Customer Reviews:
Brilliant.......2006-11-20
Here is a novel with the power and brilliance to enter into the heart of the reader. All the elements of great literary fiction are found in the pages of "The Green Age of Asher Witherow." The voice of the narrator looking back many decades to his boyhood could alone have carried this novel. But in addition to voice, the novel also offers a plot involving unforgettable characters who influence and change the boy forever.
One such character is Josiah Lyte, a young would-be Christian minister with a deep and haunting understanding of how life and death can hold hands and dance around each person. His presence holds an ambiguity in the eyes of the people of the town, whose version of Christianity is more literal and monotheistic than Lyte's: Lyte becomes the object of suspicion, even as he draws the narrator, Asher Witherow, closer to him and to a vision of life that is radical and renegade. The interaction between the two is arresting; Asher reflects: "I didn't tell Mother or Father that Lyte and I had spoken again. The confidence flared inside me wit the irresistible thrill of sin. It was so alarmingly simple not to speak, to clutch the secret deeply and own it all myself. The clutching grew delicous." In this relationship the reader can see and feel how we are pulled toward another person for inner reasons we don't fully understand; we can also see, even from the early pages of the novel, that this relationship of Asher's green age has stayed with him and become a part of his soul.
So to his relationships with his boyhood friend Thomas and his first young love, Anna, stay with him: these relationships are beautifully, poignantly drawn, as is his intense and watchful relationship with his parents. And if all this were not enough, the reader is also given a gripping plot involving harrowing experiences and pressing moral dilemmas.
Throughout this novel is the sustained writing: the magnificent voice of Asher reflecting back on his childhood. His descriptions of the earth and its evolution, and the meaning of this evolution, are woven throughout the pages, such that earth becomes yet another character whose force he recognizes. That the novel is set in a mining town and that the characters, including his father and he himself, must descend deep into the earth, intensifies this already intense novel.
"The Green Age of Asher Witherow" is a novel that truly shines out among literary fiction.
Cunningham is half my age and writes twice as good.......2006-05-20
Cunningham is not just good with words and the turn of a descriptive phrase as so many writers are in their cutesy little showboat style. Cunningham is superb with a sentence in a very substantial way. The reason for this is that he is not just gifted lyrically, but he is knowledgable and smart. There is a substantial intellect behind his pen.
I've been aware of this novel for several years already but resisted reading it because, believe it or not, I had planned to place one of my own characters in the same Black Diamond region and I didn't want her influenced by Cunningham's story.
Finally, curiosity got the better of me and I succumbed.
Despite the author's considerable talent at getting inside the main character's head, everyone else gets shortchanged in the character development department. This book is not epic in scope and he fails to mine the history of the town's people and the region in a serious way. I also disliked the way he failed to develop the character of the young minister. Upon first introducing him I couldn't figure out what he was trying to do with him. He made him into a far too sinister person in the early going and kept me uncomfortably off balance and wondering if he was a vampire or a pedophile. It turned out he was neither, but it kept me unnecessarily on edge.
It gets four stars on the strength of Cunningham's writing, but the author is a writer and not yet a novelist.
Wow.......2005-11-18
This is without a doubt the most atmospheric book I've ever read. It was a great story, but even if it wasn't I don't think it would matter. The chapter where Asher's friend 'expires' (I don't want to give too much away) was like reading a nightmare. This is the best first book I've ever read. I'm definitely looking forward to his next.
Multi-layered treatise on life, death, the human condition .......2005-05-12
This book is definitely not for everyone, but the thoughtful reader will find much to savor. In chapters cycling from earth, blood, bone, ash, and back to earth Asher Witherow, winnowed out as special by the unconventional clergyman Josiah Lyte, experiences these elements in his first twenty years. There is a constant dichotomy and juxtaposition in this book. The spiritual and the earthly, the inner and the outer. Life inside the mines and outside the mines. Life and events inside and outside the self. The exposing of the earth's soul and the exposing of the human soul. The darkness of the mine and the darkness of night.
