Broken Verses

Book Description

Fourteen years ago, famous Pakistani activist Samina Akram disappeared. Two years earlier, her lover, Pakistan's greatest poet, was beaten to death by government thugs. In present-day Karachi, her daughter Aasmaani has just discovered a letter in the couple's private code-a letter that could only have been written recently.

Aasmaani is thirty, single, drifting from job to job. Always left behind whenever Samina followed the Poet into exile, she had assumed that her mother's disappearance was simply another abandonment. Then, while working at Pakistan's first independent TV station, Aasmaani runs into an old friend of Samina's who gives her the first letter, then many more. Where could the letters have come from? And will they lead her to her mother?

Merging the personal with the political, Broken Verses is at once a sharp, thrilling journey through modern-day Pakistan, a carefully coded mystery, and an intimate mother-daughter story that asks how we forgive a mother who leaves.

Customer Reviews:

Stopped half way through & haven't picked it up since.......2007-08-29

The writing in this book is definitely lyrical, but the lack of substantial action slows the story down. I really wanted to finish it but couldn't get half way through. I kept thinking something would happen (but it didn't).

Too many musings, ponderings and general "day dreams" for the main character kept me from feeling engaged - I felt like an outsider the entire time.

Absolutely beautiful.......2006-06-12

I absolutely loved this book. It was happy, sad, inspiring, intriguing, touching and so intelligent that I could not put it down. Shamsie is one of the most talented storytellers I have encountered in my time. I had a wonderful experience reading this book and I would recommend it to everyone.

Astonishing and Lyrical.......2006-04-21

This book haunted me while I was reading and afterwards, too.
Exquisitely written, intensely felt.

Grace and Power .......2006-02-23

I've loved Kamila Shamsie's work since the first time I read "Salt and Saffron" in a single night, because I couldn't put it down. She has always written beautifully, with humor and a love of language, but here has matured to add grace and power to her repetoire. Bravo! I loved this book and the author, and can't wait to see how much further she takes her enormous talent. Its quite humbling to realize that this intellectual force comes from someone so young!

Building Bridges, One Book-Brick At A Time.......2005-10-18

Without digressing into outright polemic, hewing firmly to the straits of the novel's intellectualization of politics - as against politic's intellectualizaiton of literature - Shamsie's work crosses the divide between Indian and Pakistani (and international) literature to forment a cross-cultural debate of fascinating depth.

In this, her fourth book following the iridiscent In the City by the Sea, Salt and Saffron and Kartography, the second of which was on Orange's list of the 21 best novels of the 21st century, she quietly weaves history, politics and familial ties in a novel of barely suppressed rage. In a perhaps innocent upturning of a familiar Mahasweta Devi device - a daughter obsessed with the disappearance of her political activist mother 14 years ago - Shamsie tells a tale in quiet, deceptively simple prose.

A fine poet as well, Shamsie's prose reads on the surface like an elegant stylist's attempt at capturing the almost Jamesian elegance and repressiveness of modern-day Pakistan. In Aasmaani's conversations with her father, or with Ed, or with Shenaz, the surface talk is never just that, it's like a lichinous pond where the scummy top seethes with waiting life. You have to dive deep below to find true clarity.

Unlike Mahasweta Devi's polemic novels, bursting with dangerous ideas and the inevitable grinding of individual wills against the collective force of the body politic, Shamsie's novels are more concerned with observations made from a single clearly envisioned point of view, immersing you surface-depth in a molasses-thick web that grips you harder the longer you stay.

Her prose is readable without being showy for the sake of display. Her characters can often blend into one another, apart from the obviously different ones, like Ed, with his Americanisms. And her sensibility is often stringently British (or should one now say Commonwealthish?) rather than the earthy lore of inner Pakistan voices. There is a mannered beauty to her work, particularly in this very elegantly designed fourth book, that sometimes defies the very attempt at immersion she seems to seek.

She could do with more honest brutality. Obliqueness can only work up to a point before it becomes obfuscation. Let's say it like it is; the author, if not the characters. At times, her lingering becomes a malingering indecisiveness that you suspect is more an affliction of the writer rather than the characters themselves.

These are minor bubbles in a pool of otherwise iradiscient beauty. Shamsie is a writer with extraordinary sensibility and an inherent quality that is uniquely sub-continental. She defies easy comparison and that itself becomes her greatest accomplishment. She is that uniquest of things: a butterfly that emerges from the chrysalis of a shared past (Indian, Pakistani, British) that nevertheless manages to create her own genetic pattern. She deserves all the accolades heaped upon her already, and then some. Read this fine novel to see what literature can do that polemic cannot.

