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An unlikely love story about a lonely spinster librarian and a younger man, forced into loneliness because of his monstrous size. Peggy Cort, the reclusive librarian in a small Cape Cod town falls for a boy 14 years her junior -- one who grows to be 8 feet 7 inches and 415 pounds. Though initially attracted out of sympathy, Peggy soon finds she has much in common with this sensitive, albeit enormous man. A romance ensues, but the unique connectedness they share -- something neither has ever felt before -- is cruelly interrupted by tragedy.
Book Description
The year is 1950, and in a small town on Cape Cod twenty-six-year-old librarian Peggy Cort feels like love and life have stood her up. Until the day James Carlson Sweatt -- the "over-tall" eleven-year-old boy who's the talk of the town -- walks into her library and changes her life. Two misfits whose lonely paths cross at the circulation desk, Peggy and James are odd candidates for friendship, but nevertheless they find their lives intertwined in ways that neither one could have predicted. And as James grows -- six foot five at age twelve, then seven foot, then eight -- so does Peggy's heart and their most singular romance.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful!.......2007-09-13
I read this book years ago, and have never gotten it out of my head. Simply marvelous. One of my favourites ever.
Outstanding.......2007-09-05
The Giant's House is a biography of James Carlson Sweatt, a young man afflicted with giantism. Six feet tall at the age of eleven, James reaches a height of eight feet seven inches before he passes away. James' biographer is Peggy Cort, a librarian, who, until she meets James, is in danger of living a life of loneliness and quiet desperation. Peggy tells the tale of James'short life, chronicling the many triumphs and heartbreaks. She also describes the bond between her and the gentle giant, an attachment which grows into a deep, abiding love.
Reminiscent of the best of Ray Bradbury, and of Katherine Dunn's Geek Love, The Giant's House is an outstanding achievement. McCracken has a keen eye for descriptive detail, especially small town life. It's probably not for everyone, but if you value good writing, give it a try.
Heartbreaking and Hopeful.......2006-08-27
The tallest boy in the world, and a convoluted librarian with the biggest heart in the world, this was an enchanting read, complete with loveable oddball characters you'll worry about even long after you turn the last page. This book became an obsession, and is a great flash of lightning on the horizon, for the beauty of McCracken's next novel, "Niagra Falls All Over Again." Deep author, and this book will delve into your heart, deep.
Unsettling.......2006-07-14
I am not a fan of books written in the first person, but the person who lent it to me had nothing but rave reviews! The book to say the least was unsettling and quite disturbing. I found the story line long, drawn and boring. The characters lacking depth and emotion. The only character you feel sorry for is Mrs. Sweatt, who is honest and outright from the start, she hides nothing. As for Peggy, she comes across as pitiful, selfish and "stalker-like" in her obsession with James.
I know evey book does not have a happy ending and I have read those, but I was relieved when I could put this book back on the shelf and forget the characters in it!
A Giant Triumph.......2006-05-09
I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed this but because I read both books recently and they sit next to each other on my shelf, I couldn't help noticing some similarities between "The Giant's House" by Elizabeth McCracken and the later bestseller "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger. For one thing, just look at the covers next to each other: both feature two pairs of shoes with empty shoes representing the tragic heroes. The subject of both is very similar: a tale of love and loss between an ordinary woman and an extraordinary man (giant vs. time traveler) who meet when one of the characters is very young. I'm not bringing this up to accuse anyone of anything, but to say that if you like one read the other.
Speaking just for "The Giant's House" it really is a tremendous debut novel. Peggy's narration is often witty and cynical without being too bitter or self-pitying. The book is populated with interesting characters from James the giant to his tragically unhappy mother to Oscar with his get-rich schemes and ultimately to the infamous Mr. C. Sweatt. Peggy is actually the least interesting character which is by design because she's narrating and she doesn't see herself as particularly interesting or unique.
I noticed one review where someone said they didn't understand why Peggy loves James. The answer to that is simple: a mutual loneliness and love of books. James' size keeps him isolated from other people, who drop by his house and come up to him on the street to gawk and ask inane questions about how much he eats. Peggy is similarly isolated as the town librarian; she's around the people and town but not really a part of anything. It's this mutual feeling of isolation and loneliness that allows Peggy to overlook James' height and his age to fall in love.
