The Love of a Good Woman : Stories

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In the world of Alice Munro, the best route is not necessarily the shortest distance between two points. In her ninth superlative collection of short fiction, The Love of a Good Woman, the setting is once again western Canada, and the subject matter is classic Munro: secrets, love, betrayal, and the stuff of ordinary lives. But as is usual for this master of the short form, the path she takes is anything but ordinary. The stunning title story is a case in point. A narrative in four parts, it begins with the drowning of a small-town optometrist and ripples outward, touching first the boys who find the body, then a spiteful dying woman and her young practical nurse. Whose tale is this, anyway? Not the optometrist's, surely, though his death holds it together. The effect is not exactly Rashomon-like either, though each of the sections views him through a different eye. Instead, "The Love of a Good Woman" is as thorough and inclusive a portrait of small-town life as can be imagined--its tensions and its deceit, its involuntary bonds. Within its 75 pages it encompasses a world more capacious than that of most novels.

As always, Munro's prose is both simple and moving, as when the letter-writing protagonist of "Before the Change" sends her love to an ex-fiancé:

What if people really did that--sent their love through the mail to get rid of it? What would it be that they sent? A box of chocolates with centers like the yolks of turkey's eggs. A mud doll with hollow eye sockets. A heap of roses slightly more fragrant than rotten. A package wrapped in bloody newspaper that nobody would want to open.

The fictions in this volume burn with a kind of dry-eyed anti-romanticism--even the ones whose plots verge on domestic melodrama (a baby's near-death in "My Mother's Dream"; an adulterous wife in "The Children Stay"). Densely populated, elliptical in construction, each story circles around its principal events and relationships like planets around a sun. The result is layered and complex, its patterns not always apparent on first reading: in other words, something like life. --Mary Park

Book Description

In eight new stories, a master of the form extends and magnifies her great themes--the vagaries of love, the passion that leads down unexpected paths, the chaos hovering just under the surface of things, and the strange, often comical desires of the human heart.

Time stretches out in some of the stories: a man and a woman look back forty years to the summer they met--the summer, as it turns out, that the true nature of their lives was revealed. In others time is telescoped: a young girl finds in the course of an evening that the mother she adores, and whose fluttery sexuality she hopes to emulate, will not sustain her--she must count on herself.

Some choices are made--in a will, in a decision to leave home--with irrevocable and surprising consequences. At other times disaster is courted or barely skirted: when a mother has a startling dream about her baby; when a woman, driving her grandchildren to visit the lakeside haunts of her youth, starts a game that could have dangerous consequences. The rich layering that gives Alice Munro's work so strong a sense of life is particularly apparent in the title story, in which the death of a local optometrist brings an entire town into focus--from the preadolescent boys who find his body, to the man who probably killed him, to the woman who must decide what to do about what she might know. Large, moving, profound--these are stories that extend the limits of fiction.

Customer Reviews:

Agatha Christie on acid.......2006-08-23

The title story alone is worth the price of admission. It's like Agatha Christie on acid: A murder mystery told from several different points of view, but a murder mystery in the same sense that "The Brothers Karamazov" is a murder mystery. "Jakarta," with its jarring time-shift, is also a memorable story. Alice Munro paints a vivid if often bleak canvas of provincial Canadian life, and each of her short stories contains the depth of character and density of plot that you'd ordinarily find in a novel.

Superb experience.......2006-06-04

Just read it and you will know for sure how astounding a writer can be. Try it and you will not regret it.

The Love of a Good Woman.......2006-04-22

Once again Alice Munro reveals her exquisite knowledge of the less stellar human qualities. These stories all poise on the brink of discovery and life changes. Alice Munro does not compromise herself for anybody.

Janet Bellinger
Orangeville, Ont.

