Book Description
From Michael Cunningham, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hours, comes this widely praised novel of two boyhood friends: Jonathan, lonely, introspective, and unsure of himself; and Bobby, hip, dark, and inarticulate. In New York after college, Bobby moves in with Jonathan and his roommate, Clare, a veteran of the city's erotic wars. Bobby and Clare fall in love, scuttling the plans of Jonathan, who is gay, to father Clare's child. Then, when Clare and Bobby have a baby, the three move to a small house upstate to raise "their" child together and, with an odd friend, Alice, create a new kind of family. A Home at the End of the World masterfully depicts the charged, fragile relationships of urban life today.
Customer Reviews:
Strong, Lyrical. Commanding........2007-03-20
This writing is so strong, lyrical and commanding, that I am almost able to forget how much I dislike the story. Two boyhood friends fall in love without their parents' knowledge, which leads to a series of events that highlight each characters' insecurity with their life in this world. What exactly is the purpose? Will I ever "know" people and feel at home? Who am I supposed to love?
-- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens
Enjoyable but slightly disappointing.......2006-12-07
I was looking forward to reading "A Home at the End of the World" after reading all the praise it received here. I wish I could say it affected me as much it did most everyone else but I was a little bit disappointed by the end.
The book spans about twenty five years and is divided into three parts: Bobby and Jonathan's boyhood years, life in New York City living with ex-hippie Clare, and the trio's life raising a baby in the country. The book isn't necessarily plot-driven as it is a character study of Bobby, Jonathan, Clare and Alice (Jon's mother), which isn't a bad thing at all if I felt more connected to them. The writing is solid and flows well but I just did not feel connected to the characters. It's not that they aren't sympathetic, it's that I didn't really understand why they think and do what they think and do. The characters spend the entire book thinking. By the end I kind of felt that the characters' introspection was a guise for being well developed.
The first half of the book was more interesting with the boys growing up. Looking back after reading the entire book however, it's hard to reconcile the older versions of Bobby and Jonathan from the younger versions. The most powerful moment of the book for me was early on when Bobby saves Jonathan from almost getting himself killed. This moment doesn't carry as much of an impact on the characters as one of the spotlight reviewers says though, and as much as I'd wish. The first third of the book was a joy to read. It was easy to understand Alice's point of view of being in a repressed marriage and deal with having to raise a troubled son. It was easier to identify with everyone's lack of identity. As the story progressed though, their lack of knowing what they wanted began to annoy. Over the course of the book, the characters certainly changed but I couldn't see how they changed. I couldn't see why one person was in love with the other and vice versa. I simply accepted it because the author said so.
The story is not melodramatic which is great, but it unfortunately has the opposite affect of being almost detached. I wouldn't read the book if I were looking for a tremendous bond between the boyhood friends, Bobby and Jonathan. Though Jonathan is gay, a fact that isn't explored much at all beyond the fact that he is, don't expect an "us against the world" theme popular with coming of age stories or classify the book as gay literature.
I wanted to love this book. I wanted to laugh and cry and become engrossed and think about the characters for days afterward. Actually, I was truly captivated in the first hundred pages or so that I was surprised at how fast the pages were flying by but I never did reach that high again. That's why I was disappointed. I think it's sort of amazing how I can spend 350 pages with some characters and still not know that much about them. Maybe the book could be longer.
I would recommend this for a fast and overall pleasant read but I don't think exactly it's worth the ten bucks you'd have to spend. Consider borrowing it.
Cunnimgham at his best.......2006-11-06
I found it very hard not to read the novel in one single day, it is warm and full of uplifting and intricate feelings.
Sometimes the movie is better..........2006-10-07
I rented the film version of "A Home at the End of the World" shortly after catching the "The Hours" on cable. I was pretty impressed with both. My guess was that "The Hours" had the kind of budget and richness to capture the book, whereas "A Home..." was a small independent film that had more handicaps. I figured the book on which it was based would be a better introduction to Cunningham, because it had a better shot at being stronger than the film. Well, sometimes the film is better....