The story follows James from 12 until his death a decade later and how Peggy becomes increasingly a part of his life. First she helps him find books, then brings books to him, and soon is helping to design his house and spending most of her free time there with him. James has to make sacrifices--including a brief stint as a circus performer--to make the money needed to provide for his unique needs and never can live a truly "normal" life.
My only real complaint is that the end gets a little too rushed, going into summary mode for the last ten pages or so. Also, what wasn't clear to me was why Peggy lies about the father of her child. Still, those are minor imperfections in a great novel and can be easily overlooked. And I have to mention the shorter length is one reason "Giant's House" is better than the other book I mentioned earlier, although I suppose it's funny a book about a giant is only average sized.
This is one of the best first novels I've read. I highly recommend it.
That is all.
Average customer rating:
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THE GIANTS HOUSE A ROMANCE
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H1IYV4 |
Book Description
Lyle Johnson is a hot and handsome Wall Street investment banker with no intention of settling down. His new partner is Tess Aventura Dubois-recently widowed and bequeathed a multi-million-dollar fortune. What she's investing in now is interest in Lyle, who can afford to share her luxurious lifestyle-if she can keep from him her deepest, darkest secret...
Customer Reviews:
A - Book.......2007-08-01
This book was well worth the read. Much better than the prequel Revenge is best served cold. This novel is action packed from beginning to end and "Tyrone"...you won't be able to get enough of him. Fast paced with lots of twists that moves you right along with the books. Just enough characters ...not too many things going on at once but no chance of boredom with the characters illustrated. Also the author did an excellent job of keeping Dakota and Morgan in the background (they were the main characters in the first novel)giving just enough attention to them so that prequel readers know what happens to them w/o dwelling on them as main characters. Get the book especially since it has been out for a few years and I am sure you can get it at a really cheap price.
Carter and Howard Redeem Themselves.......2007-07-24
As far as I am concerned anyway, I was really disappointed in the first book. All of the name dropping was irritating, and I was looking for this book to be the same, but it was so much better.Tyrone was at it again and it was interesting to see what he was up to this time and how he would get caught or get out of it. This book can be read without reading the first book, (wish I had known that before I bought it.) I hope the next installment is even better.
Not a Bad Afternoon Read.......2005-03-23
These authors (unlike some others) do a good job of combining their writing styles and thoughts and come together to write "Success..."
This book captures the exploits of Tyrone AKA Contessa Aventura. Tess is a cross dressing gold-digger whose past catches up with her in the worst way. There is also a love story or two thrown in here. Not to mention the ever-present and all too tired story line that includes reconciliation of a jail-bird brother with his widly successful younger brother.
By the way, these authors mentioned that they wanted to show African-Americans in a positive light, well "drug-dealing to feed the family cause the daddy walked out" didn't do it for me.
All in all, not a bad read and I finished it in one day.
Kristy Phillips
Sister 2 Sister Book Club
Can They Possibly Go Wrong?.......2004-09-02
For those who know, the flamboyant Tyrone is at it again! For those who don't...start from the very beginning with Tracie Howard and Danita Carter's first book "Revenge Is Best Served Cold". Once again the duo of diversity has cleverly blended the elegance of high-powered living and the gritty lifestyle of the streets. Although not as dramatic as its predecessor, "Talk of the Town", "Success Is the Best Revenge" still holds its own. Sit back and relax as the leading characters bump into each other's lives causing controversy, greed and love (yes!), all boiled into one book. You won't be able to put it down!
A trending tale of urban upper class, told with style!.......2004-06-05
This book is an elegant example of urban class. So many books illustrate lower class black society and never touch on black middle and upper class. This book is an eloquently written contradiction to the ghetto concrete jungle, low moral, lack of respect, education, class, family values and self esteem, portrade in too many other black books. Their were no drive-by's, baby mamas and cheap liquor in this book, just sheer elagance in its most dramatic form. The characters in this book could have been any race and that's what I love the most about this book!
Book Description
Shows how you can get what you want despite the barriors above you. Describes ways to deal with your boss and make your happiness crucial to his success.
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Success Is the Best Revenge - Gold Medal Career Management
John Stewardson , and
Bob Evans
Manufacturer: Productive Publications,Canada
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Business & Investing | Subjects | Books | Accounting | Biography & History | Business Life | By Publisher | Economics | Finance | General | Industries & Professions | International | Investing | Job Hunting & Careers | Management & Leadership | Marketing & Sales | Organizational Behavior | Personal Finance | Popular Economics | Real Estate | Reference | Skills | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Women & Business
ASIN: 0920847889 |
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- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
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- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
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History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
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History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
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They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies
ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Average customer rating:
- Earth's Swan song...
