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1 | Catastrophe Cave! | The advetising on the box caught my attention so I bought this playset for my son's birthday. It was a complete waste of money! The toy design is terrible! The batcave falls over when played with. The elevator doesn't function properly either. Because of all the malfunctions and collapes, my son lost interest within five minutes of play. If you want your child to have a Happy Birthday or Merry Christmas go with something other than this toy. |
1 | Great idea, poorly engineered | Where were the engineers for this toy, is what I'd like to know. What a great idea it is, but it just doesn't hold up to play. Now, I suppose if you're willing to bolt it into your basement wall, then it would hold up to some strong playtime. However, it is almost completely incapable of withstanding any play whatsoever without collapsing onto the floor. I highly recommend you read all the other reviews on this toy prior to purchase. Definitely needs to go back to the drawing board - ours went back to the store! What a disappointment! |
1 | DO NOT BOTHER | This is toy so frustrating. Very hard to put together and even harder to get the working parts to work without the entire thing falling apart! My son loves batman and this was a gift from his Grammy so he is using it but I had to mount is to a special board to keep from falling into pieces and then tape it together! By next week it will find the dumpster. Waste of time and money and worse yet truly frustrating for my 5 year old.. |
2 | Imagination at its BEST! | Yes, this item may be a little tippy. But find a way to attach it temporarily to a wall and it stays just fine. My son plays with this all the time! It is great! He pretends with his Batman, Superman, Spiderman toys and uses his imagination to capture the bad guys! It is a very cool toy and well worth the money. |
1 | WORST TOY EVER! | After spending the 30 minutes of my time putting together the hundreds of pieces and placing all the tiny stickers in the correct spots- it fell apart completely! Its a totally unusable toy. The cardboard background doesnt even fit in properly and my son has never touched it due to how unstable and flimsy it is. It is too tall to stand on its own and comes with something to adhere it to the wall! Dont waste your time and money on this horrible product! |
1 | Fun, But Falls Apart | I bought this toy for my son's fourth birthday in September. I did not have problems putting the toy together and initially my son loved it. He and his friends played for hours and hours. The arms and ropes, etc. led to a lot of imaginative play. However, in my opinion the design is flawed and the quality of the toy, in general is very poor. The elevator never worked properly because, after awhile, the height of the toy causes it to sag one way or another and the elevator would get stuck. Also, the elevator was not big enough or offitted to hold the Batman figures, so when my son would put a figure in the elevator, it inevitably would fall over and jam the elevator. We've already thrown the toy out, a few months later. |
1 | Batcave - get in touch with mattel | Like most of the other reviews here I bought the Batcave for my four year old and it was a disaster. I paid around 39 for it and see it's now retailing for 9. It just doesn't work. It's a pathetic toy. However I got in touch with Mattel and on the second attempt (they didn't respond first time or didn't get my e-mail) they phoned to offer me a choice of replacement toys. Hope everyone here has done this or will do it - complaining is the only way toy manufacturers will learn. |
1 | BATMAN TOYS NEEDS BETTER QUALITY | I think MATTEL needs to fire the team who makes all the Batman toys, & hire a team of people with quality & creativity in mind. This one of many Batman toys my 6 year old son has, every 5 minutes he comes to me to put the toy back together agian. (I glued together last years modle of the car, the 'wings' always fell off!) the cave is very top heavy, with a flimsy support & backing. If you don't have a permanent wall space to stick this toy on to it will fall as soon as you walk away! Plus there are three pices to this toy that would fall off as soon as I put on that we didn't need anyway. |
1 | Very Disappointed ... | Well - this was my son's #1 request from Santa Claus. Despite the reviews, he brought it to our house. As expected, it is quite flimsy. It is sad to watch my 5 yr old struggle with the elevator while trying to give batman a ride. It is so pathetic how these toy companies take advantage of children, and (their parents!) with such poor quality merchandise. |
1 | Waste of money | Horrible toy for a my 4 year old son who is a batman fanatic... flimsy and not durable. Can not get the elevator to work properly always jams up. This toy won't last to long. |
1 | Worst Toy Ever = Batman Animated Batcave | Do not buy this toy. If you are given this toy as a gift, return it for store credit. This is a flimsly and poorly designed stack of platic and paper. The secret door doesn't work, the elevator doesn't slide and toys get stuck in there. The suggested 10" batman doesn't work with the zip line, bungee or even the elevator. The add says "Using new adhesive technology, you can set up the Batcave on just about any wall" so they want us to glue this thing on to a wall.Please don't buy this toy. |
