it leads to unhappiness. Life will be miserable for those who acquire through great toil what they must keep by greater toil. The wealthy are no more happy than the poor, for most worry about losing what they have. The author advises not getting to attached to money, public office, or influence because fortune can reclaim them. He suggests to love frugality and the pursuit of learning, study history and philosophy. Be careful what you exchange your time for, life goes by quickly. The ideal amount of money never falls with in the range of poverty or far exceeds it. He believes that people can be happy in simplicity and contemplation. He advises leading a balanced life and beware of fame, power, and responsibilty becasue most that are in high places became trapped and unhappy dreaming of freedom and peace. This was a delightful book and an excellent translation. If you love philosphy I highly recommend adding this little book to your collection. Spend your time wisely it will go by very quickly.

The Remedy for a Mid-Life Crisis
For my mother's fifty-fifth birthday, I gave her a copy of this book. Even I, at sixteen, was completely changed by Seneca's powerful and timeless ideals in this book- these are essays for all ages, all eras, all people. Although Seneca wrote in the beginning of the "common era," his description of a world where people search fruitlessly for happiness through materialism and waiting for the future rings truer than ever in our postmodern age. His ideas for remedying our distress, through accepting each minute of life as it comes and concentrating completely on our present task, are no less than transforming.

"Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans."
So it is, Seneca observes, it's not that we are not given a short life, but that we waste a lot it.Life is long if you know how to use it.How stupid to forget our mortality."Live immediately."Also known for his tragedy Oedipus,Seneca (Lucius Annaeus) (AD 4-65) was a Stoic philosopher.His reputation as a philosopher is derived primarily from his twelve books of MORAL ESSAYS and philosophical letters. The Stoics emphasized the importance of self-sufficiency and equanimity in the face of adversity, and believed that virtue is attainable only by living in harmony with nature.Although he may not rank with Plato or Aristotle as a philosopher, or with Marcus Aurelius (121-180) (MEDITATIONS) or Epictetus as a Stoic sage, Seneca nevertheless offers us timeless wisdom for living a meaningful life. (It should be noted that this review refers to the 2005 Penguin Great Ideas edition of ON THE SHORTNESS OF LIFE, translated by C. D. N. Costa, which includes the three essays, "On the Shortness of Life," "Consolation to Helvia," and "On Tranquility of Mind.")

G. Merritt ... Read more

Product Description
The philosophy of Seneca has extended in influence from first-centuryRome to the essays of Montaigne, to Elizabethan tragedy, to thetheology of Calvin and the doctrines of the French Revolution.In The Stoic Philosophy of Seneca, representative selections from Seneca's writings offer the reader an excellent introduction to the range of his work.

The selections are drawn from the essays, or dialogues, and the "Consolations;" from the treatises, of which "On Clemency," addressed to the young Nero, is included here; and from the Letters to Lucilius, which have to do not only with philosophical subjects but also with Seneca's personal experiences, such as journeys and visits.

Moses Hadas has selected letters and essays which reveal Seneca's major philosophical themes—the relationship of the individual to society and to the gods; the meaning of pain and misfortune; man's attitudes to change, time, and death; and the nature of the highest good and of the happy life. In his Introduction, Professor Hadas discusses Seneca's life and work, tracing the history of his reputation; comments on Seneca's style; and outlines the origins and tenets of Stoicism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

quick & neat
The product came in a timely manner & was just what I had intended on getting.In good shape

goldstars for ancient thought carried to modern times
This text is good for those who love to think and ponder the greater things in life.A must have for aspiering philosophers!!It's !Wit and wisdom is needed in a cold and calous age

Unreadable bore
I have a moderate interest in philosophy, and watched that recent show on PBS called Consolations of Philosophy, with some interest.Based on de Botton's interpretation of Seneca, I bought this book.I found it absolutely unreadable and boring.Furthermore, it does NOT contain De Irae/On Anger.I can't imagine anyone benefiting from reading this book, or enjoying it.

Wisdom of the Ages
Even though this book was written over two thousand years ago, there is so much wisdom that is appropriate today.

I must be honest and tell you that it is not an easy read.Writers of that age did not believe in simple sentence structure.And unless you are a student of ancient history, there are lots of references whom you will not know.However the value is so great that I recommend you spend the time and effort and learn from a great thinker.

Thankfully we have moved to a democratic form of government.The rulers of that day generally ruled by brute force, eliminating those who opposed them.A large part of his writings were to teach people how to deal with the problems of the day.

While our problems are different in name, the underlying principles for dealing with them have not changed.We have learned more about the mind and how it works, so his discourse on the mind is a little dated.

Some examples of his insight:

"It is not that we have so little time but that we lose (waste) so much."

"Many people, I imagine could attain wisdom if they were not convinced they already had it, ..."

"...we are tormented alike by the future and the past.Our superiority brings us much distress; memory recalls the torment of fear, foresight anticipates it.No one confines his misery to the present."

His lessons are still very valuable today.

The Good Book
Seneca's one hundred and twenty four letters to Lucilius constitute a secular bible, an ethical catechism written in a gnomic and epigrammatic style that sparkles as it enlightens. So impressed were the early church fathers with Seneca's moral insights that they advanced (fabricated?) the speculation that he must have come within the influence of Christian teachings. T.S. Eliot sneers at Seneca's boyish, commonplace wisdom and points out that the resemblances between Seneca's 'stoic philosophy' and Christianity are superficial. For those seeking a practical, modern manual on how to do good and how to do well, written in the 'silver point' style that values brevity, concision and memorable expression, Seneca's letters are indeed the Good Book.

... Read more

Product Description
During the Women's Rights Convention of 1848, a body turns up in the canal-and town librarian Glynis Tryon stands up to a killer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

A little less than I hoped for
This is a fairly typical murder mystery, set around the events of the 1848 Woman's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY. I enjoyed this mostly because of my familiarity with the Seneca Falls area. The characterizations seemed skin deep, I wanted to know more about the citizens of Seneca Falls and found the mystery aspect of the story less engaging. Historical figures such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton do wander through the action of the book, but I would have liked the Convention to be more central to the plot; instead it is just something else that happens to be going on at the same time.
I will probably read further in this series as I find the period and locale interesting.

