Book Description
Brilliant and original,
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers introduces a remarkable new writer whose breathtaking stories are set in China and among Chinese Americans in the United States. In this rich, astonishing collection, Yiyun Li illuminates how mythology, politics, history, and culture intersect with personality to create fate. From the bustling heart of Beijing, to a fast-food restaurant in Chicago, to the barren expanse of Inner Mongolia,
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers reveals worlds both foreign and familiar, with heartbreaking honesty and in beautiful prose.
“Immortality,” winner of The Paris Review’s Plimpton Prize for new writers, tells the story of a young man who bears a striking resemblance to a dictator and so finds a calling to immortality. In “The Princess of Nebraska,” a man and a woman who were both in love with a young actor in China meet again in America and try to reconcile the lost love with their new lives.
“After a Life” illuminates the vagaries of marriage, parenthood, and gender, unfolding the story of a couple who keep a daughter hidden from the world. And in “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers,” in which a man visits America for the first time to see his recently divorced daughter, only to discover that all is not as it seems, Li boldly explores the effects of communism on language, faith, and an entire people, underlining transformation in its many meanings and incarnations.
These and other daring stories form a mesmerizing tapestry of revelatory fiction by an unforgettable writer.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Ten Perfect Jewels.......2007-07-31
Warning: Begin reading "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers" at the BEGINNING of a weekend. If you wait till Sunday afternoon, you may find yourself skipping work on Monday, because you can't put it down. Yiyun Lee is a gifted story teller and an artist of the written word. Each of the ten stories in this collection is a perfect jewel.
Just the kind of short stories I always look for and rarely find.......2007-07-16
This is the best collection of short stories I've read in a long time! I love the style of writing---very straightforward but also with so much meaning in every paragraph. Lately it seems every piece of fiction I read is gimmacky in some way--constantly changing perspectives, flowery phrases--but this is real writing, about people in tough situations interacting, about generations relating, about sad memories, but always with a firm grasp of reality. By the first paragraph of each story I know the main characters! I think this author will go far, and I look forward to reading more by her.
Deserves a place among thte classics.......2007-06-04
I picked up this book at the airport while waiting for my plane. I've never heard about Yiyun Li before, but now I can't wait to read her first novel which I've heard will be coming out sometime soon. Yiyun Li is a real master of a short story, her writing is beautiful, passionate, sincere and very deep. This book is a rare find, that will stay in the reader's heart forever.
This book is terrible.......2006-10-11
Some background, I grew up in Beijing and attended good schools just like her, and I am much older than her. The point? She has no experience whatsoever - everything she wrote about the past was from wild imaginations, almost anything related to Mao and communists was far from the truth.
The worst part of the book is the deep brown-nosed kissing the American *** in the expense of demonizing her own and my home country, China. America this and America that. As if once you come to America, everything would be immediately nice and dandy. The fact is if you cannot thrive in China, you cannot thrive in America either. Why? Because in China, you can at least rely on your parents and relatives, but in America, you must fight all the way by youself, not to mention there's Green Card issue and many foreigners have been forced to leave America because of it.
The worst part is:
"If you grew up in a language that you never used to express your feelings, it would be easier to take another language (English, of course) and talk more in the new language. It makes you a new person." - A Thousand Year's Good Prayer
I don't know which part of China or earth she's from, but hell, I have no problem expressing my feelings either in Chinese or English. It does not matter we are talking about feelings, politics or philosophy.
To me, she got a big brown nose, which makes her writting really bad.
I gave it two stars just because she's a chinese and willing to try to write in English.
The only $ I wasted so far on Amazon.
Compelling short stories.......2006-09-17
I first found Ms. Li's short story, Immortality, in the Paris Review. She frames a story around a rural Chinese village's tradition of sending castrated young men (the euphemism she uses is "cleaned") to the imperial palace to serve as eunuchs. Fast forward to the Cultural Revolution, the story shifts focus to a young man with the likeness of the country's dictator (it can be inferred that she is speaking of Mao Tse-Tung). The surprise is how she weaves present with past to reveal stories of China.
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers is full of such beautifully rendered stories.
