Far Tortuga: A Novel

Book Description

An adventure story and a deeply considered meditation upon the sea itself.

Customer Reviews:

an unusual and poetic story.......2007-10-10

This is a magnificent novel, surprising and fresh in almost every respect. The placement of words and sentences is eye-catching and perhaps a bit confusing initially. It becomes a highly effective means of telling the story, adding a poetic quality. There are no quotations. At first, it can be hard to determine who is speaking. However, this becomes easier as the story progresses and even forces the reader to pay closer attention to the characters' traits. The tale is really told through dialogue, with very clear, sparse prose in between. Repetition and inversion are successfully employed, such as "The ship rolls, the ocean booms. The ship booms, the ocean rolls." The ease with which the words flow makes this an enjoyable experience. Nautical terms abound. It's difficult to say if the characters are likable. The characters each have moments in which they appear funny and kind hearted and then others when they are downright nasty and foul. True human nature, I suppose. The dialect is easy to pick up and is consistent throughout. It is a crucial part of the overall atmosphere. The trash and waste in the water is sad, but probably accurate. The whole culture of the Caribbean is discussed, from the coast of Nicaragua to Jamaica. The last quarter of the book takes a few well-executed plot twists and the momentum picks up amazingly. After meeting the "pirates," it is impossible to put down. The story is fascinating for its characters and the picture of the difficult life of turtlers. Head and shoulders above At Play in the Fields of the Lord, though that is a good book. This novel stands alone and is immensely satisfying.

Too much vernacular.......2006-08-10

It might have been a good book but I got tired of reading the "dis", "dat", "dem" vernacular and finally just gave the book to the local thrift shop.

A beautifully-rendered meditation on timeless themes.......2006-07-16

One glance at the pages of "Far Tortuga" will be enough to convince any reader that the novel is unique. The narration of the story is unconventional, to say the least: snippets of dialogue (in faithfully-rendered Caribbean dialect) are interspersed with brief but beautiful descriptions of the ocean and its inhabitants. The story is simple but timeless: nine sailors/turtlers/outcasts onboard the "Lillias Eden" go on a late-season green turtle-hunt in the waters between Cayman and Cuba. We learn about the characters mostly through the dialogue; we learn also about shipwrecks and mutinies and black magic--all of which play key roles in the resolution of the plot.

But plot truly takes a back seat in this novel; "Far Tortuga" is, first and foremost, a set-piece. It's remarkable how the style of the novel mimics movement and change, how the characters' dialogue calls to mind a particular time and place, and how the descriptive passages can transport a reader instantly to a place he or she has never been. Matthiessen's fiction is particularly adept at showing the delicate (and not always positive) interplay between man and nature (read "At Play in the Fields of the Lord" or "Killing Mister Watson" for other great examples); "Far Tortuga" is no exception. If there is any drawback to this novel, it's that, in longer conversations, it's not always easy to discern which character is doing the talking. But I gather that's Matthiessen's idea: to get the reader out of the "novel" mindset and into the actual story, where voices collide and commotion ensues and what's important is not always who's doing the talking, but what's being said.

This novel, like the age of seamanship is describes, seems to be vanishing. This is a shame. Despite its unusual style and literary ambitions, "Far Tortuga" is a great read that deserves a wide audience. (The same could be said for all of Matthiessen's work.) If you're willing to hunt it down, though, you won't be disappointed.

a unique tone-poem of a novel of sea and men.......2005-05-28

Let's begin low-brow: "Far Tortuga" is the ultimate beach read. Read this while the sun strikes the sand and the waves crash and you'll practically hallucinate yourself into a full blown virtual reality. But even if you're landlocked, Matthiessen does a masterful job of evoking the sights, smells, and sounds of the Carribean. His success is due largely to the pungent, poetic, shorthand style of writing, unique to Matthiessen's ouevre, and perhaps American literature. I'd guess it'd be more obvioulsy an "experimental" style if the author didn't pull it off so adroitly. Visually, there's lot of white space on the pages of this book. Near the end, there are pages that might contain as little as a phrase, a name, or less--all for reasons that seem more organic than experimental. Much dialog between the crew of the Lillius Eden is unattributed, and not set off by quotation marks. Any initial confusion this creates is short-lived, as it is through the character's talk that we learn to distinguish them (it's also how Matthiessen reveals their seperate dreams, ambitions, sins, etc.). I can't over-emphasize that these stylistic oddities are more then mere quirks, but truly seem to be the best, most organic (and maybe only) way to tell the tale.

