Amazon.com
In Myla Goldberg's outstanding first novel, a family is shaken apart by a small but unexpected shift in the prospects of one of its members. When 9-year-old Eliza Naumann, an otherwise indifferent student, takes first prize in her school spelling bee, it is as if rays of light have begun to emanate from her head. Teachers regard her with a new fondness; the studious girls begin to save a place for her at lunch. Even Eliza can sense herself changing. She had "often felt that her outsides were too dull for her insides, that deep within her there was something better than what everyone else could see."
Eliza's father, Saul, a scholar and cantor, had long since given up expecting sparks of brilliance on her part. While her brother, Aaron, had taken pride in reciting his Bar Mitzvah prayers from memory, she had typically preferred television reruns to homework or reading. This belated evidence of a miraculous talent encourages Saul to reassess his daughter. And after she wins the statewide bee, he begins tutoring her for the national competition, devoting to Eliza the hours he once spent with Aaron. His daughter flowers under his care, eventually coming to look at life "in alphabetical terms." "Consonants are the camels of language," she realizes, "proudly carrying their lingual loads."
Vowels, however, are a different species, the fish that flash and glisten in the watery depths. Vowels are elastic and inconstant, fickle and unfaithful.... Before the bee, Eliza had been a consonant, slow and unsurprising. With her bee success, she has entered vowelhood.
When Saul sees the state of transcendence that she effortlessly achieves in competition, he encourages his daughter to explore the mystical states that have eluded him--the influx of God-knowledge (shefa) described by the Kabbalist Abraham Abulafia. Although Saul has little idea what he has set in motion, "even the sound of Abulafia's name sets off music in her head. A-bu-la-fi-a. It's magic, the open sesame that unblocked the path to her father and then to language itself."
Meanwhile, stunned by his father's defection, Aaron begins a troubling religious quest. Eliza's brainy, compulsive mother is also unmoored by her success. The spelling champion's newfound gift for concentration reminds Miriam of herself as a girl, and she feels a pang for not having seen her daughter more clearly before. But Eliza's clumsy response to Miriam's overtures convinces her mother that she has no real ties to her daughter. This final disappointment precipitates her departure into a stunning secret life. The reader is left wondering what would have happened if the Naumanns' spiritual thirsts had not been set in restless motion. A poignant and exceptionally well crafted tale, Bee Season has a slow beginning but a tour-de-force conclusion. --Regina Marler
Book Description
Eliza Naumann, a seemingly unremarkable nine-year-old, expects never to fit into her gifted family: her autodidact father, Saul, absorbed in his study of Jewish mysticism; her brother, Aaron, the vessel of his father's spiritual ambitions; and her brilliant but distant lawyer-mom, Miriam. But when Eliza sweeps her school and district spelling bees in quick succession, Saul takes it as a sign that she is destined for greatness. In this altered reality, Saul inducts her into his hallowed study and lavishes upon her the attention previously reserved for Aaron, who in his displacement embarks upon a lone quest for spiritual fulfillment. When Miriam's secret life triggers a familial explosion, it is Eliza who must order the chaos.
Myla Goldberg's keen eye for detail brings Eliza's journey to three-dimensional life. As she rises from classroom obscurity to the blinding lights and outsized expectations of the National Bee, Eliza's small pains and large joys are finely wrought and deeply felt.
Not merely a coming-of-age story, Goldberg's first novel delicately examines the unraveling fabric of one family. The outcome of this tale is as startling and unconventional as her prose, which wields its metaphors sharply and rings with maturity. The work of a lyrical and gifted storyteller,
Bee Season marks the arrival of an extraordinarily talented new writer.
