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- A masterful tale
- Steinar's quixotic journey through a treacherous world
- A Remarkable Life Journey
- A touching tale, by a master novelist
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Paradise Reclaimed
Halldor Laxness
Manufacturer: Vintage
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World Light
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Under the Glacier
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Iceland's Bell
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Independent People
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The Fish Can Sing
ASIN: 0375727582
Release Date: 2002-04-02 |
Book Description
IAn idealistic Icelandic farmer journeys to Mormon Utah and back in search of paradise in this captivating novel by Nobel Prize—winner Halldor Laxness.
The quixotic hero of this long-lost classic is Steinar of Hlidar, a generous but very poor man who lives peacefully on a tiny farm in nineteenth-century Iceland with his wife and two adoring young children. But when he impulsively offers his children's beloved pure-white pony to the visiting King of Denmark, he sets in motion a chain of disastrous events that leaves his family in ruins and himself at the other end of the earth, optimistically building a home for them among the devout polygamists in the Promised Land of Utah. By the time the broken family is reunited, Laxness has spun his trademark blend of compassion and comically brutal satire into a moving and spellbinding enchantment, composed equally of elements of fable and folkore and of the most humble truths.
Customer Reviews:
A masterful tale.......2006-03-31
A compellingly beautiful story told with warmth and gentle irony. The influence of the Eddas and journey epics is interwoven with touches of magical realism in the narration of Steinar Steinsson's journey. Steinar's humble character, good heart, and openness to new ideas and experiences make possible his remarkable journey; but his real motivation for the journey is the love he bears his family and his desire to manifest the depth of his love by providing them a paradise. The intrusive narrator adds to the humor of the tale. I loved the strong depictions of setting and the scope of this epic of a poor, but hardly common, man.
Steinar's quixotic journey through a treacherous world.......2005-05-16
This peculiar but affecting parable bears similarities to Laxness's most famous work, "Independent People." With its many references to Icelandic sagas, it describes the conflict between the simple life of a sparsely populated countryside and the cynical modernity of the outside world. Its farmer-hero, Steinar of Hildar, is a pastoral Don Quixote, a study of the innocence of a man who seeks meaning and "paradise" for himself and his family, who cannot bring himself to think ill of others, and whose optimism and faith is unshakable.
Steinar's journey is not an easy one--for him or for his family; their trusting naivety is no defense against the guiles of those who think themselves wiser and better. Steinar's tale begins when he selflessly offers a pony, the beloved pet of his children, to the king of Denmark, who in return offers expenses-paid hospitality in his realm. On his pilgrimage to visit the king, Steinar crosses paths, several times, with a persecuted Mormon bishop who is proselytizing in the countryside; the bishop regales the farmer with tales of an earthly paradise: Utah. (The Mormon element of the novel is not gratuitous, by the way. A definitive study of Scandinavia, by T. K. A. Derry, notes that during the years 1873-90, at least 12,000 Icelanders--out of a population of 70,000--emigrated to the North America in large part because of Mormon conversions.)
Steinar's subsequent travels eventually take him to Utah, where he hopes to bring his family to share in the earth's bounty. Little does he know that his equally gullible and simple wife and children have fallen victim to a series of scoundrels, particularly the local sheriff, who has made a career of seeding his offspring among the adolescent girls in his parish.
How Laxness ties together these strands of folklore and adventure is fascinating and ambiguous, heartwarming and odd--and it is bizarrely unforgettable. I'm still puzzling over what Laxness's novel actually "means"--if, indeed, a clear moral is meant at all--but the haunting characterizations and the compassionate portrait of his homeland alone are the stuff of poetry.
