DENSITY OF SOULS, A

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There's murder, suicide, and madness at the heart of this rather clumsy coming-of-age story, which focuses on the youthful friendship of Stephen Conlin, Meredith Ducote, Greg Darby, and Brandon Charbonnet. This friendship is destroyed by a sexual incident that takes place just before the foursome enters Cannon, an exclusive prep school. There, Stephen is ostracized by his former friends, now the most popular kids on campus, who'd just as soon forget their own complicity in the event. Envy, passion, and rage drive the narrative, but the emotions are as juvenile as the characters, and the long passages depicting the rituals and cruelties of high school, from pep rallies to football games, slow down the pace without really illuminating character or motivation. The novel reads like a roman à clef. Rice might have been wiser to tell someone else's story rather than his own. --Jane Adams

Book Description

Take the sensuous, fecund New Orleans setting, add a generous helping of tangled Southern family history, and season liberally with a sensitive teenage boy rejected by his friends and frightened of his own homoerotic impulses and you wouldn't be surprised to discover that the novel containing all of the above was written by someone named Rice. But a few paragraphs into the first page, it's clear that Anne Rice's son's first novel isn't about vampires or witches and does not otherwise read like one of her exceedingly popular books. The only family resemblance is in the setting, the sexual orientation of the lovingly described male characters, and the scent of overripe magnolias.There's murder, suicide, and madness at the heart of this rather clumsycoming-of-age story, which focuses on the youthful friendship of Stephen Conlin, Meredith Ducote, Greg Darby, and Brandon Charbonnet. This friendship is destroyed by a sexual incident that takes place just before the foursome enters Cannon, an exclusive prep school. There, Stephen is ostracized by his former friends, now the most popular kids on campus, who'd just as soon forget their own complicity in the event. Envy, passion, and rage drive the narrative, but the emotions are as juvenile as the characters, and the long passages depicting the rituals and cruelties of high school, from pep rallies to football games, slow down the pace without really illuminating character or motivation. The novel reads like a roman + clef. Rice might have been wiser to tell someone else's story rather than his own. --Jane Adams

Customer Reviews:

Stunning debut.......2007-10-02

I'm not sure how you would describe Rice's potential audience, but I must be one of them! I could take all the positive comments written about this book, and repeat them. I won't. I'll just nod my head. Set in New Orleans - for all those poor residents of New Orleans after Katrina, this is a spooky premonition, with the climax of the book being an equally disastrous storm. I usually take a while to read books, as I read at the speed of talking. However, I read this in one go. (Cliche I know, but I've never done this before or since). If a storm hit my place, I would take this book with me.

Boring and completely unsatisfying, not what I'd expect from anyone in the Rice family..........2007-02-16

It's not always a bad thing to delve into one's own life experiences when developing a novel for the public. Some of life's greatest lessons can be learned from childhood experiences, but in the case of author Christopher Rice this is not the case. Sure, `A Density of Souls' isn't a word for word accounting of this kids high-school days BUT it's apparent that he was at the short end of quite a few cruel pranks and or jokes growing up. The books main character is probably not too far off from Christopher at all, maybe even only in name. The problem I have with this novel is that it promises a lot but delivers very little and ultimately dissolves into a gigantic waste of time and talent. Yes, I said talent because I have had the pleasure of reading Christopher's sophomore novel `The Snow Garden' and was blown away by his creative and artistic story telling capabilities. Sadly, if I had not read that novel FIRST I would have never given it a second thought after reading this drivel.

So, why, you may ask, do I loathe this novel so much? Well, for starters it has a tendency to drag out for long stretches of pointless banter, siphoning off onto small side plots that really have nothing to do with the initial story or end result and appear to be the authors attempt at expanding the lifeless characters he's created, but he fails miserably. He in a few areas begins to offer small glimmers of hope that maybe, just maybe this story is actually going somewhere impressive but he never really follows through with anything. The beginning of the novel hints towards a dark secret that when revealed is nothing more than boys at play and has no real shock value what so ever. The end, while at times impressive, turns out chaotic and overly dramatic and becomes nothing more than a cry for help from the homosexual community for acceptance.