Download Description
The family romance (or anti-romance) is a much-revisited genre that periodically requires reinvention -- which is precisely what Myla Goldberg's captivating, quirky, and sometimes mysterious first novel, Bee Season, accomplishes. In it, the all-American ritual of the spelling bee becomes the vehicle to expose the emotional fault lines in the life of a suburban Jewish family. Nine-year-old Eliza Naumann discovers an almost mystical facility at spelling ("words hit her at a level of cognition that outpaces conscious thought, resonating somewhere where spelling doesn't need to happen because it already has"), placing her on the path to national competition and thoroughly upsetting the psychic economy of her family. Her autodidact father, Saul, a scholar of Jewish mysticism, delights in the sudden emergence of this gift; her remote (and kleptomaniac) lawyer-mother, Miriam, must suddenly confront the conscious distance she's placed between herself and her previously "slow" daughter; and her older brother, Aaron, deals with his displacement from first place in his father's affections by becoming a Hare Krishna. Bee Season finds the perfect place where the offbeat, the lyrical, and the penetrating meet to create a family novel unlike any other.
Customer Reviews:
To Bee, or Not To Bee?.......2007-08-18
I was expecting this novel to be 'about' spelling bees, like the movie Spellbound. (I am fascinated by families who throw huge amounts of time and energy into a pursuit which is largely without purpose in the grand scheme of things.) But the spelling bees in this book are merely a springboard for some fascinating psychological twists and turns. Finishing the book, I flipped back to the first few dozen pages, which set you up to think that this is a typical 'underdog goes all the way' story. It starts off feeling normal and familiar, but by the end I was sucked into the sheer bizarreness of the situation and could not put it down. The revelation about Miriam toward the end was one of the most breathtakingly weird and shocking scenes I have ever read. I will say no more, because going into this book knowing nothing is part if the thrill.
The Bizarre-ness of A Family Consumed by Fanaticism.......2007-06-11
This is a story about a family that is so obsessed with what they do, and the way their lives are consumed with it. First, Eliza, deemed to be not smart by her teachers, family and peers, wins the school spelling bee when no one expected her to do so. This leads to her traveling to various bees, winning each time. Eventually her father, Saul, wisens up to her intelligence and becomes obsessed with teaching and coaching her, which pushes Aaron, Eliza's bigger and smarter brother into the shadows. Feeling neglected and searching for answers, Aaron begins to investigate his whole belief system, which was founded in Judaism. He becomes involved with the Hare Krishnas because he felt the most connected with the group. Saul ignores the signs as his son becomes more unattached. In the meantime, Saul's wife has been stealing objects that she feels are pieces of her. She slowly descends into madness that is basically unknown to Saul. This is a story that is very well written and interesting until the end. Watching it unfold was truly enchanting.
An amazing read that will captivate you.......2007-04-15
I love to read books that examine the nature of people and their relationships. If you share a similar interest, this book will grab you and won't let you go. The exposure of every person in this novel is done with unyielding detail and is written so clearly. I was not, however, impressed with Wickett's Remedy, Goldberg's second novel, so if you've read it first, don't automatically dismiss Bee Season, which runs circles around Remedy.
Disgusting.......2007-03-30
I only wish there was a rating less than one star. I consider this to be second only in disgust to Goldberg's Wickett's Remedy which was voted one of the worst reads by our book club. This was an unasked-for puzzling lesson in Judaism history -- a shallow intro to Hare Krishna -- and a lesson in how to completely decimate a family. No follow up on what becomes of Aaron or Miriam. Not to mention poor little Eliza who is the pitiful victim of this monstrosity. No more Goldberg for me -- what a nightmare.
Sooooo disappointed .......2007-03-09
Have you ever read a book or seen a movie at the end of which you feel like you've wasted your time and energy? This is that book. I don't feel as if anything was accomplished. It's a book with no ending. I actually went to the bookstore to see if I had a defective copy, I thought maybe I was missing ten chapters. Don't buy this book, don't waste your time. If I could use one word to describe this book it would be Rubbish which is exactly where my copy ended up.
Book Description
From bestselling author Ana Leigh comes the first in a dazzling new series, as the rugged Fraser men find love and passion in the Wild West.