In Princess of Nebraska, a Chinese man and a Mongolian woman traverse time and space in a quiet Michigan cafe while pondering their past relationship to the same man, Yang, a blithe narcissistic Beijing youth with a gift for singing Beijing opera.
In Love in the Marketplace, an English teacher in a rural village ponders a promise broken by two of the most important people in her life - her childhood sweetheart and her best girlfriend.
In story after story, the reader finds disappointment and a trail of hearts broken by modern life's adversities, lies, and unfulfilled dreams. The language of the book adds to an unadorned tone that is at once mercilessly unforgiving in description of human life and deeply sentimental and non-judgmental of the characters. Highly recommended!
Average customer rating:
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A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
Yiyun Li
Manufacturer: Not Avail
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
Short Stories
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Anthologies
| British
| Canadian
| General
| United States
ASIN: 0007196628 |
Customer Reviews:
captivating.......2007-09-03
Enoumously enjoyable read. If you like short stories that will grip YOU, enthrall YOU, & "will you" back begging for more.....
Creatively written in an intellectual frame. I so enjoyed Yiyun Li's written imaginary thoughts. So different than I think; yet "the same".
Book Description
A Regency romp about a young lady who vows revenge on the rakish lord who loved and left her, only to find herself unexpectedly caught in Cupid's net along with the handsome viscount when her plan to love and leave him backfires.
Customer Reviews:
ONE OF THE BEST.......2007-07-29
I think this is the best book I've read by Enoch. The story was captivating with good character development. I felt strongly for the characters and found myself engrossed in the book. It's a great read and worth the time...highly recommend.
I love this book. Don't care what anyone says..........2006-12-31
I read this book in one sitting and immediately started it all over again. Why did it have to be so short?!?
So maybe the prologue is silly, but every word in this book is a treat. Tristan Carroway will always be one of my favorite romance heroes. He is delicious. And Georgiana is wonderful. She is strong, clever, witty, believable, even when she throws a tantrum!
This book is definitely a keeper!
You can't beat seasoned a writer! .......2006-09-12
The Rake: Lessons in Love by Suzanne Enoch is a perfect example a great historical romance novel. The characters are so real and fun that don't want the story to ever end. Georgiana and Dare has a history and fight all the time about what -- you will have read the book. Georgiana desides that he should be a taught a lesson and she will make him fall in love with her and dump him... Everything goes wrong.... Check out all the series Lessons in Love: The Rake ,London's Perfect Scoundrel and England's Perfect Hero
Charming and Fun!.......2005-01-13
I really enjoyed this book. I am giving it 4 stars only because I thought it lagged a little in the middle, while we were waiting for Tristan and Georgianna to finally admit that they cared for each other, and because I would have liked an epilogue to this book. Otherwise, I thought the characters were charming and likeable and it was fun to be along for the ride as their relationship grew! I also highly recommend the next installment in this series, "London's Perfect Scoundrel." I can't wait to read the next one!
The Bore.......2004-06-17
Lady Georgiana Halley was once seduced and ruined by Viscount Dare because of a wager that he could charm her out of both a kiss and a stocking. Heartbroken after finding out about the wager, she and Lord Dare have been in a fierce battle (fought quietly in the ballrooms of London) for six years. When Dare seems to be seriously courting another woman, Georgiana decides to intercede to "teach him a lesson" so that he doesn't hurt this woman as he hurt her.
Viscount Dare inherited a financial mess when his father died four years before, so for the sake of the aunts and brothers he loves he's decided to marry rich to repair the family fortunes. He's just begun to court a rich young woman when Georgiana steals his attention, placing herself firmly back into his life by moving in with him under the guise of playing companion to his elderly aunts. Dare never ruined Georgiana as he could have, keeping the stocking for himself and losing the wager. (Something Georgiana seems to lack the intelligence to realize.) He enjoyed seducing her, and even underneath their thinly veiled war of words (and sometimes fans) he still feels a small attraction and if she's willing, he'll pick things up where they left off six years ago.
With a bevy of secondary characters (useless except for the fact that they're obvious advertisements for future books), "The Rake" is mostly Georgiana's attempt to teach Dare a lesson. The first 100 pages were difficult for me to get through, only my determination not to have wasted $6 kept me going. After the first bit, the reading became easier, mainly because the comedy-type situations had thinned out and there was some real emotion coming through. At the end, though, one scene with stupid actions on the part of both the hero and heroine left me cold.
