Book Description
In
The Complete Fiction of Nella Larsen, whose career flamed brightly but briefly in the 1920s, we rediscover one of the most gifted writers of the Harlem Renaissance.
Nella Larsen's subject is the struggle of sensitive, spirited heroines to find a place for themselves in a hostile world. Passing is the story of a light-skinned beauty who, after spending years passing for white, finds herself dangerously drawn to an old friend's Harlem neighborhood. In Quicksand, a restless young mulatto tries desperately to find a comfortable place in a world in which she sees herself as a perpetual outsider. Race and marriage offer few securities here or in the other stories in a collection that is compellingly readable, rich in psychological complexity, and imbued with a sense of place that brings Harlem vibrantly to life.
Customer Reviews:
Larsen speaks to those who've felt they never really fit in.......2006-12-21
This volume contains two novellas, Passing and Quicksand. I would recommend reading the introduction afterwards because it might spoil the stories. The two female protagonists in her stories are loosely autobiographical. Larson's mother was from Denmark and her father was Caribbean or African-American. Both protagonists are bi-racial women living during the Harlem Renaissance period and struggling to fit into segregated society.
I liked Quicksand better. Helga Crane also has a Danish mother and African-American father. As the story opens young Helga Crane is a teacher at a very strict school in an ultra-conservative small southern US city. She is lonely and isolated and far too intelligent for her environment. She finally makes the break and moves to New York City. After a long struggle to fit in she moves to Copenhagen. She is taken in by her mother's family. Instead of finding the love and acceptance she craves she is treated condescendingly like some exotic pet. I don't want to give away the ending, but it's good.
Complete fiction-- all too slight for the quality of her voice........2006-07-16
This little book represents the complete literary output of Nella Larsen, the great Harlem Renaissance writer. It is impossible to read without the sense of a voice that went quiet too soon. These are sophisticated works, full of issues about anger and identity. In the longer pieces it is frustratingly tangible how great she could have been had she been able to develop a larger body of work.
The pieces included in this work are:
"The Wrong Man" and "Freedom"-- these are two sensational short stories that Larsen published in women's magazines at the beginning of her writing career. If I have a quarrel with this collection, I have a quarrel with the fact that Larson (the editor) chose to put these stories first. While in some ways I understand it, they are so much weaker than the rest of her work that they do not create the right beginning for the book.
"Sanctuary" is a brilliant and powerful short story about a man hiding from the law. This story marked the end of her career, as accusations of plagiarism about the story drove her out of the public eye.
"Quicksand" was her first novel. Clearly drawn from the author's own experience (Larsen was born of a Danish mother and a West Indian father), it tells the story of Helga Crane. Helga constantly resists the idea that her life is defined by the color of her skin, but finds no available options for living any other way. She turns between her black friends in Harlem and her family in Copenhagen, trying to find a way to be herself.
"Passing" is a longer novel which is about two women from the same neighborhood who grew up to take very different routes. One has successfully passed as white, and is married to a white husband. One makes her home in Harlem and marries a black doctor. When they accidentally meet some time later in a different city, their lives once more connect. Irene and Clare are confronted with their own choices when they see what has become of the other woman.
Larsen died in obscurity in 1964, after 34 years of silence. In some respects, her work feels more modern than ever in the way it takes on the complexity of identity and questions notions of both feminism and race. I would suggest buying this edition if you aren't yet familiar with her work. Her output is sadly so slight that it makes sense to buy it all bound in one volume.
Recommended.
Passing was a great read !!!!!.......2003-03-21
Passing, written by Nella Larson, portrays the thoughts and feelings of a black woman dealing with inter-racial issues during the early twentieth century. The main character Irene Redfield, who has led a semi pleasant life with her husband and child finds herself dealing with issues brought upon by her past childhood friend Claire. Claire creates an intense and unstable environment for Irene and her family throughout most of the story. Towards the end a dramatic and suspenseful moment leaves the reader to create an ending in itself. I enjoyed Passing and found it to be an interesting book in relation to the early Harlem Renaissance years.