A Remarkable Life Journey.......2004-04-12
A saga about Steinar Steinsson of Hlidar farm in Iceland, a simple man who lives with his simple wife and two simple children. Set in the later 1800's, the story begins with the family possessing a remarkable pony that is the envy of others, it attracts so much attention that Steinar decides to take the pony to a national celebration and present it to King Christian of Denmark. It is here that he encounters Bishop Didrik for the first time, an ex-Icelander who now makes his home in Salt Lake, the bishop is back in Iceland to convert souls to Mormonism. Later Steinar is invited to Denmark by King Christian, where he meets European royalty, drinks water from a special spring and after another encounter with the bishop is converted to Mormonism. He decides to travel to America abandoning his family and embracing his new faith, the Mormon community is at this point is still young and still polygamous. Eventually after some years he sends for his family in Iceland but by then nothing is the same, his farm is in ruins and his loved ones broken.
Funny and heartbreaking at the same time, this novel is as beautiful to read as a fairytale. Much also about life in Iceland at that time and the early history of Mormonism in Utah.
A touching tale, by a master novelist.......2002-04-21
Along with The Fish can Sing, this is one of Laxness's best "later" novels (i.e. from the post-epic phase, which resulted in masterpieces like Independent People and Iceland's Bell, now finally translated into English!). It is a touching story - based, as is so often the case with Laxness, on real persons and events - of an Icelandic farmer who is baptized by a Mormon and decides to move to the promised land, i.e. Salt Lake City. The story is beautiful and deeply touching in its descriptions of the many sacrifices which have to be made in order for this dream to be realized, and the ending is absolutely brilliant (and fully in keeping with Laxness's Taoist philosophy). A must-read!
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Western Tourism: Can Paradise Be Reclaimed? (Tourism Dynamics)
Clare A. Gunn
Manufacturer: Cognizant Communication Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1882345444 |
Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from Tourism Management, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Description:
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PARADISE RECLAIMED.
Manufacturer: Methuen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HIC9YU |
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Rabbit Ears Treasury of Heroines: Annie Oakley, Song of Sacajawea, Finn McCoul, Princess Scargo and The Birthday Pumpkin (Rabbit Ears)
Rabbit Ears
Manufacturer: Listening Library (Audio)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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Rabbit Ears Treasury of Animal Stories: How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin, How the Camel Got His Hump, How the Leopard Got His Spots, Monkey People (Rabbit Ears)
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Rabbit Ears Treasury of Tall Tales: Volume One: Davy Crockett, Rip Van Winkle, Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan (Rabbit Ears)
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Rabbit Ears Treasury of Fairy Tales and Other Stories: Thumbelina, The Talking Eggs, The Fisherman and His Wife, The Emperor and the Nightingale (Rabbit Ears)
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Rabbit Ears Treasury of World Tales: Volume One: Aladdin, Anansi, East of the Sun/West of the Moon, The Five Chinese Brothers (Rabbit Ears)
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Rabbit Ears Treasury of Fables and Other Stories: The Three Little Pigs/The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Rumpelstiltskin, The Tiger and the Brahmin, The Ugly Duckling (Rabbit Ears)
ASIN: 0739338722
Release Date: 2007-03-13 |
Book Description
The Rabbit Ears Treasury of Heroines entertains and enlightens with these classic stories of extraordinary women–read by your favorite stars and featuring original music by some of today’s greatest artists.
Annie Oakley
Read by Keith Carradine • Original Music by Los Lobos
In this spirited tale we meet legendary Annie Oakley, the buckskin-wearing sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill Coty’s famous Wild West Show.
The Song of Sacajawea
Read by Laura Dern • Original Music by David Lindley
Join Lewis and Clark on their fascinating journey across the Rocky Mountains, led by an extraordinary 17-year-old Native American named Sacajawea. Her knowledge and incredible courage helped the early American explorers to reach their final destination: the Pacific Ocean.
Finn McCoul
Read by Catherine O’Hara • Original Music by Boys of the Lough
When Finn McCoul, the greatest champion in all of Ireland, discovers that the brutish giant Cucullin is after him, he gets a wee bit nervous. But with some ingenious culinary magic on the part of his clever wife Oonagh, Finn manages to get out of the scrape with most of his dignity intact.
