Book Description
With Texasville, Larry McMurtry returns to the unforgettable Texas town and characters of one of his best-loved books, The Last Picture Show. This is a Texas-sized story brimming with home truths of the heart, and men and women we recognize, believe in, and care about deeply. Set in the post-oil-boom 1980s, Texasville brings us up to date with Duane, who's got an adoring dog, a sassy wife, a twelve-million-dollar debt, and a hot tub by the pool; Jacy, who's finished playing "Jungla" in Italian movies and who's returned to Thalia; and Sonny -- Duane's teenage rival for Jacy's affections -- who owns the car wash, the Kwik-Sackstore, and the video arcade.
One of Larry McMurtry's funniest and most touching contemporary novels.
Customer Reviews:
Review of Texasville.......2006-04-28
My apologies to Larry McMurtry, for he has my respect as an author and screenwriter and I am indeed a McMurtry fan. I have not read every book he has written but of the ones I have, I will say without question that this is my least favorite of his.
I do not necessarily have to like the characters when reading a book, but they have to be believable. In my opinion they certainly were not believeable in this book. I also found them annoying and bizarre in an unrealistic way. They were also way to over-the-top, they showed no real emotion, and they always dealt with their problems by having sex with someone other than their spouse. And that really got old after a while.
The plot...there was none. This book had no direction and nothing ever gets resolved. I got the feeling that McMurtry just sat down and started writing and made stuff up as he went along. Some of the events in the book were supposed to be funny, but like the characters, I thought them as unrealistic as I did annoying.
Larry McMurtry has proven himself as a great writer in LONESOME DOVE (Pulitzer Prize winner). I don't know what has happened here. I hope this helps you decide whether or not to read this book. My advice would be to try one of McMurty's other books.
Texasville.......2005-09-15
This novel is a sequel to THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. Duane Moore has made big bucks in the oil fields, but he is also in major debt. The novel chronicles Thalia, Texas, the same setting as the earlier novel, during the early-mid 1980's. It must have been crazy times based on the outrageous behavior of most of these characters (even for McMurtry, who revels in over-the-top characters). McMurtry likes to people his novels liberally and personalize each character immediately by (1) giving them an unusual name and (2) making them quirky in some way personality-wise. That is certainly true here, but there are just too many people doing too many weird things - it begins to not make too much sense after a while. The book lacks focus and a meaningful central core around which to derive a connection with the characters. A miss for McMurtry.
Bunch of Nuts.......2005-02-22
First of all Dairy Queen doesn't have T bone steaks. Second of all, you pay for your food when you order it - not after you've eaten it. So what does Larry McMurtry know?
This book contains many colorful characters - too colorful. NO one acts this way, all the time. Duane, an oilman who has $800.00 in the bank and owes 12 million, has a wife, a couple of girlfriends, and the most horrible, disgusting children who are abusive to animals and each other. Duane keeps wondering why his kids are that way, but he never guesses that it's because he doesn't discipline them, mainly because he's rarely around - either he's with one of his girlfriends or out on his boat trying to get away from everyone. And although Duane frequently bemoans the fact that he's broke, no changes are ever made to scale down on his comfortable lifestyle.
His wife Karla, also has affairs, and pretty much does whatever law-breaking stuff she likes, and always gets away with it.
Duane and Karla have an 86 year old housekeeper who cooks, buys groceries, and keeps their 12,000 square foot mansion clean. To make her interesting, the author has made her into a sumo- wrestling loving hypochondriac.
Jacy, from 'The Last Picture Show" comes back to town to tease and aggravate Duane. Although living in Europe for almost the last 30 years, Jacy still calls people "Honey Pie" and uses the same way of talking as the rest of the Thalia bunch. Jacy has lost one of her children to an accident (and left her other two in someone else's care), and of course she is the only woman in the world to have done so, therefore she must be spoiled and pampered and tolerated at all costs. She eggs Duane's children on to abuse his dog. Jacy thinks they're great kids.