And what a tale. Though what exactly is so gripping about it is hard to say. The turtle-hunting voyage of the "Lillias Eden" seems ill-fated from the start: the turtles have already been over-hunted into scarcity and it's mighty late in the season to cast off. But that doesn't stop the ragged, largely reprobate crew of from embarking--for most, it's the best chance they have in a working-class third world life of dwindling returns. There's likely to be a lot of cultural distance between these guys and the people reading about them, so it's all the more remarkable how Matthiessen manages to make these characters unique individuals whislt also making them universally identifiable Everymen. This is no mean feat.

Lo, there are still some turtle left in the sea--but there are also pirates (the unromantic modern ones), reefs, wrecks of ships and wrecks of men. To say much more would be to tresspass on too many potential delights.

This is a multi-faceted, multi-leveled work. Thomas Pynchon's blurb (strange but true) on the original hardcover suggests while "Far Tortuga" is a "masterfully spun yarn" it's also a "deep declaration of love for the planet." But this is the ecological concern of a lifelong naturalist, really only witnessed by the book's always-evocative poetic descriptions of nature. And for "poetic," don't dare read "mushy." This is a supple, muscular poetry (indeed a masculine poetry, as befitting it's subjects), a whole lot closer to Homer than Rod McKuen. It's a book Conrad would have embraced, maybe even championed. Maybe Robert W. Service, too. It's a book of unique delights, one of my all-time faves, and I really envy anyone their first reading.

Good grasp of 3rd world, struggles of natural world.......2003-03-18

Written in the style of the screenplay, Peter Matthiessen mixes poetry and realism. It is easy to see, although somewhat confusing as to who the speaker is. Enjoyable.

Average customer rating:

Got better the longer you read!!

Jo Goodman's Compass Club Continues
All I Ever Needed (Zebra Historical Romance)
Jo Goodman
Manufacturer: Zebra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
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Everything I Ever Wanted (Zebra Historical Romance)

Beyond A Wicked Kiss (Zebra Historical Romance)

Let Me Be The One (Zebra Historical Romance)

A Season To Be Sinful

Only In My Arms

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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0821774166

Customer Reviews:

Got better the longer you read!!.......2004-09-05

I agreed with the other reviewer that the first part of this book really dragged. If I had not felt so invested in the Compass Club reading both North and South's stories I may have been tempted to set it aside. But I LOVED the first two books and really liked East and wanted to read about his love. I am not sure why the first part dragged - I think the main reason is that Sophie held so much back - if I had really sensed early on that she was totally infatuaed with East from a previous meeting and she feared for his life if they got involved maybe I would have felt more ingaged in their story from the beginning. However the story only got better and finally at Tremont Hall it really begins to catch your heart and the last half of the book might even deserve 5 stars. It is odd in the end you get an even better feeling of contentment from East and Sophie than North and South and their loves. I am looking forward to West's story and I agree that a reunion book about the group would be the best way to engage them all in each others lives since all their tales are written simultaneously. Again it does help to read North first followed by South, East and lastly West!

Jo Goodman's Compass Club Continues.......2003-09-30

After reading North and South's story, I was looking forward to East and Sophie's story because it had been hinted at in both of North and South's books. I have enjoyed all of Ms Goodman's earlier series, Dennehy Sisters, Thorne Brothers, but this one took me a long time to get interested in it. I thought the first 150 pages was too boring. The story picks up when North goes to visit Sophie at Tremont Hall. From there, the action and the romance takes off. I will definetly buy West's story when it comes out. I can't wait to read what woman catches his eye. The earlier books both had strong female characters, which I enjoy. All of Jo's books have good, strong, female heroines.

All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned from My Golf-Playing Cats: Tom the Dancing Bug

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all of bolling's work is meritorious
NO Overstatement: The Greatest Stories Ever Told!
Buy This Book!
it has nothing to do with golf or cats

All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned from My Golf-Playing Cats: Tom the Dancing Bug
Ruben Bolling
Manufacturer: Nbm Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1561631833

Amazon.com

Let's set the record straight: this collection of newspaper humor strips has nothing--nothing--to do with golf, golf-playing cats, dancing bugs, or even nondancing bugs. What it does include are unbelievably funny satires on everything and anything. You'll find crazy send-ups featuring "Dennis the Menace II Society"; the O.J. Simpson story with Matt Groening's Simpsons characters; "Sam Roland: the Detective Who Dies,"; and "Harvey Richards, Lawyer for Children" (1-800-KKIDLAW: the extra K is for extra kouncil). My favorite spoof is the wonderfully sublime "Dichotomies of Bob," a Zen-like observation of a couch potato. And if you don't believe me, Rolling Stone called Tom the Dancing Bug the "hot comic strip" of the year.