The story, as one reviewer mentioned, is clumsy. His story revolves around four childhood friends whose friendship is turned upside down when one of them comes out as homosexual. That odd one out was Stephen Conlin. Worse yet, his former friends Greg Darby and Brandon Charbonnet were not only popular but jocks, which, you know, stereotypically puts them in ultimate defiance to Stephen's newfound lifestyle. The fourth member of this group is Meredith Ducote who doesn't seem to know how to feel. She doesn't necessarily agree with the way Stephen is treated but it's not like she really does anything about it. Christopher paints his male bullies as the worst of the worst, giving them no human emotion but that of hatred and cruelty and so they come off one dimensional and unrealistic, until the very end where one of the two can honestly be sympathized with as frustrated and confused.

In the end I have to say that this was not worth the time I spent muddling through it. It was one of the biggest disappointments in literature for me recently because, as I mentioned, I really enjoyed `The Snow Garden' and was highly anticipating relishing in this debut. Sadly, that was not the case and I'm left cold and distant and unsure if I'll even attempt to read Christopher's third novel `Light Before Day' (which I've read was the worst of the three so I'm strongly leaning towards passing it up). I just wish that this novel could have really taken me somewhere instead of teasing and then dropping the ball. Christopher is not without talent but his debut novel is without heart, soul and purpose and I highly recommend that you avoid and start with his fantastic sophomore novel because that is the beginnings of a great writer. I will say, that lonely star is for his descriptive writing which, in it of itself, makes at least the setting come alive. New Orleans has never been so engrossing.

Dark.......2006-11-27

I liked this book. It was long and I was kind of thinking, "Will it ever end!!?" There is not shortage of plot twists. This is no easy, enjoyable read. This little gay boy has issues up to his neck. A Density of Souls is a dark story. If you like his mom, and have no problem with gay protagonists, give this a try. I have no regrets.

Great fun to read, despite it all.......2006-09-01

I wanted to write a review only because I've read some thoughtless ones here - the bitter rejected writers, the Anne Rice fans who bequeath a merely hereditary fandom, or those whose narrow literary scope could pronounce this book either the best or the worst they'd ever read. I admit I had a hard time starting to read the book as anything but an extension of my curiosity about the author's mother, but by the second chapter I found myself reading it in its own right.

If Christopher has inherited anything from his mother's writing skills, it is the knack for sexual tension. As an intimacy junkie, my heart pounded while reading a few passages. Even if they seem a bit contrived in retrospect, they were effective and enjoyable. These few guilty pleasures were my favorite parts of the book.

The plot is ambitious and thoughtfully woven, though what I think was meant to be foreshadowing lacked (in some places) the subtly necessary to maintain a deeper suspenseful interest. The sprawlingly descriptive language adds as much to some passages as it detracts from others. It's strange - I found myself bogged down by the adjectives in some places, like a thesaurus-IED had scrambled the author's thoughts, yet in other places the same heavy-handed descriptive language was poetically satisfying. (I blame the editor.)

The writing could use some tightening up to really do justice to the story the author was trying to tell. All the same, I enjoyed the book a great deal, despite it all. I was interested even after I figured out whodunnit, and the emotional landscape was well-set. I look forward to reading more of Christopher Rice's books as his writing matures.

Outstanding !! WOW.......2006-08-20

What a great book. I strongly recommend it. I have not enjoyed a book as much as this one.

