Book Description
It is 1963 in an unnamed town in North Dakota, and Anthony Thrasher is languishing for a second year in eighth grade. Prematurely sophisticated, young Anthony spends too much time reading Joyce, Eliot, and Dylan Thomas but not enough time studying the War of 1812 or obtuse triangles. A tutor is hired, and this "modern Hester Prynne" offers Anthony lessons that ultimately free him from eighth grade and situate her on the cusp of the American sexual revolution. Anthony's restless adolescent voice is perfectly suited to De Vries's blend of erudite wit and silliness—not to mention his fascination with both language and female anatomy—and it propels Slouching Towards Kalamazoo through theological debates and quandaries both dermatological and ethical, while soaring on the De Vriesian hallmark of scrambling conventional wisdom for comic effect.
Customer Reviews:
Absolutly hilarious; cleverly written.......2002-05-07
I just finished this book. I could not put it down. Peter De Vries is a brillaint comic writer. I put him up there with Woody Allen. His characters were so void of common sense yet "book smart". The situation with Tony getting his teacher pregnant in one passionate moment was the funniest thing I ever read. It never struck me as "dirty" or off color. The way the two of them handled the "delicate situation" was side splittingly funny. I have to say that when Tony starting reciting the "chief products of Venezuela" I almost fell on the floor laughing. I was also very taken by his father and the way the author described how he would read from books to his wife and Tony. The expression he would use in his voice could almost be "heard" by me because the author described it so well. My favorite line from the book was in the beginning. Tony's teacher had assigned "The Scarlet letter". The mayor being a "percursor to todays Moral Majority" said,"We're gonna tighten our Bible Belt! "We're gonna show'em we're the buckle of the belt". I live in a very conservative state and it would be something I just might hear and have to giggle. I highly recommend this book. It is a winner.
A book to make you laugh out loud.......2001-01-23
This book kept me laughing out loud all the way through. Even on re-reading, it's still funny. Very witting, very erudite. Great fun for anybody who's a bit on the bookish side. Without giving too much of the plot away -- an affair between an English teacher and a student, and they keep correcting each other's grammar & vocabulary & epigrams during intimate moments. Fun book!
allusions and nonsense abound in this glib, wacked-out tale.......2000-01-27
Man, why is this guy out of print? This stuff is great! A truly humorous, satirical novel, this surpasses almost anything written in the last twentyt yuears that I have read in its wit and uncanny shenanigans.
Book Description
Chase is on! Her out-of-print classic is now back in top form. The Comte d'Esmond is supposed to be investigating Leila Beaumont's corrupt and treacherous husband. But all he wants to do is surrender to her dangerously captivating eyes.
Customer Reviews:
Seductive Tale with Two Incredible Characters. This book is Hot! (A Grade).......2007-07-17
Loretta Chase is an incredible writer and with Captives of the Night, she writes a near perfect book. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical romance with mystery, suspense and passion from a hero for a woman who becomes his soul, or so he believes- this book is for you.
Captives is the sequel to The Lion's Daughter where Comte d' Esmond (Ismal is his real name) was the villain of that story and now he is the hero and after ten years he is back with a vengeance but on the right side of the law. He is undercover trying to stop a man who was even more devious than he was. Francis Beaumont is the true villain of the piece but soon is murdered. He leaves behind a widow- Leila who is an artist and becomes the new obsession of Esmond.
Leila is an interesting woman and one that has been though so much heartache. Her husband treated her horribly, even though he saved her after the murder of her own father and allowed her talents to shown through. But Francis had demons and horrible secrets that Leila comes to find out with the help of Esmond who may have been responsible for her father's death over 10 years ago. They become partners and investigate nasty dead hubby's murder and soon their passions for each other collide.
Leila and Esmond were written in such a way that was mind boggling. Chase's creative skills are top notch here and when they these two characters finally come together to show their love for each other, well it is everything any romance fan would want between their hero and heroine.
This honestly is one of Chase's best works and her hero Esmond is so unique and overall seductive in his talk and actions that Leila had no chance. When she finally surrenders, she does so willingly and those scenes are beyond hot!
A definite winner and a keeper for anyone's bookshelf.
