All This Heavenly Glory

Amazon.com

When we first meet Charlotte Anne, she is in the middle of penning a seven-page personal ad that is actually one long sentence, complete with tons of semi-colons and a few alphabetical lists thrown in for good measure. The ad itself is quite hilarious, it begins with a physical description and ends with a hilarious tribute to Owen Wilson; however, the lack of sentence structure may begin to confuse readers after about two pages. This first story is a template for much of what follows in the next 17 vignettes--witty, heartfelt and graceful sentiments are often marred by a chaotic rendering that makes it difficult to actually follow along with the protagonist.

Still, Crane makes it wrothwhile for readers who can navigate the choppy waters of her writing style. She's at her best when describing Charlotte's feelings about particular places, be it New York ("Charlotte has been trying to get out of New York for years. It's not nearly as simple as booking a one-way flight. People get drawn back. Places seem inferior."), L.A. ("there's nothing but Fat Burgers and short pink buildings and more freeways on the freeway..."), or the imaginary Midwestern town she hopes to live in during her next life ("...I sit on the stoop and smoke my one (stale) cigarette of the week from my gold vinyl cigarette case under the almost dark five o'clock sky...").

If we're lucky, perhaps next time Crane will make these stirring moments of clarity easier for us to find. --Gisele Toueg

Book Description

In All This Heavenly Glory, Elizabeth Crane's second collection of interconnected stories, readers are taken on an amusing, if slightly disjointed journey through the life of Charlotte Anne Byers, a spunky six-year-old who grows into a cynical, yet cautiously optimistic adult. Those who enjoyed Crane's debut, When the Messenger Is Hot, will surely recognize and appreciate her sharp-witted humor and emotional honesty, but new readers may be put off by her somewhat rambling writing style.When we first meet Charlotte Anne, she is in the middle of penning a seven-page personal ad that is actually one long sentence, complete with tons of semi-colons and a few alphabetical lists thrown in for good measure. The ad itself is quite hilarious, it begins with a physical description and ends with a hilarious tribute to Owen Wilson; however, the lack of sentence structure may begin to confuse readers after about two pages. This first story is a template for much of what follows in the next 17 vignettes--witty, heartfelt and graceful sentiments are often marred by a chaotic rendering that makes it difficult to actually follow along with the protagonist. Still, Crane makes it wrothwhile for readers who can navigate the choppy waters of her writing style. She's at her best when describing Charlotte's feelings about particular places, be it New York ("Charlotte has been trying to get out of New York for years. It's not nearly as simple as booking a one-way flight. People get drawn back. Places seem inferior."), L.A. ("there's nothing but Fat Burgers and short pink buildings and more freeways on the freeway..."), or the imaginary Midwestern town she hopes to live in during her next life ("...I sit on the stoop and smoke my one (stale) cigarette of the week from my gold vinyl cigarette case under the almost dark five o'clock sky..."). If we're lucky, perhaps next time Crane will make these stirring moments of clarity easier for us to find. --Gisele Toueg

Customer Reviews:

I want to marry this woman's sentences and have children with them. .......2007-07-17

When I read Crane's When the Messenger Is Hot, I said here on Amazon: I want to kiss this woman's sentences. I'm upgrading that now. These linked stories of the life of a woman named Charlotte Anne (probably not a reference to the Julian Cope song) at all ages could be called a non-sequential novel.

But, whatever you call them; it is extremely enjoyable following her bubble-like thought patterns.

Come to think of it, I just realized that in the same review of Messenger I said:

"...as another reviewer pointed out the women in each of the stories have many similarities. She might as well have just given them all the same name and called it a novel."

I was onto something.

The voice of the main character here is so honest, and honestly felt, that it would be a great one-woman show for an actress. Or maybe two, one to play Charlotte as a grown-up; one as a child.

a main character we can all connect with.......2006-12-20

When I first started reading this, I was unsure of what to make of it. The first chapter is an assault of descriptive words that appear to be a personal ad of sorts. The next chapter is told in the present tense and involves a young girl...so I figured it was a collection of short stories. Wrong again.