Princess Scargo and the Birthday Pumpkin
Read by Geena Davis • Original Music by Michael Hedges
Discover the story of a young girl who gave up a precious birthday gift in order to save her village. This touching adaptation of the Native American legend embodies the true spirit of generosity.
Customer Reviews:
captivating for kids.......2007-10-02
My children love this CD set and it has some great stories that they listen to again and again. I particularly love the birthday pumpkin story.
Book Description
A visit with Bavia's royal family was supposed to be the stuff dreams were made of for Annie Trevarren, an American girl abroad. Instead it was turning into a disaster. First Annie impetuously crawled onto a castle roof and had to be rescued by Crown Prince Rafael St. James himself. Then her dearest friend, the prince's sister, Phaedra, balks at an arranged wedding. The peasants rebel. The throne totters. Worst of all, Annie is losing her heart.
Alas, Prince Rafael is no knight in shining armor. His former mistress has moved into the castle, and his notorious temper is flaring. But when fate brings Annie and her prince together in a secluded cottage, she can see his stern gaze soften. And his fleeting caresses...is Rafael seducing her? A future with him is highly improbable -- but a life without him is unthinkable. Rafael may intend to offer her a lesson in passion, but she'll teach the arrogant prince a better one: nothing is a greater ruler than love!
Customer Reviews:
Hollow and Choppy.......2005-07-09
I am an avid fan of reading, and I have never stopped reading a book right in the middle, but this book was horrible. I barely made it to the middle when I got frustrated and stopped reading it. The plot is so very choppy and there are no details to the relationship between Annie and the Prince. I can't even remember the name of the other characters--that's how bad it was! I am sorry, but do not waste your time; you should move on to another book.
One of the best!.......2000-04-21
This book is one of the best I have ever read. i couldn't put it down. It's so enthralling with a plot that keeps the pages turning. Ms. Miller really turned out a good one!
Absolutely Fabulous!!.......1999-10-17
Kept me up all night reading it. I just couldn't bear to stop reading it until the end. Prince Rafael is every girl's dream man. Honourable, strong and handsome. The tension and suspense of the plot builds up towards the end of the book. You just had to keep reading to know what happens to the hero and his beloved heroine.... An enjoyable read!!
I Loved this Book!.......1998-02-07
I couldn't put it down! I fell in love with Annie and Prince Rafael! Annie is bold and daring, willing to risk it all for the man she loves! Its exciting and very fast paced! I really enjoyed it!
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Princess Annie and the Magical Pendant
H.L. Klun
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1425922724 |
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- Beautiful illustrations
- A Christmas must have.
- The Terrible Troll Cat.
- Remarkable, memorable, and highly recommended
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The Terrible Troll Cat
Annie Jacobsen
Manufacturer: Pickled Herring Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Multicultural | Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0977827607
Release Date: 2006-06-01 |
Product Description
Come along with Johannah and Lars as they go in search of the Terrible Troll Cat that is keeping the Princess from her beauty sleep. If you are brave enough to go with them, you are in for a delightful surprise! The beautiful illustrations and rhyming text are sure to delight readers young and old alike.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful illustrations.......2006-11-09
If the beautiful illustrations don't convince you to include this book in your personal library or purchase it for a special young person in your life, the story will.
Set in Norway, the story starts when a mother troll lovingly cares for her baby daughter, Johannah. Johannah enjoys her happy childhood, but when she's eleven, she faces a challenge that changes her life forever.
The Princess cannot sleep because the loud cries coming out of the mountains keep her awake. Johannah and her friend Lars head out to discover what's causing the offensive sounds so they can solve the Princess' sleep problem.
The closer they get to the horrible noise, the more scared Lars becomes, until he finally leaves Johannah alone. She continues her quest to help the Princess and comes face-to-face with the Terrible Troll Cat.
You'll want to read the book to see what happens when Johannah confronts the beast from the mountains.
Armchair Interviews says: Lovely story, lovely illustrations anyone would love.
A Christmas must have........2006-10-25
This is a wonderful children's story that is beautifully illustrated. It should be on every parent and grandparents "must have" list for Christmas.