Customer Reviews:

all of bolling's work is meritorious.......2005-07-05

I read Bolling in Salon every week, and I also bought the Thrilling TTDB Stories. It's all good, if you like comics that are funny and whimsically drawn.

NO Overstatement: The Greatest Stories Ever Told!.......2000-09-13

Well, maybe a little bit of an overstatement. But I did find them more humorous than The Bible (except for that Job, he could bring me to tears). Funny, hip and way smarter than you and I, Ruben Bolling is a man for all seasons (except Fall and Winter). Do yourself a favor and enjoy some quiet time, but after that's over grab this book and laugh uproariously!

Buy This Book!.......2000-05-06

There are two great cartoonist that have come out otf this decade; Tom Tomorrow and Ruben Bolling. This is Ruben Bollings first collection of cartoons in print and it's original, hilarious, off beat, and ecclectic- satire at its best!

it has nothing to do with golf or cats.......1998-11-15

but if sarcasm and "a new beverage-holding appendage on all humans" is appealing to you, you will not regret this book. Bolling explores what would happen if O.J. Simpson had been a character on The Simpsons; if Disney made a musical cartoon of Kafka's The Trial. Follow the adventures of "Sam Roland, the Detective Who Dies." Learn helpful law tips from "Harvey Richards, Lawyer for Children." See the earth overtaken by giant wombats. Sex, religion, television, and giant nap-taking aliens. It's all here. Why fight it?

All I Ever Really Needed to Know about Life, I Learned from a Rubber band

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All I Ever Really Needed to Know about Life, I Learned from a Rubber band
Lisa Hepner
Manufacturer: Peaceful Earth, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Motivational | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0971584524

Product Description

Life lessons on love, joy, peace, abundance, creativity and harmonious relationships

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All I Ever Needed

Manufacturer: Not Avail
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 1402542593

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All I Ever Needed (Compass Club)

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000I8TFKA

Product Description

15 Hours 2 Minutes on 12 CDs. USA Today best-selling author Jo Goodman continues her enchanting Regency romance series about the four men, North, South, East, and West, of the Compass Club. In All I Ever Needed, Goodman tells the tale of East, the handsome Marquess of Eastlyn, who finds love in the most unexpected place. Through witty repartee and magnetic attraction, East wins over the lovely Lady Sophie Colley. Goodmans third installment in her enchanting series follows Let Me Be the One and Everything I Ever Wanted.

All I Ever Needed [UNABRIDGED] (Audio CD)

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All I Ever Needed [UNABRIDGED] (Audio CD)
Jo Goodman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1402569467

Product Description

USA Today best-selling author Jo Goodman continues her enchanting Regency romance series about the four men, North, South, East, and West, of the Compass Club. In All I Ever Needed, Goodman tells the tale of East, the handsome Marquess of Eastlyn, who finds love in the most unexpected place. Through witty repartee and magnetic attraction, East wins over the lovely Lady Sophie Colley. Goodmans third installment in her enchanting series follows Let Me Be the One (L1086) and Everything I Ever Wanted (L1081).

All I Ever Needed To Know I Learned On My Mission

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Wonderful!
The best bunch of Christmas stories I've ever read.
A Great Holiday Addition!!
The Best of Christmas
Stories to bring the spirit of Christmas into your heart.

All I Ever Needed To Know I Learned On My Mission
Jeffrey G. Skousen
Manufacturer: Cedar Fort
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1555175376

Book Description

Many future missionaries have been told in general terms what to expect in the mission field, but they have rarely been able to comprehend the day-to-day rigors they will face—until now.

At last comes a book that moves beyond the usual “missionary” advice to actual experiences of what awaits them in the mission field.

By using amusing and revealing anecdotes, Jeff Skousen has crafted an entertaining guide that tackles various subjects such as dealing with anti-Mormon literature, handling Protestant ministers, and helping investigators through times of tragedy or doubt.