When Yankee beauty Rebecca Elliot discovers that single women aren't allowed on the wagon train bound for California, she takes desperate measures. Spying handsome Clay Fraser, she puts her flirty plan into action and wakes, the next morning, with a wedding band on her finger.
Clay Fraser, a former Confederate soldier, is horrified to discover that he somehow got married last night -- and worse, to a Yankee. Worst of all, his new wife refuses to share his bed! Sparks fly and attraction burns as the wagon train heads west, but it will take a love as expansive as the Western sky to show Rebecca and Clay how to claim the passionate new life that is their destiny....
Download Description
"From bestselling author Ana Leigh comes the first in a dazzling new series, as the rugged Fraser men find love and passion in the Wild West. When Yankee beauty Rebecca Elliot discovers that single women aren't allowed on the wagon train bound for California, she takes desperate measures. Spying handsome Clay Fraser, she puts her flirty plan into action and wakes, the next morning, with a wedding band on her finger. Clay Fraser, a former Confederate soldier, is horrified to discover that he somehow got married last night -- and worse, to a Yankee. Worst of all, his new wife refuses to share his bed! Sparks fly and attraction burns as the wagon train heads west, but it will take a love as expansive as the Western sky to show Rebecca and Clay how to claim the passionate new life that is their destiny.... "
Customer Reviews:
Exciting Wagon Train Ride.......2007-06-12
This historical of the American West effectively evokes wagon train excitement, texture, and adversity. It also presents an intriguing post Civil War mixture of North and South with the hero and heroine being from opposite sides. It's cute that the hero's aristocratic roots contribute to his greater cleanliness in the western outpost. Although it stops short of being the inspirational story it could be, the premise of Rebecca needing to find a husband in order to join the wagon train and start a new life in her widowhood sets the plot in motion with compelling drama.
The Frasers-Clay.......2007-01-21
I loved this set of books,you get hooked and can't put them down great book.
Clay and Rebecca-SPOILERS.......2004-09-11
Favorite scene with Rebecca-
Captured by the Indian.
Favorite scene with Clay-
Going after Rebecca when she's captured by the Indian.
Together-
Arguing the morning after the wedding about Rebecca tricking him into marriage.
What did you like about Rebecca-
She started out as a schemer who sank her claws into Clay for her own purposes. Loved that. She was a woman who knew how to get what she wanted, esp. to get on the wagon train. She ended up so sweet and had a big heart. Loved how she befriended everyone and named her animals.
What didn't you like about Rebecca-
She kept wanting to end their marriage. Despite the threat of Indian attacks, she kept going off alone. She had a short hatred for the South. She wouldn't take off her dead husband's ring, even when she realized Charley hadn't been that great.
What did you like about Clay-
That he wanted to give his marriage a chance, despite being tricked. That he always protected her, even if unsure about where he stood with her. Loved his home in Virginia, his family. Sure was stubborn, but loved that.
What didn't you like about Clay-
There wasn't really anything I didn't like about Clay.
If I had to cast Rebecca, I'd cast Reese Witherspoon.
EXCELLENT.......2004-08-19
Ana has done it again! The Mackinzies were great , but the Fraser's are going to be even better. Ana has done a great job of depicting the hardships of that era, but moreover has shown Rebecca as a very strong, and determined woman to make this journey to the West. And then to make it even better, Rebecca learns lessons along the way about letting go of the past, and realizing that destiny is often right at our doorstep. The book is funny, sad, romantic and just plain wonderful!! I can't wait for the next one to come out so I can read it in one day too!!
Absolutely excellent........2004-06-09
Ana Leigh's "men" are always to die for. ( Can't wait for Garth's story). But this one also has a worthwhile female lead. The story is wonderful but even more I came away with a new understanding of the rigors of those early pioneer days. The research must have been extensive. You'll enjoy this whether you're a western fan or not. Congratulations AL........
