But the real reasons the unionized government workers are demonizing Walker and the NFL owners are waging war against the players is they both love their monopolies.

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Their story across both books has as many interpretations as characters: Stuart (pedestrian materialist or honest realist) is the victim (all's fair in love and war) of his best friend Oliver (pretentious parasite or inspired romantic) who steals (wins) his wife, Gillian, and goes to live with her in France.

ECONOMIST: New novels

His love interest, Lois Lane, is a study in how Americans viewed women around World War II.

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This beautifully written book is powerfully evocative of the human cost of war and the longing for love that, despite the shooting and shelling, never fades.

ECONOMIST: New Arab fiction

Despite some critics' concerns that this poignant film didn't portray John Nash 's real-life experiences honestly enough, there is no denying the artful manner in which Howard spins a tale that morphs from cold war drama to love story and then into everybody's favorite liet-motif: Triumph in the face of adversity.

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