Life lessons.......2006-04-01

This is an amazing collection, arguably Munro's best (but that is saying a lot). Like many of the best short story writers, Munro is fully steeped in localism and vernacular, and while her stories are not as violent as Flannery O'Connor's or as bleak as Raymond Carver's, hers is one that shines a light on unpleasant truths, but ones that reward us with understanding.

That Munro is a feminist is unarguable, but one that fights small battles instead of loud ones. Like the last story in this collection, "My mother's dream," one gets a genuine sense of what life is like for a woman caught in life almost without choices, and how this reality is passed down to her child. Nowhere have I read a more powerful description of what it is like to be a woman, and if I were one, this story would be my manifesto. It is in the small moments, artless and unguarded, that you taste Munro's bitter world, but one that has an aftertaste that being familiar is ultimately comforting.

Not so great.......2006-02-20

I have read every single one of Munro's collections, and this one is pretty weak compared to some of the other gems she has written. "Save the Reaper" is just bizarre and unbelievable, "Jakarta" is probably her weakest story ever, and not even Alice Munro can pull off a story in which the narrator is an INFANT. ("My Mother's Dream.") "The Children Stay" is horribly cliche, the Munro version of a Lifetime movie. Perhaps the only good stories in this collection are "Before the Change" and the title story. Go back to stuff she wrote in the Eighties and you will see why she is so renowned for her writing. Here she's just going through the motions.

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LOVE OF A GOOD WOMAN : STORIES
ALICE MUNRO
Manufacturer: RANDOM HOUSE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KUON6W

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The Love of a Good Woman : Stories
Alice Munro
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MU83K2

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very good stories

Alpha Male Heaven

Hot & Steamy
Carnal Desires
Celeste Anwar
Manufacturer: New Concepts Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Fantasy, Futuristic & Ghost | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1586086561

Customer Reviews:

very good stories.......2006-09-23

great alpha men. The last 2 stories were worth the book and I intend to put this one on my keeper shelf. I look forward to reader more by this author.

Alpha Male Heaven.......2005-12-02

This is my favorite erotic paranormal book to date! Celeste Anwar is by far one of the best werewolf romantica writers out there. I never pass up the chance to read one of her books, and this one is on my keeper shelf. I never tire of reading about these characters.

Carnal Desires is an anthology, the stories within all revolving in some way around a Lycan (werewolf) and Vampire war set in South Louisiana. Each story is hot and steamy, and well worth reading. The character's personalities come alive on the page, and I love the way Ms. Anwar presented the character flaws for each one of them. No boring narrative to sort through, and no carbon copy characters in this book! Each man is sensual and endearing in his own way. My favorite of the lot is Gabriel (Born Of Night). Not only is he sensual, but his male psychology is presented in a totally believeable way. He is also very multi-faceted: one minute charming, the next a bit of a pest. I loved him! When you finish reading this one, you can step away from this story actually believing a guy like this may be in existence out there.

The love scenes are graphic a per the genre, and very well written. It doesn't get much better than this.

I highly recommend this book!

Hot & Steamy.......2005-08-20

Carnal Desires: by Celeste Anwar

I would recommend this book for the vampire and wolf lovers. This book is four short stories in one. The stories revolve around each other and contain some same characters which makes it an interesting read.
There are heros in this book and they like saving their women. The background in the story line is the vampires against the wolfs. The setting is sexy night clubs and Mardi gras.

This is a cover to cover read. The sex is steamy, and there is plenty of it. There is violence and fighting as well. As to be expected the alpha males have to protect their mates.

There is little romance. The characters were very believable.
If you like hot, French men this book is for you. I also liked that her heroines are all shapes and sizes.. No model wanna be's in this book.

