Book Description
The great Indian epic rendered in modern prose
India's most beloved and enduring legend, the Ramayana is widely acknowledged to be one of the world's great literary masterpieces. Still an integral part of India's cultural and religious expression, the Ramayana was originally composed by the Sanskrit poet Valmiki around 300 b.c. The epic of Prince Rama's betrayal, exile, and struggle to rescue his faithful wife, Sita, from the clutches of a demon and to reclaim his throne has profoundly affected the literature, art, and culture of South and Southeast Asia-an influence most likely unparalleled in the history of world literature, except, possibly, for the Bible. Throughout the centuries, countless versions of the epic have been produced in numerous formats and languages. But previous English versions have been either too short to capture the magnitude of the original; too secular in presenting what is, in effect, scripture; or dry, line-by-line translations. Now novelist Ramesh Menon has rendered the tale in lyrical prose that conveys all the beauty and excitement of the original, while making this spiritual and literary classic accessible to a new generation of readers.
Customer Reviews:
Rama's Delight.......2007-10-05
I have not read the original multi-volume Ramayana, the great Indian religious epic describing the travels of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu. The basic plotline is that Rama, the heir-apparent to the kingdom of Kosala centered in Ayodhya, is driven into exile in the forest, loses his beloved wife Sita to a kidnapping by the terrible demon Ravana and the rest of the story I will leave readers to discover. (Note that the Ramayana is considered Scripture in India, and not merely a story). I am not Indian: as a non-native I find this an incredibly accessible work, and a beautifully lyrical and inspired version. The creator of this version admits that he himself has read only translations of the work, however, there is definitely divine inspiration behind his efforts, as reading it feels like a thoroughly enjoyable spiritual practice. I look forward to continuing this practice regularly.
A great English translation of an Indian Classic.......2007-08-20
Gods, Demons and Heroes, locked in titanic battle in the mythical days of yore, and performing great feats of strength and/or self sacrifice ... what's not to love about that ?
The Ramayana is one of the great literary epics of Ancient India, retold in this version in full-length and easy-to-read English prose form. It's the story of the life and trials of Rama, a mortal incarnation (avatar) of the great Hindu God, Vishnu. However, it's more than just a simple mythological adventure story ... it's also a morality play. Rama is an archetypal example of a perfect man, dutiful son and pious husband; and likewise his wife Sita is an archetype of the perfect woman/wife. Together they are sent into exile by an act of betrayal, and by fate, and face a series of challenges that mercilessly test their quality and character ... encountering, in no particular order, wandering holymen/beggars, murderous rakshasas, diabolical demons, Gods, Devas, and creatures and spirits of the forest.
The thing that a lot of English & Western readers might otherwise overlook is that this epic is a revered part of Hindu literature, in much the same way that the adventures and trials of Jesus of Nazareth are told in the New Testament of the Bible.
The book is very enjoyable, and can be read on a number of different levels ... as both a simple mythological fantasy, as well as literary classic that indirectly underlies one of the world's major religions.
Some of the deeds and actions by the characters in the story might seem incomprehensible to some of us westerners, but that's just par for the course in grasping the deep seated psychological & religious differences between different cultures, with differing role models.
The author, thoughtfully, included a helpful appendix which defines some of the hindi words that appear in the story (ex: "moksha" loosely translates as "embodied enlightenment"), but it's by no means complete ... but it's enough for a western reader to get by without too much trouble.
In any case, it's a very enjoyable tale.
Indian Epic.......2007-08-11
In a way, The Ramayana reads like a "chick-flick". However, it is so much more than that. It teaches about Love, War, Prejudice, Loyalty, etc. It teaches about a peaceful way of being. Great, great book for people of all ages.
The most meaningful book I've ever read.......2007-06-23
After spending years reading and hearing portions of the Ramayana, this version finally opened many spiritual doors for me. My ability to read Hindustani is very poor but Ramesh Menon's lyrical style conveys all of the drama and meaning that I can only hope the original does. If anyone again ever asks me why I am a Hindu, I will ask that the person read this retelling of the Ramayana.
Simply beautiful.......2007-05-17
Menon's rendering of the Ramayana captures the essential lyricism of the epic. At last a volume that reads like prose but evokes the stirrings of poetry. This is the best English translation of the Ramayana that I have read. Your soul will be delighted!
Customer Reviews:
A Passionate Scandal.......2007-04-22
Once I started reading 'Scandal Between The Sheets', I couldn't put it down. It was such a sweet,yet sensual read. Wesley was definitely passionate about protecting those he loved and cared about and he had a generous nature. I enjoyed Jasmine's character with the exception of her taking crap from her 'stepmonsters', she should have nipped that in the bud a long time ago. And her father should have taken more notice of how his wife and her children treated his daughter. Although the book was short, it was still very enjoyable! Another Great Read, Ms. Jackson.