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A density of Souls
Christopher Rice
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J46KOC

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Interesting but flawed
The Ties That Bind

A Density of Souls
Christopher Rice
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0641596081

Product Description

From the Publisher Four high school students in present-day New Orleans are torn apart by envy, passion, and tragedy. Meredith, Brandon, Greg, and Stephen quickly discover the fragile boundaries between friendship and betrayal as they enter high school and form new alliances. Brandon and Greg gain popularity as football jocks and Meredith joins the bulimic in-crowd, while Stephen becomes the target of homophobia in a school that viciously mocks him. Then two violent deaths disrupt the core of what they once shared. Five years later, the friends are drawn back together as new facts about their mutual history are revealed, and what was held to be a tragic accident is discovered to be murder. As the true story emerges, other secrets begin to unravel and the casual cruelties of high school develop into acts of violence that threaten an entire city. A Density of Souls is a stunning debut novel that lays bare the darker side of the teenage experience in modern-day America.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting but flawed.......2006-01-06

If you want the plot synopsis, see the other review. Suffice to say I'd call this a gay coming of age murder mystery soap opera. Rice certainly shows great promise and the book does hold one's interest - but ultimately it is a flawed work. Self indulgent might be the best term...a gay teenage boy's fantasy of what life ought to be like. Not one, not two, but three - count them, THREE of his High School's best looking, most talented football stars lust after our fair haired boy, either openly or covertly?
It's (You should excuse the phrase) a little hard to swallow.
Obviously, I went to the wrong High School! Still and all, it's a decent read and if you can put the implausibility of the situation aside it will entertain. I look forward to some interesting work from Mr. Rice in the future as he and his plot lines mature.

The Ties That Bind.......2005-03-29

This is about four friends--about their intertwined fates, about the lives that are tied up with them, about the changes they encounter from within and without which influence them in ways that are both profound and devastating.

Throughout the book, flashes of my own childhood pass through my eyes in an eerie reflection of the tragedies in the story. What is so gripping about the story, what made me turn page after page, is not the succession of calamities and disasters that plague the characters' lives, nor the tangled web of personal histories that load down the lives of these characters and make them even more convoluted and complicated. What compelled me to read was the sheer propensity for the characters to move on, to cope despite the change, to live as best they could despite the extraordinary circumstances that persist on trying to destroy them.

Somehow, even in their darkest moments, I felt that these characters never allowed their spirits to be broken entirely. It is, overall, what affected me most in the book. The strength of these characters acts like a salve to their childhood hurts, to their crashed hopes and dreams and their forgotten innocence. It is ultimately what makes the book refreshingly personal and a very good read.

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Density of Souls
Christopher Rice
Manufacturer: HYPERION
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLMEUY

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A Density of Souls
Christopher Rice
Manufacturer: Book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UR7L6Y

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Density of Souls
Christopher Rice
Manufacturer: Talk Miramax Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NSFWOS

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Density of Souls a Ppk12
Christopher Rice
Manufacturer: Hyperion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0786895136

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A Density of Souls (ISBN: 0786866462)
Christopher Rice
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NQNSE6

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Merrick & A Density of Souls
Anne & Christopher Rice
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PW5Q66

Spirits' Book : Containing The Principles of Spiritist Doctrine on the Immortality of the Soul : The Nature of Spirits and Their Relations with Men; The Moral Law: The Present Life, The Future Life, and the Density of the Human Race

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Spirits' Book : Containing The Principles of Spiritist Doctrine on the Immortality of the Soul : The Nature of Spirits and Their Relations with Men; The Moral Law: The Present Life, The Future Life, and the Density of the Human Race

Manufacturer: Amapse Society Mexico
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I0DMMU

Book Description

With her family in dire straits, Olivia Hopkins reluctantly agrees to seek a marriage proposal from the aging Earl of Salisbury. But the plan goes awry when she finds an erotic volume in the earl's library. The book sets Olivia's body on fire. She simply cannot put it down-until she is caught red-handed by the Earl's devilishly handsome son-a man who quickens her pulse and stirs her imagination with thoughts she's never dared entertain.... Philip Paxton can't believe his good luck. Catching Olivia with the scandalous volume offers a superb chance to humiliate the father he despises. Using the book as bait, Philip lures Olivia into an electrifying affair that explodes into unbridled lessons of passion. Philip never expects to become enamored with his ravishing pupil. But what begins as a rakish scheme soon becomes a genuine affair of the heart-one that Philip will protect at any cost....