Average customer rating:

Broken lights,: A book of verse,
Glenn Hughes
Manufacturer: Dept. of Printing, University of Washington
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Broken Toys : Fragments of Verse and The Generations; A One-act Play of Old Japa

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Broken Toys : Fragments of Verse and The Generations; A One-act Play of Old Japa
Frank Alanson Lombard
Manufacturer: Marshall Jones Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O6G2DY

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Through broken reeds: Verses
Will Amos Rice
Manufacturer: C.H. Kilborn
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Broken chain: Fragments of verse from the correspondence of George Sand and Jules Sandeau

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Broken chain: Fragments of verse from the correspondence of George Sand and Jules Sandeau
George Sand
Manufacturer: [s.n
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007GQTPM

Broken Music: a Cycle of Lyrics and Verse

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Broken Music: a Cycle of Lyrics and Verse
Johnny Cronin
Manufacturer: Living Time Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Broken music;: Selected verse,
Benjamin Robbins Curtis Low
Manufacturer: E.P. Dutton and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Broken Verses

Manufacturer: BLOOMSBURY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GVXXLQ

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Broken Verses
Kamila Shamsie
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJKPFM

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Broken Verses

Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 1417677805

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Very highly recommended

confusing but good

This one will leave you wanting more.

A clear winner!

delightful time travel tale
Wild Highland Rose
Dee Davis
Manufacturer: Love Spell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books
Time Travel | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
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A Blast to the Past

ASIN: 0505525704

Book Description

A ROSE

Marjory Macpherson felt rebirth at hand. She'd known fifteen years of winter since her parents' brutal murder at the hands of the rival Cameron clan. But now Ewen-the enemy son she'd been forced to marry-was dead, perished in a rockslide. Marjory rejoiced. She could shed her thorns...at least, until her husband's father returned.

IS A ROSE

Yet, was her husband dead? When Marjory went to retrieve Ewen's body, she found instead a living breathing man, covered in blood, talking strangely but very much alive.

BY ANY OTHER NAME

Though he wore her husband's face and kilt, Marjory recognized salvation. Whether he was a kinder Ewen or another who, as he claimed, had been transplanted from the future, the man she'd found was the key, a strange twist of fate that reseeded Marjory's future. It was finally time for Crannag Mhór to bloom again: a rebirth that brought with it the promise of true love.

Customer Reviews:

Very highly recommended.......2004-03-17

Cameron briefly rouses to the sound of the hospital machines that keep him alive before the light draws him to another place. When he awakens, he finds himself at the foot of a rockslide without his memory. Cameron knows he is not part of the fifteenth century in which he awakens, but he cannot recall the life he left behind. Yet a recurring nightmare of car accident and a screaming woman insure his discontent with his new life and his need for resolution.

In the meantime, Cameron finds himself caught in intricate plots of revenge between highland clans. The man whose body he occupies is married to Marjory, who detests him. She recognizes that her husband's survival of the rockslide is miraculous, but she certainly does not suspect the truth of his identity. Nevertheless, Marjory is terribly suspicious of his radical changes in behavior, especially toward her. She certainly does not expect to fall in love with Cameron.

Author Dee Davis has a gift for penning romances that are impossible to put down. Switching from her usual romantic suspense to time travel, Davis displays the range of her talent in WILD HIGHLAND ROSE. Interestingly, Davis bases the premises of the novel on a historical concept that contemporary readers will initially find shocking. Between Cameron's inability to pinpoint what has happened to him and other people's reactions, readers will discover plenty of amusing entertainment. Moreover, Davis deftly captures the painful difficulty a woman married to her enemy must face because Cameron is so good to her. Add this one to your keeper shelf! WILD HIGHLAND ROSE comes very highly recommended.

confusing but good.......2004-02-26

I picked this book up at the book store, because the summary got my attention. However, no where in the summary did it mention that it was a time travel book. I read the preface and the first three or four chapters and the only date that was mention at the beginning of chapter 1 was 1468. I started reading and things like Charles Dickson, tv, and other things that you would see in everyday life. Not until the end did it mention to the 21 century. The story was good and I enjoyed it, but I have to admit it that it confused me.

This one will leave you wanting more........2003-12-01

Cameron emerges from darkness to find himself in a strange world with no memory. He learns that he is in the distant past, in Scotland. Although he does not know who he is, he is sure that he is not Ewan Cameron, nor does he belong here. What's more confusing is he finds himself married to a beautiful woman who hates him, and with good reason. Apparently, he and Marjory were married to settle a family feud, after blood was shed between their clans. Tensions rise when his "family" and mistress arrive. The feud may be settled, but that has not made this a loving family.