CARNAL GREED : They Were Caught - All Caught in a Web of Fear and Desire and Violence

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CARNAL GREED : They Were Caught - All Caught in a Web of Fear and Desire and Violence

Manufacturer: Newsstand Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000I8H6YW

Carnal Pleasures: Desire, Public Space, and Contemporary Art

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Carnal Pleasures: Desire, Public Space, and Contemporary Art
Anna (Editor) Novakov
Manufacturer: Clamor Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WVE9Y0

Carnal Rhetoric: Milton's Iconoclasm and the Poetics of Desire

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Carnal Rhetoric: Milton's Iconoclasm and the Poetics of Desire
Lana Cable
Manufacturer: Duke University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

In recent years, New Historicists have situated the iconoclasm of Milton’s poetry and prose within the context of political, cultural, and philosophical discourses that foreshadow early modernism. In Carnal Rhetoric, Lana Cable carries these investigations further by exploring the iconoclastic impulse in Milton’s works through detailed analyses of his use of metaphor. Building on a provocative iconoclastic theory of metaphor, she breaks new ground in the area of affective stylistics, not only as it pertains to the writings of Milton but also to all expressive language.
Cable traces the development of Milton’s iconoclastic poetics from its roots in the antiprelatical tracts, through the divorce tracts and Areopagitica, to its fullest dramatic representation in Eikonoklastes and Samson Agonistes. Arguing that, like every creative act, metaphor is by nature a radical and self-transgressing agent of change, she explores the site where metaphoric language and imaginative desire merge. Examining the demands Milton places on metaphor, particularly his emphasis on language as a vehicle for mortal redemption, Cable demonstrates the ways in which metaphor acts for him as that creative and radical agent of change. In the process, she reveals Milton’s engagement, at the deepest levels of linguistic creativity, with the early modern commitment to an imaginative and historic remaking of the world.
An insightful and synthetic book, Carnal Rhetoric will appeal to scholars of English literature, Milton, and the Renaissance, as well as to those with an interest in the theory of affective stylistics as it pertains to reader-response criticism, semantics, epistemology, and the philosophy and psychology of language.

Carnal Rhetoric: Milton's Iconoclasm and the Poetics of Desire.: An article from: Renaissance Quarterly

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Carnal Rhetoric: Milton's Iconoclasm and the Poetics of Desire.: An article from: Renaissance Quarterly
Thomas H. Blackburn
Manufacturer: Renaissance Society of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Renaissance Quarterly, published by Renaissance Society of America on September 22, 1997. The length of the article is 646 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: Carnal Rhetoric: Milton's Iconoclasm and the Poetics of Desire.
Author: Thomas H. Blackburn
Publication: Renaissance Quarterly (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 1997
Publisher: Renaissance Society of America
Volume: v50 Issue: n3 Page: p904(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Curb your enthusiasms: moralists left and right want to control your carnal desires.(Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America)(Porn ... Review) : An article from: Reason

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Curb your enthusiasms: moralists left and right want to control your carnal desires.(Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America)(Porn ... Review) : An article from: Reason
Radley Balko
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Reason, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2006. The length of the article is 3370 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: Curb your enthusiasms: moralists left and right want to control your carnal desires.(Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America)(Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future)(Book Review)
Author: Radley Balko
Publication: Reason (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 37 Issue: 10 Page: 50(7)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

As the Yuuzhan Vong’s spectacular conquests continue unchecked, Luke Skywalker, Han and Leia Solo , and Wedge Antilles are forced to destroy what they have risked their lives to create. . . .

Scattering like rats before the Yuuzhan Vong’s invasion of Coruscant, the panic-stricken members of the New Republic Advisory’s Council pause just long enough to set up a mock defense on nearby Borleias—a transparent attempt to buy time that fools no one, least of all the Jedi.

Leia and Han Solo trek from world to world to foment rebellion against the New Republic’s disastrous appeasement policies. But Luke Skywalker has chosen the most dangerous assignment of all: to sneak into the Yuuzhan Vong’s stronghold on Coruscant. His outrageous scheme to gain entry is either brilliant or suicidal, depending on the outcome. And bearing down swiftly on Borleias is a Vong invasion fleet, determined to destroy the galaxy’s remaining defenders. . . .

