Book Description
The autobiographical novel of a journey from the British colony of Trinidad to the ancient countryside of England.
Customer Reviews:
The Enigma of a [Tedious] Novel.......2007-09-05
I feel the need, firstly, to defend myself against skeptics, who might suppose I am a shallow reader who traipses blithely between the latest "beach read" and the -- for the most part -- pulpy bestseller lists. I do not shy away from challenging or deeply psychological novels, and I have enjoyed various demanding works of literature, ranging from Proust to Pynchon. And rarely do I encounter a book that I do not finish (unpleasant as it might be) because the scrupulous superego within me scolds that it is unfair and presumptuous to judge a book either by its cover or by its first half alone. (There. That's my admittedly defensive preamble to the following.)
Then, along came V.S. Naipaul's THE ENIGMA OF ARRIVAL, which caused even the aforementioned superego to chuck this work, without qualm or compunction, into the discard pile. ENIGMA is a mercilessly dull and self-indulgent work of semi-fiction concerning the narrator's feeling of detachment from the foreign locales in which he finds himself -- the very seemingly idyllic locales that he imagined as a youngster in Trinidad.
Let me digress slightly for a moment: When I was younger, I refused to swallow aspirin, so my mother would smash up a few tablets in a teaspoon with sugar and water so that it was a degree less foul-tasting. (Thank you, Mom.) But nevertheless the taste of the aspirin, chalky and sharp, was gag-inducing. That particular taste, if fully translatable by whatever means into the nomenclature of literature and the appreciation thereof, would be synonymous with the experience of reading this book.
Yes, I agree. There is, must be, and will continue to be an audience out there for this novel, as evidenced at least by Naipaul's having won the Nobel Prize for Literature. I do not doubt for one moment that there are some readers (who probably consider themselves more discriminating than I) for whom ENIGMA will hold a special place, maybe even at the top of their Best-Of lists, but I feel confident in saying that audience is limited. Extremely limited... to readers who enjoy page after page after page after self-flagellating, mind-numbing, suicidal-making page of description of the English countryside. As if his descriptions are not thorough enough, Naipaul repeats them -- like some kind of pastoral rerun -- redescribing gardens, redescribing quaint cottages, redescribing paths through the woods. It's really enough to make one's internal voice scream, "Enough already, man! Get on with it!" ...to which an admirer of ENIGMA will protest that he was getting on with "it" -- it being some ruminative, high-fallutin' exploration of memory and one's surroundings. And that's fine, but I could do with a little less rumination. Rumination has its limits, as any good ruminator knows, and Mr. Naipaul should hightail it ASAP to Ruminators Anonymous.
To add insult to injury, not only does the narrator go on and on, boring even the most indulgent reader in submission, he is also not a very likable "character" (that is, if the character is not Naipaul himself). He is aloof, snobby, and very self-important -- not at all someone with whom you'd like to spend 200+ pages, even if he had something interesting to say.
Why am I giving this book two stars instead of one? I guess I am softie at heart, and I see -- or at least intuit -- that Naipaul is in fact a good writer (perhaps only in some alternate universe), that he is thoughtful and meticulous, and that maybe he only needs someone to kick him out of this funk of pompous self-grandiosity.
One to Read in Winter.......2005-01-22
The title of "The Enigma of Arrival" is borrowed from a mysterious, haunting picture by Giorgio de Chirico, and the novel is as enigmatic as the painting from which it takes its name. It is not a conventional novel; in many ways its tone is closer to that of an autobiography than to that of a work of fiction. The narrator, like Naipaul himself, is a Trinidadian of Indian ancestry who arrived in Britain in the early fifties to study English at Oxford University and with an ambition to become a writer. The greater part of the work is taken up with a description of three years spent by the narrator living in a cottage in a small village in Wiltshire, probably during the seventies.
There is no plot in the normal sense of the word, and little in the way of characterisation, although Naipaul does give sketches of some of the individuals he came to know during his time in the village. The most impressive aspect of the book is Naipaul's descriptions of his country walks, giving detailed accounts of the downland, farmland and water-meadows of Wiltshire in beautifully descriptive prose. Being a keen country walker myself, I marvelled at the author's powers not only of description but also of observation, as he brings the English countryside in all its moods to life with a vividness to rival such masters of descriptive writing as Thomas Hardy and H.E. Bates. There is also a strong sense of England's historic past. Unlike some of those who have reviewed the book, I did not find these accounts boring. The book is slow moving, certainly, but that is not, in this case, a fault; it is a book to be read slowly, to linger over.
