The Balance Wheel has all the strengths and all the weaknesses of the page-turner, pot-boiler novel: decent people caught in the cross purposes of turbulent times; far too many instances of "simple belief" and instictive or intuitive understanding; a passionate statement about the waste and futility of war and an ending that is only ironic when fully comprehended.
Why is this book (or most of Taylor Caldwell's for that matter) our of print these days? This book is such an eye opener. Not only is it well written and engrossing, but it is fascinating describing the true reasons behind wars. Book was published in 1951 and in it she gives the real reasons and the people behind the First and Second World Wars. Not the reasons that are given to us in history books (to paraphrase her introduction) but those reasons that intelligent and diligent people could find if they only looked hard enough. Sadly, I reiterate, the only place you can find most of here books these days are in outfits like these that specialize in second hand books, If you are fortunate to find a copy of this - by all means get it! You will not regret it!