In the same mode as All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, every chapter is loaded with insights that will touch both the heart and mind of those preparing to serve a mission—and those who already have.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful! .......2006-11-30

So the Ghost of Christmas Past came to visit me this year. He came through a porthole in the ethers otherwise known as Google, after I entered my name. There he showed me "Under a Christmas Star," a book published by an apparently Mormon outfit called Cedar Fort. This was a collection of new Christmas tales by various writers.
Here is how the Cedar Fort website touts it:
Under a Christmas Star is a collection of Christmas stories---not sappy or sentimental ones, not dark or hard to understand ones, but stories that uplift and inspire---tellable tales. These are the brightest and most prized Christmas Stories. Most are true stories about people touched by the light of the Christmas star.
One writer was singled out for praise in an Amazon.com review by a teacher who said she was going to read the stories to her third-graders. That writer, by the way, was. . .
Me.
Not since I walked into the living room at age 11 and saw a gleaming lime-green ten-speed Schwinn Varsity under (well, beside) the Christmas tree have I had such a Christmas shock. You see, Cedar Fort didn't bother to mention to me that they were publishing my story that is not dark or hard to understand and uplifts and inspires tellable (sic) tales, and paying me a whole lot of Christmas nothing for it. Nor did they mention to me that my story was so compelling that they used it as the inspiration for the cover illustration of the book: Santa Claus pumping gas into a taxi cab.
Merrrrrrrry Christmas, Rip!
Now, when I say Ghost of Christmas past, here is what I mean: the story that Cedar Fort---a Utah-based outfit that publishes religious tracts and Mormon-themed stuff under Latter Day Saints Books---published without consulting me concerns one of my oldest, most personal and cherished Christmas memories. And I don't have many! Allow me to summarize:
When I was ten, I was sent on a Greyhound bus to visit my mother on Christmas Eve. My father and jealous stepmother had fought about it for days, but my father prevailed and I was dispatched to Newport Beach, California, with a paper-bag suitcase and a whole lot of ambivalence. I was to call a cab upon arrival, in order to be taken to the hotel where my mom worked as a cashier.
One problem: the old man had forgotten to give me cab fare---which I discovered just as the taxi arrived around 7 p.m.. To make a wonderful story short and less than artful, here's the punchline: Santa Claus was at the wheel. Really. His halls were fully decked. Red suit, black gloves, nylon beard. I didn't tell him I didn't have any money, figuring I could just bolt when I got to the hotel.
In the end, I confessed, and Santa explained that in all the Yellow Cabs on Xmas Eve in the area, only one had a Claus, and if you got him, you rode for free. See? Great story, eh? It sure as hell thrilled me as a kid, let me tell you. Father Christmas was watching over me that night, if not my father. There is more to the tale, but I don't want to get into that here. You can read it in full detail in my forthcoming novel, which should be available in late January, if you want.
Or you can read it in the Cedar Fort book, which I ardently, fervently, and otherwise enthusiastically hope you. . .do not.
Here's why:
I wrote the story used in "A Christmas Star" for the L.A. Times in the early 90's, and they slapped the cheesey headline on it: "How Santa Spread Cheer Without Eight Tiny Reindeer." At the time, I was writing regular essays/columns for what was called the "Life and Style" section, more affectionately known as "Strife and Bile" for its pandering to political correctness and touchy-feely sentimentality. I wrote about a hundred columns for L&S before being offered a regular gig there---only to have said offer rescinded because, as one enlightened editor ruled, "we have too many white male columnists here." (See 10/11/06 Riposte.)
(Merrrrrrrry Christmas, Rip!)