What "All this Heavenly Glory" is, is a novel told between the alternating perspectives of a young child and a young woman version of the same character, Charlotte Anne Byers. Charlotte Anne is one of the most endearing characters I've come across in modern day literature; a woman that any reader will connect with and see themselves in. She's smart, funny, insecure and sarcastic..and I adored her.

The book is a quick read..and details the major events in Charlotte Anne's life--from her mother's battle with cancer, to her discovering all there was to learn about the opposite sex. From alcoholism to Hollywood. From New York to Chicago, the book has it all. It's a cute story..I hate the word cute and usually find its usage condescending in some way or other, but in the case of this novel, it works. The story is cute, the main character is real and honest, and the book is very well written. I sincerely enjoyed it.

unsure.......2006-08-24

I found this very difficult to read because of the long run-on sentences. Unfortunately I was not able to finish reading the book because of the author's writing style.

it's a novel!.......2006-08-08

I don't understand the reviews that refer to "Heavenly Glory" as short stories. It's a novel. It has a through-line which may take detours, but that's half the fun of this book. It jumps back and forth chronologically, sort of burning the candles at both ends.
There are times when i was reading this book, that i literally had to scoop my jaw up off the ground. It's an incredibly special and fresh voice describing....well, probably you. It's a cathartic experience, to be sure, to read because it is so nuanced and true that you will probably be looking over your shoulder to make sure Elizabeth Crane isn't spying on you.
I might actually recommend reading this book before When the Messenger is Hot. The two books carry similar themes, and you can definitely see where moments from Messenger get flushed out into fuller vignettes in Glory.

Very enlightening and insightful!.......2006-01-06

I enjoyed reading Crane's When the Messenger Is Hot and had looked forward to reading another one of her short-story collections. All this Heavenly Glory is somewhat different from When the Messenger Is Hot. This is a collection of connected stories that center on a female character and what she becomes from being a spunky young girl to being quite a cynical adult. The stories are more vignettes based on the one heroine than anything else, but they make great stand-alone tales of their own. This sort of reminds me of Melissa Banks's The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing, only that Crane's style is far more insightful and enlightening than the stuff Banks wrote in her collection. Anyway, my favorite vignettes here are "Howard the Filmmaker," "Notre Monde," "Brooklyn," "Guidelines," and "Football." Even though I agree with the reviewers who consider this book to be "chick-lit," I feel this collection has more depth and spunk than many of the flimsy, superficial stories found in the aforementioned books. I love chick-lit, but there are so many out there that you can no longer find the special ones from the run-of-the-mills. All this Heavenly Glory, however, is definitely one special find and I cannot recommend this book enough. I take away one star because I admit I had expected a collection of stand-alone stories and was somewhat disappointed when I discovered that it was not one. However, the book itself is great.

Average customer rating:

All This Heavenly Glory
Elizabeth Crane
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OU82ZG

Customer Reviews:

Good sequel.......2006-11-25

In this second book displaying the lives of the Farrel sisters we learn about Xandra and Beau. Xandra, the owner and head designer for Wild Woman, Inc., a leading manufacturer of erotic toys and sexual enhancement products for woman, tries to seduce Beau Hollister.

Beau owns the home renovation company "Hire a Hunk", which advertised its hot employees, but years have passed since that was true and by now his workers are aging and long lost their six-packs so Beau is in desperate need of a new image for his company.

Beau takes on the job to renovate Xandra's house in the hope that it'll allow him to win some sort of architectural price which will eventually enable him the change his company image to H&H construction. From the beginning on Xandra tries hard to seduce him as she believes she has to test this new female condom to make sure it works just before an important sex conference.

It is a lot of fun reading about Beau trying hard to escape Xandra's different ways of seduction. In the end he finally gives in and of course they and up being together.