Marjory is totally confused. Cameron seems like a new man since his awakening from a near fatal "accident". Gradually, she finds herself drawn to this man who should be her enemy. Before the two realize what is happening, they have fallen in love, but the shadow of the future past lies between them, and present animosities roil around them.

**** Put the soundtrack to Brigadoon on and enjoy the ride. Ms. Davis has delicately crafted a beautiful story that will leave you wanting more. Ties of love that defy time and space make this border on an inspirational story. If you loved Somewhere in Time but wanted it to be a happier story, then this will dry your tears. ****

Reviewed by Amanda.

A clear winner!.......2003-12-01

Cameron saw himself floating toward a light and then suddenly opened his eyes with no memory. Somehow he knows that he is in the wrong century. His dreams tell him of being in an automobile and of a screaming blond woman. Yet he is in Scotland and the year is 1468. His beautiful wife is Marjory. She is full of spirit and loathes him! He resides in Crannag Mhór with no one he can trust.

Marjory is grateful her husband survived the "accident". If he had not, the Cameron clan would have slaughtered her people. However, her husband has not been the same since he woke up and claimed to remember nothing. She is surprised to find herself liking the new Cameron and begins to fall in love.

**** I am so used to Dee Davis writing Romantic Suspense novels that this one stunned me for a few pages. This time Davis tries her hand at a Historical Time Travel and her talent for suspense makes it a clear winner! Wonderful story by an awesome author! ****

delightful time travel tale.......2003-11-26

Not quite comprehending what is happening to him, Cameron floats towards the light. When he regains consciousness, he has no memory of his past, but feels as if something is not right due to a recurring nightmare. He dreams of an automobile and a screaming woman, but in mid fifteenth century Scotland cars were not even a flicker of anyone's imagination.

Cameron learns that he is married to Marjory as part of ending a clan feud, but she clearly detests him as his side killed her parents several years ago. Marjory knows that her spouse's recovery from the rockslide accident that buried and obviously killed him is miraculous because this prevented the genocide of her clan by his. However, she finds her husband radically changed as he cares what happens to everyone and he looks at her with desire, neither of which he displayed before the incident. She wonders if he really suffers from amnesia or if this is just another ploy. Yet he seems genuine as Marjory finds her worst nightmare has occurred: she loves her mate.

Dee Davis displays the range of her talent as she switches sub-genres from her usual powerful romantic suspense tales to a delightful time travel novel. The key to the story line is Cameron who knows nothing seems right, but cannot fathom why. The reactions of everyone to his seemingly changed behavior as he is suddenly considerate of others is fun to see play out. Readers will take much delight observing the bewildered cast especially his wife struggle to comprehend what is happening to Cameron and how to react to his radical transformation.

Harriet Klausner

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Two strong highland characters...

Best Read in Ages

The worst book I ever attempted to read. . .

Wild Highland Rose

I couldn't put it down.
Wild Highland Rose (Zebra Splendor Historical Romances)
Christine Cameron
Manufacturer: Zebra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0821761021

Customer Reviews:

Two strong highland characters..........2002-10-13

A pretty good romance. In this the herorine (Rebecca) escapes her marriage bed to a brutal man by striking him with a sword but as she escapes she finds someone is breaking in the kidnap her... Edward now Laird of his clan and her childhood friend (and love) and sparing partner... But they have been estranged due to a rif between the two clans when Edwards father is murdered. Then the battle of wills starts. It is interesting to see how the rest of the story unfolds. Two very strong characters with very stron wills!

Best Read in Ages.......2000-11-24

I so strongly disagree with the two one-star ratings this wonderful book received. Wild Highland Rose is a refreshing read, full of emotion and intrigue. What a pleasure to read this fresh new voice and I hope to see many more books written by Christine Cameron. Thank you for the heartfelt journey your book afforded me.

The worst book I ever attempted to read. . ........2000-07-28

I wish I had listened to the 1st review which showed 1 star! What a disappointment! As a matter of fact one third of the way through I couldn't bear to read anymore and tossed it out. In trying to provide an adventure filled story, the writer sacrified the depth and flow needed to make this an interesting read. From the beginning, I was unable to develop any real feeing for either of the main characters. I am an avid reader of romance novels - historical and scottish being particular favorites of mine. I can honestly say that this was perhaps the worst book I ever purchased. Sorry Ms. Cameron, please try again.