Meanwhile the "Centennial" is being planned. Anytime the Centennial was mentioned, I soon learned it was going to be boring, so I skipped those parts. The parade, the pageant, the beer-drinking. Duane mentions that he feels like the Cemtennial has gone on forever. Me too.
Various women become pregnant by men not their husbands, while their husbands are impregnating other women. The women of this novel mostly lie around watching television and napping. However, the men find them fascinating, perhaps because they are always available. The men don't work much either, having the ability to nap or just walk off their jobs to check into the "quiet room" at the hospital, drive around, or go fishing.
Despite everyone being broke, no one's utilities get cut off, carloads of groceries are bought, and even the women who don't work whose husbands' notes are "called in", can go out and buy brand new red Porsches.
Duane theorizes that the reason that everyone has "gone crazy" is because they got rich during the oil boom. Since not everyone in town was in oil, that doesn't add up. Sonny isn't in oil, and may genuinely being losing his mind.
The characters have some very cute things to say, lots of snappy comebacks, but they have no depth, no real emotions, and no matter how terrible their problems, they aren't bothered by them for any length of time. Although the book is overlong (561 pages) still nothing is resolved - none of the babies are born, no one figures out what's wrong with Sonny (is it a brain tumor or very late onset schizophrenia?), and all romantic relationships are still up in the air.
I felt as though I wasted my time.
When life doesn't live up to expectations. . ........2004-06-18
Thirty years have passed since Duane Moore and Sonny Crawford graduated from high school in Thalia, Texas. The events of "The Last Picture Show" are a distant memory to everyone except Sonny, who continues to live in the past and occasionally gets lost there. Duane has married, gotten rich in the oil boom, raised a bunch of kids, built a 12,000-square-foot house outside of town, and is now $12 million in debt. The boom is over, and disappointment, the dominant mood of the characters in McMurtry's earlier book, is settling in again.
This time, however, disappointment and depression are mostly played for laughs. Sonny, the poignant central character in "Picture Show," has been sidelined in this story by Duane's domestic conflicts, his efforts to remain optimistic in the face of bankruptcy, and his affair with a married woman who is also carrying on with Duane's dope-dealing, womanizing son. McMurtry plays up the ironies and absurdities of life in Thalia where, as Duane observes, everyone seems to have gone crazy. The married and unmarried swap partners with the free-for-all abandon of romance as it's portrayed in country and western songs. And a kind of lunacy grips others, whose adventures push the narrative into wildly implausible episodes of farce, such as a mammoth egg-throwing fight on the closing night of Thalia's centennial celebration.
The melancholy mood that dominates "The Last Picture Show" makes only a brief appearance in this much longer novel, as Duane remembers a young employee killed in Vietnam. And readers, like me, who are fans of McMurtry's earlier work, will be disappointed that McMurtry treats the sorrows of his characters this time so lightly. At worst, the behavior of the town's residents gives Duane headaches and he comes to a realization that his "success" as an oilman and a respected citizen is not an achievement that gives him much self-esteem. The liberated 1980s women in his life (wife Karla, mistress Suzy, and old high school sweetheart Jacy) constantly remind him that he's less than adequate as a man. And at 48, he understands that he no longer has the energy he once had.
Meanwhile, there are pleasures to be had in the novel. In particular, I enjoyed the endless varieties of ironic and humorous disputes that characterize the verbal exchanges between the characters. Duane has a comic ruefulness that both protects him and reveals his vulnerability. And finally, that is the central theme of this novel as all the middle-aged characters (and there are a host of them) try in one way or another to come to terms with lives that haven't lived up to expectations.
Second Book Following Duane.......2003-05-31
Probably not a Last Picture Show, but we find Duane and his friends in mid-adulthood and things aren't going so well for any of them. A slice of life picture? Happiness seems to be eluding the characters, but we are held to the last page by McMurtry's clever treatment of plot and characters. Duane's Depressed, the last book of the series follows, and the reader feels compelled to continue the saga of Thalia's interesting and different citizens.
