Product Description
Follows the life and career of the popular actor, focusing on his struggle with dyslexia, his starring roles in such movies as "Risky Business," "Top Gun," and "Jerry Maguire," and his involvement in the Church of Scientology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A more adult level recent biography is needed.
I knew this was a kids' book, but it seemed to be the most interesting and recent biography of Tom Cruise, based on the reviews that I looked at on this website.I am a very big Tom Cruise fan, so I decided to take the risk.

I was a bit shocked to find out that the customer review on this website that claimed that Cruise had made punnish errors in reading movie titles seems to have been entirely fabricated.I don't understand why something like that isn't removed from the site.

The book was ok.I learned some things about Cruise's career.There were some nice photos. Still, it wasn't an adult book.I would have liked something more meaty and in depth.I guess that would be hard to write, since he's not a person who likes to reveal intimate details about himself.I suppose eventually some person in his entourage will start talking and we'll actually find out something about him.We'll just have to be patient.

This would be a good book to give to a child who is dyslexic and feeling discouraged about learning to read, though.

A good starting point...
This cute little book gives insight into Tom's career from the beginning through his role in "Jerry Maguire".It covers his early interest in acting, as well as his struggle with dyslexia (which seems to be mentioned on almost every page).I gained a deeper respect for Cruise after reading about his trials dealing with the handicap and his non-compromising dedication to perfecting his job as actor, producer, director.This is definitely an enjoyable book!

Pig-ignorance no bar to fame and fortune
The public only see the glamour - but Phelan Powell shows the significant obstacles Tom Cruise has overcome in order to live his life of pampered opulence. In Cruise's case dyslexia was the obstacle - it nearly cost him the part of the barman in "Cocktail" (he thought it was a film about cockatiels and told his agent he "didn't do parrots") and he bought his own wildebeeste to research the part of Lt Maverick Mitchell in "Top Gnu". ... Read more

Product Description
The dramatic story of two Irish friends who join the British to fight in World War I despite the troubles tearing apart their homeland. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great writing
Tom Phelan makes those terrible times come to life in a very special way with this novel.The characters are engaging, the story first rate.He clearly has done his homework, and this is a very moving book.It is one of the saddest things I've ever read.

WOW
Canal Bridge was an amazing book about an Irish story one never hears about or sees in the movie -- Irish in World War I -- fighting for the British against the Germans -- but it was more than that -- it was their Vietnam -- an unpopular war, an angry populace.Yet this is also a fierce love story told through multiple points of view, between lovers, friends, neighbors.Also amazing -- the author is 90+ years old! Not that that should matter in a book, but it's a wonderful tidbit. READ THIS wonderfully written and compelling book!!

Vintage Phelan!
I absolutely loved this book, from the first page to the last.Mr.Phelan has honed his writing skills and sharpened his pen (well, computer) to produce this excellent novel of a small village in Ireland and the folks of same who lived through World War I.The writing is good. the storyline crisp, and the characters well defined.
Good job!

World War One Masterpiece
The Irish Independent calls Tom Phelan's THE CANAL BRIDGE "Another First World War masterpiece....An ambitious, accomplished and deeply moving contribution to Ireland's formidable corpus of fiction about the Great War."

Books Ireland, the magazine of the Irish publishing industry, describes THE CANAL BRIDGE as "a powerful and deeply affecting novel."

The Irish Emigrant says THE CANAL BRIDGE is "a masterful story...Must be ranked among the more successful of the novels dealing with the First World War."

About a quarter of a million Irish men served in the British army in World War One, and about 35,000 died.Tom Phelan's gripping new novel, THE CANAL BRIDGE, tells the story of two Irish stretcher-bearers (and the lovers and families they leave behind) as they struggle to survive the slaughterhouse that was Europe from 1914-1918.

