Life and Times of Michael K

Book Description

In South Africa, whose civil administration is colapsing under the pressure of years of civil strife, an obscure young gardener named Michael K decides to take his mother on a long march away from the guns towards a new life in the abandoned countryside. Everywhere he goes however, the war follows him. Tracked down and locked up as a collaborator with the rural guerrillas, he embarks on a fast that angers, baffles, and finally awes his captors. The story of Michael K is the story of a man caught up in a war beyond his understanding, but determined to live his life, however minimally, on his own terms. J.M. Coetzee has produced a masterpiece which has the astonishing power to make the wilderness boom.

Customer Reviews:

A novel you won't forget.......2007-05-14

People just will not let you live a way of life they don't understand. Michael K, misunderstood by just about everybody, finds out in this dark but beautiful novel. Coetzee describes the struggle of someone who, being neither smart or beautiful, finds it impossible to withdraw from the world. Michael is a simple man with a hare lip who wants to be left alone and live life on his own terms. However, in the war-torn South Africa through which he ends up journeying, no hiding place is secure from bullying war fractions or unwanted beneficiaries.
The style is strong, plain, dark and very efficient in picking the right details to make any situation come to life. For all his faults, I was able to relate to Michael and suffer with him. And even though there was a lot of suffering, the book didn't depress me. I still don't know why.
The only pity is that the author added part 2 with the external viewpoint (at least I do not understand the purpose). It gives us interpretations that we can perfectly make ourselves, and a certain baroqueness - that is so pleasantly absent in the rest of the book- creeps into the prose. Otherwise a beautiful book on a great theme.

A tale at once subsumed by race and yet never mentioning it .......2007-02-08

Literary historians credit much of Ireland's rich literary tradition to its often tragic history. No surprise then that the nation of South Africa, likewise so rich in grief that it might as well diamonds, has produced so many extraordinary writers, two of whom, Coetzee included, who can boast a Nobel Prize. Which brings us to one of his many fine novels, the Life and Times of Michael K.

Telling the tale of a black man caught in the twisted and violent web of Apartheid might appear at first an obvious tale, but then again, so might the story of a child who turned to crime in London in the 19th century or one of a boy and his friend journeying down the Mississippi. It is in this vein which one must see The Life and Times of Michael K, one which captures a place and an age. Other reviewers have focused on the tale of the central character, Michael K, so I would instead look at another aspect of the novel. Despite writing about a place and a story where race surrounds every character and facet like smog, Coetzee never once tells us anyone's race. At first I found this strange, discerning it in its broad aspects but finding the absence the stated fact more than a little strange. It was then that a south African friend explained to me that while I could tell only the characters' races in the broadest sense, she could tell it easily, immediately, and down to which subgroup each belonged. Indeed, like an Englishman knowing the class of a countrymen by their accent, she knew this based on job, dress, and dialogue.

This then is to me part of the genius of Coetzee's novel, giving his reader a story that is at once subsumed by race and yet never mentioning it. True, as some complain, Michael K does not grow to a character larger than life, becoming some hero; no he is a simple man, living to the best of his common ability in a world where evil is so common that it deserves no mention.

I would be remiss not to mention Coetzee's gift for prose, his ability to distill a scene or a feeling down to a few words, like grain alcohol. Many Americans remain unfortunately ignorant of this writer and his country's other extraordinary authors, like Freed and Gordimer. This is a tragedy, which I urge every reader to correct.

Haunting tale of the essence of South Africans.......2007-01-16

Having read all the reviews on this novel, I have one thing to add.
I was born and raised and spent most of my life in the very places described in this novel. It is a perceptive, haunting "what if" account and captures the essence of the places and people. I have known so many people like the characters in this book -- and the underlying psyche of the people and places is so authentic, I still think of the images months later in the strangest, most mundane periods of my day to day life.
I loved it.

What's the point?.......2006-08-23

I didn't like this book and I do not see the point of it. Near the end, the main character, Michael K, questions whether the moral of the story is that there is time for everything. But if that is the moral of this story, then it wasn't clear at all. Michael K has nothing but time, but he doesn't do anything. He seems incapable of doing anything. He cannot cope with living in any kind of society; nor does he succeed in living on his own in the wilderness.