Not As Much History As I Had Hoped For

This is the first mystery I've read by Miriam Grace Monfredo and I don't think I'll be reading another. I know I am a hard reader to please. But part of my disappointment with the novel was that it really had very little to do with the women's right's convention in Seneca Falls, NY and I felt cheated that it played such a minimal part of the story.

I didn't think the writing was particularly good, I didn't think the mystery was especially good and the characters and their relationships weren't particularly interesting or compelling. Overall the book was okay but didn't make me want to continue reading any of her other mysteries.

Glynis Tryon plays an integral part of this mystery but there is no logical reason for her to be so connected to all the events involved. There were a few other events that also defied logic and only served to move the story along.

The history that was woven into the story did give me pause. 'The Married Woman's Property Act' was very interesting and the author mentions many important people of the period in the book but only Elizabeth Cady Stanton played a part in the story.

19th Century United States
Monfredo's heroine, librarian Glynis Tryon, makes her first appearance in this book set in the small town of Seneca Falls during the bustle of America's first 1848 Women's Right Convention. Following the exploits of Glynis, who uses her natural curiosity to investigate a murder, is a perfect way to bring the events and personalities of the period to life. Monfredo's link between the events of the Convention to the New York legislature's enactment of the Married Women's Property Act, the first of its kind in America, is nicely done. The author's historical notes in the back provide short biographies of the principle women's rights players and events.

Clear writing, nice history, but little entertainment or humor
I typically enjoy historical novels, and I was particularly interested in both the NY state region as well as the suffragist movement. Despite clear writing and a rather interesting mystery, I found the book pretty dull. I didn't find the main characters engaging, and there was absolutely no humor to lighten up the story -- seemed more like a bleak look at the plight of women in Seneca Falls, with no silver lining, just despair and helplessness. I read it to find out how the mystery was resolved, but I won't be reading another. I prefer mysteries with more humor, spunk, and character development (Amelia Peabody, Vicky Bliss, Daisy Dalrymple, Charlotte Pitt).

Clever!
This is a very cleverly written and historically accurate mystery story.This is the first book in the Glynis Tryon mystery series, and it was a real surprise to me.I hadn't heard a lot about Ms. Monfredo, but started the series because I love historical mysteries so much, and am always on the lookout for new authors.I got much more than I bargained for with this book.The book is very well-written, and the mystery is extremely clever.As well, the historical accuracy is quite remarkable.The book is set in Seneca Falls New York in 1848, just at the time of the famous Women's Rights Convention.Glynis is the town librarian, and very happily single when she finds a dead woman in the water near her library.This woman is a stranger to Seneca Falls, and Glynis, with the help of her friend Cullen Stuart (who happens to be the town policeman)and the quite wonderful Jacques Sundown (who is Cullen's deputy)set out to find out who has committed this crime and most importantly why it was done. I like the way that real historical people are woven into the story, and I like Glynis.Her independence and her intelligence carry the plot along.I look forward to reading more in this series. ... Read more

Product Description
Accused of conspiring against the emperor Nero, Seneca was commanded to commit suicide, which he did in characteristic Stoic manner. Included in this volume are his dialogues ON THE SHORTNESS OF LIFE and ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND; also extracts from NATURAL QUESTIONS and the CONSOLATION TO HELVIA. Seneca's prose works were admired by the major literary figures of Elizabethan England . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

"the most reasonable and practical thinker Rome ever knew"
If Seneca was not the greatest philosopher of the Silver Age, then he was the most reasonable and practical thinker Rome ever knew.For his natural, straight-forward system of applied ethics made philosophy a way of living for the whole of the Roman populace.Truly, it was not just the singular privilege of educated wealthy aristocrats and politicians to realize the Stoic ideal, but it was also within the power of uneducated slaves and lower-class-citizens to embody those virtues as well, as the example of Epictetus clearly shows.Now, here presented in this piecemeal selection of Seneca's works, one may first come to meet this exemplar of Stoicism face-to-face in every genre he ever wrote in, with the exception of his Tragedies and his only extant Satire entitled, The God Claudius.Furthermore, these short extractions from Seneca's relatively immense corpus of writings are rich in allusion and anecdote, and they are packed with profoundly helpful advice on how to endure life's hardships and how to enjoys life's benefits to the fullest as well.This little volume will be a great introductory source for Roman Stoicism and it will compel readers to pursue the greater portions of Seneca's superb works.One may discover the complete surviving body of Seneca's writings in text and translation within the invaluable editions of the Loeb Classical Library (Harvard).

Great Introduction to Seneca
Great book. This collection by penguin includes a piecemeal assortment of some of Seneca's work. This was my introduction to Seneca so I can't speak to its representation of his work.

The essays and letters read in the classic proscriptive style of stoic philosophy (see especially the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius). It was filled with succinct proverbial exhortations that are memorable and penetrating. Seneca and the stoics provide more psychological self-help than most contemporary books in that genre. There is a reason some authors are still read after 2000 years. A quick read and for a worthwhile investment in time--at least for those who are new to Seneca.

Some of my favorites:

It is better to be despised for simplicity than to suffer agonies from everlasting pretense. Still let us use moderation here: there is a big difference between living simply and living carelessly.

We should also make ourselves flexible, so that we do not pin our hopes too much on our set plans and can move over to those things to which chance has brought us without dreading a change in either our purpose or our condition, provided that fickleness, that fault most inimical to tranquility, does not get a hold of us.

The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and losses today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

u
I received this used book in fairly good condition. The pages are a bit yellowed and some are dog eared, but none are falling out and the cover is still attached.

I like this author and the theme of the white indian series. I have not checked on the veracity of the details given about native american indian culture nor the if some of the characters are actual historical figures or purely fiction, but it seems honest and is quite interseting; a good mix of drama, action, romance, and history. If you like historical fiction, give it a try. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

used book in good condition
I received this used book in fairly good condition. The pages are a bit yellowed and some are dog eared, but none are falling out and the cover is still attached.