1 | JUNK | MY SON SAW THE NEW TV SHOW AND WANTED THE NEW BATCAVE. HE HAD THE ORIGINAL ONE BUT BOTH HIM AND I WERE IMPRESSED WITH THE SIZE. DO NOT LET THIS FOOL YOU. IT IS BUILT VERY FLIMSY. THE PARTS FALL APART EASILY. THE ELEVATOR CANNOT BE USED UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER BATMAN DOLLS TO PUT IN THERE . THE CARDBOARD BACKING FALLS OFF. THE STICKERS ARE A PAIN TO PUT ON. I SPENT 2 HRS ON X-MAS EVE PUTTING TOGETHER THIS CAVE. MY SON HAS IT STUCK IN A CORNER. HE HAS MORE FUN LINING UP HIS ACTION FIGURES ON THE COUCH AND USING HIS IMIGINATION THAN THIS TOY. DO NOT GET IT. THE ORIGINAL BATCAVE IS BETTER. SMALLER BUT BETTER. |
1 | Batcave Warning!!! Caution!!! | WARNING!!! CAUTION!!! Parents do not waste your hard earned money or valuable time with this toy. I am the proud father of two boys who were so excited to receive this batcave from Santa. Boy were they disappointed with the substandard quality. This has to be the worst display of a children's toy that I have seen in awhile. I feel that Mattel has stolen from me by misrepresenting this gypsy junk as an actual toy. Please do not purchase! |
1 | BAT GUANA! | This thing is a major piece of junk. It doesn't stick to the wall like it claims. You have to stand to play with it (cause all the cool stuff is at the top), and the extension pieces constantly fall off. I actually screwed it to the wall, but that lasted a whole 10 minutes as it wouldn't stay screwed into the wall. Then the scenery kept falling. Save your money and buy the cool batmobile or something. |
1 | Wrong Bruce, you idiots! | Bruce BANNER turns into THE HULK, not THE BATMAN, morons! It's BRUCE WAYNE who turns into Batman. Maybe this toy would get better reviews if product specialists spent a LITTLE more time researching the list of who transforms into whom.Hulk SMASH stupid Batcave! |
1 | Mattel + Batman = JUNK TOYS! | Just "assembled" the bat cave for my 5 year old. Pathetic construction and workmanship -- half of the gimmics don't work. Another pile of injection-molded plastic parts and stickers that I get to assemble -- what is this thing -- $4 of raw materials + $2 of shipping + $10 of marketing? Garbage. Shame on you Mattel, the only thing worse is the batman figures with the batarangs that take 30 minutes and a blowtorch to get out of the packaging. This batcave will collapse and die within hours of play, I'm sure of it. GARBAGE! |
1 | Fun For a Few Minutes, Until it needs fixing AGAIN!! | My son really wanted this toy and loves batman, so Grandma splurged on this expensive-for-what-you-get toy. First thing, it's a real bear to set up, and then when you do set it up it is really clumsy and pieces fall off very easily. The boys still had fun playing with it, even when the elevator constantly got jammed. They would have enjoyed it even more if they actually included at LEAST ONE character figure in the darn set. OOOPs, we did not notice until he opened the gift that the action figures used for the set were sold separately. All in all, don't waste your money. |
1 | a monumental waste of money | I bought this batcave for the grandson for Christmas because the older model was no longer available. I was leery about the height of the toy and the bad reviews, and with good reason. Every time I turn around, there's a piece of it that has to be put back on. And I didn't realize until I read the other reviews that there is an elevator. Ours has never worked. My grandson likes the toy, but is getting bored with it, since it's always falling apart and quite a few of the gadgets don't really work. Don't buy this toy!! |
1 | Wish I had read the reviews before purchasing | We bought this for my 4 year old son for Christmas and I am very sorry we spent our money on it. Putting it together was not fun, but the real disappointment came when it was done and you see what it is. I think it is unrealistic to think that most people will want to or ever allow this toy to be STUCK to the wall with an adhesive (it says not to leave it stuck there for long periods of time - you must remove it from the wall after playing with it - which means this flimsy piece of plastic is now laying on the floor). After playing with it for 10 minutes, the elevator gets stuck. The top keeps falling off, everytime I turn around my son is whining that this came apart or that came apart. I assume I will be super gluing it before long. I feel ripped off as a consumer. Buyer Beware! |
1 | Good Concept. VERY VERY Flimsy | I got this for my 5 year old. I loved the concept, unfortunatley I never seen such a flimsy toy. We had to super glue everything together because pieces would fall off, this is because there are no snaps to keep levels in place but rather just fits together. Would not buy this toy!!!!!!!!!!! Would not recommend this toy unless your willing to super glue all parts! |
1 | POOR QUALITY | I have been buying toys for my kids as well as my niece and nephew for 14 years and this is the worst quality toy I've purchased! In fact, I had better quality toys when I was a child. My 3 year old son insisted on having this for Christmas and he loves it despite the fact that we have it leaned against the wall to hold it up. It comes with adhesive but I don't want to risk damaging our walls. It is very top-heavy (the 3-level batcave is help up by a couple light-weight plastic tubes)and, though the idea of all the parts snapping in place is nice, I actually had to glue one part in place so it wouldn't fall in the floor. Speaking of pieces, there are a million of them! The directions could be written better also. I read the other reviews here after my son had his heart set on this toy and wish I could have talked him out of this one. Fortunately, he has enjoyed playing with it despite all its flaws but he got better quality $10 toys for Christmas than this one! |
