Amazon.com
Like his elegant debut, An Instance of the Fingerpost, Iain Pears's The Dream of Scipio is an inventive, gloriously detailed historical novel told from multiple viewpoints. But Pears has set himself an additional challenge by spreading his narrators over several centuries: there's the fifth century French nobleman and bishop, Manlius, a civilized man who has embraced the uncouth Christian faith in order to protect what he holds dear; an 11th-century scholar and troubadour named Olivier de Noyen, the famously ill-fated admirer of a married girl; and Julien Barneuve, an early 20th-century scholar of de Noyen who discovers, through him, a magnificent manuscript of Manlius's called "The Dream of Scipio." Though all three men come from the same small Provençal town, it is this manuscript, derived from the teachings of a wise woman, that links the three narrative threads of Pears's story. At the heart of The Dream of Scipio and, one suspects, at the heart of its author, is the conflict between a classical ideal of learning and the contemplation of beauty, and the noisy, uncivilized, democratizing impulses of the Christian era. A novel of ideas like its predecessor, The Dream of Scipio is neither chilly nor didactic and doesn't shy away from depicting the costs of its narrators' unpopular devotions. --Regina Marler
Book Description
In The Dream of Scipio, the acclaimed author of An Instance of the Fingerpost intertwines three intellectual mysteries, three love stories-and three of the darkest moments in human history. United by a classical text called "The Dream of Scipio," three men struggle to find refuge from the madness that surrounds them...in the final days of the Roman Empire, in the grim years of the Black Death, and in the direst hours of World War II.
Customer Reviews:
A great read but flawed in some respects.......2007-09-25
Let me say right off that the story itself was a very good read. The plots of three narratives flowed very well. If the entire book was centered on only one of the three stories, it would have not been as interesting. I actually learned much detail about the Avignon exile, Neoplatonic philosophy, Black death, Vichy France, etc. That being said, the average reader without a good grasp of history will miss much in reading this novel. Not that it is very highbrow but the author assumes the reader has passing knowledge of many of these topics. So, strictly on a story level the author manages to twine three separate stories in time periods extending over 1500 years very well. My problem is that the stories have a interlocking themes which at times seem very contrived: Catholics (usually bad), hate Jews (always good and innocent) and given the opportunity the former will kill the latter with the slightest provocation; Christianity is equal to ignorance and agnosticism is a normative state for intelligent people; truth is relative and people will always act in their own self interest regardless of what they believe. I could go on but I believe that the author has a philosophical bias that integrated into the plot and themes of the three stories. So even though the author has the typical 21st century prejudices of an upper class British education, the story is still a good one and one that I would recommend highly.
Layers of History.......2007-08-16
The Dream of Scipio visits France during three separate time periods, the fall of Rome 450AD, the black plague in 1348 and the Nazi occupation 1940. The three periods of upheaval test the motives and morals of the people there. The message I came away with is the measure of a life is not in what you think or say, but what you do. The reading was somewhat complex at times but the observation of the three layers of history creates a fascinating effect that is well worth the effort.
Highly enjoyable read.......2007-05-10
A historical novel with philosophical aspirations that worked well for this reader. Three periods of western civilization are examined in the book. The most interesting for me was the story set in the sunset years of the Roman Empire or Romanesque France. Wonderful insight and langauge there. For those who know Pears from his earlier books, this ranks up there with the more serious works. Well worth the time.
Perspectives from the edge.......2007-03-19
This is a complex triptych portraying the internal conflicts fought by three initmately interwined scholars, each separated by nearly a millenium. Each of them faces the imminent reality of the collapse of our civilization in their time. Iain Pear's intricately woven vision of their personal choices and dialogues across the centuries, as each confronts their sliver of time with Europe at the brink, is a compelling testament for all those consciously engaged in the same civilizational journey.
This multi-layered tale both helps contextualise our own disproportionate bias towards today's existential threats and, simultaneously, reinforces our continuing responsibility to make choices that honour our hard won civilizational values, for the sake of our forebears as well as our progeny.
A frighteningly ambitious work that Mr. Pear's actually pulls off. Worth 6 stars for its extraordinary degree of difficulty, yet consummate execution.