The overall tone of the book is one of melancholy and disenchantment. Naipaul's aim in his descriptions of the countryside is not simply to celebrate its beauty. He frequently describes it in its more sombre moods; many of his walks seem to take place on cold or overcast days. He has a good eye for prosaic details- barbed wire, derelict buildings, farm machinery. A theme that runs throughout is that of exile. The narrator (who is clearly intended to be identified with Naipaul himself) is, in a sense, a double exile. For all his love of the countryside, he is an outsider in England, a voluntary exile from the land where he was born. He feels like an exile in Trinidad, however, aware that his family are exiled from India, their ancestral homeland.
In an sense, many of the English people whom the narrator meets are also exiles, although not, of course, in a geographical sense. They are exiles in the sense that they find themselves alienated or left behind by social change, like the narrator's landlord, an aristocratic figure from a once wealthy family which has come down in the world. The less wealthy among the villagers also find themselves affected by the changing social order, and many of them are unhappy, dissatisfied or disaffected.
Perhaps my main criticism of "The Enigma of Arrival" would be one originally made by Salman Rushdie, namely that it is "devoid of either passion or love". The narrator is as disillusioned as any of those people about whom he writes, perhaps more so, without any room for enthusiasm or joy in his life. He appears to be a childless bachelor, without any romantic attachments or even close friendships. The result is a bleak book, but still a fascinating one. One to be read in winter.
Naipaul's finest writing, deeply moving.......2003-07-07
In this book, Naipaul goes far beyond the bawdy comedy and drastic character-sketches that characterize his other, easier works. The book combines three stories. The arrival in Britain, the life of a writer; wryly written insights. The very subtle experience of (an immigrant's) belonging and loss in a remote cottage in the English countryside; some of the finest writing ever. Finally, interlaced with this, fictionalized-historical accounts of the colonization of the Carribean -- full of black humor and anger; which makes a drastic and colorful contrast to the personal, quietly written, day-by-day experience of rural England. Together, this book is a departure for Naipaul (I think), in the same way that (in another genre) Stardust Memories was for Woody Allen. It is less a book about a colorful colonial society or person; it is about what it means to be an immigrant to (the reader's) country, nature, land; the symbols which to an individual, mean loss; how to experience loss. An amazing book.
Time scale of change..........2003-05-06
This book describes the feeling of being thrown into a society that one does not belong to, where it's impossible to belong because , first, the past (the writer's old culture) has been disconnected from him, and, second, in the modern society the external circumstances change too fast and unpleasantly for the mind and soul to adapt.
The book is about a fragment of modern English-speaking society, seen from the perspective of an acute observer from a wildly different culture. The observer's original culture was destroyed by immigration, and he tries to interpret fragments of it from his childhood, like the meaning of sweeping the dirt outside the house each morning. From a related perspective, one can also read Spengler's 'Decline of the West', and John Berger's Pig Earth.
I picked up this book and began reading it at a friend's weekend house and couldn't stop. So, I bought my own copy. That was thirteen years ago. This remains one of my favorite books, in memory. The haiunting cover piece, from a painting by de Chirico, fits the message very well.
The Outer Limits of Writing.......2002-11-12
I would never have picked up this book -- not my usual genre. However, my book group in Tucson chose the selection so I dutifully read the whole thing as carefully as possible.
You cannot read this book for plot. There is no plot. You can't read for character. All characters are viewed through the eyes of the narrator, a thoroughly unlikeable man who has come to the country to write and to heal himself from other writing disasters.
The book can be intensely frustrating. The narrator lives in his own head. I've known others like him -- people who respond to every person and place intellectually. Unlike an anthropologist, he is not trying to understand the culture of those he meets. Rather each individual is put under the narrator's verbal microscope, dissected on the basis of external appearance. We learn that a gardener always dresses up formally and changes clothes with seasons -- but we do not know why. We observe the comings and goings of the village people and the narrator's landlord -- but we do not understand their hearts, minds or motives.