I like this author and the theme of the white indian series. I have not checked on the veracity of the details given about native american indian culture nor the if some of the characters are actual historical figures or purely fiction, but it seems honest and is quite interesting; a good mix of drama, action, romance, and history. If you like historical fiction, give it a try. ... Read more

Product Description
Seneca's letters to his friend Lucilius are powerful moral essays that also yield illuminating insight into Seneca's personal life and the truly turbulent times in which he lived.One of the great Stoic philosophers, Seneca here guides Lucilius' struggle to achieve wisdom and serenity, uninfluenced by worldly emotions. He advises his friend on how to do without what is superfluous, whether in terms of happiness, riches, reputation, or the emotions.The letters include literary discussions, moral exhortation, exemplary heroes and episodes from Roman history, and a lurid picture of contemporary luxury.And under Nero's chaotic reign, the topic of death is never far away. This marvelous new translation by eminent scholar Elaine Fantham offers the largest selection of Seneca's letters currently available. Fantham's invaluable introduction discusses Seneca's family and political career, his many and varied writings, the nature of the letters as genuine epistles or fiction, their philosophical concerns, and other social and cultural aspects.Short head-notes to each letter summarize its themes and parallels with other letters, opening a window on to Seneca's world. ... Read more

Product Description
A Random House Kindle book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Fascinating Reading
Required reading on the subject of the Seneca.The author paints an objective picture, but also manages to add emotional poignancy to a very thorough historical account.The language and syntax remain scholarly throughout, yet Wallace's powers of observation place the reader in the longhouse, in the minds of the Seneca, and in the hearts of a people brought to the brink of cultural extinction. An excellent work.

How a rave gone awry launched a spiritual movement
This book can be read several ways-- as a chronicle of the American Revolution from the Native American point of view, as escapist literature glorifying the Iroquois in their heyday, as a rather challenging alternative perspective on serial monogamy, torture, and social norms, as the transformation of a branch of Native American spirituality into a movement for sobriety, right-to-life, and the renunciation of witchcraft, as analysis of an early Quaker effort in Third World development work ... And naturally, the overall reading is as the tale of how a proud culture pulled itself back together after being overrun and almost destroyed as a consequence of European settlement.

Our local Heinz Regional History Museum somehow manages to overlook the story about the origins of the Handsome Lake spiritual movement. It so happened that there was a bend in the river, where now stands the Kinzua Dam, a flat spot surrounded by steep hills and cliffs, where the Cornplanter band, the largest remaining band of free living Senecas, took refuge after the Revolutionary War. The Senecas had served as winning warriors for the losing side, and as a result, refugee camps up near Fort Niagara filled up with thousands of Indians in need of British relief, mourning their burned-out towns and villages. In the ensuing atmosphere of despair, Handsome Lake and some of his Cornplanter band buddies decided to bring a raft with plenty of liquor up the river from Pittsburgh. The party that followed was-- well, let's just say that the repentance occurring in the wake of that rave gone awry launched a spiritual movement which continues to this day.

The author's synthesis of the tremendous amount of material buried in regional historical records is truly amazing. Even if the life of the Senecas wasn't really that way at all,it may not matter. There's nothing like a great story which will continue to shatter its readers' preconceptions about cultural norms and human potential for many years to come.

Historically correct Seneca hist., religion, culture.
I read this while participating in the YMCA Indian Guide/Indian Princessprogram and found it to be very wide in scope in covering the history,religions, culture, tales, and all aspects of Seneca life.I found itfascinating and recommend it to anyone exploring the fate of the Iroquois. I also found the Seneca museum in Salamanca, NY to be a good source ofinformation. ... Read more

Product Description

Seneca is a figure of first importance in both Roman politics and literature: a leading adviser to Nero who attempted to restrain the emperor's megalomania; a prolific moral philosopher; and the author of verse tragedies that strongly influenced Shakespeare and other Renaissance dramatists. This volume completes the Loeb Classical Library's new two-volume edition of Seneca's tragedies. John Fitch's annotated translation, which faces Latin text, conveys the force of Seneca's dramatic language and the lyric quality of his choral odes.

Seneca's plots are based on mythical episodes, in keeping with classical tradition. But the political realities of imperial Rome are also reflected here, in an obsessive concern with power and dominion over others. The "Octavia" is our sole surviving example of a Roman historical play; set at Nero's court, it was probably written by an admirer of Seneca as statesman and dramatist.

Customer Reviews (1)

Stoicizing Drama for the Philosophic Soul
One of Rome's greatest philosophers was also one of Rome's greatest poets and dramatists. Seneca's versatility and proficiency as an author will become evident to the reader who examines the contrast between the informal and dignified prose of his Stoic Epistles and the stunning elegance of his verse in the pathos laden Tragedies. Now it is simply amazing that the stern-browed champion of Roman Stoicism would don the laurel and take up the tragedian's genre. Perhaps he sought to indoctrinate the stage-crazed Roman mob with the tenets of Stoicism, since he worked many stoic ideals into the Tragedies' themes? It seems likely that he rather subtly directed his program of moralization through the medium of public entertainment. Whatever the case may be, Seneca has handed us poetry and drama, in nearly ever ancient meter (except heroic meter), that rivals his Latin predecessors, Terrance and Plautus. And even though he used the Greek tragedies as a model (except `Octavia'), Seneca's originality emerges as he reworks those classic Grecian themes to fit his Latin audience, adorning them with a stoic twist.Yet Seneca's 'Octavia' is a composition all his own and is genuinely Roman and not Grecian.The `Octavia' is a historical drama and recounts episodes from the tumultuous and brutal reign of Nero, of court intrigue and the machinations of Nero's wives and concubines.The other tragedies--Oedipus, Agamemnon, Thyestes and Hercules on Oeta--are all traditionally linked to popular Greek mythology and are household names today.Overall, Seneca asserts himself as an exemplary poet/play-write and his influence was felt from his time well into the modern era, inspiring such figures as Boethius (in `consolatio'), Shakespeare, Marlowe and Ben Johnson [Oxford Classical Dictionary, Seneca]. Overall, the enthusiast of the classic drama, the lover of Latin poetry, and the collector of ancient works can hardly go without these two volumes, which are here presented in a fresh, vibrant and lucid, English translation. The scholarly analyses and annotations that accompany the text will be welcoming and profitable to readers as well. ... Read more