Although a history of mining life in California in the 1860s-1870s is presented, this is not typical historical fiction. This book is way more unique and philosophical.
My only caveat is that in the first half of the book I kept forgetting that the child narrator was just a child. Usually this irritates me, but because he is presented as highly intelligent the author manages to pull it off. All in all this is a stunning first novel published by a small press.
Green Age of Asher Witherow.......2005-01-22
Beautiful prose and some interesting flirtations with nineteenth-century philosophy. For me, though, in the end there's not enough story here to make the book memorable.
All the events affecting the characters and the little mining town in which they live are disastrous, to the point of caricature, and none of them seem to be brought about by protagonist choices or actions; even the vividly described death of a boy in a mine and an accidental pregnancy seem like the results of some looming, inexplicably malevolent Fate. The narrative style in which the story is told by the main character late in life ensures that we know he survives. The beauty of the sentence-level style masks the problems with the plot to some extent but doesn't, in the end, conceal its general pointlessness.
Product Description
344 pages.
Customer Reviews:
From Publishers Weekly.......2007-07-02
A miner's son is immersed in the dark spirituality of an insular, mostly Welsh Northern California mining town in the mid-19th century in this gritty coming-of-age debut. When Asher Witherow is eight, he witnesses the burning of his best friend, Thomas Motion, in a horrific accident as the boys explore the caverns of nearby Mt. Diablo. Witherow hides his knowledge of the accident even as a search is mounted, a situation that intrigues Josiah Lyte, the boy's bizarre schoolteacher and local preacher who eventually gets cast out by the populace for integrating Hindu elements from his upbringing in India into his work. Much of the novel deals with Lyte's mystical influence over his precocious pupil, but some years after the accident Witherow also enters into an ill-fated romance with his "evening friend," Alice Flood. Cunningham does a superb job of capturing the grim rhythm of life in the mines, balancing that material with fine childhood character studies. Occasionally, the author gets carried away and the spiritual material turns lurid, but the beauty of Cunningham's naturalistic prose and the strong characterization of young Asher Witherow make this a worthwhile debut from a noteworthy new author.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Average customer rating:
- Don't even bother opening this book.
- Short but Interesting
- An average book from a good author.
- last bridge is a pleasent interlude
- Very light reading but the storyline was far fetched.
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Last Bridge Home
Iris Johansen
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The Golden Barbarian
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The Tiger Prince
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Dark Rider
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Lion's Bride
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Midnight Warrior
ASIN: 0553298712
Release Date: 1992-08-01 |
Book Description
A young widow befriends a mysterious stranger, only to find herself drawn irrevocably into a strange world of fear and fascination, where she is unable to tell friend from foe, lover from enemy.
Customer Reviews:
Don't even bother opening this book........2004-01-08
This was, by far, the silliest and most unlikable book I have ever read. I'd never read Johansen before, and I must say, this book book did not encourage me to try. Apart from the MAJOR problems of lack of plot and shallow characters, the author clearly did not research such obvious elements of the story, namely, CHILDBIRTH! What a total disappointment!
Short but Interesting.......2002-10-01
This was a very short story at just a little over 200 pages in a larger print. It was an interesting concept and did have me turning the pages to try and figure out all the secrets that were abundant in this story.
Without giving away the plot (that would not be fair) suffice it to say that it was something of a futuristic fantasy and quite lovely. I has some intrique but rather short to be developed too fully. For a quick read it was a good book. Interesting. Different sexual encounter but stamy just the same.
An average book from a good author........2001-06-23
Unfortunately, the book is too short for proper character building and story development. Beth, a pregnant widow, is living in her fairly isolated house located in her hometown. She is approached by two scary men; one an obviously psychotic government agent from an unknown organization and the other an intense stranger who had some connection with her dead husband, or so he claims. If you're interested in a light read, this book isn't bad.
last bridge is a pleasent interlude.......2000-03-22
Beth is comfortable with what life has delt her. There has been the pain of loss, but the joy of love. Suddenly her life is forever changed by the arrival of Jon. A mysterious stranger who seems to know more about who she is, than she does. A very sweet love story evolves. While not deep reading, and not completely believable "Last Bridge Home" is very enjoyable. Like a well worn sweatshirt on a cold day, "Last Bridge Home" will be re-read often, especially on days I need a light pick-me-up.
