Book Description
For years Gerald lived for his twin passions, acting and sex. As a handsome young actor, he found plenty of opportunities to perform in both arenas. But that was years ago, long before AIDS hit the theater world hard — and gay circles even harder.
No in demand, Gerald is waiting to die. He's drawn up a last will and testament, assigned a health care proxy, arranged his own cremation, has thrown out hundreds of photos accrued over his twenty-five years of acting, along with boxes of gay porn and his journals. Gerald's acquired a hefty collection of barbiturates for when things get too “icky.” Just when things appear the worse, William Weiss calls and Gerald’s life is resurrected.
An eccentric avant-garde director, Weiss invites Gerald to perform in a play in Sicily. As a founding member of Weiss’s first company, Gerald is aware of the director’s cult-like hold over actors, but he accepts. From the first rehearsal, Weiss nurtures the chaos in which he is most at home. Gerald’s health remains precarious, but as opening night approaches, the play begins to take shape. Gerald's spirits soar as he reconnects with lost joy.
Customer Reviews:
ACQUA CALDA.......2006-08-07
ACQUA CALDA IS WONDERFUL...the main character is like your own best friend from the beginning.I adored His funny sense of humor.It is so well writen that I felt like I was RIGHT THERE watching everything.To me this book was like watching a really enjoyable movie.TWO THUMBS UP!I will be passing this one on to friends as I am sure they will love it too.
In Hot Water.......2006-01-27
The characters all seem to have prototypes in the long running theatrical troupe of Robert Wilson, right down to the mentally disabled "boy" figure who grows out but not up. McDemott tweaks these stereotypes like an old pro, but the delight of ACQUA CALDA lies partially in feeling that we're getting access nonprleil into a bunch of real people, and in seeing how they all get along or don't. The "let's put on a show" plot is one that never fails (for me), for I'm a sucker for performance. As a result the book is a high comedy with moments of sheer farce, and yet on the other hand certain elements that creep in give it an impressive depth, like looking at a silent comedy through the screens of sepia cheap video firms used to tint their stock in.
I loved the book and got sucked right in. Years ago in an anthology--was it called BOYS LIKE US? I had read a piece by author McDermott that knocked my socks off. I hate it when actors or whatever turn out to be talented at writing too, it just makes me lose hope, but here in this instance I found McDemott's writing to be so evocative, so spirited, it melted away my mean spirited resentment at his "renaissance boy" status. And this book seems to me a complete success from beginning to end. The hero, Gerald, is an actor who wonders if he's stuck to his last for too long, and perhaps stereotyped himself as one of "William Weiss"'s company to the neglect of other parts of his resume, and plus he's a man who has lived through the terrors of AIDS and has found himself sort of still alive on the other side, like the shipwrecked mariners of Shakespeare's TEMPEST, and it seems to me that McDermott has placed all these valences of character and plot exactly where they belong.
And I hate books set in Italy, for they're usually like, oh I have so much money I can live in Italy, but with this one we're in the soul of a bargain hunter, almost a miser, and this Balzacian "flaw" gives Gerald heart from the start.
Good work all around. I hope that the author comes to San Francisco some time so I can tell him how much his book meant to me, and how I look forward with immense equanimity to his future productions. He's really good and so is his story sense.
An Impressive First Novel.......2005-08-14
I read ACQUA CALDA (sulphur water) after reading a chapter from the novel that was included in the collection of short stories FRESH MEN. This Mr. McDermott's first novel is certainly well worth reading. We can only hope that this is not a one time effort on his part and that he will publish another novel soon.
This novel begins with the opening sentence: "Gerald was as well preparead for death as anyone could be." While one cannot always judge a book by the first line, in this case, this sentence, along with the first paragraph, sets the tone for a fine tale indeed. The protagonist, a New Yorker, who is now in better health but who has been very ill with AIDS, has made a will, a living will, arranged for his cremation, weeded out his photo collection, thrown away his porno stash and all his journals, shut out most of his friends, stocked up on suicide drugs and is "as ready to go as the dinner guest in coat and gloves standing at the open door." Then he gets invited to be in a play being produced in Italy by an old director friend of his and gets another go at living. In Italy Gerald meets a variegated cast of characters-- he actually meets one actor on the flight over-- one of whom he falls for, an Italian named Enzo. The novel has interesing twists and turns. One of Gerald's dilemmas, for instance, is when and how to tell Enzo that he has AIDS. The author quite deftly solves the problem for both Gerald and the engaged reader.