Product Description
When Yankee beauty Rebecca Elliot discovers that single women aren't allowed on the wagon train bound for California, she takes desperate measures. Spying handsome Clay Fraser, she puts her flirty plan into action and wakes, the next morning, with a wedding band on her finger. Clay Fraser, a former Confederate soldier, is horrified to discover that he somehow got married last night--and worse, to a Yankee. Worst of all, his new wife refuses to share his bed! Sparks fly and attraction burns as the wagon train heads west, but it will take a love as expansive as the Western sky to show Rebecca and Clay how to claim the passionate new life that is their destiny....
Average customer rating:
|
The Frasers Clay
Manufacturer: Recorded Books LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
 General | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Romance | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
ASIN: 1419319574 |
Product Description
First in a series about four Southern brothers in the aftermath of the Civil War. Elements of a good Western are here - hardships of the trail, atacks from outlaws and treachery within the wagon train - includes romance and passion also - narrated by Scott Shina -
Average customer rating:
|
The Frasers: Clay
Manufacturer: Recorded Books, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 1419319566 |
Average customer rating:
|
Building Law Reports
H. Lloyd ,
N. Naatz ,
D. Streatfeild-James ,
P.D. Fraser , and
R. Clay
Manufacturer: Longman Higher Education Division (a Pearson Education company)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Business Law | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Environmental & Natural Resources Law | Law | Subjects | Books
General | Law | Subjects | Books
Property | Business | Law | Subjects | Books
Financial | English Law | Law | Subjects | Books
Reports | English Law | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0582297664 |
Average customer rating:
- A children's book for adults
- As good as Discworld
- Great Terry Pratchett!
- Inventive, endearing, great read-aloud.
- Oh my Gosh!
|
The Bromeliad Trilogy: Truckers, Diggers, and Wings
Terry Pratchett
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Action & Adventure
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Humorous
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Pratchett, Terry
| ( P )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Pratchett, Terry
| ( P )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Hardcover
| Pratchett, Terry
| ( P )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Adventure & Thrillers
| Literature & Fiction
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Wintersmith
-
A Hat Full of Sky
-
Only You Can Save Mankind (Johnny Maxwell Trilogy)
-
The Wee Free Men
-
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
ASIN: 0060094931
Release Date: 2003-09-30 |
Book Description
In a world whose seasons are defined by Christmas sales and Spring Fashions, hundreds of tiny nomes live in the corners and crannies of a human-run department store. They have made their homes beneath the floorboards for generations and no longer remember -- or even believe in -- life beyond the Store walls.
Until the day a small band of nomes arrives at the Store from the Outside. Led by a young nome named Masklin, the Outsiders carry a mysterious black box (called the Thing), and they deliver devastating news: In twenty-one days, the Store will be destroyed.
Now all the nomes must learn to work together, and they must learn to think -- and to think BIG.
Part satire, part parable, and part adventure story par excellence, master storyteller Terry Pratchett's engaging trilogy traces the nomes' flight and search for safety, a search that leads them to discover their own astonishing origins and takes them beyond their wildest dreams.
Customer Reviews:
A children's book for adults.......2007-05-15
These stories have everything. Humor, imagination, satire, an exciting plot, plucky characters, adn philosophical musings. Pratchett gently makes fun of religion and pomposity, making you laugh all the way.
As good as Discworld.......2007-05-12
I say this with a caveat. Some discworld novels just are not for kids. Also, I had no idea what these books were about when I bought this anthology so if it seems strange for a 34 year old to burst out laughing at a children's novel, just forgive me.
The fact that Terry Pratchett was the author was the reason I bought this and by the second page I was in love all over again. It was like finding a new discworld, this "store." Some of the absurdities that we adults take for granted in our crass commercialized world get a good seeing to from a child's point of view.
Pratchett's wit once again has bowled me over and I would recommend this to any child or adult that I know.
Great Terry Pratchett!.......2007-03-26
This book is a great read. Very interesting writing and yet simple enough my 3rd grader could read it too!