I don't like the fact that Dare seduced Georgiana and never offered to marry her, as a man's honor at that time could be measured by that very action; it's also made clear that Dare would have no interest in Georgiana if she didn't have money, and that fact is played off as something we simply ought to be grateful for. I'm thrown off later when Dare seems likeable in other ways after his behavior to both Georgiana and the other woman he's courting. It just doesn't seem consistent with his character that he could have been so totally careless in his actions. Toward the middle of the book, I don't really believe that he's capable of the behavior he's guilty of; I think bad characterization is to blame.
Georgiana is a moron. There really isn't much more to say. I think she was silly for being so easily seduced all of those years ago, and her ideas for revenge are totally irrational. At the moment I'm at a loss to name one likeable thing about her.
"The Rake" is more a comedy of manners type Regency than a true historical romance (except maybe for the love scenes). Between the lousy characterization and the slight change in the tone of the book, I find it hard to believe that the fans of either type of book would be truly happy with it as a whole. "The Rake" gets two stars from me only because I could stand to finish it--my one star ratings are reserved for books I can't get through.
Product Description
Three determined young ladies vow to give three of London's worst rakes their comeuppance. But when these rogues turn the tables, who truly learns a lesson in love? Once upon a time Viscount Dare charmed Lady Georgina Halley out of her innocence to win a wager, no less! and now he must pay dearly. The plan is simple: She will use every seductive wile she knows to win Dare's heart and then break it. But his smoldering gaze once again tempts Georgiana to give in to desire, and when he astonishes her with a marriage proposal, she wonders: Is he playing yet another game, or could it truly be love this time?
Book Description
A young Imperial Guardsman arrives in the wrong battle on the wrong planet and gets caught in a meat-grinder war. With the brutal ork forces attacking in wave after wave, it is no wonder that the life expectancy of a new arrival is only fifteen hours.
Book Description
A practical, realistic 'how to" manual for effectively incorporating psycho-behavioral interventions into the brief office visit. A contemporary classic, this text combines the best in medicine and psychology to help practitioners treat the emotional components of ordinary medical disorders. The BATHE (Background, Affect, Trouble, Handling, and Empathy) technique, a screen for treatable psychiatric conditions as well as a therapeutic modality, fits easily into a regular patient visit. Case scenarios demonstrate how to use simple questions to elicit information while empowering the patient. Subjects covered include managing stress, handling difficult patients, increasing compliance and promoting both physical and mental health. Amply referenced and evidence based, this new edition provides coverage on the use of narrative therapy, cognitive restructuring, talking with adolescents, collaborative treatment, PTSD, and managing anxiety and depression by combining therapeutic talk with psychotropic medications.
Customer Reviews:
A must read for every primary care physician.......2005-10-18
Remarkably good methodology for physician patient connection over psychosocial issues in the brief medical visit. Well written w/ easily accessible concepts and lots of examples.
The Fifteen Minute Hour.......2004-02-09
The Fifteen Minute Hour is a best-seller because it understands and validates physicians' experiences and needs, and is therefore an emotionally supportive and healing reading experience for physicians. Books which recognize and explicitly address physician stresses in a supportive, understanding manner, even while exhorting physicians to do more for their patients, are not common. This is a well written and useful guide, which reflects Dr. Stuart's unique experience and perspective. She is one of a relatively small number of psychotherapists who work closely with - and provide emotional support for - primary care physicians, as well as providing care for their patients. Her intimate understanding of the challenges of primary (non-psychiatric) medical care is the basis for her advice, and the reason this book is a perennial best-seller among family physicians.
Stuart Green, MSW, MA
Director, Behavioral Science
Overlook Hospital
Summit, NJ
Medical conversations that heal.......2004-01-09
As a medical educator who works with residents, medical students, and other healthcare trainees, I regard this book as a contemporary classic for those who value developing their skills in maximizing the provider-patient relationship. Stuart and Lieberman have combined the best in medicine and psychology to produce a book that not only is an easy read but also includes the evidence that supports the health benefits of engaging patients in healing conversation!