Since he is an actor-- having appearead in the stage production of EQUUS with Richard Burton, for example-- Mr. McDermott would be expected to write about the theatre with an insider's knowledge; and he does. You feel as if you are actually rehearsing with these characters, on stage with them and sharing in their bickering and gossiping. The author is also adroit with words and at turning phrases. Gerald visits a government office where "poor people with jobs decide if poor people without jobs are eligible for assistance--food stamps, disability." Disney and Hard Rock Cafe are "gelding" Forty-second Street." Enzo's skin looks like "Sicilian olives caught in sunlight." Finally, Mr. McDermott captures in beautiful, succinct language the loss of so many lives snuffed out by AIDS: "Poor Damon [Gerald's deceased friend]. Poor everyone he knew who died so young: tricks, roommates, friends. Sometimes he's recall one after another, guys who'd been so much a part of those early, sexy years in New York, until he'd cocooned himself in the past and peopled his present with the dead."
A very impressive first novel.
"It was like swimming up through murky water toward air and light".......2005-07-09
The power of art to enhance life is the central theme of Acqua Calda, a remarkably charming novel of second chances. It is 1995 and the new AIDS drug cocktail has been released, just in time to save HIV positive middle-aged actor Gerald Barnett from a certain death. Gerald has been living a life of quiet desperation in New York, preparing himself to die.
Having drawn up a last will & testament, assigned himself a health care proxy, and even thrown out his old boxes of porn, he's shocked and positively overwhelmed when the new miracle drugs give him a new chance at living. When the brilliant and avent garde theatre director William Weiss phones Gerald and invites him to perform in a play called Rivers, Saints and Space at the Palazzo d'Arte in Sicily, Gerald - never having traveled - dutifully accepts the invitation.
William was Gerald's old boss, and headed the School of Life Theatre Company. Gerald readily admits that he was happiest when he was acting for William, but when he gets to Sicily; he realizes that William is still the same petulant, irascible, totally, and self-obsessed director from years ago. Despite his ill health, Gerald soldiers on and forms some unlikely friendships with an eclectic, international mix of fellow actors, including a group of sexy Italian dancers.
The first rehearsal of a play usually holds the ubiquitous uncertainties - unfamiliar faces, the director's concept for the play, and the first displays of "talent" - but a William Weiss production carries even more unknowns - there are no scripts with which the performers can familiarize themselves with, and due to the abstract nature of the work, the actors play or dance their roles; even the lines are developed as the piece is developed.
Much of the drama of the story revolves around the friction that occurs between William, the production crew, and the young, spirited assortment of actors. Even Gerald, who is familiar with Williams's style, gets fed up with his micro-direction of scenes the excruciatingly slow rehearsal, schedule, and the director's penchant for frequent absences. But although Gerald is frustrated at the sluggishness of it all, something wonderful starts happening to him. Amazingly he begins to get better, and soon he hardly remembers being ill.
For Gerald disease steadily becomes an abstraction, something grave and terminal, "something just around the corner, but invisible - for which he took a lot of pills." He finds solace, in this foreign, evocative land and in the soothing waters of the Acqua Calda, a place where he and his fellow actors swim nude. Being around all these young people makes Gerald feel the familiar ache of physical longing that had been so much a driving factor in his life for so many years.
His heart fills with love for Bill, in his "Bermuda shorts and plastic thongs," and he becomes inescapably attracted to Enzo, a handsome Italian actor, with "his earnest expression, his heavily stubbled features and his adolescent odors." Gerald even begins to fall a little in love with himself. His love of theatre, his romance with Enzo, and his discovery of a world far beyond the sickly confines of his days in New York make his spirits soar, and he finds himself transformed by the ecstasies of everyday life.