Due to political divisiveness, Ireland has no tradition of honoring the memory of its WWI soldiers.In writing The Canal Bridge, Tom Phelan has raised awareness of these men and paid tribute to them.
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Product Description
This novel brilliantly captures the voices and characters of a small community in the Irish countryside in the 1940s. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Another wonderful novel by Tom Phelan"
"Derrycloney" is wonderfully humorous, wonderfully poetic, wonderfully human.In this, his third novel, Phelan presents a tale of life in an isolated laneway in the Irish countryside in the 1940s. Published by Brandon; 8.99 Irish pounds. ... Read more

Product Description
From the author of IN THE SEASON OF DAISIES, a novel set in Ireland about a priest haunted by the memory of a ghastly crime, and the consequences which resurface after the return of a childhood friend to the village. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

ISCARIOT IS NOT OUT OF PRINT
ISCARIOT IS NOT OUT OF PRINT.

IT IS AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK,ISBN 0 86322 246 3,BRANDON, IMPRINT OF MOUNT EAGLE, DINGLE, COUNTY KERRY, IRELAND, PUBLISHED 1998.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFO, SEE AUTHOR'S WEBSITE MEMBERS.AOL.COM/GLANVIL2

Another winner from Irish novelist Tom Phelan
Another winner from Tom Phelan, author of the acclaimed novel IN THE SEASON OF THE DAISIES. ISCARIOT tells the story of a former priest and expatriate who returns to Ireland to come to grips with the past.Phelan, a former priest himself, is a poetic and gifted writer who has a rare insight into institutional Catholicism, the Irish psyche, and the Church in Ireland and in America. ... Read more

Product Description
Chronicles the 1921 brutal IRA murder of a young boy, Willie Doolin, and its devastating effect on the victim's twin brother, an eyewitness to the crime, and on a small Irish town, in an unforgettable exploration of the shattering impact of violence. A first novel. Tour. IP. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Excellent, quick service, quality materials
Whenever I interact with Amazon, I am impressed with the courtesy and promptness with which my needs and questions are handled.Every product I have purchased was fairly reviewed and when I received any item, it was always as good as or better than the description.

Great symbolism, Lyrical and Powerful
A wonderful and provocative book although some may find the subject matter a bit too rough for light reading. The book combines a graceful lyricism with a whole variety of interesting symbolism that demonstrates a depth of human understanding.

One curious example would be the character of Ms. Bevan who connotes pure compassion and understanding; a true Madonna figure.She is modern, monied, dignified and thought to be Protestant by everyone in town, which she is not. This subtle reflection of Irish self-loathing and the fact that Mr. Sheehan, a suffering moral hero, is the only one capable of even speaking to her makes an interesting commentary.

Also of note is the book's ambiguous treatment of Irish Republicanism. IRA members are all damaged characters suffering from their involvement and regretful, neurotic or base and ruthless in the extreme. It is fundamentally a romantic novel whereby the enviable qualities are of a personal nature and "collective" ideals are misguided and taken-up by unfortunate rabble and impetuous youth.

Who is responsible for Willie's death? The English, the IRA, all who where present, only those in favour of the killing, the village that reared the killers? The verdict seems to be that all are guilty, the pain is real and the living suffer most.

This book was a little hard but overall great !!
I think this book started out a little hard to understand and take in, but once you got down and started reading it, it grabbed you and sucked you in. It was well written and it gave you an idea of grief and love. Ithinkanyone who hasn't read the book should.

Touching and provocative
Being somewhat of an "Americanized" European expatriate, I've always had trouble understanding the passion and connections inherent to that mysteriously unique Irish sensibility.Perhaps it has something to dowith the vast ocean separating the U.S. and Europe.

Mr. Phelan's bookis so touching, so powerful, I was moved to tears at one point.It's adeeply emotional account of one boy's personal tragedy... and coming out ofit feels like coming off a long and painful relationship gone wrong.I'mgrateful for having read it, and even more grateful to Mr. Phelan forwriting it, but I hope I never suffer as much in my lifetime as littleSeanie Doolin.

A great read, and suprising page-turner .. an absolutelyunforgettable narrative.At times it reminded me (vaguely) of WilliamFaulkner.