What you seek is what you get.......2007-03-19
The reviews I have seen of this historical novel range from gushing to sneering. This should not surprise the (prospective) reader. Rather, the spectre of opinions should be taken as evidence that this novel is worth reading. Understandably, the author's intent is to convey a set of philosophical concepts -- Platonism, gnosticism, humanism -- as concrete (but fictional) historical figures acting in the context of three specific eras. I would submit that, as historical fiction, Mr. Pears' attempt is largely successful. If the reader is seeking unvarnished philosophical tracts on these themes, then please consult Plato, Origen, Spinoza, Pascal, etc. But if the reader is seeking a delightful, slightly challenging but still enjoyable novel that incorporates significant elements of these historical/philosophical schools, then 'Dream of Scipio' is probably a book worth reading and enjoying. As a writer, Iain Pears provides a credible, even enviable treatment of these themes in the three centuries-apart contexts. By and large, he manages to avoid the greatest criticism made of other philosophical novelists such as Dostoyevsky; i.e., assigning philosophical positions to individual characters and spreading a thin plot over what is essentially a series of essays on philosophical themes.
Customer Reviews:
That's "Macrobius," not "MacRobius".......1999-12-13
Indespensible edition of one of the most important books of late antiquity. If you like this, don't miss his translations of Martianus Capella.
Average customer rating:
|
Dream of Scipio, The
Iain Pears
Manufacturer: Riverhead Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000NAPSAY |
Average customer rating:
- A serious and stimulating novel for our times.
|
The Dream of Scipio
Manufacturer: Riverhead Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0965439933 |
Product Description
An impressively original and imaginative psychological thriller.
Customer Reviews:
A serious and stimulating novel for our times........2005-10-17
In this remarkable and hugely conceived novel of ideas, Pears gives us three intense, emotionally gripping stories set in Provence during the fifth, fourteenth, and 20th centuries. In each of these, a sensitive and thoughtful man of letters faces not only a crisis of belief, but also of action, as outside forces threaten to destroy civilization as he knows it. As each man fights to save the values he finds important, Pears explores the ethical underpinnings of western thought and history, those ideas first proffered by Plato which continue to influence men and governments two thousand years later.
A mysterious 5th century manuscript by Manlius Hippomanes connects the parallel plots and eras: the waning days of the Roman Empire, as the barbarian hordes attack Gaul's borders and Manlius Hippomanes writes The Dream of Scipio; the 14th century in Avignon, when poet Olivier de Noyen discovers some of Manlius's writing and deals with papal intrigue, the Hundred Years War, and the Black Death; and the Vichy government in France during World War II, when Julien Barneuve, a scholar who has traced the Manlius manuscript, joins the Vichy government in an effort to "civilize" the German occupiers and prevent deportation of the Jews.
This is not a beach book--its excitement is far more thoughtful than sensational. Pears' characters are real, flawed people living and loving in times of crisis and experiencing conflicts with parents, teachers, friends, and mentors. These conflicts clearly parallel those in the wider world of their political alliances and governments, and ultimately affect their attitudes toward humankind in general. Beautiful love stories, which bring warmth to the narrative, are portrayed with the delicacy such fragile relationships deserve and the strength which allows them to endure. As we, too, face uncertain times and threats to our own civilization, Pears offers a reflective and thought-provoking framework for contemplating our own future. Mary Whipple
Customer Reviews:
A Lonely Torch of Knowledge.......2006-12-19
"The Dream of Scipio" is perhaps THE most important link in the NeoPythagorean tradition that survived the book-burnings of the early Church and the Barbarian hordes.
Cicero studiously investigated the earlier Pythagoreans, while his books on "Laws" and "The Republic" were modelled on Plato's own books of similar titles.
The "Dream of Scipio," at the end of Cicero's "De Republica," is in fact a re-working of the "Vision of Er" in Plato's 'Republic" (with varied elements, of course).
The Commentary of Macrobius, on the "Dream of Scipio," luckily ensured its survival through the dismal Dark Ages, when 90 percent of Plato's works simply ceased to exist in medieval Europe.