McDermott effectively captures the spirit of the avent garde theater world and the realities that such a group must face as they hurriedly cobble together their improvised production even when the play is plagued with uncertainties. In one instance, the angry production designer walks out on William for changing a scene at the last minute, and in another instance, the generator that controls the lighting inexplicably blows up just before opening night.
But Gerald views these problems as insignificant. For years, death and illness has surrounded him, but his trip to Sicily has awakened him to the possibilities and promise of life. It's a life that is still fraught with health risks, but it is also a life that is finally worth living. Mike Leonard July 05.
Somewhat dark but intriguing insight into acting.......2005-05-26
Gerald Barnett is a middle-aged man in NYC, reflecting on his illness-aborted career as a stage actor, as he waits to die. He takes his prescribed HIV-related medications faithfully, even though he knows there is an even chance that he is the placebo group and these are nothing but sugar pills. He has his good days and bad days, friends who help him get through the latter, and has simplified his life and divested himself of all unnecessary possessions, to make it easier for his executor when he is gone. He has also accumulated a bunch of pills to hasten his demise, in the event "things get icky" at the end.
Then a letter comes from Bill Weiss, an eccentric but brilliant avante-garde director, who insists that Gerald come out of retirement and join a company he is putting together to stage a play in Sicily. Having been a founding member of Weiss' theatre company, where he had some of his best (and worst) experiences in the theatre, Gerald decides to be a bit foolhardy, perhaps for the last time in his life, and agrees to go. A week later, he is sharing a third-rate hotel room with two other actors in Bellina, Sicily, and meets the dozen or so other actors, including a group of difficult and often crude Italian thespians, causing him to second guessing the wisdom of his actions. But when the demanding, tyranical William Weiss (Gerald is the only one to know him well enough to call him Bill, but is still somewhat struck mute by his commanding presence and eccentric brilliance) makes his appearance and begins to sketch out the complicated and illogical staging of the play, Gerald feels more alive than he has been in more than a decade, and even discontinues his medications to avoid the side effects that could detract from his performance. In the busy and often frustrating weeks to come, Gerald finds amusement, friendship, betrayal, exhaustion and the promise of a possible romance.
The novel is kind of a gay, Italian version of the film "Breakfast Club", where you meet and get to know a group of diverse and colorful characters based solely on their interaction with each other. Author McDermott obviously is an observer of people, especially his fellow actors, and the basic "show must go on" attitude that makes actors put up with far more than mere mortals would endure for the small amount of compensation and minimal recognition of their craft. Erotic in parts, alternately uplifting and depressing in stages, it is an interesting read, especially for those with theatrical aspirations. While I can appreciate the author's skillful characterizations, the overall effect was a bit "dark" for my taste.
Book Description
With exhilarating wit, sensuality, and emotion, bestselling author Patricia Rice offers an enchanting historical romance. When a magical young woman meets a dark aristocrat in a moonlit forest, neither dreams that a strange and powerful love is about to change their lives forever....
Praise for Merely Magic:
"Simply enchanting!...passionate and powerful."-Teresa Medeiros
"Simply enchanting! Patricia Rice, a master storyteller, weaves a spellbinding tale that's passionate and powerful."-Teresa Medeiros, bestselling author of The Bride and the Beast
"Like Julie Garwood, Patricia Rice employs wicked wit and sizzling sensuality to turn the battle of the sexes into a magical romp."-Mary Jo Putney, New York Times bestselling author
Patricia Rice is:
"A super talented author." -Romantic Times
"Enthralling."-Rendezvous
"Fast-paced...witty."-Gothic Journal
"Captivating."-Heartland Critiques
Customer Reviews:
Well...it's okay.......2005-11-01
I didn't start off reading this first book in the series. I kind of went backwards through it and I finally was able to find Merely Magic at an affordable price (since apparently it's no longer on bookstore shelves). I absolutely loved the other books in the series, but to me, Merely Magic was just kind of dull. I imagine if you begin with this book and then make your way through the series, it will be fine. However, I wouldn't suggest this book to those of you who have already read the other books in the series...unless you just want to know the actual story of Ninian and Drogo.