:0) .......2006-06-24
I enjoy this one by brenda jackson... I just love her stories they are very good and i think she deliever on this one i like it...
Yes, it was a scandal..........2005-08-16
This book was good. I've read many books from this author, and she's always leaving you where you're looking for more. Anxiously waiting to read your next book.
From Back Cover.......2005-01-24
When reporter Jasmine Carmody began sniffing around Savannah's most respected family looking for a story, watchdog Wesley Brooks warned her off. Day and night, she sensed him shadowing her every move, felt his every breath, wanted his most intimate touch...
Wesley would do anything to stop Jasmine's exposé on his adopted family - even seduce her. But her unexpected virginity surprised him, and so did their overwhelming passion. Soon he'd have to make a choice - trust her with all his secrets, or risk losing her forever.
As always, Brenda didn't disappoint.......2004-10-28
Scandal Between The Sheets was such a lovely, sensual read. Wesley sounded as fine as he wanted to be...and I'm glad Jasmine didn't just give in when she realized he caught her snooping. Although the book was short, it was still very enjoyable, and has me wating to read the rest of the books in the Danforth series even though the other characters and authors are not African American. Good work as usual, Ms. Jackson.
Customer Reviews:
Love the storie.......2005-06-21
I loved the story line and the character "Jake". Who cares if the three year old spoke too well. It was a great story and a fitting sequal to "man beneath the uniform".
Unbelievable...but okay..........2004-05-23
THE CONSEQUENCES OF DESIRE....
Three years ago, Jake Danforth spent a steamy, sheet-twisting night with Larissa Nielsen. He'd never forgotten her--even though Larissa had left him before morning light.
A BABY WITH HIS FATHER'S EYES...
Larissa had kept her precious son's birth a secret all this time. But, now she had to tell Jake the truth before someone else did. She was prepared for Jake's shock. She was prepared for his anger. She was even prepared for the desire flooding her veins each time he touched her....
She was not prepared for the quickie Vegas wedding that followed.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The plot was nice and the circumstances were understandable. But, there were a few points in there, that were unbelievable. I've never known a 3-year-old to speak *that* well. The child was speaking in full sentences, without a few mistakes in between, and unless this child was outstandingly brilliant, that was just too unrealistic for me. I felt that the end was rushed and it didn't do the situation justice. By the time you got to the end, another potential climax/twist was thrown in, in a matter of sentences, and then resolved within the next paragraph. Other then that, I loved this book. Recommended.
Product Description
** PLEASE NOTE 1 BOOK HAS LARGE BLACK "B" ON FRONT COVER. 12 - BRENDA JACKSON -RIDING THE STORM - A LITTLE DARE - TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS - STONE COLD SURRENDER - THE DURANGO AFFAIR - IAN'S ULTIMATE GAMBLE - STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL ATTRACTION - SCANDAL BETWEEN THE SHEETS - JARED'S COUNTERFEIT FIANCEE - THORN'S CHALLENGE - THE CHASE IS ON - SEDUCTION, WESTMORELAND STYLE.
Product Description
**** ($3.99 USA POSTAGE FOR ALL 9 BOOKS, WHICH WILL BE MAILED AT THE MEDIA - BOOK RATE WHICH IS SLOW SURFACE MAIL AND FREQUENTLY HAS A SLOW DELIVERY TIME BY THE USA POST OFFICE).
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DYNASTIES - THE DANFORTHS - Set of 12 Books - THE CINDERELLA SCANDAL ;MAN BENEATH THE UNIFORM ;SIN CITY WEDDING ;SCANDAL BETWEEN THE SHEETS ;THE BOSS MAN'S FORTUNE ;CHALLENGED BY THE SHEIKH ;COWBOY CRESCENDO ;STEAMY SAVANNAH NIGHTS ;THE ENEMY'S DAUGHTER
Barbara ;Child, Maureen ;Garbera, Katherine ;Jackson, Brenda ;Jensen, Kathryn ;Gold, Kristi ;Galitz, Cathleen ;Whitefeather, Sheri ;Winston, Anne Marie ;Conrad, Linda ;Rogers, Shirley ;Banks, Leanne ; McCauley
Manufacturer: Silhouette Desire
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IP7ZIW |
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- Not Free SF Reader
- Classic Sci-Fi with a unique concept
- Good fun book
- The Book that hooked me on McCaffrey
- Anne McCaffrey at her best
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The Ship Who Sang
Anne McCaffrey
Manufacturer: Del Rey
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Similar Items:
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The Ship Who Searched (Baen Science Fiction)
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The City Who Fought (Brainship)
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The Ship Who Won
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The Ship Avenged (Brainship)
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Brain Ships (PartnerShip & The Ship Who Searched)
ASIN: 0345334310
Release Date: 1985-12-12 |
Book Description
Helva had been born human, but only her brain had been saved and implanted into the titanium body of an intergalactic scout ship. But first she had to choose a human partner, to soar with her through the daring adventures and exhilarating escapades in space.