Evelyn Horan - teacher/counselor/author
Jeannie - A Texas Frontier Girl, Books One - Three
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Texasville: a Novel
larry mcmurtry
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary
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| Literature & Fiction
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ASIN: 0330301969 |
Average customer rating:
- Unexpected Pleasure for sure!
- Loved It
- An Unexpected Pleasure
- Surprisingly Lackluster Character Development
- Disappointing!
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An Unexpected Pleasure
Candace Camp
Manufacturer: HQN Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Camp, Candace | ( C ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
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( C ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books | Coulter, Catherine R.
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ASIN: 0373771355 |
Book Description
Had Theo Moreland, the Marquess of Raine, killed her brother? And had the treasure the two men sought in South America hastened his descent to an early grave? American journalist Megan Mulcahey had to know. But to find out, she needed to infiltrate the marquess's household.
The new American governess intrigued Theo. Wanderlust had always plagued him--until Miss Mulcahey came to Broughton House to teach his young siblings. Now the strange pull of their immediate desire both troubled and excited him. He had seen her beauty once before, in a fever dream his memory could not escape. So why was this delicious vision now snooping around his mansion like a common thief?
Customer Reviews:
Unexpected Pleasure for sure!.......2007-06-28
New York and England 1879
AN UNEXPECTED PLEASURE is a fine read with an interesting mystery.
Very Enjoyable!
Loved It.......2007-05-11
I just finished reading "An Unexpected Pleasure". I loved it!! I wanted to read more and more. I really do hope to see something more from Theo and Megan in the future from Candace Camp. I usually give my books away after reading them, but this time, I'm keeping it. To read again and again. Thank you Candace Camp for this wonderful book. I look forward to reading more of her work!
An Unexpected Pleasure.......2007-03-12
Megan Mulcahey has arrived in London from America to find out more about Theo Moreland, the Marquess of Raine¾the man responsible for her brother's death ten years before. Deciding that the only way to get the information she wants is to get inside Theo's home, so she decides to pose a governess for Theo's young twin brothers.
Theo and Megan are attracted to each other. Megan is appalled with her desire for the man who killed her brother. Theo believes that Megan is a thief so he refuses to give in to his desire for her as well. When truths are revealed, Theo and Megan may have to work together to solve the growing mystery around them.
In An Unexpected Pleasure, Megan's constant fear of discovery, the mystery of who the murderer was and the intense attraction between Theo and Megan are captivating in the first part of the story. Unfortunately I was disappointed by the unexpected twist at the end. It took the story on a totally different angle, one that I found a little far-fetched and not able to flow with the rest of the storyline.
Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
Surprisingly Lackluster Character Development.......2007-01-16
Megan Mulcahey and her family are on a vital mission--to root out and denounce a killer. Traveling from New York to London, Megan is sure her brother's murderer is none other than Theo Moreland, the Marquess of Raine, who accompanied her brother several years prior on an expedition to South America. With only a letter from another present at the time of her brother's demise, she must seek out more information in order to convict a lord in good standing with the Ton. The perfect opportunity arises when she takes on the role of tutor for his youngest siblings. Soon, much to her chagrin, she is enmeshed in the Mad Moreland's' household and under the very watchful eye of Theo. Too, she grows weary of deceiving people who seem genuinely kind, even if they are a tad unusual. With the danger of them discovering her lurking around every corner and strange occurrences surrounding her novice detecting project, Megan employs all her skills as a journalist to get to the bottom of this long neglected mystery.
Home for the first time in ages and tired of constant travel, Theo is more than surprised when the urge to go abroad does not surface again. He's certain it has something to do with his youngest brothers' new tutor, a young woman who is clearly not a teacher in the traditional sense. Something besides her dazzling beauty trips his alarms and soon it's all he can do to keep up with her snooping and obvious deceit. Before he condemns her though, he's willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for clearly she is in danger. Someone wants to silence the young lady before she's loosened her secrets and Theo steps in to do all he can to protect her, despite some surprising discoveries.