Very light reading but the storyline was far fetched........1999-08-07
This is my first Iris Johansen book and she came highly recommended. The book was light reading and would be something to read on vacation but though provoking it wasn't. I found the premise of the story not very believable.
Book Description
Why have so many "e-commerce" companies failed in the last few years? In many cases, it's the failure to figure out how to extend the supply chain directly to customers that keeps a company from succeeding. Using cutting-edge delivery practices and technology-based order processing, companies can minimize costs, customize their products, provide increased service and convenience, and increase customer loyalty-all leading to a more robust bottom line.Extending the Supply Chain examines in-depth some of the most high-profile practitioners of telephone and Internet-based order processing and fulfillment. The authors bring you detailed looks at:Amazon, Dell, and FreshDirect, which use the decoupled extended supply chain model to take custom-assembled or custom-packaged orders from an assembly plant or distribution center to the delivery destination using third-party delivery specialists like FedEx and UPS. The semi-extended supply chain model used at companies like Lowes Foods and Best Buy involves processing orders over the Internet or phone and packing the customer's order at their chosen local retail outlet for pick-up at the customer's convenience. This strategy is often the most economical for brick-and-mortar retailers, since it primarily involves the use of existing physical assets and personnel.The fully extended supply chain is more cost-intensive, but may be the most customer-centric option. Orders are picked and packaged not at central locations, but at local stores, then delivered to the customer's home, improving on the old-fashioned "delivery boy" that local grocers employed a century ago. Online retailers such as Albertson's and Tesco have developed a base of customers who will pay for the convenience and level of service that are the hallmarks of the fully extended model.The centralized extended supply chain employs regional distribution centers instead of local stores, but is still able to provide more personalized delivery service (including pre-specified delivery times) than the decoupled model. An in-depth study of Office Depot, the third-largest online retailer (which has stores but does most fulfillment of Internet orders through its regional DCs) shows just how effective this model can be when customers require elements of speed, service, and cost control.Extending the Supply Chain features dozens of clear examples, charts and graphs, and practical tools to help you establish and maintain a dynamic, customer-focused fulfillment operation, and offers proactive strategies for seamlessly integrating marketing and technology initiatives into your supply chain strategy. Examine the four models, and the authors' recommendations for adapting and implementing each one, to determine which one will help your supply chain stretch all the way to its only acceptable destination -- the home of a happy and loyal customer.
Customer Reviews:
The Other End of Supply Chain Analysis.......2006-01-25
While most books on logistics and Supply Chain focus on the manufacturing and suppliers' side of the chain, this one takes you to the complete opposite, where the real value is, the CUSTOMER.
The book provides a thorough analysis of the 4 different models of delivery used by online retailers. The greatness of this book resides in the fact that it describes both the most successful online retailers' practices (Amazon, Freshdirect...) AND the biggest failures (Webvan) so we can learn from their mistakes.
Concise and thorough .......2005-05-24
Extending the Supply Chain is an excellent resource for the individual interested in establishing or perfecting a business that involves home delivery. The authors clearly identify the challenges relate to each type of customer. The research is thorough and comprehensive. The book is well laid out and easy to read. It is a great reference book!
The new age for supply chains.......2004-10-05
This book provides great insight from "industry leaders" on how to promise and deliver product sold through the Internet. Many of the early adopters of Internet based sales systems failed to consider the difficulties of integrating a new system into their existing strategy. Extending the Supply Chain provides great examples of both failures and successes in industry, as well as, outline a framework that will help companies better position themselves to use the Internet as a competitve advantage. This book is a must read for all individuals that wish to take the last mile and use the Intenet to build a strong, viable sales channel.