1 | Don't Buy The Batcave | My 4 year old son received the Batcave for Christmas. I know it is about $40. It took my hubby 1/2 hour to put together - is EXTREMELY flimsy & my son got batman stuck in the bat elevator within the first 2 minutes of using it. Soooooo not worth it. What a let down. |
1 | Flimsy...not worth the effort! | Although, it doesn't break the bank, it is terribly disappointing. It barely stands by itself and is frustrating to both my sons, whereas all the pieces fall off or don't line up properly. |
1 | Save Your Money | I have previously purchased a Ross Berstein book ("Gopher Hockey by the Hockey Gopher") and found that to be an entertaining read. Not so with this offeringAll Berstein seems to have done is find some of Herb's friends, turned on his tape recorder and then transcibe their comments, verbatim. The print is too small, the words and thoughts are redundant and the small paperback has the look and feel of a self-published work, which it is.The range of interviewees is tiny compared with the breadth of Brooks' life and all the interviews sound the same. There were a few pictures of young Herbie the player. Those are fairly interesting, but I found myself a little disappointed with this offering. |
1 | I wish it were a better book | In the book, author Bernstein notes that he writes 5 books a year. It shows. His books are poorly written: full of irritating grammar and spelling mistakes and lacking even the most basic story development.It's a shame Brooks wouldn't play the big NY publisher game--get an agent and find a talented ghost writer to work with on a memoir--or work with an established sports journalist on a well-researched, thoughtful biography. This book is just a collection of random thoughts from Brooks' friends and family. Many of them say interesting things, but without a persistent interviewer to ask the follow-up questions, few of the anecdotes yield much new insight. |
2 | Thrilled! And Warm! | I bought this to help heat a bath off my master bedroom. It works like a charm I run it for twenty minutes prior to hopping into the shower and no more shivering! |
1 | Boring, One Sided, Inaccurate | My review title pretty much says it all.One sided books are fine if not disguised. This book has an agenda, anti Wal-Mart and pro union. Facts contained are presented with all the reasons one should be anti Wal-Mart and pro union. Many facts aren't fact, like the statement that Asda took over J Sainsbury's in 2003 - didn't happen.As the world's largest and most successful retailer there are many more interesting books about Wal-Mart. Fine if you're anti Wal-Mart or pro union.......but don't preach, make a book, let me decide! |
1 | Unacceptable | The Eurorack was purchased as a portable mixer to tie mics into a camera. The inherent noise in my particular mixer is completely unacceptable. At a very reasonable level using balanced connections the mixer unmistakably colors the sound with a clear sounding "HISS". Even when running on batteries and far away from any electronic device the HISS is incredibly loud! Totally unacceptable for my purpose. The unit is now stashed away in a closet, a washed up waste of time!However for those on a budget who desire much greater quality with fewer inputs I HIGHLY recommend a Mackie 402-VLZ3 Four-Channel Compact Audio Mixer. However sometimes fewer inputs are unacceptable. Whatever the case steer clear from behringer! |
1 | Keep looking if you want a portable mixer | I purchased this unit for its battery powered portable usage. It fails miserably as it produces so much hiss it is unusable. I mean it is poor with a captital P.The phantom power does not work when in battery mode, nor does the clipping LED's. Keep on looking if you want portability. |
2 | 10 Channel Mixer | I bought this mixer for my husband off his wish list. He was very excited and loves it!!!!! |
2 | What's not to like? | Easy to read yet scholarly. Great illustrations. Space in the margins for notes. Good chapter overviews and summaries. Nice T/F questions to prime the reader. Sources used appropriately. It is truly the ideal textbook.The format, layout, and writing style make this the text that other writers should follow. |
1 | take a different class | After a semester using the text i have come to the conclusion that the authors, Brehm, Kassin, and Fein, leave more questions then answers and that their sub-par sense of humor is more then just a waste of money. After reading certain sections i get the feeling that the authors do not clearly understand the issue at hand, but rather throw 15 different research studies at the topic covering their uncertainty and topping it off with a dire attempt at a joke leaving the reader completely ambiguous. |
1 | Attempts at Classification | I'm not sold on social psychology. Part of my issue with this discipline is my personal fight to never let people pigeon-hole me and this seems to want to it on a grand scale. Some of the text does not help one see how issues of individual psychological development tie in to the study of social psychology. This is a great failing because many people no very little about this topic. |