The film really centers on Bobby and Jonathan. The book includes all of the main characters as narrators and has an overlapping narrative structure. Because of this, the book fleshes out the female characters better and we see why Jonathan's mother was cast with Cissy Spacek rather than someone who seemed Midwestern and why Jonathan's father was so remote. Bobby's character has more sides, although the result is that he is less vivid than Colin Ferrell's portrayal. The three-dimensionality in the book is probably more realistic, but the film version of Bobby captures better that which is important--his odd mix of emotional distance, engagement, adaptability and ambiability. Beyond his sexual orientation, Jonathan doesn't emerge very strongly in either medium.
The book oddly does worse in setting the time and place than the film. I grew-up in the Cleveland of the 60s and 70s and made many trips to New York in the 80s. Neither place fares well in the book. Cleveland was in approaching its nadir--an unhip place beginning a long economic decline, yet also a place with vibrant music scene (that attracted many future "names" for their early tours), racial tension, and the residue of various European ethnic cultures and rivalries---in other words, it had atmosphere and it was a good launching pad to go someplace more "hip". The book protrays a generic place that is more like the inland, second or third string cities of the Midwest--places like Columbus or Fort Wayne that are big on Babbitry and bragging about their chain restaurants. New York also seems oddly unlike itself. The New York of the book's era was filled with menace--crime, fear of crime, grafitti-filled subways, filth, and a general sense of dysfunction, as well as the kind of energy, vitality, and avant garde spirit that have always drawn people to the City. The book could have taken place in the tiny bohemian quarter of Atlanta or some other provincial backwater, for all it matters. The gay world of the book's time also is lacking--it takes place at beginning of the age of AIDS and the end of libertine gay liberation. Yet, talk of AIDS is muted beyond the early denial of its presence and Jonathan has to be most sexless gay man in queer lit. Popular music plays a big role in the book, but Cunningham seems to have drawn a random selection from hits lists of the 70s, rather than combinations of music that fit in time or that would have appealed to a common audience. Although Cunningham grew-up in this era, he clearly participated rather little in the popular culture of it.
The story proceeds like the movie, with the addition of Erich, Jonathan's bartender "boyfriend" (the relationship is undefined and mysterious to both of them). Toward the end of the book, Erich seems to be more of a plot device than a real person. The other characters take care of him as he convalesces, but with an odd lack of commitment.
Few films or books are made about menage a trois relationships and fewer films ask us to buy Collin Ferrell as a twentysomething virgin. Yet, the book came off as something far less than the film. The odd semi-sexual bond between Bobby and Jonathan was believable in the film but not in the book. Cissy Spacek took a truncated script and a thankless role in the film and communicated more about the mother's story than what we get in the book, despite the greater backstory. The film does better without Erich and without the coyness about Jonathan's HIV status. I wish I could have given the book as many stars as most of the other reviews, but by the time I finished, I just was glad that the story had ended.
Astonishing.......2006-09-21
I am an author and journalist and I have to say this is the best novel I have ever read. True to the word "haunting."
Average customer rating:
- Excellent story; so-so writing
- Good book!!
- Great start to a great series!
- Very enjoyable!
- Awesome!
|
Tomorrow's Treasure (East of the Sun #1)
Linda Lee Chaikin
Manufacturer: WaterBrook Press
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
Mothers & Children | Women's Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Romance | Literature & Fiction | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Missions & Missionary Work | Evangelism | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Romance | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
Regency | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
-
Yesterday's Promise (East of the Sun #2)
-
Today's Embrace (East of the Sun #3)
-
Desert Rose
-
Daughter of Silk (The Silk House #1)
-
Desert Star
ASIN: 1578565138
Release Date: 2003-02-18 |
Book Description
Raised by her aunt and uncle at the rectory in the small English village of Grimston Way, lovely Evy Varley remembers little of her missionary parents and nothing of South Africa, the land where she was orphaned during the Zulu War of 1878. But when Sir Rogan Chantry, the arrogant and handsome son of the local Squire, accuses Evy’s mother of stealing the infamous Kimberly Black Diamond, Evy sets out to prove the rogue wrong and clear her mother’s name.
Secrets abound, however, from the diamond mines of South Africa to the halls of her own beloved rectory. Strangers come to Grimston Way for their own mysterious purposes, a stunned Evy finds that her own aunt and uncle may have concealed disturbing truths about her family, and the dashing Sir Rogan has his own reasons to seek the missing diamond.
Yet despite Rogan’s seemingly rakish ways and the class differences that render a romance between them impossible, Evy finds herself drawn to the man who was once her childhood friend and now holds the keys to her heart. Faced with a dangerous past and an uncertain future, Evy must draw upon her wits and her faith to pursue Tomorrow’s Treasure.