I highly recommend it to those that love sci-fantasy with a lot of humor.
Inventive, endearing, great read-aloud. .......2006-09-26
When we finished "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" I read this trilogy to my 11 year old daughter. What fun! The plot is lively, the characters are endearing and Pratchett gets his point about religion across with precise use of analogy. The story drags in places, but never for long. The witty dialogue and thought provoking ideas more than make up for it. I enjoyed it at least as much as my daughter did, if not more.
Oh my Gosh!.......2006-02-09
My teacher who has over 3,000 books in her classroom reccomended this book. And I also like Terry Pratchett. bUT THIS WAS A FLAT OUT DISSAPOINTMENT. I quit after the 1st 30 pages. He was very slow in his writings. And he overloads a tad on his British sense of humor.
If you like it thats great. But it was very dull and boring for me. No offense to all 14 or some 4 or 5 star reviews. But I do reccomend Only You Can Save Mankind ( Terry Pratchet). It it's a great book about a computer game with connections to aliens. I also reccomend any book by Cornelia Funke. Inkheart and The Theif Lord are my personal favorites. And 2 of my most favorite series are A Series of Unfortunate Events and Harry Potter. Reading Rocks. Get off the computer and read a book!
Average customer rating:
- "Truckers" away
- A fun romp!
- A Fabulous and Hillarious Adventure
- Big problems for little people.
- readable and re-readable
|
The Bromeliad Trilogy: Truckers (The Bromeliad Trilogy)
Terry Pratchett
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Action & Adventure
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Humorous
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Pratchett, Terry
| ( P )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Pratchett, Terry
| ( P )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Paperback
| Pratchett, Terry
| ( P )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
( P )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
| Parish, Peggy
| Park, Barbara
| Parr, Todd
| Paulsen, Gary
| Peet, Bill
| Pilkey, Dav
| Polacco, Patricia
| Potter, Beatrix
Action & Adventure
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Humorous
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Pratchett, Terry
| ( P )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Paperback
| Pratchett, Terry
| ( P )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0060094966
Release Date: 2004-04-13 |
Book Description
They're four inches tall
in a human-sized world.
Under the floorboards of the Store is a world of four-inch-tall nomes that humans never see. It is commonly known among these nomes that Arnold Bros. created the Store for them to live in, and he declared: "Everything Under One Roof." Therefore there can be no such thing as Outside. It just makes sense.
That is, until the day a group of nomes arrives on a truck, claiming to be from Outside, talking about Day and Night and Snow and other crazy legends. And they soon uncover devastating news: The Store is about to be demolished. It's up to Masklin, one of the Outside nomes, to devise a daring escape plan that will forever change the nomes' vision of the world. . . .
Customer Reviews:
"Truckers" away.......2004-04-19
Terry Pratchett's Bromeliad trilogy is a mix of childlike fantasy and offbeat SF. While the opening book, "Truckers" lags in places and takes quite some time to really get moving, it's imaginative and very funny. Certainly it's a good place to start off with Pratchett's fiction.
Masklin and the other nomes are tiny people who scavenge on the streets, and now there are only a handful of them left. In an act of desperation, they climb into a lorry and ride to... The Store. Also known as Arnold Bros (est. 1905), where a complex civilization of nomes (about two thousand) live in semi-peace and prosperity. They either are dazzled by the idea of "Outside," or insist that the whole world is in Arnold Bros (est. 1905).
Seemingly, everything is fine for Masklin and his friends, especially when the mysterious Thing (a black box that is a spaceship's flight computer) comes to life and tells them more about their history. But suddenly their world is disrupted by the news of "All Things Must Go -- Final Sales." Now the nomes must escape the Store and find yet another place to live.
Tiny people living in a department store? Who are from another planet? That is something that could have bombed easily and hideously. But it doesn't, at least not in "Truckers." Clever plot elements like the sign-based religion (they take "everything under one roof" seriously!) and the department-based clans (Stationari, Corsetri) keep this unlikely plot afloat.