Children will not only enjoy the story but the colorful characters as well.
The Terrible Troll Cat........2006-10-21
My Children have had me read this book over and over. There is excitement and a reward at the end.. a good moral.. We think we have to buy more as gifts.
JOhn Palumbo
Remarkable, memorable, and highly recommended.......2006-10-08
Written in lyrical verse by Annie Jacobsen and wonderfully illustrated by Susan Jo Hanson, "The Terrible Troll Cat" is the story of the young courageous Johannah and her dangerous quest to silence the 'yeowls' of the Terrible Troll Cat so that the Princess can rest. Johannah sets off on her mission accompanied by her friend Lars and journeys high into the mountains in search of the cat. Lars eventually becomes too afraid to continue and returns home, leaving Johannah to carry on alone. Young readers of this engagingly entertaining picturebook will find themselves totally engrossed in the story -- right down to the surprise at the end! Original, creative, superbly presented, "The Terrible Troll Cat" is a remarkable, memorable, and highly recommended addition to family, school, and community library picturebook collections.
Book Description
When Marion Dutilleul enters the service of the Marquise de Montespan, she never imagines that her ability to recognize scents and to blend them into perfumes will win her the favor of Louis XIV’s mistress. But the marquise quickly has the young girl creating new perfumes for her. Eager to please and hopeful that her olfactory gifts will win her recognition, Marion concocts memorable fragrances. Then, to her horror, credit is bestowed on someone else. Marion feels betrayed.
Now Marion opens her eyes and ears (in addition to her nose!) and realizes that beneath the splendor of palace life is a place teeming with deceit. To survive, she must use her keen sense of smell not to create perfumes, but to thwart those who would do her—and one of France’s beloved monarchs—great harm.
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The Afterdark Princess
Annie Dalton
Manufacturer: Methuen young books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Authors, A-Z | Books & Reading | Books on CD | Books on Cassette | British | Classics | Drama | Erotica | Essays | Foreign Language Fiction | General | Genre Fiction | History & Criticism | Large Print | Letters & Correspondence | Poetry | Short Stories | United States | Women's Fiction | World Literature
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ASIN: 0416159028 |
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Captive Princess: Zebunissa, Daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb
Annie Krieger Krynicki
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0195798376 |
Book Description
The book revolves around Princess Zebunissa (1638-1702) who is defined as the symbol of female power of the Mughal dynasty and portrays their stature in the court life in the seventeenth century.
In those days, the Mughal empire was at its zenith and famous in the world for its magnificence and wealth. Princesses were adorned with diamonds, dressed in clothes embroidered in gold and showered with exquisite luxury. They were the true patrons of art and loved books. She also contributed to
the architecture by way of mosques and edifices and played the role of a political and social advisor.
The book shows the Mughal way of life and sketches the political and religious organization of the empire under Shah Jehan's reign and the austere government of Aurangzeb, the princess' father. The filigree of Zebunissa's life holds debates about her religious beliefs. The prism of her knowledge
expanded to the study of calligraphy, Sufism and poetry. By giving herself a pen name Makhfi "The hidden," which had become an amusing and paradoxical disguise, she used it to moderate the 'Light of the World'. For her the name signified a life dramatically suppressed, cut off from the world.
Her mysterious and unexpected imprisonment is also described in this book: Zebunissa's fate changed drastically when she was sent to prison by her father Aurangzeb, where she died leaving a landmark near the Red Fort of Delhi.
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Look at Me!: I'm a Princess!
Claire Page
Manufacturer: Make Believe Ideas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General | Basic Concepts | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Royalty | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 184610100X |
Book Description
Look at me! I'm a princess! combines a jewelled tiara ? presented in a beautiful organza bag ? with a photographic book about princesses. The perfect gift for young girls who dream of being a princess, the book follows two young princesses, who encourage the reader to join in their adventures A PERFECT GIFT FOR YOUNG GIRLS WHO DREAM OF BEING A PRINCESS
Customer Reviews:
Like pirating a few copies of "Beethoven's 2nd".......2002-10-24
This is the only one of its kind.