Customer Reviews:

Too unbelievable for words...........2007-08-14

Okay, I make it a point to try an new author on the off chance I find I like them. Well, sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't. This was the latter.

So the story goes...

Lady Olivia Hopkins needs to marry an rich aristocrat to keep her "step" family for sinking further into debt. She and her family are on the the estate of Lord Edward Paxton, Earl of Salisbury, hoping to make a marriage. With her is her step mother Margaret and step sister Penelope and Margaret's lower born cousin Winnie. One night, while in the library Olivia comes across some erotic lit and is discovered by Edward's illegitimate son Phillip.

You can kind of guess what happens next. Livvie (as Phillip calls her) and Phillip began a relationship of sorts.

I found Olivia to stupid for words. Okay, she's twenty-three and still a virgin but what I found so hard to believe was that she was SO naive when it came to intimate relations between man and woman. There was one scene, where Phillip "instructed" Olivia about the male sex organ...it was pretty disturbing. I found myself in awe.

Another disturbing thing was the relationship between 16 year-old Penelope and 43 year-old Freddie. He was a child molestor and I couldn't help but cringe while reading their side story.

I had to admit I did like the relationship between Winnie and Edward only because they had the most chemistry. It was a welcome change from naive Olivia. Winnie's attraction to Edward and vice versa leaped off the page.

There was another side story dealing with Helen (Olivia's niece) and Jane, which took place in an orphanage but I really didn't like the outcome..it was too rushed and pretty unbelievable.

If you're looking for a mindless read then this is a book for you.

Very Erotic .......2007-03-07

Deeper than Desire by Cheryl Holt was a historical romance with multiple love stories. It had a mix of evil and pure love. Not for the weak of heart - but overall very well written.

Hot and Spicy Historical - Whew!.......2005-03-01

Setting - England, 1813 --- Lady Olivia Hopkins and her extended family are visiting at the home of the widowed Edward Paxton, Earl of Salisbury. The visit has been planned and orchestrated by her step-mother Margaret with the planned intention that Lord Salisbury propose and marry Olivia thereby, saving the impoverished but blue-blood family from ruin. Disturbed over being forced to marry a man she is not in love with and not able to sleep, Olivia peruses the library and comes upon a book of pure erotica. She is both fascinated, shocked and aroused by what she is seeing and settles in to study the pictures - purely from an artistic point of view - having never before seen a male nude body. She is observed at this and caught in the act by a disturbingly handsome man who she later discovers is the earl's illegitimate son, Phillip. Olivia is instantly attracted to his dangerously dark looks but soon realizes that he does not have the means to save her financially strapped family from ruin. Although, in matters of the heart, worldly concerns never do seem to matter and Phillip and Olivia continue their clandestine affair as Phillip indoctrinates her in some very erotic foreplay.

In the meantime, Olivia's cousin Winnie, whose meek and subservient demeanor hides a very passionate woman who has been trying to live down her mistakes of the past, is also being tempted by the undeniable attraction experienced between herself and the Earl. This attraction, was doomed from the very start based upon her lack of blue blood and common status, but again - that did not prevent matters of the heart and lust to catapult them both into a very passionate and surreptitious affair.

Lastly, there is another family member of this group, Margaret's daughter Penolope. A sly, feisty, and very promiscuous 16 year old in whom her mother Margaret has great marital plans, but whose personal taste tends to run to stable lads. Penolope, playing with fire once too often, attracts the attention of a very dishonorable and dangerous man who seduces and plans to use Penelope for his own gains.