Positives about this historical romance are pretty much all having to do with research and plot. I was delighted to discover it touched on one of my most favorite civilizations in history, the Inca. I fair drank up the author's paragraphs delving into their history and culture and could easily picture ancient weapons and décor, rituals and the people of that long extinct tribe. The characters throughout though failed to grasp my attention. Theo and Megan's relationship, while enjoyable at times, lacked a good reason for coming to fruition. The mystery of her brother's murder was cleverly rounded out, with a good twist at the end, but wasn't strong enough to carry all the surprisingly large cast of average characters through. I was rather surprised that Megan's efforts were not more concealed and it was very obvious at times where the story was going in terms of her involvement. The writing was choppy at times too, and I kept stopping on words that were often unnecessary, cluttering instead of helpful. This is not the first Candace Camp title I've read and would certainly still recommend her work based on past reads, despite this one's frustrating lack of character development. Two stars goes to the interesting tidbits of Inca lore and a plot that still managed to pick up the pace and surprise me in the end.
Reviewed for The Mystic Castle
Disappointing!.......2007-01-06
I usually love Candace Camp books but was very disappointed with this one. I didn't mind the paranormal bits at all. What I did mind was the goofiness of Meagan searching this huge house for something. She doesn't know what...just something. Getting caught by Theo who never asks her what she is doing while she keeps looking for ...something. Completely implausible. Also just throwing Deirdre out. I know we may get a story about her eventually but to just drop her with no closure at all? There were just too many things wrong. I was disappointed.
Customer Reviews:
Another excellent "Junior League" book.......2005-11-25
11/15/05 Each Junior League Book I've read has some very fine recipes and suggestions..This one(ISBN 0961321415) The Junior League of Charlotte,NC (1981) keeps within its fine standards, (Pg 174 has actress Liz Taylor's Favorite Chili Con Carne Recipe: requires both beef and pork) & and Philadelphia's location in its Zoological Section called the Black Bottom) is the name of a recipe for "Black Bottom Pie"(crust needs 14 ginger snaps)& also requires a double boiler for the filling ingredients).
Being a Yankee, I giggle a bit but love it........2000-01-10
It is fun to see all-out entertaining in this book. They make sample invitations and themes, even signed with very southern names. I realize this isn't indicative of the entire south, but it's fun to see plans for a "Thursday lunch" and a "supper club", a few themes which would be way out of character for my circle. It is a wonderful fantasy, though. The recipes are easy and very good with nice photographs. This is a book that is as much fun to read as it is functional. The pears en croute alone are a good enough reason to buy the book. It is set into various themes and occasions which I find helpful, however the only one they left out was a baby or bridal shower! It's a great book. If you liked this book, I'd suggest "Specialties of the House" from the Biltmore Estate.
Start planning your next dinner party!.......1999-09-01
My mother gave me this cookbook last Christmas and it brought back such fond memories of my years spent in Charlotte. A well planned and photographed book that transitions easily from kitchen to coffee table. A joy to not only use, but also to curl up with and read. A guide to a most vibrant city and the culinary delights she offers.
One of the most beautiful cookbooks ever printed!.......1999-08-06
A hard cover, coffee-table type cookbook with menus and entertaining ideas that represent the "New South" Winner of many awards for both quality and content. Highly recommended!!
The Best Junior League Cookbook!.......1999-04-08
This is great book because it is organized by menus which are centered around themes (and not just holiday themes). Each menu gives you entertaining and invitation ideas. The recipes that I have tried have been easy enough for the "amatuer" cook but are also sophsicated and impressive. The book itself has a beautiful cover and color pictures of many of the prepared recipes as well as table settings and decorations. This is a great gift book.