This series MUST be read in order.......2005-03-13
Having accidentally read book # 4 first, let me encourage any reader to read this series in order. This one, Merely Magic, is the first and does a splendid job of setting up Rice's remarkable magical world and the two families that gird the series.
The magic of the Malcolm women is unusual, and each one has her own special talent and unique way of looking at the world. Each Ives man is stubborn, arrogant, and scientifically-minded -- what could they possibly have in common? The two families are consistently intriguing and their individual antics, much less the inevitable combustion when they meet, are vastly entertaining. Add an excellent romance, and there is much to enjoy in this delightful book.
There are occasions when Drogo's arrogance is irritating and Ninian's submission is annoying, but these character flaws make them more realistic, and one can appreciate the difficulty in making a realtionship between opposites work. The superstition of the villagers and their resulting snubbing plays honestly. There are some historical gaffes, but all in all, it's a great read.
Wonderful Story - Interesting Characters.......2004-06-04
Setting - England 1750 --- Ninian Malcolm lived in a cottage on the outskirts of the village of Wystan, and that one word - outskirts - more or less described her life up to that point. When her grandmother had been alive she hadn't been quite so lonely. Ninian didn't mind so much the feeling of being kept at a distance, especially where it was a well-known fact that she was a witch -a witch whose healing talents were gladly accepted, even if she was not. As a healer, she had the ability to `read' or `empathize' with a person's innermost feelings, so it was disconcerting, to say the least when the newly arrived Drago, Earl of Ives could completely block both his feelings and presence from her. Dark, mysterious, and totally logical, Drago did not accept the unexplainable- nor was he about to believe in witches or anything that reeked of the supernatural.
Meeting this `moonchild' on the feast of Beltane, would forever change both their lives as they were both inexplicitly drawn together into an attraction that according to legend should end in disaster, should the Ives and Malcolms mate. With the interference of Drago's cousin Sarah, who dabbled in matchmaking and aphrodisiacs the die would be cast and whether it was Sarah's interference, or pure unadulterated lust -- the passionate mating of these two polar opposites would forever change the course of their lives into one fantastic and `merely magical' event.
I truly loved this story. The historical significance of the Malcolm/Ives mating, Drago and Ninian's contrasting personalities and especially their totally mesmerizing families consisting of Ninian's witchy aunts, and cousins, and Drago's assortment of brothers, both legitimate and not - what a circus! This was such a distinctive and unusual read - even if Drago's stubbornness made me want to slap him along the side of his head to wake him up to other possibilities! Whew! Unfortunately, I have rated this a trifle lower based on the historical aspect, only because of the references made to helium which was not discovered until 1895 and seemed out of place in the 1750 setting of the book. Nonetheless, I am very much looking forward to reading more from this author on how this odd assortment of relatives (Dunstan, Adonis, Ewan, etc.) get on with the sequels in this planned series. --- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer for www.historicromancewriters.com ---
Not bad, not bad...........2003-05-15
This was a pretty good book. I've liked her comtemporary romance better I think. I was a little disgusted with Ninian thru out most of the book; She just let everyone lead her around by the nose. I did like the fact that Drogo was not willing to give up his marriage even before he came to believe in her. I also enjoyed the antics of both families - that part got really cute. I didn't like the fact that the mystery of Adonis was not cleared up, although I do realize that he will probably have a book of his own.
Riveting...........2002-08-31
This story is so well written...It takes you away and makes your imagination soar...Its complexity makes you think and want to find out more making it hard to put down....Patricia Rice is an extraordinary story teller....Her stories make you laugh and cry...and make your adrenaline flow....There is always many surprises along the way...and things to leave you wondering and assuming....I have only read her historical novels and am amazed at her knowledge to every detail of the time and place she writes about....I can say so many more positive things about Patricia Rice's writing talents...I believe that there are story readers that find her novels too complex to follow and are not keen on the historical times she writes about....But not I!!!.....I myself can relate to her depiction of love, desire, fear, and age old anamosity between men and women through my own life's experiences and those I've observed in others....and her masterful ability to tell a story of how a relationship develops in such wonderful detail...She has an emmense understanding of human nature and emotions and can express it in a way like no other writer can....touching a reader's heart and soul so deeply...