- snorefest!
- Skim-Worthy
- the songs of distant earth
- Future utopia
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Songs of Distant Earth
Arthur C. Clarke
Manufacturer: Del Rey
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Clarke, Arthur C.
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ASIN: 0345322401
Release Date: 1987-04-12 |
Book Description
Thalassa was a paradise above the earth. Its beauty and vast resources seduce its inhabitants into a feeling of perfection. But then the Magellan arrives, carrying with it one million refugees from the last mad days of earth. Paradise looks indeed lost....
Customer Reviews:
Earth's Swan song..........2007-09-27
Lately I have been going through an Arthur C. Clarke phase, I've always been terribly addicted to his books, and The Songs of Distant Earth is by far one of the best yet. It is a very somber tale which concerns the next phase of humanity, as we leave earth behind upon the destruction of the sun and the rest of the solar system, the future of mankind residing within the stars.
The story resolves around one of the new colonies on Thalassa, having been establish for 700 years on an ocean planet, their secluded paradise is soon to change as Magellan, the last ship from earth, arrives in orbit bring with it a million survivors from the last days of earth. Although Magellan are only making a pit stop before continuing onward to their final destination, the 2 years it spends with the Lassans will chage the lives of both cultures forever and will echo down for generations to come...
This is not an action, suspense or thriller, there is no twist or surprise ending, it is just beautiful in every sense. Clarke doesn't only show his prowess with scientific accuracy, he also show a profound understanding of humanity, and even though it is present in most of his works, this book captures a truer, more pure essense of us than ever before.
A brilliant book, both a Swan Song for Earth and a beacon of hope for us as a species, a very moving text.
snorefest!.......2007-01-30
Meandering, amateurish writing with no conflict. Please save yourself the time of reading this unsatisfying book. I kept hoping that all the ideas that were introduced would be developed and paid off, but they never were. as I got later and later in the book, I thought perhaps there was a big surprise ending, but it never arrives! Lots of interesting storylines are started - is there intelligent life on the new planet? Will the starship stay and come into conflict with the native population? Will the legions of sleeping crew awaken? Will any of the crew abandon their mission, or natives stow away on the ship? Will either betrayed lover freak and do something? Will the VOLCANO go off for christ's sake??? Nothing happens!!! The book stomps all over Chekhov's cardinal rule of drama - if you put a shotgun on the wall in the first act, it damn well better go off in the third. There are shotguns everywhere in this book but they remain dusty relics that add nothing but frustration to the experience of the reader.
The love story is laughably dry, even though it should be a tension-filled shifting love triangle. You don't read about any of it happening as it develops. You just get boring, lifeless updates after the fact. I didn't care about any of the characters - none of them have any goals, they aren't developed beyond the most rudimentary descriptors, and you don't see them make any compelling choices, again we're just told about their actions after the fact in the most boring, lifeless terms.
The discussions of religion are amusing in moments, but on the whole pretty uncontroversial. Although the way it's written, you can tell Clarke THINKS he's blowing your mind. Maybe for some people it's earth-shattering (ha-ha), but again, even if they're good ideas, there's no reason to care about the ideas, because there's nothing at stake, i.e. no story.
seriously, there's no story. for a moment mutiny is threatened, but it goes away after a polite meeting and one slightly interesting but totally perfunctory interrogation. i mean it, that's IT. the love triangle goes nowhere. one character dies in a tidal wave and even THAT is completely undramatic, and he's brought back to life in a completely routine way on the next page. yawn! seriously. don't read it.
instead, if you haven't already, check out Childhood's End, another Clarke novel, which is completely brilliant. It has good ideas AND a story, complete with conflict, tension and characters you actually care about. it's still very cerebral, but in a way that works, unlike Songs of Distant Earth.
Even the title never pays off in the way you want it to. The starship brings with it all the artwork, literature and music of obliterated earth, and there's concern over how this influx of information will impact the young civilization. but then you never see any impact. there's one very mundane concert at the very end with no aftermath, good or bad! although the setup is there for some fascinating conflicts it just never pays off. kind of like the rest of the book. very disappointing.
Skim-Worthy.......2006-08-23
As in the equal of the film on top of milk.