A story of faith, danger and romance, Tomorrow’s Treasure is a masterpiece of historical suspense fiction.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent story; so-so writing.......2007-07-29
This was the first book by Linda Lee Chaikin that I ever read and I must admit that I very nearly stopped reading it after just a few pages. Ms. Chaikin has a tendency to introduce many characters all at once, without giving any information on their background or how they are related to the other characters. Throughout the first couple of chapters, I really felt like I was reading a soap-opera. It wasn't until halfway through the book (or later) that some of the relationships were fully explained. That could have been done when they were introduced without detracting from the story whatsoever, and it would have allowed me to enjoy the story more thoroughly without constantly flipping pages back to figure out how a certain character was related to another.
Perhaps even more frustrating were several grammar and spelling errors that I cannot solely blame on Ms. Chaikin. Surely, every book that is published passes through several people's hands before it ever reaches a bookshelf. Whoever proofreads her books does not do their job, however, because these spelling and grammar errors are present in every book by Ms. Chaikin that I have read.
Criticisms of writing technique aside, Ms. Chaikin has a gift for weaving stories. This is the type of book that once you start reading it, you will not want to put it down. It is an excellent story involving a very loveable young lady who falls in love with a man that seems to be out of her league. I would recommend that you also get the other two books in the series, as they continue the main story line.
If you can muddle through the writing technique and often soap-opera like familial associations, then you will truly enjoy the story.
Good book!!.......2007-05-03
I wish I could give it 4.5 stars! I think 5 stars should be preserved for my absolute favorite books, although this was good, I still like some others a little better.
I really liked this book, although I think it is a bit frustrating at times; the main character is sometimes too much like a door mat! Besides the door mat thing, I liked the characters and how the story ends! I liked the plot and the storyline too. I can't wait to see the next book, I want to see what happens next!! Good job Linda!
Great start to a great series!.......2006-12-30
What a refreshing series! Once again, Linda Chaikin delivers a tale of romance, intrigue, murder, and fascinating history...she's so unique in the Christian romance world. Although this book is slower in its pacing than her Egypt trilogy ("Arabian Winds", etc.), I was interested at all times because of the wonderful interactions between Rogan and Evy. The relationship between the two was perfectly paced and wonderfully written. The plot was interesting as well...I grew up in Africa, so I was eager to read all the fascinating facts about the history of South Africa. I'm just getting started with Linda's books, and I can't wait!
Very enjoyable!.......2006-10-04
Just finished this book and was very pleased, can't wait to read the next two. The beginning of the book is a little slow and it does go on and on about her childhood but it is well worth it in the end. I would like to marry Rogan myself! All in all, a very good read.
Awesome!.......2006-05-23
This is a really good book! If you haven't read it then your missing out on one of Chaikin's best series! Tomorrow's Treasure is both a romance and a mystery. Definately a book you won't be able to put down!
Average customer rating:
|
Tomorrow's Treasures/Workbook
Pat Andreatta
Manufacturer: Heirloom Stitches
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 096168481X |
Book Description
Marcia Adams, one of America's most beloved television chefs, presents a cross-country tour of the United States. Including more than 250 delicious, old-fashioned recipes, her book conveys the serendipitous delights of travel and illuminates how and why many food traditions began--and how they are being kept alive today.
Full-color photographs.
Customer Reviews:
I APPRECIATE THE OTHER ADAMS BOOKS MORE.......2005-10-10
NOW THAT I OWN ALL OF THE AUTHORS COOKBOOKS I FEEL I CAN COMMENT ON THIS ONE. THE FORMAT IS APPEALING AND CAUGHT ME TRAVEL, RURAL OUT OF THE WAY PLACES AND SECRET RECIPES,WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT. WELL I GUESS WHAT I WANT IS PRACTICAL EASY TO PREPARE RECIPES AND THATS NOT WHAT IS IN THIS BOOK.SUCH AS SAURKRAUT CREAM PIE,ROSE GERAINIUM JELLY,CACTUS STEW,FLOATING ISLAND WITH SPUN CARAMEL,KENTUCKY BURGOO HAS 22 INGREIDIENTS.NO THIS WAS NOT A KEEPER ON MY SHELF.BUT I DO ENJOY HER OTHER BOOKS,THIS JUST DIDN'T FOLLOW THE SAME STYLE.