Product Description
In the quiet town of Seneca Falls, New York, over the course of two days in July, 1848, a small group of women and men, led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, held a convention that would launch the women's rights movement and change the course of history. In Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women's Rights Movement, Sally McMillen reveals, for the first time, the full significance of that revolutionary convention and the enormous changes it produced. The book covers 50 years of women's activism, from 1840 to 1890, focusing on four extraordinary figures--Mott, Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Susan B. Anthony. McMillen tells the stories of their lives, how they came to take up the cause of women's rights, the astonishing advances they made during their lifetimes, and the far-reaching effects of the work they did. At the convention they asserted full equality with men, argued for greater legal rights, greater professional and education opportunities, and the right to vote--ideas considered wildly radical at the time. Indeed, looking back at the convention two years later, Anthony called it "the grandest and greatest reform of all time."
... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Great overview of early Women's Rights Movement
Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women's Rights Movement is a thorough account and analysis of the convention that began to galvanize women to organize around suffrage, rights for divorce, and other issues that became the mainstay of the women's rights movement. This book focuses on the four women who became prominent as activists (Lucy Stone, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton).It details the lives of these women and how they tirelessly campaigned for women's rights.The author puts a very personal spin on the book so you really do get to know this cast of characters and see what they went through to achieve suffrage.

I have two big complaints as far as the book goes that cause the loss of 1 star.The book jumps around from the women's lives and gets very hard to follow in places because it is jumping around frequently between the four women (and others) so that you are not sure who she is talking about at some points.It usually resolved itself within a page or so but the transitions were weaker.The second complaint is with the context of this book in the series Pivotal Moments in American history. The series goal is to explore the major paradigm shifts that occurred in US history as a result of the event they are writing one. While obviously the right to vote for women changed the course of American history the author does not even attempt to articulate any of that or why this is a pivotal moment. One of the most enjoyable parts of the series is when they have the authors put it in that macro context and that was very lacking here. Not really a reason to deduct a star since the book stands alone but for those who are fans of the series will probably read more like a 3 star.

Overall a great start for those wanting to learn about women's rights and well worth the time.

The origins of women's rights
Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women's Rights Movement (Pivotal Moments in American History)
Review by Richard L. Weaver II, PhD.

Having recently visited Seneca Falls, New York, and the National Woman's Rights Museum along the Genessee Canal, and the Elizabeth Cady Stanton home in Seneca Falls, both located in the Finger Lakes District of New York, gave me a special feel for the information in this fine book. Just to show you the kind of book it is, there are 44 pages of "Notes" at the back of the book, that are incredibly detailed and specific. For further insight into the kind of book it is, McMillen is the Mary Reynolds Babcock Professor of History and Department Chair at Davidson College, in Davidson, North Carolina. This book is a thorough, comprehensive, well-documented examination that "focuses on the principal players and some of the seminal events that occurred in the years just prior to Seneca Falls and in the decades that followed. Four remarkable women [Lucretia Coffin Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Susan B. Anthony] were central to the nineteenth-century women's movement. They provide the framework for this book" (pp. 4-5). The background of how McMillen became interested in women's issues, discussed in the "Introduction" to the book (pp. 6-7), provides a fascinating exploration not just to the etymology of this book, but to how a professor is born, as well. The structure of McMillen's book is chronological in which she first offers an overview of American women's world before Seneca Falls, and then examines reform efforts during the antebellum period. Seneca Falls itself is the subject of chapter 3, then she looks at the nascent women's rights movement of the 1850s. The next chapter (5) examines the impact of the Civil War on the women's movement, and her final chapter in this 310-page book, covers the years up to 1890, when two women's rights organizations fought on several fronts. McMillen ends her "Introduction" by saying, "This book ends with the two organizations reuniting in 1890 and a second generation of women taking over. While suffrage was not yet a reality, the seeds planted at Seneca Falls in 1848 had grown into a national women's movement that ultimately uplifted the lives of half this nation's population" (p. 8). If you want to read and fully understand the origins of the women's rights movement, you will find this book compelling, extraordinary, accessible, and readable.

An absolute "must-have" for women's studies shelves
Professor of History Sally G. McMillen presents Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women's Rights Movement, a scholarly historical examination of the 1848 Seneca Falls convention that would catapult the women's rights movement forward and forever change the course of history. Revealing the true stories behind four extraordinary individuals key to the movement - Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Lucy Stone, and Susan B. Anthony - Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women's Rights Movement shows how the then-radical ideas of greater legal rights for women, greater educational opportunities, full equality with men, and the right to vote were boldly advanced despite powerful social pressures in direct opposition. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrates this absolute "must-have" for women's studies shelves.

Wonderfully Enlightening
At first I was weary of this novel--I often find myself disappointed by books my Professors instruct me to read. It didn't take long for the author to convince me my doubts were miss placed. The information was presented in a reader friendly manner that didn't sacrifice information. I found myself truly impressed by the amount of work that must have gone into writing such a detailed description of a historical event that began a movement. By reading this book I began to get an appreciation of the struggle for woman's rights--a struggle only briefly mentioned in history text books and glanced over by most of my previous teachers, who often focused on dead white men and glorious battles. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the History of America, especially that of a woman's history.

The Wonderful Women at Seneca Falls
I have contradictory feelings about this book.Having visited Seneca Falls two years ago I was thrilled to have this detailed history of how that momentous convention came to be and what came after.It's all I would want such a book to be, EXCEPT...and this is a biggie for me....I couldn't keep the main cast of characters straight because of the ubiquitous use of first names.I kept having to look back to remind myself that "Lucy" is Lucy Stone who was.... and "Lucretia" is Lucretia Mott who was...etc.

In books where the main characters are men the problem is easily resolved by the use of surnames.I can appreciate why, in a book with this theme, you would want to avoid that practice since it would give a ascribed identity to the women who were married.

The use of first names only may not be a problem for other readers, but I would have appreciated an album, so to speak, at the beginning with a photo and brief bio that I could easily turn to keep the cast of characters straight in my mind.