How often, on your morning commute in to work, do you see someone on the train reading a bright pink book? It doesn't happen very often, especially if the reader is over the age of, say, eight. Thanks to "Mad Dogs and Englishmen", you too can witness the impossible, if you happen to share your commute with a "Doctor Who" fan. I have to admit that one of the reasons I read this book in a ridiculously fast three days was so I could minimize the amount of time people would see me, an attorney at law, reading a bright pink novel with a pink, cigarette-smoking and pistol-packing poodle, on the cover.
For all that, is it any good?
"Mad Dogs and Englishmen", even though it's the next book in the series after the intense, moody, arc-changing "Adventuress of Henrietta Street", is lighter than air and less serious than a Leslie Nielsen movie. At one point I tried to keep track of notable lines, but quickly ran out of room. The whole thing's a broad satire of the sci-fi fandom culture -- broad riffs on J.R.R. Tolkien, George Lucas, and Ray Harryhausen dominate the book. Noel Coward's also in it. Several times. The book jumps breezily from 1942 London to 1960 Las Vegas to 1978 Los Angeles to Outer Space, and more than gets away with it.
Now, this book is by Paul Magrs, one of the more divisive "Doctor Who" novel writers. Most of his books are parodies, not satires (there's a fine line) of "Doctor Who", and revolve around his own pet character Iris Wildthyme. Not so this book -- in fact, the word "Wildthyme" doesn't appear anywhere within its four corners. Yes, there are the broad pokes at DW stories (the Doctor's descriptions of some of his 1970s TV adventures are drop-dead funny), but this time, Magrs doesn't seem to be trying to show off his Immense Literary Cleverness to the audience. Like I said, it's the broadest and lightest of his books to date and I think even those readers dead set against him, will at the worst be only slightly amused.
And, even though it's light on the arc (the Doctor does still have his goatee), it's the second "fake history" novel in a row -- referring to all sorts of Earth events that, well, never happened. Something very odd is happening with time -- if not necessarily with Wildthyme -- in the 8th Doctor's universe...
More Camp Than A Holiday With John Inman.......2002-04-09
Pity the eyes of the Doctor Who fan. In November of 2001, the BBC published THE ADVENTURESS OF HENRIETTA STREET - a book written in such a small font that it's currently being used as a calibration device for electron microscopes. After numerous readers were spotted literally bleeding from the eyes due to excess squinting, reports of blindness spread throughout fandom faster than casting rumors about Ken Dodd. "The BBC," up-in-arms fans demanded, "will have to do something about this state of affairs! No more janus thorns! No more tiny print! No more making our eyeballs bleed! Have pity on our orbs of sight! Give us something soothing to look at!" And in their wisdom the BBC, upon hearing these pleas of mercy from our optically challenged fans friends (of which this humble reviewer counts himself as a fully paid up member), decided to follow ADVENTURESS with a new book from Paul Magrs. A new book about poodles. A new book with a bright pink cover, featuring a bright pink poodle reclining on a yellow sofa, holding a cigarette and a yellow water pistol. In case there were any optic nerves that hadn't spontaneously combusted upon initial viewing of this cover, there is also a giant reflective Doctor Who logo on the front, that screams to anyone who will listen about how there are now one hundred BBC Doctor Who Novels in existence (I can only assume that a cover claiming that this is the one hundredth book since the BBC took the license away from Virgin didn't go over terribly well in the board meetings). So, in case you missed anything, there's a bright, shiny, reflective gold logo glowing on top of a screamingly bright pink cover published right after November's Hold-The-Book-Very-Close-To-Your-Head fest. Why does BBC range editor Justin Richards hate my eyes so?