The narrator's distance ultimately comes across as hostile superiority. He does not belong here in this house in the country and he knows he will never fit in. Yet he never allows himself to have a genuine reaction to what he experiences. His encounter with the English countryside is filtered through the writers and artists he knows: Wordsworth, Constable, and more.
Amazingly, we keep turning the pages. Naipul violates every rule of writing. He tells rather than shows. He does not build suspense. The characters do not evoke sympathy. Yet Naipul's command of language keep the reader turning the pages, even when he launches into long descriptions of country places.
It's about language, not plot.
The ending of the book yields the greatest insight. We realize the narrator has become a man without a country, at home nowhere. He sees his own rituals through the eyes of a stranger. It is sad and, perhaps, inevitable. But in the end I, as a reader, was as detached from the narrator as he was from his own environment.
Book Description
Snap!
With their new cameras
Snap!
a brother and sister
Snap!
take pictures of their vacation.
But when they look at their photographs they see:
1. The back of Dad's head
2. Feet
3. A container of noodles
That's it?
Does 1 + 2 + 3 = summer vacation?
What about how it felt to swim in the lake? What about the stories their cousins told and the taste of a just-invented strawberry and whipped cream dessert?
For those memories—the memories of summer and the memories of family that mean the most—they need to look someplace else. Someplace deep inside. Someplace permanent.
Customer Reviews:
precious family time.......2007-08-20
This is a picture book about a family headed off on vacation. The mother in the story gives the kids an instant camera and a journal to record thoughts and images from the trip. Follow the family vacation through the eyes of children!
The kids in the book learned that pictures are nice to have but it's the memories that remain in their hearts that will mean the most to them.
If you are headed on a vacation with your kids this is the perfect book to read as a family before you head out!
What Fun!.......2007-06-12
This is a wonderful book. I wanted to get in a car with my camera and take a trip. I like how the camera pictures didn't really capture the essence of the vacation since they didn't have people in most of them. The illustrations in the book are filled with pictures and every picture made my imagination run wild!
You can be 48 and love this book!.......2007-06-12
Surely those between the ages of four and eight will love this book, but I'm 48 and love it too. It's a wonderful story about a family taking a vacation to the family farm where they'll spend time with their grandparents. They go to a memorial for an aunt and the kids meet even more relatives. We learn that the dead aunt had spunk and had chained herself to a tree to prevent it from being cut down (I don't think that's how she died). Who wouldn't want to read about such a person? The illustrations are fabulous. Even though it rains, the family plays cards, read books, watches the rain, waits for it to stop, then finally it does stop raining and the dad takes the kids to his favorite swimming place, but it's not that easy to find anymore. It's a book that goes here and there and you feel fortunate to be a part of the journey.
It's June and this book is the perfect motivator to take off on a family vacation.
Average customer rating:
- A Good Read
- Very slow read
- Dynamic! Thoroughly Entertaining!
- Beautiful Romance!
- Our Reunion - Heartwarming and Captivating
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Our Reunion
Manufacturer: P.D. Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Lesbian | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0975436619
Release Date: 2005-06-16 |
Customer Reviews:
A Good Read.......2006-06-23
I just finished "Our Reunion" and found it a very simple love story. I felt like I was reading a personal diary. I found myself wondering if this might be a love that Ms. Watson experienced herself. I hope she continues to write and continue to hone her writing abilities. She has a talent and her continued success is eminent.
Very slow read.......2006-03-18
I was waiting for something but couldn't quite put my finger on what. It never did happen, whatever it was. I have three stars because it is a harmless story that talks about things that can happen in anyone's life.
Dynamic! Thoroughly Entertaining!.......2005-10-04
A chance meeting at a class reunion intersects the lives of musician Samantha "Sam" Whitwell and high school track star, Tina Mellekas. Tina, who was on the track team with Sam's sister Lisa, had once been the object of a major crush for Sam.
Lisa's band is hired to play at the reunion and Samantha is more than overjoyed when she sees Tina arrive. Tina herself, however, had been very reluctant to attend. Why? What secret could she hold that could have prevented her from attending? Sensing something she can't quite put a name to, Sam decides Tina needs a friend and sets out to be just that. Though hidden in her need for friendship is a desire to be something more to Tina.
