Average customer rating:
- Cowboy Nostalgia
- Becoming Unbottled
- Disappointing Finish
- Disappointing
- McGuane's Continued Growth, one of his best
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The Cadence of Grass
Thomas Mcguane
Manufacturer: Vintage
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McGuane, Thomas
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ASIN: 0679767452
Release Date: 2003-05-13 |
Amazon.com
Thomas McGuane's The Cadence of Grass is a brawling, barrel-chested novel full of irreverent humor and outrageous characters and situations. Set in Montana, the story begins with the funeral of Jim Whitelaw, the family patriarch, who has cunningly crafted a will that ties up the assets of his bottling company until his older daughter reconciles with her estranged rogue of a husband. With Jim's ditzy yet determined widow; his wild younger daughter and her sweet but unbalanced husband; a cross-dressing rancher; a missing kidney; and a mysterious Bengali, it all adds up to a wild ride. But it's Bill Champion, Jim Whitelaw's old ranching partner, who wins our hearts. A throwback to the old days, Bill is full of Western wisdom and pungent sayings--he defines a "coyote breakfast" as "a piss and a look around." Eventually, Bill reveals a surprising secret as well as the identity of Red Wolf. Like his previous novels, including Nothing but Blue Skies, Panama, Ninety-Two in the Shade, and The Bushwhacked Piano, McGuane's The Cadence of Grass is a ripsnorting read indeed. --Susan Biskeborn
Book Description
Sunny Jim Whitelaw, a descendent of pioneers and owner of a large bottling plant, may have died, but he has no intention of relinquishing control: his will specifies that no one gets a cent unless his daughter Evelyn reconciles with her estranged husband, Paul. But Evelyn is a strong-willed woman, fiercely attached to the land, whose horses transport her to a West she feels is disappearing, while Paul is a suave manipulator, without scruples, intent on living well.
As played out on the majestic stage of Montana cattle country, the ensuing drama involves blood, money, sex, vengeance, and a cross-dressing rancher.
The Cadence of Grass is renewed evidence that McGuane is one of the finest writers we have, capable of simultaneously burnishing and demolishing the mythology of the West while doing rope tricks with the English language.
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In his first novel since his best-selling Nothing but Blue Skies, and thirty-three years after The Sporting Club established his reputation, Thomas McGuane's trademark combination of high wit, low behavior, and hard-won wisdom has never been on sharper -- or, ultimately, more moving -- display. This is the story of the Whitelaws, a family whose values are as far-flung as the territory they helped settle, and whose most recent generations have pioneered the landscape of dysfunction.
The patriarch, Sunny Jim, exerts his perverse control even posthumously, by means of a last will and testament that binds the family fortune (a bottling franchise) to a marriage that ought, by general assent, to be rent asunder. The charms of this particular son-in-law, lately released from prison, are potent if short-lived; Evelyn Whitelaw, his estranged wife, is quite literally bedeviled by them. And as her mother and sister court this twisted inheritance, her own yearnings point toward a way of life once habitual on these western plains but now embodied only by Bill Champion, the family's ranch foreman and Evelyn's one true compass.
A novel charged with the relentless and often contradictory claims of blood, money, history, and love, The Cadence of Grass is at once a masterpiece of savage comedy and an elegy for what has been lost. Long one of our most compelling novelists, Thomas McGuane has written the most ambitious book of his singularly distinguished career.
Customer Reviews:
Cowboy Nostalgia.......2006-05-29
I had been hearing about Thomas McGuane for what felt like decades. Finally, a few days ago, I got the chance to read one of his books. The female characters were compelling, but the male characters were caricatures, which surprised me. There were only three types: the stoic, laconic "heroic" cowboy; the small-time hood; and the put-upon husband. The long passages displaying the author's familiarity with cowboy lore were VERY lazy writing-- and dull, dull, dull. There was some attempt at elegy...