Hurdling The Last Mile.......2004-08-10
Excellent! For any company delivering goods directly to consumers' homes, this book is a must read! Of particular interest to me were the following quotes: ..."The second major change that must be facilitated to make last mile supply chains truly soar is greater efficiency and standardization of home delivery." ..."The primary challenge is delivering to a customer who is not home." ..."Most, if not all, of the major third-party delivery companies are testing methods for unattended deliveries involving some type of controlled access smartbox." ..."It is our belief that some type of larger, access-controlled box that is available to a wide variety of home delivery companies is an important hurdle for growing last mile deliveries."
Book Description
All About Escrow and Real Estate Closings leads you through the escrow and closing process, from opening escrow to the closing statements. Whether you are a first-time homebuyer or a real estate professional, All About Escrow and Real Estate Closings is an essential tool in understanding the escrow and closing process. This 233-page guidebook leads you step-by-step through the entire transaction from seeking financing to holding title to closing the deal.
In short, All About Escrow and Real Estate Closings will answer all your escrow and closing questions, filling a nice that no other book fills, giving you a better understanding of how your real estate transaction works and of what your closing officer or agent should be doing for you and of what questions you should be asking.
Customer Reviews:
There is no other book with complete closing information.......2003-03-10
I read this fine book, that is so correctly titled. This book is "All About Escrow and Real Estate Closing." Every aspect of the closing from pro-ration of taxes, title insurance, holding title, and closing statement are included in this book. In addition there is an appendix which in 1 paragraph for each of the 50 states outlines the settlement procedures in each and every state. There is also 10 pages of blank forms in the back of the book, which are suitable for copying and using. The book is easy to read taking a complicated and foreign subject and breaking it down and explaining it. It comes as no surprise that this book is used by real estate schools and professionals. Every real estate professional should have a copy and read it as well as use it for reference. If you ever had questions about a real estate closing, those questions are probably answered by this book. If you are only ever going to buy one or two properties this book is going to be over kill, but if your plans include buying multiple properties and you are a real estate investor, then this book will be a helpful tool in your real estate toolbox.
The illustrator is Dave Patton, who also did fine work in Leigh Robinson's excellent book "Landlording".
My only reservation is that some aspects of settlement are handled differently in different states and locales, that everything could not be covered in this book. There is no standard for settlements in different states and some states use different documents. Also some states have a simultaneous closing whereas others have the buyer and seller go to settle at different times.
Delivers More Than Promised!.......2001-01-20
I ordered All About Escrow to explain a few questions I had on closing costs. I was surprised to find that this clearly written book explained to me everything from how to write a purchase agreement, what to look out for, and followed the purchase all the way through to the final closing day. I referred this book to a friend who wanted to purchase a house from a neighbor without using a real estate agent, and All About Escrow detailed exactly how to proceed.
All About Escrow outlines the Who, What, Why, When, and How of any real estate purchase better than most real estate books I have read. It gave me the information I needed. I appreciated the "The Way It Really Is" feature which tells real life stories of a closing and I liked the check lists and what to look for. The book is written in terms which any lay person can understand. The sample forms were very helpful and the State by State Procedures chart is unique. This is one real estate book which delivers more than the title suggests!
Great book. Simplifed the real estate process for me........1999-10-21
This book is fantastic. It really changed the escrow process for me. By simplifing the buying and selling network my escrow went allot easyer. Because of this book I knew which questions to ask and ended up saving allot of money. I would advise to anyone thinking about going through escrow to read this book. It will save you allot of time, energy and expenses.
This book is a 'MUST HAVE" for anyone buying or selling real.......1999-05-25
A reader from Punta Gorda, Florida...May 1999
This book is a 'MUST HAVE" for anyone buying or selling real estate. The down to earth way the book is written makes each detail understandable. This book is unquestionably the best source of information for escrow. It is loaded with information which will help property buyers and sellers avoid a host of potentially serious problems which may occur in escrow and closing. This book saved me money and told me exactly what questions to ask.