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
In this setting, severely physically handicapped children are trained to be the 'brains' of spaceships, and are partnered with more physically able people who become the ship pilots.
This follows one such person or ship in particular, who likes the whole music thing. She must also deal with the loss of a pilot and the introduction of another.
Classic Sci-Fi with a unique concept.......2007-04-28
Anne McCaffrey is good at creating new worlds or new concepts; her "Crystal Singer" series was my favorite, a whole world created around crystal miners who use voice to tune their cutting instruments to mine delicate and temperamental crystal.
In "The Ship Who Sang", music is also a factor, but it takes a backseat role to the concept of the brain/brawn ships. Helva is a crippled human who has a completely excellent brain trapped in a handicapped body. She is offered training to become a "Shell" person; one whose brain will be encased in a metal shell and imbedded in some kind of equipment needed intelligent direction. In Helva's case, she becomes a spaceship, her shell set in the middle of an entire ship partnered with a "brawn" or a physically able human.
The book is a collection of short stories featuring adventures for Helva with and without a brawn partner. The stories are only linked in time--Helva can work off the cost of her training and become a Free Ship (in time, in a lot of time.) Meanwhile, she is sent on a variety of missions. The one story I appreciated the most was "The Ship Who Dissembled" which has a most exciting hijacking; Helva is taken over by a crew of criminals who exploit her most tender weakness to get her to comply with their orders. But Helva is no idiot, despite being at somewhat of a disadvantage. This story is worth the entire book, in my opinion.
McCaffrey goes on to create more novels with the brain ship motif. This is a good one to read first to get the idea of the concept. And it's an absolute classic in the world of science fiction.
Good fun book .......2007-03-02
This was a good fun book. If you like a good story and don't require your science fiction to be strong on realism you will enjoy this book. If you are looking for hard SF and need everything to be realistic this isn't the book for you.
The Book that hooked me on McCaffrey.......2006-11-14
In wonderful detail McCaffrey leads us through the birth, early childhood and training of Helva. She was born a cripple and would have died had she not been encased in her Shell. She takes an interest in music and finds with her vocal equipment she can reproduce any tone, and with her memory banks can retrieve any number of plays or songs instantaneously. After she is commissioned several Brawns (to her brain) arrive aboard her and a 'Brawn picking party' commences. She decides on the one she wants almost immediately and they set out to pay off their debts to Central Worlds. In a mission to save several planets from an exploding sun, she tragically loses her brawn, and mourns him terribly. CenCom takes an interest in her and continues to give her temporary assignments and temporary brawns, and she pays off her debt in record time. After she is a free ship she is called upon (tricked or bullied really) into taking another assignment that her singing capabilities particularly require her service. The mission is accomplished, and very well indeed, but there are side effects and she loses 3 passengers (but not by her fault). There is a wonderful ending and many times throughout the book I wanted to cry. Wonderful read, excellent story. Very well thought out story line. The plot varies depending on the stage of the book, but it all goes together very well.
Anne McCaffrey at her best.......2005-11-08
This is the first, and the best, of Anne McCaffrey's Brainship stories. A young woman, Helva was born with terrible physical problems that were incompatible with any kind of independent life. New technology allowed her to be encased in a titanium shell that formed the core of a spaceship, with her brain wired up to the ship, allowing her to use her formidable intellect to act as the craft's central `computer'. She has become the first of the `Brainships' and can now have a freedom and independence of sorts, the freedom to travel between the stars accompanied by the pilot who will be her `Brawn'. Helva proves to have a love of music and an incredible voice to go with it; her constant singing leads to her fame as `The Ship Who Sang'.
It's hard to believe this book was written so long ago, it has certainly stood the test of time and is as enjoyable now as it has ever been. McCaffrey has introduced the idea of cyborg technology in a way that makes you question the morality of combining man and machine and to think about issues such as euthanasia. She never loses sight of the humanity of this young `hybrid' however, and Helva's development and growth as a person makes for moving reading. Granted this isn't a heavyweight of literature, don't expect lengthy prose or hard science, and occasionally the book lapses into more of a romance than a sci-fi story, but that aside, this is still a really good read. Keep an open mind and give it a chance, you won't be disappointed.
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The Ship Who Sang
Manufacturer: Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0345018818 |
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Ship Who Sang
Random House
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0345218817
Release Date: 1970-02-12 |
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the wonderful world of annie McCaffrey
Anne McCaffrey
Manufacturer: Del Rey, Ballantine books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
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| Action & Adventure
| Anthologies
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| Gay & Lesbian
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ASIN: B000M2MR2K |
Product Description
4 volumes , The ship who sang, to ride pegasus. decision at doona, restoree
Book Description
The autobiography of an American Gen-X woman who immerses herself in the sexual mysteries of tantric yoga.