Somewhere along the line, as they spend more and more time together, both women find themselves with new feelings. Feelings of love, feelings Tina isn't sure she's worthy of. What is making her hold back? Was she hurt by someone in her past? Will Tina see she is worthy of being loved and let herself love in return? And one big question - the biggest question of all - can Sam show Tina that her love is strong enough to help them overcome any obstacles placed in their paths?
Our Reunion, by first time author Jenah Watson, displays a much welcome talent. Her book is a perfect example of how determination, friendship, life and the pursuit of happiness can prove to be invincible forces when love is to be found.
Beautiful Romance!.......2005-09-13
I loved the way the author introduced the characters, and gave them time to build their relationship. Unusual for most romance novels, but well done here. I would definitely buy another book from this writer.
Our Reunion - Heartwarming and Captivating.......2005-09-06
I found Our Reunion to be heartwarming and emotionally satisfying as each of the main characters grows and changes as the story develops. Samatha, the little sister, is used to having things the way she wants them, and is indulged by her older sister. Tina is used to the idea that she is unlovable and hurts everything she touches, and, so, shies away from anything resembling a relationship. When Samantha wills a relationship into being that Tina isn't ready for, each has to learn to see the beyond their own experiences and expectations to get what they both want -- each other.
Average customer rating:
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Forgive Our Trespasses
Belva Steil
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1412032180
Release Date: 2006-07-06 |
Book Description
Marcia\'s life story of hardship and despair, her struggle to overcome, and learning of genuine love and forgiveness from others. Included is a story within a story, a nurse\'s training in wartime.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......2005-05-01
*If a shepherd leaves 99 sheep to track down one stray lamb, how
much more will God search for a wandering person?
*If a merchant sells all he has to purchaase a treasure of
inestiimable worth, would not god sacrifice at least as much to
repossess one of His own?
Homesick for God uses these parables and similar biblical passages to reinforce the point that there is a God who looks for those who stray from home, who frequently rescues His children from impossible situations, and who forgives them with no reciminations.
Author Joel Gregory examines the motivations of spiritual separation and reunion and then explains how to turn a longing for God into a reconciliaiton and then how to cultivate "staying power" with God through appropriating His promises and trusting His son.
There's a bit of the Prodigal Son in everyone, but like that youth's father, God does not want to write us off.
Gentle, firm, and consoling, Homesick for God will deepen your understanding of god's love and remedy even the most fervent case of spiritual homesickness.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Semana, published by Spanish Publications, Inc. on June 11, 1998. The length of the article is 711 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Americanos le hacen el feo a Cuba. (países latinoaméricanos dan la espalda a Cuba en reunión cumbre en Venezuela; incluye artículos con notas breves sobre América Latina; 17 de junio de 1998; Reflejos de Nuestra América)(TT: Americans snubbed Cuba) (TA: Latin American countries gave their back to Cuba in a summit in Venezuela; includes articles with brief news about Latin America; June 17, 1998; Highlights of our America)
Publication:
Semana (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 11, 1998
Publisher: Spanish Publications, Inc.
Volume: v5
Issue: n277
Page: p8(1)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Paul Di Filippo’s fiction spans genres—from cyberpunk to alternative history to extravagantly funny tales involving talking beavers. As whimsical as they are intelligent, the eighteen stories gathered here, each introduced by the author, find strange characters in even stranger circumstances.
An all-access pass to Di Filippo’s whirlwind imagination, The Emperor of Gondwanaland makes clear why its author is one of the most respected science fiction writers around. The man who coined the word ribofunk (to describe science fiction with a biogenetic twist), Di Filippo sees into the heart of our times with a vision and creativity that simply won’t quit. The Emperor of Gondwanaland is more like a fluid Dalí dreamscape, painted with the deft brushstrokes; a wildly fantastic escape to alternate universes from one of the most imaginative writers around.
Customer Reviews:
Pretty Darn Good.......2007-06-05
Paul Di Filippo is a talented writer, there is no doubt. This collection is better than the Steampunk Trilogy. I thought that book started out great and finished so-so. The Emperor of Gondwanaland has it's ups and downs, but on a whole, it is wonderful. The variety of stories alone is fantastic. But there are some real winners too, and they left we wanting a full novel version. I admit, I didn't read the story about Robert Frost, the poet story in the Steampunk Trilogy still bugs me and I couldn't bring myself to read it. Here is the best example of this books quality though, I borrowed it from the library, but now I want to buy it! The stories are rich in detail and world building, so rich that I want to read it over and over. It's worth it.