Average customer rating:
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A Last Bridge Home
Manufacturer: Clark City Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | African | Ancient, Classical & Medieval | Anthologies | Asian | Australia & Oceania | British | Canadian | Carribean & Latin American | Chinese | Criticism | Epic | French | General | German | Inspirational & Religious | Irish | Japanese & Haiku | Limericks & Humorous Verse | Love Poems | Middle Eastern | Norse & Icelandic Sagas | Poets, A-Z | Russian | Single Authors | Spanish | United States | Writing
ASIN: 0944439276 |
Book Description
New and selected poems.
Average customer rating:
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Last Bridge Home
Iris Johansen
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000PFRS7S |
Average customer rating:
- Not Free SF Reader
- A Classic
- McCaffrey hits another home run
- Killashandra, book 1
- I love this book
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Crystal Singer
Anne Mccaffrey
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Killashandra
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Crystal Line
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Power Play
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Power Lines
ASIN: 0345327861
Release Date: 1985-11-12 |
Book Description
Her name was Killashandra Ree. And after ten grueling years of musical training, she was still without prospects. Until she heard of the mysterious Heptite Guild who could provide careers, security, and wealth beyond imagining. The problem was, few people who landed on Ballybran ever left. But to Killashandra the risks were acceptable....
Download Description
Her name was Killashandra Ree; and after ten grueling years of musical training she was young, beautiful -- and still without prospects.
Then she heard of the mysterious Heptite Guild on the planet Ballybran, where the fabled Black Crystal was found.
For those qualified, the Guild was said to provide careers, security, and the chance for wealth beyond imagining. The problem was, few people who landed on Ballybran ever left.
To Killashandra the risks were acceptable...
"...no dragons, but [the novel] has all of McCaffrey's gifts for world-building and characterization... an excellent book."
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
Cover art by Michael Whelan
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
A woman is a talented singer, however she is not good enough to be the best there is, so she gets a bit grumpy.
So, she goes and takes a job as a crystal miner on another planet, where, for some reason, the ability to sing in perfect pitch is a very useful ability.
The book really isn't as dumb as that sounds, though.
The crystal they mine is a valued and important technological resources.
A Classic.......2007-01-19
I have read this book many times, and it is an enjoyable read every time.It is a good addition to any science fiction library.
McCaffrey hits another home run.......2007-01-12
I read this book over two years ago and hung on to it to read again. It made such an impression on me that I can still remember a lot of the book.
Killashandra, book 1.......2005-07-18
Killashandra Ree doesn't know what she's getting herself into. Killashandra Ree doesn't care. After devoting ten long years of hard work and study, her dream of becoming a top-rank concert singer is yanked painfully from her grasp.
Now she is angry, frustrated and alone. So when a mysterious man from Ballybran enters her life she follows him without reservation.
So begins the adventures of Killashandra as she travels across the galaxy to the strange forbidden planet of Ballybran and it's darkly mysterious Heptite Guild. If she is found worthy she will have more than she ever dreamed of.
But those who come to Ballybran are forever altered and few ever leave. Those who do leave are always called back by the seductive lure of the fabled Crystal.
Killashandra Ree always wanted to be a singer. Now she has a chance to be a Singer.
I love this book.......2005-03-23
The Crystal Singer is one of my top 10 favorite Sci-fi books of all time. The concept of Crystal Singing, the planet Ballybran (and all of it's unique characteristics), black crystal communications... are wonderful. I almost wish that I could be a Crystal Singer too. I re-read this book almost yearly and I love it every time.
The main character Killashandra is a very strong female character so I think that this book might appeal to women more than men.
If you love sci fi I would highly recommend this book.
Book Description
Edu-PLAY-tional, captivating metaphysical primer for children/families, featuring Crystals, Meditations, E.S.P. and Healing Arts brought to life thru storyline, activities, songs and enchanting, colorable illustrations. Glossary. Basic concepts with practical, creative applications. Sophisticated yet simple, resonating with the wonder of a young world. Recommended by leading experts. Softcover, saddlestitched.
Customer Reviews:
Great All-A-Round Book!!!!.......2000-08-07
This activity book for children is FANTASTIC!!! It offers children a much needed book on metaphysics and meditation. Explains it in a way that is appealing to children, I have had to photo copy many of the activities in this book for my children because they want to do them over and over!! If you want to introduce your children to the power of Crystals.. This is a MUST HAVE book!