Becoming Unbottled.......2003-09-16
Becoming Unbottled
THE CADENCE OF GRASS moves through the lives of the Whitelaw family who own a bottling company in Montana. After the death of the patriarch, Sunny Jim (who never smiled), the lives of the rest of the family shift as unpredictably as prairie grass in the wind. The uneven beat of the action and the jarring, Kafkaesque characters contribute to the uniqueness of the book. The characters are both weirder than life yet touchingly real, and McGuane is often laugh-out-loud funny. Stuart, the disparaged and underestimated son-in-law is described as "simple enough to hide his own Easter eggs."
For a person who has been on a horse three times in her life and who has stood in a working barn once for five minutes (phew) the descriptions of such are a delight. I loved reading about draft horse stanchions, snaffles, Kelly Brothers grazers, offside billet straps and coppermouth John Israels, even though I have only the haziest idea as to what they are. And reading how Evelyn maneuvers her pony to work the cattle is as good as watching a gold medal figure skater.
McGuane is a first rate writer, a keen observer of humankind, and lover of the Montana country. THE CADENCE OF GRASS: a memorable read.
Disappointing Finish.......2003-06-27
I read this book while spending some time out west. It has been awhile since I had read anything by McGuane. I enjoyed the characters and his prose. The story was compelling but the ending was disappointing. I'm not sure why he headed in that particular direction.
Disappointing.......2003-05-30
I found this book to be very diappointing. The plot was not interesting and the characters were dull. I feel like I must have read a different book than that described in the positive reviews below. In any event, the writing at times is quite good , so maybe I'll try one of McGuane's prior works. This one certainly does not live up to its billing or his reputation.
McGuane's Continued Growth, one of his best.......2003-04-16
I first discovered Thomas McGuane in a Paris Review interview in 1985. He is a man of eloquence of the type that answers to questions posed to him about his writing were so fascinating that I began immediately reading his entire body of work. So cherished are these novels in my cannon that I did not read them one right after another, but spread them out over years to properly savor each one. I would read Nobody's Angel, and delight in reliving it for a time, referring to it, quoting it, then when a year or so had passed, I read Panama, Bushwhacked Piano, Ninety-two In the Shade, etc., until I reached the point at which I was ready to read whatever new book came out. In 1992 McGuane turned away from the usual cast of kooky loners and boot-clad bon vivants and wrote about a family man, and his family, in Nothing But Blue Skies. This was a new step for a man who knew how to enjoy and savor the wilder side of life, but also was able to use dinstinct technical language in an entertaining way to describe cutting horses, fly fishing, or sundry ranching, as well as metaphorically tying the changes of the modern west into the changes of modern westerners, casting sentences and forging paragraphs that stand with the greatest of American literature.
In The Cadence of Grass, McGuane shows another step in his growth and finally, much to his chagrin, and despite all his attempts to demand otherwise, he shows us that age has brought him wisdom, as well as contemplation of mortality.
Is this his novel about death? No, death was dealt with face-to-face in Nobody's Angel, McGuane's cathartic wrestling with his sister's death in real life. The Cadence of Grass is about the events leading up to death. That we all die is of course a given, and although a patriarch's death is the McGuffin for this story, it is the events that lead up to and directly lead to death that he deals with for the first time in his writing. Until now, there was always a pervasive sense of immortality in McGuane's characters, even when some of them died. Cadence takes us up close to the events, and even the moments, that precede death, including the acknowledgement of those about to die that they are living those preceding moments. McGuane exposes his own vulnerability, his own personal weaknesses through his characters in this book, and one gets the feeling that unlike other of his novels, in which his feelings usually occupy only one character, in Cadence he spread out his feelings among all the characters, perhaps as a way of making the expression of those feelings less burdensome. I feel that if he graced one character with all this contemplation it would have made the character too intense and maudlin to let the story breathe. As it is, McGuane keeps honed his clever, sometimes cryptic dialogue and hilarious descriptive powers, but lets more of the weaknesses of humanity come through and rather than using them for comic effect, he sympathizes with those who show weakness and vulnerability, as if to finally say "I know I've made fun of all of you in the past, but I really do know how you feel."