Now if the above doesn't whet your appetite than you are looking at the wrong book. Cheryl Holt gives us a fully robust and tantalizing tale that will both amuse and excite the senses in a most pleasurable way. Olivia's obnoxious step-mother, was so nasty I wanted to jump in myself and choke her, that is after I gave her spawn Penelope a swift kick in the butt! But of course, this is what made this a total read for me - two really nice love stories, characters depicted in such a way that they engage all of the readers emotions, AND, on top of all this, she delivers a wonderful serving of deeply hot and sensual foreplay in a way one can depend on when reading her novels. Bottom line - Cheryl Holt remains on the top of my list for hot, and spicy historical romance reads! --- Marilyn, for www.romancedesigns.com

Deplorable characters........2004-11-30

This author accomplished what I would have thought was impossible: creating six of the most unappealing, annoying, unsympathetic, whining, hand-wringing, self-pitying characters you will ever meet. I couldn't stand any of them. Olivia was the worst type of heroine: she was incredibly weak-minded, had no ambition about anything, just sat around letting life happen to her, then had the nerve to moan when life didn't "happen" as she wanted. She acted as if she had absolutely no control over her life. Oddly, the hero, Phillip, and the two supporting characters, Winnie and the Earl, were equally helpless and ineffectual. They all just sat around wringing their hands, acting like martyrs. Aargh!!! I could not respect these people; I could only despise them.

Reluctantly, the only character I had a smidgen of respect for was Margaret, the manipulative, evil, hateful antagonist. But at least she DID SOMETHING to fix their situation.

This book's other major failing was overuse of the characters-never-opening-their mouths-to-share-critical-information-with-each-other as a plot device. I HATE, HATE, HATE when authors do this, because it shows a total lack of creativity. If any of these stupid people had even once had a frank conversation with any of the others, the book would have been half as long.

Frustrating, but I finished it........2004-10-26

I really wanted to like this book, and over-all, it wan't bad. I liked the general story line and the potential for what it could develop into. I had a hard time liking the characters, or even being able to accept their faults. Now, I love a good conflict, people mucking up and having to work their way to the moon and back to fix it, but at times the story seemed so forced. I also thought that the 'love' scenes could have been more entertaining, though they were better than average.

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Deeper Than Desire
Cheryl Holt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739441302

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Deeper Than Desire
Marianne LaCroix
Manufacturer: Amber Quill Press, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1592798160
Release Date: 2004-12-06

Book Description

A Russian vampire in Regency London…
A handsome gambler cashing in on a night of bliss…
A husband rediscovering the passion with the help of magic…
An author finding the one woman he loved and lost…

Previously available only in electronic format, these short stories and novellas have now been combined—due to popular demand—for a paperback edition! Included are...

Another Chance
Ante Up
Christmas Magic
Moonlight Rendezvous With A Vampire

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Deeper Than Desire
Cheryl Holt
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTKCCS

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Deeper Than Desire, No. 39
Jacqueline Topaz
Manufacturer: Jove Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0515078417

Book Description

Tobias S. Buckell has gained a following for his acclaimed science fiction short stories. Crystal Rain is the much- anticipated debut novel by this exciting new talent. Long ago the old-fathers came to Nanagada through a worms hole in the sky, looking for a new world to call their own. But that was many generations ago, and what was once known has long been lost. Steamboats and gas-filled blimps now traverse the planet, where people once looked up to see great silver cities in the sky. Like his world, John deBrun has forgotten more than he remembers. Twenty-seven years ago, he washed up onto the shore with no memory of his past. These mysteries take on new urgency when the fearsome Azteca storm over the mountains, in search of fresh blood and hearts to feed their cruel inhuman gods. Nanagada's only hope lies in a mythical artifact said to be hidden in the frozen north. And only John deBrun knows the device's secrets, even if he can't remember why or how! "A cracking adventure yarn from an exciting new writer." - Cory Doctorow, author of Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town "There's a nova in the skies: Tobias S. Buckell is a dazzling new voice, and Crystal Rain is an explosive debut." - Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-Winning Author of Hominids

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Crystal rain from black clouds
Clarence "Skip." Westphal
Manufacturer: The Author
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Rain or Shine: Reader #4 Level 2 (Maya & Miguel)