Book Description
Were I to deny that I feel the loss of Scipio, while I leave it to those who profess themselves wise in such matters to say whether I ought to feel it, I certainly should be uttering a falsehood. I do indeed feel my bereavement of such a friend as I do not expect ever to have again, and as I am sure I never had beside. But I need no comfort from without, I console myself, and, chief of all, I find comfort in my freedom from the apprehension that oppresses most men when their friends die, for I do not think that any evil has befallen Scipio.
Download Description
Were I to deny that I feel the loss of Scipio, while I leave it to those who profess themselves wise in such matters to say whether I ought to feel it, I certainly should be uttering a falsehood. I do indeed feel my bereavement of such a friend as I do not expect ever to have again, and as I am sure I never had beside. But I need no comfort from without, I console myself, and, chief of all, I find comfort in my freedom from the apprehension that oppresses most men when their friends die, for I do not think that any evil has befallen Scipio.
Product Description
Book is Edited and Annotated. A Revised Edition.
Customer Reviews:
Great book.......2003-11-06
This is Judy Christenberry's first book published in the Harlequin Intrigue line and I was, quite frankly, a little concerned how she'd make the transformation. She did great!
This book concentrates on Jim Randall, Chad and Megan's son. When he receives a call from his ex-girlfriend, he comes to her assistance against a renegade militia group. The latest in the Randall series has a little more action than the other books in the series but the characters have the same strength and the story is very well developed. If you're a fan of the Randall series of books, be sure to not miss this one.
Danger and adventure.......2003-10-10
Three years earlier, Jim Randall had fallen hard for Patience Anderson. But when she'd pressured him, telling him she'd only sleep with him if they were engaged, he backed off. He was still young and needed time to think about such a permanent move. Randalls treat marriage seriously. By the time he'd thought it over, though, Patience had dropped out of college, wasn't returning his phone calls, and was raising another man's son. Now, though, she is back in his life. Can he put the past behind him--and does he even want to? And once he gives Patience the help she needs, can he persuade her to give their love a second chance?
When her sister died in childbirth, Patience joyfully took over the task of child-rearing, becoming a mother to the precious child. When Joseph Kane, the boy's father, decides to take him into the mountains to raise him into Kane's militia army, Patience calls Jim, then heads in after him. But Kane has plans for Patience that go beyond her nephew. He wants her--and has a small army to back him up. Even if Jim arrives, how can one man face off an entire army?
Author Judy Christenberry spins a charming adventure as Jim and Patience help each other escape from the brutal Kane. Their dangerous escape from Kane's mountain transitions to Rawhide, Wyoming, where the entire Randall clan is available to help. But the help Jim needs, his family cannot provide. Until he can persuade Patience that he's made up his mind, and that his love is for keeps, she'll continue to insist on her independence, putting herself in danger, but also keeping herself from the commitment that he needs.
Christenberry fans will be excited to see a Randall story in a new category. RANDALL RENEGADE provides all of the emotional intensity that Christenberry is famous for, along with exciting action. It's always a joy to see the original Randall brothers still looking good and still happy with their wives and lives.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting, but flawed.......2007-02-02
It's no easy task to write a history of science fiction, as amorphous a publishing category as there is, so I hesitate to call this book a failure on those terms alone. What it attempts to do, it does handily and usefully: it brings to light a strand that stretches from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to William Gibson's Neuromancer, the darling of the 1980s (when this book was published). Along the way it pauses long enough to note certain knots in the strand that have made it stronger (woah, I'm really stretching that metaphor out-a-kilter, aren't I!). Aldiss (who wrote the original version of this book, Billion Year Spree) and Wingrove smartly spend most of the book before the 1960s, focusing on the twin progenitors of modern SF: the intellectual, philosophical style that came from the U.K. from writers like Wells and Huxley with the pulp, mechanistic format favored by America and championed by Gernsback.