• An engaging insider's story that intimately portrays the details of the tantric sexual path from a young woman's point of view.
• Author is one of the few Americans to be initiated into the sacred cobra breath.
• Reveals not only the benefits but also the pitfalls, problems, and temptations of this path toward enlightenment.
• Includes meditations and exercises for beginning a tantric practice.
Tantric Awakening discloses an epic experience of tantra that few have achieved, and even fewer would dare to attempt. This is the story of a 19-year-old girl, disillusioned by the questions that her religion and society fail to answer, who courageously enters the sensuous rituals of tantric sex. In search of authentic knowledge, Brooks was admitted into secret societies where she learned firsthand the ways of the tradition from tantric adepts. Amid disapproval from family and friends, her body and spirit awaken to ecstatic levels of orgasmic pleasure that allow her to experience loving relationships, better health, and a deep sense of oneness with God.
A personal and intimate portrait, Tantric Awakening is tastefully written to reveal not only the ecstatic power and spiritual benefits of tantra, but also the pitfalls, problems, and temptations of this path toward enlightenment. With the inclusion of specific tantric sexual techniques the author shows how to use tantra to balance the spirit with the physical self in order to achieve personal empowerment, transforming fear and self-doubt into joy and self-confidence. Meditations, exercises, and important insights for beginning a tantric practice assist the reader who is inspired to bring a sense of the divine into daily life.
Customer Reviews:
A Pleasant Surprise!.......2005-03-24
Delicious, yet highly informative. I bought this book with a skeptical mind, as a beginner on my tantric path, I am busy weeding out the cheap, cheesy, perverted sex-hype that occurs about anything vaguely related to sexualality in a Puritanical society and the new-age nonsense. I wasn't sure at first because of the steamy sex scenes but a closer look reveals much much more than that. It provides a perspective that a novice or just a curious person can use to understand the process of tantric awakening, without all the complicated mythology and history. I perfect starting point, although I recommend reading other more in depth books afterwards. It has made other works about tantra much more digestible. It's an easy read, I finished it in less than 24 hours.
For every romantic, not just the Tantra-oriented.......2004-12-09
I will mention right off the best thing about this book - an incomparable, mind-boggling love scene between the author and her Tantric guru. This is the hottest and best-described love scene I have ever read, culminating in her mind-blowing orgasm that explodes into blissful oneness with the universe (her description almost takes us there).
I am an English major and long-time student of Eastern philosphies; and I have never read anything like it.
The book is psychologically and philosophically solid, I believe; although one would do well to balance it with a non-Tantric mystical work from someone truly enlightened, such as Echhart Tolle's "The Power of Now."
Tantric awakening by Valerie Brooks.......2002-12-09
This book also helps men in understanding the thought processes of the female. I found it to be insightful and wonderfully simple. Many books on this subject try to be mystical or bury you in history. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is starting their (male or female) tantric path.
Great book!.......2002-05-31
This book about Tantra is one of the best written and most easy to follow. Not only does it tell a story but also provides some very insightful information about the world of Tantra and spirituality. I recommend this book from the novice, wanting to learn more about Tantra to the expert, wanting to share the experience of a young woman's journey.
The best written and comprehensive book on Tantra........2002-05-07
I first heard of Valerie Brooks on a radio interview and then I attended one of her many book lectures. She truly has carved out an enviable reputation as the premier author & lecturer on Tantra. "Tantric Awakening" is written clearly and eloquently so that the reader is able to grasp the big picture from falling in love, meditation, infinite orgasms to being one with God. The brilliance of this book is such that as you read the story of this 19 year old girl's initiation into the world of Tantra, you gain her wisdom and learn first-hand about the various aspects of Tantra. I recommend this book to anyone, not just interested in learning more about Tantra, but more about life itself. You will enjoy this personal journey you are about to experience through Valerie Brooks', "Tantric Awakening".
Books:
- The Royal Game & Other Stories
- The Solitaire Mystery: a novel about family and destiny
- The Summer Before the Dark
- The Tarnished Eye: A Novel of Suspense (Guest, Judith)
- The Ticket That Exploded (Burroughs, William S.)
- The Time of the Doves (La Plaza del Diamante)
- The Time of the Uprooted: A Novel
- The Torment of Others: A Novel
- The Vagina Monologues: The V-Day Edition
- The Vision of Emma Blau : A Novel
Books Index
Books Home
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The Mahabharata
Mahabharata: The Greatest Spiritual Epic of All Time (Great Classics of India)
The Rig Veda (Penguin Classics)
The Upanishads (Classic of Indian Spirituality)
Blue God: A Life of Krishna