Customer Reviews:

"Embrace the pain, scarhead".......2007-10-05

After the cataclysmic events of Star by Star (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 9) (and the relatively pointless distraction of Dark Journey (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 10)), I was ready for another full scale New Jedi Order novel. Enter Star Wars veteran Aaron Allston (X-Wing: Wraith Squadron) and his Enemy Lines "duology".

Book 1 - Rebel Dream - finds our heroes finally making an effective strike at the Yuuzhan Vong by retaking the planet Borlais, which was used by the Vong as a staging point for their invasion of Coruscant. Allston brings Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade together with Han and Leia Solo, as well as Jaina Solo and her entourage of hotshot pilot Jag Fel and rogue Jedi Kyp Durron, all under the leadership of Wedge Antilles. Naturally plenty of members of both Rogue and Wraith Squadron are featured as well. Antilles and company know they can't hold Borleas forever, but they're determined not to let the Vong have it without one hell of a fight. On the Yuuzhan Vong side, Warmaster Tsavong Lah brings his father - the former Warmaster Czulkang Lah - out of retirement to make the Rebels pay for their actions.

Allston is definitely in his element here, crafting a story that has plenty of military strategy, starfighter dogfights, and covert operations. He's definitely at home with the majority of these characters, and manages to write the unfamiliar ones like a seasoned pro. Like fellow X-Wing novelist Michael Stackpole, Allston has a tendency to end every chapter with some bold statement by one of the characters, but that's a relatively minor flaw in an otherwise excellent story. Long time New Jedi Order readers will be relieved to see the good guys finally catch a break instead of being kicked around from one book to the next, and the end of the book will leave you chomping at the bit for book 2 - Rebel Stand.

Exellent Book.......2006-10-20

This is really good book just like all the other Star Wars books! I reccomend before you read this one though you read the ones before in the series.

wedges moment in the sun.......2006-08-29

an "inner circle" is formed.a secret jedi society to take out the vong like the alliance years before.mara jades in before she goes to the jungle with tahiri[whom i feel sorry for every time i see her poor broken hearted name] and luke.luke is on the inner circle also since he did form it.they travel to coruscant to battle a dark side enemy luke sensed through the force.as if the vong werent bad enough now here comes the dark side back.han solo joins the inner circle.han has an idea about being a crime lord with leia.this book is really centered around wedge and his elaborate plan to nail the vong.wedge is in the inner circle as it was partly his idea.i cant really go into detail but the vong give coruscant a makeover.the battle in this book is ar borelia which is near corelia where hans from.jaina solo forms a force based air strike team called the twin suns under her command.a big risk since she almost got brainwashed and almost went dark side within the last book.jaina begins having depression due to all the losses shes endured.jag and kyp join jainas team.princess leia considers becoming a crime lord with han............so lets review wedge is the focus,inner circle is formed,and a big fight.

Anakin Solo fans read this please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2006-08-06