In his ealier novels McGuane often wrote of characters on the verge of great changes, and carried us through the changes with the character. In The Cadence of Grass, the changes have happened, the transitions are over, and we are allowed to see something McGuane has not dealt with so much before, and that is what the changes have wrought, how the characters carry on, and what lies at the end of the trail.
Book Description
Two By Twilight
Join bestselling author
Maggie Shayne as she leads you into a world filled with dark desire, the world of Wings in the Night.
In a world of shadows and moonlight, no one is really what they seem . . .
Enjoy this brand-new story!
"Run from Twilight"
A serial killer who strikes by the light of the full moon has made Mary McLean his next target. She knows she should be cautious, but she can't stay away from Michael Gray, a mysterious man with an unearthly secret. But is he there to protect her? Or is he the real danger?
Savor this classic tale.
"Twilight Vows"
Longing to learn his secrets, Rachel Sullivan found herself a willing captive of Donovan O'Roark. But the young Irish beauty never envisioned his true identity. And neither one was prepared to face the growing hunger they felt for each other . . .
Customer Reviews:
Maggie Shayne books.......2007-01-10
The first book I read by this author was Blue Twilight...it had me wanting more. I looked through Amazon to find ANY of her books and was very surprised to see such an extended list.
I have been trying for over a year to find her books, of which there is a series, and have been disappointed several times. But, when Amazon finally was able to offer her books and had them available, I purchased as many as I could.
Two by Twilight is an excellent read. But, anyone who wants to get the whole story must be able to start with the first in the series to find out who belongs and who doesn't.
Please, if you like fiction which will keep you at the edge of your seat, get the Maggie Shayne Twilight series and enjoy!!
Pretty good read..........2005-07-11
This book is good but unnecessary for the progression of the series. These characters don't really reoccur in the rest of the series --with the exception of Donovan in the book Edge of Twilight (and that is just a bit part you don't need to read this book to understand it). These stories are good just for the enjoyment of the vampire series but the only story I liked is the first one. I can't ever seem to get through the second.
I loved the book.......2003-11-11
I really loved this book because it was very page turning for me. It had everything that I like to read. Mystery, murders, and very passionate. I feel that as I read the book, I can imagine myself living the story. When I read the second story I realized that I started reading with an Irish accent. The first story gave me chills as I read the decriptions of how Micheal was looking at Mary, and the description of how people died. I found that I couldn't put the book down. Even though very short books every page made me imagine more than I probably should have.
Wings in the Night creator fails to live up to expectations.......2003-09-26
Read Maggie Shayne's Wings in the Night trilogy? Want to hear more about her vampire heroes? Well, this book does offer the opportunity - at least, in part. But it falls far short of the original Wings in the Night stories and of the initial follow-up volume, At Twilight.
In this collection, we have a new novella, Run from Twilight, and another reissue, Twilight Vows. In Run from Twilight, Mary is being targetted by a serial killer. Michael Grey appears from nowhere, it seems, and he claims that he's protecting Mary - but is he the killer? Michael is a vampire who was mortally wounded at the height of Al Capone's `reign' in Chicago, but he was transformed at the point of death by Cuyler Jade of Beyond Twilight. The most melodramatic point of this book is when Michael's wife, Sally, shoots herself in front of him, apparently unable to reconcile herself either to his death or to his `resurrection' as a vampire.
The Michael and Mary story certainly has its moments, and it was intriguing to see that the investigation organisation Mary contacts is run by Maxine, Lou and Stormy, the more likeable characters from Twilight Hunger. Disappointingly, still Shayne hasn't furthered the romantic plot regarding Lou and Maxine. Anyway, I was enjoying Michael and Mary's story until suddenly - WHAM - it was over, at a point where I was expecting at least 20 more pages to finish the romance and the general storyline in a more satisfying manner.