Even Mr, Five Minutes can't redeem this one.......2006-10-31

Youngest Farrel sibling Xandra is the daughter who most closely follows her mother's Holy Commitment Trinity. The owner of a boutique manufacturer of erotic merchandise geared toward women has just been dumped by Mark, her partner of eight years. What's a woman to do? Design an accoutrement guaranteed to give a woman the ultimate orgasm, of course. Now if she could just find someone to test the product on... like perhaps the man responsible for the worst five sexual minutes of her life, Beau Hollister.

Beau is the owner of a construction company that is experiencing growing pains. Aptly titled "Hire a Hunk," the guys are getting older and some are getting rounder. He wants to break out of hunk territory and concentrate on more serious home restorations, and what better place to start than Xandra Farrel's dilapidated Victorian. Beau is still smarting from the humiliation of their first coupling in high school and when he overhears Xandra's business partner asking if she's tested the new product on "Mr. Five Minutes," Beau decides he won't be her test dummy. Neither counts on unresolved feelings coming back to the surface. Could Xandra be the second daughter to reject Mama Jacqueline's womanist doctrine?

The second in the Farrel sister trilogy, Xandra's is the hardest story to enjoy, and not just because of her incessant whining. It takes a pretty long time for the action to start and by the time it does, I found myself wishing I was reading something else. Compared to the other two in the series, this one is just... boring.

Super hot and funny!.......2005-07-28

I jsut finished this book, but I didn't want it to end. It was so great. Kimberly Raye is my favorite romance writer. I hope she writes more Nascar books! I love all the Farrel sisters and their mom. Don't miss this book, or the others KISS ME ONCE, KISS ME TWICE and SWEET AS SUGAR, HOT AS SPICE. They're funny and hot!

Overall A Fun Story!.......2005-01-13

Ms. Raye's latest offering is overall a fun story that will offer the reader not an unusual storyline. The characters are just as colorful but difficult to feel overly connected to.

Without a doubt Ms. Raye has a very good sense of humor and she exericises it in her latest book. Since I have not had the pleasure to read the previous title in this series I was able to come to this read with an open mind. I did feel though that the author had a hard time determining who she wanted her main character to be. Xandra was at turns both amusing and annoying. In any event the main characters Xandra and Beau just didn't speak to me as a reader and as a result I didn't feel invested in their growing relationship. This is the reason for the three star rating.

Overall this was a fun story if you can discount not being able to feel invested in the characters. Ms. Raye is an author I will read again but I'm not sure if I will continue on with this series.

Official Reviewer for www.romancedesigns.com

Not my favorite book..........2004-12-16

I picked this up at the store last week. I expected a Christmas romance because of the title (I was in a hurry and only skimmed the back!), but it obviously wasn't.

The story line was pretty good, but I just couldn't get into the characters. I didn't care for the back-and-forth personality of the heroine. She wasn't likeable to me at all.

This was my first book by Raye, and I'm not sure I'll try again. I might pick up another after reading the reviews.

Book Description

Far in the future, 60,000 light-years from Earth, a loose confederacy of Terran exiles is locked in battle with the enigmatic Protoss and the ruthless Zerg Swarm, as each species struggles to ensure its own survival among the stars -- war that will herald the beginning of mankind's greatest chapter or foretell its violent, bloody end.

All Ardo Menikov ever dreamed of was to live in peace on the verdant colony world of Bountiful. But when the vicious Zerg Swarm attacked the colony and annihilated his loved ones, Ardo was forced to wake from his dream and accept the brutal realities of a war-torn galaxy. Now a confederate marine, charged with defending the worlds of the Terran confederacy, Ardo must come to terms with the painful memories of his past -- and the unsettling truths that may dominate his future.

Customer Reviews:

A Good Hero Story.......2007-10-02

I've always enjoyed Tracy Hickman's novels particularly in the Dragonlance and other Sci-Fantasy series. Hickman's departure from the usual Sci-Fantasy literature to write Science Fiction piqued my curiosity so I decided to get this book and I was not disappointed.