However, and likely due to the fact that both authors here are also creators, this is not necessarily the most objective critical treatise on the field. Aldiss comes across as someone miffed by the American ascendency in a field that was born with an English authoress, in a kind of literary reflection of the change in world hegemony after the second world war. He shoots a fish in a barrel when he rightly points out that Ellison's introduction to Dangerous Visions was marketing controversy, counterpointing it with a quite understated and humble editorial by Michael Moorcock from New Worlds. But this one example doesn't mean that Moorcock wasn't himself involved in flaunting convention for attention, nor the true power behind some of the stories championed by Ellison (including some of Ellison's own writing). That is, Aldiss's obvious bias, likely stemming from where his own publications appeared, is this huge mote that sticks in the reader's eye once he hits the 1960s, and it's hard to remove it for the rest of the book. It's unfortunately, because I think he's not too far off in his analysis of many of the (at the time of writing) more recent authors, including noting that Gibson was more style than substance. (The funny thing about the latter opinion is that he had just spent the entire chapter on New Worlds praising the New Wave's addition of style to what had been a gee-whiz-gizmo literature beforehand.) Perhaps if Aldiss had confronted his bias head-on (in no section does he remind the reader that he is, himself, the Aldiss that he mentions in passing in several chapters), it might have been more palatable, or maybe I'm just used to Gardner Dozois' method of commentary that appears in the introduction to his Year's Best volumes where, once he comes to the magazine which he himself edited, he simply lists the authors there "without comment." Trouble is, for Aldiss not to comment on that section of the book would have made for a much shorter work. A conundrum indeed.
What I enjoyed most here was learning a bit more about authors whom I may have read, but didn't know as much about their history, such as H.G. Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs, A.E. Van Vogt, and Michael Moorcock. As a voracious reader of SF in the 70s and 80s, I thought I had a fairly good grounding in the "classics," but this book revealed some of my deficiencies, albeit none that I'm necessarily interested in correcting at this late date. It did remind me of why I was attracted to science fiction in the first place, and given me an idea of what I've been finding missing in the few titles I've read recently. Finally, this is the first book that I've read in a long time that has ever tempted me to re-read novels and stories, to view them with new critical eyes having obtained a new perspective from Aldiss on them, such as Tim Powers's The Anubis Gates, Fred Pohl's Gateway, and Gene Wolfe's The Shadow of the Torturer.
A final note: I ordered this book from Mark Ziesing, whom I used to order books from regularly not to mention briefly writing a book review column for his print catalog, which he still produces. When I received this book, it had a tipped in review slip from the publisher and Mark had written on a post-it note, "Hi, Glen--I thought you'd enjoy knowing this was Damon Knight's copy." It's a silly thing, but that little bit of knowledge made me feel a part of that science fictional strand that Aldiss wrote about here.
Almost as Big as the Field it Covers.......2007-01-16
This is a considerably updated version of The Billion Year Spree, adding material covering the significant science fiction published between the time of that book's publication in 1973 and this one in 1986. The current edition also has a very short addendum that brings the book up to 2001.
The book is an attempt to be a fairly comprehensive over-view of the history of science fiction, from its roots and beginnings through the pulps to today's movies. Aldiss starts by examining what he considers to be the first real science fiction novel, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, along with its earlier progenitors which he categorizes as `scientific romances'. For this section of the book, Aldiss is quite insightful, and offers a good breakdown of the not just the main elements of Frankenstein, but some of the overriding themes and tropes that permeated the 18th and 19th century novels. Within this section he references quite a few very early works that most sf fans have probably never heard of, and makes a good case that at least some of them should be put on the completist's reading list.
Much of his commentary on later 19th century works, mainly those by Poe, Verne and Wells, continue in this excellent manner, where he often spends two or three pages breaking down the pluses and minuses of an individual work, along with giving an overall assessment of not just the state of the field, but what major themes were of prime importance to the writers of that era. In fact, this identification of the various waves of ideas, styles, and the major practitioners of the field through various points in history is perhaps the best part of this work.