Average customer rating:
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A Patchwork Garden: Unexpected Pleasures from a Country Garden
Sydney Eddison
Manufacturer: Henry Holt & Co (P)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Flowers | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0805020918 |
Average customer rating:
- A lovely, unique regional romance about an emotionally
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Unexpected Pleasures
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | African American | Asian American | Classics | Collections & Readers | Drama | General | Hispanic | History & Criticism | Humor | Jewish American | Letters & Correspondence | Native American | Poetry | Short Stories | Women Writers
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0399131981 |
Customer Reviews:
A lovely, unique regional romance about an emotionally.......2003-02-16
stunted man and an intuitive, spirited young woman. I read this book when it first came out in about 1986 and re-read it every few years.
It takes place in the early 1970s in rural southern Maryland, a very "down south" location for the mid-Atlantic region, especially then. The story, while a bit far-fetched, is made believable by Naylor's attention to detail about rural, working class life and her deft handling of the characters' emotions.
The hero, Foster, is a lonely, socially backward, 30-ish bridge construction worker who's pushed by the local busybodies into proposing marriage to a motherless 17 year old girl. The ostensible reason is to shield the girl from her drunken, abusive father, but the town matriarchs are also hoping the girl can help Foster come out of the protective shell he's built around himself to cope with his own tragic past.
The girl agrees, because she's smart enough to realize she's going to end up like her floozy sisters if she continues to live in her father's alcohol soaked, trailer-trash world. Of course, the unlikely couple has many serious obstacles to overcome and the relationship is strained to the breaking point on more than one occasion. It's fascinating to see these two different, yet deeply compatible, people trying to make their unorthodox marriage work. And heartbreaking when it appears they won't be able to do it.
What I like about this novel is the simple decency of the hero and the heroine. In spite of the setbacks and disadvantages they've both suffered in their none-too-charmed lives, they are smart, resourceful and principled. They are also wildly in love with each other, even if they don't realize it until it's. . . well, you'll have to read it to find out!
This is an above-average general fiction novel. Buy a used copy and curl up by the fire for a good read!
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An Unexpected Pleasure
Nancy martin
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0373701977 |
Average customer rating:
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Unexpected Pleasures
Manufacturer: harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0373834829 |
Customer Reviews:
The Year of the Cobra (Egyptian Pharaoh Trilogy 3).......2007-08-09
Being new to Mr. Doherty as an author, having not read any of his woirk as of yet, it would be very helpful if (1) someone would give a hint as to the reading level (is this children's? young adult? adult?) and (2) What are the titles of one and two of the trilogy?
Good continuation of Akhenaten / Tutankhamun story.......2007-03-24
Last in the trilogy of the tragic years of these kings and the chaos in which Egypt was thrown during those years. Many powerful factions fought for the throne which the teenage Tutankhamun had inherited, and his death at 18, unexpectedly, remains a mystery.
Excellent Stuff.......2006-08-05
Paul Doherty has made a big name for himself as an author by writing medieval mysteries. He is a very prolific author but strangely his books do not suffer from this. They are always very fresh and extremely well researched by an author who knows his subject.
This new venture into books on Ancient Egypt, this being part of a trilogy are also well researched. The man is a headmaster, a medieval historian and now to cap it all an Egyptologist as well. It makes me feel tired just thinking about it.
It is a mark of the author if he can capture the spirit of the time he is writing about and of course make is characters come alive, make them believable, though not necessarily likeable. Paul Doherty does all of this with ease. His plots are always excellent, making it almost impossible for the reader to prempt the way the book will conclude.
The previous book in the trilogy ended with Mahu being recalled to court because of the increasing instability of the mind of the Pharaoh, Tutankhamun. This book continues the tale. The young pharaoh is still unwell, but there is no one to take his place and the Hittites, sworn enemies, are advancing on Egypt. There is much plotting and counter plotting. Traps for the unwary are being set . . .
Book Description
Award-winning author Spider Robinson is renowned for his "Callahan's Place" series of bestselling novels, the latest being Callahan's Con (Tor). With his wife, Jeanne, he has written the Hugo- and Nebula-winning "Stardance" series (Baen). He has been a favorite with readers from his earliest stories, which won him the John Campbell Award for best new writer. Since then he has garnered many other awards for his amusing, Heinlein-inspired SF, with the current total at three Hugos and a Nebula Award. He is frequently a guest at SF conventions across the US and Canada. His last book for Baen was the novel Lady Slings the Booze, an offshoot of the Callahan series.