1 | waste of money | the kit doesnt even fit the heater outlet vent on the 75K btu model. half the parts you wont need, just go to a hardware store & buy the ones you need for half the price. |
2 | Outstanding Book | From the persective of a U.S. Army Officer, I highly recommend this book. Mr. Hoiback does an excellent job, in a very concise manner, to describe the linkage between Authority, Intent, and Dissemination of command. He then uses two case studies that show the relationships in the real world.I really appriciated the second case study showing the opening days of WWII in Norway. The case study told the story of COL Erickson who took the initiative to sink a German Cruiser amid the cowardice of the politicians and the inadequate preparations to maintain Norway's neutrality; a story I never read before this book. I would recommend reading the second case study before the first case study discussing the GEN Haig in the First World War. By reading the Second Case study first, I believe that case study one will be easier to follow.Eric |
2 | clifford | this is a very good book for the younger readers. it is straight forward and gives good halloween costume ideas for little kids |
2 | Clifford's Halloween | He's our favorite dog to read about! Any book about Clifford is a hit with my 3.5 year old grand daughter. The 5 month old loves the bright "red" dog as well! |
1 | might be a good scanner | my scanner hasn't worked since the day i took it out of the box, installed the software, and the green light is on but when i hit scan it does nothing! looks like it's a dud. lol. |
1 | Crap, Crap, Crap!!! | There is no other way to put it. All Visioneers are garbage. Purchased my 2nd one (after first one died for no reason after a year) and have experienced many problems. Lately it won't let me scan anything because of an error saying to "unlock your scanner". There is no Freakin lock on the darn thing!!! After contacting the company many many times (btw - there customer service sucks! - No telephone number, unless u pay $2 per minute, just a computer-generated machine that unsuccessfully helps you called SARA). I finally put a claim in through the Better Busines Beaureau, there response was that they couldn't send me a new scanner cause it was after 1 year of my purchase, but they would be so kind enough as to let me purchase a new one and give me 25% off of their price (which was probably an elevated price). I told them to kiss off! Anyway - please don't buy this product or any Visioneer product - they Suck! |
1 | Don't buy this scanner | I loved the slim design and the USB power so I could power it with my notebook's USB port. The software was an upgrade to the other visioneer scanners I've owned over the years, which is easy to use. However after only a few hundred scans, there's a growing progressive distortion on the left side of images as if blackened, resulting in a very poor scan. I'm throwing it away. Buy something else. |
1 | Do Not Buy This Scanner | Absolutely the worst software for flatbed scanner I have ever encountered. Scan is slow and softcover lousy. Don't buy |
1 | Intentional Obsolescence -- 2011 and it still no drivers! | Vista has been out for 4 years, I'm up to Windows 7, and they still haven't released a driver update for this scanner!This is what's called planned obsolescence, where they intentionally make something not work so that you have to buy the new version. There's no reason or excuse for Visioneer not to release an update.This was the last scanner I'll ever buy from Visioneer. How can I have any confidence that they won't do the same thing with their new scanners when I upgrade computers again? |
1 | It doesnt work with Vista | The price was excellent but the standard shipping was very slow. It doesn't work with Vista, no drivers, so is useless to me. I gave it to my son and it works fine with Windows XP. My son has used it to scan pictures for me and it is of good quality. |
1 | Save yourself the trouble | I'm pretty tech savy, and This is by far the worst experience ive had with ANY piece of electronica ever. Dont let the low price fool you, theres a reason for that. The drivers are terrible for this, Uninstalling this scanner requires 4 different programs, tech support charges you money for help (even though I bought this 2 weeks ago), and if you actually get the scanner to work it will take a good 25 minutes to get the 1200 dpi resolution scan. Also the software it comes bundled with (Scansoft Paperport) is horrible, i have 2 gbs of Ram and it ran as if i had 128 mb. the TWAIN compatibility is awful, and it isnt compatible with any third party software. I wish there was something good I could write about this scanner, Aftr 2 weeks I got fed up, returned the scanner and bought an HP. People please do not hurt yourself by buying this awful piece of junk. |
1 | Don't buy this scanner | I was very excited to buy this scanner and was pleased with its size and weight. However, if you have a Vista operating system, like I do, IT WILL NOT WORK! The company told me that they stopped selling this product over a year ago and there are no driver updates available for this product. If you have an older computer and an older operating system this product might work for you. But as for me it was a waste of money! |