Average customer rating:
- What Oprah should have picked instead of Anna K.
- Pretty awful
- Will there ever be a sequel....?
- THOUGHT PROVOKING SCIENCE FICTION
- Exciting, provacative; I dare anyone to put it down.
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Crystal Singer Trilogy
Anne Mccaffrey
Manufacturer: Del Rey
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Binding: Paperback
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The Harlequin (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 15)
ASIN: 0345402928
Release Date: 1996-02-06 |
Book Description
CRYSTAL SINGER
Young and beautiful, Killashandra Ree was a trained musician with no prospects . . . until she heard of the mysterious Heptite Guild on the planet Ballybran, where the fabled Black Crystal was found. For those qualified, the Guild was said to provide careers, security, and the chance for unimaginable wealth. But once you'd sung crystal, there was no going back . . .
KILLASHANDRA
Killashandra's first season on Ballybran was everything she had hoped for: She had sung Black Crystal, grown wealthy, and met a man who could make her forget her own sorrowful past. But then, a year later, everything had changed. She was broke, she had crystal sickness so bad she thought she'd die, and the only way she could be true to the man she loved was to leave him. . . .
CRYSTAL LINE
Crystal singing changed the singer forever, bringing ecstasy and pain, near-eternal life . . . and gradual loss of memory. Killashandra had a lot of painful memories she could afford to lose. What she hadn't counted on was the loneliness she felt when her heart still remembered what her mind had forgotten. Then she found she might have a chance to salvage what was left of her mind. But to do that, she would have to learn to open herself--to another person, and to her own unhappy past . . .
THRILL TO THE SONG OF CRYSTAL ALONG WITH KILLASHANDRA REE!
AT LAST, ALL THREE CRYSTAL SINGER NOVELS COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME!
Customer Reviews:
What Oprah should have picked instead of Anna K........2004-06-14
This is one of the best science fiction books i've read not just because of how realistic the characters are but because of the sexuality incorperated in this book. It's not the classic princess being chased by a knight but modern relationships built on lust and the need for companionship. Addmittedly, it is quite long but if you can get past the first 200 pages you'll love it. It took me about a week to get past 200 pages and then a day and night to finish it. The first book is the best while the second build on Killa's relationship with Lars. The last book doesn;t really continue the story but act more like an epilogue detailing Killa's loss of memory and the effects being a Crystal Singer has on her memory. It's quite sad at times but worth a read it you are in love with Killa as much as I am.
Pretty awful.......2002-07-11
There's a lot wrong with Crystal Line. Anne McCaffrey would have done better to have left the Crystal Singer series at two books and not written this at all.
I enjoyed the first two books in this series despite Killashandra, not because of her. She's her usual unpleasant self in this book, only more so. But the problems in this book go far beyond an unsympathetic heroine.
The plot is disjointed. Killashandra and her lover/professional partner Lars travel to an alien planet in a brain&brawn ship to investigate "jewel junk" - a substance that may or may not be a life-form, and may or may not be intelligent. Having successfully completed that assignment, Killashandra and Lars return to Ballybran to resume their crystal-cutting career. It is here that the plot takes a ninety-degree turn. On Ballybran, tragedy strikes when Lanzecki, Guildmaster of the Heptite Guild, dies. Lars takes over the position - and Killashandra can't handle the change in circumstances. The lovers split, both personally and professionally. Killashandra goes off on her own, while Lars struggles to turn around the stuggling Guild. Eventually, they are reconciled - and then help with the "jewel junk" is requested from them once more. Tragedy in a couple of different forms strikes, and then everything is resolved happily. By this time it is clear than the "jewel junk" storyline, which took up so much space initially and promised a different kind of book, is nothing more than a deus ex machina device to manipulate a happy ending.
