LITERARY FICTION The Portrait of a LadyHenry James James’s mastery of psychology has never been more elegantly expressed nor more gripping than in his tale of Isabel Archer, a young American in search of her destiny, and Gilbert Osmond, the ultimate cold fish and one of literature’s most repellent villains. [read post]

” Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America’s improbable experiment in democracy. [read post]

He says band members often strike tracks he wished would stay on the record, or alter them to the point that they no longer comport with his initial vision. [16] The list of singer/songwriters who disentangled from their former coworkers to seize a greater control of their destiny could fill a tome: Glenn Frey and Don Henley of The Eagles; Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin; Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko and Levon Helm from The Band; Gwen Stefani from No Doubt. [read post]