Lu Ann W. Darling, author of Discover Your Mentoring Mosaic, A Guide to Enhanced Mentoring ... Read more

Product Description

Seneca, Lucius Annaeus, born at Corduba (Cordova) ca. 4 BCE, of a prominent and wealthy family, spent an ailing childhood and youth at Rome in an aunt's care. He became famous in rhetoric, philosophy, money-making, and imperial service. After some disgrace during Claudius' reign he became tutor and then, in 54 CE, advising minister to Nero, some of whose worst misdeeds he did not prevent. Involved (innocently?) in a conspiracy, he killed himself by order in 65. Wealthy, he preached indifference to wealth; evader of pain and death, he preached scorn of both; and there were other contrasts between practice and principle.

We have Seneca's philosophical or moral essays (ten of them traditionally called Dialogues)—on providence, steadfastness, the happy life, anger, leisure, tranquility, the brevity of life, gift-giving, forgiveness— and treatises on natural phenomena. Also extant are 124 epistles, in which he writes in a relaxed style about moral and ethical questions, relating them to personal experiences; a skit on the official deification of Claudius, Apocolocyntosis (in Loeb number 15); and nine rhetorical tragedies on ancient Greek themes. Many epistles and all his speeches are lost.

His moral essays are collected in Volumes I–III of the Loeb Classical Library's ten-volume edition of Seneca.

Customer Reviews (2)

A Primer for Later Philosophic Finishes
The surviving corpus of Seneca's Moral Essays are his earliest works, yet they contain many of his fully developed Stoic ideals.All the essays are generally short, with the exception of Seneca's treatise On Anger; and they are all moral exhortations written in a direct manner and in a style both convincing and charming.The contents of these Essays left their mark upon the writings of the Latin Church Fathers, of which many would have enjoyed seeing Seneca sainted; and they preceded the later burst of Plutarch's voluminous corpus of Moral Essays by just over a century and probably provided the great writer with an excellent model despite the disparity of language with Seneca.In this first volume the treatises included are (1) On Providence (2) On Firmness (3) On Anger (4) and On Mercy, which is addressed to the emperor Nero.These volumes are an important source for Roman Stoicism and they are recommended for students as a primer for the later philosophic finishes that they are destined to face.

De Providentia
I am a little surprised that most of these Loeb Classical Library books do not have reviews written about them.I have a few of them and will try to write a few reviews so potential buyers know a little more about these classic works.I originally purchased this particular volume to help me with my Latin classes in college.The red Loeb volumes are Latin and the green volumes are Greek.The english translation is on the right page and the original text is on the left which makes these volumes perfect for anyone studying the languages.A little about this book.... Seneca was a philosopher of the stoic school and wrote several books on his worldview.These moral essays are a combination of his thoughts and ideas written as a letter to his friend Lucilius.They include On Providence, On Firmness, On Anger, and On Mercy.They were most likely written for the emperor Nero who Seneca tutored and ended up becoming one of his closest advisors and some argue he actually ran the empire for awhile.Nero eventually turned on him and Seneca was forced to commit suicide in 65 CE.There are not many books on stoicism and even less on Seneca.One very good volume is Roman Stoicism by E.V. Arnold.Long out of print, but you still may be able to find it somewhere.Another good one is Seneca: The Life of a Stoic by Paul Veyne; this is really the best biography of Seneca.Both very good books if you want to learn more. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on the legends used in Greek drama, Seneca's plays are notable for the exuberant ruthlessness with which disastrous events are foretold and then pursued to their tragic and often bloodthirsty ends. Thyestes depicts the menace of an ancestral curse hanging over two feuding brothers, while Phaedra portrays a woman tormented by fatal passion for her stepson. In The Trojan Women, the widowed Hecuba and Andromache await their fates at the hands of the conquering Greeks, and Oedipus follows the downfall of the royal House of Thebes. Octavia is a grim commentary on Nero's tyrannical rule and the execution of his wife, with Seneca himself appearing as an ineffective counsellor attempting to curb the atrocities of the emperor. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The flip side of Stoicism
There is a reason that one never sees a tragedy by Seneca on stage; his works were probably never meant to be performed and the lack of any even minimal stage directions is just one of many things about these tragedies that hint at the author's likely lack of interest in ever sending his works to the theater.Tragedy was merely a useful structure in which Seneca found a way to present the underlying viewpoint of life that gave rise to his stoicism.

These powerful, gruesome plays give one an impression of the world of Seneca.It is a vicious, ruthless, cruel world of intrigue, murder, insane violence and heartless people doing shameful wrongs -- and getting away with it. These plays convey an underlying perception of life on earth that was at the heart of Stoic thinkers.Indeed, the Roman world was just such a place, and Stoic philosophy sought to provide more than solace, but direction and guidance away from the omnipresent despair that one might often feel. This is the world, lacking in any real redemptive hope, that Stoicism tries to teachfollowers to grapple with, accept, and live in with an inner dignity, and uprightness, despite the inevitable consequences of living in such moral and ethical squalor.

As plays and poetry, Seneca was a very accessible philosopher, but his writing style never won him any accolades. His plays are no more pleasant to read than his letters or other essays. They are all powerful, filled with meaning, not difficult to understand, but tedious in style. Along with Marcus Aurelius, he is one of the most easily accessible and commonly read Stoic philosophers.

The introduction and considerable endnotes are very valuable and well written.Readers interested in learning something of Seneca's profound influence on later Western (particularly English) writers will find the introduction and notes of considerable use.

Forget what you know about classical tragedy...
And forget what you know about Seneca the Stoic.In his tragedies, the younger Seneca gives full reign to what Nietzsche later (and perhaps unrelatedly) recognized as the Dionysian: lust, anger, revenge, and unadulerated humanity in its most elemental.Although some apprecition of classical mythology is needed to enter these texts fully, once you're in them, you look around, and find yourself in a house of horrors or else in the deepest region of the unconscious.

Read _Thyestes_, and you'll have the underpinning for horror and suspense from Poe to Jim Thompson to the _Blair Witch Project_.

You could take my word for it, or you could listen to Seneca's admirers and imitators: Webster, Jonson, Shakespeare...