Now everyone knows that Anakin died in star by star so i say something if the force still has mysteries couldn't amys tery be to revive jedi or that anakin found a way to be reborn but i think somebody should make Anakin return because he was the geatest jedi from the three solo children he was smart and intelligent what if they cloned him but please spread the word and for all star wars authors and george llucas himself please find a way to make Anakin come back i mean since you killed Anakin Solo many fans have lost their interest in the star wars series and it's true in the junior jedi knights review many fans say they have lost their liking to the star wars series i myself find the book less exciting so please everyone help spread the word and don't take this review off you know what i say is true since Anakin died the star wars series haven't been the same, so my concluding in this review is that author Aaron Allston, Troy Denning ,Greg keyes, Timothy Zahn all of you even George Lucas himself please think of a way to make Anakin reborn or cloned or something i would think reborn andi'd put it that the force would let Anakin be renborn i would make it something like this "Leia was in a dream and Anakin was in it "Anakin" Leia said" oh Anakin we thought you died "Mother you are asleep but i am here through the force in a vision i have talked with jedi master Obi-Wan kenobi and Yoda even a Jedi master called Qui-Gon Jinn mother they ha ve found a way to make me reincarnate but it wi take you and every jedi in the galaxy dead and alive to make it they say that a dark time aproaches one that only i can stop it and they have decided that i should be reborn to stop the looming threat so come awake mother and tell this to everyone uncle Luke Jacen Jaina every jedi we are preparing over here mother so wake up wakeup leia."Anakink said "Anakin"Leia said "Anakin wait"but Anakin only said "Wake up Leia Wake up"Leia saw Han in in front of her He said "Leia leia wake up you were having a drea you kept saying Anakin"Leia wasnow wide awake she said to Han" Han Anakin's coming back he told me they're going to revive him i have to tell Lukee we have to makea ritual ofsome kind"she said and left the room".Now that's just a theory but it's good but all in all please find a way to make Anakin Solo come back please it's just not the same without him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now this is the Star Wars I've always loved!.......2006-03-17

With Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream, Aaron Allston joins the pack of Star Wars authors for the New Jedi Order, and he gives us a rip-roaring adventure with a lot of what drew me to the Star Wars universe to begin with. Known (at least where this universe is concerned) for contributing to the X-Wing series, as well as introducing Wraith Squadron, he's definitely the master of exciting spaceship combat, and this book is no different. If you've found the New Jedi Order too depressing recently, that won't completely change here, but Allston does give us a lot more of what we all know and love as well. An excellent first book.

After the fall of Coruscant, the homeworld of the New Republic, the remaining members of the Council are frantic. The New Republic manages to capture the Vong base at Borleias, but General Wedge Antilles and the rest of the garrison there know that they can't hold it. That would seem to suit the Council just fine, adding even more political intrigue to an already horrendous situation. Wedge, his followers in the army, and the Jedi decide that the New Republic is dead, and that they must return to their rebellion roots to keep as many planets as possible from negotiating with the Vong. To this end, they send Han and Leia Organa Solo on a mission to various planets to begin this operation. Meanwhile, Luke senses a horribly dark presence back on Coruscant, and embarks on a seemingly foolhardy plan to go back and investigate, along with a team from Republic Intelligence hoping to set up a Resistance cell there. What Luke finds there may be the end of him, and the last hope of the New Republic could fall to the huge Vong invasion force determined to re-take Borleias.

Rebel Dream has a lot of stuff in it that I have been missing from the Star Wars books up to now. The characterization of all the regulars is fabulous. Wedge Antilles really comes into his own here, now that we have somebody who is very skilled in writing him contributing to the books (I believe Michael Stackpole also utilized him well in his two books, but I can't remember for sure). He's older, wiser, more seasoned, but he remembers what it was like to be a young, hot-shot pilot and the byplay between him and the rest of the cast is excellent.

Even better, however, and truly the saving grace of the book, is Han and Leia. They are sent out to set up resistance cells on planets whose governments may not be willing to help against the Vong, and they are the Han and Leia that I have missed since this series started. The banter between them is marvelous, the teasing with the deep love that is underneath, flowing between them like a bond that will never be broken, is back in full force. Don't get me wrong. This is not "reset button" characterization. Everything that has happened to them and their family still affects them, and they both have their wistful moments thinking of Anakin and Jacen, and their doubts about Jaina. The teasing between the two of them has often served to cover their insecurities, so it's logical that it's even more pronounced here. Literally every scene they have in the book is wonderful, at least where they are concerned.

In fact, that's the best part about this book. Despite the heavy content, the book is fun. That's something that I couldn't have said about many of the New Jedi Order books, and it's a refreshing change. Luke and Mara have a serious mission to Coruscant, but they have time for humorous asides as well. The Wraith squadron, which Allston created many years ago, comes back (or at least some members do) and their senses of humour are a shining beacon after so much darkness.