Well, the Times paid me for that article, about $350 or $400, I guess, which enabled me to buy a few extra ginger snaps to go with my eggnog that Yule. But the Times also did something that would make Santy frown, that would take the rosy red glow right out of his cheeks, something very, very un-Christmasy---something you would expect from Scrooge and Marley, Ltd.
Some might call it extortion. The Times called it "business."
This noble newspaper changed its freelance contracts to claim total rights to whatever it purchased---as opposed to traditional first-publication-only. And if freelancers didn't sign such a contract, the Times would not buy their work.
At least they didn't send someone to your home to break your knuckles.
At that time, I was what was termed a "regular contributor" to the Times. This meant I was a full-time employee without any of regular rights or regular benefits of full-time regular employees. This is also called "business." What's more, because I was angling for that full-time column which was later withdrawn due to my gender and race, I cut back all other freelance work. The Times, at that moment, comprised about 90 percent of my regular income.
Then there was the little complicating fact that I could just barely manage to get up and walk to the store every day to buy groceries, courtesy of a paralyzing three-year bout with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. My Times paychecks, after rent, were going to doctors and supplements. Typing was a workout.
Did I want to sign that contract? Every bit as much as I would like to congratulate George W. Bush for a job well done in Iraq.
Did I sign that contract? You betcha.
Did I think that someday my Santa-in-the-taxi column might be licensed to a proselytizing Mormon publisher for profit? And used for the cover illustration?
You betcha I didn't.
And there are more presents under this tree:
The "author" of "Under a Christmas Star" is one Carol Jean Coombs. That's correct. Author. My name and story are in this book, but Carol Jean Coombs is on cover as the author, apparently because she compiled the contents. Gee, I'd sure like to be considered an "author" for compiling a bunch of stuff written by other people!
You're welcome, Carol, baby! Glad to oblige!
Of course, it just fills me with the Christmas spirit that Carol liked my story enough to want to compile it. And whew, that compiling is hard author work! Here's what Carol said to a little newspaper: "Getting permission from the copyright holders was time-consuming and because some of the stories are 20 to 40 years old, a real challenge." Right! Almost as hard as writing! I wonder how much of an author challenge it was to secure my column from the fine people at the L.A. Times.
Yes, of course I looked into suing. I know that's just so humbug of me, but gee, it's the season. So I spoke with an excellent attorney who specializes in theft of one's work. Well, it turns out that I have every bit as strong a case as Saddam Hussein had in that Iraq courtroom. Even if I wanted to sue, there is the little matter of the Times extortion---er, contract. And another little matter called a statute of limitations which gives me three years after publication to file (it's been five.) And another little matter called settlement not covering lawyer fees.
Ho ho ho.
It's just another example of legalized crime that defines our world, of course. I mean, you wonder why criminals bother to break any laws, when you can steal legally. No---no one here has broken any laws---not the Times, not Cedar Fort, not author Carol Jean Coombs. Moral and ethical laws are another matter, but anyone who believes in such things can go fly a reindeer.
Still, I can't help but say this is all not very. . .Christian.
So there you have it. My writing has helped enable some Mormons to make some money. Of course, I do not like or approve of the Church of the Latter Day Saints---I think their members are painting without a brush, buttoning without a shirt---and I suspect the Church would not like or approve of me. The closest I've ever come to a Mormon Church was stumbling around on codeine outside the Tabernacle one morning about 5 o' clock (long story.)
In the meantime, I hear that "Under a Christmas Star" is quite popular. A friend in Atlanta told me that when it was given away as a gift at a recent book club party, there were "ooo's and ahhh's."
I'm a commercial success at last.
Why, you might even call me a Christmas Star!
---RIP RENSE