Vulgar and unrestrained
As we all know, classical rules of poetry dictate that no violence must be shown on stage, that the protagonist must be admirable except for one fatal flaw, that the declamation must be dignified and poetic.Seneca violatesall of these rules, plus many others.His protagonists are nothing butshrieking hysterical fools, and the stage is awash in blood by the end ofevery play.As for the "poetry," it is nonexistent.Perhaps Ijust read a bad translation, but I still recommend that anyone who isseeking a Roman imitation of Sophocles or Aeschylus to forgo Seneca. ... Read more

Product Description
A new Warriors of the Iroquois novel from the author of Black Eagle

1756, the American Colonies: While the English and French fight for control of the North American continent, the American Indians fight for their lives. Another war rages, however, within the hearts of one Seneca warrior and a white woman in danger... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Wonderful story!!
This book kept my attention and quickly became one of my favorites!! A friend reccommended I read this and now I am looking forward to reading more from this author. A++++

Seneca Surrender
When the cost of going to the movies is out of your reach, gas prices are going through the roof, and the increased charges to get on a beach in NJ, I can always find time to read one of Gen Bailey's books and enjoy each chapter as if it was the first one I've read..... Keep them coming.
Lenore

Exciting new story
I am a fan of Gen Bailey/Karen Kay books and I was looking forward to this new book.I wasn't disappointed.It felt like I was living this story as I was reading it.It was a little darker than Ms. Bailey's usual books -- it doesn't skirt around issues of the times -- but that only added to the story.Thanks to Ms. Bailey for this most recent addition to my library.I can't wait to see what's next.

I tried
I'm sorry. As a lover of Native American romance. I have to put this one at the bottom of the pile. The heroine just got on my nerves with all the 'sirs' among so many other things, even in the midst of making love, and one minute White Thunder was speaking like an uneducated savage and the next he was ranting on like a Harvard scholar.I give it 2 stars and one is for the cover, now that is nice.

Seneca Surrender
It's 1775 New York Colony of Lake George.The French and Indian War is in effect. It's torn the nation and the indian tribes apart between the French and British.
The story continues where Black Eagle Leaves off.Sarah has just survived a fall into the river and is found by a Seneca Warrior named White Thunder he is on a mission of revenge.He nurses Sarah back to health. In doing so they find an attraction to each other that is forbidden by society.They also know they have to finish their missions. Sarah to find her ward and to find justice and White Thunder to seek the vengence against the man who killed his wife and child. Each not knowing their paths were meant to cross and together as one to seek justice and vengence.
The story tells not just a love story betweeen Seneca Warrior and white woman, but also gives a historical view of how not only the Seneca but all tribes lived and ruled their people.
Karen Kay/Gen Bailey has written another terrific story of our countries past and the people who lived there. ... Read more

Product Description
Seneca is a figure of first importance in both Romanpolitics and literature: a leading adviser to Nero who attempted torestrain the emperor’s megalomania; a prolific moral philosopher; andthe author of verse tragedies that strongly influenced Shakespeare andother Renaissance dramatists. Here is the first of a new two-volumeedition of Seneca’s tragedies, with a fully annotated translationfacing the Latin text.

Seneca’s plays depict intense passions and interactions in anappropriately strong rhetoric. Their perspective is much bleaker thanthat of his prose writings. In this new translation John Fitch conveysthe force of Seneca’s dramatic language and the lyric quality of hischoral odes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Seneca: Rome's Great Stoic Philosopher Is Also No Average Poet
One of Rome's greatest philosophers was also one of Rome's greatest poets and dramatists.Seneca's versatility and prowess as an author will become evident to the reader who examines the contrast between the crude but dignified prose of his Stoic Epistles and the stunning elegance of his verse in the pathos laden Tragedies.Now it is simply amazing that the stern-browed champion of Roman Stoicism would don the laurel and take up the tragedian's genre.Perhaps he sought to indoctrinate the stage-crazed Roman mob with the tenets of Stoicism, since he worked many stoic ideals into the Tragedies' themes?It seems likely that he directed his program of moralization through the medium of public entertainment.Whatever the case may be, Seneca has handed us poetry and drama that rivals his Latin predecessors, Terrance and Plautus.And even though he used the Greek tragedies as a model, Seneca's originality emerges as he reworks those classic Grecian themes to fit his Latin audience, adorning them with a stoic twist.A testament to the sublimity and timelessness of the Tragedies is their legacy; their presence is felt in the hallowed works of Shakespeare, Marlowe and Ben Johnson [Oxford Classical Dictionary, Seneca].Overall, the enthusiast of the classic drama, the lover of Latin poetry, and the collector of ancient works can hardly go without these two volumes, which are here presented in a fresh, vibrant and lucid, English translation.The scholarly analyses and annotations that accompany the text will be welcoming and profitable to readers as well.





... Read more

Product Description

Seneca Possessed examines the ordeal of a Native people in the wake of the American Revolution. As part of the once-formidable Iroquois Six Nations in western New York, Senecas occupied a significant if ambivalent place within the newly established United States. They found themselves the object of missionaries' conversion efforts while also confronting land speculators, poachers, squatters, timber-cutters, and officials from state and federal governments.

In response, Seneca communities sought to preserve their territories and culture amid a maelstrom of economic, social, religious, and political change. They succeeded through a remarkable course of cultural innovation and conservation, skillful calculation and luck, and the guidance of both a Native prophet and unusual Quakers. Through the prophecies of Handsome Lake and the message of Quaker missionaries, this process advanced fitfully, incorporating elements of Christianity and white society and economy, along with older Seneca ideas and practices.

But cultural reinvention did not come easily. Episodes of Seneca witch-hunting reflected the wider crises the Senecas were experiencing. Ironically, as with so much of their experience in this period, such episodes also allowed for the preservation of Seneca sovereignty, as in the case of Tommy Jemmy, a Seneca chief tried by New York in 1821 for executing a Seneca "witch." Here Senecas improbably but successfully defended their right to self-government. Through the stories of Tommy Jemmy, Handsome Lake, and others, Seneca Possessed explores how the Seneca people and their homeland were "possessed"—culturally, spiritually, materially, and legally—in the era of early American independence.

Product Description
When Kari and Lucas first see Seneca Crane up on stage, playing the piano in front of hundreds of people, they are in awe. She is beautiful. She is amazingly talented. And she is only thirteen! But then they get to know her at the Edinburgh Arts Festival and realize that she envies them. Soon the three are becoming friends . . .until Seneca disappears. There’s no stopping Kari and Lucas from jumping on the trail and tracking her down. Even when it leads to the heart of the Scottish highlands!