Personally, I think the cover is one of the most killingly funny things I've even seen on the front of the book in a very long time. On the other hand, I have absolutely no wish to persuade that of anyone who happens to think that it is the most garish and ugly work that they've ever seen in their life (I would probably only mention the fact that they seem to be completely missing the point). The extreme pinkness of the cover is something that someone is going to either love or abhor and there's absolutely no reason to try to dissuade a person from their opinion on that. While fans will forever be divided on that subject, the book itself is quite a lot of fun. It is the epitome of romp. It is the embodiment of camp. It is the quintessence of silliness. It's great.
For those readers who thought that all books following THE ADVENTURESS OF HENRIETTA STREET would end up being massively heavy books, have no fear. MAD DOGS is possibly one of the lightest books that the Doctor Who range has ever produced. The novel is so light that while I put the book aside during breaks in reading, if it was not for the weight of the bookmark that I shoved into its pages, I would be in eternal fear of the novel being caught on a stray current of air and floating away to some unknown destination. (For any overly sensitive review-reader who is worried about the fate of my copy now that the bookmark has been removed from MAD DOGS' innards need fret no more. My copy is now resting comfortably on my bookshelf next to a copy of ADVENTURESS, and the gravitational pull of that tome will keep MAD DOGS securely anchored to the Earth for many many years to come.)
In addition to be a delightfully quick book to read, it's also a terribly funny one. MAD DOGS is one of the few Doctor Who stories where virtually every joke or bad pun creates a laugh. Not a book to be taken seriously, it succeeds largely because it's written in such a fun and quick style. Paul Magrs' prose style is incredibly engaging; it's Terrance Dicks with a real sense of poetry. While some books get humor all wrong by dwelling too much on the outrageousness of the situational comedy, MAD DOG quickly moves from one insane setup to another. There are some wonderfully described passages that will have you chuckling to yourself for weeks. It's fluffy, but it's not insultingly so. It's vaguely clever enough that I certainly didn't feel that I had wasted my time on something inconsequential. It's amazingly entertaining, and while I wouldn't want to read an entire series of books like this, as a one-off it succeeds magnificently.
MAD DOGS works as a great standalone romp through the weird and wacky world of Who. If you're someone who doesn't like your Who to be horribly serious at all times, then in all likelihood you'll adore this one. But then, you probably realized the lack of inherent seriousness present in the text when you threw your hands over your face to protect yourself from the intense radioactive blast of a cover.
Truly bizarre take on our favourite time-traveller.......2002-03-19
First of all, let me describe the cover, since it doesn't appear on the site. It is bright pink, with a pink poodle lounging on a divan. The poodle has human-like hands, and is holding a ray-gun out of a 50's sci-fi movie in one hand, and a cigarette holder with a smoking cigarette in the other. If that doesn't indicate the tone of the book to follow, I'll eat a horse.
Yes, camp is the word of the day to describe this one. Reginald Tyler (J.R.R. Tolkein, very obviously) has devoted his life to the writing of his master work, The True History of Planets. It is a large story about elves, trolls, goblins, etc. At least, that's the book that the Doctor has always known. However, after arriving at a science-fiction convention in the early 21st century, he discovers that the book is no longer about such fantastical creatures, but instead it's a book about the true events on Dogworld, where the Queen is overthrown and a new Emperor has taken over. A movie has been made of the book, which will make the situation on Dogworld even worse. Thus, the Doctor, Anji and Fitz have to figure out what's going on and how to stop it. They pick up some friends along the way and separate into the time stream in order to do this. The Doctor and one poodle go to the 1940's and infiltrate the Smudgelings, Tyler's elite Cambridge writing group. Fitz and Flossie (another acquisition) go to the 1960's and fall in with the flamboyant torch singer, Brenda Soobie, who's also more than what she seems. Finally, Anji and another poodle go to the 1970's, where work on the film is beginning. What follows is truly, truly...well, bizarre is probably the best way to describe it.
However, this is bizarre in a good way, rather than the weird events of Henrietta Street, the previous book. Paul Magrs has written a very broad comedy, with wonderful parodies of Tolkein, C.S. Lewis, and even George Lucas in a very over the top manner (he acts out his scenes by playing with his toys). There's even a comment on the decline of stop-motion animation and the rise of computer graphics in movies. In fact, that's a major plot point. And you'll never look at Noel Coward the same way again after reading this book.