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Rain or Shine: Reader #4 Level 2 (Maya & Miguel)
Crystal Velasquez , and Tracey West
Manufacturer: Scholastic
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Applications of fast response continuous SF6 analyzers to in situ cloud studies
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Case studies of hydrometeors in Florida cumuli (NOAA technical memorandum ERL OWRM)

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Case studies of hydrometeors in Florida cumuli (NOAA technical memorandum ERL OWRM)
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Precipitation measurement. WMO/IAHS/ETH Workshop on Precipitation Measurement, St. Moritz, 3-7 December 1989

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Precipitation measurement. WMO/IAHS/ETH Workshop on Precipitation Measurement, St. Moritz, 3-7 December 1989
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SCIENCE AND MECHANICS - Volume 20, number 6 - December 1949: Man Made Sea Legs for Ships; Crystal Coat Your Craftwork; Motion Styling for Studebaker; Rain Maker for Big Crops; More Miles for Your Money; Monty Carves Cameos; Robot Hands for Hot Jobs

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SCIENCE AND MECHANICS - Volume 20, number 6 - December 1949: Man Made Sea Legs for Ships; Crystal Coat Your Craftwork; Motion Styling for Studebaker; Rain Maker for Big Crops; More Miles for Your Money; Monty Carves Cameos; Robot Hands for Hot Jobs
V. D. (editor) Angerman
Manufacturer: Science and Mechanics Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M42CI2

Amazon.com

It is known that when the great Catholic writer G.K. Chesterton began his book on Saint Thomas Aquinas (who is, quite possibly, the most influential of all Christian theologians), "his research for the project consisted of a very casual perusal of a few books on his subject." To say that Chesterton was no authority is an understatement. To say further that he has written a masterpiece of elucidation may also be an understatement. Etienne Gilson, the chief scholar of Aquinas in the 20th century, said flatly "I consider it as being without possible comparison the best book ever written on St. Thomas. Nothing short of genius can account for such an achievement.... Chesterton was one of the deepest thinkers who ever existed; he was deep because he was right; and he could not help being right; but he could not either help being modest and charitable, so he left it to those who could understand him to know that he was right, and deep."

So how has he accomplished this feat? By simplifying, as his editor says, without oversimplifying. He turns his own lack of intimate knowledge to his advantage by concentrating on the core elements of Aquinas' thinking: his affirmation of the goodness of creation; his defense of common sense; and "the primacy of the doctrine of being." In this way he grasps--and helps us grasp--the importance of Aquinas for us today. As Raymond Dennehy has written, it's as if Chesterton is saying to us "the truths [Aquinas] was getting at--the basic principles of reality and reason--are in themselves really quite simple. Your basic intuitions were right all along." --Doug Thorpe

Book Description

A trade paperback edition of the classic portrait of Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest of Christian philosophers, by one of the greatest of modern religious writers.

Customer Reviews:

A Thinking Man's View of a Thinking Man.......2007-09-06

As is evident from other reviews, Chesterton is not everyone's cup of tea. He lived in a day when erudition was registered in extended prose that often lent itself to convolution. To a thinking man, nuance is everything and Chesterton is so intent upon the development of nuance that he may seem opaque to modern readers who do not have the background that he assumes in the reader.

Chesterton is very clear in his introduction. He assumes the reader is acquainted with the major players in his book. He expects us to have a passing familiarity with St. Francis of Assisi so that when Chesterton lumps Aquinas together with him that it is a somewhat surprising strategy. Chesterton assumes that the reader is somewhat aware that the mendicant orders were not revolutionary in that they were introducing new ideas but that their intent was to confront decadence with old ones. This is where Chesterton begins and then he adds his own subtlety to the confusion.

For all that, if you are willing to rise to Chesterton's challenge you will not fail to be edified. Thinking is and should be, often its own reward. A book should not just entertain us but advance us along the pathways of elevated humanity. Chesterton's optimism (of another age) was that such a thing was possible and in that he and Aquinas were of one accord. He may be a bit too easy on the "Dumb Ox" and too ready to paint him more favorably than he warranted in every particular, but Chesterton makes him real and what is more important, leads us to understand how this Medieval mind was really important.