Katiebabs
The Lion's Daughter (Berkley Sensation) (Berkley Sensation)
A well-written and layered book but with flaws.......2007-01-04
First comment about this book - the cover art seemed a bit odd. We have a man with a very modern haircut peeping through some bed hangings; he's got a definite five o'clock shadow but completely hairless arms and he looks like one of my friends who's a vicar in Swindon. He certainly doesn't look like an Albanian man masquerading as a French Count in 1829 - who is described as having blonde hair which is slightly overlong and amazingly blue eyes. Once again, the cover art of a Regency Mass-market Paperback lets us down - badly.
But on to the book, if you've managed to get past the awkward cover and actually purchased the thing. It's the story of the Comte D'Esmond, French nobleman, who appears to be trying to seduce Mrs Leila Beaumont, wife of Francis Beaumont. All of these characters appeared briefly in "Lord of Scoundrels" - Francis Beaumont being a very unpleasant man who spends his time in dissolute living; his wife, on the other hand, is an amazing artist and the sole of fidelity.
Until Francis is murdered and she is the chief suspect. Fortunately she is acquitted of the murder, with the help of the Comte D'Esmond, but then it becomes clear to her that she must try to find out who actually did kill her husband, in case that person tries to murder someone else. So she goes to a figure in authority - who puts the Comte D'Esmond on the case. But is he quite who he seems?
The characters in this book are many layered. The Comte is decidedly not as he appears on the surface but he guards his secrets incredibly well. Leila Beaumont has been emotionally damaged by her husband and can't trust men at all - when she realises how many secrets the Comte is keeping she knows she can't trust him either. And yet they have to work together and she slowly begins to unpick his story and find out more about him, much against his will.
There's not a great deal of action in this book apart from small movements as the Comte and Leila move around her artists studio, picking up paintbrushes, sitting down on a chair, that kind of thing. No long carriage journeys or gunfights, it's like a still-life painting where the subjects provide all the visual interest by just being themselves. It's well written, particularly in the Comte's way of speaking English with a foreign flavour, but I did find my attention straying sometimes because of the lack of action and because there was always something more being unveiled - what you thought was true seemed to change on a very regular basis as Leila finds out more. The book definitely picked up in interest towards the end although I was very fearful about the Big Misunderstanding that was trailed from about a third of the way through - fortunately the author did something rather better with this than you would usually expect in this kind of novel. Overall her characters were different and interesting and I did enjoy the book, if sometimes getting a little confused by all the different characters and finding their focus on the murder plot a little irritating.
Wonderfully romantic.......2006-12-09
This is my favorite Loretta Chase book yet. And I love them all.
It is a sequel to "The Lion's Daughter", set ten years later. Those who remember "Ismal" from that book will be startled at first by this story of him and how he falls in love. You do not have to have read "Lion's Daughter" to read this, (I read this one first) but it helps.
Superbly written, this story is at once a romance and a mystery and is completely spell binding. I could not put it down, and I have worn out my one copy and need to buy another!
Loretta Chase continues to amaze me with her intense but marvelously drawn characters, her unique "voices" and "faces" for each of them from book to book, and her depth of knowledge of the worlds she visits.
This book was originally published by Avon is 1994. Her newest books are not as "deep" in characters and setting, and yet are enjoyable. But my favorite of all of her books so far is this one, and because it is deeply written.
Neither as wryly funny as "The Last Hellion" nor as seriously scary as "The Lion's Daughter", 'Captives of the Night" certainly captivated ME!
Sadly..............dissapointed........2006-09-19
Ms. Chase is a highly talented and interesting writer. However I found this book to be just plain awful.
First of all there is a lot more mystery than romance. And the plot just seems to drag on and on and on...
While I enjoy heriones that are strong willed. This one bordered on "lunatic". I just can't like a character who throws tantrum after tantrum and even hits the hero on the head with a chamber pot while screaming that she is going to kill him. And on the next page she is in his arms.... She was just way too dark for my taste.
The hero is okay. Nothing out of the ordinary and the secondary characters are just fair.
If you want to read an amazing book by Ms. Chase, then "Lord of Soundrels" is a wonderful choice. Pass on this one...wish I had.