Customer Reviews:
The Boss's Baby by Miranda Lee (Large Print Harlequin).......2006-08-31
Description from the book back cover:
When her fiance ditched her, Olivia Johnson's world was blown away - and with it her natural caution. She went to the office party and seduced her handsome boss! Not that Lewis Altman protested. His once prim and proper PA had turned into a wild, wanton woman and soon he and Olivia had more than just a working relationship! But Olivia had a secret that she dared not tell Lewis - their first reckless encounter had led to more than just an affair: she was expecting his child!
EXPECTING! She's sexy, successful ... and PREGNANT!
Hmmm; interesting initial seduction - by the woman!!.......2005-09-16
OK, a little bit of mindless fun can be found in these Harlequin Presents books. But I am beginning to see a theme here - affairs with the boss and unexpected pregnancies! I'm starting to have sympathetic morning sickness! As usual, I judge them against similar books since they could never hold a candle against other substantial romances and definitely not "brilliant" in my opinion.
Olivia gets dumped, and then decides to turn the tables on a man. Not just any man - her boss, the rather conservative Lewis. He, too, is suffering after the breakup of his marriage. The rather mousey Olivia drops all her inhibitions with a few glasses of champagne at the office Christmas party and proceeds to seduce Lewis after they slip off to his office. As the alcohol wears off, Olivia is horrified and regretful. They both part to go on Christmas holiday with plans to "forget it ever happened." -- No such luck since Olivia finds herself pregnant! Lewis (after much persuasion on his part) manages to seduce Olivia back before finding out about the pregnancy. His (almost) ex-wife shows up once and insults and belittles Olivia. Since Olivia figures Lewis is on the rebound, she refuses his offer of marriage. All he cares about is the baby, right? How long will it take until he breaks through her defenses and convinces her he really does care?
There were some good secondary characters. Lewis's mother was great and promoted Olivia's independence, as long as she was independent nearby with the grandchild. Olivia's family was great too. For once, both main characters had normal loving childhoods - yea! (I was beginning to see a theme with that in these too!). These all seem to take place in Australia so there are a few words unfamiliar to an American but not difficult to figure out. I am amazed at some of the obvious misspellings - and wonder whether there are editors reading these rather short books? But this is a fun one - quick and the expected happy ending.
brilliant!.......1999-12-16
I think this book is just terifick, it is brilliant ad I couldn't of asked for more in a book.
brilliant!.......1999-12-16
I think this book is just terifick, it is brilliant ad I couldn't of asked for more in a book.
Customer Reviews:
Expecting The Boss's Baby-Michael and Kate-SPOILERS.......2003-01-09
Favorite scene with Kate-
Telling Michael she fell in love with him because of cookies.
Favorite scene with Michael-
Realizing only his wife and baby are important.
Favorite scene together-
Discussing his childhood photos.
A great tale.......2001-02-16
Self-made millionaires Michael Hawkins, Dylan Barrow, and Justin Langdon are all products of the Granger Home for Boys, a place for orphans. After winning an award from their former home, the trio discusses their successes, futures, and giving something back to the community by quietly forming the "Millionaire's Club" to help needy people. Michael's project involves unwed teen moms.
Meanwhile, Michael has problems on the professional and personal front. After winning a major contract, he and his trusted assistant Kate Adams celebrate with a few drinks that lead to lovemaking. Kate has loved her boss for quite a while, but he remains the "Tin Man" and tries to write off their evening of passion. However, a now pregnant Kate quits. When Michael realizes she is carrying his baby, he wants the child to have a name and security unlike his own childhood. He blackmails her into marriage using her mom's heart condition as a weapon. Even for the sake of their child, Kate wonders how she can live a lifetime with unrequited love?
The first "Millionaire's Club" story is a warm relationship tale that will please fans of contemporary romance. The story line is fun due to the lead characters, especially Kate who gains reader empathy. The support cast provides depth to an engaging novel that will send readers to seek books two and three, as they will know that they can take this author to the bank.