The best bunch of Christmas stories I've ever read........2000-12-07

I couldn't put it down. The stories are without exception warm and meaningful. I am giving this book to my grandchildren. Sharing these stories is sharing the best of Christmas with them.

A Great Holiday Addition!!.......2000-11-19

This is a great Christmas Book to add to your Christmas book collection. The stories in this book are inspirational and full of the Christmas spirit. This is a book that the entire family will enjoy!!

The Best of Christmas.......2000-11-19

Most collections of stories, Christmas or otherwise, have a bunch of mediocre selections, a few good ones, and one or two great ones--but this book manages to have ALL great ones. Plus, they're not those sappy ones that make you roll your eyes; they're touching without being obnoxious. Maybe it's because almost all of the stories are true experiences, told in a straightforward way. My personal favorites are "The Gold and Ivory Tablecloth" by Howard Schade, "A Christmas Gift I'll Never Forget" by L.D. Hummel, and "My Christmas Miracle" by Taylor Caldwell. Okay, also "How Santa Spread Cheer Without Eight Tiny Reindeer," by Rip Rense. (I'm a school teacher, and I'm going to read some of these to my third graders in December.) Enjoy the joy!

Stories to bring the spirit of Christmas into your heart........2000-11-18

This gem includes 25 stories that will appeal to readers of all ages. Most are true. Each story tells of the warmth and love of others--the real light of Christmas. They uplifted and inspired me. The author selected her best stories, most unavailable elsewhere, from a collection gathered over more than 40 years. Authors vary from famous writers and newspaper reporters to people who just wanted to share a personal Christmas experience. The 25 stories are short-- perfect for the whole family to read together each night throughout December. This is a book I will read over and over again--at Christmas time or whenever I want to remember the goodness we all have inside us.

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All I Ever Needed Was A Beautiful Room
Patricia Young
Manufacturer: Oolichan Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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All I ever really needed to know, I learned in finishing.(reality check): An article from: Products Finishing

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All I ever really needed to know, I learned in finishing.(reality check): An article from: Products Finishing
Matthew J. Little
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Products Finishing, published by Thomson Gale on August 1, 2005. The length of the article is 524 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: All I ever really needed to know, I learned in finishing.(reality check)
Author: Matthew J. Little
Publication: Products Finishing (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 69 Issue: 11 Page: 6(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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All I Ever Needed
Jo Goodman
Manufacturer: Zebra Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000RRK1XC

Book Description

Now starring in Albion — a brand new US comics series plotted by the legendary Alan Moore — the Steel Claw joins the Spider as the next classic British comics character to receive the beautifully packaged hardcover archive treatment!

When a lab experiment goes disastrously awry, Louis Crandell discovers that when his right hand — the eponymous steel claw — connects with electricity, he becomes invisible! But to what nefarious ends can he put this new power?

Never-before-collected, boasting a stunning new cover by comics legend Brian Bolland (Batman: The Killing Joke), and featuring exclusive new articles exploring the history of the Steel Claw, this collection is the perfect introduction!

Book Description

The aim of Dzogchen is the reqwakening of the individual to the primordial state of enlightenment which is naturally found in all beings.

Customer Reviews:

Extraordinary .......2007-03-25

The Supreme Source, for those who have the wisdom to deeply embrace it, is an extraordinary book. I was not particular familiar with Dzogchen (knew about it, but had read very little on it) and reading this book says it all.

If you are willing to step beyond the illusion of imperfection, struggle, striving, and spiritual progression then I highly recommend this book. I recommend reading it many times over, and taking the time to do this slowly. Dzogchen is not something for the ego-mind to simply take in and rationalise intellectually, but rather something for the whole being to bathe in until its essence permeates one's skin and sinks deep into the profundity of that one Supreme Self that is All.

I give that's to Chogyal Namkhai Norbu for making this wondrous spiritual text available to the world.

Read, enjoy, treasure, and read again.

Blessings,

Jonathan Evatt

Fundaments of Semde.......2006-10-10

The book was an excellent introduction to a fundamental tantra of Semde. I wish the entire tantra was translated here, but what is included advanced my understanding.

I write this review primarily to comment on an earlier reviewer's comment on problems with this work related to double translation from Tibetan to Italian to English. The reviewer commented that sometimes passages made no sense at all. To me, that comment makes no sense at all. I did not notice any problem that might be related to double translation. Perhaps the reason passages made no sense at all to the reviewer, reflects incomplete understanding.

End in and of itself.......2006-07-20

This book is a reward for many long years of philosophical/spiritual searching. The translation work put into this is a most significant achievement. The work displaces so much else in my library with regard to its area of knowledge/wisdom. I feel like having "arrived" after having read it.

A lucid gem of a book.......2006-04-10

This is one of the best Non-dual books that I have ever read. Much of original Buddha-ism is obscured in the diversity of Tibetan teachings. This book focuses only on the highest realization and clearly shows why other practices are lesser vehicles. This book is a gem intended only for the student of high awareness. The majority of students should stick to the yoga and tantra texts, to avoid getting lost and confused by the direct-nature of these teachings. But then again, if you are willing to surrender your beliefs of what is high and good and get to the Truth, this book may be exactly what you need. enJOY!!!

Luminous pages!.......2005-09-30

I had no difficulties with this translation. In fact, I found Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche's presentation of the Kunjed Gyalpo to be clear, elegant, and energetic. I felt as though a beneficent hand was leading me through the text. And what a text! There is no way for me to transmit the flavor of this, but I assure you it's a singular taste.

Rinpoche has really done readers of English a service, as the force and knowledge behind this translation and commentary. I'm deeply grateful for this book, and I'd love for it to find its way into your hands, dear reader.

Homage to the protector Ekadzati!

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