However, by the time he reaches the John W. Campbell era (about 1938), the general tone and approach changes somewhat. This is partially due to the sheer size of his subject matter; rather than three or four authors and twenty or so works to cover, he was now faced with covering the explosion in published sf, with hundreds of authors and thousands of works. The closer he gets to the present, the worse this problem becomes, and unfortunately his method of dealing with it is to all too often list an author and/or work and dismiss it with a one line comment (such as his description of Spider and Jeanne Robinson's Stardance, which he writes off as a `light confection'). Worse, his analysis of some the major authors of the field, such as Asimov and Heinlein, are fractured into different sections of the book, with the divisions set by time, rather than look at each author's entire output as a whole and what contributions they have made to the field.
Aldiss also clearly has some favorites and some he thinks are dogs, but he does not do a good job of analyzing why these authors are either worthy of attention or not. Again, space limitations are part of the reason for this, but I found that especially for Heinlein, his lack of insightful analysis of his major works was a major minus, not even trying to analyze The Moon is Harsh Mistress, though that book's prose style fits perfectly with a point Aldiss is making about the `New Wave' of the sixties, and not even mentioning some of his other major works, though he did point out some flaws that typically mar some of Heinlein's writing. I felt his analysis of Samuel Delany and Roger Zelanzy to be superficial, with his assessment of these authors as `style without substance', and without any detailed look at Delany's Dhalgren or Zelazny's Amber series. He does have a long section on Frank Herbert's Dune and its sequels that is good, if somewhat lacking in figuring out precisely why Herbert's combination of some very stock SF elements works so well. And he is much kinder to Edgar Rice Burroughs than I would have been.
One item that becomes quite noticeable is Aldiss' use of long excerpts from the works he is discussing. I found that unless I was already familiar with the work in question, most of the time these excerpts were either incomprehensible due to lack of context or did little to illustrate whatever point Aldiss was making.
Aldiss is remarkably comprehensive in the authors and works he does mention, considering just how many there are, though there are a few conspicuous absences, most notably Piers Anthony. For American readers, his listing of various British authors is quite useful, as many of them have received little publication space in America, and clearly some of them deserve a wider audience. He is not quite as successful in covering the SF output of Eastern Europe, but there is still more than enough mentioned to keep your need-to-be-read list filled to overflowing.
Approach this book with caution. There is good information to be gleaned from its pages, most especially about the early days and works of sf, but you just might find your favorite author pilloried with a biting one-liner - which is probably true of just about any critical work of this scope, as it is impossible for anyone be totally objective about such a subjective thing as the relative worth of any piece of literature.
---Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)
Classic history of science fiction.......2004-07-29
British writer Brian Aldiss is one of the most distinguished authors of SF alive, and combines his enthusiasm for the field with broad knowledge and sophisticated literary taste which causes him to champion authors often ignored by fans and casual readers and to dismiss many popular authors. His survey of the field, in this second edition of what was formerly called Billion Year Spree, is now somewhat dated, but still enormously influential. For those who like intelligent commentary by someone whose thinking is not exclusively focused on SF.
Overwritten and unnecessarily defensive.......2004-04-26
I'm a casual fan of science fiction - I know what I like and otherwise steer fairly clear of the genre to avoid the inevitable allegations of puerility and geekdom that my wife throws at me for reading novels about spaceships and little green men.
Brian Aldiss is a prolific British Sci Fi writer who cares very much about his genre, and in particular believes it to have been unfairly maligned by people such as my wife.
While that's probably true, it adversely colours this book in two ways: Firstly, Aldiss writes far too intellectually and "worthily", meaning as writer he comes across as pretentious and (what is worse) dull; secondly he tends to relegate of material which isn't "serious" science fiction (but which is generally more entertaining) to other cateogories such as "fantasy" which, to his mind, don't count. I think this is the mistake: Science Fiction at its heart is a poular, pulp sort of genre, no amount of post facto rationalisation will alter the fact that it is Lucas and Spielberg who are the backbone of (cinematic) Science Fiction, not Kubrick and Tarkovsky.
It's a very heavy (physically as well as textually), long winded book. Having completed the first three or four chapters (in which Edgar Allen Poe gets a somewhat surprisingly extended mention) I have given up on the project of reading Trillion Dollar Spree from cover to cover, and now intend to use to dip into from time to time instead. Or, at any rate, just to stick on the bookshelf, comforted in the knowledge that it's there and I *can* dip into it from time to time, if I feel like it.