2 | Forget The Hype! This is a Great Record! | Forget that Capitol records killed this band's career by letting the public believe that Klaatu was the Beatles secretly reunited (shame on them)! Forget that the name of this band was taken from a Sci-Fi movie (Like Duran Duran didn't do the same?)! Forget that The Carpenters covered thier best known song! Just forget all that junk, and LISTEN TO THE RECORD! YES! LISTEN! This band should have been BIG! It's sad that they only gained a cult following. There are so many fine elements on this record. Who cares about ths stinking singles charts? Who said good music had to be POPULAR? This is just a great LP. It has stood the test of time, and made it to CD. Thank god somebody in the industry recognizes a classic LP when they hear one. So, they weren't the Beatles...they never claimed to be. And Who Cares? Just Listen to the record. It speaks for itself. |
2 | real life hero | just as good now as when i bought the album when it first came out. good diversity in the music. This album was originally thought to be the Beatles reformed. |
2 | Klaatu | It was a replacement for the one that was "stolen" by my now "ex" about ten years ago...The replacememt was in excellent condition and it was just as good (or even better) than the one that was taken...Klaatu was a innnovative band...It's a shamethey didn't catch on well here.. |
2 | Beatle mutation music at it's pop cosmic best! | "Subrosa Subway" hooked me right in. "Calling Occupants" a masterpiece. No one thought it could be done...the Beatles sound in an experimental way, but my goodness, an attention and care to arranging was astounding. No mop top hype to hide behind.The fact that they wanted it released with no individual song credits made it feel like a group effort. As they wanted no one to look at the album in none other way than an experience. And they the achieved with flying colours. This album is the reason I even got into songwriting or noticed songwriting as an art form.Indeed a special album for me all time. |
2 | HELL'S Yeah! | This live recording of Incantation IS a must own. Very few copies were put into circulation and I picked up my copy via amazon's used marketplace a few weeks ago. I love their studio albums and this live album is outstanding. The drums sound great as well as the production values. A must own. |
2 | Small and mighty. | Not since Johnathan Livingston Seagull have we had a book that speaks to the power and beauty of a small bird. Iridescent Soul's main character is the hummingbird, but its message is for the human soul.It is beautiful, light, transcendent, and hopeful. A great gift! |
1 | Terrible Picture Quality | Do yourselves a favor and DO NOT buy this DVD. I think ever since the UFC switched to a different DVD distributor, the quality of their DVD's has gone through the floor. The picture is almost unwatchable because it is so blurry. I'm amazed that they even release stuff that basically has bootleg quality. I bought this DVD to enjoy watching Silva/Franklin over and over and over again, but I started getting a headache two minutes into it. Stay away from this. The UFC needs to do something about this because it's unacceptable for a company so successful to release such low quality garbage. |
2 | Growing Up Elsewhere | A former "diplobrat" who grew up abroad, I identified with Godden's description of a child's first encounter with France. The effect of their foreign adventure on each family member develops along with an excellent plot (not usually Godden's strong point). Even better than the character descriptions is the evocation of French country life at its most seductive -- "next best to being there." |
1 | Did not like | Just not my type of book. Very boring but I got through it. Hard to stick with it until the end. |
2 | Just what I wanted | Thanks for providing me with an oldie but goodie. The Greengage Summer came to me in great condition for an older book. |
1 | Fine for children, boring for adults | One has to be a young adult to enjoy this book. If you want to read about children in a foreign country without adult supervision, well, there you have it. I'm surprised it wasn't turned into a Disney movie.Definitely a children's book. |
1 | Does not work for Ipod connectivity on PC's | Bought this card to connect my dell 8100 to my ipod remixed. Installed the card in a snap without incident. Tried connecting my Ipod and it immediately started charging so I thought I was good. However, I opened itunes and nothing. Went to the iogear website thinking i needed to update the driver when I stumbled across the statement on the Tech Support Library, document #10162:"Why won't my IPod work with the GUF320?Both the IPod and mini-IPod require a Windows Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL) certified card to connect to the computer. At this time, the GUF320 is not WHQL certified.We apologize for any inconvenience."Well that would have been nice to know before I ordered the card and wasted my time and effort. |
1 | USB ports won't work with iPod | Bought this card to use with an iPod, and was greatly disappointed. My new iPod only comes with a cable to connect to USB 2.0 ports, and the USB ports on this card DO NOT WORK with iPods. I had to go buy an additional cable (iPod to Firewire) in order to get my iPod working. The Firewire ports on this card DO work with an iPod, but you'll need a Firewire cable that new iPods may not give you. |
2 | Plug and Go Go Go!! | No fuss, no muss. Just plug it in the PCI slot and reboot. Windows XP installed it automatically and I was up and running.It could not have been easier unless someone else did it for me.... |