The only problem with this much humour is that Jaina's dalliance with the Dark Side of the Force is shunted aside a bit. Yes, at the end of Dark Journey, Jaina was on her way to dealing with it, but it seemed that there would still be a tough road ahead of her. In Rebel Dream, it didn't seem like it was that hard. That being said, everything she's gone through has led to some wonderful scenes in this book with both Jag and Kyp, as well as a wonderfully touching scene with her mother. Allston hits the right notes on all of these, whether it's darkness, light stuff, or some emotional scenes, everything is good.

That's not to say the book is perfect, though it is definitely a 5-star effort. The storyline involving the human spy that is under the control of the Vong is very predictable, and thus quite dull. One thing Allston is not is subtle. Tricky, yes, as he keeps Wedge's ultimate plan hidden from even the reader. But he's not subtle. The spy story is right there in the reader's face, very obvious to anybody who's paying attention. Unfortunately, that also makes the resolution seem too easy, and there's no real tension involved. It does lead into something nice for the next book, but in this one, it's just tedious.

Rebel Dream is a return to form for the Star Wars books. Yes, I have liked most of the New Jedi Order series, but there's always been a "but this isn't really the series I grew up with" feeling behind it. Allston succeeds in marrying what I have always liked about the series to what I like about the recent books, and making a perfect match. He should be commended, and this book should be read despite not really having much to do with the overall storyline. It's not an "important" book for the series, but it is definitely worth the side trip.

David Roy

ENEMY LINES I: REBEL DREAM (STAR WARS THE NEW JEDI ORDER, NO 11)

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ENEMY LINES I: REBEL DREAM (STAR WARS THE NEW JEDI ORDER, NO 11)
AARON ALLSTON
Manufacturer: Lucas Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K6L28I

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Lucid...

A Standout

As good as it gets...

The spiritual dimension of the Enneagram: Nice faces of the soul

Deeply insightful, for serious students of the Enneagram

The Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram: Nine Faces of the Soul
Sandra Maitri
Manufacturer: Tarcher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Personality | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Spiritual | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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The Enneagram: Understanding Yourself and the Others In Your Life

ASIN: 1585420816
Release Date: 2001-02-15

Book Description

A groundbreaking exploration of the spiritual dimension of working with the enneagram by one of its earliest students and teachers in America.

Here is one of the first books to explore in an authentic and comprehensive way the original spiritual dimension of the enneagram. Among the most knowledgeable teachers of the enneagram in America, Sandra Maitri shows how the enneagram not only reveals our personalities, but illuminates a basic essence within each of us. She shows how traversing the inner territory particular to our ennea-type can bring us profound fulfillment and meaning, as well as authentic spiritual development.

Customer Reviews:

Lucid..........2007-07-15

Maitri is probably the best exponent of the "Diamond" approach for the common man. Her writing is lucid and balanced.

A Standout.......2007-04-05

There are a lot on Enneagram books on the market, but this one is the only one I've felt really attuned to. I saw my"self" quite clearly in its descriptions, but without needing to further justify, defend, hate or identify with the ego structures I observed. That's saying rather a lot.

This is not just a parlor book of personality types. Rather, it goes into some real depths...even beyond the ego structures that have usurped people's sense of self. It's not an airy-fairy book (no holds barred when it comes to pointing the powerfully obstructive nature of our identities), but it also presents real hope for returning to the soul level of self...and eventually to true nature. As Patanjali might have said, where there appears to be distortion, there is that which was never distorted--that which is just waiting to be rediscovered in its purity.

As good as it gets..........2007-01-12

If you are a serious student of the Enneagram, this book is a "must read." With a clear insight into workings of the human mind and heart, Donna Maitri communicates not only an in-depth description of the personality types of the Enneagram, but also leads the serious student to some very valuable tools to work through and out of the habit of the personality.