Olly Buxton
Glorious Starts, Bitter Endings.......2002-06-14
This work is well worth the read especially for the literary scholar. It starts out wonderfully, exploring the origins of science fiction and gives credit where it is due to many obscure early writers, as well as writers outside of the english speaking world. However, the further one gets into the work, Mr. Aldiss becomes increasingly bitter. It becomes very apparent that the work is no longer an objective study of science fiction but an outlet for Mr. Aldiss to vent his frustrations. Authors such as Arthur C. Clarke, Asimov, Heinlien and others are mostly discounted, even though their output is vast and have served to popularize the genre. One is left with the feeling that Mr. Aldiss merely dislikes anyone who is more popular, or better selling than himself. Quite a shame since this tends to diminish his own talents in petty sniping. Mr. Aldiss is no small talent himself, many of his works are classics in the field, but in this work he comes off as a grumpy, disgruntled old man.
I would recommend the earlier work "The Billion Year Spree" which contains the brilliance of the first half of the work, without the extra helping of bile.
Amazon.com
Lenedra Carroll, the mother and manager of singer/songwriter Jewel, offers a memoir that speaks to her spiritual theories on creating abundance. The Architecture of All Abundance, her "rag to riches" life story, starts out when the author is a young girl growing up poor in a small Alaskan village and winds up with Carroll becoming a successful CEO of a global entertainment enterprise. More than a memoir, this is more accurately an inspirational book on how you too can build a fulfilling life that includes plenty of spirit and prosperity. Carroll emphasizes the timeless truths of spiritual abundance--ones that readers have probably heard before: listen to your soul's voice, ask the right questions, make time for stillness, own the fear instead of avoiding it, remember that generosity generates prosperity. Yet, like any effective teacher, Carroll has the ability to package these nuggets of wisdom with just the right anecdote or just the right phrasing so that it finally sinks in. It's not uncommon to find provocative passages such as, "We can all realize that while the fear is real, it is also true that what we fear is like a mirage rising off the heat of a projected or past pain." Although her structure of alternating poetry, personal stories, and spiritual advice makes the book slightly disjointed, Carroll's eloquence as a narrator ties it together. --Gail Hudson
Book Description
The Architecture of All Abundance is a combination of memoir and spiritual guidebook from the mother of singer-songwriter Jewel. Navigating the shark-infested waters of the entertainment industry, recovering from life-threatening illness, and rebounding from business failure, Lenedra Carroll has pioneered innovative principles for building success in the material world. Engaging stories deftly portray alternative ways to attain prosperity, love, good health, and a sense of purpose while living ethically and in harmony with others. Practical exercises make the seven principles clear and accessible for every reader. “Searing insights, white hot with spiritual truth, fly out of each chapter. ” — Neale Donald Walsch “I was captivated by the music of Lenedra Carroll’s prose. Her style of writing is that of a true storyteller.” — Jane Goodall
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful and inspiring!.......2005-08-22
The Architecture of All Abundance is one of the most beautiful books I have read in a long time! It left me feeling tremendously inspired on a personal level and motivated me to get more connected again to my spiritual side. The book also gave me hope regarding the corporate world. Lenedra Carroll is doing such positive work for the world, and I believe her company is a real leader in terms of the spiritual focus it holds in its day-to-day operations. To me, this book should be a "must read" for anyone in a leadership position, and it is a "must read" for anyone seeking inspiration in their personal life. The book is beautifully written, and all the personal stories and examples included in the book help to make Ms Carroll's practices seem possible for anyone to apply to their lives.
Jewel's Mom.......2003-02-10
I'm sure that the author meant well by writing this book; her tone is very serious and sincere. But it is over-written and heavy-handed. If it had been penned by anyone other than a celebrity's mother, it would not have been published. It does not warrant reading and certainly does not warrant buying.
No Sharks.......2002-12-03
A wonderful book. Packed full of inspirational stories and solid, experiential advice. Lenedra Carroll beautifully communicates her reality in this life and bridging her visions into the music industry. Her practical wisdom is timeless and fascinating when applied to the music industry and inspirational because of her abundant results. Beautifully communicating the talk while successfully walking the walk.