But is it any good? Oh yeah, it's good. The plot is a bit too thin for this to be a 5-star book and the characters are fairly two-dimensional, but it is definitely up there. The Eighth Doctor series really needed this break in tone after Henrietta Street. It's funny, makes a couple of interesting points and fulfills the promise of the cover. The comedy is so broad that the characters can't help but be two-dimensional. There are no deep thoughts, the regulars don't develop at all, and the plot is flimsy. But that's hardly the point in this book. This is Dr. Who that doesn't take itself seriously, and where's the problem with that once in awhile?
Paul Magrs has written three other Dr. Who books, and each one has been infested (yes, that's the right word) with his character, Iris Wildthyme. This one has her too, but she's not that intrusive or annoying in this book. Thus, it's Magrs' best book of the lot. She's very subdued, or at least she is once you find out who she is. Magrs has also avoided doing some of his literary tricks that he did with his previous books that annoyed me. This book has an ending, for one thing. He has played with the English language, how it's used, and how literature is written in his previous ones, and they've left me cold in the process. However, this time he plays with tone instead, and he's much better for it.
You will laugh at this book. You will laugh *with* this book. You will glory in the wonders of Dogworld, sympathize with some of the poodles, while cursing at the other poodles. You will laugh at an aphid named Professor Alid Jag, who is involved in a wonderful gag right at the beginning of the book. I hope you won't be embarrassed by the cover as you read it on the bus to work. I wasn't. But I'm not easily embarrassed. It is, shall we say, garish. But that's ok. It's well worth it.
Customer Reviews:
Good, But too Christian for Me.......2005-10-06
Unlike some Christians whose typical phrases are like, "Jesus will fix you up if you believe in Him," this book teaches you "self reliance." The content is written with scientific (in this case, psychology) basis, and I find it helpful. Since I am not religious I had a difficulty, but I am sure readers with Christian faith will find this book wonderful.
This is an intellectual approach to the content of Bible, and because of it I find it readable even though I am non Christian. I think the author did a great favor to human kind to point out how we have freedom to define our lives.
Principles Still Working.......2000-04-23
I read this book about 10 years ago and it literally changed my life. I was given valuable tools to help me excel in many areas of life. I am now ordering it for my 51 year old husband who is facing a career change. I highly recommend the book for people ready for a positive change.
An Absolute Must for Those in Recovery.......2000-03-30
This book has absolutely turned my whole life around. It has given me a complete new outlook on my recovery from drugs and alcohol. It has brought to light that drugs and alcohol were not my main problem, but the way I thought about myself. After reading this book, and applying it to my life, I am a new person. I now see myself in a totally different light. There is power in words--especially the words we speak to ourselves. We become what we say we are.
Excellent Resource for Counsellors, Clients and Individuals.......2000-03-17
Self-Talk: Key to Personal Growth is an excellent resource for anyone, lay-person or professional. It gives clear advice on how to tackle negative self-talk in an accessible format.
Excellent resource for Christian Counselors.......1999-12-10
I found this book to be an excellent resource in my profession as a Christian Counselor. It integrates cognitive theory with Christian principles, in a clear and easy to understand manner. I have also recommended this book to my clients, who have also found it to be helpful.
Books:
- Parzival: A Romance of the Middle Ages
- Philip Roth: Novels 1973-1977, The Great American Novel, My Life as a Man, The Professor of Desire (Library of America)
- Provinces of Night: A Novel
- Recollections of My Life
- Salt and Saffron
- Saul Bellow: Novels 1944-1953: Dangling Man, The Victim, and The Adventures of Augie March (Library of America)
- Sayonara, Gangsters
- Shakey's Loose
- Stelarc: The Monograph (Electronic Culture: History, Theory, and Practice)
- Sweet Dove Died
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