Loretta makes me work hard for this one........2006-05-15
I love reading Loretta Chase's work because it is so dense. You have to work through every paragraph and I don't usually know where she is going. This book was no different. However I gave this book less than a stellar rating because the heroine was far to jaded for me and I couldn't see her attraction. And the constant refusals of Ismal were disappointing. She was fighting some inner battle with herself and it was getting tedious to read it. The mystery didn't keep my attention either. OK read, just not going to read it again.
Average customer rating:
- A gripping, first-person saga of endurance
- Compelling, enlightening, and tremendously moving
- An Excellent Read!
- This book takes you there!
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Proof Through the Night: A B-29 Pilot Captive in Japan
Kristi Burke
Manufacturer: Opal Creek Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Military | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Personal Narratives | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1931105049 |
Customer Reviews:
A gripping, first-person saga of endurance.......2002-06-05
Proof Through The Night: A B-29 Pilot Captive In Japan is the true life saga of Ernest Pickett, as told to able scribe K. P. Burke, of his World War II odyssey and nightmare. Shot down behind enemy lines, Ernest survived the horrendous conditions which the Japanese military authority inflicted upon prisoners of war in general, and hated American bomber pilots in particular. A gripping, first-person saga of endurance, humanity, and the horrors of war, Proof Through The Night is a highly recommended contribution to the growing library of World War II military memoirs.
Compelling, enlightening, and tremendously moving.......2002-05-25
I have never had any interest in military history, war stories, or the like, and I only half-heartedly started this book upon the recommendation of a friend who assured me that I would love it. Two days later, after reading during every spare moment, I could hardly contain my enthusiasm and have now recommended it to many other reluctant war story readers. The understated, straightforward and conversational tone of this book contrasts dramatically with the extreme circumstances and events described. The result is an even-handed yet sensitively interpreted first-person account of the events leading up to Ernest Pickett's first bombing mission over Japan, his 13-month captivity, and the aftermath. It is tremendously moving, and the details of the planes and military procedures are explained so well that even a non-technical, non-military person like me found them fascinating.
An Excellent Read!.......2002-03-16
Proof Through the Night puts you on the front lines of the horrors of war and the unbelievable mistreatment that Japanese POW's endured. I wish I could meet these men and shake their hands in thanks for the sacrifices they have made. You're hooked from the beginning: I stayed up all night reading this book.
This book takes you there!.......2002-01-04
Burke's book about her father's survival takes you straight into 1945 Japan. The story details Ernie Pickett's daily experiences after being shot down during the first daylight raid over the Japanese mainland. He parachuted into the middle of a group of civilians armed with sticks ready to beat him. He was brutally beaten by the Japanese military police. His burns and other injuries were left untreated. He wore the same tattered uniform for months. He learned to kill lice by the thousands. And he walked onto a Navy hospital ship after the Japanese surrender. This is a wonderful book, told in Ernie Pickett's humble, common sense voice. I highly recommend it.
Average customer rating:
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Captive in the Night
Manufacturer: Coward, McCann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I1GT56 |
Average customer rating:
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Captive in Night
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 045101006X |
Average customer rating:
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Captives of the Night
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GRO1BQ |
Average customer rating:
- Brightness Reef
- Other Books
- It leaves you hanging No Satisfaction Don't Bother
- Brightness Reef Review
- Utterly Confusing
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Brightness Reef (The Uplift Trilogy, Book 1)
David Brin
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Brin, David
| ( B )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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Paperback
| Brin, David
| ( B )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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( B )
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| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| 4-for-3 Books Store
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| Brooks, Terry
General
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All 4-for-3 Deals
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Similar Items:
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Infinity's Shore (The Uplift Saga, Book 5)
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Heaven's Reach (The Second Uplift Trilogy #3)
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The Uplift War (The Uplift Saga, Book 3)
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Sundiver (The Uplift Saga, Book 1)
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Startide Rising (The Uplift Saga, Book 2)
ASIN: 0553573306
Release Date: 1996-10-01 |
Amazon.com
Millennia ago the Five Galaxies decreed the planet Jijo off limits. But in the last thousand years six races have begun resettling Jijo, embracing a pre-industrial life to hide their existence from the Galactics. Overcoming their differences, the Six have built a society based on mutual tolerance for one another and respect for the planet they live on. But that has all changed with an event the Six have feared for hundreds of years: the arrival of an outside ship. Author David Brin has returned to his popular Uplift universe in this, the first book of a new trilogy.