Twilight Vows, the reissue, is set in Ireland - and it's advisable to read this *before* reading Twilight Hunger, given the major spoiler in Hunger which affects this novella. Rachel Sullivan has been fascinated all her life by the legend of the two vampires who once lived in the castle. However, she never expected that one of them, at least, was still alive. So when Donovan O'Roark walks into her pub, she is astounded. Even then, though, she takes him for a descendant of the original Donovan - until, after she follows him to the castle and wangles herself an invitation to stay the night, she discovers the truth: he really is a vampire.
Like most American authors writing Irish characters, Shayne wildly exaggerates Irish speech rhythms and dialect; as an Irish person I felt embarrassed reading it. No-one says `Lord `a mercy'; the expression is `Lord have mercy'. Many of her other faintly-phonetic renderings fall short of the mark. And I wonder who advised her on Irish names? Donovan is never, in Ireland at any rate, used as a first name; it is a surname. And Donovan's surname is properly spelt O'Roarke.
Again, as with Run from Twilight, this novella was over-short. Donovan went from denying that Rachel meant anything to him to realising that he loved her in far too short a time, and we saw nothing about his own feeling about her in years gone by, given that he'd watched over her since her childhood. Shayne did this much better with regard to Eric and Tamsin in Wings in the Night. Again, the story needed another 20 pages or so at the end to finish it properly, too.
Overall, this collection needed at least another 50 pages to be worthwhile. The stories in Wings in the Night worked because they were long enough to cover what needed to be covered; the romances were satisfying, and we also saw more of the characters in later books, which equally helped to round off the stories. These novellas, as well as being too short, gave us far too little of characters from earlier books (nothing at all in Twilight Vows), so that hook wasn't present either.
A very disappointing sequel, just as Shayne's Twilight Hunger, her first novel-length story - was disappointing. I just hope that her latest offering, Embrace the Twilight - another novel-length story, is better!
wmr-uk
agree with jinxednokla.......2003-09-02
can't agree more--I love the series and, for that reason only, will keep this one, but not up to the previous standards. Recommend the other Twilight titles and skip this one.
Book Description
Hugo Award-winner and #1 New York Times bestselling author Timothy Zahn returns to complete his original, acclaimed SF trilogy. As both humans and the alien Zhirrzh prepare for all-out galactic war, a handful of individuals from both sides are stunned to discover that the explosive catalyst for the impending battle is a misunderstanding both tragic and profound. Determined to avoid mutual extinction for both their races, this band now becomes the focus of the subtle and dangerous force whose goal it is to annihilate and destroy.
Customer Reviews:
Good book, easy read, interesting life.......2006-05-05
I never would have read this book if i didnt have to, but once again, im glad i did. This book is really no different than anything about Alexander, except its short, easy, and it covers the important points of his life.
If you have to read it- dont worry its not too bad, and if you ever wanted to know about Alexander the Great, this book is perfect for you, both academically and casually
Just learning history.......2006-03-02
History frequently expresses strong views of Alexander. Alexander was not the first cult figure but one of the greatest characters of history. I thought that history books were dates and footnotes and Greek passages. But it has come down to many more questions than answers. Why did more Greeks fight against Alexander as mercenaries than for him?
I like the readability of the book. I knew something about Alexander the Great from high school. And then I learned on the History Channel about how his father Philip was killed. That's all I knew up to reading the book. Through this book I found the spirit of Alexander. The book provides a glossary which is very helpful. The book is a easy read. It's like a series of guest lectures and reviews that helped shaped the work . Frank Holt is the leading scholar working on Alexander and the East, as well as Greeks in Asia. I liked it and read more.
I learned to like the word Arete meaning excellence, but it really means the "capacity for excellence" or "prowess." It is the Homeric ideal to which all heroes aspire and the driving principle in Alexander' s character. I took this took to heart.
I never thought that money was so important to history. From the Persians 3 Billion dollars alone was the prize catch. I learned that many came over to Alexander the Great's side and he was met along the road and then cities would surrender their fortresses and treasuries to him. I enjoyed the book and liked it very much there were times I got into the action of the book. The topic of Alexander is 2300 years old. Alexander ordered a journal kept and even had a staff to keep it up to date. This was the Ephemerides ( or the royal Journal or "Day Book"). Today they survive in fragments. The literature published on Alexander in German, French, Italian and of course Greek is immense. I think I would like to read some day "William Woodthorpe Tarns, Alexander the Great 2, Cambridge, 1948.