Read literally, the book is horribly depressing, because Michael seems to be mentally ill or mentally deficient (because he cannot provide for himself and he has no will to survive; he only knows that he doesn't want to live imprisoned), but no one is able to help him. Read symbolically, I just don't get it. If Michael is supposed to represent some greater meaning, as the doctor/narrator suggests in the second part of the book, what is that meaning? The book doesn't answer that question.

Getting Caught Up in a War.......2006-06-12

As much as I love Coetzee, this book was not one of his better outings. The novel follows the life of Michael K, a reference most assuredly to Kafka, and an apt one at that. Michael K is a man who lives a simple life as a gardener, helping his mother from time to time, until a war breaks out in South Africa. He and his mother try to escape to the countryside, but are unable to do so. What bothers me with this novel is that Coetzee becomes too caught up in his own critiques of war and of hardship. The story fails where another one of his novels, 'Waiting for the Barbarians' succeeds. This novel actually has a similar story arc to the aforementioned work, in that a man is slowly transformed over time to something almost unrecognizable in comparison to what he was before any war or conflict took place. His critique of beauracracy, especiall military, is evident, and he gets caught up in his need of expressing the necessity of freedom. I like Coetzee, and adore the fact he tries to capture and express stances on important issues, something more authors need to do, but the story still has to be good; if it weren't necessary to provide a novel that was entertaining and well-written, then one may as well write essays on a subject.

Life and Times of Michael K. (Large Print)

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Life and Times of Michael K. (Large Print)
J.M. Coetzee
Manufacturer: John Curley & Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

A novel which won the Booker prize.

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Life and Times of Michael K: A Novel
J. M. Coetzee
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

"I had a great time at Sharyn McCrumb's inimitable version of the Highland games."
Charlotte MacLeod
In her third outing as amateur sleuth, Elizabeth MacPherson has the chance to revel in the rites of the old country at the annual Glencoe Mountain Games. But the innocent ethnic fair is cursed when the loathed Colin Campbell is found murdered. When a second reveler is found dead, Elizabeth lays to hunt and untangles all....

Customer Reviews:

Highland Laddie Gone.......2006-08-29

This hilarious book kept me going until I finished it. I gobbled it up in about 2 days of sporadic reading. The duck story though "sad" made me believe it might have really happened, I had to laugh and share it with others. I have a border collie so I enjoyed hearing about the one in her book. I met old characters as well as new that I "wanted" to read more about.

Highland Laddie Good.......2006-06-28

McCrumb writes incredibly well. I read part of this aloud in the car to my wife on a long car trip, and it was written so conversationally and so cleverly that it was a joy for us both. I think I would have liked to see the murder happen a little sooner in the book - there's quite a lot of set up and very little detecting that actually goes on - but she's created a great cast of characters that it's fun to follow without a murder investigation. Then again, we know pretty much from the start who's going to get it (the guy nobody likes) and half the fun is trying to see who hates him most - or perhaps just enough to stick him with a traditional Scottish dagger.

There's also a subtext of Shakespeare throughout this book, particularly as lines from the Scottish play are key to one part of the mystery. But McCrumb shows an easy felicity with the Bard in other ways, too, belying the super-regional Appalachian setting and tone.

Perhaps my favorite thing about McCrumb is her ability to immerse the reader in quirky sub-cultures, honoring their earnestness while at the same time poking good-natured fun at them. (See Bimbos of the Death Sun for a great send-up of sci-fi/fantasy conventioning.) She walks a fine line here, showing us both the fun and the foolishness of American Highland festivals, but her amateur detective, Elizabeth MacPherson, is just naive enough and just self-conscious enough to not only pull off that balance, but also epitomize it.

Amusing whodunnit with added culture(-clash) value.......2005-09-02

I enjoyed this book immensely. A whodunnit set at a Scots-American gathering it pokes fun at the pretensions of the would-be highlanders and their strange notions of Scotland and Scottishness without actually being cruel. Even the heroine and amateur investigator is not immune to these, which helps the plot along while also setting up some humorous culture clashes with a real Scot who has been dragged along for the weekend and is totally bemmused by what he sees and hears.

I admit to an extra interest, being like the Scot in the story an Edinburgh man (and therefore by definition not part iculalry taken with tartan, bagpipes and Bonnie Prince Charlie)whose wife is, like the heroine, a member of Clan Chattan.