Following in the spine-tingling tracks of The Mystery of the Third Lucretia, Susan Runholt’s second book featuring super sleuths Kari and Lucas is just as smart and fast-paced as the first! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

3.5 out of 5 rating...Review from So Many Books, So Little Time
This was another great book in the Kari & Lucas Mystery series.Once again, I think Kari and Lucas are great and strong female young adult characters and would be good role models for tweens.

I liked this story better than the first book, The Mystery of the Third Lucretia.I liked having Seneca as a character.She felt real and is another great female character.I think this book would be more interesting to tweens since it deals with a kidnapping and a celebrity instead of a piece of art work.And there were more great facts in the story, this one about Scotland.

I would definitely reccommend these books for tween girls who are looking for a good mystery.

This is one of my favorite new series
Here is perhaps the finest praise I can offer a series: when the third book comes out, I'll be all over it even though I probably won't review it here. There are plenty of other books for us to chat about, Esteemed Reader, but I'll be listening to book three, The Adventure of Simba Hill, just for me. I want to know what happens to Kari and Lucas and I want to see what Runholt's going to do to top these first two wonderful books. If you haven't read Runholt's mysteries yet, get started now and we can wait for book three together.

That officially concludes the review portion of this review: buy these books. Now let's talk craft. A good series is hard to pull off, yet so many writers have ambitions for one, including the ninja. As a writer, part of the appeal to the series is a multi-book contract. But more, I suspect the joy in writing a series is the same joy the reader has in getting to spend more time with the same characters and experiencing a story larger than one book can contain. Whether that series is a Harry Potter story that is interconnected and building parts to a larger whole, telling one story over seven books. Or whether, as is the case here (so far), the books in the series are each self contained adventures like Batman stories or a television show. I like both kinds of series, but my preference is for episodic tales so that if one book sucks (not the case here) it doesn't drag down the rest:)

Regardless of the type of series, the pressure is on the writer to create fantastic characters. This is a pressure the writer always feels as we've got to create fictional people interesting and likeable enough that the reader wants to spend a whole book with them. In a series, the reader may be spending seven books or more with these characters. So take the pressure of creating one book's character and multiply it by seven, I suppose. Kari and Lucas, two 14-year old girls from Minnesota, are definitely likeable enough for the reader to want to spend four books with them. Heck, I'll spend more books with Kari and Lucas if Runholt is up to it.

More, Kari and Lucas have the sort of qualities that will make them compelling protagonists regardless of the mystery facing them. They are curious about the world and the motivations of people. This is an essential quality for any detective to have, but Runholt doesn't just tell us this (perish the thought!). She establishes the girls' curiosity in Mystery of the Third Lucretia. At an art museum in Minneapolis, the girls are treated rudely by a man copying a Rembrandt. When they see him later wearing a disguise, they decide to follow him and from this action flows the entire adventure that follows. What a masterful stroke this is! Though the girls remain very curious in Rescuing Seneca Crane as well, the subject of that book is a kidnapping of their friend, which one hardly need be curious to notice and be concerned with. But in the very first book of the series, this essential character quality of Kari and Lucas is forever established throughout the series because it is essential to the plot (and the plot comes from character, so bonus). The girls are insufferably curious, which might just get them killed were there not a third book on the way:)


In fact, most of Runholt's world building in Mystery of the Third Lucretia is clearly being built to last. Various parts of the plot, though they tie in to the first adventure, go out of their way to establish the set up for future novels. Minor spoiler... Kari's mom gets a job writing about international fashion for a magazine, which means she'll need to do a lot of traveling, dragging the girls around Europe with her. As these are international mysteries, you can bet that will come in handy. Also, we're introduced to Lucas's father, a workaholic who never makes time for her, and her mother, who would much rather be free of her child so she can spend more time shopping with friends. While this sucks for Lucas, it's great for Runholt because it means Lucas will always be free to go globetrotting with Kari and her mother.

The Kari + Lucas Mysteries are considered upper middle grade, or tween, which presents an interesting challenge to writers. On the one hand, the characters are old enough to have been exposed to many of the less savory aspects of the adult world. On the other hand, kids read up, and it's likely a given that kids as young as ten or even eight will be reading in addition to fourteen-year-olds and adult ninjas. And the covers of these books, not that a writer always has a say in that, are bright and colorful and likely to attract readers of all ages.

What then is a writer to do? How does she acknowledge the age of the protagonists, who would probably swear and talk about naughty things at fourteen (or maybe I was just warped) without risking a younger readership? One of my favorite of Runholt's inventions to get around this is her giving the girls their own way of swearing. When the girls want to swear, they insert a "meep" for the swear, as in "Oh meep," "I feel like meep," and my favorite, "Alan The Meep." It's important to remember that it is the age of the reader, not of the protagonist that determines content. After all, the protagonist in Amy Reed's Beautiful was only thirteen.

A common complaint of mine is that too often in middle grade books the horror is not really scary, the danger isn't really all that dangerous, and the mystery isn't much of a challenge. As a ninja, I keep reading, but when I was kid I put a book down as soon as I felt its writer was being condescending(i.e. trying to convince me a rabbit sucking carrot juice was scary, though I loved that book). I wouldn't have put Runholt's book down. There is a reason Kari and Lucas are fourteen instead of ten. They're dealing with some pretty serious stuff, and though Runholt keeps the story light and fun, she deals rather realistically with the world around it.

If Lucas and Kari were younger, they might be dealing with the mystery of the stolen cookie jar. But Runholt has loftier plans. In the first book, the girls are hot on the tail of an international art forgery that would be at home in a Dan Brown thriller (assuming there were a pseudo-religious twist), and in the second book, they're chasing after kidnappers that might make William Kent Krueger proud. The girls censor themselves, but the villains don't behave as though they know they're in a story written for younger readers. There are murders and discussions of rape (all tactfully handled, I promise). In one scene, the girls tour Amsterdam's Red Light district and are mistaken for, ahem, madams of the evening. Some parents may object to this, and if that's you, go ahead and object. I, for one, was thrilled to have found a mystery that was truly exciting involving dangers that were actually dangerous.