Harriet Klausner
Expecting The Boss's Baby.......2000-12-16
Expecting was a real treat for me I really enjoyed getting to know Michael Hawkins and Kate Adams. The secondary characters, friends of Michaels' from his time in a orphanage, Granger Home for Boys, also added to the mix. Michael never expected to find the woman of his dreams right under his nose, and Kate never expected to be the recipient of someone's attention as intensley driven as Michael. They both bring preconceived notions into the relationship and sorting those notions out and dealing with them makes this an enjoyeable read. I have to admit the character Justin is not one of my favorites but I have a feeling he will get his due in future books. The sincerity with which Michael and Kate try to relate to each other in this book is what drew me into it. Kate is an open book compared to Michael and their different ways of dealing with life's problems is what makes this book great. By trying to understand where the other is coming from and accepting their differences they are on their way to a beautiful relationship.
Customer Reviews:
Not very memorable........2006-04-10
I read this little more than a week ago and I can barely remember anything about it. Its a fertility clinic where most of the female employees seem to be overly (plot devicey) fertile.
The relationship between our hero and heroine is rather sweet, as he can be a cantakerous work-a-holic, and she is his devoted personal assistant. (the assisting got really personal, hence the title)
There are some pretty steamy scenes, that usually end abruptly because he puts his foot in his mouth.
I'd reccomend it for a bit of pointless fluff, but it isn't the best I've ever read.
In love with the boss, and pregnant with his baby!.......2004-10-03
Natalie Winford, divorcee and secretary for the head of an infertility clinic, became pregnant after she spent one wild night on her boss's yacht. Stunned, Natalie doesn't know how to tell him. She loves her boss, but she is sure that he doesn't feel the same way. Her greatest fears are that he will offer her a marriage of convenience for the baby's sake - or he will send her a support check every month, but will write her and the child out of his life for good. So Natalie decides to keep her little secret, and that's not the only secret she's keeping!
Doctor Patrick Barr is very attracted to his secretary, even though she shows no inclination to repeat the passionate night they shared together on his yacht. She seems withdrawn since their experience, not like the bubbly person she had once been. Once he accidentally discovers she's pregnant, his immediate thought is that the baby is his, although she denies it. So, thinking that she is carrying another man's child, will he find that he loves her enough to accept her and the child that isn't his...or will he let them walk out of his life?
I didn't like the character of Natalie at all. She didn't even have the decency to tell Patrick that she was pregnant, and when he did find out, she deliberately let him think that the child was her ex-husband's, not his! And then she wondered why Patrick wasn't asking her to marry him! Well, let's think this one out. Patrick thinks that, not only is Natalie pregnant with another man's baby, but she was sleeping with two different guys during the same time period and doesn't bother to tell either about the other.
The worst part about the whole book was, Natalie was just going to pretend the baby wasn't Patrick's and never give him the opportunity to know that he had a child, never give him the opportunity to spend time with the child, and never give him the opportunity to help raise his child. That's just sick. If a man is the father of your baby, and he is a good man and would love to be an active part of the child's life, how can you deny him and your child that? My daughter would LOVE to have a father who cared anything for her! So I felt absolutely no sympathy for Natalie.
This book was a real chore to read. I ended up gritting my teeth and wanting to throttle the heroine. I won't be reading any of the other books in "The Babies of Doctors Circle" series, and most definitely won't be reading this book again, either. If you're looking for a good book to read - skip this one.
Average customer rating:
|
Icehenge
Kim Stanley Robinson
Manufacturer: Orb Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| 18th Century
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| African American
| Asian American
| Classics
| Collections & Readers
| Drama
| General
| Hispanic
| History & Criticism
| Humor
| Jewish American
| Letters & Correspondence
| Native American
| Poetry
| Short Stories
| Women Writers
Robinson, Kim Stanley
| ( R )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Adventure
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Fifty Degrees Below
-
Forty Signs of Rain
-
Antarctica
-
Sixty Days and Counting
-
Pacific Edge: Three Californias (Wild Shore Triptych)
ASIN: 0312866097 |
Amazon.com
Voted one of the best science fiction novels of the year in the 1985 Locus Poll, Icehenge is an early novel by Kim Stanley Robinson (author of the trilogy comprising Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars) and takes place in the same universe. The story is part mystery and part psychological drama, divided into three distinct sections.