While "Truckers" is a self-contained story in itself, it has plenty of loose threads (mostly involving the Thing and the origins of the nomes) at the end, for the second and third books of the trilogy. The writing has Pratchett's usual sparseness and wit; the only problem is that it takes forever for the nomes to do anything. At least it's a fun slow ride. The wacky truck drive near the end is one of the best parts of the book.
Masklin and his nome band (especially the indefatigable, vaguely frightening Granny) serve as a good window into the nome civilization, since they're learning about it too. The better-off nomes are a bit snottier but eager to explore the Outside. But the Thing steals the show; despite being just a computer, it has a better idea than the nomes what is going on.
"Truckers" will delight fans of Pratchett, but you don't need to be a fan already to enjoy this story. While the plot takes awhile to go anywhere, the quirky characters and wonderful worldbuilding make it worthwhile.
A fun romp!.......2001-07-27
These books (Truckers, Diggers, and Wings) are a fun romp! Well thought out, well told, with a liberal dose of humor. If you have read any of Terry Pratchett's "Disc World" books, you'll love this light hearted series....
A Fabulous and Hillarious Adventure.......2001-05-02
Truckers is the first book of the Bromeliad trilogy (followed by Diggers and Wings).
Masklin and his family are the last ten nomes of their warren, devastated by cold, predators and hunger. Desperately, they set out on a last chance journey and climb up on one of the lorries of the humans.
What they'll soon discover is that this lorry has lead them to the Store of Arnold Bros (est. 1905), the home of thousands of other little nomes who, having never left the Store, think of the Outside as of nothing more than just another fairy tale. The coming of Masklin will be a great upheaval in their quiet lives. And as they learn that the Store is to be demolished, they make plans for their escape.
Although Truckers was originally written for a young audience, it's an enthralling adventure but also a story about understanding other people's ways and helping each other, and no doubt grown-ups will love it too. Because Terry Pratchett's unique sense of humour is lurking round every corner, especially when nomes try to interpret our human world... and what's more to make sense of it!
Big problems for little people........2000-10-14
Another race also inhabits this Earth, a race four inches tall that lives and moves very quickly, and they are called "nomes." Masklin, the leader of a dwindling band of nomes, decides that a better life must be found, so they stowaway aboard a truck, and find themselves taken to a huge department store. This department store, Arnold Bros. (est. 1905), is populated by thousands of nomes, something the humans above then never suspect. To Masklin and his band this place looks like heaven, but what is the meaning of the signs that read, "Final Sale: Everything Must Go?"
This book is a laugh-riot. Terry Pratchett succeeds is making the Nomes so different, and yet so human. This book is the first of a trilogy; with the other two entitled Diggers and Wings.
readable and re-readable.......2000-09-20
This is the first book in a great fantasy adventure series for kids (and adults). Nomes live 10 times faster than humans, which is why no-one notices them, and they are getting squeezed out of their home by human development. They go forth to try and find somewhere for themselves, but this is very tricky when you're only a couple of inches high.
The books are very thin, which is good for reluctant readers - not so daunting to start reading, and then exciting enough to keep them going. I would also recommend it to anyone going through Harry Potter withdrawals.
Rather than purchase the three books individually (which you *will* want to do if you buy the first one!) you would be better off trying to get "The Bromeliad" which is a hardcover collection of the trilogy - actually cheaper and set to stand up to lots of re-reading.
Book Description
Serving as the single largest resource ever compiled about Europe's monastery and convent guesthouses, this extraordinary guidebook features more than four hundred and fifty places of spiritual retreat in twenty countries. It is an excellent resource for travelers, pilgrims, summer vacationers, students, armchair travelers, Catholic history or trivia buffs, or anyone else interested in monasteries. This handbook provides a key to discovering some of Christianity's most ancient and beloved sites. In these pages you will find all the famous monasteries and abbeys, including those found at Subiaco, Cîteaux, Soligny-la-Trappe, Chartreuse, Monte Cassino, Aylesford, Santo Domingo de Silos, Mt. Athos, and Solesmes.