Product Description
Ninian Malcolm has sworn to use her mysterious abilities to protect the village of Wystan, England. But the role of protector is a lonely one. Considered too "strange" for any local lad, Ninian has resigned herself to a loveless life-until a chance encounter in a moonlit forest changes everything...Brooding aristocat Drogo Ives dwells in a castle tower, tending to his astronomical observations. Though a man of science, Drogo is instantly captivated by the mystical Ninian. But can he learn to truly accept this self-proclaimed "witch"-and the desire that overwhelms him beyond rational explanation?
Customer Reviews:
Merely Magic.......2004-10-11
Although all Patricia Rice's "Magic Series" books can be read alone, this book introduces the reader to a wonderful, quirky cast of characters guaranteed to capture your interest and make you fall in love with them. A well crafted story line and compelling characters make this book a "must read"....and re-read. Definitely a "keeper". Caution though, reading this will only get you started. Next you'll be looking for the rest of the series and anxiously awaiting those that haven't even been written yet.
Average customer rating:
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Merely Magic
Patricia Rice
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000VIASUI |
Average customer rating:
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Merely Magic
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HEE9SS |
Amazon.com
Earth was once the capital of an interstellar empire, but now it's just another inhabited planet in a forgotten universal order. Its citizens survive through kindness, environmental conservation and non-aggression. But humanity's great strides toward erasing its violent past are threatened when 12 ships made of indestructible adiamante appear in orbit. The ships are from a former colony bent on subjugating the Earth and its inhabitants. But the strict ethics that have helped revitalize the Earth may be its downfall, as the human homeworld struggles to find a way to save itself without violating its new-found principles.
Book Description
After ten thousand years in exile, the cyber-warriors return in their fleet of spaceships to the planet that rejected them: Earth.
Customer Reviews:
A daring work of utopia.......2004-09-19
If you are at all interested in thinking about and exploring Utopias, this book is a must. Unlike much other speculative fiction about utopias, Modesitt dares to explain the rules of his utopia in a thoughtful and engaging story. I truly enjoyable read, I would recommend this book to anyone.
One that will make you think..........2004-09-10
This book is an excellent example of what makes science-fiction so appealing to me : timeless questions and ideas, put in a different perspective, so that a new understanding may be found.
Power vs responsibiliy, and what make a society stable ? Food for the thought, packaged in a good action plot.
Well done, but blandly seasoned.......2003-06-08
This novel presents a compelling entree to a mythos/universe that the author expands in other novels, but Adiamante may lack the vicersal tug that you get from a truly great novel. Well worth reading, even loosing sleep for, but by the very nature of its characters and message, not one you'll push on your friends.
More mature and thoughtful readers will remember this one fondly, and return to it often.
an inverted storytelling approach.......2002-09-27
This is the first L. E. Modesitt book I picked up, and it was a pretty entertaining read. It sustains through a second read too, for the presentation of the two different cultures remains consistent throughout.
I found the approach unexpected - even though by the end of chapter 3 there is little doubt about how the story will conclude, that leaves room for an amazing amount of suspense in just what the path will be to get to that foregone conclusion. Also the changes in points of view - first person for the demi and third person for the cybs - are a good way to unrelentingly underscore the impersonal outlook of the cybs as opposed to the demi's beliefs that life must be lived "whole-body".
All in all the best science fiction book I have read in a while. I realize it's been published for some time but that just means it's still worthwhile to browse outside of the newly-published book selections.
Great!.......2002-06-19
This has to be my favorite book by L. E. Modesitt Jr. (I've read about ten).
I'm prone to multi-volumne series, but this one is short but sweet.