My first McCrumb, but definitely not my last.

Pick your poison. McCrumb has something for everyone........2002-08-24

Sharyn McCrumb is the author of three mystery series, each very different from the others. This is the third book featuring forensic anthropologist Elizabeth MacPherson. They are fairly lightwight and humerous. Some of her later volumes ('MacPherson's Lament' and If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him...') combine current and historic mysteries which I found particulary intriguing.

This mix of contemporary and historical mysteries is also a key element of her second series. Based in the mountains of eastern Tennessee with titles gleaned from old Appalachian folk songs it is a more serious collection that is rich in the beauty and folklore of the region. My personal favorite is 'She Walks These Hills'.

On the off chance that there is someone out there looking for something a little more irreverent than 'Highland Laddie Gone,' McCrumb has an answer for that, too. The title says it all:

'Bimbos of the Death Sun'

Don't laugh. It won an Edgar.

I love funny mysteries.......2001-06-08

Unlike some of my fellow reviewers, I love funny mysteries. They have to be well-written, too, mind you - something that has funny lines but is otherwise incoherent wouldn't get five stars from me. However, Sharyn McCrumb is anything but incoherent. Her characters have lots of witty dialogue, but also are fleshed out to be real people. (Some more thinly fleshed out than others, but still...)

Elizabeth is attending the Highland Games with her cousin Geoffrey because she happens to be the Maid of the Cat for Clan Chattan. The cat is an old, toothless mountain lion. There are funny moments with other animals too- keep an eye out for poultry. At the games, she meets a genuine Scot- who has a rather jaundiced view of the American version of things, but who also has an accent that Elizabeth compares to pancake syrup; she falls in love with it almost immediately, and then with the rest of the guy.

The person who is murdered certainly deserves it, as is often the case in McCrumb's stories. She writes really good nasty people.

For me, perhaps the funniest part of the book is near the end. The officer who has been working on the case also happens to be part of a Civil War recreation group- costumes, battles, etc. Elizabeth is talking to him about the next event that's going to use the grounds after the Games are finished. It's the SCA, who dress up in medieval costumes and hold jousting tournaments. About this group, "those people are weird" says Clan Chattan Maid of the Cat to Confederal Colonel Lightfoot MacDonald!!

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Highland Laddie Gone, By Sharyn McCrumb, Unabridged 5 Audio Cassettes, 6.25 Hours, Narrated By Davina Porter
Sharyn McCrumb
Manufacturer: Recorded Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: B000M3DBPG

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"HIGHLAND LADDIE GONE BY SHARYN MCCRUMB, UNABRIDGED 5 AUDIO CASSETTES, 6.25 HOURS, NARRATED BY DAVINA PORTER: The sheriff thought back to the crowd assembled in front of the speakers' platform. 'You mean all those jokers were armed?' 'Most of them,' Margaret admitted, though she wouldn't have thought of it that way herself. She looked pointedly at Lightfoot's cavalry sword. 'Now, just what had this man done to make all those people hate him so much?' Margaret McLeod hesitated. 'You mean personally or...otherwise?' The sheriff blinked. 'There's an otherwise?' 'Oh, yes. He was a Campbell, you see.' 'So who would want to kill a Campbell?' 'Why, everybody.'" ---from Highland Laddie Gone "Elizabeth MacPherson and her fey cousin Geoffrey are off to the mountains of western Virginia to participate in the Glencoe Scottish Games, a summer festival where several hundred kilt-clad Americans---whose Highland clan connections are more than a little questionable---gather to celebrate with bagpipe and bombast. This year Elizabeth has been conscripted as the "Maid of the Cat," a dubious honor that involves baby-sitting a bobcat named Cluny, the Stewart clan's mascot. The festival is off to a bad start when Colin Campbell---the only man foolish enough to dangle his clan's duplicity at the Battle of Culloden in front of a majority of loyal Stewarts---is found dead in his cottage with a skian dubh protruding from his chest. Campbell had too many enemies to count, but were any of them the killing kind? When a second murder takes place on the heels of the first, things start to look less and less like Brigadoon and more and more like the fateful Macbeth. "A well-crafted mystery...Social comedy that borders on genius." ---Appalachian Journal [from case]

Highland Laddie Gone [Unabridged] (Audio Cassette)

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Highland Laddie Gone [Unabridged] (Audio Cassette)

Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: B000FZQ0NQ

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FULLY UNABRIDGED EDITION of Highland Laddie Gone.