Hickman has a talent of invoking a sense of empathy for each of his characters, particularly his protagonists. Hickman makes the characters believable enough that the reader can relate to them and create circumstances for each character that actually makes you care how the characters make decisions (i.e., should we stay to fight the Zerg or save ourselves and get off the planet).

Hickman has done well to make the protagonists unique enough that they avoid becoming clichéd stereotypes, but still manage to portray a sense of heroism. For example, I thought two of the characters in Speed of Darkness (Cutter and Littlefield) bore several similarities to two other Hickman characters (Cameron and Sturm) yet those familiar with all four characters know they are quite different in character. Anyone that has created characters for Role-Playing Games of any sort, either as a Player or a Game-Master know how hard it can be to create believable non-clichéd stereotypical characters. In Hickman's case he does well at making archetypical rather than stereotypical characters.

It's good to read a hero story once in a while because it sometimes seems we are in need of them these days. In the case of "Speed of Darkness" it shows that sometimes when we're looking for heroes we need not look any further than the hero in ourselves.

Surprised at the 3rd book........2007-09-24

The last book in the so called "trilogy" was a pleasant surprise for me. After the second book I almost didn't want to read "The Speed of Darkness", but as I got into the book, I could not put it down.

The author pays great attention to the details of the Starcraft universe, the units, vehicles, buildings, close to perfect.

But at the same time (as many of you pointed out already) this is a sci-fi book in a StarCraft universe not the other way around.

All in all it's a great read!

Disregard the Cynics and the Militant Fanboys ..........2007-08-23

Speed of Darkness tells an outstanding story, but unlike most others in the series it caters to adult readers (or mature younger ones). There are several critical reviews posted here, and I am going to respond to the general "gist" of each of them:

1.) "This novel wasn't full of StarCraft action and violence."

The writer cannot help the fact that the narrative of StarCraft is told through the skeleton of a super-violent Real Time Strategy game. I love the StarCraft universe -- it is one of my absolute favorites (even above classics like Star Wars), but I did not love it because it was an incredible video game. I had fun *playing* StarCraft because it was an incredible video game -- I loved it because it told a mature, gripping story. When one considers the rise, betrayal, and fall of characters like Sarah Kerrigan, the trials that Speed of Darkness's protagonist (Ardo) is subjected to begin to make more sense. The world of StarCraft is gritty, if not outright disgusting when you peel back the layers that are slapped on and sugar-coated for the preteen crowd. Corruption, genocide, betrayal ... these are all quintessential elements of this world, and Speed of Darkness illustrates this mood as no other novel in the series has before or since. If you want a novel that is full of nothing but crappily-written Zerg vs. Protoss vs. Terran death, go read the most embarrassing novel in the series: Shadow of the Xel'naga.

2.) "This novel is full of Science Fiction cliches."

This is an awfully easy criticism to make of a work of fiction that is so deeply entrenched within a specific genre that it can barely breathe. Personally I did not find that Speed of Darkness was overburdened by cliches, though obviously there are going to be some given the very framework the author was constrained to. Speed of Darkness is morbid, dark and depressing. While there are certainly examples of Science Fiction that fit this mold, I consider them to be few and far between. Some other reviewers have commented that the novel is completely depressing -- it is, and the entire story is about finding meaning and purpose within the darkest depths of one's misery and sacrifice. It is a beautiful story, and one that boldly goes into domains not commonly explored by contemporary literature in a premanufactured Science Fiction genre. If you weren't pressed to the verge of tears the last time you read the word "golden" before the curtains close ... you either missed the point or desperately need therapy.

==============================

This is, without a doubt, the single best story in the StarCraft line thus far. I have read all of them. If you want to supplement this story with other decent StarCraft literature, this is my personal list of favorites in descending order:

1. StarCraft: Speed of Darkness
2. StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade
3. StarCraft Ghost: Nova (technically a sequel to #2)
4. StarCraft: Dark Templar #1: Firstborn
5. StarCraft: Queen of Blades
6. StarCraft: Uprising (ebook)
7. StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'naga (DO NOT buy this!)