A lyrical, engaging, and wise journey.......2002-07-11
Beautifully written, evocative, and so full of simple but heretofor elusive (for most of us) truths that you'll want to re-read every page 2 or 3 times to let the wisdom and import sink in and be absorbed.
I read this book last October, and again this month, and it lost nothing in the repetition. It actually became more valued as well as validating.
Ms. Carroll has some advantages over most of us in that she has long familiarity with, surety of, and accessibility to her inner guidance system (perhaps universal guidance system is more appropriate?). She also had the sense and early discernment to ask questions that revealed the nature of things, and a number of magical experiences that motivated her to seek more generative paradigm of the world. The structures she's created (for creating a successful life in the material world) are impressive and really define "beyond win-win".
More than a self-help book.......2002-03-29
I'm not generally one for books of this nature (I usually enjoy fiction over nonfiction), but this book was fascinatingly plain. It dealt with everything I knew was familiar, yet was written in such a way that I was able to see 'everyday' as extraordinary. Knowing something of the content of the book before I bought it, I was afraid it would be too hokey and corny. I was also afraid it would be a book someone wrote to ride on the coattails of her daughter's (Jewel) success. It was nothing of the sort. Once I read this book, I saw where the source of inspiration in Jewel's music and poetry came from. Her mother, Lenedra, is a powerhouse of wisdom and gentleness. Not to mention eloquence! This book was very, very well written. The words are intelligent, coherent, and thoughtful.
Lenedra's prose is delightful. She offers her wisdom through insights and observations, never once taking up any pretention that she knows every solution to every problem. It's not a 'how-to' book to a successful, balanced, and happy life. On every page she emphasizes the answers, along with problems, are all there within our grasp, and offers her insights on how to see and follow through with the solution to our woes.
Her advice is simple, loving, nurturing and very wise, and she brings a unique and fresh approach to age old adages. Every story she shares, every notion she brings up, it's all stuff we've already heard, but really registered. The difference is you can feel from her words that she lived and learned the lessons firsthand, and that alone makes for a more engaging read. I also love that she never asserts solutions are beyond our own grasp, that answers are blessed only by aloof deities. Her words are powerful yet gentle, and place emphasis on the beauty of human courage. This book centers around human goodness, not humanity's failings.
This book is a nice, thick read. I've taken a good long time to read through it, reading only a few pages here and there, but the book keeps drawing me back to read more. This is one of those books you keep going back to, and I can see myself returning to it again and again during my lifetime. Each time your return to the pages of this book, you'll find yourself forming new insigts and opinions of your own on the subject matter. It's one of those books that will never grow old, because the subject matter regards a lifetime's worth of experiences.
Truly refreshing. This is a much needed book, emphasizing the stillness and quiet of life to find solutions, which is a ready welcome into our hectic modern day society.
Books:
- During the Reign of the Queen of Persia
- eFictions
- Egalia's Daughters: A Satire of the Sexes
- Einstein Intersection
- Elizabeth and Her German Garden
- Encyclopedia Brown and the Dead Eagles (Encyclopedia Brown)
- Ernie's Ark
- Fancy Strut (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
- Her Body Knows: Two Novellas
- Her Own Place (Fawcett Columbine)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Fodor's Italy 2007
- Wine For Dummies
- The Handicap Principle: A Missing Piece of Darwin's Puzzle
- The Big Sea: An Autobiography
- The Friars Club Encyclopaedia of Jokes: 2,000 One-Liners, Straight Lines, Stories, Gags, Roasts, Rib
- Using and Understanding Mathematics: A Quantitative Reasoning Approach
- What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause
- The New Imperialists
- The End of North Korea
- Do-It-Yourself Advertising & Promotion: How to Produce Great Ads, Brochures, Catalogs, Direct Ma
Historical
| British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
An Instance Of The Fingerpost
The Portrait
The Raphael Affair (Art History Mystery)
The Titian Committee (Art History Mystery)
Death and Restoration