It is a book you will want to read, and re-read many times. I stongly encourage the reader to follow her advice and resist the temptation to read only the chapters on your own type. The material is presented in a very thoughtful order and reading the book from cover to cover increases is value tenfold.

More than any other book on the Enneagram, this book has opened in me, a place of compassionate understanding for others habits of personality as well as my own.

The spiritual dimension of the Enneagram: Nice faces of the soul.......2007-01-09

The descriptions of nine personality types are in depth, insightful and logical. It no doubt makes valuable contribution to the Enneagram literature. It is a useful book for more serious readers.

Deeply insightful, for serious students of the Enneagram.......2006-04-04

I am a big fan of this book and find that it compliments the work of Riso and Hudson, Helen Palmer and others. The book has a lot of depth! The insights that Sandra Maitri illuminates regarding each ennea-type are expressed beautifully although not always in the most sensitive manner.

A can see where a lot of people would have resistance to this book because it unmasks the shadow side of the personality. However, this is precisely what the Enneagram is concerned with. Basically, it's about the different ways one can be an ego in the world and when you look deeply, this isn't very pretty to look at. I admire her for not sugar-coating what each type is about. The first time I read about my type, I laughed and at other times felt like crying.

Maitri does not take as scientific an approach as Riso and Hudson. However, this does not mean there is not a lot of value here. Shakespeare did not take a scientific approach to love, but he certainly had a lot of insight into it and there is much to be learned about life by reading his plays. Similarly, one can learn a lot about the various ennea-types, ennea-type dynamics and how all of this might be related to spirituality.

A lot of the knowledge contained in this book comes out of the work of Ichazo, Naranjo and A. H. Almaas. I have read Almaas' book on the Enneagram and I actually think that Maitri does a better job of presenting the types than he did. While I think she is appropriately introspective and interpretive, I don't find she is so speculative as to lose credibility with a less esoteric audience.

In short, this book combines psychology and spirituality in a plausible integration that has stood the test of time with respect to an empirically developed model. I think this is part of the value that Maitri offers. Riso and Hudson looked at the Enneagram more clinically and developmentally. They scratched the surface of the spiritual dimension, but Maitri expands on it. This isn't a treatise on Physics, it's a soulful look at the Enneagram.

Personally, I find this book to be very useful. While it is difficult to admit, I think she nailed my type and I have found what she wrote about the dynamics of other types to be true. In fact, I have taken Enneagram assessment classes and talked about her ideas with different types and they seem to agree. While a lot of people are triggered by what they read in her book, at the same time they seem to recognize the validity of it. She says a lot of the same things Helen Palmer, Riso and Hudson and others have said, but she takes it further and deeper in some ways. This makes her book a unique and valuable contribution, especially for people who have already read the other author's books.

Even if you are not someone who believes in the validity of the Enneagram, this is a thought provoking read. It will cause you to deeply inquire into your own personality dynamics and those of the people around you.

If you are looking for a good general book to get started in exploring the Enneagram, then I recommend the Wisdom of the Enneagram by Riso and Hudson. This is a very well-balanced introduction to Enneagram theory and how you can use it for your own personal growth. These authors take a more mainstream approach and have done much work to validate the Enneagram model clinically. At the same time, they honor the spiritual dimension of it without diving into the spiritual specifics in great depth.

If I were only going to own two Enneagram books, the Wisdom of the Enneagram and the Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram would be my two "must haves." The former book leans in the direction of psychology and the latter goes deeper into spirit where Riso and Hudson stop. On the other hand, Riso and Hudson have other books that go deeper into the various psychological levels of the Enneagram model and map them back to DSM type classifications of psychological disorders. Again... the books are complimentary, they offer depth, but Riso and Hudson do it more from within a psychological framework. Maitri trys to go beyond this by exploring the spiritual dynamics that give rise to the psychological propensities of the various types.

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