There's a great premise here, of the destruction of Earth, and the meeting of remnant colonies from different eras. Not original, but a great premise nonetheless. However, the greatness of the premise only magnifies the tragedy of the novel development. Or rather, the lack thereof. For there is no real development here. It was incredibly disappointing. All of the answers you hope for are not included- in fact there are an increasing number of questions raised in the book. It is like the TV show Lost, if there was never a second season. It is as if Clarke came up with the first half of the book and forgot to finish it.
This book is filled with long, drawn out romances that are neither interesting nor relevant. It is incredibly anti-Theist, seeking to attack any idea or person who is stupid enough to believe in a god. All this is ignorable if only it had a semblance of a plot; if events progressed, and the storyline completed. It doesn't.
the songs of distant earth.......2006-08-11
clarke imagines a splendid future for the human race in this novel. thousands of years in the future, the final ship from doomed earth makes a stop at an old earth colony, now a culture in its own right, on its way into the unknown. the inhabitants of the world and the passengers on the ship intermix, making a fascinating blend of the old and the new.
this is a thoroughly enjoyable book. thalassa is a wonderfully drawn paradise. the thalassans still retain enough 'flaws' in their 'humanity' to be immediately reconcilable with humans both today and from that time in the future. the science that is sprinkled through the work is not overbearing and in no way upsets the flow of the story. the 'non-issue' of sexuality adds to the characters, as does clarke's mature views on love. the only stumbling block may be one or two passages on religion that approach the title of 'rant'. but, they are easily forgiven in view of such an inspiring story of human evolution.
Future utopia.......2006-07-16
Earth is about to be destroyed by our Sun that is going nova and humanity must explore the outreaches of the galaxy and reseed alien planets with test tube babies and their robotic handmaidens.
Clarke explores the limits of traveling throughout the galaxy and the limits of our technology; there is no magic faster than light (FTL) drives. Seed ships are sent in the 25th century arriving at their destination hundreds of years later traveling at a respectable fifth of the speed of light. These ships are sent to other worlds with a partial history of Earth for it's future inhabitants. The nadir of humanity is erased; wars, religion, guns and violence are eradicated from the archives for the future inhabitants.
The new inhabitants of the seeded Thalassa (one of many seeded planets) are a modern day Eden. Humanity's future on Thalassa is not beset with violence or wars, sexuality is open and permissible and people are generally happy. One thousand years hence the Lassans are visited by the last ship leaving Earth after it's destruction for a refueling mission before going on to their new home planet Sagan II
This book is quite good for a number of reasons, the first being the realistic portrayal of spaceships and the limits of technology; how will humans travel in the future? The second is Clarke's diatribe against religion, guns, and repressed sexuality on Earth. The only problem with the book was its length; I wish it were a lot longer. Another great book for one of our greatest science fiction writers
Average customer rating:
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Songs of Distant Earth
Manufacturer: Del Rey Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Clarke, Arthur C.
| ( C )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
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Childhood's End
ASIN: B000ERTT74 |
Book Description
A practical biblical journey into personal or church wide revival. Its readers quickly recapture the missing element of full revival and New Testament power.
Customer Reviews:
Clarion Call to a Holiness and Consecration .......2004-12-30
In 2004 our church used "Returning to Holiness" as a devotional during a forty-day period of prayer and fasting. The experience was powerful for our congregation and the book aided in challenging our church members to spiritual cleansing and consecration. Frizzell has written the book primarily to be used for church-wide times of seeking God but it would also be beneficial to individuals.
"Returning to Holiness" is a hard hitting and convicting work that strongly calls believers to a life of personal holiness and consecration. It covers every area of sin and impurity imaginable. For the mature and grounded Christian it is a clarion call to a God-honoring life-style. I'd caution those who are subject to self-condemnation and spiritual insecurity that this book needs to be read with heavy doses of encouragement and grace. We are all a work in progress. For the individual I'd give it four stars but as a devotional during a congregational Sacred Assembly, I know of no better resource. As such I give it 5 stars.
Church leaders will find helpful instructions on conducting a special time of church-wide spiritual emphasis. I'd recommend a pastor carefully read through the book before taking a congregation through it. If you are planning to buy an individual copy AMAZON.COM is a good place to order from. Should you plan to buy copies to distribute to a large group of people, I'd recommend contacting Dr. Frizzell's office directly. They are able to provide the books in bulk at an exceptional price.
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