I have started another book,"Alexander the Great" by Paul Cartledge which tells of another Alexander, the Spartans and his ancient world. The book talks a lot about history but does not get into Alexander's relationship with his father Philip or his his career in terms of alcohol. Alexander favorite pastime was hunting. In Macedonia you did not become fully a man until you had passed the key manhood test of hunting and killing, without a net, one of the ferocious wild boars that roamed the heights of western Macedonia. Only then could you recline, as opposed to sitting, when participating in the daily ritual of the symposium, the evening drinking party. Another kind of hunting, the killing of enemies in battle entitled a Macedonian to wear a special belt, as a visual signal and reminder of his attainment and prestige.
Alexander's legacy unites East and West in it's traditions including art and music. Alexander is a world legacy as well as a Greek Hero. Alexander is seen as hero, bad guy, holy man, Christian, as a new achilles, prophet and visionary, King of Macedonia and conqueror of the Persian Empire. No sexual relationship ever distracted Alexander from his purpose.
From the reading I still question if Alexander was poisoned. I think he died because of a contracted fever and broken heart. I think he knew that his men wanted him to come home and finish his war in other lands. He left no heirs, nor did he establish any permanent structure for the empire. The League of Corinth had been dissolved. His empire fell apart.
This book is presuming that the reader is beginning the study of Macedonia and Alexander the Great. Another book he wrote that I would love to read is In the Shadow of Olympus: the Emergence of Macedonia ( Princeton ,1990) by E. N. Borza which describes Aristotle teaching him at thirteen and combat training at seven.
Alexander the Great introduced Greek as an official language throughout his vast empire. Alexander kept a copy of Homer's Iliad under his pillow. I liked how this man took care of his sick and wounded on the battlefield and disabled veterans. And he also took care of veterans as they got older.
The first historical novel " The Alexander Romance" celebrated his many feats and Alexander coin portraits continue to be struck. Caesar as a pretorian governor in Spain, on seeing a portrait of Alexander, lamented that he was in his late thirties and had yet to do any thing great. This was the greatness of Alexander
Alexander the Accessible.......2005-02-18
Biographies of figures from the ancient world are often written, in the words of one of my old professors, "as if the author were being paid by the word." Lindsay Adam's new biography of Alexander the Great manages to avoid that trap. This book demonstrates that scholarship and readability are not contradictory. Adam's scholarly grounding is top-notch, but he does not clutter up his narrative with the usual wordy footnotes and passages in classical Greek. Both the professional historian and the history fan will find much to enjoy here. The author handles the complex and fascinating story of Alexander's conquests and their legacy with considerable grace and mastery. The professor looking for a text for undergraduates and the reader simply interested in a retelling of one of history's most compelling careers would both profit from this book.
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Conqueror's Lady (Legacy of Love)
Gail Mallin
Manufacturer: Harlequin Mills & Boon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0263140466 |
Book Description
A groundbreaking anthology that demolishes the myths -- and reveals the true significance -- of the greatest archaeological discovery of our time.
Ever since their initial discovery in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls have aroused excitement, jealousy, and not a little dread among some who feared their contents might undermine the foundations of Judaism and Christianity. For more than 35 years the majority of scroll texts remained the intellectual property of an exclusive coterie of scholars. Recently, however, the Biblical Archaeology Review succeeded in breaking that monopoly.