Average customer rating:
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Adiamante
L. E., Jr. Modesitt
Manufacturer: New York, NY, U.S.A.: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OVBXFQ |
Average customer rating:
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Adiamante
Manufacturer: Tom Doherty Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HKLKH0 |
Book Description
Take a voyage in the company of Celtic heroes to find your life's direction. The Celtic Book of the Dead is your guide to the mystical realms of the Celtic Otherworld, where the fullness of personal potential becomes clear. This is not a morbid journey, but a voyage to islands with plenteous salmon, feasting halls, and pillars of silver rising from the sea. There are challenges too, but each has its lesson for our lives today.This pack contains everything you need for your voyage:Deck of 42 beautifully illustrated cardsBook explaining the background to the Celtic Otherworld and how to use the cardsCeltic Cross spread-cloth
Customer Reviews:
Celtic Book of the Dead and Cards.......2006-03-16
Excellent reference/alternative to help with someone's passing. I was their guide, and this book help me, and helped me help them. Beautifully written and illistrated. Caitlin is a jewel.
one of the most remarkable tools available for the soul.......2006-01-22
Many cultures all over the world have a "Book of the Dead", which are stories or poems, etc., meant to ready the dying for their upcoming Otherworld journey. Caitlin Matthews has applied this concept to Celtic immrama (wonder voyages), in particular using the Voyage of Maelduin for this card set. This set is a remarkable tool for shamanic journeying as well as a helper during "crossing over" points in life of all kinds. The set is wonderfully constructed and includes a cloth with the immram spread imprinted on it. The art is wonderfully like a collage and captures the Otherworld feel quite well. This set is fabulously complex with Matthews presenting multiple ways to grow and learn with these cards, as well as being a beautiful tool to actually lead the dying, should you be called or need to do so. I cannot recommend this book and card set enough.
Take a trip........2002-04-06
This isn't a how-to guide. This is, however, a book proposing a theory, legends and myths of the beyond according to Celtic traditions. It is fluent and very well put and I believe in can fit young readers and old as one. Although it is fairly leveled and can be used as more than just bedtime reading, it draws one into the wonderful, lost world of the Celts.
To those who practice witchcraft - it is a beautiful guide to the Celtic afterlife, and with it arrives an inspiring deck of Tarot cards, especially designed to read after-life journeys. The concept and the practice are a thing of beauty. I would recommend you practiced this specific reading thoroughly before applying it on others.
On the personal note - I bought this book shortly after a family member who was a dear friend had died. While pondering the meaning of death and what it suggests, I started a deep research on cultures and the way they have related to death, sorting out my beliefs in order to face fears and worries. This book was a lifesaver.
Over the Waves and Under the Hill.......2002-02-02
As always, Caitlin Matthews has managed to express in an outward and manifested object the deep strata of perennial truths of the Celtic soul. The premise upon which she approaches her subject is a fascinating one. . . that, indeed, like the Tibetans and Egyptians, that the Celtic tradition has its own particular expressions of a 'Book of the Dead': a compendium of stories or tales believed to be of Otherworld origin that speak to the soul of the living about the passage after death. The particular mythopoetic and shamanic root story that Caitlin approaches is that of Immram Curaig Maelduin Inso, or The Voyage of Maelduin's Boat.
Indeed, a fascinating account of a mystical voyage to thirty-three islands, each of which holds a particular adventure or lesson to the voyagers. Undoubtedly a strand of the many sea-faring tales of the Irish (such as St. Brendan the Navigator), the Immrama of Maelduin in THE CELTIC BOOK OF THE DEAD, proves to be an invaluable contribution to Celtic studies, visionary tradition, and the modern need to reincorporate the tools and sacred orientations of the psychopompic process (conscious death journey, or soul-leading). ...
Embark on your journey through the Celtic Otherworld.......1998-12-28
A thought provoking journey into our own souls. Well written and researched. The cards are illustrated beautifully. I can't say enough for it. Those seeking to learn more about ourselves this set is a must.
Books:
- 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
- Beyond Illusions : A Novel
- Blood on the Leaves
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The First Verse: A Novel
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The Back Passage
The Good Neighbor