Book Description
In five interwoven meditations, Mystical Hope shows how to recognize hope in our own lives, where it comes from, how to deepen it through prayer, and how to carry it into the world as a source of strength and renewal.
Customer Reviews:
Mystical Hope gives a sparkling Vision of Spiritual Hope! .......2005-02-12
Simply to profit from reading two books by one unique author is Good News to me! It often happened with Sister Joan Chittister, Karen Armstrong, Sir Walter Brueggemann, John Claypool, Barbara Brown Taylor and William Sloan Coffin.
At least two things about Sister Cynthia's writing impress me: Her neatly awesome, appropriate quotations before each of her five chapters: One, "What you dare not hope for--that is what He gives you." (Frere Roger of Taize`Community); Two, Psalm 103:11--"We swim in the mercy as the endless sea." ; Three, "The Notion that God is absent is the fundamental illusion of the human condition." (Thomas Keating) Four, "In the middle of winter, I discovered in myself an invincible summer." (Albert Camus)
In the strongest Chapter Five "Hope and the Future" she employs powerful sub-titles. Then as "Inner and Outer" she writes keenly about "contemplative prayer" being equal to "piercing prayer" which she experienced in a deeply personal relationship with Snow Mass priest, Rafe as they followed Thomas Merton. Under her next sub-title she explores as "the visionary insights at the heart of Christian mysticism" emerging from Jacob Boehme, Merton, Julian of Norwich, Hildegard of Bingen and Barbara Brown Taylor! These examples of her smoothly flowing style capture my imagination and I continue to see this as her strongest book! Accolades to one superb Lady... Retired Chaplain Fred W Hood
Metaphysical depth combined with spiritual practicality.......2001-08-04
At a time when people are yearning for good news, Cynthia Bourgeault's new book invites us to find our way to the hope that does not disapoint or fail. In our usual way of looking at things, hope is tied to an outcome: "I hope I get this job" or "I hope my mother gets well." The Bible introduces us to a different kind of hope that has its source not in events but in the mercy of God, a lifeblood of compassion connecting our heart to God's heart and the heart of all creation. In five interwoven meditations, Mystical Hope shows us how to recognize this hope in our own lives, where it comes from, how to deepen it through prayer, and how to carry it into the world as a source of strength and renewal. About the author: Cynthia Bourgeault has studied and taught in a number of Benedictine monastaries in the United States and Canada. An Episcopal priest, she is well known as a retreat and conference leader, teacher of prayer, and writer on the spiritual life.
Books:
- The 158-Pound Marriage (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
- The Almond: The Sexual Awakening of a Muslim Woman
- The Baby Jesus Butt Plug: A Fairy Tale
- The Blackwater Lightship: A Novel
- The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank: A Novel
- The Chaneysville Incident
- The Cold Six Thousand: A Novel
- The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (Collins Classics)
- The Decay of the Angel
- The Falcon of Palermo
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Emperor's Children
- Jesus and the Lost Goddess: The Secret Teachings of the Original Christians
- Crabwalk
- Daddy Hugs 1 2 3
- Facing Your Giants: The God Who Made a Miracle Out of David Stands Ready to Make One Out of You
- Hierarchical Linear Models: Applications and Data Analysis Methods
- Gravitational Radiation, Luminous Black Holes and Gamma-Ray Burst Supernovae
- Forget Me Not: The True Story of Elisabeth of Austria and the Mysterious Hapsburg Curse
- From Rates to the Poll Tax: Local Government Finance in the Thatcher Era
- The 7 Strategies for a Successful Retirement: Planning to Win, Protecting What You Have, and Buildin
The LAST PICTURE SHOW : A Novel
DUANE'S DEPRESSED
When the Light Goes: A Novel
The Evening Star: A Novel
All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers : A Novel