Characterisation is also a problem. The supposed depth of the supposed love between Killashandra and Lars does not shine through; and given how unpleasant Killashandra is, it's hard to believe that she cares for Lars, or that he could care about her at all. There's no real depth to any of the characters, and the "crises" that each of them face do not come across to the reader with the force with which they are meant to have struck the suffering characters. Then there's McCaffrey's usual propensity for cheap titillation.
McCaffrey seems to have been struck with a disease that is becoming more and more common amongst authors: the desire to control your imaginary world from beginning to end. All the problems of Killashandra, Lars, and the Heptite Guild and all its members are solved by the end of this book, or as good as - no room for more stories, everything closed off with a happy-ever-after ending. If she felt it absolutely necessary to close out this series, rather than leave it open-ended, she could have given us something better than this contrived, shallow effort.
Crystal Line is not up to the standard of The Crystal Singer and Killashandra. Read them instead, and remember how much better this series used to be.
Will there ever be a sequel....?.......2000-03-04
I have read these 3 books many times over a span of several years, and I still enjoy them thoroughly. Killashandra is a strong character and the Crystal League provide the Sci'Fi part, but I must admit that there is a very strong romance line to the plots, so be ready to be swept away by more than just a new and future "world". The stories are fun, the plot line thickens and the final solutions develop the stories in the most convincing terms. I want more... please Anne? Do some more on Killa!
THOUGHT PROVOKING SCIENCE FICTION.......1997-11-22
ANNE HAS THIS WAY OF BRINGING THE MOST OUT OF A CHARATER. KILLISHANDRA REE IS THE MOST THAT THE UPWARD WOMAN OF THE 90'S WANTS TO BECOME. THE TRILOGY GIVES A PERSPECTIVE TO THE READER THAT IT IS OK TO STEP OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE. THAT IS DEFINETLY NOT WHERE THE READER IS GOING. THE READER OF THIS TRILOGY WILL FIND THEMSELVES "THRALLED" BY THE EVER POWERFUL ANNE McCAFFERY. YOU WON'T LEAVE HOME UNTIL YOU'VE FINISHED!
Exciting, provacative; I dare anyone to put it down........1997-10-09
This book is beyond words. Read it over and over again and you will still find new things. The imagery is exqusite, and the feelings are overwhelming. In depth and full of details, this book is a must read for anyone who has ever dreamed of adventure, no matter the interest.
Product Description
Killashandra stared at her usually dignified and imperturbable former music teacher and thought that he had to be acting. His speech was so...so extravagant.
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multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.
Book Description
Psychoanalysis and Buddhism pairs Buddhist psychotherapists together with leading figures in psychoanalysis who have a general interest in the role of spirituality in psychology. The resulting essays present an illuminating discourse on these two disciplines and how they intersect. This landmark book challenges traditional thoughts on psychoanalysis and Buddhism and propels them to a higher level of understanding.
Customer Reviews:
Very interesting structure though not integrated or consistent.......2005-11-21
This book is very interestingly constructed-with introduction {comparing Buddhism & Hinduism & parallels w/Christianity (Protestant vs. Catholic) & 9 chapters with 3 parts each: an essay, a critique by another author, & a rebuttal by the essay's author. It was a rare & IMHO very valuable methodology resembling a trial with testimony, cross-examination, & redirect. Essays/critiques vary in quality, interest to readers, & level of difficulty/abstraction. Some authors are well-known (e.g. Jeffrey Rubin: "Psychotherapy & Buddhism," Barry Magid: "Ordinary Mind," & Polly Young-Eisendrath: "The Psychology of Mature Spirituality" & "Awakening & Insight-Zen Buddhism & Psychotherapy"). My favorite essays were: Jack Engler's "Being Somebody & Being Nobody: A Reexamination of the Understanding of Self in Psychoanalysis & Buddhism" & Rubin's "A Well-Lived Life: Psychoanalytic & Buddhist Contributions."