1 | Not G5 Compatible | Though the description states this card will work with G3 and above it wont even fit in the PCI slot for a G5 1.8 Single or a1.8 Dual I belive its because those slots are PCI-X. I am going to try the Sonnet alegro which says it will work with a G5 also. We'll see.The Sonnet alegro works! |
1 | Bad quality | Installation and use was easy and good. But the quality of the product was really bad and it was going loose and stopped working in between. |
2 | good value, works like a charm! | This card installed without a hitch on my Dell Dimension with Windows XP Pro (Service Pack 2). It wasn't even necessary to install any drivers; Windows simply detected the new FireWire and USB devices and installed them without prompting.The device works great. I noticed a huge increase in transfer speeds coming off my USB 2.0 capable digital camera (my Dell came stocked with USB 1.1 only).I would definitely recommend this PCI card! |
1 | Easy installation but unreliable Firewire slots, slow warranty repair | I've had this card installed since Nov. 2006 and just now found out that the 2 Firewire ports only work intermittently. I thought my new camcorder was messed up when I tried to use the Firewire port on the Iogear card. But when I plugged into another non-Iogear available Firewire slot, the camcorder worked. Now I have to go through the hassle of trying to get warranty work for the Iogear card. The USB ports on the card have worked okay.Update: Over 3 weeks and I'm still awaiting my warranty work repair/replacement from Iogear.3-23-07 Update: Finally got the warranty replacement. Everything seems to be working now. I would now rate this about 3 stars. |
1 | Does not work with PowerMac G5 | Although the specifications state compatibility with macs G3 or higher, this card will not fit into the pci slot of a new G5.(...) |
2 | Rockin' In Rhythm... | I listened to the first track, Rockin' In Rhythm five or six times before going onto the second track; and experienced the delight of discovering something truly good and remarkable from two artists, about whom I thought I knew everything good and remarkable. Back in the 1970's I collected Ella songbooks on vinyl (Gershwin, Porter, Rogers & Hart), but never got around to the Ellington collection. How fortunate that I inadvertently saved this little gem for a rainy day. Listening to it is like discovering Ellington and Ella anew. Except with the added appreciation of a fan. I would never tire of Rockin' In Rhythm, so reliable a source of joy it is...my soul smiles for the privilege to witness this collaboration. |
1 | Not Enough Choices | There are not enough color selections for the average person. The product seems to work but Coverblend needs to work on offering more color selections as women come in a variety of shades and skin tones. |
2 | not immoral | this book is surely one of the best. its meaning is crystal clear : in life better strong than weak. the fact is that the king doesn't steal food or money like those weak officers , he just buys low ans sells high. what clavell wants to say to us is that making money out of other people's stupidity is much better than being stupid. |
2 | Truly and excellent book. | Actually, I rate this an 11. This was the first, and the fifth, and the last Clavell novel that I have read (yes, I read it three times). Clavell even coproduced an excellent movie adaptation in the late 60's (though filmed purposely in black and white) which captured the entire mood of the book. The reason that this book works so well is that Clavell himself lived the story. The character of Peter Marlowe is based on Clavell himself, and it shows.This book is a brutal, depressing display of humanity at its basest. Not for the light hearted, but a must for anyone interested in WWII or in Asia. |
2 | A wonderful tale! | This is a magnificent book. It details the horrors of war and the inhumane conditions POWs were forced to face, but it also is a carefully crafted tale of friendship, and how people can thrive in the most unlikely places. I disagree with the reviewer who thinks it is a depressing book - it is a novel of the human spirit, with a dash of good old capitalism thrown in for good measure.Again, it is a wonderful book. It will stay with you for a long time. |
2 | Not for those looking for an uplifting read. | I'll be honest, this is a depressing book. But it is about a depressing subject. This is a semi-autobiographical look at the author's internment in one of the Japanese's POW camps, Changi. It is a statement on the ingenuity and cunning of mankind, but also of its brutality. If you're looking for a quick, solid read, this is it. |
2 | Much more action oriented than other Clavell work. | Great! Reminded me of The great escape only without the escape. Very moving. |
2 | Clavell has done it again. His style expands into the 1900s | This is another fabulous work by James Clavell, a stand-out in his collection. Even though the book was set in a prison camp, all I thought about was that I wanted to be 'The King'. A rivetting story of life and death, friendship and betrayal. Shorter than his other works, but equally valuable. |