Nice, quick, sci-fi fun.......2007-04-17

I enjoyed Hickman's books as a teenager and thought I would try reading some of his books again. I have not read any of the other StarCraft books, so I cannot compare it against those, but I thought it was a wonderfully well written sci-fi/game book. It reads fast, has enough twists to keep it interesting, and personally, I loved the build up and the ending. It even made me want to play StarCraft again.

Tragic Epic.......2006-07-19

This book was one of the best I have read in a while and the best in the Starcraft Trilogy. Filled with deceit, the book ponders on things such as the way the brainwashing works on the Marines ect. Moreover, with great description and hardcore fighting the book lives up to the game. One of the best endings I have ever read.

Average customer rating:

I strongly recommend!

The Speed of Darkness
Rodney Morales
Manufacturer: Bamboo Ridge Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

United States | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

I strongly recommend!.......1997-08-08

In spite of its incredible panoply of characters, settings, and situations, THE SPEED OF DARKNESS strikes no false notes, attempts nothing that is spoiled in its dramatic effect by implausibility. Its characters range from elementary school students to cab drivers, from unemployed Vietnam burnouts to widows turned prostitute, from Kaho'olawe campers to physics professor surfers. They represent a wide variety of ethnic cuts and mixtures and speak everything from heavy pidgin to textbook English. They all come to absolutely credible fictional life only because they all come FROM life. Neither an outsider to the Islands nor a lesser artist could have encompassed this variety or earned this triumph. THE SPEED OF DARKNESS is no minor feat. It is a book I strongly recommend to people who love the literature of Hawai'i, or the literature of anywhere. (from "Gauging THE SPEED OF DARKNESS," HAWAI'I REVIEW, Spring 1989, p. 129 ff.

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The Speed of Darkness
Steve Tesich
Manufacturer: Samuel French Inc Plays
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0573692823

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The Speed of Darkness
Steve Tesich
Manufacturer: The Fireside Theatre
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000DIMO6W

Product Description

This is a small book (play) about the after effects of the Viet Nam war. Hard cover with dust jacket.

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Speed of Darkness
Steve Tesich
Manufacturer: FIRESIDE THEATRE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OKUIWQ

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Speed of Darkness
Muriel Rukeyser
Manufacturer: RANDOM HOUSE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UD1T4S

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Speed of Darkness
Muriel Rukeyser
Manufacturer: RANDOM HOUSE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SNYVQ8

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The Speed Of Darkness (A Play)
Steve Tesich
Manufacturer: Fireside Theater
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PDY3V4

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The Speed of Darkness: [Poems]
Muriel, Rukeyser
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0394446593

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The Speed of Darkness
Steve Tesich
Manufacturer: The Fireside Theatre
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OFQN6G

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Meticulously researched, giving a brilliant, fair, and enlightening history

Objective Account of the Healing and Charismatic Movements

Very negative writing approach - does not edify your spirit

Excellent Account of Contemporary Christianity

All Things Are Possible: The Healing and Charismatic Revivals in Modern America
David Edwin, Jr. Harrell
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Theology | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Only Believe: Eye Witness Account of the Great Healing Revivals

THE HEALER-PROPHET (Three Indispensible Studies of American Evangelicalism)

Aimee Semple McPherson: Everybody's Sister (Library of Religious Biography Series)

New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, The

Heaven Below: Early Pentecostals and American Culture

ASIN: 0253202213

Customer Reviews:

Meticulously researched, giving a brilliant, fair, and enlightening history.......2007-01-14

I read this book 10 years ago and found it be a gem. Having my own spiritual roots in "Pentecostalism," I felt that by taking direct quotes and doctrinal assumptions from the very leaders of the Healing and Charismatic Revivals, Mr. Harrell reported as objectively and concisely as any historian could. I also appreciated the aspect that one is able to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses, the upsurge and the downfall of those movements, not by the opinions of some outsider, but by simply watching the dramatic events unfold.