Marcia Adams' Heirloom Recipes.......2003-05-06
This is a wonderful book. It brings delightful regional recipes to the reader. I already have dozens of these recipes on my list to try. Ms. Adams gives us information to pique our interest in the recipe without boring us.
Truly a Heirloom.......2000-05-18
Wonderfully put together and easy to use, this book should be on everyone's shelves who are intrested in cooking and keeping our heritage alive.
Product Description
A unique book for the collector of: Treasures, Trifles, & Trivia- Plus a valuable record of my: Antiques- Collectibles- Residential contents & legal- family documents... (A must for every household- or one for each of your own children.) with a little help from a friend: Shirley Greer Clark- 1977...
Average customer rating:
|
Basketry Tomorrow's Treasures
Manufacturer: Pat Depke/Craft World, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FMTV0I |
Product Description
Instructions in basket weaving for Heirloom Basket, Gathering Basket, Nutcup Basket, Mini Basket, Decorator Basket, Hanging Accent Basket, Shaker Bread Basket, Fireside Basket, Pastry Basket,Fruit Basket and Napkin Ring.
Book Description
IN A SINGLE MOMENT
. . . the lives of three men will be forever changed. In that split second, defined paradoxically by both salvation and loss, they will destroy the world and then restore it. Much had come before, and much would come after, but nothing would color their lives more than that one, isolated instant on the edge of forever.
IN A SINGLE MOMENT
. . . Leonard McCoy, displaced in time, saves a woman from dying in a traffic accident, and in so doing alters Earth's history. Stranded in the past, he struggles to find a way back to his own century. But living an existence he was not meant to, he will eventually have to move on, and ultimately face the shadows born of his lost life.
IN A SINGLE MOMENT
. . . Leonard McCoy, displaced in time, is prevented from saving a woman from dying in a traffic accident, allowing Earth's history to remain unchanged. Returning to the present, he encounters a medical mystery he is committed to solving. But the echoes of an existence he never lived haunt him, and the specter of a premature death will bring him full circle to the shadows he has never faced.
Customer Reviews:
Dr. McCoy's Multiple Lives.......2007-09-03
Somehow this was more tedious than the other two Crucible novels -- perhaps because there was so much retelling of known material about Dr. McCoy. But the fascinating speculation of what his life might have become had he been marooned (or in the timeline where he WAS marooned) in early 20th century Earth was fascinating and worth rehashing all the other stuff for.
Expecting more.......2007-08-12
Provenance of Shadows left me disappointed and wanting. I don't deny that there was some good parts in there, and George's narative skills are fantastic, but the inclusion of McCoy's romantic episodes in the past and future as an in depth look into his psche left a lot to be desired. It would've ranked amoung my favorites had George not overstepped the bounds. Frankly, I'm surprised Pocket Books allowed its publication. As it is, PoS as the initials fit nicely.
In my opinion, Friedman does a much better job of catching the real McCoy in "Shadows on the Sun"
Very, very good........2007-07-13
There is not too much that I can say that the other posters haven't said, really. A very good book, but just to let you know, there are numerous references to events that happened in the animated series of STAR TREK, so do your homework if you notice a reference to an event that you are not familiar with.
Very good!.......2007-05-17
I liked the "what if" scenario and how the book follows the original episodes and movies in sequence. If you're familiar with the series then you'll have no problem visualizing the storyline as it intertwines with the plots of the original episodes. I really enjoyed it.
A very touching, character driven Star Trek novel.......2007-05-03
While I wouldn't consider myself a "Trekker" I have seen all the original episodes and the movies. I've read a few of the novels but this is the rare Star Trek novel I consider to be a really good work of fiction. It brings together so many threads in the Star Trek timeline and gives much deeper insight into the personal life of Leonard McCoy. It's thought provoking, well researched and best of all very effective on an emotional level. The only thing to be aware of with this novel is that it does require a good knowledge of the Star Trek universe to enjoy. This is the kind of book that you'll find yourself thinking about for sometime after you've finished it.
Customer Reviews:
You want Hebrew Bible examples with grammar? .......2007-04-16
Page Kelley's "Biblical Hebrew" is loaded with lots of Hebrew scriptures to illustrate his grammatical points. If you like learning with Biblical examples, this is for you. There are exercises in each grammar chapter, plus separate Heb to Eng Vocabulary, verb tables, and glossary.