Book Description
Witold Gombrowicz (1904-1969), novelist, essayist, and playwright, was one of the most important Polish writers of the twentieth century. A candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, he was described by Milan Kundera as “one of the great novelists of our century” and by John Updike as “one of the profoundest of the late moderns.”
Gombrowicz’s works were considered scandalous and subversive by the ruling powers in Poland and were banned for nearly forty years. He spent his last years in France teaching philosophy; this book is a series of reflections based on his lectures.
Gombrowicz discusses Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Sartre, and Heidegger in six “one-hour” essays and addresses Marxism in a shorter “fifteen-minute” piece. The text—a small literary gem full of sardonic wit, brilliant insights, and provocative criticism—constructs the philosophical lineage of his work.
Customer Reviews:
Brevity without sacrificing depth.......2006-01-11
I stumbled upon this book, upon Gombrowicz, really, purely by chance. The man was a true artist and genius--if you like fiction, read Cosmos; one of the best novels I have read recently.
I would only recommend his Guide to Philosophy, though, to those with either a deep interest in Gombrowicz or a deep interest in Continental philosophy. I, being a student of philosophy, really loved this book, and found it helpful in forming an understanding of the bigger picture presented in the unfolding of Continental philosophy.
First, it must be noted that the entire book is basically assembled from notes and scribbles; many incomplete thoughts, a lot of rambling and jumping from one idea to a completely different one, even some words missing, etc. But for anybody with a decent understanding of philosophy, his discussions can reach great depth.
He discusses Kant's first two Critiques in a fair amount of detail (but in my opinion he gets some stuff wrong, or at least oversimplifies it too much). He also spends some time elaborating on particular ideas recurrent in Sartrean/Heideggerian existentialism, and also Marxism. His discussions of Hegel, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche are all very brief, and seem mainly to supplement the others. Best of all, though, is Gombrowicz's keen insight on Schopenhauer. He goes to some lengths to interpret and praise the largely neglected pessimist.
All of this in a little over 100 pages--I read it in a couple hours. Makes you wish he had a chance to spend more time finishing and revising it. Honestly, despite being unpolished and unfinished, this is the best history of philosophy primer out there, save for Karl Jaspers' unfinished volumes. Gombrowicz' humor and insight definitely make this book worth the effort and money.
Book Description
This book is a "how-to" manual for incorporating psychotherapy into the daily practice of primary care medicine. In the universe of primary care patients, many, if not all, have a behavioral component as part and parcel of their visit to a physician. Successfully recognizing and addressing these issues in a time-effective manner will benefit the patient while at the same time increasing the satisfaction of the caregiver.
Customer Reviews:
A Treasure for Family Physicians and Educators.......2004-05-11
The Fifteen Minute Hour focuses on challenges that family physicians actually experience in daily practice. Besides the well known BATHE techniques, there are sections on physician self care, anticipatory guidance, difficult patients, along with clear guidance on brief psychotherapy within the office visit. I often use the concept of the healthy self vs. the neurotic self in teaching. During stress the system goes on tilt and the neurotic self comes to the fore. One of the miracles I see in patients is the transformation within a visit bwtween those two selves as we participate in something that allows them to get in touch with their healthy self.
Average customer rating:
- An essential book for unstanding how schools affect behavior
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Fifteen Thousand Hours: Secondary Schools and Their Effects on Children
Michale Rutter ,
Peter Mortimer , and
Barbara Maugham
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
High School
| Education
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
History
| Education Theory
| Education
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Secondary School
| Education
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
High School
| By Level
| Education
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0674300254 |
Customer Reviews:
An essential book for unstanding how schools affect behavior.......2000-02-02
Michael Rutter is a psychiatrist who is a sociologist. It's a rare combination. This particular book is widely cited in the resiiency literature, yet few have read it outside of graduate courses. I knew of the basics of it as a national researcher studying how schools can prevent violence. It wasn't until a few months ago I actually read the book. I wish I had much earlier. Some folks will squawk about the book being written in 1979. It's really timeless. There are powerful lessons to understand in this book. The book sorts out the effects of schools on four domains: achievement, attendance, behavior and delinquency. Each of those domains is studied in the context of inner-city London. Through precision measurement of virtually every aspect of the school environment, Rutter and his colleagues bring us to an understanding of how the smallest of things in a school setting have a large impact, such as the number of student jobs in a building or the amount of student work hung on the walls. The book is shy on describing why these processes work in the way I would like, and I think it's important to turn to the work of people like G.Roy Mayer or Beth Sulzer-Azaroff (Lasting Change)to get a careful understanding of why the processes work. In the age when people are concerned about children shooting others in schools, I think this book is a fundamental book to understand what we must do.