If you were like me, you will walk away feeling as though you lived in the era written about and that you now have a better understanding of some of the Pentecostal/Charismatic practices in our day.

This is also an important book for anyone who wants to study on the life and the death of revival, for indeed, this is exactly what Mr. Harrell shows us.

Objective Account of the Healing and Charismatic Movements.......2001-09-23

"All Things Are Possible" is a surprisingly objective account of the healing revival wave of the 1940-50's and the charismatic renewal movement that followed. The first part involved a homogenous group and had divine healing as its primary emphasis. The second phase had a diverse cultural mix and included a greater emphasis on a variety of spiritual gifts. David Harrell writes as a researcher or journalist who tells the story of the events and people as an outsider.

Almost all of the major personalities of the time are examined. Harrell focuses on the "two giants," William Branham and Oral Roberts. You will also learn about people like Jack Coe, A. A. Allen, Gordon Lindsay, T. L. Osborn, Kathryn Kuhlman and many others. If someone is looking for an inspiring devotional book or a glowing biography, they may be disappointed. You will read about the good, the bad, the spectacular, and the ridiculous. Many reported testimonies appear exaggerated or fabricated. Yet, when you examine the avalanche of evidence it is hard to doubt the authenticity of miraculous happenings. Many of these leaders were capable and gifted individuals, yet the book clearly testifies to the fact that God uses "earthen vessels" and "the foolish things to confound the wise."

For Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians of the era it will bring back memories. Modern day members of the movement can learn valuable lessons, be warned about excesses and abuses, but also be stirred in their faith. The curious outsider can gain knowledge about a fascinating slice of American history. The 304-page book includes a section of photographs, a helpful index, an extensive bibliography, and reference notes. David Harrell has a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University and is currently a professor of religion at Auburn University.

Very negative writing approach - does not edify your spirit.......2001-04-06

In a nut-shell: The Lord builds-up and edifies, this book doesn't.

I had seen the title of this book and thought "Wow, this is going to be excellent!". Having read just about every book written on the life of Smith Wigglesworth, books on George Mueller, Kathryn Kuhlman, Hudson Taylor, Mel Tari's 'Like a Mighty Wind' on the Indonesian Revial, 'Is that Really you God?' - by Loren Cunningham .. the brother that started YWAM, books on Samuel Morris, books on & by Charles Finney, etc.,etc., I eagerly began to read ...

But I don't think I was 30 pages into the book before I was completely saddened & grieved in my spirit. Prior to the 1/2 way point thru this book, I had to lay it down - and discard it. Simply, each time this brother would start out telling about xyz revivalist, he would start on the right track. But it seemed that without fail, it wasn't long before you were reading the 'dirt' - and not in short fashion, but in step-by-step detail. More discrediting than the dirt itself, was a non-redemptive way in which the dirt was presented.

It is before God, the most oppressive, dissapointing Christian book I have ever read.

Excellent Account of Contemporary Christianity.......2000-07-23

Dr. Harrell's book is a thorough account of the healing and charismatic revival in America. Without a doubt, these things "were not done in a corner," and Dr. Harrell gives an honest and objective portrayal about a movement that is perhaps the least understood, and the least written about.

He traces the beginning of the revival back to 1947 to the movement of God in the ministry of an obscure evangelist from Jeffersonville, Indiana named William Branham. One of the "two giants" of the healing revival (the other being Oral Roberts), Rev. Branham's ministry circled the globe 7 times bringing a message of deliverance that seen countless thousands of healings, and has been cited as the inspiration behind the ministies of Oral Roberts, and Tommy Osborne, to name a few.

This book should leave no doubt in anyone's mind that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

Average customer rating:
All Things are Possible: The Healing & Charismatic Revivals in Modern America
David Edwin, Jr. Harrell
Manufacturer: Indiana Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQ71O8

Average customer rating:
All Things Are Possible: The Healing and Charismatic Revivals in Modern America
David Edwin Jr. Harrell
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPW8SI

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