Somewhat helpful.......2007-01-25
I was looking for a bridge from my good commandment of modern Hebrew to Biblical language and found this particular book kind of disappointing.
First, its grammar explanations are not always satisfying even its own examples, let alone other Biblical verses
Second, exercises are very dull and are just the same for each lesson and very basic and not challenging enough
Third, I find it very confusing to learn the verb system by stem patterns ( which are hard to recognize in text sometimes ), instead of going over 7 stem patterns and showing how different verbs behave themselves in different stem patterns ( well, it might be helpful perspective nevertheless)
Fourth, the list of words at the end of each lesson very poorly reflect the vocabulary of the lesson and vice versa - many words never show up in the main text( the same for the hebrew-english dictionary in the end )
Fifth, I just couldn't manage some grammatical concepts, even reading it over and over again, like for example dividing the word into syllables, all in all he says you can tell the new syllable if it starts with vocal sh'va and... you can tell the vocal sh'va if it starts a new syllable ( brrrr.. )
But I'd say it gave me some basic tools for Bible reading, some reference point. The book could be improved very easily and its print and format I found very nice and handy
A nice book...........2005-11-26
It's a nice book for beginner to learn Hebrew.The grammer and the structure are easy. The exercise of each lesson is quite helpful.The disadvantage is that you have to take a long time to finish it...
Great quality........2005-09-22
The book I receved was in great shape. Took a little long, but nothing to complian about. Overall great transaction.
A Jewish perspective on this excellent book........2004-08-24
I haven't seen any reviews of this book explicitly from a Jewish point of view, so this is just a short perspective - the other reviews are all well-written and describe the quality of the book well. There are, however, two minor points that the Jewish student should be aware of.
First, the author is a well-respected scholar and linguist; however, he is a member of the Southern Baptist church. While this won't matter to most readers (Jewish and non-Jewish alike), I do realize that there are Jews who will want to avoid the book due to that organization's purported anti-Semitic leanings. Whether or not those leanings exist is another debate - I point this out merely as an informational comment.
Despite the fact that the author comes from a Christian background, the course is devoid of any reference to any Christian beliefs outside of what is referred to as their 'Old Testament'. This is a commendable approach to make the text acceptable to all students.
The second point is in reference to the dialect that is used in the course. This book teaches Sephardic pronunciation - this makes sense from an academic standpoint, as Sephardic is the more modern form of Hebrew and is more common than the Ashkenazic pronunciation. Most Orthodox synagogues, however, still use the Ashkenazic pronunciation in services - it tends to be more condusive for liturgy as opposed to conversation, where Sephardic is generally superior. Orthodox Jews who are using this book should be aware that the Hebrew spoken in their services is going to sound different in several specific ways. The only major differences between the two forms is in vowel pronunciation, so if an Ashkenazic pronunciation guide can be obtained (they're fairly prolific online), this can be used in conjunction with the book for learning both dialects.
I found this to be an excellent guide for learning biblical Hebrew, and would highly recommend it to most Jewish adults who are either learning for the first time, or relearning after a period of disuse.
Books:
- A Perfect Pledge: A Novel
- Acqua Calda: A Novel
- Amos Camps Out: A Couch Adventure in the Woods
- Arbor Alma/the Giving Tree
- At Home in Thrush Green
- Authentic Faith: The Power of a Fire-Tested Life
- Banishing Verona: A Novel
- Before She Met Me (Picador Books)
- Bendiceme Ultima
- Bestial Noise: The Tin House Fiction Reader
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Cross
- The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook : 250 No-Fail Recipes for Pilafs, Risottos, Polenta, Chilis, Soups
- Stars and Bars: A Novel
- Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945
- The Book of Bluffs: How to Bluff and Win at Poker
- String Theory and M-Theory: A Modern Introduction
- The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Visions of Glory
- The Ceramic Legacy of Anna O. Shepard
- Post-Bubble Blues: How Japan Responded to Asset Price Collapse
- Country Commercial Guide: Italy
Flesh and Blood: A Novel
A Home at the End of the World
The Hours
A Home at the End of the World
Land's End: A Walk in Provincetown (Crown Journeys)