Average customer rating:
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It's all arranged: Fifteen hours in a psychiatrist's life
A. H Chapman
Manufacturer: Putnam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Internal Medicine
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
| Cardiology
| Critical Care
| Endocrinology & Metabolism
| Gastroenterology
| General
| Hematology
| Hepatology
| Infectious Disease
| Nephrology
| Neurology
| Oncology
| Pulmonary
| Rheumatology
| Urology
ASIN: 0399114289 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Review of Contemporary Fiction, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2005. The length of the article is 552 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: Witold Gombrowicz. A Guide to Philosophy in Six Hours and Fifteen Minutes.(Book Review)
Author: Michael Pinker
Publication:
The Review of Contemporary Fiction (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 25
Issue: 2
Page: 143(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
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Fifteen Hour Word Processing
Anna Ruthven
Manufacturer: Kogan Page Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Secretarial Aids & Training
| Business Skills
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0860826856 |
Book Description
First publication of remarkable repainting of outstanding Mexican codex — priceless original is in Vatican Library — thought to have originated in the Cholula area, ca. AD 1400. 76 large full-color plates show an astounding array of gods, kings, warriors, mythical creatures, and abstract designs. A work of rare power and beauty. Introduction.
Customer Reviews:
The Other 5 Star Reviews are Right.......2007-03-16
I will not go over their 5 star comments except to say that I agree. The amazingly colourful and crisp art in this short book is rivetting. As much as one may credit the reknowned author, deep congratulations should also go to the publisher for a masterful print job.
Un libro que no puede faltar.......2007-01-09
Sin duda este es un título que no debe faltar en ningúna biblioteca personal, ya que la restauración de uno de los principales códices es perfecta, para aquellos interesados en la cultura y ciencia ancestral este códice es de gran ayuda.
A Gem.......2005-02-15
This is a very strange and beautiful book in pictures. It reads like a dream if you tune in to it, and reveals very deep meanings about the relation between life and death, the human relation to the forces of nature, and time. Even though there are no words, it is possible to understand. If you get into it the symbols become more and more recognizable, and they begin to speak. the calendrical symbols and the spirit deities are completely recognizable. The sequences are all about times, and there is a big element about sacrifice. It has to do with the consequences of change; there is no life without death. The book has a very powerful image of life and death fused back to back that pretty much is the epitome of all the book is about. It's all about life and death in relation to time.
Excellent, and at this price..........2003-01-18
This is a wonderful resouce for those interested in ancient Mexico. Full photographic facsimilies of these codices are hideously expensive, and really, most are not in great shape. After extensive research, we have here a great reproduction of what this important work looked like when it was "fresh off the presses." It is beautiful, and in comparison to Dover's similar Codex Nuttall, this work comes with a MUCH better introduction that explains more of the text, the context, and the ideology. Readers will be able to better understand some of the religious principles of the ancient Mexicans (and there is some debate whether this book was painted by Aztecs or Mixtecs, which I won't bore you with!). It shows gods, ceremonies, the calender, and other religious iconography which is interesting, and would be a revelation for more the artisticly inclined. The visuals are wonderfully presented and all in all this is an astonishing bargain. Those with even a casual interest in New World archaeology or art NEED to get this book.
Terrific insight.......2001-03-16
This book gives terrific insight into the ancient Mexicans, their theology and world view, and their way of life. The illustrations are extremely well done, and the interpretation is on the mark. A must-have for anyone interested in ancient Mesoamerica.
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- Baby Momma Drama
- Beauty and the Spy (Warner Forever)
- Bee Season: A Novel
- Before You Know Kindness
- Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War
- Breath, Eyes, Memory (Oprah's Book Club)
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