Good Stuff........2007-03-08
I bought this a year or so ago when it came out and devoured it. I cannot believe no one has reviewed it. There's not a bad story in it. If you like Paul Di Filippo and don't have this book, what are you waiting for???
If you're a Di Filippo novice, this is a great starting place. Unlike his other books, which stick to a theme (renegade biology, steampunkery, odd jobs, etc...) this is a grab bag of treats. SF, fantasy, cyberpunk, alternate history, contemporary magical realism, and the just plain odd all get royal treatment in this book. Get it--you'll not be disappointed!
Customer Reviews:
I love this book.......2007-10-10
I been using this book for the last 2 years, specialy during my adoration hour. It is a greate tool for deep prayers.
It has been a greate gift for my children's teachers and my own friends.
I highly recomend it.
A book for the psychologically healthy.......2006-09-19
As the Introduction warns, this book is not intended to be read from cover to cover. However, as spiritual director and prayer guide, I find the topics relevant and the author's sharing interesting. I actually did read cover to cover. I feel this is a wonderful book for spiritual directors who journey with others in prayer. The questions formulated by the author help to take the discussion of spiritual issues with a directee further. Besides, the author has put together a list of Scripture passages and this is one part of the research done for me (in terms of using Scripture for prayer and reflection).
For personal prayer and reflection, this book could serve somewhat as a spiritual guide, albeit there is the absence of contact with another God-listening person. However, barring the availability of a spiritual director who is able to guide your inner movements, the writing here provides something to reflect on.
Each chapter in themselves are not long and each is easy reading. Topics range from addiction to being too busy, having doubts, being grateful, feeling guilty, hurt, jealous, judgmental, lonely, parenting and singlehood issues to being weary and worried. At the end of each chapter are "Prayer Pointers" that take the reflection one step further. Sure, there are other such books with Scripture and reflection but I find God, I have Issues very down-to-earth and relevant.
For example, in the chapter, "God, I'm in awe of your creation", it begins with St. Francis of Assisi's "Praise be you, my Lord, with your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun..." Then the author shares one of his journal entries in the year January 2000. He shares how he was running on a cold morning and later became awestruck at his body's ability to regulate its own temperature even in freezing weather. Scripture passages for reflection and prayer pointers follow. "Related Entries" afterwards provide a referral to other topics which might be more relevant to describe your feelings. Then the "Words to Take with You" section provides quotes to take the journey further.
The Introduction also warns that this book is for the psychologically healthy. For people with serious emotional or pscyhological problems, such as depression, the author suggests that professional help be sought.
Ignatian Contemplation calls for an awareness of feelings that arises out of contemplation and meditation and for those people who lack the ability to name the feelings they have, Thibodeaux's "God, I have Issues" could be the starter to get in touch with those feelings.
Amazing.......2006-04-13
Father Thibs is a teacher at my school. He is an amazing man who is truely devoted to God. This book reflects that devotion and shows people how to pray. There is no right or wrong way, only variations. This is a great book and you should read it if you need help praying or want to try to start.
Prayer Starters for Dealing with the Stuff of Life.......2005-05-30
"50 Ways" is Fr. Thibodeaux's response to a need of his own that is certain to resonate with others. Over time he has wished in vain for a resource that would help him incorporate his current mood or a common situation into his conversations with God, who seems to be inviting him to do so. Thus, he decided to write that resource himself. The table of contents lists a series of situations and emotions. The body of the book contains a reflection on each topic, always introduced by a scripture passage and followed by a list of passages for further reading, prayer pointers, related entries, and "words to take with you." The value-added segment comes in the last few pages, which contain an index of themes and extensive listing of alternative emotions and situations in an "If you're feeling"/"Look up" format.
Thibodeaux's book, which he describes as a reference manual, includes a generous introduction with suggestions for praying with "God I Have Issues," praying with scripture, and praying with emotions.
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- The Mezzanine
- The Mitford Snowmen (Mitford Christmas)
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