Wild Highland Rose.......2000-07-15

I love to read and I love to read historical romance novels that are set in Scotland, but this book was almost painful to get through. I think this is one of the worst books that I have ever read. It was flat and boring. I felt nothing for the hero, heroin, or the solution to the plot. I think the publisher must have printed the author's first draft by mistake

I couldn't put it down........1999-01-17

I really got lost in the relationship of the main characters. Edward and Rebecca's love and passion for each other seemed so real and pure. I couldn't stop reading until I found out if they would be together or not.

Average customer rating:

Disappointing in terms of both story and Mech action

really a battletech novel?

I agree with the guy above...Don't waste your money

Don't waste your time

Mechwarrior: Dark Age #12: Hunters of the Deep(A BattleTech Novel) (Mechwarrior Dark Ages)
Randall N. Bills
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mechwarrior | Strategy Guides | Games & Strategy Guides | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
High Tech | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Mechwarior: Dark Age #10: Flight of the Falcon(A BattleTech Novel) (Mechwarrior, 10)

ASIN: 0451460057
Release Date: 2004-10-05

Book Description

The MechWarrior saga continues

The Clan Sea Fox is about to be torn asunder. ovKhan Sha Clarke wants to rule his own faction of warriors, and take his rightful share of wealth, glory, and power. But ovKhan Petr Kalasa knows Sha is plotting a rebellion, and will stop him at any cost.

Download Description

"The MechWarrior saga continues The Clan Sea Fox is about to be torn asunder. ovKhan Sha Clarke wants to rule his own faction of warriors, and take his rightful share of wealth, glory, and power. But ovKhan Petr Kalasa knows Sha is plotting a rebellion, and will stop him at any cost."

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing in terms of both story and Mech action.......2005-09-24

Many Battletech fans have yet to embrace the new Mechwarrior Dark Age series, and - unfortunately - Randall N. Bills' Hunters of the Deep isn't going to help matters in this regard. Bills is something of an expert when it comes to Battletech technology and hardware, which makes it all the more disappointing that there is so little actual Mechwarrior action in this novel. Most Battletech fans want battle action, and plenty of it. Hunters of the Deep consists predominantly of politics inside Clan Sea Fox, and there's really not much of a tie-in with events taking place throughout the Dark Age universe as a whole. There is talk of an invasion of the Republic by House Marik, but that invasion is given exceedingly short shrift in these pages. To put it mildly, I found the politics of this novel somewhat confusing. Worst of all, there is really no one to admire in this story; indeed, I wasn't even sure who I should be pulling for until I got about halfway through the book. You basically have two ovKhans of Clan Sea Fox pitted against one another; one, ovKhan Sha Clarke, seeks to break away his Spina Khanate from Clan Sea Fox, a most un-clan-like thing to do, while the other, ovKhan Petr Kalasa, is a weak leader with a history of loss and defeat at the hands of Sha. Petr's only saving grace is his loyalty to Clan Sea Fox, but I couldn't help but wonder throughout the novel how such a tainted, rash leader who allows his primary aide to endlessly bait him for his past failures has managed to hold on to his position for so long.

Clan Sea Fox should be an interesting clan, for its members spend almost all of their time on naval vessels, wandering from one world to another making trade deals by negotiation and/or intimidation. As space naval men, though, they spend comparatively little time inside 'Mechs practicing or waging battle. As such, they are not exactly experts at battle maneuvers or strategy - Petr certainly isn't. His rashness has allowed Sha to best him more than once in the past, and there's no reason to think that things will change when his current negotiations with the merchants of Adhafera are disrupted by Sha's own bid for trade rights with the planet (for such disputes are generally settled with a duel between ovKhans). Sha is up to something, though, and Petr finds the most unusual of information sources in a female assassin named Snow. Their clandestine meetings become exceedingly tiresome because they always consist of little more than bizarre flirting sessions, made all the more unbearable by the frequent descriptions of Snow's exceeding ugliness of features and perpetual filthy, smelly state. Still, Snow, who seems to be linked to the Republic in some way and certainly knows more about Sha's plans than Petr's intelligence agents even suspect, makes it possible for Petr to try and protect Clan Sea Fox (and the Khan) from Sha's traitorous power play.