I think that was Chesterton's intent and he does a pretty fair job of accomplishing it. If you find yourself getting confused by the prose let it prod you into doing some background reading before you move on. When you do, you will find the prose is not so confusing as it might first appear.

It's a good book.

The ox who's bellowing filled the world.......2007-09-05

A Chesterton biography seems to always leave one with the feeling that they are not sure if they learned more about the subject of the biography or about the author. Chesterton so readily relates to his subject that the thinking of both seems intertwined into one. Is it Thomas Aquinas or is it the master of paradox himself who is making us think as we read this biography? Chesterton admits that his work is merely a sketch of Saint Thomas and primarily as a sketch of his philosophy. And, with that, we are treated to a solid introduction to that philosophy in the context of Thomas' life. It is, therefore, not a raw description of dates and events in the life of a Dominican - it is instead a bold introduction to philosophy that impacts the church and the world even today.

Thomas Aquinas was more than the simple friar he had hoped to be, he was indeed a father of western civilization. It is impossible to understand Thomas without such an introduction to Thomism. G. K. Chesterton rightly made that observation and gave us perhaps the best biography (sketch or otherwise) to date on the "dumb ox" who's bellowing indeed filled the world and changed it forever.

The Dumb Ox.......2007-09-01

G. K. Chesterton in one of the most redundant biographers that I've ever come across. The outline of the book and its overall message is quite sketchy and not at all organized. Mr. Chesterton just throws words at the reader in a very monotone and uninspired kind of way although his passion for the Saint, judging by the book itself, seems deep; almost as if he wished he could have met the Saint. Most of the book is just praising of Thomas Aquinas rather than information and facts about the man's life. I read the bio in it's entirety and learned more from a simple article posted on the wikipedia. In other words, G. K. Chesterton's biography on Saint Thomas Aquinas was a valiant attept at trying to tell, rather that show, the world what an important figure the Saint really was. Again, in other words, the book was a waste of time.

Chesterton at his best.......2007-06-29

I try to read any and everything Chesterton wrote. As a convert to Catholocism in the first half of the last century, he gave an interesting perspective of historical figures. He had the unique ability to present historical information with a more open mind than many of either his modernist or culturally protestant contemporaries. At a time when the mainstream historical perspective was broadening among intellectual circles, and the "actual" contributions of the Catholic Church as well as major Catholic figures was beginning to be acknowledged by historians, Chesterton was writing at a level that the "the common man" could understand. You don't have to be an ivy league intellectual to grasp his writings.

"A Powerful Book"--says a non-Catholic.......2007-05-24

I have no hesitation is saying that the "Dumb Ox" is one of the most powerful books I ever read. Chesterton's reasoning is relentless--dragging us back into the Middle Ages whether we want to go there or not!

Some parts are very humorous. Speaking of Luther, Chesterton says, "He destroyed Reason and substituted suggestion."

Chesterton's book is an essential read for educated people. When he called the Inquisition "a dubious experiment," however, I just couldn't go there (the Inquisition was a nightmare).

The non-Catholic who reads this book can expect to be put on the rack until he concedes something.

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Saint Thomas Aquinas - "The Dumb Ox"

Manufacturer: Image Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS THE DUMB OX
G.K. Chesterton
Manufacturer: Sheed & Ward
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Saint Thomas Aquinas the Dumb Ox
G. K. CHESTERTON
Manufacturer: SHEED & WARD
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Saint Thomas Aquinas The Story of tThe Dumb Ox

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Saint Thomas Aquinas The Story of tThe Dumb Ox
Mary Fabyan Windeatt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K8AHL4

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Saint Thomas Aquinas/the Dumb Ox
G. K. Chesterton
Manufacturer: Image Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS: The Dumb Ox.
G.K. Chesterton.
Manufacturer: NY: Image Books 1962.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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