Phelan chosen for "Discover Great New Writers"
This novel was chosen by Barnes & Noble for the "Discover Great New Writers" program....It received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, indicating a novel of unusual merit and interest...Books Ireland said "This is a work of such might and muscle....Buy it."...The Irish Times said "Phelan has taken a...theme, the slaughter of innocence, and by dint of sheer lyrical power has turned it into something you won't forget for a very long time."...Library Journal said "This first novel, an unforgettable exploration of the shattering effects of violence, belongs in most fiction collections.... The French translation, "A La Saison des Marguerites," is published by Editions Balland. ... Read more

Product Description
In this episode Jessica Storm strikes an unholy alliance that will affect everyone on planet Earth. Will the crew of Orion 1 be heading back home or taking an unexpected trip to the planet Briik where they will toil as slaves for the rest of their lives for the Tor. 2 cassettes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

great book
keeps you interested. what's the title of the next book ... Read more

Product Description
Written over years, these haiku reflect lyrically and artistically the concerted ways that Gerard Brooker and Tom Phelan see theworld of man, nature, war and politics. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Wilt Chamberlain, George Raveling, Tom Gola, Paul Arizin, Tom Meschery, Jim Pollard, Guy Rodgers, Jim Phelan, Larry Costello, Lennie Rosenbluth, Gene Shue, Steve Hamilton, Al Attles, Don Ohl, Woody Sauldsberry, Bevo Francis, Joe Ruklick, Walter Devlin, Jack George, Joe Belmont, Don Sunderlage, Hal Lear, Mel Payton, Bob Schafer, Ernie Beck, Ted Luckenbill, Ike Borsavage, Dave Gunther, George Dempsey, Nelson Bobb, Chuck Noble. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 115. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Harlem Globetrotters (19581959)Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (19591965)Philadelphia 76ers (19651968)Los Angeles Lakers (19681973) Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain (August 21, 1936 October 12, 1999) was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; and also played for the Harlem Globetrotters. The 7 foot 1 inch Chamberlain, who weighed 250 lbs as a rookie before bulking up to 275 lb and eventually over 300 lb with the Lakers, played the center position and is considered by his contemporaries as one of the greatest and most dominant players in the history of the NBA. Chamberlain holds numerous official NBA all-time records, setting records in many scoring, rebounding and durability categories. Among other notable accomplishments, he is the only player in NBA history to average more than 40 and 50 points in a season or score 100 points in a single NBA game. He also won seven scoring, nine field goal percentage, and eleven rebounding titles, and once even led the league in assists. Although suffering a long string of professional losses, Chamberlain had a successful career, winning two NBA titles, earning four regular-season Most Valuable Player awards, the Rookie of the Year award, o...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=255645 ... Read more

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Chapters: Fran Dunphy, Tom Gola, Joe Bryant, Tony Dileo, Rasual Butler, Bill Raftery, Gary Neal, Jim Phelan, Kurt Kanaskie, Lionel Simmons, Tim Legler, K'zell Wesson, Jeff Neubauer, Steven Smith, Yves Mekongo, Ken Durrett, Doug Overton, Joe Mihalich, Ralph Lewis, Bernie Williams, Jack George, Roland Taylor, Michael Brooks, Tom Piotrowski, Larry Cannon, Randy Woods, Jackie Moore. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 89. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament Championship (2008, 2009, 2010) Fran Dunphy (born October 5, 1948)) is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at Temple University. He succeeded John Chaney in 2006. Dunphy's coaching career began at the United States Military Academy (197172), where he served as an assistant under head coach Dan Dougherty. In 1975, he left Army to become head coach of his high school alma mater, Malvern Prep. He remained there until becoming Lefty Ervins assistant at La Salle University (197980). The following year, Dunphy joined current Maryland head coach Gary Williams staff at American University. He returned to La Salle in 1985, serving one more season under Ervin and assisting Speedy Morris for two seasons. He left La Salle to become head coach Tom Schneider's top assistant at Penn in 1988. Dunphy succeeded Schneider as Penn head coach a year later. In 1989, Dunphy was named the 16th head coach at Penn. He compiled a 310163 overall record and won 10 Ivy League titles in his 17-year career. Dunphy's 310 wins are the most by any Penn coach and are second all-time in the Ivy League to Princeton's Pete Carril. His Quaker teams won 48 straight Ivy League games and four league titles from 1992 through 1996. His 199394 team had a 253 record and was ranked 25th in the CNN/USA...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=4705241 ... Read more