This path-clearing volume is an illuminating assessment of what these texts reveal about a lost era in the history of two world religions, Christianity and rabbinic Judaism. Were the Dead Sea Scrolls written by the Essenes, an ascetic sect of Jews that may have included John the Baptist among its members? Is the Copper Scroll a secret map to the treasures of the Jerusalem Temple? In what way do these books prefigure the teachings of early Christianity? Additional chapters address the controversies surrounding the Scrolls' discovery and their long suppression -- including the possible role of the Vatican and charges of anti-Semitism on the part of a former chief editor of the official scroll publication team.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting perspectives from those in the know.......2007-06-09
With the anniversary of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls coming up and having the scrolls come to my own backyard (San Diego) this year, I decided to do a little research into the scrolls. While I have a pretty good understanding of them, this book was very helpful. I especially enjoyed the stories of the discovery of the scrolls and how they were able to piece together the fragments. The book is filled with contributions from different writers, and honestly, it loses a star because some of the selections were boring and over my head anyway. But that wasn't true with most of them, and I have to say that Shanks did his usual best in putting everything together. Well worth reading for those wanting to know more about these.
Good Contrast.......2006-11-10
I really liked this book as it covers many of the controversial issues regarding the dead sea scrolls. Each side is covered by an article written by an expert in that area. Because of this the book is nonbiased and allows you to see some of the best arguments from each side. I found this book very informative and interesting. I actually read it in college and had to buy recently because I had so often wanted to reread portions of it.
Fascinating Archaeological and Biblical Find.......2006-05-16
This fascinating book makes archeology come alive like no other ... While herding their flock of goats, Bedouins discovered a cave which contained jars holding animal skin parchments that turned out to be an ancient library. Their discovery in Cave 1 uncovered seven nearly intact scrolls of immense value to Biblical scholars. In "Da Vinci Code" fashion [without the murders thank you very much!] the mysteries surrounding how the scrolls *finally* reached qualified scholars is a great reading experience. The editor Hershel Shanks selected articles from Biblical Archeology Review providing different viewpoints and scholarly opinions regarding the meaning behind the Dead Sea Scrolls. There are multiple views about the identity of the community who lived in Qumran itself. The discovery of these scrolls has been one of the best kept secrets by scholars and dealers of antiquity. They guarded their treasures with fierce passion! This is a very narrow field of study confined to a limited number of qualified experts. Due to the nature of research and jealousies surrounding access to the treasure and the implications for publication, i.e., to be the *first*, information is not readily shared. However nearly 60 years have now passed since their discovery and although over 800 manuscripts and fragments are scattered over the globe, much of it is carefully preserved in Israel for future generations of scholars to explore. The key to their meaning and implications for religous teaching and practice of Judaism and Christainity lies in these ancient documents. The interpretation by scholars is dreaded by some and is welcomed by many. To quote from an ancient passage, "Know the truth and the truth shall set you free". Not everyone is able to handle freedom, many need their myths and legends which masquerade as truth.
There are illuminating articles which discuss the nature of the controversies and differences of religious ideas as expressed by the Nazarenes, the Essenes, Zadokites, Sadducces and Pharisees all of whom were active during the time when the Qumran community existed. These articles are erudite and very readable. One gets a feel for the ancient times when Hellenization, Jewish identity, and the quest to survive in the global world village of their time, the Middle East, caused conflicts both internally and externally ... The reader gets a better understanding of the ancient Jewish writings, the Mishnah, the Talmud, as well as the practice of halakhah. The discussion regarding the Temple Scroll [written about 2,500 years ago] is among the best. This subject is examined by the eminent scholar Yigael Yadin. One can compare his views to that of Hershel Shanks and Hartmut Stegmann. They all provide unique ideas on how religion played an important part in the lives of ancient people.
The chapter written by James C. Vanderkam sheds light on important verses in the New Testament which might have originated from passages in the Dead Sea Scrolls. This has a huge impact on understanding the roots of Christianity ... Another extremely interesting hypothesis is offered by Robert Eisenman of California State University. He postulates that Judas Maccabee, John the Baptist, Jesus and his brother James belonged to the Zadokite movement which was an off-shoot of the Essene community. *Before* the discovery of the Qumran scrolls the only literature that existed about the early Christians was based on Latin and Greek texts. New Testament scholars benefited enormously by the Dead Sea Scrolls which are a primary source written in Hebrew and Aramaic dating back to the times in question. The description of sacred meals, sacred baths and baptism like rituals, and the making of a covenant date back much further than this reader thought. Lastly, the relationship of rabbinic Judaism as practiced before and after the destruction of the Temple (AD 70) shows that there is great continuity in the laws and practices of the Pharisees ... It is hard to summarize just how important the Dead Sea Scrolls are to understanding the role of relgion in the lives of the people in the ancient past and how the roots of religion and continuity of belief systems are connected to both Judaism and Christianity as they exist today. Undoubtedly there may be even more surprising revelations in the future as scholars study the Dead Sea Scrolls further and connect the root sources with current interpretations and writings.