3 Titles By Sharyn McCrumb Elizabeth MacPherson Series : Highland Laddie Gone Missing Susan If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him...

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3 Titles By Sharyn McCrumb Elizabeth MacPherson Series : Highland Laddie Gone Missing Susan If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him...
Sharyn McCrumb
Manufacturer: Various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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3 Titles By Sharyn McCrumb Elizabeth MacPherson Series : Highland Laddie Gone Missing Susan If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him... Three mmpb books.

5 Titles By Sharyn McCrumb Elizabeth MacPherson Series : Sick of Shadows - Highland Laddie Gone - The Windsor Knot - Missing Susan - If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him...

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5 Titles By Sharyn McCrumb Elizabeth MacPherson Series : Sick of Shadows - Highland Laddie Gone - The Windsor Knot - Missing Susan - If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him...
Sharyn McCrumb
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.

8 Elizabeth Macpherson Mysteries - Sick of Shadows - Lovely in Her Bones - Highland Laddie Gone - Paying the Piper - Windsor Knot - Missing Susan - If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him - The PMS Outlaws

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8 Elizabeth Macpherson Mysteries - Sick of Shadows - Lovely in Her Bones - Highland Laddie Gone - Paying the Piper - Windsor Knot - Missing Susan - If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him - The PMS Outlaws
Sharyn McCrumb
Manufacturer: Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KFTER0

Product Description

8 mass market paperback Elizabeth Macpherson Mysteries - Sick of Shadows - Lovely in Her Bones - Highland Laddie Gone - Paying the Piper - Windsor Knot - Missing Susan - If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him - The PMS Outlaws

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HIGHLAND LADDIE GONE
SHARYN MCCRUMB
Manufacturer: AVON
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VICSWO

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Highland Laddie Gone
Sharyn McCrumb
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OVC61G

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Highland Laddie Gone
Sharyn McCrumb
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000VEB8EC

Amazon.com

The Edgeworks are designed as the projected 20-volume definitive version of this controversial author's collected works. Harlan Ellison is the most honored fantasist of the 20th century, and many of the books in the long-awaited series have been out of print for decades. Each volume also contains new introductions, and often the original work itself has been revised or expanded by the author. Edgeworks 2 includes an early (1961) novel Spider Kiss, originally titled Rockabilly. It was one of the very first--and still remains one of the best--dissections of the wildly destructive rock & roll lifestyle. Stalking the Nightmare is a 1982 collection of assorted short stories and essays, which also boasts an insightful foreword by Ellison admirer Stephen King. Sampling any part of Edgeworks 2 will give readers a taste of this great writer's talent. --Stanley Wiater

Customer Reviews:

Love that bleeds.......2003-03-04

The jacket flap sums up this book perfectly, 'Here are two big books in one volume. Each has the word "love" in the title. But don't let that get your hopes up. Yeah, these are stories that sing... but they also draw blood.' That's the core of this book, real love, not the pampered and idealistic stuff that preaches "love will conquer all." This is about love that hurts.

This volume is divided into two books, I prefer the second, with all stories on the different kinds of love. My favorites are the two bookend stories that open and close this book. "The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World" is beautifully crafted and shows how good a short story can be. The last story in the collection, "A Boy and His Dog," is a great way to end the book and the collection. The first book in this volume, although not my favorite, is still very good, and contains stories that reach into different faucets of life, and show the love between people and their different lives.

When Shakespeare saw love, he saw the kind that ends in a double suicide, Harlan Ellison hits pretty close to the same nail with this collection. Even though not every story in here is top notch, I still highly recomend this volume for a great look on real love, and for containing some of the best short stories Ellison has written.