I see we are past our maximum word count and I haven't really told you the plot of either book, but that's a good thing. The less you know going in, the more pleasantly surprised you'll be. But I will say how much I appreciated the pacing at the beginning of Rescuing Seneca Crane. We know who the characters are and how it is they come to be able to travel overseas, so Runholt is able to start the adventure and keep it going to the last page.

And that wraps us up. Two big thumbs up for the Kari + Lucas mysteries!

Rich as a Scottish Tartan
Kari Sundgren and Lucas Stickney, 14 are on the scent or sound of a new mystery.Piano prodigy Seneca Crane, also 14 has been revered the world over for her youth and piano prowess.The two teen bloodhounds first saw Seneca perform in Minneapolis the previous summer.When Kari's mother, a reporter has a chance to go to Scotland to interview the young artist, the girls jump at the chance to go.Lucas, whose mother is a whinebag with a sense of entitlement allows her to travel as she wants Lucas and Lucas' younger brother out from underfoot so she can do her own traveling and buying expensive items.She has a hissy fit when Lucas' father changes his will so as to to put the childrens' inheritance in a trust so their greedy mother won't squander it.

The story is as rich as a Scottish tartan.Seneca is the daughter of a black father who died when she was 5 and a Caucasian mother.She has some Scottish ancestry and talks about her rich, multi-cultural background.

Once in Scotland, the girls once again see Seneca perform.They meet her mother and stepfather, a man whom Kari instantly distrusts after she witnesses him acting a fool in the hotel.The girls, Seneca included also dislike Edie, Seneca's tutor.

The girls quickly bond.Kari and Lucas hit Edinburg with Seneca, who longs to have a normal girlhood instead of touring and performing.They enjoy sight seeing and an outdoor street show involving two very clever comedians.

Shortly after their sojourn out, Seneca disappears.As it turns out, she is kidnapped.Some unlikely sources such as Parker, a 4-year-old boy who meets and befriends the older girls proves to be a helpful source.Parker's parents are musicians and have traveled with and performed with Seneca.He likes "the big girl who plays piano" and is excited to be able to "keep a secret."The question is, what secret, if any is he keeping?If there are any secrets with Parker, he does provide some clues.Another question is, how did he come across these clues and how does he, a small child interpret them?And is he correct?

The three girls and Parker all respresent Girl Power and in Parker's case, Kid Power.They are bright and appealing.The girls are singularly dogged and determined to find Seneca and unravel the cryptic clues that come their way.With Parker's help, this trio of hounds make for a very interesting detective team!

Readers will stay riveted and will eagerly await the next installment involving Kari and Lucas!(Hopefully Parker will come along for the ride as well).

Seneca Crane a snappy and arty follow-up to The Mystery of the Third Lucretia
Oh where, oh where, is the paperback version of Rescuing Seneca Crane by Susan Runholt? Yes, I have the hardback, but this book was meant to get into kids' hands and into backpacks and carted in back pockets. It's a great book to carry around and delve into when you're on the bus or sitting in the park.

Why? Because Runholt tells her mystery with clean, teen-inflected prose that just snaps. Fun stuff. You can jump in and out of the narrative and remember where you are without having to flip back several pages to reorient yourself--and where you are is in the middle of a kidnapping plot.

Teen sleuths Kari and Lucas travel to Scotland, on the coattails of the mom's business trip. They're just looking for some fun in Scotland: attending a festival, scoping cute boys (though one of them can't stop mooning over the boy back home), and meeting interesting people, like Seneca Crane, the teen piano prodigy, who disappears after her performance with the symphony orchestra.

As in the prequel to Seneca Crane, The Mystery of the Third Lucretia, Kari and Lucas are left on their own (sans adult help) to locate and rescue their new friend before something dire befalls her at the hands of her captors. Along the way, the girls encounter two Scottish lads, cute as buttons, and feel all flirty. But they keep their minds on the business at hand, and are quickly reminded that kidnappers are the kind of people you don't want to mess with.

Fortunately, our sleuths have more on the ball than adolescent hormones and snappy dialogue.

Runholt gets my thumb's-up as a writer of youth mysteries. She doesn't limit her teen sleuths'can-do because they are girls and not boys, girls and not worldly adults. Sure, they have limits, one of them that they're kids in a sometimes scary adult world, but Runholt gives them just enough smarts and moxie to rise above adversity, even when as the reader you're not quite sure they'll pull off the rescue.

As book two in the Kari and Lucus series, Seneca Crane is a good re-introduction to old friends, only now Kari and Lucus are a bit older and wiser, and somewhat more prone to the attraction of handsome Scots lads. Runholt is maturing her storytelling along with her teen protagonists.

more delightful international sleuthing!
Rescuing Seneca Crane is the second book in the Kari & Lucas mystery series. I adored The Mystery of the Third Lucretia, the first book in the series, and I devoured this one during the read-a-thon. The story picks up only a few months after the first novel ends. It's late summer, and the girls are off to Edinburgh, Scotland with Kari's mom, who is interviewing teenage piano prodigy Seneca Crane for a magazine piece. Kari and Lucas befriend Seneca, who has accomplished a lot professionally, but has had little room for a normal, teenage social life. As the title indicates (it's literal, not figurative), Seneca is soon kidnapped, and Kari and Lucas find themselves in the middle of another caper in a foreign country.

Once again, Susan Runholt does a tremendous job of describing locations. Edinburgh and the other towns of Scotland are like characters in this novel. The misunderstanding of the Scottish accent provided several laugh out loud moments for me. I loved this book as an adult reader, which is not always true of children's books. (A side note about grade level: the characters are teenagers, and teens would certainly enjoy it, but I think it's also appropriate for upper elementary readers.) Runholt also deftly educates the readers while entertaining them. I learned a lot about classical music, Scotland and history along the way, but I was mostly aware of the adventure I was on and wondering how Kari and Lucas would solve the mystery and rescue Seneca Crane.

If you haven't read The Mystery of the Third Lucretia, please read it first. This book is just as good, but you'll love it more if you already know Kari and Lucas. I personally enjoyed Lucretia a little bit more because I enjoy art more than classical music, and I've been to most of the places Kari and Lucas visited in Lucretia. I haven't been to Scotland yet, but with Runholt's descriptions I could certainly picture myself there, and I do now want to visit Scotland even more desperately. ... Read more