Erika Borsos [pepper flower]
"A CLOAK AND DAGGER AFFAIR"-Yigael Yadin.......2004-10-09
Yigael Yadin was describing the world of dead sea scroll scholarship which began in 1947 when the first scrolls were discovered by a Bedouin boy herding his animals in the Judean hills. The scrolls were then shuttled to the antiquities market; sacred, holy words were now up for sale, and not at dime store prices! The "cloak and dagger affair" then began. (The temple scroll was obtained for $105,000 by the Israeli's after the six day war of 1967). Years later, many other caves were found containing ancient scrolls. Hershel Shanks, in his overview, states that, in this book, the articles discuss the dead sea scrolls from 11 caves at and around Qumran. There are many aspects to these finds: the political dimension, the religious one, the preservation of, the new data itself, and differing opinions of biblical scholars. Hershel Shanks divides the 22 chapters of this book into 9 sections: the find, where they came from, the temple scroll, the dead sea scrolls and the bible, the dead sea scrolls and christianity, the dead sea scrolls and rabbinic judaism, the copper scroll, reconstructing the scrolls, and controversy and the scrolls.
I read this four years ago, in preparation for a pilgrimage to Israel, where we were to see Masada and the Dead Sea manuscripts which are now housed at the Shrine of the Book which is a part of the Israel Museum. I chose this one from many others at my local library; it looked like a good introduction to someone like me with little knowledge of this aspect of biblical scholarship. I was pleased with the contents. Hershel Shanks wrote 5 of the 22 chapters, the rest written by other scholars in this field. Each chapter is prefaced with a brief summary of the contents by the editor. (I admire Hershel Shanks' scientific approach to considering all of the evidence and hypotheses that emerge from the analyses of the many manuscripts; he never generalizes, exercizes great care in making any statement, very fair in his analyses, perfect traits for an editor). The book is comprehensive and captures the aura of this "cloak and dagger business".
a layman's collection of essays from the scholars.......2003-12-23
Readable to the armchair scholar, the essays contained in this book avoid the extremes of esotericism that many books on the subject fall victim to. One is introduced to the story of the scrolls, their exciting discovery, and their contribution to our understanding of the history surrounding the Jewish nation and culture - as well as some of the challenges and controversies that have attended the handling of the scrolls by an elite group.
Almost every scholar who has anything to say about the scrolls has indulged in a little over-interpolation or over-extrapolation, which is to say, reading more into the scrolls than is actually there. Examples of this are the sensational claims made by some that the scrolls contained evidence that John the Baptist was an Essene, or that Christianity was based on Qumran doctrines - all unfounded speculation, of course. You'll find a little of that in here, but the discerning reader can filter it out, if you keep in mind that scholars are just people, and they like to gossip, speculate, and run off at the imagination as much as the rest of us do. And you'll find an equal dose of myth-debunking here too, exposing the folly of some of the sensationalism.
I like this collection of essays, and consider it a valuable window to the mysterious world of Qumran and its hidden scroll collection. Recommended.
Books:
- The Company: A Novel of the Cia, 1951-91 (New Millennium Audio)
- The Desert Rose : A Novel
- The Gates of November
- The Giant's House: A Romance (P.S.)
- The Girl at the Lion d'Or
- The Little Sparrows (Orphan Trains Trilogy, Book 1)
- The Looking Glass: A Novel (The Locket Series)
- The Lost Upland: Stories of Southwestern France
- The Painted Kiss: A Novel
- The Place of Dead Roads: A Novel
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