In the year 2248, Mars is ruled by a Politburo-like committee that actively discourages dissent as well as travel and exploration of other planets. Scientist Emma Weil becomes involved in a covert plot to convert a stolen ship into a self-supporting spaceship. She turns down a chance to accompany the starfarers, and returns to her beloved Mars where she joins the revolution already in progress.
Three centuries later, archaeologist Hjalmar Nederland unearths a governmental cover-up of the true facts behind the old revolution. At the same time, a Stonehenge-like monument is discovered on the north pole of Pluto, and Nederland sets out to prove his theory that the monument is connected to revolutionaries and their contemporaries who left for the stars. Seventy years later, his great-grandson Edmond Doya becomes convinced that Icehenge is a hoax, and attempts to disprove Nederland's theory.
In addition to futuristic issues such as interstellar travel and the terraforming of Mars, Robinson's characters grapple with politics, careers, families, and aging. Icehenge is a worthy introduction to the author's winning combination of hard science and believable characterization. --Bonnie Bouman
Book Description
On the North Pole of Pluto there stands an enigma: a huge circle of standing blocks of ice, built on the pattern of Earth's Stonehenge--but ten times the size, standing alone at the farthest reaches of the Solar System. What is it? Who came there to build it?The secret lies, perhaps, in the chaotic decades of the Martian Revolution, in the lost memories of those who have lived for centuries.
Average customer rating:
|
ICEHENGE
Kim Stanley Robinson
Manufacturer: Futura Pubns.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000K5MNNM |
Average customer rating:
|
Icehenge
Kim Stanley Robinson
Manufacturer: Macdonald
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
| Authors, A-Z
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Fantasy
| Gaming
| Large Print
| Media
| Science Fiction
| Writing
ASIN: 0356124029 |
Average customer rating:
|
ICEHENGE
Kim Stanley Robinson
Manufacturer: Futura Pubns.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000K5TH90 |
Average customer rating:
|
Icehenge
Manufacturer: HARPER COLLINS 1 PAP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GPAS0Q |
Book Description
Throughout the ages, shamans and mystics have recognized that all created things share some level of consciousness, and that ordinary and nonordinary realities interact at some point. This book by a well-known Celtic American shaman explores those interactions and interconnected pathways, looking at the interdependence of our material life with our inner life and that of nature. Each chapter is a small window into the mysteries of nature and soul as they infuse daily life. Cowan draws on the teachings of medieval mystics, fairy legends, Celtic songs, present-day poets and seekers, Native American stories, and other traditions. From these strands he weaves a Celtic knot of spirit that is both beautiful and strong.
Customer Reviews:
charming collection.......2007-08-05
Delightful reading - and now we're taking turns reading it aloud to each other in the evening. A very positive book - just what we need right now.
An absolutely wonderful little book.......2007-06-01
This book is a true delight! Full of the light and magic of the world all around us, Tom Cowan's words are sure to make you think and to move your soul.
Sound advice.......2007-05-13
Tom Cowan's Celtic Reflections is a wonderful read. Every chapter contains pearls of wisdom. The book is also written in a way that builds on concepts presented earlier to make the point later in the book. The reflections draw on Celtic traditions and myth, as well as Cowan's personal life. His explanation of spirit and living "in the spirit" was particuarly poignant. I plan read sections again to try to pull out individual practices and meditations. Although they are presented in almost every chapter, I wish there had been a summary or methodology to the techniques that were presented. Overall, though, an excellent book worthy of reading and study, whether you are into Celtic traditions or simply want to experience another way look of seeing the world.
An Absolutely Inspiring Text That Gives Great Insight Into The Heart of Celtic Theology........2005-11-27
I found "Yearning for the Wind" to be an absolutely inspiring text that gives great insight into the heart of Celtic Theology. Of particular interest to me, and something I hold as a personal belief is the Celtic mystery tradition, going back to the time of Plato, that all created things share in the divine life of the Creator (pp. 56). I believe that the spirit of God is in each of us.