IN SUMMARY, on one hand, this book includes p. 364-6: M. Guy Thompson, "The notoriously abstract conceptualizations of Jacques Lacan...Readers who are not already familiar with Lacanian analysis will find Moncayo's treatment of its theoretical foundation challenging, to say the least." On the other had, p. 410: Rubin-is "dancing in the spaces between psychoanalysis & Buddhism." I especially liked his pp. 403-4 "story from the Zen tradition illustrates what Buddhism means by attachment & nonattachment. Two Zen monks, Tanzan & Ekido, were once traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was falling. Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono & sash, unable to cross the intersection. `Come on girl,' said Tanzan at once. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud. Ekido did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer could restrain himself. `We monks don't go near females,' he told Tanzan, `especially not young & lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why did you do that?' `I left the girl there,' said Tanzan. `Are you still carrying her?' (Reps 1919, 18)" [Zen Flesh, Zen Bones]-though there's a very similar Vajrayana story about an old woman carried across a raging river (see "The Snow Lion's Turquoise Mane" by Surya Das).
The essays were not integrated, however, major topics, across essays, IMHO included:
THE SELF: Engler addresses Sullivan's "adaptive psychological advantage" =how it evolved, quotes the Dalai Lama, "Your self is very real! If you don't respect its reality, you will cause a lot of suffering to yourself," & says: p. 423 note 7-"The non-self-centered self is my own attempt to preserve the germ of truth in Buddhist formulations w/o subscribing to its problematic facets;" p. 153, Stuart Pizer says "A self that is multiply constituted remains a functional subjective self;" p. 175: Sara L. Weber says, "The Buddha is advocating a radical end of narcissism;" & Magid quotes Aitken Roshi, "The self is still present but it is not self-preoccupied."
CONTEXTS--p. 58: Engler: "paradigmatic commitments determine which data are deemed relevant to theory" causing blind spots; p. 85: Stephen Mitchell-"Like all other theories about the human mind & experience, this view of the mind seems to be promoting...what its practitioner wants it to be;" p. 138: Robert Langan: "Contexts relationally define reality."
ENLIGHTENMENT--p. 211: Joseph Bobrow-"Rilke wrote: `Someone who is ready for everything, who doesn't exclude any experience, even the most incomprehensible, will sound the depths of his own being,'" pp. 342-3: Raul Moncayo: "my thoughts work autonomously & not always in alignment with my intentions & desires," & p. 409: Rubin-"When self-experience is less self-referential & self-preoccupied, & more self-expansive & interconnected, we feel more in touch with people & nature."
COMPLEMENTARY--p. 201: Bobrow: "Psychoanalysis & Zen speak in distinctive yet mutually potentiating voices about core human dilemmas, values, & potentials with which they share common ground, such as truth & freedom," p. 287-92: Philip A. Ringstrom: "We need both complementary systems of thought since each one can be antidotal to the potential excesses of the other...It is Zen's lack of knowledge about & respect for the psychological vicissitudes of such developmental systems theory that naively invites the `one-size-fits-all' discipline of certain Zen teachers...Zen & psychoanalysis operate as beautifully complementary systems of thought, each balancing out the other's potential excesses," p. 311: Young-Eisendrath: "Bodhin Kjolhede, abbot of Rochester Zen Center says, `Even when people have had fairly deep experiences of awakening, they still have tendencies or afflictions or habit energies with amazing staying power...however, the attitude toward these habits will have been transformed...after enlightenment you can still be depressed, but it's not as disruptive or frightening because you see it as transient & insubstantial, like all phenomena,'" & p. 391 Rubin: "Truth is not the province of a particular school of thought & sometimes it thrives in the interstices between different disciplines & modes of thinking, where fertile & novel perceptions & questions may arise."
A profound and recommended addition to Buddhist studies.......2003-07-26
Compiled and edited by Jeremy D. Safran, Psychoanalysis And Buddhism: An Unfolding Dialogue brings together dialogues from a group of nineteen talented writers who focus on concerns respecting the intersection of Buddhism and the science of psychoanalysis. Contemplating the complexities of the human mind, will, and spirit, these informed and informative writings meditate upon the depths of transformation possible in the individual. A profound and recommended addition to Buddhist studies shelves, Psychoanalysis And Buddhism will prove of immense interest and value to students of Eastern Philosophy and Western Psychology.
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