Inside, you'll find the following invaluable information:
* A thorough history of Christian monasticism
* Complete stories of the major monastic orders
* A chronicle of Gregorian Chant
* Contact information for more than 450 monasteries, convents, & places of retreat
* Brief descriptions of each holy place
* Dozens of photographs
* Comprehensive listing of monastic-related websites
* Indispensable Internet travel resources
You'll also find many interesting tidbits and fascinating pieces of information from the author, an experienced traveler who has backpacked through eighteen European countries visiting many of the major shrines, sanctuaries, monasteries, convents, and other places of retreat.
Customer Reviews:
Europe Guesthouse & Convent.......2005-07-30
I found this book to be very helpful in detailing the options available to travelers in Europe. I know I will utilize it for and upcoming trip to Italy.
incomplete and erroneous.......2004-12-14
I bought Kevin Wright's book before a trip to Europe. The idea behind the book is a winner; unfortunately the execution leaves much to be desired. (Largish) monasteries that do exist are not mentioned, Wright would have at least one monastery be in a town in which it most certainly has not been for the last 500 years; accuracy is not always Wright's strong point.
It's a huge shame that Wright didn't approach the right offices in Rome, as can easily be done done, and assemble a much more comprehensive and authoritative guide to Europe's monasteries and their guesthouses. Instead, he seems to have largely done his research on the web.
It may well be cheaper to buy this book than to do tons of web searches, but before doing so, you ought to be apprised of this book's limitations.
Practical & Spiritual.......2002-06-23
We were very pleased with the format of this book. Not only is the book practical (it has the monastery contact information we were looking for), but it also approached the subject from a spiritual perspective - very important. The only disappointment, however, was that it didn't have any maps, which made it more difficult to find out where many of the places were located. But nonetheless, it's been very helpful for us, and we've also loaned the book out to friends who have also found it very helpful in making their travel plans. We give it four stars.
good travel book (with a few exceptions).......2002-06-12
I found Mr. Wright's book to be a good travel and resource book, with a few exceptions. Here were the positive's and negatives:
Positive
1) great background info on monasteries
2) lots of contact info on monasteries
3) good website resources listed at back of book
4) nice layout
5) both practical and spiritual
Negative
1) no maps
2) not enough in-depth info about each monastery
Sorry, no exclamation point.......2002-05-15
Many of the overheated reviews for this book, which include an abundance of exclamation points, must be from friends or family of Mr. Wright. After having my expectations raised, I found that this book is dull, poorly conceived and amateurish. It is not an excellent resource, since it includes hardly any details, nor is it inspiring, helpful, awesome or any other of the adjectives used by the exclamatory reviewers. It is a waste of money.
Books:
- Before You Know Kindness
- Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War
- Breath, Eyes, Memory (Oprah's Book Club)
- Bundori
- Burmese Days: A Novel
- Cat in the Dark: A Joe Grey Mystery (Joe Grey Mysteries)
- Claudius the God: And His Wife Messalina
- Complete Book of Jumps
- Confessions of an Ex-Girlfriend
- Crazy Ladies: A Novel
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Courage After Fire: Coping Strategies for Troops Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and Their Famil
- Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson
- Tales of Beatnik Glory
- Stearn's Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners: A Handbook on the Origin and Meaning of the Botani
- The Authentic Story of Pinocchio of Tuscany
- The Knot Book
- The Mandala of Being: Discovering the Power of Awareness
- The Harriman Alaska Expedition Retraced: A Century of Change, 1899-2001
- Riding West: An Outfitter's Life
- Commonsense Direct Marketing
Wickett's Remedy: A Novel
Bee Season
American Pastoral
Tevye the Dairyman and The Railroad Stories (Library of Yiddish Classics)
1185 Park Avenue: A Memoir