Some may ask how the spirit of the divine can be found in those who are not godly, yet we find this too explained in "Yearning for the Wind" and in Celtic Theology in general. In the text a story is related of two groups of sheep. One group being white and the other being black. From time to time one of the white sheep would wander over to the group of black sheep and would itself turn black. And, later a black sheep would wander into the white flock and would thereafter turn white. I took this to mean that we tend to take on the likeness of those with who we associate. So... when we associate with those lacking an abundance of the divine spirit we ourselves show a lack of this spirit too. Yet, the divine spirit that is in us will grow when given an environment that is nurturing to the spirit.
Along this same line however, we are never completely black, nor are we ever completely white. In "Yearning for the Wind" we see this reflected in the story of the tree, half of which is on fire, the flames blazing up to the top of tree; while the other half of the tree is green, leafy and beautiful. Although not explained in great detail I found the story of the burning tree to be similar to the Chinese theory of yin and yang. Each is the opposite of the other, yet yin flow into yang and yang flows into yin, and at the heart of each is the essence of its own opposite. In each person we can find the rage and flames of the burning half of the Celtic tree and at the same time we can find the shade, and leafy beauty of a tree in the fullness of its bloom.
I believe it is what we do with that that is found within each of us that dictates the course of our lives, and how brightly the spirit of the divine is reflected in us. In Celtic Theology we read the story of Dagda's harp, the music of which affected the soul of man. It is the music of sleep that brings us to that state beyond joy. The Buddhists call it `satori' and the Hindus call it `nirvana', but in each case it is simply realizing the spirit of the divine living within each of us. When we reach a state where we realize that inner divine spirit we can thereafter use that spirit to aid others ~ as with the Celtic songs of healing, which heal those who hear them as well as those who sing them.
We must not think however that Celtic Theology is all mystery and hidden spirit. Those of the Celtic faith are very much in tune with life in this world. We see this reflected in the reply of one of Finn MacCool's men when asked by St. Patrick what had sustained him before the `Gospels'. "The warrior-hunter answered `The truth in our hearts, the strength in our arms, and the promise on our lips'." This clearly summarizes the Celtic Moral Code: "To live from the deep inner knowledge of the heart and soul, to manifest it by physical action, and to be true to one's word." (pp. 83)
Although every religion attempts to offer a code or commandments to guide the moral lives of the faithful, I believe that this Celtic insight into morality says it best. For if a man follows the deep inner knowledge of his heart and soul, does he not draw upon the spirit of the divine that is within us all? And, by drawing upon this inner spirit of the divine a man's physical actions with be brave and right and strong. With strength of spirit, and strength of deed, our word will surely be honorable and true.
A journey to understand the wind and soul.......2005-02-21
Tom Cowan's Yearning of the Wind: Celtic Reflections on Nature is truly wonderful. I imagine that I will reread sections of this book time and time again--each time taking something different with me, each time seeing it from a different perspective. His writing is easy. Flowing from word to word and thought to thought, he takes you on a journey of the soul. It's deceptively simplistic and easy to read--but the depth is tremendous. In a few pages, his words convey universal meanings that strike a chord deep within me.
Cowan writes "Live courageously even though circumstances frighten you. Push through fear, knowing that ultimately nothing can harm your soul."
Wise words from an eloquent man.
Books:
- The Distinguished Guest
- The File On H.: A Novel
- The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
- The Ghost Stories of Muriel Spark
- The Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines
- The Laws of Evening: Stories
- The Lion and the Throne: Stories from the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, Vol. 1
- The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony
- The Melancholy of Resistance
- The Oath and the Measure (Dragonlance: The Meetings Sextet, Vol. 4)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Power New Testament, Third Edition
- Splendid Soups: Recipes and Master Techniques for Making the World's Best Soups
- Frontera Street
- History: Fiction or Science
- History: Fiction or Science
- Numerical Heat Transfer And Fluid Flow
- Lakeland Boating's Lakes Erie and St. Clair Ports 'o Call Cruise Guide
- Jay Gould The Story of a Fortune
- Free Enterprise Moves East: Doing Business from Prague to Vladivostok
- The Perils of Partners: How to Protect Yourself Against Crooked, Conniving, and Incompetent Partners
Cane
The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader (African American History (Penguin))
Black No More : A Novel (Modern Library Paperbacks)
The Marquise of O and Other Stories (The Penguin Classics)
In Search of Nella Larsen: A Biography of the Color Line