Book Description
David Brin's Uplift novels--Sundiver, Hugo award winner The Uplift War, and Hugo and Nebula winner Startide Rising--are among the most thrilling and extraordinary science fiction tales ever written. Now David Brin returns to this future universe for a new Uplift trilogy, packed with adventure, passion and wit.
The planet Jijo is forbidden to settlers, its ecology protected by guardians of the Five Galaxies. But over the centuries it has been resettled, populated by refugees of six intelligent races. Together they have woven a new society in the wilderness, drawn together by their fear of Judgment Day, when the Five Galaxies will discover their illegal colony. Then a strange starship arrives on Jijo. Does it bring the long-dreaded judgment, or worse--a band of criminals willing to destroy the six races of Jijo in order to cover their own crimes?
Customer Reviews:
Brightness Reef.......2007-09-11
This is Brin's opening to the second Uplift Trilogy. Like the previos three volumes, this opening is superb. Brin is a fantastic author, who has created a dense, complex futureverse with generally amusing alien races and uplifted Earth races, who amuse even during the most dramatic events. The crux of the story is how does mankind carve out an autonomous existence in the face of alien races with much more advanced technology? Who assists them and what odds do they overcome to succeed? This is a must read for anyone who enjoys sci-fi. This has a touch of hard science to it, but not an overwhelming amount of it. I would love to see Brin do a third tilogy set in this futureverse. His work is fascinating.
Other Books.......2007-09-03
Jijo mojo nogo.
A second Uplift trilogy starts here, and unfortunately it is a big old mess. Nowhere near as entertaining or well done as the other three books. The book is set on an alien world that has been settled by a whole bunch of different alien races, and apparently it has all been done on the shonk, in general.
Add in a mystery person and perhaps some ties to the other books, but this one needed some serious plot work to make it readable or make you want to go on with the rest.
It leaves you hanging No Satisfaction Don't Bother.......2007-08-06
This book spends over 700 pages leading up to a big climax that is not resolved unless you read the subsequent books.
I usually don't review Bad books on Amazon but I was compelled to with this one. This book is just good enough to keep you reading and then it leaves you hanging by not resolving the cliff-hangers. It's as if in a cheep attempt to get you to read the rest of the books in the series they ripped out the last chapter and made it first chapter of the next book. This is 2nd rate science fiction at best and it doesn't even have any science in it. A very disappointing read. AVOID IT.
Brightness Reef Review.......2007-05-29
It was a very interesting book and you didn't really need to have read the first uplift trilogy to understand it (the emphasis on Galactics is minimal and fully explained in the book - but you will need to have read Stardiver to appreciate the next book Infinity's Shore). Beware if you have a hard time with numerous characters with odd names and of different species because Brin hits you with a very large number of them right from the beginning and continuing throughout the book (much more intensely than in the original trilogy). I had a hard time at first keeping everyone straight in my head, but eventually I was able to do so (about half way through or a little further). One reason it's important to do this is because Brin changes points of view FREQUENTLY from one character to another and unless you can keep pace with it, it can become a bit confusing. I truly struggled through the first half of the book because of these many unique characters, tempted to "give up" several times but persevering through because I wanted to know what happened (and I don't usually have this problem - even with Stephen King novels or others where there are just as many different characters). I think it's because the characters were also from different alien cultures and that made for an additional element to consider with each shift.
It's definitely a good read and will prime you for the rest of the second trilogy. Just keep in mind that the second trilogy is not the same as the first in that there isn't anywhere near as much involvment of the Galactics or space travel (it's focused primarily on the one planet and its inhabitants and visitors). For that and other reasons, I don't think the second trilogy is as exciting as the first - but that's definitely a matter of individual opinion.