2 | A significant change from Noble House Saga | A very good read, this novel is more "complex" in the character development then Tai Pan or Noble House. But the plot centers on an anti-hero, and shows the darker side of capitalism. A sharp break from the heroic figures of industry that I personally loved in Tai Pain and Noble House. After finishing the book you may be a little upset and wondering "what the point was the novel trying to get across?" I honestly don't know, the ending leaves you trying to figure things out on your own. But that's the beauty of the book at the same time as its biggest fault. This is a book you appreciate more and more after finishing it. |
1 | Not all that profound after all | I had read this book over 30 years ago as a teenager and thought it would be interesting to see how I reacted to it now. It's a fun and easy read, I'll admit that. But I can see why I liked it more as a 14-year-old; the book seems to have been written by a 14-year-old. And the "moral dilemmas" are of the kind you probably dealt with when you first learned what a "moral dilemma" is.And although the copy I read was a paperback from the early 1980's that was in its umpteenth printing, it had a surprising number of typos and major grammatical errors. I guess even back then no one took the book too seriously. |
1 | Disapointing | After Shogun one would expect much better. Compared with Shogun, King Rat is rather 2D. The plot is not as engrossing. I think readers will have a difficult time getting into the story. The ending is somewhat predictable (what do YOU think happens to all the prisoners?)and there are many things that are never explained (who is the informant that knew about the radio? ). On the whole an entertaining book, but it moves slowly and doesnt go anywhere (how exciting can life in a prison be anyway? :P ) |
1 | Reads like a book for 8 to 12 year olds | I really enjoyed the first 100 pages of King Rat and expected good things from the remaining chapters. But the novel goes downhill as the reader is forced to learn more about Peter Marlowe, a character I suspect we're supposed to admire for his complexity. The dialogue between prisoners is forced and the sub-plots are only of marginal interest. I found myself skimming the final third of the novel, as concentrating on it was much too painful.With a 4 and 1/2 star rating, a prospective reader would think they were buying "The Brothers Karamazov". Same goes for all of the books on Amazon that suffer from 'grade inflation'. With every novel commanding 4 or more stars, what's left to differentiate the great novels? |
1 | Couldn't get into it. | I'd heard such good things about this book, and couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately, I found it really slow. I read the paperback version, and to be honest, I couldn't bring myself to finish the book. Major disappointment. |
1 | king rat | the book is ok but I am very dissapointed in the condition of the book as I am reading it it is falling apart from the binding and it was listed as good condition but in my opion it was in poor condition water stains yellowing pages and binding is falling apart for the price I paid I expected better quality I doubt that I will purchase thru this group ever again Sharyl |
2 | A great study of the human psyche | Circa 1962 Clavell astounds the reader with his insight to the human condition. From the beginning until the end, King Rat never ceases to surprise and evoke the dark humor concurrent withthe grim reality of terrible circumstances. I remember seeing this book in countless rucks during Viet Nam, read and re-read, taped together, dog eared and in heavily stressed condition then, passed along. |
2 | An unforgettable journey! | In my honest opinion, this was one of the best books I have ever read. Its unique setting, plot, and characters make for an unforgettable read. The emotional roller coaster that King Rat takes you through is phenomenal. One minute, you could feel dire hatred toward the King because of his treatment of his fellow POWs. The next, you could be laughing hysterically due to the idea of Colonel Smedly-Taylor paying top dollar for rat legs. After that, you would be feeling sorrow and pity toward the King. No book I have read before has left such a lasting impression on me. After I was finished, I almost wished I were just beginning it so I could experience the ride all over again. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a thoughtful, impacting story. James Clavell will forever hold a fond place in my heart. |
2 | Great Book and Series | Great Book and Series. This was the 3rd time through the Series. Just wish they had the Last and Final book in the Series which was "Whirlwind" when I was ready for it. |
2 | Great book if you are into WWII history of the Pacific | After living in Singapore for seven years, I read a lot on the war in the pacific.This is one of my favorites. Though fictional, it captured what I saw and read about the Japanese occupation.Clavel is the one of the best. |
2 | Outstanding! | If the human condition under extraordinary circumstances interests you, then this book is a must. It's kind of a non-sequitur in the context of the whole Asian saga, but I found it to be absolutely captivating, and a couple of the main characters make a later appearance in Noble House. |
2 | Really liked the book | When I first read the book a lot of years ago, i loved it and thought it should have been made in to a movie It's been at least 30 years since I first read it. I enjoyed it so much |