"Ellison's white-hot writing will dazzle...".......1999-01-17

This fourth volume in White Wolf's reprint series includes two of Ellison's finest collections. The first, "Love Aint Nothing But Sex Misspelled," contains stories reflecting the angst and turmoil of the sixties. "The Resurgence of Miss Ankle-strap Wedgie," "Neither Your Jenny Nor Mine," "A Prayer For No Ones Enemy," and "Punky & the Yale Men" deal variously with icons, abortion, politics and racism. The second collection examines love and the various forms it takes: from the experimental title tale, "The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World," which won Ellison his fourth Hugo, "Along the Scenic Route," which dealt with "road rage" long before the term was coined, and "Try a Dull Knife," a story about emotional vampirism, to the cult classic, Nebula-winning novella, "A Boy and His Dog," in which a futuristic society is turned upside down and a canine companion educates a boy while teaching him the true meaning of love. Dressed up in a provocative dust-jacket by John K. Snyder, this big, beautiful omnibus edition will capture the heart of longtime fans and dazzle the uninitiated with Ellison's white-hot writing. (from "Des Moines Register" Copyright 1998)

Not Ellison at his best... but still Ellison.......1998-04-04

Spider Kiss is a novel about a rocker 2 parts Morrison, 1 part Elvis, 3 parts Jerry Lee Lewis. While to a modern reader it might seem a bit trite- we should remember that the archetype of Rock & Roll Musician was only just being formed when the novel was written.
Stalking the Nightmare, on the other hand, is a fantastic collection of Ellison short stories- with a brilliant introduction by Stephen King- and is one I've recommended many times to friends. Having this back in print- in a hardcover that will actually survive a bit of abuse- is certainly a treat.

Wonderful, two thumbs up........1998-03-30

The character interaction was incredible. The plot was multi-facited always suprising with each turn and twist.

Ellison's Closet, Part... uh, how many is this now?.......1998-03-25

Before Ellison's current state of perennial literary free-fall -- when was the last time he actually wrote anything more memorable than someone else's flap copy? -- and semi-permanent internship with TV's "Babylon 5" (which I once summed up as "'Star Trek' for people who only *think* they've outgrown 'Star Trek'"), he was a pretty good writer and essayist. SPIDER KISS, one of his more notorious and oft-referred to novels, is Elvis and Satan in about equal parts, and gets extra points for being prescient of both modern rock-idiot hype.

NIGHTMARE, a previously-published collection of essays, has some of the best moments of his career. Only Ellison could have gotten himself fired after working HALF A DAY for Disney/Buena Vista... and for coming up with the stunningly witty notion of a porno Disney flick. (And having compounded that piece of insanity with a side-splitting impromptu imitation of same, to the stone-faced unamusement of his co-workers.) But Ellison just isn't writing 'em like this anymore -- and when you look at it a little harder, he did write 'em like this only fairly infrequently. His more recent stuff is even more farcical: his atrocious script for I, ROBOT comes to mind. Also, NIGHTMARE shows up Ellison's willingess to entertain opinions that people usually regret after they get through whatever remaining adolescent complexes remain in their system. So pick this one up for a good dose of Ellison and a fun chunk of reading regardless of your tastes, but as far as everything goes with him currently, stop kidding yourself, okay?

Book Description

Finally--healthy recipes that take a minimum of effort and ingredients and make flavorful, delicious meals! Last Minute Meals for People with Diabetes has the kind of quality, healthy recipes that you have come to expect from the American Diabetes Association, and best of all, they are ready in minutes. Including recipes for "Stressless Starters and Snacks," "No-Chop Salads," "Dump-and-Do Dinners," "Easy Sweets," and much more.

Customer Reviews:

Last Minute Meals for People with Diabetes.......2002-05-29

This is for people on the go. If you're absolutely exhausted at the end of a busy day and literally "braindead"...then this book is for you! It's mainstream cooking at its best...using 6 ingredients or less per recipe. Whether you are diagnosed with diabetes, or just want to eat better by taking control of your carbohydrates and your health...and ALWAYS in a hurry, then you'll love this book. My goal was to develop recipes that would not tax the brain or require a lot of energy to prepare, but still provide great tasting meals. So I intentionally created and tested every recipe when I was tired...yes, really tired to be sure that they WERE really simple, really fast, really economical, and really easy to clean up! You CAN have normal food and still be in control of your health. Since these meals are for everyone, you'll be eating the same food as your family and friends. You won't feel singled out, you'll just feel extremely satisfied!! Try my Double Berry Pie...cook the filling a few minutes in a skillet and slide a "flat baked" prepared pie crust on top...a 15-minute,quick-fix skillet fruit pie...and the ingredients can always be kept on hand! So now you can enjoy eating...all over again! Have fun with it, I do!

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