Utterly Confusing.......2006-12-30
Brin is a great story writer. But he misses on this one. There are a huge number of characters, and species, that are not sufficiently introduced to be able to definitively understand who they are. The story is told from a number of points of view, most of them alien, and worse yet, with alien psychologies. Brin's goal here is to create a fully different psychology, and he succeeds, to the point that you can't be sure what is actually being said. Unfortunately Brin adds to the confusion by not telling us always what species is talking. It's not until 1/3 of the way through the book that we even know who the humans are, and who we can identify with as a common species. This results in there being very little for us to latch on to to care about, and throughout the book there is not one character that I feel for.
As a reader I shouldn't have to be constantly flipping through previous pages to figure out who a character is. I shouldn't have to be checking the list of characters to keep this in mind- but if that is necessary, there *should* be a list of characters. The result is that most of the characters know more about this world and themselves than the reader does. It is the opposite of the ominscient view-point, and does not lead to reading enjoyment.
I read this book in order to understand the developments that were left unanswered in the previous Uplift books. I was disappointed in this as well. Very little progresses in this regard, and even the famous final revelation in the last word of the book is woefully uninteresting. Skip this book, or read only the end and Wikipedia summaries. Yes, you'll be confused, but you might catch some developments important for the next book, and you'll be no more confused then if you read the entire work. If you must read it, have Contacting Aliens: An Illustrated Guide to David Brin's Uplift Universe handy to parse the various aliens. And fair warning: Don't read the advance peak chapters for Book 5 at the end of Book 4. They give away far too many interesting plot developments from the end of the next book.
Average customer rating:
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Arrecife Brillante (SPAN: Brightness Reef)
David Brin
Manufacturer: Ediciones B
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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General
| Brin, David
| ( B )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
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Hardcover
| Brin, David
| ( B )
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| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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Spanish
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Literatura y ficción
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| Autores, A-Z
| Cartas y Correspondencia
| Clásicos
| Cuentos Cortos
| Drama
| Ensayos
| Ficción de La Mujer
| General
| Género Ficción
| Historia y Crítica
| Libros y Lectura
| Literatura Mundial
| Poesía
( B )
| Autores, A-Z
| Ciencia ficción y fantasía
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| Bradbury, Ray
General
| Ciencia Ficción
| Ciencia ficción y fantasía
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ASIN: 8440679181 |
Book Description
Make every nook and cranny of your home a place for comfort with warm, inviting quilts. These scrappy-style designs will be well-loved and generously used from room to room.
• Choose from bed quilts and lap quilts, plus wall hangings and pillows
• Get a hand-stitched look with an easy invisible machine-appliqué technique
• Make your stitching simpler than ever with "Pin Point" tips sprinkled throughout the book
Customer Reviews:
Beautifully illustrated, well written patterns........2007-07-23
I enjoyed this book trememdously, I also have Kim Diehl's book, Simple Traditions, as she is a fabulous quilter and author. I highly recommend her books to anyone who loves the warmth of home,quilting and decorating.
Simple Blessings.......2007-05-10
Kim Diehl always produces wonderful patterns with colors for every desire. Her patterns are always precise.
I love it!.......2006-08-29
I love this book! The combination of applique and simple piecing offers the quilter warm,colorful projects to follow. I made one of the wall hangings in my own colors,and intend to make more.Kim Diehl's projects are so doable.The templet patterns are full size-no enlarging! The directions are clear and easy to understand.If you like a country flavor to your quilts,you must buy this book!
Simple Blessings; 14 Quilts to Grace Your Home.......2006-08-25
Every project in this book is to die for. If you like traditional, warm, country, reproduction style quilts this is a must buy.
Kim Diehl-1.......2006-08-12
Her design are straight forward and evoke a nostalgic feeling. Our Quilt Guild just purchased her books for their library.
Books:
- Somebody's Daughter: A Novel
- Soulmates Dissipate
- Sweet Dreams, Irene: An Irene Kelly Novel
- The Age of Wire and String: Stories (American Literature (Dalkey Archive))
- The Art of Glass: Art Nouveau to Art Deco
- The Book of Lost Tales, Part One (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 1)
- The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two (The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 2)
- The Bright Forever: A Novel
- The Burning Times: A Novel
- The Cattle Killing
Books Index
Books Home
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The Blood of the Lamb: A Novel
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