Bliss has the annoying habit of starting at the end and working backward when it comes to describing important events - such as the one-on-one duel between Sha and Petr in the Rituals of Combat surrounding a Trial of Bloodright. Sometimes, I found little explanation of any kind for certain major happenings. In the end, I can't help but feel that Hunters of the Deep represents the Mechwarrior Dark Age series at its least appealing, as it seems to specialize in the very things many classic Battletech fans like least about the new series.

really a battletech novel?.......2005-09-19

I have read numerous sci-fi novels and all of the current mechwarrior novels. This one is not an easy read or an intriguing story. As the other reviewers noted, the typographical errors and the name transpositions are distracting. In addition, Mechwarrior and Battletech novels usually feature the behemoth machines that give the series its name, but this novel falls short in this regard. In addition, the novel doesn't advance the plot of the the series overall. I am 140 odd pages into the novel and that is as far as I will get. This is only a good purchase if you feel the need to complete a set of novels; it is not a worthwhile read.

I agree with the guy above...Don't waste your money.......2005-05-12

Randall Bills is the BattleTech God who keeps the Classic BT world together. He's written and edited countless tech manuals and resource guides that all us BT fans love. Unfortunately, all that skill and knowledge doesn't translate well into his story telling. From what I understand this is Randall's first novel, ever. And it painfully shows. I didn't make it past the first three pages of the Prolog before putting this book down. The hard to follow conversations and rough descriptions made the prolog very tough to follow. Essentially, this book needed more attention and assistance from the rest of the writing staff than it got. Too bad really because I really respect Randall Bill's other works. Unfortunately I think he needs to spend more time perfecting his story telling before releasing another book. If he wasn't already part of the BattleTech and Mechwarrior Dark Age communities he would never have gotten this first book published without a lot more spit and polish.

Don't waste your time.......2005-01-10

At best this book is an awkward read with numerous typos and some name transpositions. What kills it are the countless inconsistant pieces of story and illogical plot functions. The story is summarized here: Two rival Sea Fox ov-khans conflict with each other and the unappealing protagonist ov-khan wins at the end. (He is so unappealing that his aid and friend for years treacherously abandons him at the end of the book to side with the apparently more appealing Antagonist who of course promptly loses) Almost a sidenote is that House Marik launches an invasion of the Republic and fails (In the book this part of the story takes up less space than my review).

Unless you want to read some hundred odd pages about meaningless Clan Sea Fox politics and their leaders acting like dishonorable Spheroids (while thinking about how Clanly they are), then don't waste your time reading this book.

The Clans are becoming less and less Clanly. Without the plentiful Quiaffs and Affs these Clanners would be difficult to distinguish as such since their conduct is very unClanny. Kerensky would not be proud.

Customer Reviews:

Bruner does the best job (with Matthew) that I've ever encountered........2006-02-25

I won't give a detailed review; I suspect that's best left to those with more time and scholarly critiquing skills. What I will say is that I've read several Matthew commentaries and this one is by far the most helpful. Bruner has the ability to dive into 1st century Palestine, giving us the important details while not saddling the reader/preacher with a mountain of unnecessary information. Yet at the same time, he brings in important insights from our own day and time. Craig Keener's works on Matthew are in the same ballpark as this commentary, but this one swings for the fence instead of being stuck in the infield. Go St. Louis Cardinals!
As a pastor, the only drawback I see with this commentary is that it is so good, I have a difficult time not leaning too heavily on it. Some commentaries provide so-so assistance and access to the text. This one serves it up on a silver tray. I'd say "platter" but that might have negative implications! :)

Masterful!!!.......2005-11-09

This is the best commentary on Matthew's Gospel out there. Frederick Dale Bruner has culled the best of tradtion ranging from Rabinical, Early Church Fathers, Reformation and even the Second Vatican Council. What you have here will leave you with a renewed appreciation for Scripture and even more a renewed sense of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ!

Excellent Balanced Exposition.......2005-11-04

This commentary is definitely worth having for its balanced and thorough exposition. Bruner's objective treatment of human responsibility and the security of the believer as it relates to the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-25) is worth the price of the book alone. Bruner shows good strength in his synthesis throughout the book (ex., Matthew 18 summary).

This is my favorite Commentary.......2005-02-28

Dr. Bruner- Thank you for this fine work. It take the best of so many commentaries- from Davies and Allison, Luz, Gundry and the classices from Chrysostrom, Jerome, Luther and Calvin. Your explosive prose and keen insight has blessed me and now my congregation with a fount of knowledge. I appreciate how Dr. Bruner wrestles exegitically, and theologically with the text. His work pays off. The only problem for the preacher is the temptation to lift the teaching material and claim as your own.

Average customer rating:

Matthew: The Churchbook Matthew 13-28
Frederick Dale Bruner
Manufacturer: W Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0849906172

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