1 | Disappointing | This is the 4th Clavell book I've read, I was more than a little disappointed. I've read them in order so far, Shogun and Tai-pan for me were breathtaking, long books which I sped through. Gai-jin was more of a chore, with not much of ending. I found King Rat dull, I think the story wasn't too interesting. Other customers have commented on how harsh the prison was - too be honest, I thought it would've been worse. The King had none of the charisma of the heroes in the other books, and I found myself not really caring whether or not either him or Marlowe made it. Although a lot was made of their inner feelings, this made me feel that they were both just shallow people. |
1 | below par | after reading all of clavell's books, i was looking forward to King Rat. It made me uneasy. I was left with a very disatisfied feeling. Who rated this book so high? were they relatives?I do not recommend it. |
2 | Quick, interesting, and accurate | This is different from the "Asian Saga" books. Still, it is just as excellent. Moreover, it is short and to the point. Clavell was in a POW camp so I get the sense that it is accurate, that it lauds real people through their character portrayals (indirectly), and it scathes other people in the same way. |
1 | Numbers Peg puzzle | This number peg puzzle is not for a 2 year old! You cannot tell the nine from the six and depending on your child's age he/she might be confused with the colors of the pegs to the colors on the background. |
2 | My son loves it! | My son learned his numbers so quickly with the help of this puzzle. He loves all of the Melissa and Doug chunky puzzles and I figured this would be great to help him learn his numbers. I was right! Great present! Highly recommended! |
2 | Great buy! | You cant go wrong with these puzzles! My son loves to play with them and discover whats under the puzzle pieces. It helps a child develop number recognition which is so important. Very well made and durable! SOmething I will surely save for the next generation. |
2 | Colorful, durable AND educational! | I bought this for my great nephew - 18 months old who is already learning to count and learn his colors. I also got him a dino puzzle by Melissa & Doug. Both items are really great. They are very durable and colorful so he likes playing with them and putting the shapes back in their places. The number puzzle is fun because when you take the number out, there are pictures under each number for example - take out the three - there are three turtles (I may have the wrong animal but you get the gist!!). His 3 year old cousin that visits often also loves playing with them so they have a good age range. |
2 | cute | My 2 year old daughter really enjoys this puzzle. Perfect for learning numbers and counting. I would recommend for anyone with a toddler. Not so much for babies as I have found they end up chewing a ruining the pieces... |
2 | Best "Toy" Ever! | My 16 month old has been playing with this off and on for about a month, and she can now put every single number in the correct place every time without a second of hesitation! Because the numbers are written below each space, she now even recognizes the WORD for each number! Am I ordering the alphabet puzzle immediately. |
2 | Numbers Puzzle | I bought this puzzle for my son because we can't afford day care prices and need some things to work with him at home on the basics like ABC's, Numbers, Colors and Shapes. I have nearly every educational puzzle that Melissa and Doug have put out and I love them all. |
2 | I love these puzzles. | My almost 2yr old learned her numbers with this puzzle. It's wonderful and easy for little fingers. This is definately not a cheaply made puzzle. |
2 | Not appropriate for 16 month old - see update | The pegs and the pictures do not match at all. So, the child has to count the objects in the space of the number and then find the corresponding number. Notice in the picture that they are not even the same color. So if your child does not recognize numbers yet then this puzzle will not work. I know the manufacturer recommends 24 month age but my son is doing other 24 month puzzles already. I'm sure it will be challenging in a few months as he approaches 2 years of age and/or he learns to count. The 6 and the 9 are similar but not interchangeble.update: I stand corrected! My almost 18 month is doing this puzzle and loves it. I do not give enough credit to the clever little brains. He can see the shape and match the shape to the puzzle piece. Amazing. They just seemed so similar to me but I was wrong. 5 star puzzle. . . . |
2 | GREAT NUMBER BOARD | Our son plays with this board while I'm feeding him. He's only 20 months, but using this board is helping us introduce the numbers to him. It's well built. Arrived in only a couple days. Our son loves it!! |
1 | Not water resistant -- one spill ruined the look | 1. The 6 and 9 pieces are interchangeable...that led to some confusion.2. I want this same puzzle with no glossy paper glued on. The remains of a drink were spilled onto it and the paper is now peeling off and it also absorbed the stainThe whole reason I buy wooden toys is for durability -- this same toy with just a stained/painted/plain wood would be perfect |
2 | Excellent for my students | I teach mentally handicapped adults at a local community college, and if you want durable puzzles that your students can use over and over again, I strongly recommend getting puzzles like this. It's durable and can get students to focus their attention. Worth getting. |
2 | Great Teaching Tool | This is a great puzzle to have in a childcare center , the children love working with the different numbers |
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